NS: I don't own Naruto, duh. Uhm, this fic was done in parts by me and some by Seaki. Let me know how you like the prolouge and I'll soon be putting up the next three chapters, which are already typed and ready to go!

But Only Time Could Tell

Prologe: Not Fast Enough

Inspiration: Bored?

Naruto had been waking up in the middle of the night for about two weeks now. Something was going to happen. Something. He just didn't know what.

He'd probably say it was an animalistic instinct. He moved though his house and down the stairs in time to hear a small thud. It was a familiar thud. Kunai against wood. He knew the sound all too sound well. He walked over to where he heard the sound with caution to see a shadow dash off.

Angered, he growled slightly. He started mumbling something about stupid people disturbing him at his hour of rest. That really wasn't the case. He had been up for about fifteen minutes when he heard the sound.

He looked to his door. On the inside of his house on the wooden door frame was a note. It was tacked up with a kunai. Curiously, he looked over the writting without actually reading it. He forgot his anger at he saw it was Sasuke's writing. He knew the Uchiha's handwritting well.

He thought for a second. The Uchiha survivor had been acting strange of late. He stopped making insulting comments and only lessening to a glare. He didn't speak to anyone but Kakashi and Sakura. It had upset the loud-mouthed ninja quite a bit.

Naruto finally read over the note.

It started simple. 'Naruto,'

Naruto paused in reading before continuing on. 'Please accept my apology. For ignoring you and all.' Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. Why would Sasuke send him a note to apologize?

But there was more to the note. 'I'm leaving. Don't follow me. I have to do this alone...' Naruto's heart clenched in his chest painfully and he choked on air.

That's all he needed to read. Like he would listen to the Uchiha. Naruto dashed out of his house and down the road. He moon served as his guide as it was almost full.

"Please... Don't be gone yet..." Naruto whispered to himself as he dashed to the gates of Konoha.

He was stopped there. At the gates, he wasn't allowed further. "Kid. Go back home. No Genin's allowed outside of the village without their Sensei at night," the guard said.

His heart clenched tighter as he shook.

All his fault. It was all his fault. He wasn't fast enough. 'All my fault...'

NS: Hmm...this prolouge was not written by me. It was written by Seaki. The original prolouge had parts we both wrote in it, but it was lost and/or deleted, so I've gotten permission to use hers!

Sorry for the uber-shortness of the prolouge, but the original wasn't much better.

Feb. 12, 2007 - 3.47 AM