Pink Fox [Sakura's Brother: A Naruto Fan Fiction]

Chapter 10: Deal with the Devil

The next few days were hell. Kakashi had been kept busy with training Sasuke, so he was left to his own silence in his own room. Sakura had knocked on his door a few times. Still, Javen couldn't respond and was exhausted from the countless attempts to talk that put him in excruciating pain. The only visitor he got that he let in was the devil one night. He heard the rap of knuckles against his window one night, and he turned to face a man in his window. Orochimaru. Javen's face paled, and he backed up a few feet.

"Calm, kitten, I am here about that deal."

Javen bit his lip and nodded, heading to his bed to sit down. Orochimaru climbed through the window and joined him, sitting on the edge of the bed a few inches away. His hand reached towards Javen to play with his hair, and Javen made no move away.

"My poor little fox has lost his spark." Orochimaru brought Javen to rest against him and pet his hair with faux affection. Yet, despite that, the actions calmed Javen down tremendously.

Orochimaru sat with him for a couple of minutes, petting Javen's hair and scratching the areas where Javen's ears would be before speaking, "Would you show me your ears and tail, Haruno? I need something to do while I decide what to do with you."

Javen knew he was in a bad position right now. But, he needed Orochimaru so he could get his voice back, and Orochimaru would be more likely to do so if he was happy. So, Javen licked his teeth, and his fangs, ears, and tail grew, and he leaned against Orochimaru willingly and let himself relax. Orochimaru seemed pleased. His fingers stroked his pink fur, and Javen couldn't help the steady purr from his throat.

"You know, Mr. Haruno." Orochimaru smiled, "You are much more pleasant when all you can do is purr."

"I think it's in your best interest, Javen if you just listen to me." Orochimaru moved a finger under Javen's chin, his sharp nail digging into his throat.

"I would be willing to let you live and speak if you came back with Sasuke and I." Orochimaru smiled, and Javen pulled back. Orochimaru just held him closer, "Only for two weeks. Then you can go back home and tell them everything."

Javen paused and looked up at Orochimaru as if to ask if he was serious.

"Yes, Javen. Only two weeks. Why don't you think about it? Then you also get to watch over Sasuke and ensure he's safe."

Javen nodded and pulled out a scroll, 'I'll think about it.'

With that, Orochimaru was gone, and Javen was left to stare at his ceiling in the darkness, thinking about how shitty his life was. The following day, he finally left his room. The first thing he did was walk over to his sister's room. His eyebags were awful, but she looked stressed too.

'What are you up to?' Javen wrote on a scroll that he had decided to keep in his pocket with a pen.

Sakura moved quickly to stand and hug him as if she hadn't seen him in years. Then she shrugged, moving to lay on her bed, "Nothing much right now. I can tell people are on edge because of Orochimaru, but it's mostly kept quiet. Lee is still recovering from his fight with Gaara. He can no longer be a ninja because his injuries are so bad."

Javen's face fell, he had been there, of course, but that fight felt like a fever dream. That kid was terrifying. He noticed his sister had started tearing up, and the only thing keeping the tears from falling down her face was the gravity from her lying on the bed. Javen moved to sit at the head of her bed and wiped away her tears.

'That must be tough. He was a noble guy.' Javen wrote and smiled at Sakura, who just gave him a smile, 'Where's everyone now?'

"Kakashi and Sasuke are training, but Naruto is training with this old guy." Sakura moved to sit up and compose herself.