A/N: Real life updates: my brother went back home several days ago. I haven't heard from him since then. I really should ask how he's doing. I also had my first ever appointment with a gender therapist. Now I have all sorts of new thoughts about transitioning and sexuality and what my life might look like in the future. Yeah, I'm just rocketing out ahead of this story. Do not worry; I won't abandon it at the precise moment I no longer need it in my personal life, thus leaving the story three steps behind in the middle of an unfinished plotline. No. I will bring it to a proper ending. I believe strongly in ethical writing; I couldn't short-change my characters or my story like that. It would not be fair to them.

Anyway, enjoy these characters expressing what I felt about a month ago.

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Zetsu

Zetsu was tired of thinking by the time they got back to the house they'd been crashing in for the past few nights. It was one of the abandoned houses. White Zetsu had been super excited to save money and explore a creaky old house at the same time. But on this night, all they wanted to do was crash, so that was what they did. They bid Obito good night - since the furnishings in each house were very basic, there wasn't really space for two bodies to sleep in the same house - then entered their abandoned house and passed out.

They slept well into the morning. They hadn't undressed, so their photosynthetic leaves were not open to the light, and their thick, leathery, flytrap leaves kept their head in darkness. White Zetsu came to, opened his leaf a little to check what time it was, and jolted into full alertness. This pulled Black Zetsu out of sleep. It's pretty late! They got up, stretched their flytrap leaves to loosen the muscles that kept it closed overnight, then went to check on Obito.

They found someone sitting in the grass, studying a dandelion. "Hey Tobi," White Zetsu greeted. "How are you?"

"Hiyas!" Tobi greeted back. "There was an earthquake. It was scary."

There was? White Zetsu asked.

I don't think this region gets earthquakes, Black Zetsu replied. I don't know what she's talking about.

Maybe it's something from that fantasy kingdom she likes to make up stories about. "Did any buildings fall over? Did the castle get damaged?" White Zetsu asked.

"No," Tobi replied. "But it woke the dragon. The dragon's really angry. Everything in the forest is scared."

"Sounds like you should stay close to town," White Zetsu chirped. "Even the bravest of heroic princesses shouldn't go into the woods when there's an angry dragon on the loose. It's smarter to wait until it's in its nest, sleeping."

"Hmm…" Tobi took a moment to think. She raised a finger and announced, "I'm gonna secretly sneak through the woods to look at the dragon's nest! It normally stays there. This might be my only chance!"

White Zetsu saluted. "Good luck, princess. Fare thee well. The kingdom depends on you." Tobi saluted back. Then Tobi tried to blow all the dandelion fluff off the head, and was surprised to find that she couldn't. She touched the mask. She knew it was not to be taken off, so she settled for flicking the dandelion to make the seeds fly away.

So, Black Zetsu thought as they sat down on the nearest porch to watch her, about last night. Their thoughts, of course, were composed of emotions and memories just as much as concepts. This one thought was really quite large. It contained an enormous blur of memory fragments, and the whole assemblage was saturated with an emotion that neither half could name. It might have been a blend of emotions. They couldn't tell. They'd only had one night of sleep to process it all in.

Should we tell Tobi? White Zetsu wondered.

Black Zetsu was tired, even though they had just woken. She's just a kid. Let her enjoy her fantasy kingdom adventures. She doesn't need to know that there are monsters you just can't fight.

Sounds an awful lot like denial, Ani…

I know what I usually think. But this isn't usual. For fuck's sake, Madara's original was a murderer. He tried to take advantage of somebody, their friend got in the way, so he killed their friend and everybody that friend had ever introduced to their lives just so he could come back and take advantage of a traumatized, helpless person.

The Madara we have now wouldn't do that. I mean, he's a dick, but murder isn't a thing people do in this world. His other original never killed anybody.

That man ruined lives, even if he didn't take them. Who knows how many people he's left healed in body but mentally crippled. He's probably still doing it. I'm sure the personality based off of him is capable of doing the same thing. Madara the alter is just restrained by not having perfect control of his body.

Yeah. White Zetsu watched Tobi search the grass for more dandelions. Tobi stopped and sprawled on her stomach, a sign that she had found an anthill to watch instead. I agree with you, Ani. Let's not share that recording with Madara. Ever.

Tobi watched the ants for a solid half hour. Then she got up and stretched. "Hey Tobi," White Zetsu called.

"Yes?"

"We need to tell you some things." He invited her to sit next to them, which she did. "After you left yesterday, uh, some things happened. We're not sure when we'll see your new friends again."

Tobi tilted her head. "Definitely soon though. I wanna play with the friend dolls."

"Well, it's complicated," White Zetsu tried to explain. "We're not so sure they'll be happy to have us around."

"Whaddaya mean?"

I can't do it, Ani.

You know damn well I can't either. They had tried to explain to Tobi why a new friend wasn't available to play with anymore in the past. But who could explain bigotry to such an innocent child? "It might not be soon," Black Zetsu told her. "I assume by 'soon,' you mean within the next few days. It might take longer than that. They need some time to go over what happened. They'll be very busy for the next week, perhaps."

"Oh! Very busy. No playtime." Tobi gasped and clapped her hands. "I can help! I can look after the friend dolls!"

Shit! "Uh, Tobi -"

Tobi slumped. "Oh, but I have to explore the nest while the dragon is away. I'm busy too. Okay. Not soon. But I will see the friend dolls again!" She lay down on the porch. "Zetsu, sing the sleepy song."

Tobi couldn't control her appearance or disappearance the way Madara could. Going to sleep was the only way she knew how to give up control of the body. White Zetsu patted her head and sang a song that Tobi had happened to hear years before. It was a love song, not a lullaby, but it worked for her. "You say it best, when you say nothing at all," White Zetsu finished. He continued rhythmically stroking her head, but most likely she was already asleep. They doubted that she could really go from completely awake and full of energy to asleep in one song. More likely, she somehow disconnected from the body midway through. Both she and Obito emerged slowly when not forced into control, so it looked like falling asleep and waking back up.

"Mm." Obito stretched and noticed that his body was already entirely limber. "Huh?" He sat up. "Did someone else wake up before me?"

"Tobi," White Zetsu replied. "We explained to him the basics of what happened. That his new friends are gonna be very busy for a while and we might not see them for a week."

"We left out the possibility of not seeing them ever," Black Zetsu added quietly.

Obito looked down. "You okay?" White Zetsu asked softly. He and Yahiko got along so well. I'm not sure we should be bringing that up with him, either.

It's like I said last night. It might have been a mistake, but we're committed to facing all the hard truths at once. We can't change our minds now.

"I don't know," Obito replied. "...Do we have any oatmeal left?"

White Zetsu grinned. "Sure do. Then we can go into town, check out some places we only walked by before. I bet the aquarium's cool."

Nagato

Nagato woke up early in the morning for no apparent reason. He felt tired. It was a kind of tiredness he was rapidly becoming familiar with. Oh no, not more depression. He sighed and tried to ignore it. That worked as well as it had before: it didn't. He forced himself to sit up. He did not turn on any light in his room, but being vertical helped him feel slightly more alert. He crossed his legs and decided, I need to figure out what my role is.

He hadn't entirely realized before the previous night that he could not define his role in the group. What was he? Why was he there? He hadn't chosen to join in the first place; he just followed Yahiko. Getting a cloak was, again, following Yahiko. What was he, himself, there for? Aside from helping out Yahiko and Hidan? It seems like all I do is help people. Help Hidan, help Konan, help Yahiko. Is that all I am? Just support staff? What is the point of my life? His tear ducts tightened a little, not enough to produce any tears, but enough for him to feel it. He was afraid that his life did not have a point. That he was awash in a sea of people who wanted and needed things from him, doomed to drift, never to find joy or happiness of his own.

It's too early to text Itachi. I have to figure this out on my own. He tried to analyze actions he had performed in the past the way Itachi would have, searching them for anything distinctive that nobody else could have accomplished. But he didn't have that analytical way of thinking, or perhaps his depression was too strong to be ignored. Either way, he soon gave up the effort. Am I useless?

Who am I?

Yahiko

Yahiko paced back and forth in his room after awaking. The plushies watched him. Little One had proved a most competent group coordinator, keeping the others from wreaking havoc during the meeting. They had spent the night sleeping, jumping, huddling in the closet and climbing the closet shelves. The rattle of clothes and hangers falling as the plushies tried to swing from them had disturbed Yahiko's sleep, yet he brimmed with energy. I'm in charge! I've found something to be in charge of! I know what I'm doing and what I'm here for! My mission: to take care of people. How to do that?

He tried to think about the Akatsuki in the methodical way Konan would have. Who could be counted on to do what? Kakuzu wants to know more about Madara. I need to address that. The next time anyone sees Zetsu, we need to ask. But Kisame has a point. They might have been frightened off. Who's good at reassurance? I am! And Same. Do Same and I really do the same work? That's not important right now. Hidan? He could work, but they don't know him very well. I need to reach out. Right now? No, they must still be reeling from everything she said. In a few days? Make it several. Maybe a week. Wait, how do I find them? I have no idea where they're staying.

He stopped, took a deep breath, and returned to his overall goals. Itachi knows his job. I don't need to worry about him. If we're not going to reach out to Obito and Zetsu for a while, then I have time to focus on the group. Deidara's really upset. I should comfort him. He headed for his door. With therapy dolls. He went over to his closet. "I need your help. Come with me." They didn't move from the closet door when he walked away. But as soon as he opened the door to the room, Warlic levitated to his feet and ran for freedom. Manta followed. Solis picked up a bunch of shirts and followed them. Little One turned and looked down at the spilled clothing. Yahiko left the door open in case he decided to catch up.

Yahiko knocked on the door to Deidara's room. "Room service," he called. I think? All I have with me are dolls and shirts. Why did Solis bring them?

There were waking-up sounds inside. "Come in."

Yahiko entered to find Deidara rubbing his eyes, still sleepy. His instincts spoke up immediately. Yahiko obeyed. He knelt on Deidara's bed and gave the blond a hug. Deidara struggled somewhat, confused. But then he relaxed into it. They stayed like that for a long while.

Then Yahiko released him and sat back. "Dei, I think reaching out to Obito and his people and Zetsu is my thing! I feel like I have a job now! Something to do that I'm good at. I'm in charge. It feels really good! Thank you for bringing them all here. Especially because the situation turned out to be complicated and weird. I think this is a big step forward."

Deidara smiled hopefully. "You think so?"

"Yeah. You didn't do anything wrong. Holding funerals so she could remember her past and move on from it is something we thought of to help Konan. It's good that she's talking about stuff. And Itachi's got a job to apply all his thinking power to, and…"

"I feel bad for making him clean up my mess, yeah."

"He loves thinking. It's his number one hobby. He loves cleaning up messes like this."

Deidara shrugged. "I'd feel a lot better if he told me that himself, yeah. No offense, but… You're not exactly a great guy for knowing what other people are thinking."

Oh. That's right. I'm in charge now, so he's countering me. Yahiko's face burned. Deidara was painfully correct. "Solis brought you a bunch of shirts," he said while watching the doll place them in Deidara's lap. "Guys, stay here with Deidara. Help him feel better." I need to talk to Itachi. What if I was wrong? What if this is too much for him?

He could not find Itachi. Itachi wasn't in his room, or outside, or in the basement. He might have been on the roof, but Yahiko elected to text him instead. Hey, where are you? I want to talk.

He waited and waited, but did not receive a response. The texting app did not even tell him whether his message had been seen or not. Great. Now what?

He stared off into space, trying to think. Before he could, something touched his shin. He looked down to see Little One holding Itachi's phone. Little One held the phone up to him. It was open on the messaging app, displaying the message he'd just sent. "You were just with Itachi, weren't you?" Yahiko asked. "Take me back to him." Little One did so, leading him straight back to Nagato's room.

Itachi was comforting Nagato there, or trying to. The lamp was on at its highest setting. He had a hand on Nagato's shoulder, but otherwise seemed unsure how to comfort. Nagato was midway through saying something. He stopped before Yahiko could hear exactly what it was. Yahiko smiled at the sight of his friend. "Hey! You guys decided to have an early morning hangout?"

"No, Nagato is depressed again," Itachi replied. "I've been trying to apply the advice the Hatakes gave me, but it does not seem to be working."

"Oh." Yahiko scratched the back of his head. "What's wrong?"

"My life is a disaster," Nagato said.

"What? No it's not."

"We went around the group. Everyone introduced themselves by what role they have. Except me. I don't have one. I only joined this group because I was following you. I didn't actually choose to be here. I didn't choose to get a cloak. I just got one by default, as an extension of you. I don't belong here."

"W-what?" Yahiko was shocked. He hadn't known Nagato was having such thoughts.

"Maybe I shouldn't be here," Nagato said.

That's why Itachi was having so much trouble. I have comforting people as my job and I don't know what to do. Is he saying he's going to leave?! "W-wait," Yahiko mumbled. "Nagato, make sure that, that, that you know what you're saying." He channeled chakra into his palms. I can heal minds. I can do something about this.

Nagato closed his eyes. "Fine." Now he sounded angry, resentful. Yahiko wavered. Itachi made an I don't know gesture in solidarity. Yahiko gulped and resolved to use his soothing chakra anyway. He couldn't change his mind mid-action. That wasn't what leaders did.

Just before he reached Nagato, Nagato's eyes flew open. He raised a hand, pushing Yahiko's arms away. "Actually, no. Not fine. I don't want that."

Then what else is there for me to do? "Okay… Do you want a hug?"

"No." Nagato stood up. "I'm sick of being told to shut up!"

"Nobody ever -"

"You don't know what you're talking about. You never have." Nagato went around him, walking out the door, leaving Yahiko struggling to stay on his feet.

"Yahiko?" Itachi asked. He sounded afraid.

Yahiko sank down and sat on the floor. "I really don't." His eyes flooded with tears. "I had no idea my best friend was in so much pain." He started to cry.

Itachi knelt in front of him. "Is everything going to be alright?"

Yahiko sobbed harder. "I don't know, Itachi. I can't promise you anything. I can't be whatever it is you want me to be. I don't even know what that is." He needs something from me, but I can't provide it. What kind of healer am I? How can I comfort anyone if I can't even help my best friend? Supposed best friend. It looks an awful lot like Hidan's my best friend now, or maybe Obito. How long has it been since I even talked to him? Yahiko buried his head in his knees and ignored Little One's poking. Someone he cared for was in pain and said it was his fault. He had no reason not to believe it. I'm sorry, Nagato. I'm so, so sorry.

Hidan

Hidan didn't question the rage that filled him that morning. He had no reason not to believe that it wasn't his own. Fuck! I only got like, half a night of sleep, and now somebody's messing with it! Do I get any chance to rest?! His fists tightened. You know, being leashed to other people's feelings is really shitty sometimes. Maybe I want to do something else with my life other than be the group therapist. Maybe I don't want to perpetually be in comfort mode. Huh? Did anyone ever think of that? Kakuzu calls me a brat sometimes, but I'm not one. I can't be one. I can't ever pout and sulk because you can't do that shit alone and I can't do it with others because I've always gotta feel how they feel. I can't ever annoy anyone. Maybe I want to be annoying sometimes! Maybe I want to be an annoying little shit! Like kids are supposed to be! But I can't! Fuck this! He got to his feet, grabbed his scythe, ignored his cloak and stormed out.

He sulked all the way to town. When he reached the road that led to the abandoned houses, he looked in that direction. He couldn't see it, but he knew that way lay vampire territory. I'm supposed to be a blood drinker like them. But I can't be. I need someone else to take over my fucking body in order to keep me alive. This power has some upsides, but… But don't I get a chance to live on my own?

He tried to shut off his extra sense as he went into town. He had tried to shut it off before. It didn't work then and it didn't work now. He felt disturbance, upsetness, caution, as other people around saw a stranger stalking around filled with rage. Why did I go to town? There are people here. I hate that. He kept walking anyway. He was too committed to anger to act on the basis of fear.

He went to the park and wandered among the trees, hoping to find some kind of solace. He sat by the little pond at the end of one of the trails. He ran his hands along the edge of the wooden bench and watched ducks swim. The ducks were happy. Even out here, I'm not free. Am I ever? This is just how my life is. Maybe I should give up and go along with it. Like I normally do. That's the best way. It's the only way. He remembered a song from an animated movie Kakuzu had shown him, one of very few animated movies that Kakuzu liked. The song was supposed to be horrifying, a demonstration of everything that was wrong with the little town featured in the movie. It involved a bunch of kids singing about how great and happy their lives were, and contained the line, It's easy to be happy when you have no choice! Hidan growled. He wanted to dash across the water and snap those ducks' necks. They must have sensed this, because they swam away at great speed.

He left the park in an even more sour mood than when he came in. There was no solace to be found at all. The entire town was all the same.

But then he remembered. No, it wasn't. There was one place that was different. Would his powers still work in the real world? He dashed off to the aquarium, eyes bright, hopeful once again.

Obito

Oatmeal for breakfast didn't last very long, so he and Zetsu ate again at a small dining area the aquarium provided adjacent to the gift shop. The majority of people there were families with children. "That's a nice idea," White Zetsu said. "Give people with kids an area to feed them in. It's good for business and good for the kids. See, Ani? There are some not-terrible places in the world."

"And plenty of terrible ones," Black Zetsu growled back.

"Yup."

This was a familiar and recurring discussion. Both halves had long since lost count of how many terrible places and not-terrible places they had tallied. It was just a sport by now, like counting the colors of passing cars. Obito snuck forkfuls underneath his mask, hoping everyone around was too busy with their kids to be watching him and wondering who that masked freak was.

"Hey Obi, favorite exhibit so far? I like the one with all the seaweed where that one fish leaped out at us," White Zetsu said.

"I liked the stingray pool," Obito replied. The way they swam was gentle and soothing, and the woman there had something about her that made Obito feel safe.

"I can't wait to see the shark exhibit," Black Zetsu said. "Show me some real fish."

They all froze in shock at the sight of a familiar shark. Samehada swam among the low-swimming sharks, close to the children, occasionally performing tricks. It was impossible to tell whether Samehada noticed them or not. The shark must have. But she did not behave in any distinctive way. Maybe it was just because she couldn't, being restrained by water and glass.

"This might have been a bad idea," Black Zetsu muttered. "Let's get out of here." They went back the way they had come, to the stingray exhibit.

There they found Hidan, chatting with the nice lady. Obito gulped. I'm not ready! Hidan spotted them before they could retreat. He broke off his conversation with the nice lady. He ground his teeth and sighed. "Here I go again," they clearly heard him mutter.

The woman glanced at them, then turned her attention back to Hidan. There happened to be nobody else around. "I get what you're saying," she told him soothingly. "It can be hard sometimes, caring for people in this hard world. But that doesn't make it a curse. What you have is a gift."

"Some gift," Hidan growled. "Never being able to relax, never being able to live my own fucking life, always having to deal with other people's business. Someone else has a bad day, I have one too. I don't get to choose. I never fucking got to choose."

"Hey," the woman said firmly. "I'm sure lots of people with powerful senses of empathy feel the same way. And you know what? If they actually could, the world would have ended by now. You've got a gift that makes the world a better place, and that gives you a purpose. What more could anyone want?"

"A choice," Hidan replied. "Look, I get to be fucking angry, okay? I don't have to care if that makes people like you uncomfortable. I don't want to. Just leave me alone." He stalked off. He passed Zetsu without so much as a glance.

He's like me. Obito turned his head slightly to watch him go.

"Hey again," White Zetsu said. "We were just on our way out."

"Doesn't look like it," the woman replied. Zetsu blinked. Then they turned, just in time to see Obito going after Hidan.

Hidan made it a good way into the public hall of the aquarium. Then he stopped and turned around. "This place is everything he said it was," he told Obito, looking around. "A place full of people not caring about shit. Finally."

Obito didn't know what to say. He had only intended to catch up to Hidan. Now that he had, what was he to do?

"How much did they tell you about me?" Hidan asked. "You know what, I don't care. I'm in the mood to rant. and you might actually know what I'm talking about." He led Obito to a relatively isolated corner where the din of surrounding noise formed a protective bubble. "Every so often I wake up with the taste of blood in my mouth," he began. "Yeah, I expected you to feel like that. It's because I'm vampiric. Something's screwed up with my body so that I need to drink blood regularly, or something. I don't know too much about it. Because I can't." He ran a hand through his hair. "I tried to catch an animal and drink its blood. Vampirics, because we're the way we are genetically, come with a love of the hunt. So I figured I'd try it out, see how I enjoyed it. I loved it. It was so much fucking fun. Or at least, most of it was. Not the part where I had to feel all the pain and fear involved in getting my neck ripped out."

He crossed his arms and turned to Obito. "Yeah. My power stops me from being able to do this thing that I would love, this thing that I need in order to stay alive, this thing that I feel in my blood like I'm meant for. I could only do it at all because I chose a small animal, the kind I could just pounce on from the trees and grab instantly. Quick, done. I am fast. I want to chase something down, play a little with it, revel in my victory. But I can't because I would feel everything it felt."

Obito lowered his head. That sounds terrible.

"So someone else has to take care of all that for me."

Obito looked up.

"The way you felt earlier? That's the way I've felt for my whole life," Hidan muttered. "You wake up with the taste of blood in your mouth and you don't fucking know why. You don't know where you went, or what you ate. Now that I know why it happens, well, it doesn't seem so totally unnatural. Now it just feels like I'm being nannied. Like because of this stupid power, I couldn't keep myself alive. So my body has to be taken over by someone else who can chase down my food for me. I don't get to chase down shit. And I'm supposed to be grateful because I couldn't do it, anyway.

"Sometimes I black out," he said, changing the subject without a pause. "A fugue state. I wake up who knows where. At least if it's overnight, I wake up back in my own bed, as if I never left it. I know I left it, but at least it doesn't feel like I did. Waking up in some random place? Or worse, in my bed when the last thing I remember is distinctly not being in my bed? Someone had to have picked me up and moved me, and…" He shuddered. "Saw me."

He turned back to face Obito. "And do you have any fucking idea what it's like to be told you said an entire sentence, just a few seconds ago, that you don't remember saying? All the fucking time? It's like, am I going nuts? How could I not remember that? It just happened, they tell me. They repeat what I said word for word, and I have no idea what is meant by it. The other guy, who or whatever it is that takes me out hunting at night, is he fucking peering over my shoulder all the time? Watching? Sitting in my head, watching my life, ready to take over instantly at any moment? So fucking quickly and smoothly I have no idea he's doing it? What is that shit? It's fucking creepy."

Obito's blood chilled. Last night, after hearing them talk about Madara, I felt a pressure in my head. Like someone was leaning on me. It went away as soon as I thought about it…

"I get it both ways," Hidan said. "In my waking life, I have to therapize everyone around me. And in my non-waking life, someone else puppets my body in order to get done all the staying-alive shit that I would have done myself if I hadn't been so busy therapizing other people. I get maybe two, three hours of an actual life per day? Tops." He crossed his arms. "Some gift!"

Obito pushed aside the horrifying realization that he dared not admit to. "I can understand," he murmured. "I don't have your power, but… Even when I'm out, I'm not free."

Hidan sighed. "Well, at least you've got one personality that doesn't cause trouble for you."

"No. No, they both do." Obito swallowed. I don't want to seem like an ungrateful selfish person. I really don't. But he might understand. "People look at me differently after someone else comes out. It doesn't matter if it's Tobi or Madara. Either way, they can't trust me anymore. They don't know if I'm going to suddenly change my whole personality again. You can't trust somebody who acts inconsistently. I… I don't like that. Tobi sounds like he's fine. He would be, if only… If only he wasn't with me. I want…"

"To be alone?" Hidan guessed.

Obito nodded. "Whenever I'm out, I always have to figure out and deal with whatever they did, and prepare for what they might do in the future. Everything I try, I know that any progress I make is gonna be undone by someone else. Everything I want, I… I know I can't have it because of them. I used to… To live around my dad's feelings, his problems, what he wanted. Now I live around theirs. I don't ever get to have my own life."

Hidan gave him a hug. It was a gentle hug, mindful of his comfort, yet also a firm one, promising that it would not end too soon. Obito hugged back. Hidan chuckled. "Maybe that's how to get through it," he murmured. "I can't therapize myself, but I can help someone just like me." He released Obito from the hug. "Y'know… Now that I got a chance to rant, to get it all out of my system, I feel better. And I'm back to thinking, like I usually think, that it's not so bad. Sharing your life with friends, family, people you love, it's what we're meant to do. And yeah, that can mean being bossed around by other people's feelings sometimes. But if they're good people, then you should be able to boss them around with your feelings too. Yin and yang. Like we're doing here. I rant at you, you rant at me." Hidan grinned. "We both feel better."

"But…"

"But you don't know shit about them, do you?"

Obito stayed silent. I don't. I have no memories of theirs, no contact with them at all. All I have is what Zetsu tells me. And he hasn't been telling me everything, has he? His heart raced. Did he feel a slight pressure in his mind, or was he imagining it? It was gone now, if it had ever been there.

"What's wrong?" Hidan asked. He looked around. "We're good."

Aaggh! What do I do? Obito's heart pounded. Do I tell him, or, or, or…

Hidan held both of his hands. "Deep breaths, man. Deep breaths." He took deep breaths along with Obito. After several rounds, Obito did feel better. But not from the deep breaths; he probably felt better just because someone wanted to hold hands with him. "I gotcha," Hidan murmured.

Hearing that changed Obito's entire world. It filled him with courage. Before he even knew it, he found himself doing something that he never would have been brave enough to do before. He thought, Hello? Is someone out there?

He got no answer. But his non-answer was not the hollowness of his own voice echoing in an empty room before slinking back to him in a whisper. His call went somewhere. Where?

.

A/N: The song White Zetsu sings is, "When You Say Nothing At All." There are multiple versions. The one I prefer is the one that was used in the movie Notting Hill, for that is where I first heard it. Great movie btw.

The animated movie that contains the line "it's easy to be happy when you have no choice!" is the first Addams Family animated movie. It. Is. Wonderful. The Addams Family, clashing with a sunshine and rainbows version of suburbia, resulting in everyone learning something. Cross cultural exchange. It's wonderful. Definitely watch it. You can skip the sequel though. The sequel involves lots of unnecessary conflict created through poor communication, and it's filled with inaccurate science. And unnecessary romance, seemingly just for the sake of a romantic happy ending. But the first movie was fantastic!

Woot woot. Next week ahoy.

Rar!