Title: let me help you understand
Summary: She couldn't tolerate her father's overprotectiveness anymore—not over this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Prompt: Phobia
Rating: T
Warning(s): Swearing. Tiny bit of angst. That's probably it.
Comments: I might not have been original with the idea of Sasuke afraid of losing people he loves, but I seem to be the first to bring this context in so there, that's my creative way of bringing it about.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Her father's eyes narrowed in an admonishing manner, his chin tipping upwards authoritatively, and Himari almost wanted to roll her eyes at this, all too used to his strict manner of handling himself. He would not scare her into submission—not today. This was too important, this was—this was everything she'd ever wanted. Everything she'd been waiting for.

She couldn't let her stupid, overprotective father take it away from her!

Lowly, the man calmly warned, "Language, Himari."

Gritting her teeth, she balled her hands into fists and straightened her back proudly, refusing to stand down for this matter.

The nerve of him! she fumed. He is so past ordering me around!

"I'm sixteen, dad! An adult by shinobi standards! I'll speak however I fucking want!" she snarled, keeping her gaze fixed on him with an unwavering, rebellious glare. "But, you, dad," she pointed a finger at him, baring her teeth. "You need to stop being such a fucking jerk and stop limiting me. I am not weak, and you know it!"

She thought she might have seen him falter, his black eyes expressing some sort of guilt, but disregarded the very notion immediately, shaking her head. She'd never known her father to show any remorse for his actions in regards to his severity over her protection.

"Himari!"

She tensed in surprise a bit, and turned to look at her mother, who stood at the door frame with a disapproving frown. She looked a bit worried when she glanced at her husband, but Himari didn't know why that would be.

Carefully, she chided, "That's not a way to talk to your father."

Did she just—Oh, that does it, Himari thought, biting her tongue. Mom never gets involved in these things, usually because she wants dad and I to sort out our issues… so why the hell is she taking sides today?!

Scowling, she quite nearly yelled, "He told me I couldn't fucking go on my mission, my first solo jounin mission, so I'll speak to him however I fucking want, mom!"

Her mother almost recoiled at this, and it was obvious she didn't appreciate her tone in the way her eyes narrowed, her frown turning angry and full of reprimand. But it was not her that scolded Himari.

"Don't you talk to your mother like that," her father snapped, gritting his teeth together as he took a step forward. "I've already told you why you can't go on that A-class mission—you just became a jounin three days ago! And you have no experience whatsoever on solo missions—I can't allow you!"

He was pretty much shouting at her at this point, the limits of his tested patience having finally come to its end, so Himari took it as an invitation to do so as well.

"What, you don't think I can defend myself on my own?!" she spat out, shaking at the pure fury running through her system. How dare he, really? "And how the hell do you expect me to gain that experience if I don't ever get to be on one?!"

When his eyes narrowed some more, unmoved by her accusations, she let out a frustrated cry, tears prickling her eyes as she stomped her foot on the ground. "Kami, you're so full of shit, dad!"

This is so important to me, damnit! Why can't you see?! Why can't you trust me!?

Shaking her head roughly, Himari bit her lip, before sharply turning on her heel and bolting through the back of the house, with the only intention of heading to the training grounds in their backyards to slack off all of her frustrations and sadness

(like father, like daughter, it seemed)

.

.

"Did you see that? She's unbelievable! What father in their right mind would send their inexperienced, young child into the battlefield on her own?"

"Sasuke—"

"And what do I get for protecting her ass from getting beat six ways to Sunday and end up in the hospital? I get—I get this. A shitty attitude and complete lack of respect."

Frown. "Don't pretend like you weren't a little harsh, Sasuke. You know what this is about—"

"I—fuck, I know, but I—She's just so—"

Frustrated breath.

Soft smile. "She's just hurt Sasuke. Let me talk to her. I'll handle this."

.

.

She ignored the sound of their backyard door sliding open, instead focusing on whack, whack, whacking the dummy in front of her with all the strength in her body, teeth biting the inside of her cheek as she struggled to keep the angry tears at bay.

Her family was so impossible, sometimes. It had always been complicated pretty complicated, and when she was young she remembered the relationship between the village and her father to have been pretty tense. She remembered once, waking up in her bed to the sound of screaming… or was it shouting? She couldn't remember—just that there had been an attack.

But why did she have to suffer the consequences of something that happened years ago? Why couldn't her father just let it go? Everyone seemed to love him, now. He was head of the police force, and one of the best ANBUs the village had ever known. No one in their right mind would dare mess with him, especially not when he'd literally saved the world, once.

So what the hell was his problem? Why did he constantly have to step on her dreams, and baby her around? She wasn't a damn child!

"You know," she heard her mother start gently, "you're just like your father when he's angry. Training all his anger away."

Scoffing, Himari back-flipped away from the dummy, and sent a streak of kunais and shurikens towards the targets around, corner of her lips tugging smugly when the satisfying thuds of the weapons reaching their marks resounded. When her gaze traveled along the line of them, she made a pleased huff.

Bulls eye, she thought, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Just like dad taught me.

And in that one single moment, her own pride over her feat vanished in an instant. The anger was back.

"Go away, mom," she grumbled. "And don't talk to me about dad, he's a lying, hypocritical jerk who—"

"—doesn't want you to get hurt because he's lost his entire family once to shinobi violence and the lack of experience you have in the field stresses him out into thinking it's going to happen to him again," Sakura interrupted softly, smiling a little.

Himari grumbled, but felt her anger calm a little. She then paused for a moment as she seemed to realize something, and groaned as feelings of guilt washed over her, plopping down to the ground instead. "I know but—I'm good!" she exclaimed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve for the remnants of whatever angry tears had remained. She'd always be like her mother in terms of sensitivity, it seemed.

"We train together every day! He's taught me his best techniques! He needs to stop being such an overprotective prick and start trusting me to handle myself!"

Taking a seat beside her, Sakura nudged her shoulder. "Himari, you know what happened to your father when he was very young. He lost everything he loved by his own brother's hands, and then found out his own village had ordered him to kill his entire clan, eight years after the incident and moments after he'd killed who he thought was responsible-who he had loved and hated the most in his life. He pushed me and both of your uncles away for the longest time." She paused to tuck a lock of Himari' pink hair behind her ear. "And he even nearly lost me, during the war. I think I might have scared him, even back then."

Grasping her chin gently, her mother urged her to look into green, green eyes—ones that she'd also inherited. "Your father has lost everything he loved several times," she started, looking a bit sad and nostalgic, "because of all the violence in this world. His trust has been betrayed too many times by this system." She breathed in, slowly. "He is always expecting for something bad to happen to us—always expecting for us to be taken away from him some day, because he hasn't had much luck in his life."

There was a shift in her mother's features, then, like she was remembering something horrible. Putting a hand on her arm, Himari was just about to ask her what was wrong, until she went on, "You should have seen him on some nights, Himari. Years ago, he was so afraid sometimes that he'd wake up shaking and shouting for us, thinking we were gone. He was so terrified of waking up all alone."

Pause.

"He still is."

Swallowing tightly, Himari leaned onto her mom's side, feeling awful all of a sudden. Did her dad really feel like this? She felt like she could understand her father's actions a lot more now. But if only she'd known earlier, maybe...

"I… I didn't know it was that bad, mom," she quietly said, putting a hand over her heart. She could feel it squeeze tightly, hurting over the thought of how much pain her father still suffered in his life, even after he'd found his happiness. "I mean I always thought his overprotectiveness was because of his traditional manner and because he was—well, dad. I didn't think…"

She felt her mother's arm slipping around her shoulder, and instantly took the offered comfort, turning to bury her face in the crook of her neck, her own tiny arms slipping around her waist. Her mother's heartbeat was steady, strong. Soothing.

"It's alright," she eventually said, stroking Himari's hair. "Your father is very good at hiding his fears. He doesn't want to show himself vulnerable. He thinks he has to be strong for this whole family." She pulled her away so she could cradle her face. "He can't protect you while you're away. That's why he doesn't want you to go."

Thankful for her mother's patience, and for allowing her to understand her complicated father just a little bit more, Himari hugged her again and whispered, "Thanks, mom."

.

.

"I'm sorry, by the way…"

"You should apologize to your father, not me." Pause. "And he should apologize to you, too. He was pretty mean."

"But I have to apologize to you too! I was rude to you earlier…"

"Well, apology accepted." Smile. "Now come on, go and find your father."

"Will you talk to him for me?"

"About what?"

"Going on the mission?"

Grin. "You know I will, pretty girl."

"And tell him… tell him if he really worries… that he can come with too! Or get me a partner of his choosing! I don't—I can't have him worrying so much for me."

"He'll always worry about us, Himari. That's who he is."

"But just—just tell him, okay?"

"I promise."

A/N: Himari is "stolen" from steampunkskulls. Idk if that's how she pictures Himari, but that's how I do when I see her in her fanarts. So credit to her for her looks and name. :)

And ahh, sorry for the slight lack of Sasuke, even if this whole drabble was about him and his overprotective tendencies. I could have made this longer to have them make up, but idk, I like this. Families fight, but they make up. You know they're gonna be okay. Lol.

I hope you guys understand Himari freaked because this mission was super important to her and it was one of her dreams, and just like her parents, she can't tolerate anyone trying to take it away from her.

DeepPoeticGirl