Author: quietbun

Chapter 6: Heroes and Fathers

Obito finished talking to Asuma and Kurenai, telling them that he was a little worn out from not having slept very well last night and was going to go take a break with Kakashi under the tree. He was getting tired of talking anyways. So many people had tried to offer their condolences it left his head spinning. Most of them made him just angry. They didn't even know Rin, so why were they offering their half-assed apologies? They hadn't even bothered to get to know her while she was alive. Honestly he just wanted to sit in the shade and go to sleep. He was turning to where he saw Kakashi talking to Minato-sensei when someone grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Hey Ayato! Where are you going, we were gonna- holy shit." The boy who grabbed him looked like he was a year or two younger than himself. He clearly had thought Obito was someone else, and was taken aback by… his scars. Obito watched as his expression turned from a bright grin to a look of horror and confusion. He felt a lump form in his throat as the boy continued to stare at him.

"What happened to your face?" Obito hardly registered what he was saying. Did he really look that bad? Is that what people thought when they saw him? Were they disgusted with him? His hands clenched into tight fists and he resisted the urge to turn and run as fast he could, humiliation coloring his cheeks. Don't cry, don't do it, he silently willed himself, hoping the boy would just. Go. Away. Why didn't he just go away? He didn't know what to say to the boy but his hands were trembling slightly. Obito's brain reeled and he felt like he was falling. For a moment he saw the world blur around and around, but right before the spinning completely fogged over his vision he felt someone grasp his hand and pull him back to reality, solidifying him.

His eye shot to the silver haired boy suddenly standing next to him gripping his hand tightly.

"Kakashi?!" His teammate looked pained but nodded, his eye not wavering from the startled brown eyes of the other boy. His glare was cold and unforgiving and the boy quickly shrunk back under it.

"Do you need something from my teammate?" His tone was icy and Obito felt a chill run down his spine. Kakashi was really scary when he got mad. The boy paled and fled quickly.

"Kakashi! I thought you were resting? What are you doing up?" A cold sweat had already broken out over Kakashi's brow.

"I was. You were just taking too long so I figured I had to come drag your ass back." He panted softly. Obito knew he probably heard what the boy had said and came to his "rescue", but he was grateful to Kakashi for not bringing it up. He glanced back down at him after watching the boy leave and realized Kakashi was looking down at their interlocked hands, which Obito was still clutching tightly. Face turning crimson red he yanked back his hand, spluttering out apologies. He wondered why his heart was beating so hard and summed it up to adrenaline from the incident.

He helped Kakashi walk back towards the tree he had been sitting under, Obito plopping down next to him and both of them taking a shaky breath. The silence between them was awkward, like they should say something but neither of them knew what that was. Obito hadn't talked to anyone other than the White Zetsus and Madara in almost a year so his social skills were rusty at best while Kakashi had never been good with people to begin with.

"So um-"

"Hey-" They both said at the same time, stopping and staring at each other.

"You can go." Obito said with a warm grin and Kakashi looked away awkwardly and nodded.

"Well… We haven't really talked much since… The bridge, and we never were really friends before then. I always thought you were just an annoyance before but since you saved my life twice now I should probably try to get to know you better. Or at least that's what Sensei told me to do. And what Rin would've wanted." Kakashi mumbled awkwardly. Obito had to force himself not to laugh at what was probably the closest he would get as an apology from Kakashi for the way he had treated him in the past.

"Don't hurt yourself Bakakashi!" Obito teased. "There isn't a requirement that you have to know someone really well before you can be friends. Besides we were always friends! Even when you were being a jackass." He nudged his side playfully. Kakashi was silent, staring at his hands and Obito began to worry he had offended him. He broke the silence with a question that he could tell had been weighing on him for a long time.

"My father. The White Fang. Did you really think he was a hero?" Blunt, Obito thought with a wince, but his reply was without hesitation.

"Yes. Definitely."

"Why?"

"Because he saved his comrades despite the stupid rule. And he came back home to his son." There was a hint of bitterness in his words. "I think he definitely was a hero."

After a moment Kakashi spoke. "What about your father? Do you think he was a hero?" Obito wasn't really sure how to answer honestly, but the question brought up a memory Obito had been trying for a long time to forget.

He was about eight at the time, and he was watching his dad pack his stuff for a mission.

"Dad! When are you gonna be home? You're not gonna be gone long right? You know you still owe me ramen from that one time I hit a can with my kunai!"

"I know Bito, I know. I won't be gone for long, two days at the most." He ruffled his son's spiky black hair affectionately. "And when I get back we'll definitely get ramen together. That's a promise." He said holding out his pinky finger and interlocking it with Obito's considerably smaller finger.

"A promise!" the nine year old repeated gleefully. His father had laughed along with Obito and scooped him up, placing him on his shoulders as he finished packing his belongings and made his way towards the North gates.

"Take good care of your mother for me while I'm gone and try not to cause too much trouble alright?"

"I wiiiiill!" Obito rolled his eyes behind his orange goggles, as if to say 'no duh dad!' He gave his dad a tight hug and a lopsided grin when his dad set him down, and Obito waved his father and his father's team off at the gate.

He had never returned from that mission.

Obito waited, day after day, his eyes glued to the door, each time someone walked by his eyes would shoot up, expecting it to be his dad and being disappointed every time.

A man that Obito remembered being on his father's team arrived at their doorstep after five long days of waiting. His eyes we're dark and full of sorrow as he avoided Obito's gaze and demands of where his dad was. He spoke with his mom, offering her words of condolence, saying things like "He's a hero" and "he sacrificed himself to save us".

"LIAR!" Obito had screamed at him, tears blurring his vision. "He's definitely going to come back! He promised!" His voice wobbled on the edge of a sob and he turned and bolted out the door.

"Obito!" His mother had shrieked, lunging after him after him, but he was already gone. Obito ran to a stone bench and collapsed down onto it, curling up and wrapping his arms around his knees and letting the sobs tumble out.

"Euugh..." He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that dad was gone. More pitiful sobs escaping.

"Are you ok?" A light voice asked him and he looked up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. It was a girl, with short brown hair and purple rectangles on her face that he recognized from the Academy. Obito ducked his head so she couldn't see him crying. He hoped she would leave him alone, and keep walking, but instead she sat down next to him on the bench and wrapped her arm around him.

"I don't know what happened but it's gonna be alright, it's ok to cry." Obito had always been made fun of for being a cry baby, and this girls words reminded him of his father's own words. When Obito looked back up into her kind eyes he suddenly didn't feel so sad anymore.

Obito stopped himself from going further into that memory and shrugged.

"He was a hero to the village, with his name is carved into the memorial stone and everything. He died protecting his comrades but I still wish he hadn't died at all." Obito couldn't tell if his voice was bitter or lonely. Probably both. Kakashi nodded and was silent again, but this time it was peaceful instead of awkward. Obito fidgeted, unsure if he was supposed to break the silence or not. Kakashi seemed content to stay silent… but he always was, Obito thought wryly. He watched the clouds pass by, and tried to think what animals they looked like.

"Hey Bakakashi, do you think that cloud looks kinda like a puppy?"

"I don't see it."

"That's 'cause you're looking at it the wrong way. Look over here." Obito scooted closer to Kakashi, practically sitting on his lap, to point up to the sky and tilt his head in the right angle. "See? That's the head and that's the curly tail Do you see it now?"

"Yeah I do, but you're kinda crushing me right now." The smaller boy wheezed, a hint of pink creeping up from under his mask.

"Whoa! Yeah sorry! I just- uh. Yeah, um sorry." Obito blushed also, springing off of Kakashi and looking back up at the sky and trying not to pretend that his face wasn't turning bright red.

"That one looks sorta like a butterfly." Kakashi mused after several tense moments, and a bright grin broke out over Obito's face.

Minato sensei returned to find the two boys leaning against the tree, Obito and Kakashi staring up at the sky, Obito pointing and gesticulating wildly at the clouds while his silver haired companion watched calmly. The Hokage shared a small smile with himself, glad to see the boys we're finally getting along. Rin would be happy if she could see this now.

"The carriage is ready boys. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah! But can I go do one thing before we go? I'll catch up to you guys in like five minutes!" Obito said, glancing back at the graveyard. Minato raised an eyebrow but nodded; he had an idea of where the young boy was running off to.

An ANBU team was waiting for them at the West gates; they seemed agitated from having been waiting so long but Minato wasn't worried. He had helped Kakashi get into the carriage earlier, noting how exhausted he must have been to not even protest at being helped, and was now waiting for the final member of their party to arrive. Thirty minutes later Obito came running after them, lollipop in mouth and yelling apologies for his tardiness. It was a scene Minato thought he would never see again, but damn was he glad he could now.

"You're late." Kakashi accused weakly, and Minato swore he could see a ghost of a smile underneath his mask.

"Sorry! I had to leave a flower at my mom and dad's graves."

"Then where'd you get that lollipop? Huh punk?" Kushina butted in, giving Obito a glare for being late.

"I had to help an old lady carry her groceries! She gave me this as thanks!" Good to know Obito's sweet tooth hadn't been curbed and his compassion for the elderly was just as strong. He scrambled into the carriage and gave the ANBU team apologetic grins as he did.

Minato reclined back into his seat next to his wife, interlocking his fingers with hers.

The carriage kicked off with a shudder and Minato-sensei pulled out some paperwork while Obito eyed the pile wearily. Maybe he didn't want to be Hokage after all.

He scooted closer to Kakashi once more, but this time keeping a safe distance, remembering how fast his heart had been beating earlier. Maybe he reacted weirdly to Kakashi's chakra and it made his heart beat too fast and his stomach do flip flops. Yeah. Definitely his new chakra.

"So Kakashi. When were you going to tell me that my name is written on the memorial stone?" Obito said with a smug grin. He had visited the stone to leave a flower for his dad, when he got caught up in reading all the other names and found his own name carved there. It was like seeing your own ghost, or attending your own funeral.

"I didn't think you needed that boost to your ego."

"Rude! I'll let it slide, but I have one question. How does it feel to be in the presence of a Konoha hero?" Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed while Obito cackled.

It didn't take long for Obito to get bored, fidgeting and shifting in his seat. Sensei was filling out papers, Kushina was knitting, and of course Kakashi was out cold, sleeping soundly- more or less, with the occasional grunt or twitch from a dream- against the side of the carriage. His forehead protector was pulled down over his eyes like an eye mask. Obito knew better than to wake him up, he was still healing after all, but god he wished he was awake so they could talk or play cards or something. He was getting stir crazy, tapping his leg and watching outside the window intently, scanning for familiar landmarks.

"Are we there yet Sensei?"

"Obito we have been riding for thirty minutes and the manor is hours away." The impatient teen groaned in response. It was totally possible to die of boredom, and that was how he was going to die.

"I'mmmmm booooored," he whined melodramatically, and Sensei gave a sigh of a long-suffering man.

"Well would you like to do my paperwork?"

"No. Why would I want to do that?"

"Then why don't you walk? You're more than welcome to." The way Sensei stressed the word made Obito think he was a little more than irritated. He gulped.

"No Sensei, sorry Sensei." Minato gave a curt nod and went back to his papers, Obito could imagine how difficult it must be for him right now, having to completely relocate while still running the village. It sounded like a lot of work, work you'll have to do if you become Hokage one day, he thought, steeling himself and his ambition.

"Why can't you be well behaved like Kakashi?" Kushina snapped, gesturing at the sleeping boy with one of her knitting needles. It might have been his imagination my Obito could have sworn he saw Kakashi smirk ever so slightly under his dark blue mask.

"Because he's asleep! He's also a boring stick in the mud who hates fun." Obito harrumphed, crossing his arms and flopping back into his seat; he hadn't even noticed how far forward he'd been leaning.

"Then why don't you try to take a nap too? I'm sure you're exhausted from the service, and even though the hospital let you out you should still be careful and get plenty of rest." Kushina said, and while Obito hated getting lectured a nap did sound pretty good. He hadn't slept all that well last night or any of the past nights for that matter.

"Alright alright, but only because it'll make time pass faster." Obito sassed, and he leaned against the window, trying to get comfortable, but his head banged against the glass with every bump in the road, the kanzashi tinkling. He eyed Kakashi's shoulder, which looked considerably more comfortable than the side of the window, and weighed his options. If Kakashi woke up while he was still asleep on him Obito would most likely die of embarrassment. On the other hand there was almost no way he was going to fall asleep using the side of the carriage as a pillow, and he feared if he stayed awake any longer Minato would throw him out and make him walk the whole way. In the end he decided to swallow his pride and leaned his head against Kakashi's shoulder and closed his eyes. His heart was beating fast once more, but he already felt safer and at peace. I'll just wake up before Kakashi does, Obito told himself.

Short chapter this time but a cute one, right? Quietbun strikes again.

Also because this has come up in a few reviews- Yes, we did decide that Rin would die very early on in the planning for this story. There were a lot of reasons behind that and it was a hard decision, especially because we both absolutely love Rin. I did my best to make her a stronger and more developed character than she is in canon (which is not very much at all honestly), and her legacy will matter to the rest of the story. Just to be clear we did not kill her so the boys could have Mangekyo, and we absolutely did NOT kill her for KakaObi.

Thanks for reading!

Edited as of 1/29/15.