Notes: I love young Naruto and Sasuke. They're just too cute for words. Oh, and this isn't a NaruSasuNaru pairing thing, it's supposed to be a brief one-shot about the friendship between the two. I got the inspiration when I was listening to "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd on some random afternoon, hence the title. I know it's not the exact wording, but I changed it a bit so that it fits the story more.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly, nor "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd, even though I didn't use the lyrics. I just mentioned the song.
For Naruto, loneliness sticks to him like his very own shadow. At the grand age of eight-and-a-half, he already has the amazing ability to repel almost every human being effortlessly. Streets fall silent and nervous when he approaches, and faces turn when he looks at them. It's as if they expect him to go berserk and kill people any moment.
"He is a monster." Monster.
And Naruto doesn't know why.
Is it because he has no parents? Or is it because he always fails in the academy tests?
"Kaa-san, I want a popsicle!" A boy, unaware of the atmosphere, hugs the leg of his mother. The mother looks at Naruto, managing to make eye contact with him. She then realizes her horrible, horrible mistake — she could've been killed! — and quickly averts her eyes.
"We'll h-have the twin popsicles you like so much. T-T-The shop's just around the corner. Let's go!" The mother, more forcefully than lovingly, shoves her son to the direction they're headed, and the pair is gone.
Having heard that, Naruto realizes he wants twin popsicles too, but he knows he can't because he's got no one to share it with, and eating all two of them by himself will make his throat all funny the very next day. Not good for ninja training. Nuh-uh.
Oh well. He has instant ramen back at the apartment anyway.
Turning away from the crowded streets, where everyone's attention will most likely fall on him — in a bad way — again, Naruto decides to take the long way home.
Wretch.
Good-for-nothing.
Monster.
Naruto looks down at his hands and wriggles his fingers. What has he ever done to make the villagers so angry? He's pretty sure it's not because he's an orphan; there are many other orphans out there, and they don't evoke contempt and disgust when they walk around the village, do they? If he remembers correctly, there's even an orphanage in the village, and orphans are taken care of there. After some time, they get to be adopted into happy new families, and their lives start anew.
Then it must be because he fails at almost everything in the academy, Naruto decides. The villagers must've thought he's wasting the village's resources, and view him as a drop-out. That's it! I'll just have to train really really hard and become the best Hokage ever, so that everyone will acknowledge me! With that in mind, Naruto continues walking along the path, where he can see the lake.
Loneliness, the loyal lovelorn, follows.
Nobody acknowledges me, she whispers in his ear. They want me dead and gone—
Stop it!
I'm so lonely…Kill them, kill them now, let them suffer—
Then Naruto sees him, sitting on the dock.
On his back is the telltale Uchiha clan symbol.
Number-one star student.
Heir.
Genius.
"The Uchiha clan is the strongest clan in all of Konoha…He's the sole survivor of it all…"
"Really? Sasuke-kun's so amazing!"
Naruto huffs and glares at him.
Sasuke's the one who always hits the targets on the bull's-eye.
Sasuke's the one who has girls worshipping the ground he walks on.
Sasuke's the one who has the respect of everyone in the village.
It's never Naruto. It's always about Sasuke and his stupid clan.
I'm so lonely.
Sensing Naruto's glare, Sasuke glares back, his dark eyes hard and cold. The two of them engage in a heated glaring contest until Naruto breaks it off and walks away, his head defiantly turned to the other side. Sasuke snaps his attention back to the lake, his lips pressed firmly together, as if he's just tasted something foul.
Naruto decides he doesn't like Sasuke. That arrogant bastard! Who'd want to be like him anyway? He's cold, pompous, patronizing, irritating, conceited—
—strong, mature and admired by everyone.
Naruto embarrassingly recalls the times when he tried to be like his dark-haired classmate. If he made his hair at the back stick up, would girls find him cooler? If he trained hard every day, would he have Sasuke's perfect aim and Katon jutsus? If he walked around the village with Sasuke's confident stride, would villagers acknowledge him more? It was silly really, but he couldn't help but wonder.
Sasuke's always the one at the top. He's always the one at the bottom. The dullest kunai in the pouch.
To Naruto, Sasuke's always been this milestone that takes steps by the dozens every time he takes one step forward. It's as if he's never meant to be reached, a standard that Naruto can never even hope to be compared to.
Naruto sneaks a peek at the Uchiha boy behind him. He's still sitting on the dock by the lake without a care in the world. It's as if he owns the place, and he looks so independent—
Perhaps it's the way how Sasuke's slightly swinging, sandal-clad feet graze the water surface, or it's the way how Sasuke's expression seems too composed and calm for someone his age, it causes Naruto to do a double-take at the whole scene.
And then he sees it.
She looms over him, like a persistent thundercloud, darkening everything in sight.
It seems, Naruto realizes, he isn't the only one who Loneliness has pledged loyalty to.
Cold, powerful, admirable Sasuke is lonely, just like him.
He's just like me.
Naruto looks at how Sasuke seems to gaze past the ends of the lake, past the trees and knoll on the other side. From his angle, Sasuke even looks…sad.
Sasuke turns to look his direction, as though checking whether there're any witnesses to the momentary slip of his cold demeanour. When he notices Naruto, still standing there, he sends yet another harsh glare to the blonde.
Instead of glaring back and walking away, Naruto stands there, and after a few moments, he smiles at Sasuke.
For a second, Sasuke's eyes widen slightly in shock and he contemplates his response. He first retrieves his glare. Then he sets his face back to the default indifference. Hesitantly, hesitantly, Sasuke gives Naruto a small, but true smirk. It isn't really a smile, more like a slight upturn of the corners of the mouth, and that's all Sasuke's going to offer.
Sasuke then returns to staring at the lake, looking a tiny bit more relaxed than before. Naruto glances at the dark-haired boy one last time and continues his way home.
Sasuke's just like me.
His chest feels lighter already. It feels like Sasuke's giving him a helping hand and sharing the burden with him, even though all he's actually done is smirk.
Naruto grins. For once, Loneliness has found something else to do, and has given the two of them some peace and quiet.
You can be the someone I share my twin popsicles with.