Disclaimer: Why must I keep saying this… but I don't own anything. I'm poor and damn proud of it.
Warnings: Shonen-ai, violence, child abuse, language, rape, incest, etc. This thing is rated R for a reason people and its not because I want to be a pirate. Heed the rating, cuz its not nice to try and get others in trouble and all.
Pairings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, maybe even some SakuLee and InoShika in later chapters.
Summary: In the present time, Naruto has parents. Instead of loving him, like his soul always hoped they would, they despise him as much as everyone else. He is constantly beaten by both his father and his mother. What happens when those around him, like Sasuke and Sakura, find out that something's not quite right? AU, SasuNaru
Replies to reviews will be done at the end of the chapter
Title: Smile, Empty Soul
Chapter 01: Silhouettes
Naruto looked around him. It was about a week after he and Sasuke had started to share lunch and now Sasuke was bringing extra lunch just so that Naruto could have some. The entire idea of a "friend" was strange to the boy. As he waited for Sasuke to show up at their lunchtime meeting spot under the cherry blossoms, he contemplated why Sasuke would do this.
The boy didn't have a reason to be nice to Naruto. It wasn't as though Naruto had tried to be kind to him. He lay back, staring at the blue sky through the pink petals. He loved the outdoors. Anything that was green and growing and smelled like anything besides alcohol and cocaine, he loved.
The nagging thought in his mind persisted. Why was Sasuke being so fucking nice? It bothered Naruto after all the years of people shunning him to have him feel like this… like he was actually wanted in society.
I wonder if I should ask Sasuke when he comes, Naruto thought to himself.
"Oy!" a voice yelled. Naruto quickly sat up. Sasuke was hurrying over.
"Hey, Sasuke," the blonde greeted as the raven-haired boy made his way closer.
"Hello," Sasuke replied. He got out his bento lunch (box lunch) and handed a pair of chopsticks to Naruto. After they had been eating for ten minutes, trading jokes and bitching about teachers, Naruto felt that he had to say something or he would go insane just thinking about it!
"Ano… Sasuke," he began.
"Hn?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
There he had said it. Unconsciously, he curled his knees up to his stomach, placing his arms around them. He looked at Sasuke seriously as the other boy thought over how he would answer.
"I don't know," Sasuke finally answered. He looked directly at Naruto's eyes. "You just seem to be the only person in this entire fucking school that doesn't drool whenever I walk by. And you're pretty nice, a good friend. I don't know why everyone is such a fucking asshole to you."
Naruto chuckled, envisioning this. Sasuke smiled as well.
"So… Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
"Since this is Question Day or whatever, I wanted to ask you something."
"Hn?"
"Why don't you have your own lunch?"
Naruto paled, trying to figure out how to answer this. He couldn't use the same excuse that he had used last week. That would be stupid, especially since he kept eating more than his share of the lunch that Sasuke brought with him. He was trying to think up a reason when the two heard the sounds of someone or someones approaching them.
YES! Naruto thought in his head. I'M SAVED BY… he took a quick glance over. Shit… Haruno Sakura and Yamamoto Ino: The Presidents of the Official Uchiha Sasuke Fangirl (and guy) Club. (As you can see, there were a few Unofficial Fangirl/Fanboy clubs running around, but this one was the largest)
Naruto gulped silently as he saw both of them glare daggers at him for being the only person who ate with Sasuke nearly every day. Sasuke just kept his emotionless mask up as Sakura and Ino began to berate him about why he would hang out with "loser Naruto." Naruto took this chance to escape.
Silhouettes above the cradle hold me down
They won't let me go the wrong way
My mother taught me all the fables
Told me how in the end all the sinners have to pay but
After lunch, the class had gym with Kakashi-sensei. It was always weird, because the grey-haired teacher would always be reading a pervert book called Icha Icha Paradise (Come Come Paradise, for those who don't know). Yet he always caught the kids if they were doing something bad.
In the locker room beforehand, Naruto was changing into his gym uniform. He could almost feel the bruises appear on his back, arms and legs as he moved. It wasn't that great of a feeling.
Sasuke looked at him from the locker right next to him. When Naruto wasn't paying attention to what he friend was doing, Sasuke poked one of the bruises, causing the blonde to hiss in pain.
"Where did you get these, dobe?" Sasuke asked, his voice low so that the other boys in the locker room wouldn't hear him.
"N-n-nowhere," Naruto stammered, quickly putting on the ugly bright yellow gym shirt to cover up the wounds. He grinned good-naturedly at Sasuke and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Well, I'll see you out there."
As soon as he rounded the corner, he leaned against the wall, sighing with relief. He would definitely need to be more careful. He had almost been caught. If someone knew what his parents were doing… Naruto shuddered… he really didn't want to find out what Yon would do to him in revenge.
Shaking his head sadly, he made his way out to the gymnasium, where the exercises took his mind off everything except what he was doing.
I don't want to live like my mother
I don't want to let fear rule my life
I don't want live like my father
I don't want to give up before I die
After school, Sasuke got into his car. His brother, Itachi had just bought it for him when he got his license. Sasuke revved up the beat up black Honda and began to drive slowly home. He was surprised to see Naruto walking by himself away from the school building. He stopped the car by the blonde.
"Oy, Naruto!" he called.
The boy looked around him, startled, before noticing the car by him. "Hey, Sasuke."
"Want a ride home?" Sasuke asked.
"It'd be too bothersome," Naruto grumbled. He really didn't want anyone near his house. It was more for their own safety.
"No, it wouldn't be any trouble," Sasuke assured the boy.
Still, Naruto shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks, it's not that far anyway and I like to walk," he lied. He definitely needed to find better excuses for his friend. He was sure that Sasuke was beginning to suspect something.
However, instead of pressing the matter, Sasuke just nodded his head and went on his way, leaving Naruto to walk home.
He works so hard his bones are breaking
He wore them down
But long ago he lost the feeling
His good intentions leave me shaking
Show me how
I don't ever want to end up like he did
"You shitty little asshole!" Naruto's mother, Jenny, screamed. She brought he hand down on the side of his head, knocking him into the wall. Naruto winced and curled up.
"I'm sorry," he murmured softly, tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Jenny didn't hear him, didn't listen or just plain didn't care. She kicked the boy hard in the side. He recoiled before she finally grew bored of him and left. Naruto fled to his room, locking the door behind him.
Sitting in the corner, he pulled out something from under his desk. The pocketknife gleamed at him.
Slowly he placed it on his left wrist and pressed it into the skin. He was about to rake it backwards, finally ending his paltry existence when something entered his head.
You just seem to be the only person in this entire fucking school that doesn't drool whenever I walk by. And you're pretty nice, a good friend. I don't know why everyone is such a fucking asshole to you.
Sasuke… he realized, and then, just as his arm moved back on its own accord, he lightened the pressure. Gazing at the bubbling wound, Naruto knew it would leave a scar, but it wasn't deadly.
Feeling a strange sort of power at seeing the blood, Naruto experimented with a few sideways slashes, making designs in his skin with the blade. Sleep claimed him soon after and he hid the pocketknife. He didn't hide it because he thought that his parents would be disappointed. He hid it because he didn't want it used against him.
Curling up in the corner that he was in, Naruto fell into an uneasy sleep.
I don't want to live like my mother
I don't want to let fear rule my life
I don't want to live like my father
I don't want to give up before I die
The next day, Naruto awoke bright and early. Looking in the mirror, he gave a hollow laugh. "I look like shit," he grumbled. Just as he was about to turn away, his eye caught a flash of red. Staring into the mirror, he saw the reflection of the arm he had cut the night before. The blood had dried, sticking to his skin. Cursing himself for his stupidity, Naruto quickly ran to the bathroom. He slammed the lock on it shut and began to wash off the blood in the sink.
After getting the last of it off, he saw the dark, thin lines where the knife had sliced him. He rushed around the bathroom, finally finding an ace bandage in the closet. He wrapped his arm in it, hoping that no one would care to notice it that much. He went back to his room and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt with a t-shirt over it and some black, baggy pants. Grabbing his book bag, he made his way silently out of the house, only able to breathe easier when he was a block and a half away.
Naruto took out his CD player and made his way to school, softly singing in tune to Zeromancer. He finally made it to school. Glancing at the clock on the wall in the hallway, he swore. It was only seven thirty in the morning. No one would be coming in for another half-hour. Shrugging off his book bag, he stepped into his classroom and took his seat by the window.
When I have kids
I won't put any chains on their wrists, I won't
I'll tell them this
There's nothing in this world that
You can't be if you want it enough
Sasuke parked his car, his mind still on his best friend. In fact, Naruto was the black-haired boy's only friend. The blonde never judged Sasuke for being an Uchiha. I don't even think Naruto cared that he was from a prestigious and rich family. Naruto saw Sasuke as Sasuke.
Sasuke smiled to himself as he sat in his black Honda. It wasn't as though he was reluctant to go inside: he couldn't care less! It was just that, for the moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of the blonde. He slowly shook his head, staring out the window. Slowly, he got out of his car, grabbed his knapsack and made his way into the school building.
Inside, Sasuke decided to just go right to his homeroom. There wasn't really anything else to do, anyway. He wasn't surprised to find that Naruto was sitting in his usual corner chair, his eyes closed and singing to his music. Sasuke walked over to his friend and slammed his book bag onto the desk.
Naruto jumped a foot into the air. "Shit, Sasuke!" he yelped. "What was that for?"
Sasuke smirked. "Nothing, dobe," he sneered.
Naruto just grinned back. So the raven-haired student had been teasing him again. What else was new?
"So, what's for lunch today?" Naruto asked expectantly, putting his headphones away.
"It's a surprise."
"Aww… what is it, Sasuke-kun," Naruto whined.
Sasuke just smiled mysteriously and left it at that. He was going through his book bag when a hand snaked its way into the sack and pulled out his sketchpad. Sasuke looked at it with widened eyes as Naruto began to flip through it. All of the sudden, the boy stopped.
"Kawaii desu!" he yelled, a genuine grin on his face as he looked at the drawing.
Sasuke looked over and peaked at what he was talking about. It was the picture he had drawn earlier of the Nine-Tailed Fox, curled up and sleeping with its head on its paws.
"You like foxes?" Sasuke asked, looking at his friend.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. He definitely loved foxes. They were his favorite animal in the entire world. That's why Kyuubi was a fox.[1] He smiled as he thought of Kyuubi.
Noticing how hot it was, and forgetting all about his little fiasco with the knife the night before, Naruto rolled up the sleeves to his shirt.
Sasuke, who was smiling just a moment ago, looked at him with concern. He saw the ace bandage, and he noticed the blood seeping through it slowly.
"What happened, Naruto?" he asked in a deadly serious voice.
Naruto looked at him, confused. "Nani?" he asked.
Sasuke grabbed the boy's left wrist, noticing how Naruto winced in pain. He thought he heard the boy mutter, "oh… that" but wasn't completely sure.
"What happened?" Sasuke asked again.
"It's nothing," Naruto tried to assure him, grinning. He tried to pull his wrist back but Sasuke had a firm grip on it. His face was serious and his voice dangerously low.
"Tell me, Naruto!" he pleaded, still not releasing the boy's hand.
"I did. It's nothing," Naruto responded. Sasuke didn't miss the fear in the boy's eyes, no matter how much Naruto tried to disguise it.
"Fine… I won't press you… this time," Sasuke growled, turning back to his sketchpad (he recovered it from Naruto a few minutes beforehand) and began to draw.
"Are you mad at me or something?" Naruto whispered quietly as the rest of the class began filing in.
Sasuke didn't answer.
"Ne… Sasuke?"
Still nothing.
"Sasuke!"
Ignored.
Sighing, and feeling tears well in his eyes, Naruto turned back to the front of class, being sure to pull his sleeves down so that no one else could see the bloody sight.
And I don't want to live like my mother
I don't want to let fear rule my life
And I don't want to live like my father
I don't want to give up before I die
[1] In this fanfiction, Kyuubi is Naruto's invisible friend, okay? I got the idea earlier, so that's how Kyuubi is in this story.
Okay, that's it for Chapter Two of "Smile, Empty Soul." Here's where I get to thank all my reviewers.
ITSAME – Hopefully ff.net won't catch me. It kinda makes me feel like a phantom thief or something. Don't ask me why. Too much anime for Kyuubi-chan. That's all I've got to say. Moving on, however… I'm glad you liked the first chapter and hopefully the second chapter wasn't completely horrible.
Lone Ronin – yeah, I know its not completely original, but I had never seen it done with Naruto before. And instead of doing the entire hate to love thing. I decided to have them start out as friends instead of rivals. I think that makes it seem more realistic, neh? I love Smile Empty Soul too. The next chapter is one of my favorite songs on the track. Nowhere Kids. WHOO I GET BONUS POINTS FOR TASTE IN MUSIC ((runs around screaming and waving a big cow))
To Rai-chan, Ookima, seOsiris and Kisu thank you so much for reviewing! I love you all! Here, have cookies. passes out lots and lots of cookies
Warnings: Shonen-ai, violence, child abuse, language, rape, incest, etc. This thing is rated R for a reason people and its not because I want to be a pirate. Heed the rating, cuz its not nice to try and get others in trouble and all.
Pairings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, maybe even some SakuLee and InoShika in later chapters.
Summary: In the present time, Naruto has parents. Instead of loving him, like his soul always hoped they would, they despise him as much as everyone else. He is constantly beaten by both his father and his mother. What happens when those around him, like Sasuke and Sakura, find out that something's not quite right? AU, SasuNaru
Replies to reviews will be done at the end of the chapter
Title: Smile, Empty Soul
Chapter 01: Silhouettes
Naruto looked around him. It was about a week after he and Sasuke had started to share lunch and now Sasuke was bringing extra lunch just so that Naruto could have some. The entire idea of a "friend" was strange to the boy. As he waited for Sasuke to show up at their lunchtime meeting spot under the cherry blossoms, he contemplated why Sasuke would do this.
The boy didn't have a reason to be nice to Naruto. It wasn't as though Naruto had tried to be kind to him. He lay back, staring at the blue sky through the pink petals. He loved the outdoors. Anything that was green and growing and smelled like anything besides alcohol and cocaine, he loved.
The nagging thought in his mind persisted. Why was Sasuke being so fucking nice? It bothered Naruto after all the years of people shunning him to have him feel like this… like he was actually wanted in society.
I wonder if I should ask Sasuke when he comes, Naruto thought to himself.
"Oy!" a voice yelled. Naruto quickly sat up. Sasuke was hurrying over.
"Hey, Sasuke," the blonde greeted as the raven-haired boy made his way closer.
"Hello," Sasuke replied. He got out his bento lunch (box lunch) and handed a pair of chopsticks to Naruto. After they had been eating for ten minutes, trading jokes and bitching about teachers, Naruto felt that he had to say something or he would go insane just thinking about it!
"Ano… Sasuke," he began.
"Hn?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
There he had said it. Unconsciously, he curled his knees up to his stomach, placing his arms around them. He looked at Sasuke seriously as the other boy thought over how he would answer.
"I don't know," Sasuke finally answered. He looked directly at Naruto's eyes. "You just seem to be the only person in this entire fucking school that doesn't drool whenever I walk by. And you're pretty nice, a good friend. I don't know why everyone is such a fucking asshole to you."
Naruto chuckled, envisioning this. Sasuke smiled as well.
"So… Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
"Since this is Question Day or whatever, I wanted to ask you something."
"Hn?"
"Why don't you have your own lunch?"
Naruto paled, trying to figure out how to answer this. He couldn't use the same excuse that he had used last week. That would be stupid, especially since he kept eating more than his share of the lunch that Sasuke brought with him. He was trying to think up a reason when the two heard the sounds of someone or someones approaching them.
YES! Naruto thought in his head. I'M SAVED BY… he took a quick glance over. Shit… Haruno Sakura and Yamamoto Ino: The Presidents of the Official Uchiha Sasuke Fangirl (and guy) Club. (As you can see, there were a few Unofficial Fangirl/Fanboy clubs running around, but this one was the largest)
Naruto gulped silently as he saw both of them glare daggers at him for being the only person who ate with Sasuke nearly every day. Sasuke just kept his emotionless mask up as Sakura and Ino began to berate him about why he would hang out with "loser Naruto." Naruto took this chance to escape.
Silhouettes above the cradle hold me down
They won't let me go the wrong way
My mother taught me all the fables
Told me how in the end all the sinners have to pay but
After lunch, the class had gym with Kakashi-sensei. It was always weird, because the grey-haired teacher would always be reading a pervert book called Icha Icha Paradise (Come Come Paradise, for those who don't know). Yet he always caught the kids if they were doing something bad.
In the locker room beforehand, Naruto was changing into his gym uniform. He could almost feel the bruises appear on his back, arms and legs as he moved. It wasn't that great of a feeling.
Sasuke looked at him from the locker right next to him. When Naruto wasn't paying attention to what he friend was doing, Sasuke poked one of the bruises, causing the blonde to hiss in pain.
"Where did you get these, dobe?" Sasuke asked, his voice low so that the other boys in the locker room wouldn't hear him.
"N-n-nowhere," Naruto stammered, quickly putting on the ugly bright yellow gym shirt to cover up the wounds. He grinned good-naturedly at Sasuke and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Well, I'll see you out there."
As soon as he rounded the corner, he leaned against the wall, sighing with relief. He would definitely need to be more careful. He had almost been caught. If someone knew what his parents were doing… Naruto shuddered… he really didn't want to find out what Yon would do to him in revenge.
Shaking his head sadly, he made his way out to the gymnasium, where the exercises took his mind off everything except what he was doing.
I don't want to live like my mother
I don't want to let fear rule my life
I don't want live like my father
I don't want to give up before I die
After school, Sasuke got into his car. His brother, Itachi had just bought it for him when he got his license. Sasuke revved up the beat up black Honda and began to drive slowly home. He was surprised to see Naruto walking by himself away from the school building. He stopped the car by the blonde.
"Oy, Naruto!" he called.
The boy looked around him, startled, before noticing the car by him. "Hey, Sasuke."
"Want a ride home?" Sasuke asked.
"It'd be too bothersome," Naruto grumbled. He really didn't want anyone near his house. It was more for their own safety.
"No, it wouldn't be any trouble," Sasuke assured the boy.
Still, Naruto shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks, it's not that far anyway and I like to walk," he lied. He definitely needed to find better excuses for his friend. He was sure that Sasuke was beginning to suspect something.
However, instead of pressing the matter, Sasuke just nodded his head and went on his way, leaving Naruto to walk home.
He works so hard his bones are breaking
He wore them down
But long ago he lost the feeling
His good intentions leave me shaking
Show me how
I don't ever want to end up like he did
"You shitty little asshole!" Naruto's mother, Jenny, screamed. She brought he hand down on the side of his head, knocking him into the wall. Naruto winced and curled up.
"I'm sorry," he murmured softly, tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Jenny didn't hear him, didn't listen or just plain didn't care. She kicked the boy hard in the side. He recoiled before she finally grew bored of him and left. Naruto fled to his room, locking the door behind him.
Sitting in the corner, he pulled out something from under his desk. The pocketknife gleamed at him.
Slowly he placed it on his left wrist and pressed it into the skin. He was about to rake it backwards, finally ending his paltry existence when something entered his head.
You just seem to be the only person in this entire fucking school that doesn't drool whenever I walk by. And you're pretty nice, a good friend. I don't know why everyone is such a fucking asshole to you.
Sasuke… he realized, and then, just as his arm moved back on its own accord, he lightened the pressure. Gazing at the bubbling wound, Naruto knew it would leave a scar, but it wasn't deadly.
Feeling a strange sort of power at seeing the blood, Naruto experimented with a few sideways slashes, making designs in his skin with the blade. Sleep claimed him soon after and he hid the pocketknife. He didn't hide it because he thought that his parents would be disappointed. He hid it because he didn't want it used against him.
Curling up in the corner that he was in, Naruto fell into an uneasy sleep.
I don't want to live like my mother
I don't want to let fear rule my life
I don't want to live like my father
I don't want to give up before I die
The next day, Naruto awoke bright and early. Looking in the mirror, he gave a hollow laugh. "I look like shit," he grumbled. Just as he was about to turn away, his eye caught a flash of red. Staring into the mirror, he saw the reflection of the arm he had cut the night before. The blood had dried, sticking to his skin. Cursing himself for his stupidity, Naruto quickly ran to the bathroom. He slammed the lock on it shut and began to wash off the blood in the sink.
After getting the last of it off, he saw the dark, thin lines where the knife had sliced him. He rushed around the bathroom, finally finding an ace bandage in the closet. He wrapped his arm in it, hoping that no one would care to notice it that much. He went back to his room and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt with a t-shirt over it and some black, baggy pants. Grabbing his book bag, he made his way silently out of the house, only able to breathe easier when he was a block and a half away.
Naruto took out his CD player and made his way to school, softly singing in tune to Zeromancer. He finally made it to school. Glancing at the clock on the wall in the hallway, he swore. It was only seven thirty in the morning. No one would be coming in for another half-hour. Shrugging off his book bag, he stepped into his classroom and took his seat by the window.
When I have kids
I won't put any chains on their wrists, I won't
I'll tell them this
There's nothing in this world that
You can't be if you want it enough
Sasuke parked his car, his mind still on his best friend. In fact, Naruto was the black-haired boy's only friend. The blonde never judged Sasuke for being an Uchiha. I don't even think Naruto cared that he was from a prestigious and rich family. Naruto saw Sasuke as Sasuke.
Sasuke smiled to himself as he sat in his black Honda. It wasn't as though he was reluctant to go inside: he couldn't care less! It was just that, for the moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of the blonde. He slowly shook his head, staring out the window. Slowly, he got out of his car, grabbed his knapsack and made his way into the school building.
Inside, Sasuke decided to just go right to his homeroom. There wasn't really anything else to do, anyway. He wasn't surprised to find that Naruto was sitting in his usual corner chair, his eyes closed and singing to his music. Sasuke walked over to his friend and slammed his book bag onto the desk.
Naruto jumped a foot into the air. "Shit, Sasuke!" he yelped. "What was that for?"
Sasuke smirked. "Nothing, dobe," he sneered.
Naruto just grinned back. So the raven-haired student had been teasing him again. What else was new?
"So, what's for lunch today?" Naruto asked expectantly, putting his headphones away.
"It's a surprise."
"Aww… what is it, Sasuke-kun," Naruto whined.
Sasuke just smiled mysteriously and left it at that. He was going through his book bag when a hand snaked its way into the sack and pulled out his sketchpad. Sasuke looked at it with widened eyes as Naruto began to flip through it. All of the sudden, the boy stopped.
"Kawaii desu!" he yelled, a genuine grin on his face as he looked at the drawing.
Sasuke looked over and peaked at what he was talking about. It was the picture he had drawn earlier of the Nine-Tailed Fox, curled up and sleeping with its head on its paws.
"You like foxes?" Sasuke asked, looking at his friend.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. He definitely loved foxes. They were his favorite animal in the entire world. That's why Kyuubi was a fox.[1] He smiled as he thought of Kyuubi.
Noticing how hot it was, and forgetting all about his little fiasco with the knife the night before, Naruto rolled up the sleeves to his shirt.
Sasuke, who was smiling just a moment ago, looked at him with concern. He saw the ace bandage, and he noticed the blood seeping through it slowly.
"What happened, Naruto?" he asked in a deadly serious voice.
Naruto looked at him, confused. "Nani?" he asked.
Sasuke grabbed the boy's left wrist, noticing how Naruto winced in pain. He thought he heard the boy mutter, "oh… that" but wasn't completely sure.
"What happened?" Sasuke asked again.
"It's nothing," Naruto tried to assure him, grinning. He tried to pull his wrist back but Sasuke had a firm grip on it. His face was serious and his voice dangerously low.
"Tell me, Naruto!" he pleaded, still not releasing the boy's hand.
"I did. It's nothing," Naruto responded. Sasuke didn't miss the fear in the boy's eyes, no matter how much Naruto tried to disguise it.
"Fine… I won't press you… this time," Sasuke growled, turning back to his sketchpad (he recovered it from Naruto a few minutes beforehand) and began to draw.
"Are you mad at me or something?" Naruto whispered quietly as the rest of the class began filing in.
Sasuke didn't answer.
"Ne… Sasuke?"
Still nothing.
"Sasuke!"
Ignored.
Sighing, and feeling tears well in his eyes, Naruto turned back to the front of class, being sure to pull his sleeves down so that no one else could see the bloody sight.
And I don't want to live like my mother
I don't want to let fear rule my life
And I don't want to live like my father
I don't want to give up before I die
[1] In this fanfiction, Kyuubi is Naruto's invisible friend, okay? I got the idea earlier, so that's how Kyuubi is in this story.
Okay, that's it for Chapter Two of "Smile, Empty Soul." Here's where I get to thank all my reviewers.
ITSAME – Hopefully ff.net won't catch me. It kinda makes me feel like a phantom thief or something. Don't ask me why. Too much anime for Kyuubi-chan. That's all I've got to say. Moving on, however… I'm glad you liked the first chapter and hopefully the second chapter wasn't completely horrible.
Lone Ronin – yeah, I know its not completely original, but I had never seen it done with Naruto before. And instead of doing the entire hate to love thing. I decided to have them start out as friends instead of rivals. I think that makes it seem more realistic, neh? I love Smile Empty Soul too. The next chapter is one of my favorite songs on the track. Nowhere Kids. WHOO I GET BONUS POINTS FOR TASTE IN MUSIC ((runs around screaming and waving a big cow))
To Rai-chan, Ookima, seOsiris and Kisu thank you so much for reviewing! I love you all! Here, have cookies. passes out lots and lots of cookies