Hey, it's me again. Been a while, huh? Here's another story I've written. I like it, and I hope you do too. Naruto, disclaimer please.
Naruto: Right, right. This guy would never own me, never in a million years. He doesn't own anyone else in this story either. Just the story itself.
Yeah. Warning to all readers, this hasn't been beta'd, so if you see something wrong, tell me.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a matter of whether he knew who he was, or someone else knew who he was. It was a matter of whether he was someone at all, at least, to him anyways. He felt as though he had no identity.
The sun began to set, and the streets started to become empty. The people ignored him, and continued on their own paths. Not that he minded, of course. He walked forward on the soft dirt path, but he had no destination in mind. Or did he? He really didn't know. Step by step, his body moved on its own, and he took note of his surroundings occasionally, making sure he knew his way home.
The orange hue of the sky was a beautiful color, and one he really liked. It reflected in his clothing, but people wouldn't normally suspect that this was his reason for wearing the color in the first place. He stopped briefly to examine the sunset, and the effect it had on the surroundings. Everything held a soft, orange tone to it. It was this time of day that he felt that he fit in the most, but at the same time, he felt as though he was only part of the background, only just another part of environment. He tried to ignore the feeling of dread, of emptiness that once again crawled it's way into his mind. That feeling, how he hated it. And yet, there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He only wished he knew what it was in the first place.
His resumed walking, attempting to ignore the feeling, but to no avail.
The sun was almost nearly gone by the time he had once again stopped, and he noticed the silence around him, and the nearly empty streets. Perhaps it was time he headed home.
"Hey, you there."
Startled, he jumped in surprised and turned around to the seek the voice. Was it calling for him? He sought the voice anyways, and it was then he noticed the little girl staring at him. She couldn't be any older than five. Her long hair reached past her neck, and framed her face. He then noticed her eyes, a pearl white color that he'd never seen in eyes before. Maybe she was blind? No, that couldn't be, her eyes were too focused.
"You there, are you listening?" She said, perhaps another call for someone he couldn't see. He looked behind him, but all he saw was an empty street. He looked at the girl once again. He began to suspect she was calling for him.
"I'm not going to repeat myself again." Maybe, just maybe, she was speaking to him. But he couldn't tell. What could he do? He could answer her calls, but... "Are... are you talking to me...?" He asked, before he could think of anything else. He quickly discarded the idea that she was speaking to him, and felt that feeling of dread once more.
"Of course I am, you idiot." She replied. Replied? "Who else would I be talking to? Is there someone else around here?" She looked annoyed, but it was evident that she was worried about something. But what?
He kept silent, but he soon noticed she expected a reply. "Uh... Wha, what do you want?" The girl crossed her arms and looked down, as a small blush of embarrassment crept onto her face. She looked frustrated.
"I'm... ah... I'm lost." She stated moments after. "Do you know where my house is?" He blinked.
"N-no, I don't..." The girl looked disappointed, but it was soon replaced with worry. This made him feel bad, now he really wanted to help her. "But, uh..." He started, before he trailed off, unsure of what to say.
The girl's attention was once again upon him, waiting for him to finish. "Yes?" She asked after a while, slightly impatient.
"I could, um... I could help you, if you want..." He trailed off again, unsure of what to expect. This was all to new to him.
"... Really?" She didn't look so worried anymore. 'That's good...' The boy thought to himself. It was?
"Y-Yeah." The girl looked elated. "Alright, then let's--" She was interrupted by a sudden growl from her stomach. She once again blushed, only more furiously then before. The boy had a sudden idea, but he was unsure as to whether the girl would agree.
"Er... if, if you're hungry, I know of a place we can eat." He said. "Do... do you want to go there?" The girl looked down, contemplating as to whether she should go, before her stomach once again growled. She slowly nodded in agreement. "A-alright, let's go."
Hesitantly, he grabbed her hand. Seeing as how she didn't pull away, he headed towards the place in mind. Now that he thought about it, he himself was hungry.
In but a short while, taking several paths, he arrived at a small shack. As expected, it was still open, as it always was. The name read 'Ichiraku Ramen'.
"We, we're here." He said, letting go of her hand. She nodded and entered the shack with him. They ordered their respective foods and waited. The two were silent, an awkwardness between the two. Soon, they received their food and started eating.
The boy played with his food, examining the girl. She seemed to enjoy the food. That was good. He started eating himself, and the boy felt more comfortable.
As the girl was halfway done, she stopped, as she seemed to realize something. She turned to the boy. He stopped as well, and gave her his attention. He was nearly done anyways.
"Uh, I... My name is Hanabi, just so you know. Hyuuga Hanabi." The boy stared at Hanabi, before he smiled. Smiled? It was... a nice feeling. "Hanabi." He said, repeating the name to himself.
Hanabi nodded. "Yes. What's your name?" The boy opened his mouth to reply. "Oh, I'm..." He froze. Name? What... was his name?
He didn't have one. And the feeling of dread, of emptiness returned. Why didn't he have a name? Was he supposed to have a name? He didn't know. Why didn't he know? The boy slowly realized in horror, the thing that was missing, why he felt so empty. He had no identity, no definition. He was no one. A no one. He was just there, like a single leaf in a tree. A single blade of grass. The boy was horrified. All this time, he was without a name, an identity. He felt as though he had no self. The feeling of emptiness spread throughout his body, and he shook in horror as he realized this. That is, until a voice broke him out of his stupor.
"Are... you okay?" It was Hanabi. "What's wrong?" She was genuinely worried, the boy realized. How could she be worried for someone like him, a boy with no name, no existence?
"I... I don't have a name..." He said slowly, dreading what she would say. He liked Hanabi, she was a friend. ... Friend? She was a friend? Could someone like him have a friend?
"You... don't have a name?" The boy slowly nodded, and looked away in fear. Hanabi was silent for a moment, before she spoke up. "Alright, then I'll give you a name."
The boy quickly turned to her. What? Give him a name? "... Give me... a name?" Hanabi nodded. She was deep in thought, staring into her ramen bowl. The boy stared at her in fascination. 'She would do this... for me?' He couldn't believe it.
"Ah!" Hanabi exclaimed. "I know. I have the perfect name!" Hanabi turned to him and smiled. "Naruto! Naruto, after the stuff in the ramen!" She seemed satisfied, but it soon turned to worry. "Do you like it?"
Naruto... Naruto... A name? Naruto? Him... Naruto? The boy couldn't speak. He...
"Naruto..." He whispered to himself. In an instant, the feeling of emptiness left him. He smiled. And slowly, the smile grew into a wide grin. "Naruto!" He liked it. He loved it. This feeling, this name. He was Naruto.
"So you like it?" Naruto was full of excitement. 'Yeah, yeah! Naruto!' He was so excited, that he couldn't speak. Instead, he stood up and reached over to Hanabi... and gave her a hug. Hanabi blushed in embarrassment. "Wha-what are you doing?!"
Naruto didn't let go. Hanabi had given him a name. A name. He began to laugh, a joyous feeling engulfing him. Soon, Hanabi stopped struggling and relaxed into the hugged. "I..." He began. "I love it! Naruto! Yeah!" He continued to laugh in glee. Hanabi stared at him in wonder, but as she noticed how happy he was, she smiled.
"Are you two going to finish your ramen?" The old man, owner of 'Ichiraku Ramen' asked. He smiled. The boy was a regular customer of theirs, and he enjoyed seeing him this happy. Naruto and Hanabi nodded, and returned to their food. It wasn't long before they finished. They were just about to leave when a voice called out.
"... nabi-sama! Hanabi-sama!" A voice called behind them. 'What was that?' Naruto asked himself. They turned around. It was another man, and with white eyes just like Hanabi's, Naruto noticed. Were they related?
"Hanabi-sama! There you are!" He exclaimed frantically. "Please, let's return home now. It is getting late and your father is quite worried." Hanabi stared at him, before nodding. She turned to Naruto. "Thank you." Naruto grinned. "You're welcome!"
As Hanabi turned to leave with the man, Naruto realized he still had something to say. Something that wouldn't mean as much if he said it to anyone else. Naruto stopped her. "Wait!"
Hanabi turned back to him, and gave him a questioning stare. Naruto grinned once again. "I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you!" Hanabi smiled. "Nice to meet you, Naruto."
To be honest, this didn't turn out the way I was planning, but it still has the same focus and I still love it. Anyways, Naruto, Hanabi?
Naruto: Yeah, yeah. Read and review, and all that jazz.
Hanabi: Any and all constructive criticism are welcome.