1Author's Note: This is my first fic, so please don't be hard on me. It's a one-shot story about Naruto/Sasuke (so if you don't like yaoi, DON'T read!) All flames will be given to Axel from Kingdom Hearts 2 (which I don't own, unfortunately). Though it seems like it should go with the real plot, it's not supposed to. In Naruto's POV. ENJOY!
Disclaimer: SIGH I don't own Naruto. If I did, then I wouldn't be here writing fanfiction.
Gone
He just left. Simple as that. Didn't even tell a single soul. I guess Konoha wasn't good enough for him anymore. I guess I wasn't good enough for him anymore.
For weeks I tried to forget about his sudden departure. For weeks I even tried to forget about him. But I couldn't. It's too hard to forget someone who actually noticed you, someone who actually cared for you. Hell, it's too hard to forget someone like...someone like Uchiha Sasuke.
He was my ultimate rival. But he was also my best friend. Maybe even more than a friend.
See, the heart's a funny thing. One moment it could tell me that I hated his guts. In another, I would absolutely adore that raven-colored hair, those piercing black eyes that never showed a grain of emotion.
I could never tell what he thought about me. His face was always devoid of any inner feelings. But, nonetheless, I still truly believed he felt the same way I felt about him. I truly believed he loved me the way I loved him. Guess I was wrong.
But the real question is "Why would I still love him now, now that he left me for that wretched Orochimaru"? A simple answer. He...just...he...is...he...
Well, maybe it's not so simple. I think, I mean, I know it would be best if I told you in a
story.
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Dirt. Trash. A waste of space. That's what I was to most people. Actually, back then, that's what I was to everyone.
No one talked to me. Well, no one talked to me in the face. But I saw them lurking in the shadows, pointing at me, whispering my name. I was always being ridiculed and despised, jeered at and taunted. All behind my back. Up close they ignored me. Never noticed me. Never even looked me in the eye. And I never knew why.
At some times, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted someone to care for me, someone to love me. The loneliness...the emptiness was too much. Way too much.
When those horrible feelings engulfed me, I ran. Ran far, far away from my house. Ran far, far away from the village. Ran until my feet hurt so much that I couldn't run anymore. It didn't matter to me if I ended up a million miles away from Konoha or if I didn't know how to get back home. Just as long as I wasn't cooped up in my lonely, empty house. I guess I took the phrase "running away from your fears" literally. I probably thought that if I ran, that haunting skin of loneliness would slip right off of me.
And it did, in the most unexpected way.
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It was my birthday. I had just turned eight. For most people, celebrations would take place. Food, gifts, and time with loved ones. But not for me. I had no family. Hell, I barely had enough money to support myself without having a party.
But, nonetheless, I woke up that morning slightly happy. I mean, I was one step closer to proving myself to the village, one year closer to becoming Hokage. At the very least, that calls for a special treat—ramen.
I walked out of my dreary house and into the welcoming sunshine. Birds were chirping. The October breeze was pleasant. A beautiful day for a birthday.
I quietly strolled to the legendary Ichiraku Ramen Bar. But my walk was suddenly interrupted. Two ninjas, one dressed in black and the other in dark blue, stood imposingly in front of my path, quietly discussing something.
"So this is him," the black ninja on the left said. "The demon."
The blue one on the right nodded, "Yeah, the one who killed my father."
"And my sister."
"And countless others."
I pretended not to hear them. I mean, I never killed anyone in my life! What were these two idiots talking about?
The black ninja snickered, "But he's so small. And short too."
"Nonetheless, we want our revenge." At that, they turned to face me. Their eyes were full of hatred and pain.
"Demon," the blue one hissed, "my life was ruined when you killed my father! My mother, she nearly committed suicide after hearing the news of his death. And I…I was never the same. He was my idol, but you killed him!"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, but they ignored my question. They took out their kunai knives, pointing them at me.
"Shut up, demon! We want our revenge! Because of you, our lives are ruined. And now you will pay the price!"
With those words, I ran. Ran as fast I my feet could carry me. Ran into the woods, trying desperately to escape those crazed ninja. But no matter what, I still heard those footsteps behind me.
In a few minutes, I tripped over a branch, making a loud crashing noise. The footsteps came closer. I could either run and risk being caught or stay still until they went away.
"Damn that demon!" someone cursed behind me. "How hard can it be to find him? Find him, Rai! Or this knife will be at your neck instead!"
"Shut up for a second! I think he's close. That crash we heard earlier, I think that was him."
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious!"
I held my breath. They couldn't be more than three feet away! If I got up, they'd surely spot me. But if I stayed put, they would eventually find me.
Unless they thought I ran off.
Quietly and quickly, I snatched a rock. Carefully, so they wouldn't see me, I threw it as far as I could.
It landed with a loud thump some good distance away. Instantly, the ninja turned to the sound.
"There! He ran off in that direction!"
Loud footsteps ran to where I threw the stone. I was safe, for the moment.
I stealthily got up and ran in the opposite direction. Ran far, far away from those insane ninja. Ran so fast that in just a few minutes, my feet were numb.
Hours later, I tripped over another branch. This time, I didn't bother getting up. My feet hurt like shit. My legs couldn't support my weight anymore. My heartbeat pounded so fast and furiously that I could hear no other sound. But, fortunately, the ninja were long gone.
Unfortunately, I was hopelessly lost.
The sun looked like it had just set, and the wind was picking up. And I hadn't had a meal the whole day. I was dark, cold, and hungry in a strange place.
Could this get any worse?
Suddenly, as if nature had heard me, it started to rain.
"It's my birthday!" I screamed at the sky. "Can't you at least be nice to me?"
Tears started to form in my eyes, but I didn't bother to rub them away.
"It's dark outside, I'm cold, hungry, and wet in the middle of nowhere, I was just chased by a couple of maniacs claiming I killed their relatives, and nature seems to despise me along with the rest of Konoha!" I yelled again to the sky.
For the rest of the night, I laid on the ground, the rain mixing with my tears. I made a desperate birthday wish: for someone who would care about me, someone to love me; for someone who wouldn't judge me, someone who I could be happy with.
Little did I know that I would meet that person the next day.
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Footsteps. The soft pitter-patter of footsteps woke me up. Instantly my heartbeat quickened. What if those footsteps belonged to those ninja?
I opened my eyes, quickly scanning the area for them. But what I saw was something much different from those wild men. In front of me, a few feet away, was a boy.
He looked about my age, with coal-black hair and matching eyes. His gray shirt and beige shorts were soaked and dirty, which meant he must have stayed the night outside too.
When he saw me awake, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
I stood up and walked up to him. I thought he was going to run away, but he stayed put, staring at me.
"Hey, what are you doing out here?" I asked.
His voice was shaky, but he answered, "The same question goes for you too."
"Let's just say a couple of crazy ninja chased me here. What about you?"
He stared at the ground, hiding tears in his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."
Well, isn't he Mr. Mysterious? Oh ,well.
After an awkward silence, I spoke up, "Hey, I'm starving! Maybe I can go over your place and you can ask your folks to cook me something up! I haven't eaten in…"
But when I saw the tears streaming down his eyes, I knew I said something wrong.
"My 'folks' are dead. Actually, my whole clan was murdered a few days ago. So I'm starving too," the boy said softly. "I was hoping you had some food, but I guess not."
His words shocked me. Someone murdered his whole family? No wonder he looked so dirty and sad.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't know if this will help, but I don't have a family either. Actually, I never knew my family."
At this the boy looked up into my eyes. Tears were dripping down my face also. And that's how we, two crying boys, stood for what seemed like days.
My tears were not of sadness, but of relief. I had found someone who was just like me. Someone who had to cope with loneliness. He was the first person to acknowledge me as a human being, and I didn't even know his name.
My birthday wish came true.
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Years passed by. That crying boy's name, as I was soon to find out, was Uchiha Sasuke.
We lived in my house together for five years. Although we were competitive and sometimes got angry with each other, we were truly happy.
We comforted each other when things went wrong. We depended on each other for support. We shielded each other from the harshness of reality.
He was mine to love, and mine alone. And, more importantly, I thought he loved me back. He was the best birthday present a guy could ever get.
But then, one night, he crushed my heart.
He just left. Simple as that. Didn't even tell a single soul. I guess Konoha wasn't good enough for him anymore. I guess I wasn't good enough for him anymore.
And for weeks I tried to forget about his sudden departure. For weeks I even tried to forget about him. But I couldn't. It's too hard to forget someone who actually noticed you, someone who actually cared for you.
Hell, it's too hard to forget someone like...someone like Uchiha Sasuke.
But now, he's gone.
Author's Note: Did you like it? Did you not like it? Please review and tell me how you felt! All flames will be given to Axel, and remember, this is my first fanfic!
AND I'd like to thank all of you for reading this! (cries happily and gives you all presents)