"ARE YOU SURE THAT'S A GOOD IDEA? I MEAN THIS IS HER HOME."
The light illuminating from the ceiling blinded me as my eyes finally opened from the long dream. I was expecting to see my wooden ceiling and lay within the comfort of my own bed, but instead I was stuck staring at a white ceiling in a bed with prominent springs poking at my back.
The memories came rushing in like a flash flood or a tsunami. The smell of smoke ringing around my nose, the burns I endured on my flesh, the pain around my neck, the blood, the bodies, my family...
No it can't be true. They wouldn't just die like that! Something so simple and predictable as that attack couldn't have taken them all out. I won't accept that ending. Not for my family. Surely my mom had made it out alive. She told me it would be okay! She promised!
I shot up from my bed hoping to see my mom waiting in one of the chairs for my eyes to open, but instead I just saw three men. My heart was racing in my chest, aching to see an alive family member. In the room with me there were the two men from last night, Minato and Fugaku, beside them was our village's leader, my uncle.
They were surprised to see that I was awake or even alive. Their eyes said it all. My uncle rushed over to me as quick as he could while the other two stayed behind. His large arms embraced me tightly within a warm hug. I was too stunned by last night's events to react.
I used my little arms to softly push him away so I could ask the question that screamed within my mind, "Uncle Sota, where's my mom? She was alive the last time I saw her..." His eyes softened like ice when the warm tears started to well up. That should've been my answer, but I didn't want to accept it. "No. Where is she?"
"Yumi..." I knew it was coming. I just didn't want to accept his next words. "You were the only one that made it out."
How could I have been so stupid? I knew it was coming, but why does it still feel so surprising? The hope that I was holding onto was just so warm and comforting, yet the truth was more like broken glass falling directly onto my skin.
I didn't even have a home anymore. Those flames lived for the purpose of taking it down and that's exactly what they did. If people came too late to save my family then they were surely too late on saving my home.
Everything was gone.
I was the only one left.
But why me? I was the most useless of the bunch. I had terrible grades, I can't even do my own hair, I can't cook, I can't throw a kunai, and I can't even talk to strangers for the life of me. Why did the world make me the only one to survive?
I averted my eyes away from my uncle so that I didn't have to look at his broken gaze. It brought my attention down to my hands. They were both wrapped tightly in fresh bandages, probably for the burns that I had endured on them. Different parts of my body had bandages as well, even my neck from the grip that I endured last night.
I wish there was some kind of bandage for my heart as corny as it sounds. Everything else was going to heal just fine, but what about me? Would I be okay? I'm only eight years old.
I would be living with my uncle from now on within the confines of his large home that I consider to be a castle with all my cousins. As warm and welcoming as it sounds, I just don't think I could be prepared for all the pitiful stares they'll be giving me or how loud that house will be when I just want some peace and quiet so I can mourn.
I just couldn't let go yet. I needed to be alone to cry. Vulnerability isn't a good look for a ninja is what Michi always told me, and I'll try my best to abide by that.
"So when do I move into your home, Uncle Sato?" The strain in my voice gave away my pain. My throat inched as pain inflamed it from holding back tears.
There was a sudden freeze in the air like I had said something wrong. Everyone had paused and taken a moment to look at each other before bringing their attention back to me. This was the moment I knew that my life was changing, forever.
"Actually, Yumi," My uncle started, "you're not moving in with me."
I looked back up at him almost immediately. Then I looked at the other two men in the room. Fugaku didn't want to look over at us, while Minato had an anxious shine in his eyes, "What do you mean?"
Sato took a deep breath before continuing, "The attack that happened last night was, with further evidence, obviously a targeted attack so the leader of their village," He pointed towards Minato and Fugaku, "and I have decided that you'll be staying with them for the time being until we know it is safe for you to come back home."
Great. Not only did I lose my actual house, I now will be losing my whole home. Three cheers for Konoha, I guess.
-
I never got my moment alone to cry. The moment I was told I would be transferred to an entirely different village, I wanted to break down. I had grown up here and I already had an idea of what I wanted my future to look like here.
Instead it was all being ripped away from me like it was nothing. Everything was changing all at once and I wasn't sure how to even handle it. I had no say in any of this at all. They said it was for my safety but how could I be sure that I'd ever be safe again?
Are the people in Konoha some kind of war built machine?
Well there was no turning back now anyway. I was stuck with this unknown future unsure of when I could find comfort again. I was stuck on an unfamiliar path with two unfamiliar men that I had just met last night.
We were far away from my village by now. Hours earlier I had said my final goodbye to my Uncle and my cousins before leaving with just a small bag of supplies. Everything else was burned amongst the fire. I was left with nothing but scars and sadness.
I didn't even get to say goodbye to my house. They thought it would be too damaging for me if I saw what remains of what once stood. Now I was stuck on a journey to a place I had never been to before with two men I had met less than 24 hours ago.
I don't even get to attend my family's funeral. They said I had to leave as soon as possible to make sure that my safety was secured.
I feel like I'm abandoning everything. Just like I had abandoned my family last night. If I had just got out sooner, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't be the only survivor. But instead I was scared and froze at the wrong time. My mom was left alone to save me, but if I had just moved then maybe she would've been at the hospital with me this morning.
Instead, I froze like a coward and now I'm stuck here on Minato's back on the way to my new "temporary" home.
Our villages weren't that far apart from each other surprisingly. We both lived within the Land of Fire so our villages were only hours apart. I spent those few hours riding around on Minato or Fugaku's back. They switched between each other with whoever was carrying me whenever the other got tired.
I had remained quiet the whole time wondering if they would converse about what they discovered about last night, but they were just as quiet as I was. I wanted to go back to sleep, but I didn't want to have another empty dream where I was left alone. Even if they weren't talking, I enjoyed their company, only by a little though.
I wasn't left alone with them around and I found ways to distract my mind by studying them both more intriguingly. Minato's tone throughout the day was softer and his eyes allowed themselves to show more emotion. I could tell that he wasn't happy with dragging me from my home, but he knew it was the best option to ensure my safety. His presence was warm and comforting like any home would be. I liked being on his back more than Fugaku, no offense to him.
Just by looking at the man's face, you can just tell that Fugaku is more stern and strict than Minato. He doesn't allow many emotions to shine through making himself totally unreadable.
I still felt safe with them though. I knew my uncle wouldn't let me just leave the village with two strangers unless he could completely trust them. I was just worried that when I arrive in Konoha that I will be taken away from them and be introduced to even more strangers.
Tired of the quiet aura, I finally broke the silence, "So what's your village like?"
My chin situated itself onto Minato's shoulder as his blue eyes peered back at me. I see that his lip had slightly curved up into a small smile, maybe he was glad that I finally decided to speak. He then glanced over at Fugaku who gave him the same look. Maybe it was a confirmation that I was actually still alive.
"Mm, Konoha is slightly different from your own village," Minato began. "Your village is more on the tropics, while we're surrounded by land. And the streets are slightly more crowded with buildings and people, and our homes are more modern than the ones over at your village."
Sounds like a mess. My village is more spread out, hence why our home was so far away from the rest of the main part. The main part of the village was filled with more markets than homes and directly in the middle was where all the important village things commenced. Where my dad had done business. Then of course there were the beaches that were the main attraction. Ah, but alas, it doesn't seem to matter now.
"Well you can see it for yourself," Fugaku said. "We're here."
Sure as day, a massive gate stood proudly in our way. The front doors wide open allowing access to anyone with permission to enter the village. The sun was casting its setting colors over the section of the village and I could already see the bustling town. I dropped down from Minato's back in order to walk in front of him and get a better view of my new home.
I wasn't happy when I first saw it, so I never imagined that in my future these gates would be the best thing I could ever see.
Minato placed his warm hand atop my shoulder as he looked down at me, "Yumi, welcome to Konoha."