For the Love of Snakes

"Karin... Do you have the evaluation reports for today?" a voice murmured. Deep, cold and with the faintest snake-like hiss. But rather than being afraid, the girl felt a shiver go through her spine before answering the question that had been directed at her.

"Hai..Goshujinsama.." Yes, Master. Each time she said it, it had practically come out as a purr. How she loved hearing those words come out of her mouth, since the very beginning. Not that she had to call him that, rather she had chosen to on her own volition. This both amused and interested Orochimaru.

"Really, Karin. You don't have to call me that anymore. You're my assistant now, 'Orochimaru-sama' will work just fine." The snake like man spoke sweetly, resting a hand on her shoulder. The girl, Karin quickly pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, cheeks reddening as she looked up towards Orochimaru.

"Ah…H-Hai, Orochimaru-sama.." came her experimental reply. She liked the sound of that, too. It rolled, slithered almost, off the tip of her tongue. Orochimaru seemed to enjoy it as well, his thin yellow eyes narrowing in a sinister sneer, as his lips curled into a grin. Karin allowed herself a moment to admire this. He always looked as if he wanted to swallow you whole. It was so…exciting. Anyone with eyes could see how infatuated she was over this man. This being who knew nothing but his desire for power, destruction, quest for immortality and even more power. He looked out for no one but himself. And even when he had found Karin and took her in, he was doing it for his own gain. Not that she minded. He had more or less saved her. And now she would repay this 'Dark Knight' of sorts, and do whatever he requested from her. Karin had a firm track on Orochimaru's specific array of chakra. She could feel the chakra wind around her, coiling like a snake, filled with such hate and desire for chaos. To Karin, Orochimaru's chakra was like a leash around her neck. She followed it, followed him. Like his little pet, saying 'yes master!' and doing his bidding. Despite the fact that she knew all he cared about was his own desires. She didn't care. Karin would jump off of a cliff for him, if it meant jumping into his pocket for his safe-keeping, until he needed her again.

"Mn…That's more like it." He practically purred, in his hiss-like whisper. Ever manipulative, Orochimaru's pale cold hand stroked over Karin's pink cheek, pulling a started gasp from her lips, a flutter of excitement from her chest. And just like that, he slid away from her, his serpentine weave of chakra beckoning her after him, though her feet seemed rooted to the ground. All she could do was stare, as the man steadily began to disappear from sight. Before he completely left, he turned and grinned over his shoulder, looking rather smug.

"Keep up the good work…" his voice swept over her and disappeared as easily as he had. Leaving her standing there, staring wistfully off into the distance. Until…she heard an array of wolf-whistled and catcalls, startling Karin. Cheeks darkening in an embarrassed flush, she whirled around and shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she extended her angry flare toward the many prisoners locked behind the large cage cells behind her.

"Way to go, Karin… If you drool any more we'll all drown!" a man bellowed, and they all burst into laughter. Karin twitched, her glare deepening until she exploded.

"Shut it, you trash!" the flustered girl jerked her foot out into a sharp kick at the cell, sending a loud clanging ring through the long room. Effectively silencing the jeers into irritated groans and grunts. Satisfied, Karin huffed, pushing at her glasses while swiveling away from them and wandering down the long rows of more cells. She still had a job to do. More cells to check on. But this was simple work. The girl would very easily tell that every person was healthy or at least alive, with the exception of a few experiments in the distance. All she really had to do was to walk down this line of cells and check off the names of those who were there. No need to look at them, she sensed their steady flow of chakra with the exception of a few angry fellows that would continuously shout at her as she wandered by. Demanding attention like babies. But Karin paid little attention to these men. To her they were just angry dogs tethered to a fence. She only smiled, offered an occasional wave, and kept going. There were a few people who at least hadn't hated her enough to not speak, in which she could engage in leisure conversation if they so pleased, content with their caged prison. Content with being subjected to Orochimaru experiments, the same way Karin was content with being his lap pet. She didn't know how long it had been since she was first brought to work with him. Like so many others, she had been recognized for her abilities alone, and brought with him in the guise of being 'taken under his wing'. However, Karin's specific abilities made her more useful in a different way. Orochimaru did not need to experiment on her. Instead, he took her in as a partner and let her be in charge of his bases. And since then, she's been as loyal as if she were his slave. Her infatuation with his strength and desire for power kept her reasonable docile in his presence and for now she had little problems. Which was surprising, since the girl got angry so very quickly. She didn't get along well with others, and thus was kept there with the cells and inmates, granted visits by others from time to time, mainly her best friend Tayuya. Where they would harass and bug all of the prisoners for amusement. But then there were always the rare visits she received from Orochimaru. Karin looked forward to these visits the most, however brief they were. And she was left to daydream about the man by her lonesome. Not that she had a problem with that. It was safer to daydream than to actually do it. But then again she could never bring herself to do something when it came to Orochimaru. Whenever she got close enough to him, she was reduced to a completely opposite of her true self. A quiet, blushing, timid form of herself. This side of her had to have been pretty annoying, she mused to herself, wandered down the row of cells. Before she realized it, she had gotten nearly to the end of the line. Blinking, she let her mind drift back to reality, turning to stare down the hall she had just come from. She hadn't been paying attention at all, it seemed. And with a glance at her reports, she hadn't been filling them out either. An embarrassed tint of red brushed over her cheeks as she huffed and gave a quick adjustment of her glasses.

"Might as well go back…" she murmured in irritation. But before she could start off in this direction, something else caught her attention again. The sound of a hiss. Instantly thinking of Orochimaru, she whirled her head around with an eager smile, but found no one. Smile fading, Karin stared off into the distance. Hmm…maybe she was hearing things…

That is, until the hiss came again. Eyes following the nose, she looked downward. To see not Orochimaru, but a pain snake on the ground. Well, as 'plain' as a snake could get in this place. This particular serpent held a few distinct features that, much to her excitement, reminded her of Orochimaru. The snake wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either, maybe the size of a growing young boa. It was all black shining scales that looked smooth to the touch. Much like the Sannin's long black hair. Its eyes were yellow, and had markings around them that were very clearly Orochimaru's trademark eyes. She had quite a fascination with snakes. Their movement, their noises. This one, like all others in this base, had to have belonged to Orochimaru personally, Karin mused as she crouched to get a better look. But what was it doing way out here?

"You looking for someone?" She asked in a quiet murmur, reaching a hand out toward it, finger extended. She wasn't afraid of snakes, and in return they seemed to respect her as well. Without even so much as a threatening hiss, the snake coiled and raised its sleek head toward the finger. Moving until the very tip of its nose touched her finger in a light bump, then pulled back to look at her. For a moment Karin just stared at the animal, surprised and vaguely thrilled at the same time. But as she prepared to continue this conversation with her new friend, it began to uncoil and slither away, down a long hallway that had lead to the other areas of Orochimaru's base. Places she rarely traveled.

"H-Hey wait!" she couldn't help but to call out to it. And to her surprise, the snake stopped. This was certainly no ordinary snake, she thought, watching as its head turned to look back at her. Those Orochimaru-esque eyes trained on her, rooting her to that crouched position she was in. Then, after its long stare, the snake slithered away again, slowly. As if wanting her to follow. Blinking, the girl watched a little, and then rose up from her crouch. Well, if it came all this way to apparently see her, she might as well go along with this. Besides, it reminded her of Orochimaru, so of course she'd follow.

The hall the snake had slithered down led away from Karin's long row of prisoner cells, down a much thinner hallway, with very little light coming from its end. As she followed, it got darker. But she could still see the snake enough to keep following, her body silhouetted by the light behind her. She seemed entranced by this animal, its sleek back curving and sliding as it traveled down that hall. Such a beautiful creature, she thought to herself, smiling toward to it. She was then struck with the desire to touch him, stepping forward quickly and scooping him up. The snake did not struggle, only coiled up as she held it in both hands. He was a lot smaller than she thought, its surprisingly warm body wrapping around her wrist. She didn't feel threatened by this; it felt more like a caressing squeeze than anything else. It brought another smile. And now that she had caught it, she was brought back to the reality that she had left her work.

Eyes widened, she raised her head and looked around, wondering just where she had ended up. The light from where she'd been still illuminated the hall, but ahead of her she could tell there was no thought there. It was eerie, like walking into a save. Why hadn't she noticed it before? The question floated through her brain and vanished, attention drawn to the hissed of that black snake around her wrist. But that wasn't all, the snakes hiss seemed to keep going, and Karin noticed that it was hissing…toward the darkness of the cave. Was something down there? She wondered, and then spoke in a soft whisper.

"What do you see, Hebi-kun?"

But just as she asked, using the nickname she quickly thought up for her new friend, the snake's mouth opened wider, fangs long and glistening. On a surprised gasp, something happened. As the snake hissed its loudest, a torch lit against the wall beside her, illuminating the hall around them. A second later, another torch lit itself, a little further down that dark hallway. Again this happened, each torch coming to life and lighting up the part of the hall that had once been cave0like. Unnoticed by Karin, the snake had stopped hissing sometime around the first lighting of the torch, watching along with the girl as more torches lit up her path. She soon followed them, curious and quite impressed.

"That's a cool trick…" She murmured to her little friend, lured down that hall by those mysteriously lit torches. After a while, she noticed that the hall split into four, and that each path was dark and unlit. But just as Karin grew near the intersection, torches began to set aflame down the hall to her left. Almost as if leading her… Heh.. yeah right. The snake hissed softly, its tiny tongue flicking against the girl's thumb, as if to reassure her. A faint smile grew, and she pivoted o wander down this new hall, following after the lit torches along the wall. This happened again as she came upon another intersection, the path leading her to the right this time. What started as curiosity had now become an adventure. Was she being led to some place? Or was it merely a coincidence that would leave her lost in this vast hidden fortress? Her questions required answers, so she kept on going, turning another left into a hall that lit itself up for her. An oddity that was quickly growing into normality. Karin mused to herself, knowing

That following self-lighting torches wasn't smart, but curiosity was stronger than common sense. Add that with the fact that she was technically home, seeing that she slept and worked here, Karin felt a certain ease wandering in this uncharted territory. Minutes passed as she walked, until it seemed she really was getting lost.

"Are you sure about this, Hebi-kun?" She peered down at the snake around her wrist. It slithered around the hand and moved its head to stare at her, as if to say…it was alright. She have a shrug, and kept walking…only to stop with a startled gasp as she came upon a large door.

Immediately, two large torches lit themselves on either side of this door, which was unlike any other door she'd come across inside this hideout. While all of the doors she'd seem had been plain and wooden, this new door was much bigger. It seemed to be made out of some kind of dark metal. Almost like the entrance to a dungeon. Karin stepped forward to examine closely, bringing her free, snake-less hand out to rest against the cold black metal. Fingertips ran down it, sending a tingle of awareness in the back of her skull. There was something about this door…she couldn't quite say what it was. But she wondered faintly if she should just turn back and finish her work. However before her feet could move, the black snake in her hand slid off and dropped onto the ground, taking her by surprise. Karin bent to pick him back up and take him with her, but the animal had already began to slither away, heading for that big door.

"Wait! Don't go in, it's not safe!" she whispered loudly, making a grab for him, but he had already disappeared beneath the large metal door. Despite her uneasy feeling about this, she couldn't just let him go and get hurt, who knows what kind of monsters were inside.

That thought stopped Karin. She stared, wide-eyed, at the door. She…couldn't sense anything behind the door…not even the snake! Karin placed her hangs together and focused her chakra. …Nothing. This door was blocking off all signs of chakra, even to her. Now she really began to worry. What if there really was a monster inside. …Hebi-kun would…

"H-Hebi-kun, I'm coming to get you!" she said loud enough so he could hear, if he was listening. Karin took time to shake her head, fighting back her hears, and pushed against the door. Not even a budge. She pushed again, harder. To no avail. Dread filled her. What if Hebi-kun got stuck? That glorious snake…that reminded her so much of Orochimaru. She couldn't let it get hurt.

Bracing her hands on the cold metal door, she focused her chakra into both of them in one strong rush, shoving at the door with all her might, with gave away much easier this time. Grunting, Karin pushed and shoved until the door opened enough to let her in. She squeezed her body inside and leapt out of the way as it closed again with a loud bang. Though she began to wonder if she would even be able to get out, she decided to worry about that later. The moment the door closed, Karin was forced to notice that there was a mass of chakra behind this door. It was chokingly obvious, so strong it was almost visible. Karin rest a hand over her mouth, her sense overwhelmed with the rush of chakra that bounced uncontrollably around the room, making her lightheaded. She'd never experienced this chakra before, it was unstable…dangerous. Fear tried to creep into her, but the girl shoved her thoughts aside, assuming that this chakra was the leftover of some experiment Orochimaru had recently conducted. Though…she knew that that probably wasn't true…

"H-Hebi-kun?" Karin whispered to the surprisingly dark room. Looking around, the darkness of the room was illuminated only be an arrangement of lights and beeping equipment. Along with something that looked like a small glowing pool. Did Hebi-kun go in there? She wondered as she wandered towards it, adjusting her glasses.

"H-Hebi…kun?" she called out for him again, hoping he would show himself at the sound of her voice. But it wasn't Hebi's hiss that greeted her.

"Who the hell is Hebi-kun?" a voice startled Karin into jumping. She looked around to see where this unfamiliar voice came from, thought she saw no one.

"Who's there?" she demanded, already bracing herself for an attack. There was a violent pulsing of chakra that came when that voice had spoke, killing her idea of no one being inside here. It came at her on all sides, throwing off her sensing abilities. This could explain the heavy chakra-blocking door. If her prisoners were exposed to this amount of hostile chakra,, they might get a little rowdy. Which brought a new question to the front of her mind. Just who -was- this?

"Who am I? Who the hell are you?" the obviously male voice was filled with an arrogance and annoyance. And Karin could hear that this voice seemed to…bubble. As if it came from…

"Hey woman! I asked you a question!" came the voice again. This time Karin's eyes had been focused onto that glowing pool, widening as she witnessed the water rippling along with the annoyed timbre of the voice. The voice was…inside the water??

Karin crept close and swallowed back the rush of fear in her throat, her mind already conjuring up some weird experimental water beast with the ability to speak, or something equally dangerous. And just as she came close enough, the water began to bubble violently. Squealing, Karin fell onto her backside, fearing the worse as the water bubbled and splashed. But to her horror, something began to raise out of the water. Long seconds passed as what appeared to be a head began to seep out of the pool. It was bubbly and seemed to form more distinctive features; eyes that were still closed, a nose, mouth, and chin length hair. But it didn't stop there. A body soon began to form out of the water, glowing and transparent. It stopped around the forms waist, and Karin stared as the being began to fill with color of pale flesh. More details began to form as well, the hair was a light glowing blue, the mouth curled into an irritated scowl. And once this being was apparently finished coming out, eyes opened to look at her, irises a shining yellow. Karin stared, the male stared back. Until he slowly grinned, exposing dual rows of pointed sharp teeth. The glasses-glad female was left, mouth agape, eyes wide, at this shark-like male.

"What are you doing in my room, woman?" its voice was louder, now that he was out of his water. But Karin couldn't respond for a while, in awe at this water-dwelling shark-toothed male with long drippy hair and oddly shaped eyes. She wondered vaguely if he was an experiment crossed with a kappa, or fish. It was almost as if he was made out of water.

"Who the hell are you..?" she whispered, still taken aback. The male scowled at her for a long time, his smile fading.

"How disrespectful….hmph. I finally get a visitor, and she asked me questions like I'M the one who broke in and disrupted a perfectly good sleep." He crossed his toned wet arms over his chest and sighed. "Fine… I'll tell you…" the male raised a hand out and leaned down to scoop up the slithering Hebi-kun that had crept out of nowhere, letting it wind around his hand. Then brought his sharp grin back to her.

"My name is Suigetsu…"

/end