The steady beep of the monitor was the only sound in the room. The somber mood was quickly noted by anyone who entered the room. In fact, the depressing air swirled throughout the entire hospital. It was as if a curse followed the woman everywhere she went. Those she loved and cared for were hurt- either directly or indirectly. The day turned night didn't seem to be any different.
The death toll was three: one officer, one civilian, and one member of the press. The injuries varied from scrapes from falling in the scramble to those needing surgery to repair where they were struck with bullets. Y/n was among the victims that were an easy fix. Shisui was among those that required surgery.
"Asami," Obito's voice was soft as he entered the room again, "We should go home." He urged.
Y/n looked up from the lounge chair that sat beside Shisui's bed. Shaking her head, she replied, "He took a bullet for me, Obito. I-"
"Should be in bed," Obito cut his wife off as he walked around the hospital bed.
Shisui was sound asleep, the sedative from surgery would be wearing off soon, and Y/n wanted to be there when he woke. "I'm fine," she defended.
Holding out his hand, Obito sighed as she accepted it and stood. Then, still holding her hand, he used his other one to brush her messy hair from her face, "Asami," he cooed, "Please," he whispered, "you need to take care of yourself."
Opening her mouth to protest, Y/n's head snapped to the bed as she heard Shisui groan. "Will you two quit arguing?" He tried to chuckle but ended up grimacing instead. "I'm trying to sleep." His smile was weak, but it was genuine.
Letting go of her husband, Y/n moved to take Shisui's hand into her's, "What were you thinking?" She scolded. "You could've died."
"Better me than you," Shisui scoffed as he pushed himself to sit up with one hand. "But you really should go home."
Obito watched Shisui in silence as his wife spoke, "The bullet nicked your spleen, but there's no major damage," she stood to her full height, "You should be able to go home in a couple of days. "I'll go find Shizune."
She didn't wait for either male to object as she made her way out of the room. Obito kept his eyes on his wife as she walked away. Shisui kept his focus on Obito, though. Finally, the door closed, and Obito sighed again, much heavier than before. Shisui saw the heavy burden that sat on his cousin's shoulders. He could only imagine the thoughts that plagued his mind. The troubles that swirled his heart.
"When did it happen?" Obito suddenly asked.
Thoroughly confused, Shisui asked, "When did what happen?"
Obito moved the chair slightly so he could sit and face Shisui easily. Leaning forward and placing his elbows to his knees, he laced his fingers together to keep from punching something. Shisui saw Obito's knuckles turn white as he clenched his jaw for a moment before he spoke again.
Readying himself for the argument to come, Obito answered, "When did you fall in love with her?"
It was Shisui's turn to sigh after he flinched at the accusatory tone of Obito. Closing his eyes and letting his head fall back to the pillow, he conceded, "A long time ago," his voice was lined with a longing that would never be filled. "What does that have to do with anything that's going on now?"
Obito lifted his hands and pressed his forehead to them. Shisui opened his eyes to see his best friend and cousin struggling to find his words. It was beyond angry. This was the last thing he needed to figure out now. He had his doubt over the last couple of months- and now? He didn't want to accuse his wife and cousin of having an affair.
Dejectedly, he responded, "You're in love with my wife," he looked back up and dropped his arms, "You're like my brother, Shisui. This is kind of a big deal. You took a bullet for her. I asked you yesterday if there was anything I needed to know-"
"Did you really need to know?" Shisui interrupted as he moved his head again to look straighter. "Does it change anything?"
Obito squeezed his hands tighter, "It changes everything," he argued through clenched teeth. "Let's set aside the fact that you two do things alone all the time. Let's ignore the late-night phone calls and pet names. Let's forget that you're you- I'm tired of my wife having a string of exes and ex-fuck buddies that are hung up on her."
Trying to keep the scoffing sound from leaving his lips, Shisui countered, "You knew exactly what you were getting into the moment you asked her to marry you. You knew her past and who was involved. Yet, you still said 'I do,' and you still chose to have a child with her- twice. So either suck it up and love the woman like she deserves, or get out of the way and let someone else do it."
"Not entirely what I expected," Obito gave a dark laugh, "At least Kakashi and Zabuza said they wouldn't make a move on her." His fingers threaded into his hair as he tugged gently.
Cutting his eyes to the door, Shisui worried that someone would hear, "I'm not saying that I'm going to make a move on her." Instead, he said flatly, "I'm just saying that if you're not careful, she's going to get tired of you treating her the way you have the last few months."
The last few months? Obito dropped his arms again as he wracked his brain to try and recall where the disconnect came from. What had happened that he started pushing her away? Middle of November then, roughly. What could it have been?
Fuck.
"Rin's birthday," Obito whispered suddenly. "Fuck." He voiced the same word that echoed in his mind.
Shisui nodded as Obito looked at him, "I promised her I wouldn't say anything, Obito, but she heard you talking to Kakashi that night. How could you even think-"
With an exasperated sigh, Obito stood up as he threw his arms into the air. "I was drunk," he defended. "Kakashi's phone gave him a notification that it was her birthday for some dumbass reason. We started talking and- I had a moment of weakness. I didn't know that she heard me."
Shaking his head, he watched Obito begin to pace the room, "That doesn't mean it didn't hurt her any less, Obito. You can't say that you wonder what life would've been like if you didn't let her walk away all those years ago and not expect repercussions."
Turning to face Shisui at the foot of the bed, Obito looked at him with a stern gaze, "Like you've never thought about life with Izumi? Or Y/n, for that matter?" Obito scrubbed his face before dropping his arms again. "Fucking shit, man. This year has turned out to be an absolute disaster, and we're not even a full two months in."
"Right now, you just need to focus on taking care of Y/n," Obito's expression was clearly unimpressed by Shisui's words. "How is the baby?" He asked worriedly.
With a soft smile on his lips, Obito answered, "Fine," he looked to the door for a moment as he replied, "She's just over nine weeks pregnant. Everything looks good. She only needed a few stitches, thanks to you."
Before either one of them could continue, the door to the room opened. Shizune entered first, the quiet woman walking to Shisui to take his vitals and do a quick exam. Y/n smiled sweetly at Shisui before turning to Obito. There was a silent question in both of their eyes as they looked at one another. Shisui observed the couple while Shizune worked, oblivious to the heartbreak that was happening in the room.
"I need to stop at the precinct on the way home," Y/n said as she walked to collect her purse. "My parents have Tsuki, and Kikyo is with Zabuza and Kisame." Obito cut his eyes to see her phone in her hand.
Obito turned around, watching her every move, "Why do we need to go to the precinct? It's almost midnight, Asami."
Turning around, Y/n explained, "Apparently, they were able to get a look at a tattoo on one of the shooters from a traffic cam. I want to see if I know the tattoo. Shikamaru is the one reviewing the footage... I want-"
"No one blames you, Asami," Obito stepped closer and took hold of his wife's shoulders, "You're tired. The footage will be there in the morning. So let's go home, get out of these clothes, get cleaned up, and go to bed, baby."
A deep breath in, Y/n cut her eyes away, "Let me do what I can to help, Obito," she peered up once again, "It's the least I can do with all the damage done today. It was a message sent to me, and I want to make sure to send one back."
Shizune had finished her job and slipped from the room. Shisui sat silently, knowing that this wasn't the time. Especially with the conversation he and Obito had just shared. Obito knew there was no winning with Y/n. Removing his hands from her shoulders, he went to walk to the door without another word.
Obito held the handle of the door, "I'll come to check on you tomorrow," his words were directed to Shisui, but he didn't even look back. Then, a harsh yank, he was out the door, leaving it open.
Y/n's brows furrowed as she watched Obito. Then, shaking her head slightly, she looked to Shisui, "I'll call you in the morning before I go back to the precinct to see if you need anything, Shi."
Shisui gave her a disapproving look, "You'll stay home and rest," she opened her mouth to protest, "I know they can send you all the files and information you need to work the case from home. I'll be fine, just worry about you, Gorgeous."
Something was going on, and Y/n didn't know what it was. There was tension before she had left the room, but there was something more now. Something dark and desperate. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. She prayed she was wrong about it.
Nodding, she walked to the door, "Get some sleep, Shisui." Shisui only offered a smile in reply as the h/c exited the room.
Obito stood a few doors down, talking to someone in a room. Y/n held her purse in her hand, wishing she could remove her boots for the rest of the night. Walking down the hall, she heard a woman's voice from the room Obito stood in front of. Sensing Y/n coming, Obito moved to allow her to slide next to him. The woman stood between the hospital bed and the door.
A male laid in the bed behind her, a brunette. He was handsome, a scar running across the bridge of his nose. He was conscious as he responded to Obito and the woman from time to time. Seeing Y/n, he gave her a bright smile that she returned hesitantly.
The woman was curvy—dark hair and dark eyes that would seduce any man. She had a boisterous laugh, but Y/n couldn't tell you why she was laughing. Y/n was too distracted by Obito's shift in demeanor. He was a completely different person than he was in Shisui's hospital room.
"This is my wife, Y/n," Obito gestured beside him. "Y/n," he pointed to the woman, "This is Anko," pointing to the man, he said, "and Iruka. They're a couple of years younger than Kakashi and I, but we went to school together."
"Oh," Y/n said sweetly, "It's nice to meet you both. I want to apologize for-"
"Iruka had his appendix taken out," Obito corrected Y/n, seeing she was going to apologize for Iruka getting hurt. "They weren't at the precinct today."
Anko looked back to the male, "I just wanted to check on him," she shrugged lazily, "We've always looked out for each other since we were kids."
"So you two aren't?" Y/n's open-ended question made Anko laugh.
Reeling in her laughter, Anko said, "Iruka's like a brother to me," she shook her head, "and I'm too loud for the man. Besides," she leaned in towards Y/n, "Him and Shizune have been together for a while now."
"Anko!" Iruka whispered harshly, "You know Shizune doesn't want everyone she works with knowing."
"You two are so damn weird," Anko huffed under her breath. "Anyway," she looked back at Obito, "It was good to see you and nice to meet you." She added quickly. "I'm glad everyone is okay."
Y/n placed her hand on Obito's arm, "Nice to meet you," looking past the overbearing woman, she directed her words to Iruka, "I hope your recovery is smooth."
"Thank you," his smile was so warm as he looked to Y/n and Obito.
Obito only nodded at his old friends before guiding Y/n out the door and down the hall. The press still hovered around the hospital, even with the casualties of the day. They waited for the uniformed officer to get their car before making their way through the small crowd at the hospital entrance. Questions were shouted, but they both ignored them, an indifferent expression on their faces.
Once in the car and buckled, Obito began to make his way to KPD. Y/n gazed out the window as she noted, "I thought your family was full of wolves," she scoffed, "the press is ten times worse."
Obito couldn't help but smirk, "They're snakes, Asami, every last one of them."
The woman only hummed thoughtfully as she laid her head back. Wordlessly, Obito reached over and took her hand into his. Y/n didn't move but allowed her husband to hold her hand. Pain and torment filled her heart. Things needed to be discussed. Things needed to be said. Was now the time? Tomorrow? Next week? Never?
Would Obito ask the questions? Would he ask the right ones? Would Y/n offer the information? Would Obito find out from other sources like he just did with Shisui? What did Kakashi know?
It wasn't just the obvious questions that lingered in the air. Nor was their one issue that stared back at them. Madara was quite apparent. Their marriage was another hurdle the two needed to focus on. Then, there was the baby. They also had a daughter and Kikyo to worry about. A business to run. Family and friends relied on them for support, emotionally, mentally, and yes, even financially.
Everything would come rolling out at some point. Everything would come to a head. One day, there would be a collision. Who would be the survivor?
----
The crunching of a nose breaking bounced in the small room. There was a man tied to a chair. Arms behind him and bound tightly. His legs were taped against the metal legs of the chair as well. The next punch made the man's cheek turn purple almost immediately after the impact. His left eye was already swollen. Bruises littered his body from the repeated blows.
"She was to be untouched," the male's voice was gruff as he took another swing at the victim before him. "This was to be a message, nothing more." He huffed.
Three men were in the room. The one in the chair. The one offering the beating. The one observing. The one watching was quiet. Arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the words being exchanged. The man in the chair was begging for forgiveness, afraid his life was on the line.
"Sir," the man at the door caught the bruiser's attention, "We still need him alive." He wasn't sure if they really did, but he didn't feel like doing all this work alone.
Taking a handkerchief from the back pocket of his pinstriped slacks, the man wiped his knuckles clean. Turning around, his eyes narrowed to the black-haired man. "Get his ass cleaned up," he walked closer, "I hope for a better performance the next time around. I have plans that need to be executed as I expect them to be."
Nodding, the male dropped his arms. The tattoo on his forearm flexed, "Yes, Madara."
The brooding man slammed the door closed, leaving the two alone. The man walked to the chair and began working on the restraints in silence. He was grumbling to himself about how big of an idiot his companion was. The ridiculous idea to take a shot at the woman was one that almost got him killed.
"Don't look like that, brother," the pale man was smirking even though his face was slick with blood. "I have my orders from back home-"
"That's your home," the darker-haired male cut him off as she stood, "This is my home now. I'm only here because you dragged my family into this."
Standing, the man wiped his face with the back of his hand, "Heh," he smiled wickedly, "Nothing will happen to them as long as you do as you're told." His own tattoo was smeared with blood.
The younger of the two took his own swing, his punch connecting with his brother's jaw. "I have to get back to work," he turned and shook his hand as he left the room.
"You better answer when he calls!" The man shouted after him.
----
Kakashi looked at the woman like she was crazy as she sat down at the conference table, "What in the hell are you two doing here?"
Y/n cut her eyes to Shikamaru, who sat further down the table, "I wanted to review the footage," she looked back to Kakashi, "See if I recognized the tattoo you mentioned."
Obito sat next to his wife, "I don't see why he couldn't have sent you a picture." He was perturbed and a little on edge since his conversation with Shisui.
Pursing her lips, Y/n ignored Obito's comment, "Let me see the footage, Kakashi."
Not wanting to argue, Kakashi handed Y/n an iPad that held the traffic cam footage on it. Pressing play, Y/n watched the scene play out. It was challenging to manage, but she needed to see it. Obito looked over her shoulder, taking in the information as well.
Still watching the iPad, Y/n said, "It was Koshi that was driving," Kakashi nodded, "At least that creepy asshole is gone."
Obito hadn't seen this side of Y/n since she was undercover. It was hard to see her shift back into her old self. It was damaging to her personality, and he didn't want to see her fall back into the dark hole she was in back then. And with the pregnancy. And Kikyo. Their marriage on the rocks. This wasn't the best path they were headed down.
Kakashi saw her face change, "What is it?" He asked.
Pausing the footage, she sat the iPad down, "This tattoo," she pointed to the screen. "It was the mark Danzo had all of his henchmen get tattooed on their forearm. The family didn't have it, but his monkeys did."
"Do you know who this is?" Kakashi asked as he nodded towards the tablet.
Nodding, Y/n looked back down, "I'd know that pastey ass skin anywhere," looking up, she said, "Shin."