N. V. S.

I'll keep my memories of you... Cause now... Thats all I'll ever have.

----Nightmare----

"Aiko, fetch me my slippers, ya brat!" a low voice echoed through a semi-empty house,

"H-Hai father... Right away..." a short, 10-year-old-girl responded, running around the house to find those stupid slippers,

"Hurry up!"

"...H-Hai father! I-I'm looking for them!"

"Don't talk to me in that tone!"
"...Gomenesai."

"Where'd you put them?"

"I-I didn't touch them."

"Well slippers just don't walk away on there own!"

"...Hai."

"Now get them quickly 'fore I kick your sorry ass..."

"H-Have you been drinking, father?" she asked, the least bit concerned for the cruel man,

"Damnright I have, got a problemmbitch?" his words slurred together. Aiko was rather hurt by the name-calling, but didn't take it too personally; she was already used to it.

"I-I can't find them!"

"Get over here, Imma whip your ass so hard you won't be able to get up tomorrow, fucker!"

"P-Please no! I'm sorry! I'll look harder!"

"GET YO ASS OV'R HERE!" against her better judgment, Aiko followed the order, knowing it would just end horribly. Her father took a good look at her, then spat on her face. He continued to beat and slap her, until Aiko couldn't stand anymore, "Get up, bitch."

"I-I can't..."

"I said get up!"

"..." Mr Usagi then proceeded to grab her shirt collar,

"Don't you dare disobey me."

"..."

"Say something, brat!"

"I miss mom." was all she could think of. But instead of a slap to the face, or a kick, he started laughing. His eyes crunched up, his mouth wide open, tongue wriggling like a snake, and his hand over his stomach, as though already getting cramps.

"You miss that whore?"

"She's not a whore!" Aiko replied sharply, not really knowing what 'whore' meant at the time,

"What would you know? She always babied you!"

"...But thats what mothers do... Take care of they're young..."

"She'sdead." he said, rolling his eyes at her, recovering from his laughing fit,

"..."

"I killed her." Aiko's eyes widened through the bruises, as she sat up. All that went through her mind was, 'No. YOU DIDN'T. YOU DIDN'T! SHE...SHE...IT WAS ALL AN ACCIDENT!'

"No."

"Yep. Gave her such a beating she couldn't get up. Then I threw her in a ditch and called an ambulance. They bought the whole thing, 'I don't know what happened! All of the sudden there was a flash of light, tires screeching... I... I couldn't jump in fast enough to save her!' HA. Pathetic. Just. Like. You."

"No."

"What? Don't believe me?"

"..."

"I can show you how I beat her... I can show you first hand!" he yanked her arm, and threw her against the farthest wall. A cascade of dust and wood fell from the ceiling; a result of another person being thrown against it.

Blood trickled down Aiko's neck, staining her purple hair black. She remained motionless, as though dead from the impact, her eyes hidden in her hair,
"What? That all you got?" her father asked, drunkly, "Even your mother lasted a bit longer. But I guess your just a worthless piece of shit, put in the world to be used like people like me. Smart people."

Mr Usagi continued to rant on about how ugly and stupid Aiko was, never knowing she was still conscious; and listening to it all. When he got into detail on how he paid the doctor to cut the life-support, and how it was all his idea, she completely lost it. The rationality she once possessed was no longer existing. Aiko slowly began to stand up, rubble and rock fell from her shoulders,

"You killed her."

"You're still alive?"

"You killed mom."

"Are you really that dumb? I. KILLED. HER." he annunciated every letter and syllable, pretty clearly for a drunken man,

"...You...Killed...Mom..."

"God your stupid!" he began to burst out in laughter again, but soon stopped when he saw Aiko was right in front of him, "Hey, what're you doing, bitch?"

"You killed her. That doctor... He wasn't really a doctor... Was he...?"

"Nope. Hired him. He agreed quickly too. He loves that type of thing. Made sure you were there to see it all."

"You went through all that... Just to make me miserable?" she put the pieces together,

"Of course. You're like a puppy. It's fun to kick you while your down."

"...Well, I should return the favor..." he reached out and slapped her, but she just continued to glare at him, without flinching,

"What're--" --his fingers made a soft clumping sound, when they hit the floor, blood squirted a bit, but Aiko didn't seem to mind, "You bitch! What did you do!?"

"..." she didn't say anything, and there was no trace of happiness or sadness in her eyes. Just blank. Crimson. And vengeful. She stepped forward, her hand positioned in front of his shoulder, as he was ready to strike her again.

Mr Usagi's arm fell to the ground, as more blood sprayed Aiko and most of the area around them,

"ARGH! I'm going to kill you, you little ho!" he stepped toward her, his leg back and about to kick.

--Aiko's father figure fell to the ground, practically face-planting, his leg flying out of the room.

"Are you suffering now?" she asked, amused at his facial expression: eyebrows scrunched up, and eyes clamped shut, mouth yelling out in pain.

"Yes, god-dammit!"

"This is what mom had to go through."

"NO! SHE JUST LOST CONSCIOUSNESS, I STABBED HER A COUPLE TIMES TOO!" he blurted, not aware that he wasn't in much of a position to tease,

"Oh really...?" she stepped forward, tearing off another leg as well,

"HOW'RE YOU DOING THIS!?" he screamed, agony taking over his sense of control, as his daughter began to dig a lamp pole into his abdomen, without seeming to have hold of it,

"...Say hello to that doctor for me... The nurse, and security guards..." she smirked, getting ready to do the final attack, "I know they'll be waiting for you. Goodbye."

"No wait! Aiko! Please! For daddy! For your daddy!" he attempted the guilt-trip,

"I'm not buying that bullshit. Save it for hell. Bye now." she stated simply, feeling free to toss the pole aside, separating his other arm from his body, and bursting his stomach open.

Aiko remained in that room. Her sanity was in check, but she wasn't quite okay with the fact that she killed her own father. The small girl looked out of the window, at the corner of her eye. He was still there. Her father, that is; was hanging by his own intestines, which was wrapped around a tree branch, his remaining ligaments resting by the trunk of the tree, his black-blue eyes, still staring at Aiko.

----End of Nightmare----

Aiko jolted awake, not knowing whether it was her own screams or Naruto's frantic yelling that woke her,

"Aiko! You've been screaming your head off for the last fifteen minutes!"

"O-oh... I'm sorry. Did that bother you?"

"No, no. Just scared the living crap outta me. Did you have another nightmare?"

"How'd you know?"

"I made a quick trip to the hospital earlier, Azakura told me what to expect. She gave me some meds for you." he gestured to a brown paper bag, sitting on her nightstand,

"O-oh... Thank you so much... You didn't have to do that... For me..."

"We're roomies now! That's what roomies do!"

"...Yeah... Thanks..."

"Hey, listen. I'm going down to the river tonight, wanna come?"

"...Uhum..." she wasn't really interested, but at the same time, she didn't want to be alone,

"You don't have to decide now. You can tell me later. Anyways, it's dinner time..." he scratched the back of his head nervously, "But I haven't quite... Prepared supper..."

"I-I'll do it...!" Aiko volunteered, already used to the chore, from the many times she had kitchen duty, as a punishment for being 'mean' to Gina and Amaya.

"N-no, you should be resting!"

"P-please... Let me help..."

"Mm... Alright then. If your sure."

The two ate dinner together, Naruto seeming to enjoy Aiko's home made and from scratch ramen, while Aiko was slightly amused at how he overreacted so much to food. Silently, she felt happiness, but she felt like she was betraying Divany that way.

That afternoon, the two ate and lounged like lazy sloths together, and enjoying every second of it. Even now, Aiko fully wanted to go to the river with him, mostly because she wasn't quite used to Konoha, and she didn't feel like getting lost.

Well. Thats chappie number sixeh up.

And with great embarrassment, I found out its seraquil. Not ceraphil. Ceraphil is actually an itching cream. I found out when my little nephew used it on his butt for butt rash. Ew.

Thats it for now, lovelies :)

~Cassie