Uchiha Obito is out late.
There's no school tomorrow, so he doesn't see why he can't be.
Beta'd by GrindingV2
It's hard to find something entertaining to do in a small town like this. It feels like everyone knows everyone else and you can't even get into any kind of mischief without one of the adults ratting you out to your parents.
Makes it kind of hard for a kid to just be a kid. Maybe that's why the kids around here are so boring or grow up to be a little on the weird side.
Maybe he'll grow up to be on the weird side, too.
The sun's just about to set. Obito stops his bike just outside the convenience store and kicks down the stop, hauling the thing on to the pavement and placing it by the side of the shop.
The door lets out a little jingle when it slides open to let him in. The clerk at the counter looks up from his newspaper and greets him, saying, "Hello, kiddo," before looking back down.
"Hello, Mr. Maruboshi," Obito replies. He heads straight to the small freezer at the back of the store.
He takes about five seconds to choose the flavor of the popsicle he wants and takes it out of the freezer. He lets the door slide shut on its own and heads to the counter.
"Eating ice-cream again?" Mr. Maruboshi says and takes the popsicle to scan. The machine lets out a familiar beep and Mr. Maruboshi says, "That will be seventy yen."
Obito takes the popsicle back when Mr. Maruboshi slides it across the counter and pays with his other hand.
"See you soon," Mr. Maruboshi says.
"See you," Obito replies and then he leaves the store.
He unwraps the popsicle when he's out of the store and tosses the wrapping into the trash can by the entrance. He shoves the orange-flavored popsicle into his mouth. He reaches for his bike, kicks the stop back up, and rides down the street.
Obito stops about two blocks down, skidding to a halt by the entrance of the park.
The lights flicker above him and, after a while, just stop turning on. He kicks the stop down again and stands his bike by the entrance. Obito enters the park and sits down on the grassy patch.
He looks up at the sky as he eats his popsicle. It's a lovely color, painted with all kinds of shades due to the setting sun. None of the lights are on yet — people don't seem to want to waste so much energy. Even the working street lamps remain off.
Obito watches as the baby blue of the sky fade into a darker blue, then lowers his gaze so he can watch as the baby blue fades into a purple-pink, then a cotton-candy pink, then a pastel orange. Below that, behind the mountain of clouds, will be the sun.
He licks his lips and then takes a bite out of the popsicle before it can melt. It makes a funny crunching noise between his teeth as he chews it and it gives him a freeze, but he continues to eat it like that until he's down to the wooden stick.
He sucks off the rest of the flavored treat from the stick and laps at the stick, looking down to try and see if he can catch the writing etched into it. It's too dark to tell, but maybe it says "good fortune will come to you," or maybe it means nothing at all.
He sticks the stick into his mouth and nibbles the edge, tasting the wood, and then leans back on the grass. It's still a little damp from the rain yesterday, but Obito doesn't care. He'll wash his school uniform tonight, anyway.
A few cars rush by the street and it sounds like a rush of water, expect it shakes the ground and makes it hard for Obito to concentrate on staring at the brighter stars that are beginning to show themselves against the dimming sunlight.
He blinks a few times, shaking off the sleep that is trying to overcome him, and then notices a faint pair of footsteps that are heading down the side of the street he's on.
No one ever goes out at this hour — the kids are all back at home from school, probably either trying to cram all of the weekend's work in one night so they can spend the weekend relaxing, or they're playing video games at someone's house. Either way, none of the kids will be out for the rest of the night.
The parents are still at work, a few towns over. They all drive cars. That, or they're still working here, in town, at the convenience store, or at the ramen store, or at the gas station, or whatever other stores that Obito doesn't care enough to name or find out exists.
Still, as the sun sinks lower into the clouds, the footsteps grow steadily louder. Obito doesn't move from his relaxed spot on the grass. There is a small police station two buildings next to the park.
Then, the footsteps pause at the entrance of the park, right in front of Obito.
"You," the footsteps — Deidara is his name, he recognizes that strange voice anywhere — say. He sounds accusing but Obito doesn't even know what he's done.
"Me," Obito says. He flicks the wooden stick in his mouth.
Deidara stalks closer to him, standing by his feet and peering down at him, taking all of the remaining rays of the sun.
"You're blocking the view," Obito says, the stick bobbing every time he moves his lips. "What do you want?"
Deidara scoffs. His hands are in his hoodie's pockets and his hair is done up in a loose ponytail. He went home first, changed, and then came out again. Why would he do that?
"I should ask you the same thing, lying out here in the wet grass like this is your bed, hm," Deidara says.
"Am I in your way?" Obito asks. "What does me lying around here in the wet grass like it's my bed have to do with you?"
"Yes," Deidara says, "you are in my way. A good dog does not block the path, Tobi, hm."
Obito takes the wooden stick from his mouth and throws it at Deidara. It hits his forehead and then rebounds. It almost hits Obito in the face when it falls, but luckily, it misses by a few centimeters and lands by Obito's right ear.
"Ouch!" Deidara says, stepping back and covering his forehead.
"You were in my way," Obito says as he sits up a little, "and you haven't answered my question. I asked you first."
Deidara sneers at him. Obito rolls his eyes and lies back down on the grass. The wetness spreads a strange cold across his back.
He doesn't hear anything from Deidara for a bit — not until the sun fully sets and the sky is just a dusty blue when he hears Deidara sigh.
Then, just as quietly, he hears him move to his side and sit down on the grass.
They don't say anything. Obito doesn't know which patch of the sky he should look at. Not even the bright stars seem to captivate him like they do when he stares at them through his bedroom window.
He knows that it is because of Deidara. He doesn't know the reason.
Still, the peace and quiet of the night and the rather comforting presence of a familiar person soothes him. It puts the day behind him. He likes that. He enjoys it.
Instead of watching the sky, Obito chooses to close his eyes and just feel.
There are things that you can only feel with your heart.
"What are you really doing out here, yeah?"
Obito scrunches up his face, forcing his lips into a tight line. He had been in a zone.
"I don't know," Obito says.
"You don't know? How can you not know?"
"I just don't know. I felt like it, okay?"
"That's the reason, then, hm," Deidara says.
Obito sighs. He opens his eyes again. The sky is black now.
"I don't think that is the reason," he says.
"Then you do know the real reason."
"Maybe," Obito says, "but I can't tell you, anyway."
"Why not?"
"Because we aren't friends," Obito says. "I don't know you."
Obito hears Deidara scoff and then shift a bit. "Don't act all high and mighty, Tobi," Deidara says, "it doesn't suit you."
"It is the truth."
"You act like you have plenty of other friends to tell your silly little secrets to, hm."
Obito doesn't respond to that. "I don't tell anyone anything."
"That is a sad way to live."
"You can't tell me how to live my life," Obito says.
"Whatever, Tobi," Deidara says. "I only tell my friends how to live their lives, and you've made it clear that we aren't friends, yeah."
"We aren't friends," Obito says again.
"We aren't, then," Deidara replies.
They lull back into silence with nothing but the sound of passing cars and the wind to keep them company.
"I should go," Obito says after a while. It is late. He stands up and brushes grass off of himself.
"Me too," Deidara replies.
Obito turns to look at Deidara.
"What?" Deidara asks.
"Nothing," Obito replies. He shakes the rest of the water off of himself and heads toward his bike. He grabs the handle and kicks the stopper up. Deidara stands by the entrance of the park, watching him.
"Do you need a ride or something?" Obito asks.
"No," Deidara says.
"I can ride you back," Obito says.
"I said no," Deidara says.
"Okay," Obito replies. He gets on the bike but he doesn't drive away. Deidara still stands by the entrance.
The broken lamp by the park sparks and an audible burst of electricity sounds. The two of them look up at the light and then back at each other.
"See you at school," Obito says.
"See you," Deidara replies.
They don't move.
Obito feels like he should say something. He doesn't.
When another car passes, Obito turns to check for any more. The road seems empty, with no headlights in sight. He pushes against the ground and rides away.
Part 1 of the missing the things that never happened series.