Sayomi stood calmly and looked at Kimimaro lying on the floor before her, struggling for breath. "This is where you fall short. You waste chakra as if it had no limit." She knelt down and grabbed his face, making him flinch and try desperately to look away from her haunting eyes. "This was to test your progression, I would expect you would have been better at endurance battles. Apparently I haven't taught you that enough..." She harshly pushed his faced away. "Orochimaru sama wants us to start going on missions within a month. This puts us at least a week behind schedule." She stood and wiped an almost invisible sheen of sweat from her brow. "I'll admit though, you know taijutsu very well. That's good, there isn't much I can show you in that field."
Kimimaro struggled to his feet and hid a small smile. "Th- thank you, Sayomi sama. If I may ask, why is there not much you can teach me?"
"Simple." She turned away, feeling slight embarrassment rush over her. "Taijutsu isn't my strong suit. I'm primarily a genjutsu user." She turned to gather a scroll that had fallen from her pouch during their training, her hair cascading softly over her shoulder.
"Then can you teach me genjustu?" He looked at her almost eagerly. Kimimaro remembered what Orochimaru sama had said about his daughters extraordinary genjutsu abilities. He had said there hadn't been another person in the history of the five great shinobi nations who could use her Siren's song, not even the infamous Uchiha clan. The young man wanted nothing more than to once again see the full deadly force of his master.
Her eyes flashed and she faced him once more. "You can't simply want to become a genjutsu user, you have to be born one. Genjutsu requires immense chakra control and concentration." She walked over to him and brought her face close. "Not to mention the correct bloodline is helpful; my father is a genjutsu master, and he tells me my mother was as well." She brushed his cheek mockingly. "You, my dear servant, are born into a family with an interesting and powerful kekkei genkai, yet with no history of genjutsu masters." Sayomi took a step back. "Teaching you genjustu would be a waste of time."
The boy lowered his head, causing his light silver hair to fall into his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't know this, Sayomi sama." He looked up again, his sea green eyes widening very slightly as he realized something. "You said he only told you about your mother... Have you never met her?"
Sayomi snarled and struck him with full force. "What did I explain to you about being nosy?" Kimimaro slowly brought his face back guiltily. She hissed and glared at him cruelly. "That's enough for today. I'm trusting you to find your own way back."
Kimimaro whipped his head up and grabbed her arm quickly as she started walking away. "I- I'm sorry Sayomi sama, I didn't know any better!" He tightened his grip, feeling as if he let go, if she left his sight, a part of him would go with her. She turned slowly and her eyes flashed with hate and rage.
"Let... me... go..." Her tone was filled with enough venom to make even the legendary bijuu cringe in fear, yet Kimimaro held fast to her.
"Sayomi sama, I don't want you to be angry with me. It was an honest mistake, I didn't know it would offend you so much."
"Learn to keep your mouth shut. You're disposable, do you understand that?" She tugged her wrist free and swung her hand at him. He stumbled back and to his knees as her pale palm struck his cheek. She crouched and grabbed his chin. "If you ever grab me again, you WILL be killed. Is that clear?"
"Kimimaro closed his eyes and murmured, "Yes, my lady..." She narrowed her eyes and let him go.
"Leave." She roughly released her grip on him and stalked out of the room. Kimimaro watched after her and softly touched his cheek where she had hit him. He then brought it before his eyes with an invisible smile.
"As you wish... Sayomi sama..." He breathed and slowly walked out of the training room.
Sayomi slipped through the labyrinth of hallways skillfully, mumbling curses under her breath as she did. No one had ever dared to touch her like that, no one beneath her in status at least. The image of Kimimaro's face flashed through her head, causing her to yell and throw her fist into the wall. "Damn him!" She pulled her fist away, watching the blood flow from her split knuckles onto the floor, seething the whole time.
She cursed again and changed her course to the showers. "I can't let him get to me..." She murmured. "I can't show weakness..." She had been training the young man for several weeks now, and was starting to feel the same thing she had felt as his predecessor had slowly inched his way into her more private life. I was a fool to open up to anyone, especially my student... I can't make the same mistake twice... She reached her destination and quickly stripped before climbing into the stream of hot water. Soon the young raven headed girl felt her muscles relax and bleeding slow. Her eyes closed as she let the water pour over her body. Her shimmering light blues fell upon the trickle of crimson liquid that slowly ran down her knuckles and dripped into the swirling water around her feet. Fascination overtook her as she watched it slowly turn from the brilliant red to the pale coral color as it mixed with the clear fluid. It was almost hypnotizing and, in her mind, one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.
Her concentration on the red and pink swirls disintegrated as she felt the water finally start to run cold over her skin and reached for the curtain. She lowered her eyes to avoid slipping in the puddles that were throughout when she felt a strong her hand shove her back into the now icy stream of water. She quickly lifted her head just in time to see a young Otonin who had been the one to witness most, if not all of her prisoner executions, before he plunged a dagger deep into her breast. "Augh...!" She coughed and reached for the man's throat. Her grasp failed and he shoved her up against the wall.
"Let Orochimaru suffer as we have suffered." He said in a calm tone. "No longer shall his wretched Siren plague our lands." He dropped her to the floor and ripped the knife from her chest, causing the blood to flow heavily from the wound. Sayomi attempted to scream but found herself to weak to get no more than a feeble high pitched sound to leave her mouth. The man smiled ruthlessly and stepped on her throat. "Tell me, Siren, what happens when you can no longer sing?" He increased the pressure on her neck. She gagged and tried once more to emit enough sound to alert someone, anyone. The man only chuckled as her vision soon faded and the world turned black.
Kimimaro walked passed the showers, unsure of the exact area he was. "I should have paid more attention to Sayomi sama's directions..." He sighed when he heard the sound of a man laughing. An uneasy feeling filled him and he opened the door to the room it was coming from slowly. There was a man, an Otonin, standing in front of one of the running showers, his shoulders shaking as he laughed cruelly. Kimimaro looked down to his feet and saw the body of his master. His eyes flashed and narrowed; he quickly ripped a sword of bone from his shoulder and ripped the man away from her.
"What the hell-?" The assailant's eyes widened when he looked up at Kimimaro's cold, now calm expression. The man cringed and tried to pull away from his locked grip with no avail.
He held the sword to his neck. "Those who hurt my master..." Kimimaro quickly jerked the blade, slitting the man's throat and dropped him to the ground "shall die..." He stepped over the body and to Sayomi's limp form. He shuddered at the sight.
The crimson liquid was pouring incessantly from her breast; it swirled slowly down her body in the stream of water and down the drain in a spiral, no longer scarce enough to dissolve into the coral color as it had before, but instead dying the rest of the water red as it hit the blood. Kimimaro hurriedly grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it tightly around her in an attempt to stop the heavy flow. He picked up her limp body and ran through the halls, frantically looking for anything that might resemble a medical area. He found a door half open with the figure of Kabuto, Otogakure's medical ninja and Orochimaru's servant, standing over a pile of scrolls.
He was about to say something to get the attention of the silver haired man when he felt a cold hand touch his lips. He looked down at Sayomi, who's eyes were slitted open. "Don't..." her voice was faint and cracked as she forced the word out. Kimimaro's eyes widened.
"Sayomi sama, you need-" she shook her head once, feeling her body threatening once again to toss her into the darkness. She made a light movement with her hand, gesturing in the direction of her room. She looked at him almost pleadingly. Kimimaro looked up at the light coming from the door then back down at the woman in his arms. "A- as you wish..." he murmured.
The raven haired girl let out a strained sigh of relief, letting her eyes drift close as she lost consciousness once more. Kimimaro cursed under his breath and ran through the halls, clutching his young master tightly to his chest. He looked around, remembering all of the little notes he had made in his mind, all of the small details that would lead him back to her quarters. His run quickened in pace as he spotted the familiar set of doors that lined the hall, counting silently under his breath as he went by each one. He could feel her warm blood soaking through his clothes and run down his chest. After what had seemed to be ages, he stopped in front of her door. He looked around then, contemplating. His teeth gritted and he stood back and abruptly kicked open the large wooden door.
The sweet scent of orchids greeted him as he lay her on her bed, mixing with the metallic smell that was emitting from the blood that was still pooling around Sayomi's snowy figure. Kimimaro hurriedly looked around for something, anything, he could use to stop the bleed. He pulled open a drawer and, much to his shock, found a great deal of medical supplies stashed there. His hands moved frantically through the unorganized mess, searching for bandages of any sort. The soft, yet stiff material made contact with his searching fingers, which grasped it quickly as Kimimaro hurried back over to Sayomi. He stood over her and lifted her limp upper body into his arms, his eyes searching the wound. He probed over it gently with his free hands. He missed the vitals... but if the bleeding doesn't stop... he grabbed the gauze sitting beside him and wrapped her chest tightly in the coarse material.
Sayomi flinched, feeling warm hands holding her steady as her eyes slowly opened. Her vision was blurred and she felt as though the room was rotating quickly around her. As she moved her head lightly against the warm, soft yet sturdy object that she had rested it upon, she could hear the soothing rhythm of a heart beating. The hands moved from her chest to her shoulders and eased her from her sitting position; the motion only made her feel more dizzy. She struggled to remember what had happened to her. Her eyelids squeezed tightly over her silvery irises as the memory flooded back in. The clean-up boy... a knife... blood everywhere... my blood... She managed to slit her eyes open once more and glance around her. I'm...not dead... am I...?
Kimimaro looked down at her and released a quiet, relieved sigh. "Sayomi sama... you're alright..." he murmured.
Ishi...? No... not Ishi... too old... Her eyes flickered as they met Kimimaro's relaxing green ones. Kimimaro... Before she could stop herself, she reached her hand up and placed it lightly on his warm cheek. He's so warm... The young man's eyes widened for a moment then relaxed as he took her hand from his cheek reluctantly and placed it at her side.
"You must rest, Sayomi sama..." Worry filled his expression as he looked at her. The girl attempted to prop herself up with no avail.
"Kimimaro san... grab the blue vial... and the needle from that drawer..." Her voice was still weak, but calm. She moved her hand, motioning toward the medicine drawer.
He quickly nodded and went to the drawer, digging rapidly through its contents until he found the items she had requested. He walked back over to her side and started to hand them to her when she shook her head. "Sayomi sama, are these not right?"
Sayomi shook her head slowly. "They are... I can't do it myself..." she looked at him with soft eyes. "I need you to..." Kimimaro hesitated and nodded as Sayomi faintly forced out the instructions. She was feeling dizzy again and could sense the darkness that had engulfed her before threatening to return.
Kimimaro looked at her for a second then took the needle in his hands and pushed the tip into the vial. He filled it halfway then searched for the vein in her wrist that she had told him to use. His eyes softened as he calmed down a little and pushed down on the plunger, making his master wince slightly. He pulled it out quickly once the liquid was gone from the needle and carefully put her hand down.
Sayomi's eyes widened as she felt the drug flow through her blood stream, putting her cells into accelerated mitosis in her damaged areas. She gritted her teeth as the burning flooded her chest. Her hand found Kimimaro's and she grasped it tightly, relieving her stress only slightly, but enough to keep her from crying out loud. Kimimaro winced under her firm grip kept still, not resisting the contact.
After some time passed, the young kunoichi felt the burning begin to subside and she slowly released her death grip on her servant's hand, yet still keeping it enclosed lightly in hers as she passed out.
The confused boy looked at their linked hands, unsure if he should break the connection or leave it be. He sighed and decided to lower the chance of experiencing one of his master's occasional violent moods, pulling his hand slowly away from hers. A small groan emitted from the girl's lips and her face softened after a moment. Kimimaro's eyes scanned her face in wonder. She looks... so peaceful... and vulnerable... He found himself picturing what it might be like to see her in such a state while she was awake; to see her cold, silver/blue eyes become soft and gentle... maybe loving... The thought of those eyes filled with such an emotion seemed almost an impossibility...
He blushed as her body shifted lightly, remembering that she was still unclothed, save the bandage over her chest. Kimimaro quickly grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and pulled it over her body, trying to hide the blush in his cheeks. He couldn't help but feel that, somehow, she could sense his embarrassment; see his thoughts that were becoming more detailed after his realization. Sayomi lying on her side... motioning him over with a soft, enticing look in her eye... reaching out and caressing her creamy white skin... tracing the contours of her body... Kimimaro backed away from her, his eyes widening as he shook his head, as if it would force the thoughts out of his mind. He knew it was futile, he knew that what he felt for this young woman lying before him, so peaceful and hauntingly beautiful, had been with him since he lay eyes on her and had only intensified over the few months he had spent with her.
He also knew that the chances of survival if either she or Orochimaru sama found out would be near zero.
Why must you torment me so... Sayomi sama...
