Xmas gift

A short SasuNaru / NaruSasu ficlet for supernovadobe and Antiquity-Dreams. Merry Christmas ^^ I hope you like it!

*

Do you remember the first time we met?

You were smiling, even back then. I immediately noticed how the adults treated you, and since you didn’t seem to mind, I thought you were an ignorant fool. Yes, that day I thought you were a real usuratonkachi. It wasn’t until later that I really understood. It wasn’t stupidity: it was self-protection. By pretending not to notice your mind, in time, could block it all out.

Until you heard their words again.

I’m ashamed to admit that on that particular day it was my father that brought you back to reality. The moment he saw you he told me to stay away from you. I asked why. He wouldn’t tell me.

Now I know he didn’t really know it himself. It was what everyone said, so he went along with it. Of course there was the fear of the Kyubi, but I just can’t believe that people’d think a small, bright and smiling boy could do any harm. Well, I guess some of them could, having lived through that terror.

That day, you were smiling and wearing bright orange. As always. I lost my parents in the huge mass of people crowding the street – it was only a couple of days before Christmas, after all – but didn’t really care. It was one of the few times I was allowed to get out of the compound before I got into the Academy. I was free, finally.

You were wandering along the street.

I could see you from pretty far away, since people got out of your way and never got too close to you. You didn’t react to the looks on their faces.

That was the day I decided to call you an usuratonkachi, before I even met you. Before we even had had our first conversation.

I didn’t step out of your way when you got closer.

“Do you want to play?” were the first words that came out of your mouth. I guess it was because I looked lonely: I had never been in the city without my parents, after all. Though I was free, I knew nothing of the life ouside my home.

“Whatever”, was my answer I guess. The next thing I remember was your bright smileand the warmth when you took my hand into yours. You showed the way out of the busy street into a quiet playground nearby.

Around that time it started snowing.

We played until twilight. You tried to make snowballs but the light snow melted in your hands. You didn’t have any gloves so I gave you mine.

When my parents found us the bright smile left your face. “For some reason”, you had told me when we arrived at the playground, “the adults don’t like me..”.

My father took you by your sleeve and said something, I was cuddled by my mother so I didn’t hear anything. When he let you go, you ran off. That’s when he told me to stay away from you.

I didn’t, and, still to this day, won’t.

Because your bright smile brought the sunshine into my life.