Guardian Angel (A Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 17 part II

(A:N - WARNING! Sad chapter ahead. Have tissues at the ready. I'm serious, get them stocked up now, you'll be a sobbing mess at the end, and if not, you're a robot (not that that's a bad thing)).

Kurami teleported back to the hotel room she had been assigned to by the Kazekage. Checking to make sure her baby brother was alright, she dismissed her two wolves with a grateful nod, then started to pack away both her and Naruto's belongings into two separate scrolls which she slipped into the inside pockets of her cloak. With that taken care of, Kurami woke Naruto up.

"Nee-chan, is something wrong? Why are we up so early?" Naruto asked, blearily rubbing his eyes and yawning tiredly as he sat up. Kurami gave him a reassuring smile. "Nothing's wrong sweetie, we just have to do something before we go back home."

"We're going home already? It's only been two days nee-chan." Naruto protested, wanting to explore the foreign villge more. "And what do we have to do before we go?" He added curiously.

Kurami's amethyst purple eyes gazed warmly into Naruto's deep blue ones. "Don't worry, I'll give you a quick tour before we leave. As for what we have to do, we need to pick someone up." Her eyes softened. "Someone very special...like you." Naruto tilted his head to the side adorably, confused, and Kurami laughed. "Come on sweetie, let's go."

He hummed in agreement and jumped off the bed. Outside, the storm was dying down and between the dark, thick clouds that were slowly moving away, thin streams of light broke through. A new day was dawning. Kurami gently took hold of her brother's hand and flashed them both outside. The air was heavy with moisture and quite humid, the sand below was damp and slightly muddy, but it was quite peaceful since many people were still asleep. Both siblings enjoyed the tranquility as they walked around Suna, hand in hand.

Kurami broke the peaceful silence. "Naruto." Her voice was uncharacteristically serious and immediately caught her brother's attention. He turned his head to look up at her, silently waiting for his sister to continue, focusing on nothing else but her. "Yes, nee-chan?" He answered, attentive. Kurami spoke, emotionlessly, her head bowed and hair covering her eyes, making it hard for Naruto to gauge her mood. "Before I came to Konoha...how was your life?" She continued walking, pulling Naruto along as the light in his eyes dulled slightly, but went unnoticed. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Kurami was trying her best not to show the simmering, overwhelming anger brewing within her. She knew the life of a jinchuuriki was never easy, not by a long shot, but she had to know. She had to know what her little brother had been through, so she couldn't afford to let the boiling rage within her explode, else Konoha would not survive the terrible fury she may unleash upon it. She loved her village and the people in it, truly she did, but she loved her family more.

Naruto inhaled sharply and Kurami's eyes snapped to his small form, slightly hunching in as if to protect himself, as he answered. "Before you came onee-chan, life was like a nightmare. Actually, it was worse. At least in a nightmare, you wake up the next day. For me, that didn't happen, my nightmare was my reality. All I knew was that I had no parents, I was an orphan and I had no family to look after me. So I had to learn to look after myself. I also knew that most people in the village, mainly the adults, hated me, and I still don't know why. I was called things like "m-monster" and "murderer", but I didn't do anything. I never hurt nobody! I swear nee-chan, I never hurt anybody!" Up until then, Naruto's voice was quiet, lifeless and emotionless. But his voice trembled towards the end and broke as he started shouting, trying to prove his innocence to his older sister, tears spilling from his pained blue eyes as he begged her to believe him. She was his only family. What if she thought he was a monster too, and left him? He knew he could not withstand the pain of losing the last member of his family, not after he just got her. Let everyone in the world hate him, let them all throw the angry cruel words and curses at him and let them beat him if they wished. Just don't let his sister ever leave him. The whole world can turn against him, as long as she didn't. His sister, his saviour and his hope. "P-please believe me nee-chan," he pleaded brokenly.