Can you tell I'm working on my 1st person point of view? Each chapter will either be Tayuya's or Anko's point of view. This one's Tayuya, by the way.

Abdication; noun—a giving up of a possession, claim, or right.

--Abdication--

My beginning was pretty damn commonplace in this day and age: my mother was a prostitute and my father was some random guy she had slept with. The police had found my abandoned body, swathed in dirty cloth, on the front step of Konoha's local police office.

Or so I was told.

What I do remember was living in an orphanage for the first five years of my life, amongst other children with predicaments similar to mine. I was always different from the others: wanting to run and tussle with the boys rather than play tea party with the girls, always escaping any confinement (play-pens didn't stand a chance), and creating general chaos around the other kids.

But the owners of the orphanage—an older married couple—just marked that down as the kids-do-the-darnedest-things syndrome. So, on my sixth birthday when I ran away, they hadn't seen it coming.

I know you're thinking someone so young couldn't possibly survive for very long on the streets. And you're right. Fortunately—at the time, anyway—I was found by a nice, albeit pale, man who would provide a home, food, clothes, and a lifestyle for me for the next ten years.

"You can leave at any time you want and for whatever reason." Orochimaru had assured me, offering me a hand to help me up. I had been curled up in an alley, sniffling and shivering. The male was pale and tall with eyes that were too narrowed and too close to one another.

To the me eleven years ago, he looked like an angel.

That was the day I joined the Otogakure under Orochimaru's wing. He had been the one to teach me that, to survive, one had to be quick, clever, and, above all else, trust no one but themselves.

Damned snake. I should have taken that last one to heart.

He had taught me to fight—to control my Chakra, shoot a gun, and how to kill without remorse.

How to follow his every word without question.

How to become what he wanted me to be.

And I followed his word to the very letter; I skipped school, smoked, cursed, and, when there were gang wars, I was always right up there beside my mentor.

It was great.

'Was' being the key word.

Yesterday, I had an epiphany—that's why I froze up during our fight. I realized that the senseless, all-too predictable violence of my everyday life was starting to wear on me—mentally and physically.

There was no way in Hell I could continue this bullshit.

So here's the deal: I was ten when I was inducted into the elite branch of the Otogakure, called the Sound Four—Orochimaru's personal bodyguards, each with their own special talent. There were four more teens other than myself, all male: Jirobo, Kidomaru, Kimimaro, and Sakon.

Jirobo (I refused to call him by his proper name; 'fat ass' worked well) was a fat, mohawked, overly-strong bastard and really good at roughing people up. He was the main assault tank of our group, sticking close to Orochimaru when things got out of hand. When he wanted to, the kid could lift a semi and swing it like some sort of giant baseball bat.

Kidomaru was an arrogant prick, but good at strategies. He was also my roommate. The guy could procure two extra sets of arms—eight limbs in total—and liked to leave gooey trails of webbing behind him. I once threatened to splatter his guts all over the wall of our apartment, rolled up newspaper in hand, when he decided that it would be funny to stick all of my fucking furniture to the ceiling.

Kimimaro was my favorite teammate, simply because the guy was quiet and kept out of my way. He was pale as death and had a thing for make-up, but who am I to judge? He had some weird shit done to him when he was a kid and could wield his bones like weapons.

Then, there was Sakon. Or, should I say, Sakon and Ukon—it really depended on the day and their mood. The brothers shared a body and, on occasion, they would separate, making it rather uncomfortable for the rest of us.

Sakon was a violent fucker who enjoyed toying with his targets before ending them messily. His voice was deeper than his counterpart's. Ukon liked to make things quick and easy—whether it was a fight, a conversation, or dinner. He was quieter than Sakon, but a helluva lot scarier.

When he wore a hood, you couldn't even tell the male had a second head.

I myself simply like music; I'm pretty good with a flute, if I do say so myself. My melodies ranged from breathtaking to downright deadly, each carefully chosen note working into the ears of my targets for a different effect. Insanity, hallucinations, pain—you get my drift.

Basically, we were a destructive bunch of circus freaks. And I was sick of it.

Sick of fighting.

Sick of following orders.

Sick of all the fucking people I had grown up with.

I needed out and I needed it now because sticking around was driving me crazy. Not that I was very sane to begin with…

I shifted nervously, my mind desperately trying to find a reason to leave. 'You never know until you try', remember?

So why was trying so damn hard?

First thing I did when I came home sometime around five AM this morning was take a hot shower. A long hot shower. It may strike you as weird (being in a gang and all), but I hated feeling dirty. Then it was off to see the boss…

"Yo, Tayuya, why're you just standin' there like that?"

I flinched, stepping away from the metal door. The door to Orochimaru's quarters. He owned the entire building and saw it fit to hole himself up on the top floor in the biggest—not to mention nicest—room.

"None of yer business, Fatso. Isn't it a little too early to be stuffing your face?"

He bristled. "My name's Jirobo, Tayuya. Isn't it a little too early to be such a bitch?"

Whoa! When did he grow a pair?

Before I could insult Jirobo further, a low, irritated voice hissed, "It's far too early for either of you to even be within my range of hearing."

We shared a look and the fat ass smirked as he lumbered past me, leaving me to face the boss' wrath.

"What do you want, Tayuya? Make it quick."

The door swung inward and I swallowed, stepping into the darkened room. The male kept a fire going no matter how hot it was and his room was absolutely stifling today. In the light the fireplace afforded, I could see his narrow form as he sat up in bed.

I couldn't help but stare: he was in great shape for a man his age—how old was he anyway?!—and quite attractive despite alarmingly sallow skin. His hair was black as ink, falling into narrow eyes that narrowed further with annoyance.

"Well?"

It took me a moment to realize I had been staring and I bowed my head, feeling blood rush to my cheeks.

What was it about this man that made me act this way?

"Remember when I joined the Otogakure? I was just a kid… Broke, scared and alone."

"And now look at you," Orochimaru said. Was that pride in his tone? "One of the best. There are people who would kill to be in your position."

Literally.

"Yeah… that's why I needed to talk to you."

Narrow eyebrows raised—an invitation (or perhaps an order) to continue.

My mind stuttered over what I was going to say before finally settling on: "Look, it's been great, but I think it's time for me to move on. Get out and try something new, ya know?"

Inwardly, I cringed, but it was the truth, plain and simple. I wasn't exactly sure where my sudden unrest was coming from, but being in the Otogakure just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Orochimaru was silent. He let me sweat for a good sixty seconds before he said, "Let me get this straight. You want to leave the Otogakure. Indefinitely."

Geez, the way he said it made it seem as though I was committing a crime. Funny considering being a part of the gang was a crime unto itself…

"Yes, sir. I… I don't think I'm cut out for this."

Bullshit. If I wasn't the best, then I was second best (Kabuto, Orochimaru's right-hand man probably took the best subordinate title). Either way, the Otogakure needed me and I knew Orochimaru wouldn't let me go without a fight.

"I hear you did well yesterday—took out twenty by yourself."When I didn't say anything, he growled, "If any of the others are pushing you into this, I'll have his tongue cut out. Just give me a name."

Who did he take me for? It was impossible to keep all of the annoyance out of my tone, "No one is pushing me into this. This is my choice and my choice alone."

The tension was almost tangible.

I was shocked when Orochimaru sighed and said, "It's a shame to be losing one of our best, but I suppose it can't be helped."

My jaw dropped before I could catch it. Snapping my mouth firmly shut, I bowed (it killed me to do so, but I was so damn grateful…!) my face horizontal with the floor (a new record.) "Thank you, Orochimaru. For everything."

"Yeah, yeah. Get out of my sight."

I straightened, turned, and fled the room as quickly as I could without it seeming like I was hurrying. I needed to pack my things to make sure that this was real—to make sure I was really out of here.

--x--

"So our caged bird has gained the ability to think for herself and wishes to fly." Orochimaru murmured once Tayuya's footsteps faded. "Shame; I actually liked the girl… Kabuto?"

In a plume of smoke, a bespectacled young man appeared, kneeling on the floor. His head was bowed; the short silver hair that covered it gelled into spikes. "Yes, sir?"

"Tayuya is of no use to us any longer. Dispose of her and replace her."

Kabuto looked up, expression neutral, "Slow and painful torture, sir?"

"Must you ask?"

That brought a dark chuckle. "No, I suppose not."

He disappeared in another plume, leaving Orochimaru to his thoughts.

Only one other member of the Otogakure had ever left without seeing the inside of a body bag, and the man was proud of that record. The woman had been very much like Tayuya—both in battle prowess and personality—so it was no surprise that she would want to leave just like the other girl had.

We never did find her… Perhaps the search should start anew?

"A shame indeed."

--End Chapter—

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