And all of a sudden, she was transported back to when they were merely the age of six. When he grinned at her like that, she felt like the happiest person in the world. She had assumed that Naruto was feeling just as happy as she was—in fact, she just came to realize now that he had been much happier than she was.
Slowly, she also came to regret something: that she had changed. She forced herself to change… and for whom, Sasuke?
She was unable to tear her eyes away from her brother’s smiling face.
“Y’know, since I was so happy back then… imagine how I felt when you, yourself confirmed that we were siblings all this time. I was pretty bummed when you told me we aren’t related by blood, but I was still so happy. Even before I found out that everyone hated me, I loved the fact that I wasn’t alone then.”
Once he had said that, Kohana looked away, leaning forward to let her hair cover her eyes. She could already feel that lump settle in her throat, and she couldn’t help but feel tortured by Naruto.
‘Why is he saying all these things?’ she kept thinking to herself.
Releasing a shaky breath, she let her head fall to her arms. She didn’t want Naruto to see her like this.
‘Not again… I promised Osamu-sensei, Yoshiaki… everyone… I don’t want to hate myself again. Not anymore…’
“I know what you’re thinking… and I think I know what you’re feeling too,” Naruto stated, keeping his gaze on her. It was silent before he laughed. It was a light-hearted laugh, and Kohana could hear a trace of nostalgia in it. “I think… I’m beginning to understand you more… after all these years.”
When he didn’t talk for a while, Kohana raised her head just a little bit for him to hear her say: “What do you mean…?”
Naruto smiled victoriously. “When we were little… you were the one who always comforted me. You always let me know that you understood how I felt—that you could feel my pain too… and that you’d always be there to share my feelings and help me get through it. Whenever I’d be in a bad mood, you promised me that you’d make me feel better—and you never broke those promises! You knew who I was more than anyone did… and most of all, you loved me. Until now, you still do. And I love you for that.”
As Kohana stared forward, at nothing in particular, she began to see the world in a warped manner. She found that she couldn’t see anything anymore as she finally succumbed to that lump in her throat and the constricting pain in her chest and stomach.
“But then… while you loved me, you loved Sasuke too. To be honest, whenever you’d spend a lot of time with him, I’d get jealous and think: This bastard always gets the girls—even my best friend. I felt like he was stealing you from me. And since you were the only person who was willing to love me, I got really irritated a lot.” Naruto laughed to himself, feeling so much lighter. He was finally given the chance to tell his sister all of these things. “So I added that to the many reasons why I kept my rivalry with Sasuke alive and burning. But then, I also added that to the reasons why Sasuke was a very, very good friend. I felt assured that he would take care of you and understand you while I couldn’t. And for some reason, I was really content with that. You also helped me realize that Sasuke isn’t a bad guy at all—just like how you helped Sakura-chan realized that she was a great kunoichi!”
“So now that I finally got to understand how your mind works, I’m going to start doing what you did when we were little. This time, I’m the one who’s going to keep you standing on your feet!”
When the tears were finally flowing down Kohana’s cheeks like a merciless rain shower, she stood straight and faced Naruto, who held out a fist.
She couldn’t stop herself from sniffling and desperately wiping her eyes to keep the tears away.
“It’s a promise. From now on, you, my awesome sister, will be under my protection. I swear to my future position as Hokage and my name that I will protect you from any harm or any people who would dare to hurt your feelings!”
Kohana’s eyes widened through her warm tears, her jaw opening slightly.
"Hey, do you want to be my best friend?" Kohana asked, catching Naruto by surprise as his head shot up. "Really?" He asked her, his blue eyes becoming brighter and brighter by the second as his lips stretched into another one of his wide, refreshing smiles. Kohana closed her eyes and gave the boy a smile of her own. She nodded and brought her fist out. Naruto did the same before bumping each other's fists, knuckles brushing lightly.
"Alright! From now on, you, my friend, are under my protection. I swear to this beautiful hair that I will protect you from any harm or from any people who would dare to hurt your feelings! If I fail... then I'll just cut my hair really short and vow to never, ever leave your side even after you become a ninja!"
Lips quivering, she lifted her fist and bumped Naruto’s and she let it stay there.
There was no describing the guilt, the happiness, sadness, nostalgia and love she was feeling towards her brother, but she was sure he knew what she was feeling.
After all, Naruto was her brother and her best friend.
[10] Nostalgia
Start from the beginning
