A/N: Hello readers! I am back! And with an update! CHEERS!
So, I decided to remove all the others chapters and start afresh. And that is exactly what I did. If it caused some kind of an inconvenience, then my apologies. You all know that wasn't my intention. And I am also gonna make a few changes in the summary and maybe I'll change the title as well? Lets see ;)
I have the 'edited version' of chapter 1 and trust me on this, its far better than the previous one. So without further ado...
WAIT! Disclaimer! Yes! Disclaimer! Give me a minute please.
Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine but the plot is rightfully mine, so yeah.
Shoutout to my beta reader poodie. Go, check her out!
And sit with a notepad folks and keep taking notes because, trust me, you'll need it.
CHAPTER 1 : When Kiba muttered
Flashback
The sound of crunching of dried leaves and breaking twigs echoed throughout the graveyard as a sneakers clad figure, with a bright orange sweatshirt, and washed out jeans trotted down the path carrying a single daisy, clasped tightly, yet gently, in his hands. He passed various memorials to reach the one he came to visit every Sunday. A low breeze ruffled his blonde hair, and a small sad smile dawned his features, as his feet came to a halt in front of a grave of the person he loved the most. He squatted down on his knees and his little fingertips filled with innocence traced the letters written on the grave.
KUSHINA UZUMAKI-NAMIKAZE
(10th July 1980 - 20th December 2012)
Naruto let out a sigh as he plopped down on the ground beside the grave. Dusting the leaves and dirt off it with his hands, he placed the daisy on it. His strikingly blue eyes surveyed his surroundings as he took in the familiar oak tree under which his mother was buried. She had wanted it; wanted to be buried under an oak tree. Naruto would never understand the reason behind it; but who was he to question her wishes when his own odd requests sometimes shocked him. With her tomato red hair, she had always been different. A good different, which made her stand out, that distinguished her from a mob of 'normals'. And this difference made his father fall head over heels for his mother. 'One of a kind,' he used to say to describe her. Naruto was just like her; and he couldn't have been more proud of it.
Tranquility washed his insides, ridding his body of any tension and setting it at peace, as he felt the familiar warmth of his mother envelope him. A mama's boy; that's what he had always been as the feeling of being content only came when she was right by his side.
''Hey Mom!'' And as a gentle wind danced by, he just knew that his mom was listening, "Its 10th of October today, my 14th birthday.'' His tone filled with a child like excitement. His insides were jittery and the urge to squeal was overpowering. Well, can't blame him. One did not turn 14 everyday.
"Sasuke, Sui, Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru,'' He ticked off the names on his fingers, ''They are gonna come to celebrate with me today, around 12 I guess,''
A wave of nostalgia hit him full force, and he couldn't help but laugh, remembering how the 6 of them used to get scolded by Kushina for causing trouble around the house all the damn time; but the affection hidden behind those playful scowls on her face had never went unnoticed by them.
''You always loved them around, didn't ya?''
''Jiraiya Sensei promised me a soccer ball... And I totally forgot to tell you that I made it to the soccer team!'' Enthusiasm radiated off him as he chatted on, '' I wish...you could have been here... to watch me play. I am quite good.'' He finished proudly, and a wistful smile graced his features. He reminisced the times he used to play soccer with his father in the backyard; then getting dirt all over the floor of the kitchen which resulted in his mum throwing a hissy fit, and how it used to scare his dad shitless, but they never stopped. He chuckled to himself and shook his head. His mom was something.
''Sasuke wouldn't have ever accepted, but he was fond of you and...me too. But I know he would burn in hell rather than spit that out.'' A breeze blew by as he inhaled the slightly humid air and smell of wet grounds.
''You would want to know how he is doing, right? Despite all of his mopping around every other day, he is fine, I guess. Fine as in better than before. He was a mess when you left us. It was like watching him mourn for his parent's death all over again. We couldn't reach out to him for a while after that, but eventually then, he came back on his own. I think I know why,'' He paused and picked at the grass with his fingernails.
His thoughts were whirling around his head, ready to be thrown out of his mouths. But it was easier said then done, he realized as he tripped on his own words, ''He tried to get better because he understands. Understands how it feels to have your happiness ripped out of your hands. And he didn't want to burden me too, since I was a... a mess. He didn't want to make it more difficult by being...his usual self. For the first few months, I swear I could see the old Sasuke in him, who had emotions and who knew how to express them. He reminded me of those days when he wasn't so...dark; and life was all about cartoon shows, my drawing, homework and-'' he snorted, ''-contracting cooties from girls.''
''Kiba and Suigetsu are their usual jumpy self. They drag me to every party with them. This is their way of supporting me. It is weird but, I have to agree, it helps. Especially Sasuke. He drinks himself to oblivion at parties.''
He rubbed his jaw as he recalled a time when Sasuke packed a punch square to his jaw for trying to stop him. He broke the emo's nose later for that. What? You thought he would let that sour face get away with that. Ah, the satisfying crunching of bones that echoed that day.
Naruto gazed up at the sky, vast and so bright, "I haven't seen Neji for a couple of days, but he never fails to check on me. One just needs to decipher his messages and talks to know that he really cares. Like his 'Hi' means, 'Hope you are doing okay, but I won't ask because I am way too cool for you. And call me if you need anything.' Him and Sasuke are so alike that it scares me. Honestly!'' He shuddered as images of them brooding together and conquering the world with their emo-ishness fleeted past his eyes. If that happened, Naruto just knew that the first thing they would ban was laughing. They had something against it, he could swear.
''Shikamaru is like, 'What a drag but are you okay?'", He deepened his voice to imitate his pineapple haired friend. Naruto was sure he would have not even cried after popping out his mom's vagina because it would have been too troublesome for him. And he could bet his ass that lazy dung's first word would have been 'troublesome', and first full sentence 'what a drag'. He sighed. He really had odd friends.
''Ugh!'' He groaned in frustration as he slapped a palm on his forehead, ''I just remembered that my chocolate cookies are still stuffed in the top cabinet away from Kiba and Suigetsu's reach. And they know about it. Mom!'', he whined. He couldn't help it. Suigetsu and Kiba ate everything they could get their hands on, and it was okay with Naruto -until their filthy hands were on his chocolate cookies and ramen. They were sacred. He thought back to the days when they were 7. He laughed when he tumbled on a certain memory where Suigetsu's and Kiba's ass was being whooped by his mom for stealing cookies and not sharing. He bit his lips to hold the guffaw which threaten to launch from his throat.
Walking down the memory lane, he couldn't help but breath a laugh. He had so many memories which made him snort and sniffle at the same time. And growing up with the people he loved the most, his only aim was to make more to last a lifetime and live life to the fullest.
Life was good, and Naruto always thought it would stay forever this way. He wished to forever be wrapped in the arms of his parents, surrounded by his friends and family; to grow old in his own little world. And never in his wildest dreams had he thought, that one day, the true face of life would come crashing down on him so hard that it would leave a permanent dent.
His eyes glazed over as he remembered the night when life took a sharp turn, diverting itself from the path he thought it would always follow. He was only 8; but unfortunately it was just the beginning. It has been 6 years, yet the wounds were fresh.
Covering half of his face with his right hand, with his thumb furiously tapping his cheek, he tried to hide his wobbling lips from his mom, as the images of the night which took away so much from him flashed in front of his eyes. He tried to block out the ringing of his house phone and his mother's bone chilling scream which he could still hear and remember as if it happened just a day before.
''Dad...'' His voice wavered, but he suddenly felt so...drained. Drained from smiling and pretending that he was all right and nothing in his life was wrong. It was too much and he couldn't find it in himself the strength to keep up the facade. Hiding behind a veil and pretend nothing is out of place had never been Naruto's fort. It was Sasuke's and to some extent Neji's.
''He hasn't woken up yet, Mom,'' He let out a shaky breath. His eyes were bloodshot and he bit his bottom lip to keep his composure, ''6 years. 6 fucking years and he is still lying on the damn bed, refusing to wake up.'' But his emotions were choking him and it felt like if he didn't let them out, he would explode.
He lost so many people that night, and one of them was his Dad who was still, to this day, in coma. It had been a bit okay to cope up with his mom by his side. She would embrace him and let him soak up her shirts with his tears. She would sing a lullaby the nights he couldn't sleep because he was missing his Dad so much. She would tuck him in bed the same way his Dad did so that he could catch an ounce of sleep.
His Mom was really tough. Even when the doctors lost hope and declared that his Dad might never wake up, she stood strong. She never gave up hope and had faith. She gave him strength, and assured him that his Dad was a fighter, and he would definitely come back to them.
But she was human too, and scared, and her whimpering in her room at nights never went unnoticed by Naruto. Though, the next day, she would come out from her room with a bright smile with no trace of weakness because she fought against them at nights. She always devoted the morning in giving him strength and keeping it together.
Then life played its cruel trick again and took away his last source of light, plunging him into darkness. A car accident and his pillar of support was stolen. After almost 4 years, Naruto lost his mother too, to the dare games of life.
"How am I supposed to do this without you, Mom? How am I-'' He gasped for air as tears spilled from his eyes, tracing their path down his cheeks, ''I can't do this. I- everyone is losing hope. I don't know if I 'll be able to hold on any longer. At least not alone. Please! Please... come back.'' It was like he was 8 again, crying and begging to the doctors to fix his Dad. But this time there was one to hold him in their arms and rock them back and forth and whisper calming words in his ears. No one to give him hope, absorb his pain, and to be his armor.
Sobs racked his body as he continued to shed tears which he had hidden behind his smiles for the past two years. He didn't care anymore. The facade didn't matter. The pretense didn't matter. And he didn't give a flying fuck if the world called him a weakling for bawling in front of a grave. He just wanted his Mom back because he couldn't move forward on his own.
Naruto didn't know if it had been 15 minutes or an hour since he just sat there and poured his tear ducts dry; but as said before: he didn't give a rat's ass.
The heaviness of his chest began to lift as he sobbed, and for the first time in almost 2 years, he felt a lightness he didn't know he was capable of feeling. He wiped his face on the sleeves of his shirt and threw his fingers through his hair. He was crying out his pain, and he would be lying if he said that the after effects weren't good.
A shrill noise penetrated his surrounding, bringing him out of his own bubble as he sniffled. He patted his jeans when it registered in his mind that it was his phone ringing. Feeling a bump in his back pocket, he quickly pulled his phone out. His brow furrowed as he took in the name which was flashing on the screen of his sleek phone.
''Jiriaya sensei? Why is he calling? He knows I came to visit Mom,'' Muttering, he breathed in sharply and swiped the screen with his long fingers, accepting the call.
"Hello?'' His voice came out hoarse and rough, and he just prayed his Godfather won't figure out he had been crying. He didn't want to worry Jiraiya who already had his hands full.
''Naruto? Get home as fast as you can.'' Naruto could hear Jiraiya panting and huffing as if he had run a marathon -which really confused him. What the fuck was happening?
"Is it really urgent? I am kind of busy-'' Before Naruto could finish, Jiraiya cut in.
'Its your father.'' A chill crawled up Naruto's spine as deadly silence overtook the other end, ''He is awake.''
Sasuke's POV (PRESENT DAY)
To him, she was like a flame on a chilly winter night that warmed up his insides, even with the softest glow it would cast. She fluttered and danced, her movements filled with grace, with every gust of wind which seemed to be failing in its every attempt to douse her. And just like a moth, he was drawn towards the incandescence she was radiating.
His eyes refused to acknowledge the command of his body to remove them off her. They were stuck, entranced and enchanted by every small actions of her. Everything about her felt magical as she gleamed. There was a kind of beauty in her which could only be felt as it was guarded not only by purity and innocence, but a tinge of strength. It was untouched and unswayed.
Sasuke had never been the type to adore lustrous and glinting individuals, but she, with her brightbrightbright pink hair and emerald eyes, was already breaking the conventional wall around his heart by merely standing near an ice cream parlor and chatting animatedly with her blonde, blue eyed friend. He was drowning helplessly in her radiance and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to be saved. And just by being upright on her long, toned legs which stretched miles-
Wait! Whoa!
At first, he was being annoyingly poetic by describing her inner beauty, and now, was behaving like some sort of low class, pathetic, pitiful pervert by staring at her legs and measuring their length.
Great! This is exactly what he had in his mind for the day!
Something inside of him screamed that his sarcasm for the day wasn't going to take him anywhere, and he needed to stop checking her out and keep it together before someone noticed. But every logical thought was picked, packed in a sparkling wrapping with a bow on top, and thrown out the windows of the mall he was supposed to be shopping in, with an urgency he couldn't fathom, when the pair of gorgeous emerald eyes collided with his onyx ones.
Her gaze was piercing, sharp, as if seeing right through his facade. Sasuke could sense her peeling off his barriers...one by one, and having a peek in his past. He struggled to keep his mask up; but the way she held his gaze -and the intensity- shook him to the core. He must have let his emotions loose, because something unfamiliar flickered on her face. But as soon as it came, it was gone. And what shocked him was that, the minute the emotion -which passed by with a speed of lightning- (And he saw it. How you may wonder? Uchiha, duh) on her face was nothing close to dread or horror. It was as if she was very familiar with whatever she saw in him.
A low cough from his side snapped him back to annoying reality where he was supposed to be shopping with five of his only friends. When he had first entered through the automatic doors in one of the biggest malls of Konaha, and was instantly attacked by the fangirls with hearts in their eyes and awes on their mouth as their weapon, he had wanted nothing but to bolt right through the emergency exit and escape the conundrum. But now, stealing a glance at the pink haired beauty for one last time who was, thankfully, no more looking at his way, he felt that maybe the wasn't half bad.
All of a sudden, his line of vision was blocked by a mop of blonde hair, and a frowned marred Sasuke's handsome, aristocratic features. He stared down at the intruder and a groan evaded his mouth involuntarily. He let out a string of curses under his breath. If he would have been the type to cross his fingers and pray, then he would have done exactly that and wished to all the new and old gods that Naruto wouldn't have caught him checking out the pinkette.
"And here I thought you were gay, teme. But, thank god!"
He slapped his palm on his forehead. Dragging it down his face, he sighed exasperatedly. Out of all his five friends, had to be the blonde fucker? And he would never understand his fetish in calling him gay. He got laid the day before yesterday and it was a girl. It would always be a girl to ride his dick, because for the love of god, he was as straight as a ruler. He wanted to scream at his best friend's face and throw a few good, hard punches to get it across the blondie's thick skull that he was not gay.
Totally oblivious of Sasuke's angry, red, violent thoughts creating havoc in his mind, Naruto gave him a shit eating, ear to ear grin which blinded the-slightly-emo-with-a-tinge-of-broodiness Uchiha for a minute or two. Sasuke squinted his eyes and blinked them once, twice, thrice and then he lost count.
Oh for fucks sake!
"Hot, aren't they?''
Sasuke passed him an unimpressed look but deeeeeeeep inside, he just couldn't agree more. But that was definitely not what had caught his was just something about her that intrigued him. Maybe it was the greenness of her eyes or the vividness they seemed to hold. The aura, perhaps? He didn't know and he didn't care. At least that was what he was telling himself. And the fact that she was easy on the eyes was not helping his case either.
"Shut up, dobe,'' because you are right when you are not supposed to be.
When Sasuke was younger, he used to spend half of his time wondering how come he became best friends with an obnoxious, dim witted, loud mouth like Naruto, who was the former's polar opposite. Sasuke was the epitome of darkness: unsocial, always bored, brooding and a little bit emo; whereas Naruto was exactly how he appeared: over energetic, overenthusiastic and all sunshines and rainbows. Wondered -but never regretted. Not that he was ever going to admit that in front of Naruto. He doesn't have to know more than he should. His peanut size brain would burst open with so much information, and Sasuke neither wanted to be the one to clean up the mess, nor wanted to be a part of the chick flick moment which would follow right after the heart to heart.
Nope! Nuh-uh. Not happening.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU BASTARD?" And Sasuke might have just gone deaf. Pursing his lips and making a loud clack with his tongue, he gave a hot, masculine, arousing, panty wetting, steamy ahem-according to his fangirls of course-ahem glare to Naruto, cursing the blonde to hell and back and setting him on fire. If only looks could kill or burn, Naruto either would have been buried 6 feet deep inside the ground right now, or turned into ashes. He not-so-subtly glanced at the girls over Naruto's shoulder, who were now giving them their undivided attention -which Sasuke thought was not exactly a bad thing, but that was definitely not gonna save a certain blonde for almost bursting his ear drum. He had this-this unavoidable and uncontrollable urge to smack the blonde's head upside down, and he almost gave in too, but before he could act upon his impulse, someone bet him to it.
"Keep your fucking voice down, asshole,'' Someone muttered under their breath. And that certain someone being a brunette with inverted triangular tattoos on either side of his face.
Well now, you see kids...Sasuke might have ignored -or even applauded- him for actually doing his dirty work and successfully shutting the blonde's mouth, if it wasn't for the fact that Kiba was as loud as Narutard and GOD, DID HE JUST MUTTER?! THIS WAS ABOMINATION! APOCALYPSE!
It was one of those rare moments -emphasis on rare- where Sasuke could just not keep his emotions in check. He went through a war inside his head to stop the flood of sudden sensations, but the current was very strong. Thus the barrier broke and down came tumbling the emotions on Sasuke's face. Shock, surprise, distress, blown, hysteria. You name it and it was all on show on his face like a very important notice on the display board.
A minute after Kiba's not-so-loud-but-still an outburst, a series of questions popped up in Sasuke's mind. Was it really that weird that Kiba just hit Naruto instead of throwing a hissy fit? Yes. Yes, definitely. Should he take this lightly? No. Was he taking it lightly? No, he wasn't. Was he worried? Very. And was he gonna ask the dog lover if he was okay? ummm-No. Because he was sure that something was off and he didn't need a confirmation letter for that. And he might just have a slight idea of the reason behind it. The wheels and gears inside his brain were turning smoothly -Why smoothly you ask? Because Uchiha, Duh!- Scanning his area to appear nonchalant, his eyes found the Hyuga's, who was already looking at his way. Numerous questions were fired towards Neji like lazer-beams, and answers were exchanged and a full blown conversation went down, all inside their heads. The talk with beautiful, thick, soft, shiny, glossy -words of the fangirls because Sasuke was just not gay and he so didn't think that about Neji's hair- long haired Hyuga might have gone something like this :
'Did you see that, Hyuga?'
'Yes. I did. And it was disturbing.'
'Damn right.'
'What should we do?'
'Wait and observe. Because that is what we are good at. We can't badger him with questions. That's not like us. Did you forget we are the brooding type, Hyuga?'
'I have forgotten nothing, Uchiha.'
'Doesn't seem so.'
'Fuck you.'
'Not interested. And woah! Did you just curse?'
'So?'
'Blackmail.' Smirk
'And what are you gonna say? That you heard me cursing, telepathically?'
'People believe whatever I say.'
'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!'
'Gladly.'
Satisfied with himself, Sasuke returned to the doors of reality where Kiba was stressed, and that pink chick was lit. There was just something different about getting at the Hyuga's nerves. A good different.
Caging himself behind the bars of his pretense and disguise, Sasuke went back to his usual cold self. He couldn't believe that the pink haired girl made him drop his guard and pull out emotions and flash it in front of the whole world. And he didn't know if it was a good thing, or if he should be scared of all the changes she was causing by a mere glance. He glanced momentarily towards the ice-cream parlor and disappointment flushed through his body when his eyes touched no pink hair or emerald eyes. He should be content now that she was gone. Then why did it feel like he might have lost a valuable chance to finally find happiness? He did feel vulnerable in her presence, but for the first time in his 18 years of life he didn't mind it. He didn't mind baring his soul, and for certain, didn't mind feeling weak.
Stop right there. Dramatic much?
Sasuke shook his head as if that could help him to get the irrelevant thoughts out of his head. He pushed a certain pink haired girl to the back of his mind and locked it up with the memories of his dead parents in the darkest corner of his brain, where he hardly ventured to. He closed her chapter, slapped the book shut with a loud snap inside his head -just for the feel- and threw it out of the window of the mall, making it to be the second thing to be thrown out, throughout the day.
''Man! How long are we supposed to wait for Suigetsu?'' Naruto drawled. Even if he noticed Kiba's bad shitty mood, he didn't show it. But his voice decreased a notch, proved that he did notice.
As if on cue, a bluish man appeared behind Naruto, who was totally oblivious of the presence behind him. His shirt was upside down and his hair disheveled, and Sasuke just didn't want to know the reason behind it.
Suigetsu slapped Naruto's back with a little too much force, making him tumble forward. The blonde turned around and opened his mouth to curse him, but when his eyes took in Suigetsu's appearance it fell shut on its own accord. He gaped at him for a whole minute, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"You were having a quickie when I was on the verge of dying?'' Naruto hissed incredulously, to which the white haired man-whore only smiled shamelessly.
"She was hot,'' Suigetsu grinned, and then directed his question towards Kiba, unaware of his foul mood, ''Aren't you gonna ask me how she was?''
"No,'' Kiba deadpanned, which earned him a blank look from Suigetsu.
"What has got your panties in a twist, mutt?''
Everything went dead silent after that. Sasuke could swear that he could hear birds chirping, water falling and the church bells ringing. He began to hear the hell chanting death, death, death clearly, and the gates to hell opened. Fuck! He could even imagine death standing right behind Suigetsu.
As if sensing the deadly aura around Kiba, Suigetsu started to sweat. He swiped his forehead and puffed out his cheeks. He raised both his hands up in surrender and mouthed a quick sorry. And with that, the death vanished and the doors to the hell closed with a huge slam because a simple apology does wonders, my friend.
Sasuke let out a breath, which he didn't notice he was holding, when he saw Kiba's expression relaxing. He was in desperate need of food. The day was being unnecessarily eventful, and Sasuke was sure there was more drama on its way. He needed energy to deal with it.
Suspring, he made his way towards Ichiraku with hands stuffed in his pocket, radiating nonchalance which was totally fake because he had nothing to be nonchalant about at that point of time. It was going to be a looooooong day.
A/N: Do not be a silent reader, please. Do comment. I would love to know about your opinion. But, no hate comments. Point out my faults, that is totally fine but no hate comments.