Chapter 30: Kagami's Heart Arc - It's Not Just for Show
Kagami has dismissed the fact that Tobi really is Obito, but maybe a helpful person can convince her that something about Tobi isn't just for show. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and my OCs.
Kagami's POV
A week had passed since Deidara had fallen ill, with Halloween being only one day away.
Luckily, the medicine made him better, though it took about a day for him to finally stop sneezing. He sneezed so much, it was almost as if he were allergic to lavender perfume. Fortunately, that was not the case, or else we would all be in big trouble with a constantly sneezing, yellow feline pyromaniac.
Tobi seemed quite normal during the week, not bothering to use his deep voice once. Although I was still upset at Rin for trying to claim that Tobi was Obito, I couldn't help but continue to feel uneasy about the masked boy. There was definitely something about him that gave me the chills inside, as if he was emanating some sort of evil and dark aura around him. But still, even if I wanted to, Tobi's playfulness and willingness to be friends with me always stopped me in my tracks. In addition, Rin had gone silent, and hadn't bothered to contact me ever since I had yelled at her.
At school, the feeling remained. My conscience continued to nag me all week, as if it were trying to tell me something and I was subconsciously ignoring it. I had to constantly rub my head in pain throughout the week as well, though I made sure to do it when my teachers weren't looking. It was as if my conscience had resorted to dropping invisible anvils on my brain in order to get me to listen.
During lunch break, I quickly ate the small sandwich that Kaiya had packed me, then tore open my backpack to retrieve my diary. I wasn't exactly sure if bringing it was a good idea or not, as the other second graders didn't even have diaries yet. But still, I had ignored writing in it for quite a while, since I didn't want anybody, not even my siblings or Tobi, to find out what I had written. It was called a diary for a reason. In addition, I wasn't sure what was going to happen if they found out about Rin. Nothing good, that's for sure.
Whipping out one of my pencils, I pressed the lead to the next blank page and began to write.
Dear Diary,
It's been too long since I've written anything in here. I sincerely apologize for that, but the past weeks have been pretty strange. To be specific, every time somebody harasses me somewhere, like at the carnival and in front of Sugar Top Central, Tobi just jumps in and rescues me. It's quite flattering, having my best friend rescue me like a dashing hero rescuing a damsel in distress, but at the same time, it makes me feel very uneasy about Tobi's true nature. When in a normal situation, he acts like a carefree, blissfully oblivious, happy-go-lucky kid, as if he was actually trying to annoy other people, especially Deidara. While like this, he usually talks in the third person. But whenever that random boy on the street attacked me and tried to steal my stuff, Tobi physically harmed him, and even gave him a death threat, using a deep voice and talking in the first person instead. Whenever this happens, I can feel some sort of cold and malicious aura radiating from his body.
It's just an odd sensation, really. In addition, Rin and I have been speaking a little bit about her past, including her friends and her death. She gave up her life to save her village, and stabbed herself with her friend Kakashi's Lightning Blade. I think she called it...Raikiri? Chidori? Whatever it was, it was one of those two. And it killed her in front of both Kakashi Hatake and her other friend Obito Uchiha, who had loved Rin. According to Rin, Obito grew up as an orphan who was usually ignored by others, and his dream of becoming the leader of Konohagakure, the Hokage, was often dismissed as nothing more than a wild fantasy. Out of many others, Rin was the only one who had really took his dream seriously, and stayed by Obito's side throughout his childhood. I'm pretty sure that this is why he grew to love her: because Rin was the only one who truly cared about him. Even now, I'm not sure who Rin loved more...Kakashi or Obito? Both boys were her dearest friends and her teammates, but Rin originally had feelings for Kakashi. Now, she has no idea who her feelings are really for, but hopefully, they're for Obito now. Maybe that was all he really wanted: to be by the side of the girl he loved.
But still, ever since the incident happened at the mall, Rin and I haven't spoken. She tried to claim that Tobi was really Obito under an alias, but I refused to believe it. I even yelled at her, something which isn't in my nature at all. It's as if I'm undergoing a big, traumatic change in my life ever since we adopted those ten kittens that were really the Akatsuki placed under the Neko Asuka Noroi no Jutsu. We spray them with Asuka lavender perfume to turn them into humans, but they will transform back into cats if they sneeze. Still, I don't believe Rin, but I can't help but think that her words may be the truth about Tobi. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but at the same time, I don't know what's right and what's wrong about the whole situation now. Tobi could be Obito, but then again, maybe he isn't. I'm just super confused about what to think right now...what in the world do I do? I don't know whether to scream or embrace the fact, but still, I haven't made a verdict yet, though I'm not a judge.
I want to ask Naoki about this, since he watches Naruto a lot, but I know that I can't. If word gets out that I've been talking to Rin, then nothing good will come out of it. And if Tobi really is Obito, I don't know what he'd have to say about it either, especially since he loves Rin. If anything, our friendship would definitely be in even greater jeopardy than it is now. Tobi is my best friend, and I wouldn't want to hurt him like that. He's been more fun than any other person I've hung out with, and I want to keep it that way. I don't want him to be a heartless killer. I don't feel like ruining the bond that we already have, but still, if he uses the deep voice one more time, I won't have any choice but to confront him about it when we're alone, maybe right before bedtime. Wish me luck, diary.
Signed,
Kagami Hoshiyume
Closing my diary, I sighed in relief, having vented out my deepest thoughts in that one book. As the bell to go back to class rang, I ran back to the classroom, making sure that I wasn't late for class.
But even after I had written all of that down, I couldn't help but continue to feel uneasy. My head continued to hurt, but the sensation had gotten worse somehow. Chasing away my smile, I rubbed my forehead and groaned, feeling as if the day had rewound and I was actually back in my bed instead of school.
I didn't bother speaking to anybody, not even the teacher, about anything at all. In fact, I was unusually silent the entire day, and even after lunch had passed, I still hadn't uttered a single word. Unfortunately, as much as I was trying to hide my state, my teacher seemed to take notice of this.
"Kagami-chan?" he inquired, raising a brow at me. "Is there something wrong? You haven't spoken a word all day."
I wanted to say that it was really nothing, but all I could manage at the moment was a silent shake of my head.
"If you feel like it," he said, "you can head on down to the nurse's office. Then, you can make up your work tomorrow, since we don't have much for homework tonight. But since you are not feeling well enough to speak, I'll email Ayame-san about your situation."
Nodding, I excused myself from class without uttering a word, then stormed off into the hall, running as fast as I could to the nurse's office. I did not feel like explaining anything, but yet, the words desired to escape my throat. But still, I ignored everybody's concerned looks as I made my way around the halls and towards the front office, where the nurse's room was located.
Entering the nurse's office quietly, I gently placed my backpack down in the corner of the room. I sat down on one of the beds, sighing once again. But this time, it was not in relief. The nurse, who was typing something on her computer, turned to look at me.
"You're Kagami Hoshiyume, right?" Ayame-san questioned, and I simply nodded in reply. "So, your teacher told me that something was wrong with you in class today. He may be right...usually, you're all bright and cheerful. Is there possibly something that's getting you down?"
I shook my head. Ayame-san gave me a funny look, then placed a hand on my forehead. Ten seconds later, she retracted her hand, then went to grab a large popsicle stick.
"Hm," she said skeptically. "You don't seem to have a fever. And from what your teacher told me, you haven't coughed all day either. But just to make sure, open your mouth wide so I can check for anything stuck in your throat."
I obeyed her, and that was when I realized what she was wearing.
A light blue germ mask.
"Ayame-san?" I interrupted the nurse, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to look at me, concern flashing in her blue eyes.
"So you can speak," she responded. "What do you need, Kagami-chan?"
"Why are you wearing a mask?"
She giggled slightly. "Well, all nurses wear masks sometimes. This is so that we don't spread or get germs from other people, since we wouldn't want students to be getting even sicker than they already are, would we? Even if we don't have diseases or viruses, it's a health and safety precaution in order to make sure everybody stays well."
I could only nod in response, but that was not the answer that I was looking for. "What about other people? Why do they wear masks, and not just the one that you're wearing, Ayame-san?"
"There are many different reasons for wearing a mask," she explained kindly. "For instance, people wear face masks of zombies and vampires on Halloween to try and scare each other. Some people wear germ masks during religious ceremonies to make sure that they don't accidentally inhale and kill insects. And also, some people just wear paper bags on their heads to prevent other people from noticing how bad their hair looks, especially on a date."
I raised a brow. "Are there any other reasons why somebody would wear a face mask? I mean, not a germ mask, but one that covers their entire face and not just their nose and mouth?"
"Well," she began, "I guess that there's one more reason why I believe somebody would wear a mask like that."
"What?" I asked, my eyes lighting up. "What is that reason?"
"Those are the people who want to conceal their true selves from society," Ayame-san continued. "Usually, this is because they've experienced a horrible past, like abuse, loneliness, or witnessing the deaths of everybody they've ever loved. They believe often that nobody will ever understand their pain and want to isolate themselves away from the rest of the world in shame of who they are. They often take on a new identity as well, in order to mask away their pain and troubles and begin a new life as somebody completely different: somebody who is actually accepted by the person's society. Basically, the mask allows them to start over and make a different impact on the world that they felt like they were shunned from. I haven't met any people like that, but I've definitely heard of a couple. Is that what is troubling you?"
I thought about it for a moment, then gave a small nod. "I guess it maybe was. I saw somebody like that on the street who seemed to switch from one personality to another in just five seconds. It made me delve into a delusion of wonder, so much that I felt like becoming a mute for a little while when I'm not talking to my family."
"Well, at least you can speak again," remarked the nurse in an optimistic voice. "But don't worry too much about it if the man isn't part of your family. You should be just fine, if that's the case. Do you still want me to call your family?"
"No, thank you," I declined. "I'll just tell them when I get home today. How long until school ends, Ayame-san?"
"In about five minutes," she replied. "You can just sit here and rest, since there's no point in going back to class at this time."
So I just sat there on the bed, continuing to ponder about Tobi's actual identity behind the mask.
He never takes that thing off, I thought to myself. Not even when Kaiya and Deidara order him to take a shower. Tobi is definitely and deliberately concealing the person he is behind that mask, which is probably also why he tends to wear a lot of clothing as well. Maybe...could Rin actually be right about Tobi? I don't want to think that Tobi is actually Obito, but then again, if you put two and two together, and rearrange the letters in Tobi's name while adding an extra "o"...
When the bell rang, I sat up and blinked, realizing that I had just made a newfound discovery that was probably worth a million dollars if it was true.
Tobi was Obito Uchiha.
And yet, I still refused to believe it.
I thanked Ayame-san, then walked out the door of the nurse's office and then that of the front office, heading towards the pick-up area. And ironically enough, Tobi was standing there, waiting to pick me up and take me home from school.
"Kagami-chan!" the boy squealed, running over to me. "Tobi waited for you to come out for three hours! Why was Kagami-chan in there for so long?"
I forced myself to giggle. "Silly you! School doesn't end until 2:30, Tobi-chan! You didn't have to stand here for that long! How did you even entertain yourself for that long without passing out in utter boredom?"
"Tobi has his ways," he simply said, then grabbed my hand. "Kaiya-chan told Tobi to take Kagami-chan straight home."
"Maybe it's because we got lost after leaving the festival," I remarked. "Boy, was onee-chan quite freaked out about that."
He nodded in agreement, the swooped me up and carried me in his arms. "Hold on tight, Kagami-chan!"
Remembering how fast he had gone, I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist, squeezing my eyes shut as he began to take off. I could feel the length of the stride he was taking, and was also aware of every time he leaped from a high tree branch. Surprisingly, nobody really seemed to notice all of this happen, even though it was in broad daylight, just like the last time.
Tobi continued to carry me through the trees, as if he were trying to hide our presence. Once we had made it through all of the trees, I opened my eyes, surprised that I could already see our house again. I looked up, realizing that since he was too busy ninja-leaping through the trees to notice what I was doing. My hands reached up instinctively to yank the mask off of his face, but for some reason, I stopped myself at the last second, quickly retracting my arm just before we hit the ground.
Why? I asked myself. You had your chance…
But still, I had that night to test my theory. Doing it out in broad daylight was probably too dangerous. So I just kept my hands to myself, allowing Tobi to carefully set me down by the front door as he politely knocked on it: a gesture that we had taught him to use instead of barging into rooms at random.
The doorknob clicked, and Yukio answered the door, letting both of us inside.
"Welcome home," he greeted. "How was your day at school, imouto?"
"Good," I lied. "I'm going to go watch an episode of Star Wars with Naoki-nii-chan, if he's up for it."
Yukio grimaced in response. "As much as I want to watch that, of course my teacher had to drop a ton of homework on top of me. Have fun, Kagami-chan. And Tobi, Deidara wanted to see you for a little bit. I'm not sure what he wanted, but he was uttering lyrics from the Charmin Ultra Strong commercial, so hopefully, it isn't too serious."
Running upstairs, I barged into Naoki's room the moment I got there to find him staring at the television screen again. He acknowledged my presence with a simple nod as I sat down next to him.
"Return of the Jedi?" I asked, noticing bear-like creatures running around and throwing spears at tons of robots and Stormtroopers. He nodded, and together, we continued to watch the rest of the movie.
The headache that had been stabbing at my brain had faded, and I was able to finally relax for a while as I stared at the television screen with Naoki. Although I was pretty sure that being decimated by a blaster ray was downright painful, I was too focused on my thoughts to decide. However, throughout the entire movie, I didn't feel like a needle was digging through my skull at all.
Maybe it's gone for good now, I thought.
But that night, my headache returned to bother me again, right after Kaiya had tucked both of us in, closing the door behind her. That left Tobi and me alone, the lights off, without a single noise except for the chirping of the crickets.
Tell him that you know, my mind ordered me. You're alone. Nobody else is going to hear you unless you scream.
Rubbing my head as my headache inside my mind throbbed painfully, I turned to face Tobi, taking a deep breath.
Here goes...
"You know, Tobi-chan," I began, and he looked at me curiously.
"What is it?" he asked me, concern laced in his voice.
"I've always wondered," I said, sinking into my sleeping bag, "why do you bother protecting me? It's only been around eight weeks since we met, but still, why do you act as if I'm some sort of precious person to you? I'm just a normal little girl...so why, Tobi-chan? Why me, and not any of my other siblings? No offense intended, of course."
"It's just...an instinct, probably," he said, but I was pretty sure that it was merely a lie.
"You're lying," I told him. "You can tell me why, and when you do, you're welcome to speak using your deep voice, Tobi-chan. I've been developing this theory about you with my brother, and would really like it if you would start telling me actual answers."
"Kaiya scares me," he admitted, using his deep voice. "Naoki is too grumpy and introverted, and Yukio will get me into way more trouble than I usually cause."
"That doesn't explain why you chose to protect me when the time comes," I retorted. "You can't start a fire without sparks, Tobi-chan. There is a reason for everything, so tell me exactly why I need to be protected."
After that, Tobi fell completely silent. Although I could not tell what expression he was making behind that mask of his, I knew that he definitely wasn't smiling. Finally, after a minute of utter silence, he spoke.
"Perhaps it's because you bear such a striking resemblance to the girl that I love."
My eyes widened to the size of saucers. "The girl...you love?"
He nodded. "Just with longer hair and no markings on your cheeks. But otherwise, everything else, not including clothes, is exactly like her. You even act a little like her: playful and sassy, but at the same time, kind and mature."
I blinked, then asked a question that I probably already knew the answer to, but wanted to confirm. "What is her name, the one that I look like?"
Another long pause followed, the silence broken only by the sound of the crickets chirping away at the night sky. The full moon shimmered through the window, making the entire situation seem somewhat ethereal. I could hear Tobi sigh painfully, and it wasn't until then that I recalled the time when he had said that saying her name made him sad. But nevertheless, he answered me, saying the name that had pained him so much.
"Her name was Rin Nohara."
I gasped, realizing exactly who Tobi was now, even though I had not trusted Rin at first. How could a happy-go-lucky, innocent, playful fellow such as Tobi truly be him?
"So he was right," I responded, substituting Naoki for Rin. "Nii-chan's theory about you really was true after all."
"That I loved a girl?" he asked, continuing to use his deep voice.
I shook my head. "That's not it. I already knew that you loved a girl, but I did not expect it to be her at all. He has told me a little bit about your friend, Kakashi, and his past, as well as Rin. He said that you were close to them, but that's about it before the manga suddenly stopped being published."
He seemed to glare at me after I had mentioned the name of the man whose life he had saved. "Kakashi...how do you know that man's name?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Naoki-nii-chan and I are siblings. We usually don't keep secrets from each other."
"Tobi…" I continued, removing the honorific to show how serious I was. "That isn't your real name, is it? It's just an alias to hide your true identity hidden behind that swirly mask of yours. In fact, it's merely an anagram of your actual name. Don't you dare try to hide anything more from me…"
Before he could respond, I uttered his true name, two words that were powerful enough to silence the masked man that was sitting on the bed right in front of me.
"...Obito Uchiha."
And with that, I passed out, the two simple words proving to be too much for me to handle.
A/N: Boom! Obito has officially been busted! Sorry that this chapter was so short, though.
Question: ObiRin, KakaRin, or KakaObi? I'm pretty sure you all know my answer by now. :)
Until next time, lovelies!
— Tenshi —
