Kasumi: OMFG, AN UPDATE!!

Yeah, so this was a much needed thing. I'm terribly sorry to anyone that actually read the first chapter, I feel really horrible. But when I started the new school year, I didn't really realize how much of a toll my first two AP classes would take on me, and in addition, I just had no inspiration to write. Well, that, and I couldn't think of a good song to give to this chapter. It took me about thirty minutes of racking through my brain just to think of "Unwritten", no lie. To tell you the truth, I finished a one-shot songfic that takes place before the sequel and maybe a year or two after the time line of this story. Think of it as the bridge to a totally different timeskip plot as opposed to the original. The sequel - and its ending - are already in planning as well, which is horrible seeing as I have only JUST put out the second chapter to this story.

But anyway. That's enough of that.

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the original story of Naruto, which includes its characters and plot. I derived the elements of my plot from there, and all of the characters you recognize from the series belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own Chii and anything and belongs to her and stuff like that.

The Power Of Sound
Chapter Two: The Rest Is Still Unwritten

"I am unwritten
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned..."
"Unwritten" - Natasha Bedingfield

Chii fell back onto her bed to catch sight of pale skin that looked nearly translucent in the moonlight and long, flowing black hair coupled with a slender and toned body and golden snake eyes.

"Orochimaru-sama…" Chii whispered. "But how did you-"

"I lied. I came back earlier than I expected, but I told them to keep my arrival quiet. I wanted to…surprise you." Orochimaru explained, smirking a little.

Chii could feel Orochimaru's eyes washing over her body, analyzing her. She felt her face warm up, feeling naked in his gaze and presence.

As Orochimaru came closer to her, Chii tensed her body, still feeling vulnerable. After all, he was one of the Legendary Sannin; who wouldn't feel at least the slightest bit intimidated? Maybe she was just feeling especially frightened around him because Jiraiya and Tsunade were a little more easygoing and she was used to being around them.

Orochimaru laughed softly and said, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to know more about my new student. Why choose Sound when you're so accustomed to Leaf?"

"Well…I guess…I always liked music. And the way everyone around here moves is so graceful. It's not only an art, but a technique on the battlefield. The most aesthetic in the whole compound. And that's what makes it a great distraction as well." Chii said timidly.

"Hmm…they taught you well in Leaf. You're very analytic." Orochimaru commended her.

"T-thank you…" Chii stuttered.

Orochimaru laughed again. "I told you, there's no need to be so nervous." Then he checked the time. 11:45.

"I should leave now. I have things to do and you don't want to be late for your first class tomorrow."

He left and Chii let out a deep breath, one that she felt like she had been holding for centuries. She had spent time with some of the most powerful shinobi, but Orochimaru just made her a bit unsettled.

She yawned. 'I'm really tired…must've been all that partying I just did…hehe…'

And so Chii fell back on the pillows and slept.

"Chii nee-chan…onee-chan…PUDDING CUP." Kabuto said firmly, trying to wake Chii up.

Chii shot upwards from her sleeping position and glared at Kabuto, who was on the opposite side of the room to escape her wrath.

"I'm sorry. But I had no choice. I didn't get a chance to give you your uniform last night, your first class begins at 8:30, and you need at least a little bit of breakfast before then." He explained, fear still a bit evident in his eyes.

"…What time is it now?" Chii asked in half sleepiness and half irritation.

"Uhmmm…7."

"Well fuck me sideways…" Chii muttered. She climbed out of bed and stretched, sighing in satisfaction as she did so. Then she looked back to Kabuto. "So…uniform." She said.

"Oh, right." He replied. He presented a pile of neatly folded clothes from behind him as she walked over to the bed. One by one he unfolded them all and showed them to her. At first glance Chii could see that everything was in a black, silver, and violet combination of color, a representation of the sector's colors.

"Okay, so first, we have this." Kabuto said, holding up a strapless corset like top. Chii took it from his hands. The material had a smooth feel to it and between her fingers she could feel that it wasn't simply made of boning and satin. There was another material inside the actual corset that Chii estimated at maybe ten centimeters (give or take a few) thick, possibly to protect her from any small weapons. She nodded, and Kabuto went on. As she examined it a bit more, massaging it in her small hands, the boning was also made of a flexible material to allow her to move more fluidly while in it.

"This is what you'll be wearing over that." Kabuto said to Chii, holding up a jacket with quarter length sleeves. It had a collar and a zipper and on the back was a musical note, alerting people that she was a Sound Sector student.

"Then these…" He held up a pair of form fitting pair of capri length pants, made of what looked like a flimsy material. She scrunched up her nose a little and murmured, "They don't seem very practical to me." They didn't seem fit to be used in any type of combat situation.

"It's for simplicity of movement. They should be about the same length as the pants you usually wear, but they adjust better to your shape." Kabuto explained. "Everyone's uniform is different, depending on observed battle styles, the way they move, things like that.

"And…" Kabuto held up a pair of simple black pair of flats with a strap on them. They had a slight heel on them, and Chii even thought they were a bit unsensible as well. She raised her eyebrow at him and he said, "Check the heel during a training session one day."

Kabuto laid the clothes down on the bed and started towards the door. He reached out for the doorknob before turning around quickly. He dug around in his pocket and said, "I almost forgot this."

He threw a Sound headband to Chii, who caught it swiftly. She held it delicately in her hands and smiled to herself. She finally belonged somewhere, and this was the item that reminded her of that. As Kabuto left her room she called out, "Thank you!"

Kabuto put a hand up in acknowledgement before closing the door behind him. Chii placed her clothes down on the bed and let out a long breath, still tired from the party last night. She looked at herself in the mirror and flinched, giving herself and disgusted look. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were slightly red and puffy. There were dark circles forming under her eyes as well, and her clothes were all wrinkled. 'Uhmm…I think shower time would be nice right now…' She thought to herself.

Chii was wearing her whole uniform by now after getting out of the shower, but not how it was supposed to be. Everything was definitely on right, but the corset was giving her problems. She couldn't get the laces in the back tight enough and tied correctly that it would stay secured around her torso. At one point, she tried bending backwards and she was able to get a fuller grip around herself but she fell flat on her bottom. She grumbled and sat there, feeling defeated.

"Why did they give me this stupid thing anyway…" Chii muttered angrily.

"Need some help there sweetheart?" A voice called from the window. Chii turned her head and saw Anko.

"If you could?" She asked meekly, turning at the waist slightly to reveal the untied laces of her corset.

Anko laughed and pushed the window open, jumping in. She knelt down behind Chii and took the laces into her hands, pulling on them hard. Chii choked a little and stuttered, "C-can't breathe…l-less tight p-please…"

"Oops…sorry…" Anko loosened her grip and Chii took a deep breath in. "Okay. That's something I can live with."

Anko tied the laces together and helped Chii up off the floor as she stood up herself. Chii bent at the waist to both sides and then back once more to test the flexibility of the boning in the corset. As she righted herself, Anko merely stared at her and asked, "How the hell do you move in that thing?"

"The boning is flexible." Chii replied as she pulled on the jacket. She turned in front of her friend and asked, "So? What do you think?"

"Pretty nice."

"Thanks." Chii bent over a bit and tugged at the cuffs of the pants stopped just above her knees. "My calves definitely feel a slight chill though."

"Relax, they're only a bit shorter than what you're used to."

"True. Now for the finishing touch…" Chii took the headband and examined it for a bit until deciding that she was going to tie it around her neck. When it was secured, she went to the door and put on her shoes.

"Are we gonna go get breakfast now?" Anko asked. "I'm starving!"

"You're always starving." Chii remarked with a light laugh. "Come on. Here's to my first day of being a Sound student."

When the pair reached the doors of the mess hall, Kakashi greeted them. "Good morning Chii, Anko."

Chii gave him a wave and then showed him her brand new Sound headband with a big smile on her face as if she were a child with a new toy, or Naruto and Sakura when they got their headbands from Leaf. The plate on the headband gleamed in the morning sun, reflecting its owner's current disposition. Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask and patted her on her head.

"Sensei, aren't you-oh, Chii nee-chan!" Naruto had come out of the mess hall to come find his teacher when he saw Chii there as well.

"Sweet headband!" Naruto exclaimed, taking note of the shining plate with the musical note etched in the center. "It would be cooler if it were Leaf though…" He murmured, pouting slightly.

"Awwh, don't be like that Naruto. I'll still see you and everyone else every day." Chii said, trying to give him some sort of consolation.

"Speaking of everyone…I'm heading inside to avoid this mess…" Anko muttered darkly before walking inside the mess hall. Chii raised an eyebrow at her as Kakashi sighed and Naruto's eye started to twitch. She turned around and her own eyes grew wide.

"Oh dear…" She murmured.

Two figures were coming up the hill, and even among all the green she could make out the color of their clothing. They never blended in with their surroundings.

"Kakashi!" The taller silhouette yelled, waving his arm frantically as he caught sight of the silver-haired Jounin. "Come my student; we must not let the power of youth go to waste!"

The two people came running quickly down the hill, looking as if they were tumbling down it. As they neared the three, Chii squeaked in surprise and stepped to the side. It was just enough so that she wasn't run over, but Kakashi was. All she could see was a blur of green. She looked over at Naruto who was looking over at her. Then they both turned to where Kakashi had been standing, for he had disappeared. Looking down, he wasn't there as a flattened version of himself. The two looked back up at each other again, but with raised eyebrows.

"Up here."

Chii and Naruto looked to the roof and there he was, waving down at them. They both mouthed "Oh" in understanding and then turned to look at Gai and Lee, who had ran themselves into the wall on either side of the doors to the mess hall.

"The power of youth will never cause pain!" Gai's muffled voice yelled.

Chii, Naruto, and Kakashi all had sweatdrops on their foreheads. Then Chii decided to go inside and get a quick breakfast of rice, grilled fish, and some hot oolong tea. She sat with Iruka and Genma, who were halfway through their meals.

"Morning. How was your first night over in Sound?" Iruka greeted Chii after he finished chewing.

"It was nice. Quiet, but it's easier to fall asleep." Chii bit her lip, wondering if she should fill them in on Orochimaru's surprise visit. She decided against it though because it didn't seem very important.

"Nice uniform. But how do you move in that corset thing?" Genma asked, looking over her.

Chii knew Genma was looking at more than just her new uniform; they had dated at one point in the past. There was no bad air between them and they had never gotten as far as sex but he could still feel his eyes as if they tried to pry through the fabric of her clothing. She answered seriously anyway, not wanting to bring anything up or start any merciless teasing.

"The boning inside is flexible. Kabuto kind of described some of the choices to me, but he said it'd be better if I just experimented with it myself." She explained. Genma just nodded before turning back to his meal.

"So how are you feeling for your first real training session in a specific battle style Chii?" Iruka asked.

"To tell you the truth, I'm actually kind of nervous. I'm kind of mixed. I'm psyched, but at the same time I wonder if I'm gonna regret not choosing Leaf because I've been hanging out here for so long."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine. Orochimaru-sama may be quite pleased that you at least have background training."

'If only you knew…' Chii thought as she remembered once again the events from last night.

"CHII!" A booming voice called only from a few feet behind her. She turned to see Jiraiya all smiles as he came to sit with her, Iruka, and Genma. "I hope Orochimaru's not planning to give you a hard time on your first day." He said.

"Ehh?" Chii raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" He lowered his voice. "I overheard that he's thinking of taking you in as a personal student since he first trained here in Leaf. Something about it's about being on the same page and making sure you don't lose the knowledge you gained here or something."

Chii dropped her eyes back down at her food as she took another fight. She would definitely be honored if Orochimaru would take her in as his own student. Besides, it would be just like having those special training sessions with Tsunade and Jiraiya granted to all the Jounin, just as a regular kind of thing, right?

At that point, Chii decided to check the time. It was 8:15. She downed the rest of her tea and what was left of her breakfast before getting up.

"It's time for me to go. Don't wanna be late for training!" She waved goodbye to the group as she walked out of the doors of the mess hall and back to the Sound Sector.

Kasumi: So there you have it, the second chapter. Truth be told, with all the time I put into this - and I really did, even though it took a really long time to get over my uninspired period - I don't think this is a really great chapter.