AU RP--

[mooneye]

...

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Must head off early--night!

[mooneye]

"Perfect." Obito felt the muscles in his shoulders loosen a bit, he was so genuinely glad to hear it. He had a lot of energy, but still. Weeks on the road made the prospect of somewhere there might be a bath and a bed to sleep in very appealing. "Feels like home already. Shall we?"

Sleep well!

[youngesthokage]

He gave a soft laugh and did a quick summon, pressing a message on the bird before releasing her. "Now, yes."

[mooneye]

He watched the bird flap away, a scrap of darkness above them that was quickly gone over the tops of the trees. Good. Tsunade had called him in--presumably--to give the ANBU less to worry about, not more. He started down the weathered stone pathway that wound down to the forested nook the house was tucked back in.

[youngesthokage]

He looked back to Obito once the bird was out of sight, then trailed after him, more relaxed now that he knew he didn't need to worry for a little longer.

[mooneye]

This was nice. Quiet, a little cold, enclosed. Obito rummaged and searched with quick fingers around the path and the front of the place until he found the key, slid it into the lock and pushed the door open.

[youngesthokage]

He shook his head at him, then just slipped inside, taking a deep breath and looking around. "It smells like mint."

[mooneye]

Obito took a deep, quiet breath. Tasting the air. Indeed, there was a scent of mint and sage. A cool, herby mix. A whiff of other earthy things, too. The place was not too big. Kitchen and cupboards, table, shelves, bed. "Are those your books?"

[youngesthokage]

He looked over, then inclined his head. "Most of them. I've taken a few off my teammates."

[mooneye]

He circles the room, exploring. Looking into drawers to find stored food, cups and bowls. By the bed there is a large trunk filled with fluffy blankets and cushions. He pauses closer to the shelf with the books on it and reads some of the titles.

[youngesthokage]

He flushes as he realizes that one of the books on the shelf was once Obito's, but he didn't comment on it. He'd gotten it from Shisui, who had ended up with, and not appreciated it, after Obito 'died'. It was that first book of Jiraiya's that so few people knew about.

"It's a nice place to go, when I need a little breathing room."

[mooneye]

He paused at that title, reaching up and pulling it halfway down. At first just because it was sort of familiar. When he realized where it was familiar from--ah. That was right. It had been on his desk, in his old room. A favorite. He pushed it snugly back up onto the shelf, not wanting to get it down and leaf through it just yet. Later, he thought.

He turned around when Itachi spoke. "I like it. It feels good here."

[youngesthokage]

"It's my favorite of my retreats." It was a murmur. "I don't always use the same one because that would be predictable."

[mooneye]

"Smart." Obito nodded his approval. "It's a long way away from anything."

[youngesthokage]

He nodded and moved to get tea started, not having actually eaten anything for a few hours. "But not too far."

[mooneye]

"Still Konoha's territory," he agreed. And he stood and watched Itachi with the tea for a bit before beginning to strip his traveling clothes off.

[youngesthokage]

He nodded, setting the brew to steep finally and moving to get down a cup for it.

[mooneye]

He found the door to the bathroom and pushed it open, and left it mostly open, undressing completely there and turning the water on in the bathtub. He wasn't planning to soak, really. Just wash some of the worst dirt from the road off quickly.

[youngesthokage]

Leaving the door open like that was bound to catch Itachi's curiosity, and after he set the cup down he moved to peek. Not in stealthy manner, simply looking around the door frame.

[mooneye]

Obito was undressed, but crouching on the other side of the tub, watching the water fill it. It was an old fashioned sort of thing. Not attached to the wall, but standing on four legs. His chin was resting on his palm. He glanced up at Itachi, standing in the doorway. "You can come in," he offered.

[youngesthokage]

He stepped inside, looking into the tub. "Waiting for it to fill first?"

[mooneye]

"Fill partway, maybe." He flicked his fingers across the water's rising surface. "Do you want to wash up? You can go first, if you want."

[youngesthokage]

He hesitated, then shook his head. "No... Better if I wait. I have the tendency to linger."

[mooneye]

Obito nodded, smiling. That was like him. He turned the faucet off before the water had filled the tub up much more than halfway and stood, giving Itachi time to look away if he wanted to but not shy about his own nudity. He was built lean and hard. Bare, it was clear that the scars went all the way down. The whole half of his body that had been so badly mangled and so strangely rebuilt by Madara.

[youngesthokage]

He was looking. He couldn't help it, really, eyes curiously and shamelessly wandering down over the scar latticework that was his cousin's body.

[mooneye]

Obito stood and just let him look. There was a lot. Grooves and ridges, and down the center of him the spaced, short slashes that the deep clips from the start of his recovery had left. "It doesn't hurt anymore," he said. "It hasn't in years."