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Crossing Rubicon's	By : Saphri Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1427 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters portrayed in this story. I make no money from writing this fanfiction. I write purely for my own amusement and the amusement of fellow fans.

Chapter List
- 11
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- 13
Walking Through the Gates of Hell
oOo
The distancing had started already, the copy nin had been able to see it during the groups conversation mere hours ago about the disease that had killed Rin's team mate. Not once had the dark haired medic made eye contact with anyone and every time she spoke she became more listless and disinterested in her surroundings. She chose instead to stay huddled tightly on her futon in the candle lit room and stare blankly into the open flame.
It was disappointing that she showed such disregard for her teams' interests and concerns, but Kakashi didn't have it in him to pull her up on it. It wasn't that she didn't care; the subject was painful for her. It was just that simple and whether she cared to believe it or not, Kakashi knew how she felt, more so than the others did.
He lay now in the warmth of his old bedroll staring blankly at the hard wood ceiling while he listened to the heavy breaths of sleepers in the same room. Sleep had eluded Kakashi tonight, not that it was anything unusual by any means. Ever since the tragic death of his father, sleep was something the copy nin had long given up seeking, though thankfully his restlessness only happened in bouts. There had been times when he felt his insomnia would drive him insane but it appeared that his body had long gotten used to lack of rest especially when his brain felt there was thinking to be done, be that rational or otherwise.
Tonight was one of those nights.
The infection Rin had been sent to "deal" with was something Kakashi found difficult to put into words, though his close friend had tried her upmost to do just that despite the distance she had tried to put between herself and the others. It sounded horrendous for want of a better term. He couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors she must have been put through, and he had seen his fair share of blood and gore. His stomach was a strong one, but he highly doubted he had the palette to deal with the sights Rin had described in her story.
The way she described the disease made it sound parasitic; invading the bloodstream, destroying the platelets before breaking down the blood cells taking away the body's ability to even heal properly. According to Rin ninja were at particular risk as not only would the blood be infected but also the chakra channels as it ate away at the cell walls making it impossible to focus or even use ones chakra as an extended life force. Sometimes it led to Bleed outs, sometimes massive organ failure but the final result was always death. If the infection wasn't caught in time there was no cure, end of story. It sounded terrifying, what a horrible way to die...
The one good thing that came from the research the teams had gathered about the infection was it came from a contaminated water supply nearby that had since been quarantined. According to Rin the illness was highly infectious but as far as she was aware, what with newly developed treatments and an inoculation to ward it off altogether, there had been no new cases before she left. At least that was something positive.
Only one thing bothered Kakashi immensely about their journey to Machenich; the inoculation. Ever since he was a child the copy nin had suffered with Trypanophobia; an irrational fear of needles, a fear he had unfortunately never grown out of and doubted he ever would. He would have the jab, this was a given seeing as he had no intentions of contracting a virus of any strain. But that didn't mean the thought of having someone puncture his skin with a thin slither of metal was any less terrifying.
Sighing, Kakashi turned himself on his side within the thin sheets of his bed using an arm to support his tired head against the rough cloth of his pack he used as a pillow. Again all he was able to do was stare into the wall at the far end of the room and at Rin's empty bedroll next to his. She still hadn't come back from her trip to find fresh air.
He didn't particularly want to go out looking for her, not because he was feeling lazy, but because he felt it important to allow people their space when they needed it. But still, it seemed like hours since she had first left the room, perhaps he should look for her, even if it was just to make sure she was okay if nothing else. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. He wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.
Just as he was bracing himself to sit up he heard the sleepy groan of the candy topped medic behind him. Sakura was awake and by the sounds of it, she was getting up. Kakashi knew she would need to go to the bathroom during the night, it was just something Sakura always did and if he was honest with himself he was thankful for that. Maybe she would find Rin outside and decide to share some wisdom with her. Maybe it would do the dark haired medic some good to talk to somebody else for a change. Besides, Kakashi was never very good at emotional talk anyway. He would listen by all means but he was a reserved being when it came to giving advice on such a level, the reason being that a lot of the time his advice was either ignored or wrong altogether.
Feigning sleep, he listened to the soft padding of Sakura's footfalls as she made her way towards the door. He would stay here for now, if Sakura came back empty handed he would head out himself. He had been sent to support her after all.

The door creaked open to reveal the pretty woodland outside. The air had a chill to it that made the clearing fresh and crisp and Sakura thought nothing of stretching her arms above her head and take a deep lungful of that glorious clean air. It was at that moment she remembered why she was out here at this time of night in the first place. She needed the bathroom, and quite badly.
She took the time to take a good look around her surroundings until she found a rather large shrub to the side of the house that would make a good hiding place. She trotted off in that direction in the hopes that she could empty her bladder without something biting her ass or getting caught by any passersby.
Emerging from the bush feeling relieved and ready to get back into the warmth of her futon, Sakura traversed back towards the house sweeping a hand through her pink locks as a cool and refreshing breeze rushed past her. That was until a small figure in the distance made her stop in her tracks. A stream ran through the woodland and sitting huddled on the bank was none other than the pretty dark haired medic, Rin.
It was a wonder that Kakashi-sensei had never mentioned her before she returned from her long stint away. She could definitely see what her ex teacher saw in her. She was so beautiful and yet so easy to talk and relate to. Sakura had found herself feeling envious of her beauty and how her simple medical jacket hung from her like a gown. The pink topped kunoichi always felt like a frumpy mess in her hospital get up and yet Rin made it look so stylish, the stethoscope she wore around her neck even looked like a piece of jewellery. Trust one of the biggest perverts in Konoha to fall for someone who was so effortlessly gorgeous.
It had to be her that had changed him so much in the past few weeks. Kakashi-sensei was different than he used to be. The change was subtle but still noticeable on all accounts; even Sasuke-kun had mentioned it a time or two and both of them knew it was all down to this new woman that had walked into their lives.
Kakashi-sensei worshipped her, any idiot could see that. The way he looked at her was Sakura's first indication that he wanted to be more than just her friend even despite his insistance that they were just that. His eye would linger on her lips when he looked at her and he blinked painfully slowly, almost like he feared he would miss something if the action was any quicker. It was something she had never seen in him before but he showed it so willingly when Rin was around. If anything it was insanely cute to witness, not that she would even dare tell Kakashi-sensei that she had been studying his mannerisms towards Rin this closely.
Other differences Sakura could see in him was his attention span. Kakashi got bored pretty easily, especially if someone was trying to talk to him. His interest in tiny little things was a lot sharper recently and he had a lot more to say for himself other than the usual grunts and shrugs she would usually get from him in response. And he laughed a lot more, a different laugh that was higher in pitch and more... happy than sarcastic. He was still as aloof and away with the fairies as he ever was and he still read those dirty books but he was changing, in a nice way.
But still, what was Rin-sensei doing just sitting out here in the middle of the night on her own?
Sakura took it upon herself to find out; perhaps she was worried about going back to the village she had not long returned from. It was understandable to a degree judging by what she had told them all about the infection earlier. Maybe something horrible happened while she was there or maybe she just didn't like the place as a whole, Sakura had been to many villages and cities she didn't much care for.
Carefully she trod towards the older medic in the hopes that she wouldn't startle her, she looked to be in a world of her own.
"Hi, can I join you?" Sakura chirped happily her hopes of not scaring the poor woman backfiring instantly as Rin jumped a little and whirled her head around to look at the culprit that had disturbed her daydream.
"Oh, hello, Sakura," Rin responded somewhat glumly before patting the grass next to her inviting her new guest to seat herself. Sakura did just that and plopped herself next to her on the most ground.
They both sat there for a while simply admiring the view, Yamato sure had picked a nice spot to set up the house. Pretty colourful trees lined the farther bank of the stream that trickled delicately down its cut out path. The sound of the water splashing against rocks and soil was so soothing, maybe the serenity she could feel was why Rin chose to be here.
She heard the woman sat next to her sigh deeply which prompted Sakura to speak. "Rin-sensei, is everything okay?" was all she asked. She was rewarded with a frown and a sideways glance.
"Sakura, why do you call me that?" she asked softly.
"Call you what?"
"Sensei... I barely even know you."
Sakura wasn't sure if she should be offended by the remark but surmised that the question was purely out of curiosity as opposed to downright rudeness. It didn't seem in Rin's nature to be callous in any form.
Eventually the young girl shrugged before she answered, "I dunno. I really like you. Call it a sign of respect. I won't call you sensei if you don't like it though."
To that Rin raised her head suddenly and waved a hand at her, her eyes were comically wide as she shook her head a little. "No, no, no, it's not that I don't like it it's just... I've never been called sensei before. It's kinda nice actually," she replied coyly, hunching her shoulders a little that displayed that sweet shyness she had. It was a trait of hers that Sakura found incredibly endearing and it made her like her that little bit more.
The young kunoichi smiled at her as her eye caught something shiny and pretty in Rin's hand. It was one of those bead threads Kakashi-sensei had when they were on their last mission together.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei had one of those, he nearly lost it," she stated as she pointed towards the pretty beads.
Rin lifted her hand and gazed at the thread of stones absently while stroking one of the beads with her thumb. "Yeah, I gave it to him. I made it," she answered matter-of-factly.
"It's really pretty, may I see it?" Sakura asked boldly holding out her hand feeling confident that Rin would pass them to her which she did quite happily.
"You can keep it if you like it so much. I have plenty of those beads at home," the dark haired kunoichi said cheerfully, seeming more than happy that Sakura had taken a liking to her creation.
"Oh wow! Thank you!"
The silence returned to the stream bank as Sakura played the pretty pebbles in her hand recalling the brief conversation she'd had with Kakashi the night she had discovered the beads. It was one of the times that Sakura had seen the change in him. He used to be so difficult to read, frustratingly so, but that night he had willingly dropped his guard over the subject despite him trying to split the hairs in the words Sakura had tried to say.
"Kakashi adores you, you know," she said softly lifting her eyes towards her dark haired team mate.
Rin didn't answer; she just sat there wide eyed staring at the water as a fierce blush bled onto her face.
"Don't tell me you didn't know!" Sakura almost squealed.
"No... no... I know he does. It's just... I guess I didn't expect to hear that from someone else..." the pretty woman stuttered with a coy giggle as she tucked stray strands of glossy dark hair behind her ear.
"Well, I can see you're a bit nervous about going back to that village. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let anything happen to you. You know that though, right?"
"Yeah... I know."
"Come back inside then, we've got a huge day ahead of us tomorrow. The sooner we get there the sooner we can all go home, right?" Sakura jumped to her feet as she spoke and offered a supporting hand out to Rin hoping that she would take her sentiment to heart and go back to the house with her.
She looked at her hand solemnly at first before she raised her own and grasped it firmly using the purchase to drag herself to her feet.
"You know, for someone who's meant to be a bit of a spitfire, you sure talk a lot of sense," Rin commented casually yet with the hint of a warming smile pursed on her lips.
Sakura smiled back, she knew she was temperamental at times, hence the 'spitfire' remark, but she also knew she could talk to people if she felt she needed to. She took the comment as a complement anyway and found herself smiling back.
"I'm only telling you what you already know. We've all been where you are. It's not nice but I guess you just have to get on with it. As ninja what other choice do we have?"
"I feel really silly now," Rin responded with another one of those shy giggles, lowering her head to the ground as they began to walk together back to the house, both of them bare foot feeling the icy crunch of the grass beneath them.
"There's no need to feel silly. Just remember that you're in safe hands. We're not just your team, Rin-sensei, we're your friends too."

Safely back at the house, Rin followed Sakura into the expansive bedroom area. Futons lay scattered on the hard wood floor only two of them filled with sleeping bodies.
As the younger medic settled in her own bedroll Rin did the same, gathering up the thin sheets she buried herself in the little bed allowing her head to simply drop onto her makeshift pillow. She lay there for a moment just staring up at the ceiling and relaying her conversation with Sakura in her head. She was right after all, what exactly was she so frightened of? It wasn't going to be the same as last time, she wasn't going to be stuck there beyond her means and the doctors... well... they could kiss her behind for all she cared now. All she had to do was go in collect the body and go home. That was it, there would be no Doctor breathing down her neck, no bodies to examine for clues. Hell she was starting to feel better about this already.
That was until she felt something jab her shoulder. She shifted her sights in that direction and saw Kakashi looking at her. He was half asleep by the look of his heavier than usual eye, she must have woken him up when she stepped over him to get to her futon. Despite his sleepy disposition he still managed to uncurl the hand he had just used to poke her with and offer it to her.
Rin hesitated if only for a second before she allowed her own hand to emerge from her covers and grasp it. He squeezed her hand so gently before he snuggled his head back into the crook of his supporting arm and close his eye again with a soft sigh. It was seconds before he fell back to sleep but he still held on to her hand, his fingers tightening ever so slightly as she adjusted herself to face him completely.
She felt a warm smile come to her lips, knowing what he wanted to say but not having the brain power to do so. Everything was going to be alright and she felt herself drifting into sleep still holding his hand.

The trip into Lightening country had taken less than half the time than Rin said it would, only having one more overnight stay at an inn in a sleepy little village mere miles from here Kakashi was quite impressed with the amount of time the team made.
It was agreed amongst them that they would make the trip in as less time as humanly possible, simply to get the task at hand over and done with. They all had lives to get back to and Kakashi wanted to get back to Konoha as quickly as he could, even if that was to just rekindle the moment he and Rin had left behind in her apartment.
Dropping from the trees the small group entered a clearing, a dirt path carved into the centre that led to a wooded arch in the near distance. The fencing on either side of the arch housed their destination; they had made it to Machenich.
From the outside it looked just like any other small village, surrounded by wooden struts to form the border people coming and going from the gates, possibly traders going out to the rural markets, small buildings lining gravelled paths. It seemed nice enough to Kakashi anyway, Rin must have her reasons for hating the place so much.
He turned towards the other members of the team who were still brushing the dust from the impact from themselves.
"So what's the plan when we get in there?" he drawled, cocking his leg to one side and directing his attention to Rin who seemed a lot more composed than he imagined she would be.
"There's a hotel on the main street called Sunrise Valley. I stayed there myself, it's quite a nice place so I suggest we make bookings there first. After that we need to report to the clinic for the inoculation. I won't need it because I had one two years ago but you three will need to have the jab," she reeled, still calm and in total control of herself. He couldn't help it, but Kakashi felt himself smile at her behind the mask feeling quite proud of her for keeping her head straight. Whatever Sakura had said to her the other night, it must have done the trick.
"Rin-san, how long do we have to wait for the injection to work before we can enter the hospital?" Tenzou questioned seeming oddly interested in this piece of information. Though time was an important factor here it wasn't like him to question such things... or maybe the copy nin was looking too far into it, he wasn't sure.
"We have to wait twenty four hours before we can go into the hospital. I could go in there myself before that but that will still put you guys at risk so it's for the best that we all wait the twenty four hour period. But after we've collected Satoshi-san's body that's it. Job done." Rin slapped each thigh with her hands to punctuate the end of her statement with a grin that Kakashi wasn't so sure was even real. Either way she had kept it together for this long, there should be no reason now why she should lose it again.
"So, lets get in there and get this ball rolling," Sakura pipped as she tugged on Tenzou's arm forcing him to follow.
Cramming both hands into his pockets Kakashi did the same and followed the other two up the dirt path, until he realised that Rin was still standing in the exact same spot as before. He looked over his shoulder at her and sensed the two ahead of him stop and look back themselves.
"Are you coming, Rin?" Kakashi asked softly watching her eyes flit over the wooded entrance to the place she had spent the last decade.
"Yeah... just... just give me a minute okay?" she quivered irritably as she started to ply the fabric of her white tunic in her hands. She was still nervous about going back and the pride Kakashi had felt for her earlier quickly turned to pity.
He glanced at the others who were still standing waiting for Rin to make a move, something Kakashi wasn't sure she would do at all. He waved a hand at both of them, signalling that he and Rin would catch them up. The last thing he felt she needed was an audience.
Tenzou and Sakura turned on their heel at that point and continued towards the small town while Kakashi focused his attention back to Rin who was now staring with a keen interest at the dirt at her feet.
He navigated his way over to her just as she glanced up at him shamefully and winced before she spoke. "Sorry..."
Kakashi raised a hand at her before shoving it back in his pants pocket. "Take all the time you need," he drawled.
She shook her head and blew out a sigh. She was struggling with an inner demon that wouldn't let her feet move. Kakashi had been there, he understood. Rin wanted to take that step she just wasn't sure if she could.
"I'm just... I don't feel ready for this. I'm not... I'm not ready," she murmured lowering her sights back to the ground.
"Not ready for what, Rin?" Kakashi mused.
"I'm going back into Machenich to identify the body of my friend..." she trailed off and shook her head again before she continued "... I don't know if I'm ready to see him... not yet."
The copy nin shifted his weight from one foot to another triggering Rin's interest in his movements while he thought about what she'd just said and how he should respond.
"Well, when I've gone to war, I've been prepared to fight for my life and my comrades. I know the possibilities of what could happen but that doesn't mean that I'm ready to die."
Kakashi watched her nod her head but he wasn't convinced that she completely understood what he was saying.
Eventually he offered a hand to her to which she dropped her eyes as he spoke again. "Trust me when I say that it's going to be alright. It's not the same as last time. You won't be here forever."
"I don't need you to hold my hand, Kakashi..." she grumbled, obviously misreading the signal of him offering his hand to her.
"No you don't. But I'm here to guide and support you. That's all I'm trying to do, I'm not patronising you, Rin," he assured her to be greeted with those watery dark eyes of hers.
"It's okay to be afraid, Rin. But don't think you have to do this alone, because you don't." He meant every word of it. He knew this was going to be hard for her and it seemed that Naruto had thought the same. He had no idea what had happened here, or why she was so reluctant to step foot in Machenich again and he didn't think he would ever ask her. If she wanted to tell him one day then he would listen but right now she just needed a little push in the right direction and by the way she grasped his hand firmly in her own his persistence with her had paid off.
The smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth was to difficult to resist as he manoeuvred himself beside her giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Shall we?" he asked offering his free hand towards the large wooded archway.
He saw her smile before she turned towards him and gave him a brisk nod of her head. "Lead the way," she replied seeming more confident in herself now than she had done this entire trip.
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- 13
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Crossing Rubicon's