My day of training went as usual and I began to tread my way back home, walking the broken streets of Kirigakure. It had been demolished and was still being re-built. The restaurants I usually passed on my way home were covered in tarps, the sound of hammer smashing away filled the city as usual and I continued to walk to see my house, the door was opened. The sight was strange, nobody was home, or at least nobody should be home. Father knew the times that I came home and would usually leave by then, why was someone in my house? Either way I was going to find out why the door was open.
I approached the house, one of my fists pulled back ready to hit whoever was in my house. As I entered I looked around quickly to see nothing yet. All I saw was usual except it seemed more of a mess. Not like somebody was ransacking our house but as if somebody was angry and could not handle the sight of the home, well what was left of the home. As I continued to walk through rooms, fist at the ready, I saw my father laying on the floor. His face was flushed with a drunken complexion. I lowered my fist and walked over to him and stood over his past out body.

“How pathetic. The one thing this man has done right in my life is stay out of it, and now he’s at home, drunk off of his mind.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll just wait for him to wake up and ask what the hell he’s doing here and why he made such a mess.” I said to myself as I sat onto our half burnt couch. I picked up a picture of my mother and looked at it as I waited.

After a few minutes I decided that I should clean up, mother wouldn't have loved to see this mess. I cleaned the house slowly, looking over to my drunken father to see if he had made any progress on awakening. After finishing my cleaning, leaving the room where my father slept mainly alone. As I went back to the couch I looked next to my father and saw him holding a folded picture of my mother. “Why does he have that picture” I wondered to myself. My answers would come soon enough.

A few hours more have passed and he finally awoke. He opened his eyes wearily and looked at me. “Y-yo-you’re home” He said to me. “Of course I’m home, like I am every day for the past 3 year’s father. Why are you here and why are you drunk?” I asked him, my voice stern as if I was the parent in the situation. “It is because I have failed the village and most importantly I have failed Rikku.” He said sadly. I grew angry as he said my mother’s name. I punched him in the face with my left fist. “Never speak her name!” I screamed at him. He held his face for a moment, unsure of what to do.

He began to stand up, his knees trembling. I did not know whether it was from fear or from anger. I grabbed a bag, walked to my room and put in a few things, mainly fighting equipment and my arm bandages as well as some spare pants. “I am done with you. I am done with you and this village. You shun me because I live while mother died yet you have never told me why. I just hope you are haunted for the rest of your life. This village is nothing anymore, why I have stayed for so long only mother could know.” I said as I opened our door. “I am going to the Land of Earth. If you or the village follows me….I WILL kill you.” I said as I walked out and quickly ran off towards the boats, remaining unseen by the villagers who were too busy building back the homes. I took and boat and set off to Kumogakure, The Village Hidden in the Cloud. I took my headband and took off the metal band and looked at it before throwing it into the water.

[713/600 Words]
[Village Exit]