Bright

Tears and Laughter

-Akari POV-

I entered the key into the slot of the apartment but I was shocked to find the apartment was already unlocked. I opened the door to find the entire place a disaster zone. Empty cups of ramen were strung out across the room, along with various other pieces of trash, and Naruto's clothes. Not to mention the stench. I guess me being gone for over a month had taken a toll on the cleanliness of our home.

Naruto lifted his head up and looked at me. I held back the tears that wanted to spill over looking at how sad my brother truly was right now. The entire village was sad if I wanted to get technical, we were all feeling the aftershocks of how the ambush had effected us. Homes and businesses were destroyed, lives were lost, our Hokage was lost. My teams efforts during the invasion proved successful, we were able to rescue Hinata. I also had to have a conversation with my three friends, plus Neji, about what I was. I made sure to not tell them that it had been split into both Naruto and I, just so I could protect him. I guess that is when I stopped being so angry with him for not telling me about this. All he was trying to do was protect me, how could I be angry with him for that.

"Akari? You're home?" Naruto spoke, his voice low and quiet.

"Well, my funeral attire was here and-" I sighed as I watched his face drop at my excuses, "Yes Naruto, I am coming home."

My brother got up from his bed and pulled me into a hug. Naruto had gotten a little taller apparently, not much taller but just a little bit, seeing as we were not fully eye to eye anymore. I wrapped my arms back around my brother. I felt my lip begin to quiver, and my eyes began to sting holding back the tears that were threatening to spill over. I could not show emotion, it was not the way of a shinobi.

After I was dressed we left the apartment and met up with Sakura. Then we saw Sasuke, he looked at me and me alone as he walked closer. All three of us were shocked when he came up to me and grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers before walking ahead. I am sure on a normal day Sakura would of sent eyes like daggers my way, but today was not a normal day by any means. The four of us walked onto the funeral of the third hokage. Me and Sasuke leading the way hand in hand, with Naruto and Sakura following closely behind.

All of us gathered, I left team 7 to stand with my own comrades, squeezing Sasuke's hand before I did so. I walked over to Hinata and Kiba, standing in between the two. Shino stood on the other side of Kiba, he glanced over at me and I sent a small nod his way. Team 8 stood tall. The clouds slowly gathered more, making the scene so much more depressing. As the rain began to fall I looked up briefly.

You see that old man, even the heavens are weeping for you.

-----

"Akari Uzumaki." I heard a voice and froze, I was holding the bucket of paint Naruto and I had just used to paint on the fences around the village.

"Uh, this isn't what it looks like?" I turned around to face the Hokage, sending a large closed eyed smile his way, I was expecting him to be angry looking but instead he just smiled and pointed to another fence.

"You forgot one."

-----

I felt a pain in my chest remembering that memory with him, there were so many others. Ever since I became an official Shinobi it was as if I forgotten all he had done for my brother and I. All he had done for everyone in this village. We were his family.