Note ― Song change! She Could Be You from Kyle XY. Amazing show. Go watch it. I don't own the song.

I'm haunted by this photograph
Don't know why
Every time I look, I get shivers down my spine
You're such a beautiful face

Broken – XV

―:―:―:―Three Months Later―:―:―:―

Kakashi stared blankly at the framed picture clutched in his hands. He felt as if it were from a lost time, years ago, back when things were simpler, easier. A time when his friends were all still alive.

The reality was the picture was probably only four, maybe five months old. It was from the river. Minato had taken it. It was of Obito, Rin, Kakashi, and Anko posing on the river bank. They were all smiling ― even Kakashi, though you couldn't see it under his mask. They all looked so happy, it was hard to imagine a time like that had ever existed.

Rin was gone. Simple vanished, after going out for a walk one night. Kakashi was still beating himself over it. She had insisted on going alone, which wasn't a surprise, as she had been taking a lot of late night walks. She needed time to herself, which was hard to come by in a home filled with nosy kids, even if she did once again have her room to herself.

So she had left. And Kakashi had let her. She had been gone for over an hour when he had finally become concerned and said something to Minato. He, along with a few other adults, had gone searching, and no trace of her had turned up. They had called the police, who had promised to look, but with no luck. It was like she had fallen off the face of the earth.

She was probably kidnapped, the police said. It wasn't uncommon, kids disappeared all the time, they said. What the hell did they know? It wasn't their only remaining friend that had disappeared.

Kakashi's grip on the frame tightened, almost to the point where he thought it was going to snap in half. It had been a month and a half since Rin's disappearance. Too soon after losing Obito and Anko. The pain hit him like a sharp knife.

Not that Anko was dead. Not yet, anyway. She was still in a coma, kept alive only by a machine. But he knew it was only a matter of time before the doctors decided to take her off that machine. Then he'd have to go through burying another friend.

Kakashi couldn't do this. He couldn't deal with seeing another friend die.

A noise outside his bedroom door attracted his attention away from the photo. He narrowed his eyes at the bedroom door.

"Come in…whoever you are." Asuma stepped in, looking sheepish, with Kurenai following. "What do you two want?"

Kurenai gave Asuma a shove, and he said, "Well, uh, Kakashi, I was thinking―"

"That's dangerous."

"Shut up. Anyways, you know my roommate just left, and I have a free bed in my room, maybe you could―"

"Forget it." Kakashi said at once, knowing where Asuma was going with this. "I'm not changing rooms."

"I told you he'd say that." Asuma muttered, turning to glare at Kurenai, who shook her head, sighing.

"What are you going to do then?" She asked, resting her hands on her hips. "You going to stay cooped up in here forever?"

"No. I'm going to stay cooped up in here until Obito comes back to life, Anko wakes up, and Rin comes home." He knew perfectly well all three of those things were completely impossible. But he didn't care.

"Kakashi be reasonable. I mean―" Kurenai looked around the room. "Look at this. You haven't even gotten rid of Obito's stuff. It's been almost four months since he died, you can't spend the rest of your life in mourning."

"I don't intend to."

"Well if you're holding out for things to go back to normal, you're going to be waiting for a long time." Asuma rested a hand on Kurenai's shoulder, shaking his head. He'd known from the start that this was a lost cause. Kakashi was too attached to his memories to just let them go.

"I'm not giving up." Kakashi said, gripping the picture a little tighter. "Maybe Obito and Rin can't come back. But Anko still could…"

Asuma and Kurenai exchanged weary glances. Like everyone else in the gossip hall, they knew all about Kakashi's feelings for Anko. And they were one thing he would never let go of.

"I'm going out for a walk." Kakashi said, setting the picture down on the bedside table and standing up. He shouldered past Kurenai and Asuma, his hands in his pockets, and down the stairs. They both knew where he was going.

"Kakashi!" Minato caught the silver-haired teen on his way downstairs. "Listen, Asuma asked me about―"

"I'm not switching rooms." Was all Kakashi said before leaving. "You know where I'll be."

Minato sighed. Well, it had been worth a shot. He watched the boy leave, his hands still in his pockets. With everything that had happened, Kakashi's change had been inevitable. But at that moment, Minato would have given anything to have the reasonable, punctual, good Kakashi back.

The sky overhead was gray, perfect for Kakashi's mood. It was cold enough to snow, and Kakashi wouldn't have been surprised if it did just that. He kept his eyes on the sidewalk. This path was so beaten by now, he could have done it in his sleep.

The loud beeping of the machines assaulted Kakashi's ears as he walked into Anko's room. He ignored them and took his usual seat beside Anko's bed. The girl was still in the same position she had been in for three months, her eyes still stubbornly closed. Kakashi sighed as he watched her, and instantly launched into speech.

"Hey Anko. Sorry I haven't been down for a few days. I got busy with school, though I have to admit, it's easier now that I don't have to keep track of Obito all the time. I wish I still had to though. I miss him. And Rin. They never did find her. Never even found anything even closely related to her. Wish I knew what happened." He sighed and slipped his hand into her's. "They still haven't found Orochimaru either. No one's seen a trace of him. Not since that night. Gotta admit, it's a little late now, but at least he's finally gone for good. Even if it is…too late to save you."

He shifted his eyes, staring at his knees. "That's what everyone says, anyway. Everyone says you're not going to wake up. But I don't believe them, Anko. I don't believe you would just give up just like that. You're stronger than that, Anko, I know you are. Please, prove them wrong. Please…wake up."

Nothing. He sighed, reaching a hand up and rubbing her cheek. "Why?" He muttered, clenching his free hand into a fist. "Why did this have to happen? Why did you go back, Anko? If you had just shown us the note, we could have helped, we could have found a way. None of it was your fault, why did you have to listen to that note, listen to him? Why, Anko?"

He knew he wasn't going to get anywhere, asking for answers from a comatose girl. One might have even thought he was losing his mind. But those questions had been burning inside him since Rin's disappearance. And he couldn't take it anymore.

"I said I would protect you. I promised. Were they just hollow words to you? Did they not matter? Why, Anko?" He dropped his head into his hands. "God, I wish you could answer these questions. They've been driving me nuts. I feel like a failed you, Anko. I couldn't save you from Orochimaru…and now I can't save you from this. Tell me Anko, please…tell me what I can do different this time, tell me what I can do to protect you. Please Anko…tell me."

He inhaled deeply, tears stinging his eyes. He couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand not knowing what had gone so wrong that it had driven Anko away.

Kakashi stood up, his legs shaking. Suddenly there wasn't enough air in the room. He had to get outside, just for a minute or two.

He received a surprise when he got outside. It was snowing. The white, frozen rain was fluttering towards the ground. Kakashi had held his hand, catching a few flakes. They melted in his still warm hands.

"Damn it." He muttered, clenching his fists. He turned his face towards the sky, allowing the tears to spill down the sides of his face. He felt exposed, standing there and crying. But he didn't care. He let the tears fall.

Hours later, Kakashi found himself back at Konoha, standing in the door of an empty room. The room Rin and Anko had shared. No one had moved their stuff yet. It was just like Kakashi with Obito's belongings; no one wanted to admit that either of them were really gone.

Sighing, Kakashi stepped fully into the room. Rin and Anko would have murdered them if they had known he was in there without their permission. But he wasn't too worried about them finding out.

It was hard to imagine that the two of occupants of this room were really gone. It felt like just yesterday everything had been okay.

Kakashi wanted that back. He wanted everything to be okay.

Minato yawned widely. He hated having night duty, but someone had to keep an ear and an eye on the kiddies when they were asleep. And he'd lost the card game that night, so it was all on him.

Ring-Ring

The phone cut through his tired stupor. He grabbed it, trying to suppress another yawn as he said, "Hello, Konohagakure, children's home."

He listened for a few seconds, and straightened up instantly in his chair, alert at once.

"She what? Are you sure?" He listened for another minute or so, and his heart fell rapidly. "All right. All right…thank you. Yes, someone will be down in the morning. Thanks again."

He set the phone back in it's cradle, sighing. How was he going to explain this to Kakashi?

The boy in question was currently laying awake in bed, staring hard at the ceiling. Over the past three months, he had become prone to insomnia. It was a feeling he truly hated.

Knock-Knock

He lifted his head and looked at the door, surprised. Who was calling on him at this late hour?

"Come in."

Minato stepped into the room, looking uncomfortable. Kakashi sat up, weary. "What's up?"

Minato sighed heavily, unsure of what to say. Finally he said, "Kakashi…the hospital just called."

Kakashi stiffened like a board. "What is it?" He asked, panic threatening to overtake him. "Is it Anko? Is she okay? What happened?"

Minato watched the teen. Panic and fear were both very evident in his voice. "She's…okay. I think. She's awake, at any rate."

Kakashi calmed down, just a little, but he still heard the hesitant note in Minato's voice. He didn't like that note.

"So then what's wrong?"

Minato shook his head. The best way to say this was to just…say it. "According to the doctor, she has absolutely no memory of her life at all. Of Orochimaru, of staying here…or of you, Kakashi."

Kakashi's eyes widened as the full impact of Minato's words set in on him. Anko didn't remember. Didn't remember her life, or him…anything.

"Are you…sure?" He whispered. Minato began to wish he could take back the blunt way he had put the situation. He nodded.

"The doctor said when she woke up, he asked her a few questions, about her home-life and about you―" Kakashi was very well known around the hospital, because of his frequent trips to see Anko, "and she didn't understand a word he was talking about. I'm sorry, Kakashi."

Kakashi couldn't respond. He was waiting…to wake up from this nightmare.

Author's Note: I'm trying to keep it as close to the original storyline as possible. And no one ever did find out how Rin died, so...yeah. So guess what? It's by birthday today! I'm updating early 'cause I'm having some friends over later, we're having an Anime/Video Game Party. Gonna be lots of fun. Kays, review please! -- Sam