001 ◇ [Video/Action for New Bark]

[haiyaku]

[Action for New Bark]

[The sun is fading when Kakashi gets kicked out of the house. As if the weird woman calling herself 'mom', the green dog and the music wasn't strange enough, Kakashi also can't see through this genjutsu. His left eye wasn't working the way it should - the way it had since the day he'd gotten it. So he pulls of his hitai-ate and uses it's reflective surface to look at it. The sharigan still swirls, red with black tomoe. Obito's eye looks like it had the last time Kakashi examined at it so why wasn't it working. He replaces his hitai-ate, pulling it low over his left eye to hide the mismatched eyes and scar. Maybe there would be someone here he could ask.]

[Time to dig through his bag and see what sort of supplies he had. A pair of clothes, an odd device that could serve as communication, some necessities, food and more importantly - papers. Papers meant information. There's a map and information about being a trainer. He supposes that's why the dog had followed him away from the house as he packs everything back up except for the papers and the communication device. It doesn't escape his notice that his weapons are gone. Looks like he really will have to depend on the animal for protection until he could find replacements.]

[Kakashi stops to look down at the dog and the dog looks back.] So what am I going to name you?

The dog sits back on his haunches and wags his tail in the dirt. In response the ninja crosses his arms over his chest.] What can you do?

Electrike! [Well, that was a weird response. Kakashi points his communication device at him and he tenses a little when it starts talking. He listens to it closely.] So you're an electric-type Pokemon. [Whatever that means.] I've got just the name for you then. From now on you're going to be Chidori.

[It jumps up, putting both front feet on Kakashi's leg and licking his hand enthusiastically. He pushes it down with a stern no. If he was supposed to train this thing then it would not jump on people unless invited. He starts toward the road, intent on getting underway as there wasn't much point to sticking around here.] Let's go see if there's anyone we know here, Chidori. And keep quiet about it, now's a good time to learn stealth.

[As soon as the words were out of his mouth Kakashi grows tense. There wasn't really anyone left to seek out. Not now that sensei and Kushina had joined the rest of the team in the afterlife. Sure there was Gai and several others but no teammates. Maybe it was best if he just stuck it out on his own at this point. Kakashi looks down at the communicator still in his hand. Might as well.]

[Video]

[Darkness has settled in but there's a shock of white in the black. That's right, someone's hair shines in the growing moonlight. It's the most noticeable thing about the person in the video. Most of his face seems to be shadowed due to his mask and his forehead protector that's pulled over his left eye. What can be seen is a single eye and the person it belongs to doesn't look all that impressed or happy about the situation.]

Is this thing on?

[His Electrike chimes in excitedly at his side. Kakashi looks over at the thing with a stern look. The dog-like pokemon goes quiet but its tail wags which its owner doesn't seem to mind.]

Right, my name is Kakashi. Obviously I just got here - wherever here is. [He doesn't seem all that surprised even though he should be. At least, Kakashi doesn't show it.] This is a good time to ask for any information anyone may have on this place.

[Annnnd...]

[Yeah okay, that's it.]

[He doesn't have anything else to say. No one to search for so Kakashi just ends the communication there.]

Comments

[haiyaku]

[Kakashi does a damn good job of not flinching at the name "Rin". Nope, silently judging. Okay - not silently.] Why would you name him that?

Still an idiot, I see.

[itsjustdust]

It's complicated okay. He was the first person he met here. Really intellectual. I worried about the guy a lot. [He lifted a hand to fuss at something in his pocket.]

Still do, he's just gone back to a non-human state.

[haiyaku]

[That earns Obito a quiet pause.]

He left. [Not a question.]

[itsjustdust]

Six months ago. [He pulled out the tiny book he carried everywhere, it barely an inch by an inch.]

There was one of these weekends you see, and then we were together in the cave for a bit, and he found this. He tended to say it's his original physical body, and that what I knew was just a construct made from that.

The pages are all blank save a message he wrote on one in the middle for me before he vanished. It was... rough I guess, I was responsible for him, y'know?

[He looked over at him, letting him see the little book.]

Sorry for putting you through something like that too.

[haiyaku]

[Kakashi looks over at the book but doesn't attempt to take it. That is something important to Obito.]

There are some things about this world I will never understand.

[Like how a book could become a person.]

[Those last words - have Kakashi looking away and leaning forward on his knees.]

I should have been a better leader. A better teammate. You may be an idiot sometimes but you were right.

[He almost blurts out that he couldn't protect either of them.]

[Quietly:] I'm sorry.

[There's no elaboration on what he's sorry for.]

[itsjustdust]

I made a choice to protect you. No reason to apologize for that. [He stared at the book for a moment, then tucked it back into his shirt where he'd had it.]

You learned, right? What matters is that you got to be a better person.

[He hesitated for a moment though.]

Kushina-nee told me Rin died. I'm sure you did your best so if you're apologizing for that... I won't blame you, okay?

[haiyaku]

Learned too late. [Too late to have saved Obito. Maybe if he'd cared more from the start he would have been able to have saved Rin too.]

[Even if Obito can forgive him, that doesn't mean Kakashi can forgive himself.]

[This time he does flinch a little. Kakashi had silently vowed to never tell the other about Rin.]

Did she tell you how?

[itsjustdust]

No she... refused. Flat out wouldn't tell me what happened.

It wasn't a good day.

[haiyaku]

[So the longest moment of silence pales in comparison to the one that follows Obito's words. His right hand clenches as he stares down at it.]

[How easy it is to remember the moment Rin died. How easily his hand went through her chest. How hard sleep came to him after because the nightmares were waiting, haunting him every night for months after. Even now they still came and chances were that tonight he wouldn't sleep.]

Did you want to know?

[itsjustdust]

Yeah, I did. Especially at the time. I kind of still do.

And... you know, don't you?

[haiyaku]

[Did he really? Did Obito honestly want to know how Rin died? To know that not only had Kakashi been unable to save her but also been the one to end her life. That he had taken her last breath with the very technique that Obito had helped him to complete.]

[If this was Obito of the old days, Kakashi could guess the answer. If everything he'd heard so far was only the tip of the iceberg of depressive news Obito had gotten then this would be the foundation on what it was built on. He's not sure he can be the cause of that.]

[As for why Kushina didn't tell Obito, it was probably to save him. To wait to see if he would do it himself one day.]

Yes.

[But he can't bring himself to talk about it.]

[itsjustdust]

And you don't want to tell me either, right? [The tone is really soft, and he looked away, fingers petting the dragon he was leaning against absently.]

[haiyaku]

No.

[His hand clenched until the knuckles turned white, still unable to look at Obito.]

It was bad. I wouldn't... [Kakashi failed to find the right words to choose.] I wouldn't know how to tell you.

[itsjustdust]

[He paused, staring at Kakashi sideways for a long moment.]

You were there.

[It was a statement, not a question, he could tell just by how he was acting.]

....

Why're you blaming yourself?

[haiyaku]

Yeah.

[No point in denying it, even if they were always at odds they did know each other pretty well.]

[Kakashi could say nothing and avoid all of this, damn if he didn't want to do just that. But there was also something else he wanted. The forgiveness Obito had given him earlier was sitting like a lead rock in his stomach because the other didn't know.]

Because I killed her. [No explanation as to why. Just simply that.]

[itsjustdust]

[He went still, then his gaze slid away, staring forward for a long moment.]

...

That... explains some things.

[haiyaku]

[Not the reaction he was expecting. Kakashi thought Obito would get angry again. Punch him in the face. It would get rid of the hole in his heart.]

[But it was lacking so he might as well fill in the rest of the story.]

She was captured by one of the enemies and while I managed to rescue her they had done something to her. They'd made her a jinchuuriki and would use her to attack Konoha once she was inside the walls. Rin...she couldn't accept that and asked me to kill her but I couldn't. So she stepped in front my attack when I went to deal with our pursuers. She sacrificed herself to save the village.

[itsjustdust]

And I... wouldn't have understood any of that. [He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, the grief as intense as the first time he'd heard she'd died, and that really hurt, so he scrubbed at his eyes.

Don't get him wrong Kakashi, he wants to punch you for claiming that, but he can't believe it without seeing it, not fully, not deep in his heart... which means that that had to have been what happened.

Opening his eyes, he pushed up to his knees before leaning over to grab Kakashi by the shoulders to shake him.]

And you were just going to say it. Just like that? All non-nonchalant?

Idiot!

[haiyaku]

[Kakashi doesn't fight against Obito. He lets himself be grabbed and is practically limp in the other's hands.]

[There aren't any words he can say to make it better. So he doesn't use any. Just gazes up at his teammate.]

[It's what he wanted. Obito's anger. Even if it's not quite for the reason he wanted it for.]

[itsjustdust]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh, you're a moron Kakashi! A Great. Big. Moron!

[He punctuated each word with a shake, then finally stopped, leaning over and resting his forehead on his shoulder, voice a bit thicker, the start of tears.]

Moron.

[haiyaku]

[Still he doesn't fight the shaking. Letting Obito do as he likes.]

[Then the other seems to lose the drive to continue being rough and there's a head on his shoulder. Kakashi has seen Obito cry too many times to not notice the warning signs.]

[But he doesn't move.]

I know. [So much regret in those two simple words.]

[itsjustdust]

[He punched his shoulder.]

Don't just go and agree to everything.

[Welp, he's crying now Kakashi. This whole Rin thing was kind of really upsetting. It was the first time but it sort of got... swallowed under the shock of other things at the time.]

[haiyaku]

[He took the punch but after he pushes at Obito, attempting to shake him off.]

I'm not, you crybaby.

[It was just what he felt.]

[itsjustdust]

Don't make me take back calling you a moron. It's true right now.

[He straightened up at the shove, a hand coming up to rub at his eyes.]

Not a crybaby.

[haiyaku]

You are too. You're crying right now.

[Pushes again to put a little more space between the two of them.]