Things We Do For Love

CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

Y/N'S P.O.V

How could I manage it? To feel in tuned with hundreds of people surrounding me? How was I supposed to find peace when all around, even with my memories, I felt isolated? With my former self peeking through the lenses of my eyes, I could only count the amount of times I had been hurt.

Konoha.

The land were my life was remolded to fit into its tragic drama, I was the sad heroine who would lose everything to its miseries. After ten days of constant crying and screaming, receiving complaints from the neighbors and then shamefully apologizing, I was officially numb. I had no motivation. I just slept, woke up in the morning feeling absolutely drained of energy and life source, only to be brought back to the enormous rooms in Vibrant Leaves and recall how I had found and lost precious comrades in this abode. Midori's beautiful laughter often haunted me, the way she would teach us about men and their deceitful nature, warned us of being agreeable and that, it was of no shame to use our femininity against the male dominated society. She knew that her success lied in how beautiful and unattainable she was, and she had crafted ways to climb the ladders in society despite coming from a poorhouse with no titles or inheritance. Midori was everything men feared about women. She was bold, magnificent and artsy; she was educated and always kept in check with the economy of her residential village; she was a socialite who knew everyone and gathered information; and she loved it when eyes fell on her. Growing up with the green-eyed woman had taught me to accept my feminine nature and that, it was quite hilarious to verbally enter a discourse with a man who got angry. "Remember, a good man – a wise man – knows he will be listened to even if he whispers. Cowards, scums, and those who hold no power in society, yell at everyone, especially women, because no one bats an eye unless they make an absolute fool out of themselves." She would always remind us of this whenever we talked about boys. And perhaps, that was why when Kakashi had introduced himself to Midori, she became infatuated with his presence. Kakashi was all that she thought never existed – calm, suave, authoritarian, collected, disciplined, had already managed to gain elite status as a shinobi, and above all, held a monotonous and soothing voice. He barely showed his emotions, noting down the slightest of changes within the young orphans in Vibrant Leaves. She knew that he was a prized gem that no one had ever succeeded in capturing, he was a man who had never been in love before. Midori desperately wanted to be his muse. At nights, I would picture her sitting at the corner overlooking the garden and streets, the moment she had noticed a certain silver-haired Jonin, her eyes would sparkle. She'd start fussing over her looks and send us girls away. I had never before seen her so devoted and in love with a man, it almost made me jealous – Midori had found something in Konoha that she could call her own. If she had been alive now and if she hadn't mercilessly tried killing my children, I would have taken care of her. I would have tried reviving the humanity that fell asleep inside her. But it was too late; she deserved her ending in a deceitful way.

Memories kept flooding my mind. About Naruto. Sasuke. Itachi. Iruka. Sakura. Jira- Touchan.

That time I had found Naruto, hanging upside down on the mango tree with a cheeky smile. Naomi and Saaya were in awe as they saw the boy jump down with a backflip, and in a squeaky voice introduced himself as the future Hokage. That was enough for us girls to be absolutely smitten with him and hide him when Rika had come outside hearing our commotion. At the end, we blamed some of the other village kids while Naruto was silently munching on the ripe mangoes in our bedroom, guarded by Saaya. It was a wonderful evening; sneaking outside to get Naruto back home and Naomi kissing his cheeks repeatedly because he reminded her of a small golden cat. Sasuke, however, was someone none of the girls found appealing. Sure, his brother was to be fawned over but Sasuke had a bratty attitude and being of the Uchiha clan, my friends tried being at a safe distance to avoid being detained by the Anbu since there were tensions within the clan and the rest of the Village. I sighed, looking at the empty walls of my house. Sunrays illumined the room while I sat on the floor, regretting how I had treated Sasuke the last time I met him.