Reboot

The "A Mother's Intuition: Crushes" sequel. You don't have to read AMIC to understand this, though. Have fun!

-x-

"I tried to be perfect, but nothing was worth it."

[Pieces – Sum 41]

-x-

He was roused from sleep when the faint light from the bleached lunar surface crept through the gap in his curtains. Naruto Uzumaki was an unusually light sleeper. Now, he thought in irritation, he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. He peeked out from beneath his thick covers and stared into the darkness that stretched on and on. There was enough light for him to make out the contours of the furniture that crowded his undersized room. With a half-hearted sigh, he slowly slipped out of the fort he'd made the previous night. Ever since his 'visit' in the Village Hidden in the Darkness, nightmares had plagued his sleep. He wasn't going to be a coward and avoid sleep, only to pass out from exhaustion, but he felt at ease when he had a few sheets in between himself and the darkness. It had been three years since that mission. Tsunade had considered him mentally unstable for B-rank missions, despite his newly attained Chuunin status. Instead she assigned him D-rank missions, and occasionally C-rank. He'd been complaining ever since, but she insisted. Even Itachi Uchiha, his boy friend of almost four years, claimed it to be for his own good. But it's doing me no good at all. All it's succeeding in doing is making me feel like I'm going crazy... and that I am not.

He stumbled in the direction of the curtains, fingers groping the shadows blindly. When the cotton brushed his elbow, his endless supply of energy finally was set into motion. He hastily pulled the curtains apart, revealing the... illuminated village. Everyone's supposed to be asleep. Why are the lights on?

There was something strange going on. Not only were the lights confirming his theory, but the clenching of his gut as well. The people of Konoha valued sleep like a precious gem. It was normal to see four or five lights on, but the whole village? He chose to come up with a rational solution before the panic set in. Itachi will know, right? He should be awake. Naruto was blind as a bat in the darkness, but managed to reach the light switch without sustaining any serious injuries. It was at times like these that he was jealous of the nine-tails, who could see in the dark. The yellow light splashed over the room like paint. He quickly found a pair of grey sweatpants and an orange hoodie to put over his pyjama shirt. He stopped by the bathroom for bladder relief and a splash of water on his face before heading out. Despite his rush, he attached his weapons pouch to his thigh, tied his hitai-ate around his neck, and slipped on the flak jacket that all Chuunin and Jounin are required to wear. He took off when he deemed himself presentable.

When he passed his favourite ramen stand, he was surprised to find it open. What disturbed him was that when he waved at the old man, he merely looked him dead on with a blank stare, as if he was a stranger. Naruto frowned before continuing on. He wouldn't speak to anyone before he spoke to Itachi. He arrived at the Uchiha compound a little over ten minutes later. When he approached the guards, rather than the friendly waves he'd been expecting, he received a hostile inquiry of his business at the compound.

"Don't you remember me? I'm Itachi Uchiha's boyfriend!" Naruto stated, oblivious to the glares he was receiving.

"As far as we've heard, Itachi-san has never been in a relationship, and even less with someone of the same gender." One of the guards said in a monotone. Another guard pitched in, "In fact, I was starting to think Itachi-san was asexual."

"Baka!" The first guard shouted, slapping the back of the second guard's head. "S-sorry!" The second guard stuttered.

"I'm not sure why you don't remember me! I mean, I was just here last night!" Naruto's frown looked like it was settling in for a long stay.

"I don't repeat myself." The first guard bit out. He crossed his arms for emphasis. The light from the houses behind him gave him an eerie glow.

"Can I go see him, at least? I have to speak to him. It's urgent." Naruto pleaded.

"Go see if he's willing to come out here, Ryuu. I don't trust the brat." The first guard ordered the other. The second guard slinked off, probably to wake Itachi. In the meantime, Naruto decided to question the guard.

"So... do you know why all of the lights are on?" Naruto asked, looking as innocent as a golden retriever. He claimed it was a gift from his dad.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The guard muttered warily. Naruto walked as close to the gate as he dared. "To put it simply, Konoha has never been a nocturnal village."

"You must be joking; Konoha has always been a night village." The guard looked genuinely surprised. Naruto's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and he only ached to see Itachi more. He remained silent until he finally saw the eldest of the brothers engaged in conversation with the second guard. Itachi didn't even look tired.

"Itachi!" Naruto called. There was a hint of desperation in his voice, as he waved the man (he didn't think boy was appropriate anymore) over. Itachi stopped only a couple feet away from the gate before replying, "Do I know you?" Those four words practically crushed Naruto's heart into thousands of delicate fragments.

"W-what do you mean? It's me, Naruto!" The blonde's voice shook as he spoke.

"Naruto..." Itachi regarded the name for a minute before shaking his head. "I'm sorry; I don't think I know any Naruto's."

Naruto's heart was only crushed further. "I-Itachi, come on. This isn't funny."

"I'm not amused either." Itachi raised a delicate brow in annoyance, an expression which had almost become endearing to Naruto.

The blonde shook his head in denial. He clutched onto the bars in fear of losing a hold of himself. "Itachi, Itachi... I'm your boyfriend, remember? Naruto... Naruto Uzumaki?"

"I already said I don't know any Naruto's. You must have me mistaken with someone else. Now, is there anything you need?" Itachi tilted his head slightly, and the blonde felt tears pooling in his eyes.

"Listen to me, I know who you are. You're Itachi Uchiha, and we've been together for almost four years!" Naruto's despair was only fuelling the fire.

"I'll be leaving now. Have a good night, and get home safely." Itachi bid him goodbye, and ignored the blonde that was falling apart on the other side of the gate.

"Itachi!" Naruto cried, tears spilling down his face like waterfalls. But the raven was already out of hearing distance. The guards looked down at him cruelly, and Naruto felt like a part of his heart was missing.

-x-

When the blonde got home, he dove into his fort without taking off his shoes. He had completely forgotten about the lights in the village, and had only one thought in his head. Itachi doesn't remember me. He didn't know what had happened, and really didn't want to know. Naruto had been on top of the world only hours before, and now, he felt like he was at the bottom of the bottom.

"Why is this happening?" Naruto didn't expect an answer. The darkness only offered a silent reassurance that everything would turn out in his favour. He cried and cried until he was dried up, like the world would once be, Sakura would always say. She had been a firm believer in romance, and believed that you could only cry so much because of a relationship. And hell, why was he talking about her in past tense? This only brought on fresh tears, ones that he didn't know he'd had. When the tears finally ceased, a knock at his door jolted him out of his depressed staring contest with the wall. He wiped furiously at his nose, willing it to stop running. He opened the door, and wasn't surprised when two Anbu were behind it.

"Uzumaki Naruto, correct?" The Anbu with the spiked brown hair asked. He probably only asked to be polite. I'm sure he already knows exactly who I am and has all the dirt on me. Naruto nodded, feigning confusion.

"The Hokage has requested to see you." The second Anbu, with long red hair said. She was clearly a female.

"If you don't mind my asking, who holds the title of Hokage right now?" Naruto asked. He rubbed his eyes to avoid looking at the Anbu.

"The Fourth, Namikaze Minato." She answered in a tone that suggested Naruto was an idiot.

"Of course, it just slipped my mind!" The blonde grinned sheepishly, despite the shock he was feeling. My father is the Hokage? Why is he alive?

"Follow us, please." The brunette said.

"So, do you have any idea why I'm supposed to be seeing the Hokage?" Naruto questioned. Blonde strands of hair fluttered freely in front of his face, and he suddenly missed wearing his hitai-ate around his head, rather than around his neck. He had to admit though, that he looked much hotter with it around his neck. At least... Itachi had said so... He shook his head to rid himself of the painful thoughts and instead focused on what the red-head had been saying.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" He could practically imagine the red-head rolling her eyes at his short attention span.

"I said that the Hokage didn't provide a reason." She muttered. Either her voice was muffled by the porcelain mask she had on, or she simply didn't want to speak to Naruto.

"Oh, alright. I'll stop asking questions now." Naruto flashed her a killer smile, to which she responded by missing her step and collapsing into the tree she'd been about to leap off of. Fortunately, Naruto had known this was going to happen and had stopped to catch her.

"Uhm, thank you." Her voice rose in pitch for every word she spoke, and Naruto grinned confidently. Her partner, however, was shaking in poorly contained laughter.

"You're very welcome." Naruto noted how unprofessional these two Anbu were acting, but brushed it off. They arrived at the Hokage's office in one piece, and the two waved Naruto off as he climbed the numerous steps. The blonde stopped in front of the Hokage's office door, and took a deep breath. He had only seen his father once, and that was when his seal had been about to break. Naruto was nervous, but was unsure as to whether his father would remember him or not. He wanted so badly for him to remember, because he needed something, or someone, to ground him. To keep him sane.

"Enter." Naruto shuddered when he heard his father's voice. His confidence was zapped away, but he stepped forward, turned the door knob, and watched his father's expression with the eyes of an eagle. It didn't seem to change much, only the slight creasing of brows.

"Hello." Naruto murmured. Minato's lips twitched slightly, but Naruto wasn't sure whether it was from amusement or displeasure.

"Hello, Naruto." Minato greeted. "You can sit down... if you want, of course." The older blonde quickly added, grinning sheepishly. Now Naruto knew where he got his awkwardness from.

"Sure." Naruto hesitantly smiled back and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He balled his hands into tight fists.

"I heard from two guards from the Uchiha compound tonight." Minato began, his hands forming a temple in front of his face as he concentrated. Naruto nodded, not sure where he was supposed to interrupt and say it had all been a misunderstanding.

"Is this really a matter for the Hokage to settle?" Naruto found himself blurting instead. He smacked his forehead, shutting his eyes in embarrassment. "Sorry." He squeaked.

"I'm afraid so. To be frank, I don't really care much about who you're in love with, but it's important that the Uchiha clan feels reassured." Minato offered as a form of comfort. The so-called comfort only pierced his heart and gave him his answer. His father didn't remember him either. Naruto used all of his remaining willpower to keep from bursting into tears.

"Are you alright, Naruto? You look... upset." Minato commented. The younger blonde nodded, and put on a smile to reassure the Hokage. It didn't matter that his eyes were glassy, or that his face was pale, or that his lips quivered. As long as he had that smile on his face, it would be believable, right? Apparently not.

"Naruto," Minato began, but the blonde stopped him.

"...I'm fine." Naruto breathed. The older blonde looked like he was about to protest, but Naruto raised a hand to silence him.

"Okay... I've never seen you around here before." Minato said. The boy placed his head on his desk, and he didn't have the heart to tell the boy it was considered rude.

"I'm new, I guess." Naruto whispered. "Oh? Where are you originally from?" The Hokage asked.

"Konoha." Naruto replied almost instantly, and instantly regretted it too. "You just said you were new." Minato cocked his head in suspicion.

"I'm new to being a shinobi." Naruto lied smoothly. He had always been a good liar. He'd learned to lie to himself sometimes as well.

"And yet you're wearing the flak jacket of a Chuunin." Minato said in amusement. "I learn easily." Naruto provided.

"Sure you do." Minato chuckled. "So where are you really from?"

"What do you mean? I just said I'm from Konohagakure. I was b-born and r-raised here, and I've lived all of my l-life here." Naruto found himself tripping over the words that affected him personally.

"How old are you?" The Hokage asked.

"I'm 15." Naruto answered.

"And when were you born?" Minato questioned. Naruto pursed his lips, debating whether it would be a good idea to tell him the truth or not. "October 10." The older blonde didn't react the way Naruto had been expecting him to. He looked crest-fallen, and that was definitely an understatement.

"Did anything significant happen on the day I was born?" Naruto asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure whether the question would bring about anger or be classified as safe.

"My son was born." Minato clarified. Naruto leaned forward, intent on squeezing all of the details from him.

"Oh? So we should be the same age now, right?" Minato stiffened, but nodded.

"Maybe I can meet him someday." Naruto let the longing flood into his voice, despite knowing exactly what he was doing to his father. Minato's gaze fell on an empty picture frame he kept on his desk. He always pretended his wife and his child were staring back at him, smiles reaching their eyes. They weren't, though. He wasn't allowed to have pictures inside his office, but only for his wife's protection. His son wouldn't need any.

"He's dead." Minato bit out. He looked up to see the longing had vanished from Naruto's eyes. He hadn't meant to sound so cruel, but Naruto didn't seem to mind.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Naruto said respectfully. He only said it to be polite, because he knew Minato's son wasn't really dead. Minato's son was sitting right in front of him, but Minato didn't seem to realize. They looked startlingly similar. The older blonde didn't know what to say to that. He had never known. Do you say thank you? Thank you for saying something that has absolutely no point. Nothing you say can bring him back.

"Yeah." Minato closed his eyes for a moment, to give the sorrow he kept hidden a chance to escape. Naruto cleared his throat, and he was once again back where he started. Sick with grief.

"Did you have anything else to say?" Naruto asked. The younger blonde ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head in a gesture that was all too similar to his own. The idea suddenly dawned on Minato, but he preferred to ignore it rather than let the hope rise.

"Just stay away from the Uchiha clan, alright? They didn't like what they saw." Naruto nodded, and he finally dismissed the boy. The idea still lingered at the back of his head.

-x-

Naruto was once again inside his fort. It was now daytime, as he'd practically passed out when he finally got home from the Hokage's office. He stroked the orange pillow in his hand. It was the only thing that had stayed the same in this living nightmare. He'd pinched himself multiple times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. As a result, his arms were now peppered with red marks. He thought back on what he'd done the previous day. He'd woken up, went to the bathroom and completed his morning bathroom routine, ate breakfast, got dressed, did his hair, and left to see Itachi at the training field. They'd trained for three or four hours before heading to Ichiraku's, when they met up with Sasuke and his girlfriend Ino, both of whom happened to be Naruto's best friends. After finishing their lunch, Itachi had kissed him good-bye and headed back home. Naruto remembered visiting Sakura, who now worked at the hospital, and being smacked around a bit for his apparently disgusting fashion sense. The two had gone out for dinner at a nearby dango restaurant. Sakura hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist... and... nothing. What happened after? Her hot breath whispering in his ear, but he only heard three words. I am sorry.

"I am sorry?" Naruto repeated. The sound of his own voice in his cozy apartment helped to comfort him. He leaned into the pillow, rubbing his cheek against the soft fabric.

"But for what?" The blonde asked himself. If he were standing up, he'd be pacing. He tapped his fingers against the mattress instead.

"Did she put me here?" Naruto sighed, and shook his head. "Not Sakura-chan. She wouldn't have the heart. Perhaps someone put her up to it?"

Naruto continued to speak to himself, until he finally noticed that someone was knocking on the door. The knocking faintly reminded him of Itachi. Cool and collected. But then again, Itachi had always let himself in. The blonde stood, straightened out the wrinkles in shirt, mussed up his hair, and headed in the direction of the door, calling out, "Hold on! I'm coming!"

He hastily threw open the door, the hope in his heart inflating to the size of a hot air balloon. There, standing in all of his glory, was Itachi Uchiha.

-x-

Well then, what do you guys think? It's different, that's for sure. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to tell me. I'm pretty excited to be writing ItaNaru again. Cliff-hanger in the first chapter... what a shame. Haha. Love you guys!