Chapter Six

I do not own Naruto

Rin smiled as she entered the Hatake compound, setting the bag of groceries down by the entrance as she slipped her shoes off and set them aside neatly. The silence that filled the massive house was a contrast from the busy hospital that she worked in all day.

Picking up the groceries she padded through the hushed hallway. Her footsteps and the sound of the old hardwood floors creaking were the only noises that could be heard. As she walked into the kitchen she set her bags on the counter before turning the sink on to wash her hands. The cool water slid through her slender fingers before she turned off the water and wiped her hands on the towel that hung from the oven handle. The kunoichi opened a few cabinets in search of a pot. When she found one the teen filled the pot with water before setting it on the stove. She turned the cooker on.

Rin exited the kitchen, her arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to keep warm as a chilly breeze passed through the hallway. As she expected she found Kakashi in the living room. The silver haired jonin was slumped on the couch, long legs crossed and his copy of 'Makeout Paradise' open. He was still dressed in his sleeping cloths though she noticed that he had put his forehead protector on, pushing his hair up so it would not be in his face. She watched from the hall as the teen turned a page, his eyes still focused on the text.

"You can come in you know," he told her as he flipped to another page, making her stiffen in surprise. Had he known all this time that she was watching him? She bit her lip as she entered the room, going over to the curtains and pulling them to the side so that sunlight could seep into the room.

"Better?" she asked her friend who had finally looked up from his book to look at her.

"Thanks," he muttered quietly as sunlight met his book pages making it easier to read. He leaned his head on his arm as he stared at the words on the page though his mind had zoned off.

"What's that book about anyway?" Rin asked curiously. She assumed that it wasn't exactly the most innocent of books considering its title but she had never really paid much attention to it. Now that she thought about it, the last time she had seen that book was back when they were fifteen. The kunoichi peered over the oblivious teens shoulder to read what was on the page.

She instantly regretted it, a blush appearing on her face as she read the first sentence. By now Kakashi had snapped out of his trance and had shut the book instantly, his eyes wide as he turned his head around to look at Rin.

"How much did you read?" he asked, a light shade of red appearing on his cheeks as he put the book aside.

"Not much, I promise," she reassured him,"you um..read very..uh..interesting..things.."

Kakashi's blush became more apparent as he looked at the ground, embarrassment showing in both grey and red eyes. He pressed his lips together under his mask and he wanted nothing more than to disappear into thin air at the moment. How embarrassing it was to have a lady read the book, after all it had such..such..intimate things in it! He was surprised when Rin sat down beside him, her usual sweet smile on her face.

"I don't mind Kashi," she said smiling as she called him by his old nickname," Every one has their own book preferences and it's ok if that's what you like to read."

"Don't call me Kashi," he grumbled. He hated when people called him that, it made him feel like he was six all over again. He wasn't a little child anymore, he was nineteen and an ANBU captain. He wasn't that little chunin that people always seemed to underestimate, he was Kakashi the Copy Ninja, a title that he had earned over years of hard work. For someone to call him Kashi made him feel as though he had achieved nothing over the years and had gone right back to square one.

"Sorry, I can't help it," Rin apologized though she was still smiling. Her smile melted into a look of confusion as she realized that she had momentarily forgotten about a certain someone, "Where's Naruto?"

"In his room-" he told her.

"Great! I was just about to make lunch, I bought groceries!" Rin's eyes lit up before she grabbed his wrist and pulled him off the couch. He let out a started yelp before the kunoichi dragged him into the hallway and towards the kitchen," I wonder if he can eat solids yet?"

Kakashi let out a sigh as he was pulled into the kitchen. He watched as she checked on the pot of boiling water before going over to her bags and pulling out what looked like a pack of ramen. She opened the box before sliding the thin noodles into the water. She began to pull out vegetables, pulling them out of their plastic bags and setting them on the chopping board.

"Chop," she commanded. Kakashi walked over lazily before pulling out a knife that was in its holder and began chopping. He chopped rather slowly, glancing over at Rin who had began to work on the broth. He watched as she took a spoon and scooped up some of the broth, tasting it before shaking her head and adding more ingredients. He noticed that had painted on her usual purple stripes with more accuracy than usual and for a second he suspected that she did this because of the incident that had occurred a few days ago when her paint had smudged.

I don't know why she even wears it, she still looks beautiful without it.

Kakashi had always thought that the brown haired kunoichi was ravishing though he'd never admit it out loud. Once he was done chopping the carrots he set them aside and walked over to Rin who was still working on the broth.

Kakashi knew something was off the moment they started eating. After a failed attempt to have Naruto eat his first solid, the two had resorted to leaving him in his room to sleep and eating without him. The first thing that was off was when Rin began to nibble at her noodles halfheartedly. The second thing was when she fidgeted in her seat, her gaze glued to the table. Even when he had pulled his mask down to eat, he got no reaction.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked.

"What? Nothing-" Kakashi hated when people lied to his face. He wasn't stupid, he had been trained in the ANBU and knew exactly when someone was lying. He pulled his mask up, setting his chopsticks down on the table harder than necessary making the brown haired girl flinch.

"What's wrong?" He repeated, settling down as he realized that he had startled Rin. He leaned back, taking a deep breath as he waited for the girl to reply. The kunoichi paused for a good minute before looking up and speaking. To his surprise he could see her eyes had began to water.

"The hospital was busy today. A group of nin that came back from a S-rank mission were severally hurt but the hospital was too packed to have one of the more experienced doctors treat them so it was up to me. There was so much blood, too much. I-It was too late for them, I-I c-couldn't save them," her voice cracked, "If only I had been better, or quicker-"

"You can't save everyone," Kakashi interrupted, his mismatched eyes narrowed," It's life, it never goes the way that you want it to. You yourself said that it was too late for those men. Even if you had the skills of Tsunade they would have died. Rin, look around you, people die all the time but it's not your fault is it? Just like it's not your fault that those men passed away. You live so you can die eventually, it was unfortunate that those men's time was sooner than later. Here's the reality, you can't save everyone."

Rin watched as Kakashi stood up, roughly pushing his chair in before stalking out of the room.