At home the holidays had been meaningful, her and her brother put up the tree, made cookies, and got gifts for each other and from other distant relatives. But where she lived now, she found it to be a little different. She took walks often; it took her mind off the boss snake that possessed her. She got sick from him being in her, but Orochimaru made her feel better, keeping her company and making her food. When she got so sick from Manda, the snake inside her, Orochimaru would bring her a hot pad for her aches, sprite for her stomach, and warm blankets for her chills. He had to sit in the bathroom with her when she bathed, because occasionally the snake tried to control and drown her. She lost all shame around Orochimaru, she could even strip down and bathe with him sitting right there. She gave him his room back a couple of months ago, after they had cleared out a spare room and pt a bed and dresser in it. She had bought clothing for herself, and a stereo and area rug for her room. She drew a lot, but mostly Orochimaru and the snake that possessed her. She had a little journal she kept of dreams, what Manda said to her and what he tried to do. But she grew used to the lifestyle of living with Manda possessing her, and Orochimaru taking care of her.

She walked back to his house that evening in the snow, carrying the small gift she had bought him. She realized it had been four months since eh had rescued her from the fire, and killed her brother. She got to the door, unlocked it and felt a sudden pain in her stomach. She made it to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet there. Orochimaru came in to find her hunched over in pain on the bathroom floor.

"Hey, are you okay girl?"

"I'll be fine," she said, wincing in pain.

"No you won't, why did Manda have to do this, especially on Christmas Eve?"

"I don't think its Manda," she grumbled, as Orochimaru lifted her and carried her outside.

"I don't know exactly what's going on with you sweet girl, but I'll get you to the hospital." He carried her across the sound village to the hospital, and asked the nurse at the front desk for help.

"She's sick, painful nausea, really bad, she needs help now."

"All right, we'll get someone right away," the nurse said as she called a doctor, who brought a gurney right toward them. Orochimaru set her down gently on the gurney, and watched as the doctors took her away.

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She knew she would be ok when Orochimaru killed the nurse and forced his way in. They had told him to wait in the waiting room, but that wasn't an option. So he killed the nurse at the front desk, and any nurse or doctor along the way. Here in the sound village he had no need to kill, but when he was worried, impatient, and pissed off, he did what he had to. He rushed into the room where she sat up in the bed, I.V. in arm, and a small smile on her face.

"Hey girl, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, now that I know what's going on. I just got the symptoms worse because of Manda."

"What symptoms," he asked, as he took her left hand and held it. She smiled; she couldn't help but smile, and patted her stomach.

"Manda did something?"

"No Orochimaru, Manda didn't get me this way, just made the symptoms worse."

"I don't get it sweet girl."

"Argh, you frustrate me sometimes, you can be such a guy sometimes my demonic one."

"All right dear girl, explain to me. If Manda didn't do this to you, who did? Will it get this bad again?"

"Well all I will need is some pain killer, I'm sure you can steal some with no problem." She laughed a little,

"Manda didn't do this, you did, and it won't stop for a while."

"Holy shit," Orochimaru sighed, sitting down.

"Go steal something strong for me lover, I'll need it at home, just for a little while."

"How could this happen?" He asked.

"Must I really explain the birds and the bees to you when clearly you and I made love a few nights ago, and we have since around a month ago, why is this such a surprise to you?"

"I know, I know I just thought this wouldn't happen until Manda was gone."

"I know, it's going to be okay." He smiled a little, as he put his hand on her stomach, and went to steal the medicine. The nurse came into the room with an ultrasound, and handed it to Manda. Her eyes lit up looking at the ultrasound, and the nurse removed the I.V. She left as Manda got up and with the ultrasound in hand, changed back into her clothes. She walked out of the room and hospital, out onto the street, and back to the house in the dark and snow. She made it back, after enjoying the walk, overjoyed at what had happened, and what she had found out. She made it back, and met Orochimaru there. She grabbed his gift and put it under the tree they had put up earlier that day. She took the ultrasound and sat on the couch.

"Can I see," he asked, sitting next to her and looking at the tiny thing that showed up.

"So that's mine, not Manda's work?"

"Yea, it's ours rather," she smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm pregnant, and you, mister demon snake guy, are going to be a snake like daddy."

The next few days Manda worried herself sick. Orochimaru disappeared, and she hadn't seen him since he found out he would be a dad. She couldn't sleep, instead she lay on the couch, occasionally eating soup, but throwing it up anyway. The nausea drove her crazy, and Orochimaru wasn't around to give her medicine. She knew that every time she got nausea, that the boss snake, Manda, made it worse. He wanted to use her to kill Orochimaru, and then kill her. It was two days past Christmas, and the gifts were unopened under the tree. He had gone out late on Christmas Eve, and not returned for a few days. All she wanted was to spend her holiday with him, happy and celebrating the life within her. But he was gone, and she felt lonely and bored, empty and sick. She finally fell asleep on the couch and dreamt of the boss snake again, telling her that Orochimaru wouldn't be coming back. This troubled her more and more, and made her worry even in her sleep. She was woken by someone shaking her slightly, and she weakly opened her eyes.

"Her baby, drink this, it will help the nausea and the fever." Orochimaru was there, holding out a little glass of some kind of medicine. She took it and downed the nasty tasting medicine in a moment.

"Where were you, I was worried sick," she sighed, as he sat down on the couch.

"I went to another village to find a good medicine, for not only the nausea, but something that will help your fevers and or chills, headaches, mood swings, and all that junk."

"Thanks," she sighed. Then she heard glass shatter, and she tried to get up, but couldn't.

"What was that," she asked Orochimaru.

"I don't know, but whoever it was is going to pay." He got up and ran toward the kitchen where a window was shattered, and a rock the size of a golf ball lay on the wood flooring.

"You go in your room and stay there, lock the door and window, don't let anyone or anything in, stay safe, wrap up in a blanket; I'll be back in a few minutes." She did as he said, and she found her way to her room, and she wrapped herself in a blanket. She locked the door and window, and she turned the lights off except for a small reading lamp. She heard crashes and bangs and other loud noises outside, and she was worried and scared. But she was told not to leave her room, so she lay in her bed reading a little book. She heard the sound of wood breaking, and knew it was the front door. Her room was close to the living room, and she heard Orochimaru shout something, then another crash. When the noise stopped, she unlocked her bedroom door. Slowly she opened it, and saw a mess in the living room. She saw Orochimaru sitting on the floor trying to catch his breath, and holding his arm close to his body. There was no one else around, so she carefully tip toed out of her room.

"Sweet girl, are you all right?" he asked, as he caught his breath.

"I'm ok, what happened?"

"Well I guess there was an attempt at an attack on me, the people from the leaf village, my enemy village, they like to try to attack and kill me. They hate me; see me as a villain there. So they sent an ANBU black op to assassinate me, but it did no good. I killed him after a brief struggle. He broke the door though, so I have to replace it."

"What happened to your arm?"

"Nothing, it will be ok," he sighed as he got up, and went toward the back yard. He lugged in a new door, with a handle installed in it.

"I'll have to find the new keys later on," he said as he propped it up against the frame using one hand. His other arm stayed tucked in against his body, even as he drilled in the hinges and the other pieces to make the door functional. As soon as he was done, he sat down on the couch, and she sat down next to him.

"Let me see your arm," she said softly.

"No, it will be fine, I can heal myself," he decided.

"No, let me see it now," she demanded, and he slowly moved his arm out to her. She gently pulled back his sleeve, and he winced in pain as she revealed a broken arm, the bone poking out slightly. He then grabbed it, and with a lot of concentration, chakra, and pain, he straightened the bones. He screamed as he did so, but she proceeded in getting some wood pieces and cloth to fashion him a splint type bandage. She wrapped his arm up and set the wood around it to hold it in place, wrapping that up too. She then grabbed him a bag with some ice in it, and set it on his arm.

"There, you made me feel better, and now I made you feel better," she smiled. He smiled back at her, and he lay down on the couch, his head resting on her belly.

"I love you girl," he sighed, as he lifted her shirt, and kissed her belly.

"I know Orochimaru, ditto." He smiled at her evilly, and she grinned back.

"Whose room this time," she asked, as he pointed to his. They went off toward his room, and there with a lot of caution and gentleness, she removed his over shirt. She also carefully removed his jump suit, and when he lay down nude, she gave him a shoulder and back massage. Suddenly the strange urge to put her arms around his neck arose again, as she uncontrollably started to strangle him.