Mysterious Sound

Mysterious Sound 2

Mysterious Sound: Melody II

Past

After dinner was over, Tayuya followed Orochimaru to a place that looked like a living room. She took a seat on the couch and examined her surroundings like a curious little girl. The entire structure was made of dark brown stone and the atmosphere was quite dark, with only a few candles to provide light. The couch however, was exceptionally comfortable and softer than she expected.

Of course Tayuya did know this was an evil lair and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Orochimaru was a wanted criminal. The soft couch was covered in black leather, giving it an elegant look that didn't quite fit it with the ordinary stone that was found all around. The underground hideout was just full of surprises. In such a short time she had shelter, food, allies and enemies, when she had initially expected to have nothing but death.

"Is there anything I should know about you besides that you play the flute, have dangerous temper and are a long range fighter?" Orochimaru asked.

Tayuya snapped out of her daze and looked at Orochimaru. The way he spoke about her temper made it so she wasn't bothered by his comment, it almost sounded like a compliment. "There's not much else to say, but what did you want to know?" Orochimaru was only asking so he would know what kind of ninja she would be, but that piece of information didn't currently register in her mind. She felt like she was in some kind of interview. She then noticed how casual she was being and after a pause that felt too long and obvious she added "Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru had to stop himself from rolling his eyes and laughing in good humor at her attempt to add his name with the sama at the end of her question and make it look like she intended it to be said that way from the beginning. He wasn't particularly annoyed that she hasn't said it. He just found her effort amusing because it really wasn't that much of a big deal, although he did like the sound of his name with the traditional honorific. It's not like she called him Orochimaru in a disrespectful tone, or Orochi or worse yet Oro-kun. He got mad when his underlings called him by a shortened version of his name, but that didn't mean they had to say his full name at the end of each sentence they directed at him. Her attempt and her apparent confusion at his lack of anger for her mistake were most amusing. "I want to know about your skills as a ninja."

Tayuya blinked and stared, completely taken off guard and absolutely puzzled. She was no ninja, was she expected to become one? Did he for some reason think she was a ninja?

"Is it that interesting to stare at me? Do you want a picture?" Orochimaru was half annoyed and half sarcastic, with a hint of impatience and just a tiny bit of amusement.

"Huh? What? No, I mean... I was..." Tayuya paused and collected her thoughts in a short coherent sentence. "I'm not a ninja."

"Not yet, but you will become one. This is the Hidden Sound, a ninja village. I've already determined you to be a long range fighter so you need to learn jutsus that fit in with your style. Your abilities with the flute may also prove useful. Have you thought about using them in combat?" Orochimaru asked.

Tayuya took another long stare, as if he grew a second and then a third head and possibly a forth. "Um... no," she finally answered. A flute in combat, how could that be? Was she supposed to hit her opponent over the head with it? She could think of no other practical use for a flute in a fight, maybe a distraction, but not a weapon. Then again, maybe the Hidden Sound village was called that for a reason. Perhaps there were sound related jutsus and attacks that she could learn and perform with her flute. Tayuya's curiosity was certainly sparked over the possibilities.

"In that case, you'll need some training." Orochimaru mentally went over a list of people that could help Tayuya train. "You seem to get along with Kin will enough. She can help you with your training. You'll be joining the team along with Dosu and Zaku starting tomorrow. Are you willing to give this training everything you have?"