Ashita was called in, like a rebellious kid strutting to the principal's office. It was time to cash in her bad luck, which had been accumulating like soap scum inside the bath tub.

Kabuto walked her down, into Orochimaru's room. And they stared at one another, neither speaking a single word. The silence struck. It choked up every person in that room, even though each of them had a pile of thought that was totally inappropriate.

Ashita broke up stillness.

"So where's Sasuke?"

"He's out on a mission. Just left this morning." The old bastard leaned back a bit, those harsh yellow eyes attempting to poke a hole in his daughter's overwhelming fields of green.

Kabuto cleared his throat.

"I've heard some distressing rumors. I don't want you to see him any longer."

The girl looked like she ate something sour. The contempt crunched up her nose filled the in between of those eyelashes with an inferno no amount of water could ever put out.

"I'm the only one that can actually spar with him. Everyone else is too fucking weak-they're not agile enough." She was physically shaking. "What good is separating us going to do?! It's done! What? Are you going to have Kabuto put my virginity back?!"

"Shut your filthy mouth!"

It was like someone cracked a gavel. And the silence came floating back in, existing between hard breaths and dagger sharp glares. But there was this essence of shame and upset, against Orochimaru's face.

"You have been a disobedient and terrible daughter. I can't even come up with an adequate punishment, for such a wanton whore."

Ashita's worn out hands clenched up into fists. She was erupting like a geyser. "Why don't you just die already, you stupid old man? You're keeping everyone waiting. We've all been nothing but patient. It's rude."

"Kabuto, take her outside. Strip her naked and whip her. Then leave her out, so everyone can see her, since Ashita is so willing to put herself on display." Then that ice cold accusation cut her down even further. "You're lucky I don't use you for a vessel, you ungrateful urchin. If I find you've spoken to Sasuke after this, I might very well have to kill you. I can't have him tainted any more than he already is, so I suggest you stay out of way."

"Then just let me go! I'll run so far away you'll never see me again!"

"But Ashita, it's a punishment, is it not? I can't simply give you what you want. That would just be reinforcing your bad behavior." Orochimaru looked to Kabuto, who took Ashita by the arm only to be punched in the nose by her other, free hand.

The blow was so hard; it knocked his glasses onto the floor and caused blood to spatter onto the woman's knuckles. Then she kicked him straight in the stomach and left the room, stopping outside the entrance of the village.

But she didn't have the resolve to actually run. Thinking about it only managed to set a weight at the base of her throat, like an anvil wrapped around her tonsils. It felt impossible. Like jumping into the sky and remaining, with the clouds and blue and missing oxygen. It would only make shit worse if they caught her. Maybe that stupid old fuck really would kill her this time. Order an execution and send her to that kingdom in the clouds. Where they'd reject her for everything she had ever done and ship her straight down to Hell.

But really, it couldn't be worse than this.

Kabuto came outside about five minutes later, whip in hand and all, with his nose wrapped up in gauze. It looked broken.

Good.

"If you put your goddamn hands on me again, I'll break your Adam's apple this time."

"You sure do talk tough, Ashita. Yet, you're still too pussy to run. You could have even taken the head start, but I do appreciate your cooperation even if you did make my nose bleed." That horrible, long coil flopped onto the ground from his hand. A Big Old thump in the grass. "How do your knuckles feel?"

"Fantastic."

"Glad to hear it. Clothes off."

The woman hesitated, as though that white haired prick might take it back and they could just rewind the entire thing. Light headedness washed over her. Down from her head and all the way through her veins. But still, those lily white, bruised up hands managed to loosen the obi. And the kimono fell away like shedding a second skin.

The first strike always seemed to be the worst. Kabuto had her wait; he had her wait every time. Like a five second stillness before the first roller coaster drop. It was forever. But suddenly there it was. That old, familiar, bitter pain that struck her to the ground like lighting. Her teeth clamped down, onto her lip. So the scream couldn't come. That howl, to Kabuto, was like the cherry sitting against that bloated dollop of whipped cream. He couldn't have it, even if Ashita bloodied her gums and severed her lower lip to be entirely fucking sure of it.

The next strike.

And the next.

And the next.

Until Ashita had counted to fifteen with tears growing at the corners of her eyes. This time, she actually threw up, the stomach acid burning a hole at the back of her throat due to the pain. The sobs wouldn't stay in, and the horrible shaking of her limbs was set from shock and hatred. All mixing together within her emptied out, pumpkin hallow stomach.

And she collapsed. With all the motivation to kill Kabuto where he stood and none of the energy to even rise up out of the dirt. It was done, and that horrible medic went inside, to go obsess over the mud hole Ashita had pounded into his face, which still bled like a motherfucker.

The forest smelled like rain today, to go with the cancer black clouds and claps of lighting and thunder that ran all through out that dour sky. The way kids would play in a dark forest full of thorns and wolves.

And what do you know, it finally started to rain. It was cool and humid, practically putting Ashita to sleep in that mess of vomit and blood and compost dirt.

But unconsciousness was a blessing.

So Ashita took it, because it was all she would get.

Trying to stay awake was a waste. She had learned that the first time.