| [Sep. 7th, 2013|02:27 am] |
Honestly, he would’ve preferred the lecture.
“I didn’t say I hated them,” Kakashi said, and ran out of words. He didn’t know what he felt, besides frustrated. Which was dangerous for a ninja—if you didn’t know what your internal landscape was doing, you couldn’t master it. But shinobi weren’t supposed to have emotions anyway.
Weapons probably complained a lot less than he did, too.
He sighed once, softly. “You’re probably right, about everything. And Minato-sensei’s doubtless got a plan which he’s also right about. And it’ll turn out this team contains actual adults who’re good at what they do, but it’s not—they’re not—”
Rin’s face wiped clean of expression. “We can’t have Team Minato back, Kakashi,” she said. “Not like it was.”
He knew that.
He knew what that emotion was, too, and all the multicolored ways it hurt.
"Well," he said. "It's not like we were much of a good team, anyway."
“That's because you were stupid,” Rin said, like the thought made her fond. “You and Obito. My stupid, idiot boys.”
“We did save your life,” Kakashi pointed out.
“In the most spectacular fashion possible,” Rin agreed quietly. “I didn’t say being an idiot was a bad thing.”
In all the worst ways, it had been the best thing possible. Obito was the one who'd gone back for Rin, dragging Kakashi along behind him on a tether of guilt and I believe the White Fang was right! Obito had thrown the mission over for a teammate. Obito had activated his Sharingan just in time to make it a gift. Obito had saved Rin, and fixed Kakashi, and died for them both.
He'd been an idiot, and he'd paid for it.
And Konoha had gained a revolutionary medic and a genius with bonuses. Everyone won, except the one problem kid, who’d gone down in the history of the Third Great Ninja War as a footnote.
Now Obito’s memory was leverage for the Uchiha clan, when they wanted to pry into the remains of Team Minato, and a thorny, painful tangle between Kakashi and Rin, who’d had five years to get over it and still hadn’t.
Wouldn’t ever, probably.
“Guess I’ll try to be smarter this time around,” he said at last.
Rin leaned forward, careful of the still mostly uneaten dishes, and curled strong, calloused fingers around his. Her chakra rippled beneath her skin, water and fire, but so closely blended they were almost indistinguishable. She just felt like a waterfall of light.
“If they don’t treat you well,” she said, very calmly. “Tell me. I’ll take care of it.” |
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