Tori carried Naruto on her hip, supporting him as she gave the young boy a tour of her team's section of HQ. By the time she had stopped at the door to the room that would become his, his deep blue eyes were fluttering shut.
"And this is your room," she said in a soft voice, not wanting to startle him. Naruto looked up at her with a tired but happy smile.
The room was small, just like the rest of the living quarters in the base. Being elite ninja, ANBU operatives often spent more time on missions than in the village so they needed the bare minimum. There was a desk and chair pushed to the wall opposite the door, just under a small window. A Murphy bed was still folded neatly into the wall, ready to be taken down. There was a small closet beside the desk. The en suite bathroom was like the rest of the quarters: minimal but enough.
"It isn't much, but you'll always be safe in here. My room is right next door, with taicho on the other side," Tori said, gesturing down the hall towards first her room and then Kakashi's. Naruto's eyes lit up happily and Tori's smile widened.
"Alright," a male voice said from the doorway. Both Naruto and Tori looked up to see Kakashi blocking the light from the hallway. "It's getting late. You should get some sleep, Naruto-kun. Tomorrow will be busy," he said, a small smile growing beneath his mask before he turned away and walked towards his room, humming to himself.
Naruto's young face shone with something akin to disappointment but Tori just smiled, completely agreeing with her captain.
"Kakashi-taicho is right, Naru-chan. But how about this? If you go to sleep really fast, tomorrow I will introduce you to some of the other people that live here," Tori offered, already intending to introduce the young jinchuuriki to the other ANBU. Nevertheless, Naruto's blue eyes shone with excitement and anticipation, watching Tori lower the bed from the wall. He got into it without another argument, burying himself in the blankets.
Tori tucked him in, reminded of her niece, who was about his age. A moment of motherly affection breaking through the facade she had been trained to maintain, Tori tucked the small boy into the bed, kissing him lightly on the forehead before wishing him goodnight and turning towards the door.
"Goodnight, Naru-chan," she said once more, standing at the door. Naruto yawned, smiling contentedly.
"Night, nee-chan," he mumbled, his eyes shutting. Tori paused before smiling to herself and closing the door softly. She sighed softly at the door before walking towards her own room, exhausted after the particularly long shift and healing Naruto's injuries.
A ray of light broke through the darkness.
Tori immediately snapped awake, nothing but her eyes moving towards the door. Her hand crept under her pillow, grabbing hold of her kunai.
Her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light and she released her hold on the kunai, recognizing the person who had stopped at the doorway.
Naruto stood in the doorframe, one hand still on the doorknob as his other hand rubbed at his eyes blearily.
"Naru-chan? What's wrong?" Tori asked, concerned. Naruto entered the room, his mouth widening in a yawn.
"Can't sleep," he mumbled, his voice garbled. Tori softened, sitting up in bed as Naruto came closer, stopping just at her bedside. "Can I sleep with you, nee-chan?"
"Sure, kiddo," she said with a soft smile, shifting over to make some room on her bed. Naruto wasted no time in climbing in next to her, snuggling close to her. She wrapped her arms around the small boy, noting once again just how thin he was.
We'll have to change that...
Tori awoke feeling surprisingly warm. She glanced down at the warmth in her arms and smiled to see a tangled yellow mess poking out from under her blanket. She laughed under her breath, trying not to wake Naruto up.
It was still very early in the morning, the sky still dark. As a heavily trained ninja, Tori was accustomed to a very strict training regiment, something that was sure to loosen now that Naruto was her- well, her team's responsibility. She hoped it wouldn't change too much though. A ninja that doesn't keep in shape dulls both their skill and their reflexes, two key aspects to any shinobi, no matter their mission.
She got out of bed very carefully, trying not to jostle Naruto as she gently pulled his arms away from her. He shifted uneasily in his sleep, moving closer to her as she tried to separate herself from him.
When she was finally untangled from the surprisingly strong five year old, she remembered something. She leaned down, her face inches from the young boy's, before pressing her lips gently to his forehead.
"Happy birthday, Naru-chan," she murmured. A small smile grew on the blonde's face and he shifted again, a contented sigh escaping his lips.
She crept to the door, not making a sound as she slipped through the door, closing it with a very muffled thud.
Stepping away from the door, she was startled to see Kakashi standing opposite her door, his ANBU mask pushed to the side. Contrary to most rumors, ANBU do take off their masks at HQ. It made it easier to recognize people, especially those who had similar masks.
"Kakashi-taicho," she greeted, bowing her head slightly. Kakashi glanced at her door.
"Naruto-kun?" he inquired. Tori almost grimaced.
"He's scared. He doesn't want to be alone. Today will be very important to him. He knows what day today is, he knows that the villagers are especially mean to him on his birthday. He'll be watching all of us very carefully, just in case. He seems to like us," she said, gesturing between herself and Kakashi pointedly, "but he should warm up to Tenzo, Ame, and the other ANBU if no one gives him reason to distrust them."
"How do you think he'll react to the other ANBU?"
"Scared. Probably terrified for his life. Naruto didn't feel welcome in a crowd, as you know. I think it will be easier and less mentally exhausting for him if we take this slowly, introducing him to one or two people at a time."
"What do you think?" Kakashi said, catching Tori by surprise.
"Of what?" she asked, looking for clarification. Kakashi paused, combing a hand through his mess of hair. Tori recognized this as a nervous tick. Nervous? About what?
"What do you think of Naruto-kun?" he finally asked. Tori worded her answer carefully.
"Naruto is... special. He reminds me of Hinata-chan. He's shy but seems energetic under that. If the seal that Minato-kun had placed on Naru-chan was any less inescapable, I'd fear for the boy's mental health, but I honestly believe that Naru-chan has no conscious knowledge of the Kyuubi. He will eventually have to be told, preferably by someone he trusts, but that can wait. Right now he's just a little boy that's scared of his birthday."
"Next move?" Kakashi questioned. Tori's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in confusion. This time, Kakashi explained without prodding. "I'm not stupid. I can tell that he trusts you the most. That means that he would have trusted more of himself to you. You've also been guarding him nearly non-stop since his birth. You know him best," he summarized. "What do you think that we should do?"
"I think we should... Introduce him to Anko," Tori said, almost wishing she hadn't said that. What was visible of Kakashi's face showed how incredulous he was at the idea.
"I... don't see your reasoning," he said finally.
"You said that I know him best, but I don't think I do. Anko would know him best. She's been through exactly what Naruto has been going through. She's been shunned, attacked, and slandered in nearly everywhere in this village."
"She's also killed people for doing that," Kakashi cut in. Tori glared at him and he silenced, just a little scared of her pale eyes. Sharingan or no Sharingan, Kakashi was terrified of what she could do to his tenketsu.
"Anko is who she is because of Orochimaru. She hates it, we hate it, but it's a fact. Naruto is what he is because of his father. Don't even look at me that way, Kakashi. I know why Minato-kun did it, but that doesn't mean I like it. Both of them are hated by the villagers. Both have been afraid- Yes, Kakashi, Anko does feel fear," Tori said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Okay, okay," Kakashi appeased the Hyuuga, waving his arms in an attempt to relax her. She sighed, glancing out of the window down the hall. The sun was just beginning to rise and she almost cursed. "What?"
"I need to go shopping," she said, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious. Well... Obviously not to Kakashi.
"Why?" he asked, oblivious. Tori threw him a withering glance.
"It's October 10th, taicho. We currently have in our care a very scared, abused boy who has never had a birthday party. That means I need to get cake, balloons, presents, and whatever else I can think of."
"Why not bring your niece?" Kakashi asked,
Also contrary to popular belief, the ANBU HQ wasn't a super-secret facility hidden in the outskirts of Konoha. In reality, it was a former warehouse located in a low-income, unnoticeable neighborhood with an very low crime rate. While there were some levels below the ground, most of the quarters were located above grounds. When they wanted to train, the ANBU would usually go to the forests, the Forest of Death, or one of the unused training grounds spread throughout Konoha. It was a pretty efficient system.
Of course, this system allowed occasional visits from unsuspecting friends and family, such as Hyuuga Hinata. Being too young to really know where she was, Hinata wasn't a risk.
"I can't; Hiashi-niisan wants her to help her mother around the house for the week. Something about getting a jump on learning how to be a proper Hyuuga woman or something," Tori sighed. Her brother's methods were a bit unusual but he did have good intentions for his daughter. As of yet, she was his only heir. If he had his way, and the council was disbanded, Hinata would have been the most spoiled little princess the Hyuuga had ever seen.
It was both a blessing and a curse that the council were there. It was they that ordered many of the clan affairs. It was they who ordered that Tori, who was in fact from the Main House, be branded with the Caged Bird Seal if she continued to refuse to join the ANBU forces. She had wanted to work in the hospital, not on a battlefield's sidelines, but the council had the final say. Not even her brother could step in to supersede their judgment.
Kakashi fell silent before turning away.
"Where are you going?" Tori asked before questioning herself. He's the captain, he can go wherever or do whatever he likes. Nevertheless, Kakashi paused.
"Not all of his presents can come from you," he said, a teasing tone in his voice. Tori, unsure of how to react, laughed under her breath before turning and walking in the opposite direction.
A/N:
So this chapter actually turned out to be a bit shorter than the first... Sorry about that...
Enormous thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story. You guys are awesome x3
Also, someone PMed me, thinking I was lying about my age. I'm not saying names, but I will say that it wasn't a very friendly message. One, I have absolutely no reason to lie about that. I am a fifteen year old girl and a sophomore in high school. You don't need to believe me, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult me about it. Of course, I could be totally lying, but it's not like I'm asking anyone to meet me at sketchy parks, so calm yourself down.
*sigh* Now that that's out of the way:
Tori's family background will be explored a little more in the next chapter, but I feel like I should share some minor spoilers. So, if you don't want to know, skip the rest of this paragraph... First off, Tori is Hiashi and Hizashi's little sister. She was ignored by most of the Hyuuga because of her more energetic tendencies, which were mostly lost when she grew older. She was in Kushina and Minato's Academy classroom and was Kushina's best friend. She's not a huge fan of the Hyuuga Clan's policy towards outsiders, and she is Hinata's aunt and friend.
For those who skipped the spoilers (if anyone did) they will all be mentioned in the next chapter, which is Naruto's birthday party.
Thanks for reading, and for reviewing!
^.^ Susie ^.^