Naruto's blond hair sagged under the weight of the pouring rain. He leaned on the brick wall of the alley and tilted his head up, closing his eyes to keep out the rain. It felt relaxing and refreshing as it washed away the dirt and dust from his hair, from his face, and from his clothes. No one could hurt him here, no angry eyes staring or nasty comments. No friends to bother with or rivals to contend with. He wished he could stay like this forever, or better yet, go beyond that. Maybe… he could just stop. He didn't have to go back, or keep struggling. He didn't have to become the Hokage or compete with Sasuke, or chase after Sakura's heart. There was no need. Why on earth did he need to prove himself to these hateful people? Or trouble his friends? No one would miss him… much.
Feeling around himself, Naruto found something sharp, a shard of broken glass. He considered death; it would be a good thing if he died, right? One less hated person, one less "monster", one less murderer. Although it wasn't his fault who his parents were. And even though the insults held no ground, they still hurt. He was still tired of it. If he died, it be one less day of being ignored. One less day of being hated, of being rejected. One less day of being the dead last of the academy... one less. It seemed like such a good idea, so tempting... so... easy. Naruto pressed the glass against his wrist, his hand started to quiver. 'It's not that hard,' he told himself pressing the glass against his wrist with more force. 'One quick swipe and it will be all over... just do it already! Don't be a coward, too!" Naruto ripped the glass across his skin. He could feel the glass catching on and ripping the thin flesh, drawing blood.
The rain kept pouring and his wrist stung. It wasn't that bad. Naruto idly noticed that it didn't feel like he was bleeding blood. He felt pain, frustration, anger, and loneliness dripping from his wound. He also felt tear, a gripping terror, a horrible fright. He was actually going to die! Tears fell from his eyes and joined the rain. Naruto couldn't feel his wrist anymore, he could barely even feel the rain. The boy guessed that he was almost dead. It was his last thought as pale lids finally slid shut over cerulean eyes.
Sasuke was walking in the rain. What he liked about the rain was how it felt like it was crying for him when he knew he couldn't, like it was washing him. It was as if he could be clean again, even if just for a little while. Sasuke also liked the amiable aloneness the rain provided; hardly anybody would be out in this weather. This way, no one could pester him with unwanted sympathy, insulting pity, or ambush him with forced love. Sasuke's mouth relaxed into a small smile. Turning down the street he began walking down the bricked road, his raven spikes magically withstanding the never ending onslaught of rain drops. He blinked a little and shook his head to clear the water out his eyes.
Continuing on down the alley, Sasuke almost didn't noticed the sprawled out figure in the orange hoody, ragged jeans, with shockingly blond-yellowish hair. Slowing to inspect the person, Sasuke noticed that there was a bloody shard of glass laying near one of the boy's hands. Looking over at the other hand he noticed a pool of rainwater and blood. "Wh-what?" Sasuke bent down and rolled the other over when he noticed three distinctive whisker like marks on each of the blonde's cheeks. "Naruto!" he whispered harshly. Sasuke's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he was greeted with an eyeful of water. "Ow, crap!" He stumbled back a little, scrubbing at his eyes with wet hands. Not that this helped much. "Ah!" Sasuke remembered why his eyes had widened in the first place and clumsily rushed towards the still blond. Scooping an arm under the boy's knees and supporting his back Sasuke stood. Now that he had the boy, what was he to do about him? Speaking of, what was Naruto doing so far away from the academy? How long did the boy in his arms have left to live? Crud. Sasuke did the only thing that he could thing of. He ran.
Sasuke ran down the alley, turned corners, rushed up streets and passed buildings. His feet slipped against the wet brick and he fell forwards. He dropped Naruto at the last second and caught himself. Hurriedly, he picked the boy back up and continued running. It was a difficult run, the streets were slippery and although Naruto didn't weigh very much, the extra weight hindered him. Gripping Naruto tightly, Sasuke ran as fast and hard as he could. His breath came in short harsh gasps, he could barely breath, let alone worry about whether Naruto had even taken a single breath. He could barely see. His eyes blinded by rain and stinging with salt... salt? Was he crying? Never mind that. He needed to get help... and fast. Where could he go? Sasuke hardly recognized where he was.
"Aah!" Sasuke screamed in frustration. He couldn't stop the "death" (he thanked God that the doctors had been able to revive her) of his mother, couldn't protect his brother, but he could still save this boy. He had to! Running harder than before, Sasuke ignored the blur of his surroundings, the aching in his chest, the tightening in his legs, and the stinging in his eyes. He saw doors. He had no idea where he was, but that didn't really matter. Sasuke charged ahead and straight through the doors. Instantly, he was blinded by the bright fluorescent lights. People stared and some jumped up in alarm. A dark haired lady ran towards him and stopped him. "What is going on?"
"Naruto! He... he... help him!" Sasuke shouted through ragged gasps, shoving the boy towards her.
"My God..." the woman whispered before turning around, "Hey! Someone get a couple of gurneys out here! We have a couple of patients here! They need help, and fast!"
Men and women in scrubs rushed forward. Sasuke could barely comprehend what was going on. Someone took Naruto from his arms and pushed him back onto a gurney. He could hear shouts, the squeaking wheels of the gurneys, and the rustle of clothing. He felt himself being strapped down. "No, wait!" Sasuke struggled against his bounds. "You have to help him! I have to help him! Where is he!"
Someone pushed him back down on the gurney, "Calm down, this will only hurt a bit." He felt a sharp prick in his arm.
"No! I have to..." He felt heavy and his eyes closed. Sasuke struggled against his body but he couldn't fight the darkness overtaking him, "I have to," he mumbled before his eyes slid shut and he was unconscious.