Fitting fanart by Mai-Shibata-Uchiha on deviantART. 

Beta: Lavendor Queen

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"Alright," Obito said, his arm wrapped around me. "I'll 'kidnap' Bee (but actually just Kumo think I'm kidnapping him and allow him to slip away) and in about three days the Kage Summit will be called. I will appear before them, claim I'm Madara and declare war, yadda, yadda. I'll rage the war, and Itachi will be performing Edo-Tensei. After that point has been reached, I will be 'killed' by Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, Jiraiya and some of the Akatsuki. I get all of that... but what I don't understand is why the hell is Kakashi involved."

If I could have rolled my eyes, I would have. "Because you need to die before the shinobi alliance arrives or else someone will call bullshit. And you need to die by a nice variety, but still by shinobi we trust enough not to reveal your identity. And besides... Kakashi's missed you."

"I don't want to tell him," Obito muttered petulantly.

"He stands at your grave every day he's in Konoha for hours on end, regardless of the weather or time."

"So?"

"He's so guilt-ridden by your death he doesn't think that he deserves to be happy."

"... So?"

"He devoted himself to your nindo and your sacrifice."

"... So..."

"So... come on, Obito. Have a heart."

Obito sighed. "Can't he just be one of those ignorant ones - "

"Obito, he deserves the truth."

"Mia..."

"Please?"

"Mia..."

"Please?"

"... Mia..."

"For me?"

Obito groaned. "Fine. Fine. When we go back to Konoha, I'll tell him the truth and the plan. Are you sure he'll even go along with the plan?"

"He will," I said, completely confident.

There was a knock at our bedroom door.

"Come in," I chirped, "Kakashi."

The door opened and Kakashi stepped in, closing it behind him. "You said you wanted to see me while Naruto and Sasuke were still talking with their PenPals...?"

"Hang on," I said, sliding away from Obito and grabbing the video camera. I fumbled with the controls a bit, and Obito sighed and assisted me. When the camera was properly positioned, Obito turned to Kakashi and cleared his throat.

"There's something you need to know," Obito said, dropping his Tobi persona. "First of all, I'm not actually Tobi. That's not my name. Second, you're a sentimental idiot. Third, this is going to take a long time, so please take a seat."

Kakashi did not verbally respond, but he did grab a chair a and take a seat, because Obito continued. "If it were me, I wouldn't have told you, but... well... my life isn't really just mine anymore. I've made some... errors... in my judgement. I don't care to admit it, but... I was blinded by my anger and grief for a long time and now... now it's not so hard to see. However, I've done some things I'm not proud of. I've dug too deep a hole and a lot of my actions are regrettable. But, I would like to... to change that now. To do that, I'll need your help."

And then there was the soft click as Obito removed his mask.

Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath.

"... It's been a while since we were able to talk like this, Kakashi," Obito said softly.

Kakashi did not verbally respond, and for a long time, neither did Obito.

"... Do you need me to get you a tissue or something?" Obito asked incredulously.

When Kakashi spoke, his voice was rough. "... No. I just... Is that really you, Obito?"

"Yeah. You know it is."

"Why didn't you... why didn't you...?"

Obito sighed. "It's a long story. Are you prepared to listen?"

"Yes," Kakashi said quickly.

"... After I fell unconscious from the rock fall, I awoke to find myself in this strange cave..."

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"Hey, dear," I said, neatly mincing some carrots. Naruto had entered the kitchen and greeted me with a bright hello and a kiss on the cheek. "How's your meeting with Nagato?"

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "He's like... so cool! Hey, have you seen Sasuke or Kakashi?"

"Kakashi's sobbing his eyes out in my room at the moment and Sasuke's conspiring a plan for vengeance with his brother," I said.

"Wait... what?"

"Okay, so maybe not sobbing, but he's very... clingy... right now."

"... I thought Sasuke hated his brother because he was evil incarnate or something?"

"It's a long story, dear. You'll understand soon enough."

"Understand what?"

The owner of the voice was so unexpected, I almost messed up my mincing process. "... Leader-sama? What are you doing here?"

"... I was actually looking for you or Tobi," Nagato said quietly, via his Deva Path. "I wanted... I wanted to discuss the Akatsuki plans with you."

"Oooh. Good. We can discuss them after dinner, if that's okay with you. I think I'll be able to pry Kakashi away from him long enough for that."

"... Very well."

"Naruto-chan is a good boy, isn't he?"

"Aa. He is."

"Hey, don't talk like I'm not here," Naruto pouted.

I set my knife down and turned my back to the counter, holding out my hand. Naruto took my hand in his own and I pulled him closer. I placed my other hand on top of his head and then I kissed the top of his head. "Go ahead and tell everyone that dinner will be ready soon, please."

"Aa. Come on, Nagato-nii-chan. Let's go, let's go! And you promise to show me that super awesome jutsu after you talk with Tobi and Kaa-chan, right? Right?"

"Aa. I promise."

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

After dinner, I grabbed Kakashi by the hand and started dragging him away. "Kakashi, we're going to the bakery! ... Please make sure I don't run into anything along the way."

Kakashi squeezed my hand and sped up his pace so he could walk beside me. "... Is Tobi coming with us?"

"No."

Kakashi hesitated. "... Will he be joining us?"

"No."

"... Maybe I should just drop you off and - "

"Oh my God. Stop obsessing over my boyfriend. He's mine. You can't have him. I will fight you for him. Rawr."

Kakashi gave a quiet, nervous chuckle. "I'm not obsessing over him - "

If I could look at him with my own eyes, I would have given a look that conveyed: You're-in-more-denial-than-I-am-honey. Kakashi must have realized this because he cleared his throat and tugged on my hand, deftly allowing me to move out of the way of an upcoming obstacle and remain silent.

The two of us left the tower and headed out onto the streets. A place I was intimately familiar with, so I didn't need a guide anymore. Releasing his hand, I skipped down the street, shivering in the chilly rain. We traversed in silence, the sound of our footsteps and the rain the only sound around us. It didn't take long for us to reach my usual bakery shop, and I opened the doors with confidence once could only receive from familiarity.

The smell of baked sweets filled the warm air, and the bell on the door jingled. The sweet lady that ran the shop, Ana, said, "Welcome back, Mia-sama. Usual?"

"Yes, please," I said, reaching out a hand as I walked over to my usual spot. I grasped the soft chair and took a seat, grinning brightly.

The chair in front of me squeaked as Kakashi pulled it back and sat down. Suddenly, I felt the warm blanket that I normally kept here fall over my shoulders. I pulled it against me. "Thank you, Ana-chan."

Ana murmured a reply, before she headed away.

"I know you don't like sweets, but they do have some bitter chocolate here," I said. "Go ahead and order what you like. I have a tab here."

"You come here often enough you have your own blanket," Kakashi stated.

I shrugged. "It's nice and private. Tobi and I can eat here without his mask on. See the curtains? We just pull them back and viola. Instant privacy. We both like sweet food and with the one-way window-wall, it has a nice street-side view. Besides, the food is pretty damn awesome."

A grin took over my face. "I even have it set up so I can charge my laptop down here. Well, all the laptops. Truth be told, this is our favorite place to do multigames. Sasori's usual spot is over there by the corner, and Itachi usually sits next to me. Hidan mixes it up, but Kakuzu is pretty loyal to the chairs by the door. Deidara likes the counter spot and Tobi sits across from me. Kisame normally sits next to Tobi, but sometimes he'll sit by Kakuzu."

Kakashi's voice was warm, and I had a feeling he was smiling behind his mask, "The Akatsuki don't really seem like a criminal organization."

"I know, right? I'm so proud of myself. I'm, like, the ultimate manipulator."

Kakashi actually laughed at that.

"Bringing all these high-class S-Ranked criminals to their knees. Sort of. We're more like a dysfunctional family at this point, especially with Naruto and Sasuke joining the mix. And Sakura and Ino. And Hinata. Which reminds me, I need to finish making their laptops... then I can start tinkering with the range capabilities..." I trailed off thoughtfully, wondering how I could do such a thing. It would obvious to just need amplify it from its current state - no need to overcomplicate it. Given how most of the parts on the laptops were chakra made, and how versatile chakra was and how in some cases, amplifies things, I wondered if chakra could be used as basis for the waves. Maybe even produce the waves at such a higher frequency rate that it would have enough energy to -

Kakashi snapped his fingers in front of my face and I snapped back into reality. "Sorry."

"... Still, though..." Kakashi trailed off. "... You know, you never really talk about your homeland."

I stilled.

"You had a family, didn't you? One you left behind? I know it's not my business to ask, but..."

"It's okay," I managed, my stomach churning. I tried not to think about them a lot, to be entirely honest. I couldn't return home, and I couldn't think of a way to send any sort of message across to them. Even Obito couldn't replicate what he had originally done - it was something he did subconsciously and given how I had originally arrived (literally kicked out of my own world), I imagined it wasn't an open-door thing.

It was a one-way ticket.

So I tried not to dwell on them, because it was hard. Leaving everyone behind was really hard. Coming into a new world was really, really hard. It was easier to just ignore it, just focus on things that I could actually do something about.

Momma always said it was pointless to worry over things I couldn't change.

I didn't even have pictures of them on my hard drive. Oh, sure, I had family photo albums, but they were hard copies. Things I left behind. What pictures I had on my hard drive mostly consisted of pet pictures and a handful of silly pictures with my friends. And a lot of cosplay stuff, but that was moot.

Although I could not use my eyes, I couldn't help, but turn my 'gaze' down. My chest was starting to ache and I bit my bottom lip.

Shit. If I cry, it'll hurt like a son of a bitch because of my condition, I thought, starting to rock in place. "Red."

"What?"

"I don't know. I'm trying not to think about stuff that's going to make me emotional because I cannot cry now. If you make me cry, you're pretty much effing over my eyes even more so."

"Sorry, I didn't realize - er - so - um - I'm not obsessed with your boyfriend."

I gave a strained choking sound, in a vain attempt to laugh at that. "Bull shit. I don't have eyes and I can see you mooning over him."

"I am not mooning over him."

"What? Are you my rival now? First I had to compete with Rin, now I have to compete with you? What the hell?"

"I am not your love rival."

"Mm-hmm. Just remember your place. It's me he'll always return to."

Kakashi snickered. "Yes, ma'am."'

"Do I look like a ma'am?" I whined. "Jeeze, first Hinata-chan and now you."

"It's the bandages."

"I knew it. Damn these bandages."

"Does Tobi need help kidnapping Bee? Or in the war?" Kakashi asked. "I didn't get a chance to ask him last night..."

"No. He's fine."

"You sure? I could fake my death, too, you know, and help him..."

"Wow. You are my love rival, what with the way you're bending over for him."

"Mia, you do not need to worry about me in that regard. Or anyone for that matter. He only has eyes for you."

"That doesn't mean I'm okay with others throwing themselves at him."

"Seriously, Mia. I promise you that I am not attracted to Obito in that manner, nor is he attracted to me in that manner. And I swear we will never be attracted to each other in that manner."

"Oh, fine. Kill my threesome fantasies then."

"What. What. You have threesome fantasies?"

"No. But now I definitely won't now because you just shot those chances with your cruel, senseless words."

"Here you are, Mia-sama," Ana said. I heard the soft tink as a plate of sweet, delicious baked goods was set in front of me and a cup of hot, sweetened milk tea.

"Can I get you anything, Shinobi-san?"

"Hot black tea is fine, thank you."

Ana demurred a response before she left.

"Now comes the hard part," I sighed, reaching out hesitantly for the tea.

"Do you need me to feed you?" Kakashi inquired politely.

I huffed. "I don't need anyone to feed me."

"Tobi fed you last night."

"Only because I was intimidated by your presence and wanted to show you your place. He's mine."

"Oh my God..."

I grinned widely. "Oh, I'm kidding. I just like watching you squirm." I paused. "... Well, in my mind you're squirming, at least."

A hand was placed over my head, ruffling my hair. "Maa. You're more annoying than a little sister."

"I am not. I'm just as annoying."

Kakashi chuckled.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

I sneezed, sniffling. Another towel was placed on my head, the first and second towel being wrapped around me. The towel on my head began to move as he started to scrub on my wet hair. He sighed, "Honestly, Mia, you know better than to play in the rain for so long."

"I was stalling for time," I protested. "I didn't know when you or Nagato would be done talking."

Obito sighed again and continued to dry my hair. "We finished a while ago."

"And?"

"And he's willing to go along with our plan. Him and Konan. Meaning tonight, I'll 'kidnap' Bee, and tomorrow morning Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi will leave for Konoha. I'll go ahead and implant the evidence onto Danzo tonight, so by the time you three get back to Konoha (which would be in about two days), he'll already be on trial."

I perked up. "Do you think I could watch him be on trial?"

"No," Obito said patiently. "You're still a civilian and civilians aren't allowed to attend trials for shinobi... safety reasons, you understand. Anyway, Sasuke will have his revenge (justice), Itachi will be cleared and then the Summit will occur. You will accompany Nagato and Konan to the Summit - as they will represent the neutral lands, given their ties to the Akatsuki - and Nagato and Konan will be able to reveal their true identities in the process. Meaning, no more hiding."

I frowned. "... Is Nagato going to take a path?"

"No," Obito said. "He's going as himself. The Summit will commence then I shall interrupt, flirt with you, and generally just be awesome."

I giggled. Obito stopped drying my hair and set the towel elsewhere. He placed a firm kiss on my forehead then continued to talk, "War will be declared, yadda, yadda. Akatsuki will say they will assist in the war, but Itachi will explain his illness to Tsunade. Doubtlessly, she'll place him out of the war and to assuage Sasuke and Naruto (because you know both of them will be pestering her for it), she will treat Itachi to the best of her abilities before the war. When the war occurs, I'll fetch Itachi so he can use Edo-Tensei (as we have all the necessary supplies now, thanks to the fact Itachi remembered to ask Kabuto where all his supplies for the jutsu was) and then hide him away.

"The war will carry on for a while and I'll pretend to be defeated by the hands of Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and the Akatsuki. Sasuke, Kakashi, Naruto, Nagato, Konan, Kisame, and you are the only ones that will know the full plan," Obito finished summarizing. "So. Big night tonight. Go ahead and get to bed - I'll join you after I take of the things."

I pouted. "No. I'll wait up for you."

"It'll be a late night," Obito warned.

"We can sleep in tomorrow."

"If you're sure..."

"I am."

There was a moment of pause before Obito started to gently push me down on the bed. "I don't know. Unlike me, you need sleep. Just sleep for a little bit, I can wake you when I come back."

I reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, bunching the cloth in my hand. I pulled him down on me and said, "Liar. You'd let me sleep."

Even if I couldn't see him, I knew he was smirking in amusement. His lips brushed over my own as he said, "Oh? Is that so?"

There was a knock on the door. "Obito? Mia? It's me, Kakashi..."

We both groaned in annoyance.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

I squeezed the life out of Naruto, and Sasuke. Sakura was a little behind me. She was staying behind (along with Ino), as she was still a Konoha representative. The only reason the rest of Team 7 was out here was because Naruto was going to leave Konoha anyway to check on me. The PenPal thing was just a bonus. But enough time had passed and it was time for them to carry on with their shinobi career.

Kissing both of their cheeks, I stepped back, my hands still on their shoulders. "I'll be back in Konoha in about a week, so take care, both of you. Hopefully, by the time I return, I'll be able to see again."

"Be safe, Kaa-chan," Naruto told me. "Let Tobi open the doors first."

Sakura giggled. "Or Deidara."

"Be nice, you two," I scolded.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "... Is Itachi still coming to Konoha?"

"Yes. He and Kisame will leave a couple days behind you two," I said. "Don't worry, Sasuke-chan."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "And are you certain that you and Tobi will be okay? Does Tobi need any assistance with the plans? Any? At all?"

"Someone hit Kakashi for me."

There was a smack and Tobi giggled. "There you go, Mia-chan. Now shoo, you three. Mia-chan will be just fine here! Tobi will protect her."

Naruto huffed. "Because you did such a good job last time."

"At least Tobi didn't let her get kidnapped."

"Guys, guys," I said quickly, realizing this was a downward situation. "Let's