I stood under the canopy of a large tree, blinking at the sunlight cascading through the leaves. The ninja academy before me was teeming with activity, today was the start of a new school year, and all of the students were excited at the prospect of being one year closer towards becoming a real ninja. I strained my neck to get a better view of the cluster of children making their way across the lawn. A group of rambunctious children came careening out the door, loudest among them was a grinning dark-haired girl with mischievous blue eyes and angular features. Upon viewing me her wide grin turned into a sigh and she walked towards the tree with a kind of saunter to be expected of such a confident 8-year old.

"Oy, I'm old enough to walk home by myself!"

I smiled, "I know you are, but it's your brother's first day at the academy, don't you think he would appreciate us being here to greet him?"

Emi's face softened at the mention of her brother, but she soon regained her playful countenance.

"I know, but it's embarrassing for the top student in their year to walk home with mommy."
"I'll try to remember that from now on."

I did not need to ask Hideki how his day went, it was apparent from his face. The five year old's blonde head bobbled up and down as he looked at the floor, trying to hide his pale concerned eyes from his mother.

I bent down in front of him and held onto his hand.
"Hideki, what's wrong?"

He sniffled and shuffled his feet.
"The others didn't believe I was the Hokage's son, they said I couldn't even hold the shuriken right."

"Your father was the last place ninja when he graduated form the academy, but he worked hard and become Hokage. Emi and I will help you work hard too, and you'll become strong just like him, alright?"

Hideki smiled at me gently and nodded his agreement. Emi clenched her fist and pumped it in the air. "If they mess with you again, let me know and I'll knock them out cold!"

"Emi!"
"OK! Maybe just a black eye."

I chuckled in spite of myself; I really did not know what I would do without by children by my side.

The knock at the door was unexpected; the flow of visitors giving their condolences had waned from a steady stream to an occasional trickle by now. I headed towards the door, expecting perhaps Kiba and his brood, but what met me on the other side was someone else entirely.

"Hinata-san?"
"Shizune, what brings you here?"

Her dark eyes flickered nervously as she spotted Hideki who was now standing behind me. "Hinata-san, could I ask you to accompany me to the hospital?"

Everything was cold and sterile-smelling, and the people wandering the halls didn't seem particularly happy to be there. Their faces were lined with concern that made it apparent they wished they were elsewhere. I couldn't help wondering if my face mirrored theirs.

Shizune led me into her office: small, neat and surprisingly welcoming. She wordlessly handed me a stack of papers and waited for my reaction.

"I don't understand, what is this?"
"It's Naruto's autopsy report."

I almost looked at the paper again, wondering if the smell of antiseptics had affected my vision, but the result was the same.

"It can't be, cause of death is listed as a common virus; his body should have been able to fight that off within a few days."

Shizune sighed and looked at me apologetically. "It seems that he did not posses the immune defenses one would expect. I was concerned by the report so I took a more in depth look."

She pointed at a section of the page, "His genetic data was abnormal, and it seems he had a mutation of some sort that caused immunosupression. It's unlike anything we've ever seen before; my guess would be that the nine-tails might have been the cause."

I looked blankly at Shizune, feeling a sense of dismay wash over me as I let the papers fall from my hand.

"You're saying, the ability that made him Hokage, that helped him protect the village, is what…killed him?"

Shizune didn't answer me, she only looked at me sadly, the way one might watch a frail bird fall from the sky. "There's another reason I asked you here, Hinata-san."

"You see, we're unsure of the exact mechanism of the mutation, it may have been present since birth, or perhaps it didn't make itself present until later, there's also a question of whether it could have been passed on. If you can bring Hideki and Emi in for testing tomorrow we should have the results back by the end of the week."

She placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a small smile. "Try not to worry, we will take care of them the best we can."

She was right, worrying wouldn't do any good, but that didn't stop me from wringing my hands all the way home.

It was dusk as I walked through Konoha, not fully aware of where my feet were taking me. Emi and Hideki had gone in for testing a few days prior, and the results were due the next day. I tried not to let my mind wander back to the possibility of a bad result, though the thought had been at the back of my mind since the day Shizune recommended my children for testing.

As I padded through the lush grass, I stopped suddenly; I had ended up in front of the Hero's Memorial. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, was it fate that brought me here, or just the random movement of my feet? Perhaps I had subconsciously been directing myself in this direction all along.

I knelt and look up at the stone, Naruto's name was engraved in bold letters, right under is father's.

"Hi Naruto", I whispered.

Perhaps I would have felt silly speaking aloud to myself on any other occasion, but in the solitude of the memorial if felt only right.

"I miss you, and so do Emi and Hideki. Emi's top of her class again and Hideki is working hard to be like you. I made ramen today, you should have seen Hideki gobble it down, he acquired your culinary taste. I made too much though, there was just enough left for one more person. I guess I'm not accustomed yet to cooking for three."

A soft breeze made its way eastward, and I watched quietly for a moment as the loose leaves sifted down from the treetops.

"I'm so sorry Naruto."

The tears began to pour down my face as I could feel my anxiety begin to surface.

"Hideki and Emi might have to fight a battle against something we can't see. I feel so useless, as if I've stripped of all my abilities. I've let you down Naruto. You protected your village so vigilantly and I can't even protect my own family. Help me; I don't know what to do. I can't, I just won't allow myself to lose them like I lost you."

A shuffling sound behind me broke me out of my soliloquy with a start. I whirled around and attempted to rise to my feet at the same time while hastily brushing away my tears, causing me to narrowly miss falling over.

"Kaka…err, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi waved his hand passively at me and shook his head.
"Please, no need to bother with the formalities of the title."
"I should go, I didn't mean to bother you."

Kakashi blocked my path, and though I couldn't see it, I'm sure he was giving me a warm smile.

"There is no need for you to leave Hinata-san, this memorial belongs as much to you as it does to all of Konoha. Besides, if I'm correct it was I who interrupted you."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

I wasn't sure if I should leave or stay; wanting to stay by the memorial a bit longer, yet not wanting to impede on Kakashi's privacy. I stood next to him in an awkward silence, trying to think of an excuse to leave.

"Do you plan on coming here often?"

I blushed reflexively at the question. Was he asking because I bothered him? Did he prefer to pay his respects in solitude?

"I haven't really thought about it, but I suppose…Yes, I mean, it's quite peaceful here, and I'd like the chance to visit, it's just that…"

Kakashi looked at me knowingly and turned to face me, his eye crinkling into that indication of a smile that was becoming familiar to me.

"How about we both make an agreement, that we can visit the memorial as often as we like and never worry about whether our presence is disturbing one another. Can you agree to that?"

I smiled at him, for what felt like the first time in a long time.

"Yes, I can."