Chapter one- Hydrogen: Two Parts Oxygen

Hydrogen: a highly reactive colorless gas, the lightest element and the most abundant in the universe.

He was young and happy. He was joyful and loved. His world was soft and optimistic, his eyes untouched by pain and sorrow. He was a child of light, beautiful, something to be treasured and protected.

Naruto Uzumaki was an orphan, his mother dying after giving birth to him. His father taking his own life shortly after, swearing that the monster that killed his life would never feel happiness. In a way, Minato Uzumaki was right. The boy wasn't simply happy he was ecstatic, joyful, enlivened. It had been five years since the death of his biological parents, six months since the death of his foster guardians who had been a kind old couple.

The boy had had a positive outlook on life. He was certain that the adults he would meet and eventually come to call mom and dad would be nothing like the adults and children at the orphanage. The adults at the orphanage who gossiped about the 'demon child' from the moment work began to the second it ended. The mysterious swirl tattooing the boys stomach was said to- 'draw you in before the kill'. Rumors they whispered behind his back, childish and unfounded and yet no less hurtful.

Naruto, however, was determined not to judge the adults though he heard the whispers of "He was a born killer" every time he left his room. The child behaved more maturely than the adults at the orphanage, learning quickly that it was beneficial to his continued health to stay quiet and calm when around others. The other children taught him well- he would never be liked or loved, never find a family, because he was trash, a stain that no one could scrub out.

The orphans were by far crueler than the adults. When Naruto spoke the laughed and giggled until the boy became so self-conscious of his speech he abandoned it altogether. After so many months of being malnourished because of the constant 'accidents' which caused his food to go to waste, Naruto began to lose the simple crave of hunger until he could only eat out of utter necessity, necessity being minutes before he blacked out. Whereas most five year olds desired recreation to impossible extents, the golden haired boy had given up on doing anything but staring at the equipment, and even this was rare- lest he get caught and be forced to taste toilet water straight from the bowl. And yet, this wasn't even the worst quarter of the things inflicted on him so often.

Naruto never quite understood why he was considered trash; however, he knew better than to question any one at the orphanage. In truth, Naruto might've stayed speechless and docile if it had not been for Kiba Inuzuka, who arrived at the orphanage on Naruto's seventh birthday.

The two boys became inseparable shortly after meeting each other, best friends in an instant. It didn't bother Kiba that Naruto as practically mute; the boy could have a complete conversation using only the slight nods and finger gestures from Naruto. Kiba was the kind of person you know should be in the big leagues with the popular kids; however, he had to take the toll of befriending 'the demon'.

Kiba was more than happy with Naruto as a friend, the blonde was quiet and Kiba was talkative; there was nothing a loquacious person loved more than a good listener. Thus, through Naruto's silence, Kiba became attached to him.

The orphans didn't hate Kiba; however, he choose to associate himself with Naruto which, to them, was unacceptable. They subjected him to the same torture Naruto went through, though it was on a much lighter scale. Kiba never suffocated in toilet water, never locked in a room with no light and countless bugs or any such. Kiba saw what happened to Naruto and understood that his misfortune was just a small portion compared to the blue-eyed blonde. He understood this and he did the human thing; he ignored it. When Naruto was taken away for the orphans twisted torture, he'd cast a sympathetic look, pretend it never happened, and find someone else for a temporary listener. It was the human thing to do. And Kiba was, only human.

Humans, as Naruto was beginning to learn, were cruel and could not be trusted. Naruto thought that at least, if he was a demon, and if he was useless, then at least- the very least- he wasn't human. But the orphans were; and they were furious. The blonde haired misfit was not meant to smile, to have friends, to be liked. They were angry and they would work to change Naruto back into the helpless, meek, disliked child he had been until they were exhausted. Not that they had to work hard. They already had the perfect plan.

IcE-blUE

Naruto was tired; he'd just gotten into bed after an exhausting day of school, being bullied by the teachers and children. He'd barely been on his bed for five minutes when he was jerked up by the collar, choking until he was dropped on the floor. The blonde looked up, expecting one of the bullies. His eyes widened in shock and his face paled as he took in his best friend.

Questions rained on his mind but when his mouth opened to ask no words were forthcoming. Kiba stared at him, eyes cold and hateful.

"Get up," he said, looking at him with disgust, and Naruto complied, "Follow me."

Kiba took Naruto in a direction he knew well. The place he'd never been, but oh, how he wished to go. They walked outside at a casual pace, every step escalating the poor blonde boy's heart-rate. 'Why is Kiba doing this?' he wondered desperately.

The other kids were there smiling at him amiably, Kiba turned with a smile and said, "You've always wanted to play on the playground right?"

Naruto nodded suspiciously and made his way over to the girl who seemed to be the leader. She was beckoning with a kind smile, her blonde hair swaying in the gentle breeze. They played on every piece of equipment except the jungle gym. Naruto was smiling and laughing quietly along with Ino, the leader.

"Let's play on the jungle gym next Naruto-kun or we might not get to the top." She chuckled, seeing the kids swarming it. Naruto smiled as he, Ino, and Kiba climbed vigorously until they reached the top.

For a moment they sat there, breathing heavily while smiling and enjoying the view. After a while she turned to Naruto and smiled, "Naruto-kun," she said, still breathing hard, "I've got something to tell you."

Naruto turned to the girl on his right expectantly. She and Kiba interlocked arms around him, embracing him from behind, "I hate you." She whispered before they both shoved him off the jungle gym, smiling coldly along with the other children.

Naruto felt an emotion react in his chest. It was abundant and strong and so surprisingly new to Naruto. It seemed to float around him almost like air. Then he hit the ground, pain erupting over his body. He reacted as the children planned. True to his defect, he made no noise, and not a single teacher was informed about the broken boy lying on the asphalt.

ICE BLUE

Naruto awoke on the asphalt, chilled from a winter night. The queasy feel in his stomach let him know he was sick, though his immune system was great, it couldn't take a whole night below forty degrees.

The seven-year old boy lay there for awhile, avoiding moving, for fear he would feel the pain from a broken bone. Eventually the sun began to rise, and he begrudgingly moved his leg. Pain shot through his calf straight to his foot, 'bruised' he thought in relief. He moved the other leg, eyes tearing and stomach rolling in nausea he concluded, 'broken'. His torso was completely numb, so he didn't bother trying to see if it hurt. He rolled his shoulders wincing in pain, 'cut and skinned' he concluded.

Naruto reach out one abused arm, feeling the pain every moment it moved. He grasped a ledge of the jungle gym and struggled to pull himself up onto his good leg. He took the time to check how his torso legs and arms looked. There wasn't much of him that wasn't bruised and skinned. He'd dealt with broken bones before, so that didn't bother him as much as the 'pressure pain' as he liked to call it or rather, the pain that only hurt under pressure.

The boy attempted to use the walking strategy he'd made the first time they'd broken his leg. After balancing on his good leg he pushed the heel forward, then his toes. He continued in this painful process, occasionally losing his balance and landing in a pushup position, the pain making him whimper.

It seemed surreal to the blonde child at the edge of deliria, when he reached the door. He wrestled it open, a shimmied inside, grateful for the tile that was easier to move on. The closer he got to his room the sleepier he got, yet he fought it, knowing that if he didn't wash his wounds they'd become infected. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he should be more broken than he was if only emotionally, but he couldn't find it in himself to be surprised by Kiba. Kiba was human, and to be human was despicable. It made sense that the boy would betray him.

Naruto shimmied into the shower area and balanced against the sinks with his hip. Carefully, he moved his shirt over his torso the slid his pants around his injured leg. He sat on a sink and let the one-size- to big garment fall off his good leg. After removing his boxers the same way, he wiggled under the shower head.

Naruto sighed as he felt the warm water envelope him in gentle pressure. It worked off the grime, dirt, and crushed rock from his body in a loving massage. Naruto smoothed his hand along his broken leg which was propped upwards. After a short while, Naruto reluctantly left the shower area in a towel and his boxers, using the wall as support. He headed towards the only person he knew, who would treat him fair simply to do their job right if nothing else.

He knocked on the door of the nurse's office, praying her assistant was in. A young teenager with milky eyes opened the door and assed the boy. Immediately she pulled him in and shut the door.

"W-what happened…Naruto?" Hinata asked.

He smiled in relief and explained on the sheet of paper she'd handed him, ignoring the pain lancing up his arm as he wrote, though he couldn't be bothered to use complete sentences: I was pushed off the jungle gym. Kiba and Ino. Trusted him too much. Foolish. Her eyes darkened as she read Kiba's name and she ran her hand through his hair comfortingly, knowing they had been friends. She grabbed a towel and dried his torso, before she began to treat his wounds.

"A-are you tired?" she asked after a long period of time, rubbing ointment onto his arm. The blonde nodded.

"Go to s-sleep, I have to set y-your leg into p-place. It'll hurt less if you're not a-awake."

Naruto nodded again and gave into the exhaustion coating his mind.

~Ice Blue~

The area around him was enveloped in an ominous white fog, opaque and tainted with sins. Naruto stood in the fog, turning around as he tried to see through it. He could here the quiet taps of footsteps approaching him and he stepped back cautiously. Naruto acknowledged that he was far more scared of what would find him if he didn't move than he was of what he would find, so he began to jog. Something, nothing, was chasing him, and as he sped up, so did the steps.

He was afraid, but maybe there was a reason. He had to keep running though. The loneliness of the fog crushed him and he wanted to cry, as he remembered his reality; however, there was no time to dry the tears and he was sure as he ran he knew if he stopped to cry, to let the feeling of helplessness overtake him, he'd never stop. He'd stay here forever in the lonely, listless fog. So he held it in, as wordlessly as he did in reality.

In the end, he was to coward to stand and face what was coming, lest he takes the fall that he knew would come and there was no one to save him.

But he couldn't turn back, he was running from something, and it was right behind him and though he'd give the world just to give in and rest he knew he had to endure. In reality, he had to fight, it was time his pity party ended. Thus he'd use the pain as his crutch and stand on his own feet.

And destroy everyone who tried to knock him back into the waters of despair.

He decided he'd find his voice…

And survive.

~Ice Blue~

Naruto awoke for the first time in years, without jerking up out of bed. His eyes simply opened and he noted calmly, that Hinata had carried him to his room. There was a crutch in the corner. Naruto slid into loose khaki pants, sparing his broken leg the challenge of pants. He leaned his weight onto the crutch and hobbled into the hallways.

He walked by Kiba, who pretended he didn't exist. Naruto felt something spark in his stomach. Like a jab from a heated fire poker. Naruto closed his eyes, trying to embrace the foreign feeling long enough to analyze it, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. Naruto picked up his lunch and a drink, checking with his peripheral vision for someone who might try to knock him down.

The foreign emotion returned as he saw Choji, his normal food bully, rush towards him. Just before Choji collided into him, Naruto lifted his knee, placing his weight on his broken leg.

It hurt. It hurt badly, but as Choji crumpled up in pain, the feeling enveloped Naruto and on impulse, Naruto delivered and extra kick to his huge stomach. The kids were silent and just stared in shock. A slow, menacing smile graced Naruto's features. It was time he stood.

Ice Blue: Chapter One: One Part Oxygen

Oxygen: a colorless odorless gas that is the most abundant element, forms compounds with most others, is essential for plant and animal respiration, and is necessary in most cases for combustion.

Naruto felt the emotion fade as he continued to look the groaning boy. He shook his head as if clearing away a haze and hobbled away. He didn't understand the feeling that had overcome him when he'd seen Choji. So dark and black an emotion, just as addictive as it was new. The seven-year old reached for the feeling, while at the same time he shied away from it.

Naruto tried to disregard his new emotion. It didn't have a name to him yet, he was afraid to disturb the unknown. He began eating, mostly outside, and only during lunch, forcing his body to make garbled grunts in an attempt to speak after he finished his food. At first, he had to gulp down juice and water before he could make the second syllable of a word, though as time passed, he managed to speak three or four syllables before he needed water.

It had been a month since his fellow orphans had shoved him from the jungle gym and Kiba, who'd been antsy and jumpy whenever Naruto was near, boldly approached Naruto when the other children left for recess.

Naruto stared at the brunette silently, not wanting to waste his fragile voice.

"Er… " the brunette began, "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed kowtowing to the blonde. Naruto felt his foreign emotion rage through his being brilliantly. Lifting his good leg and leaning heavily on the crutch, Naruto smashed Kiba's face into the ground. His voice was a whisper but it carried all the impact he needed, not mentioning the small sadistic smile on his face,

" Dearest… Kiba," Naruto rasped, "I followed you… trusted you, believed in you…" Naruto pausedclearing his throat as he tried to work out more words. Kiba momentarily wondered if he meant for his voice to sound amused, and his thought was confirmed, "I was a fool… a hilarious… mute fool. But I'll forgive… you and… we can go back to how it was…" Naruto croaked, smirking when he felt Kiba attempt to lift his head in a look of hope.

Grinding his face back to the floor he continued, "If… you can make me walk…. again in five minutes." The blonde let Kiba up before hobbling off without waiting for Kiba's reply.

Naruto gave a slightly muted yelp when he felt his body being lifted from the ground. Naruto fought to be realeased, demanding Kiba tell him where he was going, but his voice died out before the larger male even considered answering. In about a minute, they were in front of the infirmary.

Kiba sat Naruto down and removed the cast. He immediately began wrapping Naruto's leg, though not tight enough to cut off circulation, Naruto couldn't bend it. Kiba stood Naruto up, not moving until the blonde had obtained a form of balance. Naruto frowned as he noticed it didn't hurt, "You didn't fix my broken leg." He grumbled half-heartedly.

"I know," the brunette said, grinning "And you didn't ask me to." Naruto tried to grimace but the all consuming feeling was no longer present, and he did something he hadn't ever felt the need to do before: he forgave. The feeling was blue and calm, like a refreshing wind. It was an abundant feeling when it was unnoticed, but when acknowledged it was far more scarce.

However, because Naruto acknowledged the feeling, he felt it envelope him and heal the edges of the wound on his hear he'd been dumping salt and lemons into. The wound hadn't healed, but it was a little more bearable.

The seven-year old was new to emotions other than joy, depression, fear, and pain. He had not known the world inbetwixt emotions and now he was conflicted. The power he'd felt when he'd kicked Choji…or attacked Kiba against the calm tranquility he'd felt when he'd forgiven Kiba…or trusted Ino at first. Naruto looked down, whispering goodbye to the brunette as he went back to his room. All the best answers to problems usually were found through sleep.

IcE-blUE

Naruto walked slowly through the ominous fog, but unlike the first time, he was unafraid. He refused to feel the loneliness that had been so potent before, he was all he needed to stand. His belief in the words firmed with step he took. The fog thinned more and more, as if his presence was forcing it to disperse.

The fog was practically invisible now, and Naruto could see he had been walking on a gravel road, though his feet didn't make sound. He followed the road, determined to conquer the useless weakness he'd shown before. He followed the road into a forest and in this distance he could hear a quiet voice in this distance.

The road curved and twisted and Naruto made the mistake of looking back. A twinge of fear struck him as he saw that with every step he took, the road behind him disappeared. There was no way back, whatever he was walking towards, was where he would stay. Several twinges of fear began to eat at him.

Suddenly, the forest didn't seem so quiet, every noise escalating his fear. He was alone. So alone. Now he was hyperventilating, fear numbed his senses and he began to run. The voice that had seemed so quiet grew in volume as he ran towards it. The ground shook with the volume of the voice as it spoke and as Naruto reached a clearing he took in the booming words,

"…AND YOU WILL REIGN. THEY SHALL BOW AS YOU TAKE THE CROWN AND SEIZE THE THRONE THAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS. THESE EMOTIONS YOU FEEL ARE BLACK AND THUS ARE YOUR PIECES. GUIDE THEM, CONTROL THEM, AND BE KING."

A thick, gold crown settled on Naruto's head, the impact knocking him down as the voice continued,

"…SO MOTE IT BE, THE KINGS ARE CHOOSEN, STAND AND FIGHT FOR YOUR THRONE. GATHER YOUR PIECES AND RULE."

As the clearing faded, Naruto could vaguely see the shape of another boy.

IcE-blUE

Naruto awoke, cold sweat cascading down his face as he interpreted his dream: He was strong, strong enough to be on his own…but that didn't mean he'd have to be. He could still use Kiba. Naruto was tempted to go back to sleep, but he had to admit to himself that he was afraid of where he'd end up, not being able to remember clearly what had happened in the clearing. All it took was one dream to dissolve his resolve to be alone, but at least something had been accomplished today. He regained his friend. Then that abundant yet scarce feeling enveloped him, mixing with joy, and Naruto ran off to find his friend.

IcE-blUE

Kiba walked slowly down the hallways of the orphanage, feeling giddy with relief. He hadn't known what he was thinking, when he'd sided with the orphans. After all they had told him about Naruto, at first he was disgusted, but now he planned to rectify what he'd done. He would never, ever, back out on him again. Somehow he knew he had to keep Naruto from having a tainted heart like these orphans…like him. It was an obligation to keep him pure. Kiba laughed when a blonde ball of energy tried and failed at running to him.

"You do remember you're injured, righ?t" Kiba said, trying to scold the boy, "Don't run, I'll come to you."

Naruto ignored this and continued his endeavor to reach his friend. Kiba laughed again and ran over before Naruto died trying. No words were said as the two boys walked to their next class, the only needed to bask in the comfortable silence of friendship and the warm winter sunlight.

Life can seem so wonderful under such conditions…a pity it never stays the same.

A/N: This is the revised version of chapter one (8/3/2012) I will upload more chapters shortly; however, it will be less than the original fifteen until I update again. Thank you.

Vladie C.