For everyone expecting more fluff like the last chapter, I apologize in advance. Warning: actual substance, character development and "real" Elemental-Countries world subjects. And mom!Minato.

Kakashi's proficiency lands him an opportunity to graduate early.

Rin isn't exactly surprised, on the contrary, she had been expecting it, but the number of grades he is allowed to skip still struck her off guard. Technically, as long as he passed the test, Kakashi is allowed to stay in whichever year he wished.

And naturally, Kakashi being Kakashi, wanted to progress.

Rin, on the other hand, is torn. She wants to stay with her friend, she truly does. But she is hesitant. Will canon change if she followed him? Would Team 7... be no more?

She would withstand the years of mind-numbing lectures of material she already knew, and endure the simple, almost demeaning tasks if it guaranteed that her teammates would be who they were meant to be. Anything, she thought furiously, to shield her friend from the horrors his other self had to face. Anything to prevent Obito's loss of hold on reality. Anything to ensure the Yondaime and Kushina's survival. Anything to stop Naruto's abuse.

It hurts her, to work for the good of the future instead of the good of the present, because it hurts Kakashi. Not for the first time, she wished that she had been ignorant of all this knowledge. That she could wake up the next morning without planning twenty years into the future to divert the path to mass destruction. That she didn't have to stare into his accusing glare when she refused.

"Why not," Kakashi stated flatly. "We both know you can keep up with me. You can graduate with me. You say you can't, but you really just don't want to. Is it because of the dobe? Does he mean more to you than I do now?"

And Rin recoils as if being physically struck, the tightening of chest matching the action. No, she wants to protest, but her throat has dried up and when she opens her mouth, nothing can come out. There are so many things she wants to say, that his friendship means more to her than anything in this world, that it was the only thing keeping her grounded, that his presence, his familiarity was the only bond she had left, clinging desperately between her and the ground so she doesn't loose her mind. Her overpowering loyalty to him actually scared Rin, and she was ever so grateful that he had found the same sort of bond to her. Not only did she enjoy it, she needed it. It was her drug, her coping method. Without him, she was nothing, she had nothing. She owed everything to him, and she didn't want to be alone. Never again.

But despite her pain through their connection that Rin was certain he could feel, and an echoing ache from him, for the first time ever, he cleared his face of emotion, gave her a blank stare as if he didn't even recognize her, and abruptly slammed a wall between their minds, severing the warmth and whispers of his thoughts. He walked away.

Rin broke.

...

Obito is the one who finds her, hours later, tucked away in an empty, unoccupied room, curled up and unable to move. Her tears have long since dried, but her hair still hangs around her face like a curtain, hiding her red eyes and the occasional hiccup that escapes her. There's a senbon through her hand.

"Oh my god Rin!" Obito scrambles over, yet for once mindful and keeping his voice quiet.

Rin collapses in his arms, allowing the cold and terrible loneliness to seep away. She still shivers, even when Obito's body is pressed against her's and warm enough to be a heater. At that moment, she was certain she would've been willing to have anyone, even Madara, if it meant that she didn't need to feel isolated anymore.

"What's wrong?" he asked, gently but insistently.

Rin doesn't answer for a long time, throat still raw and sore. "Kakashi and I fought," she breathes hoarsely.

Obito stills. Because while it was obviously so much worse than that, Kakashi and Rin had never fought before. They were the ones that argued over petty things, even over Rin's affection, and even then, Obito knows that Kakashi has a special place in her heart. Rin is patient, always ready to offer Obito a smile, and always encourages him when he feels down. She always knows exactly what to say, and she doesn't hate him or look down on him. She's the only who believes he can achieve his dream, laughing obligingly as he regales her with his stories. She trusts him enough to feel relaxed in his presence.

But Kakashi is a completely different matter. Obito doesn't know how long they've known each other, but it has to be at least a few years. They know what the other is thinking just by a glance. They seem to have silent conversations just with their eyes. Kakashi, cold loner with not a kind bone in his body, Kakashi who despises Obito more than his own clan does, melts when Rin looks at him. He relents when she asks. He surrenders under her persistence. He automatically reacts to her touch by latching back.

The idea of the two fighting was ridiculous. As foolish as imagining the sun and moon collide.

Obito carefully chooses not to react. He gathers the devastated girl in his arms and brings her to the hospital wing. The thought of pulling out the needle himself made him feel queasy. He pretends he doesn't see the spot of dried blood left behind on the floor.

...

In an attempt to fill the hole Kakashi left, Rin has taken to trailing Obito.

She hasn't actually seen the silver-haired boy in some time, considering he had joined the advanced class without another word, but Rin's internal sensor has continued to lock on his chakra every time he was within range. Just because he was avoiding her doesn't mean that her maternal, possessive instinct has quelled. In fact, she has barely been able to let her Uchiha out of her sight.

During the first night after the Fight (because to her, it was a major enough event to deserve a capital letter), Rin had returned to her home. Over the years, she had barely visited it at all, courtesy of a certain obsessive family. Before the sun had even appeared, she had woken in cold sweat, gasping and reaching for Kakashi-

Only to remember he was no longer there. The spot beside her was cold. The shadows were closing in on her. It was too quiet. There were no soft sounds of breathing, no shifting of blankets as dreams caused muscles to jerk, no chakra signatures but her own. The whole house was still. She felt as if she was the only one left in the world.

Blood quickening, she had rushed to the Uchiha compound on the other side of Konoha. By the time Obito had answered his door, eyes bleary, Rin had broken into a full out panic attack.

Taking one look at his hyperventilating friend, Obito snapped into full awareness, sweeping her inside and holding her hand, mindful of the bandaged wound that would no doubt scar, while she began gagging into his toilet. A period of time later, she had finally fallen quiet, climbing into Obito's lap and snuggling into him, pretending not to notice how he awkwardly bites his lip, unsure of what to do.

Rin presses her nose into the collar of his shirt, breathing in his scent, flaring her chakra around his. She pretends that she can smell the remnants of Pakkun's musky fur. She pretends that Obito's chakra responds in the same fashion. She pretends that the boy in front of her has downy, pre-grayed hair, and that she's in the Hatake home, with Sakumo is right next door.

The illusion is broken when Obito speaks, tone full of intent. "You need to talk to Kakashi."

"I don't," she immediately disagrees, closing her eyes. She's afraid of the cold eyes he normally aims at his fangirls, the detached tone.

"This is not enough," Obito insists. "I'm not enough. You know that. We both know it. I can't ever replace Kakashi."

Rin reads the bitterness in his voice, but he still speaks the words that cause him pain. It causes to her to look up, eyes wide.

Because she doesn't understand. How could he withstand this? How could Naruto? Both had experienced this their whole lives, and she was ready to stab a kunai through her heart to abate the pressure crushing it after a single day. She marvels his strength. She envies his positivity. But, most of all, the amount of empathy for him was choking her up.

Rin tears up again. But this time, it wasn't for her own sake. How could she be so selfish? She should see Obito for who he was, not trying to project someone else on him. Obito wasn't weak. He was stronger than anyone she knew. If he was in her position, Rin was certain, he would be able to save everyone. But he wasn't. She was. Weak, pathetic Rin who needed more emotional support than she did power. Life wasn't fair. But if she couldn't do it for herself, if she couldn't do it for her and Kakashi, she would do it for Obito. He deserved so much more than she did, so much for than what was in store for him.

Rin hugs him tightly. "Thank you," she whispers in his ear. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. You're like the brother I never had, the brother I've always dreamed of."

Rin feels like she's floating on determination. She's a girl on a mission. After thinking it over during her stay overnight in Obito's home, watching her friend doze, she promptly jumps him as soon as awakes, speeds through her work at the Academy, and grants him another bear hug before dashing out of there.

Of course, now that she's on the streets, Rin's sense of purpose diminishes a little. She's spent so much time thinking about war and strategies that she's not certain what to say to another person. Her friend. It should be simple, she sulks, but she's never been good at apologizing. Or talking things out in general. Hopefully, it'll just come to her in time. For now... Rin prepares to spread her sensory chakra.

Something else catches her attention.

"Did you hear?"

"-Hatake Sakumo-"

"White Fang-"

"-mission failed-"

"-traitor-"

"Does this mean war?"

Her stomach drops. How could she have forgotten?

...

At the end of her frantic search was Kakashi, surrounded by a mob. It was one thing for him to defeat Academy students.

It was a whole other to face off adult civilian hostiles that he was forbidden to attack.

His composure is as sturdy as always, but Rin can see the way his eyes flicker back and forth, feel the way his chakra stays dormant even though it churns wildly in anxious indecision. Rin realizes, in a terrifying moment, that he wasn't going to fight back or escape.

She's charging down the street towards them, but the harsh insults were already changing into physical retaliation. A stone hurled from the back of the crowd scours a line across his face. Kakashi doesn't even flinch. Rin sees red.

She's never used it before, never had a reason to among a supposedly peaceful village, but she knows how to. The most effective, large-range act on multiple, untrained people was a demonstration of will.

Or, she supposed most people called it, killing intent.

Her chakra responds as an explosion. Not a benevolent, minor pulse for her sensing. Not just her Yang portion for medical practice. She makes use of pure, malevolent chakra, fueled by rage, to knock most of the men to their knees. Some even wet themselves, stinking the air with a disgusting scent. Rin doesn't care. She's pretty sure that she even tramples some of them as she rushes toward Kakashi.

He blinks at her, lost, confused. Why are you here?

Rin's gut clenched. Because she could very well guess what he was feeling; betrayal. Utter, total betrayal from all he trusted, all he thought he knew. He had lost his friend. He had lost his family. And he had lost his home, his place in this village. And she just wants to smother her child with love and affection until he forgets. So she does.

"Your father," she hisses. "Is a hero. Don't listen to them. He protected his friends. He saved them. He's an embodiment of Konoha's ideals. They just wanted to find someone to blame, you hear? War was going to happen even if had completed his mission. The White Fang did not fall from grace. Without him, Konoha would be a lot weaker than it is now. Don't let them convince you. You know your father, and so do I. He's a good person. He would know what to do in a situation like that one. I would've done it. I would've saved you instead of completing the mission. Even if everyone hated me, even if they incarcerated me. I would choose you over Konoha, over and over again."

Kakashi's arms stay limp at his sides as Rin shakes him before pulling him bodily into a hug.

...

Rin sits on her bed, intently following Kakashi's chakra signature as he treks toward his own compound. He had refused her offer of companionship, so she had to settle for this.

She hoped she had convinced Kakashi to hear out his father.

She thinks that rejection from his own son and the abuse aimed toward Kakashi in vengeance were the catalysts for Sakumo's suicide. Maybe she could stop it. She had grown genuinely fond of the man who had become like a father, and although he hasn't been around recently, she missed him. She wanted him to compliment them. She wanted him to comment on their improvement. She wanted him to ask how she's been. She wanted him to convince Kakashi to open up to her again. She wanted him to invite her to stay over. She wanted him to teach them again. She wanted to eat his cooking. She wanted to hear his laugh. She wanted him to welcome her home She wanted-

His bright, unique chakra signature vanished.

Kakashi reached the front door.

Rin bolted up, blood growing cold and heartbeat in her ears, jumping over the railing without bothering to take the stairs, almost tearing the door off its hinges, and pounded down the street barefoot.

In the distance, Kakashi stopped short in front of the room where his father's body laid.

Her eyes stung with tears. She had wanted him to live.

...

Kakashi is frozen. Even his chakra signature, active even while unconscious, was eerily still.

He's standing in the hallway, the door to his father's room open.

Everything else was in place, perfecting replicating Rin's earlier memories. If it hadn't been for the blood pooling around Kakashi's feet, she doesn't think that she would've thought anything was wrong.

Rin doesn't hesitate. She filled the house with her chakra, just in case Kakashi wouldn't recognize her, then sprinted to him.

"Kakashi!" she blurted, stepping in front of his view of sight. His eyes were dangerously devoid of anything. Nonononononononononono-

Rin could easily guess that this is how she looked when Obito had found her. One wrong move, and he would break beyond repair. She forcefully pushes the thought away.

She gently nudges him back, away from the scene. internally cringing when her feet squelch in the crimson liquid, she manages to guide him a few steps before his legs collapse from underneath him. Rin is barely able to catch him, then slowly lowers him down, crouching in front of him. She places her hands on his shoulders, steering him around so his back faces her and his father. Rin pulls Kakashi to her chest, covering his eyes with one hand and pulling the other through his hair in a repetitive, comforting motion. The whole time, she avoids looking at Sakumo herself, afraid of what she would find.

"It's okay," she finds herself murmuring. "I'm here. You're not alone. You still have me, and you'll never loose me. You don't have to hide yourself. It's okay. It's okay to be sad. He was your father. I'm upset too. He didn't deserve this. I'll take care of it, promise. I'll tell everyone he was a hero. I'll always be by your side, even if they hurt you. He had the Will of Fire. They were wrong. He loved you. Don't ever forget that."

She takes him to her compound after the ANBU arrived at the scene. Her home, which she had barely set foot in, full of unwanted memories and monsters hiding in the shadows, waiting to intrude on her dreams and turn them into nightmares. Her supposed home, which felt cold and unfamiliar and unwelcoming compared to Hatake household. She doesn't want to go back to the place that personified her loneliness, her helplessness, her past. But she's willing to do it, for Kakashi. Because all these years, he kept her away from her demons, and now, it was time for her to do the same. She would face her fears if Kakashi didn't have to return to the place that shattered his own life.

Kakashi doesn't get up the next day.

But that's okay, because Rin stays next to him. This is the only time she can remember either of them lounging in bed all day, let alone skipping class. He was functional now, at least. When she forced food on him, he ate. He had even began responding with short, one word answers. She didn't push for more. This, she knew, was the normal response from a child. She had built up her mental strength, learning to hide behind barriers until she overloaded on her emotions, releasing them in an outburst before settling down and repeating the whole process over again. She could withstand the gaping, noticeable lack of Sakumo's intense, vibrant, calming presence a little longer. Unlike her, this would be the first time Kakashi felt loss. He had seen it before, witnessed it right in front of him as she had broken down, but this would be the first time he really experienced it. Rin vowed that this would be the last time he needed to feel it. She had failed her foster family. She would never make the same mistake again.

The day after that, Rin wakes to Kakashi struggling weakly from her arms. She stiffens imperceptibly, a chill running down her spine. Normally, she wouldn't have been so panicked if it hadn't been for the dark marks under his eyes, deep as scars. If it hadn't been for the pale skin, the trembling despite the warmth. If it hadn't been for the almost maniacal gleam in his eyes behind the deathly, glazed sheen.

"Kakashi," she whispers, latching on the back of his shirt and tugging him back towards her.

"Let me go," he says thickly, still stumbling to the door.

"No," she decided firmly. "You're not okay."

"I'm fine!" he insists, but doesn't turn to face her. "I'm ashamed of myself. A shinobi shouldn't let anything affect them. On the battlefield, emotions don't matter, death is common. I know that. I've already been avoiding my responsibilities. I won't do it again. Fath- that man is a disgrace. The village always comes before individuals. The shinobi code matters more than desires. He disregarded the most basic rules, and that's all there is to it. I won't make the same mistakes. I'll become the perfect shinobi."

Rin's heart aches. Her mind whirls, trying to come up with words powerful enough to get through to him, strong enough to break this false intent that is driving him, because what she's been doing is still not enough-

Before she knows what she's saying, the words are already escaping. "It's true, those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash! How could your father have done nothing, turn his back on the ones he grew up with, the faces he knows, just to complete a mission? If either path was going to make the world scoff at him, wouldn't it have been better to break the rules? It's harder, yes, but at the end of the day, he could at least look himself in the mirror and know he did something worthwhile. He may not be your role model anymore, but he sure as hell became mine."

He stares. Then, the darkness in him vanishes. His white chakra flickers, then kindles.

Rin can barely look away, yet is forced to from the sheer brightness. The whole time, something like guilt weighs at her. She feels as if she has stolen the possibilities between her two friends.

...

In end, everything works out. Kakashi graduates within a year of entering the Academy like he's supposed to. He protested when Rin insisted that he move in with her, just for show, she suspected, but relented rather quickly when she stubbornly moved all his belongings to her place. He doesn't ask for Rin to advance with him, doesn't mention anything if Obito starts showing up with increased frequency.

Rin's grateful. She's starting to think that she can't live without either of them, with the Uchiha cheerfully balancing out Kakashi's overall sass and seriousness, and the Hatake's talent for shutting Obito up if he got too noisy.

It's actually relatively quiet today, with each of them clutching some form of reading material. Kakashi is studying some scroll given to him by his new sensei, who her friend had been irritatingly vague about. Rin's not too annoyed yet, easily figuring it would be Minato, but it had been getting Obito increasingly worked up. Rin thinks that she can see some of Kakashi's future self as he taunts the other boy with purposely ambiguous statements.

Obito was actually studying under her persistence, occasionally receiving tips from both of them, while Rin was once again tackling medical ninjutsu. She's grateful for the extra years of studying she could cram in, considering how simple the Academy work was, even if Obito complained about its difficulty. Sometimes, she gets tempted to persuade him to read a passage from her textbook, just to watch his eyes spin in confusion, but she's not that sadistic.

They had fallen into some strange routine, with Obito trailing Rin home after school, and Kakashi arriving shortly after from a mission while Rin is whipping up some food. She joins them and she forces dinner on them as they study, and often spar as dusk falls. Obito and Kakashi still snip at each other every now and then, but Rin is mostly successful in keeping them civil. Naturally, she's reluctant to change it.

"Kakashi," she mumbles, attracting their attention.

Her intended target perks up, noticing her subdued tone. She feels his chakra cautiously touch her's, and she nudges back gratefully.

"So uhm," she carries on tentatively, with Obito nodding encouragingly. She had already ran her plan by him earlier. "Could... you ask your sensei to take some time off tomorrow? I-I was thinking, we never composed a proper ceremony for Sakumo. Do you want to? I m-mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. Obito and I were planning to do it because we admired him and all, but we didn't want to do it without your permission, it didn't seem right, so-"

Kakashi places a hand on her arm, seeming slightly amused. From his corner, Obito stifled a laugh with his hand. "Rin. It's fine. I'll be there."

She beams blindingly bright at them.

...

Rin is out shopping with just Obito for the first time. Kakashi had been reluctant to allow her, but he had a meeting with his teacher. Rin had rolled her eyes at him, pulsing her intent through their connection. It's in the middle Konoha. Honestly, what is the worst that can happen?

Luckily, she hadn't jinxed herself, and after emerging out of the store humming a song with a name she had long forgotten, she had been pleasantly surprised to find that Kakashi's chakra signature was nearby. Casting a glance at Obito, who seemed distracted as he muttered the names of daimyos and countries under his breath in an attempt to memorize the information, Rin sighed before clutching the back of his shirt and leading them towards it. As they neared, her breath caught her throat. A familiar, bright chakra bobbed next to Kakashi's, and for a moment, she imagines a pair of silver-haired shinobi walking down the street together-

She belatedly notices that it's not the same. It resonated the same warmth, honesty, and protectiveness but it isn't the same. This one was more energetic, younger, brimming with a happiness that Rin could only recall from her earliest days. And, most notably, it wasn't as pure. Rin takes a deep breath and shoves away the comparison. Sakumo is gone, she reminds herself. Nothing good comes from summoning old memories. It was time to move on. If she could do it from her old life, she could do it here too.

She holds her breath anyways as she rounded the corner, fingers linking with Obito's. A week ago, he would've started and began to sweat or fidget, but now accustomed to Rin's frequent search for contact, the Uchiha merely squeezed her hand reassuringly, even if his mind was still absent. Rin spots vibrant blond hair first, and involuntarily, her chest hollows with disappointment. As they wander into earshot, though, Rin's attention shifts.

"-please Kakashi," Minato seems to try and persuade him. "Consider it, at least. You shouldn't be living alone. I don't care if you're legally recognized as an adult, you're still a child. You won't regret it. I'll give you space, but I want to help if I can."

"Minato-sensei," Kakashi practically emits exasperation. "I've been trying to tell you-"

Obito looks up, interested at the mention of the honorific.

"I've met others like you," the man continued, hushed. "They don't talk about themselves, and in the end, it only causes pain and suffering."

"Like I've said, I do have-"

It was an incredibly stupid, one-sided conversation. Rin was unsure who she pitied more: Kakashi who wasn't being heard under the impression that he was delusional (which, she admitted, would've been likely), or poor, ignorant Minato who had no idea. She thinks it's time to make her move.

"Kakashi!" she waves cheerfully, guiding both her and Obito through the crowd. "I'm done with shopping. Let's go home!"

Then she turns to Minato, blinking in a largely exaggerated, childish fashion. "No way... Is this the sensei Obito and I have been hearing so much about?"

"Ah..." Kakashi eyes her strangely. "...yes."

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Obito huffs in a similar manner, about to cross his arms before realizing that one hand was occupied by Rin, and the other by a shopping bag.

"...Sorry?" Kakashi tries. Rin bites her tongue to stop herself from giggling at the restraint her friend is obviously showing, face scrunched up. "This is... Minato-sensei. Sensei, these are my... er, friends, Rin and Obito."

Rin thinks she hears Obito choking over laughter, but she can't blame him because she's about to do the same. "It's a pleasure!" she chirps for them.

Minato looks like he doesn't know what to say. "Um, nice to meet you as well, Rin-chan, Obito-kun."

Rin hands the second bag over to Obito in order to grab Kakashi's hand. And, just because she can while they were still pretending, cheekily pressed a chaste kiss on his forehead. She was going to take full advantage of her height over him before puberty struck. Ignoring Kakashi's rapidly reddening face and Obito's poorly concealed snickers, she smiles up at Minato.

"Kakashi is okay," she declares. "Because he has us."

...

Obito graduates sooner than he does in canon. Given, not by much, but it still accounted for something. Rin and Kakashi have been having a positive influence on him. It was good that Obito was as resilient as he was, she thought to herself privately, because a normal child would've been too caught in jealously to make actual progress. Rin had been purposely failing the previous tests until Obito passed. Kakashi always scoffed, but never intruded the subject, even when he knew she could do better. Obito always blushed, vowing year after year to pass for the both of them. And today, he finally did.

Instead of the usual belittling comment, Kakashi sticks his hands in his pockets and nods at the Uchiha.

Obito gaped, opening and closing his mouth like a fish in his disbelief, but Rin only chuckled and slung an arm around both of them.

...

"Ah... it's you two again," Minato blinks at them in surprise.

"Is that really all you can say?" Rin pouts, leaning on one leg.

"Didn't you look at our files beforehand?" Obito asks skeptically, bringing up a good point.

"Yeah, why didn't you?" Rin chimed in.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," their new sensei admitted. "I wanted to learn about the two of you without reading any kind of analysis or subjective opinions."

Rin decides that she likes him. By the look on his face, she can tell Obito does too.

They pass the bell test without a hitch. No matter how often Kakashi and Obito bantered, there was no doubt that they worked well together, and they could work with Rin as well. They had spent the last few years training with each other, after all. Kakashi was definitely ahead, but Rin wasn't far behind, and Obito was no slacker either. Minato approves of them as much as they approve of him.

The three of them are set on D-ranks for a month. Kakashi is the one most sour about it. He puts up with it though, and with their teamwork, they finish more missions that can be produced. Minato-sensei is a slave driver at training, almost as much as Sakumo was (Rin carefully redirects herself), and their improvement is astounding.

As a genin with a jounin sensei, she has more access to information, including a wider repertoire of water jutsus, much to Rin's delight. Chakra control exercises come with ease, and when testing chakra paper for the first time, she's astonished to learn that she also has a strong affinity to earth.

Earth nature, she was startled to realize, was most similar to water. Unlike fire's passionate blaze that was difficult to extinguish, or lightning's stubborn path of its own, or wind's free-spirited nature that needed to be coaxed rather than forced, earth was always there. Silent but present. Ubiquitous. Stubborn. Stable. Water was louder and lighter, but gave off the same heavy, omniscient presence.

Sensei drills her with what little knowledge he knew about medics and sensors, and helps Obito with his own specialties as well. He even teaches a little about fuinjutsu, which, while fascinates her and attracts Kakashi, utterly bores Obito. Rin is pleased to find that Minato is efficient with his methods though; he never leaves one of his team behind. If was teaching one of them, the other two would spar or practice their own techniques.

Within the year, Minato-sensei nominates them for the chunin exams.

Sorry bout the angst at the beginning, it had to be done ^^; anyways tho, again plz point out any mistakes. I know my verb tense is chaotic.