Sailing Across River Styx

"I am your parent,

You are my child,

I am your quiet place,

You are my wild."

―Maryann G.

Part One: Baby Days

Chapter Two: Snakes Have Nice Hair

Disclaimer: Insert other witty do-not-own-Naruto disclaimers 'here'.

Life inched on slowly. And I meant that quite literally. As a little baby, there really wasn't much I could do ―especially since I was still so young. On the other hand, my big brother was kept quite busy every day. Minato-niisan went to the ninja academy five days a week (I've gotten better at keeping time, it seems). However, he was often gone on the sixth day as well, studying and hanging out with his friends. The seventh day was the one he had reserved for me, with my brother spending the whole day as my self-appointed caretaker.

I wasn't too upset at this, at the lack of attention from my darling brother. Even though he had to go to school, Minato spent most of his time at home with me. It was only during a hushed conversation between my brother and Hōki-san (they thought I was still sleeping) did I realize that Minato had begun to finish all his homework at recess ―instead of playing or socializing with his peers― just so he could spend his time after school with me. To be honest, I have a feeling that the only reason he spent the sixth day outside was because of Hōki's interference (cough, her scary threats).

Minato was already a genius, and being super friendly and charming aside, all geniuses were distant in some way. And now he was spending more time with me (a baby) than with his friends. I tried to feel guilty at the fact that my Minato-niisan was probably even more unsocial than the Minato in Naruto, and genuinely succeeded for a grand total of ten seconds. After all, my big-brother complex was growing at an astonishing rate, so being slathered in my brother's affection just made me incredibly happy.

Ah, well, no one can say I didn't try.

(…Plus, my goal was to keep Minato alive, not improve his social skills. Even with baggage like me, the pretty boy still had a rather impressive fan-club. Hōki-san told me that there were at least a few hundred members! I didn't even know that there were that many students at the academy…)

Nonō, bless the wonderful girl, kept me company when my brother was gone. Every day, she'll have a fairytale or two for me. Sometimes, she would make up some stories on the fly. Others, she'll bring a thick tome to read aloud.

Nonō-chan always kept me entertained. If I didn't have her with me, I was sure I would have died of boredom.

And thus, time passed like this.

One month went by…

And then two months…

"Miho-chan! Ah, you are so cute―"

Which brought me to my first major accomplishment as a baby. I learned how to sit without support.

…Yay?

"―and growing up so quickly!"

Of course, my brother was extremely proud, as proud as a mama bear, really. The silly boy beamed at me happily as he snapped a few pictures while I sat up in my crib.

Really, I didn't know why he looked so happy. Sitting up was not something to be proud about. After all, Minato was the one who came home holding his marked assignment ―which he got 100% on.

How can he get 100% on what seems like a five-page essay, when he's done all the writing in his spare time at recess? Really?! I knew my brother was a genius, but this totally takes the cake.

After that, nothing too exciting happened for another few months. In fact, the most exciting thing that happened was probably my first time seeing my reflection in this world. It proved to be pretty mind-boggling, in the very least.

I mean, I know my brother has blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. I know that Naruto had blonde hair and blue eyes. So of course―

Eh? How is that relevant? Well, let's think about it like this.

Kushina, Naruto's mother (and omigosh, isn't that weird? If she's Naruto's mother, won't she be my sister-in-law? In other words, my brother's wife? …Ah, bad thoughts, bad thoughts. Minato's only ten right now!), is a child of the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan, who are all known for their common red hair? That meant that their red-hair gene was probably a dominant one, unless they liked to frequently intermarry.

However, Naruto instead ended up with my brother's looks. That meant that his genes were probably pretty dominant, and it was a good chance I would get them too. But knowing all of this intellectually (and I've got to say, instead of one random biology fact, it seems I have facts on a whole unit of biology), didn't mean it prepared me for when I saw my own face. I would have sworn I was looking at someone else, if the baby in the mirror wasn't copying my moves.

The first word that popped into my head when I first saw my reflection was the word 'fragile'. I was a small baby, skinny despite the healthy glow that radiated from my skin. Soft, golden hair turfs sat on top of my head like an angel's halo and my eyes were a lovely blue cerulean. I also had the same pale skin like my brother, although my face was adorned with a rosy blush.

I was a cute baby, I concluded. And, after taking another look at my bone structure, I had a sneaking feeling I'll grow up to be a pretty girl as well. If anything, I'll look like a female version of my brother.

And Minato looked very pretty, even as a boy. Unfortunately for his (currently non-existent) manliness, at ten, he was as cute as any other girl. I prayed that the Namikaze genes would hold strong, so I could grow up to at least half as pretty as him.

However, despite my slight happiness that I was as cute as a button, and that I was certainly Minato's relative ―if not his sister― tendrils of sadness snaked through my body.

They didn't go away. Big brother was late again to school the next morning.

After all, I wouldn't fall asleep that night.

.

.

.

(I couldn't help but mourn the loss of my beautiful, glossy black hair, the hair I had painstakingly taken care of everyday―

The hair I could not remember.)

Months passed more quickly with Nonō and her storytelling. I had improved from learning how to sit up to eating mushy baby food (it was just as terrible as I had thought it to be). Another two months later and I had finally mastered the ability to crawl, to my poor brother's amusement and horror.

It was one of these days (I had also graduated from my crib to a little playpen), when I heard a lot of murmurs outside my room. More than usual, anyway. Feeling a bit confuddled, I stopped entertaining myself with my stuffed toys and paused to listen. I couldn't make out any of the words. Therefore, I was grateful when Minato came in after a few minutes, hopefully to fill me in.

Well, I was initially grateful. That feeling soon turned into shock and horror, however.

My brother walked in, seemingly normal, but I've been with him for basically my whole life (no matter how short it had been so far) and I can assure you that there was a slight bounce and a skip to his steps. Minato looked rather tired and there was a big red bruise on his wrist, but it was his eyes that gave him away.

They were sparkling with happiness.

And I knew why. After all, there was a brand new Konoha forehead protector wrapped snugly around his head.

I cocked my head slightly, trying to ignore my growing nausea. "Mi?" I asked my brother, holding out my hands.

Minato smiled at me, lips stretching to form the biggest smile I've seen from him yet. "I'm back Miho-chan." The boy kneeled beside my play-pen before gathering me in a hug.

I pouted at how he ignored my questioning tone. Although I was a clearly a baby, and was technically not supposed to understand or remember words, my brother talked to me as if I could. I didn't know if it was an effect of being a genius, or if my brother actually remembered stuff from his babyhood. That would so be like my genius brother.

Lifting my hand, I poked my brother's forehead protector rather viciously. "Mi!"

The boy laughed. "So demanding, little sister," he teased, before adopting a more serious look. "I see you've noticed my headband. As of today, I'm a genin. That means a lot of things are going to change, Miho. I won't be able to be around much too."

"…Uwah." I felt sick. I knew my brother was going to graduate soon. I knew he graduated when he was ten, and even if I didn't the boy told me that little fact himself. But I've always tried to push those thoughts away.

I didn't want to think about how my brother was only getting one step closer to his death. I knew I didn't have to worry about him dying any time soon, but just the thought of my brother, cold, pale with death and drenched in his own blood, made me want to throw up.

That sentiment must have showed on my face, because the next thing I knew my brother had swept me into a tight hug.

"Oh Miho-chan! Don't look so sad. We're going to move into our own house, okay? And I'll be stuck with simple missions right now, so I'll be still around a lot!" The boy pulled back and fretted over me like a worried mother-hen.

Despite the situation, I giggled at my brother's frantic actions. Minato visibly relaxed when I smiled at him, my dark mood disappearing as quickly as it came. He tickled me slightly, and I shrieked in laughter.

No use in thinking about such sad thoughts, especially when I was a baby. It wasn't like I could do anything to help my brother right now. If anything, I should act as happy as I could to keep him from worrying about me.

After all, instead of being upset I should feel proud and happy. My brother was a genin now. He was a ninja. He was strong.

He was one step closer to his dream (…and his death).

I giggled again, forcing my morbid thoughts away as I began to reach for the Konoha band on Minato's head. I wondered briefly if he would let me, a baby (who could damage it accidentally), take his obviously precious headband.

I shouldn't have doubted Minato. The boy gave me an indulgent smile and let me take it off with no complaints.

So, Minato became a genin. I knew what that meant of course. My brother would be getting two genin teammates and a teacher. However, though I knew his teacher was Jiraiya, I had no idea who his teammates were.

I could remember that the Naruto Wikipedia didn't say either. Well, there was a picture of his two teammates, but it didn't say who they were. I vaguely recalled seeing a chubby kid and a feminine looking kid with black hair (in a peculiar hairstyle) and black eyes. Maybe they're an Akimichi boy and an Uchiha girl?

My brother didn't talk about his days as a ninja at all. Well, it was more like he couldn't. Every day he came home looking like he was dead on his feet. Despite being slightly miffed from the lack of attention from my favourite brother, I felt sorry for him and tried to be as good as possible. Jiraiya was clearly a slave-driver.

It was only after a week had passed when I finally met Minato's team. And, well, I believe the only reason I got the chance was because my brother had been too tired to think like his usual genius self. In other words, he made a mistake…I know, I know. It was so rare I had to surreptitiously check my window to see if there were any flying pigs outside.

"Are you sure you don't want to keep her here, Minato-kun?" Hōki asked, sounding slightly worried. She had been against the idea of Minato moving out with me, and had only relented when my brother said that his teacher Jiraiya would us help if we needed it.

"It won't solve the problem in the long run," Minato said, tackling on the seatbelts as I sat obediently in my stroller. "Sensei said that the next week or two would be for training and team bonding, and that it's fine if I bring Miho-chan as long as I don't get distracted from my training. I'll find a babysitter in that time."

Hōki frowned. "If you say so…" She sighed before subtly nudging the subdued girl by her side. Nonō jumped before reaching out and patting me on my head.

"Miho-chan, I'll miss you…" Nonō whispered softly. I felt my heart break slightly for the young girl. She was clearly upset I was leaving. Gurgling slightly, I smiled at her before turning to my brother, silently asking him to do something.

"We'll visit," Minato promised both of us, before standing up. "My team is supposed to meet up soon, so we'll be going now."

The boy bowed. "Thank you for taking care of me and my sister, Hōki-san, Nonō-chan."

Hōki shook her head gently, placing a hand on the trembling Nonō's shoulder. "It was no problem, Minato-kun. I'm proud of you." She gave my brother a small smile.

I watched, amused, as my brother blushed lightly. He whispered a 'thank you' under his breath before he turned around. As for me, I gave the distraught Nonō one last smile before Minato wheeled us away from the orphanage.

Despite feeling sad for my friend, I was excited to finally be outside. I had rarely went out before, mostly because my brother didn't have the time and because I had been too young for Hōki to let me out like the other kids. This would actually be my first time going so far away from the church's boundaries.

Minato hummed under his breath, looking quite cheerful. On the other hand, I looked around with my eyes wide with delight and surprise. It was really beautiful. Konoha was full of life and colour, and for a few short seconds, I could understand why my brother threw away his life just to ensure that the village survived.

"Ah," Minato chirped, "We're here."

Startled out of my thoughts, I looked up to see a training ground…and two kids sitting on some stumps. Huh. It seemed like my brother was the last to arrive (probably because he had to get me ready too), other than his teacher. One of his teammates was the chubby kid I had mentioned before. He looked relaxed, munching on what seemed to be Pocky (I had to rub my eyes at this. Who knew that the Konoha had Pocky?). The other was the dressed-in-double-black girl. Her hair was tied up rather oddly and she seemed to be wearing her training clothes, the colours faded away as if they had been washed too many times. Minato pushed me over and gave them a polite smile.

"You're late," Double Black said, sounding rather surprised despite her flat tone. I was surprised too, because before puberty or not, that was not a girl's voice.

My brother nodded, his polite mask breaking to look rather sheepish. "Sorry about that, Fugaku-san, Chou-san. I had to wage a war against my sister's new stroller."

My brain short-circuited.

Wait.

Pause. Time out.

Did Minato just call the Uchiha girl Fugaku?

As in, Fugaku, the next Uchiha clan head? Fugaku, Itachi's father? Fugaku, Sasuke's father?

…Pfttt. Ha ha ha ha. So instead of one pretty boy, Team Jiraiya had two pretty boys? Was that why they didn't have a female member?

(And I used to think that Sasuke's prettiness was inherited from his mother. I guess I was apparently wrong; his genes clearly came from another parent.)

Chou laughed softly as he turned his eyes onto me. "I see you've succeeded." Fugaku 'hn'ed' (omigosh it's genetic), also looking at me curiously. Minato took that as a sign to begin introductions.

"Miho-chan, these are my teammates, Uchiha Fugaku and Akimichi Chou. Fugaku-san, Chou-san, this is my little sister Miho."

I giggled and clapped my hands, giving my brother's team a beaming smile. Fugaku dipped his head in a greeting (why he expects a baby like me to understand the significance of that is beyond me) while Chou stepped forward, giving me a gentle pat on the head. I giggled again.

"Nice to meet you, Miho-chan." Chou said, smiling. Minato smiled as well, before leaning down to undo the buckles that strapped me to the stroller. Well, he tried to. My brother fumbled with them for a few seconds, clearly unable to get them open before Fugaku made a sound of disgust and stepped closer to bail Minato out. He grinned at the future Uchiha head sheepishly as he scooped me up to keep me perched on his hip. I immediately grabbed some of his blonde hair again in my fist and started to play with it.

Well, I guess it's understandable why Fugaku knew how to do that. After all, he was from a big clan. He was bound to have babysat a lot, right?

"Ohohoho!" A chuckle rang out in the air, saving my brother from his teammates' surprised stares. Everyone turned around just in time to see Jiraiya and his own teammates walk into the training ground.

My brain froze for the second time that day. Because Jiraiya brought his teammates.

Teammates.

Yes, you hear me right. The word was plural.

That meant that other than his pretty, blonde and busty medic, there was also the pale Snake Sannin standing right in front of us.

Orochimaru was standing in front of me.

But…the man didn't seem hostile. Not at all. He seemed almost amused, and there was a faint half-smile, half-smirk on his lips. Orochimaru didn't seem like a bad man at all. Unlike all the fanfics I read, there wasn't a sudden chill in the room because of him. I didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence. His skin didn't look that unnaturally pale, and heck! Even his hair didn't look gross or oily.

I took another closer look and immediately got some answers. Ah, I had almost forgotten something. We were years before the canon storyline of Naruto. The Sannin were not in their fifties, they were in their early twenties. If anything, I'll say they were all around twenty-three.

As of now, Orochimaru was still a loyal ninja to the Leaf.

"Sensei," Minato greeted, smiling his polite smile again. Both his teammates echoed his hello, clearly more interested in the people Jiraiya had brought along than in me.

Well, to be fair, I was more interested in the Sannin too.

"Brats," Jiraiya greeted back, ignoring Fugaku's twitch of annoyance and Chou's resigned sigh. On the other hand, my brother's smile held strong. "Meet my own team, the lovely Tsunade and Orochi-bastard."

Fugaku twitched again and exchanged exasperated glances with Chou. On the other hand, my brother wasted no time dipping into a half-bow (only half because I was still attached to his hip). "It's an honor to meet you."

Orochimaru's smirk became more pronounced as Tsunade rolled her eyes at Jiraiya. "You dragged us here just so you could brag about your new team?"

Jiraiya snorted. "Of course, look at my cute little ducklings. Don't you guys want one too?" He waved his hand flippantly towards the still-bowing Minato. A pause…before Fugaku's palm met his face and Chou groaned. My brother rose from his bow and continued to smile. I really applauded his skills in maintaining his mask.

"Yes, of course I do. I can't wait to spend months on D-Ranks again." Orochimaru said rather dryly, shaking his head. Tsunade giggled.

I tried not to gape. Who knew Orochimaru jokes?

"Ah, and what do you have here?" Jiraiya took a step closer to Minato and me, peering at my face. I gave him a small smile.

"My little sister, Jiraiya-sensei," Minato bounced me slightly and smiled when I giggled. "Her name is Miho."

Jiraiya gave me an onceover, his eyes lingering on my own before he pulled back. "I knew you had a sister, but I didn't expect her to be your carbon copy," Jiraiya guffawed. "Was she why you came in with baby food on your clothes the other day?"

Tsunade immediately whacked my brother's teacher before she rolled her eyes again. "Don't tease your student," she ordered as she glanced at my brother and me. "Or the baby. That's a cutie right there."

Jiraiya immediately started to whine playfully, and before long both the Toad Sannin and the Slug Sannin were in another argument. Orochimaru…threw his hands up as he looked up heavenward. He looked like he was asking the gods why he knew people like Jiraiya. I should know, because I was doing the same thing too.

I paused at that thought. Should I be worried that I had the same thought processes as a man who would later turn into an evil body-snatching pedophile? I sneaked a peek at the rest of Team Jiraiya. Ah, no, I shouldn't. Fugaku was glaring at the skies while Chou was staring at his Pocky mournfully. I guess everyone was in the same boat when it comes to Jiraiya and his eccentrics.

Well, almost everyone. My brother was clearly a genius, or at least just as weird. He was still smiling blandly. I had been thinking about that too. I noticed it with Hōki, how my brother seemed to be so much more mature in her presence. I guess it was the same with his team too. Even his smiles seemed more like a mask rather than a kind gesture. It was sad how his team never saw the way he acted with me; it made him seem so much more human.

Tearing my eyes away from my brother, I began to watch the Sannin carefully, especially the pale man who inched away from his teammates. I have to admit, I have a lot of questions regarding Orochimaru. What facts about him were real? What parts of the fanfictions I read were fake? I felt that if I didn't get them answered now ―while the man was still loyal to Konoha― I would probably never get them answered. On the other hand, was it safe? But if I don't try, I was sure I was going to regret it in the years to come…

…I'm not even one yet. I can't walk or talk! I don't want to create my first regret before I even turned one!

Mind made up, I squirmed in my brother's grasp before I faced Orochimaru, hands raised in the universal 'pick me up' baby sign. "Wa!"

The clearing was plunged into silence as everyone froze and stared at me incredulously. My brother's mouth dropped open in shock. Tsunade's eyes widened, her left fist still frozen an inch before hitting Jiraiya's head. However, the one who seemed the most surprised was Orochimaru himself. He looked at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads.

Jiraiya was the first to recover his wits as he plunged into full-out laughter. Tsunade giggled as well, fist relaxing before dropping to her side.

It was then did my brother finally come to his senses, his eyes widening to a comical size as he stared at me in horror. "What?! No, Miho-chan! You don't want him to hold you! If anything, Jiraiya-sensei should―"

Minato paused, looking as if he was going over his words before he turned to Tsunade. "You should ask Tsunade-san to hold you!"

"Hey!" Jiraiya stopped laughing, looking slightly offended. Tsunade's giggles began to get louder. My brothers' teammates were now staring at him, though, clearly surprised at his almost maniacal outburst.

On the other hand, Orochimaru was still looking rather baffled, the poor man.

I shook my head in the negative, giving my brother a determined pout as I reached for the Snake Sannin again. "Mi!" I tried again.

Minato immediately caved to my look, his face deflating. "Fine, if that's what you want Miho-chan…" My brother walked over to Orochimaru before looking at him expectantly.

Orochimaru (who seemed to have finally recovered his senses) stared back at us and made no move to take me.

… Uhuh. Two can play that game. I gave him my most beseeching stare, my mouth trembling and my blue eyes started watering…

The air immediately chilled.

"Orochimaru…" The tone of Tsunade's voice promised pain and more pain. Orochimaru gave his teammate a glance, and immediately stepped forward to take me from my brother.

Smart guy. I totally understand why people thought him to be a genius.

As for me, I began my experiment. I reached up and grabbed a strand of the Snake Sannin's long hair, and guess what? First fanfiction fact inconsistency! His hair wasn't oily or greasy at all; it was actually very silky and smooth (I briefly wondered if he used conditioner). I began to tug the hair absent-mindedly as I leaned into his chest. And yay! More wrong facts! Orochimaru felt like a human being ―his body was warm and instead of smelling like snake (like the fanfictions claimed), he smelled slightly like fresh-cut grass. I giggled at the thought.

That seemed to break any spell that had been over the training ground. Jiraiya began roaring in laughter again, this with Tsunade joining him. Everyone else started laughing too, and even Fugaku cracked a smile.

I looked up and surprise, before I started giggling as well. My captive (and isn't it weird, calling Orochimaru my captive?) looked quite awkward and was all stiff. He had a pained grimace, and for a second I had feared I overstepped my boundaries. But then I took a closer look at his amber eyes, and I realized there was no hostility. The jounin was not mad at how I had inadvertently made fun of him.

Huh…

Jiraiya treated everyone to lunch afterwards, but I couldn't get my thoughts about Orochimaru out of my mind.

He had seemed human.

The first antagonist of Naruto seemed human, not the mad scientist he had become.

I pondered over this as I went back to tugging my brother's hair lightly. Orochimaru, human? That was certainly food for thought.

After all, hadn't he turned out good at the end of the Naruto story?

A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers, followers, and favouriters! I adore all reviews, regardless of length, so please drop by with one! Even if its a few words, I will love them~ I'm kind of running around in the dark with this story, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Oh, and before I forget, merry Christmas everyone!

Fun Facts:

Chou means butterfly in Japanese. He is the first OC in this story, other than Miho. Please tolerate him, I really didn't know who to put as the third teammate.

Miho switching from adding a suffix to a name and not adding a suffix is deliberate. Her mind is slowly adjusting to the Japanese culture.