Author's Note: Finally! Time to reveal Naruto's dark past. There've been several questions about why Naruto couldn't play basketball and, at last, here's the answer. This will be a longer arc than usual - but I hope you likey!
THE ULTIMATE UKE SYNDROME
by rosesareblue
Chapter Twenty-one
"Him." The little boy pointed. "Don't talk to him."
The little girl looked toward the direction of the boy's pointed finger. The orphanage playground was overcrowded, noisy. But the specified blonde boy sat alone, at the shaded corner of the yard. There were so many orphans – so many unfortunate children – but by far, the most unfortunate blatantly distinguished from the rest. He sat looking around the playground but his blue eyes reflected nothing. He sat hearing the ruckus but his ears were deaf to the clamor.
Because he was alone – the most alone.
The boy was beautiful. His soft blonde hair fell across his sugar brown forehead. His blue eyes were a gorgeous watery cerulean. He hugged his legs in his arms and his smooth, thin body made an artistic arc. And so the only thing that marred the boy's physical beauty was that scar of loneliness.
The blond was aware of his disfiguring flaw. The small boy somehow bore the weight of an adult horror – because children shouldn't be lonely. Because children age too frighteningly fast in loneliness.
The girl felt a wave of compassion. "Why not? He's very pretty."
"He's sick." A brown-haired boy, hearing their conversation, spoke up.
"Sick?"
"Yup." A girl in pigtails informed the obvious newcomer. She must be new to the orphanage if she didn't know about Uzumaki Naruto. "He's really sick."
The little boy that'd told her not to talk to the blonde explained, "His got a per-o-moan problem."
The little girl's eyes widened. She was impressed with the little boy's mature vocabulary. "Per-o-moan?"
"Uh huh." The boy nodded, self-authoritatively.
"What does it mean?"
At that question, all three children answered eagerly.
"It means that Uzumaki Naruto coughs up blood sometimes – when no one did nuthing."
"He sometimes even wets the bed – like a baby!"
"He's so sick all the time – last time I got in trouble cos he fainted when I didn't even touch him. He just plopped over!"
"It means he's stupid. He's the last place in all the classes."
"I know! I know! He gets sub-tactions and add-it-shins confused!"
"He's so stupid!
"Like a girl even though he's a boy."
"Yup, he's just a freak."
"When I get near him, my stomach hurts."
"The teachers act funny 'round him – even they don't wanna touch him. 'Cept maybe that one teacher…"
"It means no one wants to adopt him – ever."
The last statement seemed to wrap everything and the three orphans finally fell silent, shuddering at the most horrible fate. No one wanting to adopt you. No one wanting you.
No one.
"And…" The little boy whispered to the little girl. "You might catch his sickness, if you get near him."
The little girl gasped, the sympathy she'd felt minutes prior evaporating in pungent fear.
"You might get sick like Uzumaki Naruto. You have to be careful." The pigtailed girl nodded empathically.
"Don't play with him." The brown-haired boy added.
"Never play with him."
"I won't." The little girl swallowed, determined. "I won't ever go near Uzumaki Naruto. Never ever."
Naruto threaded his fingers into the links of the chain fence, looking outside. Behind him, he could hear the other orphans play. But he was use to it – being left out of the noise. He was almost immune to other's joy. And he'd soon be immune to his own pain. Soon, he'd not be able to feel this pain that throbbed in his chest.
He wondered bitterly if this pain was also a symptom of his illness.
The blonde stared at the empty streets outside the fence of the orphanage. What'd happen if he crawled over the fence? What'd happen if he ran away? Would anyone notice? Would anyone care?
Iruka-sensei would care. Only Iruka-sensei, the only teacher in the orphanage that acknowledged Naruto's existence. Iruka-sensei took Naruto out of the orphanage now and then to buy him miso-ramen, came to keep Naruto company when the blonde was lying in the nurse's office from one of his excessive pheromone induced spells of weakness and sometimes was the very image of parents that Naruto only dared dream about in his most private fantasies.
But it was just too blatant that everyone else would be glad if Naruto disappeared. Well, he'd be glad too. He'd be glad to escape from the unwelcoming stares, the pointing fingers, the whispers of 'don't go near him.'
So Naruto would go! Naruto sat up straight at the sudden idea – but it made so much sense, didn't it? Naruto would go and return only when he was cured of his illness. When he found something that would make everyone acknowledge his existence. When he did something that would make Iruka-sensei proud.
When he did something so spectacular, he would be allowed to join in on the other's play…
The last thought made Naruto's heart skip a beat. He'd do it! He'd do anything – !
Naruto linked his small, tan hand firmly through the fence chain and began to climb…
Naruto gasped, his hands on his knees. He'd gotten away! At first, climbing the chain fence wasn't too hard – but he'd sort of got his shirt caught when he was trying to climb over the top. It was then that some baka had hollered for a teacher. Naruto had to run like heck to escape but escape he did.
The blonde allowed himself a grin of proud accomplishment. He was on his way to accomplishing his spectacular thing – whatever it was. The only problem was… Naruto frowned, looking around.
He was surrounded by huge houses – did one of 'em really belong to one person? – built majestically with tall windows, heavy doors and elegantly designed exterior. Gah - !
Where the heck was he?
That moment, he heard someone coming down the sidewalk toward him. Instinctively, Naruto dove into the nearest bush. A buxom girl, listening to her mp3, roller-bladed past. It never occurred to the blonde – being wary of all people – to ask for directions. Instead, Naruto decided to wait it out on the bush till the girl disappeared from sight.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
At first, Naruto mistook the sound as his heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
No, the blonde frowned, not his heartbeat. It was a sound from outside – outside his body. But where? Naruto crawled through the thick bush till he located the source of the beating noise. A pale boy – his age – was bouncing an orange ball on cement floor.
Naruto watched, fascinated, by the other boy's movements.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The big orange ball seemed to obey every motion of that slim white hand and bounced prettily, making an even prettier sound. Naruto's eyes took in every flinch the pale boy made and the change it initiated in the movement of the ball. And it was – singly – the most gratifying thing the blonde had ever seen. The bumpy orange ball, the gorgeous, pale boy and the spectacular dance that unfolded in front of his blue eyes – beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Something spectacular.
Naruto jerked in his crouching position in the bush. That – this was it! This was the most spectacular thing a person could do! This dance with the orange ball! And Naruto wanted to learn how. He wanted to learn to play with that orange ball.
The blonde burst from the bush, startling the pale boy.
"Who-who's there?" The pale boy demanded with sharp authority, turning quickly around to face the sudden intruder and dropping the basketball in his hurry. The orange ball bounced toward Naruto, rolling round the blonde's feet.
Naruto delighted in the texture of the ball as he took up a basketball for the first time in his life. He peered carefully at the small bumps, the etched black lines; felt the rubber, pressing his fingertips lightly against the bumpy face of the basketball; and weighed the firmness of the ball in his palms. The blonde put to memory all his observations – he wanted to know everything and anything that had to do with his something spectacular.
The pale boy glared at the strange blonde – who'd suddenly burst into his yard – disliking how his question went ignored.
"You! Who are you?" He demanded again, accosting the blonde.
Naruto – almost having forgotten the presence of the other boy in his examination of the basketball – looked up at the pale boy.
A blush instantly spread on the pale boy's cheeks as he met the blonde's blue eyes. He'd never seen anyone so pretty. The blonde's round eyes seemed to be filled with water – or maybe filled with the sky. The blueness peered out from under long, golden lashes – searching the pale boy's own eyes.
"Can you teach me to play?" The blonde broke the silence. His voice was trembling very slightly.
"What did you say?"
"Teach me to do what you did."
When he didn't answer right away, the blonde smiled cautiously. The pale boy's blush darkened at the simple loveliness of the curve of the blonde's lips.
"It's not easy." The pale boy returned, his way of consenting.
Naruto delighted as the pale boy led him to the center of the smooth cement floor. Possibly, it was the first time that another boy had agreed to let him play. Naruto bubbled happily, "It looks easy."
The pale boy stopped at the blonde's remark. Coming from anyone else, the pale boy would have been disgusted with such a conceited statement. Coming from the blonde, it simply sounded honest.
"Watch me first." The pale boy instructed. He took the basketball in his small hands and dribbled it gracefully. The blonde watched him intently - which pleased the pale boy for some reason. He gently passed the ball and the blonde caught it firmly in his palms. "Now you try."
The blonde swallowed once and then, after taking a resolute deep breath, began to imitate the pale boy's dribbling. The pale boy watched, amazed, at how the blonde mirrored his actions perfectly then – the rhythm of the dribbling was changing. The sound the dribbling basketball made against the cement was changing.
Naruto frowned in concentration. He wanted to do this perfectly. He pumped the orange ball against the cement and at first delighted in the fact that the ball returned faithfully to his palms.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Naruto bounced the ball up and down – up and down – like he'd seen the pale boy do. But – matte –
Thump. Thump. Thump.
If Naruto slowed his bouncing, he could change the rhythm he made against the cement! After several tries, Naruto found that he could alter the speed of his bouncing and simultaneously, create his own beat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
There! He liked that beat better!
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It sounded like his heartbeat, this ball. It sounded like his own heart – which finally didn't throb with pain anymore…
The pale boy watched the blonde dribble a little jealously. How could the blonde be so perfect? So pretty and so naturally apt at basketball – the pale boy had had to practice several times to perfect his own dribbling. But that initiating stirring of envy was instantly mitigated by another smile – this one bright and beaming – from the blonde.
The pale boy's heart beat faster as another blush crept up on his cheek.
"Here, let me show you something el – "
But when the pale boy extended an arm to steal the ball away from the blonde, the blonde instinctively twisted out of reach. The pale boy's eyes grew round with surprise. Did the blonde just guard the ball? Move so speedily away while still dribbling? But that wasn't possible – not if it was the blonde's first time playing basketball like he said.
The pale boy reached for the ball again – this time more aggressively – and the blonde fluidly whirled out of reach, sending the pale boy a taunting grin. Accepting the blonde's challenge, the pale boy speeded for the ball.
"You'd do my master much honor if you were to take him under your magnificent wing, Jiraya-sama."
The guardian bowed low toward the big, white-haired man sitting casually on the leather couch. The great Jiraya-sama – one of the greatest legends in basketball history – sat so close by! It wasn't often a Japanese man was known internationally for basketball. Jiraya-sama was definitely one of the leading fathers of that honor. And now, he'd turned to coaching – so that he could rear the futures of Japanese basketball. The guardian trembled from the mere physical proximity of such a great man.
Jiraya yawned, looking round at the interior of the great house – a house that was built to enhance the prominence of the renowned family that resided in it. He glanced back at the eager guardian and considered the offer. He'd heard stories of the boy this man before him was referring to as 'master' prior to his visit – he'd heard the boy was talented. Maybe it'd be good to see what the boy could do and whether the rumors were rooted in any truth. Even if a fraction of such a rumor proved true, the boy would be a profitable find.
Jiraya inclined his head. The guardian instantly leapt to his feet and led the white-haired man up to the second floor balcony, which had a clear view of the basketball courts in the backyard. The guardian took it upon himself to obsequiously bow every other minute along the way. Jiraya yawned again, tiredly.
"There! My master's practicing basketball now." The guardian pointed, when the two men walked out to the balcony.
Jiraya looked and saw the named pale boy. But what caught his eye and interest was not the pale boy but another blonde kid, dribbling the ball away from him. The pale boy's movements were polished and graceful; he reached out precisely to steal the ball away from the blonde. However, the blonde somehow kept the pale boy from touching the ball.
The blonde's movements contrasted with the pale boy in that they were rough – didn't seem like anyone had bothered to teach him any form – and blunt. But the speed! – the power! – the little boy's movements were incredible. The pale boy was built to play basketball – his body was big for his age. The blonde, on the other hand, seemed even runty for his age – not built to play basketball. But Jiraya marveled again as the blonde twisted out of the pale boy's reach once more.
The blonde didn't need to be built to play basketball – the blonde was basketball. The bouncing orange ball was just another gorgeous extension of the blonde's pretty, smooth body.
"Who's that boy?! He's not supposed to be here!" The guardian roared, hurrying off the balcony – which had a separate set of stairs for this very purpose – down to the basketball court.
As the guardian frantically left his side, Jiraya beamed out at the two little boys. It'd been good to come, after all. He'd found the talented pupil he was looking for.
The great white-haired man smiled widely as his eager eyes rested on the blonde once again.
The pale boy gasped, lying on the cement and holding the ball under his arm. He'd finally succeed in stealing the ball away. The blonde boy lay down on the cement next to him, propping his head on the pale boy's belly. The two boys rested in that manner for brief seconds, enjoying the comfort of repose after a long game and thinking very similar thoughts.
The pale boy didn't have friends. He had many who were willing to be friends – but never willing to be friends with him for the sake of being friends. He knew many other boys who were willing to be friends – or who's parents were willing for them to be friends – with his family's power, his family's wealth, his family's prominence – but never with him. So, the pale didn't bother. Either way, the pale boy was too busy living up to the expectations that naturally came along with bearing his family name to try to make friends.
But this blonde boy was different. Very different. He'd just appeared out of nowhere and had still been very willing to play. No standards. No expectations. The blonde was an easy playmates. And the blonde's athletic grace was as magnificent as the blonde's gorgeous smile and charmed the pale boy completely.
Naruto decided that he liked how his head slowly rose and fell with the deep breathes of the pale boy. Naruto decided he liked very much playing with the orange ball and confirmed again that it was this very spectacular thing he wanted to do in life. And Naruto decided he really liked playing with his new friend.
Finally! The blonde could describe what he liked and not only what he disliked! And during the whole process, he'd completely forgotten the pain in his chest. It'd disappeared, that empty beating pain… Naruto smiled another rare genuine smile, a rare event all in the course of one day.
"Hey, hey!" Naruto pushed his body up.
The pale boy frowned at the loss of the sensation of the blonde's head against his shirt and also got up. "Hmm?"
"We should be friends." Naruto suggested.
The pale boy blinked solemnly. "Friends?"
"Yup!"
The pale boy looked away. Che. The blonde was too cute for his own good… The pale boy wondered if he'd be lobbied all the time by that too-kawaii-for-its-own-good smile. He decided he didn't really care.
"Sure." The pale boy thrust out a white hand to grasp the blonde's smaller one.
"What's your name?" The blonde asked.
"I'm – "
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
The pale boy's reply was drowned out in his guardian's hollering. Naruto turned, staring wide-eyed, at the adult who was rushing him. Instantly getting the impression that he was being chased, Naruto leaned up to peck the pale boy's cheek before whirling round to disappear through the bush.
"Master!" The guardian gasped. "Are you safe?"
The pale boy was still looking toward the bush where the blonde had disappeared, holding the essence of the blonde's light kiss against his cheek. He turned back slowly toward his guardian – his slowly thawing brain now calculating that this man had interrupted the beginning of his first real friendship.
"…"
"I couldn't hear what you said, master?" The guardian asked, wondering why his master's face was oddly shaded in shadows.
"You are fired." The pale boy snapped, glaring steely eyed at his guardian now.
…
……
The guardian felt his soul fly out of his mouth as he turned into a slab of rock. His master – his dear, dear master – couldn't be serious? Could he? But looking at the sparked stare from the pale boy, the guardian had a sinking feeling that he was. But – ! He'd done nothing wrong – he'd tried to protect him from a strange blonde kid – and what about Jiraya-sama? What about his work in persuading Jiraya-sama to take his master under his wing?
The guardian turned around to jerk a finger up toward the balcony. The pale boy followed the direction of his guardian's point and frowned in confusion. The guardian turned around rigidly and his jaw hit the floor in surprise. Jiraya-sama had disappeared!
The guardian and the pale boy could not have guessed but the great, white-haired man had gone – gone after a certain, spectacularly talented little blonde…
Author's Note: And there's the first part of Naruto's past. Look forward to more additions and as always – please leave me a note!