C r y o f t h e C o m e t: T h e B e g i n n i n g
A N a r u t o S t o r y
I
Our main character, the 15-year-old boy in the orange-and-black jumpsuit, is Naruto Uzumaki, and the container of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, Kyuubi. And now, for our story. Naruto is walking down a crowded sidewalk in Konoha. The empty, darkened streets are lined with even more people. The sky always seemed to be gray during the day, and yet the night was lit up with the bright stars that fill up the extra space. But for now, it was mid-afternoon, and the sky, of course, was gray. He glanced up at the sky and sighed. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. His mind was entranced about Sasuke, as usual.
Sasuke is a black-haired 15-year-old who seemed to be quick-witted and a somebody to Naruto, but more so, as a friend. Sasuke betrayed Naruto two-and-a-half years ago after he had tried to rescue him from Orochimaru. But, during his thoughts, he thought about Sakura. He had never really paid much attention to her during the past few months, due to his thoughts being raveled up in Sasuke.
Naruto had known Sakura since childhood and had a huge crush on her two-and-a-half years ago, but since then, they had become good friends, and Naruto never really had a crush on her anymore. But, nowadays, he actually missed her, even though she was right down the street. It was that he never visited her or anything anymore.
"Well, I guess I should... Ahhhhh!" he slapped his head once. "What am I saying? She's perfectly able without me seeing her... right?" Naruto wasn't so sure himself, but some invisible force dragged him forward towards Sakura's place.
Sakura looked over at the picture of Team 7 that was taken about three years ago. She sighed and gave a sniffle. She always seemed to be crying when she saw that picture. Sasuke was gone for good; over with Orochimaru. As for Naruto, he never came over, with that usual confident smile. She enjoyed it when she got to see his face. There was just a happy, joyful aura about him that made her happy. But ever since he left, she seemed sad and out of shape; sometime she couldn't even sleep. But when he came back, Sakura felt herself overjoyed. But then, she even hardly saw him when he was around, because he was training so much now.
Sakura looked over towards a closed window. A dim, grayish light spread through the slit between the closed curtains. That was probably why her skin was so pale in the first place. She barely let any light in any of the rooms. She sighed and weak smile spread over her face as she headed over towards the curtains. But when she reached for them, there was a knock at her door. Sakura blinked with a curious look on her face. Ever since she started living by herself, she barely had any visitors.
Sakura headed for the door with a slight gleam of hope that it would be Naruto through that door. She gulped down the lump in her throat and twisted the doorknob and opened the door.
"Hi!" Naruto greeted cheerfully. A wide smile spread across Sakura's face and she almost felt like hugging Naruto. She pulled herself together and remembered that this was Naruto.
"Um, uh, hello, er, Naruto," Sakura replied, desperately struggling to be as formal as possible. "So, uh, what brings you here?"
"I wanted to say hi. I haven't seen you in a while, Sakura-chan. I've just been caught up in so many things that I never found anytime to relax, you know? Besides, I should be asking you that! Shouldn't you be at Granny Tsunade's?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, she gave me the, uh, day off," Sakura was trying to catch her sentences so that she would think before saying anything. "You, umm, w-want to come inside?"
"Sure! Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied with that same cheery smile.
Sakura shut the door behind and leaned against it, her hand slightly trembling, but still clutching the doorknob. "Sorry if the place is a bit of a mess, but I don't get out much so, uh, yeah..."
Naruto sat on a nearby couch, "Well, that's okay. Not many people want to go outside on such dull days."
Sakura cut in, "But the nights are beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yeah, they are, actually. One of the only beautiful things left here."
"Yeah..." Sakura agreed dreamily. They were placed in there positions for a few moments, but soon, Sakura continued. "Well, I guess you gotta get going now?"
"I guess," Naruto stood up. "Well, nice seeing you, Sakura-chan."
"Nice seeing you too, Naruto..." her voice stopped her from adding "goodbye". As Naruto started walking out, Sakura added something different, "You know, Naruto. Um... You wanna, uh, go... out on a date or something sometime soon?"
That joyful smile appeared on Naruto's face again, "Sure, Sakura-chan! Bye!"
"Bye," Sakura replied softly with a weak smile.
Sakura exited from her home a few hours later. And as she headed out, and interesting thing she found was a large face mirror that was up for a garage sale. She couldn't help but stare at herself in the mirror, noticing how her pink bubblegum-colored hair had grown slightly longer and a bit uneven and raggedy-looking. It still resembled the same original shape, but was a bit wilder looking over the past two-and-a-half years.
Before examining herself further, the owner arrived and released Sakura from her facial trance, "Can I help you, young lady?" the woman asked. She was a bunched up woman in fancy, yellow clothing. She had a kind face about her and Sakura smiled that weak smile she always did.
"Um, how much is this?" Sakura asked, searching through her pockets.
"Oh, for such an adorable girl like you? You can have it for free, dear," the woman replied sweetly.
Sakura's smile widened slightly, "Thank you, miss!" Sakura took the mirror gently and held it underneath her arm.
"How is it that such a pretty thing like you doesn't have a swarm of boys about her anyway?" the woman asked.
"Oh, I don't get out much, miss. And besides, I'm a ninja," Sakura replied.
"Oh, I see, an indoor type. I see too many of them nowadays. No wonder you're so slim and pale, you poor thing!" the woman replied, almost totally ignoring what Sakura had said about herself being a ninja..
Sakura felt a little down from those comments. "But, miss, I like the way I look," Sakura replied, trying to reinforce herself. "I think I look fine."
"Well, is there a boy you like?" the woman asked.
"Well... There is this one guy... I don't actually love him, but..."
"Well, who, deary?"
"Um, Naruto Uzumaki..."
The woman grew pale herself and looked as if she had swallowed something very awful. "Him?! The demon boy?!"
At this, Sakura grew angry, "Hey! Don't say that about him! So what if he has some fox inside him? Scratch the surface, and he's a good guy!" Sakura immediately left after that, her back turned to the woman.
Sakura went to sleep in her usual dull, gray t-shirt that was way too big for her, and a long pair of matching, dull, gray shorts that were also too big for her. She couldn't sleep though. Sakura kept starring up at the ceiling, but soon enough glanced at her bandaged arm. She sighed, and desperately tried to get some sleep. But when she did, it wasn't pleasant.
Her dream kept involving the demon fox, clutching Naruto in one hand and fusing Naruto with himself to make that evil demon that Naruto had transformed into a month back. As soon as Naruto had transformed, in the dream, he formed that energy ball that Sakura had seen him do before, and blasted all of Konoha to pieces. And, in the distance of the mass of destruction, stand the demon fox, with blood dripping from its mouth. It turned its head towards Sakura and leapt at her.
Sakura immediately snapped her eyes open and yelled, "Naruto!" Sakura sat up afterward, breathing irregularly. Cold sweat dripped from all over her face and all over her body. Sakura fell back on her bed, her arms spread out. "Naruto..." she whispered.
