Hey It's me again I updated my story, I made it Easier to read, thanks to the help of sparkygatech 2 will be up soon. I noticed that I didn't get a lot of reviews, out of 288 hits I got 2 reviews, that mean that for every 144 people I get one review, I don't care if you love it, like it, hate it, or whatever, just review to tell me how you feel. --
Bridge 6:00 AM
The bright sun shone down upon a small bridge. Above the bridge were some worn wooden, red archways and under those stood two people, one a slightly angry pink haired female dressed in a red kimono and the other a dark haired uncaring male wearing blue. The female was staring intensely at him with her emerald green eyes. Both were growing more and more impatient until in a small poof of a white smoke, a silver haired man appeared.
"Good morning Sasuke, Sakura…"
"Don't you good morning me, you're an hour late!! You were the one who called us here…" she screamed. The jounin sighed and pulled out a small orange book and began to read.
'Wow neither of them noticed Naruto was missing. Sakura I understand, but Kakashi?' Sasuke thought.
"You back me up on this right Naruto?"Sakura asked. Normally Naruto would have said anything to stay on her side but when no answer came she realized that they were one hyper-active ninja short.
"Wait where's Naruto?" she asked.
"Just noticing he is gone?" Sasuke replied coldly.
"Wait I'm here" a weak-sounding Naruto stumbled closer to the bridge. All of them noticed he wasn't wearing his usual bright smile, but his face was almost expressionless. His bright orange jumpsuit was askew and his hair was messier than usual.
"What's the mission?" Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and walked away and his students followed.
Tavern 5:00 PM
Kurenai was sitting in a tavern with Anko sipping sake. "This place is so boring" Anko complained.
"There have been no good missions, no attacking villages…"
"And no pranks on the higher ups by a certain blue-eyed ninja? I guess it is rather boring." Kurenai said.
"Yeah the last one was on Asuma, the look on his face when Naruto used his harem jutsu was incredibly stupid." Kurenai and Anko both laughed hard.
"Maybe I should go find Naruto and have some fun with him." Anko walked off leaving Kurenai alone.
'Come to think of him, I don't know a lot about him, other than about his personal demons. 'Oh, well' Kurenai said to herself.
Road 6:00 PM
As the sun set, turning the sky a dull red gradually turning to a midnight blue, Team 7 was walking down the dusty road back to the village. It was a quiet walk, which had everyone's nerves on end. Naruto wasn't acting like Naruto. It was so bad that Sakura stopped him once and checked his temperature. Naruto just said he was thinking and that was that, nobody really cared anyway, they liked the silence.
Village 6:15 PM
When they reached the village, they split up and Naruto walked home, opened the door, changed into his pale blue pajamas and doggie nightcap, and plopped himself on his bed and tried to sleep, but instead stared at the ceiling for a couple of hours. He just couldn't fall asleep. Something on his mind wouldn't let him. He waited for the friendly darkness of sleep to overtake him.
Anko was wandering the streets wondering where Naruto was. Suddenly she bumped into Kakashi.
"Good evening Anko"
"Ah, Kakashi I was wondering where Naruto lives, I need him for something." Anko smiled deviously.
"Naruto lives in that apartment over there." Kakashi pointed at a building to his left. "I was just going there myself to check on him, he hasn't been his usual cheery self." Kakashi sighed.
"Maybe a good prank will cheer him up. I'll check on him while I'm there for you Kakashi."
"Thanks Anko." Kakashi said as he walked away.
Naruto's Apartment 6:20 PM
Anko walked up to Naruto's door and knocked hard. Knock knock knock. Anko was never one for patience, so she knocked harder. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. The door swung open slowly with a creak. She wandered into his small home . She went into the kitchen, noticing it was full of instant ramen and empty instant ramen cups. She wandered further into his small, dingy apartment. She saw his bathroom, a shower, a sink, and of course a toilet, seat up. She eventually found him in his bedroom lying with his sheets on the floor clad in his blue p.j.'s and doggie nightcap. The first thing she noticed was that he wasn't asleep, just staring at the wall opposite her.
"NARUTO!" apparently her anger had not ebbed away at the sight of the little ninja. Naruto turned over quickly, the look of a deer in headlights on his face.
"What?!" Naruto hid under the covers up to the bridge of his nose. "What are you doing here?" he quietly asked.
"I need you to pull a prank on someone, you are Naruto right?" Naruto nodded. "Well, pull a prank on the Hokage to liven things up!"
Naruto only said "Sorry, not right now" and turned back to the wall.
Anko thought, 'Isn't this the number one hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja? The one who is non-stop energy? The talk of the town with his sexy jutsu and constant pranks?'
"Maybe some other time, lady" Anko left in a huff.
Academy 6:45 PM
Anko went straight to Iruka. He was seated in the classroom grading papers when Anko walked in.
"Iruka, is Naruto always so quiet?" Iruka laughed hard.
"Naruto quiet?!"
"Yeah, I was just over at his apartment and he was really quiet just staring at the wall…" Iruka took a look of worry,
"In all my years as his teacher and friend he has never been quiet. Now why were you at his apartment?"
"Oh, I just wanted him to pull a prank on the Hokage just to lighten things up." Iruka's veins stood out on his forehead.
"Don't encourage him, he is trouble enough without a jounin telling him to be bad!" Iruka continued to lecture her for several more minutes. And when he was done he asked,
"Was Naruto really quiet?" Anko sighed and just nodded and left. Iruka got up to and walked out of the classroom, straight to Naruto's apartment.
Naruto's Apartment 7:00 PM
"Naruto!" Iruka was standing outside his door. Slowly the door opened and a pajama-clad ninja stood in the doorway. He had bags under his cerulean eyes and he smiled weakly.
"Yes Iruka sensei?"
"Naruto are you O.K.? I've been hearing things like you've been acting strange." Iruka asked.
"Yeah I'm fine, I guess." Naruto weakly replied.
"You don't seem alright, did something happen to you?"
"No" Naruto looked down.
"Well how about we go out to Ichi Raku Ramen to cheer you up." Naruto paused.
"Well O.K." They walked off together, Naruto still in his P.J.'s.
Ichi Raku Ramen 7:15 PM
The meal was in silence and Naruto only had one bowl. Afterwards Naruto walked home. He plopped down on his bed and slept.
Dream
Naruto was walking to Ichi Raku Ramen down the middle of the road. He took a left and walked into the park where a group of boys were playing. He saw Sakura sitting on a bench with Ino. He walked over to her.
"Hey Sakura, do you want to go get some ramen with me, my treat?" Sakura's face turned red and she punched him.
"No Naruto!" Ino smirked.
"You might as well settle for the idiot, Sasuke is mine." Sakura laughed.
"I wouldn't settle for that stupid idiot! He is probably an orphan because his parents didn't want him. No one likes him and he can die alone for all I care!" Naruto's face fell. His face looked broken, like whatever strand of hope he had left was just cruelly snapped. Naruto ran home, hot tears running down his face.
Naruto's Room 6:30 AM
Naruto woke with a start, tears running down his face again. He awoke to Anko, Iruka, Kurenai, and Kakashi staring at him. Naruto quickly wiped his eyes.
"Wha…What is everyone doing here?" Naruto stammered. Anko sent her snakes to bind him down. Iruka stepped up,
"Naruto, what's wrong? We're all here to help you. Naruto you can tell us anything." Then Kakashi stepped up.
"You aren't acting yourself lately, is there something wrong?"
Anko added "You didn't even want to pull a prank…"
Naruto looked around, "I-i-i-I can't tell you, sorry…" Naruto looked down. After a minute of silence Kurenai stepped forward.
"Can't you see he doesn't want to tell all of us, this is probably personal, he'll tell his best friend. Who might that be Kakashi?" She turned to Kakashi.
"Well…" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "That would be Sasuke or Sakura but those two are probably the problem"
"Who might be his next best friend?" she asked.
"Iruka?" Kakashi pointed at Iruka.
"Anyone else?"
"Not really…" he answered. They all sighed and Kakashi, Anko, and Iruka left. Kurenai walked over to him.
"If you need someone to talk to, you can come by and tell me O.K.?" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Naruto's face turned brick red. Kurenai's face also turned a rosy red. She smiled and left. Naruto realized that they had left him bound to the bed.
Bridge 9:00 AM
Once again Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi were waiting for Naruto so they could go on another mission.
"Did either of you do anything to Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
They both said, "No. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Sakura continued, "I can't think of anything, why? Where is he?" None of them knew Naruto was right behind them.
'She doesn't even know how bad she hurt me. She probably just wanted to forget me' Naruto thought. No one saw him until they heard his footsteps running away. They turned and saw his figure fading in the distance.
Village 9:15 AM
Naruto was running, running anywhere but here. He ran past his home, past the academy, and straight into Kurenai. She noticed the tears in his eyes again. She hugged him, bringing his head to her chest.
"Naruto…" She saw him not as the number one hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja, but as a lonely orphan, broken and scared.
"Are ready to talk about it now?' Naruto nodded. He looked up at her.
Kurenai's House 9:20
She walked him to her home, opened the door and led him to the couch. He sat down, and she sat next to him.
"Now what happened?" Naruto told her the tale of his childhood crush and her crushing rejection. By the end he had her in tears. She pulled him close and held him tight, rubbing his back. Naruto's tears
dried up, his relief building. He began to hold her and thank her, but she stopped him with a quick kiss on the lips, sapphire met ruby and something passed between them.
"Naruto I never knew how much pain you were going through and had to endure, if you ever need anything just come to me" She kissed him again and he closed his eyes never wanting to let her go. All the pain and stress caught up with him, coupled with her gentle embrace and the sweet smell of lavender, he fell asleep in her arms, and for the first time in a while, he smiled.