Chapter 2: Meeting Ichigo

Naruto entered the city limits with caution that he didn't normally use, but everything was so different. There were buildings taller than the Hokage tower, much taller, the roads were hard and almost black. On the roads were not any kind of carriages Naruto had ever seen, they looked metal and hard, and they were fast, kind of like trains but much smaller.

The immortal teenager observed everything with great interest as he hid in the shadows of the city. A mother and son walking hand in hand down the side walk caught his attention when they stopped. Naruto's eyes saddened when he watched the woman kneel down and tie the young boy's shoe. He would have loved to have someone care enough about him when he was younger to do something like that. Naruto move to another position when he saw the woman kiss the little boy's forehead, no need to depress himself further.

After about an hour of watching he got a sense of the clothes people were wearing. While he didn't normally care what people thought of his clothes he wanted to know a little more about this time before he got caught up in too much. Most of the people, either man, woman, or child were wearing some kind of dark blue pants. Though some of them wore different kinds of pants or dresses most of them wore the dark blue ones.

However their shirts and jackets varied to extremes, from little tight things that only women seemed to wear to t-shirts like he was wearing. After a while of thinking about it Naruto decided to use the Henge to make it look like he was wearing dark blue jeans but left his black T-shirt and took off his red sage cloak, so that his orange and black jacket was showing, but unzipped.

Feeling like he could pass and blend in now Naruto slipped onto the side walk effortlessly without a sound. No attention was drawn to him despite his bright orange jacket and he simply walked down the sidewalk like any normal person that hadn't just woken up from being sealed for the last thousand years or so.

As it started to get dark Naruto had wondered into a park. It was wonderful to see, he had noticed that he hadn't seen much grass or trees since he entered the city. The place was mostly covered by hard stone-like material. Since he doubted any money he had on him still worked after all this time he decided he would just sleep there under the stars until he figured out what to do.

Naruto jumped up to a high tree branch in one bound without thinking and sat down to rest. Luckily since the sun had just finished setting not many people were at the park so no one noticed his feat. The blond boy sighed as he sat with his back against the tree and watched the last few people walking out of the park.

He felt his heart drop slightly at the sight, it brought back old memories. Times of when he was small and had to watch the kids he had been playing near walk away with their parents holding their hands… When he knew his mother and father wouldn't be coming to get him… that he was alone. Like now…

Naruto shook his head sharply to rid himself of the depressing thoughts. He would find friends again, he had just woken up, this was just the beginning, he wouldn't be alone for long. Determined to know more about the world he had more or less fallen into tomorrow and hopefully find a connection, a friend; Naruto settled back against the tree he was sitting in to sleep.

A few hours later Naruto startled awake. He couldn't hear or see anything that would have woken him up but he felt something was wrong. His blue eyes narrowed as he stood up silently. He could hear something, no someone, running on the ground, but he couldn't see them yet. He went towards the sound, for no other reason than the fact he always did. Civilians were supposed to run away from danger and ninja were supposed to go and see what was wrong.

Only a few moments of jumping through the trees and Naruto could see who was running. A young boy, maybe only nine, with bright orange spikey hair, was running like the devil himself was right behind him. Which wasn't too far off from what Naruto saw chasing the kid. Just maybe ten feet behind the boy was a large black… thing.

Naruto had never seen anything like it. Its body was completely black except for the white face mask it was wearing. The creature was about as tall as two men on top of each other and half the width of Shukaku. As soon as he saw it Naruto knew the creature was what had awoken him he could feel the creatures chakra, though it didn't really feel like any chakra he'd ever felt before. It felt… dead.

Suddenly the boy the creature was chasing tripped over something while running so fast. The boy flipped over petrified, thinking he was about to die as the monster quickly closed the distance between them. The young boy's hazel eyes watched fearfully, refusing to close in his last moments. He put his arm up in some kind of defense as the monster like the one that had recently killed his mother lunged at him… he was sure he was going to die.

The boy didn't even register at first that he had been saved. In front of him was a man, no a teenager with blond hair and his back to him. Naruto had hit the monster right in its white face for trying to hurt the kid, and if it's opened mouth was any hint the creature had intended to eat the kid. Naruto grabbed the kid behind him as the creature's white mask started to crack and jumped back as the creature dissolved into nothingness.

The blond teenager looked around and couldn't feel anything; the creature it seemed was gone. At the time Naruto didn't know but he had just destroyed his first hollow. Placing the boy he had protected down gently Naruto stepped back to give him room, while giving the kid a once over.

"You okay?" Naruto asked when the boy didn't say anything and just kind of stared at him.

"Yeah. But who are you? And how did you do that?" The boy replied and asked his own questions back. This guy had save him, and stopped something like what had killed his mom. No, he killed his mom, it was his fault, he knew that no matter what his dad said.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto replied, for some reason he looked like he really enjoyed telling people his name. "And I just hit him, no big deal." Normally Naruto didn't downplay his actions, at all, but he really hadn't done much, and the kid looked so impressed.

"Anyway what are you doing out so late, somebody I'll bet is worried about you." Being an orphan Naruto knew better than to assume the kid had parents but he should have someone. The boy looked down thinking about his family; they probably were worried about him.

"I um, I just…" he couldn't say it. He had been looking for his mom at the river again but… he knew she was dead, that there was nothing to find. When he finally realized how late it was he started going home, that was when the monster found him.

"Hey it's okay kid, you don't have to tell me. What's your name?" Naruto asked instead. If why he was out was that big of a question, it probably wasn't his business anyway.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo answered, relived he didn't have to try and explain anything about his mother. Naruto smiled at him.

"Alright Ichigo, well let's get you home. Come on!" Naruto started walking despite the fact he had no idea where he was going, he figured the park exit was a good place to start. He wasn't going to save the kid though without making sure it at least stuck until he got home. Besides this Ichigo kid kind of reminded him of himself.

"Wait up!" Ichigo called walking quickly to catch up, though he didn't know why. He didn't really know anything about this guy, except that he saved him. Maybe for that reason Ichigo felt safe with the guy. Regardless of the reason though he followed the blond teen and started leading when he realized his new friend wouldn't know how to get to his house.

Ichigo's leg hurt from when he tripped and fell so he was limping slightly while they walked. Naruto noticed but didn't say anything since the boy didn't seem to want any help. They had gotten a block from the park when Ichigo gasped and fell. Naruto quickly put his hand in front of the boy's chest catching him before he could hit the pavement. He had kind of been watching to make sure the kid didn't trip or something, since he was hurt.

"Whoa, hey, easy." Naruto said as he lowered Ichigo so the boy was sitting on the sidewalk. Naruto knelt down beside him and looked to where to boy was holding his leg.

"It hurts." Ichigo groaned, his eyes shut tight but didn't cry like Naruto assumed most kids his age would.

"Alright let me have a look." Naruto spoke patiently as he gently lifted the boy's pant leg up to his knee. "Ouch." Naruto sympathized when he saw the large bruise on the kid's shin. He must have hit a rock or something when he fell. Ichigo opened his eyes to see the damage on his leg, and stopped breathing for a second when he did. A small fearful whimper escaped him.

"Hey it's not that bad Ichigo. Just a bruise, we'll get you home and patched up, and you'll be better in no time." Naruto said with a small amount of enthusiasm and a smile, he didn't want the kid to be afraid and that sound he had made just about broke his kind heart… kami he was turning into a sap.

"Climb on." Naruto ordered as he turned around and held his hand back to Ichigo. The orange haired boy picked himself up slowly, putting all him weight on his uninjured foot and grabbed Naruto's hand so he could pull himself up onto the teen's back. Naruto didn't wait for the kid to try and climb up him with a hurt leg though.

As soon as Ichigo grab his hand he pulled the boy up onto his back and wrapped the kid's arm around his neck with ease, despite the fact he was holding about seventy pounds with his arm backwards behind his head. Ichigo was surprised to be pulled up like that but didn't say anything about it. He wrapped his other arm around his savior's neck, locking his hands together and wrapped his legs around the older boy's waist.

Naruto grabbed Ichigo's wrist it a slight grip so he wouldn't fall off and started walking. The nine year old was now feeling a bit embarrassed. He barely knew the guy, but in just an hour Naruto had saved him from a monster, was walking him home without even being asked, and was now carrying him.

If Ichigo was a little older he would probably think it was all suspicious, after all people weren't usually so kind for no reason. At such a young age though Ichigo didn't question the teenager's kindness. Whether that was because he was so young, because the 'stranger' didn't seem but a few years older than him, or because Naruto had saved him couldn't be said.

"Thanks." Ichigo mumbled embarrassed someone he'd just met was carrying him. Naruto smiled, though Ichigo could see it from his back.

"Don't worry about it; you're as light as a feather. Just point me to where home is, and I'll get ya there." Naruto spoke easily, really he was a ninja the kid could have been a bulky balloon as far as he was concerned.

"That way." Ichigo pointed down the side street before yawning. He wasn't really embarrassed anyway, actually he felt pretty content on Naruto's back. More content than he'd been since his mother-… well, for a while. He felt safe, like he could fall asleep at any moment. He tried hard to stay awake so he could continue to give directions to his house but Naruto felt so warm.

Almost like a strong, protective energy was radiating from him. Like the way the sun feels sometimes, as its rays shine down on you and it feels like you've been covered by a warm blanket while still not feeling hot. Ichigo yawned again as he pointed to his home a ways down the street.

The nine year old finally allowed himself to rest his head on the shoulder in front of him, thinking it would be for just a second. He felt so content though, once he let himself relax completely, he didn't have really a way to explain it but maybe like lying on a sandy beach while a cool breeze kept him the perfect temperature under the sun. He was a sleep within seconds.

"So this is it?" Naruto asked as he trotted up the front step. When he got no reply he turned his head slightly to look at the boy riding on his back. Naruto smirked before rolling his eyes, the kid was fast asleep. 'Well at least he waited till we were here.' The blond thought to himself before knocking on the door, and hoping he had gotten the right place since the kid had been pointing from so far down the street.

The door opened so swiftly Naruto almost jumped back, a tall man with dark black hair that stood up, and stubble around his jaw stood in the doorway. When the man just looked at him expectantly, probably not noticing it was him son on the blond's back, Naruto sweat dropped. The guy seemed goofy.

"Um, is this yours?" Naruto asked as he turned half way around and pointed his thumb in the direction of Ichigo's head.

"ICHIGO!" The man screamed, throwing his arms out, as if to hug the kid who had jerked awake at his name being screamed. Naruto took this as the cue that he got the right house, and helped the sleepy boy slide down his back to the ground, where Ichigo put most if not all his weight on his good leg.

"Hey Dad." Ichigo said in complete contradiction to his father's extreme enthusiasm. Isshin had fake waterfall tears run down his face in waves. Naruto stepped back when the man grabbed Ichigo in a tight hug, as he felt he was intruding.

"We were SO worried about you!" The father continued to cry in a pathetically fake manner. Naruto smiled uncomfortably as he slowly backed away, this guy was seriously starting to remind him of Gai. It was then of course that the man decided to give him some recognition.

"And who's this? The hero who returned my wayward son home to me!" Isshin called coming at him faster then Naruto thought a civilian could and crushing him in a hug while still holding onto his poor nine year old son who was slowly turning blue.

"Can't—breathe!" Naruto gasped out and Isshin finally let him go, also letting Ichigo breathe. Naruto and Ichigo both started taking deep gulps of air. Unfortunately for Ichigo he forgot how bad he leg was hurting and put too much weight on it. He was about to fall when Naruto caught him half way down again. His father gasped forgetting the older boy for the moment.

"Ichigo you're hurt!" he stated the obvious, before scooping his son up and rushing the kid inside to patch him up. Naruto blinked as he was left outside, seemingly forgotten, like the front door that was wide open. Naruto for some reason thought this felt like one of those 'life changing' moments. His choices were to go inside and see how Ichigo was doing, getting himself into kami knew what, or he could just walk away and find a nice tree in the park to sleep in…

Who in the hell was he kidding?

AND CUT!

To WolfOfVengeance : hope this was soon enough ;)

To WEFANFIC : thanks for revewing

To All my other reviewers : Thank you all for your reviews I love seeing them! :D