Chapter 7

Kabuto jumped from tree limb to tree limb with Shizuka a step behind him. They'd been traveling with little breaks for a couple of days and honestly, she had been wondering what the rush was. The muscles in her legs were cramping from overuse, but she somehow mustered up the will to carry on. It wasn't like her senpai was going to give her any sympathy anyway; it didn't seem like a word in his vocabulary.

Finally, the male in front of her stopped and Shizuka stopped as well, standing on the branch behind him. Kabuto turned around and looked at the white-haired female behind him. "We're here on a retrieval mission."

"A retrieval mission?" Shizuka tilted her head in confusion. "We're picking someone up?"

"Not someone, something." Kabuto rolled his eyes. "Orochimaru has requested we find an herb. It grows around here somewhere, so we're going to find it." He turned around and started moving again. Shizuka frowned but continued to follow after him. This herb must be really important to Lord Orochimaru if we have to go this far for it.

An hour later, the two finally reached their destination - another one of Lord Orochimaru's hideouts. The female was utterly exhausted and could not wait to get off her feet as the two entered the underground abode. The dimly lit hallways were nothing new to her, however as they kept walking, they entered a huge room with a lot of pillars and a giant snakehead on the back wall. To the right of the head was an open door to a room with a single rock table in the middle.

"Looks familiar, Snow White?" Kabuto spoke, breaking the silence. Shizuka stared at the table and envisioned herself waking up on it years prior, a scared and naive chunin who had been rescued from death. She remembered it as if it was yesterday, from hiding behind the table to meeting Kabuto to meeting and healing her savior. This means that Kusagakure - her home - is nearby.

"I didn't know this place was still in use." She turned away from the room and back to Kabuto. "When are we going to get the herb?"

"Soon enough." The male adjusted his glasses. "Once I find the exact details, we'll get it. In the meantime, you can take a break and catch up on your donations."

With a nod, Shizuka left the room and went to one of the rooms on the hallway. The room was no different from what she was used to in Otogakure, but she'd rather be back in her own bed. Laying down, she tried to give her feet a break however she couldn't do it. She was too restless. Finally, she could see what had become of her home village. Now that the war was over, was it gone or did they survive? Was her family still there?

No sooner had she laid down, the female was back on her feet. There was no way she could pass this opportunity up. Stepping out the room, she looked both ways down the hallway before exiting the hideout. Surely Kabuto wouldn't mind if she took a walk; after all, he did say she could take a break. Once she was a little ways from the entrance, she changed her appearance with a quick jutsu, coloring her hair black and opting for simple slacks and a shirt as she entered the village.

Everything was brand new. The buildings that she had remembered as nothing but rubble had evolved into newer, taller structures. The bodies that she remembered were scattered along the dirt and debris were no more as happy, smiling faces strolling down the pathways replaced them. Kusagakure had grown while she was away and, honestly, it was quite overwhelming. It was as if she didn't recognize her own home anymore.

As she continued through the small village, she kept her head down to make sure no one was paying too much attention to her; it would be an inconvenience if someone recognized her. Retracing all too familiar steps, Shizuka wandered around before she finally stopped. The sheer disappointment she felt as she stood on the unpaved road was an understatement. It was because she had disillusioned herself into thinking the village had evolved in more ways than just an outwards appearance.

What sat in front of her looked like a barren wasteland. Unrecognizable houses beyond repair. No sign of life across the area. Her clan's sector, her history, her home. It was nothing but forgotten desolation.

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It was nearing the end of the day as the sun was setting over the horizon. Kabuto was standing on Tenchi Bridge, watching the sun retreat behind the trees. He was sure that this was the right place as his glasses caught a glare from the sun's glowering rays. He didn't move after he felt a presence to the left of him appear. "You're here."

The presence stood a couple feet away from him. A black cloak with its distinguishable red and white clouds surrounded the new individual as they watched Kabuto. "You're early for a change. What do you know?"

Kabuto's demeanor changed and he turned to the side to face the individual, Sasori Akasuna. "The subject has taken an interest in the upcoming Chunin Exams, so much so that he's thinking of joining forces with Sunagakure. He has taken his bodyguards with him to the Land of Wind."

The puppet shell stayed impassive, however a voice spoke up. "How bothersome…" Everytime he seemed to get close to Orochimaru, he was five steps further away. Just like the snake he was. "And Snow White?"

"She's here in Kusagakure." Kabuto reported instantly.

Sasori turned to look at the disappearing sunset. It had been almost a year since he had seen the female and he was actually looking forward to seeing her again. After she had used her blood to bring his core to life, she had fainted before he could fully assess the situation. Unfortunately he couldn't feel her to know if she was okay, so he took her out to the meadow and left her before escaping. With what he had learned about her in her time assisting him, he figured someone would come out to look for her.

"Keep eyes on the subject; it won't be long until I see him again. You're dismissed." Sasori turned away and left Kabuto alone on the bridge. The snake could do his own thing for now, but sooner or later, he was going to meet his demise. In the meantime, he could go and visit an old friend.

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It had been a while since Kabuto left the hideout and Shizuka was tired of sitting around and waiting. After reminiscing of the past at her family's old home, she had come back before anybody could start questioning her in Kusagakure. The hideout seemed so much more eerie now that she was alone; although Kabuto-senpai was a little wary to be around, it was still comforting to know that someone alive was close by.

Leaving her room, Shizuka wandered the dimly lit hallways carrying a candle of her own. The hallways all looked the same, every room looked the same… She wondered how big this hideout actually was. The main room was the open area with the large snake head coming out of the wall. Branching off from the main foyer were identical hallways with the same rooms and candles. Placing her hand along the wall, the female took out a small breath and let it out, feeling the earth that surrounded her. She could sense how big the hideout was by envisioning the openings in the earth. There was one opening that was separate from the others and she curiously drifted towards it.

Opening a door on the backside of the left hallway, Shizuka peered into a lab and stepped inside. Some books and materials had been moved around so it was safe to say that Kabuto had been in here before he left. The walls were lined with bookshelves to the ceiling filled with scrolls, books, glassware, and various materials in jars ranging from plants to eyeballs and everything in between.

Shizuka moved towards where she had felt the opening and was met with a large bookcase. Frowning, she knew it would be hard to move, seeing how big and heavy it was, so she started moving the scrolls and books around. There had to be some way to get to the opening. After nearly clearing off the bookshelf, she finally picked up a scroll that caused the bookcase and surrounding wall around it to rotate to the side.

Cautiously stepping inside the opening, Shizuka looked around with her candle in her head. The room reeked of sour blood and stale air. There was a broken examination table discarded in the corner with papers and scrolls sprawled all over the place. The room definitely looked abandoned to say the least. Picking up one of the scrolls, Shizuka began to read the contents.

Day 26: Subject 37 out of 60 is dead, leaving less than half of the subjects left. Death is less instant, however survival is still the same. The cells aren't fusing how they should be; something's wrong. None of the subjects are showing good results; perhaps they're too young?

Frowning, Shizuka placed the scroll down and wandered deeper into the room. Perhaps they're too young…? Glancing over, her eye caught a half-open journal and she opened it up. Inside were diagrams - 60 in all - with marked injection sites and ages, but no names. The pages had before and after drawings and judging from the grotesque details on the after images, including missing limbs and distorted body mutations, she could only fathom what the subjects actually looked like.

Subject 13, male, 8 years old. Injection site - right thigh. Death - unknown parasitic disease. Result: Failure.

Subject 27, male, 10 years old. Injection site - left bicep. Death - fatal chakra suppression. Result: Failure.

Subject 59, female, 7 years old. Injection site - neck. Death - body degeneration. Result: Failure.

Shizuka dropped the journal on the floor, her hands shaking. Sixty children were taken here, were experimented on, and died. Sixty children were put through trial and error for the greater good that Lord Orochimaru had told her about. Sure, she knew about a couple things about the experiments, but she had never thought they would be performed on children. The youngest subject in the journal was barely five years old! Where were their bodies? Were they orphans? How did they get here? Why children? So many questions flooded Shizuka's mind as she stared at the gruesome information in front of her.

Suddenly a sharp pain in her head interrupted her thoughts and she immediately grasped the side of her head with her free hand. Dark spots started to blur her vision and she began backing out of the room to escape. Of all the times, her fainting spells were trying to get the best of her now. The female tried to get her thoughts together, however her mind was swirling from all of the information on the experiments. If Lord Orochimaru wasn't already using her for her blood, would she have ended up like those children?

The room felt smaller and smaller as her thoughts grew bigger and bigger. She had to get out of here. She couldn't breathe. Dropping the candle which caused the flame to go out, Shizuka sprinted out of the room and down the hallways. The grassy plains of Kusagakure couldn't come into view fast enough as the female left the hideout. Looking around, Shizuka felt dizzy as she tried to catch her breath. This was too much. Why did everything seem like a lie? What was she doing these past years? Who was she helping?

Placing a hand on a tree, Shizuka tried to steady herself. It was night time and although the cold night air felt nice amongst her flushed cheeks, it wasn't enough to calm her nerves. The oxygen wasn't flowing fast enough and, quite frankly, the ground felt like it was coming out from under her. What was going to happen to her? How long was she going to be here? Her eyes widened in fear and realization. Was she chosen on purpose and not just 'found' that day? The dark spots grew and suddenly, everything was black.

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Sasori sat on an old tree stump as he stared at the reflection of the moon in the river; it was barely visible as only a sliver of the crescent was showing due to the clouds. His outer shell was sealed away for the meantime, however he chose to continue wearing his cloak. Thinking about what his sleeper had told him, he merely frowned. Soon enough he was going to find that snake and get his revenge. Resting his arm on his knee, he waited patiently for his next move.

A small groan interrupted the silence a little while later. There was a body laying behind the stump that slowly started to move. A hand appeared from under the messy long tendrils of hair and pushed the body to a sitting position.

"You're finally awake." Sasori spoke as he turned around. The long white hair that was usually in a bun was now out and sprawled across her shoulders. As her head tilted up to look at him, he could see her deep blue eyes which were hazy from her just waking up. That was only for a moment because as soon as realization hit, they grew wide in surprise as they recognized his unmistakable red hair.

"Sasori-san!"

"Hello little girl." He responded with a small tilt of his head.

The female immediately jumped to her feet in excitement, however her body got the best of her and she stumbled forward dizzily. Falling to her knees by the stump, her head landed in Sasori's lap. With a deep blush, Shizuka looked up at the male, his face illuminated by the soft moon light. "W-Well, um.. I do have a name.. It's Shizuka."

"I know what your name is, although little girl seems much more fitting." Sasori replied.

Puffing up her cheeks in a pout, Shizuka answered back haughtily. "I am nineteen years old now, but nevermind that!" Feeling her body return to its normal self, she hastily moved away from her awkward position and stood up again. "Where did you go? You just disappeared last year and you didn't even say goodbye."

"My body was complete. Your duties were finished."

His answer was quick and simple which made Shizuka's brows furrow in anger. It was really that simple to leave her after they had spent nearly two years together? Did she really not mean anything to him? Come to think of it, maybe he only thought of her as a tool… possibly like Lord Orochimaru. Her anger dissipated into sadness as tears welled in her eyes and she quickly looked away from Sasori.

"That's it?" Shizuka asked softly. "That's the only explanation?"

Sasori looked back at the reflection of the moon, more so not to see the tears in Shizuka's eyes, which were now falling freely down her cheeks. Fortunately the tears didn't faze him as he had long since let go of such feeble emotions, but seeing her cry was a different feeling. Was this reproach? No, more like guilt? "Didn't you have other duties? Instead of little girl, should I call you Snow White?"

Shizuka's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you…?"

"You've been working under Orochimaru since before I met you." Sasori replied. "How can you stand to be used by a two-faced snake?"

Frowning, the white-haired female looked away from the male in front of her. "I owe him my life. Lord Orochimaru saved me from death during the war." After tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she absentmindedly played with her fingers. "What else was I supposed to do? I was barely twelve years old and my clan was lost in the war. He showed me mercy and took me in."

"You don't even know who he is." Sasori stood up from the stump. "If you're on the snake's side, then you're just like him."

Shizuka looked back at Sasori. The soft light from the now full moon illuminated them as the clouds disappeared, however even that couldn't cover the darkness that was around the male in front of her. As he took a step towards her, she was frozen in her spot. The animosity that she was feeling from him was enough to let her know not to move, but somehow she found the will to speak up as he got closer.

"You're wrong. I'm not like him." Her fingers curled into fists as what he said wrapped around her head. "At first I thought it would all be okay, but I was naive and turned a blind eye; I was wrong." Tears welled in her eyes as she could feel herself shaking. "But still, even though I know it's wrong, why do I feel so much conflict? How can I turn my back on the person who gave me everything?"

Sasori stopped in front of Shizuka. Using his right hand, he lifted her chin so she was looking him dead in the eye and leaned forward into her face. His hands were cold, however she stopped shaking and released the pressure in her palms from her nails digging into her skin. Even though she had spent less time with Sasori than she did with Lord Orochimaru, she felt a deeper connection with him. When she looked at him, the turmoil in her head seemed to vanish. What was happening to her?

"You're a smart girl and you understand my ideals, so I'll give you a choice, Shizuka." Sasori said to her. "Leave the snake and come with me, or I won't hesitate to kill you with him."