Cannot turn away

Upon entering the living room, Itami spotted his father sitting at his work desk, arranging some scrolls and documents. An empty bottle of sake was situated on his left and when Itami got closer, he could smell the alcohol emanating from his father. A short memory flashed before his eyes, and Itami closed them, frowning. He remembered a moment from when he was younger. He remembered the yells and the commotion and he remembered that same smell of alcohol that seemed to accompany most of the fights that took place between his father and his mother when he was a child. Rubbing his eyes slightly to focus, Itami got closer to his father, his mouth corners turned a little down.
"Father" he said in a grave voice, "which village did mother leave for when, ..." His voice trailed away upon seeing the look on his father's face. It was scrunched up in sudden rage and Itami mentally cursed himself for not picking a better moment to interrogate his father about his mom who left one day, never to be seen again.
He stepped back a little, afraid of what might follow but his father simply massaged his temples and focused back to his documents.
Deciding not to give up, Itami placed a small card on his fathers desk, coughing lightly and then moving away again, just in case. "I found this in one of her books. Is this the place she went to?" he asked and hoped to get an answer. The small card was a picture of a house next to a rice field and on the back of it was some writing that gave away the impression that this was where some distant relatives of his lived. He thought since his mother had this, she might have chosen it for her destination when she decided to leave.
Itami jumped suddenly, startled, when his father brought a fist down on the table, making all that was on it move. He turned towards his son and Itami was shocked to see the pure craziness that shone from his father's eyes. "How dare you ask me such a thing!" he yelled, scowling. "Why would you want to know anything about that woman who left us BOTH!!?"
He was still staring at him and Itami stepped back slowly and then faster until he turned around and ran out of the room. He was breathing fast but didn't give in to the tears that were threatening to choke him. He ran outside and away from the house, faster and faster until he realized his feet carried him to the forest. He took a kunai out of the holder and slashed at the trunks and branches in a desperate hope to relieve the pain in his chest. He ran further on and for a long time until he was so deep in the forest he didn't know if he'll find the right way back again. After a while, as the pain slowly started to subside, he stopped and crouched down, breathing fast. What was he thinking, poking a stick into the lion's den?
But he was so desperate to know more of his mother. This was a delicate subject and any mention of the fact that she left HIM as well as his father made Itami hurt so much he thought his mind would explode. Like countless of times before, he went over all the reasons why she left him behind, making up excuses for her in a desperate hope to cling to what was left of her. He couldn't admit to the possibility that she might have not cared about him, at all.

He swore he was going to find her one day, and get an explanation out of her. For now, he was going to have to be satisfied with bits and pieces he found when he searched the attic and the numerous boxes hidden in closets.
Itami jumped up a tree and, directing chakra to his feet, climbed up until he was high enough to have a beautiful view. He sat on a branch and breathed in and out, trying to calm down some more.
He stayed up there for hours, simply observing the world beneath him and thinking.
When dust started to set in, he climbed down and slowly headed back home, hoping to avoid his father for as long as possible.

~exit

[twc: 735, +7 JP, +3 speed]

Approved.