-Naruto-
He hated running. Hated crying.
Naruto didn't think it would happen again. The stares, the glares, the spit as they cursed at him, "that boy" "monster" and worst of all... "traitor".
There were many nights where he had just sat, staring at his bare, crumbling, dirty wall and thinking about his parents. Because as much as "monster" is whispered from where they thought he couldn't hear, Naruto knew that he had parents.
(He was human. He really was.)
But there's a strange look in the Hokage-jiji's eyes that he couldn't decipher. Sometimes it was pity, sometimes it was burden. Either way, Naruto didn't like it but because he was selfish, he just let himself absorb the old man's warmth and love (that may not be real).
The one time he had asked about his parents- there was instant rejection.
"They're dead." and, "they won't be coming back." were the only pieces of information he got from the old man's suddenly abrupt speech. The Hokage had left soon after.
That night, he stumbled onto the possibility that his parents might've been traitors.
And today, majority of the class dug deep within his carefully held together façade and ripped out his worst fears, screaming them and howling them as if Naruto's own mind hadn't done so already.
He wasn't a traitor. He really, really wasn't a traitor. It wasn't his fault or her fault that the Neechan from the strange building a few streets down was nice. It wasn't her fault that she came from a different place and had no where else to go.
"We aren't considered all that 'human' either, honey." The Neechan had smiled at him the one time he had dared trek into the dark grounds of those streets. He hadn't understood what she had meant that time. "Everyone down here, you see, are not really counted as 'normal' but we're fine with it, it's better than anything else we could ask for."
Naruto wasn't like that. He wanted to become Hokage, he wanted to be acknowledged. Those people were nice, but they were distant. They were from a world that Naruto felt like he didn't belong in. But when the pretty side of Konoha kicked him away, what else did they expect him to do?
He loved the gruff geezers who looked scarier than they actually were and he loved all the people who were clearly different in the Village. He loved every time a Neechan would sit down with him and babble about her hometown, he loved it even more when they'd hum and sing foreign lullabies.
"I wanna learn too-ttebayo!"
"Hahaha, you're adorable. I'm a foreigner, sweetie. You will never be able to use my mother tongue here in Konoha anyway."
"I don't care, dattebayo! It's pretty, so I will learn your mummy mouth, believe it!"
"Hahaha, it's mother tongue, darlin'."
But they weren't scorned at. Even though they claimed to be less than human (like he), some villagers still gave sympathetic smiles and extra change sometimes and- Naruto wanted that kindness too!
No, he wasn't a traitor. The person who taught him the phrase wasn't a traitor, so why...
Why was it just him?
Why has it always been him?
They laid bare- the side of him that was everything but the funny, stupid clown act he had spent years to maintain.
They laid exposed- his ugliest, rawest parts of his heart and mind.
They laid true- the real face of himself that everyone hated more (including himself).
Naruto hates running. Hates crying.
But he couldn't think of anything else to do. Not when the eyes were staring at him like that.
-Class-
There's a deafening silence.
When the sound of the window clicking shut behind Naruto rang across the room, Sasuke snapped out of his trance. Scrambling up to his feet for a reason he didn't know, he hurried after the retreating blonde.
It was wrong. This- this entire thing felt wrong.
Naruto- that stupid idiot- was meant to stay like an idiot that could keep on his happy, bright, stupid face while Sasuke would just watch his back, squinting like one would at the sun. Sasuke would remain in the dark, dwelling in his vengeance while Naruto would be that aspiring Hokage that rose from his burdened childhood without an inkling of hatred or resentment.
Sure Sasuke had said that Naruto was weak and never acknowledged his presence outright but- but there was a radiance about him that Sasuke wanted to selfishly keep. There was a strength that the dead-last holds and it was something that Sasuke knew he would never be able to grasp for himself.
That's why Sasuke would just be in the shadows, jealously snatching all the warmth of the sun. He was to remain in the cold and in the cold he will always remain. (Because it was for a revenge that he did not want but had to achieve.)
It wasn't meant to be this way.
Naruto was meant to argue back with that dumb, indignant face of his- yelling back with that obnoxious, ear-splitting voice that grated on his ears. Sasuke was meant to watch that loser defend himself with that baseless pride of his yet-
He hadn't.
Uzumaki Naruto was unbearable and demanding and loud and annoying and stubborn and- He wasn't meant to... to run.
Sasuke's body moves on his own as he places a hand on the window, taking a cursory glance behind him to glare at his classmates before he swiftly slid outside, slamming the panel shut behind him and sprinting after Naruto.
-Naruto-
His body leads him to the depths of the Hashirama forest. The tall, craning trees were intimidating but not like Naruto had ever gotten scared of their overbearing presences. He'd much rather get lost in the forest than lost in the stares.
He had thought that he was finally fitting in but looking back... he was still the same, wasn't he?
Most of the class had instantly distanced themselves from him and the ones who hadn't weren't much better.
Shino ignored him, Hinata always looked away from him with a weird expression on her face, Kiba mocked him... Shikamaru and Choji were better though- they actually treated him like human. It meant nothing when they didn't understand the hurt he felt from the rest. It meant nothing when they didn't care.
(And they didn't. They always looked away, Choji looking down onto his snacks and Shikamaru rolling his eyes with a mutter of "troublesome". But it was fine. They didn't need to. Even though Naruto thought Shikamaru and Choji were his friends, doesn't mean they thought the same. He was probably still the annoying, dumb kid that was a stain on their prestigious clans.)
Naruto had thought Ino was better than the rest of the screaming girls (she was family friends with Shikamaru and Choji) but he was wrong. He had thought Sakura was better because she was nice when she was younger. He was wrong.
They were all the same.
It was like a wake up call.
They were all. The. Same.
He would always be trapped between the eyes and eyes and eyes, insults upon insults upon insults.
-Backs turned- brows raised- sneers facing him every. Single. Second-
-Meanwhile: Class-
Soon after the window clicked for the second time, Tsunade exhaled loudly with an aborted, sardonic laugh. She then left with a mutter of "reporting to Sarutobi, I guess."
Iruka-sensei looked taken aback, stuttering slightly before he made out an, "Ok settle down now, this commences our lesson today..." Iruka-sensei had never looked so reluctant before. "Class dismissed." He started walking away so quickly they all thought he was running.
With sniggers and giggles, the classroom slowly rose to stand up.
None of the remaining of the Rookie 9 did however: Hinata was staring at her empty desk, Kiba was still lazily leaning back with Akamaru by his side, Shino stayed stoic, making no move to pack his belongings. Ino was huffing slightly, sitting straight and glaring at the whiteboard, Shikamaru was leaning on his left palm as he spun a pencil and Choji made no move to stop eating his endless supply of chips. Sakura still stood in the middle of the classroom, unmoving.
"Hey Ino-chan, are you ok?" A random girl leaned down to glance at the Yamanaka. "Iruka-sensei let us leave early for once, do you want to go shopping?"
"Hey, Mari-chan," Ino spoke with a deceptively nonchalant tone. "What do you think of Naruto?"
The seven in the empty room stilled as they waited for Mari to reply.
"...Hah? Ino-chan, why are you asking? Didn't you hear what everyone said?"
"Of course I heard, do you agree with them?" Ino let a thread of warning go into her tone but Mari didn't notice the change of her tone.
"Hm?" Mari's eyes grew wider as if she was curious and Shikamaru sighed, Kiba gave a tsk as Mari predictably said:
"Everyone knows that he doesn't belong in Konoha."
It was like something snapped.
Two hands slammed upon a desk, chair screeching as the Yamanaka stood up aggressively. She turned to Mari who looked shocked-
Ino slapped her.
Brows downturned angrily, eyes brimming with unknown tears and face contorted into an ugly rage, Ino had never looked so terrifying to Mari before. The girl stumbled backwards before she registered the remaining occupants of the classroom all glaring just as viciously at her.
Hinata's Byakugan, Kiba's feral glare, Shino's creepy stare boring into the girl, Shikamaru's narrowed eyes, Choji's silent frown, Sakura's suddenly ferocious expression and Ino's glowing blue orbs.
Mari staggered backwards for a moment before she fled from the classroom.
Ino's hand burned with the amount of power she reinforced behind it but right now, that sting was nothing compared to the feeling that was bubbling in her gut.
"What the fuck." Her voice is watery and wobbly and weak (she will definitely change that soon).
Shikamaru gave a bitter scoff, "Right... I hate this."
The children who would be renowned as the Konoha 11 in the future all agreed, though they didn't know what it was that they hated. The class, the unreasonable inequality... or maybe it was just this shinobi world all together.
In that moment, all those who hadn't laughed or jeered made an unspoken pact- they would change it. Whatever it was that they hated.
"Tomorrow..." Sakura said hesitantly before steel entered her tone. "Tomorrow let's all change, yeah?"
-Naruto-
'Never...' He realised as he coldly sorted through his memories.
They had never once cared for him. No one had ever asked him if he was ok. No one had ever asked why he was late.
It didn't matter if that day was near his birthday and villagers' eyes were extra hostile for no reason.
It didn't matter if that day there was a drunk villager who started screaming incoherently at him.
It didn't matter if that particular night, he had had a horrible nightmare and an equally horrible sleep.
It didn't matter if he couldn't wash himself properly because his landlord had forgotten to fix the broken, leaking water pipes. Again. (At this point, Naruto already figured out that delaying the plumber was just his landlord's way of getting petty revenge. For what though? What had Naruto done?)
Nothing ever mattered to any of them, because Naruto would only ever be 'that boy'.
-Sasuke-
"That dobe." Sasuke hissed into the wind. He watched as the brightly dressed figure disappeared between the buildings. Sasuke would never be able to figure out why he could run so fast. He bit his lip as he slowed his initial sprint into a hesitant jog.
He had treated Naruto like trash the entire time, who was he to care for the boy?
Wait that wasn't right- Sasuke didn't care for the boy.
He recalled back to his earlier days and how he had stared into his reflection of the river while Naruto would trudge along the hill above. He remembered contemplating on calling out to that blonde boy when their eyes had made contact.
Instantly, they had both looked away.
They never ended up talking.
When they faced each other in class, they had bickered, argued and choked each other by the necks but they had never actually talked. Sasuke didn't care for the boy.
No, he- he... he really didn't. Sasuke didn't care for the boy. He only cared for one thing and that was-
Revenge.
What was he doing? Chasing after the sun when his goals would only remain in the darkness?
(Naruto could deal with it anyway, he'll be fine tomorrow... like always...)
(But Sasuke always hated cloudy days- it meant the rain and the cold; like the terrorising nights he spent alone.)
-Naruto-
...But maybe Sasuke was... Naruto forcibly shook his head. The boy that he had first hated and the boy he had then related to... Naruto had liked him.
The eyes were both following them and they both hated it. Naruto selfishly liked Sasuke because only he knew what it was like to be alone. Naruto selfishly liked Sasuke because he was the only one who didn't have parents who would warn him to stay away from Naruto.
(No, it wasn't just that. Not like he'd ever admit aloud that he felt comradery to that lone boy.)
But even then, it was probably still one-sided. Getting a rise out of him in every possible moment, Naruto knew that Sasuke thought he was a nuisance. There was no way that genius would 'lower' himself to speak to Naruto.
'Last Uchiha' followed him like 'monster' followed him.
Sasuke was better than Naruto at everything so why would he care for some orphan like he?
-Sasuke-
Sasuke had regretted not talking to Naruto when he was younger. Sasuke didn't do things like regretting.
So here he was, feeling utterly humiliated- panting with exhaustion after dozens of long minutes of searching, sweat on his brows, hair ruffled from wind and face flushed from exertion, standing in front of-
"Dobe."
...Was the only thing Sasuke managed to say after cornering Naruto's shivering figure.
Lodged deeply into the concave of a tree trunk, the boy Sasuke had been searching for was hidden expertly in the deep wilderness of the quiet forest.
Sasuke reprimanded himself before gritting out a "...Sorry."
There's a low chuckle and it sounds like Naruto had grated his vocal chords against sand paper. "Never think I'd see the day where you'd apologise. All it takes is me acting like a loser to get you to pity me, huh?"
"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke growled this time. "Who said I pitied you? You're always a loser anyway."
He then caught onto his words and winced at his tactlessness. There was a hesitation within him for talking to Naruto though. His voice was too low and too quiet, there was a glaring lack of his stupid verbal tick.
Sasuke didn't know how to talk to Naruto. He didn't know whether or not it was meant to be harder talking to a Naruto who was serious and sad.
"Ya know, Teme? I think your insults are the only ones I like."
"Dobe," Sasuke hissed again, taken aback by the sudden, blatant comment. "Don't say that, you're so embarrassing."
"Bastard."
Sasuke didn't rise to the bait.
"What's wrong with you?" He remembered what he came here for and crouched down, fruitlessly trying to pry the arms away from where Naruto had curled into a ball. Sasuke felt a hot, bubbling emotion simmering just under his skin.
"Get up. What the hell are you doing?" He gritted his teeth with an anger he didn't understand.
"Why did you just let them say that?" Sasuke started pulling at Naruto's hands instead when his eye-searing jacket started to creek, the seams groaning. "Why didn't you argue back? Why didn't you say something? What the fuck, you idiot."
Naruto didn't reply and it just made Sasuke more mad.
"Reply! Say something!" His aggravation made his throat thick and his voice sharp.
He didn't like this Naruto.
No, that wasn't right. He didn't like whatever was making Naruto like this.
"I didn't think you were so weak to run away from that. What are you doing? Stand up, dead-last," Sasuke started to violently yank on both of Naruto's wrists, "What the fuck are you doing? Get. UP. You absolute loser."
And with a short yelp from the blonde, Sasuke finally managed to dislodge Naruto from where he had stubbornly attached himself to the tree. Naruto stumbled forward before collecting himself, knees hitting the ground in a W child's sitting pose.
Sasuke let himself pant for a second as he victoriously held Naruto's two arms away from his face. Now all he needed to do was- was...
After two seconds of stillness, Naruto tilted his face up to glare half-heartedly at Sasuke. It had no heat in them; it wasn't the usual flaming and irritated blue orbs, instead, there was just an iciness to them. A dispassionate cold stare.
Not only that but...
The faint feeling of triumph very quickly died in him as the Uchiha boy dropped his hands, still clasping on Naruto's wrists with a grip that was definitely too tight to be gentle.
"Why are you..."
His voice was shaking but he didn't know whether or not it was from anger anymore.
Sasuke slowly knelt down in a seiza to mirror Naruto, bobbing his head slightly lower and to the side so that they were at eye level with each other. Sasuke realised that his hand was quaking as it released one wrist, slowly moving it to Naruto's whiskered cheeks.
He recoiled when the boy in front of him suddenly flinched right before his fingers made contact.
Something deep within his chest softened and ached, leaving him feeling unfamiliarly vulnerable even though it wasn't him who was-
"Why are you crying?"