Koishii followed the mysterious cloaked man to the outskirts of the Sound Village. The area was mostly rock with only a few patches of greenery. They approached a cave. One of many in the area, Koishii noticed. "This lair is the one you'll be residing in while Orochimaru goes about his research and tests for the revival of your clan." They entered the lair after his explanation. He led her down an intricate maze of swirling halls, much like the walls in her and Kakashi's visit to the last lair. Eventually, they stopped at a grand doorway with a large, wooden door. "Orochimaru is right through these doors," he informed her, opening the door.

The room was quite large, larger than many small homes. The rock floors towards the back were raised like a stage, and besides a few chandeliers decorated with melting white candles, only a large chair filled the area. Resting in the chair was none other than the contentious man himself: Orochimaru.

"Leave us now, Kabuto." "Yes sir," Kabuto replied, taking his leave. He had other things to prepare for, anyways. Koishii watched behind her as Kabuto closed the doors behind him, leaving just her and Orochimaru. "I'm glad you've decided to join me, Koishii." "I never said I was here to join you," she coldly replied, stepping forward. "I'm only here for answers. Then I'll decide," she stated, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg as she awaited a response. Orochimaru grinned, "fair enough." "Let's start with the fact that Kakashi and my mother are not big fans of yours. Why should I trust you at all?" "My dear child, I take it that Kakashi never told you?" Koishii glared at him, "told me what?" "Why, that he, and even Tenzo, are responsible for the attack that wiped out your clan. It's a shame. I almost had a cure for the stabilization of their unique ability, too." Koishii's heart pounded in her chest. Was that really true? Kakashi was acting suspicious enough. He had been hiding something from her. Something important. "And then your parents. They were selfish. I could hardly blame them, of course. But they took you away before you were even born. You. One of the few children that your withering clan possessed. The children of your clan are the strongest, and your blood was the last hope for your people. But your parents betrayed them and fled anyways, knowing fully what they were doing." Koishii's heart pounded even harder as she processed this information. There was something deep down in her that told her at least a little of Orochimaru's story was true. She spaced out thinking about it all, but Orochimaru's voice brought her back to reality, "but now there's a way you can make amends for all their mistakes." Koishii stared at him, still a little shaken by this information that she wished was not true. "Let me continue my work where I left off. Be my test subject. With your help, I can complete a new jutsu that can bring back even the dead, and complete the Iburi's abilities along with it. You could be a part of a perfect clan, surrounded by new friends, family, and even... your parents. My child, so, what do you say?" Koishii closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, gathering her thoughts and emotions, and putting them back into the bottle that they usually stayed in, tucked away in the back of her head. She exhaled slowly, opening her eyes and looking up to Orochimaru, and replied, "I'll cooperate. What is it that you need me to do?" Orochimaru stretched his rubber neck out to her, and opening his mouth widely, bit her on her right shoulder. She glared at him in disbelieve as he retracted his head, leaving her shoulder to bleed. "Your main worry will be surviving that mark. But if you do, we can begin the restoration process. It should only take you about three days." Black swirled around on her shoulder, and then settled into a circular swirl with black dots all around it. A curse mark. There was a knock on the great door then, and Kabuto let himself in. "Preparations are now complete, Lord Orochimaru." "Good. Koishii, Kabuto will fill you in on what you need to do. Follow him." Koishii turned and met eyes with Kabuto, and after a short pause, she followed him out. They walked for a few minutes before stopping. Kabuto placed his hand on the wall. Part of the wall separated, revealing the hidden door.

The room he led her to was a much smaller one, and much more brightly lit. What looked to be medical equipment was strewn against the walls; there were many wires, buttons, and monitors. The centerpiece of the room, however, was a large cylindrical tube. Koishii had a feeling that she would be spending much of her time in there. "I'll need you to put this on," he said as he handed her what looked like a metal helmet with many wires attached to it. She accepted it. "What does it do?" Kabuto grinned, "don't worry about the details. Just put it on." Koishii scowled at him, "if you want me to cooperate, you'll tell me what the fuck this does, and what you'll be doing to me while I'm here." Kabuto's grin turned into a frown. "The helmet will read the reactions of your brain during some testing and DNA collecting. We'll also be monitoring your vitals. The tests you'll be going through will be quite excruciating. But it's what needs to be done." Koishii stared at him, her face void of any emotion or reaction. She didn't know what they were about to do, but she was prepared to see this through to the end. Even if it killed her. She began to lift the helmet over head, but was interrupted, "actually, you'll need to undress and undo most of your bandaging first." Koishii scowled at him once more, and shoved the helmet back into his arms as she began undressing.

All that remained were bandages around her breasts and hips just a couple inches onto her thighs. She placed the helmet back on, and as Kabuto attached wires IVs into her, pain immediately shot through her head as small needles imbedded themselves around her skull, and her shoulder started to throb, pulsing pain down her entire body. Her vision blurred, and she became so nauseous that she collapsed onto the ground, and the contents of her stomach forced itself up. Her headache quickly turned into a migraine, and she began shaking fiercely. The pain from the mark and fluids being pumped into her became more than she could bear, and she soon blacked out, falling limply onto the chilling floor.

The time passed slowly for Koishii as she fought for her life in the cylindrical container. It was full of some sort of liquid, and helped to relieve some of the pain. It was an odd, painful sensation at first, breathing it in and out, waiting for her lungs to adjust. Her head remained in a constant migraine, getting worse and worse with each throb. Her entire body was weak and trembled slightly, and her shoulder still felt as if lava were slowly dripping continuously onto it. She constantly drifted in and out and consciousness, and her hallucinations were so real that she could no longer tell reality from fiction. But deep in her heart, she still remembered that this was what she wanted. What she needed. To see her parents. To see her clan. To have a place where she could call home. And to never be abandoned again.

"Lord Orochimaru and I have business elsewhere. We're counting on you to protect both Koishii and the base for a couple of days. You are not to interrupt her, and you are not to let anyone on or off this base. If you succeed, Orochimaru may even give you a promotion of sorts." Kabuto grinned before turning and putting the hood of his cloak over his head, walking away from the two ninja that he had left in charge.