I sighed heavily as I tried to cover up the bruises on my arms and the black eye I had sustained after my drunken parents beat the crap out of me. They told me I was just a mistake that had been born from their passions. There were days that I felt like a mistake and often wished that I had never been born. Life had been a bitch and it continued to be so since I was seventeen years old. I would have to put up with this shit for the next year before I could take my leave and begin a new life elsewhere and away from this hellhole. I left my bedroom bathroom and re-entered my bedroom, which was dark and bleak. The walls were a plain white, but now, in the darkness, they were faded into a dull shade of gray. The place was devoid of life. I had no pictures of friends or family on my dresser or on my nightstand simply because I had none of each to speak of. My situation wouldn't let me have any of those things and nor did I wish to. Why would anyone hang out with me? I was nothing more than a freak...a freak who often turned to fictional characters for friendship and consolation.
The anime world often kept me company in times of despair and sadness. "Naruto," especially, was my closest companion. Our situations were rather similar in someways. Friendless and no family to speak of, with people despising us, we both had to rely on ourselves to survive no matter what. Unlike me, though, the blonde, knucklehead ninja somehow found the will to live and pushed on with his life, despite what he had to deal with in his life. He had aspirations and dreams of becoming the best ninja there was and of becoming the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. It was his motivation to keep him moving. As for me, I had none of that. I had no ambitions or dreams to talk or boast about. Why should I? My life was dark and bleak, much like my bedroom. Things were hopeless for me. The only thing I really had to look forward to was adulthood, but what else would I accomplish? The only thing I would only accomplish would be leaving this place. It was something I would look forward to but what about afterwards? What would happen then?
It's hopeless. I thought. There's nothing for me here.
I decided to sit down and pull out my sketchbook. I smiled as I flipped through all of my completed drawings of various "Naruto" characters. I had also drawn a few other anime characters, such as Yugi and Joey from "Yu-Gi-Oh" and Inuyasha. I often wished I had Inuyasha's and Naruto's might and ferocity while I had Yugi's brave soul and heart. They were characters that I admired very much and there were times that I spoke to them as if they were real people. It sounds crazy and perhaps it was but it brought me much comfort in my loneliness. They were my family.
"MINA, YOU PIECE OF CRAP, GET DOWN HERE!"
Damn. That was the evil, drunken, bitch that called herself my mother. Even when she wasn't drunk, she was still quite abusive. When she didn't get her way, she would often find something to take her anger out on me, which was me 100% of the time. Father was just as abusive, whether he was drunk or not. He had a nasty temper on him when something went wrong and, if I was nearby, he would slap me across the face or whip me with a belt. In spite of all of that, I couldn't find the will to hate them both. Strange, huh? I locked and bolted the door to my room, knowing she would haul my butt out if I didn't come out. Father was not at home, so he couldn't discipline me and wouldn't for another week since he was busy with the black market. The man was also a dealer in stolen goods and drugs and made a killing off of all that. You would think I would get a share in that, but no and, quite frankly, I'm glad I don't have a share of that dirty money.
Sighing again, I set to work on drawing Itachi Uchiha, Sauske's older brother. He was one of my favorite characters in the series. I guess it was because he was strong and powerful. I didn't think he was evil, unlike the younger Uchiha. I stayed up most of the night, trying to perfect his facial features. By the time I was finished, mother had passed out from her drunken rage and hit the hardwood floor in the living room with a hard thud. It was two o'clock in the morning when I looked at the clock. I decided that I would begin with another project. I opened the season 0 manga of "Yu-Gi-Oh" and started to search for another person to draw. I called the very first manga series of "Yu-Gi-Oh" season 0 because, on T.V, it isn't aired. The series begins with Duelist Kingdom here in the United States and for good reason.
I finally settled on Ryo Bakura and started to draw him, entranced by his innocent, yet haunted eyes. I was always fascinated by them because he was haunted by a demon, much like I was. I fell asleep before I could complete his face and I entered a world beyond my wildest dreams...and quite literally.
