- Preface -

Jiraiya exhaled slowly and settled himself on the stump of an old tree. He took off his gloves to rub his cold cracked hands. The blizzard had finally settled down to a more gentle, windless snowfall but his hands still ached. The land of fire was much warmer than here, and the gloves he'd received had proven to be next to useless at these temperatures. He sighed deeply and looked out beyond the horizon. The snow covered the still smoking small village in front of him and gave it a decidedly false sense of serenity.

His heart grieved for the massacre that had occured only hours before on the people within this town. He wondered silently at what had probed such senseless violence.

"Hey,"

He looked up and saw Tsunade walking toward him from the right.

"Did you find any survivors?" she asked wearily, her tone suggesting efforts on her end had not been successful.

He shook his head and looked down at the red snow at his feet before answering solemnly. "No, there's no one left."

The corpses he had been looking through for the past hour had left his boots stained in red. He attempted to wash his shoes and cover the red snow with the fresh white, but the blood showed through regardless.

When she approached him, he stood slowly and offered her the seat, but she declined and instead looked ahead at the row of broken homes with her arms crossed.

"This is horrendous…" she said quietly. He looked in her eyes, wondering if she might become emotional over it, but she was better at being composed than he was. Her beautiful face was unmarred by the sadness she felt.

The Kou people had always been friendly and hospitable to the Land of Fire. They often exchanged in trade, and frequently offered refuge for Konoha shinobi passing through, as had been the case for them only two days prior. He looked away wondering whether enemies of Konoha had decided to take their rage out on these peaceful people because of them. He wished in vain that his shoes could be rid of their blood.

If only we had come through today, If only…

"I see Orochimaru," Tsunade said, silencing the conversation in his head. "It looks like he's carrying someone." Jiraiya looked up and made out Orochimaru in the distance. He squinted, Orochimaru had a kid in his arms. Jiraiya closed his eyes and prayed it wasn't just another corpse…

As their comrade came closer Jiraiya noticed the kid lift her head up and look at them before resting on Orochimaru's shoulder again. Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief.

"That poor thing…" Tsunade said beside him, reminding him that surviving may have been a bigger curse to this girl than dying alongside her people.

"Is she injured?" she asked once Orochimaru was within earshot.

"No, but she's not dressed for the weather," he answered as he approached his comrades.

Jiraiya took off the pack he was wearing and pulled out a thin blanket. It was no winter coat, but it would be better than nothing. As Orochimaru neared them, the kid stared at Jiraiya with disinterested, tear-stained eyes. He smiled in a vain attempt to make her feel better while Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged information. She had the proper shoes and pants, but the sweater she wore did not cover her neck or hands. She did not shiver, but whether that was due to an external or internal numbing he couldn't be sure.

Of the three of them he was certainly the best with kids, Orochimaru and Tsunade often reminding him that it was because he was a big child himself. He held out the blanket, and addressed Orochimaru, "Why don't you give her to me?"

The girl's eyes widened at that remark and she tightened her grip around Orochimaru, not wanting to let go. The sudden tension of the girl disrupted Orochimaru and Tsunade's conversation. Orochimaru looked down at her, his free hand moved to gently rest on her head suggesting to her to lay against him again. She did so and relaxed.

"Just give the blanket to me." Orochimaru demanded wearily.

Jiraiya handed over the blanket to his comrade, surprised that the girl preferred Orochimaru over him. That had never happened.

"Thank you," the girl replied hesitantly to both Orochimaru and Jiraiya as she took the blanket from Orochimaru and wrapped her upper body in it. Jiraiya nodded with a smile on his face.

"So, what's the plan now?" he asked.

"There's an empty cabin just back there where we can start a fire and figure things out," Tsunade suggested, pointing in the direction she came from.

Orochimaru nodded and followed her lead to the abandoned building, Jiraiya walking behind the both of them.

When they entered the cabin, the young girl looked up at the surroundings and then whispered something in Orochimaru's ear that only he could hear. He turned his head and told the girl they wouldn't be staying too long. She nodded slowly. When they entered the main living area he put the girl down on the ground as they prepared to start the fire.

Jiraiya cleared the fireplace and Orochimaru placed the new wood to burn, the girl staying near his side, one hand gripping his vest throughout the process as if to tether the two of them. Orochimaru was surprisingly patient about the behavior and made no effort to untether the two of them until the fire was ready. When he encouraged her to warm her hands, she was hesitant to let go of his vest so he carefully grabbed her hands with his own, pulling her gently in front of him and placed them near the fire. He rubbed her hands with his own, protecting her from the brunt of the heat until her fingers had returned to a normal color.

Jiraiya realized that the girl was older than he had previously thought; being carried like a little kid had misled him. She looked to be about eight or nine he considered. Jiraiya wondered about his own youth and why they, as three teenagers, had been sent on this mission… Was he really only a teenager? He felt older than that…

"Leave her here for a moment and let's talk in the back," Jiraiya suggested once the four of them had warmed up. The girl looked at Orochimaru, obviously nervous about being separated from him. Orochimaru put a hand on her head and assured her he would be back in a minute and not to worry. He smiled at her, not his nasty smile either, and the girl nodded slowly and turned towards the fire once more.

What an odd interaction. Who was this girl that she had managed to make Orochimaru seem… gentle?

Once the door was closed behind them, Orochimaru was the first to speak.

"I'm taking her back to our village," as though it wasn't a matter of question.

Tsunade probed. "...And do what? Convince Saratobi sensei to let her in?"

"Exactly."

Tsunade scoffed. "Goodluck doing that. Do you know how many orphans already exist in Konoha? What good is it to add to that growing number?"

Orochimaru's facial expression remained stoic. "I'll train her myself."

"To be what? A ninja? Have you any idea if she even has the potential? The Kou are not Shinobi. They are artisans, musicians for God's sake!"

"She has the potential," he added.

They waited a moment for him to expand on how he knew that, but he kept that information to himself.

Tsunade continued to reason with him. "Look, there's a town just a couple of hours south of here, that's a much better place for this girl to grow up. Then she can be near her home."

"Her home is destroyed, Tsunade. What's the point of having her grow up near it?" Orochimaru replied bitterly.

"What's the point of bringing her home with us?" Tsunade asked, looking at Jiraiya then, who had been considering both sides. "Back me up Jiraiya. Tell Orochimaru that he is being delusional because he finally met a kid that's not scared of him."

Jiraiya felt awkward as the attention in the room shifted to him. He looked back and forth between his two comrades. Tsunade was right in her facts, but something… something about Orochimaru's adamance to train the girl himself impressed him. Most of the time Orochimaru was so cold and distant and had no interest in any other being besides himself. Jiraiya was probably considered his closest friend, and even he had no idea what was going on inside Orochimaru's mind most of the time. Ever since his parents died he brushed off the deaths of others so callously that it shocked even the most hardened soldiers. But seeing Orochimaru smile at that girl, Jiraiya wondered if she knew something they didn't.

He cleared his throat. "I think that… there's really no point in keeping the girl near here. There's always the chance that the attackers could return and try to kill her too after all…"

Tsunade shook her head in disapproval. "I can't believe you two... Fine. But when the hokage rejects her entry, and you have to break her heart by telling her, I hope you remember what I said." She sighed and then opened the door to exit.

Orochimaru gave Jiraiya a single solitary nod of thanks. It was the best form of gratitude he could hope for.

They exited the room and Orochimaru rejoined the side of the girl. Jirariya watched as Orochimaru crouched down to be at her eye level and extended the offer to bring her to his village. Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of some very important chapter in his friend's life.