Zen

["We're friends, right?"]

It was a question that rang in Ino's mind the whole day. An echo of a conversation long past. With a sigh through her lips, the platinum blonde kunoichi picked up the bouquet of flowers she had prepared that morning.

Today is the first of February, Zen's birthday.

The second time that it will be celebrated without her.

It's been a year since Zen was declared dead and many things have changed since then. Hopefully, this would be a happier celebration than last year. That was a disaster, honestly speaking since none of them wanted to acknowledge the fact that she was really gone.

["What kind of question is that?!" Ino frowned at the other chunin. "Of course we are!"]

Ino owed Zen a lot. Not just because she healed her during the war or that she saved her father's life. Zen had taught her many lessons that she now deeply treasured. Zen had been the friend Ino had needed when she couldn't bring herself to reconcile with Sakura. Zen had been her study-buddy when they were learning to be a medic-nin. Zen had been her listening ear when no one else wanted to be. Zen had been her crying shoulder when Asuma died.

.

.

["I'm relieved," The dark-haired woman replied with a small smile. "At least I know that I wouldn't be another flowerless grave"]

Ino owed her many things and the Yamanaka heiress could only pay her back by bringing flowers to her grave every now and then.

"I'm going out!" Ino hollered as she exited their shop. Faintly, she heard her father's reply to keep safe.

She smiled when she saw Choji patiently waiting for her and then sighed when she noticed that Shikamaru was nowhere in sight. It seemed like he won't be coming again this year. Not that she blames him. She as well as many of their friends and comrades had seen both him and Zen kiss during the war. It had been some respite for most of them to see them together especially practically most of Konoha (shinobi and civilian alike, no thanks to rumors spreading) knew that Zen was in love with Shikamaru. Ino deeply regretted bullying and accusing Zen to have been making a move on either Sasuke or Naruto just because she noticed that the dark-haired girl was overly friendly with the two.

["For the last time; I am NOT in love with Sasuke, Ino" Zen mutters in annoyance at the persistent blonde. Brown eyes scanning the various merchandise in each window. They were currently in the shopping district and Zen was trying to focus on the mental list of items she prepared beforehand.

"Then who do you like?" Ino's blue eyes stared unflinchingly at the other genin.

"I don't have one" Zen grits out.

"There has to be someone." The young blonde genin insists. "Even Hinata has someone she likes and she's the shyest girl in class" Then she smiles slyly. "Or maybe you like Naruto instead, and you just don't want to hurt Hinata's feelings if she found out?"

Completely bewildered, insulted and annoyed, Zen restrained herself from pinning the Yamanaka Clan heiress to the nearest wall with a well-placed kunai. For a moment, she forgot that they were in the middle of the shopping district as she controlled her urge to cause bodily harm at her fellow genin.

"Okay, fine" Zen took a calming breath before pinning the other with a cold glare. "I like Shikamaru"

Someone choked on the background and that's when awareness came back to Zen's senses. Slowly looking around, Zen had just noticed that they had gathered attention to themselves for a while now. And her normal voice level could've been a shout to the suddenly quiet alley. The worst part was that it was Asuma who had produced the sound and was coughing on his cigarette smoke. Beside him was Choji and Shikamaru who were both staring at them wide-eyed.

It took a few more seconds for the newly minted chunin to snap out of it and return to his normal slouch. With a sigh, he muttered "Troublesome"

Feeling utterly humiliated, Zen abandons her plan to shop and promptly vanishes in a swirl of leaves.]

.

.

It was only Kami's blessing that Zen forgave Ino and the two had formed a strong friendship after that.

When they reached the cemetery, Ino could instantly see the silhouette of some of their friends. Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, Lee, and Neji were already there, paying their respects. She could already smell the scent of a lighted cigarette that Sakura no doubt lighted for their friend.

When they reached their friends, Ino placed the bouquet beside the bouquet of white lilies that Hinata brought and Choji placed down a packet of Sour Cream chips that Zen had liked. Among their gifts, there was also an assortment of things like a kunai keychain that Tenten no-doubt brought, an unopened soda bottle (Lee), and Zen's favorite roasted almond pack (Neji).

"It's just us, huh" Sakura sighed sadly as she stares at the slowly burning cigarette on the ashtray. Reminiscing the first time she learned that Zen was a smoker. No one knows how, when and why she started smoking; it was just one day, they entered her workroom in the Hokage Tower and it was reeking of cigarette smoke and the leftover remains of multiple cigarettes were crushed on an ashtray. To say that Tsunade-sama was unhappy was an understatement.

"Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are still out in a mission" Hinata replied. "They should be returning next week"

Ino sighed and all eyes turned to her and Choji.

"Shikamaru wasn't at home when I came by earlier" The Akimichi heir said. "Shikaku-san said that he'd left at dawn for a solo mission"

"It's doubtful that Team 7 would come as well" They all knew well that none of the remaining members of Team 7 would come here at the cemetery for the empty grave. None of them even dropped by even once the whole year.

It's heartbreaking that even now, the remaining members of Team 7 are still keeping an eye and an ear out for evidence that their sole female member would come back.

.

.

.

Kakashi was thankful that he didn't wake up in cold sweat that day. It wasn't the dreams of the death of his loved ones that had plagued his dreams last night, but rather the memories of his team as a jounin sensei. His recollection of them was so vivid that he thought that he'd been reliving them.

He dreamt of the first time he met his students...

["Hmm... How should I say this..." He struck a thinking pose, feigning to search the right words "My first impression of you guys are... I hate you all"]

... and every mundane thing they've been up to.

["Sensei... I generally adore cats above all animals but this is ridiculous" Zen held Tora by the scruff of its neck, shaking the feline slightly. "How many times do we have to capture this guy in a week?!"]

Ahh... Zen-chan... She was one of his kids.

[Between the Uzumaki kid and the last loyal Uchiha, the only kunoichi in the team sat casually. She wore an open dark blue jacket over a black turtle neck undershirt with her hitai-ate tied around her left arm. She also wears black pants with her right thigh wrapped with bandages and strapped with a kunai holster. Her shinobi sandals are also black in color with an inch heel. With her long raven black hair in a half updo and her large brown eyes, her plain looks could've fooled anyone into thinking that she's not a trained ninja.

"My name is Zen. No family name... I'm an orphan. I like takoyaki, candies, and almonds. I don't like raisins and raw food like sashimi. I write stories for a hobby. As for my dream for the future..." She stopped in thought, then shrugged as she said: "I don't have one yet."]

His student who was so protective of her teammates.

["Naruto" She called their resident hyperactive teammate. "Walk between me and Sasuke"

They were walking in the main street towards the Hokage Tower to get their mission quota for the day and the citizens glowering and glaring at the blond were not subtle enough to be missed.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked in confusion but still followed her instruction.

Behind the three genin, Kakashi smiled.]

His student who was always curious about things.

["Can a human survive being sealed in a storage scroll?" Zen asked out of the blue once they were eating lunch in the training field. Brown eyes intently focused and studying the squiggly lines of the storage scroll that previously housed their bento boxes.

"Yes," Kakashi replied, gloved hand tracing a certain array in the seal matrix. "But you will have to alter the seal first so that they won't run out of oxygen while inside"]

His student who didn't like getting left out.

["Naruto has Rasengan and Sasuke has Chidori" She folded her arms over her chest as she glared at the white-haired jounin reading his favorite book. "I want to learn something that'll be my signature too!"]

His student who was as competitive as the other two genin in the team.

["I've always wanted to be a medic-nin" She said as she watches her teammates catch their breaths from their recent spar. "But I don't think that would be enough" She turns her intense gaze to the light-haired jounin beside her, his gaze as intense as her own as he studies his only female student carefully. "I want to learn Fuinjutsu, sensei"]

And that very same student whose birthday is today.

Without meaning to, Kakashi found himself in front of the memorial stone. His eyes immediately found Zen's name among the long list.

[Kakashi turned around and walked towards the memorial stone.

"Look at this; numerous names are carved on this stone. These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of the village."

"Hey, I've decided to get my name on that stone too!" screamed Naruto enthusiastically. "Hero! Hero! That's what I'll become!"

"But they aren't just normal heroes..." Kakashi eyed the three teens, gauging their reaction to his next words. "they are all heroes who died while on duty."

Immediately, Naruto's large grin vanished and the boy looked troubled. Sasuke also looked uneasy but Zen, on the other hand, looked like she knew from the start and had a wistful look on her face.

Nonetheless, Kakashi finished his piece. "This is a memorial. My best friend's name is also carved here..."

Kakashi allowed a short silence to let that sink in. He was surprised when he heard Zen's small voice whisper.

"I want my name carved there too"

All eyes turned to her, but her focus was elsewhere.

"Must be nice..." She continued in a daze, seemingly unaware of the attention she garnered. "... to be recognized"]

He should've known to recognize a red flag when he saw one. He should've investigated about it beforehand. If he did, he wouldn't have been blindsided when he saw her shaking in repressed emotions in her workroom at the Hokage Tower.

["C-can I ask for a hug, sensei?" She asked, her voice strained. Her head bowed, hiding her face in a curtain of dark locks. One hand timidly pinching Kakashi's sleeve while the other pressed tightly on her eyes. Her body occasionally trembled in suppressed emotions. "I-I kind of need one r-right now"]

He never found out what made her breakdown like that. No matter how many times he asked, she wouldn't answer. And even investigating on it proved futile when not a single clue or statement account from her friends seemed sound enough to warrant such reaction.

With a sigh, Kakashi checked the time using the position of the sun and realized that he's late for his duty. Glancing one last time at the memorial stone, Kakashi finally walked away.

I wonder if the team's back? He mused to himself. The other remaining members of Team 7 were out of the village on a (secret/personal) mission. Every member of the team are still determined to find their supposedly wayward kunoichi.

["She's out there, sensei" Naruto whispered when they left the Hokage's office after being told by the Godaime to stop their search. His eyes and voice are full of conviction as he stared at the remaining members of Team 7, his right-hand clutching the ripped Shinobi Alliance hitae-ate. The only thing they've found of Zen's after she disappeared.

"Naruto..." Kakashi felt like breaking apart all over again.

"I'm not saying this because I'm trying to be baselessly optimistic -ttebayo" The blond jinchuuriki gritted his teeth. " I know in my self that what she used was a sure-death jutsu" The other four looked away for a second, the topic is still sensitive for them to talk about. "But even dad's and the old man's bodies remained after using that same technique"

"It was immensely modified, Naruto" Kakashi replied in a strained voice. With the number of people he'd lost in his entire life, it wouldn't surprise them if this is the last straw to break the camel's back. "No one can say how she managed that and what the effects are because it was never tested before"

Naruto shook his head defiantly. "I know that she's alive, guys. Giant Grandpa Sage had said it to me when he gave my prophecy. "

"You'd spend years searching for a young woman with the power of wind and seals" Naruto continued, recounting the part of the prophecy that never made sense before. "And would meet a child with a spitting image of her"

"It could only be her -dattebayo!" Naruto emphasized.

"So what you're saying is that we'd be searching for years..." Tenzo asked with caution, "... and we either find her daughter or a de-aged version of her?"

"Either which, it's proof that she's alive -ttebayo!" Naruto stressed out. "How will we ever find her if we stop searching?"

"What if it's just a kid who resembles her?" Sasuke finally voiced his opinion after keeping silent the whole time. "What if it's neither her nor her daughter?"

"We'll never know until we meet her, right?" It was Sai who answered.

None of them dared to voice out the possibility that future Naruto could've been searching for another person entirely who probably wouldn't resemble Zen at all ]

That prophecy was the only reason why Kakashi hadn't lost it yet. It is also the only reason why he accepted to be Hokage when the Godaime offered (*ordered*) him to take the hat. Because then, he could easily disguise Team 7's searching missions. He could just hope that they won't have to wait for long or he'd finally fall on that deep end.