Just so everyone is aware, I plan on finishing this fanfiction by mid-September. I have an upload schedule and everything! But in the process, I am also revising some of the chapters, so bear with me if you follow this story. It won't be anything major to the storyline. I just noticed how some grammatical errors can make this read hard at parts. Plus this story has been in the making since 2011, so my writing style has changed and matured since the beginning of this journey. Regardless, thanks for your patience and enjoy. :)

Akaya awoke to the beaming light of the moon shining through her window. How long had it been? Even to her that was a stupid question because she knew the answer. Today, one year ago, she heard the news. It was the news that even she never wanted to imagine. She acknowledged that she should have been prepared for it; death was just a cycle in the life of a shinobi. But still, it was Tajek's death.

She had been walking casually towards his house that morning with her freshly baked muffins. To this day, it surprised her that she made them. She had spent all morning making them, and even after many attempts to remove it, flour still littered sections of her hair. But in an instant, how she looked wouldn't matter. She had overheard the villagers talking, and all of their gossip sounded like muffled nails on a chalkboard. They had overheard that the Hokage and his family were killed, and as she raced to the scene, she let all of her hard work hit the dusty ground without a second thought. She remembered hearing the thud of the muffins and realized how her effort didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. What a shame.

She looked up at the ceiling. It was flat and white, like it was any other day or night. It couldn't distract her from the horrifying memories rushing back to her in the silence.

As she shifted in and out of the crowd around his house, she finally pushed herself to the front. She saw the stack of bodies. All were in disarray, and his body was supposed to be in that stack, but as the day went on, it was never properly identified. The tears immediately welled up in her eyes as his headband laid on the dirt. She stood like a statue while she was being pushed around in the crowd. Every emotion she had was gone, and apathy was all that remained. Until she looked up in a tree.

As she turned onto her side, she vividly remembered Sesoni's face when she arrived: calm and collected but angry. It made her restrain herself from crying in public and in some weird way, he gave her hope. He knew more than he was going to tell. He always did.

She finally looked at the clock. It read 11:11. That was ironic to her. Her only wish in life had been snatched away from her in one day, in one event, in one moment.

Tajek was gone, but she knew he was not dead. And even without saying anything to her about it, Sesoni showed signs that he knew that as the true narrative as well. He was a friend she was glad to have even when he didn't display all of the answers. It helped her to know Tajek was alive, but it stung her all the same. She contemplated a million times if he still loved her like she loved him. If he was safe like she was now. If he thought about her when she thought about him constantly.

She rolled onto her back and sat up in bed, pulling her knees up to her chest. It hurt every day, but it got worse as time went on. It never once became tolerable. And she knew everyone could tell. The stares she got in the village drove her insane. Everyone knew of them: how couldn't they know of the Hokage's son girlfriend? They pitied her as she slowly made her way through each day and each assignment. She was successful in everything she did, just like before, but that was simply because she trained instead of drowning herself in thoughts.

However, tonight was the night she felt like letting everything she was holding in out. The isolation in the cold black room with the only light coming from the moon outside gave Akaya a chance to cry without ridicule or shame. No emotional training would have helped her through this. How did Sesoni do it?

She buried her face in her thighs and continued to cry until nothing was left to cry. To the point where her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. To the point that she knew. She knew he was the one. That she loved him and only him.

She had grabbed his headband and rushed home that day. As she sprinted, it had started raining, which was most appropriate for the occasion. He wasn't the only one who died; she did as well. She went to her training ground and just hit the trees until her knuckles were covered in her blood, and bark had left scratches on her skin. She eventually collapsed as the rain pounded against her back. That was the moment she figured something out. Tajek wasn't dead. He was with her somehow. Because the rain let up as soon as she had collapsed. It was almost a sign that said that stay strong.

Akaya slid out from underneath the covers and placed her feet on the cold wood floors. It sent goose bumps up her arms. But that was a sensation she was used to by now, and it did not phase her at all. She opened her door to see nothing but darkness. She reached around the wall to find the switch. After finding it she pressed her finger against it before allowing the lights to flicker on. She found a weird comfort in this new found light. She slowly trailed into her kitchen and to the refrigerator. She leaned up against it, leaning her head forward to finally tap it lightly against the fridge.

The tears came back. Why did this have to be so damn difficult! She angrily opened the fridge once her vision had been blurred by the salty water. She knew where Himeka Hiromi kept the vodka. Well, technically, where she had. It was hidden behind a slate of wood she put up in the back to "keep it from leaking". Or keep her secret drinking problem from leaking to the village.

It was completely clear. If she hadn't known better, it would have been water in a fancy glass container. But as she stared at it through her tears, she knew better.

She reached for the orange juice and set both the vodka and orange juice on the counter. Akaya grabbed a glass out of the sink, quickly rinsed it off, and filled it to its rim with the liquids, more vodka than orange juice. It burned with a passion on its way down her throat, and the tears rolled down her face. She took as many gulps of it as she could before she'd have to pause to remember to breathe. Within the next fifteen minutes, the carton of orange juice was halfway gone and the vodka was gone. Just like him.

She was completely drunk and struggled keeping her balance as she made her way back to her room. She accidentally switched off the lights as she grabbed onto the wall near her door sill. She walked as quickly as she could to the bed. It was a straight shot, and she toppled into the bed, drowning in her sorrow. She pulled the covers over her body and passed out. Not even the moonlight hitting her face woke her from her dream.

The dream was with him. They walked down the streets of Konoha, older and from the looks of it, as Jounin. She had a ring on, and her hand was intertwined with his. His face had matured, and he was even more handsome than before. He was even taller too. He whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, I will never leave you. I love you too much to do that. I will be with you forever."

Then she fell back into consciousness. Her head ached, and the hangover hit with a vengeance this time. But she lightly smiled. He knew about last night. He would come back to her. She would just have to wait.