This was a dare from a very close friend of mine. She asked me to do this a few weeks ago, and I just now finished it. I couldn't think of a name, so until then go ahead and put your own name in. And, you know what? Go ahead and dare me to write a one-shot. Any series, any characters, any scenario. You name it, I'll do it. Just leave your dare in the comments.
I bit my tongue about it to help the others clean up, look for survivors. Every second someone wasn't speaking to me or I wasn't pulling a body from the rubble was when my eyes welled with tears.
He was gone.
He was really gone.
"_______!" One of my team members called. "Come lend a hand, will you?"
I nod and ran over, pushing the broken, stone panel up as another carefully pulled another fallen Shinobi from the rubble.
I couldn't recognize him.
I shook my head with a sigh. "Add another one to the list." We gently put the stone down and the two rushed to find another spot to search.
And I was alone again.
I was desperately searching for something to do to keep myself from practically breaking down. I could imagine Gaara telling me to take a break for some strange reason, bless his soul.
But my mind couldn't escape the thought of this new enemy: "Pain." It's obvious that his name is his life work. The destruction was evidence enough. The town was in pieces, and he was the only one who walked away practically unscathed from what I had heard from a wounded survivor.
If it were up to me, the bastard would be rotting in Hell.
He took Him away from me. He deserves to pay.
I looked around for something to take my mind away from it again. That was when I saw Kaida slumped over Raiden's dead body on the ground, her face buried in her hands.
I sighed and got down close next to her, resting my hand on her back. "He was a good man, Kaida."
She nodded over her sniffles. "He was. I-I just don't understand w-why it had to be this way..."
I felt my heart shatter at her words, unable to find my own to speak. It was true; I couldn't understand, either.
Kaida ran a hand through her former-fiance's dark hair. I admired how brave she was. I was scared to touch him when I found Him; I wanted to hold on to the little chance that this was all a freakish nightmare that I couldn't snap out of.
If it was a nightmare... Who knew the mind could attack you in your sleep with your fears?
"Dreselfa-San!" My head turned to see Akimichi Chōza coming our way.
I nodded, gave Kaida a light pat on her back and stood up to face Chōza. "Yes, sir."
"My son and I would like to thank you for staying to help with the aftermath, despite..." He sucked in a breath and took my hands in his large ones. "Despite what has happened to your tokubetsuna mono*."
I nodded, fighting back my tears. "It's what Hatake-Chan would've wanted, Akimichi."
"Please, refer to me by my surname. My son and I accept you as family."
I smiled a little. "Thank you."
He gave me a small smile with a nod, and went back to where his son, Chōji, was tending to a wounded Shinobi survivor.
It was what He would've wanted.
Right?
To my luck, I was preoccupied for the next hour with moving the wounded out of the Konoha area.
