Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, sorry to disappoint you...
Author's Notes: Yeah, it's been a while. But I'm back, with 3 new stories. Hope you enjoy them!
Drabble #10
Protect the Family
Not having a family was hard on Naruto. Especially when he wanted someone to hold him, comfort him, someone to talk to. And, it hurt the worst, when he saw other kids with their families.
But all that changed on the fateful day he became a genin. Suddenly Naruto had a makeshift guardian, Iruka, and a makeshift family; Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. The latter became the most important to him.
Not that his whole family wasn't important, but out of all the members, Sasuke had ultimately taken first place.
When Sasuke left the village, left the family, left Naruto, it was very difficult for the orphan to accept. Ultimately, accepting it was something Naruto was never able to do.
It left a gaping hole in his heart. And, at first Naruto thought it was just because Sasuke was part of the family. But, the longer his Sasuke was away, the more he began to understand his feelings of being torn apart from the inside out. And, by understand, he simply was able to word the emotions. And, now that he understood what they were, he just needed to understand why he was feeling them.
It was a dark, stormy night. Naruto had just turned fifteen and, as a result, was beginning to mature. Just a little, but just enough to realize what he felt for the raven-haired Uchiha wasn't a normal feeling. It was deeper, stronger, more prominent than it was supposed to be. So, he picked that dark, stormy night to express his feelings to his current guardian, Jiraiya. The old, and perverted, sage just sighed and smiled.
"You're in love, Naruto."
Four words, said so simply that it was almost a casual observation, shook Naruto to his core. Finding the only logical question for a boy who just found out he was in love with another boy, he looked at the ground and whispered.
"Is it normal?"
Jiraiya sat back and breathed deeply. Was it normal? In Konaha in wasn't unheard of. In fact, a lot of ninja were. But, that didn't mean it was accepted, just tolerated. He told Naruto as much, sliding into the end how you can't help who you fall in love with.
This, somehow, sufficed Naruto. The blonde just put his hands behind his head and lay back on the cot he was sitting on. These position, accompanied by the drew-down eyebrows and pursed lips, were telltale signs Naruto was thinking intently on something. This something was obviously Sasuke.
After a long while, which at one point Jiraiya thought Naruto fell asleep, Naruto sat up and looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes.
"He couldn't kill me. Why couldn't he kill me?"
"I don't know, Naruto. Ask him when you see him."
Naruto just snorted. "Yeah, after I kick the bastard's ass for leaving me."
"You?" Jiraiya smirked.
Naruto looked at him for a second before realizing the slip-up. "Well, I meant all of us. The family."
"Ah, sure you did."
"He screwed up the family." Naruto whispered, his voice barely able to be heard over the pounding rain on the roof. "And now he has to fix it."
Jiraiya, for the first time in a long time, didn't know what to say. He just stared at the young boy, not believing said boy had become so mature in such a short time. Maybe it had always been there?
"And then I'll kick his ass again."
Or maybe, just maybe, it was never there to begin with. Jiraiya smirked and looked out the window at the storm. He'd be stupid not to love you back, Naruto. Especially after everything you've done, just for him.
But, was it really all just for Sasuke, or was it all just to protect Naruto's makeshift family?
OMG! A story Sasuke doesn't have a major part in! Call CNN! lol.
Jiraiya is one of my favorite characters, because he's hilarious.
Oh, and I hope everyone understands my "family" reference. The "family" being the bond he's formed between the Team 7 members, Kakashi, and Iruka.
