Dark Reminiscence

 

You have yet to touch

This soft flesh,

This throbbing blood --

Are you not lonely,

Expounder of the Way?

yawahada no atsuki chishio ni furemomide

sabishikarazuya michiwo toku kimi

                                                    Yosano Akiko

 

Chapter 1: Realizations

Naruto woke up with the feeling of an unfortunately familiar backache that throbbed incessantly or maybe that was his head when he had decided to be brave and try to fight Iruka and had ended up with a knot the size of a basketball on his forehead.

Opening his eyes he noticed that he was in a clean bed this time, usually he woke up naked in an alley or trash can so this was an improvement. Hopefully he would be able to make a clean getaway without any problems.

Now if he could only summon the energy to move despite the pain…

Bracing himself, he tried to get off the bed, only to finally notice a hairy arm wrapped securely around his waist. Trying to untangle himself before Iruka woke up and did Kami-knows-what to him, he was startled out of his depressing thoughts by a rough, impatient voice.

"Settle down." It was an order not a question and so he lay back down naked and uncomfortable between the sheets wishing he had not followed his stomach for once.

He wondered when Iruka would let him leave, since he knew that eventually he would grow tired of him and release him back out into the streets. The longest he had been held captive was by a one eyed-pedo that kept him locked up in his garish basement cosplaying for him for two week straight. After he finally got out he made sure to avoid the silver haired pervert. He had been so damaged that even with Kyuubi's healing abilities he couldn't walk for over a month. Thankfully Iruka seemed like a one nighter. Maybe he would take him again in the morning or maybe he didn't want to let go of him yet because he was comfy, but soon he would be free if only temporarily. Calming down, he tried to ignore his present situation and think about what food he would like to eat if he could.

His stomach growled loudly waking Iruka up once more and he wondered if he could escape without receiving a beating this time.

"Go make breakfast after you clean up, and put on something decent. " Ordered Iruka callously turning away to go back to sleep.

Not even questioning why Naruto leapt to obey, or at least gave the appearance to. Instead he ran out the back door, grabbing his clothes and putting them on, limping all the way until he was safe inside the sanctuary of the forest. Sure wild wolves could probably take a chunk out of him but he felt immeasurably safer than when he was in town suffocating from the killing intent being directed at him.

He was weak and malnourished and hardly strong enough to put up a fight but in the wild he could out think an animal and live. He would just have to make it by eating flowers and whatever he could scrounge up. After he had sufficiently recovered, he would return to the village, but he still ached and running hadn't helped any.

He had no idea what else Iruka had been up to and he was glad he hadn't stayed to find out. He just wished everyone would leave him alone! They called him demon but they were the ones who would torture and harm an innocent five year old, they were the ones who attacked him. He honestly did not think that they sincerely believed in their heart of hearts that he was the Kyuubi No Yoko, because if they did they would fear him and leave him alone.

Instead they attacked him at any given opportunity, maliciously, and with misplaced vengeance. He was just their helpless scapegoat and the evil old man did nothing to stop the beatings, nor the rapes, and had even deducted his allowance. Not that he could buy anything since everyone refused to sell to him or overcharged their prices and gave him rotten poisoned food.

They were the reason he had an emotional mask to wear non-stop. Soon, someday he would escape this village.

The whole place could go to hell, how he wished he could just leave, but no they wanted to make sure the Kyuubi was under their control.

Assholes.

Someday he would escape this hateful village and find someplace better, someplace that didn't want him dead. Someplace where he could, maybe, just maybe, find someone who cared about him.

Dozing off hidden by the shrubbery he finally relaxed knowing that he was safe for the moment.