Even now, I couldn't help but replay the gruesome scene over and over again in my mind. It was times like this where I remembered them the most.

Especially him.

*Flashback*

"Mitsuki, Nagato, in here, hurry, hurry!" mother whispered urgently.

I had no idea what was happening. We heard loud noises outside and mother and father had suddenly told us to be very quiet and ushered us into the other room.

I had hot tears running down my face. Nagato looked scared, and so did mother and father. The loud shouts and sharp clanging noises coming from outside had startled me, and I grasped Nagato's clothes tightly, knuckles white.

"Onii-chan, w-what's happening?" I stammered, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.

"It's okay, Mi, it'll all be okay," he assured me, stroking my head as he led me into the closet. "Be silent, Mitsuki. Stay here, I'll come and get you once this is over."

I couldn't think straight. What if he forgot about me? Where were mother and father? "Promise?" was the one word I was able to utter.

"I promise," he said as he closed the door quietly.

I hugged my knees to my chest and sobbed silently. What was happening?

Just moments later, I heard a high-pitched scream. Mother!

"Nagato, run!" Father!

My eyes widened as I heard a sharp noise and a choked sob, and the unmistakable noise of someone falling to the ground. The noises repeated themselves in my head over and over again. I didn't know if they were real or not.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I burst out of the closet, breathing heavily. I gasped as I saw that the entire back wall of the room was gone, replaced by a gaping hole. The village looked deserted, everyone had already left this area.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone scurry past our house, clutching a small bag. The lady from the bread store. Tamiko-san. She did a double take.

"Mitsuki-chan? Is that you?"

I stared at her blankly, unable to respond.

She looked at my tear-streaked face sympathetically. "Let's get you out of this place, okay, Mitsuki?"

I was still too shocked to respond properly, and a low moan escaped my lips. Tamiko-san grabbed my arm and attempted to drag me away. I refused to budge.

I was forgetting something.

She looked at my confused face. "Let's go, Mitsuki." She lifted me up into her steady arms, cradling me against her chest.

I was forgetting someone.

"Nagato!" I choked out, sobbing. "I can't leave him!"

I looked up at Tamiko-san, pleading, "P-please! I know he's still there!"

She looked at me, her eyes sad. "Mitsuki, I already looked everywhere for any survivors. There were none. Not even your brother."

"B-but…" I sobbed, this couldn't be happening.

"But he promised."

*End Flashback*

I felt a single tear slip down my cheek.

"It's okay, Mi, it'll all be okay,"

"Stay here, I'll come and get you once this is over."

I wiped the tear away swiftly, refusing to show any sign of weakness. He was still out there, there's no way Nagato would let himself be beaten by those bastards, even back then. I took a deep breath and stood up from the tree I was leaning against.

Tamiko-san had been taking care of me ever since the incident eleven years ago. She was like a mother to me. But that didn't mean I forgot my real mother. Or father. Even after this many years, my heart still ached everyday.

I ran back to town, (the remaining villagers had rebuilt the town after it was destroyed), searching for Tamiko-san.

I had to tell her what I had decided to do.

I ran into our hut, yelling, "Tamiko-saaan!"

"Mitsuki, shoes off, and no yelling in the house," she replied sternly.

"Yeah, yeah," I grinned. I was in too good a mood to be downed by Tamiko-san's attitude. Sure, reminiscing about the past had made me a bit upset, but that wasn't enough to get rid of my excitement from before.

"Guess what?" I said, unable to control my happiness.

"Hmm?" Tamiko-san said, concentrated on mixing something in her cooking.

"Haru says he'll come with me to become a Shinobi and find Nagato!"

Tamiko-san sighed, putting her mixing bowl down. I rolled my eyes, here it comes.

"Mitsuki, I honestly do think it's very brave of you to want to find your brother, but do you really have to become a Shinobi? Do you know how hard that is? And you, a poor, young girl, out on her own?'

I interrupted her, "But I'm not alone. I have Haru with me! You said, Tamiko-san, you said if I could get someone to come with me, I could go to the Hidden Leaf and become a Shinobi. If I'm a Shinobi, I can find connections through my missions, and one of those connections might lead me to Nagato!"

"I don't think Haruto is the best person to protect you," she muttered, picking up her bowl again.

"It's okay, I can protect myself, too…" I said, kicking up a leg into the air and doing a few karate-chops.

She sighed, "Fine."

"But-" I started, but then I gaped at her open-mouthed, "Wait, did you just say YES!?" I jumped up and down in the air and hugged her ecstatically. I was expected a lot more arguing, wow!

"I have to go tell Haru!" I ran out, practically skipping through the streets, cheerily waving at everyone who happened to look my way. I spotted a bright blonde head, and I sneakily snuck up on him.

"HAAAAARU-CHAN!" I screamed, jumping onto his back.

"Whoa there, watch it!" I jumped off him and swung myself around to face him.

"She said yes!" I squealed.

"You serious?" he grinned, almost as happy as me. This is why Haru was my best friend. Whatever I did, he always supported me full on.

I looked into his bright blue eyes with my dark ones. "Yup!"

"Yeah!" he smiled, "Let us celebrate! Donuts! My treat!"

He grabbed my wrist and led me to our favourite donut place. I followed him merrily.

I looked ahead with a determined expression.

I'm coming for you, Nagato!