A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

When I leave the Hokage's office, I barely notice Naria sensei standing across the door. I storm past her, not even glancing her way.

"Kimina, wait." She grabs my arm.

I willingly stop, but I don't turn towards her. "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?" she asks calmly.

I look back at her. "That my grandma committed suicide."

She lets go of my arm. "No, I did not."

"Well, me neither," I spit back.

"What were you told about her death?"

"I was told when I was younger that she had died while she was on a mission. But now I know I was only told that to keep the truth hidden." My hands ball into fists. "My grandmother actually took her own life because of this healing curse. I've been lied to and I need to know the real truth."

"Kimina, whatever you're planning on doing right now, just please reconsider. It's not--"

"What if I end up like that!" I practically scream in frustration.

Naria sensei actually smiles, despite my clear resentment, and that pisses me off even more. "That won't happen. And do you know why I know that?" She doesn't wait for a answer, even though I wasn't going to give one anyway. "Because you have me. You have the Hokage. You have your teammates, your mom and your friends. Your grandma was alone because she chose that, and it affected her more because of that."

I feel tears well up in my eyes and I turn away. "I'm done talking. I'm leaving."

~~*~~

I race through the village, oblivious to the bystanders around me. I bump into a couple people, but I just keep going without an apology. I had much bigger concerns.

I dash around the corner and bam!

"Ow!" I fall back on my butt, hard. I rub my head and look across from me with narrowed eyes. "Huh?"

"Man, Kimina, that really hurt," he says, rubbing his behind as he stood up.

"Naruto, I'm sorry." He outstretches his hand to me, and I take it.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, anyway?"

Looking into his blue eyes, I could almost forget about all my fears and worries, but it didn't last long. "I'm going home." I begin to walk past him.

"Did something happen?"

I bite my bottom lip, only wishing I could stay. "No, everything's fine!" I yell back as I begin running back towards home.

I finally make it home and rush into the kitchen, where my mom was busy cleaning.

I didn't even care if Rakuyo was here somewhere. "I need to talk to you."

She dries her hands on a dishtowel, and faces me. I knew she noticed the annoyance in my tone, and she asked cautiously, "What is it, Kimina?"

"Why haven't you told me the truth about my grandmother's death?"

She doesn't answer.

"So, she committed suicide, huh? I could get you not telling me about it when I was younger to avoid the curse, but why haven't you just told me the truth recently?"

She looks directly into my eyes. "Because I was scared. I am scared."

"You're scared? I could end up like that! Take my own life--"

"You don't think I know that!" She cuts me off, her voice cracking at the end. "She was my mother, Kimina. When I found her dead, it broke me. It absolutely broke me. And now you have this same curse that sent her into madness. I am scared, Kimina. I was going to tell you, but I..."

My anger leaves me in one single exhale. What was wrong with me? Of course my mom would have a perfectly good reason not to tell me thus far about my grandma, and I just came at her with no sympathy whatsoever. This was why Naria sensei wanted to stop me.

"I'm sorry," I say lamely. "I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you. I had no reason to." My eyebrows pull together in thought. "Lately, when I have even a spark of anger, it all of a sudden ignites into a full heat storm that I can't control."

My mother's eyes widen, but I didn't catch it.

I continue. "I think she is fueling my anger... I know she is actually. I don't know what to do though. In the Forest of Death, Yuuna came to me in a dream, and told me that no one could help me and that I couldn't change anything about this healing curse she gave to grandma and ultimately me."

"No," she interrupts me. "That's not true."

I smile at her. "I think so too. I believe that there is someone who can help me."

"What are you talking about?" she questions me.

I catch myself. "Nothing, mom."

She disregards it. "You can try not using this healing power at all. Just suppress it altogether and just go back to being a normal ninja that heals on your own."

I shake my head. "No, I can't. If me or one of my friends gets hurt... I have to help them because I have the power to."

"I knew you were going to say that," she replies. She walks up to me then. "I am truly scared, Kimina. With all of this. I wish you could just grow up and not have to worry about this healing curse."

"I know, mom. And I'm scared too, even though I don't show it. I am going to die by the hands of this curse, and of course that terrifies me. It can betray me, or I go mad with insanity and take my own life. I... I..."

Drops of water fall past my vision and I look up and see my mother crying, her expression pained. I embrace her and she holds me back just as tightly.

"Please, keep your mind and spirit strong while you are out there training. I want you to still be here and living happily after I am dead and gone, many, many years from now. You got that?"

I simply nod, not able to open my mouth to speak.

Little did I know though, there was someone listening outside of our kitchen window.