Sasuke rubbed his eye, walking back into the path he had taken yesterday. He figured, that even if someone inside the house had noticed him there, they wouldn't be up at this time of hour. Although, he wasn't quite sure why he took this way in the morning when no one was ever out and it could be rather dark when he had to go in for work so early. Sasuke most hust have grown customed to the forest already. He didn't mind the dark either, it always seemed to show the real color of things, in his opinion.
He stretched out his arms and yawned, trying to get ready for the hard work up ahead. Sasuke turned down the path that was taking him towards the small wooden house up ahead, bringing it into view with each step. It wasn't until he was almost walking towards the house along the path that curved up to it that he saw the blonde sitting out on the porch, staring forward at the dirt path. He immediately froze in his tracks, his heart rising in his chest. The blonde was waiting, waiting to confront him for yesterday. Sasuke went to pull out his phone from his pocket, only to find it not there. He srcunched his eyebrows. He never forgot his phone. Now that he thought about it, he didn't ever remember having it when he got home yesterday either. Sasuke stared forward, his palms begining to sweat. He had no means of time on him so he couldn't check to see if he could take the other way without being late. He sighed, knowing that he was going to walk down the path, he was too close to a raise to start showing up late.
Sasuke finally managed to bring himself forward, taking long steps towards the front of the house. The blonde immdiatley caught sight of the pale boy and stared quietly at him, watching as he began to walk by. Sasuke felt his eyes on him, waiting for the confrontation. Although, he didn't know why he was worrying, he could say what he thought of yesterday. Once Sasuke was positive that there would be no means of socializing, the voice called out to him.
"H-Hi." Sasuke stopped. The greeting had been said so quickly and barely loud enough that he thought he had imagined it. But when Sasuke turned around to face the blonde, he saw that he had his hands over his mouth, looking like a little kid that had said a word they shouldn't have. The boy was biting his lip under Sasuke's noticable gaze. He pulled his hands away from his mouth and began twisting his fingers nervously. Sasuke cocked his head at the odd behavior. He licked his lips before replying.
"Hey." He said, turning around fully and walking towards the blonde. The boy looked down as Sasuke approached and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out something silver and held it towards Sasuke.
"Y-you dropped this yesterday...I was going to try and give it back, but you were gone by the time I found it." Sasuke looked down to find his phone in the kids hands. He reached out to grab it, noticing the boy flinch slightly at the slight contact. Sasuke raised his eyebrow, wondering what was wrong with this kid. First, he waits for the guy that had been spying on him the past week, at four in the morning, then he calls him over to give his phone back? How stupid could he be? If Sasuke had been a real stalker, this kid could've been in some real trouble. "I-I'm sorry...I haven't seen someone else in so long..." he said looking up at Sasuke.
Sasuke looked down at his phone and then to the kid. "How long could it be for you to jump like that when someone touches you?" He said, meaning it as a joke.
"15 years." The kid said bluntly.
Sasuke blinked. Then blinked again. Then he shook his head as if he had misheard. "I'm sorry, did you say years? 15 years?" The blonde nodded. Sasuke couldn't believe what the kid said. "Haven't you ever left your house?" Sasuke asked.
The kid shook his head. "No. I'm not aloud to. They said that I can't talk to people."
Sasuke scrunched his eyebrows together. "They?"
"Yeah, they. They told me that I'll hurt the people if I start talking to them...but..." The blonde locked eyes with Sasuke. "I haven't hurt you yet though...." Sasuke looked down at his phone again and looked at the time. He'd need to leave now if he planned on making it to his work in time. He bit his lip thinking. This kid was too interesting to leave so soon and Sasuke still had his sick days left at work.
He flipped his phone open and speed dialed his work number. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure about how his boss would react calling in sick, sure he liked him, being a hard worker and all, but he was still the newest worker there so it might look bad. His boss picked up the phone with a groggy 'hello'. Sasuke swallowed thickly, then pinched his nose slightly to try and make himself sound sick. "Hey...would today be the wrong day to be sick?" Sasuke said, wording it carefully. His boss was quiet for a moment.
"You got sick?" He asked showing no hint to what Sasuke should say next.
He sniffled his nose to try and add to the effect. "If it's busy I can still come in, I just don't know how much help I'll be..."
His boss sighed. "Nah, we'll be good without you for a day. It will only be a day, right?"
"I hope so, I don't want to be sick any longer than that." Sasuke said.
His boss chuckled slightly. "Alright, If you do decide to come in tomorrow, it'll be at the normal time, got that?"
Sasuke nodded as if he could see. He barely caught the kid staring at him in an intrigued manner. "'Kay, I should be there." With that, he hung up and then turned back to the kid. He couldn't really believe that he just called in, pretending to be sick so he could spend time with this kid. The kid smiled up at him. "So, ugh, What's your name?" Sasuke asked.
The blonde looked up in thought. "I'm...not sure... It's on my necklace." He began digging down the front of his shirt until he found the metal he was looking for. He pulled it off from around his neck and handed it to Sasuke. Sasuke took it and stared down at the dog tags that were in his hands.
"Na..ruto? Fishcake? What kind of name is that?" Sasuke teased.
Naruto looked down feeling embarrassed. "They told me I had to wear that no matter what, and I can only take it off at certain times. They never really told me my name, just put it on there. Does it really mean fishcake?" He asked taking the tags back from Sasuke and returning it to his neck.
Sasuke looked at him. Someone had been treating Naruto almost exactly like a dog. "Yeah, but don't feel bad. My last name means 'paper fan'"
Naruto smiled immdiately, not out of laughter from his name, but of the nice treatment he was receiving. "So what's your name then?"
"Sasuke...Uchiha's my last name." He told him, taking a seat next to him on the porch. "You keep saying 'they'." Sasuke said with curiosity. "Who exactly is 'they'?"
Naruto shrugged. "I dunno, the last time I saw them was when I was two. They send me things through the mail box though. Like food, and water, and they let me know whenever a year passes by."
"You mean they just lock you up in this house and leave you here?" Sasuke said shocked at his living conditions.
"Yeah...Don't....they do that...with you?" Naruto asked growing confused. Sasuke shook his head. "They told me that everyone lives the same way I do."
"Well 'they' are lying. I know I sure as hell don't get food sent to me through the mail." Sasuke stated.
"But, then....How do you get food?"
"I go out and buy it."
"Buy?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, eyebrow raised. Sasuke stared at him, at first thinking he was going to laugh and say he was joking, and that he wasn't that cut off from life. But his eyes still held tight to the question. Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. It was terrible how much he didn't seem to know.
"You know, when you give someone money and they give you your food?"
"Mon....ey? Why do you have to give them 'money'?"
"So they'll give you your food. It's like trading." Sasuke tried to explain. He looked over at Naruto to find confusion on his face. "You...Do know what trading is, right?" Naruto blinked, shaking his head slowly. Sasuke ran his hand through his hair. "Its when you give someone something and they give you something back."
"People give eachother things?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke dropped his head slightly. He had never expected the kid to be like this. Sasuke's eyes landed on two twiggs on the ground. He bent down and picked them up. "Here we go." He handed one to Naruto. He took it staring at it confused. "Pretend that that's food, and this," Sasuke held up his stick. "Is money. Now, I'm hungry but I don't have any food. I decide to go out and buy some. I see you with your food and decide to buy it. So you take this," Sasuke handed his stick to Naruto and then reached out for Naruto's . "And then you give me yours. So I just bought your food. Get it?"
Naruto twirled the stick in his hands and then brought it to his mouth. Sasuke watched him as he attempted to eat the stick. He raised his eyebrow, and then reached out and pulled the stick away from him. Naruto jumped once again at the slight touch and looked up at Sasuke. Sasuke took both sticks and threw them into the dirt. "I said pretend it's food, that doesn't mean eat it. Besides, you'd have the money at the end, so you shouldn't be eating it anyways."
"Money isn't food?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke opened his mouth and then shut it. He just got himself into a real mess, talking to this kid. "No, its not, its a means of trade. Like I just showed you."
Naruto seemed to be finally understanding things a bit. "So, if I wanted an apple, I'd give you money and you'd give me an apple?"
Sasuke nodded, thankful he was starting to get it. "Yeah, I'm surprised you knew what apples were." He joked.
Naruto nodded. "I know what apples are, and what water is and bread too. And sometimes, when something 'speacial' happens I get milk and even ham. I love the ham the most..." Naruto continued to rant on about the food he recieved from 'they' all while Sasuke's eyes searched the area. He was begining to feel like he was being watched, like someone was about to jump out and attack him. "...but I don't really understand what the 'speacial' days are. They just told me its the days where everyone gets a little extra. I forgot what they called it, but it only happens once a year..."
"New years? " Sasuke suggested.
Naruto blinked. "Hn? New...years...?"
"Is that what they called it? The 'special' occasion?" Sasuke asked. Naruto didn't seem to recognize the term.
"Do you get a little extra on New Years? Maybe, that's what they meant to say...I don't remember, they told me it a long time ago and then sent me the food when it came."
Sasuke rested his head on his hand as he watched Naruto ponder about it all. "I don't lke these 'they' people. They're treating you like you're some kind of freak."
Naruto seemed to flinch with the term. His eyes immdiately fell to the ground. "...but...they said I was.." Naruto mummbled. Sasuke seemed taken aback by the statement.
"What? They tell you that you're a freak and then lock you up away from society?" Sasuke summarized. Naruto shrugged like it didn't matter. Sasuke seemed disgusted by it all. "That's just sick. It's illegal to do something like this y'know..."
Naruto blinked confused. "But they're pretty nice, I mean, they let me live here and give me food and water and sometimes books that I get to re-"
"You're only saying that because you don't know what it's like to live free. Trust me, the way you're living is not anywhere close to the way normal people live."
Naruto had a sadden look on his face. "...but they said that I wasn't normal...They said that I'd just hurt everyone if they let me try to live with society..."
Sasuke bit his cheek. "Naruto...That can't be true...I'm not sure who locked you up like this, but..." Sasuke trailed off, almost afraid of what he was going to say. "You can come with me."
Naruto looked scared by Sasuke's offer. He began to stand up and step backwards. "I-I I can't do that! T-They'll look for me a-and then they'll hurt..they'll hurt..."
Sasuke's eyes widened a bit. This kid was really terrified to leave his house. 'They' had him so well trained that he couldn't even think for himself. Everything was all 'they said', 'they did', and 'they won't' Sasuke stood up and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders. "They can't hurt you if you're with me." Naruto shook his head.
"No, they won't hurt me." He tried to pull out of Sasuke's grasp but couldn't. "They'll try to hurt you. They told me that anyone that talks with me should forget they ever existed. That's a bad thing, right? To forget your existence?"
Sasuke locked eyes with Naruto, not quite able to take in what he had just said. He shook his head. What was he worriying about? Once he could get Naruto out of here and back to his home, he could always call the police and tell what was going on if someone really was after him. All he had to do was call them now and they'd already be looking for whoever had Naruto locked up like animal. He shook the small fear out of his body and regained his confidence. "No, they won't. I won't let them touch me, or you for that matter. You've got to get out of here, you're missing out on so many things by keeping yourself here. There's so much better food out there for you to taste and people to meet, and just the look of everything. Naruto, please, just come with me, I'll show you how much better everything can be."
Naruto seemed almost convinced to go, but he shook his head. "No, No, I can't. Sasuke, you've got to leave. I shouldn't of ever talked to you in the first place..."
"So why did you?" Sasuke threw at him.
Naruto bit his lip. "...I...I couldn't take it...I knew you were here watching me before, and at first it scared me, but then I realized, you just wanted to talk...I even used to watch you when you would walk through here in the mornings. I'd wake up extra early just to make sure I could see you but today...I just had to say something...I haven't seen anyone in so long, it killed me whenever you walked by and I didn't say anything." Naruto looked up at Sasuke and smiled slightly. "That and I just wanted to know what your voice sounded like. And to see if you had a name like me too." Sasuke's gripped loosened a bit, until he let his arms drop to his sides. It all sounded so...sad. Pathetic. How could anyone be forced to think that only certain people would have names, or even existed for that matter? Then, ontop of it, make the kid believe that everyone lived the same way he had been living for the past fiffteen years.
Fiffteen years...Sasuke thought about it a moment. He said he had last seen 'they' when he was two, meaning that he had to be 17. So for 15 years he had been all by himself, not having a single person to talk to. Sasuke felt sorry for Naruto, he wanted to help him, but it seemed the only way he could would be to take him home, away from this place at least. If Naruto lived here by himself, then it'd be sometime before 'they' would find out that he was gone. By then Sasuke would tell the police about it all and they'd have the house restricted and hopefully would figure out who 'they' were. Sasuke looked into Naruto's lonely eyes. Naruto wasn't going to leave here without an okay from whoever it was that kept him here.
"Everyone's got a name Naruto. And everyone knows that too, You've been locked up here for too long, you don't even know the basic things of life..." Naruto stared down at the ground. Sasuke had to try and find a way to convince him to go. He bit his lip and then looked around him. "Haven't you ever wonder what else was out there?" Naruto's eyes shot up to Sasuke. He hit the exact point he needed to. "Haven't you ever wondered if there was someone else out there that looked like you? Or acted like you? Or maybe even shared your thoughts? Haven't you ever wondered what else was past those trees?"
"...yes..." Naruto mummbled, his curiosity begining to gain control over him. His eyes went towards the lake he had stood at every day. He had wanted to know so badly what was on the other side of it. Sometimes he swore he saw someone standing at the other side, throwing something into the large lake. He wanted to know so badly if there was someone else out there, or if 'they' were the only other ones besides him. When he first saw Sasuke, he was frightened. He didn't have a clue he was standing there until he saw the reflection in the water, but when he did, he could barely move. He thought it was one of 'them' coming to punish him for something he had done, but Naruto had never seen anyone like him. He never knew that there was someone out there that could have black hair, or that it could grow in such an odd way. He never knew that someone could be as skinny looking as him or as tall and pale either. But after a few days of seeing him, Naruto became more nervous than anything. He actually liked the way the boy looked. He liked the masculine jaw line Sasuke had and the soft, smooth looking pale skin he had too. After sometime Naruto got to thinking what his name may have been, if he had one. Or what his voice sounded like, or how his 'they' people treated him. Or where it was he was going everyday when he passed by his house all the time.
Naruto looked back to Sasuke, seeming to debate with himself whether or not he should go. Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to make his decision even harder, he knew he shouldn't leave, but he wanted to so badly, and as long as he was with Sasuke, he'd be okay. Naruto closed his eyes thinking, then after a moment opened them again. "I do, I do want to know what everything's like, but I can't stay with you...C-could you just...take me there for a day?" Naruto asked. That way, he wouldn't be disobeying 'them' too badly. He'd be gone for a couple of hours and then come back home, and not let Sasuke talk him otherwise.
Sasuke smiled. "I can't possibly show you it all in one day, but I'll take you around the village for today, and then show you more some other time, how's that sound?"
Naruto didn't like the fact that he'd leave for more than one day, but there wasn't much he could do. He looked back at Sasuke and nodded. "O-okay..." Sasuke stepped off of the porch and began walking onto the path. He turned around to find Naruto staring uneasily up ahead at the path. "C'mon Naruto." Naruto's eyes went back to Sasuke and he took his first step onto the dirt path, standing next to him. He swallowed hard before he let Sasuke lead him through the forest.
A couple of times, Naruto had almost turned around and bolted back, but Sasuke held his arm firmly making sure that he wouldn't be going anywhere other than where Sasuke was going. Naruto's eyes wandered around at every changing detail. He wasn't sure what to expect when Sasuke said that they were just about at the village. Sasuke's hand had an odd comfort to Naruto, calming him down when he felt that fear begin to surface. The trees began to thin and a clearer dirt path had been made. Fences boredered the outside of the forest, signifing the start of the village. Naruto's heart jumped into his throat. He could already hear thousands of voices chattering. They stepped out of the village and Naruto nearly ran back. His knees were shaking and the only thing holding him in place was Sasuke's strong arms. His eyes scanned the buildings and the people and the wires that ran throughout it. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know that it was even real to him for that matter. His eyes continued to stare absently at the small spot that they were in. Sasuke smiled at his reaction to everything. He started to wonder how Naruto would react to some of the food they had here. Naruto could barely tear his gaze away from the scene. His eyes locked with Sasuke's. "T-they're this many people here? I thought that there would only be a few..." Naruto said in a daze.
Sasuke chuckled. "Oh they're so many more people out there than this. This is only a small bit of them."
"Only...a small...." Naruto trailed off looking at all of the buildings. He suddenly realized that he was gripping onto Sasuke's arms, barely able to keep himself standing. He tried to let go, but his body wouldn't listen to him. Instead, he ended up squeezing harder. This was crazy. Naruto never in a million years would've guessed the outside world to look like this. Sasuke tried to push him further, to encourage him to move forward. He barely got Naruto to take a step. After realizing that there was pressure pushing against him, Naruto immdiately released the weight he had put down on his feet, causing Sasuke to fall forward into Naruto. Naruto blushed, embarrassed for the way he was behaving, but he couldn't help it this was all too crazy for him. Sasuke smiled at Naruto and again pushed him forward slightly. "Where are we going now?" He asked.
Sasuke looked around and then shrugged. This was all boring to him, he'd been just about everywhere in the village over a hundred times so this was all the same to him. Nothing really caught his attention like it may have for Naruto. He bit his lip and then thought about how Naruto had mentioned reading books. He turned to Naruto and smiled. "We'll go to the bookstore."
Naruto blinked. "They have a book store?" He asked before Sasuke grabbed onto his wrist and dragged him towards it.