Bullet to the Heart : Nomin

Chapter 12

Sup?

The promised second chapter!

AKD

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"And so I was thinking," Jeno announced right after he had judo flipped Jaemin for the fourth time that day. "I want to see what this Naruto thing is like."

Jaemin who had been lying on the ground, rubbing his sore arm with a wince, suddenly shot up to sit straight, eyes blown wide. "Really? You want to watch Naruto with me?"

"Only to judge just how useless it is and how much you are wasting your time," Jeno cracked his neck. "Also because I want to know what makes people even like doing this stuff."

"Because.... it's fun?" Jaemin tilted his head in confusion. "I don't get it. Jeno, have you never had fun?"

"No," Jeno deadpanned. "Now get up. What's not fun is the fact that you haven't managed to pull a shoulder or hip throw on me even once. Stop being so pathetic, Na Jaemin."

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Jeno didn't really know what to anticipate as he sat on Jaemin's bed beside him and waited as the latter booted up the computer and connected it to the Wi-Fi Jeno didn't even know their hideout had. He felt horribly lost and clueless but Jaemin seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

"Since you've never watched Naruto, I'll play the very first episode," Jaemin said as he opened up a window in the browser and rapidly typed something out. "And if you think you can bear it, we can watch the rest of it together."

Jeno only had time to nod once before the screen darkened for a short time and then suddenly lit up with a video that showed an animated red nine-tailed fox on the screen and a background narrator that began the story.

He was fascinated if he was to be honest, of how the animation moved on and the story progressed. He could feel himself unconsciously clenching his fists when the fight between the two teachers broke out, one trying to protect Naruto and the other trying to harm him. Jeno had to admit he was pretty captivated by everything and blinked in dissatisfaction when the episode ended too soon for his liking.

"Well?" Jaemin asked, turning to him in anticipation.

Jeno cleared his throat and racked his brains because he didn't exactly know what to say. "It was not as bad as I thought," he stated casually. "Perhaps I can take another episode."

Jaemin immediately grinned and clicked at the second episode without hesitation.

One episode turned into two more and then three. Four. Ten. And then suddenly they were done watching one whole season. Jeno tried to fight back his disbelief when Jaemin exited the browser and announced that it was better if they both went to sleep because it was past midnight.

"Such a huge wastage of time," Jeno muttered disdainfully as he got off the bed and began making for the door.

"But you enjoyed it, didn't you?" Jaemin sounded nervous but his statement still made Jeno freeze. He didn't know how to answer without feeling strangely embarrassed so he left without saying another word.  

He came back the next day to watch Naruto again and Jaemin was only too happy to entertain him. They, however, made a rule to watch only five episodes a day so they didn't waste too much time and could also continue with their training alongside everything else.

Jeno began admitting to himself that he actually did enjoy watching the ridiculous series even though Naruto sometimes got a bit too loud for his liking. But he enjoyed the story and even liked a few of the characters, like the silver-haired guy with the mask who was Naruto's teacher. Kakashi, if he remembered correctly.

Jeno began thinking if it was what all normal people who weren't brought up in a world of criminals and violence enjoyed doing, or if it was only something that Jaemin enjoyed doing.

And he realized that he liked this feeling of normalcy. He liked doing something that wasn't related to missions, deliveries, killing and his asshole of a father for once. He actually enjoyed it all.

And he was filled with a strong desire to know what other "normal" things Jaemin enjoyed doing.

"You asked me if I was Oliver Twist. The truth is.....I don't know," Jaemin suddenly spoke out of the blue when the last Naruto episode for the day had ended with the invasion on Konoha failing and the dark past of the red-haired monster boy was finally all revealed and he too suffered defeat in Naruto's hands. "And now I.....I want to ask you if you're Gaara."

Jeno stared at Jaemin, who was yet again not looking at him and fidgeting anxiously. "I didn't have a shitty uncle who betrayed me. Nor do I have siblings. But yes I do have an asshole of a father so I guess I relate to Gaara on that part but no, I'm not him."

"Are you sure?" Jaemin's question was tentative. "Because I really do see a bit of Gaara in you."

Jeno was silent. He mused over Jaemin's question and then thought about the recent episodes he had just watched.

The red-haired boy, Gaara, had been portrayed as the antagonist and a monster. He killed for blood and pleasure and cared for no one but himself. But then Naruto came and almost quite literally knocked sense into his head. And the only thing Naruto said was that he understood the pain the boy was going through.

He didn't antagonize Gaara, didn't call him a monster.

Then Jeno thought about the boy before he had turned into a monster. A young frightened and lonely child who didn't understand the positive emotions like love and happiness because he was never exposed to them.

He grew up receiving hate because he couldn't help the way he was born and the one person he thought loved him broke him up the most; the grief and hurt turning him into a monster. But no one heard his cries for help until Gaara decided to rid of his emotions completely.

Jeno's story was in no way similar to Gaara's but he still understood the most now why Jaemin had just compared him to that character. Perhaps Jaemin was right.

"It's getting late. We should sleep," was the only thing Jeno said before he got up to go back to his own room. "We have morning training tomorrow so don't be late."

"Okay," was the only thing Jaemin answered.

Not Edited

April 20, 2020

Song Recommendation:

"Missing" by TRCNG

Questions? Thoughts? Walnut-shaped elephants? Opinion? Random Facts?