A/N: Wow it's June! I'VE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH, my dears D: How have you all been?
I still have one more week of my internship (extended, because I fell sick and missed a week and a half), but let's start the ball rolling again! Plot-wise it might be a little slow because there are so many details I want to cover, characters to develop, relationships to build... etc, etc, but at least the hiatus is officially over, right? :D Some of these chapters have really stumped me these past months and I continue to wrestle with others, but I'm working hard on them! If you have any feedback, ideas, complaints, anything, I'd love to chat :3
Ahem ahem. Okay let's get serious. Do enjoy~
The rain whispers across the night sky like sheets of gauze drawn over the lady moon's face, shimmering where it passes through the small circle of light cast by the ceiling light's dangling glass bulb. Kakashi sits on the edge of the veranda with a red scarf wrapped around his neck and face in lieu of his mask, a cup of tea in his hands as he stares out into the darkness. His knees are tucked to his chest, his toes curled under the end of his scarf to ward off the cold.
Behind him, the kitchen and living room are dark. After Kakashi saw Rin's family off with an apology for his temper, everything has been tidied away. The atmosphere was stilted, but the seeds of a mutual understanding have been sown. There would be other chances to improve their relationship, though, since Kakashi has offered to employ Masae as an assistant manager for the farming programme.
For all the hurt that had come pouring out tonight, it feels like a catharsis. As they sit with Kakashi, Sakumo hopes that his son will be able to feel their presence, and that it will assuage the loneliness that tinges tonight's otherwise comfortable silence.
Kakashi may be used to being alone, but meeting Rin's family tonight makes Sakumo realise that Rin is probably used to the hustle and bustle of a large family instead. Her personality would have endeared her easily with her Academy classmates, just like how she managed to charm both boys in Team Minato into working together. Even during the war, she had her fellow med-nin around her.
Spending year after year fretting over Kakashi can't be something particularly healthy, even though Sakumo can't quite seem to talk himself into "letting go" like all parents eventually have to. He left Kakashi once, too early. Distancing himself feels too much like repeating his mistakes even though it would give Kakashi some well-deserved space and privacy. It doesn't help that Kakashi's life has been marked by a string of disasters, one after the other.
But Rin should be with more friends, with vivacious people like Hyaku or Kagami, not a depressing old man like himself. The other ghosts may not like him, but Rin— she could build a life much more fulfilling than the one she has now.
Oh, there's no doubt that she's made of stern stuff. ANBU has been harsh, like Kagami had warned, but she has been more than able to stomach the vicious fights that Kakashi's missions require. Still, it has always been difficult for both of them when Kakashi has to bring out his cold-blooded side to do the dirty work. And now there is ROOT to consider too. Sakumo cannot imagine ROOT being any better than ANBU, only worse. He can't stop Kakashi from joining, but he wants to protect Rin.
Looking at her red-rimmed eyes and pinked nose, Sakumo feels his heart squeeze. "How are you holding up, Rin?"
She lifts her head and gives him a small, surprised smile. "Alright, I suppose." Her gaze drops to her feet as she tries to find the words, and Sakumo gives her the time. "Things are just so... different now. I miss the old days, when everything was so much simpler. It's hard to believe Minato-sensei and Kushina-san are gone." Her arms tighten around her legs and she looks very small. "Do you think Minato-sensei will ever be able to get out of the Shinigami?"
Sakumo suppresses a wince. "I don't know, Rin."
She sniffles a little but nods. "I just don't want him to be suffering."
"Me neither." Sakumo pulls her into a half-hug and she leans against him with another sniffle. "But if anyone can escape, it'll be Minato." Rin's clenched hands tighten and she nods firmly, her hair bobbing. They sit like that for a while, caught up in memories, before Sakumo brings up his inital worries. "...you don't have to follow Kakashi around all the time, you know?"
She looks a little uncertain at his question. "Yes...?"
"It can't be all that nice being around two gloomy Hatakes all the time."
"Ohh." Rin drags the word out, understanding lighting her eyes. "You're not gloomy." He arches a pale brow at her but she just shakes her head fondly. "These weeks have been pretty terrible, but I don't need to be around people who are smiling and laughing all the time to be happy."
"I see," Sakumo murmurs, glad that she is able to think this way.
"Actually, today's been pretty okay... e-even though it always hurts to see Kakashi blaming himself even now..." She takes a deep breath. "I've made a mess of things so many times - getting kidnapped twice for goodness sake - and I'll always remember the patients I've failed to save... But Kakashi doesn't think any less of me and neither did Obito. I'm so amazed and incredibly grateful every time I see evidence of that, I..." She trails off. "Kakashi deserves someone who can remind him that he's doing well, too."
"Oh Rin. Always thinking of Kakashi," Sakumo muses to himself, warmed by her kindness. Before he can reply though, the lightbulb above them suddenly blinks out and they are thrown into darkness, leaving them with the sound of the living room door being locked and Kakashi's retreating footsteps. "Well, that's goodnight, I suppose," he says dryly and Rin snorts softly.
Sakumo lets his arm fall away as she stands and stretches leisurely, her form a muted collage of silvery lights and shadows under the faint moonlight. "I know it's been a long day, but care for a spar, Sakumo-san?" She tilts her head towards the moonlit field and smiles. "It's been a while."
The older shinobi understands her restlessness. While Kakashi tosses and turns in fitful sleep, they can only linger in perpetual wakefulness. Sometimes they meditate and sometimes they talk, but the numb intangibility of their existence wears. So he stands and rolls up his sleeves. "Sure. Taijutsu only?"
Rin nods sharply, her teeth flashing as she grins and heads out into the open space. The thickening rain doesn't even stir her hair, but it becomes slightly harder to see her clearly. "Don't go easy on me!" she calls, "I'm going to kick your butt!" She takes up a stance, her open hands raised before her chest as she beckons him to approach. Mischief dances bright in her eyes and Sakumo can't help but chuckle at her trash-talk.
"Okay, here I come~"
Rin groans in mock exasperation even as she dodges and parries his first few light punches. "You're such a dad. We're not playing hide and seek!" Darting forward into his defense, she digs her heels into the ground and drives her fist towards his stomach.
Letting out a small huff of laughter, he grabs her by the arm and the waistband of her med-nin apron, twists and throws her into the air, taking advantage of his longer reach and her momentum. "Found you!"
Sent flying, she flips and pushes off the ground with her hands, landing on her feet a distance away. "Woah!" Sakumo is already there, aiming a chop to her neck that she blocks with a grunt. Quickly grabbing his wrist, she pulls him down towards herself even as she sends a roundhouse kick flying towards his head.
He's much stronger— his arm barely moves with the full strength of her blow as he blocks her foot with the back of his fist. In a flash, she snaps her foot back and drives her heel towards his abdomen in a rapid follow-up. But instead of blocking or twisting away, Sakumo takes the full brunt of the blow with a quiet "oof". At the same time, he breaks her hold on his wrist, catching her forearm instead. A strangled squeak escapes her as his other hand shoots out and taps against her neck, his thumb against the flutter of her pulse. It's a gentle touch with no pressure at all, but the potential threat is clear.
The wind howls and the rain picks up around them as he smiles mildly. "Good reflexes. But I'm not as light as Hyaku or Meiko; I can take a few blows and retaliate in the meantime."
They haven't met up with Hyaku for a while, but back in Ame, they sparred often at night just like this. The thought elicits a memory of Sugi, of how she used to watch them and ask Sakumo to explain the moves. It causes a sharp frisson of regret to run through him, but he replaces it with the hope that she has finally found peace in the Pure Lands.
Rin exhales shakily, her moment of shock turning into contemplation. "You're using your weight and height to your advantage this time. You didn't use to."
Sakumo smirks, focusing on the present again. "And I noticed you taking advantage of my soft-heartedness last time." He releases her and steps back. "But you told me to not go easy on you this time."
"Again!" Rin says happily. "That was way too fast and I have a few more tricks from Hyaku-neesan that I want to try."
"Go ahead."
She changes her fighting style immediately, forgoing the straight-on attacks and holds in favour of a fleet-footed style and a light touch. They exchange a flurry of jabs and kicks, their attacks and defenses growing swifter as they warm up. At moments, the white noise of pattering rain and the deep shadow of the night reduces the flow of their movements to pure instinct, born between one breath and the next. Sakumo has to hold himself back from the entrancing rhythm of violence, careful to limit himself to light taps in place of blows; throws where he would have otherwise held an enemy down and broken bone. It would be too easy - and far too dangerous - to fall into the mindless trance that enables him to become the killing machine he needs to be on the battlefield.
It pains him to even consider that he could seriously hurt Rin in a spar, but that's how it is. That's why he jokes and he teases. He can't afford to take this too seriously, even though he puts his best into helping Rin improve herself and he is always, always careful.
With some more work, perhaps some chakra tricks enhance her strength, Sakumo thinks she will reach tokubetsu jounin-level taijutsu easily. She's as agile as a cat, always landing safely and lightly on her hands or feet, executing a neat flip or roll before springing back at him. Despite outmatching her in both skill and experience, it is interesting to fight her too. She notices when he changes tactics and adapts accordingly, abandoning failed attempts in favour of new ones without hesitation. Her anatomical knowledge comes in handy when targeting pressure points and weak spots, and she doesn't shy away from unconventional tactics when the opportunity presents itself.
Which is why Sakumo finds himself squinting in fascination at the tiny syringe in her hand. "What did you just try to inject me with?"
Rin pouts before slipping it back into her hip pouch. "Aww, you noticed. Not telling you."
"Does it work?"
"Of course. It's just as real as your summoned tanto. Hyaku-neesan and I tested it." She smiles angelically, proud of herself.
Shaking his head with a short laugh, Sakumo makes a mental note to keep an eye out for random medical equipment. She would be a terror on the battlefield. The thought lightens his mood as he pulls out a kunai, flipping it idly in his hand. Drawing a deep breath, Sakumo takes a moment to enjoy the fresh, chilly air and the good humour between them.
"Alright?" he asks, intending to refer to the spar but accidentally roping in everything else as well.
Rin nods solemnly as she lifts her own kunai, understanding him perfectly. "Absolutely."
They clash again in a burst of orange sparks. Between the screech of metal filling his ears and the determined glint in Rin's dark eyes, half-seen through the whipping rain... sage, he believes her. They'll figure it out no matter what happens next— both the two of them and Kakashi. They've just got to keep going and they'll be alright.
A/N: That was unexpectedly positive :3 If you haven't gotten enough feels, I've also written some other things recently that you guys might enjoy.
(1) A Handful of Marigolds: post-Fourth Shinobi World War Inoichi one-shot.
(2) Strays and Traitors: ongoing Noragami story, KazuBisha.
Thank you for sticking with me and this fic for this long!