Kuzuryu Ashiko (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sekihan) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sunshineverse2014-02-04 11:44 pm
sekihan) wrote in sunshineverse2014-02-04 11:44 pm
Entry tags:
Home Again
Where: Otogakure
When: Jan 29
Notes: Ashiko comes home to find Orochimaru’s...doing laundry? Closed and complete.
Orochimaru: Orochimaru was outside, for once, in the weak winter sunshine, with his kimono sleeves tied back and his hair twisted up in a messy bun, secured with an ivory comb. His feet were bare even in the snow, and he was vigorously beating a woven rug draped over a tree branch. Clouds of dust sailed away on the biting breeze as Orochimaru gave the poor rug a thorough beating, muttering under his breath as he did so, golden eyes narrowed.
He was deep in thought, there were currently bloodstains on the hem of his kimono, and nobody had yet said a word to him, though several Chuunin had been by with missives. They’d all taken one look at his expression and the violent rug-abuse and decided it could wait.
Hanging on the same tree were two heavier quilted kimono, one winter hanten, and another rug, all quite beaten free of dust, though in need of a washing.
It wasn’t often Orochimaru stooped so far as to do his own laundry, but he was stuck on a particularly difficult bit of work; he needed a way to conduit chakra through a seal on living flesh that did not end up corroding or melting said flesh while still activating a healing jutsu and providing enough chakra that the jutsu was effective. The theory was sound! The experiments kept dying despite his perfect calculations. He was overlooking something. One detail. What was it? What was it?
Ashiko: There were many things she expected—dreaded—to be faced with upon arriving home. Fire, flooding, explosions, screams...Oto was a shinobi village, albeit a fledgling one. Her master actually resorting to doing his own chores ranked somewhere above “Being Under Siege” yet still below “Second Era of the Demon Sandwich,” and so on. Nonetheless, once a suitably cowed Chuunin had flagged her down, still rubbing the chill from her cheeks, she had deposited the dried herbs and extracts she had been sent out for in her master’s study and then hastened to the side of the man in question.
“D-Danna-sama!” It took a lifetime of training and conditioning to be able to scurry in a thick-multilayered kimono without going sprawling, but Ashiko had undergone such conditioning, and so managed to not look like a stumbling drunkard as she closed in on her master.
She paused a respectful few feet away, cheeks flushed from both the exertion and being back out in the cold so soon. Her tabi were soaked through, and she was wringing her hands—truly, very little got under her skin, and even fewer of those things came from her master, but seeing him condescend to menial labor made the list.
Orochimaru: Orochimaru peered around the rug. “Ah. Ashiko. Home in one piece, I see,” he greeted, and gave the rug one last resounding whack. He glared at it, still puzzling over his calculations. The theory was perfect. Why wasn’t it translating?
“Did you run into any trouble on the way, doll?” It was a customary question, one he asked every time she returned. If there had been trouble, he often took steps to ensure it did not happen again.
Ashiko: “Only the usual nuisances,” she said, diligently holding back the unhappy whine that wanted to be released as he continued to perform menial labor in front of her. While her master quite possibly could systematically eradicate the perverts and drunkards of the world, it would be entirely too time-consuming and conspicuous in the long run.
“Ah—” Perhaps, if she could get his attention, he would leave the rug be for the moment? “If you’ll excuse the presumption, think that you might be far more interested in the latest of my ‘saviours’ rather than my ill luck, this time, Danna-sama.”
Orochimaru: “Oh? And who came to the rescue this time?” Ashiko was forever picking up the strangest rescuers. She was handy like that, being small and cute and perfectly presented. People never suspected she had several deadly poisons on her at all times, nor that she was trained in quite a few techniques of killing quickly for escape. Instead they rushed in to save the pretty little woman from her fate. Orochimaru had used this to his advantage, on occasion.
Ashiko: “Your previous teammate, Tsunade-hime,” she reported with a smile, easily switching over from the way she had addressed the woman herself. “And truly, Danna-sama, it was quite a stunning rescue. I believe I may have swooned ever so slightly.” There had been something primally thrilling about seeing those annoying men being sent flying. “Speaking with her afterwards was quite interesting, and she seemed to like the meal I prepared for her in thanks.”
Though Ashiko had also made certain to obtain a few bottles of the nicest sake the rustic little village could offer, so perhaps that had some bearing on her reaction.
Orochimaru: “Really, now? What was she doing in that area?” Orochimaru mused, distracted from his previous problem. He leaned around the rug to eye Ashiko again, golden eyes contemplative. He and Tsunade weren’t on the best of terms, given his penchant for taking people apart and putting them back together better, but she didn’t yet know the full extent of what he’d done.
He’d been careful to keep it that way.
“I’m glad you left a good impression - though I expect no less of you, Ashiko. Tsunade can be...finicky, at times.” Orochimaru leaned his rug-beating stick against the tree and untied his sleeves, winding the strip of cloth around his fist as he eyed the rugs.
Ashiko: “There was a festival in honor of the New Year going on, and I believe she was passing through while enjoying the festivities,” Ashiko reported. She hadn’t exactly grilled the older woman on her reasons, which was only slightly due to a brief spell of being starstruck. It would have been unseemly of her to be so demanding towards her saviour of the day; doubly so given Tsunade’s connection to her master.
“She did seem to be a woman who knew what she wanted and would not suffer anything less,” she agreed diplomatically, subtly rubbing some warmth into her freezing fingers as she spoke. Her eyes drifted to the rugs as well, and she was absolutely dying to ask what had possessed him to stoop to this. But, like a good Kuzuryu, she held her tongue.
Was she being punished for something, perhaps? Tested?
Orochimaru: “Indeed she is. And if she decides she dislikes you...well, good luck.” Orochimaru stood on tiptoe to tug the rug down. “Help me take these inside, will you, doll?”
Tsunade, seals, healing jutsu, chakra transferral….hmm. Hmm! Now that...that could work. Orochimaru stopped, rug over one arm, and stared into space unblinking as he worked the theory over again in his head.
Ashiko: “Danna-sama, please, allow me.” Ashiko simply could not take it any longer and hurried over to the tree, carefully pulling down one kimono, then the next, and then the hanten, folding them neatly over her arms with more strength than one might expect out of such a slight woman. “I can handle this much on my own—surely Danna-sama has more important uses for his time?”
Like eating. Or experimenting. Or reading. Or literally anything other than servants’ work. She loved her master, but there were some things even she could not suffer gracefully. Well. With as much grace as usual, at least.
Orochimaru: Orochimaru looked at her, and blinked. Ugh, his eyeballs had grown dry and cold. Some snake-like habits were more tolerable than others. “Hmm, yes. Here.” He passed her the rug, then stood on tiptoe to get the last rug down. It snagged. Frowning, Orochimaru jumped, pulled, and got the rug down. A flick of his hands kept it from folding over his head. He folded it, and passed it to Ashiko, his gaze gone distant again. Tucking his arms into his sleeves, he walked barefoot across the snow towards the base, muttering quietly to himself as he reworked the mathematical equations, adjusting the ratios.
Ashiko: “Thank you.” Ashiko accepted the rugs and followed after him happily, a small spring in her step despite the load weighing her down. She felt lighter and happier than she had in weeks—indeed, since she last parted from the man wandering along in front of her. She smiled to herself, watching him as something warm and gentle flickered in her chest. This was what she lived for; making her master’s life easier however she could.
It was so nice to be home.
When: Jan 29
Notes: Ashiko comes home to find Orochimaru’s...doing laundry? Closed and complete.
Orochimaru: Orochimaru was outside, for once, in the weak winter sunshine, with his kimono sleeves tied back and his hair twisted up in a messy bun, secured with an ivory comb. His feet were bare even in the snow, and he was vigorously beating a woven rug draped over a tree branch. Clouds of dust sailed away on the biting breeze as Orochimaru gave the poor rug a thorough beating, muttering under his breath as he did so, golden eyes narrowed.
He was deep in thought, there were currently bloodstains on the hem of his kimono, and nobody had yet said a word to him, though several Chuunin had been by with missives. They’d all taken one look at his expression and the violent rug-abuse and decided it could wait.
Hanging on the same tree were two heavier quilted kimono, one winter hanten, and another rug, all quite beaten free of dust, though in need of a washing.
It wasn’t often Orochimaru stooped so far as to do his own laundry, but he was stuck on a particularly difficult bit of work; he needed a way to conduit chakra through a seal on living flesh that did not end up corroding or melting said flesh while still activating a healing jutsu and providing enough chakra that the jutsu was effective. The theory was sound! The experiments kept dying despite his perfect calculations. He was overlooking something. One detail. What was it? What was it?
Ashiko: There were many things she expected—dreaded—to be faced with upon arriving home. Fire, flooding, explosions, screams...Oto was a shinobi village, albeit a fledgling one. Her master actually resorting to doing his own chores ranked somewhere above “Being Under Siege” yet still below “Second Era of the Demon Sandwich,” and so on. Nonetheless, once a suitably cowed Chuunin had flagged her down, still rubbing the chill from her cheeks, she had deposited the dried herbs and extracts she had been sent out for in her master’s study and then hastened to the side of the man in question.
“D-Danna-sama!” It took a lifetime of training and conditioning to be able to scurry in a thick-multilayered kimono without going sprawling, but Ashiko had undergone such conditioning, and so managed to not look like a stumbling drunkard as she closed in on her master.
She paused a respectful few feet away, cheeks flushed from both the exertion and being back out in the cold so soon. Her tabi were soaked through, and she was wringing her hands—truly, very little got under her skin, and even fewer of those things came from her master, but seeing him condescend to menial labor made the list.
Orochimaru: Orochimaru peered around the rug. “Ah. Ashiko. Home in one piece, I see,” he greeted, and gave the rug one last resounding whack. He glared at it, still puzzling over his calculations. The theory was perfect. Why wasn’t it translating?
“Did you run into any trouble on the way, doll?” It was a customary question, one he asked every time she returned. If there had been trouble, he often took steps to ensure it did not happen again.
Ashiko: “Only the usual nuisances,” she said, diligently holding back the unhappy whine that wanted to be released as he continued to perform menial labor in front of her. While her master quite possibly could systematically eradicate the perverts and drunkards of the world, it would be entirely too time-consuming and conspicuous in the long run.
“Ah—” Perhaps, if she could get his attention, he would leave the rug be for the moment? “If you’ll excuse the presumption, think that you might be far more interested in the latest of my ‘saviours’ rather than my ill luck, this time, Danna-sama.”
Orochimaru: “Oh? And who came to the rescue this time?” Ashiko was forever picking up the strangest rescuers. She was handy like that, being small and cute and perfectly presented. People never suspected she had several deadly poisons on her at all times, nor that she was trained in quite a few techniques of killing quickly for escape. Instead they rushed in to save the pretty little woman from her fate. Orochimaru had used this to his advantage, on occasion.
Ashiko: “Your previous teammate, Tsunade-hime,” she reported with a smile, easily switching over from the way she had addressed the woman herself. “And truly, Danna-sama, it was quite a stunning rescue. I believe I may have swooned ever so slightly.” There had been something primally thrilling about seeing those annoying men being sent flying. “Speaking with her afterwards was quite interesting, and she seemed to like the meal I prepared for her in thanks.”
Though Ashiko had also made certain to obtain a few bottles of the nicest sake the rustic little village could offer, so perhaps that had some bearing on her reaction.
Orochimaru: “Really, now? What was she doing in that area?” Orochimaru mused, distracted from his previous problem. He leaned around the rug to eye Ashiko again, golden eyes contemplative. He and Tsunade weren’t on the best of terms, given his penchant for taking people apart and putting them back together better, but she didn’t yet know the full extent of what he’d done.
He’d been careful to keep it that way.
“I’m glad you left a good impression - though I expect no less of you, Ashiko. Tsunade can be...finicky, at times.” Orochimaru leaned his rug-beating stick against the tree and untied his sleeves, winding the strip of cloth around his fist as he eyed the rugs.
Ashiko: “There was a festival in honor of the New Year going on, and I believe she was passing through while enjoying the festivities,” Ashiko reported. She hadn’t exactly grilled the older woman on her reasons, which was only slightly due to a brief spell of being starstruck. It would have been unseemly of her to be so demanding towards her saviour of the day; doubly so given Tsunade’s connection to her master.
“She did seem to be a woman who knew what she wanted and would not suffer anything less,” she agreed diplomatically, subtly rubbing some warmth into her freezing fingers as she spoke. Her eyes drifted to the rugs as well, and she was absolutely dying to ask what had possessed him to stoop to this. But, like a good Kuzuryu, she held her tongue.
Was she being punished for something, perhaps? Tested?
Orochimaru: “Indeed she is. And if she decides she dislikes you...well, good luck.” Orochimaru stood on tiptoe to tug the rug down. “Help me take these inside, will you, doll?”
Tsunade, seals, healing jutsu, chakra transferral….hmm. Hmm! Now that...that could work. Orochimaru stopped, rug over one arm, and stared into space unblinking as he worked the theory over again in his head.
Ashiko: “Danna-sama, please, allow me.” Ashiko simply could not take it any longer and hurried over to the tree, carefully pulling down one kimono, then the next, and then the hanten, folding them neatly over her arms with more strength than one might expect out of such a slight woman. “I can handle this much on my own—surely Danna-sama has more important uses for his time?”
Like eating. Or experimenting. Or reading. Or literally anything other than servants’ work. She loved her master, but there were some things even she could not suffer gracefully. Well. With as much grace as usual, at least.
Orochimaru: Orochimaru looked at her, and blinked. Ugh, his eyeballs had grown dry and cold. Some snake-like habits were more tolerable than others. “Hmm, yes. Here.” He passed her the rug, then stood on tiptoe to get the last rug down. It snagged. Frowning, Orochimaru jumped, pulled, and got the rug down. A flick of his hands kept it from folding over his head. He folded it, and passed it to Ashiko, his gaze gone distant again. Tucking his arms into his sleeves, he walked barefoot across the snow towards the base, muttering quietly to himself as he reworked the mathematical equations, adjusting the ratios.
Ashiko: “Thank you.” Ashiko accepted the rugs and followed after him happily, a small spring in her step despite the load weighing her down. She felt lighter and happier than she had in weeks—indeed, since she last parted from the man wandering along in front of her. She smiled to herself, watching him as something warm and gentle flickered in her chest. This was what she lived for; making her master’s life easier however she could.
It was so nice to be home.