Guardian

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Ok so this is my very first fanfic, I eventually plan to write more. This fic is mostly going to be focusing on Naruto x Hinata, I will likely add in some other relationships but not go into as much detail as I plan with this. This will at least start a little angsty, but I am not sure just how far I plan to go in character deaths. This fic is rated M for the character death's, language, and maybe a possible lemon later in the story. I will take any criticism and replies to this story with an open mind; I am doing this to improve my writing. So without further wait here ya go.

"speech"

'thought'

"Kyuubi speak"

Flashbacks will be warned, and will likely be all Italiac

Loss of a friend

Everyone stood around the stone with the names of fallen heroes remembering their friend. It was a sad and rainy day in Konoha, but no one minded since it was how many of them felt. Not many showed up to this small funeral, many still felt hate towards the person whose name was being carved into the stone.

Of the original rookie nine only two weren't there, one whose name was currently being carved onto the stone, and the other who blamed himself for the death of his friend and teammate. Along with the rookie nine present was their sensei, Gai's team, Jaraiya the Legendary Sannin, and the Hokage.

"So where is he?" said a sobbing pink haired kunoichi.

"He likely doesn't want to be here in front of everyone. He feels ashamed for something that couldn't be helped." said the jounin with a forehead protector over his left eye. "This is something he has to come to terms with."

"But he didn't cause this……it was that snake bastard's fault." She replied to her sensei.

"Sakura……while he knows that he didn't kill his friend, he still feels like he failed for not being strong enough to protect his friend." A tear was rolling down Kakashi's cheek till it reached his mask as he remembered his own friend's death, and the death of his student.

Kakashi stood in the rain, feeling just like he did nearly 5 years ago after Naruto and Sasuke's battle at the Valley of the End. It felt almost exactly the same as it did then. A feeling of being too late to help those he cared most about. He stood in rain that felt exactly the same as that day.

But this time it was worse, it was the same feeling, only amplified a thousand times. He looked at the name in the stone with a feeling of almost emptiness. The feeling he got when his best friend as a child was killed on a mission. He loved the boy whose name was carved in stone like a son. The raid over his head stopped.

Looking over to his right he saw Anko standing next to him, her umbrella covering the both of them as they quietly returned each others gaze. She laid her hand on his arm as they continued to stare at the stone till she broke the silence.

"While I can't say that I know how you feel. You should also be happy that in the end he made choose to save his closest friend. It is something to be proud of." she said while gazing at the stone.

"I still can't help but feel that I failed once again to protect those precious to me. If I could have only been a little bit faster handling Kabuto I might have been able to make it in time to save him." Kakashi replied with another tear going down his face.

A hand came down on Kakashi's left shoulder. Kakashi looked to see his friend Gai with his arm on his shoulder. "You had no control over what happened and you know better than most that Kabuto was an extremely strong opponent to fight". Gai looked towards the monument. "In the end of his flame of youth and the fire of Konoha in his heart shone brightly with his choice."

Sakura could not hold it back her tears anymore; she fell onto her knee's crying looking at the monument dropping her umbrella. Kakashi walked over and put his hand on her shoulder grabbing her umbrella holding it over the both of them. He had not idea what to say to her.

"Why?" was all she could muster to say through her sobbing.

"No one ever really knows why things happen the way they do." Stated the Hokage, also standing next to Sakura. "All we can really do is live on, honor them, and still love them" she said with tears in her eyes remembering her younger brother and her lover Dan.

XXXXXX

-Off to the side-

The rest of the rookie nine and Gai's team were standing back a little, watching the scene in front of them. They looked on in silence as their friend and her jounin sensei were crying at the monument. They looked on wondering about how hard everyone was taking the loss.

…lly do is live on and in here eyes remember her younger brother and her lover Dan.

er.textremely strong opponent to fight"ht ha

"Who do you guys think is going to take this the hardest?" said Kiba looking at the sad scene in front of him while petting Akamaru on the head.

"Well Kakashi-sensei has dealt with these kinds of losses before, but it looks like he is taking this one very hard" stated Chouji who was miraculously not eating anything. He still remembered the mission 5 years ago vividly.

"Sakura is taking this very hard; there is no doubt in my mind that she won't be able to get over this for a while." Ino said as silent tears rolled down here cheeks for her friend.

Everyone had to nod in agreement.

"He still feels like this is his entire fault though…" Everyone looked at Neji who was still staring at the sad scene. "Even though he had no control over what happened, he will still see this as his fault."

"That is the reason he will be hurt the most by this." Shino's eyebrows were furrowed at this statement. "No matter how illogical it is to think like this, it is something that cannot be helped in human nature. He will struggle the most with this."

"It is not illogical at all." Shikamaru was there with one hand in his pockets looking towards the sky under his umbrella.

"How so?" replied Shino.

"It's simple really. He loved his friend and would do anything for him. With the loss of a loved one comes the loss of a space in your heart. With the loss you get regret and depression." he sighed as he brought a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. "Right now he is highly depressed and regrets not being able to do anything to save his friend. He will feel that it is his fault that he wasn't strong enough to do anything for his friend. It is exactly how I felt after Asuma…." Shikamaru replied as he lit a cigarette.

"I see"

"I just hope he will be alright" said Ino

Listening very intently to this was a girl with long flowing Indigo hair and pearl colored eyes. The scene in front of her could only fill her with sadness and worry; she watched and listned as people mourned over the grave of their friend. But she could only think of one person, the only person that wasn't here. She knew he would be having a hard time dealing with everything that had just happened to him, she also knew that he needed help to get through this.

With these thoughts she silently turned around and walked away from the scene with tears still rolling down her face, she had only one thought in mind.

"Naruto-kun…." She said quietly as she walked away heading to the place she hoped he was.