AN: Wow, the response to this was a lot bigger than I expected. I've revised the first chapter and corrected a lot of typos (sorry!). As always, review please! /AN
Chapter 1: Sunset
Uzumaki Naruto walked along Konoha's main road with the sun setting to his left, its reflection gradually retreating over the lake. Kicking a rock, the young boy walked back towards his house on the fringes of Konoha—his entirely empty house. Swallowing hard, Naruto pushed the thought away, doing his best to bury the loneliness that had reared up inside him. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the small blond caught sight of a figure sitting on a small, dilapidated dock below him, the boy's ebony hair blowing lightly in the wind as he stared towards the setting sun.
"Sasuke…"
Earlier that day….
Naruto lifted his head from his desk, a small globule of spit hanging out of the corner of his mouth. In front of him, Ikumo and Tato-two of his largest tormentors and the only other students who had failed last year-were talking loudly and making more and more outrageous claims about their future ninja careers. Abruptly Ikumo stopped, his eyes widening. Lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, the brown-haired boy leaned towards his friend.
"That boy up there, the one with the black hair, he's Uchiha Sasuke. My dad says his entire clan was murdered."
Tato nodded his head in an attempt to look sagely-to Naruto, he looked more like a frog bobbing to some frantic beat.
"I heard about him. My mom said he's the only one left."
As the boys in front of him returned to their outrageous claims, Naruto took his time examining the last Uchiha. The boy certainly didn't look friendly. He sat with his fingers intertwined below his chin, staring straight at the empty blackboard in front of him. Naruto would have guessed he was asleep if not for the rhythmic clenching and unclenching of his arms. In all honesty, the boy gave him the creeps; he looked like he was getting ready to kill someone.
The door to the classroom opened abruptly as a tall ninja with brown hair and a large scar across his face entered. The man walked to the worn desk in the front of the classroom and bowed towards the class.
"Good morning! My name is Iruka, and I'm going to be your teacher during your time in the academy."
Realizing he had been staring at the other boy, Naruto quickly looked away, but not before Sasuke turned, meeting his eyes for the barest moment. Stiffening, Naruto abruptly began walking again, passing the graveled path that led down to the dock below. Several feet later, the blond stopped and clenched his fists, Tato's voice echoing in his mind.
'He's all alone too.'
Turning around Naruto walked back and down the path towards the dock, stopping only when he stood directly behind the black-haired Uchiha.
"What do you want?"
Naruto jumped at the question before taking several moments to gather his courage. Stepping forward he sat down next to Sasuke.
"My name's Naruto. You looked lonely, so I thought you might want some company."
Naruto's shoulder's sagged at Sasuke's snort, his head dropping slightly when the other boy suddenly stood.
"I don't want or need company from someone like you. Run home to your parents dobe."
As Sasuke stepped off the dock he heard the blond boy's reply and the soft sound of tears hitting the surface of the lake.
"I don't have parents or a home."
Sasuke's momentary pause was the only sign he had heard Naruto. Climbing the gravel path he stepped onto one of Konoha's main roads and began walking towards the Uchiha compound.
A few hours later...
Naruto gasped for breath, leaning heavily against a rough stone wall. Above him, the moon had nearly peaked and behind him the shouts of angry villagers could still be heard.
Cursing his own stupidity, the blond pushed off the wall and staggered forward, ignoring his bruised and bloody body.
'I shouldn't have fallen asleep there. It's not safe at night.'
Turning a corner, Naruto bumped into something solid.
"Sorry, it won't happen again."
Naruto tried to quickly circumvent the man he had stumbled into; he was close to home and would be safe in a few more blocks.
"Well, if it isn't the demon."
The man's voice and the stench of alcohol struck Naruto at the same moment, raising the hair on the back of his neck and sending his heart into a frenzied beat. Without thinking, the blond broke into a sprint, noticing a moment too late that the drunkard had anticipated his move.
A rough hand wrapped around Naruto's throat, lifted him, and then slammed him onto the sidewalk. A trickle of blood escaped Naruto's mouth as the kicking began. Doing his best to curl his body and protect his head from the blows, Naruto waited for his assailant to tire and grow bored with beating on the 'demon'. A moment later, the kicking stopped and his assailant landed limply beside him, unconscious. Naruto stood cautiously, shunting the pain coursing through his body to the back of his mind. Warily eyeing the darkness around him, Naruto turned and found himself staring into a pair of ebony eyes.
"We need to move dobe. The other group is heading this way."
Naruto merely grunted his assent, and began limping forward—pausing just long enough to deal a swift kick to his unconscious attacker's face. Sasuke watched as the blond boy staggered forward several feet, then collapsed. Suppressing a sigh, Sasuke threw Naruto over his shoulder and began walking towards the Uchiha compound for the second time that night