[Lonelies] Raised on Lies

[Taiga]

Mariya stood still as her hand delicately gripped her kunai, stopping it from revolving around her finger at the precise moment to stop its handle dead in her palm so that she could increase her grip as her hand and the blade it held stopped just short of her target's throat. Her eyes were bewildered as she stared at him, then closed them not wanting to witness what came next. Her hand-propelled forward and with it the kunai as it cut into the man's neck, blood spraying everywhere.

Stumbling backward and panting, the young girl kept her eyes closed as her mind drifted to her memories. This was what father had wanted. This was the way.

Her memory was so vivid- after all it was only a short time ago. She could almost hear the transient winds howling through the caverns. She could almost feel the damp cold air on her skin as her hairs rose on her body and she was covered head to toe in goose bumps. The scene quickly faded to a compound deep in the mountains of the northern Lighting Empire was a cave frequented only by the most elite of the Kumogakure Black Ops and the scientists who served them. Among it's clientelle was a man named Tada Banri. Mariya's memories were there. Least, her earliest ones she could remember. There, deep in that cave. It was a dark dim-lit cave was still. There was no life save perhaps a few bats that occasionally called the cave home.

She remembered pressing herself against the glass in the few moments of consciousness she had as the man known as Banri Tada came to visit her. He always visited her, least he was the only person he remembered. Though she could not hear him nor the other men in their white coats talking, she was positive that the man had cared about her. He had always come for her. He had pressed his hand against the glass once. She was special to him. Racing through her memories every single scene stitched together with Banri Tada, up until the point she was finally released from the glass. She remembered it. The cold water slowly drained from the tube and she had a new sensation. She gasped for air. Her eyes rolled back into her head. Everything went black for the briefest moment, and then, suddenly, when her vision returned, she was breathing. The glass was gone, and while there were still tubes like strings to a marionette attached to her, for the first time, she could transcend the glass. Interact with the world. Mariya remembered too, exactly what she had seen. Shivering cold she looked up to Banri Tada as he placed a robe on her. He looked deep into her eyes as his hand brushed her shoulder. It was the first thing to ever touch her. Her first contact with the creatures that looked exactly like she did in her reflections.

Banri cleared his throat.

"I'm Tada Banri, and I am very pleased to meet you, my daughter." he said calmly. Mariya's lips quivered as if speaking was unnatural for her as she tried to say the word daughter, struggling. Though she couldn't say it, the word had elicited such vivid memories in her head. Memories of little girls with their mothers and fathers. Little girls going to school. Her head hurt. Her head hurt and she was overwhelmed. Her attempts to speak quickly turned to shrill squeals as her hands gripped her head. Banri moved gently to embrace the girl. The scientists had informed him that it would not be easy taking her out of the tube prematurely as her programming had not finished, but he was certain she could handle it. After all, out of 100+ test subjects, she was the only one to make it this far. "It's okay, 47... it's okay...your father has let you out because he needs something." Banri said as he waved for his scientists, who quickly came. Banri would excuse himself there after and Mariya only had feint memories of the prodding and testing that came next.

But it had been him. It had been Banri that had been the first to interact with her. He was her father. The scene and her memories fading, the rain poured down hard as Mariya let herself fall back into the mud, laying down upwards facing the air with the bloody kunai still in her hands. Her eyes opened, revealing the blood-red irises filled with small black shapes reminiscent of a tomoe or magatama.

She had completed her mission. Would father finally find her useful? Would she fulfil her prime directive, to be a weapon of Banri Tada? Her eyes closed once more as her grip on the kunai loosened, it falling to the ground away from her hand as she laid completely still in the mud. Once more, her mind went to that place. To that awful cave where it had all begun. Once more she had awoken from the black, choking, gasping for air. Banri had taken her out of the tube again. But this time, he seemed angry. Mariya had done more of her programming, and by now, could talk. "Father, what is wrong?" she said, holding her neck as her throat was sore. Banri peered at her, but seethed anger.

"Show me it- show me the cloak." he said as he looked at the girl with an expression of disappointment that shook her to her core. She went silent as the scientists nearby worriedly spoke. "Lord Tada- she... doesn't have it... she just cannot match Lord Ninth. None of them can. It's not-" the scientist didn't even finish his words before Banri lurched forward smacking Mariya with the back of his hand. The force was enough to knock her to the ground and disconnect her from the cables and tubes that had been attached to her. The girl curled up with fear.

"Lord Ninth's abilities activate to protect him in dire situations- perhaps this child of mine needs to be in a more dire situation." he said as he approached her crumped mass. Mariya quivered as hot tears rolled down her eyes. She couldn't comprehend what was going on. Why was her father hurting her? What was this pain? Who was Lord Ninth? Banri's foot struck her in the stomach, causing Mariya to go up into the air only to land on her ass. She howled in pain. Again and again, Banri struck at the girl as the scientists around him winced. She was an experiment, but she was still human to them. Waves of frustration filled Banri until finally, he gave up, sure that the girl had not successfully inherited any of the bloodlines they had attempted to give her.

"Dispose of her like the rest of them." his cruel voice said as he looked away from Mariya, as if she was nothing but trash. She couldn't understand. "I have no use for her."

But why Papa? Dispose? Kill me? What does he mean. It hurts. Everything hurts. He is my papa. Why would my papa do this to me. her mind raced. The man didn't even pay attention to her screams. What had he wanted from her? Her body ached. Mariya's body quivered as she screamed, her tears turning to blood. The scientists reacted with shock, drawing Banri's attention once more back to the girl. Mariya, bruised and battered, grabbed at her head. It hurt. It hurt more than anything before. Her vision nearly went red and everything was painful. So many things were moving in front of her... it hurt. Opening her eyes wide as she stared at Banri, the man who was her father, she peered at him with the sharingan.

Banri scratched his chin, then approached Mariya, petting her and helping her up. Like a cold, serial killer, he merely muttered.

"Daddy is sorry to hurt you, but he had to to make you stronger. To make you useful. We will keep this one..." he said before waving to the scientists to tend to Mariya, and taking off.

---

Mariya's memory of that moment soon merged into another memory. A memory of Banri Tada sitting with her at a training yard, practicing bukijutsu with the girl. This time he never raised an arm against her, but praised her for her accuracy. He spoke of the weapon she would be for the village. As Mariya lingered on this, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then opened them once more, the sharingan went as her eyes returned to their black color. Pulling herself up from the mud, she walked over her target and collected his identification and headband.

Father would accept her, she was sure of it.