Not a Monster

Naruto winced as another rock hit his head. He shot a glare at the three boys who just snickered in response. Recess was supposed to be a fun time, but for Naruto, it was the time of day he despised most.

Other than Iruka-sensei, all the teachers at the ninja academy would just ignore him whenever any of the other students bullied him. They would throw things at him, steal his lunch, and call him names all day. Naruto didn't understand why.

Everyday the six year old went home alone. Crying.

Truth be told though, he preferred the name-calling over the villagers' torture. Every time he walked to school he was subjected to harsh glares from the majority of the populace. Every time he walked home it was the same. Naruto didn't know why the entire village hated him so much, but it killed him to be hated and not know why.

"Stop it!" Naruto shouted as another rock collided with his head. The laughing boys stopped their rock throwing and walked up to him in an intimidating fashion.

"Or what?" One of the three boys challenged, giving Naruto a shove.

"It hurts! I didn't do anything to you!" Naruto shouted, stomping his feet on the ground in frustration.

"Yeah? Well, you're a freak!" The boy laughed, giving him another hard shove. "That means we can make fun of you!"

"Why? Why am I a freak?" Naruto asked them desperately. Tears were already starting to sting his eyes.

"Because my daddy and mommy say so." The boy replied. "They call you a monster, so that makes you a freak." The boy pushed Naruto to the ground.

The boy sniffled as he started to cry. The boys just laughed and started kicking sand in his face. Naruto covered his head as he tried to make all the bad people go away.

"You leave him alone!"

Naruto blinked when the boys stopped. He looked up to see a girl with short black hair standing in front of him with her arms and legs spread out to shield him. The boys just glared at her.

"What's with you? Get out of our way!"

"Stop bullying him!" The girl demanded, not moving from her spot. "If you don't go away, I'll tell on you!"

"So?" One boy snickered. The teachers didn't care. They'd say sorry and then bully the kid some more and no one ever cared.

"No. I'll tell Mr. Hokage the next time he comes here!" The girl threatened.

The boys paled. While telling the teachers wasn't much of a threat, telling the hokage was. The man took care of Naruto, and whenever he heard someone was messing with him he'd give them severe punishment. Some kids weren't out of detention from his last punishment. The boys grumbled and retreated to the other side of the playground. The girl turned around and smiled at Naruto.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, her face turning a little red.

Naruto just stared up at her in wonder and amazement. No one had ever stuck up for him before. This small gesture made her seem like an angel in Naruto's eyes. He could see her halo and shining wings. The boy looked down and blushed shyly.

"W-Why'd you help me?"

"They were being mean to you." The girl answered.

"I know that, but no one here cares. Everyone hates me." Naruto said sadly. "I'm a freak, right?"

His eyes widened as he felt tiny arms wrap around his frame. Naruto gasped as the girl hugged him, his whole body stiffening at her touch.

"You're not a freak." The girl said softly. "I think you're a good person. I really, really like you."

Naruto timidly wrapped his arms around the girl. He wanted to squeeze her tight and never let go, but was afraid he'd hurt her or scare her away. He whimpered a bit when she released him.

"I'm Hinata." The girl smiled at him, a red hue covering her face.

"I-I'm Naruto." The boy replied. He looked over towards the swing he usually sat on. "D-Do you want to go play on the swing?"

"I'd like that, Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled back.

Naruto smiled and grabbed her hand.

I'm not a freak… Hinata says I'm not a freak…

That was the first real compliment anyone had ever given him. It was also the first time Naruto truly believed without a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't a freak. He knew that he wasn't a monster.

A/N: I wrote this a few days back when I saw some big boys bullying a smaller boy at the park (They all looked like they could be in the first grade at least). A little girl in blue overalls had walked over to them and shoved one of the boys down, scaring them and making them go away. When the boy who had been bullied started crying, the little girl asked him if he wanted to play tag with her. She complimented him and said he seemed nice and had asked if he wanted to be her friend. I felt like writing this drabble in response to that. It was nice to see the girl stick up for that boy.

Anyway, I'll post another one in a couple days. Review please.

Kiiam