Work Text:
Naruto(Ron?) knew none of this was right. He wasn’t supposed to be in this tiny seven-year-old body. He wasn’t supposed to be alone in this derelict apartment, filled with modern (muggle?) contraptions and dust that piled in high to reach places. Even though on the few times he went outside he saw people with black, yellow and shocking pink and blue shades of hair, he knew he was meant to be surrounded by bright red.
When things were calm, and he was alone and surrounded by quiet (which was all the time), he could see ghosts behind his eyelids. There was a girl, who seemed almost fiery in the passion he knew she had, and four boys (five? Two of them almost seemed to be one half the time.). They blended into each other but he knew who they were even though none of it made sense. There was the one who worked with goblins (what’s a goblin?) and taught him shogi (chess?). One who played with dragons, one who read him stories, and the two-who-were-one that were just chaos personified.
And finally, there were the Mother and the Father. Naruto knew he didn’t have any parents, the lonely apartment that he’d stayed in since he could remember was proof enough of that. But he did have Kaa-san and Tou-san. A womanly figure who reminded him to go to sleep early and showed him how to cook more than just cups of soup. A willowy man who pointed out the most mundane things like the fridge and stove with gasps of wonder. They weren’t there but they reflected themselves in the world around him, and each time he saw something new in this bizarre world, he knew exactly how they would react to it.
But finally, and most importantly, Naruto knew he was loved. He was alone, glared at by people whenever he stepped outside, and visited only by a white-haired old man who refused to tell him anything of substance. But he was loved, he just knew it. They all adored him, they were with him whenever he went outside, played games with him, showed him how to pull off the best pranks, and held him at night when the loneliness was too much. It was an odd thing to physically feel nothing, and yet have an overwhelming cerebral sense of care and safety.
Naruto knew none of this was correct, but Ron knew he was surrounded by enough love to be okay with that.
Sasuke (Harry?) knew that none of this was correct. He was a more sullen child he should be, surrounded by loving parents and a brother that adored him. They were all strict it was true. From the moment he could stand on two feet a kunai was thrust into his hands, and he was thrown into a world of marital arts. He was taught flying acrobatics, the precise way to insert a knife to stop a man’s heart, how to gather fire from inside himself and force flames though his lips. But the most alarming part of it all was the small family he had dinner with at the end of the day, the father who would quietly read him stories, the mother who kissed his forehead at night, and the brother who sat with him on the docks and taught him to fish.
No matter that Sasuke was surrounded by love and care, by hundreds of people who had the same mop of unruly black hair, it all felt like a lie. Like in seconds it could all disappear and he would rightfully be all alone. He tried his best to fight against these feelings, tried to convince himself that he did deserve this family and worked his hardest to impress his father, mother, brother and endless cousins.
“Itachi was able to do that when he was a year younger than you.” His father said as the great fireball shined brilliantly and then dissipated over the lake, but Sasuke knew it wasn’t really a reprimand, couldn’t get angry over the lack of affirmation.
He knew that this world of soldiers and shinobi was cold and cruel. Saw it in the funerals that happened every few months (at a much lower rate than it had been through the war, thank Kami for that, said the adults around him). Sasuke knew that only the strongest (and luckiest) survived and knew that his family was pushing him so he would as well. Somehow, he knew what it was like for no one to care if he lived or died and so he treasured those around him with a fierce passion.
None of this was correct, he wasn’t meant to be surrounded by those who loved and cared about him. But Sasuke (and Harry) were so happy that it wasn’t.
…
…
… (…why?)
…
His brother left. He was alone (the boy-who-lived as everyone who loved him died).
This was correct.
Sakura knew with a fierce determination that all of this was correct. She learned to read at two, devoured textbooks by the time she reached seven, and as she saw the world around her, knew she was destined for something greater. This was a world of magic and shinobi, a place where people could run on walls, and make explosions happen with a glance. Her parents might never fully understand her, divorced from this fantastical world and living as civilian a life as was possible, but this didn’t bother her.
She knew they didn’t need to understand to care. Knew that they would support her dreams to become a shinobi wholeheartedly, and would do everything in their power to help.
Sakura knew she was an outsider, knew she was smart and knew she was cared for. She was teased at school, got perfect A’s to show the privileged clan kids she was worth just as much as they were, and went home to share a warm dinner with her parents after school.
Sakura knew this was correct.