Imperfectly Perfect (Naruto FanFic)

Chpater Twenty One

I woke up in a hospital bed.

I shoot upright, only to slowly lower myself back down on the bed. "Ow. Ow. Ow," I mumble, clutching my head. "God, that hurts."

A shadow falls over me, and I glance up with a small smile, expecting Daisuke, Shun, or Sensei to be waiting for me. But the smile almost immediately slides from my face.

"Mother," I greet quietly, "Father."

My heart drops as I view their faces. There was no mercy, in their eyes. There was nothing. I would rather see anger, or disappointment or resentment than this stony indifference.

"You'll be coming home now that you're awake," Father informed me, no emotion flitting across his face. I nod, barely holding back hysterics as terror grips my heart. I nod again as they leave the room to check me out.

What had happened? One moment I'd been ready to fight Shri, and the next of been knocked out. Had I lost? I must've. How had Shri beaten me, though? Where was my team? Daisuke? Shun? Sensei? Did they not care? Had they not visited?

Confusion wracks my brain, but that's put on hold when mother enters the room again. "Come," she orders. I follow her into the bathroom, where she hands me my clothes and walks back out.

I change quickly, fear making my movements quick and precise despite my stiff limbs. I'm out of the bathroom quickly, and my mother takes my arm. To anyone looking on, she would look like a loving mother supporting her daughter. Only I felt the painfully tight grip bruising my arm.

We walk out of the hospital, Father leading, mother a half step behind, and me heeling besides my mother.

The moment we stepped through the front door of my home my father whirled on me.

"You failed me," he hissed, "You failed me, Fuzen!"

I flinch at the way he says my name; like the insult it is. Imperfect.

I have a theory that names hold no meaning. Kanji, meaningless scribble on paper, holds no power over someone. But the way their name is said... what their name comes to mean to others.... that's what can destroy a person.

"--embarrasing."

I realize my Father had been talking the entire time and immediately tune back in.

"Perhaps I should just call you that: Embarrasment. Or Mistake. Worthless? It was the preliminaries, Fuzen! The preliminaries! You should have been able to easily pass through that stagem but what happens? You're humiliated instead! You dishonored the name you don't deserve."

I take the insults and criticism without a word.

"Your sister became a chunin when she was ten! And passed easily!" I don't even bother correcting him. "Go to your room, Fuzen. I can't stand to look at you."

I keep my face stoic even as my heart shatters. How was it that I wasn't used to this? Why did my heart shatter no matter how many times this happened to me? How come I was unable to turn my heart to stone. Why couldn't I simply do what father wanted? Why couldn't I be a good ninja?

Why couldn't I be perfect?

***

The next day I'm woken early.

"Get up, Fuzen-san. Your bags are already packed."

I wake up as soon as the words register. "My bags are packed? Where am I going?"

"On a business trip, miss. It should last aproximately five weeks," The maid answered as she disrobed me.

"Is Mother coming or Father? Or both?"