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Chapter 3 – No Such Thing As A Happy Ending

Naruto sat quietly on the sofa in his brother's apartment. Kyuubi was on the phone that was placed in the kitchen. Boxes were scattered around the house, some empty, some still full of its original content.

It had been nearly five months since that night Naruto has lost control of his powers. His memories of that night were still fresh in his mind. He remembered hearing Kyuubi yelling for their parents, and the flash of red and blue lights from the ambulance. He remembered the firemen spraying his house down with water while his brother hugged him. He remembered seeing the paramedics enter their house and exit with two charred bodies, the smell of burnt flesh made him want to empty his stomach. He didn't learn the condition of his parents until late the next day.

They were still alive, but barely. Their bodies were barely recognizable and they had to be put on life-support. They were in critical condition, but at least they were alive.

Naruto didn't know what happened, but he had ended up in his brother's embrace, crying his heart out. That is, until he told Kyuubi what happened. His brother had froze and looked at him with disbelief and such betrayal that it made his heart ache. His brother had pushed him away, locking himself inside his room for hours. When he finally came out, he wouldn't as much as look at Naruto. It took the blonde a week to get his brother to talk to him, to forgive him, but Kyuubi had only told him to stay out of his way.

Ever since then, the brother barely spoke to each other. Naruto tried his hardest to get his brother to acknowledge him, but nothing worked. It hurt to think his older brother wanted nothing to do with him. Even after he begged him to see that it was all an accident. It wasn't like he wanted to burn his parents to the point where they couldn't even breathe on their own. But knowing that he did was going to stay with him forever.

A look at the clock on the wall made him wonder when they were going to visit their parents in the hospital. Getting up from the sofa, Naruto quietly made his way towards the kitchen. His brother hated it when he made too much noise. He froze as the doorway at the sound of his brother's voice.

"…Go ahead and pull it…I-I just don't want them to suffer anymore than they already have."

"Who are you talking to, Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi looked at him, a range of emotions flashing across his face before he had any time to read them and turned to look at the picture of their parents he had sitting on the bare kitchen counter. He quickly thanked whoever was on the phone and said goodbye. He hung up the phone, not looking at Naruto as he passed him into the living room.

Naruto watched as Kyuubi started digging through a box, the one that held some of their parents personal stuff. Only a couple of rooms in their burned down house was completely unsalvageable after the fire, that included his room and the bathroom next to it. Everything else was covered in soot and only held minor damage. It hurt to know that all of his stuff was gone. Except for the fox doll that his father had given him when he was six. It was the only thing that survived, only the ends of its tail being slightly singed

After a few minutes of rummaging, Kyuubi stood up, a photo of their parents in his hand. It was the one he and Kyuubi had secretly took of his parents on their anniversary a year ago. Their parents were sitting at the table in their old kitchen, having a home-cooked dinner. They were staring at each other, making goo-goo eyes at each other. Naruto smiled slightly when he remembered how red their faces were when he and Kyuubi showed them the pictures.

He missed those times.

Kyuubi walked passed him again, into the kitchen. Naruto followed, watching his brother sit the picture down on the counter and reach for a cup from the cupboards.

"That was the hospital mom and dad are in…"

A sinking feeling crammed into his stomach. He swallowed. "R-really? Was there any progress? Did they wake up?" Hope lacing his words.

Kyuubi didn't answer at first, only filling the cup up with water and taking a shaky sip. "No…I…I told them to cut the plugs on their life support."

Naruto's breathing stopped. He stared blankly at his brother. He couldn't have heard that right. There was no way. He waited for his brother to tell him that this was some sick joke. When Kyuubi remained quiet, he snapped.

"How could you do that? Why would you do that?" He yelled. "You could have waited longer before deciding something like this? Don't you care?"

"They were already brain dead. There was no reason to cling to false hope."

He couldn't believe his brother did something like this, especially without asking him first. "How could you make a decision like this without me?" His brother ignored him. That seemed to tip him over the edge. "HOW COULD YOU KILL THEM?"

Smack!

Naruto's head snapped sideways, his eyes wide with shock. He placed a hand on his cheek. Did his brother just hit him? His brother had never hit him before. Sure enough, his cheek was sporting a hand shaped red mark. Tears sprung to his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He turned towards Kyuubi and wished that he hadn't.

His brother's face was red with anger, His read eyes seem to glow. He tried to take a step back, but Kyuubi grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Don't you ever accuse me of killing out parents, that right goes to you." His voice was quiet but it held such animosity that he thought he might wilt under that stare. "It's your fault that they ended up like that! No wonder mom and dad never liked your stupid powers. They could see the dangers, and I was too naive to understand what an abomination it was. Now they're dead and it's your fucking fault, you freak!"

Kyuubi pushed Naruto, sending the blonde crashing into the small table, and stormed off. Naruto stayed on the floor. The tears that he had been holding for so long finally running down his pale face. Never…never had Kyuubi done anything like that before. And it scared him. Wrapping his arms round his middle, he cried on the kitchen floor. His parents were dead and his only living relative blamed him for their deaths.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

~*~FNK~*~

The day was sunny and bright, the birds were flying from tree to tree, enjoying the beginning of spring. It would have been a fairly happy day, he wasn't burying his parents into the ground.

Naruto stood in front of his parents' casket. Their bodies too damaged for them to have an open casket ceremony. Kyuubi had decided that since they died together, they should at least respect them and bury them together in the same casket. He didn't pay attention to the pastor that quoting some scripture, only placing two white flowers on top of the casket. He wished that he could cry, but his tears had run dry long ago.

He watched numbly as the casket was lowered into the ground and covered in dirt. He wanted desperately to yell at them to stop, that his parents might still be alive, but that wasn't going to happen. His parents were dead and that was it. People came up to him, giving him their condolences, but he didn't really notice. He felt as if he wasn't really there.

He didn't remember how he ended up in his brother's car until they were halfway home. His brother didn't speak to him as they exited the car, but that wasn't anything new. The blonde was lucky if his brother looked at him, even if it was for only a second. At least he knew that he was acknowledged.

Kyuubi unlocked the door and went inside, leaving Naruto standing outside. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. But, like always, he pushed the feelings away. Stepping inside, he quickly caught the duffle bag that Kyuubi threw at him.

"Pack your things."

Naruto looks up confused. "Where are we going?"

Kyuubi didn't answer. He turned and stocked off to his room, slamming the door behind him. Naruto sighed and went to his room and began packing the little things he had.

Before Naruto had told Kyuubi what exactly had happened, his brother had taken him out shopping to replace the clothes and necessities that he lost. Thanks to their parents' emergency savings account, they were able to rent out an apartment for a few months, at least until they could figure out what they were going to do about their house.

Naruto placed the last of his belongings into the bag and zipped it up. Setting aside some clothes, he changed out of the black suit he wore for the funeral and into some jeans and a plain orange t-shirt. He grabbed the fox doll off his bed and walked out. Kyuubi had changed out of his black clothes and was already waiting for him by the door. Without a word, they left the house and headed to his brother's car. Kyuubi snatched his bag and tossed it in the backseat.

"Hurry up and get in, I don't have all day."

Naruto flinched at the tone his brother used, quickly getting in the front seat. Kyuubi started the car and pulled off.

He watched absently at the scene passing him by outside the car. He vaguely wondered where they were going, but knew better than to ask his brother.

After an hour of driving, his eyes wondered over to Kyuubi. The red-head's face was blank but his eyes held so many emotions that he had to wonder what was on his mind. Probably his parents.

His eyes went back to watching outside. Soon, the scenery around started to seem familiar. He racked his brain for a reason why and when he found it, his eyes widened. He recognized this road.

"Kyuubi, where are we going?" His brother didn't answer. "Kyuubi! Please, tell me where we're going!" His voice was frantic now and his grip on his fox tightened. Finally, he asked, his voice was soft and shaky. "Are you taking me to an orphanage?"

If it could get any quieter in that car, it did. Naruto waited for an answer, desperate to know if his brother was going to abandon him.

Kyuubi didn't say anything, but his eyes said it all. Tears were springing to Naruto's eyes. "Why?"

Kyuubi bit his lip, his eyes never leaving the road in front of them. "I'm 18 now. I start college in a few months; I have a life to live. Even if I wanted to keep you, the money that our parents left us, it's just not enough. I…I just can't afford to take care of someone like you."

Naruto turned away, hugging his doll to his chest. He didn't care that it made him look childish; the toy that his father had given him was his only source of comfort. So that was it. His brother didn't want him. He was sending him away to an orphanage. He knew that their parents had left enough money in their Will to at least keep them going for a few years. They had planned ahead, saving up as much money they could, just in case something happened to them before him and Kyuubi grew up.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Naruto couldn't look at his brother or else he would start begging him not to send him away, which he knew at this point was useless.

"We're here." Kyuubi said softly as he pulled in front of the building.

Naruto looked up at the tall building. He never thought he would ever have to come here. Kyuubi grabbed his bag from the backseat and walked to the door. Naruto followed slowly, his legs felling like jelly all the way. His bag was roughly handed to him before Kyuubi knocked. A woman in her mid 50's answered the door, a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"You must be Kyuubi. We've been expecting you for a while now." She said. Her gray eyes turned to Naruto and seemed to narrow at the sight of him. "Ah, and you must be Naruto. I'm Hanako Fujii, the headmistress of this orphanage. We hope you have a wonderful stay here."

Naruto's stomach twisted. She made it sound as if he wanted to be here.

He sent one last pleading look at his brother. "Please, don't leave me here."

For the first time in months, Kyuubi finally looked at him. His red eyes were barely recognizable as the person that was once his brother. Naruto felt his hopes turn to ash at the coldness in those eyes that used to hold so much love for him.

"It's better this way." That was the last thing Kyuubi said to him before he walked away and out of his life. Naruto felt his heart breaking as he watched his brother's car drive off into the distance. The Headmistress gripped him upper arm tightly and drug him inside the building.

"Listen, because I'm only going to tell you once. You are to follow the rules that I have set here, or there will be severe consequences. Do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded numbly, that detached feeling coming back to him again. The lady pulled him down the hall, causing him to trip over his own feet. He briefly noticed that none of the other children that resided there were nowhere to be seen.

They passed room after room until they got to one at the end of the hallway. The headmistress threw open the door and pushed him inside. Naruto barely caught himself before he landed face first on the floor.

"This is your room. You will stay here until I tell you otherwise and I don't want to hear a sound from you." She slammed the door hard enough for him to feel the vibration through his feet.

Wearily, Naruto examined his new room. It was smaller than what he was used to, only a twin size bed and dresser occupied the area. Dropping his bag on the floor, he climbed into the bed. The day's events were finally taking its toll on him. Tears poured from him eyes and he let out a quiet sob.

"Everything will be okay."

That was what his dad had told him. But he couldn't help but feel as if things were going to get worse.

Author Note: Please review!

~XxKageTenshixX