NOTE: I've changed my name (finally) from Chibi Neko-chan3 to Nazo... FYI.
Wow, I'm surprised it worked. I got reviews!! Just to let you people know I'm going to come out with a new chapter about every week... so far, though, I'm only up to chapter six (typed) so... yeah... I'm not going to scare you with how far I've gotten with the outines.
And to Hana RE: your question about Gaara... I'm not entirely sure yet... but I'm at the point in the story (outline) where he has a possibility of showing up... depending on where I send Sasuke and Naruto.
And last but not least, as I continue to read the Naruto Manga... I'm starting to wonder if Chouji and Neji really do make it out of there alive... If they don't then this story branches off around just before Naruto finds out everyone is dead. I figure Kiba is next to go, followed by Shikamaru, leaving Naruto to deal with Sasuke.
Title: Jaded
Series: Naruto
Rating: PG-13 (Will go higher later on)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Humour, Horror, Tragedy, Supernatural, Fantasy, etc. (pretty much all)
Summary: For most of his life, Naruto has had one dream (becoming Hokage) and one love (Sakura), but as he grows up he realises not everything is as easy as he wants to believe it is, and his romances are not as simple as getting the girl, but finding a love that's not bound by superficial reasons. (Eventually it'll be SasuNaru)
Pairings: We're starting to develop one relationship in this chapter, though if you know me and the fics I write you know how it will *eventually* end up.
Chapter Title: 4. Prejudice
Sasuke and Sakura were pushed inside the house and told to rest while Kakashi kept the woman outside to have a little 'chat'. Neither of them believed what she said about Naruto, but the only way to be sure was to eavesdrop on the two adults' conversation.
"Do you not live by the rules placed upon us by the Hokage?!" Kakashi yelled. The woman stayed indignant.
"Of course I do!" She exclaimed in a huff. "But I'm not letting a known murderer into my house."
"Naruto is an innocent. Did you forget that speaking word of this to the younger generations was absolutely forbidden by the Fourth?" Sasuke turned to Sakura, clearly intrigued. Kakashi had to have known they were just behind the door, but apparently the damage had been done and he wanted them to know the whole truth and not just a biased opinion.
"The Fourth is dead now, my son is dead now. *His* rules do not apply anymore." Even though they couldn't see anything, the two genin knew Kakashi was angry beyond words now. They could practically feel the heat through the door. "Yondaime is dead and it's all that little brat's fault. There is no way the Kyuubi no Kitsune and the boy's soul can reside in the same body."
"Naruto is in full control of his own body." Kakashi snapped. "The fox demon was sealed. Naruto was sacrificed for the well-being of our entire village and forced to live with everyone who are as ignorant and dull- minded as you."
"Why I-" Sasuke decided he was going to stop their argument from becoming a full out battle. He grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her through the door, interrupting their dispute.
"Stop it, both of you!" He yelled. "You're fighting like children, lowering yourselves to petty insults. I want to know NOW why we weren't told about Naruto." He narrowed his eyes.
"It was forbidden knowledge." Kakashi's answer was simple, angering Sasuke even more.
"We're past all that, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura retorted. "What's the real reason? We have a right to know."
"Actually you don't, but since you know this much it wouldn't hurt telling you the rest." He sighed and sat down on the front step to the hut. "The villagers hated Naruto, still do, and blamed him for taking the Fourth's life and their telling of Naruto's story would have slanted the truth and he'd be even more loathed than he already is. The Hokage only wished that Naruto could grow up as normally as possible, as a normal child. However, your parents' hatred was passed on through you, for, even though you didn't know why, you all could sense the hostility your parents held for him and adopted the same feelings of contempt. The rest, however, is not really mine to tell." Sakura nodded. It made sense and she began to feel really bad for the way she'd always treated him. The lady bowed her head slightly, still feeling slightly resentful towards the boy, and ushered them all back in the hut.
"Inside and heal." She said sharply. "You can go find your friend when you aren't in danger of dying." Before they could protest any further, they were shoved, rather roughly, into the hut. She was obviously still angry over Kakashi's little 'chat'.
***
"Stupid old hag." Naruto muttered spitefully, kicking a stone out of his path. He had been wandering for an hour and was no longer upset by what she had said. He was pissed off. "Where does she get off judging me?" He looked around and, seeing no one, decided to sit down where he was. It wouldn't look good on him if he got so lost even his team wouldn't be able to find him. 'Like they would want to now.' He figured eventually Sasuke and Sakura would figure out where he was and would rather continue back to Konoha than go looking for him. They either hated him or feared him.
"What am I going to do now?" He wondered aloud. "I could always transfer to a group that doesn't know my past, but Sakura might tell other people." He winced, giving up on that train of thought. 'Maybe I can run away.' He thought, but quickly scratched that one. 'No, they'd send hunter-nin after me.'
"Don't think too hard, you'll get a headache." A voice came from behind him. Startled, Naruto jumped up and whipped around too face his would-be attacker. He hadn't even heard the tell-tale snapping of twigs.
"Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed. "Gomen!" He backed away, slowly. She just flashed him a smile and sat down. Confused, he followed suit, wondering what she was up to. She began to fidget with her hands for a moment before looking Naruto in the eyes.
"You didn't need to run away from us." She started. "I don't understand what it must feel like for you, but I do know you've had a hard life." The blond nodded.
"Hai, demo it's nothing compared to the people who had their lives ruined by the demon."
"I never noticed how modest you are. You sure don't usually act like this. You are one of those people, too, you know. I just wanted to come and get you. If I had sent Sasuke to get you you two might have gotten into a fight or something. Come back with me?" She asked. Naruto was stunned.
"You're not angry? Scared? You don't want to hurt me?" He wondered, his eyes widening. She shook her head.
"No, neither does Sasuke-kun. Demo, Kakashi looked like he wanted to kill that lady for insulting you."
"How am I going to go back? She said she wouldn't let me in."
"Kakashi had a talk with her."
"I don't want people to have to be forced into things because of me. If she doesn't want me in her house then I'm not going to have other people force me in there."
"Naruto-kun!" Sakura whined. "It's only for a day or two. She's a little more willing to see things from your point of view now. There's no guarantee she'll agree though. Just try it." Naruto hesitated for a second. He didn't want to give the old woman another reason to hate him, but if Sakura wanted him to come back with her... then maybe.
"Fine, I'll come back." Sakura grinned and gave the boy a bear hug.
"Sasuke said I should go because I'd be the one you'd listen to. I'd be the one you'd want to come after you." She explained as he stood up. He gave a hollow laugh.
"He said that?" Sakura nodded. "It's not entirely true, you know. One day you're going to have to tell him that he probably could have had a hell of an easier time convincing me to come back than you did." She looked confused for a second but decided to drop it as he didn't seem to have thoughts of going any deeper into it. They turned around and headed back.
***
By the time they got back it was already well past dark and Sasuke was already fast asleep. Naruto hesitantly stepped into the hut, shrinking under the harsh glare of the old woman, but didn't tuck tail and run.
"You better have control over that beast, or you're as good as dead, you hear?" She whispered snidely as he went to the room he'd be sharing with Sasuke. He turned around and flashed her a bright smile.
"Don't worry, ma'am. The seal on my stomach will forever keep the Kyuubi inside of me. He'll never get loose." She narrowed her eyes even further.
"I highly doubt that your will and that seal alone are enough to keep a wild animal like that caged for too long." He shrugged off the comment and went to his room. Closing the door as quietly as possible, Naruto crept up to his bed, not really wanting to wake up Sasuke while he was trying to heal.
He glanced quickly at the sleeping boy, noticing that the curse seal was left uncovered. Frowning and trying to suppress reflexive shivers, he tossed back his own covers and crawled into bed. No need to think about that stupid ninja that forced them to come to this hut in the first place. No need to think about all the times Sasuke was nearly taken over by that curse. No need to think about the horrible way the Sharingan wheel spun a wild red when the seal took over. The bloodlust in his eyes.
Naruto frowned, smacking his head. His train of thought wasn't helping much. He just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything. He closed his eyes and within minutes was fast asleep.
***
A soft thrashing noise coming from beside him woke Sasuke in the middle of the night. He sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, waiting for himself to fully wake up. He turned to the side to find that even in his sleep, Naruto was as loud as ever. 'Why did I get stuck with him in my room?' he wondered. Focusing his eyes, he noticed that Naruto was wrapped tightly in the sheets and was struggling to move.
"Onegai..." Naruto whispered as a cold sweat broke out over his forehead. He was gripped in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. Sasuke stood up from his bed and moved to kneel at Naruto's bedside. He stared down at the boy intently as he continued to struggle with his dream.
"What do you dream about, Kitsune?" He whispered, unwrapping the sheet from the sleeping boy's arms.
"Onegai..." Naruto repeated softly, desperation clear in his voice. "Sa- Sasuke..." The dark-haired genin fell to the floor in shock at hearing his name. He was almost positive the blond had woken up, but he shook his head. It was in the nightmare. He jumped back up and began shaking Naruto roughly, trying to wake him up.
"Naruto!" He exclaimed as loud as he dared. Blue eyes opened to the darkness and for a moment he seemed disoriented. His forehead crinkled in confusion.
"Sasuke?" He asked. Fear seemed to radiate off of him, and his body shifted ever so slightly away from the boy kneeling at his side. He had hoped Sasuke wouldn't notice but he did, and was intrigued by it.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked, unsure of what he really saw. Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously.
"No, of course not!" He retorted. "Why should I be afraid of an idiot like you?" But the fear was still there, even if it was pushed aside. He sighed and went back to his bed, deciding to leave his questions for another time.
"Whatever, dobe." He whispered, pulling the covers back over his head. The blond genin quickly fell back asleep, but Sasuke lay awake for a few more minutes thinking about Naruto's strange nightmare. He finally decided to drop the subject entirely and confront the boy only if it happened again.
~~~~~~~
Well, from one story idea to another... so far I've done three out of the ten I've got planned. Oh... and if anyone can guess the old woman's secret I'll give you something really special. You can request something in your reviews if you want. (You're NOT getting my plushies though)
Hint #1: It has something to do with the Kyuubi's murders
Hint #2: It has something to do with Naruto, too.
It will come up again later in the story though, so if you don't get it, you will eventually.
Wow, I'm surprised it worked. I got reviews!! Just to let you people know I'm going to come out with a new chapter about every week... so far, though, I'm only up to chapter six (typed) so... yeah... I'm not going to scare you with how far I've gotten with the outines.
And to Hana RE: your question about Gaara... I'm not entirely sure yet... but I'm at the point in the story (outline) where he has a possibility of showing up... depending on where I send Sasuke and Naruto.
And last but not least, as I continue to read the Naruto Manga... I'm starting to wonder if Chouji and Neji really do make it out of there alive... If they don't then this story branches off around just before Naruto finds out everyone is dead. I figure Kiba is next to go, followed by Shikamaru, leaving Naruto to deal with Sasuke.
Title: Jaded
Series: Naruto
Rating: PG-13 (Will go higher later on)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Humour, Horror, Tragedy, Supernatural, Fantasy, etc. (pretty much all)
Summary: For most of his life, Naruto has had one dream (becoming Hokage) and one love (Sakura), but as he grows up he realises not everything is as easy as he wants to believe it is, and his romances are not as simple as getting the girl, but finding a love that's not bound by superficial reasons. (Eventually it'll be SasuNaru)
Pairings: We're starting to develop one relationship in this chapter, though if you know me and the fics I write you know how it will *eventually* end up.
Chapter Title: 4. Prejudice
Sasuke and Sakura were pushed inside the house and told to rest while Kakashi kept the woman outside to have a little 'chat'. Neither of them believed what she said about Naruto, but the only way to be sure was to eavesdrop on the two adults' conversation.
"Do you not live by the rules placed upon us by the Hokage?!" Kakashi yelled. The woman stayed indignant.
"Of course I do!" She exclaimed in a huff. "But I'm not letting a known murderer into my house."
"Naruto is an innocent. Did you forget that speaking word of this to the younger generations was absolutely forbidden by the Fourth?" Sasuke turned to Sakura, clearly intrigued. Kakashi had to have known they were just behind the door, but apparently the damage had been done and he wanted them to know the whole truth and not just a biased opinion.
"The Fourth is dead now, my son is dead now. *His* rules do not apply anymore." Even though they couldn't see anything, the two genin knew Kakashi was angry beyond words now. They could practically feel the heat through the door. "Yondaime is dead and it's all that little brat's fault. There is no way the Kyuubi no Kitsune and the boy's soul can reside in the same body."
"Naruto is in full control of his own body." Kakashi snapped. "The fox demon was sealed. Naruto was sacrificed for the well-being of our entire village and forced to live with everyone who are as ignorant and dull- minded as you."
"Why I-" Sasuke decided he was going to stop their argument from becoming a full out battle. He grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her through the door, interrupting their dispute.
"Stop it, both of you!" He yelled. "You're fighting like children, lowering yourselves to petty insults. I want to know NOW why we weren't told about Naruto." He narrowed his eyes.
"It was forbidden knowledge." Kakashi's answer was simple, angering Sasuke even more.
"We're past all that, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura retorted. "What's the real reason? We have a right to know."
"Actually you don't, but since you know this much it wouldn't hurt telling you the rest." He sighed and sat down on the front step to the hut. "The villagers hated Naruto, still do, and blamed him for taking the Fourth's life and their telling of Naruto's story would have slanted the truth and he'd be even more loathed than he already is. The Hokage only wished that Naruto could grow up as normally as possible, as a normal child. However, your parents' hatred was passed on through you, for, even though you didn't know why, you all could sense the hostility your parents held for him and adopted the same feelings of contempt. The rest, however, is not really mine to tell." Sakura nodded. It made sense and she began to feel really bad for the way she'd always treated him. The lady bowed her head slightly, still feeling slightly resentful towards the boy, and ushered them all back in the hut.
"Inside and heal." She said sharply. "You can go find your friend when you aren't in danger of dying." Before they could protest any further, they were shoved, rather roughly, into the hut. She was obviously still angry over Kakashi's little 'chat'.
***
"Stupid old hag." Naruto muttered spitefully, kicking a stone out of his path. He had been wandering for an hour and was no longer upset by what she had said. He was pissed off. "Where does she get off judging me?" He looked around and, seeing no one, decided to sit down where he was. It wouldn't look good on him if he got so lost even his team wouldn't be able to find him. 'Like they would want to now.' He figured eventually Sasuke and Sakura would figure out where he was and would rather continue back to Konoha than go looking for him. They either hated him or feared him.
"What am I going to do now?" He wondered aloud. "I could always transfer to a group that doesn't know my past, but Sakura might tell other people." He winced, giving up on that train of thought. 'Maybe I can run away.' He thought, but quickly scratched that one. 'No, they'd send hunter-nin after me.'
"Don't think too hard, you'll get a headache." A voice came from behind him. Startled, Naruto jumped up and whipped around too face his would-be attacker. He hadn't even heard the tell-tale snapping of twigs.
"Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed. "Gomen!" He backed away, slowly. She just flashed him a smile and sat down. Confused, he followed suit, wondering what she was up to. She began to fidget with her hands for a moment before looking Naruto in the eyes.
"You didn't need to run away from us." She started. "I don't understand what it must feel like for you, but I do know you've had a hard life." The blond nodded.
"Hai, demo it's nothing compared to the people who had their lives ruined by the demon."
"I never noticed how modest you are. You sure don't usually act like this. You are one of those people, too, you know. I just wanted to come and get you. If I had sent Sasuke to get you you two might have gotten into a fight or something. Come back with me?" She asked. Naruto was stunned.
"You're not angry? Scared? You don't want to hurt me?" He wondered, his eyes widening. She shook her head.
"No, neither does Sasuke-kun. Demo, Kakashi looked like he wanted to kill that lady for insulting you."
"How am I going to go back? She said she wouldn't let me in."
"Kakashi had a talk with her."
"I don't want people to have to be forced into things because of me. If she doesn't want me in her house then I'm not going to have other people force me in there."
"Naruto-kun!" Sakura whined. "It's only for a day or two. She's a little more willing to see things from your point of view now. There's no guarantee she'll agree though. Just try it." Naruto hesitated for a second. He didn't want to give the old woman another reason to hate him, but if Sakura wanted him to come back with her... then maybe.
"Fine, I'll come back." Sakura grinned and gave the boy a bear hug.
"Sasuke said I should go because I'd be the one you'd listen to. I'd be the one you'd want to come after you." She explained as he stood up. He gave a hollow laugh.
"He said that?" Sakura nodded. "It's not entirely true, you know. One day you're going to have to tell him that he probably could have had a hell of an easier time convincing me to come back than you did." She looked confused for a second but decided to drop it as he didn't seem to have thoughts of going any deeper into it. They turned around and headed back.
***
By the time they got back it was already well past dark and Sasuke was already fast asleep. Naruto hesitantly stepped into the hut, shrinking under the harsh glare of the old woman, but didn't tuck tail and run.
"You better have control over that beast, or you're as good as dead, you hear?" She whispered snidely as he went to the room he'd be sharing with Sasuke. He turned around and flashed her a bright smile.
"Don't worry, ma'am. The seal on my stomach will forever keep the Kyuubi inside of me. He'll never get loose." She narrowed her eyes even further.
"I highly doubt that your will and that seal alone are enough to keep a wild animal like that caged for too long." He shrugged off the comment and went to his room. Closing the door as quietly as possible, Naruto crept up to his bed, not really wanting to wake up Sasuke while he was trying to heal.
He glanced quickly at the sleeping boy, noticing that the curse seal was left uncovered. Frowning and trying to suppress reflexive shivers, he tossed back his own covers and crawled into bed. No need to think about that stupid ninja that forced them to come to this hut in the first place. No need to think about all the times Sasuke was nearly taken over by that curse. No need to think about the horrible way the Sharingan wheel spun a wild red when the seal took over. The bloodlust in his eyes.
Naruto frowned, smacking his head. His train of thought wasn't helping much. He just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything. He closed his eyes and within minutes was fast asleep.
***
A soft thrashing noise coming from beside him woke Sasuke in the middle of the night. He sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, waiting for himself to fully wake up. He turned to the side to find that even in his sleep, Naruto was as loud as ever. 'Why did I get stuck with him in my room?' he wondered. Focusing his eyes, he noticed that Naruto was wrapped tightly in the sheets and was struggling to move.
"Onegai..." Naruto whispered as a cold sweat broke out over his forehead. He was gripped in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. Sasuke stood up from his bed and moved to kneel at Naruto's bedside. He stared down at the boy intently as he continued to struggle with his dream.
"What do you dream about, Kitsune?" He whispered, unwrapping the sheet from the sleeping boy's arms.
"Onegai..." Naruto repeated softly, desperation clear in his voice. "Sa- Sasuke..." The dark-haired genin fell to the floor in shock at hearing his name. He was almost positive the blond had woken up, but he shook his head. It was in the nightmare. He jumped back up and began shaking Naruto roughly, trying to wake him up.
"Naruto!" He exclaimed as loud as he dared. Blue eyes opened to the darkness and for a moment he seemed disoriented. His forehead crinkled in confusion.
"Sasuke?" He asked. Fear seemed to radiate off of him, and his body shifted ever so slightly away from the boy kneeling at his side. He had hoped Sasuke wouldn't notice but he did, and was intrigued by it.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked, unsure of what he really saw. Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously.
"No, of course not!" He retorted. "Why should I be afraid of an idiot like you?" But the fear was still there, even if it was pushed aside. He sighed and went back to his bed, deciding to leave his questions for another time.
"Whatever, dobe." He whispered, pulling the covers back over his head. The blond genin quickly fell back asleep, but Sasuke lay awake for a few more minutes thinking about Naruto's strange nightmare. He finally decided to drop the subject entirely and confront the boy only if it happened again.
~~~~~~~
Well, from one story idea to another... so far I've done three out of the ten I've got planned. Oh... and if anyone can guess the old woman's secret I'll give you something really special. You can request something in your reviews if you want. (You're NOT getting my plushies though)
Hint #1: It has something to do with the Kyuubi's murders
Hint #2: It has something to do with Naruto, too.
It will come up again later in the story though, so if you don't get it, you will eventually.