If Rin's being honest, she didn't think her team would last this long.

Kakashi, for all his skill, is better suited to solo work. She fully expects him to be absorbed into Anbu anytime now.

As for her sensei, she's surprised the village hasn't already dissolved their team—Rin absorbed into the med-core and Obito written off as war fodder—and shipped Minato off to the frontlines now that he's been classified as an S-rank threat.

Her sensei's hiraishin is something to marvel at and she's so proud of him. She knows how hard he's been working on perfecting it, the countless hours he and Kushina poured over the seal's makeup.

Just as she knows how many times she's had to step in when the whiplash got too severe and that one time he popped a blood vessel and fainted.

Her sensei is a brilliant man, no doubt, but he can also be an idiot.

So Rin isn't surprised when things change.

She's just surprised by how they change.

The 'how' being Hinata.

Rin knows that she's lucky, so godsdamned lucky that she still has her family, her team. Because others? People like Hinata and Hayate?

They aren't so lucky.

Rin hadn't even realized it was Hinata who she'd been assigned to that day. Not even while she scrubbed the burnt, dead flesh on her back or plucked the metal shards from her body.

It wasn't until she began to redress the bandages on her eyes that she realized the beaten, pale soul she'd been attending was in fact her best friend.

During Hinata's recovery, Rin made it her mission to be assigned Hinata's floor each day she volunteered to personally ensure that her best friend got the best care possible.

Rin remembers catching glimpses of silver just as she enters Hinata's room. The only reason she didn't report these instances was the amused expression on Hayate's face. And Rin knew that her former classmate would never let any harm befall her best friend, not after he'd dragged her burnt, bleeding body past enemy lines and into allied territory despite his own grievous injuries.

That's when things began to change.

Obito began taking his training more seriously. The pranks he enjoyed playing transforming into formidable traps with Kushina's guidance.

Rin doubled her shifts at the hospital. Determined that if the worst ever happened she would have the ability to deal with it.

And Kakashi, well, she hardly saw him outside missions and mandatory team training back then. When she did see him he was always tense, sniffing the area around them for hidden threats.

It took her a while to connect Hinata's mysterious visitor to Kakashi.

It explained why Hayate always referred to him as Hinata's 'guard dog'. It's funny, when she thinks back on it.

It's not until Hinata joins their team that things begin to really change.

Rin had tried her best to mediate the fights between Obito and Kakashi, but her best efforts usually amounted to very little—Obito's temper too strong placate and the depressing fact that while Kakashi respected her abilities as a kunoichi, he didn't personally care for her as a person.

But then Hinata comes in, with her quiet grace and soft voice, and Kakashi, to their team's collective shock, backs down with nothing more than a dismissive huff in Obito's direction.

Rin would have been green with envy if she wasn't so damn grateful. Her boys were really starting to grate on her nerves.

She'd been worried in the beginning. Obito has always been protective of Hinata and Kakashi had a special way of hurting their friend. Rin wouldn't have been surprised if it all led to a real fight. A fight that Rin would happily join.

No one makes Hinata cry.

No one.

Not even her crush.

Rin knows even her and Obito combined can't beat Kakashi but she could make him hurt. She's a medic. She knows which tendons to slice, which muscles twist and pull that would leave even veteran jounin shuddering on the floor.

Luckily for Kakashi, such measures were never necessary.

Despite possessing not a single ounce of tact and unaware of most social cues, Kakashi makes a concerted effort to treat her with not only respect but also a startling degree of tenderness.

Rin can't even find it in herself to be jealous or bitter about it all, not when she can see how happy they make each other.

And as time passes, their team truly becomes a team.

(More than that, they've—)

"I'm starving!" Obito announces, stretching his arms above his head. He turns to the three of them with a grin, "Let's go eat!"

"Good idea." Rin nods in agreement. It's important they all hydrate and replenish their energy stores after training. She looks at Hinata and Obito questioningly, "A-Won's Café?"

"Yes!" Obito cheers at the suggestion of their favorite coffee shop. It's a rinky dinky little hole in the wall, all mismatched furniture and peeling paint. It's not the best cafe in Konoha, but there's something charming about the place that brings the three of them back for more.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Hinata says. Rin preens. "Hatake-kun?"

Kakashi doesn't look up from his copy of The Physics of Liquid Water.

"Sure. I could eat."

Obito makes a face but otherwise doesn't say anything against Kakashi coming along. Which is a big improvement given that a few months ago Obito would have violently protested against taking Kakashi to their special spot.

Instead, Obito settles for grabbing onto Hinata's hand and engaging her in a discussion over the new jutsu she's begun developing.

It's while they're walking that the tie on Rin's medical apron comes undone. She walks to the side out of foot traffic and twists the fabric around to re-tie it. She pulls on the neat bow and twists it back around into its proper place.

She looks up to gauge how far her teammates have walked without her—not far, she can spot Hinata and Obito a little ways ahead, hands interlocked—and is startled when she's met by Kakashi gazing calmly back at her, his book tucked into his elbow.

"Oh!" Rin startles, her face heating, "Kakashi-kun, you didn't have to wait for me."

Kakahi shrugs, "Pack sticks together."

Rin's eyes widen, the significance of his words not lost to her.

Kakashi takes out his book again and starts to walk. When she doesn't make to follow him, he stops and raises a brow at her.

"Are you coming or not?"

"Oh, um, yes," Rin stammers, her stupor slowly wearing off. She jogs up to him, tripping once. Not that Kakashi cares or sees ( thank the gods, how embarrassing ), his nose back in his book. "Thank you again. For, um, waiting."

Kakashi hums in acknowledgment and begins walking now that he is sure she will follow.

Rin walks beside him, a smile pulling at her too-warm cheeks. Rin grabs onto Obito's free hand when she catches up to the two. Obito looks away from his discussion with Hinata to shoot her a quick smile that Rin happily returns. Feeling bold, Rin reaches for Kakashi's wrist.

Kakashi spares her a glance before returning back to his book.

Rin faces forward, heart brimming with warmth and a bounce in her steps.

(—become pack; family)

Kakashi awakes abruptly to the smell of blood.

Most would have frozen but Kakashi is anything but average , his hands and fangs stained red with the blood of shinobi twice his age and height. So Kakashi stays limp in faux-sleep and listens.

Nothing.

Just a couple of crickets and Obito snoring softly beside him on his left.

Kaka takes a careful, long breath, doing his best to ignore the cloying scent of blood, and tries to sniff out any unfamiliar scents, anything that could point to their perimeter having been breached.

Which would take a miracle, given that it is Minato who fortified the area with enough seals to turn their temporary camp into an impenetrable fortress.

Speaking of his teacher, where is he?

Kakashi breathes in deeply again, trying to find his sensei's unique freshbreeze packink alpha scent.

"...'ensei?" he whispers when he locates the man among the trees above them.

"Kakashi?" Minato asks, voice concerned. There's the sound of a tree branch creaking as more weight is applied to it before Minato is suddenly by his side. Kakashi opens his eyes to his sensei peering down at him.

"I smell blood," he reports without preamble.

Minato's eyes widen before narrowing into two frosty points.

"Where?" he demands, voice low but firm. Kakashi doesn't dare move, instincts telling him it would be a death sentence with this greater predator looming over him. So he flicks his eyes over to the side where he knows Rin and Hinata are fast asleep.

"Whose?" Minato asks next.

Kakashi takes another breath before answering.

"Rin."

Minato nods, face stormy, before making his way over. Kakashi fully expects Minato to scold his teammate for being stupid and hiding her wounds (the blood had smelled old but luckily didn't have that sourbitterwrong of infection) but is startled when Rin shrieks.

Kakashi is on his feet in an instant. Obito and Hinata are up and awake half a second later, Hinata's byakugan activated and the Uchiha raising an arm to wipe at his drool, the kunai his hand reflecting the moonlight.

Rin stands next to Minato-sensei, her red face hidden behind her hands that the blonde is gently trying to pry away, crouched down and talking lowly.

Obito's eyes flicker around as he assesses the situation. They land on the murky patch on Rin's bedroll and his eyes widen, his goggles that were perched on his forehead slipping down.

"Is that b—blood?!"

Rin bursts into tears. Kakashi's nose wrinkles and a low growl escapes his throat at the combining scent of blood and his teammate's distress.

"Rin-chan, please don't cry, it's okay." Minato tries to console but Rin shakes her head and cries harder, shame souring her warmherbs packpain when Obito joins in.

"Rin? Rin? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Where?" Obito turns to their sensei when she only squeaks in embarrassment. "Sensei? What's wrong with Rin? Is she hurt?"

Minato coughs awkwardly, "Er, not exactly…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Obito yells, "Sensei, is she hurt or not?!"

Kakashi snorts in agitation.

He's had enough of this.

Kakashi marches over to yank his incompetent teammates away and deal with his packmate himself. He moves to grab Rin's wrist but is stopped by a hand on his. Kakashi turns sharply, ready to snap at whoever is foolish to stand between him and an injured packmate. His growl cuts off immediately when he's met by Hinata's stern gaze.

"I will handle this," she says, her tone demanding he submit to her will and so he does. Kakashi lets his wrist go slack in her grip and bows his head, exposing the back of his neck. Approval alights her eyes and she lets go of him.

Hinata moves forwards and the aurora she's projecting must get through even Obito's thick skull because his mouth snaps shut and he goes without a fight when Minato pulls him back.

Her words are too soft for even Kakashi's advanced hearing but her voice is gentle and comforting. Eventually, Rin's cries died down to the occasional sniffle.

Hinata pats her back. She sighs in exasperation, throwing Rin a knowing look.

"Boys," she says fondly.

Rin chuckles wetly, "Boys," she agrees.

Kakashi still has no idea what's going on but since Minato doesn't look worried and neither do their two medics so Kakashi reluctantly lets it go. Obito, on the other hand, is much the opposite.

Obito takes a step toward them, reaching out, "Hey guys, what's g—"

A sharp look from Hinata and Obito wilts like a flower without the sun. He mopes his way over to where he and Minato are starting breakfast. Well, Kakashi is the one making the food. The only thing he trusts his sensei with is the fire.

"I don't get it," Obito whines, flopping down next to where Minato is tending the fire, "Why are they being so—so sneaky!"

"We are ninja," Kakashi deadpans.

Obito scowls at him, "I know that, but this isn't some mission. I just want to know what's going on so I can help."

Kakashi agrees but like hell he's going to tell Obito that.

"I know you mean well, Obito, but it's, uh," the two boys watch curiously as their sensei becomes increasingly flustered, "it's a, um, girl... problem…" he trails off awkwardly.

Kakashi stills as it all clicks together.

"Oh." Is all he says.

"Wait what?" Obito looks back and forth between him and sensei. "I don't get it."

Minato-sensei makes a soft whining sound that would have gone unheard if it wasn't for Kakashi's advanced hearing.

"Well, you see, Obito, girls when they reach a certain, er, physical maturity their uterus begins the pro—"

"What's a uterus?" Obito interrupts.

Minato goes quiet before slumping forward, a groan escaping his dejected form.

"Um, Sensei? You okay?"

Minato-sensei responds by drooping all the way to the ground.

Kakashi rolls his eyes. He can't understand how someone as powerful and skilled as their sensei can be so useless.

He focuses his attention on his clueless teammate.

"It's called a period."

Obito blinks back at him stupidly.

"A...period?"

Kakashi nods, "When we get back Rin will receive a medical seal that will negate it. Until then, she will continue to bleed for a few days."

"Is she...is she going to be okay?" Obito glances in the direction the two girls went.

"Mostly. She'll experience some cramping, soreness, bloating, mood swings—"

"WHAT!?" Obito yells, expression twisted in panic. "RIN! Hinata, you have to—!" He makes to go after the two girls but is stopped by Minato-sensei's holds on the back of his jacket.

"All of which is perfectly normal—" he shoots Kakashi a look.

He frowns.

What? He was only answering Obito's question.

"—and nothing that Rin or Hinata cannot handle, Obito."

As if on cue, the two girls return. It's quiet as they stop to stare at Obito dangling limply in the air and then somewhere behind Kakashi.

"Ah, Namikaze-sensei," Hinata starts tentatively.

"Hm?" Minato-sensei responds, releasing Obito who drops to the ground with a yowl. "What is it, Hinata-chan?"

"The, um, food—"

Kakashi tilts his head and sniffs only to start coughing.

"—it's burning."

Minato yelps and spins around. Kakashi grabs the ladle before his sensei can and sticks it in. He sighs when he finds the burnt mass stuck to the bottom.

"Huh," Obito says with an impressed expression as he leans down to look into the pot, "I didn't think anyone could be worse at cooking than sensei."

"Hey!" Minato-sensei cries.

Kakashi huffs and turns away.

"I guess we're having rations for breakfast." Rin giggles and then sighs, "Again."

Obito throws back his head and groans.

They're sitting under the shade of a Hashirama tree eating their lunch when a pair of hands cover Hinata's eyes. She squeaks, activating her bloodline instinctively, whips her head around, her bento falling out of her lap. Kakashi snaps a hand out and catches it.

"Hey!" Obito shouts. "Quit scaring Hinata-chan!"

"Hm," Hayate rubs his fingers together, "I'm never going to get used to that."

Kakashi huffs and shuffles closer, placing Hinata's bento on top of his own for safe-keeping. It'd be a crime if it fell on the floor.

Rin shakes her head, "She's going to jyuuken you one of these days, I swear."

"Yeah!" Obito agrees.

Hayate shrugs, "Maybe, yeah."

But what a way to go, he thinks wistfully to himself.

"Hayate-kun!" Hinata springs to her feet and wraps her arms around his neck. "Oh, I've missed you!"

He chuckles and squeezes her tight once.

"I've missed you too, hime."

Obito opens his mouth and mimes vomiting only to have Rin elbow him sharply.

Hinata pulls back just enough to look at him. His skin is still too pale and the bags under his eyes are darker than normal but other than that he looks so much better than the last time she'd visited him a few days ago.

Even still she can't help but worry. Hayate is all she has left of her genin team.

"How are you feeling? Has there been any more buildup? Here, let me check." Hinata's hands glow green. She slides them down his chest.

Kakashi growls under his breath at the same time Obito pouts and crosses his arms.

Rin rolls her eyes.

Boys.

"How am I doing?" Hayate asks playfully, arms lowering as Hinata steps back.

She grins at him, eyes bright with tears and cheeks flushed.

"A perfect recovery!"

Oh, she'd been so worried all this time. She and Hayate's family. Although there's yet been an illness he hasn't beat, she still can't help but worry over his delicate constitution.

"Congrats," Rin says, "I'm happy you're better. Hinata was really worried."

"Yeah," Obito nods, still pouting, "I thought you died or something."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah—wait no! That's not what—I didn't mean it like that!"

Hayate quietly snorts, "Sure you didn't."

Obito splutters, his windmilling arms almost smacking Kakashi's stack of bentos. He pulls them closer to his chest, glaring at Obito. Rin laughs but not before pulling her own lunch closer.

"Well," Hayate hooks his arm with Hinata's, "we're off to celebrate. See ya."

"Hey! You can't just steal Hinata-chan like that, you jerk!"

"Obito," Rin scolds, "let them go. We'll see Hinata tomorrow."

"What do you—oh yeah I forgot about the sale at A-won's! Yes!"

Kakashi looks down at the two lunch boxes in his lap.

Guess that means more for him.

Kakashi makes sure his mask is on properly before opening the door.

"G—good morning, Hatake-kun!" She greets loudly, her voice echoing in the quiet morning.

Kakashi eyes her warily, "...good morning…"

"Congratulations on your p—promotion! Here," she bows and Kakashi has to dodge so as not to be hit in the face by the neatly wrapped present, "a gift f—for you!" She stands back up, her face darkening as the seconds tick by. "I hope your ninken will like it."

His interest piqued, Kakashi carefully unwraps the box. He reaches inside and pulls out a small blue jacket. He holds it up and he huffs in amusement at the henohenomoheji stitched on the back.

"Do you think they'll like it?" Hinata asks nervously.

Kakashi shrugs, "I don't know, I'll ask them."

"Oh no, Hatake-kun, that's o—okay. I don't want to—I'm sure they're busy!"

Kakashi ignores her weak protests and slams his bloodied fingers on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A poof of smoke envelops the doorway of his dorm briefly before dissipating to reveal eight puppies.

"Yo, boss," Pakkun greets. He sniffs and turns to face Hinata, "Hey, princess." The others perk and scrabble over to Hinata.

The few that can talk greet her eagerly while the others who can't or are still learning yip and whine, begging for pats.

Hinata obliges them, crouching down and petting them all.

"Good morning, everyone."

Kakashi waits until they've all been pet at least once (they'll whine otherwise) before ordering them heel. They sit obediently in front of them, tails wagging.

"Hinata got you guys a present."

"A present!" Urushi, his sharp eyes widening excitedly, "Where!?"

Kakashi pulls out one of the jackets and between him and Hinata they manage to get them on their wriggling little bodies.

Hinata tugs on the end of Bull's jacket, uncaring of the drool dripping down on her hand.

"...it's too big…" she says mournfully.

Kakashi grabs the other end and mops the slobber off her hand.

"He'll grow into it." Kakashi leans back observing as his ninken sniff at their new uniform. Shiba runs in a circle, snapping at the cloth. He gets ahold of it and chews on it contently.

".. still…"

"Stop worrying, hime." Bisuke pads over to her and flops onto her lap. "They're fine."

"They're more than fine, hime," Guruko climbs into her lap, stepping on his brother's long ears, "They're great! Thanks!"

"Yes, Guru is right." Uhei nods regally from where she's bracketed by a sleeping Pakkun and Bull. "Thank you for the gift. It was very thoughtful."

Hinata flushes under their praises. Kakashi picks up Akino who's been teething quietly on Hinata's sandal and places him in his lap. Akino switches his attention onto the leather straps on Kakashi's arm guard.

"Thank you," he says quietly, running his fingers through the ninken's golden fur.

"You're w—welcome." Hinata plays with the mohawk on Shiba's head. "I'll be leaving later this afternoon. I wanted to give it to you before I left."

Kakashi nods, fingers tracing the careful stitching.

Hinata looks around, brows pinched.

"Where is Urushi?" she asks.

A resounding crash echoes from the kitchen followed by high-pitched yelp.

Kakashi sighs.

Puppies. Such a handful. Especially when they can walk up walls. Looks like he'll have to hide the treat jar.

Again.

Today is the day. His very first mission as a jounin of Konohagakure. His mission: the strategic destruction of one of Iwa's major supply lines, Kannabi Bridge.

It's a shame Hinata won't be accompanying them, having rejoined Hayate and deployed elsewhere. Her byakugan would have been useful for scouting the best place to plant the explosives.

Kakashi slips his hand inside the hidden pocket stitched into clothes and brushes his finger against the two folded pictures inside.

The first one is genin team picture. Of the team that'd grown on him and eventually became pack.

The second one is less professional looking, blurry in some parts, but no less important. Kushina's grinning face takes up the majority of the photo, her hands lifted up in a peace sign. Seated behind her at the ramen bar is a bored looking Kakashi with Hinata mid-slurp beside him.

It's the most important thing he owns sans the chakra blade strapped to his back and the faded photo of his mother tucked inside his sock drawer in his room.

Maybe...maybe when they all return he can take a picture with his pack all together.

For documentation purposes, of course. It's not like he wants a clear picture of Hinata to keep with him always.

Pfft, no .

Kakashi reseals the pocket and makes his way to meet his team.

Okay.

Time to focus.

He has a mission, one vital to the war effort.

And he will not fail.

Not like that man did.

He'll be the one to right the wrongs committed by his blood and nothing—nobody—will get in his way.

Obito's voice is strong and clear despite one of his lungs having been crushed into pink paste.

"Swear to me you'll take care of them—Hinata and Rin—swear to me !"

"I—I swear," Kakashi croaks, fists shaking at his sides.

And he is alone.

Obito watches the rocks tumble atop him, half out his mind from the agony of it.

This—this is it. The end.

For him, that is.

But for Kakashi? For Hinata? Rin? It is simply a bump, a painful detour in their (hopefully) long lives.

Obito hopes they can forgive him for leaving them behind.

An ugly sob tears out of his throat. Obito doesn't know whether to be thankful or not that his team isn't there to see him crumble.

He doesn't want to—he doesn't want to die!

Obito thinks of Hinata, his fellow black sheep. He thinks of her soft eyes and the way scrunch up when she lets herself laugh.

He thinks of Rin, her kind smile and her laugh—gods, he loves her laugh like chiming bells—he wants to hear it one more time.

He wants to see them grow into the powerful kunoichi they're destined to be

He wants to hug Rin one more time, tight and close, their heart beating against one another in a song of their own.

He wants to hold Hinata's hand in his, her cold hands a perfect contrast to the fire flowing through his veins.

Obito wants so many things.

He's never felt such deep regret. Has never cursed time wasted and missed opportunities with such vehemence.

He regrets not getting along with Kakashi earlier.

(he's really not that bad)

But most of all he regrets never telling Rin how much he loves her —how much he loves Hinata, the both of them with all the passion of the sun goddess herself.

Obito regrets never telling either of them how much he loves them.

The last boulder locks into place and Obito falls into oblivion, regret heavy on his tongue.