Pondering....

[Tensei Kaori]

(OOC note: This part of the fic takes place the night before Kaori's innauguration as the Tenth Hokage. It's dark, rainy, and - especially under the circumstances- pretty darn gloomy. Probably not much character interaction in this one, but it's a good opportunity for individual character development.)

The rain poured down in torrents, but she didn't care. It was late, and there was no one outside to see; no one crazy enough to spend the night outside in the rain. Except her. The battle was over, the war was won, but Tensei Kaori just couldn't feel happy. Too many had sacrificed their own lives for this so-called happy ending. Even innocent bystanders had gotten caught in the crossfire. The slick, cold stone of the memorial had gained far too many names for her, but three captured her attention more starkly than any others:

Tensei Mamoru
Tensei Kaede
Tensei Kanaye

The names of her Father, Mother, and older Brother. Lost forever in the bloodshed, along with too many of their comrades - her comrades. Her important family. And now, her people, whom she would protect through thick and thin. Sighing, she looked up at the nine faces on the Hokage monument, ignoring the rain that poured down on her face and got in her eyes.

Will I be able to live up to your example...?

[Kiri]

(OOC: it's not much... sowwi)

Homura Nadameru sat silently beside the window in her bedroom, watching the rain pour down. It had not rained this much in some time, though it wasn't as if she had been able to enjoy it the last time it had. At least there was one thing to be thankful for. She could now enjoy the rain whenever she wanted.

She stood slowly, long blonde strands of hair falling over her shoulders. Her bare feet made not a sound as she slipped out of the room and into the hallway. Passing several rooms, she finally stopped at one door and slid it open just a crack. Her father was knelt before the family altar.

He spoke lowly as he sat on his knees. Incense burned in a tray nearby, filling the room with a sweet fragrance. Upon the shrine sat pictures of family members that had been lost.

There would be no more rain for her mother, nor the countless other shinobi who had given their lives to defend the village. They would never feel the wind on their backs or the warmth of the sun. Nada would never hear their laughter, or see her mother's smile. Things would never be the same in Konoha.

She slid the door shut again without a word and looked down the hall to another window. As she bowed her head sadly and returned to her room, she wondered. How long would it be until the people of Konoha would smile again?

[Kiel]

The gloom of Konoha was palpable, as the remaining civilians were evacuated from the inside of the Hokage monument. The rain poured down hard from the manacingly dark sky.

A Chuunin was leading the very last of the people who had stayed behind to ensure everyone was out. His green Konoha vest was stained with blood, it soaked through the strong fabric completely.

"Come on, everybody out. It's...it's finally over" He said, motioning for the remaining straglers to head out.

One family moves through the darkness towards the exit. An exceptionally tall man, a bright haired woman, followed closely by a young boy.

All of them have large stacks of books in their arms.

The boy pipes up: "Oto-san, why did we need to bring all of these! The village is at war, we shouldn't worry about saving these mouldy old books!"

The bispecled man peers over to his son over top his tall pile of novels. "Keitaro, these books contain the history of Konoha. They are the very essance of what this village was founded on"
"The tales of the Ichidaime, the legacy of the 4th and 5th, the seventh Hokage's battle with the snake demon-man. All of that is in these books. More importantly, Konoha's nindo resides in these pages. If the enemy destroyed this village, its history would be destroyed as well. These books preserve it!"

"Oi! Stop spouting such nonsense. Not at a time like this!" The woman yelled.

"Hai...you're right dear. Gomen son...now's not the time".

The family approached the Chuunin gaurd. He looked them all over.

"What's the count at now?" The man with the glasses asked.

"It's too early for estimates right now. All I know is that the Kudaime was lost. The country representatives are making their way here as we speak. The Grass and Stone countries have surrendered unconditionally..." He said heavily.

"We...we lost more than we needed to..." He continued, his eyes softening.

Keitaro watched as the ninja's eyes filled with tears. He watched in awe as the man broke down. Someone who he'd seen fight bravely, someone who had stood strong to protect them, someone who he thought must have been invincible,

was crying...

Keitaro felt his chest tighten. He wanted to hold his mother, but both of their arms were carrying books. It seemed like it was always books with his mother and father.

"Come Kei-kun, let's head home" His father beckoned.

They passed in silence into the rain. Keitaro crained his neck to look up as they passed underneath the Hokage monument. The nine faces staring grimly off into the distance.

All except one.

The seventh Hokage's face was the only one that smiled.

Keitaro always liked that smile, it made him feel better about himself, stronger.

His graduation ceremony would have been a few days ago, if not for the war.


(OOC: Phew. This is awsome stuff. Kiri and K-chan, your parts are fantastic! Can't wait until the next part. Oh, I'm sorry If I infused a bit of my own Konoha history into this. Kei's parents are historians, so I think it's valid.

The only smiling Hokage...)

[SeraphMazrakiel]

A cold darkness fell upon Konoha. As the rain battered the village, a shadowy figure made its way quickly along the streets, moving amongst the shadows cast by the buildings that made up Konoha Village. It came across a small neighbourhood, and hurried along the muddy path until finally, it came upon a house bearing the symbol of the Adarakis Clan; home.

On the doorstep of the Adarakis house, the shadow stopped. It looked closely at the door, and smiled. It moved forward, gently, before sliding underneath the cracks of the door. The darkness that had fallen gave strength to those of the Adarakis Clan: the figure could make it to his own front doorstep without having to turn back to his human form. Just inside the doorway, the shadow dispersed into a black mist, which lifted up off the ground. It formed together to create a humanoid shape... a physical, human shadow, kneeling on the ground... before finally, with a whoosh, the black that surrounded this shadow gave way to colour and form. The figure, now a real human, stood upright, looked towards the door, and listened to the rain pelting down harshly upon the house. He smiled.

“And not a drop landed on me,” said Kagemaru, cheerfully.

He looked down the hallway, and noticed a dim light emanating from a room halfway down the hall. He approached the room slowly, and peered inside; a candle burned lightly, and revealed a young man sitting on his bed, holding a small object in his hand.

Kagemaru interrupted his son.

“It’s just you and me now.”<br>
Mazrakiel clutched his ring, hung around his neck on a thin metal chain. He held it up gently between his thumb and forefinger, and looked at it closely. Mazrakiel frowned.

“I know,” spoke Mazrakiel, softly.

“We have to do what we can, for this village. For the people who lost their lives...”<br>
This comment seemed not to affect Mazrakiel, who seemed entirely focused on the ring he held in his hands. “I’ve lost everything that means anything to me anyway...”<br>
Kagemaru bit his lip. “Stop being selfish, Mazrakiel. People have died to bring us peace.”<br>
If one could have seen Mazrakiel’s face clearly, in a brighter light maybe... they would see he was crying. He knew his father was right. Following the war, all that remained of the Adarakis Clan were the two that populated that bedroom that night. When the family had gone to help fend off the assault on Konoha, his mother and sister had disappeared, and had been presumed dead.

“Yeah, you’re right... Dad...”<br>
Silence. A tense silence. A nervous silence. With nothing else really to say, Kagemaru wished his son goodnight. “Welp, get a good night’s sleep, son. The inauguration of the Tenth Hokage is tomorrow. We don’t wanna be late.”<br>
Mazrakiel disappeared for a brief second, then reappeared next to the nightstand where the candle began to flicker on and off. He let go of the ring, and let it dangle from his neck, before placing his fingers over the wick and extinguishing the candle’s flame.

“Trust me Father... we won’t be.”<br>

[UchihaJyounochi]

(OOC: I hope this is right, I apologize in advance if not)

As the sky wept, a tall figure stood in the remnants of
what used to be his house, now just piles of charred wood and old memories. He had to admit, he wouldn't much miss the memories. His long silver hair was plastered to his face. It was times like these that he was glad that he couldn't see the faces of the villagers and shinobi who now wandered the streets on their way back to their homes, or what was left of them.

To most others, the rain would have drowned out the wails of sorrow, but Iro could hear them too clearly. He could feel the sting of tears building up in his eyes, and he began to weap.

"Iro, this is no weather for you to be out in, we need to be heading back to the shelter and get ready for tomorrows innaguration." A man stood behind Iro, his face pinted with greif and pain.

"I know father. Is mother already there?"

"Yes, and she's worried to death about you. You know how we feel about you being a shinobi, you are still just a child, and in no means ready for battle."

"Yes father..."

The water streaked down his forehead protector, and the two walked off to their temporary home. Iro knew he would find no sleep this night, the sounds of the village would linger in his mind forever.

[Matsu Yamiko]

The boy sat in the mud in the ruins of what was once a small home. Water fell from the sky, dripped off the charred and broken remains of boards and fell upon him. His hair clung to his face, red strands so heavy with water they were black. His silver eyes were half-closed, staring into the darkness of the night.

The screams still echoed in his ears, drowning out the patter of the rain and the quiet clattering of the bones around his wrists. Bruises pounded dully on his thin body. He held his sword loosely against him, the blade still stained crimson.

He sighed. It was times like this that he wished he could just go to someone. Anyone. He wanted to be held. He wanted the images wiped from his mind. He took a deep breath and tilted his head back, his eyes closing completely. He let the rain roll over his young face, soothing the burning in the red symbols.

Snap out of it, Yamiko. Snap out of it. You've got school tomorrow. You've got chores. You've got something...just snap out of it and find a dry place to sleep. Just....sleep....

The boy lowered his head again, resting his forehead against his knees. He took another calming breath and then forced himself to stand, his braid falling heavily over his pale shoulder. He shivered and took a step forward. Another one. One more.

He kept going, his sword dragging in the mud beside him. He just had to keep walking.

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Kohana pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the front window, staring out into the dark, sorrow-filled streets of Konoha. The rain poured from the thick, black clouds and pounded against the side of the house.

She sighed and closed her eyes trying to hold back the tears swelling up in her eyes, but it was no use. They streamed down over her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

The sound of hammers could be heard above the rain as her older brother, Aijou, and her father nailed half-rotten scraps of plywood and several large tarps over the massive hole in the side of their house. Her mother was in what remained of the living area, sweeping up shattered glass and splintered wood chips.
A large pile of segments of rafters, roofing, and siding lay in a corner, and in the opposite corner were the remnants of precious household items...photos, vases, her mother's fine porcelain china and various family heirlooms...

Kohana walked slowly through the house to where the back wall used to be. She tramped through the wrecked living room, puddled rainwater washing over her feet, glass crunching under her every step. She stopped just under the overhang of the shredded roof, the mist from the rain blowing over her, cooling her down.
She scanned her eyes over the neighboring houses, seeing that some of them, were no longer standing. They were nothing but mounds of smoldering rubble, while others were more fortunate, like her family. Tonight, they would be able to spend the night under what was left of their own roof, while others had to find a place to stay.

She clutched her fists at her sides, her teeth gritted together tightly. She shook, fighting back more tears.
Her brother jumped down from the roof, soaking wet, his silvery white hair fell heavily over his forehead and ears, his clothes clinging to his body. “Kohana?” he asked quietly, walking over to her. He placed a strong hand on her shoulder. “What's wrong?”<br>
Kohana broke down and threw her arms around her brother's neck. “It's not fair! It's just not...”<br>
“What's not fair, Kohana?” Aijou questioned, stroking her hair.

“All the people that died... All the people now without homes... I can't stand to see it! I should have been fighting! I'm part of this village, too!” She bawled, burying her face in her brother's shirt.

“Hush, now...” he said softly, “The inauguration ceremony of the Tenth Hokage is tomorrow... So we need to finish as much as we can tonight, so we have less to do tomorrow... You should go help mother with the clean-up.”<br>
Kohana nodded slightly as she pulled from her brother's hug and fetched a broom and mop from the hall closet. She then returned to help her mother with the rest of the job at hand.

[Tensei Kaori]

Tokoharu Akina sat alone in the ruins of the tiny house. Rain poured in through the collapsed roof, the shattered windows. It soaked what was left of the furniture and ran freely across the once-shining wood floors. The scent of smoke lingered in the air, though the fire that had claimed part of the structure had long since been put out. Soaked and tattered curtains flapped loudly against the walls when the wind gusted, sending a wave of chilling rain over the lone kunoichi.

"This is our house," she could still hear his carefree voice tell her proudly has he showed it to her for the very first time. "Isn't it great?" She remembered his laugh as she explored excitedly, his smile as he proudly showed off the furniture he had saved up so long to buy - "It's my dream to give you a house filled with love," he had told her as he refused to allow her to help pay for the things.

But now, all that was gone. The tiny, yet welcoming little house had been all but destroyed in the last battle, what had survived of the furnishings quickly coming to ruin because of the rain. But none of that was important. Houses could be rebuilt. Furniture could be replaced.

But neither could be said for a human life.

Akina kneeled there in what was left of that tiny house, soaked to the bone and freezing cold. Her red hair hung drably around her face, sticking to her skin and falling in her eyes. Her clothes, all black, clung heavily to her petite frame. All of that, however, went unnoticed. The only things she knew were the destroyed house around her - symbolic of a shattered future - and the loss of the one who had made it all happen for her. His framed picture lay on the floor in front of the broken woman. As she picked it up, she caught sight of the delicate ring that adorned her left hand. There would have been another there, soon. But now....

"Seiichii..." she whispered to the picture. "Why did you have to...?"

Breaking into a sob, she hugged the picture close. As a shinobi, she would have to put the past behind her, but for tonight, just tonight, she was simply a woman mourning the death of her love.

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Ryuji slowly trudged up the stairs to his second-floor apartment, exhausted, battleworn, and drenched. He reached his front door and entered inside, heaving a sigh of relief as he removed his mudcaked sandals, arm gaurds, katana and ANBU mask. He tossed them nonchalantly to the floor by the couch as he headed to the bathroom, shedding his sopping wet clothing as he went.

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror in his red flame-print boxers, staring back at his weary reflection. Taking in a deep, jagged breath, he winced, running his fingers over the big, black and blue splotches that were located in various areas on his ribcage and abdomen. Not just bruises, but bone bruises as well... the most painful kind, he remembered the nurse telling him at the hospital. These things hurt so much! I shouldn't have said I'd deal with it, he thought, But there were far too many shinobi injured worse than myself...

The fiery haired ANBU cursed as he examined his injuries. "Stupid Stone ninja," he mumbled under his breath as he reached around and grabbed the end of his long, red braid. After removing the tie, he gradually began unwinding his hair, gently running his fingers through the long stands to comb out all the knots as he went along. Just as soon as he finished prepping his hair, he went to turn on the water for a nice, hot bath.

After several minutes, Ryuji shut off the faucet, and stepped into the water. He slowly lowered himself in, trying not to cause himself too much pain. Sighing, he closed his eyes and leaned back, resting his head on the wall behind him. All the pain he felt just seemed to melt away as he continued to soak in the steaming hot water. He remained there until the water turned cool and the pain returned to his body. Sure, he could have just heated up the water with his chakra, but he was way too weak, and even concentrating was painful. He no longer felt comfortable. The pain soon returned, and the time had come for him to find another means of getting some relief from all the aching, throbbing, and soreness.

Stepping from his bath, clean and refreshed, he wrapped a towel around his waist, his long, bright red hair plastered to his back and shoulders until he reached around and gathered it, wringing the water out into the sink. He left the bathroom, stepping over his wet and dirty ANBU uniform and heading into his room, where he pulled on a clean pair of shorts and a white t-shirt. He then went to pick up his stuff.

Bending down slowly, he gathered up his uniform and sorted through the items. All ruined. He was lucky he had a spare one in his closet. Tossing the old black garments into the garbage, he made his way into kitchen. He loaded a bunch of ice into a bag and wrapped it in a towel before heading back into his room. He turned off the lights and slid into his bed, stretching out on his back before placing the big bag of ice on the worst of his bruises.

He laid there and stared at the ceiling, listening to rain fall hard against the roof and against his bedroom window, as visions of the past days' events replayed over and over again in his mind. Ryuji reached up and covered his face with his hands, fighting to hold back the hot tears that burned his eyes. He let go and let out a loud sob as everything began to soak in, along with the hard-hitting realization that life in Konoha would never be the same again.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Haruki emerged from the bathroom in his favorite pair of turquoise pajama pants, a fluffy white towel draped around his neck, and began to make his way down the hallway to his room.

“Haruki?” he heard a soft, feminine voice call to him. “Where's your uniform?”

“I have it,” he answered as a petite woman appeared from around the corner, dressed in a pair of grey sweat pants and a baggy navy blue t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. “What do you want with it?”

The woman smiled. “I was going to wash it for you, silly,” she answered, brushing her silver bangs from her eyes as she reached out and took the dirty garments from his hands. “We can't have you starting your first day on duty with the new Hokage in a nasty uniform now, can we?”

“I guess not,“ Haruki laughed, removing the towel from around his neck to dry his hair. “Thanks for letting me stay here, Momoe.”

“Oh, it's no problem! You're my brother. You're always welcome to stay here whenever you need to.” She paused for a moment. “I'm going to go throw these in the tub to soak then check on Emiko... There's a pot of hot miso on the stove. It might do you some good to eat a little bit.”

Haruki nodded as Momoe walked past him, giving him a strong pat on the shoulder as she headed towards the bathroom. Haruki sighed and finished drying his hair before hanging the towel, heavy with water, on the doorknob and heading towards the kitchen. He smiled softly as he smelled the faint aroma of the miso, steaming hot on the stove top.

He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and spooned some of the miso into it. Now with a steaming bowl of fresh miso, he headed into the den and sat in the plushie recliner by the window. He sat there in silence, slowly sipping his miso, listening to the rain outside.

He was consumed with thoughts of the recent battles and the losses that the village had suffered. He had been one of the lucky ones. The only thing he had lost was his apartment and that could be replaced, but a lot of the villagers had lost much more... Loved ones had been killed... lost in the bloodshed. They could never be replaced. Now that the war was over, they were in for a long recovery.

A sigh escaped his lips as he set his empty bowl on the window sill and rested his head against the cushions. His eyelids, heavy with sleep, slowly shut and he fell asleep.