"Huh?"
Anko turned her head, confused.
"You want me to stay here?"
"Why not?" Evan said calmly. "You'd just be going back to an empty place anyway."
He smiled, voice gentle and coaxing.
"We haven't really sat down and talked in so long."
He tucked away his true intentions and played the patient, caring "older brother."
He wasn't wrong, either.
Mitarashi Anko had been an orphan since childhood.
She'd always been by herself.
She didn't find anything strange about what he said.
They had slept in the same tent during the war, after all.
The only difference back then was: there was no comfortable bed.
Besides, part of her really did want to talk to this "big brother" again.
"But I still have to train tonight," Anko added.
"You can train here."
For her talent, Anko was considered gifted—Orochimaru wouldn't have taken just anyone as a disciple.
But every night since Orochimaru's defection, she'd made herself sit and build chakra before bed.
To get stronger.
Strong enough to one day stand in front of Orochimaru and demand answers.
To ask:
Why did you defect?
And why didn't you take me with you?
"…Alright then," she said softly.
Anko stopped hesitating.
She sat cross-legged on the tatami and began to focus, slipping into chakra cultivation.
"How long are you going to train?" Evan chuckled, sitting down beside her.
"Until midnight," she replied. "You should go sleep first."
"No need."
He shook his head.
"You train. I'll just keep you company."
"Mn…"
Her cheeks warmed a little, but her heart felt oddly light.
She nodded.
Anko was serious once she started training.
Even when the breathing beside her grew heavier, she stayed focused, eyes closed.
Evan watched her from the side.
His gaze traced her delicate profile, then slid down the pale curve of her neck, then lower, taking in the shape of her body.
There was a youthful, budding beauty to her—
like a flower on the verge of opening.
Eventually, he slowly reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder.
Anko finally noticed something.
She cracked one eye open, turning slightly to look at him—
Her clear eyes, still pure and honest, met his darker, deeper gaze.
"Keep training," Evan murmured. "Don't look at me."
He didn't like being stared at with eyes like that while he was up to no good.
They'd had plenty of physical contact before.
So Anko didn't think too much of it, closing her eyes again and focusing on chakra.
She had already taken off her outer coat; only her mesh undershirt clung close to her body.
Evan's hand lingered on her shoulder, feeling the warmth through thin fabric.
His fingers began to slowly slide lower.
Anko shivered a little and squirmed.
"Don't mess around, that tickles…" she complained.
His hand paused—for a moment.
Then he let it stay at her waist.
"Let's take a break," he said softly.
"Hm?"
She didn't really understand.
You can rest whenever you want…
"It's been so long since we lay down and talked," Evan smiled.
"Ever since Orochimaru defected… it feels like we've grown distant."
"Just for tonight, let's be like before. Lie down, talk for a bit. Catch up properly."
"It's my fault, too. I've been hiding in that cold, empty prison all this time and ignored how you felt."
"Remember when she first took me as her disciple? Back in the war camp, the way we lay there and told each other childhood stories… that feeling was so good, wasn't it?"
His voice wove gentle nostalgia like a net.
The big bad wolf, wrapping himself in warm memories.
He knew perfectly well—
At a time like this, he absolutely couldn't show raw desire.
You had to use reasons like "talking" and "heart-to-heart" like a veil.
Girls like Anko fell for that.
And Anko already had a twisted dependence on him.
So she was easily led.
Soon, she found herself following him into the bedroom.
Click.
The door shut behind them.
When Evan turned around, Anko was sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed, looking a bit lost.
"Let's lie down while we talk," Evan said, coming closer. "Sitting is uncomfortable."
"I… I still need to train," Anko mumbled.
She had a vague, bad feeling.
"Training can wait," Evan said lightly. "Tonight, we're training the bed."
He pulled her down with him.
"Ah—!"
She yelped, and by the time she came back to herself, she was already in his arms.
"We have to stay close when we talk, or I won't hear you," he teased softly.
Warm breath brushed her cheek; his hands grew steadily more restless.
Anko stared up at him, long lashes trembling, his reflection filling her eyes.
For a time, he didn't mention the past at all.
His mind was full of nothing but wicked thoughts.
He held her there for a while before making another shameless request.
"It's too hot like this," he muttered. "Maybe we should… take off a layer."
"Huh?"
Anko might act ditsy and childish sometimes, but she wasn't stupid.
She finally realized what he was after.
So the "talk" and "heart-to-heart" were just bait.
He wanted more.
And his hands had already touched bare skin.
"Don't…" she whispered.
Her body reacted first: a hesitant, almost weak resistance.
She had seemingly forgotten she was a kunoichi; her struggle was too soft, too hesitant.
The two of them tussled silently on the bed.
Before long, the usually brash, loud Anko was trembling, feeling small and helpless, clutching at her clothes with both hands as if they were her last line of defense.
She glared at him, cheeks burning in anger and shame.
Evan felt his patience fray.
To distract her—and regain control—he suddenly changed the subject.
"Anko," he said quietly, "don't you want to know how Orochimaru's experiments got discovered by Konoha?"
His voice turned serious.
That one sentence was enough to freeze her movements.
"You… know?" she asked.
Her eyes flew wide, staring straight at him.
He took advantage of that hesitation, closing the distance again. She tensed, on the verge between backing away and clinging to him.
"Don't be afraid," he murmured, reaching up to brush her forehead, soothing her like calming a frightened animal.
As he continued to speak, his touch slowly drifted—but his tone remained calm, low, magnetic.
"Back then, during the war, when I pulled you out from that mess…" he said.
He started talking about their past—
The battlefield.
The missions.
The first time she'd called him "big brother."
The first time he carried her on his back.
He wove memory after memory, mixing truth, warmth, and lies together.
Little by little, the storm in Anko's heart began to quiet.
Her grip on his hand loosened.
"Big… brother…" she whispered.
"I'm here," Evan replied gently.
Her face was flushed red, eyes wet and glistening.
With a mixture of resentment and awkward courage, she blurted,
"Actually… I… I've liked you for a long time…"
"I know," Evan said with a small smile.
He'd known her feelings for ages.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"Then why did you leave me behind?" she choked.
"When sensei ran away, everyone cursed her… and started hating me too."
"Even you were gone…
I thought I'd die from how much it hurt…"
Evan thought to himself:
I was busy farming hatred and leveling up back then. How could I have time to babysit you?
But his face only showed deep "sincerity."
He leaned in and dropped a bombshell.
"Anko," he said quietly, "there's something I never told you."
"Orochimaru's defection…"
"Was because I reported her."
…
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