[M:18500:0:]
Post by Hoji on Aug 10, 2013 11:09:03 GMT -5
Bring, brrrrrriiiiiinnnnngggg, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg, the alarm clock rang insistently. Hoji's meaty pawed at it but his reluctance to open his eyes caused him to miss again and again. Still Hoji did not compromise. It felt like he'd just fallen asleep and yet it was already time to get up. Hoji rarely felt satisfied with the sleep he was given and as he grew up it seemed he only got less and less.
Eventually his hand collided with the back of the metal clock sending it tumbling to the floor with a crash that sounded ten times louder than it should have. The clock continued to ring upon the floor it's sound elevated by the wooden floorboards beneath it. “Fine!” Hoji declared to an invisible enemy
“I'm up. I'm up!” He continued to reassure the alarm clock as he ejected his covers from his body and swung around to sit with his feet off the bed. Holding his breath he bent his body down resting his chest against his knees with one arm to the ground fumbling to grab the clock. Despite how much easier it would be to grab the clock if he stood up and bent down he preferred to do things the lazy yet hard way. He eventually grabbed the alarm clock and, straightening up, he hit the bell at the top to shut it off. He glared scathingly at the clock for a few more minutes before replacing it on his bedside cabinet.
With a great heave he picked himself off the bed and thumped over to his wardrobe in heavy, sleepy steps. Opening his wardrobe he reached not for a hanger first but below the clothes that hung there to the bottom of the wardrobe where a bag of carrots lay. This was, of course, not where people usually kept their carrots but a wardrobe is a cupboard like any other so the carrots did not go bad as fast as they would if he kept them next to his bed. Hoji reached into the bag and withdrew a long, orange carrot. He always started off his day with a carrot while he dressed.
He grabbed the raw carrot in his teeth while he perused the limited selection inside his wardrobe. Most of them were the same outfit. Hoji was a creature of habit. Hoji grabbed the nearest one and returned to his bed. This time he was a little faster than before. The haze of sleep was lifting...
Half an hour later a washed, brushed and clothed Hoji tread down the stairs. He could smell his mother's cooking and boy did it smell great. Hoji unconsciously sped up discarding the top of his finished carrot in the hall bin as he entered the kitchen. Hoji's tongue almost lolled out as he spied the greasy delicacies piled high upon the kitchen table. His father, a great hulk of a man, could already be found tucking in with much gusto. His mother, despite having made more than enough already, was still dancing around preparing and cooking even more.
“Son!” His father cried out stopping his frantic eating. “How's ma boy!?” He declared in a great booming voice as was his custom. For a Jounin Shinobi his father had never quite mastered the art of stealth. Then again the Akimichi were rarely a stealthy bunch. Their Hiden was rather big, loud and offensive as all hell. They made good distractions though. Nothing could take the enemy's attention more than a giant ball of person charging through them.
“Great now!” Hoji exclaimed as he took his seat at the table and started ladling food onto his plate enthusiastically. Pausing for a moment he added “Thanks, mom!” before tucking into the food with as much gusto as his father had been moments ago. His father returned to it too and for many minutes the only sounds in the house were of cooking and eating.
Suddenly Hoji found his plate clean and as he looked up to see if there was anything more left he noticed a solitary scrap of food. At the same time his father noticed it as well and, for just a moment, their eyes met across the table and then they both dived for it. Chaos ensued and when the metaphorical smoke cleared Hoji's father claimed victory. “Gotta be faster then that, kiddo.” He chuckled, kissed his wife and left to do whatever duty he had been assigned that day.
Hoji sulked in his chair for a few more moments before getting up to leave himself. He'd been called in to get his assignment today. Today was the day he'd be finding out what Team he'd be on and who was going to be his sensai. Hoji had a pretty good idea already who he'd be paired with but as for who would be their sensai that was the mystery. There were a few Sarutoi's as was the tradition but when Hoji had asked his father he'd been uncharacteristically evasive about it. He just hoped he didn't let whoever it was done.
As Hoji stood to leave his mother stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You must be pretty nervous, Hoji.” His mother said kindly holding up a brown paper bag “You never forget your lunch.”
“Oh, ha, thanks.” Hoji replied with an embarrassed laugh. “Thanks, Mom.” He added as she handed him the bag.
“Don't be nervous, Hoji, any team will be delighted to have you.”
Hoji's big breakfast and fight with the alarm clock had made him late. Very, very late. The class had in fact already been dismissed and all of his classmates were gone. A Proctor had sent him in the direction of Ireuka Sensai's office and upon said door did the embarrassed Akimichi now knock.
“In a minute.” A familiar voice called out and Hoji was all too eager to comply. Ireuka was bound to give him a scalding for being so late and Hoji was certainly not looking forward too that. Moments passed and eventually there was a click and the door was opened wide. The proud form of the tall, sleek Ireuka Sensai appeared at the door. Her expression was that harsh, firm frown the he was all too used to for only a moment before softening into a gentle look. “Oh, Hoji, what are we going to do with you. Come on in.” She said in a soft, caring voice before retreating into the office.
Hoji frowned and entered. He'd never been allowed into her office before. She'd never been nice to him before. She'd never failed to scold him for being late before. What was going on? Closing the door behind him he turned to see her rifling through her desk. The room was not overly furnished. It was plain and simple the only hint of personalisation a picture of her husband and son on her desk.
“I guess you'll be wanting to know your team assignment then, Hoji?” The teacher asked continuing to rifle through her desk.
“Eh, yeah. Sorry for the lateness I-”
“You're a big boy now, Hoji.” Ireuka interrupted him. “I'm not going to be around to give you into trouble any more. You need to sort out your priorities. Ah, here it is.” She finished triumphantly pulling out a piece of paper. She scanned the paper for a few moments before speak “Ah, here we are. Team One: Akimichi Hoji, Nara Iō, Yamanaka Yanmei to be appointed to Nara Shikashu...”
Hoji had heard that name before. He screwed up his face in concentration trying to think as hard as he could. In the end he just ended up with a sore head. It was Ireuka Sensai that provided him with the answer. “Isn't Shikashu a friend of your fathers?”
When Hoji eventually returned home that night his brown lunch bag was empty and he was at the bottom of a monster-sized bag of potato chips that he'd bought at the store along with three bars of candy. This had been after his lunch at Ichiraku's Ramen. When dinner time came in the house Hoji had one, two, three, four helpings. Hoji wasn't just eating. He was comfort eating.
His father was best friends with his new sensai. That meant every single time he messed up his father would know about. Every time he messed up he'd be showing up his father in front of his friend. What if Shikashu didn't want to be friends with his dad any more after he found out what a horrible failure of a son he had? Hoji was very worried and when Hoji was this worried no food was safe.
And so it was that when Choukuro, Hoji's father, entered his room an hour after dinner he found Hoji sitting on his bed nibbling on a carrot. “What's up, Dad?” He asked through nibbles of carrot trying to conceal his agitation with nonchalance.
Choukuro sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I wouldn't be a very good father if I didn't know something was bothering you. What's up, son?”
“Nothing.” was Hoji's quick reply. He couldn't even look his father in the eye however.
“It's about your squad placement, isn't it?” Choukuro asked the answer given in the look on Hoji's face when he mentioned it. “What's wrong? Do you not like your team mates? Your Sensai?”
Hoji sighed and looked up at his father in shame “It's just... It's just what if they don't like me? What if I pull the team down? What if... What if Shikashu Sensai doesn't even want me?”
“Oh, so that's what the problem is. Let me tell you something, son, Shikashu is one powerful man but, more than that, he's someone you can trust. He'll put his faith in you even if you let him down time and time again. Do you remember when I got badly hurt in that mission a year back? Shikashu saved me when he could have simply left me behind. I pleaded with him too, son. I was bleeding heavily and it seemed like there was no chance I was going to make it out of there alive. I told him to save himself but he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't leave me even when I was at my weakest. You just remember that, Hoji. You can always rely on that man.” His father stood as if about to leave but turned back and placed a hand on his shoulder “And I just want you to know that you can never disappoint me. I'll always love you, Son.” and with that he left the room.
Hoji put the carrot down. He didn't feel like eating just now. It had been a long day and now he felt like actually couldn't wait for tomorrow. He couldn't wait for the first day of the rest of his life.
Word Count = 1,800-ish
Eventually his hand collided with the back of the metal clock sending it tumbling to the floor with a crash that sounded ten times louder than it should have. The clock continued to ring upon the floor it's sound elevated by the wooden floorboards beneath it. “Fine!” Hoji declared to an invisible enemy
“I'm up. I'm up!” He continued to reassure the alarm clock as he ejected his covers from his body and swung around to sit with his feet off the bed. Holding his breath he bent his body down resting his chest against his knees with one arm to the ground fumbling to grab the clock. Despite how much easier it would be to grab the clock if he stood up and bent down he preferred to do things the lazy yet hard way. He eventually grabbed the alarm clock and, straightening up, he hit the bell at the top to shut it off. He glared scathingly at the clock for a few more minutes before replacing it on his bedside cabinet.
With a great heave he picked himself off the bed and thumped over to his wardrobe in heavy, sleepy steps. Opening his wardrobe he reached not for a hanger first but below the clothes that hung there to the bottom of the wardrobe where a bag of carrots lay. This was, of course, not where people usually kept their carrots but a wardrobe is a cupboard like any other so the carrots did not go bad as fast as they would if he kept them next to his bed. Hoji reached into the bag and withdrew a long, orange carrot. He always started off his day with a carrot while he dressed.
He grabbed the raw carrot in his teeth while he perused the limited selection inside his wardrobe. Most of them were the same outfit. Hoji was a creature of habit. Hoji grabbed the nearest one and returned to his bed. This time he was a little faster than before. The haze of sleep was lifting...
***
Half an hour later a washed, brushed and clothed Hoji tread down the stairs. He could smell his mother's cooking and boy did it smell great. Hoji unconsciously sped up discarding the top of his finished carrot in the hall bin as he entered the kitchen. Hoji's tongue almost lolled out as he spied the greasy delicacies piled high upon the kitchen table. His father, a great hulk of a man, could already be found tucking in with much gusto. His mother, despite having made more than enough already, was still dancing around preparing and cooking even more.
“Son!” His father cried out stopping his frantic eating. “How's ma boy!?” He declared in a great booming voice as was his custom. For a Jounin Shinobi his father had never quite mastered the art of stealth. Then again the Akimichi were rarely a stealthy bunch. Their Hiden was rather big, loud and offensive as all hell. They made good distractions though. Nothing could take the enemy's attention more than a giant ball of person charging through them.
“Great now!” Hoji exclaimed as he took his seat at the table and started ladling food onto his plate enthusiastically. Pausing for a moment he added “Thanks, mom!” before tucking into the food with as much gusto as his father had been moments ago. His father returned to it too and for many minutes the only sounds in the house were of cooking and eating.
Suddenly Hoji found his plate clean and as he looked up to see if there was anything more left he noticed a solitary scrap of food. At the same time his father noticed it as well and, for just a moment, their eyes met across the table and then they both dived for it. Chaos ensued and when the metaphorical smoke cleared Hoji's father claimed victory. “Gotta be faster then that, kiddo.” He chuckled, kissed his wife and left to do whatever duty he had been assigned that day.
Hoji sulked in his chair for a few more moments before getting up to leave himself. He'd been called in to get his assignment today. Today was the day he'd be finding out what Team he'd be on and who was going to be his sensai. Hoji had a pretty good idea already who he'd be paired with but as for who would be their sensai that was the mystery. There were a few Sarutoi's as was the tradition but when Hoji had asked his father he'd been uncharacteristically evasive about it. He just hoped he didn't let whoever it was done.
As Hoji stood to leave his mother stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You must be pretty nervous, Hoji.” His mother said kindly holding up a brown paper bag “You never forget your lunch.”
“Oh, ha, thanks.” Hoji replied with an embarrassed laugh. “Thanks, Mom.” He added as she handed him the bag.
“Don't be nervous, Hoji, any team will be delighted to have you.”
***
Hoji's big breakfast and fight with the alarm clock had made him late. Very, very late. The class had in fact already been dismissed and all of his classmates were gone. A Proctor had sent him in the direction of Ireuka Sensai's office and upon said door did the embarrassed Akimichi now knock.
“In a minute.” A familiar voice called out and Hoji was all too eager to comply. Ireuka was bound to give him a scalding for being so late and Hoji was certainly not looking forward too that. Moments passed and eventually there was a click and the door was opened wide. The proud form of the tall, sleek Ireuka Sensai appeared at the door. Her expression was that harsh, firm frown the he was all too used to for only a moment before softening into a gentle look. “Oh, Hoji, what are we going to do with you. Come on in.” She said in a soft, caring voice before retreating into the office.
Hoji frowned and entered. He'd never been allowed into her office before. She'd never been nice to him before. She'd never failed to scold him for being late before. What was going on? Closing the door behind him he turned to see her rifling through her desk. The room was not overly furnished. It was plain and simple the only hint of personalisation a picture of her husband and son on her desk.
“I guess you'll be wanting to know your team assignment then, Hoji?” The teacher asked continuing to rifle through her desk.
“Eh, yeah. Sorry for the lateness I-”
“You're a big boy now, Hoji.” Ireuka interrupted him. “I'm not going to be around to give you into trouble any more. You need to sort out your priorities. Ah, here it is.” She finished triumphantly pulling out a piece of paper. She scanned the paper for a few moments before speak “Ah, here we are. Team One: Akimichi Hoji, Nara Iō, Yamanaka Yanmei to be appointed to Nara Shikashu...”
Hoji had heard that name before. He screwed up his face in concentration trying to think as hard as he could. In the end he just ended up with a sore head. It was Ireuka Sensai that provided him with the answer. “Isn't Shikashu a friend of your fathers?”
***
When Hoji eventually returned home that night his brown lunch bag was empty and he was at the bottom of a monster-sized bag of potato chips that he'd bought at the store along with three bars of candy. This had been after his lunch at Ichiraku's Ramen. When dinner time came in the house Hoji had one, two, three, four helpings. Hoji wasn't just eating. He was comfort eating.
His father was best friends with his new sensai. That meant every single time he messed up his father would know about. Every time he messed up he'd be showing up his father in front of his friend. What if Shikashu didn't want to be friends with his dad any more after he found out what a horrible failure of a son he had? Hoji was very worried and when Hoji was this worried no food was safe.
And so it was that when Choukuro, Hoji's father, entered his room an hour after dinner he found Hoji sitting on his bed nibbling on a carrot. “What's up, Dad?” He asked through nibbles of carrot trying to conceal his agitation with nonchalance.
Choukuro sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I wouldn't be a very good father if I didn't know something was bothering you. What's up, son?”
“Nothing.” was Hoji's quick reply. He couldn't even look his father in the eye however.
“It's about your squad placement, isn't it?” Choukuro asked the answer given in the look on Hoji's face when he mentioned it. “What's wrong? Do you not like your team mates? Your Sensai?”
Hoji sighed and looked up at his father in shame “It's just... It's just what if they don't like me? What if I pull the team down? What if... What if Shikashu Sensai doesn't even want me?”
“Oh, so that's what the problem is. Let me tell you something, son, Shikashu is one powerful man but, more than that, he's someone you can trust. He'll put his faith in you even if you let him down time and time again. Do you remember when I got badly hurt in that mission a year back? Shikashu saved me when he could have simply left me behind. I pleaded with him too, son. I was bleeding heavily and it seemed like there was no chance I was going to make it out of there alive. I told him to save himself but he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't leave me even when I was at my weakest. You just remember that, Hoji. You can always rely on that man.” His father stood as if about to leave but turned back and placed a hand on his shoulder “And I just want you to know that you can never disappoint me. I'll always love you, Son.” and with that he left the room.
Hoji put the carrot down. He didn't feel like eating just now. It had been a long day and now he felt like actually couldn't wait for tomorrow. He couldn't wait for the first day of the rest of his life.
-The End-
Word Count = 1,800-ish