Love

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"I love you."

"I love you, too."
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It had been 7, maybe 8 years since he's said those 4 words. Rin and Obito were his team, his family. He was glad he went back for Rin, glad he saved Obito. He wasn't ashamed that his dad went back for his team. He wasn't ashamed that he went for his team. He was proud his dad was Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, the man who went back for his team. What was the point of his mask? He was proud of his dad. He didn't care if people saw his face. He was done with his mask. No more masks. He was done.
"Hey, Rin. You still awake?" He asked, propping his his chin up on his arm.
"Can't sleep. You need something?" She asked, turning her head, so her chin rested on the pillow.
"Um, yeah, I guess. I can't sleep. I kind of just want to to talk." He said.
"Of course. Is there anything you want to talk about?" She asked.
"Uh, yes, actually." He replied.
"Ooh, what is it?" She asked as sat up a bit.
"I don't think I've told you about my mask. Have I?" He pulled his blanket a little closer.
"No, you haven't." She answered.
"Well, the reason behind it is because I'm ashamed. Actually, I was ashamed, ashamed of my dad. He failed a mission to rescue his team. When he came back, everyone shamed and shunned him because of that decision. It got so bad he couldn't take it, so he...he killed himself. I was ashamed to be related to a "failure", as the village labeled him. I started wearing a mask because I didn't want people to know my relation to him." He explained, tears threatening to fall.
"Oh, Kami. I'm so sorry, Kakashi." Rin grabbed his free hand with hers, tears welling up in her eyes.
"But I'm not ashamed anymore. I'm done hiding my face. No more masks." He stated as he pulled his mask down.
"Kakashi..." Rin trailed of as several tears rolled down her cheeks.
Kakashi and Rin laid against Obito's bed and talked for most of the night. Around one in the morning, they both fell asleep. Their minds filled with nightmares of the recent events. In the morning, Tsunade ducked in to check on the three teens. Obito was doing fine, Rin appeared to be sleeping peacefully, and Kakashi was twitching slightly. At first glance, Tsunade didn't notice anything too odd. When she glanced around a final time, she noticed Kakashi's mask was down. She had already seen his face, but the fact that he had his mask down in front of his two teammates was what caught her off guard. She decided to leave it and just leave.
Rin sat up suddenly, on edge. She relaxed when she recognized the hospital room and her teammates. She had woken up from a flashback of being kidnapped. She stood up and went to the small staff cafeteria on the floor below them. She greeted a few nurses on her way and kept moving. One of the doctors had given her a card that would let her in staff only rooms last year. All the staff just accepted her as a fellow member of their team, even though she was only a volunteer. She grabbed to-go bowls of miso soup and rice. She picked up two green teas and paid the cashier. She stacked the bowls on her arm, pressed under chin and had a tea in each hand. She made her way back to the room as quickly as she could.
She used her elbow to open the door and walked in. She sat the bowls and cups on the bedside table and popped the lids off the bowls. She poked Kakashi's arm until he woke up. He sat up and turned towards the source the poking. He brightened up when he saw the food. Rin gestured towards the bowls and waited for Kakashi to pick. He grabbed the rice and began eating. She picked up the soup and began gulping it down. Both her and Kakashi stopped mid bite when Obito started moving and shifting. At first, they thought he was just shifting in his sleep, until he sat up with his eye open.
"What's going on? Where am I?" He asked, looking around wildly.
"How!?! Hold on." Rin stacked a few pillows behind him and gently pushed him back.
"What smells so good?" He asked, his voice scratchy.
"Wait, you woke up for food?" Kakashi asked as he set his rice down.
"Um, I guess? It smells good." He cracked a smile through his bandages.
"Do you want some broth from my soup?" Rin offered.
"Yeah!" He tried nodding, but winced.
"Here." She fed him some broth from her bowl.
"Thanks. I was so hungry." He said, his voice returning to normal.
"Try not to move a lot. Okay?" Rin instructed.
"Why? What about the war?" He asked frantically.
"We've been taken off active duty for at least a month." Kakashi answered.
"But we-" He didn't finish his sentence due to Tsunade bursting through the door.
"Why are you up? How are you up?" She demanded.
"I-I just am up?" He stammered.
"You weren't supposed to wake up for another three days. How?"
"He smelled food." Rin chimed in.
"You've got to be kidding me? Food?" She looked between Rin and Obito in disbelief.
"No, I'm serious. This has happened before." Rin said.
"Wow. Well, better start soon." She sighed as pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Start what?" Obito asked, having missed the conversation.
"Therapy." Rin answered.
"We'll start in three days. Until then, do whatever, but you aren't allowed to leave this room." Tsunade said as she walked out.
The team spent the whole day filling Obito in on what he missed. After they filled him in, they just spent the day talking. Obito kept saying that he needed to go fight as soon as possible. Rin managed to convince him that he wasn't fit for battle yet. Every now and then, Obito would find himself staring at Kakashi. He knew something wasn't right when he looked at Kakashi, but he couldn't figure it out. By late afternoon, Obito finally figured out what was wrong.
"Bakashi, where's your mask?" He asked,
"I'm not wearing it." He said nonchalantly.
"But you always wear it. What am I missing?" Obito looked between Kakashi and Rin.
"I'm done with wearing a mask all the time. So, I took it off." Kakashi answered.
"Why did you wear it in the first place?" Obito asked.
"I was ashamed to be related to the White Fang. But I'm not anymore. I'm proud." Kakashi replied.
"Wait, your dad was the White Fang?" Obito asked excitedly.
"Um, yes." Kakashi answered.
"Whoa! That's so cool." He exclaimed.
"You really think so?" Kakashi asked. He didn't expect anyone to say that to him.
"Yeah!" He said as if it was obvious.
After several hours of chatting and just hanging out, they were ready to sleep. Obito was almost asleep and Rin was dozing off. Kakashi was still awake and was curled up in his chair. Minato walked in sat on the edge of Obito's bed and prodded Rin until she sat up. He tapped Kakashi's shoulder to get him to sit up. They both looked up at him with looks of confusion. He stood up and waved them over to him. They both made their way over to him and were pulled in closer. He had pulled them into hug that neither of them had experienced in years. The hug of a father. They hugged back and enjoyed the embrace. When he finally let go, he looked them over like a concerned father.
"Both of you go to your homes, shower, and change clothes. I'll stay here with Obito." He put his hands on their shoulders.
"But-" Kakashi tried arguing but was cut off.
"Please." Minato slowly pushed them towards the door.
Kakashi nodded to Rin once they were outside. She nodded back and began running. Kakashi also began running. He ran all the way to his apartment and nearly through his door. He stopped just in time before barreling straight through the door. He unlocked it and rushed inside. He immediately got in the shower. He didn't even wait for it to warm up. In under ten minutes, he was out, a towel around his waist and one on his shoulders. He grabbed his normal black t-shirt and pants. He didn't bother with his arm plates, tanto sheath, or leg bandages. He grabbed a backpack and tossed two books in it, along with some snacks. He he picked up his bag and ran back towards the hospital.
     Meanwhile, Rin ran to her house. She shoved the door open and ran into the shower. Within ten minutes she was out, wrapped in a towel. She put on her normal black long sleeved shirt, gray shorts, and dark magenta stockings. She packed a backpack with three books, two notebooks, some pencils, and a few snacks. She snatched one of her other white aprons and tied it while running. She ran towards the hospital as fast as she could.
     Rin and Kakashi nearly ran into each other when they got to the hospital. They rushed inside and up to Obito's room. When they got to his room, he was deeply sleeping and Minato was still sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked at them in amazement. He was impressed with how fast they were. He then realized how much they cared about Obito. These kids were completely ignoring their own needs to be with their teammate. He was proud they were his students.
"I'm going to get going. I have some news for you guys in the morning. Goodnight." He patted them each on the head before leaving. They both waved to him before turning to each other. They both grinned.
"Snacks?" They both asked in sync.
"Want to trade?" Rin asked as she sat her backpack on the foot of the bed.
"Sure. We should save some for him, too." Kakashi gestured to Obito.
     They both dumped their snacks and candies out and began trading. They switched some of their snacks and divided it all into tree piles. They made a pile for Obito of some of his favorite things. Obito's pile was made up mostly of hard candies. Kakashi ended up with some cookies and sour candies. Rin ended up with several boxes of Pocky and senbei. They put their new snacks away and sat in their chairs. They put their pillows in front of them and slowly fell asleep.
     The three teens slept soundly the whole night. They were enjoying their sleep until Minato woke them up. Obito groaned and tried going back to sleep. Rin and  Kakashi sat waiting for the news. He sat down on the stool and moved so he could see them better. Obito was confused because he hadn't heard Minato say that he had news. Kakashi turned around to face Minato and Rin and Obito just turned their heads.
"So, yesterday, I got news that I have been chosen as a candidate..." He was interrupted by Obito.
"A candidate for what?" Obito asked still confused. Rin and Kakashi started to figure it out and slowly began to smile.
"Candidate for Hokage." Minato finished.
"Wait, really!?!" Obito exclaimed. Rin and Kakashi were now smiling and cheering.
"Yes, really." He confirmed.
     Kakashi and Rin hugged him while congratulating him. He then bent over to Obito to hug him. He then waved and left. The three had just gotten settled when a red, blue, and green blur burst through the door. At first, they didn't recognize who just ran in, but then it clicked. Kushina Uzumaki, the Red Hot Habanero. First, she hugged and checked Rin over. Then, she cupped Kakashi's cheeks and hugged him. Last, she gently hugged Obito. When they regained their balance and sense they smiled up at her.
"Oh my babies. I just got back from a mission. What happened?!?" She rambled.
"A mission went wrong. But we're okay now." Rin explained.
"Oh Kami! Are you sure you guys are okay?" She asked. Her hair raised up slightly but stayed below her shoulders.
"Yes, Ms. Kushina, we are okay." Rin assured her.
"Okay. So what happened to who?" She sat down on the foot of the bed.
"I was kidnapped." Rin said.
"I lost an eye." Kakashi continued.
"And I was crushed by a boulder." Obito finished.
"You poor kids. You guys are so strong, ya know." Tears were welling up in Kushina's eyes.
"Calm down, Ms. Kushina." Kakashi said.
"Why no mask?" She asked as she turned to Kakashi.
"I just don't want to where it anymore." He stated.
"I love you kiddos, ya know." She grinned before standing up.
     She told them she would be back after she gave her report to the Hokage. After hugging them all one last time, she left. They looked around at each in shock. They knew that Kushina cared about them, but they just experienced a whole new level of Kushina. They spent the rest of the day talking occasionally. Kakashi pulled out one of his books, Rin began reading one of her books and scribbling notes in a notebook, and Obito was doodling in the notebook Rin gave him. Kushina came back and hung out with them for two hours. When she left, they sat in silence. Each of them were either reading or writing. They enjoyed their last day of free time together. That night, they slept soundly for the first time in a while. No nightmares, no flashbacks, no pain. Just a peaceful sleep.
"Up. Up. Come on, get up." Tsunade shook each of them until they were awake.
"Why? I don't want to!" Obito pulled the blankets farther up.
"No." Kakashi stated as he sunk back into his chair.
"It's so early." Rin argued as she rubbed her face.
"Obito, you have physical therapy. Kakashi, you need to train. And Rin, you are going to be my student." Tsunade explained.
     She pulled the blankets off Obito and tipped Kakashi out of his chair. She just looked at Rin, who immediately sat up and pushed her hair out of her face. Tsunade nodded and turned to the boys. Obito crossed his arms over his chest and looked away and Kakashi just laid flat on his back on the floor, shivering. Tsunade walked out and walked back in with a wheelchair. Obito looked at the wheel chair and groaned.
"Hey, either it's the wheelchair or I carry you." Tsunade put her hands on her hips.
"Ugh! Fine!" Obito gave in and sat up. Tsunade helped him into the wheelchair and looked down at Kakashi.
"Kakashi, get up." She demanded.
"No. I have accepted death." He said, not making any effort to get up.
"Fine." Tsunade walked over to Rin.
"I push, you carry?" Rin asked.
"You got it. Teaching you will be no problem at all." Tsunade smirked.
     Rin walked over to Obito and began pushing him. He just sighed but didn't resist. Tsunade picked up Kakashi and held him under one arm. She opened the door and led the way. Kakashi just gave up and let himself be carried. Tsunade lead them to the very end of the hall. She pointed to one room and Rin pushed Obito in. Tsunade walked into the room next to the one Obito was in. She sat Kakashi down and left. She met Rin in the hall. She grinned evilly and Rin shuddered. Tsunade stared at Rin for moment before shaking her head.
"Why are you shaking your head?" Rin asked.
"Go home, put on a tank top, ditch your apron, and tie up your hair. Then, meet me in front of the Hokage monument." She pointed towards the stairs.
"Hai!" Rin rushed home.

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