A Little Reassurance

Author: Shannin

Pairing: NaruUsa (Naruto+Usagi)

Word Count: 1,586

Disclaimer: The anime series'Naruto and Sailor Moon are copyright to their respective owners, and I just abuses my right as a US citizen right under the 1st amendment of the constitution for my own (as well as others) devious pleasures.

Summery: It's Naruto's 8th birthday, but he needs some help believing it's a happy one. Usagi's there to make it special!

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"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world." – Unknown

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"Naruto…"

Worried blue eyes, as pale as if it were pearly silver, peered beneath flaxen lashes toward the tiny Kyuubi vessel that was Uzumaki Naruto. The tanned boy had been bound to yet another tree by several of the older kids in the village for the umpteenth time since the noon.

The blue of the sky had gradually slipped into a pool of deep gold, warm orange and flushed pink, and in its wake dusk was slowly dipping its inky colors into the village of Konoha.

"Get away, Odango Atama! I'll get outta this myself!"

"Oh, Naruto…" ignoring the despised childhood nickname, Usagi sighed dramatically. Naruto continued to babble words that were incoherent to her, entering one ear and out the other as she made a move to untie him.

"They tied it real tight this time," Usagi commented conversationally, withdrawing a kunai that gleamed menacingly against the scattered light of the setting sun. Naruto paused in his self-righteous blurb, blinking curiously at the pale-eyed girl as she proceeded to cut him free. "No wonder you weren't able to get free on your own." With a single swing of the blade, the bonds fell to the ground and Naruto was harmlessly freed.

"I told you, Odango," He proclaimed, his voice a bitter whisper now, his eyes a smoldering sapphire blue as he stared at her, "I didn't need your help."

"But you got it anyway, so there," Usagi shrugged nonchalantly. Her indifference only infuriated the younger boy even more. He lunged at her, but she held him back with the length of her arm, her palm pressed against his forehead as he tried to claw at her. The attempts were as futile as if he had been doing nothing at all. Usagi peered at him almost as though she were giving him the once-over. She was a rough two feet taller than Naruto, and about four years older.

"You're now eight years old today, aren't you, Naru-chan?" Usagi blinked curiously as the younger blonde froze over in his barrage of little fists, which had previously been beating at the open space between them, his eyes wide and his arms in front of him in mid-punch. Usagi used her free hand so that her fingertips were pressed over her lips, just now realizing why the children had tormented him with so much more ferocity than usual.

It would explain why the village children were suddenly so open with their resentment towards Naruto, and why the village people hardly did anything to stop the younger generation from tormenting the poor boy. His birthday was also the very day in which many good lives were lost, therefore it was more of a time to lament—as well as resent—on the day of the sealing of the Kyuubi.

Naruto's body slumped into a slouching stance, his arms dangling limply at his sides and his shoulders trembling. She could only see the top of his head, for Naruto could not bare look her in the eyes. The boisterous, self-righteous visage that he had previously displayed seemed to have fled along with the wind. All that was left seemed to be helplessness and shame. Usagi frowned at the sight.

"I have something for you, little kitsune," Usagi withdrew her hand away from Naruto, ignoring the urge to embrace the small child and instead reached for the rucksack that was slung snugly against her back. She opened the backpack and dug inside, Naruto's inquisitive wide-eyed gaze digging into the bag itself, and as Usagi finally revealed the gift Naruto immediately snatched it out of her hands.

"Goggles?" Naruto curiously tinkered with the thick, green biker goggles in his hands.

"Put it around your forehead like a shinobi headband protector," Usagi informed, smiling amiably.

Naruto looked up from the gift and responded with a blank stare. "Why?"

Usagi knelt close to Naruto, as if to demonstrate, and then placed a hand on his cheek. Her thumb caressed his skin, and the sudden contact petrified Naruto into wide-eyed astonishment. Usagi shifted her fingertips so that they smoothed over his forehead, brushing away the length of his blonde spiky bangs from his eyes. She grinned, "So everyone can see those gorgeous eyes of yours, Naruto. And besides, you need to occupy your head with something until you get your shinobi headband, right?"

"What did I do to earn this?" Naruto frowned at the goggles in his hands, totally confused.

Usagi laughed. "Don't be silly! It's your birthday, of course!"

For a long moment, Naruto just stared at Usagi—her affectionate smile, the genuine kindness that was clear in her pale eyes. His frown deepened.

"What's wrong, Naruto? You don't like it?" The utter worry and insecurity in her expression was heartbreaking.

Naruto vigorously shook his head no. "No, its just…no one's ever done this before—most of the time, everyone's just really angry at me." Naruto couldn't look Usagi in the eye when he was finished, constantly staring at either something on the ground or something at the corner of his eye. "It's like everyone hates the fact that I'm even born. And why wouldn't they? I was born on the day that the Kyuubi demon killed their families and friends…"

Naruto sounded bitter. Usagi decided that she didn't like the hint of unforgiving hatred in his voice at all; it sent a wave of sorrow over her, and she didn't like that feeling either. Usagi wanted to hug him.

"I don't think that at all…" she said quietly.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

Usagi kneeled to meet his wide eyes, and smiled timidly, but the affection and sincerity that shone in her eyes were clear. "I think that you're just so special, Naruto. You're brave and headstrong, and although sometimes it's not your best traits, you never give up! You're strong in spite of everything that's tried to bring you down. I admire you for that, little kitsune. I know that one day the world would smile upon this day, and you in general."

She patted his head, bringing him to into her embrace. She was a little surprised when he didn't struggle, but it only made her hug him tighter. Her smile broadened fondly.

"I have another surprise!" Usagi held him back at arms length and smiled.

"What? Is it ramen?" Naruto's mouth was open almost hungrily in a gaping smile.

"No," Usagi said, almost shyly. "I want you to be happy, Naruto. I want to do that to the very best of my abilities, both emotionally and… physically."

"Eh?" Naruto stared dumbfounded, an increasing blush on his face as Usagi began to slowly undo the zipper on her off-white hoodie vest. It revealed the slightly mesh sleeveless black top she wore, with a particularly plummeting oval neckline, the swell of her bosom teasingly revealed. The camisole was not long enough to hide her naval, which was clearly lean and smooth. Naruto's face was completely red by the time she'd slipped the hoodie vest off.

'Wow, she's like those ladies in the magazines at the back of old man Koru's shop…' Naruto blushed feverishly. He felt his nose start to bleed as he remembered sneaking peaks at the adult magazines before getting kicked out of the small shop several times. Sometimes Old Man Koru would even hit him with his back-scratching stick.

"And that's why I'm going to train with you for the entire day!" Usagi beamed radiantly. She was already in a defensive stance.

Naruto nearly fell over. "Eeeeeh?" His eyes were the size of saucers, a feeling of childish disappointment overwhelming him.

"Come on, half-pint! Show me what you've got! You wanna be Hokage, don't you?!" Usagi narrowed her pale eyes in a concentrated furrow, grinning almost sadistically. Brilliant silver flames erupted from her fists, and she began erratically shooting blades of white-hot chakra directly at the smaller blonde.

"KYAAAAAH!" Naruto let out a bloodcurdling scream, waving his arms in the air as he ran for his life.

Realizing that far-ranged attacks were obviously not working, for Naruto was surprisingly evasive and just as quick, Usagi brought her hands together in a hand seal and set her lips into a concentrated frown before she shouted fiercely—

"BYAKOGAN!"

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END…?

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Author's Note

I didn't even try to make Usagi in-character here so…meh. How was the ending? Interesting, yes? XD If you don't get it, Usagi is a member of the Hyuga clan in this fic. This one-shot, however, was all for fun. But it could also be romantic, in a silly almost-platonic sandbox crush sort of way. I'd actually love to turn this into a drabble series, in which 12-year-old Usagi interacts with all of the Naruto kids when they're still like age 8 or 9.

I just wanted to post something and, well, this was something. I really do miss writing Sailor Moon X-over very much, but I'm rather busy and my new obsession is Warren Peace (from the movie Sky High). Lol. Maybe I should do a Sky High/Sailor Moon x-over? Weird stuff has happened before!

Review please, and tell me what you think.