Renegado

-Walking out of the building Haruki looks down at the headband and smiles. He did it. He passed.The day he never thought would come. Came.

Walking down the hall he comes to a turn but feels a hand on his shoulder.

"How's my favorite deadlast doing?" A smug sarcastic voice said from behind. A voice Haruki was familiar with and a voice he hated.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" Haruki said annoyed as he clenched his headband in his hand.

"Can't I just say hi to my favorite idiot" Sasuke snarled out as he turned Haruki around.

"No, now leave me alone, Golden boy" Haruki said as he tried to shove past the taller boy, but was stopped by a hand on his shirt and being knocked into the wall beside them.

"What did I say last time, bastard?" Sasuke said as he clenched Haruki's shirt and held him off the ground.

Haruki said nothing but kicked Sasuke in the side. Sasuke did not react. In fact he reeled a balled up fist back and punched Haruki in the face not once, not twice, but three times. A throbbing pain grew in Haruki's face. He put his hand to his lip and took it back to see red. Before he could react he was dropped and felt a pain in his stomach. Then shots of pain to his sides and back. He was being stomped out by Sasuke. Haruki crossed his arms and tried to keep them above his head as he started to get into a fetal position.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FIGHTING BACK, LITTLE BITCH? YOU'RE FUCKING WORTHLESS, THATS WHY YOUR MOTHER LEFT YOU" Sasuke yelled at Haruki as he kept stomping to a rhythm only he knew.

"At least my brother didn't kill my family" Haruki said more to himself than to Sasuke. But Sasuke heard. A searing pain grew in Haruki's head.

"What did you say?" Sasuke said as he picked Haruki up by the hair.

Haruki said nothing as he could only focus on the pain. A sharp searing pain grew on his right cheek. Haruki tries to hold back a wince.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY, YOU SON OF A BITCH?" Sasuke said as he slapped Haruki. No answer. Just a poorly hidden wince. A feeling grew in Sasuke when he heard it. He truly looked at the state of Haruki.

A skinny small boy who is bleeding at the lip and a bruise may grow. Clutching a headband like his life depended on it with white knuckles.

Sasuke started to feel something. Guilt. Remorse. Who knows. Because Sasuke doesn't. He drops Haruki and says," learn to keep your fucking mouth shut" With those parting words Sasuke turns and walks torwards the stairs to leave.

Leaving Haruki battered on the floor. Looking at Sasuke as he walks away with a vendetta. 'What did I do to deserve this from him?' Haruki thought to himself. He slowly got up and went to the closest bathroom.

When he enters he locks the door behind him and goes to the sink. In the mirror above the sink he looks at his reflection and takes in what he looks like. Brown colored skin, like Caramel, dark blue coily hair like a night sky, Golden eyes, he got from his mother, a busted lip seeping red, scuff marks on his face, hair and clothes in a disarray. He looked closer at his face and he only saw his mother.

 The mother who taught him almost everything he knew, the mother who would raise hell if she found him hurt, the mother who would sing him to sleep, the mother who had his sister, the mother who taught him checkers, the mother who would play checkers with him hours on end,The mother who would lock him in his room hours on end, the mother who tried to drown him, the mother who tried to kill him, the mother who would sell him away, the mother who lied about everything to him, The mother who left him. The mother he watched walk away with a smile as she laughed. The mother who called him worthless. The mother who said he would never be anything or amount anything. The mother who wasn't there.

 'I hate her' Haruki thought to himself as his face scrunched up in anger. He gripped the headband in his hand. 

A whisper cut through the quiet bathroom,"i hate her" Haruki put his headband down, eyes locked on his own Golden ones.

 "I hate her" He gripped the sink 

"I Hate Her" He stood to his full height, letting go of the sink 

"I HATE HER" Haruki yelled the mantra growing louder and faster as he punched the mirror. He continued to punch as his hand grew sore but oh well. 

"I FUCKING HATE HER. SHE JUST HAD TO FUCKING LEAVE." A sound of shattered glass accompanied by yelling cut through. Haruki's  fist bled but he did not care. Small shards of mirror sticking out from his hand. He just started punching the sink. Ripping his gaze away from what used to be the mirror. 

"I HATE HER. I HATE HER. SHE LEFT ME. SHE LEFT AI. YOU LIED. I HATE YOU. YOU LEFT ME ALONE. YOU LEFT YOUR SON. YOU LEFT YOUR DAUGHTER. YOU LEFT. YOU SMILED. YOU LAUGHED. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU" Haruki wailed as the repetitive motion got old. His arm started to tire but he didn't care. Tears started to stream down his face he did not care. He set his gaze at the sink. Nothing happened to it. Red started to color it in smears. A dull pain in the hand finally made its way to the forefront of Haruki's mind. He stopped punching and stepped away from the sink. 

"I HATE YOU." Haruki yelled as he backed up.A sob wracked his body afterwards. 

"why" He pitifully said as he dropped to the floor breathing heavily. He began to sob out why as he curled into himself. Blood smearing his clothes. Tears everywhere. Oh well. 

He stays sobbing asking why. Until he gets tired. He looks around at the bathroom as he lays on the floor. Here is a gleam from the artificial light. Looking it was the headband staring at him. He reaches and grabs just to clutch it to himself.

 "I hate you" He quietly said as he clutched harder before letting go and getting up. He walks to the sink and turns on the water. A steady stream flows as he grabs a paper towel and wets it. He dabs and wipes where he thinks there is blood on his face. He fixes his clothes, then he takes another paper towel and tries to clean the blood off the sink. He picks out the pieces of mirror that he can and leave the ones he can't.

When he finishes he grabs the headband and walks out the bathroom . He walks to the stairs then out the door. Looking out he sees that no one is there. No parents. No kids. The exams are over. 

Haruki starts making his way to the apartment he lives in and on his way there are people giving him side glances. Some are even spitting at his feet. Murmurs arise from some group of women. 

"That's the child of that wretched snake isn't it" 

"It's a shame she had kids with that drunkard she called a husband"

 "I don't understand why they decided to make more of those dirty skinned people"

 "Why does he have to be alive" 

"You saw the husband, a true disgrace. Only skill is drinking. Hahaha. Imagine that" 

"Sometimes I want to see them hang on a tree. Get them out of their misery. Especially the little one. She needs it" 

The murmurs and side comments grew harsher as no one did anything against it. Haruki picked up his pace and went to the back alleys to get home. He encountered drunk men and women barely able to keep themselves standing and just kept his way to the apartment. The murmurs grew quiet as he moved away from them. But yelling about sex, drugs, money, and alcohol grew. Red color grew in consistency and before he knew it, he was in the red light district. 

"Haru-kun, what are you doing here?" A quiet voice said behind him. "Aki-chan, I was just making my way home, how are you doing?" Haruki politely said as he turned around. "Oh, dear what happened to you," Akira said , an older woman, maybe 20, painted white skin, crimson red lips, pink around her eyes wearing a short sleeved lilac kimono with white flowers. She grabbed Haruki by the chin and rotated his face, getting a full look at his face. "Come on, I'm going to fix you up, free of charge" Akira said as she dropped her hand and grabbed Haruki's wrist and started walking towards the brothel she worked in.

 "Oh it's nothing" Haruki tried to dismiss as he tried to plant his feet and tug his wrist away. It didn't work. 

"Nonsense, your bleeding, I can't stand by as I know you're hurt" Akira said as they took a turn and the brothel came into view. 

"Really Aki-chan you don't have to do this there just a few scratches." Haruki tried to persuade Akira away from entering. There were a few scratches but his lip was still visibly busted. Along with a bruise growing on his cheek. Akira not taking note of his hands.

"No, stop trying to sway me, it's not going to work, Haruki-Kun," Akira said as she dragged him through the front door and up the stairs towards her room. There were cat-calls and hollering about starting them young as Haruki was being dragged up stairs. 'Disgusting' Haruki and Akira thought at the Sametime as an old man said, 

"After him come, blow me a little sweet cheeks" 

They made their way to Akira's room. A small tatami room with a futon sprawled on the floor and Small vanity with a chair. Akira let go of Haruki and went to the corner to grab the stool that had a singular white rose on it. Taking the rose in one hand she takes the stool and puts it by the vanity while she places the rose in a drawer in the vanity. Akira sits in the chair and motions for Haruki to sit on the stool. 

Haruki saw the rose and asked, " So how is mystery man going?" 

"Shhh..." Akira shushed him as, what only Haruki can guess, she grew a blush. "You know I'm not supposed to be having feelings for him" Akira quietly said as she hovered her hand to his cheek and it started glowing green. 

"Okay but you're almost out of debt. You can be happy with him afterwards, '' Haruki said, wanting Akira to be happy. 

"That's to even say he wants me after. He says he'll wait but he is not the first and I don't think he will be the last." 

"But you're almost done right"

 "I'm still 100,000 Ryo in debt Haruki, it is not that easy. Debt only grows after 10,000 ryo" 

"But you were only in for 1,000 ryo" 

"You know Tadashi likes to gamble, now quiet" Akira said as she moved to his busted lip. Akira grew a solemn expression as her situation started to sink in. 'Forever, I may be in this brothel forever, it seems that there truly is no escape. Damn that bastard' They sat in silence as Haruki worried about what could be Akira's future. 

Akira finished his lip and said," You're free to go"

 Not wanting to leave on a sour note Haruki say,"at least tell me about mystery man" 

"Well, he is beautiful, handsome, he has a beauty mark not like yours but, I think I love it, he has this weird sense of humor that I also like, he is really sweet and he buys time were we only talk and I really don't want to lose him because I think I've fallen for him. Hard'' Akira said as she began to smile and picked up the rose and held it close. Growing a love-sick expression.

"I hope he stays and you two live happily forever and after '' Haruki said as he got up. "Only in fairytales, Haru-kun Only in fairytales" Akira said, as she put the stool back.

 Akira turned back around and gave Haruki a hug but not without saying, "No matter what, remember me when you get big and strong" 

"I could never forget you, you're like an older sister I never thought I would have." Haruki said as they let go of each other. 

"See you Aki-chan" Haruki said. Walking out of the room. 

"See you too Haru-kun" Akira said with a wave as she watched him walk away. Haruki walked down the stairs and kept his head down. A man walked into the room after him.  There was a round of applause, cheering, along with whistling. 

"You're a man now, come get a drink"

 "Got to teach someone so young proper ways but you got it" 

'I hate this' Haruki thought to himself as he walked towards the door. A terrible feeling grew in his stomach that made his lip snarl and want to throw up. Disgust. Haruki walks towards the door and walks out without saying anything and sees that it is just before sunset. So he makes his way to the apartment. 

Haruki makes it home and sees that Ai is training. 'She's gonna be strong, she's already smart' He thought to himself and climbed the stairs.

Upon entrance to the apartment he sees a not on the counter

"Thanks for the onigiri

-love you, Ai"

A smile grew on Haruki's face. 'I didn't lose her' He thought to himself he threw the note away and went to his room.

He takes off his haori and folds, putting it on an empty chair along with his new headband. He goes over to the only bathroom in the apartment and looks for the first aid kit. When he finds it he grabs the tweezers and starts to take out the peices of mirror he couldn't  before. With some winces and wines.Hr starts to wrap his hands. Specifically his knuckles.

It becomes dark out when whole he wrapped his hands. 

While wrapping his hands he hears the door open. Not worried he continues to wrap it.  When he exits he hears heavy slow footsteps.

Footsteps he knew too well. Too heavy and slow to be Ai's but not his father. Panic started to build up in Haruki.

"What are you doing here?" A drunken slur cut through the once quiet apartment.

No response. Haruki just tries to walk to his room.

"Aye, bitch, I'm talking to you why the fuck are you here?... KEI" The voice said, a voice Haruki knew all too well. Satō Daiki. Also known as Haruki and Ai's Father, or the drunk husband. A retired Jonnin.

Haruki tried to sprint to his door but before he could he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and slammed to the wall of the hallway. Chest to wall hand pinned to his back as Daiki gets close to his ear just to whisper," I was talking to you, worthless whore, now fucking answer me what the fuck are you doing here?" 

'He reeks of smoke and rum, if I had to guess it is his favorite after all' Haruki thought to himself.

"Dad I live here" Haruki said in a meek voice as his heartbeat sped up and fear started to grow in his stomach.

"Been a while since you called me daddy, don't you think Keiko" Daiki slurred out as his free hand started to wander from Haruki's shoulder to his hand then went to his hip and gave it a squeeze.

Haruki started to wriggle and struggle trying to get out of his grip. He tried scratching his hand with his own free hand. Even trying to kick behind him.

'I hate you.I hate you.I hate you.I hate you.I hate you.I hate you.I hate you.I hate you." Haruki thought the mantra in his head as he continued to struggle, scratch, and kick. When one of Haruki's scratches finally drew blood Daiki snatched his hand back and tightened his grip on Haruki's hand. 

"What was that for? You could have hurt me, cheating whore" Daiki slurred out as he elbowed the back of Haruki's head letting him crumple to the floor before he grabbed Haruki by the throat. 

Immediately Haruki's hands darted to Daiki's hand. 

"You want to try that shit again?"

"Dad stop" Haruki weakly said, as his Airways were closing. 

"STOP CALLING ME DAD BITCH, your not going to guilt trip me out of actually beating you this time Keiko, not this time, not after you left"Daiki started to yell before going into a hurt hoarse voice. He reeled his hand back before punching Haruki in the stomach, letting him crumble to the ground. 

Before kneeling down, grabbing his shirt and hitting him in the face with a balled fist.

All Haruki could do was try to cover his face and kick. 

'I hate you. I hate you. Why do you think I'm her? I hate her and I hate you. I can't stand this. Why does this have to happen? I hate it.' Haruki thought to himself as he tried to keep his arms up. Tears started to well in his eyes but Haruki refused to let them fall.

"YOU HAD TO GO AND TRY TO SELL HIM DIDN'T YOU? SELL YOUR OWN FUCKING SON TO SOME BROTHEL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO GET FUCKED IN SOME SLIMY ALLEYWAY BY A FUCK SNAKE BASTARD. I HATE YOU. YOU TRIED TO SELL OUR DAUGHTER TOO. IF I WASN'T FUCKING THERE BITCH. YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY. I. HOPE. YOU. BURN. IN. HELL. WITH. THAT. BASTARD." Daiki started to yell as  he punched Haruki. Punching between words at one point. 

He continued to beat Haruki until he heard the door open. Haruki’s arms lasted but with what will probably be bruising. 

"Go get cleaned up bitch" Daki said as he stood to his full height just to kick Haruki in the direction of the bathroom.