Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Thawing My Icy Heart

By:

Alone In Twilight

Rated: ! T !

Genre: Angst Hurt Comfort

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto's a lonely child who has never felt the kind warmth of another except from his Jii-san. But in one day that would all change. He would meet people who were not infected by the 'lets hate Naruto' disease. And he would slowly become addicted to his savior ever since he first smelt his scent. Will he along with his savior ever become free like the wind and find their dawn?

Who knew that one encounter could change everything, and be the mold that creates the Naruto we think we know. "You're just like me Naruto-kun. We both have expectations that people expect us to fulfill." ItaNaru.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama and I sadly will never own it, so that is why I must resort to writing fanfiction.

Warning: Some swears and mild ItaNaru slash later on.

Chapter One: Melting The Ice On My Prison Door

— — Enter: The Lonely Kitsune — —

Fear. Loneliness. Pain. Hate. Numbness. These are the only emotions that I have ever come to acknowledge.

Everyone feared me for reasons unknown – to me at least. I was nowhere near blind or ignorant (though I wish I was), and because of that I always witnessed the icy shivers of terror and the eyes void of anything except pure revulsion. Every day the villagers would always send me these gestures. It was always a fatal blow to my heart knowing that everyone could hate me that much, and I didn't even know why! Each day their icy stares managed to freeze a little bit more of my heart. I knew that if they didn't stop I would soon become the heartless monster that they always thought I was.

I was doomed to fail in the end. No matter what I would lose – my life or myself.

Even if the villagers didn't show any intimation of their true feelings I could always smell their veiled intentions before they could even try to deceive me. I could always smell it miles away when the villagers were in the mood to spill my blood; it scared me to no end – the stench of bloodlust. To me every negative emotion was palpable, and pulled me further down into an inescapable hell.

I hated my nose. I could always smell the sweat scents that others took for granted may it be concrete possessions or intangible emotions. I could always smell it or glance on with envy, but I could never have it. Yet my nose was my advantage that gave me a chance at surviving on a day-to-day basis; I could always smell the ill intent directed at me, warning me.

Some of my hunters were skilled Shinobi. I had no chance at evading the inevitable when they were out for my blood. They were trained to hunt down prey and then kill it. Though they always seemed to fail at the killing part, lucky me… The monsters as I called them would always get their chances at assaulting me with their words, hands, weapons, or jutsu.

Whenever I feebly asked why they always hissed out that I was just a demon that needed to be slain.

The citizens of Konoha feared me – in turn I feared them. They liked to play games of cat and mouse with me – me being the mouse… My birthday was the worst of it… I always got caught that day, and their determination doubled to end my life. Though it only meant double the pain since they could never finish the job. I liked to think of them as cowards for attacking me, a defenseless eight-year-old child; it gave me solace thinking that they were in reality below me.

I was always alone because everyone either feared or hated me. Loneliness was all that I'd ever known, so at first I didn't mind it. I thought it was normal for people to feel this way, but as I got older I always saw others with family and friends; I saw how happy they were with others. I knew that they were feeling something different from what I felt – they could smile a true smile. Whenever I saw them it was like I got stabbed in the chest, and trust me I know what that feels like… I envied their happiness. It was a poison that slowly dispersed within me, slowly disintegrating my insides. Happiness was just a mere fantasy that I could never have. It hurt.

I was mistreated, starved, beaten, left to take care of myself at the age of three, and left alone to tend to my wounds. I never understood why. Why did everyone hate me? Why did no one want to comfort me? Why did my outside wounds always go away? Why did the pain in my heart never heal? I felt like I had been quarantined because I had some contagious disease. It felt like I got locked away in some dark place – there it was always cold. I hated the villagers for never letting me thaw in their warm, cozy homes.

At night I always stared up at the stars and prayed that someone out there could rescue me from this hell. All I ever received was deathly silence; no one ever cared about me, a demon. Alone in darkness – my parents were dead and no one else cared… I was slowly corroding with this internal pain – a wound that couldn't heal like my others.

oO — — — \\ Daybreak / — — — Oo

— — Enter: The Alert Fox, The Death Goddess, The Unimaginative Fool, The Infected, The Sickle Weasel — —

oO — — — \\ Addictions / — — — Oo

Today I woke up exactly when the sun broke the horizon line; it was a habit I picked up over the very few years of my life. The sunrise was my alarm clock. I always liked dawn; it was a new beginning – a hope that today would be better than the last. I was determined to find my dawn someday. Besides I had to get up this early to go to the Ninja Academy.

It was a pain in the ass to even bother showing up, but Jii-san would be heartbroken if he saw me giving up like this. So I forced myself out of my shredded blanket and spring stabbing mattress. My feet hit the icy boards of the floor below.

Ignoring the unnatural coldness that my apartment held in its icy breath my thoughts traveled to the reason why I dreaded Ninja school, more specifically my sensei.

Sensei just expected me to fail, to be the dead last, or at least that's what he wanted. He even went to great lengths to insure that I remained unsuccessful in the art of becoming a true Ninja. He just refused to teach a demon like me who could already easily defend itself. He made me sit in the isolated back row of the classroom, so that I had to strain my eyes and ears to even comprehend the words that were spoken, or to observe the visual demonstrations. I never even got a book to learn the basics from. I didn't even bother checking the library for one since I was banned from entering. I found that out the hard way.

This meant that my only means of learning how to defend myself was washed down the drain, and was left to rot in some sewer. But I still tried my very best to cleanse the broken pieces that were thrown out, and learn this stuff for Jii-san; he was the only person that seemed to care about me. He wanted me to learn, so that I could defend myself. He was Hokage, but that didn't mean that he had all day to look after me, or abolish all of the discrimination – that was something I had to do on my own.

It was hard, but I managed to ascertain the facts with the little information that Sensei fed to the class. I mentally soaked up the crumbs like a sponge, and stored it away in my cage like mind. That was how I obtained the basic tools for becoming a Ninja.

I took the simple information that I secretly obtained at the academy, and taught myself how to perform and perfect the skills on my own time. It took all of my hard work and determination to do it, but I finally learned the basics like weaponry, fundamental E-ranked jutsu, and the knowledge that all Shinobi must know to succeed in life.

I decided to show them that I could be strong without their help, and hoped to gain their respect that way – showing them that I could be a powerful Ninja. I soon learned that was a mistake; it got everyone even angrier with me. Fearing for my life I stopped showing my true skills, and hid them away in my own created lies and masks of failure. I became the dead last like they wanted me to be. In the eyes of others I was a failure, and they reveled in that one fact. They fear the powerful, the uncatchable, and the untamable. I guess that's what they thought I was.

I was broken out of my pitiful memories by my stomach's boisterous growls. To silence its constant pleas for sustenance I went over to my filth stained, falling off the hinge cupboards in my cramped kitchen to get some breakfast. When I opened the doors I noticed the bare shelves. All that lay on them was a few scattered crumbs intermixed with the heavy stench of rat droppings.

I guess I'll have to go without breakfast today, again. I sighed as my stomach growled louder in protest.

Back in my room I discarded my pajamas, and threw them into a messy pile on my floor. Standing on my tipsy toes I pulled out one of the few outfits that I owned from my closet.

I humphed in clear distaste as I put on a florescent orange tee shirt that had the Konoha leaf symbol etched on it in black, and a pair of simple tattered black pants. The problem was that I hated the color orange and Konoha besides the fabric irritated my skin, and made me feel all itchy. The pants were all right except for the fact that they were torn, and one could faintly see my blood stained onto them.

Now that I was changed I was ready for another day at the academy. Walking over to my door I slipped on a pair of regular sandals that lay in front of it (I found them in a dumpster one day and that scent never left to my nose at least).

Abandoning my apartment I locked the doors with my house key – not like it did much when Shinobi decided to trash the place.

It was a long walk to the academy, but at least I could build up my speed and stamina this way (I needed that for when I bumped into the demon haters, which was pretty much everyone). It also was a great way to scout out new hiding places and escape routes (to evade the enemy), so I didn't mind the distance. Though that was not the reason for me getting to the academy extra early. I've learned that the villagers didn't like to get up before sunrise. At least this way I was less likely to run into trouble.

Today I decided to see how much my speed had improved since the last time I checked (which was about a couple of weeks ago?). To ascertain the truth I sprinted down the abandoned roads of Konoha, and I made sure that I didn't stop until I reached my destination. Even though running brought along unwanted memories I always loved it – the feeling of the brisk, morning wind against my face. The wind was uncatchable, it was free, and it was what I wanted to be one day.

I skidded to a halt when I reached the vacant grounds of the academy. When I reached my finish line (the big tree) I checked my mental stopwatch: I got there about maybe two minutes earlier than before. Slowly but surely I was augmenting my physical stamina, which meant that I was sharpening the finer points of my taijutsu skills and such.

Panting lightly I sat down on my swing. Kicking the dirt below (a habit I picked up when I'm bored or waiting) I waited for the time to pass by, I mean I was a couple of hours earlier than the standard arrival time. In my bored state my eyes gazed at the yard in front of the Ninja Academy hoping to find something interesting to watch. All I saw was void space that was usually vivid with life; it was empty and deserted just like me.

I closed my eyes; I didn't want to see the emptiness of the outside world. In the darkness of my mind I let my imagination take control. I happily let the illusions take hold of me as a faint picture of my parents slowly came into focus. They were faceless, but in my illusions I could feel their presence, their loving touch. I pretended that they were here comforting me in this loneliness. As they embraced me in a nonexistent hug my nose twitched at their scent; it was so relaxing and pleasurable. It smelt like some type of food… one with noodles, a distinctive broth, a variety of different meats, and vegetables.

It was so close and real…

My eyes snapped open, and darted about the premises. I knew that the scent wasn't my imagination; it was no illusion. It was way too real to ever be one. I sniffed the air again, but the scent was gone. I was alone.

My eyes absorbed the emptiness of the grounds again – lost in the memories: No one ever wanted to play with me… If they did their parents would always reprimand them for being civil, so I was always left out whenever they played Ninja. I was just the kid that got them into trouble… Though, I still tried my hardest to make friends, smile, and laugh like everyone else but it was empty – it meant nothing. Over the years my fellow classmates seemed to become more wary and judgmental of me – the blonde demon who could never truly smile. Soon it was too late and most of them had fully leeched off of the feelings that their parents held, and carried on their ignorance. I was alone.

Sighing at these unwanted memories I decided that I should do something more productive rather than brood. Jumping off of my swing I gazed upwards at the tree that held my proclaimed swing; I needed to see her again. After I made sure that no one was around by a quick sniffing I clawed onto the tree before me, and ascended to the uppermost parts of the tree. Its rough bark grazed my hands, but I ignored the slight scratches as I continued to climb up. I needed to get up into the densest part of my precious sanctuary to be protected.

Peering through the thick clusters of leaves I found the spot I was looking for – the one perfectly hidden by the leafy surroundings. To verify my answer I looked at the corresponding branches, and saw the ashen scorch marks; this was unquestionably the spot. I sat down on the thick branch; my back leaned up against the truck.

Closing my eyes I filtered out any inconsequential distractions, and focused almost my entire being onto my chakra (not full concentration because I still need to be aware of my surroundings if anyone were to find me here. Plus in a battle the enemy won't allow time for absolute focus). I easily found my chakra signature; it was so distinctive. Unlike most chakra mine had a boiling feel to it like lava (in fact both are destructive and red) that just called out to be noticed and feared while most other chakra had a light, breezy feel to it.

Using my improving chakra control I summoned increments of my chakra to the palm of my hand. Once I felt the chakra drift and settle there I slowly released it in even quantities into the atmosphere of the outside world – the air seemed to sizzle at the contact. Once unconstrained I carefully made sure that I masked my unique energy by covering it in another layer of chakra. This new layer of chakra was solely used for being untraceable; it thinned out into almost non-existent strands with very little power in them, and then glazed over my previously used chakra. Now no one could find me up here by its trail.

When I opened my eyes I could see my blood red chakra emitting from the palm of my hand in misted streams of power, but I couldn't sense a thing.

Meticulously, I waved my hands about in delicate flicks, motioning for each individual strand of chakra to compact itself into a ball of red mass. The crimson energy began to fuse and mold itself into the form of a fox. When the process was near its end the last of the nine tails formed its way onto the chakra fox. When the fox was perfectly shaped into an animated essence a leash of chakra sprung from the palm of my hand connecting me to the miniature fox. Five thin, almost invisible threads soon followed from my fingertips; they shot into the mainstream of the chakra harness.

I felt like this lifeless creature was my only friend. When I was alone and hurt she would always be there for me if I consciously summoned her or not…

I smiled, "Hey Kyuu-chan!"

I saw the fox give me a toothy grin as her nine tails swished about the air showing her pride. Sometimes I could have sworn that Kyuu-chan was alive – that my chakra had a mind of its own sometimes. But that was impossible no matter how different my chakra was.

Moving each specific strand of chakra about I controlled Kyuu-chan like she was a puppet, and I was her puppeteer. Using my unique chakra technique I played with Kyuu-chan (she's a great friend and alert fox). Motioning my fingers about I had her climb up the tree trunk like some crazy squirrel clawing spirals all the way around as she moved, carve the word 'kyuu' into the tree in kanji using her claws, swing about in the tree branches using each of her nine tails, and I finally had her settle down in my lap. Shifting my free hand I petted Kyuu-chan behind her ears. My chakra made friend always seemed to like that.

She radiated heat that seemed so pleasant when it met my skin. Kyuu-chan gave me warmth – the kind that I always imagined my mother's touch to be like. I had to thank Kami that my chakra's acidic qualities didn't affect me like everything else it touched. I glanced about the tree and smirked as I saw the scorch marks that Kyuu-chan and I created in our little puppet show.

"See Kyuu-chan I am getting better at my chakra control!" I boasted to my foxy friend. I mean I had the right to brag; I was a master compared to where I was at in the beginning. I involuntary shuddered in embarrassment at the memory.

Kyuu-chan perked her ears up slightly showing her acknowledgement of my previous statement. I smirked as her ears continued to twitch, each time standing up straighter into the air (it was funny seeing her ears stick up like that). My smirk soon turned into a frown for I knew that something must be wrong as my chakra swished about Kyuu-chan sounding like feral growls. She then abruptly leaped out of the tree in a blur of red, burning any leaves that got in her way. She was too far away now for me to maintain the connection. The chakra leash shattered, and Kyuu-chan disintegrated into the wind.

Bringing a hand to my forehead to claw at my head I growled in frustration, "You always have to prove me wrong, don't you baka fox?"

The familiar reverberation of voices broke me out of my rant – silencing me into shadows of the tree. I mentally cursed at my stupidity: Kyuu-chan was trying to warn me about them! She's done that before… Maybe there was more to her than just a mass of chakra… Peeking through the bushels of leaves I glanced down at the scene below, watching what was going on with mild interest; I just had to wait until they left for me to get down and head off to class.

The air around the surrounding area was stagnant; it reeked of trepidation. I saw the source of this torment – a girl whom I'd never seen before. She had bright pink hair that even smelt like cherry blossoms (I bet she could rival a death goddess). I looked on in dismay as I saw my death goddess sprawled out onto the ground, her bangs fell into her eyes hindering their soft green hue, and tears were streaming down her face showing her hurt. I winced as I heard her cry out, "S-Stop it! P-Please just leave me alone. I-I didn't do anything to you!..."

I saw the perpetrator approach the wilting cherry blossom. I recognized the bastard; he was someone from my class. He towered forebodingly over Pinky and hissed, "No way billboard brow." I saw him wave a pair of scissors in front of the girl's face. With each step closer he snipped the scissors open and closed again, a forewarning of what was about to happen. "I'm gonna' cut off all of your hair, and then everybody will see how much of a freak you really are!"

In my mind the scene before me kept replaying itself over and over again like a broken record. I was trapped within this one moment – frozen in time. The feeling that this had happened before never left me, it was haunting. Just to establish that my apprehensive feeling of déjà vu was indeed correct the scene slowly began to dissolve into a sea of black foam; it transformed itself into dark hated filled tentacles that dragged me into an unwelcomed memory. I now took the place of the girl and the bully was now a livid mob of villagers. The tendrils continued to drag me into a darkened alleyway. When I reached the end they pinned me down, so that I was now fully trapped within my nightmares.

"I'll show them how much of a freak you really are!" The figure lunged at me as I feebly tried to crawl away to escape this hell. My attempts proved futile as I cried out in pain as I felt the metallic scissors stab into my chest each second moving deeper within me. I felt a warm substance flow out of the gaping hole in my chest; with each drop of blood shed fresh drops of tears soon followed. I sharply gasped again when my assailant forcefully removed the scissors from my open wound. "See look at this!"

Now that the scissors were removed the pain slowly began to fade away into nothingness. I had to thank Kami that the pain was gone now… I soon regretted those thoughts as I heard the horrified gasps of the villagers.

I heard one shudder, "It's true! He is a demon! Just look at his eyes…"

Another one gasped in disbelief, "It's the Kyuubi reborn!"

My heart skipped a beat when I heard another holler, "Lets kill the little monster, and avenge our village!"

I didn't want to die… I weakly pleaded, "P-Pwease! I din do anythin wong!! Pwease stop! I no wonster! I no emon! I no Yuubi!" I wasn't any of those things, but why wouldn't they believe me? What did I ever do to make them think that?

I was drowning in my own fear when I heard the ring leader hiss, "Look at the little demon spawn speaking its name in front of us! It still dares to fuckin' deny what it is! This is no child; it's a demon that needs to be slain!"

"Pwease stop!" I couldn't stop the tears from falling…

All I felt was pain… I was now crying tears of blood. "Pwease…"

"Stop!" The word had dual meaning hidden in it: It was meant for my mental nightmare to stop, and just recede into the darkest parts of my mind again while the word was also used to get the bastard's damned attention. I would not allow this idiot to harm Pinky. We were much too alike right now, and no one ever deserves to bare the hell I went through, not even the true monsters themselves. …Really I am too lenient.

I saw the 'demon' before me pause from his assault. His head whipped about frantically, his eyes darted – searching for a face – the face that had uttered that one simple word. I cringed at the sickening scent of his worthless definition of the word fear. What a pity that he thought that getting caught by a true Ninja was to be feared especially since it was a menial offense, just an act of bullying that would result in some meek chastisement. How pathetic. I jumped down from my hiding place, completely livid at this waste of a life. Landing with cat like grace onto the ground below I glared at my enemy. I snarled like some feral beast, "Back off, loser."

I knew what the true meaning of fear was. I lived through it. I am it. And this bastard was trying to recreate a lesser version of it: he deserved to die!

This arrogant fool relaxed significantly when he saw that it was just me, a simple punching bag for him to play with. That predator like smirk slowly grew into one that belonged to an insane sadist. He chose his words carefully, trying to snap at my strings. He taunted, "What's the dead last gonna' do? Try and rub some of his failure onto me? Or will the little freak get his ass kicked trying defend one of his own!"

I bit my lip knowing that I had to maintain my pretext of a weak idiot. In reality I could call upon Kyuu-chan and have her rip out that arrogant tongue of his, or slowly strangle him into a pile of ash. But I am still too weak to hold my own against an entire village. I knew that if they saw my true power I would be dead within a second, or at the point where I am pathetically wishing for my own death. I didn't want either, so I'll just have to do what I do best.

I knew that with my presence alone that Loser here would totally forget about Pinky, but still… I just always have to provoke the situation into something much greater. It was always fun prodding at someone who thought that they were Kage and I was some lowly piece of trash. It would be fun in the future to teach them the lesson of 'never underestimate your opponent'. I simply smiled as I jeered, "You know that arrogance of yours will get you killed some day! Its best to just get rid of it ne?" I whispered the next part so that only he would hear it. "But then again your kaa-san just keeps adding fuel to the fire! Maybe she'd be better off dead like everyone else?" All the while my innocent smile never left.

I now had his full attention. I had just succeeded in completely shattering the leash that restrained his inner demons. He easily forgot about Pinky next to him as the darkness within him grew. He moved menacingly towards me, probably plotting his twisted desires that I call revenge. I could smell his hate – the thickest of black that tainted this victim's soul. I could smell his killing intent – a bloodlust large enough that one could mistake it for one of the fabled Bijuu. It was all aimed at me. Really, what a joy it is to embrace all of this bloodlust.

Within that second he had snapped and lost himself in the darkness of hatred. He managed to audibly spit out through clenched teeth, "My kaa-san tells me that you're the reason why my whole family's dead! You deserve to die, you monster! You. Killed. Them. ALL! Yet you still seem to revel in their deaths! You are just like that demon! You are it reborn except in a much more weaker body." The words were dripping with the need to shed my blood.

I just stood there with a sad glint in my eyes; he too had been irreversibly corrupted by this virulent disease of unknown hatred… He too blamed his problems on me by calling me a 'monster' and trying to guilt me into believing that I'm the reason for everyone's damned angst! …Eh! I was still partially to blame. I did push him into this state of anger with my words, but he pushed me first just-for-the-record! Besides if he was in the least bit redeemable he wouldn't have accused his family's deaths on me; only when the disease had fully taken over would one start accusing me of crimes I clearly didn't commit.

I made sure to stand my ground with nonchalance as I saw Gaki here lunge at me like some wild beast; I kept my cool and made sure to act like a fool who couldn't defend himself. I was ready to withstand his blows. It was something I had to deal with my whole life, so I was more than ready.

Right as flesh met flesh I instantly tumbled to the ground in an ungraceful heap now with added weight on top of me. I glared weakly at my attacker as he roughly grabbed my messy blonde spikes and pulled – hard. I bit my lip to hold back the winces of pain I was sure to mutter. The bastard smirked as I saw an insane glint form its way into his eyes. I mentally groaned at the fact that I just had to antagonize this bastard into near insanity (a habit that mostly screws me over in the end).

Pulling at my strands of hair one last time he used that one second of searing pain to react, and retaliated by shoving his arm forward. In my pain dazed state I had no chance to soften the blow as my head slammed into the tree behind me. He repeated this action each time my head hit the tree with another sickening crunch. I wasn't sure if it was my skull or the tree…

I saw Pinky look on with horror through my now hazy vision. I could smell her fear; it was still there, but there was something different about it… There was something nice about it… something that was altruistic and not some selfish emotion. This form of fear was open for another person besides its bearer. …Was this concern? Fear that I might get hurt or worse? Did she actually care about me enough to stay? Or was she concerned that I – the demon would kill her and this bastard? Hmm… Either way…

I strained one of my false smiles at Pinky and mouthed, 'I'll be alright, just go.' Kami it's hard to act all happy and innocent when I'm getting the shit beat out of me…

She gave me an incredulous look like I was crazy for acting like some hero filled with idiocy and bravado. She unsteadily stood up clearly favoring one leg over the other. With a fierce look in her eyes she demanded to our tormenter, "Get away from him! He did nothing wrong you crazy bully!" Her timid soft eyes were replaced with eyes that seemed fit for a really pissed off Kage.

My eyes flickered back to my attacker. Through my cloudy vision I saw him continue on with his assault. He seemed to be caught in a trance that wouldn't end until he extracted his revenge. In this gloomy world he couldn't hear the girl behind him plead for him to stop. Unflinchingly, I saw him raise the scissors high in the air. With no regret in his soul I saw the scissors thrust forward like some ravenous snake ready to inject its poison into its victim. I knew I could handle the pain. I knew I could handle the blood. I knew I could handle death. …But could I handle this untainted girl seeing me as the freak that I really was once my red chakra instantly healed my wound?

I closed my eyes; I didn't want to see the look of disgust on Pinky's face once the metal met my skin. In this darkened realm I waited, dreading the arrival of sharp pain to come and kick me out of this shadowy haven. Waiting a few prolonged seconds of hell I realized that no such pain ever came. Hesitantly I peeked my eyes open. They immediately snapped wide open with the sight I saw.

Pinky was now clawing onto the back of Idiot here, her free hand was grasping onto a jagged stick that poked out of Idiot's shoulder, and she still seemed to be pressing the stick down harder into his skin. I could smell her determination and see her true untamable spirit. She actually wanted to save me – her savior. I knew then that she would be a great Ninja someday, a possible ally, and maybe a friend. She really was a death goddess in disguise, shedding blood at the tender age of eight without any hesitation.

What was even more shocking was that there was an ANBU standing in between me and my attacker. Usually they just liked to watch or participate in the beatings disregarding Jii-san's orders that they are to be my personal bodyguards. This one was different; he saved me along with Pinky. That made two more people that possibly weren't infected with the 'lets hate Naruto disease'. This had to be too good to be true… No one cares about me! No one!

I just kept silent as I watched what ANBU-san would do next. As of now one of his hands was securely clutched onto the scissors while his other hand was pressed against the kid's mouth to muffle his screams of shock and pain. ANBU-san's dark, luminous form was one that held power. Something about his essence caught my immediate attention. Studying him further I noted his raven hair that fell out from his weasel mask in a loose ponytail, and a sickle type weapon thing attached to his back. He looked like a standard ANBU, but still… I smelt something familiar about this him… Was it his scent or something else?

When he spoke his words were silky and saturated with darkness. "I believe it is unlawful for someone to attack another with this much bloodlust, Gaki – especially for no valid reason. I should report you to Hokage-sama, but in this case I think I'll chose the alternative, and trust me Gaki that is much worse. The world will be better off without one more unimaginative idiot who is nothing, but a mere shadow of other idiots."

I saw him look at Pinky. He commented, "I commend you for your valor Haruno-san. You will become a powerful Ninja someday especially if you flock to others with creativity such as yourself. But now I suggest that you hop down and close your eyes."

His voice was so soft and compelling. That Haruno girl obviously thought so too since she instantly obeyed like some trained pup. That, or she just wasn't stupid enough to disobey his orders. She let go of her prey, landed on the ground with one shaky leg, and closed her eyes like she was told. Weasel-san clearly had me intrigued. He was dangerous, powerful, mysterious, and it was possible that he cared about my well being, which could be good and bad.

My gaze never left the back of the ANBU in front of me. I could smell his intense abhorrence for my classmate in front of him. I could smell the pure terror of Baka over there. Both emotions balanced each other in perfect equilibrium. And in one mere second I felt an immense spike in chakra. In that mere second I could smell mixed intentions within the chakra mass. There was malice, hate, lies, and… was that good intent? I couldn't be sure because in the next second I saw the kid collapse into the ANBU's arms, and the emotions were gone. I couldn't quite tell whether he was dead or not – he had no scent to him, which usually meant death, but then again the kid was breathing if not strained and heavily, so he was alive. But where was his scent? What did Weasel-san do to him?

I didn't know, but what I did ascertain was that Weasel-san over here was someone I had better be careful around. He may have saved me this one time, but that did not make me trust his intentions for right now I could smell none. Really this guy has apathy issues, and that made him unpredictable.

I didn't want to anger my so-called savior so I decided to be polite and mouth my thanks. To mask my lies I stuttered in a weak voice, "Uh… a-arigato Weasel-san!" By the time I voiced my thanks all I saw was dissipating smoke where the ANBU once stood. Did he even hear me? Baka, arrogant ANBU! For some odd reason I didn't want him to ignore me… I wanted to find out more about the enigmatic Weasel-san. Right now a name and face would suffice.

A soft voice broke me out of my thoughts of the darker man. I heard Pinky display her gratitude to me. She beamed, "I'm Sakura. Uh… thanks for saving me…"

I almost laughed at the irony that her name was indeed Sakura. Her name just established that my previous thoughts of her were true she was just like a cherry blossom. I saw her staring at me quizzically. It then dawned on me that she still didn't know my name… Maybe once she heard it she would realize who I was and hate me like all the rest… But still she would learn who I really was eventually. Mentally sighing at my predicament I exclaimed with fake enthusiasm, "Uzumaki Naruto! I guess I should be saying the same to you Sakura-neechan!" I gave her a toothy grin. Glancing downward towards her leg I noticed that she wasn't putting her full wait onto her left leg. I gasped, "Sakura-neechan! Your ankle's sprained! C'mon lets go see a med-nin!"

I picked her up bridal style, and carried her inside the academy knowing very well that the med-nin would blame this accident on me if I stayed. But still I wanted to be nice to Sakura-neechan, and make sure she was all right. Maybe I even cared about her a little. Only Kami knows, but maybe Sakura-neechan's different from all of the rest. Maybe Weasel-san was too!

Looking down at my savior I saw her light blush. She mumbled with embarrassment evident in her tone, "N-Naruto-niichan I'm fine, really!" Maybe she would be my first friend. I mean you don't use such a familiar suffix when you're talking to a demon.

oO — — — \\ Mid Morning / — — — Oo

— — Enter: The King Of The Infected, The Unaware Puppet — —

oO — — — \\ Addictions / — — — Oo

Mizuki-sensei was currently pacing in front of the classroom. I watched with disinterest as he explained what we were doing in class today. He was making a clear fool of himself as he made unnecessary gestures with his hands to emphasize what we were doing, and when he was talking down to us like we were stupid children. After a while it got quite annoying and I just preferred to block out the unnecessary information that sensei rambled on and on about.

Though I did perk up a bit when I saw Sensei smirk maliciously at me. I strained my ears so that I could hear what hell I would have to endure today. With a perky smile Sensei explained, "Class as you know we have a weaponry test today." Ah that would be why. "You will be given five shuriken. You are to then throw them at five different targets set up outside." No fuck. What else would we do with them asshole. "You will be given a passing grade if you hit any fatals on the human targets, but remember that speed is accountable too."

I saw the silver haired Chuunin pause in his little explanation. He glanced impatiently at the door as if waiting for someone. I could have sworn that I saw him glare daggers at the door and mutter some curses under his breath. It seemed that we would be having a guest today. I just hoped that whoever the hell it was really, really late. A mischievous grin formed its way onto my face. Kami, it better be that Copycat Ninja who was notorious for being late! That would really piss off Mizuki-sensei! The bastard deserved hell because Kami – he had one of the worst strains of the disease.

Just to spite my wish the guest poofed in front of the door in a cloud of smoke two short seconds later. Bowing, Mizuki-sensei spoke with feigned enthuseasm, "Class today we have a very special guest! If you don't already know this is Kamaitachi-sama, the ANBU captain. He'll be watching you while you take your test today to scout for some raw talent. Don't be afraid to show off in front of him!"

I almost smirked as I watched the scene before me. I could tell that Mizuki-sensei was straining each and every word he spoke with a false smile and gusto – typical that I would know. I could also smell his discomfort as he bowed; it showed his inferiority. It just established how weak he was compared to ANBU-san. I reveled in this sweet scent as it flooded my senses. His moment of painful discomfort was so comforting for me.

Yes dear Mizuki-sensei was a power hungry fool who also happened to be arrogant. That's two strikes against him in this world. And like I said before it'll be the end of him some day. I would love to see his demise if not be the cause of it.

Unlike most 'Naruto Haters' Mizuki-sensei's a cold-hearted bastard. He's a selfish fool who only cares about defiling himself even further by obtaining power by any means necessary. At least the others are warm and loving with family and friends. They have precious people that care about them, so I try not to hold too much of a grudge against them (again I am too forgiving), but Sensei here is just a corrupted soul. He's a demon that cares about no one, but himself; he deserves some justice, and I want to be the one that sheds this light onto him. Or shall I dare say darkness?

Yet this moment got even better! As I sniffed in Sensei's discomfort my nose also picked up on another very distinctive scent. Without even looking at the mask I knew that my savior, Weasel-san was here. I could never forget his scent; it was just too addicting to ever forget. Maybe by the end of this class I would be able to learn more about the mysterious Weasel-san. Or he could just be a bastard like he was before, leaving without even hearing my damned thank you. Hell I was still pissed about that!

Though I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing when Weasel-san hissed in an eerily calm tone, "Stop disgracing yourself with these silly formalities Mizuki-san. I do not have all day to be gawked at by children, and to be insincerely glorified by some second rate Ninja. Lets just get right to the point of me being here. I clearly don't have all day, and I'd rather not squander my time here."

Straining another smile Mizuki-sensei gritted out, "You heard Kamaitachi-sama. Lets go outside to take your test." I mentally sighed; I just couldn't seem to stay mad at Weasel-san. In fact the bastard was definitely growing on me.

With that one simple command uttered everyone mechanically got up from their seats and headed off to the outdoor training field.

If my classmates didn't already speak their emotions I could easily sense what they were thinking about Weasel-san. It was quite amusing actually.

Hinata-chan was nervous. Her fear of messing up in front of someone worth showing her skills to was clearly eating her insides. Kami the girl really needed to gain some confidence. Really someone needed to shatter that shy shell of hers.

Sasuke-san was enthusiastic. I could feel his anxiousness to prove his skills and worth to Weasel-san. I bet if he failed in his little task he would lose some of himself to that inner darkness of his. That or he would do something drastic to redeem his failure. But if he succeeded then he would just gain arrogance, which would in the long run kill him.

Sakura-neechan was just happy at seeing Weasel-san again. She could care less about showing off her skills in front of him. She just wanted to see the savior of her savior again. That's what was interesting about Sakura-neechan; she was filled with child like innocence yet held an inner essence that was not afraid to shed blood.

Shikamaru-san well… all I could smell off of him was lethargy and clear disinterest. Well that's Shikamaru-san for you, lazy. But he could be just like Weasel-san at times – unpredictable, especially when he used that brain of his.

I couldn't help, but feel dismal at this whole situation. I realized that I couldn't show my true self to Weasel-san. Now because of this he would just see my mask. He would see me as a dead last, a loser who wasn't worth saving. I knew he liked those with creative power… I couldn't show that to him, and now he'll think that I'm just like all the rest… That or he'll finally catch the disease, and see me as a demon. And once he caught it Sakura-neechan would shortly catch it too; I would be all alone once more. No one can care about me.

I felt a light breeze embrace me in its grasp as the air passed right through me – calming and taunting me as I stepped into the outside world. The wind… The uncatchable wind… The wind that was now tantalizing me with that scent. The wind that was dancing around me, showering me with Weasel-san's scent – that noodle substance I smelt before…

Wait…

That meant only one thing! He was spying on me this morning! Glancing over at the ANBU captain I glared at him with hate filled eyes, letting my inner darkness escape. I knew he wasn't to be trusted! He had to be planning something, but what? You don't spy on someone for no apparent reason. You usually do it to gather information that will be used against the person being spied on. What's he up to? The bastard's just like a weasel… a silent hunter who has no regrets when he stabs another in the back…

But still… No matter what my mind was telling me I couldn't smell any malicious intent, and that is something that no one can ever fully hide. Even though my logic was telling me to not trust Weasel-san I couldn't help but disregard it. Something deep down inside of me was telling me to trust him. I was so confused right now. Why was I so attracted to him? I couldn't seem to hate him, or at least stay mad at him for long, I wanted to listen to that voice, and Kami was his scent intoxicating. Every time I looked at him – smelt him I felt that warmth I get around Kyuu-chan. She gave me solace; maybe I should trust him…

I was once again snapped back into the world of the living when Mizuki-sensei called out, "Uchiha Sasuke you're up first."

Uchiha Sasuke. It was really no surprise that he was up first. He was a prodigy that Mizuki-sensei wanted to show off – a shiny new toy that needed to be bragged about. I pitied the unaware fool, the puppet. Yet I knew Weasel-san would fall in love with him I mean everyone loved him. He was an Uchiha! He had power! For Kami's sake he was even hot! That could easily be proven true just by looking at all of his stupid fangirls! He was my polar opposite. He was expected to pass with flying colors; I was expected to be the dead last. He was loved by Konoha; I was hated. He shined in the light; I rotted in the darkness. Yet I never once envied him because no matter how well he did he just never seemed to be genuinely happy. Neither was I, but at least I had no one that I needed to impress. To me power was just survival not something to show off.

Though… I sort of wanted to…

I watched as the Uchiha heir grabbed the five shuriken from Mizuki-sensei; he was filled with confidence. Right as the metal touched his flesh he reacted just like he was trained to. In an instant he threw the star shaped metal. In mere seconds I watched as the shuriken simultaneously hit their intended targets ending with a loud thud as metal collided with wood. He was a prodigy.

Inspecting the Uchiha's work I noted that one shuriken was implanted deeply into one of the dummy's skull, another completely sliced through its jugular, the third pierced the center of its heart, the next came in contact with the liver leaving it in a mangled mess, and the last one had so much speed in it that it completely severed the dummy in half. The point was that they would all instantly kill the targets if they were real.

Mizuki-sensei's smile grew at his student's work, his power. He praised, "Well done Sasuke! You pass just like always." Now looking at Weasel-san he asked, "Well what do you think Kamaitachi-sama? Won't he be a successful Shinobi one day?"

Weasel-san just looked on with boredom evident in his posture. He responded with a, "Hn."

Anyone could have sensed that he was not impressed by the Uchiha's demonstration. I briefly wondered what was wrong with Sasuke-san's display. I mean he did everything like a trained Shinobi should. Maybe that was it? He was too predictable? Sniffing the air to find out the truth I immediately discarded my previous thought. I smelt the grayness of boredom. Weasel-san can probably do this stuff in his sleep! That must be why he's so bored seeing a bunch of kids do what he already knows. Well if he wasn't impressed by Mr. Perfection here then I doubt he would even notice anybody else.

That last thought seemed to stab at my heart…

Speaking of heartbreaks I could smell the thick clouds of dejection that were emitting off of Sasuke-san in waves. He was a shell of his former self now that all his confidence had been spilt. Ah, that's yet another thing that can very well be the end for poor Sasuke-san: getting his hopes up. I learned that lesson a long time ago that getting your hopes crushed can internally kill someone. I wonder how Uchiha-san will handle it. Will any of my predictions come into reality? Will he lose himself, or do something stupid? But at least there's a plus to my classmate's heartbreak: he didn't gain any arrogance! I don't know if I can handle another fool with too much of that today.

"Uzumaki Naruto you're next." I could hear the clear distaste in Mizuki-sensei's voice as he motioned for me to go up. He was pissed at Weasel-san's lack of enthusiasm and was taking his anger out on me – again. I watched him perform a few simple hand signs, and with a poof of smoke the targets in front of me disappeared, and five new ones took their place.

As I walked up to grab the shuriken Mizuki-sensei hastily jabbed them into my hand causing some of the sharp edges to slightly pierce my skin. Ignoring the pain and droplets of blood emerging from my freshly severed skin I moved into position all the while smelling the comfort Sensei was basking in as he caused me slight discomfort.

My muscles twitched as I slowly took my time. I'd have to throw the shuriken as slowly as possible, and throwing multiple shuriken at once was out of the question; I needed to act like a clueless little child who had just entered the academy. The phrase 'I need to fail' kept ringing through my mind, giving me motivation as I continued on with my test.

After a minute of studying (more like glaring at) my first target I sloppily (meticulously) threw the shuriken into the air. I mentally smirked as it whisked by the target, and hit the tree branch off in the distance that I was intending to sever. This was the adopted pattern that I used throughout my whole test. After a minute or so staring at the targets I would then throw my weapon. I made sure to never hit a fatal, but that didn't mean I would hold back on having some fun. The second shuriken I hurled slightly nicked the arm of the dummy causing some wood to chip off in thin slices (proving that I had delicate aim as well as power considering my first 'failed' attempt), the third I one that I threw cut off both of the target's hands (now they wouldn't be able to perform any jutsu and proves that I have good aim when I put some spin on my weapon), the forth one completely missed the target (hitting the bird in the tree behind it… I was bored and it just shows that I can kill a living creature with shuriken), and the last one hit a place that wasn't fatal but might as well have been. It was a fate worse than death. I shudder at the thought…

Immediately after my own little display was completed I heard Mizuki-sensei hiss, "You fail Uzumaki! Your timing and aim sucked! A blind two year old can do better than that!"

Or so you say bastard… And let me guess everyone else will laugh at me and agree? I heard some faint snickers at the back of the line. Figures that they only try to poke fun at me when they think I am unable to hear it, cowards! I gloomily turned around to head off to dejected sidelines to join a crestfallen Sasuke.

Though I paused in my gait and my head snapped back up when I heard Sakura-neechan quickly retort, "You're wrong Sensei! Naruto-niichan is better than you think! You're just jealous and afraid that someday Naruto-niichan will kick your ass!" To show her distaste at Mizuki-sensei's harsh words she childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

Mizuki-sensei completely ignored Sakura-neechan's comment, and just looked at me with one of the coldest of glares. He sneered, "Uzumaki, I know what you did." A brief hint of panic formed its way onto my face, and I felt beads of sweat start to form. Did he know what I really did on the test? Did he see my true power? "I know what you are, and what you did to this poor girl!" What…? "And I know what you are trying to do! There's no way that your cheap trick will work on real Ninja. So stop trying to corrupt the good people in our society with your filth! No matter what you do you'll never be a Ninja even with some help. No one will ever look at you with respect or love even with your demonic illusions. So if I were you I would stop trying to impress those of more worth."

By now he was right behind me. I could feel his warm breath (even though it should be cold) ghost against my skin. He whispered into my ear, "I don't even know how you can live with yourself, knowing that you killed your own parents! Ha, even if they did survive they would never love you!" I knew that I was going to break down any second now when he mentioned my parents. His words about them… They weren't true!! "You're all alone now you d—"

Snap.

I could no longer hold back in the tears that were burning in my eyes. I tried to blink them back and look tough, but it was all for naught. I swore to myself that I would never cry again. I swore that I would never let them see my tears. I couldn't let him see me like this! I let my instincts kick in and I ran. I never did hear the rest of his sentence even though I knew he was going to finish it off by calling me a demon. I just couldn't take it anymore! I ran like some weak coward! Tears of sadness sparkled in a trail of rain behind me as I ran – ran like a coward.

I was lost in a dome of misery. No happy thoughts could ever thrive here, just sorrow. I've been here before… I had no control in this world. As my mind was trapped in this world my body subconsciously moved to the one place it knew to go when I was depressed – my sanctuary. I sat down on my swing and swung sadly still lost in my trance like state. He said those words right in front of Sakura-neechan and Weasel-san… The two people I respected most besides Jii-san. The tears never stopped even in my bittersweet haven. Those words would give them the push the needed to see the truth like lies.

"Sakura-neechan and Weasel-san are different…"

They are not and you know that! They will just stab you in the back someday, baka!

"My parent would love me… They'd be different…"

How could they ever love something like you! I mean you are the reason they're dead!

"I'm not a demon…"

You know deep down that you are everything they say, and nothing will ever change that!

I was lost in my own sorrow and self-pity. I must have looked so pathetic right now crying gumdrop size tears, snot dripping down my nostrils in sticky strands, and the dull glint in my eyes never left… Alas no one cared about my pitiful state; they instead would revel at my suffering.

This internal pain I was feeling was eating me alive; I could feel the leech inside of me – tackling my internal walls – trying to destroy who I was. It was so compelling that it forced me into a near catatonic state. My mind was just barley drifting in the realm of the waking even though my body clearly looked dead. Maybe my mind would soon follow. With the aid of that inner pessimistic voice I could feel myself slowly corroding away into blackness. I was losing myself.

I was drifting towards the precipice at the end of this river filled with sewage water. I was at the pinnacle of the abyss.

So this is it…

I could feel myself slowly descending into the dark waters of death. I fell in slow motion just to prolong this hell. There was no wind as I was falling – there was only nothingness. As I was nearing the bottom I felt something hard hit my head.

Grabbing the source that brought light to this darkened world I clung onto it with my dear life. I saw that it was a rope with a crimson sheen to it. I desperately clawed onto my life savior for when I touched it I could faintly feel something brush through my spiky locks; it felt good.

Slowly the rope began to pull me forward. I was now moving against the current of the murky water, and heading for the light in the distance. Inching forwards I was now at the spot in between light and darkness – twilight. The rope faded away and shifted into a hand. I motioned to reach for it, but it was still too far away; I kept missing it. Without the rope to cling to I was slowly falling back into the sea of my tears.

I desperately called out, "Please don't leave me here!"

"Don't worry Naruto-kun. I won't let you drown. I'll break you out of your cage. I'll save you from yourself, and together we'll find dawn. We just have to slay our inner shadows before we reach daybreak. It's always the darkest before dawn my little kitsune."

The darkness shattered – fleeing to the corners of my mind once more. I was now falling into the light – falling back into reality. My eyes regained their normal blue sparkle as it took the place of my death like stare. I could now feel everything around me again. The first thing I noticed was the soft hand caressing my cheek. I felt the hand gently brush my tears away. I looked up to see my savior even though I already knew who it was by his intoxicating scent. This was twice now that he had saved me: he saved me from the true demons, and now he saved me from myself.

His calming voice broke me out of my sensory overload. His voice was gentle like a lullaby as he comforted me with idyllic words. "Hello there Naruto-kun." He gently lifted my head up like some fragile piece of china. Our eyes met. My ocean filled eyes met his void charcoal ones. He no longer wore his mask, and I smiled softly at the fact that I could now see the true Weasel-san. Maybe I could show him the true Uzumaki Naruto, maybe…

Weasel-san continued on feeding me with more sweet words. He lightly chided, "There's no need to shed your tears over some meaningless words." He paused for a moment and licked the salty residue off of his fingers. Almost smiling he spoke again, "Especially since your tears are too sweet to be wasted on some foolish Chuunin. You should know that you are far more valuable than most think. More than what you think. You're a sapphire surrounded by insignificant pebbles. Their words are hollow just like their speakers."

Again Weasel-san paused in his speech. He seemed ponder what to say next. He seemed to be racking through his brain for the right words. The pause was brief and when he spoke again I could hear the humor in his tone, "From your little illustration I can tell you have what it takes to become a diamond. You see your display was just a puzzle that needed to be deciphered, and luckily I have the eyes that can find the clues scattered in your little find it book. You are cryptic and only can the open minded find their way through your maze of lies. You know what? You're just like me Naruto-kun. We both have thick masks glued onto our very being. We both have expectations that people expect us to fulfill. You're not alone any more Naruto-kun. Can you let your mask crumble? Do you trust me?"

I was in a shocked stupor after his little speech. All I could do was weakly stutter, "I… I…" Great now I'm starting to act like Hinata-chan! But really what was I supposed to do? His words seemed to be glazed in perfection, and he did save me twice. …But then again he's the ANBU captain, and he was spying on me before. I know that ANBU aren't to ever be trusted… I quickly blurted out, "Then tell me this Weasel-san! If you can be so trusted then tell me why you were spying on me before!?"

I saw no reaction on Weasel-san's face when he heard my blunt accusations. He just calmly replied, "You intrigue me Naruto-kun. Lets just say we both needed some solace this morning, and that we both happened to find that in an equivalent force of loneliness. Now I'll ask this again. Do you trust me?"

I mentally frowned and cheered, as I smelt no deceit in Weasel-san's words. His words were pure, and I could only taste the scent of empathy in my savior. He had succeeded in entangling me within his words. I'm just going to have to accept the fact that someone really does care – that someone can understand – that someone can be kind – that someone can see me for me. Sighing I replied, "I… trust you Weasel-san." But not so blindly that I'll leave myself open for wounds.

I saw a small smile makes its way onto the ANBU's face. In an amused tone he spoke, "That's good to know."

After that we just stayed in our respective spots in stilled silence, not quite sure of what to do next. I flinched at the sudden loud rumble that pierced the silence. I looked down at the source of the deafening noise – ashamed at my hunger. I felt Weasel-san gently lift my head up again. "You seem to be hungry Naruto-kun. Why don't you meet me here at noon? I'll buy you lunch. How about that?"

I was about to voice my protests, but I was cut off by Weasel-san placing a finger on my lips to silence me. He eloquently whispered, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but this is an offer you can't refuse. Just be here when you're on your lunch break. See you then my little kitsune."

I just couldn't seem to refuse his offer now… "Uh… arigato Weasel—!"

I was instantly paused in my thanks when I felt a dull tap to my forehead. Glancing upwards I saw Weasel-san's fingers on my forehead. Did he just poke me? "'Weasel-san' is too formal. Just call me Itachi." With a wave goodbye he shunshin'd away in a mist of smoke.

The damn bastard left again without hearing my thanks!

But I still couldn't stay mad at him for long. This time it was only for two seconds.

I happily repeated his name, "'Tachi!" It felt good on my tongue, and for once I smiled a true smile.

oO — — — \\ Afternoon / — — — Oo

— — Enter: The God Like Artist — —

oO — — — \\ Addictions / — — — Oo

He was late…

I almost laughed at this twisted irony that Fate had been so kind to deliver to me. Just about an hour or so ago I was mentally praying to some higher being that 'Tachi would be late to piss of Mizuki-sensei. And now– an hour later he's late! Fate's a bitch who just loves to screw with my already messed up life! I sighed at the unwelcome facts that lay in front of me: Lunch break started ten minutes ago…

I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up… Now they're just flightless – dead – just like that bird I killed earlier. This was just one of those painful life lessons that I was fortunate enough to relearn! Kami I feel like Sasuke-san… Damn so-called empathy that constrains me to that Uchiha darkness! One gives me false light and in reality pushes me down into the abyss while the other reminds me of my past darkness.

I sighed. I guess my mind was just the prey to some fantastic illusion that 'Tachi would be my 'knight in shining armor' who would save me from the fire breathing dragon, and whisk me off to some paradise… Too bad in real life there is no 'happily ever after' to the fairy tale that is life. Those words are just meaningless – false hopes that trick the mind into believing that they are genuinely happy. Happiness is a mere illusion – a lie that the human mind can never fully comprehend… No one can ever be truly happy, and if they are it won't last because like I said before Fate is a bitch.

So here I am sitting on my swing moping over the loss of an ally and a meal. I listened to the ropes sing a melancholy tune as my feet swayed back in forth, and my added weight caused the branch to creak in a synchronized melody. I kicked at the dirt below, burrowing my feet deeper into the soil. I stared down at the brown clouds of dirt that the wind stirred up as it blew by. I tried to ignore the lingering scent of everyone's lunch by these menial attempts at distracting myself as I waited for lunch break to end. But no matter what I did the scent seemed to hover in my nostrils, and my mind kept meandering back to the enigmatic Weasel that I was trying so hard to expunge from my mental storage room.

No matter what the act of diversion was it failed: the delusions of numerous buffet tables toyed with my sensed, and his scent was the most alluring of them all – served in a silver bowl embellished in rubies and sapphires… It was so close and real…

My heart skipped a beat when I smelt his familiar aura swarming around me. He had to be here! I shivered as I basked in his pleasing aroma. My eyes darted about, scanning the surrounding area searching for the source of his scent. My hopes were soon sliced in half by a shuriken when I found nothing except for a stray student or sensei walk by. Looking down in dismay I saw that my hands were trembling ever so slightly. I felt the air around me condense with concentrated chakra as it rapidly converged in on this one point. I could feel the power crawling on my skin, seeping in, embracing me within its warming grasp. He would be here in less than a second! I smiled.

I instantaneously heard the audible poof, and saw the puff of smoke materialize out of seemingly nowhere signaling 'Tachi's arrival. I watched as his blanket of smoke dispersed as the wind swept it away.

He was different yet the same… It was like seeing him shed his skin and show me the face of his other half. He was no longer the strict and imposing ANBU captain, but a normal teen. A change of clothing can do a lot to change one's perspective about someone. I inspected 'Tachi's new apparel. Normal clothing now replaced the standardized ANBU uniform. He wore a black, high collared top with the infamous Uchiha symbol on the back, a pair of black pants (similar to my own) hugged against his legs, customary black Shinobi sandals were placed on his feet for practical usage and simplicity for battle, a pair of black and red striped armbands slipped themselves around his arms, a kunai holster also snaked its way around 'Tachi's right leg, and a weapons pouch was hooked onto the back of his pants.

Hmm… actually his outfit was pretty much the same except it was now without the weasel mask, the extra weapons, and all of the armor – he still seemed threatening. I liked seeing 'Tachi in his normal clothes and especially without his mask on. But his eyes were just too old no matter what he wore… He'd seen too much too early just like me… He was too young to be an elite killer. I wondered if he had ever known the innocence of childhood. I doubted it… Maybe we could save each other from our own hells. I could possibly bring out the child in 'Tachi, and he could be my first true friend…

We had been standing (sitting) in silence for a while now just staring at the other. 'Tachi was the first to break the silence. I heard him apologize, "…I'm sorry I'm late Naruto-kun. I'm usually not plagued by tardiness, but I ran into numerous little… bugs on my way here… My otouto and your sensei included, so I hope I didn't unease your conscious being too much." He then chuckled, "…Now if you're done scrutinizing me I would like to leave before we have to face the… afternoon consumers."

Getting up from my swing I approached 'Tachi. Nervously fidgeting with my fingers (sigh… just like Hinata-chan) I replied, "H-Hai 'Tachi!" I was so excited that he was actually true to his word. I would do my best to show him that I'm not a demon! Hopefully by the end of lunch I could find it in myself to fully trust 'Tachi and vice versa.

'Tachi held out his hand intending for me to grasp it. I knew that he meant no harm, but I couldn't help but be reluctant when proceeding to grasp the older man's hand. After a few seconds of indecision I grabbed his hand. I mean it wasn't so bad the last time I held onto it. He saved me. He warned, "Hold on tight Naruto-kun. Normally I'd just walk… but now I think this is the only way to supersede those consumer fiends."

Without even lifting a finger I felt his chakra build up in mass quantities. I could feel his power disperse evenly throughout him, the air around him, and even me. Then all at once I felt that energy drain away as he released his chakra leaving behind an empty feeling as his power fled its protecting stance, and dwindled further into the distance. Time seemed to slow down for me as I envisioned all of his chakra zooming in onto one single point a couple miles ahead of where we were standing. In the blink of an eye we were soon gone shadowing after the speeding chakra that seemed to pull us towards that point of focus.

In the next second we reappeared in the heart of Konoha – the central base for the best shopping deals and home for some of the most desired and sought out meals. As our cloak of smoke blew away a look of horror etched its way onto my face as I gazed at all of the people – I wasn't allowed here! The last time I came here I got chased out by an angry mob since a demon didn't need any of these luxuries. My mind went blank, and the only thought that poured itself into my mind was run. I fixed my muscles into position as I prepared to sprint as my instincts took over. I had to get out of here before someone saw me!

I felt a gentle hand yank me back into reality. I felt it grasp onto my shoulder blade pulling me back into a state of security. His voice soothed my mind. He bent down and whispered, "Your safe with me. You no longer need to worry about them when I'm around. I'll protect you from everything even from myself and you dear Naru-chan." A small near miss-able smile formed its way onto 'Tachi's lips as I glared at him for calling me 'Naru-chan'. It was just undignified! He brushed my glare off and then stated, "I do hope you like Ramen because I refuse to eat anything else or eat anywhere else that isn't Ichiraku's."

I had no idea what this 'ramen' was or what this 'Ichiraku' was either, so I guess my confusion must have leaked out onto my expression. I saw 'Tachi give me an incredulous look as his eyes widen ever so slightly as he deciphered what my expression meant. He managed to choke out, "Y-You do not know what you are missing out on!"

The smell of his pure and utter horror nearly shocked me back into a state of darkness again; I smelt that type of horror every time I came across a villager with the disease. Kami! Did I already fail at my daily goal of showing at least one person that I am not a demon? Did I disgust 'Tachi into hating me that much in just mere seconds? …Or was he just genuinely shocked that I never had this ramen stuff before? …If that's the case (which I hope it is) then this ramen stuff must be really, really good. I let for one more time the feathers of hope fall in front of my eyes all the while praying to Kami-sama that this light wouldn't leave my side, that 'Tachi wouldn't leave my side.

I was beginning to think that it was indeed the latter when 'Tachi grasped my hand in his strong grip (more like crushed my hand). I flinched at his touch, but my savior didn't seem to take any notice of my clear discomfort for when I looked up at him to ask him to stop crushing my hand I saw his eyes were glazed over with determination and urgency. I stayed silent as I let the older man drag me over to this ramen house. I was now slightly curious as to what made 'Ichiraku' and this 'ramen' so great.

'Tachi brushed the white flaps aside with a flick of his hands while I slid underneath them as he led (dragged) me into the ramen house. Inside I saw a small bar like table with a shiny red countertop and stools underneath them for the customers to sit on.

'Tachi (who was still in his trance like state) picked me up, effortlessly, with one hand. My eyes widened in fear as my feet left the ground. I never liked being off of the ground unless it was by my own accord. So in response to 'Tachi's sudden movement I flailed wildly in the air to become grounded again, though it was all for naught. It was over in a second and I couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief when he plopped me down on one of the stools while taking a seat himself. Avoiding his gaze I couldn't help, but become guilty at the fact that I still couldn't find it in my heart to fully trust him…

I sat there, uncomfortably, in my chair unsure of what to do. Taking a quick glance at 'Tachi I noticed that he seemed to be in deep thought as he was examining what seemed to be a list of different types of ramen. I promptly tore my gaze away, and instead peered over the countertop. I saw an old man behind the counter working in the small kitchen. I think he was putting on the finishing touches to the ramen he was cooking for he was meticulously stirring the liquid in a clockwise manner and was carefully adding in a fixed amount of ingredients. He acted like if he added too many ingredients, placed them in an uneven manner, or missed a stir that the whole thing would explode. Who knows, maybe it would.

Even though I had never eaten ramen or been to this place before I got good vibes about Ichiraku from my intake of observations: The old man seemed to really take pride in his work, he also radiated of kindness, the small stand seemed to have a nice and quaint feel to it, the ramen house withheld the steam from the boiling pots, which emitted a nice warm aura that reminded me of 'Tachi and Kyuu-chan, and this ramen stuff discharged pleasant fumes that circulated throughout the little ramen house. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I've smelt this heavenly scent before.

I continued to watch the old man paint his masterpiece (so to speak) all the while deciding that it would be best if I just waited quietly until 'Tachi instructed me on what to do next. I silently looked on as the ramen chef stopped from his work as his an alarm clock rang, and startled him into alertness. Turning around (so fast that it probably gave him whiplash) the old man spotted 'Tachi. A smile formed onto his face and he teased, "Hey there Itachi! I see you're on time once again. You know your visits are starting to get predictable!" 'Tachi was still absorbing the information on the piece of paper thus he blocked out all the old man's hello, though I'm pretty sure the old man was used to it for he just seemed to brush it off.

After his eyes left his favorite customer it was then that the ramen chef noticed that he had another one to serve as well, me. He smiled, "Hello there! I've never seen you before. May I ask what your name is?"

The revelation of the situation I was in struck me hard. I was frozen with fear as I realized that I wasn't allowed in here. The old man would surely kick me out once he knew who I was, and I didn't want his kind aura to be sapped away once he found out who I was. Yet I didn't want to leave the sanctity of this ramen stand; I liked it. Though it was slowly beginning to lose its warming charm as the coldness of loneliness began to seep into me. I didn't want to see that icy glare again…

I decided that leaving would be my best option. If I left now then he might never find out who I was – I mean I wanted to remember the kind ramen chef as well kind. I didn't want this memory to be spoiled by the glares he would give me as I was harshly thrown out. I was about to hop off of my chair and follow through my well thought out plan, but was stopped when I felt 'Tachi grab my shoulder to stop me from fleeing the scene (I can't believe I forgot about him again! Kami… I'm just so used to being alone that I forget I'm not as of now.).

I looked up at 'Tachi with apprehension evident in my eyes. My flaring chakra also told him of my fear of speaking my name in front of the ramen chef. With a curt nod I knew that he knew of my dilemma in this situation. Staring at the old man he answered for me, "This is Uzumaki Naruto Teuchi-san." I almost had a heart attack when 'Tachi spoke my name! I thought he was going to lie or something, but then I caught the narrowing of his eyes as if they were saying, 'Is that going to be a problem?' This calmed me down knowing that 'Tachi would indeed shield me if my name was going to be an issue.

Even after 'Tachi's warning the old man made no notion to any negative intent towards me. All he did was smile a warm smile. 'Tachi and me both silently deducted that he held no grudge against me and he continued on as if this silent conversation had never happened. "Now I hope you don't mind my sudden rudeness, but I have an emergency, a ramen emergency." 'Tachi brushed his fingers through my hair as if he was trying to console me. "Poor Naruto-kun here has never had ramen before. It is of great importance that you get him some now."

I saw the old man flinch back and hold his hands up defensively at 'Tachi's crazed tone. I swore I saw him sweatdrop at his favorite customer's overreaction. He quickly brushed it off and turned to me seeing that he could not fail in the great task (inane mission) that 'Tachi had requested. He asked me, "So what can I get you Naruto-kun?"

"…I – I'll…" I quickly skimmed through the list of ramen, but to my dismay I had no idea what anything was. It was like everything was written in gibberish to me yet; it was common knowledge to everyone else. I felt so isolated… I looked away from the patient old man who was waiting for me to order and looked up at 'Tachi for help. I mean he was a ramen expert, and I would trust him to order me something… I felt so oblivious at the moment, and I hated that feeling of helplessness. "I don't know what I'll have… I mean… I've never heard of any of this stuff before… sorry…"

I saw 'Tachi's eyes twitch as he heard my confession. He seemed to raise his voice an octave as he ordered, "Kami! Teuchi-san just give the deprived kid some shoyu ramen, immediately! And make sure you give him extras of everything especially narutomaki."

The old man immediately got to work. He was hastily but thoroughly preparing my meal of shoyu ramen. Whatever that was.

I saw 'Tachi look at me in near amazement and wonder. He massaged his temples and sighed, "How can you live Naruto-kun? How?" I was confused. Was he talking about how I can live with all of the hatred? …Or was it how could I live without eating ramen? I had a suspicion that it was the latter considering 'Tachi seemed to lose his normally calm aura a couple of times when he learned about the lack of ramen in my diet.

I noticed that 'Tachi's clearly stressed out chakra signature had calmed down significantly after he ordered my meal. Now back to his normal controlled tone he stated, "When you're done with Naruto-kun's order I would like to have this tsukemen ramen today."

"Do you even want to know what it is?" I guess that meant it's a new type of ramen…

"No," was the curt and hurried reply. I think 'Tachi's just ramen deprived!

"I thought so…" I could have sworn that the old man muttered, "Crazy ramen addict!" I don't think 'Tachi heard… Though I would have to second that statement.

Moments later a bowl of steaming ramen was placed in front of me. I stared at the contents inside the bowl: there was a light brown broth, a bunch of curly noodles placed at the bottom, on top of the noodles were what looked like slices of some kind of meat, brown thingies, green ring like things, green leafy stuff, and tones of these pick swirl like things. What the hell is this stuff?

After staring at my bowl of ramen like it was some alien dish (which it is to me at least) I hesitantly picked up my chopsticks. I broke them apart with a snap that sounded a lot louder than it should have been in the silence of the little ramen stand. Even though I had clearly eaten worse stuff before I couldn't help myself when I lifted the bowl to my nose to sniff this odd cuisine. The scent I breathed in seemed familiar, but no light was shed in telling me what it was. All that I saw was a cloud of shadows covering the identities of the ingredients.

Placing the chopsticks in my hand I picked up a stray noodle that was hanging off of the side of the bowl. I sniffed the lone strand just to make sure it wasn't poisoned or contaminated with some other virulent substance. I smelt nothing, but the addictive scent of what seemed to be a heaven on earth to my nose. Out of the corner of my eyes I could tell that 'Tachi and the old man were watching me intently – waiting to see how I would react once I tried a bite. It was rather unnerving having all eyes on me while I was doing this mundane task. Though it was better than having people glare at me with hatred. I cautiously raised my chopsticks to my mouth. I took a hesitant bite. I couldn't help but smile a true smile as I swallowed this sweet piece of heaven.

Raising the bowl to my mouth I slurped in a great influx of noodles, and was lost in the numbness of the warming treat as it spread throughout me. After swallowing down some more pieces of paradise I excitedly gasped, "'Tachi! This is the best thing that I've ever tasted! It's no wonder that you're so obsessive with it!"

He and the old man couldn't help but chuckle at my ramen high bliss. I continued to scarf down my meal. Normally I'd rather savor the tasty treat, but today my hunger won over my logic, and I was finished within seconds. I couldn't help but stare sadly at my now empty bowl wishing that my logic had one the battle.

I guess 'Tachi must have saw my reaction because he just smiled at me and told the chef, "Teuchi-san, how about getting Naruto-kun another bowl." I saw the old man give a nod of recognition as he placed 'Tachi's own bowl in front of him. He then headed off to cook more ramen. I was about to speak my own protests about 'Tachi wasting his money on me, but I was silenced once again as his fingers poked my forehead. "You can order anything you want. You can have as many bowls as you want. Don't worry about it."

He then faced his own bowl ready to consume his ramen and join me in this heaven. Picking up his chopsticks he muttered, "Itadakimasu." I've heard that phrase before, but never knew what it meant. I'd have to ask 'Tachi about it later. I was soon distracted from my own curiosity by 'Tachi's quizzical expression as he stared at his own meal. I couldn't help, but laugh at him. He mused, "Odd… the noodles and broth are …separate?"

With that my second bowl was placed in front of me, but this time I ate it in a much more slower fashion. This time I wanted to savor the flavor. I noticed that 'Tachi was doing the same thing too except that he was eating with much more elegance and grace. I felt ashamed at my previous actions. I mimicked 'Tachi's eating style as I ate my second bowl.

Now I had more time to have my taste buds studied the flavor and have my nose intake the scent I knew where I had smelt the scent of ramen before. Looking at 'Tachi I exclaimed with amusement, "You know what 'Tachi? You smell like ramen!"

Pausing in his mannered eating technique he chuckled, "I'll take that as a complement my little kitsune."

We sat in silence as we continued to eat our ramen. Though this time it was comfortable silence and not the awkward kind I faced earlier on. I think 'Tachi was some how managing to melt the icy chains bound to me – the ones that prevented me from trusting anyone. I mean all he ever did was shower me with kindness and warmth. …Besides he smelt like me – empathy. He along with the other two were different somehow. Maybe he, Sakura-neechan, Teuchi-jiji, Jii-san, and I could be the healers for this infected village, maybe…

But still… I couldn't find it in my heart to completely trust him and especially them. I doubted that I would ever be able to fully trust in someone. And there were still some key questions that I needed answers to, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to ask said questions. 'Tachi hadn't completely thawed those icy chains yet (it'll be a feat if he ever does), and the other two hadn't been nearly as warming as 'Tachi. Well I did spend the most time with him than the others. But still if I ask the questions then maybe I'll be able to help 'Tachi melt the ice even further.

I stiffened and my internal debate was forgotten as I heard customers (afternoon fiends as 'Tachi calls them) enter the ramen stand. What if they recognized me and ruined my perfect day? I didn't want that! I inched further into my corner and bled into the shadows behind 'Tachi hoping that I could be shielded by the much larger teen. I wanted to leave now, but both me and 'Tachi weren't even close to finishing our ramen, and I doubted that he would leave his bowl unfinished. Though these villagers did make me realize that I had to ask him this one question, or else the unknown answer might just kill me.

Stirring my chopsticks around in my bowl I debated whether or not to ask the question. I was trying to prolong the inevitable question by letting the seconds tick away. The flaw in my plan was that I really wanted to know the answer! In a hushed tone I asked, "What… What makes you different from all the rest? …Why don't you see me as a demon?"

'Tachi slurped down a noodle. He then turned to me and answered, "Well Lil Naru-chan not everyone is as ignorant as most of this village; you know that." I glared when he called me that name again, but let him continue on just because I wanted to hear the rest of his response. "People just misjudge you for something you have no control over. They think what they know is true, but in reality is it? Perhaps their whole reality is just shaped by lies fed to them, and they just refuse to accept the truth. We all live in our own fantasy worlds made up with our own beliefs and lies, but some have tools to alter their reality into a much closer form of what the world really is.

"The villagers are like dogs. They only see things in black and white. In their subjective realms they refuse to see the true colors of the world. The things they don't understand they see in color, and that color shatters their reality, which is what they live their lives by. To preserve their worlds they perceive reality as a dog would. They choose to fear what they do not understand. They refuse to believe that what they live by might in fact be a delusion. To the colorblind we are both monsters."

It took me a while to digest what the hell he was talking about, but after a couple of painstaking seconds, and a few bites of my ramen I think I understood. Kami, 'Tachi really knew how to complicate the answer to one simple question… At least it satisfied my needs. However, there was one phrase that was bothering me: To the colorblind we are both monsters. Both… Both. It clicked in my mind and I couldn't help but shout, "But they respected you!" It didn't make sense! Why—!

Coolly, 'Tachi responded, "That's because in their world I am too color. They fear me. More specifically the title I have earned. The phrase 'Kamaitachi' shatters their existence with its power. My skills supersede the grayness, and thus they don't understand the how. How can someone else rival Hokage-sama's strength. To them it is impossible to make ANBU captain at thirteen.

"They would rather shuffle me off to the blackness where the feared dwell. They think that by giving me false respect they will make them safe from me, and they hope that it will make them understand how I tick in their dimension. However, I can see past their deceit just like you can smell it. I see hate and fear underneath the pretexts. Their respect and love is false."

His words made sense, sort of. There was just one more question on the tip of my tongue that I needed an answer to. Problem was that I didn't want to be a bother and ask. I mean I was already asking too much of 'Tachi: having him buy me ramen, answering personal questions, and KAMI just saving me from everything! Asking for anything more would just show him how ignorant I was when it came to life, and how weak I really was. I hated being weak! Plus what can I do for him in return?

I took a couple more bites of my ramen to numb my mind in its warmth.

I'd have to curse Kami-sama later for giving 'Tachi the ability to see through my masks (ok I won't…) because he saw right through me. His all-knowing eyes peered into my soul, and saw my damned curiosity. "You know I won't mind if you ask me anymore questions dear Naruto-kun."

Sighing in defeat I mumbled, "Then why don't they fear Jii-san?" I saw his look of confusion at my nickname. "I mean Hokage-ojiisan." How can the damn bastard get me to open up like this?

"That is because they view him as the beam that supports this village. They treat him with respect because he is the one who withholds their reality. Without his power they would cease to exist, so to speak. The citizens of Konoha need a powerful leader to look up to without said leader there would be nothing left but chaos. Although I do say that this village is already falling to its doom."

Many questions spawned from the first. They were pleading with me to be asked. Hell 'Tachi even wanted me to ask. I wanted to unearth these answers from the shadows of the earth. Screw the whole weakness shit! I wanted to know something for once instead of having to be shoved in the dark about common knowledge. I knew I would regret all of this bold questioning later. "Why do they call you that? Kamaitachi I mean."

I saw 'Tachi smirk at this. He darkly chortled, "…Lets just say that I have many characteristics of a weasel, and I fight like a Kamaitachi." Okay… Lets just say I never want to get on your bad side.

That was the last question I asked. We both went back to eating our ramen. Though I was left pondering all of this newfound information. 'Tachi had said that the village hated me for something that I had no control over. …Did that mean that my parents did something bad when they were alive? Is that why everyone calls me a demon? Because my parents were sinful? But then Mizuki-sensei said that I killed them… Did that mean that someone wanted to kill me for revenge and my parents interfered? It made sense… I'm sure 'Tachi knew, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the truth today. I might just explode from hearing all of this information at once. I decided that if I waited eight years of not knowing I could wait a little longer.

The truth in the matter was that today gave me purpose to my meaningless life. It opened my vision to the truth instead of more lies. I wanted to voice my ambition to the one person who had inspired it. Still talking in a hushed tone I announced, "'Tachi! One day I'll be as strong as you! Then I'll be able to defend myself from the colorblind! And when I'm ready I'll take the title of Hokage! Then the villagers will acknowledge me for me, and I'll show them how badly they've misjudged me! I'll rebuild this village into a paradise! I'll be known as Kama Naruto!" Grinning, I proclaimed, "SEE! My name will be based after yours!"

I saw 'Tachi's uncertainty when he heard the new name for myself. I knew then that 'Mr. All-Seeing' had seen a flaw in my name. I knew he would voice his concerns to me, but really what could b wrong with my perfect name? I heard him suggest, "…Uh …How about Kama Kitsune instead?"

I repeated, "Sickle Fox?" What is up with him always referring me to a fox? Does he know about Kyuu-chan? Knowing 'Tachi he probably does. That or I have many fox like qualities like he has many weasel ones! I hope it's the latter because I would rather surprise him with Kyuu-chan sometime in the future when I'm ready.

"It fits. Besides who would respect someone called 'Sickle Fish Cake'?"

Scratching the back of my head I laughed, "Yeah… I guess you're right…" I was mentally screaming, Nani! I'm named after a fish cake!?

Shortly after my questioning, announcements, and shock 'Tachi and I finished our bowls of ramen in perfect synchronization. I heard him say, "Gochisosama deshita." He then left some yen on the table for Teuchi-jiji who was busy cooking ramen for the afternoon crowd.

I knew what this meant… We would be departing any second now… I would be leaving behind the warmth and would be entering a blizzard. 'Tachi could see everything. I could smell everything. We both knew what the other was thinking. He looked up at me and stated the truth. "I would like to stick around dear Naruto-kun, but alas I am expected to be at an important meeting in… less than five minutes. And besides you have to get back to class." My face fell at this piece of information, and with my previous distress I clearly felt like shit. Seeing this 'Tachi soothed, "Don't fret over this little kitsune. Your… sensei wouldn't dare bother you for the rest of the day, and tomorrow you'll be getting a new sensei, one who isn't as blind. I think his name is Umino Iruka."

I smiled at that. "Arigato 'Tachi!" And this time he listened.

I knew I couldn't prolong the inevitable. 'Tachi had to go to that meeting and I didn't want him to be late because of me. I didn't want to be a bug that spoiled his so-called never late status. He held out his hand again, and this time I knew what his intentions were. I grabbed his hand without hesitation, and he shunshin'd us back to the academy. Though this time it was less exhilarating since I knew what to expect.

I was now back at my sanctuary that was bordering my hell.

I heard 'Tachi say, "I have to go now Naruto-kun, but don't worry. I'll see you soon my little kitsune."

I didn't want my guardian angel to leave me, but I knew he had other important things to do. Besides there was no deceit in his words, and this time I knew that he never went back on his words. I said with bittersweet emotion, "Bye 'Tachi! And thanks for everything!"

He was about to poof away again but abruptly stopped. It seemed that he wanted to tell me something. I saw him smirk at me; I didn't like it. "Oh, and Naruto-kun. I'm just warning you ahead of time that I'm never buying you a second bowl of ramen again. You get too ramen high. Well ja mata." With that he poofed away.

I really hope he was joking, but sadly 'Tachi didn't seem to be the joking type…

— — Nightfall Addictions — —

oO — — — \\ P. Addictions / — — — Oo

I looked out of my apartment window and watched the sun slowly set, and the moon slowly become more visible to the naked eye.

Dusk was the closing of the day. It was the time when darkness was free to roam, and the light was forced to flee. It was a shroud to hide the misunderstood, but also the time of day when the true monsters could come out and prey on their victims. By now I had fully mastered staying hidden in the shadows of the night although I was really lacking in stealth when it was broad daylight. However tonight I was in no mood to sneak out into the nighttime air. Today had been exhausting (though not nearly as tiring as some other days), and I just wanted to relax in my tiny apartment.

As I stared out of my window I memories of my day came to mind. The rest of my day had been a pretty typical day for me: acting as the dead last, being ignored, the icy glares, and being mildly jeered at. Though the one major difference was that Mizuki-sensei just ignored me when I came back after lunch break. I guess 'Tachi was a miracle worker because whatever he did worked.

However, I still couldn't believe that I asked so many bold questions at lunch. My inane rambling was slightly embarrassing now that the whole scene replayed itself in my mind. Kami I let my guard down greatly, too greatly! And I was hyper, way too damned hyper. Plus I let him see way too much of me, the real me. He even managed to get my inner, naïve child like mind to surface for a bit – that whole Hokage nonsense. As much as I despise to think this I think 'Tachi might be right! I was ramen high! I'll never have that second bowl again… maybe… It just numbs my logic too much with its warmth.

'Tachi does too… He makes me feel… happy, and I don't like it. It's foreign. It shatters my reality! It's bringing brightness to my dark world, and now I'm thinking like 'Tachi!! Thinking like how he speaks – in figurative nonsense. Kami how I hate the bastard… Now that I've seen bright colors I now need to see him, and breath in his scent; he's my drug, and I'm completely addicted. I'll say it again I hate the bastard… He has me walking a fine line between life and death.

Sighing, I went into my room to grab my pajamas so I could go take a shower. Hopefully the water would be able to cleanse my mind.

Upon walking into my room I quickly notice that something was different. My eyes searched my room for this disturbance. My eyes landed on a cup of instant ramen laying innocently on my bed with what seemed to be a note attached to it. His scent radiated off of these two new items. Had 'Tachi been here? Was this a trick? I sniffed the air to ascertain the answer. The ramen was just that, and the note was a piece of normal paper and not some explosive tag. Everything seemed to be safe, so I tore the paper off of the cup to read it.

Unfolding the note the first thing that I noticed was the neat lettering. That seemed like 'Tachi. After musing over the neatness I read the contents of the letter. After glaring at the intro of the note I smiled a true smile. He didn't go back on his word.

Lil KK-chan,

Meet me tomorrow at the place that I smell like, just after the 'darkest hour'. If you don't come KK-chan I will personally hunt you down and poke you again.

KI

kI — — — Kk

xX — — \ \ Day I End / / — — Xx

kK — — — Ki

A/N:

Who could have known that this whole idea came from one of my English vocab words? Eh looks like school can be useful for something after all! Though I did end up missing whatever it was I was supposed to be learning while I was writing the outline for this idea. Oops…?

Yeah… this took me a while to post. Lets just say I'm as lazy as Shikamaru, but I did get over the fact that this is too 'troublesome' to post and started writing this the other day. Now that this is done I just have to say damn that was a lot longer than I originally thought it would be!! I have no idea when I'll update next though I will try to update asap, and this fic should be around 3 to 4 chapters.

Hmm I still don't know what caused me to add Sakura into this fic. I usually hate her. Eh well I think she gave the fic more depth and realistic feel. I felt that since Naruto likes Sakura in the anime/manga that I would make her likable in my fic. Naruto and Sakura are just friends and this won't be a NaruSaku fic. That's why when they're talking to each other I had them use niichan and neechan instead of kun and chan. They think of each other as more of brother and sister. There will be a lot more of Itachi in the next chapter!

Naruto will also be a lot smarter than he was in the manga/anime. He is also strong for the age of eight, but he is nowhere near being super powerful. His skills can range from jounin to gennin. Though most of his jounin level skills are because of the Kyuubi and the fact that getting attacked weekly has made him stronger.

The ramen that Naruto is eating shoyu ramen, which means the broth is soy sauce based. I'll explain what everything is in the order that Naruto described it: chasu – simmered pork, menma – fermented bamboo shoots, negi – onion rings, wakame – seaweed, and narutomaki – fish cake. The ramen that Itachi is eating is tsukemen ramen, which is a type of ramen where the noodles and broth are served separately.

I would appreciate any constructive criticism or opinions, so tell me what you think. So please review!!