Breathing Lessons
By: Between Dreams
I thank God for the way he made you, distinct, special and
unique. You were not made from a common mold.
- Erwin W. Lutzer
Naruto was getting use to the concept of living by himself, in his dark little apartment. How did he get there? You might ask. And why is a boy of the tender age of six, living on his own? Well let me fill you in. First of all, let me tell you that he didn't have much of a choice, but also, that he wouldn't have had it any other way.
You should know that this little boy is no ordinary boy. He is special, and one of a kind. He is a smiling, happy boy, without a care in the world. Or at least that's what he lets the world see. Underneath all the smiles, and mask's of a happy demeanor, is a lonely, hated boy. He is someone that's more alone, then anyone in the village of Konoha could claim to be. All he knew, was that he was hated, and no one would tell him why.
His previous 'caretaker' had been an old woman in one of the local orphanages's. She, Naruto was sure, was scent from the very deepest pit's of hell, to torture him. Of course he would never voice his opinion about anyone. Especially the one that fed, clothed, and kept a roof over his head. Although, come to think of it, she barely fed him enough to keep his stomach from grumbling. And even then, she always found some useless excuse to send him to bed without super. Most night's, that was the case.
As for clothing him, well let's just say, he was lacking in every aspect of that department. He had a total of two outfits. One a bright orange pant's and jacket set. And a very depressing looking gray shirt, with a faded pare of black pant's. And even those had to be rolled up several times, to be able to see his feel. As for undergarments. He had four pare's of normal white underwear. So in the six-year-old's mind, he was fine there.
The thought that old witch of a women, would keep a warm roof over his head, was extremely laughable. That was one of the many thing's, that haunted his dreams.The room he stayed in was little with cracked wall's, and a creaky floor. It was on the top floor, of the three story building. He insisted it was an attic, but it was referred to as his 'bedroom' so often, the name stuck into his mind.
His room was extremely cold, no matter what time of year it was. But thank God there was a little electric heater against the far wall. On the coldest of winter night's, the 'mean lady' -as he always mentally called her- would came in to take the heater, claming that her poor defenceless kitty would freeze without it. Naruto liked to think that she looked a lot like her stupid flat faced cat. And in all honesty; she did.
The stupid cat in question was evil incarnate. It hated Naruto almost as much as he hated it. The soul's of Naruto's feet, along with his ankle's, were a complete bloody mess by the end of each day. The claws on the evil cat, were a little to long to be natural. The 'mean lady' insisted she clips then, one day when the Hokage had drooped by for a surprise check up, and seen Naruto's feet. But Naruto was sure she must sharped them; if anything.
The Hokage was the one person in the whole village that seemed to care for him in the least. He was even nice enough to buy some very expensive herbal ointment for Naruto's sore feet. It was a very expensive gift that the 'mean lady' was all to happy to receive, and even happier to keep.
But along with the un received gift's, there were the short check-up visits almost every four months. Not much, but enough to let Naruto become attached to the old man and look forward to his visits more that anything else. Not that he has anything to look forward to anyway. He was left out of all holidays, and his birthday was overlooked every year.
He didn't even know exactly when his birthday was. The only clue was the gift that showed up for him every spring from the Hokage. One that like all other gifts, he never received.It had taken a while, but he had gotten used to all that. It hadn't been celebrated ever since he'd been there. Which was over the last there years.
His 'caretaker' before that, had been caught beating, and abusing him. As well as letting other people, that still held a grudge against the Kyiobi, do the same. The Hokage dealt with them, and liberated poor Naruto from an abusive home, only to unknowingly throw him back into the mouth of the lion.
He assumed that Naruto would be to young to remember the torture and abuse, but oh how wrong he was. Those dreaded night's of brutal beating's, were engraved into the little blonds mind. He was forced to relive them every night in his slept. As well as every time he stepped out of line with the mistress of the orphanage
The beating's, he could take. He had become accustomed to pain over his shout life, but not immune to it. The lack of food, well there really wasn't any thing he could do about that matter. Once, after trying to sneak an apple, he had received one of the harshest beating's of his young life. It was bad enough to earn him a ten day stay in the Hospital, and an extra visit from the Hokage.
The warn bed had been greatly appreciated, and the meals where a gift from god, but the visits from the Hokage were by far the best. The Mistress of the orphanage, had made it painfully 'painfully' clear that Nrauto was to go along with any cock and dull story they decided to feed the Hokage.
On this particular occasion, in was blamed on an enraged group of drunks, in an ally. When asked why Naruto was in an ally to begin with. The mistress's eye's would tear up and say in over hysterics. "He..(sob)..he ran away.(sob)...I thought he was happy with us...I thought he loved us, like..like(sob)...family." To which her husband would try to comfort her, and in the end, shed a few fake tears himself. It was a very convincing show to watch, Naruto had thought the first time he'd seen it. But unfortunately, so did the Hokage.
To which end, Naruto would get a very stern lecture, about how thoughtless it was to try and run away from such a nice family, after all they've done for him all these years. Then he'd move into trying to send Naruto on a guilt trip with "Do you have any idea the trouble these two have gone through, by keeping you in there orphanage? The money that is put into keeping you safe from people that would hurt you? The work that-" Naruto was usually in tears by this time. Not at all because of gilt, but pure heart wrenching sadness. The Hokage, the only one that saw him as a human being, the only person he loved, was yelling at him. He hated being yelled at, ya. But it felt like he couldn't breath, when the Hokage was the one doing it.
There was many more trips to the hospital. Most being blamed on little believable things, like if they broke his leg, "Oh he fell down the stairs, I told him they were still wet, but he just won't listen" She liked to add little endings like that. If only to see his tears when being yelled at by the Hokage, his only friend.
When Naruto had first come to the orphanage, he had thought that he might maybe make some friends. But to his dismay, he wasn't allowed to be with the other children at all. He was to eat at a different time then them -usually he ate what was left over from them- He wasn't to attend school in the classroom in the back of the orphanage. Instead he found some book's in a box, in the attic -or his bedroom- and taught himself to read. He found some of the old math books in the same box.
He wasn't to ever be caught in the same room as the other children. "I don't need the other real children infected by you, demon!" Naruto never had any idea what she was trying to get at, by '"real children"' and he had always wondered why everyone called him a '"demon'". Come to think of it, there were a lot of things he didn't understand.
But now, in a sense he was free. The Hokage, had once again come to visit him in the Hospital. This time, Naruto had made the mistake of stepping right through a pile of dirt, that was being sweeping up. The 'mean lady' had gone blue in the face, and kicking him outside for the night. It wasn't the first time she'd done this, but tonight it was storming. Naruto had been found the next morning soaked to the bone, shivering , and unconscious on the front steps, with a fever that the mistress wouldn't have been able to get down if she had tried.
Once at the Hospital, it had been confirmed that he had a horrible case of hypothermia. Three days later Naruto had come to. Only to have the Hokage storm in, and to little sick Naruto's dismay, yell. After a few minuets of "What were you thinking? No, you weren't thinking were you? Do you ever think? How could you do this? Do you realize how much trouble you caused? How you made us all worry? Do you even care? Why do you keep running away? Are you trying to be selfish-" He had been cut off by Naruto's sobbing whisper of "Stop...please...PLEASE STOP!
Naruto had snapped. He had never held onto the Hokage so tight. He had never cried so hard, or for so long. And he finally, after three years of silent pain, he told the Hokage everything. He had all the scars to back up every story. He let everything go, he didn't care, he had nothing left to lose. It he didn't have the Hokage, he had nothing. Naruto had cried himself to sleep in the Hokage's arms. And when he woke up, he was gone.
Naruto had been released from the Hospital a week after, and was escorted to an apartment building, handed a set of key's and a note. The escort Ninja left him at the front door, after telling him to go to room 5-J. Naruto used the first key to get into the building, the second he had assumed correctly, was for the mailbox. He used the third, and did as the ninja had instructed, and went to the door 5-J. After about a minuet of knocking with no reply, he was getting worried. If he hadn't have looked at the number on the keys, he might still be out there. After entering, he finally was beginning to get a grip on the reality of the situation. He then had remembered the note. He sat down on the floor in front of the now locked door and read.
Dear Naruto,
I can never truly say how deeply sorry I am. Please tell me that you can someday forgive an old man, for not seeing any of this sooner. I've dealt with all the arrangements, and you will be staying in the apartment you are in now. I know it isn't much, but you have to understand, it was short notice.
There is food in the cupboards, simple thing's that you can manage to cook for yourself. There are new clothes in the closet, in your bedroom, I hope they all fit right. The apartment has been stocked with the essentials, soap, shampoo, a broom, mop, and other household items. The rent is covered, and you will receive a check in your mailbox, every week for you to get anything else you may require.
You will be attending public school, in the coming September. That is four months from now. Please take that time to brush up on the essentials. The book's you will need are on your book shelf, in your room. Along with the book's that I have given you over the previous years for your Birthday, that as I understand, you never received. I hope you enjoy them.
Once again, please except my apology Naruto, both for you're treatment over the years, and for me not being there for you where you needed me. I promise to visit often, and help in what ever way I can. I hope you know Naruto, that I think very highly of you. Please take care, and you know were my office is, if you require anything. Or if you simply need to talk. Welcome home Naruto, and again, I'm sorry.
You're friend Sarutobi
Hokage
Naruto had looked at the note for a long time. He couldn't believe it. He slowly stood, and began to walk around the apartment. He didn't dare touch anything, for fear it would vanish, and be a dream. He had a real place of his own. He could be alone, and feel safe all the time. All he had to do was lock the door, and no one could touch him. No one could hurt him. No one could lock him out, when he held the keys.
Naruto made his was through the rest of the apartment until he came upon the bedroom. His bedroom. He was shacking when he entered, and it only got worse as he made his way over to look into the closet. There were new cloth's in it, just like Sarutobi-sama had said. He looked over to the other side of the room, and saw a nice new bed. There was a big pillow, and a fluffy blue comforter on it.
Naruto was close to tears. But he told himself not to cry 'You'll get beat if you cry' Realization dawned on him. 'They can't hurt me anymore' That thought did him in. The most overwhelming scene of peace washed over Naruto then. A scene of peace, of freedom, of happiness. 'I'm happy?' The only times he had ever been close to happy in the past was when Sarutobi would come to visit, or when Madori-san (Mean Lady) had to leave and go out of town, and left him alone for the day. No Madori-san meant not getting hurt. But this felt different, better. He sat on the floor and let the tears fall freely.
He looked to his left, and noticed the book shelf mentioned in the note. Scanning the books, he came upon three that didn't look like school book's. He held his breath, closed his eyes, and reached a shacking hand out to the book. Praying to any God that yould lisson, that he could touch it. In his mind, he registered his hand coming into contact with the spine of a book. Naruto withdrew his hand quickly, as if the contact had burned. He squeezed his eye's closed tighter, and let out the breath he hadn't remember holding. He opened his eye's and again reached for the book, this time removing it from the shelf, He trembled while he examined the cover of the children's picture book. It read, 'The Adventures of The Forth' As Naruto opened the cover, he was greeted with the word's 'Happy Forth Birthday, Naruto.'
Naruto couldn't take it, he closed the cover quickly, and hugged the book to himself for dear life. Almost as if fearing someone would stomp in, and rip it away from him at any moment. 'They can't get my here' That thought again; Naruto couldn't bare it. He hugged the book tighter, and drew his knees up to his chest, after shifting to lean against the also very real wall. There Naruto stayed, in the corner sobbing into the cover of one of the first birthday presents, from the only friend he possessed. While sitting in a room all his own, a real room in a real apartment, all his own. He was finally truly happy, and safe.
'I'm safe' That thought was what carried a little six-year-old, blond, blue eyed boy into a dreamland that he'd never been before. One where the nightmares couldn't fallow. One that would give him the assurance of safety, even in his sleep. Naruto was finally home and safe. And he planed to stay that way.
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Sarutobi; how had been watching through his crystal ball, sighed. "Welcome home, Naruto" With that, he let the connection drop, and lift his office for the night. But he had someone he needed to speak with first.
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Naruto woke slightly to the feeling of being lifted. He was to tired after all of the crying to open his tired eye's, and his body protested to being woken up. He heard the rustling of fabric, before getting the felling of being laid on the most comfortable surface he'd ever laid on in his life. He seemed to sink into it's soft, warm surface. That alone was enough to be pulled in dreams again. But again movement woke his scenes. Something was unwrapping his arms from the book he still clung to. The book being removed, was enough for him to get curious enough to crack open his tired eyes.
His mind was, at this time, in a dense fog, and couldn't comprehend much. His body with the way it felt now would have still laid still bagging for rest if the very room was on fire. To which he hoped it wasn't. But what he saw didn't make sense to him, or his tired mind. A man stood on the other side of the room, at his book shelf putting his fourth birthday present back in it's space around the other's.
In the dark room, Naruto could only assume the strange man wore...well black. But something stood out when he turned back to Naruto. A scar across his nose. But even more then that, was his eyes. So kind, and soothing. Looking into those deep eye's was what cut the final string, that kept Naruto from dreamland.
Reality faded away quickly, as did the soothing voice, that could only belong to the kind eyed stranger. "Get some rest little one" A hand was placed upon his hair comfortingly, and pet his hair, and Naruto was once again lost to the world, but found by peace.
To Be Continued...