"It seems that Skylar has been delivered to Deidara and Sasori."

Tobi's Sharingan eye glances over to the plant-man who materializes out of the tree beside him. He had turned down the artist's offer of food, and had elected to stay back at their current camp to "make sure no enemy ninja come by".

But in reality, Tobi wanted time alone to think.

He had been hoping that Pein would take care of the girl, and get her out of his hair, but whatever Skylar had told Pein had apparently managed to sway him. Additionally, Tobi knew Skylar dying would likely cause a handful of the Akatsuki members to turn against Nagato, and therefore, him. While killing her would hardly be a feat, the repercussions of her death would likely be irreversible.

Perhaps if he brainwashed the members with a genjutsu…

"I think she's going to try and ask you for help," white Zetsu speaks up when Tobi doesn't respond. At that, the masked man jolts in surprise.

"Me? Of all people she has decided to ask me?" he speaks in disbelief, wondering if Skylar really does have a death wish. If anything, she should be bowing at his feet, asking for forgiveness. Instead she's apparently going to ask him to help her return to her world. Which will take time away from his plans.

The idea is far from appealing.

"Well, let's she if she can convince me," Tobi speaks, and suddenly swirls out of existence without any warning. At his departure, white Zetsu sighs.

"She won't live long," his black counterpart speaks up.

"What a shame. She's very nice, too," white responds, and within a few seconds the plant-man disappears as well.

After feasting on dango, the artists, Skylar, and the zombie brothers all make their way back to Deidara and Sasori's temporary camp. Kakuzu had attempted to ditch the other pair at the food stand, but Deidara had pestered him about reattaching his salvaged arm. Despite being annoyed, Kakuzu had decided out of the kindness of his many hearts to help the dumbass blond.

"Oi, Zetsu, hm!" Deidara yells as he takes a seat on a rock in the clearing. Skylar flinches in surprise when Zetsu suddenly rises up from the ground right beside her.

"Yes?"

"Go see if you can find me a new arm, yeah."

"Any color preference?" White Zetsu responds smartly, and Deidara glares. Zetsu holds up his hands.

"Hai, hai," he says, and then disappears once more. With the plant-man off on a quest to find Deidara a new arm, said bomber settles in as Kakuzu prepares to reattach the arm he'd managed to recover. Skylar winces as Deidara shucks off his cloak—the bandages on his arm stained with blood.

She really doesn't want to see what he looks like underneath all those bandages.

Thankfully—(or not)—

"Skylar-chan!" A happy voice calls, and the hair on Skylar's nape rises. Before she can properly react, a pair of arms are around her. She staggers forward, entire body going stiff under the weight of the masked-man.

Even if his happy-go-lucky persona is in place, Skylar doesn't feel at ease. She's sure that beneath the surface, "Tobi" is still pissed at her for showing up in the Akatsuki's lives once more.

"Tobi," Sasori speaks, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the masked man's arms around Skylar. "Where have you been?"

"I've been off thinking!" He responds happily, his grip on the teen loosening, but not disappearing completely. Skylar stares at the arm he keeps wrapped around her shoulder, fear knotting in her chest.

He's got to be sticking this close to her for a reason.

"You can think, yeah? That's a miracle," Deidara puts in from a short way away. Tobi stomps his foot, free arm raising in the air indignantly as he yells back.

"Senpai! I can think just fine! It's you who can't think! That's why you lost your arms!"

Immediately a tick forms on Deidara's forehead, and Kakuzu presses the blond down by the shoulders as he attempts to stand.

"TOBI, HM! What did you just say?!"

"Oops!" Tobi responds, scared of facing Deidara's wrath, and suddenly turns to Skylar. She can see his Sharingan glaring through his mask.

"Gotta run!" he declares, and suddenly the space around him begins to swirl. Skylar's eyes widen, goosebumps raising all over her body in warning as she feels herself being pulled into Tobi's Mangekyo along with him.

"Hey-," Sasori tries to butt in, but Tobi interrupts.

"Don't worry, senpai! I'll have Skylar back soon!" he says, ending with a giggle, but Skylar really wishes she could run. Talking with Tobi is one thing, but talking with Tobi inside a dimension where no one will be able to find her dead body is another.

However, if Skylar attempts to separate herself or call for help, she's sure the others will get a little suspicious about why she's so scared of Tobi of all people, and will want answers. Answers that will be at the cost of Tobi's wrath, and likely the cost of her life as well.

So, she's helpless.

Within seconds, the real-world fades away, and Skylar's legs give out under her as she materializes midair. Collapsing onto her ass, Skylar quietly curses. Around her, the bleak blacks and grays of Obito's dimension are all she can see.

"So," a deep voice speaks, and Skylar looks up to find the masked man perched on a pillar ahead of her. He's sat comfortably, his Sharingan fixing her with a heavy stare.

"Let's have a chat, shall we?"

Skylar, aside from feeling scared, feels very torn.

Staring at Tobi—knowing who he is, and who he's pretending to be—it's hard to keep her thoughts in check. More than anything, she wants to inform Obito that he's being used. That he and Madara are both being used by Zetsu, and that everything he knows of Rin's death is a lie.

If Skylar believed she had any chance at swaying his motives, she would tell him. However…she doesn't think she has that chance.

The only one who can change Obito is Naruto. If Obito doesn't hear about the truth of Rin's death from Madara, then Obito likely won't believe it. If Skylar rambles on about the truth of everything, she very well might make him angrier than he already is—and she'll end up dead after having gaslit Obito to further pursue his revenge against the world.

So, all Skylar can think to do is carefully talk her way out of this. She doesn't want to change their plans—all she wants is to get home. If she can convince Obito of that, maybe he'll agree to help.

"At first, I found it very amusing that out of all of the Akatsuki, you seemed to be the one to know the most about me. Now…"

Skylar rears back in shock as Obito suddenly appears in front of her. His cloak flutters as he lands, and he squats down to her eye level.

His stare is far from amused.

"Now, I realize you hold information on not just me, but on the future of this world as well."

Skylar gulps, and Tobi reaches forward—his gloved fingers gripping her chin.

"While Pein let you get off without telling him, I expect you to answer my questions—especially considering you intend to ask me to help you get home, yes?"

Releasing her, Tobi stands back to his full height and paces away. Licking her dry lips, Skylar hesitates for a second and then scrambles to her feet.

"I—I know that you're probably pissed that I didn't let you all in on the fact that I knew about the future, but you have to understand—I don't want to change anything. With the way things are…if I act carefully and don't affect the future that's supposed to happen—then everything will work out!"

Obito will realize his mistakes, Sasuke and Naruto will defeat Kaguya, and things will be alright. Even if the Akatsuki lose their lives, Skylar knows that's how it has to be.

"Work out for who?" Tobi presses, pausing in his stride. Skylar hesitates.

"…for you."

"Which me," Tobi comes back smartly. Skylar freezes

She knows that the man in front of her is being manipulated, and that deep down he's still the gung-ho kid he had been all that time ago, so honestly, she's been avoiding saying his name, but…

"Obito."

As far as Skylar knows, what Madara and Obito want at the moment is still the same—so saying Obito's name shouldn't really matter. He'd likely asked because he wants to confirm that she knows who he really is. Or, at least, that's what Skylar hopes.

While she knows a lot about what happens surrounding Naruto—the inner workings of the minds of the Akatsuki are not known to her. She has no idea if Obito is actually moving according to Madara's will at the moment, or if a small part of him is already plotting to alter Madara's plans. So, right now all Skylar can think to do is be honest.

Or…as honest as she needs to be.

For a second, at hearing his name, the masked man pauses. Then, surprisingly, he reaches up and grabs his mask. Skylar's eyes go wide, watching as he unhooks the orange wood and holds it away from his face.

"As I thought, you know the truth," he speaks, his voice shifting into his normal, scratchier pitch. He regards Skylar with scrutiny, judging her reaction to his bold display. While she seems surprised at his actions, his revealed face doesn't seem to have a huge impact.

Meaning—

"And from your reaction, I can only assume that at some point, my mask must come off. By force, or by choice, however, is the real question."

Skylar can only stare, frozen on her feet, as the unmasked man begins pacing towards her. Internally, she curses herself for giving away information thanks to her physical responses. Pein had been able to surmise outcomes too based on her reactions alone. If Obito manages to do the same, and she can't control herself a bit better, Skylar's sure this situation will only continue to get more dangerous.

"I…Obito, please, I need you to trust me when I say that everything works out. I mean it," Skylar pleads, trying to end the conversation before it really begins.

"If it works out, then tell me how, exactly," Obito responds, his red eyes narrowing. His footsteps echo off the concrete, and Skylar feels a lump form in her throat.

"If I tell you how, I could ruin the ending. If I say too much—then everything that's meant to happen may change. I really believe that, which is why I told Pein the same thing. I don't want anything to—"

"You, a girl who was never a part of our world, and knows too much about it, is desperately trying to keep things the same," Obito interrupts, and when Skylar blinks, she finds that the older man is standing nearly toe to toe with her. Her heart feels like it might stop.

"If you ask me," he continues, his face darkening. "You being here is changing a lot of things. Maybe I can fix that by killing you."

On the edge of the camp—blocking out Deidara and Hidan's bickering, and Kakuzu telling them to be quiet—Sasori finds himself staring at the spot where Skylar had disappeared with Tobi.

As far as Sasori knows, Tobi is an Akatsuki-wannabe, who goofs off a lot. His powers are a bit of a mystery, but considering he's gotten this far, he must be strong.

Watching him and Skylar vanish out of thin air had confirmed as much.

"Hm," the puppet master grunts, and turns his attention back to the scroll in his lap. Even if Tobi is strong, he's still a dumbass. There's no reason he should be worried.

However—

Suddenly the space above him begins to swirl, and Sasori's eyes widen. Tossing his scroll to the side, he barely has time to hold his arms out before Skylar appears out of nowhere. With a grunt, the puppet master manages to catch the teen. Her eyes are wide with surprise, but Sasori notes that when she realizes it's him who is holding her, she immediately relaxes.

Sighing, she goes lax in his arms at knocks her forehead against his torso.

"Hi," she speaks, and Sasori cocks an eyebrow at her.

"Did you have fun with Tobi?"

"I wouldn't call it fun," Skylar responds honestly, and assuming the masked man must have been over exuberant, Sasori breathes a laugh.

"Well," he begins to say, one of his hands moving to rest on her hair. However, he pauses when the contact causes Skylar to wince. Sasori's face knits with suspicious concern, and Skylar meets his eyes.

"I have a headache," she tells him, closing her eyes. "I think I'm just really dehydrated."

"The last few days have been quite hectic," Sasori mumbles, his eyes glancing in the direction of the nearby river. Standing, he turns and places Skylar where he had been seated.

"I'll go and get some fresh water."

"Thanks," Skylar says, flashing him a small smile. Nodding. Sasori then turns and disappears into the tree line. At his departure, Skylar flits her gaze over to the zombie brothers and Deidara. Since Hidan and Deidara had gotten into it, Kakuzu is still attempting to put the final stitches in Deidara's arm.

Realizing the three are distracted and that she has a moment to herself, Skylar spins away from the group and lets out a sigh. Frowning, she brings a hand up to her head. The roots of her hair already feel bruised.

"You know that if you kill me, you'll lose the Akatsuki's trust," Skylar responds to Obito's threat. "And if you planned on killing me, you wouldn't have sucked me into your dimension right in front of the others. If you come back without me, it will be obvious you had something to do with it."

"So, you aren't dumb, after all," he responds, a hint of amusement in his voice. However, he doesn't back down, and Skylar feels like she's being crushed under his presence.

"I…," she wets her lips, trying to find the words to say. "I know that I'm a nuisance to you. I don't want to alter your plans at all. I don't want to get in your way, Obito. All I want at this point is to get back to where I belong, which in turn will get me out of your hair."

"Which is why you want me to help you," he surmises. Crossing his arms, he regards her with a heavy stare. Skylar hesitantly nods.

"I think that with your Mangekyo, perhaps there's somehow a way to create a portal from this world to—"

"Kamui only links to this dimension, I cannot link to others," Obito interrupts her, eyes narrowing. Skylar's sure that he thinks she's a fool. But she knows in the future, he'll be able to use Kamui to open portals to other dimensions when in Kaguya's space. She's not sure using his Sharingan to bridge the Naruto world to hers is even feasible, but she wants to get all her bases covered.

Somethinghas to work.

"I understand. But maybe if you're able to enhance it with another jutsu, or boost the power with another dimension, then…"

She trails off, not knowing what more to say. Her gaze drops to her feet, and she bites her lip. While Skylar knows the potential of Obito's Sharingan, she has no idea where to start when it comes to linking two different worlds. She has no idea if it's actually similar to linking dimension or not. She has no idea if it's even possible, but—

"All I want is to go home, Obito," she says, voice quiet. Obito takes it as a cry for help. However, he's not so easily swayed.

"You disregarded Pein's conditions for showing up in our bases, and managed to get the other members attached to you. In turn, that has caused delays, and now some of them are likely more loyal to you than to Pein. And you stand here asking me to help you, all while knowing what I'm trying to achieve?"

Skylar bites her lip hard, knowing she can't respond. There's nothing she can say right now. While it may not have been her intention in the beginning, everything he's saying is right.

There's a beat of silence, and then suddenly Obito breathes a sigh. Surprised by the sound, Skylar begins to lift her gaze back up to him, but instead she ends up squeezing her eyes shut when he grabs her by the hair.

With her brown locks tightly within one of his gloved fists, Obito forces the girl to look at him.

"I reallydon't care for you, but in order to get you out of my business, I'll see what I can do."

If he wasn't basically holding her up by her hair, Skylar likely would have smiled with relief. Instead, she's left there—barely on her tippy-toes, as Obito's glowing eyes bore into her.

"HOWEVER," he continues, voice dark. He emphasizes his next words with a tug of her hair. "If ANY of the members suffer major injuries or worse, on your behalf, that cause my plans to become delayed…I will no longer be interested in getting you out of my hair through such humane methods. Understood?"

"Y-Yes," Skylar winces, her heart racing against her ribs. Satisfied, Obito releases her, and she stumbles back.

After that, he hadn't bothered to say anything else to her. He'd simply transported her back to the real world, where she'd managed to land on Sasori.

Sighing again, Skylar holds a hand to her chest. Despite not facing Obito anymore, her heart is still racing.

"Oi—"

A hand is placed on her shoulder, and Skylar jumps. Eyes wide, she turns to see that Hidan is standing beside her. Cocking an eyebrow, the Jashinist regards her curiously.

"The fuck are you so scared for?"

"I'm—I was just lost in my thoughts," Skylar responds, laughing awkwardly. Not going to argue, Hidan simply rolls his eyes and removes his hand from her.

"Anyway, I came over to let you know that fucker and I are leaving. We need to get moving on our mission since blondie's arm is all patched up now."

He throws a thumb over his shoulder and, blinking, Skylar looks past him to where Deidara is stood, rolling his shoulder and attempting to move his fingers.

"Oh, okay, well. Be safe," Skylar says. She raises her hand and pats his arm good-naturedly. Hidan eyes her at the gesture, and after a second a grin spreads across his face.

"Are you gonna give me my shirt back?"

"Wha-?" Skylar startles, looking down at herself. She'd forgotten she was wearing it.

Sparkle in his eye, Hidan reaches forward and attempts to grab the hem of her shirt. Skylar squeals, quickly moving to smack him away. Snickering, Hidan manages to get the shirt all the way up to the edge of her bust line when suddenly he's whacked in the head.

"Shit!" he curses, staggering to the side. Glowering, he turns to find Kakuzu standing there. Just behind him are Deidara and Sasori—the artists looking about ready to decapitate the Jashinist.

"I was just fucking with her…," he mumbles, and Kakuzu rolls his eyes.

"Let's go, idiot."

Stepping forward, Kakuzu lightly places a hand on Skylar's head, and then continues walking. Cheeks red, Skylar turns to watch after the two as they head back into the forest.

"Be careful!" She calls after them, and Hidan raises a hand to wave her off. Skylar laughs in disbelief, and pauses when an arm suddenly wraps around her shoulders. Glancing down, she sees fresh stitches in the arm.

"Dei?" she questions, and after a moment the blond rests his chin on her shoulder.

"It's good to see you again, yeah," he says, a hint of fondness in his voice, and for the first time today, Skylar feels the stress wash from her shoulders. Lifting a hand, she gently rests it on Deidara's arm.

"I really did miss you guys."

Helloooo.

Guess what? I have a new job! I start 2 weeks from today, at a Japanese company as a customer service rep! I'm super stoked to get out of retail, and into a full time position, with good benefits, that will hopefully work out in the long run!

Also, I've had a cold for a week! Between interviews, sickness, and Holiday I've been quite busy lol

Anyway, I hope y'all had a good Thanksgiving! For those in school, good luck with finals in the upcoming weeks lol

Until next time!

Please review!