CHAPTER 15: The Highs and Lows ⚠️

A/N: WARNING! ⚠️ This chapter will contain homophobic slurs and sensitive topics every where in between, so I haven't put any signs particularly. It has details of Naruto's past, but not all. I have skipped the parts I have written about earlier.

FLASHBACK

10 YEARS AGO~

A month had passed since Naruto's abduction by the goons of the opposition party. Though he had been rescued in time, the nine-year-old boy was scarred from the experience.

He stopped going to school, obviously because he had been kidnapped from that very place. His appetite was almost gone. He had lost 5 kilos within the month. His skin was dull, and he had huge bags under his eyes due to lack of sleep.

'Yes... mommy and daddy will keep me safe. But, what if they come to find me here and hurt mommy and daddy? They'll take me away... I don't want to be away from my family again.'

Such thoughts invaded the small Naruto's mind at night. He was afraid to even fall asleep. The only time Naruto slept was when he passed out from exhaustion. He would hug his sheets and pillows tightly and would stay awake to keep watch. He didn't want the villains to hurt his parents and take him away.

Minato, being the Hokage and Kushina, being a hotshot vet, both came home exhausted every day. They tried their best to make their child go to sleep by singing lullabies or telling stories, but in the end, it was only them who fell asleep every time.

Seeing their child so wrecked was the last thing any parent wanted. Hence, Minato and Kushina decided to bring a change in Naruto's life. Money was never an issue, so they easily moved places and admitted Naruto to a different school. They wanted their son back.

Naruto was hesitant about changing schools, but leaving old scars behind with the place was a good idea.

He began adapting to the new environment rather quickly, and soon, everything in his life was seemingly getting better.

*TIME SKIP * THREE YEARS LATER~

Everything in the life of twelve-year-old Naruto was going perfectly. He was a being who outshined the brightness of the sun, a kind, helpful, and gentle soul. His smile could shake the hearts of those around him. Such a beautiful child he had become.

He had always been very open about falling in love but was oblivious to the dirty, stereotypical thinking of the society around him. He didn't exactly know what his sexuality was, but he was sure that he could fall for anyone as long as they managed to win his heart.

He longed for a beautiful soul, not just a beautiful sight. Soon, Naruto found both in one of his classmates, whose name was Haku.

Naruto had admired Haku since the first time he talked to him a few months ago during an exhibition.The boy was so pretty that before their first actual conversation, Naruto had thought that he was a girl.

He saw the upcoming class trip next week as a perfect chance to get to know him better, and that's what he did.

-×-×-×-

After being friends for a whole month, Naruto finally mustered up the courage to confess to Haku over lunch. However, someone saw his entire confession, and the news spread like wildfire.

That was the day when Naruto's life took a huge turn down the path of hatred and criticism. He had obviously been politely rejected by Haku, but after that hour, Naruto became a public target.

Everyone began looking at him with judging eyes that shone with disgust and hatred, as if Naruto was some kind of monster. Everyone, including Haku, avoided him as if he were a plague. The word of it all eventually reached the ears of the parents, who, being the stereotypical homophobic influencers of society, forbade their kids from hanging out with him. They all turned against him.

At first, it was just spiteful looks and slurs. However, by the end of summer, those it had turned into physical bullying.

The kids beat him up whenever they got a chance. They would punch him and kick him every now and then. Naruto always defended his face and managed to leave with it unscathed so as to not worry his parents more than they already did.

'I don't want them to worry. They have already done a lot for me. I can't have them changing places because of me once again.'

But things only got worse. They would lock him up in the janitor's cupboard for hours. They would purposefully mess up his bento that his mother made for him, due to which he was left starving for the entire school day.

He would come home in dirty clothes that had shoe prints all over them from all the bashing he would receive, and the entire matter somehow managed to evade the teachers' notice. (His parents came home at night, so he was able to avoid their eyes.)

The verbal abuse hurled at him was of a different league.

"You're a born monster! Look at those whiskers! They are so weird! It's creepy!"

"You disgusting faggot!"

"We don't need a fag like you dirtying our class' name."

"Bloody twink."

He was never given a break from it. School had yet again, become another nightmare for him.

'What if I am the one who is actually wrong? Is me loving a boy not right?'

Naruto began questioning himself. He was afraid to even ask his parents about it.

'What if they also find me disgusting?'

Naruto was in a huge dilemma. He couldn't control the sadness and fear brooding inside him anymore, and so, one day, he finally burst into tears at dinnertime.

"What's wrong, honey?"

His mother asked him. It broke her heart to see her son this way once again. Minato was taken aback by the sudden outburst of his child, and he hugged him from behind to comfort him.

"M- Mom, dad, I want to ask you guys something."

Naruto stuttered. He was afraid to ask the question but he desperately needed an answer.

"Ask away, son. We will answer all of your questions."

Minato said in a soothing voice, which was enough to give Naruto the courage to put his question forth.

"I- Is it wrong of me to *sniffles* love a boy?"

Both Minato and Kushina looked at him, surprised. They did not expect this to be the reason their son was bawling his eyes out. They looked at each other in the eye and just passed a small smile.

Meanwhile, Naruto trembled. He was almost waiting for his parents to slap him, but the slap never came. Instead, he was embraced in a hug by both of them.

"Is that why you've been crying? Don't cry, honey. It's perfectly alright for you to love whoever you want."

"Yes, your mom is right. Before your mother, I liked a boy too, you know,"

Minato spoke, giving his son his much-needed approval. However, he forgot that his red-headed wife was right next to him.

"Why don't I know about this? I thought you told me I was your first and last love?"

A chill ran down Minato's spine, and he chuckled sheepishly before he explained. Kushina's anger was not something he was fond of.

"Darling, did you listen to me? I said liked, not loved."

"Naruto, honey, I will ask you about who that boy is after I deal with your dad, ok?"

Kushina kissed Naruto's crown and turned to Minato. Naruto laughed at how his parents soon engaged in a chaotic cat and mouse chase around the house.

Naruto had realized that he had done nothing to deserve such treatment. He had only voiced his love for another person. Yet, he, who was once the bright sun loved by all, had become a forgotten star.

-×-×-×-

Naruto was not the young, timid boy anymore. As he grew, his fear of others soon turned into anger. He began retaliating. He began expressing his anger openly.

He would constantly get into fights which the teachers ignored, calling them 'silly brawls'. This angered the boy even more. No elder was paying attention to his safety in school. Everybody was running away from their responsibilities towards the blond just because he made the grave sin of loving a boy.

He decided to play silly, humiliating pranks on his teachers and destroyed the school property to extremes.

'Nobody likes me anyway, so why not just have some fun... I've got nothing to lose anyway.'

He was a backbencher with the worst school record before high school.

*TIME SKIP* 2 YEARS LATER~

Konoha High's Principal for high schoolers was Tsunade, his grandmother. Naruto was somewhat relieved to have her there.

He began his high school, continuing with his silly pranks and destructive habits. What he didn't expect was that he would actually find 'true friends' there.

They not only changed his twisted ideologies but also helped him completely turn over a new leaf. In their company, Naruto began overcoming the darkness in his heart. He soon became a new, stronger, and more amiable version of himself.

However, the most important part of his life story was yet to come: love.

Naruto had a huge circle of friends, but he became best friends with Shikamaru and a junior named Kiba. However, he found himself looking at the raven-haired boy of the group in a different light. He definitely wanted to be more than just best friends with Sai.

His heart raced a mile a minute whenever he locked eyes with Sai's ebony orbs that shone in the sunlight when they played in the fields. He admired Sai's pale skin that would glow like dewdrops on grass blades. He craved Sai's pink lips that moved as smoothly as the waves whenever he spoke. Most importantly, he loved the attention and care Sai gave him.

Sai helped Naruto deal with his traumas. He would sing Naruto to sleep over phone calls whenever Naruto had trouble sleeping because of nightmares. Sai also kept track of Naruto's meals and constantly made sure that he was feeling good and comfortable.

'He is so perfect... I want him.'

Not exactly unknown to Naruto, Sai also spent days crushing over him. Sai did what he did out of pity at first, but soon his pity took the form of love.

Love was blossoming fast between the two as they went on with their lives. They began wanting more of each other. They wanted to hold hands, hug, kiss, and do so much more. They knew the feeling was mutual because they would leave hints for each other to pick up on.

This went on for months before a day came when Naruto just couldn't keep his feelings hidden anymore, so he asked Sai to meet up with him at a park near the school. He dressed up in his new orange jumper and combed his hair. He went to a flower shop and bought a bouquet of buttercups.

'Attraction, charm, and radiance... perfect!'

Naruto thought and dashed towards the park. He waited with the flowers in his hands for a while before he saw a silhouette closing in on him from a distance.

Soon he could see Sai, who was rocking the black crop top and skinny fit jeans he was wearing.

*THUMP*

Naruto's heart raced at the sight of the boy. Sai's black hair was free as usual, and his lips were glossy under the light. He treaded over to Naruto with grace, and Naruto had never seen something so beautiful in his life before.

"Hey... you look... really beautiful," Naruto said while looking him in the eye. Sai blushed a little and smiled at the taller boy. His eyes trailed over to the flowers Naruto held.

"Are these for me?"

Sai spoke in a gentle voice that made Naruto's heart beat faster than it already was.

"O- Oh, yea... These are buttercups, dattebayo! They symbolize charm, radiance and a- attraction..."

'What's up with the stuttering, Naruto?'

Naruto was nervous inside out.

Sai giggled at the blonde and took the flowers from him. He was admiring the soft petals of the flower when he heard Naruto cough.

Naruto had composed himself and was now ready to open his heart out to his love. He held one hand of Sai's in his and began,

"So, Sai, we have been buddies since the beginning of the year, and I really want to thank you for everything you've ever done for me. Nobody has ever treated me with so much care and affection as you have. You might have shown me love as a friend, but I have fallen for you so damn hard that it's suffocating me to keep it inside. I like you. I like you a lot. I don't expect you to-"

Naruto was cut off as Sai's soft lips touched his own. Naruto overcame the shock and soon he was kissing Sai back. Their lips danced with passion as they savored each other's taste, diving into the ecstasy of first love.

"So, are we boyfriends now?"

Naruto asked after breaking the kiss because, after all, who doesn't need air?

"Of course, knucklehead."

Sai smiled and hugged the blond, who returned it with a warmth that Sai never knew even existed in this world.

'Nothing can go wrong now that I have you, Sai.'

Little did Naruto know that this was just the beginning, beginning of the end.

FLASHBACK ENDS

A/N: So this was it! I know I have left you all hanging with Naruto's past but trust me, his past with Sai is not to be revealed here. I'll do it when the time is right. 😌Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one!See you all in the next chapter!Author sound out ~ ✌🏻