Disclaimer: Alas! My friends, I do not own Naruto. Oh, the drama!
Full Summary: "Some people are beyond help, but no one is beyond hope." But Naruto doesn't want to settle for hope...
When a young Uchiha transfers to Naruto's school, the two initially clash. But as time goes on, he realizes something is very wrong and struggles to help Sasuke, a nearly impossible task as the Snake's hold on the dark boy tightens.
Yaoi, NaruSasu.
Advance Warnings:
-Self-Mutilation.
-Orochimaru. Yes. He gets his own warning.
-Yaoi. As in a boy/boy relationship. Nothing explicit. Sorry?
-Angst. I heart torturing people.
Pairings: NaruSasu; as in seme!Naruto. A minuscule amount of one-sided OroSasu, but nothing happens; it's almost nonexistant. There's not going to be any sexual abuse. I'm sorry if that disappoints you. There are also tiny hints of SakuSasu, but they won't ever, ever get together. That's right, I like Sakura! Oh, the shock. :cough: But she's not a big part of the story. At all.
Potential
Chapter 1
Naruto shifted next to Shikamaru, waiting for Asuma, his chemistry teacher, to show up. To be honest, he'd wanted to sit next to Sakura, but she wouldn't have it, and due to (sometimes painful) past experiences, he'd learned to back down. Shikamaru was already falling asleep beside him; but then, he was the laziest kid in school.
Finally the class door opened, revealing Asuma and... someone else.
Who the hell transfers this late in the school year? Naruto wondered.
It was early March and he knew he had never seen the boy before.
His face was unnaturally pale, framed by blue-black hair that seemed to want to naturally spike up in the back; a couple of undone buttons at the top of his shirt revealed skinny collarbones, and his lips, pale as his skin, were pressed firmly together; his softly slanted almond eyes pools of endless black.
Naruto shivered and thought that if he stared at those eyes too long he'd be swallowed up by them, but looking at those eyes he saw something he saw every day looking in the mirror...
Those dark eyes roamed the room as if he were evaluating them.
"Alright everyone," Asuma began, "This is Uchiha Sasuke. He transfered from Tokyo just this week. Now then..."
A few of the girls whispered to each other, noting his obvious good looks. Naruto noticed how Sakura looked longingly at the newcomer.
Lucky bastard. He can probably get any girl he wants in here.
"Why don't you sit next to Hinata over there?" Asuma suggested. Sasuke nodded, making his way to the Hyuuga girl. Hinata blushed (more from the glares she recieved from her fellow females than the fact Sasuke was sitting next to her) and looked away, mumbling what was probably a greeting, before glancing timidly at Naruto. She blushed more, fixing her pale eyes on her desk. The head of the class, Aburame Shino, led them through the opening ceremony before they began schoolwork.
Naruto curiously watched Sasuke throughout class.
The pale boy seemed to ignore everyone except for Asuma, jotting down notes. Occasionally, when Asuma's back was turned, a girl would try to talk to the newcomer, ranging from bold flirting to simple greetings. Sasuke would look at them, then turn back to his notebook.
Arrogant bastard. Girls are practically throwing themselves at his feet and he just ignores them.
"How troublesome..." Shikamaru whined next to him, opening one eye and glancing balefully around. "If this guy didn't turn up, people wouldn't be so noisy."
"Shut it, Nara." Ino hissed from the table in front of them. It seemed they had interrupted her drooling. Shikamaru only rolled his eyes and attempted to sleep again.
Even Shikamaru doesn't like him. Bastard.
And so the day passed, children roaming from one class to the next, Sasuke stubbornly ignoring people, Naruto glaring.
Sasuke walked home alone. Oh, there were other people who walked in the same direction as him, but they didn't walk with him. By this time, most figured out he wasn't sociable, and Sasuke didn't want their company anyway. It was better this way...
He reached the train station and, after flashing his pass, boarded the train, sitting alone. Too soon and too late, the train reached his stop, a couple miles away from his school. He hesitated at the sight he was met with upon leaving the train, then continued forward, mutely brushing past the man who was waiting for him. The black-haired man settled into a pace next to the boy.
"How was your first day of school, Sasuke?" The sneer was evident in his voice.
Sasuke didn't reply, shedding his jacket—the one that the man made him wear out of 'concern' for his health—and absently handed it to him, the chilly air not bothering him in the least.
"Did you make any friends? I would love to meet them."
I'm sure you would.
"Well," Sasuke didn't need to look to know he was smiling, "not everyone makes friends their first day. Don't worry about it." In an almost fatherly gesture, he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, his long, pale, and cold fingers gently touching his throat.
Sasuke fought the urge to recoil—he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction—and continued with his pace, neither slowing nor speeding up. The icy hand only dropped away when they reached the iron-wrought gates, the man easily swinging them open.
Malicious, golden eyes flickered down at Sasuke.
"You should work on your homework. I would help you, but I still have to unpack more things."
Sasuke pressed his lips together, continuing toward the mansion. He pushed open the front door and headed up the elegant stairs to his room. The room was large, larger than he needed or wanted, with elegantly arching windows he knew for a fact were sealed shut.
He untucked his shirts (the white school-uniform and the black undershirt) and unbuttoned the white one, dumping it on his bed. He didn't want his guardian to need to painstakingly clean it with his fake care, telling him with false concern that he had to stop what he was doing.
Sasuke picked the penknife up off his dresser, right were he had left it.
Taking it daintily in his left hand, he made three expert cuts on his right wrist, not too shallow, not too deep. He dropped the knife to the wooden floor, and he slumped against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position. He drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his left arm around his legs, head resting against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. His right arm lay limp on the floor, blood trickling over his wrist, his fingers.
He let the sensation wash over him, his one reprieve from the world.
If it wasn't for this dull pressing in the back of his mind, Sasuke knew he'd have killed himself by now. He knew he needed to do something, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Lingering just out of his grasp...
I bet you'd remember, wouldn't you? I can't remember... Did I tell you what I needed to do? It doesn't matter. You're dead. But it should have been me...
Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, pushing away the memory of him. Tears were not something he could be so weak as to have. No; not with Orochimaru as his guardian.
The next day Sasuke skipped breakfast in favor of leaving early and thus avoiding the Snake. Unfortunately, he had underestimated Orochimaru's ability to predict his thoughts so well.
The tall man was already at the mansion doors, smirking knowingly, arms folded.
"Good morning Sasuke." He said in a falsely pleasant voice.
"I need to get to school."
"Of course. I just thought..." He unfolded his arms, holding out the jacket from yesterday, "I don't want you catching a cold."
Sasuke entertained the idea of not taking the black jacket, even though he knew he would. He reached out for it carefully, making sure he didn't touch Orochimaru. But the moment the black cloth was out of his hands, the Snake reached out and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. He bit back a pained gasp, feeling the cold fingers press into his still-raw cuts.
Does he know? It wouldn't surprise him. Orochimaru seemed to know everything. Sasuke looked up at Orochimaru, wanting an answer. A sadistic smile greeted him, "I'll see you after school." It was a mockery of a father's concern and love, and Sasuke's wrist was released. Without a word, Sasuke fairly flew out the door, stomach churning.
If anyone knew how to get under his skin, it was Orochimaru.
Once outside the gates, Sasuke flung the jacket to the ground and rolled up his right sleeve. The Snake had put so much pressure on the wounds Sasuke thought they would have reopened, but they hadn't, and he took a deep breath to calm himself.
He left the jacket behind, not caring if he really did get a cold, or even if Orochimaru found out.
"Okay, the last ten minutes of class are for homework. I'm splitting you up into groups to work together. The first group is..."
Naruto drummed his fingers against the desk, waiting for Kakashi to call his name. As long as he was in a group with Sakura, he'd be happy.
"Group Seven is Naruto, Sakura," Naruto mentally cheered, "And Sasuke." Naruto nearly screamed, while Sakura seemed elated.
Why Sasuke-bastard? Why not Shikamaru... Or Hinata... Hell, that freak Shino woulda been better! Why!
By some unspoken agreement, the rest of Group Seven met at Naruto's table, probably because he hadn't stood.
"Um... Hi. I'm Haruno Sakura."
At first Naruto thought she was, for some odd reason, speaking to him, but those vague hopes were crushed once he saw Sakura was blushing in Sasuke's direction.
"Hi." Was all he said and he sat down.
Naruto nearly died of shock. Sakura nearly fainted. Sasuke had actually spoken. No one had managed to get a single word out of said boy even yesterday. Naruto didn't bother to introduce himself. He didn't owe the bastard anything. Sasuke didn't seem to mind, though, and after a few failed attempts by Sakura to get Group Seven to work together (or at least Sasuke to work with her) the trio worked separately. Literature was actually one of Naruto's strong points, so he needed no help anyway.
Sakura was breezing through her homework, pen deftly writing on her paper.
Cute and smart. Naruto thought cheerfully. His gaze shifted to Sasuke. The raven looked up from his blank paper and sighed, running a hand over his face. What's his problem? Not smart enough to figure this out? Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Oi, Sasuke, we're not getting out for at least ten minutes. How 'bout you do work?" Naruto chided, not caring he sounded like a teacher. Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed, regarding him coldly. The raven turned back to his paper, scribbling down an answer.
Damn, so he does know this stuff. Meh. Small loss. He saw Sasuke stop writing and briefly glance at the clock again. What's this kid's problem?
In Sasuke's mind, mocking words echoed.
'I'll see you after school.'
He didn't want to go back to Orochimaru.
His vision was too blurry to see, but the steady beeping of machines told him all he needed to know.
There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room, but he wasn't sure.
His eyes wandered across the ceiling and he found the lights too bright and dim all at once.
He felt somewhat light-headed and wondered what happened, but decided it didn't matter.
The world shifted before him, the dark becoming the light, and the light becoming the dark before turning back again.
He heard someone speaking—not to him, but to a third person—and the two voices weaved together, intertwining. The toneless voices filling his ears, dizzying him.
He felt tired suddenly, the world began to fade out.
For a moment he thought he saw the sadly smiling face of the only person who cared.
Everything will turn out alright.
You always said that, but it never did. With you dead, how can things turn out all right?
Everything will turn out alright.
Sasuke couldn't help but think that was a lie.
Sometime later Sasuke woke again, this time in his own bed. He rubbed his face, sleep stubbornly clinging to him. He glanced at his clock.
11:03 AM.
Wednesday.
Fuck.
Only his third day at a new school, and he was missing it.
It was the only time he got away from Orochimaru.
He swung his legs over his bed, wincing as his feet touched the cold floor. Well, there was no chance of going to school, so he'd have to tough it out. Breakfast (brunch?) was up first.
Initiate Operation: Get Food from the Kitchen Without Being Seen by Orochimaru.
Vaguely praying to Amaterasu and any spirits that favored him for a safe passage, Sasuke quietly traveled downstairs to the kitchen. He had never been a breakfast person, but he hadn't even had dinner last night.
The only thing Sasuke felt he could stomach was some yogurt, which he ate quickly, then left through the French doors.
Well, either his prayers weren't heard, or they were severely misunderstood. Orochimaru stood before him.
The Snake looked him over carefully.
"How do you feel, Sasuke?" While his voice wasn't syruped in its usual teasing quality, it wasn't concerned either. It was simple curiosity.
Eyes narrowing, Sasuke swept past him, radiating anger.
Orochimaru's hand caught him full in the chest, pushing him hard into a wall. Sasuke winced and glared up at the Snake.
"I only ask this out of concern for you." His voice was teasing again.
The hell it's concern for me. All you care about is yourself.
"Now let's try this again. How do you feel?"
"Fine." Sasuke bit out.
Orochimaru smiled, "Good." He released the boy and took a step back. "Just try to get some rest today, hm?"
Sasuke watched through narrowed eyes as Orochimaru stalked into the kitchen.
Well... At least he wasn't hungry anymore.
A few hours later, his stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten. Glancing at the clock, he estimated that if he left now, he'd make it to Konoha by 2:30. Searching his memory, he recalled a little restaurant near the train station. That was good enough. Sasuke had to settle with wearing his school uniform, since he hadn't unpacked most of his clothes, and they were the only clean ones anyway. Pocketing some cash, he very carefully sneaked out of the mansion and to the train station. Not long later, he was safely sitting on a stool at the resturaunt, enjoying udon. No one questioned the fact he should be in school, and he was safely alone.
Feet scuffed as they approached the ramen bar, and Sasuke glanced up (he was half-expecting Orochimaru to turn up) and nearly choked.
Apparently he wasn't the only student to skip school that day. The Uzumaki kid was at the counter, all smiles and cheer as he chatted amiably with the old man that worked there. Sasuke sent an urgent prayer to whatever god would listen, asking for the blond moron not to see him; to leave him alone and let him be in peace.
He really would have to stop praying to those deities. They never listened.
Naruto tilted his head curiously, then picked up his bowl and sat across from the pale boy.
The raven kept his face carefully blank as he studied the blond. He had a definite westerner look to him, with his yellow hair and blue eyes, but Sasuke somehow doubted he was foreign. Height-wise, he was a few inches taller than the Uchiha, and he had a sturdier build. He gave his best 'what do you want?' look to the fox.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Naruto questioned.
"Shouldn't you?" Sasuke countered.
Naruto shrugged, "I had things to do, tests to avoid." He replied with a vague grin, "What's your excuse?"
"I was sick." Sasuke clipped.
Naruto eyed him warily, as if he expected Sasuke to sprout wings or something, "If you're sick, why're you here?"
The raven sighed, "I said I was sick, loser. I came here because I was hungry and didn't want to stay there."
Naruto didn't need to ask to know that 'there' was his home, "Don't like your family?"
Sasuke didn't like the sympathetic tone in the fox's voice, and his stomach churned at the thought of Orochimaru being family.
"Something like that." He stood, sighing, "Now I've got better things to do than talk to you, loser."
He stalked out of Ichiraku, having already eaten his food and paid for it.
Sasuke detested the idea of going back to the mansion, but he had no choice. He tried to ignore the fact that he really didn't have anything better to do than talk to Naruto, and that he was the first person in a long time Sasuke confided even the slightest bit of personal information in.
When he got home, he went straight for his knife.
End Chapter 1
Amaterasu: The Sun Goddess. This is also the name of one of the Mangekyo's abilities (the black fire thing).
I swear it'll get better.
Also, I swear on my life I will update regularly, probably once a week. If I don't update regularly, feel free to flame me to your heart's satisfaction.
That said, I'd be highly encouraged if I got... five substantial reviews per chapter (yeah, I'm not holding my breath). :puppy eyes:
And before anyone mentions anything about emo-ness and Sasuke and cutting—well, what do you think those armbands were for? Just kidding. He's emo already. But we love him for that anyway.