#when kakashi's in deep shit with one of his kids here comes guy saving the day

[brryth]

guy is such a father i love him

[kiraakirana]

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩'𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚 | h. kakashi

─────────────────────♡──────────────────────

Tonight, a firework display will be held to celebrate Lady Tsunade's inauguration as the 5th Hokage. After going through vulnerable and unstable days after Orochimaru's attack and the 3rd Hokage's death, the villagers of Konoha finally come together to witness a new beginning under a new leader. A new light finally emerged from the brim of sadness, once again giving everyone hope towards a bright future for Konoha.

It was the talk of the village for the past few days, everybody was deciding what kimono to wear and who to invite. As you would be working late that night, you agreed to meet up with your friends at the firework display after you're done with everything.

You could hear the distant laughter and cheeriness while you were walking towards the venue. You smiled to yourself, happy that the depressing days after the attack is over and that the villagers are back on their feet. You had a purple kimono on with your hair down and a white flower clipping as an accessory. You were quite in a rush, so you didn't really put that much thought into it.

After talking with your friends for a while, you felt uncomfortable being a 5th wheel as it turned out that they each brought partners. Excusing yourself, you searched through the crowd for a certain shinobi with a distinct white hair. You weren't sure if he attended or not as he's not that much of a people person. But you were relieved when you saw him near one of the food stands with none other than Guy-sensei.

"Hi," you said as you gently tapped his shoulder. He was wearing a blue kimono with his mask, as always, still on.

"Hey," he replied as he put down his Icha-Icha tactics. "Eh? didn't see you earlier."

"Yeah, I just arrived a few minutes ago, had to work late for an impor- shit," you said abruptly. Panicking, you hastily went behind Kakashi's back to hide yourself when you saw the two guys who asked you out yesterday.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain to you later, help me hide please," you said quietly. Seeing how pathetic your hiding strategy is, Kakashi pushed you softly into an empty alley nearby and positioned himself dangerously close to you. He put his right hand on the wall next to you as an attempt to hide your face from whoever you were trying to hide from. Although it was considerably effective, it wasn't good for your heart, afraid Kakashi could hear its loud beating. Leaning close he said, "This way people wouldn't even try to approach."

You could only nod, looking down to gather your thoughts as you felt your cheeks heating up. Damn this copy ninja! Does he realize the things he could do to you? You have the hots for him and has been desperately trying to keep it oblivious, but right now, you weren't sure if you could keep your feelings in check from how close you two were.

"Well, if this isn't convenient," you muttered under your breath. Not wanting to waste this chance by looking away, you looked up to see Kakashi giving you a smile. "Well, if you don't tell me who you're hiding from, we would stay like this until tomorrow morning," he added, "Not that I have any problems with that."

Embarrassed, you pushed Kakashi and stomped away, "They're gone already." You then looked back at him who looked nonchalant about the entire thing, much like his usual self, walking behind you. To you, it seemed like he was acting indifferent, but you failed to notice that Kakashi was a nervous wreck. Even when his fingertips would brush your skin subtly, it would send shivers down his body. He was giving it his all to hold himself back and not get caught up in the moment.

How could he not? You were a famous kunoichi known for your intelligence and beauty. Despite being younger than him by a few years, he admired your maturity and tendency to remain cool-headed at all times. It's not rare that he overhears his comrades complimenting you. You were a truly skilled and hardworking shinobi who earned everybody's respect.

"Thanks," you said quickly.

"Couldn't hear you," he teased.

"I hate you," you replied while turning away. Kakashi was your senior in ANBU and because of your great chemistry and teamwork, you two were often sent together on missions, therefore explaining your close relationship. He was always there to give you advice and comfort you whenever you felt homesick during long missions.

It wasn't until Kakashi was discharged from ANBU that you felt his great impact on your life. You were in denial for quite some time, until you came to the conclusion that the reason you were constantly worrying and missing him was not because you were simply his friend, no. It was a feeling much stronger than that.

"Is this the thank you I get for saving you?"

You swiftly grabbed his hand and took him to the rooftop across the one where Guy and his team were sitting. This was the best place to see the fireworks and it also meant less chance to encounter the two guys you saw before.

"I saw the two guys that asked me out, they also asked me to go to the firework display with them."

"And you rejected them?"

"Yeah, I said I couldn't go tonight," she shrugged, "I mean, I'd rather go with someone else."

"Then why aren't you with this guy right now?"

That question caught you off guard. "Well, he's definitely here right now," you said awkwardly, "But I wasn't brave enough to ask him to go with me. Besides, I wasn't sure if watching firework is his thing," you said, letting out a laugh. Knowing him, you were sure he'd rather stay at home to read his books. You made a mental note to thank Guy for dragging him here.

"Oh."

"You're not going to press me further about who that person is?"

"No," he shrugged.

"You’re no fun," you said jokingly, although it was an attempt to persuade him to ask you more questions. 

He laughed and said, "Okay then, who's the lucky guy?"

"Well there's no fun in it if you directly ask me who he is, you have to guess."

"Then, what's this person like?"

"Um, let me think," you said as you carefully thought about him, "He may seem very nonchalant at first, but deep down he's someone who cares a lot for his comrades."

"Hm, that wouldn't narrow the options by a lot. How does he look like?"

"He has a distinct hair, tall..."

"Why do you like him?"

"I feel safest around him. He's a truly wonderful person, I wish I had the guts to tell him that. I feel like he doubts himself a lot. He needs to know that a lot of people are grateful for him, including me. I've never liked anyone else the same way I like him."

"As your senior, I say you should just straight-up tell him about how you feel,” he gave you a smile and a thumbs-up to encourage you. 

“Ah, so she has a special someone. I mean, it’s no surprise right? Someone like her couldn’t possibly be single forever. I guess I was too late, huh?” thought Kakashi. 

"Well, I don't know if he feels the same way..." you said, shifting awkwardly in your seat. 

"But there's no telling unless you tell him right?"

"Yeah, I guess...”

To hell with pride.

"I like you, Kakashi."

"Wait, I mean you should tell him that, not me."

"Huh? This whole time I was talking about you, damn it."

"Uh? So you?" he looked at you, surprised. You didn't know what made him so surprised though, wasn't that obvious hints? Who else has distinct hair in Konoha? Okay, aside from Guy and a few other people... Yeah, maybe you should've just said 'white hair' but it would be like giving it away.

"Yeah, whatever you're trying to say. If you're going to reject me, at least wait until the firework's over so you don't ruin it."

It was silent for a while and all you wanted to do was throw yourself to the river. Just kidding. You should've stayed home. But then again, there's no better time than right now. It’s either now or never. You had to get the weight off your chest and you’ve prepared for the worst possible outcome for years. "You know what, I'm sorry. I know it's ridiculous for me to like you when you have so many other-"

"I like you too, Y/N."

"Girls fawning over-" you froze for a moment and looked at him in disbelief, "Wait, did you just?"

"Come," he said as he stood up and gave her his hand, "I know a place where you can see the fireworks much better." It was one of your favorite Kakashi smiles, the one where you couldn't see his eyes. Despite not being able to see the rest of his face, this was enough to put the butterflies in her stomach.

It was a place near the river, far from the busy crowd. The water moves calmly and the fireworks could be seen clearly. "You know, I was serious when I said those things. I really see you as a wonderful person."

"Yeah, I know. I'm a very lucky guy."

"But don't get too full of yourself," you said jokingly, landing a weak punch on his arm.

You looked at Kakashi, who was laughing wholeheartedly, in awe. This was truly a sight to remember. Feeling entirely grateful, you gave him a shy hug, hiding your face on his kimono. Y/N who was usually a confident, collected person, became a mess whenever he's around. Only he’s able to do that. 

Kakashi ran his fingers through your hair soothingly and rested his head on top of yours. Despite the loud cracks of the fireworks, you could subtly hear Kakashi's soft voice saying, "Thank you, Y/N."

-

A/N: this is inspired after seeing Kakashi on episode 306 of Shippuden called ‘The Heart’s Eye’. It was so cute seeing Kakashi in a kimono, I just want to give him the biggest hug:(

[misstinfoilhat]

Saw your prompt list and thought I'd drop a suggestion: Kakashi with "don't let them see me cry" - especially if it involves young team 7

I merged this with @selspeaks :  Kakashi: Don't let them see you cry. Bonus points if Guy is in there somewhere annoying him

I tried my best to incorporate both of these!

Oh lord. I don’t even know what this story is. This went from angst to angstier, angstiest to dark af, to fluff, fluffier, fluffy mcfluffypants to what-the-fluff-even?

I don’t know. I hope you all like it though!

--

With a sharp intake of air, Kakashi shot up and leaped out of bed. The bedsheet caught on his feet and he tumbled, darted back up, and shot for the bathroom where he swiftly tugged his mask down and heaved alcoholic liquid into the bowl. Shaky hands grasped at the toilet firmly.

For two days, Kakashi had been unable to leave his apartment. In those 48 hours, less than four of them had been spent sleeping. The other 44, was tossing and turning, trying to relax his body and clear his mind, or, spent drinking an ungodly amount of sake, in the hopes of eventually pass out and catch a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

But nothing seemed to work.

When he felt himself being done extracting the meager contents of his stomach out, he flushed and closed the lid, but paused for a moment to inspect his hands.

His fingers were soft, long, delicate. Clean, unmarred, and milky. Not at all like a shinobi's. It was because Kakashi always wore gloves. He hated the appearance of those hands. They were hands that hurt people. That killed. Hands covered in blood. 

Rin's blood.

Whenever he remembered that day, his hands would be covered in blood all over again. First, in short flashes. Coming and going in the blink of an eye.

Then, it didn't disappear. No matter how many times he'd blink at them.

That was when the washing started. Hours upon hours of scrubbing his hands raw. The blood never went away, and the more he scrubbed, the more it would bleed until he realized that it was his own blood that covered his hands and not Rin's.

This had been an occurring problem since that day, and it had only become worse once Minato, his last lifeline, had died.

Somewhere insides Kakashi's musings, there were knocks on his door.

Suddenly, it was like he woke back up. As if he had just now become aware of his surroundings. But, he knew he hadn't slept. 

Confused, he stared down at the sink, the sponge he'd used, and his irritated skin. It had happened again.

The knocks on his door became more rapid, and a voice far, far away was yelling his name and Kakashi knew he should answer and knew he needed to stop cleaning his hands.

But he simply couldn't. Not before all his dirty skin had been peeled off. Not until it bled. It wasn't clean enough until there was nothing left at all!

Another voice joined in, yelling his name. The knocks were harder; like hail on your window during a storm. The voices pulled at Kakashi and he wished he could answer them, follow them instead, but he was sure that if he didn't get the blood away, these hands would hurt everything he loved. Everything that was left.

And, logically, he knew that he was the one controlling them. He knew they wouldn't go off on their own and hurt or kill anyone he didn't want them to kill.

But, what if?

What if the constant reminder of what he had done to Rin, how he failed to protect her, or save Obito and how he hadn't been enough to keep his father from committing suicide, would drive him mad?

Kakashi absently realized that the knocking had stopped, and the voices calling out for him had stilled. For some reason, he felt a bit sad about it. Like the intrusive yelling was something comforting and nice, not noisy and disruptive. It reminded him of something or someone. 

Its absence left him in silence. A loud, strangling, ear-piercing silence accompanied only by the running tap and the scratching noise emitted between the cloth and his palms.

Why wasn't it going away?

The rubbing intensified. The motion was becoming stronger and more forceful, almost static, and it stung which was good because that meant that he was close to...

Close to what exactly?

Kakashi realized he was panting. Reality came back to him like a droplet falling from the sky. Cold, unavoidable, grey. Blinking, he gazed down at his sore, scratched-up hands. The one holding the rough sponge opened, letting the yellow foam fall into the sink. Reluctantly, he lifted his gaze up and peered into the mirror, where he met a horrid sight.

His face was unmasked in a twisted grimace. The long, angry scar he got the same day Obito died glowed as if it was laughing at him. Red, puffy, glazed eyes and charcoal orbs glistened dangerously.

And the sounds. The sounds had been his students, coming to look for him. They had to be worried about their sensei, now that he hadn't bothered showing up to practice in several days. It must have taken them a long time finding his apartment, and he had ignored them to indulge in whatever-the-fuck he had just done, the selfish jerk he was.

He stared intently at his reflection. The blood-shot eyes that met his glare were pitiful and made him furious. How long had he been standing here? 

«Stop crying, you fool,» he sneered lowly, trying to keep the trembling in his chest away from his voice. His eyes squinted shut, chasing away unshed tears.

«I said...» A deep breath. «Stop... fucking crying-»

Someone kicked his door in as Kakashi's fists hit the mirror, shattering it into a million little pieces, dancing around him like flickering snowflakes.

«Kakashi!» an alarmed voice roared from the livingroom. Heavy footsteps moved quickly across the floor.

Kakashi hit the wall where the mirror had been, slicing his knuckles on the sharp left-over pieces and couldn't hold back his winch.

He was pathetic. Pathetic, sad, weak, and a horrible human being. He didn't deserve to live. Why did he get to live when Rin and Obito didn’t?

Two strong hands grabbed a tight hold on his shoulders and pulled him back. Kakashi whirled around, trying to tear away.

«Kakashi?» The voice was deep, Kakashi recognized it but couldn't focus. Feeble, bloodied fingers tried to pry off the larger, tan, callused ones that held him still, and Kakashi was unable to keep himself from thinking that they looked clean and felt an instant need to wash his hands again.

«Kakashi!» 

He had made the voice angry. It sounder wrong like that and he knew he had fucked up, just like he always did and it probably wouldn't have happened if he had cleaned his hands---

«S-so much blood,» he mused in a whisper.

His head shot back.

For a moment, he sat there dumbly, unable to take in what had just happened. He rose a strangely painful hand to feel his heated, burning cheek but paused when he noticed the newly ripped flesh scattered across his scarred hands.

Turning them, observing all the healed crisscrossed marks and raw skin curiously, he wondered where the soft, unmarred hands from earlier had gone.

He felt the comforting touch on his shoulder return. Dark eyes looked up to meet two concerned beady eyes under a set of furiously bushy eyebrows.

«Gai? What...» Kakashi muttered perplexed but interrupted himself as he took in his surroundings. The shattered glass on the floor, the mess of soap and water, the bloodied streaks all across the bathroom. «It happened again.»

A sad smile tugged at Gai's lips and he nodded. “Yeah.”

«Oh, God,» Kakashi groaned agonizingly, curling in on himself and shrugging Gai's arm off.

«Shit!» The tears were back, and he struggled to contain them. He refused to let them fall. He couldn't let Gai see him cr---

«...kashi-sensei?»

The surprise of hearing that voice made him straighten his back, instinctively pulling up his mask before looking towards where the sound was coming from, where three heads appeared, lingering warily by the door.

«Were you attacked?» Naruto bellowed loudly as he noticed the state of the bathroom, looking over his shoulder for a possible intruder. His throwing arm itched eagerly by his side pouch.

«I guess you could say that,» Kakashi muttered to no one in particular.

«Don't worry, sensei! I'll get them!»

Naruto bounced off, but Sakura grabbed his jacket and held him back, shaking her head disapprovingly.

«Stop that, stupid.»

For a short while, there was silence once more. It was probably not more than a few seconds, but it ached like days, so Kakashi cleared his throat.

«I-I guess this looks a bit strange,» he drawled slowly and rubbed his neck, smearing the blood through his unruly silvery mane.

«Yes,» Sasuke answered immediately, folding his arms across his chest. The kid always looked suspicious, a bit like he always smelled a fart, which Kakashi bemusedly had thought once during training and proceeded to giggle himself silly as the preteens stared at him incomprehensively.

A bit like now.

They wanted an answer, he knew. Sympathized with it, even. But he had no idea how to give them one.

«I-» he started hesitantly, «I'm not sure how to explain this. And, I'm guessing that none of you would believe me if I came up with some silly story anyway. But I just...»

Again, that tight hold around his heart appeared. The heavy, painful, strangulating feeling of not being able to breathe. The same one he had years after his father passed and an even longer time after Obito and Rin died. It hurt more than a punch in the gut.

«Kakashi-sensei, are you...» Sakura asked just as Gai gently ushered them outside. 

Kakashi wiped the streaming tears off his cheek with his sleeve when Gai returned. Kakashi didn't know what he said to them, but when he came back, it was without the kids.

«I am so sorry, Kakashi. I had no idea that this is what was happening. I should have asked them to stay at the training grounds while I went to check on you by myself.»

Kakashi, still seated on the floor with his knees pushed up to his chest, hiding his watering eyes with his hand, chuckled.

«No. You'd have to tie them up to prevent them from doing whatever they want to do anyway. And unless it's for the genin exams, I'm pretty sure you would be breaking some sort of code if you did that.»

«Actually, I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to tie a student down during the genin exams either,» Gai muttered perplexed. Kakashi simply stared back.

«Huh.»

Despite himself, Gai hummed a small laugh as he started rummaging through Kakashi's well-stocked medicine cabinet, pulling out disinfectants, gauze, and rolls of bandages.

«Let me see your hands,» Gai required softly, and Kakashi obeyed reluctantly, letting his right hand fall limply into Gai's giant palm.

«Several of these will require stitches,» Gai murmured patiently as he cleaned Kakashi's wounds.

«Maa, I'll do it later,» Kakashi waved him off while Gai rolled his eyes.

«No, you're not doing anything. I will take you to the doctor so it can be done properly. Not that half-assed quick-fix stuff you did in ANBU.»

Kakashi didn't dignify that with an answer. His half-assed quick-fix stuff had saved many lives, his own and Gai's included! Was everyone grateful? Yes! Were the wounds all horribly infected and disfigured after? Well, that wasn’t relevant!

«I really think you should see a doctor, dear rival,» Gai said with the slightest hint of his trademark energetic personality back.

«Jeez, fine. I'll go,» Kakashi sighed, but held his breath when he noticed how sad Gai seemed. Apparently, the energy that he had centered into his voice hadn't quite reached his eyes yet.

«Not for that. Well, that too. But for this,» Gai lifted Kakashi's hand up for a moment, indicating towards the wounds.

«I don't usually self-harm, Gai.»

«I know, that's not what I meant either. That OCD stuff that always happens after a bad mission. And those panic attacks- whatever it is- that you're experiencing. It's no good. You can't live like that. I worry that someday you're gonna...» Gai stopped himself from finishing that sentence.

Kakashi looked away in shame.

«Do like my father,» Kakashi whispered. «I know.»

Gai started bandaging up the right hand and silently asked for the left one once it was done. Kakashi didn't say anything as he offered it, placing it gently into the welcoming palm. They didn't talk while Gai kept working, and Kakashi's mind was running.

He could hardly remember what had happened. Was that how Sakumo had felt before he stabbed himself? Had he too gone into some strange psychosis and let his own self-hatred be in control? Was that what Kakashi was doing? He knew he wasn't in control, at least, he didn't think he was. And Kakashi truly didn't want to die by his own hands, let alone imagine what something like that would do to his students.

They had lost people in their lives too.

«I'll go to the doctor,» Kakashi croaked finally, watching Gai's expressive brows rise and curve excitedly, like an expressive labrador.

«Really?»

«Yes.»

«So I won't have to drag you there against your will?»

«What makes you think you even could-»

«Thank you!»

Gai threw himself at Kakashi, cotton balls with antiseptic flying and the bottle tilting, spilling half the fluid out. Strong arms wrapped around Kakashi's shoulders and pulled him into a tight bearhug, nearly knocking the breath out of him.

«I told you you didn't have to restraint and force me there,» Kakashi hummed in a mix of discomfort and relief before pulling away. Unwillingly, Gai let go and wiped a tear away from the creak of his eye. 

Rustling from outside brought their attention away for a moment, before Gai hurried to wrap up Kakashi's other hand so they could check what the fuzz was about.

«Ngh, gah! Naruto! Your elbow is in my face!»

«Your shoulders muffled my ear! I couldn't hear anything!»

«That wasn't because of my shoulder, but from all the cotton you have for brains!»

«Will you two shut up? I'm trying to hear what they're talking abo- Ah!»

Gai dragged the door open, successfully making three noisy kids leaning towards it tumble onto the floor, laying there in a dazed heap for a moment before jolting back up.

«Kakashi-sensei? Are you okay now?» Naruto cried boastfully, jumping over to help Kakashi up from the floor. Kakashi ignored the gesture and pulled himself up, noting that he felt a slight hangover.

Good, he thought. At least I've sobered up.

«Better,» Kakashi replied truthfully, noticing how Sakura was eyeing his hands timidly. «I'm sorry for worrying you. That wasn't my intention.»

He smiled softly at her, and she seemed to perk up at that, so he decided to rest his hand on her head for a moment, just to see what it was like.

Two brightly pink cheeks beamed up at him, and in an instant, she was entangled around his torso, hugging him tight enough to rival Gai. Before Kakashi had even realized what was going on, Naruto had joined in, pressing himself to his other side while chubby, sunkissed hands grabbed at the fabric of Kakashi’s black shirt.

Sasuke stood ambivalent with his arms crossed, observing the ordeal with little to no interest, while Gai bawled his eyes out, leaping a few steps forward, ready to join in.

«Don't you dare,» Kakashi glared dangerously, and Gai turned in his step and switched his focus on Sasuke, deciding that no one should ever be left unhugged, and trapped the boy in a huge, forceful embrace, seemingly untouched by the violent death threats and obscenities spilling out of the boy. 

As much as Kakashi was touch-avert and uncomfortable by affection, he recognized this as an important moment. Not only for him but for his students (it might not be for Sasuke; this particular moment, but in the long run, maybe) too. 

Kakashi wouldn’t tell them the gritty details. They were unimportant, but mostly, he truly didn’t want to. But he realized one, really important thing. 

What had made Minao a great teacher, was his heart. And a heart contained more than just strength. It also held love and hurt. Vulnerability.

Kakashi knew he wouldn’t change overnight. Maybe not ever. 

But if this was even one step closer to being the man Minato would want as his son’s mentor, half the man Minato was, then, Kakashi would do whatever it took to become that man.

---

End

[depressedkakashihatake]

Kaka-shi- restaurant AU (+/- bonus KakaGai)

Kakatenz- in the Uchiha Kakashi AU (+/- bonus KakaShi)

It is very long since there are two so i am going to put it under the cut so people don’t end up with just this ridiculously long post on their dash

i apologize XD

Restaurant Au (KakaShi)

·        Kakashi owns a nice little Sushi shop handed down to him by his father.

·        He asks his best friend/boyfriend Gai to help him with the place, knowing that Gai is better with customers and publicity.

·        Shisui is hired as a Sushi chief and is easily one of their best, as well as being very showy and popular with their guests.

·        Only a week after Shisui starts working there, people begin to come in just so they can see him make Sushi because he is so talented at putting on a show and making some of the best sushi they have ever tasted.

·        Kakashi doesn’t go to the store on a schedule and he never informs anyone when he’s going to come in. He usually just goes in to do paper work that he can’t do at home or to check in and make sure that everything is clean and health and safety codes are being followed. Gai, thankfully, is already pretty hard core on those as are all of their managers so Kakashi rarely ever has anything to correct.

·        One day he comes in during Shisui’s shift. Shisui hasn’t met him before and thinks that Gai is the only owner, so he thinks nothing of flirting with the cute business man who sat in from of him for food. It’s a dead hour so reservations are not needed to sit in front of Shisui.

·        Shisui spends half an hour flirting with Kakashi when Gai comes out of the back and spots him. He’s immediately at Kakashi’s side, getting in real close and flirting as though he doesn’t have someone standing directly in front of them, making Kakashi blush like crazy.

·        Suddenly Shisui feels very awkward, especially when Kakashi and Gai start talking about the business. Clearly he has missed something.

·        He is especially confused when Gai leaves for a moment and Kakashi turns back to him and continues flirting with him as if he wasn’t just being cute with his boss.

·        Not wanting to make things awkward with his boss, Shisui excuses himself to do something else and watches from afar as Gai returns and keeps talking to the cutie.

·        It’s only two weeks before he see’s the cute guy again, this time walking in with Gai in time for the place to open.

·        What confuses Shisui this time is that they seem to be talking about a date, but between Gai and someone named ‘Genma’

·        Kakashi takes a seat in front of Shisui again to do some work while Gai heads into the back.

·        Shisui, being a nosy shit with a lot of questions he really needs answers to, decides to ask Kakashi is he’s dating anyone.

·        Kakashi huffs at that and reply’s “of course I am. I’ve been with Gai for three years”

·        Shisui’s sad about that answer for a second before becoming really confussed. “but didn’t he just say he had a date with someone named Genma?”

·        Shisui can’t tell if Kakashi is actually smiling under his mask, but it seems like he is. He legit looks like he might be smiling. It take’s a while for Kakashi to explain, but as he’s listening to Kakashi telling him about their polyamorous relationship and how Gai likes to go on dates with his old classmate and sometimes even sleep with him, Shisui sort of starts to understand.

·        Which leaves him with one more question.

·        “if he’s dating other people does that mean…”

·        Kakashi laughs before Shisui can finish his question. “You didn’t think I was flirting with you to be a tease, did you?”

·        That’s how Shisui finds out that Gai has plans with his other boyfriend that evening, making Kakashi’s evening completely free. And he is A-Ok with that since he didn’t have any other plans for his evening.

·        Shisui ends up going on a date with Kakashi to the local BBQ place (since neither of them wants to be going on a date to the place Kakashi Owns and Shisui works) and talking about everything. Shisui even ends up telling Kakashi that he wants to open up a café of his own with his Cousin Itachi, he just has to save up enough Money. Kakashi offers to help him with any paper work or business understanding he needs help with, which is how Shisui ends up learning that Kakashi co-owns the sushi shop with Gai and is in fact the one it was handed down to.

·        They end up having a great night, and Kakashi even takes Shisui for a walk down towards the river while they keep talking.

·        Shisui’s still a little iffy about dating his boss, but Kakashi assures him that Gai takes care of everything within the store. Kakashi has no control over who gets a job, promotion or fired. It’s all up to Gai and the managers he picked. Kakashi just take’s care of finances and all of the background paperwork. It’s why the shop is so well run. The jobs are split perfectly based on who’s best at what, and Gai is definitely best at people.

·        Kakashi starts making more of a habit of coming in to visit Shisui on his shifts and flirting with him, sometimes even making date plans with him around Gai’s dates with Genma.

 Uchiha Kakashi (Kakayama)

·        Kakashi has had his Sharingan since he was five years old. Only Hiruzen and Minato know about it. Hiruzen because he’s one of the first to show up to the scene when help is called and the only one Kakashi looks at directly rather than trying to hide his eyes, Minato because he is made aware of this fact as soon as Hiruzen decides to make him Kakashi’s Sensei.

·        Danzo doesn’t find out until years later, shortly after Minato’s death when he tries to take Kakashi into Root. When Kakashi turns his back on him and tells Hiruzen what Danzo is planning, he ends up facing Tenzo just like in Canon. Except this time he activates his sharingan in order to dodge the Mokuton users attacks much easier.

·        When Kinoe tells Danzo of this, Danzo is furious to find out there was an Uchiha with the Sharingan activated that he did not know about. He could have gotten to Kakashi sooner if he had known and used him.

·        He continues to try and get Kakashi to join Root, Using Kinoe a lot of the time because he immediately see’s that Kakashi has a fondness for the younger kid.

·        This…does not work the way he wanted. Kinoe ends up forming a bond with Kakashi that he’s not supposed to, and when Danzo gets fed up with Kakashi refusing to join Root and orders Kinoe to kill him, he’s not so ok with the idea. Kakashi’s not known as the friend killer here because his sharingan actually allowed him to see Rin’s movements fast enough to dodge (where as obito’s eye was still new to him and he was still learning how to use it) So Danzo doesn’t really have a reason for Kinoe to follow orders other than ‘I said so’ which doesn’t work well.

·        Just like in Canon, Kakashi helps Kinoe escape Danzo’s influence and find a place for himself in the world.

·        Kakashi and Tenzo become Anbu’s most effective team, becoming known as the top shinobi in Anbu and Hiruzen’s favorites to send out on some of the hardest missions. Because of this, they spend a lot of time together.

·        This leads to them both developing feelings for each other as they get older, Tenzo developing feelings for Kakashi when he’s about 14 which go from crush to respect to full blown love by the time he’s 20. Kakashi on the other hand doesn’t really think of Tenzo as more than a friend until he’s a friend and Tenzo takes a really bad hit for him on a mission. When Kakashi demands to know why he would do that, Tenzo just smiles and tells him that he loves him and because of that he would die to protect him.

·        Kakashi, being a demiromantic adorable, starts to realize slowly that his bond with Tenzo is so deep and strong that he really can’t imagine his life without tenzo and that slowly starts to develop into romantic feelings.

·        Kakashi hasn’t been able to imagine his life without Tenzo for years of course. He adores Tenzo and trusts him completely, but suddenly it feels different. Not only can he not lose Tenzo, nights without Tenzo start becoming hard to deal with, missions away from Tenzo feel empty. He hates not having Tenzo around.

·        By the time the Uchiha Massacure is about to happen, Tenzo and Kakashi are actually starting to settle in together as a couple.

·        It’s a little difficult for them because neither of them have ever been good with emotions for different reasons so they definitely have their issues, but somehow they manage to make it work and neither of them could imagine their life without the other.

·        During the massacre, Itachi is informed that in order to meet his end of the deal he has to kill Kakashi. Itachi thinks this would be easy, but when facing Kakashi finds he can’t do it and instead asks Kakashi to kill him for what he has done and to take his and Shisui’s eyes and deal with Danzo. (Idea given to me by @itachi-uchiha-deserved-better )Kakashi does this, accepting the nickname of ‘friend killer’ from the village because he knows that’s exactly what he is.

·        After the Uchiha massacure, Kakashi is pulled out of Anbu and made a Jonin Sensei, though he still doesn’t get a team for a few years. During this time, him and Tenzo find it’s harder to spend time together because Tenzo is now a team Captain going on Anbu missions, while Kakashi is going on completely different missions. Kakashi’s guilt from killing Itachi doesn’t make any of this any easier, and in fact makes him push people away from him once again.

·        He does keep his end of the deal with Itachi though, which involves finally taking Danzo down. He plans to do this alone, but Tenzo refuses to let him when he finds out what Kakashi is going to do.

·        The two of them face off against Danzo, and after a long very difficult battle, finally manage to kill him. Kakashi knows that this could come with the result of being branded traitors for the murder of an elder, but Kakashi also knows why Itachi did what he did and he tells Tenzo as much.

·        When Hiruzen tries to punish them, Kakashi make’s it known that he’s aware of Hiruzen’s role in the Uchiha massacure and that he can make sure everyone in the village knows. After all, who’s not going to trust the man who killed Itachi Uchiha, vs the one who ordered him to slaughter his own clan? Kakashi may be a friend killer, but that friend was a traitor in the villages eyes.

·        Hiruzen ends up having to step down from his post as Hokage, taking his elders with him as Kakashi doesn’t want that corruption anywhere near the new Hokage, and immidiatly Kakashi sends Tenzo out with Gai to locate Lady Tsunade. After hearing what has happened, Tsunade reluctantly agrees to take the job and heads to Konoha with Tenzo and Gai.

·        With Tsunade in place as hokage, Kakashi steps down from his spot in Anbu and decides for himself to become a Jonin Sensei, wanting to be there when Itachi’s little brother becomes a Genin so that Sasuke can be trained by an Uchiha.

·        Kakashi ends up taking team 7 a few years later and things become even more strained since he’s always going out on missions with them. The D missions only last a few months thanks to Naruto being an impatient demanding little shit who ends up landing them a mission way too overranked for a bunch of new genin (though honestly, that’s definitely on the guy who requested the mission)

·        When Kakashi comes back from the land of the waves he is in a really bad place. He ends up going to Tenzo’s room at the Anbu barreks and waiting for him to get home, which is possible since Sasuke is in the hospital healing after the fight. When Tenzo does get home, Kakashi is a mess and Tenzo can barley get through to him when Kakashi starts apologizing because he just can’t get out of his mind. Tenzo sits with him all night and listens to him tell him all about the land of waves mission and Zabuza and Haku. Tenzo decides that day that maybe Kakashi needs someone with him to help train the kids and take care of himself, and decides to approach Lady Tsunade in the morning.

·        She has no problem with Tenzo’s request, and instantly takes him out of Anbu and puts him on team 7 with Kakashi. This allows him to be there in case anything happens with Naruto, help Sakura with her training and realizing that she has the ability to use Mokuton, and to make sure that Kakashi is alright.

·        Kakashi and Tenzo never tell Sasuke what happened to Itachi. He knows that his brother killed the clan and died shortly after, but neither of them are brave enough to tell him how Itachi died, and Tenzo respects the fact that Kakashi really doesn’t want his student to know him as the man who murdered his big brother.

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Two | Never Enough Caffeine ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Of Monsters and Men ] [ Vulgarity, Gore, Death ]

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Sitting at a diner counter, Obito nurses his fourth cup of coffee since he arrived an hour ago. He swears he’s resorted to it for so long now, it’s losing its potency.

It’s what he gets for adapting a mostly-nocturnal lifestyle anymore despite his very human want to sleep when it’s dark. But, well...that was the choice he made, in the end.

Not a very popular one, but...he has his reasons.

One of which is the reason he’s sitting here...and has been sitting here for the better part of the last hour. You’d think by now he’d know not to take Kakashi at his word and just...arrive at least thirty minutes later than his friend tells him to.

He’d waste a lot less time waiting on him that way, but...Obito tries his best to be punctual. Even when others aren’t. Used to be a bad habit when he was a kid, but things change as you get older.

Which is why the previously-prompt Hatake is now usually the one running late.

Hearing the door jingle, Obito glances to it and scowls. “Finally.”

“Sorry, sorry...had a small errand come up I couldn’t say no to,” Kakashi offers in way of excuses as he sits atop the stool beside his friend.

“...uh huh. You know you can just tell me you’re late. The reason doesn’t really matter, it’s all bullshit half the time anyway.”

“You wound me. You think I’d lie to you?”

Obito just deadpans at him. “...do we have a job tonight, or not? Because if not, I can find better things to do than sit here drinking bottomless coffee.”

“Not feeling chipper tonight?” Kakashi asks as he rummages through a deep interior coat pocket.

“Not really, no. There’s never enough caffeine before running a job with you.”

“Ha,” is the dry reply as he finally fishes out what he’s looking for. “Got a tip about a seedy place downtown said to be up to no good.”

“What kind of no good?” Obito asks, watching as Kakashi sets down a manilla envelope, from which he starts fetching documents and pictures.

“Harvesting organs kind of no good.”

Obito’s nose immediately wrinkles. “...human, or…?”

“Nightwalker. Maybe some humans on the side, but this operation appears to be focusing primarily on non-human trade. Quite a few in-the-know humans - and even some Nightwalkers - believe in that hocus-pocus bogey crap. You know, like...a vampire’s liver will help you live longer, or if you want to up your sex life, you grate some -”

“Okay okay - I get it,” Obito cuts in, grimacing. “So it’s like...natural medicines and such? Like rare animal parts, but...Nightwalkers.”

“Mhm. Nasty business. A lot of innocent Nightwalkers end up butchered, packaged, and auctioned off in the black markets. Enforcers do their best to shut these kinds of places down, but as soon as you bust one ring, another pops up to take its place. Like damn roaches,” Kakashi mutters. “While I can’t confirm it, I suspect I lost some acquaintances growing up to these real monsters. Kids would just...vanish off the street. And that never meant anything good.”

“Well...I guess that’s why we’re around,” Obito replies, looking over the pictures. A few are of a building’s exterior, one or two of an interior, and others of confiscated organs, limbs, and even an entire body with an empty torso, already harvested. “...fuck, that’s nasty.”

“Yeah, hence why you and I are going to tear this place apart.”

“Just the two of us?”

“It’s still a small operation, just a handful of runners and one actual mortician. But that’s part of why it’s been handed to us.”

Obito perks a curious brow.

“She’s like you.”

His face then goes slack in surprise. “...what?”

“Mhm. Thing is, we’re not sure how yet, just that she is. Which makes her especially dangerous for any Nightwalker to confront.”

“...so you’re leaving that to me, instead.”

“You have the best odds. Your control over space and time gives you an edge I’ll never have. Sure, I’ve got good senses and sharp teeth, but if she’s got any skill in Taming, those won’t be any use to me.” Kakashi then gives his friend a serious look. “...she could even turn me against you.”

“I know...but she’d have to be pretty damn strong to do that.”

“Still, it’s not something we can risk. So I’ll be handling the runners and making sure none get away. You will take on the witch.”

“Don’t have to make it sound like such a dirty word, you know. You might offend me.”

Putting the intel away, Kakashi just chuckles. “I don’t think it’s possible to offend you. You’re already an ex-Hunter on the run from your clan, working with your mortal enemy to help save more of your mortal enemies. You’ve got no shame, Obito Uchiha.”

That earns a grin, deepening the scars on his face. “You make it sound so epic, like I had to fight my way out of their den. As if any other Uchiha will ever find me, let alone take me out. Besides, the only reason they’d really care is because of my blood.”

“Well, still. You’re about as much of a runaway mutt as I am now, hm?” The werewolf gives a grin as he pulls down the kerchief he keeps over his face, showing off wolfish teeth. “A witch and a wolf. Orphans, runaways, vigilantes. Maybe it is a little epic, hm?”

Obito just snorts. “So, where is this place?”

“Red light district. Easier to pull off shady business that way. But there’s no hiding all that blood from a nose like mine, even with all the other smells going on. Been casing it for two weeks now. I think we’re ready.”

“Then let’s get going. I’m going to lose what edge this coffee gave me before too long. Then you’ll have to deal with post-caffeine crankiness.”

“Think I’d rather face the witch than that.”

The pair leave the diner behind, hopping into Kakashi’s rather aged ride. The nighttime hours mean there’s little traffic, so the drive is relatively short.

“So...how best to do this…” Obito muses.

“I figured I go in first and scatter them. The runners will, well...run. I’ll chase. And you come in behind and make sure the witch doesn’t escape. Try and catch her if you can, but you’re clear to kill her if that’s simpler. Better guarantee her dead than risk her escaping if it comes down to it.”

“Got it.” From his shirtfront Obito pulls a mask, slipping it over his face as they abandon the car along the curb. Long-coated men give them furtive glances, women with sultry eyes clearly trying to catch their attention.

“All right...ready? This is the place,” Kakashi offers as they step in front of what claims to be a cigar shop: the front for the real business down below.

“Sure, just one question. If she does Tame you, what do I do?”

“...well, you’ll just have to take her down before I rip out your throat,” Kakashi replies simply.

“Can’t I just Tame you first?”

“That’ll just slow me down, since I’ll have your will and impulses nagging at me. Besides, she could still try and wrest control, remember?”

“...right. Sorry, haven’t seen another witch in a hot minute.”

The wolf just nods, easing open the door to the shop. A scrawny, twitchy man behind the counter shoots upright. “Here for a smoke, mister?”

“You could say that,” Kakashi replies, hands in his coat pockets and mouth hidden behind his kerchief. “I’m here for something a bit more exotic than a Cuban, if you catch my drift.”

That only seems to make the guy twitchier. “That’s downstairs...and I’ll have to frisk you first. Safety and all that, right? Some people’ll kill for this stuff.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” Stepping up, Kakashi gives the fabric over his face a tug, revealing a grin. “And some others will kill to stop it.”

Eyes widening, the guy freezes for a moment too long before attempting to bolt.

The key word being attempting.

In a blink, Kakashi’s a wolf the size of his car, leaping over the counter and pinning jaws around the junkie’s throat. Any cry he might’ve offered is immediately silenced, but the loud thump is likely still telling.

Glancing back, Kakashi gives a jerk of his head that clearly says, “Get going!” before shouldering his way through a back door in search of more lackeys.

Grinning beneath his facade, Obito slips down the stairs leading to the building’s underside...and just as he does, a scream starts, and is then abruptly stopped.

In spite of himself, he feels his heart leap up his throat. Shit, sounds like they’re literally processing someone right now. Which means a life is on the line. Snarling, he streaks down the rest of the stairs and barrels through a door.

Behind is a rather makeshift operating room. A cot supports a body, a rather pointless privacy screen nearby as a bright, dead light bares the entire scene in a staunch, unfeeling glow. Monitors, machines, tools, and waiting coolers litter the place. One human startles with a yelp, clearly just a body to get item A to point B.

But over her shoulder, a woman gives Obito a cold glance. Heartless eyes of amethyst stare out from beneath a blade-cut black fringe. A surgical mask covers the bottom half of her face, midnight hair caught up in a tail.

The latex gloves on her hands are bloody.

“Sorry lady, but your medical license has been revoked,” Obito declares, hidden behind his own mask. “Seems you’ve been caught in a malpractice suit! Now, you can either come quietly...or I’ll just give you a taste of your own medicine…!”

Glancing to her cohort, the woman demands, “Get what we’ve got out of here. Now.”

Not needing to be told twice, the man swipes a cooler and bolts for it.

“Don’t worry, he won’t get far - my partner has a nose like a bloodhound,” Obito chimes.

But he’s largely ignored as she strips off her gloves, apron, and mask. “And what special attributes do you possess?” she instead asks, facing him fully. “Depending on what it is, I can get a pretty penny for your parts.”

“You’ll just have to wait and see!” Striking a mocking pose, he doesn’t move as she takes up a scalpel, throwing it directly at his chest.

It sails right through and clatters against the concrete wall of the basement.

“...space and time, it seems,” his opponent muses. “So, you’re not a monster...you’re like me.”

“You know my secret power, so...seems only fair you tell me yours, y‘know.”

“You really want to know…? Very well, I’ll tell you.” The woman holds up a hand. “My touch is necrotic. One little brush, and you’ll start rotting. So it’s only sensible I deal in death.”

“Ooh…! Then I’ll just have to make sure you don’t touch me! The ultimate game of tag!” He strikes another pose, persona in full tilt. “Try and catch me~!”

The space beneath the shop, however, is hardly ideal for a fight. As the woman does her best to dodge and reach through the clutter of medical equipment, Obito activates and disables his magic at will to simply evade her. He’ll tucker her out a bit, and then see about subduing her.

...or, that was his plan. But after a scant few minutes, it seems she realizes her handicap. And with a spark, she shatters the light and leaves them in darkness.

Obito fumbles for a moment before realizing she’s already fled. “Aw, man!”

“Oi, Obito!”

“Down here!”

Making his way down a few steps, Kakashi cusses at the darkness and pulls out his phone, light on. “Where’s the mortician?”

“Gave me the slip.”

“What?!”

“But I think there’s someone alive down here! Bring your light!”

“We should -!”

“We’ll catch up with her again later. For now we gotta get this guy loose!”

Realizing he can’t change the Uchiha’s mind, Kakashi joins him, dodging scattered supplies. “Jeez, you sure made enough of a mess…”

“Hey, that was all her! I didn’t touch anything!” Literally. Approaching the cot, Obito and Kakashi both freeze at what they see.

Shifted, a body lies atop the cot, chest rapidly rising and falling in panic. A gag keeps them silent, cuffs restraining all four limbs. But rather than arms...they have wings. And their legs are half-scaled and backward. Grey eyes are wide and staring in terror, flickering between the two of them.

“...harpy,” Kakashi murmurs once he realizes what he’s looking at.

“Why is she -?”

“Look.” He gestures to her bonds. Pinning her limbs in place, they have needles embedding into her flesh. “Silver. Keeps a Nightwalker in whatever state they’re in upon contact. She must make them Shift to get the organs in the state she wants…”

Watching the woman’s face, Obito hisses, “Enough! We need to get her the hell out of here, now!”

Chastised, Kakashi starts releasing her bonds.

“Don’t worry, we’re here to get you out, not...hurt you,” Obito offers, feeling a bit awkward. While plumage hides the more sensitive parts of her body, she’s still very much nude. The sooty-spotted white feathers make him think of those owls way up north...must be what she is.

...he sort of wants to touch them but that feels highly inappropriate.

“There,” Kakashi mutters once the last latch gives way, untying the gag and letting her gasp for air. “Can you Shift back?”

Rather than reply, she struggles to sit up with an ear-splitting screech, feathered and scaled limbs alike flailing in panic. Talons sweep dangerously close to them both.

“Whoa, whoa! Easy lady, we’re not -!”

Ducking around behind her, Obito manages to pin her ‘arms’ to her side, his own wrapped around her torso. “I told you, we’re here to help! We’re Enforcers!”

Well, sort of.

At his words, she slowly stops her movement, breath rapid in exertion. Obito keeps his hold, feeling her eventually go slack.

“...I-I…?”

“You’re safe now,” Kakashi assures her, hands lifted placatingly. “It’s going to be okay, miss. But...we can’t take you out of here looking like that. There’s humans up there.”

“She probably needs a minute to calm down, first,” Obito mutters. “Go find her a coat or something to put on, will you?”

“Coat, right, okay. Hold on.” Handing Obito his phone, Kakashi makes his way back upstairs.

Obito then very awkwardly releases his hold. “...sorry, I...didn’t want you to hurt anyone.”

She brings her limbs up around herself, looking entirely unsteady. “It...it’s okay. I didn’t...mean to -?”

“You had every right to panic.” She was about to be butchered like a hog, after all. “But we’re here to help.”

“You’re...really Enforcers…?”

Lifting a hand, Obito removes the mask over his face now that the trouble is over. “Pretty much. Long story, but...we help Nightwalkers who need it. You’re safe with us.”

She studies his face, worry and sorrow plain on her own. “But, you...you’re a…?”

“Yeah, uh...another long story.” He itches his neck idly. “All that matters now is that I’m on your side. I’m Obito, by the way.”

“...Ryū,” she murmurs in reply after a pause. “Thank you, for...for saving me. I thought I was going to die, and be cut into p-pieces…” As the reality sinks in, her eyes well with tears. “I-I -!”

“You’re safe now. And we’re going to find the woman who did this, and make sure she never hurts anyone else.”

Hearing the menace in his tone, Ryū glances aside somberly.

He wants to say something, anything to cheer her up. There’s something that really gnaws at him to see her looking like that. But before he can, Kakashi returns down the stairs with another flashlight. “Found a second hand shop still open and got her some clothes. No idea if they’ll fit, but better than nothing.”

Obito sheepishly looks away as Kakashi hands the garments over, letting her change in peace. When he turns back, she’s fully human again: no more feathers, and dressed in a simple pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Even without her greyscale owl form, her hair is still white, and her eyes that same shocking silver.

“We’ve got a safehouse for people like you,” Kakashi offers. “You can stay there for as long as you want, until you feel safe to go home.”

“Thank you...will I have to stay there alone…?”

The men exchange a glance. “...we really should go after that woman,” the wolf offers. “But maybe we need some backup. Did you learn her powers?”

“Necrotic touch. Nasty business,” Obito replies.

“Ha, how fitting. Well, I’ll report back and see if we can get any reinforcements. You take her back to the safehouse and make sure no one gives her any trouble. Take the car, I’ll go on foot.”

Nodding, Obito catches the keys and helps Ryū up the stairs to the shop above. “Anything I can get you in the meantime? You want anything to eat, or drink?”

“...I guess I am sort of hungry...I’ve been here at least a day. There were…” She grimaces. “...others she killed before she got to me…”

“All right...we’ll get some takeout and you can eat at the safehouse.”

One drive-through stop later, Obito pulls up to the house in question. It’s at the end of a quiet human neighborhood. They’ve never had any trouble...yet. Ryū follows him in with many a wary glance of their surroundings, eating silently as she perches on a couch.

Obito, in the meantime, sends Kakashi a text confirming their arrival. Odds are he won’t reply for a while - business takes time. “There’s a few rooms you can choose from to sleep in, if you want to stay that long.”

“Thank you…”

Seeing her still looking withdrawn, Obito nibbles the scar on his lip before deciding to sit on the cushion beside her, giving her space. “So, uh...got anyone you need to contact?”

“...no,” is her soft reply. “Not really. I’ll...call my workplace in the morning. What should I tell them…?”

“The truth, but only as much as you feel safe revealing. You were kidnapped, rescued by some officers, and will be back after a doc ensures you’re able.”

She snorts. “...the irony is, I work at a medical clinic.”

“Really?”

“Mhm, I’m a nurse.”

“And no one’s ever…?”

“Not yet. I know it’s risky to work with humans, but...I have to make a living somehow. And my mom was involved in medicine, so...it felt right. I like helping people.”

“Then I’m sure they’ll understand. I can talk to them, if you need proof.”

“Well, we’ll see. Hopefully they’ll just believe me. I’ve been really good about absences up until now, so...they should know this isn’t usual for me.”

Obito eyes her as she fiddles with her empty cup. “...I’ll admit, you’re handling this really well.”

That gets her to look up. “...do you...often save anyone from places like that?”

Obito hesitates. “...not really. Usually it’s...already done.”

Fear flickers in her eyes. “...o-oh…”

“But I’m glad we got there in time.”

“...me too. It...it was horrible…” She brings her legs up, hugging her knees. “It constantly smelled like blood. And the screaming was...was beyond words, I-I can’t begin to describe it. She would keep them alive as long as she could…” Tears escape her eyes, expression wavering. “...how could anyone d-do that…? We’re not monsters, we’re just...people! People who are different!”

Sighing, Obito murmurs, “Some people just hate what’s different. What they can’t understand...unless they can profit from it. Others are just cruel. No real reason.”

“...can I...ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you...help us? Nightwalkers, I mean. I-I’ve always heard that witches hate us. That a lot of them work with Hunters to exterminate us…”

At that, Obito hesitates. “...I...was raised in a Hunter clan. Then they figured out what I was, and fast tracked my progress. But on my first mission, I...met Kakashi. And I figured out real quick that the things they taught us were mostly lies. Nightwalkers aren’t monsters...we were monsters for killing innocent people just for being different. I couldn’t abide by it, so...I left. And now I do vigilante work for the Senators with Kakashi. It’s difficult, and doesn’t pay well...but we’re doing good work, even if most would say otherwise.”

Ryū watches him as he speaks, still curled up on her cushion. “...well...I’m glad someone like you is helping us. It’s nice to know that not all humans want us dead.”

“Not all humans are bad, just like not all Nightwalkers are either. Most of us are just in the middle trying to get by.”

“Mm…” As the night finally catches up with her and a full belly weighs her down, Ryū looks ready to drift off. And before Obito can ask if she wants to head to a bed, she goes limp and just...slumps against his side.

He immediately stiffens, unsure what to do. Surely she shouldn’t rest here! But...what if he wakes her up trying to move her?

Eventually he debates himself so long he just...decides to do nothing, sitting as a living pillow for her to sleep on. If Kakashi sees this he’ll never hear the end of it, but…

Slowly, he lets himself relax. He can feel her breath on his arm, her cheek resting against his shoulder. She looks so much more at ease, now.

...she’s actually pretty cute…

Banishing the thought and going pink, Obito just settles in for what might be a long rest of his night. While it wasn’t a perfect mission, at least they got someone out alive. It’s not often a task like this has any sort of happy ending.

It’s a nice change of pace.

     Day two! And right into the thick of not-nice subjects xD I have GREATLY missed writing this verse so I indulged myself =w= That and Meg brought it up on Discord the other day so...it was fresh in my mind, ahaha~      Poor Ryū...will I ever be nice to her in my fics? Probably not :’D There’s been a lot of depressing stuff in the pieces so far but that’s just how life be for her kjdfhjgh I’m terrible.       Also vigilante team Obito and Kakashi gives me life. TECHNICALLY in canon nightwalkers only women can be witches, but...well, it fits Obito too well xD And it’s MY canon so I’ll bend it how I see fit, heh heh.      But I guess that’s it for this one! Thaaanks for reading!

[hiruma-musouka]

Also, 27.) "Can we go someplace high so I can jump off it?" for Shishui and Obito, please?

[AO3 link] - Summary: In which a change of events both improves and worsens Obito’s quality of life, some people are alive who wouldn’t be, and family is great (except when you have a hangover).

“GOOD MORNING!”

Obito flails out of a dead sleep atthe LOUD, tone deaf squall. Heart pounding, he blindly flings a kunai at thedoor, frantically shoves himself up…

…and with an undignified scramblefor his sheets falls right off his bed with a thud.

Shisui snorts.

“You… bastard…” Obitogroans, head throbbing and stomach threatening to rebel as his massive hangovermakes itself known past the intense throbbing in his bad side. Thank thefucking kami he had gotten caught in his sheets and flipped over when he slidoff the mattress like a moron. At least this way he only had to deal with hisnormal level of chronic pain in addition to the hangover and embarrassmentinstead of the crippling agony that would have come with landing on his rightside.

Crippling. Obito snorts bitterly,wincing as it sets off the ache in his nose from hitting the floor boards. Notthat he could feel it much past the boss summons trying to smash their way outof his skull.

God, why the hell had he drunk so much again?

“Are you alright?” Shisuicalls out, a laugh hiding in his tone as his head peaks out carefully frombehind the door frame. The younger shinobi plucks the kunai out of the woodnear his cheek, and Obito gives him a dirty look and flips him off.

“Why the fuck are youhere?” Obito rasps through his parched throat, shifting carefully onto hisback with a hiss as his hip and knee lock up. “And while we’re at it, howdid you get past all of my traps again, you little shit?”

“C'mon cousin, give me somecredit for being a jounin,” Shisui says, friendly grin softening as Obitocringes slightly at the sound of his voice and brings up a hand to rub gingerlyat his temple. The sixteen-year-old’s eyes flicker briefly over his twistedscars as Obito forces his locked up muscles to unwind, but the only emotion hecatches on Shisui’s face when he squints over at him is a good-natured sympathyrather than the pity, disdain, or infuriating dismissiveness so common amongtheir fellow shinobi.

Not that that’s going to save Shisuifrom the revenge and massive trap upgrades that Obito is going to implementafter this. His traps are one of the few shinobi arts he still has full accessto and he is NOT going to have someone just dance right past them!

“You are only a jounin,”Obito says, already plotting alterations as he throws his left arm over hisface to block out the light spearing through his eyes, “becauseMinato-sensei has a quota to meet for Konoha’s ranks and he decided to skip theportion of the jounin requirements that cover good sense and appropriatedecision making skills.”

“Well that’s rude,” Shisuiremarks idly. “It certainly explains a lot about our comrades, but there’sstill no reason to take your bad mood out on me. I only dropped by tosay happy twentieth birthday in person since no one invited me to thebar yesterday and by the time I found out and arrived you were already well onyour way to pickling yourself. Speaking of which, nice life choice there:getting involved in one of Gai’s challenges.”

Oh riiight, Obito thinks belatedly, fuzzy memories of green spandex,silver hair, and sake jugs dancing through his mind, THAT’S why I drank somuch last night.

… He really needed to stop lettingcompetitiveness and low-key resentment influence his life choices.

Obito runs his tongue over histeeth, scars pulling slightly as he screws his face up, abruptly aware of theaftertaste of vomit, alcohol, and fried chicken. Or maybe it’s just that heneeds to stop making any decisions at all if he’s frustrated or annoyed andalcohol is already involved. They never end well. The fuck up with the Aoba andhis crows comes to mind. The massive argument with Bakashi and his martyringguilt complex is another.

Yeah… maybe switching out the alcohol for Anko’s fruitycocktails would be a better choice and to hell with anyone’s teasing.

Hell, he probably didn’t even manageto beat Kakashi even if he did match Gai drink for drink because Bakashiprobably cheated again by stealth dumping his drinks into other people’sglasses or something. Rin is going to give him that look when she comesaround and—

Oh.

Oh fuck. RIN!

“So you do remember theend of last night,” Shisui affirms with a grin as Obito makes a horrifiedgurgling sound and attempts to sink through the floor in abject, mortifiedhumiliation. “I’d sort of wondered if I had lost that bet because youseemed remarkably aplomb for a guy who’s just drunkenly hit on his childhoodcrush. Again. For the fifth—”

“Shisui, I swear on ourancestor’s ashes that if you don’t shut up,” Obito threatens, voicemuffled through his hands and yet noticeably high pitched, “I will haveyou assassinated. I am Minato-sensei’s glorified fucking secretary and Ihave the sharingan: I will forge his signature and have them dump you deadin a river somewhere!”

Shisui throws him a slightly unsurelook over a smile. “You know it’s kind of concerning how you default totreasonous murder when life pushes your buttons wrong. I’d like to emphasizethat I had nothing to do with you failing to serenade—” Obitogroans “—your crush.”

“I don’t have a crush onRin,” Obito says flatly, watching the ceiling and debating about slamminghis fist into his knee so he can be overwhelmed with the much more palatablephysical agony instead of the mental agony of sake-tinged recollections.

“That’s not what the entiretyof the bar thinks.”

“Fuck.”

“Although Rin was very kindabout turning you down again, if it makes you feel better.” Shisui offers.

It did not make Obito feel better.

“River, Shisui. River,”Obito threatens darkly, wincingly remembering Rin doing the same kind butsubtly immovable speech to let drunk-him down that she had done the lasttime he’d started regaling the room with her virtues.

He doesn’t have a crush on Rinanymore. He really, really doesn’t. Rin is like… the brilliantly kind andcapable sister figure Obito had always wanted, but he’s not really one forromancing close sister figures because he’s not a noble or a Hyuuga.It’s also really hard to maintain any sweet feelings for the person who unyieldinglyforces you through regular physical therapy. But it’s genuinely not hisfault that she’s practically perfect in every way outside of that or thatdrunk him always feels the need to explain that to the idiot people who don’tproperly appreciate her and he really needs to stop doing this!

Oh god this is going to be awkward.Nobody ever believes ‘I don’t have a crush anymore, I just think she’sperfect.’

(Perfect aside from her shitty tastein emotionally unavailable guys that is, but Obito’s opinion there is prettymuch never wanted.)

“This is probably a bad time tomention that pretty much everyone was still there when you started rambling,isn’t it?” Shisui asks rhetorically.

“I need someplace high so I canjump off it,” Obito despairs wholeheartedly, already imagining the shithe’ll get for this as various assholes come through the Hokage tower formissions and reports. Fuck his life.

“Someplace high huh?”Shisui considers thoughtfully, making Obito pause to eye him warily at his toneof voice. “Alright, I’ve got an idea. Come on, get up and let’s go getbreakfast so we can leave.”

“No,” Obito refuses,stomach rolling at the thought of food.

“Up, up, up!” Shisuichives, smart enough not to come in reach of Obito even as he grabs Obito’s legbrace off the table and drops it on his chest.

“I said no!”

Shisui takes a deep, exaggeratedbreath and Obito flinches, covering his ears just in time before Shisui startssinging the most horrendously mangled version of Happy Birthday that a humanhas ever croaked out.

“Alright, alright, shutup!” Obito cracks, shoving himself up with a dirty glare and ignoring theway his right shoulder crackles.

Shisui abruptly stops caterwauling.“I’ll go make something for us then,” he offers, casually strollingtowards the kitchen.

(There are days Obito really, reallyhates his relatives.)

.

.

“I cannot—” Obitogrunts, climbing a few more steps and hiding a wince “—believe you draggedme up to the top of the Hokage mountain, for fuck’s sake, Shisui!”

“Your language is prettyterrible for someone who spends a lot of their free time helping kids,Obito.” Shisui meanders along the path ahead of him, always just farenough away to keep out of immediate strangling distance while still going slowenough that Obito can keep up without pushing it. Not that either of themacknowledge that that’s what Shisui’s doing since the teen is doing a decentimpression of casually appreciating the beauty of dawn falling upon thevillage.

(Dawn. Dawn, that little shit.Obito hadn’t passed out until at least three in the morning. He’s not hungoverlike he’d thought: he’s still drunk.)

“Would you just get to thepoint?” Obito forces out, breathing through his nose in a controlledpattern. They finally level off at a platform nearby the First’s head and Obitotakes a moment to really appreciate the beauty of flat ground no matter howgrating it is that this is what he’s been reduced to since Rin and Kakashipried him out of that cave in years ago.

And then he sees the orange thingon the ground and forgets about being bitter.

“What is that?”Obito asks, honestly curious as he shuffles forward next to a grinning Shisuito get a better look. It’s looks like a gigantic kite almost except moretriangular rather than diamond shaped and with a wooden frame extendingdownwards to prop it up from the ground. A set of ropes and cloth hang downbehind the horizontal bar in what looks like a harness and Obito shifts ontohis left foot for better balance as he reaches forward to run a finger over theKonoha symbol emblazoned on the middle of the tautly stretched tarp.

“It’s called a glider,”Shisui offers. “I and a few other people may or may not have seen them ona hypothetical mission in the mountains nearby a place whose name mighthave four letters and start with 'Ku’. You hang underneath it or supportyourself with both arms on the bars and then throw yourself off something tall.Air thermals support the wings and your weight and will let you stay airbornefor hours if you want, provided you don’t screw up and panic. Isn’t itawesome?”

“Where did you even getone?”

“We made it!” Shisuigestures to it proudly. “And by 'we’ I mean that Tenzo grew the frameafter I kept talking about it and then Yugao banished me from sewing the clothon because apparently I cannot be trusted to stitch evenly.”

“And it really works?”

“Absolutely. So, do you want totry?” Shisui waits, looking over at his cousin while Obito considers it,curling and uncurling the stiffened fingers of his damaged hand. “Youwanted to throw yourself off something and this is gonna be a lot more fun thanwalking all the way back down the mountain and going home.”

'Especially since you can’t landwell enough to use Shunshin.’

Obito frowns at the unsaid words andrubs the back of his sore head before mustering up a smile. “Alright.Yeah. I’ll give it a go. Although,” he adds, roughly slapping the side ofShisui’s arm with a pointed look, “if I crash or someone shoots me down,you’re explaining this to everyone. Including the medic-nin andRin.”

Shisui’s grin falters a bit.“That sounds… fair.” A pause. “Please don’t crash though.Seriously. Tenzo might cry.”

Obito huffs a weak laugh at theblatant exaggeration, eyes squinting painfully against the ambient light.“Just help me into this thing, Shisui.”

[AO3 link]

[coffeecupandteatime]

Jagerbomb’s Mini Review #3!

Welcome to the glory of watching Jagerbomb lose his shit!

ʕಠᴥಠʔ Sorry for the wait everyone, I’ve been pretty busy. Also, if you guys know of any bad short fanfics, let me know! I’ll try to review those as well!

-rubs temples- This is going to sooooo enjoyable!

Note: I’ll do the first chapters for these types of reviews, mainly to save time and my sanity. Also, because finding the stories again is a pain in the ass.

 Harriet Potter leaves the Wizarding world behind, starting a new life in the Elemental Nations. Seeing how neglected little Naruto is, she takes him in and helps him out. UzumakiHarry! FemHarry! Slight Weasley/Hermione bashing! Possible parings with Itachi, Iruka, Genma, & Kakashi.

Female Harry?… Ooooooookay then!  ʕ.ᴥ.ʔ I can already tell I’m going to enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not Harry Potter, not Naruto, not anything else I might mention.

ʕಠᴥಠʔ Well, we can kinda tell you don’t own either, or else they would be shitfests.

Note: I have no Beta and edit everything myself, so if I made a mistake somewhere kindly point it out. I usually write on my phone and edit at 2am so I tend to miss things.

Hmm, well since you told us this beforehand, I can be a littler nicer.  ʕ0ᴥ0ʔ But mark my words, that doesn’t mean much with me.

Leaving the Wizarding World

And diving straight into the trashcan.

Harriet screamed and woke up a sweaty mess, the dreams were getting worse.

Like my need to drink right now.

Eerie morning light filtered through the ratty curtains and she flopped back onto the mattress in irritation. It was much earlier than she had intended to wake up but she was unable to fall asleep again, nightmares would do that to a person.

Wanna get some sleep, kid? Try chugging a bottle of Smirnoff, you’ll go right the fuck to sleep, trust the bear. ʕಠᴥ~ʔ

She sluggishly walked to the bathroom, shuddering at the coldness of the house, before turning on the tap and splashing her face with water.

Is the water hot? Warm? Cold? Why the hell is she splashing water on her face in a cold house?? ANSWER ME!  ʕಠ益ಠʔ

Checking herself out in the mirror, she felt a surge of triumph that she had finally taken corrective measures for her eyes. She no longer had to wear those hideous ill-fitting glasses that she grew up with, without them her emerald eyes shone brightly.

ʕ°ᴥ°ʔ Even though those round ass glasses are pretty important to Harry as a character. You suuuuure this is just a genderbend and NOT an OC?

Her aunt had always taken vindictive pleasure in making her look ugly. Harriet supposed she was taking on all the animosity her Aunt felt toward Lily. Harriet was starved for years, making sure she never measured up to her voluptuous perfect ten of a mother.

I don’t know there, Lily wasn’t exactly a ten… Or voluptuous...

Aunt Petunia also forced Harriet to keep her red tresses cropped short. The more it stuck up like an untidy boy's hair, the happier that vile woman had been. Due to her

Okay, why is her hair red instead of black? I get it’s female Harry, but with red hair it sounds more like his made up sister then Harry himself...

horrendous nest of hair and those vile glasses, her looks were often compared to James' instead of Lily's, even if she had her mother's coloring. Before leaving Hogwarts for the summer, Harriet would chop off her hair till it was as short as the beginning of the year. She had no choice, if the Dursley's had known she let her hair grow during the school year they would have beaten her savagely.

Whoa whoa whoa! Whoa! When the hell did the Dursley’s even fucking beat Harry? What the hell with people making the Dursley’s beat Harry and the village attack Naruto?! What the fuck people! ʕ╯ಠ益ಠʔ╯︵ ┻━┻

She learned to choose her battles carefully once she realized no one would be coming to save her.

-Deep breath slow exhale-.....I’m going to assume this author hates Ron and Hermione.

Harriet raised herself, she could live just fine on her own. She knew how to ration food and mange hunger, how to find a quick hiding place, how to keep secrets, and when to run away.

.,. You spelt manage wrong there buddy.

She learned early on to fear adults

Something no child should learn. Fuck oooooooff.

and had come to expect it, but it wasn't until she met Albus Dumbledore that she was exposed to ruthless manipulations.

Okay, been awhile since I read or watched HP, but why the hell is Albus always a manipulative CUCKOLD in these stories!? WHAT THE HELL!?!

Harriet shook off the feelings that came with letting herself dwell on the dead wizard, and shivered as she got dressed for the day. Today was important. Today she was finally going to do something about the gradual feelings she had been having. Ever since she had destroyed the horcrux in her scar, she no longer felt like she belonged in this world and it was an extremely troubling feeling.

This author has successfully said “Fuck canon!” \ʕ◕0◕ʔ/ WOO!

For the last five years, following the end of the wizarding war, Harriet Potter had been having dreams about the Veil of Death in the Department of Mysteries.

Didn’t you call them nightmares before? Also she’s been like this for FIVE YEARS and is just NOW doing something about it? Alright, pouring a drink.

Make Jager drink +1!

She could still remember the whispers that had called out to her the day Sirius had fallen through, they haunted her dreams. She would often wake up in the middle of the night in tears, her soul filled with a desperate longing to see the other side.

The other side of the Veil or of the bottle when it’s empty?

She knew it was some sort of gateway, the dreams told her that much.

Listen to your dreams kid! Even if they lead to certain death! \ʕ◕0◕ʔ/

The whispers in her dreams became clearer recently and talked about other worlds, new life, and a fresh start. Five years of the same dream and she'd finally given in, the voices had lured her in, and she was going through the veil to find peace.

I hope peace is where poorly genderbent *coughs*OCS*coughs* characters go when their unwanted.

She bitterly recalled the night she finally decided to finally act, it had been a couple months ago on her twenty-second birthday. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had been visiting her for her birthday. Hermione, as usual, had been lecturing her about her lack of public appearances and was subtly trying to steer her towards going on a date with Percy Weasely, who was still a pompous ponce, when Ron apparently had enough.

Yep! Harry’s already genderbent, let’s throw in some OOCness for the others!

OOC Syndrome is wherever I go. ʕ;-;ʔ

"Look mate, it's not like you've much of a choice anyway. Dumbledore signed a marriage contract-

What in the ever living fuck in the bowels of hel-

Make Jager drink +1!

That’s 2! TWO!

-between you two while he was your magical guardian, so I reckon it's still binding. Percy's been waiting patiently for you, giving you time while he concentrated on his career. He'd hoped that by now you'd grow up a little and at least let him take you out." said Ron coldly.

Why do people INSIST on making Ron the biggest asshole alive?

Absolutely shocked over what she just heard-

You’re not the only one, hun. ʕಠᴥಠʔ

, it took Harriet a moment to compose herself while turning toward Ginny. "Is he serious? Your parents and Dumbledore secretly signed this marriage contract?"

Something's telling me it wasn’t a secret. Also what’s the reason for said marriage…?

"Not secretly," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Everyone knew about it. I thought you did too, why else did you never date anybody? Why do you think Order members always look at Percy and ask his opinion on matters concerning you? We never thought Dumbledore wouldn't tell you."

How the hell did she not hear about this? AUTHOR EXPLAIN!

"Right. Not a secret, but somehow I never got wind of it. It never came up...in the past twelve years?" Harriet said evenly, but the books on the shelves were beginning to shake.

TWELVE YEARS!? Was ‘Harriet’ living under a goddamn ROCK!?

They all looked slightly alarmed at that, and Hermione made the mistake of meeting her eyes. Harriet had become a fairly accomplished legilimens.

ʕ◕0◕ʔ The fuck is that? 

After her crap occlumency skills had gotten Sirius killed, she tried to hone the skill but was only mediocre at it.

For once the main character isn’t good at something that killed a relative.

Legilimency was where she shone, she was a natural at it and it was easy to become even greater than Snape. So when Hermione looked at her in alarm, Harriet saw everything.

Sooooo Legilimency is basically “LOOK INTO MY EYES CHILD AND TELL ME EVERYTHING!”? The hell is this, an anime?

She saw conniving whispers and conspiracy in the depths of her eyes. She had enough, Merlin's sake, Hermione knew, and she wasn't even a Weasley. They hadn't bothered to warn her, they were no friends of hers.

I get it’s magic, but how can you see all that with a simple glance in the eyes? ʕ-,-ʔ I’m calling laziness of Rowling's part.

Her green eyes hardened. "I'll speak to a Goblin about this situation, but you should know that a marriage is not happening. I'll see Percy dead before I risk my magic, and if I find anyone tampering with my future, I will end them. Now get out."

Again, this ‘Harriet’ shouts more ‘OC’ than ‘Genderbend”.

The lying trio eyed each other anxiously, they had seen glimpses of Harriet's ruthlessness during the war, but it was frightening to have it focused on them. Her usual friendly attitude had been replaced by an icy focus. Ginny warily nodded at Harriet and headed for the front door, Ron trailing after her, but Hermione hesitated. She reached toward the green eyed girl, but Harriet flinched away. Hermione sighed and said, "Harriet, don't make a mistake. You're practically a Weasley already, this would only make it legal. Besides, Percy is very responsible. You could use somebody like that, I can't always be there to-"

Annnnnnnd here’s the OOCness for Hermione.

Harriet wanted to rant at her when all at once, her anger left her, leaving her nothing but cold amusement.

So is this Harry or ‘Harriet’ or just  pure OOCness?

Hermione didn't know it but she had just give Harriet the sign she had been waiting for. She had been iffy on acting upon her dreams, but this was the final straw.

If you need more straws, I got some left over from a wicked party last-Oh, wrong kinda straw.  ʕ.,.ʔ Whoops.

"Always be there?" she answered mockingly. "You and Ron ditched me often enough. Luna was the one who was always there, till the very end. You and Ron abandoned me when I was hunting for horcruxes. I was alone, injured, wandless and-"

Yes, my child, let it all out.

Hermione puffed up like a toad,

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH! THAT LEGITIMATELY MADE ME LAUGH!

reminding her of Umbridge for one hilarious moment, before letting out an aggravated huff. "I thought you were over that!"

.,. How the hell is ANYONE gonna forget shit like that?

Make Jager drink +2

THAT’S FOUR! FOUR!!

In a soft, cold voice she whispered, "I will never 'get over that'. You were never there when it counted. You and Ron would take the first couple of steps with me, but always gave up when things got complicated. Hell, the only reason you two and Ginny stuck around for the Department of Mysteries fiasco was because you didn't want to get shown up by Luna and Neville."

I love Luna and Neville, <3

Hermione scowled, but didn't disagree. "You know," she said haughtily, "I don't know what's happened to you. If you don't get your act together and stop being so moody, you won't have any friends left."

Letting out a bitter laugh, the dark-haired

But earlier you said her hair was red….CONSISTANCY AUTHOR! LEARN IT!

girl stared at Hermione with grim finality and a touch of sadness. "My true friends died during the Final Battle, fighting for what they believed in. You're just a cheap replacement."

All my friends are deeead! All my friends a dead! 

Was that too soon? ʕ° ͟ل͜ ͡°ʔ

Finally done reminiscing, Harriet pulled her hair up in a high bun. Today she was leaving. She felt a tingle of excitement as she quickly dressed herself in inconspicuous clothes. She had planned and prepared for this, but knew that chance played a role in all her adventures. The odds were against her, but she had won against them before.

She was a independent black woman now.

Harriet had prepared nearly everything well in advance. She gazed speculatively at the vial of Felix Felicis that had been 'bought' from Draco Malfoy.

Don’t be a sex thing, don’t be stealing, don’t be some cheap friendship crap.

He had earned his potions mastery after the war and became a friend.

FUCK!  ʕಠ益ಠʔ

Draco had given her the liquid luck in exchange for Grimmauld Place, who he was going to gift to his mother. Draco and Daphne were about to become the richest family in Britain, she was leaving all her wealth to them as a surprise for being the only people she had left.

…..What. In. The. FUCK!?

 Make Jager drink +10!

FOURTEEN MOTHERFUCKER! FOURTEEN!

With a sense of awe, she opened the vial and drained the golden potion to the last drop, smiling triumphantly as she felt the magic flow through her.

So liquid luck. Is that like a drug or some kinda Irish brew? Cos I’ll take some!

The witch entered the atrium of the Ministry, making herself invisible with her handy dandy cloak.

“I got my handy dandy notebook!” Harriet said as a blue dog appears.

Harriet thought she would at least feel nostalgic as she looked about this world for the last time, but she felt nothing but desperation to get away. She detested her place in the wizarding community, where she was alternately hated and glorified on the whims of the sheeple.

Hated? Glorified I could understand, but hated? What did Harry/Whoever the fuck this is, do to deserve that.

When she approached the Veil that had swallowed up her godfather, she didn't feel the same heartbreak she had experienced in its presence before.

FEELINGS ARE FOR THE WEAK!

Instead she eyed the archway speculatively. What world was she going to go to?

The reader’s already know that answer, they had to rifle through fanfictions to find this thing. ʕಠᴥಠʔ

Did Sirius go to the same one? Did time run differently there, was she going to be able to see him? The possibilities were limitless. Or maybe she would die like everyone else thought happened? However, Harriet had always trusted her instincts, so she took a deep breath, and stepped through the Veil.

Lesson of the story kids: ALWAYS trust your instincts when they tell you to jump into a weird ass portal! FOR ADVENTURE!

Up next: Harry meets Death and an old friend!

Welp we’ll never know since I ain’t revisiting.

Question: What should Harry's name in Naruto be? When you review, drop a name and tell me why! I'm partial to Hikari (light) and Misaki (beautiful blossom)

ʕ.,.ʔ Wot.

Conclusion!

3.5/10 for trying.

Anyways! That was… Fuck, can’t remember the title, I made this file a long time ago, Uh. I should really start writing down the stories I review… Anyways, it wasn’t bad nor good, it was okay. I don’t see the reasoning for making Harry female and OOC, or the rest of the characters OOC, other than to have a reason for ‘her’ to go to the Naruto World.

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Twenty-Five: Ghosts of the Past ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Nohara Rin ] [ Death, child death, blood, suicidal thoughts ] [ Verse: Ghost Among the Ghosts] [ Previous || Next ]

It’s not something she tells just anyone.

Most people just give that typical, “Oh, interesting...but I totally don’t believe you” look that she’s gotten oh so used to. Some call her crazy. Others give her scientific lectures about how it’s just not possible. A few seem to believe her, but...more just because they can, or because they think it’s cool, rather than actually knowing that she’s right.

She’s only ever met one person who was a true believer. And she isn’t even an adult yet. Children, of course, are typically more open to such things. So for now, Ryū doesn’t hold her breath that it will last, but she entertains the girl with lighter stories of her sights.

After all, not every ghost sighting she has is a happy one.

Very rarely, Ryū uses her ability to see and speak to the otherworldly to help others, but it often brings her more trouble than it’s worth. Ghosts are troubled souls, after all...quite literally. And more often than not, there’s something more to their stories than an earthly regret. Only when someone seems truly desperate does she intervene.

It’s almost killed her more than once.

But Ryū takes that with a grain of salt. Her mother’s family has a long history of being able to see spirits. And with it typically comes a rather short lifespan, save for the odd outlier. So in more than one way, she’s mostly relinquished her earthly attachments, deciding to just do what she can, while she can.

Most of the time, those who need her help come to her first, rather than Ryū making any attempts to seek them out, or finding them by accident. Word, despite her best effort, gets around. But this particular case is one of those happy accidents...though it doesn’t start out happy.

Standing at a bus stop, Ryū daydreams a bit, both hands hanging onto the strap of her purse as it sits over her shoulder. She has a day off today from her day job, and has decided to head into town and do a little light shopping. Having recently found a pattern for a cute dress she’d like to try making, she needs to fetch some fabric.

For the first few minutes, she’s completely alone, the street devoid of any other passersby. But then someone approaches from her left, and she gives them a glance.

...and then does a double take.

He’s a man about her age, head bent down to look at the cellphone in his hand, which he idly scrolls through. There’s dark circles under his eyes, an obvious sign of a lack of sleep...and curious scars along the side of his face closer to her. Not wanting to be rude, Ryū does her best not to stare, but...there’s something...else.

A half-manifested spirit is lingering over his back. Only visible from the waist up, a girl of about thirteen is watching his phone with a drawn brow, looking worried. Her hair is cut short, but Ryū can’t tell any colors as she only takes a basic spectral form. A hand rests on his shoulder as if keeping herself propped up to see.

Ryū watches them from the corner of her eye, doing her best not to be caught gawking. Whoever this guy is...his aura is heavy, but she can’t quite tell what from. It’s probably something connected to the girl attached to him…

As she mulls it over, Ryū stiffens as the ghost peers in her direction, catching sight of her. Immediately the girl brightens, eyes going round. “You...you can see me…?”

Oh boy.

Ryū’s eyes flicker to the spirit’s host, trying to communicate that she can’t exactly start having a conversation with a patch of air behind him without this guy thinking she’s gone off the deep end.

“Um...if you can hear me, shrug your shoulders!”

After a small pause, Ryū does so.

“...oh my gosh...no one’s been able to see me yet…! Obito’s never even noticed I’m here...oh, where are my manners? I’m Rin! Rin Nohara. I...guess I can’t really ask your name. But listen! I...really need your help with something! Could you...find some way to start talking to him? So we can stick around?”

Making sure this ‘Obito’ guy isn’t looking, Ryū gives a small nod.

“Oh, thank you…! I -! Shoot, here comes the bus...um...hopefully you can sit nearby!”

Internally groaning, Ryū lets Obito get on first, following him toward the rear of the bus. To her relief, he puts in headphones, looking out his seat’s window as Ryū sits one seat forward.

“Okay, perfect! You can reply out loud, and he can’t hear you, or see you talking! So, um...what was your name?”

“...Ryū. Ryū Suigin.”

“Are you...a medium?”

“In a manner of speaking,” she replies quietly, not wanting anyone else to think she’s crazy. For show, she decides to put her bluetooth in one ear - pretend she’s on the phone. “I’ve worked with your kind before.”

“That’s perfect! Y’see, um...well, it’s a long story, where to start…” Rin seems to mull things over, and Ryū resists the urge to turn and watch. “...so obviously, I’m...dead. I think it was about...twelve years ago? I dunno, time’s sort of fuzzy for me. It was...a car accident. There was me and Obito, and another friend in the back seat...Obito’s grandmother was driving when we were struck from behind by a semi. I was...killed instantly. At least, I don’t remember much beyond that. Obito was very badly injured, and the other boy had some minor injuries, as well as Obito’s grandmother. I think we were...on our way to a movie? It’s been so long…”

Ryū listens silently, empathy making her chest heavy. Those poor kids… “...any idea why you’re still...here?”

“For this long? It’s...sort of complicated. Y’see, Obito, he...well, he liked me a lot. And I in turn liked the other boy, who was in the car. At first, I stayed because I was...confused. I didn’t quite realize I’d died yet. So I stayed with Obito, in the hospital. I was so worried about him...but eventually I noticed how no one seemed to notice me. No one told me to go home, or spoke to me. I was just...there. So eventually I realized that I’d died in the same wreck that hurt Obito. I thought maybe I’d stayed because...I felt sorry for him. His grandmother was there all the time, of course. And our friend Kakashi would show up sometimes. But...Obito wasn’t doing well. He...well, he took my death the hardest…”

Ryū’s eyes fall closed. “...so you stayed to try and make him happy.”

“...yeah. But he never was able to see me. Every so often he’ll catch a glimpse, but...I don’t know why he can’t. Maybe he doesn’t really believe in ghosts, or...maybe I’m too weak for someone who doesn’t have true sight? But then...something started to...change.”

A knowing tenses Ryū’s spine.

“...Obito’s condition was...very bad. His right hip had to be replaced, several fractures in his spine, arm broken in several places, and severe surface wounds from metal and glass. Even some ribs were broken. It took...months for him to begin to fully recover. As you can imagine, it was...very expensive. Dealing with his own new limitations, and my death, and his grandmother’s stress over their bills...he started to change.”

To Ryū’s surprise, Rin actually moves to the seat beside her, hugging herself and looking so small. She has to resist the urge to try and put an arm around her. “...he got really depressed. He tried to take his own life in the hospital a few times. He withdrew from all his other friends, even Kakashi. He barely spoke to his grandmother. He was just so weighed down by guilt, and sorrow...he started to feel...darker.”

Though Rin hasn’t completely explained, Ryū already knows. “...and something started feeding off of him.”

The girl looks up in surprise. “You...you know?”

“It’s easy enough to guess. When humans reach their lowest points...they’re easy prey for beings that feed off of their negative emotions. They keep them depressed, and angry, and sad in order to keep a steady stream of energy.” She glances to Rin, expression tense. “...you’ve been fighting it off, haven’t you?”

“...I’ve been trying. But it’s...it’s getting harder. He barely graduated high school, it took him two extra years after all he missed. He wasn’t able to get into college, and jobs have been hit or miss. His grandmother passed about a year ago now, and...things are just looking so bleak. I’m afraid if nothing changes...that thing is going to do something drastic…!”

“...it won’t kill him unless he’s no longer useful to it. But that doesn’t mean it won’t drive him to do something foolish that might get him killed…”

“Please...you have to help him! He was such a sweet boy...the sweetest you’d ever meet! I know he’s still in there somewhere…I can’t let that get lost. It’s why I’ve been here all this time, trying to hold it back, but...I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I can barely keep myself here anymore, it’s so exhausting…”

Ryū gives her a somber smile. “You’re a very courageous girl, Rin. Your spirit is very strong to have lasted this long...you really must care for him deeply.”

“...I do. Maybe not the way he cared for me, but he was my best friend...I’d do anything…”

“Well...I can’t make any promises, but...I’ll do all I can. Do I have your permission to reveal your presence to him, if it comes to that?”

“Yes, of course - if you think it might help, do whatever you have to!”

“...all right. It won’t be easy, but I’ll try.”

“Oh, this is his stop - can you follow him?” Rin lifts, moving back to hover over Obito’s shoulder.

“Well, this is one way to use a day off,” Ryū mumbles to herself, getting up and leaving the bus first. She has to think of a way to introduce them… Stopping to check her purse and buy time, she notes Obito’s direction and follows, getting fairly close before -

“Ah!”

Faking a fall, Ryū tumbles to the sidewalk, actually grazing her knee with a hiss. Moving to sit, she finds Obito turned around at the noise, headphones around his neck.

“Oh, shit! Are you all right?”

“I...I think so…”

Quickly doubling back, he offers a hand, carefully helping her up.

Making a far greater show of it than it is, Ryū gives a cry, bleeding knee buckling. “I...I’m sorry…”

“No, you’re fine, uh...here, there’s a bench.” Helping her hobble to it, Obito watches her sit and grimace at her wound. “Uh...don’t suppose you’ve got, like...first aid in your bag, do you?”

“N-no…”

“Uh…” Biting his lip and looking around, he perks up. “There’s a pharmacy just across the street! I’ll go get some gauze and stuff, just...hold on, okay?”

“Oh, you don’t have to -!” Before she can protest, he’s jogging across the street, dodging a honking car as Rin follows. Watching him go, Ryū softens. Seems Rin is right - there is still a pretty sweet guy in there. She hasn’t seen whatever’s shadowing him yet, but...they can be awfully good at hiding…

He returns a scant five minutes later, digging through a bag for his new supplies. “I, uh...I dunno much about dressing wounds, but…”

“I can do it.” Accepting the gauze, Ryū offers a warm smile. “You’re so sweet...you really didn’t have to do that.”

“Well I can’t just leave you like that…” he rationalizes, tone a bit mumbled.

“I appreciate it. Um...what was your name…?”

“Oh! It’s Obito. Obito Uchiha.”

“Ryū Suigin,” she replies, still smiling. Mopping up some spare blood, Ryū winds some gauze around her knee before securing it with some offered medical tape. “Well...it’s not quite a doctor’s level, but it should get me home! Thank you so much, Obito - can I do something to repay you?”

That gets him to balk, waving his hands. “Oh, no! That’s fine!”

“At least let me pay you back for the -?”

“No, just keep it. You might need it, and...it wasn’t that much.”

Over his shoulder, Rin shakes her head, pointing to his wallet pocket and grimacing.

Ryū’s eyes flicker to her before moving back to Obito. “...at least let me get you a cup of coffee, or something? It’s pretty chilly, and I’ll feel bad otherwise. Please…?”

Hesitating at her doe eyes, he eventually sighs. “...okay.”

Keeping a bit of a limp in her step, Ryū lets Obito lead her to a nearby Starbucks, where he gets a plain cup of black coffee, Ryū herself getting a caramel mocha. Easing into her chair, she asks, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, by the way…?”

“Oh, no...not really.” Obito’s tone sobers, and Ryū watches him closely. “I was just, um…” He pauses to itch at his scarred cheek. “...on my way to...visit my grandmother.”

“...oh?” She already knows better, but Ryū asks, “I’m not making you late, am I?”

“...she, uh...she doesn’t really…” Obito sighs. “...she died a year ago today.”

Rin actually jolts, apparently not knowing the day.

In spite of herself, Ryū does the same, and then softens somberly. “Oh...I’m so sorry…”

“It is what it is,” he evades, sipping his coffee.

Ryū holds her own, watching him. Then her eyes move to the right, watching his shadow against the wall beside him. A slight flicker distorts it, and her gaze intensifies.

...I see you…

“Anyway, I...don’t mean to be a bummer,” Obito eventually adds, offering a brief smile.

“Not at all. I always visit my mother’s grave on the anniversary, and on her birthday...so I know what you mean. It...never gets any easier, does it?”

“Your…? Shit, I’m sorry.”

She gives a somber smile of her own. “...it is what it is. But...I’m so sorry I interrupted you with all my silly drama, and you’ve got so much on your mind…”

“Actually, it...was sort of nice to have a distraction,” he admits quietly.

Taking a breath as if to speak, Ryū hesitates, and then begins, “If I’m...being too forward, please tell me. But...would you like some...company? To visit your grandmother? I know it can be very...depressing to do it alone. But I don’t want to intrude, either.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “...you’d…? Uh…” Obito flounders for a moment. “...I’d actually really...appreciate that. Are you sure you can walk that far…?”

“Oh, it’s just a graze,” she insists, waving it off. “Besides, I’ll have to walk home, anyway. Are you sure it’s all right?”

“Yeah...maybe it’d be a bit easier with some company.”

She smiles softly. “...all right.”

They finish their coffee first, and then leave the warmth of the shop behind. It’s a few blocks to the cemetery, and neither of them speak until they reach it.

“Is your, uh...is your mom buried locally?”

“A few towns over,” Ryū replies softly. “I was born further north, but was put into foster care here, since the town was small.”

“Oh...I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s an okay city, I guess.”

“Home’s a lot more...rural. A lot quieter,” Ryū admits with a smile.

“Quiet is nice.”

“Maybe you’ll see it someday.”

Obito glances over. “...yeah, maybe.”

By then, they’ve reached their destination, and Ryū hangs back a bit as Obito approaches the proper headstone: Sachiko Uchiha. Fow now, she observes as he reacts to the grave, watchful for any signs of dark activity. Rin, in turn, remains beside him.

“...hard to believe it’s been a year,” he murmurs. “...one hell of a bad year. Maybe it just seems that way because you’re gone, but...it’s been tough, Gran. It’s been...real tough.”

Rin looks over her shoulder at Ryū, expression pinched with worry.

“Still haven’t found a steady job. Barely scraping by. Got no one to talk to, no one to just...spend time with. Not exactly fun drinking alone. Hip’s been sore lately, too...change in the weather always does that.”

Expression steeled, Ryū keeps steady eyes on Obito and the shadow he casts. Slowly...it seems to be growing. Deforming. Twitching.

“...I dunno how much longer I can keep this up, Gran. I really don’t. Just feels like one of these days...I’m gonna explode.”

“That’s enough...”

Ryū’s voice is gentle, but firmly cuts into his words. He turns to look at her, face oddly...blank.

“That’s right...I’m talking to you. You picked the wrong bus stop...because your ride is over. It’s time you let him go.”

A wind whips through the cemetery, and Rin flinches back from Obito’s shoulder.

That’s when she sees it fully.

Lurking behind him, a one-eyed monstrosity with crooked, pointy teeth and thrashing tails snarls. Soot-black hands rest on Obito’s shoulders, staining them.

“I said let him GO!”

With an ear-splitting shriek, it clambers over Obito and makes a beeline for Ryū. Wherever it steps, the grass shrivels to a sickly brown, the smell of death rising from the scorched earth.

Clutching something under her collar, Ryū lifts a hand, and as if crashing into a wall, the creature comes to a sudden halt. Its skin begins to burn, attempting to recoil with a shriek.

“You have fed from this weary soul long enough...either you move on, or I will burn you to ashes. As pure as your hate and rage may be...I carry something far stronger.” Her hand tightens, feeling the locket beneath the fabric of her dress. “You were born of sorrow and loss...but love overcomes all hardship. Just as she gave hers to me...so will I give it to any who need it. Now make your choice, demon…!”

Still smoking and burning, the creature cries shrilly, struggling to reach out and touch her...but limbs fall away to cinders. Recoiling, it hisses like a geyser, and then...vanishes with a crack.

Arms lifted to shield herself, Rin slowly lowers them, looking out of breath. “...h-holy smokes…”

Doing much the same, Ryū sinks to her knees as a pain lances through her chest. Still her hand clings to her necklace, almost tight enough to draw blood.

“Whoa, hey! Are you okay?” Rin crosses to her, hovering a hand.

“Just...need a minute…”

“...wha…?”

They both look up to see Obito stagger a few steps, looking extremely dazed and confused. “...what happened?”

“...it’s a long story,” Ryū murmurs. “But in short...you were carrying something around with you, Obito. Something very dark, and very dangerous. But...it’s gone now. I saw to that…”

“...you…? I’m sorry...what?”

Ryū glances to Rin. “...if you want...I can give you some time. But you have to go soon. I can lend you a little strength.”

“But you’re -?”

“I’ll be fine...this is more important.”

Looking close to tears, Rin nods...and with a hold on Ryū’s hand with both of her own, suddenly floods with color, legs appearing and kneeling upon the grass.

Obito actually falls over to his backside with a holler of shock. “R...Rin?!”

“...hi Obito,” she offers softly, smiling sadly and taking to her feet. “I don’t have a lot of time...so…”

“Wh-? What are you -?”

“I’ve been with you for a long time. Since the accident. I’ve seen how things were eating at you...trying to consume you. I held them back for as long as I could. But...I needed a little help to get rid of it completely. That’s where miss Ryū comes in. She drove away what was clinging to you…! You’re free now! And now...so am I…”

“Wait, you’re...you’re leaving?”

“I’ll always be with you, Obito! That will never change. But...I’m so tired, Obito...I’ve been awake for such a long time. I need to rest...okay?”

Tears roll freely down his face. “...so you’re just here to...say goodbye?”

Rin nods, eyes shining with unshed tears of her own. “...I’ll always care for you, Obito. You’re a good boy. Someday, we’ll talk again. But for now...you’ve go more to do here, okay? So...be good. Be strong. And I’ll see you soon.” Reaching, she takes one of his hands in her own, bringing it to her chest with a smile before fading into nothing.

Silence rings in her absence.

Lungs shaking, Obito stares where she stood for a long moment before looking to his companion. Still on her knees, her head is bowed, breath light and shallow. “...oh shit...uh…” Scrambling to his feet, he kneels beside her, shaking her shoulders. “Hey...you okay?”

Managing to lift her head, she reveals a pale, shadowed face, but gives a hint of a smile. “...I’m sorry...I know that was...a lot to take in…”

“Is...is what Rin said -? Is it true? You…?”

“Rin was attached to you,” Ryū murmurs. “At first it was out of concern...and then to help protect you from dark beings trying to feed from and grow the darkness in you, born from your struggles. She told me what happened...about the car crash, and your injuries, and your grandmother. And about what was clinging to you. So...I banished it. You’re safe now...so long as you don’t let yourself sink back into that same pit of despair.”

“...so you could see her...you see ghosts?”

“...I do. And things worse than ghosts.” Grunting, she tries to regain her feet, letting Obito pull her up. “...I’m sorry for the confusion, and the grief, but...I wanted you to be able to say goodbye. She gave so much for you...it was the least I could do.”

“I...I don’t know what to say...thank you, of course! But...that’s a lot to, uh...wrap my head around. I need a minute to sit and...and think.”

After a pause, Ryū gives a soft laugh. “...maybe we could talk it over with coffee, huh?”

“I don’t know if coffee is a good idea - I might just jump out of my skin, but...no offence, you look like you could use like ten cups. Are you okay?”

“...just tired,” she evades softly. “Doing what I did is, um...hard work. Sleep, though, is more what I need.”

“Look, Ryū...I…” Obito grips her shoulders. “...I dunno what to do to thank you.”

“Just keep going. That’s all I ask.”

“But -?”

She lifts a hand, gently resting it atop one of his own with a smile. “...pass it forward. Somewhere, there’s someone who needs a little love from you. When the time comes, you give it. And then they can give it to someone else who needs it. We all need a little love...the world is a cold, lonely place.”

“Well...what about you?”

“Hm?”

“...sounds like you do a lot of giving. Who gives to you?”

Ryū blinks, looking as though she’s never considered that question before. “...I…”

Watching her for a moment, Obito seems to mull it over before offering, “Well...maybe you’re the one who needs it.”

After a pause, she gives a wisp of a laugh, head ducking with a tired smile. “...maybe I am.”

“It, uh...it’s kinda cold, and you need to sit and rest, so...how about we just...go back, and get some cocoa, instead? Then I can make sure you get home all right. You look dead on your feet!”

...she tries not to think about that, but instead smiles at him.

“...all right.”

     Ooomg I've wanted to write this for so long, and then it ended up like twice as long as anything else x''D I got a lil carried away, whoops!      Aaanyway...Obito's had a bit of a tagalong for a while! Two, in fact, if you look closely...and yes, the 'demon' is something familiar, heh heh~ I love the idea of Ryū being able to see ghosts, given her appearance and the use of it as a taunting nickname when she's a kid. I've wanted to do this verse for quite some time! RPed it very briefly, so...I'm being rather self indulgent, huehue~      ...then again this whole thing is self indulgent x''D      ANYWAY, that's all for now! Thanks for reading!