AN: Okay the story starts with the boys being about 7-ish, and they get progressively older as the story wears on.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The little boy ran for all he was worth. He'd only ment to go a little was into the forest. He still didn't know how he'd managed to get lost, but now he was scared to death. He ran and ran and ran, hoping to find a road, a house, some sign of people, anything that could help. The sun was setting fast and the forest grew darker by the second. "I have to get out of here!" He screamed over and over in his head. "Whoa!" he screamed outload as he tripped over a tree root, falling face first into the dirt. He lay there for long moments, dazed and winded. By the time he managed to roll onto his back he was crying bitterly. His nose oozed blood slowly, and his ankle throbbed painfully. He sat up as best as possible and pulled himself over to the trunk of the tree. Leaning against the trunk he carefully slipped his sandle off to get a better look at his ankle. It was already starting to swell. "No..." he muttered, terrified. Waves of pain shot up from the injured joint, causing his eyes to water and his breathe to hitch. "Oh God, I'm gunna die out here!" he cryied out bitterly. He knew enough feild medicine to know that he needed to splint his ankle. He looked around and saw a fallen branch just a foot away. He used a kunai and some bandages he had to fashion a makeshift splint. "Thank you sensei..." he thought as he wrapped the splint to his ankle. that done he looked around to see where he was. Nothing looked familiar, not even the trees. He'd never been that far into the forest. "Oh man, am i ever in trouble. No one's ever gunna find me out here." The boy pulled his knees to his chest and cried.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What's that..." He looked around. "I could have sworn I heard something..." He jumped down to a lower branch and listened. "There it is again..." He made his way in the direction of the sound, which he was almost usre was crying. He landed on a branch one hundred yards away from where he first heard the crying. He looked down and saw a small boy about his age sitting between the roots of a tree, his ankle bandaged. He jumped to the ground behind the tree and stared. "What's this kid doing this far out this late at night?" He stepped out from behind the tree...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The injuried boy startled, "Who's there!?!" The intruder put his hands in the air, showing he had no weapons and ment no harm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. What are doing all the way out here?" The injuried boy hiccuped and sobbed out, "I-I got..lost...Please...please h-help me. I c-c-can't-t get home." The other smiled, "You poor thing. Of course I'll help you. Can you walk?" The injuried boy shook his head, "i don't know. I haven't been able to get up." "That's okay." He offered his hand, "Let's at least get you standing first." The injuried boy took the offered hand and stood shakily on one leg. He tried to put some wieght on his bad leg but screamed in pain. "Tch, that's a no go," said the rescuer. "That's okay. It's only a few miles to the village. We can walk it." "H-how? It's nearly dark already." "No worries, I've got really good eye sight and can smell my way back. Plus, my dog and run ahead and scout the way." "Dog? What dog?" inquired the injured boy. "He's around here somewhere. " He turned, "Akamaru!!!" yelled Kiba. Akamaru popped out of some bushes a few yards away. "Bark?" "Do me a favor, run ahead to the village and get help. This kid's injured." "Bark Arf Bark." Akamaru ran off toward the village. Kiba turned to his companion. "You're the new kid at the academy right? Your name's Naruto isn't it?" Naruto nodded, "Yeah, that's me. Naruto Uzumaki." Kiba smiled, "Well I'm Kiba Inuzuka. Nice to meet you. Don't worry, Akamaru will get help for ya." Naruto smiled, "Thank you. I prolly would have died if you hadn't of come along." Kiba smiled, "I doubt it, but i'm happy to help anyway. Come on, let's see if we can get closer to the village." Naruto nodded grabbed onto Kiba for support. Between the two of them they managed to get about half way back before they ran into the people that cam looking for them, guided by Akamaru. The medic that had accompanied them smiled at Naruto, "You're a lucky kid that Kiba found you out here." He picked the injuried boy up, "We'll get that leg looked at and have you up and running in no time." Kiba followed them to the hospital before they finally managed to convince him that Naruto would be alright. With a promise to visit him the next morning, Kiba left for home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naruto awoke in his hospital bed the next morning, groggy from the tranquilizer he had been given. The doctors had removed and resplinted his ankle after taking a few x-rays to make sure nothing was broken. They told him he'd need to spend another night in the hospital for observations, but he should be fully healed on the inside of a month. At about noon Kiba knocked on Naruto's door, "Naruto? You in here?" He asked before sticking he head in the door. "Hi Kiba," greeted the blonde from his bed. "What the doctor's say?" "Nothing broken, but I have ta spend another night here from observations." "That sucks," commented Kiba as he stepped in and sat down in the chair next to the boy's bed. "Yeah, but it's better than nothing. This place is better than where I live anyway." Kiba blinked, "Better? Man, I'd rather be at home in my own bed anyday." Naruto smiled bitterly, "Be glad you have a home. Sure, i got a place to sleep and everything, but it's no home." Kiba stared and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Whatcha mean? You saying you don't have a home?" Naruto shook his head no, "Naw, not really. Got my own apartment and everything, but it takes more than a warm bed and furniture to make a home. Home is where you have family, feel safe and sequire. I don't have any of that." "You don't have a family?" "No, my mom died giving birth to me and my father, well, i'm not sure about him. Everyone said he died when I was just a few days old. They know what happened to my family, but no one will tell me." "Thats horrible!" Naruto shrugged, "I guess. After a while you learn not to care too much. It gets to be too depressing." "I can imagine," said Kiba, although he really couldn't. Naruto smiled, "He don't feel bad for me. I make it just fine on my own." Just the sight of the blonde smiling make Kiba feel better. "Well anyway, " he said, "I just wantd to make sure you were all right." He stood up to leave, "How about you come stay with me when you get to feeling better. I got plenty of room and it'd be alot of fun." "Sure, I'd like that." "Well then, I'll see you later Naruto." "Okay, bye Kiba." Naruto smiled as Kiba walked out. He just made his first friend.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Shino! Hey Shino!" called Kiba as he ran across the playground to where his friend was sitting. "Hello Kiba," said the boy quietly. "I hear you've had quiet the interesting two days?" Kiba sat down next to him, "Yeah, It's been kinda crazy." "Tell me about it." Kiba nodded, "Well, I was taking a walk with Akamaru when I heard something that sounded like crying. I went to look and found this kid sitting up against a tree with a busted ankle. I went up to him and he begged me to help him. Said he had gotten lost and injuried his ankle. I help him stand up and realized he couldn't walk so I sent Akamaru to the village to get help. He managed to hobble about halfway back when we ran into the help party. They took him back to the hospital and check him out. He didn't break his ankle, but did manage to sprain it pretty bad. Anyway, they said he'd be fine." Shino nodded, "Sounds like you're quiet the hero. Who's the kid you saved?" "His names Naruto Uzumaki. He's that new kid at the academy." Shino nodded again, "Well then, I guess you've made a new friend." Kiba nodded and smiled, "Yep." "Well then, I wish Naruto the best of luck with his healing. I'm sorry, I must go now. I have to meet my father for a round of training." Kiba nodded and Shino left. Ino walked over, "Did I hear you right Kiba? You're friends with that Uzumaki kid?" Kiba blinked, confused, "Yeah? What of it?" "Oh nothing really. It's just that my mom said he's supossed to be a lot of trouble." Kiba msiled, "Like that's ever stopped me?" Ino shrugged, "My mom, and everyone else's mom's for that matter, keep saying to stay away from him." "Whatever," said Kiba as he stood up to leave. "Ya'll can avoid him if you want. I don't see what's wrong with him." He walked away, shaking his head at the thought of anyone not liking Naruto.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey mom?" he said as he walked into the kitchen of his house. "Can I ask you something?" His mother turned, "Sure Kiba, what is it?" He sat down on a chair, "Is there soem reason why everyone keeps telling me not to hang out with Naruto?" His mom's eyes widened, "Naruto? Naruto Uzumaki?" Kiba blinked, alarmed at her reaction, "Yeah. You know him?" His mom walked over to him, "You've been hanging out with Naruto Uzumaki?" More confused blinking, "Yes?" She frowned, "I don't want you near that boy Kiba. Stay away from him. Bad things happen to people close to him. I don't want you getting hurt." "Bad things? What bad things?" "Best you don't find out. Just stay away from him." Kiba shrugged, "Okay?" His mother's face hardened, "Promise me Kiba. Promise you won't go near him." Kiba frowned, "Tell me why and then maybe I will." His mother shook her head, "I can't tell you why. Just trust me. Stay away from that Uzumaki kid." Kiba shook his head, "Unless you tell me why I won't promise." His mother glared at him, "Don't be stubborn with me Kiba." Kiba stood up and turned to leave. His mother grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around. She held his shoulders firmly, "I'm warning you. If i find out you've been ahnging out with that Uzumaki kid I'll spank you so hard you won't be able to sit for days." Kiba shook loose, "Unless you give me a good reason not to hang out with him, I kepp doing it. He's my friend. I save him from the woods. I'm not going to abandon him now." Exasperated, "You bearly know the kid Kiba! How the hell do you think you're abandoning him?!" "Because I'm the only friend he's got! And you off all people should know I don't abandon my friends!" He turned and left his stunned mother standing in the kitchen. He'd never fought back like that. He was out the door and on his way back to the hospital before she even realized it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naruto was surprised too see Kiba back so soon. "Hey you," he said when Kiba knocked on the door again. "Wasn't expecting you so soon." Kiba smiled, "Yeah, had a little fight with my mom and needed to get away. Hope ya don't mind." Naruto smiled, "Naw, i'm glad for the company. What're you and your mom fighting about?" Kiba blushed slightly, "Well, truth be told, you." "Me? Did I get you in trouble?" "Naw, not really. It was more my stubborness than you." "What happened?" Kiba shrugged, "She told me to stay away from you. Something about you causeing trouble and some other junk. I told her no, that you're my friend and I'm not going to stop hanging out with you without a good reason. She refused to give me on so I told her I wasn't going to stop. They she yelled, I yelled back, and before she had a chance to do anything else I was out of the house and on my way here." Naruto frowned, "I sorry. I didn't mean to get you in trouble." He sighed, "It's not the first time. I wear, I'm under some kind of cloud with the adults, but no one will tell me why. No one ever tells me anything. I mean, how can I do anyhting about it when no one will tell me what i'm doing wrong?" Kiba shrugged, "Don't know. All I do know is that no matter what anyone tells me, as long as you don't give me a reaosn to stop hanging out with ya, i'm not gunna stop." "Thanks for that Kiba. I'm glad I finally have a friend in thsi world." Kiba smiled and they laughed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And it went on like that for many years. Over the years he had managed to forge friendships with a few of his classmates, mostly the other troublemakers like Shikamaru and Choji. Not that Shikamaru was really a troublemaker, he was just lazy. Kiba was still his best friend though, much to the mother Inuzuka's horror. She still distrusted Naruto, but over the years had warmed somewhat and no longer openly hated him. Infact, she had come to see him as more of a distraction for Kiba than a threat. The other parent too had grown to accept him more. they had stopped forbiding their children from associating with the blonde, so it was easier for him to socialize with the other ninja. By the time of graduation he'd managed to befriend most of his classmates. But no matter how many friends he made, he still went back to Kiba. As they got older, the others began to wonder about their relationship. Of course, they never said anything, but that didn't stop them from thinking. The boys always denied there was anything more than freindship between them, but that only fueled the rumors. The boys lack of romantic intrests with girls didn't help much either. Not everyone thought that way about the boys though. Hinata Hyuuga fostered quiet a crush on the blonde Uzumaki, and Ino (although she'd rather die than admit it) was interested in Kiba. As the boys listend to the others gossip, especially when it concerned them, they realized that the other had a point. they did sometimes act like more than friends. But that wa just due the intense bond they shared. I mean come on, saving someone's life tends to forge supertight bonds between people. Was ther something more there, they didn't yet know. They never gave ti much thought, worried more about training and juitsu than about dating. Or their lack of.