So, the group now knows Moriko's identity. Bet you didn't see that coming! Mwahaha! Any-hoo, now Moriko has to explain herself to the genin, tell her life story, and just how she met Zabuza and Haku. Excited? You should be!
Chapter sixteen: Moriko, secrets revealed.
Moriko sighed, picking up the mask and modulator. To the group's surprise, she placed it in her thigh-pouch instead of putting it back on. Sasuke's gaze ran up her frame. She was curvy, but not overly-so, her skin was a porcelain-ivory tone that was complimented by a forest green tank-top and black pants. The tank was over a fish-net t-shirt that was a dark black as well. His gaze went up to her face. She had a slightly rounded face, complimented by glue-green-grey eyes and pale pink lips. On the left side of her chin was a small mole. "She looks like she could be related to dead-last." She sighed once more, jutting her hip out and placing her right fist on it.
"Guess I have some explaining to do, huh?" Sakura stared up at her, her jaw slack. Once she regained her wits, she glanced at her beloved Uchiha, wilting. "Inner! H-he's interested in her! Wait, maybe she could give me tips on how to get Sasuke-kun's interest!" She squealed, causing everyone's gaze to turn to her. She blushed. "I-I'm just excited that my idol is a girl." Moriko's gaze narrowed. "She wants something from me." She sighed, turning to face Kakashi. "So, I apparently have a 'crush' on him. So, what am I to do about it?"
Flashback
"Hey, Kurenai." The Black-haired bombshell glanced over, smiling at the masked woman. "Hey, Red. What's up?" The blonde fidgeted, suddenly nervous. "I think I'm ill." Kurenai blinked, confused. "Why? What are your symptoms?" "I get red-faced, I sweat, my stomach flips and twists, and my mouth goes dry, I stutter." Kurenai's gaze narrowed. "Is it around a certain person?" Moriko nodded. "Kakashi. Why, am I under a genjutsu?" Kurenai was silent before she grinned, laughing as she swept the blonde up in a hug. "you're sick alright, You're love sick!" The blonde squirmed, being smothered by the other woman's breasts. "Kurenai… can't…BREATHE!" The woman chuckled, releasing her from her death-grip. "Red, you've got a crush!"
The blonde shook her head, bringing herself out of her thoughts. "I'm assuming you have questions as well, Kakashi?" The silver-haired man nodded silently, his gaze trained on her. She squirmed slightly, not used to all of the attention. "Well, why don't we sit while… Kakashi?!" She barely caught the jounin, as he fell to his knees. "You shouldn't have used the sharingan, kakashi. You won't be able to move for a while." She pulled him back up to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "Tazuna, which way is your house?"
Moriko sat by Kakashi's side as he slept, her eyes clouded with worry and anxiety. Naruto and the others peered in through the cracked door. "She's worried about him." Naruto stated, his eyes reflecting worry over the other blonde. "She hasn't eaten since he passed out. I hope he wakes up soon, so she'll stop worrying." The pinkette sighed, watching the pair inside. "If she wasn't in there, it would've been the perfect opportunity to see what was under his mask." Moriko was completely aware that they were watching them, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She glanced sadly down at the unconscious man, brushing a strand of hair that fell into his eye.
"It's hard to believe that feelings like this arise from a mere crush. I think… I think I can understand sakura just a little better now." A light groan caused her to snap her attention back to Kakashi. His hand twitched and his revealed eye slowly blinked open. He gazed groggily around the room, before his gaze landed on her. She gave a sigh of relief. "Mor..iko. where are we?" "Holy shit… this man's 'Sleepy voice' has got to be the sexiest thing ever." Barely managing to repress the blush that threatened to invade her face, she answered. "We're at Tazuna's house. You passed out from using the sharingan during your battle with Zabuza."
He noticed the slight blush on her face, but chose not to comment. "Where are Naruto and the others?" "Sitting outside the door, watching us." A squeak of surprise came from the other side, and the door opened to reveal the three sheepish genin. Moriko motioned for them to come in, and they sat around kakashi's bed. Kakashi glanced back up at her. "I believe you were going to do some explaining." Moriko sighed. "What do you want to know?"
Sakura spoke first. "Where were you born?" "Iwagakeru. I stayed there until I was around eight years old, then I was adopted/sold to Orochimaru." Sasuke looked at her, confused. "Orochimaru?" She nodded. "The village wasn't exactly…. Kind to me."
Flashback
The tiny blonde squirmed as she attempted to escape the orphanage's manager's bruising grip on her wrist. "I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again, Chioshi-sama!" The woman gave the child's arm a particularly strong pull, causing her to wail in pain. "Shut up you little brat!" The child sniffled pathetically, not wanting another beating. She was pulled to the entrance, shoved outdoors into the cold rain as the door slammed shut behind her. The villagers turned to look at her, grinning horribly. She whimpered, running in the opposite direction as she was chased by them. She gave a shrill cry of pain as a sharp stone hit her square in the back, its edges slicing into her skin.
Cruel laughter sounded behind her as she ducked around a corner, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. Her terrified pants grew in intensity as she realized that she was trapped. She trembled as a large hand grabbed her by the roots of her hair, shoving her to the ground. The back of her shirt ripped, revealing a scarred back. She wailed as she was pinned to the mud and rock floor. She felt something warm being poured onto her back and whimpered as she realized what it was. A woman with a torch emerged from the mob, grinning as she dropped it onto the child's back; lighting the oil that another had poured onto her. The child screamed as she in agony as the burned away at her flesh. Crows flew into the air as laughter echoed in the ally, where she was sure she would die.
The group was silent; their eyes were damp with unshed tears. Naruto, was outright crying, hugging her around her thin waist. "A couple months after that, Orochimaru came to the orphanage to 'find a companion'. He bought me from Chiyoshi, and I went with him, believing that maybe I had found someone I could trust. He was just looking for another guinea pig." "So when you got fangs and claws, your eyes turned silver and that silver aura… was that from his experiment?" Moriko nodded. "His experiment was to turn me into something… different. He succeeded."
Flashback
Moriko, now twelve, stared emptily around her. Corpses, completely drained of blood stared up at her, their faces forever frozen in horror. She glanced down at her blood-soaked hands and then looked into a nearby mirror. Blood surrounded her small mouth, smeared on her cheek and forehead as well. She felt uncomfortably full. She heard a dark chuckle, and turned around to see Orochimaru. "I see that the experiment was a success, Kabuto. So, what all did you do to her?" His companion smirked. "I injected a chemical mix of nightshade and bloodroot into her bloodstream. Once the mixture had her nearly-dead, I used chemical AAB625 and injected her. In essence, she is now a sort of… leech. From this point on, anything that angers her will send her into a bloodlust frenzy, causing her to need to feed on the blood of others. However, there could be other… triggers."
He chuckled, leering at her blood-covered frame. She glared at him, her eyes flashing silver as red-hot hate ran through her veins. She'd get them back for this… one day.
The group went silent, their eyes shadowed with anger at orochimaru, and with sorrow for the younger moriko. "He set fire to the lab a year after… I barely escaped. A couple of miles west, I think, I ran into a pack of wolves. They… took care of me like I was a part of their pack. To this day, they still won't leave my side. They became my unofficial nin-wolves. I met up with Zabuza and Haku when I turned fifteen. You know the rest." The group was silent, allowing the information to sink in. It was… horrifying what this young woman had gone through. Kakashi took her hand in his, lightly squeezing to convey his sympathy. She gave him a soft smile, returning the light squeeze.
"Enough about me… what are we going to do about Zabuza?" Kakashi glanced over at the genin trio, smiling. "We're going to train!"