Thank you to Echo Uchiha for all the lovely reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying my story.

-sigh- I need to update Scorpion's Daughter and others.

I own nothing. I do not own Naruto or Evanescence, they are theirs by copyright. Am I breaking an ffnet rules, I don't think so.

Anyway, I've bored you good people enough. Enjoy the read.


Don't Say I'm not in touch.

With this rampant chaos your reality.

I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge.

The nightmare I built my own world to escape.

-Imaginary (Evanescence)


Naruto's body suddenly shot up in bed, his covers falling to the floor. Immediately he drew up his legs, his eyes darting around the room for any signs of enemies. Cool sweat trickled down his forehead as he slowly calmed down and he relaxed. When his body had finally relaxed all the way, he laid back down on his bed. Briefly, he looked toward the red numbers of his clock by his bedside. It was 4:05am.

To early to be up and to be thinking about the mysterious man that plagued his dreams and thoughts. The man that made his heart race just thinking about him. The mysterious man that always made him awake from his dreams in cold sweat, the man who oddly whispered in his ears about villagers that he should stay away from.

The man that protected a monster from harm.

Naruto silently scoffed, his face snuggling deeper into his pillow, his blond bangs hiding his face. Who would protect a monster? He was the very thing that the villagers scorned everyday. He saw those resentful gazes that followed him everyday. Those mouths that twisted into retched sneers adorned each and every one of those peoples' faces.

The messed up thing was that, he himself didn't know why. Why, everyone he ever encountered minus Sasuke had immediately hated him. Even the children he had foolishly tried to play with when he was younger, the outcasts from the orphanage that no one liked frowned whenever he was in sight.

Some of them had the nerve to cry while screaming at him, "Nobody would adopt someone that has been in the presence of a monster!"

When he was seven, in need of new clothes, Naruto had walked into a clothing shop that had just opened up. Praying to the Gods that this place would be nice enough to accept his money that the Sandaime had given him every month for food and other necessities. When he stopped in the shop, he was surprised when a nice looking lady had taken his hand quite gently to the front of the store.

She held up one long slim finger, signaling that she wanted him to stay there for a minute. Somewhere in the deep recess of his mind someone was telling that this was a trap. Even the man's voice had filtered through his mind, filling it to the core. "Naruto, you can find clothes elsewhere. Ask the Sandaime for some clothes, better yet you know you can now do a henge. Go get some clothes from charity." The man softly pleaded.

For once Naruto wanted to hide behind childhood's naïve view of the world. He wanted to believe that the store lady was truly nice, that she wanted give him clothes or help him pick out clothes. "Please, Naruto, please." He remembered the voice was begging him to go. For second, Naruto turned away about to exit the store and give into the voice telling him that he should have, but the lady came back.

"Sorry, I was gone for so long." She said her voice dipped in honey.

Smiling brightly, Naruto responded, "It's okay, I wasn't waiting long." For a second he thought she saw the lady frown her and eyes turn frigid. Nevertheless, he was distracted by her smile once again. Bringing out a box she sat on the table in front of her.

Opening the box she pulled out a mini-orange jumpsuit. It was hideous, eww. It was too bright for him, he was studying to be a ninja and he knew that bright colors were horrible. To wear that orange jumpsuit was like a dressing up as the Yondaime and run around in Iwa. "I think-" Naruto was cut off abruptly.

"I made this especially for you." She said excitedly. Naruto made an audible gulp; his blue eyes grew wide in shock. No one had ever made anything for him. This was too good to be true. Taking the clothes for once, Naruto's eyes became soft. You could see a child in them, just waiting to come out and scream his excitement at the top of his lungs.

Grabbing the whole box he moved to put the money on the table, but the lady didn't pushed it all back to him. "Seeing your happy face is enough," She said. Naruto said a small gave a nod, and then ran out of the store to his house.

Happy.

When he put on his clothes though baggy it knew he would grow into it. He went to bed smiling largely for once. He felt like he made one person endure his presence without any problems. The next day, however, when took the route behind a several shops to avoid things thrown at him, several people who usually never noticed him had.

They chased him all the way to the Academy. He was safe from them, although at school when he tried to hide he encountered the same problem. When he got home he looked at his clothes and it hit him like a bag of bricks.

His clothes were bright orange; he didn't have anything else to wear since his old clothes were too small. Everyone could now see him from a mile away. Naruto was startled that this had happened, not because he that "nice" lady had tried to kill him, it was because he had fallen for it.

His soft eyes grew shielded from the world once again.

Naruto stopped the flashback of his younger self; he couldn't change it even if he wanted too. Naruto didn't want to change the past, the past had taught him valuable lessons. From his clothes, he moved a hand to his face touching his scarred cheeks, to his cheeks. He finished the thought.

This man that always appeared in his dreams was nothing. He was an unimportant figure, probably something created from his mind. He hated to admit it, but sometimes he found himself alone wishing for a friend. His mind must have created a friend.

An imaginary friend that wasn't real at all. He shouldn't get attached to a figment that wasn't real. It was useless, neither should he get his hopes up that there was someone that actually cared for him in this world besides Sasuke. Taking a glance at his clock, Naruto got up. It was time for his first for him to train with his team.

Going through all the daily morning routines he went outside. Feeling empty, that orange haired man—imaginary friend, he corrected also managed to make him feel like that for the rest of the day. Walking to the Red Bridge, briskly, he was glad to find no one there at all.

Taking a nice seat on the ground, he leaned over toward the water. Staring blankly at the mirror image. He didn't hate his reflection, he actually enjoyed it was just that whenever he stared at a reflection he was compelled to really look at himself. To see if he was the horrific demon that everyone acted like he was. While he stared at himself, Naruto began to unconsciously search for a stone around him.

His hand grabbed a small rounded one, dropping it into the lake he watched the water ripple out. For a second the water flickered to the man he saw into his dreams and then he saw nothing.

Leaning against one of the Red Bridge's Columns, Naruto thoughts were clear. He liked the silence that surrounded his person. He really did enjoy it. Looking up at the sky that was painted with pinks and oranges and a sun coming up from behind the fluffy clouds, he was glad to see his favorite time of the day.

Sunrise to him despite himself was a new day. Naruto relentlessly had a burning hope that someone would finally accept him like Sasuke and the man that his mind created. That someone would see past his eyes and persona and really view the person inside. It sounded cheesy and cliché, but it was true.

He didn't want to be viewed as monster forever. He wanted to be like everyone else. He wanted for someone to like him…accept was the better word.

The Sun had risen to all the way, at the same time Naruto gave a miniscule smile; perhaps someone would really accept him.

He hoped that someone would be there for him to like….

"Pein." He finally said, like Pein. Although, he didn't know whom this Pein was he felt like it was he right name. In others words it fit.