In Time of Need

Two

I walked into Orochimaru's mansion after finally having regained my composure from his previous onslaught. He was waiting for me from within in his bedroom as I entered cautiously and bowed down in front of him. He grabbed me by my long silver and yanked me from my bowing position and made me look down in his face. I struggled against his hand out of pure instinct and looked towards the door for help but none would come and I knew this. Orochimaru looked up at me with a rage that rivaled any I had ever seen before. I was prepared for any of the physical abuse that I suffered at his hands many times before but instead he yelled for Kabuto. And as soon as he had Kabuto entered the room with a short bow. Orochimaru threw me in his direction and he caught me in his hands. He seemed to know what to do immediately as he dragged me out of the room and in the direction of the laboratory. Immediately, I knew what was happening as I realized that I would become a test subject for something that they were working on.

"Are you ready, Matsuko?" I nodded solemnly. I slowly sauntered over to the cold, metal, examination table and laid back. Kabuto latched down my arms and my legs as I took a deep breath. Their experiments had grown gruesome in recent months as Orochimaru had been planning a war on Konoha. I gasped in pain as he roughly jabbed a long needle into my arm, it was attached to an IV bag filled with a ugly mustard yellow liquid. It looked almost as if it acid of some sort and when Kabuto opened the IV line and it began dripping down into my veins I screamed in pain. My body felt as though it were melting from the inside out as I continued screaming in agony and pleading with Kabuto to let me go and save me. He smiled with a terrifying malice as he allowed me to be released from my restraints.

Orochimaru entered the lab and looked at me as I writhed with pain and clawed at my body. He smirked as he grabbed my arm and yanked me off of the table causing me to hit the floor with a thud. He drug me through the mansion with the ninja of Otogakure watching with varying expression that ranged from empathy to apathy. I wanted to jump up and slice them all down as they watched but I was no longer that mercenary, no, I had been reduced to nothing more than a mere slave. And that's all I was ever meant to be to Orochimaru. We reached our destination which I recognized as my room and I was dropped inside on the floor. I had no strength left to crawl to my bed after watching Orochimaru walk out. I cried into the plush carpets of my room as I closed my eyes and tried to recover my strength.

"Matsuko..." Naruto's voice was almost as whisper as he appeared from within my closet. He walked over and looked down at me before dropping down onto his knees and holding me close to him. If Naruto was here when Orochimaru was in here that meant that he knew Naruto was in here this whole time.

"You...you shouldn't be here...they'll come for you." I whispered back to him as he stroked my cheek. I felt weak. I knew they would be coming in here soon to take Naruto and I would helpless to stop them.

As if on cue Orochimaru burst back into my room with the Sound Four and Kabuto. Naruto immediately stood up with a kunai in hand ready to battle them. When he heard me throwing up behind him he looked back towards Kabuto and anger seemed to boil from his very being. I could feel him beginning to transform into sage mode which made me reach out and grab his ankle. He looked down at me and I shook my head no. He dropped the kunai and surrendered as he looked back at me.

"Take him down to the dungeon. Leave Matsuko here to me." They began dragging Naruto away as Orochimaru pulled his sword from within his throat. I yelled out in pain as he stabbed in down into my back.

"Matsuko! No! Leave him alone Orochimaru, please! Matsuko!" I looked up at Naruto through a grimace of pain and smiled weakly as he fought against the Sound Four. I gasped as the blade was removed and plunged back into my back but deeper this time. Orochimaru removed the blade and kicked me over onto my back and looked down at me as I faded in and out.

"I created you Matsuko, remember that, I will destroy what I have created without any second thoughts." I could still hear Naruto fighting in the background as he released Kurama fully. The mansion began crumbling as the walls were destroyed around us. Orochimaru made an easy escape while I could only watch the debri fall around me and bury me in the ruins of the mansion.

Naruto...I-I love you...that's why I hang around...so much