Author's Note: Mm, crack. I also, apparently, am not fond of happy endings. Alas! I wrote this for my friends and all the delightful crack pairings that we come up with. Sometimes, they can even make sense. Like this one! True love, let me tell you. I don't understand why there aren't more OrochiKono stories. I should mention that the spoilers for the manga are fairly subtle. If you haven't read it, you might not understand as well what I am trying to convey. I've chosen not to go into much detail about Orochimaru's situation, since it is through Konohamaru's eyes, after all. If you haven't read it, you can just pretend he's crazy. That totally works just as well. In any case, I hope you all enjoy!

The Stark White Walls

That day it had been raining. And with very good reason. A great man had been lost; even the skies wanted to mourn.

With the citizens of Konoha attired in black, they mourned their losses together. The sky poured down and soaked them all. But they stood straight and firm, placing their white roses down. The weather suited the atmosphere perfectly, accenting the grief of the assembled masses. So many had been lost, not just their Hokage. It was a moment of reflection on the events of the past couple days. It had gone by so fast, and so little about it was yet understood.

It was pathetic, the way his emotions showed so openly. But Konohamaru couldn't keep them back. He was crying and sniffling like a little child. It wasn't the time for childish displays. There were things that needed to be done! Like making sure his grandfather had not died in vain. Konohamaru turned his head to the side, tearing his gaze from the memorial. Tears leaked from his eyes, joining the droplets of rain. Around him, he could hear Naruto's voice, could feel Iruka-sensei's presence next to him. But it all washed over.

Why weren't they doing anything to fight back? Konohamaru wanted so badly to yell and to scream and to tell everyone that they needed to find that man. They needed to find Orochimaru.

It had been seven years since that day. Almost exactly. Konohamaru stood at the edge of his village, looking over the houses. While many things had been settled, many battles fought, there was one that was left unanswered, unfought. With all the tragedy, Konohamaru couldn't exactly expect the village to bend to his desires. Especially since they thought the threat was gone, that it was dead.

Curling his lip, Konohamaru turned his back on the village and began walking away. It wasn't over, it wasn't settled. He knew that well enough deep inside. If he thought about it, Konohamaru just knew that he had been waiting for this day ever since that one before.

When he entered the ninja academy, Konohamaru had tried to focus intently on advancing as fast as he could so that he could finish the fight his grandfather had started. But as time and distance grew from the day, he'd gotten distracted, lulled into a false sense of security. That was how these things happened, wasn't it? Konohamaru refused to accept.

Once he had come back to, Konohamaru applied himself vigorously. Ebisu-sensei had taught him very well. Konohamaru felt completely ready for the battle to come. He had made Chuunin already, after all. That was a huge accomplishment. Konohamaru had worn the vest so proudly for the longest time. It just interfered with his scarf, you see, so he had eventually stopped wearing it. But he could if he wanted.

There were more important things to consider now, though. As Konohamaru's steps took him further from the village, his scarf trailed out behind him. It was longer now than ever. It seemed to have a life of its own that way. There was something he needed to do. And Konohamaru was not going to return to Konoha until he had accomplished it. They would understand; he'd left a note. It would be okay. Konohamaru would fix this grievous error. There could be no peace until he was done.

The only problem with the plan here, was that Konohamaru had absolutely no idea where he was going. For three weeks now he had been running, searching for information. Every place he came across held little to no information. Konohamaru refused to be discouraged! It was an important mission he was on, he would succeed. There was no room for failure.

Having camped down for the night, Konohamaru set down his sleeping bag on the ground and laid down, staring at the sky. It was dark, the stars were out. He stared at them absently, the warmth of the fire heating his body on one side.

Perhaps Konohamaru could have set a better guard, or perhaps he could have been paying more attention to his surroundings. No matter which, he was taken completely by surprise at finding a person hovering over him, blocking out the starlight.

"Wha - " Konohamaru started to say before a hand was clamped over his mouth and the world went dark.

The world slowly came back into focus. Konohamaru groggily blinked, groaning as he felt stiff and sore everywhere. Like he hadn't moved from the position he was in in a long time. And given the lack of movement he could make due to constrictions, as Konohamaru had discovered, he didn't quite doubt it.

This was the second time he had woken up. The first he had been knocked out almost immediately before he could regain full consciousness. Now, though, Konohamaru was perfectly alert. His eyes darted back and forth, while his head strained to move. But he was strapped in securely, not able to move an inch. All he could see was the stark white of the ceiling.

"Oh? Has our guest awakened?" A voice called from somewhere to his right.

Konohamaru strained to turn his head to see who was speaking. That voice. It stirred up memories inside of him.

"Now, now, let's not overwork ourselves," A gray head of hair came into Konohamaru's vision. There was something about that he was supposed to know. What had Naruto said. Konohamaru strained to remember, but everything was still fuzzy and so disorienting. Frustrated, Konohamaru relaxed his features and took a deep breath.

A small chuckle resounded through the room and a warm hand touched his forehead. It sent chills down Konohamaru's spine. He tried to jerk away from it but the motion only hurt himself as he yanked against his restraints.

"If you learn to behave, we can let those things go, now can't we?" The voice said, having disappeared out of Konohamaru's vision again. It was frustrating hearing the movements and not being able to see the person.

"Let me go," Konohamaru finally ground it. This was absurdly embarrassing. He was a Chuunin of the Leaf! Konohamaru should not have found himself trapped in such a manner. He should have been better than this. Pursing his lips, Konohamaru jerked against his restraints, trying to push upwards. He almost felt like he moved that time. If he could just focus his chakra into the places the straps were holding him down, maybe he could break them...

Just as he was about to execute this idea, a hand pushed down his stomach and a voice whispered in his hear. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Konohamaru-kun," Konohamaru couldn't help but shudder at the dark voice and the tongue that had traced the shell of his ear.

It was suddenly all too real and Konohamaru wasn't sure if he could take the heat. It almost sunk him into despair and giving up when he remembered his purpose for being here in the first place. Orochimaru.

It was not revenge in the strictest sense of the word. It was more of a desire to finish the battle his grandfather had started. Hadn't been able to complete. It was all this man's fault and Konohamaru was going to make him pay.

As the thought came back to him, Konohamaru's lips curled upwards into a satisfied smirk before the world went dark again.

"What are we to do with him?" The voice from earlier spoke.

"We should get rid of him right away. He will cause trouble."

"That would be a waste of precious talent. What kind of thanks would that be to my old sensei," The voice said, gazing at the unconscious boy. A hand reached out to stroke his cheek. "So young."

"We cannot be afford to be caught," The other voice reminded him. "He was looking for us."

"You've grown soft in hiding."

"It was necessary."

Fingering the scarf around the boy's neck, the voice considered this. "I will keep him. It will be so amusing," There was a suggestion of a smile in those words.

"He will run. He will lead others here."

"You have very little faith in me," The voice paused, carefully arranging the scarf back the way it was. "I will make him mine. It has been so long since I have had something so pretty," The voice nearly cooed.

It was disorienting to keep getting knocked out every time you woke up. Konohamaru was quite frankly getting sick of it. After the second day, he had nearly broken out of his restraints and launched a full scale war on whoever was keeping him hostage. That hadn't ended so brilliantly, what with the needle stuck in his arm and all. When he woke up again, Konohamaru had been informed he was asleep for two days.

After a week, he had been let go from most of his constraints so he could at least move his limbs. Not that it was any easier to get out under constant surveillance. It was just that Konohamaru could finally move. And see who his captor was.

Apart from that initial hint of gray hair, there was nothing new to be ascertained. The person kept themselves covered up in a long white robe with a deep hood. There was no penetrating the darkness of that hood, no matter how Konohamaru tried.

The one time that Konohamaru had tried to escape, he had regretted it almost instantly. The man had turned his back, and Konohamaru had gauged this as the only real chance he would get. The one strap holding him down had broken easily enough and Konohamaru had made a run for it.

Almost, just out of his reach, Konohamaru could taste sweet freedom again. Until he was yanked viciously back into the stark white room with no windows. He was pressed up against a warm body and there was a mouth next to his ear. "This scarf is delightfully long, isn't it?" The voice had queried before the world went dark.

The next time Konohamaru had woken up, he was surprised to find the restraints hadn't all come back. Despite all that, he knew, he just knew that he would never get another opportunity. This strap wasn't going to break again. This was where Konohamaru would spend the rest of his life. His mission gone to the wind because he wasn't strong enough.

Over the course of the next week, neither of them spoke. The hours passed lethargically and Konohamaru grew bored out of his mind. He amused himself by reminiscing, but also by going over every single jutsu that he knew. Konohamaru didn't want his mind to grow weak in captivity.

How slowly time passed in the silence. Konohamaru was bursting to say something, but it was a war they were having. Konohamaru could just tell. He narrowed his eyes as he glared at his captor. Catching a glimpse of something shining in that dark hood, Konohamaru looked startled. That had not happened before.

The man approached the bed Konohamaru was confined to. Reaching down, he unbuckled the strap. "Move," The man said. The voice didn't sound entirely the same as the last one he remembered. It had been so long, but Konohamaru was almost sure it sounded different.

Perhaps there were two people guarding him. Maybe they disguised themselves the same to keep him from knowing anything. Narrowing his eyes, Konohamaru didn't move an inch. He simply glared.

"You'll die if you don't move," The man said again, a hand reaching into his hood. What for? Konohamaru couldn't guess.

Finally, Konohamaru hopped off the bed, making use of his long dormant muscles. It felt strange to be walking again. He kept a suspicious eye on the man as he began walking about the bare room. There was the bed. There was a chair. There was a table. And that was all.

When Konohamaru had traversed the length of the room several times, and he was feeling slightly useless, casting suspicious looks at the door. What if he went for it? Would it end so disastrously as last time? It seemed likely, but Konohamaru couldn't help but want to try. After one step, though -

"Don't," The voice said.

Pausing, Konohamaru turned to glare at the man standing there, watching him. "I want a shower," He lifted up his chin.

The robe the man was wearing seemed to ripple in an unseen wind. A low chuckle came from within the hood. "Is that so?" A voice said. Konohamaru wasn't imagining things this time. It definitely sounded different than the voice two seconds ago.

Pressing back into the wall, Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked.

More laughter from the man. Who was advancing towards him. When Konohamaru was sufficiently backed up into the wall, slowly, very slowly, he pulled down the hood covering his face. When Konohamaru was finally able to see the man before him, he inwardly flinched. Those were deranged eyes. Eyes that haunted his sleep.

Orochimaru.

It was like a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. After that day Konohamaru had woken up in a new room. He was locked in, kept there like a caged animal. Twice a day meals arrived for him, but he had no more human contact. It was, suffice to say, painfully more boring than it had been previously.

Fiddling with his scarf, Konohamaru sat in the middle of the floor a week after he had been placed in this new room. At least, he thought it was a week. The days seemed to bleed into each other. Konohamaru wondered if it was his captor's ultimate goal to drive him insane. It seemed to be working brilliantly, as Konohamaru had taken to talking to himself. Just so he remembered how to use his own voice.

"I wonder if they're looking for me," Konohamaru mused, making his scarf make swishing patterns on the floor in front of him. "They should be. Naruto will come looking, I know he will. And Udon and Moegi and Ebisu-sensei. They will all come looking for me. And when they do, I'll be free and I can kill that man finally. They didn't believe me when I said he was alive. Well, I bet they are sorry now. This is a real mission, no more chasing after cats. I will come back victorious and they will all thank me for eradicating the last thread. I will definitely become the Seventh Hokage!"

Konohamaru kept up his small speech to himself. It was one he had said many times over the past several days. After awhile, you ran out of things to talk to yourself about. Konohamaru did not find himself very entertaining company after at least three days of silence and his own mind.

"Is that so," The voice at the doorway made Konohamaru jump to his feet.

"Have you come to do battle," Konohamaru assumed a fighting stance, adjusting his forehead protector.

"No," The man came into the room. Orochimaru. Konohamaru could recognize him easily enough now. Though, there were some characteristics off about him that Konohamaru couldn't quite place. It was a mystery, but he wasn't too concerned. So long as he knew the person in front of him. Anything else was trivial in the face of his mission.

"Then you must be here to admit defeat and are going to let me go," Konohamaru said, straightening up, raising his chin, acting haughtily.

A dark chuckle sounded from Orochimaru. "Not that either."

Pursing his lips, Konohamaru turned his back on Orochimaru. "Then I see no point in you being here," He said, despite craving human contact of any kind. Konohamaru was not that defeated yet. He would not give in to the demands of the person in front of him. He would not lose this game they were playing.

Another one of those insane laughs that set Konohamaru on edge. But no words. Konohamaru looked over his shoulder to find Orochimaru sitting in a chair by the door, legs crossed, arms crossed, and watching him.

Twitching his lips up in a grin, eyes set in a glare, Konohamaru sat on the edge of his bed and stared back.

It was about time to admit defeat, wasn't it?

Four weeks of staring and silence. Konohamaru had barely slept. He was on edge and about ready to collapse. Most of his day was spent in a staring contest with Orochimaru. After the first day his captor had returned to his room they hadn't spoken again. Orochimaru simply came and went as he pleased. But always with the staring.

It was definitely breaking down walls inside of Konohamaru's head. And while he recognized what was happening, it was difficult to stop. He had put up a valiant fight so far, he thought. But... it had been so long since he had been near another human being. How was he supposed to survive this ordeal? Something was going to snap in his brain.

So how was he going to save himself?

Konohamaru could only think of one solution. And it made his whole body scream out in protest. No.

"Where are we?" Konohamaru asked almost immediately the next time Orochimaru entered his room.

Pausing, Orochimaru sat down slowly, tilting his head to gaze at the boy, an amused smirk to his lips. "It's a secret," He said in that way that made Konohamaru think he was suggesting more than the innocent.

"I was still in Fire Country when you caught me, have we left it?" Konohamaru asked, attempting a different tactic.

Orochimaru rose from his seat and approached the spot of the floor where Konohamaru was currently sitting. Carefully lowering himself, Orochimaru sat across from the boy and propped his chin up in his hand, resting his elbow on his knee. "Are you giving up already?"

"No," Konohamaru narrowed his eyes.

"You haven't even tried to fight me. Your grandfather would be so disappointed," Orochimaru's lips drew up in a wicked smirk.

"Don't you talk about him," Konohamaru hissed leaning forward.

Orochimaru mimicked his movements. They were so close now. "Why not? I killed him."

"I will kill you," Konohamaru said, inching closer. It was a war now, but of a different kind. He could just tell. Who would crack first. Who would back away. Who would be upset about the invasion of personal sp -

Well, not Orochimaru. Konohamaru blinked when a pair of lips interrupted his inner declaration of war. And his surprise was going to be his undoing. As he made a small "Oh" sound, a tongue pressed past his lips, invading his mouth.

It was, quite possibly, the singular most horrifying moment of Konohamaru's life. All the other terrible moments just seemed to fly out of his head as Konohamaru's mouth was overtaken by the one man he hated most in this world.

Desperate, starved, craving for human contact. This had been Konohamaru's life up until this moment. This was why he had even started a conversation. But what he had gotten was not what he had bargained for. It wasn't until he felt teeth bite on his lip that Konohamaru jerked back into reality.

"Get off of me," He pushed Orochimaru off of him. Wiping furiously at his lips, he spat at the ground, hoping to get the disgusting taste out of his mouth. "You're vile," Konohamaru hissed and clenched his fist.

It was now or never. He would have to fight his way out. Finally, Konohamaru was ready. This wasn't going to end peaceably. No one was going to come save him. Forming the chakra ball in his hand, Konohamaru prepared himself to leap at Orochimaru, knock him out with one shot. He had his eye trained expertly on the man in front of him. The man who had tried to molest him.

So intent was he on his prey, Konohamaru didn't even notice when the man moved faster than he expected, grabbed his wrist where the chakra ball was rotating, and had him knocked out again in about two seconds.

When he awoke again, Konohamaru was beginning to form new ideas about how to get out of here. By now, he was getting pretty desperate. Every day he tried to slip out the door. Tried not eating. If he died by starvation it would at least be a release from this hell. Tried attacking more than once. Tried making clones. Tried everything he could possibly remember.

And that was the problem, wasn't it. Konohamaru was beginning to forget. All he could remember anymore was Orochimaru and how he was Konohamaru's captor. Or.. they lived here together, but Konohamaru wasn't allowed to leave. Right? Was that how it was?

Furrowing his brow, Konohamaru tried to remember how long he had been here. It had been three weeks since The Incident. The one he absolutely never dwelled on. But how long! So many weeks had gone by. Konohamaru could only guess that it had almost been five months. So many days. So much silence.

Twitching, Konohamaru walked in circles about his room. It was listless and boring, but it at least passed the time. He was beginning to crack, his mind was starting to go. He barely knew up from down anymore. How long since he had seen the sunlight? Five months. He missed the sun. Konohamaru stopped and stared at the wall, drawing the outline of a window. Out there would be trees. And grass. And the blue sky. And the sun.

Bringing his hand back to touch his lips, Konohamaru pondered The Incident again. After a week of revulsion, he had gone into a week of contemplation how it had happened. And a week of wondering if it could happen again, maybe.

Orochimaru had not spent much time with him since then. Mostly it was to drop off food. Talk to him. Though Konohamaru never replied. Not once. He had stopped speaking. Speaking led to trouble.

Tilting his head, Konohamaru bent over and rocked back and forth. It was a nightmare in this stark white room. He was going to go insane.

Was he already?

The door opened.

Jerking upright, Konohamaru gazed wide eyed at Orochimaru. He was wearing something different. Usually it was that same white robe with the hood up, covering his unusual gray hair. Now, though. The man looked exactly as Konohamaru recalled him from all those years ago.

"Who are you?" Konohamaru whispered, feeling his brain move sluggishly. The rope around the man's waist looked so enticingly familiar.

Lurching forward, Konohamaru ran his fingers along it. It only made sense. What else could he do? It was trying to tell him a story. His fingers grew curious and skated along the rest of the outfit. Something inside of Konohamaru's brain had broken long ago. He had concluded thus personally. He knew, he understood, but he didn't stop himself.

"Only your friend," Orochimaru said, grabbing Konohamaru's hand and clasping it in his own.

It was the first time in so long Konohamaru had touched another person. How long since it had been anyone but this man. Too long. Not long enough. Konohamaru watched wonderingly as he was led out of the stark white room. Led through a long, dark hallway. Led up a pair of stairs. Led through another doorway. Led into the sunlight.

It burned his eyes. Turning his head away, Konohamaru stared at the ground. There was grass here. There really was grass. Falling to his knees, Konohamaru pressed his fingers into the dirt, laid his cheek against it.

Was this real? Was this a dream?

Shuddering involuntarily, Konohamaru looked upwards. It was the sky. And that was the sun. It was really then that Konohamaru broke. This was too much to handle.

Tears leaked from his eyes. Konohamaru gazed at the green grass, huddled on the ground in a kneeling position. His body wracked with tears. Overcome with exhaustion. "Am I free," He whispered.

A pair of hands wrapped around his waist, bringing him upwards, pulling him against a warm chest. Orochimaru leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear, "No."

The sun was real. Konohamaru remembered seeing it that day. When was that again?

A month ago.

Another month. Six months now. He was keeping a mental tally. Though he didn't remember why. Konohamaru had lost track of many things. The glaringly white walls were eating away at his brain. And the white man sitting in the room across from him blended into the walls, apart from his sleek black hair and purple rope. Konohamaru might never notice him if it weren't for those.

Tilting his head, Konohamaru approached Orochimaru. "You look different," He pointed out.

"I am complete," Orochimaru simply said.

Konohamaru seemed to recall there having been another voice at one point. That voice was long gone.

"You finished me," Orochimaru whispered in Konohamaru's ear. He liked to do that. It made Konohamaru shudder. Especially when he used his tongue. Oh, like that.

Melting against the older man, Konohamaru allowed him to do whatever he pleased. This had happened at some point. Konohamaru couldn't recall why. He just remembered it as always being there. Something was telling him to resist. But that part had broken. It was talking, but it wasn't reaching his brain. The commands got all sort of jumbled.

Sighing, Konohamaru reached up to cup Orochimaru's cheek. "You finished me," He repeated, almost dumbly. The walls were so white they made his eyes hurt, they made his mind hurt. Konohamaru squeezed his eyes shut, not paying attention to Orochimaru's roving hands, and roving mouth.

Not even paying attention to anything. The next time Konohamaru opened his eyes, he was on the bed and half undressed. It wasn't new. It had happened before.

Smiling wistfully, Konohamaru undressed himself and raised his hands above his head, drawing his legs up. He knew how this went. He knew how this worked. There was so little that he knew anymore, but he knew how this worked. This here. This man. He knew what the man wanted. Orochimaru.

The name was supposed to mean something to him, wasn't it? Konohamaru could remember the sun. It had been so lovely. Just for that moment. It had been taken away from him again. Replaced by stark white. By monotonous white. Burning white. Konohamaru felt disoriented and confused in this room. Nothing was right. Nothing was the same. There was something that he was supposed to remember. Something important about the man.

"Oh," Konohamaru was brought from his reverie, from his remembering when he felt a sharp pain of Orochimaru entering him. Was it time already? He liked it when Konohamaru made noise. He liked it. Konohamaru knew. Much of Konohamaru was devoted now to pleasing this man. To pleasing Orochimaru. The only person to have cared for him during his time here. Why was he here again? Konohamaru felt the threads of his life slipping away.

Slipping away.

There was still something left he needed to do. Looking up to his lover, Konohamaru couldn't remember what it was that he was supposed to do. He couldn't remember anything anymore. It had all gone slipping away long ago. In the silence and the pain and the sunlight.

Eyes watering, Konohamaru reached up to touch Orochimaru's cheek.

Looking down, Orochimaru caught the boy's eyes, staring at him as he pushed in and out. The tears were telltale. Bending down, Orochimaru kissed him firmly on his lips.

"Shh, I've got you now," Orochimaru whispered.

Wiping away his tears, Konohamaru stared up into the eyes of his lover. Yes, Orochimaru had him now. It would be okay.