I KNOW I'M LATE.
I had to have surgery on my face - nothing serious, just had to get my wisdom teeth removed. That was on Monday which meant I couldn't upload cause I was all over the place from the anesthetic. I tried to finish it yesterday but ugh, my face was about to fall off and I was not having a good time let me tell you. So, I am sorry it's late. I'll try to keep to a more regular schedule and have chapter 4 of this uploaded by Monday next week, but no promises.
Also, just a heads up, I also fucked the timeline a little bit last chapter. So, uh, technically Sakura fell at the very beginning of day 2, like 6 or 7am, but she was supposed to meet Obito (who this chapter is about) on DAY 3. So like, had to do some last minute shuffling on the times and stuff. It's a bit clunky, but it works. Kind of. Okay, it doesn't work that well, but I'm not going back and retconning stuff because my name isn't DC.
Last thing - Someone asked why Naruto reacted the way he did, like why didn't he get fired up and go looking for Sakura? I am a bad writer, that's why. Nah, in reality, I was trying to get across that Naruto knows instinctively that something is very wrong - Naruto is a very emphatic person, so I think he would probably know right away that something was off about her disappearance. Also, kid's not a ninja in this story, he's a dumbass uni student, he's not going to have the same coping skills canon Naruto would. Also the reason why Sakura is such a sap in this chapter - they're normal kids, they don't really know how to cope with bad things happening.
Ghost Stories
Day 2: Memories
Sakura screamed as she plummeted down, hair in her face and arms and legs flailing. The air whipping by made her eyes sting and tear up. It was dark again, the same choking blackness that had engulfed the world outside the shoji doors.
She squeezed her eyes shut, sure that her encounter with Kagami had been a dream, and this was truly the end of her.
She wondered, would it hurt?
But instead of hitting the ground, of feeling pain and agony that came with broken bones and bruised muscle, Sakura just kept falling.
And falling.
And falling.
Sakura opened her eyes cautiously. It was still dark, so dark that she wasn't quite sure which was she was facing. By now, her throat had given up and she fell in silence. It seemed never ending, the complete blackness she was falling in.
As she fell, Sakura noticed that the darkness wasn't so dark anymore. She could faintly see the outline of her hand and her sleeve. She turned her head, looking down and saw that far below her, the darkness gave way to white.
The darkness turned grey and then white and Sakura readied herself for the impact.
Instead of splattering all over the ground, like she had expected, Sakura just simply… stopped.
Looking around, Sakura saw that she was floating, arms and legs akimbo. For a moment, she felt like she was encased in jelly, holding all of her limbs captive. And then, with a sickening roll, the world spun, and Sakura found herself standing upright.
She swayed, head spinning from the unexpected turn. She felt lightheaded and stumbled a little before collapsing on the ground. Disoriented, Sakura shook her head gently, to try and clear her blurry vision.
After her head had stopped spinning, Sakura looked back up. There was no darkness that she could see, only white light stretching up and up and up. She looked down, squeezing her eyes shut.
She felt absolutely stupid. Trusting Kagami to help her get out. She had truly believed that once she found the mirror shard and helped him out of the mirror, he would show her the way out and this whole awful ordeal would be over.
She stared at her hands, braced on the white ground before her.
Naïve, stupid Sakura.
Of course the man, demon, whatever Kagami was, would say anything to get her to help him. Of course he would tell her what she wanted to hear.
Idiot.
Tears of frustration and helplessness sprang to her eyes and Sakura swiped them away angrily. All of this seemed so fantastical, it couldn't possibly be real. But a part of Sakura knew, instinctively, that this wasn't a dream. She had tried so hard to deny the possibility of this being real, but what else could it be?
"Kagami?" She called, voice quivering and weak. "Kagami, where are you?"
No one answered her. The whiteness around her was silent and dispassionate. It was pleasantly warm, but even so, the sheer emptiness of the space around her made Sakura shiver.
The tears came thick and fast and soon she was crying into her hands, shoulders heaving, and chest wracked with painful sobs. It was all too much. Why did all of this have to happen to her?
She had no answers for her questions and eventually, her tears died down.
Sakura hiccupped, scrubbing her wet face with her sleeves. Her eyes stung and burned, and she was exhausted. The stress of all of this, of thinking she was dying, of meeting Kagami and being told about the existence of immortal demons, it was all too much.
She wanted to sleep and wake up, safe and sound in Naruto's car, or in her bed. Her tears came back suddenly when she imagined never leaving this place.
Curling into a ball on her side, Sakura covered her face with her hands, closing her eyes and willing it all away.
With tears on her face, Sakura fell into an uneasy sleep.
"Right, Ms. Watanabe, correct?" Genma said pleasantly as they let themselves into the interrogation room.
Kakashi lingered slightly behind his partner, watching the young woman carefully. She looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes and hair mussed from running her fingers through it. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she was playing with her fingers nervously.
It was the picture of a distraught friend.
She nodded quickly, and Kakashi saw her throat bob as she swallowed. "H-have you found her yet?"
Genma took a seat. Kakashi opted to lean against the wall, folding his arms.
"Not yet." Genma said gently. "We're looking though, don't worry about that."
She tried a smile on, chin quivering.
"Now, Sayaka, can I call you Sayaka?" Genma probed.
She nodded again.
"You and Sakura, were you close?"
Sayaka shook her head slowly. "I'd only met her a few times… We're not in the same course. I really only knew her through Naruto. But she seemed so nice all the time- she wants to be a doctor, y'know?" She shrugged, a sad smile on her face. "I thought it might be nice to be her friend."
"So you weren't friends, but you wanted to be… Is that why you and Sakura didn't go with the others?" Genma said, flipping through his notebook and scribbling down her answers.
"Yes… We, well, on the way there, we were talking about how dumb it all was." Sayaka said. "Ghosts and stuff don't exist." She shrugged, raking her fingers through her hair. "I was more interested in the history stuff and so was she…"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, spotting the white symbol on the inside of her wrist. Now that he could see clearly, he realised it wasn't a tattoo at all, but rather writing of some kind. Sayaka's hand disappeared beneath the table again.
Kakashi wasn't sure why, but he was sure that tattoo was important.
"So you two were just looking downstairs." Genma confirmed. "Did you see anything strange? Maybe Sakura was jumpy or nervous?"
Sayaka shook her head regretfully. "She was fine. She was telling jokes and making fun of the others."
"What did you two see downstairs? Anything cool?" Genma asked, tapping his pen on the empty page of his notebook, careful not to show Sayaka that he wasn't writing down her answers at all.
"We found some old weapons… Uh, a jewellery box. Sakura was mostly interested in the massacre- she kept asking me if I thought the Uchiha sacrificed people." Sayaka curled in on herself, hair falling over her face. "It was such a weird question- Like… Why would she ask me that?" Her voice cracked on the last word and she looked up at Genma, eyes teary.
Kakashi realised what was bothering him about the pretty girl.
Her behaviour, it was the perfect example of a confused, and frighted young woman worried about a close friend.
But it was too perfect.
All of her responses, the movements of her arms, her tears, they were all a masterful act. And had he been anyone else, he just might have fallen for it.
"I don't know, Sayaka." Genma said comfortingly, smiling at the young woman. "Now, when did she run away and push you down?"
"We were looking at the weapons room, and she wandered off. I found her in this weird… basement room near the kitchen." Sayaka explained quietly. "She was looking at this old toy and as soon as I came in, she just freaked out on me. She started screaming about how there was something in the room with us." The young woman shivered.
"Take your time." Kakashi said sharply.
She looked up at him, eyes wide.
"Sorry, he's a bit… Ignore him." Genma said with a sigh, sending Kakashi a mock glare. "Go on, Sayaka."
"I don't know! She just… She just went crazy, she threw all these things at me, knocked all this stuff over and then when I tried to calm her down she pushed me over. By the time I got up… She had run away." Sayaka said, looking at Genma beseechingly. "I don't know what happened, it was so sudden and- and…" She burst into tears again, covering her face with her hands.
And just like Genma had said, there was a lot of noise and shaking shoulders, but no tears.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes and tapped Genma on the side of the leg with his foot. His partner didn't react outwardly, but he knew what Kakashi was saying.
"Alright, Sayaka, it's okay now. We won't go any further tonight, okay?" Genma said, voice warm and sympathetic. He handed his handkerchief to the crying girl. "You just hang out in here, we'll get you something to eat and after we make these reports, we'll get you a ride home, okay?"
She nodded, burying her face in the little square of fabric.
Kakashi cocked his head, trying to memorise the little symbol emblazoned on her wrist. Once he had, he glanced at Genma.
"Give us a minute, Sayaka, we'll get a deputy to bring you something to eat." Genma told her, standing up and pushing his chair back in. "Shouldn't be too long for us to get your statement written down, okay?"
"Okay." She said weakly, voice muffled.
They found a deputy to take her statement and then they went next door to the viewing room to watch Sayaka more closely. Genma immediately started rooting around in one of the cabinets, no doubt looking for his not so secret stash of lollipops.
"Well, what do you think?" Genma said, arm deep in the filing cabinet.
"Give the girl an academy award." Kakashi said dryly as he watched the deputy introduce himself to Sayaka. The girl was no longer pretending to cry, instead combing her fingers through her hair gently, face faraway.
"Mm." Genma said, coming up to stand next to him, cherry sucker in his mouth. "She's good."
They watched in silence for a few moments, as Sayaka charmed the hapless deputy. The poor boy went bright red when he handed her a bag of chips and she smiled brilliantly at him.
"Why though?" Genma asked as they watched Sayaka begin to fill out her statement, the deputy tapping his hands on the table. "Why act?"
Kakashi didn't know the answer to that. He had a few ideas. Maybe Sakura had run off with a boy and sworn Sayaka to secrecy, or perhaps Sayaka had simply lost track of Sakura and didn't want to admit it. Maybe Sakura had fallen over and hit her head and Sayaka had panicked.
There was another, more sinister explanation for her acting of course.
There was a knock on the door and Ebisu poked his head around the doorjamb. He pushed his glasses up his nose, mouth set in a frown.
"Inoichi's here." He said. "Wants to know why we hauled his kid in without telling him."
Kakashi groaned. Just what they needed, the Chief's federal agent best friend and an ex-Navy Seal breathing down his neck about his precious, pretty little princess.
"You're dealing with it." Genma said immediately, shoving Kakashi towards the door.
"Sure thing, darling, but you're doing my paperwork." He said with a smile.
He walked out just as Genma flipped him off.
He followed Ebisu into the waiting room, and sure enough, Inoichi Yamanaka was standing next to his daughter like a particularly terrifying and muscular mother hen. The blonde man was glowering at everyone, arms folded.
"Hatake, what the Hell is the meaning of this!?" He boomed, striding forward.
"Dad!" Ino cried. "Dad, stop it!"
"Standard procedure, sir." Kakashi said breezily "Sakura Haruno went missing a few hours ago… We're just trying to figure out what happened."
"I told you dad, they're looking for her!" Ino blubbered, clinging to her father's elbow. "Please, just don't make it more complicated!"
"They were going to question you without a lawyer present, Ino-"
"I don't need a fucking lawyer!" Ino screamed, losing her temper. Her face went red and her eyes flashed with frustration and anger. "Stop saying that! Sakura is gone, dad and they're just trying to help!"
"Ino, please-"
"She's missing!" The blonde university student shrieked, obviously losing it. "She's gone and all you can think about is lawyers- I just want Sakura back!" She was breathing hard, obviously distraught.
Kakashi could see the symptoms of a panic attack a mile away, the accelerated breathing, the dilated pupils. "Kid, you need to sit down." He said, raising a hand to try and calm her down. "You're going pass out if you don't calm down-"
"I need you to find Sakura!" She snarled, turning on him instead. Her father tried to catch her arm and she yanked it away, backing away from them both. "Why aren't you looking for her?! Why are you wasting your time talking to us! Go and look for her!" She screamed, looking around at the silent waiting room.
"Ino!" Inoichi snapped sharply. "Sit down."
"No!" Ino cried. "No! I want Sakura! Why aren't you looking for her?!" She shrieked furiously, holding herself tightly.
"We are looking for her- Do you want to see the search grid we made?" A new voice asked, gentle and soothingly calm.
Kakashi glanced behind him and saw that Kurenai had emerged from her office. Her vest was missing, and her hair was down, making her look younger.
Ino looked hunted as she stared at Kurenai.
"We're looking all through the compound, top to bottom and in the forest too." Kurenai explained carefully, moving closer to the panicking student slowly. "We've got six teams of four men out looking for Sakura, they'll find her." She said.
"You promise?" Ino asked and even though Kakashi was a war vet and hardened by his years of service, he felt the pleading in those words.
"I promise." Kurenai said gently. "How about you sit down for me, okay?" The younger detective said kindly, putting a hand on Ino's shoulder. She guided the young woman back to the seat she had leapt out of, hand on her shoulder. "There we go."
Ino looked up the woman pleadingly. "You'll find her, right?"
And that was when Kakashi saw it.
On her wrist, tattooed on the inside, was another white symbol. It wasn't quite the same as Sayaka's, but it was similar enough to pique his interest. He didn't know why he was so fixated on those symbols, but he just knew they were important somehow.
Kurenai continued to talk the girl down. Once the girl had calmed a little, Kakashi tapped Kurenai on the shoulder and pulled her aside while Inoichi began to comfort his daughter.
"I need you to get a picture of that design on her wrist. Ask her where she got it… that sort of thing."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Why? You think it'll make you more popular with the ladies?" She asked dryly, folding her arms.
"Something like that." Kakashi said blithely. "Now shoo, go and get me that photo." He said, waving her away. He backed away, aware that crowding the young woman would only stress her out more. As it were, he didn't think that they would get anything of value out of her now, she was far too stressed.
He watched Kurenai engage the girl again with a smile, taking Ino's hands in her own.
"The Hell did you do?" Genma asked, looking vaguely disturbed as he hurried up to Kakashi's side. "I heard screaming."
"Why do you immediately assume it was my fault?" Kakashi said, a little bit offended by the lack of faith his partner had in him.
"Because it's always you." Genma said shortly, peering over at where Kurenai and Inoichi were still talking to Ino, both of them kneeling in front of her and smiling comfortingly. "What happened?"
"She freaked out." Kakashi said, following Genma's gaze. "Started panicking and demanding we find Sakura."
"I'm guessing the presence of her father means she isn't talking to us now?" Genma asked.
"We'd get shit all from her anyway. Kid's so close to snapping I'm surprised it took her this long to lose it." Kakashi shook his head. "We'll need to wait until she's had time to calm down fully, or else she's liable to go off the rails fully. And then, the Chief'll have all our asses for frightening the kid of his best friend."
Genma sighed, rubbing his forehead. "God I hate university students." He muttered.
"I think they're even more dramatic than teenagers." Kakashi said lightly. He turned away from the huddled bunch, crowding a little closer to Genma so he could whisper. "She's got one of those tattoos too."
"What?"
"Sayaka had a tattoo on the inside of her wrist." Kakashi explained. "Ino has one as well."
"So?" Genma snapped, obviously annoyed by Kakashi's lack of explanation. "Girls that age get them all the time. I think they call them like… Henna or something? I dunno, my sister's kid is into that crap."
Kakashi hummed, glancing back at Kurenai and Ino. His colleague was taking a photo of Ino's wrist, smiling widely and saying something about her niece.
"So you're saying you have nothing?" Chief Nara said over the phone. He sounded like shit, but Kakashi liked his job so he didn't say that. "No secret boyfriends, no anxiety about her studies- Nothing?"
"By all accounts, Sakura Haruno was a well-adjusted girl." Genma said. "She was excited about her upcoming internship. There's nothing on her facebook or other social media that even hints at a mental breakdown."
Chief Nara's sigh crackled over the line. "So we have nothing."
"No sign of her?" Kakashi asked.
"Nothing in the compound, and no sign of her so far in the forest." Chief Nara said grumpily. He sighed again. "Alright, pack it up then. I'll keep the search going here, the mayor's sent over some of the guys in basic training to bolster our numbers. You two report back in tomorrow morning at 8, maybe we'll have something by then."
Kakashi hummed. A twenty four hours off? That sounded wonderful to him, as long as Genma didn't barge into his house at 2am again.
"Yes sir."
The line went dead and Kakashi yawned, ready for sleep. At his side, Genma shook his head and ambled off to clock out. Before he followed him, Kakashi ducked into Hayate's office to drop off the picture he'd gotten from Kurenai.
"I've got too much on my plate right now, Hatake." Hayate said grumpily, barely even looking at Kakashi's print out. "It'll have to wait."
"I know where Genma's stash of cola lollipops are." Kakashi wheedled with a grin.
Hayate's hands froze on the keyboard and he looked up at Kakashi with narrow eyes.
"Bottom drawer of the records room." Kakashi said, flapping the paper. "I'll give you the code if you rush this for me?" It was working, he could see the cogs turning in Hayate's mind.
The sickly man snatched the paper from Kakashi's hand. "Code, now." He barked.
"7231." Kakashi said breezily, already striding from the room. "And have I ever told you I love you, Hayate?"
"Give me twelve hours and I'll have your stuff." Hayate said, already engrossed in staring at the picture.
Genma met him in the locker room, leather jacket thrown over one shoulder. His partner gave him a squinty eyed look of suspicion. "What?"
Kakashi whistled pleasantly. "Nothing at all, darling, nothing at all."
Day 3: Memories
"Rin!"
Sakura woke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright at the boyish yell.
"Rin, where did you go?"
She looked around, searching for the source of the voice desperately. But there was nothing but whiteness around her.
"Rin!"
Sakura curled her arms around herself. She hated it. All of it. Not knowing where she was, what was going on. If she was even alive.
But as she sat there, Sakura began to get angry. Angry at Kagami for tricking her, angry at Ino and Naruto for always doing stupid things, at Sayaka for being crazy and pushing her down here in the first place. But most of all, Sakura was angry at herself, for sitting here and moping around like a child.
She wasn't this weak frightened girl. What was she doing, sitting here feeling sorry for herself?
Pushing herself to her feet, Sakura steeled her resolve. Even if Kagami didn't want to let her out, it didn't matter. Sakura wasn't staying in here and if no one would help her, fine, she would do it herself.
"Rin! You are running too fast!"
That voice again.
Sakura looked around, searching for the source of it and jumped back in surprise when a young girl, maybe eleven or twelve, ran straight through her. It felt odd, like a cold mist brushing over her skin and Sakura gasped, hands pressing against her stomach.
Sakura turned, just in time for the little girl to stop, and turn around. She was pretty, with brown hair and eyes, purple tribal tattoos inked onto her cheeks and forehead. "Maybe you are just too slow, Obito!" She cried, smile delighted.
"I am not!"
This time, Sakura managed to get out of the way of the young boy who barrelled past. He was shorter than the girl, with messy hair and mud on his face. He skidded to a halt, hands on his knees and gasping for air.
"Stop doing that!" He demanded breathlessly.
"You run too slow, Obito! One day one of Kaguya's demons is gonna catch you!" The girl teased.
"Nuh uh!"
"Uh huh! You can't even catch me!" The girl giggled, bouncing around excitedly. "Come on, come on! We are never going to see the star shower if you keep being slow!" And with that, she was gone, bounding off on slim legs, her white dress floating out behind her.
The boy spluttered. "Rin!" He cried, obviously distressed and he ran off after her.
"Hurry, Obito!" Rin cried, laughing.
"Wait for me!" He wailed.
The two children disappeared a little ways from Sakura, the sound of Rin's laughter and Obito's shouting lingering on longer than they did.
It had all happened so quickly Sakura hadn't had time to even process it. She took a few tentative steps after the children. "What… Was that?" She asked no one in particular. "Another hallucination?"
But Sakura knew that wasn't- couldn't be true. People didn't imagine things they hadn't already seen before and Sakura was sure she had never seen either of those children in her life. And she certainly would have remembered such old fashioned names.
It was clear something wanted her to go that way, after the children and for a moment, Sakura was tempted to stomp off in the other direction just to spite Kagami and his riddles.
But she knew, if she did that, she might get trapped in this white hellscape forever.
And that was unacceptable.
Sakura didn't want to believe in ghosts and demons and whatever else was going on, but she had no choice now. She couldn't deny that something was going on… Something that she didn't understand and quite frankly, didn't want to.
But she was not dying here.
Demons or no demons, Sakura was going to get out of here and punch Sayaka in her stupid face.
Setting her jaw, Sakura stalked after the children, fists clenched.
She walked for what seemed like hours, but Sakura didn't trust her sense of time. Who knew what strange tricks this place was playing on her?
She slowed when the air and ground in front of her shimmered and rippled and then, out of the ground, a tree started to grow. It grew quickly, branches reaching for the sky. Grass grew at its base, and then with a sigh, the same boy from before, albeit a little taller and lanky appeared. He was sprawled underneath it, arms and legs akimbo and leaves in his hair. He was fast asleep, dirt on his face and a wooden sword lying a little ways from him.
He looked rather sweet, asleep like that.
There was a shimmer and the girl materialised just ahead of Sakura. She was holding a little box, wrapped in bright orange cloth. This time, her dress was blue and there was a crown of flowers in her hair.
At the sight of the boy sleeping she sighed, shaking her head. "Oh Obito…" She murmured. "You didn't stay out here all night, did you?"
The boy snorted, scratching his nose, still fast asleep and something about the way he was sleeping, without a care in the world, reminded Sakura of Naruto.
Humming, the girl, Rin, knelt next to Obito, setting the box next to her. Sakura recognised it as one of those bento boxes Ino was obsessed with. "Obito…" She sang quietly, poking the boy in the cheek. "Time to wake up!"
With a snort, Obito woke, sitting bolt upright and nearly headbutting Rin in the face. "Whas- Rin?"
"You have leaves in your hair." Rin said, matter of fact as she pulled one of the leaves from Obito's messy head.
Obito went bright pink at their proximity and Sakura had to giggle at the wide eyed look of panic on his face. Quickly, the boy batted at his head, showering both he and Rin with leaves.
"Obito!" Rin laughed, flapping her hand and shaking her head. "You are getting them everywhere!"
Obito stopped his head shaking, a smile growing on his face. "Did you come looking for me, Rin?" He asked, a hopeful glint in his eye and Sakura just knew that the young boy was smitten with the pretty brunette.
"You stayed out all night again!" Rin scolded, picking up the box and shoving it at the boy. "Your brothers sent me to find you."
Obito sagged a little bit but took the box anyway. "I was training." He said with a pout. "I wanted to perfect Madara's training before today." He picked up a stray leaf and threw it away grumpily.
"Well you have to stop doing it!" Rin said imperiously, folding her arms. "You could catch a chill, falling asleep in the cold!" She narrowed her eyes at Obito. "And you missed breakfast."
Obito deflated a little bit more at her words and Sakura felt a bit bad for him. It was very clear that he was absolutely enamoured with the young girl and she suspected that his late night training had been in an attempt to impress her. "Sorry, Rin." He said with a sigh.
Rin smiled at him, ducking her head to get a look at his face. "It is okay, Obito." She said. "I saved you some before the others ate it all." She pushed at the box in his lap. "I made your favourites too… Fish fillets and sweet potato."
Sakura watched the adorable little preteens. Obito was bright red that Rin had thought to make his favourites and dug in eagerly and Rin was beaming at his enthusiasm. It was rather adorable, watching Obito's eyes shine as Rin told him about her morning tending to the gardens.
But like the image of them before, this one began to fade too and soon enough, there was nothing left of the tree or the two children beneath it.
Sakura lingered for a moment. It felt almost bittersweet, to see such an innocent memory fade away like that. But she knew she had to keep moving.
The walk this time was much shorter.
Another image materialised in front of her.
Rin and Obito were taller again, older. Rin's hair was still short, but her tattoos had lengthened, spreading across her forehead and connecting to the ones on her cheeks. It made her look wild and mysterious.
Obito had grown too, broader in the shoulder and arms and legs finally thickened with muscle.
Rin was seated on the edge of the little creek, holding another one of her boxes, though the cloth from it, a yellow one this time, had been pulled off and was tied in her hair like a bow. Obito was in the water, wading around and seemingly uncaring that his pants were getting wet.
"You are never going to catch him." Rin said, leaning over the water. "He is too fast."
"I will!" Obito cried, and then he lunged forward, eyes bright and a grin of boyish excitement on his face. There was a loud splash and lots of thrashing around. Rin squealed, trying to shield herself from the droplets of water.
Obito popped back up, soaking wet and panting. "Got him!" He cried, holding up… a clump of weed.
Rin stared for a moment and then giggled. "Well done." She said indulgently, nodding her head.
Obito looked at his prize and deflated sadly. "Oh."
Rin burst out laughing and Sakura smiled at the light sound. Obito brightened too, pushing himself up out of the water, still holding onto his clump of limp plant. He tossed it back into the water with a flick of his wrist and then waded back to slump on the bank next to Rin.
Rin wrinkled her nose, shifting away delicately. "You'd better not get me wet, Obito Uchiha, or I'll chase you around with a stick." She warned, dumping the box into his lap.
Obito kicked his feet in the water. "I wouldn't get your pretty dress wet, Rin." He said earnestly.
Rin smiled at her lap, cheeks pinkening just a little. Sakura tilted her head, smiling at the sweet couple they made, sitting on the edge of the river bank. "My mother made it for me." She murmured, smoothing down the fabric. "Do you like it?"
Obito nodded vigorously, mouth full of food and cheeks bulging. "It looks great!" He said thickly though his food.
Rin giggled. "Chew first!" She scolded, flapping a hand at him.
The scene faded as Obito nearly choked on his mouthful in his hurry to swallow and Rin laughed harder. Sakura liked these scenes, they were all very innocent and sweet. She wasn't quite sure what they meant, but she did know that Rin and Obito were in love.
She walked on, hoping for another sweet interaction between the two teenagers. But as she walked, Sakura noticed that it was starting to get darker, almost as if the whiteness was starting to fade.
In fact… it was starting to look grey.
She looked up and around and then behind herself. She could see, in the distance, the stark whiteness and then gradual fade to grey.
"This is… This is what you do? This is what you are?!"
Sakura jumped and spun around. Rin had appeared behind her, Obito too. Rin looked horrified, clutching herself and staring at Obito with wide, terrified eyes.
"Rin please-"
Rin swung her arm out and as she did, there was a flare of red and Sakura gasped when a burning village appeared. The houses were collapsing, dark plumes of smoke painting the sky black. A horse ran by, screaming, its mane aflame and its flank bloodied. "Look!" She screamed. "Obito tell me… Tell me this wasn't you."
"I had to, Rin."
"No!" Rin cried, bursting into tears. "They were happy-"
"It was necessary-"
"They were innocent!" Rin screamed, cutting him off. She backed away a step. "There were families in there, Obito. Children. How many did you kill?"
Obito's face shuttered.
"How many?!" Rin demanded, face pale. "How many, Obito?"
Obito said nothing, looking away from the carnage.
"You do not know… Do you?" Rin whispered. She looked at the ground. "I thought you were different from the others… What happened to the kind boy, I knew, Obito?"
"I am still him, Rin." Obito begged, taking a step forward. He froze though, when Rin backed away from him, face afraid. "Rin, please, nothing has changed."
Rin shook her head violently and then turned on her heel and ran, back towards Sakura. She ran straight through her in a cold gust of wind and Sakura hissed, looking down at her stomach.
When she looked up, Obito was gone.
Ahead of her, the grey got darker and darker.
Sakura shivered. What had gone wrong? Why would Obito…
She took a tentative step forward. Around her, the greyness seemed to press in closer to her, oppressive and heavy.
As she walked, it got darker and darker and the pleasant warmth turned to stinging cold. Sakura rubbed her arms, wondering why it was always cold and dark.
A flare of light ahead of her.
She gasped, hand flying to her mouth. Obito was kneeling in amongst flames, Rin cradled to his chest. He was wailing, and it was clear from Rin's limp arm and closed eyes, that she was dead. Instead of her white dress, she was dressed in delicate green armour, her helmet torn away and thrown aside. Her chest plate had been caved in by a mighty blow.
At her limp fingers, a slender blade.
"Oh no…" Sakura whispered.
She saw Obito's armour, his sword, slammed tip first into the ground a little way from the couple, his abandoned helmet, snarling and horned.
"What did…" Obito whispered. "What have I done?"
Sakura's heart sank.
"Why were you here, Rin? Why?!" He demanded. He pulled her closer to him. "Why did you protect them? They were never going to…"
Obito stiffened, shoulders rising, and Sakura gasped when he turned around, eyes blazing red. They were the same colour as Kagami's with the same strange comma symbols swirling around and around his pupil. But there was no kindness in these eyes, only fury and hatred.
"You." He snarled, glaring at her.
"I didn't-" Sakura spluttered, backing away.
Obito set Rin's body down gently and rose. He reached out one hand and Sakura's eyes felt like they might fall out of her head when his sword flew into his hand. "You killed her!"
"No!"
He lunged, and Sakura screamed, raising her arms in a futile attempt to shield herself from the blow.
It never landed, and instead, Obito shattered when he collided with her. Shards of light exploded around her and she shut her eyes, trying to protect them.
When she opened them again, Rin was gone and so was Obito. Instead, all that lay ahead of her was darkness. It seemed ominous and cold, pulsing and writhing.
She took a tentative step forward and the darkness hissed at her, recoiling and snapping at the greyness. It seemed unwilling… or unable to encroach further into the grey area where she stood, but even so, she kept her distance.
"Hello?" She asked, barely able to keep her voice from quivering.
"Who are you?" The darkness demanded.
Sakura just stared, bewildered and afraid.
"Who are you?!" The voice snarled again, sounding almost demonic. "You do not belong here! Go away, go away!"
The last words echoed loudly, deep and furious and it was enough to make Sakura scuttle away in fear. The darkness lashed out violently, sticky strings of black slapping and grabbing at the air. But every time it hit the grey area outside of the darkness, it hissed and steamed, recoiling in pain.
Sakura watched the darkness for a little bit. She had a sneaking suspicion that this was Obito… Trapped like Kagami had been.
"A-Are you Obito?" She whispered.
The darkness froze, wispy bits curling and roiling in surprise. "Who told you that name?" It whispered, angry and demanding. "Who told you that name?!"
"No one!" Sakura cried. "I saw… In the images, the scenes-"
"My memories." The darkness hissed. "You saw them?!" It surged forward, only to be stopped in its tracks by the grey. It was almost like an invisible wall was forcing the darkness to stay back. "Who are you?!"
"Sakura." Sakura said, trying to calm her racing heart. "My name is Sakura."
"Who showed you?!"
"No one did!" Sakura insisted. "I saw them myself… They just played out." She waved a hand. "Kagami said-"
"Kagami?"
Sakura blinked. "Yes… He said… He said I had to help you, if I wanted to leave this place."
The darkness seemed to fold in on itself. "My brother…" It murmured. "My brothers… Rin… I failed them all." It didn't seem to be talking to her now, just talking to itself. "It's my fault… It's always my fault."
"Obito?" Sakura whispered, creeping forward a step.
The darkness didn't seem to hear her, still babbling to itself. Though now she couldn't understand a word of it. It was in some strange, ancient language that Sakura couldn't quite hear properly. It sounded like falling water, but also like cracking gravel and then nothing at all.
"Obito!" She called, frightened.
The darkness froze. For a long moment, it seemed to be watching her. Then, "You should not be here." It said. "You do not belong in a place like this, where there is no sun or life."
"I know I don't." Sakura said sharply. "That's why I'm going to get out."
"No one leaves this place." The darkness said, but nonetheless, it crept closer. "Even my brothers and I… We cannot leave."
"Kagami is free." Sakura blurted out. "I fixed his mirror and he said he would show me the way out but… but he didn't." Her courage seemed to fail when she remembered Kagami's eyes as she had fallen, sad and cold.
The darkness stopped roiling and writhing. "He is free?"
Sakura nodded. "He said… He said he couldn't let his brothers languish down here. He said I was supposed to free you."
The darkness drew back. "No." It said. "No. I cannot- I should not be allowed to… You must leave me here."
"But then I can't leave!" Sakura cried.
"I failed them!" The darkness roared, so anguished and broken that it stunned Sakura into silence. "I failed them all! I should have protected them, but I could not and now… Now my brothers lie trapped and Rin… Rin is dead."
Sakura gaped.
"I should have saved her from them, but I was too slow, too weak, too soft and she died because of it!"
"From who?" Sakura whispered.
"Humanity." The darkness snarled. "They are and always have been a plague… And yet, Rin loved them. She called them misunderstood, insisted that they just needed time to come into their own. But her love for them did not stop them coveting her power or killing her when they were afraid." It hissed, thrashing in anger.
Sakura took a few steps back. The venom in its voice when it had proclaimed humans responsible for Rin's death. She had never heard hatred like that before.
"If I had been there, they would not even have had the chance to touch her." It growled. "They would have all died by my hand."
She didn't know what to say. What did you say to something like that? How did you respond to such anger and grief? Sakura didn't have the words… And any that she did think of seemed to trite and useless.
"But I was not there. And she died." The darkness roiled violently. "It was my fault!"
Before Sakura's eyes, the darkness coiled in on itself, drawing away from the invisible line that kept it from the grey. It receded away, back into itself.
As it went, Sakura thought she heard it crying.
"Obito!" She cried, "Wait, please!"
But the darkness that had been Obito just vanished further and further back into the darkening grey, until it blended with the blackness around it and she couldn't see it anymore.
He was her way out, he couldn't just leave!
Sakura set her jaw and shoved her fear of the unknown away, barrelling forward without another thought-
-and ran face first into a wall.
She fell on her ass with a loud thump, head ringing and thumping with pain. Rubbing her head, Sakura looked up, trying to see what she had run into. Nothing but greyness above her. Pushing herself back to standing, Sakura reached out and sure enough, where Obito's darkness had been contained, her fingers met a solid barrier.
She pressed harder, frowning when there was no give.
So Obito couldn't come out and she couldn't go in.
"Brilliant." She muttered. Craning her neck, she tried to see any movement in the blackness beyond the clear barrier, but there was nothing at all. "Obito? Obito!"
No answer.
"Obito!" She yelled, frustrated and at the end of her rope. "I can't come in there after you and I can't leave until you can, so goddammit, stop moping around and help me!"
Nothing.
"Coward!" She yelled, frustration boiling over into tears. "Coward!"
The darkness remained still.
Sakura yelled until her voice gave out, trying to goad Obito into coming out, but he never did. She tried telling him that Rin wouldn't want him trapped here, wouldn't want him in pain and hurting. She tried to tell him that if he refused, his brothers would never leave either.
But he was steadfast in ignoring her.
Eventually, she sat down, defeated and simply stared at the darkness beyond the invisible barrier. Angry, she kicked the barrier once, twice, three times. "Stupid." She muttered.
"I am a coward." The darkness whispered. "I am."
Sakura sat up straight, and saw that Obito's pulsing, dark form had slithered forward. It lingered a little way from the barrier. It almost looked afraid. "I didn't mean that." She murmured.
"But it is true." The darkness murmured. "I was afraid. Rin was my life… She was so good, so bright and when she saw me for what I was, it hurt. I was afraid of her judgement and so I stayed away… And she died."
"But she wouldn't blame you for that!" Sakura insisted, crawling towards the barrier. "I didn't know Rin, only what I saw, but she loved you Obito. She would never blame you for her death. She just wanted you to be happy."
"I was happy with her."
Sakura didn't know how to respond to that. At first, when she had first started walking, all she had wanted to was leave. She just wanted to go home.
But seeing Obito and Rin, it had touched her heart. She knew Obito wasn't good, knew that he was dangerous, that all of this was, but it had seemed so human, his grief and love for Rin.
"Sakura…"
"Yes?" She looked up, not realising she had been lost in thought.
The darkness reached out tentatively. "Why are you here? Who sent you? Was it Rin?"
Sakura shook her head. "No one sent me…" She said with a wry smile. "At least not willingly."
"You are not here of your own accord?" Obito asked.
Sighing, Sakura settled on her knees more comfortably. She looked up. "I was just here because my best friend asked me to come." She smiled, wondering if Ino was looking for her. "I wanted to stay and study… Get an early night's sleep for my job tomorrow. But Ino was so excited… How could I say no?"
"Your friend… Sent you down here?"
Mood souring, Sakura made a face. "The girl who… sent me down here, she's not my friend. In fact, I think she might be crazy. She pushed me down a well, smiling like a loon." Looking at her knees, Sakura shrugged. "I thought we could've been friends."
"She pushed you?"
"She tricked me." Sakura said darkly. "That's been happening a lot lately…" She muttered, thinking of Kagami and his stupid, red eyes and his sweet smile. How gullible and stupid was she? Falling for the same trick twice.
"How?" The darkness asked, settling closer to the barrier, almost as if it was sitting.
"I thought she wanted to be my friend." Sakura said slowly. "She seemed so nice, you know, laughing and joking with me. And we had similar interests, looking at all the old artefacts in the mansion, talking about how stupid ghost hunting was." She sighed. "I really thought I had made a new friend."
"And then she tricked you down here?"
"She asked me to look at something. I did and then she pushed me down the well." Sakura rubbed her arm. "I thought I was going to die. Instead, I ended up in Kagami's room and well… Now I'm here."
"You are sad."
Sakura rubbed her eyes, trying to keep from crying. She didn't want any of this. She just wanted to go home and see her friends. She wanted to go to work, and learn from Lady Tsunade, to see her patients, and the dog down the street. "I think I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown, to be honest."
The darkness was quiet while she composed herself. She patted her cheeks firmly, sniffing and forcing the tears away with thoughts of her best friends, looking for her. It wouldn't help anyone if she was a crying, blubbering mess.
"But, enough about me." She said, putting on a brave face. "How about we figure out how to get you out, hm?"
The darkness coiled up. "Give me your hand." It demanded.
"What?" Sakura shook her head, bewildered. "The barrier, I can't come through it." She tried to explain, pressing her hand against the invisible barrier that separated them. But instead of meeting solid wall, her hand sunk through as if it was water.
"Never mind…" She whispered, watching her own arm in wonder. It was slightly distorted as it passed through the barrier.
And then a strand of inky darkness whipped up, snapping around her wrist tightly. It was freezing cold and Sakura gasped, automatically trying to pull away. It held fast, pinning her arm on the other side and Sakura felt a thrill of fear ripple down her spine.
"Obito-"
"I will not hurt you." The darkness murmured.
Sakura was horrified to see more strands of darkness wrapping around her hand. Soon, her wrist and hand were completely covered, and the darkness pulsed against her skin, cold and awful. It pressed against the barrier, barring her arm from sight completely.
"Show me." The darkness demanded.
Sakura gasped when her mind was flooded with images, memories.
Her memories.
Her mother, helping her with the bird that had flown into the window. Naruto and Ino, helping to set up the fundraiser at their middle school. Sakura's books, her job at the hat shop, laughing with her co-workers as they cleaned. Sakura at the gym. Sakura's volunteering at the hospital, Lady Tsunade, Shizune, listening to them, her notes. Kagami and his smile, her putting the shard back into the mirror, her bleeding hand.
They all flickered by, too fast for her to see them all.
And then it was over.
She slumped, panting and disoriented. "W-what did you do?" She gasped.
"A kind heart." The darkness whispered, still clutching her arm tightly.
It was almost numb with cold and loss of blood flow. Sakura looked up and squinted in confusion when she saw the darkness was receding, coiling in on itself. It hissed and rolled, but after a few moments, there was no more darkness.
Instead of her arm being trapped by it, she was holding the hand of an older, scarred Obito.
He was kneeling on the other side the barrier and there was a wicked scar across the right side of his face, the deep scars disappearing under his collar. Sakura blinked and then stared at her hand when Obito squeezed gently.
Still in shock and not quite sure what had just happened, Sakura stood up, pulling Obito with her. Her eyes flickered to his, and she saw him nod once.
So she pulled.
Her arm came back through the barrier, along with Obito's. She pulled harder when Obito seemed to get stuck. It felt like pulling him through jelly, but eventually, with a grunt of effort and all her muscles straining, Sakura pulled him out of the barrier.
She stumbled when it gave suddenly, but Obito's hand kept her upright.
Sakura straightened, letting Obito's hand drop. "You… What just happened?"
Obito smiled, looking down at his hands, turning them over and over as if he hadn't seen them in a long time. Sakura supposed that he hadn't, if he had spent a thousand years as a cloud of anger and angst. "I'm free." He murmured.
Sakura rubbed her arm, trying to warm it up. "I don't understand."
"You freed me, pulled me back to myself and made me see that Rin would want my happiness." Obito said with a smile, tilting his head back to bask in the grey light around them.
"And…" Sakura glanced at his face, wondering when it had happened. It was an awful looking thing, painful and red.
Obito touched the side of his face gently. "Penance." He murmured.
That made Sakura shudder in sympathy and horror. She suddenly did not want to know what else had happened to Obito after Rin's death. She had a feeling it would be awful and bloody.
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of her laboured breathing and the rustling of Obito's clothes as he examined himself. Finally, he did speak.
"Thank you, Sakura." Obito said with a smile. It barely pulled up his lips on the scarred side of his face, but his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Rin would want me to be happy…"
Sakura smiled. "Of course she would-"
"And I will be. Humanity will pay for her life with their own." Obito finished, smiling turning cruel.
Sakura's stomach dropped in horror and her smile faded as she realised what he was saying. She had thought… Obito's words, he had sounded like he had finally let go of Rin's death, had put it behind him. He had sounded so earnest, Sakura had been sure he was the gentle, sweet boy once again.
But all she had done was convince him that the only way to avenge Rin, to be happy, was to destroy humanity. He had twisted it all, tricked her into letting him out.
"No! No that's not what I meant! She wouldn't want you to hurt anyone- Obito, you told me she loved humans- she wouldn't want you to kill them!" She cried, nearly tripping over her words in her desperation to get them out. She grabbed his arm tightly, as if to prevent him from leaving.
"We would never hurt you, Sakura." Obito said, blinking at her distress. He smiled, obviously thinking it would reassure her.
It didn't. All it did was make Sakura's heart plummet to the floor.
"You can't hurt anyone!" Sakura cried. "Obito- Listen to me, Rin, she would want you to be happy, not hurting people! She loved humanity, remember? She loved us! She would want us to be safe, isn't that what she died for?!"
"It was that love that got her killed, Sakura." Obito said patiently. "And I will not let it happen again." He brushed a hand over the back of hers where she was clutching his arm.
Sakura didn't understand. "What are you talking about?" She whispered, confused and horrified.
What had she just done?
Obito smiled again. "You have to go but fear not. My brothers will not hurt you." His eyes spun red, like Kagami's had done, who knows how long ago.
"No, Obito, you have to promise me that you're not going to hurt anyon-" Sakura's words were lost when the ground beneath her gave way and she plummeted down again.
The next day, Kakashi came back from his mid-morning break to find a manila folder lying on his desk. Bribing Hayate with Genma's stash of lollipops seemed to have worked then. As soon as he skimmed over the little manila folder on his desk, Kakashi knew his hunch had been correct. Smug and satisfied, he snatched the folder from his desk and barged into Genma's office rudely.
"Kakashi-"
"It's a fucking occult symbol." Kakashi said, throwing the file with the results of Hayate's search in it.
Genma blinked, mouth closing.
Kakashi flipped open the file, jabbing a finger at the high gloss photo Hayate had printed out of the symbol, and then at the photo Kurenai had taken of the symbol on Ino's wrist. They matched, down to the swirl and colour. "Control." He said smugly.
"What?"
"It means control." Kakashi said slowly, as if Genma was stupid. Which, his partner was at the worst of times. He poked the picture a few times, and Genma leaned over the file curiously.
"Oh." Genma shoved Kakashi's hand away, picking up the flimsy manila folder with the explanation of the symbols, their origins, all that crap. "And…What does that have to do with anything?"
Kakashi said down in front of Genma's desk, propping his feet up on the dark wood. He ignored Genma's glare. "It's part of a pair." He said smugly, nodding at the file. "Wanna guess who has the pair for Ino's one?"
Genma looked at him darkly but flipped through the paper. He read, face getting darker and darker the more he read. Finally, he dropped the file on the desk again. It was open to the picture of the symbol that paired with the one on Ino's wrist, the one that Kakashi had seen on Sayaka's wrist.
"What the fuck is this?" Genma growled. "Master? Control- What the hell were these girls into?" He muttered. He looked up at Kakashi. "Master- This is definitely the one you saw on Sayaka's wrist?"
"You got it."
His partner took a deep breath. "I hate university students." He grumbled, throwing the folder back onto the desk.
"I told you they were dramatic." Kakashi said with a grin, pulling out one of the lollipops he'd nicked from Genma's secret stash in the locker room. "Looks like we might have to change this from missing persons to murder, darling."
"I don't have the patience for this shit." Genma said, snatching his phone off the desk and checking the time. "I'm going for lunch."
"It's only eleven!" Kakashi teased, sucking on the lollipop happily.
"You can't come." Genma said rudely, collecting his wallet and keys from the drawer in his desk.
Kakashi rocked back in the chair, before pushing himself upright. He trailed after his partner, cheek bulging from the lollipop in his mouth. "Why not? I'll buy you coffee." He wheedled with a grin.
"No you won't." Genma said with a glower, shoving open the front door of the station. Kakashi wandered out after him, a breezy wave at the secretary over his shoulder. "Stop smiling like that, you like a crazy perso- Do you hear that?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow when Genma stopped dead in his tracks, looking around. "No? Have you been taking drugs again, Genma, because as officers of the law I have to protes-"
"Shut up." Genma snapped, head swivelling upward. "I can't hear anything."
Kakashi blinked. "I'm sorry?"
Genma looked at him. "There are no birds singing."
Kakashi thought his partner was losing it but as he listened, he realised that it wasn't what he was hearing, but what he wasn't. Just like Genma had said, there were no birds singing and even the normally loud and rambunctious K9 holding kennels across the street were eerily silent.
Even the traffic in the street seemed strangely muffled. The air was hot and still, almost stifling, the breeze from earlier in the morning have dissipated completely.
It felt almost like the air itself was holding its breath.
"What the Hell... Fuck!" Genma yelped, stumbling and nearly falling when the Earth shook violently below them. Kakashi stumbled and fell against the wall of the station, one hand out to catch his partner. Several people screamed and the cars driving by all slammed on their brakes, skidding to a halt.
Unlike the first Earthquake the day before, this one lasted a full thirty seconds.
When it was over, Kakashi was staring at Genma, eyes wide. Like the first time it had happened, no one moved at all.
The whole city was silent.
And then everything exploded into noise at once. The dogs in the K9 kennels went nuts, howling and barking so loud it hurt Kakashi's ears. The birds in the trees began to scream, horribly high pitched screaming and all the car alarms in the street went off. In Kakashi's pocket and in Genma's hand, their phones went nuts, blaring nonsense and gibberish.
Kakashi hissed, covering his ears as the cacophony got louder. Several alarms in nearby shops went off as well and one of the cruisers parked in the street started blaring its siren out of nowhere, lights flashing and spinning.
Genma dropped his phone with a snarl and Kakashi saw that the slim black smartphone was sparking dangerously as it skidded across the ground.
Kakashi winced, eyes narrow with pain as the noise continued. Genma was staring at him, eyes wide and confused.
The sky behind the mountain flared blood red for a brief few seconds and Kakashi felt a chill run through him.
What the Hell was going on?
DUN DUN
Lololol - someone send help my face is trying to kill me.
So, i just wanted to make sure everyone understood, because Kagami was super mild and nice - the Uchiha are not good guys, they aren't misunderstood anti-heroes, they are just straight up bad, evil, naughty whatever you want to call it. They are not the good guys. I did try to make it so they were like misunderstood and them being locked down there was jealousy and I even played around with a like a cosmic balance type thing but in the end, having them be evil worked much better.
Also, yes, Sakura sleeps for like, 24hrs. LOOK OKAY, I FUCKED UP AND IT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD FIX IT.
I know I said that the rest of the chapters wouldn't be as long as chapter 2, but I had to write myself out of the plot hole I accidentally dug. I don't expect the chapters from here on out will be nearly this long (close to 10k), probably more like 5-7k.