Welcome to the second 'portion' of this Obito x Skullgirls Compendium: Trigger Happy Circus, where we're dealing with a new twist to Obito's character.
Meet OldMan!Obito x Dahlia & her Bunnies x Regina x Muse.
~NRK~
He hurried to the 'situation' in disbelief.
'How?!' He thought in confusion, riding that odd motorcycle thing his nephew had gotten him as a gift. 'How did the Contiellos even come into contact with the Skull Heart?!' Hadn't the item been lost? "Roberto, Selene, you have to just get rid of that item!"
He traveled at illegal speeds for five minutes before bringing the bike to a stop with a screech.
The first thing he'd observed was the arrival of several of his family members before the man rushed ahead and kicked open the door.
He startled the family within who looked terrified before looking confused.
"U-Uncle?" A young teen, only fourteen years of age, asked in worried confusion.
"Sienna, I'm sorry but I need to speak with your parents," he said as he raised a pair of fingers towards the door.
They carved a symbol into the air before a pair of small white balls shot out of his arm and framed a white barrier around the entrance with a pinwheel emblem on it.
"Roberto, Selene, did you recently come into possession of an odd container?"
The parents of Sienna blinked before looking concerned.
"I-Is something wrong with it?" Selene asked quickly, worriedly, and quietly.
"The Skull Heart is in that box," the urgent man said, getting pale faces all around. "That wasn't some gift whoever gave it to you said it was," his eyes narrowed at something to their side before going to it and picking up a small chest. "..." He fiddled with and cursed loudly. "Son of a-You guys couldn't have opened this, could you?"
"We… We couldn't," Roberto said slowly, the realization donning on him like a snow storm down his spine before his coat's shoulder bulged and something slithered out of his collar.
"I see," this new being said with a frown.
"You knew, old friend?"
"No, but I told you all to leave it by the door because I was sure it was dangerous," that serpentine creature said. "I could feel something from the box but it's muted, dampened on purpose if the spirit channeler's information is true, and I fear this is the case."
There was a rumble from the door and they turned to see a pouting veiled woman there.
"Goddammit, ugh, it's her," the oldest there, by a year or so, said as his hands glowed white before the box was covered in an odd series of arrays. "I was right, it's a magical array that's hard to unravel due to its usage of spiritual energy, vitality, and magic."
White began to color in those arrays slowly and the sounds of clicking reached their ears.
Sienna looked up at her 'uncle'. "G-Grandi," she whispered as he smiled for her.
"It's fine, I'll make sure things go the way they should," 'Grandi' said as the box glowed completely white before it clicked open.
When it did, the serpent flinched back as Grandi lifted its top to reveal the 'product' within. "No," he ashened despite his existence. "That has to go!"
"It will."
The man held it out of the box in front of that pouting woman with a cannon for an arm.
"No," the holder of the Skull Heart told her, alarming the growing increasingly-vicious femme fatale. "No one's getting this."
He clenched his hand.
And that wicked object was crushed without impunity.
All in audience gawked at what he'd just done before Grandi touched the velvety material within and released a small ball of light.
'This should be useful, hopefully,' and keep these four out of the eye of anyone else.
Closing the box, he offered it to Sienna who blinked before taking it in confusion. "G-Grandi?" She said before getting a head pat.
"It's fine, I'll handle her," he told her as he turned to the door and walked towards it as his small familiars released their cracked barrier. "Black Dahlia, I hope we won't have a problem."
The veiled woman there grinned up at him, the feeling within his gaze growing more powerful as he stared down at her.
She chuckled demurely, cupping his chin.
"It's not me who will be so disappointed~," she said with a faux concerned voice, her grin on the whole duration. "But I'm sure you know your brother better than I."
"You're damn right I do," Grandi told her.
~NRK~
~Seven Years Later~
He wiped his chin as she remained within a crater of his making, the tomoe in his red eyes spinning slowly before they fell away, leaving black eyes in their wake.
"Damn it all, Nancy," he muttered as that canyon she'd created began to swarm with those still left from the fight with her. "I can't imagine the Skull Heart left your body with an uneroded mind," the man held his left arm, the limb missing from the bicep down.
A quintet of small floating ethereal balls of light either left Nancy's body or shot into the area where he was from the other parts of the canyon.
He hissed before hitting a knee, a man and giant landing on either side of him with different injuries.
The giant, a Gigan more specifically, grimaced as he used his large sword to walk due to his lack of a left leg.
And the other, more normal-sized, man… Well.
He frowned even as his hair lit aflame and his body released a series of black smoke stacks.
"Haa," the first man released a heated sigh as his spirits crowded around him. "That's… It," he whispered. "Franz, your wife has been put out of her misery."
The other normal-sized man grimaced, hands clenched as a large umbrella weapon sat in one's grip before his arms went slack.
"The amount of lives lost today, the maps that have been changed, can never be forgotten," Franz said with a saddened look at 'Nancy' before they blinked at that glowing object that floated above her dissolving corpse. "No…" He grit his teeth at the sight of that skull-shaped Artifact that emanated a neon-blue aura. "The Skull Heart."
"Hmm," the Gigan, the king of his people, frowned deeply. "What do we do with it? Obito Uchiha, Franz Renoir, this Artifact can NOT remain in normal hands."
Obito Uchiha, former shinobi & malaligned war monster, stood slowly. "We seal it," he told them, confusing the two as four of his spirits shot up into his remaining hand,
They slipped into his palm before his entire right arm erupted into a flame-like white, the man hobbling forward.
"Gilgamesh."
The Gigan frowned in thought. "What?"
"I need something to put this into," Obito told him, confusing the man. "We need to ensure that this never falls into another person's hands, no mortal being on this planet should have the Skull Heart," he said, looking down at the giant man's 'crutch'.
"... You wish to put it into his sword?" Franz frowned unsurely.
"It won't do anything, regardless. We all know that the Skull Heart only works on women, men are a non-issue."
Gilgamesh and Franz looked at one another before hobbling after Obito who made it over the queen's body.
When he made it, Franz's body walked closer before he fell into a kneel.
He reached out with trembling fingers before touching her cheek, the woman, Nancy, his queen opening her closed eye to look at him.
"F-Franz?" She whispered.
"It's me, my dear, it's just me," he whispered back as his wife smiled a pained but proud smile.
"I-I'm glad… The kingdoms should… Be working together," she said as her lower half vanished. "I'm… Leaving, my love."
The human king's head dropped before his body flinched at a hand on his, his eyes trailing to that ghostly limb of his vanishing wife gripping his knuckles.
She smiled for him as her face dispersed into motes of light.
"I love you, all of you. Take care of them," she told him.
The king's hand grew light before all that was left was the Artifact.
The Skull Heart throbbed in disapproval.
"Gilgamesh," Obito called.
The large king tightened his leg muscles before presenting his ten-foot-tall blade by plunging it into the ground by the Skull Heart. He stepped back as Obito stepped forward he grabbed the Artifact with narrow eyes.
It fought against his grasp, something bigger than mere gender-compatibility rejecting him.
"You are not allowed to touch us!" It cried out as its glow began to intensify.
He took in one more breath before white markings formed down his right arm as the Skull Heart's glow was suppressed by his will.
"No one is going to touch you again, you worthless tool," he hissed at it as sealing formulas spread around the skull item like floating arrays before he slammed it towards Gilgamesh's blade. "Fuin."
The item screamed at the three as it slowly sank into the blade.
"You will all die! I am greater than any being on this planet!" It shouted, halfway in. "I'll be sure to reduce you to nothing but an old husk and make your SOUL MY PLAYTHIN-"
It sank in with Obito's glare following it inside. "Talkative, aren't you?"
The Gigan King's blade shuddered with an ethereal blue glow before the pommel of that simple-looking bronze colossal sword became a skull and the plain cross-shaped guard sprouted bone-like material before the blade turned a wicked white with blue veins.
Obito winced at a flicker of blue plasma that sliced his cut arm's bicep before jumping back with the kings as the weapon floated there and kept releasing wicked energy.
"I have a feeling this should persuade anyone else to do something to it," Gilgamesh hissed at the heat that was coming off of that object. "This is the Skull Heart?"
"It's a danger to all manner of things," Franz growled. "But destroying it simply leads to its revival."
"We'll never know where it'll end up again. It's best to leave this here," Obito sighed as he held his only-a-bicep arm. "Haaa."
"I think it'd be no issue to have you fitted with a prosthetic," Gilgamesh declared. "I am the same but the three of us played vital roles in felling the former Skullgirl."
Franz looked down once more before closing his eyes and nodding. "Let's go."
"Dammit, I… I need to go and check on someone," Obito frowned deeply. "He was just as vital to this."
~NRK~
~2 Years Later~
Obito raised a brow at the crow's feet around the sides of his eyes, those intense-looking wrinkles really showing his getting-on-in-age despite his slightly youthful peach-colored skin. In fact, likely deservedly so, they looked like his old world's scarring if it'd only been around his eyes and on both sides with a few wrinkles under his eyes as well.
That said, the completely white spiky hair atop his head was definitely an indicator even if, well, he'd gotten this white hair prematurely around two years after the saving of Selene Contiello.
'Was that really 9 years ago?' He didn't think time could pass that fast. 'I'm about to be 50,' give it around five more years and he'd hit the big '5' and '0'. "That's why I've got to keep up my training, to keep my body in peak condition."
Speaking of, said thing was on display in his full-body mirror with his lower-half covered by a pair of black shorts.
He was still rather muscular for his age, not as taut as he used to be but Obito was fine with that and his lack of fat. He still had the right kind of muscle he needed for his spars with the kids, Black Dahlia & her 'bunny brigade', and to keep the others in the circus on their toes.
Seeing that jagged scar that circled the left bicep of his bandaged-up arm, the large claw marks on his chest, the small number of cuts & slashes around his forearms, and the cross-shaped scar on his right shoulder, Obito's eyes went to his 'Spirit Array'.
A rather pointy-looking circle with old Imperial Writing, the old language of the Dragon Empire, framing the four beast-like monsters within its borders.
'I wish I'd been able to figure it out when I was younger,' this second life's abilities were a far cry from his shinobi world's variants, it wasn't even a contest to say that he was, at best, half the power house he used to be and that'd been when he was in his prime.
Now? He was a quarter of that man who'd almost fucked things up for everyone. Yet, he'd found avenues, interests, and curious things to try and bridge the gap.
And this was the answer.
There was a knock on his door that snapped him out of his trance. "Yes, Blossom?" He raised his voice.
"Father, it's almost 7 am," a female's voice from the other side said.
"I understand, I'll be out in a moment."
"Alright. Oh! You're supposed to be seeing your grandniece today, Mr. Marcus is coming over."
Obito blinked in surprise. "Goodness, that girl likely wanted to try and scare me," he chuckled.
The voice on the other side giggled. "I wonder how long it will take her to realize we're always watching in case of anything?" She wondered.
"I try to keep that unknown but I'm sure Marcus and Amelia understand what I do for them by this point."
As she left, he finished up & left his bathroom before moving around his comfy medium-sized room, getting dressed for the day.
Wearing a pair of black shinobi pants which had thrown him for a loop, a loosely-tied, baggy, white shitagi that revealed most of his bare chest, a red waist sash with a pair of long tails, and a pair of black ninja sandals, the man messed with his hair before tying the rather long portion at the back into his most recent 'usual' hairstyle.
Ponytail in place, he left his room and closed the door just in time to find a series of children running past.
"Morning, dad!" The four greeted as they hurried away.
"Good morning," Obito smiled at them as he followed behind them at a normal pace. 'I'll need to go and check on the businesses today,' he'd have time to do it on his own.
As he walked down that large hallway for one side of this large home he'd built via his own efforts, he looked out the large three-meter-tall windows.
He smiled at the sight of many kids, teens, and/or young adults exercising in the yard of his personally-made compound, the large bit of land an amazing thing he'd gotten a hold of a year ago thanks to his brother's painful efforts to secure his hold in this city.
So, he had cheap land and property up for grabs and took them before breaking down all the buildings, smoothing out the foundation, and building the home itself.
'It was all worth it,' Obito thought as he kept walking before sweatdropping, stopping, and turning to the windows to find them crowded by 'his children'.
"HEY, DAD!" They called through the window as he chuckled.
"Hello, I'll be making breakfast soon," he told them. "Clean-up properly-"
The stampede that'd passed the windows towards the other side of the large field had him laughing as he continued on.
"Those kids of mine," he chuckled before continuing on with his hands folded behind his back. "What shall I make today?"
It took him a minute to find the center of their home where a large square kitchen/dining room, so a homey-looking eatery, sat. Hurrying towards his open-air kitchen, Obito tightened his top before beginning to cook.
He placed his hand to his chest where it pulsed and he pulled out four baseball-sized dark blue orbs before throwing them out.
Each orb flashed before releasing a complete copy of himself that quickly got to work at two stoves per clone while he did the same.
As he worked, he telepathically sent his thoughts, ideas, and decisions to the clones via thought before they doubled their cooking speed as children fed into the eatery's dining area.
"Hey, dad," a young man said with a yawn.
"Morning!" A little girl grinned as she came into the kitchen with a few other children. "Daddy!" She hugged his leg with a big smile, her peacock feathers folding around her forearms as one of the clones lifted her up before holding her on his back.
"Good morning, Kori," the real one said as he worked a three-feet-wide wok with eggs, onions, scallion, and bell peppers. "Avi, Eva, Khon, Cain," he listed off the children who hopped onto kitchen stools or helped pick things up from the closets, pantries, or fridge. "Thank you for being my helpers today."
"No problem, daddy!" They all cheered as the man & his copies chuckled.
They quickly got to work cooking, plating, and setting-up the food on the three large tables in the dining room.
By the time he was finished, Obito served the last arrivals.
The four men and women, two of each, who'd arrived looked sheepish, bashful, proud, embarrassed, smug, or curious.
"Father," one of them said, one of the males. "You should have woken us up, we're supposed to be helping you."
"And you do," Obito said. "You all do seriously important work, you eight help me keep things running, the least I can do is feed you," he chuckled. "I'll likely make some food for the 'night crew' at 5 pm if you want to help, then."
"Understood," one of the females said with a determined nod. "I'll make us some powerful vitamins!"
The others paled. "N-No, Cera, please, we don't need it!" One of the men said, looking weak.
Obito shook his head as Cera debated this fact with them all and went around to check on the other members of this home.
The Pinwheel Home was a building he'd created to help the many children that he'd picked up, took care of, or saved over the years. By this point? He was sure he had over 40+ 'kids' who returned his kindness with affection, names, and even work.
Speaking of. "Alan?" Obito called out, one of the young men in the room raising his hand.
"I-I finally finished the teaching course, dad," that teen admitted before blushing at the cheeky applause he'd gotten from his table. "Shut up! I know each and every one of your secrets!"
"I'm proud," another older male teen grinned smugly. "He's learned well from me."
"I helped, too," a young woman said nonchalantly with her fork gesturing to Alan. "Alan's problem is that he's very good at overthinking."
"I-I am not, Cassie…" Alan said unsurely with a blank stare. "Oh no."
"Ya see?"
"The point is, I think I'm ready for my Chunin Test," he said as Obito cupped his chin. "I've been a 'Genin' for over three years," Alan whined.
"I know. Very well," the old man smiled as Alan perked up. "Who else is getting their Chunin Test this week?"
He got six other raised hands from the older teens of his children, the white-haired man looking them over before nodding.
"Alright, we'll handle this Saturday. The oldest of you all, please take care of your siblings while I administer their exams."
"Gotcha, dad," a good batch of the kids said.
Obito smiled.
This was all his, this was his life's work outside of his Spirit Skills. Taking care of these kids, ensuring they lived good lives, teaching, cooking, caring, and loving them? He couldn't have found a better lifestyle.
"For now, eat, I have to go and grab my nephew's family soon so you all should get ready for training and work."
~NRK~
The people of Maplecrest looked amused at those two large black vans that parked on a street.
Landing beside it, a quintet of Obito & four of his guards followed.
"Alright," he opened the doors of both vans and allowed 10 of his children out. "Take your time, mind your manners, do NOT get into fights you know are going to hurt other kids, and please be safe."
"Alright, dad!" They all said in unison.
Obito raised his hands.
"Good, now, move out."
He clapped once.
And the lot vanished like phantoms, shadows that bound over rooftops or dropped in front of other buildings/homes.
"Rolo, Alvin," Obito said to the men driving the vans. "You're good to go, you know the routes and times."
"See ya in a bit, pops," Alvin said.
"We'll see you in the afternoon," Rolo smiled.
As they left, Obito turned to the four behind him.
"Come on, we're going to the circus," the white-haired man told them, adjusting his black haori on his shoulders.
His four 'guards' nodded in unison.
"At your word, sir," they said in unison, the change in title a purposeful one.
Wearing white masks with black accents of various animals, tiger, bird, monkey, and turtle, they each wearing a tight black jumpsuit with white armor on their chests & backs, around their shins & forearms, and some on black cloth vambraces they adjusted on their knuckles, the different-colored scarves they each wore a personal choice.
"Let's go."
~NRK~
They traveled over roofs with the four masked protectors, his ANBU, handling the four corners of any building, intersection, or area they passed by.
As an older man, Obito had long since become one of those 'I miss the old days' folk and chose to run with it without question. That's how he presented his shinobi rank system to his children and how his current Top 8 Guards handled his protection wants and needs.
So, as they made it to a large circus in a part of New Meridian City, Obito and his turtle-masked guard were the ones who dropped down to the city streets.
The startled civilians eyed the two in surprise before sighing in relief.
"Hmm?" Obito blinked at a feeling of being observed, his eyes looking around before going to a building across the street.
And one of the floors on it which held a single woman yawning in view, her half-worn dress shirt a teasing sight for anyone who'd given a damn.
No, his eyes kept staring as they walked and that woman's eye cracked open to meet with his own.
The pink cross within it dilated, her form jumping before she covered up and closed the blinds.
He really raised a brow at that, that woman peeking out between her curtains before he shook his head and continued towards the front of the circus tent.
Knocking on the closed door, it didn't take long for it to be opened by a young woman.
"M-Master?!" She gawked before placing her fist into her palm and bowing. "Welcome!"
"At ease, Feng, I'm just checking in on everyone and making sure to confirm a meeting time with you-know-who," Obito said, amused, as 'Feng' blinked before perking up.
"Oh!"
Feng was a lithe girl of below-average height with fair skin, dark purple eyes, and short dark purple hair with a triangle of white hair at the front. Wearing a pair of white martial artist flats, black leggings with golden shin bangles, a tight sleeveless red cheongsam, and a pair of steel arm bracers, a pair of birds, one black and one white, sat on the sides of her head with three-feet-long feathers of opposite colors in their grip.
"I guess that is coming up, I know Beatrice always looks forward to it," Feng smiled. "Alright, I think Regina is talking with Taliesin right now so you can just come in," she gestured inside.
Going in with Turtle at his back, Feng closed the door before hurrying ahead where they found a large circle of bleachers that held a large stage at its center.
"We're prepping for another big show in two days on Wednesday, you should come, Master."
"I'll try," Obito smiled as she grinned. "I'll pay for a set of bleachers so the kids can come as well."
Feng's eyes shined as Turtle chuckled, her chin in her hand.
"As usual, your reach goes far, papa," the masked woman said.
"Hiya, Cleo," Feng beamed as Turtle nodded.
"Same, Feng."
They chatted as they circled the stage before reaching a hallway and finding more than enough noise coming from these well-lit pathways.
"Who are you looking for first, Master?" Feng asked.
"Regina seems like the first I should see, I'm sure I can get a lot done through her," Obito said. "Still, I'm sure I won't like being in the room if that man is there," his eyes narrowed. "Taliesin and I do not see eye-to-eye."
"Ohh… Oh right," she winced as Cleo shook her head.
"I don't know this man, Taliesin, but if papa dislikes him this much? I'll take precautionary measures," the masked woman said. "Papa can be petty, mostly with Ma'am," she continued as Obito shrugged while Feng rubbed the back of her head. "But he's not someone to ignore when it comes to people who are real bastards."
"Taliesin is just a… A real big narcissist," the female preteen said. "Like, wow, does he like hearing himself talk, sing, look at his mirror, and more. Not to say he's not handsome, he is without the mask and when he isn't talking, but his personality really likes to shine through and ruin everything about him."
When they made it to the first door, Obito knocked on it.
There was the sound of shuffling inside and the old man blinked at a curious feeling within before the door was opened by… A violin woman?
"What?" He blinked again as that armless, now that he was seeing her in full, 'woman' tilted her head at him. 'A puppet-type?' His eyes widened as the instrument-like female Artifact stood almost half a foot shorter than his six-foot frame.
Then, his eyes caught sight of a shift out of his peripheral and the feeling of bloodlust in the room tripled as the air throbbed.
"Taliesin."
The seated man with the white-and-black smiling mask shrugged at him.
"TraiTOR," he emphasized without a hint or care while the female in front of the older man flinched with eyes that snapped open in fear. "Why, how unfortunate to see you again, old man."
"Did that bruise heal?" Obito shot back with a tilt of the head and a pair of uncaring eyes, the masked man's wooden hands twitching? 'Wait, when have his hands been wooden?' He didn't remember doing that to Taliesin.
Even if he'd considered it on multiple occasions.
Taliesin, no last name, was a man as tall as Obito with currently hidden purple skin on a handsome face with black eyes, that were framed by his long white hair which fell past his shoulder blades and framed his face with two chin-length bangs.
Wearing a large red felt hat with a white band and a large black and white feather tucked into the side, he wore a dress shirt with a similar checker pattern, a red blazer & pants, and checkered shin cloth that parted by his white shoes that bore a gold band.
But that was far less important to his wooden, skeletal, hands.
Obito's eyes flashed red before he cupped his chin only to find a jumping puppet in front of him who looked terrified.
Actually, speaking of this… 'Female', he supposed?
She had a large violin's handle coming out of her forehead that was composed of smooth-looking material he'd assumed was clay the more he looked at her. Having black 'hair' that framed her face and fell down around her head like a helmet and a black neck piece, her body was where the 'puppet' thought solidified.
She was feminine with no arms, all composed of that same tan smooth material, but her abdomen lay open with a series of violin strings within and dark brown legs with ball joints and sockets.
Her black eyes looked down from his raised brow before Obito's eyes narrowed back onto Taliesin's arms where his senses pinged.
"... Those arms aren't yours, are they?" Obito declared. "Answer me, Taliesin."
Feng yelped from behind Cleo who crossed her arms as she, too, observed this odd instrument-like woman.
Taliesin released a hissing breath beneath his mask before standing.
"I'd suggest you control yourself, old man, this was a creation that was gifted to me by your older brother," the masked man said as Obito's pressure didn't fall away.
In fact, it increased and left the silver-haired man's hands twitching against his sides.
Cleo covered Feng's ears as Obito spoke.
"Do I look like I give a FUCK what Lorenzo desires?"
Taliesin stepped back from the suddenly-in-front-of-him man, his eyes somehow peering down at him.
"I always knew you were a fool amongst all else-"
"Now, now, that's enough, Obi," the last person in the room said with a raised brow, folded hands, and a smirk on her face. "You've done your job."
Obito considered her before the pressure vanished like snow on a hot day, Feng rubbing the back of her neck.
"G-Geez, Master's intensity is real heavy," she muttered.
"Sir's power exceeds most people on this planet," Cleo imparted. "It'd be surprising if he displayed a lesser aura, Feng."
"?" Obito blinked before looking at his side to see that violin puppet woman trying to push him to the side with her shoulder. "You're certainly defensive over him," he said, arms crossed as that wobbly-eyed puppet set his eyebrow twitching. "I get it, woman, calm down."
She stilled before slumping in relief.
Obito feared for the worst. I.E. What he'd do to Taliesin if this 'puppet' was actually a 'prisoner'.
The former shinobi's gaze went past Taliesin towards that amused woman. "Regina, I need to borrow your circus Friday," he told her as Taliesin scoffed under his breath before beckoning that music woman over.
She did so under Obito's gaze before the old man focused on the woman behind the desk.
"Obito… Please don't ruin my floors," she said with a shaky smile. "The last time you and Black Dahlia 'sparred', I'm not sure what kind of fluids hit the stage."
Obito rolled his eyes as Cleo laughed, unfortunately releasing the young girl's ears too early as Feng burned.
Regina was a tall woman who beat even his and Taliesin's height by a few inches with spiraled lavender hair, fair skin, red lipstick, a pronounced nose, and pink eyes. Wearing an animal tamer's uniform with large baggy pants and thigh-high boots that covered her leg-heavy build, a trio of a saber, shield, and baton sat behind her desk on the wall.
"Please don't make those jokes, Cleo likes them and Feng's 12," he said flatly. "Gina."
"Alright, alright, I'll offer it to ya since our big show is on Wednesday. That said, you know what I'm looking for," she said with a gleam in her eyes.
"One spirit show and I'll feed you all."
"Deal."
Taliesin looked confused by this. "Ahem, Regina, why the hell are we dealing with this… Individual?" He phrased as his puppet looked around in interest, eying Obito in confusion.
'He's so powerful,' she thought only to herself and no one else. 'A-And Talie despises him?!' She feared for her love's safety, which he WAS, h-he just didn't say it a lot!
She was sure!
"Alright, that's all I originally came in here for," Obito said. "I'll be checking on the others before taking my leave-," his phone rang before he checked it, reading the text, Obito turned and left more quickly, Cleo opening the door for him as Feng hurried outside. "I'll try to make it to the show with my family but don't count on all of them being there. I have an appointment, tell the others I said 'hello'."
He left after that, Cleo the last within who nodded to Regina before releasing a protective intent.
"I'd say to take sir's warnings for what they are, Sir Taliesin," she began to leave. "For your safety lest you wish to face a group."
The door closed as she left, leaving Regina shaking her head at Taliesin.
"I can't possibly imagine what you thought about him but making an enemy out of a former-Medici ain't exactly intelligent," she told the huffing man. "I know you're not exactly an old hand around here but your first meeting should probably have been enough."
"He embarrassed me in front of my potential employer!" Taliesin declared, rather hotly, his mask coming off to reveal sweaty skin that regained its color. "Regina, that man is a threat yet you a-accept him! In what world is Sir Lorenzo happy with this?"
"The same world where he knows he can't do anything?"
The air grew silent as he frowned deeply.
"He's a mob BOSS, he runs the city like an actual king, yet he can't handle one man?"
"Do you understand exactly what you're asking?" Regina frowned deeply, concerning him. "You're right, Lorenzo Medici runs things like the king he claims himself to be… But do you want to know something specific? Something no other person besides myself and a few others know?" She told him. "He wasn't the heir."
Taliesin choked while his puppet looked alarmed.
'He wasn't?' Actually… From the power from that former-Medici alone, she could honestly believe it.
"H-How?! He's the older child, isn't he?" He asked unsurely.
"Because despite having all the qualities, Obito emphasized every trait Lorenzo had but at a higher level. Do you understand that? That Lorenzo's abilities do, in fact, play second-fiddle to his sibling who's 20 years his junior? Obito Uchiha knows everything there is about the 'business' the Medici Family handles, he knows all the routes, all our businesses, all our people, and more."
Taliesin swallowed.
"When you were first brought in, Taliesin, Lorenzo was intrigued by your magical prowess because he desired to have advantage over Obito," Regina chuckled with a shake of the head. "And then that magnificent man pulled out spirit techniques and decimated you. Can you even imagine how emasculating that was for him? Obito fully left that day, a day before which Lorenzo almost killed a close family friend of his."
The music-themed man wheezed as his instrument tilted her head, eyes opened in confusion.
"I'm telling you this for your own safety and protection, do not overstep boundaries with that man. Obito has no issue killing, he's not some simple do-gooder who takes in orphans, he is former-mafia and will show it at the drop of a hat and twirl of a baton."
Taliesin's hands clenched before he got up. "Muse, we're leaving," he told her, that puppet woman perking up before she followed him. 'There has to be a way for him to fall,' and Taliesin had to assume he could find such a thing.
~NRK~
Obito sped over rooftops with his guards at his side and Feng on his shoulders.
"You're always so fast!" She beamed as he chuckled, the group jumping over lampposts and wires with grace. "I know you said that I got a lot to go but how long will it take for me to do this?"
"If you follow your training, Feng, you'll be able to do this soon. You're young but more talented than most of my Children," Obito praised as she blushed before giggling to herself. "Alright, we're getting close!" The oldest there announced to the others. "Spread out!"
As soon as he came to a stop on a roof a mile away, his guards vanished.
"Let's go and see Filia."
Obito hopped over the edge while Feng screamed for joy.
Down below, a young blonde girl grinned excitedly. "I'm this close to 'Genin', mom! I just gotta keep on winning!" She declared, white skin and blue eyes gleaming in the Summer sun above.
Wearing a white shirt, blue track pants, and blue 'ninja sandals' as her granduncle liked to call them, she smoothed out her chin-length hair before combing it back and putting in a black hairband.
"It's good for you to be ambitious, honey," Marcus said with a patient smile. "But don't let that overtake your morals."
"I don't get that but sure, dad!"
The girl's father was a well-built man who could normally be seen wearing a set of brown shoes, black slacks and suspenders, a blue dress shirt, and a tie. He had square, manly, features, bearing black hair that connected down to his chin with thick sideburns and a tan-skinned chin left covered in stubble.
"She'll grow well, Marcus," a blonde woman at his side said, her white-skinned smile calming the man beside her. "Besides, she spends more than enough time with her granduncle," her black eyes shone with wonder as Marcus chuckled.
"Yes, Amelia, we know you love uncle's food. Honestly, the man makes anything I've ever eaten seem cheap sometimes."
"He's got proper skills!" His wife declared with fire in her eyes. "Yet, he's not married. I'll be honest, honey, it's confusing to think that Obito is so…" Amelia tried to find the word in her black skirt, brown flats, and white dress shirt.
"Single?" Marcus offered in total amusement.
"Yes, that!"
"We talkin' about grandunc?!" Their child grinned. "Well, I betcha didn't know mom but he's, like, super popular!"
Amelia was by her side in seconds, crouching to her smug child's level. "F-Filia, who?! Do you know them? Are they single?!" The woman looked ready to trick someone.
Into a date, mind you, but it really didn't change much. A 'trick' was a trick.
"You wouldn't believe it, mom. I'm pretty sure a lot of single moms like him," Filia said. "I mean, it kinda makes sense but then there's the old ladies at the park and retirement homes who keep trying to set him up with their kids, it's crazy!"
"What is?" A voice asked from beside her.
"Oh, just my grandunc's… Love… Life?" Filia froze before pointing dramatically at the- "Huh?" She blinked only to yelp at a tap to her neck. "How dare you?!" She jumped and turned around to point dramatically at a crouching Obito, Feng giggling over his shoulder. "G-Gramps, you can't keep doing that! My feelings!"
"What about them? Or were you too busy speaking about my love life?"
Filia's mouth puckered inward before she slowly looked away from the chuckling man only to find a hand patting her head.
"It's been some time, Lia, I see you haven't changed in the past month," Obito smiled.
Before being hugged tightly by a shiny-eyed blonde. "Heya, gramps!" Filia grinned.
Standing up with her in arm, Filia smirked at Feng who snickered a bit.
"Hey, Lia," she waved.
"Sup? What's my granduncle been up to?"
"Hmm, well, he's gonna spar with Ms. Dahlia again."
"You are?" Amelia asked, concerned before her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh no," Marcus muttered.
"I see!" The blonde woman beamed as Obito raised a brow.
"Nephew, niece, long time no see," he said with a smile. "I almost forgot the time so sorry about that."
"It's what it is, uncle, you're usually early," Marcus said. "How's life been?"
"Just the usual," the older man answered as he gestured down the street before they began walking. "Seven of my kids want to be Chunin so I'll be testing them Saturday," Obito began as Amelia tilted her head.
"You've explained this 'Chunin' thing before but I still don't understand," she admitted. "What are the requirements?" Amelia observed him from different angles.
"To become a 'Chunin' in my house means that you're willing to not only take on more responsibility but to take up the mantle of being a 'protector' and/or 'teacher'."
"But how do I get there?" Filia asked with a cupped chin while Feng sat on Obito's shoulder.
"From what Master says, it's about learning how to apply their skills amazingly," she explained as the white-haired man nodded.
"Not just that but also showing they're capable of working together under harsh conditions, can prove their strength, and show their ability to navigate harsh terrain. There's a reason we do this in the edges of No Man's Land."
"That's still dangerous but I know how you operate," Marcus said. "You have your guards around."
"Of course. I keep six of them handling the perimeter in case of anything," Obito said seriously. "I won't take my kids' lives for naught, they're learning to prove themselves so they shouldn't be in such danger. I make sure to have Zuka and Kurou circling to have an aerial view."
"Oh! Can you bring out Kurou?!" Meng asked as her birds perked up before chirping. "See? They love him!"
He smiled before a golf ball-sized light ball left his chest and formed a being with a 'hooo' in front of them.
Kurou was a four-foot-tall owl with a pair of two-pronged antlers atop his head, red mantles over his plated-membrane wings, with a headband around its forehead that released a white veil over its left eye.
He flew around to Amelia before landing on her shoulder, the blonde woman beaming at the content owl.
"Ahem, good noon to you all-hoo," he said with a 'hoo'. "Master, madam, sir," Kurou said to Obito, Amelia, and Marcus.
"Kurou, it's been some time," Marcus said with a raised brow. "I can tell you've been reading a lot lately."
"Oh yes-hoo. I've been indulging in many crime novels, they're quite delightful."
Amelia giggled as they found a nearby restaurant before going inside, Kurou flapping his wings once before he shrunk to the size of a small chihuahua.
"Welcome-Oh, hey, pops!" A man from behind the counter greeted, Obito's smile reciprocated. "It's been almost three months, what's happening?"
"Just handling the others, seeing how everyone's doing, and then preparing for my bi-weekly spars," Obito answered. "Akira, sometimes, it's really just the usual."
"You mean crazy veil lady."
"Spars, yes."
Getting seated beside Obito on both sides, Feng & Amelia looked up at him expectantly.
"Can I get a pair of coffee cakes with cream?" Obito chuckled as the girls cheered. "Some black tea for me. Marcus? Amelia?"
"Strawberry Shortcake if you would, Akira," Amelia asked politely.
"Give me an iced coffee and a half-dozen gourmet donuts, Akira, I'm feeling a sweet tooth," Marcus smiled as the man behind the counter snickered.
"I got you, M-Man. Let's see, three Old-Fashioned, one Glazed, and two Chocolate?"
"You know me well."
"Susan, Mary, we've got a family of regulars!" Akira shouted into the large curtain that hid the kitchen.
"Old Fashioned? Or OLD FASHION?" Someone called back.
"The second one!"
A pair of heads popped out. "Hey, dad!" The twin young women grinned before sinking back into the kitchen. "Give us five minutes, baked fresh!"
The sound of fire, water, and heavy bangs of metal rang out.
"I think I need to stop some mad scientist crap from happening," Akira said as he shot towards the curtains a nervous smile. "One moment!" He ran in. "Susan, DON'T!"
There was a rumble in the floor before they bickered as more fire flew.
"They always were close as thieves," Obito said with an amused smile. "Hilarious how they turned out."
Her chance was nigh! "So, does that NOT give you some ideas, uncle?" Amelia asked suspiciously as Kurou chuckled. "Hmmmm?"
"Amelia, my range is incredibly detailed," the white-haired man said without a worry, arms crossed. "You'd have to be pretty high-scale to get with me," he smirked as the blonde woman's eyes narrowed in defiance.
"I can find someone."
"Maybe, maybe not."
He teased, the girls giggled, and Amelia fought back with her husband's smirk as her support all the way until their food arrived.
Feng's eyes shone with her yin-and-yang as Filia's fork already sunk into her food.
Their first bites tasted like heaven. As usual.
~NRK~
Walking towards the Pinwheel Home on the edge of the city limits towards the Little Innsmouth sector, they found their sides surrounded by six masked guards.
"We've got Snake and Hawk watching their home," Cleo said, adjusting her turtle mask. "Gave them a bit of rest while the rest of us shift in and out during the day, sir."
"Good work," Obito praised her as she rubbed the back of her head, a pair of feathers rising on the back of her noggin. "I guess making dinner will be a bit more favorite-heavy," he chuckled warmly, purposely ignoring her squeak as the others ribbed her for it.
Filia eyed her granduncle as he did this, how the old man could embarrass a grown woman and accept her as his child in full. She didn't know a lot of people who'd do that.
Feng beamed, which had her attention.
"Hey, hey," she whispered to the similar-aged girl. "Feng, like, you also got picked up by Grampie, right?"
The bird-wearer almost released a snort, covering her mouth in shock. "I-I did," she whispered, her grin hard to hide. "W-What about it?"
"You live at the circus, doncha?"
"Half and half," Feng smiled. "Grampie picks me up on our rest weeks every month and takes me to the tent when it's time for practice for the next week. Sometimes, the others come over, too!" The older girl grinned excitedly.
Going inside her granduncle's home and favorite place, something he'd revealed to her in total 'secrecy', the blonde girl looked around with a cupped chin. "Man, Grampie, you guys always keep this place clean."
"I have some of the kids help you guys out every month," Obito said. "I'm sure we do it often enough there shouldn't be any problems."
"Oh, no, you all do amazing work," Amelia chuckled as she gave Kurou's chin a little scratch. "It's just that your home is so large that the fact that it's always immaculate is inspiring."
"Remember, I not only have clones but those in this house who are Chunin gain their own spirit," he began as they walked further in. "Through spiritual possession, enhancement, or family help, we can either float or stick to walls so getting everywhere isn't hard."
"Right, you did say some of 'em would become Chunin soon," Marcus noted. "Six?"
"Seven, Alan finished his studies."
"Hehe~," Feng grinned as her two birds, her Yin-Fang spirits, cooed. "I-I still wanna get that rank," she told him. "I kinda cheated by having it in my blood but I wanna get that rank and then Jounin!"
"Hehehe, I wanna see how good I can get," Filia rubbed her hands ominously.
Reaching one of the two large hallways on the side of the equally large home, Obito gestured to the guest rooms.
"You know how big this place is, you can clean up, rest, and then we'll hit my hot sp-" he began to say.
Only for it all to come to a stop at the sound of knocking.
"HELLO~ I'm supposed to be tended to!"
Obito's smile became nervous. "Oh… She's HERE," he said with a sheepish smile as his guards snickered.
"It's fine, pops, we'll lead 'em around," Monkey said, amused. "I can also sense the whole lot of them."
"... She brought those three?" Obito hurried out. "Crap!"
Navigating his home to the front door, he sweatdropped at three of his younger children standing on each other's shoulders to see out the door.
"Kori, Avi, Eva, what are you doing?"
"We're keeping the coast clear, daddy!" Kori, the little leader that she was, said from the top of their child totem pole. "It's the grinning lady and her friends!"
"Yes, yes," Obito said as the three somehow navigated to the side with ease. 'Every day, I fear for the worst,' he sweatdropped before opening the door to reveal said 'grinning lady'. "Dahlia, it's been too long," he added flatly.
"Oh, as usual, your humor is tempting," the woman outside with three others said. "But we both know your better qualities lie elsewhere."
He rolled his eyes.
Dahlia or, really, 'Black Dahlia' was a woman of above-average height but great pomposity.
She was tall and curvy, having a small waist and a perfect hourglass figure despite her being around his age. Wearing a rich purple strapless dress, it had a slit all the way down her right leg side to reveal said shapely limb with one of two frilly purple thigh bands on both legs and purple flats on her feet.
Her shoulders were covered by a large white mantle that fell down to her backside and just above her chest in the front. Her most notable features, however, were the gun for an arm she had in place of an actual right arm.
Secondly was her face, which was to say, you couldn't see it due to a dark veil she wore over it most times that fed into a blue hat on her head with a jewel and feathers on it. The only part of her head actually being revealed was dark gray hair that was set in a small bun at the back of her noggin and two bangs falling down the sides of her face.
"Yes, yes, ma'am, should I take your coat, too?" Obito smirked at the dramatically-gasping Black Dahlia before she strode in without even an 'excuse me'. "Your manners have certainly evolved," he said flatly before he got giggles from all sides.
Dahlia smirked at the child totem before tapping Kori's nose. "You keep learning the leader role, Koranda, there's a bright future for you," she said.
"Gotcha, smiling lady!" Kori said.
Obito's eyes went flat before he turned back to the trio of women in front of the door and gestured inside. "You all are a lot more kind, aren't you?" He asked flatly.
The first of the trio, a woman with peach skin, pink eyes, and chin-length pink hair that flared out into a small mullet at the back, smiled behind her black medical mask. "Good afternoon, Master," she said with a showman's bow that the other two copied.
"Yep, it's been a bit," another more energetic woman said, her black skin, long blonde hair with two chin-length bangs, and yellow eyes showing her amusement as she wore a white medical mask. "And you've not slacked at all," she looked him up and down. "Nice."
"S-She's usually better on her off days," the last one said, her brown ponytail, white skin, and red eyes tilting as she observed him. "We heard that you're going to battle the Mistress once more," she said.
Wearing their usual matching brown boots, black tights, and short black skirts, their difference in attire were their tops.
The rosette wore a cold-shouldered white top with long sleeves.
The blonde had on a blue short-sleeved dress shirt alongside some wrist bangles.
And the brunette had on a turtleneck with openings for her thumbs in the cuffs.
All in all, very distinct for a bunch of triplets.
"Killer, Buttercup, Bonnie," the mature man said to each woman in sequence before he gestured inside towards the flaunting-about Dahlia. "Please try and keep her under control, the last time she was here, I don't think Alan could recover from her barbs."
"I built his character!" Black Dahlia declared.
"It took months of therapy despite how TECHNICALLY correct she was."
The laughter from behind had him rolling his eyes.
"Welcome to my family's abode," Obito said with a squinty-eyed look thrown Dahlia's way. "Damn that woman sometimes, she's lucky I'm not a violent man."
"But she is a violent woman!" Killer snickered as she walked past.
"Don't let her get to you, Mister," Buttercup purred with a chuckle as she walked in and took up Eva and Avi. "Alright, girls, let's try this properly."
"YAY!" The little ones cheered as Bonnie caught Kori before holding her with a smile.
"Heya, Kori-baby," she smiled as Obito closed the door and walked at her side. "How's it been, sir?" Bonnie asked, smiling against his shoulder.
Obito was never sure with these gals and their boss. The clear attraction would have been one thing, even if he at least could grasp Bonnie's, but the lack of conflict made him wonder when feudal culture had arrived in the present.
"It's been fine, Bonnie," the man answered. "The family is here and most of the kids are at work or should be training in the yard," Obito implied as he pointed up.
She blinked before looking up at the dog-tailed, and eared, boy who looked embarrassed before he dropped down onto Obito's back.
"H-Heya, old man," he said, red-faced, as Obito chuckled before adjusting him onto his shoulders. "I didn't get you at all, did I?" The Feral whined into his hair.
"It's an art, Kobu."
The boy groaned while Bonnie grinned before humming a happy tune as she held onto the mature man's bicep as they walked.
Yes, very nice and firm.
Filia hopped, lunged, and slid throughout a series of white bars that shot out of the ground, off trees, and even from small white balls in the air to corral her.
She grinned as she knee-slid beneath the last three with a cheer.
"I-I finally did it!" She cheered as Obito smiled once he descended from a tree with a stopwatch. "Tell me my time, Grampie!"
"You did remarkably well, more than enough so," Obito began as Filia grinned brightly. "To claim your 'Genin' status."
The squeal that left her mouth had to have reached some obscene decibel if he barely heard it.
'I worry about the dogs around here,' he thought in amusement-Oh crap. 'Kobu, please be inside,' Obito realized with worry even as Kurou came around from above with a black cloth with a metal plate on it in his mouth.
He floated in front of the excited girl before offering it to her. "You've truly worked hard-hoo," Kurou said proudly as Filia took the headband before tying it around her forehead. "You're the second-youngest Genin we've ever had. Young Feng was the first."
"So, I gotta beat Feng," Filia cupped her chin and nodded sagely.
"You might wish to tame your expectations," Obito told her, patting her back before they walked over to her resting parents in the training grounds area. "Feng's been a Genin since she was ten, Lia," he chuckled at her look of shock. "And I won't tell her but she's honestly rather impressive at the skills she does have, likely, she'll be a Chunin this year."
"T-That's crazy!" She whispered as she eyed Feng coming down from above, a pair of black and white glowing wings on her back before she landed on Obito's shoulders.
"Hey, guys!" Feng beamed as her wings flashed before turning back into her Yin-Fang Birds who sat on her shoulders. "Master, I'm getting a lot better! I can fly so easily now!"
"That's good, your spirits are an ever-curious pair, Feng. When you got them, I can say they surprised me due to their myriad of spiritual traits," Obito said proudly as she preened. "What about your method of gaining them," he smirked as she blushed a red hue.
"I-I wasn't trying to mess it up!"
"I believe you."
"Liar!" She pointed at him, embarrassed, as the old man laughed and continued on. "Mmm," Feng pouted.
"Suzuka," Obito called as a warmth appeared behind Feng before nuzzling her.
"As usual, you're quite cute," a feminine voice said as Feng muttered something. "Come now, Feng, you're a good girl with grand control over your oddly-gained spirits," the feathered figure chuckled as she flew to, and settled atop, Obito's head. "Call it 'turning a bad situation into a good one' and leave it at that."
Suzuka was a shimmering phoenix spirit that had layered red feathers with a white cloak over her body. Having a series of 'slicked-back' feathers atop her head, a single bow at the front, a veil over her mouth, and a pair of wings & trio of fiery tails, the feminine spirit looked amused with her pupiless eyes.
"It's going to be a sick week, Suzuka," Filia said with a proud grin as they reached her parents. "Mom, dad, I did it!" She adjusted her headband as the two sat up from their lawn chairs.
Currently atop a two-story wooden platform.
"Oh, that's lovely, honey!" Amelia smiled before turning to someone. "Goatey, if you would."
"Baaa-Sure, Ame," came a bleat-like call as their platform began to lower before it settled into the ground without a hint of difficulty. "Sir, is the training done?" Came a large goat-like spirit.
He was a two-meter-tall, at the shoulder, hoofed animal with brown fur, a large ring-shaped black mane, two curling black horns covered in flowers, and a set of muscular legs with a completely black veil over his head that hid it completely with the only thing being 'visible' being a large clump of neatly-combed chin hair.
Hence, 'Goatey'.
"Yes, hopefully, Dahlia's done taking pot shots at Ryu," Obito said. "Speaking of, where are the triplets?"
"Here!" A familiar pink-haired said from beside him, popping out of the ground with a small white gopher-like spirit atop her head. "You know, Hopper's such a polite guy! He can stop any stupid dirt!" Killer beamed as Marcus blinked once before looking confused. "Oh, and Bonnie's inside with her kid while Buttercup is sleepin' in the forest, honey."
"Wait, who has a child?" Amelia asked.
Killer's expression grew a bit somber. "Bonnie, the one with the ponytail," she explained as Marcus nodded while Amelia looked concerned. "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing crazy. The guy she was with just… He's not AROUND anymore so, nine years back, honey helped by taking in Kori and giving us a home before Mistress came around," Killer chuckled. "It's a crazy thing, trust me."
"Honey, aye-?"
"Control yourself, niece," Obito said with a roll of the eyes as Killer popped out of the ground with ease and grace before coming over and hopping onto his back with a happy hum as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "... There's some kind of logic to this, do not ask," he emphasized to the excited Amelia. "Ugh, you'll be like this for a while. I'm going to the movies," he added as he folded his arms into his sleeves while Killer gasped.
She jumped, and ran, off, leaving him concerned for his 'something'.
"What's going on with my life?"
"You invite chicks into it and treat 'em nice," Filia said with a nudge and wink as Feng blushed before giggling. "Grampie, there's only so much you can't do before ya got the ladies swooning."
Obito didn't look like he liked that at all.
~NRK~
This was his life, the people he dealt with could be worse in most cases, he was loved and reciprocated that love to his children, and Obito was a man who'd lived a long life.
He was sure this lively duration should have been simple. Maybe, he'd even find himself living to the age of having great grandchildren.
But life wasn't so grand nor easy for him.
And it all came at the hands of three people.
Taliesin the Bard.
Lorenzo Medici, his former sibling.
And his last opposition… Had been a result of his own sealing method, his brother's machinations, and godly intervention on a scale that he didn't understand.
~NRK Out~