Yuki was lying upstairs on a queen-sized bed with black blankets located in a bedroom with white and blue painted walls. There was also a black dresser, two white nightstands with a clock on top of one, and a mini lamp on the other one.

She was currently reading a book about the history of her home, the Land of Winter. When she looked over at the clock and saw that it was, 11:50 am.

"I should start making lunch and then check on Orochimaru," She said, closing her book and placed it on the nightstand next to her clock, and standing up.

'Hopefully, he is starting to feel a bit better after warming on up, but with how he was sneezing earlier, he is probably coming down with a cold.' She thought as she walked over to the bedroom door and began making her way downstairs to make lunch.

She walked through the hallway to see her little brother's bedroom door was closed, and so was the rest of the doors upstairs except for her room. She opened the door of the third room and saw a small figure with smokish white hair sleeping on a small bed located in the room.

'Looks like Mei is still taking her nap.' Yuki thought as she closed the door and continued making her way downstairs.

☆☆☆

Meanwhile downstairs...

Orochimaru let out an annoyed groan as he was woken from his slumber as he felt his nose twitching and nostrils flare-up in irritation. He felt another sneeze building up within his nose as his breath began to hitch.

"Ah...Aaaaah..."

He sniffed and brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his nose while still laying down on the couch, trying to get rid of rhe sneeze so he could sleep some more, but he felt his nostrils continued to quiver and flare up as his breath continued to hitch.

"Aaaaaaaah...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh..."

He sniffed again as he continued to rub his nose as it continued to quiver and flare up. "Aaaaaaaaahhh...Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh..." He continued to inhale as he got closer to releasing his upcoming sneeze. His nostrils were flaring and quivering uncontrollably as he continued to rub his nose, but the tickle sensation was getting stronger. "AaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..." He inhale more sharply at this point. He knew he was about to lose against his sneeze. He couldn't hold it back much longer. His nose continued growing and shirking; each inhale tickling his nose more and more."AaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH....!"

He slightly began to pinch his nose with his hand as he tried to stifle the sneeze.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH-CHHHXXXXXX!" His head shot forward as he released a powerful and slightly loud stifled sneeze. He felt mucus run out of his nostrils and on his hand. After a few minutes, he recovered and grabbed a tissue, and blew his nose.

"Ugh, that hurt," He groaned, balling up the tissue and placing it on the table near him.

"That's why you shouldn't stifle," A familiar voice said. He looked over to see Yuki walking down the stairs. "Gesundheit, by the way," She added as she headed towards the kitchen.

"Thanks, and I was trying not to disturb you with more of my sneezes," He replied with a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"No need for that. Get some more sleep. I have lunch ready in a few, and then you can move into one of the extra rooms upstairs for more comfortable rest," Yuki stated as she continued into the kitchen to make lunch as she watched him slowly drift back off to sleep with a smile on her face.

"Okay," He said, barely awake as his breath relaxed, indicating he was falling asleep.

'You know he is pretty attractive as he is peacefully sleeping. ' She thought with a smile as she continued making her way into the kitchen after grabbing Orochimaru's empty cup.

☆☆☆

Yuki was now in the kitchen making, grabbing a large pot from the cabinet. She placed it on the stove after putting water inside, letting it start to boil. As he gathered the needed ingredients to make some Miso ramen for lunch.

She began to add the ingredients into the pot and used a soup to mix everything together before placing a lid on the pot to let it boil as it cooked.

She smiled as she heard slightly audible snoring coming from the living room and rushing footsteps coming downstairs.

'Seems like Shiro is coming to ask about lunch. He even snores, kind of cute, but surprise, he can sleep with the rushing footsteps.' She thought as she finished setting the timer for the ramen to be finished.

While the Miso ramen was cooking, she started making some more green tea with honey.

"Hey, is that the smell of ramen?" A voice asked, entering the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm making ramen for lunch, Shi-kun," She replied, giving her little brother a quick glance. "It should be ready. Why don't you go wake up Mei and respect our sleeping guest and keep quiet."

"Sure, I wake her up," Shiro replied. "And don't worry, I won't wake your snake-looking boyfriend," He said with a smirk.

"He not my boyfriend," She muttered, blushing at her little brother's comment.

Shiro chuckled at her sister's blushing face as he left the kitchen to wake up little Mei.

Yuki grabbed three medium blue bowls from one of the kitchen cabinets and then grabbed a kid-sized pink bowl from there as well.

Just as she finished doing that, she looked over to see Shiro come back into the kitchen holding a four-year-old girl with smokeish white hair and blue feline eyes. She had smokish white and black cat ears and a smokish white and black spotted tail. She was wearing emerald green pajamas.

"Alright, Mei, time for lunch," Yuki said, taking the little girl and placed her down in the booster seat at the kitchen table."Shiro get her a cup of juice, please," She said as she put ramen in Mei's bowl and blew on it before grabbing small chopsticks for her.

After placing the ramen on the table for Mei and Shiro, she filled another bowl and poured some tea into Orochimaru's cup. "Mei let it cool down some more before eating your ramen," She told her as she placed the bowl and cup on a tray and left the kitchen.

☆☆☆

Yuki walked into the living room and placed the tray on the table. As she slowly walked over to Orochimaru and gently shook his shoulder.

He yawned as he opened his eyes and spotted the tray on the table next to Yuki. His stomach let out an audible rumble.

"Sounds like someone hungry," She chuckled at his stomach rumbling, signaling he was hungry.

"Yeah," He said, with almost looked like a sign of him blushing.

"Well, that should settle that hungry," She said, picking up the tray and held it out for him to grab.

Orochimaru started to reach out for the tray as his nose started to twitch, making him pause in place.

"Hm?" Yuki questioned as he paused in place. "Something wrong?"

"Y-yeah...I-I gonnnn...goonahhh...snee...Aaaaah...ssssnee...Aaaaaahhh...sssneeze.." Yuki nodded in understanding and backup with the tray.

"Aaaah...Aaaah...Aaaaah..." He tilted his neck back as his hitched."Aaaaaaaahh.." He tilted his head farther back as he continued to inhale.

"Aaaaaahh..."He tilted his head even farther back when suddenly his breath returned to normal as the urge to sneeze was gone. He sighed as he returned his neck back to its regular position. "Never mind, it looks like it was a false alarm," He said, holding his hands out for the tray.

"Okay, here you go," She said, giving him the tray."I will be in the kitchen if you want more. However, before I go, how old are you?"

"Eighteen Yuki."

"Same age as me, I thought so," Yuki replied as she walked back into the kitchen as Orochimaru began eating his ramen.

Orochimaru looked up from his ramen as he watched Yuki leave the kitchen. He found her voice quite beautiful.

'She sounds like an angel when she talks.' He thought as her voice placed through his head even after she left.

He continued eating his ramen and could feel his nose started to run. It cleared up his nose, and his throat was a bit less sore. He sighed as he drank the juice left in his bowl before drinking some of his tea.

Once he finished drinking some of his tea. He put the tray back on the table and grabbed a tissue, about to blow his running nose, until it started to quiver and flare-up. He began to bring the tissue up towards his nose.

"Aaaaaah...Aaaaaaaahh...Aaaaaaaahhh..." He tilted his head back."Aaah...Aaaaahhh..."

The tickle sensation in his nose grew stronger went each inhale.

"Aaaah...Aaaaahh...Aaaaaaaaahhh...Aaaaaahhhh..." His head tilted back even farther as his nose quivered and flared up.

Orochimaru slowly closed his eyes as he got closer to releasing the sneeze.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH-CHOOO!" He shot his head forward as he released his sneeze into his tissue. He sniffed and kept his tissue against his nose, another sneeze coming on.

"Aaaaahh...Aaaaaahhh...Aaaaaaaahhhh...Aaaaaaahhhhh...Aaaaaahhhhhh-choo! Aaaaahh...Aaaaaahhh...Aaaaaaaahhhh...Aaaaaaahhhhh...Aaaaaahhhhhh-choo!" He doubled over as he released two more sneezes into his tissue.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh-chooo! Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh-choooo!Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-choooo!" He panted as he released three more sneezes as he felt his nostrils quiver and fare again another sneeze coming.

"Aaaaaaaaahhh...Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh...Aaaaaaaahhhhh...Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh-choo! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh...Aaaaaaaahhhhhh...AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH-CHOOOOOO!"He doubled over as he released two more sneezes.

Orochimaru was now hunched over, panting with his long raven hair covering his face as he was catching his breath from his sneeze fit.

"Oh goodness bless you," Yuki said, placing her hand on Orochimaru's shoulder with concern in his eyes.

Orochimaru nodded his thanks as he felt Yuki lift him off the couch and place his arm on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you upstairs to lay in a comfortable bed, and I want to check your temperature. You look flush like you have a fever," She said with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, Yuki-nee take care of your boyfriend, " Shiro chuckled, carrying Mei upstairs. "He looks like he can use the care of his girlfriend. "

"Shut up, Shi-kun," Yuki muttered, blushing as she saw Orochimaru staring at her with his head tilted to the side, confused."Just continue to ignore him," She said, helping Orochimaru up the stairs.

☆☆☆

Yuki placed Orochimaru down on a large bed with grey blankets located inside of a grey-painted room. As soon as he was bundled up with the blankets. She headed towards the bathroom to get the thermometer.

"Let me grab the thermometer real quick," Yuki said as she watched him coughing into his arm.

"Alright," He replied after he finished coughing.

Yuki then came back out of the bathroom as Orochimaru suddenly doubled over and released two stifle sneezes.

"Hihhhhh-gnxxt! Hehhhhh-NKKTT!!"

"Bless you, and again, no need to stifle," Yuki said, walking over towards Orochimaru and placed the thermometer in his mouth. "I bring up your tea, and the tissues be right back," She said, leaving the room.

After a couple of minutes, she returned and placed the teacup on the nightstand along with the tissue, before checking the thermometer and reading the temperature.

"Yeah, you have a fever. Your temperature is 100.5 definitely looks like you caught a cold being in the snow," she said, reading the thermometer and headed to the bathroom to wash off the thermometer and get a damp cloth to help bring down the fever.

"Here, this should help with your fever, " She said, putting the cloth down on his flushed forehead. "Now get some rest. You can stay here until you recover from your cold," She sent him a smile before making her way to leave the room.

"Wait, are you sssure the ressst of your family will be okay with that?" Orochimaru asked.

Yuki froze after hearing his question.

"Is sssomething wrong, Yuki?"

🐾🐾

Here we go. Chapter two of my new story, called The Snake and the Snow leopard, has been published. In this chapter, Yuki and Orochimaru start developing a slight bond. With Shiro making fun of her saying he's her boyfriend.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.