Snake's Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha.

Orochimaru watched Sasuke train, the Sannin's usual smug smirk missing from his pale features. The Uchiha was going to be great and the perfect vessel for him. The snake narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of the Sharingan, and a grin with flashing eyes passed through his mind. "Tch." He turned away and strode down the hall.

How long has it been? Since you died? His interest in the Uchiha and the Sharingan wasn't just from his dream to learn every jutsu in existence, it also came from something deeper. The ex-Sannin entered his quarters, locking the door behind him so even Kabuto couldn't get in. Kagome.

In a corner of his room, there was a hidden door that he wanted to keep away from the prying eyes of even his most trusted. Sliding it to the side, his eyes softened. It was a small shrine with a picture of an Uchiha woman with a ring beside it. "It's been a while Kagome."

His voice was soft and an imperceptible smile graced his lips. "I'm sorry that I haven't had time to visit." He knelt in front of the shrine, keeping his eyes locked on the picture. "I have the last Uchiha as a student now…" He continued telling her about what he had been doing, not sparing any details and with those details, he told her his darkest secrets. "I was happ0y, when Sensei died. It was the death he deserved, in battle and with a smile, if it did cost me my arms."

Uchiha Kagome had been his best friend as a child, two geniuses in the academy. When they were genin, they still spent their free time together. She had achieved her Sharingan at a young age, though not as young as Itachi had, and he helped her train it.

"Sasuke has matured his Sharingan, just like you did, but Itachi told him to get the Mangekyou…" His gaze lowered to the ring and the garnet shimmering in the faint light. "I remember… when the clan wanted you to get it…"

"Oro-kun…" Orochimaru turned around, brows furrowed as he saw the shaky smile on his friend's face. "Anou… sorry I'm late." Her voice faded as he approached.

"What's wrong, Kagome-chan?" His eyes narrowed when she wouldn't meet his gaze. She had never been afraid of him or nervous, even when they were in the academy. "Kagome-"

"The council wants me to kill you." His eyes widened and he nearly took a step back. Her eyes were shadowed and she was trembling. "They want me to kill you so I can get the Mangekyou…" He looked at her face and caught a glimpse of tears. "I… I don't know what to do…"

The jounin's yellow eyes softened and he put his hands on her shoulders. Immediately, she fell against him, his vest muffling her sobs. She wasn't like any other Uchiha, she was warm and kind, but that wasn't accepted in her clan. "It'll be okay."

Maybe it was his words, his determined tone, or just his presence, but she calmed down. They stood together for a long time.

"It was shortly after that, wasn't it? That they killed you?" His eyes were overshadowed with memory. "I had planned to propose to you. I even had Jiraiya help me with the ring and everything, but they killed you, blaming it on a mission… Tsunade couldn't heal you in time, and you died in my arms…"

His eyes were closed and he bent his head so his silky hair fell around him. "I wanted revenge on them so badly, but I knew I couldn't, not yet."

It was after that that he had started to change, to become colder and more like what everyone knew him as now. He wanted to make the Uchiha pay, and he planned to do that by becoming immortal and learning more jutsu than they could, even with the Sharingan. He started his experiments and took on Anko in his free time, to keep his mind off of her. It hadn't worked, and eventually Itachi had wiped out the clan.

"When I became a missing-nin, when Jiraiya came to try to stop me, we didn't really fight… But I told you this before, didn't I?" He had bared his soul to Jiraiya that day, to the one person that knew everything, and his best friend had let him go. "I never did get to thank him, though I suppose we're even now – he had wanted Sensei's death to be one of pride in battle, too."

He thought back to when he saw his old team. He and Jiraiya hadn't truly fought, though it seemed like they had. He knew the jinchuuriki was Jiraiya's student, so he never truly meant to kill the boy, he knew Jiraiya would stop him, but he hadn't expected Tsunade. "I nearly killed her, Kagome, then she nearly killed me… what happened to my family?"

He was happy that Tsunade was Hokage now – it would be good for her. Jiraiya was taking the blonde on a training trip, and the Snake Sannin almost hoped that they swung by to visit. It had been so long since he had a decent conversation with his old friend.

"I'm getting my revenge for you, Kagome. What better revenge than to take the last of the clan that killed you as my vessel?" The sickening smirk he was not known for crossed his face. "Once our revenge is finished, I'll be with you again, I promise."

He could feel Kabuto coming and shut the door to her shrine, locking it and returning to the sinister Sannin that he was known as to all but his best friend – to all but the one who knew his secret.

AN: And that's the OrochimaruKagome! I wasn't too sure about this one, but whatever.

Okay, about 'Kisame's Daughter', two words: holy crap. I got over thirty reviews for that one! Why can't I get that many for every chapter? Keh... Anyway, there will be two more parts to it, though I'm afraid I don't know when I'll have them up. One will be where Kagome and Ban meet the rest of Akatsuki, and the last will be a confrontation between Akatsuki, Team Hebi, Team Kakashi, and... Inuyasha. Dundundun dun! Not expecting that one, were ya? ;P

Okay, here's the poll for Kagome's pairing for the next two episodes of Kisame's Daughter: KagomeBan, KagomeItachi, KagomeHidan, KagomeDeidara, or Kagome-and-all-the-above. Vote please!

Thank you all for reading and please leave me a review!