A/N: So a new story, for you guys. I'm such a lazy writer, I doubt if this story will last. But I really like it, so I'm going to try and keep it up. Anyways, review and tell me about any errors you see either gramatical or plot-wise. :D THANKS!
If there was one thing I hated about blending in with humans, it was that I had to go to high school. The very thought of it makes my insides crawl. Honestly, who came up with the whole idea of required education, anyways? Because I swear to god if I find that person, they will die slowly and painfully.
"Sakura, hurry up or we'll miss the bus," came Naruto's voice in my head. With a mental grumble (that I heard him snicker at downstairs in my kitchen) I slung my backpack over my shoulder and trudged down the stairs, my feet clicking in my flip-flops.
Today was a strangely warm day in the middle of February, which had surprised me. As soon as I had woken up this morning and smelled the warm weather, I had dug through my closet and brought out my short jean shorts and a white tank-top.
Oh yeah. I was stylish.
I met Naruto at the bottom of the stairs and gave him a playful push out of my way, walking past him.
"Hurry up, Naruto, or we'll miss the bus," I recited his earlier words, turning to face him and sticking my tongue out at him. He laughed and ran to catch up.
The bus stop was about two blocks down from my house, and it was a pleasant walk, especially in this weather. A slight breeze drifted its way lazily to me, and I lifted my chin up and closing my eyes, smelling the day.
I love the smell of warm weather.
"Your neck is exposed. I hope you don't hunt like that," once again, Naruto's voice wheedled its way into my mind, and I gave him a lazy grin, showing all of my sharp teeth.
"Of course not, silly. If I hunted like that, I'd be dead by now."
He chuckled just as we reached the bus stop.
The smell of exhaust assaulted my nose and I wrinkled it. The bus was here.
Another thing I hate is school buses. Or any form of bus, for that matter. You want to know why?
Of course you don't.
They're tiny. I mean, they are bigger than a regular car, but if you counted by the ratio of square feet to children, this thing was miniscule. And everyone smelled. Terribly so.
Naruto picked up on my utter annoyance and grimaced at me, giving me an awkward pat on the back in an attempt at consolation.
"Hey, at least it's only for one and a half more years," He said with a smile, getting on the bus and sitting down in an empty seat. I planted myself next to him, not even bothering a reply.
Everyone on the bus was chattering loudly, but some of the students glanced surreptitiously in Naruto and my direction.
I guess we did kind of stand out.
Almost everyone around us was wearing long sleeved shirts and jeans and hiking boots, with scarves tucked under their chins and gloves resting in their jacket pockets.
And then there was Naruto and me. We were both wearing shorts, and Naruto had on a dark green t-shirt with a "No Smoking" sign printed on the front, and he was also wearing flip-flops.
Oh well. Their loss.
Silly humans. Can't handle the temperature. A boy was blatantly staring at me and I showed my teeth at him, not even attempting to turn the action into a smile. He turned around immediately and didn't look back for the rest of the ride.
"Don't scare them away, Sakura, we might need them one day," I scoffed, but turned away from the poor boy, sulking for the rest of the ride.
As soon as we got to school, I got off the bus and almost bolted back the way we came, not liking the idea of being stuck in a building all day when I could be outside in the woods… running around, lazing in the sun… being free…
School sucked. Major ass.
"Sakura, chill. You've been going to public school for a month now. You should be used to it," Naruto whispered in my ear as he grabbed my arm, stopping me from running.
I growled quietly and glared at him. I could see my face reflected in his eyes – my own green ones were dilated with stress and my mouth was tight, my hair mussed. I looked like a caged dog.
Hah. I wonder why.
"I'm fine, Naruto. It's just… overwhelming, especially after that full moon yesterday," I whispered back, turning my frown into a weak smile. Begrudgingly, Naruto let go of my arm, but kept very close as we walked to homeroom. Every once in a while, our shoulders would bump, and I could feel his emotions flow through me as if they were my own.
He was worried about me, worried that I might run away, worried that my temper might lash out and I'd injure someone, worried that I would get so stressed that I'd phase in the middle of class; he was also cautious – always cautious, trying to keep our secret, cautious of human contact, always imagining situations with humans and different ways to get out of them; and the last emotion that I caught off of him before we sat down in our seats a few seconds before the bell rang.
Love.
The wave of pure, unabashed love hit me like a tidal wave, and I grimaced. I couldn't meet Naruto's gaze for the rest of homeroom – it had been like this ever since I had met him. Naruto had fallen in love with me, and his emotions hadn't changed for the past year that I had known him.
I felt terrible, every time I felt his warm, comforting love, especially when we phased. I loved him, I really did. But in a different way than he loved me. And it broke both of our hearts.
Somehow, I had managed to get through the entire day and when it came time to get back on the yellow bus from hell, I decided to pass on it, and walked home.
"I'll be there when you get home. Do you want anything to eat?" Naruto asked. He had taken the bus, and was almost home already. But being a couple minutes late was worth it if it meant not getting on that thing.
I smiled at Naruto's concern, but sent him a negative on the food. Really, I just wanted to get home and run around in the woods for a while.
"Not until I patrol first, she-demon," I humphed, but knew he was right. I was too young to risk a chance meeting with a human while in my other form. It was too dangerous.
When I got home, Naruto was gone. His scent lingered, and I followed it out the back door and on to the back deck where a sloppy pile of clothes were sitting.
He was out on patrol.
"Hurry up," I whined, fidgeting on the back deck. I really needed to phase, the ruffle my fur and run around, free of these human constrictions.
I busied myself with folding Naruto's clothes, and setting them into a neat pile. Then I took my own off, folded them, and set them next to Naruto's. I wasn't bashful about being naked – after all, Naruto and I had access to each other's minds. We knew the most intimate details already, so there was no point in hiding our physical selves.
A few minutes later, I heard him running in the direction of the house. My ears weren't as good in this form, but they were still amazing – he was about… 50 meters away.
Without waiting, I jumped up and started running in his direction, my bare feet pounding on the moss. A giant shiver washed over me, and I hunched forward, still running. A sharp burst of pain radiated from my spine as it stretched and bent and elongated, quickly followed by my legs and arms, the bones snapping and shifting and re-forming in a painful transformation. Then came my head, and I shook it out as soon as the stars were gone and I could see again.
The whole process only took about five seconds, and I was finally free.
I loved this part – where the feral side takes over, and I don't have to think rationally any more. Because now, I was truly free.
Now, I was a wolf.
My fur was dark red except for my muzzle, which was pitch black. I had a relatively slender build, compared to most wolves, but that made me go faster, which I loved.
During the phase, I hadn't broken stride and now I picked up my pace, nearly running into Naruto as he came from the other direction. I bolted past him with a small bark, and I could hear him growl in annoyance and skid around to follow me.
"Don't lose yourself, Sakura. Remember, you are not a senseless beast. You have a rational mind. Use it."
Naruto's words in my muddled brain helped to calm me down a bit, and I slowed my pace until I was at a standstill. It didn't take long for Naruto to catch up and when he did, I padded over and stuck my muzzle into his fur by his neck apologetically.
"Sorry, Naruto. It's still hard to control my instincts." I told him sheepishly, my ears bending back in shame.
He made a guttural sound, almost like a cough, and I knew he was laughing. I lifted my nose away from his fur and he gave the side of my nuzzle a quick lick, obviously saying I was forgiven.
Naruto was a handsome wolf – his fur was light brown with a slight hint of red to it, and he was massive. But he was slower than me.
Quick as lightening, I leapt forward and lightly nipped his hide, before turning around and bolting, our game of tag officially beginning.
There was barely any light left when Naruto and I phased back into our human forms on the back porch. We were sweaty and covered in dirt and scratches but we were laughing and still wrestling.
I managed to grab Naruto's wrists and held them to the sides of his head as I straddled his waist, effectively pinning him.
"Hey, no fair!" he laughed as he tried to struggle free. I laughed with him, but didn't respond. Instead, I let his wrists go and collapsed on top of him, contentedly tired from an evening's worth of playing.
My head nuzzled its way to his neck and he wrapped his arms around me, and I could see him staring up at the sky with a wistful expression.
To humans, our position was rather intimate – considering the proximity of our bodies and our lack of clothes – but we both knew better. We were family, and in our world, this was how we treated family.
Although Naruto's feelings for me sometimes made it slightly awkward, we were brother and sister, in the most spiritual sense of the word.
Once the mosquitoes started biting at our sweaty skin, we both got up and went inside to clean up and prepare for another day in the life of a human.