Hey guys! Don't forget to read RavenNightshade98's fanfics and my other fanfics, too! This chapter is in Karasu's POV.

Ch. 7 Funeral

The day for Amaya's funeral came, the day Nel and I had been dreading for a while. Amaya's funeral was much nicer than the other funerals Nel and I had been to. Amaya's picture was on her coffin, along with white roses that people had placed on it. There was also the fact that we didn't have to actually dig the grave and bury the body ourselves, and then go through the trouble of finding a nice stone to mark the grave. The other funerals we'd been to were such a hassle.

My time came to place a flower on Amaya's casket. I placed it in front of her photo and gently ran my finger down the side of Amaya's face in the picture, while a single tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek.

"Good-bye, sister," I whispered, choking back a sob. "May the gates of Heaven be open to you." I felt a hand on the small of my back, and looked up to see Tamashi. He led me away from the coffin, and we stood back and watched as Neliel placed her flower on the coffin and whispered the same words I had. Kaemon led her to where Tamashi and I were standing. I took Nel's hand in mine and gave it a squeeze, as much to comfort her as to comfort myself.

We watched as the rest of the people attending the funeral placed their flowers on Amaya's casket and walked back to where they were standing. When everyone had finished, it was time for those closest to Amaya to go up in front of everybody and say something about her. In other words, Neliel and me. We went up together, and everyone was silent, waiting for us to speak. I went first.

"Well, as you all know, we are here today to mourn the death of Amaya Yoru, the Tsukikage of Hoshigakure," I began. I paused, thinking of what to say next. "I guess I'm not really sure what I should say. I've never really been to a formal funeral like this. I guess I should probably say how great a friend Amaya was, and how great a sister she was. She was strong and reliable, even though she complained all the time. She was always honest, and made sure that she told people the truth, even if it was painful."I felt tears well up in my eyes as I spoke. I paused as one rolled down my cheek. I opened my mouth to speak again, but no words came out. I looked down at the ground, not wanting anyone to see me cry.

Neliel began to speak when she noticed this. Her voice was quieter than normal, showing that she was as upset as I was. "I don't really have much to add to what Karasu said. Amaya was the best friend and sister that we could have asked for. I'm glad that she can have a nice funeral like this. She deserves it. All though, she probably would have preferred that everyone wear white to match the flowers. She was such a perfectionist." Almost everyone chuckled at this. It seems Nel has already taken over Amaya's role of lightening the mood. "I'm sure she'll be rolling in her grave when flowers are left for her, and they're all different colors, or the person delivering them doesn't match them. That was one of her biggest pet peeves." Nel smiled as she said this, but the smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. "But I'm sure she's happy that she could have such a nice funeral." Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I saw Nel begin to cry. Her voice broke when she spoke again. "We've had to...to bury our...friends and family in the past, and we could never give them a funeral as nice as this." She pursed her lips and looked away from everyone.

Nel and I walked back to our spots in the crowd, and we watched the rest of the funeral in silence. A few people went up to say some quick things about her, or to tell a story about her. I thought about the times I had spent with Amaya, and the rest of the funeral passed by in a blur as I did so.

Tamashi and Kaemon escorted Nel and me to a nearby hotel that we were staying at for now. We said a quick goodbye, and then they left as Nel and I went inside our room. We took our shoes off, and didn't say a word as we both went to bed. I laid my head down on my pillow and cried myself to sleep.

Well, it's finally done. Sorry it's been so bland lately. RavenNightshade98 and I have been talking about redoing this fanfic, but I don't know if we will. If we do, I think we're going to take Amaya out. If we don't, we'll continue this one. It's going to be a while before I update again. Also, I'm going to try to update my other fanfics soon, so don't give up on those! Review, please!