Fragments of a Shattered Dream

[Tensei Kaori]

Rain pounded on the windows of the small apartment deep in Konoha's shinobi residential district. It was a decidedly somber day, which was so appropriate for the village's mood that it was almost creepy.

On the wall were two ANBU masks, seemingly unused, hanging right above two crossed katana - one decidedly more ornate than the other, but the two seemed of a pair somehow, just like the masks did. The only other decorations were various photographs - one of them held a blonde woman with three children, barely old enough to have graduated the shinobi academy, and most of the others showed a red-haired woman in various stages of her life. A number of them showed both the blonde woman and the younger redhead. The furniture was plain but somehow attractive, and everything was in its place. Not a speck of dust marred any surface in sight.

But all of that faded unnoticed now; everything except the photograph sitting in the red-haired woman's lap melted away into obscurity. Small drops of water dotted the glass of the picture frame; droplets she would have blamed on a nonexistent leak in the roof had anyone seen her. She would only allow one person to see her cry. The woman was older than she had been in most of the photographs, but her size had not changed much. That delicate build, that crystalline emerald gaze, and that fiery copper hair could only belong to one person in Konoha.

Tokoharu Akina sat curled up in a simple armchair, huddled over the picture that spoke of a happy future that had been broken into nothing more than fragments of a shattered dream. Her eyes were red, and the shining trails on her face spoke of tears that had just recently ceased their somber parade. She didn't even notice the first gentle knock on her apartment's door.

[Tensei Kaori]

The knock came louder, this time, and only Akina's Jounin reflexes kept her from jumping. Scrubbing away the tears from her face with the back of her hand, she set the picture facedown on the coffee table and steadied her voice.

"Who is it?" she called.
"It's me," a familiar voice answered. "May I come in?"

Akina could have laughed with relief. The person outside was the only person she would allow to see her like this, meaning she didn't have to scramble to make herself presentable. "Of course," she replied.

The door opened and in walked the woman she had looked up to for most of her life, Tensei Kaori. The woman had been her sensei, her mentor, and her friend. But she looked different today. Her long blonde hair, usually tied back or arranged to shining perfection, hung dull and damp on her face, tied back with a simple band. Her eyes were more tired than they had been even after the final battle, and that was saying something. Even her clothes were rumpled; something Akina had never expected to see.

Instantly, Kaori-sensei seemed to know what was going on. She picked up the frame in her graceful hands, turning it to study the smiling people in the picture: Akina standing with a happy brown-haired man.

"This was taken the day you got engaged, wasn't it?" Akina nodded. "I know it's hard," the older woman told her, "but pushing the past away won't make it any better." She placed the frame on a shelf that stood underneath the two masks. "Are you sure about your decision?"

"I am," Akina answered. "It just wouldn't be right without him."

"I see. What are you going to do instead?"

"I haven't decided yet. There are several options, but nothing seems quite right."

"Nothing will, for quite awhile. Trust me; I should know."

Akina nodded. The woman before her had gone through more loss than she herself could imagine, and as well-hidden as it was, Akina could still see the pained sadness in her eyes. Akina could only admire Kaori-sensei's commitment to her duty to their village, but she could not help but wonder if the cost were really worth it.

"I have... something to tell you," Kaori-sensei said, sounding suddenly quite.... was that nervousness in her voice? Akina looked at her questioningly. "Sensei?"

"I..." She stopped, clearing her throat. "I have been chosen to be the Tenth Hokage."

[Tensei Kaori]

What?!?

Akina just sat there, dumbstruck. What on earth......how could this be real?

Her Sensei just smiled, a tired grin that served as a mask to hide the strain. "You can't believe it, can you?" she asked calmly. Akina now understood. No wonder the woman was so tired! The inauguration of a Hokage was a ton of work, and Akina was sure having the welfare of the entire village dumped on one's shoulders at once would be quite the burden.

"It.... it's not that...." Akina began.

"Oh yes it is," Kaori-sensei cut in, a spark of genuine amusement igniting in her eyes for just the briefest of moments. "You don't believe it."

Akina couldn't help but giggle slightly in return. "Well, who would, at first?" She asked. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that, and you know it," she added in reply to the older woman's questioning look. "It's just.... it's such big news... and so soon after all this...."

"Well, what did you expect?" was the answer. "Konoha needs a leader in order to rebuilt. If a new Hokage is not chosen, anarchy will reign and our enemies will have won."

Akina nodded, she knew all of this. "I just...."

"....hm?"

"I just wish we could have been allowed more time to remember Urashima-sama before we..."

"Before we move on?" her sensei finished. Akina nodded, her gaze drifting to her lap. She looked up, surprised, when she felt a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. Inwardly she gasped... were those tears in Kaori-sama's eyes?

"You're not the only one, Akina. But to stop and reflect is to spell out the doom of the village. He did not sacrifice his own life so we could bare ourselves to our enemies. He wanted us to live on. There will..." her voice broke off for a moment. Akina felt a sharp jab of pain in her heart... she had never seen Kaori-sama like this. "There will be time to remember the lost once Konoha is safe again," she finished with a smile. Akina saw right through the facade, but just seeing it, knowing it was fake, it still made her feel better. The tiny redhead nodded. Her sensei was right, as usual. The older woman's hand moved from the younger's shoulder, as the yellow-haired shinobi moved to look out the window. Akina noticed that she didn't seem to focus her gaze on anything particular.

"And I will make sure it is safe," Kaori finished. Akina just watched her, inspired by her mentor's strength. Of course, the well-being of the village would be enough to motivate that woman no matter what happened to her. It was no wonder she had been chosen.

"But I will need help," she continued. "I will need someone working beside me if I am to take care of this village."

Akina gasped. She couldn't mean.....

Her eyes widened as Master turned to Apprentice. "Akina, will you work by my side as my Lieutenant?"