"I love you … I will always love you … I will always be with you …"

The same voice. Every dream he had since he was a small child started and ended with the same voice. It didn't matter if it was a nightmare, a playback of his memories and even an erotic dream, the voice always managed to cap off his nightly fantastical excursions.

Ever since he was a child, he had been searching for the voice. Some nights, he would forget it even existed until it repeated itself at the very end of his dreams. He would then wake up, cursing his subconscious mind on not having enough sense to focus on finding the voice. Other nights, the nights where he felt he had some semblance of control over his dreams, he searched tirelessly for the voice's owner. At times, it would call out to him, beckoning him with more sweet sayings and phrases. Other times, it would remain completely silent, leaving him searching his subconsciously fruitlessly for hours only to wake up and curse himself for his failures.

Today was different. Today, her words were no longer a whisper. They called out to him as if she had shouted right over his shoulder. Somehow, the increased loudness of her voice only served to agitate the boy more. She sounded so close. He felt as if he could almost reach out and touch her. Yet … he couldn't feel her.

"You're not far … forward." Her words pushed him onward. In the formless world surrounding him, the blond marched confidently forward. He didn't have an inkling of what was behind him, below him, above him, to his sides or even in front of him. Yet, he marched forward. The voice compelled him to and who was he to ignore it?

He had no idea how long his journey lasted. Dreams had a weird way of making one lose track of time. It could've been a few seconds or it could've been hours. The only thing that he knew was that with each step, he was growing closer to it. He didn't know who or what it was exactly but the the seemingly primordial urge that burned in his stomach through his journey made him want to discover.

He needed to discover.

"You're here."

The voice. It sounded so happy and it made him happy. It made him smile. He didn't know why but it's happiness felt like his own. If he had been outside of his subconscious, he would've surely questioned the phenomenon. But now, his focus was elsewhere.

As his steps echoed through the vast expanse of his mind, the fog before his eyes began to clear. His smile began to grow wider as an outline of a figure made itself known in the distance. He nearly broke out in a sprint at the sight but managed to curb his urge to a light jog. With each pace taken, the outline became clearer and clearer. By the time he had reached her form, he was nearly beaming with happiness as he stared at what he could only imagine what an angel looked like.

Her skin was pale, almost impossibly so. Her golden eyes cut through the thin layer of fog separating the door and pierced into his soul. The purple markings surrounding them only served to highlight the beautiful twin orbs. Her hair, a mesmerizing midnight black, fell loosely over her face and shoulders. Naruto wanted nothing more than to walk up to her and part the bangs covering her face just so he could soak in more of her.

Unfortunately for the blond, that was all he was able to gleam. The rest of her body remained shrouded, hidden from his view by some unforeseen force. The boy wanted to scream out at the injustice of the situation. He found the action to be entirely unnecessary when a hand found itself on his cheek.

"My prince…" Her voice managed to soothe any anger that had surged up in him. It receded back into his heart as he found himself drowning in her golden gaze once more. Her eyes seized his body and froze it in place. It was a feeling that, coming from anyone else, would've frustrated the hell out of him but coming from her, made him feel pleasant beyond belief.

"I've waited so long." She leaned her head down to whisper into his ear. The height difference between the two would have usually bothered the prideful boy but with her warm breath playing against his ear, he couldn't find the will to care. His own breathing began to pick up when she slid her hands up to cup her face. He felt his neck begin to heat up where she was breathing. It felt as if she was somehow managing to melt away his skin with just her breath.

Her tongue lolled out of her mouth with an almost saucy sense of determination. When it landed on his neck, specifically where his curse seal was located, Naruto released a gasp. His vision became covered in a scarlet purple as the color erupted from his seal. The blond legs began to shake underneath his own weight as he found it more and more difficult to stand. The feeling of pure euphoria traveling through his veins was absolutely blinding. It had him tasting colors and seeing sounds. He wanted more of it. He craved more. He needed more.

"Naruto!" And, just like that, the feeling left him. The blond's eyes shot open as the fog around him receded into nothing. He was only able to glimpse one last view of the angel's face before his vision erupted into a blinding white light.

"Naruto." As the light faded from his vision so came a rush of anger. His upper body launched upward while a throaty snarl left his mouth. He had been so close. After years of searching, he found what he had been searching for. Anger flooded through his system as he began to lose against the urge to lash out at anything around him.

"Calm down, Naruto!" Blinded by his anger, the blond didn't notice the two hands shoot down and grab onto his wrists. Even if he had been able to see clearly, it would've mattered much. There was very little he could have done to stop the owner of the hands.

Naruto fought against the physical restraints for several moments, gaining only a little bit of gain from his efforts. It was only when his anger began to flush out of his system did the blond stop attempting to escape. Because standing over him was the stern but concern face of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At sight of the man's face sapped the last bit of anger from the boy's body. The old man had always been by his side. Since he was a young babe, the Hokage had been a pillar of support in his life. One of the few things he didn't want to ever do was to cause the man any unnecessary strife. After watching the man go about his daily rigors as the Hokage, the blond knew that the man certainly didn't need any more of it in his life.

Hiruzen's grip fell from his wrist and with it fell the boy's arms to his side. For that, he was very grateful. It didn't seem like it in the moment but the older male had been using a lot of force to keep him still. The red surrounding his wrist only bespoke of a fragment of soreness the blond would be feeling later through the day.

"Are you calm now?"

"...I am."

Was he? Naruto couldn't honestly say for sure. A part of him, buried deep in the recesses of his mind, felt infuriated. It wanted nothing more than to lash out at the world around him. He wanted to strike out. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to raze and burn and maim and-

"Be still, my prince. Anger afflicts control and control is ultimate." There it was! The very same voice from his 'dreams'. He could see her face in his mind's eye. It reflected compassion, love, and care. It warmed and calmed him far past anything Hiruzen could've done.

Hiruzen felt a sense of relief fill him at the sight of the boy's smile. When he had burst into the room and saw him thrashing amongst the sheets of his bed, worried had fill him. The worry only grew when he was forced to actually restrain the child. He may have been old but it shouldn't have taken as much force as it did to hold the boy down. He had been afraid that Minato's seal had somehow managed to slip and the fox's influence had overtaken the child. But now, seeing the boy's smiling face, all thoughts of that had been torn away.

That didn't mean he wouldn't call Jiraiya in a bit early for the child's annual check-up.

"You managed to sleep in until noon. It's a little late for you to show up to your classes, so why don't I take you to get some ramen?" The man knew he was being somewhat of a bad influence on the child with this decision but he couldn't help himself. When he saw Naruto's face light up in happiness, he knew he had made the right decision.

"Yeah, old man!" The blond tore the blankets off his body and hopped off his bed. The Hokage watched as the boy, only clad in a pair of shorts, ran excitedly from his room. The man could only shake his head in amusement at the sight before following the child out of the room.

"Have someone replace the boy's sheet and fix the wall. I rather not have him returning to his home to that." The Hokage's parting words were answered by a flicker of movement within the room. He paid it no mind as he closed the door behind him, hiding from view the deep gouges that had been ripped into the wall behind the boy's bed and the torn remnants of his sheet.

By the time Naruto returned home, there would be no evidence of his morning fit.

A low hiss reached her ears as the doors sprang open before her. Her face was blasted by a rush of warm air that sent her hair blowing behind him. She didn't allow the anomaly to bother her as she stepped confidently into the room, flanked by no one and without weapon.

Her golden eyes traveled across the room with a sense of laziness that was unusual for the woman. Her usual alertness had been rendered mute within the room. Where many within her rank would be fearful, she stood indolent.

"The day grows nearer. I grow closer with each passing day." Orochimaru began to speak, seemingly to no one. Even if her actions didn't reflect it, the sannin picked up on the shadow of movement within the corner of the dimly lit room. She smiled to herself before continuing.

"Your role has been cemented. He is still but a child in power. The day will come when I cannot protect him nor will he able to protect himself. You will be by his side. You will be his knight." She paused once more. This time, the movement came at much more than a shadow. She tempered herself against releasing a sweet moan as a flash of emotion entered through her.

She was so close.

"There will also be the day when he can protect himself. Where no one, not even myself or the legends of the old age, will be able to threaten him. His very presence will be enough to stem any of his enemies. Even then, you will remain by his side."

"Raise your blade." At her command, the sound of flesh tearing echoed through the room. The sannin stepped deeper into the room at the sound.

"From this point forward, your servitude to me is no longer your priority. I healed you but Naruto Uzumaki will allow you to live. He is your master. You are a dog at his command. Your purpose and worth will be determined by him alone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." As the soft voice spoke out, Orochimaru reached forward and placed her hand on the bowed head. White locks of hair were displaced by her hand, causing their owner to raise their head. Pale skin and green eyes greeted the snake sannin.

"Welcome to the kingdom."

AN: After a bout of headaches and laziness compounded on top of that, here s a new chapter. This was supposed to come out a few days earlier and I apologize for the wait. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Review of PM me with any comments, questions, suggestions, concerns, etc.

Like I posted with my other stories. PM me if you're interested in Pat-reon (for me, of course). Ignore the -