追憶 (Reminiscence)
Disclaimer: It's not changing anytime soon...
nine
True to Itachi's word, he showed Shisui and I around the compound when we got back from our trip. It was nice spending time with him, especially since I'd no longer be seeing him at the academy.
Really, it was the only thing I'd looked forward to since returning. Papa had noticed my twitchiness on the way back and he'd asked me about it to which I'd replied that I just missed my school friends (which was partially true).
In reality, I was nervous and dreading to see what would be waiting for us at home. I couldn't remember how long the Kannabi Bridge mission had been and so I didn't know if Obito had already 'died', if Minato and the rest of his team had made it back to the village.
But when we'd gotten back, there was nothing. No funerals, no broken teams, and no silver-haired boys with mismatched eyes.
The dread had lessened, but not by much.
It had just barely been a week after we'd gotten back when there was a quiet knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Shisui called out as he ran towards the front of the house.
"Don't run into the door," Papa called back, winking at me. We both laughed when we heard Shisui whine.
About a month ago, when Shisui had been half-awake, Uruchi-ba had come by with a basket of pastries and knocked on the door. He'd been so excited (and hungry) that he hadn't realized that the door wasn't open and he'd run right into it, giving himself a bruise and a lump on his forehead. Papa and I couldn't help but tease him after that.
"Mi-chan, there's someone here to see you," Shisui said. His demeanor had changed and there was an oddly subdued look on his face. The smile that had been on my face slowly faded away as my heart began to pound anxiously.
He and Papa followed after me as I made my way to the door. Who could it be?
A pale, brown-haired girl with tired eyes stood there. My mouth went dry as I recognized her. Rin.
She wore a simple black kimono top over black shorts and around her wrist, I recognized a familiar piece of fabric; it was the only source of colour on her aside from the purple marks on her face. She…kept it?
Her hands twisted nervously and drew my attention away from the Uchiha crest around her wrist. In her left hand was a pair of familiar, dirty goggles. I felt my stomach plummet to the ground and the guilt begin to creep up. No. Nonono. I'd been hoping…
But maybe it had been silly of me to think that I could have changed anything with just that spiel of words.
"Hello, Mirai-chan," she said. I wondered what she'd do if I shut the door in her face.
"R-Rin-san." I bowed my head for a moment before I dared to look at her.
Despite the warmth in her brown eyes, there was still a sad smile on her face.
"Mirai-chan, I'm sorry. Obito-kun, he… He didn't make it back with us, from the mission." Her voice was soft, kind. I swallowed hard. I'm the one who should be sorry.
I didn't say anything as she knelt before me and reached for my hand. Gently, she placed the cracked goggles in my palm and curled my fingers over it.
"He wanted you to have them. H-He said he was sorry he couldn't bring you back a cooler souvenir." Rin's voice broke at the end. Don't, Rin, please don't.
I stared at the goggles in my hand, a faint voice echoing in my head. "…make sure you take care of my stuff, okay?"
My eyes felt like they were burning while my chest suddenly felt tight. I tried to take a deep breath but all that came out was a weird shuddering sound, and then another, and another–and suddenly there were arms around me and I blinked as brown hair filled my vision.
"It's okay to cry," Rin murmured. I could hear her struggling to keep her breathing steady. It suddenly struck me that she was trying so hard to stay strong in front of me and in that moment, a little bit of me broke. I…don't deserve this girl's kindness.
I clutched at her tightly as I hid my face in her neck; surprisingly enough, she didn't flinch away. She just stroked my hair gently. It hit me then, that this wasn't a dream, that this was all real.
Obito is gone and it's my fault. Because I could have done something, couldn't I? To prevent Obito's 'death'… But I hadn't, because I was selfish, because I was scared…
"I'm sorry," I whispered. Tears leaked from my eyes as shame and guilt burned me from the inside. "I-I'm so sorry…"
"Rin-san, was it?" I flinched. Papa's voice floated over the top of our heads and I felt the girl before me nod. I'd forgotten Shisui and Papa were still here, somewhere behind me.
"Nohara Rin at your service, Uchiha-san."
Papa's voice was gentle. "We offer our deepest condolences for the loss of your teammate, Nohara-san. Thank you for keeping my daughter in mind."
"I-It was no trouble, Uchiha-san. Thank you." Rin hugged me closer for a moment before she released me and stood up. She exhaled shakily and gave me a small smile.
"I'll be going now. Take care, Mirai-chan, okay?"
"Okay… B-Be safe, Rin-san."
She closed the door quietly as she left and I stood still, my vision blurry. All my fault.
It was a pointless question I was going to ask because I knew the answer to it… But if I were being honest, there was just a little bit of me that was hoping I was somehow wrong.
"Obito-kun isn't coming back… because h-he died, right? That's what it means?"
"It–" Papa's voice faltered once–maybe because he didn't want it to hurt more than it already did or maybe because he didn't expect me to understand the finality that had been in Rin's voice–"It does. I'm sorry, Mirai," he finished quietly. I'd never heard Papa sound so sad before. He gathered Shisui and I into his arms and sank to the floor, keeping a firm grip on us.
My gaze drifted downwards. Obito's goggles were still in my hand and through my tears I could see my distorted image in them. After a moment, I looked away. I couldn't stand seeing the guilt in my reflection.
I wasn't sure what was worse: that day Rin had come by to tell me about Obito or the days after.
Papa was careful not to bring up Obito around my brother and I but he didn't have to be. It was all anyone talked about whenever Shisui and I went to Itachi's house or just hung out in the center of the compound.
There was a sense of anger and restlessness within the clan, though it was mostly just the shinobi (and any civilians who happened to be married to them) who were visibly bitter when it was discovered what had happened to Obito. It wasn't because he'd 'died' that they were angry; they were upset over the fact that Kakashi had been given Obito's remaining Sharingan instead of having the eye turned over to the clan.
We hadn't been going to the main areas of the compound because of that–with all the tension going around, there'd been a few verbal and physical spats and we didn't want to be caught up in that (mainly because Papa had told us not to and also because some of the older kids always seemed to be looking to pick a fight with the younger ones). Plus, Itachi seemed more…comfortable when he was away from his own home so we were usually either at our house, the outskirts of the compound or the clan training grounds.
Today, though, we were at our home.
"When will this settle down?" I wondered as Shisui, Itachi, and I lay beneath the shade of the large tree in our backyard. Absentmindedly, I pulled at the soft blades of grass.
"Father says the clan council has been speaking to the Hokage and his council so I'm sure it will be soon," Itachi replied quietly.
"I don't understand why they have to make such a big deal out of it. It's not like the Hatake guy stole it," Shisui sighed as he rolled onto his side to face me. "If your friend gave it to him then that's that." He rolled away from me after that and turned to Itachi instead.
"Either way, we'll know soon enough," Itachi mused, ignoring my brother's attempts of poking him in the side. I nodded in agreement.
And sure enough, the clan was called to the main meeting hall the next evening, where we were told about the decision that had been made.
I wasn't surprised when Fugaku and the council announced that Kakashi would be allowed to keep Obito's eye, but I didn't expect what came after.
"Uchiha Obito will not be given a place in our burial grounds. He will be remembered only on Konoha's memorial stone," Fugaku said impassively. Stunned, I looked up at my father only to see a frown on his face. "Furthermore, Hatake Kakashi is not to receive any training in regards to the Sharingan. He is not an Uchiha and thus does not deserve any information regarding our bloodline. That is all." Behind him, the council nodded approvingly.
There were murmurs in the room as people began to leave. I clung tightly to Shisui's hand as we followed Papa out of the hall.
"Tou-san," I began but Papa shook his head once and instead took my other hand.
Shisui looked down at me curiously. "What's up, Mi-chan?"
I bit my lip and looked at Papa.
"I don't understand… Why isn't Obito–"
"We'll talk when we get home, Mirai."
Eyes wide, I fell silent, unable to help the hurt that washed over me. Papa had never been so short with me before.
Shisui gave me a sympathetic smile before squeezing my hand once. I gave him a wobbly smile back and we walked on quietly until we finally reached our home.
Papa waited until we'd followed him into the living room before he gestured for us to sit down. With a start, I realized he looked tired and worn.
"Now then, Mirai. What was your question?"
"F-Fugaku-sama said… Well… Tou-san, why was Obito-kun denied a place in our clan cemetery? W-Was it because of his eye?" I cursed internally as I tripped over my words.
Papa sighed as he ran a hand over his face. "Denied, you say…"
At that, Shisui let go of my hand and folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah! That's what Itachi's dad made it sound like," he said. "It's not fair."
Papa was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "And you think it's because he gave his eye to the Hatake boy?"
"That's what it seems like, Tou-san," Shisui said firmly, surprising me.
Papa looked at us for another moment, eyes serious as he seemed to be deciding on something, though what that was, I didn't know.
"Let me ask you something, Mirai. What is more important: what your friend wanted, or what the clan wanted?"
I inhaled sharply, unable to help the frown that settled on my lips. "What Obito-kun wanted is more important, Tou-san. No one has the right to take that away."
"Shisui, what do you think?" Papa turned his gaze to my brother, face still serious.
"Imouto's right, Tou-san. It shouldn't matter to other people what we want. I think…as long as what we choose helps the village, then that's all that should matter."
"Shisui-nii…" I stared at him. My brother was only seven but…
"I see," Papa said. I turned back in time to see him give us possibly the most loving, warm smile I'd ever seen from him. "I am so proud of you, my children."
Beside me, I felt Shisui sit up straighter.
"Always do what you can for the things and people in your life that are precious to you, and don't worry about whether it's right or wrong."
I smiled as I recognized the familiar advice.
"The clan is important, but it's not everything," Shisui and I finished. Papa nodded. The serious expression returned to his face.
"Shisui, Mirai. Though you are young, you have both proven to me that you understand what is truly important. With that said… Mirai, your friend's actions weren't something the clan approved of, so this is their way of making it known. It isn't right, I know, but…" Papa's voice trailed off quietly. The only sound in the air was our soft breathing.
"Tou-san?" Shisui asked when it looked like Papa wasn't going to finish what he was saying.
Papa blinked and shook his head as if to clear away whatever thoughts he'd been thinking.
"Sorry about that. Off to bed you, two. We'll discuss this another time." Papa leaned forward and gave us each an extra long hug and a kiss on the tops of our heads before he shooed us off in the direction of the bathroom.
As I glanced back to look at him, Papa's face was set in an odd expression that I had never seen before. It nagged at me until I'd climbed into bed later and it was only before sleep claimed me that I realized what it was. The expression on Papa's face… had looked like a mix of bitterness and sadness, as if it was something he'd experienced before.
{omake: ニ} inklings
"Who was that little girl, Obito?" Minato asked curiously after the boy had given Rin an Uchiha crest.
"Mirai-chan! She's a member of my clan, I met her just before I got here!"
"She said some interesting things, sensei," Rin added cautiously. Minato noticed how both Obito and Rin's eyes flickered over to Kakashi (who was very obviously brooding).
He stepped away a little. "Such as?" he asked quietly.
The blond man listened carefully as Rin and Obito took turns describing their meeting with the girl.
Well, that explains Kakashi's mood, Minato thought, surprised. With what he knew about the Uchiha clan (Obito being an exception), it was highly unlikely that the girl would have had an opportunity to hear about Sakumo, much less see him. So how had she connected Kakashi to him so quickly?
Minato frowned. He'd have to ask her about it sometime, and preferably before Obito decided to bring her around again. He wasn't sure Kakashi would be as…tolerant as he was today and as sweet as the girl had been, he didn't really want for there to be problems.
Minato sighed as he went over the day's events yet another time. It had all seemed innocent but there was still something that nagged at him.
"So, how'd it go with your gakis today?"
"It was strange… I met a girl today," Minato replied absentmindedly, fiddling around with the ink brush he was currently holding.
His girlfriend hummed lightly as she turned away from the stove. "I know Rin-chan is cute but she's too young for you," she teased, wagging a wooden spoon in his direction.
"No, it wasn't her, Kushina. It was a different girl."
"Is that so?" The redhead's voice was overly sweet as a snap! suddenly filled the air.
Minato blinked slowly before he realized that the spoon that had been in Kushina's hands was now in two pieces and on the floor.
Understanding suddenly dawned and he involuntarily paled. "O-Oh! No, Kushina! I didn't mean it like that!"
"Suuure you didn't. Are you cheating on me, 'ttebane?!"
The blond man found himself swallowing hard as Kushina came stalking towards him, her hair wild as she held one hand up and clenched into a fist.
Minato waved his hands frantically in surrender. "I'm not, I promise!"
The redhead gave him a smug smile as she came to a stop in front of him.
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't try something like that again, mister. No one gets away with lying to the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero and don't you forget it, 'ttebane!" Kushina declared loudly as she pointed at Minato.
Minato sweatdropped as he nodded meekly. "I-I won't, dear…"
A/N: I apologise to those who said the last chapter was choppy (the last half of it) and thanks to everyone that commented! It was great feedback and I'll hopefully get better at that style of writing. Please let me know if I missed anything this chapter!
Some quick questions because I'm a curious person: how many of you read fanfics on your phone? Or do you prefer reading on a computer?