Through Another's Eyes

By

LigerJager

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

Chapter 2: Hapless and Happiness

"Did I miss anything?"

His chuunin instructor just deadpanned before answering. The obvious didn't really need to be stated.

"Just about the entire introduction of the exam, Naruto."

The class stared at him for a long moment. Silence and the awkwardness of the moment seemed to magnify as the blond began to fidget. It wasn't long before the children erupted en mass, shooting loud derogatory remarks and in general causing commotion that only tormented the blond more acutely.

Naruto felt as though pressure was building in his skull. It made him uncomfortable and now, without the distraction of physical movement, the pain was only made more acute.

The noise level rose and was becoming unbearable. Naruto felt the pounding in his head more keenly with every second. For a moment his mask slipped and all color vanished from his tan skin. It was only for a brief instant before he was back and as loud as ever, none of the students caught it.

Or at least he hoped none of them caught it. He had a reputation to uphold and since they took a lifetime to build and only seconds to destroy…he didn't even want to think about the aftermath should that happen.

Iruka barely caught the unhealthy pallor out of the corner of his eye and filed it away to review later. For the time being he'd concentrate on the task at hand and quickly quieted his class. It had taken the chunin a few moments to come out of his shock at the interruption as his concentration was derailed.

But taking those moments had allowed him to see what he otherwise wouldn't have. To know that all was not well with his troubled student.

Naruto took an empty seat while the older male finished his explanations for the graduation exam. He chose the back of the class in the darkest and quietest corner and buried his head in his hands, trying to desperately ignore the people around him.

No one gave him more than a passing glance anyways. After all they had more important things on their mind than the class clown, like passing the evaluation exam.

The volume of the class had only been amplified by each agonizing throb of his pounding headache. Had his sensei not acted when he did, Naruto was quite sure he would have done the most embarrassing thing he ever had in his life.

Had the noise continued he would have probably done the one thing he had promised himself that he wouldn't do outside of his lonely apartment after almost eight years.

He would have cried.

The pain that had been reaching almost unbearable levels, when he finally sat down, lessened as the quietness continued. It was all he could do to keep an upright walk that didn't sway or make him look drunk as he made his way up the steps. He couldn't afford to show weakness, not in front of his peers, he wouldn't live it down.

He was in such frail state, though no one would ever know, that it took all of his learned will power to keep from cracking. His stress had been compounded by everything that life seemed to throw at him.

He had to pass on this day. He just had to.

He was at the point where just one more trial, no matter how small or large, would be the straw that finally broke the camel's back. It could have been an insult, a shove, or a simple glare.

Anything.

And it would have been enough. He was tired. He was in pain and suffering. He was ignorant and unfocused.

He just wanted hope. Hope that things would get better. That he would have a future. That he would have some kind of purpose.

Some kind of relief from the hostility that plagued him daily.

He could talk loud and proud all he wanted. He could shout until he was blue in the face, which he'd done. He could say that he wanted shoot for the stars, to grasp his future and take control of his life.

But that was all it was. Talk.

Naruto shut his eyes in an attempt to capture a few blissful moments of sleep without the pain. It was the only escape he knew of that was within reach as Iruka was administering the exams and he didn't trust the class to not torment him further with noise if he did something.

Nothing else crossed his mind as he tried to imitate Shikamaru. It hurt too much to think.

That was how he stayed, uncharacteristically quiet during the entire part of the morning where the first half of the class was called in for preliminary testing.

…As well as through lunch.

…And the early part of the afternoon.

Hardly anyone noticed. And those who did, didn't think much of it. After all Naruto was Naruto and no one really contemplated him, it was a waste if they did.

For his part, Naruto was trying to nap. He'd left the remains of his aspirin, which he was beginning to suspect being nothing more than sugar pills, at the apartment complex so he was just trying to wing it.

For as long as he could remember, the blonde had been having attacks such as these, however this morning took the cake. Never had he thought that one would be this severe and that it would strike him on one of the most important days he ever had. It seemed that even his own body was conspiring against him.

With a sigh he moved to find a more comfortable position before he was called up. The main testing started in the afternoon, around two, so he had a little time to rest up beforehand.

The preliminaries were a last check to make sure those testing were indeed ready for the graduation exam. Naruto had already passed his earlier, with flying colors, so today's results wouldn't affect him until later, when the real trials began.

…

Shikamaru was having an otherwise unremarkable day. And normally he would have been just fine with that…however, there was a mystery afoot and it begged his attention.

How he loathed it. And the loss of his perfect morning.

And the blame could solely be found in one person. And he was the only one who ever managed to ruin his otherwise trouble free days just by showing up…excluding his mother of course.

The sleepy genius grimaced as his mental faculties were pushed into overdrive. It wasn't a terribly big mystery. In fact, the solution was anything but urgent. However, that didn't stop his interest from being piqued. And once a Nara had their attention focused, nothing short of a solution would satisfy that.

And that was the annoying part of the situation.

This was Uzumaki Naruto he was contemplating and that should have spoken volumes in and of itself. A simpleton, who was a brat to most everyone, ate nothing but ramen and was a certified idiot on other things.

Or was there something more going on there that he had yet to see?

He wasn't ignorant or foolish enough to ignore the behavior of the prankster. How could he when it was glaringly obvious that the troublemaker wasn't acting normal…for him anyways.

And the moment where the other boy simply turned white as a sheet. Anyone with eyes could tell that he was suffering from…something.

Sickness perhaps?

Mentally grumbling, the lazy genius went through a mental check list. All the while he was bemoaning the fact that his valuable time could be spent elsewhere doing something far more productive…like sleeping.

So in the face of not one but two monumental decisions, the Nara genius to the avenue that appealed to ihim most…and would cause him the least bit of pain. As it turned out, he just ducked his head in his arms and dozed. The mystery that was Naruto could wait another day.

It was a few hours before they would be called for the final practical anyways. With that in mind, the class brain took a nap.

And Naruto, had he noticed, would have been thankful. But then again, he took a page from the Nara's book and joined him in blissful slumber. Besides, Iruka Sensei always saved him for last. What harm could there be with a nap?

Strangely enough, it didn't register with the jinchuuriki that his head wasn't hurting at the moment.

::Tsuzuku::

A/N: I know, a terrible way to end the chapter. But here it is, after a year of pounding away at the writers block that crippled it before it started, Chapter 2 (*throws confetti around*)!

Until Next Time.

LJ 1/19/2009