Relationship Assistance (Boyfriend Guide)

The Village was in ruins, practically leveled to the ground due to Pein's godly attack.

Many were injured and almost just as many were now dead.

She may have looked a bit worse for the wear, having been buried under the rubble of what once had been a store, but she had survived.

She should have been relieved.

She was alive, which was more than some others could say.

And yet, it gave her heavy broken heart very little relief for several reasons; one more so than the others.

It was the one that left her heartbroken and salty tear tracks on her dirty cheeks.

Hatake Kakashi had died during a battle with two of the Six Paths of Pain, despite having backup.

It was wrong.

He wasn't supposed to die.

Her sure, she was just an average shinobi with average skills, but not him.

She didn't want to believe it, refused to believe that... but she had overheard the conversation between the Lady Hokage and Akimichi Chōji.

The Lady Hokage wasn't cruel enough to lie about such a thing.

Not when she knew the true depth of the younger kunoichi's feelings for the infamous Copy Ninja.

To know that the man she had secretly loved for all of her adult life and most of her teen years was gone, forever... it hurt.

Physically, mentally, emotionally... it just hurt... so, so damn much.

So much so that as she sat there beside his lifeless corpse... she wanted to die.

In that moment, she would have given anything if it meant that he could have been the one staring down at her corpse, instead of her staring down at his.

So when the impossible happened and breath once again filled his lungs, as if time had reversed itself, and he opened his dark confused eyes to see her and the young Akimichi kneeled by his side with teary eyes, she didn't know how to react.

There were so many things that she wanted to say, to do, to confess, but she was stunned into a state of wide-eyed disbelief.

But when the formerly dead shinobi leaned up and opened his mouth to speak her body seemed to act on its own.

No one had seen it coming.

Before she or anyone else could even blink her trembling fist had smashed into his face so hard that within moments he was once again flat on his back with a smarting cheek that was sure to bruise.

Poor confused Chōji was gaping at her with wide-eyes and an even wider mouth, unable to speak or understand just what the hell had happened.

Kakashi, though duly surprised by the unforeseen hit, gingerly rubbed at his throbbing cheek and watched on as a fresh bout of salt water began to fall from her angry yet relieved eyes and a fresh stream of blood began to dribble from the bottom lip her teeth had bitten into.

The two elder shinobi sat there staring at one another and through the tears and the anger, Kakashi saw the reason behind her actions, the emotions and feelings that she had kept close to her heart for such a long time shining freely through her gaze, his expression softened in understanding.

When her trembling fist rose as if to strike him again, he knew that if he didn't do something he would end up right back in the grave under the force of her exploding emotions.

Reacting on instinct, he pulled her into a tight embrace and made sure to pin her arms between their bodies so that she wouldn't be able to send him sprawling again.

"I'm sorry," He whispered as her forehead landed on his shoulder as he heard a new round of sobs escape from her with a hiccup as her entire body began to shake uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry," His fingers gently threaded through her loose hair as he kept repeating his quiet apology to her over and over until her sobs began to quiet down.