*Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I simply borrow them for my own musings and fantasies and do not get paid for their use in said musings or fantasies.

Chapter 8

Kakashi had made his way out of his apartment sometime in the middle of the morning, fully rested from a full night of uninhibited sleep and made his way through the farmer's market on his way to the Yamanaka flower shop to buy a bouquet to bring to the memorial when he caught sight of Yuriko. She was thoroughly enthralled in examining a metal fan and talking to the elder lady who ran the shop. He couldn't hear them, but he saw Yuriko's face fall as she set the fan back on its stand, bowed to the shopkeeper, and wandered away. Kakashi walked over to the stand and examined the fan, wondering what was so special about it for her to be so interested. It looked like an ordinary fan with a white lotus flower and gold swirls painted on lavender canvas, but Yuriko had seemed so fascinated by it.

"Are you looking to purchase that fan, young man?" the lady inquired. "There was just a young kunoichi here not even a minute ago who very badly wanted it but she said she couldn't afford it. She was a sweet child so I'm thinking to hold onto it for her, but I'll let you look at it."

"Oh? It seems like an ordinary fan to me," Kakashi stated, hoping to draw more information from this old gossip. "I don't see why she would want it so badly. It's pretty, yes, but it is just a fan, isn't it?"

"I should wash your mouth out with soap. That fan is a specially crafted weapon," she huffed in response. "As a shinobi, you should be able to see that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that it was a weapon," he stated, genuinely intrigued. "No wonder she was so interested in it, then…" he muttered to himself.

"Do you know that young lady? Is she someone special to you?"

"She's special, that's for sure," Kakashi sneered, thinking about their team dynamics and how she openly despised him and the old lady giggled like a school girl, not catching his tone.

"I see! Well if that's the case, you should buy it for her then! She'll be so happy to get such a beautiful gift from such a handsome boyfriend."

Kakashi was taken aback but decided that he wouldn't correct her. Yuriko had an affinity for wind and it had proven deadly and extremely useful during their last mission, but she'd needed to create a clone to perform it. If she'd had an easier means of calling up the wind, he wondered if it would have been more efficient. It might be useful if they decided to train and practice together to better their dual attacks, he thought.

"I'll take it," he grinned at her and she beamed, her excitement over a seemingly romantic gesture of young love bubbling over. "But if she comes back asking for it, let's keep it a secret between you and me, okay?"

"Of course, of course! Since it's a gift, I'll give it to you for a special discount. That'll be four thousand five hundred yen, and I'll throw in this charm and carrying case free of charge. Oh, she's just going to love it, young man!"

Kakashi thanked the woman as he traded his money for the fan and he tucked the fan into the carrying case and then into his pocket before continuing on toward the flower shop once again. After visiting his fallen comrades for a few hours, Kakashi started making his way back toward the center of the village and debated about how he'd give the fan to Yuriko. By the time he'd reached his apartment, he'd decided that he'd give it to her anonymously but still had no clue how he'd do it. Eventually, he gave up with a sigh and set it aside to think about later.

Yuriko had had lunch and chatted with Naruto for a bit before she sent him off, thinking that his parents must be worried seeing as it was already evening and the sun was already tinging the sky shades of purple and blue and orange as it began to set. When he'd left, she decided to wander around the village, as had become a habit now when she had nothing else to do and she came across Genma who looked bored as he walked with his hands shoved into his pockets. Upon seeing her, he stood up straighter and smiled, waving to her.

"Hey, Yuriko. Did you have fun last night?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry about cutting out early. I got a little uncomfortable," she explained, making a conscious effort to be courteous.

"That's fine. It didn't really get any better or worse once you'd left. Guy and Anko drank too much and had to be dragged home about an hour later anyway."

Yuriko chuckled, imagining Izumo and Kotetsu dragging Guy home while he laughed and yelled out obnoxiously that he wanted to have a contest to see who could run the fastest or something.

"Anyway, what are you up to?" Genma added.

"Nothing really. I've been wandering, trying to find something to do."

"Well, do you mind if I join you? I'm kind of bored, myself, and I'd like to get to know you better."

"Why?" Yuriko asked, suspicion tinting her question with venom.

"Well… it's not very often that we get refugees, even less often that we get kunoichi looking to serve a different nation, and even less often still for those kunoichi to be skilled enough to be automatically added to an ANBU team. You're mysterious and it's intriguing."

"Sorry, but I don't want to talk about any of that. It's not pleasant conversation material."

"That's fine," Genma smiled. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

Yuriko's gaze was questioning as she looked her fellow shinobi over, wondering what his intentions were. Neither of them was drunk and his attitude and mannerisms weren't aggressive enough for him to be hitting on her or trying to get her home. Could he really just be asking out of curiosity?

Yuriko was about to make a comment back, but the sound of someone angrily yelling Naruto's name caught her attention and she turned toward the sound of it to see Naruto laughing and running away from a man with a puffy high ponytail and a scar across his nose and cheeks.

"Naruto-kun?" she muttered, piquing Genma's intrigue and just then the blonde noticed her and ran behind her.

"Yuriko nee-chan, help me!" he laughed.

"Nee-chan?" Genma mused, shocked and confused.

"Naruto-kun, what did you do to get yourself in trouble this time?" she sighed.

The man who had been chasing Naruto stopped in front of her and smiled nervously, before glaring around her at the rambunctious boy behind her.

"Naruto, leave that woman alone and get over here right now," he growled.

"No way, Iruka-sensei! Yuriko nee-chan is gonna protect me," Naruto yelled and stuck his tongue out.

"What's going on?" Yuriko asked. "Naruto-kun, what did you do?"

"I caught him sneaking into the women's changing room at the hot spring," Iruka tattled.

"I was just testing out my new jutsu!" Naruto grumbled.

Yuriko sighed and punched him on the head, so he yelled out and rubbed the spot she'd hit him.

"What was that for?!"

"How would you feel if a girl walked into your house and saw you taking a shower?" she scolded.

"What does that have to—?!"

"You'd be embarrassed, wouldn't you? Humiliated that someone walked into your space and saw you at your most vulnerable? That's what you just did to those girls, Naruto."

He went silent and looked down with a blush across his cheeks, shame written on his face. "I… I didn't think of it like that…"

Yuriko sighed and put her hand on her hip. "This is the second time today that I've helped get you out of trouble. Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

Naruto remained silent and shrank further into himself.

"I'm sorry he's caused you so much trouble. He really is a good kid," Yuriko stated, turning to Iruka and smiled and bowed sheepishly, placing her hand on Naruto's head.

"Yeah… I mean no! I mean… Hi. I'm Iruka Umino, one of Naruto's instructors at the academy. And you are..?"

"Yuriko Kobayashi, and I'm just a friend." She then turned to Naruto and crouched down to his eye level. "It's getting late. You should head home before trouble finds you again."

"It's not like there's anyone waiting for me," he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and sulking away.

Yuriko stood up, her heart suddenly feeling heavy as she watched him go, a sadness overcoming her senses. When the young blonde was out of earshot, she asked nobody in particular what had happened to his parents.

"They died protecting the village from a monster fox attack when he was born," Iruka stated.

"Both of them were shinobi?"

"Yes."

"Were they buried here… in the village?"

"Yes. There's a memorial in the cemetery for those we lost on that day," Genma chimed in. "How do you know that boy, Yuriko?"

"I got him out of trouble when he painted the Hokage monument and helped him clean it up."

"Why did you get him out of trouble? And why help him? He shouldn't have done it."

"No, but it was funny. It had been a long time since I'd laughed…"

Without knowing how or wanting to continue the conversation, Yuriko excused herself and started making her way toward the cemetery, waving half-heartedly. She'd passed it enough times by now on her way to the Hokage monument to know where it was and when she got there, she walked straight to the large stone in the center, assuming that that was the memorial that Genma had mentioned. On a plaque in front of the stone were hundreds of names and she read each one, pausing on names that sounded familiar. She'd found two Umino names and questioned to herself if they were Iruka's parents before she continued on. She'd only found one Uzumaki and assumed that since the name was female, it was Naruto's mother and she'd decided to keep her maiden name when she'd married leaving Yuriko to wonder who his father was. Regardless, she lowered herself to her knees and prayed, paying her respects to the deceased. Shortly after she'd gotten there, she heard someone walk up to stand beside her. When she'd finished praying, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Iruka.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she stated.

"Thank you… You have a big heart."

"What makes you say that?"

"Genma told me that you're new to the village, and yet here you are paying your respects to people you've never even met from a village you just got to."

"Death is the same no matter where you go or come from. It deserves the same respect wherever you are, regardless of whether or not you personally knew who it took. And those no longer with us should know that the loved ones they left behind are well taken care of and that their sacrifice is appreciated."

"You speak about death like it's something you're familiar with."

"I'm a shinobi. Death is always waiting, watching from over my shoulder. Sometimes he is comforting, others, he is fearsome, others still, he is loathsome, but he is always there. As a shinobi, yourself, none of it should be new to you," she stated, standing up and dusting off her pants.

"It's not… I've just never heard someone state it so eloquently…"

"You've never actually witnessed Death while he was at work… have you?"

"What do you mean?"

Yuriko paused and stared at him. His chocolate brown eyes were lonesome, but they were still innocent. He'd suffered a great deal at the loss of his parents, she could tell, but he'd never watched the breath leave someone's lips or taken life with his own two hands. His relationship with death was one-sided, she saw, and she wished with her whole heart that it would stay that way for the rest of his life.

"Never mind… I'm sorry. I've said some unpleasant things," she sighed, her eyes and demeanor softening as she brought herself back to the present, banishing the dark thoughts that had plagued her mind a few short moments before.

"What did you mean?" Iruka insisted.

"Please don't. I don't like to talk about it. It brings back bad memories…"

"You've lost someone, too… haven't you?"

Yuriko sighed with the realization that he wouldn't let it go and looked away. "Yes… I have."

"Who?"

"My parents… my friends… my village… my sensei… everyone. I've lost everyone."

With that, Yuriko took her leave again, uncomfortable with the conversation and unsure of how to get out of it or change the subject, so she simply removed herself from the scene and made her way home, humming a rushed version of her lullaby in an attempt to occupy her thoughts with something other than the macabre and melancholy. When she'd gotten there, she downed a cup of her herbal tea before saying a few words to her mom and going to bed, praying that her conversation with Iruka wouldn't bring back the memories and nightmares of her past.