Legal Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just this plot. And neither do you, all you aspiring fanfic writers out there.

Normal writing is ordinary talking

Italicized writing is a character thinking

Some of what I say may conflict with the original Naruto story, because this is MY plot.

There WILL be more talking in coming chapters. I promise, because there will be MULTIPLE characters.

Chapter 1

Alone in the Dark

Kabuto lay awake in bed, thinking. He could hear the pitter-patter of rain against the window. Sighing, he got up and walked over to the window and looked at the darkness that blanketed the Village Hidden in Sound. He placed his hand against the cold glass, still deep in thought. Ever since he was a child, he'd been a servant to Orochimaru. More than a servant, he corrected himself, his personal assistant.

As if that was any better.

Kabuto had been sent into Konoha as a spy when he had been just a small child. Using a battle as a cover-up, with him conveniently being a survivor, a Konoha jounin had taken him in, mistaking him for an innocent child. From that day forward, he'd been a spy in enemy territory. For years, he gathered information for Orochimaru, under the guise of being an average ninja. In actuality, however, he was a talented ninja, who used medical jutsu and tools as his primary mode of attack.

His eyes fixed on a group of children on the sidewalk below his room on the second story of the building. There were 2 boys and 1 girl. He was reminded of the 3 ninja he had befriended during the Chunin Exam.

Just another one of my undercover missions

After that event, things had gone by rather quickly for him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he thought about it. The invasion…. the successful attempts to capture Uchiha Sasuke…things were going to fast for Kabuto. His thoughts returned to the Chunin Exam, and the 3 he had supposedly "befriended", though he hadn; Sasuke…the one Orochimaru so desperately wanted, who, in fact, was unconscious in the room next to Kabuto's. Using some technique, Orochimaru had made him fall asleep. And he would remain asleep until made to do so. Naruto…the blonde headed joker. Always yelled at for goofing off, Kabuto had liked his carefree and excitable attitude. And, finally, Sakura…the pink haired, Sasuke-obsessed girl.

Hmmm…Sakura he mused. He remembered her quite clearly, her soft, pink hair…that almost everlasting smile on her face…that cute red dress…

Kabuto recoiled away from the window in horror.

"What am I thinking?!" he breathed, eyes wide in shock. But he found that he could not push her out of his mind. Ever since the Chunin Exam, she had invaded his thoughts every now and then, sure, but he had never thought anything of it. He had never thought of her, as she was. He was sure that it had previously been just some small misgiving for helping Orochimaru take Sasuke away from her. Kabuto opened the window, letting a slight rain into the room.

"Is this what it's like…to….want someone?" he said to the night sky. He may have been a spy, but he was still human, with human thoughts and human feelings. However, this was going MUCH too fast for him. He had only been around her for the equivalent of a day…

Not like…Orochimaru, the pitiless bastard who would do anything to obtain what he wanted. What would my life have been like if I WASN'T his servant? he found himself wondering. As it was… he had not true "friends" only "allies". Neither could he pursue a true relationship…if it looked like he was, it was just another part of his job as a spy.

And all this because of Orochimaru. Kabuto found himself angry, though why, he could not place. Sakura came back into his mind, and his eye twitched. He pushed at his glasses: a perpetual habit of his.

Let's think this through rationally he told himself, well…I'll admit that I think she's…attractive. But she's younger than me by what? 2? 3? years? Again, he recoiled, but this time, in surprise. This was the first time he had come to face this admission, and he was a bit unsure how to approach it.

Well, it's not like I LOVE her or anything, you have to know someone personally for that to happen. He looked down at the sidewalk again, and saw the three children walking away, arms in arms.

Then, another feeling hit him. A feeling that, suppressed for so long, almost brought him to his knees in sadness. He gasped for breath, and a tear made its way down his cheek. It was the feeling…of loneliness.