Konichiwa my dear lovelies. I'm sure by now that you've all heard about the redbotton issue made by some person called Lord Kelvin or something. The first thing I thought when I saw this was, the guy with the temperature? What the hell does temperature have to do with fan fiction, but then I thought, 'damn...I need to find a new fanfic site.'
So this may be my last post on this website forever. If any of my stories are deleted, I will get another website, and I suggest you all do the same. If all my stories are untouched, then I will continue to post on this site until they are deleted.
So the point is, I will try and find another website, and if it does come to that, I'll post it on my account and you can see updates for unfinished stories there. Feel free to recommend any sites that you may use.
But back to the story...
Disclaimer: No own. :D
Naruto's POV:
How in the world was I supposed to train a young child to be in a circus? I hadn't even seen any of the other cast members perform with the exception of the first time I had come to the circus. But that had of course been only three seconds, six tops.
How could the ringmaster expect me to do such a damn task? It was really annoying, and I was pretty sure he was doing it just for the chance to punish me when I failed. I definitely wouldn't put it past him, it was something that the bastard would do.
Furthermore, how could he order me to make Kimimaro's life an even bigger hell? Wasn't it bad enough already? I felt sick that I would have to force such a small and innocent child to perform in front of all those customers who were complete assholes!
It angered me to such a high degree, so high in fact, that I had been contemplating on whether or not I should complain to the king of assholes himself. But deep down, I knew I couldn't. The ringmaster wasn't someone who would take complaints well, and I was in no mood, or condition for that matter, to force his hand down once again.
But what was even worse than poor Kimimaro was that my own father was the cause for his and the rest of the cast's pain. My father must have been really cold hearted to do such a thing, but he wasn't always like that. I could remember a time when my mother, father, and I had lived in peace. It was back when my father was still studying to become a scientist. We struggled back then to make ends meet. I still remember my father's once famous words.
"I want everyone in the town to acknowledge me and become a great scientist."
He had been hard headed, and was a big workaholic. It had only gotten worse after he had started working in that new job. He became more abusive, first verbally, then physically. It had always been my mother who received the worst end of his treatment. At first, she had complained and tried to rebel against him, that is until she could no longer take it and she soon turned into a lifeless doll.
She even used to work as a Precalculus and Calculus teacher at the high school I had once gone to, but my father put a stop to that. He always told her, 'don't embarrass me.' And he soon made it clear that no wife of his would work as a school teacher. By that time, she was too worn out to fight about it. She gave in and let him do whatever he wanted. I was too young then to do anything about it, and it pisses me off that he had done such things. Even now, if my mom was still alive, I still would be helpless to stop him.
A hesitant knocking broke me from my thoughts. "Naruto?" I shifted my eyes to the closed door. I had been sitting on top of my bed, not quite ready to sleep. It was Ino's voice, so that obviously meant that she and Sakura were at my door. I hoped that they hadn't come to speak to me once again about Sasuke, or to gawk at my scars.
I really just wanted to forget everything that had happened this week. It had been one of the worst weeks since the week that I had arrived here. Sighing, I rose from the bed, walked to the door and opened it, "Yes, Sakura and Ino?" I couldn't help but notice how tired sounding my voice had been coming out lately.
Well, it wasn't as if I had been sleeping well lately, and it had been quite awhile since I had a non-sedated sleep. "The ringmaster said to feed Choji," Ino said, handing me the bag they were carrying.
"And Kimimaro is afraid of being alone, so Sasuke said to take him with you and watch him tonight." Sakura added. Both girls were keeping their eyes trained on my scarred cheeks. It was unavoidable I suppose, and it was annoying as hell, but I didn't say anything about it.
"Fine. I'm going." I grumbled while taking the bag. The two gave me a pained look before slightly bowing and making their leave.
Feeding Choji? It had been awhile since I had done that. I wondered who had been feeding him before I came to the circus. One of the other cast members? I highly doubted it would have been the ringmaster to do the deed. I was just happy I wouldn't have to go into the ringmaster's building to get to the freezer for Choji's food. That was the only downside to feeding Choji. I quickly put my shoes on, secured the bag, and started to make my way towards the cast's building.
As I entered, I noticed that the other cast members were nowhere in sight. Where had Sakura and Ino gone, and where could the rest of them be at this time of night? I shook off my uncomfortableness and continued on towards Choji's cage. I finally arrived and noticed he was sitting down facing the ground. "Choji?" He slightly looked up before returning his gaze to the floor. I caught a hint of sadness in his eyes, but I was too afraid to ask him if something was wrong.
It could have been something really personal and I was in no place to butt into his business. "Choji, I need your key so I can give you your food." As a rule, every cast member had to have their key on them so that they could let themselves in the cage, and out every morning for the show. The only other one with a key was the ringmaster, and I sure as hell wasn't going to go ask him for it.
Choji didn't make any movement to get his key and I was starting to feel awkward. I was about to open my mouth to say something, but he spoke, "you hate me, don't you?"
My eyes widen in disbelief, "hate you? Why would I hate you?" I couldn't believe he would say such a thing! It made me angry at myself that I could have done something to make him think like that.
"Because I ate your friend." Cold chills ran up my spine at the reminder that I had been feeding Choji my best friend's remains for the first couple of weeks. "Do you even know who's in that bag?"
I shifted my eyes to the red bag in my hands, the heat emitting from it giving me goosebumps. The ringmaster had once told me that blue was animals and red had been my friend. I knew this was no longer Kiba, but maybe another person at this time."No, why would I?" I sputtered, not liking this conversation.
"I do." I looked at him again. Through the whole talk, he hadn't even moved more than a couple of inches.
"How?" I couldn't hide my curiosity. I wasn't as if the ringmaster told him who he would be eating everyday, was it?
"By the smell. It is how I can tell who I'm eating." I really did not want to know who the hell I was carrying, and I hoped he wouldn't tell me.
"Choji, I need your key." I tried again. This time he removed a necklace that was hidden in his clothes and tossed me the key pendant on it. "Thank you," I sighed in relief. I hated awkward moments like these.
I retrieved the key and unlocked the cage door. Placing the bag in front of him, I noticed he wouldn't look me in the eyes. "Choji...I don't hate you. It isn't your fault that you eat what you eat. It's just the way it is."
He relaxed a bit at my words, but still wouldn't look up at me. "I hate pity, did you know that?"
"What?" I was confused at the sudden outburst. It was just too random for me to comprehend.
"I hate pity, so please stop giving me it." Stop giving him pity?
Had I done something to offend him after all? "Why are you-"
"I heard that the ringmaster has been telling you all our stories about how we got this way." The conversation was taking another turn for the worst.
"Who told you that?" Oh no, I knew I shouldn't have listened when Sasuke had told their stories. It really wasn't any of my business.
"Shikamaru. He also told me and the other cast, as you already know, about why you're really here." My blood had long ago run cold, even though I already knew that the brunette had told. I didn't like the idea that the cast now knew how pathetic I was. "That is why I don't want to be pitied by you. Since you're the one who needs it more."
I laughed hollowly, "trust me. That isn't something I want." I wasn't worth something like that.
"Fine, you don't pity us cast members, and we won't pity you." He finally raised his eyes to mine, a hint of playfulness in them.
I smiled as best as I could, "deal."
"Good, now get out of here so I can eat." I gave him a thankful look that he wasn't going to eat in front of me and began my search for Kimimaro.
There were no cast members in the building besides Choji, so where was he?" I exited the building and scanned the grounds. There were no signs of life anywhere, even the ringmaster's building had no lights on. Where could everyone else be?
"Naruto!" I jumped and bit back a yell when I felt something grab me. I sighed in relief when I realized it was just Kimimaro. Where the hell did he come from?
Before I could voice my question, I saw Shikamaru making his way towards me. "About time, the kid kept crying for you."
The white haired boy just dug himself deeper into my shirt in response. I gazed at the brunette, "Shika, where is everyone?"
He shrugged, "where are we ever?"
I cocked my head in confusion at him, "what?"
He shook his head, "nevermind. Take the kid back to your room, tomorrow's Saturday and you need to get up in time to work."
I saw that he too wouldn't make eye contact with me."Ok. Night Shika." I sighed.
Sasuke's POV:
I watched Naruto retrieve the white haired freak from the rag doll and as they exchanged a quick couple of words before parting ways. There was a hurt look on my fox's face, as well as an exhausted one. I suppose I made a slight miscalculation on his ability to work today. That, or it was just a long day.
It was almost midnight, almost Saturday. My mind wandered to what my brother had told me.
"Keep your eyes open. The man is sure to come looking for Naruto."
It wasn't unbelievable. This Minato man would be looking for his son, for good or bad intentions. You could bet I would be sure to keep my eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. I had already gone through too much trouble to lose my blonde now.
On a lighter note, my brother succeeded in saving another one of the freaks from further harm. It was just too bad he was so young. Naruto would hopefully find something for him to do, and if he couldn't... Well then I really didn't want to think of what I would have to do with him.
I rose from the wall that I had been leaning on and made my way to my building. Something unpleasant was going to happen, but I didn't quite know what just yet. It was just a feeling of dread that seemed to hang in the air. Entering my room, I made sure that the two headed freaks had taken Choji's food. Confirming that they had, I turned my eyes to the collar on the dresser.
It was Naruto's shock collar. It had somehow become broken on the lock, so I had given him an exact replica. The prototype, actually, that was used to make the now broken one. But he didn't need to know that. As long as he thought the collar was the real thing, he wouldn't venture very far.
But even if he did try, he wouldn't get far due to the tracking device inside of him. No, I would not lose him. I would sooner kill him then let him go, that was a promise.
Naruto's POV:
He wouldn't sleep! He kept looking around the room in fear, as if someone was going to come in the middle of the night and grab him. Kimimaro was clinging to my shirt and sitting on my lap, but he was so damn stiff! "Why won't you sleep?" I asked him, "aren't you tired?"
He just shook his head, "no." His drooping eyes told otherwise, but he wouldn't admit it.
"Why are you scared?" He shook his head again. I sighed and let him continue to hang on to my shirt. His eyes kept darting to every corner of the room, not leaving any part unseen. It was as if he was memorizing every nook and cranny to every crucial detail.
I was tired and I desperately wanted to sleep, but I couldn't since he'd just be scared out of his mind. "Naruto?"
I gave him an encouraging smile, "yes?" I had to strain to hear his little voice, and me being tired wasn't helping.
"I don't like it here. I'm scared something bad is coming." His small hands gripped my shirt tighter, if that was even possible.
I rubbed his head gently, "it's going to be ok, Kimimaro. You'll be safe here, nothing is going to happen to you." I hated to admit it, but he'd be better off here than anywhere else now.
"It's not me I am worried about." His small voice piped.
I cocked my head, "what do you mean?" He wouldn't meet my gaze.
He swung his head quickly, "nevermind."
I continued to run my fingers through his hair, "don't worry about anything. You're going to like it here."
"Do you?" I froze at the sudden turn of the conversation.
"We're not talking about me, this is about you." I sighed.
We sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Naruto?"
"Yes?" He looked up into my eyes, pain and fear showing.
"Is what those girls said true?"
"What girls?" I was getting more and more sleepy as we chatted, but if giving him some conversation would calm him down then fine.
"The one with the two heads? Is what they said about the ringmaster... doing those things to you, true?" My conscious snapped back wide awake, and I paled a little.
I had forgotten about Sakura and Ino blabbing that out in front of him. "Don't think about what they said."
"Is it true?" His eyes were pleading with me to give him an answer, but what was I supposed to tell him? He was ten, I couldn't even think of how to explain something like that to him.
Sighing, I picked him up off my lap and sat him next to me. "Go to bed, it's getting late." I turned away from him and laid down. Moments later, I felt him give up and finally lay down as well.
*Time Skip*
It had been another long day, and I was in a lot of fucking pain. Standing all day on unsteady legs was hell, and my chest was burning. It was almost the end of the second show, and I still hadn't figured what Kimimaro could do in the circus. Sasuke was going to kill me if I didn't figure something out soon.
Kimimaro was sitting on the ground next to me playing with rocks and ants. Or killing ants with the rocks was more like it. Either way, he was occupied for now and not asking anymore questions about the ringmaster. In the morning when I had to go to the ringmaster's building to get my stupid makeup, Kimimaro stayed glued to my side the whole time. You could practically feel the fear radiating off him.
"Naruto, what are you thinking about?"
"Hm?" I shook my head and focused on the white haired boy.
"I said what are you thinking about." I sighed, "I'm trying to think what you could do in the circus." He was so small, and I was not very knowledgeable about regular circus acts much less a circus like this.
"Oh." He went back to killing ants. There had to be something he could do with those white things coming from his body.
"Naruto?" He paused his ant killing and turned back to me.
"Yes Kimimaro?" Each time he spoke, I was slightly afraid he would bring up last night's conversation again.
"Do you think I could do some impalement arts?" Impale-what?
"What's that?" It sounded familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I had heard it from.
"Those people who shoot those arrows and stuff at targets." That sounded kind of interesting.
"Do you know how to do that?" It would be good if he knew how to do it, if not, I sure couldn't teach him.
"Well, kinda." He got shy and put his head down.
"Well, even if you only know how to do it a little, it would be perfect. We just need to get you a bow and some arrows, and you'll be set."
He shook his head, "I don't need it." Don't need it?
"Well, how are you going to do it?" Did he have some material already? Or was he thinking of doing something else entirely?
He gave me a small sad smile, "I'm a freak. How do you think I'm going to do it?" Before I could tell him otherwise, a white bone shot out from his hand. "I can make these bones come out from my body and shoot them. It was all I could do to entertain myself when I was locked up in a room while I was with that scientist." A pang of sadness overcame me. It was unbearable to think what this child and the other cast members had been through.
"I am really good at aim and precision, so I think I could do it." I didn't want him to join the show, it was no place for a child. But it was Sasuke's orders, so I was in no position to oppose him.
"If you think you can do it, show me what you got." I forced a small smile.
He nodded, "tell me where to aim."
I looked around for a difficult target. "There." I pointed to one of the nearby trees, "right in the middle." Kimimaro turned to where I was pointing and aimed. I watched in amazement as the bone hit the spot head on.
"Good work." I growled at the ringmaster's voice and Kimimaro grabbed onto my shirt fast. " If you continue to practice later today and tomorrow, maybe by Monday you'll be good enough to participate in the show."
"Speaking of the show, aren't you supposed to be running it?" I muttered at him. The ringmaster pointed behind me and the shuffling of the customers' feet reached mine and Kimimaro's ears. Immediately, Kimimaro tightened his grip as if someone would grab him. Unlike last time, a couple of them spotted the white haired boy. Some made a disgusted face, others glared, but most moved away fast. Fucking assholes. They had no respect or even half a heart for others but themselves.
Sasuke's POV:
My fox was so preoccupied with the white haired freak, he hadn't even realized that the show was already over. It was good that he had found something for the boy to do, and hopefully Kimimaro would be ready to perform in the circus Monday. The sooner the better.
Naruto was glaring at me, he had been since his last punishment. Maybe I was going to have to teach him some manners, again. But that could wait for another day, right now I had to focus on the problem with his father.
"He is in your building waiting for you."
That was what Shikamaru had told me as the closing act was in motion. It was sooner than I anticipated, but it was just the way things had turned out. And I had to now deal with it before things got even more out of hand.
"Train him well. If he isn't ready soon, you know what will happen." I warned the blonde, turning away before he could utter any protest.
The next show wouldn't be for another hour, so I figured I had enough time to deal with the problem. Reaching my building, I could see the door wasn't properly closed, proving that he was in there waiting as Shikamaruhad said. Pushing the door open, I could see a tall man that closely resembled my fox observing the walls of my room. Definitely Naruto's father. Blonde hair was too rare around these parts to be just a coincidence.
"May I help you?" I asked with disdain.
"So you're the little boy who has been taking my experiments." The man said, ignoring my question and hardly turning his head towards me. "I found it hard to think what a young child like you could be doing with them, but a circus? That wasn't something I had counted on."
It hadn't even been one minute and I was already annoyed at his attitude, "what business do you have here?"
Again he ignored me, "I don't think I've gotten the pleasure of properly acquainting myself-"
I interrupted him, "I already know who you are, Namikaze Minato. Now what business do you have here?" I really hated to repeat myself.
"I think you know why I'm here." He growled, finally fully turning himself to me now.
"Is it about your son?"
He made a face, "I don't give a fuck what you choose to do with Naruto. I want my experiments returned now."
This visit was about my cast? It was partly a relief, but also a burden and very unexpected. "Sorry, but I'm going to deny your request."
"And why is that?" His glare could almost match my own.
"Without them, I have no circus. Simple as that." I smirked smugly at his outraged face.
"Who are you to tell me what I can or can't do? You're just a child." I could practically feel the anger radiating off him.
"I've not been a child for many years, but I am the ringmaster and owner of this circus. So I have the authority to tell you what you can or can't do. Especially when you are on my grounds." I told him mockingly.
"I'll call the cops on you for kidnapping." Minato threatened. I shrugged, "go ahead. I'll turn you in for inhuman experimentation. I have all the proof I need too." I had him beaten, and he knew it.
"I swear it, there is going to be hell if I don't get my experiments back by Monday. They're important to my research, important enough that I would kill my own son for it. Remember that Uchiha."
He shoved past me and stormed out of my building in a rush. I watched him leave with little amusement. He would plan something, and it was going to be bad. Whatever it was, I was going to have to be cautious and as alert as I could. No point in telling the others, Shikamaru would be sure to spread any concern that was in the air. The rag doll had the talent to sense when something wasn't right, and now something was as wrong as it could get.
Naruto's POV:
He was doing really good. Kimimaro must have had a lot of practice before he came to the circus. That or he was just a natural! No matter what target I gave him, easy or difficult, he hit right on the mark every time! I was sure the white haired boy would be ready to perform Monday, not that it was a real great thing to look forward to.
Hopefully it would all turn out ok. I didn't want to put poor Kimimaro in such a terrible position, but I had no choice. It was the ringmaster's decision, so I had no say in the matter.
It was beginning to get dark, almost time to get back to my building. Thank God it was Sunday tomorrow. No work, and more time to have some unneeded practice for Kimimaro. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. And maybe the damn pain in my stomach would go away as well. It had been hurting really bad, go numb, then come back even worse a moment later.
I was really feeling like crap, and I didn't want to have to work come Monday. At least Sunday would give me a little chance to rest. "Naru?"
"Yes Kimimaro?" I slightly turned towards the white haired boy, trying not to wince from the movement.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" His eyes were darting again, maybe he really had to go?
I smiled, "of course, you do know where it is, right?" He nodded and quickly ran towards the bathroom.
"How are you holding up?" The familiar voice of the brunette softly came from behind me.
I turned towards Shikamaru, "just fine and you?"
He shrugged, "as good as I'll ever I suppose." I could see he still wasn't looking me in the eyes.
"So I hear that the ringmaster still hasn't told you my story yet." I didn't know what to say. "Did you want to know?"
I shook my head rapidly, "no. It's ok." I had no right to ask for such a story.
"It's ok if you do, you know everyone else's after all." I was speechless. I didn't want him to feel like he had to tell me.
"Really Shika, you don't have to tell me if you do not want to." Trying to reassure him, I gave him a small grin. This wasn't any of my business, why would he want to relive such a thing?
He had a serious expression, and though he wasn't looking me in the eye, I knew he was thinking hard about something. "I'll tell you. I don't mind. It isn't like it is something really personal. Just some stroke of bad luck." There was no hint of sadness or regret in his voice. In fact, there was no emotion at all.
"You see, before any of us freaks got here, this was just an ordinary circus. You know, with clowns and animals. All normal. Sasuke worked as ringmaster then as well, but I was his assistant then. Whenever he was unable to do his duty, I would fill in. That was back when I wasn't a freak, and it was also when the circus was beginning to lose business."
He looked away from me. "Around that time, we thought we were going to have to close down the circus. And we would have too, if Sasuke's brother had not shown up with Hinata. As I'm sure Sasuke had already told you, she was the first of the cast members to show up, and not the last."
My thought wondered for a moment to the older brother, what was his name again? He had brought Kimimaro yesterday, was he the one who gathered all the cast? Shikamaro seemed to guess that I was in thought because he had paused but continued once more when I refocused my eyes to him.
"At first, Sasuke had been against the idea, he really didn't care for the circus after all. He always thought about it as a burden left to him by his father, and saw this foreclosure as a sign to wash his hands of it." Sasuke didn't care about the circus? Then why was he running it in the first place?
"When people had stopped coming to the circus, he shut it all down." Shikamaru resumed, "he was done with this kind of life, ready to continue living what he really wanted to do. But he soon changed his mind." He stopped, and I waited, invested in the story now. Why had he changed his mind? If he didn't want to run a circus anmore, what had he actually wanted to do?
"Itachi returned with more freaks, who were in desperate need of some kind of shelter. Where else could they go? Even worse, more than once, Itachi had brought something else."
"Even worse?" I voiced. What could be worse than bringing people whose lives had been torn apart? "What had he brought?"
"Information." What? Information about what? Before I could ask he kept talking. "Somehow Itachi had gotten hold of experimentation files. They listed some other experiments, and showed those who weren't so lucky to get out alive." Oh. Those who died? I was beginning to feel sick.
"There was no longer any choice, so he remodeled the place, and it became a freak show circus with three freaks, Hinata, Choji, and Ino and Sakura. Everything was working out fine, people came, the cast was well taken care of, and the circus and our jobs were saved. But..."
I became worried at his hesitation, "Shika, you can stop now." I realized we were getting to his role in the story.
But he shook his head, "no, it's fine." He cleared his throat and began again, "we received a visitor one day. An odd man he was. I was working at the ticket booth then, and that man came in angry. He demanded that we give back his experiments, and I refused him. Unfortunately, this was the man who had done terrible things in his life, had experimented on many people including the cast, this man was-"
"My father?" I swallowed hard.
Shikamaru nodded, "yes, your father. And he wouldn't take no for an answer. He somehow sedated me, and when I came to, I looked like this. I was abandoned three miles from the circus grounds, and turns out I was missing for about two weeks.
"It was a lucky break I suppose that nothing else had happened to anyone else. He never returned after that day and we figured he was gone and out of the picture. Until Kimimaro arrived that is. Seems like he is trying again to get his experiments back. So be careful Naru. He'll hurt you to get them, I'm sure." I nodded, still shocked at what I had heard. "Looks like your charge is coming back, I better get going." He walked away without a word. Before I could call him back, Kimimaro grabbed hold of me tightly.
"Naruto!" I glanced hastily down at him when I heard his terrified voice.
"Something's wrong." He practically whispered it, and I had a hard time hearing it.
"What do you mean? Did you see a scary shadow?" He was shaking, and he held on tighter to my shirt without any explanation to his behavior.
I patted his head in an attempt to soothe him, but I doubt it was doing anything for him. "Kimimaro, it's ok. Nothing is going to get you." I said, guessing it was the same problem he had last night.
He swung his head wildly. "Naru I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He was crying now, but why was he apologizing?
"Sorry for what?" He kept shaking and crying, but he wouldn't answer me. What was he so sorry about?
Well? How was it? I hope it came out alright, I had such little time to actually do it. School and church have been keeping me busy, so even the weekends are hardly enough time to do fanfics. I am really hoping that I won't have to delete any of my stories, but if any of you know a website I could use just in case, please email me.
So you guys can make some predictions of why Kimimaro is apologizing, and it is pretty obvious I think. But just humor me, please? Lol.
Anyways, the next chapter is possibly going to be very dark and explicit. And not in a good way (if that makes any sense...) and there might be rape, but most likely not. So yea... Till next time!
