Here For You - Kakashi Hatake x OC

Chapter 4: Loss

*Normal POV*

Another day, another mission. My team and I were returning to Konoha after an escorting mission. I was nibbling on a protein bar, but something felt wrong. I had a knot in the pit of my stomach and I didn't understand why. I turned to Ishiro as he asked me what was wrong. I shrugged him off and told him I was just tired. Ishiro persisted until I froze. I could sense an outsider's chakra. I knew Tamiko-sensei could feel it too as she stood behind me. We stood, each person facing a different direction, waiting for the inevitable. I focused my sensory abilities and was horrified. There were more than 40 different chakras all around us. I whispered this to my teammates, they nodded and I could tell they were as scared as I was. I tried my best to push the fear aside and realized that the knot in my stomach wasn't a coincidence. I had foretold this situation.

It was quiet. Too quiet. I had never heard silence quite this loud. I could hear my heart beating faster and the blood rushing to my head. And then they attacked. Hundreds of kunai were flying at us, I raised my own two kunai, one being my father's silver one, and started moving my arms vigorously, deflecting the kunai directed at us, my teammates doing the same. I saw a tag on one of the kunai. "Paper bomb!" I yelled as I ducked the other way, my team in pursuit as the kunai blew up. Then the enemy ninja started coming out from the shadows, attacking us in the flesh. I could feel my blood boiling as I, a 9-year-old, tiny girl, was massacring large, heavily built men. I was taking advantage of my agility and I knew that all my training wasn't vain. A particularly large man ran at me, I dodged his attacks while backing away, but clumsily fell backwards and he was on top of me. He was too heavy to do anything, but it didn't take me much time to deflect his kunai with one hand and stab him in the neck with the other. I saw the light leave his eyes as he collapsed on top of me. It was hard to breathe, and I just wasn't strong enough to lift him off of me. I saw another ninja coming at me, and I frantically tried to get out from under the dead man. It was hopeless though, so I threw two shuriken at him, but he easily dodged them. I started to panic, squirming from underneath the heavy body on top of me, screaming to nobody in particular, as I started to accept that I was about to die. I thought of Kakashi. I couldn't leave Kashi, I couldn't leave him alone. But I was helpless at the moment. The ninja came closer to me, but then there was a katana through his stomach. I gasped as he fell to the ground, revealing Hiroji. I thanked the heavens as he grinned at me. "Uhm, a little help here, please," I choked out and he hurried to push the body off me and help me to my feet. "Thanks, you saved my life," I said appreciatively. "It's alright," He said and we engaged in battle once more. All seemed well until I realized there was an archer. Although I realized this too late. "Hiroji!" I screamed as I saw the metal arrow fly in his direction, but he was battling another ninja. I ran as fast as I could in hopes of deflecting the arrow with my kunai.

But I was too late.

"NO!" I screamed as I watched the arrow pierce his chest, resulting in him falling to the ground, clutching his chest. I quickly stabbed the ninja he was fighting and yelled to my other teammates, "They have an archer! Hiroji is down!". I quickly dragged him into the shadows where we wouldn't be seen and sat him up against a tree. He was still breathing, he was still alive, but he was rapidly losing blood. I pulled the arrow out of his chest and sat to heal his wounds with my limited skills of medical ninjutsu. He also had wounds, probably from kunais he couldn't dodge, in his arm and abdomen. I didn't have enough hands to heal three wounds at a time. I focused on his chest and abdomen, but I realized that I wasn't doing enough. My medical ninjutsu wasn't strong enough. He lifted his blood-covered hand and placed in on my cheek. I didn't know whose blood it was. I looked at him, still focusing chakra into my hands. "I'm going to die," He stated bluntly. "No, no don't say that! I'm trying my best, I'll heal you," I cried, even though I knew it was no good. "Hiroji, no, no, please, stay with me!" I was trying to save my teammate, my comrade, my friend. "It's okay," He kept his hand on my cheek. Tears started falling down my face, and he wiped them away, "I've accepted it. At least I'll know that I died protecting you, and my comrades." I heard yelling in the distance as my other teammate and sensei dealt with the remaining enemies. I cried harder and focused as much chakra as I could muster into my hands. It glowed greener than they ever have, but I wasn't sure if that would save him. I was not a medical ninja. My skills were limited. "I love you," He said and I stared wildly at him, "You will always be my friend, even when I'm dead, I'll watch over you, and Ishiro, and Tamiko-sensei. I'll even watch over Kakashi for you. I know how much you care about him," The tears were burning my eyes at this  point. "Please don't leave, Hiroji, you can't, there's still so much for you to live for, you don't deserve this! Don't leave!" I bawled, but he just smiled. "Stop wasting your chakra on me, I'm not going to make it, you don't have enough training in medical ninjutsu and we both know it. Go help the others," I couldn't stand the fact of losing a comrade. Even though I knew he was right, I didn't give up. "Please, do this as my dying wish," He stated bluntly, "Go help Ishiro and Tamiko-sensei. Go kick some enemy ninja butt." His thumb glided over my cheek and I saw his eyes become faded. "I think it's time. It was a privilege to know you and be friends with you, Katsumi Abe." My heart stopped as his hand left my cheek and fell to the ground. I wanted to scream, but my voice was caught in my throat. I closed his eyes and went to help my other comrades, as his dying wish. Although, it was too quiet once again.

I was mortified to see Ishiro and Tamiko-sensei lying on the ground. I couldn't sense their chakra. I saw only three ninja left, panting and attempting to tend to their wounds. I knew they were waiting for me. I screamed and lunged myself at them, my kunais mercilessly cutting them up and killing them. I jumped into the trees to kill the archer. I deflected the arrows he shot at me and plunged my silver kunai into his heart. I stabbed him hundreds of times, until his body was almost unrecognizable, now a lump of strands of meat and bones. There were no enemies left. I ran over to Ishiro's and Tamiko-sensei's bodies. I kneeled and stared at them, dumbfounded. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. I wished that this was all some sort of sick dream or genjutsu, but it was all real. I pounded my fist into the ground and screamed. They didn't deserve this. Ishiro had saved me, but I wasn't there to save him. Hiroji's dying wish was for me to protect them. But I had failed. I was lost. I didn't know what to do.

I sat there, crying at their bodies, for what seemed like forever. I looked at my hands and clothes, all covered in blood. I thought about everything. I had to get them back to Konoha somehow, they deserved a funeral. Their names would proudly be written on the KIA stone. I would have somebody else to talk to there.

I dragged Ishiro's and my sensei's bodies over to Hiroji's, into the shadows where no one would find them. I would go as quickly as I could to Konoha and report about the mission, and I would tell them where the bodies are, so they could be transported to the Hidden Leaf for a funeral.

I washed my hands and my face in a nearby stream. I looked at my reflection. I could still feel Hiroji's hand on my cheek. I cried as I washed all the dirt and blood off of me. I then proceeded to run to Konoha. Thankfully, it wasn't far from here.

Upon my arrival, I headed straight to the Hokage's office. My clothes were still covered in blood, but there was no time to stop by my apartment and change. I furiously knocked on Lord Third's door and heard him call, "Enter." I opened the door and immediately kneeled. "What happened to you?" He asked, concerned, noticing my bloodstained clothes. "Lord Third, our mission was a success. However, my team and I were ambushed on the way back to our village. Tamiko-sensei, Ishiro Himura and Hiroji Fujimoto were killed in action, sir," I stated as calmly as I could. He looked shocked and stood up immediately. "I'll let the guards know, you can lead them to where your team are right now, we will host a funeral. I'm very sorry for the loss," He said gravely. I nodded and stood up as we approached a group of Leaf guards. The Hokage explained the situation and I told them where I hid the bodies. They nodded in understanding and fled. Lord Third put his hand on my shoulder and spoke, "They did not deserve this. You did not deserve this. They were splendid ninja, as are you, but the numbers were too great to take on. I know you've lost so much, I'm deeply sorry." I nodded and thanked him. I left and made my way to the apartment complex, hoping to find Kakashi.

I needed him, more than ever now.