Chapter One: Shizuka
Several years later...
"Shizuka-sama!" Sakkon called, dodging a speeding kunai. "Shizuka-sama, we should stop!"
No... I'm not through.
"Orochimaru-sama will be angry if we do not come back soon!" he protested, jumping back to dodge a few Shurinken.
I don't care. He won't be angry with me.
"But he'll blame me!" Sakkon ducked behind a tree. "Shizuka-sama, please! It's almost dark!"
I welcome the dark. Come out.
"Shizuka-sama, for the love of all that is abnormal," Kidoumaru shouted from where he was perked in a nearby tree. "Let's just go back! We can come back tomorrow!"
I don't want to.
Shizuka-sama is being a bit bratty, Kidoumaru thought.
I heard that.
Kidoumaru gulped. Ever since Shizuka had learned how to connect her mind to those around her, making speech possible, she could listen to their thoughts without them knowing it. It was unnerving.
Shut up, maggot. Shizuka jumped up onto the tree before Kidoumaru, though staying in the shadows; he couldn't see, her, but could faintly feel her presence. I'll do as I please. Just any of you try and stop me.
Kidoumaru gulped as she stepped into a ray of moonlight, illuminating her pale features. Long, black hair fell past her waist, in sharp contrast to her pale skin. One of her eyes were black; the other looked like Orochimaru's, yellow and snake-like, with a dark line surrounding it. For clothes, she wore a black, sleeveless dress with slits running up to her mid-thigh, and her Sound Nin head protector around her waist. Her legs underneath her dress were covered in bandages for decoration; because she was prone to be bored, the bandages bore the signs of doodling. She would have been pretty if she didn't always look so annoyed with everyone.
The undeniable truth was that, unfortunately, Shizuka was disgustingly spoiled. She was always given whatever she wanted, no matter what, and was always favored and doted upon by Orochimaru. She was hardly ever left alone, either; Sakkon, the strongest of the Four Sound Nins, was almost always in her company, as a bodyguard, and, even though she ordered him around mercilessly, he secretly enjoyed being around her. If she wasn't being a brat, she was quite easy to get along with, and usually stuck up for him if she got him in trouble with Orochimaru (which happened at an alarming frequency).
Usually.
The other times, if he made her do something against her will, such as going back inside when she didn't want to, she would let Orochimaru yell at him, and wouldn't forgive him until he was nice to her again. She could be annoying like that. However, Sakkon considered himself lucky. Compared to the other three, he had it easy. Kidoumaru she out-right hated. Tayuya she put up with. Jiroubou she was annoyed by. She mocked them, abused them, got them in trouble, lied about them, belittled them and berated them. Sakkon, however much she pretended to be annoyed by him, had something of an influence on her, and, if he asked her nicely enough, five times out of ten could get her to do what he asked.
We're going home, she informed them, turning away. The moon has destroyed the shadows. Come, Sakkon.
He bowed and jumped away from tree to tree after her.
Kidoumaru sighed and starred at the heavens. "Why me?"
I heard that.
Later...
"This is unacceptable," Orochimaru growled, glaring at Kidoumaru and Sakkon, who stood before him. "What would you have done if someone had attacked?"
"We would have defended Shizuka-sama," Sakkon mumbled. "With our lives."
The four of them were in Orochimaru's laboratory, a dimly lit room whose walls were lined by shelves crammed with jaws and scrolls. Off to the right side was a long table, were Orochimaru kept, as Shizuka referred to it, his 'chemistry set.' To the left, there was another table with shackles and chains. Owing to the fact that Orochimaru was not an ideal father, when Shizuka had been younger, it was on this table he had let her nap when he was working, or kept her for a time-out, if he could ever bring himself to give her one. After a while, however, she had grown used to the chains and would play with them and tie them into knots when she got bored, and Kabuto, pointing out that time-outs were not supposed to be a fun occasion (and the fact that they could never get the knots undone), had suggested they change her position. After that, she got her time-outs on his large, wooden chair (which she secretly enjoyed playing with but would never tell anyone, mentally or physically).
Orochimaru scoffed, passing a hand over his forehead. There were a few moments of silence, during which Shizuka shifted slightly on her perch on the arm of Orochimaru's chair, where he often had her sit. She gave Sakkon an apologetic look, but he didn't see it; he was starring at his feet in shame. It was as he had said before; Orochimaru blamed him because he would not blame her.
Next to Sakkon, Kidoumaru clenched all six of his fists nervously. He knew Shizuka would defend Sakkon, sooner or later, but him she would leave hanging to dry. She never defended him, and often pulled Sakkon away so that Kidoumaru could take all the blame.
It wasn't Sakkon's fault.
Dammit, I knew it! Kidoumaru groaned inwardly.
"Shizuka-kun, please, don't inter—" She cut Orochimaru off.
I didn't want to come back, and I made them stay out. They wanted to come back.
"May I ask what was so important?" Orochimaru asked, chuckling slightly.
Shizuka said nothing.
"Shizuka-sama is creating a new Jutsu," Sakkon provided boldly.
"What sort of Jutsu?" Orochimaru asked suspiciously, though he looked slightly proud.
"She has discovered a way to melt into shadows," Sakkon answered. "And can attack without detection. There are only a few more things she needs to work out, then it will be perfect."
"That's good." Orochimaru smirked at Shizuka. "You are my child, after all."
I'm going to teach it to the Five, she answered, twirling a few strands of dark hair around her finger. I think it could be an excellent ambush technique for the Plan.
Orochimaru chuckled. "You amaze me, Shizuka."
I want to go back out, though, she continued, after receiving a nod from Sakkon. Sakkon will accompany me. I know how to improve the Jutsu, and I want to do it now, before I forget.
Orochimaru glanced from Shizuka, to Sakkon and back again. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. Do what you want." He waved his dismissal. "But," he added, glaring at Sakkon, "if she comes back with so much as one scratch on her, I will personally make sure you can never move so much as an inch again, understood?"
Sakkon nodded, bowed, and followed Shizuka outside. "Where to, Shizuka-sama?"
She shrugged. Somewhere where the moon can't hit.
"The caves?" he suggested, jutting his thumb over his shoulder to the mountains. "The moon can't hit if you go deep enough."
She nodded. That'll do fine. You have the light?
He nodded, pulling a candle out of a pocket sewn on the inside of his shirt.
Good. She jumped away towards the mountains.
Orochimaru's head quarters were built in the shadow of a towering mountain, sheltered by trees. Unless one was aware of where the head quarters were, it was impossible to find unless you covered every single speck of forest. About fifty feet up the mountain were a series of tunnels and caves in which Shizuka and the Four used to play when they were younger. There was one large tunnel, about a hundred feet long and ten feet deep, from which all the other tunnels branched. It was in this main tunnel that Sakkon and Shizuka settled.
Sakkon bent down, setting the candle in the middle of the room and, using the Fire-summoning technique, created enough flame to light it. Shadows danced across stonewalls, floor and ceiling of the cave. "Alright. It's set." He stood next to the candle. "What do you want me to do?"
I want to see if you can attack me while I'm concealed.
"But you heard what Orochimaru-sama said," he protested and she went to stand next to the wall in a particularly shadowed region. "If you come back with s—"
What's the big deal? Ma will heal me, and no one will know anything.
Sakkon sighed. "Kabuto-san went to the Hidden Leaf for a data-collecting session."
Then I fell down the mountain.
"Orochimaru-sama won't believe that!"
Do you want him to cut you into tiny bits?
"..."
It rained last night. The mountain is still slippery, isn't it?
He sighed. "Very."
And we trained for so long, and I beat you up so much, we couldn't just jump down.
He rolled his eyes, knowing where she was going with this. She always practiced lines with him so he could lie to Orochimaru. "Oh, yes, ouch, oh, my arm, my leg," he said in a monotone.
So, I tripped.
"I highly doubt this will work."
It worked last time.
"No, it didn't. You got me in trouble."
Flashback
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang off the cave walls.
Sakkon jumped away, panting slightly, a kunai in each hand. Shizuka jumped in the opposite direction, a kunai in each of her hands. Tayuya, Jiroubou and Kidoumaru sat against the cave wall, watching.
"I call winner," Tayuya announced as the two engaged in another attack.
"I already called it," Kidoumaru announced. "You came too late."
"Too fuckin' bad for you, spider-brain, I call winner," Tayuya snapped.
"Tayuya," Jiroubou began, but she hit him across the head.
"Shut the hell up, fatass," she snapped, turning back to the fight as the two fighters jumped away from each other again.
Sakkon gulped as he felt a tugging at his lips. A moment later, a girl's voice erupted from his throat. "You're not taking me seriously, Sakkon!"
In his own voice, he answered, "Of course I am, Shizuka-sama."
The girl's voice came back again. "Then why don't you try to hurt me? You've had several chances!"
Kidoumaru grimaced as, to an outside mind, Sakkon had a conversation with himself. "I still can't get used to that."
Shizuka turned to glare at him, and Sakkon's mouth opened again. "Shut the hell up, you maggot! I swear I'll have Ma rearrange your arms like a pretzel!"
A few weeks before this scene, Orochimaru had perfected a Jutsu connecting Shizuka's will to speak with Sakkon's vocal cords, and had even given her her own voice. Shizuka could speak when she wanted, so long as Sakkon was within ten feet of her. Otherwise, her will couldn't reach him. This was one of the reasons why she and Sakkon were always together. The other reasons were that, first of all, Sakkon was the only one strong enough, the second oldest, at sixteen (Jiroubou was seventeen), to have enough of Orochimaru's confidence to be able to protect Shizuka. The other was that they simply enjoyed each other's company.
Sometimes.
"I can't hurt you when I'm supposed to protect you," Sakkon pointed out, jumping to the side as she threw several shuriken towards him.
"Then pretend I'm someone you hate, and imagine me saying something that offends you, and attack me!" she ordered, Sakkon's lips moving against his will again.
Sakkon sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think of someone who annoyed him. It didn't take long.
"Come on, double-shithead!" Kidoumaru called, leaning back on his back two arms. "I want to fight Shizuka-sama!"
Sakkon growled, clenching his fists around the handles of his kunai. "Shut up, Kidoumaru!" he shouted, running at Shizuka.
"Sakkon!" Jiroubou, the wanna-be peacemaker, shouted in warning as the lavender-haired Shinobi drew his kunai back, preparing to attack.
"Crap." Tayuya sighed and starred at the ceiling.
Shizuka looked down at herself. She had managed to block one of the kunai, but the other had slashed across her chest, cutting her shirt, briefly exposing a band of pale flesh before bleed seeped up. Her eyes snapped back up to meet his.
"Dammit, I'm screwed," he groaned, stepping back.
"We are so screwed," Kidoumaru said at the same time.
"KABUTO-SAN!" Jiroubou shouted, running down the face of the mountain, flaying his arms.
Tayuya had no comment.
Shizuka glared at Sakkon, plopping down on the ground and turning away from the two boys to examine her cut.
"Sorry," Sakkon mumbled, moving to stand behind her. "Can I see?"
His lips twitched. "Pervert!" She backhanded him with a blood-covered hand.
"I just wanted to help..." he muttered, going to sit some distance away from Tayuya, since they were not on speaking terms at the moment.
Jiroubou returned shortly after. "I can't find Kabuto-san anywhere."
"That's fine." Shizuka glared at her mediator. "Sakkon, give me your shirt."
He frowned. "Why?"
"Ma taught me some basic healing things, just in case. I need bandages," she replied.
"Why MY shirt?" he complained, pulling it off anyway.
"Because it's your fault," she answered, taking it and ripping it into long strips.
Sakkon gulped. "That's my favorite!"
"What the hell did you think she was gonna do with it?" Tayuya laughed mockingly.
Sakkon glared at her. "Shut up, you flat-chested bitch."
Tayuya was about to say something when Shizuka's voice snapped, "Turn around, bakas. I need to take off my shirt."
Sakkon sighed and turned to face the wall. Jiroubou repeated the gesture.
"I saw that, Ukon."
Sakkon gulped. Tayuya reached down to cover the eyes of the head resting on his shoulders.
Shizuka frowned and turned to glare at them some more.
"What now?" Tayuya looked around.
Sakkon rolled his eyes and reached over to yank Kidoumaru to face the wall, as well.
When Shizuka was bandaged and the smell of blood washed away, they headed back down the mountain, though going slow, since Shizuka was leaning on Sakkon; even though she had bandaged herself, she didn't have Kabuto's healing power. Kabuto greeted them in the foyer, where he was removing his shoes.
"What happened to Shizuka-kun?" he asked, frowning, as he stood up.
"Sakkon stabbed her," Jiroubou blurted. Tayuya promptly stomped on his toes.
"Sakkon?" Kabuto frowned at the lavender-haired Shinobi, who had Shizuka's arm between his and his brother's heads, with one arm around her waist to support her.
"Accident?" he offered.
Kabuto sighed and took Shizuka from him, letting her lean on his shoulder instead. "I'll take care of her. You four go train, it's best you're not around when Orochimaru-sama sees her hurt."
He didn't need to tell them twice.
End FlashbackOk, fine, so it didn't work that time. But he wasn't pissed for forever. Only about an hour or so.
FlashbackShizuka grimaced as Orochimaru gave Sakkon the death-threat of his life. Kabuto had healed her cut to perfection, but Orochimaru smelled the blood on Sakkon, and knew at once.
"...or are you simply incompetent?!" Orochimaru shouted, walking around Sakkon, who stood starring at his feet. "Do you not understand me when I say, 'Make sure nothing happens to her'?! Is that so hard to understand?! And then you go and injure her yourself!"
"Orochimaru-sama—"
"Don't interrupt me, Kabuto!" Orochimaru shot in his assistant's direction. "This is not the time!" He turned back to Sakkon. "Why don't you answer me?!"
Sakkon gulped when he felt a sudden violent tugging at his lips. 'Oh, shit...'
"It wasn't Sakkon's fault!" Shizuka's voice spilled forth. "I asked him to! Why don't you ever believe me?!"
"Shizuka-kun," Orochimaru began, but she cut him off.
"Shut up! Don't talk to me! I don't ever want to see you again!" she shouted, running from the room.
Orochimaru turned to Kabuto.
"She's twelve years old," Kabuto explained. "Hormones. She'll be all right in a few days. She just needs some time."
"Oh, that's nice," Orochimaru said, almost pleasantly. Turning to Sakkon, he snapped, "Find her!"
Sakkon bowed, running after Shizuka.
Elsewhere...
Shizuka scowled angrily, walking down one of the many tunnels in the mountain caves. 'Baka Orochi-daddy... baka Ma... baka Jiroubou-fatass... Baka-Sa—"
"Well, lookie what we have here," said a mocking voice from the shadows. "A nice little gem."
Shizuka whirled around. Two tall, middle-aged men stepped out of the shadows, leering at her. She gulped nervously, backing away.
"She'd make a nice profit on the market, wouldn't she?" said the one who had spoken.
"Can't be more then fourteen," the other answered, reaching out for her. "Bet that skin's nice and soft."
Shizuka opened her mouth to scream; maybe the echoes would be loud enough that someone would hear her.
No sound reassured her. Sakkon was nearly half a mile away.
"Eh?" The man who had spoken second raised an eyebrow, his hand stopping a foot away from her. "What the hell is she doin'?"
"Probably a mute," answered the other, obviously the leader. "But that's fine, mutes make less trouble. No one can hear them scream, see."
The other laughed evilly. "Then this should be easy. We should break her in, ne?"
The leader smirked. "I agree."
Shizuka backed away as the two men drew nearer, reach for her. She whimpered when she hit the wall. Slowly, the two came nearer and nearer.
'Tayuya?! Jiroubou-fatass?! Ma?! Orochi-daddy?! Someone please come looking for me!' she though desperately as the leader's hand closed over her arm, his grip vice-like. 'Sakkon!! Sakkon, hel—"
WHAM!
Shizuka's eyes widened as the sidekick was suddenly slammed against the wall across from her. The leader's hand was wrenched from her arm, and he, too, was slammed against the wall.
"Nani?!" The two held their heads.
Someone jumped in front of Shizuka. "Do not touch Shizuka-sama..."
Above Shizuka's head was a small hole, about five inches wide, that had been created when Tayuya had tried to punch Kidoumaru at Level 1, and missed. Behind the hole, the clouds fell away from the moon, allowing a thing ray of moonlight in the cave, casting silvery light on lavender hair, a plain white tunic, and a red, beaded necklace.
"...or I'll kill you!" Sakkon growled, clenching his fist before his face where they could see it.
GASP! CLIFFY! IT'S WHAT I DO BEST!
Just ask Midori.
I love you all.
Review!
Am short on time!
SAKKON IS MY SEX GOD!