Will of Fire: Kakashi Hatake

Chapter 2

Akira refused to stay in the hospital longer than three days. She had three broken ribs, a dislocated kneecap, and a severe gash to her right collarbone and shoulder. And a minor concussion. Several people came to visit her in her hospital room, though she didn't speak to any of them. Her teammates came and wished her well, saddened by their friend's appearance. Her sensei came as well, though didn't stay long due to being called away by other duties. Kakashi came by while she slept one night. He left an apple and a flower on her bedside table. On the third day, Lord Third Hokage came by.

"How are you doing, Akira?" He asked simply.

Akira simply stared at him, her face blank. What a stupid question.

"I came to inform you that the funeral will be taking place tomorrow. I will see to it that the doctors discharge you in time. Your house was destroyed in the attack, so I have arranged for you to stay in an apartment not too far from here. I have the details here." He laid a sheet of paper on her bedside table. He glanced briefly at the flower, then looked back at her. I will see you in the morning. Get some rest Akira."

And with that, he left. Akira waited until the door closed, then reached over to grab the paper off the table. She read it through quickly, then threw the blanket off of her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the pain in her ribs and her knee. She found her clothes lying neatly in a pile on the chair next to the bed, freshly washed. Another flower was on top of them. The same type of flower that was near the apple on the table.

Thanks, Kakashi.

It was evening, and the sun was setting quickly. She could see the colors of the sunset through the window of her room, but it brought her no joy. She only felt numb.

Akira stripped out of the hospital gown she adorned and pulled on the training clothes she had been wearing the night of the attack. They didn't smell like smoke or dirt, instead, they smelled fresh, and were soft. She took note of where the gash in her shirt had been from the rubble that had cut her shoulder. It had been stitched up quite well. The navy blue threading was barely visible amongst the navy blue of the shirt itself.

Mildly impressed, she grabbed the apple off her nightstand, the two flowers, and the paper. Then she made her way to the window and slid it open. She carefully climbed out of the window, then jumped from the hospital building to the next one. The impact sent a shock wave through her knee, igniting a new wave of pain. She grimaced, but kept going. She jogged across the roof, and jumped to the next one, using chakra to propel her and chakra to lighten her landing. She continued in this manner, away from the hospital and towards the neighborhood that had been her home.

When she reached it, she wasn't surprised to see that she had run out of roofs to land on. She jumped to the ground and straightened. Her ribs protested, but she paid them no mind. She bit into the apple as she walked down what used to be a road.

Akira made her way to her destroyed home, weaving in and out of chunks of rock and pieces of houses. No one else was around, so she had the glory of the destruction all to herself. She continued to munch on her apple, and finished it by the time that she had reached what was left of her childhood home.

She stood on the street outside of the flattened building, staring at it in dismay. There really was nothing left. As the last rays of light disappeared from the sky, Akira made her way across the yard and through the frame of the front door.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home," she whispered softly. Akira fought the tears that stung the back of her throat. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't cry.

The house had clearly been a victim of one of the fox's swipes with his mighty hand. The top of the house was gone and was strewn across the backyard. Only two feet of the wall remained, and rubble was everywhere. It barely even looked like a skeleton of what it had been.