A Single Glance
-a oneshot by Nakagamis
Disclaimer – By that of another and same as all the others.
Summary – AU – On a fateful and thundering evening, could a single glance of our little blonde dobe be all it takes for a person to have a change of heart? For Negi, Kiba, Gaara, Itachi, and Sasuke, that could definitely be the case. YAOI. No certain pairings.
Cast of Characters:
Naruto
Negi
Kiba
Gaara
Itachi
Sasuke
A/N – There is no pairing, as of yet anyway, since I have a mean to leave this as 'a' oneshot. With all said and done, I leave it to the reviews given to this oneshot to see how it fares in another's opinions. If you wish it to continue, please state so. If a pairing is wished, please place a vote according to the characters mention in the following oneshot.
As to bring it into mentioning as well, the story of Lost and A Change of Face a Change of Heart will, as of the moment, be place on hold. To explain, I was just recently in an accident with my house having caught on fire and many of my belongings damaged in the cause. My computer for one was destroyed beyond repairs and my writings and the likes, all burnt to a crisp. Sullen as I am, I have not the heart to write the following two stories at the moment but I do plan on finishing it soon, but just not now.
This new edition, A Single Glance, is what I plan to work on to help me get back on track for since the past weeks, I've been down and rather depressed and hadn't felt that I could accomplish anything anymore. Upon when this story idea popped into my head, I had felt rather excited and giddy and just had to write this story down. Strange really and I suppose it could be bordered on being lame but it is just how I feel.
Anyway- I do hope you enjoy this piece of work.
----x----
A Single Glance
As the twelve year old Naruto grew from a bubbling idiotic and hyperactive dobe into a sometime stern yet still cheerful and somewhat hyperactive teen of eighteen years, many have come to see this delightful person become someone rather special in their ever distant and hiding hearts. They would never admit aloud, to each other or even to the very protagonist himself, of how they have watched and grown to adore him beyond that of friendly, or maybe even brotherly, love.
To literally begin, our story takes place upon a thundering evening when our blond is still at the tender age of twelve. Rushing home after an extensive practice with Team Seven, seeing as they had been let out early due to their ever so lazy jounin sensei having gone off after saying that something important had come up, the clouds overhead darkened and a flash of lightening overhead stroked a brilliant brightness across the endless sky. The rumbling of loud thunders followed soon after.
BOOM! BOOM! Across it went through the sky and into the ears of Naruto as he bound himself forward through the forest, nearly tripping and stumbling over rocks and tree roots. Just to say, Naruto was only startled and I dear say, not frighten at all, but just startled, by the thunderous sound.
Not long after as he continued to run, heading home as fast as he could, a deafening silences ensued about him. For a moment's time of which it felt like hours, the silences was broken as the clouds opened up to a frenzy of hard pouring rain. Coming in torrents and immediately soaking the poor blond to the bones, Naruto gave off a string of curses of which a person of his age should not be knowing and ran blindly onward as lightening flashed and thunder boomed many times more overhead once more.
He was afraid, very afraid and he wished not to admit it to anyone that he was frightened of thunder. How long has it been since the time when he was young when he would be home, always alone in his small apartment, and cowering under the sink's cabinet when a thunderstorm would be pouring outside? For as long as he had known it, the sound of thunder frighten him, and as years goes by, the fear only grew all the more so since there was never a comforting figure around to sooth the fear away. Although he could no longer hide himself under the kitchen sink, no longer being able to fit in it, he would instead pull his thin blanket over his head during those night when a thunderstorm would be about and place himself under his small kitchen table as he pull his legs to his chest and hug them tight with eyes squeezed shut whilst he wait out the storm.
Light flashed once more just as he then made it to a clearing in the forest. A single tree stood rooted upon the spot, its elongated branches reaching high and skyward at its center setting. Thunder rumbled, the ground shaking in its aftermath and Naruto unthinkingly made a frightful dash towards the tree. It was stupid of him to do so, but he was in no mind to think of the consequences.
"Gyah!" he exclaimed as the sound thundered across the sky once more and huddled himself against the base of the tree. For the time being, Naruto was thankful for the shelter the tree provided, shielding him from the cold rain but as if taunting his poor soul, the thunder continued to rumble. He was, though, only slightly thankful for the long distance it lasted between each one.
'Maybe it's going away,' he thought but dare not to move from his spot. With eye closed and arms wrapped tightly about his small and slender body, he willed himself to not think of it no more. Moments passing and as the rain became a light shower and not a single rumble of thunder came from up above, Naruto drifted into a fretful slumber, completely unperturbed by his surrounding for it had become now, unearthly silent.
----x----
The rain had finally stopped, the darken clouds soon parting way to reveal a clear and starry night sky. The time, the setting, it was all a prefect timing for Negi to sneak away from the Hyuuga Manor. It must be fate indeed for the gods to offer upon him such a peaceful moment to be alone and undisturbed.
As it wasn't all to long for him to find his way out and standing on the other side of the wall of where he undoubtedly wished to be, Negi silently made his way down a path that lead him into the heart of the forest just beyond the Hyuuga land. Silent as always and deep in thought, Negi found himself to be contemplating things that he wish not to place a thought upon.
The thirteen year old boy was annoyed. From what could no doubt be base upon the many pressure placed upon him by his very clan. Although he place it all upon it being fate itself that has lead him to this very moment, there has always been another side of him that wish he could only just live the life he want to live, away from the pressure and the pain it took to always be at his very best.
'It is a predetermine fate. Destiny herself has placed me here and I am meant to follow.'
Mayhap it was fate also that led the Hyuuga prodigy to this lone setting in the forest where not a single sound made its approach. It may have been coincidence but he had never been one to believe such for everything, as usual, was predetermined. With a glance around at this quiet clearing, pupil-less lavender hues fell upon the small orange bundle at the base of the center tree. Not moving from where he stood, eyes squinted to see what it could be when shock and realization came into his eyes.
'Why is he here?' It wasn't hard to wonder and many thoughts came to mind although he voice them not for he knew it was not his place to mind in the business of other but the Hyuuga prodigy was curious nonetheless. Unknowingly taking a cautious step that was soon followed b many others, Negi found himself towering over the sleeping blond. Gazing down at him with an assessing eye, Negi frown and wondered upon a fact that he had never taken notice of before.
His heart skipped a beat and he felt a fluttering in his chest and although he could not figure out why it was all happening, Negi found that he could not keep his eyes off of the slumbering boy's face. It must truly be a sin for one person, especially that of a boy, to look so enticingly angelic. An understatement it should be when such is said from such a person as Hyuuga Negi but that is surely not the point here though.
With his orange jumpsuit plastered against his tiny frame, the youthful curve of his child body stood anomaly visible, Naruto looked- for the lack of sensible words- Pure. It was unmistakably what he would describe the other as. His blond locks that plastered and frame his round face with raindrop glistening upon their surface prove his thoughts more than unspoken words.
Naruto stirred and Negi took a hesitant step back, a relieved sigh coming from his lip as he saw that the other woke not. Seeing as he wished not to be caught staring, Negi was then standing at the edge of the clearing once more as he gaze perplexedly at Naruto from the distance. Fighting the idea of that he should awaken the other from his slumber; Negi could see that it would only draw unwanted attention and cause a sense of awkwardness between them. For a reason unbeknownst to him, he did not want that to happen and so, with a turn, Negi walked away, leaving the blond alone.
Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was just coincidence. No one would ever know, even to Negi himself, but after this incident, Negi walked away with a slight change of heart that would unknowingly continue to change ever still through the many years that are to come.
----x----
"Arf! Arf!" Akumaru bark excitedly as he ran, breaking the silences about them as Inuzuka Kiba came up right beside him, running still as they raced each other through the forest of Konoha. Feet splashed upon the muddy and rain soaked ground as they dash to and fro, feeling all the more exhilarated as the wind brush roughly against their face. The boy laughed and then growled playfully at Akumaru as the dog sprinted pass him.
Being unable to sleep, the two snuck out for a little night time training exercise. Be it that they were actually more to be playing around then doing the latter, who is to say that running about did not give one the needed exercise as well. With toothy grins and a series of bark, the two bounded off from trees and jumped to and fro from one branch to another.
It surely was not indeed long before they both collapse from the exhaustion as they sat down with labored breath, trying then to steady their rapidly beating hurt. Akamaru, with tongue hanging out, settled himself upon Kiba's lap while the boy rested his back against that of a tree, oblivious to the fact that another occupied the same place as they were.
Being downwind and all, Kiba could not be placed to blame but if he were to pay attention, he mayhap instead would have been able to catch hold of another scent altogether that had been lingering about the place. He would notice not even that the scent itself was vaguely familiar. Only until Akamaru had the idea to go sniffling about the tree did Kiba note the obvious.
"Akamaru," he called out and Akamaru barked back in reply. "What is it boy?" he asked in a soften tone of voice and Akamaru only bark back again with the same softness. Standing up and dusting himself off, which actually proved to be useless since he was beyond clean in being covered in mud and all, he prowled steadily to the other side, coming then to see his dog sniffing at what seemed to be a sleeping boy deck out in the brightest outfit he thought a ninja would ever think not to wear.
"The hell?" Feeling just slightly bewildered by why the person was sleeping here of all places, Kiba needed not to wonder on who it was. It was particularly obvious with Naruto being the only person around who actually dresses himself in orange all the time. Shaking his head, face marred into a frown, Inuzuka Kiba took a step closer towards the other and squatted down beside Naruto. Fingers extended, he gave the boy a gentle poke. It ended only with Naruto slightly stirring and mumbling something that Kiba thought to be about ramen. Really. Does the kid think of nothing but ramen?
'Ramen freak.' Kiba poked again and it ended in the same result as before. Sighing, he leaned back on the heels of his sandals and studied the boy before him, eyes grudgingly gazing at Naruto as he steadily followed the contours of his face to the expose neck that hide partially beneath the collar of his orange jacket. To his skinny fingers and to the slightly revealing flesh of his ankle and feet, Kiba had to stop and look away to take a hard swallow of the forming lump in his throat.
'Damn. Why does the idiot have to look so girly?' Feeling rather embarrassed at such thought and blushing madly, Kiba hastily stood, much to the surprise of his dog as Akamaru jump back and gave a slight yelp, and turned away to leave. He shouldn't bother with Naruto, was what he keep telling himself. He had no time to mind with people beside himself and his own team.
'Yeah!' he forced himself to admit and called Akamaru to come and in no time at all, the two disappeared between the thickets of trees and headed for home.
----x----
He liked the rain and wish that it would continue to fall. From the window of the inn that he was staying at, Gaara stood gazing out into the world beyond with a solemn look upon his face. Since the moment that it had begun to rain and unto the moment it stopped, the stock male had move not from his spot at the window.
The many people who had come in and out of the room disturbed him not for they knew who he was, or better yet, they were afraid of this demon-carrier. The fact that he was the Kazekage's son did not perturbed them but the fact of what he was frighten them more than anything. It was enough in having one demon carrier in Konoha but two made it even worst.
As usual, Gaara paid no one any heed and keep mostly to himself and not long after, he had quietly left the room, heading outside. Gaara was the sort who liked to be left alone and away from the criticizing eyes of others. It's no wonder that he found the forest to be somewhat of a comfort. However much- it was nothing like the endless sands that surrounded Sunagakure.
His feet treaded silently down the narrow and twisting path of the forest, emotionless eyes gazing about his surrounding with a perplex gaze and coming to stop every now and then with his face lift upward towards the sky. A strange feeling prickled at the edge of his mind. It was an ominous feeling but Gaara only passed it off as only being paranoid, something that he was quite use to. It was not so unusual for an insomniac as he to be such.
Continuing onward as if nothing the wiser had happened, Gaara stealthily jumped up onto a high branch and then upon another before descending forward as he jumped from one tree branch to another. Moments passed and it wasn't long before Gaara came to a stop, feet landing deftly upon the branch of a lone tree that stood in the middle of a quiet clearing. Not a sound stirred. It was as if everything was place under an enchantment but it was not within Gaara's standard to note on such nonsense. Upon the spot, he turned slightly and adjusted the hold of his gourd upon his back before crossing arms over his chest.
At the thought that he was all alone in this lone clearly, his ear twitched slightly at the sound of gentle breathing coming from below. Brows unnoticeably furrowed into a frown as jaded hues glance down to the orange clad figure below. As the thought of wondering why the person would be sleeping here of all places never made its way across his mind, Gaara wondered more on the fact of how he should react to finding such a person here of all places.
Should he be annoyed? Disgruntled? Or mayhap even pessimistic? It didn't matter since he actually felt nothing to begin with. For once, he felt not the thirst of blood or the desire to kill but just the awareness of a certain calmness that overwhelmed him. Although he never thought to wonder why, it felt quite natural and thus, he calmly seated himself upon the branch, a single leg hanging over it as he raised the other to chest level.
Eyes turned to give the boy below a contemplative glance and a moment, Gaara felt that something was just not 'right' about the other. By 'right' Gaara was pointing more to the fact of why he felt quite drawn to the person below. There was just a keen awareness that made him feel that there was a certain connection between himself and the other. It was not a sense that he was quite familiar with and so he was somewhat disoriented by the fact.
Had he met the boy before? He wasn't sure if it was possible since he had only arrived in Konoha just that evening before the storm hit. The chuunin exam close at hand, the Kazekage had wasted no time in taking the opportunity to place Gaara there to help Orochimaru in the invasion of Konoha.
Gaara tilted his head slightly to an angle but move not from his spot upon the tree. He could see the other clearly enough from where he sat. A strange and quite unwelcome feeling stir in his chest and to feel that his heart actually could do such a thing as stir or fasten in pace just by looking at the face of another, a boy no less, sent him into a state of perplexity.
'What is this feeling?' It was a thing to ponder over for it was indeed something that he had never felt before. He supposed he had from a time forgotten but he suppose also that the intensity of it then was not as great as it was now. As hard as it was for one to imagine, Gaara was experiencing love at first sight. Naturally, it was quite not so unusual for Gaara to have never heard of such an expression and only so, he pushed the feeling away to be discarded as an unimportant matters.
Sitting with his gourd at his side and his back to the tree and his head tilted upward, Gaara contemplated about the situation that he thought himself to be in.
'Something is wrong with me.' An understatement. Surely, there was nothing wrong at all but to say that to a person such as Gaara who has an abnormal sense of right and wrong would more so be like asking him at face value for a death sentence.
Coming to see that thinking about it would do nothing to improve his growing temperament of the situation, Gaara stood and made to leave. Giving the oblivious slumbering boy one last glance, he leapt away, heading back to way he had come.
----x----
It was minutes later, hours maybe when all the others were gone, some asleep and others just continuing to sit and stare out the window, did the infamous Uchiha Itachi make his appearance. It was coincidence really that he was there at that time, but it was not a coincidence by much that he was in the area about Konoha. It was not new news to some that Akatsuki was making a move about the area and thus, Itachi was about on his usual Akatsuki business. Although he would usually be seen with his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, he was alone at the moment as he made his way through the familiar forest of Konohagakure. How long had it been since he was last here- Itachi was not the type to remember idle details but he knew them nonetheless.
It was unimportant. His only business at the moment was to see to the captures of the demon carriers, the Jinchuriki, but knew that for now, he was only in search of informations of the sort about where the Jinchuriki were and the plan to acumulate the capture of them. The news that the one tail demon was in Konoha along with the nine tail already there as well was no doubt an opportunity arising for the Akatsuki members.
Now- to find Uchiha Itachi was surprise to see the orange clad boy sleeping there in the crook of the giant tree was something that did not happen for you see, Uchiha Itachi, to stress the name abit, was not the type of person to be surprise by anything. He was prehaps curious, in a sense, just like all the others before who had seen Naruto thus.
It was the perfect opportunity to just take the boy while he was asleep and bring him to the Akatsuki lair. But, as was stated before, it was not Itachi's objective at the moment and he had no problem whatsoever to just look at the boy.
Body towering over Naruto small form, Itachi had to asess a moment upon certain as to why he should not just take the other. Sure, it was not his objective, but there was never any harm in doing it now instead of later for an opportunity as such could never be given out twice. Then again, he was never the one to accept something as cowardly or easy.
Now, as Itachi continued to stand there gazing down at our blond dobe, an unexpected thought crossed his mind. He would not pondered upon it nor would he voice it out for he knew that if he were to contemplate upon the issue, it would only grow to distract him in the later time that is to come.
With a somewhat disgruntled look and with a slight new sheen in his usually dull eyes, Itachi turned away with a flutter of his Akatsuki's cloak and vanished from the spot and appearing in another place altogether where he was now once again his usual stock and emotionless self, not that he never was in the first place. He would not think of the other nor, as mention before, would he ponder upon why there was a stir in his closed off heart.
----x----
Uchiha Sasuke was annoyed. Why? It could be a many numbers of things. One could be that he was stuck with the annoying Sakura for almost the entire time after they had been dismissed by their jounin sensei. Another was that Naruto had bounded off by himself without starting the littlest bit of argument with him as well as leaving him alone with Sakura the entire time. It was usually by the distraction of Naruto did Sasuke ever get the chance to escape from the clutches of Haruno Sakura. The rain hadn't proved to an improvement either.
Alone now and growing all the more annoyed by the thought, he could only sigh and push the thought away for it was no use in thinking of it. As a matter of fact, he was more concern on the fact as to why Naruto had run off like that. Although he knew he shouldn't be, the thought plagued him for it was unlike the dobe to do such.
Seeing him otherwise flirt with the pink haired Sakura or picking a fight with Sasuke himself, it was not so unusual for Sasuke to wonder at the sudden change in pace.
"Dobe," he muttered out and kicked at the muddy ground beneath him, sending a tiny rock shuttering across the path in the woods. The soft sound of the skipping rock echoed throughout the silent place, giving off a slight eerie affect. Not particularly bother though, he pay not the slightest attention to the fact that the hair at the back of his neck stood on end nor to the fact that he had to surpass a shiver from racing down his spin.
The place being so unearthly silent, it would definitely give anyone the chills but Sasuke hid that simple fact well enough by brushing it off and continuing on his way down the wood's path, heading for home.
Now, it was unbelievably unlike Sasuke to find himself lost so he would not admit that fact either and continue to still be about his way. Lucky for him, he somehow found his way back onto the right path although that path happen to lead him into a certain little clearing we are all now rather familiar with and with where our dobe is sleeping still, ironically enough.
"……" With nothing to say for he could find no words whatsoever, Sasuke made his way towards the sleeping blond. With sure and silent steps, he came to kneel down beside Naruto, gazing down at him then with an inquisitive gaze. Sure, just like all the others, he was curious as to why Naruto was here, but could not come up with a reasonable explanation besides the fact that the dobe was an utter moron to be sleeping in the forest of all places.
Shaking his head at Naruto's stupidity, Sasuke reached out and shook the other by the shoulder. The blond doing nothing but stir slightly and no more, Sasuke growled.
"Naruto," he called as he shook the blond again. This time no movement or any reply, just a frightening stillness that easily showed the harsh shiver that wrack Naruto's slender frame.
"Damn," he cursed, placing more blame unto Naruto's stupidity. Placing a hand to Naruto's forehead, he was shocked at the growing fever. "Usuratonkacki…"
Not thinking of what he was about to do, Sasuke picked the other up, a hand supporting his neck and back and the other beneath his knees. Surprised at how light the blond was for he thought Naruto to be much heavier with all the ramen he'd seen the dobe digests, Sasuke gently cradle the other against his chest and headed down the forest trail and out until he was at the village gate before jumping unto the rooftops and heading for Naruto's home.
Finding the place to be obviously unlocked, he entered and placed Naruto upon his bed. Straightening, Sasuke took a moment to study his rival. Flush face and heaving breath that came from slightly parted lips. Plastered blond locks against sweaty brows and long feminine lashes fluttering against his cheeks as Naruto was disturbed by fevered dreams.
It gave off a rather unnerving image that caused a light blush to adorn his pale cheeks. Turning away and this time cursing himself, Sasuke headed into where he assumed to be Naruto's kitchen. Coming back with a wetted towel, he leaned down to remove Naruto's headband and placed the towel upon his forehead. He then went quickly about to removing the blonde's wet clothes and shoes and leaving him only in his underclothing before quickly pulling the blanket over his body.
Thinking that he should now leave, he gave the blond one last glance before leaving, using the window as his exit. Not wishing to think about all that just happened, he pushed the thoughts aside so that it could be forgotten. Although knowing that it would be a hard thing to do, Uchiha Sasuke headed for home.
----x----
Morning had arrived and Naruto, feeling rather refresh, more so than he had ever before experience, sat up in bed and stretched. Although feeling a bit disoriented as to how he had come to be here for the last thing he remember was silences of the forest and view of many trees around him, Naruto blinked and gave his apartment a thorough look over.
Head tilted confusedly, he swung his leg over the side of his bed and noticed at once his half naked state. Giving a startled yelp, Naruto immediately pulled his blanket over his shoulders, wrapping the fabric about him, and stood. Wobblingly making his way to the kitchen, Naruto found himself performing his usual routine of the day by first filling a kettle with water and placing it over the turned on stove top while he inwardly pondered on finding an explanation as to how he had ended up in his own bed.
The only thing that seemed reasonable enough was that maybe he was found by Iruka sensei. He was the only person he could consider to be kind enough to actually perform the deed. Frowning, he gave his shoulders a slight shrugged and reached up to open a cabinet, pulling out then a cup of instant ramen.
His kettle beginning to whistle moments later, Naruto immediately forgot all his pondering and went about his daily business as he poured the water into his cup and waited the dreaded three minute that it took to fully cook. Once done, he gulfed it down, minding not its steaming hotness and quickly went about the apartment in finding a clean pair of another orange jumpsuit.
Giving off his trade mark grin, Naruto put on his sandals and noticed only then as he was tying his headband around his forehead, that he was late for his meeting with Team 7. Rushing out the door, Naruto dashed off down the crowded street of Konoha, oblivious and unaware of all that happened the night before.
----x----
A/N When I was reading this over, I can't help but find some part to b e rather amusing. Anyway- I do hope you enjoy this little oneshot that might not turn out to be a oneshot afterall.