Displacement
a one-shot by Ayu
Additional notes: No real spoilers. Two rather minor characters, yaoi if you want to see it that way. This is also pointless. Very, very pointless.
--
It wasn't like it ever hurt much. The boy had been used to it, ever since he first entered the Ninja Academy at the age of 6. Ninjas weren't supposed to be 'pretty'. They were simply to do what they were told to do by their respective kage.
Whenever he had asked his father about it, the older man always laughed it off and told him in a loud, boisterous voice to simply ignore them. This was, however, before the kyuubi attacked, and before everything changed.
As a student, he'd never been too spectacular. An average student with average skill and average power. His only defining features had been the fact that he was relatively slender for a young boy, so much that, at times, he had been mistaken for one of the few girls in the class.
It never bothered him as much as it should have. Better to just ignore it, let it all run off his back. He spent most of his lunch breaks outside, away from the other students, just to avoid the comments.
"What're you doing?"
The boy glanced up momentarily, instantly recognizing one of his classmates. After a moment of staring, he merely shrugged and looked aside.
"Hagane Kotetsu," the other boy stated proudly, crossing his arms. "And you're that Kamizuki kid, right?"
He only nodded in response. He didn't need anything other than that. Kotetsu was always a bit of an annoyance to him. Whenever one of the teachers asked something in class, Kotetsu would somehow manage to insert himself into the discussion, no matter if what he had to say was relevant or not. It got to the point where Kotetsu would follow him to his spot outside and spend all of their break just staring at him.
Kotetsu scratched at his head. "You don't talk much, do you?"
The boy gave him no response. Kotetsu relented for awhile, before questioning him again.
"You think we'll graduate the academy this year?"
The boy ran his finger through the dirt, tracing an old character he had once seen into it. Kotetsu tilted his head at him for a moment.
"You know, everyone thinks you're a bit weird."
It was nothing new to him. He shrugged again, starting on another character. At that, Kotetsu puffed his cheeks out, staring down at him. The boy remained oblivious.
"What's your dad like? 'Cause mine's... y'know... this ninja, too, and he--"
The boy's fingers stopped. The sudden lack of movement caught Kotetsu's eyes, causing him to stop midsentence. Slowly, the slender fingers curled up, scooping up traces of the dirt as they did so, and balled into a fist.
"... kyuubi," the boy murmered, staring down at his fist.
After a moment, a hand rested on top of the boy's head, ruffling his hair idly. Kotetsu stared down at him as he continued to remain lost in his own world.
For the next few days, it remained the same. The boy would sit outside with Kotetsu following him like a rather insistant puppy, and the two would spend the time having a one-sided conversation.
"You think maybe sensei's gettin' a little crazy in his old age?"
The boy stared.
"Y'should've seen it, though...! I mean, honestly, the guy was..."
The boy merely blinked. Yet, despite it all, Kotetsu remained undeterred.
"Hey, Izumo," he smirked, leaning over to the boy. "You wanna practice after school? Our exam's coming up."
"...yeah."
No one could keep quiet forever, after all.
a one-shot by Ayu
Additional notes: No real spoilers. Two rather minor characters, yaoi if you want to see it that way. This is also pointless. Very, very pointless.
--
It wasn't like it ever hurt much. The boy had been used to it, ever since he first entered the Ninja Academy at the age of 6. Ninjas weren't supposed to be 'pretty'. They were simply to do what they were told to do by their respective kage.
Whenever he had asked his father about it, the older man always laughed it off and told him in a loud, boisterous voice to simply ignore them. This was, however, before the kyuubi attacked, and before everything changed.
As a student, he'd never been too spectacular. An average student with average skill and average power. His only defining features had been the fact that he was relatively slender for a young boy, so much that, at times, he had been mistaken for one of the few girls in the class.
It never bothered him as much as it should have. Better to just ignore it, let it all run off his back. He spent most of his lunch breaks outside, away from the other students, just to avoid the comments.
"What're you doing?"
The boy glanced up momentarily, instantly recognizing one of his classmates. After a moment of staring, he merely shrugged and looked aside.
"Hagane Kotetsu," the other boy stated proudly, crossing his arms. "And you're that Kamizuki kid, right?"
He only nodded in response. He didn't need anything other than that. Kotetsu was always a bit of an annoyance to him. Whenever one of the teachers asked something in class, Kotetsu would somehow manage to insert himself into the discussion, no matter if what he had to say was relevant or not. It got to the point where Kotetsu would follow him to his spot outside and spend all of their break just staring at him.
Kotetsu scratched at his head. "You don't talk much, do you?"
The boy gave him no response. Kotetsu relented for awhile, before questioning him again.
"You think we'll graduate the academy this year?"
The boy ran his finger through the dirt, tracing an old character he had once seen into it. Kotetsu tilted his head at him for a moment.
"You know, everyone thinks you're a bit weird."
It was nothing new to him. He shrugged again, starting on another character. At that, Kotetsu puffed his cheeks out, staring down at him. The boy remained oblivious.
"What's your dad like? 'Cause mine's... y'know... this ninja, too, and he--"
The boy's fingers stopped. The sudden lack of movement caught Kotetsu's eyes, causing him to stop midsentence. Slowly, the slender fingers curled up, scooping up traces of the dirt as they did so, and balled into a fist.
"... kyuubi," the boy murmered, staring down at his fist.
After a moment, a hand rested on top of the boy's head, ruffling his hair idly. Kotetsu stared down at him as he continued to remain lost in his own world.
For the next few days, it remained the same. The boy would sit outside with Kotetsu following him like a rather insistant puppy, and the two would spend the time having a one-sided conversation.
"You think maybe sensei's gettin' a little crazy in his old age?"
The boy stared.
"Y'should've seen it, though...! I mean, honestly, the guy was..."
The boy merely blinked. Yet, despite it all, Kotetsu remained undeterred.
"Hey, Izumo," he smirked, leaning over to the boy. "You wanna practice after school? Our exam's coming up."
"...yeah."
No one could keep quiet forever, after all.