Obito was fond of this place, the private spot at the edge of the forest, where a cliff overlooked miles of green. Clouds kissed the tops of mountains in the distance, making the sky appear as if it were just within reach. This was where Obito came to think, where he could escape the entropy that seemed to follow him everywhere else. Out here, Obito wasn't an infamous leader nor was he Tobi. That alias was shed until he stepped foot out of the small sanctuary. None of the other members ventured this far out, the paths were too convoluted and overgrown to bother.

"Obito?"

Well, most of the members didn't. Obito straightened up a bit, though he didn't stand, and turned his head to the side. Out of the corner of his vision he watched Deidara making his slow approach. Deidara's eyes never left Obito, as if he were waiting to be ordered to leave. Of course, such an order would have likely just gotten brushed off. Deidara could see something had been plaguing Obito's thoughts lately, and he'd come to try prying the reason out of his partner. "You traipsed all the way out here just to hunt me down?" Obito asked, bemused.

Deidara cocked a brow. "It's part of my job to be good at tracking, and you act surprised, yeah?" Deidara snickered before he took a seat beside Obito, mindful of the cliff's edge. "Besides, I think you've kept enough secrets from me, by now." Deidara spoke in good humor and gave Obito's shoulder a nudge for good measure.

"I can't argue with that," Obito replied, smiling as he felt Deidara's weight leaning against his side. Deidara had gained much of his muscle mass back, but he was still somewhat slight against Obito. "I can ask if you have a reason for tracking me, at least."

"I don't need a reason," Deidara answered.

"I remember why Sasori used to call you a brat," Obito spoke dryly, but it was with good humor. Deidara gave him a cheeky smile in retaliation.

"I don't blame you for coming out here to disappear for a while, yeah." Deidara would never be able to imagine keeping up a façade for so long. What would it feel like if you forgot who you really were? He wasn't brave enough to ask such a question, maybe he was afraid of what the answer would be. "But something's been bothering you, lately. Ever since the infiltration attempt you seem like your mind is somewhere else, un."

The observation wasn't untrue, but that didn't mean Obito had an answer for it. Not a simple answer, anyway. "It isn't your concern, Deidara. Not yet."

Blond eyebrows furrowed into a partial scowl. He was more confused by the statement than he was frustrated by it, people dodging questions had always bothered Deidara. "If it involves you, then it's my concern, too," Deidara argued. "What is it? Did something more happen on that day we were attacked?" Deidara pulled back then, his eyes having widened at the sudden possibility. He wouldn't put it past Obito to cover things up. Fortunately, Obito shook his head in denial.

"No, but it made me realize something." Obito didn't continue immediately, and Deidara pursed his lips in impatience. It took all his self-control not to feed into his impulsiveness and probe for more answers. While the two were partners, Obito was Deidara's superior, a fact the bomber had to remind himself of. It was easy to forget, while they were sharing private moments like this one. "I've been biding my time. I've spent several years working towards a goal that may outlive me. Someone else can take it on, I know that it's an inevitable goal. It's older than I am, myself, after all."

Obito gave a quiet chuckle, but it held no humor in it. Deidara regarded Obito in silence, studying the nostalgic glassiness in the man's single eye. "What are you saying, un? That you want us to start pushing harder, to work on capturing the last two bijū? The Uzumaki brat will be the hardest—"

Obito's lips turned up in a faint smile, and Deidara let his voice trail off. The sun was beginning to disappear behind the clouds, dropping down a shadow over the two of them. Obito closed his eye and savored the cool shade. "I've been a vessel for this goal for some time, Deidara. It's…complicated.

"Most things are, when it comes to you," Deidara said. "I don't understand what you mean, un."

"I don't know how to make you understand. It would take a lot of time. When I was a child and received these wounds, they almost killed me. I was saved by the man who first invented this plan, it was his goal, first, but one that I latched onto and made mine, too." Obito leaned back, as if the weight of the story were tiring him. Deidara did nothing but stare out over the darkening horizon, his brain struggling to keep up with the story being fed to him.

"Are you saying you want to finish the goal for him, or that you regret taking it on?" Deidara asked, hesitant but unable to withhold the question.

"I don't regret, I'm just uncertain of how to go forward. There will always be those who loathe and oppose us. I've been fighting all these years, and I've only succeeded in more destruction." Obito tilted his head back, his shoulders sagged and body lax. He hadn't fought for this goal half as long as his predecessor had, and yet he still felt all the weight resting on his chest. If Obito failed, he would be failing so many others. He had been a child of war, how was he to understand peace, should he even see it?

Silence shrouded them for several minutes, in that time the clouds had grown heavy and fat, leaving the land dim. Deidara had nothing to say, no advice to give. He had been recruited to the Akatsuki by force and he didn't share similar goals, none of them did, they were all fighting for their own. "You aren't looking at it from the right view, un."

Obito stiffened, surprised by Deidara's interjection, but it didn't stop the blond from continuing. "You've only ever looked from one point of view. Maybe you should try it from another. Who was that man to say that his own ideals weren't someone else's fears?"

Stunned, Obito shook his head. "That was the point, the plan was set to make everyone's dreams come true. It was intended for the world to be happy."

"No, the point was to erase pain, because you were hurt. No one else can decide what happiness is for someone else. You can spend your whole life chasing idealism, or you can step up and pursue a more realistic armistice, yeah." Deidara's words came sharply and left no room for Obito to break in. "I am on your side, and I always will be. Now, you need to figure out what side you're on, and what you're going to do about it."

Deidara realized that he had stepped out of line almost as soon as he'd done it, but he offered no diffidence for it. He wasn't sorry for what he said. He wasn't going to allow Obito to throw any of their work away. Nor was he going to sit back and watch someone he loved force themselves into something they were no longer sure about. "What's more important to you, Obito? Making a difference, or punishing those who have wronged you?"

Obito stood then, jerking off the ground as soon as Deidara had finished talking. The words "you don't know what you're talking about" threatened to leave his mouth, but Obito bit them back. He, of all people, knew that Deidara had suffered something terrible, too. He headed off into the clearing a bit, near the edge of the forest, distancing himself from Deidara for a second. To his credit, Deidara stayed where he was, seeming to understand that neither of them needed any forced contact right now.

Running his fingers through his hair, Obito sighed. "I don't want any losses to be in vain," he admitted.

"That's inevitable. You know that just as well as anyone else, un. Some deaths are pointless. But, a shinobi is never lost in vain." Obito cut his gaze towards Deidara, unmoving as Deidara neared him. "A shinobi dies fighting for what they believe in. They laid their life down to protect and to serve, yeah. We'll do the same."

"I'm going to ensure there's a difference before that happens, Deidara."

"I have no doubt you will." Deidara rested a hand on Obito's arm once he was close enough. Regardless, Deidara was sworn to the Akatsuki, just as the others were. They would all be carrying out the goal, whatever it may lead them to. "Maybe it won't be us who brings peace. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It's been all you've fought for, hasn't it, yeah?"

Obito turned to look at Deidara, but he didn't answer. He was quiet as he drank in the sight of the man in front of him, contemplating the words spoken. Obito had started this because of love, because he wanted to avenge Rin, because he didn't want anyone to have sacrifice like that again.

Now, looking at Deidara, Obito realized he had lied to himself all those years ago, when he swore he would never love again. He hadn't been able to protect Deidara, either, and that would haunt Obito just as Rin's death had. But, at least he had been able to save Deidara's life. Or, perhaps he'd just encouraged the blond to save his own.

That thought made Obito start a bit. What if the beginning was to first end his own hateful and destructive path before he could be of any help to those he wanted to save? "Even if you're right," Obito began, "it would still take years to lead any great change. It's a sacrifice I'm willing, and have been willing, to make. The others might be less inclined."

"They are under orders. Your orders, even if they're spoken through Pein-sama." Deidara nudged Obito and coaxed him into turning to look out over the horizon. The wind was blowing through the trees and making them appear alive and moving, from a distance. "This is what you want to preserve, isn't it, un? The world, the people? Start by bridging the villages. If you want to end it, you have to start where it breeds."

If possible, Obito considered that that plan may be a probable stepping stone. The inner workings of each village were built on war, on shaky treaties and mistrust with the other hidden villages. If they banded together instead of remaining in a constant state of friction, they would be better suited to fight against more serious, larger threats, should they come. Perhaps if they had already found strength in one another, they wouldn't have suffered the losses they had already. Children could have grown up knowing more than war and murder.

"Obito?"

Obito snapped his head towards Deidara, who he hadn't realized had been awaiting a response. Fondly, Obito smirked at his lover. "I think some of them might need some convincing," he said.

Deidara gave a thoughtful hum and pulled a gleaming clay butterfly from his pouch, now twirling it between his fingers. "There will be a war, Obito. You might attract more to your side, but you will certainly make more enemies, un."

Obito had countless enemies as it was, what was a few more? He reached for Deidara, who allowed himself to be pulled until he lost his balance and had to lean against Obito's chest. "We've been prepared for any measure we have to take. If it's worth fighting for, it's worth suffering for," he pressed a brief kiss to Deidara's mouth, "are you ready to return to active duty?"

Deidara grinned.

I gave this my all when it came down to trying to align it to the original ending. I was going to change it, but decided I didn't necessarily want to. I wanted to leave it more ambiguous, whereas in the original ending, peace was a certain. I didn't want that, I wanted it to be more open to interpretation, for it to be a sort of grey-area. Peace is a grand scheme, but not one that will be obtained without almost everyone suffering or losing something.

Maybe this was on the track to canon, and the Akatsuki were eventually erased, though the villages did have to come together; or maybe Obito did eventually succeed some semblance of control and peace, just like he'd wanted. Even if forced peace isn't a true one.