Reminiscence

Shusui’s nails dig into his palm, knuckles turning white with pressure as he tries to calm down. He had wanted to intervene, had wanted to put himself bodily in between the little boy and his Hokage. Because how dare the man manipulate a kid, a child no older than six, like that. Treating him as nothing more than an asset to the village, ready to be handled and controlled as they pleased. He’d seen the resignation in the kid’s eyes as Sarutobi left him no room to argue against his destined and chosen future. It made him sick, the mere thought of someone having no freedom, no sense of free will.

When the older man finally took his leave, closing the door of the hospital behind him, Shisui took the chance to approach the boy. Fingers relaxing, he took a tentative step toward the hospital bed. "Hey there, I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier, I’m Shisui Uchiha, I’m sorry this happened to you.”

Vivid blue eyes, holding something far older than they should, turned to look at him directly for the first time since they stepped into the room. Ocean-like orbs softened slightly as they regarded him. "I'm Ha-“ He hesitated for a moment before correcting himself. “N-Naruto Uzumaki, b-but you probably already knew that, I guess.” He mumbled, looking back down at the sheets covering the lower half of his body.

“It’s nice to meet you Naruto-chan.” The honorific portrayed his playful tone as he regarded the boy with a small smile, marveling at the maturity of the young kid in front of him. “Oh, and you should know, the scaredy-cat sulking outside is Itachi Uchiha, he’s the one who saved you.” He watched with amusement as Naruto's head tilted in confusion before turning towards the door as if expecting something to pop out of it if he focused on it long enough.

Instead, the light breeze originating from the window intensified for a moment and Itachi shunshined in, making the boy's head whirl to face the newcomer.

Itachi, as Shisui-san called him, was a little shorter than the Jonin. Long dark hair tied into a loose low ponytail reached a little over the middle of his back, a few strands escaping to frame his face. His eyes are averted, studying the corner of the room as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “You were there too.” The Uchiha mutters with a voice so soft Naruto almost misses it. Shisui smirks at the barely concealed pout on his friend’s face, marching towards him with purpose.

Naruto watches, a little fascinated and all the more confused as Itachi dodges the arm coming up to rest on his shoulder, his movements are swift and elegant as he evades the metaphorical attack to his person.

“Thank you for saving me.” He finds himself saying instinctively, but with no less sincerity. “Both of you.” He bows while doing so, well, as much as he can while sitting on a hospital bed. The sling holding his shoulder digs into his stomach and he does his best to appear unfazed. Shisui is there almost immediately, coaxing him back into his original position with his back against the wall. Muttering about health and recovery.

“It’s what anyone would’ve done.” Itachi says seriously, addressing directly for the first time, as if it's the easiest thing in the world, to be kind.

“It’s really not.” Naruto mutters to himself, voice low. Despite his efforts for his words to remain unheard, the way the two occupants of the room tense, he figures they heard him nonetheless.

To his mortification, his stomach chooses that moment to make itself known, the sound echoes in the silence that had settled, breaking the tension.

“Oh shoot!” Shisui exclaims suddenly, one fist coming up to hit his open palm. “You must be starving! Here, let me get one of the nurses to get you something!” One moment he’s there, the next he’s gone, a door clicking shut behind him. Naruto can only blink numbly at the whirlwind that is apparently, Shisui Uchiha.

“Shisui is a little overwhelming, but he means well.” Itachi speaks sagely, his eyes squinted in what Naruto thinks is his version of a soft smile.

He barely knows the man, in fact, the boy was no more than a stranger to him. And yet, as he’s left in a room alone with him, he finds that he is strangely calm and relaxed in the other’s presence.

“Y-yeah…” When the silence starts to take on an award lilt, he tries to convey his gratitude once more. “A-and thank you again, for-uh you know, saving me. They probably would’ve killed me, if you hadn’t intervened.”

“There is no need to thank me.” The ninja replies easily, taking one step forward, back straightening almost imperceptibly. “It’s my job to protect you.”

“Is it?” Naruto asks, curious and a little reluctant to find out the answer.

“It is now.” And he understands now. He can’t help the pang of disappointment and hurt that resounds within him.

“You don’t have to.” He starts, suddenly feeling a little confrontational, some of his old personality traits bleeding through. “I can take care of myself.” He’s been doing for as long as he could remember. In both of his lives.

The door bangs open, the resounding thud of the wood makes Naruto jump. “I got food!” Shisui declares, grinning while holding up two plastic bags filled to the brim. A signature mark is etched into both of them, one Naruto is familiar with. “The food here was inedible, I swear, they should really get themselves a new chef.” He grumbles, a forced smile etched onto his face. “I knew I had to save you from the horror, so I brought you Ichiraku ramen!" The teen's tone tells a different story, Naruto can already guess what really happened. He's surprised the staff even agreed to treat him, he figures they won't be as agreeable now that the Hokage wasn’t here to order their cooperation. From the look in Itachi’s eyes, he’s realized it as well.

The familiar mouthwatering smell wafting from the takeout bags erases any hesitation he has and he decides not to call the other boy out on his lie.

They eat in comfortable silence

       __________________________________

It doesn’t take long for Naruto to be discharged. The doctor comes to talk to him later that very night, a little while after the Uchiha pair leave. He mutters about wasted spaces. Wearing a porcelain smile as he kicks Naruto out of his recovery bed.

In a prime example of pettiness, Naruto takes his time clearing out of the room. His body aches as he moves, but he's pleasantly surprised at his ability to do so at all. His healing rate was abnormally high and he wonders if everyone in this world had a similar recovery rate. He hoped it wasn't another thing that set him apart from the mass.

He walks out of the hospital, cheek, and nose reddening from the cold air that hits his face. The doctor had let him keep the shirt, having been found wearing the ripped remains of his old one. The thin fabric does nothing to ward off the icy wind as he makes the trek back to his apartment.

The only upside is the leftovers he managed to sneak out. He’d squirreled a little of his ramen away, intent on saving it for later. The bag hangs from his elbow as he stuffs his hands in his pockets, clenching them and unclenching them periodically to get his blood flowing. A shadow shifts behind him and his paranoia skyrockets, suddenly feeling a little too exposed as he walks down the main streets.

Would he get attacked again if he kept walking out in the open like this? With the combination of both Potter and Uzumaki luck, he wouldn't be that surprised. He's about to duck into an alley to get to one of the lesser-known shortcuts when a figure emerges in front of him, blocking his way.

Itachi’s gaze is sharp as he regards him, giving him a moment to calm down his racing heart. “I’m sorry if I frightened you.” He says calmly, stepping up to stand closer, in front of him. “What are you doing out of the hospital. You should be resting.” The boy admonishes, reminding him momentarily of Mrs Weasly, he shudders despite the warmth the memory brings him.

“I was discharged.” He explains, voice steady as he resumes his walk. His toes were starting to go numb from the cold.

Itachi takes a moment to follow, his eyes bore into his back as they walk. “I’ll inform the Hokage, they should know better than to-“

“Don’t bother.” He says, suddenly feeling very tired. “Sorry,” He sighs. Itachi was only trying to help and he was being rude. “It’s just that telling him won’t change anything, and really, I’m fine, I just wanna go home.”

I takes the other boy a moment, but eventually he nods, “Alright.” He says, sounding contrite despite the agreement.

“Thanks.” Naruto mutters, resuming his walk. His confusion grows as the boy continues to follow him home. “Do you need something Uchiha-san?”

“I’m walking you home.” The Uchiha replies simply, as if that explained everything.

“Okay… but why?” He remembers then the conversation they were having a little earlier that day. “I can walk home alone, I don’t need you to protect me all the time.” He mutters, kicking a rock out of the way, glad to see his apartment nearing.

“If you wish, I could follow from a distance if it would make you more comfortable.”

“That’s not-“He mentally face palms. “Whatever, do what you want.” He concedes, too tired to argue at the moment.

To his mounting incredulity, Itachi even goes as far as to take the bag he’s holding into his own arm. As if it was the epitome of heaviness.

Naruto can only shake his head in resignation as they march on.

When they turn the corner to his building, he finds himself unwillingly pausing. Mind suddenly conjuring images of that night.

He was Harry Potter damnit, something so trivial shouldn’t be affecting him this much. A hand on his shoulder startles him and he whirls around to face his companion. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah.” He hurries to say, willing his legs to move forward. He’s suddenly grateful for the other’s intrusion as he walks up the stairs to the second floor. “Thanks.”

When they get to the door, Naruto doesn’t hesitate to get his key from behind a potted plant, knowing that if he wanted to, then ninja could find other ways to get in anyway.

He’s halfway through toeing off his sandals when he notices that Itachi hasn’t stepped through the door’s threshold yet.

The thirteen-year-old remains standing outside, gaze patient and unhurried. The realization that the boy won’t come in until he is given express permission to hits him harder than it should have. He’s abruptly all too aware of the dangerous feelings of safety he’s beginning to associate with the older boy.

“You can come in if you want to.” He mumbles, suddenly all too aware of the fraying wallpaper and splintering wooden boards. The large space he’s associated with his home all of a sudden feels too small, too stifling.

Itachi mirrors his movements as he takes off his shoes, slotting them next to each other neatly with care. He follows Naruto to the kitchen dutifully, still holding onto the leftover take-out bag.

Before Naruto can stop him, the boy is opening the fridge, intent on putting away the food.

Abruptly, the boy who lived finds the stitched hem of his shirt very interesting, he thinks he might even make it one of his regular shirts-

“Naruto-kun.” Itachi’s voice is gentle as he calls out to him, as if talking to a scared child. And distantly, he supposes that was exactly what he was.

His earlier reaction proved that despite his memories and past experiences, his mental state remained that of a five-year-old.

Hesitant blue eyes look up, shifting from the rotten apple held in between pale, thin fingers and the dark eyes staring into his own. He waits for it, an admonishment on taking care of himself, or maybe the assumption that he was too lazy to do so. He even prepares a speech explaining how he planned on buying his groceries just before the incident but-

“Please allow me to help you from now on.”

“H-help me?” He asks numbly, not quite understanding what was happening.”

“Yes, for example, I could bring you your groceries.” The boy says matter-of-factly.

“How do you-“

“I saw you, that day, at the market.” Itachi interrupts gently. It takes a moment to understand what he was talking about, the realization hits him hard.

“It was you…! Why are you doing this?” He finds himself asking, suddenly feeling more than a little overwhelmed. “Why are you being so nice to me? You should hate me.” He continues a little desperately. “All the others do. So why don’t you?” Did he want something from him? Was that it? Or did he think it was part of his mission. “You don’t have to do all this, you could just take up a few patrols around the district and be done with it.”

The silence that follows his tirade is too loud. The peaceful night air only serves to emphasize the emptiness left by his words.

“I’m not offering this because of my mission Naruto-kun.” The Uchiha says after a moment, speaking slowly, voice firm and louder than ever spoken before. As if trying to make his next words as clear as possible. “I don’t hate you, you have never wronged me or anyone else for that matter. I am doing this because you…” He falters as if searching for the write words to convey his feelings. “You deserve kindness, Naruto.” He says as if it’s not an earthshattering thing, to contradict everything Naruto has ever known in this life.

Tears, unbidden and inexorable trail from his wide eyes, blurring his vision almost completely as the feelings he’s been suppressing suddenly burst out into the open. He doesn’t sob, nor does he break down, and yet it feels like he’s screaming out deep within him.

That night, he lets himself feel, and for the first time, he's not alone as he does so.