Ummm, hi guys, long time no see, ne?. . .I know I'm horrible at this but please bear with me :D? I was trying to think of how to begin two of my upcoming stories (a new one with Zabu/Haku and the next chapters to "The Cold of Autumn") when I thought of this one. . .

I hope you enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters as you very well know. . .I wish I did Y^Y.


What Only I Can See

There's a soft, slightly high pitched sound that comes from the woods at night.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that hears it, but then Sasuke climbs into bed with me, his small feet trembling slightly, his pale hands clutching his pillow for dear life.

"Did the Oni come to take me away, Aniki?" he would ask me, fearful of the monsters mother warned him of. The ones that would whisk him away in the middle of the night if he misbehaved. "No, Sasuke, it's not Oni."

"Who is it?"

I look down at him, finding that his head was resting against my chest, his small fingers curling into my shirt.

"A lonely kit. . ."

It cries until dawn, his small voice wailing at a mother that never held him, at a father that never carried him over his shoulders. Sasuke wakes up worried for him, his dark eyes scanning the forest edge.

"Let's make him happy Aniki, I don't want him to cry anymore."

"What do you suggest?"

"I want to find his parents." Sasuke's too young to understand what he's saying.

"How do you plan to do that, you're much to young to look for anyone."

"I turned four ages ago!" I hold back a snicker as he glares daggers at me. "A kit shouldn't be alone in the snow like that. If I find him, I'll make Okaa-san let me keep him. He'll be the happiest pet Konoha has ever seen."

I blink a couple of times in a row. Sasuke smiled sweetly out the window, a small sigh escaping his lips. "Hear that Momo, you'll get really fat and do nothing but sleep all day. Won't that be nice?"

Sasuke's search is in vain, yet he isn't let down and goes to bed with the promise of finding the small fox that he claimed as his own. "I'll find you Momo. . ." he whispers as sleep takes him, his hand releasing its tight grip on a red ribbon that was to be the kit's collar. The cries start soon afterward, and I decide not to sit around anymore. Grabbing a coat, I rush outside before otou-san realizes that I am gone.

The forest whispers at night. The sound of the branches rustling in the cold, winter wind . There are no pitter-patters of the once active animals, or the soft chirp of the summer bugs. Only the muffled cries of a boy that is hurting too much.

He's curled into a tight little ball of orange when I spot him against the trunk of a tree, his whole body shivering, his hair wet from the snow.

"Hey," I whisper softly, watching his small body jump a little and curl up tighter. "Are you alright?" I etch closer to him, but he inches away before I could even lay a finger on him. I try speaking to him again, my words soft and quiet, but he doesn't seem to respond.

"Naruto." I finally say, a little harder but still with genuine tenderness. He looks up then, his cerulean orbs piercing me with a mildly shocked stare. His face is covered with scrapes and bruises, and there's a scab right under the tip of his bottom lip. His left eye, though no longer swollen, still bears the mark of a blackened beating. His mouth tries to form words, but fails to make even the slightest sound. I smile gently, despite my impulse to hold him and tell him that he's safe with me.

"Yes, I know your name. Is there a reason why you have been out here for the past week?" A slight blush spreads across his face, his eyes falling away from me immediately. "Hi-hiding. . ." he murmurs, his voice breaking. He doesn't need to tell me from whom.

The villagers take no pity on the vessel that saved their lives, much less their own children. To live in constant fear of those that are around you, to not be able to play among other children, simply because you were born. It sickened me, and I felt a stab against my chest whenever I looked at the bruises that marred his beautifully tanned skin.

"A-angel?"

I look down at him, finding myself lost in those hopelessly beautiful eyes that looked at me in adoration. Me, an angel? I didn't dare laugh out loud. He stood up then, a bit shakily but determined not to fall down. His small hands reached for the hem of my coat, pulling his body closer until his face laid buried in the long hem. I could see his shoulders shake a little, feel his hands pull on the folds tightly. "Give-me-my-mommy-and-daddy" he gritted through clenched jaws, barely being able to hold back sobs. I place a hand on top of his head, compassion evident on my face.

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that, Naruto-kun." His head jerks up to see me, his eyes glassy and on the verge of tears.

"You're an angel. You can do anything." Tears spilled down his cheeks, his hands leaving my hem to make a futile attempt at wiping them away. "Why. . .god. . .take. . .away?" he gasped in between sobs, his body falling into the cold snow beneath him. "It's. . .not. . .fair."

I can't stand to watch him like that. In a state of total despair, with his small body shaking uncontrollably while the world watches and makes it worse.

I pick him up swiftly and hug him tightly, issuing a small yip to escape him. I place a small kiss on his forehead, and another against his closed eyelids, gently wiping away his tears. "Even if I can't bring them back, you should know that they are still with you. . .who do you think heals your wounds when you are hurt?"

Kyuubi

He smiles a little, growing wider as he accepts that as his new truth. "And they keep me warm when I go outside in the snow!" he giggles a little, his arms wrapping around my neck. It was obvious that whoever had been placed as this child's caretaker, didn't even care much about what was happening to him. If it wasn't for the fox sealed inside him, Naruto would've died long ago.

"There's this boy that I really like!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, he's really cool, and everyone says that he's really strong. . .too"

"And who is this supposed to be?"

"I. . .don't know. . .Sasu. . ."

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah. . .I. . .really just. . .want to be near him. . .at least once. . ."

His head falls softly against my chest as the day takes its toll on him. He is still, after all, a 4-year-old child. His fingers are curled against my chest, his small body completely covered under my coat. I stand up slowly, my legs numb from sitting in the cold for what seemed like hours, holding Naruto inside my coat, listening to him talk about whatever he liked.

I didn't want to let go of his warmth. This child could've had a family. He could've been happy and loved. He could have lived as carefree as Sasuke does at this moment. . .

Sasuke could've been him.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as tears begin to fall. For Naruto to suffer so much just for being the Fourth's son was unforgivable. This hatred that was deeply rooted in the hearts of those around me, it sickened me beyond relief. I can see the bruises on Naruto's face heal and fade away as if they were never there.

Should he wake up in the morning, what will happen to him? Will he remember me?

I decide to take him to the only person that can truly take care of him right now.

As I sit on the light post that sits outside the Hokage's room I wonder if Naruto is destined to be greater than this. His suffering would definitely, and hopefully, not go unnoticed.

He stirs lightly from his side of the bed, the Hokage's gaze falling on him briefly before going back to his book.

"Where did you find him?" he had asked me, his arms opening instantly to take him from me. "In the forest. Lucky that I did, Sasuke was prepared to have him as a pet were he to find him first." The Hokage chuckled at that, his eyes never leaving the tight grip I had on the orphaned kit. "I don't want him to be ignored to the extent that he is wandering the wilderness on his own." I growled softly.

"You are much to gentle hearted for this business Itachi. . ." he gives me a soft smile.

"The people of this village are more vicious than any ninja I have met, so is it alright to leave their savior at their mercy?" The Hokage lowered his gaze. I settled Naruto down on the left side of the bed, tucking him in tightly under the blankets before turning back to gaze at the Hokage. "Why is it that no one else thinks like you."

I turned to him sharply, my head cocked to the side.

"But Hokage, it's what only I can see. . ."

Ok, like I told my friend, the original idea I had for this one completely evolved, like Pikachu to Raichu, during its creation. But I must say that I liked how it turned out. Sasuke wasn't supposed to show up at all, but he somehow got involved. . .

Anyways, I hope you liked reading it!