Chapter 4: For Freedom

"...I want to see Obito."

The demand was harsh and almost unbearable to hear. There wasn't any "Hello, Kakashi. I remember you now," or even a "Kakashi – it's so good to finally see you again!" No. She only cared about Obito. Not Kakashi.

The Jounin was so completely dumbfounded, all he could manage to do was stare blankly at his new visitor. But it seemed Rin was short on time. She shut the door, locked it, and quickly strode over to his bed. "Kakashi-san, please!" she pleaded desperately, not even bothering to look into his true eye. No – she was staring hard at the spot behind his hitai-ate, her hand tentatively reaching for the steel-plated cloth. The silver-haired man couldn't believe what he was watching here. Rin really had changed, hadn't she? Or maybe she'd always been like this, and he just hadn't cared to notice...

Kakashi snatched her hand and pulled it away from his face. "It's good to see you too, Rin-chan. I'm glad you finally remember me," he told her dryly.

The girl took a step back – her brown eyes observing him carefully. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "But it is a necessary procedure."

Procedure? Kakashi narrowed his good eye. What the hell was she talking about? Seeing Obito or forgetting all about him? It seemed those two things were inevitably connected. So to clarify this statement, he quietly asked, "What?"

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-san, but I have not the time to explain myself to you – nor would I wish to do so. Now, if you please—"

The Jounin's stare turned into a glower. "Are you in such a hurry to leave us so soon, Rin-chan?" he hissed from behind his mask.

The girl's expression remained stoic. "If I am, then it is my own business. I hold no ties to Konoha."

Kakashi was about to retort, but his door slammed open for the second time today –Tsunade's strength managing to blow it off the hinges. "Rin, so help me God – I'm going to put you in the mental ward if you try to pull that shit again!" seethed the Hokage.

Rin threw Kakashi a look that said "thanks", then straightened to face a furious Tsunade. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. I am grateful for your concern and attempts to 'heal' me, but I believe that I am quite capable of taking care of myself at this point. If I might take my leave—"

"You think you're...leaving?" Tsunade smirked, her eye twitching in utter rage. "First, I think we need to know what exactly you've been doing all this time. Second, I am quite curious as to what your new jutsu are."

Rin's eyes were cold and calculating – Kakashi was left speechless by her icy new persona. Perhaps she had been better off forgetting...all this. "I have no intent of ever sharing such a curse with anyone else."

Curse? The Jounin rubbed his eye tiredly. This jutsu she'd created...what kind of toll had it taken on her? His bitter anger was fading into concern. What a nightmare this was truly turning out to be. He was still waiting to wake up, but it seemed that the gods weren't quite so merciful as that.

"Then I suppose we'll just have to bear it. I suggest you remember your place here, Rin. Or have you also forgotten that you are a kunoichi of Konoha?"

She smirked sardonically. "I hold no ties with this village any longer. The old Rin died eleven years ago I believe."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sorry, but I say that's bullshit. Izumo! Kotetsu!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" they cried in unison.

"Take this girl to the Psychiatric Ward – observation unit. And I want her hands bound so there will be no chance of performing any special little jutsu," she added.

"Of course, Hokage-sama!"

Rin stood rigidly as they approached and took a hold of her hands. There was no fight. The Jounin wondered if perhaps she knew that this was an inevitable defeat she was facing – a losing battle with no hope for victory. Rin always had been one to calculate these sorts of things, hadn't she? The girl must know that Tsunade would get what she wanted one way or the other. To resist would be a pointless waste of energy, and Rin was the farthest thing from stupid. Kakashi couldn't remember a time when she'd squander her precious chakra on anything – every jutsu was cautiously considered and calculated before any action was taken. How annoying that had been.

The elite Chuunin led Rin out the door, while Tsunade observed with a watchful eye. The silver-haired man sighed heavily and watched them go. "Rin-chan..." he murmured absently as they disappeared from view. The Hokage shot him an angry glare, though he knew she didn't really blame him for anything. Seeing what had once been such a warm, loving girl turn into a cold, bitter woman...a bitter woman who'd gone so far as to erase her own memories...it was hard on all of them, but it seemed Kakashi was taking it the hardest.

"What did she say to you?"

He continued to stare down at his blanket, unable to reply. What had she said to him? It was such a blur now... "She wanted...she wanted to see Obito."

Tsunade crossed her arms. "Obito? As in your left eye?"

"I suppose. I can't imagine what else she'd have meant."

"Anything else?"

Damnit. Was she trying to rub it in his face? "No. That was it..."

There was a long pause before a soft "I'm sorry, Kakashi" was offered. "I know this is hard for you, but we're trying. We really are. I'm going to go down right now and try to talk some sense into her, alright?"

He nodded disinterestedly. Like trying to "reason" with Rin would do any good. She was stubborn, just like Obito had been. There would be no reckoning with her. Not now. Not ever. She wouldn't change. She wouldn't go back to being his Rin - the Rin that had died eleven years prior. No. It seemed that his Rin really had died after all, hadn't she?

"Whatever you deem best, Hokage-sama," he told her. "It seems that Rin-chan isn't the Rin-chan I'd hoped to find again. She's not..."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow as he trailed off. "Kakashi, listen to me. You can't give up on her so easily, can you? You're so close to finding her again – your Rin. The Rin you loved." He snapped his good eye up to meet hers in response, earning him a soft chuckle from the old woman. "Yes, yes. Don't try to deny it."

Kakashi slowly looked away again in silence.

The Godaime nodded and turned to go. "Promise me you'll try harder. Alright?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Good. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"...Thanks. I appreciate it."

O - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - O

Days passed by as leaves in the wind. How long had he been laying here? Surely he was well enough to be discharged by now.

The Jounin stared blankly at page 93 of Icha Icha Takutikusu. This would be the ninth time reading through it (today), and frankly – one could only handle so much porn. "Wait..." he thought disbelievingly. "Did that really just come out of my head?...Couldn't be..."

He tried to focus on the novel once more, but somehow his thoughts kept reverting back to what had happened just a week earlier. The way Rin had spoken...

"Stop it," he told himself. "It won't do any good thinking about it." But oh, how he did think about it! Kakashi was sure he'd go insane sooner or later. And why hadn't Tsunade given him any updates? Was Rin really that hard-hearted? The Hatake did have to admire her willpower though. To resist interrogation for that long...truthfully, it was quite amazing. He just wished she'd realize that they weren't her enemy.

Perhaps he'd go visit her...just for a little while. Just to make sure she was okay. That was all.

Kakashi slowly rose from the bed, deciding to leave the crutches behind for now (he could manage without them), and walked out into the hall. A passing nurse gave him a small nod, but remained otherwise uncommunicative. He was rather grateful for this. The Jounin ran a hand through his silver mane, eying the long flight of stairs with a wary eye. It was during this time that Kakashi cursed the fact that there were no elevators in this God-forsaken building.

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"Hatake-san? What are you doing here?"

The Jounin ignored the nurse as he pressed a hand to one of the large, one-way glass walls surrounding his former friend. No privacy at all for...how long? This was torture in and of itself. Kakashi noticed how tired Rin looked. She was probably suffering from self-induced insomnia of some sort. "Can I go in?"

The nurse raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Uh, um...well..."

"She was my teammate...Please. I just want to talk to her for a bit. Is that alright?" He gave the medic nin a sorrowful look, practically begging to go in.

She only sighed and muttered something about "Tsunade's gonna kill me for this". Perfect. He watched the nurse enter a code for the lock which beeped a few times before a green light flashed. "Go on in..." she huffed.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah..."

O - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - O

It was so cold in here...

Kakashi wondered if Tsunade was trying to break Rin both physically and mentally now. He supposed that the whole "reasoning" approach hadn't worked. Damn – he could even see his breath! But why couldn't he see hers? Unless...

"Rin-chan!" The Jounin was at her side in an instant, one hand latched onto her trembling shoulder. Her eyes were only half-open and her breathing was shallow and weak. It was definitely hypothermia. Why? Why wouldn't she just tell them what had happened? Why was she putting herself through this?!

"K-Kakashi-san..." she whispered numbly. "I...it's...chilly in here...isn't it?" He could see her smirk faintly.

"Rin-chan..." Kakashi noticed how tightly her hands had been bound – the cords were engraving ugly marks into her soft flesh. He lifted his head and looked around this box, because that's what it was – a box. A box devoid of any comfort or commodity. Hell, there was absolutely nothing in here...except for Rin. "Are you cold?" he asked her quietly.

The girl shook her head – she hated being a burden to anyone. But Kakashi had expected this, for he'd known her too long and knew her too well. "Of course not," he said gently, putting his arms around her. Rin was surprised, needless to say, but was also too drained to fight him. It would be futile anyways – she'd always lost against Kakashi.

The Jounin tried to warm her up a little by rubbing his hands up and down her trembling arms. "Rin-chan, are you eating well?" She felt thinner than he remembered her to be.

"I don't...have much appetite..." The girl jadedly sunk into his embrace with a burdened sigh. How weak she was to resign herself so easily... Kakashi muttered curses underneath his mask, earning himself a feeble smile from Rin. "Please don't worry...I...it's my fault..."

"What's your fault?" he inquired hesitantly, half-knowing what her answer would be.

"Everything...everything's my fault..." Rin looked up at his hitai-ate, wondering if her handiwork had held up after all these years. "Obito-kun might...he might still..."

He shushed her with one hand, not wanting to hear these guilt-ridden laments yet again. Kakashi was almost sure it'd break his heart. "Rin-chan, no. It wasn't your fault. Please stop blaming yourself for his death."

The man staggered at her surprise, which slowly turned into a weary grief. "No, Kakashi-san...you're wrong," she whispered into his arm. "Obito-kun and I are very close...yes, I saw him not too long ago..."

Delusional. Rin was delusional. The Jounin winced at her claims – Rin still thought Obito was alive? How was he going to explain this to her? She couldn't have forgotten the "incident", could she? His thoughts were interrupted by a soft whimper coming from the certain body he held. She was crying...

"Please, Rin – don't cry..." he begged. "Please don't, Rin."

"Kakashi-san...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of this. I told Obito-kun how sorry I was, but he always tells me that I couldn't have helped it. That it wasn't my fault..." Rin shifted herself so that she could bury her face in his sleeve, her tears falling faster. "But it is...and I wish everyone would stop telling me it isn't..."

"Rin-chan..." he mumbled miserably. The thin material hiding his face ensured that she couldn't see his pain. His pain that she was responsible for. Did Rin know how much she was hurting him right now? Could she begin to fathom how much heartache he'd suffered because of her? How many times he'd wanted to cry because of her tears? "Stop it, Rin," he choked. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

Her hands clutched his arm tighter, signaling that maybe now wasn't the best time for a lecture. However, he didn't care. Rin needed to hear this. Once and for all, she needed to know that the burden wasn't hers to bear.

"Obito wouldn't want you to do this to yourself – what would he think if he were still here?"

Her dull brown eyes lifted to meet his, the momentary flash of indignation showing itself for but an instant. "I told you – he's not dead! Obito-kun brought me here. You saw him yourself! In fact, you even attacked him!"

What? Kakashi was shocked speechless for a moment. What did she say? "No...that was..."

"'Tobi-kun' is what I called him then, but...wasn't it obvious to you?" she asked incredulously, disbelieving that Kakashi really hadn't recognized their old comrade.

"Rin, no. You must be mistaken..." he protested weakly.

The girl pulled away from him, hurt that he doubted her. "You think I'm insane...that I'm delusional. Isn't that right?"

Yes, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Of course not—"

"Stop lying, Hatake. You were never any good at it..." she muttered in disgust. "Obito-kun promised he'd come for me. Maybe when you see him yourself you'll believe what I said...Obito-kun will let me forget..."

Though she'd only murmured that last part, Kakashi's sharp ears picked up on it. "'Let you forget'?" he repeated harshly. "What's that's supposed to mean?"

Rin glared defiantly at her former teammate, her former "commander". "Do you really think I enjoy living like this?" she spat disdainfully. "Do you really believe that I wake up everyday with a smile on my face? It's Hell that I live in, Kakashi-san. You have no idea how many times I sat there, staring at that damn kunai...pondering how I should do it." She smiled faintly, a hint of madness playing upon her features. "The wrists? Or perhaps my throat? The femoral artery maybe?"

He stared at her in horror, his true eye wide in a panicked expression. "Stop it!" came the Jounin's demand.

But she ignored it. "And now, knowing that Obito-kun's life was ruined...that he can never show his face...that I destroyed his body..." Rin's eyes were growing wilder with every passing second, her voice more frenzied with every word. "I only wish I had a kunai to make it all just go away."

"Rin! You're not thinking straight. You must rationa—"

"Shall I bite my tongue?!" she cried suddenly. "Or shall they watch me beat my head in against these God-forsaken mirrors? What do you think, 'Kashi-kun? I've always valued your opinion so highly after all..."

Kakashi shied at the old moniker. He could taste her bitterness, and frankly - it was rather nauseating. His head started to spin slightly at the idea of her committing suicide yet again (and in such horrible fashions). "Why are you doing this? If you want to die so badly, why didn't you just go through with it the first time!? Why do you insist on putting me through this again?" he growled.

The girl narrowed her glassy eyes at him. "Because, I was sick of it. I was always too scared to end it once and for all...I wanted to try something else first."

"What was that? Erasing your memories?!" he cried. "That's pure bullshit, Rin! You and I both know it!"

Angry tears coursed down her ink-stained cheeks as she viciously retorted, "Maybe it is...but at least then, I could have a chance to be happy again. I could be the girl I used to be...the girl Obito loved, and not just an empty shell..."

Kakashi watched Rin's hysteria fade into despair - watched her slowly die right before his eyes. So...she had done this for Obito? She had left the village, staged her suicide, and erased her memories...all for him? Kakashi tried to ignore the next question, but it insisted on being asked. "Did you...love...Obito?" he asked brokenly.

Rin only stared at her knees, her silence providing enough of an answer. "I see..." The Hatake rose shakily to his feet, then cleared his throat. "Tell me how you did it." His voice had dropped to sub-artic temperatures; his eye had resumed its customary aloof and lazy expression. It was his second mask...the one he used to hide away all those troublesome emotions.

"So, you're interrogating me too? You always were such a cold bastard..."

Her remark cut deep – deeper than any kunai that had run across his flesh. And since when had she taken up profanity? Kakashi merely stared blankly at the girl. "Please tell me what jutsu you used. Rin, I will not ask kindly a third time."

"Untie me, and I'll tell you." Her eyes were nearly as cold as his was. The Jounin wished it hadn't come to this...now he was just making himself out to be the enemy. It had been the last thing he'd wanted.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Then you can go to Hell, Hatake. But please, take me with you..." she mocked. It didn't last long. Her defiance disappeared as soon as he reached for the hitai-ate covering Obito. Rin shut her eyes and turned her head away from him. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare do that to me!" she hissed.

"Look at me."

"Forget it."

"Look at me!" Rin obeyed with great reluctance, her dull brown eyes sorrowful and despairing as they met both Kakashi's eyes for the first time in years. The Jounin was certain that something inside had broken...something inside him, that is. To do this to Rin, to his Rin-chan. Why? He swallowed nervously, the Sharingan tearing into her like the teeth of an angry dog. "Tell me what you did."

The girl was trembling violently, her tremors a terrible result of her terror. He watched the tears dry up, and watched her soul retract into the darkest depths of her being. "Obito-kun..." she pleaded hoarsely, falling under his curse. "Please don't do this..."

"Tell me what you did!"

Rin winced as if he'd just slapped her across the face – the pain was evident in her voice as she replied, "I'm sorry, Obito-kun...I'm still weak...aren't I?"

What was she ranting about now? Kakashi had pushed aside all feelings of pity or affection – he would get what he wanted out of Rin one way or the other...even if it meant breaking both of them in the process. "What jutsu did you use?" he demanded coldly.

"I created two of them...the first staged my death. The second relieved my pain," Rin's eyes softened as they stared into Kakashi's blood-red iris. "Which would you like to hear about first?"

"It matters not."

Rin smiled sorrowfully. "There is a legend...you must have heard it, yes? Creatures...beautiful spirits – pure as snow...who can bring the dead back to life."

"Go on."

"I named it after them..." she murmured. "'Yōsei'."

Rin went on to explain that the user can essentially "die", but be reborn in an almost unharmed state only a few hours after said death. It took almost three hundred hand-seals to perform, making it extremely difficult (if not impossible for any other) to pull off properly. Kakashi was astounded as she continued. The user could freeze their flow of chakra and quell all signs of life, making it appear as if they'd died when, in fact, they'd only entered a comatose state. Once the chakra flow was restored, all self-inflicted wounds will heal at an accelerated rate, and the user would be provided with a short burst of energy allowing for escape if need be. She had invented this jutsu with her extensive medicinal knowledge and high intelligence levels. It took almost an entire year to perfect it, but Rin was able to successfully perform the jutsu, making it appear as if she'd committed suicide. Making it appear as if she'd died.

It took a moment to fathom this revelation. Kakashi didn't know what to say to her, but Rin ensured he could remain unspoken. "But my favorite..." she told him quietly, "is the Senbazuru no Jutsu. You know how it works. You've seen it done twice already Obito-kun..."

"Tell me again," the Jounin requested gruffly, trying to hide the fact he wanted to scream. Trying to hide that he could hardly stand being mistaken for Obito. What was he doing to her? When had he given up the last shreds of his humanity?

"Of course, Obito-kun," she murmured dazedly. "There are only thirty-five hand seals, all of which I'll show you once I'm free. All I do is redirect the chakra flow in my body, focusing it around the brain – specifically in the hippocampus which is where the creation of memory begins." There was a long pause, making Kakashi wonder what else there was to this jutsu.

"...and?"

"I don't want you to tell him..."

"Tell who?"

"...Kakashi...please don't tell him, Obito-kun. He'll be furious."

The man's injured stare made her wince. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No..." Kakashi breathed. "But I promise I won't tell."

Rin smiled – it was a true smile, but sad. It was almost enough to break his heart all over again. "Thank you," she whispered before continuing on. "There are side effects to my jutsu, as I told you last time...My memories will be erased for 1,000 days – 32 weeks or almost three years, but...in return for this relief...my life is shortened."

The Jounin stopped breathing. He seemed to be having a problem with this of late...but that was something to worry about later. "W-What?" he gasped hoarsely.

"Why are you so surprised, Obito-kun? You've known about this for a while. In fact, you promised to bring me back here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"Yes, to Minato-sensei and Kakashi-san. I wanted to tell him something before...before..." Rin trailed off uneasily, her eyes shifting to the floor in embarrassment.

"Before what?" Kakashi prodded, desperate to hear this. "Before what, Rin?!"

"Before I die, Obito-kun..." Her confused gaze was both terrible and tragic. He had to break the trance before she saw Obito cry. He heard her voice change as she returned to addressing Hatake Kakashi instead of Uchiha Obito. "He told me he'd bury me in the mountains, underneath the snow...I've always loved the snow, but you knew that. Didn't you, Kakashi?"

"Stop it, Rin."

"What? Why? I'm only telling you what you wanted to know..."

He snapped his gaze back to hers. "Why would you use such a technique? It's killing you, Rin! How many times have you used it already?" he demanded.

The girl smirked dryly. "Guess."

That meant (he began counting in his head) about four times already. "How many years have you sacrificed?"

"It takes so much chakra to suppress all those thoughts...those memories..."

Kakashi grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Damnit! Just tell me, Rin!" he hissed.

"For 1,000 days of freedom, I readily give 1,000 weeks of my life." There were tears forming at the corners of her eyes now. Kakashi could only stare weakly into those once-beautiful irises. His mind was reeling. One thousand weeks...that was just about nineteen years. Multiply that by four...

"Seventy...six..." The Jounin released her and staggered over to a mirrored wall – groping for some kind of support. He wanted to vomit. Wanted to scream. Wanted to kill something. "You've given up seventy-six years..."

"The next time I forget...I can finally die in peace..." she told him brokenly. "I'll see Minato-sensei again. And my family, I'll see my family...I'll say hello to Sakumo-san for you too, if you'd like..."

"Shut-up, Rin..." he whispered. "Just shut up. I don't want to hear this."

The girl scoffed. "The moment you took off that hitai-ate, you inherited this. You asked me to tell you, so I told you. Now bear it like Obito did."

Bear it like Obito did? That's right. Everything was all about Obito. True – Kakashi had yearned to see his old friend for so long...but right now, he was furious at the Uchiha. How could he know about Rin's jutsu and still allow her to perform it?! Did he care anything about the girl at all? It was worse than handing her a knife with which to slit her throat. And after she'd done all this for him? For his sake? He was just going to let her die?! Kakashi would have none of it.

"Obito is dead to me," announced the silver-haired man coldly. "And your 'Tobi' will die by my hands. I'll make sure of it."

Rin's eyes darkened, but she was otherwise expressionless. "I did have something to tell you...but..." The girl shook her head slowly – pain seeping onto the floor, filling the room...drowning them in sorrow. "It seems I've forgotten it," she said quietly. "You're not the Kakashi I remember...I could never have loved something so despicable as you."

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Hello to all and 'sanku so much for the reviews!!

ami: Hehe, agreed. I like Rin more than Sakura too. Sorry to all you Sakura-fans out there. Don't get me wrong, she's still one of my favorites...but Rin's just a little better. ;)

SongoftheDarquePhoenix: I know...I'm so mean to the guy. And thanks!

Sakra-chan: Ooh, 'sanku! It's very much appreciated. And my understanding of a beta is someone who just reviews the story, spell-checks it, and determines if it's following the plot so far/making sense. So how shall we do this? Do you have your messaging enabled? And yes…it is rather depressing, isn't it?

Sanctus Espiritus: Thanks! )

Eldr-Fire: Hehe, no worries. I'm alright with it now actually. See, I'm a pretty fickle person, so…yesh. And thank you – your comments are very encouraging!

Other than that…I don't really know what to say! So, I'm off until next time.

- Hikari