Hey, readers! I'm writing Naruto oneshots for whoever would like one! Just message me if you are interested! Also, if you want a oneshot from another anime/movie/TV show/book etch, just ask me if I've heard of it and I will see what I can do!
Chapter 1
I cowered in the corner of my room as I heard the front door open and close. He was home again. I made no sound, my heart pounding painfully in my ears with fear.
The lights were all out, it was late at night, past my bedtime, so I prayed that he would just go to bed himself.
But, no.
"Naomi, you little wench, wake up!" The man drunkenly called down the hall. Tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to just pretend that I was a hard sleeper, but that would only infuriate the man more. I swallowed the bile in my throat and got up from the corner of my bed.
"Hurry up!" He yelled. I shuffled into the kitchen where he sat at the table. The clock read 11:13 PM. Normal eight year olds would be fast asleep, cozy under their covers now.
"Well? Get to cooking, lazy. That's why I have you." I tried to walk by the man glaring at me without getting near enough for him to touch me. He shoved his booted foot against my backside and pushed me into the counter. I held in a cry, and sniffling, fixed a plate of the dinner I made earlier on my own.
After the plate was heated, I sat it in front of him. I kept my eyes away from those penetrating green ones, full of hatred of the world.
"Now, go to bed. You have to get up early. There's lots of work to be done around here. Seems like someone's been slacking." I flinched as my father's hand raised from the tabletop. He only reached out and grabbed the chopsticks on the table surface. The breath I held was let out as I all but ran out of the room again.
Thank god he's in a good mood.
Under the covers, the tears came unbidden. I hugged my only toy, a ragged stuffed teddy, to my chest. All I could do was pray to grow up and get away from this mess.
"Izurami, Naomi." I sat in class, weeks gone by, keeping my head low. As my name was called for attendance, I weakly raised my hand before dropping it back down and shortly after falling right to sleep on the wooden desk. I'd been up the whole night before trying to clean up the mess my father had made. Glass was still embedded in my fingers and my knees from crawling on the floor picking up the pieces.
Sleep was short-going before my name was called out again.
"Pay attention, Naomi! No more sleeping!" The teacher shouted out meanly. I nodded and held my head up with the palm of my hand. My eyes kept drifting closed, but I honestly tried to stay up. I didn't even remember falling asleep again.
"NAOMI!" I started, my head falling from my hand and smacking on the desktop. I looked up, rubbing my forehead. The teacher was standing in front of me with a glare in his eyes. His eyes were nothing compared to what I've seen before. "To the Hokage's office. Now." I was lifted gruffly from my seat by my arm. I winced as one of the bruises flared with pain. The teacher shoved me out of his classroom and into the hall.
I hung my head and walked from the academy to the Hokage's building without a word of complaint.
I sat in the hallway, drifting in and out of slumber as I waited for my turn to talk to the Third Hokage.
"Hey," I blinked my eyes open once again, feeling the heavy bags under them weigh down in complaint of the repeated awakenings. A tanned boy with a line across his nose was kneeling down in front of me with a curious look in his brown eyes.
"Hey," I mumbled and yawned widely.
"What are you here for?" He sat down next to me, leaning against the wall and resting his elbows on his knees. I recognized his face from one of the older classes in the academy. He was the prankster everyone always laughed about.
"Sleeping in class." I shrugged, yawning again. A tear of sleepiness leaked from the corner of my eye. He grinned over at me.
"I know how you feel, then. I'm Iruka," He stuck out his hand and I took it. He glanced down at the cuts on my fingers and palm but said nothing, which I was thankful for.
"Naomi." I smiled a little, feeling shy now that someone was actually talking to me.
"Iruka, are you back already?" One of the jounin under the Third Hokage's orders stepped out into the hall and saw the boy sitting next to me.
"That's my que," he grinned cheekily and jumped to his feet. "See you around, Naomi!" He called back at me and for the first time I can remember, I hoped for the words said to me to come true.