Ah thanks to those commenters and readers and kudos. It was nice seeing them.
The story continues! As always life is very busy and I get this baby going when I can. After reviewing, editing and all that stuff, I fall upon my buddies to help fill in the gaps of my head... haha
Happy February! On with the show.
Kushina hurried into the castle walls, determined to prepare herself to face King Orochimaru when he arrived. He was early, but she was certain he prepared for that. He was to arrive one month before their apparent marriage, but that was still three months away! She clenched her teeth, aggravated at the thought that he would have some excuse to come earlier than his message had first stated.
"Fuck that snake," she cursed out and slammed her chamber door. But she refused to look weak and volatile before him. She was queen dammit and she certainly wasn't going to let this man think he could just walk all over her! She would present herself as the strong, enduring woman that she was in her throne room when he arrived.
Quickly dressing in her breeches, hose and chemise, covered with her underskirt and then her long gown, Kushina called her ladies of waiting to quickly do her hair and make up. Rarely did she dress so extravagantly these days, but be damned if she was going to show that snake who the real Kushina was. If King Orochimaru was expecting some weak flower queen, then she would give him that charade until it was time to show him just what he was dealing with. If he discovered just what a strong independent queen she was, no telling what he would try to do to her, her people and kingdom to break that spirit within her.
Grabbing her fan and crown, she made her way down to the throne room and heard the call from the courtyard of King Orochimaru's arrival. Sitting on her throne, she took several breaths to relax her face, and practiced her innocent smile before the doors would open. Kakashi stood by her right side, standing proud and tall, his face showing no sign of emotion but his stance showing his complete dedication to the queen.
When the doors opened, Kushina gave a feigned look of appreciation and fluttered her eyes, giving a combined look of surprise as well. King Orochimaru, dressed in traveling robes, donned with armor, Kushina had to give the man credit for making himself look good. His white and black robes with the silver armor, reflected his long black hair that was tied in a ponytail, his skin was pale, but his dark eyes, black eye brows and lashes shone out, leaving him looking mysterious yet handsome. His eyes were traced with a light purple eyeliner, adding a mysterious look to his eyes.
Orochimaru strode through the throne room with his head held high, a smirk upon his lips and his eyes focused on the queen. His knights flanked his side, keeping up with his stride and stood at attention when Orochimaru halted and bowed his head slightly.
"Queen Kushina," Orochimaru called out. "Words cannot express how my breath was stolen away when my eyes were blessed with your beauty." He held out an open palm before him, his other fist clenched at his heart while he expressed himself.
Kushina suppressed rolling her eyes and fluttered her fan before her face at Orochimaru's flattering words. "My lord, you surprise me with your early arrival." She mentally gagged at herself when she heard her sickenly sweet voice, but she kept up the act. "Not that I'm complaining," she giggled out and fluttered her fan. "But I certainly wanted to ensure all the preparations were completed before you came."
"Do accept my apologies my queen," Orochimaru responded and began to step before her. "In my haste, I forgot to consider the time of year that I was planning to attend. Should I have traveled when planned, my men and I would have been battling the elements of winter." He then snickered out and took a knee before Kushina, extending his hand to take hers in his own. "Please accept my apology my queen, I mean no disrespect to you and I will ensure that my men will assist your kingdom in any way to ensure we have not imposed." He then kissed Kushina's hand, his eyes looking up strongly at Kushina's emerald eyes.
Kushina flashed a shy smile, allowing Orochimaru to plant a light kiss on her hand. Internally she gagged at the gesture, but she gently pulled her hand back when he pulled his lips away. "My lord, such forwardness could start rumors," she giggled and fluttered her fans.
"Such beauty cannot be ignored," Orochimaru purred out.
"Allow my head of guard to show your men to their quarters," she waved a hand to Kakashi who stepped forward with a bow. "And my courtier will attend to you and your courtiers to your quarters." She waved her hand towards the brunette man on her left, Iruka, who bowed deeply. "While you are getting settled, I have some items I must attend to. Perhaps at dinner we can discuss on where you and your men can assist?" Kushina fluttered her lashes at Orochimaru.
"I look forward to it my queen," Orochimaru gave a slight sneer of smile before bowing his head slightly and turning to follow Iruka out of the main chamber. Kakashi called out to the remainder of the men and led the group out into the front yard, heading towards the barracks.
Once all the men were gone from the chamber, Kushina slouched into her throne, releasing a long sigh. She needed to think about what she was going to say when the Uchiha men got here and fast. Calling her ladies in waiting, she sent one off to give a message to Kakashi and then headed to one of her many sitting rooms. She needed time to think.
~~elsewhere~~
Sasuke took long breaths in hopes to keep his breathing steady and heart calm. His eyes remained closed while he listened in the darkness. The heavy breaths of the dragon still echoed between the walls of the dark cavern and at times he could hear the large body move. How it was moving, he wasn't sure, but the dragon certainly didn't appear to be walking anywhere. Peeking through his eyelids, he looked about, trying to determine his next move.
The dragon had obviously not been pleased with him moving about the cavern, a painful reminder of him being pushed about was on his body. No bones broken, but the floor and wall certainly wasn't a soft bunch of pillows. The small area of light somewhere deep within the cave ceiling was still there, giving a fraction of light for him to see shadows of shapes. He determined that the dragon wasn't near him, per say, and decided to roll over to his side. Clenching his teeth through the discomfort of the cuts and scratches that were rubbed while he moved, he managed to prop his front end up on his elbows. He scanned the area but couldn't see into the deep darkened areas. Deciding to take the risk, he slowly moved up, crouching onto his feet and waited. Still nothing…Though the breathing dragon was still somewhere in the darkness, it didn't appear to be near him. He looked to wear the small beam of light appeared to be coming from and stood. Sasuke glanced about him again before starting toward the light, taking each step carefully and ears open to any other type of movement.
He was several steps closer to where he believed the light was coming and managed to suppress a cry of surprise. The dragon's eye was right before him, staring straight at him, as it had twice before. It's slitted pupil was wide and Sasuke could see it widen and narrow in fractions, and the layered scales that covered its head around the eye. He stood frozen and rigid, his mind racing with thoughts of making a run for it into the darkness or just accepting that he was most likely dragon chow.
The beast's head turned slightly and Sasuke found himself faced with two large nostrils that flared open and closed slightly, the breath washing over his body as if the dragon was smelling him. The dragon's breath was warm and didn't smell of anything, which surprised him. "Umph…" his breath was stolen from him with the dragon's snout pushed against his chest. He ended up stumbling back a couple steps, but remained standing. 'What the fuck…' Sasuke thought to himself, but before he could think another thought, the snout pushed against him – again. This time Sasuke was ready for it, he didn't stumble, much, but the dragon's shove was gentle. The snout pushed him back again, but a tad harder and Sasuke stumbled back again. "Wha–" he whispered out, but once again, the snout pushed against his chest. 'Was it pushing him back?' Sasuke tested this theory and again, the snout pushed his chest and Sasuke looked behind him as he slightly stumbled.
To appease the beast, he began to walk backwards slowly, and with each step, the snout moved with him, appearing to urge him on. The strong warm breaths still washed over him, the nostrils still flexing open and closed and Sasuke's feet hit something, causing him to tumble and he fell back on his ass. His fall wasn't on the hard ground, but on the massive pile of wool blankets. The same one he came across earlier. 'This make shift nest?' Sasuke scrambled backwards into the pile of wool blankets when the head of the dragon began to hover over his body. Panicking that he was about to be crushed, he struggled to move out of the way. He wasn't quick enough though and the dragon's head pushed at the side of his body, causing him to be forced to his side, face first into the blanket pile. He then felt the muzzle of the dragon pushing the pile of blankets over his body. 'What the hell!' Sasuke was at a loss of what was going on, but didn't move. The dragon pushed his snout into a now covered Sasuke and let out a long warm breath before moving away into the darkness again. Sasuke lay still, his body buried under old smelling blankets and tried to process what the heck just happened, again.
Several minutes passed before a whoosh of noise breached the air that had Sasuke finally move from his position. Lifting his head slightly, his eyes peered through the darkness to find that there was now a soft light flickering through the shadows. Small flames flickered a couple meters away and he could now make out the massive form of the beast.
The creature was at least ten meters tall, from what he could tell at this distance. The best he could associate with the size was this dragon was the size of the church back at home that held at least 300 people. It appeared that its entire body was encased in scales of all sizes and reflected different colours when the fire light hit them at different angles. The sight and size of the dragon in the flickering soft fire light entranced him, Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off it for some time. The length of the tail was phenomenal, how something so massive could move so gracefully through the air without a sound, other than the man sized spikes on the tail creating a slight hissing sound when they whipped through the air.
It's long neck looked graceful but thick all the way up to the tremendous head. Sasuke's eyes took in the colourful scales up the heavy set neck to the impressive head of the dragon. The dragon had ears, he could see that now, they were flickering about. The ears were long, narrow and pointed and settled near two horns that curled out from the head. Its muzzle was similar to a horse, long snout with two large nostrils protruding from the end. Though Sasuke couldn't see them, he knew the mouth was full of large teeth and fangs and was somewhat surprised to not see any incisors outside the lips. The small fire crackled beneath the head of the dragon and the massive head turned slightly to look directly at him.
Sasuke held his breath, his fists clenching around the mounds of old woolen blankets beneath him. The dragon's body twisted slightly towards him, its impressive legs and feet took only two steps before its head was before him once more, its nostrils huffing out warm breaths of air upon his body. Sasuke was once again struck with fear on seeing how imposing the size of the dragon was compared to himself. The muzzle quickly pushed against his chest, but not hard enough to push him over and a long heated breath ruffled his hair. The dragon head turned towards the fire for a fraction of second before turning to look down upon Sasuke again. When Sasuke didn't move, the dragon pushed its nostrils against Sasuke's chest again and turned towards the fire.
'What is going on–' Sasuke thought, trying to will his heart to slow down and decipher the situation. 'Does it want me to–?'
A long huffed warm breath once again blew through his hair, almost sounding exasperated and drained. The dragon's head turned once more but this time didn't stop as it's body followed the head towards the small flickering fire. It laid its head near the fire, it's one eye still looking towards Sasuke.
Taking the movements of the dragon into consideration, Sasuke tilted his head in thought briefly before making the decision.
'I think it wants me near the fire…'
He inhaled a long breath and pinched his lips together. He would do this. His curiosity was beginning to get the better of him and what more could he do anyhow?
Sasuke moved slightly, watching the dragon, but the eye just watched him, the body and head not moving. He rolled to his feet slowly, his arms out to keep his balance and he stood gradually. The dragon remained lying down, its vast body still lying on the ground of the cave, blending into the darkness that the firelight couldn't reach. Stepping out of the mound of woolen blankets carefully, Sasuke placed his feet onto the cave floor towards the dragon. The eye glistened and twinkled with the fire light but still the beast didn't move.
The fire looked inviting, as Sasuke realized the chill in the cave. The air was heavy with humidity, which didn't do well for keeping warm. He shivered involuntarily and clasped his hands together, realizing that they were ice cold. Stepping through the graveled ground, he treaded softly and slowly towards the fire. 'Okay…'
As he made his way to the small fire, he never left the eye of the dragon that watched him. The pupil was black, not surprising but would slit like a cat's eye and currently it was dilated to almost round. The colour that surrounded the pupil appeared to be several shades of a radiant red and iridescent with each step Sasuke took around the beast. He briefly wondered what it would be like to be able to be only inches from the eye to see all the colours mixing.
He felt the heat coming from the small fire and his body immediately moved closer. He risked taking his eyes off the beast that continuously watched to make his way on the far side of the warm flames. Moving his hands closer to the flames, rubbing his hands together to spread the heat he again looked at the colossal head that was a good two meters away from him. The eye then blinked lazily and Sasuke watched as the lid completely covered the eye and he could see the small details of scaling on the lid as well. 'Fascinating. The eyelids appear to be also encased in scales.' The lid rose just as slowly and Sasuke could see the pupil adjust ever so slightly in the flickering light. A low sounding groan escaped the dragon's nostrils and Sasuke tilted his head from the noise. His legs suddenly shook with fatigue and Sasuke decided to sit.
He watched the dragon intently, taking in all the small details before realizing he still had his satchel on him. Slowly moving his hands towards the bag hanging against his hip, he unlatched the lock and reached inside. The eye of the dragon continued to watch him, at times the lid would lazily blink as it did before. Pulling out his notebook and pencil, he managed to slip open the book and start to write what his eyes were seeing.
Several minutes may have passed, Sasuke wasn't sure, before the beast began to move. Again Sasuke was impressed how such a massive creature could move so silently. He held still, holding his breath as the head of the beast turned into the darkness, it's body following along, the tail lifted slightly off the ground so it wouldn't drag. He felt the rumbles in the ground as the obviously heavy creature walked away into the darkness. Looking down at his book, he had written pages of information from his quiet observation. A flash of excitement pushed through him at the thought of all the information he had regarding such an impressive creature that probably no other living person had the honour of knowing. Sasuke flinched suddenly when a mess of fish fell before him on the cave floor. Several were still flopping about and he recognized the familiar fish that the Uzumaki and Uchiha kingdoms both used. Shocked on the sudden pile of fish, he wrinkled his nose slightly at the noticeable translucent slime that dripped over them. He looked up to see the mouth of the dragon several feet above his head, the slime dripping from it's frightening lines of teeth. He scuttled backwards suddenly, away from the pile of slimy moving fish, feeling alarmed.
The loud smacks of the dragon clamping its jaws were heard as it moved its head back and away from Sasuke and the small fire. Sasuke clenched his notebook to his chest, his eyes watching the descent of the massive dragon head, feeling the vibrations in the floor of the dragon stepping about. To his surprise, the dragon once again laid it's head to the floor, on the far side of the fire, it's one large eye watching him intently. Sasuke once again, heard the low sounding groan from the dragon's nostrils and long exasperated breath.
'It.. It brought me food?' Sasuke looked at the dragon's eye and down at the pile of fish, some of it still wiggling slightly. He shuffled forward slightly, his eyes moving from the dragon to the fish before reaching for a long stick that was resting near him. Grasping it slowly, he poked at one of the silver slimy fish and pulled it towards him. The dragon did nothing, it's eye just focused directly at him as he arranged the fish closer to him. Grasping the silver fish, he stabbed the stick directly through its mouth then looked up when hearing a grunt and huff. The dirt of the cave floor swirled slightly and then settled just as quickly, but the dragon still didn't move. Continuing on, Sasuke held the fish over the small flames.
The fish cooked and Sasuke could hear his stomach grumble. He knew it had been some time since he ate last and he couldn't remember cooked fish smelling so divine. The dragon continued to watch and Sasuke wasted no time in eating the fish when it was done. Since the silver fish wasn't that big, Sasuke grabbed a few more of the silver fish and speared a few of them on the stick to cook. Several bones were now in a pile before him when Sasuke determined he was now satiated. The eye of the dragon continued to blink and watch him, it's pupil at times dilating smaller or bigger just a fraction. Sasuke looked at the remaining fish, a few, but he was too full to eat anymore. Pondering for a second in thought, he then reached for the remaining fish and cooked them anyhow. When they were ready, he decided to take a risk on what he thought. He threw the cooked fish at the dragon's head, one at a time. They landed with a plop to the cave floor before the dragon's nose, but the last one smacked wetly on one of the nostrils and Sasuke inhaled a deep hissed breath in anxiety. 'Ah shit!' Was the mantra in his head when the dragon's head suddenly snapped up with a snort. Sasuke scrambled back slightly at the sudden movement, his heart rate soaring with fear.
The dragon's head just hovered high above, its eyes blinking until it shook its head and snorted out through it's nose. The bits of fish stuck to it's muzzle flew in all directions, Sasuke had to hold his arm up to avoid the raining bits. The dragon then lowered its head to the fallen fish on the cave floor and sharply inhaled several times. Sasuke lowered his arm and watched attentively. Slowly, with the dragon's eyes now on him, it's muzzle opened and Sasuke could see the rows of intense teeth. A long tongue, forked at the end, poked out and wrapped around one of the cooked fish. With a blink the tongue with fish slipped back between the dragon's jaws and Sasuke watched with awe the one or two chews the dragon did, before it's tongue appeared again, grabbing another cooked fish. 'Huh… look at that.' Blindly he reached for his notebook and pencil, and began to write again.
~~intermission~~
"You called for me your majesty?" Kakashi called into the room he just stepped in, his eyes sweeping the area looking for his queen.
"Yes Kakashi, please come sit." Kushina called out, stepping out from beside a grand fireplace. She took a seat in a high back plush armchair. "We need to determine a plan for the Uchiha army. I can't risk the King of Sound to know of Sasuke-kun's quest." She snarled through her teeth and slammed on of her fists into her open palm. "I can't trust that snake to play fair with anything!" She shook her head in frustration, her fiery red hair bouncing about.
Kakashi eyed Kushina with admiration. When she began determined, her face would flush beautifully, her eyes would flash with fire and her hair would sparkle in the sunbeams when it moved about her, making it look as if it was on fire.
"I agree your majesty. Could we get a messenger to the deployed knights before they arrive here?"
Kushina tapped her chin with her finger, thinking about it. "Can we risk someone leaving without Orochimaru's men questioning it?" She shook her head angrily. "I don't trust any of them Kakashi! If I am to keep him thinking I'm an airheaded flirty female, there is no doubt that someone, anyone, would keep him informed of something like a knight leaving unexpectedly."
Kakashi nodded in agreement with his queen. It was no secret in the kingdoms that the Sound King was brilliant, a mastermind and with his own selection of soothsayers at his command, it seemed that hardly any information got past him. If he found out the quest that Sasuke was on, with the possibility of Sasuke marrying Kushina upon his return, Kakashi knew without a doubt that the Sound King would make haste on making sure Prince Sasuke either remained lost, or ended up dead.
"I can send one of the stable boys. We could make it appear that he just lives in the village outside, and he should be able to slip away to intercept the Uchiha knights."
"I'll prepare a parchment, and send a copy to King Uchiha as well," Kushina whispered out quickly, grabbing some parchment. "Give me a few moments to complete." She sat at one of her sitting tables and began to write while Kakashi thought about which boy he could trust to send. He hoped that the elder and experienced Captain was still in charge and would be attending this group. He had grown to appreciate and respect the older Captain, and knew for certain that his loyalties were strong to a core, and would understand the situation. The queen broke him from his thoughts when she presented him with the completed message. He nodded quickly, shoving the message within his inner pocket before heading out to find just the right stable boy to make the trek.
Kakashi wandered out to the stables, watching as the various staff were taking care of the horses from the King of Sound's group. Their horses were much larger and muscular than their own, but it was to be expected since the kingdom of Sound came from a much more torrid terrain. Their horses were at least three more hands high than their own, tufts of hair covered their huge hooves to aid in tromping through thick snow and their thick leg muscles helped their bodies get over the mountainous terrain of their home land. They certainly were an impressive breed. Ducking into one of the stables, he thought he saw the familiar brown hair of the lad he was looking for.
"Konohamaru!" Kakashi called out and the smaller boy stopped and looked towards him immediately. "A word lad." He gestured his head to the side before turning towards a small stock room and ducking inside.
"Yes Captain!" the boy yelled out before placing a steed in a stable, securing the stable door before running after Kakashi.
When the boy entered the stock room, Kakashi quickly looked out into the stable, as if seeing if anyone saw them before he slipped the door closed quietly. The boy, about twelve years of age, was loyal to the hilt and was always eager to please and learn. Kakashi had a soft spot for this young lad who showed impressive stamina when training with a sword. He looked upon the boy who rocked on the balls of his feet, his eyes wide with adoration and excitement.
"Konohamaru," Kakashi started. "How loyal are you to your queen?" He figured he would just ask bluntly out to start.
"Oh Kakashi-sensei, I would give my life for her!" he responded with vigor. "I would travel to slay the dragon and bring back the head just for her! And the village too! She deserves the best cause she is the best sir!" Konohamaru saluted Kakashi firmly.
Kakashi chuckled at the youth's enthusiasm. "Then I have an important mission that needs to be completed, and requires extreme stealth."
"Like a ninja sir?" Konohamaru whispered loudly, his eyes looking about as if he was seeing if anyone was looking in.
"More like a spy little one," Kakashi chuckled. "Your queen needs your help," he continued on, dropping his voice to a low whisper. "And I have the utmost faith that you are the one that can complete this. Are you loyal to a fault and have the ability to deliver a message without a single soul knowing?" He dropped to his knee to be at the boy's eye level, his own eyes screaming with seriousness.
Konohamaru gasped and saluted once again, holding his chin out firmly. "Yes sir," he whispered loudly. "You can count on me, or else chop off my head!"
"Hopefully it won't come to that boy," Kakashi grimiched slightly at the thought of having to behead the boy. "A message needs to be taken to the Uchiha knights that are on their way right now. This message needs to be taken to Captain Yamato before they arrive. He must read it before their party arrives here. Do you have the loyalty and courage to follow through with the queen's request?" Kakashi whispered out and kept his eyes on the lad, looking for any signs of fear or question.
Konohamaru pinched his lips tight and gave a firm nod of his head, his two fingers still holding a steady salute and heels clicked tight together. Kakashi swore he could see the boy's nostrils flaring with excitement. Pulling the folded parchment out of his inside pocket, Kakashi whispered the details to the small boy before sending him on his way.
~~elsewhere in castle~~
King Orochimaru sat calmly in a high backed armchair, in his hands was a large writing book, and he flipped through the pages lazily with a small smirk upon his lips. His eyes skimmed through the details written and his eyes looked up briefly when his most trusted advisor entered the room quietly. The silver haired young man swiftly brought himself to one knee and bowed his head before Orochimaru.
"My lord, are you settled?" the man asked.
"As well as can be. Are the men settled?" the king responded, not even looking up from the book in his hands.
"They are working on their arrangements as we speak my lord," the man responded, head still bowed.
"Very good Kabuto," Orochimaru whispered. He flicked his eyes at the bowing man. "Time is of the essence, and I trust you have studied the layout of the Uzumaki castle to memory?"
Kabuto smirked slightly, "yes my lord."
"Starting tonight then, you will start your mission," he quickly snapped his book shut and gave Kabuto a sneer. "I have no doubt that Kushina is hiding information she and her spies may have discovered about that dragon. I will find it and make it my own." He smirked when the silver haired man gave an encouraging nod and a look of pure loyalty in response. Orochimaru sat up straighter and brought his thumb and forefinger to his chin, rubbing his smooth skin gently. He pinched his lips in thought, "hmmm, if everything is correct as it is written by my necromancer, Konan, then we should be able to either find where the dragon den is or know when it will most likely strike next." He hummed in excitement.
"What shall we tell the queen, your majesty?" Kabuto hummed out quietly.
Orochimaru smirked, "well if she is smart, she will tell me about the kingdom's struggles since that dragon arrived." Yes, many kingdoms knew about the woes of the Uzumaki kingdom, but very rarely would those kingdoms take the chance and challenge such a creature. Dragon's hadn't been seen for many decades, centuries even, but there was no mistaking the power they had. Only a truly skilled dragon slayer, who haven't been bred for many decades, may have a chance to slay such a beast. "I'll give her a chance to tell me what has been happening since that fateful night ten years ago." He frowned suddenly. "If she doesn't, I certainly won't hold back showing her how convincing I can be." He snorted out a huff and stood suddenly. "Though," he hummed out as he went through his clothing in one of many large trunks. "It will be easier to be in control things after we wed." He nodded with a smirk and began pulling out clothing for dinner. "Kabuto!" he suddenly snapped out.
Kabuto quickly bowed, "yes my lord?"
"Inform the courtiers to get in here and unpack my belongings." He snapped his fingers and threw his dinner clothes on the bed. "Stupid underlings havn't come in since we arrived, useless and lazy servants," he mumbled under this breath. Kabuto quickly turned on his heel out the door. Orochimaru chuckled darkly under his breath when heard Kabuto barking out orders outside the door. 'Such a loyal subject,' he hummed to himself thinking about Kabuto.
He briefly thought about Konan, the pretty little necromancer he had at his beck and call. She was to prepare herself to arrive at a later time, he didn't want the chance of her being stolen on their travels, or her trying to do something stupid like escape. He huffed out an irritated sound at the thought. 'After all these years she should know better.' He happened to discover her by a stroke of luck when she was but a child. She was hiding in a cave, during a storm, waiting for her friends who went out to hunt. Three orphan kids they were due to wars and Orochimaru almost turned his head to ignore the girl until he witnessed the power that she held. At that moment, he knew he had to have her.
With a little bit of promise of a better life for her and her two little friends, she willingly came along with Orochimaru. His guards found the two boys later, drenched in the storm and practically starving. The deal was simple: Konan provide Orochimaru with the knowledge and power to create a bigger, stronger and almost invincible kingdom, then her and her little friends could live comfortably. He kept his word now for almost ten years to the little girl, even going as far as helping her two little friends become guards in his kingdom.
Orochimaru almost released a sadistic chuckle. 'It's too bad those little friends are no longer of this earth.' He let a manic grin spread on his lips instead of that thought. Those two friends were on a so-called scouting mission for the kingdom and it would take years to complete. He had received notification from the armed group that those two little friends were lost, tragically, during an attack on their troupe. Orochimaru couldn't be bothered with the information and certainly didn't inform the young Konan. As long as Konan believed her friends were alive, she did not resist every magical request Orochimaru demanded of her.
A knock on the door broke him of his thoughts and he snapped out a command at the door. Several courtiers shuffled into the room, bowing their heads and not giving Orochimaru eye contact. "Bout fucking time, hurry up and get my things settled! And someone get my bath ready!" The courtiers scurried around the room and headed to the lavish bathing room attached to the room to start a bath. Orochimaru began to get undressed to prepare for his bath before his supper with his future bride. He couldn't wait to start the preparations for his plan.
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
This chap was short but needed to point out some very important things happening here. See you all in the next chapter!
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