A/N: Hello lovely ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else that has graced this world with your presence. I bring to you one of my newest Naruto one-shots. It was intended for my original Naruto OC, but she was getting too much action and I didn't think that was right. So I created a new OC and I like her a little bit. I warn you that this is a one-shot and I probably won't be adding onto it or create a full-length story based on the relationships contained within this piece. That being said, I bring to you this short story! Enjoy!

OOOOOOOOO

All around her stood creatures made of living water. They panted as she fought for her breath and she fell to her knees, bracing her hands on the slick floor that she had practiced on for hours before. She brushed back her sweat-dampened hair and looked up as her master's footsteps echoed wetly upon her the floor. The creatures growled before melting into the watery puddles around her, the water itself being pulled towards her body.

"You have done very well, my dear," the pale man said, bringing his hands together a couple of times. "Very well indeed." He glanced to the side of the room. "You have grown far into your powers."

The girl followed her master's gaze to the bloodied bodies of the opponents that he had provided for her to train against. Their blood mingled with the water that surrounded the pieces that they had been torn into. She blinked and looked away from the grisly sight.

Her master snapped his fingers and two of his henchmen appeared. "Remove the bodies," he ordered. "They are not pleasant in the sight of me or the young lady."

She heard the men grunt as they picked up the pieces and disappeared. Her master approached her with slow, calculated steps until he was within reach of her. She brushed the back of her hand across her face and looked up at her master's golden snakelike eyes. Her fingers flexed their hold on the hem of her short purple summer kimono.

"Lord Orochimaru," she whispered, not trusting her voice to be any louder. "How much longer must I stay with you?"

"Child, you can leave at any moment of your choosing," Orochimaru said and she saw the smirk on his face. "No one here has any intention of preventing you from going anywhere you please. If you wish to leave within the hour, no one will stop you. You will go with my blessing, if that be your will. You are no slave of mine, Koi."

Koi felt Orochimaru's hand smooth over her dark blue hair. She saw very little tenderness in her master's eyes as he looked down at her. It was more than he shared with any of the other people that lived in service to him, but it still left a certain longing in her heart that she couldn't explain.

"All I want is for you to remain safe, my dear Koi," Orochimaru continued, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her. "You have known no other home than this and you have no village ties…Do you remember how you came to me, little one? Do you remember all that I have given to you?"

Koi bowed her head. "Yes Master. I remember."

OOOOOOOOO

A little girl shivered on the street in the middle of nowhere. She was covered in dirt and blood, though she couldn't understand where the blood had come from. No shoes were on her feet which were sore and dirty with rocks poking into her flesh with each step. Creatures of water, her only friends it seemed, moved around her and brushed against her shoulders in a bid to comfort her but she was already cold and they couldn't offer her much warmth.

She knew that it had been hours since she had seen any sign of a person or an abandoned village. Unable to walk anymore, she fell to her knees and drew her legs up under her. Her watery friends formed a small circle around her, one resting its head upon her shoulder while the others paced restlessly. Tears stung at her eyes, but never fell. She reached out and placed her hand on the nearest water beast, causing it to growl lowly in its throat.

"Look what we have here," someone said in the darkness around her. "A little treat for a weary traveler."

"She doesn't look like she could put up much of a fight," another person said. "It'll be easy to play with this little trinket for as long as we want. Eh, brother?"

The little girl's eyes snapped open and she stared in fear as two men, ninjas from a village that she didn't know, appeared from the dense woods. Her body trembled under their dark stares and her watery friends tensed up around her. A low growl came from the throats of the creatures, but they didn't move. She could feel the strength going out of her and was ashamed to hear the whimper that came from her lips.

"Please," she whispered, lowering her gaze slightly. "Please help me."

The two men laughed and moved closer to her, but they made no move to help her. The girl saw something strange about the front of their pants and knew that something was very wrong about this. She could already taste the pain that would come to her if she allowed them to come any closer. If they touched her, she knew that she would feel pain like she had never known before. And she'd already had enough pain.

"Leave me alone," she said in a soft voice, lifting her hand. "Or else."

The two ninjas laughed. "What's a weak little pipsqueak like you going to do to stop us? We're stronger than you and know more jutsu."

I warned them, the little girl thought, glancing to her left as the creatures started to growl louder at the two ninjas. And now they have to pay for not listening.

"Get them," she ordered the beasts.

The watery beasts launched themselves forward and pounced on the two ninjas. The ninjas cried out in alarm and tried to attack the beasts, but every time they cut the beasts, the beasts would reform and attack again. The painful cries of people being hurt and the terrifying roars of deadly creatures mixed in the night and the little girl had to turn her gaze away from the bloodbath that she was causing. It hurt her stomach bad enough to hear the noises of the dying and she had nothing that could come out of her at the grisly sight, knowing that she had to keep what was in her stomach there since food was scarce.

She closed her eyes as the last of the death cries faded into the cold night air. A few of her water creatures panted and fell into large puddles, losing their forms as her energy was sapped. The watery puddles moved towards her and were absorbed by her skin. She reached out and touched her fingertips against the nearest water beast, in a bid to keep herself calm.

I've got to keep moving, she thought, trying to push herself to her feet. I need to find food and shelter…I need to.

Her legs wobbled under her and she fell once more onto her knees. Unwanted tears stung her eyes as she realized that she was too tired to move anywhere. She would have to stay where she was until she could get enough energy to hide away in the branches of a nearby tree.

"What have we here?" someone said, appearing on the road.

The little girl stiffened and her two remaining water beasts pressed closer to her. Her eyes lifted to see the pale face of a strange man. His golden snake eyes were soft and full of amusement as he looked down at her. She saw no sign that he was going to hurt her, but she didn't let her guard down for a moment.

"What are you doing out here, little one?" the man asked, tilting his head to the side. "A child like you shouldn't be alone in a place as desolate as this." He reached into the pouch that hung at his side, causing the little girl's beast to growl threateningly. "I am not here to hurt you, Child. I just need to get into this bag."

The girl put her hand on the watery beast closest to her and watched tensely as the man's hand moved around the pouch. The strange pale man smiled at her and held out a large rice ball, offering it to her.
"Hungry, Child?" he asked and the girl nodded, staring wide-eyed at the simple food. "Here, take this."

Without hesitating, the little girl snatched the rice ball out of the man's hands and took a large bite out of it. Her stomach rejoiced at having something inside of it for once in a number of days. She continued to take big bites, fearing that the strange man would take away the food when she was starving for just the smallest crumb. He made no move to take anything from her, but her eyes watched him suspiciously.

"How long have you been out here on your own?" the man asked.

"I'm not alone," the girl said around her mouthful of food. "My friends are around me all the time…"

Her watery beasts seemed swell and grin with pride as the pale man's gaze turned up them. One wavered in form and melted into a puddle that streaked back into the girl's skin. She hiccupped and continued to devour her small meal. The man chuckled.

"I see. And what great friends they seem to be." He crouched down in front of her. "What do should I call you, Child?"

The girl finished off the last crumb of her rice ball before answering. "My name is Koi. Just Koi." She brushed her hand across her mouth. "No one ever gave me another name."

"No one ever gave you another name?" the man repeated slowly. "What a shame."

"If you say so, sir." Her eyes darted towards the man's pouch and then back onto his face. "Who are you?"

"My name is Orochimaru," the man said, tilting his head to the side once more. "Where have you come from, Koi? Which village?"

"I have never lived in a village, sir. My family lived out in the woods…" She lowered her gaze. "They're all gone now. People attacked them for our kekkei genkai…They are all dead. Except for me."

"So you have no family and no village to go back to," Orochimaru said. "And you've been on the road with the products of your very special kekkei genkai for so long…I must say that the world is showing you little favor, Koi. You have an extremely bad case of bad luck now, don't you?"

Koi nodded. "I guess."

"How would you take it if I helped change that misfortune into a blessing?" Orochimaru asked her, straightening. "What if I could guarantee you a roof over your head, a clean bed, plenty of food for you to eat, and everything that a young girl would need in order to survive? Would you be interested in that, my dear?"

Koi's eyes widened in awe. "You could give me all that?"

"And more." He offered his hand to her. "Would you like to come with me, Koi? Would you like to have a place to call home and be taken care of properly? I could even help you keep your watery friends and control the very special power that's inside you, just waiting to be matured and unleashed."

The girl's eyes turned towards the watery beast that remained at her side. It looked at her for a long moment before nodding. She reached out and took hold of Orochimaru's hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Her legs wobbled under her, threatening her with the promise of falling on her face. Orochimaru chuckled and caught her against himself, preventing her fall.

"Poor, poor child," he commented, looking down at her while her face burned with color. "So weak and tired that simply standing is a chore…That won't be the case for long, my dear," he promised. "Soon you will be running, leaping, and dancing to your heart's content."

Koi's eyes lifted to meet his and saw humor in his golden ones. Something else was lurking in his eyes, but she knew no name for it. A soft gasp escaped her lips as he lifted her into his arms and began carrying her down the street, her watery beast falling into step beside the man.

"Do not be alarmed, Koi," Orochimaru said. "Just relax and let Lord Orochimaru take care of the misfortunes that have befallen you. I will make them all go away for good."

Koi leaned her head against Orochimaru's shoulder as he began to tell her all about his village and castles and the people that she would meet there as well as the things that he would give her. A smile came to her lips and she allowed herself to relax for the first time in a long time.

OOOOOOOOO

"Lord Orochimaru," Koi said, pushing herself onto her feet and brushing her hands over the skirt of her kimono. "You have done so much for me as I grew up. You have given me so much and I could never repay you for it all. You have been kind to me, taught me how to control my kekkei genkai with ease, and have been a wonderful friend and confidante for me. I have so much to thank you for."

Orochimaru smiled at her and brushed his fingertips across her cheek, caressing her face gently. "You don't have to pay me back for anything, Koi. Your loyalty, obedience, and trust is all that I have ever asked for from you. And you have given them all to me since you arrived here eight years ago." He stepped back away from her and gestured at her. "Look at what you've become, Koi. Look how far you've come in these few precious years."

Heat flooded Koi's face and she had to look away from Orochimaru for several heartbeats. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't decided to come here with you. I am what I am because of you, Lord Orochimaru. But I want to see the world beyond this village. I want to explore and meet new people and see all that there is to see."

A touch of sadness filled Orochimaru's eyes. "You know that the world is a cold, dangerous place, Koi. Since you bear no mark for any village, you will have many people trying to capture you, to torture information out of you and to make you their pet. Even with your abilities, you run the risk of being very hurt. And I cannot bear the thought of having something happen to you, my dear child. You are so important to me."

He turned away from her and crossed his arms. Koi stood there, unsure of what she should say or do. That's when the Uchiha boy appeared in the room, looking as surly as ever.

That boy is more important to you than I am though, Koi thought, watching the boy approach. He hasn't been a part of your life as long as I have, but you still appreciate him more. You like his strength, his abilities…You want him to grow stronger and closer to you. Master, why does he have to come between you and me? Why does he get more attention than I do anymore? Am I really so important that you don't want me to go, but you would also rather have more training time with this kid? Why did you have to let him get between us?

The Uchiha boy's dark gaze burned into Koi's skin as he crossed the room. He made no comment to her though, choosing instead to address their master.

"Lord Orochimaru," he said in this emotionless voice. "I've come to train with you."

Orochimaru stared at the blue-haired boy. "Is it that time already, Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"Very well then." Orochimaru turned his head to look at Koi out of the corner of his eye. "I'm afraid you're going to have to leave the training arena, Koi. You're training is over for the day. Go to your room and content yourself. We shall talk later."

Koi bowed her head. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru. Good day."

She ignored the heated look that Sasuke Uchiha sent her way as she moved past him. Koi held her head high and moved through the doors, not letting her feelings show. One of her water beasts came from her hand, bumping its head against her arm. The ninja reached out and placed her hand on its head, frowning slightly.

"We are happy here, aren't we?" she asked the creature as they walked. "Our luck has turned around since we came to Lord Orochimaru's castle…Right?" The creature hummed deep in its throat. "Nothing can ruin what we have here. Not that Sasuke Uchiha. Not anybody. We can live happily for the rest of our lives here with Lord Orochimaru."

OOOOOOOOO

Some days later…

Koi stared at the blaze that had begun to consume Lord Orochimaru's small village from a safe distance. Tears filled her eyes as she heard the final death screams of Orochimaru's ninjas and smelled the scent of burning flesh. Her master's words to run away echoed in her head, over and over again, as she stood there on a tree – watching and unable to do anything.

Her kimono was torn at the skirt and covered in blood, soaked by a mixture of blood and water. She looked down as one of her water beasts brushed against her, demanding attention. Koi reached out and put her hand on its back, letting her fingertips dip through the watery fur. Her tears fell and floated into the air in the shape of moths, fluttering around her head.

"Lord Orochimaru," she whispered, staring at the wreckage that lay before her. "Thank you. For everything that you did…Thank you for saving me and teaching me how to do, well, everything. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to save you, but I'll make you proud. I really will. You'll see."

Koi turned her back on the scene that hurt to look at, guiding her water beasts with her. "Come. Let's find a new home and find happiness again…"

OOOOOOOOO

A/N: Thank you for making it this far, if you haven't skipped here ahead of time. What do you think about this? Please leave a review in the little box and let me know what you think about it. Thanks! -Scarlet