Back then they were just kids...
Title: “Square Sun”
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: G
Summary: Even ninjas can act awfully childish at times. Naruto and Sasuke in detention together back when they had thoughts and dreams to share. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: ‘Naruto’ belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
A/N: Just a random idea that came to me yesterday. Takes place early in Season 1. May be considered SasuNaru if you really squint.
SQUARE SUN
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“Sasuke!” Kakashi’s voice was suddenly cold and had a metallic clank to it. Sasuke stirred under the sensei’s inquiring gaze. “Don’t lie to me. I know there’s something wrong.”
“I said nothing!” Sasuke persisted. “He’s crazy enough as he is.”
“Do you expect me to believe that Naruto just picked a fight? That he simply attacked you for no reason? It’s not like him.”
Sasuke lowered his eyes. It was stupid. And it was entirely his fault. He was tired, exhausted by endless training that seemed to give no results, and he merely snapped. Who knew Naruto would react like that to a simple stupid remark?
He was told to fetch Naruto to the training ground. He found the yellow-haired nightmare sitting on the hilltop staring at the great mountain where all the Hokages’ images were carved. Sasuke followed his gaze and understood that Naruto was looking directly at the Fourth.
“Oi, blockhead!” he called briskly. “Enough wasting your time staring at that stupid statue. You’re holding us up.”
Naruto turned his head and flashed Sasuke an unnaturally calm glance. And then he jumped. Taken aback, Sasuke forgot to resist. Naruto punched him hard in the face, and then over and over again, as if brimming with desire to ruin the perfectly still features of the Uchiha boy. Blood welled up.
And then someone pulled Naruto off of Sasuke, and the boy didn’t have time to fight back and avenge the scratch marks and bruises on his face.
“Don’t you dare say such things!” Naruto screeched. “Don’t you ever say anything like that again!”
Sasuke spat off the blood and stared at the shaking Naruto. Squeezed in the strong embrace of Kakashi-sensei, he couldn’t move and just glared back at Sasuke with uncharacteristic fury. Kakashi released him, having made sure the boy wouldn’t jump back into fight, and drove him away, and Sasuke ended up questioned and still refused to confess the reason of Naruto’s sudden aggression.
“All right,” Kakashi said. “I have just the right mission for you, then. Go and clean out the stables. And learn patience.”
“Right,” Sasuke muttered, brushing the dirt off his shorts. “Teamwork.”
Naruto was already working the shovel when he entered the stables. The strong smell of hay and dung cloyed the air. Sasuke grabbed the shovel and drove it hard into the yellowish mess. Naruto stared at him angrily, but oddly enough Sasuke could tell that his rage subsided, and it was just the usual Naruto-hating-being-in-his-company mode. That was familiar and somewhat relieving. That was the kind of Naruto he knew and had grown accustomed to. It just felt natural…
Sasuke shook off the strange numbness and went on with his work.
Kakashi dropped by once on the sunset, shook his head approvingly and waved his book at them. “Good work! Do go on!”
“But… But I’d rather-,” Naruto tried to protest.
“That’s detention, and it’s not supposed to be pleasant.”
Sasuke gritted his teeth. He could have sworn the sensei was grinning beneath his mask.
“Damn waste of time, this is!” Naruto exclaimed. ‘Great, now he’s gonna start bitching!’ Sasuke sighed inwardly. Indeed, a few more minutes passed, and the idiot broke into whining. Sasuke rolled his eyes, glad that no one could see it and pretended to be off somewhere else. Preferably with no Uzumaki Naruto in sight.
Why had he been so mad about the statues? These were just damn statues, after all. Or maybe it was the Fourth specifically… Sasuke couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sweat dripped down his face. It seemed that no one had entered these damned stables for centuries.
A loud gurgling noise snapped him back to reality. He looked around and saw Naruto’s puzzled face. The sound repeated. The blond grinned widely. ‘Oh, it’s his stomach again… Honestly, is he always hungry?’ And then his own stomach complained. Naruto grinned became wider as though he wanted to say: ‘Ha!’ and stick out his tongue.
Annoyed, Sasuke walked outside, opened a small bag that was strapped to his belt and took out a couple of wild apples. A good shinobi was supposed to take care of such predicaments beforehand. From the corner of his eye, he caught Naruto staring with envy and spun around to give the blond a better look. Let him stare. He deserved it.
Naruto humphed noisily and made a proud face that somehow didn’t fit in with his lively features. And this man would one day become the Hokage…
Maybe that was the reason. Naruto hadn’t wanted him to insult the mountain because he hoped to have his face carved into it one day, too. Sasuke balled his free hand into a fist. Paranoid! ‘Stop thinking about it! Why should I care about his naïve idiotic dreams!?’
He plunged his teeth into the juicy apple. Sour juice splashed over his chin. Naruto bit his lip in a suddenly plaintive manner and pretended to look elsewhere. Knowing he’d probably loathe himself for it later, Sasuke took another apple and held it out to Naruto. The blond’s eyes widened, but he braced himself and looked away with a look of wounded pride. Growing restless, Sasuke averted his eyes and stretched his hand as far as he could without moving. Naruto’s stomach whined again. The blond came near cautiously, pursed his lips and grabbed the apple. No words were said. Sasuke needed none.
Come nightfall they walked home silently, side by side, barely shifting their legs. Their arms and shoulders sore, they could barely breathe. It felt worse than having to run up the trees back in the Wave Country…
Sasuke halted. Bathed in starlight, the great mountain looked beautiful. For the first time in his life Sasuke felt something towards those mighty rocks coated with silver glazing. Something close to the feeling he had when he saw the Uchiha fan on the building of the police department.
Longing.
Belonging.
Naruto had never been part of a clan, of a family, of a group of friends. Naruto had only ever had himself. Sasuke wondered if that was what Naruto felt whenever he glanced up at the Hokages.
“Are you gonna just stare at that stupid mountain?” Naruto taunted. Sasuke smirked. Echoing his own words? How predictable.
“No,” he said with a trace of suggestive grin upon his lips. “I think I’m going to have a closer look.”
He strolled leisurely towards the mountain. Naruto caught up with him and squared his shoulders, grinning wildly as if it were his idea. ‘Moron,’ Sasuke sighed, albeit without irritation.
“So,” he uttered indifferently, “I heard you vandalized it once…”
Naruto laughed. “Yup.” Faint blush crept out on his cheeks.
“Why did you do that?”
“I dunno,” Naruto shrugged. “Guess I was trying to get people to notice me.”
“That’s a stupid way to get people to notice you,” Sasuke commented coldly.
“Huh! Like I asked for your opinion!”
The night was still and clear. The boys sat on hilltop where the grass was still stained with ruby drops of Sasuke’s blood, and watched the moonlight glide over the Hokages’ inspired faces. It dawned upon Sasuke that these eyes were actually looking upon something. Far, far away. Into the night. Into the future of the many generations to come. Protecting the village. Forever and always.
And suddenly these stars, these faces, this wind rustling gently through the tree-tops - everything had a meaning. And so did Naruto’s presence. He was closer than Sasuke would have ever willingly let him to be. Sasuke could see his chest heave serenely; he heard the peaceful sound of his breathing and smelled the faint scent of hay that stuck to his clothes…
Silver starlight poured over the spiky hair of the Yondaime. Sleek beams licked his cheeks casually. Sasuke couldn’t help but notice a certain similarity… Like a distorted image from the past… A retouched photograph…
“Hey, don’t you think we look a bit alike?”
Sasuke looked at his teammate, his eyes wide with surprise. Then back at the Fourth, and then at Naruto again. Startled at the way he echoed his own thoughts, the boy scrutinized Naruto gravely.
The Yondaime did have bushy blond hair. And sparkling blue eyes. But then again, a lot of people did.
“No,” Sasuke said abruptly.
Naruto scowled, but let it slip. He shoved his hand into his disheveled hair and scratched the back of his head. A moonbeam spilled over his forehead protector and twinkled brightly.
“Don’t you ever take it off?”
“Huh? This? Naw, it’s a symbol of me being a ninja.”
Sasuke snorted. ‘Dumb ass…’ “A headband doesn’t make you a ninja.”
“Mine does. It’s special. Iruka-sensei gave it to me right after…” Naruto hesitated. By the set of his jaw Sasuke concluded there was much more behind the story, but he didn’t press. Memories, after all, were better not to be disturbed. “Anyway, it’s a symbol. And I’m holding on to it.”
Sasuke’s eyes were fixed on the spiral that stood for the Leaf carved into the metal protector. Pale reflexions played over its simple curves. Round, and round, and round…
“Symbols are meaningless if there’s nothing behind them,” Sasuke whispered. The feeling of utter defeat engulfed him, hopelessness in its purest form. Naruto still had something to believe in. After all this time. After all the loneliness.
Of course it had been so much easier for him from the start. He had never known his parents. And come to think about it, Sasuke, too, had never heard of an Uzumaki family in Konoha. To his knowledge, Naruto was the only bearer of that surname.
The blond was grinning. Again. It seemed that his features simply could not stay serious and transformed inevitably into a mask of wild joy. ‘How can he smile? How can he smile after all the pain, after all the tears? Did he ever cry? Did he cry like I did? Does he really know how it feels? What is he?.. Why the hell is he staring at me?’
“You’d know all about it, wouldn’t you?” Naruto winked at him.
Sasuke’s jaw hardened. Right. The Uchiha fan was embroidered on all his t-shirts. It just made him feel safe and never let him forget about his duty.
He balled his fists, trembling slightly. He rose in a swift motion and said: “Come on, blockhead, we’d better go home lest Kakashi should think I killed you here.”
Naruto sprang up and snarled: “Hey! I beat you earlier! Would have smashed that pretty face of yours into a bloody mess if Kakashi-sensei hadn’t stopped me!”
“Heh,” said Sasuke. The wind slithered underneath his t-shirt and sent chills over his skin. The night was getting colder. It was time to go home.
“I burned ya!” Naruto grinned.
Sasuke chuckled. “In your dreams, blockhead.”
August 9-10, 2007