Rebirthing: Update II

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of 'Rebirthing.' I'm sorry that the pace is a little slow right now; I think it will pick up quite a bit once Tayuya reaches Konoha.

As you may have surmised by the chapter title, this is a chapter briefly describing the trip there. I'll also begin to flesh out the more secretive side of Tayuya.

I greatly appreciate any sort of review.

Peace out.

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…once described the purpose of pain in the form of a parable. He described a man who fought with lust, and was finally redeemed thru a process that entailed the worst pain he had ever suffered.

In a different work, he mused that:

"… the longest way 'round is the shortest way home."

The Battlefield Identification and Recovery Group was generally comprised of unlucky genins and lower-level chuunins who would usually rather be some place else. The BIRG's purpose was to retrieve corpses or severally injured personnel from a combat zone. Occasionally, the Group was also tasked with "recovering" prisoners of war, as was the case for BIRG Squad Five.

Actually, a BIRG squad being sent on this kind of assignment at all was testament to the fact that Konoha was severely short on manpower. Normally, ANBU operatives would be assigned to a prisoner-collecting mission; however, ANBU had taken severe casualties in the recent Sand/Sound invasion.

This was a source of almost endless frustration for the new Hokage. The precious few ANBU operatives now available were spread to the breaking point, primarily keeping order in Konoha (the crime rate had risen considerably thanks to the general turmoil, and ANBU had to take the place of military police) or else engaging in top-secret missions in Otogakure or (unofficially) Sunagakure.

Which left BIRG Squad Five, comprising two genins and one administrative chuunin, to "collect" the unconscious Sound-nin. Special Jounin Hayate Kaito had radioed Squad Five shortly after beginning work on the girl. The morons had apparently gotten themselves lost briefly before finally figuring out just where the hell he was. He sighed as the three flustered ninja approached him.

"The patient is ready to be transp…by the way, what took you so long? She could've died, you know, in the time that it took…" Kaito droned in an impatient voice.

The chuunin, formerly occupying a comfortable administrative post in the Hokage's office, was not used to taking crap from anyone. "I'm sorry…sir…we aren't familiar with this territory yet."

"Seeing that you are in the BIRG, I would recommend becoming very familiar with Fire Country's geography."

The chuunin nearly snarled (the accompanying genin smiled to themselves. It was good to see their glorious leader put in his place occasionally). He managed to calm himself, smiled plastically, and glanced at the prostate figure. He was a bit startled at the uniform she was wearing.

"She's a Sound-nin?"

"Yes. She was in very poor condition when I began work, and is still fragile. Please exercise caution."

"Got it…sir." The chuunin opened a small scroll and nodded. He then performed a secession of hand seals and smashed his palm against the ground.

"Summoning Technique: Stretcher Summoning!"

A prisoner-constraining type stretcher appeared in a puff of smoke. Kaito blinked.

"You…summon your stretcher?"

The chuunin nodded with an air of self-importance. "Beats carrying it around everywhere."

"Certainly. I've just never encountered that before."

The chuunin gave a worldly smile. "One up," he thought smugly. He then turned to his subordinates, "Alright boys, load her up!"

Kaito wiped the sweat from his silver hair (a trademark of the Hayate clan), before stopping the chuunin. "You might need this," he said, handing him a syringe. "It will sedate the prisoner immediately should she come back to consciousness."

"Oh yeah, thanks. But she can't move can she? I mean…"

"You may need it for…other reasons," Kaito said with a smile.

The two genin fastened the girl to the stretcher with chakra-enhanced straps that only the strongest of opponents could break. This was really a formality more than anything, as the Sound-nin was currently in no position to break out of anything.

It was fortunate that she was still unconscious, as well, or else she would have been currently describing their respective sexual perversions in lurid detail.

-----

Tayuya had very odd dreams sometimes. It's possible, she thought during one of her rare moods of introspection, that everyone has this type of dream. They have their own logic, their own ethos, their own…everything. They are almost completely indefinable in terms that humans could rationally understand.

These dreams created emotions that normally she never felt or even could feel. It was a bit like entering an entirely different world, or even a different reality. She told herself that she found this experience "as annoying as all f---ing hell," but in reality, it was these dreams that kept her alive, sometimes.

They sometimes awoke feelings of hope and joy that she could never have in her waking hours. Sometimes they were sad, but with such a sadness that was purifying. And occasionally (and these were the ones she understood least) they were painful, almost as if she was being measured against a standard that she knew she could never measure up to.

But even the pain was clean, and somehow, the universe made sense.

As Tayuya was being carried by the two genins, she was in the midst of one of the most vivid dreams that she had ever had--more like a vision, really. It was like a combination of all the others she had ever had. She was lost within the unearthly vision when she heard the music of the flute, played by with far more skill than she could muster. It was almost an unreal sound; a high and fine melody at the limits of human hearing. After a short while she heard a soft, strong voice speak:

A darkness slowly giving way

To light

A black soul inching forward

To redemption

And all that you fear

And worse

Shall come upon you

But you shall be cleansed.

But then the two realities clashed suddenly in an array of light and darkness, the song ended, and Tayuya woke up with a silent curse.

-----

Her mind was confused for a little while, but then the pain coming from her legs brought everything to an intense clarity. She noted that she was being moved.

"Where the f--- am I?" she yelled. She tried to move, noticed that she was bound, and let loose a barrage of obscenities that made the Konoha-nins wince.

The chuunin was more than a bit angry by the time she finished, panting with exhaustion. "You," he said with a smirk, "are a prisoner of the Hidden Village of the Leaf. We saved your worthless life, and I would recommend that you…"

"Oh yeah, yeah, you saved my life, you bunch of f---ing altruists. It was so you could torture the shit out of me! Listen, bastards, you think you're tough…"

The chuunin suddenly knew what Kaito had been talking about. He looked at the syringe, grinned, and then poked the needle into the girl's neck. She proceeded to curse him, his family, his ancestors, all those he loved, and all the generations that would proceed him, to the end of time.

And then she passed out.

Tayuya was being carried from the border of Fire Country and Rice Field Country, resulting a trip of three hours traveling at top speed. The chuunin, used to office-work, was badly winded and not at all in a good mood.

They were taking a break (the chuunin had professed concern about his subordinate's stamina, which was met with quite amusement on their behalf) when Tayuya woke up a second time with a quick curse. The redhead wasn't stupid, though. She realized that protesting would just get another quick stab from the f---ing needle. Damn! She hated needles. Kabuto, something of a germophobe himself, always made sure that the Sound-nins were vaccinated for everything. Fool needed to be f---ing vaccinated for horseshit, she mused bitterly. She rubbed her neck gingerly, hating needles all the more.

Suddenly, the stark realization that she had been captured struck her. She felt waves of depression crashing over her, numbing every part of her body. She knew all too well what was going to happen from here on out. She remembered a particularly brutal training session the Sound Four once had with Orochimaru and Kabuto. The purpose of the session was to resist the "interrogation" that the Sannin and his assistant inflicted upon them. Tayuya remembered that she had held out the longest (nearly going insane in the process).

After she regained consciousness, she remembered a bit of advice that Orochimaru had shared with the four. She remembered particularly well, as he hadn't spoken in his usual condescending, bemused tone; he had spoken quietly, and in dead seriousness.

"You should do all you can to end your life before being taken prisoner by Konoha. Their interrogation unit is more…proficient than most, and it is highly unlikely that you will be able to hide information. It is also highly unlikely that you will remain sane."

Of course, the worst possible thing had happened to her: she had been knocked unconscious and captured. And now she had no way of finishing herself off. Well, f—k. She sighed bitterly took a glance at her surroundings; she noticed that she wasn't moving.

The chuunin was breathing heavily and glaring at her, as if he was daring her to say something. She turned her head and looked at the two genins, who were puffing on cigarettes and chatting in low tones. One of the genins turned to the chuunin and asked "Hey, boss, we're only about twenty minutes from Konoha. Let's get a move on."

"We're moving when I say we're moving, Arata!"

"Sure, boss."

The genin shrugged and lit another cigarette. "I guess I'll check on…hey, our girl's awake again."

"She'd better keep her trap shut," the chuunin muttered.

Tayuya snarled but held her peace. No more f---ing needles for her.

To her surprise, the same genin walked over, opened a canteen and let her drink. "You smoke?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah…sometimes."

He pulled a cigarette from his pack and placed it in her mouth. "Belairs. They aren't the best, but they aren't too bad either." He then lit it.

"You hitting up on the prisoner, Arata?" his companion asked.

He smirked and Tayuya almost choked. "Jealous, huh?" he said with a grin.

It was all Tayuya could do to keep from cursing the guy out. After all, he did give her a cigarette (she didn't think it was poisoned or anything).

She couldn't figure out for the life of her why the hell he had done that. She breathed in the smoke (no, these sucked) and waited to be carried into Konoha.