"You know, the world won't end if you try to live outside of their deaths." Sakura said as she laid the flowers she brought to the memorial.
"And they cannot appreciate the flowers, Sakura." Kakashi refuted.
"I think Yamanaka-sama will appreciate it." Sakura answered. "His daughter manages a flower shop. I just wish they didn't die."
"It was war, people die." Kakashi explained. "And this is how we would end, Sakura, just names in a stone."
Sakura gazed at the memorial stone, where the names of fallen comrades were etched in cold, unfeeling letters. Her eyes welled up with tears as she touched the engraved names, remembering the faces and the laughter that once belonged to those who had fought by her side. She sighed and turned to Kakashi, her mentor, her lover, who had seen more of war's horrors than anyone should.
"I know it was war, Kakashi," Sakura said softly. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish we could have done something to prevent their deaths."
Kakashi lowered his head, his lone visible eye reflecting the weight of their shared history. "We all do, Sakura," he replied. "But sometimes, there are things we cannot change, no matter how hard we try. In the end, we're just names on a stone, like so many others who came before us."
Sakura nodded, her grip on the flowers tightening. "I understand that, but it doesn't make it any easier. I'll keep visiting this memorial and leaving flowers, even if they can't appreciate them. It's the least I can do to honor their memory."
Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, offering what little comfort he could. "That's a good way to remember them, Sakura. They may not be able to appreciate the flowers, but your dedication keeps their memory alive. And for those who knew them, like Inoichi, it means a lot."
"Obito would not want you to grieve too much." Sakura said, looking at the blank eyes of Kakashi. "You already did that when you were young, don't make it your life."
Kakashi held her hand and intertwined his fingers through her. Sakura tightened her grip in his hand.
"Sakura," Kakashi lowly drawl her name. "I'm sorry. But I can't do this anymore." He let go of her hand.
"Kashi?" Sakura called out to him, using her personal nickname for the silver-haired jonin.
"Good bye, Sakura." he turned and walked away from her.