Imperfectly Perfect (Naruto FanFic)

Chapter Thirty

I stood in front of the memorial, staring at the names etched into stone. Echoes of memories surrounded this place, the melancholy feeling unshakeable.

I shudder as flashes of memories tear through me. The men, all part of the same criminal organization, all with the same green laughing skull on their right forearm. The woman who hired us for the mission, who hired us to deliver stolen goods without our knowledge. The people who it was stolen from, who hired the criminals to kill whoever had the stolen figure. Me, so weak, so helpless, so undeserving of the life that I still had, so undeserving of the heart that kept beating.

I sigh deeply, hugging my arms around my stomach as though I could stop myself from flying apart. With trembling fingers I reach forward towards the stone, gazing at a certain name engraved in the stone.

"Who are you here for?"

I pull my hand back with a slight intake of breath as I hear the voice. Turning, I see a ninja with white hair and his headband covering one eye.

"Kakashi, right?" I ask, not answering his question. He nods. I turn back to the memorial stone, scanning the numerous names. He slowly walked up behind me, silent. "You know, I heard that you actually die twice," I murmur, "One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time...

"How many of these people do you think have already died?"

"Those are some pretty heavy thoughts for a kid," Kakashi says, walking forwards.

I shiver slightly, a chill in my bones. "I'm no longer a child," I whisper.

Kakashi gazes sadly at the memorial stone, shoulders slumped tiredly. "I can tell."

The silence stretched between us. "Yeah. So I come out here, wondering how many of these people have already died again and I just can't stand that thought. So I go through the names and just whisper them to myself."

Kakashi nods, his silence surprisingly welcoming.

"Do you think someone could remember all these people?" I ask.

"That's not your duty," Kakashi says gently.

"No, but if I don't come here and remember and keep them alive then who will?"

After a long pause, Kakashi simply shrugs slightly. "I don't know," he admits.

I step towards the stoned again, tracing a certain name over and over again. "Daisuke Igarashi," I whisper, "Daisuke Igarashi. Daisuke Igarashi. D-dai... Daisuke. Daisuke. Dai...s...suke. D-d-d-Daisuke."

I don't know at what point I began sobbing, or at what point Kakashi settled his jacket around my shoulders, or at what point it grew dark and he began to pull me back to the village. I just knew the pain in my heart and Kakashi's comforting presence. We didn't know each other well at all but were bonded over our mutual pain of losing someone we cared about. At some point Kakashi got me onto his back and began to carry me through the village.

Finally I got some semblance of control over my crying and quieted down. "Where--" I'm interrupted by a slight hiccup, "Where are we going?"

"We're gonna go visit your Sensei," Kakashi said.

"It's too late to find Kurenai," I whisper.

"No, we're going to go visit your Sensei," he repeats.

"Oh," I whisper, guilt pushing onto me. I'd thought of Kurenai when I heard sensei, not of Sensei.

We soon arrive and Kakashi sets me down, signing us both in. We both walk up, then enter Sensei's room.