Tracing The Veins (Naruto fanfic AU)

3- A Golden Yellow and a Strawberry-Pink

~Chapter 3~

Naruto's back stung. He wanted to scratch at it until the itch was gone, but he couldn't seem to move. His muscles felt dull, and his bones more so. His chest rose and fell in a silent pattern: rise and fall, then repeat again.

Groaning, he made himself wrench open his eyes which were locked tightly from sleep. Everything was bright.

Way too bright.

Further opening his blue eyes, he realized that the window was casting a strong beam of light, right across his face.

"Stupid window." Naruto muttered, forgetting the fact that it was because of the aperture that he chose this room in the first place, "Stupid sun."

Grumbling more nonsense, he rolled over and grunted as he fell off the lump of futon he had put himself onto just the night before.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did you?"

"Oh, shush it Jiraiya." Naruto shot back from the floor. His cheek throbbed where it had taken the impact and Naruto absently wondered if he had bitten his tongue.

His uncle chuckled, "I'll leave you be, but you better get up soon. I have to leave, and I'll be dropping you off at the nearest restaurant on the way."

Naruto inhaled and curled onto his side, looking at his uncle with one lazy eye, "Where're you going?"

Juraiya waved his hands off in a shooing gesture, "Nowhere you need to know. Now get up, and get ready."

"Nooo." Naruto whined.

"I will go over there and wake you up myself if I have to."

Naruto was already up by then and suddenly, his eyes looked wide and attentive, "I'm up! I'm awake... I'm okay."

Amused, Jiraiya only smirked and moved back downstairs, his feet making slow thumps on his way down. When Naruto couldn't hear his uncle's slow trepidation anymore, he sighed and slumped slightly, causing stray strands of hair fall across his face. His eyes crissed-crossed sideways as he intently stared at the fringe that reached the curled bump of his nose.

Better get a haircut.

Blowing his hair out of his sight, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and yawned widely, feeling dull. Giving his crumpled futons one last longing glance, Naruto turned to get ready for the day.

Now that it was morning, Naruto could clearly see what his new home was like in direct sunlight. The floor sparkled, as if just waxed -or as if it'd been walked over for too many, long years and had just been worn down to clarity. The walls looked more or less dull, greenish in color. At some patches of the walls, the skin was tearing down and they looked beige with spots of gray. There were several windows downstairs which allowed light to make its way into their house. Enough light to save electricity (Which Jiraiya would be thankful for. Like he always says, "Less electricity, more money. More electricity, no money. You got it Naruto?").

"Jiraiya?" Naruto called, lack of sleep making his voice crack when pitched, "I'm up. Let's go."

The uncle appeared behind the kitchen counter, "You're leaving like that? Really? Go back up and at least try to look decent."

Naruto made a face at his clothing, "What's so not decent about this?" His jeans didn't look too ruffled up at the legs, and his t-shirt was the same thing he was wearing a week ago. Naruto considered it a feat to have even had done that much for his appearance.

"Everything!" Jiraiya's eyes twitched, "Look Naruto. We're in a new place. We have a new beginning. And you aren't going to make good first impressions with those kind of... Rags."