Well, after some prodding from friends and strangers alike, I finally decided to sit down and write this out.

As always, thanks to everyone who read or reviewed.

Truthfully, I had no idea for a little while what to do with this chapter, as I was torn between two options.

Amazingly, that was solved. Speaking of amazing, I don't own Naruto.

Now onto the third chapter. More notes at the bottom. WATAN!

Hasn't Everyone Wanted to Catch Snow on His Tongue?

Chapter Three: A Pet

He was dreaming.

It was a very basic conclusion to come to, really, though it was hard to tell what tipped him off to the lack of logic first.

The flying gumdrops or the pink koala bears everywhere.

Orochimaru decided the blame the koala bears. For some reason, they were littered everywhere, acting as if they belonged right where they were. Which they didn't, of course. Otherwise the snake would've ignored them.

But no, they were right were they were not logically meant to be. They were in the middle of one of Konoha's parks. And everyone knew that the inhabitants of Konoha hated koala bears.

Somehow, though, it seemed the little bears could read his thoughts, as his arms were suddenly jumped on by a pack of the rabid beasts. Chewing, scratching, biting, and generally making his arms feel as if it would be better if they simply gone rather than having to stand this any longer.

Thankfully, it was around that time he woke up, to the discovery that pain wasn't koala-inflicted.

And that it was much worse out of his dream than it had been.

Biting his lip to stifle a rather pathetic cry of pain, he clenched his eyes closed as tightly as possible, trying desperately to block out the sharp stabs of discomfort that were currently running wild in his arms.

As he tried to roll into a more comfortable position, those sharp stabs spread to the rest of his body, particularly around his chest. This time, he couldn't suppress the pained groaned that leaked out between his lips.

For the moment it took for him to relax his muscles and simply catch his breathing again, he wondered what had happened to reduce him to such a pitiful state.

Then, it all can crashing back down on him; Itachi and Kisame; the fight, if one could even call the pathetic display he had put up a fight; and finally his jutsu that had led him right to some taunting brat.

Daring to open his eyes, he found himself staring up into a wooden ceiling that was definitely not his own. His mind shouting warnings at him, Orochimaru considered his options.

He could stay here and pretend to be asleep until he learned more about his 'captor', or he could try and move away as quickly as possible, and hope that he could get back to some place that he knew was safe.

The latter option didn't seem, in his opinion, to be that great, but then again, the former wasn't much better.

As he stopped to mull over this some more, his mind focused more on the wounds scattered over his body. Many of the wounds, it seemed, had been treated. In fact, now that he thought about it, the bandages around his arms had been changed.

Suddenly, the former option was looking a bit brighter. Perhaps Kabuto had followed him, and gotten him safely somewhere…? It was possible. Unlikely, but still possible. He had learned rather early on in his relationship with the boy that it was best to not underestimate him.

Now distracted by thoughts of Kabuto and the many skills the silver haired youth possessed, Orochimaru almost didn't notice the door opening.

Almost.

As soon as the quiet creaking noise reached his ears, he perked up considerably, ready to bolt (well, as much as he could) if anyone who looked like they might be in cahoots with Akatsuki walked through the door.

Surprisingly, he didn't see a threat come in, just… a young girl with a bowl of soup on a tray.

Huh. Go figure.

He stared dumbfounded at the girl for a moment, having not at all expected to see someone that looked so… harmless come through the door.

The girl, for her part, merely smiled at him, walking over gracefully with the tray held out just in front of her rather flat chest. Strange, for a girl of her age, she should at least have something there, but apparently not all were blessed as blessed as Tsunade.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, setting the soup down on a table conveniently close to the bed. "Are you in any pain?"

Immediately, Orochimaru stiffened, recognizing the voice of his taunting rescuer instantly. That insufferable little girl thought that she was strong enough to call him a dying animal?

Inside, he was raging with fury, ready to rip the girl limb from limb. His physical body, however, wasn't quite up to snuff in terms of tearing people apart.

So instead of arguing or answering verbally, he merely opted for a third option; pouting.

Though it was a completely powerful and fearsome pout.

Again, his only answer was that smile and a gentle laugh. "I suppose that was a stupid question to ask. Are you hungry, then?"

Just before Orochimaru could snap that he wasn't hungry, his stomach decided to answer for him with an obscenely loud gurgle. He looked down at it, as did the girl. "…Perhaps just a bit."

"Heh heh, I'd thought you'd be," she answered before inclining her head towards the soup. "I made it for you. It has a few… unique herbs in it that should help to encourage healing and reduce pain."

The snake glared, but moved over to the welcoming liquid, nodding slightly. Almost cautiously, he moved a shaking hand, carefully gripping the spoon and beginning to eat. It hurt like hell at first, but as he went on it seemed to get more bareable.

Either he was getting used to the pain, or this soup really did reduce pain. He looked at it curiously, wondering what was in it. Maybe he could snag the recipe from this girl and have Kabuto learn it…

"What's your name, little girl?" he asked in between bites. The soup, for the most part, tasted all right. It wasn't extraordinary, but it was good enough, and it made him feel better.

"My name is Haku, and I'm a little boy," the girl, or rather, the boy answered, earning a shocked stare from the eating man. "Don't drop your spoon on the floor."

Orochimaru sat gaping for a moment, his mind working furiously to try and figure out how he had been fooled. But he couldn't see it; there was just no way a boy could be so… feminine. It was unheard of, and he'd seen some very pretty boys in his life.

To make sure, he reached out with one hand, effectively groping the boy's chest. Haku yelped, smacking at the hand and jerking back out of reach. You try to be nice to a person and they grope you…

Really, he supposed it was understandable, to a degree. After all, he'd just told the man that he was boy, and that usually shocked everyone he ran into. But most didn't just grope him…

Haku shook his head, a small smile on his face. Maybe this guy was just from a very strange, very open place. Or maybe he was just a pedophile. It wasn't any of his business, really.

The pedophile in question just smirked at the dark haired boy, suddenly becoming more appreciative of his little care keeper. Girls were nice, it was true. He wasn't really all that picky, but boys were more his thing; more interesting.

Girls, for the most part, just kinda laid there and moaned, completely accepting whatever you did to them. Now boys, they were much more entertaining. They were things of pride, and didn't often back down from a challenge. It certainly made romps in the bed more exciting.

Though he always knew that he could top anyone, it was fun to let them believe they might have a chance to be anything but uke in a relationship with him. And, on occasion, he wasn't against letting someone else… ah, handle the reins, as it were.

Regaining his wits finally, after quite an embarrassing lapse, Orochimaru slowly started into the soup, noting that it had cooled off a bit in his absence. Tch.

Haku, though having obviously calmed down a bit, still looked flustered after the sudden 'attack' on his chest.

"You enjoy your meal, I'll be right back," the dark haired shinobi said, making himself a flimsy excuse to get as far as possible from the man.

Not wanting to give the other a chance to reply, just in case he was forced to stay any longer, the mist nin bowed and left the room, leaving behind a chuckling snake.

Things certainly had become fascinating; just what he had wanted when he left his village. Sans the being attacked part.

Now that he had more time to think about his situation alone, Orochimaru took this time to brood, and eat more of this soup.

Why had the kid saved him? It didn't seem as though he was getting anything out of it rather than a dangerous S-ranked criminal as a charge, but the boy wasn't asking any questions; he didn't even ask what had happened.

The kid had just… accepted that he needed help, and was content with the facts that he knew. That couldn't be right. People weren't like that. People were cutthroat, and only looked out for themselves. For someone in this day and age to be consider and naturally caring, he would have to be insane.

Either that, or had someone who could take care of the tasks that required cruelty and conviction under any circumstances. And as the boy didn't come off as insane, Orochimaru figured that he had someone. The only question was, who?

Hmm… now that was something to think about.

Haku had gone out to where Zabuza was training, deep in the heart of the forests that surrounded their little 'house'.

Truthfully, the idea of sharing a house with the elder nin had always thrilled him slightly, making the boy giddy and not the least bit bouncy. Of course, he never let that show anymore, having learned that emotions were best left buried and dying.

Still, Zabuza had been around Haku enough to notice the little things about him, like how his eyes always got a certain light in them when he was happy or pleased with something.

Just like now, there was a certain light in them that meant that he was hiding something, or was nervous. Zabuza glared, almost tempted to just say 'out with it; what have you brought back?' but resisted, waiting for his young partner to explain himself.

"Zabuza-sama," Haku greeted in his normal voice, a small smile playing on his lips. He couldn't help but smile when he was around his sensei.

"Haku," the elder man replied, giving the boy a curt nod. "What is it?"

"Ah… I found a dying animal outside," he answered vaguely, that smile still on his face, though it grew a bit wider.

"Oh?" was all he got as a response, and a certain look from his teacher that demanded a better explanation.

"I believe it's a rather large snake. I found it lying, hurt and defenseless. It looked like something had attacked it," Haku continued, knowing better than to say that he had picked up some random stranger. "It's in my room now, I'm nursing it back to health."

"A rather large snake…" The man seemed to mull over these words, turning them around in his head. "Why bother trying to save it? If it was dying, let it die. If it's as big as you seem to think it is, it would probably make a good meal."

"Zabuza-sama! Don't talk about it like that," Haku admonished, a mock glare on his face.

Zabuza just grinned behind the bandages, shaking his head. "You can keep it if you really want, but it won't travel with us. Just fix it up and let it go. You can visit it when we come back here again."

The teenager smiled, glad to have his way. But that was how it usually went, with Zabuza giving into his pleadings. At least, in the menial things. When it came to actual business and serious matters, he would always follow the older man, but with pets and saving animals, as long as it didn't disrupt their lives or training, it was fine.

Or more like not his problem.

Haku appreciated it nonetheless. He knew many people wouldn't get away with antagonizing the killer as he did. "Thank you, Zabuza-sama."

A grunt was his answer as the other went back to his training, and Haku turned on his heel, heading back towards the cabin. "Oh, I made some soup. I'll heat it up when you're ready for dinner."

His words didn't receive a reply, but he hadn't been expecting one. Really, it was a bit strange how they could understand each other so easily, but he supposed that it just came from living with him for so many years.

Thoughts of their past brought a sigh from the boy, the longing that their relationship be something more substantial than what it currently was coming up from where it was usually hidden.

It had taken him a while to discover what exactly his feelings for the elder man were, and when he had first slammed face first into them, a wave of denial had kept him from admitting anything. After finally giving in, he still admitted nothing. After all, clinging to Zabuza and yelling that he loved him would certainly ruin the 'emotionless tool' image.

As he thought, he bit into his bottom lip, chewing lightly. In truth, he was frightened of what the other might do if he did suddenly decide to tell him. He might turn Haku away, or perhaps grow even colder.

Or make Haku leave and find a more peaceful life.

Already, he could tell that Zabuza was beginning to regret dragging him out of the snow so many years ago. He could tell that the elder man was plagued with something everytime he looked at him, as if he wished to give Haku something more.

A sigh. If only Zabuza could understand that all he really wanted was to be by his side for the rest of his life. But that couldn't happen until Haku admitted that he was in love.

It seemed his problems just went round and round like a carousel. Never-ending, and with no solution in sight safe the hardest ones.

But hey, if it wasn't hard to obtain, it couldn't really be worth it, right? And this was most definitely worth it.

In all his ponders of Zabuza, he had completely forgotten about his new 'pet'. He swallowed, suddenly nervous. Although he acted as if nothing bothered him, the snake like man he was caring for made him rather nervous.

He'd never seen eyes like his; golden and with slit pupils. As if pulled out of a cat. The mental image alone made him shudder, his sympathy always going out to animals.

Even as the man scared him, he knew that there was no way he would've left the poor man out there alone to die. When he had come upon the snake, he'd been on his way to the village nearby, intent on talking to Rose again. But the sight of a wounded man had made him stop, and instead of going to talk to his old friend, he had gotten himself landed with a nursing job.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, his charge had groped him. This time he did shudder, not at all liking the idea of being touched by the creepy man again.

Sighing once more, he reached the house, looking up at it. He really liked this place; so peaceful and quaint. Not like the huge cocoon-like thing that they had been in last time. This was much cozier.

Opening the door carefully, he slipped his shoes off inside, shutting the door behind him before walking down the hallway to see how the man was doing.

Seeing Rose might have to wait for a few days.

Yey, the third chapter (finally). Sorry for the wait. n.n

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really do appreciate anyone who reads and/or reviews this. It's very encouraging, and keeps me going with this thing.

And if you asked (or are planning to ask) something, I'll get around to everything eventually. e.e Eventually.

That's all.

r e v i e w