A/N: Just a short birthday fic, please forgive any crappiness and OoC-ness. –bows head-
Disclaimer: I own nothing, obviously!
Naruto looked longingly outside his window, watching the other children run about in their bright kimonos, laughing and playing with sizzling sparklers.
The small blond sighed dully, sliding down to lay curled up on his bed; it was like this every year. Every October 10th, since he was four years old, the small Uzumaki had hidden away in his apartment, keeping himself safe from the glares and hisses, the points and sneers.
Yes, it was October 10th once more, the day that was celebrated as the day Yondaime vanquished the evil Kyuubi at the cost of his own life; but never as Uzumaki Naruto's birthday. "Really," some of the villagers had said, "why should we celebrate that monsters birthday? It's all because of him that so many died not too long ago."
:: Iruka-sensei will be here soon; he'll probly want me to go out and celebrate… :: the seven-year-old mused, clenching his fist around the white linen beneath him.
Umino Iruka was Naruto's loving guardian, a sweet and cheery Chuunin who also served as Naruto's teacher at the Ninja Academy. The kind dolphin always insisted that his young charge indulge in the festivities, despite the protests of the little Kyuubi-container.
Warily, the young blond shifted his position on the bed, skillfully rolling off the side and landing on his feet. He padded silently over to the front door, strapping on his sandals before opening up the gateway to the world outside his personal haven. To make Iruka happy, the normally hyper boy had dressed in his handmade kimono of bright orange, decorated with light blue spirals, today in honor of the village-wide celebration; the teacher had gone through far too much trouble to have the outfit go to waste.
Besides, Naruto liked how the colors complimented him.
The kit took two minutes of his time in the glowing-orange dusk light to lock the door to his apartment, even though a mess was to be expected when he got home; his house became an even more popular place for graffiti on this day.
Seeing as most villagers were at the festival, along with Iruka who had been assigned to stamp out any trouble that might arise, Naruto chose to play at the park. His cute tanned face brightened up considerably at the prospect of being able to play on the swings; a luxury he didn't have often.
There was also the opportunity to pick more flowers for Iruka and as decoration for his own house that kept up his mood.
The journey to the local park was a short one, though it felt as if it had taken an hour, due to the scowls he received from the few passersby; some of them he knew from the Academy.
However, the cool night air was welcomed by the boy, as was the little tingling sensation said child felt in anticipation of his fun night of swinging and picking flowers.
Upon his arrival, the kawaii blond knelt in the tall grass, small fingers wrapping around a few small green stems as he jerked them upwards, effectively uprooting the plant.
Naruto began to hum some random song that came to him as he carefully plucked a handful of the petite daisies, preparing to run down the hill to the playground.
He slowly got to his feet, patting off the dirt that lingered on his robes, then began to skip down the small grassy slope toward the playground.
To his surprise, a black-haired boy that looked his age was sitting on the small dock by the edge of the river, deep ebony eyes concentrated on the rippling surface of the water. The other boy wore a black kimono, small blue flame patterns decorating the hems, accompanied by a large white and red uchiwa on the back.
At first, Naruto planned on leaving the sulking boy to himself but, as they say, 'curiosity killed the cat'.
"Hey!" he called out brightly, waving his free hand up in greeting.
The darker-haired one only 'hned' before looking up at the intruder.
"What do you want? Why are you here?" The adorable ravenette asked threateningly, giving Naruto a harsh glare for good measure.
Naruto seemed deep in thought as he pondered this question, totally unaffected by this show of hostility.
"I like to play here when it's darker, so no one can hurt me-tteba!" the blond stated matter-of-factly, plopping down beside the admittedly cute boy, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto-dattebayou!" the blond gushed, handing over a small bunch of daisies to the ravenette as a peace-offering.
The boy took them, uncertain at first.
"Uchiha Sasuke." He replied quietly, giving the other child a small smile.
Naruto fidgeted before continuing their attempts at conversation, "What are you doing here, Sasuke-chan? Shouldn't you be in town celebrating like everyone else?"
Sasuke peered at his new 'friend' curiously, "Should I? I don't see why we have to celebrate: I don't like crowds. Besides, my Nii-san says that somewhere, there's a kid who's all alone today, even though it's his birthday, because he's supposed to have the Kyuubi sealed inside him. I know it's true because my brother is a genius; he's always right!" Sasuke finished proudly, sitting up a little straighter.
"Why should that kid matter?" Naruto pressed, his curiosity peaked.
Sasuke smiled sadly at the blond, "Because, it's not his fault that he has the Kyuubi inside him, and it's not his fault that Yondaime-sama died. I think the villagers are all stupid, 'cause they think that stuff about him; Tch, idiots."
Naruto's cheeks went a little pink upon hearing the pale child's words, a gentle smile playing across his features; it was nice to know that there were other people besides Iruka that stopped to think about how he felt about his role in life, feeling inferior to everyone else.
"It's you, isn't it Naruto-chan?" Sasuke asked quietly, dark eyes cast down on the still water of the stream, "You're from my class; the usuratonkachi who can't even do Kage Bunshin no jutsu? You're the 'Kyuubi-child', right? And that's why everyone's so mean to you."
Naruto nodded sadly, but then blinked owlishly.
His bottom lip puffed out as he pouted, "Don't call me 'usuratonkachi' you… you…. Chicken-butt!"
Sasuke's mouth fell open, "I am not a chicken-butt, dobe!"
Naruto giggled sweetly, "Your hair looks like one."
Sasuke folded his arms tightly across his chest, forming a pout of his own; he was cute, though not as cute as his blond counterpart.
"As punishment, Naruto-chan won't get his birthday present."
Naruto's eyes widened immediately, the brilliant blue orbs twinkling magnificently, the only presents he got mainly from Iruka, and a few from the Sandaime.
"Sasuke-chan has a birthday present for Naruto?"
The youngest Uchiha nodded slowly, fishing through his robes. O.K, so he didn't necessarily have a gift specifically for Naruto; but the candy that that Haruno chick gave him earlier should do the trick; it's not like he himself loved sweets. And it's the thought
that counts, right?
Slowly, the Uchiha pulled out a large, red lollipop, placing it carefully into Naruto's palm.
"There, that's for you." Sasuke blushed, turning his head away quickly.
"KYAAA!" Naruto cried out joyfully, hugging the sweet tightly to his chest, "I love it, Sasuke-chan!"
"Sheesh, it's nothing to go crazy over, it's just a lollipop." Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes; but he couldn't resist giving the blond a warm smile; he really was cute.
"I don't care, I love it!" the blond squealed again, shoving the treat into his mouth hungrily.
Sasuke blinked at the other's haste, then began to laugh, "You're an interesting person, Naruto-chan…-"
Both children's smiles dropped when they saw the shadow of an adult looming over them.
"Sasuke, it's time to go home." A deep, husky voice stated, dark eyes flicking from Sasuke and Naruto.
Another black-haired boy appeared, one who was older, but looked like Sasuke with long hair; he donned a black kimono with red flames, the same uchiwa rested upon his back as Sasuke's did.
"But Nii-chan, we can't go yet!" Sasuke prompted, waving a hand in Naruto's direction.
Itachi cast a quick glance at his little brother's companion.
"It's Na-chan's birthday today Itachi-Nii, but everyone forgot about it! We need to celebrate it with him!" the younger of the siblings reasoned, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist protectively.
Itachi flinched inwardly, not wanting to accept the fact that his beloved little brother was so attached to someone else; and to one he had just met no less.
Both children seemed to sense an inner turmoil within Itachi's mind, for they both cast on the irresistible 'puppy-dog' look full-force.
Defeated, Itachi sighed, but grinned a little, "If we're going to celebrate a birthday, we need to get a cake. Mother and Father won't be home until eleven tonight, so I suppose we can have a small party before then."
Naruto's grin grew wider, "And Iruka-sensei won't come to check on me until ten forty-five!"
Sasuke sat in silence, letting all this information sink in; suddenly, he stood up, holding his hand out to Naruto.
"Then let's go, Dobe." He smiled serenely, "You're going to have a very happy birthday."
A/N: Eh, I know it's short, but I had to write this a week early, 'cause I won't be able to post this on Naruto's actual birthday.
I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! Please review!