Naruto one-shots [Requests OPEN]

Kabuto x OC

(...24 years ago...)

A frail women, with long, wispy, blonde hair, held her small daughter in her lap; the two not uncanny in resemblance. The older of the two gazed down into the blue eyes of the little girl who mirrored the look.

"Now, Tori, I won't be around when you're growing up but I want you to know that I love you very much. I will always love you even if I'm not here next to you." the soft voice of Tori's mother echoed in the white room. The silence afterwards dragged on until the wheezing in her voice left her in coughing fits. Looking up to her mother with an expression of slight confusion and devastation, Tori reached her hand to her mother's cheek.

The tender moment was interrupted with the entrance of a shadowy figure looming in the doorway of the room. Turning their heads, their eyes land on a man wearing a grave expression underneath his long, swooping hair. Tori's father knew this was the end. He stalked towards the bed his dying wife lay in with their daughter close. Placing his hands on Tori's shoulders firmly, he lifted her off of his wife and on to the empty space at the end of the bed. The little girl stared on at the two adults in front of her. Her father was speaking in a hushed tone while her mother stared at the wall in front of her with a blank look.

"Tori, can you leave your mother and me to talk for moment, please?" the tall man said quietly, sending his daughter a sharp look. She did not want to leave her mother however she was well-acquainted with the unmistakable commanding tone of her father's voice. Dragging her feet, Tori left the room to stand outside the door which was closed behind her. Peeking through the small gap left between the door and its latch, she could she her father tearing up as her mother's breathing ceased and eyes stared blankly.

Tori could feel a lump grow in her throat which irritated her breathing to the point where she was breathing heavily in the poor attempt to settle the pain she was feeling. Struggling for air, the tears falling upon her reddening cheeks as a waterfall would; leaving the salty water pooling on the floor beneath her hung head. 'Mother...is dead...' her thoughts drowned out her senses, the despair being too much for her to handle at the sensitive age of four. Her stream of thought was stopped with the opening of the door. Her father looked down with a stern expression, the similarity between his wife and daughter reminded him of his late wife. Without a word he left the house – no longer seen as his home – to go to the nearest place to find sake. He needed it to cope with his grief. Tears expressing her grief and pain were leaving her, just as he was.

Tori woke up in a cold sweat; wiping off the layer which accumulated on her brow, she sat up in the not uncomfortable bed in the room which she had called home for the past thirteen years. She had not thought of those memories for years. The shock alone of realising that she dreamt of that day prevented her from moving her body; like a deer in the headlights, her body was stiff in fright. Her mind flicking through the memories she had been ignoring for the past thirteen years.

You see, after her mother had died, Tori never received any affection from her father. She learned the hard way that to get on in life she could only depend on herself as others would always let her down. Her father ignored her most of the time with the exception of when he would beat her mercilessly in a drunken rage. In fact, this has led to her showing little to no emotion, she refused to let her father know the pain he caused. As a result of this, people who meet her assume that she was cold but it is only because she had forgotten how to express her feelings.

She found that the only time she could escape the hardships of domestic life was when she got lost in the novels which were passed down to her from her mother. She often sat by the river that ran by her house while reading or watching the birds. The birds were free, not repressed like herself; Tori dreamed of becoming one, being able to relish in the freedom which she was never truly granted by her father.

Her flashbacks were interrupted with a loud banging on her door. Quickly, she got dressed and set off to the lab which Orochimaru-sama provided for her to carry out her work on genetic modification. Entering the room, she did not acknowledge the dark haired teenager who was hunching over one of her work stations. After sitting down at the bench, she looked over at him with a face which matched the walls – cold, and as blank as the stones themselves. Her blue eyes lost their glimmer and what replaced them were shards of ice, her frosty appearance challenging the young boy to treat her with distain. His dark, dead eyes stared at her until she casted the intensity caused her gaze to the desk, angry at herself for bending under pressure. She knew that without a doubt – this boy – Sasuke Uchiha could kill her in an instant, despite her advanced intelligence. She heard the scraping of the chair legs against the floor but before she could look around she was pinned against the cold wall. Her eyes widened in shock. Her heart raced. A set of Sharingan grasped her full attention, Tori was unable to shift her gaze. Her mind raced to find a solution. The silence was broke by the Uchiha's voice which shook her to her very core.

"You're late. How many times have I told you not to be late? You know that I don't like to be kept waiting."

Tori looked at him calmly and answered with an unwavering voice. "Well I don't like your attitude but you don't hear me complaining about it."

"Keep that sharp tongue in check or I'll rip it out." The vice like grips which were holding her wrists against the wall tightened. She couldn't think up a feasible plan to get out.

At that moment her saviour walked in. The grey haired man stood not a few metres from where the two stood, stiffly he strode up to Sasuke while looking at him with a cold glare.

"Sasuke, Orochimaru-sama wouldn't like if you killed one of his subordinates. Especially one who is working on improving the success rate of the test subjects. Now go train, I need to speak with Tori." His smooth voice calmed her as she knew that Sasuke could not disobey him if it endangered his aim of growing stronger.

Sasuke left the room leaving the door to swing back onto its hinges in a swift motion. Looking at Kabuto, she immediately froze as their eyes met. Tori had always had a cold and blunt personality upfront but if anyone – and by anyone meaning those who spend the most time with her – looked closely, one could see that her eyes held much more emotion. Kabuto could see that. He knew what she felt. Perhaps Tori did not know herself, but whenever she made eye contact with him he could see the hidden emotions; the ones that she could not, or perhaps did not know how, to convey. He gently took hold of her elbow, not ignoring the fact that the simple gesture induced a shiver from the short female, and led her back to her desk. He pulled up a chair next to her and began to probe her with questions, the most of which revolved round her wellbeing.

"Tori, are you sure you are alright?" Kabuto gingerly placed one of his calloused palms on top of hers and held it there. The slow rubbing of his thumb comforted her.

"I'm fine. I usually know how to solve any problem...that was the first time I felt that there was no way out. Thank you, Kabuto."

Her voice was lower than usual and kept her face out of his vision. She doubted her cheeks could get redder as one of her fair skinned reached up to meet a burning cheek. She kept her head down, afraid to let Kabuto know of how his presence influences her. A cool finger made contact below Tori's chin and lifted it so that their eyes would meet once again. Kabuto shifted his hand to one of her cheeks and began to slowly move in towards her, his eyes closing. Forcing herself forward, their lips met in a gentle kiss which left her breathless. If not for the need for air, she would have happily stayed in the kiss. Once she pulled away and opened her eyes, she could not prevent the smile spreading across her face. Kabuto had believed that she was the most beautiful view he could ever wish for, that is until he saw her smile. Her smile brightened the rest of her features and he could not help but mirror the expression.

"I love you, Kabuto."

"I know you have, I've known for a while now. I could see it in your eyes, gradually I realised that it was how I looked at you. I love you too, Tori."

The two shared one last kiss before beginning their day in the lab. Both casting glances to the other while they were looking the other way and being closer in general. Tori had finally been able to express her love which she had long forgotten over the years. Although she did not like the Uchiha boy, she could not doubt that if it were not for him then she would never have told Kabuto how she felt and for that she is grateful. She had finally found someone who share a love which is undoubtedly irrevocable.

DISCLAIMER
Masashi Kishimoto has rights over all Naruto storylines and characters mentioned in these oneshots as he is the rightful owner/creator of the Narutoverse. The only things I can take credit for are my own OC's however I will take requests with your specified OC