Hi all *waves nervously*
Um...this is one of my first Naruto fics, and I thought I'd post it here to get an opinion. It's an AU, so please keep that in mind while you read.
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Winter Sleep
Prologue
Written by Takato Metallium
Plot: AU, will be slash (KibaNaru), slight spoilers. Thirteen years ago when the Kyuubi no Kitsune appeared, things went rather differently. Bloodthirsty, with a dark, deep hatred for the villagers of Konoha, it will take a lot to change Uzumaki Naruto.
Disclaimer: I disclaim all rights to Naruto, as it and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the fic, the idea and not much else.
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Lanterns were hung up around the streets of Konohagakure, decorating the town in festive colours for the annual Festival of the Yondaime, held every year on October 10th. Villagers dressed in kimonos, and all around the streets were stalls filled with games and food and other such prizes.
Hatake Kakashi wasn’t one for celebrations, especially when it concerned the Festival of the Yondaime.
The night sky shining above him with its glittering stars and constellations, the masked Jonin leant against one of the three wooden poles in the training grounds, cross-legged as he watched the clouds shift and change overhead. It was a full moon, so it wasn’t as though he was without light.
Kurenai and Asuma had tried to drag him to the festival earlier, but he would have either felt like a third wheel or the memories of that night would have flooded back, and he didn’t want anyone to see him crying.
Taking a sip from the sake cup in his hand, he let his gaze fall upon the stone in the center of the field, upon which were the names of the heroes of Konohagakure engraved…the names of those who had died in the line of duty.
In truth, Kakashi remembered little of that night. A ninja only remembered the blood and jutsus he uttered, plus he supposed he could blame it on the excessive drinking he did around this time of year.
He blinked up at the night sky in thought, raising the sake cup to his unmasked lips again, remembering the fading face of a young boy he once had a crush on. Umino Iruka, a sensible but sometimes loud-mouthed brunet brat with his hair pulled back in a ponytail and kind hazel eyes.
It had been only a few months after he had lost Obito on that mission that he had run into the brunet at Ichiraku, the ramen restaurant, for the first time. Kakashi had taken it upon himself to meet Iruka between missions whenever he could, having taken a liking to the other boy.
Taking another sip from his cup, Kakashi sighed a little and looked to the ground, his one blue eye glimmering in the moonlight like the lake. It had taken him months to figure out that he had the beginnings of a puppy crush on Iruka, but considering the other boy was ten years old, he didn’t bother acting on it. However, the night before the Kyuubi attacked, the brunet had taken the incentive and kissed him lightly on the lips, just chaste enough to remember the feel.
He remembered the disbelief he had felt when he saw Iruka’s body alongside that of the boy’s parents in the dawn when Minato-sensei’s sealing jutsu had taken care of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, but at the cost of his teacher’s life. And thus, Kakashi came here every year to the training grounds to drink himself silly with the excuse of toasting to old friends long gone.
Kakashi’s ears perked up when he heard the sound of sobs coming from somewhere nearby, standing from his seat with a little bit of a wobble, regaining his footing before he began walking towards the source of the noise. He had to snort in disgust when he saw a blonde boy looking to be no older than four or five, recognizing who it was immediately, even before the kid looked up with fright in his bright blue eyes.
“Get out of here, demon,” the normally stoic Jonin grunted, his words slurred with the sake he’d drunken, wanting to raise his leg back and kick at him. “Yer cryin’ on th’ graves o’ the dead…disturbin’ their sl’ep.”
The boy’s bottom lip wobbled, marks across his skin showing Kakashi that he’d already had things thrown at him, including rotten fruit as a tomato slid sloppily down the side of his face. “I…I’m sorry, mister…I didn’t know…”
“Bah. Ge’ out o’ here...” The kid scrambled up and ran away, the silver-haired Jonin watching before he sank to his knees back on the grass beside the stone. It took him a moment to think, blinking to clear his head before he huffed, looking at the stone. “Be back in’a sec, Iru…kid made me forget the damn sake…”
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Uzumaki Naruto ran, as he had been doing so since the ninja back there had told him to do. He hated this day, his so-called birthday. Why was everyone mean to him? People called him names, whispered about him behind their backs when they thought he couldn’t hear, threw things at him and shouted drunkenly at him. Naruto knew he wasn’t the only orphan in the village, so why was it only he who was treated this way? Treated like he wasn’t worth anything less than the dirt beneath their feet?
He curled up in a cave to the far north of the training grounds, a place he always came to when it came to avoiding the Festival of the Yondaime, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, beginning to cry again as he wiped tomato residue from his face. He just didn’t understand why…
Poor, poor little kit… Naruto raised his head at the sound of the voice, his sniffles beginning to lessen as his bloodshot eyes looked around for the source. I’m afraid it’s because of me that you’re being treated so…
“Wh…who’s there? Who are you?”
A laugh, a deep rumble that sent a shiver up the blonde boy’s spine. Look to your stomach…I am the reason those markings were placed there…
Uncertain, Naruto lifted his dirty shirt, sniffing when he saw the circular marking that made his stomach look like a ramen topping. “You’re inside my…my belly…?”
The voice sighed, and he could hear the typical adult tone that told him he was being stupid. I see we have a long way to go, gaki… Tell me…do you ever hate the villagers for the fear and distrust they place in you?
“S-sometimes…”
Do you want to do something about it? The voice wrapped around his brain like silken fire, and Naruto felt like succumbing to the promises he was seeing in his head. Pay them back for all the hurt they’ve caused you…?
“Y-yeah…”
Like I said, we have a long way to go, kit…
End of prologue
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Well, what did you think? Hate it? Like it? Think it could need improving?
I'm in the process of looking for a beta reader for this fic, if you'd like to apply, please send me a PM with 'Winter Sleep' as the subject.
Thanks for reading!
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