Memories

By Treesquirrel15

Word count: 881

Disclamer: Poor college student here; one who does not have the ownership of Naruto. pouts 'Cause if I did Kakashi would totally own the show, and Sasuke would have been killed by Rock Lee right-off-the-bat. Yup. XD

Summery: A lonely hero visits the memorial stone to speak to his deceased friend. He comes to admit things he never could when the other was alive, and reminisce over lost chances. Kakashi Gaiden spoilerish.

Hello,

It's me again. Just stopping by to pay my respects to my precious people.

I miss all of you, you know? Sensei, Rin, my family… But most of all, I miss you.

Crazy, huh?

We never admitted it to each other, when you lived, but deep down, I have come to realize that we where each other's best friends. Both of us were outcasts dealing with our loneliness in our own ways; one a ridiculed and ignored member of a huge protégé clan, the other an orphaned and used protégé of a disgraced hero.

I would never admit it, not even to myself, but I envied you. Deep down I thought that you had everything going for you, and you didn't even realize it. I hated you for that, for your ignorance. In my darkest moments, I even wished you dead.

How I wish now that I could take all of those dark dreams back.

Because you did die.

You left me.

But you didn't really fully leave me, did you?

Because with your death I gained this gift.

This Shariengan Eye.

This curse.

How am I supposed to use it? To accept it? Is not the purpose of a ninja to protect those precious to him? My most precious person, my best friend, is dead. Who am I supposed to protect now? How can this Shariengan Eye of mine serve any use, when the one who needed its protection the most is gone?

Why did the fulfilling of this promise have to come at the price of your life?

Despite everything that others say I have gained; the legend of the Copy-Nin, the respect of the village, the renown as one of the world's best ninjas… if given the chance I would go back in time and trade it all, if only you where to live.

Funny, because when I was younger and foolish, fame and respect where the only things I cared about.

Tch, how stupid I was then.

You where always better than me. I never admitted it, even to myself (I didn't dare). But in my heart I knew it was true. You had the potential to become the greatest of all of us; this fame should be yours – deserves to be yours. You had so much to learn, true, but given the opportunity….

Yet I am the one cursed to stand here every day at this memorial stone; I am the one who is forced to remember you, forced to live on without you. My fingers tracing your name (a pattern so well known that I do it with out thinking) I burn to share with you all that has happened to me since I saw you last. Share with you properly, face to face.

I want to show you my team. Do you know that I have sensei's legacy under my care? He will be a truly surpassing ninja one day, even despite the mistakes I have made in his past, and still am making now in regards to him.

I have made so many blunders with Naruto. I let him grow up alone, destroying my soul in the ANBU when I should have been taking care of him. Even now I see the disappointment in his eyes when I favor Sasuke over him. I know that it is wrong of me to favor Sasuke so, but I have an excuse; after all, who else is there now in the Hidden Leaf who can teach the 'Uchiha Brat' the Shariengan? I tell that to myself every day; hiding from the truth. The truth that I ignore Naruto because reminds me so much of a past long gone. One that I can never enjoy again.

Those two remind endlessly of you and me when we were younger, you know? Just give Sasuke a mask and Naruto goggles and the illusion would be perfect. Even Sakura is so like Rin in many ways…

I hope you don't mind that I no longer keep the goggles on my bedside table now; I haven't much use for them anymore.

I guess in the end, you died happy, right? A hero, like you always strove in your own way to be.

Your family name is honored, even if you clan is now effectively dead. A Bittersweet ending to your blossoming legend.

Somehow, I don't think that that is then end that you would have wanted.

But there is nothing to be done now, is there?

Hmm…

I suppose I really must go and meet the brats. I'm already 2 hours late; they're likely to be flaming mad by now. Heh.

Say hi to the others for me, will you? I know that sensei is happy with you, Rin too. Tell them that next time I'll try and remember to bring some flowers for Rin, and maybe some Ramen for sensei too.

I have to go now, I'm far late enough as it is.

I'll be by again tomorrow morning, same time as usual.

Mind already beginning to go over what excuse he would give his students today, Uchiha Obito turned from the Memorial Stone, his fingers ghosting one last time over the name of his best friend, carved in the stone's obsidian depths.

Hatake Kakashi, I miss you so.

A/N: For those of you who are confused, this is an AU (I didn't say so at first cause that would be, like, cheating).

Rather than simply loosing his eye when he saved Obito, the kunai carved a bit deeper, and Kakashi was killed. In grief, Obito activated his Sharingan for the first time, and, unable to save Kakashi, went to rescue Rin. Obito himself lived because, in canon, he died when he saved Kakashi from the rock fall (it can be assumed that he might have lived had he not pushed Kakashi out of the way).

As for why Obito wasn't killed later by Itachi?? Umm… He was away on a mission? (well, I at least wonder why at least some of the Uchiha weren't away when Itachi went all 'Terminator' on the clan's collective asses, don't you?) rolls eyes

Off to watch Bleach! Tata! (and yes, I should be working on 'Shift', but I'm not, 'cause my Star War's muses have taken a looong holiday, and didn't leave a forwarding address, so sue me. XP)