Goodbye
The rain poured heavily. Cold was the only thing Kakashi could feel.
Rain droplets landed hard on his young and handsome gifted face unmercifully. It was a waste to all girls in Kohona for Kakashi to hide his beautifully craved features underneath his usual black silk mask.
Yet, for once it was different.
The usual black slender cloth was nowhere to be seen on his firm face. His face was a shade of grey, contaminated with blood. The crimson stain stood out contrastingly from his pale skin.
Kakashi parted his chapped lips, panting heavily.
He lifted up his severe wounded arm and his hand grasped tightly on his Anbu uniform in the chest.
He stopped on his track and supported himself by leaning on an old tree trunk. He transfixed his gaze, allowing them to scan through his own body.
He took in the sight of his critical condition with a blank look on his face. There was a few kunais stuck into the flesh of his arm. He could feel the oozing fresh liquid underneath his hand on his chest.
A deadly metal scent filled the chill night air.
He knew he could not hold on any longer.
Tumbling across, he released the last bit of energy he had and slide down against the trunk, creating his personal blood pool around the earth. Rain failed to wash away the crimson liquid because it would be replaced as soon as it had faded.
Kakashi grasped tighter on his shirt, taking in air difficultly. He kept his eyes shut. Pain seemed to drift away from him ever since a long time ago. His body went numb and rigid. The only thing he could feel was the metal cold slipping in his numbed senses.
He lifted his wounded hand to his face and brushed away some blood over his eyes.
This would be it then.
Among all the times he had cheated death. Among all the times where all his comrades had died, his time had finally arrived. His time for having his name engrave into the memorial stone had finally come.
How many times had he burned his gaze on the names on the stone hoping his name was on it, along with all his fellow comrades and families?
To him, death was not fearful. Death was a symbol of redemption and honor.
He was a man who had cheated death too many times.
No one deserved death more than him.
He had numerous accounts of near death experiences yet never once was it so real. This time, Kakashi was well aware that he would not be able to pull it through anymore.
This would be it.
Soon, he will rejoin with those whom he had lost among all those awful battles. After witnessing death after death of the people he cared, he learned that nothing was left worthwhile for him to hold on to this living world.
Every breath that he took kills him a little more inside every living day. It was too painful to bear the realization that he was still alive, breathing while the others that he had cared for were gone.
Yes, one can say that Kakashi longed for death. To a person like Kakashi, death might be the best remedy for all his pain.
He snapped open his eyes revealing the pair of mismatched eyes that were clouded by fresh blood tickling down from his forehead.
Kakashi was drained with all his chakra and he felt his life was draining away too.
He looked at the sky with rain splashing down on him. A face with a pair of gifted emerald eyes gradually took its form from the dark sky. Kakashi sighed.
Sakura.
How weird. He was a man who had longed for death, yet when death really did embrace him, funny, he didn't feel like dying anymore.
Kakashi chuckled softly, causing more blood oozing out from his mouth.
Why? Why now?
Of all the time, of all the place it could have been, why now?
Why now? After I had stop hoping to die, praying to live?
Why now? After I had finally found someone I cared for in this living world?
Why now? After I had someone waiting for my return?
Why now? After I had finally found a place I can call as home?
Why now? After letting me taste the warmth of love?
Goddammit, why not the time when I'm still living in the darkness I had created for my self?
Why NOW after I had someone I WANTED TO LIVE FOR?
Damn…Damn…Damn…WHY...?
Kakashi pounded his fist on the ground bitterly.
Fate had really pulled a big prank on him. Of all the times he had longed for death yet death came to him when it was the last thing he had wanted.
Kakashi released his death grip on his shirt and difficultly moved his hand toward his neck.
He searched through the front of his neck and a small smile crept on his bloodstained face when he managed to find a small pendant attached to the silver necklace on his neck.
His wounded fingers pressed through the words engraved on the silver metal pendant plate.
S.A.K.U.R.A
It was a pendant made by Sakura herself. It was given to Kakashi on his thirty fifth-birthday.
Kakashi remembered the smile Sakura gave him when she proudly presented her craftwork pendant to him.
Her sweet scent lingered around his nose when she leaned forward to place the necklace on his neck.
The sparkling glint in Sakura's emerald eyes when he praised her for her good work.
The kiss she gave him when he told her how much he love her present.
Gosh, how he remembered...
How he desired once more to listen to her sweet voice whispering in his ears, telling him how much she loved him.
How he had wished to return to her. How he had wanted to live.
To live for her.
Kakashi remembered the night before he was to leave for his mission. He remembered her telling him that she had a bad feeling. He remembered how she had asked him to reject his mission, pleaded him to stay.
When she realized that nothing more could be done to change it, she had made him to promise to return to her after the mission no matter what.
Kakashi remembered how he had laughed at her for being paranoid.
Sigh.
Never underestimate a women's six sense.
This was something Kakashi learned but it was a little too late for it.
Look now what a mess he had gotten himself into..
Kakashi closed his eyes tightly as he felt a hot burning pain shot through his chest.
So this would be it then. He had met his end.
A tear slipped out from the corner of his left eye, tracing the characteristic scar down to his firm jaw.
Sakura, I'm sorry.
I've failed you
In the end, this is still what I am.
A cheater.
A liar.
Don't be sad Sakura.
Don't shed tears for me.
You should know how I hate your tears.
Smile for me.
You know how I had love your smile.
Sakura.
Thanks for loving me.
Thanks for teaching me how to live again.
Thanks for everything.
For now I will have to leave you.
This will not be forever.
Sakura.
We shall meet again sometime.
And when that time comes, nothing can part us away anymore.
I will be there waiting for you, watching over you.
Therefore don't be scared, for you will not be alone.
I've...got to...go now Sakura.
I have regretted... not telling you earlier...how I love hearing you...calling out my name.
But never ...mind, I..will tell ...you when we...meet..again.
Go..od-by...e, Sa...ku..ra.
I love you...
We shall meet again.
This time I will not be late.
I will be the one waiting for you.
TBC
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