under the same sun

[silence]
summary: Why didn't she ever look at him like that?
characters: Obito, Rin, Kakashi, and Minato
rating: T
note1: can't believe i'm starting a new story.
note2: who else was had a "surprise motherfucker" moment when Tobi/Madara/Nobody turned out to be Obito?

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her smile

her laugh

her hair

her eyes

Damn.

Sweat dripped down his brow, sliding against the rim of his goggles. Exertion and exhaustion soon set in as he pressed forward again, trying to aim higher now; the target was right there in plain sight (something he knew a shinobi would never be) and all he had to do was hit it. A simple, expert flick of his wrist would send the instrument cutting sharply through the air and lodge against the target.

It was so easy.

Kakashi did it– three hundred times in exactly one minute – and Obito will not to lose to him this time; he's determined to win.

But damn.

She was there, patching up Minato's fingers, worn out from writing up mission reports that he fell behind on.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, he aimed once more. Eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, fingers flexing against the hardened handle of the knife, Obito spared a glance once more over to the left where sensei was, smiling softly down at her, as she rambled on. The kunai slipped, falling from his grasp before he could even throw it.

Kakashi's snort was the first thing he heard after the dull thud of metal hitting hard ground resounded in his ears. The second was her gentle gasp as she watched the embarrassing display of him losing to Kakashi-kun once more.

Silence.

He didn't hear Minato-sensei try to coach him on what to do next, words sounding exasperated from the amount of times he had to explain and repeat the directions in that short day. He didn't hear Kakashi's snide comment on ninja's and who was and wasn't qualified to be one.

He did, however, hear her soft words, encouraging him to try once more and - just do what Kakashi-kun did.

Swallowing down the bitter taste in his mouth, his empty hand clenched tightly, falling to his side. With a passing glance at the fallen kunai lying unassuming in the stems of grass, he shook his head and glanced at her, trying to will the humiliated tears away.

The look in her eyes, the full admiration shining through paralyzed him for a moment. Then those brown eyes connected with his and reality fell heavily on his shoulders, weighing him down with an overbearing sense of realization.

She wasn't looking at him with doe-like eyes; her gaze – as always – was locked on Kakashi's lean form.

Before anything else could be said, he ran from the clearing of the training ground, ignoring the surprised shouts that followed him.

Why didn't she ever look at him like that?

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note3: this is a drabble series, which started out as a one shot but sprouted wings and flew away.

note4: i'm an addict and reviews are my drugs. feed the junkie, please?