Cure Me

Sorry for the long wait, I was busy preparing for an anime convention (which was incredibly fun) and I had to deal with school. But Now that that's over with for now, I should be up loading more often.

Thank you again for the reviews I really appreciate them . This chapter I had fun writing. R&R

I don't own Naruto...unfortunately

Chp. 11

They enter the building and Anko still in the lead with a defeated expression.

"Well I guess I'm off to my prison cell again, right?" she says in a monotone voice not even turning around, sure that she knows what his response is going to be.

"No, not exactly…" Kabuto's voice casual like always. Anko stops in place and swiftly turns her head around not expecting that answer.

"What do you mean by that? I don't suppose you have thoughts of walking me around or something?" she starts to laugh silently to herself at the thought of that coming across her mind.

"Actually…that's exactly what I was planning to do…" he says with a very straight face looking directly at hers. She stops laughing quickly when she realizes that he isn't joking around this time. She stares him down investigating his face.

"You-you're kidding me…"

"I kid you not, Anko, unless you enjoy sitting in that dark cold cellar the rest of the day I could easily change my mind…" he takes his glasses off to clean them on his shirt.

"Don't you have some scheduled duties to take care of or something?"

"Nope I'm not scheduled for anything until 9 pm so I'm using this time to show you some things." He says walking ahead of her down the maze-like halls. Anko subconsciously follows him with a face of confusion.

"Why me? Why not some other prisoner? I'm sure they would like a bit of fresh air."

"You're already in my presence so I might as well show you some of the lighter things around here…"

"Hmph you think it's wise to show me the way around the hideout?"

Kabuto turns around looking very annoyed. He fixes his collar and walks up to Anko.

"Look, I'm not crazy enough to show you any of the hideout's secrets or ways around the hideout I just…" He sighs rubbing his forehead at the difficulty of such a simple task. He just storms off down the halls not replying to anymore questions she may have. She keeps up following him, through the maze when he comes to a stop. Anko stops behind and sees two large doors with twin snake symbols one on each. There are two pillars on each side of the doors.

"Why did we stop?" she asks amazed by the patterns on the doors. Kabuto still doesn't reply and pushes the large heavy doors open with a little difficulty. The doors slowly open spilling the shine of the sun across them. Anko's eyes widen as more of the scenery is revealed before her eyes.

An inside garden to her surprise, she is shocked to see something beautiful and colorful in the middle of a place so cold, dark and depressing. Even the smell is a big contrast to the dusty damp one she has grown used to. Kabuto looks at the shock on her face and smiles. He walks in not turning to face her.

"Like what you see? Better than that gargantuan forest you were trying to escape through huh?" he says in a cocky manner.

"Yes but, I never expected something like this ever to be in a place like this...it doesn't seem like something ya'll would have…"

"Why do you think that?"

"Well because…"

"Because what? Is it because we seem just too 'evil' to have time to keep up a beautiful garden on days we are not on missions. Sorry to disappoint you Anko, but even though our goals are a bit one-sided, twisted, and taboo doesn't necessarily mean we always have to live in a dark hectic life all the time. We too need time to relax to your surprise."

Anko lowers her head with her eyes closed and thinks about all the things Orochimaru and his followers have done to her and her village. She finds it hard to believe a dark maniacal monster like that snake would have something as beautiful as this deep inside his sick torture farm. Her fists clenches as she continues to piece it all together in her head. She lifts her head suddenly when she feels Kabuto's hand placed lightly on her shoulder.

"Well are you just going to stand here? If that's the case I can take you back to your cellar and I can go back here and relax on my own time…" Anko moves her shoulder away from him and walks further inside to take a further view of this place.

The garden isn't too big nor is it small; it's simply a place to calm one's mind. In the center is a small bamboo water fountain surrounded by miniature Japanese maples that seem to twist their way towards the sky with blood red leaves on each tips. Around the maples, trails the stream of water from the water fountain; it flows along the trail of smooth stones down to a very small pond.

All the while Anko takes this all in, Kabuto walks over to another stone bench and lays on it to rest.

"This isn't like him…what was this place originally for?" Anko says standing over him with her arms folded. Kabuto sighs and sits up.

"Anko there is more to a person than what is seen on the outside. This place, like I said before, is a place to relax and get away from everything, even someone as cruel and murderous as Orochimaru. He doesn't come here as often anymore like he used to due to his training of Sasuke, but I at least come here when I'm not assigned or scheduled to anything for the moment. Is it really bothering you this much?"

"Well no…I…it's just that…" Anko gets cut off when she is pulled down to sit on the stone bench.

"Good not another word from you I hate for it to be noisy in here." He lies back down and Anko remains sitting there staring off into space.

'This place reminds me of the small parks outside my apartment in Konoha. The water fountain, the plants, and the small pond, almost everything…' tears begin to form in her eyes as she thinks about Konoha more. 'I'm never going to see my home again; I'm confined here with only one little garden to remind me of my home. I don't even think they have noticed my disappearance yet, since they are all uptight about Sasuke and his sharingan getting into the hands of Orochimaru.' She starts crying and gets up to walk over to the small pond.

Anko squats near the pond and is surprised to see koi swimming around in it. Tears run down her face as she smiles at the fishes.

"Funny how small animals such as you get treated better than the humans held prison here…" she sticks her finger in the pond and let the koi suck at her finger tips. She giggles to their touches then her giggles turn back to sobs. Kabuto hears her and looks up at her.

"What are you crying about this time?" he says very annoyed.

Anko turns around with a tearful smile.

"There's no way of me leaving this place is there?"

"No Anko you're our captive there is no way of you leaving you might as well quit asking m…"

"Well am I able to come into this garden on my own free will? You know to get away from the stress of being here?"

"No, this isn't open for captives; you're not really supposed to be in here to tell you the truth…"

"Then why did you bring me here…?" Anko is interrupted when a random sound shinobi walks right in the garden.

"Kabuto, you have been summoned by lord Orochimaru to meet him at his quarters" the ninja says while bowing at him.

"I got your word you may leave now."

The ninja lifts up and heads out, but before he is completely gone he catches a quick glance at Anko and smiles. Anko looks back very confused about the look she just received. Kabuto gets up and stretches.

"Alright Miss Mitarashi, guess it's time for you to head back to your…"

Anko is already in front of him heading out of the garden. He catches up with Anko.

"You know you can't just keep doing that!" he says to her sternly.

"Do what? Oh I'm sorry am I hurting your little pride? Don't like it when a female walks ahead of you?" she says sarcastically. He just lets the comment go and closes the door to the garden behind them.

They head down the hall back to the cell Anko was kept in.

"Uh…" He starts; Anko just responds by pulling out his enormous ring of keys out from nowhere and gives it to him. "Where were you holding them this whole time?"

"That's for only me to know." she snaps. He gives her a narrowed eye look and counts the keys to make sure they are all there. He then unlocks the door and she walks in.

"Back to cold dark and dreary I suppose…" She says as she plops down on her hard bed.

"Sorry, but my break time is over and I can't have you walking around here freely. Do promise me one thing before I lock you up." Anko just turns in a gesture that signals him to continue what he has to say.

"Don't try to escape again, it's really a pain in the neck for me to go out of my way and recover you."

Anko lets out a maniacal smile appear across her face. He then closes the door and locks it behind him. He lets out a deep sigh leaning his back on the door.

"I only wish I can get more and longer breaks like this. Might as well not keep Orochimaru waiting any longer." He reassures that the keys are all there again and walks down to Orochimaru's quarters.

Anko, still in the same position he has left her, stares at the cold grey floor she was hoping to forget while she had time in the colorful garden. That garden reminded her of Konoha so much; it even felt as if she was back in her home village. Too bad she can't return there on her own free will to get her mind off what awaits for her. She pulls out a leaf that looks similar to the leaf symbol from her home and studies it. She lies on her back with her legs crossed and dreams about the landscape of her village.

"I will return to you soon Konoha, some how I will return to you…"

To be continued...

Sorry if this chapter is a bit 'light weight' and boring but the information about the garden is important and will be brought up again in the future