Part 25 The Funeral
I punched a wall outside and it burnt away from where my chakra had flared up and the rest had massive cracks in, but I didn't care! Why did everyone I cared for have to die! My family, team, friends and Makaiko, she could already be dead for all I knew if Deidara had found her. I sat on a branch of the biggest blossom tree with the petals swirling and masking me from any passers by. Kotaro fluttered down on to my lap and looked at me as though he understood me; well he had seen all of his companions die. I stroked his soft red and gold feathers.
The next day I woke promptly, I had been out and bought a mid-length kimono. I let my hair hang down and went about my usual routine slowly. I exited the hotel that I'd been staying in and paid the man behind the desk. Kotaro was perched on my shoulder and had a rather melancholy heir about him. I met the Hoshikage family at the gates all dressed in splendid black ceremony clothes, all of the sibling and I embraced quickly. Their mother turned to me she had short dark blue hair that was tied up in a ponytail,
"Keitii," she hugged me her eyes sparkling, "Thank you for coming, are you okay with speaking?"
"Yes, I'll be fine, look I'm-" I was what? Sorry that it hadn't been me that had died. I was sorry it had happened to them. Sorry that they were dead because of me. Sorry that I couldn't have saved their daughter, "Sorry,"
"Thank you, but you needn't be so, Amaterasu and Katsou died fighting." I made my way over to Katsou's family, he had a younger sister and a brother who was a few years older than him yet they looked so a like an older version of Katsou.
"Keitii-chan, Katsou told us that you were here," his sister said with a far off expression in her eyes,
"I'm sorry Masami-san," I gave her a hug, she was only about 8 years old and I had acted like a second mother to her sometimes, I felt her little body shudder as I knew tears were falling from her hazel eyes. When she dried her eyes she moved back to her mother, then Nori approached me,
"I am glad to see you here Keitii-chan, Katsou missed you greatly when you left,"
"I know but I couldn't have possibly stayed in this village any longer, but Nori-san I never meant for any of this to happen and despite what you may think I cared for your brother as a friend and to find out he was dead ripped me apart as much as you,"
"I know, you have lost more people in the past months than I have and I am sorry about your family,"
"It's okay, I miss Sachiyo everyday but I try and move on."
The crowd moved forward up the cemetery path, I stood next to Nori with the three families of the deceased, Amaterasu's, Katsou's and Raiden-sensei's. We all sat on seats on a smooth patch of grass; someone said meaningless words about Amaterasu, Katsou and Raiden-sensei. The bodies had been wrapped in linen and the lids were closed and put into big marble tombstones. I waited for my turn, then I walked up my heart doing a steady drum beat. I walked up the steps to the podium that was draped in black. I surveyed the crowd, some whispering to their neighbours, I knew about me and bad things. I unfolded a piece of paper and began to read,
"I set off on a mission with my old team as many of you know I now live in Sunagakure. I only returned alone days later. Amaterasu-san was a hard working ninja who was talented and trained as a medical-nin, she had a wide ranging knowledge of poisons to use in battle, she was an honourable person, a devoted daughter, an excellent fighter and remains an irreplaceable friend to many who met her and gained her friendship as I did. She died a heroine's death and shall be remembered forever as dying on a mission to rescue the Kazekage." I paused and gulped, "Kano Raiden was my sensei and trained with team 9 and he made us into worthy ninja. He was a sensei who cared for his students and he was a hero in mine and everyone's eyes, he was an extraordinary man, he never gave up on something no matter how hard or troublesome it got because he knew that his knowledge could benefit the future of Hoshigakure, he died with two of his team and was someone to admire and look up to, I will never forget him." I took a shuddery breath my eyesight now blurry with sparkling tears, I opened them. I could here sobs from the families, I looked in to Nori's eyes and he smiled at me, I turned back to my speech, "Katsou-kun was a fellow team mate, a remarkable son, brother, a fantastic ninja who's ambition was to join the ANBU and he was a dear and close friend to me. People expected great things from him and he gave them greater things because he was that kind of extraordinary person who Hoshigakure will sorely miss. He was more of a man than most and protected the ones he cared about deeply, he never once gave up on them or let go of his feelings for them and I wished that I could have said this to him a lot sooner but he was a hero and did great things for this village, I among many will miss him deeply, thank you for listening because that is what they meant to me and much more." I stepped down and went back to my seat next to Nori with tears pouring down my face he put his arm around me which made it worse because he reminded me so much of Katsou.
Everyone in turn placed flowers on the tombs. Afterwards I talked to the families who were grateful for my speech, I found Nori and he looked in to my eyes,
"You're not staying are you,"
"No I have to get back to Sunagakure before I become a missing-nin and most likely to attend another funeral of another loved one,"
"I understand, well our family will miss you, I wish you luck on your journey,"
"Thank you and goodbye I guess," I walked away, I laid bunches of flowers on my parents and Sachiyo's graves, and more than ever I felt alone. I brushed Sachiyo's lettering lightly and whispered his name but he did not appear. I set off down to the gates and trudged towards the forest, I gathered the chakra and headed off towards the desert area. I wondered if I'd run into Makaiko or the S-rank Deidara but I ran into no creature on my journey through the forest.
I suddenly felt the temperature rise and the ground started to feel grittier underfoot and the forest opened up on to huge sand dunes that stretched for miles. Kotaro spread his wings out and soared beside me as we both sped along, Kotaro looked at me,
"Yes I know what I am doing Kotaro and don't try telling me otherwise," I turned to fix my eyes on the horizon on which I could see something that was a dot but I knew was Suna. It grew bigger by the second, slowly it was true and I also dreaded what I would find when I reached my destination.
The sun started to set and the temperature dropped, but now I could defiantly say I was about 5 miles away from Suna and that time would pass easily. The great walls loomed up bearing down on me; I started to slow steadily to walking. I approached the wall and entered through the gap. I had walked in to Suna with my black cloak. I felt someone push me to the ground and hold a kunai to my back,
"Who are you and what is your purpose!" a guard asked gruffly, I shook my hood off,
"It's me you idiotic imbeciles!" I yelled at them,
"It's her," another one said, "Kazekage-sama wants to see you Yanagi Keitii,"
"Well stand me up right so I can walk otherwise I am not moving my butt at all you baboons," they let go and I stood brushing dirt off me.
Kankuro stood there informing me of the up coming events of Sunagakure but my mind was elsewhere, caught up in those red eyes of hers,
"Gaara, Gaara,"
"Sorry Kankuro I was just thinking,"
"Gaara look something's troubling you what is it?"
"Any news of Keitii?" he sighed and looked at me as though he knew what was going on in my mind, as of yet this experience of love for others was completely new and alien.
"There has been no word from anyone," I looked out of the window and prayed silently that she wasn't among the deceased.
I walked along the corridor surrounded by guards and Kotaro glared at them then stuck his tongue out at one who glared at the bird so I hissed at him, and could you believe he rolled his eyes at me! Cheeky bugger! We stopped outside a door and one approached then knocked, he entered but the guards and I remained out in the corridor. The guard came back out,
"Kazekage-sama would like to speak with you,"
"Aye-aye cap'n," I said, Kotaro and I saluted him. I opened the door tentavily.