Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Admit Defeat

Chapter 3: Memories of an Uzumaki

By: Kisu

---

Uzumaki was his original last name taken after his father without a doubt. But he remembered nothing of his parents. In his dreams, they were always two blurred figures. He couldn't see their expressions or recognize their faces.

Then there was a third man.

And he always woke up screaming.

---

He had no idea how he got out onto the streets at the age of five. All he could remember was being cold and hungry all the time.

It had been raining, that night when he met Itachi. Gang fights were common in those rural areas and he remembered that there had been a violent battle.

He had huddled on a doorstep in an alley, wishing that he could be somewhere that was actually warmer. His stomach ached from the absence of nutrition and he whimpered as he drew his legs to his chest, shivering as the rain continued to fall.

He desperately tried to ignore the shouts and screams from the streets. He shut his eyes to the metallic clanks of metal and blades grating each other. He winced at the muffled sound of flesh meeting the ground.

It was the sudden sound of footsteps that brought him back into his senses. The footsteps splashed through the puddles in the alley and headed closer and closer to him. He drew his arms tighter around his knees and wished for the footsteps to pass him.

They never did.

Instead, they paused in front of him and he could feel a speculating gaze.

It was the voice that made him tremble all over.

It had been kind.

---

"Are you lost?" The stranger spoke up.

He had raised his head and gazed blearily at the dark silhouette in the alleyway. The stranger walked into the weak light that was emitted from the flickering light bulb over the doorstep. It was a boy, older than him by a few years. He had dark hair that fell evenly around his smooth face and dark eyes that burned like smoldering coals. He whimpered when the boy approached him and crouched down beside him.

"I have a little brother like you at home," he smiled softly. "Do you want to come with me?" He raised his hand and slowly offered it to him.

---

Naruto's hand had then slowly reached up to grab it. He didn't know if it was the intensity of the dark gaze or the silver dragons that twined around the black sleeves of Itachi's shirt. But the older boy had beckoned and he had answered.

Then he had met Sasuke. Sasuke had been a little boy that was too smart for his six years of age.

The stoic boy had stared at him with curiosity when his older brother brought him into the house.

He never expected it to be a mansion.

---

The young doctor walked over to his mailbox and retrieved his mail before heading up the stairs to his apartment. To his surprise, someone was lounging next to his door. When his guest spotted him, he rose up to his feet and stretched.

"What took you so long?" he grumbled. Naruto simply stared at him for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.

"Shika! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, moving to unlock his door.

"Waiting for you." Shikamaru replied. "I'm hungry, let's go eat."

"All right." Naruto told him, giving him an amused look. "Let me change out of my work clothes first. Come on in."

It had been a week after the attack in the parking garage and two weeks after he saw Sasuke for the first time in ten years. But since he saw Shino, his old friends just kept on surprising him with random visits.

Naruto changed out of his black dress shirt and khaki colored slacks. Then he pulled on a white muscle t-shirt and black jeans. Grabbing his matching jean jacket, he shrugged it on and walked out of his room. Shikamaru was looking around at the sparse furniture he had. "

Nice place you got here," he commented, observing the clean white blandness of it. It seemed liked Naruto only owned a few sets of medical books and a large quantity of instant ramen in the cupboards.

"I'm not home much." Naruto explained. "Ready?" At Shikamaru's nod, they walked out of the apartment and Naruto turned to lock the door. Shikamaru couldn't help but "check out" his old friend.

"Damn man." Shikarmaru raised an eyebrow, gazing at Naruto's well-toned body. "What have you been doing these last ten years?"

"Ten years, huh?" Naruto repeated softly. It was also eleven years since Itachi was killed. "The only major thing was school. I'm still paying back the loans."

"A doctor." Shikamaru nodded. "I heard. Didn't know you had it in you, Naruto." Naruto laughed as they exited the building.

"So, where are we going?" The blonde spoke up after they had reached the first block.

"Dunno." Shikamaru replied slowly. Naruto sighed and raked a hand through his golden hair.

He remembered when they were younger, fresh in high school with no goals in their lives. When he hung out with Shikamaru, all they did was…nothing. They would lie on the grass for hours and stare up at the clouds. Well, at least until Sasuke found him and dragged him home.

"You're hopeless." Naruto grinned as they continued on down the street. A light rustle in the bushes made him turn around and place a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "Did you hear that?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder with a blank look. A cat raced out of the bushes and Naruto chuckled.

"Just a cat." Naruto laughed, shaking his head.

They found a nearby diner to have a burger and fries. When they finished, they exited the diner and walked back the way they came from. A loud commotion stopped them in their tracks. The commotion was a small group of bikers that slowly formed a circle around them. Teenagers, it seemed, had interesting hobbies nowadays. But of course, Naruto wasn't one to judge.

"Fuck. We're in deep shit." Shikamaru cursed. He narrowed his eyes. "Did they recognize you?"

"I don't think so." Naruto said, softly.

"Haven't seen you two here before." One of the teenagers spoke up, answering Shikamaru's question. The teenager seemed to be the leader by his act of superiority over the others. He had brown hair tied up in a ponytail and goggles, perched on the top of his head.

"Yeah. We just dropped in." Shikamaru laughed. "But we're leaving now. Nice talking with you." He made a move and was intercepted by the tip of a wicked looking knife that was placed an inch away from his face.

"Not so fast." Another boy smiled. "Do you know whose territory you've stepped into?"

"The fuck?" Shikamaru hissed. "This is Ryuujin territory."

"Not anymore, old man." The leader snickered. "The Shinja has taken over now. We're here to reinforce it."

Old man? Shikamaru was livid. He'll show that punk a thing or two.

Naruto grasped a hold of the back of Shikamaru's shirt and smiled pleasantly. "You kids should be at home. It's a little too late for you to be out playing."

"How dare you!" The boy, who had threatened Shikamaru with a knife, lunged forward. Naruto had him by the wrist and down on the ground in a blink of an eye. The knife had been wrenched out of the boy's hand and flown up in the air. Slowly it fell back to the ground and Naruto caught it nimbly.

"You shouldn't be playing with such sharp looking toys." Naruto lectured. "You might hurt yourself."

"Get him!" The leader snapped, obviously angered at Naruto's insults.

"Naruto, you bastard!" Shikamaru growled. "Look what you did!"

"Shika? Can't you fight?" Naruto asked, looking back at him.

"Bike techs do not fight." Shikamaru growled. "Besides it's like fiveagainst one!"

"Piece of cake." Naruto grinned. "Stay back."

Shikamaru could only stare in bewilderment. Was Naruto actually going to fight? He had heard the gang speak of the Kyuubi but he had never seen him in action. Because the rumors said that Naruto would turn into a "blood-thirsty demon" in fights. However, he couldn't imagine his bright cheerful friend as a monster.

Seeing the teenagers getting off their bikes, he blinked and looked around wildly. Where was Naruto? Did he just ditch him?

The teenagers advanced on him, smirking and brandishing very sharp and shiny weapons.

"S-stop!" The leader squeaked out suddenly.

The gang members abruptly stopped advancing and turned back to look at their leader. Shikamaru took the chance to take a few steps back. Then, he gaped. Naruto, who always looked cool even in life or death situations, had a knife at the teenager's throat.

Shikamaru gulped. Naruto wasn't going to kill him, was he? Doctors didn't kill; they were supposed to save people! Unless, unless…unless this was the reputation of Kyuubi.

"H-hey, wait a minute Naruto," he called out, nervously.

"A gang member doesn't fear death." Naruto said, softly. His blue eyes were clouded over with a predatory sheen. "So why are you trembling?"

"I-I'm not." The boy stammered.

"Are you?" Naruto countered, lightly sliding the tip of the knife over the boy's cheek. The boy paled as a trickle of blood slid down from the cut.

"We were just kidding, please let him go!" A girl with hair in pigtails ran out of the crowd.

"Stay away, Moegi!" The teenager yelled, trembling even more now.

Haha. Funny.

"Naruto! Enough!" Shikarmaru yelled, clearly scared out of his wits.

"Shika…I didn't have my fun yet." Naruto replied, gripping the boy's shoulder. "Don't you like having fun, too?" He asked the boy.

"N-no." The boy stuttered. He was about to wet his pants.

"So playing gang members, isn't fun?" Naruto continued, placing the tip of the knife on the boy's chin.

"No!" The boy cried, desperately.

"Okay then." Naruto suddenly let him go and patted him on the back. Then he walked away from him. The boy stared at him, unable to register what had just happened.

Shikamaru stared.

Everyone stood frozen.

What the hell did just happened?

The girl named Moegi broke the silence by rushing forward. "Konohamaru!" She gasped.

"Naruto."

Naruto turned around to see the boy smiling shakily at him with Moegi by his side.

"You're Uchiha Naruto, aren't you?" Konohamaru asked.

"Kyuubi?" Moegi gasped, paling slightly.

"I was once called that." Naruto smiled. "Now go home. Your parents must be worried." Then he turned and continued walking away with Shikamaru trailing after him. Naruto glanced at his friend and arched an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Shika?"

"I seriously thought you were going to kill him." The bike tech croaked. "My heart leapt to my throat, don't scare me like that!"

"I don't kill, Shika." Naruto laughed. "Doctors don't kill."

---

"Konohamaru." His two closest friends stood by him as he shakily calmed his nerves down. "Konohamaru, are you all right?"

He looked up to see Moegi and Udon staring at him with worry. He stood up from his crouching position, and slung the tail of his teal scarf over a shoulder. He pointed his index finger sky high and proclaimed in a loud voice,

"We follow Kyuubi now!"

"Eh?" Moegi blinked.

"We are no longer an ally of Shinja but one of Ryuujin!" Konohamaru announced. Cheers resounded throughout the group often teenagers or so.

"But Konohamaru, we were never actually an ally of Shinja." Udon commented.

"Yeah. We aren't real gang members." Moegi frowned.

"You threatened Ryuujin members with the name of Shinja! We don't even belong to the Shinja." Udon continued.

"Shhh! Not so loud!" Konohamaru whispered, waving his hands wildly. "We should do this all the time! It sure was exciting, wasn't it?"

"Konohamaru…"

"What is it, Moegi?"

"You're an idiot!"

---

I'm sure you'll be in for a visit from Neji, soon." Shikarmaru told him, seriously

"Neji, huh?" Naruto repeated as he stared up at the stars.

After Naruto had frazzled the nerves of our beloved bike tech and the group of nocturnal teenagers, they had gone for a trip to a nearby grocery store. Now, the two of them was sitting on the beach with their backs against a log. The tide came crashing in and over their feet. Both of them had a bottle of beer in their hand.

Ahh…life was good.

It would also be considered romantic, if Naruto still didn't have feelings for a certain someone, and if Shikamaru wasn't attached to a certain girl with long blonde hair.

But…that was another story.

"He was pissed off when Sasuke informed us that you weren't coming back." Shikamaru was saying.

"Hm. Neji was always quite a character." Naruto smiled as Shikamaru brought his bottle to his lips. "The first time I saw him, he was wearing a dress."

Shikamaru snorted and spluttered through the beer that went up his nose. He coughed wildly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "What the hell?" he managed, staring at him in shock.

"Ahaha. Just kidding."

No, Neji hadn't been wearing a dress when Naruto had first met him. But the boy had been clad in a long sleeved shirt that reached down to his knees and a pair of baggy jeans.

His long dark hair had been tied into a slick ponytail. This just made the six-year-old look like a protégé of a rock star. The others also hadn't changed much. In fact, the first time he met all of them was in grade school.

Itachi had enrolled him into school a year after he had been picked up off the streets and Sasuke had dragged him along with much enthusiasm. The first thing the blonde boy had noticed was a girl with short pink hair and amazing green eyes.

---

"Who's this, Sasuke?" She had asked, staring at him with curiosity. Feeling shy, Naruto had blushed and moved behind Sasuke. His foster brother glanced over his shoulder at him in concern.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"She's really cute." Naruto whispered back.

"She also has a really big forehead." Sasuke replied, sticking out his tongue.

"What?" Naruto gasped, loudly. He looked around quickly and slapped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry." He said, meekly.

"Don't say you're sorry." Sasuke frowned. "You didn't do anything wrong." But Naruto frowned and continued to keep his hands over his mouth.

"You're funny." Sakura giggled before running to join her friend, Ino.

---

Even in grade school you had your own cliques. So all of them hung out with their own friends.

Shikamaru, Chouji and the blonde girl named Ino hung out by the swings. Neji glared at anyone who approached the sandbox that he and Hinata played in, save for Tenten.

Kiba and Shino hung out underneath the trees near the sandbox, because it was obvious that Kiba liked Hinata much to Neji's distaste. Which left Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura to hang out at the jungle gym.

Later, when they entered secondary school, all the groups broke up into their separate ways. This was the time when hormones kicked in and puberty played a huge role. No wonder the teachers feared the incoming class of sixth graders.

Coolness had a new meaning and unsurprisingly, Sasuke's good dark looks gave him a popularity level that shot through the roof.

So then, what happened to the friends?

Sakura and Ino who were best friends began to fight over Sasuke. Shino became a member of the insect club. Kiba started flirting with Hinata when Neji wasn't around and Tenten was busy trying to stir the Hyuuga boy away from his cousin complex to notice her.

Shikamaru and Chouji continued to hang out together, despite Ino's desperate need to track them down for gossip. And some strange boy, who loved the color green, began chasing Sakura around. Sasuke was busy avoiding his fanclub of rabid fangirls and Naruto took prep classes for high school.

It may seem strange, but he had already discovered his interest in pursuing a career as a doctor. His teacher was really nice in helping him prepare for high school and hoped he could jump ahead to college courses. The only other person that Naruto had informed of his decision was his foster father, Uchiha Kenji. Kenji became delighted about this matter and instantly set away funds and opened an account for his medical school expenses.

But that account still remained untouched today.

It was the only a few days before the last day of secondary school when Kenji suffered a stroke in his sleep. Thus, Itachi took over the gang and began the funeral rites for their father. Hinata had transferred to an all-girls school and Ino had moved to a city that was an hour away.

It was the beginning of freshmen year that they began taking an interest in gang activity.

It was also the time when Sasuke declared his love for him.

It happened when Sakura finally gave in to her instincts and caught them when they were walking home. With Ino out of the way, she couldn't help but jump for the chance of a lifetime.

---

"Sasuke."

The boy, now 15 years old, looked up and brushed his long dark bangs out of his eyes. "What is it Sakura?" he asked, gazing at the girl. They had been friends for so long but they never had been really close.

"Sasuke…I like you." Sakura said, a fierce red blush staining her creamy complexion. "I really, really like you."

Sasuke sighed. He was used to turning down offers from his rabid fangirls, but how could he turn down a friend that he had known for his entire childhood? "Sakura…" he began.

"I was hoping we could be more than friends." Sakura rushed on. "Unless…you don't want to." She looked down onto the ground.

"I'll go on ahead." Naruto's soft voice cut in. Sasuke's head shot up and he turned to stare at the blonde.

"No. Wait, Naruto." Sasuke protested.

"It's okay. Catch up to me when you're done." Naruto called over his shoulder as he walked away. Sasuke turned back to look at his childhood friend and took her hand in his.

"I'm flattered, Sakura. But I'm not really that good of a guy." Sasuke said. "I'm in a gang and you'll just get hurt." He patted her on the shoulder. "You'll find a better guy, Sakura. Let go of me, because I like someone else."

With that, he turned and rushed after Naruto, leaving Sakura staring after him.

---

Sasuke had found Naruto waiting for him. The boy had been sitting underneath an apple tree, reading an intensely thick book. He had walked up to him and knocked the book out of his hands. Naruto frowned and glanced at the fallen book and up at Sasuke. Sasuke then, slammed his hands on either side of the blonde's head. Naruto gazed at him curiously.

---

His hand reached up and touched his cheek. "Sasuke, you look angry." he stated as Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"You rushed off." Sasuke said, blankly as he fell on his knees and rested his chin on the other boy's shoulder.

"It looked like you guys needed some privacy." Naruto replied, stroking his spiky dark hair. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her, I liked someone else."

"Oh?" Naruto continued to stroke Sasuke's hair.

"And that person I like is you."

"Don't say things like that." The hand stopped and dropped back to Naruto's side. "Sometimes I don't even think you're joking."

But it was the next action that confirmed his suspicions. Something soft and warm covered his lips and his eyes widened. Sasuke was kissing him.

His heartbeat sped up and a fierce blush spread over his cheeks. When Sasuke broke the kiss, Naruto looked away.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke's smiled dropped as Naruto calmly reached over to pick up his book. His chest tightened at the anticipation of rejection.

"Warn me next time you do something like that." Naruto replied, setting the book so Sasuke couldn't see his blushing face. Sasuke grinned and settled himself down next to Naruto with his head on his lap.

"All right," he responded, closing his eyes.

---

Naruto stared out into the sea and inhaled deeply. The salty tang of the ocean air invaded his senses as he drained the rest of the beer from the bottle. He stood up and dusted the sand off of his jeans. "Shika?"

The bike tech had fallen asleep and Naruto laughed softly.

He took off his jacket and draped it over the man.

Just like Itachi had done…

…many years ago in that alleyway.

---

Kisu.