Addiction.
Chapter 1
Midnight Wanders
The moonlit alleyways faded in and out of focus, distorted in a swallowing shroud of misleading mist. Sauske smiled, steadying himself against the tavern door, his legs clumsily failing him as he attempted to stand. He cursed in aggravation after meeting an abrupt collision with the cold cobble-stone floor and for a few moments he lay there, dozing carelessly. It was far from comfortable, he had to admit; the hard grit beneath his spinning head only contributed to his growing confusion. Why was he in this position again? Groaning in pain, he pulled himself to a sitting position, rubbing his head in pained puzzlement.
He’d been here before, quite often - in fact he even recognised the familiar chatter buzzing from the tavern’s busy interior. Dark eyes glanced around lazily, searching for the nearest form of support, which happened to be a nearby street-lamp. He grasped hold of it firmly, tenaciously rising from the rippling ground below and breathing a sigh of accomplishment as he stood finally, feeling his surroundings dance around him mockingly.
In response to the sudden burst of movement, his stomach promptly emptied its contents in protest, causing Sasuke to lose his balance once more. He clung onto the street-lamp desperately, in hope of avoiding the cold confides of the cobbles stones again. Successfully locking himself onto the lamp, he slithered gingerly over toward the wall, delicately picking his way down the alleyway.
What if someone caught him?
Surely his reputation would be in ruin?
He stumbled slightly at that thought, wondering if anyone may happen to venture through the midnight labyrinth of alleyways so late at night. It wasn’t likely, he thought, picturing the familiar faces of Konoha sleeping silently, minds focused on their own problems, bodies exhausted from a hard day’s work.
Nobody had noticed his bizarre behaviour over the past few weeks; his late night strolls, his lack of enthusiasm during the day and even his increased irritability had slipped by seemingly unnoticed by his team-mates. He was secretly grateful for that fact. Just as long as he kept up his cold, cynical persona his late night drunken clumsiness could remain secret, cleverly hidden within his usual mysteriously silent attitude.
Certain that he could travel home quickly without drawing too much attention to himself, Sasuke increased his pace, reaching out for the reassuring support of the wall every few steps. He’d remembered the route back off by heart; turn left, then right across the bridge, another right and onto to the living apartments. They were simple enough directions to remember – he’d be home and dry soon. Suddenly motivated, he staggered forth triumphantly, casting aside his drunken doubts and marching nobly towards the empty town square. It wasn’t long before he found himself tripping over his own feet and accidentally diving into the freezing waters of the town fountain.
Iced darkness engulfed him, edged with a sharp stab of pain, awakening his lingering senses and bringing about an unpleasant realisation. He was drunk, very drunk.
-----
Naruto shivered against the chilling evening breeze, already regretting the idea of a midnight stroll to clear his mind. Indoors he’d felt trapped with the thoughts of his tormenting past paying their weekly haunting. Normally, he didn’t dwell on them for too long, however tonight he’d not been able to distract himself. Regret and guilt had dominated his wandering mind, and he’d desperately sought out any possible escape, finding himself stood frozen outside his living quarters.
He descended the steps quietly, keeping his eyes pealed for any other midnight adventurers. The town was silent much to his relief, and he proceeded to head over to the entrance gates.
Walking in a slow miserable fashion, Naruto closed his eyes and listened intently to soft symphony of the night. It was somewhat relaxing, taking in each little unique chime of sound and he found himself drifting off quite happily in the wrong direction.
Wandering aimlessly for a few moments, he promptly stopped in his tracks realising he’d somehow managed to end up in the rougher parts of town. Gulping sharply, his blue eyes darted around anxiously. There didn’t seem to be anyone around luckily, although the shadier faces of Konaha were renowned for their invisible-like qualities. He pivoted round on the spot, checking each darkened alleyway for lurking figures. His pulse quickened at the sight of a scavenging bird, which was caught up in the disposal of another unfortunate creature’s remains. Naruto stared, transfixed by the swift snaps and stabs from the scavenger’s razor-sharp beak, as it tore apart feathered flesh mercilessly.
Piles of litter strayed idly, led by the encouraging wisps of wind, teasing the nervous blond with their sinister whistles. The place was deserted it seemed, though Naruto remained suspicious of his new subtly hostile surroundings and carefully began to retrace his steps before anything had chance to find him.
Minutes passed, and as Naruto travelled deeper into the bowels of the slightly less civilised part of town, he soon discovered that he had absolutely no sense of direction. He kicked a nearby trash can over, feeling anger pulsate vigorously through his body. How could he get lost in Konaha? He’d memorized every last landmark, building, signpost, district – aside from the one he was currently lost in. Burning anger quickly turned to saddened despair and he sank to the ground, crouching in defeated weariness.
He’d wait until the first light of morning. With a bit of light to guide his way he was certain he’d find his way back. He nodded to himself in agreement, acknowledging the radiant twilight of the star-filled sky above, though doubt still remained. Would he be safe resting in such a dodgy area? It had proven to be safe so far; he’d not been attacked or confronted, however looks could be deceiving in these kinds of situations. Clutching his shaking body to gain protection and warmth, Naruto bowed his head in contemplation, easing his mind away from possible horrors to the alternate world of past horrors.
----
From the cover of disguising shadows, a stranger took interest in the downtrodden figure before him. Clad in carefully chosen darker garments, the stranger stood hesitantly, surveying the surrounding area for any ‘interferences.’ He’d spotted Naruto early on near the outskirts of his trading spot and had decided to follow him in hope of landing a deal. He refrained from approaching the figure without his inventory of possible questions to ask; catching the target off guard with sudden conversation always resulted in loss of a potential customer – he didn’t want to risk it.
Suddenly seizing the opportunity, the stranger pulled up his hood and leapt out from his hideout window-ledge silently.
-----
“Hey, Kid,” he began in voice filled with fake concern, drifting rather than stepping in the direction of the crouched blonde. “Why the long face?” A sly smile spread across his heavily-pierced lips, as his victim jumped to his feet in shock. His smile melted into a devious smirk as he noticed the boy was perfect customer material – undoubtedly he was no older than eighteen, gullible and desperate-looking.
“Oh eh…” Naruto gasped, struggling for words, as he discreetly made a large distance between himself and the stranger. He squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of the stranger’s face, however the density of the darkness prevented him from seeing any notable features and he continued to back away, fumbling for an exiting line.
“Don’t be alarmed; I’m here to help.” The stranger said, lowering his hood as a sign of peace. Naruto gawped, shocked by the normality of the boy’s appearance. He had to be in his late teens and bore a similar resemblance to a certain someone. Feeling himself colour up over the intensity of the stranger’s penetrative stare, Naruto scanned his mind for which person he’d been reminded of – nobody came to mind.
“What brings you here?” The stranger pressed on, pushing a few stray strands of dark hair behind his ears. He didn’t seem or look aggressive, though there was something suspicious about him. Naruto had apparently lost the ability to speak, as he lips remained motionless and he continued to stare on in dumfounded awe.
“Not very talkative, are we?”
The stranger’s pleasant smile changed to a displeased frown and he advanced on the startled boy, driving him further back.
“Look, I’m not feeling overly social right now,” Naruto snapped, breaking his silence as felt his head crash into a walled-barrier. “Just stay back, alright?”
“Oh.” Stopping in his tracks, the stranger smiled sympathetically once more. He dove into one of his cloak pockets trying to locate the desired item. “I have something I’d like to show you.”
“I don’t want to see it!” Naruto barked as an intense blush spread across his face, assuming the stranger was referring to something else. In panic, he chanced a look toward the closest alleyway, wondering if he’d be able to escape.
“Now now, no need for that kind of attitude. I believe you’ll be interested in what I have in this package here.” The stranger rummaged around in his pockets, without noticing his sales target was slipping away.
“No, really - keep your package to yourself – I’m off!”
“Ah, here it is!” bellowed the stranger in overjoyed achievement. “Happiness in a small capsule”
-----
Happiness?
Naruto paused in his half-dash, suddenly intrigued by the stranger’s advisement, forgetting all thought of running away.
“What do you mean?” He questioned, turning to face the grinning stranger. A small bag of rather colourful capsules hung from the stranger’s hand, swaying gently in the breeze. Naruto ventured closer, warily, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“As I said; these things will make you unbelievably happy, forget all your worries – forget the past and live on peacefully in the future. Imagine yourself in careless bliss.”
“All of that in one pill?” Already he was sold. The very thought of forgetting the past pleased him immensely. To him it was a life without regrets – a fresh start.
“All of that and much more!”
“I can have them…” Naruto caught his tongue, aware he was pushing his luck. “They’re free, right?”
“Why, of course.” The stranger said, his smile growing increasingly creepy by the second. He held out the package quite freely. “They’re on the house.”
It was too good to be true; there had to be a catch. Why on earth would anyone want to help him out for free? He suddenly remembered where he was, and momentarily snatched his trailing hand back.
“Something wrong?” the stranger asked, cocking his head in a questioning fashion. “They’re not poisonous if that’s what you’re thinking!”
“Oh no! Nothing of the sort!” Naruto stammered, afraid the offer may possibly be withdrawn due to his awkward indecisiveness. “It’s just… well… why?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you helping me?”
Raising an eyebrow in startled interest and replacing his hood, the stranger approached the perplexed blond once more.
“Simply because,” he whispered, leaning a little too close for a certain person’s comfort. “I can.” Naruto allowed his hand to be opened forcefully, as the stranger lowered the package into his shaking hands. The stranger’s hands were like icicles frozen over in bizarre mystery and Naruto found himself shuddering against the remarkably chilling touch.
“Th-thanks,” he stuttered, unconsciously clasping his hand shut as if to protect his most precious belonging. He glanced warily to the now hooded-stranger wanting to show his gratitude more however, his mouth remained closed in disbelief. Had he just accepted dodgy-looking pills from a mysterious person he’d never laid eyes on before? Shaking his head in denial, he quickly tried to reassure himself that the stranger had his best interests at heart. Unfortunately it didn’t all quite add up, but he’d recently learnt that most things in life hardly ever made sense.
“Not a problem,” said the stranger, turning on his heel and pulling his cloak around in preparation to take his leave. “Just don’t take them all at once, unless you want to spend the next month in Kaleidoscopic Wonderland.” He added with a small laugh, watching his new customer’s face light up in question.
“Huh?” Naruto gaped, his mind already forming images of an overly happy rainbow-like village.
“You’ll see.” The stranger said with finality, suddenly taking a great interest in his watch. “Anyway, I must be off now – do take care, won’t you?”
Naruto nodded, smiling nervously as several questions began to tug against his lips pleadingly. “How will I know where to find you again?”
“Aah, good question! Yes, very good question… now, let me think…” The stranger pondered for a few moments before speaking once again. “Well, most evenings you can find me in Red Leaf Inn, which isn’t far from here – just to the left of the Arena in fact.” He said, swaying his arms in various directions. Naruto forgot where he’d pointed almost instantaneously, his memory proving to be useless at every possible opportunity.
“Say, what’s your name again? Don’t think you mentioned one, did you?” The stranger asked, pulling his hood down a little to reveal his dark, quizzical eyes.
“Oh… it’s Naruto.” Naruto responded automatically, deciding against giving out his full name.
“Naruto, eh? Great name – certainly one I won’t forget.” The stranger answered, his voice filled with intrigue and wonderment.
“What about you?” Naruto spat out with haste, trying to turn the subject away from himself.
“Me?”
“Your name.”
“Humph, don’t get asked that often, heh.” The stranger laughed, sounding somewhat surprised. “I go by many names, though around these parts I’m most commonly known as Bob.”
“Bob?” Naruto repeated almost dumbly, astonished by the simplicity of the curious stranger’s title.
“That’s right. If you want to find me again, simply ask for Bob in The Red Leaf Inn – they’ll know who you’re talking about, don’t worry.” Said Bob with certainty, regarding his watch once more. “I’m going to be late.”
“Ah, sorry to keep you!” Naruto gasped, concerned about irritating his new acquaintance after he’d been so friendly. Bob merely smiled and shook his head.
“Enjoy them, Naruto. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.” He then vanished with speed, as a gust of wind enveloped the deserted alleyway. Shielding his eyes from the snapping leaves, Naruto clung on desperately to the bag of colourful pills in fear of dropping them.
-----
What had just happened?
He wasn’t entirely sure, though it must have been real; the bag of pills made that evident. Despite everything that had happened, his situation hadn’t really changed all that much as he was still hopelessly lost. Sighing, he contemplated whether to try one of the pills now or later.
Were they even safe?
Bob’s guarantee of safety wasn’t exactly the most comforting of things – why on earth would a guy devote most of his nightlife to handing out free pills to random nobodies? The answer hid deep below, in the ceaseless caverns of oblivion.
Naruto didn’t find any of his other options particularly appealing. Staying the night would likely drive him into the pits of despair and he didn’t fancy venturing down any of the dimly-lit alleys. Without another thought, he tore the bag open delicately, tipping it at an angle, easing several small pills out carefully into the palm of his hand.
“Here goes,” he breathed, depositing the pills into his mouth and in one decisive moment swallowing with a sharp gulp. It was only a matter of waiting now.
Nothing’s changed, he thought, surveying the familiar cobble-stones beneath him and the darkened alleyways around him. Nothing at all… perhaps I’m doing something wrong.
“I’d say you certainly are doing something wrong, without a doubt,” said a deep voice from behind. Naruto jerked on the spot upon hearing the new voice, spinning around and half-collapsing at the sight in front of him.
“Clumsy as always.”
Pink, yellow polka-dots, floppy ears and familiar face caused him to blink several times, as the strange phenomenon smirked down at him in arrogant amusement.
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Table of Contents
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Story notes: Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter notes: A/N: Summary doesn’t sound very cheery, does it? And yes, it’s not the most original of ideas, but maybe I’ll add a few surprises here and there.
Pairings: Work it out. ;)
Chapter end notes: Reviews are always appreciated. ;)