1This is just a short Naruto story I woke up with one morning. I decided I needed a break from trying to write my other, longer stories. This is only a one chapter story, but at the end I shall tell you what I am planning for it in future.
Also, this is a simple friendship story - as suggested in the title, so no shipping suggestions please :D
The Making of Friends
Sasuke's standard issue ninja sandals sloshed quietly as he meandered through the twilit streets of Konoha, offering no protection for his frozen feet from the downpour above him. He had spent the evening in his old house, staring at the wall of his parent's old bedroom for at least four hours, before he could bring himself to move again.
Exactly three years ago today, his brother had gone mad and killed their entire family; leaving Sasuke to grieve in the village he so hated. No one understood. They praised him for surviving, for being the last Uchiha, the last potential Sharingan user and the heir to a fortune he wouldn't be able to access till he was 18 – in 8 years.
He often wished that they would hate him for being related to his brother, or even for having a feared bloodline. They didn't. Everyone treated him like some kind of superhero! He wasn't strong… he couldn't even stop his brother when it mattered most.
Well, not everyone, he supposed. The Hokage didn't.
'And that Dobe at the academy', his mind supplied.
'Wait, where did that come from?' It was true though, he supposed. The blonde featured frequently in his thoughts whenever they turned sour. His classmate was always so sunny, so happy with a constant, beaming smile lighting up his face. He never looked sad.
Sasuke wished he could be like that; without a care in the world. If Naruto had lived his life, he wouldn't be able to smile so much. He wouldn't be so happy.
Sometimes Sasuke just wanted to wipe that smile off his face and tell him that his pranks were stupid and childish. Maybe the blonde would get on with the other villagers more if he stopped upsetting them so often, no wonder Sasuke had caught some of the adults glaring when Naruto walked past.
Despite all that, Naruto was one of the only people who didn't worship the ground he walked on. From him, Sasuke seemed to get the same treatment as every other of his peers – though they certainly argued more than anyone else. Or rather, Naruto shouted at him and Sasuke stared at the boy and smirked while he worked himself up.
He enjoyed their interactions, looked forward to them even – they gave him a slap of reality when he most needed it.
His dark blue sandals continued to slosh down the wet pavement, his mind lost in circling thoughts of his brother and Naruto. He was just coming up to the centre of the village when he heard a strange groaning noise, originating from the wide alleyway on his right. His head jerked up towards it, his mind flashing back to his mother's bedtime stories of boogeymen and night prowlers. He knew he shouldn't have kicked the rock at that goose earlier! The boogeyman only came after naughty or disobedient children.
At any rate, the damn bird had already gotten its revenge – he'd had to be rescued by a passing Chunnin.
He tensed and pulled his hands out of his pockets, ready to run at any second. Through the rain he could just about make out a head of dull, blonde hair, falling limply around an almost lifeless, pale face. Was it a zombie? His heart rate picked up in fear before he pushed the emotion aside. Zombies didn't exist, everyone knew that.
He took a step closer, watching as the young boy – he know realised – pulled himself shakily to his feet, clutching his ribs and staying hunched over; as though he were in pain.
With a start, he recognised the figure – though he looked completely different from normal, missing the ever present smile and overly excitable spark in his eyes, which appeared whenever he thought up a new joke (which was every few seconds).
'Naruto?'
He took another step forward, watching as the – normally cheerful – blonde let his other hand slip away from where it had been braced on the wall, and stumbled forward. Sasuke could see what was about to happen – he had been training his eyes to read body movements since he was four after all.
He leapt forwards.
Naruto lay curled up in a dark alley, shaking as jabs of pain lanced through his body. He knew he couldn't stay there forever – sometimes they came back if they hadn't had enough fun, or if they thought he hadn't been beaten hard enough.
It was becoming hard for him to think straight, he could barely breathe and the pain was taking up all of his thoughts. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to straighten out, whimpering as the movement jostled his broken ribs. He couldn't move his right arm without almost throwing up. It lay stationary, bent out in front of him at an awkward angle.
He huffed out a breath and grit his teeth, groaning as he pushed himself up onto his knees. He began to crawl forward with one arm, the cold mud numbing his knees and hand, his hair flopping limply over his face. Every few seconds he was forced to stop and take in several deep breaths as he got the pain under control – they had come down hard on him that night.
After what felt like an age, he reached the mouth of the alley and stopped, giving himself time to regain his breath. His vision had started to blur and fade, black spots fighting to overtake the dismal scene around him. Thankfully he could no longer feel his right arm, but his ribs were absolute agony.
He gathered his feet underneath himself, using the corner of the wall to push his body up. He breathed in short gasps as he tried to hold back the nausea that was beginning to overcome him. He straightened up as much as his broken ribs would allow and brought his leg forward, starting the painful trek back to his dismal apartment.
Too late, he realised that his leg was too far to the side to hold his weight properly, and he watched with a strange detachment as his foot made contact with the wet ground, finding no purchase among the slippery cobles. It slid straight out to the right and sent his whole world tilting.
He lost consciousness before he hit the ground.
What the hell was he doing? Sasuke didn't even know - didn't want to know, so he put the question out of his mind and wiped the cloth once more over the slightly feverish brow under his hand. He had managed to catch Naruto before he hit the ground, his body moving before he had even made a conscious decision to help the idiot.
The blonde had just looked so fragile, so hurt and unhappy, that Sasuke couldn't help it. He had carried the Dobe all the way to his small – but tidy – flat; Naruto was an awful lot lighter than his Jumpsuit suggested. He was so thin that Sasuke couldn't help but worry over the blonde's health. There was a pot of rice simmering on the stove, which he definitely hadn't made for his rival – should he wake up.
Naruto's forehead wrinkled up on the next swipe, his eyes fluttering as he tried to wake up. This had been going on for a few minutes now so Sasuke wasn't too worried. He hadn't been able to touch the blonde at first. As soon as the damp washcloth had come into contact with the pale face, the Dobe had cringed away and batted weakly at Sasuke's hand. It had taken a few tries before Naruto finally accepted the treatment.
For the last hour, Sasuke had been watching in amazement as Naruto's wounds started to heal up. The skin had begun to knit back together, right in front of his eyes! That wasn't normal, he didn't even know how it was possible.
He'd had a bit of trouble when the Dobe's arm started to crack and straighten, drawing a few cries out of the both of them. He planned to ask Naruto about it if – when he woke up.
His mind jolted back to the present when the boy before him started to hum in annoyance; as though he were just waking up from a normal night's sleep.
Light eyelashes fluttered open, squinting slightly in the bright ceiling light over his head. It briefly occurred to Sasuke that he should turn it off, what if the Dobe had a concussion? But he couldn't be bothered to get up just yet, and it wasn't like he cared for the blonde's well-being or anything.
He briefly wondered what was going to happen now. He hadn't really planned for when the Dobe woke up, the thought had been supressed from his mind as soon as he picked up the underweight blonde. He watched apprehensively as the sleepy haze in Naruto's eyes cleared enough for him to recognise Sasuke, sitting by his head with a washcloth held limply in his hand.
"Wha… Sasuke?"
Naruto woke up slowly, taking a good amount of time to appreciate the comfortable bed he was lying on. He hummed contentedly before finally deciding to figure out where he could be.
'This certainly isn't my bed… The hospital bed Jiji gets me into isn't this comfy either.'
He doubted he was in a hostile environment, he would be tied up if that were the case. His nose twitched slightly as he tried to identify the scent around him. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it; he definitely knew the person. He gave up the challenge pretty quickly, figuring that the answer would be pretty obvious if he just opened his eyes.
'Obvious indeed'. Was the first thought that went through his sleep hazed mind as his eyes fluttered open. The second was:
"Wha… Sasuke?"
He stared up at his rival, the one person he desperately wanted to befriend and the only person he thought might actually reciprocate his affections. Jiji loved every decent person or thing in the village, so he didn't count. He wondered what to do next.
He could see the washcloth held in a limp pale hand, and could feel the dampness of his forehead; both signs that Sasuke had been caring for his through the night. He winced as his brain reminded him of the pain from last night, even though the physical evidence had gone from his body. He'd always healed fast like that, and after numerous failed attempts to get answers from those around him, he eventually managed to find out for himself why he was such a … well, why he was a bit different from his peers.
He'd kept the knowledge to himself for the 2 years since he'd found the truth, but now…
'Crap, what has he seen? I doubt I'd be here if he hadn't seen me in a bad state, and now I'm fine.'
At any rate, he did appreciate Sasuke getting him off of the street so,
"Why did you help me?"
Whoops, not quite the thank you he was aiming for. He was very curious though, he wouldn't have expected it of the ice prince who treated him as the biggest annoyance in his messed up life. He stared up at dark eyebrows as they furrowed, creasing up the skin in between. Naruto felt too open and defenceless, lying prone below his supposed rival. He pushed himself backwards and up with his arms, the covers falling off his naked torso and bunching around his waist.
He froze for a moment, before realising that his trousers were still in place underneath the duvet. There were bandages half slung across red marks on his chest and waist. His guess was that Sasuke had started trying to help with the bleeding, before noticing that the blood had stopped flowing and the wounds were already disappearing underneath new layers of skin.
He watched curiously as Sasuke abruptly stood, turning to the table behind him and grabbing a spare, dark blue t-shirt from the top. He chucked it at Naruto without turning around and spoke in a very quiet voice.
"Yours was stained, it's in the wash."
Naruto didn't move for a moment, the shirt in front of him ignored as he stared, eyes not leaving the red and white fan presented to him. Sasuke sounded… hurt, almost. Or, scared?
'He saw me heal in a couple of hours, I bet he's terrified. It'll be him calling me a monster next. Then his fangirls will pick it up, then the whole class! The ones that don't already avoid me at least.'
He supressed a groan and pulled the top over his head. It fell loosely over his small torso, he preferred the bulk of his jumpsuit, but wasn't about to complain.
"Thanks."
Sasuke showed no sign that he had heard, but his graceful fingers started to drum lightly over the wooden surface at his waist. Naruto wasn't sure what to do next, should he talk to Sasuke about it? Or should he just leave and let things happen?
He didn't really know if he wanted to tell anyone yet, and he certainly didn't think he could trust Sasuke with his secrets. Perhaps it was best he just leave, Sasuke might eventually shrug it off as a bloodline or a freak occurrence, since that was what he was. A frea-
"NO"
His hand jumped to his head as he winced. No, he wasn't a freak, Sasuke would just pass it off as a bloodline or… something. He started to get up, needing to get away from the current situation. Sasuke turned around as he was swinging his legs off the – very comfortable – bed.
"What are you doing?"
"I- Going, I'm going. Er, thanks and stuff." He muttered the last part under his breath, too embarrassed to clearly voice the gratitude he felt for the help. No one had really helped him before. Jiji rarely found him, and when he did he never stuck around long enough to see the doctors chase Naruto out of the hospital.
"Dobe, sit down. You're hurt-"
Sasuke's last words seemed more reflexive than anything else, even so, Naruto stopped his ascent and plopped back down on the bed, shocked by Sasuke's apparent concern.
"Teme. I'm fine. I don't… it doesn't stay long."
Sasuke just looked at him, there was a strange look in his eyes that Naruto had never seen before. He was unsure how to identify it, but it didn't look like Sasuke hated him; though the fear still seemed to be there.
"How did you do it? I thought you were dying or…. What happened?"
He didn't like seeing Sasuke like this. He'd never seen any emotion other than arrogance and self-loathing in the eyes of the class genius. He was pretty sure the arrogance was faked though, he knew what real arrogance looked like, and Sasuke just didn't have the disdain for others that usually accompanied it. Sure, he often talked down to Naruto when he had his idiot act on – which was always – but he'd never acted like Naruto was any less of a person than himself.
"Nothing happened, I'm fine." He couldn't say what happened, that he was too weak to defend himself.
"I saw you! You can't deny it. You had cuts everywhere and your arm-"
His voice was still at a low monotone, but there was the fear again, the fear of Naruto's weirdness. He was surprised Sasuke hadn't chucked him out yet. He flexed the arm in question, noting that the bone was still noticeably stiff.
"It was just a little spat, it happens." He lost to a load of civilians, just like usual; the outcome never changed. It would be more painful if he fought back.
"Who with?"
"Why the hell do you care? So what if people don't like me? They never have! You knowing isn't going to change anything so stop asking."
"Should I have left you in the street Dobe?"
Naruto had nothing to say to that. He was grateful, but he was also annoyed.
"Tell me why I had to find you in the gutter."
"Because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's why!" I don't need you sticking your nose in."
"Naruto!"
'What the hell do you want?'
"You're supposed to be clever, stop being an idiot. A friend would do you some good, just tell him what happened."
'You're supposed to be on my side, not his!'
He received a mental slap for his trouble, causing him to grumble under his breath about 'annoying fur balls'.
"What?"
Naruto shot a glare at his dark haired rival and huffed in annoyance.
"They just beat me up occasionally OK? It's nothing big, they get restless every so often and need an outlet."
"Who's they?"
"Just… some of the villagers, no one specific."
"Anyone I'd know?"
"I don't know, maybe that girl in our class – the pink haired one – her mum comes sometimes."
Sasuke looked down, as though taking a moment to think about it. He then nodded to himself, connecting the description with a face.
"She's in your fan-club from what I remember."
A slim nose crinkled in disgust at the mention of his admirers and he flashed Naruto a dark glance. Naruto held up his hands in mock surrender and continued with his story.
"It generally gets worse in October, since it's my birthday soon – that's the worst night."
"You get that on your birthday?" Sasuke interrupted with an almost horrified look. Pfft, pampered asshole. The village worshipped him every day, especially on his birthday. Naruto suddenly realised the large difference between himself, and the boy who had taken a seat in a – slightly rickety looking – wooden chair by the bed.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore." He winced at the harsh tone his words had come out in. It wasn't the best way to thank Sasuke for the hospitality he was being shown. He bit his lip and looked down towards his feet, swinging nervously just above the hardwood floor. There was no carpet in Sasuke's apartment, but it seemed to make the place look cleaner – if slightly cold.
Silence stretched between them for a few minutes. Naruto could feel Sasuke's eyes boring a hole into his head, but refused to look up from his toes; he felt too awkward to try and restart the conversation.
"How did you heal so fast?"
Naruto's feet froze, and the gears in his mind struggled to keep up with panic that had flooded them at the question.
'Craaap. I thought he would've forgotten about that by now… What do hell do I say?'
"You could always tell the truth." The suggestion drew a mental bout of sarcastic laughter out of him.
'And have him freak out and fetch the mob? I don't think so. I thought you hated Uchiha's anyway?'
The Kyuubi had told him on multiple occasions how much he despised the clan, and about how he wouldn't be stuck in Naruto if Madara hadn't been such a sore loser.
"Perhaps…. It is time you made your own experience with the clan. It seems that at current, he is the only one you can have a reasonable conversation with; you should make good use of that, in spite of my distaste for his family."
'… You've gone mad haven't you?"
"Stop being such a stubborn idiot! I don't know how someone so stupid can manage to function as MY container. If you're not going to tell him the truth, then at least stop staring at him like a retard!"
With that said, the Kyuubi withdrew his consciousness from their shared mind, and returned to his faked slumber (His favourite position whenever he couldn't be bothered to deal with the world). Naruto took his advice and shut his jaw – which had fallen open in his panic. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell the Teme – only that it certainly wouldn't be the truth.
"Ummm… I don't know?" Wow, very convincing. "I was just born with it, I don't think there's ever been a time where I've taken longer than a day or two to heal. Can you keep it to yourself though? Most people don't really seem to notice – they're usually drunk when they come after me." He added in response to the confused twist in the slim eyebrows he had fixed his eyes upon.
"Oh… do you get sick?"
'Ever the smart one'
"No, I've never gotten ill."
Dark eyes turned contemplative, and Naruto was unprepared for the next question.
"Why has your speech changed?"
'…um'
"What do you mean?" He figured out the answer just before Sasuke replied.
"You sound so much more refined than normal, usually your pronunciation is awful."
"Uhhh, gee. Would you hate me if I said I'd been faking?" Nervousness bled into his tone as he realised how much he hoped the answer would be 'no'. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly held an overwhelming desire to be friends with this stuck up prick, who had managed to have an entire conversation with him without calling him a monster or chasing him out of his house.
What the hell was going on?
"That depends. Are you going to tell me why?"
Naruto considered for a second, before deciding that, yes, he would.
"They beat me harder if I'm smart or strong; I think it scares them."
"Can you tell me why?"
Definitely not. "Can you stop asking?" He hurried on, cutting off whatever denial he was sure the brooder was about to make. "I might tell you in the future, I just can't… I don't want to risk it right now. It's hard."
In sasuke's eyes, Naruto could clearly see another unidentifiable emotion. He had no clue what it could be, and didn't want to sound weird by asking.
"Fine. But I'm holding you to that."
"Fine."
They sat there awkwardly for a few minutes longer before a tentative suggestion worked its way out of Naruto's lips.
"Do you wanna, umm…" He tried again. "Do you want to… get Ramen with me? You don't have to, I just- I'll go, see you around."
He stood up abruptly, embarrassed, and headed for the door.
"Wait!"
If he didn't know any better, Naruto would have said the expression on his rivals face was desperation. But that wasn't possible, was it?
"Ahem" Sasuke cleared his throat, a light, pink tinge blossoming across his cheeks. "Nevermind."
Naruto bobbed his head and turned back to the door.
"Would you like to hang around here tonight?" He continued at the incredulous look Naruto shot him.
"It would be harder for them to find you wouldn't it? If you were here instead…?"
"Umm…" Forget trying to keep up, Naruto's brain had crashed at the offer of the notorious 'ice prince'.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again when his vocal cords refused to work. Swallowing, he tried again.
"I… guess so? Sure, thanks."
Neither of them were looking at each other now, both were facing opposite directions as Naruto continued on to the door and Sasuke busied himself with the hem of his shorts. He paused with the door knob in hand.
"I'll see you later then?"
"Yeah, later."
Without glancing back, he opened the door and took a deep breath of mid-day air. He let the door close behind him and decided a walk would be best – to clear his head and make sure the world had not suddenly been turned on its head during the night.
Sasuke only heard the loud hissing noises as he was putting his chair away.
"Shoot!"
The rice had boiled over.
AU: So! That's that, Sasuke and Naruto are now on their way to becoming fast friends. Whilst this is only a short story, I have plans for a sequel - taking off when they exit the academy. If you are interested, please favourite this story and I shall put a notice up on here when I start it.
Thank you for reading X