#dannin

Summary: Jiraiya is so, so bored, and he’s tired of waiting.

Kink Meme Prompt: Deprivation

Unapologetically gratuitous fluff inspired by the upcoming Sunshine After Rain verse I’m working on with Krikee.

In which our heroes go on a date at a cat cafe and cuteness ensues.

The tea shop appears quaint and cozy as Orochimaru and his partners walk into the establishment. Fragrant teas are rich in the air, but there is something else. The scent of fur, something mammalian, but not human.

"Mrrrow?" A grey tabby cat crosses the aisle between tables and immediately weaves itself between Orochimaru’s ankles, walking to and fro. Dan, Tsunade, and Jiraiya catch their collective breaths as Orochimaru freezes, and his hands clench tight. The shop owners appear nervous, until a wide, gentle smile spreads across his features and he bends to pick up the very happy cat.

"Well aren't you a pretty thing with your stripes and white socks? Hello to you too." He says quietly, and almost sweetly, as jaws drop around him.

The snake Sannin continues waking toward an empty table, scratching behind the cat's ears and under its chin, while his partners follow, awestruck at the unexpectedly adorable sight.Then gradually more cats approach, and the ensuing display is one they will never forget. 

Orochimaru’s smile does not fade in the least, growing ever brighter, and everyone else in the room is promptly forgotten as he is slowly surrounded by happy, purring cats, who are very pleased to be petted and doted upon in turn, one after another. A fluffy Siamese and a black cat vie for space on his lap and beside him, while he still holds the tabby, and a calico chirrups loudly at him, with no place to go.

"It's okay lovely one, come cuddle by my feet. What precious spots you have! And such pretty pink toes."

Then a tiny ball of black fluff approaches with golden eyes to rival his own and he makes room for the kitten as well. "Such soft fur and sparkling eyes... what a sweet girl you are."

His lovers promptly forget they are on a date and watch Orochimaru whilst clutching each other, still unable to comprehend what they are seeing. His reaction is priceless, and Jiraiya and Tsunade make a mental note to plan something equally sweet for Dan, the mastermind behind this particular activity. They knew Orochimaru had a passing fondness for cats, even resembled one at times, but this response defies all expectations.

They spend the next couple of hours drinking tea, eating sweets, and letting Oro adore every cat that approaches, buying cat treats from the owners so that he can spoil the kitties. Tsunade wonders if one of them might consider getting a cat as a pet just to bring this quiet joy to Orochimaru's visits. Whatever the case may be, this sort of date will not be the last by a long shot.

The other patrons and the tea shop owners cannot believe this is a private facet to the much-feared snake Sannin, so serene and kind to tiny cute creatures. They take a new look at him and realize they might have been viewing him through the wrong lens. 

And well, was he always so pretty? Undoubtedly a few inexplicable crushes are launched that night among impressionable patrons.

Even so, his true affections are for his lovers alone, and Orochimaru's ignored dates are later rewarded with sweet hugs and kisses and a detailed rundown of the whole experience.

Apologies for the delay! This ended up being very long, and to preface the following, my headcanons are those assumed in my Clandestine Joys series, and most of them were developed as my dear friend Kri-Kee and I decided Dan needed more of a personality to truly justify how devoted Tsunade was to his memory. As a Hokage hopeful, he would have had to be near a similar level of talent as the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake, which means he could not simply be the boring “nice guy” he appears to be in canon. 

Most of these ideas were created for a fic in which Dan is not killed, so please bear that in mind.

For all that he is generally affable, easygoing and unassuming while interacting with his peers, he is calculating and ruthless on the battlefield, displaying keen perception and deadly efficiency.

Duality is a common theme to his personality, as he embodies qualities that are often the polar opposites of one another. He is generally good-natured, and radiates a consistently stable sense of calm, but on the rare occasions when he is provoked, he has a temper that flares even hotter than Tsunade’s.

He is two years older than the Sannin and attended the same Chuunin Exams, where he avoided the use of his clan abilities to prevent killing his targets. He managed to advance through the use of strategy and other chakra based skills.

In peacetime, he was a Jounin sensei as well as a history and folklore enthusiast. Dan has been guilty of using reika no jutsu to abandon his body and explore ruins and other historical sites for fun as a youngster.

Due to his soul travelling ability he is known as Konoha’s Ghost, and the appellation follows him throughout his career.

Reika no jutsu is a Kato clan ability, and all of its users have white hair, which is in line with clan legends. Dan’s chakra itself has a calming effect and naturally syncs with others, the literal balm to soothe the troubled soul, a clan trait that makes it easier for him to possess a given target.

He has a summoning contract that he obtained in part due to Sannin peer pressure and a friendship with a retired courier nin: songbirds of all kinds. It did not sound useful until the day he called up a murmuration of starlings under his command, as well as magpies, and sparrows. The birds were given the appellation Songbirds of Death, due to the symbolism of the magpies and sparrows. Songbirds of Death meant Konoha’s Ghost could be anywhere on a battlefield.

Family:

The Kato were a small nomadic clan whose legends affirm that their soul-traveling ability was gifted to them by a deity who was believed by some to be a goddess, and others a demoness. They originally hailed from the coast of the Land of Lightning during the Warring Clans era, in a small settlement where the mountains met the sea. They were forced to flee as their ability made them a target to be hunted, especially so close to Kiri. Like with the Shimenawa (Orochimaru’s clan in the SC verse), they were invited to join with Konoha at its founding, but did not accept the offer until their numbers dwindled, and it was necessary to join with the village for their clan’s survival.

Shizune is the daughter of Dan’s older sister and an unnamed Uchiha who was killed during the second war.Her father’s family never found out about her, though her genes rang true in both appearance and ability. She has possibly awakened the Sharingan in secret and keeps it concealed as a personal choice, as she lived with the stigma of her possible heritage and wanted nothing to do with it. Dan’s intent was always to adopt Shizune once military matters stabilized, but during wartime, he could not do so.

Relationships:

Dan is pansexual and panromantic, as his clan beliefs saw the body as secondary to the soul, affirming that connections between souls exist regardless of gender.

He a true switch in terms of power dynamics, swinging deeply from one extreme to another in terms of dominance and submission. Submission finds him deeply respectful and worshipful towards his partner(s), but when dominant, he is a strict disciplinarian, often harsh, but loving.

Sannin OT4 pairings to be explored in an upcoming work called Like Sunshine After Rain:

Orochimaru/Dan

Unexpectedly, Dan complements Orochimaru right down to a chakric level. Dan’s naturally calming chakra negates Orochimaru’s naturally sharp, abrasive chakra, and to some degree disarms his tendency to guard himself with it. The easy chemistry between them allows Orochimaru to open up to Dan a lot more easily than he anticipated. Dan in turn gives him something he find little of elsewhere - true acceptance of his differences, and a genuine sense of respect for his culture that he has never found in Konoha with anyone else.

(Their clans had history with one another and shared values, as at some point while the Kato were still nomadic in generations past, the Shimenawa aided them during their trek through Rice Paddy country. Both clans held family and children as sacred, part of the reason both groups were hesitant to join with Konoha and the Senju/Uchiha history of child soldiers. The Shimenawa saw the Kato as especially blessed due to their coloring; white snakes with blue eyes were long upheld as a symbol of good fortune. Orochimaru sees Dan as twice-blessed in this respect.)

Jiraiya/Dan

This is a pairing that most closely resembles slowly burning embers eventually flaring bright with the addition of steady dry kindling. Dan and Jiraiya share common interests and are able to bond over the passions Jiraiya rarely lets on as being his own apart from matters of the erotic - literature, history, mythology and sealing. Both have a bit of a goofy sense of humor, with a love of puns and wordplay. Their relationship begins as an attempt at hopeful friendship that very gradually becomes a deep, abiding love over time.

Tsunade/Dan

She is quite literally the realization of Dan’s dreams, his first love, and first lover. They did indeed meet during a jounin assembly in support of a proposal to add medics to every shinobi team, and he did walk her home, but in the end she was the one to ask him out. She insisted on picking him up and not the other way around, and he knew he would be helpless to resist her.

Dan gives her the comfort she needs after Nawaki’s death and in the wake of the complications with her teammates after their ill fated tryst in Ame. The beginnings of their life together serve as one of the most peaceful times in either of their lives up until this point, and their bond slowly becomes unbreakable. He is her rock, her safe place when nothing else makes sense, and she loves him desperately.

!!!!!

:)