Summary: "You're going after a dragon," Kakashi states, deadpan. The other man is lounging on Obito's cot, unbothered by the chaotic state Obito is leaving his house in. "You're going after a dragon with a dagger and a handful of moose jerky."
"It's not moose jerky," Obito tells him, pointedly focusing on the least important part of Kakashi's rebuke. "It's seal jerky." MadaObi fantasy AU
Me, groaning loudly: why is this like 11k? who asked for this?
this is my akatsuki gift exchange present for Twisted. First off, I tried so hard to make it a bit spooky, as per the prompt, but as soon as I saw you also like fantasy, my brain went DRAGONS AU! I have never in my life written a fantasy AU, so I apologize if this is not as good as it could've been.
I added in a touch of Kisame/Itachi and Sasori/Orochimaru, simply because you like them, and I could.
Please enjoy and have a happy holiday! not beta read dont come at me
the one who was burnt
"You're going to get yourself killed," Kakashi tells him as Obito throws the strap of his satchel over his shoulder, tightening it carefully, wary of the old strap ripping if he handles it without enough care.
"I'll be fine," Obito says as he rolls his eyes, flipping his bag open and eyeing the contents inside. His money pouch is buried at the bottom, hidden under a rolled-up stack of torch runes, and a small jar of fresh healing salve, courtesy of the absent Rin. He has a small sewing kit, in case his only outfit-the one he's currently wearing-rips, as well as a fresh bandage roll. A small dagger, a gift from Kakashi, is strapped to his hip, hidden by the dark cloak he's wearing. He has several strips of dried jerky tucked into the side pocket of his satchel, his full canteen resting in the pocket opposite of it.
He could be more prepared, but he supposes that this is the best he will be able to do.
"You're going after a dragon," Kakashi states, deadpan. The other man is lounging on Obito's cot, unbothered by the chaotic state Obito is leaving his house in. "You're going after a dragon with a dagger and a handful of moose jerky."
"It's not moose jerky," Obito tells him, pointedly focusing on the least important part of Kakashi's rebuke. "It's seal jerky."
There's a long pause where Kakashi says nothing, so Obito takes the time to move in front of a mirror, eyeing his appearance. His hair has grown out since he arrived at this village. He had been bald when Rin and Kakashi had stumbled upon him out in the woods, battered and bruised, the flesh on the right side of his body covered in slightly-healed burn marks. He's healed amazingly well afterwards, almost too well really, the scars still present but not nearly as nasty as they should be.
"Where did you get seal jerky?" Kakashi finally breaks the silence, giving Obito an odd look.
"Kisame was in the market yesterday," Obito tells him, his lip twitching at the way Kakashi's faced scrunched up at the mention of the odd-looking man.
"He's blue," Kakashi had stated dumbly when their little group had wandered into the market the first time together, spotting the fishmonger and his stall. "Why is he blue?"
"Clearly he has a skin condition," Obito had answered, smirking slightly when Rin coughed at his comment, the brunette's cheeks flushing as she tried to hide her amusement.
"His teeth are pointy," Kakashi stressed, hissing at Rin when the woman had softly slapped his shoulder, trying to get him to be quiet.
"I have gills too," Kisame had informed them, somehow hearing Kakashi's hissed comments over the bustle of the busy market.
"They're lovely," Obito had responded with enthusiasm, returning Kisame's grin as he happily paid the man for a ridiculously large kurodai, quickly depositing the ice-cold fish into Kakashi's unsuspecting arms.
"How did you get such a big one?" Rin had asked, curious about the absurd size of the sea bream that is usually only slightly larger than a grown man's hand.
"Why does it have bite marks?" Kakashi had asked incredulously, his question sounding much more urgent than Rin's idle one.
Kisame had grinned, pointed teeth on display, then shrugged, replying, "It's mostly luck."
Since then, Obito and Rin have made it a point to visit the blue man, enjoying watching Kakashi struggle with keeping himself from making any other disparaging comments about the obviously-not-fully-human fishmonger.
"I hate him," Kakashi moans from his bed, flipping onto his back to cover even more of Obito's rickety cot.
"You just hate that you don't know what he is," Obito couldn't help but tease him, smiling slightly at Kakashi's exaggerated groan of annoyance. As long as Obito has known the silver-haired man, he's been unnervingly lucky at figuring out when someone isn't fully human. Most people make an effort to hide their creature-like features when in human settlements, the fear from the Burnings still prevalent even with the new protection laws the kingdom had put into place over a decade ago. Kisame, of course, makes no attempt whatsoever to hide his supernatural features, bucking that particular stereotype to the side without even sweating. He's quite obviously some type of seafaring half-breed, but Kakashi has yet to pin down what exactly that breed is.
It's hilarious.
"You and Rin are no help," Kakashi complains, finally sitting up to give Obito a half-hearted glare. "She refuses to bounce around ideas with me and you keeping feeding my false information."
Obito snorts at the accusation, shrugging at Kakashi's disgruntled words. It was true; he and Rin would visit without Kakashi if the man was at work, Rin pointedly not asking questions while Obito did, only to tell Kakashi the complete opposite once he saw the man later on. Kisame seems to get a kick out of it, so Obito continues to do it with no regrets whatsoever.
There's a moment of silence once their teasing stops, the crisp air outside gently curling in from the window above Obito's cot. Obito takes one more look at the mirror in front of him, a sense of unease threatening to overwhelm him. He realizes that what he's doing might be stupid; Kakashi certainly has told him over and over that his journey to find a dragon is stupid, but he has to find the dragon.
"Walking is also stupid," Kakashi finally speaks up once more, sitting up to frown slightly at Obito. The bottom half of Kakashi's face is covered, as per his Creed, but Obito can sense his discontent, the way his eyebrows scrunch together physically showing how upset he feels.
"I don't have the money for a horse," Obito reminds him.
"I can lend you some money! Rin would totally help too, Obito," Kakashi insists, heaving himself up and crossing his arms in agitation.
"I don't want your money," Obito says, his lips twitching at the sentence, a voice in his head laughing slightly at the ridiculous sentence. He shuts the thought down quickly, unwilling to let himself go there when in Kakashi's company.
"What about a mule? Stubborn as they are, you'll have plenty in common," Kakashi snarks back, unsatisfied with Obito's instant rejection.
Obito laughs, snickering at Kakashi's comment, shaking his head as he leaves his rooms for what might be the last time. Kakashi shuffles after him, groaning out loud at Obito's silent refusal. Kakashi follows him all the way around his small shack to the back, grumbling to himself as Obito climbs the stairs to the larger cabin located there. Obito knocks, grinning when he sees a blonde head pop out of the door.
"Obito!" Minato greets cheerfully. "All packed up?"
"Getting ready to head off into the unknown," Obito agrees, not even wincing when the sharp cry of an infant goes off from somewhere behind Minato.
Minato, however, does, the soft ginger ears on the top of his head swiveling down at the piercing sound. He doesn't always leave them visible, especially when making announcements to the village, but he's never bothered to hide his heritage when in his own home. "Sorry about that," Minato apologizes, his smile embarrassed as he takes the key dangling from Obito's fingers. "Naruto is teething and Kushina is currently on guard duty. It's like the only thing he can teeth on without crying is her tail."
"Teething?" Obvious asks, confused.
"Naruto was messing around with Kushina's rune scrolls again and accidentally turned himself into a kit. He ages a year every three days," Minato sounds harried as he explains. "Sorry if his crying was keeping you up."
Obito shrugs him off, chuckling at the image that invokes; Kushina, unlike Minato, is rarely subtle with her heritage. Her bright red hair and dark red ears and tail give away her status immediately to those who know what a kitsune half-breed looks like. "It's fine. He never bothered me. It certainly sounds like something your kid would do. I just wanted to give you your key back and thank you for letting me stay."
Minato's harried expression transforms, a kindness in his eyes tugging at something in Obito's chest. "It was really no trouble at all. I know you have to go, I've always known, but I want you to know that if you ever want to come back, that hut will always be yours."
Obito hates how emotional he can be, how easily he cries, but he doesn't regret the tears that quickly form at Minato's declaration, willingly allowing himself to step forward and fall into the arms that had opened in an unspoken invitation. He stays there for a moment, just basking in the affection, before withdrawing when he hears Kakashi awkwardly cough behind him, a small smirk on his face at the man's discomfort. His Creed isn't anti-affection or anything, but physical contact made in public always makes him squirm.
"I'd love to take you up on that offer," Obito tells Minato as he takes his leave, pointedly not promising to return.
After all, who knows if he'll even survive the journey ahead.
"I thought you told your friends that you were heading north?"
"I didn't want them to worry about me. North means bigger villages, civilization. I need to go away from that."
"Southward is seaward," Kisame states, raising an eyebrow.
"I know," Obito responds, meeting his gaze head-on.
"Ah," Kisame cackles, his thin lips pulling back to show off the glint of his sharp teeth. "You want me to ferry you around."
"I don't have much money," Obito reveals, shrugging as nonchalantly as he can manage. The decision to leave with so little money was a hard one, but when he first saw Kisame at the market, obviously a half-breed, he knew that this could be his one-shot to get where he needs to go. "What I do have is a Debt."
Kisame's eyebrows fly up, his gaze sharpening intensely as he takes Obito's appearance in. He wouldn't find the creature inheritance he was looking for, not when Obito is hiding so completely within the village. "Prove it," Kisame snorts, watching him closely for any signs of trickery.
Fair enough, Obito thinks, taking in a deep breath. Debts are never loosely taken, nor are they given to those without thought. Debts, for those of creature pedigree, could be servitude for life if one is not careful, or even death if one does not complete their Debted oath. Unfortunately, Obito is just desperate enough that all fo that matters little to him. He would give a hundred Debts to just as many people if it meant he got to where he needs to go. "I swear, under oath and Debt, that should Kisame agree to take me to the Island of Zetsubō, located in the Swirling Sea, I will be in his Debt, to be fulfilled on his terms." Obito swallows at the last part, knowing damn well what he is agreeing to. The journey to Zetsubō is not an easy one, more than one ship has gone down in the Swirling Sea trying to reach the island, but for one single journey, he is practically pledging his servitude. Obito could jump in front of a bolt for Kisame and almost die and the other man could very well still decide that that wasn't enough to fulfill the Debt.
Kisame watches him, looking at him with a predator's gaze before he meets Obito's eyes. A dangerous thing to do, but Kisame doesn't know that. Finally the half-breed grins at him, a cocky edge to his smirk. "I accept your oath and Debt, creature."
Obito feels the shift in his chest, the subtle magic that had been building between them finally solidifying into the bond of Debt.
He can only hope that when the time comes, and he finally goes off in search of the dragon, he does not come to regret this choice.
Obito finds Kisame in the same out-of-the-way alley he had cornered him all those weeks ago. He is nonchalantly leaning against the wooden wall beside him, eyeing Obito up and down as he approaches him.
"You've told your pup and his mate goodbye then?" Kisame asks, smirking slightly.
"Kakashi isn't a pup," Obito snorts slightly, shaking his head. Granted, Kakashi's Creed's symbol and patron were of a massive hound. "And according to his soon-to-be mothers-in-law, until Kakashi offers one of them a wreath, Rin is not to be romantically involved with him."
Kisame raises shoots him a disbelieving look, clearly remembering the two gazing at each other during their market trips. Obito can only shrug in response as he follows the man out of the alley and into the woods that surround the village. The trip to the wide river that cuts through the woods isn't long, both of them breaching the tree line at the same time. Kisame immediately heads towards a vessel docked by an old pier, Obito a step behind him. The boat isn't as large as some of the vessels Obito has seen in fishing communities, but it's large enough that Obito can see three or four people living comfortably on board.
"What's she called?" Obito asks curiously, not bothered when Kisame doesn't offer to help him board the boat.
"Akatsuki," Kisame states as he makes for the sails. Obito watches him idly, taking a second to glance at the river in front of them. He doesn't know much about boating or sailing; Obito has always been the type for the land and air; the sea was never his forte. It seems almost fitting that in order to find his dragon, he had to traverse the one environment that made his journey a difficult one.
Before long, Obito feels the boat lurch, his stomach moving along with it, as the boat leaves the pier and starts moving along down the river. Obito watches as the ship picks up slightly, the runes carved onto the railings of the ship glowing slightly as they travel faster than the current wind currents should be carrying them. Obito eyes the runes, several of them familiar before he is distracted by Kisame approaching him, the blue man gesturing for Obito to follow him.
"Your room is the one back there," Kisame points toward the back of the small hall, Obito's eyes falling on a door that is opened slightly. "We'll need to make at least one stop before heading out into open waters."
"Where will we be stopping?" Obito asks, shuffling past a stationary Kisame to check out the rooms on offer.
"Umihebi Village," Kisame replies, glancing up the stairs at the open-air above them. One of the runes that Obito saw and recognized were navigation-based, symbols meant to help steer ships away from possible wrecks. It seems even with a magical guarantee that they would be sailing smoothly down the river, Kisame is uneasy with not being above deck.
"Why Umihebi?" Obito asks, turning back to the small room before him.
"I need some woodworking tools and runes. I know a guy that lives there that sells them," Kisame finishes explaining before he leaves without another word, returning up the stairs.
Obito hums to himself, wondering. Umihebi is a fairly popular stop along the river, though it does have a more sinister vibe than the Matsunoki Hamlet has. Umihebi not only has a large fishing community, but it also has several practitioners of a more delicate magic living within the village walls.
Witches were always an interesting breed.
Kisame, in an odd twist, docks his ship and then simply stays on deck, staring out at the village with seeming boredom. Obito says nothing of the oddity, simply standing next to the quiet man as he watches the crowd bustling around on the port. One moment the crowd is a constant swell of activity and the next there is a split as a shrowded figure makes its way through. The people don't seem to notice that they are making room for the figure, simply moving around them like they are water to the figure's unmoving rock.
The person is revealed to be a man with red hair and a hazy look in his eyes, his dark purple shroud almost glowing in the sun. His appearance is not subtle, and yet no one seems to take much note of him, their eyes slipping away from him without a second thought.
Obito's instincts rear up instantly, a whispered hiss in the back of his head screeching witch.
Witches are a complicated breed of creatures. Human, yet not. They are not the traditional idea of what one would call a creature or even a half-breed. They do not hold creature magic, not like Kisame does. Not even like Obito does. No, they are fully human and yet...
There are many kinds of witches. Not all of them practice one area of magic. Some are more talented with magic pertaining to water or fire, some with plants or rock. Some are better versed with light energy. Even standing away from them, watching them from his spot on the deck, Obito can sense the sickly sweet tendrils of life magic on the witch. When considering the magics of life and death, people of old used to fear the darker death magic and its rancid feel. Obito gets it; the magic is tainted when not practiced properly, as death magic is supposed to be used for ritual sacrifices and ghostly rites. Life magic, however, with its deceptively sweet language, was far deadlier. Life magic imbued life into things, even when there shouldn't be any. Obito has only seen the results of rogue life magic once in his life, but he remembers the fear that had overtaken him at the creature that had formed. The yellow glow of its eyes as its green tendrils whirled around in the air, reaching and reaching, hungry only for the life that was sustaining it. The way Obito had thought it was under control until it turned away from those it was hunting and turned to face him, a sickly grin on its white and black face.
Obito fights a shiver and looks away from the man, only moving once Kisame departs the ship to approach the witch.
"Sasori," Kisame greets with a sharp grin. "How's your partner?"
"Vile, as usual," Sasori responds dully, his attention never once straying to Obito. "He wishes to speak with you."
"About what?" Kisame asks, glancing over at Obito once before meeting Sasori's eyes once more.
"He found something that could help Itachi," Sasori states simply, turning away from them and heading back into the crowd. Kisame immediately follows after him, unaware of how tense Obito has become.
Itachi? Obito wonders, frozen as he watches the two walk away from him. He stays stuck in place for a moment longer, mind working in overtime, before he finally forces himself forward, walking quickly to catch up with the two. Obito tries his hardest to not think about the Itachi he once knew, the young fledgling who fled his own clan when faced with an impossible decision all those decades ago. Their kind ages slowly and Obito can only imagine what the fledgling would look like as a young adult.
It can't be him, Obito reminds himself, shaking the hope away from his heart. Obito knows there are few of them left, full-blooded as they are. The likelihood a fledgling as wary of violence as Itachi survived fleeing his clan and its protective magic is not high. The Itachi Obito knew is probably long gone by now.
Obito feels the whimper that wants to escape his throat and he forces himself to pay attention to his companions, warily taking in the building they were fast approaching.
The shop is in an out-of-the-way corner of the busy village, three alley streets off from the main road of the village. The sign above the door says Sasori's Puppetorium and the large window to the right of the door sports several creepy looking puppets. They're all, to Obito's discomfort, large enough to be human-sized. The closest puppet to the door has dark blue hair and narrow yellow eyes, its hinged jaw opened slightly as it stares unnervingly out into the alley. The one beside it, prominently displayed in the middle on a higher platform, is a hunched figure with an oddly sharp-looking hairstyle that more closely resembles weapons than hair. There's a long, scorpion-like tail peeking out from underneath the puppet's black cloak. To the puppet's right are a pair of puppets curled together, their eyes glancing down at the empty space between them. Obito glances at their faces, their features heavily resembling the witch's, and he quickly looks away, deciding that he would simply not look too closely at any of the puppets that might be in the shop if those were the ones Sasori decided to show to the public.
The inside of the shop is actually a bit warmer than the cold exterior, strategically positioned candle runes lighting the area with a warm glow. There aren't any puppets on display on the inside, something Obito finds he's rather grateful for. Sasori escorts them behind the counter and motions them to follow him farther behind a tan curtain. Obito distinctly does not want to go anywhere, but Kisame enters without hesitating, and as he is currently in Kisame's Debt, he follows the half-breed without a word of protest.
Behind the curtain is a room that is much darker than the lit shop front, only two candle runes gracing the walls, as well as a single real candle lighting the table and its single occupant. The man's short white hair glowed slightly thanks to the black candle's purple flame, his entire body wrapped in bandages except for the right eye left revealed, just as purple as the flame before him.
"Orochimaru," Kisame greets, taking a seat across from the man, not bothering to wait for an invitation. He glances up at Obito and inclines his head to the seat next to him. Uncertain on what other options there were, Obito reluctantly takes the seat.
The man across from him watches him, his eyes narrowing onto Obito's face. He isn't a witch, though he feels just as strongly corrupted by life magic as the witch does; perhaps even more, Obito thinks, the vile feeling growing stronger the longer Obito is in his presence. Witches feel human, but not. This man, though maybe Obito should use a different term, feels nothing like a human does. Nor does he feel like a half-breed. Obito shifts in his seat, not meeting the being's eye.
No reason to take any chances.
"Kisame," the being hisses out, his voice a husky whisper. "How fairs your companion?"
"He's getting worse," Kisame grunts, a scowl forming on his face. "He's no longer able to gain consciousness; his magic continues to slowly erode."
"Hm," the being hums, awkwardly moving his bandaged arm to run his fingers along the purple flame in front of him. "Nothing I gave you has helped?"
"No," Kisame grunts in reply.
"My way is still an option," Sasori adds as he sets a cup of steaming tea in front of Kisame. Obito doesn't get one, but he finds that he's thankful for the slight. One doesn't take drinks from random witches they don't know.
"I don't want Itachi to be confined to living life as a puppet," Kisame grunts, gripping the tea in his hand without taking a drink. "I've told you a dozen times, Orochimaru, that that isn't an option."
"That may be your only option left," Orochimaru states bluntly as Sasori takes a seat next to him. The chair groans as Sasori sits and usually, Obito wouldn't take notice of something so innocuous, but Kisame weighs far more than Sasori looks like he does, and the chair never so much as creaked under his weight. Obito's mind flashes to Orochimaru's words, the idea of living life as a puppet, and he feels his face lose its color, struggling not to look at Sasori.
The puppets located in the window of the shop are suddenly more horrifying than just simply creepy.
"Who is your friend?" Orochimaru asks, breaking away from the tense conversation.
"I'm taking him to Zetsubō," Kisame explains, allowing the change in topic.
"And whyever do you want to go there?" Orochimaru asks, finally pulling his hand away from the dancing flame.
"I'm looking for a dragon," Obito answers after a moment of silence.
"Odd way to pass the time, but we all have our hobbies," Orochimaru states after staring at him, Sasori snorted immediately after Orochimaru finishes. Orochimaru turns to look at him, but his entire body flinches with the movement, his visible eye crinkling with pain. Sasori's hand reaches out, almost touching him before he stops, the redhead hesitating at the last second. Obito sees a clear segment on Sasori's arm, a line that looks eerily like something one would see in woodwork, and he looks away, ignoring another clue to the implications he had just realized earlier.
"I see you haven't had any luck on your end either?" Kisame asks after a moment, frowning with something similar to concern as he watches the bandaged being.
"The curse continues to spread," Sasori answers for Orochimaru, a scowl on his face. "We've tried thousands of rituals. Hundreds of healing potions. Nothing is hot enough to burn the seal away."
"Burn the seal?" Obito asks before he can stop himself.
Sasori turns to him, a dark look in his eyes, but Orochimaru cautiously raises a hand and waves his suspicion away, meeting Obito's curious gaze.
"As a practitioner of life magic, I have made many enemies in my life. It seems that one has grown powerful enough to curse me with something even I can't cure: Kōri sickness."
Obito grimaces, pity immediately eating away at him. Kōri sickness is a formidable disease indeed; a death curse that is borderline illegal, as it uses the body's own water content to slowly freeze the victim. It starts in the extremities, fingertips and toes slowly succumbing to a magical version of frostbite. It takes serious fire and healing magic to cure a patient, the kind of magic that not everyone had access to.
The kind of magic that Obito has only seen performed one other time.
His scars, briefly, burn.
"Have you spoken with someone who directly lived through the Burnings?" Obito asks. "Fire and ice burns differently, that's true, but there were several healers that worked miracles on burn victims."
"Thank you for the suggestion, but we've tried that," Orochimaru responds, his voice growing tight with restrained pain as his body tenses again, clearly fighting a spasm.
Obito watches the being, feeling his magic as best as he could without actually revealing himself. The man is a user of life magic, clearly corrupted by it, yet Obito does not find himself as adversely reviled by him as he is his witch companion. The magic he holds is not light, per se, but there is a natural edge to his practice that human practitioners do not hold. Obito finds that he can't figure out what kind of creature Orochimaru is, especially with how covered he is. Pain radiates from him, the sole feeling that keeps Obito from digging deeper into his magic. He debates with himself, struggling, but he finds that his time spent with Kakashi and Rin has left him with a softer heart than he once had.
Reaching into his bag, he finds the simple healing salve Rin gave him before he left, his fingers tingling as he lets just a bit of his own magic breach the tight walls he has surrounding his being. Purple flashes along his fingers, a lighter tone than the characteristic one of life magic. It swirls like flames around his fingertips and soaks itself into the jar of salve, disappearing as the salve and jar heat up significantly. Obito pulls it out, acting as if he has just found it, and he slides it across the table to Sasori, knowing it would be much easier for the man to grab it.
"It's not much, but it uses a special flower cultivated in the summertime," Obito lies off-handedly, making it up as he goes. "A family secret, or so I'm told. Maybe try it before going to bed at night; who knows, it might help alleviate the pain."
Orochimaru tilts his head ever so slightly before giving him a small nod, his eye and body relaxing as the spasm of pain slowly dissipates for the time being. "I thank you for your gift. What exactly do you want in return?"
Obito shrugs, offering an impish grin. "I'll get back to you."
Orochimaru stares for a moment longer before exchanging a glance with Sasori, the redhead taking the jar and tucking it into his robes.
"The only new information we have for you, Kisame, is a brief passage in an old text," Orochimaru turns back to Obito's companion, continuing the previous conversation without missing a beat. "It was written by an Elder being who simply stated that 'It takes a spark to ignite a flame.'"
Kisame looks grim at the news, a resigned twist to his mouth as he hunches forward slightly. "Itachi's kind were all but wiped out in the Burnings."
Obito flinches slightly, grimacing. Many breeds and creatures were left close to extinct during the decade that the Burnings lasted. The worse period of the Hunt in existence, the Burnings allowed regular humans to finally accept that creatures were victims and not the monsters that Hunters continued to say they were. With the Burnings over and the Hunters gone, many creatures struggled to find others of their kind, half-breeds becoming more and more common.
Obito's own lineage is almost completely gone thanks to the destruction of that single decade of slaughter.
"That is all I could find," Orochimaru offers an apology. "Please think about Sasori's offer, as it may be Itachi's only hope."
Kisame and he left soon after, Sasori escorting them out before flipping the closed sign back to open. The sun has passed the high point, the late afternoon soon approaching. Obito stays silent until they reach the boat, a burning question escaping his tongue before he can stop himself.
"Who's Itachi?"
Kisame pauses, his hands clutched tightly around a rope. He glances back at Obito, silently watching him before he heaves a sigh and pulls the rope tighter, twisting it around a hook. "Itachi is my partner. We met a little over a decade ago. He helped me out of a bad spot and refused to take a Debt of gratitude."
"That was kind of him," Obito says cautiously, watching the way Kisame grows sadder at his comment.
"Itachi can have a cruel streak if he really sets his mind to it, but at the bottom of his heart, he's a kind man. He started having trouble breathing a few years ago, the subtle loss of his magic becoming evident as he grew sicker. He's currently unable to wake up."
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Obito asks, a pain in his chest. Kisame's Itachi surely wasn't his Itachi, but he could picture the young fledgling he once knew gasping a wheezing breath as he laid in bed, lost to everything going on around him.
"He grew heartsick," Kisame explains, his voice gaining an oddly mourning ring. His voice, usually rather deep, lilted slightly in a way that Obito vague associated with sirens. The more emotion behind a siren's song, the deadlier it was. Obito didn't think that Kisame was of the siren breed, but he could be related to the deadly singers. "Cut off from his family's magic, he didn't have anyone to help prop him up."
Obito decides not to bother Kisame with any further questions, able to see the effect they were having on the man. It looked to Obito like Itachi wasn't the only one that was succumbing to a case of heartsickness.
They reach the open water and are sailing for only an hour when a storm falls upon them. First, the wind picks up, the sails snapping harshly overhead. The waves grow from gentle to choppy soon after, the boat rocking from side to side. A slow rain starts up next, brought in by the high-speed winds. The harsher the wind grows, the higher the waves become, the jerking motion of the ship knocking Obito around. He's unaccustomed to sea travel and he feels unmoored as they crest over a wave and land on the other side, chilly water splashing at his body and leaving him chilled.
"Go below deck," Kisame tells him, growling as he fights with the sails. "I can't keep track of you and keep the ship afloat. There are a couple of flotation runes in the closet across from my room; grab one and put it on just in case this takes a turn."
Obito is only too glad to escape below deck where the sight of the cresting waves is hidden from him. He knows that Kisame's room is almost directly by the stairs, but the two doors look identical and Kisame never bothered to point out which one was the other bedroom. Knocked harshly against the wall by the ship jerking, Obito thinks Screw it, and opens the door he has been pushed against.
He grimaces as he pushes the door closed behind him, instantly knowing that this wasn't the closet, but wanting to escape the cold, wet air, even if just for a moment. He shivers as he glances around, a choked-off gasp leaving his lips as he lays eyes upon the inert figure tucked into the bed in front of him.
Black hair frames the figure's face, pronounced tear-troughs on display against pale, sickly skin. The figure is sweating underneath the covers, their long black hair matted against their forehead and framing their face. Their face is a familiar one, similar enough to Fugaku in his younger adult years that Obito instantly recognizes Kisame's Itachi for his own.
"Itachi," Obito whispers, scrambling closer to his cousin's prone form.
It's been years since Obito has seen him, and yet his flickering magic feels the same. It takes until Obito is kneeling at his side, ear pressed against Itachi's blanket-covered chest, for him to feel the flickering spark inside him. It feels poisoned, the spark aching from the connections lost all those years ago.
Obito looks at Itachi's face once more and mourns that their clan's traditions have turned one of their brightest into such a pitiable state.
"Itachi shouldn't be forced to fight!" Obito insists, snarling at a grim-faced Fugaku.
"It is our clan tradition. Once both heirs are of age, they must fight until the stronger of the two is left standing. It is the only way to ensure the stronger one will go on to lead the clan," Fugaku responds stiffly, his jaw clenched tightly.
Obito knows Fugaku, had seen him ascend as clan head after his own victory, and Obito knows that Fugaku does not want to put his own sons through the same thing. "The tradition of slaughtering our own in the pursuit of strength is foolish! There are whispers of Hunters on the move; is now really the time for us to be fighting each other? Should we not stand together and prepare for what the Hunters might bring upon us?"
"Your fears are unfounded," Fugaku tells him, dismissing him and turning away. "The Elder has spoken."
Obito grimaces at the mention of the clan Elder, a truly nasty piece of work named Izuna. The Elder was incredibly touchy when it came to tradition, having taken the place of clan head from his own brother decades before Obito was born. They've never seen eye to eye, not with Obito's insistence that the clan traditions are growing stale and that they are only leading the clan down a road they may not make it to the end of.
"They're going to make me fight Sasuke, aren't they?" Itachi asks from behind him, startling him slightly. Obito turns and winces when he sees the tears threatening to fall as Itachi looks up at him. He's an older fledgling, not yet a young adult, but he is old enough to be considered of age by the clan's Elder. Sasuke, however, is much younger, only a newly turned fledgling. Unfortunately, it does not matter that there are decades of experience separating the two brothers, not when they are now both considered to be of age.
"Itachi, I...," Obito bites his bottom lip, unsure on how to comfort the now weeping boy. Itachi has never been a violent creature, always one to search out the peaceful option when given the chance. He also happens to openly adore his younger brother, even when he was told of the battle they would eventually have to participate in. Itachi would have to fight Sasuke, whether he liked it or not. He could hold back from killing his younger brother if he truly wished, but Sasuke would be exiled for the rest of his life in order to keep him from trying to steal the clan head position after losing the opportunity to hold it.
"I won't do it!" Itachi hisses at him, rubbing angrily at his tears. He glares up at Obito, frustration causing his eyes to flash red. "I refuse!"
"Itachi-," Obito tries to interject, but the fledgling turns away from him, running in the direction of his house. Obito sighs, deciding to let Itachi flee to his roost for the night. He'll talk with him tomorrow and try to see if they can come up with a way to stop the fight together.
When Obito arrives at Itachi's house the next day, it is to Fugaku's anger and Mikoto's devastated cries. Sasuke, teary-eyed and confused, is the one to tell him that Itachi fled in the night, gone without a trace.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, cousin?" Obito asks as he gently pets Itachi's sweaty hair, the rocking of the boat around them growing worse by the minute. "I wonder if you ever learned what Sasuke did after you left? He threw a tantrum for days, you know. Went up to the Elder and gave him a piece of his mind. I don't know if anything would have actually changed, the Burnings started too soon after to tell, but Izuna gave his life to protect Sasuke from the Hunt. He helped your father lead the clan to a safe place during the Burnings." Obito didn't say that the clan didn't stay safe for long, that they would find other safe places only for them to also be found. He didn't say that the last time he saw Sasuke was when he took him away from a dead Mikoto's arms, desperate to protect their clan's future. He didn't say that he left the traumatized boy at the door of a random healer's den, in the vague hopes that she would help him recover when Obito couldn't. He didn't say that he went after the Hunters, knowing that he would likely not make it back to his little cousin.
"You feel so sick," Obito mourns, letting his fingers graze Itachi's clammy cheek. When the clan's magic had fallen, they had had each other to acclimatize to the abrupt shift of emptiness that had come upon them. They had had family. Itachi, alone, must have felt the family magic vanish. He would have had no one to tell him they were alive, that while the protected land was gone, the family lineage lived on.
His flame is but an ember inside him.
Biting his lips hard enough to draw blood, Obito gently caresses his own flame, a tough debate swirling inside him. Itachi would die, and soon, if Obito did nothing to help him. However, if Obito did what he had to do to keep Itachi alive, there is no guarantee that he would ever find the dragon he has been searching for.
The dragon that had saved his life.
The dragon that had made Obito fall in love with them when they slowly healed the fatal burns on his body, their golden magic bright and soft as it burned him from the outside in. The dragon with ageless red eyes and void-like scales. The one that gently left Obito outside of a village that just happened to have a healer that treated creatures, a village that had a creature leader, and a village that held a man that followed the Creed of the Hound, one of the only fighting forces that pledged to protect all beings, and not just baseline humans.
If Obito saves Itachi, he could be losing his only chance at finding his dragon.
With little second-guessing, Obito drops his walls entirely, his lighter purple magic twisting from his hands as it covers Itachi's still form. Obito ignores the storm raging outside, putting all his focus on pushing his magic into Itachi. He pushes and pushes, a cold sweat breaking out over his body as he moves past the recommended limit of the magic transfer. After all, he's not just trying to give Itachi magic; no, he's trying to give Itachi a spark.
It tears away from him suddenly and it's easily the most painful thing he has ever felt. He screams, loudly, and he passingly wonders if Kisame can hear him over the crashing waves outside. He can feel his spark travel up his arms and out of his body, collecting into the almost-empty cavern that holds Itachi's spark. Obito feels the spark take as his senses dim and shift, his awareness narrowing down so much that he starts to feel muted in an uncomfortable way. He takes a shakey step, trying to push himself up when the boat hits what can only be a truly massive wave, the entire structure thrashing. Obito, no longer able to balance himself with his own inherent magic, goes flying, hitting his head harshly on the wall behind him. He has only a few moments of coherency before he succumbs to darkness.
Obito awakes to the gentle rolling of a calm sea, his mind hazy and his senses stifled. He groans in pain at the sharp spike that assaults his head, wincing when he feels a sharp slap cuff the side of his head. He blurrily opens his eyes and is graced by the sight of a scowling Kisame and a tired-looking Itachi.
"That was a dumb thing you did," Kisame states matter-of-factly. "Thank you for doing it."
Itachi gives a weary glare in Kisame's direction before he turns back to him his gaze searching as he takes in Obito's face. "It's been a long time."
"It has," Obito croaks out in response.
"Why did you do it?" Itachi asks quietly. "Why did you give away your spark?"
Obito finds it in himself to smile sadly at the younger creature, his heart aching in his chest. "I would've done it without it, but the way Kisame talked about you, I knew that you had so much more to live for."
Itachi doesn't cry, but to Obito's discerning eyes, he can see the moisture threatening to spill. Obito wants to reach out with his magic, wants to comfort the other, but there is nothing to pull on, no spark to flame and ignite.
He is just empty.
"How long will you have?" Kisame asks, breaking the fragile silence.
"As long as any other baseline human has; I might be older than most, but my body is that of a thirty-year-old. I'll have ten to twenty years if nothing deadly comes after me," Obito replies, doing his best to grin brightly at the two sitting at his side.
Kisame snorts, shaking his head. He glances at Itachi before standing up to take his leave. "We're only three miles off the shore of Zetsubō. Collect yourselves and I'll return when it's time to depart." He leaves Itachi and him alone in Obito's small room.
"I could hear you," Itachi says after a brief pause, his eyes not meeting Obito's own, "when you were telling me about Sasuke. I knew you weren't saying everything. Is he still alive?"
Obito sighs, almost wishing that they didn't have to have this conversation so soon after he just woke up from getting knocked out, but he doesn't push Itachi away or even ignore his question. "He was alive the last time I saw him. I took him to a healer and then went to try and take care of the Hunters who had been tracking us. Obviously," Obito states bitterly, gesturing to the burnt side of his body, "I didn't exactly win that fight."
"You're alive," Itachi states bluntly, "so I think you did well enough."
Obito snorts, though he grimaces when the aching pain in his head returns when he tries to sit up.
"The others?" Itachi asks as Obito struggles in his bed.
Obito does choose not to answer this time, knowing that Itachi will get the message without him having to actually say that they are two of the very few survivors of their clan left alive.
"I see," Itachi says with a sad sigh, his eyes looking heavy with sadness. Obito can certainly relate to the feeling, the memory of so many bonds being taken from him so quickly is one that still haunts him. "Who do you seek on Zetsubō?"
"I seek a dragon," Obito states simply, unwilling to share his dragon's identity.
Itachi raises an eyebrow at that, his eyes sweeping Obito up and down. Obito gives him a bitter smirk, saying simply, "I'm not a dragon." Itachi grimaces at his words, a flash of pain on his face, but whatever he might have had to say is cut off when Kisame returns, his head popping into the door.
"We're as close as we can get. Time to hop in the rowboat and make our way to shore."
Obito sits up slowly this time, unwillingly to repeat the painful experience the last time he tried getting up too fast. He follows Kisame and Itachi up the steps, climbing into the boat behind Kisame as Itachi reluctantly agrees to stay on the Akastuki to both lower them down and keep an eye on the ship.
"Don't do anything stupid," Itachi tells them, rolling his eyes when Kisame lets out a mischievous cackle.
Kisame takes the oars and starts rowing them towards the shore, his eyes glued there even as he addresses Obito. "Your Debt is completed."
Obito blinks in surprise, staring at Kisame. "It's what?"
"You no longer owe me," Kisame states simply, still not looking his way. "What you did for Itachi, that was more than I could ever hope for."
Obito struggles not to smile at Kisame's confession, turning away from the half-breed to take in the island before them. The Island of Zetsubō is aptly named, the rocky outlet before them foreboding and sinister looking. Once called the Island of the Hunt, it no longer held any ability to hold humans for any long period of time. Obito has heard the rumors spread about the island for the year he has been recovering in the Matsunoki hamlet. They say that the once-proud Hunters that resided there had been bombarded one day by a massive dragon, a monumental beast spreading flame and despair everywhere he flew. That it was this attack that culled the Hunters to such few numbers that it allowed the Burnings to finally end, creatures and humans alike finally able to reach a place of peace. The Island of the Hunt became the Island of Despair, as all that once lived there have been confined to the island even in death, forced to haunt burnt-out husks until the dragon that killed them lifted the curse that strangled the island.
It is Obito's hope that the dragon that is believed to have once wiped out the Hunters is still in residence.
There is a burnt-out shack on the shore, a visible specter hovering quietly in the barely-standing doorway. It watches Obito leave Kisame in the rowboat, the half-breed letting Obito do his business on the island alone.
"Are you here to free us?" the specter asks, his tone wavering as he mournfully watches Obito approach the large seaside cave the sits tucked behind and to the right of the shack.
"Do you believe you deserve to be freed?" Obito asks, walking past the specter without an ounce of pity. His scars stretch across his face as he sneers at the ghost, anger flashing briefly before fizzling out, his everpresent flame no longer there to fuel his anger.
He approaches the cave and slips inside, grateful for the torch runes he had packed when preparing for his journey. You don't need magic to use such simple runes, simply a bit of blood, and the runes activate immediately, torch-like light emanating from his hand. He moves further into the dark cave, damp air heating around him the further he goes.
Obito swallows, his throat dry, when the darkness in front of him gleams in the light, no longer empty space, but rather a set of impressively dark scales. The scales shift and he holds his breath when he is greeted by glowing red eyes, so familiar in their pattern.
"Madara," Obito whispers in reverence, his heart pounding.
"What you did was incredibly idiotic," the voice tells him, cutting through the pained haze that is threatening to tear Obito apart.
"I wanted them to pay," Obito moans through a sob, his tears stinging his already destroyed body.
"Life magic isn't something to play around with, even for dragons," the voice replies sternly.
"I wanted them to feel what we felt when they burned our homes, when they smashed our eggs, and when they tore our young apart!" Obito hissed, thrashing when a spasm of pain reared its way through his body.
The voice doesn't reply for the longest time, and Obito starts to think that they have left, or maybe that the voice wasn't actually ever even there, but then he feels a warmth. He initially flinches away, scared of fire for the first time in his life, but it doesn't irritate his burns or make them worse. Instead, it soothes his aches, the burns on his body cooling quickly as his pain is swept away by a floating feeling.
"What are you doing?" Obito slurs out, his mind so relieved he finds it hard to keep conscious.
"You were stupid, but I suppose it's the thought that counts. Thank you, Obito, for defending the future of our clan."
"Our clan?" Obito asks, finally managing to open one of his eyes and get a look at the owner of the voice. Long dark hair greets his blurry visions, spikes reminiscent of the crests that line most dragon's backs throughout their hair. Pale skin and ruby red eyes that watch him with a deep curiosity. Obito stares into the eyes and feels something in his chest shift. The man's eyes widen slightly at the exact same time, a warmth entering them before Obito can no longer stay awake, falling into a deep sleep as his body is forced to heal itself.
He wakes once more to someone tilting his head, a warm broth sliding down his throat. He doesn't have the energy to sputter, simply swallowing as much of the broth as he can before he has to moan an objection, the liquid finally pulled away from his grimacing mouth.
"The beast," Obito mutters, finally remembering the monstrosity that he had created to kill the Hunters. "Where is it?"
"Gone," the other dragon replies, sitting at his side. "I banished it to the moon."
"You can do that?" Obito asks, head feeling fuzzy.
"No, but it's cute you think I can," the dragon chuckled, seemingly unbothered by Obito's half-hearted glare.
"Some of them got away," Obito spits out, anger threatening to overtake him. The audacity that those worms had in running from his anger, the way they cursed him as if he had attacked them unprovoked. Finding the island they had occupied for generations was easy; overconfident, they had truly believed that no one would ever attack their stronghold.
"You're covered in magical burns," the dragon tells him. "The kind that needs a healer."
"A dragon's magic won't help?" Obito asks with a grunt, moaning slightly as the pain his body is in slowly starts to register again.
"I've done what I can," the dragon confesses, "but our magic is far more suited to fight darker magics. Life magic, as twisted and vile as it is, is distinctly light in nature."
"Fucked up," Obito winces, his hands twitching by his sides.
"Yes," the man hums in slight amusement, his red eyes meeting Obito's barely opened slits, "that is rather fucked up."
Obito passes out once more, unable to stay awake long enough to ask the dragon's name. The red of his eyes flashes in Obito's mind, the implications of the color just out of his mind's reach. He knows he should be making some kind of conclusion, that the red is significant, but he can't make his mind work before he's once more asleep.
He regains consciousness briefly after he's been left in some woods, a large black dragon drifting off above him. He sees the expanse of the dragon's wings, the heft of his long body, and his breath is taken away. Dragons grow the longer they are alive and until that very moment, Izuna the Elder was the largest dragon Obito had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Connecting the dots between size and the red eyes, a color that belongs only to the clan head branch of the Uchiha dragon clan, Obito takes in a shaky breath as he watches Madara the Ancient fly away into the clouds above him.
"Obito," the dragon rumbles in greeting, his red eyes shining in the light of the torch rune.
"Ancient One," Obito whispers reverently, dropping to one knee as he bows his head to his oldest clan head. The decision to leave the clan instead of killing his brother had left Madara one of the most controversial leaders in Uchiha clan history. Hundreds of years older than his younger brother, Madara had led the clan for decades before Izuna had even hatched. From the last clutch Madara's father had left before he died, the tiny Izuna had been the only hatchling to survive. As much as Madara had acted as Izuna's father and not his brother, the clan rules dictated that the brothers had to fight. Unwilling to see such a young fledgling killed for no reason, Madara has chosen exile in order to let his younger brother stay alive. Many of his clan had held contempt for Madara's mercy, but there had been just as many who had praised Madara for his decision.
Obito can hear the shift Madara undergoes as his scales fade away and his size reduces to that of a human man. Obito didn't dare to watch the transformation, not without Madara's permission, but he could imagine the utter spectacle a dragon of his size turning into something so small in comparison would be. It has always amazed Obito that even when of pure blood, dragons were not confined to their creature shapes. Granted with the ability to retain both a creature and human form, dragons have been one of the oldest creature lineages in existence, thanks to their ability to blend in.
It's such a shame that now that creatures can live out in the open, in harmony with humans at last, there are so few dragons left.
"Please look at me, Obito," Madara beckons him, and Obito does nothing at all to fight the Ancient One's call. Obito meets Madara's scarlet gaze and he mourns that he can not return his look with Obito's own purple gaze.
Madara searches his eyes, a frown forming on his face before a sadness befalls him, his warm hand coming up to cup Obito's cheek. "Oh, dear one, what have you done this time?"
"Itachi was dying," Obito explains quietly, imploring Madara to understand.
"You give too much," Madara softly chastizes him. "First your wings and now your spark? Far, far too much."
Obito freely winces at the memory of the beast he had created ripping at his wings, the fire created by life magic burning his usual fire resistance hide. The monster had tangled itself around Obito and burned him, sucking his essence out at the same time it destroyed his wings. It is likely that if Madara hadn't found him and healed him, he would've died, crippled and unable to move thanks to the extensive burns that would've plagued him.
Having lost his wings, Obito's only option was to search for Madara by more human means, thus the journey by boat and not by air.
"I was hoping," Obito says slowly, too scared to hope and too hopeful to not try, "that you would be willing to come with me."
"And where exactly would we go, dear one?" Madara asks with a raised eyebrow.
"The village you left me at," Obito replies, gaining confidence. "I met some people there that I think you would like. There's even a colony of earth wyrms living on the other side of the mountain that I'm sure would love to have another Ancient One visit them."
"Hm," Madara hums, clearly considering it. "Alright, Obito, I'll come to see your new home."
"Home?" Obito asks in surprise, shocked.
"Is it not?" Madara asks, seemingly genuinely curious.
Obito pauses to think, surprised at the warmth he feels. It's nothing like his spark was, not a burning flame within him, but rather a spreading warmth similar to a nice, hot bath. Obito thinks of Rin and Kakashi, of Minato, Kushina, and Naruto, and he feels the same tugging he once felt when he thought of his clan and their daily flights above the mountainside they had once resided on.
"Yes," Obito says slowly, fondness coloring his voice, "I suppose they are my home."
"Lead on then, dear one, and I will follow," Madara encourages him, smiling slightly at Obito's bright look.
Obito hesitantly took Madara's hand flushing slightly when the older dragon allowed the action, before gently tugging him toward the opening of the cave, a new wave of excitement sweeping him up and out into the light glowing off the moon hanging above.
"Orochimaru wants to speak with you," Sasori says to him as soon as Kisame and Itachi dock their boat. Madara is taking a nap below deck in their shared room and Itachi and Kisame have docked to gather some extra food for all of them, so Obito shrugs and follows the witch back to his (still creepy) puppet shop. The lights are off in the front part of the shop, the closed sign evident in the window, and Sasori quickly escorts him back to behind the tan curtain once more. To Obito's surprise, the morose lighting is gone, much like the dreadful feeling of death magic. Obito isn't sure how much magic he can actually sense without his spark, but the heavy layer that once permeated the room from Orochimaru's struggling body is gone, replaced with odd magic that Obito wants to say might feel like a cleaner version of the life magic hanging around Sasori. He immediately frowns at the thought since most life magic feels sickly sweet and deceitful, but without his spark, he can't quite tell what subtleties are marking the atmosphere as distinctly different from before.
"You are a dragon," Orochimaru says as soon as Obito sees him. Obito isn't surprised to see him freed from his curse, but he is surprised by the bodily transformation he has undergone. Gone is the short white hair, Orochimaru now sporting long, silky looking black hair. His skin is pale, something that doesn't necessarily shock Obito, and his body looks taller than he once was. It's the golden eyes that really catch his attention, their slitted pupils locked onto Obito's form.
"And you're an amphipthere half-breed," Obito replies in shock. Amphipteres, while not like true dragons, were a close cousin to Obito's own heritage. They are also known for their hatred of baseline humans. To meet a half-breed is a truly rare sight indeed.
"It seems our similar lineages, along with the magic you imbued in that little 'simple healing salve,' have allowed me to make a full recovery," Orochimaru tells him, gesturing him to take a seat.
Obito does so, still staring at his features in curiosity. Orochimaru looks human enough, but his features are more snake-like than an average human's, his creature heritage ultimately revealed by his inhuman eyes.
"Tea?" Orochimaru offers, smiling pleasantly when Sasori appears out of nowhere and leaves a cup in front of each of them. Sasori gives him a dull look before he takes his leave, exiting through a door that Obito only just now noticed. "Don't mind Sasori, he's pouting because he didn't get to stick me into one of his silly puppets." There's a sharp bang that immediately follows Orochimaru's words, the door Sasori has just gone into only just muffling the sound. "His truly special, one-of-a-kind, silly puppets," Orochimaru amends when the banging stops, smirking slightly when the loud noise didn't appear again.
"Thank you for the tea," Obito finally says, though he doesn't lift it up to drink it. While he is no longer being slighted by the pair, he doesn't know them. Even if he did, he doubts he'd drink anything a witch offered him anyway.
"My pleasure," Orochimaru responds, sipping at his own drink. He eyes Obito for a moment longer, his gaze searching before he sets his cup down. He reaches across the table, his pale hand left palm up as he watches Obito. "Give me your hand."
Obito gives him an incredulous look, glancing down at the offered hand. He doesn't trust this random half-breed, not any further than he could currently throw him, but Orochimaru owes him at this point and something tells Obito that Orochimaru pays his debts. Sighing, Obito reaches out and lets his hand brush against Orochimaru's cool one.
He immediately has to tense against the pain the travels up his arm. It burns, is the thing, and he's never not had magic to combat the pain he experiences. He feels the way Orochimaru's hand boils his skin, the way his veins feel scorched, and it's only when he sees the familiar purple flames appear on Orochimaru's fingertips that he realizes what the amphiptere half-breed was doing. "How?" he asks even as he clenches his jaw tightly at the pain radiating up his arm and into his chest.
"I naturally deal in life magic, dragon, and you gave me direct access to your essence when you imbued your magic into that salve," Orochimaru explains, the purple flames slowly disappearing from his hand. "There is nothing I can't solve."
Obito manages a snort at the half-breed's arrogance, but he can't exactly bring himself to argue. It would be a waste of time; after all, it does look like Orochimaru has accomplished something that Obito has thought impossible.
He has his spark back.
"Obito!" Run shouts in surprise as soon as she sees him, her body slamming into his as she hugs him tightly. He returns the hug, just as fiercely happy to be back as she seems to be at having him back.
"Rin, it's so good to see you!" Obito shouts, laughing when Rin jokingly winces at his shriek, fighting back a smile at his antics.
"So, you weren't eaten alive by a dragon," Kakashi says as he approaches at a more lazy pace. He hesitates for a moment, looking uncomfortable before he offers Obito a fist. Obito grins at the offer, feeling warm as he fist bumps Kakashi in greeting. "What a shame," Kakashi continues, his eyes squinting as he smirks at the mocking gasp Obito lets out.
"It's nice to see you too," Obito jokingly pouts, grinning at his friends. He finds that he really has missed them, even if he's only been gone a surprisingly short amount of time. He had spent a year recovering under Rin's watch, a year joking around with Kakashi, and he finds that they fit into his life so seamlessly that he hadn't even noticed the significance until Madara pointed it out.
"Who's your friend?" Rin asks politely, giving Madara a polite smile.
"The dragon I was looking for," Obito responds, smiling innocently at Kakashi's sputter and Rin's surprised face.
"What?" Kakashi asks dumbly, staring at Madara.
The Ancient smirks at him, his eyes a flashy red, and Obito can't help it: he flashes his own eyes, the color the same lighter purple as his magic.
"Obito!" Rin gasps, though she doesn't sound angry. She has an excited smile on her face as she looks into his eyes, delight coloring her features.
Kakashi just groans, his head falling into his hands.
Obito laughs, so happy to be back. Itachi and Kisame have already left, though they promised to return as soon as they tracked down Sasuke and his healer friend. Soon enough, Obito will once more get to see Minato, Kushina, and even Naruto. He will get to introduce Madara to the lively earth wyrm Hashirama, as well as his more stoic water wyrm brother, Tobirama, that lives on the other side of the mountain. He gets to show Madara his little rundown shack and the window that sticks.
He takes Madara's hand in his own, squeezing slightly when the dragon curls their fingers together. Obito can feel his spark flickering in his chest, and for the first time since the Hunters and the Burnings destroyed his home, he finds himself truly happy once more.
so a small note: I had about ~1k and stopped, feeling like the small piece was done and I let the admins know I was done. and then I got ready to post it and felt like it wasn't finished, so I sat down, and over the course of 12 hours, added 10k to the story. i don't know what happened, but i sure wish i had this motivation for literally anything i have written in the past year lololol
thank you to everyone who has read this and I hope you liked it!