Good morning everyone!
I know I should finish the stories I already started first, but this one is something that just came out by itself and I was unable to contain it.
Here I am therefore with my first NaruSasuNaru, published in English (I know, shocking right?!). Disclaimer: This is a 'slash' involving men x men relationships. It starts slow, and picks up as we go. Contains very little angst, but normal teenage stuff, coming of age story/slash of life. Etc. I poured a lot into that story.
Of course, none of the character belong to me, and other disclaimer, I will try my best, but as you could have guest, english is not my mother-tongue. So, you will have to expect some weird-sounding sentences (If one of you would like to try beta-reading, I would always love that). Now, hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, I am always up for comments, thoughts and constructive criticisms.
Lou-chan.
- Now, 5 years later, let me try again.
Naruto Uzumaki is always loud.
This was the first thought that hit Sasuke when they met. It was a normal, simple day of autumn, and the leaves were still sweating from the summer heat. It was the first day of class in this small kindergarten in the district of Konoha.
Normally, the young Uchiha should have gone to the more prestigious school for the talented in the Sono district, but for some reason, his mother had fought tooth and nail for him to stay closer to home. Maybe Mikoto just needed to win this one. Her husband, Sasuke's father, was a stubborn man, after all, but he had already made all the important decisions when it came to Itachi, and if losing on this front meant keeping the peace… well, Sasuke was a price to pay.
So, Sasuke got placed there, in this small facility closer to the family mansion. The old Uchiha, Fugaku, didn't even budge when he heard the reputation of the school that his youngest would probably end up doing his education in. His wife was pleased, and Itachi was already on his way to becoming the greatest Uchiha of his generation.
It seemed that the moment Sasuke started his studies and was set to go to Konoha primary, middle, and high school, the older man had already decided to give up on him—as long as he had Itachi.
Of course, Sasuke was a little too young to understand this at the time.
His first day of school, Sasuke was ready.
Unaware of his mother's concerns and his father's, at best, distant contempt, the boy was very happy to start school for the first time. That was it. Today, and for the rest of his life, maybe he had a chance to be like Itachi. At four years old, the young heir had already mastered the basics of what a kindergartener should know—after all, he was an Uchiha—but his shy nature would always make it harder to show his talent. He did not fear however! That was why he was going to school! Shisui and Obito, his older cousins, who had also always been on top of their game, had been sharing their homework with him, and he was ready. High expectations ran in the family, and even the four-year-old was aware of what that meant. More than anything else, Sasuke had a goal in mind.
He wanted to be like his brother.
Therefore, on the first day of school, he was prepared. His mother, aware of her son's high expectations, had warned him that he wouldn't be in the same school his brother was, but that mattered less to Sasuke. He was going to school, like Itachi. He was wearing his backpack, like Itachi. He would work hard and become the best, like Itachi.
With all the courage that a four-year-old could muster, he found himself quite rapidly waiting in front of the school's gate, his hand gripping his mother's. Or maybe it was she who was gripping him. He was not really noticing anything else around him other than the large gate. However, unknowingly, he was definitely getting noticed. Sasuke, contrary to the other kids, was calm. As his mother embraced him one last time, a discrete worry on her lips, he vaguely remembered thinking she had been too emotional for something as normal as starting school, but even later on that memory stayed blurry.
Before leaving him, she waved and waited as he headed toward the main gate, where the kindergarten aides were welcoming the kids.
Unlike anyone else, Sasuke had not made a sound while walking to the door. Not a tear, not a whimper, not a cry. For the first time, all of these children were experiencing this separation from their parents, but Sasuke Uchiha was not crying. The adults exchanged a few impressed looks as the four-year-old already showed signs of a maturity greater than his age.
What they obviously did not know was that he was an Uchiha, after all, this was a basic skill… but how could he expect more from people who worked here? If their was one lesson he had learned from his father was to always compose himself.
This difference was maybe… more like definitely… why the shock between the two boys was so brutal.
The first person Sasuke noticed that day had been this boy. Well… actually, on this first day, everyone noticed Naruto.
On this first day of kindergarten, Naruto had cried.
The entire day.
And for the first time in his life, Sasuke experienced what it was to have a headache.
His grand dreams of greatness for that first day had been destroyed.
The young boy, with his dirty blond hair, cried for his mommy to come and pick him up at first, screaming for her every five minutes. Not, unsual, and Sasuke, while confused while so many of his comrade were crying did not pay much attention.
Then, contrary to the other kids, Naruto did not stop crying. Once Sasuke thought the adults had finally calmed the boy, another scream rose from the small body almost as soon as the last one ended. This time, the teacher's voice seemed to have set him off. Then, Naruto cried because one of the other boys—Kiba—had stolen his toy. At lunch, the boy started crying because his food was too hot. And before he realized it, the day was ending, and Sasuke Uchiwa had done nothing that was worth showing to his parents.
Yet, that first day, when his mom came to pick him up and asked how school was, he didn't hesitate for a second.
"Fine," he said.
He didn't want her to change her mind or take him out of class. He could still figure it out.
By the end of the second day, however, Sasuke Uchiha was certain of it. School was hell, and Naruto Uzumaki was the loudest person he knew.
After some undeniable logic, Sasuke had concluded that it meant Itachi was going to hell every day with a smile on his face. And if Itachi could do it, then he could do it too. Maybe that was why Itachi was so strong… facing hell every day. Sure that this was a test, he went to school the next day with the same placid face.
Sadly for him, this was just the beginning of the longest test he had to endure.
By the end of the first week, during their usual Sunday lunch, Sasuke was already exhausted. Yet, when his grandfather, Madara, asked him what great things he had done at school all week, Sasuke could only think of the constant crying, and not remembering a single lesson he was unable to answer.
Sadly, this very clear challenge missed, his one moment of attention this week from both his grandfather, uncles, father, and cousins had passed. His mother tried to defend him, flustered. His father had looked at him with disappointment while changing the topic to one of Itachi's accomplishments, trying to deviate the conversation.
Yet, Madara, who wasn't known for his tact, had pointed out very clearly that he now understood why Mikoto and Fugaku had decided on Konoha kindergarten for their youngest instead of Sono, where all the others had gone.
That night, Fugaku had been the angriest he had been that year, and it took Mikoto all the tears in the world to convince her husband not to homeschool Sasuke. The only thing that ended up happening was a crying young boy, a very disappointed father, some tensions with his mother, and an encouraging Itachi, who had tried to protect his four-year-old sibling from the situation.
After that day, Fugaku lost much of his interest in his son's schooling, trying to hide Sasuke's humiliating placement from the rest of the family. This probably could have been for the better if it hadn't put the young boy in a situation of constant distress as impactful as this one.
Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore. Every day, the whining of Naruto hurt his head, and while the young boy already knew all the things they should have been doing in kindergarten, the wailing of the blond seemed to always get in the way.
Sasuke, who had always hoped to go to school, was suddenly very crushed.
Every day was a battle to hope for some sort of acknowledgment from his dad, but as they had always said, an Uchiha did not go for anything less than greatness, and Konoha kindergarten was nothing more than dirt under all of their snobbish shoes.
Sasuke couldn't focus.
The same way the teacher had almost given up on Naruto, Sasuke had realized that he was unable to do anything either.
"Sasuke-kun, do you have a problem with the drawing? Please try your best. We can give it to your parents."
Yet he had no talent for drawing, and he clearly remembered his mom smiling at his picture, telling him how much she liked it before hiding it away for Fugaku never to see.
"Sasuke-kun, do you know what this is? Can you answer the question?"
... But Sasuke did not want to talk. What was he supposed to say? And he slowly realized with horror that he didn't have enough talent.
"Sasuke-kun? Do you want to play with the others?"
His head hurt.
"Sasuke, do you want to share your apple with Hinata-chan?"
He didn't want to.
"Please, Sasuke-kun, do not isolate yourself."
He didn't want to see the others.
He wanted to succeed, to show his father he could be like Itachi.
His mother wouldn't say anything, complimenting him, but he could see it in her eyes when she was looking at his daily drawing or sculpture, exercises and numbers, with a slight worry. None of it would ever be worth showing to Fugaku. And to Sasuke, nothing could have been worse than thinking that his mother was disappointed as well.
"Sasuke, do you want to share your apple with Hinata-chan?"
He didn't want to. His head was always hurting.
And one day, he realized that he was alone.
No one in his class wanted to play with him anymore.
But he was okay…. He just wanted, needed to be like Itachi.
It was around that time that he realized that Naruto had stopped. The blond boy, after such a long time (at least infinity times five!), had stopped crying. He came to class and didn't cry. He just stayed there, playing alone in a corner. Then Sasuke thought, foolishly, that maybe he could be friends with the lonely boy. Now that he didn't cry anymore, he wouldn't give him a headache, and he would just be there, drawing with him! Maybe he could be better at drawing?
So one day, Sasuke, with all his courage, decided to go to the boy and ask him. His small backpack on his shoulder, a little bit nervous that day, he was ready to have his first friend ever.
But of course, nothing ever went the way that Sasuke Uchiha wanted.
He was too late. That day, another boy had asked Naruto to play with him. Like every other person on Earth, that boy was probably better than Sasuke because, for the first time since kindergarten, Naruto had the brightest smile on his face and was already playing outside with the other children, leaving Sasuke alone with his ugly drawing inside the class.
That day, Sasuke cried. He didn't know why, or maybe he did. But he cried in his bed, under his quilt. Hearing the little boy, a few knocks hit his door, and his oh-so-talented big brother came in. Itachi smiled at him and listened to him for hours through the incomprehensible babbling the young boy was saying. Then, he took him, and they flew away from the mansion all the way to the woods, where he played with him. He showed him how to draw dragons and construct a beautiful wooden sword, and Sasuke cheered up, laughed, and smiled happily, unaware that his brother would be severely punished for it that day.
But he was okay… Because Sasuke had the most amazing brother on Earth, and he didn't need a best friend.