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Pupil of the Serpent	By : Mario Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2253 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters contained herein. I make no money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N: Yikes! This rewrite took longer than I was expecting. Unlike most of my chapters, this one was actually written over several days. I hope that doesn't make it too choppy; the reason I usually write all in one sitting is so that I don't lose my train of thought. This one wasn't really entirely rewritten, as it incorporates parts of what was previously Chapter Nine. As I thought, it seems I'll have to add another chapter. As always, I hope you enjoy.

To my reviewers:
@Small Fox: Coming from you, that means a lot; your stories characterize children perfectly. Thank you for pointing out the error; I have no idea how those things happen, but it's always helpful when someone points them out to me. I hope you get over your moment soon, as well—if it counts for anything, you have my full support and admiration.
@Incredible_Cardigan_Emotion: I'm glad you liked the chapter! I guess Orochimaru isn't much of a teacher when it comes to things that really matter . . .
@weaselchan: You're very nice to say so! Your reviews are so inspirational; I'm always looking forward to reading them.
@Mizuru007: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! To address your question: the power balance in a relationship is often dictated by the strength of the individuals' feelings for each other. Looking at in such a manner, Orochimaru always has control because he never fully returns her sentiments (and I don't know if he even has the capacity to do so). As he loses his battle with his personal demons and becomes more self-absorbed, Anko means less to him. So I guess the answer is: not at first, but we may see shades of that at some point in the story.
@Wolf Goddess: I'm jealous of Anko . . . I wanted to read Jiraiya's books too. :(
@vic: A time skip is imminent; give it another chapter or two. Technically, when Anko turns fourteen, Orochimaru would have already left the village, but I'm going to mess with time (and ages) a lot in this story anyway.
@Lynn: Run, Anko, run! Things start happening soon, so don't worry.
@sasamegodoflove: There'll be plenty of cruel revelations in store for Anko later . . . you might even feel sorry for her.

The river came into view as Anko emerged from the cover of the forest. It was bigger than she'd expected, wide enough that she had to strain her eyes to see the opposite bank. But that was not what caught her attention as she gazed out over the clear water. There, in the middle of the river, stood her sensei, his back facing to her. The water concealed his body up to his shoulder blades, but it was clear that he was unclothed. Ebony hair spilled down his back like a dark waterfall, shining wetly against the white skin.
A soft, involuntary gasp emerged from the girl's throat, so shocked was she at the unexpected sight. Her eyes went wide, and her legs trembled faintly. Every survival instinct she possessed was screaming at her to turn and flee the scene. If he found her here . . . But she found that she could not move. As if rooted to the spot, she simply stood there, transfixed. Her heart hammered painfully against her chest, and she held her breath, not daring to exhale for fear that she might be discovered.
"Anko."
Orochimaru's voice drifted lazily to her ears, no more perturbed than if she'd been watching him during training. She jumped in surprise, backing up against a tree and pressing herself against it as if she could merge with the bark and conceal herself within its trunk.
Her sensei spoke without turning around. "What are you doing?"
She tried to answer, but no sound emerged from her dry throat. Swallowing hard, she tried again. "I couldn't sleep." Her voice was little more than a raspy whisper.
Finally, he turned to face her. There was a faint, amused smile on his lips. "I see."
She vaguely realized that her eyes were still fixed on him, but she couldn't help it. His body, or at least what she could see of it, was all lean muscle, lithe and graceful. He was almost statuesque in his beauty, except that no statute could be so lifelike, so . . . perfect. Water droplets glistened on his skin, sparkling silver in the reflected light of the moon. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see that he carried no visible scars.
"How long do you plan on staring at me?"
Anko jumped again, blushing hotly. She quickly turned around so that she was looking at the tree she had been standing against, her back stiff and straight.
He gave a soft laugh. "You are an interesting child, Anko."
There it was again. Child. Would she ever be anything but a child in his eyes?
"I came to wash off," she mumbled at last. "I thought you'd be keeping watch."
"I've placed a barrier around the area. There are no enemies nearby." She heard gentle splashing, followed by rustling sounds as he dressed. "You can turn around now."
She turned slowly to see him standing on the bank, once again clad in his white robes. He gave his long black hair a toss, dislodging a few excess water droplets.
"I'm going back to camp. Don't stay out here too long; you'll need your rest for tomorrow." He began to walk past her, but she caught his sleeve.
"Wait!" Her hand tightened on his robe. "I want you to stay. Just . . . turn around, okay?"
He raised an eyebrow, but turned until he was facing away from her. She hurried over to the river, quickly undressing.
"No peeking," she called over her shoulder.
"Don't be ridiculous."
Once she was safely in the water, which reached past her chin, she gave a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have minded the exposure of her body, except that it was rather woefully inadequate. The last thing she wanted to do was solidify the image of her as a little girl in his mind. She spent several minutes scrubbing vigorously at the dirt and dried blood caked on her skin before she spoke.
"There's something I need to tell you."
"Oh? What is it?" He remained facing away from her, a fact for which she was grateful. She wasn't sure that she could do this if he was looking at her.
Anko took a deep breath. "You may think that I'm just a kid, but I'm serious about you." The words seemed to linger in the air for a moment before fading into the sounds of the night. She plowed on, almost desperately. "You don't have to feel the same way; I'm not expecting anything. But I'm not going to give up, either."
Her voice trailed off into silence, which hung between them like a shroud. She'd thought this would be easier if she couldn't see his face, but now she wished that he would look at her. At least then she'd have some clue as to what he was thinking. She'd been afraid that he would laugh at her, but this blank silence was even worse.
Finally, she broke, unable to bear it any longer. "Well?" she demanded, her voice cracking. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
He sighed. "Such foolish emotions—"
"They're not foolish." She fixed her eyes on his back. "I'll have you accept my feelings one day, Orochimaru-sensei."
"Not likely." His tone went flat, emotionless. "I've warned you time and time again that it's a mistake to care for others. It makes you weak and gives them the power to hurt you. If I must teach you this lesson by hurting you myself, then I will."
For a single instant, Anko recalled the darkness that had surrounded him when he'd threatened her in the cave, the cold cruelty with which he'd dispatched the enemy shinobi, the dreadful hunger for blood and death and destruction. And in that instant, she did not doubt him at all. The darkness was like fire; if she got close, it would burn her, perhaps in a way that would scar her forever.
Gathering her resolve, she buried the fear. "Even if you hurt me, I won't give up on you. It's something I decided on my own."
In the silence that followed, she quickly ducked under the water one last time, rinsing her hair, then climbed out of the river. After drying herself, she changed into the clean set of clothes she'd brought with her, though she left her hair untied, allowing it to hang loosely about her shoulders. She walked over to her teacher, who was still facing away from her, and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head lightly against his back.
"It's okay. I won't die, Orochimaru-sensei."
"You foolish child." His voice was nearly inaudible. "Why would you go so far for someone like me?"
Anko smiled. "Orochimaru-sensei has the same eyes as I do," she whispered into his hair. "If we don't belong anywhere else, we belong with each other."
Orochimaru stiffened in her embrace, but didn't pull away. "Eventually our paths will diverge. Even as thick-headed and foolish as you are, I will not remain your sensei forever."
Her arms tightened around him. "Then be my lover."
Now the snake Sannin did pull away, jerking free of her grip and turning around to look at her. "Anko . . ."
The dark-haired girl was grinning, her amber eyes sparkling with mischief. "Did that scare you, Orochimaru-sensei? Don't worry; I promised to wait for you, remember? That was just revenge for leaving me in that cave."
He sighed, a mixture of relief and exasperation coloring his voice. "It's surprising that you were able to break my genjutsu," he admitted.
"That's because I'm your student," she replied proudly.
"Students should listen to their teachers."
"And Sensei shouldn't break his promises." Anko crossed her arms. "You owe me a kiss, Orochimaru-sensei."
He gave her the tiniest hint of an amused smirk. "Do I, now? Do you think I'll give you something just because I promised? I've told you before—"
"Not to trust anyone." Though the lesson was oft-repeated, this time it drew an angry glare from the kunoichi, her amusement fading.
Orochimaru merely raised an eyebrow. "And?"
She recited the rest of the mantra he had taught her. "Friends are people I can use. Enemies are everyone else. I have to take what I want, no one will give it to me."
She fell silent, hesitating as she recalled how it had felt to drive the kunai into the man's heart; to see the life leaving him.
"Go on," prompted her teacher, his voice soft.
"Death is the way of the ninja."
"Very good. So, little girl, what are you going to do now?"
The golden glint of his irises was visible even in the darkness; taunting her, spurring her onward.
I have to take what I want.
She stepped forward, quickly covering the short distance between them. Standing on tiptoe, she reached up, wrapping her arms around her sensei's neck and pulling his head down. He didn't resist, bending down until he was nearly at eye level with her. With a deep breath, she darted forward, trying to press her lips against his. In the dark, this objective proved more difficult than it might otherwise have, resulting in a few nose collisions before she managed to plant a clumsy kiss in the correct location.
Her mentor held perfectly still throughout the entire process, not moving an inch. Experimentally, she prodded his lips with her tongue, trying to elicit a reaction. After several seconds of decidedly one-sided osculating, Anko found herself growing frustrated. This wasn't at all like she'd imagined it would be. She pulled back slightly, giving her teacher a look of supreme irritation.
"Orochimaru-sensei . . ." she growled, a warning note in her voice.
"Yes?" He sounded calm and unfazed, even slightly bored.
"Kiss me back."
"And if I refuse . . . ?"
The amber eyes narrowed threateningly, drawing a smile from the pale shinobi. "If you give me such a scary look, I suppose I don't have a choice, do I?"
Without warning, his mouth descended on hers, stealing her breath in a deep kiss. She hardly had time to be surprised by the suddenness of it before it was over. He traced her lips with a pale finger before he pulled away, stepping back from her.
"Was that what you wanted?" he asked, his tone neutral.
Anko nodded wordlessly, her heart still racing. She took a step forward, but he stopped her with a firm hand.
"Enough. Go back to sleep."
"I'm completely awake now," she whispered, touching her lips as his fingers had just a moment ago. She gave him a teasing look. "It's too bad we can't do the next part."
For once, her teacher did not appear amused. Instead, his expression seemed almost concerned, and she relished the excitement of catching her normally-imperturbable teacher off-guard.
"What do you mean, exactly?" Orochimaru asked cautiously, feeling a chill run down his spine.
He hoped that her answer wouldn't reveal some trauma that he wasn't equipped to deal with. It wouldn't be the first time he'd seen a war orphan who'd had her eyes forcibly opened to the horrific realities of the adult world, but those children hadn't been his students, or even from his village. Anko, on the other hand, was his responsibility. She hadn't shown any signs of abuse, but . . .
Anko was oblivious to her teacher's fears. She answered confidently, feeling secure in the information she'd gleaned from Jiraiya's scroll. It was gratifying to see that her teacher was, for once, impressed by her knowledge.
"You know, where a guy takes out a sword and the girl puts a sheath on it." She frowned up at him, her innocent eyes regarding him thoughtfully. "You should get a sword, Orochimaru-sensei."
The snake Sannin let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding in a short burst of laughter. He was surprised by how relieved he felt—when had he become so protective of this stupid little girl?
"Who's been giving you books to read, Anko?"
The little kunoichi's face fell in a manner that was almost comical. "How did you know I read about it?"
Orochimaru shook his head in amusement. "You're a hundred years too early to fool me, little girl. Who gave you the book?" He certainly didn't keep any such vapid nonsense in his home, so he was interested to know who was trying to pollute his apprentice's mind.
The girl stared at the ground, her blush vivid enough to be visible in the moonlight. "No one gave me anything. There was a scroll in Jiraiya-san's pack, and . . ."
Of course. Jiraiya's "research". Orochimaru made a mental note to kill his former teammate at the earliest opportunity. Shaking his head again, he began walking back towards the camp. Gathering up her things, Anko ran to catch up with him.
"Hey, Sensei . . . ! What does it actually mean, then? The stuff about the sword and sheath."
"It's just as you read."
"Liar." The nine-year-old stuck her tongue out at her teacher. "Come on," she wheedled.
"You'll find out when you're older."
"I want to know now."
"Get used to disappointment."
Her efforts at obtaining answers to her questions achieved no better success all the rest of the way back to the camp. With a final annoyed huff, she returned to her bedroll. Despite the jumble of thoughts bouncing around inside her head, exhaustion and the remnants of the sedative in her system won out, and she eventually fell asleep once more.
Sitting near the fire, Orochimaru watched her descend into slumber, his golden eyes thoughtful.
You are an interesting child, Anko.
"They grow up fast, don't they?" Orochimaru looked up to see Jiraiya standing behind him. Though he hadn't noticed the white-haired man approaching, he gave no sign of surprise.
"Not fast enough." He stood up, raising an eyebrow. "Come to lecture me about what I'm doing wrong with this one, too?"
"Something like that." Jiraiya's expression was unreadable. "Let's take a walk."

A/N: Phew, there was a lot of dialogue this time around. Anko once again wins the award for being the most difficult character to write in this chapter—I guess it was really her or Orochimaru, and she just edges him out by a bit. I can never quite strike the right tone with her; she either seems to come off as being too innocent or way more precocious than I intended. Sorry that this chapter took so long to rewrite; I've had a busy week. We're chugging right along, though, and hopefully I can get to writing the new stuff within the next few days or so.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Pupil of the Serpent