Never… And Always
By Blood-Smeared Shuriken
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, believe me, there would be many, many more scenes where Kakashi and Gaara just randomly shed articles of clothing…!
There had been no reason, no purpose, only the silent gnawing of despair as the young boy staggered through the snow, stumbling on to gods alone knew where (because he sure as hell didn't), his feet cold and numb, his body stabbed with a thousand icy daggers at every breath. What reason was there now? He had no mother, no father, no role in the great game of life. He was nothing.
He was less than nothing.
Such morbid thoughts chased their way around the boy's head until he finally stopped halfway across a bridge, and sat down, realising that there was no point in walking any further, as he had nowhere to go.
He stared into the swirling snow, his eyes quiet and empty, listening to the hollow sound of his heartbeat, feeling the blood thrum through his veins and wondering why?
Why did he continue to go on existing when there was obviously no point in his doing so? He was a waste of oxygen, a cluster of organic matter with no thought, his body functioning as his mind lay dead.
What reason did he have to survive?!
There was none, and yet he continued to do so. It was… puzzling…
There was a soft crunching of snow as a man walked along the bridge towards him. The boy looked at him, and was surprised to see that the same emptiness hovered around the man, the same restless yearning for purpose and stability.
The man paused as he came level with the boy. "Pathetic! Look at you…" he snarled, contempt in his voice, but also a measure of compassion. "A foundling. An orphan. Thrown away. Unloved and uncared for…" He crouched down before the boy. "Soon, you'll die here, by the side of the road, with nothing to show that you lived or died and no one to care what your dreams were…"
He paused as a sweet smile touched the boy's almost-too-pretty face. "…I…" the boy said, searching for the words to express his feelings as hope swelled hesitantly within him. Maybe this man could give him a reason…? "…Can see myself in your eyes. We have the same expression…"
The man drew back slightly, his face, or such of it that was not covered by bandages, shocked. "Do you have a name?"
"Haku…"