The damage was immense, there were fires taking over various buildings and blood was soaking into the ground. Avurin struggled not to focus on just how overwhelming the situation was as she struggled to search for the Genin in the chaos.

An attack on Konoha in the middle of the Chunin Exams had taken everyone by surprise.

Avurin had kept her promise to attend the Chunin Exams to cheer on Naruto. The change in Naruto was very obvious and she was glad that she'd made the decision to take Jiraiya on his offer to work with him. She knew she wouldn't have been able to get him to that point without help. Sakura, however, she could take full responsibility for.

…

"I wonder how Sasuke's doing…" Sakura muttered as she practiced her aim with kunai. Avurin was reading a book against the tree Sakura was aiming for, the wooden target sitting above her head. Sakura was weak in terms of confidence and emotional issues so Avurin had stressed that Sakura would need to get over the possibility of hitting Avurin to improve her aim.

It could be considered cruel to tell a kid to just 'get over it' when they expressed concern for harming their sensei, but Avurin was tired of handling Sakura with any sort of care. The girl needed to grow a backbone.

"Sakura, stop. I can guarantee that Sasuke isn't thinking about you right now and this is painful to watch. I get it, you have a crush and there are a few rivals with the same crush, but you need to stop lowering yourself to the same level as a squealing child for him. You have the potential to be a strong young woman and you don't need a boy, or a man later in life, to look in your direction for you to find validation. Besides, he's an asshole. You can do better." Avurin didn't look up from her book as another kunai made a resounding thunk above her head.

"He's not an… an asshole! He's strong and handsome! What would you be doing without Kakashi-sensei, then?! You say I don't need a man to look at me but he's done everything for you!" Avurin felt her eye twitch and she slammed her book shut, glaring at her student who was mid-throw with another kunai. Sakura was glaring as well, her own attitude having been on the edge of catty with Avurin for the last week.

"I would be in my cabin half a nation away, happy and living in peace and quiet. I would still have my kekkei genkai along with my previous training and I would have died later in life away from the shinobi world. Kakashi forced his way into my life and I pushed back against him as often as possible to keep my independence. I don't rely on his looks, his money, or his reputation for anything. THAT is being an independent woman. Kakashi could break up with me tomorrow and I would be able to continue my life. Him, not so much. Can you say the same about Sasuke if he were to break your heart? A kunoichi who is so easy to manipulate with good looks and childish fascination is a liability, Sakura. Stand on your own two feet." Avurin stood and turned towards the target to see if Sakura's aim was improving.

Turning her back to Sakura while she was angry was as much of an opportunity for the girl to collect herself as it was for her to bury a kunai in Avurin's back. Avurin pulled the kunai from the target with a scowl. Sakura hadn't shown any improvement in her aim throughout the day and it was starting to look obvious that the girl wasn't focused at all. She had a good enough aim to pass the Academy but she was lazy about it. Avurin turned back to Sakura who was red in the face by this point.

"What do you mean if Kakashi breaks up with you?! Since when are you two together-together?!" Avurin smiled as she brought the kunai back to Sakura.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag. We wanted to keep it a secret to mess with you guys but with everyone split up like this, there's really not a point to it anymore. It's a complicated matter but yes, we are 'together-together.' That's why he entrusted me with your training. Kakashi and I had our first major fight over his decision to train Sasuke and leave you two behind so I stepped in. That being said, I'm a little upset with him at the moment." Dumping the pile of kunai in front of Sakura, she took one and threw it without looking, knowing by the solid thunk that she'd hit the center.

"Which plays into my point perfectly. I don't need Kakashi to be a capable kunoichi. I was fine without him. A relationship should never be your sole focus in life. Relationships just make life a little better. When it starts to negatively affect you and your abilities in this world, you shouldn't put so much energy into it. You should be putting that energy into yourself. Just watching you over the last few months, I know you're capable of being a great kunoichi. The only hangup I've seen from you is anything to do with Sasuke. You could have done so much better today if you'd stopped focusing so much on him and instead put that energy into improving." Avurin sighed and sat down in the grass next to Sakura, eyeing the target.

"So… you're not really telling me I shouldn't have a relationship with someone. You just don't want me getting distracted. Which is exactly what everyone else says, just in more words?" Sakura sounded confused, yet Avurin was happy the point had gotten through.

"Exactly. You're listening now, aren't you? I don't want to treat you like a child, Sakura. You're going to be considered a young woman soon. I would hate to see you so caught up in a boy that you let yourself get lazy like you did today. That could mean life or death on an important mission later. Kakashi and I have put aside our own relationship for you guys several times just as any good shinobi should do for their missions. It's completely okay to have a relationship, you just can't let it distract you."

She hadn't expected to give her the 'boys talk' so soon, hoping Sakura's mother would have had this conversation with her already. Though, from the sound of it, Sakura had already been given this talk a few times in the usual lectures. From the look of quiet contemplation on Sakura's face, it seemed like she was taking Avurin's words into consideration. She wouldn't hold out hope for it sticking, though. The second Sasuke came back, Avurin was sure Sakura wouldn't be able to resist him.

A kunai whistled through the air, landing in the center of the target.

"I guess I should start focusing more. Thank you, sensei."

…

Avurin was proud of Sakura. She had started to mature from that moment on, putting everything she had into her training. Avurin took the opportunity to introduce Sakura to several new weapons including senbon and katanas along with several basic jutsu to get a feel for what was comfortable. Sakura was still in the starting stages of finding what she liked, but she was improving. Her ditsy behavior was still an issue at times and she had quite a temper but Avurin was proud nonetheless.

Avurin was only informed that Sakura wasn't participating in the final round after Sakura had decided to have a meltdown when things had come to head after a particularly long day of training. Avurin had been pushing her as hard as she could with the Chunin Exams final stage as the goal and Sakura had finally snapped to tell her that there was no reason for her to train so hard when she wouldn't be participating in the fights anyway. Avurin had nearly left to track down Kakashi in that moment to slap him for not passing on that information. That particular spat between the sensei and student had ended with Avurin's confession that she hadn't known but she wasn't going to let up. Sakura still had too much to learn.

During the final round of the exams, Naruto had done well in his fight. Avurin couldn't claim to know anything about his own training or how his chakra worked with the fox, she just knew he was still stubborn and he refused to stay down.

Sasuke's appearance just as he was about to be eliminated as a no-show had been simply stupid. However, Avurin couldn't help but feel her entire being relax, shedding layers of stress she hadn't even realized she had been carrying like a fifty-pound backpack, as she caught sight of Kakashi. She hadn't seen him the entire time they were training the kids and she was starting to move past the anger she'd felt about his decision given how things had turned out. She missed him.

He had to have also missed her as well given how quickly his eyes found hers in the crowd. Her heart leapt to her throat as he flashed from the arena to stand next to her in the stands. They didn't speak as the fight started, but the silence was filled with loaded emotions. She hated how empty her bed had felt while he was gone and she was looking forward to the day's end so that they could talk and hopefully share the bed.

Then, everything had fallen apart. An explosion near the Hokage's seat had just been the beginning. The crowd had fallen under a genjutsu and Avurin found herself among the few that had managed to avoid it. Kakashi was quick to take charge, directing the others that had managed to avoid the genjutsu to help fend off the enemies that seemed to appear from thin air. As enemies continued to reveal themselves, Avurin found herself sticking to Kakashi's side, watching his back as things continued to get worse.

She'd heard the screams in the distance as a loud rumbling crash echoed through Konoha. The walls that had stood for generations, protecting the village, were crumbling in a major attack. It hadn't taken long from there to realize that the enemies were the Wind and Sound shinobi that had infiltrated as participants in the exams. Seeing Orochimaru holding the Hokage with a kunai to his neck was enough to shock everyone that saw it. From the way Kakashi had frozen, Avurin couldn't help but freeze as well.

Things seemed to start moving before Avurin was ready as the enemies started attacking. With a stadium full of civilians under a genjutsu, fighting was difficult. Sakura had managed to avoid the genjutsu, but her skills weren't enough to defend herself, so Avurin and Kakashi had found themselves staying close by. When Kakashi directed Sakura to start waking a couple of the Genin so they could start searching for Sasuke, they moved with her. Their goal was to protect the vulnerable civilians lying unconscious along with their students. It was a precarious position to be in, especially in close combat. Gai seemed to be thriving in the chaos as he supported them from a more upfront role.

Watching the kids take off to retrieve their missing teammate scared Avurin. Kakashi worded it as an A-ranked mission and Avurin was quick to understand that they would be needed at the epicenter, especially with Orochimaru present. Their only option was to send the Genin away. Despite the logic, the idea of their students running into potential danger was enough for her to start panicking about the situation.

Avurin found herself back-to-back with Kakashi for quite a while, doing her best not to get separated from him as she used her katana to cut down enemies that got too close. However, it was inevitable that the enemy would notice. Avurin was separated from Kakashi as a group of enemies overwhelmed the pair, driving her closer to the building where the barrier was erected for Orochimaru's fight with the Hokage. She let them chase her, getting closer to the battle that had escalated within the barrier, as she picked off the enemies one by one at her own pace with her bow and chakra arrows.

Sitting on the roof just outside of the barrier, she was able to see the battle up close and cursed quietly to herself. She didn't want to be anywhere near Orochimaru. A flash of blue armor inside of the barrier caught her attention and she took a moment to watch, taking note of the Anbu also watching the battle from outside of the barrier, unable to do anything to defend their Hokage.

Her feet were rooted to the spot she was standing in as the flashes of blue and red sets of armor became clearer, painting a very disturbing and utterly terrifying image. She didn't know how and she didn't want to know when Orochimaru had figured out the logistics of such a jutsu. However, she couldn't deny what her eyes were seeing and what her low-level chakra sensing was telling her. There were two powerhouses of chakra fighting Hiruzen while Orochimaru was watching from the sidelines. Two coffin-like boxes were open next to him. It didn't take a genius to put two-and-two together.

The faces of the two shinobi were familiar as they flashed near the barrier where she could see them. She would know those faces well considering they were carved into the side of the cliff that overlooked Konoha. The first and second Hokage, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, were attacking Hiruzen. Red eyes caught her own through the barrier and she instinctively flinched. She hadn't known that Tobirama had red eyes. There were photos of the Hokages in the main office of Hokage Tower but the photos from Hashirama and Tobirama's time were grainy and not as clear as current photography. The small details had been lost.

Tobirama had only caught her eye for a moment before continuing the attack, the slump in his back and the way he dragged his feet betraying that he truly wasn't in control, much less truly alive. He was fast in his attacks but every time he or Hashirama slowed down, they almost looked drunk in the way they swayed and stumbled. Avurin couldn't tear her eyes away from the spectacle, knowing there would never be such a battle in front of her again. Three Hokages, two of which were dead, were battling with everything they had.

When Hiruzen fell to the ground, Avurin wanted to shout. The Anbu were already getting louder, trying to get the Hokage to stand. As Orochimaru stood above him, holding him by the collar of his shirt, she did shout. She slammed her closed fists against the barrier, screaming for Orochimaru to let him go.

"Oh, don't worry about him, Ms. Okita. You're next." Orochimaru had hissed back, making her physically recoil from the barrier. Tobirama's sharp eyes had immediately focused on her at the mention of her name and she desperately wanted to know what had caught his attention. He didn't speak, so she could only conclude that he couldn't. There was something unsettling about looking into the eyes of the dead, yet she couldn't look away even as she backed away from the barrier. She was startled as Hiruzen made a series of movements to push Orochimaru back and momentarily disable the brothers.

She felt hope in that moment, only for it to shatter within the next few minutes.

Orochimaru confessed to planning to take over Sasuke's body as part of a horrifying process to achieve immortality. Trees filled the entire space of the barrier within another moment, blocking her view as well as the Anbu's. While the Anbu panicked, she took a look around the area, utilizing her high vantage point to assess the situation. She was pleased to see that Kakashi and Gai had made progress in handling the enemies threatening the civilians.

The trees retracted slightly and she was able to see inside again, just in time for Hiruzen to begin a complicated jutsu. As the battle wore on, Avurin witnessed the power of the Reaper Death Seal as Hiruzen used it to take down the first and second Hokage, the very soul of their bodies appearing to dissolve into thin air.

The true consequences of the jutsu weren't apparent until the Third Hokage took part of Orochimaru's soul, the man's arms hanging uselessly at his sides as Hiruzen fell backwards. It didn't take amazing sensing ability to know that the Third Hokage was dead.

Avurin stumbled away, running off of the roof to jump down and join Kakashi again. Orochimaru was essentially incapacitated, but they'd lost their Hokage. She stumbled as she rejoined Kakashi, Genma, and Gai in the middle of the arena where they had regrouped, the enemies in the area successfully handled. She fell to her knees and stared at the blades of grass between her fingers.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Kakashi had immediately kneeled by her side, his hand on her back. She couldn't fight the choking ache in her throat as the events of just the last fifteen minutes fully came back to her.

"L-Lord Third… he's gone…" she muttered, stunning Kakashi, Gai, and Genma into silence. "Orochimaru is injured. I don't know if he'll retreat or if the attack will continue. Lord Third made sure that he couldn't perform any jutsu for the foreseeable future." She made sure to include Orochimaru's state just for the sake of not pushing everyone into a panic.

The barrier fell shortly after that and Orochimaru retreated along with Kabuto, one of his followers that had disguised himself as an Anbu agent, and the Sand Jonin that had obviously been a part of the plan. Avurin needed to get away from the area to collect her thoughts, so she told Kakashi she was going to start looking for the Genin within the village. She knew they probably weren't there and Kakashi knew that as well from the way he simply nodded before leaving in the direction the Genin had actually gone in.

…

So, there she stood among the wreckage of what was once the proud village of Konoha. She helped the other shinobi collect bodies, storing them in body scrolls for later identification and proper burials, as well as worked with search teams to find civilians that had been hidden in various areas throughout the village. The forces that had infiltrated the village had either been killed or retreated after being given an unknown signal, leaving them with nothing but suspicions about the plan that had been enacted.

At the end of the day, she stumbled back to her cabin at the Hatake compound. The wards had held and the compound was thankfully untouched, especially with it being located far from the chaos of the inner village. She nearly crawled over the bordering wall, too tired and emotionally wrecked to bother putting any energy into jumping over it.

Stumbling into the cabin, she kicked her shoes off. It hit her all at once as she took in the unchanged layout of the living room, looking exactly the way it had when she'd left it that morning. It started with a choked off whimper followed with her knees hitting the floor hard enough to bruise. Aside from the Anbu operatives, she had been the only one to witness the death of the Third Hokage that day. She would tell the full story to Kakashi later, but she was just as equally mourning the second deaths of the First and Second Hokages. Who would ever deserve to be brought back from death just to die again?

She screamed with her hands pressed against her head, nails digging into her scalp. Not only had they lost their Hokage, the village was a wreck and they had lost so many good shinobi in what was essentially a pointless attack. And for what? For Orochimaru to brag that he was going to kidnap Sasuke and fight Lord Third to the death? She didn't even know what had actually happened to the Genin when they left. For all she knew, they could've died. Yet, here she was, wailing and crying on the floor of her untouched home.

She didn't hear the door open behind her as she continued to cry, her screams turning into unintelligible gibberish with mucus running down her face. She'd come back to the village just in time for another catastrophic disaster, just in time to witness the brutal death of the village's leader. They were on the brink of another war just from that act alone.

"Avie… c'mon… let's get cleaned up and go to bed." Kakashi's voice was so quiet she almost didn't hear it and she visibly startled when he put his hand on her shoulder. She broke into another sob but stood on shaky legs before allowing him to lead her to the bathroom. As they undressed, Avurin was unable to care about being bare in front of him. He'd already seen every part of her, even if it had been before he left. She let him guide her into the shower and they washed quickly, her mind starting to go blissfully numb as she started to shut out the events of the day.

Making it to the bed, Kakashi pulled one of his own t-shirts over her head to dress her, forgoing anything else for the sake of getting her under the covers. He left himself bare with the exception of a pair of boxers as he joined her. She was staring at the ceiling for a few moments before realizing that Kakashi was just looking at her, looking hesitant to even move. She turned her head towards him, ignoring the stinging in her eyes from how much she had cried.

"I missed you…" she muttered, taking in the concerned look on his exposed face. She knew he wasn't unaffected by the day's events, but next to him, she felt like she was overreacting.

"I missed you too. I don't think I'll ever be able to spend that long away from you again, even if it's for the village or the pups." His confession shocked her a little and she searched his eyes for the lie. There was only heartbreaking honesty.

"Don't put me before the village or the next generation, 'Kashi… I'm not worth it." Her voice was weak as her own self-doubt shone through. The man was entirely dedicated to the village and the future generations, it drove every action from him. To put her above that was to put her above any other reason he had for living. She couldn't even do anything to defend their Hokage, she wasn't worth his devotion.

"I would put you before anything. When you were chased away from my side earlier, I nearly went mad. I wanted to follow and Gai had to shake some sense in me to protect the civilians. If I had to do it again, I would have followed you so you wouldn't have been alone today." His arm carefully wrapped around her waist as she turned on her side to face him. She felt her eyes starting to sting with more unshed tears.

"'Kashi, I love you. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm glad I have you." She buried her face in his chest to avoid crying in front of him again. She could feel the way he seemed to melt, curling around her as one of his hands held the back of her head, pulling her as close as possible.

"I love you too."

...

Author's Note: The first time they say they love each other and it's only after he was gone for a month and the village is in shambles. Dramatic, am I right?

I've made a Tumblr. *GASP* I've never had an active Tumblr but if you feel like following me for my unhinged thoughts and strange ramblings, some polls regarding future fics, possible requests (when I figure out how to do that confidently), and general interactions outside of the comments section, I'll be there. You can find me at /everydayisfridayg