Here For You - Kakashi Hatake x OC

Chapter 6: Funeral

As I woke up, I felt much better, and very warm. It took me a minute to realize that there was a pair of arms wrapped around me. I gasped quietly and I turned slightly to see Kakashi, sleeping soundlessly, hugging me. This felt... good. I didn't want to admit it. But it was undeniable. I saw him yawn and wake up. "Hey," He said sleepily. "Hey," I answered. "If you're wondering why I'm here," I was, "You were having a nightmare, screaming in your sleep. I tried to wake you up but you wouldn't. This was the only thing that worked after many attempts." I blushed and turned away from him so he wouldn't see. "I, uhm, sorry for waking you in the middle of the night. But, thank you." I could feel him smiling without looking at him, "It's no problem." He got out of the bed and shuffled towards the bathroom. I was a bit disappointed that he let go of me, but I guess it had to have happened at some point. I rubbed my eyes. I wanted him to hug me again.

Then I remembered that the funeral would be held today. I stared blankly at the wall as Kakashi came back into the room. "I should go change," I told him. He nodded, "Yes, me too." I bid him farewell as I made my way to my apartment. Rummaging through my wardrobe, I picked out a simple, black dress paired with simple, black shoes. I was pretty minimalistic when it came to clothes. I also decided to wear my black headband to keep my hair out of my face. I heard a knock at my door and I opened it to see Kakashi, also wearing all black. "You ready?" He asked carefully. I nodded and stepped out of my apartment, locking the door behind me. Kakashi took my hand and smiled at me reassuringly, "It's going to be okay." I smiled back at him and hoped he was right.

We arrived at the cemetery. I saw a few people I knew and respected. Minato-sensei was crying a bit, mourning his friend and colleague, Tamiko-sensei. Obito came up to me, "Hey, Katsumi, I'm really sorry about your team, I hope you're doing okay," I nodded to him appreciatively. "Uhh, so are you guys, like, together?" He asked, looking at my hand in Kakashi's. Kakashi quickly released my hand and scratched the back of his head nervously as I stammered, "Uhm, n-no, Obito, he was just trying to m-make m-me feel b-better." I blushed furiously, but Obito seemed to understand. He hugged me and went to stand next to Minato-sensei and Rin.

Thankfully, Kakashi stood by me throughout the funeral. As Lord Third gave a heartwarming speech, tears silently rolled down my cheeks. Kakashi noticed and grabbed my hand again. I mentally thanked him and focused on Lord Third once again. I was shocked when I heard him say, "And now, I'd like to introduce you to Katsumi Abe, the only one of their team to have survived. Please give her a warm welcome." I froze, my eyes widened and my hands started shaking. Kakashi looked at me worriedly. He knew as well as I did how much I hated speaking in front of a large amount of people, let alone a huge crowd like this. I was terrified. Nevertheless, I forced myself to move, knowing that my sensei and teammates would be proud of me. I approached the stand and started to speak.

"My team was a great one. Tamiko-sensei was an amazing teacher, she would help me train, she would even help me if I came to her with a personal problem. She was very kind and she cared deeply about her team. She was very loyal. She would have done anything to protect her comrades and her village. Which she did. She died protecting me and my teammates, and the village," I fought as hard as I could to hold back my tears, "Hiroji and Ishiro were great ninja and teammates. They fought for us until their last breath. I'm proud to have been on Tamiko-sensei's team. I couldn't have asked for a better team. We'll miss you, Tamiko-sensei, Hiroji and Ishiro." I finished. To my surprise, somebody started clapping. It was Kakashi. I stared at him and everybody followed him, applauding my speech. Is applause normal for a funeral? I tried to remember my father's funeral but I couldn't remember. I shakily made my way back to Kakashi. He hugged me and whispered in my ear, "You were great." I thanked him.

After the ceremony, I went to lay white lilies on all their graves. Kakashi followed suit. I was very grateful to him for staying by me the whole time. "I hope you liked my speech," I spoke to my deceased teammates. "I know they did," Kakashi said. I gave him a weak smile as we walked away. He followed me as I wandered, God knows where I was headed. Kakashi never protested. I trudged through many streets, turned many corners, and finally came to a small, yet beautiful place near a stream. There was a vast number of beautiful trees, shielding most of the area from the burning sun, yet small beams of light shone through gaps between the leaves. You could see dust speckles dancing in the sunlight rays, yet it looked like some sort of magical fairy dust. "It's so beautiful," I sighed happily. Kakashi agreed. I walked over to the stream and sat by it taking off my shoes and lowering my feet into it. I threw my head back and closed my eyes, embracing the sun that shone on me and moving my feet around in the clear, blue water. This felt peaceful.

*Kakashi's POV*

I sat down cross-legged next to Kastumi and looked at her. She looked like some sort of an angel, a single ray of sunshine hitting only her, making her hair seem golden. She had her eyes closed as she basked in the sun and enjoyed the water at her feet. I smiled to myself. It made me happy to see her like this, I would give everything to see her be happy forever. I watched her flip her hair out of her face. I chuckled and she opened her eyes. She looked at me, "What's so funny?" I decided to be honest with her. Why lie? "It's nothing. It's just that you're beautiful." She blushed, "Shut up." I laughed and she laughed with me.

I was glad to have taken her mind of the hard times. We left the new place we had discovered when it was nightfall. We had reached our apartments when she suddenly hugged me. I hugged her back. I would never protest hugging her. "Thank you, Kashi." She said quietly. I answered by hugging her tighter.

I never wanted to let her go.