Chapter 1:

NARUTO

Naruto didn't remember the last time he went a week without landing in a hospital. It seemed as if his whole life had revolved around the white paint and chemical smells. His eyes lifted from his sheets and to the door, hoping that soon enough a medic-nin would come through and tell him that he could go home. That was if the medic-nin would stop sneering enough and cursing his very existence to tell him what he needed to hear.

There really was no need to actually even stay at this point, seeing as his wounds from the most recent attacks had been healed. He scrunched up his nose at the stained gown he was given after his bloody shirt was stripped off his body and discarded as if it were trash by the nurses. With a sigh, he got off the bed, muscles aching from lying down for hours on end. With a few stretches and popping of bones later, he was able to move off the uncomfortable bed and locate his clothing.

His clothes were in the corner, as always, crumbled up and caked with blood. The villagers had gotten nastier as of lately, probably due to his promotion from civilian to genin. No one wanted the "demon boy" to get stronger and "go on another rampage," or so the villagers say. He sighed, letting the hospital gown slip down his body and replace it with the orange pants and black and orange shirt.

Without a back glance, he jumped from the window and to the ground underneath.

The walk home was silent, the night stars twinkling brightly in the moonless sky. Naruto sighed again, his eyes downcast and refusing to look up. There was no need to see where he was going; his feet already knew the path from the hospital to his rundown apartment. He could imagine himself over the years walking the same dirt road, each time with the same empty feeling in his chest. He was just happy that each time he didn't have to encounter the judging eyes of strangers who he called neighbors.

He had learned long ago, after the second attack, that no matter what he did, the villagers would always see him as a monster. It was a thought that had caused him to cry himself to sleep on many nights, but now, after many years of repeating it to himself, the same pain that came along with those words had receded into a numb throb. When another sigh had slipped through his dry lips, Naruto had decided to pick up the pace and not prolong the trip to his home. He needed the warm sheets and comfortable mattress of his own bed after spending a night or two sleeping in the hospital. Hospital mattresses were always bumpy and left him with back pain. Or maybe that was only his bed. He wouldn't put it past the staff to make his stay as uncomfortable as they could.

The blond, after what seemed forever, finally arrived at his door. He ignored the words painted on the walls of his building, knowing it wasn't anything that was going to lift his sour mood. He opened the door with ease and the first step into his save haven caused a weight to lift off his shoulders. He took a look around, taking in the view as if it were the last time he would ever see it. But seeing how his life was, that wasn't too far from the truth. As far as he knew, at any given time, he could lose his life. The real question was not when, but how? It seemed that he was most likely to die at the hands of a fellow Konoha inhabitant than an enemy. It was a sad thought but neither less a true one.

He closed the door and crossed the room, crawling onto the bed. Though he had slept for hours on end, his eyes had begun to droop and he was in no mood to protest. Come tomorrow, he would have to face the backhanded comments of his teammates and face the possibility of failing a test. Come tomorrow, he had a new level of Hell to deal with.

He slipped into the realm of dreams easily.

It's hard to know where I stand

Even a man on the moon couldn't tell me where to land

"Man On The Moon" – Phillip Phillips

When he awoke the next day, he had instantly regretted it. There was a saying that if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you were going to have an equally bad day. Whoever made the saying had to be hunted down and killed because it was true. Naruto had gotten up with a bad kink in his neck, late and still half asleep. All he wanted to do was crawl back between the sheets and lay down on his pillow for another eight hours. But now was not the time for that.

He had slept more than he should have and had to cut his bath short. When he had felt the cold water running down his back, he was no longer unhappy about a shorter bathing time since the landlord was once again being a prick. He got dressed in the only color he owed, even though he had the sudden urge to wear something darker to match what he was feeling. But he had to settle for his orange track pants, orange and blue jacket, and his black shirt with an orange swirl in the middle.

He needed to invest in new clothing. But for him to do that he needed to buy clothes outside of the village and for him to do that, he needed to acquire permission to get out. That last part was only possible if he was promoted to official genin and went on a mission outside of the village gates.

Naruto groaned and looked at the clock.

The blond was going to be later than he intended if he didn't leave within the next two minutes. He passed the kitchen after putting on his shinobi shoes, the only thing that wasn't orange in his closet and looked thoughtfully at an apple. Kakashi-sensi's instructions had been very clear: no eating in the morning, but an apple wouldn't hurt right? Sure he much preferred ramen since it was easy to acquire than a fresh apple was and still tasty but he couldn't let one fruit go to waste. Usually the fruit were on the verge of spoiling by the time he decided to eat one and he refused to get another upset stomach because of that.

He grabbed the apple, teeth biting into it before he sprinted off, his weapons pouch secured on his left hip.

He was sure glad he ate that apple. It was the only thing that had held him over since the fight had begun. Sadly, it had done nothing for his nerves. He never understood his crush on Sakura, especially not when he saw her like this. He was suppose to be as happy as he was when he had found out they had been assigned to the same team. But now, watching her as she fawned over his rival, he began to question his feelings for her.

He watched the way her green eyes, that reminded him so much of emeralds, flashed in joy and admiration. No, those eyes were not pointed in his direction but to Sasuke. Yet the raven haired boy, whose hair resembled that of a ducks ass, paid her no mind. He would kill to have those eyes pointed at him, but the only look he received was that of disgust. He should have known better than to expect another look from someone like her. He swallowed the bitterness that accompanied the disappointment and focused on the task at hand.

Sasuke was formulating a plan, after so many failed attempts at getting the wretched bells from Kakashi's belt. The silver-haired man had made it clear that he did not want his "team" to achieve their goal of getting the two bells before the sun rose. However, Naruto wasn't one to give up, not with so many things at stake.

Failing was not an option.

Sakura was talking again, but what came out her mouth wasn't much of importance. She was just agreeing, bobbing her head at every word that Sasuke said. Naruto for the most part kept his mouth shut, running his hand through his unruly blond hair and nodding his own head on occasion. His teammates paid him no attention, only speaking to him when needed and then going on as if he didn't exist.

He was fine with that.

He was use to that.

But a voice in the back of his mind forced him to acknowledge that no, he was not okay with being ignored. In fact, he was far from it.

"Hey guys." Two pair of eyes snapped towards him, one pair an empty black and the other emerald green.

"I have an idea you might like."

The plan remained mostly the same even after he added his input. But with his ideas came modifications to the original plan and a part of him was filled with joy.

The plan had worked and now Sasuke and Sakura had the two bells and he was tied to a stomp. His teammates were instructed, in a very grim voice, to not "feed him under any circumstances." But his stomach was growling loudly and was beginning to cramp up.

He needed food damn it!

Suddenly, a piece of fish was shoved near his mouth and Naruto's eyes trailed down the chopstick and to Sasuke's turned away face. He could have smiled but instead, he questioned the boy he had labeled rival since the first day.

Sasuke had just shrugged him off, muttered a few words and shoved the food closer to his mouth. Without any further thoughts, he bit what he was given. Sakura, seeing this, had copied Sasuke's actions and fed him. He had blushed at the action but ate the food without comment.

Of course, Kakashi had appeared as always, an orange book in his hand filled with perverted fantasies. He had commented in a tone that caused the kids to flinch, that "Naruto was to not be fed." Long story short, Team 7 had affirmed that they were a team and that he could go screw himself.

Kakashi had smiled in return under his mask, saying that "Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash."

That made Naruto very happy. He went home that day with a genuine smile and his chest cavity filled with happiness.