Hi!
I don't know if I can make this a long fanfiction or just a one-shot... tell me what do you think! If yes, it will show the relationship between Naruto and Iruka. Mostly on Iruka's POV.
I accept advides and tell me about my grammatical\ortografical mistakes because English is not my first language so I want to improve it. Thankyou very much and...
...good reading to you all!
1- The seesaw
He was drawn back by the crystalline, almost piercing sound from the seesaw.
Iruka stopped dead, frowning. It was night, and he believe children had to be asleep around eleven post meridian, so why that sound…? He turned slowly, and when he caught a shadow sited on the seesaw, he got a lot surprised. He was far from it, and he couldn't see plainly thanks to the light's deficiency. He was sure, well, almost sure, the shade belonged from a child. It was too small to be owned by an adult like him. He then approached slowly, trying to not scare anybody was there.
He was right, at least. Iruka got surprised at any rate, because it was fairly odd to find a lonely child in the middle of night playing in the park. He believed kids weren't just enough brave to run away from home to just have fun. In the while, the child noticed nothing, and if he was pretending to not notice, then he was truly good at it. He didn't cringe, and he was no bothered by him at all. He was concerned by another world his eyes were looking inside.
He was little, he couldn't be over six. Iruka was surprised he never saw him at school since children of those ages were already enrolled. Well… he frowned again. His face was new; he appeared to be blond, with light eyes, even if with the lack of light it was hard to tell. The expression, though, was obvious. Too obvious for his likings, when he noticed that child was truly sad. Why is that? He wanted to understand why.
"Hey?" He said unhurriedly. Iruka didn't want to scare him. The child, though, didn't seem to catch him "hey… hey?" he tried again. He felt like an idiot, but this time the kid heard him.
He cringed fiercely, rising his face. Inside his gaze passed by a flash of panic which made him left the seesaw. He stepped back a little, hands already in front of him to shield himself. The seesaw oscillated for few minutes, then stopping with a slight noise. The child was panting, surely thanks to the sudden adrenaline.
"Sorry, did I scare you…? I'm sorry, hm, what are you doing out here alone?"
The child was looking around, frightened. Iruka was a ninja, after all, and he noticed the kid was behaving the same way as a terrified prey. His eyes were flicking around… he was trying to find a way to escape, in the while thinking what option was the best.
"I don't want to hurt you" he said with a kind tone "you don't have to be scared of me. I was only worried because you were all alone in the night…"
The fear had been erased by a suddenly… it was hard to believe, but that child had just looked at him with the deepest scepticism and abhorrence, like he couldn't even start to believe what the man had just said.
Iruka sighed. He couldn't believe what he was doing. Was it the right choice to stop and talk to that strange child? Well, what's done is done.. and plus, he's only a child. Even if he wanted to kill you, he couldn't, right, Iruka?
"Listen" he tried another way "what's your name? Where are your parents?"
"Hmph" if the was the answer he got back. disgust… no, his eyes were full of hatred towards him and he couldn't understand where it could come from because they had just met.
"You know, it's not kind to not answer questions… kid. Did you know it?"
Once again, the child shuddered and he looked more scared than before. There was so little light, but Iruka noticed he was trying his best to hold back tears. And he was shaking.
"Ok, ok… didn't mean… I don't want to scare you. You can tell me your name, I swear I won't use it against your will! I swear! And by the way, my name's Iruka" he smiled.
The child was still a lot, excessively uncertain about what to do. He was keeping on looking around to flee, and in the while his eyes tried to lock on him, like he was ready for a sudden attack. Could he be that anxious around a stranger? Iruka waited few minutes. The man didn't know how many minutes passed, but unexpectedly a little, sharp voice said "you want to hurt me?" He wasn't too fond about children (which it was a little strange being a teacher and all) but he felt a entrenched fear beyond the words. He didn't even tried to understand if and when there had been situations when…
…bah, it was too awful to even think to "no, I don't want to hurt you. Why have I to?" The child wasn't really satisfied by the answer, though. He was infinitesimally less scared.
"Listen…" he paused to sigh "I don't know what they did to you, but I don't want to hurt you or anything. I don't thin is right to hurt a child… and anyway, I have to hate you to hurt you, at least, right? And why I have to hate you if I had just met you? Hm?"
The surprise hit them both. The kid was manifestly shocked by his words, even if the man didn't know if he was glad or scared, but Iruka's astonishment came when the kid said, voice full of provocation "I'm Naruto"
He stopped, physically and mentally. He expected a lot, but not… that. His brain somehow rejected that idea. The child, that scared child, was the child that Iruka hated just because he was holding the seal of the nine-tale fox, is parent's killer? His mind touched the pinnacle of the so-called folly, when he was taken between rage and hate, and a stabbing guilty feeling. He didn't know what was right. He didn't who was right. Were his parents right, the ones telling him to not care for the child. Was the child right? His voice was echoing, the words he said before, when he was truly terrified.
Naruto, in the while, was watching him, placidly engrossed by his reaction. He didn't believed Iruka would really go beyond the superficiality, and so he didn't expect much from the senseless chat. Even if he was slightly feeling sad.
"You are… you are…" his brain wouldn't work well. It wouldn't take the idea in. He talked until few minutes ago with his parent's killer. That dreadful monster that took the shape of a child and it surely didn't deserve any happiness, when his stole his own "you are… that child…"
Damn, damn, you're Naruto "and nothing else, I don't have to hate you…" he caught his voice was shaking. It was cold, but he was sweating as much as he never did. He understood he wasn't talking to a monster, but his parent's voices were still keeping on echoing inside his head. Irritatingly painful, it was their image. He rise his eyes. Naruto was still looking to him, curious and fearful. When their eyes met, he shuddered. This time, he was truly frightened.
Something inside Iruka's eyes made Naruto really upset. The man was watching the child's body fossilize in tension. A little move of his, and he would surely run away scared as hell. He was motionless; small drops of sweat were moving down his pale cheeks.
"Hey…" even Iruka was still shaking a lot "…hey, sorry, didn't want to scare you…"
The child was silent. The man sighed "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry, but I don't want to hurt you, ok? Really, I promise you I won't do anything to hurt you. I won't get angry, ok? You believe me, Naruto?" His words weren't surely that comforting. His voices was still shaking from the disbelief. He swallowed down. He had to calm down, because if not his only way to get to the child had been meaningless.
Naruto was keeping on staying silent, his eyes set on his own. He looked like a little rabbit ready to flee away when a predator was going to arrive. And the predator was Iruka. His pale eyes weren't showing any sign of lucidity, of rationality. He was understanding without doubt what he was saying, but he couldn't elaborate it. The sake of living was what was left. Iruka didn't know at all how to let a child to become like this, to become that panicked just thanks to a small chat.
"You believe me, Naruto?" He licked his lips. It was truly cold, and half and an hour had probably passed by. He wasn't sure, but he didn't care "do you believe me?"
Without thinking, he moved a little. It had been a casual move, but the child was already running away. The situation was getting worse and worse.
"Wait!!"
Iruka followed him. He was too worried, too worried to let him go away. Few minutes were
enough to catch him, and take him between his firm huge.
"Leave me, leave me, please, leave, don't hurt me, leav-"
"Calm down!"
Naruto was kicking, slapping. He was biting him, trying to escape in any possible way. He was anguished, in the deepest panic. And the child knew that to keep motionless in situation like that it was worse than trying to flee. Iruka didn't know that, but he was going to understand what happened. That child… that child didn't even know what to have a relation of some kind with someone was like.
"Calm down, Naruto… I don't want to hurt you… shh, shh, I don't want to hurt you, calm down, really… shh…" he was holding back his emotions to not panic himself as well. The situation was out of his hands and too much. He had to do something, but something what?
"…please, please… let me! I do nothing, I say nothing, I go away, but please, please!! Leave me, let me go!! Please… p-please…!!" His voice swiftly turned into a slight, painful sob. Thankful, Iruka noticed he had stopped moving around, but he started to cry. He didn't know if it was right, but he was glad and the situation seemed to get better. At least, he didn't have to be concerned about taking him down. Right, right… but what now? What have I to do? I don't know what to do…
"Hey, hey… I don't let you go, but I don't want to hurt you, Naruto"
"I don't believe you!! I-I don't believe you!! You all say that, everyone… but afte-"
"I'm serious"
The child's voice had gotten piercing, broken by fierce sobs. His face was red and warm, like he was feverish. Iruka already gone thought the problem of reassure a child. Sasuke and Choji had cried the first day, not wanting their parents to leave. Kiba cries when he punished him because he hid his dog Akamaru under his table. Sakura cried because Sasuke told her he didn't like pink-haired girl. Little problems, little drops and within few minutes they were again smiling and happy. But this…
Iruka was going to collapse. He didn't know at all how to behave. It was like trying to think… NO!! Don't think about the fox, that monster isn't related to Naruto! They're different things!!
"Why a-are yo-,,, you doin-ng this!?" Sobbed Naruto. He seemed more angry than scared, now. He had swallowed down his fear, maybe realizing Iruka wasn't going to hurt him "wh-why… why y-you ca-…re ab-…bout m-me!? H-hm!?"
"Why I have to not care, then?"
"…no… no-one d-o…e-s t-that!!"
"And so, I have to not care?"
"B-…but…"
The sobs calmed down, the tears had stopped flowing. The skin around his eyes was red, ate away by the salty water, but his whole face was flushed and he was still panting. Naruto was shaking visibly, and the man did the only thing he could thought of. And he was sure that was going to help. He hardened the grip, but this time moving him inside a real hug, clenching him on his chest.
Naruto squealed with surprise, and Iruka hugged him so firmly he could hear the scared throbbing of his heart inside his chest. He was still scared, but this time optimistically. Few minutes passed by, and the child was already hugging him back. Iruka didn't know how many time did they passed out there, in the middle of a garden hugging like idiots and idiots they weren't, inside a freezing night. It was even pleasant, and Iruka was sure the kid wasn't going to let go that easily.
"He-"
"Iruka, what are you doing?"
They both turned hastily to the voice. Not so far, there was a shadow belonging from a woman. She was looking at them with shocked surprise. Iruka remembered she was the mother of one of his students, but he couldn't remember which one.
"Good evening, miss"
He was still hugging the child. Naruto's body was getting tense and more tense thanks to that woman. Iruka cursed her. What a great timing, really… He was sure the child's face was scared as much as he was before.
"What are you doing with that brat? Hope he wasn't bothering you" said that, she shot a chilly stare to the kid, who tried to run away.
Iruka hold him down, ignoring his small arguments and the woman's coldness. He answered back "well, we were having so much fun… right, Naruto?" The child got puzzled but he nodded slowly. The teacher was a little shocked, because that kid was doing his best to remain unemotional. And he was doing a great job, too. Good child… hope you're going to be a great ninja…
"Hmph, like you can have fun with a thing like that…" she replied back after a little. She seemed surprised by Iruka's answer.
"Last time I checked he was human, miss"
If an hour by they would ask him what he thought about Naruto, he would answer he hated the child with all his might. And now… strange life, now I'm defending him!
"Yeah, yeah, whatever… hope my child she's doing well at school" her voice was once again sweet and kind. She was just ignoring Naruto, who didn't care as much as she did. His face was still blank.
"Yes, yes, she's doing very well" to say truth, he couldn't remember which student was her daughter "very well, indeed" he added. He wanted her to leave the soon as possible. He could sense the boy trying to hold back sobs.
"Very well! My child's doing well and I'm so proud of her!" She squealed happily "what parent won't be proud of a child like this? I'm going to tell her how I'm proud of her once I got home!"
He understood… it wasn't nice. He just hoped Naruto couldn't read beyond the words. The woman was remembering him he had no parents. She was trying to make him feel bad but she wasn't brave enough to do that when he was with him. Iruka was going to answer back, but suddenly Naruto screamed "go fuck!!"
"What!?"
"Naruto, don't say that!!" He understood… damn, he understood what she was talking about!
"Little, meaningless brat, you know… just- just how dare you!?" She left the bag she was carrying behind her, moving quickly down to them. The boy had started shaking and he paled so much he looked white as snow. He felt his little hands gritted painfully on his arm and his eyes were wide from the panic. Iruka hated himself, but that was the best way to show the boy he could trust him.
The woman stopped, rising her hand: she was going to slap him. Even if before he mouthed to him he didn't have to be scared, Naruto cried, shutting up his eyes and moving his arms on his face to shield it from the hit. The hit, thought, never came. When he opened again his sapphire eyes, the man was stopping the woman's arm.
She appeared to be utterly shocked and angry "what are you doing, Iruka!? You heard what he said! It's just a bra-"
"Stop saying he's a thing, because he's human!! And don't try to hit him because I'm going to slap you until you die, you heard me?!"
"…please, please, stop… don't…" he heard the child whisper near his ear. His body was still shaking from fear "don't… if you… I don't want you to… please, don't hurt her… please?"
"You're lucky he's kind enoug-"
"Kind enough!? He's a monster!! Let me go!!"
"You're going to hit him!?"
"Of cour-"
"Then I'm not letting you!!"
"I WILL NOT HIT HIM! LEAVE ME, DAMN YOU, IRUKA!!" She snapped.
"Fine…" he said angrily. His head was throbbing. He didn't want to get that livid, but the stress from the whole situation was killing him. She looked down to him with aberrance.
The man did not think she was going to hit him at any less. He didn't have the time to move, because the damage was already done. He felt the boy's body jerk away at the collision, and his cheek suddenly reddened. He did not cried or screamed, but the expression inside his eyes was panicked. Naruto was going to be like before, when he couldn't even understand what he was saying to him. Son of a bitch…
"Go away! Go away from there, now!!"
"Tsk" she moved away "I didn't know you were such an idiot, Iruka. You know what it did to you, so why? Stupid man…"
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hope you liked it. Tell me if you want fanfiction or one-shot, please!