A week passes by quickly, huh? Christmas is in two weeks my dudes oh gosh

Beta-read by the incredible Sanatoria!

(Chapter title from Malcolm Lincoln's "Siren")

Chapter IV - siren in my head, yes I can hear it again

Obito knew for a fact that after such a proclamation various alarms had begun ringing in his sensei's head, questions screaming and scraping, begging to be voiced. If the man hadn't been greatly alarmed before, he certainly was now. That much was evident from his shell-shocked expression. This time, Obito thought gravely, there's no way you'll keep silent.

To his surprise (not really), he did.

Minato stared at his student for a good while, scrutinizing gaze inspecting every inch of his carefully laid out features. He would not read out anything Obito didn't want (too much practice). Obito could almost feel Minato's burning need to ask, demand, interrogate, and the suppression it required to keep such impulses at bay. Eventually, he'd get to them. He was most likely hesitant to continue so quickly in fear of having Obito close up. Obito could understand such reasoning. Somewhat.

Finally, a soft sigh of resignation left Minato's lips. His back straightened and a skillfully controlled expression slipped back in place. This particular conversation was being left for a later time.

Obito was silently glad for that.

''...I probably shouldn't keep you up for too long,'' he spoke in that gentle voice, void of any traitorous thoughts while standing up. ''You need to rest. I'll come back later. Maybe will try to bring Kakashi as well, if he...'' he trailed off with yet another sigh. Then, he flashed a small, albeit more cheerful than the others, smile at Obito. ''Kushina will probably barge into here as soon as she hears about you waking up, too, so, uh, be prepared for that.'' It then morphed into a sheepish one. ''Actually, she'll probably have my head for not bringing her in the first place.''

As much as Obito wished to answer with a joyous smile of his own, he could only briefly lift his lips, desperately pushing the overwhelming guilt down. His controlled demeanor fought ferociously with misery for dominance, only barely managing to keep its wailing head down, instead allowing it sharp teeth to dig into every inch of his body and soul. But he would do anything to keep it away from Minato's eyes.

Oh, how Obito missed his masks, twisting and burning, covering every inch of his face, hiding away any treacherous emotions, any twitches, any glares or longing glances, everything—

It was almost unbearable having to keep all these suffocating feelings below surface.

(leaveleavejustleaveplease)

''I'll look forward to it,'' he replied softly, his now-black eye not leaving Minato for a moment.

(It was strange having his Sharingan dormant. Everything seemed dark. Darker.)

He could only pray his sensei didn't misinterpret (correctly interpret) his oh-so-slightly cracked facade.

Minato's own didn't give anything away.

''Rest well, Obito,'' he beamed soothingly as he began opening the door.

A sudden thought occurred to Obito and he was quick to voice it.

''Uh, Minato-sensei?''

He stopped and glanced at him.

''Yes?''

''Could you maybe keep what we discussed between the two of us?'' Obito could feel his mouth drying. Seeing his sensei's doubtful expression, he added hastily: ''For now, at least.''

Minato's expression smoothened and he nodded. A few seconds later, he was out the room and Obito was once again alone.

Exhaling a long breath, he slumped down on his pillow.

That had certainly been taxing.

Minato was right—he ought to rest while he could. Who knew what kind of visitors the next time would bring. Hopefully none from T&I. But Obito wasn't particularly worried about that—he knew Minato would keep his word and would not divulge any information shared in this room, for awhile anyway. When that passed, however...

Obito lightly shook his head. He would cross that bridge when he got to it. No need to worry about the future's problems.

He almost scoffed audibly at that.

Then, he let his expression return to neutral. Truthfully speaking, ever since he started considering the idea that his situation was perhaps not his afterlife, some part of his mind realized that if he didn't fall down the same path as in the past, certain reunions would most likely become inevitable. And as their imminence had grown, dread had tightly wrapped itself around his heart. It wasn't that Obito didn't actually want to see the people he had come to care about so deeply, but... He felt he didn't deserve to reunite with them like this. Like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't stripped some of them of their lives, their dreams and future. Like he hadn't ruined everyone else's.

Like all he was, was a lost child who had finally found his way back.

All those smiles and kind tones made him want to heave.

If he were a tinge more selfish (nothing compared to before), he probably would have just made himself disappear.

Obito breathed a shaky sigh, closing his eye.

He had already hurt his loved ones more than he could ever atone for. If something happened to him now, it would only bring even more sorrow to them, as much as Obito didn't want to admit it. Even if they by all means shouldn't, they still cared. And while this body hadn't done anything to them, its mind...

(They're not your loved ones, though, this is not your world)

Obito jerked at the sudden invasive thought, which sent a heavily poisoned needle straight for his heart. He could almost physically feel the sharp venom quickly spreading through every vein, trashing, tearing, crushing—

He willed a thought to form, however small and quiet, however timid and doubtful.

Did it matter?

Obito's shaken mind wandered back to the recent conversation with Minato. He could all too clearly recall every color, every movement, every twitch of that carefully crafted expression, every emotion that washed over his sky-like eyes, everything. At that moment, there wasn't a single doubt that that man was his sensei. At that moment, it didn't matter from what world or time he came. It was Minato, period.

And right then and there Obito knew, clearly as day, that he'd be damned if he let anything happen to him or anyone else he cared for ever again. He couldn't save them from himself in his world, but that didn't mean they were doomed to the same fate in this one. Rin was gone from both (remember to breathe breathe breathe), but not Minato, not Kushina, not Kakashi, not anyone else whom he had wronged. A sun had died, but light still flickered, promising the birth of a new one if only he could keep the darkness away.

Even if, judging by so many facts and clues, the most probable answer was that he somehow ended up in an alternative world (his own timeline was long gone, anyway), it didn't matter.

He'd make sure the people he cared for had a future.

~.~

Apparently, Obito had dozed off in the middle of his musings (Damn sedatives, this never happened), and was quite abruptly woken up by a series of knocks, followed by soft creaking. Obito had barely managed to open his still heavy eye before the room was suddenly full (too full) and a sharp chunk settled somewhere (everywhere) in his body. He wasn't prepared for this, he didn't expect this so soon, he needed more time—

Fortunately, only the tiniest amount of distress managed to leak out from the narrow cracks in his facade. Unfortunately, rarely did Minato's eyes miss anything. Obito could only hope he'd write it off as a play of light.

Truthfully speaking, Obito was more than a little surprised to discover that Kakashi actually came. Distant, closed off, unreadable (so miserable), but still there. Even if he stood furthest away. Even if the inner fight between staring at his former teammate and looking anywhere else was obvious. Obito had been almost certain Kakashi would avoid him for a good while, but... Perhaps he didn't know the young teen before him as well as he had thought.

Minato most likely had some influence as well.

Not that Obito complained. On the contrary, Kakashi was one of the tragically few people he had actually reconciled with before his end. It had given his much too tormented soul a bit of peace. Seeing Kakashi so young and so torn made Obito ache for him. Kakashi didn't deserve all the misery the world brought upon him, and Obito could only wish this time around he could somehow support him, lead him away from the darkness looming over him. But despite that, Obito was just... glad to see Kakashi alive and mostly healthy, if not in the best state of mind.

His final visitor sent him on a more feral roller-coaster of feelings.

Kushina was a sight. As she first entered the room, Obito could clearly see how much control it took her not to immediately approach him. Something in the last second kept her away, though Obito couldn't discern what exactly. A flurry of contradicting emotions overtook her features, and she was left standing there completely awestruck, as if in a daze. Her wide, strikingly violet eyes burned holes in Obito's soul, leaving them stinging painfully, their smoking edges widening and widening and widening—

He had forgotten how beautiful she was.

The heavy moment seemed to stretch to infinity before Obito glanced to Minato, who was leaning against the wall near the exit, with something akin to desperation, but he seemed determined to give the stage to his partner, casting his student only one of those reassuring smiles. Realizing help was not an option, Obito braced himself and shifted his eye back to the stunned redhead.

''...I feel like I'll catch on fire if you keep staring at me like that,'' he spoke softly, albeit masterfully, forcing sheepishness into his tone.

It was completely stupid and idiotic, but Obito realized it was something this blood-thick atmosphere needed.

Luckily, it seemed to do the trick.

Visibly snapping out of her trance, Kushina exhaled shakily and took a hesitant step forwards. As if approaching a mirage that would disappear the moment your eyes shifted. Obito couldn't blame her, not really. He could only watch as the woman slowly but surely made her way towards him, still so terribly unsure, and finally sank into a chair on his left side. Not for a moment did her piercing gaze abandon Obito's carefully crafted, nervous one. She continued gaping at him even as quiet words left her barely moving lips.

''You're awake.'' Kushina's tender voice deafened him, regardless of its volume. He had forgotten how absolutely loving she could sound. He almost choked.

''Doesn't really feel like it, though,'' Obito answered with a breathless chuckle after a pause just a beat too long. He willed his lips to curve (move move move). ''But yeah. Didn't mean to sleep for so long, not sure how that happened, really.'' (stop looking at me like that)

(He should be more careful with his words. Minato didn't miss his phrasing, at least judging by his calculating gaze.)

Kushina twitched oh-so-lightly, but any other signs of unease were quickly wiped. Her eyes flickered to Obito's only remaining hand, actively avoiding his other side. The covers, unfortunately, reached only his torso, leaving his stump exposed to the world. Luckily, at least the hospital gown he wore shielded his white chest from any privy eyes. Still.

Gingerly, Kushina extended her own hand, and as gently as touching a sheet of glass, grasped Obito's. He could barely conceal a jerky flinch. The contact scorched his skin, burned through the tissue, and turned his bones to ash. Who knew that a simple touch could cause such a reaction? It didn't go unseen by the woman, but instead of retracting her hand, she gripped his tighter. Vaguely, he could hear a distant thought murmuring that she was being protective, even if subconsciously. She'd be a wonderful mother.

Obito mourned that the fires charred only his soul.

''It doesn't matter now,'' she said, finally finding her voice again. A shaky smile made its way onto her delicate lips. ''You're here, you're alive, you're...'' a quiet tearful sob escaped her chest and she brought her free hand to her mouth, shutting her quickly wetting eyes. The two strong contradicting emotions of losing and gaining were fighting for dominance, and it was unclear which one would eventually prevail.

Finally, she collected herself and promptly wiped the unshed tears away, a choky laugh filling the room. She looked back at Obito with considerably lighter eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

''You're a bastard, y'know! 'Without a scratch' my ass, that's the last time I'm trusting you on that, idiot,'' Kushina's bright voice eased all remaining tension away. Obito was momentarily startled by such a change, but gradually allowed himself to melt into the new atmosphere. If only for awhile (a second a moment a beat), he decided it would be alright.

The small verbal tick sent his insides twisting regardless.

''Yeah, well, you should focus on the bright side—I'm still more or less in one piece, so I'll take that as a win,'' he answered with half a shrug, flashing her his best grin, however dimmed. Fortunately, he had a lot of experience of appearing much cheerier than he actually was. Surprisingly enough, though, he discovered not a lot of pretense was required. Kushina really did have a way of livening up those around her, and even someone like Obito wasn't immune, not completely anyway. Even if he feared the teary lump in his throat would soon reach his eyes.

''Hmph, you're lucky I can't send you to the hospital myself, y'know,'' she threatened lightly, yet he distantly felt her grip tighten. ''Though I'd be more than happy to do that to whoever beat me to the punch.''

Leave it to Kushina and her subtlety.

At least she was speaking her mind, something Obito couldn't say about a lot of people, mostly those present.

''Then you'd have to fight a lot of paper,'' he nodded solemnly, deciding to indulge her.

Surprise momentarily crossed her features, but she quickly recovered. In the corner of his eye Obito saw Minato straighten. No doubt his interest was piqued. Everyone in the room could easily understand what Obito had implied.

''Yeah? Then I'd burn it all and find whoever that paper belonged to and send them to the hospital, y'know.'' Or a grave was left unsaid, yet heavily hinted at.

''I definitely wouldn't want to be that person,'' Obito hummed thoughtfully. He decided to not elaborate further, for now. He still hadn't completely thought everything over, and certainly wouldn't want to risk accidentally letting something slip. Anything that would no doubt land him in a T&I chamber.

Kushina visibly deflated, but didn't pry further. Despite her overly cheerful demeanor, she still held an air of cautiousness around her. Again, Obito was glad for the breather (use it, then).

''Well, as much as I'd like to chat more, I can't stay away from work any longer,'' she sighed, though her warm smile was quick to return. What was her job again? Did she even work? ''I'll come to visit you as much as I can, though.''

A string of sorrowfulness twisted inside Obito.

''Thank you,'' he spoke softly. The lump in his throat tightened and he could barely voice out his next words. ''It was... nice seeing you again.''

Kushina's smile turned bittersweet as she caressed the boy's bandaged hand. Finally, she let go (already missing the contact what's with you) and stood up.

''Be sure to heal quickly, I have tons of things I wanna show you, y'know,'' she grinned.

Obito could merely nod dazedly, pushing down any leaking melancholy.

With that, Kushina made her way to the exit, casting one final gentle glance at him. Before she left, she shared a knowing one with Minato, and failed to connect with Kakashi's. The boy had yet to make a single noise or move at all. Only his fingers twiddled together seemingly unconsciously, actively staring somewhere either to the side or at the floor. Distress was practically radiating off the young shinobi, and yet, his feet stayed planted in place. Obito, for a moment, wondered.

Silence enveloped the trio once Kushina left. Minato, for awhile, was apparently trying to decide whether to approach his injured student, or to stay with his other one. In the end, he opted for the later. Obito didn't mind. He wasn't particularly seeking any close presence, he had almost suffocated enough in one day as it was. Besides, Kakashi seemed like he needed it more.

''Kushina-san is as lively as ever, I see,'' Obito commented, choosing to speak first. He sounded a tad too longing for his liking.

''Mm, I'm actually surprised she was as calm as she was, since she couldn't stay still for a moment ever since hearing about you,'' Minato answered with a light shake. He appeared mildly amused.

''Her hair has gotten longer, too,'' Obito resumed, promptly ignoring his sensei's comment. That didn't seem to pass by the Minato's attention. ''Speaking of which, I should probably do something about mine,'' he continued, absentmindedly running his hand through it. ''It has gotten way too...'' A lock fell to right side and his eye caught it. ''...long.''

He blinked once. Then twice. Then slowly gripped several strands and brought them clearer into his sight.

Oh.

Oh.

Shit.

Alarms began blaring in his head as he continued to dumbly stare at his snow-white hair. Suddenly, so many things made sense and so many things didn't. He'd have to focus on the didn't part later, though. Since even in his peripheral vision Obito noticed the two individuals tense as he made this discovery.

No fucking wonder everyone was acting so damn odd around him. Even veteran shinobi who had seen it all didn't usually receive such treatment. Since the world they were living in was so messed up and required a much stronger will and resistance to trauma, the people who were raised to be soldiers had a much stronger immunity to emotional distress, though even then some couldn't take it all, ending up every way imaginable. Nevertheless, an average shinobi was capable of handling great amounts of stress without being damaged too much, and if it ever went overboard, they usually just snapped. Furthermore, even if their mind was in tatters, their body usually help up surprisingly well, most likely due to the influence of chakra, and incredibly rarely did any form of psychological burden affect a person's appearance.

That being said, finding Obito, who had been pronounced dead, in the shape that he was would have been bad enough. Discovering that his once-black hair was now completely white threw them all for a much sicker loop. So of course they made the worst possible conclusion.

The syndrome where one's hair turned white from stress was something akin to a myth in their world. It just didn't happen. And yet, they couldn't have possibly made a different assumption, since no one was idiotic enough to suggest that he had just simply bleached his hair. Or performed the Rinne Tensei and survived. Or became the Juubi's jinchuuriki. Vaguely, Obito pondered with wry amusement how those certain conversations would have gone.

So no wonder they were acting with him as if he was going to fucking snap and tear their throats out at any moment. Or just shatter, and then they'd have to deal with the wrath of Minato and Kushina, even if they themselves would be at fault.

Either way, to the people around, he really did seem like a goddamn glass doll.

Obito wanted to gouge his remaining eye out.

That would just be impractical, though.

So instead, he forcefully shifted his attention back to his surroundings. He'd have more than enough time (hopefully) to muse over this new revelation at a later date. Obito had already been silent for a tad too long, it would do him no good to have his visitors come to their own conclusions.

''...Definitely need a haircut.'' Finally, his blank voice broke the tense atmosphere. There was no point in having those two on edge. ''What a god-awful color. Makes me look old.''

The comment "It's not what you think" burned on his tongue, but Obito managed to swallow it. He shouldn't be too truthful with them, not yet, anyway. While in the long run it would be more preferable to have these two regard him as a capable shinobi, rather than a maimed one (such a syndrome may as well be seen as a disability), Obito wasn't one to run bullheaded into situations without thinking every single aspect through.

He made a mental note to get back to that as soon as he was alone.

''Well, I'm sure Kushina would be more than happy to help you with that,'' Minato spoke with a smile once he recovered from that momentary surprise.

''Mhmm,'' Obito hummed lowly. Then, he pushed the rising irritation away and lifted his shoulders in a light shrug. ''I'll just bear with it for now, I guess.''

Obito wasn't sure whether he should have responded like that. He didn't particularly like how Minato's gaze scrutinized him. Uneasiness slowly crept into him.

A soft sigh left his sensei's lips as he unfolded his arms and shifted on his feet, posture changing slightly. It was remarkable how just by such little details, the whole air around him could change. Obito felt an unexplainable pang of anxiety.

''As much as I'd wish you could rest peacefully for awhile, I'm afraid that won't be entirely possible. Now that you're awake, I won't be able to keep people from coming in here and asking questions for long, so I was tasked to discuss this matter with you beforehand,'' Minato's voice was gentle and apologetic, which in Obito's opinion was stupid, since Minato had absolutely no reason to feel that way. He had already done more than enough by keeping his unconscious mind safe, and Obito would be forever thankful to him for that. Nevertheless, he felt touched by his sensei's tone. He really didn't deserve such kindness.

(it's almost as if he's just a—)

Stop thinking about it. You're in the way. Shut up.

(He pushed it down down down, as far as it could go, where the wailing wouldn't reach him)

Obito nodded, allowing the lock of hair to fall back to its place and lifting his eye to meet Minato's.

''I understand. What do you want to know?''

A pause.

''Do you have any reservations?''

The need to ask for no Yamanakas prickled his tongue, but he ignored it. If he proved himself cooperative and answered all their questions, technically there shouldn't be any need to pick his mind apart. His main goal was to not appear too distrustful, and with no small amount of frustration, Obito realized it would be easier said than done, given whom he had spent the last year with. Obito was still debating whether to actually reveal his ancestor's name. On the one hand, it would most likely cause quite a few eyebrows to raise, but on the other, some would (hopefully) recognize he had no reason to lie and perhaps actually take the threat seriously. Fortunately, he still had some time to muse over this particular issue.

''No,'' Obito shook his head finally. ''I'll try to relay everything I know.''

Minato's pose relaxed slightly at Obito's words and he tugged his lips upwards. He was obviously glad his student was in a more-or-less stable state of mind, but it washed away only a drop of worry from his features. The real storm would begin soon.

''Alright,'' Minato nodded. ''They should come in a day or two, depending on the doctor's permission. She can be quite protective of her patients.'' Light amusement painted his smile— ''In the meantime, make sure you rest. We'll try to visit as often as possible,'' —and then it was back to gentle.

Obito merely hummed in response, almost wryly, watching as his sensei made his way to the exit. Kakashi had seemingly unrooted himself from the ground and followed Minato closely, hair obscuring any expression he might have worn. Obito followed Kakashi's movements closely, something twinging inside, something he could not yet name. He felt a strange kind of sadness as his former teammate approached the door where Minato had already disappeared with one last warm glance to his injured student.

Then, he heard his voice rather than felt it.

''Kakashi.''

The addressed boy stilled, his movements suddenly frozen. Even then, even without as much as turning his head, the surprise that hit him was rather obvious. Obito wasn't sure whether it was the unpleasant kind or not, though. It was painfully clear how much Kakashi wished to flee, to not be left alone with his once-thought-dead teammate, but alas, he didn't. And even though it took a good while, Kakashi finally managed to glance at him.

Obito had extended his hand out, silently inviting him to come closer. He wasn't quite sure what urged him to do this. Something within him did, though, and he couldn't fight it off. Kakashi was suffering, and Obito didn't want to just let him leave with such a heavy heart. He wouldn't, not if he could do anything about it.

A painfully long silence stretched between them. Kakashi's inner turmoil was rather clearly gnawing his insides, and he seemed on the verge of just running away. But not once did Obito's determination waver and he stubbornly kept his hand up. Truthfully speaking, Obito was quite doubtful about the prospect of Kakashi actually accepting his invitation. He would understand if he chose to leave instead, and would only silently hope that next time he'd be more cooperative. It was Kakashi they were talking about, after all.

So, having that in mind, it was only natural that Obito was surprised that after what felt like a good minute the boy actually moved towards him rather than away. It was painstakingly hesitant and slow, but it was progressive. Though his gaze flickered to Obito's face on more than one occasion, it never met his eye directly, but Obito was simply glad for any kind of response at all. It warmed his heart oddly, seeing how Kakashi managed to will himself for Obito, even if it caused great distress to him. And right then and there, Obito swore he would never take it for granted.

Finally, Kakashi stopped a meter from the other's side, not daring to come closer or lift his stare up. Obito observed him for a quick moment before suddenly reaching out and grabbing Kakashi's own hand, ignoring the jerk and hitch of breath that came with it. This time, his teammate's wide eye shot to meet Obito's, and even through the mask he could see Kakashi's lips parting in shock. Before he could instinctively or otherwise move away, Obito tightened his grasp.

Many words and phrases flashed through his mind in that moment. He wanted to say so much, but for the life of him couldn't find the right expression. So for a short while, he let the heavy silence hang around them.

"It's okay."

"Don't be afraid of me."

"I'll help you."

"I don't want you to suffer."

"You won't be alone."

Finally, without thinking, Obito said what he himself desperately wished to hear.

''...We'll be alright.'' A small, almost vulnerable smile tugged on his lips. His eye never left his teammate's.

Kakashi's body shook and he bowed his head. Silver hair fell on the unhidden parts of his face, and yet Obito could still see how his lips trembled. Any words were lost to him, and he was left breathless, his bottled emotions threatening to spill.

Then, in a mere blink of an eye, he was gone.

Ahhh those two bois will be the end of me

Who's ready for the interrogation next chapter? I know I am, it was fun

Ah, and since some of you wondered about his arm, I'll get to it in the near future! So you just siiit tight

Oh, also! If anyone for some reason would want contact me, I lurk on tumblr a lot (or, uh, I guess still lurk there hah). Name's the same!

(completely irrelevant but who else is hyped for Endgame, that trailed left me shooketh)