F A M I L I A R

The Funeral

Droplets of water shook loose from my hair and ran down my face as I turned off the faucet to the shower. The steam billowed out in large clouds as I pushed back the curtain and wrapped myself in my towel. I winced slightly as I lifted my almost-healed leg out of the tub and began drying myself. Smiling, I sat on the closed toilet seat and rolled my right ankle around, feeling little to no pain now.

I guess it was a good call to work it out myself with nature chakra.

This morning I woke up and decided that enough was enough. I was tired of being hindered by my injuries, and the medical boot they gave me was not producing results fast enough. So, I decided to train by myself for a majority of the day today, trying to strengthen my right ankle as fast as I could. I funneled all the nature chakra I could into my ankle, and pushed myself to run and kick and climb (all of the things Sakura told me I shouldn't do until I was fully healed) until it no longer pained me. The training didn't completely heal me, but it did strengthen my ankle enough to be able to walk without assistance.

Feeling confident about my ankle, I finished brushing my hair and teeth and walked out into my room. However, upon seeing my outfit for this evening laying out on my bed, my mood changed. I was reminded of what today was, and suddenly began to feel guilty for my happiness as I dressed.

Dressing in all black was something that I was fairly used to. Whether I was on a mission or just going about my daily life, it helped me prevent from being noticed or drawing too much attention to myself. I knew full well that I didn't have to worry about that sort of thing now that I was in the Leaf Village, but even still, black slowly became my preferred color scheme.

However, the black I was wearing today held an entirely different meaning.

Looking at myself in the mirror, studying my mid-thigh black dress and black blazer, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sadness come over me. It was obvious that this village cared deeply for the individual who's funeral was today, and I would pay my respects, even if I didn't know them personally.

I began pulling my hair back into a bun as a knocking came at my door. I went to unlock it, placing one last bobby pin in my hair to hold my bangs back before swinging the door open.

"Hey Kiba," I greeted with as much of a smile as I could muster. His eyes seemed clouded, but upon seeing me, brightened ever so slightly. He wore his usual black pants, with a plain black long-sleeve shirt belted at the waist. His hair hung low on his forehead, unobstructed from his ninja headband that he usually wore.

"Come on in, I'm almost ready," I said, turning and walking back into my room. I heard him close the front door and follow me before leaning on my bedroom doorframe.

"I don't think I've seen you in a dress before," he mentioned. "Or with your hair back."

"Oh? I guess I thought it was appropriate, you know, given the circumstances," I said, looking at him through the reflection in my mirror as I placed my earrings in. Stepping into my flats, I turned towards Kiba and noticed that his eyes were fixed on a certain spot on the floor.

"Are... are you okay?" I stuttered, stepping towards him until we were an arm's length apart. He looked up and met my gaze, sending me a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm okay." He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. "I'm just not a big fan of funerals."

"I know how you feel," I said nodding. "I'm ready when you are."

~~~~~

As we walked the bare streets toward the funeral grounds, I could sense a shift in the air around me. A breeze blew past us as I stared up at the overcast sky. There was no evening sun to greet us. Everything seemed grayer than usual, and the air around us felt heavy. It was almost as if the nature around the village was mourning as well, unable to greet me with it's warmth and energy from before.

We approached the cemetery and saw Hinata and Shino with some other people in a group. I hung back slightly, letting Kiba lead as I tried to figure out who they were. I recognized Neji, Sakura, and the crying blonde girl from before, Ino, but the others I wasn't sure of. I just assumed that they were fellow teammates.

"Where's Shikamaru? Shouldn't he be here?" Kiba asked the group as we approached, going to stand by Hinata and Shino.

"I don't know," the guy with spirals on his cheeks said in a sullen voice. "We haven't seen him all day."

I looked over at Hinata but her eyes were trained on someone else, a sad looking blonde guy whom I've never seen before. He was standing with Sakura, bent down on one knee and talking with a younger boy who was rubbing his eyes. I looked down at my hands, feeling a bit awkward.

With everyone around me in tears or whispering to one another, it was difficult to not feel like an outsider. I knew that I had no business attending this funeral, but I was here to support Kiba and the rest of his team, which I hoped was good enough.

Just then, the leaf jonin started to gather on the other side, and low music began playing. We all immediately quieted down and faced the front, read for the ceremony to begin. I looked over at Kiba and noticed that he was staring at the ground, biting his lip. I reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and gave me a small smile as the Hokage started to speak.

~~~~~

After the ceremony concluded, one by one everyone walked up and paid their respects. Kiba, Hinata, and Shino stayed at the casket with their sensei, which I understood completely. They wanted to console her and make sure that she was going to be alright. I decided to simply view the casket from a far, since I didn't know Asuma, but I bowed my head and said a few silent words to the deceased. 

Once Kurenai seemed to pull herself together, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino all walked back over to where the rest of us stood.

"I'm hungry," the guy with the spirals on his cheeks complained, rubbing his stomach for effect. His face looked pained, but I couldn't tell if it was due to losing his sensei, or due to his hunger.

"Now, is not the time for eating, Choji!" Sakura scolled,

"No, he's right. We should go eat at Yakiniku Q," Ino said, rubbing her eyes. "It's what Asuma would have wanted."

"We should all go. You should come with us Asuna," Sakura said with a smile. My eyes widened slightly, surprised that I was included in these plans.

"Sure, I'd love to," I said, placing a hand over my stomach. "I'm starving."

I turned to Kiba since he'd been abnormally quiet this whole time. "Are you coming too?"

"I can't actually," he said looking towards the ground before returning his gaze to me. "I promised Akamaru that we would train until night fall."

I raised my eyebrow at him, not fully believing his story. "Oh. Well, give him a pat for me, okay?"

He gave me a smile. "Sure thing."

I watched as he walked away towards the Inuzuka compound. His head hung low and his hands were shoved in his pockets as he got farther and farther away. I bit my lip, feeling like I should go after him. But before I could make up my mind, I felt a tug on my arm causing me to turn around.

"Are you ready to go?" Hinata asked with a smile.

I nodded, "Yeah, let's go."