That was the worst day of my life. The ceremony was short with only the basics to officially bind us as husband/wife…if you want to call it that. We drank the ceremonial sake together. It seemed as if each of the nine required sips signified each of the nine miseries I was entering: pain, hate, slavery, numbness, coldness, neglect, abuse, shame, and loss of identity. Reluctantly, I spread the fan in my obi to traditionally bless our marriage with happiness…that'll be the day. When it came for the bridal kiss, I merely turned my head in disgust and glanced down at my kimono which was far from proper attire for a bride. Fingers like stone slid over my shoulder and around my neck slowly. I felt stone lips against the corner of my mouth in which I simply closed my eyes and shuddered. His chilly breath washed over my cheek like a winter wind and ran my blood cold.
The Sound ninja dissipated shortly after and I merely followed Orochimaru in silence as he walked back towards the house. The chilly band of gold around my left ring finger would not cease to remind me of the past hour.
After awhile, Orochimaru decided to turn around, but I didn't look at him. He stopped and simply stared at me and I could feel the weight of his viper's gaze bearing on my head like boulders. "You have nothing to be down about. Tomorrow we will begin your training."
I jerked my head up. "But I can't become a ninja! You know I-" but I was quickly cut off by him grabbing my hand, pulling me right against his chest and covering my lips with his finger.
"But you do have an energy running through your veins just like I do. You can use that energy…you just don't know it," he said, his scentless breath washing over my face. "You'll become a different kind of ninja."
"I belong to the Hidden Sand Village, Orochimaru-sama," I said.
"Not anymore. You belong to the Hidden Sound Village now," he said, turning away to continue down the road. I closed my eyes, sighing in agony. I had just been severed from my own family, clan, and village. This meant that would probably never see Akemi or even my mother again. I felt like a ronin; a wandering, aimless samurai without a sword or say. The worst part was that I was alone with this beast.
Each step grew heavy and with the growing slowness, I could almost feel my soul's heart dying. As my steps slowed upon seeing the house again, my heart began to die slowly. There was no life support to keep it beating and as I stopped right at the doorway of the house, my heart died into empty gloom. Kabuto wouldn't be able to do anything about this cardiac arrest.