It's Saturday again, and here's chapter two, as promised! Wow, I actually kept my promise!! Excellent!
I would like to thank everyone who put me on their Story Alert list! Please reveiw this time! And a huge thank you to Think-chan, my only reveiwer!
Today's disclaimer is brought to you by... lets see... Haku!
Haku: Griffin does not own Naruto... thank the gods.
Griffin: Hey, if I owned Naruto, you'd still be alive.
Haku: cries (anime style TT.TT)
Note:
This is a flashback thought
This is a thought/Kyubi speaking/Naruto talking to Kyubi
This is song lyrics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naruto had stood on the bridge, crying, until the rain had stopped. He had heard the damn fox calling out to him, but he ignored him.
I hate you, I hate everything about you!
The tears were coming back.
… why don't you just die?
He was so wet and so cold; it felt like his soul was numb.I wish you had never been born.
Why did this have to happen today, of all days? His teammates had cut him better than any knife, burned him better than any flame, crushed him better than any blow.
"It's… not fair," Naruto said softly to himself.
NARUTO!!! Kyubi's voice blasted through Naruto's consciousness. The blond winced at what was the equivalence of a mental bullet.
What do you want, you damn hairball Naruto demanded.
I just thought you'd want to find some warmth before you catch a cold Kyubi replied.
I've never been sick a day of my life Naruto returned thanks to you.
Fine! But at least get out of here, before those idiotic villagers try to beat you Kyubi said.
Alright, but I'm not going home Naruto told Kyubi. All that's there are more bad memories… I know!
Without further thought or word, Naruto vanished, heading for the one place he felt truly at home….
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Naruto's… birthday?" Sakura said. "No, that can't be."
"It's a matter of public record," Shikamaru said lazily. "I just happened to find out while organizing some scrolls, as a mission."
"You're his teammates," Kiba snapped. "You should know this!"
"His birthday," Sakura said, tears dwelling up in her eyes. "That's what he was trying to tell us. And we said… we said all those terrible things to him!"
"We must go find Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed. "And as soon as we can!"
"We should split up into teams of two," Hinata offered. "I can go with Sakura, and Lee with Shikamaru."
"Why me?" Shikamaru moaned.
"You shouldn't behave so unyouthfully, Shikamaru!" Lee exclaimed.
"I'm right beside you, Lee," Shikamaru said. "You don't have to shout like that." The two boys set off in one direction, while Sakura and Hinata went in another. That left Sasuke and Neji standing under the walkway.
"Well, good luck with that," Sasuke said. "I'm going home."
"No, you're not," Neji said, grabbing the back of Sasuke's jacket. "You're coming with me." He dragged Sasuke off.
--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--.
No matter what happened in Naruto's life, he had always felt safest on top of the Hokage Monument, sitting on the Yondaime's head. He had known, for over a year now, that the Yondaime had been his father. It was something Naruto was very proud of, but he had told no one.
Why so down, kit? Kyubi asked, falling back on his nickname for Naruto.
"Just feeling the weight, I guess," Naruto said.
You know things wouldn't be like this if you didn't insist on keeping up this damn mask Kyubi said pretending to be an idiot, hiding your true personality.
"If I hadn't, imagine what the villagers would have done to me," Naruto replied.
But you needn't keep it up now Kyubi argued.
"It is the way things were," Naruto said, "the way things are, and the way they will always be, else I should draw to much attention to myself."
You mean the way you did with all those pranks? Kyubi asked.
"That's enough," Naruto said, laying back.
Kyubi grumbled, but didn't say anything more. Naruto stared up at the stars, letting his thoughts wander. After about ten minuets, he began to sing softly to himself.
Don't try to live so wise
Don't cry, 'cause you're so right
Don't dry with fakes or fears
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end
Slowly, Naruto drifted off to sleep. Sprawled out of the Hokage Monument, he never looked more peaceful. As he slept, a very strange thing happened: a butterfly, with brightly colored and iridescent wings, flew over to Naruto and landed lightly on his hentai-ate.
"Mmmm… momma…," Naruto mumbled, shifting slightly, "wanna… come with you…." He smiled a real smile for once.
---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---...---..
While Naruto meditated and slept on the Hokage Monument, what was going on in the village was nothing less than a manhunt. Sakura, Sasuke, and the others had run into the rest of the rookies, who had readily agreed to aid in the search. However….
"We've looked everywhere!" Kiba exclaimed, flopping down at the base of the memorial tablet. The others followed suit, sitting on the soft grass.
"You don't think something bad happened to him, do you?" Ino asked.
"No," Sasuke said. "Naruto can get himself out of any situation… basically."
"Let's just rest a bit," Tenten said. "Then we'll keep looking."
"We can treat him to ramen when we find him," Choji suggested, "all he can eat."
"Do you want us all to be broke, Choji?" Sakura asked. "Or have you not seen how much ramen Naruto can eat?"
"I believe his record stands at thirty bowls," Neji said with a smirk.
"Yeah, and Master Kakashi was broke for two months after that," Shikamaru said. "That was a bet he shouldn't have taken."
"Do you remember that time he died Master Iruka's clothes pink?" Hinata said.
"And then, when Master Iruka was yelling at him, the floor collapsed, because Naruto dug a huge hole under it," Kiba said, "and it was full of…."
"Pudding!" the other Genin finished. They had a good laugh.
"I can still remember exactly what Naruto said, right before," Sakura said.
"'And remember kids, the secret word for today is Pudding'" everyone said. They were having such a good time that none of them realized there were in danger until….
"Look at whats we gots here," a man slurred. He was just one of seven strange ninja. "A bunch of little Geninsies."
Although those seven men were clearly drunk, they also appeared to be Jonin, and a drunken Jonin is still a Jonin.
"Those are some tasty looking girls," one man said, leering at Sakura.
"If you try it, I'll kill you," Sasuke snapped. The others armed themselves in a similar fashion.
"You brats think that you can fight us?" another man slurred. "You don't stand a chance…" he vanished suddenly, and before any of them could react, he had reappeared…
Right behind Neji.
The Jonin weapon, a large club, smashed into Neji's right arm, breaking it with a sickening crunch.
"Neji!" Lee shouted.
"Damn it!" Tenten cursed.
"You should worry more about yourself…," the first Jonin's words were cut off when a bolt of yellow light hit him, sending him flying.
"Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed.
"Nobody hurts my friends," Naruto snarled. "I'll kill anyone who tries."
"It's you, damndable demon," a Jonin spat. "Aren't you just some worthless, pathetic, talentless excuse of a ninja?"
"Hey!" Sakura shouted. "No one talks to Naruto like that!"
"Naruto-kun is as strong as any one of us!" Lee yelled. "No, he's stronger than any of us!"
"Insult him again, and you'll find yourself on the wrong end of this fist!" Ino exclaimed, shaking a fist at the Jonin.
"You're actually defending him?" the Jonin said, laughing. "That's rich!"
"Naruto-kun is our friend," Hinata said bravely. "Of course we're defending him!"
"I bet you wouldn't if you knew the truth," the Jonin said, grinning wickedly. He began flashing through handsigns.
"The truth?" Kiba wondered out loud.
"NO DON'T!!!" Naruto shouted.
"Reibakuro!" the Jonin replied. His body began to glow brightly. The Genin's shadows radiated outward.
What is this?!" Neji exclaimed.
"Look behind you!" the Jonin raved. "Look and see what your so-called friend really is!"
They all turned, almost involuntarily, and what they saw… well, it made Zabuza look like the "baby demon" Gato had thought him to be.
It was the Kyubi, towering over them all. It's nine massive tails lashed out, but they seemed to pass through the objects they touched. It tossed it's head back, trying to roar with a voice it no longer had.
Naruto was, quite literally, paralyzed by panic. One thought raced through his brain.
They know! They know!!!
Don't freak out on me, kit! Kyubi said.
They know!! THEY KNOW!!!! Naruto's thoughts screamed.
"What you have been told your entire life is a lie!" the Jonin ranted. "The Yondaime didn't kill the Kyubi, he sealed it inside a child, a newborn baby, and that baby was, and is, Naruto! He isn't your friend, he is the Kyubi!"
Naruto tried to speak, to explain. His eyes flickered from one face to another. When his eyes fell on Hinata, what he saw there was the straw breaking the camel's back.
Fear. Hinata's eyes were filled with fear.
With an anguished cry, Naruto turned and fled. He was so distraught, he didn't hear Hinata's cry, that followed his.
"NARUTO!!!!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that would be chapter two. I hoped you enjoyed it!
Reibakuro means something like "Spirit Revelation"
Two things I forgot last time:
(1) I forgot how to say "Mother" and "Father" in Japanese. Could someone please tell me?
(2) I also need someone to translate the phrase "Change Again" into Japanese, for a Bleach fic. Please?
R&R!
