A/N: I've gotta make this AN a quick one (winces) but let's get down to it.

Heh, my current story is currently ending, so I felt the itch to give ya guys a taste of a new one. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, to all those who've voted in my poll (which is still open)! There's been A LOT over 300 of you. (gasps) So thank you! (glomps)

WARNINGS: Very dark adult themes, YAOI, oddness, language… (grins) Ya know, the usual?

DISCLAIMER: Me, OWN? Do you seriously want me to die of laughter?

Awkay, because I'll have to abandon my computer soon (cringes), let's rock! (gulps very nervously) I seriously hope ya'll enjoy this.

The Most Broken Roads

Prologue

Once upon a time there was a beautiful house in Paris, located almost right by Seine. In that house lived a sad-eyed man named Minato Namikaze with his two-year-old son Naruto, who was almost perfect replica of his father. Every week they visited the grave of Naruto's mother Kushina, after which Minato always took him to eat ice-cream. Although both of them felt like there was something missing from their lives they loved each other tremendously, and most days things were good.

That was until one atypically cold day of early autumn a month before Naruto's fourth birthday. That morning a neighbor broke into their apartment when hearing Naruto crying hysterically, almost screaming. The arrival found Minato collapsed.

That neighbor's name was Jiraiya, and he was also one of Minato's oldest friends. That day Jiraiya had one of the biggest shocks in his entire life when learning that his friend had been sick for months, hiding it from everyone – especially Naruto. As Minato passed away a week later, involuntarily leaving his son all alone into the world, Jiraiya announced that he'd take the child. No official cared enough to try and fight him.

Although Jiraiya was a ladies' man who'd never taken care of a child even for overnight the two of them managed to find some bizarre balance. Their life together was good.

But like most good things in Naruto's young life this one didn't last forever, either.

Not long after his twelveth birthday Naruto and Jiraiya were on their way home from the blond's football-match, which the blond's team had lost narrowly. Naruto didn't know how long he'd been ranting out his frustration until Jiraiya started to laugh. He gave the man a somewhat insulted look. "What's funny?"

The man shook his head before focusing on the road. The traffic-light before them had just turned green. "You just sounded exactly like your mother."

Naruto blinked twice, slowly. "Oh…" He didn't realize he was smiling widely.

There'd been several occasions when he would've wanted to ask Jiraiya about his parents – after all he had no memories of his mother, and only few clear ones of his father. But he'd never managed to gather enough courage to actually do it. Maybe now…

He never got the chance to make up his mind. Because just then Jiraiya swore loudly. "Fuck…!" was the only coherent word he managed to catch.

Naruto didn't have the slightest clue what happened. All he heard was a painfully loud, explosion-like boom that was soon followed by agony the kind he could've never even imagined. Then everything became dark.

That night twisted Naruto's whole life around.

Because he woke up in the hospital's ICU, almost immediately met with the news that Jiraiya had died as soon as a drunk-driver hit the driver's side of their car. And like that wasn't enough he also soon discovered that his football career was over before it'd even began. His left leg had been broken from three places – there was no chance he'd be able to play with it even with the best physical therapy. The accident had also left him broken ribs, a pierced lung and a concussion – plus shards of broken windshield glass had shred his face. When he was finally able to get up and take a look into a mirror he discovered that he had several deep scars around his mouth.

Naruto spent almost two months in the hospital, partly because of his ailing mental condition. Later he remembered almost nothing of that time. Pretty much all he managed to recollect was that he had a lot of nightmares about Jiraiya – and that he met Danzou Shimura a week before he was discharged. He decided that he hated Danzou as soon as the man entered his hospital-room with a look that clearly stated the old man didn't give a damn about him. He could've sworn he even saw a shudder of disgust.

He frowned and folded his arms, feeling that he needed to protect himself. "Who are you?"

"Danzou Shimura", the man replied with a voice that was even colder than his face. "I work for child protection services. I'll be your temporary guardian until we manage to come up with a better permanent solution." Although Naruto had a feeling the man would've rather accepted a root canal.

At that moment Naruto felt cold. Perhaps he already knew what was to come.

Long, hard weeks of physical therapy along with mental and physical recovery scrolled by. And as no 'better permanent solution' appeared he and Danzou were stuck with each other in the man's much too tiny, cold and chilling apartment. For Naruto – who'd always been a very verbal person and was still recovering from losing a yet another precious person along with all physical things – it was torture that he couldn't talk to anyone about all those things spinning in his head.

And then, on his thirteenth birthday which Danzou forgot, everything turned from bad to worse. He sensed that something was going on as soon as Danzou entered the apartment, stomping his feet and mumbling something dark he couldn't understand. Was that language Chinese or something?

Feeling a hint of alarm he quirked an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Danzou didn't smile. There was irritation on the man's face. "Pack your bags", the man commanded. "We're leaving."

Naruto frowned, folding his arms to his chest. "Where to?" Leaving, especially with someone like Danzou, was the last thing he wanted. He'd already lost his foster father, home and a beloved hobby. Wasn't that enough?

Danzou's face promised no mercy. "I used to live in Japan. This morning I was informed that a very old friend of mine has passed away, and he left an orphanage under my care. We're moving there, to Konoha."

Naruto's eyes widened while his heart forgot to do its job. "I don't even speak Japanese! And what about school?"

Danzou clearly wasn't interested. The man turned and headed out. "Just get ready, brat. We'll leave in three hours." As the door slammed shut Naruto felt hate for the first time in his life.

In a matter of months it became clear to Naruto that Danzou just didn't know how to take care of him or any of the other kids in Konoha's orphanage. His life turned into a nightmare.

Since coming to the orphanage he was isolated so badly that even after over a year he still didn't know more than a word or two of Japanese. There was no TV or radio, no one really talked to him and Danzou or anyone else definitely didn't teach him. That made understanding anything that was happening around him almost impossible. Naruto was also confused by the fact that although the other kids went to school he received no education. Wasn't he supposed to study even here, in a foreign country? It was amusing that such worried him, since he'd always hated school in France. And rather quickly it became clear to Naruto that at least a group of five kids didn't appreciate a foreigner entering their territory. Before even one year had passed he'd already lost track on how many times he'd been beaten up.

Over the years Naruto came to discover that there were feelings even darker than hatred.

Once upon a time there was a mansion in Suna, a small village in Japan almost no outsider had ever heard of. In that house lived a picture perfect Uchiha-family, which met every outsider's standards of what a family should be like. Two perfect sons – Itachi and Sasuke. Mikoto, the beautiful mother with a pleasant smile and soft voice, and Fugaku, a rich business-man who could offer his family all the wealth they'd come to think of.

But, of course, where there's a paradise there's a snake.

When Orochimaru – Fugaku's friend and most important business-partner – first persuaded Sasuke to spend alone-time with him the child was only five, much too young to understand what was happening. To understand that the things that happened and the words whispered behind closed doors were wrong. When he finally did understand and tried to escape the situation Orochimaru looked at him with a sickeningly sweet smile and brushed his face with one hand.

"You wouldn't tell your father. It'd destroy everything he's ever worked for. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Sasuke was only seven at the time. Of course he chose to protect his father. Besides… Would his father even have believed him?

In a couple of years it didn't even matter. Because exactly two months after his ninth birthday Sasuke woke up in the middle of the night to sounds of sobs. He shivered and frowned, then crawled out of his bed and tiptoed towards the sounds.

The frown on his face deepened as he realized that the noises were coming from Itachi's room. All of a sudden it was very cold. Itachi was crying. And Itachi never cried.

He opened the door slowly, cautiously. "Brother?"

Itachi, who was slumped to the floor, quickly wiped his face before looking at him. But nothing erased the redness of his brother's eyes. "You were supposed to be asleep."

Gathering all his courage Sasuke stepped into the room, his legs shaking although he wasn't sure why. Everything felt surreal. "Brother? What's wrong?"

Itachi swallowed thickly. It was easy to see that the boy was trembling. "Sasuke… I just got a phone-call from one of father's friends in the police." His brother had to gather himself for a moment before speaking out the rest. "Mother and father… They're dead."

It took several long, agonizing moments before those words sunk in to Sasuke's head. When they did everything went black.

That night twisted Sasuke's whole life around.

Because he woke up to a nightmare in which he and Itachi were the last remaining members of the Uchiha family, and Orochimaru was the one who offered to give a home for the poor unfortunate children until something else would come up. And little Sasuke still couldn't open his mouth to explain why he started suffering from nausea and panic-attacks as soon as he heard those news.

Orochimaru's house was even bigger than theirs and surprised Sasuke with how much light the mansion's windows let in. There was even a swimming pool. To some such a place might've been heaven. To Sasuke it was a sugar-coated, fancy version of hell. Not another night passed without him crying after his parents until he turned eleven and ran out of tears.

Perhaps Itachi sensed that something was wrong – after all the two of them had always been close. His brother worked his hardest to try and fill at least a tiny bit of the hole their parents' passing had left. But Itachi was still a teenager himself. There was only so much he could do.

One night, which also marked his twelveth birthday, Sasuke finally had enough of it all and ran away. He ended up to a observatory right outside the village. The place with quiet, isolated and peaceful – a sanctuary.

Sasuke didn't know how long he'd sat there watching the stars until there were steps. He was startled until Itachi's familiar voice spoke. "So here you are – I was getting worried." The boy climbed up and sat beside him. "Don't worry, Orochimaru doesn't know. But don't ever disappear like this again."

He looked away, feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. "Sorry." He then took a deep breath, focusing on the stars once more. "Brother… We don't have to go home yet, right?"

There was a moment of silence until Itachi wrapped one arm around him. He shivered, but soon relaxed to the touch. "You know what?" His brother's voice was soft. "I don't feel like going home just yet, either."

Sasuke hadn't smiled as much as he did that night in years. For the first time in ages he was happy.

But the paradise could only last for so long. Because one day just after Sasuke had turned thirteen his worst fears came true.

Sasuke's eyes were squeezed tightly shut as Orochimaru ran a hand down the naked skin of his back. As hard as he tried he couldn't distract himself from what was about to happen – especially after the man whispered huskily to his ear. "Don't worry. This isn't going to hurt long."

Sasuke braced himself as hard as he couldn't, but even that wasn't enough.

As he let out a rather pitiable, heartbreaking mew of pain Orochimaru hissed and squeezed his shoulder so that nails dug into skin. "Haven't I told you to stay quiet?"

But it was too late to prevent the damage. In a couple of seconds there was a knock on the room's door. "Sasuke?" Itachi's voice called out, sounding alarmed. "What's going on?"

Sasuke swallowed with severe difficulty, tears blinding his eyes as the ravishing pain wouldn't disappear. "I… I'm fine." He gagged dryly when feeling and smelling Orochimaru. "Go away."

Those words were a mistake, because in a flash the door was opened. Sasuke had never seen the kind of a expression that rose to Itachi's face as his brother took in the sight. It was barely human.

Sasuke had no memories of what happened next. He remembered hearing sounds of someone getting beaten up, he smelled blood and sweat, heard loud curses. And he remembered himself screaming as two police-officers ripped his brother away. "ITACHI!"

Sasuke didn't know what strings Orochimaru pulled, but Itachi – who was only seventeen at the time – was treated as an adult in court. And he was about to be sentenced as one.

That was just about all he knew. Because a week later Orochimaru ran a greedy hand through his hair and whispered. "This town isn't a good place for us anymore, Sasuke. I've decided that we'll move."

Sasuke frowned, shivering from disgust and feeling like throwing up. "What about Itachi?"

Orochimaru didn't respond in any way, only got up and emerged from the room, leaving him alone to his bed.

There was nothing Sasuke could do to oppose his guardian. The following week they moved to Konoha.

As Sasuke grew older all alone and sunk even deeper into the hell Orochimaru had created he came to discover that there were feelings even darker than hatred.

And one fateful day their roads collided.

Time passed fast, and soon Naruto was in the middle of his fourteenth year. That day of late spring he was sitting under a apple tree, once again hiding from the rest of the orphanage's kids, when he saw something unexpected.

In a mansion across the road a boy of his age with black hair and eyes was stood before a mirror without a shirt, apparently spreading something that looked like makeup to his shoulder. Naruto was forced to admit that the boy was quite attractive – more beautiful than handsome with his feminine features and dangerously pale skin. Pretty enough to make his heart beat a bit too fast.

Shaking his head to banish that forbidden thought Naruto frowned upon discovering several scars all over the boy's body. And then he noticed a tattoo, right in the middle of the teen's back. It represented a snake of some sort, and looked incredibly bright against the milky skin. The tattoo's red, almost like glowing eyes gave him chills.

Naruto watched, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight, as the boy pulled on a loose shirt, hiding the tattoo and other marks on his skin. And then the boy's eyes locked with his, narrowing instantly before the teen disappeared from the window.

Naruto's eyes widened while he hid himself as quickly as possible.

Shit…!

He was going to be in a huge trouble for this.

The smooth yet hissing voice startled him, and his heart lost a beat when he lifted his gaze to meet the black-haired teen's furious face. He couldn't understand a word the other was saying, and the boy's tone was enough to tell he didn't even want to.

"I don't understand!" he cried out in the end, using frail English he'd last spoken in France. He balled his fists, feeling infuriatingly helpless. "I don't understand!"

The other boy finally calmed down and blinked slowly. "You… don't even speak Japanese?" The teen snorted. "Idiot."

His eyes narrowed. "Shut up!" He then scratched his hair and looked away with heat on his cheeks. "I'm… sorry, about looking at you."

He expected the boy to punch him. Instead the teen reached out and poked his forehead roughly with two fingers. "Do it ever again and I'll beat you to a bulb. Understood?"

He rolled eyes and nodded. What a drama queen! He then grinned. "I'm Naruto."

The other boy looked at him for a moment as though trying to determine whether it was safe to tell him his name. Then the teen nodded as well, folding his arms. "Sasuke."

That strange meeting was the beginning of a strange friendship – and something a lot more.

TBC IN AUTUMN, OR NOT? IT'S YOUR CALL!

A/N: Soooo… Whadda ya say – is this worth continuing, at all? Or should I just toss this to a trashcan immediately?

PLEASE, do let me hear from you – it'd seriously mean a lot! (gives puppy's eyes)

I'm planning on taking a small summer break right now (or well, I'll finish up 'Red Thread of Fate' in the meantime) – not out of my own free will, but let's not dig any deeper into that. (winces) So, I think the update WOULD appear on August.

GAH, I've gotta go! (groans)

Thank you so much for reading! 'Hope I'll hear from ya guys.

Take care, and have a great summer.!