Comment: So, I decided that I need to start writing other stories. I have another account, but this is me incognito as if I'm not incognito already?. Well, I hope you enjoy this fic. I don't know how this plot is gonna end, but, hey, we'll see, yeah? And don't expect long chapters, or else I'll never get out the chapters on this site. By the way, I wrote this on a whim, sort of how Sasuke spared Naruto's life on a whim.

Shizuka na Sonata

Silent Sonata

His world was one of silence.

In the boisterous streets of Tokyo, with the foreigners speaking their native tongues, and the young high school girls jabbering about one thing or another, and the street musicians entertaining passers-by, he walked on in complete and utter silence.

He could hear the sounds—peoples' feet pattering against the concrete floor, horns blaring, engines running, street vendors selling, wheels screeching—only because he'd heard them once before. But he was too distracted to think about those trivialities (though, in recollection, they were not at all trivial to him). One more week! His stomach fluttered at just the thought. His life would really start in just one more week.

But as he was pushed into the busy street by a biker that hadn't slowed down even though he'd yelled his warning, Uzumaki Naruto never imagined that the sky could be so blue today.

Quiet. So quiet.

As he fell through the air, facing the sky, seeing only the blue sky, it was like he was flying. He didn't hear a sound. It was peaceful. He was floating, the wind was blowing, and it was like being in the rolling hills of his home in southern Japan with his arms spread out wide.

He felt like he was flying.

And then the sky turned dark.

-Silent Sonata-

"Oh my god! Someone call the ambulance!" a woman yelled anxiously toward the crowd gathering around the young man that'd met with the speeding sports utility vehicle.

"I thought he heard me when I told him to get out the way!" the man on the bicycle professed defensively as he pushed his bike against a railing and moved toward the growing crowd. "He didn't move!" He pushed himself through the crowd and stared in disgust at the scene, pulling at the roots of his hair in shock.

A young woman sat on the ground, cradling the young one's head on her lap to reduce his prospect of drowning in the blood pouring through his nose like an open faucet. "Did anyone call the ambulance?" she yelled, trying to staunch the blood.

The black vehicle that the blonde had encountered was slightly dented cracked in the windshield, but the damage was superb on the grill, were he'd taken the brunt of the impact.

"Don't move!" the woman holding the young man yelled.

The blond blinked up in considerable shock, struggling to breathe, bringing his fingers up to his throat as if that would clear up the passage that'd been somehow blocked. His eyes, red from the tears brought on by the numbness he couldn't even feel, looked from one face to another, and he tried to move his body. He blinked once tiredly, unable to hear what the woman said as she moved her lips.

"Ee! Is he dead?‼ Oh, dear god, he's dead!"

"Clear the way! Ambulance coming through! I said clear the way!"

-Silent Sonata-

"You must have an angel watching over you, kid," the doctor spoke, pulling away from the blond as he took the stethoscope from his ears. "Uzumaki, right?"

Naruto blinked at the doctor and then nodded.

"Well, nothing that we couldn't fix. You should make a full recovery within the next couple of weeksor so, so don't strain yourself too much, especially your wrist," the doctor murmured, filling out a prescription for Naruto.

Naruto took the sheet of paper from the doctor and then looked over at his tutelary, who quietly sat in the corner of the room with a backpack in his hands. He smiled at Naruto and stood up, indicating that their stay, long overdue, was finally at its finish. The doctor walked over to the older man and they shook hands.

"Thanks for taking care of the kid, doctor," the man said.

"No problem, Jiraiya-san. I know you were worried."

Jiraiya kicked his head back in weak laughter. "Of course I was," he agreed. "I mean, with him being…well…Just know that I'm glad you were able to take care of him the last couple of days and patch up the squirt. Let's go, kid!"

Naruto glared huffily at Jiraiya and stood up, wincing in pain. He limped over to his guardian slowly, bowed slightly at the doctor in gratitude, and followed the older man out of the room.

-Silent Sonata-

When they reached Naruto's apartment, Jiraiya unlocked the door and stepped in, rolling his eyes at the mess. Naruto walked to the bathroom to put his medicine in the cabinet and by the time he'd walked out after relieving himself, the older man was already picking things up from the floor and putting them in their respective places. He rolled his eyes and walked into his kitchen, patting his empty stomach and reaching for a cabinet.

"Don't you ever clean after yourself, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked in annoyance. He turned around to find the room empty, exhaled exasperatedly, and walked into the kitchen, where Naruto was already boiling a pot of ramen for himself. He sat at his table, bent over with his head cradled in his arms. Jiraiya walked to the other side of the table to face Naruto, whose eyes were closed. "Oi, Naruto!" He knocked his knuckles against the table top and Naruto instantly lifted his head. "You need to clean your apartment more often! It's not livable!" he said in aggravation, his hands moving rapidly.

"Stop doing that," Naruto retorted animatedly.

"Doing what?" Jiraiya asked.

"That!" Naruto pointed accusingly. "I can read your lips, or I can read your hands, but making me do both is so tiresome!"

"Well not everyone can conform to you, Naruto. I need to speak aloud to express myself!" Jiraiya gestured violently.

"Then quit moving your hands like that!" Naruto snapped. "You're gonna make me go crazy looking at too many things. I can read your lips just fine."

"Okay, okay, fine," Jiraiya hissed, thinning his eyes impatiently at Naruto. The water behind him came to a boil, and he turned around to finish making the ramen. He turned toward Naruto a little, but didn't face him fully. "So, are you gonna be fine by yourself the next couple of days? You just woke up." He heard Naruto knock on the table, and he turned around.

"Did you say something?" Naruto asked curiously.

Oops, I slipped up, Jiraiya grimaced. "I said, are you gonna be fine by yourself the next couple of days? You just woke up."

"Ah, I should be fine, oyaji! Don't coddle me! It's just a couple of broken ribs!"

"And a sprained wrist, a torn ligament in your shoulder, a sprained ankle, a minor concussion—"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Naruto interjected. "No need to list everything off. Anyway, I should be fine. School won't start for another week, and I'm pretty sure that I can survive until then."

"You nervous about school?" Jiraiya asked with a grin.

Naruto blinked at Jiraiya and pouted his lips obstinately. "Please, I'm definitely not, I tell you!"

Jiraiya scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Of course not," he said sarcastically. He looked down at his watch. "Well, I have to leave now. The plane for Okinawa leaves in about two hours, so I should get going."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Seriously? I thought you had more time…Are you sure you don't want me to at least see you off at the airport?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Ah, I'm sure," he said. "It's hard enough leaving you here in Tokyo, Naruto. If you see me off, you're gonna cry too hard!"

"No way, old man! I'm gonna cry in happiness, if anything!" Naruto retorted with furled eyebrows.

Jiraiya smiled and Naruto followed him to the front door. He sighed heavily and turned to face Naruto, who looked down distressingly. "Hey, buck up, kiddo!" Jiraiya said, punching the blond lightly in the arm. "You're gonna do fine!"

Naruto looked away from Jiraiya and pouted. But really, do you have to go so soon…?

Jiraiya resisted the urge to hug the kid. Eh, he's 18! He's an adult! Gotta treat him like one! No need for sentiments! So instead, he gave the blond a good, memorable noogie, pulled away when Naruto objected instantly with his fist, and gave another sigh. "Well then…"

"Well…" Naruto repeated.

"Goodbye. Do well, Naruto. And until you find a job, take this." Jiraiya pulled a check-card from his pocket and shoved it into Naruto's hands, grinning when Naruto's eyes lit up. "Don't go spending all that cash! I put a ton of money on the side for this, so you better spend frugally! Tokyo's expensive."

"Tch, I know, Jiraiya," Naruto said lightly. He looked down, biting his lip. "…Thanks…" He watched Jiraiya open the door, pouted again, and waved. "Bye…"

"Bye, kid. Write me, yeah?" Jiraiya said. Naruto nodded, and the man walked away with the blond watching until he was in the elevator.

Naruto quickly rushed to the window and stared out, waiting for the old man to come out of the building. He watched as Jiraiya sat in his rental car for a few minutes. Hesitation…? No, because the man started up the engine and drove off a few seconds after reaching up.

The blond sighed against the window, watching the fog thicken against the glass, and scrawled a little drawing into the mist quickly and then turned away. At least it could cry for him.

-Silent Sonata-

Naruto steeled his resolve as he stared at the large ornate buildings before him, surrounded by lush green trees and students bustling about. He stared, intimidated, at the large sign overhead: Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Aah! No way! He smacked his cheeks twice, turned around, and started to walk away. I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this…

Someone bumped into him, and he spun around quickly, walking toward the school again with wide, nervous eyes. Very well unable to navigate himself into the school with his eyes rapt on his feet, he lifted his head and made a beeline for the swinging doors of the main campus. Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? This was a stupid idea! Stupid! You're an idiot, Uzumaki Naruto!

He sat down at one of the chairs for a moment, pulling out the folder from his backpack, and read its contents for the umpteenth time. Okay, head to the Department of Student Affairs! Check! He stuffed the folder back into his backpack, stood up, and looked at the chart a few meters away to find the particular building. After memorizing the way, he took off.

When he reached the building, he headed to the particular office room, and went right in. A blonde foreigner caught his attention, and he headed for her instantly.

"Can I help you with something?" the woman asked pleasantly from behind the desk.

Naruto nodded quickly, pulled out the file from his backpack, and handed it to the woman. She took the folder with a smile, looked over it, and gasped. "Oh! You're Uzumaki Naruto! Wow! You managed to come to the right place!"

Naruto looked at her curiously. "Well, I'm Tsunade, your advisor. Oh wait, um…ah, do you understand me…? Oh, man, ah…" The woman scrambled up from her seat, and Naruto's eyes bugged out.

Holy crap, look at the size of those jugs!

"Sakura?" Tsunade called out. "Sakura, ah, Uzumaki Naruto is here!"

"Yes, yes, I'm coming!" was the response. A young woman with shocking strawberry-blonde hair came from a small room, closing the door behind her while repeatedly thanking the person in the other room with bows of appreciation. She walked right up to Naruto and Tsunade and gave a slight bow, which Naruto returned distractedly. Exasperatedly, she said, "You called, Tsunade?"

Tsunade nodded at Sakura. "Yes, Sakura. I wanted to introduce you. Haruno Sakura, this is Uzumaki Naruto," she said, motioning to the blonde loudly.

"Oh! Oh, you're Uzumaki-kun! Oh! Wait!" Sakura said nervously, correcting herself. She then continued, "It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-kun!"

Naruto, slightly stunned but not wanting to linger for too long, smiled at the girl. "Ah, no need to be so formal, Sakura. Just call me Naruto." The girl giggled.

"So, Uzumaki-kun, Sakura is going to be your aid for the semester," Tsunade said slowly, raising her voice again. "Your first class is starting in a few minutes, so the two of you should really be going!"

Sakura nodded at Tsunade, taking Naruto's folder, and turned to the blond. "Alright then, Naruto, let's go. You don't want to be late for your class on the first day!"

Naruto turned toward Sakura as they exited the building, and they walked toward the main building again. "Are you also a first year here?" he asked her as he held the door open for her.

"Yeah, I am," Sakura answered. She thanked him offhandedly and turned back to him. "Well, sort of. Well, I started a semester early, so I'm pretty familiar with this place."

"Oh."

"So, your concentration is graphic art, right? I heard you were a really good artist, but I didn't ever get a chance to see any of your work."

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders and stopped short when Sakura reached for the door of their classroom. He breathed deeply. Hell, he was nervous as the grass was green. He was a country kid! Tokyo was a big step for him! Still, that simple difference was very minor.

He actually had a reason to be so nervous.

"Naruto, relax," Sakura said, jolting the blond with a warm hand on his shoulder. "If you're worried that anyone is gonna judge you because you have a han—"

"Ah! I'm not worried about that, I tell you!" Naruto interjected with a beaming smile. "It's just the first day jitters. I've never been to such a big school before is all!"

Sakura smiled at Naruto gently and opened the door, walking in and letting him trail in behind her. He would have sat in the back of the room, and he even suggested it with the pointing of his finger, but Sakura sat at a desk right in the front of the room. He slouched in his seat nervously, avoiding the curious gazes of his classmates.

The professor sauntered into the room, stood at his podium, and looked at his watch. The students quieted down and stared at him. "Hot damn, I'm early…" the man murmured. "A miracle in itself," he professed loudly. "I would apologize to you beforehand for my constant tardiness to this class, but honestly, I'm sure that you all don't mind, yeah?" He stared at the students in the room and zeroed in on the female in the front. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked. "Oh, nothing, Kakashi-sensei."

"You raised your hand?" the professor asked.

"Ah, no, I didn't," she murmured, ducking her head slightly.

"Oh…alright then," he muttered. "I could have sworn…" he opened his folder and stared at his roster. "I'll introduce myself. I am Hatake Kakashi, 26 years old and single. Don't call me Hatake-sensei, as I don't want to feel like an old geezer; Kakashi or Kakashi-sensei suites me just fine. I obviously love art since I am an art history teacher. And…well…I suppose that sums me up," he finished. He looked down at his roster again. "Alright, I'm going to call roll. I'd like you to introduce yourselves—" he paused. "Yes, Sakura?"

"I didn't raise my hand," Sakura said defensively, smiling weakly at the teacher.

"…Right," the professor said with a hesitant nod of his head. He stared curiously at the young blond sitting next to Sakura, and grinned when he perversely thought that he was staring at her breasts. Kid, you got to be more discreet about your staring. You're so obvious! He shook his head. "Uh, continuing, then," he said undeterred, "I'd like you to stand up and introduce yourselves, and tell us what your main concentration is, and if you wish it, you can tell your fellow classmates why you chose it, your favorite medium, and anything else you might want to share." He looked at his roster again. "Okay, let's start from the bottom and work our way up. Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura sat up straight, then slyly knocked at the side of Naruto's desk to catch his attention. He looked at her and then at the teacher, and literally sank in his seat.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" the professor asked, looking at his students in question. A short moment passed, and he looked up front again when the blond begrudgingly pulled out of his seat.

Just don't think about it. Just go ahead and do it. It's not like I'm an alien. You've gotta get it over with anyway, right? Right. Okay. Go.

"Ah, face the class, please," Kakashi said, gesturing toward Naruto's classmates.

Naruto bit his lip and slowly turned around. His vision blurred ahead of him and he nervously tightened his hands into fists. His hand slowly went up to his brow, where he scratched.

"No need to be shy," the teacher spoke. "We're all new people here, yeah?"

Sakura jolted to attention when Naruto's hands began to move slowly. "Oh," she whispered to herself before she stood up next to Naruto. She cleared her throat. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto," Sakura said, watching Naruto's hands. "My concentration is design. But my true passion…is…" she paused when Naruto paused, and shrugged her shoulders in thought. "Is music…" she ended off with a tone of shock. Wait. What?

Naruto dropped his hands, and, not lifting his head, slumped back into his seat. He didn't hear the silence that followed his introduction, or the whispers that ensued after. He didn't hear a few of the students clear their throats in unease, or the teacher continue with the roll call after a short pause. He didn't hear Sakura's introduction, or the sliding of the seats when someone would push their chair back to stand.

After all, Naruto's world was one of silence.

Comment: Aw, a deaf Naruto. Bring in the angst, yeah? Well, sort of. This story will have its good times and its bad. Stay tuned for the next chapter! And now that we know that Naruto is deaf, the following chapters won't use regular quotes to indicate that he is using sign language. Um, SasuNaru? Methinks yes.

MAJOR EDIT: It seems that a few people didn't understand that Naruto wasn't literally "talking" in this chapter. I don't know how many times I hinted at his using sign language, writing how he wildly gestured to Jiraiya and Sakura. Also, he only 'SPOKE' to Jiraiya and Sakura, people who knew sign language. He never spoke to the doctor, and he never spoke to Tsunade, because they don't know sign language. Besides, if Naruto could literally speak, then why did Sakura stand up at the end of the chapter and speak FOR him? Rather, she was translating his language for people to understand.

Sign language IS a language of it's own, and when two people are using sign language, they are speaking to each other :]