So ObiAnko fics were requested, and I decided I better get a move-on! XD I seem to be the only one who actually writes about them anymore. Haha~
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters other than Atama and Mune. They aren't just random FCs I threw in for fun, they're key characters to the plot. ;D
-\[=]/-
Obito and Anko were eating at Ichiraku. He slurped his ramen up as fast as possible (third place in a race with Kushina and Naruto Namikaze, of course), but Anko held hers above her bowl. She stared at the noodles as she contemplated over recent events. She and Obito had been dating for—how long was it, really? Two years? Two and a half? An important detail always shoved its way into her mind. Her head swerved over to glance at Obito. Even as an eighteen-year-old jounin, he still wore his orange goggles, which made her snicker just a bit. He was still a child at heart.
"What's the matter," he inquired after swallowing his ramen.
"Nothing," she shook her head. "I was just thinking about something, Obito-Kun."
"What's that?" he queried, grabbing the sides of the bowl as he prepared to drink the broth.
"I've never met your family."
His bowl stopped halfway in the air. Obito's eyes widened and Anko swore she could have seen his pinky shiver just a bit. He slowly set the bowl down and faced her. In an attempt to steer her away from the desire of meeting the clan, he quickly replied—
"You've met Sasuke and Itachi before."
"They're just your cousins, though," she somewhat huffed. "I want to meet everyone else, too. Mother, father, sister, brother—do you even have siblings?"
"Nope," he shook his head. "Only child."
"See how detached I am from your roots?" she semi-joked.
She was awfully sincere in wanting to meet the whole Uchiha Clan, or at least those close to Obito. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she wouldn't end up becoming a part of his family. She wanted to know what she was more-than-likely marrying into. She watched him squirm in his seat, pondering over the situation. There was some bad blood between a few members of his family, so it would be awkward if she visited. Finally he turned toward her.
"I'll have to ask my family," he stalled, "when they're open. Is that alright?"
"Perfect!" she beamed.
He smiled sheepishly, but she didn't catch any hint of nervousness in him. He lifted the broth to his mouth and slurped it up. Anko happily finished off her ramen as Obito told her stories, subsiding old memories of an event or two with his ungrateful uncle. Once she finished, he walked her back to her apartment before heading home himself. The moment he walked through the gate, he was met by Itachi and Sasuke, who were waiting for him on their porch.
"Obito-Nii-San!" they exclaimed ecstatically.
Itachi rushed into him first, giving him a very large hug. Sasuke, however, took a bit longer to get to his cousin. To be fair, he was only a five-year-old. The moment the youngest Uchiha was within a yard of his favorite cousin, he leapt at him to embrace his neck. Obito had to kneel down for him to reach it, but he enveloped his neck nonetheless. He snickered at his younger cousins as he ruffled their hair. He stood up and held Sasuke in one arm as he rested his left hand atop Itachi's head.
"Did you really miss me that much?" he sniggered.
"Hai!" Sasuke beamed.
"We did," Itachi nodded.
"It's nice to know that you can still be mature and miss me, 'Tachi-Chan."
Itachi blushed slightly and avoided eye-contact. He was ten-years-old, and may have been a full-level ninja, but he was most definitely still a little boy who was afraid to show such emotions. He turned his head to the side and pouted. He claimed he didn't miss him that much, which led Obito into giving him another hug. Itachi looked around, making sure no one was watching, and hugged him back.
Obito chuckled and took a knee in front of him. He settled Sasuke's petite body on the ground and told them both they should be going to bed. Sasuke stated he didn't feel like going home; he wanted to stay with Obito.
"I'll fight you, 'Bito-Nii!" Sasuke challenged.
Itachi smirked a tad before picking his brother up. Sasuke pouted and stuck his tongue out at Itachi, muttering something along the lines of "no fair." Obito poked Itachi's forehead as he thanked him, lightly squeezed Sasuke's nose, and made sure they got home safely.* After doing so, he went off to his own house. In the Uchiha Clan, you usually lived with your parents until you married. After that, you moved into a new house in the Uchiha estate and lived with your spouse. Obito, though, was not married. Therefore, he stayed with his mother and father.
"Obito-Kun," his mother called, "is that you?"
"Hai, Kaa-San," he replied as he hung up his vest.
He waltzed into the kitchen to sit at the table with his father. His mother asked him if he wanted anything for dinner, to which he simply replied that he had had dinner with Anko already. That put a smile on her face. It was a soft and sweet smile, too, which made him feel a bit nervous. He knew a question about his girlfriend was bound to come up. She settled herself next to her husband, across from her son. Oh, he thought as he inaudibly sighed through his nose, here we go.
"Is she sweet? Kind? What rank of ninja is she?" the questions always came. At least once a week, his mother would ask him questions about Anko. He'd answer them all, not leaving a single detail out; if he did, she'd just keep asking until midnight. Finally she finished her questioning and ate her meal. That was when his father stretched and looked Obito square in the eye. His father never had a brutal look about him, though; he always had a gentle interior and exterior. He only fought when absolutely necessary. In a way, Itachi was a lot like him.
"Now that Mune-Chan is done," he joked with his wife before facing his son, "I have a question for you, Obito-Kun."
"Shoot." Obito welcomed his query.
"When can we meet this girl?"
Obito's mouth was agape the moment the words left the man's lips. He quickly shook it off and faced his father head-on. He was a jounin, he established internally, he could face his family.
"Oh!" Mune excitedly clapped her hands. "That's a good question, Atama-Kun!"
"It is, it is," Obito agreed sheepishly before babbling, "but, uh, you see, it's not as, ano…how do I put this—?"
"Obito-Chan," Mune interrupted his rambling using the suffix she gave him as a toddler, "if you aren't ready for her to meet us, that's just fine."
"It isn't you two!" he blurted as he waved his hands dismissively. "It's just…she wants to meet you, too; not only you guys, but the rest of the clan that's close to us. That includes Fugaku-Oji-San."
"I see," Atama replied as he nodded his head.
"Oh…" Mune sighed, "Obito-Kun, gomenasai."
"Daijobu," Obito stated.
There was some kind of awkward silence for half a moment. That changed, however, once Mune smiled and clapped her hands in the cute way she did. Obito had always noticed how much of his mother he had inherited. She was always so optimistic and was—he had heard Anko say it a million times—a true child at heart. Atama was quiet, gentle, and always smiling around her and their son. There was another thing Obito noticed about them that always seemed to fit together.
Atama's name meant "head" and Mune's name meant "chest." It was only common sense that his name be Obito. His mother used to call him her little Neck-Chan. He'd always been embarrassed at the Academy when Mune would take him there. He skipped on ahead and met up with his friends. From a distance, Mune would call "Sayonara Neck-Chan! Aishiteru!" He'd blush, grasp the strap of his backpack, and wave sheepishly at her, and reply with "Daisuki Kaa-San." After a bit she stopped, but every now and again, she'd fall into old habits and they'd laugh.*
"Where are you off to tomorrow, Obito-Kun?" Mune inquired, snapping Obito out of his thoughts. "Any plans?"
"I'll probably be with Itachi and Sasuke," he shrugged. "If not them, then Kakashi no baka and Rin-Chan, or Anko-Chan."
"That sounds like a plan," Atama chuckled lightly. "I think we best be off to bed, Mune-Chan."
"Hai," she agreed with a bright smile and a single nod.
They each stood up (Mune hugging her son and kissing him atop the head) and waltzed to their room. Obito took a few moments to just sit down before he finally came to a stand. He sauntered sleepily toward the small living room they had. There stood, against the wall, a tall family portrait. Obito was only eight-years-old when they took it.
In the picture, he had his goggles clutching his forehead and arms raised in the air. He had a very large, toothy grin about his complexion. Atama was on Obito's left and had his hand right arm laced around his wife's waist. Meanwhile, the other arm was lowered, hand placed on Obito's shoulder. Atama gave a soft smile in the picture. Mune, on the other hand, had a grin that was a mix of the boys'. Her mouth was open, but her teeth weren't showing. It was a soft, yet optimistic sort of beam. Both of her hands were on Obito's shoulders, however, one rested upon her husband's hand. She was winking in the picture, one of her eyes showing its midnight blue color.
Obito smiled at the picture. His mother looked like the wife of an Uchiha. The men in his clan seemed to lean toward women with dark hair and eyes. However, he did see Sasuke share lunch with a pink-haired girl once. Hers had been taken by some bully and he was generous enough to share. Obito rolled his shoulders. Anyway, Mune had midnight blue eyes, and her hair was the same color, just slightly darker; shoulder-length, too.
Atama, on the other hand, looked very much like Fugaku. Though his bangs were pointed, similar to the way Obito's hair was. The back of his hair was very much like Fugaku's, though, but much, much shorter. After staring at the picture for what seemed like an eternity, Obito stretched, yawned, and trudged toward his bedroom. He threw on a T-shirt and some shorts, placed his goggles on his end table, turned off the light, and went to bed. He tried his best since his dinner with Anko to suppress an age-old memory. However, that night, it came back to him, just as a nightmare.
-\[=]/-
An eight-year-old Obito came dashing into the house. He grinned as he kicked off his shoes and raced into the kitchen. He hadn't seen his father all day. His mother was with Lady Tsunade, learning a summoning jutsu. She had always wanted to learn how to summon, but never had a chance to. Instead of sticking around to wait for a slug to appear, he motored home to play with his father. However, instead of the usual smile the thirty-one-year-old Atama would greet his son with, a serious grimace covered it. Obito's eyebrow raised and his smile disappeared.
"Tou-San?" Obito called.
"Yes, Obito-Chan?" Atama replied from the kitchen.
"Who's here," he inquired.
He needed no answer. The moment he waltzed into the kitchen on the tiny feet he obtained, he spotted his uncle across the table. Again, he quirked his brow upward. Fugaku had often babysat Obito at a younger age. Once Fugaku turned eighteen-years-old and married, he didn't watch him as often. Now, at nineteen, he and Mikoto, his wife, were about to have a son. Anyway, Obito was about to take a step toward Fugaku when Atama called him.
"Obito-Chan," Atama gently began, "come sit with me."
"Hai," he obeyed as he crawled onto the floor beside his father.
He watched his uncle's expression intently. He looked quite upset. For what reason, though? Obito had no clue. He kept staring at his uncle. He had no clue how rude he was coming off, though. Once Fugaku's eyes shifted toward his nephew and he grunted, Atama placed his large hands atop Obito's shaggy head. His son squinted his eyes once the hand collided with his scalp. After a second or so, Obito chuckled for half a second and looked up at his father gleefully. It wasn't until a bit later that he realized Atama was telling him not to stare at Fugaku.
"Obito," Fugaku's rough voice broke the small silence, "has your sharingan come in yet?"
"No, Fugaku-Oji-San," Obito replied honestly.
"Figures," Fugaku grunted.
That didn't please Atama in the slightest.
"Fugaku, leave him out of this," Atama's stern voice quietly—it scared Obito quite a bit. He never knew his father's voice could get mean—demanded. "Your business is with me."
"It always has been, hasn't it," he responded as he nearly spat out the next portion of his sarcastic sentence, "Atama-Nii-San?"
Obito always wondered why Fugaku never babysat him anymore. He thought it was because he married Mikoto and didn't have time to babysit; he was busy. That wasn't the case, though. Obito sat there as Fugaku kept tapping papers with his index finger, demanding a signature. He kept saying it was the "Uchiha Tradition." He ended up having to shout about Atama needing to be an officer—they could use him. That was when Obito noticed that his father was the only Uchiha that wasn't a Konoha Military Police Officer.
"You know I won't," Atama stated with a shake of his head. "I support my family the way I do. My right shoulder just screws me up."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Fugaku rudely interrupted his reasoning, "and your stupid knees are weak. But you're strong, baka! You have a strong genjutsu, you have strong chakra, you have—"
"And I support the Military Police the way I can," Atama firmly interrupted. "Fugaku-Nii, you of all people should understand. You watched me all those years. You watched me train to become a genin, a chunin, a jounin, an ANBU…" he paused momentarily, smiling at his son, who stared at him with his large, onyx eyes, "and I want my son to train as hard as I have. I also want him to be smart by the time he marries and has to support a family."
"Is that what you think you are?" Fugaku roughly replied. "You think you're smart?"
Fugaku rose onto his knees completely, hands slammed onto the surface of the flat table. That caught Obito's attention. Atama knew what was coming. He didn't want his son to know about Fugaku's fits of rage so early in life, but what could he do? Obito knew by now that Atama was a smart man, and he knew that Fugaku was smart, too, but he just had a slower way of coming to a conclusion. In the end, Atama erected his back and awaited Fugaku's angry response.
"Baka," Fugaku growled before he barked, "baka! You aren't smart, Atama. You had everything! You could have been the hokage if your feelings hadn't come into play! You were an ANBU! You gave up everything you worked for, you sacrificed and suffered for your work, and for what? For that!" Fugaku shoved his finger in Obito's direction. The goggled boy would have bit it, too, if Atama hadn't taught him everything had a price. "Atama, you have to be the biggest moron I've ever met! I loved you until you lost your mind. You have problems and self-morals that I can't even comprehend because they're so stupid! You say you do the things you do for family, but what about me and Tou-San? Aren't we family, too? What about us? Bak—!"
"My father is not an idiot!"
The eight-year-old interrupted the man's rant. Fugaku's eyes turned toward his nephew. It was quite hard to take a retort seriously when it came from a child with lopsided goggles atop his face. However, the expression Obito held could have scared off the devil himself. Fugaku's eye twitched a bit once he noticed he was being told off. Obito rose to his feet and slammed his hands on the tabletop. He made complete eye contact with his uncle, being sincere as ever.
"If anything, Tou-San is the smartest man in the world!" Obito pouted as he stamped his foot cutely. "You have no right to march in here and judge his way of living without hearing his side first. He makes good decisions, makes sure everyone is safe, and goes on missions when he is needed. He helps old women cross the street, he does the dishes even though he has a wife, and would take a fall or a punch for anyone! He's brave and strong! You may be strong, too, Fugaku-Oji-San, but at least Tou-San knows how to use his strength correctly."
Obito opened his mouth to say more, but Atama settled his large hand on his son's head once again. Obito calmed himself for his father's sake and sat on the floor. His legs were Indian style, his arms were folded across his chest, and he held face in a scrunched-up grimace. Fugaku stood up, snatched his papers off the tabletop and told Atama that he sickened him.
"If that's so," Atama sighed sadly, "all I can say is that I hope that you'll love me again one day."
Fugaku's mouth was agape. He stammered, trying to find the correct words for a certain response, but they didn't come together. Instead, he shut his eyes, inhaled deeply, exhaled through his nose, and showed himself out. Obito stuck his tongue out slightly before looking at his father. He rose to his feet once he heard the door shut. He stepped toward Atama and tugged his sleeve. It wasn't until that moment that Obito noticed a clear liquid had leaked from his father's eyes.
"Tou-San," he asked gingerly with a small bit of fear in his voice, "daijobu?"
"Hai," Atama responded in his gentle voice.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as Obito flicked off his tears for him. A moment later, Atama sighed deeply and looked at his son with a sad smile. Obito returned it. Atama crossed his legs and invited Obito to sit in his lap. He accepted the offer and allowed his father to cradle him until he felt better once again. From that day on, Fugaku was nothing but an uncle. He still loved Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke (though Itachi was a fetus at the time and Sasuke wasn't anywhere near living yet), but Fugaku was only a relative who disrespected his father, and, therefore, disrespected him.
-\[=]/-
Obito woke up in a cold sweat. He shot right up in his bed, hands racing toward his heart. He recognized his surroundings and realized that he was only reminiscing. He held his head in his hands and shuddered a bit. He hated that memory so much it almost burned. Again, it led to thinking of how he and Anko would end up. If he wanted to marry her, she needed to know more than just him, Itachi, and Sasuke. Not even just his parents would be enough. She needed to meet Fugaku.
After debating it over and over again in his mind, he finally persuaded himself into asking his parents to keep theirs and Fugaku's schedules free. He laid down once again, spreading out as much as he possibly could. He sighed for a straight twenty seconds before looking through his doorway and at the hallway. He could have sworn he heard his father's light snoring. It slowly lullabied him to sleep.
-\[=]/-
"Wake up, Neck-Chan!" Mune cheerfully woke him up the following morning.
Obito curled up into a tight ball, groaned out "five minutes," and attempted to fall asleep again. Mune sighed happily, seated herself on his bed, and grazed her hand through his black hair. It was scraggly and tangled, but it had been that way since he was a baby. Obito's shoulders rolled a little bit, but her hand didn't cease. He rolled over to face her with bloodshot eyes and grunted.
"Kaa-San," he whined.
"Eighteen-years-old and you still whine like my little Neck-Chan!" she giggled. "I made breakfast, Obito-Kun. Come eat it!"
"Ach," he agreed in his gibberish as he slowly rose from his spot and stretched, "yes ma'am."
"Atta boy!" she beamed. "I'll see you in the kitchen."
Obito didn't bother with changing yet. He did, however, put on his goggles. He stood up and trudged his way into the kitchen, sat across the table from his father, and yawned deeply. Atama snickered at his son and shoved a glass of orange juice toward him. He thanked Atama as he gulped it down. He had forgotten all about his decision he made the previous night until he drank his juice.
"Tou-San, Kaa-San," Obito began, "are you doing anything tomorrow night?"
"I don't think so," Mune answered. "Are we doing anything, Atama-Kun?"
"Not that I can think of," Atama agreed. "Why?"
"I was thinking," he began to rub his hands together nervously, "maybe I could invite Anko to dinner with us tomorrow night. And we could have Fugaku and Mikoto-Oba-Chan over, too."
Mune's eyes widened. She had come home the night Fugaku and Obito argued. Obito was fast asleep in a weeping Atama's arms once she arrived. She hadn't heard either one of them willingly invite Fugaku over ever since. She turned to her husband, who nodded his head, stating he'd allow it. She smiled softly and did the same. Obito's head bobbed up and down as well, taking in that he was finally going to approach Fugaku.
After finishing off his breakfast, taking his shower, and dressing for the day, he approached Fugaku's home. The moment he knocked on the door, he heard Sasuke's voice call throughout the house "I'll get it!" He smirked the moment the aperture swung open and the tiny five-year-old attacked him with hugs. He snickered, hugged him back, and asked him where his mother and father were.
"Kaa-San's in the kitchen," he grinned.
"Arigatou," he thanked him.
Sasuke shot his arms up and grasped the air, asking for his cousin to hold him. Obito snickered and granted the little Uchiha's wish. He beamed as they walked into the house, closed the door, and met up with Mikoto. She was in the kitchen, just as Sasuke had informed. Obito smiled sheepishly (he seemed to be doing that a lot lately) at his aunt and asked her if she and Fugaku were doing anything the following night.
"I doubt we are," Mikoto answered. "Why, Obito-Kun?"
"Well, I'm inviting my girlfriend over to meet the family," he lightly blushed, "and I wanted to see if you and Fugaku could come."
"I'd love to!" Mikoto beamed. "And I'll get Fugaku to come along."
He was about to tell her that he'd be happy to go and find him for himself, but Mikoto stated she wouldn't have him do that. She'd drag him to the dinner if she had to. Obito thanked her, settled Sasuke down, told them goodbye, and went off to find Anko. Of course, he found her at the training grounds.
"Hi Anko-Chan," Obito greeted her.
"Moshi-Moshi, Obito-Kun," she replied happily. "What's up?"
"Do you still want to meet my family?" he asked.
"Hai!" Anko stated with no hesitation.
"Good," he smirked. "Are you free tomorrow?"
"I'll be there if that's what you're implying," she answered.
"It is," he snickered, "but I'll come pick you up. There are too many twists and turns around the lot."
"Alright," she smiled. "Arigatou, Obito-Kun."
"No problem, Anko-Chan."
-\[=]/-
The following night, Obito picked Anko up at her apartment and took her to the Uchiha Compound. The moment the duo passed through the gate, they were greeted by about twenty, little Uchiha children. Sasuke, with his little five-year-old frame, leapt to the front of the group. The crowd of kids roared Obito's name, adding the suffixes "kun" and "nii-chan" like mad men. Anko was startled for a second, but soon giggled and picked up Sasuke. Itachi came up to them with one of the younger cousins in his arms.
"Moshi-Moshi, Anko-San," he greeted her with a sweet smile. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's nice to see you, too, Itachi-Chan," she smiled before turning to Sasuke, "and you, also, Sasuke-Chan."
Sasuke giggled the way little children do before he jumped onto the ground again. After introducing every last child to Anko, Obito told them that he was going to take her to meet everyone else. They reluctantly agreed to go back to playing while Obito showed his girlfriend where his home was located.
"They're all so sweet," she giggled. "And you're the oldest out of them all?"
"Yep," Obito smirked, "then Itachi, and then it kind of drags on after that."
"Wow," Anko replied with wide eyes. She paused before asking another question. "Why are you and Itachi and Sasuke so much closer than the others?"
"Sasuke and Itachi's dad is my uncle. Their dad and I aren't so close, but he and my dad were pretty close for a few years after Itachi was born." Obito shoved his memory aside for a moment to continue his explanation. "So he asked my dad if he could watch him. Once Sasuke was born, my dad got a little old to be watching them. My uncle considered finding someone else to watch them while he was out, but Itachi persuaded him to let me watch them."
"That's so sweet," she smiled softly. "So, is it that uncle that I'm meeting?"
"Hai," he sighed. "His name is Fugaku, and I have to warn you, he's very rude and stubborn. Something happened between him and my dad when I was younger, so he doesn't think too highly of my family anymore."
"Oh," her eyes widened. "Is that why you waited so long to invite me?"
"Yeah," he chuckled nervously. "His wife, Mikoto, is sweet, though. She's very nice!"
"That's good," Anko smiled.
Once they located his home, they took their sandals off, entered the house, and were met be silence. Obito inspected all the rooms, came back to Anko, and shook his head.
"I guess they aren't home yet," he explained. "You can look around if you want."
"Sure," she smiled.
They made their way into the living room, which held a large bookshelf, several pictures, a couch, and the family portrait. Anko lingered once she spotted the latter. She leaned in closer, spotting a smaller Obito in the frame. She giggled at his expression and stance, which made him blush a bit. Her attention turned straight toward the figures behind him.
"Are these your parents?" Anko inquired.
"Yeah," he nodded, pointing them out as he said their names. "That's my mom, Mune, and that's my dad, Atama."
"They look so nice," she complimented. "Your dad looks a little like Itachi."
"Yeah, but no wrinkles between his eyes and nose," he chuckled. "Wait until you see my uncle."
"Do they really look that much alike?"
"Pretty much," he shrugged. "Except dad looks like he got a buzz cut on the back of his head"—he grazed his hand through his hair momentarily—"and his bangs are just like mine."
"Well, he looks very handsome," she smiled. "And your mom's very pretty!"
"Thanks," he replied as the tips of his ears turned a shade of pink.
After he showed her the rest of their home, they seated themselves at the dinner table. Obito sat where usually did, whereas Anko sat on the right of him. As she sat there, she pondered over what she knew about Obito's family. Fugaku was stubborn and rude, she knew, and Obito saying that his uncle and father weren't as close anymore (not to mention his own relationship with Fugaku) stirred up some more questions. She knew about the age gap already, and she thought that may have had something to do with it, but there had to be something more.
"What are you thinking about?" he snapped her out of her thoughts.
"A-Ano, I was just wondering…" she trailed off before shaking her head and turning to him. "How rude of me would it be to ask you about what happened between your family and your uncle?"
"Not too rude," he sighed, smiling with a bit of sadness.
As he told her about what went on between him, Atama, and Fugaku, Anko's heart tore a bit. She ended up trapping him in a hug and apologizing over and over again. Fugaku basically told Atama and Obito that he didn't love them anymore. Obito grabbed her by the shoulders and lightly pulled her off, wiped a stray tear from her eye with the pad of his thumb, and chuckled softly.
"Anko-Chan, it's alright," he assured. "It's just that Fugaku is…himself. If he starts motoring his mouth off about me, don't pay any attention to him. My dad never liked it when I yelled at him, let alone anyone else. Fugaku may not like us anymore, but he's still my dad's brother, and he loves him whether he returns the feelings or not."
It took some more persuasion, but Anko finally came to the conclusion that it must have been for the best. A few moments later, Atama and Mune walked through the door. The moment Obito spotted his mother, he prepared himself. He leaned over to Anko's ear and whispered at her to prepare herself. She was about to ask what for, but she figured it out for herself. They stood up and made their way to his parents.
"This is Anko-Chan," Obito acquainted her with his parents, "and this is my father, Atama, and my mother, Mune."
"Ohhhhh!" Mune nearly squealed as she hugged Anko. "Anko-Chan, we hear so much about you! It's so nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you, too, ma'am," Anko replied with a bright smile.
"Konichiwa, Anko-San," Atama greeted her with a handshake, which she accepted. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too, sir."
For the first time in two days, Obito genuinely felt that all would go well with this dinner.
-\[=]/-
As Mune cooked supper, Atama took his sweet time to become acquainted with the Mitarashi girl. Anko even brought up her relationship with Orochimaru, including the fact that Obito took on becoming her sempai. Her boyfriend was embarrassed every time he was included in the conversation. In all honesty, he never really noticed how big of a role he played in her life.
About an hour passed and Fugaku and Mikoto came to the door. Obito let Anko and Atama continue talking by offering to answer it. Once the door was ajar, Mikoto hugged her nephew, greeted him kindly, and worked her way to the kitchen. Fugaku entered with one step, removed his shoes, and glared at his nephew.
"I pray this is worth our time, Obito," he nearly spat out as he shoved his way past his nephew in order to reach the kitchen.
Obito remained at the door for a moment, staring ahead with a grimace plastered over his complexion. He sighed deeply as he looked ahead, not paying any mind to the house across the way, but only playing the flashback over and over again in his mind. He gingerly closed the door and looked at the doorway that led to the kitchen before he even dared to move.
"Don't we both, Fugaku?" Obito muttered under his breath.
-\[=]/-
Mune finished cooking everybody's dinner and seated herself at the table with everyone else. Once dinner was served, Fugaku slid his hands out of his sleeves and ate his plate. Everybody ate, too, but they at least thanked Mune for her food. Fugaku did, however, nod her way, which she smiled at.
"So, Anko-San," Fugaku began the dinner conversation, "what is it you actually see in my nephew?"
"Fugaku-Kun," Mikoto scolded.
"It's a simple question, Mikoto-Chan," Fugaku replied a bit sternly.
"Well," Anko said, as she looked him square in the eye, "he's always been there for me. Even when we were kids, he was there for me. He's brave, too, and smart. He can be stubborn, but he gets over it quickly."
"Really," Fugaku sarcastically responded with a slight smirk.
"Easy, Fugaku-Nii," Atama warned as he took a sip of his tea. "Very nice tea, Mune-Chan."
"Arigatou," Mune thanked him with a smile.
There was an awkward silence that filled the air.
"You seem quite nice, Anko-Chan," Mikoto complimented as she ate a bit of her food. "I'm glad Obito-Kun found such a sweet girl."
"Arigatou, Mikoto-San," Anko replied with a bright smile.
"We all know he needs one," Fugaku butted in.
Anko was about to stand up to him, but Obito caught sight of it. He placed his hand over her knee as a warning. She caught what he was saying and lowered herself down to her previous position. However, she still gawked at Fugaku, almost daring him to say one more bad thing about Obito. He did, too. He just kept going. He listed off several reasons why his nephew was a "good-for-nothing low-life that needed serious help in the head." Atama had had it with his brother. However, before he could chew him out, Anko got her fill.
"There isn't a single thing wrong with Obito."
She was quiet as she said it, but she had a very threatening way of saying it.
"All he's ever been is a good person," she continued. "He saved Kakashi Hatake's life for goodness' sake! The least you can do is respect him. All he ever does is work hard and help others. I think he deserves some respect, don't you agree?"
She finished her sentence off with a smile. It wasn't intimidating in the slightest, but her speech made it intimidating enough. Everyone was silent. Obito was awestruck, really. No one but his father had stuck up for him before. His gaze kept switching between Anko and Fugaku, wondering what would happen. Atama did the same. Mikoto and Mune just stared at Fugaku, awaiting a response. Fugaku wore his usual frown, but his eyes were closed and his arms were crossed. After a few seconds, he cracked a smirk and looked up.
"Well, Obito," he snickered, "it looks like I approve."
"What?" Obito inquired. "What did you say Fugaku?"
"I approve of her," he said just before adding, "and of you."
Obito's mouth was agape. Really? Really? He pinched his knee, to which his eye squinted. No, he wasn't dreaming. It was a reality. Had Anko finally made it to where Fugaku respected him?
"Not that I don't appreciate it, but..." he paused, "why? Why do you approve of me all of a sudden?"
"To be perfectly honest," Fugaku began, "it isn't 'all of a sudden.'"
That caught everyone's attention. Fugaku went on to explain his meaning. He stated that after Itachi was born, he noticed that Obito would volunteer to help at any moment. He wouldn't leave him alone about watching Itachi. Fugaku had always resented Obito for being born and taking his brother away from him. Even after Itachi was born, he still despised Obito. However, once Itachi was old enough to walk and talk, he requested going to see Obito.
Fugaku didn't like the idea, but he noticed that Itachi learned more and more from Obito each day. He learned more about being a ninja than others in his grade. Fugaku began to like Obito only a bit. It wasn't until Sasuke took a liking to Obito that he finally learned to tolerate him. Though, once he heard that Obito had finally gotten a girlfriend, he started doubting again. He figured that Obito having a love interest would only distract him from becoming a true shinobi. Now that he had heard Anko tell him that all Obito ever did was work hard, he had gained an approval of his nephew.
That was when Fugaku was officially "Fugaku-Oji-San" again.
-\[=]/-
After Obito, Atama, and Fugaku had made amends and everyone had left, Obito walked Anko back to her apartment. Once they made it there, Anko couldn't help but finally laugh. He smirked and asked her what was so funny.
"It's just the fact that," Anko smiled, "you're a bit like your uncle, you know that?"
"Am I really?" he blinked.
"Mhm," she nodded. "I feel like Itachi inherited some of your dad, and you inherited some of his dad."
"I'm still getting used to actually liking my uncle," he snickered, "don't push it."
-\[=]/-
I feel like I can never make a good ending. O.O
Well, I hope you enjoyed this. This story has been stuck in my head for a while and I FINALLY got it out! XD
*1: I feel like Itachi may have inherited the whole forehead-poking thing from Obito, you know? And I couldn't do the same thing for Sasuke, so I let Obito squeeze his nose. XD I thought it may be cute. 83
*2: It was VERY hard for me to come up with some names for Obito's parents. I remembered a few years ago, I looked for what "Obito" meant in Japanese, and somewhere, I found that it meant "neck," so I stuck with that idea. And the neck is the in-between of the head (atama) and the chest (mune), so I went with that. 8)
Please review! I'll try to write more ObiAnko fics! ;D