Sayonara Memorī (Minato Namikaze Fanfiction)

Chapter 11: Final Goodbye

One Week Later

Minato's POV

If I was only a few minutes faster. If I could've stopped her before she did that. If I didn't even bring the kunai out. If I never even met her. She would still be alive right now.

I stood in my bedroom, my back pressed up against a wall. I was in my funeral clothes getting ready to say goodbye to her.

"Hayate," I whispered to myself, a tear falling down my cheek.

I couldn't sleep since that night. When I even tried, I was haunted by the memory of seeing her limp body and her weak smile. Why did she seem happy to leave? What made her want to do that? She seemed happy when she moved in with me and my parents, but what made her so depressed to do that?

A knock at the door dragged me away from my thoughts. I looked in the direction to see my mom with a sympathetic expression. Without saying anything, she took my hand, bringing it to her lips to kiss it.

"Come on, Minato. It's time to go," she said in a sweet, low voice. I nodded my head in response, following her out the door.

Everyone in the village wore the same clothes as us, staring down while they walked. Were they going to Hayate's funeral, too? Even people who never talked to her are going in the same direction. I wanted to ask who they were, but I couldn't find my voice to.

I haven't been able to speak either. I haven't had the to courage to say anything to anyone. I was afraid that if I were to converse to anyone, I'd break down in front of them.

My mom and I were soon approaching the funeral place. I could see a picture of her from several feet away. I wanted to cry, to scream, to see her again in person. But I had to act like I didn't have the want to do that around these people.

I was greeted by Kazuno and Azure. They gave me a hug in an attempt to comfort me, but that didn't really do much. I was always the closest to her, so they wouldn't understand how much pain I'm going through right now. No one would understand, not even her parents. Not her asshole father, not her careless mother.

"Let's fine our seats," my mom told me. She led us to the second row in the front where Azure and Kazuno along with their parents were. My mom greeted Kazuno's parents while I sat there, staring at Hayate's casket.

I had the sudden urge to see her body. I stood, walking to her. The moment I saw her face, I started to cry. I know she wouldn't want me to, but I couldn't help myself. Her face was completely pale like a ghost, her beautiful eyes were closed peacefully, and her hands were still soft as if she was still alive. I wanted to believe that she was living, but when the doctor said that she had died, I knew it was real.

"Hayate," I started, my breath hitching in the back of my throat, causing me to let out a light cough. "I will never forget you as long as I live, that's a promise." I held onto her hand, squeezing it gently. I brought it to my lips in an attempt to calm myself down, but it failed. "There's something I have to tell you." I took in a deep breath, looking down to her stomach; I couldn't bare to see her face. "I wanted to ask you this for a while, but now I'll never have to chance to. I even bought what I needed and everything."

I pulled out a black box from my jacket pocket. I opened it, holding the object in my hand. I looked back to her, holding her hand.

"I wanted to marry you."

I placed her ring finger through the diamond ring, sliding it down to the very end.

"That's why I tried my hardest to convince you to stay. That's why I didn't have the courage to kill you myself. Why I said that I loved you as a wife or girlfriend. Because I wanted to marry you." I gently placed her hands back in the same position they were in, standing up. "But now I'll never have the chance. Goodbye, Hayate. I love you."