Orochimaru looked down at his lap and brushed another strand of dark hair from Ryoko 's face. She was not a child anymore, but at this moment, he saw past her adult looks, and what was in front of him, was the same small girl that huddled next to him in the cave of The Land of Frost.

Cherry on his left side leaned closer and rested his head on the snake's shoulder. This was probably the closest he would ever get to the notion of family. Instinctively, his hand found Cherry 's palm and squeezed it.

'You really care for her, Maru, ' his blossom whispered.

'It 'ssss more than that... She changed my life. She

ssssaved

my life. '

'How so? '