Decaying Bluebells

Arc VI - Hate

Disclaimer: If only Naruto was mine, but alas, it is not.

Warning: .Akatsuki.

Beta: Kalafina94

Beta: silverseed

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The invasion was over and the funeral was ready.

The three of us, dressed in all black, walked quietly through the dark streets of the Leaf. Naruto and Sasuke still sported bruises and scratches from their tag battle against Gaara, but both of them bore their wounds proudly. To them, it was like coming home with a war trophy (I was simply thankful there was a home to come back to).

My hands were tucked in theirs and somehow, they felt so small. As the small family we were, we moved through the streets silently, arriving at the funeral.

My other family was all in black and stood next to Chōji's and Shikamaru's. Other shinobi and kunoichi of all sorts were lined up in rows. Quietly, the three of us joined in a single row, staring blankly towards the front as some old man read off memorized lines.

I paid him no heed, staring down at our hands.

It was at a moment like this that I remembered how small I was compared to my friends. I was so used to being on equal grounds with them, but really, I was only a small child to them. My right hand was wrapped in gauze with special ointment applied to it. The nurse was a little confused as to how I got frostbite from lightning, but I didn't feel the need to explain and she didn't feel the need to ask further.

I looked up at the dark sky, the clouds looming above us. I looked back down at the pictures, the many rows of them that had lined up so neatly on the covered tables.

Many more lives were lost. Another stone would have to be made.

I closed my eyes and thought of Naomi; the girl who had saved my mother, who not once had I met, but indirectly allowed me to live. I thought of her and how all these other people would be like her. I thought of how all these shinobi and kunoichi sacrificed themselves to save their own loved ones and, in the process, might have allowed a new life to bloom.

I felt a strong sense of gratitude for them, along with a mixture of sadness.

I wondered when the time came, would I be joining them in such a way? Would I be able to sacrifice my own life for the safety of others?

It seemed like a very worthy death.

(But shouldn't I be with them already? Did I not deserve to rest? Was my failure. was my failure too much?)

As rain began to drizzle down from the sky, falling over us, I felt a small frown tug at my lips.

I looked at Sasuke and Naruto, my friends and, in some way, family.

I paused. No. Not quite. We were missing someone.

My eyes scanned the area, not finding that someone. I felt my frown deepen.

When it came time for us to go home, I told them I would return shortly and to not wait up.

I headed away from home, my destination set in my mind.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

As I thought.

He stood in front of the memorial stone, not minding the pouring rain that pelted down on him or the freezing wind that blew it. He stared at it, lost in his own thoughts and no hint of light in his eye. Dressed in all black, his clothes clung to his skin, showing how soaked he was.