Just a little drable fic I though up in my spare time. ~Koi
Yamanaka Ino was woken up to the sound of screaming and slamming doors.
She didn't show any signs of being scared, though. The blue-eyed child wasn't crying, and she wasn't yelling for them to stop. IN fact, she smiled just a little bit.
All of this was normal in her house, something that she'd gotten used to it. Her parents yelled – well, it was mainly Kaa-san, though Tou-san snapped at her every once in a while, too– but every family did that, right.
If her parents did it, then everyone else's must do it as well.
Because, after all, her Tou-san and Kaa-san held hands and smiled at each other outside of the house, just like everyone's mother and father, so it had to be an average thing in households.
The blonde sat up in her and rubbed at her bleary eyes.
She stretched out her mouth in a big yawn and slung the oversized covers off her. She jumped down off the bed and padded over towards the door, stretching to reach the handle.
She'd pop in and ask her parents what was going on. That always stopped the arguing. Kaa-san would look at Tou-san before walking over and pulling Ino into a hug. Then Tou-san would wait a few seconds before joining.
Kaa-san would gate up right after and head out to meet with her friends, and Tou-san would take her out to the backyard and explain to her what Hana-san's different names were, what they meant, and what they'd do (Like how Bara-san helped people show love).
But, this time, when Ino got downstairs, that wouldn't happen.
The five-year old checked the kitchen and the living room, but no one was there.
Kaa-san and Tou-san normally yelled there at night, since it was supposed to be the farther from her room. Kaa-san would throw things as Tou-san. But he was a shinobi, so he caught them or dodged them.
Most of the time, this just made Kaa-san angry.
Ino popped over to the living room, where the fighting took place during the day. But it was empty. She looked out back, but there wasn't anything except Tsuki-san and Sayuri-san. The Yamanaka quickly waved to them.
"I have to find Tou-san and Kaa-san," she whispered, "So I can't stay. I'll water you in the morning, okay?" Tsuki-san swayed in response. Sayuri-san just unfurled her petals, basking in the sun.
Ino scuttled away. Finally, she peaked her head around the corner… only to find her Kaa-san walking out the door, bag in hand.
"Maketa!" Tou-san shouted. His voice cracked hallway through her name and Kaa-san whirled around, her entire face red in anger.
"I've put up with you long enough," she screamed, "I don't care how much you love me, or how much you adore me; this was an arranged marriage! I've bore you a child, now leave me be!"
"What about Ino?" Tou-san demanded, "You're just going to leave her?"
"You know I never cared for that child!" Kaa-san screeched. She whirled around and stormed away, stopping only to stomp on the roses out front.
Minutes passed before Ino found the courage to walk forward, "Tou-san," she asked, "Is Kaa-san coming back?"
Yamanaka Inoichi turned around and forced a smile, "Come here," he said, holding open his arms. Ino threw herself into them and wrapped her own around his chest. "She will, honey," he whispered through his tears, "She'll come home for dinner tomorrow, okay?"
Ino nodded, "Okay."
But Ino knew. She knew Kaa-san wouldn't be back. Not for the next day's dinner, not ever.
And she hated her for it. She despised her for everything she'd done for her family. She thought of her when she threw her kunai, and when she fought in her matches.
Of all the people Ino aspired to be, Yamanaka Maketa wasn't one of them. To Ino, her mother was a fake and a fraud.
Yet, somehow, along the way, she became exactly like her.