Orochimaru opened the door and stepped in, Kimimaro and his backpack followed. He dropped one of the smaller boxes on the floor, causing a cloud of dirt to fly around.

"A little dusty, but the land lord had everything properly sanitized last night; we'll be able to fix everything else up just fine." He said to the boy.

Kimimaro, secretly eager to move into a place that wasn't underground for once, began to explore. A counter separated the kitchen and living room; no other furniture was seen. There was a dark hallway where he guessed the bathroom and bedrooms were. Even after the horrors he had seen, he still had a childish fear of going into a dark place.

"Come along." Orochimaru told him as he went into the hallway.

The protectiveness in Kimimaro rose and he followed his master, ready to kill anything that tried to harm him. Orochimaru opened all the doors, only three, and looked inside: there was a bathroom, a small towel closet, and what seemed like a bedroom with a widow with dim, yellow, flowing through it.

"Kimimaro," Orochimaru spoke. "This will be your room."

Kimimaro looked at him in surprise. "But sir, this is the only one, you should have it."

"I've ordered a couch, I'll be fine."

"But-"

Orochimaru looked at him dangerously. "Do you want a bedroom or the streets?"

Kimimaro stiffened and looked back down.

Orochimaru smirked; glad to have such control on the child. "Unpack and we'll grab a bite to eat later."

He left after giving those instructions, closing the door behind him. Kimimaro put his ear against it to hear his Lord's disappearing footsteps. He then broke out into a wild smirk and jumped on his fairly clean mattress.

"My own bed!" he sang excitedly, not being able to contain his joy. "My own room!"

Outside the room, Orochimaru smiled slightly. Even he had his fatherly moments.

"It's got to be a mistake." Anko whispered as she watched the door across from her apartment through the opening of the curtain on her bedroom window. "He's in a different village, probably screwing with someone else's head. He's not in the Leaf Village…No, anywhere in the Land of Fire. He left, I watched him…"

"Watched who?"

Anko screamed and her fist shot around to claim the face of the intruder breathing on her shoulder.

"RYIK!" she screamed when he hit the closed door.

"Yeah," he defended, sliding back to get as far as possible from the enraged woman. "I-I-I just wanted to check on ya, that's all I swear it!"

Anko stood and walked up to the shaking child. "I have a door and a air vent for a reason."

Ryik grinned. "Waste of time."

He suddenly disappeared with a breath of hot air and returned within a second behind her.

"My way of traveling cooler." He snorted "Or…hotter! AHAHAHAHA!"

Anko rolled her eyes and grinned, thankful for the distraction from her previous problem. "How do you do that?"

Ryik looked slightly panicked and looked down at his hands.

"I don't really know. I just think about it and…" he smiled nervously "Eh, don't worry about it." He rubbed his cheek. "I'm gonna go get a bag of peas to hid the child abuse!"

"Now who did that to you?" Anko mocked in false sympathy.

"Crazy as hell…" His eye twitched, cursing as he left the room.

Anko laughed, but her expression became grave when she snuck back to the window. The door to the apartment opened and a child with shoulder-length white walked out. Anko's eyes widened.

"It's that kid…Kimimaro…" her eyes lifted to the person coming out behind him. "Oh, no…"

It was Orochimaru, no doubt, but there was a slight difference in his appearance. From what she could see, his hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that kept his bangs completely away from his forehead. The sun made him look paler, almost inhuman.

She watched them reach the end of the walkway, "Where are they going…"

Suddenly, she was met with a pair of golden iris. She gasped and jumped away from the window, covering her mouth to further muffle a scream.

"He knows…" her shaky hands slid to the side of her head and squeezed "He knows."

Orochimaru smirked. "Strange neighbors we have." He said to Kimimaro. The boy looked in the direction of Anko's apartment but Orochimaru ushered him along. "Let's see the city." He suggested.

"Yeah!" Kimimaro exclaimed as he ran ahead.

Orochimaru shook his head and gave Anko's window one last glance, "Soon…very soon."

Anko peaked into her kitchen where Ryik was rummaging through her freezer.

"Damn it!" he swore, finally settling for a bag of partially frozen waffles for his swelling cheek. He hissed as he pressed it down on his injury but then signed in pleasure.

Anko rolled her eyes and crawled past him. She kept one eye on him as she reached her door and began to turn the knob.

"If you goin' out, put a jacked on."

Anko jumped up. "How the hell—Your back was to me!"

Ryik turned and smirked. "Girl, I saw that fine ass of yours disappear behind the couch."

"You want to get another black eye?" she growled darkly.

He cleared his throat nervously. "No, I'm good girl." He pointed to the door. "But you really should put a jacket on if you goin' out there, you still getting over pneumonia and it's cold as hell."

Anko sighed and dug her jacket out from under her messy couch. "Be back whenever."

He turned away. "See ya' whenever."

The second she closed the door Anko went into a rage-phase. He was in her village for some reason, and she would die trying to find out why.

.,.,.,.

They two incognitos traveled through the vast park of the Leaf Village. The youngest was looking around excitedly, letting his ambitions lower to the ones a child was supposed to have.

Orochimaru's gentle shoulder landed on his shoulder to grasp his attention, pointing ahead when he did. Kimimaro saw a cart labeled with a frozen treat of some sort. He looked back at his master who handed him a bill and nodded his head in approval.

He watched the glowing child run off, signing tiredly as he sat on a bench to wait. Being a father was hard. His attention wandered around the area of vast greens and smiling people, all enjoying the serenity the world had to offer.

"This place…It's become so peaceful."

His eyes narrowed at a tiny blue jay, making a nest in the open, as if nothing could ever hurt him.

"No…This place, these people, all have become weak, too accustomed to what that that senile Third has created." He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue, "But they'll see differently very soon…"

Kimimaro ran up to him, a two-stick, blue Popsicle in his hand. "I thought we could share."

Orochimaru took the treat and broke it in two. "A little cold to be eating this stuff, but…"

Kimimaro chuckled and began sucking on his frozen treat.

Orochimaru watched him, not noticing that blue liquid was running down his arm. "Kimimaro?"

"Mmm?" he pulled the ice out of his mouth. "Yes, sir?"

He gave him the kindest smile he knew how to give. "We're going to have to keep a low profile for now on. As you know, I'm not very welcomed in this village and must stay as unnoticed as possible. That goes for you as well, do you understand?"

Kimimaro stared at the ground sadly. "You are saying that we can't do things like this anymore."

"Not exactly." He answered, watching the slight ray of hope on the boy's face. "I'm saying that we have to be very careful while we're staying in Village Hidden in the Leaves, we cannot reveal our true names or what we are doing here."

"So, you would like me to call you something different?"

"Exactly. I know I've taught you not to lie, but this is for your safety as well as my own."

Kimimaro nodded in complete understatement; he would tell a million lies if it meant keeping his savior safe.

"What is your code name," he looked around and lowered his voice. "Lord Orochimaru?"

"I want you to call me 'Father' or something along that line."

Kimimaro couldn't seal his surprise. His former relationship with his actually father was a rough one, causing abuse, neglect, and unhappiness to be what the young boy though what the bond of a child and their parent was supposed to be like. But then again, Orochimaru had been more of a father than his could and had ever been.

"Um…okay, Father…"

Orochimaru nodded and threw his partially melted Popsicle to the side for the ants. "Now let's go finish unpacking, I'm sure out new neighbors are dying to meet us."

His smirked as the presence of the all too familiar figure that had been trying to conceal herself in the shadows of a tree a few feet away shifted to better hear their conversation. He chuckled but didn't show that he knew of her existence.

"Let's go."

Anko glared at the leaving Orochimaru and Kimimaro. "Yeah, you better keep walking."

She waited until they were a good distance away from the park before sneaking out from behind the shadows and following them.

"He thinks he's so sly." She thought to herself. "I know he knows I'm here, why the hell is he always thinking I'm one step behind him?" She perused to herself about how the man still considered her to be a Genin needing to be taught everything. "Well, bitch, you're about to find out otherwise!"

She watched from the entrance gates as they entered into their apartment, noticing Orochimaru's slight glance in her direction as he closed the door. She smirked and propelled towards the porch, using her chakra to climb up the walls until she was at the door of his apartment. She leaned into the door and listened to the muffled conversations going on.

"Come on, Orochi, speak up, what are you plotting?" She gasped as she heard footsteps coming quickly towards her.

The door opened and young Kimimaro exited with crushed boxes in his arms. He laid them in a pile on the floor and stretched before turning to go back inside. He stopped for a moment and looked around, as if expecting someone to be there.

Anko was on the roof above him holding her breath, just waiting for the door to be closed again.

He shrugged and went back inside.

Anko jumped off the room and sighed in relief, immediately making a run to the safety of her own home, stumbling as she went around the corner and almost broke her own door down as she skid in.

"Damn that was close." She breathed out loud.

Ryik was gone and all the lights were off. At least she'd get some alone time to gather her thoughts. She kept racking at her head as she went into her bedroom and flopped down on the bed.

"What could he be planning?" she thought out loud as she ran her fingers through her hair and pulled out the band holding it up. "I can add world domination, maybe terrorism." She laughed slightly. "He's terrorizing me at least." She closed her eyes and images of his eyes flashed across her weary mind. She shuddered, "I hate that man." Her mind shifted into a gentle slumber. "I really hate him…"

It wasn't too long before she was tossing and turning, clawing at the sheets and pressing her head deep into the pillow. Her dreams, well, rather wetdreams were plaque with images of the man who was supposed to leave her alone when she was in this state.

She wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but it involved a lot of touching, light pecks on her skin, and the removal of his clothes as well as her own which, for some damned reason, she allowed gladly.

Outwardly, she was groaning and her hips were making small movements upwards to meet something that was a complete blur.

Inside the dream, a wet object, stronger and more pleasing than his lips, began to wonder her body, stopping to allow her moans to reach his ears. It wasn't until the wet object reached to flesh in between her legs that she a woke with a jerk and a "FUCK!" "WHOA!" "WHAT THE HELL!"

She traced her sweaty body to make sure it really was just a dream, and much to her subconscious disappointment, it was. She shivered and stood to go shower, only to be weighed down by the heavy garment that was her pants.

She glared at the floor. "Yeah, I hate him."

Ryik walked down the alley leading towards the ANBU quarters, his current home, humming a self-made tune to keep him company. Training to become an ANBU wasn't as much as a challenge Itachi had promised it would be. Yes, he had to deal with Danzō and his asshole self every day and night but he made it through the "intense" training without too many difficulties. He even got small missions, such as keeping an eye on the entryways of the Leaf Village for a few hours as he had done that night. Yes, his life was slow but very simple.

"Hmm?" Ryik turned around as he felt a second, somewhat dangerous, presence behind him. Seeing nothing, he shrugged it off and kept walking. "Hope no store about to get robbed, 'cause Ryik Katzan ain't-"

He felt it again, like a cold breeze. He looked back, this time seeing a shadow-like figure duck behind a wall.

Ryik rolled his eyes. "Hell no!" he called out to the person. "Come on fool, get the Hell out here, let's get this done with."

But nothing moved. He cracked his knuckled and marched to the wall.

"Fool, I'm from Saktraz, I ain't afraid to get crazy on some…" he stopped when he saw that he was talking to nothing but an empty space. "Now who the hell is tryin' to play all these mind games with-" h

He almost turned around when an arm wrapped around his waist and another his mouth. Ryik started screaming and thrashing around so the person threw him into a wall.

"Will you shut up? You're going to wake the entire Land of Fire up with your damn loud mouth!"

Ryik's head shot up. "Uchiha? Fool why the Hell you sneaking up on people this time of night!"

"Shut up!" he yelled again. He sighed and his voice became softer. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

Ryik's eyes widened by the fear in Itachi's voice, something he thought didn't exist in the boy. "Sure, man, what's up?"

Itachi shoved a hand nervously through his hair. "It has to do with Anko."

Ryik glared at him. "Now who the hell trying to mess with her?"

Itachi gave him a long look, secretly hoping he would somehow figure it out so that he wouldn't have to say the damn man's name. But sadly, Ryik was a bit of an…idiot, and they'd have to play multiple rounds of twenty questions but even then he wouldn't get the hint.

"I have reason to believe Orochimaru is in the Leaf Village, and Anko might be concealing what she knows.

Ryik face went completely emotionless, then he made a face and said, "Who?"

Itachi stared at him. "Orochimaru? They man who had you locked up for almost a year?"

Ryik took a step back. "Crazy snake face! Fool, Anko wouldn't let him in with an inch of her life."

"Trust me Ryik, I want to believe that, but…"

Ryik smirked. "You ain't got any proof?"

Itachi glared. "I have plenty, but you need to see to believe me."

Ryik wrapped a brotherly arm around his shoulders. "Fool, you've been working too hard."

He broke from Ryik's grip. "I know what I'm talking about, Ryik. Everything that's happened this past month is all related to that man and Anko, it all adds up.

Ryik scoffed. "Well then, prove me wrong."

Itachi frowned. "It'd involve me fucking your head up."

"Too late!"

Itachi gritted his teeth to block out the urge to bash to funny man's head in. His popped his neck and smiled serenely, "Ryik, why don't we pay Anko a visit?"

Ryik scratched his head. "I don't know man, I ain't sure how Anko is in the nighttime hours."

A seductive smirk spread across his face. "Then…let's find out."

Anko stepped out of the foggy shower with a sigh and wrapped a towel around her. She sat on the toilet and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She watched the steam float away as the warmness of the room died down. She smiled, she felt a lot calmer now.

But it was shattered by the annoying know on the door.

"ANKO-GIRL, OPEN UP!"

Anko squeezed her eyes shut. "Please go away, please go away, please go away…"

The knocking only became louder. "ANKO, I KNOW YOU THERE!"

Anko almost screamed as she quickly slid a black bathrobe over her still wet body. "What the hell do you want now, Ryik? I'm freaking trying to relax!"

She almost yanked the door off the hinges; sending Ryik and his companion back a few steps. The three of them stared each other down until Ryik and Itachi gave her angelic smiles. She could almost see the tiny horns holding the halos up on the "angels".

She spoke slowly. "What. Do. You. Want?"

Itachi stepped forward, a cool, sly look on face. "Come on, don't be like that. Ryik and I just wanted to pay our favorite troublemaker a visit."

Anko stepped back and prepared to close the door. "Hi. Bye."

Itachi stopped her from slamming it with his foot. "Come on, Mitarashi, it's freezing out here."

Anko stared at him. His eyes were so dangerous and dark, demanding even. She could tell that he was willing to resort to extreme measures to get her to do what he wanted, even in Ryik's presence.

"All right…" she mused. He nodded to her with a smirk and stepped inside, Ryik following with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "So…What do you want?"

"Like I said…" Itachi shot her a raging glance. "To pay you a visit."

Anko gulped. She knew what it was about immediately. At least she knew for certain that it was Orochimaru living next door to her. She turned to Ryik to see if he was in on it as well, but he was too busy smiling and making himself at home on her couch.

"Um…" she tried to stay out of the whirlpool that was his eyes. "Let me get dress." She scurried to her room.

"All right!" Ryik called after her. He jumped up and went to Anko's cabinets in search for refreshments. "Uchiha, you good with coffee?" he received no answer and glanced around to make sure his partner heard him. "I said is you…"

Itachi was gone.

"Uchiha?"

.,.,.,.,.,.,

The word "Damn it" repeated multiple times in Anko's head as she quickly searched for clothes suitable enough to preserve the boys innocents. She knew the boy was up to something, so she had to be ready to beat him to destruction.

She threw a T-shirt and a pair of sweat out of her closet and paused for a moment to pull her hair up. Turning around, her breath stilled when she saw that the clothes had been thrown on Itachi.

"Um…"she reached out and pulled the clothes with two fingers. "Sorry?"

He simply stared, little if any emotion on his young fac, but then he glared. "Yeah, you are sorry."

Without having even a second, she was pinned carefully to the closet. "A very sorry piece of work."

She stared at him in shock, how had he moved that fast? But her "Anko" instincts set in and she turned defiant.

"Aren't you Uchihas taught to be gentlemen?" she growled, only to provoke him, his grip on her arms tightening to the point where bruises would show up later.

"How can I be polite to anyone willing to let a mad man destroy my village?" he taunted.

"…He's gone."

He started to shake with rage. "You liar, he-"

"He left the village after Iruka and I were found! I haven't seen any sign of him since!" Anko wasn't entirely sure why she chose to lie and cover up for Orochimaru, but she did, and she was going to give that son of a bitch later.

"Hey!"

They looked up to see Ryik standing in a fighting position in the doorway. "What the heck's goin' on here?"

Itachi turned back to Anko, his eyes warning her not to speak a word.

"Nothing." Anko said as Itachi released her. "Itachi was just…helping me turn off a light."

Ryik examined each one of them closely. He may have not been the brightest shinobi in the Leaf but he knew when turmoil was stirring. He had plenty of experience.

"Well, let's go back in the living room." He motioned.

Itachi gave Anko a slight pinch on the back. She was going to kill him later.

They returned to the couch with Itachi sitting too close to Anko, despite how she distanced herself from him. Ryik jumped in between them as if nothing was wrong and started carrying on something completely random with Anko.

Itachi glared at this head and looked away, his eyes widening slightly when he saw Ryik's forgotten refreshments. With a glance at the others, he got up without a word.

"Instant coffee?" he called back to Anko. "I guess that's all you can afford since you'reuntrustworthy to be sent on missions higher than C-ranked."

Anko was about to jump at him when Ryik placed a hand on her arm. "Come on, girl, stay cool. He doesn't mean it."

Itachi secretly slipped in a pouch of a powerful drug into all of the mugs, just to be safe. A smirk flashed across his face in triumph and quickly went back into a blank as he carried the tray to the couch and passed them out, giving Anko a fake serene look as he put a mug in her hand.

She didn't buy it though, but stayed expressionless. She looked at the boys, "Are two sure you can handle caffeine?"

They exchanged glances. "Yeah."

Ryik took a long slug at his while Itachi held back to watch. He slammed his now empty mug down and smirked.

"Ya see!" His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out on the coffee table.

Anko and Itachi stared at his unconscious form. "Should we do something?"

Itachi shook his head, setting his mug down. "He'll be fine. Now, about…"

"I told you everything I know." She growled as calmly as her anger would allow.

He eyed her. "I'm not too sure on that." He leaned forward, his elbows rested on his knees with an attentive look in his dark eyes. "You're an amazing liar, Miss Mitarashi. Even my eyes can't see through them..."

She gasped slightly as she met his red, spiraling eyes. She felt like a dark force was entering her but she couldn't gain any control of it, only let it enter and destroy.

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "Is Orochimaru in this village?" he hissed.

She gritted her teeth in panic. Her instincts were too numbed out force thoughts together, meaning to lie. She bit down on her tongue to stop what Itachi wanted to hear come out. She had to fight, not just for herself, but for Orochimaru. This was his special mission; and there was no way in hell anyone else was getting involved.

She let out a deep sigh, a bit of blood coming with it. "N-no…" she stuttered out. "Like I…said…" she wiped her mouth and swallowed the rest of the blood. "He…he's gone…"

Itachi seemed unconvinced, a little angry even. But he suddenly smiled, letting out a little laugh.

"All righty, then," he turned around and grabbed Ryik's ankles. "Goodnight Miss Mitarashi." He pulled Ryik harshly, earning a small groan from the boy.

Anko never took her eyes off of him.

"Oh, by the way," he said when he opened the door. "Don't think the coffee, it's…stale." With that, he closed the door, hitting Ryik's head on the wall as he did so.

Anko groaned and let she fall back onto the soft couch. "Damn, that was close."

She glanced at the coffee mugs and picked hers up, giving the liquid a sniff. Didn't smell tampered with. She sipped it slightly and almost threw up.

"Fuck, it is stale!" she ran to her sink and gargled the taste out. She leaned against the counter for a moment to get her head together. She shook her head. "I have to see him."

She got into a strong stance and made the agonizing journey to her neighbor's house.

Orochimaru lifted his head to the sound of knocking. He smirked. "Now, who could that be?"

Though, the snake Sannin new good and well who.

He greeted a glaring Anko. "Shut the fuck up and let me in."

"Is that how you greet all newcomers? My, my, how the Leaf Village has had some drastic changes since I was last here."

Anko muttered something he didn't catch as she walked in. "I'm pretty sure you already know why I'm here." She announced. "But that's the exact opposite for me. I want answers. Staying the night was one thing, but," she glanced around at the boxes scattered all over the room. "Moving into myapartment complex is another. Why are you here?"

"Needed a change of scenery." He answered simply.

Anko wanted so badly to punch that mocking smirk of his off, but she couldn't risk getting gravely injured and having to explain how; there was a slim chance Itachi would help take up for her again if he found out who did it.

"Orochimaru," she started out dangerously. "Don't…Don't fuck with me right now." She began pacing with her hands twisted in her hair as if she were ready to pull it out. "I've had to fucking cover for you from a demented nine year old while trying to stay out of hot water myself, I'm aching all over. I'm so stressed out that I can't sit down long enough to heal because of you a-and a weirdo and…" she had to scream. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?"

Orochimaru was very quiet as Anko shook in rage. He cocked his head to the side. "Is my answer really worth having a heart attack over?"

"THAT'S IT!" she ran to him and tried to get a grip on his throat but was stopped by the sudden pain in her side as she was stabbed by something.

"Jesus!" she breathed as she fell to the ground, extremely cautious of the wound on her side. She gripped to object and pulled it out quickly. "What the…" she swirled the bone like object around, looking up at the approaching child.

Kimimaro stared at her with hate filled eyes. "Don't you ever try to harm Lord Orochimaru," another bone sprung out of his palm. "Especially in my presence."

Anko arched an eyebrow at the child, "Possessive much…" she mumbled as she got to her knees and tried to stand up without bleeding to death. To her surprise, Kimimaro was on her uninjured side and tried to help her, which she gently declined to.

She returned her glare to Orochimaru who was watching the whole show with great delight.

"Wipe that smirk off your face." She warned. "And give me my…" she glanced at Kimimaro "freaking answer already."

He chuckled. "Well Anko, if you're that curious, I'll tell you what you need to know. I'm here so that Kabuto, my chief medical ninja, you've met him before, may study under the Leaf's superior medical staff."

She stared curiously at him. "That kid with the glasses?"

"Yes. It would be easier to just leave him behind but I need him for…future projects."

"Like fucking up my home?" She said to herself. She put on a straight face and smirked. "I know something else is up, but it's late, so I'm not going to worry too much about it." She sprung at him and got directly in his face.

Orochimaru held up a hand to stop Kimimaro.

"Keep your hands off this village." She whispered dangerously. "And get some sun, I don't want anyone to recognize you and pin the blame on me." She walked past him and left with out another glance.

Kimimaro let the bone shard slip back into his hand. "She's very nice."

Orochimaru turned to his close door as to expect Anko to be there. "Indeed…"

Anko stepped onto the porch the next morning, immediately being bathed in morning light. She felt an unexplained happiness in the pit of her stomach, like a weight had been lifted from her. She smiled and breathed in the fresh air. Looking out into the morning shadows, her smile faded when she saw Kimimaro sitting on the porch with his arms and legs hanging from the bars.

"It's Thursday." She called to him. His tiny, white head lifted. She started walking the circle to get to him. "You should be in school."

He rose as she approached him and bowed. "Good morning, Miss Mitarashi."

Anko laughed and carefully ruffled his hair, earning an estranged look from him. "Anko's fine, but seriously, why are you out here and not in school or with Oro-"

He shushed her violently. "He doesn't want to be called that in the open."

"Okay." She whispered back playfully.

"Anyway, he went out to get supplies. I'm to stay here until he gets back."

She scoffed in disgust. "Is he that inconsiderate that he thinks he can leave a kid behind."

To her surprise, the boy laughed at her. "I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

Her hand wondered to her side. "Yeah, I can see that." She muttered. She forced her smile back on. "Why don't we go to my house?" she pointed behind her. "We can get some chow and maybe get to know each other a little more."

Kimimaro's hands clenched up. He had a feeling this was all a part of her plan to hurt Orochimaru but he knew his master wouldn't be pleased if he killed her then. Besides, he was kind of like Anko. She was strong, among…other things.

"That's all right, I'm fine here." He said politely as he turned back to go into his house.

"Well then, how about I come in there?" She offered.

He stepped in front of the door to block her way. "It's very messy and there's nowhere to sit, really…Anko, I'm okay." He closed the door with a click before more could be said.

Anko gawked at the door. "Okay, definitely possessive." She turned her back to it. "Still, I want to have a talk with that son of a-"

"Good morning, Anko."

Anko jumped to see Orochimaru walking up the steps towards her with bags in his arms.

"It was…" she muttered. She leaned against the railings so that he could past through, her only form of courtesy.

He smirked at her and stopped at the door staring at it. "Would you…" he cocked his head to it.

She stared at him for a few seconds and then groaned. "You got to be kidding me…" she twisted the knob and then banged on it. "Kid, open up!"

She was greeted with silence so Orochimaru stepped in. "Kimimaro, open the door."

There was the sound of rushing footsteps and an "Ow!" before the door swung open and a panting Kimimaro bowed. "My apologies…Father." The last word was still very hard for him to get used to.

Orochimaru simply walked inside. "Anko, why don't you come inside and help me with these, like a good neighbor."

Anko glared. "How about I grab a chainsaw and-"

"I can help you." Kimimaro spoke up.

"I'd rather prefer if Anko did." Orochimaru said as he sat the bags down, shooting a look to the boy that dared him to say another word.

The child gulped and hesitantly stepped aside so that Anko could enter. Anko stared at him and saw the sinister glare. Of course, the boy was maybe ten years old if not younger, so she wasn't that intimidated.

"Actually," she said. "I'm going out for some fresh air." She ruffled the glaring child's hair. "See ya."

Within ten seconds after she walked out the door, she heard him call her name. She smirked and broke out into a run. She jumped over rooftops and dodged various people as she ran through the Leaf Village streets. She finally had to catch her breath in an alley, looking around the corner for any sign of him.

"Ha!" she sang in triumph.

"What's so funny?" someone hissed behind her.

She yelped and jumped five feet forward. She pointed accusingly at Orochimaru, "How did you do that?"

Orochimaru wrapped an arm around her shoulder, which she squirmed to get out of. "You honestly think I'm going to let you get away just yet?"

She broke from his grasp and backed up into the streets, "Do not touch me, ever."

He strolled closer to her. "You don't allow yourself to get to know it Anko…"

She backed up further without paying attention to her surroundings. "I said, stay away from me!"

"Hey, you, get out of the way!"

Anko turned just in time to see a cart hurtling towards her. She had zero time to react before she was grabbed to prevent being crushed by it. She coughed as the cart swirled up dust from its departure. As soon as she recovered, her eyes opened to see Orochimaru have slightly worried ones. He had her arms pinned to her sides, the rest of his body completely smothering hers.

She saw from the corner of her eye that a few other people were watching on as well. Breaking from his grip, she stepped out to reassure them she was okay. One woman approached her. "Are you alright, honey?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She shot peace signs to the crowds. "I'll be here all week!"

They laughed and began going about there ways. The woman nodded to her as well and left, leaving Anko and Orochimaru alone.

She turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thanks.".

He ruffled her hair. "You owe me. I believe dinner is in order."

"What?"

He smiled at her proudly. "I'll be by to pick you up at seven tonight, wear something nice."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" But the Snake Sannin was already disappearing into the crowd. "…What the heck?"