Title: Nothing in This World Is Easy

Author: Random Facts

Pairing: Naruto x OC!Mina Chinoike (slow burn)

Word Count: 2,664 (give or take)

Notes: Okay, so hopefully it won't take me forever just to get this chapter up. I'd like to apologize for how long it took me to finish the last one. I could come up with an excuse as to why it took so long, but honestly there isn't. All's I can hope for is that these first couple of chapters are at least somewhat enjoyable.

If you guys could please give some constructive criticism on how to improve this story/my writing, that'd be greatly appreciated! I know these first few chapters have been really rough, but over time I'm hoping there'll be some improvement, possibly with some help from you guys. Again, constructive criticism is always welcome and I'm hoping to get some insight from you guys.

Last thing, as for the Naruto/Mina pairing, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Naruto and Mina will not be getting together or anything in this story. Or in any future stories where they're like, 12 or anything. This story and any future sequel stories (or whatever) will mostly be focusing on their friendship. So the slow burn will really be a slow burn. Alright, that's all I've got; enjoy!

Rating: T — mentions or possible semi-descriptions of canon and non-canon violence, language, spelling/grammatical errors, etc.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I only own my characters and any changes I make.


Chapter Two

Because I Was Happy


When I heard the movement, my eyes snapped open and the first thing I noticed was my vision seemed normal again. The feeling of relief I felt was short-lived when I quickly looked around, thinking it was someone entering the kitchen. I didn't see anyone, though I knew someone would be coming very soon. My gaze shifted to Hiroshi and Toma. They were still kneeling in the same spot, still looking ahead. Their eyes were still that reddish hue. I felt my chest tighten. All these questions swirled in my head— what did I do to them? Will the be okay? Is there a way to treat them, to make them themselves again?

That last question made me shiver. Of course I wanted them to get better, but I didn't want to deal with their bullying again, and I knew if they did get better they were probably going to up their antics. That alone was terrifying enough.

My eyes shifted to Naruto, as a small groan escaped his lips. He was slowly sitting up, one hand gingerly touching his head as he grumbled under his breath. I could see his eyes flutter open as he carefully took in his surroundings.

I opened my mouth to say something — anything — but nothing came out. My words seemed stuck in my throat. He looked bad. Hiroshi and Toma seemed to have done a number on him, and the more I watched him, took in the bruises on his arms, face, and legs, the more guilty I felt. He seemingly came out of nowhere to help someone he didn't even know. He was willing to put his safety on the line for… me. I couldn't quite fathom it. Why did he feel the need to do that, to help me? No one else seemed to care what happened to me, and I learned to accept that. But he didn't care who I was, he jumped in without so much as a second thought.

The least I could do was thank him and try and help with his injuries. It only seemed fair, right?

That is, until Naruto's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Your eyes," he exclaimed, pointing a finger at my face, causing me to flinch. "Your eyes are bleeding, y'know!"

"Bleeding?" I gently brought a hand up to my left eye, my fingers gently grazing underneath it. There was a bit of wetness. Looking at my fingers, I felt my breath catch in my throat— they were stained with blood. With my other hand, I touched under my right eye and felt wetness. Again, I was met with red fingertips. I felt confusion and fear shooting through me like arrows as my body began to tremble and my mouth went dry. My eyes were bleeding. Was it related to the burning sensation I felt when facing Hiroshi and Toma? Or was it something else entirely? Would my eyes be okay? Would the bleeding be a recurring thing? Am I going to go blind?

The questions flitted through my head, growing in intensity and only making me feel worse. It made me regret ever leaving my room. There was that part of me that knew leaving the safety of my room was a bad idea, but I didn't listen. I didn't want to listen. I'd survived before on minimal food, but for some reason I just couldn't wait until dinner. My eagerness to get more food led to the mess in front of me. To someone else getting hurt because of me.

"Hey, it's okay," and I saw two bruised hands gently grab mine, curling them closed so I couldn't see the blood. "We'll just clean it up, y'know." Naruto sounded so gentle, and his hands were so soft. I wanted to do what he said, to clean the blood from my hands and face. I wanted to be clean. I wanted to feel safe.

I shook my head, trying to push back the whirlwind of emotions I felt, the thoughts that were invading my mind. "You're hurt," I stated, my voice firm despite its shakiness. "I'll be fine. I can get some ice for your bruises. I might even be able to snatch some medicine from the infirmary when Aoi is gone, but that'll have to be later…"

I stopped my ramble when I heard a gasp, and then I felt Naruto's hands squeeze mine almost instinctively. My eyes shifted to the kitchen entrance, where I saw the shocked expression of Mari Kojima, the head of staff. Her gray eyes were wide with disbelief, her mouth slightly open. Her hands were twitching, as if they wanted to move, to do something. She seemed frozen in place for a moment, until she saw Hiroshi and Toma and then she rushed over. She took in their appearance, the reddish hue in their eyes and the almost catatonic way they looked. She checked for injuries before calling for Aoi, the head nurse at the orphanage, panic evident in her voice. It didn't take long for Aoi to make her way into the kitchen, accompanied by another nurse, both equally as stunned at the sight in front of them. As they tended to the boys, Mari turned her attention to us. The disbelief in her eyes turned to anger, bordering on rage.

"You!" she snapped, her voice making us flinch. She stood and stormed to where we were and grabbed us by our forearms. Her grip was tight, almost painful, and I heard a whimper escape Naruto's lips. Mari yanked us to our feet and began dragging us out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "I should've known it would be you two," she barked. "We can't have a moment of peace around here without you brats ruining it."

"No!" I exclaimed, desperately trying to yank my wrist out of her grasp. "We didn't do anything! It was Hiroshi and Toma! They started it!"

Mari stopped, quickly turning herself around and grabbing me by my shoulder. She knelt to my level, squeezing my shoulder as hard as she possibly could. "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth," she all but yelled. "You have been nothing but a pain since the minute you came here, making our jobs more difficult than they need to be." The harsh words caused my bottom lip to tremble, and I once again felt moisture build-up in my eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if you're just like your parents," Mari hissed, her eyes ablaze with fury and contempt, "a traitor to the village who welcomed you."

"Leave her alone!" Mari turned to look at the blonde in her other hand. He was hitting her arm, trying to claw at her wrist so he could get to me. He was trying to protect me again. "You don't get to talk to her like that, y'know! What has she ever done to you?!"

Standing up, Mari continued to drag us down the hall, directing her anger at Naruto. When another staff member came to check on what was happening, Mari all but threw Naruto in her direction. "Get that thing out of my sight," she growled. "I don't want to see his face. I don't care where you put him!"

I looked over at Naruto, who was roughly being handled by the other staff member. He looked over at me, his blue eyes glittering with worry. I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't think of the words. So I looked away. I allowed myself to keep being dragged by Mari back to my room. I felt ashamed. I felt guilty. I deserved whatever punishment came my way.


I was essentially put under 24/7 watch. Someone would be stationed by my door at all times, so that way I couldn't leave if or when I wanted to. If for some reason I was allowed to leave for any reason, whoever was outside my room acted as my escort. I wasn't allowed near any of the other children, and my outdoor privileges were limited. I was only allowed outside once a day for fifteen minutes, and only when all the other children were out of my line of sight. I was allowed to leave my room to eat, but only after all the other children were done and out of the eating area. Afterwards I'd be sent back to my room for the rest of the day.

My room, the place that brought me safety. Now it felt more like a prison. I deserved it though. I deserved to be locked away, to be ostracized even more so. I still didn't know what I did to Hiroshi and Toma, none of the staff who escorted me wanted to tell me. I had a feeling they know, and the few times I've asked was met with glares and grumbles too low for me to understand.

I also hadn't seen Naruto since that day. I could only assume he was in the same situation. Thinking of whatever he might be going through made my chest tighten. It only reminded me of what I'd done to him. He stood up for me and was hurt by Hiroshi and Toma. He wanted to help me and got in trouble with Mari. He was being nice to me and got punished. It only solidified my belief that I needed to be alone.

You don't deserve anyone, I'd tell myself. You'll never deserve anyone. You will always be alone.

It had been two weeks since the kitchen incident, and I was (as usual) in my room. I was laying on my bed, on my side, staring at my window. The blinds were closed, but the sunlight peaked through the small openings. Another sunny day, but it felt as though a raincloud was hovering over me. Rolling onto my back, I looked up at the ceiling. I didn't have the energy to do much. I hadn't practiced my reading or my writing. I stopped drawing and I didn't bother rearranging any little things in my room. What was the point? It wouldn't change anything.

The sounds of footsteps and voices outside my door caused me to sit up a little, but I laid back down once my door opened.

A staff member, a middle aged woman named Kotoko poked her head in, a snarl on her face. "Lunchtime," she grunted. I stood up and hopped off my bed. Walking out the door, I heard Kotoko huff as she hobbled after me. She was among those seriously injured during the Nine-Tails' attack; her leg had been shattered due to falling debris. After multiple surgeries, she was left with a serious limp and a cane to help her walk. Kotoko probably hated me the most out of all the other staff members. Just by her expression alone whenever she saw me confirmed it. Her lip would curl into a sneer, her eyes narrowed as a hateful glint danced in her eyes. Her nose would flare and scrunch and the hand holding her cane would tighten, her knuckles white from her grip.

But it wasn't always her physical reaction that confirmed how she felt— sometimes it would be her words. She could say the most hateful things sometimes, and it didn't bother her one bit to see me cry. And I have cried around her, more than once, and it seemed like today would be no different.

"…we should've just left you there," she said, her tone full of spite. "Right by those damn traitors you call parents. We already have that Uzumaki brat to worry about, why you were kept around I will never understand." Kotoko scoffed, slamming her cane down hard on the wooden floorboards. "Your parents weren't even from the Hidden Leaf," she muttered. "Should've shipped you off to wherever they came from. Could've saved us loads of grief."

The waterworks started almost as soon as Kotoko started ranting to me. I could probably say, with the utmost confidence, that I cried a lot during my stay at the orphanage. I was given a lot to cry about. I wasn't treated kindly by anyone before Naruto came along. In fact, there were moments even after I left the orphanage where I wasn't treated well either. A lot of it had to do with the rumors about my parents, but some of it also had to do with my friendship with Naruto. At the time, I wasn't completely aware of Naruto's own struggles in the village; I was only focused on my own. I wouldn't be made aware of the truth regarding his situation until way after we left the orphanage.

As I was being led into the eating area however, tears blurring my vision and my body trembling from my crying, I was completely unaware of the only other person in the eating area until I heard Kotoko's curse.

"What the hell is he doing here?" she cried out, once again slamming her cane on the floorboards. I jumped at the sound, my heart hopping into my throat. It wasn't even a minute later that I processed her words. Someone else was in the room, and after wiping the tears from my eyes I realized it was Naruto. He was sitting by himself, at the farthest table in the farthest corner. He looked up when he saw us, and his expression lit up considerably when he saw me, before turning sour when he saw Kotoko. "Get the hell out of here, you little monster," Kotoko shouted. "You're not supposed to be in here!"

Naruto made a snide comment back at Kotoko, something about being hungry and her looking like a troll. That sent Kotoko into a fury, as she was ready to limp over him with a fierce determination, only to be stopped by Mari.

"Let them eat together," Mari said. She looked between Naruto and I with disinterest, but there was something else there, something I couldn't quite identify. It was unsettling. "We'll just have to cut back on their lunchtime for today." As she turned to leave, Mari motioned for Kotoko to follow her.

Kotoko let out a huff before glaring at Naruto, who stuck his tongue out in response.

I went to sit at one of the other empty tables before Naruto called out to me. "Why don't you come sit over here," he smiled. I looked at him for a moment, taking in his appearance. The bruises that were still present on his body were already partially faded. He didn't seem bothered by them at all, from what I could tell anyway. "We can have lunch together," he offered.

"You should stay away from me," I responded, causing his smile to falter. I had to look away from him, the guilt and shame creeping back into me. "I… I might get you hurt like last time."

Naruto's expression became serious. "You didn't hurt me," he said, but I didn't believe him. "I wanted to help you. Hiroshi and Toma are jerks, y'know. I couldn't just let them do that to you."

"You got hurt trying to help me. What difference does it make?" I heard Naruto shuffle out of his seat and make his way toward me. My eyes closed. I didn't want to see him. I instead felt him grab my hand.

"I feel it too sometimes," he said. His voice was calm, serious, and I opened my eyes, curious as to where he was going with this. "Lonely. But… I think we can be friends. We don't have to be lonely. Not if we don't want to be."

We don't have to be lonely.

I looked up at him, and he seemed to light up at that. I thought over what he said, and maybe he was right. I didn't have to be lonely. I didn't have to stay isolated from everyone. Maybe… Maybe I could try… having a friend.


So this chapter feels a bit rushed and rough to me, so don't be surprised if you see some changes in the near future.

Also, please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism can go a long way.