Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback, I'm happy that you all like it! Just so you know, the story itself is already kind of done. After this chapter, there are four more to go, then a bonus chapter at the end. So, thank you for sticking with me this far!

And oh, I don't own Naruto.

"You're leaving me here, with him? Tobirama Senju? Don't you love me?" Saul asked Maria as she placed her battle wear on. "Why?"

"Peter and I have a war call, you don't." She snapped. "And besides, Tobirama is well...erm...nice, you can say. At least I think he is." She twisted the strings on her her clothes to tighten them, the she grabbed her katana leaning on the wall. "Peter is waiting for me outside. You have fun, and oh...wash the dishes, and sweep the floors. Mop, and after that you need to clean the windows and do the laundry. After that, I need you to pluck some chickens and then_" "Okay, you want me to work!" Saul threw his hands up. "Sheesh woman."

"Hey, we all pull our weight around here sweetie, whether you like it or not." She tied her forehead identificator around her head and smiled. "See you later!" Saul watched as the back of her clothing flew in the air. He stared at the large Uchiha crest on her back and the way her dark hair bounced on her shoulders. Why did all Uchiha members have black hair? How come God couldn't make some of them have blue hair, or red hair? Not that he disliked it...he just wanted to be different.

Sighing, he made his way to the kitchen where no doubt, dirty dishes from the night before were waiting for him. When he heard the door slam, he decided to just get his chores done on the spot. Peter and Maria would not be back until later on, so if he finished early, he could have more than enough time to himself. He made his way to the sink and began to turn on the water, let his hand rest under the liquid as it turned warm. Then, drying his hand on his pant leg, he reached for the soap on the sink ledge.

"Looks like you could use some help, am I right?" The voice came as a shock to Saul, as he slowly turned around, feeling a dry lump in his throat.

Standing there, in the kitchen entry way was Tobirama. As usual, his face was impassive, with little to no emotion. Saul swallowed.

"Tobirama...you're up." Saul wasn't sure what to say, as the Senju entered the kitchen. Saul wondered if Tobirama could read by the expression on his face, that he was somewhat uncomfortable. He didn't know Tobirama like Maria did...he was still somewhat fearful of the man.

"I'm feeling better, thank you." He stood behind Saul, overlooking the dishes. "So...do you need help?" This was odd, Tobirama offering him help. Did he want to kill him? Was this some kind of trick?

Saul only stared for a while and for the first time, he saw emotion in Tobirama's face. The man was obviously annoyed by the confused nine year old.

"Um...You...you can sweep the floors while I wash the dishes. There's the broom." He pointed to it, leaning on the ledge of the sink counter.

Saul was silent, as he listened to Tobirama take hold of the broom and start sweeping. He had no idea the man did kitchen chores, in fact, it was very odd in the Senju household for a Senju to do anything. He knew this much for both the Uzumaki and Senju households. They had servants used to do such things, it seemed Tobirama was different.

Silence drifted on between the two, as all that could be heard were the clanging of the dishes coming from Saul and the swish of the broom on the cold floor. Saul didn't like it that much, it made him think Tobirama was plotting something so, gathering all his courage, he mustered up a small conversation.

"How do you like it here." If he was afraid, he was able to easily hide it, as his voice did not hint it in the slightest. "In our house."

"It's different." Tobirama's answer was quick, but it wasn't snappy. "There's most certainly tight family ties here."

Saul laughed. "I wouldn't say that...but something kind of like that. I'm only close to Maria, I'm not very close to Peter."

"I can tell by that." Tobirama stopped. "Why are the three of your names so...strange?"

Turning off the faucet, Sault turned to face Tobirama. "My mom had a book...a book of things called 'Fairy Tales', and she told us before she went to bed, she'd always read them. This book had different stories, it was a rare book you see. There was one story in there with a girl who almost got eaten by a wolf, or a plant that was able to grow so high that it reached the sky...or a man as big as a thumb. Anyway, this book had more than Fairy Tales in it...it also had well, a belief that's dear to our family, this'll sound strange so stick with me. She named the three of us off of people, very important people in the religion she was a part of...and not the that you could consider us religious...but we still follow some of her traditions." Saul paused, but continued to speak. "We never knew where my mom came from, and we didn't know where that book came from. It's gone now, long gone, just like she is now. But that's where we get our names from."

Tobirama paused, and stared at Saul, almost as if he was thinking, pondering on the subject. Saul only turned around and began to wash the dishes. Seconds later, he heard Tobirama sweeping again.

"Did you know your parents?" Tobirama's question suggested that he already knew Saul's parents were dead, without Saul having to tell them.

"Not really, I don't remember them at all. I mean...the closest I get when I think of a mother is Maria."

"And a father, Peter?"

"No." Saul replied. "Peter's not really a father figure...he's more...erm...it's hard to explain. Like I said earlier, we're not that close."

Maria wasn't sure how long she and her brother had been hiding, listening in on the conversation being held between the group of Senju soldiers. For about an hour, both siblings attempted to make sense of what the group talked about and much to their surprise, the subjected revolved around Tobirama. Peter had interfered that this was indeed a rescue group, or a search party. After all, Hashirama Senju was there with the group as well, he seemed to be the one calling the shots.

The siblings watched quietly without making a sound until finally, Hashirama order yet another search party and the men dispersed. Both Peter and Maria then emerged from their hiding space which happened to be not so far from a Senju camp. It was obvious Peter already had his doubts.

"We are way too close to enemy territory." He began as Maria walked towards the direction of the camp. "I mean, what are doing? Come back here! Do you want to be seen?"

The large Senju banner was visible blowing in the distance, still this didn't worry Maria as much as it would've had it been in a different situation. She saw the smoke rising from the ground towards the twilight and automatically, she knew any troops there had killed their fire and migrated elsewhere. The area was safe.

Eventually, Peter understood this and he eventually caught up to Maria as she walked further towards the abandoned Senju camp.

"Okay, you haven't said anything. Regardless of if its abandoned are not, why are you going?"

"Medicine." Maria quickly replied. "For Tobirama's cut, it's a special herb you know. It heals instantly, I Tobirama needs it."

"Good, the sooner you heal him, the sooner he could leave."

Rolling her eyes, Maria crossed her arms. "What, are you afraid of him too?"

"No!" Peter stopped. "I just don't trust him."

Maria rolled her eyes and walked ahead of her brother, not wishing to speak with him at the moment. While she understood his reasoning for saying such things, she didn't wish for him to insult Tobirama...she had created somewhat of a 'relationship' with him and she didn't like the idea of even her own brother talking badly of him.

"Getting angry are we?" Peter again, joined her side. "You're not getting too attached to Tobirama now are you?"

Maria rolled her eyes. "Just focus on finding the herb. It's red and purple, somewhere growing around one of these tents. I read it in a book yesterday, it's pretty hard to miss."

"Whatever you say."

Though it pained him to do so, Saul had to admit to himself that he actually did, enjoy Tobirama Senju's company. After a few minutes of talking to him, he finally let his walls down and began to speak to him as if the two had been friends for years. Tobirama of course, caught on to this and it was obvious in the way that he spoke to Saul, that he felt much more accepted than earlier.

The two still remained cleaning, but things were getting done a lot faster with two sets of hands on the job and within a few hours of the morning, both Tobirama and Saul had finished the house according to Maria's standards. When all was done, they decided to sit outside, it was then that Tobirama began asking questions about Saul.

"This house," He started, staring out into what seemed to be a yard with untrimmed grass and a few chickens idly walking. "Does all this belong to you three?"

"Yeah."

"It looks different."

"Yeah, that's because this is a neutral area. It hasn't really been destroyed by war, in addition no one can really find us because we live in the middle of no where." Saul sighed and stretched. "This land also has a lot of natural resources like if you go past the trees there," He pointed. "There is a cool freshwater spring, we use it in the summer...um...the dirt is packed with minerals, and we grow a type of plant here that heals wounds. It's not a very powerful healing ointment it produces, but it's what saved you when we found you. And these trees are made of tough wood. The three main ones around here are Sycamore, Elder and Red Oak. The farther in the woods you go, the more fruit producing trees and plants you'll find and these chickens...they just showed up and they keep on coming, even if we start eating them." He sighed and went silent.

Tobirama turned to face him, with a smile on his face. "You're a talkative one, aren't you?"

"Well, I am only nine." Saul replied.

For the first time in a while, Tobirama chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever laughed like that, it wasn't a fake one, it was heartfelt. It was amazing how someone he barely knew, could affect him in such a way.

"What's so funny?" Saul asked.

"Nothing," Tobirama stood, causing Saul to stare up in confusion. "Are you leaving."

Tobirama shook his head. "Actually, I was curious to know if you felt like learning some new skills."

At that moment, Saul hopped up. "You mean like fighting skills? Like training?"

"Like fighting skills." Tobirama repeated. "Doesn't your brother ever teach you these things?"

"No! Not at all...are you going to teach me how to move in the blink of an eye, or how to lift water with my hands, or_"

"If we have enough time, I'll teach you the basics." He began walking out into the grassland. "Come on."

Without a word Saul followed him with a big smile on his face and strangely, this warmed Tobirama in the inside.

Saul may have been an Uchiha, but like the rest of his family, he didn't fit the typical Uchiha stereotype. Tobirama actually enjoyed this boy's company better than he enjoyed his own brother's company. And there was something about Saul that gave Tobirama the urge to want to teach him.

It was probably the fact Saul lacked the father role that it was obvious he wanted. He didn't really have to say it, it was just the way he talked, the way he tried to conversate with Tobirama as if he had known the man for years.

Saul was probably hurting inside, yet he did an amazing job at keeping up a happy facade. In a way, Tobirama was a lot like this when he was younger, except he did a wonderful job at keeping a cold facade.

So maybe that's why he and Saul got along so well...perhaps they weren't as different as Tobirama thought after all.

Maria could tell Peter was getting somewhat annoyed as the two were searching for a herb for hours. There hadn't been any sign of it, the search almost seemed pointless. They'd been spending such a long time in one area, it was a wonder the Senju soldiers hadn't returned already.

"This is pointless." Peter pointed at the sunset. "The sun is setting and we haven't even completed our mission!"

Maria sat down, digging in the dirt with her nails attempting to find something. "The book last night said_"

"Obviously, the book was wrong! If it was from the stash in the guest room, then it's probably severely outdated." Saul began to walk backwards towards the exit. "Come on Maria_"

It all happened so fast. Saul tripped over a tree root from behind him and came crashing down on the ground. Maria braced herself when she heard the clang of his sword. There was a cry of pain from Peter and then a slightly realization.

Maria sprang to her feet and ran over to him.

She gasped when she saw the blood from his side, and then...the red herb in his hand.

"You found it!?"

"Yeah..." Peter gasped, sitting up, handing the herb to Maria. "I found it, my side though..."

"Oh!"Maria bent down to take the herb, then she helped her brother up. "Come on, put your arm around me. I just_"

"Can't believe I found it, am I really that useless to you? Hurry up and let's get home. You can use this thing on Tobirama then use it on me afterwards."

Through the course of a few hours, Saul had learned a lot more than Tobirama expected. It would take a Senju child much longer to even acquire the skills that Saul had. Tobirama had to admit to himself that he was very impressed. While Saul couldn't actually use the time space time jutsu, his tai jutsu had greatly improved since the time Tobirama had been teaching him. In addition, he wasn't tired at all, he was ready to learn anything.

"Will you teach me the water release?"

The two presently stood in the backyard, next to the backdoor, the chickens pecked at their feet. Tobirama, who was still panting from their skirmish before frowned.

"You're not tired?" Tobirama asked. "I'll teach you tomorrow Saul? How about that?" He felt himself smiling.

"Really?" Saul's eyes beamed. "What about ...more of the time space jutsu, or the Senjutsu or...or_"

"All in due time. Let's get inside." As Tobirama walked, he felt something different about him, a new spark lit up inside of him. He really did enjoy Saul's company, despite the fact that he was well...and Uchiha. Perhaps the Uchiha's weren't all that bad, and that was just something Tobirama would have to face.

As the two entered from the back door, Maria and Peter came in from the front door, Peter was limping with his arm around Maria's shoulder.

"What happened to him?" Saul asked. Tobirama noted how snappy he was, how his voice and mood changed.

"I fell!" Peter managed, slowly sitting down in the arm chair. "My sword stabbed be a bit but...it's not that bad."

"Besides, I can treat it." Maria came forth, carrying a strange herb in her hand.

Tobirama felt a strange feeling, another feeling in the pit of his stomach as he eyes hovered over Maria. Something about her cheery attitude made him a little happy inside, though he didn't want to show it in his face, he did enjoy her company.

"What is it?" Tobirama stepped forward and towered over Maria, looking down at her with his arms crossed.

"It's an herb...it should help your wounds heal faster, I've just got to grind it up and make it into a drink..." Maria turned to Saul. "Clean out Peter's cut while I'm in the kitchen."

Tobirama watched her as she walked, and decided to follow her as she entered the kitchen. He laughed slightly as both Peter and Saul began to argue.

"Have you enjoyed your stay here?" Maria asked as she looked back over her shoulder, smiling at Tobirama who leaned on the wall.

"More or less." Tobirama walked towards her, grinning slightly.

"It's strange to see you smiling." She turned back towards the bowl and continued on, aware of the fact that Tobirama stood directly behind her.

His presence didn't intimidate her, like it did weeks before. She found it welcoming, it was like he belonged there.

"What do you plan to do after you're better?" The question came out before she could think about it, and it seemed to take both of them by surprise. "Don't answer that." She snapped back quickly.

"Don't?" Tobirama walked beside her and stared down at her with his crimson eyes. "Do you enjoy my company?" He surely was acting different, though Maria couldn't put her finger on it. Did he trust her? She trusted him, she didn't see a reason not to, he hadn't killed them in their sleep. And of course, she hadn't killed him in his sleep either.

So was this some sort of unspoken truce between the two?

Maria wondered this as Tobirama leaned on the counter, looking at her.

"I do enjoy your company." Maria honestly admitted. "We haven't really had anyone stay over in...well we've never actually had anyone stay over. I mean, we're in the middle of no where basically, it's not that easy to find us and_"

"You and your brother talk a lot." Tobirama's deep voice cut her in mid sentence as he smiled down at her.

"Only when we're nervous." Maria didn't mean to let that come out at all but presently, she couldn't find anyway to recover for it.

"I make you nervous then?" Tobirama stood behind Maria, prompting her to turn around and stare into his vermillion pupils. She hadn't really focused on them, until now, but they were so mesmerizing, even more so than her own sharingan. It was odd, someone having red eyes though and that wasn't a kekkei genkai, not to mention white hair. But those qualities made him somewhat more attractive, she couldn't imagine herself getting the same feeling from him if his hair and eyes were dark...not that she was entirely sure what she was feeling.

At that moment, she wished her brain had won over her heart as she stood on her toes and softly pressed her lips to Tobirama's. His lips were soft, and much warmer than she suspected.

Maria only wished Tobirama thought the same, or perhaps, she was smarter. The Senju's eyes opened wide and he took a slight step back. Maria would've stepped back, she would have run away, if it weren't for the counter behind her.

"I'm sorry..." Maria gasped. "I just thought that_"

"Let's just forget about it." Tobirama spoke, impassively. "It never happened, okay?"

As let down at Maria was that he didn't feel the same way about her, she only hid her feelings and smiled. "Yeah...I was just, being foolish. Hey, it's ready." She turned around and grabbed the bowl. "I'm not sure how it will taste...but, here. You can drink it straight."

Tobirama took it from her and smiled then slowly brought the bowl to his lips. Maria watched as Tobirama drank the mix, feeling her heart clench just a bit. Had she kissed him out of love or attraction? She was certain she felt something for him...but she wasn't sure if she could call it...love...

She was brought back to reality when Tobirama suddenly dropped the bowl, spilling its contents on the floor. Seconds later, Tobirama lost his balance and began falling to the ground as well. Quickly, Maria caught him, before he hit the floor but he was unconscious.

"Oh crap..." Maria rested him on the ground and stared at him for a while, not sure what to do. In order to keep herself from panicking completely, she knelt down and felt for a pulse, luckily there was one...but Tobirama was still unconscious.

Was the herb some type of poison...was it...did it kill him? She covered her mouth, not speaking or anything. She only backed out of the kitchen and quickly ran into the living room. Her brother's stared at her strangely as she entered. She didn't have to say a word to them, they only stood and followed her as she led them into the kitchen.

Saul gasped and took a step back, Peter made some type of noise.

"You killed him_"

"No! I didn't I can still feel his pulse...I'm guessing_"

"Good God!" Saul threw his hands up in the air and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm glad you used it on him first." Peter grinned. "Because now you sure as hell aren't using it on me." And he followed his younger brother out of the kitchen as well, leaving Maria there to figure out what exactly she was going to do.

Sorry for my delay, but the chapter is long! Anyway, the whole store is kind of planned out...this is chapter five...just four more chapters to go and one bonus chapter. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think about the story!

Now just a recap on this chapter. I like OC stories where the cannon character interacts with other characters despite the one he or she may have romantic feelings towards. In this chapter Saul and Tobirama interact and kind of form a bond, seeing their similarities and Tobirama understands Saul's longing for a father figure.