'They never listen to me, ever! Nobody does' I think to myself; kicking a small rock along the streets of Konoha. My destination at the moment: anywhere but home, away from the problems. "Get away, they said. You'll just get hurt, they said. You're just a kid, they said! They don't even care." My voice began to lower at the last words to escape my mouth, and I noticed the slight cracking it held. I wanted to cry, I really did, but I didn't, I couldn't, I wouldn't. So instead, I focused all my attention on the rock I was kicking, talking to it telepathically, sort of. 'I guess you don't have all the luck in the world either, huh?' I said to it, and focused my attention on it more as if waiting for a response. However, the further I walk into this little town, the more I forget about that rock. I let my eyes wander around, sighting every nook and cranny I can find in this little town I call home; unfortunately. Its not that I don't like Konoha, actually, I love it. The usually quiet streets, the nearby forests and lakes, and of course the delicious smell of the one and only Ichiraku Ramen! But what I do hate, however, is the total lack of responsibility, trust and freedom given to a 15 year old, spunky, emotional, teenage girl, such as myself.
I hated being treated like a kid, being treated like im still 7 years old, always under supervision. "If they trust me enough to let me train to become a ninja, then why can't I just get my own personal space. "Hey, Akiko" a warm, friendly, older mans voice snaps me out of thought. I turned my head around to see that I was parked right in front of Ichiraku's Ramen Shop, yum! I made myself comfortable on the closest chair near me. Teuchi and his daughter, the former owners of the shop, have always been a big part of my life. They were like my family; I really did care for them a lot. "Hello Teuchi, Ayame" I said cheerfully, although something in the bottom of my stomach told me that this might not be a good idea. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to it. "How are you guys doing" I asked trying to seem happy, even though my stomach was forbidding me to. "We're fine, and you?" Teuchi asked wrapping his arm around Ayames' shoulder to pull her into a fatherly embrace. That's when it happened, when my mind began to race, and my stomach wanted to smack me in the head for not listening. I've always wished I had the loving father- daughter relationship that Ayame and Teuchi shared. Heck, I wish I knew my father, period. Thinking about my fatherless life, my eyes began to tear. For as long as I've known Ayame, which was about 4 years, I've always been jealous about her for one reason. It wasn't her nice hair, or the cool clothes she wore, or even that she knows how to make the most delicious ramen, but it was because unlike me, she had a father who cared for her, a lot. Although im sure I shouldn't have felt this way, my heart began to circle around 3 feelings: jealousy, sadness, and then rage. I looked up at Ayame and Teuchi. Teuchi's eyes were glued to the table, while Ayame's eyes were glued to mine. I saw how much she wanted to comfort me just from the look that she gave me, the look that I dreaded my entire life. You know, that look you get when someone treats you like a crybaby, always wanting to give you a comforting hug, 24/7. That look disgusts me so much. I took that akward silence time to apologize to my inner thoughts, the ones who tried to warn me before, and I tried to find a way out of the situation and back into my own little world, walkig along the streets. I finally came up with something, I wasn't sure exactly how good it would sound to cover myself up, but it was worth a shot. "Hey, umm… look can I just get my order. I'm running late to somewhere." "Akiko, y-you haven't ordered yet. Are you okay?" there they were, the dreadful words that followed that look I hate so much. This turned up my rage a bit more. "Yeah, can I just get some curry noodles? Im okay, so just, y- you know, c'mon!" my eyes began to get huge, my voice rising, and my hand clenching the chair beneath me. Teuchi opened his mouth to speak, but just closed it back and walked away to fix my order. Ayame put her hand on my shoulder. "Do you want to tell me what's gong on, I'll understand trust me?" she spoke, softly. I swatted her hand away, and her face drooped a bit, it gave off such a sad vibe in the atmosphere. "There's nothing wrong just leave me alone, gosh!" "Kiko, you always do this" she began, and she was right, I never talked to people about my feelings, I always bottled them up. "And I- I think you should really talk to me. Please? I really want to help, I really-'cut her off as I jumped out of my chair. "You're just like them, you know that. I heard a small gasp of confusion behind me. My eyes began to water even more. "You're just like everyone else. Always thinking you will be able to help, and then when I give you a chance, you'll fail! You don't know anything that goes on in my head, at my home, in my heart. And unfortunately, you never will!" I walked away from the astand, not even thinking about my growling stomach, or my order of noodles. My heart was torn, more than before. Ayame always told me that she would never ask me about my feelings because she knew that I don't like to talk about them, she promised me that she wouldn't do it. And yet, look what happened. Pretty soon my walking turned into running. I cut a few corners, pushed past some people and made my way into the Hidden Leaf Forest, already crying. 'I never want to go back, not anymore' I thought to myself.