Naomi sighed, rubbing a hand through her short brown locks in frustration. She sat on her bed staring at her cellphone, a hesitant finger hovering over the 'send' button. Naomi read the message over and over, doubt filling her mind; should she send it? Should she expect something from it? Would it even help her if she got an answer?
An abrupt knock interrupted her thoughts. "Naomi? Are you awake?" It was her mother. Naomi sighed, closing her phone and once letting the message once again go to her drafts.
"Come in," Naomi muttered. She never really enjoyed seeing her mother these days; they fought over everything, Natsumi seemingly infuriated by her daughter's recent talks about an 'imaginary' friend named Seiko. Naomi knew, though, that Seiko was real. She even had proof on her phone for god's sake! But the photo's face was blackened, and Naomi knew that if she showed her mother the photo one more time, she'd absolutely get sent to an institution and put on meds.
Natsumi cautiously stepped into the room, looking around before closing the door behind her. Seeing that the room was as clean and tidy as it was when she cleaned it yesterday, she took a deep breath and forced a smile for her daughter. "Naomi," she grit through her teeth, "how are you feeling today?" She watched as Naomi flinched at the harsh tone her mother used. In Natsumi's mind, her actions were justified; if Naomi had the right to scream and hit her mother, then her mother had the right to treat her daughter as a stranger.
"F-fine...I guess." Naomi tried to hold in her stutter, but realized it didn't even matter. Her mother wouldn't notice it anyways. To her mother, everything that came out of Naomi's mouth was fine so long as she wasn't being 'crazy'. Natsumi walked closer to Naomi, eying her up and down, searching for any signs of an outburst. Thankfully, she found none. "Think you can get yourself together enough to go to school?" Her tone was cold and harsh, and Naomi flinched again.
She hated her mother at this point, but was too busy being grateful she wasn't mocking her about Seiko. Naomi nodded, not really being able to find her voice. Natsumi accepted it, and left, mumbling about how she wanted a normal daughter, and for all it was worth, for all she had been through, couldn't life at least give her a sane daughter?
Tears fell out Naomi's eyes as she watched her mother walk out the room and shut the door. Her words never made her feel any better about herself or what she had been through and what she had done. She threw her pillow across the room in anger, silently fuming. Her mother could never understand! She couldn't even begin to grasp what had happened to Naomi those past few weeks; she had killed her best friend! She saw more death than anyone should ever have to see, yet her mother didn't understand her. Of course, she wouldn't believe her, but Naomi still felt her mother could be a little more understanding.
Picking up the abused pillow, Naomi put it back where it belonged and began to get dress. She sniffled at the thought of what awaited her at school, but put her bag on anyway. Soon enough, she was out the door, trying to face the reality she wasn't ready for.
A/N: We have now entered the other reality I have created and will be using. Basically, this is the canon universe. And it's the aftermath of HH, obviously. So here is the Naomi side of things...I know I portrayed Natsumi a little funny, but that's because in my very fuzzy memory of when I watched the livestream of BD, Natsumi was a jerk towards Naomi. I remember her yelling, but that may be just me. (That was so long ago and such a long day, too). So yeah, enjoy this chapter!
