Chapter 19: Mutualism
A/N: As of 6/19/2022, I made some minor updates to the chapter, including formatting/grammatical corrections.
It must have been the longest night of Jitsuko's life. Their squad was to pack everything and return home that following morning, and Obito still hadn't woken up. She was scared that attempting to bring him home would rupture his opening and cause him to never wake up again. In her hands, Jitsuko tightly clutched the stuffed animal he'd given her for her birthday; its worn fur stained red from the fresh blood that escaped through her wound and soaked into its fiber.
It's funny, she thought.
I don't know if this is from my blood, or yours, Obito.
The crushing guilt over her best friend's sacrifice ate away at Jitsuko as her knuckles delicately caressed his paled expressionless face. She grasped that this must have been what Obito felt when he thought he lost her to Madara, and she fathomed that the feeling truly was hell.
For what had to have been the hundredth time, Jitsuko pulled out the picture she kept in her pocket, one that also gave her strength during missions like these. The picture itself was beginning to fade and its ragged edges gave away its age, but it never ceased with soothing her mind and bringing a smile to her face.
On it was her and Obito, happy and free. One arm was wrapped around his shoulder as their faces pressed together in a playful and endearing manner. He had managed to sneak in bunny ears on her, which may explain the larger than usual smile he sported that day. That was definitely the highlight of the picture. His smile. Obito always had the most uplifting winning smile. The way he would close his eyes in delight from seeing Jitsuko always filled her heart with such joy. She was so terrified of never seeing that smile ever again. She stared at that picture for hours.
Jitsuko's concentration eventually began to degrade, with her attention shifting to the surroundings. She was disturbed by the lack of medical supplies in the base – or any supplies for that matter. Distraught also gripped her from the inexcusable shortage of medical ninja on such a potentially perilous mission.
Rin came by to check on Obito occasionally and even addressed Jitsuko's wound, but she would reluctantly leave shortly after to mind more mortally wounded ninja. It must be so incredibly difficult to be the only one trained to treat so many injured shinobi, especially since Rin was still recovering from being taken hostage by Zetsu. Jitsuko promised her that she would watch over Obito for the both of them.
This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm sorry, Obito… I'm so sorry… Why am I so… damn… weak…? I don't know how to take care of myself. I don't know what to do. What would I do if you…? No. I won't give up on you. I need to have faith in you, like you did with me.
While deep in thought, Jitsuko felt a twitch on the hand that was holding Obito's and she snapped her head in his direction in shock. She watched his eyebrows quiver and furrow before his lids rose in what felt like slow motion. His dark eyes immediately landed on Jitsuko and he fixated them there for what felt like forever.
Neither one of them spoke. The conflicting sensations of guilt and anger, euphoria and relief overwhelmed Jitsuko's senses, wracking her body to an indescribable degree of emotion. She felt her mouth open on its own and immediately tasted salty drops, only then realizing she had begun to cry from seeing his eyes again. Obito tried uttering her name, but only gargled noises managed to pass through his dried lips. Jitsuko instantly reached for a wooden canteen and held Obito's head up as he drank; all the while, she was still in sheer astonishment that he managed to pull through.
Jitsuko wanted to hug him. She wanted to squeeze Obito and never let him go ever again, but she couldn't. Both were far too fragile to disrupt the minimal amount of blood shared between the two of them. Still, she held on to his limp arm with a grip that told him of all of the pent-up emotions she had harbored for the past two days.
"Jitsuko," he finally spoke. His eyes were baggy and half lidded, and was rather pale, but he was still the most stunning man Jitsuko had ever seen. Especially since she had the comfort of knowing that he was still with her, and that his sworn protector wasn't the cause of his death in the form of some cruel, twisted irony.
Morning came quickly now that Obito was awake. Jitsuko helped him eat and clean up, and before she knew it, it was time to head home - but there was one more thing she had to do first. Since Rin had been so preoccupied, she had no time to provide Obito with fresh bandages. Jitsuko was by no means a medical expert, but she did know basic patching techniques. She was hesitant in changing Obito's gauze herself in fear of opening Rin's incision, so she held off on it. Since he was awake, Jitsuko felt much more comfortable with switching them out under his watch.
"Tell me if I hurt you, okay Obito?" she pleaded and began unwrapping the stained bandages from his chest with a particular tenderness in her touch. She had to be extremely careful with her movements, it was difficult enough to move her arms but the lack of a healthy amount of blood put Jitsuko at risk of passing out from even the slightest physical activity.
The bandages peeled off with an audible noise, the deeper wrapping sticking to his wound like a second skin. Obito winced at the sensation, but refused to admit that it hurt. He didn't need to tell Jitsuko anything, at this point in her life she could read Obito like a book. Still, her expression fell from thinking of her negligence toward him.
"I'm so sorry, Obito. I should have changed your bandages sooner. You just looked so fragile, I was so afraid of touching you –"
"H-hey…" Obito interjected, breathing heavily. "Who… are you calling… fragile?" He looked at Jitsuko with irritation before a tired, playful smile broke out on his face.
She returned his gaze, brows raised in surprise before chuckling in adoration for her best friend's strong resiliency, returning his gleam with her own softer one.
With a tug, the soiled bandages separated from his skin, and Jitsuko discarded them with one hand while picking up a rag and rubbing alcohol with the other. She quietly dabbed the liquid into the cloth and offered Obito a sympathetic look, one that told him, 'this is going to hurt,' before setting it on his exposed skin. Obito winced, his eyebrows furrowing in immense pain; her facial expression subconsciously mimicked his as she lifted her other hand to his chin and directed his attention to her face.
"Just try to look at me… if that helps you, okay?" Jitsuko cooed softly and rubbed the dried blood off his chest in gentle circles.
Looking at her face helped Obito more than she could ever imagine. As he gazed up at her, his dark, onyx eyes seemed to cloud over, and his breathing became less labored.
Soon the pain from the alcohol subsided and she instructed Obito to lift his arms so she could apply fresh new gauze to his chest.
The two of them sat in a strange silence. He could tell that something was on Jitsuko's mind just by looking at her. Her attention shifted from his chest up to his eyes for an instant before it returned to her work.
"You know what I'm wanting to say, don't you?"
"I have… a few ideas…" he muttered sheepishly.
Jitsuko finally exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. "I can't believe you would go this far for me. To tell you the truth, it's almost infuriating that you would sacrifice this much. I came this close to losing you. You almost died, because of me." Her grip on the wrappings got tighter as she continued to sheathe Obito's cut delicately.
"I never felt… so scared, Obito."
Obito let out a light chuckle. "I know the feeling…"
At that, Jitsuko let a small grin escape her lips, yet no words passed through them. She permitted another hushed moment, welcoming it this time, before breaking it again.
"Just promise me that you'll never do anything like that again."
"I can't."
Jitsuko paused the wrapping for a moment and allowed her focus to return to Obito's face, her stern look instantly melting away from the warmth radiating off his soft expression. That powerful feeling of self-sacrifice, no matter the cost, truly was mutual. She let her tiny smirk morph into a contented smile.
"I know."
With a firm tug, Jitsuko secured his bandages and let Obito finally stretch out his muscles. Watching him unwind prompted her to start subconsciously stretching her muscles too, when she let out a pained hiss from the sudden stinging in her torso. She was so preoccupied with Obito that she neglected the discomfort in her own chest.
Obito watched Jitsuko's pained face with concern before his eyes descended to her torso. Her bandages were even grimier than his was; now there was a patch where the dark color looked fresher than the rest.
"Jitsuko," he expressed with light agitation in his voice. "If you've been tending to me this whole time, then who's been tending to you?"
She paused in thought. "K-Kakashi's checked up on me here and there…"
"And he didn't think to help you change your bandages?"
A small blush formed on Jitsuko's cheeks. "W-well… he was probably scared to… since, you know," she trailed off as she modestly gestured around her feminine chest.
Now it was Obito's turn to shoot her a stern look. "That shouldn't matter at a time like this! You can't leave dirty bandages on like that. Turn around, I'll switch them out."
Before Jitsuko could protest, his hands pressed on her arms and guided her to turn around with her back facing him. The thin and ragged gauze began unraveling by Obito's discretion, and soon the chilly morning air grazed her exposed upper body. Jitsuko's light blush morphed into a stinging feverish one, and she grew anxious about someone choosing to walk in at this very moment. This was an entirely different experience for her, and it was new for Obito as well. He had patched her up in the past, but never with an injury as serious as this one, and not in such a personal place, either.
Obito paused; his hesitance only fueled Jitsuko's rising uneasiness.
"I forgot that I… need to clean it." The bashful tone in his voice was contagious and the two of them sat there in awkward silence trying to determine how to go about this.
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, you're really hurt, too. You shouldn't have to do this, Obito."
Obito's nerves got the best of him, and he seriously contemplated her opposition, but then he peered down at his own fresh gauze and what she did to help him. A serious look soon replaced his embarrassed one.
"Hand me that rag."
There's no turning back now, I guess.
Jitsuko passed Obito the cloth she used to wipe his wound, and he folded it to use the portions that remained untouched from dried blood. The two of them had no choice but to use the same rag; the squad truly was unprepared and the scarce medical supplies unpleasantly reflected that.
"Could you… turn around…?"
"I'm working on it." Jitsuko needed to calm the blistering heat in her cheeks first.
She inhaled deeply through her nose, ignoring the sharp twinge it sent to her injured chest. She then closed her eyes tightly and tried to keep her mouth closed in a straight line as her body finally turned to face her best friend. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, physically and mentally unable to look at him as she felt the cold dampness of the rag on her bare chest followed by an unspeakable sting that overwhelmed her senses.
Obito remained quiet. Whether it was because he was concentrating or trying not to lose his composure, she wasn't sure. He brushed the rag daintily over her chest to remove the smeared blood engraved into her skin. Jitsuko's head cocked to the side when she finally peeked her eyes open to stare at the tent's fabric flapping from the steady wind outside while Obito tended to her wound with meticulous sensitivity resembling how she had treated his.
Eventually, Jitsuko felt the comfort of material against her chest again and she lifted her arms to allow Obito easier access while adamantly continuing to avoid his direction. With trembling hands, he tethered fresh gauze around her for only a few more moments before the sensation abruptly paused. Jitsuko's eyebrows knitted in confusion as she finally tilted her head toward Obito to relay her silent puzzlement to why he stopped so soon.
The moment the two made eye contact, Obito's dark eyes averted to the ground in clear discomfort. The fervent blush stained his cheeks long before Jitsuko decided to look his way.
Bashfulness was so unlike him. She tried hard not to feel guilty about putting him in this situation, but she, of course, failed miserably. Jitsuko inspected Obito's work and to her surprise found that he'd only had enough bandaging to wrap around her torso four times, just barely enough to cover her chest, let alone sustain a vital injury.
"There isn't any more," Obito murmured as his onyx eyes returned to Jitsuko, his face communicated to her that he was sorry. He was so, so sorry.
Anxiety gnawed Jitsuko's heart as she thought about traveling home in this condition, but it was certainly safer than leaving with an uncleaned lesion. Who knew what sort of infection she could have contracted, if it weren't for him.
"Obito. Thank you," she regarded with such fondness in her voice that it caught Obito off guard. He was sure that she would be so distressed by being forced to leave like this, but she was always so compassionate toward him and put his needs above her own; he shouldn't have been surprised that he was met with gratitude instead of apprehension. Jitsuko's reaction filled Obito's heart with a warm and pleasant satisfaction.
The air was still while the two of them observed each other quietly. Jitsuko carefully studied the emotions visible through his onyx eyes. She loved that particular attribute of the Uchiha clan. His unique charcoal eyes, as if they were designed to reflect the fiery, smoldering passion held in Obito's soul. She thought that she could always tell how he was feeling just by looking into those expressive eyes, but she never would have guessed how he truly felt about her. Everything felt so transparent now. Her feelings for him. His feelings for her.
Obito saw it too. Encased in Jitsuko's eyes was a spark that only shined when she looked at him. It took him so long to spot that profound glimmer in her eyes. He wondered if it was the same spark that resided in his soul.
So many times, Obito wished the courage he'd get on the battlefield would present itself and give him the confidence he needed to finally express his deep feelings for her - to finally confess, but he didn't know how. He wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know.
Jitsuko pulled Obito out of his thoughts when she slowly leaned closer to him. His eyes widened and he instinctively began to lean backward to maintain space between them, but something inside ordered him to stop.
A unique swelling overtook his heart that replaced the pain in his chest when Obito felt the warmth of Jitsuko's lips connect with his. Obito's breath hitched as he struggled with the conflicting emotions rising inside of him. A hybrid of passion and euphoria wrestled with his fears and anxiety, and it clearly showed in his body language. His entire body grew rigid. His lips trembled. She could sense how utterly taken aback he was by her bold move.
As if on instinct, Jitsuko's hand reached to brush against his cheek and stroked his face in the hopes of calming him, soothing him while guiding the kiss. Her actions were rewarded when his shocked eyes slowly eased, then closed as he began melting into the kiss, and he eagerly returned her intimate feelings through a wordless embrace.
Obito's body relaxed more and subconsciously began leaning closer to hers as if seeking further comfort and reassurance from her touch. Jitsuko was pleased when she felt the tension slowly escape his body, and she was pleasantly surprised that her tender actions and the responses elicited from them were soothing her own body and mind as well. It was a beautiful feeling. Her lips were soothing Obito. Shushing him gently, allowing him, and encouraging him to surrender.
For years, she and Obito concealed their feelings for each other, and all of those pent-up emotions finally unleased as they outwardly affirmed all the repressed mutual sentimentality that had tensely gripped their hearts for the longest time. The gentle unspoken communication told them everything. Their missions together, helping to improve each other's skills, eating together, the late night strolls around the village, all those nights spent stargazing. Every moment spent together was worth the sacrifices they made for each other.
Upon that recognition, their voiceless declaration deepened; the blossoming sensations in both their chests overrode the identical wounds around their hearts.
"Ahem."
Jitsuko and Obito snapped their eyes open and gasped in terror as they twisted their bodies around to face the poor soul who walked in on the two. Kakashi stood by the entrance, his shadow blanketed over their tense forms. He scrutinized their flustered faces, ignoring the sheen of fresh saliva that coated both their chins; when he noticed the indecency that was Jitsuko's poorly bandaged chest. Both of Kakashi's eyebrows raised and his lower eyelids squinted in a mix of surprise and awkwardness, and perhaps even an inkling of mortification as the three of them gaped at each other in the excruciatingly unpleasant silence.
"I just… wanted to come by and tell you it's time to pack up. Glad to see you're okay, Obito. Jitsuko was really worried about you." Kakashi purposefully ended the conversation on her to divert the attention off him as he uncomfortably vacated the tent. He had the utmost relief that his teammate woke up in time, but he also underwent severe secondhand embarrassment that permeated the rest of his emotional capacity. He had to get out of there.
Jitsuko's attention turned back to Obito and she was surprised to see that the color of his eyes was a deep red from unintentionally activating his Sharingan, and she wondered if it was from the heat of passion or from the shock of Kakashi 'catching' them. It was an identical hue to the flushed color of his entire face – especially around his cheekbones. Obito was breathing heavily, likely dizzy from the sudden acceleration of his heartrate that disrupted his weakened blood flow. She helped Obito into calming down, ignoring the unsteadiness present in her own body; and soon after the squad departed for home, with her giddy best friend in tow.
Questions began invading Jitsuko's thoughts midway through the trip home, and she switched her focus to each one just as often as her teammates took shifts carrying her weakened figure back to the village.
Why did Minato-sensei decide to send me, an Earth Style user, out against the Cloud? The message he sent specifically requested me to go. Why me? I didn't think we would actually face off against them, either. How could I forget that Earth is weak to Lightning, anyway? I've only seen the show countless times, after all!
Jitsuko sighed at her carelessness.
With that said, I don't recall anything like that battle ever being mentioned in the show. Not even once. So, why? Why did the Cloud attack? And why did the Hokage send me out on the frontlines? He knows my chakra nature. It just doesn't make sense! Minato-sensei would never… would he?
Jitsuko's eyes narrowed in concentration over these thoughts, but something prompted her to glance over at her best friend who was a short distance away. A comrade was carrying him as well, despite Obito stubbornly refusing the help at first, only to begrudgingly accept once he took two steps out of the tent before falling flat on his face. She smiled adoringly at the color returning to his face as he rested peacefully in their teammate's arms. She then shut her own eyes contently and reveled in the feelings expressed between each other at the pond and in the tent, her smile never leaving her for the rest of the way home.
