Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.
This is just another little one-shot I thought up and had to write. This again one of my more angst and darker one-shots. This is a follow up to my other fic 'As Long As I Can'. You can read that one to understand the relationship Kakashi and his father had in this fic.
Enjoy!
The ground was dry and the once emerald green grass had taken its toll and was fading towards a dull tawny yellow. Leaves that had fallen and dried to a crinkle fluttered with the wisps of winds setting a dance through the obtruding objects that lay row upon row.
Footsteps barely made a noise as the leaves blew out of the way of the path that lay between the stones. Guided by memory and the feeling that ones has towards those who expressed love and shelter, the figure walked on to the destination.
Coming to a lone site, the figure slowly and quietly knelt, hands coming to rest on their lap. Eyes turned up and followed the mud-caked gray stone trying to find a name.
Kakashi turned his eyes to the ground around the simple grave stone that marked the resting memory of his father. Weeds and leaves seemed to pile up and make the area messy and looked uncared for. Sadly it was uncared for and disgraced. Kakashi sighed slightly as he clenched the bottom of his shirt.
Unclenching his hands, Kakashi leaned forward and started to furiously rip and pull the offending appendages suffocating his father. His bare hands scraped and skimmed across the stone head and rocks causing the skin on his fingers and knuckles to crack and become red till the skin was raw and bleeding.
Dust and dirt particles rose and floated around air surrounding his causing Kakashi to arms his arms and hide his eyes to prevent anything from getting in. Giving it a few seconds to settle down Kakashi uncovered his left eye first checking to see if it was okay. Slowly he lowered both arms bringing them the face of the grave stone looking at the offending dried mud some of the villagers had thrown at the gravestone while visiting their deceased relatives.
His eyes narrowed at the thought that even in death people would throw thing at his father. Reaching over he dug his nails into the dried dirt and pulled at watching as pieces came off and crumbled in his grasp revealing the name.
AKE SA
He continued to peel and rub away the offending dirt. Giving a final sweep Kakashi dropped his arms to his side, hands broken and bleeding curled and facing the sky. His eyes followed the name etched simply over the grave.
HATAKE SAKUMO
That was it. No date, no family written down. Simple.
'It's like their mocking me.' Kakashi thought. 'They don't want to remember the name Hatake, only names they give.' Kakashi still remembered two years when his father was alive, only literally speaking though. He had been seven years old. Seven and already knew that his father wasn't going to be with him. He knew the long periods spent with his sensei where only to try to ease the pain of seeing his father. Not that it did.
"Kakashi-kun." A voice called up behind Kakashi who didn't seem to be startled.
"Yes, sensei?" He replied not watching as the man behind him crouched down on his left. A strong tanned hand reached over and grabbed Kakashi's limp hand from his side. Lifting it up the man inspected the wounds gently pulling the skin trying to judge the damage. Sighing quietly the man placed the hand back down beside Kakashi without saying a word.
"What are you thinking?" His sensei asked. Kakashi caught the golden yellow hair out of the corner of his left eye. Kakashi was silent for a few moments.
"I was thinking about how the villagers only seem to care about the names they give shinobi. Not the real names. The titles. That's how they seem to see my father. Not as Hatake Sakumo, but as the 'White Fang of Konoha'." Kakashi said bitterly.
"That's true Kakashi-kun. Do you know why they do that?" His sensei asked calmly.
"They're afraid that we're not perfect and humans. Not shinobi." Kakashi answered turning to look at his sensei. Cyan blue eyes turned to look at him.
"That may be why." He said only giving a hint of an answer to Kakashi. Both sat there for a while staring at the head stone.
"Do you feel as though in your eyes you father is only the 'White Fang'?" His sensei asked him after minutes of silence.
"No, he's still Hatake Sakumo to me." Kakashi replied quietly. His sensei grinned and ruffled his silver hair.
"Then I think that's all that you have to worry about. That you remember and know the names of those you care about. Not anyone else." His sensei replied, his grin turning into a smile. Standing up the 'Yellow Flash' brushed the dirt off his pants before turning to see Kakashi standing next to him.
"Now why don't we go get those hands of yours fixed?" Kakashi sighed at the remark. Nodding he turned to look at his father's grave one last time. His sensei watched Kakashi's eyes glide across the name. Leaning forward till he was eye level with Kakashi, he asked a simple question.
"Am I simply going to be remembered as 'Yellow Flash' to you Kakashi-kun?" Kakashi turned to face his sensei and shook his head.
"No." He said simply. His sensei closed his eyes and smiled. Straightening himself up he turned around and walked back out of the graveyard followed by Kakashi as they peacefully walked through the small entrance where the grass beneath their feet became emerald green once again and the leaves danced in the trees not on the ground.
Just a quick little one-shot. I didn't want to give Yondaime a name because of the timeline and simply because Kakashi keeps it to himself because of the importance and meaning it has to him.
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DevlinnReiko