A/N: And now we have Chapter 7! I am quite happy with the way that this chapter came out! There is one thing that I decided, and forgot to tell you about before. Unless it is a NEW term, I won't be keeping a list of Japanese words at the end of the chapters. It's just too much to read. I also wanted to explain why the story doesn't take place in Tokyo (someone asked me this the other day). Every story seems to happen in Tokyo. And, ever notice how Tokyo Tower always seems to get destroyed? So, it takes place in Nagoya, which is to the south west of Tokyo. Yokohama, also mentioned in this chapter, is very close to Tokyo, most likely within a couple of hours' drive. I mentioned Sapporo, as well, in another chapter. That's on Hokkaido (northernmost of the islands), and is the only really major city there. Warnings:

V--Anko beats the crap out of Orochimaru

P/L--Orochimaru and Anko have a disturbing lemon

Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

Machi Yoko Naruto
Capter 7: To Be Loved

Anko slammed her hands down on the counter, rattling her teacup on its saucer. "Damn it! Who the hell designed this shit?" She was annoyed, to say the least. There was no way to get into the Akatsuki's system from the outside. She had tried everything. Well, not everything, but just about. She only had one alternative, and she really didn't want to call him. Growling curses under her breath, she picked up the phone. She had to swallow her pride to merely dial the number, and after she did, when he answered the phone, she regretted it instantly.

"Anko-chan…so nice to hear from you. What can I do for you, dear?" Merely the sound of his voice sent chills up her spine. It was low and rasping, and she could almost see the smile on his lips. That cold feeling started to hit her, like he was in the room. It took some time before she could answer. Getting control of herself took a minute.

"I need your help."

"How do you ask, Anko-chan?" She nearly spat, she was so angry. This man infuriated her more than Kakashi ever had.

"Please, Orochimaru-sama, I need your help." It went beyond rankling to even let those words out of her mouth.

"Okay." His voice was suddenly chipper, which scared her for some reason.

"Don't you even want to know what the problem is?" Anko frowned as he replied in the negative, and said that he would meet her at her café in fifteen minutes. She had no idea how he knew where she was, or even how he knew that it was her calling. It had been ten years since they'd seen one another, and her number wasn't listed. Then again, this was Orochimaru. He had taught her everything she knew, but nowhere near everything he knew. After he hung up, she stared at the phone. Then panicking, she dialed another number. "Get over here. Fast. Orochimaru is coming, and you know how he is." The person on the other end of the phone agreed, saying they would be there in ten minutes.

She closed her laptop and stared around the empty café. Wondering for a moment if she should get a weapon or not, she Anko slipped the computer under the counter and waited. In less than ten minutes, Kakashi was running through the door. "He hasn't gotten here yet, has he?" She shook her head, relieved that he was here. "Good. I hate that guy. Why did you call him?"

"I can't get in. I need his help." Her voice was dull. Anko didn't like admitting that she couldn't do something, and she really didn't like having to get help from Orochimaru. He had the unfortunate habit of asking for things she didn't want to give as repayment. "Coffee?"

"Sure. Two sugars. No cream." He smiled at her. It was good to have him near her. And she knew he felt the same way. "He isn't still working for the Akatsuki, is he?" Anko shook her head. He had stopped working for them years earlier. It was a difference of opinion with Uchiha Itachi that had forced him to leave. Now, he was a software engineer in Yokohama. Why he was in Nagoya at the moment, she did not know. Not long after she had poured Kakashi his coffee, Orochimaru sashayed into the café.

"Anko, darling, how I've longed to see you aga—oh, and I see you have a guest." His eyebrow rose, showing a bit of his displeasure at not finding her alone. "You have a lovely place. I wonder why it's empty?" Kakashi tensed next to her, holding his mug of imported Italian roast. Anko put a hand on his arm, and he relaxed.

"You remember Kakashi, don't you, Orochimaru-sama? My husband?"

The dark haired man pursed his lips. "Ex-husband, if I remember correctly."

"Hai. I'm sort of…re-thinking that position." Kakashi said, then smiled slightly as he sipped at his coffee. Orochimaru nodded, raising an eyebrow at him. "Well, I'll just be in the corner, reading. You two must have a lot of catching up to do." Anko smiled faintly as he walked gracefully to a corner booth, and pulled out one of the books he always seemed to carry. He slid into the seat, and settled in with his back against the wall, legs stretched across the faux-leather cushions. She knew he wasn't really reading, though he did make a convincing show of it.

"Orochimaru-sama, I'm doing a favor for Uchiha Sasuke. I need to get into the Akatsuki's system. But then, there's no way to get in that I could find. Not from the outside." She leaned the small of her back against the counter, and rubbed at the back of her neck. Remembering that he designed it gave her no satisfaction. She didn't want to have to rely on him when she got into a tight spot.

"Well, I see you have definitely got a problem. And since you remain my favorite pupil, I'll help you. On one condition." His voice seemed coated with honey. It flowed slowly, and it made her want to back away from him, even though she was already pressed against the counter.

"What is that?" It wasn't as if she didn't already know what he was going to say. He'd asked her for the same thing every time he had done her a favor. And every time, she had refused him, getting him to settle on a monetary payment. Since she was eighteen, he had been trying to get her to sleep with him.

Orochimaru leaned in close to her, his breath tickling her skin as he whispered in her ear. "I'll help you if you spend the night with me, Anko. One night, that's all I ask. One night is all I've ever asked for. It's all I've ever wanted." There were times when Anko hated being right. His hand touched her arm, and she shivered. It was always like that when he touched her. His skin seemed to soak up the cold of a room, like a sponge does water.

"I can't do that. It wouldn't be right. You were my teacher."

His hand clamped down on her arm, and she stifled a gasp. "You are not my student any longer, Anko. You are a grown woman who can make up her own mind. Now, what is your answer?" His breath, unlike his skin, was hot, and so close to her ear that it made her feel strange. She hated it when he did this. He had the bizarre talent of making her want him against her will. He knew exactly what buttons to push so that she almost said yes without wanting to, leaving that last little bit of free will to her. She was supposed to be the one to give in to him. It was her decision, but he manipulated her like a puppet.

"If I can make up my own mind," she breathed, "then why are you doing this to me?" She was looking out of the window now, at the people walking by, the cars parked in the street, anything not to look into his eyes. If she did, she knew what her answer would be.

His hand left her arm, and gripped her chin, turning it to face him. Unfortunately, she looked directly into his eyes. Light brown with oddly golden highlights, they had always mesmerized her, and now was no exception. "Because, my little one, you have always been my favorite. And I can't forget how nice it was having you with me all those years ago. One night, Anko. One night, and I will never ask you again." She felt like she was being drawn into his eyes. Damn him, but she wanted him now. How he did this to her, she would never understand. She had always known that it would be wrong to sleep with him, so she had never done it. There were all manner of other sins she had to atone for in her next life, but she didn't want to add to them.

Her resolve began to weaken, and she gripped the counter behind her. "You promise? One night? Only that, nothing more?" He nodded. Closing her eyes for a moment and taking in a deep breath, she opened them, glancing from the corner of her eye at Kakashi. He made a small gesture. That tiny flick of his fingers told her he was not happy with the situation. She signed back to him one word: sorry. Then, she looked back to those strangely golden eyes. "One night. I'm not promising anything more than that. Not even that I'll enjoy myself."

He released her chin, and she looked away from him, shame burning under her skin. His lips barely touched her ear as he said, "You will, darling. I promise you will." Then, he switched into business mode so fast it made her head spin. "So, let's see how those morons have screwed up my beautiful design, shall we?" Anko walked around the counter and pulled out her computer. She opened it and let him work. In less than five minutes, he was in their system. "Oh, they have done such horrible things to you…" He cooed at the computer's screen, like he always had, as if it would answer him. She had always found this to be a bit strange, but it was one of the many things that made him Orochimaru.

"I need to find out as much as I can about their business dealings. If you could, leave a back door open. That way, I can get in and do it myself." He looked over at her, and smiled. She watched for a moment as he did as she asked. Then, he stood straight and grinned at her.

"I will be by this evening at seven to pick you up for dinner. Please, wear something…appropriate." He made that simple request sound indecent, which she supposed that he had meant to do. Orochimaru left the café with a triumphant smile across his face. She sank to the floor, holding her head in her hands.

After a long moment, she felt Kakashi's arms around her. He was warm, completely the opposite of Orochimaru. She clung to him, but was unable to look him in the eye. She wanted to scream. How had she let that man do this to her? Would Kakashi hate her? He pulled her up from the floor. "Lock the place up. I'm taking you home." Then he asked uncertainly, "Where do you live?"

"Upstairs." It was just more convenient to live above the café she owned. She walked to the door and locked it, then pulled the shades on all of the windows, and turned out the lights. "Kakashi, I—" She was not allowed to finish. Anko found herself being picked up off of the floor, and thrown over his shoulder. "What are you doing, Kakashi?"

He chucked as he made his way to the back of the café and opened the door to the stairwell. "Reminding you of how it feels to be loved." When they reached the first level of her apartment, he lowered her to the floor. She looked into his face. He was serious. "I do still love you. I never stopped." Kakashi took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You're going to spend the night with him because you have to. I know that. You need to remember it, too." Anko stared at him. He was the same man he had always been, just strangely dressed and armed to the teeth. But, it was hard to make herself calm down when she thought of what would happen later that evening.

"Just hold me. I don't want to think about it right now." He pulled her into his arms, and they lay on the couch for hours, just holding each other. Every now and again, she would feel him stroking her hair, and she could hear him murmuring soothing words in her ear. It was difficult to tear herself away from him when it came time for her to get ready for her night with Orochimaru. She knew that Kakashi would follow them, and that thought made her feel a bit safer. After she stood up, she asked, "What should I wear?"

Kakashi's lips curled into a smile as he said, "I don't know. Let's take a look." He always seemed to know about such things, but she supposed it came with the territory of being a spy. You had to know at least a little bit about nearly everything. They climbed the stairs to her bedroom, which took up the entire third floor of the building. Once inside her closet, he set to work, handing her various pieces of clothing to try. In the end, he had settled on the last thing she would have imagined. It was her Halloween costume.

The dress was mostly leather, with a corset forming the top of the dress, and the skirt was split in front, revealing a layer of black silk. The rest of the thing was a dark blue, with the leather being suede. When she had it on, he raised his eyebrows. "I don't know if I want to let you outside in that," he said as she tied a black velvet ribbon around her neck. He handed her the gloves that went with the dress, which were also black, and nearly reached her shoulders, but for a cuff that folded down. Looking at herself, she tended to agree with him. Turning to Kakashi, she chewed her lip anxiously. "Come on, we'll do your face."

It was the strangest feeling in the world to have her ex-husband doing her makeup, but she guessed he'd learned it from the minx. When he was finished, she hardly recognized herself. Dark eye shadow surrounded her eyes, heavy on her eyelids, and she wore blood-red lipstick. It took all she had not to chew on her lip, a nervous habit she'd developed because of her old sensei. "I don't know that I can do this."

He smiled comfortingly. "Yes, you can. I know you can." He leaned down and kissed her lightly, careful not to smudge her makeup. "If you want, you can pretend he's someone else. That's what I do." She looked at him dubiously.

"Who should I pretend I'm sleeping with? How am I supposed to take my mind off of his hands on me?" Her stomach clenched. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to go through with it. Suddenly, he pulled her against him, kissing her forcefully, heedless of all his careful work, and she could barely breathe. The combination of the corset squeezing the life out of her body and him kissing her so that she wanted to rip all of his clothes off was driving her insane. He pulled away from her a moment later, and answered her in an almost breathless voice.

"Pretend he's me. I pretend I'm with you, so I think it's fair." He let go of her and repaired the damage he had done to his work on her face. Then, she took her hair down. It fell to the middle of her back, now that it was free of the messy knot she kept it in. "I have to go. He'll get suspicious if I'm here, but I'll be waiting for you when you get back." He reached into his sleeve, and pulled off one of his knives. It was completely flat, and very thin, even in its sheath. Pushing it into the top of her left glove, he said, "If things get out of hand, use that."

"Thank you." She smiled weakly at him, and watched him leave. Anko steeled herself for what was to come. It didn't make her any happier to know that he thought things might get so out of hand that she might need a weapon. Half an hour after Kakashi left, she heard the buzzer sound. Walking to the intercom, she pressed the button. "I'll be down in a moment." After taking up her small bag, she went carefully down the stairs and into the café. Unlocking the door, she opened it to see Orochimaru, standing there in an immaculate black tuxedo. His long, dark hair had been pulled back, revealing a smile that curved his lips.

"You look lovely, Anko-chan. Shall we?" She stepped out of the door and locked it, then followed him to the car.

Temari nearly screamed in frustration. Everyone had gone insane. Or, at least, both her brothers had. She looked at the note that Kankarou had left for her, yet again. He was going to get himself killed, being curious like he was. She was sure that he would learn a lot, but it could cost him a lot more. If Itachi found out that he had gone to Nagoya, Kankarou was as good as dead. Gaara was just as bad. He had been closeted all morning with that woman. Temari couldn't say that she liked Yamanaka Ino. She certainly couldn't figure out what Gaara saw in her.

If anything, she figured they were just constantly having sex. Gaara had long since taken the cameras out of his rooms, which the security staff had been a bit worried about, but after six times of him delivering a box of camera equipment to her door, she decided to let it be. He could take care of himself. She made a very annoyed noise as a knock came at her office door. "Come in!" The door opened, revealing a tall servant woman, who bowed deeply to her.

"Temari-sama, there is a man to see you. He says he's here to evaluate your security system." Frowning, Temari narrowed her eyes, but gestured for the woman to let the man in. In a moment, a tall young man slinked into the room, slouching to seem shorter and less obtrusive. He had dark hair, pulled up into a spiky topknot, and a sullen expression. After the servant left, he looked around and seemed to relax a bit.

"Not bad. Mine's better." It took a lot for her not to gape at him.

"Who are you?" Her annoyance was betrayed in her voice, and he raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly formal, he bowed to her, and said, "My name is Nara Shikamaru. I am sorry for the deception, but a lame excuse is better than none, don't you think? I'm here on behalf of the Honshu yakuza, acting on the authority of Uchiha Sasuke. I've come to collect Yamanaka Ino." Temari smiled slightly. An errand boy? This was just the thing to release her frustrations with her brothers. Sharpening her claws on this loser would brighten her day considerably.

"She is currently with my brother, Gaara. You'll have to wait." For a long moment, she watched him. "In the mean time, why don't you have a seat?" He sat on a low couch against the wall, and she continued watching him. After ten minutes, he pulled out a small wooden box, which turned out to be a Go board. Opening it, he pulled two even smaller bags from the inside, and started playing himself at the game. His movements were fast. As he speed-played himself, he held the sleeve of his dark green kimono away from the board, so he did not disturb the pieces. Temari watched him play three games that all resulted in a stalemate.

After he replaced the stones in their bags for a third time, he looked over at her. "Care to play?" There was a smirk on his lips, and it was hard to resist the silent challenge it expressed. She nodded, and moved to sit next to him on the couch. They played fifteen games, both forgetting about Ino and Gaara, since they were both far too absorbed in their competition. After Shikamaru had won eight games over her seven, Temari huffed. "Oh, not used to losing, are we?"

"Not usually, no." That made him laugh. And his laugh annoyed her. "Let me see if my brother can peel himself off of that hussy so you can get her out of my house." She walked back to the desk, and pressed the button that would dial the intercom in her brother's room. He was going to be absolutely murderous after she did this, but she really didn't care at the moment. The appraising glance she was getting from Shikamaru was making her a little uncomfortable, and frankly, the sooner she got him and Ino out of her house, the better. In a quiet voice, she said, "Gaara, will you bring Yamanaka Ino to my office, please?"

There was silence, then a low reply. "Yes."

Ino groaned. What did that woman want with her? She and Gaara had been having a wonderful morning. She woke up when he came into her room and brought her a few daisies and her breakfast. In spite of earlier indications, he was a complete gentleman. He had not touched her, other than a gentle kiss good morning. When Temari had called, the both of them had been wrapped in a blanket on his bed, watching the birds in the garden outside his window. It was like being in some kind of sappy movie, but in a good way, if that made sense. Oddly enough, he made her feel like a lady, which she had never in her life been accused of being.

Now, they were walking down the hallway, and he steered her on the right path, all the way to his sister's office. When the door opened, she frowned. "What are you doing here, Shikamaru-san?"

"Nice to see you, too, Ino. It's time to come back. Sasuke needs you." She bit her lip and inched toward Gaara. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "When things settle down, he will let you come back, you know." She was relieved at that. "The plane leaves in one hour. Go get your things." Furrowing her brow in a frown, she pursed her lips. He raised an eyebrow at her. She had known him for a very long time. How she had not met Naruto before recently still boggled her mind. She sighed and left the room to get her things.

When she was stuffing her clothes into her bag, she heard the door open. Gaara came in, and she didn't look at him. If she did, it would be harder to leave. It was difficult enough already, and she didn't want to add to it. She wanted to kick herself. One of the first things she had been taught was not to get attached. The worst part wasn't that she had gotten attached. It was worse than that. Ino thought that she could fall for him, if she hadn't already, and she really, really didn't want to leave. "Ino, look at me."

"No." She continued to shove things into her bag.

Then his voice was next to her ear. "Look at me." It wasn't a command, but a plea that had force behind it. She turned to look at him, and was immediately pushed backward against the wall, Gaara's body pressed against hers. He leaned down and kissed her, letting his hands drift over her. It was like night and day dealing with him. If he wasn't being a complete gentleman, he was making her want to rip his clothes off of him and throw him bodily onto the bed. But she had no way of knowing how he would react to such a thing, so that was out of the question, and she was on a time limit. His hand found its way under the fabric of her shirt, moving over her skin, and her eyes closed. His mouth moved to her neck, teeth nipping at the skin just below her ear. His voice was a growl, low and full of a longing she could understand. "I don't want you to leave," he pressed her to the wall, and she nearly let out the whimper that was building at the back of her throat at the feeling of him. "Don't leave me, Ino."

She felt something like a stab of pain as he said that. Pushing him away just a little, so she could see his face, she said, "I wouldn't be able to leave the house. I don't want to be your pet, Gaara. When we've gotten rid of Akatsuki, then I'll come back."

"Promise me." He said lowly, and he kissed her again softly, as if trying to draw the words out.

"I promise, Gaara. I'll come back." She smiled up at him, and he smiled back, but sadly. If she looked at that smile too long, she wouldn't be able to leave. Ino had to step around him to pick up her bag. She took deep breaths. This was not easy, leaving him. When she had her bag, she said, "I'll be back soon," and walked to the door, opening it and stepping through. Making herself move forward and not back into the room actually hurt. She didn't want to leave. She needed to stay. Ino could feel his eyes on her, watching her. She did not turn around.

When she got back to Temari's office, she found Shikamaru playing Go against himself. He only did that when he was nervous. She smirked, forgetting her own pain for a moment. "Oi. Shikamaru-san, I'm ready to go." He nodded, and put the stones and board back into his sleeve. When he bowed to Temari, Ino saw the woman eyeing him appreciatively. Ino smirked again. They would both deny it if she said anything, so she didn't bother.

Anko's head hurt. She sat up, silk sheets falling from her body, which also hurt. Sun streamed in through the window, revealing marks on her skin that would be slow to fade. She wanted to swear, but didn't want to make that much noise. Her head was killing her. The man who lay next to her stirred, and opened eyes that reminded her of honey. He reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him, his skin cool to the touch. She shivered. It was far too late to be embarrassed at her nakedness. Orochimaru's hands ran over her skin, touching every bit of her that he could. Those cold fingers traced nonsensical patterns over her stomach, then up to her chest until finally ghosting along the curve of her breast. "I thought you said one night, Orochimaru. Are you going back on your word?"

His voice was muffled by her hair as he spoke. "I would never. But if you would like to stay, I have no objections. In fact, I insist." Anko cursed internally as he slid on top of her, swiftly catching her wrists and pinning them above her head. She began to struggle, but he held her firmly in place. "Oh, now why are you struggling? You didn't mind me touching you last night. If I remember things correctly," he leaned close to her ear, allowing himself a taste of the skin near her jaw, "you begged me to touch you."

"That was last night. Right now, I want to get out of here. You promised, Orochimaru." She struggled again, but it did no good. She cursed the fact that she'd taken off her gloves, and the fact that he still held her down.

"I'm only human. I lied." He let go of her, but only briefly. Her freedom lasted only long enough for him to turn her over onto her stomach. She could feel his hands clamp down on her arms again, pulling them to her sides. Then his tongue was traveling over her back. Her stomach lurched.

"Get off!"

He laughed lowly, and twisted the meaning of her words. "I plan to." Her stomach lurched again, and she tasted bile in her mouth. She felt him take both of her wrists in one hand, then heard something metal clinking. Anko glanced over her shoulder, and saw that he was holding a pair of handcuffs. He tightened them around her wrists, leaving his hands free. "Do you know why you're my favorite, Anko?"

"No." She didn't want to know, either. She just wanted to find a way to get the hell away from him.

He leaned down to her ear again, and said, "Because I knew you would be the hardest to break." Orochimaru's voice was full of a sick glee that only he could manage. She wished that she had let Kakashi teach her all of the self-defense stuff that he had wanted to. "I'll enjoy breaking you, Anko. It will be beautiful. You'll be my masterpiece." Anko felt his hands on her, touching her in ways that were not at all pleasant. And though it was meant to demean her and break her, it only made her angry. When Anko was angry, one of two things happened. The first was that she would either break down and cry, or her thoughts would somehow become so clear that she could think her way through her problem.

It just so happened that the second was the case. Get him to remove the cuffs. Make him think he's broken you. Then he'll think you're willing. Then, beat the ever-living fuck out of him. If she had been in the mood, she would have smiled. Concentrating all of her energy into this, she allowed tears to leak from her eyes, and small sobs to come from her throat. Her body shook, and she said, "Please, stop. No more. Please…" Her voice was faint, and defeated.

"Oh, now that's more like it. Louder." He pulled her up into his lap, and pressed her back against his chest. Orochimaru's hands parted her legs, caressing the skin of her inner thighs, causing her to shake more.

"Please…I'll do anything…anything…" Her voice clearer now, she heard him groan, and could feel him hardening against her.

"Anything? Now that's interesting. You'll do anything for me?"

"Yes! Anything. Please…take them off. They hurt. I'll do anything." His hand traveled up her thigh to come to rest between her legs. Orochimaru's tongue flicked against the side of her neck, and the movement of his hand followed, causing her to let out a surprised moan. "Please…"

"You want me, don't you?" His voice was a mere growl in her ear.

"Yes," she breathed, only half-lying now.

"You want me inside you?" Orochimaru slid a finger inside her in imitation of what he obviously wanted to do to her.

"Yes…oh, God, please!" Well, screaming may have been a little over the top, but he released her, and removed the handcuffs. Then, he turned her around.

"Now, lie down." She obeyed, trying to calm her body down enough so that it wouldn't betray her when she did what she needed to in order to get away from him. He knelt between her knees, and smiled. "Like a work of art…" He mused to himself, and moved his hands over her stomach, up toward her breasts.

"Orochimaru…" She made her voice breathless as his hands found her breasts, rough touches causing her body to react in ways she didn't want it to, though she still had herself mostly under control.

"Yes?" This word was pure, unadulterated lust given voice.

"I have a surprise for you."

"What would that be?" That same tone. It sickened her.

For some reason, her vision tried to blur. The instant she realized that he had really made her cry, she gave a strangled sob of anger and frustration and used the only self-defense technique Kakashi had really been able to teach her before his accident. She drove the heel of her hand up into his nose, hearing a satisfying crack. He swayed and fell to one side, beginning to bleed. Far from breathing a sigh of relief, Anko raised an eyebrow at him when he glared at her. "Surprise, sensei." She dipped a finger into the blood that now soaked the sheets, rubbing the crimson liquid between her fingers. Almost to herself, she said, "Blood has such an interesting taste. It reminds me of when I was a little girl, and I put a penny in my mouth…"

She stood, and loomed over him. "You know, I did want you back then. I just respected you too much." Stooping to pick up her clothes, she felt his hand on her arm. Her anger flared again. As she turned, she shook Kakashi's knife free of her glove, and when she stopped turning, it was at Orochimaru's throat. "Give me a reason." His eyes narrowed.

"You don't have the balls."

"Now that you mention it," She smiled and brought her knee up into his groin, causing him to fall to the floor, groaning in pain, "neither do you." Anko picked up the handcuffs from the bed, and dragged him to the headboard. The back of the headboard was designed beautifully. It had a long, wide plank that formed the cross-piece, and was just wide enough for her purposes. Slapping one of the cuffs around one of his wrists, she threaded that arm between the mattress and the bottom of the plank. Then Orochimaru started to struggle again, so she elbowed him in the nose and he made a pained squawk. After pulling the other arm over the top, she secured that wrist and stepped back to admire her work. He was bleeding, naked, and actually, had he been anyone else, she might be tempted to feel sorry for him.

"But you know," she mused, "I wouldn't have used the knife. You're not good enough to die that way." Slowly and painfully, she dressed herself. After pulling on her gloves and shoes, she picked up the knife and sheathed it where it had been before. "Sayonara, Orochimaru-sensei. See you in hell." She ran her fingers through her hair and adjusted it to cover some of the larger love bites on her neck. Just when she was going to step out of the door, Orochimaru spoke.

"Why didn't you break?"

"Because, unlike you, I don't need to feel like I'm in charge. I know what real love is, and I don't need a good fuck as a substitute." Picking her bag up from the small table near the door, she left, and did not look back. If she had, she would have laughed, and she was trying to keep some of her dignity in tact.

A/N: I absoutely, without question, love Hatake Kakashi. He is wonderful, and I think that it's between him and Jiraiya as to who my favorite older male character is. And I'll say this: Anko is one fiesty chick. I was amazed.