endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-16 10:53 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-16 10:53 pm
Of Mice and Men
Title: Of Mice and Men
Type: Definitely-Not-So-Drabble
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Size Matters [ 1353 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Yakushi Kabuto, Ongaku; brief mention of Orochimaru, Uchiha Sasuke
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Note: Based on a plot idea originally made for the RP community of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)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 ♥
Rapt with curiosity, she adjusted the lights and leaned over the edge of the table for a closer look. The basic concept was fairly simple, almost too simple compared to all of the other experiments he was known for conducting behind the closed doors of the Sound Village. Still, the kunoichi could hear the wails of pain and anger echoing down the halls at night. She, herself, had been on the receiving end of more than one, though none of them had been as drastic. In favor of keeping her alive as long as possible for Sasuke's sake and improvement, Tenten had only been limited to chemical enhancing experiments. And only after they were proven to have no major side-effects.
A pointed cough caught her attention and she turned towards the noise, immediately easing away from where her body loomed over the maze. She was getting too close to the experiment again. Tenten was almost sure that he was getting tired of reminding her of that, even without having to see the slight draw of his brows. But sometimes her curiosity could not be helped.
Exhaling softly, she refocused on the task at hand.
Left. Right. Another right. Over the bridge. And then one last left...
She waited and watched carefully for the subtle brush against the prize at the end of the journey, pressing down on the stopwatch as soon as it occurred to mark to still the count. Jotting it down on the day's results, the kunoichi casually started glancing back at through the charts and noted the faster improvements over the other test subjects. At this rate, they would need to develop a new labyrinth for the animals to search through. Or at least this particular specimen, Tenten thought with a small smile as she reached in and scooped up the little white mouse into her palm.
"Mice. Who would've thought?"
"They're biological composition is actually more closely related to humans than monkeys, you know. And they're easier to acquire."
"Well... I do now." And with that, she returned the mouse to it's assigned cage without trouble.
There was some comfort, she found, at how the tiny creature seemed placated enough in her presence to remain cooperative and calm as the kunoichi handled them before and after a session. Tenten had seen how the animals reacted to the good doctor's other assistants, always with a level of fear and panic that had the shinobi in a perpetual state of wariness and alert as they chased them around the lab, ever mindful of the delicate and irreplaceable equipment. Then again, his other aids never seemed to last more than a few weeks before others were brought in to take their places. All the while, Tenten was allowed remain. To continue to learn.
From the beginning, there had been no disillusions about her position. As the newest addition to the ranks in Oto, Tenten was essentially fixed at the bottom of the food chain when it came to those most trusted in the Village of Sound. And when it came to duties. She was subject to serve to every will and whim of its leader -- and occasionally his second-in-command -- no matter the task or the degradation that would ultimately come along with picking up tasks not many others would pick up willingly. But while Orochimaru seemed perfectly content with having the kunoichi do nothing beyond training and being tested for progress, Kabuto had other plans in mind.
She had shown the potential for great intellect, he had once told her when the first offer -- order -- to help him in the labs had been extended. As one of several results from the tests they had conducted on her, it was discovered that the young woman had an impressive ability to learn and learn quickly, her ever continuous thirst for knowledge being the main contributing factor. It made sense, Tenten had thought at the time. She was a survivor. An adapter. A kunoichi. The more she knew, the better prepared she would be when facing up against difficult challenges and opponents. And the medic took full advantage of that by incorporating her assistance in his more engaging experiments. This had simply been one of those occasions.
"Looks like Subject 7E571N was the only survivor from this batch," she announced, copying down the rest of the specs from the last trial, "It's a good thing too, he seems to have benefited a lot from this serum."
From the corner of her eye, she saw the medic's silhouette shift, most likely to direct his focus on her while discussing the her observations. "What about 0N94KU?"
She shook her head in response. "I found him dead this morning."
"Hm... that's too bad." A glance in Kabuto's direction saw him staring at her with a strange sort of neutral expression -- as if he was considering the validity of her words or the facts themselves -- before he turned back to whatever sample the young shinobi had set up in his microscope, not even batting an eye or giving a show of disappointment at the news. The test mice were of no real consequences to him, after all, she supposed. Just like the soldiers he often used for the more extreme tests meant little to the overall results. "He was showing great potential."
"His body's still in the cage if you wanna do an autopsy," the kunoichi offered, using the tip of her pencil to point at the stack of cages on the shelves in the far corner. Not that he could see with his back to her like that. Or that he didn't know that fact to begin with. "And I've already factored his information into the statistics."
"Good," the good doctor mumbled with a small nod, "That'll be all for today."
Sighing with some modicum of relief, the young woman set the charts down beside the other sheets of records. And as she moved to leave, there was a moment where Tenten considered staying and offering to help him further with his research. Because despite the cruelties that came with testing out serums and chemical enhancers on both willing and unwilling subjects, the information they gathered were still great advancements towards a new world of possibilities. But after a moment of consideration, she thought better of it and left without another word.
Given how he had looked at her only moments before, it would be too suspicious to offer further aid when she had already been dismissed.
The trek back to her quarters was quick and automatic on her part. There were still a lot of the base that she had yet to see. But the trail between Kabuto's labs and her own room was a familiar path Tenten had taken many times already since her arrival. And though it bothered her on some level, some days, the kunoichi thought the lesser of two evils that he seemed to attentive and appreciative to her talents. And that she was able to play the part of the curiously naive girl eager to learn all she could of the world.
It made advancing their plans easier.
With a huff of breath, Tenten plopped down on her matted bunk, slowly feeling the efforts of the day creeping into her limbs. And she would have fallen asleep right then and there had it not been for a little tickle brushing against the tips of her fingers as they scrapped against the dirt floor. Smiling softly at the feeling, the kunoichi held out her hand to the little mouse and waited as she felt the scurry of its feet scrabble and scrape up along the length of her arm. Just like he usually did. Just like she had taught him to do when Kabuto wasn't looking.
"Subject number 0N94KU is hardly a fitting name," she mumbled, bringing the brow little ball of fluff into view. And the folded up little piece of parchment tied to his back. From Sasuke, no doubt. He was never one to waste time, after all. "I think I'll call you... Ongaku, instead."
Type: Definitely-Not-So-Drabble
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Size Matters [ 1353 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Yakushi Kabuto, Ongaku; brief mention of Orochimaru, Uchiha Sasuke
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 ♥Rapt with curiosity, she adjusted the lights and leaned over the edge of the table for a closer look. The basic concept was fairly simple, almost too simple compared to all of the other experiments he was known for conducting behind the closed doors of the Sound Village. Still, the kunoichi could hear the wails of pain and anger echoing down the halls at night. She, herself, had been on the receiving end of more than one, though none of them had been as drastic. In favor of keeping her alive as long as possible for Sasuke's sake and improvement, Tenten had only been limited to chemical enhancing experiments. And only after they were proven to have no major side-effects.
A pointed cough caught her attention and she turned towards the noise, immediately easing away from where her body loomed over the maze. She was getting too close to the experiment again. Tenten was almost sure that he was getting tired of reminding her of that, even without having to see the slight draw of his brows. But sometimes her curiosity could not be helped.
Exhaling softly, she refocused on the task at hand.
Left. Right. Another right. Over the bridge. And then one last left...
She waited and watched carefully for the subtle brush against the prize at the end of the journey, pressing down on the stopwatch as soon as it occurred to mark to still the count. Jotting it down on the day's results, the kunoichi casually started glancing back at through the charts and noted the faster improvements over the other test subjects. At this rate, they would need to develop a new labyrinth for the animals to search through. Or at least this particular specimen, Tenten thought with a small smile as she reached in and scooped up the little white mouse into her palm.
"Mice. Who would've thought?"
"They're biological composition is actually more closely related to humans than monkeys, you know. And they're easier to acquire."
"Well... I do now." And with that, she returned the mouse to it's assigned cage without trouble.
There was some comfort, she found, at how the tiny creature seemed placated enough in her presence to remain cooperative and calm as the kunoichi handled them before and after a session. Tenten had seen how the animals reacted to the good doctor's other assistants, always with a level of fear and panic that had the shinobi in a perpetual state of wariness and alert as they chased them around the lab, ever mindful of the delicate and irreplaceable equipment. Then again, his other aids never seemed to last more than a few weeks before others were brought in to take their places. All the while, Tenten was allowed remain. To continue to learn.
From the beginning, there had been no disillusions about her position. As the newest addition to the ranks in Oto, Tenten was essentially fixed at the bottom of the food chain when it came to those most trusted in the Village of Sound. And when it came to duties. She was subject to serve to every will and whim of its leader -- and occasionally his second-in-command -- no matter the task or the degradation that would ultimately come along with picking up tasks not many others would pick up willingly. But while Orochimaru seemed perfectly content with having the kunoichi do nothing beyond training and being tested for progress, Kabuto had other plans in mind.
She had shown the potential for great intellect, he had once told her when the first offer -- order -- to help him in the labs had been extended. As one of several results from the tests they had conducted on her, it was discovered that the young woman had an impressive ability to learn and learn quickly, her ever continuous thirst for knowledge being the main contributing factor. It made sense, Tenten had thought at the time. She was a survivor. An adapter. A kunoichi. The more she knew, the better prepared she would be when facing up against difficult challenges and opponents. And the medic took full advantage of that by incorporating her assistance in his more engaging experiments. This had simply been one of those occasions.
"Looks like Subject 7E571N was the only survivor from this batch," she announced, copying down the rest of the specs from the last trial, "It's a good thing too, he seems to have benefited a lot from this serum."
From the corner of her eye, she saw the medic's silhouette shift, most likely to direct his focus on her while discussing the her observations. "What about 0N94KU?"
She shook her head in response. "I found him dead this morning."
"Hm... that's too bad." A glance in Kabuto's direction saw him staring at her with a strange sort of neutral expression -- as if he was considering the validity of her words or the facts themselves -- before he turned back to whatever sample the young shinobi had set up in his microscope, not even batting an eye or giving a show of disappointment at the news. The test mice were of no real consequences to him, after all, she supposed. Just like the soldiers he often used for the more extreme tests meant little to the overall results. "He was showing great potential."
"His body's still in the cage if you wanna do an autopsy," the kunoichi offered, using the tip of her pencil to point at the stack of cages on the shelves in the far corner. Not that he could see with his back to her like that. Or that he didn't know that fact to begin with. "And I've already factored his information into the statistics."
"Good," the good doctor mumbled with a small nod, "That'll be all for today."
Sighing with some modicum of relief, the young woman set the charts down beside the other sheets of records. And as she moved to leave, there was a moment where Tenten considered staying and offering to help him further with his research. Because despite the cruelties that came with testing out serums and chemical enhancers on both willing and unwilling subjects, the information they gathered were still great advancements towards a new world of possibilities. But after a moment of consideration, she thought better of it and left without another word.
Given how he had looked at her only moments before, it would be too suspicious to offer further aid when she had already been dismissed.
The trek back to her quarters was quick and automatic on her part. There were still a lot of the base that she had yet to see. But the trail between Kabuto's labs and her own room was a familiar path Tenten had taken many times already since her arrival. And though it bothered her on some level, some days, the kunoichi thought the lesser of two evils that he seemed to attentive and appreciative to her talents. And that she was able to play the part of the curiously naive girl eager to learn all she could of the world.
It made advancing their plans easier.
With a huff of breath, Tenten plopped down on her matted bunk, slowly feeling the efforts of the day creeping into her limbs. And she would have fallen asleep right then and there had it not been for a little tickle brushing against the tips of her fingers as they scrapped against the dirt floor. Smiling softly at the feeling, the kunoichi held out her hand to the little mouse and waited as she felt the scurry of its feet scrabble and scrape up along the length of her arm. Just like he usually did. Just like she had taught him to do when Kabuto wasn't looking.
"Subject number 0N94KU is hardly a fitting name," she mumbled, bringing the brow little ball of fluff into view. And the folded up little piece of parchment tied to his back. From Sasuke, no doubt. He was never one to waste time, after all. "I think I'll call you... Ongaku, instead."