Shadow of the Night

Chapter 15

Kakashi's POV

Hey... time to leave... Hello?... Kashi?... "KAKASHI!"

I jolted awake, a bit dazed, and nearly cowered at Hikari's stern glare above me. My head was still in her lap, and she was holding both sides of my face. My slight fear must have shown on my face, as Hikari burst out laughing. The sound warmed my heart, and I couldn't stop a grin from sliding across my face.

"Oh God you were so surprised... its time to leave, you've been sleeping for nearly six hours." Six hours? That's double my average night...

I pulled myself upright and took a second to assess my injuries. They were mostly alright, thanks to Hikari's medical skills, and I had just slept twice my normal amount. In short, I felt much better.

"Since I'm back to full strength, I can carry Saki." I said lowly "You should rest your broken ribs."

Hikari nodded, and I was aware of her sad eyes on my back as I bent to scoop up our fallen friend. Just holding her sent a wave of regret through my heart. I heaved a sigh and turned back to my partner. She gave me a small smile.

"Alright. Let's go home."

Hikari's POV

The Gates of Konoha were just ahead. We could just make out the two chunin guards, lazily sitting in the shade of the small pedestrian sign in pavilion. Kakahi and I waved at them as we passed. They took one glance at the body in Kakashi's arms and decided not to engage in a conversation.

"Hey," Kakashi called my attention. "I can give the Hokage our report. She'll want to see Asaki's body. You go home, rest. I'll check up on you in the morning." His tone carried such finality I decided the best thing now would be to follow his, well, orders and rest. Nodding stiffly, I took one last look at my best friend.

I shouldn't have.

*****************************

The sky was darkening as I climbed through my apartment's window. The door would've worked just fine, but this was faster from the roof. My room was dark and plain; I didn't have many possessions. One thing caught my attention, and I walked across the room to run my fingers over it.

The thick leather was smooth and sported a weathered look from long hours of wear. The Uchiha crest was burned into the black material. Asaki's bracelet. She had worn it every day since I'd met her, and yet it was left on the desk...

I clutched the last most precious item Asaki had ever owned in my right hand, my left one deftly sliding across my cheeks, brushing away fresh hot tears.

Crawling into my bed, I laid awake for a while, drifting numbly in that familiar ocean of sadness, my fingers gripping tightly to the only remaining piece of my best friend I had.

I closed my eyes, seeing nothing but the ruined face of the only friend I had had in nearly a decade.

*several weeks later

I blinked sweat out of my eye as I continued to punch and kick the wooden post in front of me. The beam was splintering, and my hands were bleeding, but I endured. Whap, whap, whap; my trained limbs worked, delivering swift, measured strokes to the wood. Above me, the sun blazed. I had already stripped out of my black jacket and was now training in my sleeveless shirt and tight shorts. My hands, arms, and legs were all bandaged due to the now constant abuse. Asaki's sharingan eye was covered by a strip of cloth as usual.

With a final kick, the wooden post was ripped from the ground in a spray of dirt and flew a few meters away. I stood, panting, and stared blankly at the hole I had just made in the ground. Not again. Assessing my bloody knuckles, I decide to call it quits for tonight. It must be almost midnight anyways.

Kiddo, you need to stop doing this to yourself. Take a break.

I ignored Yuro as usual.

Today had been the same as the last week of so. Get up before dawn and head out to a training field. The only food I had eaten in days had been plain rice, though Kakashi had been trying to get me to eat more. He even convinced me to eat half an apple on Thursday.

Quite obviously, I had taken Asaki's death rather hard. The first week I refused to leave my bed. Everything in town reminded me of her. Kakashi came in to check on me every eight hours or so, to make sure I had plenty of water. Finally after five days in my room, I got up at three o'clock in the morning and began my training. To be stronger had become my only goal, my obsession. I was to weak to save her... I'm worthless...

"Yo." I jumped as a voice startled me from my reverie. Kakashi. The only person so far to be able to sneak up on me. He appeared beside me, His silver hair was grey in the moonlight. "You need to stop training yourself to death, Hikari." Kakashi spoke softly, as if afraid he'd upset me.

"I won't. Sorry, Kashi, but I can't stay still. I'm worried if I don't keep my fingers busy they'll tear out my hair." I said equally soft, with a quiet chuckle at the end. My joke did nothing to lift the somber atmosphere.

Kakashi was quiet for a moment. "How about I teach you Chidori? It would keep you busy and I would have someone to spend time with."

I immediately felt guilty for neglecting my (now only) friend. "Teach me what.. this?" Holding one wrist, I summon a traditional chidori. I'd been fiddling with it for months. Before Saki's death I decided to learn it, since my natural chakra type was also lightning. It took me the better part of two months without an instructor, but I finally mastered Kakahi's signature jutsu. It helped that I'd seen it used so many times.

I concentrated a little more, introducing the water chakra change; The chirping lightning wove itself into sheets, and cascaded through my fingertips, mimicking flowing water. In fact, I had just perfected my 'liquid lightning' technique two days ago, and was still working on my ability to maintain the thing.

"It's called Raikai. Lightning Sea. I used your chidori and my water chakra change." I flicked the ball of liquid lightning at the ground. It hit the solid earth in an odd way, the drop bursting and eating away at the ground like acid.

I lowered my gaze. "I'm sorry Kakashi. You deserve better friends than me."

With that, I turned and strode away, towards my lonely apartment. I didn't look back.

*AN

Hit major writers block with this chapter, hope it turned out alright :) Also please leave comments, I really want to know what you all think!

-Hanna