Impossible to Forgive

Chapter 8: Words

We stood there in perfect silence for a while. The mission that had caused us so much grief, and now the same scroll was stolen again.

My mind was reeling with this information. I finally knew the truth about the mission that had caused Sakumo's suicide and caused me to shun both Nori Kimura, my "mother," and Kakashi.

After what felt like an eternity, I turned to a still frozen Kakashi, "Do you think that this Taihi Ittai could behind this theft as well?"

Kakashi shrugged, "It says that they were labeled as eliminated, but they also never caught the jutsu caster. It is a possibility. If only I'd asked Father about this mission when I had the chance..."

"What the hell are you talking about? He's been dead for twenty-five years."

Kakashi took a deep breath, "I died during Pain's attack on the village. I used up all of my chakra with a sharingan jutsu so that Choji could get intel on one of the Pains to Lady Tsunade. After I died, I... I saw my father."

"What did you do then, call him scum?"

"No... I told him that I was proud of how he had done what he thought was right and that I forgave him, but then Naruto defeated Pain who used the last of his chakra to bring every one who died during the battle back to life before I could ask any questions."

"You said what to him?!"

"You know, if you are going judge the entirety of my character off something that I said as an angry seven-year-old, then you're never going to be right. It took years, but life taught me the hard way that comrades are more important than rules." His hand unconsciously started rubbing the long scar that stretched vertically over his left eye.

"'Goodbye Kaiyo. I hope that you learn the meaning of the rules before they let you become a shinobi.' Do you have any idea how those words have haunted me?"

"'You disgust me. I never want to see your face again for as long as I live. Goodbye forever, Kakashi.' Probably just as much as those words have haunted me." Kakashi stepped closer so that he was just inches away from my face, and I hated how he was a full three inches taller than me; I was not used to looking up at people. "I know that I will never be able to take back what I did then, but we were such good friends. We don't have to be friends again, but can we please at least make it through one conversation without you reminding me of how awful I used to be?"

My breath started come out irregularly at our close proximity, "If you get out of my personal space, then I'll think about it."

His eyes curved up into a smile as he took a step back, "Better?"

I sighed, "I still hate you and I will never be able to forgive you, but I'll try to be a little nicer from here on out."

"That I can live with."