I really like 'what-if's', it would seem, especially when it comes to Naruto. I realize that's what fanfiction basically is, but I guess what I mean is specific instances within the anime or whatever you're writing from where everything could have changed if just one thing would have changed. Like, what if a glance had lasted a moment longer, or if a thought had progressed just a little further…
I don't own Naruto.
"Shikamaru!"
"Choji!"
"Kiba!"
Three figures stood at the gates of the school, each calling for their own child, silhouetted against the setting sun in the West.
The children themselves were running around the playground, seeming to be having the time of their lives, but that ended as they heard their respective parent calling for them.
"Ah, come on, guys. Don't go!" another kid cried, one who hadn't been called after, trying not to seem too needy.
"Sorry, Naruto. When Dad comes a-calling, that means Mom's not too far behind," Shikamaru called over his shoulder as he walked away.
"Hmph, whatever," Naruto dismissed, looking away for a moment. "Choji, you want to stay, right!"
"Nah, it's dinner time," Choji said, his feet picking up speed, eager for the meal.
"Kiba? You know you and Akamaru want to stay," Naruto pleaded, knowing this was his last chance to not be left alone.
"Yeah, right, Naruto," Kiba called back, barking a laugh. "Shikamaru isn't the only one scared of his mother."
"I heard that, Kiba," Tsume, his mother, growled.
"Sorry, Mom," he called, running over on his stumpy, seven-year-old legs to her.
"I am not scared of my mother," Shikamaru said indignantly.
"You should be," Shikaku said as his son reached him.
"Puh, she's such a drag."
"But, a scary drag," Choji muttered around a handful of chips from the bag his father had brought him, knowing his boy would have gone through all of his snacks by now.
"Don't speak with your mouth full," Shikamaru told him.
The banter continued as they all walked away, Kiba getting fully involved and their various parents adding in from time to time.
Naruto watched as the group of laughing ninja and ninja-in-training walked further and further away.
"See you later, guys," Naruto whispered, no one hearing but himself.
No one was in the school. No one was on the playground. No one was anywhere... at least, no one was anywhere for Naruto to play with.
Maybe… maybe there's someone down by the lake?
Naruto started trudging off in that direction.
Maybe I could go stand outside of Ichiraku's and Teuchi might give me a free bowl of ramen...
"Nah." Naruto sighed. "It's no fun without Iruka-sensei," he muttered, kicking a stone out of his path. Iruka was gone on a mission for the rest of the month, leaving Naruto alone except for his time at the academy and the couple of hours afterwards that some of the kids stuck around to play. But, just like Ichiraku Ramen Bar, that was only fun when Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba were some of the kids who stayed behind. They were the only ones who would play with him.
Naruto reached the levee separating the town from the lake. It had a path running across the top and a few docks were nestled along the water's edge, settled on the steep, grassy slope.
Suddenly, Naruto, coming to a jerking stop, noticed a small, dark figure at the end of one of the docks, their legs dangling over the edge. A kid, maybe someone else who wanted to play…?
Oh. It's Sasuke. Naruto made a nasty face, as if he'd tasted something sour, even going so far as to stick out his tongue. The jerk.
The perfect jerk. Sasuke was the best at everything. Sasuke was the strongest. Sasuke was the fastest. Sasuke was the smartest. Or, so the teachers at the academy always said. And, the students. And, okay, maybe Naruto said it himself… sometimes.
But, that didn't mean the kid had to be so stuck up. Seriously, what was his problem?
Oh, right. His clan and his parents are gone…
He's alone, too, Naruto thought, continuing to walk along down the path.
I wonder how he deals with it. If he's so perfect, does he even get lonely? Does he have someone like Iruka looking out for him? If he's the last Uchiha, he must have someone watching him to make sure he doesn't "get it" like the rest of them did.
…Does he ever wish for friends? What if he's just like me?
Naruto came to a stop, looking ponderingly down at the last Uchiha, 'does-he-ever's' and 'what-if's' circling in his mind.
Seemingly feeling Naruto's eyes upon him, Sasuke lifted his head, as if upon hearing something, before turning and fastening his jet-black eyes onto Naruto's ice-blue ones.
He'd been caught. Naruto scrunched up his face and blushed to his roots as Sasuke continued to glare grouchily up at him, his lower lip sticking out and eyebrows pressing down and together to form a disturbed and irritated frown.
Wh-what do I care if he caught me? Naruto's thoughts stuttered, unable to sound convincing even in his own mind. Who cares if he saw?
Deciding not to let Sasuke intimidate him, Naruto stuck his nose in the air and continued walking on down the levee. Sasuke also turned away, actually able to tell himself that it didn't matter what the blonde outcast thought… though, it still might be nice to know…
After going a ways down, Naruto picked up the nerve to look back and see how Sasuke had reacted, seeing that he had basically forgotten all about him.
A grin came to his face nevertheless. It was nice to know that at least he wasn't the only one alone in Konoha.
Just as Naruto was about to look away, he saw Sasuke turn his head again. Again, seemingly sensing him.
The annoyance and grumpiness were gone, and…
Had… had Naruto seen a smile…?
Yes. He had.
Before he even knew it, Naruto was tumbling down the steep incline of the levee, racing and stumbling, scratching his knees and the heels of his palms, staining the seat of his pants green after slipping and sliding down the grass in his hurried scramble.
Sasuke.
Sasuke heard the groaning of the boards of the dock behind him as someone stepped on them.
Turning, he saw the kid from up on the levee.
Naruto.
What did he want? How did he get down here so quickly?
"Hi!" the blonde knucklehead greeted noisily, breathlessly.
…Sasuke looked back out over the water, turning his back to the other kid.
That was a bit disheartening, but he had smiled. Naruto knew that. He'd seen it.
Naruto walked over and plopped down right beside Sasuke, bumping him slightly as he settled.
Sasuke glanced at him, thinking, What's the deal with this loser?
Naruto caught his looking and gave him a giant grin.
"So… we haven't gotten much of a chance to get to know one another," Naruto started, leaning close into Sasuke, still with the huge smile contorting his mouth and face. "What—?"
"What are you doing?" Sasuke interrupted, his eyes driving sharply into Naruto's.
"Erm… I'm just trying to get to know my classmates," Naruto mumbled.
"You can't come up with a better excuse than that?" Sasuke scoffed.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He'd hoped he'd be a little bit nicer, but so far he was just a combination of Kiba's attitude and Shikamaru's 'what-a-drag' perception of life. If he pulled out a bag of chips, he'd be everything Naruto disliked about his sometimes-friends all in one inconvenient place.
"Well, I am trying to get to know you. Is that so bad?"
Sasuke blew air out of his nose, not quite snorting. "I guess not."
Naruto's lips and eyes tightened. But, he was still going to try with this guy.
"Why are you here… all by yourself?" Naruto just barely kept himself from wincing when he couldn't stop himself from adding the last part.
Sasuke didn't look at him, but Naruto noticed how his young shoulders became stiff.
"Because, there's no one else," Naruto heard Sasuke barely breath, not knowing if he was supposed to hear.
When Sasuke looked at Naruto again, another idiotic smile was on the blonde's face, as if he could barely contain his joy.
"So, if there's no one else, what do you do for fun?" Naruto just couldn't keep his happiness from brightly spilling out of him.
There was someone else! Someone else who knew how it felt, someone else who might be just as willing to give up their loneliness for the other's company. Someone who might be a round-the-clock friend rather than just an after school one.
Sasuke didn't answer. He just looked at Naruto, making him a little uncomfortable.
"What do you do for play?" Naruto tried again. Maybe they could do whatever it was Sasuke liked to do. Maybe that would make them friends.
"Play?" The question was dull and unused.
"Oh, come on, you know what it means to play," Naruto loudly and impatiently declared. Who in the world didn't know how to play?
"The Uchiha don't play," Sasuke said righteously, aloofly. "We train. And, when we're done training, we train some more."
Naruto glared at the non-playing Uchiha for a moment before responding with, "Is sitting on a dock, staring off into space considered training, then, by the Uchiha?"
Sasuke pursed his lips and frowned, turning his face away from the other boy.
Naruto snickered. "I didn't think so."
Sasuke didn't look back to him, and Naruto got worried.
"Hey. Hey!" Naruto got up and sat down on the other side of Sasuke, the side that his face was turned towards. "Don't get angry. It was just a joke."
Sasuke's eyes suddenly flashed to Naruto's. "Don't ever make fun of my clan," he threatened lowly.
Naruto recoiled slightly before frowning and retorting, "Don't be so stuck up all the time, then!"
Sasuke blinked and then frowned again, baring his teeth enough to be somewhat scary to his fellow six-year-old.
Naruto blushed a bit and leaned back slightly again, but persisted. "Well, you are, you know. You're always so much better than the rest of us. So superior, so smart, so strong, and just so… SO! You can't even be bothered to play. There's something wrong with that." Naruto came to the end of his rant and looked over at Sasuke who was staring at the water beneath his hanging feet.
There was a pause.
Sasuke stood up and looked down at Naruto, eyes as shaded and hard as obsidian. He just looked at him.
Sasuke turned and made to walk away.
Realizing what was happening, Naruto shouted, "No! Please don't go." He whispered the last part to himself, looking down at the planks of the dock, not wanting to see the rejection in another person's eyes.
For a moment, Sasuke didn't move. Then, Naruto saw his sandaled feet move out of his vision and heard the almost-friend he'd almost made walk down the dock, towards the village, away from him and his real round-the-clock friend: loneliness.
Even though he knew it wouldn't help or endear him in any way, especially before the above-it-all, practically worshipped son of the Uchihas, Naruto began to cry. Blubbering was the better word for what he was doing. Tears and snot ran down his face, and he couldn't inhale enough air to fuel the diaphragm-jumping, shoulder-wracking sobs that refused to stop no matter how hard he tried to quell them.
I'll never have a real friend. Ever. The weeping and sniveling continued.
Though Naruto didn't notice it, Sasuke's receding footsteps had halted as the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy looked back at the crying blonde, the fading sun highlighting his tears and causing them to sparkle as they fell onto the dock.
You can't even be bothered to play. There's something wrong with that. The words echoed in Sasuke's mind.
I can't play. Every moment I'm not training is another moment that Itachi gets ahead of me!
…
You can't even be bothered to play.
Just as Naruto hadn't heard Sasuke's footsteps stop, he didn't hear them begin again, at a quicker pace, and getting louder and louder.
It wasn't until the other boy was practically upon him that Naruto looked up and saw him running straight for him, with no intention of stopping.
"Wha—?"
Sasuke tackled him and they both fell into the water.
They resurfaced soon after, only a few feet apart, gasping for breath, Naruto choking a little on the water he'd unexpectedly inhaled.
Sasuke and Naruto, dripping and treading water, turned to face and look at each other, each expressionless for several moments.
Eventually, deliberately, Sasuke opened his mouth and said, "So, is that what you would consider "play?""
Naruto's eyes widened and he blinked several times. A giggle started to tickle low in his throat, then strengthened into a chuckle, and finally grew into a full-out raucous laugh that shook his body and created waves and splashes all around his small body.
Sasuke himself was chuckling a bit, a happy grin on his face at the other boy's antics for the first time in quite a while.
"That is exactly what I would consider play," Naruto snorted through his giggling and gurgling. He was having a hard time staying afloat, not being able to concentrate as he enjoyed the feeling of being included.
"You're going to drown yourself," Sasuke told him, also still laughing.
"You first," Naruto said, swiping his arm across the surface of the water, splashing Sasuke upside the face.
The Uchiha retaliated, smacking his hands down on the water, creating an even more impressive splash that hit Naruto right up the nose.
Snorting and choking again, he blonde continued to laugh. "Always got to be the best at everything, don't cha?"
"Well, it's not hard to be better than you," Sasuke goaded, a spark of mischief in his eyes.
"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that!"
A miniature war fought with splashings and head-dunkings began, both sides utterly enamored and enjoying every minute of the play-battle.
It wasn't too long before it was too dark to see anything below the levee, and the water fight was brought to an end.
Trudging from the water, Naruto kept stumbling on stones hidden in the mud the closer they got to the bank, babbling on about how he thought he was the winner, with Sasuke occasionally contributing a doubtful 'yeah, right' or a sarcastic 'uh-huh, sure.' But, both were still extremely happy with themselves, and each other, by the time they managed to scramble onto dry land.
"See, now?" Naruto suddenly blurted out, flopping down onto the grassy slope, a smug look on his features. "Not playing is wrong."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sasuke responded, sitting down beside the other sopping wet boy. And, I got to practice a few of the things I learned, too. Not anything big, but enough that Sasuke didn't feel guilty about not training, not that he would have anyway, even if Naruto hadn't chosen to come down and interrupt him. Today would have been spent basically sitting on the dock, waiting for someone to come and fetch him because it was time to go home, knowing that no one would.
But, then the knucklehead had come along, and… everything had changed.
"Um, hey." Sasuke turned his attention back to the present, to Naruto speaking to him.
"What?" Sasuke responded.
"Would… would you mind hanging out again tomorrow?" The night helped to hide the look of anticipation and fear on Naruto's face, but it amplified the tremors in his voice.
"…Just you and me?"
Naruto's eyes bulged in the darkness. Is he actually considering…?
"Sure, yeah! If that's want you want. If you don't want it just to be us, I know a few guys who might be willing to—"
"No."
…No? No, what?
"Uh…"
"I'd rather it just be you and me," the raven-haired boy continued, already knowing that the other kids wouldn't get it, wouldn't get what it meant to be giving up loneliness as a friend, wouldn't get their own importance.
Not that Sasuke would admit to Naruto being important. But, if the guy did ever become important… at least he'd know how important that importance was. Or, so the reasoning of the six-year-old went.
"Okay. Great!" Naruto thought he just might burst with happiness.
"Hn." Sasuke stood up and abruptly began walking away from the Naruto.
"I-I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke!" Naruto called after him, still propped up in the grass by the dock.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Thank you for reading!
I do plan on updating this, but I have several other things that come first, I'm afraid, and I'd like to let this story ruminate longer anyway just so that I can get a clear view of where I want to take it.
I hope you enjoyed and will please give feedback.