Chapter 1
I've worked like this for years, for as long as I can remember. You probably wouldn't recognize me, not as anyone important. I was the boy in school who sat in the back, paying little attention to those around me and barely scratching by on my grades as my mind dreamt of more important things. I had grades enough to pass, but barely any higher, save for the few subjects which managed to catch my fleeting interest. I covered the middle ground, somewhere in between those boys who wore glasses and were viewed over upturned noses as disgusting nerds and the large jocks who picked fights and brought home the trophies. I didn't fit into any crowd, choosing my few friends for shared interest only and forgetting them all when I left on graduation day. Exiting the scene of my former years in black with a red tassel seemed appropriate.
My father taught me hunting at an early age, making sure my hands were always comfortable with the feel of metal between my fingers. No bird or small rodent was safe in my back yard, nor any deer when the season was right. Father died in a hunting accident, taken down by the sport he loved the most soon after I'd found a place of my own. I inherited his gun collection.
The business itself introduced itself to me in the back of a bar, squeezed somewhere between too many glasses of alcohol and a discussion about my dead end job at the local retail store, climaxing in a challenge of darts. Looking back it doesn't seem like much at all and it certainly doesn't seem like any sort of interview, but then, I suppose, when your world is concealed behind closed metal plated doors and expensive suit jackets, posting a want ad was too simple. The best are always stumbled upon and seized. They are never simply volunteers.
He was a man with an exceedingly long name, as men in his position tend to have by default. The name itself was impressive and if that didn't get to you, his odd obsession with snakes certainly would. Every boss such as himself had something they liked more then was healthy. His rival liked young girls, far too young to say no or yes in any situation. The lady who owned the territory over the river had a taste for fine wine and thick smoke. And my boss, he liked his serpents. Everywhere.
The large green snake embroidered on my uniform wasn't nearly as impressive as the one he let roam around the meeting room, which his current guest was eyeing nervously.
"Is something wrong old friend. You seem to not like my pet."
The guest looked up and managed a friendly smile, shaking off his previous nervous look. I watched from my place at the door as the guest, Jiraiya, emptied his small porcelain glass a third time. He enjoyed his alcohol like a fish in water, and that certainly had to be a sign of trust in spite of the snake. You simply didn't let yourself get intoxicated around men like this unless you accorded them some form of trust.
"It's a wonder he hasn't eaten your guards yet."
I smirked at that and spared a glance to the large beast slithering across the floor to coil up under the sun light peeking in lines from the window. Funny, it had never occurred for me to be afraid of it. I knew it could move faster then my own bullets, but I'd learned other skills during the years and I'd also met many who would put such thick scales and sharp teeth to the status of a child's plaything with a look. It wasn't a matter of respect. It was simply a matter of knowing which was worse and knowing when the lesser evil was the least threatening.
"Zabuza can quite take care of himself. He feeds them often enough." My employer leaned back over his couch, his taste in flowing robes spreading out around him. He was thin, abnormally so, reminding one of the girls from high school who spent their lunch hours throwing up whatever unlucky food happened to get into their systems. His skin was pale from little to no direct sunlight and his hair stood starkly out in contrast, emphasizing the otherwise light purple bags under his eyes from whatever medicinal delicacies his position accorded him. Whatever they were they'd worn his voice down to the rasp of a man much older then himself, hinting at spending the rest of his life in a hospital. He did appear sickly to many, but with the best doctors money could buy he could afford to be careless with his body. And what threats the doctors couldn't take care of.. Well, that's where my job came in. Orochimaru wasn't the type to leave any corner unprotected or covered.
"I see. Well, down to business, shall we? I have beauties warming my bed at home and wouldn't want to miss out on the fun should they get restless." Jiraiya set down his glass and his face sobered save for the pinkish tint to his cheeks. In contrast to my employer, he was an older man who somehow managed to keep a youthful face though his hair grayed and his body reacted slower with time. He often sat hunched over, as now, his wiry gray hair crawling down his back in uneven cuts. The suit he wore didn't fit his stance and looked forced on him, especially with the cocky and lecherous smile which usually slid across his face. "Now, as promised, I have your gift."
Orochimaru allowed an amused smile to cross his face, his expression resembling that of a parent humoring a child. "I have no interest in your little female toys, old friend. You know that."
Jiraiya snorted. "I know you better then that. Give me some more credit, and tell that walking brick of muscle to open the door and let him in."
I glanced to Orochimaru, waiting for his approval. Seeing him nod his head, I turned and opened the door, waiting for whatever might be outside. Jiraiya had a habit of asking favors and then returning gifts soon after. I had a feeling he enjoyed the gift giving more then he needed the favors, but then it wasn't my job to ask questions about their business. I simply guarded the door and shot down any who weren't welcome or who over stepped their bounds. Only a small part of me was curious to see what this gift was. Last time it had been two girls who were too young to drive. They'd simply been looked at then passed on, since my employer seemed to have no interest in anything which didn't have scales covering its body.
The 'gift' who stepped into the room this time, was an eye catcher to say the least. This one looked younger then the previous, though not by much. Her body was slight and she walked with silent steps, only the whisper of soft bare feet across the floor. Small silver and cold chains, coiled together, denoted her status to this end of the world and the one laced across her neck could hardly be called a collar, though that was exactly what it was, hidden beneath her thin wisps of hair.
The rest of her hair was tied to the top of her head, several bits escaping down her back in a style that managed to look half-assed and planned at the same time, perfectly matching the thin robe like piece which hugged her body. She was obviously dressed to match my employer, perhaps even in a mocking fashion, but the beauty had to make it hard to be insulted. Girls like this weren't natural and certainly had a talent for exciting any who still had the function or the desire, myself included. I caught a glimpse of cool blue eyes as she passed me, looking far too pure for any in this corner of the city. If she'd lost her way, she'd stumbled into the wrong room.
For his part, Orochimaru did a wonderful job of restraining himself. Even I, who'd been under his employ for a good half of my life now, knew this sort of thing rarely interested him. And yet, even he couldn't resist the new 'toy' placed in front of him. I watched as he sat up and reached behind the girl's head, snapping the small chain there to let her hair spill over her back. The girl, for her part, made no movement to step back or retreat. She was either too scared or too well trained in her role.
"You know I don't favor girls like you do, old friend," he used the words harshly, managing to turn them with a tilt of his tongue into an insult. Jiraiya took it all in stride.
"That's a good thing, considering this isn't a girl."
The interest wasn't hidden on his face now and I watched Orochimaru's eyes travel over the boy who stood before him. I saw interest in those eyes and couldn't help the surprise in my own. Perhaps Jiraiya wasn't so much of an imbecile after all. His gifts never seemed to hit the mark. But this one seemed right on target.
"Show him, Haku."
The boy turned his back to Orochimaru and I could finally see his face more to my liking. After being told the truth, I could see the resemblance now. Hidden within his features, were that of a child perhaps almost too asexual to be called either yet. Calling him a child was unfair though, because one could see he was just on the edge of his teenage years, soon to leave them behind for whatever life lay ahead. A hint of manhood was barely visible in his face and I could tell he was one of those who would attract attention from both sexes, simply because he did such a good job of balancing on the rope in between.
As I let my own eyes roam over him and learn what he was, the boy undid the front of his robe-like outfit. The smooth cloth slipped off his shoulders, trailing down to be caught only at his waist, as he leaned his head forward and swept the long hair to one side. The movements were a show in their own right, and yet only a teaser for the magnificence revealed beneath. Back in the old days, when men like these two ruled behind the scenes in most of the countries, their backs had been painted with elaborate designs to denote rank and honor and the ability to withstand the hours of painstaking needle work each corner of skin took. Such designs were threatening and honorable, but never an art such as this.
Painted in ink across this boy's entire back, was the most magnificent of designs ever fashioned on human skin. The ink shown bright and vibrant over his skin, detailing serpentine designs in a classic and decorative manner that curled down beneath the waist into the robes. One could only wonder how far down the design went, and the details were far too numerous to see even in a day's look. This was a work of art, cast upon living flesh and moving with each breath as if the design itself were alive.
Even Orochimaru couldn't hold back his reaction and it was no surprise to see him lean forward and dance his finger over the design, leaning forward to brush his lips against it, as if it were real enough to taste. I watched the boy's eye close as he let out a soft breath, silently communicating that he'd obtained a taste for such light caresses. Jiraiya's expression tilted into something unreadable.
"You seem to like this one."
Orochimaru moved to stand up, his hands still trailing over the boy's back, eliciting soft trembles to travel over his skin. "I'll consider keeping it as payment."
Jiraiya smirked. "I told you I'd find one you liked. Didn't I, Zabuza?"
I found myself nodding, realizing my eyes weren't even on the guest and hadn't been for quite some time. I'd neglected my duties so easily and only now realized my mistake. Had Jiraiya had plans to make a kill or even wound Orochimaru, I would have missed it. All because of a young slave boy who had the most delicious habit of being able to remain completely silent and yet show feelings of pleasure louder then any sound upon his face.
I frowned.
I hated distractions.