A/N Sorry about the whole, deletion thing, but I accidently deleted the chapter instead of replacing it with the revised version. SO...yeah. Here it is. Hope you enjoy.

Oblivion

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Chapter Three: Change pt. Two

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He was five years old. He was holding on to someone's hand. A woman. She stood tall, bold- strong. Her skin was lightly tanned, her lips were full and pink. She was beautiful. His eyes were bright dashing blue, his hair a shiny blonde. He was beautiful. Hand in hand, smile to smile. They were perfect. They were fake.

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Naruto woke up. No…wait. He was already awake. Daydreaming, it seemed. He stood in front of the mirror in the public bathroom down the hall. He wasn't high…only…daydreaming- With his eyes open and staring at the mirror. Funny, he hadn't had one of those dreams since…It's been a long time. What caused it?

Naruto blinked. Then he squinted. Maybe it was the reflection he saw before him? When did he become so…? He stopped at mid thought and touched the sharp bone that jutted against his cheek. He traced two fingers underneath a sunken eye. He ran a hand through mess disheveled hair. He frowned. His friends used to tell him that they could spot him a mile away because of his bright, yellow, unruly hair. The unruly part was still present, yes, but the once wild locks now hung limply across his forehead and was the color of his almost deathly pale skin. God's, his hair was white.

Naruto ran a hand through his thin lips. He looked awful. Christ, he looked awful.

The blonde (platinum) grimaced at his reflection. No wonder Sasuke left him, he thought bitterly. He exited the bathroom with a the pail of water he came for and stepped back into his room. It was a bit cold. He shivered slightly. He only wore the boxers he had been wearing for the past few days, and a white T- shirt that hung low passed his waist. It was wrinkled, but not dirty.

Ever so gently, he lifted the dark dog from the floor and put it on his bed. It began to tremble. He put the pail of water in front of the dog and waited, crossed legged, in front of it.

It had only been a few days since the episode. He brought home the whimpering dog, cradling it inside his jacket while it bled all over the place. It was made worse when he realized that the sun was coming up, revealing the mess the dog made, and the gasps of the people on the street. He couldn't run though- Not when every step made the dog howl in pain.

When it opened its eyes a few hours later inside Naruto's apartment, the first thing it did was growl as Naruto unskillfully dabbed a paper towel at his wounds. The wounds he caused. He shivered. Naruto found it morbidly amusing that although the dog growled viciously at him, it could do nothing- Only bare its teeth at the blonde.

It took a few stolen paper towels from the public bathroom to finally clean up the blood. It seemed to have stopped bleeding through the wounds after Naruto applied pressure on it with his hand. He brought the dog to the bathroom on the second day and washed him. The dog yelped and squealed as Naruto ran his hands through the wounds with the shower head and warm water. He couldn't use soap yet; he knew how much that could hurt.

When he brought the dog back to dry, it stopped growling at Naruto. Instead it let Naruto touch him, but always trembled when the blonde did. As if Naruto's touch hurt him, as if the hate he felt for the blonde dwindled into pure fear.

Naruto did not have bandages, but he had some used sheets that he used to wrap around the dog. He had to cut it first though,.

So now here they were, on the bed as Naruto waited for the dog to drink the water. This was the blonde's fifth attempt to nourish it, all of which the dog eyes the water warily and refused to touch it.

It was about trust, Naruto realized. How could the dog accept anything from him after what he did? Naruto put his face it his hands and sighed. He was tired. Sad, and tired. But he couldn't sleep. Not after what he did. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve anything. For now, all he wanted to do was take care of the dog, feed it, care to its wounds, then take it to a shelter where it could find a good owner. A better owner. Someone who wouldn't beat it up. Naruto let out a shaky sigh and closed his eyes. He made a small surprised sound when he heard the familiar sound of tongue lapping water. He looked up slowly to find the animal craning its neck awkwardly without hurting his injuries as its long tongue dipped into the bowl.

Naruto smiled. It was about trust. And this dog…did it trust him? Which animal was it that was said to have excellent memory? Naruto hoped it was the dog, because that would mean that he was forgiven.

With a smile curling his thin lips, he shifted slowly towards the canine and tilted the bowl so it could have better access. It began lapping greedily, using its uninjured paw to tilt the bowl even more. Naruto dared to inch closer to the dog and with his free hand patted the dogs head. The dog flinched violently and paused in its drinking. Naruto retreated quickly and settled for tilting the bowl into place. The dog did not attempt to drink from the bowl again. Instead it shied from Naruto and trembled, watching Naruto's hand warily.

Naruto sighed. It didn't trust him. He wondered if it ever would. It drank water- that was good. But Naruto longed to touch it, play with it. Befriend it. But that wasn't happening anytime soon- so the least he could do was nurture it.

That was when something dawned on Naruto. Food. The dog needed food. The way the dog was eyeing Naruto right now made him think that it wasn't trust that made the dog drink the water- it was desperation- A drastic measure to satisfy its quenching thirst.

Naruto tensed. Three days, it has been. His stomach didn't work properly anymore, but there was a time when his belly would ache like a bastard when he didn't eat anything for more than five hours. And it had been three days. Three. Dogs had smaller stomachs. Bigger appetites? He didn't know. What he did know, was that he had to give the poor thing some food before it died of hunger.

But…he had no money. How much was dog food? He sighed. Surely there would be some small can he could purchase for two dollars from some corner store. He made up his mind and stood up from the bed, ignoring the even stronger flinch that emitted from the canine. Naruto decided that what he wore the day before was fine to go out with: A dark tank top and another pair of dark jeans that reached several inches above his ankle. He still wore those bright colored miss matched socks. He put on his favorite tattered white sneakers and headed for the door. This time he locked it. For once, Naruto had something valuable that could be taken away. An animal.

He smiled at that.

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.:Oblivion:. (A/N: Please try to read the letters that are stuck together (ex. ilovereviews). And ignore grammar mistakes towards the end- They are intentional.)

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In the beginning- before Naruto's skin became pasty, before the blotches of red on his face that indicated that he was alive disappeared from his face, before his legs were to skinny to carry him around, before his rib cage protruded through even his darkest clothes, and before he looked like the reaper himself walking down the sidewalk, it was fairly easy to get money. All he had to do was open his eyes real wide and let them water as he extended his hand to passer by's. His eyes no longer held the brightness that people used to give in to, his cheeks weren't bubbly as he smiled at them. He was a drop out now. Obsolete.

He couldn't blame them- how could he? Even he had to turn from his reflection. He was ugly. No, he was hideous. The very meaning behind broken mirrors. Naruto sighed and counted the contents in his pocket. He had forty three cents. He found a quarter on the floor and an old woman was generous enough to give him some change. Naruto checked how much a can of dog food would cost- $1. 69- Close to his two dollar estimation.

By 10:30 in the morning, Naruto was exhausted. It had been two and a half hours and he managed to accumulate five dollars. Now, instead of a can, he could by the box of dog food he saw in the store.

He entered the corner store he entered a few hours before and went to the aisle that had the dog food. He frowned when he realized that he box he wanted was on such a high shelf. He reached for it- failed miserably, and turned to see if any of the employees were there to help him. There were none. With an aggravated sigh he shifted to his toes and reached towards the box. He was only a few centimeters away- just a few. Grunting he tried to stretch his fingers as far as possible, but still couldn't get to the box. He was about to give up when a pale hand reached for the box from behind him and gave it to the blond. Surprised and still on his toes, Naruto took the box without quite turning and smiled. He stared at the label a while before turning to thank the person.

"Thank y-" When he finally turned, there was no one there. A movement caught the corner of his eye and he turned to see a blur of red disappear behind an aisle. Naruto blinked before he shrugged his shoulders and walked in the direction of the cashier. He took his time walking over there, and he eyes all the pretty cereal boxes, and the colorful advertisement. As he neared the cashier he was that there was a small line- only two people. The first person was retrieving his bags and turning to leave and the second moved up with a box of cigarette's and handed it to the man behind the counter.

Naruto blinked and his hands tightened around the box of dog food.

Bright red hair... pale skin- and uniform.

It was that man.

Naruto's eyes widened when the tall red head shifted to look at him. The blonde felt vulnerable standing there with only the box in front of him. The red head shifted his eyes away casually, as if the blonde wasn't worth his time, paid for the cigarette's and exited the store.

Naruto let out a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His body loosened- he didn't realized when it became tense. With a shaky sigh he stepped up in front of the cashier and put the dog food on the counter.

"Well, well, well." Said a hoarse voice. Naruto looked up to find a big hairy man, wearing a dirty shirt with tobacco in his mouth. Naruto's loosened body tensed up again.

Shit.

How could he have forgotten that this was the store that he used to steal from all the time?! With a shaky smile he pulled out the five dollars in change he managed to accumulate and dropped the change onto the counter.

"I have money this time- look." He said quietly. The cashier gave the mountain of change an incredulous look before he took his hand, swiped it across the counter and scattered the change all over the floor. Naruto's eyes widened and immediately he began to pick up the change.

The big man in the counter opened a door and stepped out of his position to join the blonde on the other side.

"You little brat." He said lowly before he pushed the blonde onto the ground and kicked Naruto on the side of his head. Naruto let a shrill cry and clutched his throbbing temple while curling into a fetal position on the floor. The customers still inside the small store gasped and watched as the cashier growled down at the blonde. The cashier spit at Naruto's feet before he kicked again- this time at Naruto's stomach. Naruto couldn't even scream as the wind was knocked out of him.

"What hell are you doing?" said a woman from behind the blonde. "He's just a boy!!"

The fat man growled and turned to the woman. "Stay ou' of this, lady. Tis' kid righ' 'ere is the biggest trouble maker I eva' ad' in this here store. I'm teachin' em' a lesson before e' decides it's okay to step into my store again."

The blonde heard a quick scuffle towards the door as people exited hurriedly outside. He braced himself for another wave of pain that the large man was undoubedly having intentions of inflicting.

It didn't come.

"Uh...officer-"

"Save it."

Oh.

Oh.

That voice. It was that voice. Christ, it was that voice. Emotionless, thin, uncaring- impassive, dead- Sexy. Naruto shivered. He was doing that alot lately. Was it cold in here?

"Aww, come on officer. I'm jus' puttin' tis' kid in his place. You ave' no idea what kinda trouble he put me through-"

"You aren't in a position to put anyone in their place."

Wonder why the smell of nicotine is so strong now...

"Yeah, yeah, you're right- Jus' don't arrest me again- My wife'll kill me-"

"What happened?"

Christ, that voice.

"The brat came back 'ere afta I tol' em' e' wasn't allowed. He came up here with that box of dog food."

Right. The dog food.

"The brat didn't pay. So I knocked em' down."

No...no, that's...that's not how it happened.

There was a bit of shuffling. A foot pushed passed coins. "I'll pay for him."

A sound of surprise. Was it Naruto? He wondered.

"But officer, you can't possibly-"

"How much?"

A pause.

"$6. 29."

Hmm. So he didn't have enough money after all.

More shuffling.

It took Naruto a while to notice that it was him trying to stand up. Again his body worked before his brain did. He shivered. Was it cold in here?

When he was on his feet he stumbled before he finally regained his balance. The fat man was glaring at him as his big legs carried him back to his position behind the counter. Naruto felt cardboard nudge him lightly. He turned to see a bright yellow box poking his shoulder. Dog food. He took it, his mind in a haze, and stared at it blankly.

"Thank you."

His voice? He wondered. He shivered. Was it cold in here?

"Hmm. Your welcome."

That voice.

He absentmindedly heard light footsteps exit the store. He jumped at the sound of the door closing.

"Brat. Get out before I beat you up again."

Who said that? He shivered. Was it cold in here?

"Hey! Brat! Get the hell out before-"

"Is it cold in here?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. SOmething was nagging him in the back of his mind. It was so damn cold all of the sudden. The blonde put his arms around him self. He looked at the cashier expectantly.

Tell me it's cold, tell me its cold, tell me, tell me, tell me-

"What the hell are you talkin' about? It ain't cold. Now get out before I kick you out."

It wasn't cold in here? But it was cold in here. It had to be. O-or else h-he-he wouldn't be sh-sh-shivering. Right? He shivered. Was it cold in here? He shivered. Was it cold in here? He shivered. Was it cold in here? He shivered was it cold in here he shivered was it cold in here shivered was it cold in here he shivered. Wasitcoldinhereheshiveredwasitcoldinhereheshiver edwasit- COLDCOLDCOLDIMSHIVERINGIMSHIVERINGIM-

Naruto spasmed- no shivered. Was it cold in here?! He shiver- No! It's not col- COLD!!COLD!!IMSHIVERINGIMSHIVERING IMCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDIMSHIVERINGIMSHIVERINGIMSHIVER SHIVERSHIVERSHIVER-

Holy shit.

It's not cold, it's not cold because I'm-

COLDCOLDIMSHIVERINGIMSHIVERINGYOUR'RESHIVERING

its not cold i know its not cold because im im im im-

YOU'RE FREEZING!!!

These aren't the cold shakes these aren't the cold shakes these are the

YOUR'REFREEZING!!!!!

th-th-this these this this is this is this is-

Naruto shivered. Was it cold in here? He wondered.

Withdrawel.

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End Chapter.

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NOTES (It would be nice if you read them- might clear things up a bit.)

Love the ending. Don't you? : ) In case you didn't notice, throughout the entire story there were moments where I added that Naruto was shivering, leading up to the end when he finally realizes that he's going into withdrawel (and what a withdraw it will be- tune in for the next chap). Rememeber the almost overdose Naruto had with that bag of crystal? Well let's just say it was the most he'd ever taken and his body wants more. Now.

CAPITAL LETTERS IS THE VOICE INSIDE TELLING HIM LIES. (defence mechanism, I guess) and italics is Naruto's...I don't know...common sense- The one that always knows that's happening- The body that works before the brain. How poetic.

Hey that thing I did kind of rhymed:

The voice inside that tells him lies- I should make a story out of that.

EXPECT ALOT OF OUR FAVORITE REDHEAD IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Sorry that I really don't mention him alot in this chapter or the last, but I realize that most of my stories have the bad habit of making things happen too fast so...yeah...patience.

I think it was YamiTenshi that was suspicious of the fact that I describe being on drugs so expertly, lol, but let me be the first to say that I am making this up as I go along- Using my big ol' imagination. But it's nice to know that the, uh, description of being high and falling down are worthy of putting up suspicions, heh.

PLEASE REVIEW! They make me feel so0o good.

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