Kakashi sighed sadly, wondering why it always seemed to be raining on the day of a funeral. He watched as everyone began to line up and arrange their whit lilies around her picture, contrasting all of the black. Kakashi stepped into the back of the line and quickly slid in a single red rose directly under the frame as a single tear stained the dark fabric of his mask. He could've prevented all of this from happening. He could've kept her name off the list of world war casualties. He knew she needed help when her co-captain alerted him of her situation. He could've kept her from dying, but he figured she could take care herself and kept to his objective. By the time he was finished and went to help her, she was lying in a pool of her own blood, barely breathing. He had run to her side and picked her up, not caring how bloody he was getting. She had been horribly tortured for information, but her last words rang clear in his mind.
"H-he didn't get…anything…out…of…me…" She had choked out, blood streaming freely from the corners of her mouth as her eyes went a dull shade of grey and she breathed her last.
He'd let her down and he'd let himself down. He'd broken his most precious rule and let a comrade die. He knew he'd never be able to forgive himself.
"It's not your fault, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura sighed, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes…it was." Kakashi muttered angrily, "I could've saved her."
Sakura watched sadly as Kakashi stormed away from the service, heading for the cemetery he knew so well.
He growled, muttering under his breath, cursing himself for putting the mission in front of her safety. He sighed as the flagpole beside the memorial where the war casualties' names were carved. All the names from this ninja world war were freshly etched. Kakashi ran his finger along all the names, pausing for a moment on her name. He wished that he had been able to tell her what had been on his mind for so long.
"I could've saved you…" He whispered, tears beginning to stream down his face again, "I love you…"
He laid his hand across her name, wishing that it would just disappear, as if she had never died.
"She loved you, too." A familiar voice muttered behind him.
He turned around to see Kurenai standing behind him under an umbrella. He stood up with a sigh and turned back to the memorial.
"She talked about you, but she could never say anything to you." Kurenai said, smiling as best she could through the pain of the memory of her best friend.
"Aren't you mad at me?" Kakashi asked, confused, "I'm the reason she's dead. I could've saved her and I didn't!"
Kurenai watched helplessly as Kakashi began to curse himself again. She could see the anger in his eyes as he broke down.
"No, Kakashi. I'm not." Kurenai answered, covering Kakashi with the umbrella, "If I was, I would be a hypocrite for forgiving Shikamaru."
Kakashi growled again before pulling a small box from his pocket and placing it next to the black granite memorial, opening it up to reveal the small ring inside. Kurenai gasped as she admired the ring.
"It's a promise ring." Kakashi whispered softly, "I was going to give it to her after the war, promising that I'd always be there for her and that one day, I'd ask her to be my wife. I can't do that anymore, but why keep the ring from her?"
Kurenai let a small tear slide down her cheek, wondering if Asuma had something planned for her before he died
"Is it engraved?" Kurenai asked.
Kakashi nodded, pulling the ring from the box and reading the inside of the ring.
"I promise you, Hatake Anko." He read quietly, laying the ring under the memorial stone and picking up the box before turning and walking away without another word.
