A Measure of Darkness - indefinite hiatus -

ZERO: ONE

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The Years Before Academy — First Three Months
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On the evening of my fourth birthday in this world, I have to spend it in the hospital.

Mama is here with me, after forcing Papa to stay at home with Itachi and the others, probably guessing Papa would try to badmouth Obito. She sits calmly with her hands folded in her lap, but I can sense tension from her as well. I didn't tell her everything.

We're waiting for the okay from the medics, to officially tell us Obito is in the right mental state for visitors. As we sit in this busy waiting room, all around us are wounded people with their dirty flak jackets or white bandages spotted with red and brown. It's their eyes that are the worst of all — eyes that Mama tells me to avoid at all costs.

"Uchiha... Mikoto? Takenaka?" It is a voice belonging to the same plump nurse that told us to wait in this room earlier. I spring out my chair and manage to slow myself down to something more graceful by the time I reach her side. Vaguely, I smell cookies from her.

"Yes, ma'am," Mama says, at my side and I didn't notice when or how she got there, "any news?"

"Yes. Obito — he's free to have visitors. Just, um, exercise caution. He's excitable," and she looks up helplessly.

We head up four flights and find room 505. With two knocks, I'm entering the room regardless of Obito's voice, and stop when I see Tobi.

Or The Masked Man.

Or the Traitorous Bastard.

Madara.

"Takenaka!" He fully turns to me, the evening shadows disappearing from him due to the lamp light. Two dark eyes like Mama's rest within the mask's eye holes. Not one. No Sharingan. "You're here!"

Obito? is sitting up in his bed propped next to a window, and I realize how tiny this room is. I have bathrooms bigger than this place. I sit on the edge of his bed and smile. "You're okay..."

"Of course I am! I'm Obito Uchiha! I've got a legacy to fulfill!"

His arrogance isn't as annoying as I remember.

"Do you..." I begin too bluntly, "...want to talk about what happened?"

His breathing is choppy for a few seconds. Obito? scratches his neck. "Well, er, I don't really remember much..."

"You don't trust me? That's okay," and a part of me hates my manipulation.

"No! I do! It's um — it's my fault, really. This is... it's 'cause I took the hit Rin was supposed to get, and they took me to their hideout. And they questioned me... just a little. Made me spill some Leaf secrets. And — and then there was a huge explosion — a-after I woke up and ran — and I saw Rin and Kakashi and my eyes were burning really badly but I saw I could save them and I did, well, mostly, so I'm told."

Huh? Figures his retelling would be sloppy. I don't think he's told anyone what happened yet. He speaks to get rid of the thoughts on his chest than to make a coherent story. "This was in... the Leaf?"

"No, some other place. Pretty far away..." he replies quickly.

"Kanabi Bridge?"

I almost swear because he looks at me blankly. "What? What kinda place is that?"

(I can't believe it's not Kanabi Bridge.)

I recover quickly as the cold log in my stomach eases. My forced laugh fills the small room. "You h-had me so worried, Big Brother. Arguably, I still am. But right now, I'm okay. What persuaded you to do all of this?" I gesture to my face.