Beta:

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Obito

(Years ago)

Obito was squashed in between Kakashi and Naasica. Kakashi was heavily asleep, the white-haired man had taken a sleeping pill after the romp fest. Kakashi had been struggling with nightmares for the past week, dealing with uncomfortable reminders of when he was accidentally buried alive in a mass grave. Naasica triggered the silencing seal around the room, and after the kids went to bed, she and Obito did their best to physically tire Kakashi out.

Intimacy was a good comfort, too.

Plus it was fun.

Always fun!

With Kakashi being properly tired out, plus the sleeping pill, he was bound to get at least ten hours of sleep. Which would hopefully put him in a better mindset to deal with the nightmares.

Hopefully.

If not always go for round two, Obito thought, smiling to himself as he held Naasica in his arms, and felt Kakashi hold them both. Middle is best.

Although he kind of wished he had put on pajamas. Or any kind of clothes, really. Skinship was nice and comforting, but it also kind of excited him a wee bit too much and he really didn't wanna wake the others up. Kakashi needed the rest, and if he had to solo tango with Naasica he knew she'd—

She'd—

Actually would it really be that bad? Obito thought, now starting to weigh the pros and cons of waking up his demonic teammate. Her libido was bigger than his (much to her dismay) so he knew she'd be down for it, boy would she draw it out…

Mmm…. yessss? Noooo? Yeeeesss? Noooo?

Before Obito reached a decision, Naasica abruptly sat up. Her long, curly, dark brown hair bounced from the sudden movement. She blearily stared ahead, her entire expression vacant.

"Hime?" Obito whispered.

She crawled out of bed, stumbling around.

"Um, Oni-hime?" Obito hesitantly called out, watching with increasing perplexion as she walked—stumbled, really—toward the window.

She opened the window.

Obito sat up. "Wait—you're—clothes—!"

She was still naked. It was cold outside, and as soon as she opened the window, Obito grimaced at the chilly breeze. He carefully extracted himself from Kakashi's arms, then grabbed Naasica's robe to put it over her. "Come on, hime, you'll freeze."

She stared out the window, her brow slightly furrowed. In a soft voice, barely above a whisper, she asked, "Do you hear it?"

Obito strained his ears to listen. "N-No?"

She closed her eyes, a single tear slowly trailing down her cheek. Obito carefully reached out to wipe it away.

"I'm so tired," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm so, so tired."

"Then rest," he said soothingly. "You can rest."

"I'm not done. I'm so tired. I'm so… why can't I…? I'm so…"

Her entire body fell forward, completely limp. Obito caught her before she hit the floor, and he swept her up in his arms. She sucked in a shaky breath, her eyes still closed, and then he heard her start to softly snore.

Sleep… walking? Obito wondered, his brow creased.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Obito wasn't able to go back to sleep that night. He put Naasica back in bed—Kakashi immediately pulled her into his arms—and he carefully tucked them in. He kissed their cheeks, then decided to go ahead and wake up for the night.

He was a little scared that if fell asleep, she'd leave.

What if she had slept walked out the window? Obito worried.

When morning came, he hesitantly broached the subject with her.

"Do you remember last night?" he asked when he returned to the room. Kakashi yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

"Last night?" Naasica blearily asked him, her gaze narrowed slightly. "Um, which part?"

"After you fell asleep?" he asked.

She stared at him, then lifted the sheets to examine her lower body. "Did you use a hole you weren't supposed to?"

"No!"

"Then what's the issue?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Obito sighed. "Never mind."

"I think someone's sad he didn't get to use the hole he wanted," Kakashi snarked.

"Shut up," Obito complained.

"Aww, I think you're right," Naasica cooed. "You don't wanna be middle again, dear?"

"I like middle fine and dandy—"

"Middle what?" called out a curious voice. All three adults stiffened. Obito had forgotten to lock the door behind him when he came back in the morning, so Naruto of course had to walk in. Thankfully, Obito was dressed, and Naasica was wearing a robe, so Naruto only had to see a bare-chested Kakashi still in bed.

The three adults stared at Naruto.

Kakashi was careful with his next words, "Middle of… cuddles."

"I love cuddles," Naruto said happily.

"Yes," said Obito slowly. "Yes you… do. Correct. Cuddling is wonderful."

"Can I cuddle?" Naruto asked.

"Why don't you ask Sasuke?" Naasica suggested.

"Ehhhh… yeah, okay."

The three adults sighed when he left.

Obito scratched at the back of his head. "Um… can we sleep together this month?"

"This month?" Naasica repeated in surprise, orange eyes widening. "Obi, you okay?"

"Yeah I just—I mean—Kakashi's gonna have to be on the pills for a while, right?"

"Thirty days," he sighed. "Thirty days of no missions just… rest. Ugh."

"I think we should be together until then," he said. "Just… just in case."

Naasica shrugged. "Okay. That's okay with you, Kakashi?"

Kakashi's brow furrowed. "... We're gonna need to wash the sheets a lot, aren't we?"

"Probably," said Obito with a big grin.

Naasica and Kakashi sighed.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Three nights of peaceful rest.

Three nights, and then it happened again.

Obito hadn't let himself fall into a deep slumber, choosing only light intermittent rest so he could be aware of if Naasica ever got up. He didn't want to say anything to her yet—didn't want to alarm her—but in case it had become a habit, he wanted to make sure she didn't do anything hasty.

She sat up abruptly.

He sat up slowly, watching as she crawled out of bed and stumbled to the window again.

Again, she opened it.

Only this time, she started to climb out of it.

Obito was quick to grab her hand, his heart leaping to his throat. "Don't go."

"I don't want to stay here," she whispered, her gaze fixated on something in the distance.

"Please," Obito said. "Please don't go. Why—why don't you want to stay here?"

She turned back to him, tears streaming down her face. Obito's heart clenched tightly, his stomach dropping unpleasantly. Naasica had not been the type of person to cry, and seeing her so emotionally distressed physically pained him. He pulled her closer to him, using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"I'm tired," she rasped. "I want to rest, please."

Rest? As in—?

A chill ran through him. He started to squeeze her in his arms, holding her as tight as he dared. Fear kept his tongue still. A dangerous question fell on his lips, but he was not brave enough to hear her answer. She started to quiver in his arms, quietly sobbing.

Eventually she went limp, but Obito didn't let go of her.

He did not dare.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

In the morning she was fine.

Nothing happened last night, according to her, and she only remembered the sound of a flute playing in her dreams.

When the sun was up, she smiled and teased.

But as it went down, the smile slipped away.

And when the moon was at its highest, she woke up in a daze.

Obito stopped her from climbing out the window each time.

Sometimes she'd confess to being tired.

Sometimes she'd cry.

And sometimes she did nothing but stare blankly ahead.

Obito promised himself that when Kakashi was better if she still slept-walk, he'd ask Kakashi for help.

He hoped it was just a phase.

He hoped…

Please… don't leave us.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

And then the worst thing happened.

She had slipped out of his arms without him even noticing. He woke up suddenly, only Kakashi in the bed. Her side was cold, and the window was open—

Panic set upon him. He dashed out the window, his Sharingan whirling to life as he frantically searched for her. He wasn't a sensor, and she was a damn good kunoichi but thankfully, thankfully, in her daze, she wasn't actively covering her tracks. He followed the trail of her footprints in the snow. They lead out of the Senju compound and into one of the designated training grounds—a forested area with a dense population of trees.

Obito was as fast as he could be. He burst through the trees, determined to find her, determined to save her, determined—

He found her.

She was on her knees, her hands and legs bound, as she rested her chin on the lap of a man Obito did not immediately recognize. Her pajamas were soaked from the cold snow, her orange gaze vacant. The man was gentle with her, carefully running his fingers through her hair as he hummed a strangely familiar tune.

Obito stepped into the clearing, confused by what he saw.

The man looked up—

Obito sucked in a sharp breath.

Madara?

"This can't be possible," Obito whispered. "You're—you're dead."

"Yet here I am," he said cordially. "Obito."

"You—what did you do to her?" Obito's eyes narrowed.

"Put her back asleep," answered Madara. "She'd keep trying to kill me otherwise."

"Then I should help her," growled Obito.

"At ease, child," Madara said soothingly. "We aren't meant to be enemies."

"Oh?"

Madara smiled, two pairs of Sharingan eyes whirling to life. "Let me show you something, boy. Let me show you the world that we want."

"We—?"

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

(Present)

Obito watched her leave through her secret tree network.

Please be safe, he thought.

He could not bear the thought of her dying. Seeing her so damaged and hurt made his heart ache, and his stomach drop unpleasantly. The instant rage felt when Minato tore into her overwhelmed him. It took him every ounce of self-discipline not to pounce on his hokage and rip him to shreds.

That wouldn't help Naasica.

Nor would it help the Akatsuki.

Obito feigned despair, burying his face with one hand to hide his expression. He wasn't a master manipulator like Naasica, nor Madara.

But he was still a decent actor.

He had to be.

She probably went to Ame, Obito thought. Which means—

There was a change in pressure. The hiraishin Madara had created and placed on Obito's back burned.

Obito met Madara the first month Naasica started to sleep walk.

And… well…

Madara talked. Obito listened.

He admitted that he had been the one training Naasica since she was only a child. The man explained that she had been imprinted upon by Shisui's Sharingan that ordered her to try and kill him each time they met.

Obito… didn't know what to think then. He had noticed Naasica sneaking out a few times—and when he tried to follow her, he lost her—but she hadn't…

And then Madara showed him Naasica's hidden eye.

Naasica had the man's Sharingan.

Obito literally fell on his butt in surprise, stupefied by the implication.

What else did she hide? Obito had wondered. Why can't she—

"Trust you?" The man had read Obito's thoughts as if the Uchiha was an open book. "Do you want her to?"

Yes. Of course. I—

"Love her?"

Yes.

"Would you sacrifice for her?"

Yes.

"Yourself?"

Yes.

"Your village?"

Yes.

"Everything?"

Yes.

He loved her. He loved her and Kakashi more than there were stars in the sky. They were his everything. He would go to war over and over and over again for them. He would paint the sky red for them. He would blow up the moon for them. He would rip out his heart and put it on a silver platter if they asked him to.

He made the mistake of choosing someone else over them, and he would never repeat that mistake.

Them.

Them.

Always them. Always, and forever. Always and always he would choose them.

The man smiled at Obito again.

"Good."

From that night on, each time Naasica had a black-out, Obito followed her. Obito met with that man, and he would listen to what he said. He listened to stories of how he trained Naasica—and Obito laughed about hearing her struggle like he had—and he listened to how the man only wanted to help the world.

He listened to him tell about her struggles—their struggles—to deal with the world.

With the monsters.

And in the morning Obito would ask her, "What do you want to do with the world?'

She smiled at him, her eyes beautiful and blazing, "To save it, of course."

How

Could

He

Say

No?

The hiraishin burned on Obito's back.

Obito pulled out the special fūinjutsu seal that Madara had created years ago and given to him. He placed it on the ground in preparation to use it.

In a flash of red light Madara Uchiha appeared before everyone.

Obito triggered the fūinjutsu seal. It was an area of effect that was designed to negate the hiraishin. It wouldn't work for large distances, which means he'd need to give Minato a reason to stay within the vicinity.

"Oh look," drawled Madara as soon as he spotted Minato. "The husband of the bitch who died pathetically years ago."

Oh, thought Obito as he saw Minato's eyes blaze with anger.

"She snapped like twigs," he chortled. "So much for being a strong kunoichi. More like a used-up whore."

Yeah, he thought. That'll keep Minato here.