Letters not Forgotten
By: Karasu Kyra
I can't even look in the mirror. I can't blink. I can't fight, without thinking about him or her. They've affected me too greatly for them to disappear. And believe me when I say I tried to erase their existence, make them nothing but mere names carved into stones.
I never could. It couldn't happen, by the scars on my body, and the eye in my socket, it just could not happen. Even dead, they were too an integral part of me to forget. I finally figured that since they wouldn't leave me alone, I wouldn't leave them alone, either.
Now, they're stuck with me at their memorial every morning for hours at a time. They only time this didn't happen was when I chose to be late to show up for Team Seven's initiation, and when I was in the hospital.
Team Seven…. I never wanted a team. I didn't want to get close to people I'd have to lose. But, Naruto's flamboyancy, Sakura's persistence, and Sasuke's familiarity broke through my shell. I don't see Rin when I look at Sakura, I don't see myself when I look at Naruto, and I sure as hell don't see Obito when I look at Sasuke, but our teams…are so alike, it almost hurts.
Rin was quiet, didn't hit either of us when Obito and I would fight. But, by Genin level she was a promising med-nin. She kept Obito and me from killing each other.
I was…more like Sasuke than Naruto, as it was. I hated my father, I didn't want to get close to anyone, and I just wanted to finish the mission. But, I showed persistence and talent.
Obito and Sasuke, well…. The only likeness they showed would be in the silent air every Uchiha carried—even a loud-mouthed, out-spoken one like Obito. And their talent with the Sharingan…
I was surprised when they passed my test, but it was their likeness to my dead teammates that spurred me to keep them. No, they're nothing alike, but…they are…in so many ways. I can't explain it to you. You didn't know Rin, and Obito. You don't know Sasuke, and Sakura, and Naruto. Until you know them as I do, you'll never understand.
But in the end, this is a promise I will make upon my dead teammates and teacher's grave: I will be a teacher as good as Minato was, even if it kills me. Sasuke and Naruto certainly don't make it easy, but I reckon that Obito and I didn't either.
I will do by these kids what Minato did by me, even if it hit me a little too late. But…I shouldn't dwell on the past more than I already have. I have a team to teach.
-- Jounin/ANBU Hatake Kakashi
