A Hole in One's Heart [Kakashi Hatake]

Chapter 22: Time

So if you have had questions about how Ana remembers things, this chapter should help you to clear them up, mostly, because somethings are still a mystery to our lovely characters too. Remember, I don't own Naruto, only my plot and my OC.

--------------------------------

     The Hokage's body lay on the yellow roof tiles. An eight tetragram seal was on his stomach, and sword wound through his heart. This was the second time in my life where I had stood over people that I could have saved, but were killed by a blow to the heart. The other jounin and I stood around the body in a quiet vigil.

     "He died a death worthy of a shinobi." Kakashi broke through the silence and the ninja looked at him in agreement. Kakashi then turned to me, "You should go home and rest, Ana, unless you really like the hospital."

     "Ok."

     He wrapped my shaking arm around his shoulders, "Here I'll walk you home." I was too tired to argue, and Kakashi left the roof, taking me with him. He walked slowly through the village to our apartment building and dropped me off at my front door.

     "Thanks. I don't think that I would have had the strength to walk all the way here by myself." He just gave me a one eyed smile and turned to his apartment door. I walked inside pulling off my blood soaked ninja sandals. They would have to be replaced. Then I threw all of my bloody clothes the laundry with extra detergent hoping to wash out the gore while it was still fresh. After a nice, long shower, I sat down on the edge of my futon thinking about everything that had happened today. Orochimaru knows now what I am capable of and will surely pursue me with even more vigor. And the Hokage died. If only I hadn't been fooled by Kabuto, then I could have saved him. But instead I had to be saved by Asari! If he hadn't woken me up then Kabuto definitely would have been able to come and take me with little interference after the battle. And then there was Hayate's death. How come I didn't remember the specifics right after it happened? Had things occurred before that I hadn't remembered as well? I was lost in my thoughts when there was a knock on my door. I looked down at the pajamas that I was wearing, 'Ah well, whoever they are, I'm not dressing up for them today.'

     "Coming." I opened up the door. Kakashi was there holding two bowls of ramen from Ichiraku that were ordered to-go.

    "I figured that you hadn't eaten yet so I picked up a bowl for you."

     "Thanks, Kakashi. If you want you can come in and eat."

     "Sure." He pulled off his shoes and placed the ramen on the table looking around at my tiny apartment. "I don't think that I've been in here since the day that you moved in. I really like the art." He pointed at the drawings that covered the wall behind my bed and were starting to take over the wall next to that one too.

     "Thanks." I broke my chopsticks and stared greedily at the ramen. We ate in silence simply enjoying each other's companionship. Loneliness can be the hardest thing to handle when you're mourning. "You know, Kakashi," I said as I pushed my empty bowl away, "you really aren't as disinterested as you'd like everyone to think. This hit the spot; I really didn't feel like cooking or going anywhere tonight." He looked at my pajamas and the clock that said seven.

     "I can tell."

     I laughed, "Was is really that obvious?" He just curled up his eye in a smile and stood up to go and look at the drawings hanging on the walls. "Is that your parents?" He was pointing to a drawing of a man and woman with large smiles on their faces, they both looked a lot like me.

     "Yes." I said quietly. "And that," I said pointing at a landscape of towering mountains, "was the view from our back door."

    "Were the mountains really that large where you came from?"