Disclaimer: R-chan: CBDA doesn't own Naruto or any of its characters.

CBDA: And R-chan also looks like Sailor Venus… why do I do this?

R-chan: Because it is the height of hilarity…

CBDA: I'm running out of blond characters…


It seemed that a veil of despair had been draped over the village of Konoha. Over half of the village lied in ruins and the streets were covered in debris. Sadly, said streets also seemed to be covered with the blood of the shinobi and kunoichi of the village. The streets that were normally buzzing with noise were now deathly silent. Shops that had not been destroyed were closed for the day and the streets were deserted save for the few people making their way quickly to wherever they were going.

Anko walked alongside Kurenai and Asuma, both dressed in black funeral attire. She herself was also dressed in a modest black dress, never worn until now. They did not speak as they made their way toward the Konoha cemetery where it seemed as if the whole village had gathered. They took their places beside other ninja their age, all of whom were dressed in their black apparel. In front of them, Anko noticed Kakashi standing toward the front, wearing his normal mask to the bridge of his nose and his forehead protector pulled over his left eye. Even at a funeral it seemed that Kakashi fell into his same patterns.

The procession began as they announced the names of the fallen ninja including the name of their leader, the beloved fourth Hokage who had lost his life after defeating the nine-tailed demon fox and sealing it away in the body of a newborn child. Then came the time where the ninja placed a single flower on the gravestone of the fallen ninja. As Anko took her place in line, she noticed the boy from earlier, Iruka, crying steadily as he placed a flower on three graves. One of the Hokage and one on another woman and man's graves. They must have been his parents. Anko's heart panged for him as she made her way back to where she had been standing.

After the ceremony, Anko filed out behind Kurenai and Asuma, still not saying anything. Outside the cemetery, Kakashi could be seen embracing a girl with short brown hair who was crying into his shoulder. He seemed to be hugging her gently, trying his best to comfort her. Something flared inside Anko, maybe sympathy, maybe jealousy. She could not be certain.

"I'll see you later," Kurenai broke the silence, waving to Anko and turning to walk toward her own home. Anko nodded, waving before heading to her own home. She could not shake the feeling of sadness that had engulfed her village. She felt herself slowly succumbing to it.

"Where are you going?" a voice came from a few feet away making Anko jump. Kakashi stood leaning on a building, looking at her questioningly.

"Home," she answered, turning to leave. She could hear his footsteps behind her as he followed her. After a few minutes of silence, she had to ask the question that had been nawing at her. "Who was that girl you were hugging?"

Kakashi replied, "That's my former teammate, Rin. She was in my squad that was led by the Fourth Hokage. His death really got to her."

"Oh," Anko said, then scolded herself. She could not even manage to say something, anything else that seemed a little more sympathetic. "I'm sorry about your sensei," she added in hopes to make up for her previous statement.

"Thank you," Kakashi said quietly. His footsteps stopped abruptly, causing Anko to look back in confusion. "A sensei is a hard thing to lose. Hopefully you won't have to go through that," he said and Anko suddenly found herself biting back tears. He really cared for his sensei while she secretly wished that her own was lying dead somewhere. Suddenly, Kakashi turned from her muttering, "I have to go. Be careful on your way home." And with that, he left.

OoO

The sky had turned an ominous black and Anko felt the beginnings of rain fall on her head. It began to rain heavily and she quickly made her way to her apartment. By the time she arrived, she was soaked to the bone and shivering dramatically. She walked into her apartment, quickly changing into dry clothes and putting on a pot of water for tea. When the water was boiling, she poured herself a cup.

She took the cup in her hands, sipping it gratefully, loving the way the burning liquid slithered down her throat, not caring if it was burning her tongue. It warmed her instantly and her mood brightened. If only for a moment.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair," a familiar voiced hissed.

Her eyes widened and in surprise she dropped her cup on the ground as she spun around. The cup shattered as it made contact with the ground, its contents spilling over the wood floor. It seemed a lot of glass had shattered in the last few days.

"Orochimaru," she muttered, backing into the counter behind her. Her sensei stood a few feet away, looking at the cup in confusion as if it were the most puzzling thing he had ever seen.

He smiled suddenly, looking up at her with his snakelike eyes. "You are such a clumsy girl, Anko. You'd think you would have learned how to hold onto a cup at least." He bent down, picking up the pieces and disposing of them. After he had finished, he straightened, looking at her up and down. "How was the funeral?" he asked casually as if he were asking about the weather.

Anko replied quietly, "Sad of course. Why weren't you there?"

"Why because I don't care much for the ninja of this village particularly. But then again, neither do you," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked a bit angrily. Why would he say something like that? How could she not care for the people of her village?

"Well, because," he began, stepping closer and caressing her cheek softly. She cringed but kept as still as possible, not wanting him to hurt her. "You do not know any of these people," he paused, smiling devilishly. "Well, except for that girl who found you. What was her name again? Ah yes, Kurenai of the Yuhi clan. And I see that you have become close to Tsunade as well."

"Not particularly. She doesn't let me do anything and she is kind of mean sometimes," Anko said, remembering Tsunade, the medical ninja who hated her sass.

"True. There is also that young Jonin. Kakashi Hatake?" he asked and she stiffened. "Ah I see I've hit a nerve. You like this boy?" She did not reply and he smirked as he slapped her as he so normally did. He pushed her into a chair and with her head still ringing, said sternly, "You need to watch yourself. No need for those close to you to get hurt."

He turned to leave and in the doorframe said, "Next week we shall meet for a training session. Do not be late." And with that, he left Anko, her face still stinging.


~AN~

Sorry if it seems a little short but I had to cover some kind of depressing funeral scene. Anyways I loved your responses for last chapter. I realized that I had no Orochimaru in it save for her dream and pretty much every review was asking where Orochimaru was... I apologize. He should be in pretty much every chapter from now on...

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed... (you know who you are) Your reviews make me want to continue this story... (not just because I love torturing the main character. It's actually a lot of fun surprisingly)

Stay tuned... hopefully the next chapter is up soon!