Prequel to Naruto's Bad Day.

Naruto had been running for 10 minutes now. His legs were screaming in pain, every intake of breath pierce his lungs like needles, his hands were sore from the constant swinging, his body was covered in bruises, everything hurt like hell but the deepest wound was the wound in his heart. That one hurts the most. The one that makes him cry to sleep every night, the one that gets deeper everyday and the one which makes him think that it was better to not have been born.

Everybody rejects his existence. Everyone in the village would point their fingers at him and throw a bunch of insults at him. Whenever he tries to approach a group of kids at the playground, they would run away shouting "Monster!" "Get away! He'll kill us!" "Run run run run!" and in a blink of an eye, the whole place would be deserted, except a boy with whiskers, his small hands holding a ball, standing there all alone.

Naruto didn't know why people were treating him like this, like he was a...monster. He would always wonder if he had done something wrong. So to compensate for his mistakes, Naruto would wonder about in the village, doing as many good deeds as he chould because at Konoha Academy, Iruka once said that when you've done something good, people will like you.

Naruto would help anyone and everyone, but when he approaches an old lady that looks like she's carrying a bag with contents that weigh several pounds, he would gladly help her with her load but she would yell at him "Get lost! If you wanna help, then help me bring back my son, you disgusting kid!".

But Naruto's an amazingly optimistic kid, he would not give up, not until he makes his first friend, not until someone likes him, not until never, so he keeps helping and helping.

That day too, he helped. There was a kid in the park who had fell on his butt. Naruto's face lit up in an instant, 'Another chance!' he cheered and ran towards the kid. He squatted down, plastered the brightest smile he could form and questioned "Are you alright?".

"Hey! You monster, stop hurting Hayato!" Hayato's friends came running towards them, their face filled with hatred and anger.

"I-I'm not hurting him...I'm ju-just trying to help..." Naruto explained softly whilst shaking his hands and head.

"We don't need your help! Just get out, you beast!" A taller boy shoved him on the shoulder, causing Naruto to toppled quickly scrambled to his feet and ran away but he felt something hit his back, something hard. Then another one hit his left jinchuuriki turned his head back and saw the kids were chasing after him while throwing pebbles at him. The other villagers who were witnessing the scene were enjoying the show, giggling at an innocent little boy being chased and thrown with pebbles.

Naruto ran, fled from the main road and into the forest and finally got away from the kids.

He stopped for a moment to breath in some fresh air then he glanced about him, checking for any presence of human. When he got none, he slowly sat onto the ground. He pulled his legs up to his chest as tight as he could and let his tears flow down his whiskered cheeks, sobbing uncontrollably.

He never wanted to show anyone his weak side, he knew that if he had been weak, the villagers would take advantage of that or pity him, so he never cried, not in front of them. He always stayed as positive as he could but there were days like this, days when everything which he had bottled up would flow out unstoppably like sand. There were days which he would let himself be exposed, be vulnerable cause the mask he always wore, that happy mask starts to fall apart. It beginsto crumble to the ground.

He would sob silently in the corner, he didn't want attention nor pity, he just wanted simple love. Why can't he get that?

'Why does nobody like me?' Repeating that question like a mantra, tightening himself into a smaller ball, shivering, he cried...but the tears could not wash away the ache in his heart or fill the empty hole that's cracking even bigger and bigger every passing days.

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto heard footsteps, light footsteps from behind him. He didn't raise his head up, he just continued weeping. That person wouldn't even give him a second glance anyway.

Then surprisingly, the person ceased walking, he stood two steps behind the weeping kid. Minutes passed and finally, the unknown kid ever so quietly took a seat beside Naruto.

Naruto sat there crying while the other kid accompanied him. Naruto appreciated the warm company, something he had never gotten. It was amazing knowing that someone was there for you.

'It's so warm' Naruto thought silently.

Time passed and the blonde had finally let everything out. Slowly, he took a curious peek to the side, wondering who this fabulous guy was.

Slowly...slowly...Ah. That fair skin, that onyx pair of orbs, those sharp features...that kid was mesmerising.

"Are you done admiring me?" The brunette asked.

"Wh-who's admiring you!?" Naruto's cheeks were a shade of deep pink, he was so embarrassed he wish he could just dug a hole and stay in there willingly forever.

"Fine dobe." The raven-hairned kid simple shrugged, his face emotionless.

"Do-dobe!? You, you called me dobe! I'm not dobe! It's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto exclaimed, eventhough the villagers hated the mere name 'Naruto', he would always be proud of it. Holding his head high, he would introduce himself to the whole world. He will never hate his name, never ever.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh." The name just ever so softly rolled out from his mouth, and Naruto already loved the way the other called his name. Even though there was no love whatsoever, it wasn't bottled with hate.

Naruto excitedly questioned the kid "Ne, ne! What's your name?"

The fair kid turned his head and onyx eyes met cerulean ones. The other examined Naruto for quite a while then oh, finally answered in not louder than a whisper "Sasuke...Uchiha."

Naruto's face shone ever oh so brightly "Sasuke...Sasuke! Sasuke!..." He kept calling the other's name...his first ever friends's name.

"Can you stop calling me?" Sasuke sounded annoyed but he wasn't angry, not when you see someone shining like the sun.

"Ne, Sasuke, I love your name. Hehe!"

"What the hell are you talking about, usuratonkachi?"

"What!? Teme! My name's Naruto! Remember that! To become Hokage is my dream! So when I become Hokage everyone will know my name!" Naruto announced proudly.

"Dobe, do you think becoming a Hokage is easy?"

"Naruto! And I know being Hokage is super duper hard! But I will keep going. I will not run away nor will I go back on my words because that's my nindo, MY NINJA WAY." Naruto exclaimed, full of confidence.

"You're talking big. You'll face tons of hardship you know?"

"I know! But I'm not scared because I'm sure Sasuke would help me when I need him!"

"Huh? When did I say I'll help you?" Sasuke knitted his eyebrows in question.

"Well, friends help each other right? And I'm your friend-" Naruto smiled the biggest smile he had, a genuine smile "and you're mine! So I'll help you too!"

Sasuke stared at his new friend, ah, he's starting to fall for that smile. Yeah, he would protect Naruto indeed...and that smile.

"Fine, dobe. I'll help you."

"Really!?" Naruto enthusiastically raised his little pinky, wore his ever blinding smile and said "Then it's a promisd, Sasuke! Now, let's seal it with a pinky-promise!"

Sasuke was reluctant to seal it at first, he didn't want anything troublesome but upon seeing that smile, he didn't want to destroy it so he eventually locked his teeny-tiny pinky with the other's.

Naruto beamed like the little ball of sunshine he is and stood to his feet, moving his position in front of the brunette. "Ne, ne Sasuke! You should smile more! I haven't seen you smile yet!" The blonde put his two index finger at his cheeks and shown a smile to Sasuke.

The jinchuuriki slowly walked backwards but then his feet caught something and he tumbled backwards "Owwww" he groaned.

He positioned his palm to the back of his head and ran circles around it to soothe the pain. He heard Sasuke said something that sounds like "dobe" and that really pissed him off. He sat right up, preparing to bombard his new friend with his name but then the scene before him caught him off guard...

Sasuke was laughing. For the first time in a long time he was finally laughing.

Sasuke's fair skin that shone brightly under the sunlight made him look totally dazzling. That's when Naruto felt something weird.

His heart just skipped a beat.

And that's how a promise between the two idiots was made...