Nurse Me

kit: You know what, I almost did start to write her not returning to his room. But then I saw that as a form of weakness; her running away from her problems.

KiraRaven: Yes, he is pure evil. But I love it. :)

Chapter 7

Saya’s rushing thoughts kept her standing paralyzed outside Orochimaru’s room. She stood beside the door and out of view for several minutes debating on what to do. She wanted to talk to him about Kabuto, even though she didn’t feel as if it was her place to discuss his feelings. She was also worried about his ill state and violent attitude.

She didn’t want to see Orochimaru, though. Saya knew he would harass her again. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the man. It was true that she did find him rude, arrogant, and infuriating, but she also found him strangely interesting. Was it possible she subconsciously enjoyed his company? Or maybe it was because he had prettier hair than most women she knew.

Saya rubbed the spot on her arm that he had earlier grabbed. Yes, it had to be his looks alone. Calming her nerves before doing so, she knocked softly on the door before pushing it open.

Orochimaru was getting into bed as she entered and closed the door behind her. “You were fast,” he commented with a smirk.

“I need to have a serious talk with you,” she calmly replied, “about Kabuto.”

His smirk disappeared as his face stiffened. “How is he?”

Saya was a bit surprised by the question. She had expected something along the lines of ‘What did he do now?’ She sighed as she walked farther into the room, stopping at the end of Orochimaru’s bed. “I’m not entirely sure.” She held up the two throwing stars he had thrown at her. She had pried them out of the wall on her way back. “But I am sure that I don’t feel entirely safe.”

Orochimaru strained to see what was in her hand. “Shuriken?” he almost laughed.

Saya threw them down onto his bed with some force. “I don’t see what’s so funny about that. He aimed to hit.”

“What did you do?”

Oh, so she was the one who had done something wrong. Well…maybe she had. “We had words, among other things.” Saya shrugged. “He threw those at me, so I knocked him to the ground.”

Orochimaru laughed. Not chuckled, but actually laughed. Saya, however, crossed her arms with a scowl. His laughing ceased with a sharp intake of breath from the pain in his ribs. Saya instinctively stepped forward, raising a hand that she had to stop herself from laying comfortingly on his shoulder.

“You two are just alike,” he told her once the pain had passed. “You both demand to have your own way and get impatient when you don’t.” Saya started to protest, but he was able to quiet her with a raised eyebrow.

“I just think you should talk with him,” Saya continued. “He looks awful, so I’m guessing he’s falling ill. He needs to rest. I think you’ll be able to talk sense into him if you speak to him alone. He’ll listen to you.”

“He will do anything I ask,” Orochimaru agreed.

Saya couldn’t help but smile. “That’s exactly what he said.” She paused as she debated on elaborating her discussion with Kabuto.

“I’m aware he holds a certain fondness for me,” Orochimaru admitted, “but I prefer to see it as the same sort of fondness a student holds for their sensei. Nothing more.”

In other words, he didn’t want to hear about it. That was that, then. Saya wondered if Kabuto knew or even suspected that Orochimaru would never return those same feelings for him. Maybe their current relationship as lord and second in command was enough for him to settle for. That is, until she apparently threatened that.

Saya noticed Orochimaru watching her and shook herself out of her deep thought. “How are you feeling?” she asked, getting back to business. “Any new symptoms?”

Getting back to business meant something entirely different to Orochimaru. He grinned slyly at her from his bed.

Saya narrowed her eyes. “Seriously, are you feverish? Because I’ve never met a man that so strongly believes he has the right to act this way.”

Still grinning, Orochimaru slightly cocked his head. “Sit down, Saya,” he calmly told her. She did so on the edge of the bed. “When I set my sights on something, I get it, and I use whatever mean necessary to do so. I’m very good at persuasion, and when that doesn’t work, being a shinobi prodigy has its advantages.”

“Well,” Saya said as she crossed her arms, “I’m sorry to tell you, your lordship, but I’m not so easily impressed. If you do indeed get everything you want, you don’t get it because you work to earn it. Especially since you’re such a “prodigy” who was more than likely spoiled as a child.”

“By my parents?” Orochimaru asked with a self-satisfied tone. “They passed almost as soon as my training started. I should have been around the same age as you when yours passed, actually. I was nothing but a student to them before that. From then on I had nothing to live for but my training. My success and status was rightfully earned, and I will tell you I put an immense amount of time, energy, sweat, and blood into earning it. I in fact work quite hard to get what I want, Saya.”

Saya uncrossed her arms and folded her hands in her lap. She felt the exact same way about herself. Orochimaru must indeed be a powerful shinobi in order to be where he is now. That didn’t mean he had to be a smug jerk, though.

“How fortunate for you, then,” she replied with a smirk, “but I’m still not impressed. Even if I were, what would you do?”

As soon as the question left her mouth, Saya regretted it. Orochimaru’s gaze held nothing but sin. “A man gets lonely from time to time. Unbearably so given the right company.” He began to move closer to her.

Here we go again. “That is neither my concern nor my duty. I’m here to take care of you.”

“Then take care of me,” he told her as he continued to close in on her. Saya put a hand on his ribcage and pushed against him. His face showed his discomfort, but he resisted her force. “I’m not a fool, Saya. I know exactly the type of woman you are. You don’t want to appear weak or without morals, so you appear to be appalled by my advances.” Saya pushed against him harder as he got closer to her face. “But I know that you are truly curious.”

Saya looked at him with angry eyes to contrast his bright ones. “Or I’m simply not interested.”

“Lies,” Orochimaru replied with a smile. “You would be far more aggressive if that were the case. You do get frustrated with me, but yet you come back knowing very well I will be relentless.”

“I don’t even know you,” Saya managed before her lips were claimed. It was brief, but it was enough to see victory in the man’s eyes.

“Physical attraction is a pest, isn’t it?” Orochimaru asked as he cupped her face with his good hand. “Don’t feel so bad, it’s completely natural.” He kissed her again, but this one was anything but brief. His hand ran along her face and through her hair, grabbing at it to force her head to stay up.

Not only did Saya let him, but she kissed him back. Her hand ceased the pressure on his ribcage and instead found its way up to his neck. Orochimaru smiled against her mouth at her touch.

Was this the intrigue Saya had towards him? Physical attraction? She didn’t think herself to be such a shallow person. She pulled away from Orochimaru as if she was suddenly startled. “Stop it,” she told him in a hard tone. “Just stop it.”

Orochimaru tightly held her chin between his fingers. “You shouldn’t tease a snake. Their strikes are fast and unexpected.”

Saya smacked his hand away from her face and stood up. “I have no use for such disgusting creatures.”

With speed that made his injuries seem fake, Orochimaru stood and grabbed her by the throat. He lifted her off the floor long enough to push her against the wall. Saya smacked and kicked at him, but he absorbed every hit she made. His furious eyes drilled into her before softening.

“You will,” he told her before he bent down to sink his teeth into her neck.

Saya arched her back with a hiss as his pointed canines dug into her skin. He continued to close his jaw, pressing down into the tight muscles of her neck. The pressure was anything but human, and Saya began to panic as it increased. With his hand still tightly around her throat, she started to get light headed. Blackness started to form in clouds in her vision as a streak of pain shot through her head.

Orochimaru let go of her neck quickly. Saya gasped as she felt his teeth leave her neck and tear her skin. She dropped to her knees on the floor where her vision still continued to fade. A wave of nausea hit her as she looked up at him. He stood over her with a smile on his face, not bothering to catch her as her consciousness finally slipped away.

AN: I promise things will start picking up between the two of them soon.