"Don't cry when the sun is gone, because the tears won't let you see the stars."
As the sixteen year old girl spotted the gates to Konoha, her lips spread out into a bright smile. "Finally!"
Her long raven hair bounced in the air as she ran faster, eager to see her loved ones again.
"Izumo! Kotetsu!" They looked over and saw their friend they haven't seen in months. Just like always, there was a big grin on her face.
"Anako!" The two shouted in unison and was tackled by the enthusiastic kunoichi.
"I haven't seen you two knuckleheads in a long time!" Although she was only sixteen, she got along with the older people naturally. It wasn't because she was mature but she met tons of people through her older brother, Asuma.
"Knuckleheads? We're twelve years older then you!" Izumo patted the top of her head to point out the height difference. They would always make fun of how she was stuck as a short height of 5 feet. No more, no less.
"Yeah yeah yeah." She stuck out her tongue childishly. "I'm going to go find people who appreciate me!"
"Don't be so immature!" Kotetsu teased and waved as she walked away. "Let's catch up later!"
The two watched as she left and the smiles on their faces grew weaker.
"You think we should have told her?" Izumo asked. There was a sudden change in the atmosphere. The air was tenser and they both were serious.
"I was wondering the same thing." Kotetsu sighed, knowing they missed their chances already. Now all they could do was wait until someone could muster up the courage to tell her. "Honestly, I was waiting for you to say something."
"I wouldn't want to be responsible for bringing her down." Izumo said, wondering how she would take the news.
Meanwhile, Anako made her way further into Konoha, looking for the team she loved. She checked the flower shop but Ino was nowhere to be found. It wasn't even open.
"Maybe they're training today!" Still, she was excited that she could finally see them after three months. An A-ranked mission required for her to go to another village. At first, she didn't like the idea of being away from home but Asuma encouraged for her to travel all around the world to 'expand her knowledge'.
'Pfff, sounds like something Shikamaru would say…' Since she grew up living with her older brother, he would always take her to train with his team. They all seemed to get along in the end, no matter how much they argued in between.
Shikamaru and Anako were close but didn't show that very publically. When no one was around, they would share their troubles in their lives, both feeling much better afterwards.
"Troublesome, but well worth it." Is what Shikamaru called their relationship.
"Anako? Anako Sarutobi?" The young girl turned around to see Kakashi, who she knew as one of her brother's good friends.
"Wow, good memory Hatake!" Her azure eyes curved as smiled, making Kakashi grunt.
"That's Kakashi-San to you."
"Whatever you want Kakashi-San." The sarcasm in her voice made the masked shinobi smile, noticing she was still the same old Anako. "By the way, have you seen my brother and his team?"
His gaze hardened, realizing she had been away from three month and doesn't know anything that had happened yesterday. "No, but go visit Shikamaru first."
"Nara?" Kakashi knew they trusted each other the most.
Asuma would always tell him how Ino got jealous that Shikamaru paid more attention to Anako then her. And he never failed to mention how much more delighted her smiles became whenever the lazy genius was around. They were proof that opposites do attract.
"Yeah. He probably wants to see you anyway." His tone was playful and it made her scoff in annoyance.
"Why is Asuma friends with you?" But she couldn't help but smile when she saw Kakashi mocking her with kissy faces. "I swear, when I see him, I'm going to tell him to stop talking to you."
"Good luck with that Anako. He loves me too much to stay away from me!"
"Hah!" She started to walk away.
"By the way Anako…" The young girl stopped and looked back to Team Seven's sensei. "Asuma wanted me to tell you that whenever he's gone, he wants you to rely on Shikamaru instead."
Another scoff escaped her lips. "You really are something Hatake!"
"It's Kakashi-San!"
With that, they both parted ways, one in a good mood, and the other solemn.
"I'm sorry for being such a coward Shikamaru…" The grey haired man said just above a whisper. "But you're the best person to tell her."
"That hit the spot!" Chouji and Anako laughed in unison, rubbing their full stomachs.
"Man, you guys are the best!" Upon their old friend's arrival, Team 10 decided to treat her to dinner. "I guess you guys did learn something while I was gone. Who knew you three could be so nice?"
"You mean us two?" Ino pointed to Shikamaru and her. "Chouji 'accidently' forgot his wallet and still ate!"
While the three bickered with each other, Shikamaru sat without saying a word. He didn't even touch his food.
"I think you should tell her Shika." Ino rested her hand on his shoulder. "You're the closest to her anyway, you're like family."
"Well I have to head home, dad will probably call the cops on my butt if I don't get home soon." Ino stretched, giving Shikamaru a meaningful look. He just nodded, already having a plan in his head.
"My dad would lock me out of the house and eat my share of dinner!" The young Akimichi said, close to tears.
"Didn't you just have dinner?" Ino squinted, wondering how much he could actually eat before blowing up.
"But that was just part one!" Chouji defended his self. The blonde kunoichi sighed, knowing she couldn't win this argument.
"Anyway, we're going to head home first. It was great seeing you again Anako!" Ino waved and left with Chouji.
"You too!" Anako yelled, feeling cheerful after the dinner with her old team mates. She turned around after they were out of view with a stern look on her face. "What's wrong Shika? You've been like this all evening."
Instead of answering, he started walking away. She knew he wanted to follow him, so she did in silence.
The sun had already set, leaving the world engulfed in a murky shade of grey. Something about this town's aura made her stomach stir. Everything seemed so gloomy and depressing.
"We're here."
She finally noticed they were standing in the middle of the graveyard. "…Why are we here?"
Suddenly, light rain began to fall onto the earth.
He didn't answer her and just stared at the grave in front of them, feeling a hint of nostalgia.
"Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?" Asuma raised his brows, amused by how comfortable his students were with each other already.
"Are you kidding?" He knew Ino had a lot of spunk right then and there. "I know these two idiots too well."
"You are one troublesome woman…" Shikamaru muttered, glaring at Ino.
"We call ourselves Ino-Shika-Cho. We don't look like it, but our team work is amazing!" Chouji praised their selves while Shika and Ino argued in the background.
"This…" Her lips parted slightly, appalled by what she saw.
"I'll see you in three months!" Anako waved to her smiling brother.
"But how…" Her heart pounded in her chest so hard, she could feel it all throughout her body. It seemed to want to escape from her, not being able to deal with the anguish she felt inside.
"You better not forget me while you're gone!" Asuma said jokingly, knowing that was simply out of the question for the close siblings.
His voice echoed in her head, saying those words exactly.
"No promises!" They both let out a hearty laugh before she went off.
A monstrous amount of regret hit her. Why couldn't she have said more?
"Asuma…" You can't fully know what losing close to you is like until you go through it.
You don't know pain until you feel like you're wearing away inside. The person that you lost is almost like a disease, eating away every speck of life in you.
"No…" She shook her head slowly and sunk to the grassy ground.
Then you doubt everything. Everybody becomes a liar.
"This isn't true…" The tears in her eyes created the illusion of deep blue lakes. "Tell me it isn't true!"
They say your whole life flashes before you when you're about to die. The feeling is really similar to that when you remember everything about the person. But the only difference is that you can't escape it afterwards.
"Asuma wanted me to tell you that whenever he's gone, he wants you to rely on Shikamaru instead."
Kakashi knew Asuma had died. That must have been what he told him before he passed away.
"Why would you leave me with a moron like him?" She tried to laugh like she did whenever she was talking to her brother but it quickly turned to mournful sobs.
"I'm guessing I'm the moron." Shikamaru bent down, wrapping a warm arm around Anako. He could only imagine how much it must distress her, losing her only brother when she was gone.
"I wasn't even here to hear about it…I didn't even get to anything to him!" Frustration mixed with bitterness as her hands curled up into fists.
"Death ends a life, not a relationship." He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "And I'm sure Asuma wouldn't want you to cry and be upset over this."
The rain started to get heavier.
It was peacefully silent in the graveyard, only being interrupted occasionally by the small sound of Anako sniffling.
"Now let's get you home. Asuma would be pretty mad at me if I let his baby sister catch a cold." He peeled off his jacket and wrapped it around Anako. "Say your last goodbyes. I'll be waiting by the entrance."
She heard him walk away, and then his footsteps became silent. Her eyes traced the name on the grave one more time and grinned.
"I hope you remember how much I love you Oni-San." She rose up and clutched onto Shikamaru's jacket. "I'll join you, mom, and dad when the time comes."
Anako turned back to Shikamaru who was patiently waiting and smiled. "For the meanwhile, I think you left me in good hands."