New Beginnings (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Imprisoned

 Opening my eyes I couldn’t help but notice the small beams of light come through the bars. It was the first bit of sunlight I’d seen all week… or all month. The days started to blur together, I honestly didn’t know what day it was. Being in prison sucked, but I couldn’t quite remember what I did to get myself in here.

My cell mate started to stir, his dark brown hair brushing against the cold concrete floor. I crawled over to him and nudged him lightly, forcing him to wake up. He coughed and rubbed underneath his nose, tossing me a blank stare as he sat up.

“It’s almost lunch time,” I began, propping him up as he sat up, “how are you feeling?” He grunted, showing he wasn’t much better today. This prison tends to take us out of our cells once or twice a week, and preform experiments on us. Last time my cellmate was taken out, he was returned with an uncontrollable fever and ending up sleeping for a day straight.

“Food.” A voice stated coldly, placing a single tray of rice and broth in front of us. The portions were pathetic, but it was better than starving. I placed my cellmate against the wall, and retrieved the small meal from the door. My hands were so dry they had begun to peel, but my nails managed to stay surprisingly clean. Though they had grown long enough to start being uncomfortable, I enjoyed having them.

“Eat something,” I ordered, leaving no room for him to object. I held the small cup of broth up to his mouth and tilted it up slightly, making sure he swallowed the first sip before tilting the cup again. I grabbed the bowl of rice, placing a few granules on his tongue at a time. He held up his hand weakly, placing it on my head, ruffling my long light blue hair.

“You shouldn’t bother with me…” he began, “I won't be aroundmuch longer...” I shook my head.

“Don't say that...” His attempt at laughing was cut short by a coughing fit. “Please don’t strain yourself.” I helped him lay down on his mattress, adding my pillow under his head to elevate him.

“You’re so kind… yet you don’t even know my name.” I cringed, hearing the pain in his voice. I placed a hand on the side of his face, brushing his cheek ever-so-gently.

“Well,” I began, “may I ask what your name is?” He placed a hand on my hand, which was still brushing his cheek. He gripped my hand with as much strength as he could muster.

“Tamotsu … my name is Tamotsu.” He confessed as he drew his last breath.

It had been a few days since Tamotsu’s passing, and I hadn’t slept much. I kept dreaming of his eyes… one moment they were staring at me with a glimmer of hope in them… the next they were just blank orbs.

Shivering, I heard footsteps coming towards my cell. I sat up, preparing to greet whoever appeared. The man in front of me was definitely not what I had expected, his long black hair going well past his waist. Looking up, I saw he had a malicious grin on his face, his skin was abnormally white.

“Well, well…” The man began, pacing back and forth in front of my cell, “It seems you’re not eating.” His gray robe was brushing against his black pants, the unnecessarily large purple bow around his waist hitting the bars. “That’s no good,” he stopped, “you’ll be useless as a test subject.”

“Why am I here?” I questioned, keeping my eyes targeted at the ground. He cackled, reaching through my cell and forcing my head upwards, our eyes meeting. His eyes were pure black, emotionless and souless.

“Are you deaf, child?” He hissed, “You are here to be experimented on.” He released my head with a sigh of disgust.

“Lord Orochimaru,” A white haired man stepped into the area, his huge glasses preventing anyone from seeing his eyes in the light. “It’s time to begin.” Orochimaru laughed, signaling for this new man to open my cell.