I was at mon amie's house and we watched Phantom of the Opera. We listened to 'Learn to be Lonely' at the end and the angst plot bunny bit me. Then that plot bunny mated with my romance plot bunny….-sighs- that was lovely…anyway, the resulting angsty romance plot bunny bit me. This is the result.

Disclaimer- I know own anything. I do own the plot. Possibly not even that. I do own one brand new laptop that just finally got an internet connection today! –squeals and jumps up and down-


'Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness'

Naruto smiled as he listened to one of his favorite songs. It wasn't a happy smile, it was a bitter smile. He'd always felt that this part described him. Hell, the entire song described his early beginnings. He made been born and orphaned, the Kyuubi's vessel. He had been born into emptiness, a child of the wilderness in a perverse way.

'Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you
comfort and care for you'

No one was there. As soon as he could walk and talk, someone came over once a week with food to make sure he hadn't died and had something. That stopped when he was 8 and was old enough to buy his own food and whatnot. He received money, but that was it. It wasn't until he was at the Academy until someone had cared for him and even then Iruka-sensei was too busy to do much with him anyway. Not that that had mattered. Iruka-senei didn't demean him and treat him poorly for something he couldn't control. Not like everyone else did.

'Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion'

Naruto was his one companion. Even when he was part if Team 7, he never really had any companions. Sakura and Sasuke has put up with him, Konaha's own comedy ninja, the maverick showstopper. He'd tried countless times to make a move on Sakura, never thinking that he wasn't really attracted to girls like a boy his age should be. Every time she rejected hurt him a little more until he finally just gave up.

'Ever dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you?
You've always known
Your heart was on its own'

He wondered briefly if Sakura ever noticed or even cared that she had been hurting him bit by bit. Had she said yes, just once, maybe his life would be different. There had been no one for years. She'd have been the first. After giving up on Sakura, he'd been with Gaara, but that was lust, not love. He had another crush and they were dating, but he didn't know how serious it was. His heart was still on its own. Or was it?


'So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness'

He laughed at the loneliness, laughed at the Kyuubi. At least he was free. The Kyuubi was trapped in a cage, imprisoned until the seal was broken. Not even death would free the fox demon. If Naruto died, the Kyuubi died as well.


'Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
life can be lived
life can be loved
Alone.'

Naruto didn't love his life, but he didn't hate it either. It was just there and he concentrated on fulfilling the goals he'd set for himself, changing his lot in life like that. Life can be lived lonely. He'd proved that much.

"Hey there." A pair of arms slipped around his chest and a pair of lips found his neck. After a moment, the owner of the lips looked up and asked, "Been brooding again?"

"Mmmmmm, not anymore. Now that you're here."

"So you were pulling a me?"

"No comment."

There was a chuckle and Sasuke pulled Naruto in for a seering kiss. "Mm. Don't be like me. You're too lively."

"Love you too Sasuke."


ERGH! I apologize for the general crappiness. Even getting all angsty did nothing to help me get this just right. Meh. Hope you like this piece of crap better than the authoress does at the moment. While I'm doing about 3 sections worth of chem. notes, problems and questions, make me feel better and less guilty about being a bitch by reviewing? And pwease stroke my ego. I suffer from Fragile Ego, an illness that affects fanfiction writers. I think I might of caught it from a rabid plot bunny. Damn plot rabid plot bunnies...Justnoflaming. Flaming makes me mad and I may not be very nice. However, any helpful criticism is more than welcome. I may fall on my knees in worship.

-gets called a feedback whore by her muses-

I am no such thing. -shifty eyes-