Just A Kid

Chapter 28

Two days passed slowly by and Araile stayed in the very same chair, in the very same position, waiting for her brother to open his eyes. The nurses had asked her to go home, but she refused bluntly. Not even Kakashi could make her budge from her spot.

As she pushed her chair back and forth using her leg against the side of the bed, the room door opened and closed, signalling to her that someone had come in.

'Please say it's not one of those nurses telling me to go home,' she pleaded in her head as she turned slightly towards the door.

She raised her head when she saw Kakashi standing there, with his hands deep in his pockets.

Automatically, she knew something wasn't right.

"Hi Kakashi..." she said quietly, her voice cracking slightly from the lack of talking.

Getting up from her chair, she walked over to him, ears perked up and tail twitching nervously.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, looking up at Kakashi.

"Araile, do you remember when you saw that three headed snake?" he started, sitting down in a chair in the corner of the room.

She nodded, trying not to remember the snakes.

"Well, that was because Konoha was being attacked by other ninjas," Kakashi said and Araile nodded again.

"Yeah, I kinda ran into one," she admitted sheepishly.

"But Takumi was there to help me," Araile added quickly, noticing Kakashi's narrowed-eye reaction.

Kakashi nodded and continued on.

"Well, Lord Hokage was there and he fought this rouge ninja named Orochimaru," Kakashi said as he ran a hand through his hair.

She recognized that name. Kakashi had told her about the rouge Jonin that had been from Konoha. She tilted her head to one side, not liking where this was going.

"What happened? Is Lord Hokage alright? Did he win the fight?" she said, but already she knew the answer.

Kakashi hesitated, and then shook his head.

"No, Araile. Lord Hokage was killed in the fight with Orochimaru. The village is having a funeral for Lord Hokage tomorrow," he said, reaching into his pocket.

Araile blinked, trying to understand what Kakashi had just told her.

'The Lord Hokage? Dead? But how...?' she thought.

Kakashi took an object out from his pocket. She looked up at the object as it glittering in the sunlight.

'All ninjas wear their headbands with pride,' Kakashi had told her once when she had asked about his, her small hands reaching up to grab it.

She shakily took the headband from Kakashi and sat in her chair opposite of Kakashi's.

"I would like to go," Araile murmured as she looked up at Kakashi.

He nodded and slowly walked out the door. She slowly ran her finger over the Konoha symbol. Her vision began to blur as tears pricked her eyes.

The Lord Hokage was dead. The kind, sweet old man that she had known since she was a baby was now gone, and never coming back. She rested her head against the top of the chair.

"The Hokage's funeral is tomorrow," she said to herself, continually tracing the leaf symbol.

Araile then sighed and closed her eyes, a few stray tears rolling down her cheeks.

As she continued sleeping in her chair, her brother's eyes slowly opened. Letting out a small groan Kane sat up, looking around the hospital room. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed his sister curled up in a chair beside his bed.

A small smirk began playing on his lips as he continued watching her sleeping form.

"You know, she hasn't left that spot from your side for two days," a voice said quietly from the back of the room.

Kane lazily smiled as he watched the grey-haired man walk to the front of his hospital bed.

"Hatake Kakashi. It's been awhile," Kane said.

Kakashi nodded and brought out a small blanket, draping it over Araile's sleeping form. She shifted a bit in her chair, mumbling something quietly.

Kakashi nodded and walked towards the hospital room door.

"She cares for you, even more than her friends. You're her only family," he said as he walked out.

Kane looked at Araile, frowning.

After a couple of moments he sighed silently and closed his eyes, resting his head back against the pillow.