My Lover's Keeper

10. The Snake and The Toad (Part 3)

Orochimaru's heart ached as he held onto Naruto's meagre body.
He carried the teen inside.
"Youhei, go get Kabuto. Now!"

He laid down the blond on the bed and moved the strands of damp blond hairs to look at the face of his lover. The bruises had somewhat healed.

When Kabuto was done checking on him, he couldn't think of anything to say. He'd never seen the fifty year old so broken before. Still he opened his mouth in hopes words would find their way
"Orochimaru-sama..."

"He'll be okay, right? He'll get better..." Desperation was evident in his voice and on his face. It was repulsive to Kabuto to see the man he looked up to like this.

"I...don't know sir" Kabuto took a deep breath gathering his strength to speak. "You're really pitiful. You've lived your whole life being a predator and you falter at him? He's not even your type. He's not even-..."

The sound of a slap echoed off the walls.
"You're fired....I want you out of here in an hour" Orochimaru went out of the room calling his guards to escort Kabuto.

That was only the beginning of Orochimaru's mental downfall.

After he hired another doctor who told him that Naruto's case was hopeless, Orochimaru started thinking back of his life, the decisions he had made and of the person he had become.

He had never wanted to be a man, he had never really wanted to be a predator. If Mitsuki were alive, his son would be ashamed of him. So in the dead of night and unannounced, Orochimaru went to the Harem lodging and turned the lights on.
"You're all free to go. You're to leave wherever you want. Take whatever you want. Just leave" he said almost in a monotone.

But none of them took his words seriously and they stayed until the following morning where he had a full on mental breakdown breaking things and shouting at them to leave.

His slave empire crashed down suddenly and unexpectedly. He wanted no hand in it anymore. He fired his bodyguards and maids.

The mansion was eerily silent, he thought it was just him and Naruto until later that night when Youhei walked in.
"I'll....leave once Naruto is better" he said quickly before Orochimaru got angry.

The man said nothing as he focused his attention back on the blond.

Orochimaru had stayed by Naruto's side for three consecutive days. This was no different than what happened with his own son. How could someone so innocent, so loving and so caring deserve such cruelty?

He didn't eat despite Youhei's efforts. He couldn't bring himself to eat or drink. It was painful having to relive this.

"Yasha-san" Naruto woke up seeing the man was a mess. His once perfectly combed black hair was in a messy bun. His eyes were puffy red with dark circles under from tears and lack of sleep.

But the weak voice was not registered as Orochimaru only blankly stared ahead reliving that horrible time of his life. It wasn't until Naruto touched his hand that he somewhat snapped out of it.
"Mitsuki, you're awake" he forced himself to smile. "Are you hungry? Kaasan will make you whatever you want" he lovingly caressed Naruto's cheek the way a mother would.

"Yasha-san, I'm not Mitsuki" Naruto sat up looking at the man who was on the verge of losing what little sanity he had left.

The adult's face was blank before everything got to him at once. He cried for his losses, for his life of crime and pain. He wept for all the lives he in return ruined to make himself feel better.
Setting everyone free was only the beginning of his redemption journey. A journey he wasn't willing to take alone.