Kabuto looked at the purple-haired kunoichi in front of him, hatred clenching his heart. A little bit of regret was mixed in somewhere, but it was mainly hatred. He felt slightly saddened at her disheveled state, but had to remind himself that this was all her doing. That this was all her fault. She could have had anything she ever wanted, but she chose nothing. He shook off all thoughts of his past, how this very woman had once been... Once been his everything.
"Guren!" He called out, racing over to her side. She smiled and pat the spot next to where she was sitting, inviting him to join her.
"Hey Guren. I was wondering if you could teach me ninjutsu again today?" He asked hopefully.
"Haha! Why not?" Guren asked, smiling sweetly. Kabuto loved that smile. No matter how badly his day went, that smile always lit up his day. But he didn't dare to tell her, to tell her how he really felt, how much he loved her. Because he knew that no matter how much he loved her, she loved someone else.
"Orochimaru-sama!" She called out happily, jumping off the bench and racing to his side.
"Guren!" Orochimaru smiled, but his smile wasn't genuine like Guren's, Kabuto noted, it seemed... Almost hungry.
Kabuto watched, jealousy rising within him as Guren and Orochimaru started to chat, and walked away together, discussing about jutsu and chakra. His heart positively sank when he caught the last part of the conversation.
"Would you like me to teach you?" Orochimaru asked.
"Yes please, Orochimaru-sama!" Guren replied, positively beaming.
"You don't have anything on today, do you?"
And without a backwards glance, or even the slightest showcase of guilt, Guren replied, "Nope! Nothing at all!"
Kabuto felt as if a searing hand had just crushed his heart. But what was he to do? Guren was so captivated by Orochimaru that she didn't spare a single thought for him.
If only he could show her how he felt. If only she would look at him the way she looked at Orochimaru. Sadly, that was not possible. As if he was resigned to his fate, he looked at the pair as they slowly disappeared from sight, walking together side by side.