1A

The rain that fell around me did not bother me. It would never bother me, because it served as a vivid reminder to me of her. To remember her… it still caused me pain. The rain that fell forced me to remember every moment I had spent with her. The intense emotions that it invoked from me caused me so much pain that it was torture, but it was a torture that I had long ago decided I deserved. I had not been able to save her and so I would stand in the rain.

No one found it strange anymore to see a shinobi standing out in a storm. Since become a sensei I had done it less and less, instead focusing more on my obnoxious students. This was the first time in months I had been able to stand in the rain. It was a relief to finally feel so many emotions, to feel the torture that it caused me.

I tried to focus in on the sounds of the storm. Below my feet, I could feel the light bounce of the gravel as rain hit it. I began to wonder about things; things that had plagued my mind for years; things that would never have answers. I had to wonder if Tenshi had tried to take her own life. With the life she had led, she must have wanted to escape and death seemed like a reasonable choice in her situation. But, then again she was a lot stronger than me. While I probably would have chosen death, she would have struggled to live on. She had lived for so long under those disgusting conditions. Had Tenshi ever thought of dying?

"I want to know that you are alright," My throat seemed to close up as my body began to go numb from the freezing rain. I smoothed back my silver hair, molding it against my scalp. My shirt plastered itself to my skin beneath my waterproof vest. Strangely, as torturous as the rain was, it was comforting at the same time. Since her death, there had been moments where I felt so close to Tenshi that it was as if her arms were wrapped around me, holding me. As tortured as I was, the rain made everything better. It would clear the world for a short time. The never-ending cycle of torture and comfort was tiring.

"Are the angels crying?" I laughed bitterly, my chest tightening. "Could they be crying for Tenshi and me?" I wanted to know that Tenshi was finally at peace. I felt guilty as I thought for a moment and I looked down at the ground, my hair covering my eyes. I wanted Tenshi to be at peace. I wanted her to be free. And, as selfish as it may be, I wanted her to know that I loved her and would never forget her. I would always want her back.

"Kakashi is so strong," People always praised me. I was a strong ninja, one of the greatest in the nations. But, it was a lie. I was nothing more than a coward. Tenshi had been the strong one. I was still the weak child I had been on that night when Tenshi had run. I had continued to live after Tenshi died, but I had stopped living that night. Worse yet, it was hard to ignore the small whispering portion of my mind that yearned for the day that I would join Tenshi. It was that portion of me that would have me looking at my kunai and contemplating just giving up. Instead, it always seemed to rain and give me a moment to torture and comfort myself all at once.

"Tenshi, why did you run that night?" I spoke to the rain, half expecting an answer. There was a small tremor beside me, almost as if someone was there with me. I tipped my face up towards the rain, trying to hide the pain. Asking that question allowed just showed how selfish I was. I knew why she had run. I did not need to ask her that. If Tenshi was indeed still with me, watching over me, I did not want her to feel any pain.

I let out a choked sob and closed my eyes. Warmth spread around me as something wrapped itself around me. I kept my eyes closed, familiar with the feeling and aware that nothing was there. This was the real reason I stayed in the rain. This had to be Tenshi. She had sensed my pain and had come to comfort me. I wanted her to be happy, and I could not prevent myself from torturing myself to get closer to her. I did not want Tenshi to regret her death, but I wanted her to come back to me.

The pressure fell away from me and I opened my eyes, peering down the dark street. In the rain, I could almost make out a slim figure, water streaming off the body as it trembled. I reached out towards it, a part of me dying as I wanted for the touch that would never come. Tenshi was dead and would never be back. She had died in my arms. I would always be alone.

My arm felt as it was laden with stones as it began to drop, then the touch came to my fingertips. It was so light, but it was there. I jerked my gaze up to my hand which seemed to spark and then slowly illuminate. A soft blue glow filled the fuzzy image of the hand touching mine. I followed the specks of light up, the reflection from the tiny drops of rain illuminating the woman before me. My voice caught in my throat as I prayed the moment would last forever.

"Tenshi," my voice was hoarse with unchecked emotions.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Just like that, the moment was destroyed by the curious and cheerful student. Tenshi was gone. I was alone again. I turned to look at Sakura with sad eyes, wanting to go back to the moment that was now lost. Sakura watched me with confused green eyes. Her gaze took in my soaked figure and my unemotional features. "Kakashi-sensei, are you okay? You are really… wet…" Sakura trailed off. I watched her, irritated. But, she was my student and I could not be irritated with her for worrying about me.

"Yes, I am fine. What do you have there?" I asked, motioning to her bag to relieve myself from an interrogation.

"It's a painting I just bought." Sakura became animated, her face flushing as she pulled out a large picture, keeping the delicate item under her umbrella to protect the beautiful work.

"Show me?" I asked. Sakura nodded and I crept in closer to gaze down at the portrait of a man and a woman. The woman had obviously been beaten and was lying on the ground with one black eye, but then I noticed a second woman. No, it was an angel who was protecting the woman on the ground. The man looked frightened of the beautiful angel, as if his own death was flashing in his eyes instead of the beautiful creature. The thing that caught my attention was that the angel was an exact replica of Tenshi. She had long brown hair and bright hazel eyes. I finally tuned into whatever Sakura had been babbling about.

"And the painter claims that the last time her husband beat her, an angel appeared and saved her. You should see her other paintings! The support group that meets with her is also cool. They all claim to have seen the same angel and the angel spoke to them. You would not believe some of the stories." I gazed at Sakura, losing interest in chatting with my student.

"Where is the painter?" I asked casually. Sakura took note of my curiosity. I needed to ask about the angel in the portrait. Something just told me to go to the group. It could not just b e a coincidence that the angel looked like Tenshi.

"She owns a little shop up the road. The lights are still on and there is a support group inside." Sakura watched me curiously, but I disappeared without another word to her. She called after me, but her voice fell on deaf ears.

I sprung up the street and found the small shop Sakura had referred to. I burst through the door, water pooling at my feet and onto the tiled floor. Everyone jumped, shocked and frightened by my sudden burst into the room. I gazed around at the faces of startled children and adults before taking a few deep breaths so that I would not frighten them anymore.

"Yo," I greeted them. A woman strode forward, meeting my gaze. Her black hair pulled into a braid and her black eyes hard. She was a woman who had suffered.

"We are in the middle of a meeting." She snapped.

"I'm sorry, but I saw a picture of your angel and I wanted to know more about her." I felt as if I was rushing to get my words out.

"The angel that saved me, that saved us? She is our savior. What have you done to deserve the right to come in here, during out meeting, and demand answers?" She put her hands on her hip, glaring at me.

"I just want to…"

"Leave her alone. She saved us and she wants us to be happy. Don't try and ruin it." A young boy piped up, staring at his sneakers. A snarl plastered across his face.

"My name is Hatake, Kakashi. I think that I may have known her when she was alive." My voice cracked and I suddenly felt tired. The woman's expression softened.

"You are Kakashi? I was wondering when you would come to me." The woman's entire demeanor turned around. "The angel asked me to do but one thing for her in return for her saving me. She asked me to deliver a message. She told me to find Kakashi Hatake and tell him that she was fine. She spoke of you for the brief moments that we spoke. She still loves you."

She still loved me. I could not quiet process what I had heard, even later after finding my way home. Even after Tenshi's death, she was not a rest. She continued to save other innocent people. My heart tightened painfully in my chest. I turned in my bed to look at the picture on my table. It was of Tenshi and me from the festival we had gone to. I had been such a fool then, not knowing what was going to happen to her. It seemed so stupid, to be so happy in that photo. If only I had known that she would die just over a week later.

"I'm sorry Tenshi." I murmured, curling into a tight ball before reaching out to shut off my lamp. I lay in the dark, letting it consume me. Then a light weight settled behind me. It felt as if someone laid their head on my shoulder and my dry shirt suddenly started to get wet in one spot. It was as if someone was weeping.

"I love you Kakashi," Tenshi's voice whispered into my ear, like a light breeze. I closed my eyes, tightening them to stop the tears that rose in them.

"I love you too Tenshi."