So, cursing her stiff body, she stood up and, painfully, made her way out into the hallway. She searched silently all up and down the hall but he was not there. It was dark and creepy out here, she didn't wish to stay for long so she hoped Tobi would come out soon and return with her.
She made her way down the hallway, towards the living room. She suddenly felt very impatient; she really wanted to get to the living room as quickly as possible. Her breathing quickened, she started to jog, then finally broke out into a run. She could sense fear- someone was being hurt! Whoever they were, they were in the living room. Now she felt a very urgent need to save them. The vibe coming from the frightened person told her it was someone very important to her.
She burst into the living room. It was completely dark in here except for a strange light that didn't seem to have a source. The light illuminated two figures in the middle of the room. One was standing; the other was crumpled on the ground in a puddle of red liquid.
The standing figure turned to look at her, "Yoko-chan," He smiled, "I've been waiting for you,"
"Hidan!" She screeched, "What the hell is going on? Who is that?"
"He said to give this to you- you always liked it," The familiar words hit her like a ton of bricks. No, She thought, not again! Hidan held out his hand, an object wrapped in cloth was there. She took it from him, her fingers trembling. She knew what it was before she even saw it; the ridged texture, the orange color, the swirling design. . .
She stared hard at it, "H-Hidan-san… W-Why are you giving me th-this? Did you steal it from Tobi-san?" The words spilled out of her mouth without her realizing it, almost identical to the ones she had spoken on that day nearly 12 years ago. Her body was shaking now. She rose to her feet, feeling numb and confused, "It was you wasn't it? You killed him," Her voice was strange and foreign to her.
"Me? Yeah, right! You're the one who killed him!" He pointed toward the person crumpled on the ground, "Just ask him yourself,"
The words struck her like a punch in the stomach. She suddenly felt dizzy. It was her fault? How could that be? She hadn't done anything wrong… Had she? Somehow she got her feet to move toward the still form on the ground. The red liquid puddled on the floor felt warm against her bare feet. She dropped down limply to her knees.
She rolled the person over onto his back. His eyes opened.
"Hey, Yoko-chan," He grinned a familiar grin.
"O-Obito-san!" She cradled her still 12-year-old best friend.
"Sorry, I really meant to come back to you sooner, but I guess I forgot!" He apologized sheepishly. Then he looked at her more seriously, "I'm sorry that it hurt so much…"
"Obito-san, w-where have you been?" Her voice was high-pitched. She began to sob.
He was sitting up now, fingering the goggles around her neck, "I'll be back soon for these," He said, ignoring her question, "Please don't cry anymore, Yoko-chan," He smiled reassuringly, "I won't be far away," He stood up, somehow completely healed of his injuries.
"What? Where are you going?" She jumped up, noticing that they were now standing in the middle of a forest.
He only grinned in response, then looked over at someone who was concealed in the shadows. 12-year-old Kakashi-sensei stepped out followed by 12-year-old Rin, "Come on, we have a mission. Don't forget that this day is very important for me!"
"See ya later, Yoko-chan!" They all turned and ran, disappearing into the forest.
She tried to run after them but her legs seemed to have turned to jelly. She stumbled and fell flat on her face, sobbing.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Eventually she realized that she was crying into someone's chest; that strong arms were wrapped around her quivering frame.
"Yoko-chan," A voice whispered soothingly, "Wake up,"
She recognized the voice immediately and lifted her gaze to his face, "Tobi-san?"
"Yoko-chan," His voice was filled with relief, seeing her awake. It was obvious that he had been immensely worried about her, and that he still was, "You- you were crying in your sleep,"
She sat up and looked around, bewildered. Why was she here in her room, sitting on Tobi's bed? She had just been in a forest, right? Talking with Obito. And Tobi- Hidan had said he was…
Her eyes snapped back to the very concerned Tobi in front of her. She looked him up and down, but he was unharmed, aside from injuries left over from the battle earlier today.
"Yoko-chan, what's wrong?" He asked, alarmed at her strange behavior. She didn't answer, she only threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his forehead. Somehow he managed to calm her down long enough to get her to explain her dream.
When she reached the part about thinking he was dead, she had to pause and hug him again. It had just felt so real.
"Heheh, I wouldn't die that easily! You don't have to worry," He laughed, but he hugged her anyway.
Then she reached the part about Obito.
"Yeah, you mentioned that name several times while you were dreaming. Who is he?"
A pained expression crossed her face, "He was my best friend," She went on to explain their history together from the beginning. Yoko had been abandoned at a very young age. She could remember very little of her parents. Her earliest memories were of a cave- a shelter of some sort, used during times of war. She lived there alone for a bit until Obito found her. Every day he would bring her food so that she didn't have to steal it. Worried for her safety, and because his family wouldn't adopt her, he had started to live there with her.
Yoko told Tobi all kinds of stories; how Obito was the one who inspired her to start training; how she disliked his teammate, Kakashi, so much that she would play pranks on him every chance she got (and how Kakashi coincidentally became her sensei later on (Tobi found this hilarious)); how they had once stayed out in the sun too long and had gotten sunburned- how the next day they spent the whole day rubbing aloe on each others backs.
Then she told him how Obito had died. How she had been utterly alone. How she refused to speak again for years afterward.
"Oh- I'm sorry, it's late and I know this stuff is really depressing so I can stop talking now if-!" She was hushed when he put a finger to her lips.
"You don't have to worry," He shifted closer to her, "I like it when you talk. . ."
A blush blossomed across her face, which caused him to smile. She turned her face away, afraid the giddiness would show, but shuddered in spite of herself.
He noticed, "Yoko-chan, are you cold?"
"Yeah, a bit," It wasn't completely a lie; after all they did keep it pretty cold in the hideout. And all she was wearing was a tank top and knee length skirt.
He slid his arms around her carefully; making sure it was what she wanted. When she leaned into the embrace he pulled her so that they were laying together under the covers, "There, isn't that better?"
Duh. She couldn't even begin to describe to him how much better it was to lay here next to him instead of alone and cold in her own bed. Somehow she had never quite noticed his scent before, now it was everywhere. Tobi, his face pressed into her hair, inhaled deeply, too.
Yoko, in danger of losing herself to a hormonal paradise, tried to concentrate on sleep. Whenever she had almost drifted off, however, Tobi would sigh into her ear or change the position of his hands on her body, and then a whole new wave of feelings would stir. Finally she managed to drift off to sleep again; this time, she would have peaceful dreams.