Ain't gonna lie, this is pretty random. It's slight crack, with serious a somewhat-serious tone at the end. I'll explain more at the end.
A Meeting of Chance
A CyrusII One-Shot
"Sometimes chance isn't all that random"
"Hmmm…"
To the left.
To the right.
Upside down.
"I think I'm lost." He was staring at a crudely drawn map. Gaara for all of his… Gaara-ness couldn't draw worth a crap.
He turned the map right side up.
"Screw it!"
The map was suddenly burning.
"MAHAHA!" His evil laughter was short lived as he realized there wasn't really anyone around to hear it. He attempted to regain his composure. Wouldn't do well to lose some of his precious, little sanity.
"Oh well." He glanced down at the burning pill before grinning. He popped out a small white box and removed one of his self-rolled cancer sticks.
It now hung limply from his mouth as he scratched his head and looked around. His face showed confusion well honed from years of not understanding.
"Maybe…" He glanced down at the burning map. "That wasn't the best idea."
"Ok ok! Hold yourself together Uzumaki!" He began giving himself a pep-talk of sorts. "Now let's see."
He peered around once more, someone might have noted that his eyes were uncannily sharp for someone who just seemed so confused.
A few stacks of smoke.
"Score!"
Smoke meant people. People meant food.
And food meant…
"RAMEN!"
Naruto Uzumaki disappeared moving at speeds few mortals could ever hope to match.
"Well… this place…" He trailed off looking around at the weird buildings. "Homey?"
Everything was wood and very (as in very, very) simple. The structures looked as if a small Fuuton could send them toppling.
He could admit though, the town was very peaceful. He almost felt bad disturbing their quaint little town with his rude, obstructive self. Almost.
He was use to people being freaked out by him. Today though it wasn't so much him, as the little item hanging from his belt. They looked at it strangely. Then they looked up at his face.
He almost laughed at it. It's like they expected him to wear his mask the entire time.
He liked his mask though, don't get him wrong. It spoke clearly of his nature. Pure white except for a red,devilish grin with upturned crescent moon eye-holes. He always did fancy himself a trickster.
As nice as the town was, he was having a major issue with it at the time.
"Where the ramen!?"
The town was simple, so it was understandable that its eating establishments were… limited. Then again, he doubted people ate much if anything at all. It was wealthy in peace, not in cash.
"I swear, I'm gonna start murderizing people if I don-"
He paused as it drew him in. It's allure was almost magical in a sense. He didn't even seem to walk, he simple floated towards it.
"Raaaammmmeeennn!"
He licked his lips as he entered the small stand.
"What's up!?"
A middle-aged women glared up from where she was cooking and settled a gaze on him.
"I mean…" He began to feel sweat forming on his brow. "Greetings!"
The women didn't back down. "Errr… Nee-chan!"
She quirked an eyebrow for a second before smirking.
"What can I get you, blondie?"
His grin went into overdrive.
"Miso with pork, nee-chan!"
"Alright alright, take a seat."
He followed her advice and began bouncing with excitement.
A few moments later and his precious was sitting in front of him in all of its steamy glory.
Ready…
Set…
"Who are you?"
He paused his pre-ramen preparations to look at the source of the voice.
It was a small boy that wasn't even as tall as his stool. The boys brown hair looked rather plain on him. If Naruto was honest, the boy was wholly unremarkable. That wasn't an excuse for being a bastard though.
"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." He nodded to himself and was about to dive in…
"What are you eating?"
He had to stop dead in his tracks. He turned to the boy, his face grave and serious.
"You've… you've never had ramen?" His voice was as incredulous as it came. He noticed the boy was holding his stomach in a manner that spoke of hunger.
"No…?" He seemed quite hesitant.
"Nee-chan! Get me some more ramen! Plenty of it!" The kid just had to blink with that confused expression that only kids can really do.
Naruto pushed his bowl to his side and patted the stool.
"Sit, allow me to educate you on the new level of awesome that I am about to introduce you to known solely as…" He bowed his head solemnly. "Ramen."
The kid's eyes brightened and the ramen lady even smiled a little bit and shook her head.
And so Naruto and the kid ate.
And Naruto talked through a mouth full of noodles.
And the ramen lady scowled at him in a playful manner.
And the kid laughed.
"… and anyways."
Naruto slurped his last bit of broth out of his bowl. He clanked it down beside two of its brothers.
"So what's your name kid?"
The brown haired kid's head sunk and he mumbled out something.
"What was that?" Naruto had heard it, but the kid needed to show a little bravery.
"It's… Nanashi."
"Nameless huh?"
"Yea… it's really annoying."
"Better named nameless than demon or something." The boy looked up at him before he began nodding slowly.
"I guess…" He seemed to want to say something else but was hesitant again.
As another bowl of ramen was set in front of him Naruto could only say almost off-handedly, "Yes?"
"You're strong aren't you?"
Naruto's face was packed with noodles at the moment so he decided to swish his head around for a moment in contemplation. The kid was pretty sharp.
He gulped the mouthful down before answering, "Hey, I suppose I am!" He grinned at the kid. "Cool!" He was always good at childish antics.
"How did you get so strong?" Naruto wondered if he was ever so inquisitive. He settled on yes and probably a lot louder.
"Well…" He paused his gorging.
'I can't go tell a random kid about all the shit I've gone through…' He thought. He snapped his fingers a split-second later.
"You gotta dream kid!"
The kid cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"
"Dream kid, and big too!"
The ramen lady seemed to be paying attention at this point.
"Dreams are what lead people to greatness. Whether it's dreaming of love, of ruling, or even of just acknowledgment. Hopes and dreams? They can lead people to do insane things, and not always the best thing. I could tell you about a guy…" He rubbed his chin with nostalgic thoughts dancing through his head.
"But if you're just dreaming, how will you get anything done?"
"Come on nameless! Look underneath the underneath. I don't mean just sit there and day dream!"
Nanashi began nodding.
"Gotta have that one dream, kid. That one that keeps your up at night thinking about when you could really be dreaming. People love the ambitious geniuses!"
A small start of a scowl could be seen around his eyes and lips. The two spectators to his little show weren't the best at reading people, but they could both tell he was recollecting something from the past.
"Me? I would take an idiot with a dream any day."
The boy's eyes were saucers.
"D-d… do you have a dream?"
The whiskered blonde smiled a small, sad sort of smile. 'Hokage.'
"Yea." He answered a bit more subdued. "I dreamed of being the strongest and being the leader of my village."
The boy was bright and wisely (as in very) chose to not ask.
"Well." Naruto turned to the speaking nameless wonder. "That will be my dream too." The boy grinned and the ramen lady couldn't help but see a little bit of similarities between her two customers.
"Really now? I've heard a few stories about the warriors around here.
"Some say they are insane people running around with swords" He animatedly swinged a chop stick. "And shooting fireballs and lighting and stuff!" He pointed his fingers at the stove waving his fingers, as if his will alone was keeping the stove from failing at that very moment.
"All very dangerous for a young boy like yourself to be playing with." He nodded solemnly.
"Well you don't look very dangerous!"
Naruto had to blink at this statement.
"Kid, that's the best part of being dangerous!"
"I… I don't understand."
"People, as a whole, accept things for face value. They see a house and think 'Oh there's a house' they don't think 'Oh there's an enemy base that is surrounded by enough traps to take down an army' or something like that." Naruto nodded to himself.
"Uhhh…"
"Ok… how bout a better example?" He looked down at his ramen bowl.
"Take this masterpiece sitting in front of me. Ramen's noodles, broth, and whatever you want to throw in. Right?"
"Right."
"But ramen is delicious. The outer simplicity hides the true beauty that is ramen!"
"But-"
"I know, I know! You know how I said look underneath the underneath earlier?"
"Well, yea."
"Well, hide underneath the underneath of the underneath!"
The boy starting nodding slowly but it quickly picked up pace.
"See, people think I'm just some loud, idiotic fool."
He slurped some noodles.
"While there is some truth to that…"
Nanashi found something poking the side of his neck.
"While they over look the passing fool, I'm sliding a blade between their rib cage." Naruto took the chopstick from Nanashi's neck.
Nanashi never even saw him move and Naruto hadn't even looked from his ramen.
"People will always underestimate the nice guy, or the goofy fool. Pigeons, I tell ya!"
The boy was listening in rapt attention and revelry. Naruto amused the idea of starting a following, he had the speaking down at least.
The boy was taken back suddenly.
Naruto turned to the side, shoveling more ramen into his mouth still. He had a healthy pile of bowls. Nanashi has eaten only two and a third was still a third full.
"What's wrong?"
The boy did his best scowl, which wasn't much.
"My name… it's not very good for some great leader type."
"Man what's up with you and the name? That name, if anything would help you stay under the radar."
The boy did his best glare, which once again wasn't much.
"Alright alright!" He rubbed the back of his head in thought.
'A name, a name, a name. Namey McName name name.'
'Something easily remembered. Doesn't lean either way on the scale of righteousness. How about...'
"I got it!" He snapped his fingers.
He stood rather formally.
"Nanashi! Hence forth all beings, alive and dead, shall know you as the great, the awe inspiring and above all else fearless..."
Naruto waved goodbye to the boy-formally-known-as-Nanashi as he pushed the flap that lead into the stand aside.
'What a nice day.' It was, the sun was shining. His stomach was filled with ramen. Not to mention he had just made a rather interesting little friend.
'Life doesn't get much better.' He barked with laughter after thinking this. 'Life'
As he disappeared with a whirl of speed, he briefly heard a sound. It sounded strangely like a middle-age-ramen chef finding a much too large tip, but where would that be coming from?
He went into a slow pace somewhere outside of the village and began strolling through the forest.
He began thinking back to the boy at the ramen stand. He didn't know why he did some of those things, and felt the need to inspire the boy to greatness.
He just… had that feeling. It was a feeling in his gut. A feeling that he should do something or history its self would be different.
He imagined Neji standing up on a mountain top screaming some fate jargan. He couldn't help but chuckle at him striking a pose that was far too similar to Gai and Lee's while saying it.
He turned around to face the direction that lead back to the town.
'I wonder…'
His eyes shifted. They would startle any who saw them on the young man at the moment.
Those were old eyes. Eyes of people who have seen places and things that most people couldn't imagine. Eyes that have been around a few too many times.
"I do wonder…" He began talking to himself out loud. He unclipped his mask and settled it on his face.
"I wonder why I spent a little bit of my vacation time on you." He drew a small, very plain looking dagger. It didn't even have a hilt guard.
"I wonder why I said those words and gave you that name." He could only guess how the seemingly random name popped into his head.
He twirled the dagger once and then stabbed the dagger forwards. It seemed to pierce the very air and was buried up to the hilt into it.
"And I can't just help wonder what will become of you…"
He turned the dagger, almost as if a key in a lock.
A maw of darkness opened up before him.
He turned back once more, his blue eyes gone. They were replaced by yellow orbs, they weren't exactly soulless. They were pretty close though.
"What role in history will you play Sosuke Aizen?"
He cocked his blond and white covered head for a moment.
He shrugged and stepped in the gate way with his hands in his pockets.
The maw closed with nary a whisper.
Author's Note:
And there that is!
You can guess all you want. I will provide this though.
This one-shot is going on the following assumption.
Have a nice day.