A Gift to Hokage-sama [Private]

Ririshi had been thinking a lot recently, and had been taking many days off. He was beginning to feel that he was doing nothing for Konoha, that, even though the elders and daimyo believed he was worthy of ANBU, he wasn't doing his duty. After a long while of thought, Ririshi decided on what he would do. He wasn't afraid to go through with it, he knew it would be the best way he could serve Konoha. He wanted to serve his village the best possible way. This was that way.

He had told one of the Hokage's assistants to inform her that he wanted to meet with her in the Hokage's Residence's scroll room. This was were many sacred scrolls were hidden. He chose it because so little people have access to the place. Ririshi had arrived, and Tenshi was not yet there, but he didn't mind. The ANBU hadn't even said goodbye to anyone, he didn't think he could do it. Although the man wanted to go through with this, he was afraid he'd have second thoughts if he spoke to any of his loved ones. It will hurt them, all of them, so much, he always told himself. His reply was always, Shinobi live to die serving their village. I will be able to do so, in my own original way. This will be much more effective than dying on the battlefield. Perhaps not as spectacular, or heroic, but effective. After all, it wasn't about being heroic, it was about being effective. Helpful. So, he decided fully on this.

As the ANBU stood alone in the sacred scroll room, he looked around. Many of the village's dead heroes' techniques were sealed within these scrolls. As a boy, he always dreamt of mastering them all. In the end, he didn't have the potential to do so. That boy, who seemed so different from the Ririshi known today, knew absolutely nothing of what a shinobi really was. A shinobi was a murderer, a coldhearted killing machine. A shinobi was a tool, a weapon, but most importantly a shield. A shinobi would die in a heartbeat, if it meant helping his village. This was the truth that Ririshi had discovered in his life as a shinobi. It had not been the longest shinobi career, but Ririshi looked back with a good feeling. He felt accomplished. At least he had lived a happy life. Now, all that was left, was to await the Hokage.

Tenshi arrived inside of the resident scroll room. There stood Ririshi, a member of Konoha she had known for a while. They had somewhat connected, and suddenly he had called her to the scroll room to meet with her.

"Ririshi? You wanted to meet me?" Tenshi asked "What's on your mind?"

Tenshi arrived, asking if about the sudden summoning. Ririshi sighed, and faced her. "Hokage-sama, I have been taking a lot of time off if you've noticed. I've spent this time in thought, unsure of what to do about something..." The ANBU paused for a moment. His voice was shaky, he trembled slightly, he hadn't been this shaky since his first B-rank mission. "You see, everyone who becomes a shinobi decides that they'll give their lives to save their village. That, as long as the village survives their lives mean nothing. I want to die for the sake of my village, what I'm trying to say is, if you'll agree I want you to..." he closed his eyes, and looked down nervously, "to kill me so you can attain the Mangekyo..." He looked up, determined and proud of his decision.

"What?!" Tenshi gasped "How can you say such a thing?!"

Tenshi didn't like how this was going, someone was asking her to kill them. It might be true that she would get Mangenkyo Sharingan from killing him, but she wasn't desperate for power.

"No! I can't do this!" Tenshi said "You have so much ahead of you!"

"I can't think of any better way to serve this village, or to serve you..." he told her. "But I shouldn't speak too much of this, just go through with it. I want you to have this power, to protect the village, to protect everything I can't protect by myself." He spoke professionally, but with a hint of pleading in his voice. "I want to die for this cause, let me give you this power. It's a gift, from me." Ririshi continued, giving a frail smile.

Tenshi might not be able to go through with it. That almost made him happy, but he knew why, because she was Hokage. It wasn't anything more. Ririshi stepped close to Tenshi, and slid a kunai into her hand. He leaned in close to her ear, and whispered, "I know you are hesitant, because you don't want to kill a loyal villager. You are a worthy Hokage. I wouldn't do this for anyone but a worthy Hokage." he assured her, he gripped her hand, making her clutch the kunai. He pulled it towards his kidney, and winced as the blade sank into his skin.

It was a sharp pain, he had been stabbed before, but not in any vitals. He felt the blood trickling down his leg. "There is one more thing, before I die, I didn't plan on it originally, but I have to do it..." he put his arms around her, and kissed her. He didn't want to pull away, but did so, the longer he stayed the harder it would be. "I love you, Tenshi-dono. Make good use of my gift, it was a sign of my feelings. The feelings that I would never act on, were I not dying..."

Tenshi could only stand in shock and horror as to what had happened. With her hands she had just watched another person important to her die, another died in front of her eyes. She looked down at her blood stained hands and dropped the kunai in her hands. She looked down at Ririshi's body, which had fallen onto the floor, his blood trickled on the floor and all over her. She could do nothing but fall to her knees and look at him in wordless mumbles. She touched his face and moved his hair away to the sides.

"I loved you too..." Tenshi whispered as she kissed his lips. She bent over him, crying. She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to let go.

Tenshi let out a loud howl, a cry of nothing but pain and sorrow cradling Ririshi in her arms, no words, just tears. She screamed until she ran out of breath, returning to her quiet sobs. Tenshi felt her eyes changing, gaining new power. It was a gift that Ririshi had given her, to protect the village he loved.

"I promise Ririshi, I will use this gift you have given me. For your sake and the sake of our village, I will use this power you have given me to protect those who are important."

Tenshi's tears turned to blood as she used her power for the first time. The black flames consumed Ririshi's body, so that none could use it for evil purposes.

"Goodbye, Ririshi" Tenshi said as the flames receded.

Tenshi sat in the middle of the scroll room in silence, not a sound to be heard, except for the small weepings of a woman who had lost something dear to her.