Warnings: Fix-it, cute kids, lots of snakes, morally questionable decisions, use of a person's DNA without permission, etc.

Rating: T

Word Count: ~2800

Pairings: Sakumo/Orochimaru

Disclaimer: Hah. I want some of whatever Kishimoto was smoking, but Naruto's not mine.

Notes: I apologize for the wait! My attention span, it is that of a magpie in a costume jewelry shop, but I'm working on it. On to the other main character in this little brewing drama! Hopefully this is my Oro muse making a comeback. ;)

(Snake names are taken from chapter titles in The Tale of Genji, because they're pretty and I'm a nerd.)

my bones are shifting in my skin

Chapter 3

The whispers are louder than they normally are.

Gossip, even on the children's playground, is something Sakumo has come to expect. Konoha is a shinobi village, after all, and nearly all of the women clustered off to the side of the field are active or retired shinobi, who know the value of a rumor. Whispers are power, words can bring down the most untouchable figures, and information passed on to eager ears is what keeps the Hidden Villages operating.

Today, though, the tone of their words is something slightly different.

Sakumo pretends not to notice as he sets Kakashi on his feet near the edge of the sand pit. Technically, Training Ground 15 is still an active training ground, and shinobi are allowed to come here, but they tend not to. Former and inactive kunoichi and the occasional stay-at-home shinobi husband have taken it over, getting their children used to the sorts of environments they'll one day frequent. It's more secure, as well; what invading enemy would trek out into the middle of the woods to look for the future clan heirs and the children of prominent shinobi?

Of course, the look on Kakashi's face says he would very much rather be at home in the garden, throwing kunai, but Sakumo just chuckles, settling cross-legged on the grass. "Go on," he tells his son with some amusement. "Playing with other children isn't the end of the world. Socialization is important for a shinobi, too."

Kakashi harrumphs a little, uncannily like his mother when she was irritated with Sakumo, but slides down the edge of the pit and sits down stubbornly, clearly not intending to go anywhere. Hiding his smile, Sakumo leans back on his hands and turns his face up to the early summer sun, drinking in the warmth. It looks, he knows, like he's in his own little world, focused on nothing in particular as he relaxes, but it makes it all thee easier to hear what the tight knot of mothers are whispering to each other.

"—could have sworn—"

"—so could I, but all of those seduction missions—"

"Please, he knows more about the human body than anyone but Tsunade-hime, of course he would be picked for those."

"She? Maybe? No man can be that pretty—"

"Should Tsume start worrying you're going to leave her like her last lover, Ine? Is he your—"

"If he's a he you know very well he's not my type, Otome. But the child had to come from somewhere, didn't he?"

"Kidnapping?"

"Not unless he kidnapped his own son—they have the same eyes, see?"

"Which brings us right back to the 'how'."

"I think you're overlooking one small detail about the man. Unless you ladies really don't remember how men get babies, in which case—"

"Oh, shove off. But he's never looked at a woman before, and that's rather necessary for the process, unless you've forgotten."

"Who cares how he got a kid? I want to know how he gets his hair like that. All I'm seeing is a couple of pins, and you know how long it is normally. If there's not chakra involved somehow, I'm calling bullshit."

There's a round of laughter, more amused than mocking, and Sakumo cracks one eye open, following the kunoichi's line of sight to a shaded spot by the treeline. An unfamiliar figure is seated under it, pale lavender robes a sharp contrast to the lush surrounding greenery. Dark hair, pale skin, a truly massive cobra looped around his neck like a scarf—

It's the snake that registers in Sakumo's mind, the connection following close behind. Orochimaru, the scientist and swordsman from Jiraiya's genin team, holder of the Snake Contract. Sakumo has seen him before, has spoken to him in passing—they're both high-ranking jounin, after all, and there aren't an excessive amount of those in Konoha's ranks. The few times they've crossed paths, Orochimaru was aloof and vaguely cutting, always impatient to be elsewhere rather than interacting with his fellow Konoha shinobi. Sakumo had simply assumed he didn't care for strangers, since he seemed happy enough to join Jiraiya and Tsunade whenever they were present.

Seeing him in public like this is a little odd, but one glance and Sakumo realizes why he's here—there's a child in his lap, petting the cobra's head without an ounce of fear. The kunoichi are correct, Sakumo thinks; the boy shares Orochimaru's golden eyes, the shape and slant of them, though his smile is brighter, wider. Orochimaru's is small and contented, a shadow on his face, though that doesn't make it any less sincere. If he's noticed the whispers about him, there's no visible sign.

A cute kid, Sakumo thinks with a smile of his own. Just about Kakashi's age, too, if he's judging correctly. And, while a genius parent doesn't entirely guarantee a genius child, it makes it far more likely. Kakashi doesn't care to play with the other children, since they're all fairly far behind him in development, but…maybe this one won't be.

"Cub," he says, leaning over the edge of the sand pit and holding out his hands. "Come here for a minute."

Kakashi, who seems to be in the middle of constructing something that's far closer to a fortress than a sand castle, gives Sakumo a look that's vaguely put-upon, but stands up and clambers up the slope. "Why?" he asks, and any other child would be plaintive, but Kakashi is just curious. "Tou-chan, my castle might fall."

"It doesn't look like anyone else wants to play in the sand right now," Sakumo assures him, and smiles when Kakashi takes his offered hands and lets himself be picked up without complaint. "But if someone else knocks it over I'll help you build a better one, all right?"

Kakashi mulls this over for a moment, then nods, accepting it, and fists a hand in Sakumo's shirt as he rises to his feet. He scans the field for one moment, quick and sharper than he has any right to be at a little over two and a half, and Sakumo can see the exact moment his eyes catch on the pair beneath the trees.

"Tou-san," he says, and that tone is entirely interested. "Snake."

"It's a big snake, isn't it?" Sakumo agrees, and he's close enough that Orochimaru hears the words, head coming up sharply. Golden eyes narrow just faintly as Sakumo approaches—steps into biting range, his instincts tell him insistently, but Sakumo ignores them—though he doesn't try to move away. There's a pause as something flickers across his face, some thought Sakumo can't follow well enough to read, and then he touches the shoulder of the boy in his lap. "Mitsuki," he says gently, "we have visitors."

The boy and the snake lift their heads at the same time, and Sakumo isn't a man intimidated by much, but he's willing to admit that the cobra's sharp red eyes are slightly unnerving. It's as thick around as his bicep and more than three times his height in length, that gaze far too intelligent for it to be anything but a summons.

Kakashi's first reaction is, of course, to stretch out a hand with clear enthusiasm, and say brightly, "Tou-san, it's a pretty snake!"

Surprise crosses Orochimaru's face, almost too quick for Sakumo to catch, and something like amusement follows it. He puts a hand up to support the snake's belly as it slides off his shoulders, both of them equally unconcerned about the way its coils tighten around his throat as it goes. And, as a shaft of sunlight glances off ink-black scales and gives them an iridescent shine, much like the fall of ebony-dark hair they're sliding past, Sakumo has to admit that his son is absolutely right. That's a very pretty snake indeed.

"Her name is Matsukaze," Orochimaru tells Kakashi.

"A king cobra!" Mitsuki adds, bright and cheerful, and as Sakumo sets Kakashi on the ground Mitsuki crawls out of Orochimaru's lap to crouch next to the rapidly-growing pile of snake that's forming. He pets her cheerfully, offering Kakashi a smile that's three parts happy and one part sly, and adds, "She plays seek and find. You can play too!"

Kakashi hesitates, but apparently the lure of being able to play games with a massive snake summons is too tempting to miss. He looks at Sakumo, and when Sakumo nods agreeably, he asks with all seriousness, "We can hide in the woods?"

"Oro?" Mitsuki asks, in a tone that's very close to pleading.

A swift, darting glance at Sakumo, and then Orochimaru inclines his head. He reaches up to the neat bun he has his hair tied up in, and then holds out his hand to Mitsuki. There's a tiny snake resting in his palm, barely the length of Sakumo's longest finger, and Orochimaru says warningly, "Take Umegae with you, and don't stray too far."

Very carefully, Mitsuki offers up his cupped palms, and Orochimaru lets the snake slither over to him, where it disappears up his sleeve. Mitsuki giggles, twitching like he's being tickled, and then rises to his feet. "Over here," he urges Kakashi, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the bushes. "Bye, Oro!"

"Be careful, Mitsuki," Orochimaru returns, and he's smiling, warm and fond, as the two boys duck into the forest. Once they're out of earshot, he glances down at Matsukaze and adds, "Watch them carefully."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama," the cobra returns, sounding faintly offended at the idea that she would do anything else. With a wary flick of her tongue at Sakumo, she slides after the children, deceptively quick.

"That's a neat method," Sakumo says into the silence once they're alone. When Orochimaru glances at him, just as wary as his summons, Sakumo gives him his most charming smile and gestures to his hair. "The little snake, for keeping an eye on them. I wish I could do that with my summons."

A long, slow blink, clearly rather startled, and Orochimaru lifts his hand again, this time to his ear. What Sakumo had thought was a white-and-gold ear cuff reveals itself to be another tiny snake, and this one winds happily around Orochimaru's slender fingers. "They're quite useful," Orochimaru agrees. "Your wolves don't like to be summoned for such things?"

"Not at all," Sakumo confirms, sitting down on the grass a polite distance away. If the enthusiasm on Kakashi's face was anything to go by, they're going to be here a while. "They tend to think of themselves as warriors more than anything else. A few of the older ones will babysit, but I don't ask it of them very often."

Another quick-darting glance from golden eyes before Orochimaru returns his gaze to the tiny snake, absently tipping it back and forth between his hands as it hisses quietly in what Sakumo suspects is joy. He tries to imagine treating one of his wolves as a stress ball and can only manage to picture all the lost fingers that would result. It's a surprise to think that the snakes might be more easygoing about such things, seeing as Sakumo has always thought of them as far more dangerous.

"You came to look at Matsukaze?" Orochimaru asks, and Sakumo glances back up at his face. "She is a beautiful specimen, isn't she? Though I suspect she wasn't the only reason."

Caught, Sakumo thinks, and gives Orochimaru a faintly sheepish smile. "No," he admits. "I thought she'd get Kakashi's attention, though, and that was a good place to start. He's too smart for the other children his age, and no one older is willing to make an effort with him. I was hoping your son would be more open to him."

Once again there's a strange flicker in Orochimaru's eyes, there and gone in a bare fraction a heartbeat. If Sakumo didn't know better, he'd almost call it relief. "Mitsuki is a bright boy," is all Orochimaru says, however. "A friend would be good for him." A glance up, very nearly through his lashes, and he gives Sakumo a sly, secretive smile. "Consider it an standing invitation. My home is open to you."

That smile, Sakumo thinks, swallowing, makes him understand exactly why Orochimaru gets so many seduction missions, anatomy knowledge notwithstanding.

"And the same for mine as well," he returns, offering Orochimaru a grin. Not quite flirting, but Orochimaru is very pretty. Sakumo doesn't mind letting him know that. The thought does remind him of the overheard conversation, though, and he studies Orochimaru for a moment, decides he won't get anywhere without actually addressing the subject, and says, "Sorry, but are you a man or a woman? You're beautiful, and I'd hate to offend you by assuming wrong."

In an instant, he has Orochimaru's full attention, surprise chasing flattery across the fine-boned features, though thankfully Sakumo can't find any hint of offense. There's a pause, and then Orochimaru says thoughtfully, "I tend not to think it matters, myself. Mitsuki calls me 'Oro' because he doesn't think so either. But everyone I know still refers to me as male. You're the first to ask."

Sakumo just offers him a smile. "As I said, I'd hate to give offense. Especially if Kakashi manages to keep a friend for an entire day without insulting them."

That gets him a smirk, sharp-edged and a little cunning. "Mitsuki is difficult to offend, and tends to give it right back when possible. I wouldn't worry there. 'He' is fine for me, if that's what comes easiest to you. It's what I'm most familiar with."

"Thank you." Sakumo smiles at him, then turns his attention to the white-and-gold snake trying to mimic a ring around Orochimaru's thumb. "Does this little beauty have a name?"

There's the briefest of pauses as Orochimaru seems to consider something, eyes flickering down to the snake and then back up to Sakumo's face. Whatever he sees there must decide him, because he offers his hand up, and the snake raises its head interestedly, studying Sakumo with intelligent dark eyes. "She's an infant sand boa, and her name is Hatsune."

Without hesitation, Sakumo sets his hand close to Orochimaru's, letting her slide into his palm. "You are lovely indeed," he tells the boa, and she curls through the gaps between his fingertips with unmistakable pride. Sakumo chuckles, and realizes that even though he's keeping half an ear out for any shouts or cries, this is the most relaxed he's been in a while. Having a conversation, however innocuous, with another adult is a simple pleasure he'd almost forgotten.

It's not that he's a recluse, but…beyond Dai and Jiraiya, he doesn't have a great many close friends. Jiraiya is out of the village and has been for years, and Dai is busy with his own son and his wife at the moment. Sakumo doesn't deal well with loneliness, he's coming to find, and while Kakashi is brighter than most children his age, he's still undeniably a child. This is very pleasant.

The sun is warm on his back, and he watches Hatsune explore his palm and the edge of his sleeve with a faint smile as laughter sounds from deeper in the forest. Orochimaru is still watching him rather carefully, but Sakumo doesn't mind it. Letting their sons play together, making plans for them to do it again in the future, implies some level of friendliness between them, and Sakumo could certainly use it right now.

Somehow, he rather suspects that Orochimaru could, too.