AN: Hello hello HELLO~! Claamchowder here bringing you a revised prologue to this story o' mine! I wasn't satisfied with the original and rewrote this thing and— with the help of my beta for this story, Desert . Moon (YES. The writer of THE OBSESSION. If you don't know it, check it out~)— it is now ready for your eyes to read! ;D ;D ;D
DISCLAIMER: You know the drill. Naruto. Not. MINE. I wouldn't want it, anyways. If I did, it wouldn't have been as popular as it is! AND THAT WOULDN'T BE GOOD.
ON WITH THE STORY!!!
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SEPAR | ATION
Prologue
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Brat.
Delinquent.
Freak.
Monster.
Why had the adults called him that? What did he do to deserve this? When did this all start?
So many questions.
Yet he had no answers. It had been like this for his whole life. He'd walk around the village and do practically nothing, yet he would still receive countless glares from the adults. Then they'd sneer when he locked eyes with them and spit an insult at him.
It…
Hurt.
All he wanted was for people to notice him, to acknowledge that he existed, and accept him. To not treat him as if he were an outsider.
Was it impossible to see that he lovedKonoha? Sure, he pulled as many pranks as he possibly could in his free time, but he never did anything that was irreversible.
Digging his toe into the sandbox one last time before standing up and walking home─ all the while avoiding the eyes of those around him─ Naruto could only hope that things would get better.
-|-
"You're here again?"
"I'm always here, you fool,"
"… What are you?"
It laughed. He hated the sound of its laugh. He hated how it reverberated through the endless corridors of this place. He hated how the water that sloshed around his knees was seeping through his clothes and into his sandals. He hated the stench of its breath, and how it smelled like the dead dog he'd found in an alley of Konoha. He hated this place.
But not as much as Naruto hated the thing that stood behind those thick bars that separated them. It mocked him, called him names, and told him horrible things. He knew that every time he saw it he'd have to prepare himself for an onslaught of insults.
"Take a good look at me, kit," it said, giving Naruto a clear view of its dagger-like teeth, each longer than the blond himself. He was glad that it was caged; otherwise it might've gotten to him the first time he dreamt of it. Yes, dreamt.
How else would he be able to talk to a creature that easily towered over even the tallest building in Konoha?
For the first time, he actually took in the details of the creature: its blood red fur, ruby eyes, the black fur that ran from its eyes to its ears─ which were long and elegant─ thin limbs, and nine tails. Nine tails…
"You're a kitsune," he mumbled, glancing away as it grinned at him again. Its smiles were definitely not friendly. It was like it was trying to lull him into a sense of false security so that, once he got close enough, it would grab him with its claws and rip him apart.
"Not just any kitsune, human," it declared. "I'm thekitsune. Kyuubi!"
This caused Naruto to take a large step back from the bars of the cage. He had heard of the demon that had terrorized Konoha nine years ago, as well as the damage it had caused. And how the Yondaime Hokage had sacrificed himself just to defeat it.
Which meant that the Kyuubi was dead. So why was he dreaming of a dead demon?
The fox let out a roar, causing Naruto to jump in fright. The water splashed around from the sudden movement, wetting the bottom of his shirt. "I am notdead!" it growled, lashing its paw out at him, giving Naruto a clear view of how sharp its claws really were. "Though sometimes I wish I were! To be sealed inside a brat such as yourself is an insult to me! You're so pathetically weak; it's no wonder the villagers treat you like they do! If you made them fear you, then they'd treat you with respect! You may not deserve it, but I most certainly do!" Apparently the fox had access to his thoughts.
"… What did you say?"
"Oh, so now you're deaf?!" The smile from earlier was gone now, replaced with a snarl that would've made even the Hokage cringe in fear.
"You─ You're inside of me?" Naruto questioned, his hands shaking as he reached down to touch his stomach. It explained why he felt a strange energy emit from his navel every time he felt truly angry or scared, but he didn't want it to be true. If it were true, he'd have to accept that he had destroyed everything the villagers loved. They'd have the right to torment him.
"Ha!" Kyuubi snorted, pulling its paw back into the prison that contained him. "Don't flatter yourself. You'd never be able to accomplish what I can do in a single day."
Before the fox could go onto how Naruto was simply too weak to even attempt such a thing, the boy forced himself to wake. He couldn't take it anymore.
As soon as his eyes had opened, he slid out of bed and slipped on his sandals. Not even bothering to check the time, Naruto walked over to the window on the other side of the room and opened it.
Before he jumped through and ran from the house, Naruto cast a glance at the second bed in the room, and the lump in it.
Then he was gone.
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