how did this even happen...

[mooneye]

It wasn't a bad sort of place. Lots of things to do and people to see. Plenty of freedom to dart over the rooftops and down the alleys--or out of the village and into the woods and rocky wild places beyond. Obito liked Michi no Sato.

He had stopped for lunch and was eating at a table outside the restaurant, watching people walk past. The food was good. The cold breeze was nice. Ah, yes. Years and years trapped in a cave with a crazy old man and a bunch of plant monsters--it had left him really able to appreciate the little things.

[ooc: here is an AU Obito in his twenties. Got through the time with Madara, and Rin's death, but didn't go completely evil after all of it...]

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[mooneye]

Obito watched him, and rapped his fingers against the table thoughtfully. It was unfair, he thought. He probably wouldn't have recognized himself either, after all this time. "Itachi," he said. "I'm your cousin. I'm Obito. Remember?"

[youngesthokage]

He just stared, then leaned back a bit, looking shocked and a bit hurt. "That's not funny. He died when I was -four-." He paused, took a deep breath. "But... there are alternate timelines. I... I should not discount the possibility."

[mooneye]

Obito watched him, and then looked away. So this was an Itachi that hadn't met him again, since that day he was separated from his team and the village. Hmm. "Do you still carry a kunai with you?" he asked, very quietly.

[youngesthokage]

His eyes widened a little, and he leaned forward a bit without really meaning to. "I do. I've gotten rather adept with them."

[mooneye]

That got a smile that clearly said--good. He looked at Itachi for a few moments more before offering his hand, across the table. The left hand that really was his hand.

[youngesthokage]

He stared at his hand for a moment before reaching to take it, voice quiet. "In my timeline I'm Hokage now."

[mooneye]

Obito took his hand and squeezed it firmly in both of his. Not a handshake, but something else. A slower, more tender gesture. And he grinned at the news. "You? Really? An Uchiha?"

[youngesthokage]

He nodded at once. "It was... Hiruzen-sama gave me that, to see if it would stall out the coup attempt. It... worked imperfectly, and a lot of people ended up dying within the clan, but... it could have been so much worse. I've heard from other mes about what could have happened. My choices were apparently Hokage or missing-nin without any breathing room in between." He hesitated a moment. "My best friend deliberately gave me the Mangekyo before I was offered the choice. It was... hard. Those few years were very hard."

[mooneye]

Obito listened quietly and intently. That was interesting. The way things could have gone. He had met a few people from the timeline that involved the slaughter of the clan and thought each time--what a waste. This way was better. This Itachi was wiser, he thought. "That sounds difficult." Certainly, Obito knows the price of the Mangekyo. "But... better than missing-nin, probably."

[youngesthokage]

"Yes. I do not have the death wish that the other version of myself does. His fondest wish is to die by Sasuke's hands." It was a murmur. "I never wish to be in such a place."

He was quiet a moment, then his lips twitch. "I live with a Sasuke from that timeline, he's only a year younger than I am."

[mooneye]

"...From a timeline where you killed the clan." Obito's tone probably made it obvious that he suspected such a living arrangement might be strained, at the very least.

[youngesthokage]

He flushed slightly. "Yes. We were in another place before this one together and I finally managed to get him to stop attempting to harm me in any way. He even calls me Nii-san again!"

[mooneye]

"Is he very different from the Sasuke of your world? I suppose he must be."

[youngesthokage]

"He was living on nothing but vengeance and hate. It hurt to speak to him sometimes. It's better now. Things are... complicated. And improper. We have a girlfriend."

[mooneye]

It took a moment for that last part to sink in. When it did, he cracked up.

[youngesthokage]

He was pink, he couldn't help it. "The situation arose from a somewhat complicated origin in another place." He sank down in his seat a little. "Though was not formally decided until here."

[mooneye]

It took him a while to get himself back under control. But it was funny. This being Itachi, and all. "I am impressed. She's a kunoichi?"

[youngesthokage]

He nodded, squirming in his chair before leaning forward. "Not one of those overly voluptuous ones either. She's a weapon's mistress and we can't even get her clothes off without watching out for accidentally being stabbed if we don't pay close attention." He couldn't help his smile at that. "We both really like her."

[mooneye]

He smiled, liking the description quite a bit. "Good. A kunoichi should be a hard woman. You should never be quite sure she isn't going to murder you, at least by accident, if she's a real catch. I'm glad you two found her."

[youngesthokage]

He nodded again, sitting straighter in his chair at the obvious approval. "She is. She's strong and has no hesitation demanding things when she wants them. She's beautiful too." He nodded crisply. "Her name is Tenten."

[mooneye]

He watched him, pleased by the affection in the description. The girl sounded strong and capable. Good. She would need to be. Uchihas--even the best of them--were difficult people. "Where are you three living?"

[youngesthokage]

"I have a house set in the cliff face to the south of the village. I got here first and they came after so there was still some rather nice placement to choose from. Most of the abandoned places are slowly getting claimed as people appear though I've noticed."

[mooneye]

"Hm. I like it. There's a lot of life here. Even people who shouldn't be alive are alive and... doing things. It's fun."

[youngesthokage]

"Yes people are definitely... doing things. I... never even imagined I might see you here." He leaned forward, studying him carefully. "So... you came home, in your timeline?"

[mooneye]

A very small trace of--something, almost longing--crossed his expression. It was there and gone almost too quick to notice. "Yes. It took a while, but I got home again. Well. Most of me did."