Naruto 1. Pink

**_Author's Notes: Hello! I am excited to get this story up here finally. It is a work in progress and I hope I can get my concept across as clearly as possible. Please please tell me what you think!_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. This story is mainly for my own amusement._**

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><p><em>I wanted to know the name of every stone and flower and insect and bird and beast.<br>I wanted to know where it got its color, where it got its life__- but there was no one to tell me.  
>~George Washington Carver<em>

**Chapter 1- Pink**

Kakashi never knew what he was missing in life. The world seemed perfectly normal to him. The grass, the sky, the village, the people. They were all a part of one big scene playing out on a dull stage around him. Maybe he was the lead actor? Maybe he was the audience?

Did he really care?

Not really.

Today he was on his way to the market to pick up a few things for the house. With no mother around—she was dead after all—and a father who was almost constantly away on missions, it fell to Kakashi to pick up food and other necessities. At least his father would leave a list; a list that Kakashi sometimes secretly added to just to get what he wanted.

A group of kids ran by. Kakashi watched them until they disappeared around the corner of a shop. They couldn't have been more than seven or eight. They were a little under his age, but they were definitely village kids, not ninjas.

Kakashi puffed out his chest in pride. He had passed the Academy in a year at the age of five and was already a chuunin. Beat that society! In fact, the village considered him one of the best upcoming prodigies in years—after Minato Namikaze of course, but that was a different story.

The young chuunin stopped in thought and let a hand stray to the wall next to him. Maybe after his errands he would go to the training grounds. That was a logical endeavor for a growing prodigy.

The slap of scandals hitting the ground caught his attention. Kakashi merely glanced in the direction of the sound. A young girl was running down the street. She was clearly out of breath and had somewhere urgent to be. He wouldn't have minded about it too much, but when the girl's shoe caught on the uneven ground and she tottered forward, he had to move.

Kakashi sprang into action, letting his ninja instincts act. He swung an arm around the girl's waist and spun her around delicately so she was facing the sky. As if he would let go, the girl snatched at his shirt as she came to a halt safely in the crook of Kakashi's arm.

"Are you… all right?" Kakashi ventured as she glanced around almost bewildered for a few seconds.

Then something happened. The girl's face changed. He couldn't describe it as she pushed him away and patted dust from her skirt. It wasn't like her eyes had disfigured or that her mouth suddenly had sharp fangs. She was just… different. It was across her cheeks, he concluded. The change was certainly still there.

The girl cleared her throat, "Thank you… I um, need to get going.. I'm almost late for class."

"Class?" Kakashi ventured. She looked about his age, maybe a little younger.

"Yes," she said with a smile, "I'm going to graduate from the Academy this year!"

Kakashi mulled that information over.

"Not if you're late."

"Well I— ah!" the girl spun on her heels and took off down the street again, "I'm sorry we can talk later! My name is Rin! Nohara Rin!"

Kakashi waved slowly as her figure retreated into the distance. What exactly had just happened? The young chuunin glanced around the area. Nothing else was changing in that weird way. He continued on the road to the market debating if he had just imagined the weird shift of gray across the girl's—no Rin's—face. It didn't seem right.

Suddenly, something caught his eye by a flower shop. It was the _same_ thing that had been on Rin's face. Kakashi walked over to the tulip as if it was some ghastly fascinating science experiment. If he squinted his eyes just enough, the thing stopped wavering. He poked the strange tulip just not getting it. Had Rin done something to his vision? Was she actually a spy in the village that had put some sort of weird genjutsu on him? It didn't seem likely, but he had heard far worse scenarios throughout the Third War happening.

He would definitely keep an eye on Rin. She was too suspicious now.

"Hey," a gruff voice knocked Kakashi out of his thoughts. The flower shop lady had come out and was staring at him with disdain, "Stop standing there gawking. You never seen a tulip before?"

"I—" Kakashi couldn't get any farther.

"You either buy something or get lost kid," the lady commented.

Kakashi would have taken the second choice in a heartbeat any other time but this… this was_ intriguing_. He needed to see what else this strangely changed tulip could do.

"I'll buy this," he replied as he picked the tulip from its vase full of companions. None of the other buds were different, just this one. Maybe he could figure this out.

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><p>It was a long day as Kakashi finished up the chores and cleaned around the apartment house. Hopefully his father would be back soon. Kakashi really didn't want to start the laundry that was piling up. As brave and smart as he was, taking one step toward the growing pile of dirty clothing sent shivers up his spine. How did his mother—and women in general—cope with such a distasteful task?<p>

Kakashi didn't mind the other tasks though. He kept one eye on the tulip he'd purchased; it was currently sitting in a bowl of water by the sink. There weren't any vases in the house and Kakashi hadn't thought about it at the time. Maybe he should go pick one up too.

The flower hadn't changed at all. The same… strangeness was there throughout the day. He still couldn't understand it.

So when the clock finally rolled around to when the Academy was letting its students go for the day, Kakashi swiped the bright tulip from its deficient dish and set out to find Rin.

When the chuunin finally found the girl he was looking for, he realized talking to her alone might prove difficult. Rin was walking home alongside Kurenai and a very egotistical Anko. He wasn't worried about the first one, but the second one could be very hard to handle if she got fired up.

He crouched on a tree branch overlooking the street and watched the three girls as they passed below.

"Aw come on!" Rin was pouting about something.

"Tch, the garden?" Anko spoke up as she took long strides to keep up with the other girls, "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard."

Kurenai merely smiled. Aw dear Kurenai. A soft spoken lady that was as smart as she would be deadly one day. She should be graduating from the Academy this year. At least, Kakashi hoped. Then maybe he could lobby for her to be placed on his team.

"What are you going to do?" Kurenai finally replied, countering Anko's comment.

"Me? I'm gonna go hang out with Orochimaru and get stronger, of course," Anko responded with a grin.

Kakashi noted the slight worry that crossed Rin's face before it disappeared. He had to agree with her doubts about the older jounin. There was something about him that didn't seem right to Kakashi. He gave the creeps to everyone around him when they were at meetings or when he would show up at the training grounds unexpectedly. He was not right in the head or something.

Kurenai suddenly stopped. _Busted._ Kakashi gave a small sigh as Kurenai turned around and—her eyes were the same strangeness!—her gaze landed on him. "Kakashi? I knew someone was lurking around… I didn't think it would be you of all people."

The other two girls looked up. Rin took a step back obviously recognizing him from earlier. "What're you doin' up there ya creep?" Anko spat out.

Kakashi slipped off the tree branch and landed lightly on the pavement. He took a moment to straighten up his clothing. The tulip was still safely tucked into his jacket.

"Watcha got there~?" Anko pressed. It was like an interrogation already. "Gonna get all smooth and sly on a bunch of girls like us?"

"No no," Kakashi replied, but Anko would hear none of it.

"You think you're all that, don't ya?!" she continued.

"Anko stop."

Kakashi was mildly surprised when Rin stepped in to handle the wild girl. He was even more stunned when she walked over to him and waved the whole situation off like some forgotten appointment she just remembered.

"I gotta go guys," Rin said cheerily, "I forgot I had a meeting today."

"With him?" Anko glowered back.

"Yea," Rin replied awkwardly. She glanced at Kakashi for help, "Sorry."

Kakashi wasn't sure why Kurenai was smirking. He only needed to talk to Rin. He didn't need to get involved with a bunch of silly ideas of dating or whatever women thought.

"All right," Kurenai said, "just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"What? Are you serious? Nothing ever happens when we do it your way!" Anko replied.

Kurenai crossed her arms at that. She pursed her lips indignantly, "Fine then. Don't do whatever Anko would do. See you later." With that, Kurenai continued down the street as if nothing strange had happened.

"Hey!" Anko called chasing after the dark haired girl, "That was cruel!"

"It is true Anko."

"No it isn't!"

Kakashi waited until the girls were out of sight before opening his mouth. Rin cut across his train of thought, "What do you want?"

_Might as well get straight to the point._

"This," Kakashi stated taking the tulip from his jacket and nonchalantly shoving the flower in Rin's face.

"It's a flower," Rin replied. She looked confused and… what was that? Defensive?

"Yes," Kakashi huffed. How could he explain this... this whatever had happened? "It's different."

"It looks like a regular tulip to me," Rin shrugged, "…You're not asking me out or anything are you?"

"_No_," Kakashi didn't know what to do as he rubbed circles into his temples. This was going to be one massive headache soon. "I mean…" he held the tulip out again and pointed at it. "This. It's…" He moved his finger to indicate the whole weird change that had taken place that he couldn't explain.

"Iiittt'sss…" Rin's head made a circular motion trying to draw more words from him. She obviously wasn't going to get an answer from him because Kakashi _didn't know_. Finally she gave up and sighed, "What? _Pink?_ Is it too girly or something?"

"Pink?"

What the hell was pink? That word was new to him. Maybe she really was a spy after all.

"Yea… _pink_," she was staring at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

So the weirdness was "pink." Kakashi looked at the tulip closely again. At least he had a name for it now.

Rin crossed her arms with a contemplative expression. Kakashi wasn't sure what else to say. This "pink" didn't seem harmful. He hadn't been hurt by it yet. And Rin wasn't running in the other direction either. That was a good sign that it _wasn't_ dangerous.

"…I've never seen it before," Kakashi ventured at last.

"What?" Rin's eyebrows knitted together in a fine line, "How have you never seen…" She hesitated as Kakashi gave her a very serious look, "You've really never seen pink before?"

Was this a trick question? Kakashi gave her a guarded look, "No…"

"No blues or greens or yellows? Nothing?"

Now she was just speaking foreign words to him. His expression must have slipped because Rin reacted immediately, "Holy crap! You really don't know what I'm talking about!?" She threw her hands up in mock distress before turning around. "How did you even pass the Academy?!"

"Excuse me?" Kakashi butted into her rambling. Okay, now he just wanted an explanation. He had passed the Academy with top marks at the age of five! How could she doubt his growing skills as a shinobi?! "_What _are you talking about?"

"Come with me," Rin snapped as she turned to face him and seized his wrist. Kakashi was about to counter her move when a thought struck him. Maybe the answers he sought weren't as simple as he first imagined.

He let Rin drag him down the sidewalk. They didn't stop until they were on the same street as earlier with the flower shop. Kakashi frowned. Going back to the scene of the change? How would this help exactly?

Rin stopped in front of the window of flower displays. She pointed at the nearest vase and asked, "What color are those?"

"What is color?" Kakashi shot back as he eyed the tiny daisies. Were they playing some interrogation game now?

"Those are yellow," Rin stated calmly, "Yellow is a color."

Kakashi waited for more.

Rin frowned at him, "You really aren't joking are you?"

Kakashi reflected her expression, "Joking about what?"

"Everyone sees color!" she responded. Kakashi raised an eyebrow as she stuttered through her words, "Color is like… like a part of _everything_. It gives objects s-substance and and… wow, you really don't know."

Kakashi again noticed the slight change of Rin's cheeks. The "pink" was there again. So did it happen randomly or was it always there under the surface of the skin? Did he have the "pink" in him too? He was starting to believe Rin wasn't a spy. But this concept of… _color_… what was it and why did it seem like he should know about it?

"This is hard to explain," Rin laughed sheepishly after a couple of minutes, "Wow, um… can I try to come up with a better explanation and meet you some other time?"

Kakashi didn't see the harm in that. She certainly seemed intrigued by the situation. He only had a couple of small missions for this week. It wouldn't be hard to meet again. Maybe he could find a book in his spare time about color or something. The chuunin nodded slowly, "Tomorrow?"

"All right… wanna pick me up from the Academy?" Rin smiled slightly.

Kakashi nodded again, "Sounds good."

"Okay!" Rin bubbled, "Wow, I really can't believe this. This is so cool and weird~!"

Something about those words bugged Kakashi. If Rin was reacting the way she was, what would others say if they knew about this no color thing? "Rin…" he stated before the girl wandered off.

"Yea?"

"Could you not mention this to anyone else?" Kakashi wasn't sure if she could keep her mouth shut. "Please?"

"Sure," she replied, "It's gotta be really strange not knowing what color is."

Kakashi simply nodded again, "Thank you."

"I better get home now. See you tomorrow Kakashi~!" Rin laughed and ran off.

Kakashi gave a slight wave. He just hoped Rin wouldn't say anything to her friends like Kurenai or _Anko_ of all people. Not until he at least had some understanding of what was going on and could figure out how to handle the others' reactions.

He twirled the tulip in his hand thoughtfully. Life was looking pretty interesting all of a sudden. And pink.


	2. Red

**_Author's Notes: I've gotten questions on the concept here. Thanks for those! :) Now, Kakashi is basically colorblind/cannot see color. He's never paid attention to when people talk about colors or cared to learn/realize he didn't see what others see. It's basically him looking at the world in grayscale- only whites, blacks, and grays. You could even say he "learned" colors based on shades of gray. At least, that's the idea; I hope this helped some of you at least? 3_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. They are Kishimoto's design. I just like to put them in different situations. :)_**

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><p><em>Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.<br>_**~Rabindranath Tagore**

**Chapter 2- Red**

Kakashi leaned against the stone wall silently. Any time now the students would be let out for the day. Then he could discuss his sudden change in life with Rin. He hoped that she had remembered to think about it.

He hadn't slept at all last night. It was just too interesting to figure out. He had tried a handful of book shops yesterday but none had anything to help him out. Most of the books that store owners had pointed to were for little kids. Boy, the looks he would've gotten had he picked some of those up…

Kakashi watched as a few parents trickled into the schoolyard. The pink was slowly settling on most peoples' skin as they passed by. It seemed everyone had a little of it in them.

The young chuunin waited until he heard laughter and the crunch of multiple feet kicking up gravel before he ducked around the wall and into the yard. Little kids were running up to their parents or staying in tight little groups by the building as they waited for guardians. The older students were dispersing every which way. Some girls in a clump over there, a couple guys were challenging each other over there.

He paused for a moment watching the students all around him. If there was one thing he didn't miss, it was getting out of classes. He never had an adult to pick him up afterward. His father was usually away on missions or at meetings. It was probably one of the reasons that motived him to graduate so early. He didn't want to watch the others laugh and be happy with their guardians when his never showed. Someday if he had a child, Kakashi vowed to always pick him or her up from class. At least, until they were old enough to walk home. It was just a pet peeve of his.

A loud laugh caught his attention to his right. Kakashi knew that laugh. It was unmistakably Anko. Kakashi would have rather not followed the snake girl's trail, but he wasn't sure where else to start looking for Rin.

Sure enough, as Kakashi wound his way through the students, he picked out Anko on the steps. Kurenai and Rin were with her as she tossed a boy to the ground.

"You better watch your step!" Anko spat at the kid.

"Anko he didn't mean to…" Kurenai was chastising the rowdy girl, "Stop it."

"Please Anko!" Rin held onto her friend as Anko tried to advance on the frightened boy.

Kakashi decided to step in. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked up to the struggling duo, "What is going on here?"

Anko paused for a moment out of sheer fright of being caught by an instructor. When her eyes landed on Kakashi, however, her fear melted into anger. "He ran into Kurenai!" the snake girl growled as she gestured toward the unfortunate kid.

"I apologized!" the kid wailed.

Kakashi pondered over this for a moment. He met Anko's gaze with a cool look, "And that gives you a reason to bully him? If he's apologized then there is no reason to continue this." He looked at the younger student and nodded at him, "You can go now."

The boy turned on his heels and ran without a glance back. Anko grumbled under her breath before marching off in her own direction, "Stupid chuunins thinking they're all that!"

"I'm sorry about that," Rin spoke up. She averted her eyes as Kakashi looked at her, "She just… hasn't been acting right lately."

"Not acting right is an understatement," Kurenai commented.

Kakashi's gaze lingered on Kurenai, "Really?" Her eyes were definitely that weird pink thing. He wondered how many others had eyes like that. What was he missing out on?

"I blame that creepy old snake!" Rin exclaimed as she stomped a foot.

"You think Orochimaru has something to do with it?" Kakashi asked returning his thoughts to the topic at hand.

"Yes!" Rin replied looking exasperated, "She acts all weird and stuff after hanging around his place. I can't even imagine what could be happening!"

"I'm sure she is fine," Kakashi stated. He really didn't want to get into how messed up Orochimaru probably was and how Anko's obsessive need to be around him was most likely unhealthy.

Rin let out a long sigh as she slowly calmed down. It took her a few moments before realizing why exactly Kakashi was there in the first place. "Oh!" she gasped, "Right! The meeting!"

Kurenai raised a slender eyebrow at her, "Meeting?"

"I uh... asked Kakashi to teach me some kunai tricks," Rin sheepishly laughed off Kurenai's scrutinizing stare.

Kakashi was impressed. Rin seemed to know what to say at the right time, because Kurenai shrugged it off. "Well, all right," the pink eyed woman replied, "Dunno how much you'll learn from this lazy oaf."

"Kurenai," Kakashi stated sarcastically, "You sting me with your harsh words."

"Better to sting than to kill, right?" she responded.

Kakashi looked Rin in the eye, "If you hear of my death tomorrow, you know who to blame."

An awkward silence fell over them. He could tell Rin wasn't sure if she should believe him or not. Kakashi shifted weight to his right leg. He was about to say something when Rin broke the silence with a giggle. The slight tension that had built dissipated. The trio laughed together in the near empty schoolyard.

"Mm, I better get home," Kurenai said wiping a tear from her eye, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Kakashi wondered just what Kurenai meant by that every time she said it. He was a gentleman. Sort of. He would protect Rin if needed and wasn't planning on going anywhere or doing anything bad. Rin said goodbye to her friend and then turned to Kakashi coyly, "Wanna stay here or head somewhere else?"

"You said I was going to teach you some kunai techniques," Kakashi shrugged. "We might as well head toward some training grounds."

Rin nodded and picked up a bag sitting near the wall. Kakashi led the way to one of his favorite training grounds. Heck, he might as well plan on teaching her something if she was going to teach him about color.

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><p>"So let me get this straight…" Kakashi drawled as he laid back in the tall grass around him, "It's something of visual perception caused by light… and there's a lot of them."<p>

Rin was perched on a large tree root close by with a book in her lap, "That's probably the easiest way to explain it… it's really hard to explain when you can't see what I mean."

"And they can be lighter or darker depending on the light? You said hues and shades or something?" Kakashi was repeating a lot of what Rin had said just to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"Mhm," Rin hummed. She reached for her bag and pulled out a thick piece of folded paper. Kakashi took his eyes off the tree branches above him to look at her. "Here," she said handing the paper over, "It's a color chart."

Kakashi took the paper with contained enthusiasm. He unfolded the sheet and took a long look at it. All he saw was a bunch of wedges outlined in—what had Rin said was the darkest color? Black? The paper was the brightest color Rin had mentioned. White. Black and White and whatever in between. They were the beginning and end colors. One was all of them mixed together while the other was void of any. Simple enough?

One wedge caught Kakashi's eye on the top left. He pointed at it, "This is pink."

"Actually, that is red," Rin corrected him. Kakashi threw her a frustrated look and she continued hurriedly, "Pink is a shade of red. It happens when you mix white and red together. Makes the red lighter and stuff."

"Okay…" Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows as he studied the supposed color chart, "All the others look the same."

"Hmm," Rin seemed to ponder this for a moment. "I think…" she started and then stopped. She was searching for words again, "I'm thinking… since red is considered one of the most intense colors… that might be why you're seeing it first."

"But I'm seeing _pink, _not red," Kakashi shot back.

"Well, what I mean is… it's like it's slowly fading in and getting stronger?" Rin responded.

Getting stronger? Kakashi couldn't argue with that. He certainly was seeing more pink everywhere the more time passed.

"Maybe the colors are there," Rin stated as she tried to formulate her thoughts, "and you just need to… jump your mind into recognizing them?"

"That sounds like work," Kakashi let the idea crash and burn. Maybe it was true, but he didn't know the first thing about trying to make his brain or senses recognize something he'd never seen before.

Rin shut her book and smacked him lightly with it. Kakashi looked at her again, "Was that supposed to hurt?"

His question was ignored as Rin stuck the book in her bag, "I think it would be good if you give it some time and maybe the colors will just start appearing. We can keep track of what you can and can't see and kind of go from there. Get an idea of what's going on." Kakashi started to hand the chart to her but Rin shoved it back, "Keep that. We'll use it as a reference."

"We?" Kakashi joked. He didn't know when this had turned into a team effort, but he was glad Rin was willing to stick around and explain the unexplainable.

"Yes, _we_," Rin replied indignantly. "You dragged me into this and it's too interesting to just walk away from."

Kakashi half smiled. They would see how long that interest would last.

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><p>A clatter filled the small kitchen as Kakashi tossed his bowl into the sink. He dashed to his bedroom and grabbed his gear. As casual and cool as he always appeared, he was frantic inside whenever he was late for something. And… well, he was <em>always<em> late for something. It didn't matter what he tried, he would somehow always miss the alarm or get distracted by other menial things.

Today wasn't the worst thing to forget on his list, but it was still important. He had promised to help his best friend Obito with some training. The Uchiha would be graduating in the next month and Kakashi was being put through the wringer with making sure his friend was prepared.

It wasn't like Obito really needed it. The Uchiha just had a knack for overcomplicating things and panicking about stuff that shouldn't be worried over. He would do fine; Kakashi knew this and he was sure Obito did too. It was just that the kid was so stubborn sometimes…

"I'm leaving!" Kakashi called over his shoulder as he headed for the door.

His father was home for once, but to Kakashi, this time around didn't seem like anything had changed. He had learned that the last mission his father had been on a week ago had ended terribly. They hadn't met any objectives before the whole team was at risk. The White Fang had done everything in his power to save his teammates… but that had led to a horrible mission failure. The village was still reeling from the aftereffects.

Kakashi sighed when he didn't receive an answer and continued out the door. His father had saved lives hadn't he? Shouldn't he be proud of that despite having the failure hung over his head? Kakashi wasn't sure what was better. Had the mission been so important that every last man should have given their life for it? Where would that have left the families that were left behind? It didn't make sense for the village to judge a man for a split second decision.

It may have been a small annoyance, but his father had not left his room all week. On the days that Kakashi dared to venture in, his father had sat and stared out the window with such a blank expression when he had set a tray of food in front of him or offered to do something. It bothered him to see the man he looked up to so downcast and rejected.

"Hey Kakashi!" the chuunin heard his name before he saw the bouncing Uchiha.

Obito caught up and fell into perfect stride next to Kakashi.

"Hey," Kakashi responded, half paying attention.

"Looks like we're both late today huh?" Obito laughed as they jogged to their usual training area.

"That means 10 laps around the village," Kakashi smirked.

They had made a deal that if Obito was ever late to practice that he would have to run around the entire village. Kakashi rarely held him to it though, because of the fact that he himself was always late. So how could he ever say Obito was late when he couldn't even be on time?

"Ah c'mon, we're both on time then!" Obito tried to reason with him.

"Hm," Kakashi pretended to think over the idea, but he knew Obito knew that he didn't really care about the running. It would waste the time they used for practice. "All right," he finally breathed making the Uchiha cheer, "but only because we're so late."

"Awesome," Obito grinned.

The two boys arrived at the grounds just as Minato and Kushina were leaving. Kakashi paused as Minato turned to look at him. Kakashi's eyes weren't on the male jounin, but rather the woman next to him. Kushina's hair was a darker wave of pink than he'd ever seen.

"How is your father, Kakashi?" Minato asked as Kushina stopped a few feet away and looked back.

"He's…" Kakashi averted his eyes from Kushina, "down. I guess."

"Not ready to come back yet?" Minato asked as he contemplated the situation, "I'll have to stop by later today and talk with him."

Kakashi nodded, "Feel free to stop any time." Minato was a good man. Maybe he was the person needed to get his father out of his slump.

"C'mon Kakashi!" Obito called, ending the conversation there, "I don't have all day ya know!"

Kakashi took his leave from the older shinobi and walked over to where Obito was waiting. "If you're so eager to begin, then start with the kunai throws I showed you."

Obito happily obeyed pulling out his weapons and taking his stance in front of the targets set up around the area.

Kakashi dumped his stuff on the ground and watched. Obito twisted and threw a kunai with pretty good aim. Kakashi didn't understand why he was so adamant about learning already. He had all the basics down to graduate. Maybe he wanted to get ahead just in case? That didn't sound like Obito's style.

His mind wandered as Obito switched hands and fired away at the targets, this time a little less accurately. Had the fall out between his father and the village been _so bad _that Minato was concerned for Konoha's White Fang? Kakashi didn't think it had been.

But now that he looked back on it… His father hadn't left his room in days and Kakashi had had to practically force him to eat. Something wasn't adding up.

The village really couldn't blame his father forever; his father couldn't blame himself either. It was a failed mission and they could pick up the pieces. There didn't need to be a blame game between anyone as far as he could tell.

Kakashi briefly instructed Obito to move on to another exercise. As time passed, Kakashi became more apprehensive as he pondered over the limited information he had. His father obviously was ashamed that he had acted in the way he did. Wasn't that enough for the village?

A cold chill crept down his spine as he considered a sudden possibility. Would the village try to get rid of his father? That made Kakashi nervous.

"Hey, Kakashi," Obito's voice cut into his thoughts. Kakashi looked up at the other boy. "You okay?" Obito asked.

Kakashi wanted to answer him, wanted to assure him everything was fine. But he couldn't do it. His stomach dropped and something felt wrong. Horribly wrong.

"Kakashi?" Obito tried again as the chuunin got up.

He had to go home. He had to make sure everything was all right.

"Something doesn't feel right," he finally answered the Uchiha. Before Obito could respond, Kakashi continued, "I need to go home."

Obito was silent as Kakashi gathered his things. He really didn't know _what_ was driving him to return home he just knew that he _needed_ to.

As he turned to leave, Obito caught his shoulder briefly with a hand, "Kakashi… I'm always here if ya need someone. Got it?"

Kakashi simply nodded and took off. He shouldn't have had to worry. So why was he worrying?

The buildings blurred by as he ran. He was just going to check in and then he'd be right back out laughing at his own silliness. It would be an absurd act of anxiety and he could go on like it never happened.

Suddenly, footsteps fell into place beside him. Kakashi glanced over and found Minato in step with him. The older shinobi looked concerned, "Kakashi? Where's the fire? You don't look good."

When Kakashi looked back on that day in the future, he was glad that Minato had been the one at his side. Anyone else would have simply looked the other way.

"Weren't you with Kushina?" Kakashi asked between breaths.

"I walked her home and was on my way to your house," Minato replied, "Then I saw you flying like a bat out of hell."

Kakashi momentarily wondered just how upset he appeared to others right now. It couldn't have been _that _bad.

They stopped outside on the street. Kakashi panted slightly as he climbed the steps and reached for the doorknob. It unexpectedly stuck. Kakashi tried it again.

Locked. Kakashi never locked the door when his father was home. Had his father finally left the house? That would be a great relief.

Kakashi fumbled for his house key and stuck it in the lock. It clicked and he opened the door on a dark hallway. He went inside without a second thought. Minato flipped the light on behind him as he went straight to his father's room.

"Father?" Kakashi asked, knocking softly on the white door. When he didn't receive a reply, he cracked the door and slowly ventured in, "Father?"

Kakashi stopped dead. The sight in front of him was the last thing he had expected to find. His father had left his place by the window, but hadn't gotten very far. Konoha's White Fang was lying on the floor with his back to the door. A bright ring of something was around him, soaking through his clothing.

Kakashi moved forward automatically. He couldn't feel his feet anymore and his mind went numb. What happened here? And why was that strangeness there?

The chuunin fell to his knees by his father. His hands trembled as he reached out to touch his father's shoulder. Was this a joke? Kakashi dimly heard Minato's footsteps in the doorway as he touched the wet clothing. He drew his hand back as the sticky substance stained his fingers.

Blood?

Kakashi's mind reeled as Minato's arms were suddenly pulling him up and away from his father. A scream filled the room. Who was screaming? It took a few moments for Kakashi to process that _he_ was the one screaming.

The blood on his hand. His mind connected it almost subconsciously. Blood. Red. The vivid color hurt his eyes.

_Red._

Kakashi let himself be dragged from the room. He couldn't hear what Minato was saying. He couldn't process the panicked words around him. Everything fell into a dark oblivion around him as the world whirled by.

Sakumo Hatake.

Konoha's legendary White Fang.

_Was dead._


	3. Purple

**_Author's Notes: Finally getting this up. Having a hayday trying to balance about 5 different stories. Wish me luck on getting them sorted around._**

**_Disclaimer: Chapter One._**

* * *

><p><em>Colors answer feeling in man; shapes answer thought; and motion answers will.<br>_**~John Sterling**

**Chapter 3- Purple**

Birds flew by overhead. Kakashi leaned back against the same tree he and Rin had sat under discussing colors nearly a month ago. After the initial shock had worn off and the funeral was over, Kakashi had done nothing but throw himself at every mission he could. Every day he had gone to the Hokage for something. _Something_ to keep his mind off of things. Was it the cowardly way of not facing his emotions?

Maybe.

But it was the only way he knew how to handle it.

Minato had been kind enough to record Sakumo's death in the report as "death from injuries received on last mission." He obviously knew it hadn't been that case in the slightest. Kakashi wasn't stupid either. The only people who had been given any actual details were the Hokage and other shinobi who were deemed close to the family. No one else _needed _to know yet, and Kakashi was thankful for the hushed talk.

Kakashi debated on going home. He had finished his mission early today and his gear was scattered around him. It was probably a good idea to dump his stuff at the new apartment he was now in. He couldn't step back into the old house. Not without memories and emotions coming back.

A fresh start was what he needed, and so, he sought out a new place. It wasn't the fanciest living space, but the new setting helped ease some of his anxiety. He didn't want people crawling by every day to offer their sympathies and pity. He was a shinobi and would be damned before looking weak to anyone.

Speaking of sympathetic morons, Obito appeared down the path, "Hey Kakashi!"

_Wonderful._ Kakashi pulled his face mask up again.

"Where have ya been buddy?" Obito asked stopping next to the chuunin, "You haven't come to any practices or like, stalked the Academy grounds for a while."

"I've been busy," Kakashi replied bluntly. The last time he had spoken with Obito hadn't been the best of times. He had been rather annoyed with the nagging of "letting someone in" and "can't do everything yourself" talks. Was this going to be another one?

"Oh…" Obito seemed to consider it for a moment. Maybe he would leave?

Obito plopped onto the ground next to Kakashi. Nope. Why would the Uchiha do what he wanted now when he had never done it before?

"You feelin' okay?" Obito asked.

_Here we go…_ Kakashi felt his muscles tense slightly, "I'm _fine_."

"Okay, no need to bite my head off," the Uchiha backed off from the tone of voice he received, "Just makin' sure and all. Y'know I'm here if you need…"

Kakashi let out a loud breath through his nose. Obito wasn't going to back down. The chuunin rose from his spot.

"Hey, where are you going?" Obito asked as Kakashi made sure his things were in their rightful places before tossing his bag over a shoulder.

"Home," Kakashi responded. He turned and left, but Obito wasn't out of the game yet.

The Uchiha tagged along behind him, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something Kakashi."

"If it's about needing a therapist and confiding in my friends you can forget it," Kakashi wasn't going to tiptoe around the issue today. Might as well put it out there bluntly.

"Kakashi! You just can't go around bottling things up inside! It's not—"

"Not healthy. You've told me this several times."

"Yea, and I'm gonna keep saying it until you listen to me!"

"I'm listening Obito."

"No you're not!"

"Why are you yelling?"

"I—" Obito caught himself and glanced around. A handful of people were staring. The Uchiha took a deep breath and continued at a lower volume, "You know what. I give up. I was gonna ask you something important but now I can see you're just a self-righteous, arrogant bastard."

"Those are some pretty harsh words," Kakashi commented. He _was _being rather cruel, but he'd never admit it out loud. Couldn't Obito just leave him in peace?

"Gah! Stop being difficult!" Obito exclaimed.

"I'm not the one throwing insults around."

Obito let out a sigh and then turned away. Kakashi heard his name as the Uchiha walked away, "Kakashi… just remember that you do have friends."

Kakashi let him walk away. Another day, another fight. That was all it was to him right now. Just keep on fighting and surviving… only the village mattered. Only the missions were important because then people who weren't shinobi could live peacefully. That's what he was trained for. Right?

* * *

><p>Kakashi sat beneath the same tree he visited practically every day now. At least today hadn't been a random idea. He was supposed to be meeting Rin about the whole color thing again.<p>

He could distinguish pink and red from each other now. Just the other day, he had passed by a shop window and saw both colors right next to each other. But lately there was another change too. The designated "red" was getting darker in some places. Kakashi didn't know how else to describe it. Sometimes it would even be close to black, with barely a hint of red underneath.

He supposed it was going to be like this for a long time. Just seeing bizarre new—was it shades?—all around him until maybe one day he could actually see everything. Like that day would ever come. It sounded like there were a_ lot_ of colors.

Rin appeared running up the street. Kakashi pulled the mask up that he had started to habitually wear on missions. It was good to hide his face from Konoha's enemies; he didn't need them instantly recognizing him as the White Fang's son. It was a weak attempt to keep the pity and contempt at bay, but it worked. Most of the time.

"Hey Kakashi~!" Rin greeted as she stopped in front of the chuunin. It was like his deemed "depressing demeanor" never affected her. "Have you made any progress with my chart?" she asked as she dropped her bag on the ground.

Kakashi unfolded the paper in front of him and tapped the wedge on the bottom left corner, "This one is different."

"Really?" Rin got down on her knees. She observed the chart with a smile, "That's wonderful. You'll be seeing everything in no time!" She fished a pen from her bag and wrote underneath the new circle.

_Purple._

Kakashi let out a sigh, "Yea… great."

"Just think about it," Rin continued, "You've been missing out on a lot of things in life without color. You'll love it when you can actually see them all! Trust me."

Kakashi cringed beneath his mask. He was really starting to hate that phrase. _Trust me._ Even if it was Rin saying it—probably one of the few people he did trust right now—he just couldn't bring himself to try and like it.

Rin must have noticed his reaction because she went quiet soon after speaking. They sat in a semi-awkward silence for a couple of minutes. Kakashi averted his gaze to the village spreading out down the hillside below.

"Hey Kakashi…" Rin mumbled. A slight breeze ruffled her hair as she turned to look at him, "Would you come to the Academy graduation?"

Kakashi looked at her; Rin quickly looked away. "Why would you want me there?" he pondered out loud.

"Well… Obito was going to ask you," she replied. Kakashi's shoulders stiffened slightly as she kept going, "I know you're not on the best of terms right now but he would really appreciate it. And… I would too."

"I…" Kakashi was at a loss for the first time in the past couple weeks. He _really_ didn't want to go. The parents would whisper and stare at him when they thought he wasn't looking. It already happened everywhere, so why would he actively seek it out?

But that probably wasn't the main reason he didn't want to go. It wasn't that he wasn't getting along with Obito or the stares really. It was just _seeing_ the graduates with their parents. Most kids at that age still had both of their parents.

And well, it_ hurt_ just thinking about it.

Rin's eyes returned to him as he hesitated. Kakashi took a deep breath before replying, "I've already accepted a mission on that day."

It was a horrible, awful lie that left a bad taste in Kakashi's mouth as soon as he said it. It wouldn't really be that hard to get a mission that day if he actually wanted to right?

"Oh."

_Oh._ That was it? _Oh._ Really?

That hadn't been so hard.

Rin nodded, unusually quiet. As quickly as he thought it had been settled, his mind thought otherwise. Okay, maybe she did want him to go. But… he had a duty to the village and he was sure that there would be some type of mission for him that day. There had to be. They could celebrate later with ramen or something.

"All right, well, I need to get going," Rin stated. She got up and retrieved her bag.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked.

"Home," Rin said simply. Kakashi felt slapped in the face as she walked away. It was the same thing he had said to Obito. Had she heard about their last argument?

Any answers he could have gotten were quickly squashed as he didn't move to follow her. Rin grew smaller as she made her way down the street until finally vanishing into the meandering crowd.

Maybe this was some divine justice for some wrong he committed in life. Kakashi sighed. He wasn't sure if Rin was angry or disappointed. Hell, maybe she didn't even care and was only asking for Obito.

He sat under the tree a long time after that trying to get his mind on a new possible mission for later, but nothing seemed to matter suddenly. Kakashi frowned. This was going to be a long next couple of days.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean there are no missions today!?"<p>

Kakashi slammed his hands on the desk in front of him. Minato remained still as he checked his reports calmly. "There are no available missions today," the older shinobi repeated.

That couldn't be right. There wasn't even a citizen or farmer that needed the slightest assistance around the village today!? Kakashi wasn't buying it. He just wanted something as simple as a solo run to the grocery for an elderly woman or something. _Anything._ He had to keep moving. He had to get his mind off of today.

Kakashi tried to keep his voice level, but it came out a bit forced, "Please, check again."

"I'm sorry Kakashi. I haven't been given anything and the Hokage is at the Academy ceremony today."

That had to be a goddamn lie. Kakashi turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose. Wonderful. Great. Just _perfect_. He had nothing to do and Minato was refusing to give him anything to fill his time. So much for staying active in the field…

He heard the chair behind him creak. Minato let out a sigh and Kakashi looked at him. "Kakashi.." the older shinobi exhaled, "You should really take a break."

"A break?" Kakashi could have laughed at the idea.

"Yes, I think you need one," Minato replied. "You've been working yourself into the ground the past few weeks." His expression lightened up a bit as he teased, "Go find yourself a woman and lay low for a while. Take a nice vacation."

"You're joking right?" Kakashi was appalled. A girl!? _Seriously?_

Minato chuckled, "Oh right, you may be a little young for that sort of thing yet." Kakashi wasn't amused, and he must have showed it because Minato's expression turned serious, "All right, you really want a mission that badly?"

Kakashi nodded trying not to let his eagerness show. Anything would be better than being turned away with nothing!

Minato returned the gesture, "Very well… your new mission is to attend the graduation ceremony."

_What?_

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Minato questioned.

Oops. Had he said that out loud?

Kakashi stared at Minato for a long second, "May I ask why, _sir_?" He had walked straight into that one. Damn.

"Kakashi," the older shinobi sighed, "I think you'll understand why."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask. Oh he understood why. They all wanted him to show some "feelings" and be normal. Well bad news for them. He was who he was! And that also meant he couldn't turn down a mission... _Great._

The young chuunin nodded curtly and turned for the door. Oh there would be hell to pay for this later. He would make sure of that.

* * *

><p>His collar was too tight. His jacket was too warm. Kakashi tugged on the material once again. He was seriously not comfortable as he ambled around the academy yard, and he was glad he kept his mask on. Less people were looking his way as parents took their seats for the graduating ceremony.<p>

Kakashi didn't even know why they had it. The kids technically graduated the week before and were now being assigned their teachers and teams as genins. He supposed it was just a formality for the public to look in on and feel comforted that another generation of shinobi was rising to protect them and their families? It was good logic, he guessed.

The chuunin took a spot along the wall where many of the other older shinobi were gathering. Some were in position for guarding the area. Kakashi wondered who would actually attack something like this, but hell, people did crazy stuff.

A hush fell over the parents and other attendees as they shifted in their seats. If Kakashi remembered right, there would be a speaker—most likely a highly notable shinobi of the village—and then names would be read. It wasn't a very glamorous ceremony from what he could recall. After the documents were distributed, the kids would then be assigned to their new teams.

Kakashi leaned back against the warm bricks. "Gonna be a long day…" he sighed quietly to himself. His eyes flickered up to the podium as Tsunade appeared to be the speaker. Well that was interesting. His eyes wandered off to the left where the graduates were sitting impatiently for the proceedings.

"I would like to thank you all for coming today," Tsunade started into one of her "Add a medic, save more lives!" speeches. Kakashi understood her concerns with the battlefield. He had seen a good handful of people die just because there were no medics available to help them with an otherwise non-life threatening injury.

Kakashi blinked as he caught sight of Rin in the small crowd. Large stripes had been added to her cheeks, no doubt being her family's clan mark or other symbol of significance. The blocks were that strange dark red stuff… Rin called it purple right?

Kakashi continued to watch her. Rin watched Tsunade with barely contained excitement. Was she considering being a medic?

The more Kakashi thought about it, the more it seemed to fit. Rin had excellent chakra control whenever he had seen her in action and her thirst for knowledge would only grow as she got older. What better way to curb her bouncing energy and funnel it into saving lives?

The chuunin scanned the graduates for Obito. The Uchiha was sitting toward the back of the group and… was looking straight at him. Kakashi stiffened as they locked eyes. Or was Obito looking past him? Kakashi glanced to the side. He didn't see anyone worthy of noting to stare at.

He looked back at Obito and found the Uchiha had looked away. Well then, Obito knew he was here now. Kakashi couldn't tell if he was still angry or not.

A round of applause rose from the parents. Tsunade was done already? Kakashi shuffled his feet. On to the naming and presentation of unnecessary diplomas. Kakashi watched with little interest as the first name was announced.

He sized the genin up in one glance. Too big to be a proper stealth force, but strong enough to be a frontline fighter. Sure people always had a few surprises, but Kakashi was known for his analysis abilities. As each graduate came forward, Kakashi mentally noted every strength and weakness he could read from their movements, build, and what he knew of their abilities already. He carefully placed each graduate in a division that he could see them possibly working in. It was a surefire way to pass time until…

"Rin Nohara."

Kakashi focused on the young kunoichi as she rose from her seat. She stepped up and received her diploma with a low bow for Tsunade. Her face didn't hold the usual bouncy, happy energy that it typically did. Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed. She was graduating. Why wasn't she happy about it? It wasn't like she didn't know what she was getting into or anything.

Rin straightened up and gave a halfhearted bow to the parents. Kakashi frowned under his mask. Now_ that_ was _not_ the Rin he knew. She should have been jumping off the stage in excitement or something crazy that Rin did when she couldn't contain herself.

As Rin turned away to return to her seat, he did something he never thought he would have done. Kakashi whistled loudly causing the polite applause to hesitate. Rin even hesitated.

Kakashi whistled sharply again and waited for the stares to come. People were turning in their seats to find him but the only one he cared about was the one walking off the stage. He raised a hand in a little wave as Rin followed the second whistle and looked at him. If anything could have brightened his world more at that moment, Kakashi probably would have gone blind. Rin's confused expression split into the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. She waved back and practically ran back to her seat.

"Obito Uchiha."

Tsunade recaptured the attention of the people whose eyes had strayed to Kakashi. He silently thanked her under his breath. There were no lingering gazes today. What a relief.

Obito rose from his chair and walked proudly up to Tsunade. Kakashi was rather impressed with his seriousness until the moment he turned to walk back and tripped. He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle like the rest of the gathered people. Obito gracefully took to the humor as well and laughed it off as he got up. Typical Obito.

"That is it for our graduates~!" Tsunade announced and another round of applause rose from the crowd. She continued on as the noise died, "Our new genins will now be placed into their selected teams. Please note, this year the genins will briefly meet with their leaders before we let them leave here. Thank you."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. From what he could remember, he had had to wait three days after to officially meet his team leader. He shrugged it off. These things were always changing. He could remember getting out of the ceremony after the silly diplomas were handed out and… Kakashi stiffened as a wave of emotion hit him. He had run to his father's arms and celebrated the whole night with him…

The chuunin closed his eyes and waited for the painful feeling in his chest to subside. Why now of all times did he have to face the memories he'd rather forget?

By the time he had his emotions contained, Tsunade was through most of the team listings. He glanced around. Had he missed Obito or Rin's assignments? Looking at the groups that were clumping around their new team leaders, Kakashi figured he hadn't.

"Minato Kamikaze's team is…" Tsunade looked at her list trying to find her place on the sheet.

"Minato?" Kakashi breathed.

"Yes?" Minato spoke up at his side.

Kakashi's head whipped around. Minato was casually standing next to him.

"You're taking a team this year?" Kakashi asked him, unsure if he had heard Tsunade right.

"Yes, I am," Minato smiled as Tsunade found her place again, "They are very special individuals."

"Really?" Kakashi responded sarcastically, "Have fun with that."

"Minato Namikaze's team will include: Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and…" Tsunade paused. Kakashi was nodding in approval when Tsunade glanced their way, "Kakashi Hatake."

_What?_

"Surprised?" Minato chuckled.

Damn. Had he said that out loud again?

Kakashi looked over as Obito and Rin approached them. They looked almost as bewildered as Kakashi felt.

What the hell was this? He was a solo mission runner! He didn't need a team.

Minato set a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, "Everything happens for a reason, Kakashi."

Kakashi didn't know what to think. The more he thought about it, the more stunned he was. Minato had been looking out for him the past few weeks, and now he had used his influence to keep Kakashi by side. He didn't know what to say to the other man.

"You came!" Arms flew around Kakashi's neck and he staggered a little off balance as Rin hugged him tightly. "I really didn't think you'd stay at home. Honest!" Thank god for whoever invented masks because Kakashi knew he was blushing.

"Of course I did," the chuunin replied, trying to pry the kunoichi's arms from around his neck. Obito merely stared at him. Yup, he was still angry.

"We're gonna make the best team ever!" Rin exclaimed. She finally let Kakashi go and punched the air, "Team Minato!"

Obito cracked a smile at Rin's outburst. Minato let out a chuckle and looked at Kakashi, "This is going to be an interesting endeavor to say the least…"

Minato could say that again. Kakashi sure as hell didn't know what to do.


	4. Blue

**_Author's Notes: Okay, so I realized this chapter really needed to get up. I can't stop laughing at it. So here you go. Enjoy~! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I wish I owned the characters but I don't. :')_**

* * *

><p><em>Blue oblivion, largely lit, smiled and smiled at me.<em>  
><strong> ~William Rose Benet<strong>

**Chapter 4- Blue**

"Come on Kakashi! Hit the blue one!" Obito laughed. Kakashi's nerves were frayed to the point where he wanted to throw the kunai _at_ Obito instead of the little targets they had set up around the training area. Rin was watching though, so he wouldn't.

The chuunin looked at all the targets that were set up. This was a horrible idea. They were supposed to be all different colors, but Kakashi couldn't _see_ most of them. How the hell was he supposed to figure this out!? It was cruelty on Rin's part; she knew he didn't want anyone else finding out about his color problems.

There was a bright pink target in the tree. His eyes slid across the field. A purple one was to his left. Another pink one was to his far right and a red one was behind him. It was all the ones in between that drove him crazy.

There _was_ an odd looking purple one tied to a makeshift body target. Hell, he might as well take a stab at that one. It was purple, but not quite there. Kakashi flicked a kunai from his bag and stuck the weird target with his kunai in the blink of an eye.

"Wonderful!" Rin exclaimed. She clapped her hands together as if it was some great feat. Kakashi was just hoping Obito wouldn't ask questions.

"What was that? You colorblind today or something?" the Uchiha laughed.

"Taking my time…" Kakashi replied lamely.

This only made the Uchiha laugh harder. "Gosh! Kakashi taking his time!? Who would've guessed big bad ass Kakashi Hatake would do such a thing!"

Kakashi sent a scathing glare at Rin. The kunoichi looked away abashed. Oh she knew this was a _great_ idea. It might have been had Obito not suddenly tagged along, but what could they say? They were a team now.

Obito's laughter stopped suddenly as the Uchiha caught sight of Minato walking into the grounds, "Hey! Minato~! What's up?!"

Minato had a passive, soft smile on.

Oh no.

What were they in for today?

"I have our first mission," Minato replied.

Kakashi smirked under his mask. This was going to be good. It had to be something completely ridiculous.

"Awesome!" Obito cheered. The Uchiha jumped up excitedly, "What is it!? Do we get to fight bandits!? Or or maybe find a lost princess!?"

Minato chuckled and waited for the Uchiha to settle down, "No no, but this is just as important."

"What is it then?" Rin's eagerness was laced in her voice.

Minato feigned thinking for a moment, "Well… we need to shop for Ms. Okinawa. She has hurt her back and isn't able to leave the house to get things that she needs… poor thing."

"WHAT!?" Obito shrieked, "That's IT?!"

Kakashi simply nodded. Did Obito really expect to get anything better when he was just a genin?

"And after," Minato raised a hand to continue, "We may be able to pick up another for catching a cat that has gotten loose from a home."

"Are you kidding me!?" Obito looked utterly horrified. The Uchiha looked at Kakashi for help, "He's joking right!?"

Now Kakashi had to input his opinion. "Did you expect more?" he asked, meeting the Uchiha's eyes.

Obito immediately looked away with a grumble. They still couldn't meet eye to eye. Kakashi knew there was a rift between them still to be healed. Only time would tell if it would or not.

"Rin?" Obito questioned next.

"Right! Let's do it!" Rin burst out.

"What!?" Obito nearly freaked out again.

"I have the list right here," Minato smiled and handed it over to Rin. Kakashi felt another smirk cross his lips. Someone knew exactly what they were getting into with being a genin. He just hoped Obito would wake up and smell the daisies now. Kakashi paused. What color were daisies anyway? Maybe he would stop by the flower shop and see if the daisies there were any of the colors he could see. He hadn't been there in a while.

"This looks simple enough," Rin commented as she looked over the list. Minato shot Kakashi a cheeky grin. Yup. He had picked this one on purpose. The damn jounin always had an underlying plan for everything.

Kakashi walked over and took his kunai out of the targets as Obito continued to grumble and whine. This was probably going to be a test of teamwork and tolerance. Making sure Obito didn't ditch out and keeping Rin on track while shopping was going to be trying, but it wasn't anything Kakashi couldn't handle. It was a mission, and the mission had to be completed… even if it was simply picking up groceries for the elderly.

* * *

><p>"Would adding anything be weird?" Rin asked as the group walked along the street toward Ms. Okinawa's home. She glanced at a couple vendors curiously and clutched the bag in her arms closer to her chest.<p>

"Like what?" Kakashi asked as he carried multiple bags. Obito dragged his feet behind them with a few more bags as they proceeded onward.

"Oh! Like that little piggy charm!" Rin pointed out a vendor selling animal charms along with other small trinkets.

"Why would you buy that?" Obito asked as he shuffled behind them.

"Cuz it's cute?" Rin smiled innocently.

Kakashi shook his head a little, "Let's stick to the list."

Rin pouted but complied. Kakashi glanced back down the street. He was sure he had heard footsteps following them. He frowned slightly. He hoped it wasn't who he thought it was. They continued in silence for another minute before Kakashi's senses perked up suddenly.

"HIYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAA!"

The chuunin always heard it before he saw it. And it was exactly what he was dreading.

Kakashi shoved Rin to the side and immediately ducked. A quick breeze passed over his head as a tight-wearing leg whizzed by just above him.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Kakashi twisted awkwardly to protect the bags he was carrying and caught the next roundhouse between his arm and side.

Obito and Rin stepped back in shock as the scene settled into place. Kakashi held onto the offending foot as Might Guy hopped awkwardly next to him.

"L-Let go!" Guy stuttered as his balance teetered off center.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do this when I am on a mission," Kakashi responded. He let Guy's foot go, but not before shoving him completely off balance. Guy flopped over and then rolled up into a crouch as gracefully as he could.

"My springtime of youth cannot be—! Oh… sorry," Guy finished sheepishly as Kakashi's words sank in.

"Yea…" Kakashi huffed slightly. He let his annoyance show for a few moments, "Come back later or something."

"I promise on my youthfulness that I will challenge you later!" Guy announced to the group. He struck a thumbs-up pose before taking off down the street in a sprint.

"W-Who was that?" Rin blinked. It was like they had never been disturbed.

"Might Guy," Kakashi answered. He was probably going to regret the "come back later" thing. Oh well. Kakashi glanced at Obito, who was being unusually quiet. He caught an awed look on the Uchiha's face before it dissipated into irritation.

"Keep your personal life out of our missions!" Obito scolded and continued walking.

"I don't think I was trying to bring it in…" Kakashi replied under his breath. He watched the Uchiha march on.

Rin must have heard him. "Don't worry about it," she said softly, "Things happen."

Kakashi nodded. Obito was frustrated with their basic mission. They had to give him a little time to adjust. Kakashi, once again, just hoped it wouldn't take too long for the Uchiha to settle down.

* * *

><p>"So you can see blue now?" Rin asked as they sat under the same tree they always visited.<p>

Kakashi thought about it for a moment, "Is it like purple?" He'd certainly seen some weird shades of purple lately.

"Well yes and no," Rin replied. That was a completely clear answer. Kakashi wanted her to give every answer he asked for like this. Every time. "Um… well, it's like," Rin continued. Obviously colors were still hard to describe even when she could see them all. "Purple is a mix of red and blue," she finally said, "Too much red and you get a brighter tone, usually. Too much blue and you get a darker shade."

Because that totally made sense. Kakashi wasn't sure if he should be sarcastic about it or not. He was already tired from the past couple weeks trying to get settled into the new team. Obito wasn't helping matters either by constantly questioning his ideas and actions. They had almost lost a damn cat on one mission because Obito thought he could do it without help.

_Ugh._

What was his problem anyway? Kakashi had tried being polite to him and had let some sort of emotion pass to his friends lately, but the Uchiha stubbornly turned his back on any attempt Kakashi made to mend the rift between them. Maybe he really had burned that bridge beyond repair.

Whatever. It was Obito's problem, not his.

"Kakashi?" Rin brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" he asked, not looking up from the crinkling color chart on the ground.

"I—um… wanted to ask you something…" she started.

"What is it?" he said automatically. It must not have been good if she was hesitating. He turned to her when she didn't say anything.

"Um…"

Kakashi blinked. Was Rin's face pink? Kakashi reached over and touched her forehead, "Are you feeling all right Rin?"

"No! I mean yes! I'm fine!" she responded almost frantically.

"Well then what is it?" he pressed gently. It was no use getting her worked up over whatever she was going to say.

"I just… I just wanted to say—" Rin started, but she never got any further as Kakashi saw a flash of movement behind her. He was instantly up on his feet knocking Rin out of the way. Kakashi staggered backward as the kick that came in knocked him off balance.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Guy knocked Kakashi back as he landed a kick to his side. The chuunin hit the ground and rolled into a defensive crouch. He waited for Guy to attack again but the other was taking his time in posing.

"Kakashi Hatake I challenge you here and now! For the sake of the power of youth I will defeat you!" Guy announced.

"He's not fighting you!" Rin growled as she got to her feet.

Kakashi let out a sigh, "Rin... let me handle this." It was about time he settled this growing tension between him and Guy. Every so often they would break into bouts of challenging each other, and it was just another one of those days.

Might as well. He hadn't had a good fight in a while thanks to Minato's slow pace of working Rin and Obito into his training and small missions.

Guy flashed a shiny, white smile. Kakashi couldn't wait to wipe the grin off his face. Maybe this wouldn't be a bad time to make a test run of his developing lightning techniques. If it came to that… Kakashi was still working on it but he was sure there was _something_ he could do right now.

In the blink of an eye, Guy launched himself across the distance between them, "Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"

Kakashi blocked the kicked that arced down from above his head. He twisted as quickly as Guy did and caught the other shinobi's fist before it hit him in the gut. He wasn't going to take a hit in the same spot twice. Chakra gathered in his hand. Guy deftly escaped Kakashi's grip before the small tendrils of lightning could burn him.

Guy kept moving and was behind Kakashi in a flash, but the chuunin was ready. Kakashi quickly dropped down and avoided the punch thrown at him. He swept Guy's right leg out from under him and the shinobi tumbled to the ground. Kakashi's palm struck the ground as Guy rolled away; the grass sizzling as it came into contact with the lightning sparks.

"Ha, not bad," Guy commented as he took his stance again a little distance away.

"I've been working on it," Kakashi deadpanned.

"Well I've been working too!" Guy responded with another grin.

Once again, Guy rushed at Kakashi, "Leaf Rock Destroying Rise!" Kakashi moved to counter him when suddenly the world lit up around him. He knew this technique! What was going on!? The strange brightness stung his eyes.

And then Guy's elbow struck him across the face. Kakashi flew backward as the world spun around him. His eyes closed. Kakashi hit the ground and slid to a stop. What the hell had just happened?

Oh right. Guy had hit him with a simple taijutsu technique that should have never found its mark, but whatever the weird light had been had distracted him. And it had been long enough to let Guy connect with his face.

"Kakashi!" he could hear Rin calling his name and her footsteps in the grass as she ran over.

Kakashi opened his eyes. A vivid intensity across his vision nearly made him close them again. He stared up at the sky as Rin fell to her knees next him, "Are you all right!?"

The chuunin stared up at the sky. There was something terribly wrong with it. The whole entire thing.

"The sky…" he breathed. Okay, he was probably just stunned from the hit he took.

"The sky?" Rin asked. She looked up for a couple of seconds before looking back down at him with a lopsided smile, "It's blue, if that's what you mean."

"Is he okay!?" Guy was standing over him now with a concerned look, "I swear I didn't hit him that hard!"

"The sky is blue…" Kakashi stated quietly as he stared up at the vast weirdness of the new color. What a time to see it. There was so much of it…

"Oh no! Get him to a medic!" Guy spazzed out, ruining Kakashi's moment of discovery.

Rin pulled Kakashi's mask down and slowly checked his face for damage. As he had thought, Rin had taken to being a medic like a fish to water. She was attending classes under Tsunade's teaching and could already administer an intermediate level of first aid. Kakashi noticed her hands were tinged a bit blue as she worked. Interesting. Chakra even had color?

"He'll be fine," Rin stated after a minute. The blue died from her hands, but the blue stuff in the sky remained bright and hurtful to the eyes. "Nothing's broken. He'll probably just have bruising and some swelling."

Guy looked torn between worry and pride. Kakashi figured he'd give this round to the tight-suited shinobi. He wasn't about to admit his color deficiency had caused the unlikely hit.

"Let's get you some ice," Rin said as he finally sat up.

Kakashi nodded as he slipped his mask back over his face. Guy offered a hand and Kakashi looked up at him before taking it. The shinobi helped him to his feet.

"I may have lied a little," Guy commented sheepishly, "I did hit you harder than what I should have."

Kakashi let out a chuckle, which received confused looks from the other two. The chuunin clapped a hand across Guy's back and started walking, "I won't be so giving next time."

Guy's face contorted in an amusing expression as his success was downplayed as a freebee hit, "And I'll beat you again!"

"I call this match a scratch," Rin put in, crushing Guy's ego further. She collected their belongings and caught up with the men as they continued their almost in-sync walking. "And from now on, no more fighting!" she added.

"Hm," Guy considered this for a moment, "Very well. I will find other challenges to best Kakashi with!"

"I'm sure you will," Kakashi replied as he stared up at the blue sky, "I'm sure you will…"

In a way, the sky looked prettier this way. He smiled under his mask as he looked ahead. Even the grass and leaves on the trees had a strange blueness to them. It was truly a beautiful day out. And he was with friends he loved.

Kakashi let out a wistful sigh. Except for the stinging along the side of his face, things were starting to look up finally.


End file.

Naruto, Adventure, Romance