Naruto's arms circled around herself while they took their first real break on their journey. She glanced at the sky, a now somber gray color and released a sigh. She had told Orochimaru that she would find water while he drew some more symbols and arrows on the map. He gave her a once over and a simple acknowledgement and waved her away.

She crouched by the stream and watched her reflection waver in the water.

'Everyone you know is dead.'

She watched the reflection distort into her lost friends, acquaintances and even enemies. Her imagination played back scenes of team assignments, the Wave mission, the Chunnin Ex-.

A sharp pang sliced through her body as her pulse quickened and her blood pressure dropped. She slowly turned her attention to the direction where the snake himself was sitting. She couldn't see him but knowing he was there was a sinful comfort. The man who tore Konoha asunder, who killed the man she called grandfather, who ruined the lives of those he touched, was the only thing providing Naruto with some sort of solace. She should be furious. She should be enraged, but she was only comforted.

Pathetic. Weak. She couldn't help but forgive. It was in her nature. She desired to make other laugh or smile even at her own expense. Besides he had no knowledge of what he would do, and right now he didn't seem all bad. She had watched him as they walked and listened closely to what he had to say. He seemed smart, if not a little paranoid (but any good ninja is), even considerate and insecure, but most of all he seemed, lonely.

'Remind you of someone?'

She bit her lip as she recounted her conversations with the snake man. He was orphaned, like her, wanted acceptance, like her, was feared, like her. She could only imagine what it must have been like for him. He obviously needed some sort of help and it never came.

'Until now.'

Naruto turned her attention to the reflection once more as it once again reformed to her image.

"Great, I'm left with an amnesia-riddled serpent and a psychotic Uchiha and TO TOP IT OFF I am losing my fucking mind," Naruto began as she slammed her container into the water, disrupting the image. Naruto had never handled complex emotions very well. Most of the time she suppressed them, leading to later eruptions of emotion, that was when she wasn't just filled with denial. Naruto was even aware that she did this. She wasn't book smart but she was had a high emotional intelligence.

"I…I cant deal with this right now." She sadly smiled at the reflection, which returned a concerned look, "Please, Everything will go back to normal. The way it was."

'But, can you return to the way things were, now? Feeling the way you feel? Knowing the things you know?'

"It will be painful, watching the past unfold, losing..." she trailed off as she closed her eyes ", but It's never been about me."

She splashed her face with water before the reflection could respond and once the emotions were safely pushed back down she quickly headed back to her companion.

Orochimaru tapped his foot as he muttered under his breath. Getting water did not take this long, especially being that he distinctly remembered a river not a mile back. Perhaps she had run off, he mused, but that didn't line up with her previous actions.

'Maybe she drowned.' He frowned, 'but what kind of self-respecting ninja didn't know how to swim, or at least water walk?'

He massaged his temples and muttered, "One who wears orange, is constantly yelling and takes comfort in the village's pariah." He wrapped up the map and headed out to where he believed she was. He wasn't concerned. How could he be when she was so loud and annoying and naïve and kind…Wait.

"I'm back!" Naruto exclaimed coming face to face with the mildly irritated Sannin. 'Was that a flash of relief?' she shook her head 'couldn't be. I must still be seeing things'

She smiled as she looked up and locked eyes with the now uncomfortable man. She leaned forward fascinated with something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Her large blue eyes widened as though she had found a new exclusive ramen flavor. Orochimaru opened his mouth about to object to the close proximity when…

"You have very bright eyes!" She childishly claimed. She smiled satisfied with her statement and Orochimaru only could only question, "What?"

"They are a bright green, but not like a gross moss green or Rock Lee's jumpsuit green but like…like!" she seemed to struggle to find the words as she snapped her fingers in frustration, "Like a TOAD or or !' She watched as Orochimaru's face darkened with fury until she recovered with "Or a nice green tea! You seem like the type to like green tea. I've never liked it personally but Hinata swears it's relaxing and Tent-

She continued her torrent of one sided conversation as Orochimaru collected his thoughts. She had complemented him, in..her own way. It was the first complement he had received in a while. Like Naruto he didn't handle complex emotions well, especially positive ones.

He eventually settled on rolling his eyes and releasing a "whatever". He turned to continue on the path and watched as her face slightly fell and quieted. This was his chance for silence. He felt a tinge of guilt.

"I do, in fact, like green tea but I rarely drink it. I try to avoid caffeine in most drinks other than coffee because I tend to drink a large amount of coffee." He should be blessed in another life.

She beamed, "I don't normally drink coffee but I do like the taste! Iruka hates the taste but he still drinks it-

Orochimaru let out a sigh as she continued the deluge of information, but didn't notice the small smile on his own face.

/

"achoo" Orochimaru tried to stifle a sneeze as the cheerful fox ran ahead into the clearing. He rolled up his collar and breathed into his hands, trying to warm up his frozen fingers. He watched the woman stare at the sky trying to catch the falling snowflakes, before they hit the ground.

They had just reached the mountain range and the temperature had been dropping steadily as they continued on. Naruto seemed unfazed by the cold. Orochimaru on the other hand hated the cold. People of his clan developed varying degrees of reptilian traits. Unfortunately he had received a complete intolerance for the cold. Something Jiraiya had relentlessly ridiculed him about throughout their gennin years.

Another shiver ran through his body, as he watched the woman attempt to observe the snowflakes caught in her long hair.

"You know…I've been to Snow Country before but…I was always on a mission. Snow was just an inconvenience, a thing to plan for. When you run through these forests you never notice the little things." She commented as she poked one of the flakes gently.

Orochimaru seemed slightly surprised by the blonde's introspective honesty. He maintained an apathetic look as he tried to piece together the enigma in front of him. She showed no fear of him anymore. She didn't look at him the way other people did, even fellow ninja.

"Each snowflake looks different."

Naruto glanced up at the man huddled into himself. He was becoming more conversational. She softly smiled, "No way!"

He rolled his eyes, " Every one has unique patterns and sizes. It has to do with the amount of moisture and dust around the flake as it formed wind patterns, etc. etc." he shuddered as he held back another sneeze.

"That's so cool! So they're like people, each different from the rest." She held her hands in front of her as she slowly approached the freezing man.

"Quite the opposite. You'll find that people are all the same. "He narrowed his eyes as another shiver rocked his body.

Naruto's gaze softened at his cynicism. She could understand. She once thought the same way. "Maybe at a glance" She remembered Iruka, it took one person to change her perspective, "But just like these snowflakes, you just have to slow down and really take a good look. You'd be surprised what you find!"

Orochimaru frowned and looked down at the flakes on his coat, "But I wasn't surprised. I already knew snowflakes were different and their morphology. You were the uneducated one." He spat out indignantly.

Naruto deadpanned, "No.. morphowhat no, I meant you need to get to know someone before you can distinguish the differences."

"Frozen water and the human psyche are hardly comparable." Orochimaru countered with a furrowed brow.

"You are impossible!" he opened his mouth to respond she glared, "Don't!" Orochimaru smirked at her glare, which was more of a pout, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Regardless," he motioned to a place right outside the clearing, "There's a good spot to camp out for the night. Hand me the tent AND don't argue I don't want you stabbing me or yourself trying to set one up."

"Uh..What tent?" Naruto innocently smiled.

"What do you mean what tent?"

Naruto let out a nervous giggle as she shrunk back from the very upset Sannin.

"What do you mean what tent. I was not dressed for a mission when the Madara event occurred for one reason or another. OnE I CanNot remember." He, frustrated, ran his fingers through his hair." However!" Naruto began to back away as Orochimaru followed, "I don't know any ninja gennin, chunnin, or jonin who would travel without essential supplies. ONE of which being a tent."

Naruto averted her eyes and lowly admitted "I…normally someone else brings the tent." His glare intensified as she shrank into herself, "I just cuddle with them for the night. I" She held up a scroll, "I have a sleeping bag." She smiled trying to appease the serpent.

Orochimaru's face contorted into a snarl as he questioned for the umpteenth time the competence of the pleading kunoichi who is currently his companion. But, it is incredibly difficult to appear threatening when you are shivering head to toe.

"Are…are you cold?" Naruto raised her hand to check his temperature but Orochimaru shied away.

"I..I..'m fi..ne" He said between clattering teeth.

"OH NO! Do you have cold blood like actual snakes?! I didn't know. Im never cold because of the Kyuubi and something about its chakra and genetics and IM so sorry. I can fix it! Um uh..how do I fix it?" she pleaded as she looked around.

"There!" Naruto excitedly pointed to a nearby cave and dragged the frozen ninja to the cavern. She ran around setting up everything she had including attempting to start a fire (which Orochimaru eventually had to do despite the fact that she claimed she could, given enough time).

"Welp we should get some shut eye." She yawned as she curled into the dull orange sleeping bag and Orochimaru slid down the wall prepared to sleep sitting up.

"What are you doing?"

Orochimaru opened one eye, "Sleeping?"

"But why there? You can come sleep in the sleeping bag with me. It's way big enough for the two of us!"

Orochimaru just stared dumbfounded with the young girl.

"What are you staring at?...NOT LIKE THAT and you say I'm immature. I've done this all the time with teammates even with Jiraiya" Orochimaru shuddered at that. "Nothing dirty just comfort."

Orochimaru shivered and weighed his options. She was rather attractive. She must have saints for teammates or thinking back to the Jiraiya comment sent a strong enough message that they left her alone. He sighed as he stood up and made his way to the sleeping bag. He had always prided himself on his self-control and he had never been one to chase women (Tsunade even called him asexual).

'This should be easy.' He thought to himself as he sidled in next to the blonde, instantly feeling the warmth and leaning into it. All of a sudden the blonde rolled over curling up against the stunned snake man and wrapping her arms around him.

"N-N-Naruto" He coughed out. All he received was a snore in response as she cuddled even closer. A heat warmed Orochimaru's cheeks

'Okay maybe not.'