Chapter 31

Home.

It wasn't a word Saya would have ever associated with Orochimaru, but here they were. She couldn't help but tease the man's earlier comment about her waiting up for him. But as the two left the bath to dry off and get ready for bed, the word lingered in her mind.

Was this "home" now? This man and his life, their wild physical attraction to each other, their new relationship as parents?

It was a weight Saya couldn't let her mind take on at the moment, not when they had the Leaf to worry about. How the situation played out could forever alter what and who she considered to be home.

That being said, her mind was clearer than it had been the previous night. Everything about Akira was out in the open. There were no secrets bottled up anymore. There was also her physical freedom now. Orochimaru laid beside her, his chest nearly pressed against Saya's back.

And she wanted him there, wanted him that close to her. It also wasn't lost on her that he was the one that chose to lay close to her. His breath could be felt on her neck as they both drifted into a deep sleep.

The morning was a cloudy one, as the wind had indeed brought a spring storm into the village. Saya didn't mind the rain tapping at her window as she woke. The previous day had tired them both, so a quiet day at home was welcomed. It was a shame it would be centered on their plan of action, though.

Saya turned over as she felt the man shift behind her. He was awake, but barely as his eyes lazily found hers. His pupils quickly expanded when they did, almost as if he were startled by the close proximity. It was a fleeting look of surprise in the man's eyes, as he quickly calmed and readjusted his head on the pillow.

"Are you as tired as I am?" Saya asked him groggily.

"What's the matter, did I exhaust you, Saya?"

This man she had been warned of the very day she was introduced to him, the man that she knew to be dangerous and terrifying and violent, was engaging in playful pillow talk with her. She couldn't help herself as a small laugh escaped her lips.

"It will take more than that," she countered as a smirk lingered.

"Soon, then," Orochimaru replied sleepily. His eyes, however, were hard as they stared back at her, almost daring her to argue with him.

Saya's shoulder tingled at the predatory sense the man exuded. What would have normally infuriated her now felt like a thrill of excitement. She was right when she told her friend that a lot had changed quickly, and not just their circumstance, but also how Saya felt. It was like she had been walking around the past few weeks with a bag over head, suffocating herself. Now the bag was off and she could breathe. If only for a moment.

She then let her eyes travel over him, not unlike all those years ago when she let herself see him not as a sadistic snake, but a man. Saya ignored the feeling of the curse mark on her shoulder as it began to take on a warm pulse. There never seemed to be a pattern to how it reacted whenever she was around Orochimaru. Sometimes it pulsed with heat, other times it prickled, ached, or almost itched. Whatever it was doing to her body, she did not know, but she knew now that her thoughts about this man were her own.

"Is that how it's going be from now on?" she finally asked him.

Orochimaru gazed across at her, his eyelids low. Her tone wasn't scolding or mocking, but damn near sultry. He didn't respond right away, but rather raised himself up to look down at her. His mouth almost moved to speak, but instead the man clenched his jaw.

Saya watched as he moved to place a hand behind her back, shifting his weight into the bed as he loomed over her. She then moved onto her back, staring up at him as his black hair draped down to tickle her shoulders.

This position had once been terrifying, but now Saya moved her legs to accommodate his waist that now settled against hers. She shivered, but for an entirely different reason.

Orochimaru's gaze left hers to roam down her body, to the place where their bodies touched, before coming back to settle on her face. His hand reached for her jaw, where his thumb ran to her ear before gripping the back of her neck.

Says gasped as he angled her head back, his mouth on hers in an instant. Their tongues were already eager to find each other as their kiss quickly turned deep and forceful. His arm then moved to snake around her back. Orochimaru grabbed the back of her neck again, but now brought the entirety of her upper body up to meet his. She sighed into him as her chest pressed against him.

Her hands found their way off the bed and around his back, resting against his shoulder blades. Their kisses deepened further still as their hips begin to grind against each other in rhythm, filling the room with loud rapid breath.

Saya then moaned softly as the man entered her. His hips were sharp as they pressed into her, especially as all of his body weight seemed to be pressing along with them. Orochimaru kept her lips locked with his, swallowing the same soft sound she made with each grind of his hips.

Their bodies were locked tight against each other, moving together as one as the sannin set a steady pace. But as Saya scraped her nails along the man's back, their position suddenly changed. Orochimaru pulled at her hair, angling her body even more. Their lips broke apart as he picked up his pace. He leaned over her, trailing his tongue along her neck and up to her ear, chuckling as he stopped.

"How does it feel?" he asked her in a low voice.

Saya strained her neck back as he hovered there, his teeth teasing her. She couldn't even think of a word to describe how it felt. Incredible, unbelievable, so wrong and so right at the same time. Her mind couldn't think. All that was at that moment was how he made her feel. Like she was nothing but also everything.

As he leaned back into her, Saya pressed her mouth to the man's throat. "Harder," she breathed against it.

"What?" Orochimaru responded with a strain as her teeth nicked at him.

Nails digging into him Saya rasped, "I want you. Harder."

Her body dug into his as Orochimaru threw all of himself into her. Her voice cracked against his neck with each thrust of his hips, pushing so hard into her she knew it would bruise. With each thrust Saya felt her body shift, but his grip on her held them close. When it was almost too much for her, her teeth sunk into the man's collarbone.

Orochimaru hissed at her, pulling at her by the hair until she let go. He looked down at her with a wild look in his eyes as he moved his hand to her throat, pressing her down onto the bed. It was tight, but as a look of panic manifested on her face, Saya felt his hand soften. As her sounds grew more anxious, Orochimaru cupped his hand over her mouth.

He still pressed her into the bed as his thrusts came hard and steady. Saya looked up at him in a daze, her eyes almost prickling with tears. Not because she was scared, but how intense the man was. He was rough, but he angled his pelvis to rub against her perfectly. Orochimaru eyed her, watching as she cried out against his hand as her climax came, pushing their hips even more painfully together.

Saya rode the sensation out as she breathed hard and fast against his hand, her own hands clawing down his shoulders as the feeling washed over her.

Orochimaru then broke his stare as he closed his eyes. He kept her there, still muffled beneath him as his hips thrust into her quick and erratic. Saya clawed at him still, her nails now traveling down his arms. His brows came together as he grunted with a stain, his voice cracking as he finally found release and stilled his hips.

Saya could feel his orgasm inside her as he kept his hips pressed firmly against her. She was finally able to catch her breath when he slowly moved his hand from her mouth, dropping it as he moved to straighten his back and set back on his feet. Saya let her legs fall away from him to rest. The insides of her thighs were already beginning to hurt.

Orochimaru slid out of her then. Saya watched him look over the slick mess that was made between them before his golden eyes snapped back to hers.

"I asked you a question," he told her as his chest heaved to calm his breath.

"And I asked you a question," Saya countered as she rose up on her elbows.

Orochimaru ran a hand along one of her thighs, along the sweat they had created until he reached her entrance. He slipped a single finger inside of her, twirling it slowly as he coated it. It was slick and dripping as he slowly removed it, wiping up and over her clit.

"I think this is a suitable answer."

Saya just stared back at him, her heart racing to catch up, before a smirk pulled at her lips.

"Then it should also answer your question," she told him breathlessly.

He laughed at her then, which caused her smirk to grow even more. "We'll, I can't argue with you there."

Orochimaru pushed against her legs as he moved away to step off of the bed. His back turned to her as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Clean yourself up. Kabuto will be joining us soon to help sort through what options we have in mind for you."

And suddenly reality came flooding back. Saya rolled her eyes and sighed as she still lay in her spot on the bed. Kabuto was certainly not someone she wanted to think about as she lay there with the man's orgasm seeping between her legs. As she rolled to the side and made to stand, her legs almost gave away underneath her. She caught herself, thankful the man didn't see her.

Saya found Orochimaru waiting for her by the shower, moving to the side as she stepped in to meet the warm stream of water.

"I'd almost rather him meet us like this, just to absolutely ruin his day."

The man sighed as they both wet their hair. "Will you two ever stop your childish bickering?"

Says scoffed. "As long as you're around to pull another knife from my throat and patch me up, I doubt it. I think he's earned my condescending attitude, no matter how long ago it was he pulled that little stunt."

"You pulled enough stunts of your own, Saya. And while he's aware he's never to touch you again, he's also an important, trusted asset."

She waved a hand in his direction. "I know, I'm not arguing that. Just let me get an innocent dig at him every now and then, ok?"

The pair fell silent then as they washed up, dried off, and dressed for the day. Orochimaru pulled on his grey kimono, while Saya wore a simple shirt and comfy pants.

"Before I forget, and before he bombards you," Saya whispered as they stepped into the hallway and crept past the sleeping boy's room. "We stopped at a shuriken tossing booth yesterday. Guess who threw a perfect score?"

Orochimaru stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to her. "Really?" he whispered in response.

Saya nodded with a slight grin. "It was like a second nature to him. I think he even surprised himself."

Golden eyes danced across her face for a moment in quiet contemplation. Wondering if it must be difficult for the man to feel a proud parental sense this early on in their relationship, Saya tried to steer the conversation to something that had been rumbling around the back of her brain.

Still whispering, she continued. "I know you told me you can't reproduce naturally anymore, that this curse makes it possible. But how? What about it makes it possible to create a child that looks exactly like you, that may have the same skills and abilities you did at the same age?"

The man lifted his chin and sighed lightly through his nose. "I was wondering when you would want to dive into the details. I would like to discuss it myself, at another time."

"Right," Saya softly. There was another matter that was a priority at the moment. Her son's genetics could wait. Her eyes were soft as they stared back at his.

"He's not going to be just another student, you know. Not some wayward teenager you trained to add to your numbers. He's your child."

"I'm well aware, Saya," the man responded with a slight edge to his whisper. "I don't take his existence lightly. In fact, despite the nature of the curse I gave you and its purpose, I'm still a bit astonished by him. I won't lie, I am very interested in just how similar we are, in what was passed along to him. But I also…"

He trailed off then as Saya still watched him with those soft eyes. His eyebrows came together in frustration, as if he didn't know how to finish.

"I know it's a lot," Saya told him. "I know you're not an emotional person. I still struggle with whether I should have even made him known to you. Knowing how you can be, how you have been to me in the past. I…I guess I don't know where I'm going with this either."

"I understand, Saya. All I ask is that you be patient with me; it's quiet an adjustment. I also understand if there is ever another reason you raise a knife to my throat, is if I bring any harm onto him."

"That you can count on," Saya responded with a sneer. "Anyway, he wanted me to tell you. He wished you were there to see, but I guess he'll have other chances."

Orochimaru have her a slow blink as the corner of his mouth rose. It was his only response before he turned to continue downstairs.

It was still early, and as the two of them made their way downstairs and into the kitchen, Saya was surprised to see Kabuto already sitting at her kitchen table.

She paused at the entryway for a moment as Orochimaru casually brushed past her to start yet another day off by brewing them a morning cup of tea. As her eyes danced back and forth between the two men, Saya couldn't help but notice a strange sense wash over her. Seeing these two men, who she had once bandaged and cleaned up after, screamed and clawed at, were now casually taking up space in her small kitchen. It was both jarring and peaceful at the same time.

Her eyes went back to Kabuto. "I guess I don't need to ask how you got in. I'm sure locking picking is nothing to you."

The silver haired man gave her a wry grin. "Locks only keep honest people out."

A chill ran through her then, knowing he could just come and go from within her home like that. Saya didn't even wonder how Orochimaru entered her home the night he came back after his fight with Akira. Perhaps deep down she thought him welcome in her home. Or perhaps the thought of physical barriers seemed too simple to keep someone like Orochimaru from where he wanted to be.

"Apparently," Saya finally replied. "But I would appreciate you waiting and asking for permission next time. I would hate for you to embarrass yourself by walking in at the wrong time."

Kabuto's expression fell flat as she smirked at him.

Saya crossed her arms and looked back to the living room. "In fact, the night before last would have been particularly embarrassing from this angle."

Orochimaru growled her name in a low warning as he turned away from the stove to face the two of them. There was, however, the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes.

Instead of narrowing his eyes, Kabuto smirked and titled his head to his lord. "I thought animals were supposed to be more docile after they've been bred?"

Saya smirked down at him as her nails dug into her arms. If he was going to be a jackass, she would be too, to hell with what Orochimaru thought. But just as Saya opened her mouth to throw an inappropriate comment back at him, the sannin stepped behind her.

"Do not answer that," he nearly growled. His sharp eyes moved slowly from the med ninja to her, where they narrowed.

"So, he gets to throw disgusting comments about our business at me, but I can't throw them back at him?"

"He does not 'get' to," Orochimaru hissed as his eyes momentarily slid to the other man. "But our business is just that. Ours."

Saya wasn't having it. "Then put a muzzle on him. I mean, how poorly does he think of you if the woman you choose to share a bed with you is such an animal?"

Kabuto made to rise from his seat but paused as Orochimaru held up a hand. "That's enough. From both of you," he added as his serpentine eyes darted back and forth between them.

"You tease him because you know you're able to get a rise out of him," Orochimaru told her as his eyes drilled into hers. They then cut to the younger man easing back into his chair. "And you, you belittle her with every chance you get. She does make a fair point, Kabuto. Insulting her in that matter insults me. Think carefully before I hear you make another remark as such again."

Saya watched as Kabuto settled back into his seat. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Of course," he simply said in response.

Rolling her eyes, Saya turned away from him to tend to the hot water on the stove. At that moment she would have loved to see Orochimaru smack him across the face, but she also knew he cared more about Kabuto indirectly insulting him rather than her.

Her jaw clenched as she poured water for three mugs of tea. "So, what are my options?" she then asked from over her shoulder.

"We have no way of knowing how, when, or even if the Leaf will approach you," Kabuto answered her flatly. "I have a few predictions on how this will play out, but that also depends on how much information Akira relays to them. It also depends on how far you're willing to participate in this."

Saya carried the warm drinks over to the table, where the two men now sat opposite each other. She stood at the head of the table and stared down at them.

"Akira is essentially a wild card," the med ninja continued. "He created this idea in mind that you would be keeping us distracted while he acted. Seeing as how you claim to have turned down his offer, yet he still left to act on it, we must analyze our approach differently.

"If you had agreed or led him on in carrying out this ambush, he would have led them here, as planned. Now, we have to wonder where else he would lead them. There is the question of whether they will even show up here for you, or if Akira will disclose any of our base locations to them. We now have a much larger area to monitor for activity."

"That is not a matter than concerns her," Orochimaru murmured as he sipped at his tea.

Saya shot him an irritated look but kept quiet as Kabuto continued.

"You are not the Leaf's target, Saya. We are. How and where we operate outside of this village once we leave is classified."

"Because I can't be trusted?" Her eyes remained on Orochimaru, but the man remained silent as his right-hand man continued to carry the conversation.

"Consider this a test," Kabuto smirked at her. "If they go directly to the outpost you're familiar with, the only outpost you know the location of, we'll know who sent them.

"I can only imagine when Akira left knowing how you felt about his plan, that once you realized where he was headed, you would either try to push us out or lead us on. So, if the Leaf bypasses this village, we know to be on the lookout at each of our locations. He'll have given up on trying to help you and go directly for us. If, however, they do choose to target you, we need to decide on how we're going to handle it."

Saya sighed loudly as she ran a hand across her forehead.

"Akira wanted me to know where he was going," she told them. "Even though he knew I would be upset, even with the chance of me ruining his plan, he still wanted me to know."

"The question is," Orochimaru chimed in, "what did he think would happen? Did he imagine I would run off with you the minute I found out?"

"Honestly, I could see that," Saya replied. "It would put him at a disadvantage not knowing where I was or what happened to me. But that would only make them split up and look harder, right?"

Kabuto glared up at her. "I have no doubt he would give each and every one of our locations away to the Leaf if that were the case. That's why we decided to leave you here.

"But as I said, what we do once we leave here is not for you to know. Just know that we will have eyes and ears everywhere. If they do approach you, we'll know."

"And what am I supposed to do, shrug my shoulders and act like I don't know what they're talking about?"

Kabuto smirked at her, "If only it were that easy. There's no playing dumb to get out of this. They'll be taking this seriously, even if they only suspect you're connected to Orochimaru.

"On the one hand, you could be defiant or deceitful. You could provide false information concerning our whereabouts. It will buy us time and give us an opportunity to monitor them. There is the chance they wound try to submit you to further questing or compliance, though, which brings us to another option."

"That's why you're keeping me in the dark," Saya almost whispered. "They can't make me talk, though. Right?"

Orochimaru glanced sideways at her. Saya suspected he sensed her concern, but he remained quiet nonetheless. He did say he didn't think she would be in danger at the mercy of this woman, Tsunade. But she had no idea who would be on their way to confront her.

Neither man answered her question.

"We also have to take into account whether or not Akira will be in their presence," Kabuto added. "It will be harder to fool them if he is."

Heart pounding, Saya stared down at Orochimaru, but still the man didn't didn't acknowledge her.

"I can tell that makes you uncomfortable," Kabuto spoke instead. "That being said, your other option is for you to quietly go with them."