*Note: if anyone asks where Minato is, let's just say he's just on a REALLY REALLY long mission far far away. And I know I make it seem like every day is a day off for Kakashi but its peace time and there's not a lot of missions and a lot of extra ANBU running around. Use your imagination! The song is When you say nothing at all by Allison Krauss
He stays away from the Hill.
He stays away from the memorial.
He stays away from the field.
The field will always mock him and taunt him with painful memories and sorrow. Because that's where the flowers were and that's where she always was.
The hill will always haunt him and he will avoid it, hating himself for the memories they made there, for the moments where he had been truly happy, now held empty angst. Because that's where her locket was, and that was the peak of their love for each other.
The memorial will always serve as a reminder, it will remind him and he will be forced to accept it. Because that's where the flowers now lay and that's where she stays.
But her smile is stained in his thoughts and her laugh echoes in the background and eventually, it too, will fade. But his heart will stay frozen and his eyes will stay blank. And he wonders if she could forgive him, and show him what warmth was again.
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
She picked flowers for him; she would go out to the field and come back with bundles of them. Every kind, every color, ever scent, her wide smile bright and vivid. She would beam at him, with armloads of flowers, and he couldn't help but grin back.
Then he would be forced to accept them and find a place for them in his crowded apartment. They smelled sweet like her perfume at first. Except that she doesn't wear perfume, the flowers always seemed to do that for her.
But with Rin's happy smirk his heart would melt, and his ability to say no would disappear. And he would accept them, a different flower for every month. And she would rush home with her half and return a moment later.
With her enthusiastic chattering and drag him out of his dark apartment and into the world. And she would drag him all around, to the park and the training grounds. Through the busy streets of Konoha and finally to their field. Where they would sit, and she would talk and laugh and smile and hug his arm and he would gaze back at her, lost him her warm russet eyes.
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
He no longer had to take his time opening the door; he no longer dreaded her peppy smile and her bright eyes. In fact, he waited by the door for her and requested a certain type of flower for next time.
She seemed encouraged by his change in attitude and eager to please. Then he would walk with her sharing the collection of blossoms and they would stroll, side by side, their pace evenly matched and her pleasure radiating in waves. And he would look at her, his happiness sparkling in his eye.
Igniting like a small flame and spreading like a wildfire. And she would look back, his friendly eyes reflecting in her own sincere ones. And she would grab his hand and squeeze. Tenderly, he would squeeze back gently, only causing her to crush him with her iron grip, and she would pick up the pace and skip in glee.
And he would rush into a speed walk. No amount of bribing or pleading would ever convince him to skip with her. She would turn around and beg in a sing-songy voice
"Come on, skip with me!"
And his good eye would form into a smile and he would shake his head.
Causing her to laugh that light, sunny laugh and twirl with the sun lighting up her face. Arms outstretched, in a carefree dance.
He would drop his vacant hand into his pocket and grin at her. Then her smile would stretch even wider and she would come to stand by him again, and they would walk.
They walked throughout the town. Rin linked to his arm and her head resting against his shoulder. He would guide her around until they settled into their normal spot near the field. Against the fallen log, no need for words. Just sitting there with nature coming alive around them, content and watching.
Try as I may I could never explain, what I hear when you don't say a thing
She hand found a place in his heart and he found himself enjoying her presence more and more every day. She made life worthwhile and she shed light in his dark days.
Every once and a while, mostly after a long mission, he would trek back to his apartment.
Weary and filthy, but alive.
He would lean heavily on the door, his eye weighed down with fatigue and his limbs heavy with exhaustion. And he would peel off his dirty ANBU outfit, and he would shower.
The scorching water dripping and cascading down, mixing with the grime and dirt into an unappealing brown mixture. The fog from the shower would encase him, and he would close his eyes, letting the scalding droplets pelt his face and trail off him. Wiping away his drained morale.
He would dress feeling refreshed and clean. But that same dull ache would return after a few steps, and he would remind himself to get that checked on.
But not after he saw her, he would stumble through the outskirts of town, to where he knew she lived. She would rush out to meet him, her worried face giving way to relief, and she would hug him. Fiercely at first, but then easing after his grunt of pain.
He hadn't thought to control himself and before he knew it she was hurriedly checking him over, inspecting every cut and bruise, until she made her way to his lower back, and what was causing him the most trouble.
Her hands would come together in a soft green glow, and she would heal him just like she hand learned as a medic. And he would feel better, turning slightly to see her feathery brown head bent slightly as she curved around him. Eventually she would pause, satisfied at her work, and pull herself back into a sitting position.
Then she would hug him again, burying her face in his chest and she would murmur to him. He was only half listening partially because he already knew what she was saying, partially because he was savoring the feel of her touch.
Then he would quietly gather her in a warm embrace, and they would stay, finding comfort in each other's arms.
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There was a promise made. Rin had made Kakashi promise that he would always come back and that he would never leave her. So he had promised.
It was the night after he had joined the ANBU, and it was raining. An orchestra of rain echoing off the empty streets of Konoha as he contemplated about how to break the news to her. He didn't know how she would take it.
She had come to see him, as she did occasionally. And he had held her in his arms, her head against his sturdy chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He had sat with his chin resting on her head, feeling her silky bronzed hair, and feeling it tickle his chin.
He sat with a content smile gracing his unmasked lips. He hand gotten used to having it down when they were alone. She was the only one to see his face.
She hand practically begged him until he showed her. Her eyes hand gleamed and she hand pranced over to inspect him. Her delicate finger gradually traced his long chin and his lips. Her eyes were narrowed and he could only watch in silent observance as she concentrated deep in thought.
She kept her eyes trained deep into his and he looked back. Then she had enclosed the space between them until her lips met his. They were soft and she had pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him.
Her fragile fingers had glided across his muscle toned back, tracing the scars. He had gently hugged her to him, so she could feel the strength in the arms holding her and the love in the eye gazing back.
Unlike most couples, they didn't close their eyes. They blocked off the world until they were the only ones in it. They gazed into each other. His complicated black eye softening with love and her burnt brown ones glazed with emotion.
His hand gingerly trailed vertically on her back, coming to rest at the small of her back. She had soothingly caressed his broad shoulders and draped her arms around his neck. They stayed like that for a moment. Suspended in time, until she broke free from him and breathed a shallow whisper into his ears.
"The ANBU better treat you well, you will be the best one they have…but you must promise me this…. You have to come back to me every single time… you can't leave me here all alone…."
She pulled back far enough so that he was sure that he could see her piercing glare. He matched her gaze with equal intensity. His eyes were unreadable and his lips barely moved as he murmured in answer.
"I promise"
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
And so he would return to her, broken and suffering, but he would return.
And she would wait for him, afraid for him, but she would wait.
Until she could see him and hold him again. And he would ease her pains with his presence. And they would heal each other mentally and physically.
When he was free on weekends, he would see her. But she would usually come find him first. With an overwhelming amount of vibrant vegetation, raining petals and enhancing her features.
This month's flower was roses. They were cherry red in color and spikey and painful if you don't handle them carefully. They were just like Rin in a way. Those who knew her knew her to be kind and compassionate at first glance, but treat her like a fragile little girl and she would set you straight.
She hand a sharp tongue and a ferocious temper. She was often seen around town arm wrestling men and winning too. But she always seemed to reserve a soft spot for Kakashi. And he would just go along with it good-naturally.
He liked watching her, she was interesting, she was cheery and enthusiastic and always gave everything her best shot, and she never gave up on anyone or anything. And Kakashi didn't know how she did it; she was the opposite of him.
He would despair and be negative; he always gave things with half the effort, and then less unless it was important. He gave up on anyone he should meet. He always got the gist that they didn't really care about what he hand to say. He had never had anyone even start on him, so he gave up without even trying.
Until she came along, she was an angel, she was a miracle, and she saved him. And Kakashi didn't know how he could ever repay her, he didn't deserve her.
She needed someone to match her eagerness and energy and not someone who was lazy and care-free like him. But she didn't seem to care. Every day was an adventure for Rin, and her sidekick, Kakashi.
She was beautiful, she was graceful, she was silly, she was perfect. She was Kakashi perfect other half. And they would lie together, in their field. In the flowers, in perfect harmony, with not a care in the world and perfectly content and at peace.
She would lay and he would just look at her, her small nose, her warm brown eyes, her pale mousy hair, her easy smile, the lavender stripes on her cheeks. And he would just loose himself in her beauty, and wonder about why he hand her in his life and how he didn't deserve the blessing she gave.
And she would gaze up at the sun, light pouring onto her face, lost in a daydream he could never follow.
A smiled decorating on her lips, and she truly looked like an angel.
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
Konoha was his home, it was his life, and as the third had told him all that time ago when he was young. He was Konoha. He loved his home with all his heart. Even with his withered, pitiful heart, it was still something.
Sure his heart was shattered, but Rin was his glue, and she put him back together. With her, the mysteries of life unfolded into a simple riddle. A puzzle that he held the missing piece, a lock that he held the key to.
But Rin hand wanted to travel, she dreamed about it and she always told Kakashi about her ambitions to be the first to travel in a foreign territory and places yet to be discovered.
But his heart was with Konoha, and he knew that they would never approve of one of their top ANBU taking a vacation.
And she was a skilled medic and they might need her, and they would never approve of her leaving when she could be saving a life.
So Rin was stuck in Konoha, where duty called her. But her heart was torn between her calling from her home and her calling from the wild.
"Follow your heart."
Kakashi had told her as they lay in the field together, early drizzle speckling their faces. His eyes were sincere as she stared into the gloomy black abyss, but a hint of regret also lived within them.
"Your duty is to you heart."
But her heart was with Kakashi, and she could never leave him, she couldn't stand to see him heartbroken.
So she stayed, she stayed for Kakashi.
She was loyal to him and she would follow where ever he led, and if he chose to stay in Konoha, then so would Rin.
The drizzle hand picked up into a steady rain, pounding on the earth like a drum, soaking them. Kakashi hand pulled himself into a sitting position, glancing around. Rin stayed on the ground with a dreamy smile etched onto her face as the rain dappled her delicate face.
The rain formed puddles around her as she lay. Eventually Kakashi had stood and reached his hand out to her. She had acknowledged it, and leisurely grabbed it and allowed it to drag her into a standing position.
She had looked around, just as Kakashi had done, the dark bleak sky, the many raindrops pouring into the clearing, the mud-covered clearing, and mud brown enough to rival her eyes. Her hair damp and pressed to her face, her drenched clothes, and the mud stained all over.
The rain kissing the flowers and giving them a drink. A chorus of unsteady beats against the leaves, battering them and tapping. She took it all in, the nature, the peace of the scene.
She looked at Kakashi; his misty eye hand become remote as he surveyed the scene around them, mud splattered on him as well, his clothes stained and his hair dripping, brown against silver.
And the two of them stood, in calm silence, untouched from the storms that raged above their heads.
You say it best when you say nothing at all
One day, once upon a daydream, they were walking. It was raining again. A soft clean drizzle, drowning the grass in slick refreshing water.
Kakashi was someone who would rather stay inside on a day like this curled up with a blanket and a book. The closed window muffling the sound of the pounding rain and a cozy warm blanket keeping out the cold.
Rin was someone who would go outside and dance in a thunderstorm and not come inside until she was soaked and shivering. Then she would come to Kakashi and he would grumble about how wet she was but he would always hold her. Dripping and shaking, she would drift off to sleep in his solid, arms guarding her from the cold.
He would listen to her breathing as she slept. Her shallow breathing, her eyes closed and her face in a peaceful smile. He would observe her, her slender, features, her narrow shoulders, her long thin legs, and her small feet.
She would cuddle up against him, sharing his warmth, and he would sigh, and hug her tighter.
He would often let his thoughts wander at this time, he would think about her mostly. How precious she was and how dear to him.
He imagined her dead and lifeless body and end up scaring himself so badly that he would be trembling. That would wake her up, and as her eyes fluttered open she would take in her surroundings.
Then she would notice Kakashi accelerating heartbeat and the fear in his eyes. She would smile reassuringly and murmur words of comfort. He would eventually calm down enough to hold her tight. Rin would allow this, and she would press her face against brawny chest and close her eyes.
She thought about him his scent, his touch, his fragile heart. She knew why she had woken up. He was concerned for her; he was envisioning him not being able to protect her. He was visualizing her broken and beat body and her glassy, unseeing eyes.
She shivered. She was touched that someone cared so much for her, and she was also scared for the future. Kakashi loved her, she knew that. And she loved him back with all her heart.
But there would be a time, when one of them would have to go, and leave the other one crushed and empty in a cold, unforgiving world.
She hoped that when the time came, it would be when they were both old and happy and far away, holding hands in their own special paradise, just the two of them.
All day long I can hear people talking out loud
It was dark, and early in the morning. The wind was frosty and swirling into little eddies in the air. An icy breeze swept the streets of Konoha, churning with leaves and deserting trees to billow in its wake.
A black figure patrols the streets; he walks with a purpose and steely resolve.
His face hidden behind the wolf ANBU mask and the darkness shielding him from view. He walks in the streets washed in weak moonlight. He keeps to the edge, hidden in the shadows, as his wolf persona suggests.
His eyes are bleak under the mask. His face is cold, his silver hair shining in the gray dawn light. As he walk, the limp that he was been trying hard to hide begins to slow him.
A solitary figure.
His feet trip on unseen obstacles. The wind echoes behind him, the blood is roaring in his ears. He blocks it out. His sword is stained with red in its sheath. His clothes are splattered with blood of the fallen.
He is lucky. He came back. Unlike the three others in his squad who were not so lucky. His skills kept him alive, his years on the battle field, his killer instincts transformed him into a ruthless monster.
He has no mercy. He is wolf. He stalks the empty town, he prowls in the depths, and he crawls in the dark.
He keeps moving.
He works his way back to her, the only reason he lives, the only thing keeping him on his feet and not unconscious on the ground. He is not afraid of being in sight of civilians. It is too early for them.
The lonely silhouette of a man etched in black, sweeping the streets as Konoha awakens.
He is numb, he feels no pain.
He is wolf.
Farther away, a girl stands vigil by the window. She is kept awake with worry. She will not sleep tonight. She wonders about him.
She waits. Patiently she waits for him. For him to come home. So she can feel him and know that he is here with her.
But not yet.
She watches the night life, she sees nothing.
Her stress enhances farther and her fears become vivid. But she will not stir.
She will clench her fists in the dark, the quiet uneasy atmosphere increasing her concern. She will anticipate his return. Her dreads growing by the hour.
The sun rises.
He has not come to see her.
A tear spills down her face. Then another. She is frozen by the window.
Her worst nightmare coming to life around her. He has not come back this time. He is late, most likely dead.
She knows it, and she is crying, she has no secrets, she is just a girl.
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
She moans, she wails. Her face frozen in a silent scream as tears leak down her upturned face. She shakes violently, tears stream down her face uncontrollably as she sobs.
She is unaware of the golden sunlight flowing through her window and drenching her in a pale cloak.
She is unaware of the time going by.
She is only aware of her pain, and that he is gone.
All the while, he stumbles along. The extent of his wounds reaching him and his weariness catching up to him.
His ANBU vest weeps crimson tears and one of his legs dragging uselessly behind him.
His vision is blurred, and his eye is half open and lined with exhaustion. He relies on instinct to get him to her. He knows he is well out of the village by now, to the secluded part of the woods where she lives.
He only focuses on reaching her, and not the swampy darkness flooding his vision as an agonizing tremor quakes him.
His frail body gives out; he comes crashing to the ground.
Panting, he lays in a heap. The word spiraling out of control he squeezes his eyes shut.
Aching, his vision swims as his eye opens into a slit. He hangs onto consciousness, a throbbing headache blocking all other senses and sounds.
Gasping for air, his pale face becomes deathly white.
The Hokage had told him to go to the hospital right away after seeing the state he was in. Kakashi didn't think he was that bad, and he managed to convince the Hokage that he would be fine after some rest. The Hokage had told him to not push himself, and to go straight home.
Kakashi had worried over what to do next; he knew he should go home seeing that he probably wouldn't make it to Rin's house before collapsing. And technically the Hokage hadn't ordered him to go home, so he wasn't really disobeying an order.
Rin was probably very worried for him and he hated to have her worry more than she needed to. And he had to keep his promise to her, and with that stuck firmly in mind; he began to stagger in the direction of her house.
Now he lay, the breath driven out of him, and consciousness slipping away from him.
He takes one last look at the scenery around him; he is deep in the woods and dense trees block out most of the sunlight, except for the patch he lay in. He was so close too; his thoughts are fixed on her as he blinks away the haze settling into his vision.
His eyes become harder to lift, and the air is thick and hard to breath.
He stings and pain pulses through him.
His eyes close reluctantly; he dreads the darkness closing in on him, but with nowhere to turn.
It envelopes him.
And though unwillingly, he too, is forced to let go.
Old Mr. Webster could never define, what's being said between your heart and mine
She weeps silently for him. Her throat raw and her face wet with the endless tears shed for him. She does not know that just out of eye sight, so close to her, he hovers on the brink of death.
She floats in and out of an anxious slumber. Tears staining her face, her face gray. She is just out of reach, unable to help him, when all she has to do is look.
He awakens to the sound of beeping.
His mind fogged and unable to process anything. A sore ache has settled into his bones and made every movement a bolt of pain.
He groans softly as his eyes slide open groggily and he waits for the ceiling tiles above him to come into focus. Half of him knows where he is, the slower half of his brain is still waiting for it to come to him. Then he recognizes it, it's the hospital again.
He sighs without realizing it, and then he realizes he is not the only one in the room. He shifts his gaze over, the sharp movement making his vision swim and his head protesting at the movement.
It's the third. He is waiting patiently, it seems. His head tilted up and gazing out the window, apparently deep in thought.
Eventually, he realizes Kakashi has regained consciousness and he walks over to stand beside him. Kakashi's eyes blearily follow him as he walks across the room. The Hokage is the first to break the stony silence that filled the room.
"I don't remember ordering you to pass out in the middle of the forest."
The words slowly start to make sense to Kakashi, he considers arguing that it was never really an order, but suddenly that seemed like a weak argument. He decides to stick with the truth.
"I'm sorry… Hokage-sama…but I had to…see her…"
Kakashi's voice is weak and spoken in not much more than a whisper. But the Hokage seems to understand. He nods thoughtfully before continuing.
"You gave us all quite a scare there Kakashi… it's not every day we get a man quite as dedicated as you."
Kakashi blinks out the shadows that blur his vision. He tries to keep his attention focused on the Hokage but it becomes increasingly harder as each moment passes.
"What…about…Rin..?"
The Hokage listens to the young man beside him. He listens to his shallow raspy voice and how devoted is to the girl. He is amazed, this man had been unconscious a few minutes before and all he wants to know about is her when his own condition is just above stable. He takes his time before answering.
"We didn't tell her anything yet. I got the feeling your mind was somewhere else after you left. I sent an ANBU after you. The ANBU reported to me that you were being hospitalized and assessed. They told me that Rin had been last seen crying by the window. According to the ANBU she was still sleeping when they left. She doesn't know that you're in the hospital, or even alive for that matter."
Only half the words reach Kakashi. His mind was buzzing. Rin. She thought he was dead. His mind was reeling and a familiar kneading headache was pounding down on him. He looks up at the Hokage, fatigue encasing him and threatening to shut him down. He needs to know one more thing before he can let himself rest.
"When...can…I…see…her…"
He wheezes, the room is spinning as he fought to breathe. His short uneven gasps become weaker. He vaguely recalls the third's answer as his consciousness fades away
"You'll see her soon, just rest now Kakashi"
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
She gazes out the window dully. Her mind unfeeling and numb. She repeats the phrase over and over. "He's dead, Kakashi's dead" his name sparks some kind of reaction even though it is hard to say. And though it's hard she keeps imagining him appearing on the outskirts of the forest.
But she's lying to herself. A single tear slithers down her already soaked face as she leans heavily on the wall.
There was no good reason for her to believe he would break his promise to her. Kakashi wouldn't do that to her.
And although she has no evidence, she keeps on believing because it is better than knowing. She would rather him be dead than broken and suffering or captured somewhere.
She didn't know if she could handle losing him too. Not after Obito... Though they weren't really team Minato anymore, Kakashi had been the only one she kept in touch with.
They had broken up after Minato became too busy for them after the rumors about him being the Yondaime sprang up. She barely saw him anymore. And now Kakashi was gone too.
She whimpers as thoughts of the man she loved filled her head again.
She didn't notice the knock on the door.
The knock came again.
She had thought she had imagined it, and she just didn't have the energy to move. She didn't think she'd ever move again.
The door creaked open, shedding light in her dark home. An ANBU stepped in casting shadows through the doorway. Her eyes gradually come into focus as her dulled senses catch up to her.
He stands in front of her, she glares at him. He speaks in a low rough voice that rumbles in the air.
"Rin-san…"
The ANBU pauses, as if deciding how to word what he has to say next. Rin squints at him. Trying to comprehend the news. She knows what he is going to say. She already knows. Kakashi's dead. That's what they're going to tell her.
Rin would save them the trouble, if she could find her voice. The ANBU speaks up again.
"Kakashi-san has been hospitalized due to injuries after a mission, he is in critical condition, and you are requested to be at the hospital immediately."
Rin stares at him harder. Her dazed mind only picking up a few words.
She caught Kakashi's name, and the word hospital, and she thinks they said something about wounds. She frowns.
She'd have to check it out. She rises unsteadily, the wall taking most of her weight.
The ANBU took a step to help her, but she glares at him, causing him to freeze in his tracks. She blinks and stands for the first time in what seems like days.
She takes a tottering step forward and straightens herself out. She nods at the ANBU and he wordlessly guides her to him. Rin trailed behind, sensing the urgency and willing herself faster. They filter under the trees and Rin could only hope that she'd been wrong all along.
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
His vision is distorted and his mind is disoriented.
He feels drained and limp.
His head is being crushed by pressure and sharp pains rack his weak body. He feebly attempts to open his eyes, but they seemed to be weighed down. Every breath is a jarring, raw pain.
It is not as damaging as the day before. A soft sigh escapes and echoes vaguely throughout the room. He feels faint… his breath is becoming shaky and soft.
He is just about to black out once more when he hears a voice, it is muffled, and sharp with worry, but it sounds like… her voice.
Rin eagerly waited, she paced around the room where she was told to wait. Her brows furrowed with concern and her stomach is tied in knots.
The ANBU had instructed her to wait here. Every passing moment was like torture, she bit her bottom lip. She was a cloud of nervous energy and she swarmed the room.
She had to know… he was alive, she knew that now. But now the cost of knowing was weighing her down. She had to see him, she had too…
She counts the ceiling tiles, her footsteps, the noises she can hear from the room she is restricted from. Everything is muffled and faint but she can hear the soft hum of machines.
She walks quicker. The static energy in the room is unbearable.
In what seems like an eternity the door swings open. She wants to charge past the nurse coming out and rush into the room.
She forces herself to wait longer and looks at the nurse with a clear request in her eyes. The nurse smiles slightly and steps out of the doorway.
That was all Rin needed. She dashes past as fast as she dares in a hospital as she passes the woman and darts through the doorway.
She hears the door swing shut behind her. She falters as she enters the room. There, in the clean white, hospital bed he was. He looked frail and ghostly. He looked weaker than Rin had ever seen him. But he was alive, and that was something.
She wanted to run over to him and grab him and hold him and never let anything hurt him like this ever again. Her feet seem to be frozen as she watches him and the horror of his condition wears off.
She sees his weak heartbeat on the monitor. She sees his pale, white face. She sees his limp, weary arms and legs. She sees the faint rise and fall of his chest; she sees the permanent frown on his face as he sleeps. The frown twitches, a muted sigh fills the room.
That seems to break Rin out of her trance. She races over to him, her face giving way to her dismay. She runs in what seems like slow motion, and cries
"Kakashi!"
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
"Ka…kashi…!"
He hears her as he floats through an uneasy slumber. His sore arms and legs yearn to meet her.
He knows he can't.
Something crashes into him. Knocking him into consciousness and sending a blind pain to shoot through him.
He wants to writhe in agony but he can't. He knows she didn't mean too. As he lay, winded, he takes in his surroundings. Part of him wants to test opening his eyes but the smarter half of him tells him to rely on other senses. He hears the noises of the monitor speeding up to match the raw bolt of pain she caused.
He hears her muffled sobs and she is talking too fast for him to catch anything she's saying. He blearily opens an eye. It is easier and most of the weight seems to have been taken off. A bright light is shimmering through the open window and blinding him.
He squints as his eye refuses to open farther. She is practically laying on him and pining his arms down. He is frozen as she sobs uncontrollably. He never thought someone would cry for him like this. He never thought someone would care so much.
His eyes trails over to where she lay, did he really scare her that much? Did she actually…love him that much? She must have taken a huge leap and dived onto his bed to be next to him. He almost smiles as he thinks of it.
But for now it's just enough to have her with him, to have her hug him like this and love him, and for a moment the two of them were together.
He wanders off to a peaceful sleep, but in his last moments of awareness he hears one last thing.
"I love you, Kakashi!"
Rin had completely broken down. She was a mess; she was trembling violently and sobbing. She hugged Kakashi to her and held him tight.
She would never let him go. She had heard the involuntary grunt of pain as she grabbed him. She didn't want to hurt him, but she was so relieved that he was here with her that she just didn't care.
She had heard him whisper her name, his voice laced with pain. She wept and held him tight. She had felt his eye flutter open and she had felt his body relax under her. She cried harder, she could have lost him. He could have died, she thought he was dead.
"Oh Kakashi... you scared me so much I thought I lost you!" I was so scared and worried when you didn't come and I thought you had died!"
She shook harder, all her tears have been spent and her face was puffy and red from days in tears. Her throat was raw from crying and she didn't care.
She had one last thing to say. She knew it was time. She was deciding on the best time to let him know and she knew that she had to tell him now. She might never get another chance like this. And with that, Rin told him what his heart had wanted to hear for all the years they spent together.
You say it best when you say nothing at all
The ordeal had become a thing of the past, swept along with the wind and washed up by the sea of time.
It passed like seasons do, and enough time had passed for the seasons to change one time over. For autumn to turn into winter then to spring and then the heat of summer returned once more.
Rin and Kakashi had begun to heal, and now she was more attached to him than ever before. Enough time had passed for Kakashi to go on many more ANBU missions, never quite as serious as they could be. Enough time has passed for Rin to catch a few hours of sleep on those hard nights, because she is confident in Kakashi.
It was the season of love, it was the season for Rin.
It was hot summer day, it was scorching and burning and uncomfortable and sweaty and gross. And Kakashi just wanted to stay inside where it was a little colder and he could walk around without his mask on, but Rin decided that this was the perfect day for a picnic.
And whenever Rin was around Kakashi's ability to say no would disappear. So she was going to come over soon and Kakashi would have to crawl out into the world and have his skin melt off because it was a million times hotter than it should be.
All because Rin says that it's good to get sunlight and its vitamin D, and he was looking a little pale and the sun was just the thing for it.
Kakashi stopped by the mirror and looked at himself. He wasn't that pale, everything else just had too much color. He shrugged and passed the mirror.
He stood by the doorway of his room and tried to remember why he came in here. He already had everything he needed. He scratched the back of his head. A nervous habit he had picked up lately.
Then the realization hits him. He reaches into his back pocket and seeks out a shining locket.
He sighs with relief. It's still there.
Soon she comes and drags him away. They sit on the hilltop, the look out at the swaying grass and the gentle winds.
The evening has winded down to a comfortable, humid mist as he lays back, her in his arms.
The sunset beaming down at them. He smiles to himself as he reaches into his pocket and fishes out the locket. It glimmers in his hand as he opens it. His eye softens as he sees the pictures inside and the memories trapped in its depths.
A picture of newly formed team Minato, the only picture they have of Obito, his goofy grin spread sloppily, he would rather remember him like this than the last time he had seen him. On the other side is a picture of him. His mask is down and his mouth is curled into a grin. His eyes are piercing and intense but held unwavering emotion. The only picture with his mask down.
She better show it to no one. She had told him that she needed a picture of him, but not just any picture.
He scowled good-naturally. She better cherish it, he wasn't going to do it again. He glances back at her. His eye glazed with love. He built his world around her. She was his everything. She is his life.
He snaps the locket shut. He smiles wider as he dangles it in front of her face. She does not seem to see it as she looks past into the twilight.
Suddenly she takes it in and her eyes spark with interest. Her hand shoots up and she grabs it.
She half turns to him with a curious and spirited look in her eyes and cocks her head. His eye narrows playfully and he raises an eyebrow. She seems to take this as an answer and snatches the accessory from his grasp and sets to work on opening it.
He sighs and smirks as he moves to help her. He comes up from behind her, his arms reaching from behind and his head rest on her slim, boney shoulder. He takes the locket from her fragile grip and easily undoes the lock.
It swings open and he can hear her breath catch as she takes in the pictures before her. He grins at her reaction as he can sense her pleasure.
The shock wears off and is replaced with joy. He knew it would be perfect for her. He holds her tighter. She turns to look at him, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears and a warm smile plastered on her angel-like face. She seems overcome with emotions and her voice is filled with happiness. She seems about ready to spill over.
"Oh Kakashi…. It's perfect…"
She seems breathless, which he takes as a good thing. She hands it to him as she silently tugs her tawny hair to the side. He understands and clicks the locket into place. He lets it fall against her as she lets a content sigh into the air. And for a moment, everything was alright. It was just Kakashi and Rin, lost in their love for each other.