A/N: Alright, so I should be faithfully updating my other works, but a change of atmosphere is necessary for my brain to continue working XDD

Warning: This is kind of a sad story T_T

Also, this story kinda doesn't follow the actual Naruto© story line, but at the same time it does. XD; It's kinda my own make. ( Note: I don't own the original Naruto, nor any of its characters and merchandise~ ).

Flashback

"Naruto, now that you're able to live on your own, you will no longer be staying with Umino Iruka. You will stay by yourself, and speak to no one unless spoken to first. You are a demon as far as we're concerned – and will be treated as such. Do you have anything to say on your behalf?"

"S-sir, where… exactly am I staying?" a small voice—that belonged to a child at the age of seven—echoed against the cold, unforgiving walls.

"Outside, where all the other demons stay. This meeting is adjourned." The deep voice answered with disgust; he blamed this child for harboring the Kyuubi, even though it wasn't the child's fault.

A handful of other persons stood up and started exiting the dark room, leaving a poor, small, and defenseless child alone by himself. Said child took a deep breath and also exited the space boldly. He would make Iruka-sama proud of him no matter what.


Two days later

It was hard enough learning to live solo, let alone outside. Naruto didn't feel hatred towards the council that banished him to a dismal life (at first), just… loneliness. He wasn't allowed to speak to anyone, and hardly anyone ever spoke to Naruto (minus rude slurs and comments). He had to work to be able to afford food, which was much harder than starting a conversation.

All in all, Naruto had found only one friend: a swing hanging from a tree several yards from a school. Nobody had ever visited the swing that he saw, so he decided to live there. Technically, he lived in the tree, but who was paying attention~.

Naruto actually felt… happy in his tree. He could see the school that Iruka-sama worked at, and on certain days, could see him outside with his students.

Naruto often wondered what it was like to be at school. Was it boring? Was it fun? Were the senseis mean? Were they rude? All kinds of questions floated in and out of his mind.

The students there often looked well dressed and pretty. That only made Naruto more insecure; he only had a basic light blue yukata, tied with a navy blue obi. He had no shoes, or any footwear for that matter. He had abnormal blonde hair with bright blue eyes. And worst of all, he had three whisker type markings on each cheek, signaling that he somewhat resembled the Kyuubi inside him.

Night was falling on the Hidden Leaf Village. Naruto climbed up to his bed made of leaves in the tree. It wasn't a very comfortable bed, but it worked. Naruto missed the small bed he had when he stayed with Iruka. Thinking of Iruka, was he okay? Did he feel lonely? Did… did Iruka miss Naruto? Probably not.

No one ever missed Naruto. There would always be quiet cheering when he left a room. Iruka was probably relieved to not have to take care of a stupid demon anymore, right? Naruto's heart ached.

Naruto heard footsteps approaching. He quickly jumped down from his tree branch and bowed low to the ground.

"Naruto, you're still awake?"

"Iruka-sama… y-yes I am. Sorry, but you should call me 'demon' or 'Kyuubi' now. The Council said that my name isn't necessary anymore." Naruto's small voice was obviously drowned in sadness.

Iruka chuckled. "You know that's not true. Naruto, I brought you something to eat; I didn't know if you ate or not."

Naruto stood up, but his head was still bowed. "You'll get in trouble; I'm supposed to live by myself. It's… 'rude' to accept help when I'm just… a demon. I don't want you to get in trouble, Iruka-sama."

"I'll take the risk, Naruto. Are you alright out here by yourself? I came by yesterday, but you were already asleep," Iruka nagged. Naruto appreciated Iruka's attention, even if he had to force himself.

"Thank you, Iruka-sama. I'm fine, it's just a little quiet sometimes. I can see you with your students sometimes. Is it nice, being a teacher?"

Iruka sat down next to Naruto, patting the ground for Naruto to sit also. "I like being a teacher because I like being around kids, and I enjoy teaching others the skills they need to be successful shinobi. Some kids are a real pain, though. They're such kidders."

Naruto's heart ached again. Was he a pain? Did he cause Iruka trouble? Well, if he did, then he wouldn't do it ever again. Naruto stood up slowly. "Iruka-sama, I think I'm going to go to bed now. I'll definitely save the food you brought me for breakfast tomorrow."

Iruka seemed perplexed but stood as well. "Alright, Naruto. I'll—"

"You shouldn't stop by anymore. I'm sorry, but I really don't want you to get in any sort of trouble because of me...." Naruto kept his face down. He could feel tears building up behind his eyes, and he wouldn't disgrace Iruka by showing them.

"O-oh. Alright, then. Well, if I see you around, I'm going to say 'hi' no matter what," Iruka replied. He gave a small grin and turned away, heading back home.

Naruto now let his tears fall without restraint. No way would he cause problems for Iruka, even if it meant being alone the rest of his life.

Naruto woke up very stiff the next morning. He cried himself to sleep in such an awkward position.

The child ate Iruka's prepared meal slowly, taking each bite with care. This would be the last meal Iruka ever made him. The though caused Naruto's heart to ache oh-so familiarly.

Naruto stood up and stretched; now was time to start working so he could have enough funds for dinner.

--

Work was scarce; everyone claimed he would contaminate their homes or their stations. However, a few (hardly kind) people would let him take care of the trash or clean dishes and other such works. Naruto managed to make up quite an amount of Yen by the time all the stations closed up, except for the one Naruto was anxious to get to: the ramen shop.

Naruto approached the brightly lit stand. "Excuse me, I'm sorry, but are you still open?"

The chef and his daughter* looked over the counter with a smile on their faces. "Of course, Kyuubi-kun~! Will you have miso ramen, as usual?"

"Oh, yes, and thank you," Naruto said with anticipation in his voice. No other place in the entire village made ramen as good as this stand right here. The child climbed into a chair and placed all his funds on the counter.

Naruto had a wide smile on his face on his walk back to his tree. The ramen was as delicious as ever—and the people were actually… nice to him. The child had a skip in his step while supporting a full belly.

When he reached his tree, however, he was more than a little shocked. A boy about the same age as him was sitting on his swing, just barely moving. Naruto approached slowly with a perplexed expression on his face. He thought that only he knew about this place.

Then, the boy looked at him, sadness written all over his face. Naruto flushed; this kid was really… handsome. He had black spiky black hair with matching onyx eyes. He had pale skin and a small frown. He wore a simple navy blue shirt with light grey shorts.

"Is this your swing?"

"N-no! You can use it all you want! It's not even mine, really. Sorry, I'll shut up now!" Naruto bowed low, his eyes closed and face flushed in embarrassment. He'd been taken off guard.

"What's your name?" the boy asked, his voice emotionless.

"You… you don't know who I am? Oh, sorry. I'm Nar—I'm Kyuubi, or just 'demon', if you want," Naruto said with a sheepish smile on his face while scratching the back of his head.

"You're him? I was expecting someone cooler," the raven-haired boy said.

"Hehe, sorry. I've been told I look pretty hideous. I'll leave, if you'd like that," Naruto mumbled. Naruto felt sheepish; normally he would just nod his head and follow the commands given to him, but he was actually having a conversation this time.

Naruto started to walk away from his tree when the boy spoke again, "Why would I like it if you left? You're pretty stupid. Don't you go to school?"

"Well, everybody likes it when I leave. I'm the Kyuubi, remember? I was told that I shouldn't be around people because of what I am. That means I can't go to school, and I guess that's made me stupid." Naruto's brow creased; he knew he wasn't stupid but arguing would get him in trouble. Getting in trouble would probably cause shame to Iruka. Shame meant trouble, right? Causing trouble was not what Naruto was going to do anymore.

"You should stay here and keep me company then. I came here because I needed to get away from my family. They're busy worshiping my brother," he said as his voice gained a little emotion, like jealousy.

"If you say so. May I ask your name?" Naruto approached the swing slowly.

"Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke."

A/N: * - I can't remember if it's his daughter or not, so yeah. XD

It's been quite some time since I've actually paid attention to Naruto, so I'm a little unsure of my writing skills. D;

Oh wellll~ And this story is actually kinda sad. T___T

I'm feeling sad, so this is how it's going to be! D:

Review please~