Usual disclaimer and whatnot; Kakashi, Gaara and Konoha belong to Masashi Kishimoto
Aerynn belongs to me. As well as Hitaru, Yuuko, Naiyomi, May-Lin and Yasuo.

Might contain some 'mature content' : mentions Aerynn's homosexual attraction towards certain characters.

Please enjoy this third installement!


"Bloody hell... I hate you, nail. I really do."

The day was bright, the sun was shining at its fullest. Albeit a little strange, with the fog at the horizon, slightly blurry the bright star in the sky, it was going to be a beautiful day. Though the curses, spoken with a thick British accent, were slightly marring the exquisite simplicity of it all. Of course, the silly girl had to go and nail the remaining wooden panels over the already condemned windows of the old hotel.

"Aerii-chan! Swearing isn't good for your health!" Naiyomi chirped, happily bouncing outside the sliding doors of the old hotel, prancing over to the elder girl.

"Shut up, you twerp. I'll curse this damned nail to hell and back if I damn want to." She spat, glaring daggers at the ground, where the curved nail lay, motionless, and potentially harmless. "The damn bloody thing moved just as I was about to hit it! I damn swear it did!"

"You.re such a spazz, Aerynn." Nai giggled, bidding good bye to the girl and running off home, away from the setting sun. She lived with a foster family, see.

"Spaz. I'll show her who's a fucking spaz..." Aerynn shrugged, throwing her hammer at the other end of the wall, glaring at it in turn, and stalking back inside the hotel who's windows she was trying to path up(again).

"Hammer hit your finger again?" Yuuko asked vaguely, focusing on the magazing she was reading. It really wasn't anything interesting, per se; she was just buying those things for the quizzes. Those were fun. Inaccurate, but amusingly so.

"Shut the fuck up." The other snapped, heading for the bathroom, where she'd carefully bandaged her injured thumb and applied a little antibiotic. It really wasn't an open wound, but she figured--through her string of curses--that she'd better be safe than sorry. Which brought up the matter of WHY she hadn't thought of that before trying to nail a plank of wood over several other.

"I'm such a dumbass." She sighed, effectively calming down.

Aerynn was one of the few girls who had landed elsewhere than Konoha. She had, effectively, wound up in Suna. But seeing as the Kazekage, Gaara, was, in no way, shape or form, prepared for such unsightly arrivals, she'd been shipped over to the Leaf village. They were obviously more competent in dealing with world-travelers than any other village would ever be.

But moreover, Aerynn was one of the VERY few who knew strictly nothing about Naruto and its many villages and conflicts, but who had yet made a reputation for themselves and had found a new life in that strange world. See, Aerynn was already well on her way to getting married, at her 23 years of age. She'd found a man with whom she fell madly in love with the minute she stepped through the gates.

"Going home to that lovely Yasuo of yours, Aerii?" Yuuko crooned, casting a devious glance at the elder woman before burying her nose back into her magazine.

"...That's a stupid question, you tard."

"Neeeee, You're so mean to me, Ae-chan..." Yuuko pouted, cutely, crossing her arms.

"Fuck you too, bitch."

"I LOVE YOU TOO!"

On that, Aerynn walked out the double sliding doors and headed straight ahead, into the alley that lead onto a bigger street, from which stemmed the one her house had been built on. Really was an advantage, seeing as she could come to the hotel in a fraction of the time it took the other girls. Though she still managed to arrive late at the weekly meetings. Go figure.

And so began her nightly routine. Two men--probably drunk, they really always were--popped up out of nowhere. Speaking Japanese, like the entire population she'd been warped into. She sighed, threw a "Bloody fucking morons." At them with her thick accent, and proceeded to knock the two out cold. Of course, she always dragged them back to the nearest bar, from which she assume they'd hailed. She then returned home to her loving boyfriend(not yet fiancé, he's far too slow for that), had supper, cuddled, and went to bed.

She admitted, sometimes, it was boring. But then again, her normality was what kept her sane, and what kept her from fangirling nearly every other sexy person in that damn village. Like, for instance, that famous Kakashi person. Oh, she'd seen him. MANY, many times. And it wasn't rare that she'd catch herself wanting to just... Rip that mask of and just... Do stuff to him.

"Anything wrong Rynn?"

The young woman blinked a few times, finding that she'd been staring straight ahead, at the wall, for what had now been five minutes. Aerynn had just been thinking; how would she have lived back home? If she could even call it home anymore... After five years of being in the same place, she figured that Konoha was more her home that her old one would ever be. She had a boyfriend, son-to-be-fiancé, a good job, and she'd most likely get pregnant that very night.

That was a beautiful thought.

"Eh? No, jus' thinking." She muttered, staring out the window, cuddling up a little closer to Yasuo, who, in turn, tightened his grip around her shoulders the slightest bit more.

"About May-Lin, or something else?" He asked cautiously, knowing that May-Lin was a very touchy subject.

After all, Aerynn HAD fallen for the girl, once upon a time.
Not that he knew that, though.

Which brought her to thinking about the first time she ever saw the late teen. It was a cloudy day. Not rainy, or cold or warm or any of that. It was just a cloudy day, heading towards the old hotel. Hitaru had taken care of introducing the newly arrived Lost Girl to the rest of the group. Even back then, May-Lin had seemed awfully depressed to everyone. And to Aerynn in particular.

Oh, they'd shared their little top-secret little moments together, in the dark corners of the hotel, after everyone was gone. But it seems that those little moments weren't enough to hold her back. And to think that Aerynn had put her relationship with Yasuo on the line for someone who just wound up killing herself.

"...Both, I guess." She sighed, trying to clear her mind. Focus on the parts of her life she knew would happen. And of course, nothing came up; for all she knew, she could die right there in three seconds.

The day after was just as uneventful as the others. Aerynn went to work as angsty as she always was, flashed bright smiles at passers-by, swore whenever she hurt herself, and headed to the old run-down hotel she'd been going to for the past five years. Though when she entered the common room after slipping out of her shoes, Aerynn wasn't at all pleased with the sight that met her eyes.

Everyone was dressed in black--including Hitaru, who never wore anything but red--with dark, depressed looks on their faces. She didn't need to have a genius' brain to figure out what it was all about; they were heading to May-Lin's service, which the woman had blissfully forgotten about(or willingly put aside forever and ever).

At least she was already dressed in black by default because of her job.

"Already...?" She asked quietly, looking at the floor with narrowed eyes.

"Come on, Aerii. Let's go..." Naiyomi pleaded. Pulling lightly on the elder woman's sleeve. Aerynn nodded solemnly and followed the younger girl outside.

Aerynn didn't really make any effort to move, or pay attention to where she was going. She let herself be guided by Nai and that was it. She didn't want to have to see May-Lin's dead body, and she especially didn't want to have to say good bye. It was just too soon...

"Take a left, Nai." Yuuko ordered, somewhere behind the two in front. Aerynn followed somewhat unconsciously, following the younger teen's movement without a second thought. They could've been leading her to a boiling pit of lava for all she knew or cared.

The service was dull, and the voices around her were annoying. And there weren't many voices at all, which annoyed the woman even more. How could the rest of the world keep spinning when May-Lin just died?
Her headache, which wasn't even present several seconds prior, was giving her the impression that her head was about to blow up in millions and millions of pieces. Somewhat like her heart.

She raised her eyes for the first time, and instantly regretted ever doing that.

She ran outside as fast as she could. It was a cloudy day. Not cold or warm or sunny or any of that. Just like the day she'd met her. Aerynn hadn't even ran for some twenty meters before she ran into someone. She flew back, running as fast as she was, and just lay there on the ground. She was sobbing more than she ever thought she was able to cry. She didn't move to get up; she just wanted to be left there to rot, to sink into the ground. She wanted Yasuo to bring her back to life, bring her May-Lin back to life...

"You should really get up, you know."

Aerynn's heart skipped a beat. She stopped sobbing for a second seconds, the time to push herself up on her knees, but just continued to cry. She hated herself for crying so much; she'd sworn never to cry after she'd come to Konoha.

She felt a single raindrop hit her cheek.

"Just leave me alone." She sniffled, finally finding the power to control her previously untamed sobs. "You've got a fucking life, go live it for the ones who died, fucktard."

A strong hand pulled Aerynn up on her feet. She stumbled forward and backwards a little bit, but still managed to hit the chest of whomever had dared touched her. The impact caused her to back up, giving her a much clearer view of who her 'assailant' was.

"Most people would say thank you instead of hitting." Kakashi muttered behind his mask, stuffing his hands back in his pockets and staring intently--with his only visible eye--at the woman in front of him.

"...Would you walk me home, please..?" Aerynn asked meekly, feeling the little drops of water on her skin as though they were needles searching through her for blood.

The shinobi narrowed his eye in confusing, but couldn't deny the woman's request. She was alone, in the rain, and obviously in no state of mind to wander the streets alone when darkness was minutes away. She walked slowly, and the jounin followed suit, always walking a step ahead of her. At a certain point, halfway home, she'd started shivering. Kakashi had been all but too kind, draping her shoulder with his vest. She tried to thank him, but he simply brushed it off.

"This is it." She said quietly, stopping in front of the small stone alleyway that lead to the door of her modest home. "Thank you... If there's anything I can do--" Aerynn started, but was interrupted--rather nicely, at that--by what she thought was a smile, and a raised finger.

"The only gift of gratitude I'll accept is another chance at seeing you." He said, very apparently too cheerful for the type of man she'd figured he was.

"Ah, but, my fiancé might..." she started, but trailed off, looking at Yasuo, who stood in the opened doorway. He was smiling, nearly smirking.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in any relationships. I thought you might need the company." Kakashi stated, and obviously took Aerynn off guard.

He thought SHE needed the company? Of course, she seemed a little lonely, and heartbroken, and obviously mourning the loss of someone very... close to her. Well yes, maybe she would appreciate the company of someone other than her beloved Yasuo, or the other Lost Girls. Maybe having a male friend would be interesting.

"...Do you have anything planned for tomorrow? I've got a feeling I'll be needing someone around..." she whispered quietly, feeling the already light rain lighten a little more.

"How about I come pick you up in the morning?" he asked with another eye smile, and Aerynn nodded, smiling.

After a few necessary things were exchanged, Aerynn almost ran inside to join Yasuo, who seemed more than happy to find out that Aerynn had found a way to make a 'friend'. Even if it was by some strange coincidence that had involved her cursing him from the beginning.

The next morning, Aerynn had woken up later than usual. She was quite appreciative of her employer for giving her the day off. At least she seemed to understand the need of a fellow woman to mourn a deceased loved one. It was half past noon when a knock sounded at the door; Aerynn, with her curly blonde hair held up high, rushed to the door.

"Sorry I'm late, I was busy walking on the..."

"Save the motherfucking excuse. Woke up late, just like you did, you fucktarded person." Aerynn stated somewhat sarcastically--yet with a rather large grin--and after sticking out her tongue, let the jounin inside while she slipped into something more appropriate for a day out.

All in all, Rynn had spent an enjoyable day accompanied by Kakashi. He made her visit the most apparent touristic attractions of the village, as well as the more secretive spots, where artists and poets would come to think and relax. She was also taken to the memorial stone, where MIA shinobi names were engraved in the stone. She was given a brief explanation as to why Kakashi had taken her there; several companions, as well as his sensei, had died during missions. He went there for relief, sometimes.

"The Fourth Hokage... He's the last one of that cliff, right?" Aerynn asked, pointing the last stoic face carved in rock.

Though, the instant she saw those faces, she cringed and shrank to her knees, trying to rid her mind of May-Lin. She felt an arm around her shoulders, and a soft breeze caressed her cheek. It was like time had frozen; she was there, crouching in front of a giant stone wrought with names of the dead, thinking about a girl she had been with while cheating on her soon-to-be-fiancé, because she threw herself off a cliff and died at the hospital after someone nearly died saving her.

She was mourning one of those selfish little emo children she hated so much.

Because somewhere, she was still in love...

Kakashi slowly eased her back up onto her feet and guided her some way or another. She found herself being sat down at a small terrace, the scents of coffee, tea and dumplings blending marvellously well with the scent of fresh citrus. Kakashi had seemingly ordered for her. The same thing he'd ordered for himself, and freely guessed that it must be something good.

After a little meal of Anko Dumplings with a little sake and warm tea on the side, Kakashi dragged Aerynn along to a small spot outside the gates of Konoha. It wasn't that far out, though; in the fields, just outside the village. At the distance, not too far away, was a tree that seemed to be half-burnt, and a rather large square of blackened grass. There were two stones, apparently old, eroded by years of rain, wind, hail and snow.

"Hitaru's parents passed away here when she was ten years old." He spoke suddenly, staring, somewhat with a nostalgic air, at the path or charred grass. "They were murdered while she was out, and she burned down the house by kicking a lantern while I was trying to get her out..."

"Why are you telling me all this? It's not like I..." Rynn started, but let herself trail off. She was going to say 'It's not like I care', but that would be the harshest lies she'd ever told. She cared for Hitaru deeply, like the sister she'd never had. But that didn't solve the mystery as to why Kakashi had brought her there in the first place, or why he seemed so opened. From what Hitaru had said, he was mostly a reserved man, hiding behind that mask of his.

"It's been sixteen years today, since they passed away..." he added, barely any louder than a whisper, looking back at Aerynn.

"That doesn't answer my fucking question." She insisted, crossing her arms in the cool afternoon wind. "You're not like this usually, I know that much. So why...?"

"It's okay to miss them, Aerynn."

And that was all she needed to hear.