Something Precious

Chapter Seventy Three

Obito blinked in confusion as he opened his eyes. He looked around him. It wasn't the cave. It was outside. He stood up in alarm. Was this another one of Madara's tricks? He gazed suspiciously at the trees, waiting for them to morph into one of his nightmares, but they never did. They stayed still and straight. Their shadows stretched from them innocently. There were no red eyes, no horrid screams. His calloused hands were clean. It was all so peaceful.

"Obito?" a voice made him jump. It wasn't low and cold as he had expected to hear. Actually, it sounded adolescent. It was a voice that had patronized him incessantly since his academy days. But now it sounded strange. Happy, he'd say if he didn't know better.

He turned around and almost cried for joy. "Hey, Kakashi."  he breathed. His voice almost caught in his throat. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed him. Kakashi must have been feeling the same because he then did something Obito would have never guessed him to do in a million years. Kakashi stood on shaky legs and made his way across the short distance separating them. He wavered for a second when he reached him, then fell to his knees and pulled Obito into a hug.

"We thought you were dead." he said, and if Obito wasn't mistaken; Kakashi was crying, or almost at least. After getting over his shock - partially - a small smile spread Obito's lips and he returned the embrace.

"So did I." he replied softly. He wasn't sure what to say after that. For once he was out of words. How does he comfort a guy who never showed emotion before? How could he tell him it was okay when he wasn't sure of that himself?

'Shinobi don't cry.', he remembered Kakashi spouting those condescending words at him so many times. He wondered if he still believed that, or if this was moment was an exception. Or maybe he had just morphed into a hypocrite during his time away. Or maybe, just maybe, he had changed.

Finally, Kakashi pulled away sniffling quietly. Obito noticed only then that one side of his head band was pulled down, over his left eye. As he lifted it slightly to wipe away the dampness left by his tears, Obito caught a glimpse of red. Of his own eye in place of the one Kakashi had lost. He brought up a hand subconsciously to cover his own empty socket.

"So, has it been a useless burden?" he joked, needing to fill the silence so desperately. He had the irrational fear that it was all just a dream and as soon as he stopped indulging it it would all fade away to a distant, wanting whisper to taunt him in his misery.

Kakashi breathed out a half-hearted laugh. "No. It definitely isn't useless." but he sounded almost. . . sad.

"Just a burden then?"

"Not the bad kind." Kakashi said and his voice was almost hoarse as he replaced the band.

Obito smirked. "There's a good kind of burden to be had? Learn something new everyday don't you?" he said lowly.

"It serves as a reminder. What you said that day, when I wanted to go on with the mission instead of saving Rin," the silver-haired boy trailed off. He pulled the headband back over the eye.

Obito squinted as he tried to remember what he had said. He was going to ask, but Kakashi answered the question before he got the chance, as if he had simply read his mind.

"'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are regarded as scum, but those who would abandon even one of their comrades is worse than scum.'" he quoted. "Naruto said the same thing to me once. It reminds me that there are things worth being shunned for. That I would rather be scum than to lose another friend." while he said this, Kakashi couldn't meet his eyes.

Obito wheezed out a breath. Had Kakashi really just said that? Perhaps he was dreaming. Had his death really been that hard in him? He had always been of the assumption that Kakashi hated him. But to admit there were things more important than the rules; had he really meant that much to him? It honestly hurt to consider. It made him feel irrationally guilty for not getting out of Madara's lair sooner (even though that wasn't really in his own control). He decided to change the subject instead.