Unbreakable Bonds 《Book 2》

Chapter 28

-Naruto-

"Ow!" Mizuki yelps, pulling her hand back slightly as I finish wrapping the bandages around her fingers. I frown and shake my head, not looking at her but focusing on making sure the bandages are secure.

"You're rushing it again, Mizuki. I told you not to push yourself so hard," I say, my voice a little firmer than I intended. I know I shouldn't scold her too much, but I can't help it. She's been going non-stop since we started training, barely taking a break, and now her hands are all burnt and cut up from trying to force that fire jutsu to work.

Mizuki doesn't respond. She just sits there, looking at the ground, her face hidden by her bangs. Her silence stings, and I feel this tight knot in my chest, like something's pulling me down.

She's not the same.

I look at her out of the corner of my eye as I finish tying the bandage. She's always been smaller than me, but now she feels... different. Not just because of her injuries or how tired she looks, but because of how distant she's been. It's like there's this wall between us, one I didn't notice until now.

"Hey," I say softly, trying to break the quiet. "How are you feeling?"

Mizuki looks up, but just for a second. She forces a smile, one that doesn't reach her eyes, and says, "I'm okay."

She's lying. I know she's lying. She's not okay.

I try not to let it show on my face, but inside, I'm frustrated. This isn't like her. Mizuki used to tell me everything. She used to come to me with her problems, her worries, her dreams... But now? Now it's like she doesn't trust me anymore.

Was it something I did?

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to stop myself from overthinking, but my mind keeps spinning in circles. Maybe it's because I didn't answer her letters when I was away training with Jiraiya. That thought keeps coming back, like a needle poking at my brain.

I mean, I didn't do it on purpose. Training was tough, and we were always on the move. But still... Mizuki wrote to me. I know she did. And I never wrote back. Not once. What if... what if she's mad at me for that? What if she thinks I abandoned her just like Sasuke did?

Sasuke.

I feel my jaw tighten at the thought of him. It always comes back to Sasuke. Ever since he left, everything's been messed up. Mizuki was hit hard by it—harder than anyone else. She tried to act strong, but I could see it. I could see how much it broke her when he left. And now, after everything, she's still hurting because of him. I just know it.

But maybe it's more than that. Maybe something else happened while I was away. Something I don't know about. The idea sends a chill down my spine. What if something bad happened to her, and I wasn't there to protect her? What if I failed her, just like I failed to bring Sasuke back?

I shake my head, trying to push those thoughts away. But they keep coming, no matter how much I try to ignore them.

Mizuki's sitting right next to me, but she feels so far away. It's like there's this invisible distance between us, and I don't know how to close it. I want to ask her, to force her to tell me what's wrong, but I can't. I can't push her. She'll just shut down even more.

I wish I could just go back to how things used to be. When we were kids, Mizuki would follow me around everywhere, clinging to my side like my little shadow. She'd talk to me for hours, telling me about her day, her worries, even the stupid stuff like what kind of candy she wanted. She trusted me with everything.

But now? Now she barely says a word. And when she does, it's like she's holding something back. It hurts. It hurts more than I want to admit.

What happened to her? What changed?

I sit there in silence, staring at her burned hand, my fingers still lightly touching the bandage. My mind races through every possible reason for why she's like this, why she's so different now. Did I mess up? Did I fail as her brother?

Did Sasuke leaving break her in a way I can't fix?

"...O-onii-chan?" Mizuki's voice breaks through my thoughts, soft and hesitant.

I blink and look up, startled out of my overthinking. She's staring at me now, her eyes wide and uncertain, like she wants to say something but doesn't know how to. For a second, my heart skips a beat, and I think—maybe this is it. Maybe she's finally going to tell me what's really going on.

But then she looks away again, her shoulders tense.

She's not going to say it. I can feel it.

I swallow hard, trying to ignore the disappointment creeping up my chest. I want to help her, but I can't force it. If she's not ready to talk, then I have to wait. I hate waiting. I hate feeling like I'm useless when it comes to the people I care about. But this is Mizuki. She's my little sister. I'll wait as long as it takes, even if it's killing me inside.

Still, I can't help but wonder—what if she never tells me? What if she keeps hiding behind that fake smile forever? What if I can never fix things between us?

The silence between us grows heavier, almost unbearable. I want to break it, to say something, but I don't know what. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells around her, afraid of making things worse.

Suddenly, I hear her call my name again, but this time, it's softer. "O-onii-chan?"

Her voice sounds different this time—gentler, like she's trying to reach out but doesn't know how to.

I turn to her, managing a smile despite the storm of thoughts swirling in my head. "Yeah?"

For a moment, she looks like she wants to say something important, but instead, she just gives me that same tired smile she's been wearing all day. It hurts to see her like this—to see her so different, so... lost.

I want to hug her, to tell her that everything's going to be okay, that I'm here for her no matter what. But I don't. I just sit there, waiting for her to speak.

But she doesn't.

Instead, she looks away again, and the moment slips away just like that.

"Come on," I say, trying to keep my voice light. "Let's go get some sushi for dinner. I know this new great place near the market. You'll love it."

Mizuki looks up at me, surprised, but then she nods slowly. "Sushi sounds good," she says quietly.

I grin, trying to shake off the heaviness in my chest. "Awesome! Let's go before the good stuff gets sold out."

As we start walking back to the village, I keep sneaking glances at her out of the corner of my eye, hoping she'll say something—anything—that will let me know what's going on in her head.

But she stays quiet, just walking beside me like nothing's wrong.

And I pretend everything's fine, too. Because that's what I do. I keep smiling, keep moving forward, even when everything inside me is screaming that something's wrong.

I'll wait. I'll wait for her to open up. I'll wait for her to trust me again.

But, deep down, I can't help but wonder... how long can I keep pretending I'm okay with this distance between us?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=

YOU KNOW WHAT- I honestly haven't given Naruto and Mizuki their time ever since they met. I think it's a nice addition to their distance from each other since they haven't seen each other in a long time as well.

GUYS?? IDK WHY MY OLD SELF THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO DOX MYSELF....

Little Author-chan literally gave away her entire identity and name, and school and everything- wtf. So glad that I unpublished this-