Chapter IV: Of Silk and Feathers
AN: You know the deal, No Naruto for me.
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"Kakashi-senseiiiiiii…. This is boring!" Naruto whined. "Come on, come on. Get to the point already! We wasted over an hour listening to this story!"
"If you are worried about Sakura, Naruto, our ANBU members are still searching for her with the co-operation of our allies." said Tsunade as her eyes gazed fondly over the boy.
Only then did Naruto notice that while Kakashi was telling the story, the ANBU members had silently slipped out the room. He twitched.
"Ahaha, of course I knew that they weren't here! I'm not the future Hokage for nothing!" he laughed sheepishly while scratching his head.
You idiot. You didn't even notice at all. Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.
"Kakashi, if you would please continue…" Tsunade reclined. Kakashi nodded.
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Flashback
Tomoe sipped her tea and took in the slight bitter aroma of the refreshment.
"I didn't know what happened. Or why. But the next thing I knew, I was breaking through the water and then I broke surface. But I didn't stop. I was literally flying out of the water. I was naked before. Now I had on the finest garments I had ever seen. "
Kakashi's eyes widened. He had heard of stories like this before… Tomoe caught the dawning of recognition in his eyes and smiled softly.
"Mind you, I didn't grow wings. No, I was not an angel. But I had such power coursing through my veins; I had self-confidence that I lacked so previously. As soon as I reached shore, I inspected my reflection in the water."
"Imagine my surprise when instead of an average pretty girl, I found an exquisite woman!" she laughed. Her eyes clouded over with reminiscence and a soft smile played on her lips.
"An outfit made out of the finest silk I have ever felt and seen. A high-collared black shirt, pinned by a cloud brooch with writing I could not decipher. The lower part of the attire flounced in an abundance of purple, with a white rim patterned with black cranes. Most interesting of all was this encirclement of silk that hovered both above and around me and tied around my middle. I found that if I willed it, I could move that silk shawl anywhere and at anything."
"I discovered it was sharp. Dangerously so. As an experiment, I whipped the shawl end at a trunk of an enormous, healthy tree. That shawl cut that tree in half like a knife going through paper. It was absolutely incredible. Never was I so happy in my life than I was in those few precious hours… excluding my time with Sakura-chan, of course."
Kakashi's mind stumbled, trying to process the detailed information that Tomoe had just revealed to him. Tomoe went to the kitchen and brought back a jug of sake. She poured Kakashi a cup, then herself. Kakashi nodded his thanks before downing the cup.
"So you are a tennyo then." He confirmed quietly.
Tomoe nodded before pouring Kakashi another cup.
"I know that you probably do not believe me. I would not expect you to, normally. But it is for Sakura's sake that you must believe the entire story."
Kakashi frowned. A tennyo… there were, of course, legends surrounding these celestial ladies. Extremely beautiful maidens from heaven with extraordinary powers. They had a penchant for bathing in the earth's tranquil waters, and were more often than not caught that way.
Tomoe had just described her hagoromo to him, special dresses made of materials not from this earth. Hagoromos were as different to each owner as their personalities. Each hagoromo had a silk shawl designed to kill anything that would harm them. At the same time, they could grasp an egg gently without crushing it.
In history, rumors had it that certain female members of each village were a secret part of a tennyo clan. It was never proven however. But here was living evidence that there were such women. It made Kakashi wonder… How many other women were like Tomoe in the village?
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Sakura sneezed. Damn, the cold conditions of the cell weren't working well with her. She tried to move around as little as possible to preserve energy. But the food given just wasn't enough for her. She constantly had to be on her guard too. Not knowing when the enemy could destroy you was an unknown factor one could not ignore.
She looked in Gaara's direction again. He was staring at her. What? What does he want?
"Do you have something you need?" she asked in a clipped tone.
Gaara's eyes widened a fraction before his nonchalant expression settled over his face again.
"No." Then he turned his gaze away.
Sakura felt a little guilty. After all, there's no law in the world that said it was wrong for people to stare.
Still, she argued, it's a bit awkward and uncomfortable.
Hypocrite! her mind screamed. Didn't you invade his personal space last night, touching his face and all that?
That's a different story! He was sleeping! He couldn't have possibly felt uncomfortable if he was unconscious!
Pah. Just keep telling yourself that, moron. And then the voice retreated back into her mind.
Sakura groaned. God, now she was arguing with herself? She was going insane!
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Naruto's jaw dropped. Sakura's mother…was a tennyo? A celestial maiden! He looked around the room to see everyone else's reaction.
Tsunade-sama looked pensive, but not shocked. She had obviously heard this before. Sasuke…well Sasuke had the faintest expression of shock before he covered it with neutrality when Naruto caught him.
If Sakura-chan's mother was a tennyo, then technically wouldn't Sakura-chan be a tennyo also? No, she's a ninja. And that's that. Naruto nodded to himself empathetically. Still, this story was taking an awful lot of time and who knew what tortures Sakura was going through…
"Sensei, hurry up. I don't think we have that much time."
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Sakura sneezed again. Not good… already she could feel the onset of a cold. The suppressed chakra did little to boost her immune system, and she could feel her face was flushed a little with fever.
Damn it all, this is no good! I can't stay in this condition! If those guards come flying through the doors and I'm like this, I'm done for.
So what was she to do? Beg them for another bowl of soup? Not likely. She scanned over the medical journal in her mind. I have to stay warm, drink lots of fluids…
Water's plentiful, but where am I going to find heat?
Her eyes strayed towards Gaara's hunched form.
Oh gods…
Gaara traced random kanji on the sand. Nothing better to do. Why don't you go over and talk to her?
He snorted. I don't do 'talk'. Gaara noticed that Sakura was looking at him again.
"Do you have something you need?" he sneered with the same clipped tone she used earlier with him.
Sakura blushed, slightly abashed. "Actually…"
She paused, then scrunched up her face with determination. Gaara thought it was a little cute, actually. Wait. Pause. He did not think that. Alright, erased.
"Actually… I was wondering if I could receive a favor from you, Gaara-san."
A favor? Gaara-san? Hn…it must be a pretty huge favor if she's started to call me 'Gaara-san' Gaara tilted his head slightly, letting her know that he was listening.
Sakura coughed again. "I-I think I'm coming down quite a nasty cold. And I believe that it would not be advantageous in our current sitution, should I be sick and we were ambushed. So for that reason I ask…"
Gaara raised his eyebrow. Sakura cursed inwardly at herself. Just get it over with, you moron!
"What is it you want." Gaara was getting impatient, he hated waiting games. Sakura cleared her throat.
"I was wondering if you could share some of your body heat with me, Gaara-san."
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Kakashi's head was feeling slightly heavy. Drinking two jugs of sake was something he could usually handle, but with information like this…
Tomoe just quietly served him again and again, sewing a new garment for Sakura during the silence. At long last, she put down the garment and looked at Kakashi. Kakashi inclined his head, letting her know that he was ready for the next stage of her story.
"I was a tennyo. There was no doubt about it. But I knew it was dangerous to let anyone know. After all, now that I had awakened my spirit and my power, what woman in her right mind would choose to stay grounded to the earth forever? I hid my hagoromo carefully, wrapping it with newspaper so that it looked like preserved winter clothing. On the nights when I knew it would be cloudy, I took off to the skies. It was such a glorious feeling. However I was careless one night…"
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Tomoe's flashback
Tomoe flew through the clouds, laughing gaily at the bewildered look the nocturnal birds threw at her. Needing some space to rest, she glided down towards the shore of a peaceful waterfall.
That waterfall certainly looks inviting… she eyed it longingly. Ah, what the hell
She carefully took off her hagoromo and hid it underneath a bush. Then she jumped gleefully into the water. Standing underneath the waterfall, she could feel all of the day's tension just melting away.
Minutes later, she stepped out from the waterfall, wringing her hair of all excess water. It was then that she noticed a man staring at her. Suddenly Tomoe felt nervous. Defenseless.
"What's a pretty lady doing here all by herself, hmm…?" he purred to her.
Tomoe felt disgusted. "Get out of here, you sick pervert. Can't you give a lady some privacy?"
The man stepped towards her. Tomoe took a step back. "Get away from me, I said!"
Suddenly the man vanished. Tomoe ran towards the bush, desperate to try and reach for her hagoromo, when she was slammed onto the ground. She groaned.
"I wouldn't be doing that, my little lady. You have… absolutely no idea what a wet and beautiful woman moaning underneath a man does to him." A voice chuckled above her.
Tomoe struggled against him "I…wouldn't…be suggesting…that either…" he hissed.
"GET OFF! GET OFF!" she screamed.
The man licked her ear. Tomoe shuddered. "You are…the most exquisite woman I will have ever done this to." He whispered in her ear.
And then he savagely captured her lips. Tomoe could feel tears streaking down her face. Is this what her life will end to? Merely becoming another victim in this creep's long list of rapes? God…no. No.
She swiftly tried to knee him in the crotch, but the man had merely placed a palm on her leg and stopped the attack. He grinned.
"Feisty little bitch, aren't we?" She spat in his face. "I am not your bitch."
The man's face darkened. "We shall see about that." His hand trailed downwards and Tomoe choked back a sob.
"I'm going to enjoy this, my flower."
And then he thrust. Yet Tomoe felt no pain. Warily, she looked into the man's face and suppressed a scream.
A kunai was lodged in his throat.
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Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "So…you were a rape victim?"
"Almost. Not quite." She murmured.
"Aa… so what happened?"
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Blood spattered onto her face and chest. Tomoe was beginning to hyperventilate.
"What…what the hel…" the man choked on his own blood. Then his eyes grew dim and his body slumped over Tomoe.
Shrieking, she threw the man off of her. Scrambling on all fours to get away from him, she backed into a tree. She clutched at her arms and unconsciously, tucked into a fetal position.
Oh gods… Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…
Suddenly a hand was placed on her shoulder. Tomoe screamed, clawing at the hand with her nails.
"Ssh… Ssh now. It's alright." A soft voice said reassuringly.
Tomoe turned her tear-streaked face towards the voice's face. A man with golden eyes smiled down gently, and held out her hagoromo.
Sobbing, she threw herself at the man above her.
"Arigatou… Domo arigatou…." She sobbed into his shoulder.
The man was slightly taken aback. But he patted her shoulder awkwardly, then proceeded to wrap his jacket over her.
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"The day I met that man was the day my life changed forever." Tomoe whispered. "He took me to his home that night and took care of me for awhile, as I had caught a severe fever from the stress of the situation. Eventually, I fell in love with him. He was kind. He was devoted to me. He touched me in such ways that could never even dream of. It was one of the most passionate, and later, regretful moments of my life."
"He?"
"Yes. Orochimaru, the father of my child."