Moving On

The world took a moment for her to be able to hear the sound of her heart rip. Torn into a million pieces. Her entire body shook, feeling the pain twist inside her chest far more than any of the injuries she withstood against the previous attacks the monsters before them had compelled the ten tails to do. For a long agonizing moment, the only things she could feel were the tears that rolled down her cheeks and the only thing she could see was the body - older brother, cousin, hero- lying on the ground.

Then Obito Uchiha spoke. Directly to the person she had sworn to protect, the man who had inadvertently saved her once upon a time by showing her a guiding light by beaming, smiling, through great odds and hardships. Today, in this most dreadful of days, he was in darkness. They all were.

She could see deep in his eyes that same gaze wavering. Yet again. She always saw this somehow, despite not being accompanied with him all the time. At his lowest, at his weakest. But most of the time, he always just stood up, even in broken bones and shattered knees and crumpled spirits. When the whole world called him a loser. That was how he saved her a long, long time ago. When he fell, he stood back up.

You changed me. Your smile saved me!

That was why she felt her heart rip, yet again, when she saw those eyes falter. Even for a brief moment. Not here - in this landscape of death, in this last swan song of a caged bird - not today, not ever. So she raised her hand when that speech ended and allowed that hand to land where it

would wake

him

up.

He had to remember just exactly how he saved them. Just exactly how he had cleansed her family of the legacy of hatred, allowing her cousin to see that no ill will needed to be fostered there and destiny didn't flow in one abhorrent direction. Just exactly how he saved Konoha in his ability to inspire and connect everyone even long before this bleak war would end simply by reinforcing that love and friendship and understanding would always overpower the cycle of vengeance.

He was their bright light, the sun that shone over the people of his village and that very shinobi world. An admirable person. A man of great inspiration.

She knew that incredibly dark hole of self-doubt more than anyone. For the longest time, she was stuck there. Forever the disappointment to her clan, a constant source of shame and dishonor to her father, always running too hard after her more talented family - her cousin, her younger sister - then falling. She always fell. One time she would have believed that it was her only fate: a person always left behind. A true failure. Nobody.

Without even approaching her and simply showing her the way, he had burst into her life like a bright ray of sunshine breaking past the gray clouds that surrounded her. Just like her, he was a failure. But that didn't matter. In the end, there was always a brighter future and a more hopeful next day to look forward to. All that was necessary was to stop hanging her head down.

Because even if you fail, you have the strength to get back up. Because I believe that's what true strength is.

Instead, be like him. Like Naruto-kun, whose skinned knees and awful test scores mattered little. He would fight until he achieved his goals and ambitions. Always looking towards the sun. There was always something to believe in, another day to prove himself, another day to protect what was right and all the people that he loved and cared for.

There was no time to dwell on the miseries of war. It hurt, yes. So, so much. But this was not the day for grieving. Those who had already fallen before them, their great comrades, had fought to their very end for something that was right. Something that they believed in. To lose that fight for them when they had already lost their lives was to shun their sacrifices. Their glory would continue on to those who still lived and can continue to fight this war for them. They could not lose.

They had to sweep up the remnants of hurt from their failures in this war for later, when this much wasn't at stake.

When she held his cheek gently, it felt like the entire world that were around them was quiet. Even here, in the very worst calamity of their time it felt like haven. All those fighting words he had shared with her, with everyone in the past, had kept her heart shielded from the weathering storm that disbelieved in those ideals. Their ninja way. The feel of his skin against hers was warm, like always. She hoped her words could reach his heart and make him feel that same sense of haven she felt around him.

The very magnitude of his words protected her and shielded her. He just needed reminding.

It never changed whatever happened. She always believed in him.

And he never failed to meet that expectation.

Their hands locked.

Because I don't want you to disappear here.