The Mother He Never Had

28

"Huh? Naruto already went on his mission to the Land of Tea?" I asked Tsunade. "Yes, he and his team left the village earlier this afternoon. I'm surprised he didn't tell you." She said.

"I guess he was so excited, he just forgot," I said. 'That explains why he ran out of the house in a hurry.' I thought. "Anyway, thank you for telling me. Enjoy the rest of your day, Lady Hokage."

I gave a polite bow, then left her office. I left the Hokage House and proceeded to head back to the house. I hadn't realize how late it's gotten until I looked towards the orange sky. Time sure does fly by quickly. As I walked home, the sudden yelp of pain from an animal caught my attention.

I quickly ran in the direction of the animal's yelp and gasped when I saw a group of boys throwing rocks at a puppy that was tied to a fence. The puppy whimpered as it desperately tried to escape.

"Aw, I missed again!"

"Come on, keep throwing!"

"It won't stop squirming!"

"Hey, I got it!"

"Nice shot!"

I couldn't watch this anymore. I have to put an end to this. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? Leave it alone!" I yelled.

"Shit! It's the fox's demon mother!"

"Let's get out of here!"

They quickly ran off and I ran over to the puppy, quickly cutting it loose. It laid on its side as it whimpered every time it took a breath.

My heart was slowly chipping into pieces as I picked up the fragile dog in my arms. "Hang in there, little guy. You'll be okay." I said to it. I looked around, trying to find some help, but I didn't know where to look.

I tried healing the poor creature with my healing techqniues, but his wounds were more fatal than I thought. There could even be some internal damage. 

The animal hospital is all the way on the other side of the village. By the time I get it, it'll probably be to late.

There's only one thing left to do...

Kakashi's POV

I had all the free time in the world for a while since Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were on that mission to the Land of Tea. Maybe I should go pay Haru a visit.

As I was walking in the direction of her house, I spotted Haru in the park. She sat on the swing as she gently swung herself back in forth with something in her lap. It was hard to see what it was since her back was facing me. 

I walked over to her and sat beside her on another swing as she was gently singing. "Rid of the monsters inside your head... Put all your thoughts to bed... You can be king again..."

"Hey." I greeted. She didn't reply or acknowledge my appearance as she continued to gently swing back and forth, her hair covering her eyes. I looked down at her lap and noticed a dying puppy lied in her lap. 

The small puppy whimpered as Haru gently petted it. "It's okay, little guy. It'll be over soon. I would kill you to end your pain quickly, but... I've never killed an animal before, and I don't want to kill you. I'm sorry." Haru apologized to the dying animal.

"Haru... What happened to him?" I asked her. "Some of the kids tied him up to a fence... and began throwing rocks at it like they were playing. What kind of game involves ending an animal's life? What's so fun about ending a life?" Haru said, sounding a tad angry.

Even though her hair was covered, I could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't understand... how they could do something like this to a defenseless animal." She said, sniffling softly. I had no idea Haru was so emotional when it came to a death of an animal.

"I'm sorry..." I said as it was all I could say. "The animal hospital is on the other side of the village. It would've died by the time I got there. But it shouldn't... have to die alone." Haru explained. She looked back down at the puppy as her gentle strokes suddenly stopped.

"He's dead. He stopped breathing," Haru whispered.

"I'm so sorry... that I couldn't save you fast enough. You deserved better than this. You should've lived longer. You were just a puppy. How could they just..." Haru began to cry silently as she hugged the puppy to her chest, feeing sympathy for the animal. 

I reached over to her and gently rubbed her back. 

She cried for two minutes before standing up and wiping her tears while holding the dead animal in her arms. "Will you help me bury him, Kakashi?" She asked, quietly. "Of course." I answered. 

I began digging a hole for the animal while Haru tied two sticks together in the form of a cross. After the hole was dug, Haru gently placed the small dog's corpse into the hole and I helped her bury it.

Then, she put the handmade cross near the grave before putting her hands together, praying for the deceased animal. When she was finished, she stood to her feet and I did the same. "Thank you for helping me, Kakashi." She thanked. 

"No problem." I replied. "What are you doing here in the village? I thought you were on a mission with Naruto tot eh Land of Tea?" Haru asked. "I was assigned a different mission from Lady Hokage." I explained. 

"Oh..." She replied quietly as she looked down. I gently lifted her chin so she was looking at me and noticed tears swelling up in her eyes. Haru noticed me staring at her tears and took chin out of my hold to wipe her eyes. 

"Don't worry, Kakashi. I'll be fine. It's just that... This evening was very unexpected." She said. "I understand, Haru. An animal's death can be heartbreaking, so you don't have to hide your sadness." I said. 

"But sadness displays weakness, doesn't it?"

"Not at all. Who told you that?"

"My aunt. She was a little... unstable at the time. She's always hated me for some reason when I was child, and she always yelled at me. Whenever I cried in front of her, she'd tell me how crying displayed weakness. So, it always made me believe that whenever I cried, it meant I was weak."

"Your aunt is wrong. Everyone cries for something."

"I guess you're right."

Haru walked over to a bench and sat down, in which I joined her. She leaned her head on my shoulder while she gazed at the sunset. "A certain turn of events today, yes?" Haru asked. "Yeah..."I agreed as I leaned my head against hers. 

"Thank you for being with me at this moment, Kakashi."

"Any time."

I wrapped my arm around her, holding her closer. Haru blushed slightly while giving a small smile. "How is it that you're so sweet?" She asked. "I just want to make sure you're happy. Anything to see you smile." I said. 

Haru giggled softly, then kissed my cheek. "Well, then... I appreciate your generosity." She said. I softly smiled at her and continued to hold her as she closed her eyes in content.