Land of Giants {Obito x Reader x Various} Naruto AU

13. What a Trip

Y/N returned to her apartment in the early hours of the morning. Her feet ached from dancing, her muscles sore from the various poses she had learned. Her knees were bruised. Her ego, god only knew how bruised her ego was. And as she climbed the stairs, she found herself wishing she was laying six feet under, next to Tenzo.

Obito had called her twice, texted her about five times. She ignored each one of his attempts. She decided she wouldn't be crossing Madara Uchiha.

She had lost yet another person in her life. Who did she have left?

Well, there was Sai. He had always been the quiet one within her Root team. Perhaps a visit to Sai would bring some much needed – distraction.

~~~

Sai lived in a remote part of the country now, close to the border of Amegakure. It was densely packed with moss covered trees, a little river, and lots of paraphernalia. Home of the Psychotria viridis shrub.

She packed a small bag, planning a day trip and came home five days later, drained of serotonin. Worse than before and entirely weary of ever visiting Sai again. He had completely lost it and was convinced his days were best spent high and covered in paint.

Yet, something he had told her in the midst of her vomiting, stuck with her.

I've changed, Y/N, like a frog hopping from one lily pad to another. But, our bond will always remain.

Like a frog...

Her time with Sai made her violently ill and her thoughts were processing a little slower now. She turned on her phone for the first time in five days to find forty-seven missed calls from Obito. Two hundred text messages. He wasn't getting the hint. She would give anything to switch places with Tenzo. Yet, each time she looked to the tub and the knives, she decided against it.

Like a frog... frog... the word was on repeat in her mind and she knew she was meant to visit someone she hadn't seen since she was about fifteen.

~~~

"Just a minute!" a deep voice called from beyond the wooden door.

Y/N stood under the small porch, trying to avoid the large droplets of water pouring over the veranda. The house was in a remote part of the old forest just outside of Konoha. Most believed this forest was haunted but to Y/N, it held a private charm, nothing supernatural. Perhaps it was the fog that never let one see further than a few trees ahead. If she could, she would have moved here, but most of the land was now government owned. Only a few family homes remained here, Jiraiya was one of those lucky enough to still hold land here.

The door swung open to reveal the giant man and his wild white hair. He had a toad on his head, a toad on his shoulder, and held two more. She shuddered. Y/N hated toads. Her admiration for Jiraiya was the only thing that got her through the sight of the bumpy creatures.

"Y/N! This is... unexpected," Jiraiya quickly put the toads down. He looked light he had seen a ghost, "Come in please. Get out of the cold."

Jiraiya grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a lung crushing embrace. The touch was not foreign. It reminded her that she still had someone left. Someone she abandoned. And the guilt from that realization hit her hard.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Jiraiya spoke, still clutching her, "Shh... there is nothing to apologize for."

Y/N couldn't help the tears from pouring from her eyes, "You warned me and I didn't listen."

"How else could you have discovered the severity of it all if you didn't find out for yourself?" Jiraiya finally pulled away, placing his hand on her shoulders. His heart broke seeing her red and puffy face, even more so when he saw the few scars not covered by her clothing, "Come, I'll make you some tea and we can talk."