Seven Hearts Meet One

A Tayuya Harem Fanfiction

Hey All! Tankou001 here with an all new chapter of Seven Hearts Meet One. Recently I got my wisdom teeth removed because they sucked but after about a week and a half of anti-pain drugs and a lot of soft food I am fine again, for the most part. I never could have possibly known that instant mashed potatoes were so delicious without getting those dirty bastards removed XP

Anyway, so Chouji is now covering Tayuya's expenses in Konoha! For a whole week at that! Also, Tayuya is being housed at the Akimichi Compound. Oh what could this red haired vixen be planning for the poor guy? We'll see!

Enjoy!

{HR}

Chapter Two: Clouds Watched and Shogi Played

Tayuya felt the bright rays of sunshine hit her closed eyes as she slept in the Akimichi Compound. It had been five days since she had entered Konoha as a civilian and two days left until Akimichi Chouji could stop paying for her expenses. Tayuya had really gone over the works with him too. She had demanded to be taken out to movies, bought expensive dinners, bought expensive ingredients for food that Chouji would have to make her. She had demanded new clothes, new instruments, new accessories. It had been difficult but Tayuya even convinced Chouji to buy her a necklace with a tiny golden flute as the pendant, little gems as the holes. That supreme gift had needed Tayuya to use her ultimate psychological weapon; the sad puppy eye treatment. Chouji's money just didn't seem to run out though. As hard as Tayuya tried to break the bank that Chouji's safe was it seemed her endeavors couldn't make hardly any dent at all in his liquid assets. If Tayuya's peeking was correct he still had enormous stacks of ryo and, if her eyes hadn't failed her, a ruby the size of a ripe peach just sitting in there.

Slowly the redhead got up and stripped off her nightgown, a piece of clothing not bought but handed down from Chouji's mother. Technically it had been one of Chouji's sisters' nightgowns but she had moved away with her new husband and left many things behind. Tayuya was surprised at how incredibly comfortable it was. As she started dressing, the door opened, Chouji in his civilian clothes for once. Tayuya looked back, her bare breasts showing, her bare butt showing. Had he seen anything else that Tayuya would best not have him see. The world stood still and Chouji froze. Tayuya's anger, at that moment, was awakened. "You son of a BITCH!!!" Tayuya didn't bother pulling her panties up the rest of the way before leaping at Chouji to kill him. "You fuckin' Peeping Tom, I'll kill you! Knock before you fuckin' enter the room of a lady, especially in the fuckin morning!"

The whole time that this went on Tayuya was beating at Chouji, having successfully knocked the large man to the ground when she tackled him. Now sooner had the second punch been placed were ten Anbu in the room itself, pulling Tayuya's mostly naked form off of Chouji's body, Akimichi Chouza running in. "What's going on?"

The Anbu had finished pulling Tayuya off of Chouji and tying her up. "Ibana Tayuya has committed an act of lethal violence. We are taking her into custody."

Chouza simply looked at Tayuya and then at his son, shaking his head. "I demand that I deal with this... There has clearly been a misunderstanding..."

The Anbu hesitated. The leader spoke up first, his mask that of an owl. "Sir, we were given orders--"

Chouza spoke up at this. "This is my home, I will deal with happenings inside of this compound, or do I have to inform you all of my status as a clan leader and as a former Oinin Captain? Leave my home or we shall discuss this with the Hokage." Reluctantly the Anbu left, leaving a tied up Tayuya behind. Chouza simply dragged his son out the door and closed it, untying Tayuya. I apologize Tayuya-san. I'll have to remind my son of knocking before entering the room of a woman." Chouza wasn't even looking at Tayuya as he tore off her bindings. "I will make this up to you somehow, I promise. Please continue getting dressed. Chouji and I will be in the main room when you are done." With that, Chouza tore the last binding and stepped out of the room, never once looking at Tayuya before leaving. Tayuya sighed. She had forgotten that such things were not acceptable but it had been out of instinct. She would make Chouji pay most definitely for this. After getting dressed, now in a maroon silk shirt with black silk pants, Tayuya stepped out of her room, entering the main room after a short walk. Chouza sat in the room speaking to Chouji, who was sitting on the floor on his knees in front of Chouza. "Now Chouji,
you'll apologize to Tayuya-san and find a way to make it up to her within a week's time. And don't think that you paying for her expenses alone will remedy this situation, Chouji. That's an assignment, you need to find a way of your own outside of that."

Tayuya smiled as she wondered in and yawned loudly, Chouza turning to her and standing. "I'm sorry about that, Chouza-gifu." Chouji shuddered at Tayuya's title for his father. Tayuya didn't really mean it in a serious sense. It was more just to make fun of Chouji and make him feel uncomfortable. "I guess I overreacted a bit." Tayuya really had stopped her swearing once again. She had been living so long in her old village, not feeling the need to swear or speak badly to people that it simply went out of habit. Tayuya had only used to swear because her life made her angry. Now, since Tayuya wasn't under Orochimaru's rule, not living so stressed all was well enough to stop the swearing, for the most part.

Chouza smiled. "It's no problem, Tayuya-san. Please forgive my son for his most uncouth behavior."

Chouji bowed low to the ground on his knees, his forehead touching the floor. A reluctant bit of words escaped his mouth as he bowed low. "I am sorry for what I have done, Tayuya-san. Please allow me... some time soon, to pay for these actions."

Tayuya inwardly gave a mischievous smile. This was perfect. She had the Akimichi in the palm of her hand. It wasn't like she didn't have him in her hand before but this was different. He owed her something outside of simple expenses. This wasn't going to an expensive meal or something of that nature. If Chouji didn't find a way to make it up to Tayuya in a week his father would get one his case. Chouji would need to find out what Tayuya wanted quickly and Tayuya decided that perhaps it would be best to play harder than usual in this instance.

However, Tayuya's thoughts were cut short by one of Chouji's man sisters walking into the room and signaling the coming of breakfast. Tayuya, in the last five days at Chouji's home, had probably never eaten better. The Akimichi clan were a big people and thus they preferred big serving sizes. It was a shock to see breakfast the first time around when Tayuya saw breakfast on the table. There were grits, bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and just about anything else that Tayuya could ever dream would be involved in breaking one's nightly fast. Not only was there great variety in the many breakfast items but the quantity was staggering. Of course she had seen big breakfasts, ten course meals and sizable tables of food at village feasts back home. However, the average breakfast at the Akimichi compound put all but the very most rich feasts to complete and utter shame. It amazed Chouji that anyone could eat the "average" serving of food at the Akimichi house. It especially surprised Tayuya that Chouji's sister's, at least the three that still lived in the Akimichi compound proper, could eat half of what they did, their thin frames accented by heaving breasts. Tayuya mused at the idea of seeing if she could ever place a beer tankard on Choubi's breasts and seeing if it fell off. Slowly Tayuya doled herself a bowl of porridge and scooped a spoonful into her mouth. Chouji's plate was already heaping with food as well as everyone else's Tayuya always felt a little out of place at the breakfast table, what with the fact that everyone ate more than an elephant and Tayuya just stuck with a couple bowls of porridge and a little meat.

The strangest thing was how well Tayuya had come to be accepted in the Akimichi household. Naturally Tayuya expected anyone in the village to hate her outright, unable to allow their minds to cope with the fact that Tayuya was now no longer on the side of evil based on her previous actions against Konoha. However, the Akimichi clan was exactly the opposite of Tayuya's expectations. Though Chouji was mildly paranoid at first, due more to his need to pay for Tayuya than anything else, no doubt, all of the Akimichi, more or less, welcomed Tayuya with open arms. It put Tayuya a little ill at ease because of the friendliness of her caretakers. Everyone else who knew about Tayuya, for the most part, gave her a wide berth and made sure that they couldn't be in harm's way because of her presence. Tayuya had felt the need, for a couple days now, to ask one of the Akimichi why they so freely accepted her. She felt it was about time. "Excuse me." Tayuya spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "May I ask a question?"

Chouza was the first to speak out as Tayuya looked at her half empty bowl of porridge. "Of course, Tayuya-san. What would you like to ask?"

"I was wondering why, even though I am a former enemy of the village, you guys all so freely accept my presence." Tayuya asked as she stuck another spoonful of porridge into her mouth.

Chouza struggled over his words momentarily and the three remaining Akimichi sisters gave each other looks of unease. Chouji's mother giggled nervously. Chouji was the final one to answer. "It's because we understand that your state of being an enemy is over and that you had no choice in the matter." Tayuya gave Chouji a look of confusion and he continued. "You were an enemy of the village, granted. However, you aren't that way anymore, Tayuya-san. It's what we call, in the Akimichi, situational hostility. If you attacked some other village while under Orochimaru's control you would more than likely be well accepted here. You were just following orders like everyone else. It was my job to kill your partner twelve years ago because I was told to by my superiors. Your superiors told you to kidnap Sasuke-kun and kill anyone who got in the way. Why should we hate you for a command given to you? It's just a job. You do what you are told like a good ninja should and that's it. Why should we hold it against you for doing the work assigned to you?" Tayuya's jaw dropped. Was that the reasoning behind it all? Chouji looked at Tayuya with a serious face. "As long as you aren't malicious about it I have no reason to dislike you for something I would have done just as fast were the order given to me."

The rest of the Akimichi nodded slowly and went back to food. It was, by this point, expected that breakfast time was a time of general silence. Nobody talked at the breakfast table. It was too important t get all the food down that you could before going onto the busy day ahead. The dinner table was the point of conversation. The breakfast table was a location of dutiful nutrition seeking.

After breakfast everyone left the house, Tayuya and Chouji included. The first place, so Chouji said, was the Nara compound. Tayuya had no idea where that was supposed to be but it would be the first time Tayuya would have seen any of Chouji's friends for more than a second or so. Chouji had made quite sure that nobody stayed around Tayuya too long until she was a bit more well integrated into Konoha. Soon enough they were at the Nara compound. Chouji knocked on the door and Shikaku opened it, which was normal. He gave a smile and let Chouji and Tayuya in. Tayuya thought he looked rather familiar but couldn't put her finger on it. However, seeing Shikamaru pinned the familiarity into her head. She remembered him very well now that she saw Shikamaru face to face. This was the man who she fought against twelve years ago. This was the man that Tayuya would have killed had it not been for a troublesome Suna ninja who brought the whole forest down on top of her, scarring Tayuya for life. This was the man that Tayuya felt pure hatred for, as well as the dire urge to attack that very moment.

Shikamaru, however, didn't seem hostile, though Tayuya knew very well that he recognized her. No doubt he had heard about it all anyway. "Hey Chouji." He said lazily. "Long time no see, Tayuya-san."

Tayuya just grimaced. Shikamaru motioned for Tayuya to sit down and she did. She kept her eyes on him the whole time as he walked out of the room, then back in. He sat down and pulled a board out from under the table. Chouji smiled. "Shogi today? I thought it was go this time around."

Shikamaru shook his head. "You're getting too good at go and not good enough at shogi. You wanted to learn more about strategy, right? Shogi is better for that than Go." Tayuya blinked a bit in confusion. Was this a joke? Was this the reason that Chouji had brought Tayuya here? "I'll start." Shikamaru said, moving his first piece shortly after the board was set up.

The game went on slowly, to say the least. Tayuya waited for things to get better but they didn't. Naturally Tayuya had played Shogi before. What kind of person hadn't played the game once in their life? It was common, relatively easy to learn, rather pleasant to play. Unfortunately it was not fun to watch to people playing Shogi when you weren't one of the players. Tayuya, however, watched Shikamaru's technique. Chouji, naturally, was losing quickly. Tayuya could already tell that Shikamaru was just taking his time in finishing the game; setting up the right pieces and positioning things exactly how he wanted. However, Tayuya spotted a flaw in Shikamaru's technique. As Chouji's turn came around Tayuya moved her hand out and snatched one of the pieces, putting it where she felt it needed to go. Chouji called out in irritation and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "That's a troublesome move, Tayuya-san." he said briefly and thought about his next move.

Chouji, however, didn't understand the full impact of Tayuya's intervention. He stood. "That was my move to make." Chouji complained.

"You were playing it wrong, Chouji-bozu." Tayuya remarked. "I extended your play time for at least ten more turns with that move alone... You were wasting your time in the first place. With the way you play this game it's easy for the lazy bastard to win." Shikamaru looked up at Tayuya and Tayuya just gave him a disgusted look.

"How about you play then?" Chouji asked. "If you're so good at this game you beat him."

"Alright." Tayuya said with a slight smile, sitting down at the table. Chouji doubted Tayuya would get anywhere. Shikamaru was, after all, undefeated in Shogi. "Your move." Tayuya spoke up.

Gradually the game started to progress again. Chouji already was down on pieces and Shikamaru's side was full of good pieces still. Tayuya struggled for a couple of turns before planning ahead. Soon enough Shikamaru would take a minute to decide before moving a piece and the Tayuya would instantly move her pieces to wherever she needed them. She looked a hundred moves forward and it was right now that she was winning the game. Finally it came down to it all. Tayuya had seen it all coming. Shikamaru had been losing pieces left and right and Tayuya knew that it would be only two turns before she won. Shikamaru, however, cracked a smile and moved one of his last pieces. "You lose." Tayuya raised an eyebrow before looking at the board.

True enough she had lost. "I'll be damned. I thought I had you, ya son of a bitch." Tayuya remarked with irritation."

"You did well." Shikamaru commented. "But you could stand to lose a bit of the attitude. This isn't twelve years ago, after all."

Tayuya huffed a bit. "You seem better now than before. You ever get with that sand bitch?"

"You could say that." Shikamaru replied. "Her name's Temari. You should start calling people by their proper names, Tayuya-san."

"You should be pissed at me for beating the fuck out of you twelve years ago."

"Like you are to Temari?" Shikamaru asked. "Why?" This made Tayuya confused. "If I told Temari about you still being alive I'm pretty sure she'd be angry and against me talking to you but she would probably stop caring after a while." Shikamaru started to put away the shogi pieces now. "Why should I hold a grudge? It's been twelve years. I broke a finger back then, big deal. It's healed now and everyone else is, for the most part, fine." Shikamaru sat back on the couch with Chouji. "Does it really matter if you were an enemy if you aren't anymore? Grudges are too troublesome to keep. So long as you don't attack me I'd rather watch clouds."

Tayuya stood up, rather insulted. "I broke your fingers! I tried to kill you!"

"Are you trying to kill me now?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then who cares."

Tayuya was surprised at this. Chouji smirked a bit. She hadn't thought of it that way before. She'd never thought of any of the previous words of advice from either Chouji or Shikamaru before she had heard them. She wasn't an Oto nin anymore. Tayuya wasn't an enemy of the village. Why should anyone care about what she had done when she was trying to make amends for what had happened now? "I never thought of it like that..."

Shikamaru stood up and Chouji did as well. "Le's go to the roof. I want to take a nap. You with me, Chouji?" Chouji nodded. "You coming, Tayuya-san?"

Tayuya just nodded, going up to the roof with the two guys. It was a nice little area. There were a couple benches and a few covered areas for shade. Shikamaru laid down on a shaded bench and gave a yawn. Chouji looked at Tayuya with a slight smile. Tayuya just frowned. "What's the purpose of doing this?"

Chouji shrugged. "Everyone needs a nap now and then. Try it out. I like to lay in the sun on my back up here." Tayuya raised an eyebrow. "Just try it." Chouji said as he made his way to the center of the roof and laid down, looking up at the clouds. "It's always a better day when you can wake up looking at the passing clouds. I learned that from Shikamaru."

Tayuya heaved a sigh as Chouji closed his eyes. She walked over to Shikamaru and waved a hand in front of his face. Was he already dead asleep? Nobody fell asleep that fast, did they? Tayuya looked around. There was, of course, nothing to do as it was. It wasn't as if Tayuya had any plans to meet or goals here in the village. She had normally just followed Chouji around. Slowly Tayuya let herself relax a little. It wasn't so bad, actually. She was with the closest thing to friends she could currently find. At least these people didn't give Tayuya dirty looks when they saw her. Tayuya let herself wander to a nearby bench and laid down in the shade. It was a warm day, just hot enough that the heat made you sleepy and not near hot enough to be annoying. Tayuya soon found herself drifting off.

Tayuya wasn't sure how long she slept but when she opened her eyes the sun was nearing the horizon. How long had she been out? She looked up at the clouds above as the sun slowly drifted toward the line where her vision could see no further. The lazy eat was still ever present, however, there was someone near her. Tayuya looked behind her as she lay on her back to see an oinin standing, watching her. It was the same busty oinin that had brought Tayuya to Tsunade the first time around, the same oinin that Uzumaki Naruto had been with. "Yo... Blackey." Tayuya started. "Why are you here?"

"I have been assigned to watch after you when you are left alone by Akimichi Chouji" She answered, her voice high and dulcet.

"So where's the fatass now?" Tayuya asked.

"He is out getting something. I am not sure of the details. The Nara clan did not wish to wake you so they left without rousing you. Akimichi Chouji should be back momentarily." The black haired answered

Tayuya sat up slowly, feeling surprisingly good after her nap. "So... just us girls, huh?" The black haired oinin said nothing. "You got a name I could call you besides Blackey?"

"I do." The black haired woman answered. "However I am not allowed to give it out to the people I am watching after. You may call me what you wish."

Tayuya raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like it winds up in pretty derogatory nicknames."

"That is none of your concern."

"You know." Tayuya started. "Even the old lady was a bit more personable than you after this all blew over. Is it possible that you could be the slightest bit more amiable to someone like me?"

"You are an enemy of the village, Ibana Tayuya." The black haired woman spoke. "You will always be an enemy of the village so far as I am aware. No matter how well accepted you are by a select few there will always be people like myself who see you for who you really are." The black haired oinin turned her head to Tayuya and leaned in close, her masked face inches away from Tayuya's. "You are a bane on the wellness of Konohagakure No Sato and I'll make sure, with all my power, that you will forever be unable to find comfort in this village. So long as you exist I'll be on your tail, watching. You may have tricked Nara Shikamaru and the Akimichi clan into taking your side but not me. The instant you take a step back, the very same moment you give me any reason to doubt that you aren't a threat to this village, I'll make sure you'll wish you never ran into me and Uzumaki Naruto back in the meadow country."

With a flash the oinin woman was gone. Tayuya just sat dumbfounded from the most recent development. What was it that just happened? What was wrong with that strange, black haired oinin anyway? "Yo, Tayuya-san?" A voice called from behind. Tayuya turned to see Shikamaru and Chouji standing at the door that led downstairs. "Have a nice nap?" He asked as Tayuya went to them. "You should be getting back to the Akimichi compound soon enough. It's around dinner time now."

Had Tayuya really slept that much? It had been lunch time when she had laid down for a nap. Chouji and Tayuya went back to the Akimichi compound and the redhead was led to a feast normally unseen anywhere else. The Akimichi, like with breakfast, ate big dinners. Newly aroused by the missing of lunch and long nap, Tayuya's hunger was certainly sufficient this time around to get more than just porridge. Unlike the breakfasts, however, this was a time of talking. The family was all conversation at dinner. Chouza was asking one of the sisters how her day was and two of the other sisters chatted idly with their mother. Chouji was quiet and Tayuya struggled with what to talk about. Reluctantly she turned to Chouji. "So what did I miss while I was asleep?"

"Nothing much." Chouji said with a slight smile as he dug into a great pot of pasta, doling out a massive serving into his bowl. "Shikamaru and I went to the market to get some food but we didn't want to bug you so we left you alone. Sorry about that."

"No..." Tayuya started. "It's fine, I guess. I had a nice nap."

"It does a world of good sometimes." Chouji stated, "I didn't want to inspire our rage again like this morning." Chouji chuckled nervously at this and Tayuya couldn't help but to smile as she dragged a slab of beef onto her plate. The thing practically fell apart as she slid it onto the porcelain tray that lay in front of her on the table. Tayuya reached out for what looked like the last remaining piece of fish and just as she grabbed the fish Chouji's chopsticks hit the same target. The two locked eyes for a moment and then both started tugging on their intended targets. Finally, after near a half a minute of struggle Chouji just let go. Tayuya was mildly surprised as he had just recently been giving quite the fight. "You can have it..." Everyone who had been talking at the table went completely silent as Tayuya, satisfied in her victory, set the fish on her plate on a bed of rice. As she scooped the first bite of rice into her mouth it was all silent. What was their problem. Chouji was already eating but for the next couple of minutes it was a mildly awkward display of people slowly going back to eating and warily chatting.

After dinner Tayuya was walking to the baths. She stripped down and scrubbed down. Of course there were places Tayuya found more difficult than most to get to, namely the middle portions of her back. It was then that the door opened and Tayuya looked back quickly. It wasn't Chouji, thankfully. "Hello?" She asked, unable to tell who it was through the rice paper screen that hid the changing room and bathing area but the silhouette looked like one of the three sisters.

"Oh." Choubi exclaimed from the other area. "It's just me." Choubi wasn't quite Chouji's eldest sister. She was three years his senior, right in the middle of the seven older sisters that Chouji had. However, it seemed that Choubi had the most authority of the remaining three, despite the fact that she was in the middle of the three. Choumai was the youngest and Tani was the eldest of the sisters but Choubi certainly was the top dog among them. She seemed to hold more authority in the women of the family than Chouji's own mother and whatever she said, more or less, went exactly as she said it. Tayuya was certainly surprised that she had never taken to being a ninja because her attitude fit one quite well. "I didn't notice you were in here. Would you like me to wash your back?"

Tayuya shook her head as Choubi walked into the bathing area. She slid backward a little, letting her hair cover the scarred region of her chest, making sure to keep her back well out of site. In the five days Tayuya had spent at the Akimichi compound she had made very sure that nobody was present when she bathed. Her scars were simply too apparent, too embarrassing. It hurt to know that she had them and hurt even more to have to show them to people. "I'll be alright. I've already washed down my body. I was just getting into the bath." Tayuya said, sliding toward the expansive bath that this bathroom sported, trying to keep her scars from being seen. "Normally don't you bathe in the morning, Choubi-san?"

Choubi nodded. "I do normally. However, I felt like taking an evening soak today. I hope you don't mind." Tayuya shook her head frantically. Don't show anyone your scars. She thought. Nobody but her father had seen those scars and Tayuya liked that just fine. "Would you mind washing my back for me, Tayuya-san? I always find it difficult to get it completely scrubbed clean." Tayuya paused and Choubi giggled. "I won't bite, I promise."

Reluctantly Tayuya nodded and scooted closer, grabbing the brush that Choubi handed her. She spoke as she scrubbed Choubi's back. "I haven't ever really done this so I'm sorry if I'm not too good at it."

Choubi shook her head. "You'll do fine. Scrubbing backs isn't really that hard so long as you know how to use a brush. Are you sure you don't want me to wash your back for you?"

Tayuya hesitated. "I'm sure of it. I can clean my own back just fine."

"Alright."

"Choubi-san?" Tayuya started. "Chouji-san is twenty-four, right?"

"Yes, he is. I'm twenty-seven. Choumai is twenty-five and Tani is thirty-one. Why do you ask?" Choubi answered

"No reason, really. I just thought it would be good to know."

"Looking to do something special for him?" Choubi asked with a bit of clear mischief in her voice.

"Of course not!" Tayuya stammered out. "There's no way I'd be caught with that fatass!"

Choubi made a noise of displeasure. "Shame." She muttered. "He's kind of lost on love I suppose. All of us are relatively unsuccessful in getting partners, as you may have noticed. Most people think the Akimichi a clan of fat, lazy people. All of us sisters got the pleasure of being the wild cards in the gene pool. We don't look anything like either mom or dad save for the usual Akimichi traits. All of us have the usual red hair and most of us are tall and broad in the shoulders." Choubi herself was rather short but she was right. Choumai was rather tall and Tani was near as tall as Chouji himself. "We all cope with it, though. Tani is a priestess so she's sworn off men. You're lucky you get to see her. Normally she's out somewhere in the country with her order. Choumai is still the youngest of us and some men like her but she's a bit shy. I don't know what I want to do about it all."

Tayuya splashed a bucket of water on Choubi's back to rinse off the soap. "I'm getting in now." she said as she slunk into the bath, sighing in relief as the heated water surrounded her. It held both safety and comfort at the same time. There was no way that the steam and water wouldn't cover the scar on Tayuya's front and her back was to the wall.

Choubi was lathering up her hair already. "You know I'm surprised about what you did today." Tayuya raised an eyebrow as Choubi looked back. "He never gives up the last piece of food. It's too special to him. A piece worthy only for the most prestigious person at the table, or so he says. The only one who ever wins that piece aside from Chouji, when there's a fight for it, is our dad."

"I guess it's nice to know I'm special." Tayuya said idly

"I think he likes you." Choubi remarked.

"No doubt he just knows he's in the wrong for this morning..." Tayuya mused as she sunk deeper into the water, her chin touching the surface. "Not like I like him in return, anyway."

"He's not so bad, you know?" Choubi said as she sank into the water beside Tayuya, now well scrubbed off. "Chouji's the only member of our family who is a ninja. He works very hard to get his job done and he's so nice. It's just a shame that nobody ever fell for him..." Tayuya gave Choubi a look of confusion. "He's always been the fat one, ya know? Nobody has ever looked at him and immediately thought that he'd be any use on a mission save for Shikamaru-kun. He's never been well accepted. Outside of his team he's not much of a well known face, despite his vast number of missions completed. I've never thought it fair to him..."

"Well he should work out some more, get... smaller I suppose." Tayuya countered.

"That's not the Akimichi way." Choubi replied, "Most people don't realize it but the Akimichi have more than just a special technique. They actually do have a real kekkei genkai. We take calories from inside our bodies and transfer them to chakra... At least that's what dad told me once. My sisters and I don't really need to eat a lot or store the fat but ninja like dad and Chouji need that fat to properly do their jobs. Chouji has been working on something for a few years to make himself look thinner but he's come to no success lately. He can extract the fat from his body and store it in special soldier pills but there are times in battle when there's no time to take a pill."

Tayuya didn't quite know what to say. Was there really anything that she could say. Why did she care so much, anyway? It wasn't something Tayuya would normally clear her mind to care about. "Sorry to hear that, I guess."

"Tayuya-san." Choubi started. "I've been meaning to ask you. Why are you so secretive about your body?" Tayuya went rigid as Choubi asked. "You don't take baths with any of us and you make sure that you lock your door at night so nobody can come in... with the exception of this morning. Is there something you're hiding?"

Tayuya hesitated. "Not really... I just like my privacy, ya know?"

"Not really, actually." Choubi admitted. "When you have seven siblings it's pretty hard to get any alone time. I've always been the center of the sisters. I've always come out first with private stuff and made it clear to everyone and I've always been the leader of us all, if you can call it that. I don't really understand privacy. The girls always looked to me for comfort and looked to me earlier in life when we would tease Chouji."

"I'm an only child... I couldn't grasp that kind of situation." Tayuya stated bluntly. "Anyway, I just don't like people looking at my body is all."

"What's that on your chest?" Choubi asked abruptly, pointing to Tayuya's curse seal.

Tayuya jumped a bit. Choubi's eyes were better than Tayuya had guessed, based on the fact that she could see the mark when it was submerged half a foot underwater. "It's my curse seal." She answered, "It's what gives me a lot of my power. I used to have one on the back of my neck... It linked me to Orochimaru. I got rid of it though. I reverse researched the thing and removed the old seal so that I would never be found by Orochimaru again. I put my own, better seal on my chest, a place where people wouldn't look for it but where I would still have it free to use."

"You use that to get more powerful... so you can kill people?" Choubi asked hesitantly

"No... This seal has never been used to do anything but help my fellow villagers. Granted, I have killed people when using it, but only to protect my people, to protect my family. The seal of purity is so much different than my old mark. I used that thing to kill people and to make myself the top dog in the sound four. After I left Otogakure No Sato I used my new seal to protect the people that I cared for. It's the pure form of a tainted thing. The replacement for the last connection I had to a vile creature... It's my purification from Orochimaru's clutches." Tayuya remembered trying to run away. She knew that Orochimaru would have killed her for failing. She knew very well that if he had his way she would have been killed personally, in a very painful manner. Tayuya had run as far and fast as she could, the exact opposite direction of where Orochimaru would have been. The farther she was from Orochimaru the harder it would be for him to kill her with the mark, the seal that allowed him to utterly control her or kill her if she resisted his control.

It had been weeks before Orochimaru had realized that the connection between him and Tayuya's seal hadn't been severed. Tayuya had gained a good amount of distance before Orochimaru sought to slow the redhead down by reaching out and activating the seal on her neck. Tayuya had been spending her days running toward the lightning country and her nights studying her curse seal for the express reason of removing and replacing it. When Orochimaru realized that she wasn't dead the pain started. It was too intense for anyone to handle and it happened all day and night. Tayuya struggled slowly from one clearing to the other the whole time, fighting to get away from the grasping hand of her enemy. She knew that Orochimaru's killing intent had a certain range before it's lethality faded into agony and when even further away, only an unpleasant prickle. Tayuya feared that she hadn't hardly left the lethal range when she experienced the agony that welled up within her from the back of her neck. Days went by and as those days followed Tayuya's neck hurt more and more. She was put under attack several times and knew that her enemy was drawing closer. She had holed up in a cave and ceased running. She needed to research the seal and get rid of it. Days later the pain was too exhausting to walk. She had set traps and genjutsu all around to keep people out as she tried to find a way to get rid of the horrible thing that melted her mind.

Finally Tayuya had found a way to remove it and, as she pulled the seal away from her flesh, a truly agonizing process that left no trace whatsoever, the pain left entirely. Tayuya had finally cut herself off from the demon that had long held her in check. She felt power for the first time in her life and she fled. She fled as fast as she could from that little cave, fighting of her own power for the very first time. The men before her were now easy prey to her power as she fought with no more pain. Weeks later, when she finally thought herself safe Tayuya made her own seal. She planted the seal on her chest, where nobody would think to look. The process, like removing the last seal, had been agonizing but very worthwhile. She was left exhausted for days and had, in her final moments of weakness, been attacked by more of Orochimaru's goons. She took them out and fled with heavy injuries. What happened after that Tayuya hadn't ever found out. She had wandered away from her final fight in a haze too thick to see through. She remembered only waking up what had to be days later in her father's inn, being taken care of by the village doctor. It was that village that she would come to make her home and that village that Orochimaru would come just over eleven years later to destroy.

"Tayuya-san?" Choubi's voice echoed through Tayuya's memories. "Tayuya-san, are you alright?" Tayuya, however, wasn't as alright as she thought she would have been. She was too warm. The water had made Tayuya dizzy and her idle drifting through memories had led her to nearly pass out in the tub. Choubi had apparently dragged her out and now the redhead lie on the cool floor. A cold splash of water hit Tayuya's face, forcing her back to reality. It was a shock she didn't like one bit but son understood that it had been needed. Tayuya cried out and sat bolt upright, her nude body now out in the open for Choubi to see. Had she seen Tayuya's scars? Surely she ad seen Tayuya's scars! There was no way she couldn't have. Tayuya covered her body with her hands and Choubi stepped back a bit, bucket in hand. "You nearly passed out!" Choubi said. "You should know when to get out of the bath, Tayuya-san."

Tayuya slunk backward. Tears slowly flowed from her eyes. "You saw them, didn't you?" She asked. Choubi raised an eyebrow. "You saw my scars, didn't you?"

Choubi gave a look of apology. "I'm sorry, Tayuya-san. I did see them. I didn't know that's what you were afraid of showing me." Choubi sat on the floor next to Tayuya, both of them nude. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret, alright?"

Tayuya scooted away. "Nobody's supposed to see those, nobody." Tayuya stood and tottered to the towel rack, covering herself up with a fresh towel. She stared at the ground fr a moment, still a little dizzy. "You know... I never thought of ever getting a man when I was in Otogakure... But when I finally did show interest in men... It was too late." Tayuya sat down on one of the many stools in the bathing area. "When I realized how much more there was to life I was too scarred to ever be something that a man would want.... and these old injuries bother me too much now to really be affective as a ninja. The seal lets me use ninja abilities when I absolutely need them but I'm nothing like I used to be. I could still fight genin and stuff like that but I took too much damage back when I was running away... Even if people think of me as an enemy now I couldn't really do any damage now. That's why I taught the kids from my old village about ninjutsu... Those who can't do teach..."

Choubi stood and wrapped her arms around Tayuya pulling her into a loving, albeit uncomfortable embrace. "It's alright, Tayuya-san. There's much more to life than being a ninja... and, if it's any consolation, I still think you look beautiful even with your scars. A little makeup would cover it all up too. Besides, they're not that bad. It adds flavor." Tayuya just shook her head.

The rest of the night was an awkward affair. Tayuya got dressed in her nightgown and went to bed, still dizzy from the baths. She fell into a fitful sleep and there she dreamed. She dreamed of a new life. Maybe it wasn't too late to just settle down. Her old students would be trained as ninja here in the village if they wanted to. Tayuya could settle down like Tsunade wanted her to and that way she not only wouldn't cause any undo fuss but she would be able to relax about life for a while. The dream had a man in it. It was a foggy silhouette, though. There was no real shape to it but Tayuya was with him. She was in love with this mysterious man. It was clear that they were married because, even though he was just a foggy silhouette she kissed him and embraced him. They were happy. Another foggy silhouette ran by and was small. It was clearly a child. The man with Tayuya picked the child up and tossed it into the air playfully and Tayuya held it lovingly, like a mother would do. It would be so wonderful to have such a life, wouldn't it?

Instantly the dream snapped away, however. The pale face of Orochimaru came to life from the silhouette of the man and Tayuya recoiled away from him. The great face laughed maniacally and the child turned into a great snake that struck at Tayuya. Tayuya sought to fight back but her back ached too much. Blood flew from her body where her scars were and there was a pain like no other on the back of her neck. Tayuya fell to the ground, in dire pain and far from the world of her previous dream. "A ninja like you," Orochimaru started in a sadistic voice, "Will never be a real person! You are just my toy, forever and always." Orochimaru's mouth opened wide and his long tongue reached out, grabbing Tayuya up and pulling her screaming form into his disgusting maw. His mouth closed around her and all went black. Tayuya shot up from her sleep in a cold sweat, a scream flying from her mouth as she woke from the nightmare that haunted her. She had never had such a nightmare. When she had replaced her old seal with the seal of purity the bad dreams had all ended. Why did they now return?

A bang came at the door and Tayuya looked at it. "Tayuya-san?" Tayuya recognized it as Chouji's voice. "Are you alright? I heard a scream."

"I'm fine!" Tayuya nearly screamed, still shaken from her nightmare. "Just a bad dream is all. I'll be out in a bit." As Tayuya heard Chouji's footsteps pacing away she sighed in relief. This would be her last day with the Akimichi clan. Tomorrow she would have to move into her own apartment and leave all of this behind. It was, perhaps, for the very best.

It was definitely for the best.

{HR}

There ya have it!

Wow.... this chapter has taken me forever... I started months ago, when I lost my wisdom teeth, still drugged up on percocet and demeral. Now those are all filled in and I have way moved on with life ^^

I actually am finishing this one day after my birthday. I am twenty years old now! Hooray for getting one year closer to the ability to freely say I'm about to die! XD

Anyway, this chapter started out slow but I kind of got into the more personal side of Tayuya in it. It didn't have near as much Shikamaru in it as I had planned but it was enough. Next chapter well see just what happens at Tayuya's new place of residence! I can't wait to show you all what I have in store!

Yours,

Tankou001