Chapter 11

Shogo wakes up with the worst headache of his life. He hasn't even opened his eyes yet, but the world is spinning.

Although the boy is in immense pain, he is once again himself. Not a rampaging animal hellbent on revenge.

Already lying down on his back, Shogo attempts to move his right hand to sit himself up, only to find his bicep and wrist strapped down to the surface.

A quick check reveals that all his limbs are held in place by straps as well. Immediately, Shogo's eyes snap only to be greeted by more darkness.

Shogo's heart starts to thump rapidly against his chest, audible sound of his building panic being the only thing he can hear. He tries to make sense of his current predicament, immediately noticing that the familiar sway of the ocean beneath his feet is absent.

'I'm on dry land...'

The revelation filled Shogo with conflicting emotions; absolute elation and crippling fear. He has finally escaped that hell with a sail after two incredibly long years of struggle, but there is no telling what is waiting for him on dry land.

Some psycho has already trapped him in wherever this place is, the silence in this darkness is deafening and there is this faint chemical smell that lingers in the stale but moist air. The sensory deprivation unsettles Shogo's empty stomach, he closes his eyes once again to try and fight the disorientation of not being able to tell up from down as he is strapped to this flat surface.

Suddenly a loud rumbling sound fills Shogo's dark prison causing the boy to once again be fully alert, eyes wide with panic.

It is as if someone is pushing a wall across the floor as light begins to trickle into the dark room.

Now able to get a good look at his surroundings, Shogo notices that he is strapped down to a slab of stone in a damp cave.

"Looks like you're awake. Good…"

Shogo squints at the entrance because the light is shining in his face. He sees a mean looking old woman with long silver hair in a regal bun approaching with measured steps.

Her bamboo sandals clack against the rocky floor reverberating off the cave walls before she stops at foot of the slab.

Shogo's eyes narrow as he meets the eerily familiar beady-eyed gaze of the surprisingly tall old woman. A few seconds of silence pass before the woman clears her throat.

"Your wits seem to have returned to you so I will introduce myself, I am the current Hozuki Clan Matriarch, Hanagetsuya Hozuki."

Hanagetsuya looks at Shogo expectantly only to be met with silence and a heated glare. She frowns,

"I guess we will have to go over basic manners too-"

"Whatever lady! Let me out of this shit now because if I get out myself, I'll raise hell for you and stupid ass clan!"

Hanagetsuya's frown deepens,

"Hold your tongue child! Such foul language will not be tolerated in my presence, and you would do well to learn that now!"

Shogo snickers before giving the old matriarch a scowl.

"The fuck is your wrinkled ass going to do about it! I'll say what I want, Bit-"

Hanagetsuya slides around the slab to stand on Shogo's left before he can finish then pinches both his top and bottom lip together between two well-manicured fingers.

Shogo struggles a bit, trying to turn his head to free his mouth from her grasp but the old woman's hold remains firm.

"Look at me!"

The silenced boy glares at Hanagetsuya with all the fire he can muster only to visibly shrink at the promise of immense pain in her menacing gaze.

"Do not mistake my politeness for weakness! Your compliance is not needed for what my clan has been ordered to accomplish. Stay your tongue until I tell you to speak, or the little freedom I generously planned to give you under Hozuki care will vanish. Nod if you understand!"

Shogo maintains his glare at the woman pressing his lips together. If he could, Shogo would've laughed in her face at the mention of freedom under Hozu-whatever when they currently have strapped to a goddamn table. Not seeing any alternatives, Shogo nods under Hanagetsuya's heated glare prompting her to release her hold on his mouth.

"Good! Now whether it was what you set out to do or not, you are now a ward of the Hozuki Clan on the order of Byakuren-sama. Why he would reward you with this privilege, I do not know, but from here on out you will be broken down and rebuilt into a competent shinobi by one of the finest ninja clans in the world. You should feel honored."

Shogo's eyebrows shoot past his hairline as his heart skips a beat. Where the hell was all this bullshit coming from! He was just floating in the ocean, finally free from one homicidal maniac, what felt like an hour ago! Now he is being forcefully conscripted into an army of superpowered psychos by some dude with a pansy ass name!

Shogo yanks at his restraints fiercely, his muscles bulging from exertion, however the restraints snap him back securely to the table. Although he wants to scream in frustration, the boy fumes quietly not wanting to incur wrath of one of said superpowered psychos standing next to him.

"I created those bindings to slow down something exponentially stronger than any human being. You would be wise to just lay there quietly and listen to me explain what your foreseeable future is going to be, again, whether you like it or not! Stay your outbursts both verbal and physical, I will have your full attention when I speak, child!"

The old woman's low tone echoes off the walls making it seem like her words are shouts from the heavens. Shogo's very bones rattle at being reprimanded and once again all his anger/confusion is focused on Hanagetsuya.

Shogo's nostrils flare and his hands ball into fists so tight his fingernails draw blood from his palms. Silence once again permeated the cave living a very heated Shogo and icy Hanagetsuya in a non-verbal standoff. The old woman's beady black eyes pierce directly through the restrained child's large hazel pupils into the feral soul that lies beneath the rough exterior.

She deduces then and there that this boy cannot be reasoned or broken with traditional methods. Little more than a wild animal lays on the table in front of her. It wouldn't surprise her if the child tried to chew off his limbs to avoid conforming to her wishes. Nevertheless, she will treat him like a human being, for now.... [author]Surprise!!! I'm not dead!! Just lazy...but I got some chaps in the chamber [/author]