Chapter 30
A faint breeze stirred as night crept in. Saya stood with her back door open to the patio, her new bamboo windchime swaying softly. Sipping on a cup of iced tea, she watched as the grass in the field swayed in the wind. She wondered if another storm was approaching and was thankful to have a warm, eventful day at the festival.
While part of her was waiting for Orochimaru, she was also enjoying the peacefulness of the evening. The air was still warm and the breeze just slightly cool. Fireflies danced across the field and frogs could be heard croaking down by the creek. It was this that Saya would miss the most.
She would miss her job and her friends, of course. But her home and the open field beyond had delighted her ever since she moved in. It was her place of comfort.
As her cup of tea would run low, Saya would retreat back to the kitchen for more, occasionally sitting when her feet grew tired. She hoped the man would return before she was ready for bed herself. A warm bath called to her, as well.
Saya was on her third cup of tea as her eyes caught movement to the side of her. She turned to the right as she saw two men approaching, one whose paper white skin shone in the night. Standing from her chair, she watched as Orochimaru approached with Kabuto. The men were talking to each other in hushed tones.
When they spotted Saya, they stopped. Or at least Kabuto did. He made his leave then as the lord continued toward her.
"How gracious," he smirked at her as he stepped onto the concrete of the patio, "waiting to welcome me home."
"I didn't think you'd be gone all day again," Saya replied softly. "You must have had a lot to discuss."
Her stomach turned, wondering what Orochimaru did have planned. She was both eager and reluctant to hear about it.
"Yes," he told her with tiredness in his voice. "But I also thought you two should have a day to yourselves, so I kept my distance."
"I appreciate that," Saya replied with a small grin. "I think we both needed it."
"Is he-" Orochimaru started as he looked inside.
"Wiped out and sleeping soundly," Saya finished for him.
Orochimaru finally settled his gaze on hers. Saya noted how tired he look, how tense he seemed to be. He smirked at her cup. "Is the bar open again?"
"No," she commented dryly as she finished the last of her tea. "But it could be. You look like you need it."
Saya didn't wait for him to answer as she turned back to the kitchen, closing the door behind them and leaving the sounds of the evening behind. She set her cup in the sink and reached into the cabinet once again for the sake. She only grabbed one glass.
"No ice," he told her as she poured the clear liquid into the glass. He downed it almost immediately.
Saya watched him, drawing her brows together. "So, what's going to happen?" she asked him bluntly. She poured the man another round, which he accepted, but only half drank.
"We'll be leaving soon, perhaps within a week."
"We're what?" Saya asked as he knocked back the rest of his drink.
"Kabuto and I are leaving. You are staying here."
Orochimaru held the empty glass in his hands, so Saya closed the bottle and put it to the side. "You're leaving us?"
Her stomach bottomed out. After all of this, after all they had been through, he was leaving. She stared down at him, mouth slightly agape as hurt crept into her face. Orochimaru chuckled at her.
"It's not that simple," he told her as he reached for her chin, lifting it up and pushing her mouth closed. He let his thumb brush over her bottom lip. "Your look of devastation is touching, though."
"Orochimaru, please," she replied in a stern voice. Her eyes almost pleaded with his as she looked up at him.
The man turned to set his empty glass on the counter, leaving his playful mood behind. "This is no place to clash with the Leaf, quiet village or not. Kabuto and I will be leaving, perhaps back to the compound you're familiar with or further on.
"I'll be leaving the Sound shinobi that traveled with us here to further keep on eye on things and report back. If the Leaf does pair up with Akira, it's better they find you here than gone. Otherwise, it will only spur a second, third, fourth scouting trip which will be harder to track and draw this ridiculousness out further."
Saya nodded somberly, knowing he had much more experience in this than she did. "And what about us? If they show up here, what are we supposed to do?"
"We have a few options in mind, but we haven't analyzed the details yet."
Heart thundering and nerves shaking, Saya reached for the man's empty glass to pour herself a small bit of sake. She sipped at it slowly, letting it warm the back of her throat. When she was finished, she set the glass down into the sink and glared at Orochimaru.
"As you scowl at me, remember who it was that set this in motion," he nearly hissed at her. "We'll discuss this more at length tomorrow. It's late," the man continued as he blinked his eyes slowly.
Saya simply nodded and let her gaze drop toward the floor. She could tell he was tired, and no doubt carried a new weight of stress across his shoulders. The slightest twinge of guilt hit her at the thought. She sighed and curled her arms together.
"I'm, I mean," Saya paused to clear her throat, "I was going to take a warm bath before I went to bed. Do you…do you want to join me?"
She lifted her gaze to find Orochimaru staring blankly at her. With their history, she at least expected a smirk, but there was nothing.
"I know it's been a long day," she prodded. "For both us and for different reasons. We could both use some good rest. Besides, it seems like we won't have much time together for a while."
Maybe it was her tone, or maybe it was the words themselves, but the man finally curled his lips at her. "You actually sound remorseful."
When she didn't answer, Orochimaru blinked slowly at her again. "Very well, Saya. I'll join you."
The two then slowly and quietly made their way upstairs, walking softly past Tetsuya's room as not to wake him. They entered Saya's dark bedroom much like their night after the festival. There was an awkward silence between the two, as there had also been that night.
Saya closed the door behind them and walked to her bathroom, not reaching for the light switch, but instead to the counter where she lit two large pillar candles. Orochimaru merely stood in the doorway and watched her as she then began to fill the tub with steaming water.
She brought the lit candles to the edge of the tub and poured some of her lavender bath oil into the water. Saya finally looked up at the man when she noticed him still lingering in the doorway.
"Don't act shy after what you did to me in that shower," she chided as her gaze shifted beside him.
"That was different," he sneered at her. "This is…intimate."
"Does that make you uncomfortable?" Saya asked as she sat on the edge of the tub. "After all, you live like this."
He quirked an eyebrow at her and finally stepped into the room. "Get in," he told her as he began to loosen the belt at his hip.
Saya turned her back to him then, fully aware he was avoiding her question, and slipped out of her kimono. She tested the water with her foot before slowly settling down inside the tub with a grin. Her back stayed to Orochimaru as he finished undressing.
The water then shifted as he settled in the water behind her, stretching his legs either side of her body. A faint sigh escaped his lips as he arched his back and relaxed against the back of the tub. Saya inched back ever so slightly to uncurl her own legs, not realizing how rigid she sat until the man coaxed her into a more comfortable position.
Orochimaru reached around her and into the water, pressing slighting against her abdomen. "That's not very relaxed," he told her until her back was against his chest.
She uttered a sound of approval as she settled in against him, finally feeling the warm water soak into her skin. It wasn't a feeling she would have imagined sharing with this man, especially after the events of the previous days. But perhaps in all the chaos it was exactly what she needed to keep herself from completely breaking.
"You know, I never would have guessed you for the tattoo type," she told him as Orochimaru settled his arms on the sides of the tub. While it certainly wasn't the first time Saya had seen the winding black tattoos around his arms, it was the first time she had commented on them.
"I've done far worse to my body, Saya," he told her softly. "These are not merely tattoos. They're used for summoning jutsu."
Saya cut her eyes at the comment, knowing full well some of the awful things he had done to his body. She also knew those summons were responsible for the snake that injured Akira. It wasn't a topic she wanted to think of right now.
"Sometimes I forget you had a different life before who you are now. A young shinobi going on mission after mission."
He chuckled lightly at her comment. "At times it does seem like a lifetime ago. A lot has changed for me since then."
"Do you miss it?"
"I prefer my research," Orochimaru quickly replied. "But I did enjoy my time as a young shinobi, despite my relationship with the Leaf now."
"What happened?" Saya asked as she swirled her hand under the water.
"After the war, when things settled, I began that research. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and I had been given our titles as sannin but our calls to duty slowed. We were at the point in our careers where we provided more counsel than action and took on students. I had much more time on my hands, and so that research began to lead to experiments. In short, they were frowned upon.
"After some time, Sarutobi confronted me. I believe he thought me to become Hokage one day, so you can imagine the fallout after the discovery. I fled, of course. Eventually I traveled to the north and over time established outposts, creating the Sound Village. A law unto myself from then on out."
"That's quite a history," Saya muttered as she drew her knees up. Her stomach churned at hearing the word "experiment". She was curious, but also afraid to ask then man about them. They couldn't have been legal for a shinobi of such high regard to be on the run because of them.
"And you're at odds with them again?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a fact, but Saya still didn't know why the man carried a target on his back now, after all this time.
"As of a few months ago, yes."
Saya thought back to the conversation she had with Kabuto, where he had explained that just months ago Orochimaru almost lost his life trying to kill another shinobi.
"So that's why you were hurt again. What did you do?" Saya knew the answer, but she wanted the truth from the man himself.
Orochimaru dipped his hands back into the water, pushing against Saya's thighs so that her legs straightened back out along his own. He then let one of his hands linger around her waist.
"I staged an invasion with the Sand Village and killed Sarutobi."
Saya tensed as her legs began to curl again, but the hand at her waist kept them from coming any further. His tone was so flat, as if it was just another bullet point in his history with this village. Then again, perhaps in his life it was.
"And these are the same people Akira has gone to fetch," she commented as she rubbed a hand across her face.
"I trust you understand why this is in my hands now. I'm not concerned for myself, but I would rather not have my territories scouted and raided, locations Akira are very familiar with."
Saya sighed loudly as her shoulders stiffened. "Tetsuya and I are also in the middle of this."
"If they take his proposal seriously, I don't believe your safety will be in question under Tsunade's watch. It's others I would be concerned with."
"What others?" Saya sharply asked as she turned her head to face him.
Orochimaru calmly stared back at her as the candlelight flickered across his face. He then raised the hand not resting on Saya's waist to brush away the hair that covered the curse mark on her shoulder. "The people of the Sand would have far less pity on your situation than the Leaf. I killed their Kazekage prior to that invasion."
"Dammit, Orochimaru," Saya hissed as she jerked away from him. "As if we needed this hanging over our heads."
"As if I knew of the child's existence," he growled at her, his voice rising. "There was not one person's safety I needed to concern myself with then. Certainly not yours, not after years had passed."
Orochimaru paused as Saya stared daggers at him. He narrowed his eyebrows at her in response. "We have all killed, Saya. Even your precious Akira."
She winced at his words, knowing they were true but also knowing his capacity to kill was far different. She closed her eyes and sighed again, "It's just a lot to take in right now. I'm not used to this life."
The man dropped his hard expression and guided her back to his chest. "Then let us leave the politics for tomorrow, as I planned."
Saya let him. She even let her eyes rest as she laid her head back against his chest. At least he hadn't abandoned them to deal with this on their own, which again told her more about the man than he was inclined to admit.
"I'm surprised you're willing to be this close to me," he told her as her body finally relaxed against his.
"I'm surprised myself," Saya mumbled in response. She wanted to tell him it was because it wasn't quite as scary anymore, that there wasn't much holding her back now after all her admissions and realizations. Instead, she told him, "I let the dam break, so why bother trying to patch it back up?"
Orochimaru uttered a small chuckle in response. "Is this not simpler, rather than pretending you despise me?" He made a point to lightly trail his fingers along the sides of her legs.
"I still despise things about you," Saya nearly whispered. "That's why you've always felt so wrong and why I tried to push you away. But since we've started to be civil with each other, I suppose you're right."
The man continued to let his fingers dance across her skin under the water. It wasn't lost on Saya that those fingers were ever so slowly rising towards the top of her leg. Her face burned at how anxious it made her.
Instead, she clenched her jaw and continued their conversation to distract herself. "Since we're moving past that, I want to know, will I be the only woman you spend your time with?"
Orochimaru laughed lowly. "You are enough. I hardly have the time and patience for another."
"But they're willing," Saya almost growled, referring to the long-haired women she had found in his bedroom.
"That was a lapse in judgement that amounted to nothing, Saya. There is no reason to still be sore over it."
"Only because I walked in," Saya huffed. "You knew exactly what you were doing."
"Is this jealousy?" he asked with a smirk.
Saya rolled her eyes and sneered at him. "I don't see why I should share when you're the one that's so possessive over me."
Orochimaru's fingers suddenly stopped their gentle movements and instead pressed into her thigh. A heavy breath could also be felt leaving his chest before Saya rounded to face him again.
"With what I'm giving up, I'll be damned if I let you with anyone else but me."
Her eyes were hard as they stared into his. She expected to be met with the same expression, but as the man's slitted pupils expanded, he instead appeared eager. Those eyes danced across her face before his brows knitted together with a smirk.
"Now who's possessive?"
Saya bit down on the side of her tongue and resisted rolling her eyes at him again. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or just toying with her. Either way, she didn't want to turn the conversation into an argument, so she turned back to her sitting position and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"This isn't as relaxing as I hoped it would be," she murmured more to herself.
"Then be still," he nearly whispered in response.
Saya closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath as her head lay back against him. She opened her eyes once she felt relaxed again and watched the candlelight flicker against the wall. It was mesmerizing to watch now that she was in the comfort of her own home. In Orochimaru's dwelling it had simply been unnerving.
A few minutes passed as the two sat quietly, soaking in the warm water and hearing nothing but the faint sounds of another spring storm approaching. It wasn't until Orochimaru shifted behind her that Saya stirred and realized she was growing drowsy.
The man brought an arm around her, dipping his hand under the water to gently tease one of her breasts. Saya's breath hitched at the sensitive touch. It didn't take the man long to bring her to arousal, where his gentle teasing turned into more forceful kneading. Her face burned again as her shoulder began to prickle.
"That's not helping," she breathed as her midsection grew warm and anxious.
Orochimaru then brought his other arm around her, sliding it lower under the water. "It will," he whispered into her ear as his hand dipped between her thighs.
Saya almost shuddered at how sensitive this touch was as well. His fingers just barely traced along her skin, making the anticipation almost unbearable. Saya nearly protested, her muscles tightening the longer he teased until he finally parted her with a single finger.
With his arms wrapped around her, Orochimaru held her as he began to swirl the slowest of circles around her clit. Saya bit her lip and grabbed onto the man's arm, feeling the muscles of them move as he worked her.
With little room to move, Saya couldn't help but arch her back and squirm against him. Orochimaru became only quicker in his movements, sending electrifying sensations through her with every stroke of his finger. Her breath was quick and heavy, and when an almost painful moan escaped her lips, Orochimaru drew the hand cupping her breast away to grab a handful of her hair, forcing her head up.
Their lips met harshly as Saya turned her face toward him, parting as Orochimaru thrust his tongue into her mouth. He swirled his tongue much like his fingers as Saya grew more and more restless. His hand worked feverishly until Saya finally came apart in his arms. Orochimaru tightened his grip on her head, keeping her still as she came. She moaned into his mouth, just as he had with her the night before, and dug her nails into his skin. Only when she let go did the man slow his movements and release his own grip on her.
Saya panted as she opened her eyes to look up at him, her eyelids heavy and fluttering. She found his eyes shining down at her, looking every bit like a predator eyeing its prey. He was hard against her, and as Saya began to come down from her high, she moved to take advantage of that.
She turned completely around in the bath, raising her hips above his and still breathing heavily. When she started to come down though, she narrowed her eyes as Orochimaru stopped her.
"No," he simply told her.
"No?" Saya asked with a shaky laugh. "Is it not your turn?"
Orochimaru then teased her other breast with his tongue. "That was just as much for me as it was for you," he told her as his teeth then came down on her.
Saya arched her back at the feeling, causing the man's head to push against her entrance. "I don't believe that," she nearly panted. Orochimaru bit only harder, so Saya ignored the hands digging into her hips to finish coming down over him.
She parted her lips at the feeling as he slid into her, but went no further as his eyes grew even more animalistic. "I would have thought that would excite you," he mouthed against her skin.
Of course the sentiment was exciting. But she knew it was more about his ego rather than indulging in her pleasure.
When Saya had no response, he pulled out of her with a smirk. "Turn around."
She complied, resisting the urge to scoff at him. Her knees dug into the bottom of the tub as Orochimaru guided her into a keeling position, her hands now gripping the other end of the tub. As one of his hands moved to the back of her neck and pushed her forward, Orochimaru guided her lower half out of the water and up toward him.
Her blood was still pumping heavily between her legs, swelling her now that she was exposed to him. A whimper escaped Saya's throat as he inserted a singer finger inside of her, twisting and sliding around her wetness.
"Perhaps I misunderstand you then," he rasped from behind her. As his finger still moved inside her, Orochimaru bent closer to her ear. "It's not enough until you have me inside of you, is it?"
"You would want me to think that," Saya nearly growled at him.
The man chuckled at her as he straightened his back. "How could I not? After that first night here in your home, after five years of emptiness, you almost broke apart as soon as we started."
Saya gripped the edge of the tub even harder. She couldn't deny the truth in the matter, how she felt an indescribable rush of emotion after they came together after all that time. Especially since it was she who initiated that union. She had even admitted it to her friend earlier that day.
She didn't just let the dam break. She destroyed it.
Instead of trying to put up a front or argue with him, Saya smirked. "Then why are you keeping me waiting?" she asked him softly.
A small, self-satisfied laugh escaped the man's lips as he slowly drew his finger from her. Lining himself up with her, he slowly replaced that finger with his length.
It was almost agonizing how slow his entrance was, even as Saya gripped her hands that much tighter and pushed herself against him. She couldn't deny it was exactly what she wanted, not now. To feel something from this man and not be ashamed to enjoy it.
Orochimaru was slow at first, holding onto her hips as he buried all of he could inside her before slowly retreating again.
Saya closed her eyes as her back arched. Her breath was loud and heavy as it exited her nose. In fact, it was the only noise she made as the man ever so slightly picked up his pace. She was so focused on the man's movements and how they changed, more so than expressing how they were making her feel. Even though her curse mark began to warm under her skin, Saya remained quiet.
She suspected it wasn't to Orochimaru's liking, hearing the splashing of the water in the tub rather than her passionate noises. That suspicion was confirmed as the man suddenly quickened his pace. As if he could read her mind, he went from slow, controlled thrusts to fast and harsh. The first almost knocked the wind out of Saya with the force, but it wasn't long until his newfound ferocity had her crying out to the ceiling.
The grip on her hips tightened as he pounded into her. His own voice was now starting to emerge as his labored breath turned into grunts.
Water splashed over the edges of the tub as their intensity grew. Saya kept her grip and continued to push herself into him, even as rough as his pace was.
She eventually groaned his name from deep within her throat, not entirely sure if it was because she was close to climaxing or a plea for him to finish.
If it was, that plea was shortly answered as Orochimaru grabbed another handful of her hair, arching her body that much more. His thrusts became violent as his orgasm came, creating an almost painful growl to come from his mouth.
Through it he continued his thrusting, pulling Saya's hair that much harder until he finally hit her in that perfect spot, making her explode soon after. Her own sound was just as loud and shook as the man slowed his harsh thrusting.
Saya was a quivering bundle of nerves when he let go of her, where she kneeled to let her head rest against her hands at the edge of the tub. She could hear Orochimaru's heavy breath as he slowly settled back down into the water behind her. Saya didn't even think she could move to join him as weak as her knees now felt.
"Is that what you were looking for?" he dared to ask her breathlessly.
Instead of joining him, Saya turned on her knees and settled down on the opposite end of the tub. As she faced him, she didn't narrow her eyes or scoff at him. Her breath was just as ragged as she stared into his golden eyes, a smirk forming on her face.
"I guess it was."
Her smirk widened as she watched his labored breath, the glassy lust-filled look in his eyes slowly fading as Orochimaru laid his head back. With her knees and legs shaking, Saya raised herself up and bent towards the man's face.
Her lips met his gently, almost trembling with her breathlessness. Her tongue made one pass through his mouth, faintly tasting the sake still on his breath, before she pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"Welcome home," she softly told him.