Warning: Graphic violence, slight language, shonen-ai or yaoi
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of it's characters
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A small young boy walked alone down the familiar streets of a small yet pleasant village in the fading light of twilight, weary to return to his home.
"Monster!"
A rock collided with the back of a blonde head, causing the small boy to stumble. Righting himself, the young boy continued down the darkening street as though nothing had happened.
'Why am I the monster? You are the ones raising a hand against a child.'
Staring blankly at the ground moving beneath his feet, the boy didn't see the punch thrown at him until the fist had connected with his stomach, causing him to double over with a sharp gasp of pain.
"You deserve to die!"
The blonde dropped to his hands and knees, one arm clutching his slowly bruising stomach. Once vibrant blue eyes stared dully at the dirt inches from his nose, willing away the moisture that was gathering at the edges of his eyes.
'What great sin have I committed to deserve to disappear?'
Laughter echoed throughout the streets, growing louder as more people gathered around the fallen boy and his assailant to watch the horrific scene.
"This is all your fault!"
Shrill cursing, vicious shouts of agreement, and unrenting laughter followed another blow to the boy, causing him to fall sprawled backwards with a loud 'thud'.
'How can you blame me for something I had no influence over?'
Pushing himself up into a sitting positon, the boy's eyes remained on the ground in front of him, refusing to let his tormentors see the pain etched into the depth of clear azurel eyes.
"You should never have existed!"
A few people in the crowd had taken to throwing rocks or food at the boy as they joined in the jeers directed at the blonde child.
'Who would you blame then? If I had never been born, what would change? Would you accept your own part in this hell if I weren't here?'
The onslaught of brutal attacks continued and soon the blonde's vision began to blur, darkness dulling the edges of his sight, the laughter and cruel words slurring together into one unrecognizable noise.
'I can end it.' A loud, contemptuous voice sounded smoothly over the slur of voices.
'I don't want to die'. The blonde boy could no longer lift his head from the ground, and wasn't sure if he had managed to say the words out loud or merely think them.
A gruff laughter bounced around in the blonde's head, distinct from the laughter of the villagers. 'Not your life. Your suffering.'
'There is no life without suffering.' Blue eyes slowly slid closed in defeat, trying to block out the world around him as he accepted his fate without resistance.
'I can show you.'
The boy hesitated. Even at such a young age, he had been forced to learn that no one would willing help another without expecting something in return.
A sharp pain panged through the boy's spinal cord, causing him to cry out in pain without thinking. The resulting triumph filled jeers were enough to push the boy over the edge.
'End it.' The boy thought viciously, perpared to face the consquences of such a decision at a later date, only caring at the time that his suffering end, and that his pain be known.
The boy felt as if his conscious awareness was sinking, a darkness rising up to meet him, though he could feel his body pushing himself up from the ground.
Around him, the laughter slowly died down, angry murmurs and calls taking it's place. As the boy stood at his full height, the crowd became silent, looking to the boy's assailiant.
The aggressor scowled as he watched the boy gracelessly rise, tottering precautiously where he stood. Starting towards the boy, the man stopped in his tracks, gaping uselessly as his eyes locked with the furious orbs of the boy.
Glaring a hatred he had always felt for these people but never expressed, the boy stumbled towards the attacker, ignoring the jab the man made about 'stubborn demons'.
A voice the boy did not recognize, though it rose from his own throat, echoed in the starlit street as he glared up at the man, blue eyes slowly bleeding into red. "Allow me to prove just how much of a demon I can be."
With that, the boy's consciousness completely fell away. The last thing he was aware of was the earth shattering screams, and the sickening scent of something metallic filling the air.
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A groan pierced the absolute silence. Eyelids fluttered back to reveal confused and exhausted eyes, only to be quickly shut again.
The repugant smell that was burning the boy's nose, which was the cause of his awakening, also burned his once again blue eyes when he had opened them.
The boy took a moment to gather his senses, slowly coming to the realization that he was laying on something grainy and hard. 'Dirt. I was sleeping outside.'
It took a moment for the boy to remember why he was on the ground and what had happened the night before, but when he remembered the assult and the voice offering him salvage, he forced his lead-like limbs to lift himself up, eyes snapping open with some effort.
Cerulean eyes widened when the boy's muscles were greeted with nothing more than exhaustion and the soreness from sleeping on the ground.
Fine blonde eyebrows furrowed as the blonde examined himself, finding no injuries to prove the night before had happened.
"But," The boy murmured quietly to himself, having a habit to speak to himself after living alone for such a long time, "if last night wasn't real, why am I sleeping outside..."
The blonde trailed off as azure orbs swept over the surronding area, a startled cry escaping the boy, stumbling back away from the destruction lain out before him.
Pale, motionless corpes lay on the ground everywhere the boy looked, covered in a red substance the young boy was all too familiar with, but refused to put a title to, fearing a break down if he did. Lifting his gaze up, the boy discovered the source of the repulsive odour.
Everything; corpses, buildings, and wildlife; was set alight, burning to ash before the petrified boy's eyes. Dark, thick clouds of smoke were raising into the air and into the streets, causing everything to seem hazed.
Dropping onto his arms and knees, the small boy choked up the contents of his stomach, burning his throat until there was nothing left.
Wide, fearful blue eyes darted between everything, trying to make sense was what he was seeing. "What--" He choked on his words as a sob bubbled up from his throat. It was only then that the boy realized he was crying uncontrollably. "W-what hap-pened?!"
"You happened, Demon!" The blonde boy whipped around at the sound of the shrill voice, landing on his rear as he tried to scurry himself away from the source of the voice.
Through the smoke the blonde boy could make out a small, yet bigger than himself, silhouette coming closer, seemingly stumbling but heading start for him.
"You killed everyone!" The blonde boy could now tell that the fgure was another boy, a little older and larger than himself, with raven black hair jutting out at the back with eyes to match, tears streaming from the onyx eyes.
Scuttling back from the approaching figure, the blonde shook his head desperately, tears still running freely. "M-me? I d-idn't do an-anything!"
The dark haired boy stopped, glaring down at the boy with pure loathing. "Liar! I saw you kill them! Why, Demon?! What was the point?!" The inky haired boy dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands.
It was you. Confirmed the voice from the night before, causing the blonde boy to gasp in suprise at the abruptness. It was what you wanted. I ended your suffering.
The blonde boy scambled to his feet, looking around for the source of the voice. 'This isn't what I wanted!' He cried internally, futilely wishing to wake from this nightmare, 'I never wanted to kill them!'
It was the only way to stop the pain. The voice retorted, sounding strangely smug, I saved you, and in return, I shall remain awake.
A deperate sob shook the blonde's shoulders. He didn't understand anything! Who- what was the voice? What was it talking about?
I'll explain everything later, but now we need to leave. If they catch you now, they'll kill you. The urge to run drained all the wearness from the blonde's legs, his heart began to race as adrenaline pumped through his veins.
"I'm so-sorry!" The blonde cried back to the raven haired boy still crying into his hands without looking directly at him. Kicking off, the blonde ran faster than he every had before, heading towards the edge of the village with conflicting emotions.
Yes, he felt regret, shame, and disgust for the murders he had committed, but not because of who he had killed, but the act itself. There was no regret in the blonde boy for escaping his hell and his tormentors. Relief. A great relief was spreading though the blonde's chest. The method was horrible, yes, but he was free now. What an incredible feeling.
"Demon!" The single word was his only farewell from his hell, and his home. The blonde wasn't sure if the boy from before had cried it after him or if he had imagined it, but he knew there was no denying it now. He was definately the Monster people had accused him of being.
'But now I'm out of my cage.'
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Soft blonde hair ruffled in the calm breeze, eyelids fluttering softly as the teen slept, back leaning against the trunk of the tree of was sitting in.
Slowly, clear cerulean eyes flickered open, a frown marring the angular face as the last of the blonde's dream played over again in his mind.
'Ten years ago today. Ah, how time flies when one is having fun.' A slightly sarcastic smile tilted the blonde's lips at the thought as he jumped from his perch, possibably fifteen feet into the air, to land in a crouch on the ground beside the trunk of the tree.
Ten years, the now familiar voice repeated, laughter echoing in the back of the blonde's brain as the second entity inhabiting the lithe body chuckled as he thought of the details of the blonde's rescue. Any regrets, Brat?
A foxy grin spread across the blonde's features, gracefully picking his way through the wildlife as he headed towards the next village.
'I'll never regret being free.'
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Sorry if that was confusing, Naruto was dreaming about his past. Kind of a prologue.
Review, please. I don't mind praise or flame,
KyoKotou