To The Ends Of The Earth.
In which Kakashi fixes a shattered memory. AU, just my messing around with further 'what if' plots, this one dealing with the possibility of Obito surviving Kannabi bridge. KakashixObito twoshot.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything -.-'
WARNINGS: Perhaps extremely pointless? The plotline jumps around a little bit, for which I am sorry.
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
'Sometimes, I find myself wondering what it would be like if it were me who died there instead of you. And every time I catch myself thinking these things, I realize- I wish it were true.'
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
"There was only ever one person I really wanted to love me...you..." His voice is weak. His eye is full of unshed tears. We only have a few more moments together, and this is the first time I wish for a role reversal. He had people waiting for him at home, an entire family, people who were counting on him to make it back home. But he wasn't, not now or ever. Because of me. I didn't have anyone back in Konoha who was waiting on me to complete my mission and get my ass back. So why wasn't it me there, bloody and broken and dying? Why couldn't I just turn the clock back, if even just for an hour? If I could do that, I could make things right. They wouldn't be like this.
"I love you, Obito. Koi. Please, believe me...if, if I could fix things...I'd do it. I would do it in a heartbeat," I whisper. He chokes back a sob at my words. His hand twitches, raises up until he's cradling my cheek. My eyes flutter closed. A steady stream of tears wet my fabric mask. "I'll never forget you."
"Kakashi," Rin whispers, the sound of crying in her voice, "I'm sorry. But we have to go."
I can't look away. And I don't, even after I'm ripped away from him. Even as I'm screaming at Rin and Minato-sensei to just leave me be, to just let me die there with him because there was no way in any hell, anywhere, that I would leave his side. I can't see easily through the tears, my vision fading around the edges, but I keep that crying, pleading eye locked in mine. I wrestle, fight, kick, hit, scratch, bite, everything I could. But they're too strong for me to win against, not with how weak I was. Chakra exhaustion mixed with rapidly fading adrenaline, the searing agony on the left side of my face and heartbreak made control over my limbs near-impossible. That is the sole reason they ever managed to wrench me away from the love of my life.
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
They told me I would move on after a while. And they were wrong.
Obito wouldn't want you to suffer, they said. They were right in that aspect; he wouldn't, if that were even within the realm of possibility. It wasn't, not even remotely possible. And even if I could put an end to it, why would I? I brought this down upon myself. I deserved it, the heartbreak and self-hatred. It was ny fault, after all. The ends justify the means, or something like that. And I stopped wondering what mine would be long ago.
After a few years, Minato-sensei died during Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. Rin followed not long after, no more than a year. After that I was a loner, for the most part. When I got Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura assigned to me I unwillingly opened up quite a bit more. But then Sasuke ran off to Orochimaru, Sakura became Tsunade's student and Naruto Jiraiya's. I went back into my self-imposed isolation, being painfully secluded and being out on missions near-constantly, working myself to the bone.
Every one of my moments that wasn't being used for sleeping or training or missions I spent with him, sitting at the monument. I would eat there. I'd bring him flowers all the time. Talk to him, tell him about how my life was going, how much I loved and missed him and wished I were with him. And how much better I think everything would be if I died instead of him.
Eventually, Naruto became the Rokudaime Hokage. His initiation ceremony wasn't easy to sit through but I kept my mouth shut and dealt with it. Naruto was named Hokage, and Sasuke, having returned to Konoha during Pein's attack, received the position of Captain of ANBU. Half way through the party I ducked out and began to make my way to the monument. Tomorrow was the anniversary of Obito's death, and I felt the pull to be with him even more than I normally did.
The night is quiet, most gone at the party to commemorate Naruto's new position as Hokage. The monument is cool beneath my fingers, moonlight falling over it. The air was warm, typical for this time of year. "Well," I begin, "Tonight Naruto officially became Hokage, and little Sasuke became Captain of the ANBU. You would be so proud of him. I remember telling you all about him when he was a baby. The rosy little cheeks, and the softest hair. I got to hold him once, before Minato-sensei... You would have thought he was adorable. I think it's the way he cried. Kinda endearing, you know? Yeah. And now he's grown so much. He and Naruto are together. I knew they would be, even before Sasuke got real rebellious and ran off with Orochimaru. It's still a little hard to believe he ever did that, but..."
My voice fades out. I feel a sob building up, making my chest swell and my throat close up. "I...it just...it gets harder everyday. Going on without you...I don't know how much longer I can do it..." The first sob came wrenching out of my throat, bubbling up until I couldn't keep it in. I thought there would be a pause between the first and second sobs, but there isn't. Not between the first or second or third or any of them. I can't hold any of them back, not that I really wanted to. I just wanted my Obito-koi back.
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
He thought I didn't love him.
He was under the impression I didn't care the entire time, that I went on through the years after his death unbroken. He was wrong.
In the moments he was being unmasked, dropping little hints here and there, I had the creeping sensation my heart was about to be walked upon. When he said he earned the Sharingan at Kannabi Bridge, where Obito got his, the blood in my veins began to freeze. And when that mask finally fell away and he said he hated me for being okay after he died, I got tunnel vision. It was just the two of us and all my pent up emotion being realized and released.
"You never loved me," he accused, "because if you did you wouldn't have left me there."
Outrage. Shock. Overwhelming heartbreak. "You...you...think I didn't...love you? You think I still don't?"
My rate of talking increases. "You honestly believe I am not in love with you? Even with how Rin and Minato had to drag me away, kicking and screaming and pleading and cursing and crying and begging to be in your place so you could keep fucking living? With how I prayed to Kami that every mission I went out on would be my last, so I could finally end my pitiful existence and be with you already? That when I finally fucking did die I was so overjoyed because I was under the impression I wouldn't have to go on another day without you and how damn disappointed I was when I woke up? Every single waking moment that I wasn't training or on a mission I spent at the monument, talking to you about everything that happened to me and telling you how much I missed you and loved you. So you think that I DON'T FUCKING LOVE YOU?" My voice is shaking, resonating through the clearing. Obito has a strange look on his face, like he's confused.
I spent all these years being heartbroken for him to pop up and act indignant, like I had no right to be upset like I was and he had every obligation in the world to do all of this because he was under the impression I didn't love him and that nobody missed him.
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
I don't know exactly how, but I find my way back to my apartment. My head is pounding from the never-ending stream of tears, only getting heavier as they progressed. Once I cross the threshold into my apartment I pull my mask down. The combination of endless tears and the constricting fabric made it hard to breathe. The second my apartment door is shut behind me I collapse against the wall into a weak, sobbing mass. That's why it took me a few seconds to realize that someone was in my living room.
No more than about five seconds after this realization have I jumped up and appeared instantly in my living room, mask up and Sharingan exposed. My gaze narrows upon seeing the imp-ish little man standing at the window, looking out at the village. Wordlessly, he turns to me, smiling.
"Welcome, Kakashi-san," he states, straightening up. His arms fall to his sides and I analyze him in his entirety. He had a massive amount chakra, so much so that he was up there on the same level as Kisame. His lithe, petite form did not belie his apparent ability, though. He didn't seem tense or hostile in the slightest. He was a few inches shorter than me, with silk-like white hair and eyes the color of molten lava. He was aesthetically pleasing and emanated a certain charisma. Still, he was an extremely powerful ninja in my apartment.
"Who are you?" I ask evenly. He could overpower me quickly if I wasn't careful. He smiles.
"You've been wishing for a while that things would change, yes? Well, with my help you can do just that," he tells me. He seemed sincere in his words, however cryptic they might have been.
"Doesn't answer my question," I reply stubbornly. He offers another maddening smile.
"Someone who is interested in fixing your fragmented timeline," he informs me. "By sending you in the past to fix it, of course."
I can't help but have my eyes widen at his words. "And how would you do that?"
"Through a very complicated and little-known space-time ninjutsu. Listen, we don't have much time, this requiring specific timing. So, you know, brace yourself. You don't have much of a choice," he continues, stepping forward and directly to me. His hand reaches out and brushes my hair, smoothing it down. I am too shocked to react. Was this seriously happening? How cruel could the world be?
"Just follow the rules and you'll be fine," he continues. "The rules being to avoid exposing your identity, origin or anything about the future or your time. You'll be dressed in identity concealing clothing when you arrive. Oh, and wait for the perfect moment, will you? Got it? Good." He doesn't wait for an answer and I don't give him one. I'm too busy being shocked into silence and disbelief. There was no way this was happening.
But something strange is. He forms a few rapid handsigns, ones I've never seen before, and I feel a strange pulling starting at my belly button and expanding outwards. My stomach flips at the sensation and I feel nauseous, my vision fading to black. I hear nothing else but the sound of my heart thudding.
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
'I...am lost without you.'
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
I thought I had just had way too much to drink at Naruto's inauguration party, or maybe that I finally lost it. That everything that happened beyond me arriving in my house was either an alcoholic drink or a hallucination.
I was very, very wrong.
I am no more than a mile from my past, dressed in a heavy black cloak with an enormous hood, nondescript black fatigues and a strange hitae-ate like piece of cloth, minus the metal piece. If one were to see beneath the hood all they would see is an onyx eye.
I set off towards the meeting point. It seemed like Obito was just now being left behind. I reach the scene as I am being drug away by Minato-sensei and Rin. Obito's eyes are closed and he seems resigned.
I have to wait until the perfect moment. That's what that strange man said, right? Assuming this isn't one big dream/hallucination. The rocks begin to fall, caving in on Obito. Right now seemed as good a time as any, I figured, so my muscles coil beneath me as I gather them to jump. I do, sailing through the air to land next to Obito. His eye flies open and he stares up at me in wonder. I grab his body, cradling him to my chest like he was a child. He was, after all. I gather my muscles beneath myself again and jump forward, ignoring the sting of pain as rocks hit my back. I shielded his body, doing my best to make sure no more damage was dealt. I clear the rocks and land on the forest's tree line, using my momentum to keep sailing forward into the trees, searching for a clearing where I could hopefully heal him enough to make him live to Konoha. I needed to get away from the collapsing bridge first, though, because the rest of our (his? My? I wasn't sure) would be coming back to search for Obito's body. They wouldn't find him.
I look down at him. He is unconscious, head to the side. His eye was covered by a simple white patch, one stained through with his blood. I look back up. It wouldn't help to slack off now.
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
The clearing I find is far off the beaten path, therefore perfect for my purposes. I lay Obito out and reach for his side pouch, removing it from his hip and digging through it in search of medical supplies. I find a basic kit, containing a roll of gauze, medical tape and some antiseptic. I needed some pain killers too, so I reach back to my hip pouch where I always kept some. Only to realize that I wasn't wearing the same clothes and probably didn't have the same equipment on. Even so, I take the hip pouch resting in its normal position and remove it, looking through to see what I had to work with. Two gauze rolls and a half full bottle of lukewarm water. How helpful.
But right now I need to work with what I had. I brush Obito's hair out of his face and pull the gauze pad off of his injured eye, wincing immediately afterwards at seeing what was left of his eye. A peculiar pang of guilt surges through me, knowing that it was with me. I unscrew the cap on the bottle and wad up a stretch of gauze, cutting it off with a kunai. I wet the gauze and dab away at the bloody mess that was his eye socket. This needed serious healing, something I was not sure I myself could do. Maybe with the Sharingan? I first needed to get all of this blood from his skin. I keep dabbing and rinsing his wound with water until I ran out of water and his face was somewhat clear of blood. Then I pull my hitae-ate up to expose my Sharingan eye. I close the other one tightly and press my hand to Obito's face. This was the first time I'd done something like this and I had no reason to believe it would work. But it was the only chance I had.
I activate the Sharingan and let healing chakra flood through my palms. I carefully watch the chakra pathways in his eye socket, using my own chakra to reconstruct them to the best of my ability. My chakra is draining rapidly. Already I can feel the beginnings of a headache in my skull, the pulsing sound of my heartbeat becoming distinct. Obito's chakra fluctuates in a miniscule way, letting me know he was coming back to consciousness. I slow the process I was struggling to complete. I wouldn't be able to do any more reconstruction right now. I form another gauze pad and fasten it over his injured eye with some of the tape. Then, withdrawing carefully, I readjust my hitae-ate.
My head is pounding, blood rushing noisily through my veins. I wrinkle my eyes shut and try to relax. The sun was beating down upon my back, the black fabric melding to my skin with sweat. This cloak was terribly hot and therefore highly uncomfortable. Obito's fingers twitch and I deny the urge to press my hand into his. He stirs with effort, face scrunching up with pain.
"I have no pain killers," I murmur, "so you'll have to deal with it right now." His working eye flutters open in surprise. Then it closes again.
"Am I dead?" He asks.
"No," I say, shaking my head though I knew he couldn't see. "Almost were." My voice is soft. Trying to ease his obvious pain. He swallows heavily and mumbles something about his eye. Then he slips under again.
After packing everything up I gather Obito in my arms and begin traveling to Konoha. The day was getting late and I was drained of energy. But I had to get away from the bridge, as far away as possible. My headache doesn't lessen and Obito doesn't wake up. After three hours of running through the trees I come across a miniature clearing and decide to stop. A creek was within hearing distance so after dropping Obito off and surveying the immediate area for any threat I take the water bottle and head out. I fill it up and go straight back to him, afraid and paranoid of leaving him defenseless and alone for too long.
When I return he's lucid, drifting in and out of being aware. I prop him up and hold the bottle to his lips, titling it so the water flowed. He drinks it automatically, some of it bubbling over his lips and down his shirt. After he begins to fade into unconsciousness again I remove the bottle and lay him back down against the tree. I take several gulps of the water myself before settling back next to him. I was drained of chakra, hungry, and the intense heat and humidity was beginning to get to me. It wouldn't be so bad to rest for a few moments before setting up camp, right? Right...
~ENDS OF THE EARTH~
And end of part one. I've been writing this forever so no telling when the next part will be out. By the end of the summer at most. Please review, yeah?