Disclaimer: I own nothing. ''Naruto'' belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha. Honestly, do you think I'd spend my time writing fanfiction if I owned the original story?
''Oi! Grab it befo-!''
''Eh? AAHH!''
Splash.
After a few silent seconds, a drenched Uzumaki Naruto emerged from the river.
''Stay focused or we won't even catch a single one!'' His pink-haired teammate, Haruno Sakura, scolded apprehensively from his left.
It was obvious that the fish had gotten away as soon as he had emerged empty-handed, leaving but a confused jinnchuricki coughing up water in its wake.
''Dobe, if you can't do this much you may as well just go back to the house.'' The blonde's other teammate - Uchiha Sasuke - taunted with apparent uninterest.
''Ah, sorry!'' To their surprise, the blonde then waded back to shore, shook some water off himself and began heading back in the general direction of Tazuna's home.
''Hey Dobe, where are you going?'' Naruto turned back around as if the question surprised him, it seemed like it genuinely did. ''Back to the house?''
''But we're supposed to be catching fish for Tazuna-san, remember?'' The pinkette of team Kakashi pointed out. The boy gave her one of his signature over-the-top goofy grins..
''I'm not helping much anyway, I'll go back and see if there's anything else to do.'' The comment left two Genin in confusion as the blonde got out of sight. It was uncharacteristic of him to give up on a task just like that, especially after a provocation like that from Sasuke about his ability to do it.
On the way back, Naruto continued his previously interrupted trail of thoughts involving a certain injured shinobi resting up at the house he was heading for. Haku, the young apprentice of Momochi Zabuza of the Hidden Mist. Zabuza himself had passed on several days ago, and had been buried shortly afterwards. The young boy had been mortally injured by the genins' squad leader, Hatake-Kakashi, and had awoken only two days ago, a day after Zabuza's funeral.
A person unaware of the circumstances would've expected him be happy to be alive, but such was certainly not the case. He'd been devastated to learn of his master's demise, and had demanded to be taken to his grave regardless of his own lethally weakened state. Despite weak pleas and almost pitiful attempts at going himself, he had been kept firmly in bed by the silver-haired Jounin, who had promised he'd be allowed to visit as soon as his injuries permitted him to. Ever since, the boy had done nothing but sit isolated in the room he'd been given, looking out through his one and only window.
Unbeknownst to most, Naruto had witnessed him at several occasions, being able to somewhat relate to the boy on a level that few could. He knew what it was like to have no one in the world to turn to, though he had yet to lose any of the ones he'd gained. It was his greatest fear, and the missing-nin's current reality, a fact that nagged away at the blonde to no end.
''Ah, Naruto-kun! Should I tell Tsunami to expect the fish anytime soon?'' A voice brought the jinnchuriki out of his thoughts and back to reality. The source of the voice was Tazuna who was sitting on the porch outside his house, which Naruto just realized he'd reached.
''Eh? Tazuna-san! Well, -teme said they didn't need me to help and told me to go rest up, but they're probably done any time now.'' The old man nodded in understanding. ''That's great! I'll tell her to be ready for it then.'' Naruto lingered awkwardly in the doorway, carrying an expression that just shouted "I want to ask something" in the eyes of any parent.
''Ano... Tazuna-san...''
"Hm?"
"Is he still in there? Did he eat or anything?" His voice was now less energetic.
The question brought a somber expression onto the old man's face. Not one of anger or hate, but of concern. ''I'm afraid not. The poor boy still hasn't left his room, though he should've healed enough to walk around by now.'' The reply was both discouraging and uplifting, as odd as that was.
''I see. Thanks anyway Old man!'' The goofy grin was back in place, and it was responded to by a near-equally goofy one. Both of them faded into worry once the other was out of sight. When inside, the sudden silence reminded the blonde that Inari had gone into town for a while, and it would seem Tsunami-san had stepped out for a bit, probably to tend the flowerbed she had been growing in the backyard.
Naruto weighed his options. It was too early to go to bed, and he didn't feel like training. He could visit Haku?
...Actually, that sounded like a vaguely good idea. Then again, it also sounded like a horribly awkward one.
"...Maybe I'll just go say hi to Tsunami-san instead." It just struck him as a far less demanding activity really.
...Though, on second though, she'd probably put him to work.
"Alright, stick-my-head-out-the-window-and-say-hi it is." And so he did.
"Tsunami-sa-" With little success. Unless you count eating a flower as "success."
A mix of coughing and female laughter filled the air for a few innocent seconds.
"Sorry, I wouldn't have let go of the stalk if I'd known you were there Naruto-kun." The mother of Inari and daughter of Tazuna uttered apologetically from just below the kitchen-window.
"Why the heck are you growing a flower in front of the window!?" The blonde shouted while coughing up a final petal.
"It's not supposed to grow that tall. I was actually about to uproot and replant it over there just now." She offered him a motherly smile. Her habit of doing so was one that the blonde appreciated more than she probably realized, it usually left him quiet for a split second. "Did you want anything in particular?"
"Ah, not really, I was just gonna say hi. Oh, and Sasuke and Sakura are probably gonna be back with some fish real soon."
"I better finish up and start preparing for dinner then. Thank you for the heads up." Another one of those smiles kept him stationary for slightly longer than he had intended.
"No problem!" A childish grin crossed his features as he withdrew back inside, though he stopped after being addressed once more.
"Are you about to visit Haku-san by any chance?"
Truthfully, he hadn't decided, though he might as well now.
"Yeah."
"Wait here for a second." Her raven hair briefly disappeared below the windowsill, and, a few "hmpf" and a "snip" later, she soon reappeared with a red flower in hand. "Here, give him this. I was just about to get rid of it anyway."
The blonde felt small amounts of blood rush to his cheeks.
"W-why would I give him a flower!?" He questioned defensively.
"Think of it as a get-well gift." Yet another smile graced her features, and he just couldn't say no. He accepted the flower from her out-stretched hand and firmly went back inside before she could think of any more embarrassing ideas. Throwing the flower a quick glance while walking up the stairs told him roughly nothing. It was red, and somewhat resembled a rose, though it was different enough for even someone as ignorant of fauna as him to be able to tell it clearly wasn't one. Still, the implications had hit him by the time he arrived at the doorway.
He stood outside in silence, trying desperately to muster up the resolve to enter. It took longer than he expected, but he eventually managed. The room was unexpectedly dark. Though, it was on the opposite end of the house from the sun, and the window had curtains over it. Albeit see-through, it was enough to dampen the overall lighting.
He initially couldn't see the boy, but since he knew from experience where to look, his eyes soon adjusted enough for him to see the kneeling form below the window.
''I know you're there, Naruto-san.'' The statement was unexpected, but welcomed none the less. The blonde took it as a sign that he could approach him. He positioned himself next to the wounded boy and sat down. He immediately noticed a very familiar gaze being directed out through the window. It was a gaze he'd seen several times in the mirror.
''Are you alright?'' He hesitantly asked. It was a stupid question, and he half anticipated the answer.
''Of course not. I no longer have a purpose to live for.''
"Of course you do!" The blonde was interrupted. "Weapons exist for their wielders, what purpose is there then without that wielder?" His tone was not upset, at least not noticeably. It was calm, and with little emotion. As if resigned to a meaningless fate.
"You're not just a weapon! You're a person like anyone else, and even Zabuza admitted that before he-" The interruption came from himself this time, having caught on to what he was about to blurt out so casually just in time. Haku had yet to divert his eyes from the window, but the blonde caught them widening slightly even in the dark. "A-anyway! There are people who care about you, just living for their sake is a purpose!"
The injured boy turned his gaze in his direction with obvious intent to speak, but stopped himself before the first word was uttered. Naruto sat momentarily confused until following the raven-haired teen's gaze to the red flower in his hands. He'd forgotten about that.
Trying to make it as not awkward as possible, the blonde joltedthe flower into the other boy's hands in a half-panicked attempt at getting the gifting process over with. It probably didn't end up helping much. His cheeks were tinted red all the same, a feature it would seem Haku shared at the moment, though to a lesser degree.
"I-it's just a get-well gift!"
Rather than answer, the older boy opted for twiddling the gift between his fingers, looking it over analytically. The lack of a reply was somewhat unnerving. Without much warning, he turned back to facing the blonde, meeting his gaze with one that carried a question and was both uncertain as well as resolute.
"Do you care about me?" The question was abrupt, and didn't leave much room for thinking, not that the answer would change even if it had.
"...Yeah." It was awkward to admit out loud, but of course he did. He cared about everyone he knew to various extents, and Haku was definitely no exception.
Haku's eyes widened slightly, and even someone as dense about people as Naruto could tell he was having an internal struggle. He averted his eyes and looked down, first to the left then the right before ultimately meeting the blonde's again.
"Something wrong?" The Jinnchuriki asked, but the boy simply repeated his previous actions, this time with more uncertainty showing. "Haku? What's-"
The blonde was momentarily frozen in place. Haku had kissed him. Not passionate or deep, just a quick, innocent peck on the lips that lasted for only about a second.
"I won't stop you from leaving." The words were almost lost on the Kyuubi vessel, as most of his mind was still busy trying to process what had just happened. This was an entirely new experience. He'd accidentally kissed Sasuke once but that had just been repulsing, whereas this evoked reactions he had no idea of. He couldn't even tell if they were positive or negative in nature.
''What… I… that…'' He was at a lack of words. Though that in itself wasn't uncommon, this time was unique. ''I-I think I should…'' Things made no sense right then. More than anything else, he just wanted to leave. He wanted time, to pause things and sort things out in his head. Haku didn't bother replying before the blonde got up and left, lingering in the doorway for just a single awkward second before disappearing. Once gone, Haku stared apprehensively at the empty doorway for a few seconds before turning back towards the window, pondering over the possible consequences of his action.
That night, everyone in the household received an unexpected surprise as Haku joined them during dinner. Naruto, too, was surprised, and couldn't help but notice how the dark haired shinobi kept searching for eye-contact.
Note: I am aware of the incorrect uses of "dobe" and "teme" and other similar terminology misusage.
The reason that I use them as I do is that I personally feel it made the sentences flow better at the time of writing.
Completely removing Japanese terms associated with specific characters simply for the sake of translating a work of fiction into English is, while understandable, changing the feel of characters in my honest opinion.
As such, I will continue to have Sasuke refer to Naruto as "Dobe" instead of "Idiot" whenever I feel the former feels better in the dialogue. The same goes for the other misused Japanese terms in this work. Know that this is a conscious decision and not a result of ignorance, and I will not change this because someone complains over it.