"What?"
Tobi does not answer. Instead, he moves to stand before her, so close, his height intimidates.
"You think I don't know why you're really here?" he whispers coldly.
He bends down so that his head is levelled with hers.
And feeling suddenly claustrophobic, Rin shifts away from him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she says waveringly.
Although composed, she cannot dismiss the sudden swell of panic that fills her chest.
What does he know?
"I'm talking about Orochimaru's precious spy," he says, and Rin instantly pales.
"W-What?"
Her voice falters, but she forces herself to look straight at him.
"I'll give you two options. You either explain or you die, it is that simple," he says dangerously.
This time she senses the raw anger that infiltrates his chakra.
Does he really think she would stand there and obediently select from his narrow-minded options? She may appear open and guileless but when it comes to ethics, she will not hesitate to retaliate.
"You'll have to coerce an answer out of me," she says firmly.
"Don't make me force you," he answers threateningly.
Rin dislikes conflict, but something tells her she cannot leave without a fight. And although she is highly adept with elusion, her offensive tactics are basic. The weakness does not deter her from the possibility of fighting someone she cares so deeply about, but at this point, Tobi's seething fury pushes that emotion to the back of her mind.
She lifts her chin.
"I'm guessing you won't let me leave, so I'll just have to battle my way out," she says indifferently.
"You really think you can take me on?" he folds his arms across his chest.
She frowns at the patronising remark. She has never seen Tobi in battle. His evasive skills may surpass hers in superiority, but he must have some other weakness she does not know about. Perhaps in offensive techniques?
Unfortunately, her prediction is off.
As her hand reaches for him, he suddenly sidesteps and moves a short distance from her.
"What?"
The word escapes in a blur of confusion.
In that moment, Tobi turns and grasps her arm. He brings her movement to a complete halt before hauling her towards him so that their bodies are inches away from collision.
"You'll need more powers than Orochimaru to defeat me," he says frigidly.
His fingers dig menacingly into her arm, albeit it loosens when she outwardly winces in pain.
"Hmph. So you just act stupid," she says gruffly.
He ignores her.
"I win," he says softly, and he yanks her down to a sitting position, "Now tell me, why did you not accompany us to capture the three tails?"
Why?
Because my heart broke when you chose…
She cannot bring herself to think of the reasoning. Pathetic excuse, but it is the cold hard truth and there is not a damn thing she can do about it.
"I had other things I had to do-" she begins indifferently.
Then, she is squealing in terror. Tobi launches forward and yanks both her wrists in a painful grip. He is leaning so close, his mask is alarmingly near her face. Through the eyehole, a blood red eye is apparent, and it momentarily debilitates her with trepidation.
"Don't you lie to me," he says caustically.
The situation is far too much for her weakened mind to handle. She shuts her eyes in preparation for an involuntary scream. She waits and waits but it never escapes. Somehow it has taken the pleasure of drowning itself in a pool of her own sheer terror.
In all the years she has lived, never in her life has she felt so afraid, tormented and broken than she does now.
She opens her mouth to speak but all that comes out is a pathetic plea.
"Please no."
She is afraid, so afraid of that ominous shadow that cloaks his demeanour.
And she knows its presence and recognises its familiarity. The way it carries itself in a discordant manner - unforgiving to the fragile emotions.
But she desperately wants to reach out for Tobi, to bring forth that gentleness and to guide him back to her, but she too is lost in her own emotions.
"You and…" she stumbles on her words.
And then as if it is the most natural thing, her head collapses forward and she weeps. Silently, softly and pitifully.
There is a long forlorn silence, then, a shuffling noise.
But the sound does not perturb her, nor does it affect the heated flow of tears.
Please stop crying, Rin.
But she cannot so she lets it fall. She digs her fingers viciously into the hard earth until the pain cuts through and her breath hitches in an attempt to stem the tears.
Then she falls quiet.
Her mind and body instantaneously braces itself for whatever interrogation that befalls her.
But these feelings become a distant thought when she turns her watch to a pair of soft dark eyes.