Contract with a Snake ||Naruto||

Prologue

Lord Orochimaru bows his head, but I can tell that it is reluctantly. My father is a noble and this snake man is trying to fool us into believing he has changed. Snakes cannot change the pattern of their scales, though, and I doubt that he'll truthfully even try. Admittedly, the cold gleam in his eyes has lessened and the harsh set of his eternal frown has softened. My father, Lord Watanabe, shakes his scaly hand with his thick hairy one. It seems that he has failed to maintain his forest of intense purple, hair spurting up in random tufts of the damnedest of places. Our small palace has suffered through the worst of it, or so I hope, since my father has taken in a new maid.

"Enma, come meet your new husband," my father implores.

I spew tea all over him, foaming at the mouth.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" I shriek.

Lord Orochimaru looks offended, his pale golden eyes narrowing. I scoff, standing up and straightening my kimono. Fidgeting with the lavender silk that is so elegantly framed by the gentle sloping bodies of the green dragons. They have no wings, and as such they are forced to remain where they are. I, too, am a prisoner, though my cage is more elaborate than the mere robes which my body adorns.

"Father... Surely you jest?" I beg.

Any prison is better than the eternal jailment that is sure to become of a marriage between he and I. My father's grim expression assures me that I am pray to the gods above that this man does not murder me on our wedding nyght. Lord Orochimaru picks up my hand from where it lies nestling in the silken sash of my robes and brings it to his chilly lips, kissing it as though he can inject venom into my system through the subtle contact. My skin begins to burn and worry runs through my system. I shortly relax, realising that the burning sensation merely stemmed from my appellation of this kissing fiend. Glaring at him with orange orbs of hate, I pull my hand back to my person and mentally remind myself to burn this once lovely kimono as I wipe off the bastard's grotesque saliva. To think that such filth will haunt my lips within this very year is enough to make my blood boil.

"Do reform from touching me until I am forced to wed you, you beast!" I hiss.

"I am your beast now, my dearest Enma...." Lord Orochimaru chuckles.

Pure disgust colours my face, propelling my hand as it sails forward. I know it is poor etiquette to man-handle one's betrothed, but he's gotten me angry enough to forget such common entities as manners. Blushing a thousand shades of scarlet, I surprise myself from refraining from screaming out all the ill mattered comments that threaten to give rise from my throat. My father has raised me to gentle, caring, and forgiving. Damn the ignorant fool for installing such frivolous mentality in me. Lord Orochimaru smirks and chuckles as he rubs at the harsh red shape taking form on his jaw.

"I can't touch you, but you can touch me?"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" I slap him again.

"Enma, stop abusing the poor man!" my father cringes.

"It's alright, sire. Young Lady Enma simply hasn't had to time to warm up to me yet," the bastard grins, his arm coiling itself around my small waist.

"Unhand me," I grumble.

"Enma..." my father's tone is laced with warning.

"Please let go of me... my lord," I grumble.

"Enma....." my father repeats.

"May you please remove your grip from my person before I tear out your reptilian tongue and use it to strangle your pathetic arse," I smile.

"ENMA!" Dad's red in the face.

"It's quite alright, Lord Watanabe. I prefer my ladies with a little spirit to them," he kisses my forehead.

"I fear that I may vomit..." I mutter.

"Lord Orochimaru, may I have a word alone with my daughter?" Dad chuckles, nervousness creeping into his usually hearty tone.

"You need not ask my permission to speak with your own child, sire. It is her own permission of which you are in need," Lord Orochimaru chuckles.

"I hardly think that this is the case," my father testifies.

Lord Orochimaru lifts my hand once more, his lips cursing my flesh yet again.

"Enma, would you like to discuss our arrangement alone with your father?" he asks.

"I do not wish to speak either of you so long as you draw breath!" I hiss.

"ENMA," my father begins to launch into some lecture of yin and yang.

His words cease, though, the moment that the snake from the Sound Village connects his scaly lips with mine. Flabbergasted, I stare at the man kissing me. He is appalling in all forms of the innocent word, yet he is so much more sinister than I can presently tell. The way that his lips move with mine only serves to better my resentment towards him, this unnatural creature. He, or rather it, does not pull away as soon as I would like, instead being content to kiss a statue. I shall have him made into one since he likes them so much.

A sinister idea comes to my mind, though it repulses me to touch his form. I cup his scaly cheeks between my palms and slip my tongue through his parting lips. He draws me closer and glides his tongue through mine as well. I will only admit this once, though never aloud, but he really knows how to kiss... With his greedy tongue in my mouth, I smirk and snap my teeth shut. Lord Orochimaru hisses, sharply pulling away from me. I am pleased to see his chin has a thin coat of blood. Wiping my mouth off of my sleeve, I remind myself to thoroughly wash my entire being. Do the medical ninjas know yet how to give a princess a new set of teeth? I do not wish to maintain any bit of my form that has touched this foul beast.

"It would indeed appear that Lady Enma does have some spirit," Lord Orochimaru chuckles.

I frown, displeased.

What will it take him to leave and never return?