a/n

Standard Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or any of its affiliated characters
Chapter Disclaimer: I do NOT own Love the Way You Lie or Rhianna in any way.
They are both used for entertainment purposes only and I'm getting no money out of this...so please...don't sue me, I have to start paying for college soon...

So, this is gonna be my first multi-chapter fic! So excited, I've been working on it for a little bit and I've got the first 7 chaps done.

sum: A Friendship begins to form when a young Sasuke find and injured Sakura and takes her and her lone friend, Naruto Uzumaki, to his house.

This entire story takes place during the Academy days, hence the name lol. And is AU: non-massacre, and because of that some characters are OOC (after all can't have an angsty Sasuke who wants to kill Itachi if Itachi's done nothing wrong!) Also, i will say this entire novel won't get too dark, though there will be a few elements. I've got the basic story line planned out and everything and I think this might span 4 fics with the plot getting darker and darker as they get older and older, hence the name Fading Innocence.

Each story will also have a quote at the beginning, this can be applied to each individual chapter as well as for the story's themes as a whole!

Enough of the boring stuff: Now I'm proud to present you Chapter One!

Chapter one: The First Page

"On the first page of our story, the future seemed so bright. Then this thing turned out so evil, I don't know why I'm still surprised. Even angels have their wayward schemes, and you take that to new extremes. But you'll always be my hero, even though you've lose your mind"-Rihanna

"Are you alright?" The nine-year old boy asked the small pink-headed girl whose green eyes were fixed with crystal tears and was nursing an injured arm against her chest. She wore a pair of blue capris and a dirty white shirt with a bright orange jacket over the shirt, unzipped and far too big for her petite structure.

The rosette looked up at the raven-haired boy with uncertain eyes, unsure whether or not to trust the stranger, since her blond best friend had left her for a moment with his jacket and told her to stay and not talk to strangers. This boy wasn't entirely a stranger though, she'd seen him in the boy's class at school when she went to meet Naruto after school.

"Well, are you alright?" the boy repeated.

"I h-hurt my hand." She whispered.

"How bad is it hurt, my mommy can fix it, she can fix anything!"

"I'm supposed to wait for somebody, though."

"Who? Your mommy?"

"No, not my mommy, she doesn't pick me up from school."

"You're daddy?"

"Daddy doesn't like me. . . picking me up from school." Sakura explained. "I'm waiting for my friend."

"Who?" the boy asked.

"Me," the two children turned to see a third with spiky yellow hair, he wore a black shirt and bright orange pants that matched the jacket the girl was wearing.

"Who are you?" The raven haired boy asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki, why did you hurt Sakura-chan?"

"I didn't."

Naruto looked to Sakura for confirmation, "he was just offering to take me to his house so his mommy could make me better."

Naruto looked at the boy in from of him skeptically, "What's your name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"What happened, Sakura?"

"I fell, sorry," Sakura looked down.

"It's OK Sakura," Naruto stepped over to her, helping her stand up. "So, will you mom be OK if we come?" Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Sure, you can even stay for dinner." Sasuke shrugged, "Just follow me."

Sasuke took them to a large compound with a large red and white fan of the entrance gate. "This is where you live?" Naruto asked, looking around at all the houses.

"Here," Sasuke walked into one of the larger houses, "I really live in this house with my mom, dad, and older brother."

"Sasuke, is that you?" A woman yelled.

"Yes ma'am," Sasuke answered, then turned back to Sakura and Naruto, "Follow me."

They walked to the kitchen where they saw a woman with long, dark hair cooking. She turned around and noticed Sakura and Naruto, "Who are your friends?"

"This is Naruto and Sakura. Sakura got hurt, can you help her?" Sasuke motioned to Sakura's arm.

"Of course, go get the first aid kit," She answered. Sasuke got the white box and handed it to his mother, "Come over here, sweetie," She called to Sakura who looked at Naruto, unsure.

Naruto leaned over and whispered, "Go on, I'll be right here and I don't think she'll hurt you."

"OK," Sakura walked over to the brunette woman and held out her injured hand, "I fell on it," She explained.

"Oh, well it looks sprained," She smiled at the young girl, "But, it should be fine, I'll put an Ace bandage on it."

"Thank you Sasuke's mommy." Sakura smiled and stepped back beside Naruto.

"Call me Mrs. Uchiha, dear."

"OK," Naruto eyed the pot, "What are you cooking?"

"Onigiri, tomato salad, and some umeboshi. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Sakura answered, "If it's not a problem, we'd love to join you."

"Will your parents be OK with it?"

Sakura looked at Naruto, who looked at the ground. Finally, Sakura answered, "Yes," Sakura reached over to Naruto and grabbed his hand, squeezing it, "When will the food be ready?"

"In a bit, why don't you get to doing your homework?"

Naruto and Sasuke both grumbled while Sakura giggled at their reaction, "That sounds like a good idea, let's go."

"We can do it in my room," Sasuke led them to a room with white walls, a single bed with blue blankets, a desk in the corner, and a small pile of ninja paraphernalia sitting in a corner next to a sharpening stone. The trio sat on the bed in a triangle, facing each other.

"That's a lot of kunai and shuriken," Naruto pointed out.

"We can go throw them around after we're down with our homework." Sasuke said, "We have a practice field here on the compound."

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura pulled out a book that said Algebra I and II. "But first we have to do our homework," She reminded. She flipped open to one of the last few pages and started solving various problems. Sasuke pulled out strategy workbook while Naruto started on his basic algebra.

The worked in silence until Naruto finally slammed his book shut and grumbled, "I give up on this stupid algebra."

Sakura giggled as she slipped her workbook back into her khaki-colored book bag, "Need some help?"

"Later, I wanna go throw some shuriken." Naruto grinned over at Sasuke.

"Sure, we can go now," Sasuke stood up and Naruto followed, both offered a hand to Sakura who giggled and used both hands to pull herself off of the bed. Sasuke led them down to the large Uchiha training field where there were open fields for sparring, some dummies, trees, and wooden posts that turned every which way as one hit it.

"Sasuke led them into the back corner by the edge of the trees near a small koi pond. They walked over and Sasuke handed Naruto some shuriken and Sakura a few kunai.

"I'll go first." Sasuke aimed and hit just outside the red bulls-eye, on the thin black line.

"You're really good," Sakura smiled at Sasuke.

Naruto watched the exchange and huffed, "It's my turn." Naruto eyed the target and threw the small star, hitting the edge of the circle. Sasuke smirked and Naruto glared back.

"Good job, Naruto-kun," Sakura smiled at the blonde boy, then looked down at the razor sharp kunai in her small hand, "I don't think I even want to try," She smiled at the boys, "I mean, we've only just started this in class and I suck." Sakura's nose crinkled at the memory of kunai practice, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the boys.

"You'll do fine, Sakura." Naruto smiled at her, "Just give it a shot, you'll do fine."

"O-OK," Sakura looked at the target that seemed like it was 1000 miles away and bit her lip she aimed and threw the kunai, missing the target by a foot or so. She turned to the boys, "See, I suck!" She thrust the kunai back towards Sasuke with a pout on her lips.

"I can help you, if you want me to," Sasuke told her, "You're doing the basics right, but, you should learn to change it a little to better suit you."

Sakura looked at Naruto, uncertain, "Will you help me too, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled at the rosette he'd come to love as a younger sister, "Of course I'll help you, Sakura, after all, can't let that teme have all the fun." Naruto smiled over at Sasuke.

"Naruto, that isn't a nice thing to say!" Sakura protested, she was used to Naruto's foul language and unruly ways; after all, he'd been on the streets for so long he'd grown up around it, but, that didn't mean she still wouldn't protest it.

Sasuke just smiled and put a hand on Sakura's thin shoulder, "Don't worry, Sakura, that's the kind of thing I'd expect from a dobe."

"You teme!"

"Dobe."

Sakura sighed as the two threw names back and forth, she really didn't want to embarrass herself any further but, if it would keep her two friends from arguing then, "Guys, aren't you going to help me with my throwing?"

Both boys stopped and looked at the lone female, "Sorry, Sakura-chan, we'll help you now." Both Sasuke and Naruto helped her throw the kunai at the target until gradually she started hitting it.

That's how Itachi and Fugaku found the trio of youngsters. "Who are your friends, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, surprising his brother and the two youngsters. He watched as the young pink-haired girl stepped so she was slightly behind the blonde boy.

"Nii-chan?" Sasuke called, running to see his brother, who he looked up to. "Otou-san." He turned back to his companions and smiled, "This is Sakura and Naruto, they're some friends from the academy. Sakura, Naruto, this is my father and brother."

"Hi," Naruto nodded to each, the only person he showed respect for was the Hokage and that wasn't really about to change.

Sakura remained quiet for a moment before stepping out from behind Naruto and bowing slightly to each of the older men, always the polite one, and saying, "Hello, I'm Sakura." She straightened back up and stepped back behind Naruto.

"Okaa-san invited them for dinner, is that okay?" Sasuke asked.

Fugaku looked at the small, blonde kyuubi container and the shy, pink girl half hidden behind him, then back at his youngest son who was smiling at his new found friends. "If your mother says it's OK, then I suppose they can stay for dinner."

Sasuke smiled and ran over to his friends, "C'mon, we should get cleaned up before dinner." He turned to the house and started towards the house with Naruto in tow. Sakura turned to the two dark-haired men and gave a half bow, "Good bye," she smiled at them before running after the boys who were waiting in the doorway.

After they'd washed up the trio walked into the living room and saw Itachi sitting on the couch filling something out.

"Can we watch TV, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, picking up the remote.

"Yes." Sasuke flipped on the TV to a cartoon and they settled in to watch it.

Itachi looked up as he finished his scroll and set it down on the coffee table. The small thud attracted Sakura's attention, she looked over at Itachi and smiled at him before putting attention back on the TV She curled her arm around Naruto's and laid her head on his shoulder, who in turned smiled at the girl before turning back to watch the show.

"Kids, time to eat." A voice called from the kitchen and Sasuke quietly turned off the TV before standing up at the same time as Naruto. Sasuke reached a hand down and helped Sakura stand up, causing a half smile to come to Itachi's face. Itachi followed the three into the kitchen where the food was on the table. Fugaku was already seated at the head of the table and Itachi sat to his right, Mikoto sat at the opposite end. Sasuke and Naruto sat next to each other and Sakura sat next to Itachi, across from Naruto.

They ate in silence for a while and the whole time Naruto felt like he was going to burst. A few times, he was going to say something but each time Sakura would catch his eye and silently tell him to keep quiet until somebody else said something first.

Well, no one said anything until Mikoto served dessert and asked her youngest son, "So, Sasuke, how do you know Sakura and Naruto?"

Sasuke looked over his bowl of plain vanilla ice cream, the same as his father, at his mother, "Well, Naruto is in my class at the academy but I met Sakura after school. She'd hurt her arm and I asked if she needed any help; I told her you could fix it so they agreed to come over."

Sasuke finished his narrative and smiled, looking over at Sakura's injured wrist that was laying next to the bowl of vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries on top.

"Ah," Mikoto smiled at the exuberance of her youngest son spoke with. She was secretly happy that he'd found friends. While Itachi was talented and had his moments, the Uchiha heir was lacking in the social department and it really bothered Mikoto sometimes that the only friend Itachi had was Shisui. Mikoto turned back to Sasuke, "So, what did you three do today?"

"Well, we did homework, then throwing practice, and then we watched TV," Sasuke supplied.

"Was the homework hard?"

Sasuke shook his head with a confident smirk, "Not for me."

"Of course not, what about you two?"

Naruto crinkled his nose at the fact that the first time he got to talk was this. Sakura giggled and saved her brother, for all intents and purposes, from the coming embarrassment; although, she felt it would teach him a lesson for sleeping in school, "I do just fine in school, well, the mental stuff at least, Naruto's better at the physical stuff, though." Sakura smiled at Mikoto.

"So, you get good grades then?"

"I suppose so."

"That's great, so how was your day, Itachi?"

Itachi looked at his mother, "It was fine; Shisui and I went scouting and we spared a little."

"How is Shisui?"

"He is about to take the ANBU exams."

"Then you'll be on more missions together, right?" Sasuke asked, looking across the table at his idol, who nodded.

"Does that mean you're an ANBU, then?" Sakura looked at Itachi with wide green eyes, Itachi looked down at her and nodded.

"Wow," Naruto gaped at the young man, "But you don't look that old. How old are you?"

Sasuke smirked and answered for Itachi, "Nii-san in 14 years old."

Sakura looked at the Uchiha heir with a smile, "So, you're really good then, aren't you?"

Itachi nodded, "I guess so."

"Always so modest," Mikoto laughed, knowing well the extent of her son's abilities. But, she also knew how her son felt about bragging and that Itachi respected his brother's feelings. Itachi sent his mother a half smile (Mikoto called it the Uchiha smile, once they hit puberty, it didn't go past a half) and complimented the dinner, his way of thanking her.

"It was really good, ma'am." Sakura agreed.

"Can we go outside and play for a little while?" Sasuke asked,

Mikoto looked at the settings sun and shook her head, "Sorry, Sasuke, but it's getting dark, maybe tomorrow after school, and then it'll be the weekend."

"OK," Sasuke sighed, "Can I walk them home?"

"Why don't you and Itachi walk them home, together?" Itachi looked at his mother with an annoyed look in his eyes.

"It's OK," Sakura said, "We can walk home by ourselves."

Mikoto shook her head, "Nope, I will not have two nine year olds walking around by themselves in the dark. Itachi will take you," Mikoto looked pointedly at her son, "Go get your things together."

At this everyone but Fugaku and Mikoto cleared out, "The kyuubi and a girl with pink hair," Fugaku finally spoke, "Are you sure Sasuke should be friends with them?"

Mikoto laughed, "They're both sweet children, Fugaku, and Sasuke needs to be with children his age. Naruto himself knows nothing about it, why punish him for something that's not his fault, after all that's not what his father wanted. And that Sakura girl is a little angel, your son and that boy spent all afternoon helping her perfect her throwing skills. I've never seen your son be so patient with someone who didn't understand something. It'll be good for Sasuke to socialize and be friends. I think it'll show him that not everyone has it like we do and I wanna know my son has someone other than family to turn to."

Fugaku half smiled, "If you think so, I'll trust you. But, you have to know that that girl, Sakura, won't replace the baby girl you always wanted."

Mikoto smiled and rested her hand on her flat stomach where a scar from a katana had made her infertile a year after giving birth to Sasuke. She looked at her husband and smiled, "I know, but I feel like Kami's given me this opportunity and I'll b e damned if I miss out on it."

Fugaku stood behind his wife and kissed her cheek in a rare, loving gesture. He know how much his wife had always wanted a baby girl, since she was raised with two younger sisters. He knew how much it killed her not to be able to have a daughter and he would accept these two children as his son's friends, because he wanted his wife to be at peace and to be happy.

a/n

Well, there you have it! Chapter one done!

Review and tell me what you thought about it! It's a little hard to do The Uchiha parents because the show doesn't delve into them as much, only that Fugaku is a little bit of a prick and Mikoto's the motherly type :) .

I'll probably have the next chapter up when I get a few reviews, not that I'm a review whore or anything but I wanna know I have some interest before I start posting. I'll probably post this and 1 other multi-fic story up and I'll use the number of reviews for each chapter to decide which ones more popular so I can adhere to the consumer wants (I'm so taking econ this year...learning about supply/demand and free market and all that jazz lol).

So, hmu with a review if you have the time!

Emy!