Rating: T

Words: Approximately 4150

Summary/Warnings: Team Seven Fluff / Emotional, pregnant Rin / Insensitive, poorly adjusted Kakashi / Bad decisions all around

Pairings: Kakashi/Rin

Author's Notes: As always, special thanks to tabjoy13 for beta reading and helping find all the plot holes and mistakes. The story is much stronger for her input and care. You should check out her Kakashi stories (particularly the Kakashi/Mei one. So much good in there). As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Let me know what you want to see more or less of in coming chapters or if there's something you want to see in a bonus chapter. If you send me a pm, I'll try to get back to you as quickly as possible. Enjoy!


"You're not going today." Rin's voice was unyielding as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her husband. Kakashi's face was flushed with a fever and he was shivering despite his best efforts. The medical-nin's hand touched the warmth of his forehead and she frowned. "I mean it, Kakashi."

The silver-haired man groaned and sat up, swaying only a little. "Yes, I am. Rin, I've got less than a week to get them ready." His voice was hoarse and thick, eyes bloodshot.

Even though Kakashi had been married less than three weeks that he remembered, he knew it wasn't a good sign when his wife crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows that way. "If you aren't too ill, get ready and go then." There were undertones of a challenge in Rin's voice.

Kakashi threw off the blankets and another shudder ran through his body when he attempted to stand. He locked his knees to stay upright and took a step. Three stumbles later, Kakashi crashed to the floor and Rin didn't catch him. He grunted and pushed himself up onto his knees as the room tilted and another chill almost dropped him back to his chest. Rin didn't move; she sat perfectly still, watching him. Kakashi felt his cheeks burn from more than fever. Getting out of bed probably wasn't the best idea he'd ever had.

"Well?" Rin wasn't amused but she wasn't totally heartless either. She walked over and slid her arms under Kakashi's to help him get back to his feet.

"You could heal me," Kakashi said as Rin guided him back to the bed. He fell on it with a soft whimper. The man looked pathetic with the rosy cheeks, red eyes, and a shivering body that curled in on itself. His fever had come on quickly during the night and she had noticed as soon as she woke.

Rin shook her head and threw Kakashi's words from earlier in the week back at him. "Your body needs to get used to the stress you've been placing on it. Healing something that isn't an actual injury will only encourage weakness." Kakashi coughed and Rin rested a hand on his chest. "You shouldn't have spent half of last night outside in the rain, either."

"Isn't that an old wives' tale?" Kakashi opened one eye.

"I don't know; does it feel like an old wives' tale?" Rin tried hard not to smile as she stood up and walked to the bathroom, getting a damp cloth and a glass of water.

When Rin came back to the bed, Kakashi had stretched out and closed his eyes, body demanding rest. She brushed the hair away from his forehead and pressed the cool cloth against the skin. "Take today off. You've been pushing yourself too hard."

"I have to go tell my students that I won't be there," Kakashi mumbled, struggling to sit up. Rin pressed a hand against his chest, holding him still.

"No, you don't. I'll work with them today while you rest." Before Kakashi could argue, Rin tucked the blankets around him like a child. "Peace and quiet will do you good."

Kakashi groaned. "I might be dying, you know," he complained, already half asleep. "You'd feel bad about leaving me if I were dying."

Rin laughed softly and brushed her hand against Kakashi's cheek. "I would, but you aren't dying; I checked. You just need to sleep." She eased another stream of chakra into his body to help him rest and Kakashi sighed, nestling deeper against the pillows as his breathing leveled out. "I love you, you silly, stubborn man." When he didn't answer, even to tense up the way he had started doing when she said it lately, Rin knew he was asleep.


"He's going to give us some stupid excuse about a black cat crossing his path or something," Naruto complained. Sakura ignored him, watching the path in silence. Kakashi-sensei was almost an hour late. Normally, his tardiness wouldn't have been cause for alarm as it was part of his personality, but for the past week, sensei had been on time every single day.

Despite Kakashi-sensei's reassurances, Sakura was still more than a little worried that something was wrong with him. Jonin didn't just collapse for no reason. Half an hour after leaving yesterday, the girl had gone back to double check that he was okay but she couldn't find the man anywhere. Only her promise kept Sakura from rushing to tell Rin what had happened. If Kakashi-sensei gave her any reason to doubt today, she was going to have to break her word. Maybe he needed to go to the hospital for a few days.

Naruto bounded off the railing of the bridge with a shout, startling Sakura from her thoughts. "Rin-san!"

"Well, if it isn't my favorite troublemaker," Rin laughed, returning Naruto's hug before disentangling herself to walk toward the more reserved students.

"And my healing prodigy." Sakura blushed despite herself when Rin touched her shoulder then approached their final teammate.

Sasuke was feigning indifference while Rin grinned down at the dark-haired boy. "Don't worry, I didn't forget my little Uchiha raincloud either." From anyone else, the words would have earned a glare, but Rin had a way of disarming Kakashi's students. The corner of Sasuke's mouth curled into an almost smile before he caught himself and rolled his eyes instead.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked around his grin at the way Rin and Sasuke interacted with each other.

"Kakashi wasn't feeling well, so he sent me to train with you guys today." At Rin's explanation, Sakura exchanged a look with Sasuke, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. "You've done a lot of physical training over the past few days, so today, we're going to work on chakra control." Before Naruto could blurt out that they already knew everything about that, Rin continued. "I know you can water walk and climb trees with your chakra, but we're working on specific control."

The boys grumbled faintly as Rin led them over the bridge to a relatively secluded spot by the river. Sakura watched nervously as the woman lowered herself to the ground with a little difficulty. Being pregnant had to make sitting on the ground uncomfortable but Rin never complained. She kept smiling at the trio with the expression that rarely left her lips. She's good for Kakashi, Sakura thought suddenly as she settled next to Rin. Sensei was so serious and Rin so carefree, that they balanced each other perfectly. Worry tickled her mind again but Sakura ignored it for now.

Rin drew a kunai from the pouch that she was wearing on her thigh and pushed up the left sleeve of her shirt. After making sure she had their attention, Rin slid the sharpened blade across her pale skin. A crimson ribbon appeared and Sakura and Naruto gasped, while Sasuke's eyes widened at the blood dappling her arm. A soft green glow surrounded Rin's other hand as she pressed against the cut. When she removed it, only a trail of blood remained. "You may never become medical ninja, but this type of chakra control can be useful for learning other jutsu.

"If you start by healing yourself, it will be easier since you're already familiar with the patient." Naruto chuckled but Rin's words were serious. "When you heal someone, whether friend or stranger, you have to meld your energy perfectly with theirs to speed the recovery. You can't just rush in pouring chakra, like water, over a wound. You have to move in sync with what they can supply, as well as what they can receive. It's a delicate relationship between healer and patient. The better you know the person you're helping, the easier the healing becomes."

Rin nodded to Sakura who looked down at her arm, biting her lip again. She didn't really want to cut herself but it couldn't be that painful, could it? Sakura followed Rin's lead, wincing only a little, and both boys copied Sakura on principle alone, opening cuts on their forearms.

"Now, focus your chakra on the wound. Feel the damage done and your body trying to knit itself back together. Press your chakra into the gaps, aiding the renewal." Sakura's wound was already closed and the pink-haired girl was watching the boys with more than a hint of smug satisfaction when Rin turned to her.

"I didn't expect you to have any trouble with this. Want to try something a little more advanced than the boys?" Sakura nodded eagerly at Rin's question. The woman smiled and took her student's smaller hands, placing them on her stomach. "I want you to see if you can sense the baby."

Before she could add anything else, Sakura jerked her hands away. "What if I hurt it?"

"You won't," Rin laughed. "I promise. See if you can separate my body from his. Look for his heartbeat; you should be able to hear both of ours. It's not entirely different from examining an unconscious patient. This time, however, you'll have two sets of information to deal with. You'll have to focus, shutting out what doesn't matter to find what does."

Sakura frowned and tentatively reached out with her chakra. She had learned a little about recognizing injuries she couldn't see, but there was still so much more to learn. Closing her eyes to aid with concentration, the girl began to sort through the information available to her. Rin's heartbeat was strong, drumming in her ears, and Sakura could hear the soft inhalation of every breath. There was a faint spark of pain in Rin's back but the woman shifted and it disappeared. Sakura let out the breath she was holding, focusing on Rin's heartbeat to center herself. Once she could mimic it perfectly in her mind and feel the thumping against her chakra, Sakura expanded her reach, looking for something else.

Hours flew by before Rin called a halt to their efforts, leaving all three students completely spent, as if they'd been running the entire time. Neither of the boys had managed to close their cuts and Naruto had blood smeared halfway up his arm from flinging it around in frustration. Rin closed both wounds then sent the boys to wash off their arms in the river. Sakura had already cleaned hers off with a handkerchief.

Rin turned toward Sakura. "So, were you able to sense him at all?"

Sakura shook her head, frowning. "I couldn't. There's just so much to work through. It's difficult to know what is important and what isn't."

"You'll learn." Rin smiled and started to stand up. Sakura jumped to her feet, offering an arm, which the woman took thankfully, allowing the assistance to get off the ground. "This isn't quite as easy as it used to be," Rin laughed.

The pink-haired girl turned to where Sasuke and Naruto were standing by the river and gathered her courage. "Rin-sensei, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Rin frowned at the seriousness in Sakura's voice.

The girl glanced toward Sasuke once more and thought of him shaking his head. He might be angry at her, but she couldn't not tell Rin. It might be important. "Yesterday, when we were training, Kakashi-sensei collapsed." The surprise that entered Rin's eyes revealed that she hadn't known. "He just, well he fell to his knees, and it took him a while to get back up. I couldn't find anything wrong with him but I don't really know what to look for and he was—"

Rin touched her shoulder and Sakura's green eyes came up to meet her brown ones. "He's fine, Sakura. I healed him this morning before coming to meet you. Kakashi is stubborn, and sometimes, he forgets that he's human like the rest of us." She smiled and for some reason, Sakura found it far more reassuring than Kakashi's

Before Sakura could add anything else, Rin called the group back together. "You guys are done for the day. This type of work is exhausting, even if you hadn't already been pushing so hard lately. Take the afternoon to rest, replenish your strength, and be ready to work again tomorrow morning."


The shadows of the tree concealed Obito's body though he wasn't trying to hide. Since speaking with the Hokage, he felt on edge and couldn't put his finger on why. He was off duty today, wearing the black and green of a normal jonin rather than the pale grey of ANBU. Despite that, Obito was still working. One dark eye watched Kakashi's students walk back toward the village. He hadn't been listening the whole time, but he heard Sakura tell Rin that Kakashi had collapsed yesterday. Had that been what sparked Minato's questions last night?

Obito shook his head, waited until Rin started to cross the bridge, then moved. One moment he'd been resting in the tree, the next he was walking beside her. The woman didn't miss a step. "I'm impressed," he said, smiling.

"I'm a shinobi. It takes more than you to scare me." Rin laughed, tucking her kunai away. She had drawn it from muscle memory alone, before her mind completely registered the danger next to her. Under any other circumstances, Obito would have been deemed a threat. To Rin, however, he was still the boy she needed to protect, rather than the other way around.

"I haven't forgotten that," Obito smiled and walked beside Rin in companionable silence. She was slower but even though she was pregnant, his former teammate didn't appear weaker. Obito didn't know how she managed to be deadly and adorable all at the same time, but she did. They were nearly back to town when he broke the silence. "Can I take you to lunch?"

Rin laughed. "I was just getting ready to ask you that."

"You were going to ask if I could take you to lunch?" Obito asked skeptically and Rin nodded, smiling. There was something about the way she said it, the forced lightness, that told him something was wrong. Her tone was just slightly off. "Well then, where am I taking you?"

Rin grinned and grabbed Obito's hand, dragging him toward the Korean Barbeque restaurant. Once they were seated, he looked at her, really looked at her. There were faint dark circles under Rin's eyes and she seemed tired. The purple markings that set her apart as a child had changed as she grew older. The newer, thinner lines followed the curves of her cheeks, curled by her jaw, then disappeared into the collar of her shirt. When he'd asked her why she changed them, Rin had shrugged and said she was a different person now. He hadn't pressed.

The woman glanced around the room, eyes never settling on anything for longer than a moment. Trying to pull her back to him, Obito spoke. "So why does Kakashi have you playing sensei to his brats today?" There was more than a little affection in Obito's voice on the word brats. Sensei's son and Itachi's little brother were kids that he'd watched grow up, and he knew Rin had a soft place for Sakura.

"Kakashi wasn't feeling well," Rin responded, dropping a couple of pieces of meat on the grill. Obito noticed that she didn't mention what Sakura had revealed that morning. "I offered to take over for the day. He's been pushing them hard; I think they enjoyed the break." Her smile was familiar and easy but Obito felt the nagging silence of something unspoken.

It took nearly an hour, and most of their meal, before Rin brought it up. "Do you think Kakashi has been acting strange lately?"

The words almost echoed Minato's but Obito tried to downplay it. "Stranger than normal?" He asked. When Rin didn't laugh, or even look up, he reached out to touch her hand. She jumped and he was shocked to see tears rolling silently down her cheeks. His heart clenched and for a moment, Obito wanted nothing so much as to take her in his arms. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Can we get out of here?" Rin rubbed her cheek with a hand, brushing the tears away as if they'd never been. Without waiting for his answer, she pushed her chair back and hurried outside. It was as if she couldn't stand to sit still for a minute longer. Obito tossed money on the table without checking that it was the right amount and followed her.

Obito found Rin leaning against the wall, pulling in deep breaths. "Rin? Talk to me. What's wrong?" Rather than answering, she pushed off the wall and gripped Obito's sleeve, pulling him behind her through the streets. When they reached a bench that offered an unobstructed view of Hokage Mountain, Rin stopped and sat down without speaking. Feeling more on edge than before any mission, Obito waited. The silence stretched and he started counting the stones on the ground in front of them to keep from losing his mind. He reached seventy-two before she spoke.

"Obito, do you think Kakashi would be unfaithful to me?" Rin didn't look at him.

Of all the things that Obito thought might be wrong with Rin and Kakashi, this was the last. Kakashi was loyal to a fault, and Obito couldn't imagine that he would allow anyone close enough to fall in love with them. Cheating isn't just about love. The thought rattled loose in his mind, but Obito caught it before it could escape his lips. "Why would you think that, Rin?"

Rin shrugged. "He's been different lately. He's gone pretty much all day, every day. Kakashi says he's training his team, and I guess he is, but I don't understand why it's suddenly so urgent. Even when he is home, it's like he's somewhere else." There was a faint sniffling sound and Rin leaned forward, her hair a curtain between their faces, but Obito knew she was crying.

"I don't think he would," Obito answered after a few moments of consideration. "He loves you. I can't imagine that Kakashi would ever betray you, for any reason."

"I know, but lately, it's like he's a completely different man from the one I married." Rin shivered despite the temperature and Obito almost put his arm around her. "He doesn't joke or laugh like he used to. Not with me, anyway. He isn't even interested in me anymore." Obito almost asked what she meant until the pieces clicked into place. He blushed. Kakashi and Rin together was definitely not something Obito wanted to think about.

"Kakashi wouldn't cheat on you," Obito repeated. He couldn't imagine that Kakashi would ever love or even want to be that close to anyone else. He was a man of secrets and privacy. Rin, Minato, Obito, and a few others had been allowed close, but beyond that, Kakashi didn't have many friends. "Have you talked to Kakashi about this?"

Rin shook her head and sighed. "I've hardly seen him with this new training schedule. When I do, he's either showering, eating, or sleeping. There's little time for anything else."

"You should talk to him about this, not me." Obito tucked one leg beneath himself and turned to face Rin. "You two need to figure this out together." He paused and grinned. "For what it's worth though, I think he's probably just distracted and doesn't realize he's being an ass."

That got a small laugh as Rin lifted her head. Her brown eyes were softer for the tears and her cheeks were pink with emotion but she was smiling. "Thanks, Obito." He returned her smile as they lapsed back into comfortable silence, each with their own thoughts.


The apartment was quiet when Rin entered but that wasn't surprising; Kakashi probably hadn't felt like getting out of bed all day. He should be feeling better now, though. The chakra she had used would have cured the fever within a matter of hours, though he probably still felt weak. Rin walked into the bedroom and found Kakashi sitting in bed, staring out the window. It was so out of character to see him sitting still that Rin almost worried. Then, she recalled Sakura's words. Kakashi collapsed yesterday.

Rin meant to ask how he was feeling, but when she opened her mouth something different came out. "Why didn't you tell me you collapsed during training yesterday?"

Wariness leapt into Kakashi's eyes as he ran a hand through his silver hair. "Because you didn't need to know."

Rin felt anger and hurt jump to the forefront of her mind. "Kakashi, that isn't the point. When did you start keeping secrets from me?"

"It's hardly a secret, Rin. There was no reason to worry you." Kakashi shook the blankets off and stood up, trying to end the fight before it started.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Anything else you're hiding, Rin wondered silently.

Kakashi's normally slouched posture straightened, shoulders rising as he picked up a shirt. Without answering, he pulled the garment on, keeping his back to her. They had been married long enough for Rin to know he was angry even though he didn't speak. "Well?" Rin crossed her arms, feeling the fury of unasked questions and fear building in her chest.

"Well what?" Kakashi's voice was cold when he turned around. His gaze traveled past her, settling on his flak vest at the foot of the bed.

"What else are you lying to me about?" Rin's voice trembled between anger and hurt.

Kakashi's lips compressed into a line and his eye narrowed to a slit. "So we're going to jump from I didn't tell you something inconsequential to I'm lying to you?" Kakashi's next action, pulling the mask over his mouth and nose, was like a slap in the face.

"Are you cheating on me?" The words slipped from Rin's deepest fears before she could hold them back.

There was a moment of tense silence, where neither seemed to breathe, then Kakashi growled and grabbed his flak vest, pulling it over his shirt. A tremble of emotion ran through his body, but Rin couldn't tell if it was anger or guilt. He met her gaze for the barest moment, then shook his head and opened the door without speaking.

Rin followed him into the hallway. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kakashi's shoulders tensed, pausing in the middle of putting on his sandals. "Rin," his voice was heavy but she couldn't place the emotion. "I can't do this, not right now. I'm going for a walk." She started to protest that he was sick but Kakashi spoke over her. "You said I needed sleep and I've slept all day. I just," he sighed and she heard a flicker of regret this time. "I need time, Rin."

Without waiting for an answer, Kakashi opened the door and stepped into the night. Instead of following him, Rin closed her eyes against the tears that started falling for at least the third time that day.


Across the village, Obito felt equal parts annoyance and frustration rippling through him. As he left the more populated streets behind, he lengthened his stride into a jog, then a run, leaping toward the trees as soon as they came into view. His foot gripped the branch with chakra and he pushed away in the same instant, bounding through the darkness as if he could outrun his thoughts.

Obito activated his sharingan and the forest became bright as midday. Every detail, from the broken branch ahead to the flutter of the leaves, was visible as he circled toward the training grounds. He could see the three posts with targets scattered over them. Exhaling, the ANBU drew four kunai in each hand, fanning them between fingers, as he pirouetted from the trees. He let the weapons go midair and dark metal glittered then sank into the targets. When he hit the ground, Obito flexed his knees, rolled forward, and came up with a fireball jutsu roaring in the darkness.

Adrenaline coursed through Obito, echoing the pounding of his heart in his chest and his ears. Even with all of his senses heightened, it took the man a minute to notice the tingle in his forearm. It was gentle enough to be a request again, not a demand. Even though it was possible that Minato wanted to talk about something besides Kakashi and Rin, it didn't seem probable.

Obito shook his head. Rin had revealed her doubts to him in confidence and he would never betray her, not even to the Hokage. If Obito discovered that her fears were founded, he would take care of Kakashi without Minato's intervention. The seal tingled again, more faintly than before. For the first time since it was placed on the inside of his wrist six years ago, Obito ignored it.