Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto only my characters.

(AN) As always a big thank you to my AMAZING Beta cheekylips.

Chapter 6 Sad News

After graduation life seemed to speed up.

Within a few years, Maiha's genin status was replaced by the title of chuunin and her team was assigned higher ranked missions. This allowed her to gather experience by facing the difficulties a shinobi must endure.

Kakashi, at this time, was busy as well as he had received team 7. This meant that Maiha and Kakashi hadn't spent as much time together like they once had.

However, when Maiha was not on a mission she always made it a point of dropping in with team 7 and their sensei every now and then.

Maiha became an outlet for Kakashi to vent about the love-struck Sakura, the overzealous Naruto and the angry Sauske. She was a few years older than the genin but close enough in age that she could help with training.

Through Kakashi Maiha went on to build a fairly strong relationship with team 7. Maiha and Sakura were a little bit closer since they were both kunoichi, which, at times, helped Kakashi out immensely.

During one of his free moments one day, Kakashi was approached by one of the nurses that worked with Ai. Her words made him freeze and change course to the hospital.

When he arrived, Kakashi soon found Ai clinging to life.

Not long after Maiha had graduated the academy, Ai had given back her mission status. Since receiving her reinstated position, Ai had been pulling a lot of missions and unfortunately, on her last mission, Ai and the shinobi that she had been with had been attacked. They were found on their way back to the village badly wounded. The shinobi had already passed and it seemed Ai was not long behind him.

"Kakashi," Ai drew out with a labored breath as she looked at him, "Will you watch over Maiha for me?"

"Ai, I -."

"Please give this to her and tell her that I love her," Ai handed the necklace that she wore to Kakashi. "She always admired it, it's a family heirloom. Tell her that I will always be with her. Kakashi can you do that for me?"

Kakashi gently grasped her hand and said "I will."

She squeezed his hand back slightly "Thank you Kakashi, take care of yourself." She forced a smile and closed her eyes. Not long after her grip loosened from Kakashi's hand as the life faded from her body.

A medic-nin stood just in the doorway, watching. "She's gone, Kakashi," the medic-nin spoke. "Where is Maiha-kun?" The hospital staff knew her well, as she was a fixture at the hospital whenever Ai was on rounds absorbing what she could about medical jutsu's. At times she could be found playing her flute to comfort the older patients and children. It was a musical art that she had picked up during her kunoichi training.

"She is on a mission, I will let the Hokage know about Ai."

Kakashi walked to the Hokage's office and informed Tsunade that Ai had passed. "Lady Hokage, I know that it is not customary to make special trips but I would like to ask that you allow me to retrieve Maiha from her current mission. From what I understand she should be close to completing it by now and soon should be on her way back to Konoha. I can take Team 7 with me; no doubt they will learn something from this."

"Granted Kakashi, you may leave immediately. Oh and Kakashi my condolences."

"Thank You Lady Hokage."

Kakashi summoned Pakkun and sent him to gather his team. He told him to emphasize that they arrive promptly. Coming from him that would let them know that this was an urgent matter. Approximately 30 minutes later they met at the designated spot and set off to inform Maiha of the grave news.

"An urgent mission. It must be important!" Naruto exclaimed as he stepped lively toward the village gate. "How far do we have to go?"

"Not far, it should be a couple hours trek. We are leaving so late in the day it will be an overnighter, is everyone prepared?"

"Yes Kakashi-sensei." they chorused.

"Can you tell us what our mission is Kakashi Sensei?" Eagerness oozed from the blonde boy.

"I'll give you more information as we get closer to the rendezvous." Kakashi replied rather despondently. That seemed to pacify Naruto as he continued on with a large grin on his face.

When they were within minutes of reaching Maiha, Kakashi decided it was time to talk to his team about what they were actually there to do. He stopped them just outside of the village that Maiha had been sent to. "Naruto, Sauske, Sakura," Kakashi said calling for their attention. The three stopped and gathered around him. "I have not been completely honest with you. This is not a mission," he sighed with a gloomy expression on his face. Naruto began to get huffy and Kakashi held out his hand. In his palm was the necklace that Ai had entrusted him with to give to Maiha.

"I don't understand Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said.

"Earlier today a comrade of mine returned to the village critically injured, she was attacked on her way home from a mission. The medic-nins were unable to heal her and she has since passed. This is more of a personal task for me but I brought you three along because I thought that you could learn something from it. I am here to inform someone of her death. I ask that you please be sensitive and respectful to the events and reactions that are about to take place. Do you understand?"

"Yes Kakashi-sensei." they replied solemnly.

Maiha had just started on the path to home. Home. She thought, with a blissful smile on her face.

As she looked down the path that led out of the village she noticed Kakashi and team 7. Happy to see them she began jogging and waving in their direction. Team 7 had not yet turned around to see who the recipient of the news was. Kakashi looked up as Maiha approached the group. He closed his hand over the necklace again and walked past his pupils toward her.

"Kakashi-kun!" Maiha shouted happily as she drew near.

The familiar voice made the members of team 7 turn in shock.

Maiha noticed the look on their faces and she stopped about twenty feet short of Kakashi. The smile somewhat drained from her face. Sakura's expression was particularly unsettling to Maiha and she focused back on Kakashi.

Her eyes were drawn to the motion of his hand. He seemed to be holding something connected to a thin chain. "Kakashi-kun, why are you here?" she asked in an apprehensive tone, her face absent from her previous expression of joy. He continued to walk toward her.

At this point it seemed like time was moving in slow motion. She glanced again at the expression on team 7's faces and then quickly back to him. "Kakashi-kun, why are you here?" she asked again in a more demanding tone. As he drew near he began to raise his hand and as it opened she saw the pendant attached to the chain. Kakashi saw her eyes widen as she realized what he was holding. He stopped directly in front of her and when she looked up he returned her gaze with a softer look in his eye and he braced himself not knowing how she would react after he told her.

"Kakashi-kun, why are you here?" she whispered, looking up at him.

Kakashi remained inexpressive most of the time but his demeanor, posture and silence alerted her that something was wrong. He took her hand and placed Ai's necklace in it.

Unable to explain it any other way, he said simply. "She's gone, Maiha-kun."

She stood staring at the necklace in her hand. As her mind reached comprehension of the words Kakashi spoke, she felt a sharp pain in her chest that caused her to exhale forcefully and bring the clenched fist up to her heart. She tried to overcome the sharp pain and find her voice in between the next rapid inhalation and managed to drawl out, "Did….did she suffer?"

"I believe that she did some yes, but when I saw her she was in no pain. She wanted me to give this to you and tell you that she loves you and will always be with you." He tried to comfort her with his words and tone of his voice.

"I need to get back … to her." she stammered, clumsily trying to push past Kakashi. Her eyes had glazed over and the muscles of her body were barely functioning without the stimulus from her mind. Kakashi grabbed a hold of her and held her up as her legs began to buckle.

"Maiha-kun, we will be staying in this village tonight and will return in the morning."

"I have to get back to her," Maiha repeated her voice drained of all emotion.

"You will Maiha-kun, but it's late and it will be better to travel in the morning. Please, let's go into town." At that point Maiha was completely numb and all Kakashi had to do was direct her where to go. He waved for his team to follow.

Kakashi had purchased two rooms, one for him and Maiha and one for his team. Usually one room would be sufficient, but for these particular circumstances he wanted to make himself available as Maiha began to move through the stages of bereavement.

Kakashi asked Sakura to help Maiha with any of her personal needs such as bathing and got her ready for sleep. "Thank you Sakura you have been a big help," Kakashi said to her while putting a hand on her shoulder, "Now keep the boys in line and I will keep my eye on Maiha."

"Yes Sensei," she replied solemnly.

Maiha tossed and turned most of the night as the numbness began to wear off. It was like the switch that controlled her emotions had slowly begun to turn back on. The intensity of despair increased with each passing moment. As she thawed from the frozen state of shock that her body retreated to after she was given the grave news, she sat up in bed, took in her surroundings and tried to make sense of everything around her.

This is all just one horrible nightmare.

She tried to shake the thoughts from her head attempting to return to a semi-normal state. However, as she noticed Ai's necklace still in her hand lucidity in fact set in. This was no dream, she was awake and living the nightmare. Maiha clutched Ai's necklace in her hand and rose from her bed. The glow of the full moon poured in though the double doors of the room that led outside, bringing a light to the darkness.

Its brightness invited her to follow the illuminated path that it set out for her. She quietly left the room and walked out of the inn accepting the moon's invitation through the patio, over a soggy dirt path and out into a gathering area surrounded by trees. There was a wooden bench that sat directly in the path of the moonlight.

It called to Maiha like a beacon. She walked out to it and sat in the still of the night. There was a cold silence. She stared up at the sky and wondered if Ai could be returning her gaze from her afterlife.

Kakashi awoke briefly to switch to a more comfortable position and quickly discovered that Maiha had left the room. He immediately left in search of her. As soon as he stepped out the door and onto the patio of the inn he saw in the soft, wet dirt small foot prints. The light from the moon reflected off the water that had seeped into each indentation leading his eyes to the figure of a woman sitting on a bench in the moonlight. Kakashi approached slowly so as not to startle her. When he got within earshot he could hear her one way conversation to the world above and beyond the realm that was intangible to those that were still living.

"What am I going to do without you?" she murmured woefully. "After I lost my family you were everything to me. You were my rock, my confidant and now, I am alone," she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

Kakashi moved a few steps closer before she continued, causing him to stop his advancement once again. This was her moment, she was attempting to make her peace with the situation and he didn't want to take that away from her.

She pulled her legs up to her chest wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees. "I'm sorry that you had to feel so much pain and suffered. But mostly, I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye. But such is the life of a shinobi, though, right? I remember that lesson. It was reiterated over and over again pounded into our heads throughout our training to prepare us for such an event. Our instructors and sensei's would remind us that the life we have chosen wasn't nor will ever be easy and that there will be a loss of comrades along the way. Just a bunch of words strung together and fed to us as a truth, but until you experience it, it doesn't really register." Maiha stood up and slipped Ai's necklace over her head grasping the pendant in her hand. "Ai, I miss you, I love you and I'll never forget you." Her eyes began to well up with tears and the night conjured up a small breeze just strong enough to rustle the leaves of the trees mimicking the sound of a quiet whisper and though just a simple part of nature it comforted her somewhat.

Kakashi began his advance to her. Maiha had decided to return to the room and as she turned, noticed that Kakashi was directly in her path. Their eyes met and he gave her a look mixed of concern as well as sorrow. She was trying to accept Ai's death but the wound was still fresh and there was much emotion yet to be expelled.

Her bottom lip began to quiver and tears flowed like waterfalls from her eyes. He stepped forward took her in his arms and she buried her face into his chest letting out the emotion she was holding back. They stood for a bit until her tears somewhat subsided. "Come on let's get you back to the room," he said soothingly.

When she awoke in the morning she realized that they were in the same bed. He was propped up against the wall and she had found comfort lying on his chest, "Good morning Maiha-kun" he said to her. It took her a bit to remember what had transpired the day before.

"Oh … I'm sorry Kakashi-kun, I didn't mean to make things so awkward," she said embarrassed pushing herself up from his chest.

"It's okay Maiha-kun you needed comfort and I wanted to be here for you so no worries. We can head back to the village whenever you are ready."

"Okay," she paused, "thank you for coming to get me and letting me know about Ai. I think that if I had to choose to hear it from anyone, it would be you." she said without emotion. "I just don't know where to go from here."

"There really is only one way to go Maiha-kun, and that is forward. I know that it sounds harsh but it is the truth of the situation. Just like Ai was there for you throughout your life, I am here for you now."

"Thank you Kakashi-kun, that means a lot to me," Maiha was still sad but appreciative. "I think I am ready to head back now, I need to see her."

"Okay, I will let the others know."

As they gathered in front of the inn, Sakura grabbed Maiha's hand and squeezed it letting her know her sadness for the situation without saying a word. Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and Sauske kept his distance. As Maiha walked by following Kakashi back to Konoha, she gently touched Sauske's hand and gave him a quick look of understanding. Sauske just kept his head down and walked with the rest of the group. It was a quiet trip back to the village. Maiha walked with Kakashi and the team kept their distance behind them.

(A/N) Thanks for hanging in there everyone. I hope you feel a bit rewarded with this chapter since Maiha isn't a child anymore. Please please please review. Let me know how I'm doing.