IDIL's Note: Hello all! This will be a KakaRin oneshot/drabble project that I will - hopefully - update regularly. Some will be longer, some will be shorter, but I hope you will enjoy all of them nonetheless. :)This first chapter is called Everything I Own, and is inspired by the N'Sync song of the same name.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, ObiRin would be canon. XD
"So, are you sure you wish to go through with this mission?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"There are different ones…less risky and less…invasive."
"It's fine," she shook her head. "I'm considered old enough to do these types of missions, aren't I?"
"Well, yes, but barely. Surely I could interest you in a medical mission instead," the Sandaime Hokage persisted.
"No, this will be just fine," she declined, staring at the floor tiles, "The funds for this mission are…perfect; they're exactly what I need right now."
He sighed, leaning forward in his chair to sign the mission statement. "Well, if you're sure…"
Just then a cloud of smoke engulfed the room, and there came the sound of a small 'pop' as someone materialized themselves in the office. With his coal eye he scanned the area, attempting to decipher what was going on between the two people inside; he was especially surprised to see the girl. "Rin, what are you doing here?"
"I believe we should be asking you the same question, Hatake Kakashi," chuckled the voice of the Third. "As for Rin, she is here on a mission debriefing; it's important since she leaves day after tomorrow," he motioned over to the girl who fidgeted nervously on the other side of his desk, purposely avoiding both their stares.
"I see," Kakashi said smoothly, "Rin, could you please excuse us one moment? I have a…private matter I wish to discuss with Hokage-sama."
She stared up in surprise at him: Kakashi had never requested a private discussion with the Hokage. He had always allowed her to remain present for their conversations, and when asked about it, he merely claimed that he had no secrets to hide from her, and that it didn't matter. She had felt comforted by the statement, and that's why she was so unsure of what to do now, when he requested she leave. She swallowed her nervousness, determined to keep her composure. "Sure. I mean, if that's all right with you, Hokage-sama."
"I suppose so. We will continue our debriefing once Kakashi has left."
She nodded and bowed once before exiting the room. She was still curious though, and so she leaned against the door from the outside, pretending to use the door as a support while listening in on their conversation surreptitiously. She knew it was wrong, but hey, wasn't he the one who said he didn't have any secrets to keep from her anyway? And what was she supposed to do while she waited for him to finish his meeting?
Meanwhile inside, Kakashi seemed to be all business, cutting the Hokage's small-talk questions short. "I want to know the details of the mission."
"Kakashi, you know that I cannot share those with you; they are strictly confidential," he told the boy, having become rather accustomed with his overprotection of his remaining teammate. He saw Kakashi opening his mouth to protest and he held up a hand. "But…I believe that her family should know about this, and since you're listed as next of kin on her medical sheet – " The man paused as he saw the look of shock on the boy's face " – I believe that that may entitle you to some basic knowledge. Rin is taking on a kunoichi mission, and an A-rank one at that."
Kakashi's eyes flashed dangerously at the older man's words. "Excuse me? A kunoichi mission? No, that's impossible. I want her taken off of it now."
"I'm sorry to say that I cannot do that. It is her decision to take on this mission. She even specifically requested one like this."
"Requested?"
The Sandaime Hokage sighed wearily, contemplating what was the best way to explain this to the boy before him. Reclining in his chair, he figured that a vague description of the truth would have to suffice. "She chose it for it's monetary merits."
Kakashi mulled this information over, trying to determine what were the reasons for her specific attention to the mission's price tag. The only logic answer he could come up with was that she was in financial trouble, possibly even at risk of losing her home. It irked him greatly that she had been keeping this from him, that she hadn't allowed him to help her. What was wrong with her? Why hadn't she just told him? Kami-sama only knew that he had quite a bit of cash from his father's estate, and he would have gladly given all of it to her in order to help. That's what he was here for after all, wasn't it: to help her? To take care of her? Wasn't that the exact promise he'd made to Obito; that he would take care of her? "Is there no way to find a replacement for this mission?"
"I could find one, but the decision is up to her whether or not she wants to give it up."
"She will give it up, because I have a mission for her."
The Sandaime stared at Kakashi in muted surprise. "Pardon me?"
"I would like to put forth a mission request. I am in need of someone to take care of my home while I am out with ANBU on missions. They are to come to my home twice a week and do a thorough cleaning job as well as prepare some food the night before I return. The duration of this mission will last three months, and I am flexible with dates and times as I understand the person will be taking on other missions as well that may make them travel outside of Konoha. The pay for this mission is exactly the same as the pay for her currently scheduled mission, and the payment will be either cash or goods equivalent to the value of the money. There is only one person I want to take on this mission, and she is my former teammate, Rin."
"But Kakashi, this is a D-rank mission; I cannot charge you that much for one of those."
"Then upgrade it to an A-rank. Those ant infestations in the bathroom are enough to scare even the bravest of shinobi, and life-threatening chemicals may be required for their extermination. It's as life-threatening a mission as any."
Taking out his pen, the Sandaime chuckled as he wrote up the mission request. "You must really care about her."
"I swore to protect her," Kakashi said stiffly. "This is merely included as part of the protection package."
"She won't like this."
"She doesn't have to. Did I mention anything about mandatory enjoyment while carrying out the mission?"
"Perhaps we shall bring her in and ask her opinion."
"She will say no. I request that you please reassign her from that mission to this one, Hokage-sama."
"Yes, perhaps that would be best," he agreed. "You are dismissed, Hatake Kakashi."
"Yes, Hokage-sama, thank you." He disappeared with another poof, materializing himself just outside the door. "Your turn," he shot a fake smile in Rin's direction, propping himself against the door as she shut it behind her, wanting to hear everything.
"I regret to inform you Rin, that you have been reassigned."
"What? Why?! Hokage-sama, perhaps you have misunderstood. I need this mission; it's the only way I'll be able to keep my home. As you know, I have forgone quite a number of missions and medical supervision shifts at the hospital in order to take care of my brother. I have spent all the funds I have acquired thus far on nurses and medication to help him get better," she hung her head miserably, "Now that he's…gone…I don't really have much to live on…"
"I understand your situation," he assured her, "but this mission will not infringe on the monetary benefits of the previous mission. In fact, the pays are equivalent."
She surveyed him sceptically, wondering just what he had gotten her into. "What does this mission entail?"
"Your mission is to become, for a period of three months, the official cleaner of the Hatake household. You are to tidy his home twice a week, and prepare a meal the night before he is to return from a mission."
"But that's a D-rank! No way the two missions have the same pay!"
"I have been assured by Hatake Kakashi that some of the messes in his home may be so biohazardous that they may endanger your life in much the same way an A-rank mission would."
She stared at him disbelievingly; her mind unable to comprehend just what was going on. "But…But…"
The Sandaime smiled at her over the table, clearly amused by the situation that was unfolding. "If that is all, you may be dismissed."
Rin nodded dumbly, leaving the room in a stunned state. What the hell was Kakashi doing? She planned to ask him just that as soon as she left the room but he had already disappeared and the other times she had tried, he brushed her off, claiming that he requested the mission only because the ants really were threatening to invade his home and she was the only one he trusted enough to let in the apartment when he was gone.
In reality, he avoided her questions because of what he had heard her say that day in the office. He hadn't even known that her brother had died, and that she had exhausted all her resources in order to properly care for him until his time had come. It still bothered him greatly that she hadn't been able to tell him about her troubles, both emotional and financial. He may not have been the best people person, but he would have definitely helped her with what he could. And that was why he had requested the mission; he had to show her that he would be there to help her with whatever she needed help with. He would take care of her, just like he promised.
When the time came for her "mission" to end, he took her to an condominium in the more respectable, higher luxury side of Konoha and lead her up the stairs to one of the doors. He stuck the key in the lock and told her to enter; she marvelled at the well-furnished and spacious place, and then asked him if this was where he would be moving.
"No," he told her, "this is where you will be moving."
Leave it to Kakashi to turn an overwhelmingly kind proposition into a cold command, but Rin didn't mind. She was much too in awe of the place, in awe of him and what he'd done. "This is too much, I cannot accept it."
"You must," he informed her, "it's half of your pay check."
"Kakashi, you can't…no, I really cannot accept this. It's too much."
"You must," he repeated. "I already signed an agreement with the land owner. This is now your home. If it makes you feel any better, I took the liberty of cancelling your current apartment lease with your former landlord and moved all your things here. Realistically speaking, if you want a home, you cannot back out of this."
"But…Kakashi…how can I ever pay you back for this?"
"You already have. You completed your mission successfully. I was highly impressed."
"You can't be serious, this has to be a dream. All of this is really…mine? But, where'd you get the money for all of this?"
"Yes, it is yours. You needn't worry about anything for the condo is already paid off, including the monthly maintenance fees. And where I got the money is unimportant. Just please accept this." He pulled a stuffed envelope from his pocket. "Oh," he passed it to her, "and this of course. The rest of your pay."
Rin looked about ready to burst into tears. "Kakashi! I…I…! Thank you so much!" She leaped at him, embracing him tightly in what could only be expressed as uncontained appreciation and happiness.
He gingerly returned the embrace, still uncomfortable with the thought that if it weren't for him mistakenly finding out, she would have been embracing – and doing Kami knows what else – with a stranger. He pulled away, but held onto her shoulders, his eye boring through hers. "I just have one small request from you." She nodded enthusiastically. "Sure Kakashi, anything you want!"
"Please don't keep things from me. This is what I'm here for: to take care of you. I promised him, didn't I?"
She laughed nervously, wiping away the tears that were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "Somehow, I don't think this was what Obito had in mind when he said that."
"It doesn't matter, it's what I feel obligated to do." He shook his head, and corrected himself. "It's what I need to do. And you're…you're the only one I have left," he stared at the ground, embarrassed at his declaration. "I need to take care of you. It doesn't matter what it takes."
She smiled warmly up at him; he could be real sweet when he wanted to be. "Then, I have a request too. I want you to let me keep helping you clean your home, and you have to let me finish healing you when I say you need to be healed. Deal?"
"I can't agree to the first part."
"Why not? You're practically keeping your promise! You say you need to take care of me because I'm all you have left? Well…in case you didn't notice Kakashi, you're all I have left too. And you can't exactly take care of me very well if you're not in top shape, right? So, let me take care of you too!"
He smiled casually at her from behind the mask. "Ok, sure. Now go and explore your new home."
She grinned happily, taking the set of keys from his hands. "Thanks Kakashi, I really appreciate this. You. All of it."
He nodded, heading towards the door. "And you know…if you ever, you know, need anything…"
"You'll be the first one I call," she assured him, still smiling.
He'd never admitted it to her, but those had probably been the most relieving words he had ever heard. They were like a promise, only this time between the two of them. They were an unspoken promise where he would give everything he had to take care of her, and in turn, she would lean on him, and do everything she could to take care of him as well. It was a new promise that meant everything to him, and to protect it – and her – he would give up everything he owned.