Ok, please forgive the spacing of this Author's note. For some reason, it's being all weird.

Ok! So, Basically, this is all the random little ideas I had for things that relate to, or were alluded to during my fic "Breathe Again", and it's potential sequel. that really didn't belong anywhere in the story. Um... basically a bunch of random one shots xD I'll provide the following information before each: Title, Genre (please forgive me if these are a little off xDD And If it's a crack fic, I'll warn you here.), Warnings (I was going to say "rating" but I'm bad at deciding those, and I figured this would be more specific), Canon (Ok xDD it's OC fanfiction, so it's IMMEDIATELY not cannon to the Naruto universe. What I mean is like, if it's canon to the fic, or jsut something random), Fic spoilers (some of these take place During, or After the fic and the potential sequel, and would definitely reveal alot about the plot. So like, yeah xDD) Setting: ( The time: Pre series, Series, Filler time, Timeskip time, or Shippuden, and the place if there's a specific one), and a Summary.

So... yeah! Some of these may mention characters that belong to my friend Jay, Nobukane, and Rin. So credit for their characters goes to them n.n

Disclaimer: Naruto Belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Title: Faux Pas

Genre: Family/Drama

Warnings: Child Abuse

Canon: Yes

Fic Spoilers: Yes

Setting: Pre series (19 years), Kirigakure no Sato

Summary: Because as long as she was living under Ume Gyouten's roof, there were certain things that would not be tolerated...


She'd been in pain before, certainly.

She'd fallen, dropped things, had things dropped on her... But nothing like this. The biting, matter of fact sound that had accompanied the strike was still ringing clearly in the air, reverberating off the small cabin's walls. The six year old stumbled backwards, with a high pitched sheik, and would have fallen, were it not for her clumsy collision with the nearest wall.

She hadn't even seen him move.

The room's other occupant had drawn himself back up to his full height, and turned to look away again. His face was hidden, both by his position, and snowy white hair; but that made no difference. She'd watched him long enough to imagine his expression; eyes closed behind his thin square-lensed glasses, visage set in a deadly calm.

"Don't you ever use that word again."

That hiss was the closes to anger she'd ever really heard from him. The closest to anything, really, and her eyes begin to sting. He was still present, so Kotone choked the tears back, gagged whimpers that were probably more pathetic than cries breaking forth. Just hearing her own pitiful bawling was shameful enough to bring tears, and the crying becomes inevitable. She was in shock, she was in pain, she was...A small, bumbling hand covers her face, and comes away covered in blood, from her nose, and mouth. She was bleeding.

And worst of all, she had disappointed her father again.

"Go clean yourself up."

The dumbstruck moment of hesitation brought forth more insistent sobs, as she scrambled to obey the order, when it finally sunk in. She corrected the words she'd been about to blurt in apology, and stayed silent as she raced to the small bathroom down the hall.

Don't talk, just do.

She noted the door locking behind herself as she shut it, throwing herself in a weeping, bleeding heap between the counter, and bathtub, letting the cries and wails run themselves out where no one would hear. Where she couldn't disgrace him.

It was just another one of her stupid little mistakes, and as her father had taught her, a ninja couldn't afford those. She had let her guard down...

Winter was her favourite time of the year. It always had been. In the cold, and the storms, travel within the country, and especially those to outside of the country grew dangerous, and missions were less frequent. In the winter, her stays with Oji san, and Oba san grew few, and far between. The snow kept her father home, with her.

She supposed that's why she had been so happy, and at the same time, careless. Her father had picked her up, and she had followed gleefully along the path his steps broke through the snow, home. It was only as he shut the door behind himself, and started for a chair inside that she'd let the words slip, and had immediately felt his knuckles against the side of her face.

She really hadn't realized it was bad. She'd never say anything bad... She heard it all the time. A young couple that had entered Oji san and Oba san's shop to buy bread had been whispering those words between themselves incessantly. Even Oji san and Oba san said it, and often too.

She held her sleeve to her nose, waiting for the bleeding to stop as the sobs ebbed, and choked themselves into nothing. Slowly, shakily, the six year old pushed herself to her feet, taking hold of an overturned plastic milk carton that she used for a step, and dropped it before the sink.

Two steps brought her to face her reflection, and Kotone watched the tears well up again, as she took in exactly how ridiculous she looked: eyes red and puffy, blatant tear tracks staining her cheeks. The child forced them down, though, and began examining the damage.

Her right cheek was red, and stinging, and had begun to purple where the back of his hand had hit. The blood had dried, sticking strands of hair to her face, the metallic taste and smell overpowering. She sighed, and turned the tap, letting a trickle of cold water splash into the sink basin, and strained to reach the washcloth off to the side, the small girl finding her reach insufficient. She grabbed hold of a corner, though, and dragged it under the running water.

She spared a guilty glanced at her own bloodied reflection, stomach churning uneasily. Otou san had rules for a reason, even if she didn't understand them. That's how it was for shinobi; sometimes you got an order that didn't make much sense, but you did it anyway. That's what he'd taught her, at least, and she believed him wholeheartedly. She'd made mistakes before, yes, and she'd been punished, but this was different. She'd actually made him angry with her.

She began wiping the orange-red smears from her skin dismally. It hadn't seemed like such a big deal, but to upset him that way... What she did must have been terrible. The girl let out another despondent little whimper, head hanging low. She'd make it up to him. She'd be better, from now on, she'd make him proud of her.

He'd never been proud of her, and that came as no surprise. After all...

It was her fault Oka san was gone.

She would make things up to him. She would make him proud.

Kotone nodded resolutely, wiping the last of the dried blood from her face.

"I love you, Otou san." Had officially been removed from her vocabulary.

- - - - -

Twenty years, and even the thought of that simple phrase makes the side of my face sting. Otou San had always had a way of making his lessons stick. Permanently.

Oh, I tried of course, once five years ago. I'll never be sure if it was the look in his eye, or the ache in my jaw that made me stop, and I regret letting either stand in my way. I'll regret it, profoundly, for the rest of my days.

But now, it doesn't matter. The pain in my heart surpasses any in my cheek, and there's no way of telling one from the other. It just hurts. And I'm sobbing. I'm actually sobbing. And you know? I really couldn't care less.

I was a coward for not telling you when it mattered. When it could have changed something.

But still, even if it's no good, I'll say it now. Because I should have said it before, every day, wether it fit with our accursed "honour" or not. Both of you, though the ways may be different. Because it's true, and no amount of timeworn lessons, enforced by my father's ghost should be enough to stop me. But now I understand what it was he really taught me, probably without meaning to.

If you're going to love someone, you had better accept the agony that comes with it.

And I do.

But it's too late for that to mean anything, now, isn't it?

Um... so yeah. I have alot more little Kotone things planned xD But I'm not sure about writing/posting them. So, if you're interested, please tell me n.n

Oooh! And prompts (is that the right word?) and suggestions and stuff are totally welcome!That'd be awesome.

So yeah! Thank you very much for reading, Please review, and have an awesome day n.n