Ah, Kakashi-sensei, you're my favorite character to write. Therefore I punish you a little.
Give it All
All Gave Some
Some Gave All
A lone dark eye stared hard at the dull grey stone standing in the middle of the field. The twittering of birds was the only company he had in this sacred place. Shadows stirred as a strong breeze moved through leaf laden branches. Clouds passed over the sun, hiding the words on the stone and then revealing them again in the bright light.
Kakashi had no idea how long he had been standing in that same spot, only that the sun was now on the opposite side of the sky and his hips had been aching longer than he cared to admit. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to take the pressure off of his right leg. It had been torn up pretty good on his last mission and the jounin was still feeling it.
Most of the carved names had been there since long before the silver-haired man had been born. Plenty had been added since the day he had graduated from the ninja academy. And Kakashi knew that after his time, many more would be added. Such was the life of a shinobi. You fought hard and fast and if you were lucky, your death would be swift and in the middle of battle.
It was upsetting, disappointing, to know how many names would never be added to this stone. The entire Uchiha clan would never be listed among the dead heroes and Itachi would sure as hell never be recorded. Sasuke's name would never find its way back among the heroes; Naruto's would probably never be allowed such an honor from the village council.
His own father… His name would never be placed on this stone either. The White Fang would never be memorialized for eternity. When Kakashi himself died, that name would be forgotten. He supposed he couldn't be terribly pissed about it. A lot of names would be forgotten, some already were.
Kakashi tried not to think about the day when his own name might be added to those that had come, and gone, before him. It was hard to not think about it after missions like his last one. Close calls tended to add reality to one's situation.
Looking down at the list before him, the jounin wondered if he still had it in him to make certain that his name would also be added to this stone. Did he still have the urge to fight for, and die for, this country who would forget him soon enough? Reaching his age as a ninja in a hidden village was something he felt he could be proud of. Most would not be able to share his accomplishment and when those that came after him where gone, so too would he be.
When all that was left of him was his name on a crumbling stone, there would be nothing left. None left to remember. No one would be left to remember the day Hatake Kakashi, the copy-nin, passed his first genin team. Or what came to be of them after that.
Maybe he should have failed them…
I do love him... Really.
Responses??