A love to Remember

a love to remember (part four)

At least Naruto seemed to have calmed down, and he isn’t too upset about not being paired with me anymore. It seems that love is a strong motivation. He’s been crushing on Sakura for years now.


Love. A strange, powerful emotion.


Silently, as I made my way to the training field, I thought about ‘love’. I wondered what it would feel like to actually be in love.


I still remember Naruto’s reaction that day I told him that I’ve never been in love before. His jaw hung open. But I was telling the truth. Maybe I rejected the feelings because I fear I might get hurt.


It’s possible. Just look at what happened to my mother, and then what happened to me. That’s not love. Even the memory disgusts me.


“There you are. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?” the cold voice came from the distance.


“Not really. Besides, its not as if I care.” I replied, my tone emotionless.


“It is rude to keep people waiting. If this is going to be your attitude, we are both wasting our time.”


“What else would you have done with your time? Steal candy from toddlers?” the reply I got was less than friendly. The next moment, I felt wind blow through my hair as a kunai soared past me, scratching my cheek in the process. A few drops of blood ran from the wound, staining the collar of my shirt.


“Now, let’s begin training.” He said with a smirk and I readied myself as he sped towards me.


Moments before he could land a punch, I used the substitution jutsu and jumped on the branch of the nearest tree. Gosh, I underestimated the Uchiha. He wants to get this over and done with. As quietly as possible, I started forming hand seals. Let’s see how he likes his own techniques being used against him…


I slowly built up the amount of chakra in my chest, feeling it burn until….


“Katon, gokakyuu no jutsu!” I pressed two fingers to my lips, and spat out flames. I suppose it helps to know a few Uchiha trade secrets…of course, I learnt this from him so many years ago.


He dodged the attack. Ktsa! I couldn’t even singe his eyebrows.


“Just like old times, right Uchiha?” I taunted, following his movements with my eyes. He was fast, but also sneaky.


Then again, so was I.


I took a few shuriken from my tool bag and flung them at him, he responded by throwing a few kunai.


Yes, this was just like old times. The days when the Uchiha and Kinasai clans were great friends and brought their kids over for play dates.


Sasuke and I were the best of friends, practically inseparable! But of course, when your father only notices the existence of the older sibling and completely ignores you, any friend will soon become your best friend. He was always there for me. Even when my clan got wiped out. I don’t remember much from that night, just a lot of blood….but his parents took me in. Later on, they told me that a ruthless gang named the Akatsuki was responsible for the deaths of my family members. I was angry, but he, yes, HE told me that hatred will not bring them back. And now, a few years later, those words are practically forgotten. I undoubtedly have my reasons for despising him.


The clang of the colliding weapons snapped me out of my trance and I jumped from the branch, landing dexterously on my feet before transporting behind my long lost friend. I grabbed a kunai from my pouch and pressed it to his neck.


How could he have changed so much in such a short time?


He pulled my arms from him and flung me over his head, into the nearby tree. I gasped as my back slammed into the trunk, and for a few seconds, I struggled to breathe.


“Remember, whatever happens here is just between us, Mia. There is no reason to bring Sensei into this too. You have to learn to fight for yourself some day.” This made me snap.


I lunged at him, fists flying through the air. He dodged a few of my punches, but a few did hit him.


“Its such a pity, time has weakened you…:


This was his crucial mistake. Never call me weak…because then I will do my best to prove you wrong.


I used some chakra to act as springboards underneath my feet, they sent me high into the air, I quickly grabbed more kunai and flung them at him, followed by a few fireballs. The flames distracted him, and when the kunai hit, they pinned him to the ground. Just as planned.


I landed and slowly made my way toward him and knelt down beside him.


He looked pathetic. One of the kunai was slightly off target; it hit his body instead of his clothes. There it was, stuck in his leg. Blood stained his clothes, but I didn’t feel sorry for him one bit.


I pulled my fist back, and aimed for his face before punching him. His nose made a satisfying crunching sound when my fist connected.


I smiled broadly at his expression when I stood up.


“Just between us, right Sasuke?”


And then I walked away thinking that these sparring sessions may just end up being a lot of fun