endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-12 10:26 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-12 10:26 pm
Better Than Before
Title: Better Than Before
Type: Definitely-Not-So-Drabble
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Phobia [ 1238 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Uchiha Sasuke; brief mention of Orochimaru, Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Based on a plot idea originally made for the RP community of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
circleobetrayal that eventually inspired the fic 'Inheritance of Betrayal.' Theme borrowed from 30_tortures.
Dedicated to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
its_game_time ♥
Like a tigress in her cage, the kunoichi paced back and forth in the small cell, footsteps echoing softly against the stone walls. The air was thick and warm with her impatience as well as the burning light of the torches that lined the far wall. There were no windows to the outside -- the surface, rather, since it was clear that they were underground and not above it -- or clock. No clear indicator of the passing time. Only a pitch dark air shaft just on the other side and out of reach of the bars to let in some needed ventilation. No doubt one of several in order to make this prison of a base livable. And then there was the miles and miles of tunnels underneath the village that made up the whole maze of passages that existed within the complex.
Ingenious.
Where better to hide a hidden base than in plain sight, where no one would suspect to search? And in close proximity to an excellent supply of recruits; poor souls willing to do nearly anything to save themselves from a disgraceful life of a beggar. Reports on the Land of Ta had stated that the country had been on the brink of ruin before the Hidden Village of Sound was established. And though it had saved the country from disappearing into nothing or falling into the hands of a larger, more powerful nation, it turned the people into nothing but more than expendable pawns within the Sannin's games. And she could only believe that they kept the kunoichi alive in hopes of making her one of this pieces as well.
Sighing softly, the kunoichi looked with disdain at the tray of food as it clattered across the floor. That had been the only constant and source Tenten could rely on to indicate that time had, indeed, passed while she remained locked up as their prisoner. And then there had been the tests.
After the first meal -- her first bite, really -- Tenten had been well aware of the chakra suppressants laced in th food. Even without the sour flavor that lingered in her mouth, the kunoichi had felt the change within her body almost instantly. And if there were still any doubts of the truth, they had all been squashed during the first experiment. Any attempt to call upon the strength and extra aid of her chakra had failed, and the young woman was forced to struggle through the battle relying on her own natural skills alone against a chemically enhanced opponent. Each day would bring on a new challenger. And each time, it would end the same with her sprawled across the mats, utterly spent and exhausted beyond belief.
That is, until she decided to stop fighting them completely.
"I still don't know why they bother," an all too familiar voice mumbled, resounding rather loudly against the walls amid the eerie silence, "If you're determined to die without a fight, why not just help you along and starve you as well?"
"Says the guy who was rumored to have saved me from their initial plan to kill me in the first place," she scoffed in return, resuming her incessant pacing, "Why you did it, who the hell knows, but you got the ball rolling on that one so you've got no one else to blame but yourself."
And with that, she turned her back to him, bringing their conversation to an abrupt end as well as closing off the chances of him using his Sharingan eyes against her in some way. It was, perhaps, a dangerous choice to make given his history and track record. After all, Uchiha Sasuke was not known for having the best of temperaments. Or a consistent one, for that matter. But there was nothing more for Tenten to say, and anything she could think to say would've been of no interest to him, she was sure. Certainly, any modicum of thought he chose to share would most likely be equally as meaningless to her. And even if he would dare to strike her while her back was turned, almost anything was better than the continual parade of pain and torment that she was being subjected to under their 'expert' care.
"You're nothing without your team," he said after a long pause. So soft were the words that she had almost missed them. But with the way the halls were created, sounds seemed amplified. A safety feature, perhaps, designed so that secrets were all the more difficult to keep from the Snake Lord. But though his words did well to stir up her anger, there was no malice or insult in them. At least not yet. "That's how they made you."
It was true, she supposed. One of the main principles of the Leaf Village rested in the aspect of working in a four-man squad. It had been one of the first lessons that Gai-sensei had taught them when they first graduated the Academy and became Genin under his guidance. And to this very day, it was the perfection and precision of being only one component to a whole that her through most of her missions. But that same strength could very well be viewed as a weakness as well. With one person filling in the gap of skill for the next in a circle of reliance and dependency, there was no room for individual improvements. There was no opportunity to expand on limitations.
Left alone, it would eventually become a crutch. If it wasn't already.
"I refuse to be so useless and weak," he continued on, the shuffle of his feet indicating that he was moving, "And I'll do anything to ensure that I'm not."
Arms crossed, the kunoichi listened wordlessly to the retreat of his footsteps. And for some time after they had long faded into the darkness, she remained standing just so in the middle of her cell. Thinking. Considering. Planning. Tenten didn't really know Sasuke well enough to judge his character, only what she had been able to hear from others. In all the stories and conversations, though, Sasuke had never seemed to be the manipulative sort. But that had been three years ago, during which he had been under Orochimaru's instruction. There was no telling what he had managed to pick up from the man.
Considering his methods, one thing was certainly clear. There was no fear of becoming weak or useless in his regime, only dying from failing to overcome those constraints.
Her eyes shifted to the tray of food at her feet in thought, Sasuke's last words still ringing loud and clear in the depths of her mind. And not for the first time since arriving, Tenten began wondering just what plans he had in mind for her. Whether the young Uchiha played a part in it or if he was just prodding her on for his own purposes. Not that it mattered, she supposed. In the end, the decision would be left up to her, as it always had, to determine her fate. To choose the path that she walked. And it was with that thought in mind that she seated herself in front of the tray. And it was only after one final pause to reconsider, that she took a bite. And made her choice.
Two weeks later, Tenten noticed that the taste of her food had changed.
Type: Definitely-Not-So-Drabble
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Phobia [ 1238 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Uchiha Sasuke; brief mention of Orochimaru, Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Based on a plot idea originally made for the RP community of
circleobetrayal that eventually inspired the fic 'Inheritance of Betrayal.' Theme borrowed from 30_tortures.Dedicated to:
its_game_time ♥Like a tigress in her cage, the kunoichi paced back and forth in the small cell, footsteps echoing softly against the stone walls. The air was thick and warm with her impatience as well as the burning light of the torches that lined the far wall. There were no windows to the outside -- the surface, rather, since it was clear that they were underground and not above it -- or clock. No clear indicator of the passing time. Only a pitch dark air shaft just on the other side and out of reach of the bars to let in some needed ventilation. No doubt one of several in order to make this prison of a base livable. And then there was the miles and miles of tunnels underneath the village that made up the whole maze of passages that existed within the complex.
Ingenious.
Where better to hide a hidden base than in plain sight, where no one would suspect to search? And in close proximity to an excellent supply of recruits; poor souls willing to do nearly anything to save themselves from a disgraceful life of a beggar. Reports on the Land of Ta had stated that the country had been on the brink of ruin before the Hidden Village of Sound was established. And though it had saved the country from disappearing into nothing or falling into the hands of a larger, more powerful nation, it turned the people into nothing but more than expendable pawns within the Sannin's games. And she could only believe that they kept the kunoichi alive in hopes of making her one of this pieces as well.
Sighing softly, the kunoichi looked with disdain at the tray of food as it clattered across the floor. That had been the only constant and source Tenten could rely on to indicate that time had, indeed, passed while she remained locked up as their prisoner. And then there had been the tests.
After the first meal -- her first bite, really -- Tenten had been well aware of the chakra suppressants laced in th food. Even without the sour flavor that lingered in her mouth, the kunoichi had felt the change within her body almost instantly. And if there were still any doubts of the truth, they had all been squashed during the first experiment. Any attempt to call upon the strength and extra aid of her chakra had failed, and the young woman was forced to struggle through the battle relying on her own natural skills alone against a chemically enhanced opponent. Each day would bring on a new challenger. And each time, it would end the same with her sprawled across the mats, utterly spent and exhausted beyond belief.
That is, until she decided to stop fighting them completely.
"I still don't know why they bother," an all too familiar voice mumbled, resounding rather loudly against the walls amid the eerie silence, "If you're determined to die without a fight, why not just help you along and starve you as well?"
"Says the guy who was rumored to have saved me from their initial plan to kill me in the first place," she scoffed in return, resuming her incessant pacing, "Why you did it, who the hell knows, but you got the ball rolling on that one so you've got no one else to blame but yourself."
And with that, she turned her back to him, bringing their conversation to an abrupt end as well as closing off the chances of him using his Sharingan eyes against her in some way. It was, perhaps, a dangerous choice to make given his history and track record. After all, Uchiha Sasuke was not known for having the best of temperaments. Or a consistent one, for that matter. But there was nothing more for Tenten to say, and anything she could think to say would've been of no interest to him, she was sure. Certainly, any modicum of thought he chose to share would most likely be equally as meaningless to her. And even if he would dare to strike her while her back was turned, almost anything was better than the continual parade of pain and torment that she was being subjected to under their 'expert' care.
"You're nothing without your team," he said after a long pause. So soft were the words that she had almost missed them. But with the way the halls were created, sounds seemed amplified. A safety feature, perhaps, designed so that secrets were all the more difficult to keep from the Snake Lord. But though his words did well to stir up her anger, there was no malice or insult in them. At least not yet. "That's how they made you."
It was true, she supposed. One of the main principles of the Leaf Village rested in the aspect of working in a four-man squad. It had been one of the first lessons that Gai-sensei had taught them when they first graduated the Academy and became Genin under his guidance. And to this very day, it was the perfection and precision of being only one component to a whole that her through most of her missions. But that same strength could very well be viewed as a weakness as well. With one person filling in the gap of skill for the next in a circle of reliance and dependency, there was no room for individual improvements. There was no opportunity to expand on limitations.
Left alone, it would eventually become a crutch. If it wasn't already.
"I refuse to be so useless and weak," he continued on, the shuffle of his feet indicating that he was moving, "And I'll do anything to ensure that I'm not."
Arms crossed, the kunoichi listened wordlessly to the retreat of his footsteps. And for some time after they had long faded into the darkness, she remained standing just so in the middle of her cell. Thinking. Considering. Planning. Tenten didn't really know Sasuke well enough to judge his character, only what she had been able to hear from others. In all the stories and conversations, though, Sasuke had never seemed to be the manipulative sort. But that had been three years ago, during which he had been under Orochimaru's instruction. There was no telling what he had managed to pick up from the man.
Considering his methods, one thing was certainly clear. There was no fear of becoming weak or useless in his regime, only dying from failing to overcome those constraints.
Her eyes shifted to the tray of food at her feet in thought, Sasuke's last words still ringing loud and clear in the depths of her mind. And not for the first time since arriving, Tenten began wondering just what plans he had in mind for her. Whether the young Uchiha played a part in it or if he was just prodding her on for his own purposes. Not that it mattered, she supposed. In the end, the decision would be left up to her, as it always had, to determine her fate. To choose the path that she walked. And it was with that thought in mind that she seated herself in front of the tray. And it was only after one final pause to reconsider, that she took a bite. And made her choice.
Two weeks later, Tenten noticed that the taste of her food had changed.