-We're Home-

---

Whispers surround me as I walk down the street; their voices are hushed, almost to the point where they aren't really there. But I can hear them. Kyuubi had astounding hearing abilities, as well as healing abilities (of course, the healing only works on physical wounds). I really don't understand why they've begun to lower their voices and to hide their glares, their scowls. It used to be that even when I wasn't doing anything, if I was just standing their thinking, they would all glare at me, sneer as if I were something dirty that the cat dragged in and placed on the new carpet. They never used to hold their tongue; I think they got a sick pleasure from flinging insults at me.

But now they don't. They don't insult me, they don't glare, and they look at me with something other than hate. Though I wish that what I saw wasn't there; fear.

I don't know why've they suddenly become afraid of me. Many of them had known all along, even when I hadn't, that the Kyuubi was sealed within me. Those who didn't know simply knew that their parents hated me therefore they should hate me. Fucked up but true. I had gotten used to all the hate, cause even then, none looked at me with the terror that I see in the eyes of the few who will meet my gaze.

I don't understand it, and I probably never will. But who gives a fuck?

...I do...

I could handle hate, the cure for that was simple. Simply become the Hokage and earn their respect, stop the glares and halt the insults. I knew that it wouldn't be that easy, but hell, I wouldn't give up on my dream if there was that chance that they would finally look at me as a human being; and the fact that so many would look up to me was a bonus.

Of course, not everyone looked at me like this. The majority did, but there were the few. Iruka-Sensei didn't treat me like a criminal, and he never looked at me with fear radiating from his being...unless of course he was worried sick about me, but hey; Iruka-Sensei is a bit of a mother hen. Konohamaru looks up to me, the little punk. He was one of the first friends that I ever had, and though he can be a bit of a pain, he's cool. Shikamaru says that it's just too bothersome to hate me, and that Chouji guy doesn't really hate anyone, he's just too kind (of course, he hates anyone who tries to hurt and/or insults Shikamaru. Those two are tight).

Hinata says that she gets her courage from me, and she's always so nice. Granted, she's nice to everyone, but I like her anyway. She never excluded me. Sasuke was a bastard idiot, and my rival, but he was also one of the best friends that I ever had. Though we'd both probably kill ourselves five times before we ever admitted it, we were both pretty alike. Ero-sennin and Kakashi-Sensei were both huge perverts, but they were also my teachers; they treat me with respect to a certain degree, but I know that they don't hate me like the villagers. Iruka-Sensei cares more for me than they do, but I know those two perverts care. I think Neji respects me, or my skills, but he doesn't truly hate me like so many. Rock Lee and I are alike as well, and our respect is mutual to each other...

And yet, I don't have any REAL friends. Because none of them fully understand the loneliness...we've all experienced pain and loss, but I doubt anyone else had to endure it to the same degree I did and still do. They don't have demons trapped within them, when the villagers look at them, they see actual people. Humans. People who can feel hurt, loss, pain and everything else because they are human, they have hearts and souls, two things that should be treated carefully.

But when they look at me, they see a demon. A fox. A demon fox who had nearly destroyed the entire village of Konoha...a demon that was sealed within me. I was supposed to be looked upon and treated as a savior, or so I'm told. But I'm not. I'm treated like a heartless, soulless vessel for evil, which can't feel inner pain, which should be hated for something that I didn't do.

I thought that I had been the only one treated like this. I thought that for a long time. I really did, but I was wrong. I sighed and raked my hand through my hair as my other hand unlocked the door to my apartment. The whispers have stopped for now, but the moment I go out there again, they'll start up again. At least, I think the whispers have stopped; it seems they hate and yet love to talk about me. I hate them but I don't. I guess it kinda works out.

"I'm home," I called into the darkness of my house, hand reaching out for the switch so I'm able to see. He likes keeping the windows and the blinds closed, and he often refuses to go outside. He was like me. But he never had a dream to earn their respect, because no one had ever treated him with anything other than hate. With fear. No one. I had my special people, and those who were what kept me going. He didn't even have the love from his family, because they were too scared to show it too him.

We both are treated like monsters. He accepted that so just feeds the image to them. I don't, cause I'm not a monster, and neither is he, no matter how he may act or what he may do. They call him a freak because he doesn't sleep; well, I wonder if they would rather he go to sleep and allow that demon within HIM to take control and destroy them. I really don't know why he stays in my apartment, but it's nice. To have someone to come home to, to know that someone is there, watching over him. Cause really, that's what he does.

There, the light's on. And there he is. Just sitting in that little corner, his gourd near and yet far from him. His eyes are open, and he's looking at me with pale green orbs that seemed to have lost their shine. But they haven't; you just have to help him find it. His mouth twitches upward slightly, making him look just a bit homicidal; he would look weird any other way.

"You are home," he states plainly, his voice dull. But it's what he says next that makes me smile slightly, because there is an emotion behind it that I know. That I never thought I would hear in someone's voice; "And I am home as well."

-Owari-

---

Notes: well, there ya go, some slight GaarNaru, though maybe this could be considered NaruGaar...not quite the ending that I was originally going for, but I think it fits. I think I kept them IC, but that's up to you to decide that it is...as for anyone who noticed the lack of Sakura, Shino, Kiba, Ino, Tsunade and Tenten in the list of people that Naruto thought of- I'm sorry.

Sakura is an odd girl to figure out; one minute she's treating Naruto like dirt, the other she's worrying about him; but I think that Naruto would have noticed that she cares for Sasuke more, so he didn't bother...

Tsunade and Kiba I can't explain, since Kiba is more or less his friend, and Tsunade cares about him too...actually I'm not sure WHY I didn't add them, even if just their names, since I adore both of them 0o

As for Shino, Ino and Tenten...well, I don't think there's really anything there (shrug) Shino doesn't socialize, Ino fawns over Sasuke, and Tenten...to my knowledge, doesn't really HAVE a character -.-

Over all, I hope you liked it, even if only just (bows)

Disclaimer: I claim ownership of this fiction, that I do. I disclaim ownership of Naruto, that I do. But a girl can always dream, ne? (smirks as she imagines what would happen between a certain Sand-nin and a certain Leaf-nin if she did in fact own Naruto) a yaoi fangirls dream (sighs miserably)

-VDG-