#rai writes

Rin sighs sympathetically. “I know. I know. I miss him too.”

“…sorry,” he says after a moment. It comes out stiff.

Rin sighs again. “No, it’s— it’s alright.” She fidgets with her skirt. “But… how are you, Kakashi? Especially after that meeting with the Uchiha Clan. Did it go alright?”

Kakashi’s hand darts up to his headband and the eye concealed beneath it. Fabric shifts as he tucks his hands back into his pockets, almost casually, at least to the untrained eye. “They want it back, of course. Minato-sensei is making a case for me, but they’re unhappy.”

Rin purses her lips. “It shouldn’t be an argument. Obito gave it to you, it was his last will.”

“I know.” Kakashi’s single-eyed gaze is trained on the stone. “I don’t intend to waste his gift.”

“Good,” Rin says firmly. “I’m here for you, you know. I… Obito meant so much to me. To us. I want to support you with this.”

His throat works silently as he swallows. For a second it appears as if he’ll say nothing at all, but then— “…You always know what to say, Rin. Thank you.”

“We’re teammates,” Rin says. “That’s what we do.” She turns slightly to give him a weak smile. “I have a shift this afternoon, but first… have you eaten lunch yet?”

“…I haven’t yet.”

“Then we’ll eat lunch together.” Her hand clasps firmly around his arm. “Come on.”

Together, they walk off into the streets of Konoha, leaving the silent stone behind—

NO.

—

Two days after Rin’s capture, Kakashi and Rin are standing at the memorial stone. The weather is clear, bright blue sky shining up above them, peaceful clouds rolling over the green trees. It seems wrong, somehow, but the weather doesn’t change for anyone.

Kakashi has a bouquet in hand—bright orange tiger lilies and yellow daffodils.

“I thought you would like it,” he says quietly. “The colours.”

Rin nods brightly. Her hands are clasped. “I do! I think it was a great choice, Kakashi.”

Rin watches as he kneels down to place the flowers at the foot of the monument. She joins him, adjusting it so that none of the petals are drooping.

Kakashi’s eye is burning as he stares down at the bouquet. He says nothing.

They’re silent for a moment before Rin stands back up, brushing off her skirt. “If he could see us now. He wouldn’t want us to be so upset, you know.”

“He should be here,” Kakashi says abruptly. “You should be—“ He lets out a little meaningless noise and nothing more.

Rin sighs sympathetically. “I know. I know. I miss him too.”

“I’m sorry,” he says after a moment. It’s unclear who his words are addressed to. “It’s my fault.”

Rin sighs again. “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.” She fidgets with her skirt. “But… how are you, Kakashi? Especially after that meeting with the Uchiha Clan. Did it go alright?”

Kakashi’s hand darts up to his headband and the eye concealed beneath it. Fabric shifts as he tucks his hands back into his pockets, almost casually, at least to the untrained eye. “They want it back, of course. Minato-sensei is making a case for me, but they’re unhappy.”

Rin purses her lips. “It shouldn’t be an argument. Obito gave it to you, it was his last will.”

“I remember your last words.” Kakashi’s single-eyed gaze is trained on the stone. “I don’t intend to waste your gift.”

“Good,” Rin says firmly. “I’m here for you, you know. I… Obito meant so much to me. To us. I want to support you with this.”

His throat works silently as he swallows. For a second it appears as if he’ll say nothing at all, but then— “…You always knew what to say, Rin. I’m… I'm sorry.”

Rin frowns. “We’re teammates. That's just what we do.” She turns slightly to give him a weak smile. “I have a shift this afternoon, but first… have you eaten lunch yet?”

Kakashi doesn’t answer.

“Come on, we’ll eat lunch together.” Her hand clasps firmly around his arm.

Together, they walk off into the streets of Konoha, leaving the silent stone behind.

THIS IS WRONG.

—

Two days after Rin’s DEATH, Kakashi and Rin are is standing at the memorial stone. The weather is clear, bright blue sky shining up above them, peaceful clouds rolling over the green trees. It seems wrong, somehow, but the weather doesn’t change for anyone.

Kakashi has a bouquet in hand—bright orange tiger lilies, purple irises and yellow daffodils.

“I thought you would like it,” he says quietly. “The colours.”

Rin watches, eyes blank. “I don’t like flowers. The smell makes me feel sick.”

He kneels down to place the flowers at the foot of the monument. When he stands back up, the bouquet sags down, leaves falling, petals are drooping.

Kakashi’s eye is burning as he stares down at the bouquet. He says nothing.

Rin scoffs, skirt swaying. “If you could see yourself. You look pathetic.”

“You should be here,” Kakashi says abruptly. “You should both be—“ He ducks his head. Lets out a little meaningless noise.

“There’s no should,” Rin says unsympathetically. “What happened happened and it was MY CHOICE. I died and I died and SHE DIED

“I’m sorry,” he says after a moment. He looks down at his hands, nails biting into the meat of his palms. “It’s my fault.”

“Don’t apologize,” Rin snarls. “It’s not your fault! It’s mine, do you hear me? My choice, MY CHOICE, and my fault!”

“I had a meeting with the Uchiha Clan yesterday," Kakashi says. His hand darts up to his headband and the eye concealed beneath it. Fabric shifts as he tucks his hands back into his pockets, almost casually, at least to the untrained eye. “They want it back, of course. Minato-sensei is making a case for me, but they’re unhappy.”

Rin crosses her arms. “And ruin my hard work? Neither of you even thanked me.”

“I remember your last words, Obito.” Kakashi’s single-eyed gaze is trained on the stone. “I don’t intend to waste your gift.”

“His last words,” Rin says coldly. “Do you remember them? Do you remember how he said nothing to me?”

His throat works silently as he swallows. For a second it appears as if he’ll say nothing at all, but then— “This is coming out wrong. I… You always knew what to say, Rin. I’m… I'm sorry.”

Rin frowns. “We were teammates. I had to. Don’t you understand? I had to, so I did, and you don’t even realize!”

Kakashi doesn’t speak. He continues to stand there, WITH ONLY THE SILENT STONE TO KEEP HIM COMPANY.

THIS IS—

—

Two days after Rin’s death, Kakashi is standing at the memorial stone. The weather is dark, bitter currents and rolling storm clouds overhead. It seems right, somehow, that the sky is so downcast.

Kakashi has a bouquet in hand—bright orange tiger lilies, purple irises and yellow daffodils.

“I thought you would like it,” he says quietly. “The colours.”

He kneels down to place the flowers at the foot of the monument. When he stands back up, the bouquet sags down, leaves falling, petals are drooping.

Kakashi’s eye is burning as he stares down at the bouquet. He says nothing.

Minutes go by before he breaks the silence. “You should be here,” he says abruptly. “You should both be—“ Kakashi ducks his head. Lets out a meaningless little noise.

“I’m sorry,” he says after another moment. He looks down at his hands, nails biting into the meat of his palms. They’re red and splotchy, rubbed raw from scrubbing. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

He takes a deep breath. Drags his gaze away from the memorial stone. “I had a meeting with the Uchiha Clan yesterday.” His hand darts up to his headband and the eye concealed beneath it. Fabric shifts as he tucks his hands back into his pockets, hiding the shakiness to his fingers. “They want it back, of course. Minato-sensei is making a case for me, but they’re unhappy.”

“I remember your last words, Obito.” Kakashi’s single-eyed gaze returns to the stone. “I… I broke my promise. And I’m so sorry, I’m so—“ His breathing shudders. “The least I can do is make sure I don’t waste your gift.”

His throat works silently as he swallows. For a second it appears as if he’ll say nothing else at all, but then— “This is coming out wrong. I… Rin, you were the best of us. You always knew what to say. I’m… I'm sorry.”

Kakashi doesn’t speak any longer. He continues to stand there, with only the silent stone to keep him company.

YES. THAT’S IT.

—

Two days after Rin’s death, Kakashi is standing at the memorial stone. The weather is dark.

Kakashi is alone.

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EHEHE I love this AU so much what an excellent idea thank you very much. By snippets, I kind of expected to just write some fun drabbles, but you know what, this deserved a slightly more fleshed out concept.

The door opened to reveal Anna, the healer's daughter. An audible sigh of relief passed her lips as she looked at the new arrival. "Prince Sebastian. Please do come in." She moved aside, allowing the prince and his guard to step into the entryway, before closing the door and locking it securely behind them. The sound of footsteps echoed differently on the knitted rug than it had on the cobblestone streets outside.

"So, what is it this time?" Sebastian asked, nonchalant. "Has Marcus managed to get himself stabbed by a neighbor again?"

"Oh, no." She pushed aside a strand of auburn hair that had fallen out of her messy bun. "Right this way." She started off to the back room, where patients were kept. Her visitors followed. The wooden hallway that she led them down was lined with doors. The layout was different from most houses, but Sebastian supposed that it was necessary to keep some modicum of privacy when there were constantly other people in one's home.

"It's something a bit more serious, I'm afraid. You see, Maud was out on the beach, collecting driftwood, and she found someone, unconscious on the shore. He's a lucky young man, to have been found by her and not one of the good-for-nothing boys in town." She shook her head. "He hasn't woken up yet. We were hoping that you would decide what to do with him. It is a bit of an issue, you see, and Mother and I weren't sure that we had the authority to give custody of him to anyone." The group reached the end of a hall, which ended in a curtain, separating the main household and the back room. Anna turned back to Sebastian. "We certainly can't keep him here after he's awoken, your highness. It's just not sustainable. There's too many to be taken care of already, and Mother and I don't make enough to feed another mouth."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "That's not the worst of your problems. I'm sure that if you and your mother were in need of food or money, that you'd be amply supplied." He reached out to pull the linen divider to the side.

"Respectfully, your highness, my mother and I would not accept stolen goods." Anna's voice was firm. Sebastian heard Raymond laughing softly behind him.

"That's certainly a respectable stance, Anna." Sebastian offered a half-smile to the girl, and ducked through the doorway into the back room.

The walls of the back room were made of the same light wood that made up the rest of the house. Shelves lined the walls, topped with glass bottles and bags of herbs. There were several things that smelled a bit potently, and they clashed to make an odor that was nothing if not strong. A couple of chairs sat at the edge of the room, and a large table occupied most of the space in the middle of the room—upon which laid the body of a young man.

He looked about Sebastian's age, nineteen or so, if not a bit younger. Light brown hair swept down over his closed eyes. He wasn't especially tall, but his face was nice enough. His clothes were more or less in tatters, and water still clung to the ripped fabric like barnacles to a ship. Sunburn painted his otherwise pale cheeks and nose like a vicious blush.

Marin, the healer, looked over from where she stood, examining a few bottles on the shelves. "Good morning, your highness," she greeted. "Glad to see that you're still alive, eh?" She laughed to herself, before turning back to her herbs. Her laugh was deep, hearty, as befit her somewhat broad-shouldered form. She didn't really look much like her short, slender daughter, except for the shade of her hair. Anna had inherited most of her looks from her father. They both shared a passion for helping others, however, and that was the important thing.

Sebastian chuckled lightly. "Just barely, if the glares that I got in the marketplace are any indication." He took a few steps forward, making his way over to the side of the table to examine the unconscious boy. "Anna told me that he was found on the beach?" The healer's daughter in question walked into the room after him, and went around to the other side of the table. She pressed her thumb to the boy's wrist, feeling for a pulse. Raymond assumed his usual position behind Sebastian.

"A damn miracle, if you ask me," Marin affirmed. "Maud told me that she found pieces of a small ship on the shore. The poor sap must've been hit by a storm or the like. I'm surprised that he hadn't drowned already when she found him. He's a lucky thing." She took one of the bottles off of the shelf and held it up to the window for further examination. "Now to see if he's lucky enough to wake up." She placed the bottle back on the shelf. "If he was hit by something before winding up on the beach, our best bet is just to wait. How's his pulse, Anna?"

"Steady," her daughter called back. "No change."

"Hmph. Alright, then." Marin turned to Sebastian. "So, your highness, I'm sure Anna's informed you of our predicament with him. We can't keep him here, and I thought you might want to have a say in who he goes to for care." She paused. “There is, though, the problem of who he is. We don’t know where he’s from, or what his intentions are. He could very well be planning something. Chances are he’s from the mainland, and even though they don’t know we’re here…” She let her sentence trail off. “Well, you understand. Precautions should be taken.”

Sebastian nodded sagely. “Thank you, Marin.” He glanced down at the young man again. He looked relatively unthreatening, young and soft-featured as he was. Then again, Sebastian had known many inconspicuous-looking people, many of whom had turned out to be anything but unthreatening. “We’ll have to keep that in mind when he wakes. Once we’ve ascertained his identity, if he presents no threat to us, I know that some of the bigger families might be well able to provide for him-”

The conversation cut off violently as the boy on the table moved, pulling his arm away from Anna and frantically pushing her away as he sat up. The healer’s daughter fell back, dropping to the floor to avoid hitting the shelves of delicate glass bottles behind her. Marin made a startled noise, and within seconds, Sebastian had retrieved a knife from the sheathes hidden in his boots and held it to the boy’s throat, pressing him back down onto the table.

“Make another move, and you’re dead,” he warned, his eyes narrowed. Wide blue eyes, the color of the ocean, stared up at the prince. “Who are you?” he demanded. He could feel the eyes of the people in the room focused intently on him. The quiet shink of a blade sounded behind him—Raymond’s blade, edging its way out of its sheath in case the prince should need help.

“I—“ The young man hesitated before answering, as if he couldn’t quite be sure of his words. His eyes wandered away from Sebastian’s, searching for something, an answer to the question. “I don’t think I know.”

“Like hell you don’t,” Sebastian growled, and the young man held up his hands in defense. His eyes were wide, pleading for mercy. The prince focused a glare with the intensity of daggers on him, unconvinced.

He winced away from the blade. “I swear, I don’t—it’s all—” His words were rushed, panicked, as he scrambled to explain himself. “Oh, to the Lady, please don’t hurt me!” He turned his face away from the knife and shut his eyes tight, as if preparing for the worst.

“I think that’s enough, your highness,” Marin said softly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on Sebastian’s wrist. The prince’s piercing glare sliced up to her face, relaxing after a moment. He pulled the knife away and stepped back, but kept the weapon in his hand, ready to use if necessary. The healer helped the boy to sit up. The young man accepted her help somewhat warily, casting nervous glances over at Sebastian every now and then. He had the look of a cornered animal about him. “So,” Marin asked, “What can you remember?”

The boy chuckled nervously. “It’s all a bit of a jumbled mess, I’m afraid. There’s… a lot of names, and I’m not sure which one is mine.” His unsure gaze flickered over to meet Marin’s eyes. The healer placed a reassuring hand on his knee.

“It’s alright, dearie. Go on.”

“I think—I think my name might be Robin,” he said, looking rather like a lost child.

“And where are you from, Robin?”

“I…” Robin started the sentence with something like confidence, but it quickly fell away. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

Sebastian stood behind Marin. He was a somewhat threatening presence, what with his suspicious glare and the blade in his hand. His chin was lifted regally, and his icy stare was unyielding. It certainly must have looked intimidating, because Robin’s eyes kept darting up to him, anxious and high-strung.

“That’s alright.” Marin smiled at him encouragingly. “You’re in the kingdom of Mendacium now. My name is Marin, I’m the healer. This is Anna, my daughter,” she gestured to the young redhead, “Prince Sebastian, and his guard, Raymond.”

Robin nodded, but he looked dubious. “Right.”

Sebastian interrupted—somewhat harshly. “Marin, if I could speak with you?”

The healer glanced back at him, and nodded. “Of course, your highness.” She waved Anna over. It was a bit of a pointless movement, considering that the girl was less than a foot away. “Anna, look after him, hm? I’ll bring back some food and water.” With that, she stood and moved to talk with Sebastian in the hallway.

On his way out, Sebastian nodded to Raymond, jerking his head back to gesture toward the young man sitting on the table. Raymond nodded his understanding, and made no move to join the prince in the hallway. He stayed put in the back room with Anna, keeping an eye on the newcomer.

“Do you really believe that he’s forgotten everything?” Sebastian quietly hissed, once he and Marin had made their way out of the back room and into one of the other rooms.

“These things have happened before, your highness,” Marin said, calm and collected. “It’s completely possible that he’s suffered memory loss because of some incident. You’ve seen the state of him. I would have been surprised if he hadn’t suffered any major injuries.”

“Well, it’s quite convenient, isn’t it?” He crossed his arms, weapon still in hand. “To have a newcomer who remembers nothing about his situation. It would make it quite easy to gather information if he intends to establish a life here.”

Marin raised an eyebrow. “And what are you suggesting? That he’s a spy from the Continent? Your highness, the mainland doesn’t even know that we exist.”

“That we know of.”

“He’s barely more than a child.”

“And? What does that make him besides the perfect inconspicuous spy?”

Marin sighed. “I don’t think he’s lying, your highness.” When Sebastian opened his mouth to reply, she held up a finger to stop him. Indignant, he closed his mouth again and waited impatiently for the healer to finish speaking. “You saw him. We both know what liars look like, do we not? That young man was the most genuine person that I’ve seen in a long time, I can tell you that much. You know that he’s not lying.”

Sebastian looked as if he had had a multitude of other arguments to bring up. Marin’s last statement, however, left him looking frustrated, as he searched for some way to oppose it.

“See, there? Now, please stop glaring at the poor thing. He’s going to be disoriented enough as it is.”

Sebastian conceded with an irritated huff. “Very well. It does complicate matters, though. If he doesn’t remember anything, we can’t very well send him back to the mainland after he’s recovered. He’s going to have to stay here indefinitely, and I don’t think that any of the bigger families would agree to take him in unless they were planning on recruiting him in some kind of plan against me.”

“That’s a valid worry,” Marin acknowledged. “Perhaps he should stay in the castle with you and your mother.”

Before Sebastian could protest, she held up her finger again. “Think about it, your highness. No influence from the conspiring families, guards keeping an eye on him, and he’ll be amply supported by the royal family’s income. It’s a better situation for you, even if you still don’t trust him.”

Sebastian was left without an objection.

When the two rejoined the others in the back room, Raymond and Anna were chatting. Robin listened, his ocean-blue eyes wide and attentive.

“You’ll be staying here until you’re healed, dearie,” Marin called to Robin, who redirected his attention toward her. She placed the plate of bread and cup of water that she’d brought in on the table next to him. “After that, Prince Sebastian has kindly offered to take you in.” Sebastian glowered, but didn’t say a word.

“Him?” Robin sounded quite alarmed, which Sebastian supposed wasn’t out of line.

“He’s not as bad as he seems,” Raymond put in, grinning. Anna turned her head to hide her giggle. “You’ll be well taken care of by the queen, at least.”

Robin didn’t look overly comforted.

if you managed to make it through all that, i hope you liked it! thanks for reading!