Author: Ibilintu/Aryna/DaftDays
Pairing: None
Rating: M (for safety)
Warnings: Some blood and little bit of gore and a human snake cage.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi, I'm just borrowing and making no profit at all.

A/N: Happy birthday Orochimaru! Even though I am likely the only one celebrating it but oh well. Just a little something based on my very dear friend ursu-pomm-chan's (deviantart) fanart with the same name, link shall appear on my profile.

For Didi

The boy was perfect. Orochimaru had known it the moment he had laid his eyes on him. He had watched the way that beautiful, strong, perfect body moved and taken note on how the black eyes hardened with cold determination. He had followed the boy moving through the forest with the grace of a large cat, his strength and budding power so obvious that it made a shiver run though Orochimaru's own wiry body. He had known that he had found the perfect host, the perfect subject to something he had wanted for a long long time. Maybe he wasn't quite developed enough yet but the man knew, he just knew that when offered the chance to get stronger, when played just right the boy would follow him to the darkest of his hideouts, to a place none of these idiots could even imagine. He would make the boy leave his life, leave his friends and his team and come to him, to make him answer to him and him only. The boy would be his.

And when he watched the boy on a simple chair in an empty room, his face unreadable and nothing but determination in his eyes, Orochimaru felt something like almost fatherly pride fill his chest for a moment. He had taught the boy well, taught him perfect, and now he was what the man had wanted him to become the moment he'd seen the boy years ago. He wasn't ready yet, there were still things they would be working on, but he was close, very close. And it was time the boy realized it himself.

As he stepped into the room, the old man came to the conclusion that he couldn't very well call the boy a boy anymore. That was not a body of a boy, one of a child, no. It was a body of a strong man, covered in hard muscle and skin marred my numerous scars that were more or less invisible on his milky skin. That face wasn't one of a child anymore, it had gone through changes just like the rest of him, as though it had been trained to fit that new, stronger body. And it was perfect. While he had never been the one to swoon over beauty of any kind, Orochimaru knew it when he saw it. It wasn't just the boy's -no, the young man's face that was beautiful, nor was it only his body or even a combination of those. It was the air around him, the silent confidence the young man oozed, the way he carried himself, that feel of danger you got every time you looked into those dark eyes. It was the strength that made those muscles ripple oh so slightly, the knowledge that the young man was not just a beautiful cover but a package of exploding strength, ready to take what he wanted, how he wanted. It was true perfection, and the smile on Orochimaru's face widened just a little as he stepped in front of the young man.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun", he greeted, his voice high and hissing. He was excited and he wasn't even trying to hide it, but his excitement had always been more of the silent maniac glee type of thing than jumping on the walls.

All he got in return from the young man was a small nod and then the raven was back to staring wordlessly, waiting for his teacher explain it all to him. He was used to waiting, but this time he didn't have to.

Still smiling, Orochimaru reached forward and ran his hand through the silky black locks, knowing that the boy -it was hard to get away from old thinking- was tolerating his touches for the time being only because he didn't have a choice in the matter. It made it all the better, though, knowing that Sasuke was letting him do it despite disliking it himself; it was a feeling of strength over someone else that always got him.

Now just wasn't the time to enjoy that. Retreating his hand, Orochimaru brought the other one up in front of Sasuke and slowly straightened his fingers that had been curled into a loose fist. A tiny, dark snake raised its head, the split tongue darting out to taste the air as it slithered on the large, bony hand in what looked like a relaxed state. He had that effect on snakes.

"It's time for your own summon snake to grow", the older man explained, his gaze darting from the snake to the raven and back again. It was surprisingly gentle, the way he handled the animal, and when Sasuke silently held out his hand he handed the snake over, watching it get comfortable on the smaller hand with the eyes of a concerned yet proud father watching his baby's first steps.

No more words were needed. Sasuke had known this day was coming, he'd known that one day he'd be given Manda's baby, his own summon to nurture and bring up, and the day had come. He knew what it required of him yet he kept his face empty, his eyes firm and accepting. He would do it in order to get stronger, like he'd done so many other things before. It would help him reach his goal.

"He will grow fast, only a few days. You won't notice a thing..." The latter statement was a lie and they both knew it, so it wasn't worth anything to state the truth. Sasuke would survive it and that was all that mattered.

"Open your mouth..."

The snake was handed back to the older man and slowly, with his eyes almost shining with the barely contained excitement he carefully leveled the baby snake to Sasuke's mouth. He motioned the younger man to tilt his head back and watched the snake slowly slide down the raven's throat, satisfaction playing on his face. Once the animal had gone down without a single gag he cupped Sasuke's cheeks and pulled his head back up, tapping his chin a little to make his student close his mouth as he pulled out a needle, signalizing to Kabuto who had been waiting outside.

"And now, we make sure he won't come out too early."

The days had passed. At first, Sasuke had been moving like normally, no change in his demeanor. But soon, the following morning already, he had started to change. It was something Orochimaru had expected, not quite this soon though but the faster the process went on, the stronger it meant Sasuke was. It was a pleasant surprise and he was smiling as he watched the boy, the young man, move around, his face as stoic as always but something telling he was in pain. Maybe it was the tiny wrinkles that appeared in the corners of his eyes when he thought no-one was looking or the way his lips were twisted down just a little bit more than usually. None of his men probably noticed anything but Orochimaru did, he had been watching the boy for years now and he just knew.

And it had gotten worse. Over the course of five days the young man had grown even more silent than usual and he had been left off training, leaving him alone in his room. Orochimaru was watching of course and he was more than pleased to see his student sitting on his bed, reading a scroll with an occasional wince or shift to make the movement in his stomach more bearable. The snake was growing, he knew that too, feeding off of Sasuke's chakra and the odd fluids they now injected to the young man to keep him alive. He couldn't eat properly like that so this was the easier way and it would help the snake grow. This was the best way to form a bond with your summon and there had never been any doubt about the way Sasuke would connect with his own. Only this way you could be truly one with the snake if it was ever needed and you had to have that connection to keep something like that in your control. Orochimaru had never doubted that Sasuke couldn't control it with just his strength alone, but this way was much more... efficient.

Day five was turning to night and for hours now Sasuke had been sitting still on the side of his bed, just staring at the wall and keeping still. It was his way to withstand pain, blocking everything out and focusing on the pain alone, forcing his mind to understand that the pain was all in his head and nothing more. He sat still like a statue except for the movement below his skin. Orochimaru was following via his own private little windows, knowing that getting involved in the birth might be fatal to Sasuke at least, and the real relationship between the summon and the summoner wouldn't be forged until the summon was truly out. Interrupting with that just couldn't happen.

The sun had gone down outside the base but neither of the men was moving. Orochimaru could see the changes slowly happening on Sasuke's face, the small signs of pain creeping up and without noticing it himself he placed his hand over his own stomach, clutching the fabric. It wasn't unfamiliar pain to him, oh no, but he'd welcome it again if necessary and he didn't feel the slightest bit guilty or bad watching Sasuke go through it. It was necessary and the boy would grow with the pain, would learn to withstand different kind of agony. Giving birth was always painful.

The first signs weren't so obvious and Orochimaru might not have noticed them at all if he hadn't been watching Sasuke so long. The skin on Sasuke's neck stretched a little as though something was pressing again it from the inside and then it was gone. The pale body shifted a little as the young man released a tense sigh, his hands slowly curling into tight fists.

And then it began. The beautiful face suddenly went through gruesome changes, the skin stretching and bulging in a way that made it all clear. Orochimaru leaned a bit closer, watching in fascination the bloody scene unraveling in front of him.

[i]His throat hurt and it was blocking his breathing, the way the snake pressed against his windpipe, making him wheeze as he tried to suck air in. It didn't work and then he didn't really have the time to think about it anymore. His mouth was full, so full he couldn't even think of breathing, forcing his lips apart and making the stitches dig deep into his flesh where they had been sewn to his lips. The small needle holes were torn open, blood running in small streams down his face and he resisted the urge to move. He knew better. He wouldn't give in, it was just pain, and he knew he was being watched. It was yet another test and he knew it, there was no way he would give in and scream, let Orochimaru win this round. He would bear it without a sound, let it happen. And as the snake started finally really struggling against its confines Sasuke realized that he might not be able to do that. [/i]

Sasuke's mouth was open too wide, and the sickening crunch echoed in the room as his jaw dislocated. Then it was only the skin holding it together as the chakra-infused threads started ripping due to the snake trashing against them. The animal didn't seem to find a way to get out and the movement was growing, faster and faster as it twisted the long, slender body inside Sasuke's mouth, parts of it still in the raven's throat, pushing against the skin. Blood was dripping from the corners of Sasuke's lips and then, suddenly, the first agonized sound escaped his throat, catching Orochimaru's attention immediately. The skin in the corners of Sasuke's lips suddenly tore as the snake threw his weight against the hole that might lead to outer world. It split on both sides, pushing the raven's mouth open to a gruesome almost-smile, blood running down his chin. He was silent still but his hands were up, one holding his throat and one clawing at the side of his head, suddenly pressing over his eyes, a gurgling sound escaping his lips.

The snake had grown larger than he'd expected, Orochimaru realized as he watched the process, his mind already analyzing what was happening and how. Maybe the animal had been too content residing inside the young man to come out earlier, but now it was significantly larger than Manda had been at that time. Orochimaru wasn't worried though, he knew it would be fine in the end, Kabuto could fix whatever damage was done to Sasuke's body and it wouldn't even leave a scar, and really, watching the boy fight against the ripping pain was rather fascinating. He watched the gashes on the pale cheeks spread, giving that still beautiful face a look of a silent scream that just couldn't fit out. The snake was still trashing but its head was hidden now, the gentle curves showing clearly inside Sasuke's mouth, and finally the strings were starting to snap. It left more pressure on the remaining ones yet they still hadn't torn out of Sasuke's skin, something Orochimaru noted he should probably mention to Kabuto. Job well done there.

The sudden muffled scream almost startled the old man, he'd been so caught in his analyzing that he had forgotten to properly watch. His eyes snapped to the direction they were needed in and he hissed in surprise, watching the snake's bloody head hover above Sasuke's head now. It had burst out from the eye socket, probably shattering some bones, and Sasuke's hand was now trying to cover the hole that was just bloody mess where his eye had been, blood running out with some other fluids and briefly Orochimaru wondered if it had gone a bit too far. He wasn't sure whether or not they could repair a broken Sharingan but he wasn't too worried about that; it would take a while from the boy to recover and they'd have time to think about that while he was resting And besides, there was still one eye anyway, they could do wonders with that. The snake was now tasting the air around it, ignoring the way it's host was almost spasming with the pain it was causing, like an epitome of innocence. It was just starting to learn that there was another world out there, away from the comfortable warmth it had lived until now and Orochimaru could almost see the snake's eyes brighten at the realization. And then they were gone.

Sasuke had caught part of it from his mouth and yanked, pulling the snake out entirely and throwing it to the ground. He let out a gurgled sound and fell to the ground, one hand still over his destroyed eye, and then he was vomiting, nothing but bloody mess coming up and sending the young man into a violent coughing attack.

Orochimaru watched still for a moment to make sure the snake was still alright, curled up on the floor a bit away from its heaving master, watching the situation calmly, and then he finally gave a sign to Kabuto and his medics. They could repair the damage now and later he'd have a good talk with Sasuke about that scream. The boy's self-control had slipped almost dangerously.

As he stood up and wiped his hands to his shirt there was still the same smile on his lips that had existed all those years ago in that forest as well. Just as he had thought, that boy truly was perfection.