Chapter 1: Where It All Began

Kakashi supposed it started the day when Rin died. Nohara Rin was a sweet little girl who barely reached the tender age of fourteen, when she had been accidentally involved in a freak accident – the car she was riding in had collided with an incoming lorry.

Her injuries were so severe that she died on the way to the hospital.

There was a lot of things about the girl that made the Hatake missed her; her soft brown chesnut-coloured hair, the dark chocolate orbs that she possessed, and the way she would smile when Kakashi and Obito got into one of their rivals-fights again. Her laugh was both sweet and warm, like freshly-cooked brownies, and overall, Kakashi thought as her nothing more than a close friend whose personality was mother-hen like.

And she was someone that both he and Obito held dearly, though he suspected Obito was a little more-so than he.

The raven-haired boy was simply infatuated with Rin.

Kakashi came to know both of them when he was little – the silver-haired boy was already declared an orphan since he was young, after his father decided to end his life by his own hands. Later, he was shoved into the care of his grandparents, who lived far from the hustle and bustle of the big city he used to live in. He learned eventually that they owned a nice little cottage on the outskirt of a tiny village that goes by the name of Konoha. It has been such a culture shock to the little boy, but he had adjusted quickly to the new quiet, rural lifestyle. Eventually, he made his own rival – a scrawny, loud, snot-nosed boy that later he dubbed as 'The Dope.'

Obito was apparently a child of one of the most well-known (and powerful) clan in the entire world, the Uchiha, but he certainly didn't act like one. He was loud, boisterous, and yelled at everything around him when he got the chance.

Kakashi didn't know what had gotten into Obito that made him obsessed with him – always following him around, making half-assed comments at everything he did, and then making challenges to himself that he can do everything better than Kakashi, until Kakashi had punched the answer out of the boy. The Uchiha had declared in his own weird way (with a bloodied nose, in fact) that he simply wanted to be the silver-haired boy's friend. The Hatake had been amused (he didn't have many friends in the city, nor had he intended to make one here) but he silently accepted the offer nonetheless. After he continued to beat the living daylight out of Obito.

Despite everything he might said or done, being friends with the boy…wasn't that bad.

The two of them continued on with their unusual half-rival, half-(best) friends relationship well until they were ten-years old, and Rin joined in afterwards, turning the duo into a trio.

Rin was born in the city, same as Kakashi, until her parents decided to move to Konoha for the sake of her well-being. The poor girl was asthmatic, and the low air quality in the city only made her conditions worse. Moving to the the countryside was the only option her parents had; they were not a rich family and Rin's medicines were putting holes in their pockets.

The girl didn't mind at all, a change of scenery was always welcome, and she had already made two new best friends to keep her accompanied.

The three did everything together, and one cannot be seen without the other two. Wherever Kakashi went, Rin and Obito would be there. Whenever Obito would run off somewhere, the other two would be closely behind. The same was with Rin.

Of course, Kakashi won't admit it, but those years were the best time of his life.

Then, one day, Rin started to cough. It had gotten to the point of being uncontrollable and Kakashi yelled at Obito to go get her parents when he noticed that the Nohara girl was barely taking in any air. The village's clinic hadn't got the equipment to help her and her parents immediately ushered her into the car, to send her to the nearest hospital in the city, regardless of their lack of money. Kakashi rushed to go with them, but, unluckily, Obito wasn't allowed to; his father said that they have an important meeting to attend to that evening elsewhere, and that he wanted to introduce his son to some of their very important VIPs.

The Hatake was about to leave when the young Uchiha had gripped his wrist in a surprisingly tight grip, his eyes burning with such a dark colour that had Kakashi's knees weakeninig.

"Please," he said, lips quivering, "Please, protect her, Bakashi."

Although Kakashi knew that he had no control whatsoever in this situation, he nodded. "Okay."

And he left, leaving behind a sombre Uchiha Obito glaring at the grass.

Rin's father was driving so quickly, Kakashi feared that his heart was going to leap out from his chest cavity in any moment. His hands gripping tightly of the back leather seats, he turned his head to smile comfortably at the gasping Rin beside him, despite his feeling of wanting to throw up. Still, he managed to whisper assuring words to the girl, flinching when brown orbs swept over him, clouded with fear and pain.

"You'll be fine, Rin," he told her, voice firm, "You'll be fine."

It was then Kakashi noticed the incoming lorry that was speeding towards them, its headlights flaring alarmingly.

"Look out!"

A loud screech, and then…an explosion of metal and sound.

=X=

Kakashi woke up and found himself staring at a white ceiling, and the air reeked of chemicals and drugs. His nose twitching, his hand reached up for his head, which was pounding rather heavily, like he had just been trampled on by dancing pink elephants. He paused when the tip of his fingertip touched rough fibre – a cloth of thick gauze wrapping around his head. The silver-haired teenager's eyes widened as rush of frantic memories came back to him.

"Rin!" he shouted, jumping out of his bed. The world did a 360 and he toppled to the ground, knees wobbling under his weight. Before he could kiss the floor, fortunately, a nurse managed to grab the back of his shirt.

"Whoa, there!" she said.

Kakashi struggled to his feet, a herculean feat. He managed to clench a part of the nurse's white uniform, rasping out, "Rin. Where's Nohara Rin?!"

A look of contemplation passed over the woman's face before she frowned sadly. "I'm so sorry, young man, but your friend died on the way to the hospital. We couldn't reach her in time."

And at that moment, Kakashi's world smashed into a thousand fragments.

The teenager was held at the hospital for another week. After he was dismissed, the hospital staffs were kind enough to send him home as he had no means of transport –Rin's parents were also killed in the crash, and he didn't bring any money with him, so he thanked the driver before hobbling along the well-worn path to the village. His grandmother hugged him tightly when he entered through the entrance of the cottage, and his grandpapa smiled at him kindly and pets his head, smokes of tobacco lingering around. As much as he enjoyed the affections given to him, he couldn't yet ignore the heavy weight in his heart.

Rin was…dead. She was gone forever.

As he rested against the window sill, a glum expression fixed on his face, a horrible thought struck him.

Oh God…What was he going to tell Obito?

No matter how much he wanted to hide under a rock for the next forty-years or so, he figured the Dope deserved to know what had happened, disregarding how much Kakashi wanted to protect the ignorant boy from the harsh truth.

And so, he found himself knocking on the front doors on the Uchiha manor the next morning, which was situated at the far end of the village. Vaguely remembering Obito's words of how his side of the Uchiha family has been living here in the countryside to observe the potential market, he sniffled, slightly fatigued as he was not able to sleep well last night, due to his nervousness.

The Hatake jumped as the doors suddenly opened, and a mop of slight curled black hair filled his vision, a pair of onyx eyes gazing into his grey ones. Shisui, Obito's older brother, frowned when he observed the quiet teen in front of him, but he invited the boy in nevertheless. He told Kakashi that his younger brother is upstairs in his bedroom, before practically pushing the silver-haired Hatake up the stairs.

"He's anxious…" he heard the Uchiha muttered, "He doesn't know because we didn't tell him yet…"

Kakashi swallowed. "I'll tell him." His voice sounded weak even to his own ears.

The older male nodded, almost sympathetically, before leaving him in front of a red wooden door. He watched as the other went back downstairs, where a little toddler was waiting for him patiently. The chubby little wasn't familiar, so it must have been one of Obito's cousins again.

Kakashi knocked. He heard the muffled permission to enter, and he did.

Obito was sitting at the study table, his feet propped on the desk, as he read a pamphlet he held in his hand. His face was so solemn and dead serious; Kakashi asked him what the matter was.

The Uchiha seems startled; he quickly turn around and hid whatever it was that he was holding, before smiling widely at his friend. "Kakashi!"

"What was that?" The boy asked, curious.

The smile disappeared instantly. "Oh, nothing." The raven-haired teenager muttered. "Just some school Father wanted me to go. By the way, what had you been doing? And where's Rin? How is she? Is she okay?" A glimmer of hope crept into his voice.

Kakashi gulped, the weight feeling heavier with each question the Uchiha thrown at him. Bile rose to his throat and he found it hard to breathe. He turned his head away, ashamed at his inability to keep his promise. "Rin…"

"Rin…is dead." Ultimately, he delivered the words.

Obito said nothing. But the atmosphere darkens considerably and if he found it hard to breathe before, it was certainly more difficult now, with guilt pulling him down to the ground. Shaking slightly, Kakashi looked at his friend, who was staring vacantly at the carpet beneath his feet.

As quick as lightning, Obito's face turn thunderous, deadly, as well as full of murderous intent. It made Kakashi feel scare, seeing his hyperactive, happy-go-lucky friend suddenly acting like this. Unknowingly, he backed away.

He yelped, when the Uchiha gripped his collar and thrown him against the wall, the force left him feeling breathless. He slid down, only to be held at the throat by one pissed-off Uchiha Obito.

"You promise…" Obito's whispers gradually become louder, and harsher in volume. It made Kakashi cringed. "You promise you would protect her….YOU PROMISE!"

"I did my best, Obito, I did my-"

"LIAR!" The other teenager shouted, tightening his hold, making the silver-haired boy spluttered and gasping for air. Making a fist with his dominant hand, he punched Kakashi in the cheek, before delivering a hard kick to his abdomen. Kakashi wheezed, pain flaring up his nerves, before finally settling on the floor in a jumbled heap. His ears were ringing, and his fingers twitched, desperately inching for the door but to no avail; his mind was too clouded for him to do anything.

Obito stood over him, casting a shadow of malice. Unnerved by sudden lack of emotion on the other's face, Kakashi whined softly.

"I'll show you…" The young Uchiha said just as softly, fingers gripping an object that Kakashi couldn't identify. Fingers weaved into his hair, pulling him quickly and painfully onto his feet. "I'll show you to never break a promise again…Kakashi."

The Hatake's eyes widened when Obito brought his hand into view, revealing the object to be a penknife, the blade glinting wickedly in the sunlight. He struggled as hard as he could, but he haven't got the strength, and the hand just gripped harder, forcing the young Hatake to tilt his head backwards, so he exposed his throat to the raven-haired teenager.

He froze when he felt mechanical kisses trailing up his throat. A cool sting against his left eye, informed Kakashi just where Obito was placing his weapon at.

"Rin was so beautiful…" Lips fluttered against his jugular vein. "But she isn't now is she?"

Kakashi gulped when more pressure began to apply at his eye. "Obito…" he pleaded, for what he didn't know. But he wanted it to stop.

"Shut up." Kakashi screamed in agony as the blade of the penknife slid over the eyelid, leaving trailing red blood as it dig deeply into his epidermis. It stopped against his cheek, mercifully pulling out, but the damage was already done. Obito let him go one final time, and Kakashi writhed on the floor, desperately clutching at his left eye. Blood continued to flow down porcelain skin, staining it a dark crimson.

Vaguely, through a cloud of angry pain, he heard Shisui's voice shouting, as well as several others. A stampede of feet, the sound of a door crashing before more mad screams aroused. An unfamiliar pair of hands pulled him into an embrace, and Kakashi, for fear it was Obito again, opened his only usable eye, and met the face of a worried Shisui, blurred because of the tears pooling at his retina.

"You're okay?" He asked, but as the Hatake merely let out another agonized scream, he yelled, "Akira! Get some cloth! We need to slow down the bleeding, somehow! And Itachi," he turned towards the same toddler earlier, who was standing by his side, face somewhat scared but also passive, "Call the ambulance, would you? I know you're smart enough to do that. Tell them it's the Uchiha family." The five-year old nodded, before running out of the room. Shisui returned his attention to Kakashi. "Hang in there, boy." The silver-haired teenager nodded weakly.

The older Uchiha of the two siblings then turned to look at his brother, who was standing impassively in the middle of the commotion. Obito's father looked angry, and began shouting a series of words at him, but from what Shisui seen, the youngest Uchiha doesn't care somewhat. His eyes were watching Kakashi, the onyx orbs glinting predatorily at the blood dripping down the Hatake's cheek.

Akira, the butler, returned somewhere in the middle of it, and handed him a roll of bandage he had rummaged out of the emergency aid kit. Shisui quickly wrapped it around the Hatake's left eye, as quickly and neatly as he can. Even as he finished, dots of reds began to appear of the gauze. If Kakashi doesn't get treatment soon…

"Shisui." Itachi had returned. "The ambulance had already arrived. They're waiting."

Shisui nodded. The Uchiha had power, after all. He lifted Kakashi effortlessly into his arms, and followed his much younger cousin out of the bedroom. Even as weak as he did, Kakashi glanced at Obito one last time, but he didn't even seem to notice; now fully focusing his attention at his father.

It would be a while since he last seen the Uchiha.

=X=

From what the doctors had told him, Kakashi's left eye had been permanently damaged, and had zero percent of recovering. The news didn't settle well with Kakashi –he still wanted a successful future career after all, and most of them involved having two usable eyes. But, what else he could do? The Hatake sighed forlornly, shoulder slumping.

A hand clasped his shoulder. Shisui. "Is there really no other way, Doctor?"

The doctor, a well-endowed blond, crossed her arms in thought. Her name tag contained the word 'Tsunade', and somehow, it doesn't seem surprising at all to Kakashi for the Uchiha family to have such a medical expert as their doctor. "Well, there is one way…"

"And that is?" Shisui inquired.

"Surgery," Tsunade said simply, "An eye transplant. It would cause several thousand ryos and he still needs a donor, but it can easily pull through."

"He'll do it." Kakashi snapped his head up in shock at the older male, eyes widened in disbelief. He stammered, "But, S-Shisui, my family don't have that kind of money!"

"We do."

"I can't let you do that!"

"An eye for an eye. It's Obito's fault that you lost one of them. It's the least my family can do. Besides," Shisui smirked slightly, "a few hundred thousand ryos is practically nothing by Uchiha's standard." He turned back to Tsunade. "He'll do it."

The blond nodded. "As soon as we find a suitable donor, we'll start right away."

=X=

A few weeks later, Kakashi found himself having bi-coloured eyes. Sure, it was comfortable again having normal vision, but he found it hard to stare at his own reflection nowadays.

His right eye was grey, while his left currently contained a single red-tinted onyx orb. It reminded so much of Obito's that he shivered in fear every time he looked at it. His left eyelid also have been marred by a long, jagged scar, reaching down until his cheek. Undoubtedly, he was so fascinated by it that he spent the first few hours tracing it.

His grandparents practically prohibited him from visiting the Uchiha manor again, but Kakashi still have the need to see Obito, to apologize and explained himself to him, even though he knew that Rin's death was something that he couldn't control. Besides, Obito must have some explanation as to why he had acted the way he did back then. The Uchiha had always been so gentle…

As it turned out, Kakashi would probably never see Obito again. His father had sent him to a high-prestigious school located far in the east, where he would live with his lone grandfather, Madara Uchiha. Shisui also said that Obito had said sorry to him, and that he should forget about their friendship.

"When will he be back again?" Kakashi asked, once he heard this. He wasn't about to let Obito go that easily, even if said boy had tried to kill him.

Shisui shrugged. "I do not know, boy. Father practically disowned him. Obito had done a lot of crazy things over the years but this took the cake."

"Oh…"

It was the last of their conversation, as well as their final. The Uchiha family also moved elsewhere after a couple of months, leaving the manor to be attended by servants and gardeners.

And Kakashi was left in the village, with his grandparents, but with no friends. So, he focused his attention on something that he had always been good at; studying. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to get a scholarship and go to a university, where, he would, maybe, just maybe, find Obito during his journey.

Maybe.

=X=

Author's Note:

Yeah, I'm not six feet under yet.

This fic is inspired by Mad Father, the RPG computer game, which is totally sweet. I first watched PewDiePie played it (Hurray to the Bro Army), and the game is surprisingly well depth. And damn hell scary.

On a side note, I am hell-bent on finishing this story. I already wrote out the plotline, and there are three more chapters to go! Hurray!

And on another side note, I'm so happy about the two last week manga chapter. Did you see Kakashi's hips?! They're so….sexy…. *fainted*