Virtual-vertigo : This is fic no. 5 and counting. Thanks for all the reviews!
Disclaimer:
I don't own Naruto. If I did, Naruto would be a cute uke and always limping.
Summary:
Naruto and his father are in a relationship before their world collapses. More details coming soon.
Pairings:
YondaimeNaruto
Sasunaru friendship
YondaimeNaruto is going to fade off after some time. I'll leave the eventual Naruto pairing up for grabs. I'm a die-hard Itanaru fan but if any Neji/Gaara/other fans would like a shot at our blonde uke, vote!!!!! (You can even vote Oronaru or Deinaru or some totally weird pairing like that, I'll do it!)If I don't get enough votes to substantiate a pairing (at least 5 votes for the winning pairing), the story will be Kyuunaru by default.
Note / Warning:
1. AU. In this universe, Homosexuality is as common as Heterosexuality.
2. I realize a lot of you would find the YondaimeNaruto pairing repulsive; considering that in my fic, they are father and son. All I can say is; if you don't like, don't read. There will be considerable Aranaru (I'm going with the flow and naming the Yondaime as Kazama Arashi). If that disgusts you, you're not wrong and I'm sorry. Aranaru will definitely not be the final pairing, unless it is voted for.
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DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN THE DARK - CHAPTER 1
How do you define right and wrong? If a woman who was raped and abused by her own husband for over a year of her life decides to do away with him, is it right or wrong? Should she be convicted for murder or let go? What about in relationships? Can your deepest innermost feelings ever be wrong? If you truly desire every aspect of a particular someone, if you are so madly in love that you would kill to protect that person - is it wrong if that person is your very own son?
Is it right or is it wrong? To desire the boy your seed gave rise to. The boy you once held in your arms as a neo-nate. The toddler whose hesitant steps you cheered on, the kid you taught football and basketball to. The teenager you played video games with. Your very own son.
Is it wrong to want him so bad that you feel yourself get hard at the very sight of his naked body? Is it wrong to wish he would nuzzle into you when he innocently lays on your lap? Is it wrong to think about his lips and mouth, his young and toned body when you masturbate?
Or is it right? Right because compared to the intensity of these feelings of yours - all else pales in comparison? You have never felt so much love, so much concern for another before. You care so much that it hurts. You look into blue eyes just like yours and kiss them and you wonder - this feels so good. This eclipses anything and everything I have ever felt. Is it wrong to want more?
There is black. There is white. But the world is hued in grays. Similarly, there is right. And there is wrong. But most of our actions fall under the twilight region that has various shades of both these sides. How can you judge without knowing the whole story? And even then, how can you - in your infinitesimal wisdom; judge the actions of another human being? For you are just as likely to err, just as likely to follow. So don't judge, just listen and try to comprehend. Listen to the story of Kazama Arashi and his son. Who they were, who they became and who they are.
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Arashi was 17 when Naruto was born. It was a teen pregnancy with both parents underage. The mother died in childbirth. Arashi was devastated, not because he loved her; but because he would have to raise this child on his own. He didn't want it. The baby that his aunt, Tsunade was cooing over was a nuisance. The 6'3" inch blonde had a life to lead. He had college to go to. And then, a corporation to run. As far as Arashi was concerned, he had fucked up. Bigtime. Sure he had been the nice guy and promised the girl he would marry her, but the past 9 months had been the worst of his life. He had had to deal with a pregnant woman, who although beautiful, was someone he never loved. It was just supposed to be a one-night stand. Not a life-long commitment.
Now, the one and only one-night stand of his life; the only time he had decided to truly let himself go was going to haunt him forever. His life would be constantly influenced by caring for another; though Tsunade, Jiraiya and even that genius kid next door, Kakashi his name was; had promised to help. Orochimaru had extended his services too, but Arashi had firmly refused. He didn't hate the kid THAT much. He suspected the snake had had a good laugh at his expense. Uchiha Fugaku too. His sempai already had two children, one who was born just 11 months before. But then again, the Uchiha was 6 years older than him.
"Arashi," chastised his aunt. "Look at him. He's adorable."
"Why should I care, he killed his mother." the blonde replied coldly.
"Arashi!" Tsunade was shocked. "How dare you say that about your own son? Its not like you loved her. And anyways," she continued. "You, Jiraiya and I are all he has. And we're too old. You're the one responsible for him."
"When I slept with Akari, I didn't think it would come back and bite me in the ass."
Tsunade slapped him, hard. "Stop it." she hissed. "Are you going to talk about your son like that? You were always an orphan, weren't you? Never had parents for all of your life. Well, you can prevent that from happening again. You can heal your heart by being a good father to your son. Here, hold him."
Arashi sighed and complied. He took one look into the blue eyes of the blonde bundle in his arms and fell in love.
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His son was literally his life. It was the one thing that remained constant. Classes came and went, professors came and went. Girlfriends and boyfriends came and went. Throughout the tumultuous years of college, Arashi had big blue eyes that kept his feet anchored to the ground. Whenever he felt down after a test or a brawl or a break-up; he would hold Naruto in his arms. And everything would be all right with the world. He never thought of anyone as much as he did of his son. He was always interested in what his son ate, what his first words were and how much he slept. When Naruto took his first hesitant steps at the age of 10 months, Arashi was the happiest man alive. (It also helped that Fugaku's younger son took an entire year to fully master the art of walking.) His aunt and uncle were pleasantly surprised at how easily he had adjusted to the entire parenting thing. When they asked Arashi about it, he simply replied that he loved his son above all else.
When Arashi graduated college, Naruto was 4. Tsunade and Jiraiya had helped out immensely for these 4 years. He decided to move out on his own; Naruto was more mature than most kids his age and could handle being alone in a house. Arashi then went to law school. Kakashi, Iruka, Gai, Kurenai and Asuma would always pop in to check on the little blonde. They would even babysit him free of charge. His friends from law school - Anko and Morino Ibiki also helped out. Tsunade and Jiraiya and even Orochimaru visited. So living alone was no big deal. Another 4 years merrily passed by. Naruto was clearly the most prized possession in Arashi's life. He now looked upon that one-night stand as a blessing from the heavens. It had even been with the right girl. Akari had been beautiful and smarter than him. Naruto was beautiful and smart too. He couldn't have asked for a better offspring.
It was when Naruto was 8 that Arashi was no more the centre of his little world. School was blooming; and for a friendly child like him, making friends was all too easy. He already had a ton of adult friends who baby-sat him, now making friends his own age was something he looked forward to. And he did it with great finesse. There was Nara Shikamaru - who was lazy as hell and smart as hell. Inuzuka Kiba - whom Naruto always had fun playing pranks with. Akimichi Chouji - whom he ate ramen with. Rock Lee- who always kept him at his fittest. Hyuuga Neji- who was quite alright when he wasn't being prickly. Even the girls were o.k. He was sure that Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Ten Ten didn't have any cooties. He even tried making friends with Uchiha Sasuke, but that boy just wanted to be alone.
So Arashi was in for a rude surprise when his young son started paying less and less attention to him. Before, it was always daddy-this or daddy-that, now it was more about his friends. Arashi felt like he had been discarded. Naruto would always be rushing off to eat with Chouji or train with Lee or play chess with Shikamaru. Arashi wanted to point out that Naruto could do all this with him too, but he refrained. When he confessed his feelings to Tsunade over a cup of tea, she was quite amused.
"Its only natural, Arashi," she stated, taking a sip of her tea. "Naruto is growing up. Soon, he'll become more and more independent. In 4 more years, he'll enter adolescence. He might start going out. Forming other relationships. Its probably the hardest stage in the life of a parent to realize that their child is no more the kid that he or she was. You'll just have to accept it."
Arashi shook his head. He just couldn't accept it. The thought that Naruto might no more need him was unbearable. Because he needed Naruto, hadn't known how much he needed him till he had him. This definitely called for some thinking.
When he arrived home that day, he found Naruto waiting for him. His son was sitting meekly at the table.
"Otou-san, I made you some tea," he said softly. "Are you mad at me, otou-san?"
"Of course not, "Arashi answered him with a soft smile. "What makes you think that?"
Naruto fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "I don't know. Its just that I haven't seen much of you for some time. You've been so busy," he pouted. "But so have I. Lets make sure we spend more time together, ne?"
Arashi smiled. His problem had been solved. All was once again right in his world.
Soon, the tall blonde began working at the Sannin Corporation. It was jointly owned by Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru - and they were world famous for all the services they provided. The father and son pair had always been well off, thanks to Arashi's sizable inheritance. Now they were rich, ostentatiously so. At the behest of the the three Sannin, Arashi decided to move his little family to a mansion in the more posh area of the city. Kind of like the place the Uchihas, Hyuugas and Aburames reisded. The mansion was simply too big, but Naruto was thrilled when he saw the swimming pool, play-ground and all of his new toys. He rapidly forgot all his apprehensions about going to a new house. And seeing his smiling face, Arashi couldn't be any happier.
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2 YEARS LATER:
The jealousy Arashi had felt did not dim. Its hold on the blonde only grew stronger. Every time he saw Naruto laughing in the presence of his friends, or playing with them, he was consumed by it. He wanted those innocent eyes to light up only when he was around. He wanted to be the only one who heard that tinkling laugh. During his more sensible moments Arashi would berate himself, joking that he sounded more like a possessive lover than a caring father.
This jealousy made sure of the fact that Arashi played a very important role in young Naruto's life. He was always there. When Naruto came crying because some bully in his school bet him and Kiba up, Arashi made sure that said bully's parents were out of a job till their child apologized to his. When Naruto clamored to wanting a fox when most kids his age wanted dogs, Arashi got him the finest specimen he could find. It had nine swinging tails and Naruto loved it at first sight. Arashi was more than compensated when Naruto glomped him and kissed his cheek. Then one day, Arashi purposely asked him.
"Who do you love most in the world, Naru-chan?"
His 10 year-old son giggled. "Why otou-san of course!! I love otou-san the most."
The elder blonde smiled genuinely. He'd make damn sure that it stayed that way. Naruto couldn't love anyone more than him; his heart wouldn't be able to take that.
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2 YEARS LATER:
Arashi couldn't take it anymore. Twelve years. Twelve years of Naruto's life and he was happy. The happiest he'd ever been. But that happiness was polluted by a tinge of jealousy. Why did his son need stupid friends anyway? Why did he have to go and be so damn friendly to every single person in the universe? And why did everyone have to fall for the innocence in those blue eyes the same way he did? Naruto was too popular for Arashi's liking. His list of friends grew longer by the day; the Kazama was in perennial panic that he'd be replaced. Even Kakashi and Jiraiya took some time off their disgusting books to talk to his son. (Arashi had warned them that if those books ever reached within 100 feet of his son, they'd be castrated. Needless to say, they took this seriously.)
Even Uchiha Sasuke finally opened up to him and the two had become thick friends. This was a big achievement; the Uchiha talked to no one else and absolutely despised Naruto's other firm friends such as Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba. And the wonder of all wonders; Uchiha Itachi - Sasuke's elder and to put it frankly, better brother, was spotted smiling around Naruto. Arashi had gaped at that for more than ten minutes before realizing his mouth was open.
Everyone liked his son. His son liked everyone. He wanted his son to like him the most and knew that was the case. But he was still jealous. Why, his mind wondered. Why am I jealous? I spoke to Tsunade. She told me I'd have to let him go at some point. I even consulted parenting books. What I feel goes above and beyond what they described. Arashi bit his lower lip in contemplation. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
The next day found the Kazama knocking the door of a certain raven-haired man's house. Uchiha Fugaku raised an eyebrow when he noticed is surprise guest. "What brings you here?" he asked Arashi.
"Sempai," responded Arashi politely.(One could never be too polite with the Uchihas or the Hyuugas; they were sticklers for such things.) "I am in need of some advice."
"And pray, how can I help you?"
Arashi sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "I need some advise on child-rearing. How do you raise Itachi and Sasuke?"
This apparently was enough to start Fugaku off on a lengthy tirade about the glorious Uchiha clan. "Itachi is raised not as my son, but as the future clan head. I invest no emotions in him. He is a weapon to this clan. His power is our power. He is raised with a strong sense of duty and is expected to fulfil it at whatever cost. Itachi has proved himself diligently so far." Arashi had heard enough. The man was too demented to understand him anyways. "What about Sasuke?" he interrupted.
Fugaku frowned. 'Sasuke?" he said blankly. "Ah, my second son. I give Sasuke a free rein. He's not as smart as his brother, despite how much ever he tries. I still encourage him, but now Itachi..." he started off again. Arashi sighed.
"Fugaku-san," he said. The man stopped to listen to him. "Have you at any point wanted to be even closer with your sons? Or felt jealous when either Itachi or Sasuke would make more friends? You know, felt left out?"
Fugaku laughed incredulously. "Never, Arashi. Neither of my sons have friends," he said proudly. 'And as I said, I hardly spend time with them if not to goad them to work harder."
Arashi smiled politely, before taking his leave. He had learned nothing useful from Fugaku, save the fact that Itachi and Sasuke were very unfortunate.
His jealously returned full-force when he saw Naruto hugging Kakashi, before the silver-haired man left. Arashi saw red. He grabbed Naruto's collar and pulled him up. "What do you think you're doing, Naru-chan?" he asked angrily.
Naruto blinked innocently at his father. "Kaka-chan was leaving. I gave him a goodbye hug" he stated, looking puzzled.
Arashi's rage ebbed slightly. "Don't do that." he muttered.
"Why?" asked Naruto curiously.
"Don't you think its childish?" Arashi teased.
Naruto's face crunched up in thought, making him look extremely cute. "So, I shouldn't hug you either?" he asked.
"No," said Arashi, louder than he had intended. "You can hug me."
Naruto looked puzzled. "Then, why can't I hug Kaka-chan?"
Arashi sighed. "Fine, you can hug him too."
"Yay," Naruto yelled childishly, before kissing his father on the cheek.
Arashi's mood lightened as he observed his son. Naruto had a way of brightening up anything. He could make a sour day turn good, evil people turn kind. His sheer personality coupled with his vulnerability attracted everyone. At an age when most children were already starting to lose their innocence, Naruto was the very personification of it. He was enchanting, Arashi decided; smiling fondly at his son.
"Oh you know, you know, you know..." Naruto began excitedly. Arashi looked at his son, amused. "What?" he asked.
" Neji asked me out!"
Arashi froze. "Hyuuga Neji...asked you out?" he repeated slowly.
Naruto nodded excitedly. "Uh-uh," he said happily. "I'm going to get a boyfriend."
Arashi stared at his son. "Naruto," he gently requested. "Come here."
Naruto went to his father, his eyes widening in curiosity. "Naru-chan," Arashi started. "I don't want you to go out with him."
Naruto pouted at his dad. "Why not?" he asked sadly.
"You are much too young." And innocent. And I'm jealous of Hyuuga Neji. I hate him right now.
Naruto looked sad. "If thats what you want otou-san; then I won't" he answered.
Arashi smiled. "That's my boy. Now what do you want for dinner?"
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