The Sound of Heartache

1. Colorful Pentagram

So proud had they been to be the Five. So proud to serve one of the three greatest ninjas of the entire world. Never to disobey him, and very happy for having been chosen by him. Of all the world's ninjas, he had chosen them.

Their master was far more powerful than the five of them together, but he had still considered having them by his side. He even founded a village to gather his followers.

They were the Sounds.

Orochimaru-sama had done it all by himself. Everyone in his village was so devoted to him that they would die if he asked them to. But this devotion also came with fear. The fear of being useless to him. This was punished with a painful death. Nobody had ever made him mad or anything, but they knew well what would happen if they did. Though Orochimaru never spoke about this, it was clear.

His favorites were like his word and will to the rest of the sound ninjas. And they were six: the Five and Kabuto, his right hand. Nobody knew how this was possible, but it was almost obvious that Kabuto was also powerful and talented. Otherwise, Orochimaru-sama wouldn't have him between his best…

¤

A ginger was hiding in the bushes. She was waiting for something, maybe a sign. Around her was the forest, full of deadly creatures and tricky features. Her name was Tayuya.

Tayuya was one of the Five. She wasn't too tall, but she wasn't a midget either. She kept her red hair long and wore an odd cap to keep it from disturbing her eyes. She wasn't as strong as her mates, but she had proved to be enough to be included in the elite team – though she had been the last –. And who were the other four? Those selected by the great Orochimaru-sama.

The girl took a kunai from the little bag attached to her belt. She would probably need it, not for hurting her enemy directly, but for using it as a diversion. She knew quite well her opponents wouldn't be as inexperienced to fall for obvious traps.

Crack.

'Crap!' she thought before changing her position, getting ready for the action. If it was who she thought, this would be really hard. 'I hope it's not Kimimaro-kun…' and she remained silent, observing, waiting for a shadow to appear.

Kimimaro was the first of the Five. He was always calm and silent, but a bit too serious. His eyes were emerald green and his hair as white as snow. There was always an awe aura around him. The young man was the best of the five and the most respected ninja after his master.

Then came Sakon. This guy was rather weird, but his strength was obvious for most. He had an incredible speed and reflexes; his techniques were awesome as well. To make him look even more dangerous, a head hung from the back of his neck. This was his older brother, Ukon, who slept inside his body. Nobody knew how this was possible, but it was a fact that they worked together.

The third was Kidoumaru, probably the oddest-looking of the Five. He had not two, but six arms. His arachnid abilities and techniques were obvious. He could spit a substance similar to spider webs and use them to make weapons, capture enemies and to create shields and other types of defense. His abilities with taijutsu were never tested, though. Nobody had ever managed to get a close-range fight with him.

The fourth member was Jiroubou. He looked rather funny, with a weird haircut and his fat body. Despite his appearance, he was also very strong in battles. He could create earth barriers which drained the trapped victim's chakra. His attacks were basically earth-based, but he had also other tricks yet to be revealed…

Long minutes passed until the girl couldn't take it any more. She stood up and looked at the open spot that lied in front of her. As she expected, there was nobody to be seen.

'Maybe they've set me a trap…' Tayuya then proceeded to move carefully and almost making no sound. Now she was far from her previous spot. She was expecting a back attack, but nothing came to her.

Feeling better Tayuya stood fully, attempting to walk somewhere else, but as she lifted her right foot, the earth below her shook. "CRAP!"

She jumped forward and practically clinged to the first branch she found. The ginger tossed her kunai to the attacking spot as quick as she could, knowing that it was Jioubou. 'Stupid fatass…!'

As expected, the kunai bounced and hit the trunk of a nearby tree. Tayuya didn't stay to watch the rest, as she had to shift her position quickly to avoid being trapped. In the air she managed to see a round figure a few feet from her. Great… and she took a few shuriken. Sure that these wouldn't work at all, she aimed, still in the middle of her jump.

The star-shaped objects flew directly to the man, but he was fast enough to dodge them. He then ran to her, clearly willing to harm her. His face showed no expression.

"Jiroubou, you fucking fatass! Don't waste your time...!" the girl spat, avoiding his attacks. This seemed to affect the man, who spoke:

"Tayuya! Girls should not speak like that! I've told you a thousand times–!" a fist smashed him under his chest. Then came several kicks and to finish the combo, a strong punch on his nose. 'Gotcha!' laughed the girl.

She ran before the man could stand up again. She had been lucky so far… but she still had to reach the village.

Still running, she spotted Sakon, who seemed to be looking for someone. 'One more…' and she took some more kunais. Aiming at the man, she reminded herself that this was a tricky one…

'This is my chance!' and she lifted her right arm to toss the weapons… but a hand held her wrist.

"My, my. A bit desperate, aren't we?" a young man smiled evilly at her.

"Sakon!" she shouted "But you were…"

"My brother and I look very similar… but you already know that." And he took her other wrist.

"Fuck." She was trapped. Smiling, Sakon looked at his brother, who was coming closer and they secretly plotted a punishment for the girl who had thought she could defeat them so easily.

'Think, Tayuya! THINK!' Ukon was almost there. If he got there…

And she suddenly had an idea. Half jumping, the ginger opened her legs, giving the twins a double kick right on their stomachs.

"ACK!" Cried Sakon, letting her go and falling to the ground. Ukon didn't speak, but his face reflected pain. 'Great!' thought Tayuya. Sakon was dangerous, but Ukon was the worst, being able to fusion his body to anyone he wanted and attacking from any spot of their own.

But they weren't finished. She'd have to deal with them sooner or later…

She started running, trying to keep her distance from the brothers to figure a new strategy. As she got closer to the village, the girl noticed something was not right. It was silent… too calm.

Looking back to check whether there was somebody following her, she tripped with a small rock and fell… but never touched the ground.

'Wha?'

"Your eagerness to escape distracts you, Tayuya. You don't even realize you're falling into my traps…" Kidoumaru emerged from the woods. Two or three spiders roamed around his arms, eager to jump on their prey.

Tayuya tried to move, but her limbs were firmly stuck to the giant spider web. Her hands were free, though… but she doubted they'd be of any use if she couldn't reach her kunais or shuriken. 'Like they'll be of any use… Kidoumaru's web cannot be cut with normal weapons…' The ginger could only move her neck, her hands… and her feet.

"Fuck!" she cried as the annoying bugs got impatient on their master's arms. She hated Kidoumaru's mascots, and for a very good reason: they did whatever he told them to do and they were wilder than any normal spider. Now their little black eyes were staring at her, waiting.

'Will I always be trapped like this?' she complaint silently. She'd get seriously punished for this…

"Ok, guys. Go if you want it so badly."

"WHAT! NO! STOP!"

The arachnid man laughed as his 'friends' jumped on the desperate girl and began to walk hysterically all over her body. This made her shriek with anger and disgust. She couldn't bear those hairy little legs!

"Ha, ha, ha! Have some fun!"

"Fuck you, spider freak!" she tried to get the bugs off her. Her fast attempt of movements made the whole web shake a little, but this didn't seem to affect the annoying things. They simply went on with their constant and irritant tap-tap, like there was no tomorrow.

Tayuya could almost hear them saying 'We'll have some fun before biting you…' and began panicking. Would she ever get out of this?

The answer flew straight to her attacker's head. He dodged the projectile easily and turned around, alert. Tayuya looked at the place the thing had stabbed. It was a bone.

'Wait! That means…'

Another bony dagger came in Kidoumaru's direction, but he avoided it again. This one ended up cutting two strings of the web, which freed Tayuya's right leg.

'Holy shit! I'm lucky!'

"Come out, Kimimaro! We can have fun together!" Kidoumaru seemed eager to fight. He turned around completely and scanned his surroundings. "Want me to find you?"

"Actually, I found you." A calm voice came from behind Tayuya. She got goose bumps as the man walked past her. He didn't pay attention to her at all.

Kidoumaru mumbled something like 'fun, fun, fun!' and made himself some weapons with his disgusting web-liquid. The newly acquired daggers froze instantly and looked very sharp.

Soon, a shower of sharp objects flew everywhere, but the ninjas managed to dodge them with ease. Many of these objects cut the web that imprisoned Tayuya. The girl couldn't avoid all of them due to her situation, so she got several cuts on her arms and legs.

Finally free, she took a flute from her pocket and began to play desperately. The melody was dissonant and threatening, very much for the fight. Soon, a large body appeared behind her and the girl proceeded to give commands with her tunes. The giant jumped into the cutting tornado and made the two men stop for a brief moment.

Kimimaro didn't look in her direction, but Kidoumaru did.

"How could you…" but he was cut off by a powerful strike. The white haired man had taken the opportunity Tayuya gave him.

Half smiling, she turned around and ran as fast as she could. She knew those two would fight for a long time, since they were very strong. 'I only hope Jiroubou and Sakon aren't nearby…'

And the gods heard her prayers. She was the first one to get to the Sound Village before noon.

An hour later Sakon arrived to the gates as well. He looked slightly annoyed, but his expression changed once he saw the girl.

"Hey, Tayuya. You got away easily today. Next time it won't be that way." He smiled evilly.

"You wish." She smirked "I'm not that bad after all…"

"Oh, no. You just need some more training. Wanna train with me tomorrow?" Ukon made a choking sound at his brother's last phrase. Oh, boy. He had forgotten Ukon was always with him…

"I'm fine." She replied.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but Kimimaro arrived, interrupting his thoughts. The tall one walked past the other two and sat on a big rock nearby.

"Your time was good." He commented, closing his eyes. That was something he did often.

Soon Kidoumaru jumped into the scene. He looked beaten-up, but he was happy. The last one to come was Jiroubou.

"I got lost…" the fat man said apologetically.

"Kidoumaru, you know I HATE your spiders!" Tayuya looked at the six-armed man angrily.

"But you know, we're supposed to fight as in a real battle!"

"Sakon, give me something to eat." Ukon interrupted.

"Ask Jiroubou. He's got everything you want." His brother replied.

Jiroubou looked puzzled.

"Huh?"

And the five laughed. Then a calm chat began between them. Things like 'you've improved' and 'I didn't expect that…' were said over and over. A gray haired man came toward the group. He wore glasses.

"Kabuto-san!" the five greeted. They were in a good mood.

The addressed one looked emotionless, as usual. He looked carefully at the others and asked:

"Did you successfully complete today's training?" they all nodded. "Good. Orochimaru-sama wants you to be the best at everything, so don't forget any of his instructions." And he eyed Sakon for a split second. His glance went then from Kimimaro to Jiroubou.

Tayuya knew why he had stressed that word. They were supposed to fight as if they were enemies. No mercy. That way they'd improve their skills, theoretically.

She knew that to 'forget' an order in this case was to help a team mate or avoid him/her. She didn't like this, but Master was right. If they wanted to be worthy of his trust they'd have to do whatever he told them to. Even kill. Even attack their own buddies. Even commit suicide or a similar self-sacrifice.

"You know, there are several punishments that can make death seem Heaven." Stated Kabuto before leaving.

The girl flinched. What could be worse than death? She didn't want to know…

"Let's eat." Jiroubou nearly whined.

¤

That afternoon the Five were sitting on the ground, not far away from their village. They were waiting for Orochimaru-sama's next instructions.

"You know, it's kinda boring to be sitting here doing nothing." Complaint Sakon after a while "I wonder when there'll be some action…" and he rested his back against the tree behind him.

"If you're that bored, go train some time. We need to be prepared." Replied Kimimaro, his eyes closed. He always seemed concentrated and distant from everybody.

"You're no fun!" spat Sakon, not moving from his place "I already mastered all of my jutsus, why train more?" and he closed his eyes as well.

"…" the white haired man didn't seem to pay attention to this last comment.

A shadow moved from the branches of the nearest group of trees. Nobody paid attention as it crept closer to the group. But before it could make its appearance, Jiroubou spoke.

"Cut the hide-and-go-seek games, Kidoumaru. We need to focus." And the arachnid man fell and landed on his feet. He seemed amused at his mate's comment and laughed carelessly. This seemed to piss the fat one, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm just testing you guys. I'm bored. We've been like this since noon. Orochimaru-sama hasn't shown himself for two days!" he eyed the four people sitting in front of him "Who knows when we'll go on another killing spree mission!" he sounded rather melancholic this time, like he was missing the taste of blood. Tayuya sighed and Sakon opened his eyes.

"He's right, you know. I want to have some fun!"

"Then go train with Kidoumaru." Offered Kimimaro, still in his meditative position.

Sakon glared at him and got up. He walked in circles for a few seconds and then stopped in the middle of the circle. He looked at the only girl sitting there and called her name. She didn't react. She was watching something, apparently. Sakon followed her gaze and found the silent Kimimaro. Gosh, maybe she was looking past him…

"EH, Tayuya!" the girl finally blinked.

"Huh?" she looked at the man standing in front of her "Wazzup, Sakon?"

"Come train with me! I've just realized there's something I have yet to perfect!" and he offered his hand to help her get up. But she didn't do anything.

"Go away. I don't wanna move from here. Kidoumaru said he was bored too. Go with him." And she returned to what she was doing. This pissed the blue-haired man.

"Fine." And he went away, ignoring the six-armed guy standing next to him. "Like I want to…"

And the minutes passed slowly. It was a hot summer afternoon and there didn't seem to be much movement in the village. Everything had been too calm and silent for the team's taste. They needed to do something or they'd go mad.

Tayuya got up and yawned. Kidoumaru was right: it was boring to just sit and wait orders. She wondered how Kimimaro could stand that. He looked so self-confident… That was surely calming. He never seemed to worry about anything.

Before she could go, Kabuto showed up with his neutral expression. He was brief when he spoke.

"Where's Sakon?" He asked first.

"Unno. Maybe he went to play in the woods…" joked Kidoumaru. Kabuto glared at him before proceeding.

"Fine. Make sure he gets the message, as I won't repeat myself." Everyone fell silent, waiting. "Ok, Orochimaru-sama's been planning this for some time, as you know. We're looking for these ancient scrolls which may be very useful. There's not a single hint for their location, but we know that they are six. You are to find them as soon as possible. No flaws or mistakes will be tolerated." He looked carefully at the four people.

"But where do we begin?" asked a nervous Tayuya. The gray-haired man didn't answer immediately.

"We already have a few spies, but since you are the elite bodyguards of our master, I assume you'll be able to handle it yourselves."

Silence.

"I take my leave." And he disappeared in the shadows.

Nobody had noticed it was now evening. Time seemed to play sometimes, thought Tayuya.

"I'm hungry." Said Kidoumaru before jumping into the treetops and going away. Jiroubou mumbled something about his dinner as well and walked toward the village. That left Kimimaro and Tayuya alone. The girl became a bit nervous after Kabuto's message.

"I don't know what the bloody hell I am going to do… This seems even harder than our last mission…" and she sat on the ground, not too far away from the man. He looked at her for some time and replied:

"Orochimaru-sama chose us to take care of this task. He trusts us and he thinks we're capable of doing it. Why do you doubt that? Never lack of confidence in yourself." He knew that she hadn't spoken particularly to him, but this could calm her down. She looked up at him. He didn't change his expression, but his eyes were still looking at hers.

"I… thank you, Kimimaro…" the girl slowly got up. She smiled and added "You really know how to make people less nervous!" He didn't reply at this. Tayuya didn't mind and announced that she was heading back to the Hidden Sound Village. Without a word he looked at her go. When she was no longer visible, the man changed his sitting position. He half-smiled.

¤

Back in her little house, Tayuya checked the fridge in her kitchen. There wasn't anything left, fuck! She'd have to stop by somebody else's: she didn't feel like shopping or anything. 'Let's see… who might have something to share?' she thought, filling a glass with water. She first thought of Jiroubou, but she discarded the idea: he might not want to share his precious food… yeah. His tummy gave testimony.

Sakon eats for two, she laughed mentally. Kidoumaru sometime eats things I'm sure a normal person can't find edible… and Kimimaro… well, she didn't know the guy enough to imagine his feeding preferences.

'Kabuto-san doesn't seem the kind of person who would allow somebody to try his cooking… if he cooks.' And the girl assumed that she'd starve for that night. 'I need to get used to this: I'm sure our next mission will include traveling a lot. And it's not like we're staying in any luxury hotels or inns…'

And she went to her bed.

Outside, on the dark streets, some ninjas walked, begging for a cool breeze. This summer seemed the hottest of all.

Inside the biggest and most impressing building sat Orochimaru. His long, black hair was covering half of his face as he stared into the darkened sky. He needed those scrolls soon, but he knew he'd have to be careful. He could push his subordinates to hurry up the process, but that would be suspicious. He knew that the Konoha fools were still looking for him. They were even suspecting of his village. What a good thing they hadn't found it yet. There'd be a lot of problems if it was discovered before he could achieve his goals.

A pale finger ran through his white face. He frowned slightly.

"Kabuto." He called. The man appeared a second after.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Did you deliver my message to the Five?" his yellow eyes moved from one star to another.

"I have, but the second wasn't there with them. I told them to tell him as well." He didn't move from his position.

"Hum… make sure he knows by tomorrow." He stated, his eyes becoming unfocused. "I want all of them to begin at once."

"Yes." And he disappeared.

Again on his own, the pale man went over his plans. He didn't really need the six scrolls that early, but the sooner they were at his disposition, the better. He wanted to be sure nobody could stand against him. Not even that annoying village of Konoha. Once everything was ready…

And he laughed.

§

Yay! The first chapter of my second story! I hope you'll read and review! Please! I love to get reviews!

I've been a bit stuck with LtLA, but I'll update it as soon as possible. I'm trying to write more about fights and those kinds of things. I also wanted to write something about Naruto I love that manga! (I haven't watched the anime… yet!)

I'll also write the news on my bio. Check it if you want!

If you got any questions, just ask Thank you for reading!

RL.