Orochimaru glanced over the top of his scroll, carefully watching Keiko trying to balance with help from a coffee table. He was worried if she fell and hurt herself, but she seemed so determined to do it by herself, he just couldn't bring himself to ruin her hard work, so he decided to just keep an eye on her.

It was one of the rare days where everyone but he and Sasori were gone, so he decided to bring his little blonde bundle of giggles out into the common room. Sasori rarely came out of his room, so he wasn't too worried about the man. The room was large and had small windows streaming in sunlight as winter faded away, making room for spring. The couches were also comfortable too, something he found quite rare in Akatsuki. So far, whatever was necessary was only bought and furnished the hideouts. It was quite a nice change to be able to sit on something comfortable and-

Orochimaru's thoughts broke off as Keiko wobbled dangerously. He leaned forward in preparation to catch her, but he relaxed when she regained her balance. With a worried and relieved sigh, he turned back to carefully watching Keiko.

He silently mused how her determination was so similar to her mother. Tsunade had always been stubborn and determined; nothing could change that, not even the death of her loved ones.

"Bwuh!" Keiko gurgled out in excitement.

A smile appeared on his face at the sight that greeted him. Keiko was standing up in all her baby glory, radiating triumph in her lilac pj's. As he was about to stand up, she moved one small foot ahead of the other and he stopped, watching to see how well she would do.

His instincts were now mumbling at how much danger she was now. She could fall back and hit her head, fall forward and hit her head again, or even topple over to the side and smash her head into the table!

He really wanted to move, but he rationalized that she needed the knowledge and first-hand experience was a great teacher, if not somewhat cruel and uncaring.

When her little foot set down in front of the other, he sighed in relief. At least she wasn't in too much of a dangerous situation now. Then she started wobbling forward, her head looking up at Orochimaru in bright delight. Is she going to try and walk?

His suspicions were confirmed when her other foot moved and set down in front, mimicking the action of walking. Orochimaru wondered if it was a good idea for her to start trying to walk, she had just accomplished standing up with help after all.

Then she started wobbling and suddenly, her body started toppling over. Her little arms waved around and Orochimaru was out of his seat faster than Minato's Hiraishin no jutsu. He felt relief surge through his body as he caught her before she could have an unpleasant meeting with the floor.

That was much too close, he noted with worry. He had to admit it though, he had wanted her to develop quickly, become a prodigy like him. Of course her developing quickly wouldn't necessarily say that she would become a prodigy, but he felt that in some way it would. That didn't mean he wouldn't be proud of her if she wasn't, his pride was already soaring sky-high and he would never abandon her, not even if he was threatened.

Then again, few things ever scared him and he was sure no one, not even his teammates, knew what he feared the most. Every day, he held a deep fear that what he treasured the most would disappear. His parents were gone, his home village hated him now, his team split up, and he knew his sensei's pride in him was gone. All he had left was his research and the little girl in his arms.

Excruciating loneliness always crippled him whenever his mind went through possible situations of losing her. What would he do next if Keiko was no longer there? The giggling baby was who he was with the most and actually enjoyed interacting with.

What if she was killed because he was too slow, or what if she actually left him when she was older? Was it strange that he, a member of the well-known Sannin, was terrified of losing or being rejected by the little blonde girl?

Almost as though she could sense his negative thoughts, her little chubby hands lifted up and touched his cheek, trying to comfort the older man. He felt his chest lighten up at her comforting action. Few people would have dared to comfort-much less touch him, yet here she was, patting his cheek and smiling like everything in this forsaken world was alright.

"Gweh!" She gurgled out, smiling even brighter as his thoughts lifted from the negative state it had been in.

He chuckled and ruffled her small wisps of blonde hair.

Here they were, sitting in a living room in a shady organization, and Keiko was the one cheering him up while he was depressed. Honestly, what kind of adult am I to show my worries in front of her?

"I see you've inherited your father's kindness as well, Keiko-chan," he mused aloud. Looking up at the clock, he decided it was time for lunch. Through hard work, he had mastered creating baby food and was even able to cook a simple meal for himself. All those burnt meals were actually helpful even if Kakuzu had glared at him in annoyance at all the money going to waste, and Konan had been sighing nonstop the past few weeks, but at least he made decent tasting food!

The silence in the hideout was a welcome one, Orochimaru decided as he set Keiko on the counter. The girl was smart enough not to move too much, something he was eternally grateful for. It seemed she enjoyed watching him cook instead and her absolute attention on him was one he welcomed. He even wondered if she would be able to cook on par to Konan as well and concluded that he'd definitely try his best for her to gain some kind of cooking skill. As much as he enjoyed having her watch him cook while cheering in the form of babbles and coos, he knew he'd rather be doing something that was much more comfortable for him.

"Don't touch the knife Keiko-chan!" He sternly warned her before turning his back on her. He moved fast despite his warning, his instincts reminding him that she was Tsunade's child. His teammate did not listen to anyone unless she was either dead drunk or if she was dead serious.

Whipping around and almost suffering whiplash, he found her reaching for the knife. He cleared his throat, "What did I just say, Keiko-chan?" he said in a warning.

The girl looked over at him and cooed, ignorant of the trouble she could've landed herself in. He sighed, she was still too young to even understand him, but at least he tried right?

"You'll be the death of me, Keiko-chan," he murmured under his breath before pinching her round cheek with a wry smile.

I'm alive! *Gasp!* My overwhelming happiness at your kind reviews are very helpful! Thank you so much for reviewing, favoriting, and following!

Hehe, so I know I haven't updated in what-a month or two? Let's just say school sucks and that having to spend more time at school than I do at home is a nightmare. I'm back though! I'm sorry for not updating so soon even though you all were hoping for a quick update! I just needed a small break...

I hope you enjoyed this little moment of peace with just Orochimaru and Keiko. I really like the warm and fuzzy feels from this chapter; it makes me wanna swim in a sea of pure fluff! Anyways-the next chapter will be a nice scene because it's that time of year again! Extra cinnamon rolls to those who can figure it out! I'll also be adding another lovely interaction with another Akatsuki member as well!

Hope you're all looking forward to it! Thanks again, you've all made my day so much better!

See ya in the next chapter!