74Prologue
"…Rin?" Obito rubbed his eyes; his old teammate still there when he opened them again.
"I've been waiting."
Obito flinched as Rin sat beside him. He could feel her chakra brush against his cheek, slowly lifting his hand up and eager to indulge himself in the company of another. As his fingers grazed his cheek he was shocked to feel smooth human skin.
"Really? I'm sorry to have kept you..." He stuttered propping himself up. "I kinda got lost all over the place on the way… Yeah a lot has happened while I was on my way here."
Rin reached up and took his hand. Obito felt his heart beat thud in his chest: a feeling long lost due to the accident that crushed half of his body, resulting in his Zetsu surrogate. In that instant he felt absolutely pathetic. One of the strongest shinobi reduced to a heart pounding mess on the floor all because of a girl?
Obito finally broke the silence. "Rin.. I made a promise to you."
"Yeah.. And you tried your hardest all of this time didn't you? I've always been watching you Obito."
"Oh damn! I have something in my eye…" Obito quickly wiped a tear as it left his eye.
Rin smiled. "Don't worry. I won't tell Kakashi."
Before he knew it Obito had started to laugh - a full laugh that started from his belly and created waves through his chest. This is what he had been fighting so hard to achieve for all of those long, lonely years. Every sacrifice had led him to this moment. He reached out his hand to brush Rin's cheek and was visibly shocked as he passed right through her body.
"Rin? What is happening?" he scrambled to embrace her but fell to the floor. "This shouldn't be happening! This can't happen again. It happened when I found you the first time when you were.."
"Dead?" Rin interjected.
"Yes. I couldn't control Kamui but I can now. We are both dead. Why can't I touch you?"
Rin stood up. "Obito.. You're not dead."
To Obito's horror, Rin's silhouette started to fade. "I'm not going to lose you again Rin. I have loved you all of this time. You are all I have!"
"I'll be waiting for you!" Rin smiled as she vanished from view.
"RIN… RIN!" Obito yelled as he came to in what appeared to be a sterile room. As soon as he sat up he was met with an incredible pain around his stomach that branched outwards with searing heat. Flinging himself back down onto the bed he ran his fingers over the bandages tightly wound around his wound.
"Damn that Hashirama DNA…" he muttered. "Why can't I just die?" He covered his face with his arms, the rough feeling of his damaged face a cruel reminder that he was still alive.
"You're finally awake. How are you feeling now Obito?" a familiar voice asked softly.
Obito slid his arm over his face just enough to make out the figure standing over him.
"Why am I alive?" he growled, clearly angered by this state of affairs.
"You saved us! We couldn't have defeated Kaguya without you. You're a hero!" she beamed.
Obito groaned as he propped himself up. Anger building up inside him as he met her gaze with his copy-wheel eye: the Uchiha bloodline trait, his Sharingan. A reminder of the humanity he once shared with his fellow Leaf Ninja.
"I am not a hero. I am your enemy! I was the one who released the Nine Tails to wreck the Hidden Leaf, I aided Itachi in the Uchiha Massacre, I murdered so many people that you love and still thousands more. I started a war, the FOURTH GREAT NINJA WAR-" He spat.
"But…" she interrupted, obviously hurt.
"GET OUT SAKURA!" he barked.
His Sharingan trailed Sakura as she silently left the room. He sighed desolately, before slouching back against the wall in pain.
"You know.." Obito jumped at the unexpected voice. "Sakura has stayed by your side for a week. No one thought you would make it but Sakura was so determined that she almost fully depleted her chakra reserve, her 'extensive' chakra reserve at that, to save you. She hasn't slept or rested this whole time."
Obito turned his head towards the direction of the voice. He made out the silhouette of his old rival calmly sitting on the window sill. Despite his stare Kakashi didn't divert his gaze from the book he was reading.
"Shut up stupid Kakashi" he spat, looking away with a trace of defeat in his candour, then glancing back at his former teammate.
Obito studied Kakashi as he silently shoved his copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' into his jacket and walked towards the door.
"Cry baby." Kakashi teased as he left the room, continuing down the sterile hospital hallway until his presence was nothing but a shadow of his chakra, left behind.