Title: Bonds of Friendship
Summary: What if Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had not been the members of Team 7? What if, instead of Sakura, another girl took her place, one who sided with Naruto rather then Sasuke? AU, OC, eventual slash.
Rating: Teen.
Pairings: Eventual Yaoi/Shounen Ai/Slash
Word Count: 1059
Author's Note: The idea for this story occurred to me one day while I was considering the friendship of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke and couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Naruto weren't the odd one out originally in Team 7. From there, this story came. It should be an interesting journey writing it, seeing as I know where I want it to eventually lead, but I have no idea what I want to do in between. Thank you for reading, please review.
Disclaimer: Not mine, if it were, Sasuke would tap dance.
Suiya Mio stared ahead, her jaded grey eyes only half watching as Uzumaki Naruto failed once again, to produce a successful Bunshin(1). Unconsciously dodging one of several elbows that had been aimed at her ribs that day, she sent an incensed glare in the direction of her twin brother, Masaru.
"What?" she hissed, her voice exasperated.
Masaru mouthed slowly, no sound passing his lips, "U-zu-ma-ki is a do-be(2)!" A malicious smirk found its way across his handsome, tanned features, marring, at least in Mio's opinion, any beauty that may have been found in his grey eyes.
Snorting and rolling her own eyes at his predictable comment, Mio returned to her previous indifferent state. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard that one before. Uzumaki Naruto was the class joke. In the three years that she had shared a class with the blonde, he had always lagged behind, never able to succeed in the way that, say, Uchiha Sasuke could. But then Mio was no fool. Despite her bored, aloof attitude, she had noticed the glares sent Naruto's way by the villagers, the way their hatred rubbed off on their children. Though Mio had yet to figure out the exact source of the hatred (not that she was trying especially hard), she had realized that Naruto's apparent obnoxiousness, pranks, and inattention during class, leading to his subsequent failure, were in fact a desperate plea. A plea for attention, any attention, something he had never received, due to his lack of parents and friends. And, of course, Mio felt bad for the boy. He had far more talent then he was given credit for and it was sad to see it repressed in exchange for the negative attention, the only form of acknowledgement he got. But, in spite of knowing all this and feeling pity for the boy, Mio was no saint. She was lazy, generally uncaring, and Naruto's annoying behavior was by now far to ingrained in the boy for it to change any time soon, and, to be entirely honest and blunt, Mio could not stand it.
That's not to say that she didn't at least try to find someone else to take on the task of being his friend, though, but after confronting her brother about her findings and being called a fool for thinking Naruto was anything but an idiot, Mio had abandoned her quest in the realization that no one would believe her.
Sighing, she studied the face scrunched in concentration below her, wondering, not for the first time, what ever could have happened to elicit all the, apparently, blind hatred, what could've caused those strange, whisker-like scars, what had made it so that sadness, that apparently only she could see amongst her peers, to be so deeply written into his clear blue eyes.
It had been three years. Three years since she had been out ambushed by Mist Nin while in hiding with her parents. Three years since her and her brother had been saved by Leaf Nin and brought to Konohagakure no Sato(3). Three years since she had joined the academy along with her brother. And three years since she had first encountered Uzumaki Naruto, the loud-mouthed, annoying brat. In those three years, not once had Mio ever seen Naruto approached by anyone who was looking to be his friend. Not once had she seen anyone, save a select few, seem to even care what happened to the young boy. Deep inside, Mio felt a deep-seated anger at the injustice. She herself had once been the target of opposition. Coming from a clan that had once had a great kekkei genkai(4), though by the time that Masaru and Mio had been born it had faded in power, Mio's parents, the last remaining members of the once proud clan, had been forced to flee Kirigakure no Sato(5) in the face of the fear of any sort of ability. Mio's first memories were filled with the fear of being discovered and killed by Mist Nin, and in the end the fear had not been baseless, as was proven by the deaths of her parents and the remainder of her family. But, then Mio had come to Konohagakure no Sato and been welcomed with open arms. Even her cold, uninterested mind-set had not deterred the overly friendly citizens of the city, and she soon found herself surrounded by friends. This was, perhaps, the real reason that Mio was so perplexed by the lack of receptiveness the citizens expressed to Naruto, one of their own, in comparison to their sociable attitude to two outsiders.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Mio regarded Naruto, an insensitive mask covering her pity, resigned to the fact that the only other people that would see Naruto as anything other then a dobe (or a baka(6), take your pick) were Umino Iruka, whose heart was big enough to encompass the entire world, and Hyuuga Hinata, who was completely blinded by admiration of Naruto's "bravery and determination." Mio snorted inwardly at the thought. Determination she could understand, but what was brave about changing yourself in order to gain acknowledgement? If anything, it showed a deep-seated weakness and dependence on others and their approval.
"Naruto, the test for graduation is in a week. You need to practice more if you want to pass," Iruka's voice interrupted Mio's train of thought.
It was true too. And, judging by the way that Naruto shuffled uncomfortably at the front of the class, it was obvious that he realized this as well. While most students could create two, three, or, in Sasuke's case, four perfect Bunshins, Naruto merely created one, pale, sickly version of himself.
Mio frowned slightly as all the students in the class laughed uproariously at him, excluding herself, Nara Shikamaru (who was too lazy to care), Hinata (who was too infatuated), and Sasuke (in whose world laughter did not exist whether malicious or not). She watched as the students sent malevolent glares at the boy that they hated only because they were told to hate him, thinking back on her own life, remembering being hated and feared simply because of who she was born, the pain, the fear, the loneliness…And then, before she knew what was happening, her mouth opened of its own accord, destroying in seconds the uncaring mask she had created throughout her life.
"Uruseiyo(7)!"
Notes for those who don't understand Japanese:
(1) Bunshin - Shadow replications.
(2) Dobe - Literally translates to 'dead last', though is somewhat more akin to loser.
(3) Konohagakure no Sato - The long name for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
(4) Kekkei genkai - Bloodline ability (Sharingan, Byakugan, etc.)
(5) Kirigakure no Sato - The long name for the Village Hidden in the Mist (where Zabuza, Haku, etc. came from)
(6) Baka - Idiot, moron, etc.
(7) Uruseiyo - This is possibly the most enlightening bit about Mio as of yet. It translates to shut up, but is in forceful command form (not exactly sure how else to put it). This form is purely spoken Japanese, and is generally only used by males as females are not usually as commanding. It is, however, used by more masculine or tough females, therefore giving a slight insight into her character. In terms of English, I guess this would be somewhere along the lines of a female using such terms as 'dude', 'man', etc. in essence, words you would more often hear used by a male. I suppose I used this form because I feel that Mio is right on the edge of being a more masculine female, though she is certainly not a 'tom-boy'.
Final Thoughts of the Author: Again, thank you for reading. If you see any mistakes please tell me. My writing is by no means perfect. Also, tell me about any qualms you have with the Japanese (perhaps a better translation or explanation). It would be most helpful.