Marigolds

Title: Marigolds Anime Relation: Naruto Pairing: Orochimaru x Anko (OroAnko) Summary: She's broken,but she doesn't mind it.He broke her,and yet he doesn't fell guilty.Why then,doesn't she smile anymore while he is feeling his heart ache with longing?And more importantly,why is he so desperate to save the one he left behind? Setting: Slightly AU.Outside of the Naruto timeline(s),Tsunade has to accept a suicide mission - the "lucky" nin to receive the S-rank mission is none other than Anko,our of her own will. Inspired by: Whiskey Lullaby and Tell Me Goodbye A/N: Don't go rage on me. ;A; I swear I'm working my best on the new chapter for Tainted and the prologue+ch1 for Karma's Knockin' but I have a complete block,while random shots keep popping up. D: So until I manage to get decent,please do enjoy this OroAnko shot. :D Kind of sad,hm? Warning: Might contain grammar mistakes.Sorry. Snow was falling oh-so-slowly,coating everything in pure white and covering Konohagakure with a soft,snuggly,feather-like blanket.Mitarashi Anko stopped in her tracks,just outside of the dango shop she exited,and looked up at the steel-colored sky.She barely felt the cold surrounding her numb body,even in her light garments - she couldn't care enough to dress more properly today,even if the weather outside was cold enough to freeze a water jutsu before you had the time to launch it.She absent-minded reached out,catching a chubby snowflake in her palm,the feather-weighting contact feeling like silk before sending a small shock to her senses.Anko ignored it,and closed her palm,trapping and melting the Heaven's tear in her calloused hand.She puffed out a breath,and tightened the beige coat around her body,finally deciding it was time to go home;before she could move,however,an ANBU agent sporting a coyote mask landed in the snow in front of her.Casually,the former student of the Snake Sannin placed her hands in the large pockets of her loose coat,gripping one of her kunais for reassurance - like the cold metal could provide comfort.'And in a way,it does.' the purplenette thought bitterly,'A kunai never leaves the wielder's side when you need it.' her mind floated,landing on a certain golden-eyed man.Before she had the chance to shake the thought away,the ANBU's voice woke her up to reality. "Anko Mitarashi?Hokage-sama requests your presence." the man quietly spoke,looking up at her.She nodded once,and formed a seal with her left hand - before either of them could blink,she was gone,the only sign of her presence being the dango-flavored mist she left behind.When she reappeared,she was in Tsunade's office,internally thankful the place was a bit warmer than the raging snowstorm outside.Said woman looked up at her,with caramel eyes filled with something Anko knew way too well from personal experience to be mistaken: despair,regret,and guilt. "Mitarashi." she quietly greeted,softer than she ever heard the lady speak before.Anko raised curious eyebrows,and nodded in response. "Hokage-sama." she uttered back,feeling a little disturbed as the blonde nodded for her brunette assistant to leave.Shizune did,albeit hesistantly,after sparing Anko a worried glance.'What the hell.' Anko thought,looking at the retreating figure from the corner of her eyes.She returned her full attention to the Lady in front of her,who was currently pouring herself sake in an empty cup of tea."Don't tell me you made Shizune leave just so you can drink." the purplenette deadpanned,half-thinking she hit the bull's eye.Tsunade smirked. "That's part of the reason." she admitted,downing half of the cup's content in one long movement,before lightly slamming the earthen object down onto the neat,brown surface of her wooden desk."The other one is because this is something confidential - which,please do remember,you can deny." the blonde completed,suddenly getting serious.Anko was intrigued. "And what exactly is this confidential matter consisting of,ma'am?" she asked,giving one of her automatic,goofy grins.Sadness flashed trough the busty woman's eyes,before she regained her composure.Tsunade suddenly felt the need to break something,preferably an old comrade's neck.'He broke her.And left her like that - shattered in tiny pieces,crumbled beneath repair.' "An S-rank mission." she responded,resting her chin on her interlaced fingers. "A mission only you can get in and out intact of." "Ah." was all Anko said,scratching her chin."Whose intestines do I have to rip out this time?" she asked,smirking,barely resisting the urge to lick her lips out of habit. "Nothing big - just an entire village of samurai." the blonde replied,rolling her eyes."Take this seriously,Anko.You're the only one available in all the villages who can do this.And if you succeed,the Raikage will sign an alliance with Konoha.But,you don't need to ac-" "I'll do it." the purplenette abruptly cut off her superior."When am I leaving?" she asked,closing her eyes,gripping tighter the kunai in her pocket.Tsunade tossed a scroll at her,which she effortlessly caught with her other hand. "Tomorrow morning.Details are inside." the Hokage sighed,leaning back in her chair."Anko...you don't have to.This mission was requested from us to incapacitate Konoha.I'll be perfectly fine with you turning it down." "I know." said woman replied,shrugging casually."The problem is,I can't bring myself to care.Now,if you'll excuse me." she yawned,and was gone once again.Once she left,the Kage sighed in annoyance. "Idiot." Tsunade murmured,twisting her chair around,and folding her palms ontop her lap,with interlaced fingers.Caramel eyes stared at the falling snow,lethargic melancholy filling the woman who possessed them."This is the first time it snows in Konoha since you left." she mused aloud,like the person in question could hear her.She closed her eyes,letting her shoes slip off,before drawing her knees up and under herself."Idiot." ... In the cellar of his underground base,underneath Otogakure,Orochimaru sneezed violently.He was midly surprised;true,today rain poured mercilessly down onto his village - but he'd been here all the time,how did he manage to catch a cold?A faint feeling of familiarity washing over him,however,informed him it wasn't the symptom of the common illness that made him sneeze loud enough to wake the dead."Are you cold,Orochimaru-sama?" a voice asked from behind him.Said Sannin turned around,smiling - well,smirking - amicably at Kabuto. "No.I have a feeling one of my old...comrades,is drunk and in a tale-telling mode." he thoughtfully,albeit a bit bitterly,confessed."Letting the dead with the dead,what are you here for?" he inquired,and the young medic-nin fixed his glasses out of reflex. "Our spies brought back the status reports you requested.All in all,nothing too interesting - except of Itachi Uchiha being seen alongside Hoshigaki in Hoshigakure,and an eventual alliance arising between Konoha and Kumo." he explained,sounding almost bored.Orochimaru's eyes,however,flashed vivid gold,as he licked his lips out of habit. "Oh?Do tell me more." he motioned for his acolyte to go on,comfortably plopping down on an armchair near the fireplace in his office,all the while keeping his eyes trained on the younger man.The latter felt sudden chills run up and down his spine,and fixed his glasses yet again.The Snake Sannin resisted the urge to chuckle. "The Raikage made a vow to sign the alliance if Konoha annihilated one of their problems,as a display of friendship.In truth,it is a crazy S-rank suicidal mission - and the only one who was deemed fit to complete it with atleast some chances of survival is Anko Mitarashi." he slowly,carefully explained,smirking dimly."Or so our intelligence says." Orochimaru's eyes clouded at the mention of his former student;his smirk faltered,and he limped slightly in his seat."Did she accept it?I'm tempted to doubt even someone as insane as Tsunade would force this down on someone's throat,even when she's drunk as hell." "Apparently,she did." Kabuto nodded,safely tucking the clipboard containing the rapport record in the crook of his arm."What do you intend to do,Orochimaru-sama?" he inquired,knowing the thoughtful look set in his master's golden orbs. "Get a first row seat to it all,my dear." the older man replied,willing himself to smirk - but it came out as an odd grimace,matching the twisted way he felt his heart clench in.'What is this ache I'm feeling?' ... Two days later,Anko was wandering down a commercial road,looking nothing like her usual self.Orochimaru's eyes trailed over her figure,from his spot of hiding - he even camouflaged his chakra,so she won't feel any sting of pain from the Cursed Seal on her shoulder.She had her purple locks tamed,caught in a neat bun at the backside of her head;her bangs were held back,with marigold-shaped pins.Her mesh armor was gone,being replaced by her bare skin,left to breathe in the autumn-like weather present everywhere in the Land of Lightning.A lavender-colored cheongsam,split on both sides to her upper thighs,adorned her body;the garment was decorated with an intricate marigold pattern and burnt brick trimmings,the oranges clashing superbly with the light hue of purple.To use a simpler word,Orochimaru would have described his former student as breathtaking.He bit his tongue repeatedly today,after thinking the damned word a dozen times.He couldn't get sidetracked,he knew all too well - he was close to the fire,and if he got any closer,he would get burned.Either by the flame of shame,either by the cool metal of the katana Anko had strapped to her hip.'When did she learn to use swords,anyway?' he briefly wondered,before reminding himself it wasn't something he needed to know. Anko was feeling rather comfortable in her new attire.The marigolds were one of her favorite flowers - and against all odds,she felt incredibly good in the dress she was sporting.'If I survive this,I'm so going to make this attire permanent.' was a fleeting thought she had in mind,as she watched the crimson sun setting over the faraway hills.She couldn't help but smile with sadness,as the flames dancing across the sky reminded her of the only female friend she ever had - Kurenai Yuuhi.She didn't got to say goodbye,but it was alright;she knew she left the older woman in good hands.In tune with the changing direction of the wind,her thoughts fled to her friend and her fiancee.She briefly wondered how would it have been if he would have stood.If he didn't betray Konoha.If he...if he didn't leave her behind.She grimaced,pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation."Don't go down that road again,Anko.You don't want to feel miserable.You can't." she muttered to herself,staring at the now fading colors on the sky;an array of red and orange complexes,on a pale lavender-like blue canvas.Just like her garment.She allows herself to smile at this,and as the sky begins to turn navy blue,she's out of everyone's sight - like she never even existed. Orochimaru was stunned,to say the least - he never would have guessed,if he would have been asked years ago,this will be the kind of woman his pupil turned into.And yet,he couldn't shake off the feeling something bad was about to happen tonight.He watched her,mystified,as she stared longingly at the setting sun.He heard her encourage herself,and saw the way her fist clenched and unclenched,clutching a nonexistent weapon.The Snake Sannin allowed a small smile to grace his lips;Anko might have matured in body,and increased in skills - but deep down,she was the same bouncy girl with a habit of throwing knives for fun he left behind all those years ago.'Left...behind...' .He's frozen.True.He did left her behind,and for some reason,that annoying,dull ache throbbed in his heart each time he reminded himself of the whimpering,crumbling form of a child that viewed him as the center of her universe,struggling for her own life and managing to survive his venomous bite.'What have you done to me,Anko...?' ... Tsunade is staring at the lifeless sky,from the top of the Hokage mountain.She's sitting on the head of her grandfather,sipping jasmine tea quietly.She cleared the snow covering the figures of the Five,and even dried them.Why did she do it,she didn't really have an idea - perhaps she just wanted a quiet place to think,where Shizune won't bother her,now that the snow ceased.The Gondaime furrows her brows;the bad feeling in her gut won't leave her.'I should have placed a bet on her losing.That way,I would have been sure she'll come home.' she dryly thinks,taking another sip from her tea.Rustling sounds of chilled wind caressing clothes that aren't hers hum in her ears,and the blonde turns her head slightly,knowing already whose face she will see."You look troubled,Hime." she snorts,jerking a thumb towards the ground next to her.The man seats himself cross-legged next to her,his head turned so he can see the Kage's face. "You would be too,if you would have just sent one of your best kunoichi to what could very well be her death." she quietly comments,sipping tea absentmindedly;she no longer felt the calming taste on her tongue. "Why didn't you bet she'll lose,then?" the man asked,half-jokingly,half-serious."For once,your bad luck might have been a blessing for someone." "That's something I keep reserved for you,Jiraiya." Tsunade comments,smirking,turning to face said man.He grins in response,and coos. "Aw,you're making me feel special." he says,shaking his head good-naturely.Still,both Sannin feel that this quiet,still night is just the calm before the storm. ... Anko's footsteps were silent,even with the low heel of her embroidered,red slippers.She stalked down from branch to branch,putting to good use the thick forest surrounding the village she was supposed to destroy.Times like these were the ones she thanked her former sensei for teaching her to be immune to pleas and cries of pain or agony.Quietly,she plops down on the outer wall of the samurai center,as her cocoa eyes scan the sleeping human settlement;her files said it had a population of roughly 300 people,out of which more than a half were skilled in wielding bladed weapons.Anko allowed her lips to curl into a cruel smirk;she's going to have fun.She bits her thumb,forming a quick set of seals,"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." is murmured into the night,and three medium-sized snakes appear alongside her,hissing as they stay propped against the wall;they are all Menma's children."Let's have some fun~" she chants,and terrifyingly grins at the three summons,who exchange looks.Finally,the black one asks the question running trough their minds. "What have you called usss for,Anko?" "Destroy everyone in here,of course." she deadpans,like he just asked what time is it.The giant rolls his purple-gold irises. "You sssound jussst like him." he comments,but nothenless signals,with a flick of his tongue,for the others to stand by,ready to aid,near the inner side of the wall. "Block the entrances;there are only two." Anko advises,as she leaps off the wall.Gracefully,she twirls in the air,landing on her feet with a powerful flex directly on top the town's hall.She begins to form seals,as her snakes secure the entrances."Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu." is all she whispers,as she inhales;channeling the flame,she spits it out,effectively setting on fire all the buildings in immediate vicinity.Pleased with herself,she waits.Cries and yells begin to make their appearance,and she can't make much out of them;obviously,those lowlives are scared shitless by the fire and the three giant snakes guarding fiercely their only escape way.A loud,booming voice quiets down everyone,as a man with brown hair and a muscled build demands silence. "Listen up,everyone!We're attacked by enemies,so we must-" he begins saying,but a hearty,cheerful laughter cuts him off.Anko leaps again,dancing in the air with skilled twirls,like an angel of death jumping out of Hell's fires to waltz with the dying ones. "Really?I would've never guessed if it weren't for you!" she deadpans,as she lands in front of the man - who,she guesses,is the leader."And there are not enemies.Just me." the man eyes her up and down,and she doesn't know what to make of him;is he a retard?Getting bored and annoyed,she draws her sword out,faster than the victim could even blink,and efficiently severs his head."And this is fucking war." she declares,grinning wickedly,as she wipes her blade clean with a rapid flick of her wrist.People stay stunned. And so does Orochimaru.Never in his life before had he seen Anko kill with such ease;nor did her ever see her look so...beautiful.Like a demon,she danced with fire,drawing blood with the same ease she ate clean a stick of dango.He watches,and is pleasantly impressed to note how powerful she had become - on her own.And,for a brief moment,as the citizens recover from their dumbfounded silence,he regrets not being there to hold her hand and see how far she could have reached with his help.His heart aches again,at the same time Anko grins wickedly once more.She blocks two katanas with her own;add a naginata to that list!But she is clearly outnumbered,so she does the smartest thing she can: she fires.Literally.An expert,free hand forms the familiar signs of Snake and Ram,and she slices with the other hand after pushing her targets away;fire continuously flies out of her mouth,burning to ashes the halves of the humans she cut.On the sidelines,Orochimaru briefly wonders when did she learn that technique. Anko crouches,jumping,and twists in mid-air,forming another set of seals;"Katon: Futago Ryū no Jutsu!" she yells,and spins;fire laces her body,and by punching thin air,twirling vortexes of fire are launched.Their twisting ends have dragon-like heads,and the Snake Sannin can't help but mentally note his former student's affinity for dual things.The dragons collide with solid ground,spreading fire and engulfing everything in flames. The purple-haired woman lands,steady on her feet,albeit feeling a little bit of fatigue,between the flames engulfing the village."Shit." she curses,feeling the mark burn on the milky skin of her shoulder;"If I keep going,the seal will activate.I need to end it." she murmurs,before crouching so she can take a good flight once more.She is stopped,however,by the long blade of a katana impaling her middle. "S-slut...you a-aren't...a-aren't getting out a-alive!" the breathless,panting voice of a woman buzzes in the Konoha-nin's ears.She grins wickedly,for the third time that day,as blood trickles down her chin. "Are you sure about that?" she quietly inquires,licking the blood out of habit,and placing a hand on the handler of the katana that impaled her.With a swift motion,she takes it out and tosses it into the nearby fire.Albeit unsteady,she raises on her feet,and quickly impales the attacker with a senbon she hid in her bun."I k-knew it will come in handy..." she trails off,and manages to jump again.She lands on the wall,next to the black summon.Golden-violet irises widen at the sight of her. "Anko.You need to retreat.That injury can be fatal." it advises,nothing short of a gruff old man.Anko laughs,albeit her laugh is hollow - and her eyes had lost some of their light. "Like hell I am,Taiyō." she responds,and takes a deep intake of breath.She forms another round of seals,but stops in the middle of it all."Signal Chi and Mori to retreat to the outside of the walls." the purple-haired nin demands,her voice barely audible;she's livid,and her summon is worried - she's a brat,alright,but he doesn't want her to die.He attempts to sigh,and lets out a loud hiss.The other two snakes slide down the walls,still guarding the gates.Anko closes her eyes,and lets her body jump,ignoring the pain she feels all over."Katon: Kasumi Enbu no Jutsu." her voice is barely a muttering,a sound too faint for human ears to catch.She pours out of her lungs the inflammable substance,covering the already burning village.Her mind barely registers the cries of agony,as the villagers are caught like mice in a trap,when the gas comes in contact with the flames - and everything explodes.The three snakes are able to dodge the flames,by effectively molding with the ground temporarily;Anko,however,takes a full blow.Her body is hit by the explosion's force,and thrown into the air,in a limp state,as her consciousness fades into black. She can't hear the pathetic whimpers of her snakes,the morbid silence that follows the explosion as the air becomes still - nor can she distinguish the sickening twack sounds made by burning wood that's crumbling down.And the Konoha-nin can't hear the wounded,animal-like cry Orochimaru lets out,as he catches her body mid-air,preventing her further injury.But his attempts are futile. Anko Mitarashi is dead. ... The sky is pouring again,raging snow covering Konohagakure.Everyone wears black - atleast a little of it - and the cheerful sounds you usually distinguish aren't heard anymore.The Hidden Leaf is mourning together,singing silently the farewell song for the one who will now lay asleep,deep beneath the snow-covered ground.The cemetery isn't that crowded,as only the ones who were relatively close to Anko were allowed inside.From her spot,however,Tsunade's otherwise flaming voice holds a grave tone,as it booms over her village. "Today," she starts,"we're here to say farewell to one of our most trusted kunoichi.Anko Mitarashi,former student of a Sannin,gave her life in a fight that brought us the alliance with Kumogakure.I won't bother you with the medical details of her death - she would yell at me if I did -,and instead,I'll ask you all to hold a moment of silence to pay our final farewell to the one whom the gods never smiled to." the blonde Kage finishes,furiously wiping away a stray tear.Everyone bows their heads - even Jiraya - and everyone is blissfully unaware of a new,uninvited presence in the village.The coffin is slowly dropped inside the grave,and covered with dark chunks of earth. After a moment longer than proper of silence,everyone manages to bite back their sobs,and force down their tears - atleast for the time being,since they are aware Anko would rather have them eating dango in her stead than mopping in a corner with grim hearts. "She died in one of the two ways she wished she would," Kurenai comments,tears still slipping past her barriers,"in battle." she whispers,smiling sadly.She is the first to drop a flower on her friend's grave - a beautiful bouquet of bellflowers."You'll forever be in our hearts,Anko." she whispers,before retreating.Asuma is the next to come;he smiles,as sad as his beloved,and for once a cigarette isn't dangling from the corner of his mouth. "You are one heck of a stubborn lady." he murmurs,and drops a bouquet of elderberries near her tombstone.Kakashi passes by him,and says nothing;sadness is evident in his eye,as he drops gardenias on her grave.Somewhere in the background,Ino has the decency to stop herself from smirking.Naruto is next. "It's going to be lonely downtown without your yells of dango." he confesses,and everyone agrees it's his silent way of saying he'll miss the weirdo.The blonde drops a bouquet of peonies,silently congratulating the woman's bravery.Shizune lets tears roam free,setting down a bouquet of poppies.She doesn't say anything,just retreats - and wipes her cheeks endlessly,while Naruto is comfortingly patting her back.Tsunade and Jirayia complete the row.Both have mirrored expressions - sorrow is written all over their faces. "You did well,Anko." Jirayia muses,dropping their bouquet - dark pink and black roses mingled - on the woman's grave. "But you should've came home alive." the Kage whispers,and doesn't slap her comrade's hand when he wipes her tears away.Leaning onto him,the two flee the scene.The grave is now left alone,as dusk settles upon Konoha - but grieving feelings remain behind. A dark figure walks out of the shadows,his steps light upon the sprinkled snow,and stops in front of a certain loudmouthed kunoichi's grave.The man crouches,and kneels in the snow,letting his long,jet-black locks contrast even in the dim light with the pure white natural mattress beneath.He rearranges the bouquets on the grave,before placing a new one atop them - a single red rose framed by marigolds.The man smiles,for the first time in ages - but it's bitter and his golden eyes are filled with sadness. "I wish I would have realized sooner,Anko." he whispers into the night,as he closes his eyes,"Maybe that way,things would have ended up differently." his velvet whispers are like a melody,interlaced with the gentle hum of the biting wind.He leans forwards,and presses his numb lips against the cold stone where her name is engraved in polished letters."I'm sorry." is the single whisper remaining,as he vanishes back into the shadows he came out of - but the wind makes sure to carry it to the skies above,and the ghost of a certain kunoichi shakes her head. "Idiots.We both were,Orochimaru." In Otogakure,Orochimaru is suddenly glad it's raining.That way,no one will be able to tell he's weeping and later mock him for it,as he sits cross-legged on the roof of a tower,staring at the morning's sky.He doesn't know why he does it - because each sunrise and sunset will haunt him,the coloration of the sun-kissed sapphire oasis reminding him of an obnoxious,marigold-adorned woman.And for the sake of this woman's memory - he'll never let them know how much he actually loved her.Because it would make her fall from the pedestal they've put her on,if they knew a cursed,vile thing like him ached for this woman.The Sake Sannin lets out a bitter laugh,staring at the steel above him.It reminds him of bladed weapons,and of a cursed December."Why does everything remind me of you?" he whispers,wishing someone would answer.And for a brief moment,he feels her hands on his shoulders,the answer hitting him harder than Tsunade ever could.He doesn't,however,dare to voice it aloud;he tells himself it will be fine.He'll pick himself up tomorrow,and pretend nothing happened - that his Anko-chan didn't die in his arms,that she's alive and well,somewhere,hating him still.He'd have that over this anyday,anyway. ... Somewhere in USA,modern day. Long,jet-black locks are pulled back in a ponytail;ivory skin,smooth like silk,is covered by proper clothing for the autumn season.That doesn't stop,however,the women in the cafe to swoon over him.He's tired,but he won't complain;instead,he pushes his glasses up,and lets himself be drawn in the book he is reading again.His blissful peace lasts for around fifteen minutes,before he feels a tap on his shoulder.Inwardly groaning,he lifts curious,liquid gold eyes from the words written in French to the face of a young woman.She gives him a cheerful grin,and he's momentarily feeling like a lightning bolt just hit him."Sorry to disturb ya,but the only choices of seats left are the ones next to you and one next to a bimbo...so please,tell me the seat next to you isn't taken." she pleads,shoulder-length violet locks wildly trashing around her.He nods,afraid his voice will sound like he inhaled helium if he spoke,and she shots him a grateful look,before seating herself.She puts down a heavy-looking messenger bag,and rearranges her brown blouse as she signals for a waitress.When the woman comes,she orders without breathing three different kinds of chocolate-based sweets,completely unashamed at the prospect of stuffing herself with sweet products of gluttony in front of a stranger - who,to top it all,is a man.'She didn't change,at all.' the man muses,as the girl sighs dreamily at the thought of her sweet sins.He has the decency to hide his chuckle with a cough,effectively snapping the girl back to reality. "Oh my,do you have a cold?" she asks,tilting her head.He shakes his,in a "no" fashion. "I don't think so." he amicably replies.She furrows her eyebrows,and reaches down into her bag,pulling out a box of paracetamol.She hands it to the surprised man,shooting him a grin. "Better safe than sorry~" she winks,and the waitress shows up with her sweets.She proceeds to dig in,while her companion takes her advice and takes one of the pills - it's not like he can get sick,anyway,but he decides to humor her. "What's your name?" he asks,once he's done,and shuts his book.The girl swallows the chunk of food she was tactfully chewing,and wipes her mouth clean with a tissue. "Anko.Yours?" she inquires,politely.He smiles. "Orochimaru." her eyes brighten up,and she smiles knowingly. "Nice to meet you,fellow son of the Sun!" she blurts out,in Japanese,and he allows himself to smirk.He'd waited for nearly 2000 years - but finally,he had her back within his grasp.And this time,he wasn't letting go.