White Rose

Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy!!! A new chapter is out!!! Geez, I'm sooo happy to be finally done with this one because things are starting to get very interesting from now on. Don't you think?

Yes, I know I'm late. Yes, I am terribly sorry. I hope the next updates won't take as long as the last ones. I won't blab very much this time because I don't want to keep you guys from reading.

Thank you goes to the people who reviewed the last chapter: Akari Wolf Princess, Mana Hamasaki, katarauchiha653719, Animestar001 and IXLoveXMyXFishy

Next thank you goes to Akari Wolf Princess, Shina no Miko and Mana Hamasaki for the story alert

More thank you goes to zeroblade63 for the fave

SPOILERWARNING: Some happenings from Naruto Shippuuden are mentioned in this chapter. Even if they are just tiny little hints. I've warned you! ^^°

Rates and especially reviews are highly welcome and keep me motivated to develop this story, don't forget that you don't need an account to do so

Last but not least: Have fun

I do not own Naruto

Story

Author's commentary/Yelling

Thoughts/Dreams/Memories

Carrot and Stick

A dog on a leash. That's how she felt. A dog on a leash, trapped in a cage, tortured by it's owner... That's what she was to them. An animal that existed for the soul purpose of their entertainment. And their understanding of entertainment was anything else than pleasant. So why act human if she wasn't treated like one? There was no reason for her to act nice, not like the first time she had entered this hell...

Back then she had been with all of those children. At first she had been egoistic. The only thing on her mind was to comfort herself, make it better for herself. However, that had changed soon. Seeing all of those children being miserable she couldn't help but feel guilty for being such an egoist. That's when she started taking care of them as much as she could. With time she even found comfort in helping others. At least for the times when nothing happened. Those rare times, when nobody would have to deal with side effects of whatever they were given. At those times she would forget the fact that she could be the next to get sick and die. At those times she would talk to the children, try to give them hope, comfort them... And that's what had kept her sane. It had kept her... human...

And now? It was the same like after she'd been separated from what she could have called her friends. A dank little cage, the cold ground as her bed and insanity waiting to get her every second. But she hadn't been brought to that place from the very beginning. On her first day she used to have a bed. A very comfortable one in a clean room, but she had refused to be a "good girl" and cooperate with her captors. There was not a single fiber in her body that would obey that monstrous bastard that brought this hell upon her existence. And that would never change. Even if she were to lose her memory...

A sudden crack indicated that someone was about to unlock the door. Aimi's eyes opened to find nothing but pure black. They always left her in complete darkness. She guessed they did that to decrease her chances of fleeing. She based that on the fact that she was unable to orient herself properly in the dark. Most of her time in there she would be staying on a single spot and sleep. Light touched her eyes as the door opened, causing her to blink uncontrollably.

"Hey... You okay?", a male voice grazed her ear.

She knew that voice for quite a while now: "Ryoga... "

"Don't be too happy now. They'll be coming to get you soon... ", he placed a candle on a small table near the entrance.

"I see... ", Aimi sat up, the sound of moving chains echoing through the small room.

Ryoga closed the door before moving closer to the metallic bars that separated the room: "As usual... ", he placed a tray with food on the ground and pushed it through the bars before sitting on the ground. His eyes settled upon the hardly visible shape of the female prisoner. The candle provided just enough light to allow proper eating and some other small actions.

The rattling of chains reached both their ears again. Aimi was slowly crouching towards the food. A sudden clank was heard and her movement stopped. Yes, they had taken care that she hung on a very short leash. She used her left hand to reach out for the tray, exposing a bandaged hand to the light.

"What happened to your hand?", as fast as he had spoken those words her hand had retracted back into the dark.

Her eyes fell upon the place where her pinky used to be and the bloody bandages hiding an aching wound that wouldn't heal on it's own. Memories flashed before her eyes. She had fought Kabuto tooth and nail, she had even managed to scratch his cheek bloody, but it had been no use. As soon as she was able to struggle he would pump drugs into her system. That's what he always did. He would wait until she couldn't move anything but her eyes before loosening her shackles.

"I am not seeking to torture you, Aimi, but you must learn that everything you do has consequences... You are not a child anymore, you should understand... ", his cold eyes looked as they had frozen, "As a punishment for your resistance I will not give you any painkiller until I'm finished here... ", and as he was done talking he rammed a scalpel through her flesh and bone. He continued cutting off her finger without caring about the massive pain he was driving through the girl.

Aimi's eyes were opened wide while tears overflowed. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream in agony, but her voice wouldn't come. Her heartbeat quickened and her breathing became shallow, but nothing else happened. At least nothing that could be heard or seen by somebody else. In her mind she was despairing, crying, praying, screaming endlessly. And he just looked at her with that blank stare. Maybe it wasn't visible on his face or in his eyes, but she had a feeling that he was somehow enjoying her miserable sight.

Blood came flowing out of the wound and all he did was take care of the finger he had just cut off. From time to time he would step back from analyzing her finger to watch more crimson liquid flow out of her, but she wouldn't know much more. She had fainted shortly after the dismemberment.

Aimi shivered. She just couldn't get that cold gaze out of her mind: "I... don't want to talk about it... "

"Whatever suits you... ", Ryoga pushed the tray farther so she could reach it. Thankful she took the food and ate. Her cell was uncomfortable, but at least they took care of her health. He just kept watching her for a while: "You mentally still fine?"

"As fine as I could be in my situation, I guess... "

"I am quite surprised that you are holding up so well. I've seen others loose their sanity for less... "

"It's because I made a promise to... somebody that was very important to me... I intend to keep that promise for as long as I live... "

He continued watching her in silence. Why was she so special? Why was Orochimaru so interested in her? She talked like any other human, she ate like any other human, she looked like any other human... But who was he to judge a book by it's cover? He wasn't an unwritten page himself...

"Thank you... ", Aimi pushed the tray back to him. She was done eating.

Ryoga took the tray, but remained on his spot staring at her: "You are aware of the fact, that I still owe you my life?"

"Yes."

"Then why not ask me to do something?"

"The situation is difficult. If I would request you to help me I would only put your life at stake and I am not the person to do such things... Never been... ", she crouched back to the spot she had been staying at first, "I'm sure you'll find something to make it up to me somehow... Whenever that might be... "

"You're strange... I am even inclined to go as far as to say irrational. Every normal human in your situation would do anything to get out of this place. And I mean ANYTHING... "

"Don't get me wrong. I'd rather be dead than in this hell, but I don't want to die in here... I'd do many things to get out of here. I'd fight. I'd struggle. I'd try diplomacy. Whatever might come to my head and fits the situation... However... There is one thing I will never do. I will neither risk a life or take it. I am no killer, I am a protector... What's so strange about not being able to see people die?... Or at least people I don't... hate... ", her eyes glued themselves to the small candle, 'After loosing HIM my heart is unable to take anymore damage... I can feel it... '. Slowly she closed her eyes, exhaling calmly. How she wished her heart wouldn't hurt as much as it did. If she hadn't been shackled with chakra blocking material she would have at least tried to freeze up her heart.

She wanted to stop caring completely. She wanted to make sure that nothing would be able to get to her ever again. Simply speaking she wanted to be a heartless lump of flesh, but she couldn't. Her emotions were too strong. She couldn't change the essence of what made her the person she was. Besides, she still had some promises to keep. A broken heart wouldn't stop her from keeping her promises. Of course it made her life miserable and moving on more than just difficult, but she just had to try and at least live with it even if she would never be able to cope... Or at least she had to get out of that pit of agony she was currently trapped in.

The door suddenly opened, breaking the silence that had built up between the two. Kabuto stood in front of the entrance. Aimi cowered back farther into her corner where she could be as far away from him as possible. Kabuto's eyes stoically wandered from the girl to the candle and then to Ryoga who stood up with tray in hand: "Why are you still here? Didn't you bring her food about an hour ago?"

"She ate very slowly. It looked like she was rather forcing herself to eat. I think she might have caught an illness. It could be caused by stress-"

"Did I ask you for your opinion?"

"No, Kabuto-sama... "

"You better leave now. I am sure that you have more important things to do than standing here and delaying my work."

"Of course, Kabuto-sama... ", Ryoga bowed and left. As he walked away he could hear ruckus coming from Aimi's cell. She never left that room without a fight. The noise died down rather quick because Kabuto had lost his patience, 'Something must have pissed him off... Was probably me... '

Ryoga turned a corner and leaned himself against the wall, inhaling deeply. What a coward he was to let that girl suffer the way she did... He wanted to help her flee, but all the scenarios in his head ended awfully bad. He knew there was a chance that everything would work out pretty fine, but he was too much of a coward to try if there was a chance of more than five percent that he would fail. Numbers ran through his head, plans were made, but none of them seemed to fit. At least not yet...

"Ryogaaa!!", female arms snuck themselves around his neck as a sickly sweet voice entered his ear.

"Midori... ", his response was as stiff as his body since he hadn't noticed her.

"Gee, I finally found you! I was looking for you for about forty minutes now! Where have you been?", he opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by the blonde, "No, don't tell me now, I want to show you something! Look what Kabuto got me!", she let go of him and pointed a finger towards her face.

His eyes wandered to said place and immediately he noticed that the patch that usually hid her missing eye was gone. Instead he found a brown colored eye looking back at him: "He gave you a new eye?"

"YEAH! Isn't that great?!"

"I thought it was impossible to implant a new eye because your nerves were damaged too much?"

"Kabuto said that it had something to do with some recent research. My guess is that it has to do with that bitch who initially cost me my eye... ", her voice had seemingly turned into a low growl as she mentioned Aimi.

Ryoga's face hardened and his eyes froze as he heard Midori talking so lowly about the actual victim: "I see... I have things to do. Don't follow me... "

"Huh?!", her face dropped, "What's with the attitude all of a sudden?!"

He ignored her and left.

"Hey! Come back here now!", she was angry.

He turned for a second and glared at her menacingly to shut her up. Unfortunately that made her just more angry. She glared at his back furiously, 'What the hell is wrong with him?!', then she noticed the tray, 'He's been with her this long?!', that thought made her fume. Stomping she made her way to Aimi's cell. On her way she found Kabuto carrying said girl around. Midori stopped and immediately a smirk played across her lips as she noticed blood coming from the girl's mouth and nose, 'So they treat you bad, huh? You so deserve it, bitch... '.

Kabuto noticed the blonde: "What's so funny?"

"Just enjoying that miserable sight of her... Don't mind me... ", she gave him a coy grin.

He walked away, ignoring her. He had much better things to do...

Aimi woke up in Kabuto's lab to the sound of clattering metal. She had a headache and felt nauseous. She couldn't remember how she got there or how she had lost consciousness, but somehow she had a feeling that she actually didn't want to know.

"We are done for today. How are you feeling?", Kabuto stood next to her, his back facing her.

"Headache. Nauseous", she kept her answers short, because he liked them that way. She had learned not to disobey answering him when he asked questions concerning her health. It turned out to be more helpful for herself than him. After all he'd make sure she'd stay healthy most of the time.

"Can you walk?"

"I think... "

"The faster you walk, the faster you can be back in your room."

Aimi nodded. Kabuto knew that she was always relieved to be brought back to her cell, even if she hated being a prisoner. He took advantage of her hatred towards his lab. After all she hated being in his lab for a very good reason.

A few minutes later they walked through the mazelike corridors of Orochimaru's dungeon. Aimi took care to keep up his pace so he wouldn't yank her chain and choke her in the process. Soon... Soon she could be at a less horrifying place...

"We're here", he lighted a torch in her cell before fastening her back in place. Then he left, closing the door behind him.

Incredulously her eyes stared at the lit torch. Had he forgotten it there? Or would he come back? But why would he come back? He never came back that fast! Maybe this was her chance. As long as she could see everything in her cell she could search for a weakness in her chains or something. She had no time to waste!

Immediately she looked at everything in her room, searching for the tiniest of things she might use to free herself. Unfortunately she found nothing. She would have tried brute force despite darkness or light, but her body wasn't quite known for strength. She was fast, she was flexible, but strong? Especially in her current state... On the other hand. What did she have to lose?

Determined she grabbed her leash and hit the wall with it where she was chained to. She tried weakening the integrity of the wall, 'Metal is harder than stone. This should theoretically work... '

She managed to break out some small fragments. Her hopes went up, causing her to fight harder and the noise she was making to become louder. Her mind was so focused on getting out that she completely ignored the awfully loud noise she was making. She was sure that her room was soundproof anyway since she never heard any sound from outside her cell.

After a while she stopped hitting and started pulling her leash with as much force as she could come up with. Suddenly the door swung open with great force, crashing against the wall. Shocked her hands slipped from the chain, making her fall backwards. Aimi hit her head hard and was chocking on her metallic collar. She sat up as fast as possible, trying to catch her breath while somebody walked into her room.

"You woke me from my sleep... ", the voice was dry.

Aimi was still coughing from her sudden lack of air and had yet to notice the intruder.

"Pay attention!"

Surprised she turned to the voice and saw a boy standing right in front of her cage. She hadn't seen him before.

"You woke me from my sleep. I don't like being disturbed in my sleep... "

"How did I disturb you?", she was still calming her breath.

"You make an awful lot of noise. It's impossible not to hear next door. Stop it!"

So he'd been sleeping next door? Interesting. Her eyes roamed his form quickly. She spotted weapons. Maybe she could use him. Judging by his appearance and the way he acted he was a person that didn't necessarily like being disobeyed. Even though he looked calm, she could tell that he was at least annoyed. Maybe it was her, maybe it was him. She didn't care, but she'd use it.

"Make me", she was challenging him.

"You will do as I say. End of discussion... ", his voice was calm.

"Oh, yeah? Who do you think you are, huh?"

"Obviously in a better position than you are. You better shut up and do as I say before I lose my temper."

Aimi stood up: "Screw you! I'm not afraid of you! I do what I want!"

"What you want? You're in a cage and tied to the wall behind you."

"So what?! That surely didn't stop me from waking you up, did it? Besides as long as I'm in here you can't touch me. Or are you afraid of fighting someone that is better than you? I bet your parents would be very proud to know that their son is a wuss! But wait! If you're such a wimp then your parents must be even worse! I'm sure they-", in the blink of an eye he had used his Katana to cut open the cages lock, the door stood open wide.

"Will you shut up now?"

"N-No... I could have done that too. I'm not impressed at all... ", the door was open, but she still had to get rid of her chains, "Like I said. Make me... "

He took a step closer to her, making chills go down her spine. The closer he came the more afraid she was. Maybe this was getting out of hands. She might have underestimated him and she surely overestimated herself. This couldn't end well.

"Jerk... Bastard... Son of a bitch... ", she was running out of ideas.

"My name is Sasuke."

"Oh so you want me to call you that?", she made a step backwards before acting as if she were a fangirl or something, "Sasuke-kuuuun", she was disgusted by her own sickly sweet voice. Unexpectedly his movement stopped for a second. Had she hit a sensitive spot? He seemed absent.

Carefully she tried to take his Katana but was stopped by his hand: "That is no toy for you", swiftly he grabbed her collar and pressed her against the wall so that her feet couldn't reach the floor.

"That all you've got?"

"You'll find the answer in my eyes... "

She looked into his eyes and suddenly noticed that she hadn't looked at them at all until then. They looked strange. They were red with black symbols. She'd never seen such eyes. To her surprise he was very busy staring into her eyes, leaving an opening for her to attack.

Aimi's right foot pressed against his Katana, lifting her higher and forcing his hand to let go. Her left foot kicked his pouch causing Shuriken, Kunais and Scrolls to fly up to her arm's reach. Quickly she grabbed a Kunai out of the air and used the wall as a help to kick him away. After landing back on her feet she turned to her chain. She wanted to break the chain and run away as far as possible, but it never came to that.

Sasuke had recovered from her kick very fast. He made a quick step towards her, grabbed her arm that was holding the Kunai, yanked her around, grabbed her other arm too and pinned her hard against the wall: "You are very annoying!"

The girl kept silent. This man was close. Very close. Too close for her taste.

"Lost your tongue?"

Her face slowly reddened. Nobody was allowed to get this close to her. She hated it. She wanted him to stop, but the words wouldn't come out. The whole position reminded her too much of an encounter that was more than just special to her. Not much longer and she'd break into tears.

"I could kill you now... "

"What's keeping you?"

"I have a question for you."

"Make it quick."

"Why didn't my Gen-Jutsu work?"

"Like I know... Now either you kill me or you let me go... "

"Are you in such a hurry to die?"

"I... I just don't like it when men come this close to me... ", dreadfully she closed her eyes and bit her lip.

"... Let go of my Kunai and I might think about it."

"You afraid I might attack you again?", she opened her eyes, letting the tears fall silently, "I didn't injure you till now did I? I haven't really attacked you either. I have no interest in killing you. I just want to leave this hell... Please... It's so horrible here... ", the Kunai fell to the ground.

Silence spread just to be interrupted by a third person: "Sasuke-kun?! What happened here?"

His head turned to the voice: "I got woken from my sleep."

"Is the girl alright? Is she harmed?"

Sasuke pushed all the weapons that lay inside of her reach away and let her completely go. Aimi's body slowly sank to the floor. She had lost. Now that Kabuto was there her chances to flee had minimized to zero.

"She's fine, but I am not. Put her into a different cell. I want my sleep... ", slowly he walked away, "And you might want to take care of the weapons and scrolls she sprawled all over the floor... "

Kabuto watched Sasuke disappear before he closed the rooms door. Silently he walked to her shaking body. She was crying bitterly and it made him wonder what Sasuke had done to her. He put a small glass filled with some unknown fluid next to her: "Against nausea... ", then he picked up everything from the floor and placed it on the small table in the room. Silent sobs reached his ears in the meanwhile and as he listened he could hear her calling a certain name...

Oh crap... She almost got herself killed. Where will this all end? And When? Or How? Why do they have to torture her so much?! And what the hell did Kabuto find out with the help of his research?

Gee, I hate that blonde girl, Midori. She's so blind ans selfish! I wonder where that might end... Probably not very good...

Sneak Preview:

Kabuto: The research is progressing faster than I had expected. I must say that Aimi is a fascinating specimen.

Orochimaru: What about results?

Kabuto: We have excellent results in many ways, but unfortunately we can hardly use any of them...

Orochimaru: How exactly does our next step look like now?...

And PLEASE, PLEASE review my dear readers ^^°