The scent of flowers filled the air as she made her way through the graveyard. It seemed as if half of the village was gathered here today. Her heart was heavy as she looked around at all of the orphans visiting their parents.
She spotted someone over by her father's grave. As she approached, she recognized the spiky mess of hair and and bright blue scarf. But that was where the recognition ended. Her normally happy-go-lucky cousin looked half dead. Dark sunken eyes looked up at her as she drew near.
"Hi."
"Hey." His voice didn't quite crack as he tried to school his emotions back behind his mask of aloof goofyness. "Nii-chan didn't think this one thorough very well, did he?"
She managed to conjure up a half hearted chuckle. "No. Not one of Lord Seventh's best plans, but he meant well."
"Yeah." He forced a flicker of a smile at her.
They fell quiet for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts.
"You remind me a lot of him. It's strange how you can be so similar to someone you've never met."
She was surprised at how sorry she felt for him. She had lost a father she never knew. He had lost everyone around him.
"My mom always says that if you grew a beard, you'd be a spitting image of him. And Shikamaru acts just like him. Between the two of you, I can almost pretend that I do know him."
This time when he smiled at her, it was easier and lighthearted.
The sun was setting when Mirai realised that she had lost track of the time. Before she could voice the question, her mother materialised beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Kurenai turned to Konohamaru. "You should come over for dinner." She laughed bitterly. "We can have the whole clan together for family day."
"Yeah." He said, getting to his feet. "That sounds good, actually."