When they find Kakashi, Rin takes in the scene before them and knows this is it. After just over a year of hard work, blood, friendship, and friction, they have reached the battle that will decide if the world ends or continues. Kakashi sees them, but only acknowledges their appearance with a small widening of his eyes and a dip of his chin. Tension Rin didn't even realize she is holding bleeds from her shoulders.

Kakashi is still going to let them help him.

Striking a battle-ready pose alongside her teammates, Rin leaps into action when Kakashi uses his familiar signal. She hopes the three of them make it through this. She wants to go home to Konoha with her friends, raise her daughter, and have a happy ending.

-O-

Rin slices, she dodges, weaves, and kicks as she moves across the battlefield in the direction of the slowly weakening silver and red mess that is Kakashi. Obito is beside her as she moves, covering her blind spots as she does the same for him.

They have nearly won, those left are those who are too stubborn or suicidal to give up. She and Obito are making quick work of them as Kakashi, exhausted and shaking, fights a straggler of his own.

"Kakashi!" she calls out when one of his legs gives out and the enemy nearly lands a killing blow. Separating from Obito, she leaves him to finish what they started as she takes out the throat of the shinobi who almost stole Kakashi from her.

Landing in the mud and blood around Kakashi, she gathers the trembling body of her teammate in her arms and feels tears gather when she sees he's got a stab wound in his lower middle. She hopes he can hang on a little longer. Rin is afraid to start healing him without Obito to cover them.

His breathing is harsh and shallow as he focuses his gaze on her. There is wonder in his eye as he realizes she's crying over him. He reaches up with a clumsy hand and swipes at the tears tracking down her cheek. "Rin?" he murmurs.

She laughs in spite of everything. "Look at you," she teases as she brings a hand around to swipe away sympathy tears she sees beading up in the eye that once belonged to another Obito. Her humor fades quickly, however, and with a trembling mouth, whimpers, "Why did you take off like that on your own?"

"…didn't want you to lose anybody else," he mumbles after a pause.

As Rin sucks back a sob, Obito lands beside her and Kakashi. He has finished cleaning up and securing the battlefield for them. He doesn't crouch down next to them, however, he stays just behind Rin and out of Kakashi's line of sight.

"But we almost did!" she cries out, giving his body a tight squeeze. Kakashi winces and she releases her grip slightly as she sighs. "I thought we'd explained it already. 'Kashi, we just got you back. For the last fifteen years we've been Kakashi-less!" Leaning in closer until their noses are almost touching, she murmurs, "You would have shattered us all over again if you died."

They are too close for Kakashi to look away, so he closes his eyes in response. "I… I thought you didn't care about me anymore. I probably cost Obito and Nika their clan when I took you away from Konoha," he admits.

Rin finds herself opening and closing her mouth a couple of times. Why would he think something like that? She feels Obito shifting behind her and Rin can't help but wonder. "What is he talking about Obito?" she demands as she looks over her shoulder at him. She doesn't even care that her voice is accusing, angry. Kakashi is frightfully brilliant at putting the burden of things on himself, taking blame he has no right to, but something about his words aren't sitting right with her.

Obito shakes his head and finally crouches down on the other side of Kakashi. He avoids her harsh gaze and grumbles, "Later."

Rin feels vindicated fury spike through her. She prepares herself to yell, but Obito stops her by grabbing tight onto Kakashi's hand and saying with force, "Kakashi? You didn't. You didn't cost me a thing, got it?" The boy's eye has opened into a slit in response to Obito's declaration. Making a face, Obito squeezes his empty hand into a fist and whispers to Kakashi, "That stuff I said… It was crap. I'm an idiot, okay? Just like you always told me. I was mad at myself and lashing out at the easiest target." He meets the tired eye of Kakashi and licks his lips. "You," he admits.

Kakashi's brows furrow and he squirms in Rin's arms as he tries to face Obito. Rin, who is panicking about what it might do to Kakashi's internal injuries, hurries to assist. Thankfully, Kakashi lets her move his head so his cheek rests on her thigh and he can stare up at Obito. "I failed you," says Kakashi, making Rin's heart clench. "I always fail you."

"No, you don't, Kakashi," she whispers as Obito clenches his teeth to hold back the glossy dam of tears in his eyes.

"I do," insists Kakashi. "It's why—"

He stops short and Rin inspects the boy carefully. He doesn't seem like he's in any new pain or is being affected by being shifted moments ago. Instead, it appears he purposefully cut himself short.

"Why what?" she demands.

He averts his eye. "Nevermind."

Obito, who's won his personal war against his tears, lets go of Kakashi's hand to caress his masked cheek. "One of these days we're going to have a really long t-talk," he warbles. "I bet you think you're sneaky, but we have noticed the way you look at us when you think we're not watching."

"…Hey, I'm really tired," he mutters, open eye turning unfocused.

Rin gives him a little shake. "Don't you dare pass out," she warns.

"Mh," he murmurs before promptly going limp in her arms.

"Damn it, Kakashi!" she cries as she moves him to give herself better access to his torso where his most dangerous wounds are.

"Shit, what do you need me to do?" asks Obito.

She meets his gaze and says, "Stay back while I stabilize him." Rin places her hands over Kakashi and gathers chakra together for what will be the most intense healing session she has done in her entire life. "Then, you're going to have to run us both back to Konoha faster than you have ever believed yourself capable," she tells him.

Obito's eyes go wide and he yells, "What are you doing, Rin?" she ignores him in favor of working. "Rin!" he shouts once more, but Rin can't hear him anymore.

She is lost in stitching up all of the broken parts of Kakashi in hopes they might finally get to heal him once and for all.

-O-

The next time Rin opens her eyes, she sees warm light and white above her. It takes a moment more, but she realizes she's laying in a bed tucked beneath a scratchy blanket. She breathes out. She is in the hospital. Obito brought them home to Konoha.

She turns her head slightly, hoping she might find that Obito or Kakashi is in the room with her. A smile twitches at the corners of her mouth when she sees Obito is sitting in one of the hard chairs they offer to guests. He is looking away, towards the back corner of the room while chewing absently on his thumbnail.

"Hi," she croaks.

Obito startles nearly right out of his chair. "Rin!" he cries out before swooping in and kissing her on the lips. "I love you," he says as she tries to process the romantic affection. "Don't you ever fucking do something like that again!" he thunders, face pulled into a harsh snarl.

She looks away. "Sorry…" she mumbles while searching the other side of the room for Kakashi. While there is another bed behind a curtain, Rin can tell it's empty. "It was the only way," she says. Turning to look back at Obito who's still frowning, but not quite so angry anymore, Rin asks, "Where is Kakashi?"

He exhales and sits back down. "Next room," he answers. "I tried to have him placed in here with you, but—"

"—I need to see him," declares Rin, cutting off Obito as she pushes herself up with weak arms.

"Whoa!" yelps Obito, getting up to hover in front of her as she swings her legs over the edge of her bed. "Rin, don't," he begs.

She glares at him. "Obito, either help me or get the Hell out of my way."

He stares at her, expression hurt. "…Yeah. Okay," he relents finally. Sidling up beside Rin, he offers an arm for her to take as she stands. During her first step, she stumbles a little, but Obito keeps her from falling.

"I'm fine," she says to him after she takes a few more steps and starts to feel stronger.

He nods but does not let her go. "Here we go," he says before leading them out of Rin's room and into the quiet, sterile hallway. They then step in front of the half-closed door next to Rin's room and Obito knocks.

"Obito-Sensei?" calls back a voice Rin knows belongs to Sakura.

The man puts on a smile as they walk into the room together. Rin feels her knees go weak when she sees Kakashi's slender shape tucked into the bed Sakura sits beside ."Sorry, Rin was insistent," Obito tells the leery-faced girl.

Sakura puffs out her cheeks at her teacher. "Didn't you tell her you had one of us with him?"

Obito gives her a mild look of amusement. "She didn't let me say anything before she was demanding I bring her in."

Sakura sighs and stands up. "Here, she can sit in my seat," the girl says as Rin is busy taking in the sight of the child. She has grown since she last saw her. She's taller, nearly Rin's height, and shaping up into a real woman now. A part of her feels sad for missing it. Sakura isn't her daughter, but Rin has always been fond of her. She used to play and fight with Naruto when they were in the Academy and now she is the blond's teammate and Obito's student.

"Thanks, Sakura," says Obito, forcing her to walk over and sit down when Rin doesn't really want to. However, she quickly forgets her distaste when her eyes land on Kakashi, pale and still in the hospital bed.

She reaches out and cards her fingers through his hair. "Kakashi…"

Obito chuckles. "See?" he says into her ear as he gives her shoulders a light squeeze. "He's okay. What you did was crazy stupid, but it worked."

She doesn't mean to, but she starts to cry. "Kakashi," she whimpers.

"Oh!" clucks Obito, bending down next to her to start patting her cheeks with his hands. "Don't cry," he begs.

"I'm going to, um," mumbles Sakura, slowly inching towards the room's door.

Through her tears, Rin sees Obito nod at his student. "Yeah, you're fine to leave. Thanks, Sakura, for your help," he says.

The girl doesn't dart off. Instead, she offers, "I'll, ah, go tell Sasuke to bring Nika by in a while?"

Rin wheezes and Obito squeezes her knee. "Please," he tells the girl.

"Goodbye, Sensei."

Obito waves. "See ya."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Rin sees Sakura finally slip out the door. Still crying, Rin tries to find calm in watching the steady movement of Kakashi's narrow chest. After a minute, when she feels a little less like sobbing, she whispers, "We were so close to losing him again."

"We didn't," Obito replies in an equally quiet, but forceful tone.

Rin turns to look Obito in the eyes and snaps, "We could have! If I hadn't nearly drained myself of chakra he'd probably have died."

Obito's expression becomes pained. "Rin…"

She doesn't let up. "I remember before he passed out and I healed him," she tells him, finding slight pleasure in the way it makes Obito wince. "What was Kakashi talking about when he said he didn't think we cared about him anymore?"

He leans away and exhales. "I said stuff," he admits.

Rin narrows her eyes and hisses, "What did you tell Kakashi, Uchiha Obito?"

Obito won't look her in the eyes. Instead, he stares at his feet and shakes his head. "Crap," he admits. "Angry stuff." Peeking up at her with a shamed face he admits, "I sort of implied he let the Uchiha be massacred because they ranked below his mission to save the world."

Rin covers her mouth with her hands. "You didn't," she gasps behind her fingers.

Obito lets his head drop again. "I know," he croaks. "It was fucking awful of me. Kakashi in the year we've had him back has shown he isn't like that. He values people alongside the mission. He's not that ten-year-old kid we once knew who probably would have let an enemy nin slaughter us if it meant the mission would succeed."

Rin chews the inside of her cheek. She could scold Obito. Perhaps she should. But Obito looks truly guilty and knowing Obito as well as she does, Rin can tell he is beating himself up enough already. He knows he's messed up.

So, instead, she decides to discuss the consequences of his actions. It will make him feel guiltier than anything else she can say anyway. "Kakashi won't agree to live with us because of you," she tells him.

Obito hunches his shoulders up near his ears. "I know," he says. Rubbing at his eyes, Obito says, "It's going to probably take years to get him to understand I don't secretly hate him for the massacre."

Rin knows he's right. That's for Obito to fix, however. Rin won't help heal the damage he caused. She is angry at him. Kakashi might feel a little leery about her now too thanks to Obito. At least she thinks a talk and behaving the way she always has with him will be enough to reassure Kakashi she doesn't blame him.

Even with the mess Obito has caused, Rin still thinks they should push forward with having Kakashi live with them. It's what the boy needs. Luckily for Obito, Rin has a trick up her sleeve. It's one she formed shortly after Obito told her his intentions.

Even though she hates right now, Rin always knew they were going to end up in the hospital after their final battle. Kakashi has grown into a person with little care for his own well-being and him becoming gravely injured was an inevitability. His disregard is a boon as much as it is a burden for them. It gives her the chance to bully him into being cared for.

"I'm going to tell him it's doctor's orders he stays with someone who can support him, meaning us, as he heals and recovers," Rin tells a quiet, sad Obito.

He perks up, eyes wide with surprise. "Really?"

She nods. "It should give us a few weeks to integrate him into our home and, maybe, if I do the persuading, he can be convinced to stay past those few weeks," she tells him.

Obito stands up and kisses her for the second time today. She stills. "Rin I love you," he tells her.

She ducks her head and brings her fingers to her lips. "I know," she says. She always has. If she is honest with herself, Rin has loved him nearly as long too. "I love you too," she says, taking a chance. "Even if I'm pissed at you right now."

He laughs and then sighs. "That's fair," he tells her as he sits on the side of Kakashi's bed and pats the boy's chest. "I totally deserve it."

Thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think!