I'm finally back! I made it! It took me long, though... And I apologize for that. Gomen nasai, doryos! *bows* I promise I will update more regularly... At least I will try to do it...

First Story after a long time no Jutsu! :)

This one stuck in my mind for a while now, and it took me quiet long to figure out how to write it right. And for that point, thanks to Freyja Elizabeth for the big help! Arigato, Freyja-chan! *bows again*

Now I'm finished, I guess. Hn. I wanted to say something, but I forgot. Pixie? You wanna say something?

Hm... Yes. I wanna say something. First, kombanwa everyone! Nice to see ya again! It's been a long time, huh? :) Anyways, I wanted to apologize for my lack of inspiration for the last month(s) and... that I couldn't convince her to write something. Arigato and sayonara!

That was... weird. Okay, now I'm going to let you read the story... Would be better... *sighs*

Kampai and oyasuminasai, y'all!

It rained.

Dark clouds hang faithfully over the newly rebuilt rooftops of Konoha's highest buildings. Everything was dark, grey and very cold. It matched the emotion that filled most people's heart that days. You couldn't be sure, couldn't rest for a few minutes. You had to be careful what to say, where to look at. A war was raging. Everybody knew that. And that made it even worse.

A lonely man walked down the streets of Konoha, barely noticing the rain that poured down on him, soaked his clothes, leaving no single place of his body dry. His silvery hair hang down, covered his face. His fingers were wrapped around a single candle as he tried to protect the little flame from the rain. Everytime the flame flickered when a drop hit it, he silently begged that it would stay burning. Though he was in a kind of hurry, the man didn't run. Whatever was on his mind, it seemed to take over his thoughts entirely. Walking down that street, slowly going around that corner, now standing in front of the graveyard, the man sighed and stood still for a moment. He watched the raindrops fall on the grave stones of so many fallen Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. When he started walking again, he felt like his heart sank into his shoes. What was he doing here in the middle of an upraging storm? Although he knew the answer, he was afraid of thinking it.

He reached the grave stone, standing before it quietly, before setting that candle down. Slowly and somehow hurt, the man kneeled down before his best friend, his fingertips touching the engraving of the black stone. "You know... Asuma..." he began, suddenly feeling very silly, talking to his dead friend, who wasn't even there. But then, though he thought he was hallucinating, someone laid his hand over his shoulder. With his eye he looked onto it, but saw nothing. And maybe that was the time when all those emotions the Shinobi had kept inside broke free. "Maybe I should apologize first. I mean, because I didn't visit your grave in a long time, ya know? It was just that I was afraid of facing the fact that another friend passed away. The fear that someone else was leaving me again. It sounds somehow selfish. But I was raised that way, I guess." The man chuckled. "So... I could tell you about how's it going here in Konoha. Well, things are pretty normal again. The village is being rebuilt very fast, and it's going to be just as beautiful as before. Though a huge war against the Akatsuki is raising, everybody tries to see the positive side of it. If there is a positive side at all..." He shrugged and looked up at the sky, trying to see through the thick, dark clouds, failing. "Your team goes quite well. Ino's being annyoing as ever, even though she's getting great skills as a medic nin. She handles the guys pretty well, even though Shikamaru is sometimes... troublesome. Which brings me straight to him. He's growing pretty quiet. It's a pity to see him like that. But I can't change it. And I won't ask what's bothering him. I guess he's just in love with Temari... Choji really lost some pounds since you last have seen him. Though he looks still a bit... heavyset. The other teams are all well. Gai's... youthful as always, Lee's the same. As I said, all well. And know... I have the feeling that you wanna know about Kurenai, huh? She's still very pregnant, but she seems to cope with your death quite well. The kid is very healthy, and that makes her very happy. She still hasn't decided on a name yet. And she asked Shikamaru and me for help. What should I tell her? ...If you could only answer me..." The man sighed deeply, closing his eye for a second. Suddenly his heart pounded lower and as he opened his eye again, it shimmered from tears. "If you would be here still... I know it sounds like we're all going on like nothing happened... But... I have the feeling that I loose myself. Everyday a bit more. My soul's so weary I can barely stand. My heart feels like it disappeared. I could really need you're advice right now. But you damn baka aren't here!" For the first time in almost ten years the silver haired Shinobi began to cry. His tears flooded down a bit before being soaked into his black mask. Like he wanted to escape he ripped down the mask, now letting the tears pour down like a little river. He cried for everyone he had lost. For his friends, for the unnamed members of his ANBU team, for his sensei, for the Third, for Tsunade, for Naruto. He cried to once let his emotions run free, to free him from the weight on his heart, from the big stone, lying there. He bowed, his forehead leaning against the cold of the black grave stone. His tears mixed with the rain as he cried. He was shaking, could barely move. And then, he felt that hand on his shoulder again. The Shinobi didn't want to look up, but even in a situation like this, his curiosity won. With tired eyes he turned to face the emptiness behind him. But much for his surprise, someone really stood there. Instead of saying something, this someone handed the Shinobi a handkerchief. And smiled. "You need advice, huh? Why don't you talk to anyone, Kakashi?" the voice of the young man before him was heard as he kneeled down, too. "No one would pay enough attention, Shikamaru." the Jonin asked and his eyes were hypnotized by those letters engraved on the stone. "And Asuma would have." the other one said quietly. Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. He was always the one for tricky situations." - "Hehe, yeah, he was." Silence between the two, both hanging with their own thoughts. Suddenly, a chuckle was heard. "May I help you?" Shikamaru asked, smirking at the older man. He wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but he had the feeling that he had to help him. Kakashi looked at him in surprise, ignoring the fact that his face was totally exposed. "It's about... Iruka." he managed to get out of his mouth before looking away embarassed. "You're in love, right?" the younger man asked precautious, cocking his head slightly. Kakashi nodded briefly. "You should tell him. You should stand your ground and be the man you're supposed to. Don't get yourself down with such things. You're strong enough. Even if there will be talking, if this is really worth it, it will survive even those hard times." Kakashi had the feeling, his old friend would kneel beside him, trying to comfort him, trying to show him the right way so he could easier make a decision. He sighed.

And suddenly, it stopped raining.

A/N: Well... I apolize if it sucks, but I have a huge lack of energy right now. Two days without sleep aren't good for a writer... Anyways: REVIEW, please! :D