(Song: For the Nights I can't Remember By: Hedley)
(After the war)

Tenkuu sat onto of the subsitute Stealth building looking over the village. Her legs dangled off the edge and the wind blew her hair slightly. Tears were coming from her eyes as she sat there. She felt utterly useless. It seemed that everything she tried to do she was shot down, like she wasn't good enough. She didn't want to give up, but there just wasn't enough support. Standing up she pushed her hair back. "I want to be strong for the village, I really do," she said quietly. Stepping forward she wondered how long she could stand as Kage. She then quickly wiped the tears away as she heard the door behind her open. She hoped whoever was coming hadn't heard what she'd said. She didn't want them thinking she wasn't cut out for the job. And just why was someone coming up anyway. Maybe some freshair, or maybe another mission report. Currently the Stealth wasn't fairing well. The Kage Building was still under construction and the ninjas were still recovering from the war so mission had to be light. She couldn't stand this anymore. So much for victory... she thought.

(Of course a wolf overheard you! XD)

Shen was walking through the streets of the Stealth, when he noticed someone on the building he was passing by. He could barely make out what they were saying, but the pink hair told him it was Tenkuu. He felt bad for her, he really did. She was only a kid afterall, whether she was going to admit it or not. Someone with Tenkuu's talents shouldn't have been put in the kage's position so soon, he thought sadly. Deciding to go up to check on her, Shen swiftly made his way up the inside of the building, hearing Tenkuu say that she wanted to be strong, only a second before he opened the door. He held back a sigh and walked over to Tenkuu with a soft smile. "How're you doing?" He couldn't imagine it was well, especially since the scent of tears was still fresh in the air.

(lol)

Tenkuu looked at Shen as he came up and asked her how was she. "Busy, but good," she said with smile. "How are you doing," she asked. She knew he'd probably lie. She knew he held a grudge against the Akatsuki, so losing probably just made him even more ticked off. Looking up at the sky she knew she should be getting back to work before it got too late. Sulking had put her behind.

Shen gave a small grin as Tenkuu said she was good. He shrugged at her question. "I've been worse." He gave a small chuckle. "You know though, you don't have to lie to me. I can still smell the tears," he said, patting her on the head, as if she was a small child. "You can't hide it from me," he said with a smirk. Despite having lost the war, Shen was relatively at peace. He had gotten his shot at the akatsuki and had gave it his all. He'd taken down more akatsuki members than he cared to count. But that didn't mean he was done yet. He was just at peace for now. His revenge for Teia had only just begun.

Tenkuu sighed as he said he knew she'd been crying and that there was no reason to lie. "I guess you're right," she said. "What more can I expect from you," she said with a smile. Tenkuu had been careful to avoid the subject of what was going on the reason she was crying. "Shen, do you think we gained anything from that War?" She asked.

Shen chuckled when she said what more could she expect from him. His smile faded a little as she asked him if he thought they gained anything from the war. He took his hat off and ran one of his hands through his hair, his eyes on the clouds. "Well, yeah. Every war we gain something. It may not be physical, but we always gain something. We certainly gained wisdom from it." He reminded himself of the old sages in the mountains his father used to tell him and Teia about. He held back a chuckle. "We now know what kind of tactics to use next time. And aside from that....I'm sure alot of us have gained a new appreciation for life." He put his hat back on, but kept his gaze on the clouds. "But being honest, the losing side of a war gains the most I think." He stopped and looked at Tenkuu, suddenly realizing that she hadn't mentioned earlier what she'd been crying about. "Tenkuu, is there anything you want to talk about?" he asked, forgetting for the moment that he was speaking to his kage.

Tenkuu looked at Shen. "You're right," she said with a small smile. She felt a weight lift off her chest. Shen was very helpful, even if he didn't know it. Sure he could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but over all he was a good ninja. She then looked at him as he asked if there was anything she wanted to talk about. Tenkuu had been Kage for four years and no one had ever asked her if she was okay or wanted to talk about anything. She guessed they all just decided that since she was a Kage then she should know what she was getting into. Obviously she didn't because she had no idea she'd be going into war with the man she feared the most. Tenkuu swallowed and looked at Shen. "I was just thinking if I had what it took to be the Stealth Kage," she said. "I've seen what happens when a village has no Kage, and I've seen villages who have Kages that are tyrants. I've seen lots of terrible stuff happen to villages because of their Kages. I don't want the Stealth to be that kind of village," she said. "I want to be able to help. I don't want to be useless."

Shen looked at Tenkuu as she described what she'd been thinking about. He gave a warm smile at her. "Don't tell me you've been thinking this the whole time you've been kage?" He chuckled, looked down and shook his head. "Every kage thinks that at some point, but most of them have a reason to worry about it. You don't. You're doing great, especially for someone....your age." He sighed. "You're such a knucklehead Tenkuu. You have much more than just what it takes to be a kage," he said with a laugh. This was always how he used to joke around with Teia, but at the moment he didn't realize it.

Tenkuu smiled. She couldn't help but give a small chuckle at Shen. He wasn't much older than her either. But even so, he was okay to have around. Tenkuu then looked at him. "Thank you," she said as she looked up at the sky. This day wasn't so bad after all. Thanks to her Akatsuki killing craved ninja.

(You remembered my nickname!! )

Shen looked at Tenkuu with a smile and a chuckle. "Heh, no problem. Now then. We should probably get back to instructing the other ninja and rebuilding our valley," he said, looking over the edge of the building at the rest of the Stealth valley. Perhaps if him and Teia had left for the mountains, his life wouldn't have turned out so screwed up. But this way wasn't turning out too badly, he guessed.

Tenkuu sighed. "You're right," she said. "Let's head downstairs before my desk is piled with paperwork." Tenkuu walked to the door and opened it. She stopped to allow Shen to enter and then she headed down to her office. She felt refreshed and ready to work.