Lotophagi

AN: "Lotophagi" is the Greek word for "Lotus Eaters." According to the Greek myth, the Lotus Eaters would eat the fruit of the lotus plant and lose all their memories of their homes and family as well as lose the desire to return to said homes.

While I see Anko as a very strong and very independent kunoichi, I also think there are times when she's quite vulnerable and needs Orochimaru to hold her up, physically and spiritually.

I left Orochimaru nameless merely because it seemed to work for this fic. It should also be noted that I left Anko's lover in Konoha nameless as well because I couldn't decide if I wanted him to be Kakashi or Iruka or someone else. They both look so good with her, in my opinion. In any case, that's for you to decide.

Warning: The middle section gets a big T rating. At least, I think it does. That particular section is as far as I'm willing to go with romances at the moment, so I wouldn't expect anything more intense than that.

Disclaimer: The following lyrics come from the old African-American lullaby "Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby." The lyrics themselves inspired me to write this, and it evolved as I wrote it.

I also deny any and all ownership to the characters Orochimaru, Anko, and whoever else appears here. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. If I had the money, I would definitely buy Orochimaru and Anko, but, alas, I do not.T.T

It should also be noted that the first line of the story was inspired by a picture I saw on deviantart . It had those same words captioned on the picture.

Lotophagi

by This Blood Is Cleansing

She's long gone with the red shoes on,

gonna need another lovin', baby.

"I thought I could live without you . . . thought I could forget about you . . . I was wrong." His back is turned to her when she first enters the room, and when she says this, he barely twists his head around and spares her a glance through the corner of his eyes. What am I doing here? she wonders, staring down at the floor, smoldering eyes half-closed and feeling a little more than ashamed when she pictures her home hidden in the leaves and the friends, the family, the lover she left behind. He must've been pretty upset when he learned about my leaving. Anko's thoughts cease, and she slowly lifts her head when the man before her turns to face her completely and leans against the table, his arms crossed over his chest and that "all-knowing" smirk on his face. He tilts his head to the side and eyes the woman with his topaz irises. He doesn't speak though. He only chortles as he waits for Anko to speak again. "Look . . . I left my village behind for you. How much more proof could you possibly want, anyways? Do you want me to deliver Godaime's head on a silver platter to you?" She's getting irritated, and it doesn't help that his chuckling is growing more intense. What DID he want from her?!

"Why? Are you offering?" It's meant as a joke, and he laughs, but the fact that not even a smile shows up on Anko's face tell him that it didn't go through so well. When he finishes relishing in his own sense of humor, he slowly approaches Anko, a clever smile stretched across his aging face. The woman makes the mistake of looking him in his brilliant, golden eyes, and her body freezes. He is deathly close now, and Anko's own eyes narrow as she stares up at the man who is maybe a little too close.

"What," is all she manages as she tries to hide the fact that she's overly uncomfortable with the lack of space between the two. She twitches when he brings his fingers up to brush the side of her face, and he chuckles again at her reaction. She pulls away from his touch before she can begin to enjoy it and simply glares at him. Still smirking, he brings his hand back down to his side and heads for the door behind Anko. She has to side-step in order to give him enough room, and she can't help but to notice the flicker of light in his eyes as he passes. He doesn't turn when he addresses her but merely pauses in the hallway.

"Welcome home, Anko-chan." He flicks his lustrous, long hair over his shoulder. "Just don't expect any 'special treatment' from me." With that said, he starts down the dim-lighted hall.

~*~*~*~

You and me and the devil make three,

don't need no other lovin' baby.

Those smug lips allow a chuckle to pass through them before pressing against a lightly-tanned neck and kissing it. A feminine hand tangled in onyx-black hair tightens its grip. Anko's fawn-colored eyes open and stare unfocusedly at a spot on the gray, stone wall behind him. The strong arm around her waist pulls her even closer to a sturdy body, and a pale hand cradles the small of her back. His other hand is all over the place. She blinks, and she sees in the corner of the ceiling a spider web, and caught in the sticky web and struggling pathetically for its freedom, is a fly. Anko knows and understands that no matter how much the nuisance of a creature squirms, it won't escape the predator and its web. Just as the spider appears and hovers over its prey, he pulls her in to brush his lips against hers, and she sees the spider and fly no more.

"Anko," the man before her purrs lightly into her ear as he slides his hand over the side of her face and then into her hair. "Why did you come here?" Anko's gaze meets his and the drops to look at his neck. Why DID she choose to leave Konoha to come to him? The images of her home are just a bunch of blurred lines now because she hasn't seen it in so long, or maybe it wasn't so long ago. She doesn't know because she can't remember, and it's this very fact that makes her wonder if he's not secretly killing her with poison, but she quickly discards this idea. If he wanted to kill her, it wouldn't prove at all that difficult. He's not the slow and silent killer type, anyways.

"I don't . . . I don't remember," and it's the truth. She really can't remember if it was an espionage mission gone wrong that brought her here or if she chose to leave willingly. All she really knows is that he's not the slow and silent type, and he's not killing her . . . Not intentionally, anyways. No. He's like the spider. He waits for his pray to come to him, to get stuck in his web, before quickly striking and sucking the poor fool dry of everything.

"Ahhh, I suppose that's fine then . . . If you can't remember, then I'll remember for you." He laughs again and leans forward to lock her into another kiss.

~*~*~*~

Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones,

and be my ever-loving baby.

There's blood on her hands and face, and it's staining the front of her clothes, and she can't remember how it got there or why he was here. That's what scares her the most. She has no recognition at all of why he's here and of killing him, but she knows she's the culprit. She's the one who's covered in his blood. Did he scream? Did he hate having to face her? Tears are being to build up behind her hard, brown eyes, but it isn't until pale arms pull her into an embrace that she begins to sob heavily.

"Shhh, my lamb . . . You've done well," he comforts all the while stroking the back of her head. His other hand is in the small of her back. His pale chest is bare due to the kimono he's wearing and the muscled chest is catching the brunt of Anko's sorrow. "He attacked you first, remember? He called you a traitor and tried to kill you, but you wouldn't have it." He slides his hand from the back of her head to her chin and tilts her head back so they can see eye-to-eye. Her face is wet with tears, and her eyes are red and puffy. "Don't you remember?" Anko shakes her head, and she has gotten to the point where she just doesn't care about what she does and doesn't recollect. The only thing that really matters now is that she has him, and he's the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. She catches up with herself and her sobs before speaking,

"I can't remember . . . Is that bad?" Her god, her protector smiles and wipes a lone tear from her eyes.

"No, my dear. There's no need to worry. . . . .

. . . I will remember everything for you."