Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto… Well, it would be all angst and emo and really random sometimes…

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This one’s dedicated to being able to fake sick and get out of school!

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Twilight

Memories in the Rain

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“Na-Naruto-kun!” the soft eyed Hyuuga girl called, Naruto turned just as she skidded to a stop beside him.

“Eh? What is it Hinata-chan?” he asked, oblivious as ever to the unusual smile plastered to Hinata’s face.

“Naruto-kun!” She exclaimed, “Tsunade-sama sent the next mi-mission specs to me this morning. W-we have a mission together… Just the t-two of us, I mean.” On Hinata’s face was the picture of pure joy, she gave a smile and handed the scroll she was carrying over to the orange-clad ninja.

Naruto read over the scroll, muttering segments as he went, “An assassination?” he questioned out loud.

“Y-yes… We’re to assassinate t-the Daimyo’s u-uncle. A-ranked.”

Naruto grinned, putting an arm around the pale girl next to him, “This is great!” he exclaimed, Hinata’s face turned the color of Kurenai’s eyes, “Our first Anbu mission, and we’re among friends!”

Hinata managed a weak smile, “Y-yeah, it’s great.”

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Naruto shook his head, dismissing the memory from his blonde head, “No.” he said aloud, even though he was by himself in his tiny apartment

He shoved a pair of green boxers with a frog pattered into his worn leather knapsack along with a few windmill shuriken and his extra storage of kunai and shuriken. He got on his hands and knees and began digging through memories until he came to a black lacquer box. Naruto pulled the box from under his bed and onto the top. Inscribed on the top of the box, in dark red kanji letters, were the words “Uzumaki Arashi”.

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She was behind him, a hand on his shoulder. “Naruto-kun,” she said softly, “It wasn’t your fault”. She motioned to the black lacquer box on his lap, “He didn’t die because of you. He died because of the fox. He gave his life so that the village would be safe.”

Naruto sniffed, “And my mother?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

“She died for you. Not because of you.” The dark haired girl squeezed Naruto’s shoulder, “She died so that you could live. She loved you.”

Naruto nodded, straightening up on the swing set, “Hinata-chan,” he started, back to his cheerful attitude, “Thanks! If it weren’t for you, I’d have died a long time ago.” Hinata gave a warm smile, “You know,” he said, pulling Hinata around to face him, “You haven’t stuttered once! You’re getting so much better!”

Hinata giggled, he’d noticed. She had been working on her speech issue for a while, and now that she didn’t stutter anymore, she felt much more confident.

“Hinata…” Naruto began.

“Yes?” she asked.

He shook his head, “Oh, never mind! Let’s go get some ramen! On me!”

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Naruto took the top off of the dark box. Within the wood were many things. There was an old worn photograph of a young man whose face and eyes mirrored Naruto’s. He had an arm around a young lady with black hair and green eyes. Her skin was dark.

They both wore the headband of Kohona. The lady strapped to her leg, and the man on his forehead. The man wore a long white robe with flames licking the bottom of it. He looked proud.

Naruto turned the picture over and read the scrawled katakana aloud, “Arashi and Yuki, the day that Yondaime Hokage was appointed.”

Naruto set the picture on his bedspread and started back in on the box, he pushed past the letters and the rest of the pictures, past even the hita-ate, stained with the dark red of blood. Once he reached the bottom, Naruto pulled out the oddly shaped kunai. It looked somewhat like a badly proportioned upside down triton, he shoved it into his sack along with the picture.

Naruto walked to the door, halfway out he turned away, “I’ll be back.” He reassured himself.

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He was running now. He didn’t care where to. He just had to get out.

To leave.

To find her.

“Damn,” Naruto muttered, noticing that one of his wounds had reopened and was bleeding through his orange jeans, the rain falling from the dark sky didn’t wash it away as well as he’d hoped it would. . He ignored it, pressing on. He would deal with it once he was well out of the village.

Past the Academy, the gates weren’t too far now.

Come on, he willed himself, just a little longer!

Something pink flashed beside his head, Naruto skidded to a stop, “Sakura?” he asked, looking behind him. His gaze found the pink haired medic sitting on a stone bench that seemed all too familiar.

“Naruto,” Sakura’s eyes were fixed to the playground in the distance, watching the empty swings rock back and forth, Like if there were ghosts on them, she mused, “Why are you here.”

It was more of a statement then a question, Naruto answered anyways, “I’m leaving, Sakura-chan. I have to find her.”

“If you go,” she said, eyes still fixed on the swings, “That’ll make two out of three of us that have left.”

Naruto took a step closer towards Sakura, golden hair glowing in the moonlight, “Sakura…” He started, “I have to.”

“That’s what Sasuke said.”

Naruto sighed, “I know.”

“I told him that I’d go with him. He said no.” Sakura winced, remembering the pressure on the back of her neck right before the world had gone dark.

“I know.” Naruto repeated, he knew all of it, damnit, and he wasn’t going to leave like that!

“I’d leave with you, too.”

“You can’t.”

“Why?!” Sakura screamed, finally looking away from the swings and into Naruto’s cerulean eyes, she stood, taking a step toward him, “Why can’t I ever leave with you?! Why do you always have to go?! Why?!”

She was talking to Sasuke now, Naruto edged closer to his sister of six years, “Sakura,” he whispered, putting an arm around the now sobbing kunoichi, “Sakura, I made you a promise. I told you that I’d bring him back, and I will.”

“But you’re leaving! Who knows if you’ll ever come back?!” Sakura grabbed a handful of orange and black cloth and sobbed into Naruto’s chest.

“Sakura, I’ll come back.” Naruto’s voice was soft, like velvet, “I’d never abandon you here. If I ever really leave, I’ll take you with me. Okay?”

“O-okay.” Sakura managed, the sobs dying away now.

“I promise.”

Sakura pulled away from Naruto, regaining control over her emotions, she nodded her head, “Your leg,” she said, extending her arm toward it, “It’s bleeding. Give it here.”

Naruto bent over and hiked his pants leg up over his knee; Sakura leaned over and put a hand to the bandage, focusing green chakra into the deep cut.

Once she was convinced that the wound wouldn’t open again, she stood up, facing Naruto, “As apprentice to Godaime Hokage, I cannot allow you to leave Kohonagakure without permission.”

Naruto nodded, “I understand.” he took a step backward.

“As Haruno Sakura, I give you twenty four hours.”

Naruto nodded again, he was expecting something like this, “Sakura,” he began, “You’ll just get into trouble. You’ll go down with me.” His voice was barely audible again.

“If that’s what it takes for you to find her, Naruto.” She sighed, looking up at the stars, “It’s what has to be.”

In a flash of orange, Naruto was behind Sakura. She tensed, anticipating his next move. She closed her eyes and waited for the pressure of the back of her neck. The fleeting apology before it all got dark, but to her surprise, Naruto wrapped his arms around the pink haired teen and held her to his chest in a backwards hug, “Thank you, Sakura.” He breathed into her ear, “I will bring him back.”

Sakura nodded, “Do what you have to do.” she said. Naruto brought his hand to her neck and poked at the sensitive spots on the sides of her spine with his middle and index finger.

Things got dark.

A/N:

Is Hinata OOC?!

Oooh… Angst! Well, anyways… As you might be able to tell, I am a complete supporter of the “Yondy is Naruto’s Pa” theory.

Absolutely.

So, how do ya’ll like the new and first official chapter?

Somebody asked if this was based off of East of the Sun and West of the Moon? Well, I suppose that it could be, abstractly. That’s actually one of my favorite fairy tales, but I got the idea from this one book about the day and the night having the kid, and the kid lived in our times. Some parts of it might be, though. You’ll just have to wait and see…

Everyone who reviews get’s a free Gama wallet like Naruto’s!