Epilogue: Pain

Another person I cared for, dead.

Kakashi watched as the small girl's casket lowered underneath the ground. Who knew sadness could be so clear and real through a single eye?

Sakura stood there and cried hysterically. First Sasuke...and now Rei? She wasn't suppose to die. It all made too much sense to her - the reason he left. God, she would have left too if she were Sasuke. She thought about all her past mistakes: Why didn't we talk before? Why did I ignore her, like everybody else? Why did I only get several months with Rei? The girl's loud sob rung in people's ears, and they felt the pain and regret of a girl who lost her closest friend.

Naruto was just in plain shock, frozen but trembling. He couldn't believe that Rei could even die – it was never a possibility, a what if. He couldn't accept the fact that she was gone. And even though Naruto hadn't bonded with Rei to Sasuke's extent, it hurt him to even try to sort through the pain. It was overwhelming, worse than anything he had expected. Her death shook up his confidence of living a shinobi life.

Tsunade and Shizune was there, unable to meet anyone's eyes. They blamed themselves, and made no secret about it. Guy's team was there as well, Tenten staring at her feet and Neji with his eyes closed, and fist clenched so hard his knuckles became bone white. Lee's shock was parallel to Naruto's - never expecting Rei to ever die – not even once. He was destroyed. Lives of those she saved, was there, mourning. Everyone was at her funeral.

Except for Sasuke.

And if it was the circumstance, he would have been the only one that really needed to be there for her. But he couldn't be here - Rei was his better half, the reminder of a greater goal to pursue, one that didn't involve revenge. Sasuke needed Rei as much as Rei needed someone to need her. Without one, the other would fall apart. And that was exactly what was happening.

Kakashi always knew that Sasuke was all angst and revenge-driven...but sometimes the jonin would forget that this was just a hurting kid. A sad boy who lost his family. Yet Rei had made them all forget how dark Sasuke's mind really was, she brought goodness into his life.

...but she was gone. Rei, who had always lived a step away from death yet glowed with life, was gone. Sasuke Uchiha and Rei Yukimora, two kids that shouldered too much of a history, too much pain. And now, one was dead and the other not quite living either.

THE END

_x_

To be completely honest, this was suppose to be the end end. But there's a bonus arc coming up, and then another...spin off, I suppose? But only a 'one-shot' spin off, just to tie off lose ends. Idk even though I want to write stories that make all of y'all rip out your hair...but like with The Other Survivour, I can't seem to end it on a sad last note. So...the post-epilogue...look out for that.

But thank you everybody for reading my story, and all the reviews and everything! I'm so glad that people actually liked Rei's character and took the time to read yet another tragedy that I wrote :)

A KakashixOC Fanfic is coming up soon as well, more details later !