Title: Beholder

Rating: T-M

Summary: After learning his K-9 partner is retiring, Naruto adopted a pet dog. He named it Kurogane. Unfortunately for him, Kurogane's real name is Sasuke Uchiha, but Naruto sees him as nothing more than a dog.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

AN: I've read several fanstories where the characters are animals or have animal like appearance, so I decided to write my own. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

If anyone asked Sasuke Uchiha how it began, he would say it started with a dare. He was the second son of a rich business consultant and an interior designer. It came as no shock that his parents had shown disinterest in him as his brother Itachi quickly flew through school, leaving Sasuke behind to try to catch up. At the age of fourteen, Itachi graduated high school and entered university to get his business degree so he would one day take over the company when Fugaku died.

He went to the most prestigious school in the city, Konoha Academy. He had a group of people that he supposed he could call friends, but he mostly called them annoyances. They were children of other rich parents that congragated at the were children of other rich parents that congregated at the school. Sasuke only associated with them because his father wanted him to get closer to them so he could get closer to their parents. Yet another reason why Sasuke hated his father.

Sasuke had graduated at age sixteen and entered university a year later, but instead of business, he went into modeling. Sasuke knew he had a gorgeous body. Uchiha genetics always won through, and it didn't help that his mother had been a model herself before she got pregnant with Itachi.

Curious at his parents' constant dismissal of his existance, Sasuke began to rebel against his parents' authority. He didn't care what he did or who he hurt as long as it infuriated his parents. If the cops arrested him, it was just an added bonus to his rap sheet. Drugs, alcohol, anything that would infuriated Fugaku, Sasuke did. Fugaku would lecture at Sasuke about sullying the Uchiha name. Sasuke would half listen and go out to party.

Sasuke's rebellion was a subject of many fights in the Uchiha household, some of which would lead Mikato leaving for the night.

"Do you want our parents to divorce?!" yelled Itachi. Seventeen year old Sasuke just lay on his bed smoking a cigarette without an open window to filter out the smoke. "Don't you care about what we think? Do you enjoy our suffering?"

"Like you're suffering," said Sasuke.

At a young age, Sasuke had admired Itachi. Itachi had been smart, athletic and somehow found time in his busy schedule to play with Sasuke where their father failed to do. Itachi would help him with his homework, helped him understand subjects that were difficult for him and comforted him when he was hurt.

But then Fugaku started training Itachi to take over the company, and Itachi started spending less time with Sasuke until the only time Sasuke saw Itachi would be at dinner or whenever he got home after work. Over time, Sasuke grew to hate Itachi for ignoring him and started rebelling. He hated Itachi for being smarter than him and for stealing all of his father's attention. Childish anger, he knew, but not even his logical and mature mind could shake the anger he felt toward his brother. Nothing Sasuke did turned his father's head, even when he graduated early like Itachi and had the highest marks in the school.

Itachi looked at Sasuke sadly.

"Is that what you think, Sasuke?" he said. "Sasuke, do you have any idea what you're putting our parents through?"

"Like they give a shit about me," said Sasuke crushing his cigarette in an ashtray.

He turned toward the window and the light glinted off the various piercings on him. Aside from the four earrings on both ears, he had a nose ring on his right nostril, a lip ring on the left side and an eyebrow pierced along with a barbell in his tongue. He also had other piercings under his clothes plus a tattoo on his shoulder of three tomoe and tiny kanji surrounding it. Of course he got the piercings to piss his parents off and the tattoo was of his own design.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke's phone rang and he answered it.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Sasuke," said Suigestu, one of Sasuke's 'friends'. "Want to hang?"

"Sure. Where at?"

"Usual spot. See you there."

"Hn."

Sasuke hung up and turned to Itachi, who was looking at him with an angry annoyed look. Without a word, Sasuke grabbed his jacket and left. He could hear his parents arguing in his father's study, more than likely about him. The maids had all gone home for the night and only the night butler was around in case they needed anything for the night.

"Anything I can get you, sir?" asked the butler as Sasuke left.

"No, and don't bother informing my parents about me leaving," said Sasuke. "It's not like they care."

Grabbing the keys to his Porche, Sasuke walked to the garage. Starting up his car, he drove it out and went to meet his "friends". Their usual meeting place was a rock landmark in the forest. His 'friends' consisted of Suigestu Hozuki, his 'girlfriend' Karin, and their friend Juugo. Suigetsu's parents were marine biologists and as such he had an interest in marine animals, especially sharks. Karin's parents were surgeons and Juugo's father owned a sports company.

They were already there when Sasuke walked up. Immediately, Karin's face broke into a gleeful smile and launched herself at him.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke disentangled himself from Karin's grip and took the beer Suigestu handed him. It was known that Karin only dated Suigetsu to get close to Sasuke. She was the self-appointed president of Sasuke's fanclub, although Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were its founding members and voted as president and vice-president. They had hung around Sasuke as well when he had gone to Konoha Academy but hadn't seen them after he left.

It wasn't that Sasuke didn't appreciate women. He admits that he would bump into them the majority of the time and that they were essential to the survival of the human race. What he hated was the looks and giggling and their preening. He hated how they threw themselves at him without his permission and incessant giggling in his ear. There was nothing that Sasuke wanted more than for them to leave him alone.

The reason why Sasuke wasn't interest in the female gender was because Sasuke was gay. He knew he was at the age of twelve when he was accidently kissed by a boy. Both had been arguing when another boy bumped into the other and kissed Sasuke. The heat he felt when kissed surprised and confused him. For days Sasuke had thought over the kiss until he was kissed by Sakura Haruno at age thirteen and didn't feel anything like what he did when the boy kissed him.

He had told Karin that he was gay many times, but she seemed to get the idea that she could turn him with her feminine wiles. More than once she tried to seduce him wearing clothes that could cover a coffee table better than it did her, and each time he forced himself to not throw up.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Suigetsu a couple hours, and a couple beers, later.

"Truth or Dare!" said Karin, look slyly at Sasuke.

So, began the game. Sasuke participated because he was bored and always chose truth over dare when Karin called him out because he knew that her dares would only serve to amuse her and humiliate him.

"Okay, Sasuke, who was your first kiss," asked Karin. Sasuke glared at her. She probably only wanted to know to humiliate the person later on.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said and took a sip of his beer. He smirked when a moment later, Karin spat out hers. Suigetsu burst out laughing and even Juugo managed a smile.

"My idiot cousin?!" she squealed. "When?!"

"We were twelve," said Sasuke. "We were arguing, a boy bumped into him and he kissed me."

"That doesn't count," she said.

"Yes it does," said Suigestu.

"No it doesn't! Naruto...he...he...molested Sasuke with his lips! That's what he did! He kiss-raped Sasuke!"

"Kiss-raped?" said Suigetsu laughing. "That's not even a word."

"Yes it is!"

"It's still a kiss," said Juugo, watching the birds that flew by. Sasuke swears he would become an ornithologist after graduating. The guy really loved birds.

"No it's not! It's rape!" yelled Karin, as if defending Sasuke's honor, but Sasuke didn't have any 'honor' left to defend.

"Can we continue," asked Sasuke before he lost hearing in his ear.

"All right," said Suigetsu and the game continued. After a couple rounds, Suigetsu called Sasuke. "Truth or dare?

"Dare," he said.

"I dare you to go to Tsunade's house and pick a rose from her garden."

Juugo raised an eyebrow curiously as Karin exclaimed and Sasuke look at him in surprise. Tsunade Sannin was an elderly woman who lived in their neighborhood, but always denied her age. She likes to drink sake in place of water and has been known to have a temper when angered. She was also creepy at times and had been dubbed the Witch of the East Side because of her unusual ways. She also kept a garden of flowers and herbs that she grows in her back yard.

"What's so daring about that?" asked Karin.

"Given by how much she guards it, I think a single rose is enough," said Suigetsu.

"Hn, fine," he said. It was a dare. It's not like he could back out.

They drove out of the woods and parked a block away from Tsunade's house. They crept to the house with surprising stealth despite their drinking. They went around to the backyard where the garden was blocked by an eight foot high fence. Sasuke easily climbed it by having Juugo boost him over. Landing on the ground, Sasuke looked around.

Flowers and plants covered just about every space of the yard, half the size of Sasuke's, of course. At the center was a rose bush as vibrant as any found in a photograph. Walking up to it, Sasuke didn't think twice as he plucked one of the fully blossomed flowers. He winced when his finger was pricked and a bead of blood welled from the wound. A drop of blood fell onto the ground.

"Who the fuck is in my garden!" yelled a woman's voice. Sasuke froze for a moment before running toward the fence. On the other side, Suigetsu and the other two had left. Some friends.

Since they had taken Suigetsu's car, Sasuke had no choice but to leg it. Tsunade's home was located at the edge of the suburban area just outside of town, and since they were outside of town, there was a cemetery that had been there since before memory. Sasuke had been there several times for raves and hung out with friends, but this was the first time he had been to the cemetery alone at night.

It was easy to get into the cemetery. There was a tree that had a branch that overhanged past the brick wall. All Sasuke had to do was climb the tree and swing down from the branch. He landed on the floor in a crouch and looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone around. There was a full moon so it was easy to see. He walked among the stones, grumbling about his so-called friends. They bailed on him as soon as it looked like they were going to get caught.

He stopped when he heard a sound, like a sniffle, and turned toward the noise. He didn't see anyone even with the bright moonlight. Walking up a couple of rows, he came upon a boy his age with spikey blonde hair and wore an orange hoodie. He sat in front of two graves; MINATO NAMIKAZE and KUSHINA UZUMAKI. Both had died almost two decades apart with Kushina almost a week ago. He looked back at the young man. The spikey hair was familiar and he could only think of one person who would wear orange.

"Dobe?"

He gasped and turned to Sasuke. It was Naruto Uzumaki. He was a student at Konoha Public School, the Academy's counter part. Despite their similar roots, both schools have a fierce rivalry toward each other. Naruto and Sasuke especially had an intense rivalry as both were captains of the soccer teams.

Even after he graduated, he kept track of Naruto's progress on the field. He became an amazing player and captain. He somehow got the spirits up in his team even after what looks like a staggering defeat and they come back stronger than ever. Last Sasuke heard Naruto had gotten a scholarship to Konoha University. That had been a month ago.

But Sasuke doesn't see that loud mouth spirited young man. Tear tracks stained his cheeks and his nose was red from crying. Sasuke looked at the gravestone again. Kushina. That must have been his mother's name. Sasuke remembered a woman with long red hair who would always watch Naruto play and wish him luck, but she had looked too young to be his mother.

"What are you doing here, teme?" asked Naruto wiping the tears from his eyes.

Instead of answering, Sasuke placed the rose he still had on the gravestone and sat next to Naruto, about a foot away from him. Naruto looked at him in shock as Sasuke put his hands together in prayer.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"Because she's your mother," said Sasuke and turned to him with a smirk. "She had to have been stubborn to put up with you."

That made Naruto glare at him.

"Teme!" he half shouted, not wanting the caretaker to catch him. Sasuke chuckled softly. He saw Naruto's gaze lower to his hand and looking down, Sasuke saw the cuts on his hand from the thorns. "You're hurt."

"It's nothing," said Sasuke, fisting his hand and turned away. Another hand took his and he turned to see Naruto wrap a handkerchief around his hand.

"Always a bastard, huh, teme?" said Naruto

Sasuke knew he should be offended. He didn't care about anyone really at school, too focused on graduating early and beating Itachi. He used anyone he could think of to accomplish his goal, uncaring about who got in the way. When he first met Naruto, all he saw was an annoying boy that got in his way. Now, strangely, he wasn't offended. He had been a right bastard.

"Thank you," he said. "How did she die?"

"Cancer," said Naruto. "Doctors said she wouldn't last three months. That was seven months ago."

Sasuke didn't say anything. Really, what could one say in a situation like that. "I'm sorry" was a little pathetic. A person could be sorry all they wanted, but it couldn't bring the dead back to life.

"What are you even doing here, anyway?" asked Naruto. "And with a rose?"

"Would you believe I stole it?" asked Sasuke smugly.

"Actually, I would. I heard you became a bad boy recently. I'm surprised that Sasuke Uchiha decided to go one the wrong side of the law."

"I have been known to dabble," said Sasuke with a smirk.

"Still, I would have thought you would have given it to your girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Naruto gave him a surprise look, like the thought of Sasuke not having a girlfriend was unthinkable. "I have many."

Any other person would have thought he was serious, but Naruto saw the smirk and laughed. Sasuke gave him a soft smile before turning to the gravestone.

"I am sorry about your mom," he said.

"Thanks, Sasuke," said Naruto.

Both of them were silent as they kept vigil over the graves.

TBC