Forget what hurt you in the past. But never forget what it taught you.
The morning was not pleasant, not in the least.
To say that Aria barely got any sleep was an understatement, she barely slept, kept in constant terror. She kept her door closed locked tight, paranoid of the snake on the other side, she slept facing the door throughout the night.
Upon realizing it was morning, half awake, Aria threw herself together in a brash preparation for work, before making breakfast, ignoring the jabs and glares from Orochimaru. Slipping on her shoes, Aria pulled on her coat.
"Where are you going?" Orochimaru demanded, still eating, after watching her in amusement and curiosity as she scarfed down her food like half starved dog.
Aria shot him an irritated look before responding with a short, "Work, stay here and out of trouble." The last comment slipped out before she could stop it.
The Sannin raised an eyebrow at this, before responding to her with an almost warning tone. "If you expect me to remain in this..." He gestured around the apartment. "Then you are even more of a fool than I expected." His eyes flashed dangerously, and Aria felt like an idiot for speaking without thinking.
The redhead resisted the erge to say something snarky that would get her murdered as she was already on thin ice. "Fine, OK." She pulled out a map and a spare flip phone she had kept just in case, walking over to him. "This is a phone, you type in these numbers," She showed him said numbers on a little sticky note, putting said numbers on the phone, pressing the call button before her phone rang.
"It calls me. Please try to keep in mind that killing someone here will have severe consequences, and there are cameras everywhere. Call me if you get lost or… otherwise." She told the Sannin, before walking out the door and just as quickly closing it, rushing to her car eager to get away from the murderous lunatic in her house.
Orochimaru watched the redhead leave in both amusement and annoyance. The girl was scared of him, yes, but she was also quite stubborn. A resilient little thing, she seemed.
A few days ago, had he met her in his land, he would have killed her on the spot. Perhaps turned her into a test subject, the stubborn ones do tend last longer. He plucked up the phone, examining it, before pocketing the device and exiting the house. He would need to retake his steps, and figure out exactly what had sent him to this strange new land.
A land without chakra. He had been trying all morning to summon even the smallest of strength. He could do nothing. Not even let out enough killing intent to even phase that little red head who taken it upon herself to care for his wounds. Wounds that she caused, of course. Though he could tell she was no Shinobi, she was not without at least some skill, as basic as it was.
He glanced at the signs along the street, signs that meant absolutely nothing to him, written in a language he could not understand, how inconvenient.
He walked past people who shot him looks, giving him a wide birth as he shot them glares. Orochimaru had been unconscious when she'd taken him to her home. Therefore he had no recollection of which direction he came from, and he could not move as fast as he could back in his realm. He walked aimlessly, attempting to find something that would lead him back to that road, he found nothing. Nothing. He cursed, the uneasiness he been feeling ever since he been thrown at the mercy of that woman building up into something unpleasant.
That foolish girl who'd taken in him in because she felt bad… what a self righteous little fool she was. She hit him with a...what was it, a car, she called it? Never mind. The girl, who he had yet to figure out. What did she want? Why would she help him- he had tried to kill her, twice now. He would have if under different circumstances, in fact he still may. What was her goal?
He knew nothing about this woman save her name. Aria Miller.
She knew his name, and she held information on his world, on him. She had that advantage, as insignificant as it was. He didn't know her at all, and it disturbed him to have someone know so much about him, not that he would ever admit that. After all, knowledge was power, and at the moment she held all the cards in that regard, and even though he could kill her as easily as breaking a toothpick, he couldn't help but feel as though he was at her mercy.
It infuriated him. He, Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, S-rank Shinobi feared by nations, at the mercy of some girl? Ridiculous. It was ridiculous to even think that she held any power, he was stronger than her, he was the one in control.
And yet she was the one who wounded him. She was the one who allowed him to stay in her home, she fed him, and gave him aid. She was the one who could speak the language here, she was the one who knew this place, and worst of all.... she knew him.
She knew things about him, and others, how many things she did know? Basic information or did she hold something deeper? She asked for nothing in return but his cooperation, that he behave while residing in her home, her village... What did she want? What was her aim? What angle was she?
Who is she?
Orochimaru stopped, turning back to the apartment, instead deciding on a new task. He would go back to the apartment and look around to find out who Aria Miller was, and why on earth she would help him, knowing who he is.
Her room wasn't to odd. Pictures of a few people, her parents, siblings it appeared. A few posters on the wall, and a map. He opened a drawer to her nightstand much to his surprise he found some sort of blade. He examined it, it was an eight inch long dagger with a tilted point, and a silver hilt with emeralds at the hilt, forming a serpent.
It was quite a pretty dagger, he wondered what use she had of it. It was sharp, and judging by the faint scent he could get off it, coated with poisons. Was this for him? To end him in his sleep? She wouldn't get close. He returned the dagger, looking instead in a journal. He could not read the text, much to his displeasure, placing the journal back. He made a mental note to pic up the local tongue.
Moving over he looked through her room, opening drawers, invading every area, his eyes scanning for something, anything, that would reveal something about her. He found a scrapbook.
Opening to the first page, he saw a picture of a younger version of her, she couldn't be older than twelve, smiling. Her hair was brown and short, a far cry from her hair now. He looked through, finding pictures of her at the beach with some friends as she slowly got older. From what he got out of the book, she'd lead a happy life, but then suddenly the people in the pictures stopped showing up.
Her hair got longer, and then turned bright red.
Not something presently useful, but he meant to break down her walls, perhaps it might come in handy. She didn't like being seen as weak, at least from his first impression of her. He heard loud a creak of wood beneath his feet, and looked down.
There was a floorboard that was, ever so slightly loose, but he knew a hiding place when he saw one. Pulling up the board much to his surprise he found a small arsenal. Blades of different kinds, books containing various inscriptions, hand written by her it would seem, some containing formulas.
He found bottles of poisons, herbs…. Interesting.
Now, if Orochimaru was a normal person, he would think she was some kind of witch, or serial killer. But he has seen far worse, and hidden even more worse, he was Orochimaru after all, would you except anything less?
He wondered what use did a civilian girl need for these sort of things, perhaps it had something to do with her job? What was it, he wondered, he never asked her. He made note to do that once she had returned.
She has a lot to answer for, and he refused to be at the mercy of this girl. He would gain some power over this girl, this foolish girl who thought she could control him.
He would show her how much of a fool she truly was.
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