Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Welcome To My Life ❯ Welcome To My Life ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Simple Plan's “Welcome to My Life.” O man, don't I wish that I did…I'd be rich…

 

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I was driving home from college registration and this song popped up on a burn that a friend had made for me. The second I heard it the idea for this story popped in my head and would not leave me alone. This is the first Naruto fic and the first song-fic that I have ever written so please, please be gentle.

 

 

Summery: Song-fic based on Simple Plan's “Welcome to my Life.” Sakura accidentally finds something of Naruto's, something he never meant anyone to learn of…will she view him differently?

 

 

Chapter 1: Welcome To My Life

 

Sammery

 

The sun beat down harshly on the neck of a certain, pink-haired, female ninja. She had been training out in the ruthless sun for hours now, the hue of her neck now nearly matching the shade of her hair. Her face was red and splotchy, streaked with sweat, dirt, and grime after a day of hard training.

 

I won't be useless anymore! Sakura thought determinedly, I will be able to hold my own…to be able to protect my team, not hinder them! Images of Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun, and Naruto flashed through her mind and she thought about all the times they had rushed into danger because she was not capable of handling herself, sometimes taking great injury onto themselves when they did so.

 

She flopped down on the grass exhausted both mentally and physically. The day had started out normally enough, Team 7 had met on their usual training grounds and had spent an extra half an hour waiting on their perpetually late sensei to show, and when he did he told them that he had to cancel training today and rushed off without much more than a smirk.

 

“Why that lousy…” Naruto started off, “Who does he think he is? Having us wait around for him all day and then just running off…probably off to buy another one of his Come Come Paradise books.” Naruto pulled a disgusting face at the thought of his teacher's favorite reading material, then he smirked, “O well, not like I need the training anyways…I'm so good I could be Hokage right now! Believe it!” He flashed his characteristic big, cheesy grin.

 

Sakura hid a grin while Sasuke made a sound of disbelief in the back of his throat and merely turned to walk away…but of course, Naruto couldn't let him get away with that. Here it comes… Sakura thought, when she saw Naruto's eyes narrow and he raced after Sasuke, whipping him around with a hand on his shoulder.

 

Sasuke never even bothered to remove his hands from his pockets; clearly he didn't view Naruto as big enough of a threat. “What do you want Naruto?” he asked in his monotone voice, clearly bored with the situation at hand.

 

“What was with that? You just make a noise and walk away?! Like I'm going to let you get away with that!” Naruto pulled back a fist to sock Sasuke in the mouth but, as always, Sasuke was too quick for Naruto and had dodged him easily. The fight continued, Naruto constantly striking out, and Sasuke dodging smoothly, not so much as breaking a sweat. When Sasuke finally had enough he pulled a hand out of his pocket and landed a punch that sent Naruto careening into a tree 20 feet away.

 

Alright, enough is enough! Sakura decided, and stood up to break up the fight between her beloved and the annoying blonde boy. “Sasuke-kun, we all know that Naruto talks bigger than he is, he probably needs the most training out of all of us…” She quipped, smiling and stepping between the two boys.

 

Naruto looked hurt, but Sakura couldn't see his face as he was facing her back and had no idea what effect her words were having on the poor boy. Sasuke however, didn't return her smile, or find any jest in her quip, he merely quirked an eyebrow and stared at Sakura. “If anyone in this group needs to train Sakura…it's you. You have yet to truly prove yourself of the title of ninja in a battle, you're practically useless.” With that he turned around and walked off, presumably towards home.

 

Sakura stood in shock. She barely noticed the enraged scream of “SASUKE YOU BASTARD!” or register the rush of wind that past her as Naruto tore off past her to chase down Sasuke. She knew that she wasn't necessarily the best ninja to walk the planet, but to say that she wasn't a ninja…

 

A surge of anger raced its way through Sakura's body. She raced her way to the nearest tree and began to punch, kick…anything to work out the frustration that she was feeling. Did he think she didn't know that she was hopeless in a real fight? She had all the knowledge in the world…but when it came to a battle she was always needing to be rescued…to have others fight in her stead.

 

She trained all day and eventually fell to the ground in complete exhaustion; I think I'm starting to know what Naruto feels like. How can he always train to complete exhaustion, and yet the next day he's smiling and as hyper as ever? I don't think I'll be able to move properly for months.

 

Sakura heaved herself to her feet and made her way out of the clearing, dragging her feet through the dry grass. She was almost clear of the training grounds when she felt her toe bump something and heard a soft `click' as she kicked something small out in front of her. Curiously she leant down to pick up whatever it was and immediately regretted it as her muscles clenched in protest, but she eventually found what she was looking for…a cassette tape, the kind that people record things on. It was completely blank, no writing on the label to indicate what was on it or who it might belong to.

 

Pocketing the tape, Sakura stood, once again fighting the reluctance of her muscles to move. She looked up at the setting sun as she headed home and realized that she must have been training for hours…and no one can back to look for her…not even Naruto. She felt a pang in her heart that no one thought her important enough to warrant even a glance.

 

Why would they care? Sakura thought wretchedly, They spend most of their time protecting me when were off on a mission, why would they want to have to deal with me anymore when they can get away from me while we are home?

 

Sakura dragged herself into her home and faced her mother's fury at her being out so late, without any word as to where she was, and coming home in the horrible condition she was in.

 

Sakura grabbed an apple off the kitchen table, ignored the rest of her mothers rant and forced her tired body up the stairs to her bedroom. She sat on her floor…not wanting to dirty her bed with her grimy body and ate the apple slowly and carefully. Concentrating on not thinking about the events of the day, because she knew that if she did she would begin to cry…she had fought off the tears all day and she was NOT about to give into them now.

 

She strained her body once more into a standing position and made her way to the bathroom to shower and try to ease the pain in her muscles with the hot streams of water racing from the shower. She carefully took her clothes off and remembered the tape when it fell out of her pocket. O right…I'll take a look at that later… She then gratefully stepped into the shower and let the jets take her out of her thoughts for a while.

 

~*~*~*~

 

An hour later, Sakura had finished her shower and was sitting on her bed in clean pajamas with her wet hair splayed out over her back, idly turning the cassette tape in her fingers.

 

I wonder if there is even anything on it…probably not, or they would have written something on it…o well, I might as well check.

 

Sakura got up off her bed and went over to her desk where a boom box was placed on the edge by the wall. She put the cassette in and, after a moment of hesitation that even she couldn't understand, she pressed play.

 

At first there was nothing…in fact, there was nothing for so long that Sakura thought the tape really was blank and was about to stop the tape when she heard a faint cough and the scrapping of a chair across a wooden floor. Next the sounds of a guitar being tuned filtered across. The person on the tape cleared their throat and then she heard a voice she definitely hadn't been expecting spoke through her speakers.

 

“This is Naruto Uzumaki, and this is a song I call `Welcome to My Life.'”

 

Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you

Naruto had a beautiful voice…slightly rough as was his speaking voice, but what caught Sakura wasn't the melody, but the hurt and pain in his voice as he sang and the lyrics that seemed to ring true both for Naruto, the village outcast, but for Sakura as well.

Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming

 

You have no idea Naruto…

 

The tears that Sakura had been fighting all day finally freed themselves to race down her face in little streams. Her childhood full of the teasing and taunts of the other village students protruded to the front of her mind, making the tears run faster.

 

No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
When no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like

Welcome to my life

I didn't know Naruto…I swear…

 

She had always watched the villagers berate and tear apart Naruto. When she was younger she used to be mad at them for it…but when she finally made some friends, when Ino reached out to her, she didn't want to risk loosing them but standing up for Naruto while everyone else was making fun of him. Even the adults did it, so he must have done something to deserve it right?

 

O Naruto, I'm so sorry…I didn't mean it…I'm so so so sorry…

 

Do you wanna be somebody else?
Are you sick of feeling so left out?
Are you desperate to find something more
Before your life is over

Naruto…your dream to be Hokage…you don't want to be Naruto anymore…

 

Are you stuck inside a world you hate?
Are you sick of everyone around?
With the big fake smiles and stupid lies
But deep inside you're bleeding

You always hid behind you smiles and jokes…

 

Memories of ninja, Iruka-sensei in the lead, racing through the streets, trying to catch Naruto after his latest prank past through her mind.

 

You are right there in front of everyone, but still you hide…

 

~*~*~*~

 

Where did I put it?!?

 

Our favorite knuckled-headed, hyperactive ninja was tearing his apartment to shreds, searching for a tape he should have never made.

 

I can't believe I lost it…if someone where to find it and listen to it…O god…

 

Naruto stood over the remains of his bedroom when it hit him…he'd put it in his jumpsuit pocket this morning, he'd been planning on throwing it into the river so that he'd never have to worry about it…but he hadn't been able to. He'd been running late and wanted to avoid another lecture from Sakura-chan so he skipped going to the river until after training…but then there was the fight…SASUKE-BASTARD! How could he say that his Sakura-chan was useless, sure she wasn't the strongest ninja in the world…but she was one of the smartest and she could always get stronger…

 

That's it! The tape must have fallen out when he hit the tree…

 

Naruto raced out of his apartment, headed towards the training grounds, hoping that it was still there…

 

~*~*~*~

 

“ARG!” Naruto screamed. He'd searched the clearing over three times and could not find the tape…there was however signs of serious training. Naruto walked up to one of the more battered trees and placed his hand up against the small fist marks that had been left in the tree.

 

“Sakura…” He looked around, almost in awe of the destruction that Sakura had reigned on the clearing.

 

Naruto shook his head and started out of the clearing when a thought occurred to him…if he lost the tape in the clearing…and its not here now…and Sakura was the last one here…O God!

 

The color drained from Naruto's face…Sakura had his tape. He raced out of the woods and raced towards Sakura's house, hopefully she hasn't tried to listen to it yet…

 

~*~*~*~

 

No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
When no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like

Welcome to my life

No one ever lies straight to your face
And no one ever stabbed you in the back
You might think I'm happy
But I'm not gonna be ok

Everybody always gave you what you wanted
You never had to work it was always there
You don't know what it's like
What it's like

You're wrong Naruto…I had to work for it…I had to work so hard that it hurt.

 

Memories of both her own childhood and her observations of Naruto surfaced and refused to relinquish its hold on her consciousness. It was something she never told to anyone, but she used to watch Naruto. He was an enigma, and she was never one to just sit down and let a mystery pass her by. He didn't look like anyone else in the village, his big blue eyes always seemed so sad…once, and only once, the look in them was so disheartening that Sakura ran over to the, at the time, vary small boy, gave him a hug, and ran off. He probably doesn't even remember that…

 

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
When no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
When no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like

Welcome to my life

Welcome to my life

Welcome to my life

 

As the song ended, Sakura was determined that not only was she going to be nicer to Naruto. You're not going to be sad anymore Naruto…I'll make sure of it…

 

A smile crossed her face, and Sakura felt truly happy for the first time in a long time. A small giggle escaped her lips. For Naruto…? She shook her head, and rewound the tape.

 

A noise outside her window caught her attention, she turned her head in time to catch the flash of bright blonde hair streaking down the street.

 

Naruto…?

 

~*~*~*~

 

She was laughing…not only did she hear my song, but she laughed at it…

 

Naruto fought off tears as he raced home. He knew he should never have recorded that for someone to hear. No one ever understands…

 

He heard the light footfalls behind him and knew that Sakura was following him, calling to him softly so as not to wake the peaceful slumbers of the villagers of Kohona. He ignored her and put on more speed, concentrating on nothing but keeping his pace fast and his feet sure.

 

However, when he reached his apartment building he stopped dead. He could tell from the ground that something was wrong…his door hung askew at an odd angle, almost falling off the hinge.

 

Not again…

 

Dejectedly, forgetting for the moment about the pink-haired ninja quickly catching up to him, Naruto made his way into his once again vandalized home to ascertain the damage.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Sakura came up to the building, gasping for breath, her muscles screaming at her for pushing them so hard after training this afternoon, however all of that was pushed from her mind as she saw Naruto gingerly lift the door up, breaking it free of its hinge without much effort and gently placing it against the wall outside his apartment. Slowly, and miserably he entered his apartment.

 

Breaking out of her daze, Sakura quickly made her was up the stairs and was disgusted by what she saw inside.

 

There was nothing left…everything solid this in this apartment had been destroyed…the small table lay in splinters next to something that Sakura guessed could have been a chair at some point. Clothing lay shredded all over the small, one room apartment. The fridge was on its side its contents spilled and the door ripped off. The bed had been somehow sliced through several times so that no part of it could ever be salvageable. The worst part, however, was the bright red paint on the walls proclaiming Naruto a demon who didn't deserve to live.

 

In the middle of it Naruto kneeled, seemingly searching under the debris of his bed for something. Eventually he pulled the broken remains of a guitar and that apparently was the final straw. Naruto looked up at Sakura after having ignored her presence since the race through the streets, and that look was back. The look from their childhood when Sakura felt compelled to hug him and this time it was no different.

 

Sakura walked forward and pulled Naruto into a bone-crushing hug. Somehow it was worse this time…Naruto looked broken…that spark that no matter how bad the situation had always been there was gone.

 

Naruto sat limply in the embrace. Just this morning he would have given his right arm for Sakura to embrace him like this, but right now he didn't seem to care at all. Running on some instinct that she didn't quite understand Sakura began to rub small circles on his back and place small, chaste kisses to the top of his head and his temples.

 

She felt warm liquid begin to seep through her shirt and knew that he was crying. She held him closer, desperate to let him know that he was not alone.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Naruto was in the dark. There was nothing around him, and he was happy with it, but he had this feeling that he was missing something. Sakura's face flashed through his mind. O why should I miss her…she laughed at me…

 

You don't know that…

 

What the…who are you?

 

I am you…and suddenly there was a mirror image of himself standing in front of him.

 

You should talk to her…you don't know what she really thought…

 

She laughed…she thought it was funny, she thought that my lifetime of pain and suffering was FUNNY!

 

Give her a chance…she could surprise you…

 

Abruptly the was a far younger Naruto sitting in front of him, having just run away from a group of older kids trying to beat him up again. Then suddenly a small pink-haired child raced through his current form and hugged the smaller version of himself before running off…

 

That's the day…

 

…the day you fell in love with Sakura, the day you decided to be Hokage…the day you created your destiny…you sure you wanna throw that away…

 

The mirror image disappeared but something was taking its place. At first Naruto couldn't make it out…but then the image of a pink-haired angel filled his vision. Sakura was sitting against a wall, sleeping with her head slumped against her chest, and his head lay in her lap, comfortably supported…a bit of serenity in the chaos that his surrounding apartment entailed.

 

Sakura's eyes began to open and they stared unfocused at him for a moment before…

 

“Naruto…” she whispered.

 

“Uh…hey…” he began to sit up and she, reluctantly, relinquished her hold.

 

“Naruto…I'm so sorry…” she indicated to the mess around them. “How can people be so cruel…”

 

“It's okay…it's happened before…not so bad as this mind you but…yea…” Naruto didn't quite know what to say. “Anyway, I'm used to it,” he stated trying to sound strong.

 

Sakura gave him an incredulous look before pulling him into another hug. Naruto was frozen for a moment before he placed his arms around her form and pulled her close, as he had been longing to since that day so long ago.

 

“No gets used to this…” she whispered, her voice cracking indicating the tears forming, “I heard the song remember, that's why you ran away from me in the first place…”

 

He tried to pull away from her at the mention of the song but she strengthen her hold and refused to let him go. “You're never going to hurt again Naruto…not if I can help it, I swear it.”

 

She now let him pull away enough so that they could see each other's faces. She placed her hands on the sides of his face to make sure he could not look away. “You are NOT alone Naruto…and you NEVER will be again…” She continued to hold his gaze until he nodded his understanding.

 

While he said he did, his eyes still held question. How could she prove it to him…wait, she had an idea…she leaned forward and her heart beat quickened. She saw his eyes widen and felt him take in a sharp breath. She never thought her first kiss would be with Naruto of all people, but now she couldn't think of someone she would rather share it with.

 

Gently she placed her lips against his. His lips very slightly chapped but soft underneath. Just like him, she noted with a smile, a rough exterior but a softy underneath. A shock of electricity went through her when he started to kiss back and his hands splayed gently on her back, pressing her against him a little firmer. They gently disengaged and just stared at each other as they caught their breath.

 

“Wow…” Naruto finally managed.

 

Still floating somewhere in the stratosphere, Sakura just smiled and giggled.

 

“So…uh…what now?” Naruto asked nervously, fidgeting.

 

Sakura smiled up at him and said, “Well, first you kiss me again,” Naruto smirked and leaned in only to be stopped by Sakura's finger against his lips, “No, let me finished before I loose my capability of thought again. Like I said, you kiss me again, and then we get around to cleaning this house, and then…”

 

“There's more!” Naruto demanded, getting impatient. He really wanted to kiss her again.

 

Sakura smile, “Just one more thing…” she whispered, leaning closer herself, “You gotta sing some more for me…” she kissed him again. This time it was far more feverant. More want, need and desire.

 

Once they died down Naruto said, “There just the problem of the broken guitar.”

 

“We'll get you a new one…” Sakura smiled up at him, getting lost in his deep blue eyes, calm for the first time ever in her memory.

 

“I like that `we' part.” Naruto said, smiling down at the only girl he would ever love.

 

“So do I Naruto.” Sakura said, leaning up and kissing him again, “So do I.”

 

And neither of them were ever alone again.