Chapter One
Kakashi saw his dead teammate for the first time in over a decade.
On some level, he knew it had to be a dream. He had been exhausted for too long to be seduced into thinking that reality had suddenly changed.
Plus, hello, she'd been dead for well over ten years.
And yet, as she came to him out of the darkness, she was as alive as he could have wished her to be, moving with ease, wearing proper shinobi attire—dark tights, a light lavender sleeveless turtleneck top, gloves that stretched to her biceps.
This wasn't a young thirteen-year old Rin Nohara, no. This one was more beautiful, older in appearance.
"R-rin?" he said with wonder.
"Kakashi..."
She gently reached a slender arm out towards him, the fingertips touching his chest, right over his heart.
"It's warm. It's been so long...I thought I was never going to come back. I wish I had come here sooner."
She's alive...she's alive. How is she alive?! Howisshealive, howishealive...!
Brown eyes, solemn and filled with pain connected with his own charcoal eye.
"I have so much to explain to you...I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..."
"Rin?!"
The voice of her former sensei almost brought her to her knees. How was she going to explain to them her "supposed death". It brought tears to her eyes, thinking about the tragedy that had no doubt plagued him for years. She'd faked her own death. And for those years she hid in the shadows.
She only made occasional visits to Konoha, never staying for long, always on the move. What she didn't want to tell Kakashi was that she had been under his nose for all of these years for the longest. When her "replacement" had died, ANBU had made it their sole obligation to inform the Hokage that in fact the body had been that of her, Rin Nohara.
It'd been kept a secret, a few days and then weeks after. Rin had to go under a new identity, one of that under an assumed name of Asami Sato. Sometime around when Minato Namikaze had been elected Hokage, she'd been assigned ANBU despite her skills and young age. It was the only way to keep her status as active to deceased.
It wasn't as though she'd be suspected.
She had to get rid of the purple rectangles of her cheeks, she had to grow out her hair also.
Once, she hadn't even recognized herself. The death of Obito and her sister—who had taken her place—had made her somewhat distant.
She'd been assigned by her mentor at the time to be Kakashi's partner. She felt as though she'd swallowed glass. When the two of them met, it was like being swept into a cold front. The bitterness of losing her had caused him to be cold blooded.
Ironically, that had become his name.
"Kakashi..." she swallowed around a lump in her throat.
"I have so much to explain...and I don't think I can sum it all up how sorry I am...I..."
"Look, not to sound rude, but I think we can save the reunion for later. I need your help, Rin."
Meanwhile, a young woman watched from the window of her apartment. Her light-colored hair was piled into a bun atop her head, her soft face and full lips exposed. Light eyes met the silver cast of the moon. A pale hand went to the swell of her stomach.
"It's so beautiful, tonight. I wish you could see it, and soon you shall."
She had to think of a name, she was almost due.
"Soon, I'll be able to hold you in my arms, and not just inside of my body."
Madara couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. His eyes darted over to Sasuke and his grin widened even more.
"Before our showdown can commence, there's something you should know."
Sasuke glared.
"Itachi not only wanted Sasuke to protect the leaf, the village he so loved and cherished, there's what's in the village that he truly wanted his younger brother to protect. That one single thing that he didn't mention, even after he died."
Madara's smile vanished.
"I have some news that might interest you."
Instead of giving a verbal reply, Sasuke only waited until the elder Uchiha could finish.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's something that might definitely interest you. Your brother made sure to keep this disclosed, especially from you."
"Sasuke, what is he getting at?" Naruto questioned.
"You don't want him to die, do you?"
"Who's him?"
"I'll just cut right to the chase. Remember when you were told your brother killed everyone in the clan, turns out, he didn't kill all of them."
"What the hell are you-"
Madara spoke louder this time.
"We are not the last Uchiha...there is another, another heir. One is still in the womb, the child of your brother and lover. The infant who will change everything you know."
"B...baby..." Naruto croaked.
"Yes, Itachi's child...Sasuke's nephew."
Sakura looked down at Obito, her jade eyes raking over her enemy. Well, now turned ally. A part of her wanted to see him suffer for the deaths he committed—but that wouldn't be right. She wasn't looking for revenge.
"I should hate you..." she whispered, low enough so that he couldn't hear.
"...but you saved Naruto..." She fingered the lock she wore around her throat, nearly forgetting about the gold heart lock.
"Thank you..."
"R-rin..."
Sakura frowned in confusion.
"Rin? Did you say...Rin?"
He coughed. It seemed as though he didn't have long. He looked up at her.
"You said Rin, didn't you?" Sakura asked.
"Yes...she was...an old teammate of...mine and Kakashi's..."
Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She'd actually had heard the name Rin from a long time ago...she couldn't believe she'd almost forgotten until now.
"Rin...you mean, Nohara Rin?"
Obito's entire body went ram rod straight, his head slowly coming up to level with her, although he was still on his knees somewhat. His entire body began to shiver despite it not being cold. The look in the girl's told him that she was just as familiar with the name Rin as he had been.
"How do you...know her? She died a long time ago..."
"I think you're mistaken..." Sakura shook her head.
"Girl...I...know what I'm talking about...she died by Kakashi's hands..."
"I'm telling you that you're wrong," her voice raised.
"She's not dead...she's alive, very much so."
"If you're playing games with me...it's not funny..."
Sakura sighed in frustration.
"Someone obviously didn't tell you the whole story. And I know it well..."
Sakura crouched in front of him.
"The Rin Nohara you saw die all those years ago, wasn't Rin Nohara. You're going to listen to me and you're going to listen to me well."
Obito shook his head. This girl couldn't possibly know Rin, if so, how and why? Kakashi kept to himself and it wasn't as though he had told her anything. Then again...
Sakura continued to speak.
"I'll cut to it, Rin Nohara is a twin, well, was. That girl you saw pierced by Kakashi's chidori was Rin's twin sister, Haruna Nohara. When she and Rin were together one afternoon, she decided to take the mission Rin was given because she didn't want her sister to go to the Mist Village. It was Haruna who was forced to become a jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, it was Haruna who died. Not Rin Nohara."
"The...hell...are...you...talking about." He coughed again.
"Haruna made sure to get information on both you and Kakashi. She copied Rin's habits and personality right down to a science. She didn't want Rin to die on that mission, so she took her place."
"Why..."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand...if you don't believe me, fine."
"How do you know all of this? How? Why?"
Sakura touched that same locker around her throat, tucking it into her shirt from his view.
"My mother knew her well...well enough to give her a new life away from Konoha..."
"You..."
"It's a complicated story...one I think I don't think I can put into good detail more so than my own sister or mother. You'll have to speak to her to get her side of the story."
Just then, a spiral opened up beside her. Her eyes widened at the pair who entered into the other dimension.
"Kakashi-sensei...Rin-sensei."
Rin smiled slightly, her eyes went to Obito and stayed there.
"Obito."
It was her. He remembered the laughter, the smiles the two of them had shared together. No. No fucking way. He wouldn't allow himself the small glimmer of hope that was battling its way through years of grief. This shit didn't happen in real life. People didn't get handed second chances on a damn platter.
He'd prayed for a miracle more times than he cared to admit, but his prayers had gone unanswered. Or had they?
"You're losing it," he muttered.
This woman who remarkably resembles Rin, albeit with no purple rectangles on her cheeks, was staring down at him.
He rubbed his hands over his face and then over the back of his neck. Then he stared down at Rin. He wanted to believe it. He'd be just the sort of dumb ass who'd give this any credibility. But this wasn't genjtutsu, no one was that good. He remembered standing over her, pressing his fingers against her neck, pressing against slippery cold skin, where her heart should have been. Where her pulse should have been. She had been covered in blood.
He felt her hands on the small of his back, the other tucked a curtain of her brown hair behind her, which had grown into an incredible length.
"I guess...I owe you both an explanation... no, more like the entire truth."
"Rin.."
Her eyes became wide, taking in his drastic appearance.
"It is you... isn't it, Obito?"
