Ripples
Sail away, away
Ripples never come back.
Gone to the other side.
Look into the pool,
The ripples never come back, come back,
Dive to the bottom and go to the top
To see where they have gone
They've gone to the other side
Ripples never come back
Sail away, away...
It's always funny, the last song you hear before you die...
rip·ple ef·fect
noun
1. the continuing and spreading results of an event or action.
To put it in easier terms, when one thing changes, everything changes in both large or small terms, and it can make you or break you in something like a Paradox effect. So, with this clarified, let's see how much damage can be done from one young woman- given she was basically the poster child for normality; you know, like dark brown hair, blue eyes, and were a Caucasian female, that sort of normal- coming back to life for a second chance.
How much could that really change?
Here's the answer: everything.
"I will give you exactly seven seconds to change your tune."
The man in question scowled, staring at the ground and muttering under his breath, glancing up every now and then childishly, kicking the ground with his foot with a few rocks flying across the open path. "I don't want to go." It sounded childish, it was actually, but Kaname Uchiha was a man and as a man, he would do exactly as pleased-
Or what his wife told him to do, which was- specifically- to get his butt in gear and walk over to the shrine for a clan meeting despite the fact he had to real wish to and it would be boring and why did he have to?
"Kaname," A warning, stop acting like a normal human being and start being an Uchiha stick. He loved his wife, but she was dangerous with shuriken and always seemed to have a frying pan on hand, was it worth this? It might be a worth opposition, perhaps to avoid having to talk to Fugaku-san, but to have to take a slap to the head; maybe not so much. He looks down, dark hair falling into his face as he kicks his feet again, the dust suddenly more interesting than if someone went flying down the street yelling they knew the First Hokage's secret jutsu.
"I don't know why I have to go, why can't we just stay home? I don't even really like those bas-" Ooh; she was giving him that scary, kunai-sharp glare, better take better charge of his words- "guys. They always whine and then we stay for hours, and I have better things to do, like what about little Obito's crib? I need to finish that."
Sakami wasn't amused in the least, "You can finish the crib tomorrow," Her hand rested on the firm bump under the orange maternity dress, and at the mention of their unborn son, she lightened up, smiling tenderly down at her abdomen. "We won't need it for another week anyway, the rest of the nursery is finished, well, not the calligraphy, but that is fine with me." She examined her dress a moment longer, brushing off imaginary dirt and dust from the sleeves.
Kaname groaned, using one hand to shield his face from the orange glow of the sun settling behind the mountains near the west, taking a moment to calculate the time based on the sun's location and then how far away was the sun for him to run, and then thrust himself into it until his wife can't make him go anymore, if that is an option.
"What's it going to take for us not to go, koi?"
"Calling me love is not going to change my mind, Kaname," Sakami relayed upon him with her arms crossed- did she always look like a disapproving mother or was that new- so he was firmly intimidated by her. "There are traditions uphold, dear, and this is the only say we get in the vote during the council, so we have to go; whether you get bored or not."
Kaname grins, "Again. What will it take for me not to go, because I love you, wife-y, but I will catch my death in that room." He hums, thinking for a moment, moving towards the shadows of their house when relatives and clansmen started pouring from their homes. His wife didn't move to hide, not that she could in that color orange. "I have sixty ryo in my pocket if you go alone and let me hide under the bed at home in case they look for me."
"We're married," She stressed. "I already own all of your money."
Kaname winced, yes, that was a true statement. The woman- his lovely, darling, beloved and evil Sakami- had him mostly whipped, but this was one battle the man refused to lose, so he did his best blank face reserved only for the fiercest of enemies on the battlefield. It seemed blank, but compared to her own icy stare, it probably wouldn't compare at all, let alone get her to let him win, so he pouted just a tad as cute as he could.
"Sakammmiiii..." He drawled out.
"The only way we are not going is if this baby makes an appearance," Oh, Uchiha smugness, lovely. "And that's not for another week and a half. Pull yourself together, love, we're going to that meeting, even if it is boring." She mused over this for a moment long enough for him to drop to his knees in the dirt road of the district, dust blowing up from the quick movement.
He pressed his unruly head of hair onto her stomach with a grin, "C'mon, Obito, help out Daddy, kid. You're done cooking okay? The bun needs to come out of the oven to save Daddy's life from those elders. Help me out here, son."
A giggle erupted from his wife, "Kaname, please, that will never work." She didn't protest his actions however, simply ran a hand through his hair is undisguised amusement as he bargained with the infant inside of her, whispering promises of happiness and eternal gratefulness, but after a few moments of nothing, the man gave up with a downcast stare.
"I have to go to the meeting, don't I?"
"Yes, koi, you do. Good attempts at persuading him out, if it was me I would have left at the offer of chocolate milk when he was older," She smirked, which was a deep contrast to his heartbroken pout of sadness. Kaname gave it one last shot, bending down slightly to whisper to it.
"Sixty Ryo if you save me right now."
Sakami laughed, swatting him away from her to stand up. "Give it up, Kaname-kun. Obito isn't ready yet-" Her amusement turned to pure horror, thrusting her entire body downwards to clutch her abdomen, her dress staining a shade or two darker as her eyes widened.
"Honey?" Kaname wraps his arms around her waist to support his wife, icy panic thrusting through her veins, staring towards her pained, suddenly sweaty face. He pushed a stray strand of hair from her face, "What's wrong? Sakami, what is it?"
Her teeth clenched, "You absolute bastard." The usually nice and bubbly wife managed to hiss out, touching the stain attentively. "That was my water, it just broke; you made me go into labor." She's glaring that lovely, lovely demonic gaze at him (the one that made him fall in love), so he goofily grinned despite himself. He bent down, despite her yelp of protest, and swept her off of her feet, turning towards the direction of the hospital in a launch.
Dammit, he owes his kid sixty ryo and it was worth every cent.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise."
"The fact that our son isn't really a son or that we have absolutely no female names picked out?" Sakami murmured sleepily, "Actually, it could be the fact that she's a week early- never mind, that's on you for bribing her out with money."
Kaname kind of grinned, "I don't know, maybe all of those things played into my comment? I thought Airi said it- I mean; she was supposed to be a boy." He looks down at those pale cheeks with a grin, carding a calloused finger into the soft, dark hair.
"She said so." Sakami shrugged it off, "Then again, I wouldn't put much money on anything she said, and it's not like she had any actual way to find out except for those old wives tales." Her eyes rested on the way her husband was holding their daughter, the way his lips curved into a proud grin, then let herself mellow out from her worries the man would drop or lose her, for all of his silly behaviors, he was a good man and a better shinobi, if a little out there, but she loved that quality about him. "I wonder what we name her. We only had one name picked out,"
"She can't be an Obito?" Kaname blinked, "I sort of like it for a female too. We'll call it unisex and that's the end of it." He rocked her a little faster, muttering the name under his breath, cooing.
Sakami opened her mouth for a moment, eyebrows furrowing. "We can't just- actually, there's really no reason to change a perfectly good name over gender. I actually agree with you for once."
"Second!" Kaname chimed. "The first time was when you agreed to marry me." He was smiling as he handed her back the bundles of blankets, his black eyes as soft as satin when looking at his family. "Obito Uchiha, huh? It sounds better when you can really see the kid."
Sakami shook her head, "Are you sure, thought?" Her face screamed hesitation. "I mean, usually the name is for boys. I just don't know..." For someone who sounded so confident moments ago, at this point she sounded almost worried, so Kaname clasped her hand in his.
"We're not exactly the sanest people out of our clan, and we only had that name prepared. We could always name her something girly like Hanako."
"I swear you did not suggest I name my baby 'Hanako'." The woman seemed genuinely offended. "That is a terrible name, I'll leave her with Obito, it's better than nothing."
Kaname exclaimed excitedly, "Obito the girl, fiercest Uchiha and kunoichi in the entire world!" Then his face darkened, "You know what I heard from Kagami-san when he visited?"
"What?"
"The squad I was going to go on that mission with earlier this morning, they are all dead. It was a surprise attack, no survivors. He told me that I was lucky." His voice lightens up, "It seems we have an extremely lucky baby right here."
The baby started to scream.
·
There was probably someone else before Obito Uchiha, seeing as she remembers quite clearly what the taste of watermelon on a hot summer's day was like and the feeling of a Galaxy in her palms, hiding it from her teachers with precision only years of practice had honed during classes. It was sort of amusing in a way, to guess who she was before, to think of the dark brown hair and large black-framed glasses that fell into her face when hunched over in the cafeteria to read manga about a boy in an orange jumpsuit- she was a child when the anime came out and she can clearly remember watching the terrible English version on television, then she converted over to the paper version to get more detail early.
Now, she remembered a lot about most stuff, especially about the Obito Uchiha, and a part of her knows that she's him, except that there is a part of her that's missing, a part that all men possess, if you know what she means. The special part that makes or breaks you, the..uhhh...boy part.
Yeah, you know what she means by this, so of course the first thing Obito can think is that something terrible happened when she got a second chance at life that she kind of messed a few things up, just changed something. You know, exchanged a boy part for some girl parts to match up with her soul, but there was a hell of a lot that was unmistakably Obito Uchiha like those girlishly big, black eyes, alongside the eye shape and even the unruly mop of hair, but somethings changed a little bit too; whether this was plain genetics or Fate saying Fuck You to her one last time, she may never know, but her face was rounder and skin a shade or two lighter than before.
Now, she liked fanfiction when she was still alive, in fact she had even written a few cliché pieces here and there, pretending to toss herself in the story as a main character's friend or love interest, but had never taken it more serious than that and had even scoffed at gender bent stories (how fucking ironic if you look at it this way). Obito had always hated the way that they kept their male names in some of the stories, but here she is, and unluckily for her, she had his name still, which makes her feel someone honored and disgusted all at once. It was hard to forget exactly what the hell Obito Uchiha does over a fucking girl.
She also remembers- in great detail- her own death. She made a dumb decision when walking through freaking Atlanta (the home of traffic) to put in her headphones while she was at the crosswalk. She remembers pressing the button, watching the neon lights change into a hand to signal DO NOT WALK. A song blared in her ears (from the 70s, a choice of her cousin's), and impatience in her bones. The idiot Katharine- something walked. She looked to see no cars coming at the moment before she walked across the street in a hurry despite the warnings of the crossing machines and the earbuds made sure her survival would not occur because she couldn't even hear the honking of the oncoming Mercedes.
"Will you pay attention; you act just like your Papa." Mama pouts, her hands in the sink as she washes dishes, dark eyes wondering all over the younger female's face before settling on those inky black eyes and blushing pink cheeks. Ah yes (the second problem- how could she possibly forget?) Mama, the sweetest woman in the world, the kindest mother and the perfect example for the stereotypical housewife, who was supposed to be dead. Now, it was a given that she was extremely pleased with the woman, but from what she knows from B!Obito's life, he lived with his grandmother (she knew the older lady, but she stayed on the other side of the district), because her parents were decreased.
If she was anyone else, she would say people just don't not die.
Blinking away her thoughts, she replied "I was!" Obito insisted from her place at the dining table, one rice ball clutched in between her fingers, "You said that Papa had to apologize to the man he punched today because he got excited when he was on assignment." She was pretty confident that was what her Mama said, but that blank stare she received was a pretty huge indication, that that was NOT what was said, and she should step up her hearing game.
"That was yesterday. He doesn't have work today, sweetie, he's at the market."
"Did you know he owes me sixty ryo?" Obito quickly diverted the conversation. "He told me the story, but I never got any of that money, it seems unfair to lie to a minor, he should pay me what he owes for getting him out of that meeting." She stuffed the rice ball into her mouth to shut herself up, chewing deliberately slow and drawn out.
Mama chokes on her breath, doubling over. "Oh dear, he told you?" Her slender frame shakes with the effort to stay up right, holding onto the counter for support. "Kaname..." There was affection breath after his name- it was so sweet how much those two loved each other, maybe even enough to give her diabetes or rot her teeth.
She swallowed hard, continuing. "And did you know that my name is a boy's name?"
Mama stopped her dish washing, slowly grabbing the rag to dry off her small hands. Her head turned towards Obito with narrowed eyes, "Has anyone given you trouble about it?" There was the protective Uchiha-Bear, the one who would knock out any man, woman, or child in defense of her cub.
Obito shook her head, "Nope. But it sort of is a boy's name."
"Not really," She dips her head modestly, somewhat in thought. "You do not meet many 'Obito' in the world; I've not met one myself. It sounds a little more masculine, but I'm certain it is a lovely name for boy or girl."
Obito smiles, "That makes sense- Wait, is this you trying to feel better about not having any other names prepared?" She accused, one hand out stretched, the other patting her dark blue sundress down onto her legs.
"...No."
"Mama, you hesitated!"
·
It would have been an understatement to say that it wasn't beautiful outside, the birds chirping and the sun shining through the windows, the type of day where you can just feel everything and everyone lighting up. The desire to run outside, roll in the grass was at the edge of every child's energized feet, the need to run freely into the sakura petals blowing on the wind overtaking every single thought produced. For Obito Uchiha, it was pleasantly warm enough to absolute refuse to go outside the door of the house, to cross her arms defiantly in the face of socializing.
"I will not go socialize with those little beasts."
"Obi-chan," Papa sang, "Stop being cruel to your playmates. You need to make friends."
Obito's smile turned into a frown, "I have plenty of friends. Airi-san is my friend." She couldn't comprehend the ideology of social development in the form of the park, seeing as she hated the park and more than likely would hate the people there as well. "I'm an introvert, what you are asking of me is hurting, y'know!"
Mama let out a sigh, her fingers tightening in the unruly hair that she was trying to tie in a bun for their outing to the park, "Airi is thirty and she's our friend. You are four-"
"And a half!"
"-and a half," She didn't even seemed to acknowledge the outburst, just tugged her hair a bit harder, frustration pouring through. "You have your father's hair." She muttered and that was a pretty true statement. The woman's hair was straight and dark brown, while her own was wild and black. "Back to the real subject, you aren't old enough to know you don't like people. You can dislike the kids in this clan all you want, but we're going to the public park."
There was a tug at her lips then, which turned into a smirk, because while Papa honestly didn't like much to do with the clan, Mama acted like she did, but even the saints have a limit, and it was hypocritical of her to rant about loving everyone and the clan, and then avoid them like the Black Plague.
"I'm not social."
"Yes you are, just not to other people."
"I don't like other people."
Papa chuckled, "She gets that from youuu.." He tells her in a sing-song voice, stopping only at the sight of her icy glare that was a threat and promise of death all at once, which you did not want to be on the receiving end of, so he quieted down. "Just, go have fun like your mother asked, okay? I'll give you twelve ryo."
"You shouldn't pay her to do normal development things. She needs a friend."
"Sixteen ryo if you go now and make a friend."
Obito had ruined all of her mother's hard work by yanking the hair ties holding it in place, the waves of dark hair falling around her shoulders, and she stood up to brush off the orange sundress (no wonder the boy version in the manga liked the color) her mother had purchased last time they went out of the district, except now there was a pretty distinct white-and-red fan on the back of it, clashing terribly with the color scheme. As fast as her legs would carry her, she dashed out of the room, skidding down the hallway while mentally calculating the amount of money she'll have in the Animal Summoning themed piggybank if she manages to make a friend on the outing.
Her feet slid into the sandals by the door, feet thumping behind her as her Mama rushed after her (she swore she had two Moms in the other life, but those memories of the two blonds who adopted her and some Christmases weren't mixing well enough for her to confirm), yelling after her.
"Be back by three! Be careful!"
"I'm going to get that money!" Her hand struck out in a thumbs up when she managed to leap through the door frame with grace only someone ten years her elder could produce, not stumbling which was pretty impressive considering short legs were a hassle, but she'd never openly admit that. It was weird. She was short for her age (Obito's read those parenting books that her mama has hidden around), and that was never a problem before. Everything was bigger than her and it was annoying at this point.
It wasn't that she didn't like people per se, it was just she didn't like seeing Canon characters before they go crazy or die or leave or die or die. Now, the ripple effect, if she remembers correctly, is a pretty broad term of just saying or doing different things that essentially fuck everything up, so if she doesn't talk to them, she can't screw anything up! So she just refuses to go the park...
...unless offered money, because she had her eye on this certain pair of goggles and they are just so Obito that it hurts and she wants them desperately, even if she has to actually find a friend.
Now, she liked running, liked it so much that she would do it in this damnable dress ( she sort of did like it), so it was a pretty sure thing that she would mess up big time, like knocking into someone, but she hopes it isn't too big a deal. Her body smashes into a figure right as she manages to get out of the district, her head bouncing harshly against the body in front of her that feels like it's made of absolute metal. Her entire body goes flying towards the dirt, landing on her bum with a disfigured yelp.
(Please, don't be anyone important-)
"Sorry," She bursts out, eyes darting upwards to meet black eyes; Uchiha maybe? Black eyes, small wrinkles by the eyes, Holy shit- is this Itachi?
No, no, not Itachi, not yet anyway then who has silver hair? At that moment, she racked her brain to piece together every important Uchiha and detail she could remember, not getting a clear view of all the character (no, people, not just fiction anymore) at this period that could be here. She got close to squat, her head going absolutely blank.
"Why did you bump into my papa? That was rude." Smaller voice, male, her eyes wondered towards the smaller figure, the one with a mask, a navy-blue mask that seems almost black. Who...?
The older man chuckled, "Kakashi, don't be rude, it was an accident and she apologized." He leaned down when Obito's eyes threatened to pop out of her head like a dog's squeeze toy; it was almost horrific to figure out exactly who this man was. Konoha's White Fang was holding out a hand to help her of all people up, his lips turned into an awkward and apologetic smile. Sakumo Hatake's eyes were so kind, so much more than anything ever imagined, ever seen and animated, so...true and strong. Obito almost wanted to gush about it. Her mouth remained in a gape.
"I am Sakumo Hatake," He introduced what she finally managed to deduce. "I suppose I should have watched more carefully, I was talking to my son. You must be around the same age, Miss..."
"Obito Uchiha," She ducked her head, letting him pull her off of the ground as she quietly muttered her name, and of course, Kakashi Hatake had to add his input.
The boy managed to make a grunt noise that sounded arrogant enough for her to itch to bash his face in. "Is that a boy's name? Aren't you a girl?" He seems nice enough, if a little protective in a way that meant he didn't take bullshit from anyone involving his father, and she felt the same with her own, except she didn't radiant a sort of darker emotion. He seemed genuinely upset she bumped into his dad.
His eyes are what really speak to her. They are dark like she saw a thousand times before when she was a different person, but there is another thing about them. They aren't guarded like in Naruto nor are they dead and sickly like in the Kakashi ANBU Gaiden, they were a child's eyes. Maybe a tad smarter, but they were honestly the eyes of someone who didn't see too much bloodshed and saw his father as a hero. It was enough for Obito to smile despite his semi-defensive attitude.
"Kakashi!" Sakumo admonished. "That's rude. Excuse him." He shot the boy a mildly disapproving glance, but there was a tug at his lips, like he was trying to be firm and lose all at once. "What were you doing so quickly?"
"I...uh...the park!"
"Oh? We're going to the park as well. Do you care to join us?" He was so welcoming and so nice, and the very image of him killing himself was making a very metallic taste of bile rise, so she keeps her hands bunched into the soft cotton of the dress, rethinking the entire trip. Kakashi looks torn about the question too and she suspects he's trying to make him be more developmentally social as well, which was what she needed.
Blushing, Obito looked down awkwardly. "I meant I was already at the park, and I'm late to get home, sorry." She keeps her eyes down, out of character for the person she's supposed to be, but then again- how is she going to be that person, she doesn't have the right parts (hemp, if you know what SHE means), and this was certainly not the first meeting she was supposed to have. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Hatake-san, Hatake-kun." She relays while giving a curt, Uchiha-worthy bow, and then turns on her heel to run as fast as she can without bumping into someone else that could be catastrophic.
At least that it's done and over, while the only real mournful part was that she didn't even get the money.
·
Until of course, a day later Sakumo Hatake comes to her house with a large and almost embarrassed smile to apologize for the day before, which had won over Mama and Papa almost immediately, who invited him inside for tea and to talk.
By the end of that meeting, somehow the man managed to get them to agree to playdates between their two prodigal children at the park and she figured out that apparently Kakashi wasn't a terribly arrogant and strict person before the suicide.
(Does playdates count as something that could cause unforeseen changes and ripples?)
Now, she can't say much, but one thing Obito Uchiha knows for certain, is all she can really say is Fuck it and work with what's she done and what she'll keep doing; messing everything up extraordinarily in a way only an Uchiha can.
A/N:
This was originally written by a friend of mine. It has been edited by me, since I was Beta at the time. She has given me permission and rights to the story since she's too busy to repost it or even write chapter two. I went over it and added some stuff, changed things. It looks pretty good if I do say so myself. The fact I had taken interest in this is surprising because, as most of my readers knows, I strongly dislike Obito Uchiha. Maybe this is me turning over a new leaf?