Hoy. Sorry for the delay - it was very hectic week (well, monday and tuesday) cause I got to my college and I am just starting. So I am lost!

"Who won?" Minato asked when the two students finally entered the dusty long-range part of training grounds 9. And he wasn't alone. Next to the blond sensei stood a lean figure, coated in black and with a mask on it's face. A katana on it's back. But that wasn't what made them weary, no. The figure was an ANBU.

"Sensei..?" Obito looked curiously at his mentor, who looked cheery even in the company of the gloomy warior. Kakashi frowned.

"And Kakashi won." the Uchiha said when it looked Kakasho won't do it himself. Of course. Obito wanted to add, but didn't.

"Really? Well.. I should have guessed, right?" Minato smiled. "Any injuries? Yes? Kakashi..? You are bleeding.." the disbelief was clear.

Kakashi nodded. "Obito caught me with a knife." he informed them without elaborating. He obviously didn't want to speak further while the ANBU was listening.

"And you, Obito?"

"He decided to paralyze my whole left arm. And crack my wrist." and Obito knew he was whining. "But it should be good in a few hours... And who is our guest, Sensei?" he decided to be brave and directed the question to the masked guard. He met his eyes with his own and the ANBU held it for a moment. And then he smirked. At least it looked like that, it was hard to tell with the mask.

"Tora came to watch and decide." the guard sang in rather high voice – for a man.

"Yeah.. well. That explains." Obito rolled his eyes. ANBU or not, he hated cryptic answers. Kakashi looked at him with a raised eyebrow, a look clearly saying: Are you sane?

Yes I am. Well..probably.

"I applied for the job. Tora-sama probably came to see if I am fit being an ANBU." Hatake answered with his eyes downcast.

"What made you go for ANBU?" Obito asked sceptically. "They are lost." he said.

"What?" the question was followed with two amused glances and Kakashi wasn't even looking at him.

"Well.." Obito tried to explain himself, because he didn't really want the guard to think him childish, "My mum used to say they are lost. As in.. well.. they just are!" he threw his arm up to make his point and because it was difficult to explain, but the ANBU looked as if he knew what it meant, even though Obito himself knew it only partly.

"She was very wise woman." the guard spoke up and Obito sent him a scowl because of the was. It wasn't his business, after all.

"And how did you decide O-lost one?" the Uchiha asked rather rudely. I don't want Kakashi to be lost, so fail him already and let's have a tea.

"Tora decided to pass him – on one condition." he quickly added when Obito gave him an evil look his father would be very proud of.

"What is the condition?" the both teens asked at the same time and exchanged looks. Minato was smiling. What was there to be happy about Obito did not know.

"You both apply and work as a team. Or neither will be taken."

And it came down onto them as a hammer and Minato stopped smiling. Kakashi for once didn't have a smart reply and in his eyes there was a fear and confusion.

So yeah.. both of us or neither.. "What is your reasoning, soldier?" Obito commanded in the manner he learned from his father and Fugaku-dono, the ANBU clicked his heels together and stood straighter. A soldier.

"- Tora decided upon watching that.." not so high and mighty, are you, soldier.. ".. that the.. subjects .. work good together and shall not be separated."

"So we are subjects?" And Obito knew the soldier was lost, because he talked to him as a superior would and therefor couldn't be dubbed a subject, but still he was one.

"Don't torture him, Obito." Minato came to save the poor lad with the smile back, but not so happy, not so true.

Obito rolled his eyes. "Well. Tora will listen to my decision now." the Uchiha drawled in imitation of the ANBU's speech. "I. Do. Not. Want to join the lost ones."

Tora looked at him and then at Kakashi and Minato and back at Obito and finally Kakashi again.

"I will respect that." the teen muttered. "And never try again."

"Wait! What? It was your dream to join! Why..why are you giving up now?" Obito got a hold of his teammate and began shaking him with each word of his in disbelief.

"What are you expecting me to do?" Kakashi answered in the same furious tone and smacked his hand away. "Other than paralyze your right hand as well." he threatened.

Obito ignored the second sentence completely, but didn't make a move to grip his shoulder again. "I don't know. Well. I do."

"Yes?"

The Uchiha nodded. "You were supposed to argue with me and tell me to join as well, even though I am good for nothing -" here he ignored Minato's snort and Kakashi's hesitant disagreement, because it was so unlike-Kakashi, "and then promise to train me so that I would manage and persua- no, make me agree to join."

"But you don't want to join." Kakashi said silently. "I would offer but.. you don't want to." he gesticulated wildly.

Obito sighed and shook his head. "I don't really care, you know.."

Kakashi looked up and he visibly brightened. "Than it's decided."

"Yeah.." Obito agreed and the mood grew solemn and kind of peaceful, because they finally found a link and found each other and found some place to belong to, even though the place was for the lost ones.

"I am not going to allow it, no." Minato spoke up suddenly in an unusually grave voice. "I am not going to allow my students to join ANBU."

"You allowed me to apply." Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Did you presume I would fail?"

"No. I hoped you would fail, but no. I presumed you would get accepted."

"Than why?"

"It's you, Kakashi. Obito is.. well.. Obito."

"What does that suppose to mean?" surprisingly, before Obito could ask, Kakashi barked angrily the same question. Minato didn't look surprised, though, so that left only Obito feeling as if he missed some crucial part of the conversation.

"The lost ones. Kakashi – you are independent and antisocial. Perfect ANBU. Obito, sorry Obito, is not. He – you need to be surrounded by people who love you, not people who fear you. You can't get that by joining the murderers."

Obito ran his hand trough his hair which had fallen free some time during the spar. "You are right, sensei." the Uchiha smiled when he saw Kakashi looking stunned. "However, my mother died. And I only now realized my father loves me. And as you said, I need people I know love me. I need someone who can show me that that they. And I won't get that by joining, but I won't get that by staying away either. So now, when I have the choice either to be put under pressure physical as well as mental and learn a lot, or stay broken and ruin someone's else dream – when my dream was already ruined – my answer is definitive."

"And what exactly is your answer?" Minato asked and Obito realized he had managed to confuse everyone, because they probably did understand what he wanted to say, but they couldn't get to the same result as he did.

"I said I won't join -" another weird stare from Kakashi, "- because I didn't want to look like someone who wants to be a lost one, because I don't, and to make Kakashi train me. That failed, because he is too thick headed to act as he should." Obito sent a scowl at his teammate who just looked.. well..lost, "So now I am saying: Yes. I will join together with Kakashi, so that we can stay teammates, if that's what he wishes for."

"I do." Kakashi smiled and Obito smiled as well and the ANBU nodded and maybe, just maybe, smiled too.

"Do as you wish." Minato said curtly and he didn't smile, but did turn around swiftly and left, without a wave, without turning back.

"Tora has to go as well." the guard excused himself and disappeared leaving the two standing alone, not knowing whether to be happy because they joined, or sad because their sensei was angry and maybe a bit disappointed.

"..Tea?" Obito asked very silently, barely above a whisper. He felt lost.

"...Yeah.." and Kakashi sounded the same as he felt so maybe it will be alright, because they will be lost together.

All was well, after all.

I am going to put this into finished, cause I do not know where was this heading anyway :)

Maybe I will write a sequel when I am more relaxed :)

So thank you for staying until the very end and coping with my grammar and spelling and English as whole.

Smile,
Sharina.