Naruto stared at the steaming bowl of noodles before him.
"Come on, eat up!" The man said in a muffled voice, his mouth half filled with noodles.
The boy looked at the man, and the two wooden sticks placed on the table.
"What do I do with these sticks?" He asked, picking them each by a hand.
The man choked.
"S-Sir!" Naruto gasped as the man beside him started coughing and beating his chest with one rough hand.
Brown eyes looked at blue ones, alight with amusement.
"Don't call me sir. I'm Iruka."
"I-Iru?"
"Iruka."
"Iruka." Naruto repeated.
"Correct." Iruka took a deep breath and held up the chopsticks.
"You hold them like this." He said, smiling.
"Naruto holds them like this." The blonde kid repeated again, mimicking the man's actions.
"Hmm." Iruka observed the boy. " Say I.Not Naruto."
"I-I. I hold them like this." Naruto said doubtfully.
Iruka laughed and continued eating his noodles, choking again when Naruto yelled "HOT!"
-
"You're… a hunter?" Naruto asked, his legs swinging freely.
"Yes." Iruka nodded, swinging his own legs as well. The pair was sitting on an old wall, the sky was a lovely blue, and a light breeze was blowing towards their direction.
"What does Iruka do?" The boy asked eagerly.
"I hunt down vampires."
"Vampires?"
"Yeah. Vampires are creatures that suck blood."
Naruto froze.
"?" Iruka looked at the boy, tilting his head in puzzlement.
"Naruto… Naruto sucks blood." The boy said softly.
"Say I." Iruka said. His tone had not changed.
Naruto looked up at him, shocked.
"Naruto—Um, I am a vampire?" He asked.
Iruka ruffled the boy's spiked hair. "Don't worry." He grinned. "I hunt down bad vampires. Naruto's a good boy."
The boy's features lightened up immediately.
-
Someone who could accept
Someone who could listen
Someone who could tolerate
Someone who could understand
Someone…
Anyone…
"Where do you get your food, Naruto?" Iruka asked, sitting comfortably on an old couch.
The inside of the castle had a musty smell and was littered with cobwebs. Nevertheless, that was where Naruto lived.
"They send blood to me!" Naruto said, smiling. Every morning there's a bottle filled with it outside the door!"
"Who?" Iruka said, but there was an obvious strain in his voice. The innocent boy did not notice—he had always been alone and had not much experience in human interaction or whatsoever. The only interaction he had was being insulted, being beaten, and being escaped from.
"I don't know." Naruto responded sadly.
"But can't you smell them?" Iruka asked, his hands clutched tightly together.
Naruto scratched his head. "I did try to stay up to find out, but I always fall asleep… But I do know their smell."
Iruka stood up suddenly, and Naruto tensed.
"Say, boy. Wanna learn great stuff?"
-
It had been weeks, and Naruto had learnt how to make use of his vampire abilities to his advantage, thanks to Iruka's teachings. He'd also known how destructive the weapons "hunters" use can be. Iruka visited him in the mornings and afternoons, but he'd be gone in the evenings.
He always looked forward to mornings. It was strange. Vampires liked the night. But this particular one was active during the day.
"Iruka."
"Huh?"
"… Why do… people say… that I'm a monster?"
"Hm." Iruka scratched his cheek. "Because sucking blood is weird to normal human beings. They don't do that. I don't do that."
"Then you… you find me weird… right?"
"If you're weird, I'd run far away from you already. Be more confident, kid!" Iruka slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, sending him spinning around comically because of the enormous amount of pressure exerted.
"OW! YOU USED TOO MUCH FORCE!"
"Ha-ha, sorry!"
-
"Hello there, kid."
Naruto spun around. That smell.
It was a boy around his own age, but he had silver eyes and long hair that fell to his knees.
He was sitting on the old wall.
The full moon was bright, lighting up the inky-black sky with an eerie yellow light that was reflected in both Naruto's and the boy's pupils.
Naruto swallowed, a sudden unidentifiable feeling swelling up in him.
"Y-You're the one who sends me blood every night?" He whispered uncertainly, clutching his hands tight.
The boy cocked his head. "Yep." He smiled, revealing white fangs.
Naruto took one step back. He had never interacted with another vampire. The figure in front of him looked…
Scary.
Do I look like that?
Is that the reason why people hate me so much?
The boy seemed to read his thoughts. "No. It's not because of how you look." He laughed. "Though blonde haired people are pretty uncommon in this region."
Naruto did not respond to that.
The boy leapt down from the wall gracefully, his hair trailing behind him in a long, black ponytail.
"Do you want to know why?" He whispered, leaning close to Naruto.
Naruto didn't move. He blinked, bit his lip, and nodded.
The vampire smiled again.
"It is because you are a monster."
-
Iruka wiped the blood from his face, panting as he faced a certain grey-haired man angrily.
"WILL YOU HELP, IDIOT!"
"Don't call me idiot. I'm your senior." The man raised his eyebrow, offended.
"Just stop reading your stupid book." Iruka snapped.
"I can't. I'm at the last chapter."
Iruka dodged a claw attack and whacked the vampire away with a bloody fist.
"KAKASHI!" He boomed.
"Oh, all right. I can settle this in three minutes. I just want to let you train, you know?"
"EXCUSES!"
Kakashi took out five stakes from his pocket, his eye turning quite different.
"Watch."
-
The next day
Iruka trudged tiredly to the castle. His limbs were aching.
"Damn that Kakashi. If he'd started fighting earlier instead of letting me do all the work…" He groaned, slapping his arm lightly.
The hunter reached the front door. It wasn't open. Strange.
"Naruto? Naruto!" Iruka asked, knocking on the door.
There was no response. It was weird. Perhaps the boy was sleeping?
No. He only slept in the nights.
But Naruto is a vampire after all…
"Hmm. Maybe I'll visit in the evening…" He turned and halted.
A boy. Long hair. Silver eyes.
"Hello." The boy grinned.
"You're of a special ability type, huh?" Iruka said, crossing his arms, but his facial features were relaxed. "From that clan."
"Oh, really? How did you know?" The boy asked innocently.
"Those silver eyes can be recognized anywhere."
Iruka's smile disappeared, and the classic hunter gaze appeared in his eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"Why can't I be here?"
"So you know Naruto?" He inquired, ignoring the insolent look that was manifesting in the boy's face.
"Yes." The boy's tone was starting to get haughty as well. "I know him."
Iruka looked in the direction of the castle. "What's up with him, then?"
"He's having… a little shock." The boy said simply, and a fist reached out.
Iruka ducked. "No need for violence here."
The boy rubbed his knuckles, silver orbs glinting. "I happen to be quite hungry…"
"Oops." Iruka said casually. "But I thought I'd just taken a shower."
"The smell of blood is strong." The boy cocked his head, smiling like what a little boy would after getting his Christmas present. Then his grin went wider, and in it was not the innocence nor the purity, but greed.
"Die."
He went forward Iruka at an incredible speed, causing the hunter to dodge again.
-
"There's a monster inside you… The First."
Naruto groaned, covering his ears with his hands, and his eyes closed in agony…
"We sealed him inside you. You're a container for the First Vampire. Such an honor, isn't it?"
"Why?" Naruto muttered. "Why me?"
"I… I'm just not any vampire… Iruka was wrong…"
"Don't look so sad. We send you free blood every night." The silver eyed boy said mockingly, patting him on the back.
"Why must you tell me all this?"
"You're a good boy, Naruto…"
"You're a monster"—
-
"My name's Neji. Care to join us?"
Naruto stopped. "What?"
"My dad decided that it was time to stop feeding you free blood and teach you how to suck blood. Don't worry; we'll all welcome you…"
Naruto shook his head violently. "No."
"Blood doesn't come cheap."
"Go away. Please."
Neji looked at those pitiful blue eyes, and decided to stop tormenting the brat.
"You're suffered enough… haven't you?"
-
A red and orange aura started seeping out from the blonde. A gust of wind began to blow hard.
"I'm a monster…"
"I'm a monster…"
"I have the First inside me…"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"ARRRGGGH!"
-
Neji and Iruka stopped the fight when a terrible tremor shook the ground.
Iruka was fuming, and he grabbed the vampire by the collar.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO NARUTO?"
Neji did not resist. He blinked.
"I told him the truth."
Author: I've created a new fanart on Naruto (based on this fanfic) in my deivantart account! Please do take a look… It's my most recent art. (Voice trails off) Sakura may be a disappointing though… She looks like a clown with those eyes…
Heh… I'll be creating more art based on my fanfic (This fanfic!) as well! My deviantart account is listed at my account page!