Chapter 2
He came to with a gasp, head pounding with pain. The copy ninja tried to flare his nearly exhausted chakra to gain some semblance of his surroundings and quickly registered that he was restrained. Not by chains or ropes but by something far worse.The faint thrum of chakra under his skin, blocked away by intricate chakra seal patterns that left no leeway for even tiniest of his chakra to escape.It was like the work of an Uzumaki master, like Kushina ni had taught them.
He shouldn’t panic. The ex anbu captain knows the protocol. It’s been drilled into every fiber of his being. Control your breathing, pretend to be passed out, vulnerable, gather information. But all he can think of is ….it was Obi -Obito …..it was Obito who had taken him, and that meant….well it….he doesn’t know? Was he being delirious? Was it a figment of his imagination…….he’s heard of ninjas hallucinating when they’re on the edge of death and something inside him is repulsed at the thought. His instinct screams no- because Obito - he he …..he felt real and -
“ Oi Ba Ka Ka Shi! I know you’re awake….but take your time…….no need to hurry on my account…..” His heart races a mile a minute as he jolts up on the bed. Obito watches as the copy ninja’s lone uncovered eye goes wide, his breath hitches, his delicate, calloused fingers clutch at the bed sheet too tight, knuckles going white and he is visibly shaking.
“O..Obi…Obi- to” he whispers, the word barely forming on his lips and the grown, scarred face of his dead comrade smiles down softly at him.There is a hand on his shoulder as another rubs soothing circles on his back“Hey….take it easy……you need to rest and heal…..”
Can hallucinations touch you?Kakashi thinks as he freezes under the soft touch that his body has all but forgotten.
He looks simply breathtaking, Obito thinks as his eye shines halfway between hot searing, burning hope and all too familiar grief. His beautiful neck throbs with a pulse as his apple bobs beneath the thin layer of cloth covering it up. Obito drinks it all up , his sharingan capturing every delicate movement.”Yeah…it’s me…you’re going to be okay now….” he pushes Kakashi’s sweaty sliver strands behind his ear.
Kakashi takes in a ragged breath, trembling .“Obi- to” he says again, as if it were a prayer. Because Uchiha Obito is a name he worships in front of an apathetic,cold stone. He stands at the memorial and begs to be able to mould himself into memory of a boy who was the sun itself….so warm and bright, full of life.
Kakashi knows that he is pathetic(useless) because all he does is fail and beg some more. In the end all he knows for sure is……if only it had been him under that rock….the world wouldn’t be so wrong.Obito wouldn’t have let it be so wrong!
He….he can’t look at Obito, can’t (doesn’t deserve to) face him so he looks down at his palms and “ I’m sorry…..,”he quivers….” I….I couldn’t….I…..” a tear runs down his eyes, dampening his hitai ate and tingling down the navy mask, the lump in his throat threatening to choke him, “ I….Rin…” he sobs “ I couldn’t protect anyone…….…”he is shivering…
Obito steels his gaze , ice pricles at his heart as he sits down beside Kakashi….”It wasn’t your fault…..” he assures him…soft and kind.
“You don’t understand….” he insists “ I..”
“ She jumped on your chidori. There’s nothing you could have done…..you were a child….“ Obito asserts and Kakashi’s heart lurches because he doesn’t deserve Obito’s forgiveness . What he deserves is for Obito to beat him black and blue, take his eye back and torture his last breath out of him.
The older holds him against his chest, and pulls him closer with one hand, “It’s ok….I know everything ….calm down Bakakashi….”That’s when it strikes him……Obito already knows? How can he possibly know? Unless he was somehow there….“It wasn’t your fault…..and yes genius….I was there,” Obito says as if catching on to the younger’s train of thought….” But I came too late to be able to save both of you…..”
So it was him who had miraculously taken down the Kiri ninja battalion before backup arrived. Why? Why did he even bother? After watching that….but ofcourse Obito bothered. He had always been Kakashi’s only hero in every sense.A hero he never deserved.
“I’m sorry …” the older ninja tells him sincerely, as his hand squeezes Kakashi’s shoulder firmly. “That it took me so long to come for you….I’m sorry that I was so late!” he is combing through his lush silver strands with his fingers, “ That hellhole of a village will never be able to use you again.…”
“Wh-what?” Kakashi wouldn’t have dreamt of betraying Konoha in a million years. Because it would mean betraying his team…sensei…Rin and Obi and he would rather die a thousand times over. But - what was Konoha? For the longest time- his Konoha had been the memory of Obito.
He raises a hand to stop Kakashi from speaking…” I know you have questions…..but this is not up for discussion……you’re never going back to that hellhole!” Kakashi doesn’t know what to do, say anymore. An immediate panic settles in as his throat clenches, thinking of his little genins . Of all his comrades. They need them…..
“Y-You can’t…..my students….” his heart rate picks up and the older ninja frowns ,“they need you….your baby cousin Sasuke and sensei’s son…..we can’t abandon them……” he tries to protest ” I….I can’t fail them too….” he whispers to himself.Obito grimaces at the grief, the weight of sorrow in his comrade’s voice and that makes his stomach churn with rage.
“You’re so naive for a genius….” he laughs. “Kakashi why do you think we were the only students of a front liner - you were a genius and Rin was Rin. But why assign a deadlast to someone as good as the yellow flash?” he asks and -
“Obito…you weren’t…..the teams need to be balanced…..” he laughs some more as Kakashi flinches.“The common denominator…” snorts Obito….”We were the expendable children who no one would miss and Rin…..her stupid patriotic parents…..they neither had the intellect to suspect nor the clan prowess to ever oppose Hokage. Should anything happen, they would only inspire other civilians to follow her path…..I don’t blame you for Rin….we were naive children but I don’t for a moment believe that the yellow flash didn’t know……I blame him and I blame the ninja world-” the venom in his voice makes a shiver go down Kakashi’s spine.
“Obito you are wrong” Kakashi shrieked”…..Se….sensei would never he…..he always protected us….it was out of his hands……” he tries, more to convince himself than Obito and he sounds weak even to his own ears. But it’s not possible , it’s a mistake , if only sensei was here, he would make them understand -
“Oh wouldn’t he?” Obito sneered “And yet he let you join Anbu after me, after Rin…..he signed off on assignments that would be death sentences if you weren’t you…..he did nothing to protect you!He used you, even after everything! He deserved what he got…..in the Kyubi attack……..” Kakashi gulps, “O-Obito - you didn’t ?”His chest constricts as his stomach clenches and feet go numb.Would Obito ever……harm Kushina ni and sensei?No-this is….this is all wrong…!The older laughs. “ What if I did?” He feels as if ground has been pulled from under him. NO! It can’t be- whatever happens, Obito would never- never he….would he?
“No! No Obito……what happened to you…..you wanted to become Hokage to change the world! So why won’t you come back?!“he mumbles in disbelief It can’t be - It wasn’t him….it can’t be. Obito is a hero. He would never. The Akatsuki cloak on Obito’s body makes Kakashi want to vomit.
“I don't know what happened to you. What you had to do to survive. But whatever it was Obito.........this isn’t you!Do you understand what you’re saying?…..Kushina ni adored you, when she first heard of it, the nine tales almost broke free.....only sensei could stop her from going on an absolute rampage. And sensei......he mourned you like a son for years...........all they ever wished was for their child to be like you!” he grabs at the older’s collar with weak fingers…….”You are our comrade of the team 7! You don’t know what Akatsuki scums are up to….”he begs….”Come back to me,” and sobs come unbidden….”Pl-please….I’ll do anything……just pl-please….please.......you can't!”he is weeping uncontrollably.How pathetic was he going to be?
Obito pulls at his mask but he doesn’t remove it.“You don’t understand do you? Or maybe you don’t want to. Those were dreams of a dumb child who didn’t know any better.You are many things Kakashi but an idiot isn’t one of them………you’re an elite ninja….you must know better!” the older scolds and Kakashi’s lips tremble. Root- he thinks….Danzo and everything in between…….his little Kouhai…..No-what is he doing?!
“And Kakashi,” he pulls him out of his spiralling thoughts,gently cupping the younger's face, “ Don’t you think the leader of Akatsuki would know what he’s doing?”
“What? “ Kakashi gapes at the older “No…..”Kakashi begs again….”This is madness…..!You are in over your head you dumb deadlast!I will bring you back, even if I have to beat some sense into you!“ so naive.Obito pulls down his mask, his pale skin is flushed from effort of controlling his emotions. His fingers the younger’s chin delicately and draws out a groan from him.
“I can’t have that….I can’t have them using you as a tool again. And I can’t have you opposing me…..when I start moving….. there will be fires everywhere and ashes will fall. I will not allow you to be a part of it……..” Kakashi doesn’t know what to say. To have all his prayers answered and then for fate to twist them and turn everything into a mockery of his dreams. The nightmare taking shape in front of him- it was……it was tearing down every fibre of his soul.
Kakashi knows he must fight back and put an end to this madness but his body won’t respond!He is so weak, so useless- but he knows he has to. He has to do this, to save Obito!His finger twitches and he tries to push Obito away and get up , he clutches his stomach and groans, sheer will keeping him from doubling over in pain.Obito doesn’t bother stopping him. It’ would be a mistake underestimating the copy ninja’s tai jutsu skills if his opponent wasn’t Obito. Afterall he would be a sloppy ninja if all he relied on was his ninjutsu. He pulls at Obito’s collar again“ You’re supposed to be the genius…….” Obito sneers. “ Go sit back down baka, you’re hurt!”….and punch hook kick punch jump kick…..he blocks and dodges like clockwork….”Comeon Bakakashi…..you can do better….” he chirps as he pins Kakashi against a wall.
The hold is ungiving, his strength re-inforced by first hokage’s cells and his large pool of chakra and Kakashi is panting from exhaustion, grunting from his unhealed injuries.This idiot can’t be allowed to go on any further Obito decides as a branch of mokuton emerges and it engulfs his wrists, pulling them upwards, above his torso” Behave Kakashi…..”he warns.
“My kids….the kids….our comrades…..they have no part in this…….how would hurting them change anything. If anyone is to blame…..it’s me. You can have your revenge…..here and now!” Ofcourse all this idiot cares about is his comrades. He doesn’t even have the sense to ask what Obito plans to do to him. It pains Obito that Kakashi must always put himself last.He gently leads Kakashi back on the bed and pins him there.
“Maybe” he muses….” I could spare them for old time’s sake….” hope shines on the younger’s face. “ You can’t hold me forever…..they’ll search….so if that’s what you want…..you might want to do it while I am still injured ….” Obito smirks, equal parts amused and livid at this idiot offering himself up as a sacrifice.“ They’ll never find you….and you’ll never make it out without your chakra…..” he promises the younger and Kakashi glances around the room. There are no doors and windows.Obito knows that even Jiraiya can’t infiltrate this deep into Rain country.
“ If Rin were here….” he whispers…..” she would stop you-“ he whimpers.(She wouldn’t be pathetic like me, she would save you) All his fury manifests in his hands as he slaps the younger and his punch stops centimetres from his face.Kakashi makes no effort to avoid the onslaught, his gaze pierces at Obito’s entire being.” But she isn’t here…” Obito barks lowering his fist.” And the ninja world is going to pay for it-“
“No” Kakashi barks back at him,“I will save you deadlast, even from yourself!It’s the least I can do…..for the real Uchiha Obito….the real ninja who once told me that those who abandon their comrades are scum. This isn’t what he would’ve wanted…..and Rin would never want this for him…..I will not allow you to turn Rin's memory into a mockery………” and this time it’s Obito’s turn to flinch. He backhands the younger, drawing blood on his lips and snorts at the absurdity.He fingers the younger’s lip as he wipes the blood gently and Kakashi can’t help the moan that escapes.” You sure still know how to rile me up…..”
It doesn’t matter.The younger ninja will forget all others soon. He would have no reason to stop him if he doesn’t know. He has the memory seals prepared to make the Hatake forget,to make him want to avenge Rin. But something about this Kakashi , the broken genius, the regret, guilt , desperation in his eyes is so delicious that Obito decides that the seals can wait. He has no reason to let Kakashi know his plans for him afterall.
He lets the Hatake go , pulls him to a sitting posture and kisses him gingerly on the lips making the younger shiver as his lips part obediently to let Obito invade his mouth .Kakashi grabs his face and his fingers dig into Obito’s human side. He takes Hatake’s palms in his own hands….” I am not the same weak idiotic kid Kakashi. You can’t make me stop.Now that you’re finally home….take it easy….don’t ruin this…” he tells the younger panting as he gets up and Kakashi whines.”Our chance at peace…”
“Peace?” grunts the younger….”You really are dumb deadlast!”
“Here”…..he hands the latest Makeout Paradise book to him”…..thought you would enjoy these while I take care of some of my business……..” Kakashi blinks through bleary eyes. “You’re still that kid…..who didn’t hesitate to throw himself under those rocks to save me……he’s still in there ….”
“You still never fail to amuse me with your naivety Bakashi…..,” Obito glances at the younger’s beautiful broken form, “This is why I can’t let you go.So now please behave……I would hate to keep you physically restrained all the time although….” there is a wicked sparkle in his eyes”If you insist on being difficult….I wouldn’t mind keeping you bound to my bed…..always safe, warm and ready to love me……” he watches as the younger startles and laughs “ I will be back soon…” he says before he kamuis away.
Kakashi pulls his knees to his chest, he hugs himself and he cries, shaking and trembling. It's my turn now , I will save you Obito, no matter what, he promises.