((ZOMG YAY! I finally started! I promise I won't procrastinate this time

Disclaimer: I own no characters. If I did the world would explode.))

Outcast

Prologue: Meeting in the Forest

The last days of summer were fading into autumn; the leaves of the trees were beginning to change into the reds and golds associated with the season. A young boy by the mane of Uchiha Sasuke was wandering through the forest, exploring among the trees as he got father and farther away from home. He had ventured away from the villa though he was just seven years old, sneaking away from his mother and slipping off into the woods. He laughed to himself as to how easy it was to trick them. All of a sudden he froze, having heard a branch break behind him.

Sasuke whirled around and stared into the shrubbery behind him. "Who's there...?" He waited for a while, and getting mo reply, decided to press onward. It was growing dark, and the part of the sky shown through the dense foliage was stained red. The young Uchiha moved faster in the direction he thought was home, hoping to get back before nightfall. His father had told him stories of wild animals and demons that lurked in the forest at night, preying on anyone who had the misfortune of crossing their path.

Footsteps. Sasuke broke into a run, dodging through trees and past the lingering shadows, trying to elude his pursuer. Gasping for breath, he looked over his shoulder for a split second and saw the fleeting shadow of what was chasing him. His foot caught on a tree root that was sticking out and he tripped, the fall knocking the breath out of him.

He lay there with his eyes tightly closed, coughing and gasping for air, as he heard the footsteps get closer and closer. His ankle throbbed with pain, he must have twisted it when he fell. The steps passed around him, then stopped. He could hear someone—or something—breathing a few inches from his face. Sasuke hesitated, then quickly opened his eyes, only to find a pair of blue ones staring back.

It was a boy who seemed to be around his age, with sandy blonde hair and whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Instead of regular ears, those of a fox stuck out of his messy hair instead. A white-tipped fox tail waved behind him. The boy pressed his nose to Sasuke's and squinted.

"Why're you running?"

Sasuke scrambled up and backed away, falling down again when he put his weight on his ankle. He gasped in pain, and the curious fox-boy inched forward to investigate. "Did'ja hurt yourself?" Sasuke shot an angry glare at him, and he backed away, ears laid back.

The Uchiha stared at the blonde for some time, eyes traveling from his ears to his tail to his bright blue eyes. They locked with his, and they sat there staring at one another for the longest time, until Sasuke asked, "What... What are you?"

He burst into a wide grin, revealing sharp canine teeth. "Why, I'm a fox spirit, of sourse!" He peered closely at the Uchiha. "What are you?"

Sasuke blinked and blushed a little. "Human, of course…"

"Human?" To his surprise, the fox-boy leaned over and sniffed him. "So that's why you smell different. I've never seen a human before. So…" He looked around, and then back at Sasuke. "What are you doing here? Are you lost?"

The dark-haired boy nodded slowly. He did not want to admit it, but the whole forest was new to him. He had never left the villa before in his life.

"Where do you live?"

Sasuke lifted his face a little. "The Uchiha villa." His father had always told him that to be an Uchiha was something to be proud of.

The fox-boy tilted his head. "Oo-chee-ha?" he closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds. "Wait, I know that place! I know where it is, too."

Sasuke's face brightened. "Could you lead me there?" He then proceeded to stand; forgetting that he hurt his ankle it crumpled underneath him. With a yelp he fell on top of the kitsune, who caught him and broke his fall.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea for you to be walking that much…" He pulled Sasuke's arm over his shoulder and stood up, supporting his weight. "I know! I'll take you to my secret hideout! You can rest there for the night, and I'll take you home in the morning."

The Uchiha gave him an apprehensive glance. "But my mom and dad and brother will get worried about me."

The fox-boy smiled at him again. "It'll be fine! Besides, it's going to get dark soon, and we don't wanna be out in the open then." Sasuke nodded, and they began to walk deeper into the forest.

Sasuke was silent most of the way, occasionally glancing over at the other boy. Why did he feel so nervous around him? They'd only just met. He didn't even know his name. He took a slow breath. "I'm...Sasuke."

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto smiled. "Sasuke... that's a nice name." Sasuke blushed and looked away. They said nothing more for five minutes, until Naruto stopped. "We're here!"

At first it seemed to be nothing more than an old oak tree, but a closer look revealed that it was hollow, and a bush concealed a burrow-like entrance. Naruto helped Sasuke down into it, and to the Uchiha's surprise, it was actually not too cramped inside. Sasuke leaned against one of the walls as the fox-boy stood on tiptoe and peered out of a hole in the tree. "Sun's setting," He sat down in front of the other boy. "Lemme see your foot." Naruto tore a strip of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around Sasuke's ankle. "There." He smiled and sat down next to the Uchiha, who avoided eye contact with him. They sat there, saying nothing, watching the last rays of the sun filter through the knot-hole until they could not keep their eyes open any longer.

A deafening boom of thunder awoke Sasuke from his restless sleep. It was raining hard. A flash of lightning illuminated the two boys' faces, followed by another crash. The Uchiha realized that Naruto was huddled close to him, scared blue eyes wide open, reflecting the lightning strikes. "Are you afraid?" He flinched and turned to face Sasuke; he had not known that he was awake.

Naruto swallowed and whispered, "There's something coming...I can smell it..." The other boy stared at him, confused, until he heard another sound among the pitter-patter of rain and the rumble of thunder. Large, heavy footsteps, getting closer. Then a low growl. The rain seemed to grow harder as that thing got nearer. Sasuke unconsciously seized Naruto's hand as it got closer and closer, near enough now that they could hear its breathing. The hollow tree swayed in the wind, but didn't fall. The two boys held their breath as the footsteps stopped. They stared out the knot-hole at the impending rain, and in a split second, it stared back in at them. A haunting red eye, almost fox-like, surveyed them for what seemed to be forever, and all the while they did not move. Frozen with fear. After a while, the beast seemed to be satisfied with what is saw, because it moved away from the knot-hole; Sasuke caught a glimpse of reddish-brown fur. He looked down at Naruto, who was hiding his face in his shoulder.

Sasuke didn't want to see him afraid like this. Through the rest of the night, he never let go of his hand.

It was the next day, and Naruto and Sasuke were hidden in the edge of the forest, not far from the Uchiha villa. Sasuke looked at his home, then back at the fox-boy, who seemed a bit sad that their adventure was coming to an end. He sighed.

Naruto leaned over and peered into the Uchiha's face. "Sasuke?" He acknowledged him with a glance. "Am I ever gonna see you again?" He saw the pain in the fox-boy's eyes, and that made him a little sad.

"I dunno..." he said with a shrug. "Maybe. But for now..." Before Naruto knew what had happened, Sasuke swiftly kissed him on the cheek, blushing bright pink. "Goodbye..." He said, before running in the direction of home. The kitsune blushed as well, and touched his cheek.

"Goodbye, Sasuke..."

((Arrrrrrrgh! End of prologue. Damn that was long. ; Oh well. It sets the story up for what happens years later. I've been pondering it and I've concluded that this is going to turn out to be a Romeo and Juliet-ish fic. . um... Damn clichés. Oh well. Can't wait to actually get started on the main story... ))