A/N: Ok. I thought that for this chapter, I would post and respond to a couple of reviews. Responses will be in bold.

Xiaoyou: Please continue! Oh, but I will. Amaya won't let me stop until it's finished...

Awreel: nice but i dont understand why is she doing all those things with kabuto.. i thought she doesnt like him.. please let her be with orochimaru.. i love him:) Well, I just do what Amaya tells me to, really. It isn't up to me who she ends up with. Besides, in Chapter two, she's just starting to warm up to Kabuto, and you get to see a little more of her soft and squishy side. But anyway, Amaya wants to say something...

Amaya: Oh, you guys...you have NO idea...Orochimaru is really hot and all, but I--

antilogicgirl: Shut up, now! You'll spoil the surprises!

Amaya: pouts Oh, just because you're the one in control...

antilogicgirl: rolls eyes Seriously. You're supposed to be an adult! And you can forget all your smutty ideas, too. Those aren't going in. I had to get rid of pages and pages of gory detail when you were in the bath with Kabuto! twitches...ugh Anyway, let's get on with the show!

Three: Letters

Standard Disclaimers Apply

For a month, there were unexpected visitors. It had become so quiet, Amaya thought that the lot of them had given up on her. Then, a note was slipped under her door. Trudging out of her bedroom in fuzzy bear slippers, she picked it up. It was written in black ink, and folded three times, the length of the paper. It read:

Dear Amaya-san,

Please meet me at the café two blocks from your apartment.

Domo,

Jiraya

Oh, what is that pervert doing here? If he were to be spotted, it would be very bad. He stood out very easily, what with his size and that shock of white hair…

So, she dressed hurriedly and headed down the street to the café. When she walked in the door, she saw him immediately in the otherwise empty café. She sat, noticing that Naruto was there as well, though at a table nearer the door. "Jiraya-sama, you shouldn't have come. I am under surveillance."

"I know who is watching you. What I don't know is why you didn't tell me when you came to see me." After Amaya explained the situation, and all had been told, including her meeting with Sasuke (during this period, Naruto's ears pricked up, but he held his position at the door), he nodded, thinking. "So you're pitting them against each other, eh?"

Her voice rose higher in pitch. "What else was I supposed to do? My other choices were to be ripped apart by Kabuto's medical jutsu, or have Orochimaru do worse than that to me. Luckily, Orochimaru seems to be in love. The only problem is, so does Kabuto." She frowned, sighed, and banged her head on the table. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Jiraya smiled. "You're just too beautiful, Amaya-san. Even Naruto-kun thinks so. Isn't that right, Naruto?" Naruto started, and then frowned as best he could in the way of denial. Covering her mouth, she stifled a laugh, but Jiraya could not control himself. He guffawed, leaning back and holding his sides. "In fact, I've been meaning to ask you for an int—"

"Oi! Ero-sennin! Get to the point, will you?" Naruto said, as quietly as he could.

"Ah. Well, the point is, I would like you to report to me as often as possible their movements. If they meet you in a public place, tell me where. If they meet you at your apartment, try to find some kind of pattern. And try to tell me everything that happens." He was completely serious. That didn't happen very often with him, so she figured the situation was also serious.

She nodded, and then added, "There are certain details I might have to leave out, for the sake of decency."

"Who's really decent?"

"Certianly not you, Jiraya-sama."

He was on point of arguing, but he simply nodded. He was, after all, a self-proclaimed "super-pervert." She moved to leave, and then turned to Jiraya. "Jiraya-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had a drink that was made from roses? It smells and tastes as if it has no alcohol in it, but it does. Have you come across anything like that?" He listened to her, and then seemed alarmed.

"Did Orochimaru give you this drink you speak of?"

"Yes."

"Watch yourself, Amaya-san. It is a rare drink. I have heard it said that it takes fifty years to age, and that more than ninety percent of every batch is unsuccessful. If Orochimaru took the trouble of finding that, there may be more trouble than I realized. He may actually be in love with you. Try not to make him overly angry." He did not really have to tell her that. When she said as much, he nodded. "You should get home now, Amaya-san."

As she was walking out, she stopped to speak to Naruto. "He seems well, Sasuke-chan does. He is still Sasuke, so there is no worry that Orochimaru has taken him over yet. And if you see Sakura-chan, tell her he got very angry when I mentioned her. That should make her happy." She bent down kissed his cheek, and he blushed. Jiraya chuckled behind her.

"You see, Amaya-san?" She turned back to Jiraya as he spoke. "No wonder two of the most evil men in the world have fallen in love with you. You're far too kind. Naruto! Stop!" Amaya turned back to see that Naruto stopped, with lips puckered. Oh, did he want a real kiss?

She laughed, and Jiraya chuckled. Just for fun, the former jounin tilted the boy's chin up and kissed him. It was interesting. He was stiff for a moment, and then he just sort of melted. When she straightened, she smiled and ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid, Naruto-kun. Try not to be too much like him." She hooked a thumb at Jiraya.

Naruto smiled his most innocent smile, and Jiraya, from behind her, complained loudly that he didn't understand why Naruto had gotten a kiss and he had not. "That is because, Jiraya-sama, this boy hasn't kissed anywhere near so many girls as you have. He would be much more able to appreciate it." Her tone was very serious, but she turned around and stuck her tongue out at him, just as Naruto did the same.

As the door closed behind her, Amaya heard Naruto say, "Ha! Girls like her just like me better, ero-sennin!" She couldn't help but laugh most of the way back to her apartment.

-o-o-o-

When she got home from school in the middle of February, a note in a red envelope was stuck between the door and the jamb of her front door. She took it down as she was opening the door, and examined the outside. It had no markings, save for a seal in gold wax, with the imprint of a snake. Orochimaru usually just let himself in, so why would he feel it necessary to leave her a note? For some reason, she thought it might be of some importance. Opening it while standing in the middle of the living room, she saw that there was a summoning jutsu on the page.

The paper began to smoke, and she dropped it. Suddenly, Orochimaru appeared in her living room. "Is this your way of knocking?" She asked, coughing as the smoke cleared. He seemed different than usual, though she couldn't put her finger on how. His kimono was of a red silk, but he still had his usual black shirt underneath. His hair was pulled back from his face, and Amaya had the full effect of seeing both of his eyes clearly. For some reason, it made him seem more human.

"No, it is an invitation." She looked at the paper on the floor. Below the summoning jutsu, there was a note, asking if she would accompany him to dinner.

"You're asking me on a date?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No." She lied. Of course there's a problem, you bastard. "It's just that if you're out in public, won't people see you? I mean, like other shinobi?"

"There's little chance of that. Will you come to dinner?"

"I haven't got any other plans. Why not?" He then held out a package. It was wrapped in red paper. "What is this?"

"I would like you to wear that, if you would, Amaya-san." His tone was very polite, and it sounded a little disjointed. She opened the box, and found the most beautiful kimono she had ever seen lying within. It was white, with red cherry blossoms on the hem and sleeves. There was a narrow red obi of the same color, as well. She went to the bedroom to try it on. It fit very well, and she put on her tabi and geta, then combed her hair, and came out into the living room.

"How do I look?"

"Beautiful." His face seemed to light up. How can he be capable of this kind of emotion? She thought as he said, "Shall we go?" They walked, talking. After a moderate walk, they came to a dimly lit restaurant. When they were seated, she began to look at the menu.

"What will you drink?" he asked as she was looking over the menu. He had a bottle of sake brought for himself, but she was at a loss. Amaya ordered a cup of tea for the time being. "Don't like sake?" His voice seemed to hang in the air between them.

"Not particularly. It's a little bitter for my taste. That drink you gave me when we met was wonderful, though. But I don't think I could drink a lot of it. It doesn't taste like it, but it was really strong." He smiled. He was being…nice. Did he want something, or was it real? With Orochimaru, you can never tell.

They ate, and talked of many things, but he never asked her if she would come with him. When the dessert came, there was a small box on the tray. He took it and handed it to her. She opened it, and found inside a black velvet ribbon, with a large ruby pendant dangling from it. "Oh, it's beautiful!" He took it from her, and tied it around her neck, the red gem resting in the hollow of her collar bone. It was a heavy ornament, but it really was beautiful.

She felt a stab of guilt. This was the man who had ordered her parents' death, but here she was, having dinner with him, and accepting his gifts? It didn't seem fair at all. Why was he acting this way? Jiraya seemed to think that his fellow Sannin may be in love. Was that true, or was he only toying with her because he wanted something from her? It was difficult to understand. Then again, most things about him were difficult to understand. Her head suddenly began to swim. Then she started to sway in her chair, and soon began to fall. Just before she passed out, I saw Orochimaru catch her, a victorious smile on his face. The last thought she had before the blackness came was, damn you, Orochimaru!

When she woke, she was not in the restaurant, but wasn't in her apartment, either. This was a darkened room, with very little furniture. Looking around, there really wasn't much to the place. The walls and floor were of naked gray stone. She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed she lay in. When she attempted to stand, she fell to the floor directly. Why won't my legs move? "You really shouldn't try to stand just now, Amaya-sama." A familiar voice came from a particularly dark corner of the room. In the half-light that seemed to come from nowhere in particular, Kabuto revealed himself. He scooped her up and deposited her back into the bed.

"Where am I, Kabuto?"

"I think you're smart enough to know where you are, Amaya-sama." He stood over her, a strange look on his face, his mouth frowning. I fell for the oldest trick in the book! There must have been something in the food. Kabuto continued, "You are in Orochimaru-sama's mansion. The drug will wear off in a few hours. Until then, please try to remain still. Moving too much will hinder your recovery." He bent down low, and whispered in her ear, "Orochimaru-sama is watching."

Even in Orochimaru's lair, she was still under surveillance. Her voice was just as quiet. "What does he want from me, Kabuto? I can't believe that he's in love with me. That goes against everything I know about him." He said nothing, but shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and his face was above hers. There was an almost pained expression on his face, and she finally understood. Everything had been true. Orochimaru loved her, and Kabuto was excessively disappointed. "It's too late for me, isn't it, Kabuto?"

He seemed suddenly unable to look at her. Was he worried? If he was worried, then she supposed that she should have been soiling herself. Of course, it had been her stupidity that had gotten her into this situation, so she had to deal with it. Kabuto left soon afterward, and she attempted to sleep. It didn't really do much good. She was used to noises of neighbors, the idiot upstairs playing his guitar until all hours of the day and night, and especially, she was used to the hum of electricity. It was very hard for her to get to sleep that night.