For months, Obito had thought about returning to Granny's to see Kakashi. He was certain that he was real and had told Rin, the neighbor girl all about it. Kakashi was fascinating, why wouldn't he?

Obito could remember every detail in clarity and was sure it wasn't a dream even though he had nothing to tell him otherwise except for the absence of those marbles he had given to the yōkai. The mismatched gaze, the grace in which he spoke and walked like an ancient noble, and more importantly, that haunting, heartbroken tune. He couldn't get it out of his head, it was like it was pulling him back to those woods and he had been squirming in his seat the entire car ride to Granny's.

"Obi, why are you so antsy?" His mother asked, glancing to her right at her son.

Obito sat back in his chair and frowned. Normally, he'd be playing with his action figures on the way there, but instead, he was staring out the window with his Walkman's headphones draped over the back of his neck, playing flute music he had recorded.

"I've haven't seen you so excited to see Granny since you were nearly a baby," she said and chuckled mirthfully. "My little Obi-chan... are you that eager to see your Granny? You're such a sweet boy!"

"Mom..."

"You can't brush away a mother's love," she singsonged playfully - much to Obito's chagrin - as they continued on their way to Granny's.

She was right though. Obito was having a difficult time containing his eagerness. He wanted to explore those woods and find Kakashi again.

He had told Granny all about Kakashi the night he'd met him. She was impressed and believed him entirely, telling him he'd been blessed by the spirit of the forest. Obito had to agree, although Kakashi had tried to keep from him finding his way home at first. Granny had said yōkai were tricky like that and they certainly were.

When they arrived, Granny hobbled outside to meet them, her cane grasped in one hand. "Obi-chan!" She greeted with a friendly wave.

"Granny!" He cried and shot out the car to go and greet her with a hug, abandoning his things without a care. Although he had been excited to track down Kakashi, he couldn't deny that he loved his Granny very much and hated leaving her alone.

Obito's mother sighed and stepped out of the car. "Good afternoon, Chihaku-san! Obi's been buzzing about seeing you all week," his mother smiled.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from my favorite grandson," Granny said as she cupped Obito's cheek as the boy stepped away.

"Granny, I'm your only grandson," Obito beamed before hopping back down the steps to the car so that he could grab his suitcases.

"How's life in the big city?" Granny asked, folding her weathered hands over her cane after taking a seat in one of the chairs on the porch.

"Busy as always. My husband couldn't make it of course," Obito's mother replied tiredly as she made her own way up the steps. "I really wish he didn't have to work so much."

Granny shook her head and chuckled ruefully. "It's just like my son to always shove into his work... Will you be coming back out here soon?"

"Not until the end of summer. There's a big project at work and it seems I'm going to be busy for a while too," she answered with a dejected frown.

"That's a shame," Granny agreed solemnly, but her wise, friendly smile returned almost immediately. "But you're always welcome to come whenever you have the time."

Obito's mother smiled at her and the two of them spoke in hushed tones for a few moments, ending with Granny shaking her head stubbornly. They were probably talking about moving Granny to the city again. Dad had been trying to get her to come live with them for years so she could have someone to look after her more often, especially since she was getting up in age and her health was steadily declining.

When Obito was away, she had a neighbor who came and checked on her and helped her with a few tasks around the house. That neighbor being Rin's mother. They lived a short way up the road in a far more modern home.

"Oh, Obi?"

"Yes, mom?" he responded with a grunt as he pulled his suitcase out of the back with a loud thud.

"Don't forget your dolls in the front," she reminded him. "Last time, you forgot them."

Obito pouted with a sound of sheer annoyance but complied. For one thing, they weren't dolls, they were action figures.

He hefted his suitcase to the passenger door and scooped up his things before shutting it and strolling back up to the porch where his mother and Granny sat, still speaking in hushed tones. It was as though they were completely ignoring the fact that Obito could still hear them.

"Who else would look after it?" Granny whispered, taken aback by something.

"Your will can always be changed and the house can be sold. I'm sure someone will-"

"No, no, no. I couldn't do that. This is a family home," Granny disputed.

"Chihaku-san, think about your health and Obi's future. All the jobs out here are moving to the city, there's nothing he can do out here aside from becoming a farmer," Obito's mother suggested.

At that, the elderly woman hummed in stern, thoughtful silence before shaking her head. "I don't think my late husband would ever forgive me if I sold this house instead of passing it down to the next generation," Granny replied. "Madara was always so stubborn about future generations growing up here. I couldn't possibly abandon it."

"You wouldn't be abandoning it. You'd be selling it so you can live more comfortably," Obito's mother replied. "I just ask that you consider it, Chihaku-san..."

Without skipping a beat as Obito came up the steps, his mother asked, "Did you get all your things, Obi?"

"Yeah. I got all of them," Obito responded, looking between his mother and Granny for a moment as he began to register what he had heard.

"Good, good," his mother said before standing up from the chair on the porch. "I hate to leave so soon, but I have to work first thing tomorrow." She ran her hand over Obito's hair, flattening a stubborn curl into place.

"I know," Obito murmured and set down his bag to hug her around the waist. "It's alright, mom." His mother hugged him tightly in return and kissed the crest of his head despite Obito's weak protest of, "Mooooooom..."

They pulled apart and his mother smiled down at him. "I'll see you at the end of summer. You be good for your Granny, alright?"

"I always am, Mom," Obito replied with a chuckle.

"I know. My little Obi-chan... you're growing up so fast," his mother teasing cupping his cheek.

Obito didn't protest this time, simply grinning at his mother, his cheek dimpling at the action.

And with that, his mother headed down the steps to the car. She sent one final wave to Obito and Granny before she left, waving all the way as the two sent her off.

To be honest, Obito was only a little sad to see her go. He never got to spend much time with her or his father in between school and afterschool clubs and his parents' jobs. Breakfast and going to his Granny's were the only two times he got to spend much of any time at all with his mother, but he'd get over it. He always did. However, this time he was focused on the conversation that he had overheard between his mother and Granny. Soon, he may not be coming out here at all; if that happened, he'd hardly see Rin after that and he may never get to see Kakashi again.

It was more than enough to put Obito into a sour mood, but thankfully, Granny caught on. "Obi-chan?"

"Ah, yes Granny?" He answered, being pulled from his thoughts.

"I don't want you to worry about what your mother and I were discussing, alright? I wouldn't leave this house unless I had to," Granny explained softly.

"Alright," Obito agreed.

"Let's get your things put away then, Obi-chan," Granny smiled and began to lead the way into the house. "I made lunch for us and Nohara-san will be over in a bit."

Mrs. Nohara coming over typically meant his best friend, Rin. It got Obito to perk up immediately and eagerly began carrying his suitcase inside, grunting with the weight of it and gritting his teeth from the strain. Maybe he shouldn't have brought so much? But he kind of wanted to show off some things to Rin and make sure he had some nice, human things to show - or offer to - Kakashi. He couldn't wait to get started searching for the yōkai with Rin.

When lunch was over, Obito and Granny were tidying up and putting away dishes when they heard a knock at the door. "Ah, that must be Nohara-san and I'll bet Rin is with her," Granny's smile spread wider, crinkling her eyes. She slowly shuffled to the door to answer, hobbling there with her cane in hand.

Obito beamed and hurried to finish putting away the dishes before tagging along to meet their guests at the door.

When he got there, he saw exactly what he had expected to see.

"Rin!" He cried, gaining the girl's attention immediately.

"Obito!" She opened her arms wide and the two children embraced each other in a warm hug. "It feels like forever since I've seen you!"

"More like forever and a half!" Obito declared as they broke apart. "It's not as much fun talking on the phone..."

Rin giggled at his comment and smiled sincerely, alighting her entire face with unwavered delight. She nodded in agreement however before readjusting one of the straps on her backpack. "It's good to have you back. I can't wait to go exploring today, Obito!"

"Yeah! Me neither!"

"Are you two already making plans to go out into the woods?" Rin's mother asked, a concerned frown wrinkling her face.

"We've been planning to explore since school started," Rin confirmed, her eyes pointedly pleading to her mother.

Obito followed suit immediately and did the same, after all, it wouldn't do to find Kakashi again if Rin wasn't there. He'd be a bad friend. Rin had wanted to meet Kakashi from the moment Obito told her about him - having grown up hearing the same tales from Obito's Granny. Admittedly, she was scared at first, since Kakashi nearly kept Obito from finding his way home, but over the weeks and months they had been apart, she quickly warmed up to the idea. It's not everyday one meets a spirit of the forest and she would have liked to see it too.

"Obito just got here from the city. Shouldn't you give him time to settle in?"

"I'm fine, honest!" Obito cut in. "I've been ready to go since the moment I got here!"

"Please, Mom?"

"Please, Nohara-san?"

The two children begged in unison, but still, Rin's mother didn't seem inclined to let them head out. "I don't know. It's a big forest. You two could get lost out there," she pointed out.

"Well, I think," Granny piped up, "that it's a splendid idea! There's nothing like being in nature to get the fatigue of the city out of your bones!"

"That's true, but it's still a pretty big forest. I'm just worried, that's all."

"It's okay, Nohara-san!" Obito chirped and gestured to himself with a confident smile plastered across his face, bringing out that one dimple in his left cheek. "Rin and I know this forest like the back of our hands! I'll make sure we'll make it home before dark!"

"Right!" Rin agreed.

Rin's mother took a deep breath and let out a long-suffering sigh, unable to come up with another valid reason for her daughter to stay. "Then I guess that's fine… what are you two going exploring for anyhow?"

"We're looking for yō-"

Rin stopped Obito with a small pinch to his upper arm and corrected him. "Bugs. We're looking for bugs."

"Uh… yeah! That's right!"

"Obito saw a really cool one last year and I wanted to see if we could find it again," Rin explained before turning to Obito, who was rubbing his tender arm. "What did you say it was again? A beetle?"

"Y-Yeah. A really big one," Obito said before turning to Rin and pouting. "It had a bit of a mean bite too."

Granny chuckled at the two children's antics, her wise eyes glittering as she saw through their poorly-veiled excuses. She seemed to have known from the start that the two of them were going to search for Kakashi. "If you're looking for beetles, I hope you bring me back a nice, big one too." Granny then set her attention on Nohara-san. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think it's time for my pills. Aoi, would you be a dear and help me open my medications for me? It's hard to get a good grip when your bones are as old and weary as mine," she sang as she toddled back into the kitchen.

Rin's mother made to follow before turning to Rin and Obito, setting her hands on her hips. "Before you go off, I'm going to tell you two one thing. Just one." She paused a moment, her expression stern and demanding that they both pay attention as she held up a single finger. "You both better be back before sundown, or else. Got it?"

"We will," Rin said with an accepting nod.

"And you?" Rin's mother asked Obito, raising her brow at him.

"Uh… yes! I mean! Yes, ma'am! We'll be back before then!" He nodded furiously and watched nervously as Mrs. Nohara glared her parently intent between the two of them before waving them off out the door.

"I can't believe we managed to convince your mom to let us go like that!" Obito exclaimed as the two of them hiked up the trail to the Uchiha family shrine. Both of them had their bug nets in hand, Rin with a bag, holding a jar for their insect friend that they'd have to catch to validate their claim and Obito with a set of binoculars so he could keep an eye out for a sign of Kakashi.

"Me neither. If she had known we were looking for spirits, she would have never let us go," Rin said with a sigh. "We were lucky your granny stepped in. My mom would have a fit if she knew."

"I always forget about that," Obito murmured then stopped in his tracks as though remembering something. He huffed and pointed accusingly at Rin's back with a shout, "I also can't believe that you pinched me!"

Rin turned around and shrugged, continuing to walk up the trail backward, "You were going to give us away. It couldn't be helped."

Obito scowled and raced to catch up with her, Rin turning to face forward again. "That doesn't mean it didn't hurt… Oh!" His eyes lit up with excitement and Rin's wrongdoing was long forgotten. "Did you see the movie I told you about?"

"Which-?"

"The one with David Bowie! As the Goblin King?"

She shook her head. "No, mom and I checked the video store for it, but they didn't have a copy of it." She sighed dejectedly and fiddled with the handle of her bug net, twisting it in her hand, "It's a shame though. I really would have liked to watch it."

"Yeah… I guess I should have brought the tape with me so we could watch it together," Obito offered, pouting. "It's amazing and the Goblin King kinda reminds me of Kakashi."

"I'll take your word for it, but is he as 'pretty' as David Bowie is?"

A derisive scoff. "Of course, he is! Even better even! He's pretty like an old-fashioned lord and he's got eyes that are two different colors, y'know? He's got a normal eye like a person and then," with a leap, he jumped in front of his friend, stretching his eyelid with two fingers to expose more of his eye, before continuing in a hoarse 'demonic' tone, "he's got a demon eye for sucking out your soul with his magic flute!"

Rin yelped and ran around him to sprinting up the path giggling. "You can't catch me, demon! I'm too quick for you!"

"Nuh uh! I'm gonna get you, Rin! I'm gonna get you and catch you with my demon magic!" Obito cried humorously and gave chase after her, clutching his net tight as he laughed.

Obito couldn't wait to introduce her to Kakashi. In fact, he bet Rin would admire Kakashi so he wouldn't have to play his flute so sadly, but then again, he felt as though Kakashi's flute music was sacred like he didn't want to share it. However, he found that was a silly thought so he shook it away. He and Rin shared everything so why not the magic of the forest and the spirit within it?

Obviously, the movie they mentioned was 'Labyrinth', which would kind of fit this world's version of Kakashi. But I'll let you decide.