The death of one man could bring tears to a nation, it didn't seem fair that Kage's received such a lavish funeral when the rest of them dropped like flies with celebrations dwarfed by those of their leader. Miu didn't begrudge Kage's for their position in society, of all authority though she thought of them as the worst sticklers. Having grown up on the streets of Kirigagkure, she was quite biased against those with exceeding wealth and power. That was her goal and the reason she bothered to even find a job after the years of sleeping with the vermin and insect that infested the underbelly of Kiri's society. The short child dressed once again in her long red stockings and purple woven dress she sighed, perhaps I am going soft with this new income.

Her stride was small but quick for a child of her physique. Speed walking through the rain to the cemetery where a dear friend of hers was recently buried. The mud squished and squashed under he new black boots giving no concern that she was making her favorite new outfit a complete mess. The cloud coverage and torrent of rain continued to pour down upon her, not carrying at all that she was being drenched to the bone with the cool rain waters. She intended to pay her respects to a dear friend. Miu thought of him as dear, only because he was a year younger then her and had died a few days ago. She thought of him like a younger brother even though the two of them never spoke. Occasionally they would share glancing looks and muddy smiles ... but that was all over. The whole purpose she looked for employment was so she could help him off the streets, but she was to late for him.

I won't be to late for the others that the world forgets. It was midday so the sun still tried to peak through the clouds providing enough light to keep her strong. Although she couldn't stay for long from her own fears, she always had a fire up in her old alley or a candle lit whenever the darkness of night began to engulf the world. She had a abnormal fear of the darkness and she didn't intend to be rendered helpless ever again by it.

Hayato walked through the cemetery of Kirigakure, a jet black umbrella shielding him from the steady fall of raindrops as he trekked through the headstones. The rain certainly did not make the setting any more pleasant, putting a literal dark cloud over the monument to meaningless death that was the Bloody Cemetery. In a way Hayato was torn between his general disgust with the culture of the Village Hidden in the Mist that glorified such a waste of life and the respect he had for those who were buried here. For today at least, he was here to pay his respects to old acquaintances, one in particular. A young girl that he had known since her childhood, just thirteen years of age when her life was taken from her.

She had only recently graduated the shinobi academy, only making her untimely death all the more tragic. Hayato recalled her growing up in his same neighborhood, a decade his junior, but still she followed him around whenever he was home. She was obsessed with the idea of being a shinobi. How many times had she made claims of becoming the greatest shinobi that the village had ever known, that she would become Mizukage? He never did have the heart to tell her that it was an empty dream, that even if she could achieve that goal that it would be nothing like what she expected. He shook the thoughts from his mind as he approached her headstone, in the section of the cemetery where most of the children’s plots were located, only to see that he wasn’t alone.

Standing before the headstone next to the one he was visiting was a small girl, child-like in stature. She stood silently in the rain as she waited before the headstone. Hayato simply walked to the headstone of he came to visit and took about half of the bundle of flowers he had brought with him in order to place them at the grave site. Without saying a word Hayato would extend his umbrella over the petite girl that stood in the rain, shielding her from the downpour. “Every head stone deserves a reminder that there are still people that cared about that person, don’t you agree?” he said calmly, looking straight at the head stone while extending the other half of the flowers he had brought out to the girl, “I don’t know them, so it wouldn’t be right for me to be the one to place them. Would you like to?”

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425~

Having reached the grave of her young friend she frowned slightly rain dripping down her cheeks like a gusher of tears. Perfect in fact to hold how teary eyed she truly was becoming that she hardly even noticed the man beside her that was holding a black umbrella which she didn’t have the good sense to bring on such a rainy day. She continued to ignore the man slightly as she looked down at the tiny mound that was now grass covered. “I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to be with you in your final hours. As well as never asking you what your full name was.” Head hanging down the wet hair atop her head now congealed together as one massive point in front of her face. A small stream of water all draining out at the point. As the rain spattered off of his umbrellas she began to recognize the sound of it, Wait someone else is here with an umbrella they are smartt.

She wasn’t sure if he had just arrived or if he had been there a while as she was grieving for the loss of someone she deemed closer to as family then her own parents who brought her into this world. Especially with a father who would have as quickly. She was going to look up and see the face of the one beside her but that would involve fighting the torrent of water that was building up on her cheeks from the rain and tears. Her body began to shiver from the cool touch and dampness of her cloths. If she wasn’t to careful with how long she stayed in the water she was liable to catch a cold or worse. She sneezed slightly following it up with the casual wiping of her eyes to hold back the tears. Glancing up she would then hear the stranger say something.

Her tiny stature would be no taller than a couple of feet. Her neck craning up to sniffle as she listened to what he had to say. Every Word he said cause a few more tears to be shed, “I would place a headstone for him but I don’t actually know his full name. Wiping away the tears from her eyes she felt as he rain seemed to increase in it’s mindless torrent of water. Gratefully she accepted eh flower her face waterlogged with the time she spent their now bending over more to place a flower on a iney headstone reading Aiko. As the flowers were placed she huddled in closely still kneeling in the rain her legs getting slightly muddy.

“I would place a headstone for him but I don’t actually know his full name.”

“I see,” Hayato responded, saying no more as he allowed her to take the flowers and place them onto the grave site. It had not been until she turned to face him that he noticed that she was crying. The rain drops that flowed along her face masked the tears, but could not hide the look of anguish that sat upon her face. “But you knew him, correct?” he asked sympathetically, “His full name is not as important as the fact that he is remembered. You being here would make him happy, I think, to know that he was not forgotten, that somebody he cared about cared about him in turn, even after he was gone. Grave sites aren’t for the dead. The dead have no use for pageantry or decoration. Grave sites are for the living. As long as you still hold the memories of this person, that’s more than enough.”

Hayato noticed the girl’s clothes were absolutely soaked, something that could be expected when standing out in the rain, but to be drenched so completely she must have been standing out in the rain for a decent amount of time. With no umbrella and no coat, it was likely that standing in this weather for any extended period of time would only result in her falling ill. He would let out a sigh and slide his arms from his jacket sleeves one at a time, removing his jacket in order to drape it over her shoulders as she knelt down to arrange the flowers around the grave site. Given the height difference between them, the jacket that had only reached down to his waist would look more like a three quarter coat on her.

“How long have you been standing out here in the rain?” he asked the girl, making no mention of draping his coat over her shoulders, “It’s unwise to expose yourself to the elements like this without so much as a coat. You’re going to fall ill if you don’t get warmed up.” Having faced the grave site the whole time he was speaking, rather than the girl in order to not have her feel embarrassed as she cried over the grave, Hayato would finally turn to face her as he urged her to consider the negative consequences of being out in the rain.

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836~

He spoke like a man who had been well versed in the world with his anecdote which he spoke to Miu. In most situations when she was around anyone older then her such wise saying would have fallen a miss, although she was grieving and the fact that he was willing to say such profound words to a girl who was homeless for the larger part of her life was saying a lot. A bit of hatred for the situation of her impoverished still caused a bit of disdain to be heard in her voice. "He shouldn't have died especially at as young of an age as him. I was like his older sister I should have been their to nurture him. Instead I was out looking for work or crumbs. She sniffled a bit before the tears finally cape to a halt.

As he questioned how long she had been standing out here she finally looked at him to view the stranger who was now situating his coat over her shoulder. It felt like a trench coat that was now dangling down over her body. She appreciated the coat greatly as she pulled it tighter over her shoulders. "Thanks for the coat." Standing up slightly she would turn to face the man who had been towering over her and still somewhat. "Don't worry about me I will manage always have. One of the best qualities of a street rat like myself. You learn to live through -" part way through her thought she sneezed it sounded more like a high pitched squeak than anything but it was obvious even to her that she might need to get out from the rain. "Yeah you are right." Looking over at the umbrella which was shielding him from rain she stepped closer toward him so that her small frame was now mostly under it as well.

"I think I have been out in the rain ..." pausing for a long period of time she began to contemplate what time it really was right now. She had no manner of telling the time except when she was busy at work or had the sun in the sky to determine it. "Well I think I have been outside since eight I don't know what time it is now." She shivered again but far less jittery as his coat and huddling under his umbrella helped a lot. Watching him face a grave as well she would look at the name, it was a strange one to pronounce so she just sat there instead. Feeling inquisitive she asked, "Who was she to you?" mainly guessing the gender from the name.

"He shouldn't have died especially at as young of an age as him. I was like his older sister I should have been there to nurture him. Instead I was out looking for work or crumbs.”

Given her words and the pained inflection in her voice it was not difficult for Hayato to discern what her living situation had been during the time she had known the boy, or possibly still was. Listening attentively to the rest of the words she spoke, his sympathy for the girl only grew. She was young. Too young to be standing here weeping over the grave of a child still younger than she. He intentionally decided to try and dance around her last question, regarding the grave he was visiting. It wasn’t something about himself that he was particularly keen on sharing with the world. His grieving was his own, and he preferred to do it in solitude. Noticing that she had stepped closer to him to shield herself from the rain under his umbrella, he smiled and stepped closer to her still. “No need to hang around the edges of the umbrella,” he said gently, “You’re free to get closer. What kind of man would I be if I let you freeze to death out here?”

Noticing her body still shivering slightly from the cold and hearing her sneeze, Hayato would softly press the back of his hand against her forehead. “Well, the good news is that you’re not yet running a fever,” he said in a slightly more serious tone than before, withdrawing his hand after he had tested her temperature, “But if you were out here that long than an umbrella and a jacket alone won’t be preventing you from getting sick. I’m sure you’re a strong girl, your presence here is proof of that, but you’re not too strong to catch a cold. There’s a restaurant not too far from here, you should let me take you there to get warmed up. I was heading out to have lunch anyway. I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy it in peace if I don’t make sure you’re okay.”

Pulling the scarf he wore around his neck over his head, he would then offer it to her. “This should help keep you warm until we get there. Please, put it on. I’ve already warmed it up for you. You wouldn’t make a grieving man eat alone, would you?” That last line was spoken in an effort to have her not view his offer as one of charity or pity for her past. While it was true that having heard her speak he wanted to help her, the offer wasn't meant as an insult. He could only hope that she saw it his way as well.

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1316~