Fragments of the Forgotten [P]

How long has it been since that day?

The Child was unsure. Time meant little to them, as they had become but a cog in the machine. The daily missions had continued, the grind to keep the village in a state of function the only thing that had been on their mind. At what point had they stopped caring? About their present, their future, and their past? All questions had seemingly disappeared from thought, lost to the depths of their mind. Each new day brought new experiences, new lessons for The Child to learn, about the village and the people within. With each interaction the thought of what they were before drifted ever further away, sinking deeper into the depths of their consciousness.

And so their life had carried on, a new sense of purpose distracting their curiosity for some time.

Until that night.

A dream that began in a way all too familiar way. The stormy night, the shattering of glass and twisting of metal, and that man. The man stood where he always had, untouched by the storm that raged around him. His head turned; his milky white eye locking gazes with The Child. The man's lips curled into a smile and he opened his mouth to speak. "Ah...there you are." Despite the booming thunder and crashing of the titanic structures the man's voice was still heard. "Your time is running out."

The Child woke up with a start. Their eyes darted around the room, as if expecting someone to be there. Empty, not another soul. A shaky sigh left them. How long has it been? That dream, almost forgotten, now resurfacing. Did it mean something? The Child couldn't tell, they never could.

It was early in the morning, practically night, when the dream woke them. There was little hope of going back to sleep, not today. With a sense of resignation The Child prepared for the day ahead. Their routine was automatic at this point. The same actions repeated in the same order, every morning. The Child was unsure why it happened this way, it just did. In the middle of washing their face, something caught their eye in the mirror. A flash of movement. It was enough for The Child to wheel around, veins around their eyes bulging outward as the Byakugan they possessed sprung from dormancy.

Nothing.

Perplexed, The Child let the chakra leave their eyes. Shaking their head they turned back to the basin. The scarred-man stared back at The Child from the mirror. The man's face twisted into a grin, before finding itself shattered into hundreds of pieces from The Child's fist. Breathing heavily and wide-eyed The Child stared at the broken remains of the mirror in shock. Then the pain arrived. They clutched their bleeding hand with a grimace.

The healing chakra that washed over their hand was soothing. What was not soothing was the feeling of their skin knitting itself back together. It was not the first time The Child had experienced the sensation; however it still felt strange all the same. Finally the sensation ended, with a confirmation reaching their ears soon after.

“There, all done. You can look now.” The Child turned their hand. A medical-ninja, the source of the voice, gave them a stern look. “As far as mission injuries go, it’s not the worst state I’ve seen you in.” The elderly ninja said with a shake of the head. “Honestly. Can you at least try to go a day without hurting yourself?”

“Sorry.” The Child mumbled, their voice barely audible through their bandage-mask.

The medic shook their head once more. “You always say that as well. Honestly child, if you’re going to injure yourself could you at least do it later in the day?”

Admittedly, The Child had developed a habit of late night appearances at the hospital lately. It wasn’t their fault of course, mostly, it was just that they had taken to night missions more frequently. Suffice to say The Child had become rather familiar with the night shift hospital workers.

It was close to daybreak at this point, which seemed to play a part in the medic’s irritability at the moment. “As far as shinobi go, your self-preservation is the worst I’ve ever seen.” The medic continued in their rant as they set about cleaning up the station. The Child watched silently, eyes following the medic around the room. This was how the meetings between the two usually went.

“I swear one of these days you’re…gone…of course.” The medical-nin said with a sigh when they turned around. “That brat, I wasn’t finished yet.”

It was an aimless wander. The Child was unsure for how long they had walked. All that was certain was the sun had risen and then set again during it. Time seemed to bleed, the crowd and buildings nothing but a background blur.

Finally they found themself standing in their room once more. It was the same as when they left, yet for some reason it felt alien. Why had they come here? To this village, why had it been this of all places? Such a question came upon them abruptly. A tugging in the back of their mind was telling them it was wrong. It wanted them to leave. To return to the place from before.

Why? The question that kept coming back, no matter how much The Child willed it away. No more. Tonight they would seek out the answers. They would return to that place once again, the dream that had branded itself into their memory. Taking a deep breath, The Child sat down and closed their eyes.

Tonight it would end.

–

There was no storm.

The village lay still, basking in the radiant sunlight. Tranquil enough for most, yet for this person in particular, unsettling. The Child stood on the rooftop, eyes to the sky. Towering structures of steel and glass stood before them, piercing through the clouds themselves. It felt familiar, and yet The Child was certain they had not seen this exact vision before; but they had been here before.. The image flickered for a moment, fire engulfing their vision as the skyscrapers tumbled one after another, and then it snapped back to what The Child now saw.

What was going on? The Child was unsure, but then they spotted the source that would provide them the answer at long last.

Their steps were light, bouncing from one rooftop to another as they navigated toward the visage in the distance. It didn't take long, as The Child came to a standstill behind the figure who seemed to notice their presence.



The figure turned slowly, the air around them shimmering with a faint, almost otherworldly glow. The Child recognized the figure, it was one they had become most familiar with.

Yet something was different. They looked older, and yet the defining scar was nowhere to be seen. Their eyes met, the figure’s expression morphing briefly to one of surprise. It was soon replaced by an amused grin.

"You again," The figure finally broke the silence, "Sit." They motioned The Child over to sit next to them, turning their attention to the sky.

The Child hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting beside the figure. The sky was a vibrant blue, with clouds that seemed to move in slow motion. They sat in silence, The Child unsure of where to begin. All at once a flood of questions swept through their mind, but one seemed to break through to the forefront..

"Who are you?" The Child asked.

The question seemed to amuse the man further, their smirk widening ever so slightly. "Just a memory."

The Child's brow furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense."

Their reaction seemed to amuse the man further, as they responded with a chuckle. "And why is that?"

A silence followed, The Child unable to find an answer. “It just doesn’t.”

“Hmm, but I assure you I am, as if this place.” The man lazily motioned to the landscape before them.

The Child frowned under their mask. “I’ve never been here.”

The man blinked, turning his gaze from the sky to look at The Child. "Well, no; because it's my memory."

More confusion, none of this was making any sense. The Child had hoped to find answers, yet all they were being given was more questions. “Then why am I seeing it?”

He smiled again, though didn’t answer the question. "This was my home, once." The man instead said.

The Child looked around, the towering pillars of steel and glass now taking on a new significance. "What happened?" They asked, recalling the vision of the monoliths falling and the fire engulfing everything.

The man's smile faded, and his expression grew sombre. "I made a choice." For a second his face seemed to flicker, a jagged scar and glowing red eye flashing across The Child’s vision before returning to normal.

"What does any of this have to do with me?"

The man's gaze softened, eyes returning to the sky. "Too many bad choices…” He spoke softly, another non-answer. It was difficult to tell if he had even heard what they had said to begin with.

"That wasn’t my question."

The man placed a hand on The Child's shoulder, "Truly, I am sorry for everything."

As The Child looked into the man's eyes, confusion etched across their face. "Who are yo-” They paused, that wasn’t why they had come here was it? Who this man was did not matter, “Who am I?”

The man's expression twisted into a grin, "Finally." He said, a sense of relief seeming to wash over him as he stood. "It's a good question you know." The man said, seeming to be stalling as he walked to the edge of the rooftop. He turned to face The Child, “You might not like the answer, but to find it just keep going.”

“Hey wai-” The Child began to protest, and then the man stepped backwards and fell from the roof. Their form shifted and warped, dissipating into the wind as if they were never there to begin with. They were alone once more, left to the silence and their own bewilderment at what just happened.

Then the picturesque scene shattered.

The sky warped, twisting from pale blue to darkness, the skyscrapers twisted and engulfed in flames. Lightning lit up the sky, and thunder boomed in the distance. The Child had a second to process the change before the floor fell out from under them.

–

The Child plummeted into the abyss, the fiery chaos above disappearing as they fell deeper into the void. The Child closed their eyes, bracing for an impact that never came. Instead, the sensation of falling ceased, replaced by an eerie stillness.

Opening their eyes, The Child found themselves in a vast, empty void, darkness stretching endlessly in all directions. There was a deafening silence, providing a feeling of pressure that pressed in on them like a tangible force. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, a small light appeared in the distance, flickering like a lone star in the night sky.

With no other options, and wanting to leave the cold, dark void, The Child approached the light. As they grew closer the light grew brighter. Arriving within grasping distance the light shone brilliantly, and engulfed The Child’s entire vision.

When the light faded The Child found themselves standing in another unfamiliar setting.

There was a subtle scent in the air, some sort of antiseptic that lingered around. Every wall was stark white, matching the polished white floors. Fluorescent lights bathed the area in a bright glow. The walls were lined with shelves and cabinets, each filled with a variety of objects and instruments The Child had never seen before.

Steel tables were arranged in neat rows, they too filled with an assortment of cutting edge tools. Every workstation was neatly organised, everything arranged in the exact same order meticulously. There were displays and terminals integrated into the tables and walls, each one displaying a vast quantity of information The Child didn’t understand.

Just where had they ended up, The Child wondered. Some sort of facility? Despite knowing they had never seen this place before, they once again felt a sense of familiarity with this place.

What did it all mean?

The Child continued forward cautiously, examining the rest of the building as they went. There were several refrigerator units lined along one wall, the quiet humming a constant source of noise in the background as they ventured forth.

A row of chambers lined the far wall, each one labelled with a series of descriptions. Inside these chambers, a variety of creatures were held in some sort of stasis, their forms floating in some sort of liquid. The Child approached the closest one, staring at what seemed to be a twisted hybrid of wolf and tiger that lay dormant within.

What was going on here? Why were they here? These questions and more ran rampant throughout their thoughts. They were supposed to find answers, not more questions.

The Child’s fingers brushed against the glass chamber. The creature within the fluid remained motionless, suspended in its artificial slumber.

As The Child backed away they noticed something else. A small console was embedded in the wall beside the chamber. Its screen flashing with a series of foreign symbols. The Child hesitated, unsure if they wished to do anything, but resolved themselves. They were here for answers after all. After a moment’s hesitation they reached out to press a button on the console.

The screen flickered, the symbols shifting into a series of letters and numbers. Even with their newly learned reading abilities it was not something they were capable of understanding. Suddenly a voice rang out through the room.

"Experiment C-57: Status: Dormant. Condition: Stable."

The voice was devoid of any emotion. The Child’s eyes widened, they spun around, expecting someone to be standing behind them, but the room was still empty.

They exhaled a shaky breath and turned back to the chamber. “C-57?” The Child murmured. The creature stirred slightly, its eyes remaining closed. Just what was going on here?

Their gaze shifted to the other chambers, each one containing a different creature, all in various stages of stasis. The Child walked slowly down the row, peering into each chamber as they went. Every console was similar to the first, and The Child had to sate their curiosity as they went.

"Experiment C-42: Status: Dormant. Condition: Critical."

"Experiment C-91: Status: Dormant. Condition: Unknown."

"Experiment C-33: Status: Terminated. Condition: Deceased."

The Child froze. Terminated? They felt a pit in their stomach. What was going on here?! They quickly moved on, not wanting to linger in this place any longer.

They couldn’t shake a feeling in the back of their mind. It lingered, a quiet whisper that something wasn’t right. A sense of familiarity was growing with each passing moment. But with that growing familiarity came a sense of inevitable dread.

They continued walking, moving further into the facility. Each step The Child took echoed through the empty corridors of the facility. They had lost all sense of how long they had been wandering the halls. Minutes seemed to blend into hours, hours into what felt like days. The walls remained the same and with no windows The Child felt as if they were trapped in an endless loop.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity something changed. A door lay at the far end of the room. It was slightly ajar, a faint light casting a long shadow along the floor. Slowly and carefully The Child approached the door and pushed it open.

It opened out in a stairway. The Child leant forward across the bannister, glancing up and then down. The stairs spiralled in both directions, seemingly endless. There was a choice they had to make. Did they descend further or retreat upwards? The Child thought it over for a while. The nagging in the back of their mind told them the answers they sought were deeper down.

With a heavy sigh The Child descended.

The facility seemed to go on forever. Every floor was the same as last, a vast labyrinth of identical hallways and rooms that seemed to carry on endlessly. The only difference was the distinctions given to the creatures in the chambers. D, E, F, each floor contained a new letter and strange new experiments.

The Child began to wonder if there was an end to this facility. Was this really a way to find the answers to who they were? Or was it some sort of purgatory? Maybe they were doomed to wander these halls for an eternity, never finding the end or the truth they so desperately sought.

The further they descended, the more oppressive the silence of the facility felt. They longed for something, anything to show that there was a sign of life outside of those chambers. Even the robotic voice from before would have been a welcome change. Anything except the crushing weight of the silence.

Finally, after numerous hallways and floors, the stairs came to a final floor. Floor M, it held no meaning for The Child; and yet, there was something that gnawed at the back of their mind. It had been a feeling before, but now it was a truth that they knew.

They had been here before.

–

The Child stared at the entrance to the final floor of the facility. They knew that what they wanted to know lay behind the door; and yet something was preventing them from moving forward. Why, why were they hesitating now?

Their teeth ground together, jaw setting as they steeled their resolve. They couldn’t turn back now and even if they did they didn’t know how to escape from this place in the first place. The Child stepped forward, the door slid open with a loud hissing noise, and they entered the deepest parts of the facility.

Beyond the doorway lay a vast room. At a glance it looked similar to the other floors, yet the scale was different for sure. The chambers themselves were lesser in number, but far larger than the previous. Most of them were shuttered off, whatever was inside kept away from prying eyes. The Child approached the nearest with the intent on getting a better look.

Then, for the first time since arriving and bringing The Child to pause, a voice cut through the air.

“Things are progressing slower than anticipated sir.” The voice was calm, though there was a strain to keep it so. The owner of the voice was definitely trying to keep their nerves in check. “Everything is stable, but we need more time to make sure before progressing further.”

With surprising ease The Child was able to locate the source of the voice. It was at the very far end of the room, next to the last of the chambers. The owner was an elderly looking man, wearing a white coat, who was speaking to another person standing next to them.

The person they elderly man spoke to was tall. Their posture was relaxed, surprisingly so considering they were receiving what The Child perceived as bad news. “I don’t care,” They finally replied, their voice familiar, “Everything was given to you, so get it done on time.”

As they inched closer the two figures became clearer. Able to now get a good look at the second speaker they confirmed their suspicions, white hair, scarred face. That man was here. He looked young; practically still a teen turned young adult. The Child watched the pair silently. Being the only other humans they had encountered thus far must have some meaning.

There seemed to be no hint of malice in the scarred man’s voice, yet the elderly man flinched slightly. “With all due respect sir, this is a delicate process. What you’ve asked of us is a significant undertaking.”

A heavy sigh left the scarred man, “My brother grows more unmanageable by the day,” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing his fringe out of his eyes. “The two traitors could return at any moment.” His voice increased in volume as he continued. The Child could feel the chakra radiating from the man, the ground began to quake as he spoke. “I. Do. Not. Have. Time.” Each word was punctuated by an audible cracking as the floor around him was ripped apart.

The elderly man stepped back, his eyes darting to the chamber next to them. The Child followed his gaze. The chamber was unlike any they had seen before. It was enormous, with reinforced walls and an intricate web of machinery surrounding it. Unlike the other chambers, this one had no visible glass panel to peer through; whatever was inside was completely concealed.

“Very well, sir,” He sighed, shoulders slumping in resignation. “But I cannot guarantee perfection.”

That seemed to be enough to calm the scarred-man’s anger for now. The destruction stopped, and the man gave a slight nod. “As long as the vessel is functional I care not, dismissed.”

“It’ll be done lord Fourth.” The elderly man bowed and hurriedly walked away, leaving the scarred-man alone.

He turned to the chamber once more. “Such precautions I must go through…” He murmured to himself, before turning to leave once more. His gaze moved to where The Child was standing in the shadows and lingered. For a moment The Child wondered if he had been seen, but the man simply walked away without any indication as such.

The Child remained in the shadows for some time. As the seconds bled into minutes they finally emerged from their hiding spot and approached the chamber. Whatever was inside was important, that was for certain. With no other options present, investigating the chamber was the only lead they had.

Arriving at the chamber The Child found it shuttered off. Curious, as none of the others had been. Luckily the panel layout was familiar at this point, and with nimble button presses The Child activated the panel in hopes of removing the shutter. It worked, and the monotone voice sprung into life once more as the shutter opened to reveal the inside of the chamber.

“Experiment M-21: Status: Dormant. Condition: Stable.”

The Child froze. They felt their heart skip a beat, their jaw slacked and their eyes widened. Inside the chamber was a motionless body. They Child could have mistaken it for a reflection, though they knew deep down it couldn’t be. The reason why this place was familiar finally became clear.



This was it. This underground facility in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It was their home, their origin.

This didn’t make any sense.

How?

Why?

The Child stumbled back from the chamber. It was just a dream. That explained it. A figment of imagination, a fantasy cooked up in their overworked mind. It was the only explanation. In their effort to find answers they concocted this entire thing.

“So, you found it huh?” The all too familiar voice pierced through The Child’s thoughts. They wheeled around to face the source. There he was again, his appearance now that of the stormy night. “You’ve seen it with your own eyes now, but yet I feel as if you still don’t understand.” His face remained neutral, though his eyes danced with amusement.

The Child’s eyes narrowed. All of this was too much. Too many dreams, too many memories and puzzles. “Tell me who I am.” They demanded, hands tightening into fists.

“You’re nobody.” The man replied bluntly, surprising The Child. “You were created in this,” He gestured to the facility they stood in, “Place for one purpose. You were to be a vessel, a replacement incase of emergency.”

The Child felt as if they had been punched in the gut. They felt like they were reeling, but stood their ground. Were they to believe this man? Would he have a reason to lie after all this? They were just artificial, created in this very facility? It was hard to believe..but it was an answer to their question. Their origin, their lack of memory, their appearance and abilities, explained it all.

If it were to end here, would The Child be satisfied with this answer? In a way they would. But there was still one question that lingered. One that they reckoned the man had left hanging on purpose. He wanted them to ask. The Child had come this far, so they steeled their resolve.

“A vessel…a replacement for who?” The Child asked, though they had a feeling they already knew the answer.

The man’s face twisted into an unsettling grin. “For me, obviously. My home was on the brink of destruction. Everywhere I turned there were traitors and backstabbers. My mentor abandoned me, my brother tried to kill me, enemies on all sides. It was inevitable that one day I would fall, so I had a backup plan. A body molded in my image that my soul could return to should I ever fall.” The man paused his explanation, seeming to take some delight in milking the experience.

The Child’s body was tense. There was an uneasy feeling in the air. The words pierced through them like chains, their body locking up and being unable to move. The atmosphere felt oppressive, and The Child could only remain and listen as the man continued.

“It would never be a perfect replacement of course. Twenty other failures had taught us that. So we made it capable of holding a fraction of my chakra. The body would develop and grow naturally, growing stronger as time went on. Then, when it was ready, I would take it.” The man gave a slight shrug, “Or something like that. The boys in the lab talked a lot of nonsense most of the time, but hey…it’s worked so far.”

The Child didn’t know how to respond. What was going on? What was this twisted nightmare they had found themselves in? They were going to be replaced? Their body taken by this person? How? When? None of it made any damn sense. “You lie.” They spoke through a clenched jaw.

“Nah, I never lie.” The man said nonchalantly. He raised one hand, palm facing outward toward The Child. “Like I said, your time’s up.” The Child realised too late what was happening; the man’s chakra exploded from his palm, and the world shattered.

–

How long has it been since that day?

The Child drifted through an endless sea of darkness. What had happened, how long ago had it been? Was it days? Years? Had it only been seconds since they were cast into this abyss? Time had lost all meaning. Did it matter anymore? The Child had gotten the answers they had sought, and now what? Their existence was for someone else’s gain, their purpose now served.

There was no light, no sound, no sensation. Was this their fate, to be cast aside like a discarded tool once its purpose had been fulfilled? It was hard to think, hard to feel anything. In a way it was fitting, The Child was never meant to be. This place suited them just fine. It was supposed to be this way, it was by design. The man would take control like they should, and The Child would fade away. They were programmed for this to happen. The mystery was solved, and now they could end with a feeling of content.

“No.”  The Child whispered. The sound was swallowed by the void, had they even spoken at all? Whatever it was, a thought, a whisper, a final desperate plea, it sparked a faint ember within them.

They refused to accept this fate. So what if they were supposed to be a mindless, empty doll? They had learned so much, created so many memories, met so many people, they had come too far to simply give up and vanish.

A sensation returned to The Child, their fingers twitched. They clung to it, focusing their recovering mind on that small feeling. Slowly, the numbness disappeared, replaced by warmth.

They had been discarded, but there was something inside them that refused to let go. This void was not to be their end today.

The darkness around The Child seemed to warp and shift. Rays of light pierced through the void, small and few at first, then expanding and multiplying into thousands of sparks of light. The Child reached toward the nearest ray, and as their fingers wrapped around the light it shone brightly, shattering the emptiness around them. The light around them grew, the darkness itself becoming crystalline like shards that spiralled together in a chaotic whirlwind.

The void trembled and quaked as the light grew, and The Child felt it within their own body. For the first time they could feel it, their heart beating in their chest. The steady drumming sound that grew louder as the shards of darkness collapsed in on themselves and the light swallowed their vision.

–

When the light faded, The Child found themselves sprawled on the familiar cold, metallic floor. They gasped for air, their chest rising and falling as they rolled onto their stomach. The hum of machinery filled the air, a stark contrast to the crushing silence they had endured.

“That’s unexpected.” The Child’s eyes narrowed in on the man, who was still standing in the same spot. They had expected him to react more intensely, yet his voice remained calm. “You weren’t supposed to do that.”

The Child pushed with their arms, struggling to prop themselves up on one knee. “I won’t be discarded.” They said with a defiant look in their eyes.

This perplexed the man for the first time. “What?”

“You made me, but you don’t decide my fate.” The Child continued, pushing themselves to their feet once more. “I do.”

Silence followed, the man’s eyes narrowing. Then, it broke as he laughed. “You decide? Why should you get to choose our future?”

“Because you already made yours.”

The man sighed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. His eyes roamed around the area, his frown deepening as he noticed something. “This place is collapsing, the dream is coming to an end. We’re running out of time.”

The Child blinked in confusion, and followed the gaze of the man. The facility was cracking, no, not just the facility, the atmosphere itself seemed to be breaking down. “What’s going on?” They asked as they turned back to the man.

His expression was one of resignation, it seemed as if he had learned something new. “This body was built to house one person, not two.” They explained, though their attention was no longer on The Child. “It has to end now, before it breaks down entirely.”

“I’m not leaving.” The Child responded, knuckles turning white as their fists clenched.

“Then, there’s only one way to do this.” The man shook his head, before raising their hand once more. “The winner decides.”

The facility was crumbling, they both knew on the outside that The Child’s body was breaking apart from the pressure. Fighting for their existences, the two rushed together as the reality collapsed.

–

“You know, I never found out your name.”

“Likewise.”

“Well, mine doesn’t matter anyway now.”

“Yeah, I guess not…”

“So? Are you going to leave me hanging or what?”

“My name is Saku.”

[Closed]

5254

Claims

Max Stat Discount Applied
831+669=1500/1500 Chakra Suppression
3000/3000 Pureblood
1585/3000 One Blow Body

Saku wrote:Claims

Max Stat Discount Applied
831+669=1500/1500 Chakra Suppression
3000/3000 Pureblood
1585/3000 One Blow Body

Approved