Chapter 2

Two months later.

Screaming. Her heels thudded against the ground as Minato-sensei's chakra roared the seal into life. Something kept her shackled to the floor tightly enough that she couldn't move her limbs. Worried voices somewhere far away, but no one came to see her – no one. There was only gray rock above her, interspersed with flashes of somewhere else, somewhere dank and eerily lit, filled with unearthly screams. The thing inside her was in pain, so much pain that her limbs shook with it. She was it and it was her, and for a moment all she felt was sheer panic because prison jinchuuriki sealing prisoner again no no no – and then she was Rin again, wondering where Minato sensei was, where her dad was, where Kakashi was, and why they weren't helping her.

More voices echoed in the distance. More chakra, not just Minato's anymore, but also someone else's, big and warm. She couldn't sense Kakashi. She couldn't –

Rin stumbled onto the balcony, gasping. It was cool and dark outside, sunset still a few hours away. Rin leaned against the balustrade. Her head tipped forward, dark hair hiding her face. The nighttime air felt cold against her clammy skin. Another nightmare.

Her legs shook as adrenaline slowly faded from her system. She slid down to the ground, her back towards the view of the village. If there was anything she wanted back, anything at all, it was the ability to sleep as easily as before.

Before Obito, and before...

She hugged her arms around her chest. No. It was easier not to think of it. She didn't want to stir him.

Something moved in the house behind her and she looked up. Kakashi, his hair sticking in every other direction and his duvet draped around his shoulders like some bizarre parody of the Hokage's cape. He hadn't turned on any of the lights inside, but a nearby street post cast an orange glow over his hair and face. "Rin? Are you okay?"

His voice pitched strangely on the last word, as if it couldn't decide whether to settle for its formerly clear, high sound or the deeper, more gravelly one it was slowly settling into. Kakashi pulled a face and stopped in the doorway.

She smiled faintly. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

He sniffed. "This is your first week here, and as far as I can tell, you haven't slept a wink in all that time. You didn't sleep much in the hospital either."

She looked down again and plucked at her shirt. She only wore a sleeveless shirt and loose jogging pants to bed. The seals keeping Sanbi at bay curled from her back across her torso like a set of particularly intricate tattoos, around her upper arms and thighs, dark and ominous. She would claw them off if she could. She didn't like Kakashi looking at them.

Something moved, her vision turned dark, and then she was covered in a warm, soft duvet. It smelled of sleep and Kakashi. She dug her way back to the surface and found Kakashi looking at her with a disapproving expression, now sans duvet and dressed only in a shirt and loose pants.

And bizarrely, his mask.

"You'll get a cold," he said stubbornly.

That was Kakashi-speak for 'please go inside, I'm worried for your mental well-being'. Well, he wasn't wrong. Sighing, Rin got up and rearranged the duvet around her shoulders. If nothing else, it allowed her to cover up the seals. The worst of the anxiety had disappeared, now that she was properly awake, so there was no real point in staying outside.

She followed Kakashi into his small apartment, and sat down at the small kitchen table. It had originally only had one chair, but Kushina had brought over a glaring orange stool two days ago so they could both sit. She sank down on it and closed her eyes, weary with exhaustion.

It had been two months since Rin was turned into a jinchuuriki. Two months, since Kakashi infiltrated one of the most dangerous places on earth to rescue her. Two months since Minato-sensei painted her skin with blood and ink to seal her fate.

One month since her father looked at her like she was a monster, and said – no, assumed – that the village would be looking out for her from now on.

What he had really meant, of course, was that jinchuuriki were kept under lock and key, away from the public. He didn't know the Hokage's beloved wife carried the most dangerous creature in existence with her. He didn't know, because otherwise he would call her a monster too.

Sanbi had gone quiet in the intervening month, at least. The current seals were stable.

Kakashi placed a green mug before her. A bright yellow duck smiled at her from its side.

"It was a gift from Gai," Kakashi grumbled.

Rin ducked her head to hide her smile. Inside the cup was something that was probably supposed to be hot chocolate, but it looked and smelled more like it hadn't done much melting and was, in fact, still solid chocolate. To be fair to Kakashi, he had never had hot chocolate prior to this week. She took a small sip. "Thank you."

Kakashi shrugged and sat down opposite her. His own cup steamed and smelled of green tea. "No problem."

"You don't have to get out of bed every time I have a nightmare," Rin said. "Or you won't get any sleep either."

"I don't need much," he said, and ducked his head so he could pull down the mask and have a sip of tea with minimal face exposure.

"I am grateful, really, I am," Rin continued, "also because you're letting me use your spare room, but –"

"But what? Where else would you go?" He said, bluntly.

Minato and Kushina had offered, of course, and Rin had been tempted – very tempted. But they were also newlyweds with a baby on the way. Another two months from now, they would have an infant to take care of. They would still try, because that's the kind of people they were, but it wouldn't be fair to them. Not even Minato-sensei could juggle a newborn baby, a brand-new jinchuuriki, and an entire village.

Kakashi didn't have to worry about two of those. And he wasn't scared of her even though, perhaps, he should be. He was strong, but he wasn't a demon.

She had also asked him to kill her. That, she could forgive herself for least of all. But he hadn't said anything about it. Not one word, in two months. No reproach, no anger. Nothing.

So she'd said yes, because even if it wasn't fair on him, she really didn't want to be alone.

The chocolate was actually quite good, so long as she remembered to chew.

"I have a mission tomorrow," he said, suddenly.

She looked up sharply. "What do you mean? You haven't had a mission in months."

"Sensei can't keep me grounded forever. I'm going tomorrow. I heard earlier this afternoon."

"You didn't tell me," she said. The nervousness was back.

"Because I knew you would worry," he said. "You have enough to worry about already. I'll be fine."

"Who are you going with?"

"Aburame Shibi."

Okay. Okay. Aburame Shibi was a strong and competent jounin. He could keep Kakashi safe. She nodded slowly. "How long?"

Kakashi winced. "Two days. Kushina says you can stay with them while I'm gone."

Two days. Just as she was starting to get used to his apartment and his company. She didn't want another upheaval, but – there was a sort of hopeful light in his eyes. He'd recovered from the fight with the Kiri Hunter nin a while ago. The only reason he had stayed in the village this long was because he'd wanted to help her. And now, he wanted to go out and fight again.

But she couldn't keep him locked up at her side.

She took a breath. "Okay."

His shoulders relaxed. "They'll take good care of you."

"I know." The nervousness didn't disappear. "Just…" Be careful, she wanted to say.

"I'll be fine," he repeated, and finished his tea. "Are you okay for now?"

She nodded. It wasn't completely true, but he nodded anyway and put his mug back into the kitchen.

"All right. I'll get some more sleep. Next time you have a nightmare, maybe wake me up right away. I don't mind," he shrugged.

She nodded again, even though she knew she wouldn't wake him up no matter how bad the nightmare was. Not on purpose, anyway.

Kushina was thoughtful enough to come and pick her up the next day, shortly after Kakashi had left. Rin hadn't gone anywhere on her own since becoming a jinchuuriki, and the thought filled her with anxiety. What if she were to – what if Sanbi –

Kushina understood. She was, perhaps, the only person who really did. "If you feel up to it, we could make a fun afternoon out of it," she was saying, her pale hands curled around her pregnant belly. At almost eight months of pregnancy, she was starting to look huge.

"What do you have in mind?" Rin asked, putting the last of her things in a bag and slinging it on her back. She had made sure to wear long sleeves and pants to cover up her seals. They still felt a little strange, but she would get used to them.

"We could… Bake a cake. Or go out in town –" Kushina caught Rin's look and grimaced. "Too soon?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I get it. But keep in mind… You can't avoid it forever. Anyway, Minato explained it to you, didn't he? Aside from the Council members and the clan heads, no one knows you're a jinchuuriki. We're keeping it under wraps, so people won't look at you funny."

"My dad knows," Rin said quietly. "And if my friends find out… Because they could find out."

Kushina's thoughtful expression slowly pinched together into a frown. "Some of your friends already know, and they don't care. There's no point in thinking about what might be. I know it's difficult, Rin-chan, but I need you to be strong." Her tone was firm, almost strict.

Shinobi are people who endure. Rin felt hot shame wash over her and nodded quickly." You're right, I'm sorry. Perhaps… Perhaps I can go out sometime next week."

Kushina grinned lightly. "That's more like it! Now, let's get going."

Despite her increased weight and girth, Kushina was still very much a force of nature as she marched through the bustling streets of the village. She seemed to know everyone and greeted them all as though they were her best friends, regardless of whether they actually smiled back. Not to mention the seemingly endless stream of old civilian ladies who stopped Kushina every other minute to coo at her pregnant belly and ask for the due date.

Did none of them know...?

It was a weekday, so civilians and shinobi alike crisscrossed through the streets going from market stall to market stall. This was the Konoha Rin liked best: colorful and bright, and so very full of life. It filled Rin with a brief, tentative joy.

"And anyway," Kushina whispered, "your seal is stable now, and you're not the kind of girl who just flies off the handle for no good reason. There's no reason anyone should find out at all."

Unless she ever wanted to fight again, Rin thought. She nodded anyway.

They had almost reached Minato and Kushina's cozy apartment in the center of the village, when a loud cry drew her attention. Rin's stomach plummeted.

Maito Gai was waving at her with great energy, grinning widely. Kurenai and Asuma were by his side, looking her way as well. Rin could see the exact moment Kurenai's eyes widened in recognition.

"Kushina-san, what did you tell my friends?" Rin whispered.

"You and Kakashi went on a long-term mission. A-rank. They were all quite impressed," Kushina winked.

Rin blinked. A long-term mission. Well. That was a much simpler explanation than she had expected. Effective, though. Or so she hoped, anyway.

Kurenai approached them with visible hesitation. The boys lingered behind, arguing about something or other. Boys. Always fighting about something. It was a nostalgic sight.

"Hey, Rin," Kurenai said, smiling. "It's good to see you. We didn't know your mission was going to be so long. I was worried," she said, a question in her bright eyes. And she had to be curious, with Rin disappearing for over a month and returning, dressed in all black with her hair pulled back tight. In retrospect, perhaps the wardrobe change had been a little dramatic.

Rin managed to smile for her friend. She had known Kurenai for as long as she could remember, and she didn't want to disappoint her now. "Don't worry, I'm fine. We just… Ran into something unexpected."

"Were you injured? Inoichi-sensei didn't tell us about that," Kurenai said.

"I –" Suddenly, Rin remembered something Minato-sensei had told her, Obito and Kakashi a long time ago. If you have to lie, stick as close to the truth as you can. "I was. But please don't worry – Kakashi and sensei got me home safe."

Kurenai's expression lightened. "I'm glad. It must've been a tough mission, for you to get injured. You're the medic, after all. We should celebrate you getting home safe soon! We could have a girl's night, or maybe get some cake…"

Kurenai's voice died down. Rin wasn't smiling, she realized. She couldn't really bring herself to. A girl's night. Cake. She couldn't think of many things that seemed less suitable, at this time. To be fair, none of those things had seemed particularly appealing since Obito.

Kushina nudged her side. "That sounds like so much fun, Kurenai-chan! I'm sure Rin would love to go. You'll have to excuse her, she's still very tired."

Rin forced herself to smile. "Sorry. I would love to, really."

Kurenai's expression cleared up again. "Great! We will decide on a date the next time we meet, okay? Or I could come over. You just get some rest."

Rin nodded gratefully, and then they finally went their own way again. She let out a long breath, and slowly forced herself to relax.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kushina asked quietly. "You did great. You're great, Rin-chan."

Together, they entered Minato and Kushina's apartment.

Kushina kicked off her boots and carefully settled down on the sofa, groaning. "Oh, being pregnant is the worst."

Rin walked into the attached kitchenette with the familiarity of one who had visited many times before, and set some water to boil for tea. Afterwards, she sat down on one of the sofas herself. "How old were you, when you became a jinchuuriki?" She asked.

"A little bit younger than you," Kushina said. "I had only been in the village for two years, but they trained me up to it."

"Do you mean they chose you?"

Kushina smiled, but her voice sounded slightly bitter when she said, "My clan is supposed to be perfect jinchuuriki material. Lots of chakra, and we're supposed to be long-lived." She scoffed. "Lot of good that did us."

"I'm sorry." Rin wasn't sure what had happened in the Whirlpool village, but it had probably been horrible. It had upended Kushina's entire life, and then, when she had finally come to a safe place, they had turned her into a jinchuuriki.

Kushina shrugged. "Ehh. Thanks. I don't remember it much, but I often wonder…" She shook her head. "Like I said before, you shouldn't dwell on the past too much. What happens, happens. Even if it's horrible, so long as you're alive you have to keep on moving. You'll figure out how if you just give yourself time." She looked at Rin with knowing eyes.

"And anyway, I'm well on my way to repopulating the clan," Kushina finished jovially, patting her own belly with a self-satisfied air. "He'll have my surname, you know."

"Oh – that's a beautiful gesture!"

"Gesture, my ass! Minato isn't from a clan, and anyway, if anyone who meets this kid knows he's the Hokage's son right away, it could mean trouble. There's enough of us Uzumaki left that it shouldn't draw too much attention. Unless the kid decides to look just like his father, of course. In that case, there's no helping him."

Rin giggled. "That sounds like just the sort of thing a child of yours would do," she said.

Kushina sighed. "It does, doesn't it?"

They sat together for a little bit longer, sipping their tea. Kushina cast her looks a few times before she finally cracked.

"It ain't all bad, being like us," she blurted out. "I know it looks pretty bleak right now, and your circumstances aren't exactly the same as mine, but – we'll get through this together, Rin-chan. I will show you the way, just as Mito-sama showed me."

She grasped Rin's hand and squeezed it, and for the first time that day Rin's smile came easily.

The mission wouldn't last as long as scheduled, Kakashi thought, and wiped his blade clean on the dead Kiri nin's pants. Minato's intel had been entirely correct: a pair of Kiri shinobi had settled near the border of Fire Country, masquerading as a young civilian couple. It had been a good ruse, for a couple of weeks, but they had make the mistake of lingering for too long.

Aburame Shibi gave him an approving nod from where he was standing over the other enemy shinobi, her body still crawling with bugs. "Well-fought," he said.

Kakashi shrugged, then knelt down to start the process of concealing the corpses. ANBU would arrive soon, and dispose of them properly. "They were easy prey."

Aburame snorted. "Most of your age would not agree," he said.

"You would have found them in no time flat," Kakashi said.

"And yet you were the one who found them first."

Kakashi straightened his shoulders a little. "They were the only ones who were scared when we arrived," he said. "The civilians just saw a kid and a tall stranger."

Thanks only to their disguises, anyway. If the civilians had seen their headbands, they would have been just as scared. War brought fear everywhere.

"You can smell fear. Like the Inuzuka," Aburame said, more statement than question.

"Fear does things to the composition of people's sweat. I'm sure your bugs would know," Kakashi said.

Aburame nodded. "You make for a good tracker. Have you considered taking on a summoning contract?"

"I have dogs."

"Well chosen."

They packed up their things, the bodies now disguised under a thin genjutsu. ANBU wanted to include a forensic investigation of the apartment the couple had inhabited for the past few weeks and would arrive in a few minutes, if all went well.

All things considered, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder why ANBU hadn't taken care of the problem themselves in the first place. It did feel good to be out in the field again, away from the four walls of his apartment, but his mind was still burdened. Rin would be okay with Kushina and Minato, but would they wake up in time when she had nightmares? At least their hot chocolate might be better than his. Then again, the two of them lived on a diet of take-out and sheer force of personality – they might not serve anything but hot chocolate. Too much of a good thing...

To say he had been angry when he had heard Rin's father rejected her was an understatement. Apparently, the little squid of a man had come to her room in the hospital, had learned the truth of what happened from Rin herself, and had then left as quickly as his measly civilian legs could carry him. Apparently, he thought Konoha would 'take care of her' like they took care of all of their jinchuuriki, by storing her away for when she might be more convenient, like a human-shaped ninjutsu. Wouldn't it have been fun to tell the man that the world's most powerful bijuu usually resided barely a mile away from his picket fence house?

Aburame looked like he might know a few village secrets, though. He had worked with unusual speed and efficiency. It certainly hadn't been his first assassination job. Hardly unusual, for someone of his clan, except he had used an ANBU technique to seal away the body. He probably wasn't aware Kakashi had seen that technique used before, almost seven years ago. Aburame Shibi was former ANBU, and when Kakashi really thought about it, it made sense. What could be more subtle than a beetle, scurrying onto a windowsill and overhearing an important conversation?

"Shibi-taichou... Would you say I am suitable for ANBU?" Kakashi said, biting the bullet. He wasn't made for discretion; bluntness was part of his personality, so he had decided a long time ago that it was better to just go with what felt natural and be honest, rather than beating around the bush.

Aburame only looked startled for a moment. "I would say you have potential," he said, without trying to deny his own knowledge on the subject.

Kakashi swallowed. "Potential. What does that mean?"

Aburame's face was unreadable, but his shoulders shifted in a way that Kakashi recognized for Minato when he felt particularly tried by Kakashi's incessant questions. "I would say that you are extremely talented, certainly a prodigy, but that you are very young."

"I can't change my age," Kakashi said, annoyed. "How about my fighting ability?"

"I've only seen you fight once. You're certainly effective, but…"

"But what?"

"That eye of yours… You're not using it right."

Kakashi froze. It was true that using the Sharingan was difficult, to say the least. The kaleidoscope of color and possibility was dizzying to a brain not born to deal with the immense amount of information it gave him. He invariably ended up with a pounding headache and the undeniable feeling that someone had sucked out his chakra with a vacuum cleaner. But no one else was supposed to know about that. No one other than Minato-sensei and Rin, anyway. Aburame guessed it after observing a single fight. Which meant Kakashi had tells.

It seemed he hadn't been the only one keeping an eye on his mission partner.

"So, what?" He said, and hated how hesitant he sounded.

"I've seen real Uchiha use it. They move like liquid, lightning-fast. With you, the eye only seems to slow you down. That could get you killed. Especially if you don't acknowledge it," Aburame said.

Kakashi flinched. Real Uchiha. He had heard that one before. "I can't turn into something I'm not," he said, looking away.

"Then why do you want to be ANBU so badly?"

Kakashi's head snapped back. "I could be ANBU, I could – I just need to be a little bit stronger, and then I can do it. So what if I'm not an Uchiha? I can improve in other ways, and compensate for what I can't learn. That's always been enough."

Aburame paused. For a moment, Kakashi feared he had gone too far; Aburame was still his commanding officer on this mission. Finally, the other man spoke again. "Being ANBU is not like being a jounin. It may seem easy to you now, after taking on a single mission like this one, but you would feel differently if you knew the truth. But if you want to be what you can't be, perhaps you should train with an Uchiha to learn how to use that eye."

He said it in a tired tone of voice, speech and sigh at the same time. Like Kakashi was just some other young, stupid upstart about to get himself killed. Well, he wasn't, but he couldn't change the impossible.

"They won't teach me. They hate me," Kakashi said.

"'They' do not all share the same voice. A clan is not a hive mind. I might know someone who will teach you. Don't say I didn't warn you, though," Aburame said, and pushed his glasses further up his nose, as though he hadn't just given Kakashi the most incredible news.

"Anyway, if you want to practice anything, try subtlety," Shibi finished, and raised a hand at the ANBU agents who had just appeared on the horizon.

The way back home was quiet and sullen. Aburame was not a talkative man, and neither was Kakashi. The disagreement hung heavy in the air between them. To make it worse, Kakashi was sure Rin wouldn't approve either, and neither would Minato. They were overprotective, as if he couldn't take care of himself. Hadn't he single-handedly infiltrated Kirigakure to save Rin?

Admittedly, that mission had had mixed success.

... Either way, he didn't want to join ANBU just to prove that he could. He wanted to join ANBU to aid Konoha in a real, substantial way, not as a cog in the machine but as a bigger, more important element, one who actually stood a chance of changing something. One who stood a chance of protecting something. Or someone. If he could do that… If he could become strong enough, and wise enough… That would be enough.

Kakashi kept his eyes on the horizon and thought about the future.

AN:
Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you thought, and whether you have any predictions for how things are going to change.

Timeline:

The current month is August. Kakashi turns 14 in September. Rin turns 14 in November. Kurenai turned 15 in june, Asuma turns 15 in october. Minato and Kushina are 26, the Sannin are 37. Obito has been 'dead' for a year and a half. Minato has been Hokage for 6 months.