Chapter 8

Later that night, Rin was at the memorial, waiting for Kakashi to show up, though she was starting to get impatient. He was late and this did make her think deeply about him. She didn't ever remember him being late for anything. He was always on time. She wondered how much Kakashi had changed since the last time she knew him.
That night, before she had gone to the memorial site, she had told Chiro and Seb that she needed to go out and get some fresh air and if they needed anything, they were to alert her immediately. Chiro seemed to understand the true meaning about her going out, so he just smiled and tried to reassure her that they would be fine. Sen was also smiling as Rin left their apartment, wearing a nice lavendar outfit. Her hair was pulled back into the loose braid she usually kept it in, tied with a light blue ribbon. Now, she was just waiting for her old friend, and starting to get impatient as it was.

"Yo!"

Rin turned when she heard him and saw Kakashi making his way towards her, his face hidden behind his Icha Icha book and that made her give him a dull look. He was dressed in his every day wear, looking just about the same. His forehead protector, as always, was pulled over his left eye while theother was trained on the book in his hand. With a half smile, half annoyed look, she folded her arms and shifted her weight to one side. "I see you really don't have any experience about dates, Kakashi."

Kakashi closed his Icha Icha book and placed it back into his bag while looking at her with amusement. "Why do you say that?"

"For one," Rin said, rather dully. "You're late. Since when is the Great Kakashi Hakate ever late? Another, you're reading those stupid porno books that you know annoys me. Third, you're not exactly dressed for a date." She said looking him over. Kakashi now looked himself over, his eyebrow raising before he looked back at her. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? I thought I looked nice."

Rin still looked annoyed. "Well, you don't look that bad. Okay, so I'll let you off with the casual wear. But your dumb book, uh-uh." She said shaking her head, before holding out her hand. "Hand it over."

Now Kakashi looked rather defensive, yet his eyes were wide. He couldn't stop himself from grabbing his book from his pack and hugging it close to his chest. "What?! No way! I don't let anyone touch my books!" He said. Rin narrowed her eyes at him, though a smile was threatening to break loose on her face. "I am not going to have dinner with you if you read that book while we're eating." She told him seriously.

"I won't take it out. I promise." Kakashi said, still a little defensive.

Rin blinked a few times before getting a weirded out look on her face. "I feel like I'm arguing with Obito again." She then laughed, and Kakashi joined her. "Okay, fine. Keep the book put away. But if you take it out, I'm taking it away. Now, for the last option." Rin rose an eyebrow, her arms still folded over her chest. "You. Are. Late."
Kakashi snorted as he copied her very stance, his arms folded and he matched her stance perfectly. "So, the Sharingan came with a few extra habits. So sue me."

Rin looked at him with astonishment, her arms dropping to her sides. She just stared at Kakashi as if he was a two headed freak. She couldn't help it. But then she felt a bubble of laughter starting to rise up inside her and then she exploded. She couldn't help but laugh, her arms wrapped around her stomach. She just shook her head as she just continued. Kakashi just rose an eyebrow and tilted his head. "What is so funny?" He asked dryly, now sounding way too serious.

"I'm sorry!" Rin laughed as she tried to contain herself but she had lost control. "It's just...you're so different, Kakashi." She laughed a little longer while he stared dully at her. After a while, she finally decided that it was enough. So she took a deep breath and smiling at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh." Her smile faded a little when she saw the dull look on Kakashi's face. It reminded her too much of his old self when they were younger. "Hmm." She hummed still smiling, her fist pressed against her mouth. "That's the Kakashi I remember."

"Are you done?" Kakashi asked dryly. "Or should I just walk away now?"

Rin blinked a few times, though she couldn't help but smile at him. She nodded as she walked over to his side and smiled up at him. "I'm sorry. It's just..." she sighed, sounding a little happy. "It's been way too long since I've seen you, Kakashi. You've changed."
"And you haven't?" Kakashi asked, now sounding amused, his revealed eye softened, as if it was smiling at her. "You're just about the same, I can see."
Rin smiled, looking away. "Yes. I suppose I haven't changed after all these years." She lowered her head a little. "I'm still the weakling of Team 7."

Now Kakashi frowned. He placed his hand onto his waist and nudged her arm. "Quit it, Rin. You're not weak. You've come along way. And I'm sure you've got some moves you've learned over the years." He told her. Rin looked up at him, her eyes a little damp but she was still smiling. "Well, there are a few things I've learned."
"Good." Kakashi said grabbing her arm and pulling her with him. "You can tell me all about them while we're eating." And when Rin laughed, this time he didn't get annoyed.

The restaurant they went to was actually a little nice, though it wasn't too expensive. Rin and Kakashi sat together in a far corner booth where it was more secluded for them. It was also a little dark in that corner, of course at Kakashi's request. Dark enough where he could actually take off his mask and not let anyone, not even Rin could see his face. And to make sure that she couldn't see, he sat at a certain angle where he was practically facing the wall.
During dinner, Rin requested that he told her about his new team and what he had been doing all those years before she started on herself. Kakashi had paused before doing it but then shrugged and gave her everything. He told he how he first met Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke and what they did for their survival test. He ignored the dull look Rin was giving him when he told her about the bell test. She remembered that test, actually. She remembered that their own sensai, Minato Namikaze actually let Jiraiya pull it on them. By the end of it, none of the three of Team 7 had been amused.
Kakashi continued on telling Rin about the missions that he went on with the three young ninja and then moved onto how everything began to fall apart when Orochimaru attacked Konoha. He told her about how Sasuke got involved with the evil nin and how he betrayed the village. Rin listened to every detail with a deep frown but smiled again when Kakashi told her about how Naruto nobly volunteered to go after Sasuke and beat the senses into him.

"Well, in the end, Sasuke came back, Team 7 got back together and we spend most of our time working together." Kakashi finished explaining. He took a drink of his tea through his mask so he didn't have to take off the mask. "Now, what about you? What've you been up to? And how in the world did you get involved with Zangetsu?"
Rin looked away, her smile and laughter gone from her face. She actually looked rather sad and distant about getting to that part. She looked like she didn't want to talk about that.
"Hmm?" Kakashi now frowned when he saw the look on her face. "Rin? Is it really that bad?"

Rin sighed as she leaned against the table, her head lowered a little but then she lifted her head, still leaning against it. "Well, the part about Zangetsu is." She shook her head, forcing a smile. "After I left, I went traveling on my own. I was so depressed and lonesome during that time. I wasn't sure where I was going to go, what I was going to do. I was so afraid that if I was caught by Leaf Shinobi, I was going to be in trouble. That's why I never wore my forehead protector." She looked down at her pouch she was carrying before getting into it and pulling out her old protector. It was quite worn and aged. The fabric was a little ragged and there were fingerprints all over the metal. But it was clear that she hadn't worn it for a long time.

Kakashi just frowned as he stared at it in Rin's hands. He was quiet for a long time before he reached across the table, holding out his hand for it. Rin looked at him in surprise before giving it to him.

"I've never worn it again after that day. I always kept it in my pack." The kunoichi told him, in sad tone. "I was considering on tossing it, seeing that I wasn't much of a Shinobi anymore. I was ashamed of myself for what happened to Obito." She saw Kakashi raise his eye to her, though he still held the headband. She only shook her head. "I wasn't a Shinobi after that day. Not of the Leaf."

"Your story is too depressing." Kakashi said dryly. "Knock it off and tell me something positive."

Rin broke into a smile as she closed her eyes. She then lifted her head, looking a little brighter. "Oh, don't worry. I didn't stay that way for too long. I was depressed for a few months while on my travels. That is until I met a traveling troupe of performers. They were on their way to the Lands of Sand, to perform for the Kazekage there. They took me along. There, I met a man, Shinju. He was an interesting man. He liked to laugh and was always smiling." She saw her old friend, making a face. For a moment, he looked almost disapproving. "Oh, Shinju was an old man, Kakashi. He had a wife and several kids." The look went away, and Kakashi almost looked like he was smiling again. "Anyway, about a few weeks, I was still in my little depressed mode and Shinju just got so annoyed with how I never smiled or laughed at any of his jokes." Rin said before making a face, as if she was remembering something painful.

"What? What did he do?" Kakashi asked seriously, as if he was already not liking what was going to be said.

Rin, however, just smiled and shook her head. "Well, one day, he got tired of me moping around. He kind of attacked me, but not in a bad way!" She said quickly when Kakashi's face had darkened. "He tackled me to the river when I wasn't looking and began tickling me. I told him to knock it off, that I didn't want to laugh or smile but he kept tickling me." She almost grinned at the memory. "I couldn't help it when he refused to stop it. So, I laughed."

Kakashi was chuckling as he stared at the metal of Rin's forehead protector.

"After that, I never stopped laughing. He made me happy again." Rin said smiling. "Shinju kept telling me jokes and I hardly stopped laughing again, even if it hurt. He was just like Jiraiya, only not a perverted old man. He just liked to make everyone smile. Well, I lived with that family for a while, traveling everywhere, seeing new sights. But as time went on, I decided that I didn't want to be a nobody anymore. So I went back to doing my training. I got back into shape and practiced my jutsu. Shinju and his family liked to watch me as I trained and they even commented on how well I was doing. They even encouraged me to try to speak to some of their connections, some of them were nin theirselves. So, I began learning everything. I learned so many new techniques, I couldn't believe it."

"I'd like to see some of those techniques someday." Kakashi said pleasantly.

Rin nodded as she silently agreed. "Well, anyway, I went back to practicing my medical techniques. Shinju's wife, Takara, even helped me with a few. She knew a few techniques that would be very helpful." Her face grew sad again, but she kept a smile. "Then Shinju and Takara passed away. They were too old to travel anymore. It was said to see them go, but life goes on, you know. Their children decided to go their seperate ways, and I decided that I would do the same." She looked up at him. "Well, after Shinju and Takara was gone, I became a wandering medical nin. I traveled to small villages, helping anyone that needed it. But I went by the name Ling Shiahaya. I decided I didn't want to be Rin anymore."

Kakashi looked directly at her her, frowning a little with disapproval. "But why? Why didn't you want to be Rin, any more? That's who you truly are." He said, softly.

"Well," Rin began. "It was because I was running from my past, Kakashi. I didn't want to return to Konoha and be me again. I didn't want to be the annoying outsider that no one liked." She saw Kakashi's eye narrow but she held up a hand for him to keep quiet. "But then...I found the Valley of Shadows." She looked towards the window. "I came to that place, really tired and hungry. I don't know how I found my way there. But I did. I was half asleep as I walked."

Again, Kakashi stared at her with his one eye, more in curiousity. "I've never been there before. What's it like? Dark and dreary?"

Rin smiled as she stared out the dark window. "No. Dark, yes. It was pretty dark there. But dreary, no." She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, as if recalling the memory. "The village is in a vast valley, surrounded by high mountains. The mountains were mostly diamond mines but there were diamonds outside the mines too." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "When I first saw the village, I didn't see it. It was so dark because the moon was hidden behind clouds. I thought I had found the edge of earth and I didn't dare to take another step, believing I might step off and fall into the darkness of oblivion. But then, the clouds rolled away and the moon shone down on the valley." She looked almost breathless now. "I've never seen a more beautiful place, Kakashi. When the moon light hit all of those diamond boulders, I thought I was in heaven. The light shone in the diamonds, making the mountains sparkle like the stars in the dark sky." She blushed with a little embarrassment. "I actually cried with joy to see a place like that."

Kakashi laughed quietly though.

"Anyway, I made camp on the ridge where I was at, and that's when the Shadoai showed up. They saw my campfire and came after me. At first, they didn't treat me so well. They don't like strangers and I was trespassing." Rin told her old friend. "I was taken to the Shadokage, Kageri as a prisoner. I was treated a little more kindly because I wasn't fighting but the Shadoai were still a little rough." She shrugged. "Kageri asked me what I was doing there and I told him that I was a traveller. I told him that I didn't mean to stumble upon their village. He believed me and decided to be a little more kindly. But that was because I told him that I was a medic nin.
"He was actually really happy to hear that. You see, when I first met Sen, she had been really sick. She had caught a rare case of a flu and none of the Shadoai medic nins had the right skills to making a certain medicine that would cure her." Rin shook her head as she stared out the window again. "I, fortunately, did. Kageri told me that he would let me go alive if I could produce the medicine and save Sen's life. So I did. I spent hours trying to cure Sen and throughout the night, when she was really, really sick and I thought she was going to die, her fever broke. I had saved her life."

Kakashi smiled under his mask, returning his eye onto Rin's forehead protector. "And they spared your life of course."

Rin smiled right back at him, her eyes only flickering over to him before she looked back out the window. "Yes. They even honored me by giving me a special black diamond as a reward. Black dimaonds are a top priority and really rare, even for their mines." She turned back to him. "Only Shadoai can have them. You've seen all of those forehead protectors that the bandits had? The ones with black stones ebedded in them, right?"

Kakashi only nodded.

"Well, those are fakes. They're obsidion stones. But Sei and his brother, Caligo still has theirs. Their stones in their forehead protectors are black diamonds." Rin told him before reaching up and digging into her top to pull out a black leather cord with a silver pendant hanging on it. Embedded in the silver was a sparkling black diamond. "This is my reward for saving Sen's life. Even if I am Shinobi, I am also a Shadoai." She told Kakashi.

"Wow." Kakashi said, sounding very impressed as he looked at the black diamond. He even reached over and took the pendant, looking it over. Rin only let him. "A Shinobi and a Shadoai? Exactly how does that work?"

Rin just shook her head. "Well, technically it doesn't. But they called me a Shadoai, even though I was a Shinobi. They began to teach me some of their techniques and eventually I became Sen's closest friend and guardian. Kageri even begged me to stay as her body guard." Her face then darkened as she remembered something bad. She looked back out the window.

"And then you met Sei Zangetsu." Kakashi said, making it sound more like a question.

Rin slowly shook her head. "No. Then I met Caligo Zangetsu, his older brother. Sei came later after meeting with him." She frowned. "At first, I liked them. I considered them my friends. They taught me some of their own techniques, but the problem was, I could never match their strength. They were so much more powerful than me. And still are." She looked directly into Kakashi's eye. "Caligo is Kageri's older brother, while Sei is the youngest."

The very news surprised Kakashi. He lowered his hands and the forehead protector onto the table while staring at Rin. "What?" he said breathlessly. "Then that would mean...Sen is..."

"Yes." Rin said seriously. "Sen is their neice. They've been trying to kill their own family." She shook her head. "Before Kageri became Shadokage, it was suppose to be Caligo that was to become Kage. But before his coronation, something really big happened."

Kakashi just tilted his head. "What? What happened?"

Rin frowned before looking around. She took a deep breath before looking at him. "Not here. Can we go somewhere else?" She asked. Kakashi just tilted his head but nodded. He held out her forehead protector, as if he wanted to tie it back on her head.

Rin drew back but then smiled before leaning forward and letting him tie it around her forehead. She paused to look in the window's reflection, only to be surprised to see that her forehead protector was cleaned. She looked at Kakashi with a questioning look but he was already making his way towards the door. She sweatdropped as she watched him, then gritted her teeth as she began searching her pockets for her money bag to pay for the bill.
But then Kakashi was back, grabbing her hand. "Come on. Don't worry about it. They owe us more than we owe them anyway." And he quickly pulled her out of the restuarant.

"I can't believe you did that." laughed Rin. "Ditching the bill?"

Kakashi grinned at her as they hurried down the streets, well away from the restaurant. "I do it all the time. Now, continue with the story." he told her as they slowed their pace and walked.

Rin only nodded as she folded her arms around herself. "Okay then." She took another deep breath and looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, you don't happen to know exactly how a Shadokage is chosen, do you?" She asked and she recieved a silent no. "Well, in the Valley of Shadows, the Shadoai believe in a certain spirit demon. Long ago, from what I've learned, there was a terrible war in that valley. People were against their neighbors. That is until the great spirit of Okami, a demonic wolf spirit, woke up to the fighting. Okami watched as the people slaughtered each other and normally wolves don't care for the sight of blood. They actually enjoy it. But the legend says that Okami saw a child cry for his mother who had been killed trying to protect him. The death angered Okami and he thought enough blood had been shed. So under a full moon, he sang to the sky, howling like a thousand wolves.
"The fighting stopped when they heard Okami's sad song of the night. The very sound of his voice brought peace over everyone. They begged him to govern them, tell them what to do so they could never fight again, at least each other. Okami almost didn't take pity on them but then decided against it. He turned to the one child that softened his heart, the great and oldest ancestor of Kageri Zangetsu and chose him to be leader. He told them that he would only fight for the true Shadokage. He placed himself into a black diamond and the diamond was passed from generation to generation to those who would be Shadokage." Rin paused to look right at Kakashi. "Okami's black diamond belongs to the Shadokage and whoever owns that diamond has power over Okami. They will be the leader of the Shadoai."

Kakashi frowned, tilting his head towards Rin but didn't say anything for a long time. But then he looked at her. "And how does Caligo fit in this?"

Rin gave him a very serious look, stopping herself from walking any more. She even grabbed Kakashi's arm softly to make him face her. But she wasn't doing it to be mean or anything. "Okami sensed Caligo's black heart, before he was given to him. He appeared out of no where and flat out told Caligo that he would never be Shadokage. He gave his diamond to Kageri instead."

"Ouch." Kakashi said with a wince. "That's harsh."

Rin nodded. "Yeah. And that's why Caligo is against Kageri. He wants to be Shadokage, to possess Okami's power. He tried to take it by force once but Kageri told him no. They fought but Caligo lost because of Okami's power. And then he was thrown out of the village, with Sei because he agreed with him. They became missing nin."

"So...why's Caligo and Sei after Sen, then?" Kakashi asked, frowning.

Rin shook her head as she continued to stare at him. "Don't you understand, Kashi? They're not after Sen. They're after the diamond. Sen HAS Okami's diamond. She's to become the next Shadokage." she told her friend. She nodded when Kakashi's eye widened in surprise. "Caligo and Sei believe that if they kill Sen, then they can steal the diamond. Once Okami's diamond is in their hands, they can control him."

"But how?" Kakashi asked seriously. "If Okami refuses..."

Again Rin shook her head. "That's the problem, Kashi. Okami refuses, yes. But if Caligo has his diamond, he can't refuse. He's bound to the diamond by his own laws. And Okami will not break his own rules. If Caligo gets his diamond, Okami will have no choice but to do whatever he says." She told him.

Kakashi just frowned as he looked over the railing of the bridge they were crossing. The water running underneath it was dark though, darker than usual due to there being no moon that night. "Hmm. That can't be good. Exactly how strong is this Okami spirit?" He asked, tilting his head back towards Rin. Rin sighed beside him as she rested her hands onto the railing and looked at the dark water. "Oh, he's very strong. I've only seen him once. He's a very large black wolf with eight tails. I'm supposing he's one of the tailed demons, but doesn't seem to be much of a threat, unless he's in the wrong hands." She tilted her head. "I'd say he's only a level down from Kyuubi. Not as powerful as the demon fox, but he's pretty close."

Kakashi's face looked rather thoughtful as he took everything in. But then he turned to face Rin, giving her a soft look. "Don't worry. We'll make sure that Caligo doesn't get a hold of Okami's diamond, or even Sen for that matter." He told her.

Rin smiled as she stared up at him, her eyes rather soft. She was looking at him with much admiration. "I've missed you, Kakashi. I almost forgot about how noble you truly are." She told him. Kakashi looked at her just as thoughtful as she was looking at him. "I'm not. But I try."
"You really don't need to try, Kakashi." Rin said softly. "You've always been noble. Serious, but still. You're the best Shinobi."

Kakashi just stared down at her, and she stared back. They were quiet for a long time, just looking at one another. But the Copy Nin finally made a sound as if he was smiling too loud. "I've missed you too, Rin. You don't know how worried I've been while you were gone." He told her quietly. Rin just smiled as she reached and gently flicked his nose, making him pull a face. But then they both laughed. They stood like that for a long time, just looking at her before Kakashi got a very distant look on his face. He looked like he was considering on doing something and when he started to bend his head towards her, Rin got a very clear idea of what he was thinking.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash from below them, sounding like someone was running in water or jumping into it. Both Kakashi and Rin jumped at the noise and looked over to see what it was but instead, they saw a large shadowy figure jumping towards them. Before any one of them could move or do anything, a steel toed boot slammed into the side of Kakashi's head, knocking him away from Rin.