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The crowded city of Konoha was nothing but neon lights. Obito spent most of his time downtown, frequenting the virtual-reality cafes that dotted the main drag. His favorite cafe was a hole in the wall, the shop tucked between a sex shop and a new-religion bookstore. In Konoha, people worshipped the government figurehead known as the Hokage. No one knew what the person looked like, whether the Hokage was a man, woman, or robot. In the dark crevices of the dark web, people spoke in conspiracy theories. Apparently, the Hokage was a ruthless man known for manipulating the economy in favor of large businesses willing to do his or her bidding. Obito didn't really care about the Hokage, or even the government in general -- sure, he voted, but everyone voted, since voting was mandatory. Obito was more of a homebody, if he were forgiving with the title. He worked a full-time job at a big-name hotel called The Sharingan, but only because his great uncle owned the company behind the hotel. If it weren't for Madara, Obito might have been unemployed and homeless, like one-third of the population.
At one time, he'd had dreams of working for the top tech company in the city, but Root demanded intense post-graduate work, and Obito had been a shit student -- being twenty-seven, he could finally admit that without shame. Obito had never met a single person employed with the secretive company, though the CEO of the company, Shimura Danzo, frequently appeared on television and at the entry portal of The Hub, the virtual reality world where Obito spent all of his free time. The Hub was a perfect escape for him, just as it was for thousands of others like him. He had a whole life built in The Hub. He was Obito there, but the best version of Obito. He was a skilled soldier, and he'd even connected with an android named Kakashi. Love in virtual reality wasn't something to advertise, and homosexuality itself was frowned on in the city, so Obito treasured that part of his life. He couldn't get a date to save his life, but Kakashi soothed the ache of loneliness. His life wasn't perfect, not by any means; he'd contemplated suicide a lot in his early twenties, but none of that mattered on The Hub, not in the virtual world.
"Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you. Honestly, you're such a child," Madara complained, snapping his fingers in front of Obito's face. Obito jerked to attention, reminding himself that he still had another thirty minutes of his shift, and he'd been caught running late. It wasn't his fault that public transportation sucked. "Repeat what I said to you."
"Uh. You want me to pay attention to you?" Obito winced at the words, knowing they were wrong. Madara stared at him, one brow twitching with pent-up rage. Madara slammed his fist down on the front desk. "I was late again. I'm sorry."
"This is number seventy-two in your late streak. What the hell do I pay you for, Obito? If you weren't my nephew, I would throw you out on your ass."
"But I am your nephew and you love me!"
"I don't know why. Just get out of here. Get out of my sight."
Obito stood there, unsure of himself, until Madara physically shoved him from behind the front desk. Obito tripped over the rug, but he caught himself and hurried away. He walked into the employee lounge, where he saw a coworker struggling to get her backpack into her small employee locker. Rin. Pretty. Smart. Funny. Very much married. Obito sighed to himself and went over to help her -- why did he have to help everyone? She smiled at him, face revealing her relief, then she stepped back so that he could rotate her bag and stuff the bag into the locker. He managed to get the locker door closed and she quickly hit the electronic lock, activating it with her thumbprint. She looked at him and brushed a stray strand of brown hair behind her right ear. She was so fucking beautiful. Obito realized too late that he'd been staring at her and she'd been talking to him.
"So what do you think?"
"What did you think I would think?"
"You're silly, Obito. Would you like to join me for drinks tonight?"
"What? Me? Drinks? You mean with you?" Obito struggled to process his thoughts. She raised a brow at his rapid-fire questions, but he didn't care. Had she gotten divorced? Was she finally interested in him? Kakashi came to mind and he toyed with the buttons on his dress shirt. "I can't. I have plans. I'm really sorry, Rin."
"Don't be! I'll let the others know that you couldn't make it," she said, lightly nudging his shoulder. "So what are your plans then? Do you have a hot date tonight?" She leaned into his personal space and squinted at him, which made him laugh.
"No. Nothing like that. I was just going to bike through the park on thirty-third. I gave up smoking and I thought I'd lose some weight," he said, mixing some truth into his large lie. She looked down at his smooth stomach and had the nerve to poke it. "Uh, yeah. I just think I could gain some muscle."
"Did someone say something to you? I'll beat them up for you, Obito," she said, startling him. She laughed at his expression, so he sighed in relief. "I'm just kidding. I think you look fine just the way you are, but enjoy your bike ride. And congratulations on being one-month smoke free!"
"You kept track? You're so wonderful," he blurted out, his expression quickly turning to one of horror. She tried to laugh off the awkwardness, but he'd had more than enough of the conversation. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired. I'd better go." He motioned to his own locker across the room, then he turned and muttered to himself about his own stupidity.
Obito grabbed his duffel bag from his locker, wrenching the bag from within the small compartment, then he loosened the tie around his neck and popped open two buttons to reveal his undershirt. When he finally turned to go, Rin was gone. Unlike him, she never showed up late for her shifts. Obito saw Madara lurking at the front desk, so he jogged from the employee break room to the front door. He stood in the doorway and looked out at the pouring rain. He hadn't brought his umbrella, so he huffed and walked out onto the sidewalk. People bumped into him left and right, one guy almost pushing him into the street. He barely caught himself before he ended up in the storm drain. It was twilight, right when the neon city came alive, which meant it was the perfect time for a trip to the cafe.
By the time he reached downtown, one long taxi ride later, the edges of his dress pants and his shoulders were damp from the rain. The cafe he frequented had three shops in the city, two in the downtown area and one for high-class customers in the uptown area. His cafe was the Chunin Cafe, which got a lot of questionable customers, but no one there had ever bothered him. Obito waited for the doors to open, then he entered into the dimly lit cafe. There were a few tables in the front room, then there were private rooms further back for people searching for time in The Hub. His favorite employee was on duty, so he crossed the room and approached the front desk. Anko blew a bubble, her grape bubblegum forming a perfect bubble before it popped and she sucked it back into her mouth to repeat the process. She looked up from her zombie comic book and smirked at him.
"Look who came crawling back for another dose. I haven't seen you in a while. You must be showing up on Yugao's nights," Anko said, crossing her arms atop the desk and leaning forward, showing her cleavage.
"Do you always have to flash your tits?"
"I could really do it, if you want."
"Tease."
"Bitch."
They grinned at one another until she stood up and began rifling in the display case for one of the room keys on display. She picked his favorite room, the purple room, then she extended the key. He reached for the key and she quickly pulled it back, extending her free hand for his hand. Sighing, he extended his hand and she pressed a button on the keychain on the ring, scanning the chip embedded between his index finger and thumb. When the light on the keychain turned green, she dropped the key onto the palm of his extended hand, then she jabbed a thumb toward the door leading into the back rooms. He grinned at her and turned to find the purple room. She'd given up escorting him to his room; he'd been going to the cafe for years, as unhealthy as it was.
Obito unlocked the door to the purple room and turned on the light, then he locked the door behind himself. Anko let him spend as much time as he wanted in The Hub. Shadow City, the virtual reality world Obito frequented, generally had a time limit of three hours, but disconnecting and reconnecting reset the timer. Obito dropped his black bag by the door and headed to the desk on the opposite side of the room. The desk was large, composed of metal and glass, sleek, just like the decorations in the room. Obito had learned to set up his own equipment. He sat down in the leather chair and rolled it forward to meet the desk, then he opened one of the drawers. There was a clear bag with a vial, a needle, and a syringe. He put the orange goggles on first, then he prepared the mild sedative. He stuck himself with the needle and waited a few minutes, then he powered up the equipment and lowered the black shield over the goggles. Lines of green code danced before his eyes, signaling the sign-on for The Hub. Shadow City was within reach. It was the name of the virtual Konoha, though it wasn't very creative. When the entrance to the city didn't appear, he tried commands, but the code multiplied and took over everything around him.
Some people had encountered viruses when trying to connect to The Hub, so he searched for anything in the coding to suggest a virus, but everything checked out. Just when he was about to give up, he saw a loop in the code that confused him. It was completely out of place, causing the code to repeat and repeat until it eventually overloaded the system. When the virtual world started to crack and crumble away, Obito tried to escape, but his mind was too relaxed to immediately respond. All at once, he was back in the purple room. Someone had snatched the goggles from his head and physically dragged him from his chair. He fell on the floor, landing hard on his hands and knees. The lights were on, and it took him a moment to make out a face. The person leaned down so that he could see clearer. He swore his heart stopped and started several times. It was impossible. Something had gone wrong with the sedative and he was hallucinating.
"Kakashi?" Obito turned over onto his backside and scooted away, pressing himself up against the desk. "Oh no. No, no, no. You're an android. You're a rogue android." Kakashi reached out for him and he squeezed his eyes shut, arms raised to shield himself. Instead of hitting him, Kakashi grabbed his forearm and tugged him to his feet.
"I'm not an android, moron. Let's go. I'll explain on the way," Kakashi said, dragging Obito toward the door. Obito glimpsed the gun in Kakashi's hand and shrieked, a little embarrassed at the high-pitched noise. "Relax. It's not for you. It's for them."
"Them? You're a murderer. Oh my God, you work for the government. I didn't mean to violate the time limit! I was going to pay for it, I swear!"
"I didn't expect you to be this stupid." Kakashi yanked the door open and pulled Obito from the room. They both heard glass shattering from the front of the cafe. "I don't work for the government."
"Anko is out there. We have to help her!" Kakashi slapped a hand over Obito's mouth and glared at him, so he wisely snapped his mouth closed.
Kakashi shot out the window at the end of the hall, kicking the glass still clinging to the frame. Kakashi shoved Obito out the window and into the alley behind the cafe, then Kakashi hopped out of the window. Obito had fallen on the ground, but Kakashi pulled him to his feet again and shoved Obito along. Obito opened his mouth to argue, but particle guns went off from inside the cafe and blasted the brick of the opposing building. People inside screamed, though the noises were cut off with the sound of the guns. A black government-issued cycle was at the end of the alley. While Kakashi pushed Obito along with one hand, Kakashi fired back at the people pursuing them. Obito saw the ray connect with one of the people, the hit blasting the person's head off. The neck sparked and burst into flames, though the android continued to chase them, the internal programming guiding it forward.
"What the fuck is going on?"
"We're running away from Root. Get on the cycle."
"Root is just a tech company. They make video games and manage The Hub. Stop shoving me! Let me go!"
Obito elbowed Kakashi in the gut, so Kakashi slapped him in the back of the head. Rattled, Obito stumbled into the cycle and nearly fell over it. Kakashi climbed onto the cycle and continued firing over Obito's shoulder, hitting and missing the pursuing androids. When a ray almost hit Obito in the right eye, Kakashi grabbed the back of his dress shirt and tugged him out of the way. Shaking, Obito quickly weighed his options. The androids were shooting at them, attempting to kill both of them. Obito had the choice of dying or going with a complete stranger on some chase through the city. Obito scrambled to get onto the bike and threw his arms around Kakashi, unconcerned with the fact that Kakashi could feel him shaking, his heart pounding. Kakashi started the cycle and took off, burning rubber as he went. The androids stopped at the end of the alley and watched them disappear into traffic. Obito pressed himself against Kakashi and kept his eyes closed. He didn't care where they went as long as they got away from the androids.
"You're a lot braver in Shadow City," Kakashi remarked, words almost lost to the wind. They were going too fast and Obito felt sick.
"It's virtual reality! Of course I'm going to be brave!" Nauseated, Obito pressed his right hand over his mouth and focused on repeatedly swallowing, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down. "You're supposed to be a program. How the hell are you alive?"
"I'm a human being."
"Ugh why are you always so damn sarcastic?"
"I thought you liked that about me."
"Yeah, well, true," Obito spoke into Kakashi's back, words muffled. Kakashi ran a red light, speeding between cars at the intersection, leaving car crashes in their wake. Obito glanced over his shoulder at the pileup. Grey smoke climbed into the air. "Why are they trying to kill us?"
"I'm in the resistance. You? I was using you for information on the outside world," Kakashi said, swerving around more cars. Obito tightened his grip around Kakashi, the move part fear and part anger.
"So you lied. Everything was a lie," Obito ground out, digging fingers into Kakashi, trying to leave bruises on the man's skin. "I told you I loved you, you bastard! I, stop! I want off this damn thing. You can go play resistance fighter with some other sucker. I can't believe you."
"They'll kill you, stupid."
"Well maybe I'm alright with that! I'm so stupid. I actually thought. Stop this bike! Look! There are cops! I'll signal them!"
Obito made a daring move and waved his arms at the cops. The androids leaned out of their windows and started shooting at them. When the angle was too much, they shot out their own windshield and continued to shoot. Obito grabbed Kakashi again, praying to a higher power that the police car wouldn't pursue them. And then he heard the tires squealing and knew that he had made a terrible mistake. Kakashi went faster and made a turn down an alley that had them tipping to the side. Obito groaned into the fabric of Kakashi's leather jacket. The jacket smelled like leather, of course, but there was something spicy underneath that scent. He didn't think that was Kakashi's scent, so the man probably mugged someone. Great. Obito fell in love with some crazy resistance fighter parading as a bunch of code. He was pathetic. When they lost the police cars, as other cars quickly joined the chase, Kakashi turned into the alleyway behind the city's largest meat-packing plant. The scent of raw meat had Obito gagging.
"I forgot you're vegan," Kakashi said. He took the cycle up the ramp next to the loading dock and cut it off. Obito was the first one off the bike and he doubled over, still struggling not to vomit. "I'm sorry. You'll get used to the smell. We have to keep moving." Kakashi grabbed one of Obito's arms and Obito punched him in the face. Kakashi stumbled backwards.
"This is all your fault! My life sucked, but at least I wasn't running from the police, from the government! You lying, no good piece of shit!" Obito took another swing at Kakashi and Kakashi slapped him, stunning him. "You hit me," he forced out, hurt.
"Maybe you shouldn't punch someone trying to save your life," Kakashi said, face blank.
Obito stomped on Kakashi's foot, gave him a harsh shove down the ramp, and ran into the meat-packing plant. He found himself searching for someone, anyone, but the place was surprisingly empty. All of the equipment continued operating, a belt moving packaged meat in the center of the main facility, while the bodies of cows passed overhead. When Obito finally found someone, he jumped over the railing dividing the walkway from the main floor and ran over to the person. Hand outstretched, words already prepared, he reeled back at the sight of a gun. He took several steps backward, hands raised in a show of surrender.
"Uchiha Obito," the person said, eyes turning red. Obito forgot how to breathe. "Come quietly."
"No, no, you don't understand. I'm innocent. I didn't do anything!"
Obito tried to argue, but the person took a shot at his legs and he had to jump out of the way. He saw his life flash before his eyes, and then a gun went off and the ray struck the center of the person's chest, exposing metal and wiring. The android shuddered for a moment, then it completely shut down. Kakashi jumped over the railing and walked toward the android, while Obito stood there and watched the mercury spill out of the android's insides. Obito covered his face with his hands and groaned into them. Kakashi twisted the android's neck and jerked until the head came off of the body, then kicked the body aside. Kakashi threw the head across the room, separating the two parts to avoid an easy fix. Kakashi turned toward Obito, gun still in hand, so Obito stuttered out a few apologies, shrinking away in fear.
"I'm not going to shoot you. You're scared. I get it. Danzo's Root organization may have the face of a tech company, but it specializes in android weapons. It's the military might of the city. It controls every aspect of everyday life. That chip in your hand is a tracking device. We'll have to remove it."
"Remove my hand? No!"
"You're cute. Not your hand, just the chip." Blushing, Obito forced a scowl. Kakashi stood there for a moment, then he sighed. "Did you mean what you said in Shadow City?"
"Unlike you, I'm not a liar," Obito spat, turning away from Kakashi. Kakashi closed the distance between them and leaned down to kiss Obito's cheek. "I don't need your pity kisses."
"They aren't pity kisses. I didn't lie to you when I said I loved you. Why do you think I came after you?"
"Oh."
"Mhm."
"Well, then I'm sorry that I punched you -- for real this time," Obito shrugged, finally covering his nose with his hand. He narrowed his eyes at the cows. "Can we get out of this place now?"
Kakashi led him into the large cooler, where he left Obito by the door and started moving the large rubber mats on the floor. Seeing Kakashi struggling, Obito went to help. They dragged the rubber mats to one side of the cooler, then Kakashi began counting floor tiles. Obito opened his mouth to ask what the man was doing, then Kakashi bent down and fished a pocket knife out of his pants pocket. He flipped it open and began to cut around the edge of the tile, repeating the action several times. Obito thought he heard footsteps, so he whispered Kakashi's name.
"I know. It's the chip." Kakashi finally freed the tile to reveal a small hatch. "Come here," Kakashi said, waving Obito over to the open hatch. The smell from the sewer rose up to greet them and Obito gagged, quickly raising both hands to cover his nose. "Sorry about the smell, but we need to travel through the old sewer system."
"Gross. This is a terrible first date, Kakashi. You were better in Shadow City."
"I don't have access to roses right now. Get your ass down there."
Obito turned around and began climbing down the metal ladder, his feet slipping on the grime. He really didn't want to think about how it felt, or the fact that he was wearing nice slacks and dress shoes. If he survived, Madara would skin him alive for destroying another uniform, the third one that month. When he dropped down into the sewer, the water rose to the middle of his shoes. Kakashi started the descent; he paused to close the hatch door and jam it from the inside, then he dropped down into the water. Kakashi took Obito's hand and led the man through the tunnels. There were so many turns that Obito gave up trying to map out their route. Kakashi knew where they were going, somehow, so Obito didn't question him. Obito heard the sound of footsteps as they echoed off the slick stones of the walls and ceiling, so Kakashi started running, which left Obito running to keep up. Eventually, they reached a dead end, and Obito started looking around for some kind of escape.
"This wall wasn't here before," Kakashi said, standing before the wall blocking their way.
Obito stood beside Kakashi for a moment, then he approached the wall and started kicking it. He raised his foot repeatedly, slamming it into the bricks. Eventually, one brick came loose, followed by another. Kakashi began kicking the wall, trying to speed the process along. When they had a big enough opening, Obito slid through the hole in the wall, then he helped Kakashi through. By that point, the androids had found them, so Obito chucked a brick at them, striking one in the head, ripping off the entire right side of the android's face. Kakashi fired a few shots at them as he urged Obito to start running, and then it was a chase again. The androids couldn't fit through the hole in the wall, but Obito glanced back and saw a fist burst through the bricks.
"That wall isn't going to hold them. Tell me you know where you're going. Tell me we aren't going to die in this smelly sewer," Obito said, speaking between his quick breaths.
"Here," Kakashi said, taking a hard right.
They stood in front of a set of bars, the opening overlooking what looked like a landfill. Kakashi used his pocket knife to loosen the screws, then he kicked the gate open. He jumped down first and helped Obito out. Kakashi wiped the knife off on his pants, closed it, and tucked it away again. They made their way through the maze of the landfill until they reached the main fence, then they began climbing. Obito had a harder time, simply jumping several times until he could pull himself up and over. They dropped down onto the other side and Kakashi tucked his hands into his pockets and strolled along with the flow of traffic. The gun was obviously hidden, as Obito saw the way his jacket stuck out a little in the back. Obito tried to look like he hadn't just had an extreme foot chase, but he had the feeling he failed.
"How many of these people are androids?"
"A third of the population, maybe more now, but not all androids are run by Root. Ever heard of ANBU?"
"The import and export giant?"
"Androids."
Obito's head hurt. Kakashi didn't tell him where they were going, and he didn't want to ask. When the crowd began to thin out and the downtown area turned to the slums, he had a feeling they were going into hiding. Kakashi stopped at a rundown corner store and came back with a second pocket knife, which he took out of the packaging. He held a hand out, so Obito slowly offered him the hand with the chip. Kakashi felt around for a moment, then he made a clean slice on Obito's hand. Blood pooled and dribbled down over his hand, and Kakashi stuck the tip of the knife down into the opening and pulled out a tiny computer chip. He crushed the chip under the heel of his shoe and took a roll of gauze out of the small store bag to wrap Obito's hand.
"We'll do a better job at the hideout. Keep pressure on it. Let's go," Kakashi said, tossing the bag and its contents into the trash.
"Why are we heading into the most dangerous side of the city?"
"It's a dead zone. No cameras. No connection to The Hub."
They passed dilapidated homes and people living out of tents and boxes. One woman had a shopping cart full of recyclables, while another sat on the sidewalk, a leashed dog sitting at her side. The dog was filthy and skinny, but not bordering on starvation. Eventually, Kakashi guided Obito into an old apartment building. The interior of the building was nothing but concrete floors, chipped paint, and cracked windows. Kakashi approached a door that seemed to head into a basement, then he completed a series of knocks, a complicated code that reminded Obito of old-world Morse code. Obito heard footsteps and peered around Kakashi's shoulder to watch the old door creak open.
"Kakashi? What the fuck, man. It's been over a year."
"Not now, Hidan. Where's Nagato?"
"Dead. He got cornered with Yahiko uptown. They took out a whole block though. Crazy shits."
"I thought that was a gas leak," Obito spoke up, attracting the silver-haired man's attention. The unnamed man narrowed his eyes at Obito and made a move to block the doorway. "I'm not an android. Don't give me that look."
"Listen, dumb fuck. I don't know that," the man said, ready to take a step forward. Kakashi placed a hand on the man's chest and pushed. Hidan. His name was Hidan. "How do we know you aren't bugged?"
"Listen, it's been a long day. I may not be a fighter, but if you try and turn us away, I'm going to kick your ass. I don't feel like being nice," Obito said, nudging Kakashi's shoulder so he could step around him. Kakashi chuckled.
"Move," Kakashi said. Hidan frowned, but he stepped aside.
Together, they descended the creaking stairs to the concrete room below. Several people were in the room, occupying worn couches, sitting at an old-fashioned dining-room table. Everyone turned to look at them, then several guns pointed at them. Obito took one step behind Kakashi, figuring the man made a good shield. A woman left her seat at the table and approached them. She stopped to collect a thick wand that reminded Obito of old-school metal detectors. She ran the wand over Kakashi several times, then she did the same to Obito. Satisfied that they weren't chipped or androids, she motioned for everyone to lower their weapons.
"They caught me," Kakashi began, following the woman to the table, where he claimed one of the free chairs. Obito looked around at everyone, then he followed Kakashi. "I crashed the system. It's probably back online."
"We thought you were dead," she said, pointing at a chair for Obito to join them. "Who's this guy?"
"Uchiha Obito," Kakashi spoke for Obito. "Obito, this is Konan. She's my last lieutenant."
"You're the leader of the resistance?" Obito massaged his temples, while Konan, amused, smiled at him. "This group is small," he noted.
"This is the main team. Other members of Akatsuki are undercover in cities across the world. Konan is originally from Amegakure," Kakashi explained, earning a nod from Konan. "I'm sorry about Yahiko and Nagato."
"It happens, unfortunately. We knew what we signed up for. So what are we going to do? Is he good with a gun?"
"He's capable of answering questions for himself," Obito interrupted, frowning at her. She chuckled then, waiting for him to answer her question. "I've never handled a gun before, but I've played video games? It's close, right?"
"So you're useless."
"I'll hit a woman too."
"I like you."
Flustered, Obito avoided her gaze. Kakashi started talking about a planned attack on several main cafes, where they would all connect to The Hub and access the mainframe and crash it permanently. Konan suggested they infiltrate Root, as Yahiko and Nagato had discovered a base in the restaurant district that was disguised as a ramen shop.
"Ichiraku's?" Obito introduced himself to the conversation. Konan smiled at him and nodded, seemingly pleased with his knowledge. "So what, they're androids?"
"Yes, actually," Konan replied, watching his face scrunch up at the news. "Let's get you a gun. You won't shoot yourself in the foot, right? We can run through a few lessons." Konan had too much fun with the subject and Obito stared at her with a blank face.
"He can have mine. We need first aid and body armor. If we're going to infiltrate, we'll need to be prepared," Kakashi said, reaching for the gun he had on himself. He offered the gun to Obito and Obito juggled the gun before he held it properly. Kakashi sighed and turned the gun away from himself. "Don't point it at us. Save it for the Root members."
Obito practiced with the safety on, pointing at the far wall, and he deemed himself ready, even though Kakashi laughed at him. When the meeting between the members concluded, Kakashi led Obito upstairs, where they entered an apartment on the second floor. The place was full of sealed cardboard boxes, the flaps tucked in to keep the contents inside. Obito entered into the kitchen and checked some of the cabinets. The place had a lot of instant meals and MRE packages. Kakashi prepared them some instant noodles using bottled water stored in one of the lower cabinets. They sat down on the plastic-covered couch and stuffed chicken-flavored ramen into their mouths.
"So this is your base," Obito said, words hurried between bites. Kakashi paused in eating to nod.
"One of them," Kakashi said. "This was my place. I'm surprised they left my belongings. We usually clear out apartments. We room with our partners to save space."
"Oh. You had a partner." Obito hated his own jealousy, which easily rose to the surface. Of course he'd had relationships, and it made sense for Kakashi to have had relationships. "So is your partner still around?"
"I never had a partner. Yahiko worked better with Nagato and Konan. Your jealousy is cute though," Kakashi smiled. Obito sputtered, trying to lie and say he wasn't jealous, but Kakashi ignored him. "It's alright. You talked about Rin so much that I thought you were dating. I was jealous too."
"It's not the same. Heterosexuality is the norm though. I never admitted to loving a computer program, let alone a male computer program. So I'm guessing a lot of computer programs are actually humans Root has collected."
"I've never been one to follow along with the norm, and yes. They kidnap people and upload their minds to Shadow City. Most of them are brainwashed. Their conditioning doesn't work on me. They'll regret not killing me."
Obito finished off his noodles and sat his empty cup and chopsticks on the table beside the couch. "I want to kiss you," he blurted out, feeling slightly stupid for saying it at all. "You're just so," Obito struggled, losing the words.
"Hm? So?" Kakashi smirked at him, setting the empty cup aside.
"Great. You're great. You're brave, for one, and I can't believe I ended up with the leader of the resistance group Akatsuki. I'm just a front desk clerk," Obito shrugged, feeling a little insecure. A small smile on his face, he eventually laughed. "You're a lot better than a computer program."
"I'd hope so. Come on, we can clean up and get ready." Kakashi stood and motioned for Obito to follow him.
The apartment had a small bathroom and the cabinet in the room still had some towels and toiletries. Obito stood there, waiting for Kakashi to leave, but Kakashi took off his leather jacket and tossed it aside. He reached down, grabbed the bottom of his shirt, and lifted it up and over his head. Openly staring, Obito slowly followed along the length of Kakashi's spine. Finally realizing Obito wasn't moving, Kakashi slowly removed his pants and Obito flailed.
"You haven't seen someone naked before?"
"Of course I have, but you, you just surprised me! I'll just wait outside. Yeah, just outside." Obito quickly turned to leave, but Kakashi caught the back of Obito's shirt and tugged him further into the bathroom. "Or you can undress me," Obito trailed off, watching as Kakashi started unbuttoning his dress shirt.
Kakashi shoved the open shirt off, then he took off Obito's undershirt, leaving him half-naked. He moved in and kissed Obito, backing the man into the bathroom wall. Obito dragged his fingers along Kakashi's back, feeling the warm, smooth skin. Kakashi's hands lowered from Obito's waist to grip his ass and Obito jerked forward, their bodies suddenly skin on skin. Obito tipped his head back, already feeling hot, but Kakashi suddenly pulled back. Kakashi unbuttoned his pants, so Obito did the same. When they were naked, Kakashi pulled Obito into the shower and tugged the curtain closed behind him. And suddenly it was steam and hands exploring. Kakashi left searing kisses along Obito's skin. Obito felt surprisingly light, probably due to the nervous butterflies in his stomach. Eventually the water went cold, so the shower had to end. They were clean, but Obito relished in the fact that he felt so damn dirty, and in the best kind of way.
"You're kind of a romantic after all," Obito remarked as they dressed in all black. Kakashi chuckled. "It's true." Kakashi helped him into a vest that would protect them from the ray guns, then straightened out Obito's damp hair.
"You think shower sex is romantic? I'll remember that I don't have to try so hard."
"I appreciate sex more than roses and restaurant dinners, and if that makes me a simple man, then that's what I am."
"Come on, simple man," Kakashi said, motioning for Obito to follow him out of the apartment.
They made it down several steps before the front door to the apartment building blew open. Several sets of footsteps were heard hurrying up the basement steps, then the front windows of the apartment building exploded inward. Kakashi drew a tanto and the blade lit up, electricity crackling as it traveled up the weapon. Everyone gathered in the entry hall to fight. Obito stood there, panicking, until he eventually hid in the corner, using an old chair for cover. One android fired at him and hit the back of the chair, sending stuffing everywhere. Obito crawled toward to the basement door to hide, but a redhead from the resistance was struck. Half of the man's skull exploded, sending blood and brain matter all over Obito. He saw an android approaching Kakashi's back, so he scrambled to hold the gun properly. He made sure the safety was off and fired, the recoil sending him back into the basement door. The android's right leg was blown off at the knee and it fell to the ground. The android quickly aimed at Obito, so he fired a few more shots, his hands gripping the gun for dear life.
They eventually defeated the first wave of androids. Kakashi bent down next to Obito and started speaking to him, the words nothing but an echo of gunfire. Kakashi slapped Obito, the harsh blow drawing him out of his shocked, scared state.
"You saved my life," Kakashi said, pulling Obito to his feet. Numb, Obito nodded. "I'm sorry, but we need to move. It's not safe here anymore. Are you coming with us? Are you coming with me?"
Obito thought of his job at the hotel. He thought of Madara, the man who'd raised him, and his heart ached at the thought of disappearing on the man. Even as Obito thought, Kakashi hurried him towards the stairs, where they climbed and climbed until they reached the roof of the building.
"I -- I'm not leaving without my uncle. I can't leave him, Kakashi. They'll kill him. Madara is all the family I have left," Obito said, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt Kakashi's hands on his cheeks, thumbs brushing over his skin.
"He's already gone by now. He finances the resistance. We'll find him."
"He what?"
"Let's go!" A blonde yelled back at them, easily jumping to the next rooftop.
Kakashi nodded, once again leading Obito to safety, saving him once more. Obito made the jump first and he stumbled on the landing, but Konan steadied him. They continued on, Kakashi easily catching up with them. And it was a game of chase again, and Obito decided he hated that game with everything he had. As he ran, Obito tried to make sense of his life. His ridiculously wealthy, temperamental uncle worked with the resistance. Within twenty-four hours, he'd gone from being a nobody to being another face in the wanted database.
"You're so lucky I love you, you bastard!" Obito hissed the words at Kakashi and Kakashi lightly slapped his ass, urging Obito onward. "Computer program my ass," he muttered.
"Save your love confessions for later, Tobi."
"What did you just call me?"
"Obito is dead now. Welcome to Akatsuki, Tobi."