Chapter 3: Orochimaru Once the two reached the house, Tobias began to tell his story, with deep seriousness in his eyes.
"I've been on my own for some time now." He said. "In the village where I spent my childhood, there used to be stories about all sorts of people. I spent my time listening to all of them. When I was a little older, I was taught magic, the likes of which you have already seen. There was one story which was no tall tale. It tells of Orochimaru, and a prophecy of sorts"
"Orochimaru wanted power, to conquer these parts. He sought after a young ninja, who could control the elements, which I believe is you. Orochimaru finds this ninja, and corrupts her with the power of darkness, controlling her. With her at his side, he could wreak havoc upon the world. Orochimaru came to my village one day, going after me. He thought I was the one. He killed every single person, destroyed every single home. Since then I've traveled the countryside, searching for you, while strengthening myself and my magic. And, well, now that I've found you, I'm stickin' with ya! I promised myself I'd come back to that village and rebuild it, but only after I saw the demise of Orochimaru. So now we must prevent this from happening. You need to become as strong as you can. He could strike at any moment. I know that in the story at my village, you were corrupted, but do not lose hope. Fate still remains in your hands. If you stay strong, Orochimaru will never win"
He flashed her a smile. It seemed odd to Fuyu. He had seen the killing of tons of people, all before his own helpless eyes. But how could he be so carefree… so… so happy? She looked at him quizzically. "After seeing all of that...how can you act so ecstatic?" He tossed her another bright smile. "It's easy, I just don't think about it! No matter what happens, always try to look at the bright side. My past wasn't exactly picture-perfect, but it helped me stay strong"
Fuyu thought about this for a minute. "Well, Tobias, mine wasn't so nice either." She told him before adding quietly. "I just wish that I could go back, and change things, change myself." After hearing this, Tobias lunged forward, grabbed Fuyu, and pulled her close. In a deep, caring, yet strong tone, he said: "Don't ever say that again! Your past is what makes you you. Everything you've been through has made you deeper- stronger. Your past is one of the things that make you the beautiful person you are!" Awkward silence streached between them for a minute before Fuyu cleared her throat. "Did you just...call…me..?" Tobias looked away, his cheeks turning slightly red. "Uh..you see...I was just...well..I"
A loud crash broke Tobias' senseless stuttering, followed by someone shouting "Gyaaaahhh!" in the distance. Fuyu snapped her head toward the sound. "Never mind that," she said an grinned, "that 'Gyaaaaaahhh!' sounded like Kakashi-san! That can only mean one thing and it involves a hole. Come on Tobias!" And with that, she grabbed his sleeve and dragged him out the door to see what was causing all the ruckus.