Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Warning/s: Unbeta'ed. Awkward grammar.
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"I lie on the floor, washed by nothing and hanging on.
I cry at night. I am afraid of hearing voices, or a voice.
I have come to the edge of the land. I could get pushed over."
— Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye
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"And that was how the princess met the prince. The end," Naruto finished; a smug look was visibly plastered on his face.
The children in front of him grimaced and in unison, shouted; "It's unfair!"
Naruto grinned even more.
"But that was how the princess really met the prince. I can't do anything about it, y'know."
A cute girl in frilly dress raised her hand, "How come the two didn't fall in love with each other like in all fairy tales I've read?"
A cute boy on her left agreed, and the whole pack of cutesy boys and girls nodded. "Yeah," they all said.
Naruto scratched his head. "Fairytales are just fairy tales," he said, sighing. He lifted the girl sitting on his shoulder and carried her to the nearest chair. "When you grow up, you'll understand how 'happily ever after' is such an overrated phrase."
"What?"
Naruto laughed. "Nothing. You guys head home now. I am sure your parents are now looking for you."
Udon, a four-year-old boy who loved wearing nothing but blue, shook his head, "My daddy knows you've been reading us stories after class. He said he would like to meet you one of these days."
Naruto coughed, eyes were widening in surprise. "Ww-what? You guys are selling me to your parents?"
A few girl laughed as Naruto immediately went red. "They all know you, Naruto-kun," they chanted in harmony.
"What did you guys tell them?" He asked, still in shock.
Udon answered, grinning, "That you are reading us fairy tales that aren't really fairy tales?"
Naruto closed his eyes in frustration. "I'm doomed."
"No, you're not," said Konohamaru. He heard from his teachers that he was smartest boy in the class.
"My mother likes you. She also asked me to introduce you to her, you know."
Naruto cringed.
That was not really a good idea, he thought.
He was just a janitor, for a crying out loud. No one would really want their children hanging around with him.
"Naruto-chan!" called Moegi, a girl with a set of cute dimples. "My father said the same thing! Maybe you can come over our home this afternoon and have a tea!"
"No! I asked him first!" shouted Udon, who was now tightly grasping Naruto's left arm.
"I asked him first, Udon!" Moegi shouted, too, reddening. "My father asked me to ask him three weeks ago!"
"But my mother asked first!" barked Konohamaru who joined the little fight. "She asked me one month ago to bring Naruto-nii in our house!"
"No! Naruto-chan will go to our house first!"
"No!"
"Heeeep!" Naruto shouted as he ran into the middle and raised his hands in the air. "No fighting, alright?" He said as he looked at the kids now frowning at him. He scratched his head and slumped on the floor and opened his arms. The kids slowly walked towards him and plopped on his side one by one.
Moegi looked like she was about to cry, and so were Udon and Konohamaru.
Naruto sighed. "Alright! Alright! You win."
"You'll go my house today?" Udon asked, sniffing."
"No, not today. I have work. Maybe next week."
"How about me, Naruto-chan?" Moegi asked, crying.
"Maybe next, next week."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She wiped her tears with her hands that made the snot just spread on her face. Naruto waved his hands to Moegi and the girl inched to him.
Naruto pulled his handkerchief inside his pocket and wiped the girl's face. "And you call yourself a lady, Moegi-chan?" he teased.
Konohamaru, on the other hand, was not looking at them. Naruto smiled as he called him to his side. The boy didn't move immediately. Naruto remained smiling, his arms were opened. He watched as the boy forced his tears back and ran to his side.
"There... there..." he said, squeezing the small boy. "I'll meet your mother right after I meet Moegi's father, alright?"
Konohamaru, whose face was still buried to his jacket, nodded.
Naruto smiled as the kids hugged him one by one.
He closed his eyes and deeply breathed.
Naruto had never felt so warm like this before.
"Naruto-niichan is the best," said someone.
It was Konohamaru.
Naruto smiled.
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Sasuke stood in front of a small, shabby looking restaurant that reeked ramen.
Inside his pocket, he kept on squeezing a yellowish plastic button in his fingers.
He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and walked towards the door.
Right after he swung the door, he heard a cheerful voice saying, 'Irrashaimasse'.
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Everybody knew about it. There was no one in school who did not know about that scandal seven years ago.
'Is it true?'
'I don't know. But look at this picture. It's him, right?"
'Yeah...'
'That person will surely be furious.'
'What do you expect? He was betrayed. We all know how much he likes him, right?'
The whole school feasted on the rumor for the next two days before that news finally broke out.
'Hey, did you hear?'
'What?'
'What is it?'
'Some students said they saw Sasuke punching Naruto on the rooftop. There was blood all over!'
Two days after, they heard that the blonde young man was kicked out from the school.
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TBC