Hey guys, it's me again. Thanks for reading my stuff. Oh, and if you were wondering where Dear Hokage went, FF kicked it off. -- I'll have to host the story on my site. Anyways! This sis my very favourite pairing, and I know that I am the first to think of it, or at least write it. - Enjoy, and R&R!
Summary: Once Tayuya returns to the Sound Village, she decides that in the lull of peace she will try to bring herself up to Kimimaro's level of skill. But when Kimimaro unexpectedly disappears, Tayuya might be the only one who can save him.But what can she really do when an intricate web of lies and deceit is uncovered?
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Tayuya had never dreamed that her return to the Sound Village would be this way. She had imagined a party. But all was silent. Even in Orochimaru's domain it was quiet. "Ah... Tayuya," he said as she entered the throne room. from what she could gather, Orochimaru was the only Ninja Village leader with a throne, but she didn't mind. She liked the idea of having a real leader, not some sissy hiding behind their stacks of paper in an office. When she saw him, she immediately bowed and said, "Orochimaru-sama... Mission-" "Complete, I know," Orochimaru interrupted. Tayuya looked up in surprise. She was going to say 'Failed,' but... "It's good to see you back, Tayuya," Orochimaru continued. "You're the fourth to return." "What do you mean?" Tayuya asked, confused. "Oh yes, your teammates. Well, this is how they are. About three days after Sasuke arrived, we sent out a search party and found Ukon alone. Kabuto also stumbled across the nearly dead Kimimaro. I'm sorry, Tayuya, but we never found Jiroubou, Sakon and Kidomaru." Tayuya felt her heart sink. "So you got Sasuke? And Kimimaro lived?" she questioned. "Yes," Orochimaru replied. Tayuya wasn't surprised. Kimimaro could live through anything.
"So, Kimimaro... You took on three of the brats?" Tayuya asked. Kimimaro nodded curtly. "Yeah, I would've won if I had been in shape and they hadn't freakin' double-teamed me. I figured that I had given you enough time, you being you, and..." Tayuya trailed off and glanced over at Kimimaro. He was listening. She blushed. "Well, I knew I couldn't beat them, not tired like I was from those damn Jounin, so I gave up and made it look like I was dead by holding the tree above my body with my chakra and biting my lip hard." "Hm," Kimimaro agreed vaguely, staring up at the ceiling again. Tayuya mentally cursed. She wished it wsn't so hard to talk to him, and the fact that he was lying on a hospital bed, breathing through a respirator didn't help. She subconciously fooled with his IV, thinking of something to say. He beat her to it. "Tayuya..." he began, startling her out of her thoughts. He hardly ever talked! "Tayuya... Thank you... Thank you for visiting me." "You-You're welcome," she managed, then, almost as an afterthought, interrogated, "Hasn't anyone else visited you?" Kimimaro looked at her again, and though he didn't show it, she could tell that he was confused. "No..." he said emotionlessly. 'Were they supposed to?' Tayuya could tell he was wondering. She almost felt sorry for him. She was the only one who ever came to see him. The rest of their team couldn't stand him, and commoners thought he was too much of a freak.
Ukon was having a nightmare. Tayuya could hear him tossing, turning and moaning all the way down the hall. "Sakon," he whispered, "Sakon." According to Ukon, just before he almost died from the knife-in-the-box puppet show Kankuro put on, he pushed Sakon out of his body in the hopes that he would live, for Ukon, not Sakon, had been stabbed. Then, with his last breaths, he had crawled off towards the Sound Village in the hopes of alerting others of Sakon's whereabouts. But when they found him, Sakon wasn't there. Ukon had been very quiet and clumsy ever since. Tayuya stuffed her head under her pillow and tried to sleep.
'In memory of me. In memory of me. In memory of me, dearly departed,' Kidomaru whispered. 'Why? Why did you die?' Tayuya screamed. 'He cries in his sleep, poor baby, now he's lost everything,' Sakon said sorrowfully as he watched Ukon beneath them. 'You need to spend more time fighting, Tayuya. Become as strong... As strong as Kimimaro,' Kidomaru said as he vanished. 'Tell Ukon... Tell him... We're okay... I miss him...' Sakon told Tayuya urgently as he disappeared. 'Wait!" Tayuya cried.
Tayuya woke in a cold sweat. 'Just a dream,' she informed herself. She glanced at her clock. 5:02 AM. Oh well. She might as well get up and train.
