Not Alone

Chapter 22

     "Are you... okay?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto. Naruto stared for a moment and then smiled.

     "I'm fine, just... really happy!" He said, Kurama yipping in response and jumping up onto him. Naruto wrapped his arms around the fox, burying his head into the fur. Sasuke stared for a moment before a slight grin appeared on his face.

     "Shut up and let me finish walking you home, and now I guess that damn fox is a part of this date too," Sasuke scoffed, starting to walk again. Naruto squawked in mock offense, and Kurama growled at him. Naruto caught up to him, hitting him on his shoulder, Kurama by his side once more.

     "Kurama is not just a fox. He's Kurama!" Naruto insisted, the fox yipping in affirmation. Sasuke side-eyed him and scoffed.

     "Okay, whatever you say, stupid," he said, earning himself a slap on the head.

    "Ow! What the hell!" Sasuke said, watching Naruto laugh triumphantly. He shook his head, glaring at the blond boy next to him.

•Time Skip•

     They finally arrived at Naruto's apartment, the two saying their goodbyes.

     "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Remember that Kakashi wants us at the bridge at around seven tomorrow." Sasuke said, about to walk home when Naruto stopped him.

     "Oh, that was a real thing? Wait, aren't we supposed to like, I dunno, hug or something?" Naruto asked, his cheeks flushing pink. Sasukes ears went pink, and he looked away for a moment.

     Sasuke stepped closer to Naruto and was about to press a kiss on his forehead when he was pushed back. Sasuke looked down to find Kurama in front of Naruto, growling. He glared at the fox, wanting nothing more for it to go inside the apartment and never come out.

     "Kurama! Stop it!" He said, trying to push the fox back and go to Sasuke, only for him to step in front of him again, now growling at him. Naruto sighed, looking at Sasuke, defeated.

     "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke," he said a shy smile on his face. Sasuke huffed, glaring at the fox before looking at Naruto.

     "Yeah, see you tomorrow, and you need to tell your fox that he has to learn to like me because I'll fight the damn thing if need be," he said, huffing before jumping away. Naruto chuckled and opened his apartment door, Kurama walking in. Naruto shut the door and glared at his fox.

"Really? I mean, c'monnn! Honestly, what's your deal with him anyway?" He groaned, pulling at his face with his hands. Kurama huffed before tugging on Naruto's sleeve. Chuckling, Naruto slipped off his shoes and followed the fox to his bedroom. Naruto fell on his pj's and flopped onto the bed, Kurama nuzzling at his face in an attempt to get under his head.

Naruto lifted his head, allowing the fox to throw off the pillow and lay under him. Laying down, Naruto felt a familiar sense of warmth creep into his stomach. He smiled, feeling a sting in his eyes, and his nose started to run. Kurama licked his cheek, shoving his tail in his face. Naruto chuckled, hugging the tail and turning on his side.

     "This... this is much better than a pillow," Naruto chuckled, letting sleep take over him.

    'What... is this?' Naruto asked. He was staring at... himself? But it wasn't him, this Naruto had black and red eyes, and the whisker marks were darker and thicker.

    "Who are you?" Naruto asked, watching the other him smile. The other him leaned forward, cupping his face, and chuckled.

     "I'm you, don't you see?" He said, looking at Naruto with an unsettling grin. Naruto wanted to step back, to step away. But he was rooted to where he stood.

      "Aren't you tired of this unfair village? The people here are greedy and selfish. They even took Kurama away from us, so why are we still here? You did say you would leave if they took him, right? Let's leave this village and burn it to the ground!" The other him said, almost sounding excited. Naruto's stomach dropped, and he pried his face away from his hands.

     "I'm here because of my friends! They need me!" He said, his voice stern and eyes cold.

     "Oh c'mon! What have your friends ever done for us? I mean, sure, Shikamaru helped a bit, and Sasukes not all that bad, but that was a recent thing! They didn't help us any time before now! We've been alone our whole lives; these people only now just became relevant.

     But Kurama, he's been with us our whole lives, protecting us and caring for us, and they took him away! That's the only time our friends stepped in!" The other him said, stepping forward, his pupils turning into slits. Naruto stood there, shocked by the words coming out of his mouth. Anger bubbled up inside him.

     "What's your point? Huh? So what they weren't always there, they're here now, aren't they?" Naruto yelled defensively. The other him chuckled and stared at him.

     "You just said it! They were never there for us! But Kurama was, and they saw that and took him away! What do we gain from staying in this tiresome, greedy village? Let's leave, burn it to the ground, show everyone how we felt our whole lives!" The other him yelled at him.

     Naruto stayed quiet for a minute.

     "Yeah, you're right. This village is greedy and tiresome. But my friends have nothing to do with it, why should they be punished? If I did that, I would be just as bad as the village!" Naruto said, not meeting his doubles eyes. His double chuckled and stepped closer to him again, cupping his face.

     "Alright, do what you want, but you know I'm right," the other him said before it all faded to black.

     Naruto jolted awake, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of his room. He looked around for Kurama in a panic. When he turned around, Kurama was lying down, staring at him. Naruto stared at the fox for a minute before laying back down. Kurama licked his face a little before falling asleep again, Naruto following suit.

•Time Skip•

     Naruto woke up to Kurama licking his face and shoving his tail in his face. Naruto laughed, pushing the fox off of him before getting ready. He poured Kurama some food and was about to slip off his shoes when something hit him in the back of the head. He turned around to see his ninja headband on the floor behind him and Kurama sitting there proudly. Naruto tied the headband around his head, looking at the fox.

     He laughed a bit before hugging the fox and running out the door. Kurama ran ahead of him, Naruto struggling to catch up. He laughed for the first time in a while. For the first time in a while,

  He wasn't sad.

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Hii!! I finally finished the chapter! I'm so so sorry for the late update! I've been very busy! Thank you so much for waiting, I love you all!!! ❤️❤️