Autumn's Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

'thinking'

"talking"

CHAPTER 4

"Ne! ne! Nii-san! Who's that?" asked an eight-year-old Sasuke while pointing at a lone blonde fox kit by the swings.

Itachi felt his younger brother constant tugging on his pants and answered, "A young fox kit, the same age as you and he properly in the same class with you in the academy."

Naruto sat on a swing with a downcast expression on his face, his legs were kicking the sands under the swings while he watched the floated sands in the air with a dejected look in his watery blue eyes. His fox tail drooped unhappily onto the dusty ground. Upon hearing Itachi's voice, he turned and glanced at the Uchiha brothers with a hint of envy in his eyes. Then he averted his eyes back to the ground once he felt their eyes on him.

Sasuke pouted with a worried expression on his face when he noticed Naruto's behaviour. He looked up to his brother and asked, "Ne, nii-san, why is he alone? Doesn't he have any family?"

"Maybe he lost them, Sasuke." Itachi replied in monotone.

"Why? I have you, nii-san, oka-san and otou-san, why doesn't he have anyone?"

Itachi smirked, of course he knew the reason, but he wanted a different life for his younger brother instead of being bounded to the Uchiha's view, he wanted him to know the feeling of warmth, friendship, bonds and love. He wanted Sasuke to not follow the cursed path of the Uchiha clan. And Naruto might be the person to guide him because he understood the pain of being alone. He then replied,

"Why don't you ask him yourself Sasuke?"

Next day…

Naruto felt a small poke on his shoulders and turned.

"Ne… My name is Uchiha Sasuke, what's yours?"

*****

Naruto sat in his office, fingering the golden bracelet on his left wrist while remembering his childhood past. He was practically shocked when the Uchiha Sasuke, the hottest person in the eyes of the academy's female population is actually talking to him. Naruto smirked when he remembered he practically yelled at him, thinking that this is some joke cooked up by the boys in their class. However, he got pounded later by the girls in the classroom for insulting Sasuke.

The Konoha Academy served as a purpose to raise pack members who can play a role in protecting this village and the inhabitants. The education included hunting, common knowledge, taijutsu, ninjutsu and different techniques in different types of demons and so forth.

During the days of the academy, he often considered Sasuke to be his self-proclaimed rival. Sasuke is always at the top of the class, the best of everything, everything he wanted to be. Admired, loved, acknowledge… While he's just a little brat that was hated, abandoned, despised because of the sealing of the Kyuubi inside him.

He doesn't hate Kyuubi as much as before now, since he merged with Kyuubi, body and soul, he gained great power, acting as a great advantage in battle.

But then, the day he truly trusted Sasuke, finally came many weeks later…

It was hunting class in Konoha Academy. Each student was required to hunt down an animal in the forest and bring it back before sunset. As usual, Sasuke was succeeding whereas Naruto was not succeeding. Sasuke already gotten his kill and now was heading back to the academy while Naruto was struggling to get the rabbit into his trap.

"Damn it! Get in you freaking piece of shit!" cursed sweating Naruto as he tried shoving the brown rabbit into the cage. However, in his futile attempts to do so, he didn't notice a dark figure creeping up behind him. Suddenly the figure clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth. Naruto gave a muffled scream and struggled, dropping the rabbit in the process. His fox fur was standing up in fear.

Naruto kicked, punched and bit the guy as hard as he could. He gave a painful yell when Naruto sank his fangs into his arm, hard. Naruto took this chance and broke free out of the guy's grip. He turned and gasped as he caught a glimpse of his almost kidnapper's face.

Mizuki-sensei…

2 years ago, Mizuki was one of Naruto's homeroom teachers. He always acted kind and nice around Naruto, treating him like any other student. Naruto was happy back then, because he was treated as an ordinary person, instead of a demon vessel. But then, in the middle of a practical assignment, Mizuki tried to kill Naruto by throttling him. Naruto thought that it was all over, until Iruka-sensei suddenly jumped out of nowhere and saved his life. Mizuki-sensei was arrested and locked up in Konoha's prison since then.

He later learnt that Mizuki-sensei's lover was killed during the Kyuubi's raid. Shaken with grief, he's been plotting revenge towards Naruto ever since. So, everything he said to Naruto was all a lie.

Those kind words… had been a lie… Everything… was just an illusion…

Since that day, he barely trusted anyone anymore. He had sworn to gain other's acknowledgement with his own will power. But then… you can't really do that when you're dead can you? Suddenly he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder; Mizuki threw a kunai at him when he was dozing off. Fresh red blood was pouring out of his wound, with the kunai still embedded there; his eyes widen in fear and screamed.

Younger Sasuke turned his head around, his onyx black eyes widening as he heard a fearful scream behind. 'It doesn't sound far…' He glanced ahead; the academy is just in sight. He looked down at his cage with a white hare in it; the rabbit looked back at him 'What should I do?'

Naruto ran with twigs and branches scrapping his tan skin now and then while he clutched on his bleeding shoulder. 'I'm gonna die! I don't want to die yet!' He wiped his tears with his free hand, his heart is beating frantically inside him, small cuts and bruise littered on his skin. He gave a small sob and kept on running.

Suddenly, Mizuki-sensei jumped out from the bushes with a crazed look in his eyes.

"You've killed her… you made me lost everything… YOU MONSTER!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! Then people will cheer when I hang your pitiful body on the flag post! No ones going to mourn for you monster… everyone hates you! I shall end your pitiful existence!"

Then he threw his head up with a maniacal laugh. His laugh echoed throughout the forest. Naruto gave a soft whimper, knowing what he said was true. Mizuki held a katana in his hand and threw the katana at Naruto. He closed his eyes, knowing everything is over.

A cry of pain was heard and crimson blood splattered all over the ground. Naruto opened his eyes and saw a raven cat demon fell in front of him onto the damp forest floor. The katana is stabbed into his stomach with blood flowing out profusely. Sasuke's eyes are glazed and he was coughing bright red blood that tickled down his chin.

"SASUKE!!!"

"Na…ru…t…o…"

Naruto ran to Sasuke's side not knowing what to do, he stared in horror when he saw the crimson liquid flowing out from Sasuke's body. He held Sasuke's cold shivering body in his arms, trying to keep him warm.

"Sasuke…why?"

"I don't…know…my body moved…itself…" saying so, he gave a violent coughing fit.

"Sasuke! Don't talk please…just rest…you'll be fine…" he kept stroking Sasuke's raven hair and cat ears, hoping to calm him. Actually Naruto was panicking; he then snapped his head upwards when he heard Mizuki-sensei said,

"Uchiha! And I thought that you were a genius! Who thought you will be this stupid to jump in front of this monster!"

Hearing this, Naruto's eyes flashed red, anger rose to the surface as fast as molten lava rises from the ground. Fiery red chakra surrounded Naruto body, healing all the wounds he initially obtained. Mizuki widen his eyes when he released that he had gone overboard, suddenly he was thrown backwards by a sudden chakra flare. And the flare came again and again and again, pummeling his body non-stop mercilessly. His skin were splitting, blood was gashing out from the wounds and then let out a fearful scream for help.

Naruto had a sadist smile on his face as he pummeled his enemy without even lifting a finger. It was exhilarating, to have so much power. Kill him! Kill him! Kill Him!

"NARUTO…STOP!!!"

He felt a pale cold hand tugging his arm. Sasuke was breathing shallowly, he gasped, "Naruto…if you kill him… you will just prove that…what he …said…is true…stop...please…"

Naruto calmed down, the red chakra slowly dissipated, "Sasuke…"

"NARUTO!! Are you al…oh god…" Iruka-sensei appeared into the clearing and shocked when seeing Sasuke's state. "Kakashi! Get over here now!"

A white wolf demon with a mask and bandana covering his face, leaving only a visible grey eye appeared. He took a quick surveillance scan of the situation and quickly applied direct pressure to his wound to slow down the bleeding. Naruto held the now unconscious Sasuke in his arms, unwilling to let go. Kakashi then barked to Iruka,

"Iruka! Get the medics here now!" Iruka quickly complied.

He nearly lost Sasuke that day despite the fact that neither of them knew much about each other. But he would be drowning in guilt and sorrow if Sasuke didn't pull through. Imagine everyone's astonishment when Sasuke and he were chatting happily 3 days later in the hospital. Both Iruka-sensei and Itachi was glad that Naruto and Sasuke became friends. Years passed, both of them became inseparatable. Later, Naruto confessed his love to Sasuke which he accepted. They were supposed to live a happy life; Sasuke was supposed to be at Naruto's election of alpha male ceremony 2 years ago. But then, Sasuke did not make it to his 13-years-old birthday. He perished along with the Uchiha clan.