A Lotus in Winter: A Rock Lee Love Story

Chapter 49: Funeral

Sayuri's POV:

I was released from the hospital just in time to attend the mass funeral of the fallen shinobi. It was a somber day and hardly anyone could keep the tears back. Everyone seemed to cry except me. I looked at the mass of graves with a stone heart and a blank face.

I knew the funeral ended when everyone began to leave but I didn't budge. I stood in place, looking forward at the tombstone in front of me. Neji Hyuga was carved into the stone. A name, a date, and a lump of carved rock was all that was left, all that signified who he was, who all of these people were.

Our village has been kept in existence by the dead. By those whose faces and names were carved in stone, from Kage to Shinobi.

This all cycled in my mind, I didn't realize I was being spoken to until a hand touched my shoulder and I pulled away. Only Lee, elder brother and I remained in the graveyard. Their expressions drawn and concerned.

Lee: "Sayuri are you okay?"

I pushed past him without a word, when elder brother grabbed my hand to stop me.

Kakashi: "Sayuri you have to let it out and accept it. You have to let yourself grieve or it will destroy you. It's okay to hurt, it's okay to cry. I know what holding in your pain can do to a person. Bottling it up..."

Sayuri: "You want me to accept this!?"

I gestured towards the graves

Sayuri: "I can't accept this Kakashi! I can't! I'm tired of stepping over the corpses of fallen comrades. How long will it be until I am nothing more than a carving in stone and forgotten? How long until my friends are, until you are? How many more have to die before this all ends? There is peace now that is true but how many more funerals do I have to attend before the bad in this world is gone?"

Kakashi: "Sayuri I understand but...."

Sayuri: "You don't understand! This is my fault Kakashi. All my fault. I'm a healer. My job is to keep people from dying and I failed!"

I fell to my knees in front of Neji's grave sobbing uncontrollably.

Sayuri: "I couldn't save my friend. I couldn't, I wasn't there. It's all my fault."

I felt the strong arms of my brother and Lee wrap around me and I cried out the pain in my heart.

Rock Lee's POV:

Throughout the funeral I couldn't help but notice my love Sayuri. Her face held the same expression as it did when she had no emotions and this increased the ache I felt in my heart.

After the funeral ended and others went away, she remained and so did I. She stayed in place looking at his grave. When all others left, all that remained was myself, Kakashi and her. I spoke up.

"Sayuri, c'mon we should go. You should get some more rest, you're not fully healed yet and..." As I reached out and touched her shoulder she snatched away.

Her words hurt me deeply, just by seeing the pain in her eyes and the agony in her voice. I could hardly bear it. Then she fell to her knees and I was immediately at her side holding her along with Kakashi. It took a long time to get her calmed down enough to convince her to let us carry her home. Kakashi carried her and I followed.

By the time we reached their home she had passed out from exhaustion. Her face was beautiful as she slept but it hurt to see the tear stains on it. Once we had her comfortable in her bed, I got a rag and wiped away the tears. Kakashi and I decided it would be best if I stayed the night seeing as he had to go to work early in the morning as the new Hokage. So I stayed the night. I laid on the couch staring at the ceiling  unable to sleep. All I could think of was her and how much I wanted to see her beautiful smile.