Grey

Chapter 10

It had been three days since I left my teammates, and admittedly, I missed them, Obito in particular, already. There was a void within me that ached to be filled, and through the short period of solitude, I felt as though I could do anything to be with my team. Currently headed for the Raikage's headquarters, I was unsure how 'tousan would react when he saw me, clad in the Konoha Anbu uniform.

My pride was still smarting from the discovery of 'tousan's distrust in me, and I had half a mind to turn back and rejoin my companions. After all, 'tousan wouldn't even be able to recognise the boy he last saw nearly a decade ago, since I was wearing the animalistic mask that characterised the Konoha Anbu.

However, deep within me, I felt pangs of guilt pound my conscience relentlessly. I was originally from Hidden Cloud Village, sent to spy on Konoha. Now I was a Konoha ninja, sent to attack my hometown. Didn't that make me a traitor?

I stopped, and took cover behind some shrubs. The streets of Hidden Cloud Village were largely the same as they were when I left. Shabbily-dressed people thronged the dusty streets, and in the distance, a woman's voice yelled, "Stop, thief!"

Yes, nothing much had changed.

*****

I walked down the streets nonchalantly, using the basic Henge no Jutsu to allow me to take the form of a young boy. This gave me much freedom to loiter, and stare curiously at new buildings that had sprung up in my absence.

And yet, despite feeling the joy of coming home, I had to continuously be on the lookout for ninjas from Hidden Cloud Village, while finding my way around the crowded streets. I would have preferred to return home, not as an enemy ninja, but as a normal kid.

It took me quite a long while to locate the elusive headquarters of the Raikage; asking for directions was too risky since it would have drawn unwanted attention to me. The building stood before me, proud and tall, with a new coat of cream coloured paint that was incongruous with the air of ancient power it exuded.

As I stepped into the building, two ninjas grabbed my arm, and led me into a room at the end of a long passageway. "Raikage-sama would like to speak to you, young man."

I didn't flinch or struggle, but instead stared curiously at the two ninjas beside me. They looked strangely familiar, and it suddenly occurred to me that they were around my age. Perhaps they had been one of my playmates?

One of the shinobis knocked lightly on the all too familiar door, and a gruff voice answered.

As I stepped into the scruffy and messy office of the Raikage, my 'tousan, I wondered what he would be like after all these years. How would he look like? But more importantly, what would he see me as? His son? A traitor? Or just another spy?

The sunlight streaming into the room from behind the man prevented me from getting a good look at his face, but I could tell that he was more gaunt and haggard than I last remembered him to be. I released my jutsu, and removed both my masks.

"'Tousan."

"Kurai."

Our first encounter with each other after so many years was awkward, not emotional, as I imagined it to be. We didn't hug or clasp hands or anything of that sort, though, but merely scrutinised the other with detached interest, for we were little more than strangers now.

My father had aged noticeably over the decade of my absence. His eyes were sunken, and the beginnings of wrinkles lined his face. He also seemed shorter and leaner than I last remembered him to be, but perhaps that was partially due to my vertical growth. However, his eyes still possessed the fire from his youth, and it was this very pair of eyes that made him unique.

We got down to business quickly after exchanging formalities, and I dutifully told 'tousan what I knew about the forbidden jutsu of Immortality, as well as the fact that it was only Orochimaru who had acted on his own accord. I stressed especially on the point that because the Hokage had nothing to do with the development of the jutsu, and was in fact against the idea, it didn't really concern Konoha.

'Tousan, who had been listening intently with a smug look on his face thus far, stood up abruptly and glared at me. "Kurai, you have been hypnotised by Konoha. I can see that your loyalties are divided. Return to Hidden Cloud Village imme--"

"NO!" I shouted, responding to the urge to defend the village I loved.

My father¡¯s eyes widened in shock at first, and then narrowed in suspicion and anger. A snarl tugged at his lips. "Kurai, snap out of it. You belong to Hidden Cloud Village and you will take orders from me. Give me the scrolls now."

I feigned ignorance, and said as innocently as I could, "... What scrolls?"

"You recorded your findings on scrolls. Ichiro told me. Now hand them over."

"I burned them." I smiled, taking pride in my courage to stand up to my tyrannical father.

"You WHAT?"

"Burned them," I repeated, becoming bolder.

'Tousan's eyes widened slightly, taken aback by my defiance. I didn't back down from him, and instead tilted my head upwards and glared down at him.

"Kurai..." He glowered at me, and his eyes seemed to burn with rage. His lips were pulled back in a snarl. He fumbled about in his robes for a weapon, and I, realising that I was not in favourable circumstances, put both my masks on again, and escaped through the window, shattering the glass and injuring myself in the process.

'Tousan followed soon after, and I instinctively headed to my old training grounds, in a desperate search for a familiar environment.

A kunai whizzed past my ear, and suddenly, it turned around and headed straight for me; it was evidently controlled by 'tousan's chakra. Forced to dodge, I dropped my weight, and let myself fall to the ground. The kunai missed me by several inches, and embedded itself in the ground with a loud thud.

I weighed my options as I made preparations for battle. 'Tousan would surely send for reinforcements, so I had to deal with him quickly before his men arrived. But the problem was how? Yeah, sure he was my father and all, but I had never really seen him perform Ninjutsu, and hence that put me at a disadvantage. Would he use Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu? I didn't know for sure.

I planned to use Chidori to finish him off, but then again he wasn't any old opponent who could be killed so easily. He was one of the five Kages, which made him one of the five best ninjas around. A lowly Anbu like me would surely be unable to deal with him. What was more, he was my father, and although I am usually able to kill without flinching, I was emotionally attached to him to a certain extent, and that made it difficult for me to tackle him.

Distracted by my thoughts, I failed to notice 'tousan's actions, so I was caught completely off-guard when he pointed a kunai at my throat. "Give it up, traitor." He hissed menacingly. "Even if you haven't given Hidden Cloud's secrets away yet, you will. I just know it."

The kunai moved closer to my jugular vein. My pulse quickened, and I felt the adrenalin rush through my system. My arms went up instinctively and I tried to wrestle control of the kunai, in self defence.

But 'tousan was much stronger than he looked, and I was surprised when his kunai penetrated my Anbu mask, and drew blood from my left cheek. The warm, red liquid trickled down my cheek, but was quickly absorbed by the material of my cloth mask. The cherry wood mask cracked and fell to the ground in pieces.

I continued to struggle, and when I finally managed to wrestle control of the kunai, I was shocked to realise that I had been fighting with a clone all this while. A cold, metallic presence behind me caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end, and it was with dread that I realised that I had fallen into 'tousan's trap.

Suddenly unable to move my body, I looked down and saw that I had been restrained by a cocoon of mist. 'Tousan loomed over me, his eyes seeming to glow with an alien light. I winced, and resigned myself to the inevitable fate that awaited me. So this is the difference between a lowly Anbu and a revered Raikage. I was foolish to have even imagined that I ever be able to fight on equal ground with one of the five Kages.

I closed my eyes, and bowed to my fate. I felt 'tousan move before me as a large hand grabbed my hair roughly and tilted my face upwards to expose the jugular veins. I breathed in deeply, and my brain sought frantically for a solution.

I struggled vainly at my bonds, and opened my eyes defiantly as I felt the rush of the wind as the kunai headed towards me.

Only to find that the kunai was coming straight at my left eye.

It was too late to turn away, and warning bells sounded in my head as I struggled vainly and braced myself for the sharp pain that was to come.

The tip of the kunai buried itself into my eyeball as I screamed in pain, both in pain and horror. A warm and slightly sticky liquid flowed down my cheek in a rush, and for a split second, everything went red, and then everything was dark to my left eye.

I would have clutched at my face if I could, but my hands were still bound by the jutsu. So all I could do was scream, and tears flowed down my cheeks uncontrollably.

'Tousan smirked, and let the kunai run along my neck, tearing the cloth of my uniform in the process. "Kurai, count yourself lucky that you're still alive. But you won't be able to recover enough to remain a shinobi. Ever."

With that, he slashed the left side of my neck, and blood spurted out from the wound. I knew that he wasn't really intending to kill me, but wanted to render me too weak to attack him.

'Tousan released the jutsu and I tried to run towards him, brandishing a small dagger. It was a last ditch effort to injure him and exact my revenge. But in my haste, I failed to realise that with an increased heart rate, I would only lose more blood.

Collapsing to the ground, I clutched my neck, and felt the dampness of the blood that had soaked my clothes.

The last thing I remembered was 'tousan laughing maniacally as he left me to die.

*****

"Kakashi..."

I felt weak, and could vaguely see the figure of a fellow Anbu. The smell of medicinal herbs filled my nostrils. My cloth mask was bunched around my neck, and this made breathing easier.

Am I dead?

I struggled to open my eyes, and was greeted by a blurred image of Obito. The left side of my face was numb.

Bleeding, and obviously badly injured, he appeared to have been taking care of me during the time I had been unconscious.

"Kakashi? Oh thank God, you're awake!" Obito enveloped me in a bear hug and then whispered in my ear, "I was so worried about you..."

I turned around, and was shocked to see a faint blush cross his face. We had never had such close contact before, and I could almost hear his heart thumping in his chest.

I brought my hands to what was left of my left eye, but was stopped by a strong hand around my wrist. Obito moved his face even closer to me, and I could feel his breath tickle my skin.

"Kakashi, I've always wanted to tell you this, but I never really had the chance to... I..." He gulped, and shut his eyes, as if to gather his courage. "I know it sounds soppy but... I... I think I've been in love with you from the first time we met."

I felt my eyes widen in shock, and ignored the pain coming from my overstretched skin. "Obito... I can't say that I share the same sentiments... But," I caressed his cheek and felt its coolness beneath my palm, "I think I could love you right now."

I grinned as Obito shot a confused look at me, and I took this chance to cover his lips with mine, smiling as I kissed him, albeit clumsily at first.

Obito was all too eager to respond to my hungry mouth, and a battle of tongues ensued. Hands draping over one another's bodies, touching heated skin. Grunting as we explored one another's mouths. Feeling the taste of the other on our own tongue. Relishing the moment when we could taste both ourselves and the other.

We broke off the kiss, gasping for air. My muscles were screaming in pain, but I was too happy to care. I glanced at Obito, and was horrified to see that he was clutching his side, his face a picture of pain.

"Obito!"

"Perhaps we went a little too far..." He winced in pain, and vainly tried to smile.

"What's wrong with you!" I was desperate, and was on the verge of screaming and jumping around wildly.

"I was poisoned. And I suppose our kiss... sped up my heart rate... The poison has most probably reached my... vital organs..." He offered me a wry smile as I looked on helplessly at him.

My eyes filled with tears as I clutched his hand. I felt so useless! Here I was, staring at him suffer, and yet, all I could do was to cry and watch him languish in pain. Oh gods, why didn't I ever learn medicine?! Hopelessly, I shut my eyes and prayed to the gods that Obito would be all right.

Only to find myself on my back on the ground, bound and rendered helpless with his chakra.

"Gomen ne, Kakashi." Obito struggled to his feet, still clutching his side. "I just wanted to fulfill my last wish."

"What?" I stopped struggling.

"I would like to continue living, as a part of you..."

Obito moved his hands in a series of seals, and his blood red Sharingan appeared. He moved his hand to his eye.

"NO! Don't do that!"

But it was too late. He had gouged his Sharingan out, and despite the pain, he staggered towards me, and placed the eye in the gaping socket that was once my eye. He then moved his bloodied hands to produce a medicinal jutsu that would seal his Sharingan into me.

And all this while, blood was flowing down his cheek in a steady trickle.

"Obito!" I screamed as his chakra embedded his Sharingan into my eye socket, and heard the sizzle of my skin as my flesh closed up and healed almost perfectly.

Obito fell to the ground, unconscious, as his chakra prison released me from its grip.

A/n: Hello. I'm back after my exams. *glares at teachers* Well I guess I pretty much screwed up (again) but that's not really your concern, ne? ^^;; All right. This chapter's extra long, more than 2000 words I think. And it contains the... Ahem.. Kiss between Kakashi and Obito. Should satisfy you yaoi fangirls out there, though I doubt anyone really bothered to read this for... a kiss. That didn't even last long. And it even ended in an anticlimax. XB

All right. If anyone ever remembers me and still reads this fic ^^;; I'd like to thank you for being so patient, and yes, I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter ^^

Oh yeah. Chapter 11 will be out soon. Within 2 weeks, I hope.