Chapter Two
Choices

Haruka stared at him, terrified, as he crossed over to the table and picked up something. It was a rather long piece of rope that he twined around his fingers almost absently, giving her a sly smile.

"Now, Haruka-chan, I'll give you a choice," his eyes glittered. "You can either be tortured frequently, or be my pet," his head tilted to the side, malicious grin in place. "Choose quickly or I will choose for you."

"I- what? You're despicable!" She shook her head angrily. "I hate you! Jiraiya-nii-san will find out that you have me here and he'll hunt you down and kill you!"

"Will he really?" Orochimaru sneered, upper lip curling disdainfully. "That idiot couldn't track an army."

"Shut up!" she yelled. "He's a better Ninja than you'll ever be!"

His eyes narrowed, slitted pupils shrinking. She choked in pain as snakes crawled all over her, wet tongues sliding over her and fangs sinking into her body. They hissed at her and she groaned and collapsed, the Genjutsu ending.

"Time's up," he seethed. "And you haven't chosen."

She gave a muffled moan as he picked up something else from the table. Weakly, she watched as he opened the cage door. He smirked and his tongue flicked out to lick her cheek before it travelled lower and wrapped around her neck, picking her up. Haruka lashed out at him but the curse mark flared and she gagged and slumped in his chokehold.

Orochimaru was busy attaching the rope to something. He finished and walked closer to her, tongue retracting with every step. She stared at the thing in his hand. It was a black dog collar, with the rope acting as a lead. Unable to cry out in anger, she thrashed and hit him in the chest with her foot.

He frowned, "Stop moving or I'll hurt you." His tongue tightened around her throat. She grabbed his tongue and continued to kick his chest, trying to hurt him but not succeeding.

"Haruka." Orochimaru tilted her chin up with his index finger. His eyes caught hers and she froze, trapped in his Genjutsu. She knew the Jutsu well enough to know it was an illusion, but the combined effects of anger, exhaustion and fear made her scream just as loudly as she had when her teammate had 'practiced' this Jutsu on her. In the world created by the Genjutsu, she died over and over again.

When the Genjutsu was dispelled, her hands were shaking slightly. It shouldn't have had that bad an effect on her, so she suspected he had given her pain enhancing drugs. His tongue retracted fully back into his mouth and let go of her neck. She dropped heavily, using the precious seconds that she had to try and get away from him. She reached the back of the cage near the electric bars before she noticed that instead of going after her, he had retreated out of the cage and was... holding... something...

Her eyes widened in realisation just as he smirked and – almost delicately – pressed and held a button on the control he was holding. The whole cage crackled with electricity. She screamed and her whole body jerked in wild spasms. She twisted around on the floor and her back arched clear off the ground before banging back down again. He released the button and the electricity danced across her skin briefly before fading away.

Haruka lay there, dazed, her body juddering ever so often.

"I'll give you one more chance." Orochimaru's soft voice penetrated her mind and she snapped out of her shock. "You can either be tortured," he paused and she could sense his smug smile, "relentlessly or be my pet. Decide quickly."

"I..." She stared up at the ceiling of her cage, going quiet. His eyes narrowed impatiently.

"Time's wasting, Haruka-chan."

"I'd rather die than be anywhere near you, you scum-bag!" Zzzap! This time the electricity shocking her hadn't come from the whole cage. It was from the collar around her neck. She cried out and it continued for a few more seconds before it stopped.

"Torture it is then. What a pity. I was so looking forward to having you... No matter."

Having you? He didn't... She paled, quickly getting up. Haruka scrutinized his face carefully, slowly moving back to the back left corner of the cage. His expression hadn't changed at all saying that and his eyes... She shivered. His eyes had a certain hungry aspect – as if she was prey and he, the predator.

"What are you g-going to do to me?" She demanded shakily.

Orochimaru smiled slowly. The sight was eerie and Haruka couldn't suppress another shiver.

"It's a secret. If I told you, it would ruin the secret now wouldn't it?" He chuckled. "But don't worry, you'll find out sooner or later."

That didn't sound good.

"I don't like lying, as you know." His eerie smile widened. "So I'll tell you when you wake up. Well, if you ever wake up, that is."

Her eyes narrowed in uncertainty. "What do you-" Her sentence cut off in a scream as a pressed another button on the remote control and the cage floor literally disappeared.

Haruka fell into darkness. The last thing she heard was Orochimaru's cruel laughter.

(I)

The atmosphere in the Hokage's office was tense. The former Third Hokage – Sandaime – sighed and tilted his hat forward, leaning back into his chair. A livid Jiraiya was on the other side of his desk, two hands splayed out on the forgotten paperwork littering the desk. Tsunade leant against a wall near them, brow furrowed in worry – which, ironically, was the most emotion she had displayed ever since Dan died.

All the former members of Team Sarutobi were here – sans Orochimaru. Although, a hand-written letter lying on top of the desk was all the missing Sannin needed to be acknowledged.

"What do you mean he has Haruka?" Jiraiya snapped, breaking the apprehensive silence. The older man sighed and pushed the letter forward. Jiraiya stared at it for a second before snatching it up and reading it. It was a painstakingly slow task – Jiraiya had never been one for reading – but when he finished he simply folded the letter up and ripped it to pieces.

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade spoke up – shocked – for the first time that afternoon.

"He's lying. He has to be!" He shook his head angrily. "He's toying with us and the worst part is you know that and still you're letting him get away with this!"

"There is nothing we can do," Sandaime replied wearily. "We cannot track Orochimaru and I have already sent out ANBU to check..." he stopped.

"To check what? She's still here...!" Jiraiya stopped at Sandaime's wince. A look of horror dawned across his face. "You... You sent her..."

"I," the Third looked away, "sent her on a mission. She asked for one and I let her take it."

"Show it to me."

"Jiraiya, you know that missions are confi-"

"Show it to me!" Jiraiya roared, slamming the desk. "Godammit Sarutobi-sensei! If you don't show it to me now I'll go looking for her myself!"

The Hokage gazed quietly at his former student for a while before closing his eyes and picking up a discarded scroll on his desk. Jiraiya took the offered scroll and read it as quickly as he could. He threw it at the wall furiously when he finished – narrowly avoiding the newly appointed Yondaime as he stepped into the office.

"Hey! Oh man Jiraiya-sensei, that scroll nearly hit me!" Minato waited for a response from the now quivering Jiraiya, then frowned and bent down to pick the scroll up. He opened the unfortunate scroll and started to read. "What's this anyway? And why are you in office, Sarutobi-senpai?"

"Min- I mean, Yondaime, we have a bit of a..." Tsunade began.

"You!" Jiraiya yelled finally, pointing at Sarutobi. Tsunade glanced at him sharply.

"Jiraiya! Stop it!" She said firmly, putting a hand on his shoulder and gripping tightly. "It won't help us if you go off on your own."

He jerked away from her, glaring at Sandaime. "I'm leaving," he spat, turning on his heel and storming out of the office.

Sandaime sighed and Tsunade stared after Jiraiya.

"I have a bad feeling about this." She said finally.

"So do I." The two Hokages replied simultaneously.

(I)

Haruka woke, immediately rolled over and threw up. She shuddered once she was done and collapsed heavily onto her right side. Pain sliced through her and she cried out once, turning away to her other side. She whimpered pathetically as her right arm throbbed. Haruka could almost hear Orochimaru laughing at her pain.

Opening her eyes slowly, she touched along her right arm gingerly. She flinched at the pain. Her arm was broken in at least two places – hand bent back at an odd angle.

She tore a large strip off of her shirt clumsily and wrapped it around her shoulder, putting her arm inside. It made a makeshift sling – albeit not a very good one.

It was very dark here. If the place she had been in before was the dungeon, then how underground did this place travel? Haruka shuddered and curled up into a ball, half-closing her eyes. Her mind worked furiously. A slow, burning hatred for that – that snake grew inside of her until it almost consumed her. Her curse mark flared on her skin as if in agreement to her hatred.

It would be a long night for Haruka – who only had the company of her misery and hatred.

(I)

Things were going smoothly for Orochimaru. He was slightly surprised that Sandaime hadn't sent umpteen numbers of ANBU to track him down and retrieve Haruka. But that was good. That meant they thought he was lying. Now Orochimaru could afford to spend more time slowly and precisely developing his village. Currently there was only one, hurriedly constructed base that he could call his village. But his village – his Otogakure – would grow and one day he would wipe out Konoha.

Although his only base wasn't exactly what he had wanted, his rule within it was supreme. Nobody dared question what he was doing with the prisoners from other nations he had in the dungeon or what he was doing with Haruka.

Ah, yes, his little... experiment. He was almost anxious to see whether she had survived the fall, but he needed to restrain himself. If he concentrated on her too much, he would break her too soon. It would be more fun to destroy her slowly.

It gave him a heady feeling of power when he thought about how easily he could break those fools that were his former team. And that stupid Minato. Just by targeting the weakest member of their group and breaking her, he was able to deal a blow – so to speak – to their 'will of fire'. He had always thought that phrase was utter crap. Where was their precious will of fire when a superior force was obliterating their village?

Haruka was an interesting specimen though. Maybe he would impregnate her. She did have an excellent frame for it and he did need an heir so he could take over their body. He grinned and licked his lips in anticipation. Before he did that, however, he wanted to test out her limits of pain under pain-enhancing drugs. It wouldn't really serve any purpose as the drugs had already been refined to the maximum, but he hadn't tested the new batch out on anyone yet. Perhaps he was also doing it to fuel some sadistic desire inside of him – but nobody would ever know.

He wondered if those fools were actually going to meet his ridiculous demands when they realized he had Haruka. He'd made it so they couldn't match them, but neither could they refuse – for it would be Haruka's well being on the line. Orochimaru snickered. The letter was a false hope anyway. As if he was ever going to give her back to them should they be able to get what he wanted. He had plans for his little experiment and they would not be interrupted by anyone.

Jiraiya would definitely come after him, even if Konoha didn't send anyone else. He was always such a hot-blooded idiot when it came to his precious little sister. Orochimaru contemplated what he would do in the light of that. He sighed and twisted around in the chair he was sitting in. His original body was starting to annoy him. That Jutsu was taking a long time to complete... But it would be worth it in the end. He had exceeded his body's power capacity and he wanted so badly to transfer.

But that was another subject completely. Back to the imminent problem... If Jiraiya came, then he would no doubt either get Haruka out first or attack him – depending on whom he met first. If Jiraiya attacked him, it wouldn't be a problem at all disposing of him. And he could even do it in front of Haruka... Or... He smiled, chuckling. The laughter rebounded on the walls and soon the whole room was filled with his cackling.

Oh yes, he had the perfect plan for Jiraiya and Haruka.

(I)

Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoyed it.