The Night Bird's Plea

Chapter 9: Realization

Thirteen years ago...

Kakashi batted away a pesky gnat and squinted at the sky. The afternoon sun fell to the side, blistering the tops of waxy green leaves. The cicadas' pervasive hum rose to a screech, only to be silenced when he neared. A ninja would not have allowed their presence to be detected through an insect's stillness, but he was within the perimeters of Konoha's outer forests, and acting far removed from any trained ninja should be whilst wars raged on neighboring borders.

He wiped beads of sweat dripping from his forehead before they could soak into his mask. "Want to explain to me again why we're out here catching kabutomushi?" An activity deemed worthy for children longing for pets over the summer break.

Except, there were two problems.

One, those giant beetles were harmless and children could trap them themselves.

And two, neither he nor his.. teammate ventured out here with the appropriate equipment to catch said giant beetles.

"It's, you know, for that, uhm," Obito stalled. He placed his hand on a tree trunk and peeped around it, watching the main road leading to the village. Not noticing the beetle crawling across the hills of his white knuckles.

"Ew!" Obito flung the bug off. "There was that low rank mission to bring some back for.. something." He continued his journey through the woods, sticking to the edges near the road. Oblivious to anything happening around him. Stepping over roots he didn't see. Avoiding branches he was seconds from thumping his goggles on. Taking excessive glances at the dirt horizon parting the forest in half.

Obito hopped on one foot, freeing his snagged pants from a briar bush, and barreled ahead with a dopey expression on his face.

"And what, exactly, are we supposed to do with them after we.. Oh." Kakashi observed why Obito sought the easiest mission possible to allow them past the village walls. Past the gates where Obito normally wasted his time, reading over the names of everyone who had checked in that day. Which also explains why he was foaming at the mouth at a particular ANBU Captain's name; it was her troop leader's. "You could've told me you wanted to see her. I would've covered for you."

Obito exhaled an inattentive huh?, then rounded on him, shaking his fist. "You couldn't lie to Minato if your life depended on it!"

"I lied when I told him I was beginning to tolerate you," Kakashi replied. Obito opened his mouth to argue more, but Kakashi raised his hands in a nonchalant shrug. "I'll leave you two alone."

Anxiety grated on Obito's nerves. Kotori was home and here he was bickering with his nemesis. Clenching his jaw, he returned his gaze to her, where it belonged. "You don't wanna welcome her back?"

Kakashi pointed at the sun despite Obito's back being towards him. "Not really. Irritable at day, agreeable at night."

Obito shook his head. "What?"

"She's nocturnal," he explained needlessly, amused at his teammate's shoulders jumping to his ears like a dog's hackles at his tone. "And she looks pissed off just from surviving another mission."

A frighteningly apt description for the state of Kotori's stiff posture and vexed expression. Glaring ahead like the sun personally wronged her. But still, Kakashi didn't have to be rude about it. "Hey! Don't say.. stuff like.. that." Too late. He had leapt to the maze of tree branches above them and was off to Konoha.

"Tch, whatever." Nothing would ruin this day for Obito. "Kotori!"

Smothering her pained face, she tightened the muscles in her left leg to cover her limp and smiled through her swollen lip . Greeting him in what felt like too long. "Obito!" She giggled at him practically galloping through the trees to meet her in the road. "You came to see me! Or are you on a school trip?"