Big Heart, Bright Eyes
Obito is Thirteen.
Obito is late.
Always, always late. Of course this time it is not his fault. Honestly their mission just ran a little long is all. It's not his fault.
The fact is they are late. So when they finally arrive to Konoha they are oblivious to what has happened. Oblivious and unaware. Except that Obito knows, he can tell that the Clan is upset about something. On edge about something, and there is a certain tension in Konoha. Obito doesn't know what it is but he is alert as soon as they arrive. Alert and notices the way that Kakashi is taken aside by some of the ANBU. Taken to somewhere else. So is Rin.
He is able to go back home though.
To an empty house.
Except that along the way Torikeshi appears. He stares at his what, eighth cousin, with an unimpressed look. Everyone in the Clan knows how Torikeshi generally fails at life. Generally tends to mess up and fail in new and spectacular ways. So he wonders why the man is now in front of him, looking rather nervous... and holding a white mouse? Distracted Obito diverts his attention to the small pure white rodent in Torikeshi's hands. A small mouse that seems rather unhappy about it's position if it's squealing is any indication.
Finally he huffs and crosses his arms over his chest.
"What do you want Torikeshi-Juukei?" He asks feeling a small twitch at his eye as the man awkwardly laughs and shifts on the spot. "Come on, Juukei, I don't have the time for this... I need to get home..."
"To an empty house?" Torikeshi stops him from pushing past and the mouse chooses that moment to bite his cousin's hand. Obito watches in fascination as Torikeshi's face goes from somewhat controlled, to scrunching up and finally he howls in pain. The mouse released scampers away quickly, and right into Obito's jacket sleeve. There it just sort of huddles as his cousin whimpers and holds his hand. The man doesn't glare but huffs before looking back at him. "Anyway... Obito please..."
"I don't have time today Torikeshi..." Obito grumbles, surprised by the way that the mouse is perfectly fine and not attacking him. "I really need to make sure that..."
"Please! Obito... we're at the end of our rope, and the kid won't respond to anyone!" Torikeshi grasps him tightly and Obito actually flinches subtly. He does not enjoy being grabbed and held in place like this at all. "Please, Tobi won't even respond to me anymore... or Kama and Yue..."
"Okay..." Obito awkwardly states, a little off put by Torikeshi's actions... "Uh... who's Tobi?"
"Oh right!" Torikeshi abruptly releases him and Obito is quick to put himself well out of Torikeshi's reach. "You only just got back!" Before Torikeshi can continue there is the sound of someone clearing their throat and a faint sound of laughter. Obito turns his head to the side to meet the unimpressed gaze of his Shukufu. Unimpressed and rather annoyed. Obito knows not to cross the man in this state and steps back.
Which gives Fugaku a clear path to Torikeshi.
Itachi is there as well and Obito distracts himself by kneeling down to his itoko's height. The small four year old smiles at him, before laughing when the small white mouse that Obito had honestly forgotten about pokes its head out. Smiling Obito laughs as well before looking up. Just in time to see Fugaku slug Torikeshi in the nose. Obito winces, that would hurt.
He wonders what idiotic statement passed Torikeshi's lips to garner that reaction though. Fugaku sighs and looks back at them. Itachi laughs before falling silent. Fugaku stalks over to them, looking far too done with the situation. The man stops there and looks down at them both.
"Fugaku-shukufu?" Obito ventures nervously while Itachi tilts his head and looks up at his Otousan. "What's going on?" he asks, suddenly acutely aware that something big is clearly going down. The clan is on edge. "And... Who is Tobi?"
"Tobi?" Itachi speaks up confused. Looks between them both and then up at his father. "Does he mean the orphan Orochimaru-san brought back last month?"
"Last month?" Obito repeats blankly, before the rest of the question catches up. "Wait... Orochimaru-sama brought home an orphan?" Hopefully the kid was okay, not that Obito suspected Orochimaru of anything but the man was a little bit... different. A little too scientific for Obito but he was pleasant company. Companionable silence and the aura of power, also snakes were cool.
"Actually he brought home three..." Fugaku sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Torikeshi was with him... along with Kimera Chijin and the trouble Tatsuja twins. Also, these three are a little bit... different" There is something about the way that Fugaku says the word that makes Obito straighten. Perk up and focus. "You'll meet them later... Right now... Can you just watch Itachi for the day, Oh"
Fugaku startles when the white mouse squeaks. Races up and perches in Obito's hair. The man blinks and looks at the mouse, before sighing and shaking his head. Drained Fugaku also motions to the mouse.
"Also watch Shiro... I highly doubt that the clan will ever get Tobi to accept us if we managed to somehow kill his pet..." he pauses considering "the mouse's terrarium should be set up already in your house... since Tobi is closest in relation to you, although once he is settled you will likely have an older Clan member joining you..."
"What..?" Obito jolts but before he can even ask anything Fugaku is gone. Storming away, leaving Obito with Itachi hanging off him and a small white mouse perched in his hair. He scowls before sighing and simply walking towards his house. Making sure to hold Itachi's hand so that the four year old wouldn't just dart away to who knows where. He does not feel like playing where is the genius? today. He just wants to relax at home. Settle back into the routine of being in Konoha. Not deal with the fact that apparently everything has changed.
Konoha finds orphans all the time.
But... there is an orphaned Uchiha among them if Fugaku's words are an indication... and one related to him. At least, according to the clan there is one related to him. He is not sure how he feels about that. Excited, anxious? Unsure… He does not know how to feel, so he focuses on Itachi, and the mouse, Shiro perched up in his hair.
There is not much else that he can do. After all, he has not yet met his newest relative, or any of the other orphans. So he decides that he will wait, hold off on his judgment until after he has met this Tobi.
And then he will decide what to think about the situation…
Kama stares at the boy across from him. He narrows his eyes and does not know how to feel. They share some features. That is certainly true, this boy is the first person who he has met so far with the same fine silver hair, same narrow and sharp features(even beneath that quite honestly stupid mask), same eyes, and body shape… But at the same time Kama does not approve.
Kama does not like this strange boy at all. He does not care if they share the same DNA. The same blood. He does not care. Because the other boy is rude, dismissive and all together annoying. So Kama does not like this strange boy at all. So he shifts from staring to glaring.
"I do not care if we are related! Go away! Let me alone! Let me go back to Yue and Tobi, MY SIBLINGS!" He curls his hands and glares at the older boy. At his apparent only relative. And he really does not care. He just wants to know if Tobi and Yue are safe. If they are okay, especially Tobi… because he knows that the younger boy is having trouble. He knows that the smaller boy has completely stopped responding. Completely stopped reacting. It worries him.
So he does not care about finding any of his so called relatives.
They do not matter. He knows that the Uchiha have been trying to get Tobi to respond to them. He knows that the Uchiha are all related to Tobi, he knows…
But he does not care. Tobi is his brother. Not this strange boy, not anyone else. And Yue, Yue is their sister. He does not want any other siblings.
"I do not need you! I need to go back home… Home to Shāo, and… and…" He glares curling his hands again. "Or… or you could let us live with the person who we chose! Orochimaru!" he says narrowing his eyes. The other boy actually blinks before furrowing his brown. Kama ignores him, instead standing up and storming from the room.
He refuses to even acknowledge the other boy as anything any more. The other boy just is not worth it.
So he storms off. And runs into Yue, who is standing with the girl who came in. The one who they claimed Yue was related to. He narrows his eyes and glares at them. Because Yue is looking up at the other girl with wide eyes and a fluffy waving tail. Clearly they get along, they must have had a better first impression.
It leaves him with something sour in his mouth.
A bad taste and he looks away, determined not to care about it. If Yue is happy about the situation that is her business. He will never admit that it kind of hurts when she leaves with the other girl. And he definitely not admit that he notices that the other boy seems almost upset when he later removes himself from the room.
After all he does not care.
He slinks into the room where Tobi is. And… he stares at the other boy, still curled up. Still completely unresponsive. Even with the man who is trying to gently coax Tobi out of his shell. Coax Tobi to respond. Even when there is no reason for him to keep curled up and refrain from responding.
"Sir…" Kama holds up a hand and the man snaps around, black eyes narrowing at him. "It is time to go…" he crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the man. Who sighs and straightens. Tobi makes no move to indicate that he noticed. Remaining fixed in position, Kama eyes the smaller boy before returning his gaze to the man. He does not care about this person either, just another Uchiha trying to steal Tobi away from them…
Just like that girl succeeded with Yue.
They are all trying to split them up, take them away from each other, and he does not understand why.
"We did not want your help!" he hisses at the man as he walks away. "We were just fine… We were happy! And now we are here and everything is going wrong! Tobi does not respond any more, and Yue is gone and… We did not want your help…" he growls. No one is there to hear him anymore.
He does not care.
He just wants things to go back to the way that they were.
He sinks down against the wall opposite Tobi. His tail swishing around him and his ears lowering. And he wraps his arms around his knees and buries his face.
"We did not want this… We were fine…" he whispers closing his eyes and fighting off tears. "It… it is not fair…" And there is a noticeable empty feeling to the room. Something, someone missing. Yue, gone with the girl, gone with her family. He hopes that it will only be temporary. He hopes that soon they will all be back together.
All of them.
Shāo as well. Because for all that the man is strange, with little reason to him, the man is still their Guardian. The one who has always been there.
The one who raised them.
And that is familiar, that is safe… this place with all its new things and changes is not.
Kama just wants to go home…