Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.
I did this little oneshot to take a breather from the stress that comes with chapter fanfics. Honestly, I seem to think about them than I do school.
This has character death in it, by the way.
Enjoy.
Breathe. He had to breathe.
Breathing was underrated. He had never noticed how little he had noticed it. Now, as he lay dying, he tried vainly to breathe and found that he couldn't.
Around him, other men were dying too. He was almost grateful that no one was there to witness him expire. He was taking his last breaths and they would find his body later. He'd been the General of his army, but as he'd known from the start, it didn't change anything. He was as prone to die as any foot soldier.
"Kakashi?"
They'd found him already, before he was dead. He couldn't believe he was dying again, so soon after he'd been given a chance to live.
"What happened to you!"
It was Genma and Guy, both of them wounded but not seriously. He could only look at them as they ducked kunai to bend over him. Genma attempted to staunch the wounds in Kakashi's gut as he watched.
"Genma…"
His voice came out weaker than he'd thought. Last time there'd been no one to talk to, but now he had to tell them as much as he could before he died…
"Don't speak." begged Guy.
Kakashi growled and he felt blood splatter the inside of his mask. What was the point of telling a dying man not to speak?
"Let him talk." whispered Genma. Kakashi noticed that his signature senbon was missing. He must've lost it in the battle.
"Sorry." Kakashi muttered. "I didn't mean to die…"
"Don't say that." said Guy quietly. "Don't say that."
"I'm not kidding myself." murmured Kakashi. "Genma, could you pull my mask down? I can't do it myself."
Genma obliged and pulled the stained mask down for the fading man, allowing Kakashi to cough up blood without having to worry about it getting stuck in his mouth.
"I never understood why you wore that." said the older man unhappily.
"My father…I look like him…" Kakashi said hoarsely. "If you see Naruto…could you tell him that he shouldn't be too sorry I'm gone…And I'm sorry I failed him as a sensei…"
"You're not a failure…" whimpered Guy.
"Sasuke left and I failed to stop him…" muttered Kakashi. "Tell Sakura not to cry too much…and that I'm glad I died on the battlefield…where I belong…"
If Kakashi had had time he would have added something about the leaves of the village catching on fire to illuminate the darkness, but he was finding it so hard to breathe…
"Guy, I think you win…" He coughed some more, blood splattering his unmasked face. "I..I..I'm…really….going….to…" He lost his breath for a moment. "to see you…this time…Obito….Rin…"
Guy ignored the tears sliding down his own face to say goodbye to his oldest friend and rival. The two shinobi stood up and prepared to continue the battle they'd left, leaving behind the emotions for the sake of their sanity for as lone as the fighting lasted.
Kakashi felt all the breath leave his lungs for the last time and he welcomed the darkness, for it meant that the pain would go away.
Breathing was for the living and Kakashi relinquished his ties with his heartbeat. He wanted his friends, his sensei, his father, his mother…He wanted to leave now. Pain was a thing of the past as he died.
And this time he stayed dead.
Awww, poor Kakashi. I do think that's how he would die though. On the battle, where he belongs. Review please!