Okay guys, let me just say that CHAPTER 12 IS STILL A THING, AND WILL BE COMING OUT... eventually. Go to my profile for more info.
This chapter is something to tide y'all over until I'm finished with Chapter 12 and also the best way for my readers to be informed of all the changes I've made (like the title, for instance *whistles innocently*).
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own shit.
Omake 1: A Day in the Life of Everyone's Favorite Weasel
Sometimes, Itachi wondered just how in the hell his fellow Akatsuki members were all considered S-Class. Oh, they were all quite powerful in their own right and had the insanity to match (a common theory being the more powerful a shinobi, the less sane they were, and what did that say about him?), but still, the Uchiha couldn't help but wonder occasionally.
Like now, for instance.
Itachi sighed into his tea and took another sip as several roars of confused rage echoed throughout the compound. Across the table, Kisame gave him a toothy grin. The both of them were still in their nightclothes, and Itachi had left his hair down, though brushed, for the moment. He usually got dressed before going to breakfast, but the sharingan-user had caught some sort of virus during the pair's tour of the Land of Hot Springs and was feeling spectacularly horrible enough to just not care at the moment.
"Looks like they found them, Itachi-san. The others sound pissed," laughed Kisame as a door slammed down the hallway and angry cursing followed after.
"WHAT THE FUCK UCHIHA, UN?!"
Itachi gave a deadpan stare at his companion. "If they destroy those books, I'm holding you responsible, as it was your idea."
He received a toothy grin, "With what money? We barely have enough to buy supplies for missions, even pooling our paychecks."
"Maybe, if you both stopped going to so many tea houses and hotels, you'd actually be able to afford food," scolded Kakuzu as he wandered into the room.
"Well, unlike you, the rest of us prefer some modicum of comfort over roughing it every now and again."
"Besides, I've had your homemade 'ration bars,' Kakuzu, and I'm not afraid to say that a one-armed civilian can cook better than you," stated Kisame. It was true, Misaki made some damn good ration bars.
A derisive snort came from the doorway. "Fucking Tobi can cook better than the godless miser."
Itachi heaved another internal sigh. There went his quiet morning. Kami, his head was pounding already. "Good morning Hidan. Thank you for wearing pants."
The silver-haired Jashinist rolled his eyes and poured a cup of coffee, "Have to protect your delicate fucking sensibilities somehow Uchiha." That 'coversation' had been had multiple times just during this stop by base.
"Your sacrifice is appreciated, I assure you." Hidan jumped and almost dropped his cup as Sasori made his presence known. Deidara, looking quite enraged, was not far behind him.
"Uchiha, where the fuck did you get these, un?!" The blonde held up several volumes, all of which had 'Kishimoto Misaki' inscribed in whimsical, yet elegant, font down the spines. "Do you even know how expensive these are?! They're autographed for kami's sake, un! And you have the whole series so far!"
Beside him, Kisame snorted into his own cup of tea, and Itachi withheld another sigh. "They were a birthday present, if you must know. I turned eighteen last week. I am willing to loan them out to those interested, as long they return in good or even better shape. Which means that you had best buy your own copies, Deidara."
The whole of the kitchen was silent in shock, though not for long. "I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak, Uchiha. Holy fuck." Black tendrils shot from Kakuzu and quickly silenced Hidan once again.
"Shut up, your voice grates on my nerves," His fellow immortal stated, acid green eyes never leaving Itachi's serene personage. Hidan could only scream in rage through the thread sewing his mouth shut.
"Hi guys! What's everyone doing in here?~"
"Well, we," Kisame gestured to himself and Itachi with a irritated growl, "were having a nice quiet breakfast." Not that his Uchiha friend had been doing much eating so far. Itachi ate like a bird most of the time anyway, especially compared to Kisame, but he hadn't even bothered with anything other than a few bites of toast. He really was feeling rather horrible.
Sasori's hulking form did a sort of shrug, chittering as the puppets' joints met. "Until Deidara discovered Itachi's newest acquisitions." The only blonde amongst the Akatsuki scowled and plopped the books in question on the kitchen table, causing it's contents to rattle. Kakuzu steadied the fruit bowl, muttering about how ceramic bowls were expensive.
"Ooh, ooh! Itachi-senpai, can Tobi borrow one?!~ No one else will let him, but Tobi really wants to read them! Please?~ Tobi's a good boy and won't let anything happen to your book! Pleeaaaase?!~"
To everyone else, it sounded as if the masked man was almost whining, but Itachi heard it for what it was. A command. For some reason, Madara had become interested in Misaki's novels. Strange, but it really wasn't any of his business what his elder did. Wordlessly, the Uchiha nodded and passed 'Castle of Kariosutoro: Limited Edition Copy with Exclusive Interview with Author!' to Tobi.
"Thank you Itachi-senpai! Tobi'll give it back as soon as he's done, because Tobi is a good boy!" And with that, he was gone. Just in time to hear Deidara complain.
"Oh, so you'll let the man-child borrow one your oh-so-precious books, but not anyone else, un!?"
Itachi sighed aloud and dumped his tea down the sink. "I'm going back to sleep Kisame. Wake me up when it's time to go please."
The shark-man toasted his partner with the mug held in his hand. "Sure thing Itachi-san!"
Omake 1: Home is Where the Heart Is
What the hell was that about?! He couldn't understand what had suddenly come over him, ordering Itachi to loan Tobi the book. It was for children, and he honestly had no interest in the story. But by the time he'd even realized he'd spoken, it was already too late. Oh well, at least it fit with his role as Tobi.
Obito took off the orange abomination that dared to be called a mask and tossed it into a random corner of the room. He'd liked orange as a child, and still did actually, but the mask was just... ugh. Too much. Obito sighed deeply and collapsed onto his bed, gazing up at the book he'd 'begged' off his cousin.
'Castle of Kariosutoro' The first installment of both the Hayao Fantasy series and the Lupin III novella anthologies. Written by none other than Kishimoto Misaki. He couldn't help the small, proud smile that grew on his face at the very idea.
She'd made it.
Despite everything else in her life having slowly gone to shit, Misaki had made it.
Obito rolled onto his stomach with a laugh and turned on the bedside lamp, it's soft glow chasing away the almost pitch black of the room. Even if the base had been built with windows, they'd have been pointless with the constant rain of Amegakure. There was no such thing as 'natural light' here.
"Wait a second...," muttered the uchiha under his breath. He knew this story. Had she told it to him before...? Scooting closer to the lamp, Obito cracked open the novel and landed on the dedication page.
This book would not be possible without the following people;
My family in general for putting up with me,
Seitaro, best friend and love of my life, for bringing me coffee when the voices won't shut up and let me sleep,
Naruto, little brother extraordinaire #1, for buying the groceries and tending the garden when I can't,
Sasuke, little brother extraordinaire #2 (they are not in any particular order you two, stop arguing), for being my sounding-board and getting me out of my office to make dinner and be social,
Kakashi, pseudo-older brother and local dog whisperer, for finally murdering that clock in the hallway (may it burn in hell forever and ever),
Kakashi's dogs, of which there are far too many to name, for letting me cuddle with them whenever my own characters make me sad,
And Iruka, good friend and lightest-weight of us all, for being the voice in the back of our heads shouting 'don't do that, it's illegal!' Your efforts are appreciated, even if we never listen.
This book was written in loving memory of;
Kishimoto Jinzaburo, for what better parent is there than one who gives their life so that their child doesn't have to? Thank you Tou-san.
My foster-parents, for loving me and trusting their son in my proverbial hands (as I only really have the one),
Uchiha Mikoto-oba, for granting me custody of Sasuke, teaching me to cook and calling me the daughter you never had,
Uchiha Fugaku-oji, for granting me custody of your son, buying me a HOUSE, and this sweet gig at Drunken Toad Publishing you sneaky bastard. Also, you were my favorite (only, as far as I know) uncle.
And Uchiha Obito-nii, the best older brother a little girl can buy/steal from her foster-father's genin team. All it took for you was ice cream, so you were pretty cheap as far as brothers go. You were also an idiot, and never on time because you couldn't make yourself not stop to help old ladies with their groceries, but you were my permanently tardy idiot with a heart of gold. I miss you dumbass.
Obito let out the breath he didn't even realized he'd been holding. His chest felt tight and his eye was burning with what were probably unshed tears. The uchiha hadn't cried in a long time, not since... not since Rin, but just that little blurb was enough to get him almost sobbing. Misaki had always been good at that, damn her. After all these years, he still had a soft spot for the girl he once called imouto.
Obito guessed he probably always would.
She had only gotten better with words as the years had passed, it seemed. He had loved to hear her tell stories after team dinners at Minato and Kushina's house, the adults drinking coffee and the rest of them with hot cocoa or tea. There was no drinking allowed in the Namikaze household, Kushina had forbidden it. Obito had always sensed a story there, something to do with the sheen of gold dust he'd find every now and again in corners and behind furniture, and how Fugaku-oji-sama never could look Kushina in the eye when he was over.
He felt his body grow heavier and his breathing slow.
Team dinners were always so much fun, a nice way to get hyped for a mission or relax after coming home. Sometimes, Minato and Kushina would let them stay the night if the team had an early start in the morning. Kushina would make such amazing food, despite the rationing because of the war, helped by the garden Misa-chan insisted on having on the balcony. There was something about a homegrown salad with fresh dressing and a glass of lemonade with sprigs of mint and rosemary that had always connected with him on a spiritual level.
Obito hadn't felt this relaxed in years. He usually hated to sleep because of nightmares, but for some reason, here he was. Drifting away on thoughts of dinner with his genin team, with his little sister...
Thoughts of home, he realized with a subdued start. He was thinking of home. But it wasn't the village. It didn't seem to matter where he changed the setting to, the people all stayed the same. Or more rather, the person stayed the same. Obito knew what she looked like, now she was older, her picture was on the back of the book he grasped loosely in his hand as he drifted off to sleep. Misaki was home. Not Minato or Kushina, not his grandmother, or even... even Rin. Not even Rin meant home anymore, because she was dead and Misaki was not.
Kami, he missed her. He missed his imouto so much.
"Man Kakashi, that story suuucked," exclaimed Obito once his silver-haired teammate had finished his tale. Beside the Uchiha sat a small redheaded girl with eyes like blue-grey marble and bronze freckles peppering her face. The pair of them were in nightclothes and clutching still-steaming mugs of hot chocolate to their chests.
Kakashi looked only a little ridiculous in his own pajamas along with his ever present mask. Misaki had tried to steal it earlier while he'd been in the shower, but he kept spares for a reason. "Oh really? You do better then."
"I liked your story Kakashi," said Rin, clad in leggings and a long shirt. The prodigy nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Obito was very tempted to glare at the other teen, but decided he'd try not to fight with Kakashi over Rin tonight. They were leaving on a long mission tomorrow morning and tensions would be high enough. "Oh not me, I'm pants at telling stories, but Misa-chan's really good at it. Come on Misa, tell us a story!"
Misaki blinked at her couch partner in shock and looked around the room. Rin looked interested, Kakashi bored (big surprise), and Kushina wore an indulging smile. Minato, however, simply gave her a nod of encouragement. She smiled back. "Okay, what kind of story do you want to hear?"
Obito grinned and gave a delighted shout. "Something with lots of action!"
"Ugh, Obi-nii, do you even know me?" scoffed the eight year old. "Of course there'll be action."
Rin, however, blushed in response to the younger girl's agreement. "Maybe... a little romantic?" She glanced at Kakashi from the corner of her eye, and Misaki rolled her eyes, but agreed. Kakashi shrugged and reached for another handful of snacks when the readhead's gaze landed on him.
"And I know Kushi-kaa likes action too, but what about you Mina-tou?~ What are you in the mood for?"
Minato smiled at the nickname. "I think I'd prefer a fairytale to be honest, Misa-chan."
"Hmm..." Misaki nodded and tapped her chin in thought. "A fairytale with lots of action and some romance?" Blue eyes wide, the child snapped her fingers with a grin. "Oh, that's perfect!"
"Pick one, did you?" laughed Kushina.
"Yup!"
Obito jumped up and down in excitement. "Well come on, we don't have all night! Let's hear it!"
Misaki grinned and began her tale after taking a long draw from her drink. The Uchiha glared at her. "Alright, alright... Once upon a time, in a far off land, there was a castle."
Kakashi blinked and raised an eyebrow. "A castle? Seriously?"
"A castle." She nodded wisely, and the adults chuckled. "And this castle was know throughout the world of Ghibli."
"Wherever do you come up with these names sweetie?"
"They just come to me, I guess! Anyway, the castle was full of treasures and knowledge so legendary that it was almost unbelievable. To most, it was, for that's just what it was. A legend, with nothing more than the whispers of supposed sightings to keep the tale alive."
Obito looked slightly confused as he asked, "Why don't they believe it's true? Couldn't they just find the castle?"
Misaki smiled. "It's very hard to find something if it's constantly moving, never in the same place twice."
"What? How? Castles don't just up and move whenever they feel like it Misaki."
"Well this one does, and stop interrupting me!"
Kakashi scoffed but quieted anyway.
She glared at him. "Thank you. As I was saying, the castle constantly moved and thus no one could find it. Before I really get into this story, you should know the castle's name..."
"And what is that?" asked Minato, looking genuinely curious.
"Laputa: The Castle in the Sky. And yes, that does mean it flies. Our story begins with a young girl, about you guys' age, being held against her will on a giant airship. This girl's name was Sheeta..."
Misaki POV
"Obito!" I gasped, lurching out of my hunched position and knocking assorted papers to the floor. Chest heaving, my eyes swept over my office. It was dark now, almost pitch black. It had been only just sunset when I'd begun working. I must have fallen asleep at my desk. It wasn't the first time, but still so strange. I didn't feel sleepy, I had just had some coffee. And why had I dreamt about Obito? I hadn't done that in years, and yet... I felt my chest tighten to the point it felt like bursting and I choked back a sob. It had felt so real.
The warmth radiating from his body and into mine as we sat snuggled on the couch as we all swapped gossip and laughter. The calluses on his hands rubbing against my cheek as he moved my bangs out of my face. Obito's loud guffaws when I quipped something particularly funny. The strength he held back as we fought over who got more of the blanket. The wet spot in my hair from his drool when he fell asleep and used me as a pillow.
Grasping his pendant, which had never left its place around my neck, I kissed the warm marble and tried to ignore the tears suddenly streaming down my face and onto the characters carved into the stone. 'Luck' huh?
"You needed it more than I did, nii-san..." I whispered.
And there we have it folks! I hope y'all liked it.
NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT STUFF.
Title Change: I changed the title because I absolutely hated it. With the passion of a thousand suns. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. I mean, if y'all liked the old one, I can change it back, but I honestly prefer 'Stone Eyes Chronicles.'
I CHANGED THE SUMMARY AGAIN, I KNOOOOW. THIS AUTHOR IS VERY FLIGHTY. I'M SURE YOU GUYS HAVE NOTICED THIS BY NOW.
Chapter 12 will (hopefully) coming out soon, please be patient. I write in spurts and I've had writer's block until recently. That's another reason as to why I started doing some omakes, to see if it'd help.
HAVE A GOOD FUCKING DAY!~~