Me, mom, Ikki, Niles, my friends, and a bunch of people attended dad and Jinora's funeral. I cried my eyes out that whole day. This was one of the worse pain I felt since Akito's death.
We all said our last goodbyes to dad and Jinora then we went home. Nothing was the same after dad and Jinora's death. I was in my room crying for twenty four hours for one week straight, Niles became more cold and distant, and Ikki wasn't as happy or smiled as much anymore.
I felt so weak, pathetic, helpless, and useless so I started to go out and train by myself. I would push myself to my limit each day all because I never wanted to feel that way or lose someone again.
I would come home with pretty bad cuts and bruises all over me. I even almost killed or paralyzed myself like two or three times. If I went over my limit I would cough or puke up a little blood. I would barely do anything else but train.
I would scare mom, Ikki, and Niles every time I would come home even though they didn't show it. I wasn't the only one who changed, Niles did to. Every time someone tried to talk to him he just walked away. From time to time I would try to ask if he could help me with my training but nowadays he's to worried about his own problems to help me.
A week later something happened between Niles and mom. They wouldn't talk or do anything together anymore. It was almost like they hated one another even though I know that they don't hate each other.
Naruko ,who just got back from training, was walking though the halls of her house and stopped at Ikki's door. Naruko then knocked on Ikki's door. "Come in" Ikki said. Naruko opened the door and went inside. "Big sister" naruko said.
Ikki looked at naruko and said "yes?" "Why are mother and Niles acting like this?" Naruko asked. "Acting like what?" Ikki asked. "Acting like they hate each other" Naruko said. Ikki frowned and said "Naruko they don't hate each other". "I know but why are they acting like they do?" Naruko asked. Ikki pulled naruko into a hug. Naruko didn't hug back, she just put her head on Ikki's chest and let her body relax. "Niles is just hurt that he couldn't save dad and Jinora. Anyone would be if they couldn't save a member of their family. Mom is still hurting that they died. That's why she's acting all cold at times" Ikki said. Naruko started tearing up and said "why did they have to leave? Why can't things go back to the way they were?" Ikki sighed and said "I know I want that too but not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever … now come on let me heal your wounds". "You don't need to they'll be healed in no time" naruko said. "You're my little sister and I don't want to see you in pain" Ikki said, then started using medical ninjutsu to heal naruko's wounds.
A month later, when naruko was coming back home from training, it was getting late but when she got back to the village she was close enough to see all the lights were off. 'Why are the lights off? It's too early for everyone to be in bed' naruko thought.
When naruko entered the village she saw the dead bodies of the villagers, blood was everywhere. Naruko ran as fast as she can to get home to see if her last remaining family members are ok.
When naruko got home she ran through the hallway to find her mother and siblings. "MOM ,IKKI, NILES WHERE ARE YOU!" naruko shouted. She stopped running when she got to her parents bedroom. She slowly opened the door and went in hoping to see them.
Instead she saw the dead body of Kagome with Niles standing over her, a bloody katana and his hitokon activated. "Niles… big brother what's happening?" Naruko asked. Niles threw a kunai at naruko slicing though her right shoulder, blood splattered everywhere. "What do you think you little eight year old idiot" Niles said.
Naruko knelt down holding her right shoulder. "W-why did you do that?" Naruko asked. Niles facepalmed and said "you oblivious idiot, who do think killed everyone". Naruko's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "N-no you w-wouldn't do that" naruko said. Niles rolled his eyes and threw another kunai at naruko. Naruko jumped out of the way so the kunai wouldn't hit her.
"You are a real idiot naruko. I'm the one who killed everyone including mom" Niles said. Naruko couldn't move or talk because she was frozen out of fear. "And now" Niles raised his katana "it's your turn" Niles said, then swung his katana at naruko only for her too run away.
Naruko ran out of her house and though the village to try to escape. Naruko, scared and crying, shouted "Niles please I don't wanna die". In an instant Niles was right in front of naruko. She stopped running and said "brother why? why are you doing this?" "Simple. To see how strong I am" Niles said. "What… you killed everyone to test you power? Why did you do this? This is our village" naruko said angrily. "Our village, you mean my village" Niles said.
Naruko brushed aside what Niles said. Naruko began to cry and shouted "what happened to you? Where is the Niles that I know and called my brother?" "What are you talking about? This is the real me. I only acted like a good person " Niles said
"What are you saying?" Naruko asked. "Do you really think that I cared for this pathetic village or anyone in it. All I cared about was getting stronger to get rid of this village and the villagers the moment I knew I was strong enough. I started by getting rid of the strongest Jonins in the village" Niles said. Naruko thought back to what the Jonin said when Niles returned home from his mission.
Flashback
"Are you three Riba's and Jinora's family?" The Jonin said. "Yes we are why?" Kagome asked. The Jonin then took his headband off and said "I'm very sorry but I'm afraid that Riba and Jinora died while they were on their mission".
Flashback end
"Y-you killed dad and big sister Jinora while you were on your mission?" Naruko said. "You mean MY dad and big sister. They're not your biological family or did you forget that you're adopted?" Niles said. Naruko's eyes widened, with anger in her voice she said "you don't need to be blood to be family. Even if I'm adopted you all saw me as a part of the family".
Niles threw a kunai, slashing naruko's leg and making her fall. Niles slowly walked towards naruko and said "even if Jinora and Ikki saw you as their sister just know that you were never a sister to me". Naruko had nothing to say. She was hurt that all this time she thought that Niles loved her but it turned out to be a lie. Niles raised his katana then swung his katana at naruko.
Blood spatter all over the place but it wasn't naruko's. "IKKI!" naruko shouted with tears rolling down her face. Before Niles swung his katana Ikki jumped in front of naruko taking the hit that was meant for her.
Ikki fell on her back and started bleeding out. Naruko got on her knees next to Ikki and started crying. Niles once again raised his katana but after a couple of minutes he put his katana away and started walking away. Naruko noticed Niles leave and shouted "where are you going you bastard?" "I'm leaving. I changed my mind" Niles stopped walking and looked at naruko. "You're too pathetic to kill, if you wanna kill me and avenge the village then you're gonna have to be stronger. Once you are as strong as I am come and face me, you blood sucking parasite" Niles said then walked away.
This pissed naruko off. She wanted to go chase after Niles to kick his ass but stopped when she heard Ikki saying "n-aru-ko". Naruko looked at Ikki and ran towards her, knelt down and said "why? why did you save me?" "L-like i s-said b-be-fore yo-ur my little s-sis-ter and I d-don't w-wan-na see y-you hu-rt" Ikki said coughing blood.
Naruko started sobbing. Ikki weakly grabbed something from her pocket and put it in naruko's hand. Naruko looked at what Ikki gave her. Naruko's eyes widened in shock and said "this is-". "M-mom's ri-ng, she wa-nted to give y-you it o-on yo-ur n-ninth birth-day" Ikki said. "N-no I can't take this, it's for family only" naruko said crying her heart out.
Ikki put her hand on Naruko's cheek and said "y-you are f-ami-ly li-tt-le sis-ter. I'm s-sorry, p-please st-ay sa-fe. I l-ov-e you nar-uko ha-shi-bit-a" Ikki's hand fell as she took her last breath. "Ikki, no, please don't leave me" naruko shouted. Naruko stayed there crying for a couple minutes then she went home. Without a choice and nowhere else to go, she decided to go back to Konoha even though she didn't want to.
When naruko got home, she packed up some of her belongings to get ready to leave to go back to Konoha. Before naruko leaves the village of light, she went to her parents room to see her mother one last time, even if it has to a lifeless corpse.
Naruko wanted to see Kagome because she knew that this was the last time she would ever see the one woman she saw as a mother. Naruko got to Kagome and Riba's room. She went in and looked at her mother then at the golden ring with a real diamond remembering what Ikki said a little while ago.
Flashback
"she wa-nted to give y-you it o-on yo-ur n-ninth birth-day" Ikki said
Flashback End
'Why does mom want me to have this?' Naruko thought, still starting at the ring. Then all of a sudden naruko heard "I'm sorry". The moment naruko heard this her eyes immediately went to Kagome. 'S-she said something but I thought that she was dead' naruko thought. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been a better mother to you naruko" Kagome said with a whole bunch of sorrow in her voice before taking her last breath.
To naruko those words were like knives that stabbed directly into her heart. After hearing this naruko fell to her knees and started crying again. Naruko then remembered what her friends and family said, that they just want her to be happy and smile. She also remembered Kagome telling her what the symbol of the hitokon meant.
Flashback
"No matter how terrible, scary, or monstrous the person is just know that every monster has a heart" Kagome said.
Flashback End
'I guess not every monster has a heart' naruko thought. Naruko got off her knees, stopped crying, and wiped her tears away and then said to Kagome's lifeless body "Kagome I really appreciate everything you did for me. You're an amazing mother and the very first one I ever had. You helped me feel important when I felt like my life had no meaning to it. You supported me when I had nothing. You're an amazing wife, mother, and person and I just wish I could have told you sooner how much you meet to me. I love you so much mom". Naruko put her head down, put her head back up and put a smile on her face. She then put Kagome's ring on her finger. "I promise I'll keep this smile on my face for as long as I live" naruko said.
Naruko then left the village with the same smile on her face even though it was fake. It took naruko hours to get back to Konoha. Even though it's been years, she somehow remembered the way back. When naruko got close to Konoha she saw a familiar face that was one of the few people she missed.
"Naruko" someone said. Shocked, naruko looked at the person who said her name and saw that it was naruko's old teacher Iruka. Naruko, still smiling, said "hi Iruka-sensei. It's been like, what, three years since I've last seen you. Did you miss me?" Iruka didn't say anything, he just ran towards naruko to hug her with tears in his eyes.
Iruka then said "I'm glad that you're back". "And I'm happy to be back home" naruko said even though she was lying. Iruka let naruko go and said "come on let's get back to the village. I'm sure the third hokaga will be happy to see that you came back home after all this time". "Yeah who wouldn't be happy to see me" naruko said. This caused Iruka to smile. The man missed naruko very much and the village has been really quiet without her. Iruka and naruko made their way back to the village hidden in the leafs.