Goodbye

Third Person P. O. V.

Kakashi watched from the window of Menma's apartment. His eyes darted around the room, searching for answers as to why Menma knew too much. But all he could see was the blonde sitting on the bed, staring at what looked to be a stone. For some reason Kakashi knew this stone was different from any other one. It had a smooth surface and resembled a headstone. And he could faintly make out what seemed to be names. Sasuke. Sakura. Neji. Lee. Gaara. Many names that he had never seen or even heard of were engraved on this rock. Menma was absolutely mesmerized by it, so it had to have some type of importance to the blonde. The stone turned over so that Kakashi could now see the back, and he could see the 1 name engraved on it: Kakashi Hatake.

"Why would my name be on there? I have never met him in my entire life..." Kakashi trailed off as he searched his mind for any memories of encountering the blonde, but nothing came up. He had never seen him before they found him near the gates, so why was his name on that stone? His body pushed him to go to the door and open it. He could demand answers as to why Menma took interest in him. Or maybe he could ask why every time Menma was around his heart would race and a blush would appear on his cheeks. But he didn't want to ask. Something kept him in that spot, almost as if he was anchored. He watched as Menma traced his fingers over the names, his lips moved as if he were saying each one.

"...why...die...war...Madara Uchiha...will...for...Kakashi...past...better...Naruto...Hokage" Kakashi could make out every few words, but not enough to put together any real clues. Madara Uchiha was a founder of Konoha along with Hashirama Senju. But Menma couldn't have been alive back then. And who was Naruto? Was he a relative of Menma's? He had so many questions, and searching for answers seemed to give him even more questions. Kakashi looked around the apartment, searching for any more clues. Everything seemed normal. He looked back to Menma, wondering if he was still in the same spot. And yes he was, but this time he was facing something, and seemed to be talking. Kakashi didn't see anyone else in the room.

"Sasuke...no...tried...sorry" was all Kakashi could get out before Menma's head snapped towards him. Kakashi fell backwards when he realized he had been spotted, but he didn't run away. Menma walked towards his window, getting closer to the Hatake. He opened the window, surprised that Kakashi had not tried to run away from him. Both guys stared at each other, different expressions plastered their faces. Kakashi was scared, afraid, and confused as to why Menma had not yet yelled at him. Menma on the other hand was sad, confused, scared, and upset that he was stupid enough to almost get caught.

"Now I am a man that thinks privacy is very important. I respect others privacy, and I believe mine should be respected. But it seems you don't think privacy is important. So, should I even want to know why you were outside my window, watching me?" Menma's voice dripped with venom as he was infuriated now. How dare Kakashi invade his privacy by peeping through his window. And to think he was stupid enough not to sense the chakra presence showed he wasn't as good as he thought he was. The Hatake was practically shaking as Menma was clearly pissed, and his demeanor seemed to show it. His mouth was open, showing his teeth that were very sharp. His eyes had turned a blood red, and his whiskers seemed to be more defined.

"I-I wanted answers! Why did you have my name carved onto that rock? Whose other names are on that rock? You know too much and I want to know why. You know a lot about me, and you even know things that not even my teammates know. So I want answers Menma, or else I get you kicked out!" Kakashi shouted as he had now gained courage. Menma looked around his apartment, hoping no one had seen them. the older male lead Kakashi into his apartment, locking the doors and shut the curtains. The blonde took the stone from his bed and shoved it in his pocket. He would find a way to get Kakashi off of his tail.

"The names are those of my dead comrades. But your name is on there because... I feel we can become friends. I haven't had a lot of friends, but I want to be your friend. We have many similarities and we both know the same pain." The lie seem to flow out of Menma easily, and he hoped Kakashi wouldn't pry anymore into the subject. Kakashi was absolutely stunned by Menma. He wouldn't think the man would want to be his friend, especially since he always seemed to be upset with him. A part of him said that this was all a lie, but something in Menma's eyes said that it was absolutely true. Deep down he did want to be friends with Menma since he seemed to break down the walls he had so carefully built up.

"I'm sorry for bringing up these memories. If you want to be friends, I have to decline. I don't need friends. I don't want friends. They are burdens and only drag me down." Kakashi locked away his feelings once again, trying to push away this feelings that seemed to make him act different. Menma's expression read that of sadness as he didn't expect Kakashi to reject his friendship. Kakashi got up and left the apartment, taking one last look back at Menma before closing the door to leave. Menma looked at the door, wondering hos his lover good be such an ass when he was younger. When he returned to his world he would slap Kakashi for being this way, then giving him all the love in the world.

"Kakashi...help me..."

^^^^^^過去に私の愛^^^^^^

"Kakashi Sensei? I have something to tell you! Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto shouted as he wandered the training ground, looking for his sensei. He wanted to tell Kakashi something very imporatnt. He wanted to tell the older male he loved him. Yes, Naruto was in fact gay and he fell hopelessly in love with his sensei. After all the time they had spent together, and the many moments they shared he knew that he had fallen for Kakashi Hatake. And now he was ready to confess his love for him, but that man was never on time. He told him training ground 7 and to be there at 6 pm sharp, yet here he was waiting at 6:30 for a man that might not even come.

"Sorry I am late, but I am earlier then you expected...Is something wrong?" Kakashi tried to be cheerful, but his tone changed as he saw the look on Naruto's face. The blonde almost seemed mad, yet he also appeared to be on the verge of tears. Kakashi sighed as he realized the blonde might have needed him for something important, and he decided to visit a grave instead of comforting his student. He cursed himself, and asked Minato to forgive him. He was honestly trying the best he could, and it has been much harder ever since he had began to develop feelings for him. Hopefully Minato would forgive him for that as well.

"Well it's okay I just needed to tell you something important. But you have to promise me that you won't laugh, make fun of me, or think differently of me when I tell you this" Naruto's voice was not the usual loud-mouthed, knuckle headed ninja that everyone loved and knew. The older male smiled sheepishly, rubbed the back of his head, and mumbled promise. The blonde gained his curiosity as it was truly rare to see Naruto acting out of character, especially if it was something this serious. Naruto wondered if he should just out right say it, or even do some type of cheesy confessions. It didn't matter how he said it, he just needed to get it out there.

"Kakashi...you've been my sensei for a very long time. You were not always there for me, but when you were I always felt safe. When you decided to teach Sasuke what you knew, it made me determined to prove I was worthy of your time. Then I started to realized I not only wanted to prove my worth to you, but I also wanted to prove I could do anything and everything for you. You see Kakashi, I am gay. And you just so happen to be the man I slowly fell in love with. So whether or not you like me, I just needed to tell you how I felt." Naruto took a deep breath after his confession, and watched Kakashi's face for any sign of how he felt.

"Naruto...I understand how you feel for me. I know that you think this is real, but it may just be puppy love. You probably see me as a father figure, and you're confused at how you feel. Besides, I am scum and I would never deserve you ever." Kakashi finished, hoping he wouldn't make the blonde cry as he did try to say it as nice as possible. Of course he knew too well that when an Uzumaki fell in love, there was no puppy love. It was absolute, undying devotion of love . And this boy was the son of Minato and Kushina, so he knew that this boy would love more then anything. Yet here he was stompig on his dreams all because he was a coward and didn't want history to repeat.

"You're wrong! What I feel is not puppy love and you know it! I would take a kunai to the heart for you, does that sound like Puppy love? You're scared...I can see it in your eye. You are scared to love in fear of being hurt again. But we must all take that risk Kakashi. You have to come out of your shell at some point, and you know it!" Naruto screaed out at his sensei, hoping he could talk some sense into him. Kakashi's eye looked away from Naruto, knowing that what the blonde said was true hit him hard. if he chose to love it would be the first time in a long time. Opening up might do him some good. It's what Minato, Kushina, Rin, and Obito would have wanted. He can't live in the past forever...

"You're right. I can't dwell in the past forever, I need to live now. Naruto, I have feelings for you I won't deny that. What you have for me is not puppy love..." He couldn't finish his sentence as arms seemed to embrace him. Naruto was hugging him as if letting go would be the last time he saw Kakashi. the older male smiled at Naruto, loving how adorable the blonde was acting. A lone tear slid down his face and onto his mask as he could sense all those he loved in Naruto. Each and every one of them were there, telling him to move on. And he had too, for the sake of Naruto. And for the sake of himself, he needed to let go.

^^^^^^過去に私の愛^^^^^^

Menma sat alone in his room, looking at the rock with all the names on it. His fingers traced each name over and over again. Each one brought him great pain. He thought back to when he confessed his love for Kakashi and how Kakashi had to let the past go. Was that what he needed to do? Let what happened go, and try to save the future? He had to let what happened in the war, go. He needed to let his friends go. Maybe it would free him from the many shadows that haunted him. He tried to conjure up each and every person he had written on the stone, in hopes of being able to let them go one by one. And so they appeared one by one. Sasuke. Sakura. Gaara. Hinata. Tsunade. Neji. Kiba. Temari. Shikamaru. TenTen. Gai. Shino. Ino. Choji. Lee. Sai. Kakashi.

"Oi Naruto! This is the first time you have ever summoned us. What so you plan on doing dobe?" The Uchiha asked, wondering what the blonde was up to. Naruto faintly smiled as he saw all of his friends before him, and this time they seemed to be healthy and well. Many of his other allusions began to ask the same thing, wondering what the blonde had in store for them. The blonde smiled and walked up to his friends Sasuke. It would be hard to let the teme go seeing as he rather enjoyed the annoying company of the Uchiha. He whispered something along the lines of goodbye teme, and closed his eyes and hoped he would disappear.

"What are you doing?" Kiba questioned him as he began to go down the line of his friends. Each time he stopped his said goodbye and the allusion disappeared. None of them could move from their spots as Naruto had full control over them. Each friend vanished, and each time he shed a tear, but it had to be done. He needed to move on in order to complete his mission. The sooner he got it done the faster he could go home and be with Kakashi. He wanted to get married and settle down, but he needed to let go first. SO he said his goodbyes to Gaara and Neji, and he said goodbye to Hinata as well. He could feel the weight being lifted off of him, but finally he was down to the last person.

"You can't do it Naruto. You can't say goodbye to me. Do it and you will suffer! You need me Naruto, keep me." Kakashi shouted as he tried to free himself from the hold of Naruto. Naruto could no longer keep it in, and he let the tears pour. His heart broke as he could not bring himself to do it. He was weak, and he knew it. All he had to do was say goodbye, close his eyes, and be done with it. Yet he stood here crying like a baby unable to do anything. How did Kakashi do this? Had he simply said goodbye, or did he struggle to find out his answer. But he had to do it now, so that way he could go home to Kakashi.

"Goodbye"

Kakashi sat in the middle of the training ground. For some reason he had felt drawn to it. Ever since Menma came it was like he had these feelings that were not his, and memories that didn't belong to him. He hadn't said it to anyone but he had dreams of Menma and him, but he was older. It felt real, almost as if he was there. And this training ground was calling him. It was almost as if he had been here at some point with Menma. But his name was what puzzled him. After he left Menma's place, the name Naruto stuck in his mind. Memories flashed in his mind, and one name was clear to him: Naruto. But when he thought of the name Naruto, Menma's face appeared. Was he somehow connected to Menma and Naruto?

"What aren't you telling me? I know we are connected somehow! I know that you aren't telling me something, and it is frustrating me! Who is Naruto? Why am I seeing these memories?" Kakashi began to ask more and more questions, each one infuriating him even more. He hated the fact Menma was mysterious and seemed to be giving a lot more questions then answers. He hated the feelings he got from the older male, especially the ones that made hi heart race. He hated the fact that everytime he thought of Menma he felt safe, and at peace. He was confused, and couldn't tell if it was admiration or even something more.

"It's more, Kakashi..." A voice whispered, one that seemed to be a deeper, raspy version of his own. He looked around for the source, but no one was around. Kakashi sighed and just thought he was being paranoid and was making up scenarios. He got up from his spot and began to leave the training grounds, but before he did he looked back at the spot he sat in. Glimpses of 2 men standing by each other flashed before his eyes before quickly leaving. He shook his head, and mumbled goodbye before leaving.

Crappy. Yes I know, but you all wanted an update so here it is. Shorter chapter then the rest but I needed to give you guys something. So Kakashi is seeing what had happened with the other Kakashi and Naruto and is slowly figuring everything out. Naruto is letting those he loved go, and is trying to move on. Plot twist coming up. Or nah. Who knows. Feedback would be appreciated. Chapter dedicated to xFamos-_ because he got me writing this again. And he met Syndicate. Well bye everyone.