A/N. Uhm... hello, FFnet. This is my first ever fanfiction. Saying I'm nervous is an understatement. It has, unfortunately, not been read by a beta-reader. I really hope it doesn't suck. There's a spoiler if you haven't read/watched up to Itachi death (cries). It's rated T for language. No pairing, unless you can find a way to make it a very, very, very mild SasuNaru. But, yeah. On with the story!
"You guys don't appreciate anything I do!" Bright cerulean eyes darkened.
"Naruto, vandalizing school property isn't exactly something to appreciate."
The teenager glared down his father. "There's no other damn way to express myself in this retched town."
"Naruto!" The blond turned to his mother, whose eyes were on fire. "I can't believe you would ever do anything like that!"
"Well, Mother," he snapped, "if you haven't noticed, I haven't been the best kid since, well, ever. This isn't even the worst thing I've done."
"You're sixteen! I was under the impression that you were smart enough to get it through your fucking head that the whole damn world doesn't belong to you!"
"Kushina, you need to calm-"
"No! You will not tell me to calm down! Our son is too much of a fool to even-"
"A fool? A fool? You think I'm an idiot? Goddamnit, Mom! I'm right fucking here! Right in front of you! How can you, how can you not-" Naruto blinked away angry tears that wanted so badly to fall. "I hate you both, damnit!"
The teen slammed the door shut on his way out, digging into his hoodie's pocket for his keys. He stormed down the front steps, ignoring the yelling and the sound of breaking glass inside the house, and walked towards his little orange pickup with the FXY SML license plate and the little fox his ex-girlfriend gave him hanging from the rear-view mirror.
The gravel roads seemed bumpier as usual when Naruto was driving down them towards absolutely nowhere. He didn't know how far he was from home, but he told himself he didn't care. He slowed down as he approached a small bridge to read it's name on the sign: "Sasuke's Bridge." Shrugging it off as nothing important, he drove across and continued down the country detours.
"You've got to be freaking kidding me."
The road was blocked. All the construction on the highways was ridiculous, in Naruto's opinion. What was wrong with shitty roads anyway? Just drive and get over it. But, there was nothing he could do about it now, so he parked under a shady and tree and started walking back towards that bridge.
It took forever to reach the stupid thing, and when Naruto finally did, he didn't see what was so special about the bridge anyway. The wood was splintered, the structure was poor, and it was so old. Deciding that he didn't care, that he had walked this far to get there and damn it he was going to enjoy, Naruto leaned against the railing and hoped not to get splinters in his arms.
Looking into the water, the young blond felt tears form in his eyes once again. Lately, it had been fight after fight with his parents. Something new everyday. It was usually something stupid, like when his music was on too loud or his room needed cleaning. However, things became serious whenever the subject was school.
Naruto was never a good student. In kindergarten, he was always scolded for always talking and never listening. In second grade, he broke another student's crayons, colored pencils, and pens when he had been teased about his hair color. In fifth grade, he got into a habit of stealing out of others' lunch boxes. He started ditching classes in middle school, hanging out with the wrong crowd. In high school, even those kids ditched him and he started going to class again.
Suddenly, as he watched a single tear fall into stream, a small boy with big coal eyes and the blackest hair appeared on the water. An innocent little smile lit the boy's face. He held up what looked like a dagger in front of him, and ran at an older boy who seemed to be his look-a-like, still smiling happily.
Naruto watched as the two dark-haired boys clashed: jabbing and ducking and hitting and blocking. It was like watching an action movie for kids, and it scared the hell out of the him. Naruto's eyes were wide with shock. How in the... where did they even come from?
The fight continued no longer than a few minutes. It ended with the older boy standing casually while the little one panted hard on the surface of the water. Naruto wondered briefly why they hadn't spotted him yet, and how they were even able to stand on the water like that.
"That's enough for today, Sasuke," said the older.
"Nii-san!" the one called Sasuke pouted at him, crossed his arms, and refused to take the hand his older brother offered him.
"Sasuke..." he sighed. "It's getting dark."
Naruto looked up into the sky; it looked as though it was just past noon. He turned back to the two of them, but the situation seemed different than before.
Sasuke didn't look much different, but it seemed as though his brother had grown older, and he was covered in blood.
"Nii-san?" Sasuke shook uncontrollably. "Nii-san, what happened? Are Mother and Father...?"
Naruto suddenly noticed the two bodies at the feet of the older brother. By the looks of it, they were dead. The older brother confirmed this.
"Why? Who did this?" Tears flooded from Sasuke's eyes, and Naruto knew he was watching something he definitely shouldn't be.
"I did," the older brother's voice was void of any emotion. The blond felt anger boiling deep inside him. He couldn't hear the stoic boy's voice or his words. He only saw the small boy crying as his brother explained everything.
Before he knew it, Sasuke was on his knees and the older boy was gone. The small boy slowly stood up, though he was still shaking. Then he did something Naruto had been waiting for; he looked straight into the blond's eyes. Neither acknowledged the other, except for Naruto's light blush at the fact that he had just watched this boy cry his eyes out as his brother explained how his parents died. If Sasuke noticed, he didn't say a word. Instead, he turned on his heel and wiped his eyes as he walked downstream.
"Hey!" Naruto yelled, "Where are you going? Sasuke!"
The teen ran off the bridge and caught up to the black-haired boy, but he knew better than to actually walk onto the water like Sasuke was doing.
Then something peculiar began to happen: Sasuke began to grow as they walked. He was no longer a little kid but a regular teenager. He was even a little taller than Naruto. His shoulders were broader, his face was sharper, his hair was shorter.
Naruto also noticed he looked angrier.
"Sasuke! Don't go!" Naruto spun around at the sound of a familiar voice. There was no one there.
"Sasuke!" The blond's eyes grew with realization. That was his voice. He turned back to the now-teenage boy. Sasuke paused for a moment but continued on as if he hadn't heard anything at all. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows but followed Sasuke anyway.
After a while, they walked away from the river and into the forest. That was when Naruto saw the older boy again. He was a young man now, couldn't have been older than twenty. He looked too tired for his age and seemed relieved that his little brother was here. It was as though he was ready to accept whatever Sasuke was willing to give.
Naruto couldn't help the small surge of anger towards the man at the memory of that murder, but something didn't feel right. The way his posture was slouched; the way his eyes lacked any excitement whatsoever. He was too willing.
Sasuke apparently didn't notice.
"Itachi."
"Sasuke."
Naruto observed how their final fight ended with Itachi's death. He saw another version of himself in an orange jumpsuit come afterwards, shouting Sasuke's name all the while. He watched as Sasuke turned around and stabbed him straight in the heart. He gazed at the tears mixed with blood run silently down the dark-haired teen's face.
Finally, Naruto stood still as Sasuke walked towards him, his eyes as red as the blood that stained his clothes.
"Why do you haunt me, Naruto?"
The blond said nothing. Sasuke looked at him regretfully for a minute before turning around and disappearing into nothingness.
Naruto ran. He ran like his life depended on it. He didn't even notice crossing Sasuke's Bridge, he just kept running. He ran until he reached his pickup; then he drove.
The teen finally slowed as he crossed the bridge. He subconsciously sniffed as tears flowed down his cheeks. All he was thinking about was his parents. His family and Sasuke's family. I need to see them. I need to tell them I'm sorry.
At the end of the bridge, Naruto saw Sasuke again. The dark-haired teen was looking straight, his face expressionless. He met the blond's eyes as their paths crossed. Naruto forgot how to breathe.
"Why do you haunt me...?"
Naruto breezed pass the other teen, pretending not to notice Sasuke watching him as he drove away. He wanted to forget that boy. He wanted to forget this whole day had ever happened.
I need to go home. I need to see my parents.
It seemed an eternity before Naruto finally saw his house at the end of the road. He slammed his foot on the gas and screeched to a stop once he reached the driveway. He turned off the engine, opened and closed the car door, and walked up the steps in record time.
It's only then when he noticed only one other car in the driveway. Hundreds of scenarios ran through his head. Someone abducted them. Someone got hurt. Someone died. They think someone took him. They think he died.
Before he started to really panic, Naruto began slamming his fist into the door. No one answered. He flung the door open without bothering to knock again and charged in the living room. No one was there.
Oh shi-
"Kushina?" Naruto turned his head to see his father standing imbetween the living room and the kitchen. His eyes were blood shot and his breathing was labored.
"Dad?"
Within moments Naruto was being crushed in the biggest hug his dad had given hims since elementary school. His shoulder was becoming wet with tears. Naruto loved his dad, but he didn't hug him back. He was numb; he couldn't bring himself to move his arms.
"Where's Mom?" was the first thing Naruto asked when his dad released him.
Naruto heard teeth clench. His father's gaze went to anywhere but his son. Nothing was said.
"Dad?" Naruto said slowly. "Where is Mom?"
"Gone," a dry sob came from the older man. "She's... she actually..."
"Oh, God."
~oOo~
Sasuke watched the woman with flaming red hair speed across his bridge in a small white car without even glancing at him.
He shook his head and sighed. "What a fucked up world."
I hope you enjoyed my first ever oneshot/fanfic in general! Ehhh... I will be soooo happy if I get any reviews, and I'll squeal like the fangirl I am if I they're positive reviews. Sooo, humor me?(: