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Waking up, the first thing Naruto was aware of, was that it was dark.
His eyelids felt heavy as he dragged them open, gazing into the seemingly endless blackness, searching for answers, any sort of an explanation.
The second thing he became aware of, was that he was trembling uncontrollably.
It was cold, but he was almost certain that the trembling wasn’t because of that. No, he was sure that it was the unnerving sense that he wasn’t alone.
He got to his feet, moving slowly, uncertainly through the dark.
He had a strange feeling about this.
There was definitely something else here.
Something familiar.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw movement.
He thought he heard a whisper in the wind… despite there not being any wind.
It was a threatening presence though, far from it.
“Hello?” he called out, his voice echoing back to him, “Hello?”
He took another step, feeling like he’d just stepped into a warm hug. He felt joy, safety, love… all the things you associated with home.
With family.
And recently, with Sasuke.
He looked around, still seeing nothing but darkness.
“Show yourself!” He called out, half desperate, half agitated by the unknown. When he heard his voice echoed back to him though, he couldn’t help but hear a tinge of fear in it.
Silence.
He knew someone was there, he just didn’t know who.
He needed to know though.
“Please?” He called out again, voice a little softer, “Please show yourself.”
More silence.
“I feel like I know you…please!”
He could hear the frightened child in his voice.
And then, it was like a sudden rush of hope and warmth had flooded his body.
Naruto beamed at the sensation, knowing that he was finally going to get some answers. He started to run, chasing that flicker of light through the dark.
He was here for a reason.
Years of feeling like he didn’t belong; people avoiding him in the streets, feeling completely alone aside from Iruka Sensei’s reassuring presence had brought him to this moment.
Years of being unwanted and unloved… finally, he was possibly going to get the answers he wanted.
“I’m not afraid!” He called out, with renewed confidence and hope, seeing how a light in the distance seemed to glow a little brighter.
The trembling had stopped, and his heart raced with excitement.
“Let me see who you are.” He followed that flicker of light as it danced around him.
Circular opening then appeared all around him, each with a viewpoint to a different moment in time. It was like a winding river of memories that soon expanded to become an ocean.
He watched his own past.
Playing jokes on the village.
Eating ramen with Iruka-sensei.
His first mission with Kakashi-sensei.
Teasing Sakura-chan.
His second kiss with Sasuke.
His exploits with the other teams, as he realised he had friends.
Befriending Gaara and helping him come to terms with who he really was, not who everybody made him out to be.
He saw memories that were not his own; a blond man who looked like him meeting a red headed woman and their story.
“We love you Naruto.” The woman whispered down to the baby in her arms, “We both love you so much.”
“Mum?” Naruto whispered, “Dad?” He took a step forward, covering his eyes as the light got too bright for him to even bear. When it finally lessened, he could see the outline of two people in the short distance.
“Naruto!” The red-headed woman, his mother, held out her arms, catching him with ease when he raced forward.
“Mum!”
He felt like he was a child again, in the arms of the mother he’d never known.
She embraced him and he felt her love, her kindness and her understanding.
“You were never alone.” His father placed a hand on his back, “You know that right, you were never alone.”
“I-I felt alone though!”
“We know.” His mother whispered, “We know, but remember it from now on.” She gently touched his cheek, pulling his gaze to hers.
“We’re here. We’ve always been here.”
A light appeared to the right of them, and through it, Naruto could see Sasuke standing there, facing a veritable army of enemy ninja.
“And he will be there for you too.” His mother whispered, her watery smile bright as stars as she held up at arm’s length.
“Will I- will I ever get to speak to you both again?”
“Probably not.” His father’s voice was sympathetic, “But you can talk, and we’ll always hear you.”
Naruto nodded, eyes as watery as hers as he stepped away from them, heading towards the window, stepping through it and into the battlefield.
“Sasuke!”
Sasuke span around, eyes wide at the sight of him.
“Naruto! I- You- “
Naruto wrapped an arm around his shoulders, completely ignoring the enemies who were staring at them in shock, “What? Did you think I was dead?”
“Yes! So did everyone!” Sasuke examined him from head to toe, “You came back though.”
“For you, always.” Naruto smirked, “Now, what d’ya say we show these wannabe ninjas how it’s done!”
“You know me so well.”