Memo

Bah hello there, watched Dr Who and was like Oo, wooo Rose is back!!

Chapter 07: The Aftermath

Kianna sat on her bed, still unable to swallow the fact that the Hokage was dead. He had always been a big support in his village; his presence was always taken for granted. But now he was gone. She steadied her emotions, changed into her mourning clothes, black trousers and a fitted sleeveless t-shirt, and she left her apartment. Before she went to the memorial, there was something she had to do.

Kakashi stood at the memorial stone and stared at Obito's name. So much had happened in the past few days. His head was constantly buzzing with thoughts and memories. He had not seen Kianna since the Hokage's death... That's right! The Hokage had died. Another Tragedy, like adding salt to the wound. He heard footsteps behind him and a familiar, lingering scent. It began to rain.

"Kakashi?"
He felt a strong twist in his chest, as though somebody was trying to wrench out his insides.
"Kakashi?"
It came again. He turned around to meet the face of Kianna. He noticed the flowers in her hands.
"Are those for Hayate?" He said, remembering that, before she left, Hayate and her had been good friends. She would've been very upset to hear about his death. She didn't answer. She knew Kakashi already guessed the answer to that question. She couldn't look at his face, into his eye. This was the perfect moment to apologise for what she had done to him.
"Kakashi!" She said again, this time with an urgent tone to her voice, but she couldn't seem to vocalize anything else. She felt her chance diminish into nothingness. Kakashi looked at her with a cold gaze and swept past her, heading in the direction of the Hokage's own memorial. She put the flowers next to the stone, remembering the real reason why she had come. Kakashi stopped walking and looked back at her.
"The funeral for the Hokage has started already. Hurry up!" He said, no trace of emotion entering his voice.
"Were you here for Obito, Kakashi?" Kianna whispered breathlessly, finally managing to speak. Kakashi faltered, and stopped walking away.
She carried on
"If you always think of an excuse for your being late, then why don't you come early."
He stayed silent for a moment. Kianna knelt down to the stone, giving her respects, and then stood looking at Kakashi in the eye.
"I do come early in the morning, every day" He started. Why was he saying this to her? "But when I come here I want to admonish my old foolish self." He stopped, but carried on "...You...You never saw that side of me."
"I'm glad you came here and kept Obito Company!" She uttered, smiling at him weakly. He felt that same twisting feeling in his gut as before. What was wrong with him? He was supposed to be mad at her. Yet the more he talked to her, the more he could feel the pain and hate vanish away, only to be replaced by feelings he hadn't felt in a long while. He needed to get away, away from this woman so that he could collect his thoughts.
"The...The Hokage's memorial, I must get there...N-now" he stuttered. His lazy, cool demeanor had completely vanished. He briskly turned and walked away.
"Kakashi!" She yelled, he instinctively turned around and before he knew it, felt a pair of strong hands clasped onto his shoulders and a pair of desperate eyes looked into his own.
"I-I-I'm sorry! Sorry for everything I did, I wish I could have changed what I did, but I can't. After the massacre I wasn't myself, I was a monster and I didn't want you to see that side of me. Like you didn't ever want me to meet your foolish old side! I wanted to tell you before, at the chunnin exams, but I couldn't. I don't mind if you don't want to see me around anymore but-"
Her ramblings were cut off as Kakashi pulled her into a fierce hug. He felt the small tinge of hate for Kianna melt away, replaced by his old feelings. He knew he couldn't be mad at her forever; never forgiving her was an impossibility. He pulled her closer to him; her scent enveloped his senses, making his heart beat faster. She shivered when he spoke and could feel his breath on the side of her face, through his mask.
"Don't worry, Kianna. I forgive you, but let's take things slow, okay?"
He let her go and held out his hand...
"Friends?" He said, with a twinkle in his eye. She smiled and clasped the hand, shaking it. "Friends" She confirmed.

Meanwhile, a certain someone was sitting in the bushes, listening to the whole conversation with a smile on his face. His identity, a mystery. (However, the large amount of white hair might be a clue!)

Both Kakashi and Kianna managed to make it to the Hokage's and the deceased's memorial late, without anyone noticing. Their eyes were all too focused on the pictures in front of them. The pictures of the dead. They both placed a white flower onto the table, remembering the times they had spend with the departed. The death of the Hokage hit Kianna hard. He had done so any things for her, helped her through hard times, overlooked certain foolish actions and just been the foundations of this village. She struggled to keep her emotions hidden and a sad expression was etched onto her face. She felt somebody grab her hand and she looked up. Kakashi smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Kianna managed to smile back and give a little squeeze in return.
"Iruka-sensei?" She heard a small voice say in front of her. It belonged to Naruto.
"Why do people risk their lives for others?"
"When one person dies, it's not only that..." Iruka started "It's the lives of the past, present, and future. Many people die in missions or war. Too easily as you wouldn't have expected. Even a dying person had a dream or goal, but everybody has something in common. Parents, siblings, lovers, and friends, the people who are precious to you. They trust and help each other. It's the relationships formed with people since you were born and, as time passes, those bonds become thicker and stronger. It's only logical that, the person who holds that bond will risk anything for it, because it is precious to them."
"Yes. Even I can understand that somewhat" Replied Naruto to Iruka's speech. "But, to die is painful-"
"The Third didn't die for nothing..." interrupted Kakashi "He did leave something precious to us. Well, you'll understand one day."
"Yes I understand that too, somewhat" Naruto again replied, a small smile on his face.
Kianna looked up at the sky.
"It's stopped raining" she commented. Everyone around looked up and saw the sun peeking out of the clouds, like a ray of hope.

Note: Aw, they made up. Good for them...