"So, have I made myself very clear on this?" asked Tsunade.
"Yes." Responded Rin.
The Hokage sat up straight to stretch her back out. "Good. Be prepared for tonight then. I'll have somebody fetch you and escort you back here. You don't need to dress formal, just don't come looking like a mess."
"Even though the sun should be gone by tonight, I think I'll continue to wear my white cloak to keep up appearances. I mean, if I wore only that during the day and then street clothes at night, people could be under the impression that I'm a vampire or something." She said with a nervous chuckle.
Tsunade sweat dropped. "Sorry, but I forgot about your aversion to the sun. Yes, you're right and that'll be fine. In the mean time I would like you to stay in your room at all times. I can't imagine that'll be a problem."
Reluctantly Rin decides that it would be for the best. "It's better than a dark room. I won't argue considering if I say no you'll just lock me up in a cell instead."
"Yup!" The Hokage smiled. "That's right, but after what you've told me about your life I think it would be cruel to do so."
Rin stood and bowed to the Hokage. "I respect your command Hokage. But is it possible…if I can walk around the hotel for air? To get used to the sun more!" she added quickly.
"I'll allow you to walk to your room to and from the meeting, but for the next month you must remain out of the public eye at all times. Where you're staying has a closed in roof. You may only go as far as there."
Smiling, Rin bowed again. "Thank you. Is there anything else?"
Tsunade looked at Rin's face. Not only could she see it but she could feel in the atmosphere that she had just taken a load off. After spending the entire night and almost all of the morning explaining her entire life, Tsunade had gotten nearly everything she could out of Rin. They discussed Rin's future in the village, and also about her previous one.
According to Rin, any unauthorized person who left the village was found and killed without a trace. Tsunade had convinced her she was dead either way so there was no point in holding anything back. So, Rin explained her life while also explaining what her village was.
It was only between the two of them, but at the meeting that night a lot of what they had discussed would be shared with select ninja of jounin rank or higher.
"That is all for now. I'm sure I won't be needing you again, but before you leave…" Tsunade stood up and stretched out all the cracks in her back. Rin stood confused as she watched Tsunade search in her large pockets. She pulled out something small and held it between two of her fingers.
At the sight of the deck of cards Rin regretted telling Tsunade that she made most of her money by gambling. She wouldn't need to practice because she could easily read her opponents mind, thus seeing their cards…well only if the game was held at night.
"Why don't you take these and practice some blackjack. I have a feeling that you're the lucky luck charm I've been missing my whole career."
"As a Hokage?" Rin asked confused.
"NO! As a GAMBLER!" she yelled tossing the cards at her. "Now you don't lose your stuff. In a month I know there's going to be a gambling tournament and I could really use a partner. SHIZUNE!"
The door threw itself open in an instant as Shizune ran in with several ANBU fell into the room. Tsunade glared at them all as they shot right back up.
'Was there really a point in them leaning in so close to the door if there was a barrier on it so that no one could hear?' thought Rin. 'What kind of ANBU are they?'
"One of you," The Hokage said addressing the ANBU. "Needs to escort Rin back to the hotel. In the mean time, Shizune, I want you to…SIGN ME AND RIN UP FOR GAMBLING!"
"Uuhh….What, was that? My Lady?" Shizune asked beginning to get flustered. "I thought…we were no longer…going to.."
"That! Was before I met Rin." Tsunade said throwing Rin a wink. Rin sweat dropped and felt it was her time to leave the room.
She wanted to walk back to her room as slowly as possible, but she didn't want to hold up the ANBU, who had to walk her back, from anything important. It was probably a drag that he had to in the first place, so she kept right with his pace.
The way the two ANBU decided was a quick game of jaken. Rin, however, saw the outcome before it happened. The ANBU with the same color brown hair as herself went for paper and lost. If he was upset with his loosing he didn't show it. Even though the ANBU had already shown her some humanity by pressing themselves against the door and falling in, they never appeared to be more than robots to her. The current ANBU was no exception to that and never spoke a word to her as they left. He did hold a door for her, but he didn't seem to care that she was next to him and not in front of him so he could keep an eye on her.
'He thinks I'm not a match for him.' She thought to herself. 'I don't have to read his mind to figure that out. Just his body language is enough.'
Walking back to the hotel allowed her to take in more sites of Konoha. They were currently walking through a more opened area where younger children were running and mothers were watching. However, an unsettling feeling went through Rin's stomach as she noticed a younger child pointing at her and the ANBU. The mother stared at Rin in confusion while pushing her son in another direction.
"Oh crash." Rin said to herself. "They think I'm a bad guy since I'm walking with an ANBU member."
"They could possibly believe you are a very important person being shown around the village. Or maybe it's because you're wearing a robe that is three times too big for you and the Hokage's hat on your head while being escorted by an ANBU."
Rin ran through several emotions. Shock that the ANBU spoke, Realization at her outfit, embarrassment at her outfit, and then more shock.
"I didn't know you were allowed to talk to me!" She said staring intently at the ANBU waiting to see if he'd do it again.
Without losing his stride he said, "I didn't want to due to the fact that you are dressed oddly. How aren't you falling over?"
Rin stared down at the long dark grey cloak she was wearing and began to wonder that too. It was a safety pin death trap. They ran along the openings fastening them to each other. This was so it wouldn't flap open exposing her skin. Tsunade knew that Rin couldn't touch the light for a while and had someone find her something huge to cover her. She also gave her the Hokage's hat, not only to help shield her face, but as a sign that the Hokage was there to protect her.
It meant a lot to Rin, so she didn't mind looking weird. That is, until she saw the strange looks.
"So far I'm just luc-.." Rin was eating her own words as she finally tripped on the cloak and nearly fell on her face. The ANBU caught her in time and put her right back on her feet.
"I spoke too soon." He stated.
"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful!" she promised as she grabbed at the fabric and picked it up a bit. Her hands didn't burn in the sun and her feet seemed to be doing fine as well.
"Don't be sorry you tripped." He told her.
Rin's face got red and she focused more on walking. But then, a memory flashed through her like a bolt of lightning.
Rin was eight years old. She was walking down a road that was near the main part of her village but not in it. She was alone, but that was why she chose that route. She was staring up at the sun liking the feel of its warmth, something no person could give her. The nice moment was cut when a group of boys in her age group were coming up the road opposite her. She knew running away would provoke them, and even going a different way couldn't help her since she knew they had seen her. So she helplessly stopped as they walked towards her, all of their attention right on her face.
Standing like a statue she waited for them to pass her by, and when they formed into a line she had no idea, but one by one they walked by her spitting at her feet as they passed. The last and fifth of the boys pushed her as he passed by, and as soon as he did that Rin retaliated and pushed him right back.
"What the hell?" he swore as he swung around and attacked Rin with a full on rage.
He threw a hard set of punches at her, but she too fought back. As he grabbed her by the neck she grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked his head downward. He lunged again but the other four friends intervened and grabbed Rin by the arms while they got in between the two.
"What the hell you do that for bitch?" yelled the boy doing the least work of holding her.
"WHY'D HE HIT ME?!" she cried. "HE STARTED IT!"
"YOU HIT ME!" the boy accused.
"YOU GRABBED MY NECK!" Rin retorted as she held back tears.
"Well maybe if there wasn't so much neck to grab at!"
"What are you kids doing over there?"
They all turned releasing Rin in the process. She ran fast in another direction to get away from them all, but they didn't come after her.
"Don't mess around with that demon!" yelled the voice again. Rin could tell it was a man's voice, but she didn't try to see who it was, she only ran away.
"SHE WAS IN MY WAY!" yelled the boy. "SHE WAS IN ALL OF OUR WAY! YOU'RE A DAMN LOSER! KILL YOURSELF!" the boy yelled towards Rin.
Rin ran into the woods and hid behind a tree. It wasn't her fault and she knew it wasn't her fault. 'It was his fault!' she kept telling herself. 'They're the ones who were mean to me first!'
Rin let out a sob as she tried to walk forward into the woods. She didn't know if they'd come after her, or even if the male voice would come after her. So she went right through the woods till there was an opening.
Once out she leapt over a small fence into a person's back yard. This action startled a nearby woman who dropped an empty flower pot shattering it. Rin froze for a moment at the sound of the smash. The woman didn't even look at it. She stared daggers at Rin instead. Though she looked angry her voice had hysteria laced through it.
"I'm…I'm calling the police!" she yelled as she looked ready to race Rin if she tried to stop her. "They'll send you away!" She warned taking a small step in the opposite direction without removing her eyes off of her. "You..You can't stop me, monster!"
Rin tried to swallow but it seemed like all the saliva was gone. She licked her lips as she tried to form a syllable to speak. "P..Please…I'm sorry…" Rin apologized. She knew people liked to be smiled at, so she tried to smile at the woman.
She let out an ear piercing scream. "THE MONSTER! HELP! HELP! THE MONSTER IS HERE! HELP! SHE WON'T LET ME LEAVE!"
Rin stood even more scared then she was with just the boys. In a moment, she knew she would be attacked by a bunch of ninja. Whenever this happened to her she tried to remain very still as to show them that she wasn't attacking anybody! However, they came as they always did. Out of the air from nowhere, it seemed, pinning her to the ground.
"We need BACK UP!" they would always yell. "SHE'S TRYING TO GET FREE!"
"No I'm not." She tried to tell them. "Please, listen to me."
"PERMISSION TO STUN THE DEMON, SIR?" yelled a voice.
"Help me, please." She asked desperately. "Someone save me!"
But by this point she would no longer be conscious. When she did come around, she would be clinging to herself tightly in a dark cell. Not a trace of light.
She was afraid of the dark.
They were still walking; the hotel finally coming into view.
A memory like the one Rin had just remembered would not upset her, because she wouldn't allow it. She had worse memories than that, so there was no point in getting worked up over it. So she shrugged it off and continued onward not letting it affect her.
"If I upset you by telling you not to apologize, then I apologize." The ANBU said suddenly.
Rin jumped a little. "No! I'm sorry! You didn't upset me! Sorry, my fault. I shouldn't have gotten so quiet."
The ANBU, knowing she couldn't see his face, made a distinct facial expression of "Are you serious crazy lady?" at her. "Oookay? Well I'll forgive you if you stop apologizing."
"OKAY! I'm sorry I'll stop. Oh! Sorry! OH! SORRY AGAIN!!! AAAH!! I'm SORRY!"
While she began to freak out, the ANBU studied her. He could tell she wasn't being eccentric. She was truly upset that she kept apologizing after he told her not to.
He knew that the meeting that night would be a very interesting one indeed, and the rest of the way to her hotel he began to wonder what kind of person she was.
When Rin left the hospital, Tsunade collapsed into the chair next to the patient's bed. She was completely exhausted from the overnighter she and Rin pulled, but her chest felt heavy as well. All of Rin's sadness was now her sadness too. She heard many of the awful things that happened to her while living in her village, things, she realized, that were even worse than the way Naruto was treated.
Along with learning about where she was from, she learned more about what Rin was capable of. She could read minds on occasion, but mostly she couldn't control it. It was something she could do easily when she was younger but as she got older it happened less and less. Also she was only able to do it at night. And she could see into the future. These psychic things were what she got from being the demon's holder, Rin described the demon as being a strong psychic being, but she never went into details about it.
Tsunade closed her eyes and lightly smiled. She was happy to hear that even though Rin was always hated, Konoha was like living in a dream. Hinata and her had eaten together the other day and had trained together. This made Tsunade happy for Rin, but she wasn't sure how the Hyuuga clan would feel if they knew their heiress was with an outsider who they weren't sure of. However, at the meeting there would be a Hyuuga representative.
One Neji Hyuuga.