Thanks everyone for the positive feedback, I'm so moved by it even though it's just a few of you... I was literally on the verge of tears, it's like fandom-senpai has noticed me and shit. Also, a warning beforehand: after a while the updates won't be so fast anymore since I'll have to actually continue the story instead of remaking earlier chapters.
Also, this chapter is just a flashback.
There was a nice weather almost all the time, in Konoha. All seasons were warm and sunny except for winter. Warm sunlight hit the houses and the nearby forest almost all the year.
That afternoon it was warmer than ever, but that couldn't change the mood of a lonely Obito walking home with a bag on his back. He was having a bad day. One of those times when even the sun felt as if it was mocking him with its annoying light. His grumpiness was due to the misfortunes happened earlier. He forgot to bring his dango with him to the Academy and had been starving for the whole day. The Sensei called him on the interrogation and he asked the boy the only thing he hadn't studied (he could bet he saw Kakashi smirking under his mask). And to boot, Rin had ignored him all the time. Thinking about the girl could either make him euphoric or sulk. Sometimes he wondered if his love would ever notice him. He tried so hard, but whatever he did, Rin seemed more interested in Kakashi.
"Of course, because girls prefer geniuses, right?" Obito mumbled to himself. He kicked a rock which rebounded from a metal trash can and hit the middle of is forehead.
"You're just in time for dinner." a woman with long, dark hair said when he entered their house, tossing his backpack next to the staircase. The young Uchiha ran across the hall to sit down beside the table in the dining room. His grandmother's housemaid, the woman from before, poured some soup in a bowl she placed in front of him.
"What are you waiting for? Eat, Obito!"
"What about Grandma?" the boy asked.
"The two of us have already eaten, but don't worry, I reheated your food." sadness glinted up in the raven's eyes. He wished he could eat with the only person who constituted his family sometimes. His grandmother was frequently ill due to her old age. He really wanted to help her, but the doctor often sent him off with the excuse of the old lady needing sleep. As a result, the boy had been feeling awfully lonely as of late and his scarce results in the Ninja Academy probably weren't making his grandmother proud either.
After the meal, Obito sat on the terrace of their house, gazing at all the people doing their work in the Uchiha family mansion. Maybe he should be somewhere else right now, maybe this wasn't the right place for him. He wanted to slap himself for being overly sentimental all the time (the crying was the worst.), but no one could deny that his life sucked. Why was Kakashi getting everything, and why was he left nothing? Could fate be this unfair? In the heat of the moment, he made a decision. He would confess to Rin today, no more running away!
Obito ran all the way to the girl's house which was a few streets from his. When he arrived at the door, he quickly combed through his hair and pulled up his goggles. But the moment he rung the bell, he regret everything. How could he be this foolish? Now Rin could make fun of him, or even worse, tell him how miserable and dumb she thought he was, compared to Kakashi. He crossed his fingers and hoped there was the girl's mother or father on the other side of the door and not Rin herself. Instead, his eyes met those kind, chestnut-colored ones which made him go red and spout nonsense phrases.
"Hi, Obito." Rin smiled, making her visitor want to run away.
"Ah... Rin! I just wanted to tell you something... Well..." all the blood in Obito's body went to his cheeks.
"Tell me what?"
"I... Just... I kind of forgot..." the brown haired girl chuckled and answered:
"You can come inside until you remember!"
The Uchiha-boy tried not to concentrate on her, while his brain was working like crazy to quickly find some excuse to ask Rin something. He sat down on the couch in the living room while the love of his life went to the kitchen, probably to grab some tea or snacks. The house was way smaller than the boy's and completely different. The furniture was more modern, while the Uchihas, who were great lovers of traditions, used ancient pieces. Even if the place was poorer, Obito felt more life running through it than his own home. Rin had a warm and close family who understood her and made her into the kind little angel she was.
"Have you remembered yet?" the girl snapped him out of his thoughts, coming in with a plate full of mochi rice cakes.
"I have something I didn't understand at school today and I wondered if you could... Um..."
"I can help you, of course!" Rin smiled and waved the boy to follow her in her room. At least his stupidity had been useful once, Obito thought.
Talking with Rin was embarrassing and awkward for the boy. They hardly conversated outside school (not that they talked a lot inside, either), so love and panic took over his brain. He was so careful not to screw up anything that he couldn't pay attention to what she was explaining to him.
"Obito..."
"AH! Yes?" he cussed, realizing his thoughts had been wandering.
"Are you okay? You're spacing out..."
"I... Just..." the Uchiha's black sheep couldn't decide what to say. But at last, he ended up honestly saying what he thought, like always.
"I feel so lame. Kakashi's always better at everything, I can't even compare to him. And my family, too, hates me for what I am. I'm like the most useless person in the world." his tone remained quiet, even though the rage towards his classmate in it.
"That's not true, Obito! I'm sure your grandmother loves you very much! And besides, everyone has their own weak points, even Kakashi-kun does..." the only thing the boy could comprehend was that Rin blushed while saying that name.
"Yeah, that's right, but what if I have nothing but weak points?!" the raven haired boy felt tears dwell up in his eyes. Crap. That wasn't supposed to happen.
"Don't cry, Obito... You must have something you're good at..."
"I-i'm not crying. It's the dust." he quickly came up with the standard response he had for the matter.
The next few hours went a little better. After the Uchiha had calmed down a little, they kept on studying, and when he finally understood everything, Rin went out for a minute to make some tea.
Obito, in the meanwhile, took his time to examinate his love's room. It was neat and tidy, just like he had expected. Her library was full with books about legends, ninja history and healing techniques. But when he took one of them, he saw an object strategically placed behind the pile of books. It was a diary, wrapped in a black piece of cloth. Turning his back to the door to lessen the possibilities of getting caught, he opened it at a random page and started reading.
Dear diary!
I've learned a new jutsu today! Yay! Maybe I can use it on Kakashi-kun to save him some day... I hope he doesn't even get injured, though. I tried to comb my hair like Hamuri told me, she said I looked a thousand times better like that. She also said Obito's been staring at me for the whole lesson, but I don't believe her. He doesn't even know me... I hope Kakashi-kun noticed the difference, anyway.
Dear diary!
Today Sensei explained what the chuunin exam is about. The part where you have to collect scrolls seems pretty scary... Becoming a genin must be easy, but I'm afraid I won't make it to the next rank. I could never kill anyone, let alone someone from the village whom I know! Sensei also said it depends a lot on your group. I'm really curious about who are gonna be my teammates. I hope they put me in the same group as Kakashi-kun!
Dear diary!
There was a fight in class today. I was a bit late, so I showed up in the middle of it, but from what they told me, Obito challenged Kakashi-kun to something and then said he cheated, so they started beating up each other in the middle of the classroom. Kakashi-kun won, of course! I was a bit worried though, I must admit. Kakashi-kun's shorter and thinner than Obito, so I thought he could lose, but he didn't, fortunately. Kakashi-kun is so strong! I wonder if there's any girl he likes...
Dear diary!
I really don't know what to do... I THINK I LIKE KAKASHI-KUN! I really want to help him because he always looks lonely, so I try to talk to him whenever I can, but it's too awkward and I can't even say a word when I'm standing in front of him! My heart beats like crazy whenever I see him and I suddenly feel uncomfortable and wonder if I should have dressed differently to look cuter. I feel like I'm invisible to him, no matter what I do. He always acts so cool and collected, but he's so distant!
Those words stung, they stung so bad. Obito closed the diary, trying to convince himself that what he read was just an illusion, a nasty genjutsu cast on him. Rin liked Kakashi. It was written down. No one could change it. What hurt the most was that what she felt towards that Hatake-jerk was exactly the same as what Obito felt towards her. He was so adsorbed in that bitter writing, that he didn't notice Rin's pale face in the door. Crap.
"Obito...Wh-what are you reading?" she whispered, self-consciously.
"Rin... I..." the girl snatched the diary away from him in panic before he could finish his sentence. She didn't say anything, instead, he gazed at Obito with embarrassment and delusion.
"T-thanks for everything!" the boy grabbed his bag and rushed out of the building, running away cowardly once again.
The young Uchiha sat on the stairs of his terrace, shamelessly weeping as the sun went down behind the hills. He ruined everything. Now Rin would hate him forever. A siamese cat walked through the yard, stopping before Obito and sitting down. Blue eyes met the boy's reddened ones. Maybe, if it could speak, it would tell him what an idiot he was. If he hadn't opened that damn diary, he could be even closer to Rin now. But no, he had to be curious and stupid enough to do it... Wanting to distract himself, he caressed the cat, scratching slightly behind its ears. The animal purred after continuing his earlier route, leaving Obito behind.