Disclaimer: Nao is mine. Mine, mine, mine.

Warning: Hints of character death.

Beta: Kalafina94

Beta: silverseed

Edit: 1/1/2018

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More weeks went by unnoticed, routine taking effect for our small group.

One particularly brave day at the stone, I looked up at Kakashi. My shyness forced my cheeks to burn and my eyes to have a strong urge to trail down, but my curiosity was overriding my shyness for the moment. Instead, I fiddled with my fingers in the sleeves of my hoodie.

"Kakashi-san?" I asked tentatively.

Kakashi looked down at me. "Yes, Nao-san?"

I shifted nervously, fighting the urge to look down and away and mumble never mind. I swallowed roughly. "Why are you here every day?"

I blushed brightly at realizing how rude that might have come out to say. That question might very well have been personal for him and I had never intended to sound so direct... I quickly looked down at my feet, preparing to dismiss what I had said, but stopped when he responded.

"All of my loved ones are on this stone," Kakashi said, his voice holding a small twinge of regret. "As well as all of my mistakes. I come here for them, as well as myself."

Shocked by his answer, I looked up and blinked at him owlishly. "So this stone is precious to you?"

"I suppose you could say that," Kakashi allowed.

I nodded my head mutely and looked back down at my feet, shuffling and shifting under his gaze.

"Why do you come here, Nao-san?" Kakashi inquired politely.

I shifted again and looked down at the bluebells I had placed. "I don't know how to explain it."

Kakashi waited patiently for me to continue. My shyness insisted that I stop there and find an excuse to leave, but I found the better of part of me wanting something else. I wanted to talk to him. To tell him my reason for coming here being a ritual and to answer his question. I wanted that very much at that moment. But how to explain it? What words could I use?

"I—My Momma's best friend sacrificed her life for her," I said quietly. "I'm very grateful to her, but not only her. Everyone on here gave their life for this village—for me. I don't really know how to explain it. Everyone on here died for someone else. I feel—I don't know," my brow furrowed, "humbled? Grateful? Whatever it is, I do feel—I mean I—" Words ran through my mind as frustration bubbled in me. What was the word? And suddenly I found it. I latched onto it tightly. "Awe. I'm in awe of them."

"You're in awe of them," Kakashi said slowly, his single visible eye never leaving mine.

In a way, that was how I felt. However, like I mentioned before, it was more like I was able to understand them. I felt, strongly, as if I could relate to their last moments of life. To know their feelings and convictions in wanting to protect those that they loved. It was so strange, and completely irrational as I had never felt that way before in my entire life, but it was true. I felt as though, in some weird way, I belonged on that stone. That I had already sacrificed my life for someone, and that it was my turn to rest.

But I couldn't very well say that, could I? It was insane; ridiculous.

I fidgeted under his gaze, breaking eye contact first. My eyes trailed back down to the ground as I blushed brightly. "Yeah."

Kakashi didn't respond for a long time, forcing me to worry that I had said something offensive to him. When he did, there was a small underlying tone of something warm—admiration? affection?—in his voice. "Maa. I suppose you could idolize worse people."

I sputtered, unsure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult, but Kakashi held up a hand, causing me to stop, though I still blushed.

He turned back towards the stone, his hand lifting up to trace over a particular engraving. "My comrade sacrificed his life for me, and in the process gave me the greatest gift he could give. I will never forget that day, or him."

"Who was he?" I asked.

"Uchiha Obito," Kakashi said, a pang of regret in his voice.

I dipped my head. "Do you miss him?"

"Every day."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"S-Sasuke-san," I asked nervously after school, fidgeting with my fingers. Sasuke frowned at me. The two of us were hidden away from the others behind the tree while he waited for his brother to come and pick him up.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, frowning still.

"I have a favor," I confessed, "and I'm really sorry if it's a bother, but—"

"What's the favor?" Sasuke inquired.

"I was, well. There's this, um, friend of mine who really misses one of his friends—that friend died, by the way. It turns out the dead friend is an Uchiha," I said. "I was hoping if maybe I could come with you and well, um, take something from the dead Uchiha to give it to my friend to remember him by."

I cringed inwardly at how rude it sounded, but Sasuke only frowned thoughtfully. "Who is it?"

"Uchiha Obito," I answered.

Sasuke mulled it over for a minute before he nodded his head. "Sure. Come over after dinner and I'll see what I can get you."

I beamed. "Thank you, Sasuke-san!"

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I waited politely at the front door to the Uchiha main house in the Uchiha compound. I had already knocked, and needed only to wait. When the door slid open, Itachi stared down at me. He gave me a warm smile. "Hello, Nao-chan."

"Hi, Itachi-kun," I said politely. "Is Sasuke-san...?"

"Coming!"

I looked around Itachi's side to see Sasuke barreling down the hallway, carrying a peculiar object in his hands. He gave me a smirkish-grin, and stepped beside Itachi, holding them out. Upon closer inspection I noted they were goggles.

They seemed nearly new, only worn perhaps a few times at best. The frame of the goggles was a dark blue, along with the strap while the actual lens were icy blue. Hesitantly, I took the goggles. "What are they?"

"They're his spare goggles," Sasuke answered me. "His real goggles got busted, but Shisui-san said that Obito always wore these goggles when the lens broke in his original pair, or his strap broke or something. Which apparently happened more frequently than you'd imagine."

I took a closer look at the goggles. "They look brand new."

"Obito-kun always took care of his goggles," Itachi replied. "Even the ones he wore every day looked shiny and new most of the time."

I nodded my head. "And you're sure I can keep it?"

Both of the brothers nodded.

I smiled. "Thank you both, very much."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The next time I saw Kakashi, I had a fit of shyness over take me so much it took me nearly the entire time to so much as look in his direction. After scolding myself severely for quite a while in my head, I finally mustered up the courage to talk to him.

"Kakashi-san...?"

"Mn."

"I, uhum, have something for you," I said, pulling out a carefully wrapped set of goggles. I held them out to Kakashi who seemed to frown at them before taking the package. He unwrapped it slowly.

His single visible eye widened considerably at seeing what laid inside the package.

"Where did you get this?" Kakashi asked.

"Sasuke-san gave it to me when I asked about Obito-san," I said shyly. "Momma always told me she kept a scarf of her friend she always used to wear. She said it helped her a lot. I thought maybe having something of Obito's would help you, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi stared at the goggles another moment before looking down at me, his eye no longer wide, but hiding a twist between amusement, and melancholy. "I do not need these to remember Obito by, but I thank you for the thought, Nao-san."

"Oh..."

Carefully, Kakashi knelt down in front of me, holding out the goggles. "But I think these goggles would be better suited for you."

My face flushed, and I struggled for a moment to find the nerve to so much as make a sound. "B-B-But—"

With gentle hands, Kakashi took the goggles, and placed them on my head, propping them up at the top of my head, and pulling the strap around back. He lifted my long hair to tuck it under before dropping my hair back down. He placed a warm hand at the top of my head. "Now, now, I want you to have them, Nao-san."

I blushed brightly, looking down.

"Nao-chan," I mumbled.

Kakashi tilted his head. "Only if you drop the 'san' for me."

I looked back up, surprised. "I, ah, o-okay."

Kakashi's eye crinkled and I had a feeling he was smiling.

I felt pleased at that information, my heart fluttering.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

It was an ordinary night like every other night when it happened.

When it did happen, I must confess how completely off guard I felt from it. Some vague sense of me felt as if I knew it was coming. Which was ridiculous because predicting such an event would have been impossible.

I remember sleeping lightly in my bed, curled up and clutching my blanket when I heard it. The strangled gasp that was quickly muffled from a little ways from my room. From the front room, if I was not mistaken.

Bleary eyed and drowsy, I climbed out of my bed. I shivered lightly before I grabbed my hoodie and pulled it over me. My feet made a soft padding noise as I walked down the wooden hallway towards the front room.

Momma and Papa were standing at the door, an unknown ANBU shinobi at the front door. I blinked up, wide eyed as I hurried over to their side. The three of them spared me a glance as I quickly clung onto Papa's leg.

"Why are you awake, sweetie?" Momma asked gently. "You should go back to bed."

"What's going on?" I asked quietly, feeling shy around the unknown person.

Papa and Momma exchanged a glance before Papa very carefully knelt down before me, keeping eye contact with me. "Your friend, Uchiha Sasuke, underwent a very traumatic experience."

My entire body froze, eyes widening. "Where is he?"

"He's in the hospital for the moment—"

"I want to go see him," I blurted out. "Please, Papa!"

Papa gave a small nod. "I had figured you would say that. Perhaps being around familiar contact would be good, but—"

Papa and Momma exchanged another look. Papa looked back to the ANBU. "As soon as I drop my daughter off, I will head to the scene immediately."

"Understood, sir."

Faster than I could blink, the ANBU was gone. I looked up at Papa, noticing how solemn and grim faced he was. I looked over at Momma, who looked so sad and lonely at that moment. My heart twisted inside my chest and I felt very small at that moment.

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Sasuke sat upright in a hospital bed, an IV stuck in his arm, but he paid it no heed. Instead he merely sat perfectly still, staring blankly at the wall in front of him with dead eyes. I heard the door click shut behind me and knew the last doctor was gone.

Hesitantly, I approached him, clutching the blanket I had stolen from my bed. Sasuke paid me no heed and so I climbed onto the bed. Softly, I touched his arm, afraid if I was too hard he might shatter before me. When he didn't respond, I touched him again, more firmly.

His skin was freezing cold beneath me.

With a bit more resolve, I pulled the blanket around the two of us, wrapping it tightly. I used my arms to wrap around him and I pulled him in to lean against me, as my sister had done for me so many times. I moved my hand to carefully pet his hair.

In the most soothing voice I could muster, I murmured quietly to him about unimportant things. Rambling only to offer him a distraction from the horror of his imagination. It was the same thing sister would do for me whenever I was scared or sad.

I could only imagine how terrible it must have been. To watch your entire family slaughtered before your eyes by your own sibling. Vaguely, I tried to picture Ino doing such a thing and the pain inside my chest was unbearable. How lonely that would have been. How awful.

Even hearing the secondhand mutterings of what had happened from the doctors was enough to send me reeling into a light shock. I couldn't even begin to grasp what my friend was feeling.

Time passed slowly for the two of us. Not once did Sasuke respond to me, and not once did I try and make him respond.

The door slid open and Papa entered. He dipped his head towards me.

"Papa?" I asked him. "What's going to happen to him?"

Papa's expression grew more solemn, his face carefully blank. "A section of the Uchiha compound has been cleared of the incident. There is nothing physically wrong with him so he will be sent back there."

My eyes widened with horror as Sasuke flinched. "No! You can't do that to him, Papa. That's wrong! Please, can't he come home with us?"

Papa gave me a sad look. "We've already petitioned for him to stay with one of the major Clans here, but the Council won't hear of it. They say we'd only use him for political gain; as such he's forbidden to stay with us."

I clutched Sasuke tightly, a wave of fierce (familiar) protectiveness coming over me. "Please, Papa. You can't send him back there; that's too—that's too horrible."

"I'm sorry, kitten," Papa said gently. "But there is nothing else—"

"What about a non-Clan apartment?" I interrupted. "A friend who has no ties to any of the Clans in the Leaf? Could he stay there for a while, please? At least until they completely cleared the compound and—and—"

Papa eyed me carefully. "There is no rule against it. Do you have someone in mind?"

"I-I do..."

I looked back down, my hand smoothing out the ruffled hair I messed up in my fit of protectiveness. "May I stay with them, too, Papa?"

Papa hesitated. "Kitten, I don't think—"

"He's my friend," I said quietly. "He has no one else left, Papa. He'd do the same for me."

Our eyes met, mine filled with silent pleading and Papa's a cross of understanding and concern. A moment passed before he gave a slow nod. "You can stay with him and your friend until he's better."

My face lit up and I smiled. "Thank you, Papa."

Papa nodded his head. "I'll sign his release form and walk the two of you to your friend's house."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

I squeezed Sasuke's hand, my blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. He didn't look so dead anymore; now he looked a cross between horror and sheer depression. It broke my heart to see my friend like this. I felt strongly dissatisfied about the whole ordeal, but I was content in knowing I would be able to be there for him. And hopefully everyone else would be too. I was certain that Shikamaru would know what to do about the whole mess, and that Chōji's gentle nature would be most helpful.

Papa stood to my other side, and knocked on the door to the rundown apartment quietly. He knew who the apartment belonged to. He seemed hesitant in still allowing me to stay, but my Papa trusted me. Between Ino and I, I had shown to be the more mature one. Even if only slightly. Besides, this was a shinobi village.

If he really needed to he could be there in less than thirty seconds. Not to mention that I was capable of taking care of myself—or at that point at the very least running away and getting help.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a drowsy Naruto who was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He frowned upon seeing us, his face twisting into confusion. "Wha...?"

"Naru-kun," I said quietly. "Do you mind if Sasuke-san and I stay here for a while?"

Naruto blinked at the two of us, taking in Sasuke's worn down form, before he nodded his head and opened the door widely. "'Course. Come on in."

I looked back up at Papa and he gave me a smile, swooping down to kiss the top of my head. In a quiet voice he murmured. "I'm going to have two of our Clan Jōnin stationed here twenty-four-seven. It's not that I don't trust you, kitten, it's simply..."

I caught his eyes and gave him a smile. "I know, Papa. I love you, too."

"I can't guarantee he will be allowed to stay here for very long."

"I understand. Will he have any say in the matter?"

"Perhaps some. The Council will have an official discussion on what to do about him when he's in a better state to actually attend."

"Okay, thank you Papa."

Papa smiled again before nodding politely to Naruto, and quickly vanishing.

Naruto stepped aside, and I silently guided Sasuke inside the house.

"I only have one bed," Naruto said apologetically. "And sorry about the mess. Wasn't expecting company and all."

I smiled at Naruto. "It's okay. We're small enough we can share and I don't think anyone was expecting this..."

"What exactly is this?" Naruto asked me, still frowning at Sasuke.

I shot him a pained look, mouthing I'd explain it later. He seemed to take that as an answer, nodding his head quietly. I stepped around Sasuke, looking him over carefully. "Sasuke-san, do you need anything before we go to bed?"

And that's when Sasuke looked at me. Really looked at me.

His eyes were wide with fright and such sadness, my heart clenched tightly and my stomach dropped. They were bright with unshed tears and his bottom lip wavered. Naruto quickly caught on to the expression because he gave Sasuke a worried one.

Then Sasuke's arm wrapped around me and he began sobbing. I bit my lip to fight back the tears that wanted to join him, instead I fell with him to the floor, holding him tightly. My eyes locked with Naruto's and he seemed to catch the hint. Naruto ghosted towards us, dropping down and wrapping his arms from behind Sasuke.

Sasuke's entire body shook, but not a single sound escaped him. My shoulder was already soaked from his tears and it didn't take much longer before I silently joined him. Naruto's arms held us both, while his eyes remained tear free, it still held a sadness—sadness for us.

This night was too great of a reminder of how tragic reality really was.

And I had never felt so helpless in my life.

I hated it.

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Question: Most horrible assignment you've ever had to do?

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