He wondered if this was really a smart idea. His eyes traveled to the sleeping bundle he held in his arms and up to the figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds. Akatsuki, a group of S-ranked missing-nin who worked for money.
Yeah if that didn't sound shady, Orochimaru mused that he'd need a wakeup call.
His gaze traveled back to where they were currently and noted the numerous tunnels they traveled through. He had pondered with something akin to parental fear when he thought if it was alright for Keiko to be exposed to caves and dirt tunnels the size of three men.
For the nth time that day, Orochimaru, Snake Sannin and traitor to Konoha, wondered if he was doing something smart by agreeing to join Akatsuki.
He didn't even know how this orange-haired man with the title of Apathetic King found him. With Keiko in tow, he didn't want to come across any danger but unfortunately, it seemed that danger had an unrequited love for him (it had passed the crush stage ages ago).
Three missing-nin thought it was a "fantastic" idea to attack one of Konoha's Sannin due to the fact that he would be hampered with a baby.
Too bad they found out that Orochimaru could fight just as well with just one arm, two legs, and a brain that actually worked.
Then this strange man appeared out of nowhere and inquired whether he would like to join his band of mis-fits since he had defected from Konoha. The dark-haired man got the feeling that the other man really did not like Konoha.
Orochimaru agreed only if he could bring Keiko (he didn't say her name, he wasn't an idiot, that job fell to Jiraiya when needed). A few minutes of awkward silence passed before the man agreed to the condition. After that, Orochimaru shrugged and told him to lead the way.
Which led to his current predicament... He looked at Keiko again and sighed. The man in front of him took the sigh as a sign of impatience and told him, "We are almost there. I require that you remain patient, Orochimaru."
Said man nodded, not bothering to correct the misunderstanding. That said, he looked back at the man and wondered why on earth this orange-haired man was familiar? Did he kill a relative with the same shade of hair? He ruled it out on the premise that the man would probably kill him instead of leading him to a group missing-nin.
He blinked and thought about that possibility again. It was entirely possible that the man was going to try and ambush him. With the confusing tunnels, it would take him some time to find his way out without dying.
In any event, he prepared himself for a possible fight. If that were to happen, he'd need to immediately summon a snake to take Keiko away while he fought. He just hoped that it didn't come to a confrontation. The snakes weren't the friendliest summons on earth and they would be more likely to eat Keiko than help her, but there was always that sliver of hope that Jiraiya had beaten into him ever since they were children.
He frowned as he thought about the man. Jiraiya was not going to be happy with his defection. He had a feeling that the man would be more likely to hunt him down and either convince him to come back or to kill him. Orochimaru could feel a headache coming. For the nth time, he wondered why this was happening to him.
He just wanted to be happy! Was it really that tough to be happy and raise a kid that should've been raised by Tsunade?!
An answer wasn't required, he knew how tough life as a ninja was.
When he stepped into a large cavern with dim lighting, he mentally sighed. Was it too much of him to ask for a brightly lit cavern with a waterfall, grass covering the floor, and flowers blossoming too?
Maybe it was too much as the dimly lit room was barren except for the fact that eight men and a woman stood in there staring at him.
And Jiraiya says it's creepy when I stare, he obviously hasn't heard or met of these eight people, Orochimaru thought in amusement. If the stares were supposed to be intimidating, they didn't do it well enough to intimidate him. He decided it was time to test his acting skills.
His lips curled up into a smile reminiscent of a snake. He even licked his lips like a maniac. It brought him some childish amusement when he saw a few squirm. Jiraiya must've rubbed off on him more than he thought possible.
"Please control yourself, Orochimaru," the orange-haired man with piercings practically demanded.
He chuckled in response. "Kukuku, forgive me, but when I saw so many...delectable missing-nin, I couldn't help myself."
He received a few more shudders from the group and inside he cackled like a mad man.
This was just too fun and easy.
After the orange-haired man introduced himself as Pein and the others who Orochimaru deigned insignificant did, he wondered what was next. Was there a pedestal where they would walk up, introduce themselves again and tell everyone why they were there and why they had defected?
Orochimaru mentally smiled in mirth before he controlled himself. As much as he would enjoy playing the role of prankster, he knew it was time to get serious.
As he shifted the sleeping newborn in his arms, he collected their attention. He wanted to sigh at this but held it in.
"Is that a child you got there?" a blue-skinned man asked, Hoshigaki Kisame, Orochimaru remembered. Now he wondered what to tell them. The truth was obviously not going to work here. He went with a lie.
"This child is my future vessel. Once she is of age, I will take her body as my own." Of course he wasn't really going to do that to the poor girl, that was why he had criminals that always disappeared "mysteriously".
He received a few more disgusted looks and varying looks of sympathy at the bundle. He couldn't care less what they thought of him as long as he had something to hide behind for a bit. This organization would be his cover while he pulled a few strings elsewhere. He didn't intend to stay here until he died, no, he had much better plans than staying with this group. If possible, he was going to stay for a decade more or less.
After a few hours which Orochimaru deigned useless, he was led to his room. It was a plain room with only the bare necessities, meaning that there was only a stiff looking bed, an old looking desk, a light bulb as a lighting source, and an empty bookshelf.
He sighed, a habit which he had been doing quite a lot recently. It was for a legit reason though, after all, how was he supposed to raise a child in a prison-like room? The only good thing he decided, was the fact that he had his own bathroom with a wooden tub for bathing and a modern toilet that he truly hoped flushed.
Then came the next problem, where was Keiko going to sleep? He couldn't sleep on that small bed with her; there was always the frightening possibility of suffocating her to death by accident. Usually he wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor, he was a ninja after all, but he really didn't think that dirt floors were very hygienic, something bad especially once he took in the fact that he'd be carrying the sleeping bundle. It was a shame he didn't have a sleeping bag, that would've been useful.
As for the bookshelf, he sure as heck wasn't going to put anything of value on there. Maybe child development books and small toys for Keiko but nothing else.
That also led to the problem of privacy. Orochimaru was a man who respected personal space and expected others to do the same. Here, however, he got the faint impression that anyone could literally walk in at any time they wanted to. Definitely not good when he was planning to raise Keiko in this room and go out only when necessary or on a mission.
Which led to another god-forsaken problem, who was going to watch Keiko while he went out on missions? He did not trust anyone in the organization and doubted that they would even know how to handle a newborn. There was that woman...Konan, I believe her name was. She seemed reliable but also very close to Pein... If she found something out about Keiko or me, she would not hesitate to tell that man.
Orochimaru looked down at the peacefully sleeping Keiko and envied her briefly before sighing and sitting down on the rough bed. He set up a few privacy seals followed by a silencing seal. He looked over at the little blonde baby tiredly. "I'm playing a very dangerous game to keep you alive, Keiko-chan."
Thank you very much for following this little story of mine, Littlevbigdreams, Flameofscorpions, HeartAuror, and S.R.457, and a special thanks to you, S.R.457, for reviewing and favoriting! I'm sorry I haven't updated in some time, I should have the next one up by Friday or next Monday.
Well, that's all I've got to say for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter!