Echo Of A Song (On Hiatus)

Visitation and Mourning

Tick
        Tick
                Tick

The clock seems to get louder with each passing second. Anxious pacing and soft snores dulled the sound that permeates the small waiting room. Pristine white chairs and hard plastic chairs rival the piercing memory of ash and flame.

Days, hours, minutes, seconds seem to blur and merge together, present fading to the past. The blindingly white room faded into a scene of fire and carnage, the intense feeling of fear and grief. Bloodstained silver hair, mangled corpses, a rampant demon.

A gentle touch to the shoulder dismissed the horrid memory, bringing the boy back to the present.

"Naruto, are you okay? The nurse called us back." Two pairs of brown eyes stared down at him, swimming in concern.

The red-head waved them off, gently lulling themself back on his feet. The two boys followed them down the long corridor, turning to the right and stopping at room 318. Naruto hesitated for a moment, swallowing in anticipation. Vivid images of Kakashi's crushed and mangled form crossed his mind before pushing open the door.

Cords and wires seemed to cover his battered skin, white gauze almost blending into the broken man's hair and skin. If not for the fact that Kakashi was awake and breathing, Naruto would've thought he was dead.

Without a second thought, Naruto crossed the room in two steps and punched his dad  before pulling him into a tight hug. That was all it took for the kid to break down in tears,

"You promised that we'd both be okay, you're included in that. You promised me." Naruto cried, voice hoarse from the tears.

Kakashi just squeezed his son tighter, looking over at his two other students and beckoning them over. They rushed over and crushed him into a hug as well.

The rest of the night was spent catching Kakashi up on the current affairs of Konoha. How Lady Tsunade was hunted down by the team and coerced (read: threatened) into becoming the 5th Hokage. Relaying the names of their friends who died, such as Yoshino, and the reconstruction effort.

The kids left after Kakashi fell asleep, mabey 2 hours after they'd arrived. Shino left with a quick hug, heading to his clan compound to prepare. The two remaining kids walked silently to the Nara compound, wordlessly donning their black attire.
---
The sun set and the moon began to rise, villagers solemnly swarming the quiet village, hundreds of candles softly lighting the dark night. Each candle for a life that was lost, it's flame guiding their loved ones to the next life.

Tsunade began her speech, painfully sober despite the empty bottle of shōchū sitting on her desk. She listed every name on the list, Shikamaru's stoic facade crumbling to dust when his mother's name was mentioned, reality setting for the young Nara. Naruto held the clan heir close as he broke down completely, raw emotion colouring his sobs.

The crowd marched on to a nearby stream, gently placing their candles into the stream with a prayer, watching as the lights faded from view. Some left to mourn in private, some stayed and mourned freely, but none were without pain on that moonless night.
---
Shikamaru laid in darkness, no tears left to cry but unable to sleep due to the bone deep pain of loss. He keeps expecting his mom to come into his room and tell him it's dinner, or to chew him out over leaving a mess somewhere. His hopes were raised and dashed in rapid succession, Naruto coming in to lay with him.

Shikamaru moved over some, curling into his partners embrace. No words were exchanged, unneeded and pointless, silent comfort being offered. Naruto traced constellations on Shikamaru's hand, repetitive motion easing both of their minds. They both laid there for a while, thoughts and feelings lost to the void for a blessed moment.

Eventually, once the sun began to rise once again, Shikamaru finally fell asleep. Naruto smiled at his boyfriend's relaxed face, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. They replaced himself with a pillow, slipping out of bed and walking into the kitchen.

Brewing a kettle of chamomile tea, Naruto looked for some honey while waiting. Acquiring the honey, the tea finished brewing. Mixing a teaspoon into the tea with some lavender leaves, he carefully brought the tea cups into Shikaku's suite.

The man seemed to be working himself into the ground, signing a hefty stack of paperwork. Naruto stood in the doorway, knocking once, twice, three times. Shikaku looked up tiredly, dark circles rimming his eyes.

Wordlessly, Naruto placed a cup on his desk. Plopping onto the floor, they sipped his own drink, staring at Shikaku expectantly. The man sighed, placing down his pen in favor of the tea. They sat like that for several hours before Shikaku gradually slumped onto his desk, fast asleep.

Naruto stood up and stretched, collecting the cups and covering Shikaku with a blanket before starting breakfast. He decided on mackerel Miso soup and rice, before scribbling a seal on the dishes so the food wouldn't become cold or stale. Brewing a fresh pot of coffee, the boy yawned before crawling into bed with Shikamaru once again.

Several more hours passed before all three woke up, eating a delicious breakfast as Shikaku got ready for work. The couple lounged on the couch, just reveling in each other's company.

They're not okay yet, and they won't be okay for a while, but it's okay to not be okay. It hurts to lose someone, and that pain never fully goes away, but the pain dulls. The pain dulls and life resumes.

A//N: Hello, Viri here! Sorry for the long Hiatus, I nearly died and returned with writers block lol. Recently, my family had a major loss, so this chapter came from my own feeling of grief and acceptance. Thanks Pixila10 for the ideas for this and future chapters! Please check out their fic(s)! <3

-Viri