Disclaimer: Darn. Isn't it obvious?

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Chapter 1: The Beginning

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Sasuke leant against the neighborhood playground's slide, impatiently waiting for his neighbor and best friend to arrive. Naruto had told him to go earlier as he had chores to do, so he and Itachi had gone ahead to wait for both Naruto and his older brother at the park. Now that the older of the two blonds had arrived, Itachi was off with his new boyfriend and he was all alone. Waiting for Naruto. It wasn't as though Itachi didn't know it was dangerous, but Ginvera Hills was one of the best-guarded areas in London. It had to be, if not then no one would buy the high-end, prissy homes that it offered.

"Stupid chores." Sasuke mumbled, folding his arms.

A cold wind blew past, stirring up the leaves that Sasuke had just seen someone sweep into a heap. He shivered, pulling his coat closer for warmth and snuggling deeper into the thin cotton. It was the start of autumn, which meant that Naruto's birthday was coming up soon. Sasuke huffed and 'tch'ed, scuffing at the packed dirt with his black sneakers. That didn't mean that the blond was getting off easy, though. The weather was cold and if Naruto didn't appear soon, he was going home.

"Boo!" someone yelled behind him, scaring the wits out of the poor brunet. Sasuke let loose a highly undignified yelp and turned around to look at the perpetrator. His pet Japanese Bobtail, Haku, meowed at Kyuu, Naruto's pet Persian. (Both thought they were dogs, amazingly and Naruto had named Kyuu after his older brother) A car zoomed by, and Sasuke picked Haku and Kyuu up before they could run after it. He turned back to look at Naruto, but the blond was gone.

"Cuckoo!" Naruto yelled again, popping up out of nowhere. Sasuke yelped again, accidentally letting go of both Haku and Kyuu. They landed safely, on all fours like all cats did.

"Naruto! Stop scaring me!" he exclaimed, flicking Naruto in the forehead playfully. The ten-year-old blond ball of energy rubbed at his forehead and glared at Sasuke, scowling with eyes reduced to slits. Sasuke sometimes called that 'Naruto's fox look'. Sometimes, Naruto's 'fox look' was cute, sometimes it was rather ridiculous. Most of the time, it was downright adorable. Kyuu and Haku pawed at Sasuke, looking up at him reproachfully for dropping them. Naruto's expression changed.

"Teme! It hurt!" he said, giving Sasuke the cutest pout he had ever seen. Sure, Sasuke thought that all of Naruto's pouts were cute, but whatever. Sasuke laughed merrily and pulled Naruto's hand from his forehead to kiss it. (The forehead.)

"Mum does that all the time when aniki flicks my forehead." Sasuke explained, pulling away. A light blush dusted both of their cheeks. There was a pregnant pause. Naruto shuffled his feet, looking at the ground. It was very quiet. Too quiet. There were not many birds out to chirp and twitter today, as it was migration time. Suddenly, Naruto brightened up and grabbed Sasuke's hand, dragging Sasuke to the swings.

"Teme! Let's go play on the swings!" Sasuke let out a happy laugh and followed Naruto, the two little kittens gamboling behind them.

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Naruto and Sasuke sat cross-legged on the floor of the pavilion overlooking the football field, both silent, merely enjoying each other's company. Kyuu was in Naruto's lap, pawing at Haku, who was having fun being tickled by Naruto. The sunset they were watching painted the sky with blends of red, pink and orange. The high-end housing estate of Ginvera Hills was very, very quiet. It was so mainly because a vast majority of the residents already had their own recreation centers in their backyard. In Itachi's opinion, it was because they were just too lazy.

"Sasuke!" someone called. Haku perked up.

"Naruto!" someone else called. Naruto jumped up, dropping Kyuu.

"Ne, I think that's Itachi and Kyuubi, 'Suke." he said. Kyuu slowly clawed its way up Naruto's shirt to settle at his neck, purring like an old lawnmower. Haku had done the same to its master.

"Sasuke, Naruto, are you guys up there?" Kyuubi called, climbing up the wooden stairs. Itachi was following close behind, holding Kyuubi's hand and a bag of god-knows what.

"Yeah, we are, Kyuubi-nii." Sasuke replied, scrambling to get up.

"Koi, it's almost dinner time for me and Sasuke. Do you mind if we go first?" Itachi said.

"It's fine, 'Tachi. You guys go first. We'll meet at school, anyway." Kyuubi replied. Itachi smiled and kissed Kyuubi chastely on the lips. Kyuubi moaned and slipped his arms around Itachi's waist, pressing closer. Both Naruto and Sasuke grimaced.

"Ew! Ani, there's no need to do that in front of us!" Naruto said, covering his eyes and Sasuke's. The two broke apart and looked at them, blushing slightly. Sasuke swatted his hands away.

"Dobe, I'm used to it. You aren't." Sasuke said. Naruto pouted. Itachi let go of his boyfriend and beckoned to Sasuke. Sasuke looked at him, pouting.

"But I don't wanna go..." he whined.

"Mum and dad'll be angry." Itachi said. Sasuke looked longingly at Naruto. He walked over and pecked Naruto on the cheek before leaving. Naruto 'eep'ed and touched his cheek, blushing. Sasuke had kissed him. Kyuubi detached Kyuu from Naruto's neck and passed it to Itachi. Itachi took the struggling kitten and looked at him questioningly.

"Take Kyuu home for me, will you? I want alone time with otouto." Itachi nodded and made to kiss Kyuubi again, but Kyuubi turned and poor Itachi ended up kissing Kyuubi's cheek instead. He pouted and continued down the stairs.

"Bye! See you tomorrow!" Sasuke called, waving. Naruto let out a happy laugh and waved back.

"Bye-bye!"

Kyuubi grabbed Naruto's hand and walked down the stairs, smiling slightly. The two brothers started their journey towards their home. They walked slowly, enjoying the other's presence and the autumn air in their faces.

"Here. This is for stopping 'Tachi from molesting me just now." Kyuubi suddenly said, squatting down.

"Yatta!" Naruto cheered, jumping onto Kyuubi's back. Kyuubi 'oof'ed.

"Ne, Naruto, you're getting heavy." Kyuubi could practically hear Naruto's pout and he chuckled. He dug into his pockets and passed the candy stick he had bought not too long ago to Naruto. "Did you have fun today, Naru?"

Naruto didn't answer. He was busy staring off into the distance, reminiscing about Sasuke's kiss on the cheek. Kyuubi cocked an eyebrow, turning his head slightly to check on his brother. A cold wind blew, making the two brothers unconsciously shrink into their coats to protect themselves.

"Naruto?" Kyuubi called, waving the candy stick. Naruto jumped, his hand automatically heading upwards to rub at the back of his neck. Kyuubi chuckled and refocused his attention on the road.

"Eheh…sorry, ani, I kinda zoned out for a sec. What were you talking about?" Naruto asked, taking the candy.

"I asked you whether you had fun today."

"Yeah. I did." Naruto said quietly.

"So did I."

There was a pause. Naruto turned to look at one of the houses' gardens, marveling at the enormous bougainvilleas. The ones that he saw were too perfect to be an untrained person's work; the occupants had obviously hired a few gardeners to do the dirty work. He turned his attention back to his brother, fiddling with the candy wrapper.

"Ne, ani, can I ask you something?" Kyuubi glanced at Naruto for a split second before focusing on the road again.

"Fire away."

"Why is it that I feel so funny around Sas'ke-kun?"

"What kind of funny?"

"Like…when I see him, my hands get all sweaty, and my tummy does flip-flops all over the place. Like just now, when he kissed me." Naruto tugged at the wrapper of his candy stick with his teeth, trying to open it. Finally, he gave up and passed it to Kyuubi.

"Hmm…maybe you like him. Not the kind of normal like, though." Kyuubi used his teeth and unwrapped a bit of the candy, handing it to Naruto. Naruto took it and bit a chunk out of it.

"Like mama and papa?" Naruto said, his mouth full of the sugary stuff.

"No, that's love. Like is like 'Tachi and me. We really like each other." They were opposite their house, just separated by a stretch of road. One of their neighbors, the Sabakus were out. The lights in the other house were on. 'Well, obviously. 'Tachi-kun and Sasuke're having their dinner in there.' Kyuubi thought, hitching Naruto higher. The action made Naruto drop his candy.

"Ani! Ani! My candy stick!" Kyuubi sighed and squatted down, letting Naruto down and picking the candy stick up. He dusted it off and gave it to Naruto. Suddenly, there was a screech of tires, a shout of "Look out!" and the two brothers were shoved aside. There was a sickening crunch, like the sound of breaking bone. When everything cleared, their father was dead on the side of the road, mouth agape, eyes wide open, glassy with a dead look in them and bleeding.

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Kushina, Kyuubi, Naruto and the two Uchiha brothers stood close to the coffin at the funeral, along with several other mourners. The sky was bright, a painfully ironic kind of weather for a funeral. Minato would have had it no other way. He was a good man, and there were plenty of people at his funeral. Iruka looked at the widow, then at Minato's two sons whom he had died trying to save from a speeding car. They looked tired after all the things they had to do. Naruto was crying, Kushina was weeping, and Kyuubi…he was just standing there.

A string quartet that Kakashi had helped them hire was playing sweetly under a tree, red and gold leaves falling around them. It was Naruto's birthday today. 'It must hurt a lot…having to attend a parent's funeral on the anniversary of the day you were born…' Iruka pondered on the subject. His parents had passed away when he was around Naruto's age himself, so he of all people knew more of losing his parents. Minato had made a will, and they were to attend the hearing later.

"Minato…Minato…don't leave me…" Kushina sobbed, her face the very picture of anguish.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

Naruto understood more than most ten-year olds, much like Sasuke, who had skipped two grades. Children his age would not have truly understood the meaning of having a deceased parent. They would have been playing in the heaps of dried leaves swept earlier. 'Naruto… mum… I'm so sorry… I should have been more careful…' Kyuubi thought, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side.

It saved a wretch like me.

It was soon time to lay the roses on his father's coffin before he was buried. White roses were thrown one by one into the grave, forever doomed to hide their beauty in the dark. Naruto stared unseeingly at them, his eyes and nose puffy from crying so much.

I once was lost, but now am found.

When they shoveled the first shovelful of dirt onto the coffin, there was a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder. The skies were lamenting the loss. Kyuubi closed his eyes and felt the first few raindrops fall on his face, mingling with his tears. 'I'm sorry, Naruto.'

Was blind, but now I see.

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The next month was hell. Kushina went mad with grief, claiming that Naruto and Kyuubi were not her children. Naruto couldn't fully comprehend it when Kushina slapped him and screamed that he was not her offspring. Kyuubi did all he could to protect him, but it was in vain.

"No! You aren't my son! Go away, go away!" Kushina screeched. Naruto tried to hug his mother, but all she did was push him away. He thought he was his mother's son. Why? Was he adopted?

"Mama!! Don't leave me!" he sobbed, clinging to her. Kushina saw red. She dragged her son up by his hair and slapped him, hard. Naruto went flying across the room and hit his head on the wall opposite. All he could do was cry harder. Kyuubi came into the room and stared at the scene before him.

"Mum! What are you doing?" he asked, running over to Naruto and cradling him in his lap. Naruto had a cut lip and there was a large bruise on the top of his head. It was bleeding profusely.

"He's not my son! You aren't either!" The words hit Kyuubi like a slap, but he didn't let it deter him. He picked Naruto up and took him to the hospital.

When the two brothers came back, they were greeted by a group of police cars gathered at the Namikaze residence's front door. An ambulance was there as well. Fear and dread arose in Kyuubi's chest at the sight. He walked up to the nearest police officer and tapped his shoulder.

"Why are you here?" he asked. The police officer looked at him for a while, as if trying to recognize him. Kyuubi looked at him weirdly.

"Ah! The older Uzumaki kid! Is that your brother?" Kyuubi nodded and held Naruto closer to him, afraid that they might try to take his younger brother away. "I think your mother committed suicide. We're not sure yet, but you'd better be prepared." Tears welled up in Kyuubi's eyes, but he blinked them away. He would not cry. He could not cry. He could never cry.

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A few days after, they sold the house and moved to Tokyo, which was their parents' hometown. The Uchihas knew nothing of their departure as they were on a two-week vacation to Singapore. There were no tears, no farewell. Neither Kyuubi nor Naruto told anyone about where they were going, and they left during the night. The Uchiha brothers were heartbroken when they caught sight of the once warm and cozy home, now empty. Kakashi and Iruka adopted Naruto as soon as they found out that he had been posted to an orphanage, but somehow…Kyuubi had disappeared.

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The now 18 years old Uzumaki Naruto pulled his suitcase of clothes and other whatnot down the corridor. He was supposed to go to the Felton conservatoire in London, but somehow or someway, the papers got messed up, and now he had to go to the one in Japan. Sure, it was closer to home and all, but the one in London held sentimental value since Iruka and Kakashi had once worked there.

'And it was my childhood ambition to go there…' He glanced up at the dorm numbers, squinting to see the black lettering against the brown of the door. 'Ah…C2-03, C2-04, C2-05! Here you are!'

Naruto dug through his pockets, searching for his keys. Out came a condom, his iPod, his other iPod meant for classical music, his rosin, his…little Mr. Cuddles? Where the heck did that come from? He found his keys and unlocked the door with a click.

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The first thing Naruto saw was a nicely furnished living room-cum-kitchen. There was a nice zebra-striped three-seater couch and a low table with cushions to sit on around the table. (Like those you see in Japanese teahouses) 6 of them, he counted. It was perfect for studying. There was also an upright piano in a corner and a stereo beside it on a small table. 'Sweet!' Naruto thought, stopping to look at the kitchen.

It didn't contain much, but what could you expect of a college dorm kitchen? At least it had a stove, a fridge, a sink and some cupboards above the sink to store things in. It was a nice cream color, and there was a counter to separate it from the living room. He continued on his way to what he presumed to be a bedroom and tried the door. It was locked. Naruto dropped his knapsack onto the floor and began to look for his keys. After much rifling through his bag, he finally found them.

When he finally succeeded in opening the (bloody annoying) door, he was met with the sight of Sasuke, duck-butt hair, fair skin, signature smirk and all. What did he do?

He stared.

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Sasuke knelt on the floor, arranging his clothes and other things in perfect order. That was how it was supposed to be. All in perfect order. His life had fallen apart when Naruto left, and there was no way in hell he was going to let that happen whenever a loved one left again. The socks in perfect order, precisely two millimeters away from each other. After that, it was the suit his parents had bought for him for performances with the tie slung around the neck.

Itachi had been a real pain in the butt ever since he got a new boyfriend, Kisame. Sasuke didn't really know what the African-American saw in Itachi. Maybe it was Itachi's annoying attitude that attracted the man…Either way, Sasuke didn't care, as long as the sounds of their fucking didn't reach his ears, then that was enough. Besides that, Kisame was one of the few boyfriends of Itachi's his parents had approved of. Sasuke's ears pricked up as the front door was opened. 'Who could it be?'

Footsteps shuffled across the threshold, and then they stopped. Sasuke's hands had ceased all movement by now. He listened intently, trying to make out where exactly the person was planning on going. The footsteps started again. The intruder tried to open the door, but Sasuke had locked it. A muffled thump sounded outside the door and Sasuke flinched, wondering about what had happened.

There was some jiggling on the doorknob's behalf, and the door was opened. He put his classic Uchiha-smirk on his face, ready to be friends with his soon-to-be roommate. As he was met with a pair of familiar sapphire eyes and spiky blonde hair, he discovered he didn't need to be friends with this particular roommate.

"Naruto?"

He already was.

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Rating Guide: 1 star: Oh my god. This is awful. 2 stars: It really needs work. 3 stars: It's not good, but not bad either. Work a little harder, maybe? 4 stars: It's really good. 5 stars: Oh mi god! This is really excellent!

To Be Continued…

© Kage no Nikko A.K.A Nicole Lee 2008