Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! (Considers the possibility of flying to Japan and stealing certain paper work) Maybe someday though…
Chapter 2 Regrets
(Two points for whoever can guess the real meaning behind the name of Gais fighting style here!)
"...ura said he didn't do a thing to help them and the teacher let him get away with it!" "I feel so sorry for Sakura and Sasuke, getting stuck with that ass hole for a partner." "The principle should just kick him out of school, its not like he'll graduate any ways, too stupid for that." "I bet the reason he doesn't dress out is cause he's embarrest about how he looks. Probably bigger than Chouji." The whispers seemed to echo around the gym as the students stretched. Naruto ignored them though and looked directly at the floor. So far today he'd been yelled at for not having his homework for his first two classes and failed a surprise test they'd had in history that was in the homework. When he fell asleep yesterday afternoon when he went home he didn't wake until early this morning. He really only had time to do most of his math homework before he took a shower and dressed to go to school. He felt much better for it though and failed enough that it didn't really bother him too much. School came second in his life any ways, the first thing in his life was...
"All right I want you all to make four laps around the track for today!" The couch yelled out. The man, Mr. Gaples, seemed bent on making this period a miserable experience for him. Naruto inwardly groaned as the man signaled for him to come over. Naruto didn't mind participating most days but because the man argued with him so much on the completely stupid matter of dressing out for the entire period he never got the chance. The man looked down on him coldly and Naruto felt the ever growing need to spit in the mans face. "Uzumaki! Can you please give me a GOOD reason for why you didn't dress out today? I know that your not that intelligent but it doesn't take that much brain power to change clothes." Naruto felt his teeth grinde together and fisted his hands tight enough for the knuckles to turn white. Hmm, I don't know maybe I just decided that I wanted to see your ugly face for the hundreth time in a role for the entire period. Unfortunetly for him, this man taught both the sixth graders and seventh graders so this was his second year with him. A man named Gai taught the eighth graders and also taught neknurd tsif fighting class outside of school.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you Uzumaki!" Naruto continued to stare at the ground and envisioned what the man would look like with his tong tied in a knot. He'd probably still be trying to talk. Gaples stepped directly in front of him and bent down so that the mans face stood only inches away from Naruto's. "Do you realize that your grade for this nine weeks is already a low F and we've only been in school for a few weeks?!" Gaples practicaly spat into his face. "Do you realize your breath smells like you haven't brushed in a few weeks?!" Naruto asked innocently. Oops... Did I say that out loud? The man sputtered, his face turning a nice shade of red and a deep shade of purple further down. Oops... Gaples glared venemously at him and took several steps back. "Get your ass down to Detention immediately Uzumaki!" Well, I'm already screwed up, might as well leave with a bang. "Yes sir, Mr. Bad breath, sir!" Naruto yelled out as he jogged out of the field and towards the school. The sound of someone tripping and making a face plant came to his ears and he smiled to himself. "UZUMAKI!" Well, that was more of a thud, but whatever.
Chouji watched Naruto walk off and silently laughed at what he called back and the teacher falling on his face. In this class he hung out with Shino because he was the only person he knew in the period. Safe to say, conversation came in small amounts, if any. Chouji actually kinda liked Naruto but stayed away from the boy because of all the trouble he caused. He didn't want to get into any trouble at school even if he felt bad for him. The way the couch yelled at him every day like that for just not wanting to dress out seemed wrong though. He frowned, deep in thought but continued to jog until the couch called for them to return inside.
After practice he and Shikamaru headed towards the park a few miles from the school and three or four blocks from their homes. They'd been neighbors for many years and their fathers, along with Ino's, held many bussinesses and continuesly aided each other in any way possible. This cooperation between companies caused the group as a whole to flourish. His father was the head of the Akamichi Diners all over the city while Shikamaru's father headed three or four different industries ranging from a gaming company that regularly held tourniments all over the world to development of new technology. Ino's father did research in the pschological area and ran mental institutions all across the country. Almost all the children at Choujis school held some tie to the bussiness world and it was not a coincident either. Community Academy was an extremely prestigous school where the big bussiness men and politicals sent their children. Which sent even more quetions as to why Naruto came there when it appeared he held none of these.
Shikamaru and Chouji were the only one's on the team that did not participate in a second sport. Instead they chose to spend their time just hanging out together and with Ino when she wasn't with Sakura. Ino and Sakura practiced dance and Ino would often drag the two to her shows. Although she talked a lot Ino could often act like a tomboy, as long as Sakura was no where near the vacinity, so the boys enjoyed her company. The two found there favorite hill at the edge of the lake and Chouji sat down, a bag of chips opened and ready to go. Shikamaur layed down and peered up at the sky above, the remnents of clouds from yesterdays storm still here and there. They stayed like that for about an hour and then, when even Shikamaurs stomache growled, began to head home for dinner.
Chouji unlocked his door and opened it wide before he stuffed the key back into his bag. Shikamaru, hands in pockets, stepped in after him. The silent agreement that his own mother cooked horribly while Chouji's cooked wonderfly hung in the air as an invitation to eat at Chouji's each night. Chouhi's mother, a large, gentle woman, always welcomed Shikamaru into the house and secretly agreed about his mothers cooking. They found her in the kitchen with the television on some news channel that she seemed glued to while simultaneously cutting multiple vegetables at unbelievable speeds. The two ignored this, used to this particularly dangerous habit, and watched the television from stools by the counter.
The news anchor woman stood outside a skyscraper, the sound of cars and people heard in the distance. A large banner behind the woman read: 'Buju supports the children.' Everyone at school knew about Buju, a major company of the most in date fashion and design. Buju was the brand that everyone wore and if you didn't then you wanted it. Chouji couldn't remember the name of the man who ran the company but apparently he donated money or clothes to shelters and orphanges all across the country. A picture of him flicked on the screen for a moment and Chouji shivered. Not the nices looking guy around thats for sure. A whispered mutter caught his ear and he looked at his mother, a frown played across her face as the woman talked about how the man would be clothing a couple thousand children in a state nearby. The motion of her hands also stilled but after a minute or so she shook her head and the sound of metal against green continued. His eyes flickered over to Shikamaru who also seemed to have noticed the odd action. His mother whispered again but this time the two heared it. "I definetly don't like that man. Somethen just not right about him. His eyes... just not right." Chouji and Shikamaru stared for a moment but then Shikamaru just shrugged and the two began to set up the plates for dinner.
Naruto sat on the other side of the street and watched attentively as the students of Gai's fighting class go through their daily routine. Every Monday, Wensday and Thursday they held practice so he snuck out to watch them go through the motions and then practiced them on his own. If he found out that Naruto was attempting to learn how to fight... he didn't even want to know what the cosequences would be. The sun behind him lay almost beneath the earths last hills which actaully placed Naruto in a good position. The lights in the builiding shown brightly but the area Naruto sat in held shadows that hid him completely. Thus he could watch them but they couldn't see him. Naruto recognized only one person in the class. A girl who went by the name Hinata and one of the best female soccer players. Another one of Gai's students seemed to be related to her. The same fair skin, light blue eyes and dark hair color, but his hair stretched past his butt and was bond at the bottom.
Because of the distance he could not here them and that forced him to geuss at their personalities through body language alone. This turned out to be like a game for him though. Hinata would go through her steps slowly, which is why he noticed her since she was the easiest to learn from. She seemed completely focused on the task at hand and looked like she enjoyed what she did. The other, taller male counterpart also seemed quiet but much stiffer than Hinata. He went through the exercises much faster and with sharper execution to each move. Some of the other students came to be just as interesting as Hinata and the stiff.
Gai's prized student, and look alike, stood as the most interesting. He wore the same weird, green jump suit as Gia did while they trained. While most wore simple sweat pants and a t-shirt these two wore a green one piece. The boy also wore orange leg warmers. The two reminded him of the energizer bunny. They just kept going and going with flaying arms and overexagerated motions. Naruto would often laugh his ass off right there on the side of the street and whenever the thought of them came up in school a goofy grin would spread across his lips and he would snicker silently to himself.
Many other students were in Gai's class but only one other really got his attention. The first thing that came to mind when he thought of her would be a mouse. Her brown hair pulled atop her head in two buns and slightly roundish face that almost always held a faint smile on her lips. She seemed to be a medium between Hinata and the boy. Her moves flowed like Hinatas but were sharp like her sibling(?) She seemed to be friends with Gai's clone and Hinata's sibling. She would point at the clone and say something that usually either settled him down or spurred him up. The weird thing was that she appeared to act comepletely different towards each person. She would be respected towards Gai, polite and a bit star struck towards Hinata's sibling and mischievous whenever with Hinata.
He learned a lot while he watched and felt a tinge of sadness at the thought that he would never be able to gain friends like that. When the students began to leave he quietly got up and walked towards his apartment. His place sat on the third floor and since he'd snuck out through his window he would have to use the fire escape to get back up. His body screamed at him in frustration and every step felt like a lecture from one of his teachers about how stupid and incompetent he was. He climbed up the crates and looked up at the latter another four feet above his head. The art wasn't getting up there, it was doing it quietly. He bent his knees and leaped up with good aim born from practice. He grasped the bars and lifted his legs onto the first platue before the bars even squeaked. He let go and dangled upside down for a brief moment before he pulled himself up.
As quietly and quickly as humanly possible he made his way up three more flights of stairs. The iron only slightly groaned under the weight as he moved gracefully from bar to bar. At his window he lifted himself onto the edge and balanced on the balls of his feet while fingers tugged at the windows seal. It moved up and he slipt in. He carefully closed the window behind him and gave the smallest of sighs as the only sign of his frayed nerves. He tugged his hoody off and over his head before he took off his shoes and gingerly put them on the ground. In the background the sound of the television could be heared and the snorts of a man but Naruto ignored these as he pulled out his notebook and started to finish the picture of a couple he'd seen. They'd been close together, fingers entwined and whispering to each other. Naruto liked the way they seemed polar opposites and thats why he'd chosen to draw them. The woman stood tall and thin but not particularly attractive in any way while the man was forced to look up to her because of his short stature. The man possessed a brilliant smile, with teeth completely white and strait, and eyes that seemed to glow a greenish hue. The two seemed oblivious to the world around them as if held in their own private place that no one could touch.
An hour past while he worked but he barely noticed. He couldn't quite get the hands correct and his poor eraser stood on the brink of nonexistence. He growled and then jumped at the sound of his door knob rattling. "Hey, you little shit I told ya I didn't want this door locked!" A gruff voice called from the other side. Naruto's heart jumped in his throat as he shoved his notebook under his bed. "Sssorry! I'll be there in a sec.!" Naruto shouted. He walked over to the door and hesistated at the metal knob before he unlocked it. The door swung open and slammed against the wall, its hinges shrieking in protest to its treatment. Naruto jumped back as the man walked in.
Grimy would be the word Naruto would chose to describe the man before him. A heavy set man that stood a good six feet three and a beared that still held food in its depths. Naruto backed up a step more to lessen the smell that assaulted his nose. The man wore clean clothes that even some of his classmates would envy but the man himself smelled like he'd rolled in a garbage can a few times and dumped a case of beer over his body. In his large fingers a cigarette played between them, not yet lit. His piggy face towered over Narutos and an ugly snarl seemed permanently etched on his features. "What the fuck were you up to in here you little basterd?!" The man accused, one stubby finger poking harshly into Naruto's chest. "Just homework," Naruto replied, his eyes anywhere but the mans face. The man looked at him, suspicion clear on his features. "Can't believe the boss made me watch a little piece a trash like you," he spat and shoved Naruto onto the bed, "wee bit o drugs and I'm on babysitten duty for two fucking years."
The man leaned agaisnt the door and stared at him angrily. Naruto swung his legs off his bed and backed up till his hand touched the side of his droor. His fingers brushed the hilt of a knife taped there and he waited with baited breath for what the man would do. "You haven't been saying nothing to no one have ya?" The man asked darkly. "No," Naruto answered. The anger slipt a bit and the man seemed to get a contemplative look on his face. "I got someone on my back and I need someone to deliver my stuff." The man said bluntly. "I'm not delivering your drugs," Naruto stated calmly. The anger came back to the mans eyes and Naruto gripped the hilt tightly. "Fine you little fucker," and with that the man left the room. Naruto sagged against the wall and let his hand fall away from the silver blade.
Sakura arrived at school and made her way to Kakashi's room. Despite everything she was actually excited about today. The first official Friday for commuity service. If the place they would work at today was withing the mile of the school they would walk but if the distance exceeded that they would be driven there in Kakashi's car. Today she wore a white spagetti shirt that stopped its track at just above her belly bottun with a pair of red jeans held up by a white belt. Several silver rings and braded bracelets hung on her fingers and wrists and for once no ribbon pulled her pink bangs from her face. Instead she put some special spray in it that made it a bit stiff but much more manageable. Yes, today she looked hot. She had to for her first day alone with Sasuke. Well, there was Naruto but he didn't really matter.
When she arrived Sasuke already stood in the classroom and nodded to her in acknowledgement before he went back to just quietly waiting. Sakura squealed excitedly to herself but on the outside calmly sat down next to him as they waited. She peered over at him and noted the extremely cool white jacket with black lines running this way and that down its length. He wore black jeans that fit him perfectly and a blue stud in his right ear that finished off the look nicely. She and Sasuke would look like such a cute couple. Now if only she could figure out a way to ditch Naruto... She turned slightly and jumped out of her skin. Sitting right next to her was the very same blonde she'd just been thinking of! How the hell did he get in here and sit next to me without me even knowing? She yelled to herself. She patted her chest a few times and glared at the forementioned blonde who just ignored her and stared out the door, his head propped up on his hand.
Typiacal, She thought smugly looking him up and down. His hair looked as if he didn't even attempt to put a comb through it, he wore the same rag tag ugly orange hoody of his and his pants were faded blue jeans out of style for at least a year, maybe more. Slightly visible from her close location she saw a bracelet that looked so old she thought if she touched it the thing would turn to dust. The braded string, once blue, now held more yellow from age and the few oversized plastic beads left over the years had chunks missing in places. Why did we have to get stuck with him of all people? I would have even of prefered Ino on our team to him.
An hour went by before Kakashi arrived, his back against the door and his hand held up in a warding off gesture. "Sorry I'm late, you see there was this kid who lost his dog so of course I had to try and find it. Turns out the thing was under the bush by there house and didn't run off at all. Well, thats life for you," Kakashi said in a too sweet voice. "LIAR!" Naruto and Sakura yelled at the same time. Sakura stopped and stared at Naruto who just grinned at her. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Kakashi managed to smile with only his single eye. Sakura hmmphed and stood up and Naruto felt his eye twitch ever so slightly. Kakashi brought out his book and waved them to follow him. Kakashi walked ahead of them while Sakura kept pace with Sasuke and Naruto brought up the rear.
When they made it to Kakashi's car, a grey Saturn, Sasuke took the front seat while Sakura and Naruto, to boths annoyance, took back. Kakashi hummed marrily while he started the car and the explanation of what they would be doing today. They'd been asigned to help out in the hospital and would each be handed a task to do when they got there. They would have an hours free time from twelve to one to have lunch or stretch and then be given another assignment. You could take on more tasks if you finished the ones given quickly. It would not be likely that they would be working together and if they did it would probably be in pairs not groups. Score! Sakura screamed to herself. Love does conquer all! The ideal way to get rid of Naruto! Kakashi would check up on each throughout the day and would drive them abck to the school just in time to be picked up by the buses to be brought home.
They walked into the tall white building and Kakashi went to the front to announce their arrival. A few minutes later a woman with silky black hair that just touched her shoulder blades, brown eyes and the traditional nurses uniform walked up to them with a friendly smile for them. "Hello, my names Shizune. Welcome to Terse Hospital. Your our volunteers, right?" She asked pleasantly. Sakura relaxed. The woman didn't seem fake like many people were when they found they had to work with students. "Yes we are," she answered for her group. "My names Sakura Haruno, beside me is Sasuke Uchiha," at this she pointed toward Sasuke and then hesitated when she looked at Naruto, " and this is Naruto... umm." A blush came to her cheeks but Naruto just smiled broadly and finished for her. "Uzumaki. My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Shizune nodded and pulled out three folders she'd previously not seen before from under her arm. "Well then lets see," Shizune mumbled to herself. She handed each of them one of the folders and they took them curiously. "Alright, your assignments in their and I'll come around to see if you've completed them and mark down your grade on your performances. Just follow the instructions and oohh, wait! One sec." Shizune fumbled around in her many pockets and pulled out three tags triumphantly. "Here! Right put your names on here and wear them or else you'll be kicked out," she said, her voice never loosing its cheer.
When Shizune walked away the three sat down and peered into their folders. O.k so I have to get the dirty bedsheets from two different floors and go to this room to get clean ones for the same rooms. Sounds easy enough. Sakura peered over at Sasukes and saw that he would be in the Cafeteria helping to make lunch. She looked at his face and couldn't tell what the boy thought about this. His features seemed a neutral almost blank look. Well I don't think I'd like that job too much. I wonder what Naruto's got. At that thought she felt a bit guilty about forgetting his name earlier. She looked at the blonde and noticed a small frown on his face. She leaned over and read the paper. Supervise childs play area. Rm: 117 Sakura grimaced and almost felt bad for the loser. There's no way someone like him can handle children. He'll probably screw it up. She shrugged mentally. It wasn't her problem.
The three split up and Sakura headed up to her first floor. When the elevator opened she gaped and a groan escaped her lips. No wonder they expected me to take ti'll lunch. She thought miserably. In front of her stood a total of fourty rooms, one right after the other. She pushed the large bin she'd grabbed on her way up to the first door and peered in. A stinch hit her nose like a hammer and she tripped over herself in an attempt to get away. She took several deep breaths and somewhat prepared herself for the chore in front of her. She stepped into the room and looked at the very first bedsheet covered in vomit. Karma was...
...a bitch. Naruto thought dejectedly. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong today but he knew it had to be pretty bad to get laid with this job. Not once in his life since her had he interacted with a child. He didn't even have friends for crying out loud! How was he suppose to know how to handle a bunch of screaming brats?! He stopped in front of 117 and took a breath, and another, and another. He opened the door to see a majority of six kids in the room along with a weary looking nurse. Just Great. The woman eyed him hungrily and every nerve in his body screamed for him to run like the coward he was and be proud of it. She stood up, a two year in her arms with a drool towl over the shoulder and walked over to him. "Oh your here. Great! I'm just going to go for a coffee brake. I'll be back to help in a few minutes." Her sickeningly sweet voice made his heart drop into his stomache, for they both knew. She's not coming back. The child and towl were practically thrown at him before any protest could leave his lips and then she was gone. Bitch.
He moved the girl into a more comfortable position and laid the towl on his shoulder like he'd seen the woman do. The kid began to whimper and Naruto began to panic. He gently bounced her up and down like he'd seen some mothers do once but the whimpers continued. I'm fucked, aren't I? Somewhere up there he knew the big man was laughing his ass off at him. He patted the childs head lightly but that just increased the whimpering. So he patted the back instead and sighed happily when the whimpers died down a bit and laughed in triumph when they stopped all together. In your face! "Gurp." Never mind. Naruto tried very hard not to gag as the kids throw up went passed the towl and started down his back. He thanked God that he still had on his thick hoody and couldn't feel it.
Thats when he remembered something and turned around. Five more little faces looked up at him and while others might call them adorable Naruto almost wet his pants in fear. One boy in particular had a mischievious look in his eyes that Naruto definetely did not like. The kid had his arm in a sling bandaged up and despite the hospital gown he also wore a blue scarf around his kneck. His black hair tilted to one side a bit and his brown eyes continously glanced up at him. He whispered conspiratorially to his two friends, a boy and a girl. The boy seemed to have an extremely bad cold and would sniffle every few minutes. His bowl cut brown hair stopped just before his ears and brown eyes could be seen behind glasses. The girl, in Naruto's opinion, had the weirdest hair do ever. Her long, light brown hair was held in pigtails only they went strait up as if her hair decided that it was short. Her green eyes never left the mischief maker while he talked.
Naruto ignored the three for the time being and walked over to the two who seemed determined to tear the innocent bear in two. Naruto remebered a story he heared once and smiled evilly. He plucked the bear from the two girls and they glared at him with daggers and started screaming for the bear back. "Oi! Be quiet! I've got a solution." The two girls quieted down as Naruto shifted the tiny child in his arms again, who'd fallen asleep. "O.k, while don't I cut the bear in half and let you each have part of it?" Naruto asked. In the story the wise king used this technique to discover who deserved to have the child and the one who said the other could have her baby rather than it die got the baby back and was called the true mother. The two girls looked at each other and shrugged. "O.k," they said in unison. Naruto sweatdropped. That was NOT how...
...it was suppose to go. Sasuke thought angrily as he wiped cream corn from his face. He'd read the stupid instructions and put the corn in and raised the temperatures to it's proper place. He'd waited for it to cook and did not expect the corn to bubble in the pot like that. When a good deal of the corn suddenly popped and sprayed all over him and steaming hot food scorched his skin the cook sent him to put cold water on his face. Now he was over the sink, his face red from more than just anger. He'd never cooked a day in his life and hadn't really expected to at any point either. How was he suppose to know that you have to stir the food?
When he finished washing up and headed back to the kitchen were the boss cook, who to his irritation looked like she desperately wanted to laugh, handed him a broom and told him to sweep the cafeteria. Sasuke took the broom wordlessly and started moving its straw mass across the floor. Back and forth. Back and forth. Minutes later when he found he'd gotten no where he frowned and muttered darkly under his breath. He tried moving it down a strait line to bring the dirt in but learned that didn't work either. He glared at the broom but unlike most who fell under this gaze it did not move a muscle. This... is embarressing. Five more minutes passed and still not an inch of dirt move in the direction he wanted it to go in. He heared giggling and froze. Sasuke turned around to find an array of woman watching him amusedly. He felt his eye tick several times as his face once again grew red.
The cook came up to him and gently took the broom from his hands. This time however she did nothing to hide the smile that stretched from cheek to cheek or the chuckle that escaped her mouth. "Alright, go gather all the dirty dishes and bring them to the sink," she said between bites of laughter. Sasuke, like a breath of doom, slunk towards the table with a current of little giggles behind his back. Sasuke desperately reeled in his frustration and anger as he grabbed dirty untincils and headed in the direction of the kitchen. Back and forth. Back and forth. And this time it did work. Sasuke watched the clock, dying to get to whatever other assignment he would have. Right now, I'd...
...even trade with Naruto. Sakura groaned to herself. Her arms were going to fall off. She'd only just finished her first floor and leaned against the wall of the elevator. She greatly underesimated the disgust factor in merely taking sheets off. She cringed as the elevater beeped open and walked onto her second floor. Her hair, even with all the spray held toughs of hair sticking out here and there. She blew her hair out of her face and knocked on first door. After an immencely embarressing seen, and disturbing, of walking in on a naked old woman she got into the habit of checking each room very quickly. When no one answered she walked in and started to take the sheets off. Her lips turned downward as a corner refused to come off for some reason. She tugged hard at it came off with a slight tare noise. Sakure, surprised by the sudden release, fell backwards and hit a chair on her way down. The chair flipped over her and the green cushion meant to aide the rear end promptly met her face with a small thud.
She groaned again as an ache in her back made itself known. She pushed the chair off her and pulled the cushion from her face. Sakura stood up cautiously and looked around for any more attacking furniture before she straitened up the room and placed the slightly ripped sheet onto the side of the bin. She'd give it to a nurse and say she found it that way. Feeling a litte guilty at the small lie she decided that she would be extra nice for the next few days. Sakura closed the door behind her and whistled a tune she'd heared from Kakashi in the car that morning. Her eyes roamed to the clock on the wall and begged it to go a little faster. I wonder how...
...the others are doing. Naruto thought cheerfully. Pinned to the ground under his legs was the mischief boy who's name, he learned after a bit, was Konohamaru. The girls name was Moegi and the boys was Udon. The two of them and the bear hungry girls sat in front of them with their eyes glowing in wonder as he told them a tale about dragons and warriors. Konohamaru also listened attentively while he struggled to escape Narutos hold. He and his friends tried to catch the boy off guard while he took care of the crying two year old in order to pour ice down Naruto's pants but he quickly turned around and tipped it over the three's heads. When Konohamaru charged him the older boy merely stepped aside and tripped him. Then he sat down and pinned him to the ground with his legs. He threatened to do the same to the others if they didn't sit down and behave.
Scared, they quickly sat down and waited while Naruto got the baby to go back to sleep. Afterwards Naruto animatedly told them story after story and eventually even Konohamaru stopped moving around. At that point Naruto let him go and the boy sat between Moegi and Udon. Naruto happily retold stories he'd heared here and there and enjoyed an audience that actually wanted to listen to him. He told one story about an empress who sacrificed herself for the sake of her people and as a reward for her courage she became a star. At this the chidrens eyes grew misty and Naruto laughed to himself as he finished with a whisper. "They say that she's the very last star to appear in the sky at night because she's the youngest one up there. All the stars represent a different person who did something special in the world." Moegi's eyes got puppy dog big. "Really?" She asked excitedly. "Really," Naruto confirmed.
"Your the coolest Boss!" Konohamaru yelled. Naruto cringed and looked down at the baby but thankfully the boys voice hadn't woken her. "Sorry," Konohamaru said sheepishly. "Heeheh, thats o.k. Why'd you call me boss anyway?" Naruto asked. "Because your the boss, Boss. Your way better than all those boring nurses," Konohamaru said with his single arm flaying about in a way that reminded him of Gai and his clone. "Hey, how'ed you hurt your arm anyway?" Naruto asked. Konohamaru laughed nervously at this. "Well you see..." "He fell out of a tree when he tried to spy on his grandpa," Moegi interrupted. Konohamaru stuck his tounge out at her but she just ignored him and continued. "I'm just here to visit these two and Udon's here cause he got really sick, but he's almost better." "Hmm, thats good to hear," Naruto said sincerely. All three of the children beemed.
Naruto looked at the two younger girls who were surprisingly quiet. "What about you two?" he prodded. "Mommy says its somethings wrong with my liver and I got ta get it replaced. She went pick Dady up from the airport but promised that she'd be back by tonight," one of the girls said. Naruto felt a tinge of sadness. "Oh, I hope you get better soon then," he said. The girl smiled widely and nudged her bear partner. The girl pouted and said in an irritated voice. "I'm waiting for Daddy to get out of an operation. He said he'd be back in a little bit but it's been hours," the little girl wailed. Warning lights went up in Naruto's head and he stood up, child in hand, and sat down beside the girl and tugged her into a shoulder hug. The girl sniffled a few times but quieted down and snuggled up to him. Man that...
...was close. Sasuke thought as he lifted the plate inches from hitting the ground. The clock just struck twelve and he felt every nerve in his body scream with joy. Sasuke walked out of the cafeteria, bagged lunch in hand, and found the nearest bench outside. Not long after he'd bitten into an apple an extremely roughed up pink haired preteen slumped beside him with a sandwhich bought from the cafeteria he'd just left in her hand. She looked like she'd tried to do the mile in heels with vicious dogs behind her. Sasuke didn't comment and just continued to eat his apple but inwardly was slightly glad he wasn't the only one to have a bad day. Too exhausted to do much else but eat the two sat in silence for the full hour lunch. Strangely Naruto didn't arrive until five minutes before lunch ended and to their irritation he had a small smile on his face that turned into a wide grin when he saw the two. Both Sasuke and Sakura felt their eyes twitch.
The three went to the main office to receive thier next assignment from Mrs. Shizune. She made a surprised noise when she saw the black and pink duo but said nothing else. She handed them each a piece of paper and explained. "Your group will come every few weeks and when I give you an assignment I want you to put it in your folder and hand it in to me before you leave." With that she ushered them out of her office and wished them good luck. And so the three of them spent the next two hours organizing and cleaning a storage room that even the spiders abandoned several years ago for something brighter. By the time they reached Kakashi in the parking lot all clothes, white or orange looked grey. The masked man chuckled at them while they glared back at him and clicked his car bottun to unlock the doors.
Sasuke sat in the back with Naruto this time as the car sped towards school. Only a few minutes passed before the exhausted blonde fell asleep, his body sliding down a bit under a dreams influence. Sasuke merely ignored him and took to looking out the window but something bugged him, something at the edge of his vision. Out of the corner of his eye Sasuke saw something dark against the normal orange hoody and tan skin. Out of curiousity he turned to the blonde and looked at the boy's arm to find a bruise peeking out from one of the sleeves. Despite himself he surprisingly found that it irritated him to no end to see only part of it and glanced up front to assure himself that neither Sakura or Kakashi paid any attention to them. He reached out and tugged on the sleeve and found a deep surprise as the cloth continued up. A little bruise that started at the wrist widened considerably and covered the length of a rather large hand. Naruto flinched back and muttered under his breath and Sasuke quickly pulled the sleeve back down.
He didn't like what he'd just seen at all, it was more than just the bruise. When he grabbed the sleeve he found that the material was extremely thick which immediately placed Naruto to have a much smaller frame then he first thought. When he thought about it, for the last two years he never saw the blonde boy without the hoody and like everyone else at the school classified Naruto as having a medium to large frame. Sasuke calculated in his mind the new size now that he knew the thickness of the jacket and found that Naruto probably was even smaller than himself. That came as a shock to his system, the bruise only added to that shock. It just looked too much like a hand for him to think of it as anything else. As if someone had grabbed him there with great force. Sasuke pushed the thought away and shrugged. It wasn't his bussiness, he didn't care about the loser anyway. The bruise probably had some really good explanation that he couldn't think of that would answer how he got it easily. The clumsy idiot probably deserved it by doing something stupid any ways like tripping over his own feet, he told himself. That didn't stop the small whisper of his concious from telling him otherwise for the rest of the day.
The moment Kakashi pulled up to the school Sakura and Sasuke got out quickly and headed in opposite directions. The group was the last to arrive out of all the volunteer groups and the busses were already pulling up to the school. Kakashi flipped his seat up and reached down to wake Naruto by shaking his shoulder. Kakashi withdrew his hand when Naruto jerked awake and looked around frantically. Naruto stared at him for a few seconds with fear and weariness but then as quickly as it came they dissapeared to be replaced by that dead look again. Another moment passed before Naruto finally recognized him and slowly the light came back to his eyes. Without a word he exited the car and with only a nodd in his direction, dissapeared on one of the many busses in front of them. Kakashi felt a frown crawl onto his lips. Every time he saw that boy something suspicious would happen. Kakashi headed back to the school and decided that it he'd look up the boy's file.
Naruto walked up the stairs and stopped at his apartment door. Not a muscle moved as he waited for confirmation that all was safe. Sounds vibrated against the walls and through the door in the form of two men's voices and a clashing of glass. The two obviously sat in the kitchen so if he moved quietly he could make it to his room without incident. Two deep breaths and then he opened the door slowly. He flinched as the door closed with a click but knew that the two made too much noise to hear something so small. He moved down the hall and put his ball down beside his door. Slowly he opened it up and slipt his ball in and then entered himself. The clock blinked a late time but he hardly noticed. He changed his clothes and brushed his teeth, his eyes already drooping shut. He crawled into bed and knew no more.
Late that night Naruto woke up to a dry throat and listened for any noise in the rooms. When he heared none he left his room and tip toed into the kitchen. Light hit his face and he blinked several times to adjust to it's painful rays to find the two men passed out, slumpt against the table with empty beers and a half empty bag of white powder between them. His nose wrinkled in digust as he moved quickly and silently across the tiled floor. On one side sat his guard and on the other was his drinking budy and fellow drug addic, Mizuke. A tall thin man with premature grey hair that slid down to his shoulders and the eyes of a weasel. A trecherous snake if you asked him. Unfortunately he also happened to be a janitor at his school. His guard paid a bit of money to Mizuke for him to 'keep an eye on the brat,' as his guard put it.
Naruto pulled down a glass and moved toward the sink where he allowed a small trickle of water to flow into the clear container. No need to make any unnecessary noise. When the water reached the top he turned the nossle and headed back towards his bedroom. He passed by his guard but found his progress suddenly stopped. He closed his eyes tight before he opened them and turned around. His eyes first peered at the large, slightly sticky hand that gripped his wrist and trailed it up until he looked into the unfocused eyes of his guard. "What thee hell is you doen in here?!" The man snarled with saliva flying everywhere. A trail of Saliva could be seen dripping down his chin and a part of his face was still red from where it layed on the table. Naruto schooled his features into a calm facade in an effort to keep the panic down. He raised the glass in his hand to show the man and replied. "Just got some water." The man stumbled to his feet and almost fell which caused Naruto, who he still held on to, to tip the glass a bit and spew water across the floor. "Yeah... And who said youse was allowed to get anythin," his guard snarled and jerked Naruto close. Naruto tried to pull away but even if the man was drunk he held a powerful grip.
On the other side of the table Mizuke stirred and looked up, eyes fogged and confused. "Hey Sigui. Whass..." The slurred words stopped when he spotted Naruto and the man lurched to his feet, a sadistic grin on his face. Sigui's tainted breath came heavily in his face and Naruto gaged at the horrible smell. "You stealin my water you little shit?" Sigui hissed and his grip tightened even more around his wrist. Naruto dropped the glass and yanked hard against the man in an attempt to get free. The cup shattered against tile and both glass and liquid scattered across the floor. "We gonna have ah little fuuun?" Mizuke leered out. Sigui shoved Naruto against the wall and his head snapped back to smack harshly against it. "First you'se steal then you'se break... I'se thinks you gonna pay for thaaat," Sigui said as he took another step forward. Sigui punched Naruto in the stomache and the boy crumbled to the ground gasping for breath.
Naruto shakily raised himself ti'll he was up on his hands and knees while the men above him laughed. Sigui bent down, grabbed the boy's chin and yanked Naruto's face up to his own. "You'se nothin but trash and you'se gonna... ahhhhhhhhh." Sigui screamed and clutched his face. The long piece of glass held in Naruto's hand dripped with blood as he scrambled up and raced to the kitchen door. Mizuke crashed past Sigui and lurched forward until his fingers met cloth. Mizuke yanked Naruto to the ground by the end of his pants and the boy hit the floor hard. "You little shit!" Mizuke snarled. Naruto kicked out and hit Mizuke square in the face and while he yelled in pain he continued to hold on. Mizuke wobbled onto his knees and grabbed Naruto's arm, his stubby nails dug deep into the tanned boy's skin drawing bloody cresent moons.
Sigui stood up and walked forward but in his druken state failed to remember the water all over the floor. His feet slipped from under his body, he hit the glass that littered the area and shards cut into his back. The man screamed in pain and he looked murderously at Naruto who struggled against Mizuke's hold. Mizuke tightened his grip on the boy until he screamed out in pain. Naruto tried to stab Mizuke with the piece of glass in his hand but he couldn't move enough to manage it. Sigui picked up a particularly large piece of glass and stumbled his way to Naruto and Mizuke. "Hold em stilllll... well seeee ho much the basterd likes it..." Sigui whispered cruelly. Naruto slammed his head back against Mizuke and caused him to stumble backwards a few feet but still held strong in his grip. Sigui raised the shard and slammed it into Naruto's arm. The shard pierced through the thin white sleeve of his pajamas and dug deep into his skin. He screamed and pulled against his captors with all his might as they laughed. The blood poared from the gash and he bit his lip to keep another scream from coming. With all of his strangth he kicked back and hit Mizuke in the knee. The man gasped in pain and loosened his grip for a moment at which Naruto yanked away and slammed into Sigui. Not ready for the unexpected impact Sigui stumbled back several steps and hit the wall. Naruto ran passed him and flew out the door of the apartment and into the night.
"Fuck," Sigui whispered as Mizuke held his knee. Sigui pulled out his cell phone and looked at the numbers that blurred before his eyes. Some how he managed to get the right numbers down and waited impatiently for the person to pick up. "What do you want Sigui? It's two o clock in the fucking morning!" A mans voice growled irritably. "The brat ran for it, need your men to go look for him," Sigui said. The man on the other end paused for a moment but muffled curses could clearly be heared from the other end. "Fine... He'll kill you if he finds out you lost him again. Then we'll be in trouble for your failure, you drunk dumb fuck," the man said. "Well then, you should get moven shouldn't ya."
Hinata took a small sip of her coke while Kiba talked animatedly about an animal brought into his mothers vet office that was injured in a car accident. His hands moved and jerked along with his words in his explanations that also served to unbalance the dog that lay hidden under his jacket to hide him from the eyes of the waitress. Little barks of protest could be heard and a tuff of white hair protruded from the tip of the jacket. Shino sat beside him and while he did comment or correct at certain points in Kiba's telling the boy usually remained silent throughout the conversation. Hinata sat on the opposite side, contented to just listen and smile at her new teamates. In between the three of them sat a order of fries, that for the most part, lay uneaten. While they were on the same team Kiba and Shino knew very little about her and had invited her to a get together after school so that they could learn about each other since they would spend the next two years in the same group.
"...sister came in all bloody and started screaming at this poor intern to get her some towls." Kiba practically yelled. He pointed a french fry into the air and shook it in an imitation of his sister in a fit. "I was the one who ended up getting them because the poor intern was shaking so bad. Hana can be really scary when she's about to go into operation. Thankfully Ginge, thats the dogs name by the way, made it." Hinata nodded and smiled happily. She'd always known that Kiba loved animal but hadn't been aware that he worked at his mother's vet after soccer practice. She found out that Shino also helped out every so often and that the he held an extensive collection of rare beetles in his home. In turn she told them about her fighting classess. After they found out Kiba offered to walk her to her practice and Shino nodded his joinment of it. The three finished up thier drinks and headed out the door.
Several minutes were spent in companionable silence and Hinata decided that she would enjoy the boy's company during volunteer work. She'd been worried the last few weeks that the people she'd be paired with would dislike her or she would in turn dislike them so it came as a welcome relief. After about half an hour they made it to the street her building stood on all the while Kiba talked about a summer he spent in Japan with his family. Suddenly Kiba stopped short which caused both Hinata and Shino to almost walk in to him. "Perhaps you should warn us the next time you decide to stop like that Kiba," Shino spoke softly and with an even tone but Hinata had the suspicion that the action irritated him. "Never mind that, check it out! It's the loser Sasuke and Sakura got stuck with!" Kiba said as he pointed across the street. Both Shino and Hinata followed Kiba's outstretched arm to a person who sat, back to wall with one knee against his chest and the other leg dangled out for any unobservant passerby to trip on.
Indeed it was Naruto. The orange hoody pulled over his head and ripped jeans like a beacon for all to see. The boy leaned slightly to the left, bent down over his notebook and, oddly enough, used his left hand instead of right today. He seemed completely oblivious to their presence and continued to work even though Kiba's voice could clearly be heared from several dozen feet away instead of the mere fifteen feet that separated him from them. "Wonder what he's doin way out here? Figures he'd have that stupid notebook with him huh?" Kiba said with a laugh. Hinata frowned a bit at Kiba and looked over to the boy, Naruto. However, he didn't turn towards them and his hand continued to move over the page without a hitch. "My bet is that he's gay and that what he writes is his confessions," Kiba drawled consperiously. Hinata felt a tinge of red cover her cheeks and wished Kiba would stop his jibes toward the orange clad boy. Shino adjusted his glassess and stared hard at Kiba. "It is not wise to make such insinuations about people Inuzuka," Kiba flinched at the formality, "it tends to come back to you in unfavorable results."
"Relax Shino, it's just the loser, its not like he cares about what I say any ways. No harm in having a little fun." Kiba said in an attempt to make ammends. "There are always reactions to actions. You would do well to remember that." Shino replied in the same cold tone. The three walked into the small building and Kiba sighed heavily at his best friend. Shino could be such a party pooper sometimes. "Alright, alright I get it, I'm sorry!" Kiba threw up his hands in mock surrender. Hinata sighed in relief and silently thanked Shino. Hinata looked back just as the door began to close and saw a pair of empty blue eyes stairing in their direction. A shiver went down her spine and guilt washed over her. Shino shouldn't have been the only one to protest.
"Ahhhh, I see my youthful student has arrived a bit early to begin our wonderful defence practice!" Gai yelled out as he entered the room. "Will you boy's be joining our group today? You two are always welcome." Gai continued in a much quieter voice. Shino bowed his head slightly to the man. "Thank you for your kind offer but Kiba and I must return to our homes for we each have prier engagements to attend to," Shino said. Gai nodded his understanding and smiled so brightly that Kiba wondered briefly if the man's dentist ever cried in grief at the lack of money this man must bring. The boy's and Hinata were already used to the man's odd behavior having the man as their couch of the soccer team and thus ignored the man's eccentric personality. Gai was, after all, one of the best teachers around. "Thats o.k your youthful dedication to your responsibilities is respectable and I'm proud of you!" Gai yelled at a slightly higher pitch than his first.
Shino and Kiba left the building and Hinata and Gai entered the main room. Hinata looked out of the large window that sat up front and across the street. The boy still sat there, bent over his work. Gai followed her trail of sight and when his eyes fell on Naruto they saddened. "That boy is always there when my class starts and doesn't leave until it ends," Gai said softly, any foolishness in his previous demeaner gone. "I've tried to go over and talk to him but the moment I'm out the front door he takes off. It's been about eight months now. I'm surprised you and the others haven't noticed. Then again, most of the time I don't notice him either. It's almost like if your not looking directly at him, he dissapears." Hinata looked over at Gai and then back over to Naruto. "Eight months?" Hinata whispered. It was hard to imagine overlooking the troublemaker of the school for that long. Whenever she saw him in class he seemed full of life and energy. For someone like that to just 'dissapear' in the background seemed impossible... and wrong.
Naruto wearily trudged back to the apartment and tugged at the too tight bracelet around his wrist that sat beside his braided one. He paid dearly for the stunt he pulled over the weekend. The silver surface of the bracelet shined brightly with the light of the full moon as if it knew it's job and mocked him. When he ran he didn't stop until something tugged on his foot and forced him to the ground. A broken pipe that protruded from a hole in a trash bag. With his foot the entire bag ripped open and its contents spewed all over the place, including on top of the blonde. Naruto cursed and pushed himself up but hit the ground again when a sharp pain exploded from his arm. His gasps for air the only sounds in the early morning of the streets. Panic consumed him and screamed at him to go back, told him that to run would be far worse than anything Sagui could do to him but he ignored it.
He felt his leg squish against something and saw with some disgust that it was melted ice cream and wet coffee grains. With the use of his other arm Naruto stood up and wandered around for several hours until he found himself under the shelter of a freeway bridge. Naruto crawled up the steady incline that supported the bridge and when he could go no higher he turned around and pulled his knees against his chest for warmth. It didn't matter that he sat outside in his pajamas or that trash stains covered them. It didn't matter that his sleeve was ripped or that blood poured painfully from the gash there. It didn't matter that his head ached from being slammed against the wall or that the bruises on his arm had started to show from the rough treatment. It didn't matter that they would come for him in a few hours or that they would beat him. It didn't even matter that he sat all alone or the knowledge that no one would come to help him. All that mattered to him at that moment was that for a little while he didn't need to worry about hiding himself from his classmates and teachers or tip toe around his guard.
Naruto watched the sunrise and envied its spirit to rise every single morning for all eternity no matter what happened in the world. Free of its neighbors troubles and the cause of the glorious light that shined for hours each day. He wished that he could do that. Be important in someones life instead of just a burden on many. Be able to just get up time and time again no matter what happens instead of continuesly failing. If he could just succeed in one thing, not everything, just one thing. He would be happy.
A lone black car drove steadily towards Naruto and stopped below him at the beams edge. A figure stepped out and looked up at him but Naruto just continued to stare off into space. This man wore black jeans and a large green t-shirt, his face a jigsaw of scars and a single eye burned so badly that it lay forever closed to the world. His other eye showed a sea green that pierced any one unfortunet enough to look into it. His hair fell to his shoulders, a shock of red, and split into three sections held by green rubber bands. His teeth crawled crookedly from his gums, a nasty shade of green and yellow. "Hello, Naruto. We've been looking all over for you," the man said. "I'm sooooo honored Sanbi, I mean the third in command come to see me? Wow..." Naruto drawled, "Theres only what? Nine of you?" Sanbi's face twisted in anger and turned an ugly shade of red that made his already horrid features almost unbearable to look at.
Sanbi
walked up to Naruto and purposely grabbed his bad arm and twisted it
hard. Naruto bit down on his lip but a strangled cry still escaped. "Still the little sarcastic basterd eh Naruto? Just like that
Bitch, Yugito. You always seem to forget one thing though. Even if
I can't kill you I can make your life a living hell," Sanbi
said with another vicious twist. "Really?" Naruto asked
innocently, "When I saw your face I could have sworn I was
already there." Sanbi roared in fury and yanked Naruto up till
only an inch of air seperated their faces. Naruto cringed and waited
for what the man would do with weary eyes. As always he did not
dissapoint. Naruto felt his body smash against cement and slide down
the steep incline until he finally hit the bottom. Coughs racked his
body and blood seeped from badly scraped skin as Naruto staggered to
his feet. He felt strong hands grab his shoulders and slam him
against metal, all the air left his lungs and he weezed in pain. Mismatched eyes filled with pure hatred met dull blue that faded into
grey.
Sanbi dragged him into the car and threw him to the
carpeted floor. The door slammed closed and through the entire ride
the weight of a large boot closed down on his kneck. The driver up
front seemed unaware of the twelve year olds presence and made light
conversation with Sanbi, but Naruto knew better. The driver, like
everyone else, could see him very well and might even feel pity for
him but no action would be taken passed that pity. No aide would
come. No release from his nightmare. It didn't matter who... a
policeman, a teacher, a neighbor. Money spoke volumes and almost all
took the bait and like a fish it silenced them. The few who did try
to help him died. To dissapear from the world, from the sight of all
was frighteningly easy, especially when no one cared in the first
place.
After Sanbi and his men beat him, they put a tracker on his arm that to anyone else appeared to be nothing more than a silver bracelet. This tracker was a little more special than the one they'd forced him to wear as a kid though. As pay back for the insults Sanbi added a little shocker to the thing. Worse still, he sent the control switch to Nibi. Nibi. The woman who'd been sent to watch him at school. Yugito's sister and opposite in every way. One a demon while the other an angel. One a favorite and the other hated. One alive while the other dead.
Naruto thought back to the girl with her two escorts and the conversation they'd had. He would admit, if only to himself, that it had hurt him. Not really what the dog boy said about him. He'd been called far worse in his life after all. The thing that hurt was that the girl didn't say anything. He berated himself for his own stupidity. He'd imagined her as a strong, caring individual when he watched her with the others. His game of judging their personalities and what they say to each other a pleasent little cloud over the truth. Even if she did happen to be kind hearted he knew better than to think a stranger would come to his defence. It was a stupid thought and he shouldn't have let his game overpower reality. Reality sucked and if you didn't like it too bad for you. Dreamers got no where and accomplished nothing. Only hard work and perserverance saved you in the end and sometimes even that didn't work. He was sooo stupid.
He played the same game at school. Pretending that the people who made fun of him behind his back happened to tell a joke at the very moment he passed. Pretended that when he sat down and others got up that they all simultaneously needed to go to the bathroom. Pretended that when parents came on carreer day his couldn't come because they were desperately needed to aide an emergency. Pretended he was really cold when Iruka asked him if he wanted to take his coat off. He pretended a lot and it hurt worse each time that reality hit. The numbness would settle over him and he would just allow life to continue on and pretend that he belonged there instead of six feet under.
Sakura gave an irritated sigh at the end of yet another arguement with Ino. She was on Sasuke team and had demanded Ino just give up but the blue eyed blonde vehemently declared that when she won Sasuke over, yeah right, it would be even more embaressing for her. She leaned against the wall and wondered how she could get the boy of her desire to fall in love with her. She'd just have to catch his attention on thier next outing with Kakashi. A noise a little ways distracted her from her thoughts and brougth back to the real world. The sound of a thwack resounded down a hall to the left of her which caused her body to jump in surprise. Laughter sounded and she found her curiousity peeked.
Sakura moved closer to the location of interest but stopped suddenly at the words spoken. "Whats the matter trash? I didn't hurt you did I," a harsh voice ground out. That, Sakura decided, didn't sound interesting in the least. Slightly fearful she debated wheather she wanted to go forward. She could get caught up in it and end up in the same mess as whoever they were messing with. She'd be no help and she wasn't about to go tattle tale to a teacher. You just didn't do that. "Why don't you say anything, eh?" Another voice snarled out followed by the sound of a clatter of things hitting the ground. "Probably too stupid to understand what we're saying," the harsh vioce said with a laugh followed by the other. As the laughter stopped Sakura felt a lump in her throat that wanted to escape and announce her presence, wanted to help whoever stood just a few feet away. She squashed it viciously though and moved closer to the wall so as not to be seen by accident. Sounds of grunts could be heard as the boys, for the deep vioces couldn't belong to a female, pounded on thier prey.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" The snarling voice spoke up. Sakura listened as they slammed the person against the wall. "Pretty little bracelets? I think we got ourselves a fagot as well as a pathetic loser!" Howls of laughter could be heard but they were interrupted by the bells tall tale signal that meant they were all late for the final period of the day. "Damn runt made us late!" The harsh voice said angrily. Sakura heard one of them give a hard kick which caused the prey to gasp and cough. She watched the boys leave the hallway quietly and then moved quickly to the spot they'd left. When she turned the corner and saw orange her heart jumped from her stomache to her throat and the guilt rose.
Naruto hacked violently and leaned heavily against the wall. His hair hung in front of his eyes so he couldn't see Sakura a few feet away. Blood traveled from his lip down his chin and she could see the beginning of a bruise on his right cheek. His hoody looked more rumpled then usual and his jeans sported a new rip down the left side. He looked up and they locked eyes for a moment. Sakura stood there shocked and felt a tear slide down her face at his blank look. Then he bent down, shoved his belongings into is bag and stood up. He didn't look at her again. It was as if she didn't exist as he quietly walked passed her and toward his class. A minute passed and then two until finally her daze subsided and she found herself moving in the same direction. They had the same last period after all.
When she entered the room she felt shocked to see a large grin on his face. The blood gone and the hoody pulled all the way up so that his eyes and the bruise couldn't be seen. His voice rang obnoxiously like it always did in class that caused her to doubt what she'd seen and heard. His movements played out in a mesmerizing display so loud and annoying and opposite to the previous show that she felt almost dizzy in confusion. She sat down in the closest seat without the notice of the teacher. No, all the attention was focused on Naruto and she found that the scene looked incredibly eerie and out of place. It shouldn't though. Naruto always acted up, always spoke too loudly and always pulled the stupidest stuff. He was clumsy and slow to understand everything and possessed no athletic ability at all. He was the loser, the srew up. She shouldn't feel bad for him it was his own fault! Right? He proabably did something to make them mad like pulled a prank on them or... something. Sakura turned away and refused to look the blondes way through the rest of the period.
Asuma's smoke drifted in three irritable faces as the platoon walked down the street to their destination. A nursing home and Ino was not happy which meant that everyone was not happy. She loudly complained about how they would be forced to do the wim of old wrinkly people the entire walk there. Asuma sighed quickly followed by Chouji and Shikamaru. This would be a looong day. Kiba, Shino, Hinata and thier instructor Mrs. Kurenie had been assigned to aide a family in the act of moving while Gai's team got trash duty at a nearby park. The last of thier soccer team, Sasuke and Sakura, got stuck inside some stuffy office doing paper work with the idiot Naruto. When they made it to the nursing home Chouji and Shikamaru sped off to the first person who needed aide in an attempt to leave Ino with her sorrowful tail of her cranky old kindergarden teacher. Asuma walked outside after a scolding by a nurse for smoke in her center.
The room that Sakura sat in was quiet. The only sound came from the paper being folded and sealed within the envelopes followed by scribbles of addresses and thumps of stamps layed down to rest. Sakura wanted to pull out her hair in annoyance at the silence. Sasuke came as no surprise because he was a naturally nontalkative individual. Naruto however... She expected something and after their encounter a few days prier she actually wanted something. Anything that would reassure her that it didn't happen. When they met this morning everything seemed oddly the same. As if the only one different were her and that it was her and not Naruto to get hurt like that.
She took a single glance at him and was about to speak up, to tell all but... what if she'd just imagined it. She started to walk and she continued to stare, in a silent debate with her inner self. As usual the hood was pulled up all the way so his face lay hidden but for a brief moment he looked up. The look he gave her chilled her to the bone. No hostility, nothing negative at all. A bright smile in fact. She saw though. Couldn't help see the way his eyes watched her wearily with a slightly dull look of indifference. And of course, a blackish blue splash across his right cheek, so out of place against his tan skin. All intent to tell Kakashi stopped right there. He didn't have to say anything to get his meaning across to her. He did not want her to say anything, so she didn't.
In the white room with it's cheap grey barricades that held up the illusion of individuals instead of a beehive of workers she took a glance at him and saw that he worked dilligently, a large stack of envelopes already sealed beside him with hands rapidly moving to the next paper to fold. It hit her then that in the hallway was the very first time he looked her in the eye. The second being in front of the school where they met. She bit her lip and stared at the paper in front of her as if the blank sheet caused offense. Then, as if it scolded her like a misbehaved child she winced and took a deep, deep breath. "Hey, Naruto?" The boys head jerked up in surprise and he almost fell out of his seat. He looked at her in bewilderment and that same weariness she'd seen this morning. "Ahh, soooo, I was wondering..." Brilliant captain Nova... Think! Think! Your Sakura Haruno you can come with a subject to talk about! "What are you planning on doing for your poetry project in Literature class?" Thats really the best I could come up with!? Sigh... He probably hasn't even started it! This is still Naruto here.
Naruto started in surprise but answered. "I'm doing it on Robert Frosts work. I like him a lot cause he writes about landscape. He can be a bit dark but he's really good." Naruto said. Sakura stared and blinked several times and even Sasuke turned to the two in surprised interest. Naruto suddenly bent his head down over the papers and Sakura held the distinct impression that he was blushing. "Ahhh... What about you Sakura?" Naruto asked. "Oh, um I picked Poe. I love his poetry he writes thats about his lover. Kingdom by the sea is my favorite poem." Sakura gushed. "Hmm," Naruto said, "not really sure about him. He had a few screws loose." Sakura actually laughed and nodded. "Yeah but I bet his stuff wouldn't be nearly as good if he was perfectly sane," Sakura said as she stacked another envelope. Sakura turned to the raven haired youth this time and smiled broadly. "Who did you pick Sasuke?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked like he would ignore her for a moment but then shrugged. "I picked Homer's Odyssey, an epic poem." Sakura smiled at the slight blush but didn't bother to ask anything else. Years of experience told her she'd get nothing.
After that the three talked easily for the rest of the day and as each hour past Sasuke and Sakura noticed Naruto would relax a little more and his loud outbursts became less frequent. When Kakashi finally came to pick the three up Naruto's vioce remained at an even tone rather than the outside voice he normally responded with. They talked about odd and end things as the car pulled out and even Kakashi joined in. They arrived at school early so the three sat on the side walk to wait for the busses to arrive. Naruto sat a bit away from them and pulled out his notebook. Soon people started to exit the main building and the other volunteer groups began to arrive. Both Sasuke and Sakura noticed that as the group of people became bigger Naruto began to fidget. Sasuke just stared at him in question before his eyes landed on the notebook.
Sasuke got up and stood in front of Naruto who closed it before he could see the inside. "Hey dobe, whats in that thing of yours anyways?" Sasuke asked. He felt surprised when Naruto glared up at him and stood up. "Thats none of your business," Naruto yelled in his usually brass tone. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? It's just a stupid notebook, why are you so protective of it?" Sasuke replied. "If its so stupid then why do you care whats in it?" Naruto shot back. His loud voice echoed across the black cement and drew many heads in their direction. "Don't be such a moron, I don't care about whats in it, your too stupid to have anything interesting in it any way. But why do you have to act like its some special secret? Are you really that big of an idiot?" Sasuke's harsh voice made many of their spectaters snicker and a red tint formed on Naruto's cheeks. "What the hell is your problem teme?" Naruto yelled even louder than before. Sasuke growled in annoyance. The damn thing was driving him nuts. He just wanted to know what was in it and be done with it. Naruto on the other hand did not like the fact that a bunch of people were moving in on him. Memories came rushing back to him and he felt his stomache ache with phantom pains. Crowds always made him nervous. The more the people the louder he got and the more obnoxious he acted. When people surrounded him it felt like his air was cut off.
It was then that Sasuke noticed the soccer team had gathered around him. Kiba stepped forward with a grin spread across his face. "Come on loser, just show us whats in the stupid notebook! We promise not to tell anyone about any love confessions and stuff." Naruto took a step back and found, to his great discomfort, a wall behind him. Why couldn't it be a great expance of grass that he could use to walk away or even a little dirt way? He wasn't picky, but noooooooo it had to be a wall. "Why don't you go screw yourself Kiba!" Naruto snarled out. Kiba's face turned a bright red and he sputtered in anger. "I bet he's got a journal in it," Ino said with a smirk, "probably talks about all the times he was turned down for a date."
A sound reached Naruto's ears and he looked passed the group in panic. The busses began to pull out of their places and onto the roads. Naruto tried to move passed them but hands pushed him back. "Move!" Naruto shouted out desperately. Shouts surrounded him on three sides and the wall roughly reminded him of being trapped in that place again. Naruto held his sketchbook tightly against him as hands tried to yank it from him. He kicked out and hit someone who grunted but continued their quest. Why coulnd't they just leave him alone? Finally someone got a good handle on his sketch book and ripped out of his hands. The pull threw Naruto forward and he hit the ground on his still hurt shoulder. He barely managed to hold in his scream of pain and bit his lip in panic and anger. He could feel the blood begin to spill out again.
The second sound made his heart stop. The ripping of paper. Naruto shot up, careful to pull his sleeve away from the would so no blood seeped through, and desperately searched for the source of the sound. His eyes landed on Kiba who wore a surprised look on his tatooed face. The notebook lay on the ground a few pieces ripped like puzzle pieces from its bounded hold. It appeared he hadn't gotten quite as good a hold as either of them thought, but instead only part of the middle. Anger, pain and resentment rushed through him, but to the world his face went blank. "Oops," Kiba said softly. Naruto's hands shook as he picked up his notebook and this time when he shoved through the them no hands reached out.
Kiba looked after the back of the retreating figure and a well of guilt roared up before him to consume him. He beat it back though and instead looked down at the pieces. If he had it he might as well see what secret was. No lines sat on the sheets and no words decorated the white space. Instead well drawn vines rapped tightly around an ancient tree, it's branches growing out of the papers view to leave you wondering how far they reached. The tree, though only half there because of the tare that ran slanted across the trunk, appeared to be alive in it's detail. Similiar scenes could be seen on the three other pieces. A sketchbook? All this time the losers been carrying around a sketchbook. He didn't say anything just passed it around to the other members of the soccer team. Hinata and Shino refused to look at it, they being the only ones who didn't join in. After the pages were passed around every face a picture of regret and guilt. Sasuke held the pieces of pictures last and longest, his gaze on each of the leaves that seemed to float down to the ground and join in a pile at the bottom of a tree trunk that still sat in the blondes notebook.
He didn't know what to do. If he went in he'd be beat. If he just stayed here until they came out looking for him he'd be beat worse. If he left and walked around then they'd come after him and that would be ten times worse. So... he would have to go inside. Every minute delayed meant another hit he'd receive. Naruto ran up the stairs, burst through the room and slammed down the hall only to find his door refused to open. He heard the front door shut and lock. A few weeks ago he would have gotten off with a punch to the face or something, but because of recent events... He felt more than saw the man come next to him. Anger rolled off him and to his horror Naruto found the man completely somber. Drunk ment mistakes while somber meant no escape. Naruto's eyes, blank and unseeing, stared at the doornob of his door as if he couldn't believe it's betrayal after so many saves.
The first hit came to his side and took with it all his air. The ground, so familiar to him, came up to greet him. It was harder than the man's punch normally was. He lifted his head to see a pipe responsible for the hit. It came down again across his hurt shoulder. A scream toar threw his throat. The light of the hall flickered across his vision. A kick to the stomache caused him to vomit what little lay in his stomache. The pipe against his left leg caused long faught tears to slip passed tightly closed lids. His arms took hit after hit aimed at his head. Finally after a few hours the darkness claimed him.
