HEY LOOK ANOTHER UPDATE! And I may or may not be losing followers after this chapter but I just had to. I really did.
Chapter Fourty Two: Unveiled Shame
The trees swayed in the breeze and birds chirp a carefree cacophony in its canopies. A lone boy stood in the clearing, his head hung low. He listened to the forest as it played nature's gleeful tunes. The leaves threw shadows on the forest floor, making it cool and comfortable. The refreshing smell of the forest after the rain passed as a soft breeze whistled past him. A trio of squirrels chattered as they crossed the ground and up into the trees.
Then, in a sudden, all noise was gone altogether.
Not a single peep of life coming from the forest. It was as if time had stilled. As slow as could be, shadows began to lengthen and crawled towards the boy, haunting and ominous. Soft howls and cackles came from the darkness as the shadows drew closer. He could almost hear harsh comments of 'Useless' and 'You're worth nothing' and the like of criticizing negativity. Once a shadow managed to touch his feet with a whisper, he stiffened. It slowly snaked up his ankle, gripping tightly.
Then the boy leaned to the side with a hard bank as something hurtled towards him. He broke free of the shadow, releasing the genjutsu at the same time, and launch a kick at his attacker's face. The thing dodged and cartwheeled a few ways away, before landing neatly on the grass.
"You could get more original with the insults." He retort as he glared at the intruder.
"Man, you're no fun, Sasuke." The attacker whined, but his face held a large grin as he folded his hands behind his head. Sasuke snorted before turning away. The sight of the green haired boy gave the Uchiha an unwanted sense of nostalgia.
"Hey, wait up! Where are you going?" The green menace called out and followed him. Sasuke didn't know when he had built such a large amount of patience. He was surprised at himself that he hasn't yet strangled the boy out of exasperation.
"I'm going to train. Leave me alone, Satoshi." Sasuke snapped broodily, trying to put as much distance between himself and the brat.
"But, I'm sooo booreedd." Satoshi whined again as he caught up to the raven haired boy, unfortunately.
Satoshi earned himself a hard glare that was poisonous enough to kill a mammoth but he didn't seem to pay any heed as he trudged on, "Besides, all you do is train with the dummies." He turned to the Uchiha, who was sulking and wondering when he was going to kill the other boy.
"How about we have a quick sparring session? I wanna see how strong an Uchiha is, since Orochimaru-sama is so obsessed with your bloodline." Satoshi proposed, grinning at the moody boy. Sasuke exhaled heavily, as he finally gave up fighting against the walking equivalent of a headache.
Satoshi had been bugging him since the moment he stepped into the snake pit two months ago. Within five minutes of meeting him, Sasuke figured that he was a ray of sunshine and an annoying chatterbox, an anomaly in this god forsaken place. And he reminded him too much of Naruto, although Satoshi is less stupid.
Sasuke looked at him, and both boy were caught in a staring contest. Finally, he rolled his eyes back and huffed, "Fine. But don't go crying to Orochimaru when you lose."
Satoshi grinned and whooped, punching the air in triumph, "Hah! You'll be the one crying after I'm done with you!"
Sasuke hid a small smirk at his exuberant talking and walked to the side before turning back to face Satoshi. "So, best two out of three?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Amber eyes sparkled as Satoshi moved into an offensive stance, his fingers splayed out at the Uchiha, "Alright! You're going down, Sasuke!"
Both boys fell to the ground, panting from exhaustion. Satoshi peeked wearily at Sasuke, grinning from ear to ear, "Hey, so does this mean I win?"
"In your dreams." Sasuke gulped, still breathing heavily. Satoshi sniggered and his head fell back against the dirt with a loud huff. A soft rustle came from beside them. "And you guys didn't invite me. I'm hurt." Sasuke and Satoshi turned to the voice, too tired to get up. A white haired boy grinned toothily, "Well, if you're both quite done, go clean up."
Sasuke just groaned as Satoshi laughed at the newcomer, "We'll fight next time, Suigetsu. Promise." Suigetsu just rolled his eyes, before moving towards Sasuke, offering a hand, "Yeah, sure, blockhead. That's the seventh time you told me that. Anyway, I didn't just come here to be prissy at both of you."
Sasuke accepted his hand and Suigetsu hoisted him up. The Uchiha rubbed his cheek, wiping away some blood as he smirked at the boy. "You didn't?"
Suigetsu snorted and raised his hands in mock surrender, "Oh man, Sasuke made a joke. The world is ending." Sasuke faltered slightly at that, but Suigetsu was already paying attention to Satoshi, pulling the boy up as well. "Yeah anyways. Orochimaru-sama is looking for you, Sasuke. Better hurry up. He's in a mood today."
"Which mood?" Satoshi asked curiously as he brushed his pants. Suigetsu smirked at him, his sharp teeth gleaming, "The worst kind."
"Oh, there you are, Sasuke-kun! I almost thought you sprouted wings and flew away from me." Orochimaru sang when he saw the gloomy boy walking into the large hall. He sat on a beautiful wood carved throne, petting a white snake. His hair was growing back in his current vessel, the long curls flowing along his thin neck. It was losing the greenish tinge that belonged to the former host.
Orochimaru smiled at him fondly as Sasuke stopped in front of him.
But Sasuke just glared at the Sannin, almost hoping that he would dismiss him. Of course, life wasn't fair. The pale man clicked his tongue, waggling his finger at the boy, as if he was a scolding parent, "Now, now. That's not how you look at your master. You don't want me to throw a hissy fit now, would you?" The snake on his lap hissed jerkily, almost like it was laughing at the weak attempt of a joke.
Sasuke wanted to break something. So, this is the mood Suigetsu had foretold. The worst mood. The mood for stupid jokes that made a person want to tear their hair off. Honestly, Sasuke would never have thought that one of the most fearsome Sannin would like to make the worst types of puns and cold jokes, but yet, here he was.
Sasuke bit his tongue from making a snarky remark. He saw the result of being sarcastic to Orochimaru's appalling humor in his first week here. The kid didn't make it to the following week of treacherous training.
Maybe Orochimaru would be merciful today and just limit himself to three jokes. Alas, it was just wishful thinking on his end.
"Shall we take a walk, Sasuke-kun? It's just a slither away. I want to show you some of my newest collection!" The Sannin said happily, clapping his hands together like an excited child on Christmas. He stood up and brought the snake around his neck, cooing lovingly. "Isn't it egg-citing?" Orochimaru asked with a meaningful glance at the Uchiha. Once he didn't get a reaction for a few heartbeats, the Sannin waved his hand before loping off.
Sasuke just grunted and dragged his feet as he followed the prancing man as he chattered along.
As they walked, Orochimaru was telling Sasuke of his experiments, which the boy showed clear disinterest. He was only half listening to whatever the man was babbling. Obviously, the older male paid no mind and kept talking. "... and, unfortunately that one died off too. Shame, really because he had showed so much potential. If I remember correctly, he was part Inuzuka too. He went barking mad once the virus consumed him." He sighed and folded his arms, pressing his palm to his cheek. "Say, Sasuke-kun, would you like to see one of them? I think we still have one left alive."
Seeing his chance, Sasuke gave a harrumph in reply, "No. I need to train."
Just as he turned his heel, Orochimaru gave an soft hum, mock thoughtfully, "Oh, but I think that one might catch your interest though." He turned and walked with a gleeful gait.
Sasuke bit back another sigh. Of course, it wasn't this easy. He couldn't up and leave so he had no choice but to follow the man through the dim corridor to another room.
When they walked in, Kabuto was inside and checking on a computer nearby. Soft beeping noises could be heard inside the large room. The glow from multiple devices threw lights across the man's face, making him look ghostly.
Kabuto looked up just as Sasuke closed the door and smiled pleasantly, "Oh, Orochimaru-sama, Sasuke-kun, you're here. Just in time too. It's almost finished." Orochimaru was pleased at his report, clapping his hands eagerly. "Brilliant. So, how is our baby girl doing?" He hummed as he turned to the large cylinder, hosting his latest experiment. Kabuto was telling him more of the report but Sasuke couldn't hear a word.
Instead, he was staring at the glass cylinder, appalled. His throat closed up in fear, rendering him speechless as he kept staring.
Orochimaru chuckled at the amazing specimen before him, moving closer to Sasuke. "Isn't she beautiful, Sasuke-kun? So much talent, so much power. Like a god." He crooned, waving, "You see, only she survived the virus we had injected. Certainly you can agree how magnificent she is."
But the Uchiha could only gape in horror at the sight.
Her eyes were closed but he could see her breathing, so unfortunately, he could not have mistaken her for dead. Multiple cables protruded from her limbs and vital points and he could see some of them were pulsing bright turquoise. Her eyelids twitched slightly as if she was dreaming.
Her white hair floated around in the liquid, framing her soft gentle features as she slept.
Slowly, Sasuke stepped closer, still hoping he could wake up from this nightmare. His footsteps seemed so loud in the quiet room, echoing across the walls. Sasuke saw her shiver, as if surprised.
The creature snapped open her eyes, and all Sasuke could see was oblivion.
Her bright sea foam eyes were gone, and was replaced with black and gold, swirling around like a pools of paint, her pupils lost in the mess. But it wasn't hard to confuse her with another of the Sannin's pitiful experiments. After all, he knew this creature.
It is, after all, his dearest friend.
The Uchiha's next words were barely heard as he rasped, "What have you done to Mononoke?" The least he could do was will himself to stop shaking by clenching his fists at his side, he could almost feel blood oozing out.
Orochimaru chuckled as he moved to stand in front of Mononoke, who closed her eyes again. He touched the glass wall lovingly, his gaze soft as he watched her shift slightly. "She's a success." Orochimaru said, as if it was an awe to watch her sleep, "From the moment I saw her, I knew she has this amazing potential. All I did was broke her walls for her." He turned back to Sasuke, smiling in a way that reminded the boy of a snake baring its fangs, "Of course, there is a price."
Sasuke just stared at him, unwilling to give in to asking questions. He could see Kabuto smirking in his peripheral vision, the man hiding his merriment as he went to the glass cylinder and started fiddling with some of the buttons.
Seeing that the Uchiha wasn't going to go any further than glaring into his frail soul, Orochimaru sighed and waved non-chalantly, "It's not that bad, Sasuke-kun. Her conscience is just completely befuddled, that's all. The virus attacked her a little too effectively. I almost lost her, you see." He tapped the glass with a firm nod, "She's a tough one. Wouldn't give in for a whole two weeks when we locked her in a mirror chamber, until she was too weak to fend off the virus." Orochimaru turned back to the unconscious girl, admiration and satisfaction clear on his face.
Sasuke didn't even bother to hide his horror anymore. He heard of the mirror chamber from Suigetsu. It was one of the snake's newest torture idea. The walls, ceilings and floor of the chamber were made of mirrors. Suigetsu said whoever that went in went bonkers from seeing the infinity of reflections and were almost unable to tell which was real and which was fake. The fact that Mononoke managed to withstand staying inside the chamber with a virus in two weeks made Sasuke's stone cold heart break.
Orochimaru chuckled, watching Sasuke's emotions flicker in and out with mirth, before dealing the last devastating blow, "Now she can't think for her own now and is only able to obey to my command. Shame, but I think it'd be easy to control her, don't you think?"
Sasuke closed his eyes shut, as if he could shut out everything and pass it off as a bad dream. Then, he opened his eyes, and a empty mask fell into place. He will not let the man's words affect him anymore.
Orochimaru felt his smile grew wider as he watched the raven haired boy struggled to keep his emotions in check. Usually, Sasuke didn't gave a damn about his experiments, but now for the devious snake to uncover one of his subordinate's rare weaknesses, and to get a new piece in his game at the same time... Well, it's just too good to be true.
Kabuto walked beside him with a secretive smile, as he nudged his glasses higher up his nose bridge. The Sannin smirked maliciously as he understood the implication from his right hand man.
Everything was going to plan.
Once he was finally released from his duties, Sasuke went straight to his room, though not after rejecting Satoshi's offer to watch the others spar. Satoshi had knew immediately something was wrong when he spotted the boy, claiming that he looked like he'd 'seen a ghost'.
He locked the door behind him. He wavered before throwing his head back to bang against the door in frustration. The room was still dark, enveloping him with the coolness of the underground. But it did nothing to lessen his desperation. Instead, he felt as though the darkness was creeping towards him. Towards his heart, and clenching his guilty, beating organ with an unforgiving hand. It made it hard to breath altogether.
"Damn it..." He cursed, slowly sliding down the door until he sat down, lying against the door. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!" His voice cracked as he grabbed a fistful of his hair and hung his head low.
The shimmering necklace on his neck rocked against his chest as his body broke into shudders, tears falling at his feet.
Sasuke was not prepared for the next day.
Orochimaru had called for him right after his morning training. "I have something exciting to show you today, Sasuke-kun. It's absolutely perrrrfect." The Sannin crooned, rolling his tongue smoothly. After what happened yesterday, Sasuke wasn't actually keen on knowing whatever it was that the legendary ninja was about to show him.
It took him a minute to pinpoint the route that they were taking. Sasuke felt his heart pumped faster, anxiety spreading rapidly.
No, no, no, please no.
Orochimaru waved him inside the dreaded room. Sasuke almost wished that the cylinder was empty, but obviously it was not. Mononoke was still inside, and she was awake. She shifted this way and that, her hands roaming against the glass and touching the cables stuck on her body gingerly. Sasuke could only watch as the girl looked at the cables curiously, poking at everything. But he knew, from the blank look in her eyes, that she had no common awareness of anything that she was doing.
Kabuto smiled as they entered the room. "Whenever you're ready, Orochimaru-sama." he said, dipping his head slightly. Orochimaru smiled widely, his golden eyes never left her.
"Release her." He said in a hushed whisper, greedily watching the girl.
Kabuto nodded, before moving towards the computer that was plugged into the base of the cylinder. He tapped at a few buttons before turning to the experiment.
Sasuke watched in masked terror as the cables extracted themselves out of her body. From where he stood, he could see the wounds left behind by the cables sealed up immediately. Once she was free, she raised her hands to her face, inspecting it.
Slowly, the liquid began to pump out of the cylinder. Mononoke looked up at the receding liquid, and her face showed no expression. Her hands stayed where they were as she stared as the water drifted lower and lower. From the tips of her head, to her face, to her neck and all the way down to her knees. Her hair and clothes stuck to her skin, no thanks to the slimy liquid. As the liquid was sucked away, her body was incredibly shaky without a medium to hold it. Then, like a newborn foal, her legs gave way, and she fell to the base of the cylinder, causing the remaining liquid to splash around. She stared at her legs through the slime, as if they could explain to her why they had failed her.
Finally all of the liquid was removed, and Mononoke was staring outside. Orochimaru was in front of her, smiling and cooing at her like he was looking at a puppy in a pet shop. With a hiss, the glass cylinder removed itself from the base and smoke rolled out from underneath the retreating glass. She remain sitting at the base, content to not move and stare blankly at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru lifted a hand to her, smiling, "Do not be afraid, my dear. I won't hurt you."
She blinked at him once but made no movement. He waited patiently, his smile never wavering. After a minute or so, the girl accepted his hand and he helped her get off the stand. When she was released from the glass prison, her movements were slightly wobbly as she tried to stabilize herself. Orochimaru gently held her arms and waited until she had readjusted herself, like a nurturing parent helping his child take their first steps.
Once she was standing properly, Mononoke looked around, her gaze empty.
Sasuke couldn't stop staring at her as she took in her surroundings. It was like he was looking at Mononoke's evil twin instead of her. When she finally looked at him, Sasuke felt as if she wasn't even seeing him at all. But at this distance, he could see her eyes properly. He could feel a certain bitterness sting his tongue as he regarded her.
The whites of her eyes were black and her irises had been painted a demonic gold. It reminded him of the time when they fought with Gaara, and her eyes then had changed into almost the same color.
Kabuto stepped closer, smiling at her, "Welcome, Mononoke." She turned to look at him, before looking away with obvious disinterest.
"Is she... is she mute?" Sasuke asked quietly. Orochimaru chuckled as he stroked her hair lovingly, as she stared straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular. "Who knows? The effects of the poison is not clear, but the fact that she is the only one who survived it proves so much. I can't possibly ask for more." The Sannin moved to stand behind her, his hands massaging her shoulders gently, "Come, my child. Show me what you are capable of."
He leaned closer to her ear, and Sasuke could read his lips as they formed a command, "Freeze the room."
Almost immediately, ice began to coat everything within the room. All the other glass cylinders began to be encased with ice crystals and most of the controls froze up. Some of the devices started to wail and all manner of sounds started to echo, shrilling dangerously as the frost seeped inside.
"Orochimaru-sama! The laboratory!" Kabuto exclaimed worriedly, his breath turning into mist. Sasuke gasped and realize his own breath had done so the same. Orochimaru just chuckled, giddy with excitement, "Good girl. Now can you melt the ice away? We wouldn't want you to destroy this place. It is very important."
She obeyed his bidding without a second's hesitation, the ice immediately shrinking into frost before disappearing into nothing at all, as if nothing had happened. The warning sirens stopped and Sasuke wondered for a moment if time had reversed instead.
The Sannin crooned a praise as he tucked Mononoke's hair behind her ear. Her face was blank as he combed her wet hair lovingly, telling her how she was going to be cleaned and dry in a moment and what a good girl she was. Sasuke felt his heart lurched painfully as Orochimaru pressed his toxic lips against her temple, obviously elated with the success of his experiment. He couldn't feel more disgusted at the sight of the despicable creature touching his friend like that.
At this moment, Sasuke realized something.
Mononoke was more than a friend to him.
She was almost like a sister, someone who cared for him deeply. She was always there for him, she understood his need for power and even allowed him to come here, even though she knew it wasn't the right thing. But he knew. He knew that she could not do anything to turn him back anymore. He was already tainted by Orochimaru. If he hadn't went to the snake, the snake might've come to Konoha and who knew what damage he could've wrought to the village for a second time?
But now, Sasuke could feel his heart sink as if it was tied together with rocks of shameful self-loathing. Mononoke's gift still hung around his neck, its cool edges pressing against his skin and making him feel worse. And right now, seeing the Sannin steer her out of the room, he could feel its weight on his chest grew heavier as guilt build up inside him. Sasuke watched her obediently followed the man and he finally made his decision.
It was his fault that she became like this.
Watching her now, Sasuke had only one sole purpose in his mind.
He needed to free her.
And bring her home.
AH-HAH! So there isn't exactly a time skip, my dear children who were worrying over this. Oro is now not only a scary Sannin, he is also a master of stupid jokes. Like I said, some people might not like him this way but I just had to, you guys. The story was getting so sad and heavy. We need some comic relief sometimes. And here we have our emo boi Sasgay turning into a new leaf, thanks to Oro's nasty piece of mystery shit plan.
Also, my third sem of A-levels is starting next Monday so you can be sure I'd disappear for a little while more... Okay, maybe a whole long while more but honestly, I'd be writing as much as I can for the next few chapters. TIME TO BRAVE THE STORM OF FORCED WRITER'S BLOCK.
We might be actually nearing the end tbh. Not sure if i'm going to write a sequel but we'll see! Don't want to disappoint Momo or you guys, now do I? ;)))