A/N: This story is an AU, and Naruto is two years younger than Sasuke. So when the massacre occurred, Naruto was seven and Sasuke was nine.

Everyone seems to like it so far! Feel free to give me any suggestions/comments for what you'd like to see in this story! Anything at all. If it fits in with the storyline, I may use it!

Naruto sat at a desk in his bedroom, scribbling something in what looked like an old, worn out book. It was smaller than a normal book, and had a dirty brown cover. The pages he wrote on had no lines and were an off white. He flipped a good amount of pages before he got to a blank page. He opened one of the drawers, pulled out a pen, and began writing.

Today is the one year anniversary since our family was killed. Sasuke and I are going to their graves today. We're going to put flowers around their graves and clean up, the same thing we do every year. The Uchiha's own a fairly large, separate part of Konoha's cemetery. This is where everyone in our family is buried. Whether it be from many years ago, or from one year ago today, when the Uchiha massacre took place.

A year had passed since that horrible day. A year since they were all murdered. A year since we've seen Itachi. We heard rumor's that he joined a group called Akatsuki, but rumors are only rumors until proven true. I don't even know what Akatsuki is, but it doesn't sound good! A year has also passed since Sasuke started treating me different.

It was always the same thing every time. I'd try to be nice, and I'd try to comfort him, try to make him feel a little better, but in the end, he'd always get mad at me. He'd hit me, and he'd push me away. And I don't just mean physically. He'd mentally push me away. He'd tell me that he needed me as a tool for revenge, and when he got his revenge he'd be done with me. I'm 8 years old now. Even though a year has passed he still blames me for the family's massacre. He vows revenge on our brother Itachi, and me! He makes me do whatever he says. He even makes me stay two steps behind him when we walk. He does it because he says embarrassed to be seen with me. I'm hated by this village so much, and he thinks it's because of our family's death. But no, it's not because of that. It's because I have the Kyuubi sealed inside of me. When I was born, Kyuubi attacked our village. Kyuubi is the nine-tailed fox demon. And, in order to save the village, the Yondaime Hokage sealed him away inside of me, losing his life in the process. He meant for me to be a hero. The children my age don't know about me, but their parents do. Their parents give me dirty looks, and utter the words 'monster' under the breaths. Their children see the hatred, and also begin to hate me. I can't tell Sasuke about it though, because it would give him even more of a reason to use me as a tool, a tool of revenge against Itachi. And I really don't want that.

"Naruto! Where the hell are you?" Sasuke shouted, sounded angry and annoyed. Naruto quickly slammed his journal (He refused to call it a diary. Diary made it sound too girly) shut and ran over to his bed. He slid over to the empty floorboard by his bed. All he had to do was bang one end of the loose floorboard gently, and the other side of the board would pop up. Naruto hid a few things in there aside from his journal. He also hid a few cups of instant ramen in case he got hungry and Sasuke didn't let him eat, and when Sasuke yelled at him for eating ramen. He usually forbid Naruto from eating ramen, especially instant ramen. Sasuke always said 'that stuff is bad for you!'. He hid this strange looking rock-like gem that Sasuke gave him when he was four. Naruto had put it into a necklace, and wore it often; hidden underneath all of his clothes, but never when there might be even the slightest possibility that Sasuke would see it. If Sasuke saw it, he would take it away.

The gem was one of the few things that Naruto had to remember the oldSasuke by other than his memories.

"Naruto, why didn't you answer me?" Sasuke asked as he walked up to Naruto and yanked him up harshly by his hair, causing Naruto to wince at the pain as Sasuke twisted his blond locks in his hand.

"I…I'm sorry Sasuke." Naruto answered, trying his best to escape Sasuke's harsh grasp.

"You're sorry? You're always sorry Naruto. Sorry is just an empty word coming from the likes of you. Let's get going." Sasuke said as he let go of Naruto and pushed him away. Naruto fell to the ground. Sasuke looked disapprovingly at him. He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and continued walking on.

Today is the 1 year anniversary of the Uchiha massacre. Both boys were dressed in clean black pants and a crisp black shirt. Both had also taken the day off from the Konoha Academy in order to visit the family graves. Their teacher had understood. He knew it was a hard day for both of them. He saw the sadness in their eyes, and he also noticed how differently the pair acted since their families death one year ago.

As Naruto ran out the door to catch up with Sasuke, he snatched an umbrella and shut the door behind him.

"Dobe what are you doing? It's not going to rain." Sasuke said as Naruto caught up with him

"Yes, it is." Naruto replied. There weren't many clouds out, and it was actually a pretty nice day. But Naruto believed that it always rained on funerals, and it always rained whenever people went to visit graves. It was like the sky was crying.

"Hn, whatever dobe. Hurry up, you walk too slowly." Sasuke said, quickening his pace, not believing that it would rain today. The sky was rather clear, only a handful of clouds. It didn't feellike rain either, nor had the weather in the newspaper mentioned anything about rain for the next few days.

A few minutes later they arrived at Yamanaka flower shop. It was the only flower shop in the village, so it was well known and very popular. A young blue-eyed blonde girl was there with the owner, who also had blonde hair and a set of eyes that matched the little girls. He was presumably her father. The little girl took a secret glance at Sasuke, but quickly turned away blushing. Naruto laughed gently. She must have a crush on Sasuke.

They bought roses, enough to place one on each grave, and two extra bouquets so they could place one on their mother and father's graves.

Within minutes, they entered the graveyard going their separate ways. They had a large family, so there were a lot of graves to visit. Naruto sorrowfully, gazed at the names on the graves. Naruto was 3 when the family adopted him and 7 when they were killed. He considered them his family from the day he got adopted, and still would in years to come. After the massacre, Sasuke always said how Naruto was never part of the family. How Naruto shouldn't even consider Sasuke as a brother, because Sasuke never considered him as a brother. But Naruto knew Sasuke was lying. Those four years they spent as a family didn't lie. The memories they had together weren't a lie. He didn't care whether or not Sasuke saw him as a brother, but he did know that Sasuke cared.

Even though he didn't show it.

It was pouring now, just as Naruto had predicted. Sasuke hadn't believed him. Something Naruto was already used to.

Sasuke sighed falling to his knees. Mud splattered onto his soaked clothes. He leaned forward until his palms touched the ground, clenching his fists tightly, getting them dirty.

He was in front of his parents' graves.

Sasuke was tainted by his parents' death. Even though his older brother took away his childhood, his innocence (Not in the sexual way) behind all the curses and anger. Beyond the want for power, and eagerness for revenge. Behind all the hatred…

…Sasuke was just a little 10 year old boy yearning for his parents love.

He could feel tears slowly stream down his face and fall to the ground, blending in with the raindrops that were falling from the sky. Suddenly, he wasn't getting wet anymore. In confusion, he looked up and saw Naruto leaning forward, holding the umbrella, covering him from the rain. He held out his hand, reaching out for Sasuke's.

Sasuke took it and stood up, pulling Naruto close to him to an tight embrace, no longer caring that the tears ran down his face. When he hugged NAruto, he go mud all over him, but Naruto didn't mind. The blond leaned in and hugged the boy back. Naruto was crying too. He missed everyone just as much as Sasuke did. Regardless of everything though, it felt so nice to be hugged by Sasuke again. It felt nice to feel safe again.

"Come on Sasuke, let's go home, and change out of these dirty, wet clothes before we get sick." Naruto said as he led Sasuke out of the graveyard. They intertwined their pointer and middle fingers with each others. (1) They had spent over three hours there without realizing it.

It was times like this that Naruto truly believed that he would one day have the old Sasuke back. The old Sasuke that Naruto loved, the old Sasuke that he played with, the old Sasuke that gave him that shining gem all those years ago.

Flashback

"Wow Sasuke! It's so huge back here! I can get lost!" Little 4-year old Naruto said as he looked around the huge backyard. 6 year old Sasuke stood behind him, smiling. He always wanted a little brother, and now he had one.

Sasuke glanced to his left and saw something shining. He walked over and picking up the shining object. It was an orange stone, almost like a rock, except it was shaped like a large diamond. He raised it up high and watched as it shimmered in the sun.

'Hmm, Naruto really likes orange, maybe he'll like this.' Sasuke thought, looking over to the blond

"Here Naruto, I found this. Maybe you'll like it."

End Flashback

"Go do the laundry first, Naruto, and then you can take a shower." Sasuke said casually as he stripped down, and threw his clothes at Naruto, who was already staggering with more clothes that the pair had worn throughout the week

This is how it always was. He would be nice to Sasuke, comfort him, Sasuke would let him do it, and maybe even be nice. Then it would all change and Sasuke would be mean to him. It wasn't anything new, and after a whole year, Naruto was almost used to it. But why did he have to do laundry? Why did he have to clean the house while Sasuke stood by, doing nothing? Sasuke was rich, very rich, he was actually one of the richest people in Konoha. Why couldn't he just hire a maid? A maid would be able to do everything in half the time it took Naruto.

"Okay Sasuke." Naruto replied, as he went off to do the laundry that had piled up over the week.

'Tomorrow will be better.' Naruto thought to himself, smiling.

He said the same thing every day for the passed week.

And it was only getting worse.

(1) Like they did in the anime/manga when they were children!