Our four main characters have returned after what appeared to be a night's rest like myself. 

 

In comparison to how formal they were the last time. Each one of them entered from a new arch in an outfit that looked more comfortable than the last.

 

The room as described by our cast was in the shape of a dome. 

 

It’s arranged similarly to a Clearway sign except that where the cross intersects with the circle would be an archway gated off by doors that illustrate the role our fabulous cast has to do with where they are.

 

As for what they’re representing… I don’t exactly know yet,…. I’ll get there. This is something you get the hang of he said so I’m just going to have to trust in his word, I guess.

 

Now that cross is a star with an arch north of the table they made their way to. The north arch shut behind them. All I can make out was that it was a deep shade of green before the exit vanished. 

 

The first to enter was Hotaru.

 

She’s in a white off-the-shoulder blouse and black pants along with black combat boots and a golden pin that kept her messy bun in place with the only popping colors being the red jeweled butterfly at the end of the pin.

 

Makoto was next in a gray button-down. The first three buttons were open, and the sleeves were rolled up, exposing his muscular forearm and stainless-steel watch embedded with diamonds.

 

 A black pair of jeans. Finishing the look of true nobility with a pair of sky-blue dinosaur claw slippers…

 

Gosh, that’s cute…

 

Erm, Kohaku followed up in a black tank top that accentuates his fit body while his hair was short and messy. He adorned what looked to be a crescent moon with a crazed look and bloody smile around his neck. His pants were in a flannel pattern of indigo instead of red. 

 

 Lastly, Hibiki followed the group in a black Jinbei set patterned with circles on the left as the other was a solid color accompanying Capri drawstring shorts that went down to his calf, not… leaving much ahem...anyways. 

 

His wrist had dark brown bracelets that looked like they were inlaid with a pattern of jade plants wrapping around the metal.

 

Both of our last cast members strolled in barefoot to the dismay of Makoto who grimaced on his throne before Hotaru gave him a piece of candy.

 

Once everyone sat down, the roundtable styled very similarly to the bracelet, with pathways that intersected around lit up before fading. 

 

“Hehehe! I won, I won!” Hotaru jollily hopped in her seat 

 

“Only by a few points.” Makoto kept an air of composure as he chewed on the piece of candy. A small grin 

 

“It’s not fair! You do it all the time!” Kohaku crossed his arms and slouched into his chair. 

 

“Ah, ah, ah. We all agreed that there wasn’t any advantage, I just happened to use that information better than you.” (Hotaru)

 

“Besides you insisted on us giving her a handicap and still lost.” Makoto summons up a tea set that pours him a cup before taking a sip.

 

“I’m not surprised you’ve done this the least, but you should still get out more often. Even if it is so ‘important’.”

 

“It just goes to show how better I am than the rest of you.” Hotaru stood in her seat and posed like a captain with one foot on her chair and the other on the table.

 

“Urgh…” (Kohaku)

 

“And what happened to you?” (Makoto)

 

“Hm?” (Hibiki)

 

“Why’d you lose to the slowpoke over here?” (Hotaru)

Kohaku had a vein popping out of his neck as his face changed to a vibrant shade of red

 

“Hey!” (Kohaku)

 

“Get good, scrub.” Hotaru snickered whilst her companion was growling at her

 

“Oh yeah, sorry about that. Got a little caught up when I found a hint for the isle but I still got something. We can talk about it later but we’re probably going to have to check it out at some point.” (Hibiki)

 

“Who’s kept over there?” (Makoto)

 

“... Ugh whatever, best guess I got so far since the environment wasn’t stable. We’re likely dealing with the-” (Hibiki)

 

“Liberator-” (Kohaku)

 

“Shut up! Don’t take this from me!” (Hibiki)

 

“Alright! I was just trying to help!” Kohaku held his hands up like he got busted

 

“AND I APPRECIATE YOU, BITCH! DAMN! ... Tarzan, Jaxie or Canvas.” Going from absolute manic to a look of composure left Makoto speechless but from how quickly he bounced back, I'd say it wasn't a first.

 

“Those three…” Makoto put his hand under his chin, thinking of the possibilities.

 

“Glad, I don’t have to deal with them.”  (Hotaru)

 

“Oh, no. I’ll be needing your help this time.” (Hibiki)

 

“What?! Why?!” Hotaru slammed the table and stood tall, eyes wide while Kohaku began to laugh.

 

“Because these are still guesses! I’m not going to ask Kohaku and Makoto is needed here if we go out.” (Hibiki)

 

“... There wasn’t a line…” (Kohaku)

 

“I’m glad you catch on.” (Hibiki)

 

“But they’re all so-... you-…UGH!” (Hotaru)

 

“Hey, I don’t like this either but-” (Hibiki)

 

“That’s not what you said last night.” (Kohaku)

 

“Fuck! Fine, I’m so fucking excited. I have another guess but that one’s a little touchy. Let’s just worry about it later.” (Hibiki)

 

“I still get my prize, right?” (Kohaku)

 

“Yeah, I’ll add to it if any of my guesses are right. We’ll probably raid some dungeons until we can get their stuff.” (Hibiki)

 

“Yes!” (Hotaru)

 

“Is that really necessary?” (Makoto)

 

“No but, it’ll be super fun. We could probably swipe some really good stuff.” (Hibiki)

 

“...” Makoto stared on in silence

 

“Will you be fine with it if we bring back a mote for you?” Hibiki tilted his head to the left, batting his eyelashes.

 

“...Alright.” (Makoto)

 

“Hey, what about me?” (Hotaru)

 

“I’m sure we’ll find something...” (Hibiki)

 

“... What if I want something different?” (Hotaru)

 

“Do you?” (Hibiki)

 

“A-” (Hotaru)

 

“Now that’s something to talk about later. Let’s start!” (Hibiki)

 

*Click*

 

-Hibiki’s POV-

 

An orange glow lit up the room I was in now, I could see the candlelight permeating while an IV was in my arm. It was a soft bed. 

 

I could’ve slept more but the longer I was up, the more I felt different…

 

It could’ve also been that I was only in my white pants at the moment.

 

 Everything just felt brighter, like a piece of myself found a little peace with the world. I took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly at the sight of Orochimaru scribbling away at a desk nearby while staring at me.

 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” (Hibiki)

 

His stare became narrower, I sat up as he finished writing and let out a sigh.

 

Then he asked.

 

“... How are you feeling?” 

 

I clutched my fist with a little difficulty before releasing it as this new sensation reminded me of shoes you needed to break in into. 

 

“Alive? That’s a weird way to describe it, I feel like I got an extra kick of energy.” I grabbed onto my right shoulder and circled that arm a couple of times before doing the same to the other.

 

“We’ll just run a check-up before the others wake up to ensure it’s good.” (Orochimaru)

 

“Gotcha!” I hopped off the bed only to feel the jelly that had become my legs and fell over.

 

“Hm, looks like we’ll need some time for you to adapt to it.” (Orochimaru)

 

“Please tell me I’m not the first...” I began to pick myself up, my legs were shaking but I managed to wobble my way up, using the bed for some leverage before having my hands hoisted over my head in the grasp of the Sannin himself.

 

“Just take it slow, I wasn’t expecting you to be able to move.” (Orochimaru)

 

“You’ll help?” (Hibiki)

 

 

“We’ll go through some stretches to make sure you still can move.” (Orochimaru)

 

“Alright…” (Hibiki)

 

“Let me know if it starts to hurt.” (Orochimaru)

 

…

 

‘Let me know if it starts to hurt?’

 

I was off put by the slow cold breeze that wrapped around the room, easing into the slow sensation of my legs reaching my chest.

 

I couldn’t help but start digging through album after album of my memories when Jules tapped my shoulder and hesitated before handing me one that was smaller than the rest. 

 

I wasn’t sure why but when I felt Jules’ hand tremble as she didn’t say a word while keeping her arm on my shoulder.

 

 I didn’t hesitate as I flipped through the pages, my eyes interlocked with hers like we were the only two people in this expansive space something was mesmerizing about her eyes, no… 

 

I didn’t notice it then.

 

What had my attention while I kept my gaze interlocked with hers was the low hum she emanated.

 

It was with such a lightness that I felt the same wave come over me in succession, this single hum didn’t change in tone but in its tempo.

 

From a short buzz snapping out with absolute precision to a leisurely drone that steadily blanketed my ears. 

 

I felt my jaw unclench before I snapped back to reality and took a peek at Orochimaru.

 

His eyes never left my sight according to Jules. Something about him just seemed… off.

 

To my surprise, over the next hour or so, Orochimaru helped me go through some leg circles and leg raises, took a swab of my saliva in addition to a syringe of my blood, and bandaged my arm before I hopped off the bed. 

 

*CRACK*

 

We both looked down and saw that the ground beneath my feet had fractured and shifted the bed oddly.

 

“.... Hmm, looks like the blood did take effect.” (Orochimaru)

 

“The

 what now?” (Hibiki)

 

Now, how would I explain that I knew what he did? Oh, I know your whole plan.

 

What sort of bullshit would I have said otherwise, it was better to play dumb.

 

I knew I made the right decision when he said,-

 

“This is something still being tested so you’ll come back here bi-week so I and Kabuto could monitor for any changes.”

 

“Okay…” (Hibiki)

 

In retrospect, Jugo was a pretty big deal. It was no surprise he dodged the question.

 

 Something was innately wrong with the picture. The Orochimaru I knew would’ve left something like this to Kabuto or if not. Someone he’s keeping with at arm’s length even. 

 

His whole vibe was off. 

 

I felt like I was looking at a whole different person. For once, it was something that I couldn’t keep off my face.

 

“You should go back to sleep unless you have any questions.”  (Orochimaru)

 

Orochimaru’s look made this all seem like an everyday procedure, but I guess human experimentation does that to a person.

 

“Just ask your question.” (Orochimaru)

 

I came to and realized that I was just staring at him for a while.

 

“What’s the plan now?” (Hibiki)

 

Almost as if my answer was within his expectations, Orochimaru pulled out a scroll and tossed it my way.

 

“All the facilities are made here so we’re having more people begin to come in with supplies while the war is going on.” (Orochimaru)

 

“War?” (Hibiki)

 

“Riku could fill you in, their clansmen have already been reduced significantly. It’ll be over within the next few months.” (Orochimaru)

 

Before I could speak, he held up his hand before adding on.

 

“Lastly, I believe you two have already made progress on learning the hiden techniques?” (Orochimaru)

 

“Yes, we’ve gotten a handle of chakra strings but I’m still struggling a bit with the mandala.” (Hibiki)

 

To call it a struggle was a fucking understatement.

 

 To this day I still wish to burn that technique to the ground for how much I suffered.

 

***

 

“You think you suffered the most from that technique?” (Kohaku)

 

“You want to count the number of times it saved your life?” (Hibiki)

 

“Ooh! We’ll make a tally?” (Hotaru)

 

“That’ll be fun.” (Makoto)

 

“H-hey, we don’t need to go there…” (Kohaku)

 

“Too late, we got the board ready and everything.” (Hotaru)

 

** Don’t ask me. It quite literally appeared out of nowhere, but I guess that’s something she could do.

 

“Great…” Sliding down more into his seat until the back was fully visible.

 

“You do always pick the wrong battles. Looks like your ability has never helped you with that.” (Hibiki)

 

“...” (Kohaku)

 

“Omg, I’m right.” (Hibiki)

 

“N-” Pulling himself back, Kohaku sat down normally

 

“Ah, ah, ah, ya sore loser. I gotta keep going before we start planning the trip.” (Hibiki)

 

“YOU DID WORSE THAN ME!” (Kohaku)

 

“Tomato, Tomahto.” (Hibiki)

 

***

He whispered under his breath but, I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I just figured Riku probably let him know.

 

“Your goal is to get a handle of the hiden and the ones I’ve given you under wraps and to test and play around to see if you could do any better.”

 

“Don’t you think that’s a little much?” I tilted my head.

 

“Oh, is this too much for you?” Orochimaru suddenly put on this air of confidence as he looked down at this six-year-old.

 

Now, he was just antagonizing me.

 

 And did it work?

 

“No, it just seems like it’ll be too easy to wipe the smug look off your face.” (Hibiki)

 

Yes. 

 

Yes, it did.

 

“I guess we’ll have to see about that.” (Orochimaru)

 

“I guess we will…” (Hibiki)

 

“We’ll head to the others then.” (Orochimaru)

 

I took a bit to channel my chakra to work on what I was before, this time imagining the chakra to cushion the soles of my feet to not make the same mistake.

 

It was a little difficult to maintain at first. However, I felt that the more steps I took, the easier it became and that was evident in the quieter my footsteps got.

 

Orochimaru lead me out of the room and down the hall to another where Hibiki and Kabuto were asleep. Kabuto was sleeping like a log, but Riku was restless, tossing and turning in the bed like he was having a nightmare before stopping.

 

I grabbed a stool and climbed up to get a look. His pulse was normal, he looked to be breathing fine. My seal looked to be a success.

 

In all honesty, I could’ve checked when I first got up, but I just needed a breather. It’s not every day you escape dying after all.

 

Just when I let out a sigh of relief, Riku jerked forward to sit up straight so swiftly that he bashed his head against mine.

 

The iron blow to my cranium was enough for me to see just how minuscule everything I was working for was in the long run. After escaping death, the very thing to strike down my thread of hope was the very same person who wanted us to be here. 

 

The lifeless form of my body collapsed to the ground with a heavy-

 

*THUD*

 

At least that’s what I wish I could say.

 

“Hibiki! How’s Hibiki?!” Riku turned to Orochimaru at the doorway with a look of such determination, I would’ve called this a save point.

 

It took Orochimaru a minute to collect himself as he looked at Riku, looked at me, and looked back at Riku. He coughed into his fist a couple of times, a few chuckles escaped before he composed himself.

 

“Ahem. He was fine. Now… I’m not too sure.” He pointed towards the ground.

 

Riku looked to see me, Yamcha posed on the ground, holding my head while trying to keep the tears from welling up in my eyes.

 

“H-Hibiki?” (Riku)

 

“Just… give me a second…” I rolled over on my knees like my back was a shell

 

I slipped from death’s grasp once again. But I was sure of it. That was one grave slam just hairs away from closing the curtain on this horrendous life of mine.

 

***

 

“AHAHA!” (Kohaku)

 

“Almost done.” (Hibiki)

 

***

 

Orochimaru left me and Riku… along with an icepack for my head…

 

Even without asking Jules, I could still hear his distant laughter in my head along with hers.

 

There we were.

 

With a concerned preteen and his little brother whom I mind you.

 

Still in just my white pants.

 

Sharing a long look at each other, not knowing what to say.

 

At least that was the case until Riku said,

 

“So…, that was a pretty good hit, huh?”

 

*Click*

 

***

 

“BWAHAHA!” (Kohaku+ Hotaru+ Makoto)