Two Sides of the Same Coin

Chapter One

The Photograph

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just Narumi.

"Come on Old Man, let me show them!" A boy about fourteen pleaded to an old man wearing a set of red and white robes.

"No Narumi, it's too soon." The old man turned around and stared out a large window, fat drops of rain pelting its surface. "We must wait until he is fully recovered."

"How much longer must we wait! He's been in a comatose state for three years now!" Narumi argued, his blond hair falling over his eyes.

"The medic-nin say that he is recovering quickly. Soon he will be strong enough." The old man continued to stare out across the large village. "Until then, you must keep portraying your twin." The man turned around to stare at the youth once more, the teens blue eyes staring right back with an iciness edge.

The boy said nothing but turned and walked out of the large office. Down the dark hallway, past the windows that glowed every time the lighting outside struck, and down the stairs that trembled with every roar of thunder.

Out the large oak doors he walked into the freezing rain, his black cargo pants and white shirt immediately sticking to his skin. Along the dirt road he walked, always aware of the eyes that followed him. When he was young, his brother and him would try to lose and confuse the eyes, but not anymore. The eyes were just another part of life for them.

Soon he reached an old apartment building and climbed up the creaking stairway to the third floor. Walking down the outside hall, he passed door after door of abandoned rooms. They had left when the brothers had moved in. Narumi reached his apartment, number 39, the last one.

Removing a silver key from a chain around his neck, he opened the door. He stepped into a dingy room, past a small kitchen and adjourning sitting room, and finally down a dark hallway. The hallway had two doors, one on either side of the hall. Narumi reached for the handle of the door on the right, then paused. He looked behind him at the opposite door, and sighed.

"Soon, soon my dear brother, you will be home." Narumi whispered then walked into his room. The room contained only a bed, wardrobe, and a bedside table. A door on the other side of the room could be seen to lead to a small bathroom. Narumi sat on the bed and picked up a picture from the small table.

The picture of was four people, all wearing headbands with the symbol of a leaf on them. The eldest person was a man with gray hair and a mask that covered the lower portion of his face. His headband covered his right eye. The man was wearing a green vest and a smile, his hands on the heads of two of the three kids in front of him.

The child on the left was a young girl with pink hair, a headband holding it back, showing off her broad forehead. She wore a red dress and a blush that obviously came from the young man next to her.

The youth in the middle was a boy with raven hair, his headband was placed on his forehead, almost hidden by his bangs. His dark blue shirt had a symbol of a red and white fan on the left sleeve of his shirt. His black eyes were scrunched up in irritation at the person on his right.

This person was a boy with blond hair and a headband across his forehead. His blue eyes stood out against his dark complexion, and the three whisker marks on each cheek stood out as well.

Narumi sighed and replaced the photograph, a grave expression on his face. He slowly traced the whisker-like markings on his cheeks and let his hand fall to his lap.

"Why should I have to wear those markings!" A twelve-year-old Narumi shouted at an old man.

"You must take your brothers place, you must become your brother and take his place on team seven." The old man said, sitting at his desk. "The damage done to his seal by Orochimaru was very severe, it will take time to reverse the damage and heal your brother. During that time, nothing must seem out of the ordinary."

"So you want me to impersonate my brother? It's the middle of the Chunnin exams! The final exam is in one month!" Narumi slammed his hands on the desk. "I've done all I can to help my brother, by your orders! It was your idea for the village to only know one of us, it was your idea to train me, now it's your idea for me to become a liar? To lie to Konoha! Not to mention all the nations that will be at the exams!"

"I will have Jiraiya train you, then after the exams, he will take you away for two years, by that time, your brother should have recuperated enough so that everything could go back to the way it was before."

"I still don't see why I have to wear the markings of that beast. The beast that has caused my brother so much pain." Narumi's eyes grew dark.

"You have to keep up your facade." That's all the old man said.

'A facade huh. The facade was supposed to stop a year ago. But bro's still in a coma and I've deceived the village for another year, not to mention my team.' Narumi thought to himself.

He slowly put on a pair of blue pajamas and crawled underneath the thin blanket on his bed. Although it was the middle of summer, the air was chilly and Narumi shivered. He took one last look a the framed picture. Looking away, Narumi closed his eyes and fell into a light slumber, still aware of the figure outside his window.

A/N: What do you think? I was really bored so I wrote this. I have the second chapter written, I just need to type it, but I won't post it until I get some constructive and/or positive feedback. Of course flames are considered constructive, it tells me what you don't like. When I'm satisfied, I'll post. (Hint: Doesn't take much, only five reviews.)