I'm going on a 10-days vacation starting Monday but I wanted to see how many people like this and want me to continue. Please tell me so and if there are quite a number who want this, I'll post the rest of the stories up after I come back.
Please go to my profile for more info of this story.
Disclaimer: Naruto & co belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Sae belongs to Shirohane (more info on my profile).
1st Arc: Introduction
Chapter 1- Okaeri
When he got out of the plane, blue eyes soften; his home town. Oh, how much he missed this place. However amongst the feelings of excitement and longing laced some guilt in there.
How long has it been? 10 years?
The lukewarm weather still hadn't change. It was much like that when he left so many years ago. 'Will they accept my apology?' he wondered a lot, all throughout the journey.
The journey from the airport to the small town where they'll be shooting some of the last scenes took about three hours time. Most of the filming crew members and the director have reached the place a few days ago. Only the actors and actresses were a bit late, some have other commitments; like Naruto, who had photo shoot which only finished last night. The lead actress too, will only be there three days from now on since she had family emergency.
Naruto grinned. He can take the free time to go and meet his old friends and teachers.
And Sasuke!
After checking into the hotel, Naruto went down to the bar to grab a sandwich. There he saw the director- one of the men he respects, as a man, mentor and friend.
"How's it going?" Naruto waved.
"Naruto! Good! There're a few more things to set up and settled but by the time Hinata comes we'll be ready to shoot the scenes. How was your flight? You look a bit tired; I bet that from the endless photo shoots you have to do, huh? Maybe you should have a day's rest?" the elder man patted the blond.
Naruto shook his head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to… go home for a couple of days. There's a small town here where I grew up. It's been a long time…" His voice sounded distance at the last sentence.
The genius young director tilted his head in question. "Here? I thought-"
"You know how media can make or break a rising actor." Naruto cut him. "So Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-san made up that bullshit about me. The truth is nothing near that and I'd appreciate it if you could keep that to yourself."
There was a pause. Naruto fidgeted.
"Okay… You can take one of the cars we hired. But make sure you come back here by Thursday, yeah?"
Naruto laughed in relief. "I'll even memorize the script, boss. It's alright about the car though, I can hire one myself. After all, this is a personal trip, ne?" Naruto started to walk out when he realized something. "Oh, I could use a big favour from you though."
"Shoot."
"If anyone asks where I am, just say I'm off visiting some friends, but I'd appreciate it if that's the only info you will disclose."
The director smiled softly. "Don't worry about it, mate! Go and get some re-bonding done!"
Naruto waved as he walked out of the bar.
000
When he drove the 4WD into the small town, it seemed smaller than it used to be. 'A lot quieter too,' he drove slower; looking around at the rows of shops, bars and diners. Since it's weekdays, the small town seemed busy with people, doing about their daily chores. But Naruto could feel it wasn't as lively as before he left.
On his right, there was an open space where a group of kids were playing soccer. 'In the late afternoon? It's like, so hot!' but his thoughts were abruptly stopped as he was forced to push on the brakes when there was a sudden black blur in front of his car!
"Sae!!" the little boys screamed as their friend was knocked down by the 4WD.
"Shitshitshitshitshit!" Naruto cursed in panic, opening his door and ran in front of the vehicle to look at the boy he just ran into. The other kids gathered around the boy called Sae, and bystanders started to look at what had happened.
"Excuse me, boys. Let me take a look at him! Oh, God! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" he said in panic, starting to curse softly again for his idiocy.
The kids surrounding Sae made way as Sae coughed, clutching a soccer ball on the dirt. "I'm okay," he croaked, but Naruto already saw the blood mixed with soil on the boy's knees. The skin was grazed open and a patch on the boy's forehead also looked like it's bleeding.
"OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod!" Naruto smoothed the boy's khaki's shorts and light blue shirt. "You're hurt! I have to send you to the hospital!" This was not what he had in mind when he said he wanted to visit his hometown. Not only the town people would hate him for gone 'dead' for 10 years, but they'd hate him for hurting a child too!
"I told you it's okay, Mister," the boy shook of the dirt on his pants. "It's no big deal," the boy coughed. However, the moment the boy looked up to him as he reached to carry the boy into the vehicle, Naruto felt like the time had stopped.
He himself was frozen to the spot as he looked into the familiar blackest eyes he's ever seen.
-Flasback-
A 5-year-old boy saw someone on the swing, a look of solemn on his face. The swing was swinging lightly back and forth, back and forth.
Azure eyes widen as he recognized the boy on the swing. 'He's that boy who has the most blackest eyes I've seen! He's in the same class as me, but I can't remember his name…' he frowned, forehead slightly furrowed..
The energetic blond ran to the boy-who-has-the-most-blackest-eyes on the swing. When he abruptly stopped, dirt flew around his feet. The boy on the swing looked up and saw sky in the blonde's eyes.
"Hi…" The standing blond said shyly.
The one on the swing nodded his head and made a soft grumbling sound.
"My name's Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto," he said more when there was no further reply. Maybe he needed more encouragement, he thought.
"Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke…" the black eyed boy, who also had midnight hair replied softly after a long pause.
'His hair is like duck butt!' Naruto thought gleefully. But he didn't think the boy with blackest eyes and hair but whitest skin would appreciate that. So instead he asked him, yet shyly again, though the shyness was ebbing away, "Why are you sitting here alone, Sasuke? Everybody else has gone home…"
Sasuke stopped swinging and looked directly into Naruto's eyes. "You're still here…?" he said, laced with uncertainty.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head while grinning mischievously. "Iruka-sensei –he's the sensei in primary school- came to see me just now. I can't wait to get into the primary school! So, why are you still here?"
After a while, Sasuke looked away and mumbled something.
"What?! I can't here ya!"
"I'm waiting for my father to pick me up. He promised me this morning." Sasuke said a bit louder, but it seemed like he was close to tears with that.
Naruto frowned again. Adults always seemed to break their promises to children like them! 'But not Iruka-sensei!' he added silently. Thank God he doesn't have any parents for that!
"Umm…. Why don't I walk back with you? I'm on my way home too!" Suddenly Naruto said brightly.
Sasuke looked back into the boy's azure eyes. That could be fun. He wouldn't be alone… After taking a moment –in which Naruto was nervously waiting and preparing himself for the harsh rejection- Sasuke agreed, "Okay."
And for the first time, Sasuke saw the brightest genuine smile.
The good news was that was not the last time he saw that smile too.
-End Flashback-
"Hey! You're that guy in the t.v! Suzuki Naruto-san!!" One brunette boy, friend of Sae pointed a finger at him.
"Not Suzuki-san, you dumb! Uzumaki-san!" Another boy thwacked the brunette's head.
The two boys were sure loud! Their exclamations caught the attention of some passer by and whispering started.
Naruto chuckled nervously. Looking back at the boy with obsidian eyes, he said quietly, "Come, I'll send you home and we'll clean the wound up before people start talking…"
The boy named Sae can only nod when he realized that this guy who just ran into him must be some kind of celebrity or something if his friends said it's the guy in the t.v. Not that he has any television at home to confirm that, so he would just have to believe on his friends' claim.
He told Naruto how to get to his house when the blond asked. As Naruto drove, he played with the end of his shirt, tugging and twisting it- a sign of anxiousness.
"A-Ano…" Sae started.
Naruto looked at him briefly, as if to encourage Sae to go on.
"A-Are you really that guy in the t.v like they said?"
Naruto smiled. "Hai… Name's Uzumaki Naruto!" He let go of one hand from the steering wheel to shake hands with Sae. Sae shyly shook it back.
"And you young mister?" Naruto asked, reverting to his sunny and child-like style.
"Uchiha Sae."
Naruto froze at that.
Uchiha-?
That would explain the black hair and ivory skin- though the hair looked like less of duck butt.
'Sasuke's married?!' He thought frantically as he drove- at which he just realized that he's driving towards the Uchiha Sasuke's house. He started to feel sick- literally feeling sick and nauseous, with sweats starting on his forehead and back of the neck.
He dreaded the confrontation. Yes, he admitted he was at fault for not trying to contact the Uchiha directly but Sasuke didn't have to get married, damn it!
"Are you okay, Uzumaki-san?" Sae sounded genuinely worried. Naruto wanted so badly to hate the spawn of the man whom he started to hate but he couldn't do that to an innocent boy.
"Yeah…" a strangled answer. "Um, Sae…" Naruto called after a while. He realized that they almost reached the house since the road had become smaller.
It's kind of weird to see how the house was a bit off town. Does Sasuke have a farm? Naruto wondered. This place where Naruto came from was known for farming and mining.
"How old are you?" Naruto forced the question out of his mouth.
"I'll be 7 this year, in July!" he answered excitedly.
"Oh!" 7 years of marriage…
And here Naruto thought he could come back and pick up at where they had left off.
But he couldn't wreck other people's marriage, right?
He couldn't possibly destroy Sasuke's happiness.
Right?
TBC
Next: Naruto meet Sasuke, for the first time after 10 years. 'What has happened to you, Sasuke?'. And Naruto's tale of why he wasn't in touch…