[b]Kariru Tsuyo[/b]

The sunlight gently caressed Kariru’s face, reminding her that today she didn’t have time to be moping around in a drunken stupor, no today she had to go put her friends in the ground. She put on the nicest clothes she had, packed a small canister in her jacket pocket, Rei had given it to her to make her drinking problems more easily managed. She placed it gently in the inside pocket of her jacket and tightened her headband around her thigh and left her house.
	
Kariru was the medical ninja on point on the mission with Rei and Hiromara and she had failed. Kariru liked funerals like a fish liked dry land. She was one of the casket carriers as a member of the Granite Guard, the oldest living member, now. She looked out towards the crowd, at each man and woman, some smaller children, Kariru recognized most of them as the new academy graduates that they were to begin to teach. Kariru, along with the other guards gentle placed each coffin down; Kariru shot Kami a sympathetic gaze as she knew with his social anxiety this must’ve been even worse for him. She took out her flask that Rei had given her, lightly placing it upon Rei’s lapel, returning it. 
	
[i]“Thank you, Rei.”[/i] Kariru said forcing the words through her rough throat. She stood respectfully afterwards behind the caskets, first row of the audience as the Tsuchikage said his peace about his two old friends. Kariru sat, very properly, something she never did. She had the utmost respect for the two Shinobi that had passed here today and there was nothing anyone was going to tell her that would change her mind. She felt a small wetness streaking down her cheek, but she didn’t move it. She let the entire village see, because this wasn’t what the first rule of Shinobi was about. You don’t let your opponent find out you’re human, you make them think you’re a tool for killing. But there was no opponent today, there was hardly even a war, there was just sadness.

[b]******[/b]

[b]Ayumi Hozuki[/b]

Ayumi sat as far forward as she could manage to get in the funeral. She wanted the utmost image of what this village had lost, because for her, it was her new home. She listened passionately to the Tsuchikage’s speech. Finally, the remaining members of the Granite Guard entered carrying the coffin’s with their deceased partners. The Granite Guard that she would one day be a part of all looked solemn. She could recognize individual members, but today, they weren’t Kariru Tsuyo of the Granite Guard or Hiruzen Dartan, they were just: The Granite Guard. For today was not a day of individuality, or self-recognition. Today was a day for the entirety of the village, a day within which we put two of our finest Shinobi in the ground and heavily evaluate our actions.
	
Ayumi felt someone looking at her through the crowd and noticed she was one of the few people not shedding a tear, simple enough. Ayumi felt a familiar wetness crawl down the side of her face as she glanced down and it fell to her leg. This was her Hydrification Technique. Not the most humble use of it, mind you, but she did it to keep up appearances. She continued to allow herself to lightly cry for the remainder of the funeral, every once in a while wiping her tears from her cheek. But all she could think of was: “I will end this war, as a member of the Granite Guard.”