Okay, this is my first OroKabu story, so please review and tell me whether they seem in character. Um, this is an AU set in an author created time and place and I have changed a few of the characters' ages. For example, Orochimaru is 19 and Kabuto is 16. ^^ If you have any questions, just ask. Okay?
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto.
"Which do you like better, white camellias or red ones?"
"Hmm?" Orochimaru hummed as he turned his amber gaze away from the window he'd been looking through in order to regard the young boy who'd just spoken. The child had long, hazel hair that reached to the middle of his back and hung in his amethyst eyes a bit as well. He was wearing an olive green robe with a lavender vest. He was holding a flower in each hand. One was red and the other was white.
The older male chuckled as he ran his long, pale fingers through his own jet black hair, brushing it away from his eyes in the process. "You really like those flowers, don't you? They just came into bloom and you're already carrying them around with you," he said, amusement in his voice.
The boy smiled and nodded happily. "Uh, huh! Camellias are my favorite flower!" he said with a giggle. "I like white ones best though. Which color do you like more?"
"Well, of course you like the white ones better. You're named after the snow after all, Yuukimaru. As for me...," Orochimaru replied, pausing to think about it for a moment. "I think I like red more."
The flower loving boy's smile grew even bigger. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, his eyes flicking to look at something behind the other male. He closed his mouth and beamed happily. "Guren-san!" he called excitedly, switching both flowers over to his left hand so that his right one was free. He raised it and waved eagerly to the woman he had addressed.
Orochimaru turned around to face them both, watching as the boy ran over to the purple haired woman and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face against her a bit as well. Guren smiled after a moment and stroked the top of his head. The dark haired man smiled too, though his was a bit more of a smirk. He found this little moment quite amusing.
Guren then noticed him watching and straightened her posture, gently pulling the child's hands free of her emerald green dress. "Yuukimaru, why don't you go play outside instead of bothering Prince Orochimaru?" she suggested as she knelt down to see the kid eye to eye.
Orochimaru frowned a bit at that. 'Who said he was bothering me?'
"Okay, Guren-san! I will," the little boy told the woman before glancing down at his hand and smiling wider. Miraculously, the flowers hadn't been crushed when he hugged her. He carefully switched the white camellia back to his right hand and lifted it up, offering it to the purple haired woman. They exchanged smiles as she accepted the delicate flower and placed it behind her ear. He then turned and gently tucked the red one behind Orochimaru's ear before running off, calling good byes to both of them as he left.
The black haired man blinked and brought a hand up to gently brush his fingers against the soft petals of the flower as he watched the child leave, laughing lightly to himself as he did so.
"I'm sorry, Prince Orochimaru. He's just a bit excitable right now. You know how much he loves flowers," Guren apologized, a slightly nervous smile gracing her face.
"It's quite alright, Guren," he replied simply. "It's not like you're completely responsible for any of his actions anyway. I know that you've formed a kind of maternal bond with the boy, but I don't think even a mother can be held accountable for the things her children do," he added, smirking as the woman's face took on a pinkish glow.
"Prince Orochimaru?" someone voiced from behind him.
"Hmm?" he hummed, turning around once again to find a boy with long, white hair that reached his shoulder blades and sea green eyes framed by red markings. He had two red dots on his forehead, one above each eyebrow, and his hair was parted down the middle by a zigzagged line. It fell to cover his ears and was adorned by two red hair clips. He was wearing a light purple, slightly baggy shirt with long sleeves and white pants. The pale skinned man gave the boy a small smile. "Yes, Kimimaro?"
The boy blinked and smiled back weakly, a light blush rising to his cheeks. "King Sarutobi wishes to speak with you, my Prince."
The black haired man nodded, chuckling a little at the boy's apparent embarrassment. "Very well. I'm sure I'll see you both later, Kimimaro, Guren," he said as he began walking in the direction of the king's throne room. As he neared the corner he turned his head to sneak a peek over his shoulder. He smiled victoriously when he saw the two sending each other glares. He shook his head and continued on, still smiling as he did so. 'Those two ammuse me to no end. Well, at least when they're not fauning over me. I like the attention, but it can be a bit much,' he thought, his smile turning into a smirk. 'Then again, anyone with a crush is downright interesting to watch.'
-ooo-
"I'm here," Orochimaru called as he entered the throne room. His eyes came to focus on the man he was addressing, King Sarutobi. The king had tan skin that was wrinkled with age. His shaggy white hair was mostly covered by his crown and he wore a white robe with red lining of the edges. "Now what did you want to talk about?"
Sarutobi smiled. "Oh, I just wanted to talk. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The old man's face contorted into a look of amusement. "By the way, is that a flower in your hair?"
The younger male smiled and brought his right hand up to gently brush against the silky, crimson petals of the flower behind his ear. "Yes, a red camellia to be precise. It was Yuukimaru's idea. Do you like it?"
The tan skinned man gave a few short laughs. "It looks good on you. It even matches your robe," he said before having another round of laughter.
Orochimaru glanced down at his attire, a red robe with black markings meant to resemble the tendrils of plants like morning glories. He smiled and gave a small laugh as well. "So it does."
Sarutobi began to walk towards the doorway, signaling for the younger man to follow him. His heir shrugged, but went along with it. "So, how has your day been going?" the white haired man asked as they walked down the hall.
"Pretty boring actually," Orochimaru replied simply.
"Well, it's only mid-day," the older man pointed out. "Did anything at all interesting happen today?"
"Hmm, I guess so. There was that flower thing with Yuukimaru, then Guren showed up and told him to stop bothering me. I thought it was kind of amusing that she automatically assumed I was being bothered. It's also interesting that people already address me as 'Prince'. You named me your heir just a short while ago. But it makes me feel special, so I guess it's a good thing," the dark haired man replied. 'And it gives me the power to give commands without having to do much work,' he added to himself, smirking at the thought.
King Sarutobi nodded, his smile still present on his face. "Speaking of Guren, what do you think of her?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the strange question. "She's okay, but she's a bit bossy and she always acts so superior to others. Not to mention the fact that she's completely different around me. She turns into such a kiss-up. It can be suffocating at times."
The older man frowned a little. "Well, what about Karin?"
"To be honest, I think she's crazy and that she'd drug Sasuke and rape him in his sleep if she ever got the chance," he replied in a matter of fact sort of tone as he and Sarutobi began to climb the stairs.
The king flashed his heir a look of surprise, momentarily pausing on the step he was on. He regained his compuser after a second or two and continued where he'd left off. "Why do you say that?" he inquired out of sheer curiosity.
Orochimaru chuckled at the older man's shock. "She thinks out loud sometimes," he informed the other with a smirk.
Sarutobi shook his head. "Okay, what about Tayuya?"
"The pipe player? She's cool, but she can be pretty bitchy at times. Same thing with Kin," the king's heir replied before sighing. "Where exactly are you going with this?" he asked as they reached the top of the stairs.
The white haired man smiled sheepishly and walked over to one of the balconies. Orochimaru followed him out. "Are you planning on answering me sometime today?" he added in an annoyed voice as he watched the older man stare into space.
"Yes, Orochimaru," Sarutobi said with a soft laugh. "You see, I'm just trying to get you to talk about girls a little. Most guys can't shut up about them, but you've always been quiet on the subject. Are you shy or are you just not interested?"
The younger man felt his face heat up. 'Damn my pale skin,' he thought to himself. Any color in his face at all would show up easily.
The tan skinned male noticed and chuckled lightly. "I thought I'd never see the day you got embarrassed," he chuckled, only causing his heir's face to get even warmer.
'It's true, I don't get embarrassed easy. But this is different. I don't understand why I've never been romantically interested with anyone. Jiraiya says I'm just a late bloomer, but I'm almost twenty years old! What's wrong with me?' His thoughts were interrupted by a compassionate hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw the old man standing beside him.
Sarutobi smiled kindly at him. "You don't have to talk if it makes you uncomfortable," he told the prince, gripping the younger man's shoulder lightly in an attempt to put him more at ease.
The raven haired man yanked himself free of the elder's grasp, closed his amber eyes and exhaled sharply to show his annoyance at being comforted. "No, you just took me off guard. Besides, you can't really blame me for my reaction when you consider the way Jiraiya usually is when he talks about women."
"You have a point there," the king laughed. "Well, go on."
Orochimaru bit his lip as a breeze came by, causing his jet black locks to whip around in the air for a moment before laying back down as the gust passed. 'Just think of a girl or two and talk,'he instructed himself, licking his lips to wet them a bit. "Well, Sakura's okay when she's not being all overdramatic about Sasuke. And her habit of beating up Naruto for the idiotic things he does is pretty funny. Hinata's a nice girl, but she's way too shy. Which is kind of weird considering that she's training to be a dancer. She's pretty good too," he began, trying to think of a girl he could say more about. He smiled as something clicked in his mind. "And of course there's Tsunade," he said, laughing at himself a bit for considering one of his best friends sooner.
The older man nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Well, she's pretty funny in a sarcastic kind of way. And that gambling habit of hers is amusing as well. And she's so determined! She keeps playing despite the fact that she has the world's worst luck. She's strong in both mind and body. I've seen her hold her own in a fight against three drunk men at once, you've got to admire that in a woman. She's kind of lazy, but she's still a pretty talented medic and it's fun to watch her and Jiraiya argue," he said, doing his best to describe his friend in a positive way. "Is that enough for you, old man?" he asked, smirking as he said the other man's nickname.
Sarutobi laughed, finding the name to be humorous as well. "Yes, Orochimaru. That's plenty," he said with a smile before turning and walking back into the castle. "Thanks for putting up with me. And remember that you can talk to me anytime, okay Orochi?"
"Yes, mother," the younger man replied with a smirk.
The king laughed again, the boisterous sound echoing off the walls as he made his way back to the throne room.
Orochimaru watched him leave, keeping his gaze locked on the elder's direction. When he could no longer hear the sound of the King's laughter, he allowed a sigh to escape his throat. He turned around so that he could look out over the courtyard, supporting his weight on the sturdy railing of the balcony. He tried to distract himself from his thoughts by watching Tobi try to catch a butterfly, but one nagging thought kept echoing in his head. 'What's wrong with me?'
Please, pleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE, review and tell me what you think. ^^