Chapter Text
Dinner had been a sordid affair, with Kakashi trying to stick pieces of himself back together into something resembling a functioning human and both Rin and Sasuke politely not mentioning it. He strained his Sharingan for as long as he could just for the assurance that they were there even if it made him feel guilty every time he caught sight of the kitchen counter through their bodies. Despite their protests - well, Rin's, who bullied Sasuke into begrudgingly saying that they weren't strictly necessary - he burnt offerings for them instead of a meal. It made him feel better, at least for a little while.
Without the Sharingan, he couldn't see Rin at all, but he caught glimpses of Sasuke hovering around him in mirrors and reflective surfaces. His expression - what he could catch in the moments between seconds - looked very put-upon, so it was likely that he was there at Rin's behest and not his own. Or perhaps, Kakashi dared to hope as he caught Sasuke's eye through the bathroom mirror, he cared enough to go along with Rin's demands without much of a fight.
It was deeply disconcerting to try and fall asleep in an apartment he knew wasn't as empty as it looked. Especially since one of the people occupying the space was his former student; Rin had seen him struggle through nightmares before, but he couldn't let go of his pride as a sensei and let himself break down in front of Sasuke. Not when the boy was likely struggling to come to terms with his death by himself.
"Are you alright, Sasuke?" He asked the room at large as he lay in bed, dreading the moment he would close his eyes. For a moment, there was silence, and Kakashi exhaled quietly. He hadn't been expecting an answer anyway.
Something skittered across the floor.
Kakashi sat up and watched in apathetic fascination as a pencil was lifted off the ground and across the room. It was dropped unceremoniously halfway, and Kakashi didn't need to hear him to imagine Sasuke's frustrated curses as it was picked up again. It made the journey over to the wall facing Kakashi and slowly rose up it, twitching minutely as it began to write characters on the wall.
Rin says go to sleep
Kakashi huffed, a smile on his lips. "I asked about you, Sasuke. Don't change the subject."
The pencil jerked as if Sasuke were pretending to throw it at him, but his lack of control over his newfound ability to grasp things meant the pencil flew out of his incorporeal hand and would've hit Kakashi square on the nose. He caught it before it could connect and raised an eyebrow at the writing on the wall. "I hope that was an accident."
There was a tug on the pencil. Kakashi loosened his grip and Sasuke took the pencil back to write a response.
I wish it wasn't
"You really shouldn't be rude to your sensei, you know."
Not my sensei
The pencil jerked again and clattered to the floor. It rose up and began writing again.
Rin says you need to be quiet and go to sleep
Kakashi tilted his head. "But she hasn't said anything about you calling me names? I find that hard to believe."
The following words were short, sharp and silted.
She did
Kakashi snorted in amusement. "I'm glad. Just answer my question, and I'll go to sleep and be out of your hair, alright?" He wheedled.
The pencil paused in the air, surprisingly still, and didn't move for a long moment.
I'm fine
Sasuke wrote at last.
Now go to bed
"Don't think that'll put me off. I'll be asking about this later." Kakashi said mock-threateningly.
Whatever
Kakashi rolled his eyes and laid back down. "Don't forget to clean all that writing off the wall." He called over his shoulder. The pencil began writing again, stopped, and continued. Kakashi rolled over and caught sight of a caricature rolling its eyes at him. "Very mature."
Sasuke drew a hand flicking him the middle finger and placed the pencil back on his desk.
Kakashi dozed off to the sounds of Sasuke trying to figure out how to rub the pencil off the walls. He slept without dreams and woke not feeling rested, but rather relieved he hadn't conducted himself embarrassingly in his sleep besides the usual ending up in positions he swore he hadn't been in the evening before. The wall was clean, at the very least, and he caught sight of Sasuke's trademark fluffy hair in the metal insignia of his headband before he fixed it over his eye. "Morning." He greeted aloud.
Sasuke didn't write on the walls again - likely because he couldn't be bothered to clean them again - but the pencil moved on Kakashi's desk as Sasuke wrote an echo of his greeting on a discarded piece of paper.
"Glad you've found a better alternative to graffiti." Kakashi said cheerfully and was rewarded with the words 'I am rolling my eyes at you'.
"This reminds me of the games I used to see Academy students play with coins and Ouija boards." Kakashi mused thoughtlessly as he pulled a shirt over his head. "Kokkuri-san, was it? You're like a real-life Kokkuri-san, Sasuke."
The words 'I am rolling my eyes at you' were underlined. Kakashi chuckled as Sasuke wrote further. 'Rin says to stop dawdling and start doing what you promised you would.'
"Can Rin not write?" Kakashi asked curiously. Sasuke stole an eraser, etched 'no' onto one side, 'yes' onto the other and 'maybe' on the ones in between. He flipped it so it displayed the side with 'no' written on it face-up.
Kakashi hummed. "Are you using your Sharingan to interact with things?"
The rubber flipped to the 'yes' side.
'Rin and I have been experimenting with what I can do,' Sasuke wrote. 'But I can only pick up small objects so far. I'll get better - it just drains my energy like the Sharingan would've.'
Kakashi frowned. "What happens when your energy is drained?" He asked.
The pencil paused. It spun erratically in the air as Sasuke tried organising his thoughts.
'I disappear.' Sasuke wrote finally, and Kakashi's breath caught in his throat.
'I blinked, and I woke up on a mortician's table. It was morning, and I was lying inside of my corpse. I didn't know how much time had passed until I got out.'
"And you didn't see or hear or feel anything in the time between when you...passed out, for want of a better word, until the morning?"
The rubber flipped back to the 'no' side. Sasuke's next words were written in a firm, pressing hand as his dissatisfaction bled through his handwriting. 'I didn't even so much as catch a glimpse of the Pure Lands. There was nothing.'
"...Well, I'm glad you're still here, at least." Kakashi tried.
'I'm not.' Sasuke wrote shortly. The pencil fell onto the desk and Kakashi sighed.
"No, I don't suppose you would be." He murmured to himself as he dressed in his jonin uniform. A chakra signature prodded at his seals as he left his bedroom. He turned into the kitchen and was met with the sight of an Anbu operative crouched at his window. Kakashi frowned and let them in, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed as they stood stiffly to attention.
"The Hokage requests your presence."
"Now?"
"As soon as possible."
So now, Kakashi thought to himself moodily. Not even enough time to make breakfast. He glanced around the kitchen but didn't see either of his ghostly companions, and he couldn't risk revealing his Sharingan lest the Anbu assume he was threatening them.
"I suppose I could spare some time now." Kakashi sighed. The Anbu gave him a sharp nod.
"Don't be late." They tossed over their shoulder in lieu of a goodbye before they body flickered away.
"Rude." Kakashi grumbled as he eyed the open window balefully.
Something light fell onto the countertop behind him, and he turned to find it was the piece of paper and pencil Sasuke had been writing with in his room.
'You do that all the time.' Sasuke had written near the bottom of the page.
"Because it's cool when I do it. If anyone else does it, it's just annoying."
'I am rolling my eyes' was underlined for the second time.
"How cute. I assume you both heard what Turtle said?" Kakashi asked at large as Sasuke underlined 'I am rolling my eyes' for the third time. He hesitated. "...Are you coming?"
'Rin is.' Sasuke replied. 'I'm going to rearrange your sock drawer.'
Kakashi snorted. "Why?"
'Because you suck. Obviously I'm coming; what else do I have to do, you dumb-'
The pencil skittered across the page and rolled across the countertop. Kakashi caught it before it hit the floor. "I assume Rin wasn't happy with the end of that sentence. If we're all ready, let's get going."
He risked a glance with the Sharingan. Rin gave him a big grin and a thumbs up; Sasuke gave him a much less courteous middle finger and was promptly smacked by Rin. Kakashi chuckled to himself as he pulled his headband back over his eye and left through the window the Anbu had left open. The morning breeze had a bite to it, or maybe it was just long exposure to his ghostly companions. The sun was pleasantly warm as he left the shadow thrown by his apartment building, and as he crossed from the golden morning into the shadowed office of the Sandaime Hokage, he couldn't help but thoughtlessly ponder the change of atmosphere. It was warmer when Minato-sensei was Hokage, he thought to himself as he bowed before the Sandaime.
Hiruzen gave him a smile tinged with sadness. "Thank you for answering our summons so soon. I apologise for the urgency, but we have much to discuss."
"It's no trouble." It was, actually, but you couldn't say that to the Hokage's face no matter how lenient he was.
If he was aware of the insurgent atmosphere, Hiruzen didn't show it. "On behalf of Konoha, I express my deepest regret and heartfelt grief at the loss of one of our children and the last of the Uchiha clan. As his teacher, I cannot begin to fathom the anguish you must feel in the face of this tragedy. We have suffered a great tragedy."
"Thank you for your condolences, Hokage-sama." Kakashi murmured politely.
"I am aware they may seem merely empty words to you. But mere words cannot express the depth of my sorrow for this truly unfortunate situation we find ourselves in. Please remember that my door is always open if you wish to talk."
It really wasn't. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
"Your other students have been taken care of, rest assured." Hiruzen told him as he lit his pipe. "They have been given two weeks to recover. You may be surprised to know that they both chose to continue the path of a shinobi. It seems the death of their teammate has served to strengthen their resolve."
"They're strong." Kakashi agreed, blatantly contradicting his inner voice who wished Naruto and Sakura hadn't. "I'm sure that despite the loss they've suffered, they will rise above their grief and remember it as a cause worth fighting for."
"The death of children is a powerful motivator." Hiruzen said with a note of true sorrow in his voice.
Kakashi inclined his head, not trusting himself to answer. "Has there been any progress in the investigation into Sasuke's death?" He asked instead.
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to share with the public until the results have been decided." Hiruzen replied apologetically. "But the funeral will be in two days. If you believe the process will be painful to experience, you do not need to attend, but I recommend you do."
Kakashi inclined his head stiffly. "I will take your advice into consideration."
"Of course. I assume you've already spoken with our T&I department about any extenuating factors you believe may have led to Sasuke's death." It wasn't a question - it was a statement, daring Kakashi to open his mouth and contradict himself. Of course, this wouldn't be a concern if Kakashi had nothing to hide, but he was acutely aware that the room wasn't as empty as it looked. He had felt an eerie sensation of being watched ever since he'd left the house and while he couldn't activate his Sharingan to check, it had been the same sensation that had led to him being able to see Sasuke the first time. He assumed it was Sasuke at least; he'd never felt anything like it before despite Rin being by his side since the day he killed her she died.
He knew the circumstances were not as they seemed, but he kept his mouth shut and said nothing of it.
He said nothing, only nodded jerkily and let his eye curve into a smile as fake as the Sandaime's condolences. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
"Good. It always saddens me to see one of Konoha's best shinobi struck by tragedy." Hiruzen smiled. "You may go now. I don't want to keep you for too long."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed, and without ceremony, left the room with the feeling of eyes boring into his back. He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and began to walk through the halls of the Hokage Tower, looking for a window to leave by.
The quiet click of a cane against the floorboards was all the warning Kakashi had before he turned the corner and came face to face with Shimura Danzo.
"Shimura-san." Kakashi greeted as the temperature suddenly plummeted. The feeling of having an unseen presence by his side was no longer mere foreboding but now downright dangerous as the very air seemed to darken. Sasuke's influence, Kakashi thought to himself as his hands involuntarily curled into fists. But why?
"Hatake-san." Danzo greeted in turn. "I take it you've just met with Hiruzen?"
Kakashi nodded once. "I have."
"He spoke to you about Sasuke, did he not?" Danzo enquired, but he sounded like he already knew the answer and was merely asking for Kakashi's benefit.
"He expressed his condolences and informed me that there was a funeral to be held in two days." Kakashi affirmed. He didn't know if it was Sasuke's unexplained sudden agitation making him paranoid, but something seemed off about the councilman.
Danzo inclined his head. "Indeed. Though it is true that we are unable to share details of the investigation with outsiders," And didn't that sting. "I can reveal that enquiries are being made into possible suspects."
"So the investigation is proceeding under the assumption it was a homicide?"
"You can draw your own conclusions if you wish."
Kakashi pressed his lips together and looked at the floor.
Danzo placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's no need for you to concern yourself with such matters anymore. But if it is something you feel strongly about, don't hesitate to talk to me. My door is always open." Danzo said in a voice that was a thin degree of separation away from kind, unwittingly echoing the Sandaime's words from mere minutes ago. And yet Kakashi knew that he could not talk to either of them about what he knew, so once again he kept his mouth shut.
Danzo seemed to take his silence as understanding and patted his shoulder once more before he walked away in the opposite direction. The oppressive atmosphere shifted as he moved away, caught between following the councillor or continuing to mire Kakashi in the very discomforting feeling that something was deeply wrong. It stayed but wasn't happy about it, and the feeling of danger became one of fury. Kakashi watched the wallpaper begin to peel away from the walls with detached fascination as he hurried through the Tower and out through the nearest window. The sun had fully risen over the horizon now, yet Kakashi felt chilled to the bone. Still, something kept his hand from revealing his Sharingan to see why Sasuke was so agitated until he was back within the relative safety of his apartment.
Sasuke wasn't present - at least, not in the traditional sense. Kakashi caught a glimpse of dark hair, the Uchiha crest and redredred writhing and contorting as Sasuke flickered throughout the room and the lights turned on and off of their own volition.
"I think you'd better stop looking for a bit." Rin smiled, but it was strained, and she looked on the verge of vibrating apart at the seams herself.
Sasuke grabbed Kakashi's collar and snarled in his face. "He stole their fucking eyes." He spat with a gaping maw instead of a mouth, before he let go and reappeared in the centre of the room, whole and uninjured but still visibly shaking with rage. Deeming it safe to approach, Rin stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened, Sasuke?"
"That piece of shit Danzo." Sasuke ground out. "Has my fucking family's eyes in his arm."
Kakashi went cold.
"How do you know?" He asked faintly.
"Because their ghosts are still attached to him!" Sasuke hissed. A sharp gesture nearly smacked Rin in the face. "They can't fucking leave because that bastard had the balls to steal their fucking eyes! They're stuck, they can't leave, and Shisui-nii and all the rest aren't even fucking people anymore-"
Sasuke dragged his nails down his face agitatedly. "They're just shadows." He choked out. "They're barely there. They can't even speak, they just make noises and it's fucking unbearable. I couldn’t even look at them for too long because I couldn't stomach it."
Kakashi's hand went to Obito's eye. "Then-"
Sasuke shook his head. "I haven't seen anything. I've looked. Maybe it's because it was a gift, and Danzo fucking stole theirs."
"Do you think he'll steal your eyes now that you're dead?" Rin asked quietly.
"I don't know. He might try, but they're smashed to bits so they'll be of no use to anyone." Sasuke began pacing. "I need to be cremated. Maybe that's why I'm still here. I haven't been buried properly yet."
"Would you feel better if we stole your corpse and performed the proper rites after the funeral?" Rin asked softly.
"Yes." Sasuke said empathetically. Rin turned to Kakashi, who, after a moment's hesitation, nodded slowly. "If it's after the funeral, we can give it a go. We don't want to attract too much attention."
"Whatever it takes. I don't want to end up like Aunty Sei and the others." Sasuke gnawed fruitlessly on his bottom lip. "Can't we tell someone that piece of shit Danzo desecrated my family?"
"It takes...a lot of work to accuse someone like Shimura Danzo." Kakashi said slowly. "And I can't do anything with only the words of a ghost as evidence. If I try accusing him without proof, it could put me in a very bad position."
"We know he was stealing clan children at the very least, because he created a sort of private army called ROOT with them." Rin added. "Kakashi nearly joined it. The Hokage tried to shut it down once, but if he couldn't, then this operation runs a lot deeper than we might be able to handle. It's not something to be taken lightly."
Sasuke dragged his hands through his hair in frustration. "So there's nothing we can do? That piece of shit is walking around the village with my clan's eyes in his arm and I'm just supposed to - what, let him be?"
Kakashi shrugged helplessly.
"You could kill him." Rin piped up. Both Kakashi and Sasuke stared at her. "We're dead, right? But you can pick things up, and if he's got Sharingan, it means you can touch him. Since we're already stealing your corpse, why not add another to the list? We'll steal his as well and give the eyes a proper burial."
"I don't think you should be endorsing that course of action-" Kakashi protested, but Sasuke was already nodding in agreement.
"I can do that." His lip twisted in a vicious smirk. "I can do that. It would be fitting for the last of the Uchiha to rid the world of a bloodline thief."
Rin thought for a moment. "Won't it look suspicious if Danzo dies only a day after you did?" She mused.
"What are they going to do, suspect a ghost?" Sasuke sneered. "Even then, I never had a reason to so much as speak with the man before I died. Once they find the eyes, they'll just assume it was an attack targeted at people with the Sharingan."
"But no one other than us knows he has them." Kakashi pointed out.
"No one knows we know, either." Rin countered, but hesitated. "But the death of a high-ranking man like Shimura Danzo, especially after your death, Sasuke, will cause unrest in the village. Especially if the news about the stolen Sharingan gets out."
"And it will draw unnecessary attention to me, since I'll be the only one in Konoha left after a rash of murders targeting people with the Sharingan." Kakashi continued. "That'll cause problems if we want to go find Obito. They won't let me leave the village - at least, not alone."
Rin clicked her fingers. "And that would suck because it would mean we would have to be real sneaky about communicating with each other. It might make explaining why we have the sudden urge to visit Obito's place of death harder."
Sasuke visibly controlled himself. "So we do nothing." He grit out.
"We wait." Rin corrected. "We plan. Revenge is a dish best served cold, after all. If we're going to plot a murder, we have to do it right and in a way that is satisfying for all parties. Well, except for the victim."
Sasuke didn't reply, his brow furrowing further as he digested Rin's words. Rin waited patiently and Kakashi took the opportunity to sink into a chair at the kitchen table.
"...Fine." Sasuke spat out eventually. "I don't like this. At all. But fine."
Rin placed a hand on his shoulder, and, deeming it safe, wrapped him in a one-armed hug. "Thank you, Sasuke. We'll get around to it soon enough."
She gave Kakashi a pointed glare and he held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I haven't even had breakfast yet."
Rin sighed. "No, you haven't." She grumbled, and let go of Sasuke to herd Kakashi out of his chair and into the kitchen proper. "Go on, eat something. Then we'll make plans."
Sasuke continued to brood in the middle of the room until Rin pushed him into the seat Kakashi had recently vacated. She continued to flit back and forth between the two boys as she chastised Kakashi into choosing a healthier meal option and periodically checked on Sasuke to make sure he didn't become angry enough to mess with the lights again.
"I feel like you're abusing the fact that I can see you now to its fullest extent, Rin." Kakashi pretended to complain as he flopped down in another chair. His bowl of miso didn't even spill despite his seemingly careless actions.
"It's a dream come true, Kakashi." Rin replied breezily. "Watch what you're doing."
"Yes, Rin-sensei." Kakashi ducked to dodge a slap to the head, the action redundant as Rin's hand went through the top of his head.
"Don't you talk back to me, young man. Eat your breakfast." Rin huffed. "Sasuke, can you check on Kakashi's fridge to see what would go rotten if we left for a long time?"
Sasuke grunted and got to his feet, deigning to open the fridge door in favour of sticking his head through it. Kakashi hid a snicker in his bowl of miso at the sight and even Rin turned away to hide a smile.
Oblivious or perhaps just wilfully ignorant, Sasuke called back "You'd better finish the soup stock and the eggs soon. Everything else will be fine as long as we're back within six months."
"Alright." Kakashi replied as Sasuke pulled his head out of the fridge. "Now I know what I'm eating in the two days before your funeral, at least."
"Don't forget you need more food before we head out to Kusa." Rin added as she wandered into the kitchen to join Sasuke. "Preferably non-perishable. Sasuke, help me look for foodstuffs that fit that description, why don't you?"
Sasuke made a noise of acknowledgement.
Jointly, Rin and Sasuke went through Kakashi's cupboards methodically, throwing out what hadn't kept and manoeuvring tinned food and rations onto the kitchen counter despite Kakashi's half-hearted complaints that he hadn't permitted them. Both children ignored him, focused on making sure Sasuke didn't let anything fall through his incorporeal hands.
"It's kind of pathetic that you've got more non-perishables than fresh food, Kakashi." Rin announced as Sasuke set down the last can. "And even then, there's barely enough for a week. You need to take better care of yourself."
Kakashi ignored the last comment and sighed. "Guess I'm going shopping then."
"Are his weapons in order?" Sasuke asked Rin.
"Shouldn't you ask me?" Kakashi asked as Rin and Sasuke ignored him again. "Not that I'm aware of. We'll have to check." Rin answered thoughtfully.
"Why don't you two trust me to take care of my own things?" Kakashi whined. Rin and Sasuke stared at him, then looked pointedly at the small amount of food they'd collected on the table. Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"Okay, but that is another matter entirely."
"Sometimes small matters can be indicative of a larger problem." Rin said sagely. "Regardless. Check your weapons before we go shopping in case you need more."
"I was going to anyway." Kakashi told her. "Why am I letting two genin boss me around?" He muttered to himself.
"Because you love us. Don't forget to wash your dirty dishes." Rin said cheerfully. "If you tell us where your weapons are, we can check on them for you."
Kakashi snorted. "I'm not trusting either of you with the location of my weapons. Especially not since Sasuke can pick things up now."
"What, do you think we're going to attack you in your sleep?" Rin asked teasingly.
"I would."
Rin glared at Sasuke, who shrugged.
"At least you're honest, Sasuke." Kakashi hummed as he placed his bowl and chopsticks in the sink. "I'm going to deactivate my Sharingan to conserve chakra, so please try not to plot behind my back."
"You'd probably drop the kunai halfway. Your motor control isn't that good yet." Rin told Sasuke, and yanked his sleeve as he began to drift over to Kakashi unconsciously, a dazed expression on his face. "No." She said in the tone one would use when warning a disobedient dog.
Sasuke blinked, squinting at the sink suspiciously as Kakashi dutifully washed his dishes. "What the fuck was that?"
"Yeah, it'd be best if you steered clear of water. I get stuck to it on occasion, and I have it on good authority that is not fun trying to peel yourself away from it again. That authority being me." She indicated herself grandly.
Sasuke eyed the sink suspiciously. "Why?"
She shrugged. "Everyone knows that yūrei* are to water what moths are to lamps. Since water is believed to be a source of life, of course our base instincts would demand we stick to the closest source. Once you're aware of it, all it takes is ignoring the urge to avoid getting stuck, but you can get caught unawares if you're not actively ignoring the urge."
Sasuke grimaced. "That sounds..."
"Annoying? You have no idea. Or you will now at least." Rin sighed. "Just another downside of being dead, I suppose."
Sasuke swallowed in discomfort as Rin's face soured into an expression that wouldn't look out of place on his face but looked strange on hers, an almost apathetic expression of consideration as she ruminated in the thoughts of what she had lost the chance to experience upon dying. Clearing his throat, he asked, "...Should we go through Kakashi's things to find his weapons now that he can't see us?"
Rin blinked and gave him a sly smirk, though it looked a little forced. "Don't tell me you plan to make an attempt on Kakashi's life in his moment of weakness."
Sasuke shrugged. "I would, but he'd probably become a ghost just to spite me and then I'd never get rid of him."
Rin chuckled, the last of her sour mood fading from her face. "Well, I suppose I'll have to come with you just in case you try anything."
"If you must." Sasuke acquiesced, and made a great show of being very put-upon as he went to explore Kakashi's apartment with Rin only a step behind him.
"Rin."
"Hm?"
"If you...miss things, and you don't want to talk to Kakashi because you think they'll hurt him," Sasuke awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "You can. Um. Talk to me, if you want. I won't tell. Dead men tell no tales and all that. It might help, I guess."
His hand fell loosely to his side. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just...offering, I guess. I don't know. I think it's polite."
There was a muffled sound behind him. Sasuke hunched his shoulders defensively - Rin wasn't laughing at him, was she? Kami, he was never opening his mouth again.
As if she'd read his thoughts, Rin replied "I wasn't laughing at you." in a voice that sounded like she, at least, had been trying very hard not to. Sasuke's ears burned with embarrassment.
"Whatever." He muttered, and Rin chuckled out loud as she grabbed his hand.
"No, really. I'm happy that you asked. Thanks, Sasuke. I'll keep your offer in mind."
Sasuke responded with the famous Uchiha grunt of noncommittal, and the two began to investigate the apartment together with the poorly masked intent of causing havoc.