I have made a decision! I will be uploading on Fridays every two or three weeks from now on! From now on, Fridays will be joyous days! I used to do the same thing with my biggest story so far, "The Art of Breaking", and I thought it would help me kick my own ass for a change.
I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Both belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
Chapter VII
– Dusty Memories –
When Sasuke entered the coffee shop, a bell chimed as he pushed open the door, announcing his arrival. Five heads shot up to look into his direction as he approached, until he finally arrived at the table and sitting down.
"Not a second too late," Shikamaru muttered lazily, gazing out of the window.
At the table, not only Shikamaru and Sasuke were seated now, but also Sakura, Kiba, Ino, Chouji and Neji. The rest were occupied with their family, like Hinata, while others were doing something in school; club meetings and activities for example. The six teens sat in silence for a while, only Ino sipping at a coffee while Chouji was chugging down his barbecue. Sasuke watched the chubby teen with mild disgust, causing Shikamaru to speak up.
"He always starts eating like that when he looses his temper."
The raven only "Hn"ed in response, staring down at the polished table top.
No one said anything for a long time. With time passing, Ino had finished her mug and Chouji didn't have anything to wolf down anymore, leaving him to shift around nervously.
"Do you guys remember how we first met Naruto?" Kiba suddenly murmured, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "He came into class, took a sponge and jammed it into the sliding door of our classroom. Iruka came in and actually fell for that trick. I'll always remember how I started laughing when I saw his face after the sponge landed right on his head. I think I even fell out of my seat. Then Naruto introduced himself, yelling around his name. And, Sakura, you whacked him over the head and apologised for him."
Small smiles now formed on almost everyone's faces, Sasuke being the only exception. Most could see something like nostalgia in his eyes though.
Sakura's gaze was still trained on the table when she spoke. "That was when we transferred to middle school here."
Chouji abruptly halted his nervous shifting. "Come to think of it, you never told us why you transferred from your old school."
This prompted the pink-haired girl to look up and stare at the chubby teen. "Well… I guess I can tell you about it now." She slowly took a deep breath, calming herself when she released it. "As you all know, Naruto is being bullied by many people. That was also the case throughout elementary and middle school. It wasn't as bad in elementary school, but people became more cruel in middle school. Naruto and I never knew why everyone, even the teachers and parents, seemed to hate him so much." She shook her head when she remembered those times, still unable to comprehend it. "Everyone kept picking on him, insulting him and making him feel like trash whenever they got the chance. Then… when he was thirteen and I turned fourteen… it was around that time when someone almost killed him."
A fist collided with the table top, causing Ino's empty mug and Chouji's plate to clatter. "Who?" Kiba snarled venomously.
"Just some kids," Sakura continued nervously. "They told Naruto they would become his friends if he passed a test of courage. There was this old factory and in our school there were rumours about that place. You know, stories of ghosts and monsters. Since I was Naruto's only friend, a girl, the other kids teased him even more and so he agreed and went inside. Then those boys locked him in some room and ran away, leaving him there the entire night." The girl began to rub her upper arm, a nervous habit she had developed over the past years. "The next morning, I was wondering where Naruto was, because we usually always walked to school together and met up at my place. I started to worry, so I headed to his house. On my way there, I heard those boys laughing and joking about how they had locked him in that factory the entire night.
"My mom had told me about a newspaper article that said something about the demolition of that exact factory, so I ran back home to tell her everything. Then I ran to the factory as fast as I could, hoping nothing had happened to Naruto. When I got there, bulldozers were already preparing to take down the whole thing." At this Sakura wiped away a stray tear beginning to form in her eyes. "I was lucky that my mom had called the police. They were able to convince the people in the bulldozers that there was still someone inside. Policemen then went inside and actually found Naruto. He was… He had hypothermia and was in shock. He stayed in hospital for a whole week. Our principal had a long talk with the boys responsible, but kept the whole fiasco a secret from the rest of the class and all the other teachers. Only the parents of the boys were informed. It all got buried. Naruto had to transfer to get away from those bullies, but I didn't want to let him go by himself, so I went with him. I wanted to protect him. Besides, who would stay in a class with people that almost killed your best friend?"
When Sakura ended her story, a low growl sounded. Ino placed a soothing hand on Kiba's shoulders, the shaggy-haired teen shaking in rage. "You've tried to talk to him lately, right, Sakura?" the blond girl murmured.
The pink-haired girl nodded weakly. "Yeah. But he seemed so… off. The last two times I spoke to him, he was weirdly serious, bitter and somehow his eyes… they looked dead. He told me that he's been… thinking about… suicide. For how long I don't know."
Nervous tapping now chimed, drawing attention to Shikamaru, who was restlessly rapping his fingers against the table. His other hand, propped up on the table, was covering his face, hiding his expression.
"Sh-Shikamaru?" Chouji inquired, anxious himself. "What's wrong?"
Sighing shakily, the brunet removed his hand from his face, revealing his troubled features scrunched up in a frown. "I never would've thought that it was this bad." Suddenly feeling angered at his own obliviousness, the pony-tailed teen raked a hand over his head in exasperation. "Sasuke, you've talked to Naruto too. Tell us what happened."
The raven was the only one among the group who's expression hadn't changed at all throughout the words spoken. Only Shikamaru and Neji were able to see through his mask. Sasuke averted his eyes to stare at a nearby empty table, remembering Naruto having sat there a few days ago. "He told me that he didn't remember me, acted like an asshole and straight-out admitted to being cynical, cold-hearted and bitter. He doesn't believe in friendship anymore, writing it off as an illusion society created to combat loneliness. That would explain why not even Sakura is able to get through to him."
Depressed faces fell even more at this new piece of information, genuine grief beginning to nibble at the teens' minds.
"There's something you're not telling us," Neji contemplated, gazing straight at the raven-haired teen.
At this, Sasuke clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. "At some point, he started to cry. I saw how he was covered in countless bruises and cuts. There was even something like an M carved into the skin of his stomach."
Kiba's forehead now dropped to the table, Ino's empty mug tumbling over with loud clattering. The brunet's hands balled into fists, the teen unable to control his temper. "What's his father's name?"
No one dared to raise their voice, most fearing to be snarled at the moment they answered.
"Sakura!" Kiba yelled, head shooting up. "You know his father's name, don't you?"
Shrinking back into her seat slightly at the enraged glare, the girl nodded. "His dad's name is Mizuki. Mizuki."
"K-Kiba calm down." Ino's attempts at calming the brunet were growing futile as Kiba's face began to gain an angry red colour.
Unable to decide where to put his hands, Kiba began to shift around, until he buried his face in both his hands. "Dads are stupid. Who needs them anyway?" A small sniffle could be heard coming from the teen's direction.
"Are you crying, Kiba?" Ino questioned warily and with growing worry.
The brunet's fist slammed down onto the table, Kiba raising his head to glare at the blond. "Of course not!" he yelled, tiny tears having collected at the brim of his eyes. He blushed as he noticed them and quickly wiped them away.
Right… Sasuke contemplated, watching Kiba. I remember someone saying that his mom scared his dad away. What kind of woman is she?
"Now, Sasuke…" Ino began, a bit more composed now. "What do you think about all this? Besides Sakura, you're the one with the strongest bond with Naruto. Doesn't that make you feel… sad or… maybe upset at all?" Even after many years of having known the brunet, Ino still couldn't quite read Sasuke, despite being a psychologist's daughter and having crushed on the Uchiha for a long time in middle school. That crush had faded though within the three year absence of the Uchiha.
In response, Sasuke simply fixed the blonde with his indifferent gaze. She was expecting some answer, but he ignored her and looked away.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Ino quickly sat up straight in her seat, leaning forward. "I'm talking to you!"
Only slightly did Sasuke roll his eyes, but the girl still caught it.
"Now don't give me that look! I know you're upset. We all are!"
Sasuke never even spared the yelling girl that was causing other customers to glare at the group of teens with distaste a single glance. "Hn."
"I knew it!" Ino continued loudly. "You're just as upset as we are, maybe even more than us!"
The others just shot the two confused glances, looking at each other every now and then.
"Are they having a conversation?" Chouji inquired, scratching his head.
"Not sure," Shikamaru replied, pulling Ino back into her seat by her shirt. "But we still need to sort things out here."
Neji still had his arms crossed over his chest. "Which would be?"
"A plan to get Naruto to deal with his past."
"Will the scars matter much?" Mizuki was a tiny bit fidgety, eager to give a good impression.
The man beside him, a black-haired and arrogant-looking person, only sent the other a quick glance. "That depends on what kind of type he is," he replied calmly. "If his look is more innocent, scars would disrupt that image of purity and destroy the over-all type. As long as it fits his look and personality, it could even benefit him."
"Sounds good."
Both men were now reaching the top of the stairs, Mizuki leading the way from there on until they reached a certain door. The white-haired man pushed it open to let his guest in first.
"This is him?" the dark-haired man questioned, seeing the blond teen sitting on a bed. At the confirmative nod from Mizuki, the man crouched down in front of Naruto to get a better look at his face. He reached out with one hand, putting it beneath the teen's chin to push his head up. Cerulean blue eyes stared back at the man, no fear in them, not even doubt or suspicion. There was nothing at all. "Quite the gloomy type, I see. Well, I guess this works well with the scars. My customers do seem to sometimes suddenly change tastes or prefer the broken type in general. Finding real jewels among those depressed and suicidal kids is hard though. Some think their life is miserable just because their first love broke up with them or because they are being bullied, but this guy… He's truly broken." There was something like curious excitement in the man's face now, seeing those dull blue eyes. "How does he behave?"
Mizuki seemed a little unsettled at first, but quickly regained his posture again. "He's quite submissive. At first he struggles though, tends to thrash around a bit. But once you get a good hold on him, he stops resisting quickly."
"Good, good," the stranger nodded. "And for how long can he hold out?"
A thoughtful look appeared on the other male's face. "I'd say about… twelve to fifteen minutes. He's been roughened up the past few years after all."
"Gag reflex?"
Proudly, Mizuki shook his head. "Almost none at all."
"You really have raised him well, Mizuki-kun."
The white-haired man merely shrugged at this, the proud gleam never leaving his eyes though. "I've had many years of time after all, Madara-sama."
Madara nodded, jerking his thumb towards Naruto. "What about STDs?" He quickly caught the look of uncertainty on the younger man's face. "Test him. I won't take him before that's done."
Mizuki growled, crossing his arms. "Fine. If that's all." He then stood there in the door frame, watching as Madara kept scrutinising Naruto.
"Stand up and take your shirt off," Madara suddenly demanded with a straight glare at Naruto.
At first, the blond hesitated, but one look at Mizuki's darkening face was enough motivation he needed. Cautious not to disturb his wounds, he got up and pulled off his shirt, discarding it onto the bed behind him. His hips were suddenly grabbed and turned slightly, Madara on level with his navel, which in turn unsettled Naruto.
"There are way too many bruises on him," the raven-haired man eyeing Naruto's hips stated. "And this huge scar on his stomach… You really went over-board there, Mizuki-kun."
And indignant snort could be heard coming from the white-haired man. "What's so bad about bruises?"
Madara straightened up again and handed Naruto his shirt for him to put on again. "To most people, especially my customers, bruises are like markings of property. Seeing this boy's bruises, it's obvious that he already belongs to someone: you. No one would want a boy that already belongs to someone. Let those bruises and cuts heal up, have him tested for STDs, then we'll talk again." The raven-haired man's gaze rested on Naruto for a single silent moment, before flicking back to Mizuki. "That will be all. Let me know once everything is done." He then left the room without another word, Mizuki stumbling after him.
Left behind was Naruto, feeling confused, angry and extremely nervous. It finally hit him that his own father was willing to sell him for money, not even seeming to feel bad about it. A sudden urge to talk to someone caused the blond to jump up, hissing a little at the pain of his old wounds, and grab his cellphone from the floor. He quickly dialled a number, falling back onto his bed with a sigh. Staring up at the greyish ceiling, Naruto listened to the constant beeping on the other line, until the sound of someone picking up finally sounded.
Why the hell are you calling him of all people?
"Kyuubi?" Naruto mumbled timidly, hoping he hadn't dialled the wrong number again. The chances for something like that happening were not too big after all. Right?
"No."
Wrong.
"Again."
Blue eyes widened a little, gaining a look of surprise. "You're the guy from last time?"
"If you're the guy that was sobbing into the phone, then yeah. Apparently."
This let a small blush bloom on the blond's face. "Sorry for bothering you. I was trying to call someone completely differe–"
"What happened now?"
For a while, Naruto was silent. Was this guy really willing to listen to his problems, the problems of a complete stranger? "Um… well… You know…"
"Tell me before I get bored and hang up."
What a nice person to have a conversation with. A sigh of defeat left the blond. "Fine, I'll tell you." Wanting to annoy the person on the other line, Naruto used this moment for a dramatic pause. Probably too long, but that was what he was aiming for. "My dad's planning to sell me off to other people and make me a prostitute." The sudden dead-silence on the other end didn't surprise Naruto. In fact, he was expecting the stranger to hang up about now, thinking something along the lines of Why didn't I hang up right away? This guy's totally fucked up!.
"What a bastard," the stranger suddenly broke the silence. "What kind of dad would sell off his own child? And why are you letting him do something like that? Aren't there social workers where you live?"
Only slightly, Naruto's grip on the phone tightened. "Where I live, no one would willingly help me. I've got quite the reputation, to be honest. Goes way back to something I don't even remember." A small smile curled his lips when he heard the huff on the other line.
"That doesn't justify being treated like that. You don't sound like someone overly unpleasant."
I probably should take that as a compliment.
"There's aught to be someone willing to help you."
Naruto actually pondered this for a while. The only ones he could come up with that would maybe help him were either lunatics – in his eyes anyway – or away in a different city. "It's not that easy. It never is." The blond could actually imagine the scowl on the other person's face.
I'm also working on the One Shots I promised for AlchemyGaara and BeeBee Forthwright (Bee, your name is confusing by the way. I have no idea how to pronounce it). One is for Naruto and the other for Fullmetal Alchemist. To be honest, I'm faster with the Naruto OS cause that one already has a vague outline, while the FMA one is still just an idea in my head. But I'll sit down soon and give both of them a firm plot.
