𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 [𝐤𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞]

𝟐.𝟓 𝐇𝐞 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬

        Her red eyes.

        It was all her mind thought of as waiting. She faced away from a wooden door, eyes on her toes. She wore funeral attire, a black kimono with black sandals, and her hair is tied to a low ponytail. 

        "Ready?" His emotionless eyes stared back at her dry, soulless ones. 

        She was distracted and hadn't heard his footsteps. "Huh?"

        ...

        "C'mon let's go."

        "Sure." Even in the darkest moments, Hanai always manages to smile. It was what caught Kakashi's interest, since the moment they met in their younger years. Hanai's majority of her life was spent in war and hatred, she bore much more losses than Kakashi, yet she always managed to grow and find love in others. She always found the cracks of sunlight in the darkest moments, her eyes and lips always smiling. 

        At the outskirts of the village, a large-red sculpture representing the Will of Fire marked the entrance of the Konoha Cemetery. At the funeral, Hanai and Kakashi are standing at opposite ends of each other. Hanai was assigned to stand with the Hokage, followed by other prominent ANBU shinobi, the Hokage Platoon etc. All other shinobi, such as Gai, Neji, and Yamato, stood on the other side. The first row of people is made up of the Saratobi Clan and his team, Ino and Choji. Shikamaru was nowhere to be found, and Konohamaru preferred to stand with Naruto and Sakura. 

        Kurenai is the one to start the ceremony, offering a large bouquet of white lilies to Asuma's grave. One by one, everyone walked down the path and offered flowers to Asuma and Kurenai. It's quiet and respectful, allowing everyone the time to take a moment to grief and offer a final goodbye to Asuma. 

        It takes a day to find a friend, a moment to lose them, but a lifetime to forget them. 

        Their pain of losing a friend is like blood split on a carpet, hard to clean. It's hard to imagine what Kurenai is going through. In a span of less than a week, Kurenai's emotions had spiraled high and low. From the miracle and immense beauty of pregnancy to the devastating cold of losing a partner in duty. 

        Hanai pays her respects to Kurenai and Asuma. Once her cold fingers touched her friends, they curled into an embrace. "I'll wait for you." 

        The walk back to Kurenai's home is grimly quiet. There is a sacredness in her tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and unspeakable love. The pain will never lessen, but the love and memories will live on. 

        "It's almost time for dinner," Hanai mutters from her spot near the window. "Is there anything you're craving, I can cook." she offered.

        "The Sarutobi Clan has provided me with meals." Kurenai croaks. "We can heat that up."

        "Sure." 

        Only their breaths are speaking, the quiet moment pressing their hearts. It's like the sound of falling snow, it's soft and wraps around. A sound that's not, a sound at all, a quiet, soft, and dear white noise. They sit, watch and hear it. Hanai's mind is trying to put the words to rights, "How are you feeling?... It's okay if you don't have an answer, or if it's too difficult to..."

        "I feel very fragile...I don't know what to do." Kurenai admits. 

        "You need to grieve." Hanai states. "C'mon, sit down. I have tea and honey. This will take as long as it takes."