Summary: Just a one-shot, fluffy fic....Ever wonder why Naruto loves ramen so much? Other than it's the best thing on the planet? well, this is how I picture the reason, enjoy!
Ramen:
It was years ago, I was only 8 yeards-old....I was so sad; sad and angry. Angry at the villager's who stared at me with those hateful eyes.
People say that what one says can be the most painful thing....but what about the things one doesn't say.....how does that make one feel? I have never once, in my few years been told any kind words. No one seems to care if I'm here or not....no, no, that's not true....they'd be happier if I wasn't here.....
Such hateful eyes, I watch the other children, the normal children.....The loving looks they get from their parents, no one has ever come close to looking at me like that. Pity is the closest I've recieved.....and every time I see those looks full of pity, I loathe all the villagers; the people who hate me for no reason I can see, and I don't understand.....
But then that changed....there was one person who seemed to realize my pain...the one person who gave me a look of love instead of the foul glare of hate, or the pitious stares from the kinder villagers......
"Iruka-sensei!!!" Naruto shouted after his sensei. Iruka had just whacked him over the head with a scroll and kept on walking. ' it's not like I did anything!.......well, maybe I deserved it....okay, so I did....' Naruto thought as he stared at the ground. He had played his worst prank yet on Iruka-sensei; he had replaced one of his precious scrolls with a fake that replaced respectful titles(of important people in the history of Konohagakure) with rather obscene phrases. He hadn't messed with the original, but Iruka-sensei didn't give him a chance to explai....that's when he was hit over the head with said scroll. The original was in his shirt- unharmed.
After sulking for a few moments he ran after his sensei, hoping to explain to him. 'what good will it do, though? No one ever listens to me....dobe....' He kept the threatening tears in check, after years of this treatment, he had learned to control his emotions(to an extent).
He turned a corner he had seen the man go around and then went in the general direction he knew Iruka lived in. After a half-hour of fruitless searching, he spotted the duster-like ponytail of his teacher in a place called Ichiraku. He was about to call out to him, when he heard the man muttering to himself.
"......damn that Naruto....always does this...such a troublesome little gaki....." Naruto looked down. His chest hurt for some reason.....it happened before he even realized what was going on.
The rest of the place was empty, and Iruka had been muttering to himself, anger for Naruto still fresh. He suddenly heard a strange sound....it sounded familiar....His eyes widened in recognition. It was a child sobbing.
His head whipped around as he saw a small blonde run from the Ichiraku. He felt his stomach fall; it could only be Naruto. Iruka didn't really hate the boy, but it seemed he wanted to make his life a living hell.
With a curse, Iruka stood up, toppling the chair he had just vacated, and ran after the chibi. It took a while to find him, he hadn't realized how fast the chibi was! Naruto had gotten at least a quarter of a mile, surprising speed for an eight year-old child.
Naruto sat in an alley, legs bent and arms hugging his knees. So Iruka-sense really hated him.....this thought nrought on a fresh bought of sobs, and only when the clearing of a throat made him look up, was he silent.
Iruka stood over him, his eyes softening. He hadn't realized how sad the chibi had been....but then realization dawned on him. How could he not see?
Naruto, since the day he was born, had been completely and utterly alone. He had to indure the harsh glares and pitying looks from the whole village, and now, even his sensei. Iruka felt immensly guilty now; he had been through the same thing when his parents were killed....
Naruto still sat in the same position, staring up at him. Iruka thought that was wrong, that they were equal, and even if he was short, Naruto deserved to be looked at equally, rather than looked down on. So Iruka sat on the dirty alley-way ground and came to eye level with Naruto.
Naruto's eyes widened as his sensei sat down in front of him. No one had done anything like this before, it made him nervous; he looked down again, at his knees.
"Naruto..." Iruka said softly. "Look at me."
Naruto obeyed hesitantly. When he looked up, he saw not the hate filled glare, or the pitying stare. He saw eyes filled with compassion and understanding....that's when the tears started again.
Naruto sobbed and latched on to Iruka, who jerked back in shock, and then put a comforting hadn around the chibi. 'I wish I had realized before...' he thought guiltily, and to Naruto's shock, stood up bringing the small boy with him.
Iruka made his way back to the Ichiraku; he set Naruto down in the chair across from the one he had been at before, then walked around the table, picked his up, and sat down.
"Naruto," the small boy jumped at his name being said, "have you ever had ramen before?"
Naruto shook his head shyly and gave a small, sad smile. "I don't have much money....I only have the food the Hokage sends me....so I've never been to a resturaunt before..."
Iruka looked at the boy sadly, again feeling that awful guilt. Naruto wasn't sure what the sad look was for, but he was happy it wasn't what people usually looked at him like. "Well, chibi...I'll buy you some then, and then you can say you've been to a resturaunt!" Naruto's huge smile seemed to brighten the whole room, and soon, even Iruka was smiling like madman.
Iruka ordered two bowls for them and they sat, waiting for it to arive. After a while the steaming bowls of noodles were placed in front of them and Naruto's eyes were wide in wonder.
"It's so big!" he said, in that way only children can, and Iruka laughed lightly at the awe in his voice.
"I'll make a deal with you, Naruto." Naruto looked up and nodded slowly. "I'll take you to the Ichiraku once a week, in exchange, you will work harder and pull pranks less."
Naruto had to think about it for a while, he loved pulling pranks, but.....he wanted to spend more time with Iruka-sensei. "....m'okay....but I can still pull some pranks, ne?" He looked up with pleading blue eyes, and Iruka couldn't say no. So he nodded slightly and gestured for Naruto to try the ramen.
As the noodles were hanging half-way out of his mouth, his eyes lit up and he began speaking, noodles falling from his mouth. "Dish ish da besht thurng I urvur tarshted!"
Iruka mock glared and said sternly, " Naruto! Don' talk with your mouth full, it's rude!" But then he couldn't stop it anymore and he broke into hearty laughter, followed by Naruto's soft giggles.
Iruka was the first to ever look at me like that, to treat me like a normal child....It's the reason I love ramen so much....
-wipes a tear from eye- my, I don't think I've ever been so fluffy! well, tell me what ye think, please!