A Hole in One's Heart [Kakashi Hatake]

Chapter 62: Closure

I really don't have anything that I need to say for this beginning of this chapter... Enjoy!

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    The intense pain faded as I was finally able to die and leave it behind. I was floating through an ocean of time and space and saw the smiling faces of the people still alive waving at me. I reached out to them, but my arm stopped short as my feet fell forward, and I landed on solid ground. I was in my old house and nothing had changed since I had last been there. 'So this is death, huh?' I walked into the living room and was met by three familiar faces: my mom, my dad and Alan.

     The tears flowed from my eyes as I ran at them, flinging us into a giant group hug that ended up landing on the floor.

     "I missed you guys so much!" I cried while clutching them to me tightly.

     Alan laughed, "Ana, you can loosen up the death-grip some; you're going to kill me. And I'm already dead!"

     I let go, my hands left like lead, "What do you mean you're dead? I've only been gone about three and a half years now. You're only twenty-six! Wha-What happened?"

     We all stood up from the ground and walked over to the sofa.

     "Well, I died when I was twenty-five."

     "How?" I whispered, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know.

     "Accident. I was hit by a drunk driver about a year and a half ago. It was a head-on collision, and I died instantly; I guess that I can be grateful for that." I was sickened by how calm he was about the whole thing.

    I was crushed. His life had been stolen from him at the age of twenty-five, and he had so much potential and so much to live for, but he was dead now. Alan had died while I was off having a great time in an alternate dimension. I began to sob uncontrollably because this was not what I had wanted to hear about my old best friend.

     My mom wrapped her arm around my shoulders and started making small shushing noises, "It's okay, honey."

     "No! It's not okay! None of this is okay. I was never able to avenge your murder before I died either! I've left so much undone and unsaid! So many people have died too young, why is it that everyone with something to live for has their life stolen from them prematurely?"

     Alan smiled at me sadly, "Accidents happen, Ana. There was nothing that anyone could have done."

     I looked around at all their faces. I had missed them all so much and had dreamed of getting to see them again. But here I was, finally fulfilling my fantasy, and only because we were all already dead. The tears flowed quickly down my cheeks and into the corners of my mouth.

     "So," my dad asked suddenly, "what happened to you? What happened after your mother and I died? How come you're built like an Olympic athlete and have a weird, blue tattoo on your forehead?"

     I laughed quietly, "This isn't a tattoo, Dad. It's a yin seal. It stores up chakra which I can release to heal me of almost any injury. It's the only thing that's kept my mind from being destroyed."

     Alan sat forward on the edge of his seat, "Well, you're going to have to tell us what happened now because it's already starting to sound like a crazy drug trip."

     Mom nodded, "Start from the beginning, honey. What happened the night that I died?"

     "Oh!" Alan interjected, "And tell why us the police were never able to find you!"