Well, that was unexpected

Dango

For now, though, he did not need the water. Instead, he focused on kata. It felt good to stretch his muscles out after being inactive for so long. With the exception of his sparring matches with Izuna and Madara, he had done next to nothing physical since arriving among the Uchiha. Kata was a good workout for him, as well as a way to improve his form and technique in hand to hand combat.

He closed his eyes as he moved, allowing his body to flow freely. Breathing slowed, but heartbeat quickening. The muscles in his leg stretched nicely as he kicked above his head. He imagined his opponents around him, visualized where he would strike them. Eyes, throat, kidneys. Some of the most vulnerable spots on the body, and therefore the best places to target an opponent. He submerged himself in memories of battle, remembering past fights. The world around him ceased to exist as time went on, each step pushing him farther into his illusion.

Just as his body lost its tense set, something cut through his senses. It was a chakra he knew. One that belonged to a sweet little girl, who had been kind enough to offer him a smile when he was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. A girl whose name he had only learned the night before. Tobirama wound his way through the garden and back into the house so that he could meet her at the front door. When he smiled, she flushed just as red as she had the last time they met.

"Hello there, Tohru-chan." She bowed deeply (probably in an effort to hide her face) and offered him a greeting back.

"Good morning, Senju-sama!" When she rose back up, he noticed she was carrying a basket. "I hope you are doing well."

"I am doing wonderfully," he said. "Won't you come in?" Even as he stepped aside, she looked skeptical. It was probably not often that one was welcomed into the home of their clan head. Encouragingly, Tobirama held out a hand, which she took with trembling fingers. Together they made their way into the kitchen, and Tohru placed the basket on the counter. For the first time, he took a good look at the child's face. She was just as pale and lovely as the other Uchiha he had met, and with the same dark hair that framed her face charmingly. What stood out, though, was her eyes. She did not have the dark eyes of her clansmen, but her eyes were like forests of green, so mesmerizing he thought he may lose himself within their depths. For a second, Tobirama forgot how to speak. The little girl before him possessed a beauty he knew would only grow more lovely with time. It made him almost jealous.

"Senju-sama?"

He realized that he was staring, and that Tohru had become even more red-faced than he thought possible. With a chuckle, he gave her a pat on the head. "Just Tobirama will do. Soon enough, I will no longer be a Senju." Tohru grinned at that and reached into the basket, pulling forth the colorful skewers of his favorite desert. In that moment, he decided that she was his favorite person in the world.

"I hope you like sweets," she said. As she pressed a skewer into his hand, he admired the colors. Pink for cherry blossoms, and white for the snows of winter. He knew the green was meant to symbolize the coming of spring, but now all he could visualize was the green forests of Tohru's eyes. "In order to welcome you to our clan, my mom helped me make dango! The is enough for Madara-sama and Izuna-sama as well." At the mention of his name, Izuna swooped into the kitchen and stole himself some sweets (Tobirama had sensed him lurking around the corner since they arrived in the kitchen), and was gone as quickly as he'd come. He must have known that Tohru had come with more edible gifts for the "pretty man" and came to steal their goods. It was just like Izuna.

After that, Tobirama and Tohru sat down at the table to talk. He found that she was great company, and realized that this was the first time in years he had talked to a child without sending them crying. Senju mothers kept their children away from him, often telling horrible lies to them in order to keep them away. He had become a sort of monster the clan used to scare children, and they trembled in fear the rare occasion he ran into him. It was odd talking with Tohru, because she showed no signs of fear. She sat right next to him, smiled at him, had cooked for him. It took no more than fifteen minutes for Tobirama to realize he adored that little girl (could he keep her? would her mother allow him to steal her sometimes?).