The day she first saw him was like any other; the village was bustling as usual, and the normal hum of voices filled the warm morning air. The only difference was that Ino was not there to keep Sakura company, as she had gone to visit her relatives for a few weeks. Sakura would have gladly joined the other kids in playing their fun games, but she was too shy… too self-conscious, knowing they'd definitely make fun of her big forehead. She settled down on a swing hanging from the sturdy branch of a gnarled oak.
No, today, she had already decided, she would find something to amuse herself, perhaps just watch the day pass by as the clouds drifted lazily in the sky. Sakura yawned, letting her boredom get the better of her. She couldn't spend the whole day like this, it was too uneventful for her taste… But what else was there to do?
She jumped from the wooden swing, kicking up dust beneath her. She stretched, deciding to find something to do. Sakura looked longingly at the other kids, then turned to leave, only to pause as she heard the sound of someone crying softly. Surprised, she looked around, and, finding nobody, tried to pinpoint the person's exact location.
Listening carefully, she followed the sound until it brought her to a small clump of bushes. Pushing the branches away, she found someone she had never seen before. At first, all she could see was a small child, about her age, hugging his knees, his shoulders shaking with muffled sobs. However, as soon as he realized she was there, he jumped back, scrambling away from her. Her eyes met with his, and for a brief moment, they locked gazes, his azure eyes glassy with tears.
Sakura reached to help the boy, but he recoiled, shrinking into himself as though she had struck him. She began to reach for him again, but was momentarily distracted as the kids behind her shrieked with joy, as a team made a goal. Taking the moment for granted, the boy scrambled to his feet and dashed off, before Sakura could stop him.
That was only the first encounter, as she saw him the many days that followed, usually sitting alone on the swing, under the branches of the oak, or leaning against the wall of the academy, but never near any of the other kids. Whenever she saw him, she tried to confront him, to ask him a question that burned her curiosity, but before she could ever get near him, he would slip away, disappear into the shadows.
But every time she saw him, he always met her gaze, no matter how far away she was. He seemed to look at her pleadingly, as though he wanted to tell her something, but every time, he would rip his eyes from hers, and vanish.
One day, however, he was nowhere to be seen. Sakura, wondering where the mysterious boy was, searched around, but in vain, as the boy had disappeared. It was odd, though she did not know the boy, she seemed to feel a connection to him, and she was concerned about him. She settled down on the swing, waiting for him to appear. She remembered the weather specifically, as it was cold and windy, clouds covering the afternoon sun. It was only when it began to rain that she gave up waiting, and decided to head home. Deciding to take the longer path home, in hopes that she might see him, Sakura began to walk slowly to her house, the heavy rain coming down in sheets. Remembering, however, that her mother had made her bring along an umbrella, she pulled it out and rested it on her shoulder, shielding her hair from the water, listening to the loud pattering of the drops.
She looked out at the big pond near the path and scanned the rippling waters, her eyes landing on the pier. That's when she saw him. He sat on the edge of the pier, his feet dangling over the water, his entire body soaked with rainwater.
Distracted, Sakura slipped down the muddy hill, heading towards the pier where he sat. He sat, so deep in thought, that as Sakura neared him, he failed to notice her. It was only when she held the umbrella over him that he looked up, his azure eyes meeting her emerald eyes. He seemed to freeze, a look of complete surprise on his face, but he soon relaxed and closed his eyes, giving Sakura something she had never seen before. A smile; a simple smile of gratitude and happiness.
She returned the smile, and he silently beckoned for her to sit next to her. She obeyed, and propped the umbrella between them, so that they both were protected from the pouring rain. They sat in silence, until the distant rumble of thunder sounded, rolling across the water. Sakura stood and held out her hand to help the boy up. He took it and stood up beside her.
"So… what's your name?" Sakura asked, as they began to walk down the path parallel to the pond. The boy remained silent, as a streak of lightening flashed across the sky.
"Naruto…" The boy seemed to shy away from her as he spoke, and she noted his hesitation to reveal his name. Trying to be polite, she introduced herself.
"It's nice to finally talk to you, Naruto-san. I'm Haruno Sakura." He nodded in acknowledgement, and looked away, a question swimming in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself, and Sakura chose to remain quiet. They walked on in silence, letting themselves be put into a trance by the patterned rain. Then, suddenly, as they neared her street, Naruto stopped, bowing his head.
"I…I shouldn't be here… I shouldn't be with you…" He began to back away, and Sakura, taken aback, blinked.
"What do you mean?" She said, turning to face him. He began to shake his head.
"The others will see me with you. I… I can't let them… I won't let them…" He began to mumble to himself, then, without warning, he took off before Sakura could question him any more. Confused, and slightly hurt by his sudden departure, she walked home by herself, trying to take everything she had learned in.
The following days were dreary and cold, the dismal skies spattering large drops of rain on the sponge-y ground below. Even so, Sakura wandered outside everyday, to sit and wait for Naruto, who often appeared for a brief period, always alone.
Neither of them spoke to one another, but they continued to exchange glances. Then one day, Naruto disappeared again. This time, however, Sakura thought little of it, as she found that he would come and go as he pleased; it seemed he had no parents to restrict him.
It was only when three days passed that she began to worry. He had disappeared a few times before, that was true, but he had never remained missing for more than two days. Though she worried, she could do nothing, as she knew nothing more than his name; she didn't even know where he lived.
The fourth day passed slowly, and letting her worry get the better of her, she decided to search for Naruto. She wandered the streets of the village, scanning the shelves in the window as she passed interesting stores. She came to rest as she reached the training grounds, about to give up search.
She paused, however, as she heard the familiar sobs of the blonde. Sakura scrambled to her feet, and searched the nearby brush until she found him sitting under a tree, choking back sobs.
This time, however, as she approached him, he did not move, he continued to cry. Sakura touched his shoulder and sat down beside him, trying to comfort the young boy.
"Naruto… what's wrong…? Why are you crying?" The boy did not respond, he merely buried his head in his clothes, his sobs racketing his body. He began to shiver, and Sakura hugged him, trying to console him.
"Naruto… it's ok," Sakura spoke in a soothing voice, hoping if she sounded confident, he'd confide in her, but he did not say anything. Instead, he pulled away from her, wiping away his tears from his cheeks.
"Stay away from me!" He began to cry harder, his voice wavering and unsteady. He turned to run, but tripped on a root of a nearby tree, and fell flat on his face. Sakura ran to help him up, alarmed by his sudden change. But before she could reach him, he had scrambled to his feet again, and was running as fast as he could, tears trailing behind him.
She didn't see him for another few days. Even so, her mind was plagued with questions about Naruto: Why did he cry? Why didn't he trust her? Had she done something to hurt him?
The thought of hurting him made her heart sink. All she wanted to do was be his friend… why didn't he understand that?
As the sun returned the next days, drying all the rain, Naruto began to appear again, often sitting alone on the swing beneath the great oak. Sakura had tried to talk to him, but he had returned to his skittish behavior, fleeing every time he saw her.
And she began to notice that every time she saw him, he was on the verge of tears, or already crying. Her heart ached for him, but she did not know what to do. She wanted nothing more than to help him, but every time she tried, he fled.
And then she noticed something. One day, as she sat on the playground, keeping an eye out for Naruto, she caught sight of Iruka, the Academy's teacher. He seemed to be calling for someone, and as she watched, she saw Naruto run to him, hugging his leg as though the teacher was his father.
Iruka picked up the young boy and talked to him, and as Sakura watched, she saw he was able to bring a smile to Naruto's face. Iruka placed the boy on the ground, and patted his head, before taking the Naruto's hand and walking off with him, joking and talking lightly with the blonde.
Sakura was amazed, as it seemed the young teacher had been able to heal Naruto's pain, whatever it was. And that's when a thought floated back to her. Where were Naruto's parents?
The next day, Sakura received a letter from Ino, telling her that her return home had been postponed, as the village she was staying in had been covered in several feet of snow. Crestfallen by the news of her friend's delay, Sakura wandered into town to occupy herself, almost forgetting about Naruto.
It was only when he almost ran into her that she remembered him. When she saw him, he was running madly, terror-stricken, as a few drunkards followed behind him, cursing loudly and shouting at the blonde. Sakura, worried about her friend, followed him, darting through the busy crowds. She followed him until he slowed, content with a small alleyway as a hiding spot.
Unaware that he had been followed, he turned to look behind himself, only to jump as he saw Sakura. His eyes stretched wide as he saw her, and tensed his muscles to run, but stopped himself as he realized it was only her. Sighing, he leaned against a wall and slid to the ground, wincing as he reached his hand to his side. He bit his lip as he pulled his hand away, squeezing his eyes shut and returning his hand to his stomach as he saw blood.
Sakura gasped, and ran to Naruto's side, her eyes stretched wide in fear as she saw a knife slice in his stomach. It was nothing serious, but it was enough to make Naruto's skin pale and blanch. He sat, holding back tears as best as he could, and Sakura, horrified, began to talk swiftly to him.
"Naruto, we need to get you to the hospital, now!" He shook his head.
"I'm…. fine…I've had… worse…" Sakura's eyes stretched wider.
"Worse?! What did you do?!" Naruto shook his head, and held back tears.
"Nothing." Sakura's eyes hardened, and she squatted down beside him.
"I can hardly believe they did this just for fun." She cocked an eyebrow, but spoke softly, trying not to upset the blonde. Naruto swallowed, and bit his lip, trying to suppress a moan.
"It's not my fault…. they all hate me…" Naruto sighed and rested his head against the wall. And that's when Sakura asked the question that had tugged at her for so long.
"Naruto… why do you cry?" At this question, Naruto's entire body stiffened, and he opened his eyes to look at her. He did not respond immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze on nothingness. The harshness and cold tone in his voice sent chills down Sakura's spine as he responded.
"I'm a monster… someone who shouldn't even be alive… not even human. Nobody could ever like a monster like me… and I can't make any friends." Sakura felt her heart fall as she heard him speak, the hatred in his voice strong. "And if anyone's seen with me, they get hurt, too." He looked away, hot tears brimming his sapphire eyes. "Sakura… you don't know… how much you mean to me… you're the only one… the only person, other than Iruka, who has ever cared." He looked up and met her shocked expression, her emerald eyes wide with surprise. "But even so, I'm sorry… I can't be friends with you. If the others ever see us together… I couldn't bear to have you hurt because of me. So, please… forget about me! Stay away from me!"
Sakura looked at Naruto, her heart overflowing with emotion. She could feel her own tears sliding down her face as she listened to his plea. Her heart moved her body, and without realizing it, she had wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close.
"Naruto… I don't care, what the others think! You're my friend, and even though we haven't known each other for a long time, I could never betray you!" Sakura felt him begin to cry as she said this.
"Sakura… thank you…"
Days passed, and Naruto and Sakura grew to be close friends. Then, one day, Ino sent word again. She was going to be coming home the next afternoon, and as Sakura rejoiced, Naruto began to shy away again. He realized that when Ino returned, Sakura would most likely return to her normal routine with her best friend.
And so came the day she returned. Sakura waited excitedly at the village gates, the afternoon sun warming the day. As she saw Ino, she ran to her best friend, welcoming her with open arms. She and Sakura talked continuously, filling each other in with everything that had happened while she was gone, while a young boy looked on sadly.
He watched the two friends converse, sighing as he saw how happy Sakura was with Ino. He sat on the swing in the shade of the oak, the familiar loneliness creeping through the shadows. Sakura glanced at Naruto briefly, and paused.
"Ino-san…. There's someone I want you to meet, someone who's become a great friend of mine. His name is Naruto." Ino nodded, smiling.
Naruto looked up as he saw the two girls walking over to him, Sakura smiling warmly, and waving happily to him. He felt his heart fill with happiness, and he waved back. Somehow, he felt something he had never felt before. And he realized he only felt it when he looked Sakura in the eye.
He felt hope. Hope for a future that he had thought would be lonely and dark. But as he watched his new friend draw near, he felt that everything would be all right.