𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | izuna uchiha

Chapter 7

Long excruciating days have passed since Nanami's sentence to a new life, and the aura around her was no longer a cheerful or light one. Instead, she slowly fell into slight depression, and she felt as though her life was officially over.

Ever since that fateful day, Nanami was in pain when she learned that she could no longer be a devoted kunoichi for the Uchiha clan. She cried herself to sleep on the first night when she arrived to Arashi and Juri's home, and she desperately wished for her old life back. Her entire life and dream was to help her clan fight in all of their wars, and now that she could no longer do that, she couldn't bring herself to face any of the higher-ups or ninja of the clan, especially Izuna, whom had vowed to protect her since they were children. She was a complete failure to them and her deceased parents, and she knew that fact perfectly.

As she continued to scrub the wooden floor with a white rag, silent tears slid down her cheeks in anguish. Nanami sniffed and scrubbed the floor harder to distract herself from any more harmful thoughts about herself. But doing chores did not distract her from her work whatsoever, and she relentlessly let her questions roam freely around her mind.

"Why wasn't I born perfect like the others? Why did I, out of everyone else in the clan, have to be the weak one? Was this my true fate after all this time?" she muttered to herself.

Before Nanami could scold herself mentally, she felt someone gently place their hand on her shoulder. Turning her head around quickly, Nanami met Juri's kind and friendly onyx orbs, and she exhaled a breath to calm herself down.

"Nanami-san, I'll be gone for awhile to pick up some food for dinner tonight. Is there anything that you need, such as ingredients or spices?" Juri asked softly.

Nanami shook her head in response and returned her gaze back to the soapy floor. "No thank you, Juri-sama. I have already prepared everything for tonight's meal."

"Ah, alright then. Also, Nanami-san, you do not have to refer to me as 'Juri-sama'. You can call me by my name instead." stated Juri with a small smile.

"I apologize for my choice of words. Do forgive me, Juri-san." Nanami said quietly.

Juri let out an exasperated sigh and pivoted on her feet to leave. Ever since Nanami came to work and live with them as their personal maid, she couldn't help but wonder what ran through the noiseless girl's mind. Juri initially tried to befriend Nanami on the first night, but it became clear to her that Nanami had no intentions of forming a close bond with anyone in the house.

Nanami wasn't hostile or cold in any way, but she wasn't in touch with the world around her either. All she could focus on was the loss of her status as a kunoichi and her crushed dream. Izuna had been a part of her focus, but it was painful to think about him, so she chose not to let her mind wander when it came to him.

"Nanami-san, I'll always be here to hear you out! I see us as equals, despite the sudden change in our statuses. After all, you were the captain of my team. If anything, I hope that I can lend you my hand as a friend!" Juri declared as she gripped on tightly to the strap of her mocha-colored bag.

Nanami's eyes widened with shock when she heard those words, and she couldn't help but wonder why a higher-up wanted to befriend her once again. Surely Juri must have had better things to do than to befriend and talk to her former captain, right?

With no response from a puzzled Nanami, Juri looked back and politely bowed her head down, and then she went away to carry out her own errands. She understood that Nanami needed some time to comprehend her words, and she was fine with it. There would be plenty of days in the future where she and Nanami could converse with one another.