Falling For You Chapter 2: Tobi's Secret, a naruto fanfic

Thank you to black55widow and Chibi-Roy-Chan for reviewing the first chapter!

Not quite an M rating, but it's getting there.

Also, frequent use of the word "pancake" near the end of the chapter. (I like that word :D)

I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. -pouts-

I wasn't sure how Kakuzu had come up with the money to furnish a cave and run electricity through it, but he'd done an especially good job with the showers. The one I shared with Deidara was big enough for both of us, though I preferred to keep my body a secret and he preferred to keep his distance from me. I didn't mind sharing the space with my sempai, except for times like these where both our bodies ached from chakra depletion. My sore muscles begged to be soothed under warm water. Unfortunately for me, so did his.

"Tobi, you can wait, un. You take too long, anyways." He grabbed a towel and disappeared into the bathroom. I took off my cloak and flung it into the corner, falling face-first onto my bed. Then I remembered my promise to Deidara that I would show him my face. Would he kill me if I jumped in the shower with him for a few minutes? Yeah, but I didn't care. I got up and found a clean towel, then crept into the bathroom after successfully picking the lock on the doorknob. The room was filled with a hot steam. I removed my mask and looked at my face in the foggy mirror, seeing what was left of me after all these years. There wasn't much to look at. I looked away and stripped, tossed my clothes into our collection of dirty laundry in the corner, then snuck into the shower behind sempai. He didn't notice I was there as he rinsed shampoo from his hair. I silently reminded myself that he'd punish me if he caught me checking him out, so I faced the wall and tapped his shoulder.

"Tobi, you-" He turned around and stopped mid-sentence.

"Please don't yell," I whimpered. The look on his face was of shock. He reached up and traced the scar down the right side of my face. Even though it continued all the way down past my hip, he stopped at my chest.

"What happened to you, un?" I looked away, staring at the wall. I didn't exactly know what happened to me, other than what Zetsu-san told me when he first took me in as his apprentice.

"Not sure." How did he not know what happened? I looked at his left eye, or what was left of it, anyways. There was a white chunk of gauze covering the eye socket with a few strips of medical tape. "It was gone when Zetsu-san found me. I was never able to find an Uchiha eye to replace it."

"Tobi, un, you're so pale that I can see most of your veins." I traded places with him, letting him get under the showerhead to enjoy the warm flow of water. The spiky texture of his hair was reduced to dripping black strands that hung in his face.

"I know, but Zetsu-san says I can't show any of my skin in public." If I hadn't known his hair and voice, I'd think it wasn't really Tobi. I looked down at my own scarred and stitched-together arms. Even though I was self-conscious about them, I could only imagine how he felt with scars all over his body. I couldn't even understand how he could have such a cheerful disposition all the time.

"But why are you all scarred up like that, un?" He frowned, obviously struggling to remember why he looked like this.

"I was crushed by a boulder during a mission, I think. I don't remember anything from before then, but Zetsu-san told me that some of my internal organs had to be replaced." How could he survive being crushed, especially as a kid? I shook my head and sighed.

"I think you look better without the mask." I gave him a halfhearted grin. He just stared at the white tiles beneath our feet.

"Sempai, aren't you supposed to hurt me for sneaking up on you?" My grin disappeared as I looked up at him.

"No, you don't need any more bruises. I'm getting out, so hurry up, un." Was I really so abusive that he expected me to hit him all the time?

"Okay..." He sounded slightly disappointed, but it made me nervous to be so close to him and naked at the same time. I stepped out of the shower and wrung the water out of my hair... I was afraid to get close to Tobi. What if he died and left me alone, just like Danna did? I wouldn't be able to take another loss like that. I was already considering myself lucky to be alive... that Konoha brat and that old lady had so easily defeated Sasori. "Art is everlasting, like myself. Your explosions are not art," he'd say. I grabbed my towel and left the bathroom, pushing Danna out of my mind.

As soon as Deidara closed the door, I finally relaxed. I was really tense during the time that he studied my torso. He probably noticed every stitch and every scratch. Zetsu-san usually did the same thing every time he'd peek through the wall when I was showering. "Tobi's got a new scar," he'd say, while his bad side contemplated how I might taste. I'd have to explain to him that I unintentionally pissed Hidan off or I'd accidentally walked in on Itachi when he wanted to be alone.

"I'll just ask Zetsu-san to not mention my scars anymore, he won't mind... hopefully his mean side doesn't try to eat me." I continued talking to myself, trying to boost my ego for the few short minutes I spent in the shower by myself. When I was finished scrubbing myself clean, I turned off the water and toweled myself dry. I neglected to bring a clean outfit in the bathroom with me and mentally kicked myself. Now I'd have to go into the bedroom and risk being seen. I frowned and peeked out the bathroom door. Deidara was dressed and, luckily for me, he hadn't gone to sleep just yet.

"Sempai?" He looked up at me from where he was refilling his clay pouches on the floor.

"Need something, un?" I nodded sheepishly and he stood up, setting his pouches aside. His face was a bit flushed and he looked a little paler than usual. Was he thinking about Sasori again?

"Clothes, please," I replied quickly. He began collecting my clothes for me.

"Why don't you just wear a pair of shorts and a shirt to bed, un?"

"I don't want anyone else to see my scars, sempai." I stared down at the floor, pretending to be interested in a small crack in the tiles.

Understanding why he didn't want people to see his scars was easy, but I didn't understand on why he insisted on hiding himself from everyone in the world, including his partner and his friends.

"You're an idiot, un." He looked up at me, then sighed and looked away. "Why don't you let anyone see you? Kisame won't make fun of you, he's got blue skin, un." It made him smile a little bit.

"I know, but you just can't tell anyone you've seen my body. It's our secret, okay?" Why was he so determined to keep himself a secret? I handed him a pile of clothes, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, Deidara-sempai." He disappeared behind the door and closed it, leaving me to stand there and wonder why we were both acting so strangely. I went back to storing my clay in the plastic bin on my side of the room, then I flopped onto my bed. I was staring at the ceiling until the bathroom door opened again and Tobi walked out. Why did I think he looked different? Unless I cared about him, I wouldn't ask myself these silly questions. I didn't care about him, he's just my partner in this stupid organization. I had to look out for him, right? Eventually, my curiosity got the best of me and I sat up.

"Tobi, un." He glanced over at me and I realized his mask wasn't on. How could I not have noticed that? It hung around his neck, resting on his back.

"Yes, sempai?" He yawned and laid back on his pillow.

"Your mask isn't on your face, un." I got up and paced around in a small circle, but ended up sitting on the edge of his bed. His lone eye stared at me, probably confused about why I got up just to sit by him.

"I know it's not on my face." I wondered why he was concerned, but decided I was too tired to ask.

"I thought you didn't want anyone to see you, un." He smiled at me with his bright blue eyes and my heart did one of those leap-jump things. I caught him staring at the scar on my right hand, so I hid my hand under my blanket.

"You said I look better without it... besides, you've already seen my face." I closed my eye, but Deidara didn't move. He just sighed heavily.

"I wasn't lying. That mask makes you look even more like an idiot than you really are, un." The weight on the bed shifted and I peeked through my half closed eyelid. He had gotten up and went back to his own bed, wiggling underneath his blankets.

"Thank you, sempai." I closed my eye again and pulled my blanket over my face. As I drifted off to sleep, a faint memory flashed through my mind. It was like the scene Zetsu-san described when he said he found me half dead, trapped under that huge boulder. A weirdly familiar boy and girl were there... probably my partners for my last mission as a ninja of Konoha. The boy reminded me of Kakashi, that sensei to the Kyuubi kid. I told him I wanted him to have my Sharingan, but my right eye was too close to being crushed with the rest of my body. The girl said she could only remove my left eye and the boy said, "Thank you, Obito." I told him to hurry and get Rin to safety. Why did I know that name? They escaped the rock slide and right before I blacked out, Zetsu's double-face hovered over me. "He's dying, let's eat him." "No, let's keep him... he looks like an Uchiha."

A whimper of pain followed by an antagonizing scream woke me up. I sat up instantly, my gaze landing on Tobi. He was jerking his head back and forth, mumbling incoherent sentences. One thing in particular caught my attention though; A pleading cry begging to be left alone because he wanted to die. I got up and crept over to his bed. I gently touched the side of his face and he slowly relaxed. I was about to wake him up when he started to talk again, this time repeating my name.

"Please, no... Deidara... no, sempai, don't hurt me... I'm sorry..." In the dim light, his face glistened with his tears. I started to shake his shoulder gently.

"Tobi, wake up. It's okay, un." He turned his head to the side. I pushed his hair away from his forehead where it stuck from a cold sweat. I couldn't see why I felt bad for him, he was just having a nightmare. Then I remembered the first night I spent with Tobi... the night Danna died. As much as I pushed him away, Tobi tried to comfort me when I hid under my blanket, sobbing. I'd thrown explosives, strangled him and did everything I could do to hurt him, yet he stayed there next to me for the entire night, offering me tissues.

"Tobi, un." He still wasn't waking up, so I pulled him into a sitting position. His eye opened slowly, trying to focus.

"Sempai?" he whispered. I nodded and he rubbed the sleep from his eye.

"Were you having a bad dream, un?" He curled underneath his blanket, shaking and shivering.

"Y-yeah. I h-had a dream about m-my past... something that h-happened when I w-was thirteen." He looked like he was freezing, so I crawled under the blanket with him to keep him warm.

The shaky feeling subsided when Deidara joined me under my blanket. Was he trying to keep me warm because he knew I'd do it for him?

"It's okay, Tobi. It was just a dream, un." He rubbed my arms and returned some heat to my body, making my shivers go away. I forced myself to calm down.

"But now I know who has my other eye, sempai." He paused for a brief moment to give me an inquisitive glance.

"What do you mean, un?" I sighed and pointed at the white piece of gauze that covered my empty left eye socket.

"Hatake Kakashi, that Jounin guy from Konohagakure. I think that he was my best friend when I was young... when I got stuck under that big rock during a mission, I gave him my Sharingan." Deidara seemed surprised, but his only reaction was a rather large yawn. I glanced over at the clock on the wall, which read 8:36 PM. We'd only been asleep for about 7 hours.

"I'm still tired." He pulled me closer, leaving his arm on my chest.

"You're sleeping on my bed? With me?" I blinked a few times, just to check if my vision was still clear. The image of him nuzzling into my chest didn't fade.

"Yeah, un." He closed his eyes and I closed mine, trying not to get too comfortable with him. He'd probably get up and go back to his own bed in the middle of the night. Maybe he'd even hit me and make something up about how I dragged him to bed with me.

I woke up in the morning to laughter and someone poking me in the arm. I blinked and there was Hidan, being an arrogant asshole as usual. He had a huge grin on his face. I just yawned and tried to push him away.

"Hey, Itachi! Come in here and look, Deidara's sleeping with Tobi!" I kicked him and looked over at Tobi. His face was covered by the blanket, but I pulled his mask out from under him and secured it on his face, just to be careful. He'd never forgive me if I let them see his face.

"Shut up, Hidan. Tobi was having nightmares and I couldn't get him to stop whining, so I laid down with him and must've fallen asleep." He snickered and raised an eyebrow, pulling the blanket away and tossing it onto my bed.

"Yeah, that's why you look so cozy next to him, right?" I got up and pushed him away from the bed. If he woke Tobi up, I'd be pissed. Zetsu came in and glared at Hidan while Konan stood in the doorway.

"Hidan, Leader-sama orders you to stop instigating with Deidara and Tobi," Konan sighed. We all knew she was very easily annoyed, but Hidan just grinned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What's he gonna do, kill me?" He laughed at his own pathetic joke, but Zetsu stepped closer, eyeing him hungrily.

"No, but we can eat you." I imagined Hidan being torn to pieces by a carnivorous plant and snorted. "No, we can't eat him, other members are off-limits. We could have a little piece of him, though." Hidan shrugged and sauntered out of the room. Konan disappeared in the opposite direction down the hallway, probably to inform Pein-sama that his orders have been heeded.

"Thank you, Zetsu-san. I hope Tobi's still asleep." He nodded curtly and glanced over at the lump under the blanket.

"I still think he'd taste good, can't we just nibble on him?" "No, no, we can't. You're welcome, Deidara-kun." He left the room and I closed the door behind him, wondering why his bad side insisted that Tobi probably tasted good.

I had been awake ever since Hidan came into the room, even though I didn't let Deidara know. I smiled to myself, happy that he covered my face in time... Hidan would've seen me if he hadn't. He looked over at me from where he stood by the door.

"Tobi, are you awake, un?" I sat up and pushed my mask to the side.

"Yes, sempai. Thank you for putting my mask on so no one would see me." His expression on turned to the same terrifying smile he got on his face whenever he blew something up. He clenched his fists and stormed over to my bed.

"I didn't do it for you, idiot! I don't care about you, un. Do you understand?" I nodded, cowering back under my blanket. A few seconds passed and his hands were on my shoulders.

"If you start crying or something, I'll kick your ass, un." I peeked out from under the blanket and he was right there, sitting in front of me on my bed. I wanted to ask why he was acting so moody, but maybe he was just angry because Hidan woke him up and made fun of him.

"Deidara-sempai, are you going back to sleep?" He shook his head.

"No, I can't sleep now. I'm hungry, un." I got up and yawned, stretching my arms and legs.

"Should I make you something?" He let go of me, nodding.

"That'd be nice, yeah." I unlocked the door and straightened my mask back on before I crept out into the hallway. For a moment, I wondered why our rooms were finished and the hallways were just holes in the cave, but Kakuzu wouldn't waste money on anything that he didn't have to buy.

It felt horrible to be mean to Tobi when he was so nice to me, but I couldn't let him know that I really did care about him. It had taken me so long just to figure it out that I wasn't sure I deserved his affection. He started following me around, even before he joined Akatsuki, asking me if I needed anything. I closed the door and began digging through my clothes. Which ones were clean? I knew I should've given the idiot my laundry. He'd do anything I told him to do, but I'd have to remember to tell him to do it. I rolled my eyes with an exasperated sigh. As soon as I found an outfit that appeared to be clean, I got dressed and headed for the kitchen. The smell of pancakes wafted down the entire hallway, drawing Kisame and Itachi out of their room. I ignored them and went into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and watching Tobi flip pancakes.

"Almost done, sempai." He looked over at me for a second, then turned back to the frying pan in front of him.

"Kami, Tobi, those smell delicious. Are you making some for all of us?" Kisame asked, sitting down with Itachi. I avoided looking at the younger Uchiha... stupid genjutsu freak.

"Yes, I'll make some for everyone." I knew Tobi was smiling, even though I couldn't see his face. He was happy as long as he could please everyone else. It made me wonder if he thought it made me happy to hurt him. Zetsu wandered into the kitchen, but wrinkled his nose. Since he was strictly a cannibal, he'd go out and hunt down some rogue ninja for breakfast.

"Leader-sama requires his seat at the table, Itachi." Konan floated into the room and seated herself. I still wasn't used to seeing the woman turn herself into paper, but it was her art and I respected it as such. Itachi got up and sat on the other side of Kisame with his usual irritated expression.

As much as I tried to finish the pancakes quickly without burning them, Deidara still chided me for taking too long and making him wait. Eventually, everyone was in the kitchen, yelling at me to hurry up.

"Come on, un. We're all hungry." Deidara poked me incessantly after I was forced to surrender the first batch of pancakes to Pein-sama, who threatened the lives of those who dared to reach for his plate.

"I'm going as fast as I can, sempai! Maybe someone should invest in a pancake maker!" He growled at me and I flipped the pancakes so they would brown evenly.

"A pancake maker wouldn't be able to make them like you do." Hidan crossed his arms and leaned against the empty door frame, staring at me. I grunted and flipped the three pancakes onto a plate. Since Deidara was closest, he managed to claim them before anyone else.

"I agree with Hidan. A pancake maker would be a waste of money, even though you can only make a few at a time," Kakuzu groaned. His obsession with money was almost annoying, and I didn't even have to put up with it as much as Hidan did. The two were partnered together due to Hidan's immortality. Apparently, every other partner of Kakuzu's had died.

"I'm going to our room to eat, Tobi." He disappeared from the kitchen and left me to deal with the other ravenous Akatsuki members.

Please review, it encourages me to write more.