[RIGHT][img]https://i.imgur.com/9ouRhtV.jpg?1[/img] [H3][QUOTE][color=FF4500]A Mother's Burden NAOMI AZIZ[/color][/QUOTE][/H3][/RIGHT] [sup]__________________________________________________________[/sup] Naomi knew what it was like to be given a shitty hand at life. Those first initial cards could make or break a person, and sometimes shaped the way of the game. However, Naomi also believed that even if she had a shitty hand if it was not as bad as the person beside her. That meant she was still in the game. Even if it meant to steal, cheat, or lie, it meant that she could still have the outcome in her favor somewhat. That was how she survived, that was how she clawed her way up from the gutters and into a warm bed. So, she never understood people who had a good hand and decided to throw it away. She could never understand why he would get himself killed over a woman. Naomi looked at the body of a man she once knew. His body stuck to the wall like a fly that got hit by a car. The blood pooled to the floor as blood escaped from every orifice of his face. Once that face would have smiled at her, once that face would laugh so hard that she could see his crow’s feet, but now, it was just another face. Another dead man that was a notch on her belt. It truly bothered her to no end. The fool even tried to put up a fight. Naomi felt her jaw tighten, she wished she could bring him back and then kill him over again. Then maybe he would understand his mistake after she beat the shit out of him again and again. Huff The sound of a dying gasp was what pulled her away from the sight of the person she used to know. On the floor not to far away from her a woman laid on the ground. She struggled to support her weight on her own arms as she coughed up blood. Naomi released a sigh as she grabbed the dog tags from off the ground, she’ll need this for later. “You should just die already.” She let the annoyance seep out as she walked over to the woman. Her long black hair was stained by her own blood. Naomi always gauged her punches. There was no point in overkilling her opponent, but sometimes, like in this matter some people had the will to hold on. Even when Naomi knew she shattered the woman rib cage with that initial punch, she was still trying to hold on through the pain and it nagged at her. Naomi stood over the woman and grabbed a fist full of her hair. It caused the woman to hiss before she begun to choke on her own blood. “Dear...” The woman managed to choke out, her eyes had already begun to lose focus, “Dear…” Naomi frowned, “He’s dead. Next time think of who you’re working for before trying to run away.” All of this was unnecessary. All of it and yet here she was, cleaning up someone else’s mess. The thought pissed her off and she really wanted to leave. The more she stayed in this small apartment, the more cramped it felt. The more the walls seemed to move closer to her. Naomi hated them for how they forced her hand, but she could be kind. She planned to end it quicker this time. She got no joy in the prolonged suffer of her opponent. Naomi did not pride herself in much, but she did find herself puffing up her chest in this regard. Naomi positioned herself over the woman as she struggled to prop herself up with her arms. She began to gather chakra in her right hand before clenching it into a fist. This will be instant and quick, and she will not suffer, and she could try again in the next life. Naomi did not let the words in her chest escape her mouth, because saying anything more would probably be even more painful. However, for just a second, she just wanted to say. Be happier in your next life and lets never meet again. Naomi began to bring her fist down “Izo…” Naomi jerked back as the woman began to crawl, “Izo…Izo…Izo…” Izo? Who was Izo? The cogs in Naomi head began to turn as she watched with the woman with all her strength began to crawl. She swung each arm like they were 50-pound weights, her curly black hair stuck to her face and those big brown of hers seemed to lose their vibrancy. Izo was not the man’s name and she never called that man Izo. Her heart thump in her chest as she could hear his voice as she watched the woman crawl pass the broken body of her husband to the door that was beside of him… “Is there anything you’d risk it all for?” Naomi felt her eyes get hot and blurry…. “I’ve always wanted a family, you know…” No… “I’d want to give them the world that I never had….” No… “I’m sorry, there are more important things to me right now. More important than my whole life.” [hr] Fuzen had a weird geography, but at the same time it was fitting. Fuzen was on an upward plane, the lower level was where the mining happened and where the damage was mostly centered. However, if someone continued to keep going upwards. They would see the slow transition from village wrecked by outsiders and where the villagers were trying to hold on to some semblance of normalcy. The further one went up that upward plane, it was like seeing a transition of time. The lower level could never get developed and in so, it had most of the older architect, but the more someone moved up it was like a completely different thing. Cheaper housing was mostly subjugated towards the lower middle of Fuzen geography and that was where Naomi lived. The houses that lined the street went bad at all, if anything it was something normal, and wasn’t as gaudy as the higher portion of houses. However, there was one house that Naomi kept it an eye out for. It was a blue hour with a white roof, it reminded her of the beach, and it stood out from all the other ones, but the biggest way it stood out was that if the blinds were open a person could see directly into the kitchen. The small fence that blocked out the outsiders did not offer up any protection and as she neared this blue house, she could see the blinds were fully open A young boy with curly black hair and big brown eyes had his hands up against the window. When they caught each other eyes, it seemed as though his big eyes only got even bigger. Naomi lips curled up into a smile and she found herself picking up the pace before she even realized it. She swung the white picket fence open and before she could even step on foot in the yard the big white door swung open and the tiny child stood in the doorway. “MOM!” Naomi smiled at how aggressive he looked as she got down on one knee and opened her arms. His hands were curled in tight little fist and his chest was puffed up. “MOM!” “I’m home.” Naomi said as the little boy ran to her “MOM! MOMMY HOME!” He screamed before hopping into her arms Naomi was almost shaken by the force of his little body. He grew up some since she has been gone. Naomi wrapped her arms around him as she stood up and she felt his little arms wrap around her neck so tight that it was almost uncomfortable. But she swung him as she buried her nose into his hair, he smelled of oranges and lemons, and it almost broke her heart. It was like all the emotions and longing to have back home overwhelmed her. “I’ve missed you so much Izo.” She could not help but say as she patted the child’s head. Naomi looked up and saw a woman standing crossed arm against the doorway. “Welcome back, did you bring me anything.”