The Sky can tell you
By HelKat 1
Notes: I own no one. If I did, Naruto would have destroyed the entire village of Konoha at age 7 and Sakura wouldn't have been born. Then, Sasuke would have been a Neko and become Naruto's mate. So, luckily (or unfortunately) I do not own Naruto.
Summary: A moment together has Sasuke realize that no one really knew Naruto as well as they thought. Naruto only reassures that he was never really alone, despite being shunned as a child. After another shocking revelation, their friendship can only be finalized.
xXx
Thunderclap. A roar. A gush of pouring water and wind. It was raining- no, such a simple word would only serve to give injustice. It was indeed storming in the small (well not really small) village of Konoha. No one dared to be outside in the very center of such a storm's power. No one but a single boy. A teenager. Any other person would have been ushered into the safety and warmth of a family home, but no one cared of the fate of this teenager.
He wouldn't want to be inside at a time like this anyway. The song of the howling winds and dance of the falling water was his joy.
It wasn't his fault though, if you want to point a finger. At age five, he experienced his first real storm, much like this one. He wasn't eager at that time, he was terrified. No one was with him then to tell him that the winds wouldn't break into his home. No one was living with him then to reassure him that his body wouldn't drown while he slept that night. He was scared almost to the point of a heart attack until his salvation and his curse spoke to him.
'Fear not such power, my Kit. Embrace it. Celebrate its brief freedom.' The Kyuubi spoke.
"What? Why? How?" He had said.
'This is an example of the power that humanity has always wished to wield. Such is the power most crave. And, such is the power most cower from when they finally see it. Do not do as all others do, my Kit. Let such power know you acknowledge it. Let such power be aware that you will be its equal someday without its help.' The demon fox explained then.
"What do I do?" Naruto of five asked.
'Stand beside the tempest's power. Embrace it. Be familiar with it. The Tempest Maiden is, in actuality, kind to those who respect her. Learn from her. Show yourself to her and she will show herself to you.' Young Naruto forced himself to crawl out from under his table then and slowly made his way to his front door. Moments later he was happily running through the hard raindrops and giggling at the storm's rebuke in the form of lightning and thunder. Naruto discovered his love to rain then.
Now a proud ninja, and almost a man, Naruto grinned as he greeted the most recent storm arrived at his village. The clouds rumbled, vibrating into his chest and stomach. Naruto only grinned as he let himself imagine that he was being greeted as well with a purr of approval from the storm. He could always depend on the storms to arrive and shake the village with its power.
He opened his mouth slightly, tasting the essence of the fresh storm. He was soaked. He was always soaked within minutes of stepping outside. He didn't care; he didn't when he was a kid, and he sure didn't now. This was the storm he was going to defeat. Shaking his hair quickly, Naruto readied himself.
Only to be distracted immediately. He shook his head once more and smiled, amused at how easily he got off track. Locked in his hair in front of his ears were two charms that would seem at a glance to be earrings. A simple silver crescent moon and a small silver bead hanging above and inside it were dangling near each of his ears. Naruto shook his head once more to hear the light, innocent chime of wet metal on wet metal.
He looked up at the sky, readied this time. In this rare moment where the storm was not reflecting his secrets, his feelings, or his life, he will challenge the storm's power and win. Cupping his hands, he collected some water only to throw it above him. He would give it back to the clouds today. He kicked the water up; he punched it, he swung his legs and arms around himself to hit more water away. Naruto somersaulted and kicked up; he aimed a palm to the sky. He was determined to fight this power today and win this time. Who cares if he had no witnesses? He didn't care if no one heard the small ringing through the roaring torrent. He'd know that he did it.
Slowly, the ground he marked as his to protect from the rain was getting lighter. The glorious drops of sky water were unable to successfully conquer everything, as was their custom. Quickly, the storm sent a wave of reinforcement to its troops on terra firma. Sure Naruto lost some ground, but a peaked sense of adrenaline soon solved the problem. He had the upper fist. The ground he marked was dry. He laughed. He could feel the spirit within him chuckle as well. Naruto felt like a hyperactive child again, and the best part about it was no one was around to say he was.
A splash.
Not from him. Not from the aquatic soldiers of the sky.
Naruto froze, letting the chiming quiet. He was feeling suddenly exposed. His heart skipped a beat before speeding up faster than before. It was like he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. Turning his head to the sound, not even bother to stand up straight from a double kick and punch towards the sky, Naruto saw Sasuke and Kakashi. They were just as shocked to see him as he was to see them. Reality came to Naruto and all he could do was grin at them.
"Hey." He greeted, straitening himself.
'Tell them to vanish. You are losing ground, Kit.' The Kyuubi reminded him. Unfortunately, Naruto was born a human and other humans have a bad habit of not liking what they don't understand about other humans. He could get in trouble for fighting nothing in the rain. Or, he could get in trouble for making the form that was in the dirt he had made dry. 'That doesn't matter at this moment.' Kyuubi snapped, knowing the boy's thoughts.
"Naruto. This is a, pleasant, surprise. Here's Sasuke. It's your shift now. One week." Kakashi said before disappearing. The Uchiha had been forced home about two weeks. He was still not one hundred percent trusted by everyone in the village, so Tsunade had him under 24/7 surveillance. Just as a temporary precaution of course.
'Curses! He'll be in the way!' The fox demon roared.
"Sasuke." Naruto greeted again. The clouds grumbled in the abandonment. Just to prove their point, they sent a new wave of rain down to Naruto. Sasuske grumbled lowly about rotten luck.
"Let's go inside now Naruto." He suggested. He clearly hated being in the storm.
"Come on. Sit. Sit." Naruto urged, pulling his friend to the marked area he was to protect from the storm. "This works out for me." He continued.
"What?" Sasuke asked, too confused to argue. He sat in the damp dirt road.
'What are you planning, Kit?" Kyuubi asked.
"I'm supposed to guard this marked area from the rain." Naruto explained urgently, not caring how he sounded at the moment. He was still losing ground, fast. "It'll be good to have a living obstacle. Just don't move. As much as you deserve it, I don't want to kick you."
'Great idea, Kit. Add more challenge to the duel between the Tempest Maiden and yourself.' The Kyuubi snorted.
Naruto took a deep breath and started again. It was so sudden, it caught Sasuke off guard. The flourish of kicks, spins and punches were wild and unexpected. Even so, it took only moments for Sasuke to realize that the rain was no longer hitting him. He found he could only watch in surprise as his blond friend lived up to his name as Konoha's number one most unpredictable Ninja. Those wild hits were actually well aimed attacks.
The clouds rolled by loudly, giving rest to those battling Naruto as new ones took their place. Naruto fought faster, feeling himself shake if he slowed down. His breathing was deep but unhurried, his grin ever present on his face. Rain drops echoed on the ground outside of the area Naruto marked, but those unlucky few who dared aim themselves inside said perimeter were broken to mist or redirected outside the line.
Oh yeah, he was winning.
A few hours passed and Sasuke smiled as he discovered the storm receding. Or retreating if you look into Naruto's mind.
'The Tempest Maiden never quits. But, she does acknowledge her defeat.'
'Whatever you say, Dad. Mom knows I beat her bad.' Kyuubi rolled his eyes.
Naruto's battle was won. A few stray drops hit the marked patch, but it didn't matter now. It was obvious the storm was done. Naruto laughed proudly as he let himself fall to the ground next to Sasuke. Sasuke found himself laughing softly with his friend. His best friend.
"You really are something." Sasuke commented as he got to his feet. "Come on, let's go now. It's not healthy to suddenly stop after a workout anyway." Naruto ignored Sasuke's extended hand as he pushed himself to a sit, arms slung over his knees.
"Not yet. Close your eyes." Sighing, Sasuke did as he was told. Arguing would only prolong their return to Naruto's home.
'You're treading dangerous ground now, Kit.' Kyuubi warned.
'He won't tell. And if he did, no one will find it since it'll be gone by morning.'
'Your funeral…' Kyuubi thought about that for a while as Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke.
"No peeking." Sasuke grinned, using his hands to help cover his eyes. Naruto sounded like such a child. He was almost a man now for crying out loud. "Okay, now walk backwards ... ... ... ... Stop. Open your eyes." Sasuke did, the moonlight peaking behind stray clouds to help him better see what Naruto did.
Naruto grinned at his shocked friend.
"...That's what you were doing?" Naruto was still on the ground. The only difference between Sasuke closing his eyes and stepping back 12 paces was that the jinchuuriki looked more relaxed and more smug. The ground around him was dry- Sasuke knew about that- but Sasuke didn't expect there to be a picture in the contrasted dirt.
"Yeah! Cool ain't it? This is the first time I tried using shades. It worked out better than I thought."
Naruto was sitting on the chest of the Kyuubi he had created on his dirt canvas. All nine tails of the fox were easily recognizable- if you couldn't see the whole tail, the tip was easily found. Naruto had his fox demon portrait sitting forward and slightly left with the head facing the side so Sasuke could see a side profile of the Kyuubi's calm expression. There were details in the dirt even! Chances were Naruto made them before the storm but some, like the chest and parts of the tails, Naruto had stepped over repeatedly to a give a somewhat fuzzy look.
"Amazing… do you always do this in the rain?" Sasuke started at the picture while Naruto stood up and patted his damp clothes.
"Naw. Dad lets me know when Mom is worth fighting. If she's not, I just play with her like I'm a little kid again"
Now, Sasuke snapped his attention to Naruto. He had said that so casually. Wasn't Naruto an orphan? Didn't he live alone? If not, who the heck was his mom and why, where and when did they fight? These seemed like dangerous suspicions to Sasuke and just as he started to think he possibly misheard his friend, Naruto seemed to realize what he said and froze.
"…" The two stared at each other.
"Explain." Sasuke demanded softly, crossing his arms.
'Perfect Kit! This was just what we needed- Now the entire village will know you communicate with me! Then they'll attack you in a frenzy thinking, in their shortsighted human way, that I control you!' Naruto flinched, both under his father figure's fanatical felicitation and Sasuke's suspicious stare.
"Uh," Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Let's talk inside" The two, three if you count Kyuubi, made their way to Naruto's apartment. Once inside, Naruto didn't say a word. Sasuke didn't press the issue either.
'Ignoring this won't make him forget, Kit.' The fox demon reminded Naruto. His kit only made a pot of tea in the kitchen while Sasuke sat in the living room, his gaze ever present on Naruto's back. When the tea was done Naruto poured two cups and brought them back to the couch Sasuke was on. Sasuke only stared at the cups.
"They're not drugged." Naruto provided.
"I wasn't thinking that. I'm just surprised they're not cups of instant ramen." The two enjoyed a small chuckle.
"Contrary to popular belief, I try to eat Ramen only as a lunchtime meal." Naruto smiled as he sat down and handed Sasuke a cup.
"Really? For how long?" Naruto shrugged, glad that the atmosphere became friendly again.
"A few years now. Way before you left."
"Does anyone else know this?" Naruto looked thoughtfully into his cup.
"I don't think so. Nobody really knows much about me."
"That can't be true." To Sasuke, Naruto was the most predictable person ever. Even when he had run away to Orochimaru, when they were enemies, Naruto's next moves were always loud and clear. Naruto's somber look said something else. After a few long and uncomfortable seconds of silence, Naruto turned to Sasuke.
"Prove me wrong." It was a request, maybe a dare, almost a demand. Naruto wanted to know if people knew him the way he knew them. "What do you know about me? About how I grew up, what I felt, how I thought, who I trusted, who I knew I could talk to, what I enjoyed doing. What did you know about me then, what do you know about me now, Sasuke?"
Naruto looked back at his cup. "I can bet," he spoke almost sadly, "the first thing you say will be wrong. Then we'll stay on the subject, maybe argue even, until Sakura comes by. She'll then have us go out together, probably to go shopping or eat out to get to know each other again. Team time." Naruto took a sip of his tea and turned back to his friend. "Think hard. The most obvious thing on your mind, think very hard about it. Remember, you're trying to prove me wrong."
"Okay…" Sasuke turned his attention to his own cup.
'It'll be about you growing up alone. I bet it.'
'I know.'
Sasuke took a sip of the tea, surprised that it tasted good. He had tasted Kakashi's, and even Sakura's 'specialty' tea; both weren't as good as Naruto's. He pondered asking Naruto about it, but he had been asked what he knew about the boy.
Sasuke knew that Naruto had been an orphan, that he is a jinchuuriki to the nine tailed fox, and that he loved ramen almost as much as he loved Sakura. But then, he doesn't seem traumatized about growing up alone or withdrawn about the fact that he had a demon in him and so was shunned most of his life. He just admitted that he only ate ramen for lunch and now that he thought about it, Sasuke couldn't recall a moment after he came back when the blond pestered Sakura about how much he liked her, or tried to show off for her.
Naruto was friendly with everyone, but he didn't seem to have any favorites. His secrets were his own. Even Iruka-sensei had said that the blond only hung out with him as a cool uncle. Either Tsunade or Jiraya would have to be the closest person to Naruto, but even Sasuke could see they were there just as his moral support and guidance. Kakashi, Sakura and even himself were never told anything about Naruto by Naruto.
Sasuke looked up into Naruto's expecting blue eyes. They showed he desperately wanted to be proven wrong, but Sasuke realized that Naruto was right. No one really knew anything about Naruto as a person. Everyone only knew him as a personality. There was one thing Sasuke was certain of. Naruto didn't have anyone living in his house with him as a child.
"Well?" Naruto asked. Sasuke spoke carefully, a flashback of their fight in the Valley of the End coming to mind. What he said then was similar to what he was about to say now.
"I know that you grew up in an empty house without anyone else." Naruto smiled sadly before leaning against the couch to sip his tea once more.
'See? I was right.' Kyuubi said before relaxing in Naruto's mind.
"Nope." He said simply before sipping his tea again.
"What do you mean 'nope'?" Sasuke frowned before sipping his own tea. It was still warm.
"I mean just that. Nope. Incorrect. You're wrong. I bet that the first thing you said would be untrue and I won."
"Okay. Explain."
"For starters, I never lived in a house and it was not empty. I lived in an orphanage until I was four and a half. Then they just kicked me out saying I can do everything for myself and so didn't need to be in the orphanage anymore. Even on my own, my apartment still had furniture so it wasn't empty. As for being without anyone else... I had my dad. He was only a voice, but he was my company."
"So an unknown voice adopted you?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Naruto smiled widely, realizing how he must have sounded.
"Sort of. He was actually well known in most of the village. I didn't know who he was until I was about twelve. It was then I put one and one together after years of thinking of them as two separate beings.
Sasuke was quiet for a while. "So who's your mom?"
"You just sat with her." Naruto grinned. Sasuke said nothing.
'Just tell him. He'll stare at you forever unless you give in.'
"Zepher Etaqua Tempestae. She's the one I call mother. Every time it storms or rains, I fight with her or just play in puddles. When I was fiveish, Dad said 'don't be afraid of the storm and just go outside'. I was terrified, but he was my dad so I did as he said. It was then I viewed storms as my mother. She even reflects my mood or thoughts. I think she's starting to reflect how I felt or acted as a kid now though."
"You gave a name to a form of weather and call her your mom. …The nine tailed fox… Is he the one you call your dad?" Sasuke asked carefully.
"Yeah…" Naruto watched Sasuke warily.
'Took him long enough.'
"Isn't he sealed? If he's sealed, how can he communicate with you?"
"He could always communicate with me. He was only trapped within me with his powers locked away. He's not sealed now though." Naruto flinched visibly even before Sasuke exploded.
"He's no longer sealed!" Sasuke got up, ready to do anything.
"Sasuke, calm down. Please, don't yell. Kyuubi isn't bad, the whole thing seventeen plus years ago was just a huge and fatal misunderstanding. Please Sasuke, don't tell anyone my secret!" Naruto whispered fiercely, begging as he held Sasuke's shoulders.
'We're doomed now, Kit.' Kyuubi mumbled. 'You and your big mouth.'
'I trust him.'
'To your grave?'
'I trust him with my life, yes.'
'Your heart rate is telling me different, Kit.'
Sasuke and Naruto stared into each other's eyes. After a few agonizingly silent and slow minutes, Sasuke slowly sat back down and drank the rest of his tea. Naruto remained standing.
"You were right."
"Huh?" Naruto relaxed slightly.
Sasuke gave his friend a sad smile. "You were right, about everyone. No one does know you. We've always known your personality, but not your life, or you. Sorry Naruto, for not caring enough to ask, or even notice." Naruto relaxed the fists he didn't know he clenched and straitened up.
"It's okay, really. My life is just one big secrets anyway, it's not your or anyone else's fault."
"But I'm your friend now Naruto. What else can I learn about you? What can you tell me or have me find out? You don't have to be a secret Naruto."
'He's right. And he's not your only friend.'
'Whose side are you on?'
'The one that makes sense.'
"Just, please, don't tell anyone what you've learned, Sasuke. I'm not ready-"
"Naruto, it's been-" The doorbell rung once and someone knocked on the front door. The room grew deathly silent.
"Naruto? It's Sakura. Is Sasuke there? Open up." Both boys looked at each other and put their teacups on the small round table in the middle of the room. Naruto opened the door and smiled.
"Hi Sakura-chan!" Sasuke could feel the fakeness in Naruto's voice. Naruto had put on his usual mask so easily, Sasuke found himself feeling sad.
"Hi Naruto, Sasuke. I was wondering if we could go out and spend some time together. I would have asked if you wanted to go shopping or something but it rained and since it's getting late let's eat dinner together. We haven't done anything as a team since you've been back, Sasuke. It'll be a moment to get to know each other again. Team time." Sakura smiled.
Sasuke realized that everything that happened, Naruto had said would happen. Then we'll stay on the subject, maybe argue even, until Sakura comes by. She'll then have us go out together, probably to go shopping or eat out to get to know each other again. Team time.
"Um, I don't know, it might rain again." Naruto said as he drew Sakura through the door. Sasuke could see she didn't even notice him pulling her in while she peeked through the door. He was beginning to notice just how Naruto made sure no one ever figured him out. It was almost scary how easily Naruto could do it, how easily he was overlooked.
"Well, while the rain is stopped, we could at least make it to a restaurant of the ramen stand. Dinner doesn't have to be fancy. Come on, please?" Naruto closed the door.
"I think it's a great idea." Sasuke commented while looking at the mirror to his right. He never noticed it before. He saw Naruto look at him through the mirror and noticed the two silver charms in front of the blond boy's ears. He tapped his own ears while he had his friend's attention. Naruto quickly pulled them off and stuck his tongue out with a smile.
"Come on Naruto, it'll be fun." Sakura continued, admiring the apartment. She was clearly impressed that it wasn't a mess.
"Alright Sakura-chan, let's go." Sasuke knew Naruto wanted to go. He knew Naruto had already known about Sakura's idea, probably before Sakura herself. He had mentioned it earlier. Maybe this was just Naruto's way of proving a point.
"Yes!" Sakura opened the door as if she had persuaded the two and stepped out.
"I'll keep your secrets, Naruto, as long as you tell me more. I'm your best friend, I deserve to know everything under your masks, right?" Sasuke whispered. Naruto closed the door behind himself and locked it. He smiled lightly to his friend and opened his mouth to say something.
"Hurry up slowpokes! It could rain again any minute!"
"Aw Sakura-chan! It won't rain again till around midnight!"
"You don't know that, Naruto, now hurry up!" Sakura laughed as she walked behind the two and pushed them ahead of her. At the stand, the three met up with Kakashi and Iruka. Soon, everyone got his or her order and a conversation was started. Though, Sasuke noticed it was Sakura, Iruka and Kakashi who spoke the most that night.
Funny, it didn't seem like any time had passed between anyone. After all the years, there wasn't anything different. The atmosphere between the group, the feel of the companionship they shared, and the mood of the conversation they enjoyed, everything was just like it was over three years ago. But, Sasuke was noticing what he didn't notice then. Naruto was speaking only when someone expected him to. He said just the things, in just the ways, anyone would expect him to say. He was known purely by his masks.
Sasuke stopped talking in the conversation and instead rested his head on his hands, giving a slight sigh. Kakashi looked at his student. He wasn't like this earlier when he was with him. He glanced at Iruka and saw that the man had noticed the change in behavior as well. It wasn't like the Uchiha to suddenly stare at someone.
Naruto soon noticed Sasuke staring at him. So did Sakura. The table was now quiet with the two young men staring at each other, each waiting to speak.
"Well?" Sasuke said after the brief pause. "I deserve to know, right?" He asked, referring to what he said when he left Naruto's apartment. Naruto's light smile returned.
"What?" Sakura asked. They had been talking about visiting the lake that weekend. Naruto answered Sasuke.
"You're right, but I don't need to say a word. The sky can tell you…"
xXx
[3.07.08 Okay! I just updated the story from a few typos. Feel free to leave me a review; they make me happy on those cold rainy days. (grin)