We weren't always rivals. Sure, she's tried many times to best me during our training as kunoichis. But that's only because she wanted to catch up to me. She didn't want to stay in the shadows forever. It hurts to see her moving on without me, but I won't regret rescuing her from the rubble that day.
The sun was slowly making its way behind the horizon. It was a warm, pleasant spring day and cherry blossom petals carpeted the ground in soft bubble gum pink.
It was a gentle evening. A young girl with rosette hair completed the image perfectly. But her strangled sobs marred what could've been a peaceful silence.
Instinctively, I approached her, and that was the start of our bond. That day, I had sworn to rescue her from that scene, and I managed to stay true to my words. If only I hadn't done such a good job.
Until our genin days, Sakura had always worn the red ribbon that I gave her. A symbol of our relationship. I would never tell, but secret l I was content to know that she kept it throughout that time of change.
And then she went and forfeits my token of friendship (and the cause for her increase in self-esteem). It happened on the same day that the genin teams were selected.
"Team seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."
Of all the messed up arrangements, I declare that team seven was the worst combination. What was Iruka-sensei thinking? I mean I understand Naruto and Sasuke balance each other out as complete opposites, but what about Sakura? And don't even get me started on my team.
Later that day, as the sun was setting in reminiscence of the day we first met, we got together to talk properly for the first time, instead of exchanging insults like how we do every time we meet, after Sakura drew up our rivalry.
In our long awaited talk we ended up insulting each other anyway, I guess old habits dies hard. But that's not what mattered. My world literally came crashing down when you held out the same red ribbon that I gave you all those years back.
I tried to convince you to keep it. Use the forehead protector for your head, and the ribbon for your hair. Even as it came out of my mouth I knew it sounded wrong. I gave you the ribbon to expose your forehead, not to hide it. I'm glad you did not catch on and get offended, but I was hurt that you did not point it out. Maybe using your forehead protector for your hair was in reminiscence of the ribbon, but who knows what goes on behind your billboard brow.
"The day that this goes on my forehead… that's when I'll become, a true shinobi."
It was that declaration that got me to take the ribbon back. In a roundabout way you just stated that you were still catching up to me. Maybe I didn't do such a good job after all. That insecure girl that I saw crying on the ground years ago was still present till this day.
I guess it doesn't matter how a person changes. The past was, is, and will always be there. To remind us of what happened. To be there as a foundation of our change. And remain as a solid base that connects people to one another. Just because people change and possibly forget, it does not mean that what happened in the past was never there. This is what memories are for, they remind us, and sustain us through hard times.
Thanks for the memories. (End)