The light drizzle was baptizing the dry ground and Naruto took his time to appreciate the short moment of bliss of the hot summer. Sakura was too busy chasing Sasuke and Sasuke was too busy to run away from the pink haired kunoichi to realize that Naruto had stopped moving and soon left him behind.
The rain started falling heavily and profoundly. Naruto enjoyed and marveled the rain. It had a careful balance of deep passion and light gentleness, so unlike Naruto. Naruto couldn't be deeply passionate and contain gentleness at the same time. Yet the rain managed it, almost as if mocking the blond.
Not that he minded the mockery.
Mockery was so much better then the treatment as if he didn't exist. It wore him out to the point where he was desperate for any recognition. Whether it be scolding or beating. Those kind of things made him feel human.
But he hated pity.
Pity made him feel less human. He felt like he was being showcased in the circus, standing there to be inspected like a piece of art. The way that a stranger looked at Naruto in the street. The way that his teammates stared at Naruto quizzically. No, he hated pity.
And the rain didn't give him any pity. It was merciless, digging its icy fingers into Naruto's bare skin. Yes. He enjoyed the rain that made him feel human. So why did he felt an ache in his heart right now? Naruto blinked when the rain stopped its familiar pounding into Naruto's skin and jumpsuit. He looked up to see a huge black umbrella covering the grey sky from his view.
"You will catch cold." Naruto realized that it was his sensei, Kakashi Hatake, that was offering him an umbrella.
"Arigato sensei." Naruto forced cheerfulness and smiled at the man.
"Naruto, are you okay?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded earnestly but realized that he was crying. "Naruto. You can tell me. I won't judge you."
"It's just that I enjoy the rain, sensei. I enjoy feeling the rain, alone." He was speaking the truth but it felt like a lie. Maybe it was. Maybe he didn't enjoy the rain and that's why he was experiencing the familiar ache of a heart. No, he knew for sure that he wanted and loved to be alone with the rain for now. Naruto felt confused. All these years he loved rain. The gentle and passionate aspect of the nature. He quickly concluded that it must be his sensei's presence that caused this ache. It must be because he didn't want any pity right now.
Oh, how Naruto hated pity.
"You can't force yourself into a person that you aren't for recognition, Naruto." Kakashi said gently, earning a frown from the blond.
"Sensei, I know that and I don't. That idiotic blond you see is me. It's the idiotic part of me that wants recognition, even if it means ruining his own reputation. Because I truly am idiotic." Naruto explained. Kakashi's single visible eyes widened and was silent for awhile.
"Then know that you won't have to do anything idiotic to gain my recognition Naruto." This time Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth was slightly opened in shock.
"Why?" Naruto asked finally.
"You are Uzumaki Naruto. My student. My comrade. And I never abandon my comrade." Kakashi said with a smile. Naruto blinked in surprise. Kakashi Hatake had come to Naruto not out of pity, but because of his relationship with the blond. The relationship. The give and take of the recognition and fondness. Naruto couldn't help his smile now as the ache eased, something he experienced only in the rain. He felt confused more than ever.
"Sensei, I hate pity, did you know that?" Naruto questioned the jounin. Kakashi hummed in what Naruto guessed as a yes. "It's one of the things I hate more than being alone because it makes me feel like I'm not a human. But the rain doesn't give me pity so I enjoyed the rain. But now, I don't enjoy it." Naruto tilted his head and the wet hair clung to his head heavily. "And I don't understand why."
"It's because you need a human who won't pity you, not the nature. Human are social creatures, Naruto. You needed a human who will recognize you without pity all this time. You just happen to find a momentary consolation in the rain. And if you need such a person, I will be that someone for you. Not out of pity, but out of comradeship." With that, Kakashi rubbed Naruto's wet hair and smiled at the boy. Naruto realized that his sensei was correct. He needed a human who wouldn't look at him in pity nor ignore his existence. He needed someone like Kakashi, who would accept Naruto without him trying so hard every time.
"Arigato, sensei." Naruto said and smiled at the man. The man smiled wider and rubbed Naruto's hair again. The warmth from his sensei's hand made the boy realize that he was freezing and began his shivering. And he hated it because it was from the nature, not from a human. Suddenly he wished for the rain to stop.
"Let's go somewhere warm before your lips turn blue." Kakashi said as he began walking, Naruto on his tail, grinning idiotically. They began debating whether the ramen or the egg plant miso soup was better, leaving the rain behind.
The end.