New day, new project, right?
So yeah, same thing I tried twice already. I will try to post every two days this time, to get better in English and more responsible and patient.
As to the story:
It is an Another Universe, means Obito is alive. I like him, that's why.
What more, there will be Out Characters - important, yes, but not for long. Ignore them, if you must, but I promise they are nice.
It's a friendship fiction, between Obito and Kakashi and Minato-sensei. (I killed Rin) Someone (namely the ex-second-part of this ff account) told me to make it a bit to romance, however, I am not sure I feel up to it. So friendship is it.
Place: Konoha Village and wilderness
Time: few months after Obito's "death"
Mood: immature, insane, irresponsible
Characters: Obito, Kakashi, Minato, Kushina
and OC aunt, old man and two kids
It was difficult – the first weeks after leaving hospital.
Minato-sensei was always around to ask him how he felt.. or always away on some secret mission. With Rin and some rookies.
It should have been me there, on the mission. With Rin. And Ka-Hatake. He always thought, when he silently watched the team of four entering Konoha gates. He was always hidden while watching – it wasn't difficult, his chakra was now so low, he didn't even need to suppress it.
Somehow, always, Minato-sensei knew he was there, though.
The blond would smile at him, sometimes wave at him, invite him over – later.
But he wouldn't go. He wouldn't smile back. He wouldn't acknowledge his sensei unless there was no other way.
Kakashi – no, Hatake – was away. Somewhere. Training, Minato-sensei had said.
Well, duh. He got new toy to play with, 'course he wants to train now.
There was nothing, now, to amuse him. To stop the depressing thoughts that always came plaguing his mind.
"You were good for nothing before, Obito." Kakashi had said. "If you want to be a shinobi, you have to stop being such a child and train hard." he had said.
That was true. But he had also told him to stop being loud and colorful and cheery. He had told him to stop being him.
"Then maybe I don't want to be a shinobi." Obito had said, then, and left, leaving his hitai-ate in the dirt and dust of Konoha street. He had walked away slowly, couldn't move faster. Every part of his body had still hurt and he hadn't had the reason to overcome it anymore. Kakashi had had enough time to catch him, to explain, to talk, but he didn't.
And then he left.
"'S not so difficult to be a civilian." Obito laughed bitterly. From his fingers hung an old book just as dusty as the narrow isles, as the shelves, as the other books, as the old man teaching him how to sort the volumes, how to organize.
He liked the books, when he didn't need to read them.
In the third isle on left he found a space in between two similar books. Pushing his one there, he watched the dust coloring the tips of his pale fingers.
I am even paler then Hatake, now.
But much more dirty.
He had long ago learned not to sneeze.
He had long ago learned how to see in the shade. Darkness, even.
He had long ago learned how to hide from the world.
"You still there, Haichu?"
He had long ago learned not to state his true name while hiding.
He was still a shinobi somewhere in the archives, but no one came looking for him – no one could find him. Not down here.
He was hidden within the depths of books and long forgotten knowledge. He was hidden within the long lost family of madmen and insane witches – pagans.
Weird, the were. Insane. Paranoid. Long forgotten just like the volumes they kept sorted beneath their house. Just like their names and reasons. Just like Obito was, now.
"I am here, sir." Obito whispered back.
He liked this work. Not only because he could spend his whole day there, holed far away from the cheery and sunny streets of ninja village. No, not because he obtained access to lots of information no one knew anymore, even. He hadn't read them, anyway.
Maybe I could.
Nah. Don't like reading.
No, he liked it easily because of the people. Just because they seemed to like him.
They were weird and insane and fanatic and paranoid, but they liked him.
Rin never liked him. She just knew they had to get along to be a team.
Kakashi hated him. And never bothered to hide it, anyway.
Minato-sensei.. Well, Minato-sensei had to like him at least a bit – he had been his student.
His family – the Uchihas – despised him. He was the black sheep. Never good enough. And when he finally obtained the sharingan – his last opportunity to become stronger – he almost died, giving one of his eyes to the White Wofl of Konoha junior.
'At least I survived' was what he soothed himself with. But maybe, just maybe it was not such a win after all.
"You can go home now, Haichu, if you want. It's already half past ten." came the old man's voice again, old and slow and rough and throaty as always. But kind. Always kind.
"Thank you, sir." he whispered back. His voice was hoarse, he was thirsty. And he didn't want to go home, anyway. They could try to reach him, and they would be able to find him there. "But can I stay here for the night?"
He always whispered when down here, with the books. He always got the feeling of being in a sanctuary. So many whispers when he turned pages. So many shouts when he let the book fall. So many silence, when he was just standing there and watching.
"Yes."
He didn't even expect anything else.
It wasn't the first night he would spend there, in a small guest room with too much windows to the forest-like garden, too much flowers inside, too much light there, when the sun was shining. Not much of a furniture, though. Hamaka hanging from the ceiling. Soft carpet and lots of pillows on the floor.
And not one book. That's why Obito liked the room.
Not even a chess board to mock his natural disability to strategy or think logically.
He liked the room very much – more so for the possibility of climbing trough one of the windows to the garden.
He liked to wander trough the dark of night surrounded by trees and streams and weird shadows and sounds.
Maybe I could try to see with sharingan tonight..
He climbed the steps up watching as his bare feet left footprints in the dust.
The dust always fell so quickly down there.
Obito picked three plates from the wooden cupboard – he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach – and after he regained his balance, he went to set it down onto table.
Trough the open doorway he saw that one of the kids was already sitting on his high chair, merrily swaying his legs and leaning on his elbows.
"Good morning, Chu." giggled the little boy and his red-brown eyes lit up upon seeing the young Uchiha. His feet were hanging thirty centimeters above the ground.
"Hoy, Ke. Where's your otouto?" Obito asked kindly just to trip over someone's legs stretched on the dark carpet. He didn't drop the plates nor himself only with difficulties earning a laugh from a boy about five with startlingly fair hair and dark brown eyes.
"'s not my otouto." The older kid answered from behind the table. Obito offered him a smile and carefully stepped over the youngest.
"He's not?" the Uchiha chuckled comparing their features. "You are very much alike.. Well..apart from the hair." he smiled laying the plates on the wood. Keraku immediately reached to set one in front of himself, second on his left and the last one to the other side of table.
"We are like.. cousins. Or something." The youngest of them piped up with a hesitant smile. He reached his arm to the door frame pulling himself on his legs and stretching.
"Hmhm." Ke agreed. "You could say that my aunt and Sila's father are cousins, therefore we are somehow related."
Obito understood. Ke somehow reminded him of his own 'cousin' Shisui, the boys both being very petite but tough; cheerful and intelligent. Even the color of their hair and eyes is similar. The thought forced a smile upon his face.
"I get it. It's complicated." Obito grinned. He disappeared to the kitchen and returned just a moment later with chopsticks for the boys and a cutlery for himself.
He wanted to learn how not to poke his eyes out while using a fork or a spoon. And the kids liked the chopsticks.
"So what's for dinner?" he asked curiously.
"Aunt made a goulash." Sila said and pointed to a pot on the other side of table.
Ke nodded watching with amusement the chopsticks Obito was handing him. "I can't eat goulash with sticks." he pointed out. "It's liquid."
"Spoon then?" Obito suggested.
"I will get them. For you as well." the littlest boy chirped and jumped down from his seat.
Obito watched him jog to the kitchen – his light hair oddly reminding the Uchiha of his te..ex-teammate.
He sighed. Can't wait for the dinner to end. I want to go out!
"Did you find out anything interesting today, Chu-nii?" Sila piped out watching him with his not-so-innocent eyes.
"No. Why?" Obito raised his brows.
"Well.. you did spend your day holed down with books.. Didn't you read?" Keraku titled his head sidewise, expressing his curiosity with a gesture so much Kakashi-like it was weird.
"I don't read."
"..." the youngest boy watched him in wonder. "Woooow.." he breathed out. "And can you read?"
Obito flushed. "Of course I can!" he defended himself. "I just don't like it.." he mumbled, silently adding: "Can't sit still long enough.."
"How do you learn, then?" Ke blinked.
I watch. And I lis- I don't listen to my sensei actually. I watch. When I have something or someone to watch. And when I am willing to watch. Like.. I won't watch Ka-Hatake. 'Cause he's jerk. And.. "Heh. I don't."
"Sugoooooi!" the boys exclaimed in unison.
"So how do you like the food?" Keraku asked watching his friend with wide eyes.
"..'s good.." Obito said hesitantly. It was. He just didn't get why would the boy ask. It's not like they ate together for the first time.. And they never asked.. Never. Did they put something in there? Like, I donno, olives? Or poisoned mushrooms? Well.. they did once say they have high tolerance against poisons...
"Alright!" Ke said cheerfully turning back to his own plate. Obito's gaze traveled quickly between the youngster and his food in panic.
"..Whyyy?" he whined and poked the goulash with his spoon.
"Aunt said pep-pepperoni are in it. So it hurts your tongue." Sila said innocently and blinked at him with his childish eyes.
Obito looked back down and shrugged. He didn't mind. It tasted good.
"Yeaaah.. aunt said maybe you won't like it, 'cause it's like .. 'swallowing a fire'.." Ke added.
"Hu. Nah.. it's good." Anyway. I don't mind swallowing a fire.. I am Uchiha. "And you two don't mind it? It is a bit hot now when you mention it.."
"Am used to it already. Dad told me I used to eat fresh pepperonis when I was little." Keraku said casually and Obito couldn't help but think: As opposed to what?
"And you, Usagi-chan?" Obito poked his tongue at the youngest making him giggle. Or was it the nickname?
"I am 'k, Neko-kun." the boy shoot back while holding up his glass. "I have milk."
Bored. I am bored. Oh soooo booooored.
Obito rolled onto his back and gazed up. He was laying on the floor. Yes, on the floor. He just didn't feel like climbing into the hamaka.
"What to do, what to do.." It was late. He had about two hours before the sun would be up on the sky again. He knew he would probably go hide down again, so he should sleep now.
That's right. I didn't sleep.. He thought to himself, for his days seemed to blur one into another. He was never sure what had happened that day.. and what the day before. And before. And before..
I should write a diary. Obito giggled. Dear Diary. I am a bookworm. I have never finished any book. But I am a bookworm.
He sighed suddenly serious. Today.. I spent in the dust. He raised his left arm watching his palm curiously as if never seeing it before. It was clean.. White and clean and almost gray in the darkness. Then I babysat my brothers. That thought made him smile a bit. He had two little brothers who needed him. Not like Shisui who was already 'too big to be cuddling his cousin', yeah I know Fugaku-sama. Not like chibi Itachi who would gladly pierce his sharingan with a kunai already. And not like Kakashi who was so cold.
Then they forced me to tell a fairy tail. So I told them about Kushina-onee-chan rescuing Minato-sensei. He would be oh so embarrassed if he knew Kushina-onee-chan told us. Obito giggled again absently wondering whether he was loosing his mind.
Maybe he should reach his sensei and get back to active duty. With Kakashi being away there would be no one to lower his self-esteem.
Then I went for a walk, Dear Diary. Took a bath in the pond. The water was freezing and it was nice. And now here I am. Too lazy to climb to my nest. Too afraid of light to go to sleep. Ah! Spider!
Obito watched in fascination as the tiny creature climbed from the ropes of his hamaka onto the ceiling with slow careful moves.
"Hoy there, Kumo-chan.." Obito whispered in a sudden fascination. The spider didn't stop his travel until he reached the corner and disappeared Obito's gaze into the shadow.
Sharingan. Obito ordered and let the weird, but soothing circling chakra envelope him and change him and move him. Manipulate him. He could feel his own chakra streams changing their directions until they were copying the swirl of his eye.
"...I wonder.." Obito mumbled to himself as his eye penetrated the shadow. It was weird. The colors were off.. Everything was more sharp, more red. The contrast was too high and his vision was kind of bent. The center being the sharpest, as opposed to the blurred edges – surrounded by mist. "..how do you hang there... Without falling.. I can't do that."
The Uchiha titled his head. He was sulking.
"Oh. I will be able to do it. You just wait, you. Kumo-teme." He said after a while and gracelessly scrawled to his feet. "You just wait."
"Ha! See? I told you." Obito informed the tiny spider while hanging upside down from the ceiling. He had pushed his swirly chakra into his feet and climbed up.
The spider didn't look very impressed – no, it actually stayed just where it had been for the last few minutes – comfortably sitting in it's web. Sleeping.. are you? Obito leaned closer watching the unmoving creature with something akin to fascination.
"You have eight legs. How weird is that? Well.." He caught a sight of a movement with his sharingan and concentrated to his left. "Ah! Your little otouto, ne, Kumo-chan." the Uchiha said cheerily and watched the speed in which the arthropod moved.
"Hayayiii!" Obito exclaimed and knelt up to get a closer look. He almost fell – forgot to re-channel his energy to stay hanging.
"Oooh.. just how do you move like that?" the boy blinked and tried to move on his four, sticking to the ceiling riskily just on his fingertips and his bare tip-toes. "One leg, second leg, third leg, fou- oops.. I have only two." he wondered out loud while trying to copy the creepy grace.
"But it's okay. It's not so difficult, after all.." he mumbled while moving from one leg to arm, to the second leg. He managed to get to the other side of ceiling without falling down.
"That's fun.." he yawned. "But it's enough spider-ing for today.. Maybe tomorrow I will try again." He chuckled to himself and channeled his chakra into his palms. Obito slowly let his legs and the lower parts of his body hang down until his heels touched the reassuring threads of his hamaka.
"Good night, Kumo-sensei." He yawned again while cuddling around his pillow. "Good night.. Minato-sensei. Don't be angry with me." Blanket was thrown over his head so that the early morning sun won't penetrate his eyelids in the next hour or so. "Good night... Rin." I don't have anything to tell you.
"Good night Kakashi. Wherever you are. Good luck with the training, I have never hated you." His eyes were already closed and the words were spoken silently and slowly.
"Good night Father, Mother. Fugaku-dono, Mikoto-dono. Shisui-chan. Itachi-chan... Sleep well."
sensei - teacher
shinobi - ninja
hitai-ate - forehead protector
sharingan - special ability of the Uchiha clan
usagi - rabbit
neko - cat
onee-chan - older sister/big sister
kumo - spider
otouto - little brother
dono/chan/sama - suffixes
Well, I hope you liked it. :)
Any questions or comments? You can write me a rw or message, I will only be glad.
And nice day.