Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and any of its characters.
The wind rushing by her ears was the only sound she could hear, aside from the loud pounding of her heart that must surely be unhealthy. Yet, in her free-fall through the air with literally no strings attached, being healthy was far from her mind at present, her attention fully focusing on trying to -at least- stay alive.
Anko reached out to grab something, anything, but they came away empty, air skimming through her fingers, providing hold on a non-existent support. Swiping away her wild hair aside, she twisted in mind-air, and her screams reached new heights as the ground that was god damn too far away rushed up to meet her at an impossible speed.
Anko choked as a firm grip on her waist jerked her up and halted her inevitable fall to her doom. She would have been much more appreciative to said person had he not been the one to push her off the cliff in the first place.
Anko considered getting back at him by kneeing him in the guts, but with his arms being the only thing that was keeping her from falling, she sullenly decided otherwise.
"What, not even a word of thanks, Anko?" Orochimaru said as he set her smaller form down on the top of the cliff.
"You said that we would be training!" Anko said, pointing an incriminating finger at him, her chest still heaving, the adrenaline rush still coursing within her.
"I said that that you would be taught to prepare for the unexpected." He replied, ruffling her hair, fingers lightly teasing some of the stray strands.
Anko fought the faint blush starting to color her face, stubbornly telling herself that it's due to the breathlessness from the fall and had nothing to do with the man before her.
"Yeah, and right after that you just push me off a cliff – a freaking cliff! I could have died! And then the medics would have to scrape me off at the bottom with a scalpel. You hear me? A freaking scalpel!"
"But you didn't," Orochimaru said, a hint of amusement audible in his voice. "And, I would be there to catch you anyway, whenever you fall."
And he would, Orochimaru mused. He wasn't blind to the changes Anko have gone through. Gone was the mischievous little girl, and in her place now stood a fierce female Jounin, capable of holding her own against multiple opponents and then some. And the way he regard her have -since then- changed too. Once, she was his student, and later, a friend.
And now… he did not know.
Sometimes, he'd catch himself noticing her a little more than necessary, in the way her mesh shirt would cling to her sweaty form, the way her small pout could elicit a genuine chuckle form him…
Orochimaru was not ignorant to the hints. He knew what it pointed at, and what it may lead to. Still, genius though he may be, it seems that there are things that even he may have trouble handling, especially when a fiery character such as Anko is concerned.
"Huh, as if I need any saving at all," Anko said, drawing her sensei from his thoughts.
"Oh? Who was the one screaming her lungs out just mere minutes ago?"
"Aw, shut up." Anko replied, slapping him on the shoulders playfully.
His eyes caught her off guard, the vivid, electric, gold irises locking with hers, sending a thrill of shiver down her spine, and she felt herself coiled with anticipation, for what, she did not want to think about.
And his next words did not help her condition any.
"Make me." Orochimaru replied his voice dark and smooth now, and Anko was suddenly aware of his hands around her waist, and the close proximity of their lips, now only mere centimeters apart.
He leaned in, ready to capture her lips-
-and in a puff of smoke, his hands came away empty, a single leaf floating to the ground before him.
Orochimaru was stunned.
From under the shade of a nearby tree, Anko stuck her tongue out at him. "Ha! That's what you get for pushing me off the cliff without any warning!" She said before taking off towards Konoha.
But both of them knew that he did not miss the blush on her cheeks this time.
As Orochimaru charged his chakra to his feet, a smirk graced his features.
Things will never be boring with her around.
In fact…it just may get a whole lot wilder.
A/N: I'm wasn't intending to updated, really. Not with the appalling scores I received for my recent exams. But with the latest Naruto manga chapter update, I seriously couldn't resist writing something small at the very least.
Drop-off a review if you want, but above all, I truly hope that you all enjoyed this. :)
P.S: NO. I'm not abandoning my other fics. And YES, I do plan to continue them after my exams which would end at around early December. So, for those who does read my fics, take this as a peace offering. :x