Chapter One

School, work, tests, tired. So here is a request story (Amelia Lynette Conner) because goddammit I haven't typed anything new and this is already looked over and—don't you complain! Enjoy this masterpiece.

My beta (bloodyhunter) has to say: I hope ya enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed editing this. Until next time!

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The small boy ran swiftly down the street, his package held tight to his chest. His large amber eyes gleamed with happiness while he expertly kept his balance on the cracked, uneven sidewalk. A small smile formed on his tiny face as he spotted the rather dreary house. It was tall and narrow, dark paint highlighted the crooked boards, broken blinds, and dirty windows. The child barely paused as he carefully made his way up the creaking stairs and to the front door.

"Oh no…" the boy pouted as he realized that his package was stopping him from reaching the doorknob because it was too big, the door was too tall, and he was too small. The small boy bit his lip and looked slightly up at the doorknob. Even without something hindering him, he would still have had to stand on his tiptoe to comfortably twist the heavy doorknob. So he had to think of another way.

If he let go with one hand, the package would fall and probably break and he'd be in trouble. If he placed it on the ground, it would get wet and he'd still be in trouble. The last thing he needed was more training and another punishment after accidentally pranking a neighborhood boy.

Then an idea came to him. It was a good idea that would allow him to not place the bag on the ground and still open the door without awakening anyone in the house by kicking it but he would have to be very careful. No one could see him do it. The little boy looked over both of his shoulders to be sure that he was completely alone, or at least no one was watching him. To his happiness, no one was around.

The boy smiled mischievously and tossed the package up into the air. In a blur of pure white skin and cropped black hair, he flipped onto his little hands and allowed the package to land on the flat of his feet, balancing it perfectly for a long moment. He smiled a bit to himself as he enjoyed the small strain it put on his tiny body before launching it in high the air and flipping back onto his feet. Quickly he opened the door and neatly caught the package.

A tiny giggle left his pale lips and his eyes closed a bit in his joy before he stepped into the dark house.

"Hello…?" he called out, holding the package closer to his chest. He frowned as silence answered his call. If his father wasn't home then his mother would definitely be there. The boy tilted his head slightly and kicked the door closed behind him and began down the hallway.

"Mum, are you home?" the boy called out. He shifted the heavy package and finally placed it on the first table he came to. He brushed off his dusty front and jogged into the kitchen. He could smell the toxic stench of those disgusting sticks his mother had recently become very fond of so he knew she was in there.

As he had expected, his mother was sitting at the table with one of the slim cigarettes settled in her mouth. Her bright eyes followed each of his movements as he came toddling childishly into the room. He stopped a few feet from her and wrinkled his nose at the nasty stench. A light glare formed in his eyes as she took a deep drag from the slim white stick. The boy sighed and shook his little head.

"Mum, didn't you hear me calling you?" the boy smiled, rushing to the woman. He jumped onto the table in front of her, folding his legs immediately so as to not accidentally kick her cookies and tea. The bright hazel eyes simply blinked at him as if she were not really looking at him but through him. Severus frowned and snapped his fingers in front of her face—his mum often got lost in her thoughts. Immediately she jumped and blinked into focus.

"Severus, you are home. Did you gather what I told you?" the woman asked in her soft voice. Severus nodded wildly, his short hair flying around his head. His mother took one last drag from the cigarette before snuffing it on one of the jam centered cookies. Severus reached forward and grabbed several cookies that had been left undamaged.

"Mum, what's in it?" Severus inquired as he munched on the cookies. His mother folded her fingers and rested her chin on the slim digits gently. A smile lit up her tanned face and her golden eyes glimmered just as the sun peeked through the dirt and grime on the window.

"Severus, won't you go get it for me?" she requested, ignoring his question. Severus nodded with his cheeks full of the sweet treat. He flipped off the table with one hand and dashed into the den, swiping the package and running back to his mother. The woman blinked for several moments, her eyes wide in surprise before closing with a bright smile.

"Severus, have you been practicing you Occlumency… well, more so is have you succeeded?" his mother asked. Severus raised a brow and looked at the woman before his eyes narrowed and he glared cautiously at the woman. Suddenly his eyes turned pure black as he threw up his mind shields and he took a giant leap back.

"My mum knows that I finished learning Occlumency last month, who are you and where is my mum!?" Severus demanded. The woman furrowed her brows and stood up, taking a step towards him. Severus held his ground although he knew that he might not win this fight if this turned out to be a very powerful opponent. The woman stopped and looked down at him and their eyes connected. Almost immediately Severus felt a strong thrust at his mental shields, beating harshly at them but he was able to hold up his defense and she withdrew.

"You are merely three years old and a half blood at that, how is it that you have grasped such a difficult art?" the woman sounded very amused as she crouched in front of him. She reached forward to grab his cheek but Severus lifted his foot and delivered a sharp kick to the imposter's wrist, warding the person away and being careful to not drop the package at the same time. He didn't know what was in it but he had a feeling that this imposter wanted it for her own gain.

"Where is my mum?" Severus asked once again, ignoring the question asked of him and the underhanded insult. He knew that no one was supposed to know how 'special' he was after his mum left her Village. He mentally scolded himself for being so dull as to fall into such an obvious trap. How hadn't he realized that this wasn't his mum?

"She's alive and well. I would never hurt a single hair on her precious head. You are family, after all. Now give me the package," the woman assured him. Severus glared, not satisfied with such an answer. He wanted to his see his mother at that moment and not a single second later. Severus grabbed a blade from the table and settled the package gently on the floor. His mother could be angry at him later but for now, he was going to cut this imposter in two.

"Where is she?" Severus hissed, crouching slightly in a defensive position as his real mother had taught him. It was something he grasped at the age of one and exceeded beyond her expectations at three.

"Are you doing to cut me, boy? You would do that to your family?" the woman chuckled, patronizing him. Severus tilted his head, trying to figure out whether this woman was like his mother or like his father. There was a possibility that she was like his father for believing that he would 'cut' her because only silly wizards believed that a child was only capable of cutting instead of slicing and killing. He took a deep breath and wrinkled his nose at the odor he detected under the cigarette smoke. If he had tried harder he would have smelled this imposter right away even with the smoke! This never would have gone further than his initial hello.

"That polyjuice potion smells nasty," Severus commented and a small smile made its way to his face because now he knew. This person was like his father and that meant Severus had the upper hand. The person did not look too frightened as Severus twirled the blade between his fingers and he soon found out why as a very large snake came slithering from the kitchen sink, hissing and rearing up with its dangerous, glinting fangs sparkling in the artificial light and venom practically dripping.

"Get back or I will destroy you!" Severus hissed at the snake, speaking its language. The snake hesitated and stared at him then back to the imposter woman. She was smiling, her amber eyes slowly turning brown while her frame became thicker and her hair shorter. She was turning back into her original form only the woman was really a man.

"You speak the language child and you are so very skilled…" the man praised him in a snake's tongue. Severus didn't care for his empty words, his mind still intent on cutting a six inch gaping hole into the bastard that had done something with his mum.

"Tom, what are you doing here?" his mother's voice came up behind him. Severus whirled around to see the confused and slightly wary woman standing in the walkway, one brow raised at the sight of the snake and both shooting up as she spotted her son ready to kill. Before Severus ran towards her, he gave the woman a slight sniff, sensing the chakra she possessed and not a single potion.

"MUM!" Severus cheered, rushing to the woman. He jumped high in the air and landed directly in her arms, wrapping his around her shoulders. The woman looked down sharply at him, giving him a scolding look. Severus looked up with his onyx eyes and she gasped, their communication silent but she understood that he had been tricked and the man had seen a portion of what he could do.

"Eileen, do not look as though I was molesting your son. I was simply in the neighborhood and found myself very… interested in my half-brother's son. He is as amazing as Tobias boasts," the man drawled in smooth tones. He was a handsome man when Severus stopped to look at him with his beautiful brown eyes, a strong jaw and chin and perfect teeth. His short black hair was slicked down while his robes looked very expensive. His skin looked a healthy peach unlike Severus' paper white skin and the boy could vaguely see some of his father within the man's face.

"Tom, have I ever told you that I do not allow pets in my home?" Eileen said calmly. She allowed Severus to support his own weight on her hip so that her hands were free. The last thing she needed for them to get hurt because she couldn't fight comfortably. Tom let out a chuckle and turned to the large snake.

"You may leave, Fatik," he hissed. Severus repeated the words quietly to his mother so that she could understand. The woman smiled lightly and planted a kiss on his forehead before she walked over to the table for a seat. She sat down and eyed Tom as he did the same, far across from her. Severus continued to block his mind as his mother told him to always do in the presence of magical beings. He was amazing at it but he could never stop his eyes from changing colors for some odd reason.

"Is there a real reason as to why you are here, Tom? I highly doubt that you were 'in the neighborhood'," Eileen sneered, her amber eyes taking on a hardened look.

"You have caught me red handed, Eileen. I came here for a specific reason. My drunk of a half-brother came whining to me that he did not have enough money to support the two of you. Of course I did not care but then he told me about little Severus," Tom gazed at the young boy. Severus shifted on his mother's lap, feeling a small bit of fear cling to his chest. It was odd, this man was probably not very good at hand to hand combat so Severus had the upper hand and yet… yet this man still caused fear to engulf him. His presence was overwhelming and simply plain evil.

"He went on and on about his son. He told me that you were a prodigy, something that no one has seen in centuries. You are a brilliant young boy, reading and understanding things that you should not even be able to pronounce much less actively do. You can ward your mind with ease and without a wand even though you are not fully magical and you have a perfect chakra balance although you are not a full shinobi…" Tom praised the child.

Severus rubbed at the purple markings at the corner of his eyes, a small blush starting at his neck. He knew that he was special and that he did things that normal three year olds wouldn't even dream of doing. He was a prodigy of both worlds, something brought together by a wizard with his magic sealed and a kunoichi that left her village.

"You are even gifted with the ability to speak with snakes although, I am not sure how that has come into pass for neither of your parents have such an ability," Tom raised a brow at the amber eyed woman. She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her fingers through Severus' short, silky hair as she stared at the mass of black strands.

Eileen was trying to think on how fast she could pack their bags and relocate without being stopped. She knew, deep in her heart Eileen knew that this man was no good—family or not—and that he was going to try to hurt her or her son. Tobias was probably already dead or gravely injured somewhere not that she cared for the drunken bastard much. She had an emergency bag set with clothes, papers, money, and potions Tobias kept in stock before his magic was revoked. It would only take her a few moments to grab it and leave but how fast would it be before Tom found her again? How long until one of his connections caused trouble?

"Mum, your package came at the post office for you," Severus whispered, bringing her from her thoughts. Eileen nodded and smiled tightly at her little boy and she released her tight hold on his waist to allow him to wiggle off her lap and to the package. That left her to stare at the wizard sitting across from her. She was fairly certain that she could possible kill Tom, he was just a wizard after all but she had this feeling that he was stronger than he appeared, that he was quick and powerful. Tom was looking at his nails, ignoring her scrutiny.

"Here you are, mum," Severus pushed the package onto her lap. Eileen accepted it graciously and ripped open the paper. To their surprise, a purple smoke erupted from the paper and spread through the entire room. Severus slapped his hand over his mouth and nose and attempted to hold his breath. His eyes watered as his mother slid from her chair and fell onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Severus staggered away from the still leaking package and towards the backdoor and fresh air. He needed to get outside… he needed to get away from the poisonous air. A small sip of the toxic smoke immediately filled his lungs and attacked his brain. He fell to the ground with a groan but still clawed his way towards the door. He doubted that he could get there but he would still try, try to get outside.

He was close to the door, so close to it that his tiny fingers were nearly touching the white painted wood. 'Open, open, open, open!' Severus thought desperately as his vision began to fail him. The door burst from its hinges and the smoke began to filter out but it was too late. He couldn't move any longer. He couldn't wince as the evil chuckle grazed his ear. He couldn't protest as the fingers laced through his hair and pulled him up, up into the air. Only thing his body wanted to do was sleep.

And so he did.

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Severus blinked his eyes open, staring up at the ivory ceiling. It was high up and unfamiliar to his gaze. He wasn't in his room or any room he willingly went into. Severus turned his head to absorb more of the room and found that it was sparsely decorated, not a single picture or anything that would set this room apart from any other that Severus laid in except for the fact that it looked as though it cost more than Severus' entire house.

"I see that you are awake which is extraordinary, the antidote normally works slowly but with your oddly made system…" a suave voice drifted into the room. Severus did not bother to sit up swiftly for he knew who had kidnapped him. He remembered the evil man that had come into his house, tricked him and his mother, and possibly poisoned the both of them. He only hoped that his mother was alright.

Slowly Severus shifted until he was sitting comfortably on the fluffy, big bed and looking at the black haired man sitting at the end of this fluffy, big bed. His leg was folded over the other and his aloof expression nearly caused Severus to break the lamp to his right and carve out the man's eyes with the pastel green shards.

"Now, child, I know that you are exceptionally bright but even exceptionally bright boys feel the need to be very naughty," Tom wagged a finger at him. The man stood up and slowly walked to Severus' side. He leaned over until he was hovering directly above him, his face shadowed wickedly and his smile sadistic. Severus smiled back, his smile nastier than imaginable and twice as disturbing.

"I have a great jutsu that I can do—it absorbs chakra but the thing about this jutsu is that chakra isn't the only thing it eats," Severus said lightly as he moved his hands faster than the eye could follow. He clamped his tiny hands on Tom's wrist and another on his robes. He pulled the man down and flipped their position until he was straddling the thick waist. He sneered down at the startled man and began to pull his magic into him.

"It siphons me magic too," he growled, tightening his fingers and wrapping them around the man's neck. He could feel the magic being pulled into his body, sinking through his fingers and into his core. This man had a lot of magic, nearly the magic of three grown men and Severus loved the feeling of it coming to him. He was going to punish this monster for hurting his mum and for kidnapping him. The man below him let out a loud bark of a laugh to Severus' surprise.

"I-if you kill me, Severus… who will cure your mother?" Tom inquired shakily as he became steadily weaker by the second. Severus paused and gazed down at the monster he straddled. He stopped siphoning off the man's magic and hastily pulled his hands away, hoping that the man wouldn't hurt his mum over this show of being 'naughty'. Tom pushed him off his body and stood up, turning his back to the child.

Tom reigned in his feelings of fear and anger as carefully as he could. This child was full of surprises but that one was a nasty surprise that he did not want to happen again. He felt as weak as a kitten and absolutely exhausted but he didn't allow it to show as he turned back to the little brat. The child had his head bowed, his short hair sliding forward to hide part of his pale face.

"Look at me, boy," Tom ordered. Severus flinched before tipping his head back to look at the tall man. That same evil smile was splayed across his handsome face as his brown eyes roved around his face. Tom took in the feminine looking child with his short hair, dainty chin and jaw and paler than natural skin. His glittering golden eyes with the purple markings were nearly snake like to Tom's amusement. He reached forward and gently ran a finger down the slightly rounded cheek.

Yes, this boy would make a wonderful addition to his followers…

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To Be Continued

So whatcha think? I always envisioned Orochimaru with short hair as a little kid and kinda feminine to a certain degree.