Tsuki hesitated outside of the lab, her hand hovering in front of the door preparing to knock. Kabuto had returned from whatever mission Orochimaru had sent him on and he scared her. She was able to relax when he was away. When Orochimaru didn't need her for training or lab work, she spent her time cooking, cleaning and exploring the massive underground fortress. Everyday she'd bring Orochimaru meals to the lab, he never scolded her for it and always finished his meal, she thought she was being helpful, but with Kabuto back, would he see it as a nuisance?
She knocked softly and nearly lost her hold on the two plates in her hands as the door to the lab was wrenched open and an angry Kabuto greeted her with a piercing glare. Tsuki took a shaky step back and bowed her head apologetically.
"What are you doing?!" Kabuto growled.
"I-I brought lunch." Tsuki squeaked.
"Don't interfe-."
"Leave her be, Kabuto." Orochimaru's voice cracked like a whip from within the lab causing the pair to jump. "Come in, Tsuki." His voice was soft as he addressed the girl which only infuriated Kabuto more.
Tsuki scrambled past Kabuto in terror as he glared at her furiously. She set a plate of food next to where Orochimaru was working and hesitantly set one in front of Kabuto as he returned to the desk he'd been sitting at only to cringe as he shot her another glare.
"Thank you Tsuki." Orochimaru waved her off dismissively, not looking up from his research.
Tsuki bowed politely before scampering out of the lab. She went to deliver lunch to Kimimaro, a boy of thirteen, four years her junior, that was devoted to Lord Orochimaru. He was the sole survivor of a very unique clan that possessed a kekkei genkai that allowed them to project bones from their body. Kimimaro was a soft-spoken boy with shoulder length pale white hair, jade green eyes and two scarlet dots on his forehead above his eyebrows.
His jade eyes looked up as she appeared in the training hall where he was currently shooting projectile bones from his fingertips at various targets. "What is it?"
"I brought lunch." Tsuki said softly with a smile that instantly calmed the teenager.
"Thanks."
Through her days of exploring she'd bumped into various other underlings of Orochimaru, but Kimimaro was the only one that was kind to her. The others she'd bumped into were aggressive and scary so she did her best to keep her distance from everyone in the fortress save for Lord Orochimaru and Kimimaro. Once Kimimaro was finished with his lunch he looked to the pale girl curiously.
"Was it okay?" Tsuki asked worried.
"Your cooking is always good." He smiled softly after a moment.
Tsuki let out a sigh of relief before taking his empty plate and heading back to the kitchen, she stopped by the lab to pick up the dishes from Kabuto and Orochimaru, but hesitated as she realized they weren't sitting outside. Usually Orochimaru just set his plate outside the door so she could collect it without disturbing his research.
She stood outside of the door, not sure what to do. After what happened earlier and the night before, she really didn't want to run into Kabuto. He hated her and was quick to lash out at her. Deciding it was best to knock, she lightly rapped on the door and waited for a response. There wasn't one. Her heart began to pound in her chest.
Hesitantly she pushed the door open only to let out a panicked squeak as a hand lashed out and gripped her wrist in a tight hold that made her bones crack in protest. She was wrenched forward with enough force she was sure her arm had been pulled from it's socket, dislocating her shoulder in an instant causing her to let out a soft cry of pain. Another hand gripped her by the neck and she gasped as her back was slammed against a nearby wall. Her colorless eyes welled with tears as she thought of the man who'd assaulted her before as she met Kabuto's dark gaze.
"You're infuriating." Kabuto growled, "What are you to Lord Orochimaru?" He demanded as he tightened his grip around her neck.
"S-stop." Tsuki gasped as she felt her oxygen supply beginning to get cut off.
"Did you forget who gives the orders around here?" He hissed angrily.
"N-no." Tsuki choked as she tried to catch her breath. This wasn't good and Orochimaru was nowhere in sight. He was going to choke the life from her if she didn't do something. She summoned a gust of wind that tore Kabuto away from her and sent him flying across the room. Coughing and sputtering in an attempt to catch her breath, Tsuki fell to her knees and reached up to rub her aching neck.
Her colorless eyes glanced upward and she let out a squeak of terror as Kabuto lunged for her looking absolutely livid as she'd sent him crashing into some glass beakers by accident. She flinched and threw her arms over her head as she cowered on the floor bracing herself for impact. Nothing happened.
"What's going on?" Orochimaru's voice sounded in a snake like hiss. Tsuki chanced a glance and stared with wide eyes as she realized that Orochimaru had arrived just in time to stop Kabuto from seriously injuring her.
"She's in the way and doesn't know her place." Kabuto pointed.
Tsuki looked to Orochimaru fearfully, wondering if he'd believe Kabuto. She cringed as his piercing reptilian gaze fell on her, his eyes narrowing into a glare. He reached for her and she instinctively flinched and tried to pull away, but as she was still flattened against the wall, she had nowhere to run. His hand caught her by the wrist and she let out a hiss of pain as she was wrenched to her feet.
"Come with me." His voice was cold and dripping with irritation.
As she was dragged out of the lab she noticed Kabuto smirking victoriously. She stumbled to keep up with Orochimaru's long strides and resisted the urge to whimper as it felt like he was going to rip her other arm out of socket as he dragged her along behind him. Her heart thundered in her chest beating so hard and so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
They reached his private quarters and Tsuki let out a yelp as she was wrenched forward and released so suddenly. She lost her balance and hit the floor, wincing as she tried to catch herself and both of her arms protested.
"I'm sorry." She squeaked in terror as she instinctively cowered on the floor fearful of what he would do to her.
He sighed and took a step away from her. "Don't leave this room until I tell you."
Tsuki looked up at him curiously. He wasn't angry with her. She nodded her understanding.
"Come here." He ordered her softly and smirked as she staggered to her feet and slowly shuffled toward him, her body was tense still thinking he was going to lash out at her. "I'm not going to hurt you, Tsuki." He sighed in annoyance.
She hesitated before clearing the space between them and dropping her gaze to the floor. He reached out and tenderly brushed his fingers across the bruised flesh on her neck. The pain began to lessen and ebb away at his touch.
"Orochimaru-sama?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"What is it?" He grumbled as he placed one hand on her dislocated shoulder and gripped her arm with the other. Tsuki winced as he popped her shoulder back into place, but her pain began to subside at his touch.
"Why does Kabuto-san hate me?"
She jumped as she saw his hand appear in front of her face and flinched instinctively. He gently brushed her silvery blonde hair out of her face tucking it behind her ear so he could look upon her. After what had happened at the prison he'd left her at, she recoiled anytime anyone tried to touch her, it was a reflex now.
"Hmm. I wonder." Orochimaru pondered aloud as he looked down at the starlight girl.
Her pupil less eyes peered up at him curiously.
"..If he really hates you, that is..." He smirked.
What was that supposed to mean? "I don't understand." Tsuki frowned.
"It's nothing. Stay here until I fetch you. I have more tests to run." He paused as Tsuki blanched at this, he'd been testing her over the years to see how much pain she could endure and what her body could recover from with her bloodlines ability. "If you cooperate, we can go outside tonight."
She bowed her head, biting her lip to keep it from trembling. "I understand." Her voice was nothing more than a broken whisper.
He left her without a word, leaving her in the dark and dreary room. Tsuki shivered, his room was always so cold. Wrapping her arms around herself she went to sit beneath the only lit sconce hoping the small fire would help keep her warm. When Kabuto had left before, Orochimaru moved some of her things into his room as he discovered she could only fall asleep in his presence. Now that Kabuto returned, she couldn't help but worry she was going to be abandoned to her old room and struggle with sleep again.
She stayed curled in a little ball beneath the fading glow of the sconce for hours too afraid to move as she worried about what was to come. Before long she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and felt her heart race unsteadily in her chest. The door opened and she peered up through a curtain of silvery blonde hair. Those snake like golden green eyes with vertical slits for pupils zeroed in on her and she felt her heart skip a beat.
"Come, Tsuki." Orochimaru beckoned her toward him.
Reluctantly she got to her feet and shakily made her way toward him. She followed him to the lab in silence as her heart thundered in her chest. Experiments and tests always hurt. They got to the lab and Tsuki obediently went to sit on the metal exam table. Her gaze swept over a tray of instruments and she felt all the blood drain from her face, they were all knives, knives that looked like they could cleave through flesh and bone.
"Drink this." A cup of what appeared to be water was shoved into her trembling hands.
She downed it quickly, knowing better than to ask questions and gasped as the liquid burned her throat. It wasn't water! Clutching at her throat, she slipped from the metal table as her entire body began to burn. Tsuki collapsed with a cry of pain as her body seared. It was poison!
Strong arms encircled her and after a few moments the pain began to subside, the burning ceased and she was left gasping for breath clinging to the twisted man who liked to torture her. He was gentle as he tried to console her, lightly rubbing her back as she tried to regulate her breathing.
"Quite impressive." He noted with a wicked smile as she recovered from the poison.
"No more." Tsuki pleaded with tears in her eyes, "Please." She sniffled as she clung to him.
"Hm. You're quite disobedient today." Orochimaru noted as he released her from his hold dropping her onto the metal table. "We've only just begun."
Tsuki forced herself to lay still, not wanting to anger him or risk not being able to go out in the moonlight after. She clenched her eyes tightly shut trying to keep herself composed and waiting for the tests to be over. Like a human doll she let him move her to where he wanted her and endured the pain as he inflicted her with various wounds. The process went on for hours, he'd inflict an injury, before coddling her, cradling her against him to watch as it miraculously healed.
By the time he was satisfied with the data he collected for the night, Tsuki was exhausted and her body trembled from the aftershocks of their research session. It was really just an excuse for him to torture her. Maybe it made him feel a little better about being tethered to her if he could hurt her. Because she felt like she had cursed him, she endured, seeing it as penance for the curse she'd bestowed on him.
"C-can we still go outside?" She asked him softly, her voice somewhat hoarse from her screams and cries of pain.
"You look like you should res-."
"Please. I'm okay." Tsuki piped up boldly as she shakily rose into a sitting position. Her world began to spin and she reached out gripping the edges of the metal table to steady herself. She attempted to get to her feet to prove her point, but once she was supporting her own weight, her knees buckled and she felt a rushing sensation in her head. Her vision blurred and she winced as her head began to pound. Her restorative abilities had limits.
They discovered it was her chakra that restored all the damage, and once her chakra was depleted she couldn't heal as quickly and it tended to have side effects. They'd been running tests for over two years now trying to build up her chakra reserves.
Strong arms encircled her, "Tomorrow night." He said softly, "No tests or experiments."
"R-really?" Tsuki asked wearily.
"It'll be a full moon." Orochimaru noted as he looked down at the pale girl in his arms.
Her face lit up and she threw her arms around him, "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama." She smiled a genuine smile that he'd never seen before. It stirred something within him, making him uneasy.
Video- "Other Side" By New Years Day