Yay, up date! (throws candies) I've been having hell at school and this is a good way to escape. I also have a few other fics in the works. Another Naruto one for my deviantart account as well as one for Hellsing and Kyo Kara Maoh and Kingdom Hearts. Looks like I'm gonna be writing for a while, huh?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, why would I be writting a fic about my own work? I do own Aiko, Kantaro, Kuri, Koto, Yoko, Yuki, Hiroshi, and Makoto.

Enjoy the story.

Kakashi sat against the cement base of the shrine, Aiko leaning against him. Both were watching the grey sky.

"How long has it been?" Kakashi asked after a while.

"Not sure exactly, a little over two and a half weeks I think," Aiko answered.

"Who was the last?"

"Kantaro."

There was silence and then Aiko spoke.

"Kakashi, I miss them, very much. I don't what to let them go!" she said.

"Aiko," Kakashi said gently, "They're dead, you'll have to let go eventually. You eveutally let go when your parents-"

"It's not the same!" Aiko interupted. And then they were quiet once more.

"Why?" Aiko finally whispered, "Why them? There are other people out there!"

"That's a horrible thing to say Aiko," Kakashi said.

"I don't care!" Aiko responed forcefully. "Why did they have to die, of everyone out there, why them? Why my friends?"

"Did they, did they die in the line of duty?" Kakashi had asked the question before he could stop himself. Such a question was sure to bring up painful memories.

"Kuri, Koto and Hiroshi did," Aiko answered.

"An entire cell? They were all killed on one mission?" Kakashi asked, surprised. Aiko nodded.

"Makoto, Kantaro and Yuki went to finish, but Yuki died in the process. I-I was always close by when one of them died... I began thinking it was my fault, that I was bad luck..." Aiko trailed off.

"Don't talk nonsense, you could never be bad luck. It wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could have done," Kakashi answered. He felt his heart thump a little faster as he tried to console her.

"And the others... it looked like... like accidents, but..."

"Accidents of what kind?"

"They didn't seem, well, right... but I they, they died anyway. Makoto, Yoko... even Kantaro..." Aiko said quietly, holding back more tears.

"Everything will be alright," that was all Kakashi could say to her. A ninja seeks for the hidden meaning within the hidden meaning. None of them could have been killed in an ordinary accident. At the time Aiko must have been too distraught to see the true meaning, but she did say she had detected something odd. Something strange must have happened; they were all formidable shinobi, and Kantaro, above all the others, could never be killed by a mear accident. Something is gravely wrong here...

"Come on Aiko," he said gently, helping her to her feet, "let's head back, you'll get sick if you stay out here any longer." Aiko only nodded slightly as Kakashi took off his vest and wrapped it around her shoulders and began to lead her out.

They were halfway through the graveyard when Aiko stopped. She looked to her right, at the graves Kakashi had paused at earlier.

"I wonder how different things would be if they were here," Aiko whispered before continuing on. Kakashi sighed. Aiko's had more than her fair share of misfortune, he thought before letting his mind laps into memory.

He had just eaten breakfast and was wondering what sort of training her would do today when Makoto came dashing out of nowhere, strait at him. Kakashi jumped out of the way as Makoto slid to a stop.

"Makoto, what's wrong?" he asked, for none of the group had ever come to visit him before, and if they had, they would have all come together.

"It's... Aiko..." he panted leaning forward, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Aiko? Is she alright? what a happened!" Kakashi asked, he could feel his heart begin to beat faster with fear.

"Aiko... she... her parents," Makoto had finally caught his breath and he stood up and faced Kakashi, "her parents are dead."

Kakashi felt his breath catch in his chest. Aiko's parents were also shinobi, and you couldn't find better role models anywhere. And they were pretty nice too.

"She wanted everyon to be there for the burial..." Makoto continued but trailed off. He could see the shock of Kakashi's face.

Kakashi couldn't really remember the trip there or even much of what happened once he got there, but he did remember the day of the burial.

They were all waiting at Aiko's house. Waiting for her to come out of her bedroom. Finally one of her visiting relatives had to go and get her. They could hear her relative's soothing voice, and then Aiko shouting "I don't want to say good bye!"

After a few moments of persuading, Aiko's relative had finally been able to get her to come out. It was the only time Kakashi had ever seen her wearing a dress.

The walk to the cemetary was a grim one. First the coffin bearers with the coffins, and then Aiko and her friends and then the family and friends. At the graves the caskets were lowered while friends and family members said their good byes. Aiko didn't say a word, she only dropped a handful of dirt onto each of the coffins in the graves, and then turned and ran from the graveyard. Kakashi and everyone followed her.

Aiko lead them through the streets and eventually to their hidden cove. By the time they had caught up with her, she was sitting waist deep in a tide pool, hidden behind a rocky out crop. When they tried to go closer and comfort her, she only shouted "Go away!"

Everyone could tell she was crying, but they let her be for a while, since Aiko had never liked anyone seeing her cry; not even when she was a very young child. After a while Kuri approched Aiko and they talked for a little while. Finally Aiko crawled out of the tide pool and sat on the beach with the rest of them. And they stayed like that for the rest of the day, watching the waves and the setting sun. It was then that Kantaro spoke.

"We al should be getting back," he said. No one replied but only stood and got ready to leave.

"Here Aiko," Kataro said, extending his hand towards her, "I'll walk you home."

The memory fadd when they came in sight of Aiko's apartment. Aiko handed the vest back to Kakashi and proceeded up the steps alone.

"Well you sure took a while getting back here," Naruto commented as Aiko walked in the door. Aiko ignored Naruto and walked back to her bedroom and shut the door.

"Um sensei," Sakura said as Kakashi walked in, "what's the matter with Aiko?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to explain but thought better of it. The loss of friends was a very personal matter.

"It's Aiko's story to tell," he responed before sitting down and pulling out his book. Only this time he couldn't seem to concentrate. His thoughts kept straying back to Aiko, and the pain she must be going through.

Aiko leaned against the door in her bedroom. Her life seemed to be coming apart at the seams. She sighed and then walked to her closet. She opened the door and there was her vest, identical to Kakashi's.

She gently fingered the edge of it before pulling out one of the scrolls in it's pouches. As she did so, memories flooded her mind. Memories of all the battles she had fought and the missions she had accomplished.

An intense longing filled her. She wanted to go back to the life she had had. The life her friends her been in... Aiko shoved the scroll back into the vest and shut the closet door.

"No," she whispered, leaning her head against the door, "I can never go back to being a ninja."

Not much action in this one, though there will be in the next chapter, hopefully. I kinda had to cut this one short otherwise it would have been too long.