Hey guys! What's up! Okay, so this idea came to me when I saw this Gatorade commercial with Abby Wambach this morning. She was all talkin' about how the man that was on her was easy to see and how she was gonna score a goal against her and all that. And I guess at the time I was just subconciously thinking about the similarities between Naruto and Anko, and the idea just came to me. (It was really weird, so just don't ask.)
But anyways, we all know that Naruto and Anko are similiar in more ways than one. They totally understand each other. And I've noticed that there's not many stories actually relating to that. So I decided, "Why not?"
Well, sorry about that rant. I'll let you read now.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Easy To See
Loneliness
If there is a look in the human eye that tell of perpetual loneliness, so there is also the familiar look of perpetual crowds.
-Alice Meynell
He is easy to see.
Even as he walks down he middle of the streets of Konoha, he is easy to see.
It isn't just his appearance, his blinding orange jumpsuit and his bright blue eyes. It isn't just his spiky blond hair and his shiny goggles.
As he walks down the middle of the street, the crowd parts around him. They glare at him as they move away from him. Adults pull their children to the side as he passes, and shop owners duck inside their doorways to avoid his attention. Most hiss words of "Fox Demon" his way while others freeze and shiver in terror.
He walks with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his head down. He avoids the scrutiny of their hateful stares and ignores their malice-filled words. His face is filled with sorrow and loneliness.
He doesn't know why. He doesn't know why he is easy to see, why the people of the village look at him that way. He doesn't know what Fox Demon means. He doesn't know why the other children refuse to play with him.
He walks down the middle of the street, the people of Konoha surrounding him.
Yet, he is easy to see.
She is easy to see.
Even as she walks down the middle of the streets of Konoha, she is easy to see.
It isn't just her appearance, though it could be in another person's case. It isn't just her revealing fishnet shirt and short brown skirt. It isn't just her long tan trench coat and her glittering ninja headband.
As she walks down the middle of the street, the crowd parts around her. They all glare at her. Mothers pull their children aside and fathers unconsciously widen their feet into a better fighting stance. Whispers of "Snake Mistress" surround her as she passes by. Shop owners instantly close their shops when they see her and hide in the crowd as until she is past. Many Chunnin see her and edge off to the side. Several Gennin see her and veer off into a side street.
She walks with her hands in her coat pocket, her brisk steps carrying her at a quick pace. She meets each and every one of the cold stares with dead pale gray eyes. Her face is set in stone and her body is rigid. But she does not stop her quick steps.
She knows exactly why. She knows why she is easy to see, why the people look at her the same why they would look at him. She knows why they call her Snake Mistress. She knows why she reminds them of him.
She walks down the middle of the street, the people of Konoha surrounding her.
Yet, she is easy to see.
Understanding
I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.
-Confucius
He continues to walk among the cloud filled with hate.
She continues to walk among the cloud filled with fear.
The two walk in opposite directions, coming nearer and nearer to each other.
The crowd becomes even wider than before as the people in it notice the presence of both at the same time. Words of "Fox Demon" and "Snake Mistress" overlap in a flurry of whispered malice. The hate and fear become stronger than before, almost tangible.
He feels the change in the air and looks up. He wonders why not everybody is glowering at him. She tastes the stronger waves of emotion and wonders why not all the glares are being sent her way. When only a few feet away from each other, they bring their eyes to the lone figure opposite of themselves.
Their eyes meet.
The connection is made almost instantly.
He knows her. Not her real name of course, but Snake Mistress. He has seen her before. She is easy to see. But only now does he notice that the crowd parts before her and cowers like they do with him. And only now does he notice her eyes, the same dead look in them. The same loneliness.
She knows him. She knows he is Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox, the "Fox Demon". She has seen him before. He is very easy to see. She has noticed before, but only now she realizes the extent of the similar reaction from the villagers that she receives. And only now she sees the dead look in his bright blue eyes that she had as a child, the same look she still has now. Only now does she realize how much she mirrored him as a child, bowing before the hate.
Their eyes meet and the connection is made.
As the two pass, he sees her headband and straightens up. She smiles slightly, the first true smile she has had in years. He sees the smile, and a feeling of comfort blossoms within him, deflecting the hate.
The smile says it all. She knows how it feels, and she knows he can get through it if she tries.
As the two pass, she takes her hand out of her pocket and places it on top of his head.
Then the moment passes, and the two continue on their way. He looks over his shoulder as he walks, wondering if he will see her again. She continues on her way without look back, stuffing her hand back into her pocket. But she is wondering the same thing.
As the years pass, they will both forget who it was that was there, but they will never forget the moment itself. They remember the moment, but they forget the people. They both know they are the only one in the village who understand that other person, and that other person is the only one in the village that understands them. That moment carries him through his childhood and into the life of a shinobi. That moment makes her finally release at least some of the pain of her childhood.
And as they part ways, they are both easy to see.
Protection
I cannot think of any need stronger in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.
-Sigmund Freud
He covers his head with his arms, curling into a ball. The feet of the drunken men surrounding him continue to pound into him as he feebly tries to protect himself. They shout words of hate at him, mostly "Fox Demon". His vision begins to go black, terror growing as it grows darker.
She knows there is an ANBU on the roof above him. She can sense his chakra. But she knows they never save him right away. She knows they leave him until the point where he is close to death's door, though not in danger of dying. She also knows they can't blame a Tokubetsu Jonin of not noticing the 'highly trained' ANBU.
So she leaps into the alley and says loudly, "That's enough."
The men turn and grin maliciously. They don't recognize her in the darkness and advance on her, all ten of them.
He hears a woman's voice say "That's enough," and the kicks suddenly come to a halt. He hears the men's feet scuffing along the ground, moving away from him. Then there is a drunken laugh before the sound of fist hitting flesh interrupts it, and a yell echoes across the alley. He hears crashing sounds and what sounds like more beatings. The sound of bodies hitting the ground get slowly nearer, until finally a male's voice cries in horror, "It's her!" Then what sound like two sets of feet running away appear and fade away.
A moment later, gentle hands lift him off the ground and the young woman says, "Let's get you out of here." He feels himself being placed on the woman's back and then the wind is rushing past his face. He moans and cracks his eyes open. He sees a tan clad shoulder and a small patch of spiky purple-black hair. Beneath him and his savior, the roofs of houses rush by. The moon breaks out from behind a cloud and he closes his eyes again, passing out.
The next thing he knows, he is lying in a hospital bed, the Third Hokage standing beside his bed. The man is gazing out the open window, in which he can see a dark spot disappearing in the distance.
"Old man," he murmurs, his throat scratchy. "Who was that? Who saved me?"
The Third Hokage looks down at him with tender eyes and replies, "The one who understands you."
He never did realize who it was, even when he met her years later on that street among the hate of the crowd. But it created a morale to help those just like him and helped him years into the future.
And as they had leaped across the roofs of the village, one on the back of the other, the same problem remained.
They had been easy to see.
Remembrance
Remember tonight…for it is the beginning of always.
-Dante Alighieri
He walks down the middle of the streets of Konoha. As he walks the people around him smile and wave. He is often given a kind greeting or a pat on the shoulder or back. The passing crowds tightens around him as he walks by, and every now and then he is stopped to shake hands and talk with someone. Sometime, children tug on his pants and he kneels down to give them words of encouragement.
He walks like this until he suddenly breaks out into a small clearing in the crowd, and the warm compassion he has become used to morphs into an aura of hate. He glances around as he continues to walk and sees that everyone is glaring at someone and whispering to each other. Silence engulfs the small clearing as the surrounding civilians spot him. He looks to the center of the road to see a woman walking his way, meeting each glare with hard eyes. Her eyes leave her current victim and settle on him.
Their eyes meet.
Once again, the connection is made. After many years, they remember that day and recognize each other.
He sees her. He sees the tired lines in her face from lack of sleep and the lingering dead look in her pale gray eyes. He sees the tension locked up in her body, guarding against any attack.
She sees him. She sees the changes in him. She sees the lively shine in his bright blue eyes. She sees the confident way he now carries himself. She sees the marks on his face from smiling so much.
The connection is made and they recognize each other. His eyes tell her that he knows her situation hasn't changed, and that he's sorry. But she smiles slightly, the same way she had before, and she silently tells him she is happy for him.
The two pass right beside each other in the silence. She pulls her hand out of her pocket and places it on top of his head, even though his is now level with her shoulder. That deep compassion blossoms in them both.
Then the moment passes.
She stuffs her hand back into her pocket as the two continue to walk. Neither looks back.
He thanks her silently for the feeling she gave him those years ago, which gave him the strength to carry on. She thanks him silently for giving her the compassion she needed to let the rest of her past's pain go.
And as the two separate ways, they become noticeable, though in different ways. One surrounded by everybody, one avoided by everybody. But it is the same as it has always been.
They are both easy to see.
Hope you guys liked it! Review please!