"Anger, resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others. It only changes yours."
Deidara awoke the next morning to find something he hadn't expected to see. Orochimaru was already awake, sitting on the edge of his bed brushing his fingers through his hair. What was abnormal was the creature sitting beside him on the floor, watching his every movement curiously. The blond ninja sat up to get a better view of the bandaged dog, which looked at him and growled softly in warning. Orochimaru looked behind him to see what had unsettled his friend before placing a hand of reassurance on to its head.
"None of that." He muttered to the dog, reminding it that it had no right to ward off people the Sannin wanted in his space. The canine looked back at the blond ninja and wagged his tail apologetically, which earned him a few small words of praise.
"Um... am I allowed to ask..." Deidara said as he slipped out of his sheets to come to greet the dog, the latter of which allowed the gesture before trying to lick the new ninja in a submissive manner.
"Found him last night. He was hurt so we brought him back." Orochimaru said.
"We?" Deidara asked.
"Hidan and I." Orochimaru said.
"Last night?" Deidara asked.
"We went for a walk, and ended up finding him." Orochimaru stated, he then returned to ridding his black hair of knots and tangles.
Deidara decided to do the same and by the time the both of them were done they headed out of their room into the living area. The only other ninja awake being Kakashi, who greeted them both before his eyes fell to the hound which seemed stuck to his lovers side.
"Who is this?" Kakashi asked dropping to one knee to coax the dog over, the animal did no such thing and simply looked at him skeptically. It was now timid, as past abuses had lead the creature to believe that man was out to harm it. The Sannin could relate.
"A new friend." Orochimaru said with a small smile, "he was tied to a pipe half beaten to death."
"When did you find him?" Kakashi asked curiously.
"Last night, Hidan and I went to get some air. Ended up hearing his cries." Orochimaru replied before glancing at the hound.
"Does he have a name?" Kakashi asked.
"Tsukiko." Orochimaru replied.
Kakashi thought the name over, moon, or more specifically, moon child. The name must have been derived from where the Sannin found the animal, under the moon on the very night he was simply going out for a walk.
Kakashi wanted to politely pet the dog but he could sense it's nerves and decided he would wait for the creature to come to him first. That way there was no way Tsukiko could mistake his intentions and become paranoid. Clearly the animal had no fears regrading the snake, his spindly form pinned to his leg. The dogs ribs were showing greatly and its face and legs were drawn. It over all looked to be in terrible condition, it's fur surprisingly clean minus the bandages. The Sannin must have bathed the creature before allowing it into his bed.
Orochimaru sat down on the couch, the dog limped over and struggled to get onto the other seat. Upon seeing its desperation to be as close as possible, the Sannin slumped down onto the floor beside it. Tsukiko wagged his tail happily and lay down beside him, his previous battles haven made him tired. Orochimaru stroked his bristly head before looking at Kakashi.
"I need to get him food." Orochimaru admitted.
"Yeah we all need food actually." Deidara interrupted.
"I'll get what ever is left from Asuma." Kakashi offered, "he booked us into this motel for three nights. After that we need more money to pay for our residence."
"I rate we stay in this city, living in this motel and work a proper job or something." Deidara said, "we save up, then we hit the streets and live off our savings. Taking odd jobs if and when they present themselves."
"Agreed, we won't survive off odd jobs in the long run." Orochimaru said. Kakashi emerged from the bedroom with the last of the money.
"Why don't you two go find food, I'll tell the rest of our plans and situation when they wake up." Kakashi offered. He knew his lover was picky, and would want to select what his dog received as nourishment after being starved. Orochimaru nodded and got up, he told the dog to stay where it was, and he did so. Tsukiko watched the Sannin leave with longing eyes, but ultimately he knew he wasn't fit to follow him for the meanwhile. The dog seemed to know his new friend would come back for him.
The blond didn't seem as street paranoid for once and walked out the motel room with the snake. Little did he know the Sannin had equipped himself with a knife for good measure anyway. Not that it would help in a group fight, but if an individual or two jumped them they stood a chance.
They trotted out the motel and the man at the desk called out to the black haired ninja, telling him to stay safe. Orochimaru smiled politely, but didn't make much effort to talk to him, he didn't want the man to get the wrong idea. He didn't want much to do with the man really. The two feminine ninja chatted as they walked towards a shop they had seen earlier, being rather small in stature, they naturally kept a good eye on their environment. No one was allowed to walk too close to them, no one was allowed to linger around for to long. They entered the store and browsed the isles deciding what they could get. They needed food which would last long and cover all their members hungry stomachs. Once settled on what the group could eat for that day, they looked for what the dog may have wanted. It was a corner store, and stocks were not of much variety. So they settled on standard dog food and headed to the cashier. The man eyed them and took a moment to return to work. In an even bigger mockery, an NW citizen pushed past the two ninja half knocking them over as he took the liberty of being first in line despite haven arrived after them. Deidara passed angered blue eyes over at the snake, expecting to be met with the same annoyance. He had thought the snake could see just how much bigger the man was than them. However the serpent had been picked on enough for his short stay at the NW city.
"Are you blind or just simply that rude."Orochimaru snapped, his golden eyes meeting the mans dull ones with feisty rage.
"How about I just don't give a crap about ninja." The man spat in his rough voice.
"So you think you have the rights over us because you were born in this city?" The snake hissed.
"Exactly." The man said putting his things down on the table.
"I'm not having this." The Sannin said, although the situation called for him to back down, he did no such thing. He pushed the mans things to the side and placed his and the blond ninjas down on the counter. The man behind the counter seemed shocked, and slightly amused. The larger man looked down at the ninja with enraged and confused eyes.
"Fuck are you-" the man was cut off.
"Doing? I'm taking my life into my own hands because other wise you bastards will walk all over us." The snake said.
His eyes held so much confidence and anger that it threatened the man off. Much like when man moves aside for the small viper on the path, knowing that although he may be the bigger of the two, sometimes size was not what matters came down to.
The man at the desk did a swift job of ringing up the items and packaging them. He took the money with caution, seemingly equally as aware that the snake was now readied to bite. Orochimaru thanked the man, his voice holding little air of politeness, and Deidara followed him out looking back some what worriedly.
"Wow." Deidara said as they exited, the large man exchanged some words with the cashier but then left the store hurriedly. The awkwardness of being shot down by the smaller and less superior person obviously haven rattled him.
"If it's one thing I've learnt it's that we can't be passive in this place." Orochimaru said, "Odds are if the guy is going to hit you he is going to hit you. Might as well put up a front of being in the lead. We won't win this sitting down."
"That fake confidence thing only works with you." Deidara said, "must be your eyes or something. I don't think many people have the guts to challenge your stare."
"It has nothing to do with physical appearance." Orochimaru muttered, "it's the presence you give off that makes a difference. I've had these eyes all my life, the only time people backed off was when I had finally decided I'd had enough. My eyes never changed, my mind set did."
Slitted eyes masked behind an unnatural yet brilliant gold certainly unnerved people upon first site, enchanted them upon second glances and perhaps scared them the third time around. Either way, wether man feared their reflection in the slitted frames or wether they marveled in it made no difference. The shape, the colour nor the resemblance to a snake or perhaps even a cat made his stare intense. It had little to do with what he was, but more who he was. His naturally different complexion had many wondering and questioning his humanity, yet still, he did not care.
He demanded respect because if he did not, he had learned people would strip him of it. He would not be made a fool of again, he would not be taken advantage of, or stepped on as if he were nothing but the dirt beneath another's boot. He may never be what he pretended to be, he may never live up to the rank of superiority he masked under, but he would put on a flawless act. And with that facade he would trick the world into believing he was, and with that, he would never be walked on or kicked down again.
"I suppose. But I just don't have it in me." Deidara said, "I'd have just thrown a fit."
"Then throw a fit." Orochimaru said, "rather that than remain silent."
"Hmm, not sure I want to take the risk of getting punched by someone three times my size." Deidara admitted.
"Play the game however you want. But you don't stand to win it if you sit around waiting for someone to help you." Orochimaru said, they arrived at the motel and the man at the desk offered to carry the two ninjas bags. They declined politely and hurried up the stairs. Orochimaru regretted not sneaking the dog in another way. It appeared the man was unwilling to give up on their friendship. They entered the motel room to find Hidan and Asuma awake and sitting on the couches seemingly waiting for the two ninja to return. Kakashi sat with his lovers dog, the canine seeming to trust the copy ninja during the snakes absence. Orochimaru handed the human food to Deidara and made his way to Tsukiko with the dog food. He opened up the meaty dish and placed it on a bowl, which had been placed there for humans rather than animals. The dog sniffed it then gratefully lunged into the bowl clearing it of all contents in seconds.
Tsukiko looked up wide eyed begging for more, but the Sannin knew how creatures bodies worked. A starved individual could be harmed if given to much food when they were being nursed back to health, as their bodies were not strong enough to handle as much. He pet the dog and offered it water after rinsing out the food scraps. Tsukiko didn't seem fazed that the rest of the food was not being given to him, he was equally as grateful to receive some water. Kakashi stared at the dog as he lapped up the water, some of it dripping down the sides of his panting mouth. He seemed to have made himself at home, and Orochimaru noticed that Kakashi had cleaned up the bandages and tended to the wounds once more. Tsukiko wagged his tail clumsily as he waddled back to the couch to lay down beside it. Kakashi placed a hand around his lovers waist and they headed over to the other ninja. He was possibly the only man allowed to make such blatant physical contact, anyone else would have been stricken down by the serpent. Deidara seemed dissatisfied with the food, as it was far from what he was used to. Hidan and Orochimaru seemed to go back to their old rogue days easily and found what ever food was going around to be acceptable, where as Kakashi and Asuma simply were not picky eaters in general.
Tsukiko eyed them from across the room. There was suddenly a loud screech followed by mad laughter. Who ever was shrieking was doing it out of excitement rather than fear. The ninja turned to look at the door to assess what was happening in the hallway beyond their room. The laughter continued until something slammed against their door. Then a few loud knocks boomed onto it, the laughter and murmuring behind the door still seemingly strange. Tsukiko growled and barked, his bark loud and deep, almost as if the large lungs did not belong to the thin hound. Tsukiko continued to boom his warning when Orochimaru settled him.
"It's fine Tsukiko." He said as he swooped over to the door, his black hair following his graceful movement as he swung open the door. There were two men by the door, a third a little way down. They were dressed oddly, as if they were trying to pose as vampires or ghouls. One of the men, the only one still laughing at something thrust a pamphlet into the snakes hand.
"Happy Halloween." He said, he then looked at the dog in slight confusion, but he didn't question it. He left to bash on the next door opposite the ninjas motel room.
"Thanks." Orochimaru said wearily to his rushing off back. The Sannin closed their door and clicked the lock shut again before scanning the pamphlet over with his lurid eyes, he placed it into his partners hands seeing his curiosity.
"It's some Halloween event." Orochimaru said.
"That sounds fun." Deidara said leaning over the copy ninjas shoulder to read it, "it's free entry."
"It's a fundraiser." Orochimaru said, "they want who ever comes to donate, or spend money on the food at the event."
"Operative word being want. Doesn't mean we have to buy anything." Hidan said, "there's a haunted house."
"What does that have to do with stopping the NWs?" Asuma asked.
"It's fun, and it'll keep us sane enough to actually pull this off." Deidara tried, "come on, we will work all day, then go and check it out. It can't do any harm."
"You lot enjoy it. If I work I'll be going to sleep at a reasonable hour." Asuma stated.
"You interested?" Kakashi asked the bright eyed male beside him.
"I think it could be fun." Orochimaru said with a playful smile.
"Well let's get a start to our day then, we need proper jobs." Asuma said, "as you said, we might as well save up before heading out."
"Yeah alright." Hidan muttered irritably, the ninja decided to head to the town to locate jobs for the their time in the motel. They hardly would be able to acquire high paying jobs, as they didn't have any qualifications. It would mean taking lowly jobs, and even then, as ninja, they were unlikely to pay much. The group headed out onto the streets, for the meanwhile, Orochimaru left Tsukiko in the motel room, as he was still plagued by a minor limp. Compared to the first night the dogs leg had healed considerably, all the rest doing it well. Since Tsukiko was a dog rather than a puppy, he had no issues with being alone for a few hours and happily slept in his recovery hours.
The streets were all bustling with excitement as the NW citizens got excited for Halloween. The energy seemed to effect the blond ninja as well who exclaimed how fun the evening would be, Asuma was the only one who did not agree. They decided to walk their separate ways again, and despite the copy ninjas disagreement, the Sannin stated he wished to go alone. He felt safer with his own weapon, even though it would probably be futile against a gang.
Kakashi allowed his lover his independence knowing full well that the snake hated being looked down upon, or worse, confined. The serpent parted from the silver haired ninjas hold and left him to find his own career for their time in the city. It would prove to be an easy search for the snake however. It didn't take long before an advertisement caught his eye. Cars buzzed around the area but he didn't have any issues crossing the busy roads despite not knowing how road rules actually worked. He ended up by the dirty looking board under a larger sign saying gas station. Having no clue of what a station was he noticed a small store and entered it after recognizing the name. He wasn't being picky when it came to jobs, and since none of the ninja had qualifications needed for anything other than being elite ninja, working behind a cashier or serving tables was their only option. Degrading, but for some reason, the snakes pride didn't take much of a knock. He moved to the woman standing by the desk and she looked up at him with startled eyes.
"Orochimaru." She said, the Sannin did not recognize the woman. She was a ninja noticeably, but that was all he knew. He greeted her, then awaited an introduction. She smiled nervously, perhaps still thinking of his former self. The less tolerant version of himself he had been before the last NW invasion, before he met the copy ninja.
"We have never met." She said, "I'd recognize
one of the Legendary Sannin anywhere though."
"A title I can't say earns you much out here." Orochimaru said, "is the manager around?"
"He is having a smoke out at the back, are you here for the job?" She asked, the Sannin nodded, although he finally realized that the job being offered was the woman's job.
"Are you quitting?" He asked.
"Yes, but for personal reasons. The pay isn't bad, not considering ninja aren't allowed to work in bigger companies." She said, her eyes dropping when she said the word personal.
He didn't push to find out what those reasons were, he respected another's privacy with out hesitation. She disappeared behind the corner and emerged with a man a head taller than the serpent, an average build and with calm eyes.
"Hey." He said extending a hand, Orochimaru was cautious in returning the gesture but he shook the NWs hand wearily. The man laughed lightly, his eyes didn't make the Sannin feel uncertain. If anything, he seemed to meet the snakes cold calculated ones with an air of acceptance.
"You looking for a job I'm guessing? Ninja do not get offered much work in these parts." The man said dimly, "before we get off on the wrong foot, I'm not one of those supremacist jerks, I know ninja are human, let's put that out on the air."
Orochimaru found some comfort in the words, or at least, he finally saw the other man as an actual man, rather than a threat. He could tell by the mans eyes that he was being genuine, that the inequality bugged him enough to verbally announce he was an advocate of treating every member around with respect.
"This job doesn't require any qualifications, you just ring up what the customers want and take their money." The man laughed, " but- if Hiari hasn't said so already. It can get dangerous here at night, some days you will work in the day time, other days you take the night shift. I have other employees working what ever shift you don't."
The prospect of danger didn't scare the ninja off, his years of being a Shinobi haven trained him to not so much as flinch when it was mentioned as a part of the job. If anything, the Sannin figured it would make the days more fun.
"I know how to handle myself if thats in the job description." The Sannin said, the man smiled at his courage. He could see the confidence in the lurid eyes looking into his own hazy blue ones.
"Well, since I prefer hiring ninja to the people of this city. I guess you're hired." He said, "you can start work next week Monday."
He didn't need to tell the Sannin his salary apparently. Clearly ninja simply accepted what ever was thrown at them, which only made sense, as it was scarce finding a job. Most NW did not hire ninja simply because they saw them as inferior. And other than that, they often did not pay them the right amounts. Orochimaru thanked him, wondering how come he ended up with such luck in terms of jobs.
He hadn't needed to travel far before stumbling into exactly what he needed. Night shifts didn't bother him, he hardly needed much sleep being accustomed to base hopping in his past. The man handed him a card with a number on it, which the Sannin accepted. Still, he had no idea what use he would have with it. After all he didn't know how to work a phone let alone have one of his own. He decided to spend the rest of his day looking for odd jobs, as there was no point wasting the morning.
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Kakashi walked the streets until his legs began to hurt and his patience started to wear thin. He found no hint of a job opening, all he encountered was many unhappy and unhelpful faces. All of which looked down at him with disregard and arrogance, the NW city was hardly filled with a majority of kind people but rather a very quiet minority of it. Someone would approach him then realize he was a ninja and instantly command he leave them. He didn't argue or cause a fuss as he knew his beloved would have, but instead apologized half heartedly and moved away despite being in the right. He could once again hear his lovers words: don't take that from them!
Of course the copy ninja would shove those words aside as he knew his partner was out of sight and that he was unable to demand he needlessly stand up for himself.
Kakashi neared a small shop selling what appeared to be pet equipment and smaller animals. It had a small job offering sign on the door and he instantly approached it. He then read the fine print which clearly instructed all ninja to enter the shop through the back door rather than the front one. The copy ninja rolled his eyes but complied easily as he made his way around the shop simply to enter the same building anyway. A shortish man with a scowl on his face looked at the ninja approach, but he seemed to soften when he met Kakashi's passive eyes.
"You're here for the job offer?" The man asked.
"Yes." Kakashi replied calmly, despite having had a rather bad day his usual calm demeanor did not fail him. It rarely did.
"I've had other more desperate ninja enter this place looking for work. They all fled because of their fears of certain animals." The man said brashly, "So before you waste my time like your kind tends to do, are you afraid of any of the animals you see in here? Because it's in the job description to handle them and clean their tanks and cages when need be."
Kakashi scanned the room to see which animals were present, none of them seemed frightening to him as he had been forced to encounter most creatures as a Jounin.
"No." Kakashi said honestly, "I have no fears of any of the animals."
"You sure about that?" The man said untrustingly, "what about the snakes?"
Kakashi refrained from laughing, in all honesty there was a time the serpents sent a shiver up his spine. But those fears had completely vanished when he became involved with the Sannin. If anything, he was almost in the same mind set as his lover, he could see their beauty and he had learnt that fearing them created tension, and that same tension would be the only thing which would trigger the snake to attack. Orochimaru was fond of his pets, and he would often place a serpent of great magnitude on his partners lap.
"Isn't he lovely Kakashi?" Or "you'll like her, she is so calm."
Was phrases he often heard from the Sannin, despite the initial discomfort of having the predator coiled around him Kakashi always smiled politely and agreed with his lover. It was always worth it, a light would ignite in the golden eyes watching him matched by a pleased smile, and then upon reading in between the lines Orochimaru would laugh in his usual charming manner and remove the snake remarking back impishly, "nervous my love?"
Naturally, the copy ninja would deny it, despite knowing full well that his lover had a way of reading people, much like his summonings who seemed to find the copy ninjas mild fear amusing. They would purposefully coil a little to tight and then slip away back to their owners hands. In which they would transform into the lightest and most gentle creatures he had ever seen.
After a longer time spent with his lover and his pets, the snakes had become a normal creature to encounter. If one happened to find its way into a place it was not allowed to be in, as snakes had a way of getting where they were unwelcome, Kakashi would simply with out hesitation scoop it up and place it else where.
The first time it took him about two hours to handle the snake, and even then it had only been possible as Orochimaru had entered the room and seen his utter useless attempts. The Sannin then laughed and showed the white haired ninja how to properly support the creature, so that it didn't become nervous or angry. After that first failure the copy ninja managed every other encounter with as much grace as his lover. He could easily move the serpent even when it hissed in warning. Some where along the line he learnt the difference between the sounds of the snakes. Which hiss meant a simple objection versus the hiss which signaled the creature was willing to bite. Only once had a snake struck at him, but being a Jounin Kakashi had moved out the way in time. Orochimaru had reprimanded the snake as one might a dog and the serpent seemed as guilty as one.
"I'm very used to handling snakes." Kakashi replied, "I won't have a problem with any of the animals."
"We have other exotics, what about birds. You're not scared of birds are you?" The man asked.
"Not at all." Kakashi repeated.
"Fine. I want to see you handle some of the animals. If you do well, you've got the job starting next week." The man said. He then proceeded to one of the animals cages and picked up a scattering rat which peered across nervously. Kakashi was ready to take the rodent away from the man as he saw how carelessly the man handled it. The rat seemed calmer in the ninjas hands but it still managed to move around and squirm. It didn't put up to much resistance and the rodent eventually fell pray to its natural curiosity as it looked around the room from the mans arms. The man requested Kakashi return the rat to its cage and the ninja complied. He was then moved to the exotic pets where his eyes landed on a cream snake. This time the man didn't retrieve the snake but told Kakashi to.
A memory flashed past the copy ninjas mind of him and his lover back home. When he had decided to move one of the Sannin's pets only to hear the black haired males concerned voice.
"Don't touch him if you smell of meat." Orochimaru had stressed, "snakes rely heavily on their senses, and the scent of a small animal considered food may deceive them. They don't wish to bite you, but they may mistake you for something else."
Kakashi recalled the rat he had just handled.
"I smell of rat, can I not wash my hands first to avoid any misunderstandings." He asked the owner. The man smiled and nodded.
"No, leave it. That was a test." He stated before making his way to the desk at the end of the room. He got hold of a badge and card before handing it to the copy ninja, "work starts next week."
"Thank you." Kakashi said to the mans retreating back. He was hurried out the store as the man rambled about having places to be as the store was closed temporarily. The copy ninja had no complaints.
He glanced back at the serpent in its tank and the snake flicked its tongue out calmly, seemingly making eye contact with the copy ninja. He stared at its emerald eyes for mere moments before the shop was closed and locked. He had a sudden feeling of separation anxiety. Almost as if he needed his partner there with him, perhaps it was due to the blast of nostalgia. The memories of their old home, their old routines and their old conversations. The ones that held no urgency to be spoken and came naturally. He had never seen his lover so tranquil and happy, he and never seen him smile with a genuine happiness, instead of a smirk. It was all far more appealing a life than being on the run, than worrying about where they would sleep, what they would eat and wether or not they may or may not be killed. Being a ninja had taught him that the thrill of missions was not quite as appealing as stories made them sound. Sitting on the couch beside his lover feeling his small amount of body heat tucked into his was far more worth it. They were both elites however, and they had chosen to place themselves in the lime light. As much as a more simple life called to the copy ninja, he knew he and his lover would always be called upon when something foreboding stepped forwards.
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This time around, the Sannin was not having much luck finding anyone in need. NW citizens pushed and shoved him out the way as he minded his own business. He hissed in annoyance but didn't put up much of a fuss as he saw guards watching him wearily. Suddenly he felt someone sharply tug on his long jet black hair, he winced at the mild pain and turned around to glare at the person who dared, to find it was a child. The child seemed troubled, and nervous of the area, no older than six years old. He was a ninja, as his small frail wrists indicated he had been branded by the black mark. The snakes eyes softened when they met the frightened child and he turned to fully face him before ducking down onto one knee to address him more easily.
"Do you need help?" He asked the ninja, the child seemed to be more comfortable now that he could see the Sannin was less angry about his hair being tugged on. Perhaps the child had attempted to call him in a nice way but the serpent had not heard, either way the boy was happy to finally get the chance to speak with the higher leveled ninja.
"I'm lost." He said uneasily, "and mom says that I mustn't talk to the NW's, they don't care about ninja and- you're one of the Sannin right? Which means you help people all the time, so you know how to find my mom."
The blur of words were slightly improper sounding coming from the boys mouth, he slurred some of his words, and left others half finished. Regardless, it was easy to tell the child had spotted the Legendary ninja and recalled hearing about the great stories told of him and his team. He had clearly missed the part of the Sannins departure from his village and betrayal, but such was what children did. They heard what it was they wanted to hear and nothing more. All the boy cared about now was finding his mother when he was lost in a city of men who wanted to kill him, and once he spotted a hero from a war time he had evidently convinced himself he was safe. The Sannin had no idea where to start as he had no jutsu to use as tracking devices. He had as much luck as any other ninja for that matter, ranking from Genin to Kage. He couldn't bare to shatter the childs reassurance and he smiled before rising.
"Of course, how does she look?" Orochimaru said.
"Like me, but taller." The boy said unhelpfully.
"Brown hair, brown eyes." Orochimaru assessed for what he could, "long or short hair?"
"Long... But not as long as yours, so short." The boy said trying his best to make sense of his own information. Orochimaru refrained from chuckling.
"Alright, and when last did you see her?" He asked.
"A little while ago, we were in a shop and she asked me to wait for her." The boy stammered, "but then I ran off because I wanted to catch something I saw, but I can't find the shop."
Orochimaru did not bother ask what the boy had run off to catch, children were often adventurous, chasing things that had little value or point. He nodded as he requested his next answer.
"What was the shop selling?" The Sannin asked.
"Boring things." The child answered easily. Orochimaru asked him to be more specific.
"Books." The child said.
"Alright, well let's find the nearest book store then." The serpent said, he walked a few steps and glanced back to make sure the child was following. The boy was too scared to ask strangers for directions, and it made sense as the citizens were hostile to any ninja. The Sannin however, had no issues breaking the city people out of their day to day zoned out states and asked the nearest man to him where he could find a book store close by. The man was irritated, but when he met the snakes eyes he decided for some reason to simply answer rather than try and start arguing with the intimidating slitted frames. He gestured down a street and told him to make two lefts. The Sannin thanked him with a polite yet obviously fake smile, it was not a friendly exchange as it so easily could have been, but it had gotten the snake the information he needed.
He lead the boy down the streets he was told to go down and soon they ended up by a bookstore which seemed promising. The Sannin went to the door and opened it for the child who trotted in eagerly exclaiming how this was the shop, but his face dropped when he could not locate his mother in the few isles. Orochimaru told him not to worry and went to the women at the desk, she looked up and greeted the male.
"This boy's mother was in this shop a few moments ago, do you know where she went?" He asked.
"She left, and then came back in looking for her child actually." The women stated, "seemed awfully worried, but I didn't ask her where she would search next sorry."
Orochimaru thanked her for her help and left the store to see a small restaurant beside it. He made his way to a couple at the table closest, they had empty plates of food giving off the impression that they had been there long. Which lead the Sannin to believe they may have seen the incident themselves. They seemed agitated at the interruption and the man at the table barked his annoyance.
The child hid behind the Sannin and looked up at him for more reassurance upon noting that they were talking to NW citizens. Once again the snake showed no signs of being nervous or even annoyed at the greeting.
"This boy lost his mother, did you see a brunette women pass here looking for someone?" Orochimaru asked.
"Yeah I did, but it's not my job to help irresponsible ninja." The man snapped.
"Perhaps not, but it is not this boys fault for being split from his parent. If not for the sake of the mother at least inform us of which way we should go for the boy." Orochimaru said again, the man seemed irritated at the small guilt trip and looked at the frightened child before flicking a cloth at the boy who retreated a step still clutching onto the snakes clothes.
"No, get out of here." The man said, the women at the table seemed uneasy. Orochimaru decided not to bother with the man, who was far to quick to ignore the scared boy, he faced the women.
"Will you tell us which way she went?" He asked. He knew not to try and be intimidating to get the women to answer, so instead he allowed his lurid eyes to soften slightly and worked on guilt tripping her maternal side.
"She went that way, I think she entered that store actually. Haven't seen her leave yet either." The women said, the man told her she should have remained quiet.
"Thank you." Orochimaru said to the women, he ignored the man when he tried to snap some remark at him, he made a point of not even making eye contact. Even when the man barked he look at him the snake turned his attention to the boy and requested he follow. They entered the store and the boys eyes snapped up at a tall brunette woman who looked startled as she spoke to a man behind a cashier. Clothes lined the isles and the boy tore through them all to hug his mothers legs. She jumped in fright but then swiped tears from her eyes as she had evidently been crying in her panicked search for her only child, and possibly only family member. The Sannin hung by the door for a moment but he didn't wait for thanks or acknowledgment. Possibly the worst part of a mission for him was the person he had helped giving him praise. He didn't like praise, not because he couldn't appreciate their gratitude but because he never truly felt he was worthy of such things, he had done what needed doing, there was nothing more to it. He wasn't owed anything. He slipped out the store and could hear the boy blasting about how he had been guided by one of the Sannin. The mother asked which one and the boy couldn't quite reply with a name, but instead went on to describe him as, the pretty golden eyed one. The mother hugged her son and asked if he had thanked the snake summoner, to which the boy said he didn't get the chance.
That was all the Sannin could hear before they fell out of ear shot anyhow. When he was a few steps down the street he heard a man yell for him to stop.
"That's him!"
"He didn't do anything!" A woman said. The snake Sannin turned to see three cops approaching him, while the couple he had just disturbed stood by a van with a NW marking on it. Orochimaru halted when the officer commanded him to, they had guns and it made the snake feel uneasy as they were aimed right at him.
"No sudden moves ninja, come with us." One man ordered.
"What have I done?" The Sannin asked as calmly as he could.
"This gentlemen has rights to believe you threatened him and his wife for information." The man replied, "now get into the vehicle."
"Get into the what?" The Sannin asked unfamiliar with most of the terms still, he figured it out after they cuffed his hands and shoved him into the van just after pinning him to the vehicle and disarming him of his blade. He hissed as his head knocked the top of the car as they roughly handled him.
He cursed lightly under his breath, what would happen if they found out his mark was a fake? It would be a disaster, he would be imprisoned all over again, or worse, killed. He covered his hands with his long sleeves and waited for the cops to start the car. The women glared at her husband who ignored her cold looks and stared at the Sannin through the window.
The snake wanted to show the man the true meaning of a threat, but failed to see how that would help his case. He had no idea what his rights were at that time either, but he guessed he didn't have many to work with anyhow. The van roared to life and ventured down the street taking many tight corners at rather high speeds. The Sannin was unfamiliar with the motion of a car and every pull off or sped up motion had his stomach twist. He allowed his golden eyes to scan the area as they drove, to ensure he knew the route home dare he have to escape once more.
"Where am I going?" The snake asked.
"Luckily for you, just to a holding cell for a couple of nights. Then we will decide what community service to give you." The man said.
"Do I not get to defend myself?" The serpent asked.
"No." The man said abruptly.
"How many days must I be locked up for?" He asked nervously, he couldn't imagine their prisons being a place he wished to visit.
"A night or two." The man driving answered, "don't panic him you asshole."
His last statement was aimed at the officer who had originally spoken to the snake, evidently noting the Sannin had become anxious.
"Why do I not get to defend myself? I didn't threaten anybody." Orochimaru argued. The driver sighed, he was the more sympathetic of the three cops.
"I can't imagine someone like you threatening anybody to be honest." The man said, the cop sitting in the passenger seat elbowed him harshly.
"Stop siding with the fucking ninja." He said.
"Yeah, besides, I got a knife off of him." The cop sitting beside the Sannin added.
"In these streets? Who doesn't have a knife on them." The cop driving said, "and besides that, I was just saying this is another person using their privileges to make a point. This ninja didn't do shit, doesn't mean I'm going to let him off with out any proper means of discipline. But I'm just saying, don't be harsh on the guy."
The other cops ignored him after that comment and the drive to the station was an awkward one. Orochimaru looked out the window hoping this hadn't just ruined his chances of keeping his new found job. It would set him back days if it did, the job at the gas station had been pure luck. The odds of a ninja finding work a second time was near to nothing. They pulled to a stop and the man pushed him towards the door before exiting. Once again his fragile form was shoved and pulled in all directions and he could feel his muscles tense when ever someone neared him. He was eventually released into a small cell consisting of two other men, both of which NW citizens with tattooed arms and shoulders. They looked at the ninja curiously, the one was slightly scrawny, but still bigger in build in comparison to the Sannin. The other could have easily been bigger than the other two combined. Orochimaru kept his concerns to himself and allowed his usual calm and reassured look to surface. He went to the bars of the holding cell to peer out at the men shuffling around in their matching uniforms. The serpent wanted to know his rights as he wasn't updated on them due to escaping rather than agreeing to the conditions of the proposal.
"Do I not get to inform anyone of where I am?" Orochimaru asked, realizing Kakashi would likely be worried sick. A cop sitting at a desk drinking something hot looked over at him and nodded.
"Yeah princess you do." He said coming to the gate.
The Sannin hadn't expected to get his way in the cell and watched as he was removed from the cage and taken to a weird object, he had seen men use it before.
"You have one call, after that the phone is off limits." The man said, "you can also call for bail."
Orochimaru nodded and unhooked the phone, he then noticed the weird buttons and odd shaped device before him. He didn't want to look inexperienced in front of the NW citizens, he hated looking as if he needed help. However he had no idea how to work the phone, and besides that, who could he call? He had two numbers in his pocket, one was his boss who he dared not call. He couldn't think of anything worse than calling his new boss asking for help out of prison on day one. Then he had the number of the stranger who had given him money as compensation. He hardly wanted to owe the man anything more than he already did, but his group did not have phones or numbers to call.
He mentally fought with himself until one of the cops laughed lightly.
"It's not the biggest decision in your life princess. Just make the call to your closest known friend and be done with it." The man said. Orochimaru ignored him before deciding he would be forced to request the mans help. He entered the numbers as he guessed that would be what he would need to do to start the process, then he halted once they were in. The cops watched him.
"The green button." One called, "click the green button and put the phone to your ear. God you ninja are hopeless at technology."
"No shit man, they didn't have technology." The officer who had defended the snake earlier said.
Orochimaru hit the green button and lifted the odd piece of metal to his ear, it was odd to him to be doing such a thing and he almost jumped when the phone started beeping. Then a voice picked up, familiar yet different in the intercom of the phone.
"Hello you've reached Saura, who is this?" The man said.
"Hi-" the Sannin started, he didn't know what to say, it all had been rather out of place, "it's Orochimaru."
"Ninja, surprised you called. What's wrong?" The man said, "you sound like you're in trouble again need me to come pick you up."
"Yes." He said it quickly, he hadn't meant to.
"Alright, where are you?" Saura said.
"The police station." Orochimaru said.
"The police? Okay don't panic I'll be there soon. Which one?" Saura asked.
"Which one? I- I don't know." The serpent said looking around the room for the name of the building. It wasn't there and he eventually looked at one of the officers, the one who had been the nicer one of the lot, "which police station is this?"
"Upper East wood." The man called.
"I heard that, I'll be there soon." Saura said on the other end of the phone, he then hung up and a dull noise echoed. Orochimaru held the phone for a minute longer before placing it back into the box he had seen the man put it in.
The officer looked at him then gestured he take a seat on the other end of the table, he then questioned him about his name and asked he hand over his ID. The Sannin hadn't been given one as he had escaped, he didn't allow it to worry him.
"I lost it." The Sannin said.
"What?" The man said, "damn it, you ninja don't take this seriously at all. None of the ninja ever have their bloody books."
"Just fill in his name, take a picture of him and load it onto the system with his finger print. We don't need his ID." Another officer stated easily. He pulled the Sannin over and did things which slightly alarmed the snake. He didn't know why they needed an inked version of his finger print, and he didn't like the flashing of their camera which was much louder and brighter than the ninjas simpler versions. When the interrogation was finally over a man entered the station and called to the Sannin.
"Orochimaru." He said as he placed a reassuring hand on his slim arm. The Sannin looked up to meet eyes with the man he had met days earlier, "he is with me, I'll pay his bail what did he do?"
"Shit all." The nicer officer said under his breath.
"He threatened a couple on Tatru street." The officer said, "is he with you?"
"I didn't stutter." Saura snapped, "this system is ridiculous. You're just looking to make extra money you corrupt bastards."
"Calm down sir." A man said beside him.
"Here's the bail amount." The man at the desk said unimpressed. Saura roughly signed something and retrieved money out of his pockets, Orochimaru noted how much it was and reminded himself he would now have to add that amount to the total. Saura then guided the Sannin away from the station and lead him to a fancy looking machine. The cars doors opened when he clicked a button on a small device in his hand and he helped the serpent into the passenger side before getting into the drivers seat. The car roared to life with much more power than any of the other cars the serpent had heard and it startled him momentarily. It was also much faster and the first pull away caused the Sannin to tense up noticeably as he yelped softly. He didn't allow his weakness to show again as Saura apologized. The next time they stopped the man reached out an arm to stop the Sannin from falling into the dash board, as he never seemed to expect the next stop still unaware that red lights indicated they could not continue. He caught on swiftly as he didn't like the physical contact despite its good intentions. Orochimaru then realized he was not being taken to his groups motel, and that he hadn't told the man where he needed to go.
"I'll pay you back for the bail- and the compensation money. Just give me time." Orochimaru said. Saura laughed.
"No don't, it's nothing to me." He said.
"For my sake, I'd like to clear my debt." The Sannin said.
"It's not debt if I gave it to you." Saura said again.
"I don't want-" the Sannin was cut off.
"Tell you what, I'm having a party tomorrow night. Why don't you come, call it pay back." Saura said, upon seeing the snake tensed at the idea he added, "you can bring anyone you want."
"Alright, where is it?" Orochimaru said deciding he was happy if he could bring with his group.
"I'll pick you up, where do you stay?" Saura asked.
"In a motel not far from here." Orochimaru said honestly. The man nodded seemingly feeling bad for the svelte male upon hearing he was resigning in a lower part of the neighborhood. He allowed the Sannin to direct him to the specific motel he was staying at and parked outside it.
"I'll walk you in." He said as he opened the serpents door, the serpent didn't object deciding he might as well be polite. Saura had done him many favors. They walked up the stairs which were empty now that it was daytime besides one or two ninja cleaning up the hallways.
Orochimaru opened the door to their motel and invited the man inside deciding he may as well give the last of his manners, his parents had taught him such courtesy. Saura seemed to be happy to enter the dingy little motel room and accepted easily. They were met by Tsukiko who hopped and bounded to the snake Sannin completely ignoring the male beside his owner. Orochimaru greeted the dog with equal enthusiasm and knelt down to hug the canine as it licked at his face. It appeared as if his injuries had healed slightly his leg evidently no longer causing him any grief. Saura bent down to greet the dog as well, but the Sannin guessed it was only due to seeing the serpent cared for his dog. The thought of greeting the animal never would have occurred to the NW before he noted the person he was with cared for it. Orochimaru got to his feet as Tuskiko greeted the man sceptically. The dog was naturally cautious of strangers and the Sannin didn't judge the mans character off of his response knowing it was warped by the dogs bad past.
"We don't have much to offer you, anything to drink?" The serpent asked.
"I'm alright thanks." Saura said, he then went to a note pad provided by the motel and jotted down an address. He then placed more money on the table and moved over to the door near the ninja.
"What are you-" Orochimaru objected before the man cut him off.
"That's my address if you ever need me for anything, or a place to stay whatever." Saura said.
"And the money, I don't need more." Orochimaru said slightly hopelessly as he moved black strands away from his eyes, it was almost exhausting trying not to owe the man more and more money.
"Incase you need anything. It's a tough neighbourhood." Saura said, "you can always use a bit of extra."
Saura then moved forwards to hug the Sannin goodbye, in which the snake more out of confusion hugged him back as he swung out the motel room. Orochimaru leant against the door frame wishing he was in less of a dependent position. So far, the man hadn't done anything worthy of suspicion, he had been more than helpful and polite. The serpent slipped back into the room and shut the door before slumping onto the couch propping his legs up and drawing them to his chest. Tsukiko hopped up on to the couch beside him and lay down loyally.
Although it was all a show of kindness, any kind of debt left the snakes stomach in a knot.
Authors note- it's been busy, sorry for the late update. Hope everyone is still fine and enjoying the story. Please leave reviews and a huge thanks to those who do!