Meh, this'll probably get a re-write, but I felt like posting it. The opening got a little heavier than I intended, then the whole thing degenerated into a mini free writing session...
...Enjoy! Or not...
-----
Animal Instinct
Naruto couldnÆt shake that filthy desperate feeling. Leaves rustled in the wake of his passing. He was heading deeper into the forest, a good distance past any of the training grounds. It was well away from anyone that could witness his dirty little secret. His furtive habit was what allowed him to endure the stares. Those eyes that willed his existence to be less than nothing punctured his soul. This was his only salve.
It was a crutch, he knew. The jinchurikki resolved to stop hundreds of times since heÆd discovered his addiction. What he did was an easy substitute for the happiness he should grab with his own two hands. HeÆd admonished Konohamaru about the same type of shortcut. His talk was so big then. He was a hypocrite. And his hypocritical hands trembled to reach out for that near-effortless bit of bliss.
His gait stopped with a wave of disgust. Therein lay the problem. It was too easy. All the hatred, all the burdens, all the hardships were gone, just like that. The simplest motions led to the deepest pool of joy. And he could swim for as long as heÆd like. Or even drown, if he chose. The only cost was his self-respect. Looking down at the tools of his weakness nearly made him nauseous. That unsettling feeling almost gave him the strength to turn around. Almost.
His mind flashed back to the events of the day. Sakura was once again adamant against any friendly overture towards him, much less any romantic ones. Sasuke looked past him because looking down on him wasnÆt worth the effort. Kakashi was indifferent to it all. The client for the dayÆs D-rank mission was honored to have the Uchiha at her service and also had a smile for the teamÆs kunoichi. Naruto wasnÆt even mote in her eye. One more attempt with Sakura was shot down as well, this time violently. It was all standard fare, but the stone of his tolerance can only weather so much before eroding away. His shield crumbled and he bolted the moment Kakashi dismissed Team Seven.
The trees loomed above him, silent and judging. The wind whistled reproach in his ears. Wooden scratching led his eyes to a squirrel that looked his way for some seconds before turning and running off, as if sick of him. Buried deep, deep inside he knew that he was just reflecting his own feelings about his decision on to the world around him. He shuddered.
ôJust- Just this one last time...ö
-----------
ôOi, Hinata! You find it yet?ö Kiba called out to his teammate. The lavender-haired girl was examining the underbrush. ôHurry, we were going to grab something to eat after practice today, remember?ö Akamaru yipped in agreement from his perch on KibaÆs head.
The kunoichi looked up from scanning the foliage. ôYou donÆt have to wait only because of me. You can go on ahead, if youÆd like...ö Hinata turned back to her search. It was a little far from the beaten path, but she knew it was around this area. Her Byakugan had spotted it during Team EightÆs training.
ôHinata.ö Getting a look for his abrupt call, Shino continued. ôThe flower. What kind?ö
A rustle in a bush and a small yip interrupted the girlÆs answer. Team Eight all turned to a rust-colored dog a couple sizes larger than Akamaru. The pup looked up at them and tilted its head to the side in a remarkably human motion. Hinata gave a giggle and crouched down to offer her hand.
Kiba raised an eyebrow when the dog immediately trotted up to be petted. Even dogs used to humans would be a little cautious about people reaching out to them. ôYouÆve seen him before?ö Kiba hadnÆt, and he and Akamaru had met a lot of KonohaÆs dogs; including ones outside the InazukaÆs kennels.
Hinata scooped the animal up and shook her head. Kiba also noted that there was no protest at that action either. The girl held him against her chest with one arm across his stomach while absently scratching behind his ear with the other hand. KibaÆs partner barked from atop his head.
ôAkamaru says he smells NarutoÆs scent. Maybe heÆs his?ö
ôNaruto-kunÆs...ö Kiba rolled his eyes at his teammateÆs flush.
Shino shifted to face the direction that the dog came from. ôPlayed with him recently, is more likely.ö
ôThat might be true,ö Hinata agreed thoughtfully. ôI donÆt think Naruto-kun has a dog...ö
ôAnyway,ö Shino interjected. ôThe flower?ö
ôUh, yes,ö Hinata answered. She went on to describe the pretty specimen sheÆd wanted to add to her collection of pressed flowers. When she finished, the dog in her arms yowled out. ôAh.ö Surprised at the animalÆs sudden burst of movement, Hinata couldnÆt adjust her grip quickly enough to keep him from jumping to the ground and bounding off.
ôThat was... weird...ö Kiba commented. His partner barked. He gestured to Hinata, stopping the girlÆs motion to follow the dog. ôAkamaru said to wait,ö he explained. He received a curious glance in response.
A minute later, the dog returned. In his jaw was the very flower sheÆd described, held near the root. Hinata gasped, crouching down to receive the plant. It was undamaged and as pretty as sheÆd seen it. Her hand stretched out to give him a scratch. His tail wagged to and fro, showing his happiness at the attention. ôThank you so much.ö His return bark elicited a smile. It was an obvious ôyouÆre welcome.ö
ôI donÆt recognize him as a nin-ken, but heÆs as smart as one.ö
Hinata nodded at KibaÆs observation. She retracted her hand and reached for the pack on her thigh to give a more tangible bit of thanks. Akamaru whined in a low tone when she produced a treat from her supplies usually meant for him. Hinata presented the dried, meaty morsel to her helper. The dog sniffed at it, then gave a whuff and turned away. Hinata blinked at his disinterest before stowing it. There was a pang of guilt at AkamaruÆs second whine at the tidbitÆs disappearance. She focused, instead, on the other pup. ôWe should go, but thanks again.ö Her hand gave a firm rub on his side. With that, Team Eight went off to fulfill their lunch plans.
The dog remained, sitting on his haunches. There was silence for a few moments before there was a puff of displaced air and a cloud of smoke. The haze cleared to reveal one Naurto Uzumaki carrying a guilty expression. The last vestiges of the dogÆs mind faded from his own. He turned towards home. His ôhappiness rechargeö was relatively successful, marred only by the inadvertent fooling of his allies.
...Enjoy! Or not...
-----
Animal Instinct
Naruto couldnÆt shake that filthy desperate feeling. Leaves rustled in the wake of his passing. He was heading deeper into the forest, a good distance past any of the training grounds. It was well away from anyone that could witness his dirty little secret. His furtive habit was what allowed him to endure the stares. Those eyes that willed his existence to be less than nothing punctured his soul. This was his only salve.
It was a crutch, he knew. The jinchurikki resolved to stop hundreds of times since heÆd discovered his addiction. What he did was an easy substitute for the happiness he should grab with his own two hands. HeÆd admonished Konohamaru about the same type of shortcut. His talk was so big then. He was a hypocrite. And his hypocritical hands trembled to reach out for that near-effortless bit of bliss.
His gait stopped with a wave of disgust. Therein lay the problem. It was too easy. All the hatred, all the burdens, all the hardships were gone, just like that. The simplest motions led to the deepest pool of joy. And he could swim for as long as heÆd like. Or even drown, if he chose. The only cost was his self-respect. Looking down at the tools of his weakness nearly made him nauseous. That unsettling feeling almost gave him the strength to turn around. Almost.
His mind flashed back to the events of the day. Sakura was once again adamant against any friendly overture towards him, much less any romantic ones. Sasuke looked past him because looking down on him wasnÆt worth the effort. Kakashi was indifferent to it all. The client for the dayÆs D-rank mission was honored to have the Uchiha at her service and also had a smile for the teamÆs kunoichi. Naruto wasnÆt even mote in her eye. One more attempt with Sakura was shot down as well, this time violently. It was all standard fare, but the stone of his tolerance can only weather so much before eroding away. His shield crumbled and he bolted the moment Kakashi dismissed Team Seven.
The trees loomed above him, silent and judging. The wind whistled reproach in his ears. Wooden scratching led his eyes to a squirrel that looked his way for some seconds before turning and running off, as if sick of him. Buried deep, deep inside he knew that he was just reflecting his own feelings about his decision on to the world around him. He shuddered.
ôJust- Just this one last time...ö
-----------
ôOi, Hinata! You find it yet?ö Kiba called out to his teammate. The lavender-haired girl was examining the underbrush. ôHurry, we were going to grab something to eat after practice today, remember?ö Akamaru yipped in agreement from his perch on KibaÆs head.
The kunoichi looked up from scanning the foliage. ôYou donÆt have to wait only because of me. You can go on ahead, if youÆd like...ö Hinata turned back to her search. It was a little far from the beaten path, but she knew it was around this area. Her Byakugan had spotted it during Team EightÆs training.
ôHinata.ö Getting a look for his abrupt call, Shino continued. ôThe flower. What kind?ö
A rustle in a bush and a small yip interrupted the girlÆs answer. Team Eight all turned to a rust-colored dog a couple sizes larger than Akamaru. The pup looked up at them and tilted its head to the side in a remarkably human motion. Hinata gave a giggle and crouched down to offer her hand.
Kiba raised an eyebrow when the dog immediately trotted up to be petted. Even dogs used to humans would be a little cautious about people reaching out to them. ôYouÆve seen him before?ö Kiba hadnÆt, and he and Akamaru had met a lot of KonohaÆs dogs; including ones outside the InazukaÆs kennels.
Hinata scooped the animal up and shook her head. Kiba also noted that there was no protest at that action either. The girl held him against her chest with one arm across his stomach while absently scratching behind his ear with the other hand. KibaÆs partner barked from atop his head.
ôAkamaru says he smells NarutoÆs scent. Maybe heÆs his?ö
ôNaruto-kunÆs...ö Kiba rolled his eyes at his teammateÆs flush.
Shino shifted to face the direction that the dog came from. ôPlayed with him recently, is more likely.ö
ôThat might be true,ö Hinata agreed thoughtfully. ôI donÆt think Naruto-kun has a dog...ö
ôAnyway,ö Shino interjected. ôThe flower?ö
ôUh, yes,ö Hinata answered. She went on to describe the pretty specimen sheÆd wanted to add to her collection of pressed flowers. When she finished, the dog in her arms yowled out. ôAh.ö Surprised at the animalÆs sudden burst of movement, Hinata couldnÆt adjust her grip quickly enough to keep him from jumping to the ground and bounding off.
ôThat was... weird...ö Kiba commented. His partner barked. He gestured to Hinata, stopping the girlÆs motion to follow the dog. ôAkamaru said to wait,ö he explained. He received a curious glance in response.
A minute later, the dog returned. In his jaw was the very flower sheÆd described, held near the root. Hinata gasped, crouching down to receive the plant. It was undamaged and as pretty as sheÆd seen it. Her hand stretched out to give him a scratch. His tail wagged to and fro, showing his happiness at the attention. ôThank you so much.ö His return bark elicited a smile. It was an obvious ôyouÆre welcome.ö
ôI donÆt recognize him as a nin-ken, but heÆs as smart as one.ö
Hinata nodded at KibaÆs observation. She retracted her hand and reached for the pack on her thigh to give a more tangible bit of thanks. Akamaru whined in a low tone when she produced a treat from her supplies usually meant for him. Hinata presented the dried, meaty morsel to her helper. The dog sniffed at it, then gave a whuff and turned away. Hinata blinked at his disinterest before stowing it. There was a pang of guilt at AkamaruÆs second whine at the tidbitÆs disappearance. She focused, instead, on the other pup. ôWe should go, but thanks again.ö Her hand gave a firm rub on his side. With that, Team Eight went off to fulfill their lunch plans.
The dog remained, sitting on his haunches. There was silence for a few moments before there was a puff of displaced air and a cloud of smoke. The haze cleared to reveal one Naurto Uzumaki carrying a guilty expression. The last vestiges of the dogÆs mind faded from his own. He turned towards home. His ôhappiness rechargeö was relatively successful, marred only by the inadvertent fooling of his allies.