An Unknown World

Two Truths

I awoke before the sunrise once again, nightmares had still been swirling my mind, but I felt more well rested than usual. The night air was cold up in the cave and I could feel the moisture in the air collecting on the ground around me when I stretched, making my pant leg damp.

I almost forgot about the envelope that Minato-Sensei had given me. I picked it up and wiped the morning dew off, leaving small smudge marks but it didn't seem to have soaked through the paper at all. It was heavy, but it didn't feel like there was anything more than paper inside.

I wonder if I should open it...Do I want to know what's inside?

I let out a heavy sigh, looking out over the trees and into the distance. It must be very early because there was no hint that the sun would be coming up. The night sky was littered with beautiful stars and the moon was almost full, lighting up the entire forest.

I guess it's now or never...

I undid the gold clasp that was holding the envelope flap closed and pulled the stack of paper from inside, there had to be at least one hundred pages and the top piece was blank except for one word.

KAKASHI

It was written in a beautiful script, flowing across the page taking up most of the space. I placed it on my lap, still leaning against the large rock where I had been sleeping. My eyes moved to the first sentence on the page that followed.

'We haven't spoken in four years...I hope this will change things between us in the future.'

This was...from Rin.

I began reading through the pages, most of the first dozen were filling me in on what happened before I came to her house and we parted ways for the final time. The rest were almost like a journal, as if she wrote a paragraph a day for the past four years. She wrote about her emotions, things that happened during missions, medical ninjutsu training, friends she had made. It was all written and kept track of for herself, but apparently at some point she decided that it was for me because the last 10 pages were as if she was speaking to me directly. She asked questions that went unanswered, she talked about our past, about the bad times and the good times. After reading for what felt like hours, the last page was in my hand. The final words spread across the middle just as the first page had.

I'M SORRY

I laid the last piece of paper face down with the rest of the pages on my lap. I couldn't believe that I had just read all of Rin's inner thoughts over the last four years. Why had she given this to me? What purpose did this serve and why didn't she just try and speak to me instead?

Sigh...

I guess there's no worrying about all of that right now. I should just get to the bottom of this now before the group leaves for their mission. I secretly wanted to know who my replacement is too. I pushed myself up from the cold stone floor, packed up the papers, and headed back into the tunnel that led into the village. I should be able to make it to the gates before they even arrive for debriefing, I could talk to her for a few moments before they leave.

I took the quickest route to the entrance of the village, running across the rooftops, making sure to step lightly as not to wake anyone this early in the morning. I wanted to be as early as possible so that I had time to plan out what I was going to say. I had no idea what I was going to do when I saw her. I still felt as though I was shut off from the feelings that I once had, but after reading what I had been given, I wonder if I will feel the same when I finally speak to her again.

I arrived just before the sun started to peek over the trees, the team hadn't arrived yet so I sat on the same small stone wall that Obito, Rin and I would talk and joke around on before missions while we waited for Minato-Sensei. Those days were long passed, but I still felt a sense of nostalgia when I ran my hand over the smooth stones. So many good memories all around the village and I had become accustomed to the small flashbacks that would come and go when I would be somewhere or smell something that reminded me of the two of them.