Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to the wonderful Kishimoto-sama!

A/N: This story will have three parts. The first will be from Naruto's POV, second from Sasuke's and third will be from both. Rest assured, the parts will not overlap, so I will not be retelling the story from different POVs. I have almost completely finished writing the entire story, so I promise quick updates at least once a week. I can safely say there will be ten chapters in the first two parts and roughly seven, perhaps with an epilogue, in the third part.

To old readers: The first five chapters are a revised and condensed version of the original eleven chapters I put up about a year ago. I am deeply sorry for keeping you waiting and not updating sooner.

Warnings:

1 – This is not a very happy story. There will be lots and lots of angst! And I cannot guarantee a happy ending.

2 – This story is set in a universe where homosexuality is illegal and largely unknown, so there will be some degree of homophobia.

3 – The end of part 2 and all of part 3 will have lots of sexual content and be quite graphic. And if sex between males puts you off, then it's best to back out now.

4 – There will be a bit of gory detail in one chapter in part two, but it will be kept extremely short.

Thank you and please enjoy!

A child hurried through the still night. The thickness of the black sky above masked his presence. Not a hint of light shone from the dull stars against the night sky. Even the glow of the pale, icy moon failed to offer a shred of light. The empty streets of Konoha were pitch-black in this part of town.

The young boy ran as fast as he could. His breath came out in heavy gasps with each step he took. Small puffs of smoke formed in front of him as his warm breath clashed against the chilly autumn air. The only clothes he wore were over-sized shorts and a thin shirt emblazoned with an orange leaf symbol. They were hardly sufficient to protect him from the frosty gusts of wind that flew past.

His lungs screamed for him to stop, his legs burned in agony, his body longed to be given respite, but he forced himself to keep going. He couldn't afford to stop. If he did, he knew the pain that was certain to come would be far worse.

As the sounds of loud shouting reached his ears, the boy quickly turned around. Fire-lit torches outlined eleven menacing silhouettes.

Thin, frail legs shook on weak knees as they shouted and called for the boy. He quivered in fear and quickly covered his mouth to stifle a whimper from escaping his lips. He walked backwards slowly, not taking his eyes off of them until his back hit hard wood. Without hesitation, the boy quickly clambered up the rickety fence until his feet touched ground on the other side.

He spotted a woman carrying a child by the side of the road. Relief flooded through him and he ran towards her.

"Please! There are some people back there who are after me. I'm scared. Please…" He didn't know what exactly he was begging for, but he kept on pleading, tugging at the hem of her woolen jumper with a small, dimpled fist, his cerulean eyes glassy with tears.

The woman surveyed him with a pained expression, her lips trembling slightly. She jerked her clothes out of his clutches, gathered the child in her arms and quickly walked away, head bowed low.

The boy gazed after her. He glanced down at his shadow on the ground. It was just him: a small lone figure.

Would it always be like this? Would he always be alone?

The loud sound of jeering alerted the boy to begin running again. He passed by several more people. He called for help. One or two of them looked guiltily over, but they did nothing.

Tears streamed down his face. Would no one help him?

At the playground, he always saw kids his age falling over. They would cry and wail over a barely-scraped knee. Adults would flock to them, all smiles and warmness. Why did he not warrant the same treatment? What was it about him that set him apart from all the other children?

Spotting a dumpster in the alleyway across from him, the boy quickly clambered inside. It smelt like rotten eggs and molding socks, but at least he felt slightly warmer. His small body easily fit inside and he wrapped his arms around his shaking legs. He could hear them getting closer.

Being chased by angry villagers was a frequent occurrence for him, but rather than growing more accustomed to it, each time only made him all the more afraid, because he knew what to expect. He knew what they were going to do to him.

He thought back, not to the lady who had slapped him, but to the boy she had been carrying. He must not have been much older than that boy. He remembered the way the woman had held him with such tender care, stroking his hair, humming gently to him… He felt a pang of envy. He wanted to be that boy. He wanted to be held like that.

But there was no one to hold him, so he held himself.

"Happy birthday, Naruto," he whispered.

There was a loud creaking above his head and he found himself illuminated by bright dancing flames.

"Hey! I found it!"

Strong arms wrapped tightly around his waist, crushing his ribs.

He kicked and screamed.

Blue eyes were wide in a silent plea, begging them to be merciful. Twin trails of salty water cascaded down the scarred cheeks. But this did not quell the men's fury, if anything they only seemed to anger further.

Before the boy knew what was happening, a half-empty sake bottle was brought down on his head.

His high-pitched scream was shrill and rang through the night. Blood and sake matted the sunshine blond hair, trickling down the front of his face until it mixed with his tears. Shards of glass fell in soft tinkles around his feet, some getting caught in his hair and clothes. There was no time to recover as a bombardment of punches and kicks followed.

When the pain became too great, he fell to the ground, closed his eyes and pretended. He pretended he was in his favorite place in the world, where he felt more loved than hated and more precious than repulsive.

It was the place he visited every night in his sleep.

Hidden in the shadows, a small raven-haired boy watched the unfolding events.

Large and bulbous eyes of obsidian were wide with fright. He bit down hard on his knuckles to stop himself from whimpering, but there was nothing he could do to stop the tremors that ripped through his body.

He wanted to go to the boy, but his legs wouldn't move. He was scared. What could he do anyway? He was only five. He wished his brother were there. He'd be able to stop the bad men.

For the briefest moment, the blond boy's face was lit by the dim street lamp and through the many legs that wove in and out of sight, the raven-haired boy saw him.

He knew him.

It was the boy who always sat on the swing outside the ninja academy. He didn't know his name. Everyone just called him 'scar-face'.

He was always alone. And he always looked sad.

But the raven-haired boy never knew why.

Elven years later

Naruto awoke with a start, his brow covered in beads of sweat. He let out a shaky breath, his body shivering despite the warm temperature. He ran a slippery hand over his face.

Another terrible dream. No, not a dream. A memory.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his clouded head. He gazed over at the mirror by the wall. A pale, clammy face and frightened eyes the darkest shade of azure stared back at him. His hair and clothes was damp with sweat, and he appeared drained, as though he hadn't caught a wink of sleep at all.

With a yawn, Naruto pulled away the covers and padded to the bathroom in his bare feet. He stopped briefly by the calendar on his wall to double-check that he had no prior engagements with anyone that day. He had already checked last night, but he wanted to make sure, else he be pummelled to death by Tsunade or Sakura for his lack of propriety.

The steady beat of the warm jets of water spraying down on him lulled Naruto, and by the time he stepped out of his shower, any lingering thoughts regarding his unpleasant dream had left him entirely.

Naruto drummed his fingers on his kitchen bench as he waited for the kettle to boil and he wondered what to do for the day.

Lately there had been fewer missions to go around and everyone was scrambling to the Hokage, begging her to assign them to any A or B-ranked missions that occasionally came. Naruto himself could be seen hounding her on a day-to-day basis, to the point where she banned him entirely from stepping so much as a toe in her office. Which was rather unfortunate since his last 'proper' mission had been at least five weeks ago. And he did not fancy doing any more D-ranked missions. He had caught enough runaway cats and pulled out sufficient weeds from nobles' gardens to last him a lifetime. And ever since the fight with Hidan and Kakuzu, the Akatsuki had been lying low. So these past few months had been rather dull.

When Naruto was in the process of eating his favourite miso ramen, several loud knocks forced him to unwillingly put his chopsticks down to answer the door.

He was met with Kiba's wolfish grin and Lee's thumbs up.

"Wanna get some training in?" Kiba asked. "I figured we could go a couple of rounds before I have to go down to the academy and help with the renovations." He wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

Naruto was not the only one displeased with the shortage of missions and it was a small consolation that both Kiba and Lee had also been barred from Tsunade's office for demanding missions ranked higher than a measly D.

"Yeah sure!" Naruto said happily. "I'll just get my stuff."

He left Kiba and Lee by the doorway as he went around his apartment looking for some clothes and ninja gear. He tried to be quick about it, not wanting to keep them waiting too long. He supposed there was always the option of inviting them in, but Naruto was always slightly sensitive about allowing his friends to see his apartment. It was not something he was particularly proud of.

To him, it was merely a building that allowed him shelter, but not once had it felt like a home despite having lived there all his life, or at least as long as he could remember. His friends all had families and nice houses. Compared to them, his place was probably a complete dumpster, with it's threadbare chairs and stained walls and the occasional cockroach, even though he was as clean as he could be.

"Okay, I'm done!" Naruto jumped out his door, remembering to lock it before they left.

Along the way, Lee challenged them both to a race, swearing that if he did not win, he would do two hundred laps around Konoha on his hands. Hardly in their natures to rebuff a challenge, Kiba and Naruto instantly accepted with identical grins and moments later the three of them were whizzing through the busy streets of Konoha.

Naruto had not laughed so much in a long time as they weaved in and out of the traffic, much to the exasperation of civilians who were trying to get through their daily shopping.

At one point, Kiba accidentally tumbled into a wagon containing a selection of fresh vegetables. The grocer glared at the three of them. Naruto tried to ignore the fact that he was glared at the hardest. Unfriendly villagers were something he had been forced to grow accustomed to over the years, but the sting of it never lessened and was always just as brutal as the first time.

When they reached the training grounds, Kiba and Lee were still sniggering, but Naruto was only able to give a half-hearted chuckle, the encounter with the villagers had managed to sober him rather quickly.

By the time afternoon came around, they were all covered in sweat and barely able to continue standing. Naruto lay down on the grass and closed his tired eyes. Around him, he heard Kiba and Lee do the same.

When he woke, he found he was alone. He hadn't intended to fall asleep, only to rest his aching muscles. Kiba must have gone off to complete his D-rank mission and Lee probably went to start on his two hundred laps around Konoha for losing the race earlier.

Sitting up and looking about, Naruto just realised they had been in his favourite training ground. The one where the original Team Seven had first been created.

Where his first bonds were formed.

Naruto couldn't help the smile that flitted across his face as he was filled with a mixture of nostalgia and an odd longing for the earlier days.

As though in tune with his thoughts, Sakura appeared, carrying two bento boxes in her hand. During her breaks from the hospital, she would sometimes come and sit by him, but he hadn't seen much of her lately. Despite the low amount of missions to go around, the hospital was apparently still just as busy as usual.

"Hi Sakura-chan," Naruto said brightly, reaching out for a bento box.

"Worked up an appetite, huh?" Sakura replied with a smile as she indicated to Naruto's ruffled clothes and weary face from his rigorous training.

"You bet!" Naruto barely replied as he shovelled two rice balls into his ravenous mouth.

Sakura only laughed and snapped her chopsticks apart and began to eat.

"So how was the hospital today?" asked Naruto.

"Same as usual. I mostly just treated people with colds. It was rather tedious," Sakura sighed. "People complain about the smallest things."

"Like me?" Naruto joked, earning him a snort from Sakura. "Well, did anything interesting happen?"

Sakura shrugged and looked away. Naruto immediately noticed the change in her mood. He glanced down at her untouched bento and his eyes travelled back up to her. There was a sad, forlorn expression on her face.

"I was asked out again today," she murmured. Her eyes were on the river that sat across from them, but Naruto knew that she wasn't really looking at the water.

In all honesty, he wasn't very surprised by what she said. Boys and young men were always hoping for the chance to court Sakura. And it was not hard to see why. Sakura had grown up beautifully, and she had no shortages of successes. She had become one of Konoha's top medical specialists, second only to Tsunade. Long gone were the days where she felt inferior to her peers. Now, she strode with an air of confidence, purpose and pride that she had never possessed during their younger days.

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" asked Naruto lightly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Sakura shook her head and brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them.

"I don't know what to do, Naruto," she whispered, her voice thick from barely withheld tears "I keep thinking that if I keep waiting for him, then he'll come home."

Naruto immediately looked down at the bento in his lap. He didn't feel like eating anymore.

Sasuke was always a sore spot for the both of them. Which was why they hardly ever talked to each other about him. There were too many buried feelings. Too many memories. If the subject of their lost teammate were ever brought up, they would never mention his name, only referring to Sasuke as 'he' or 'him'. Somehow it just felt easier that way.

Sakura waited for his response, but Naruto didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say. No apologies of broken promises or reassurances that Sasuke would definitely come back made it past his lips. He had not given up hope, but neither could he assure Sakura that Sasuke would most certainly come home.

"Do you think he still thinks of us?" Sakura asked after a while. Her voice was so soft it was as though the wind were speaking instead.

Naruto dropped his hand from her shoulder and picked up a fallen leaf on the ground and twirled it idly in his fingers. "No, I don't think he does," he admitted truthfully, but immediately wished he hadn't when he heard sniffles. "No, Sakura-chan, I didn't mean it! Of course he might!"

But even Sakura knew that he was lying between his teeth.

"You're right, I'm just kidding myself." She laughed a humourless, bitter laugh.

They sat in silence, Naruto uncomfortable, and Sakura…he wasn't quite sure. But when she abruptly turned to him.

"Say Naruto," Sakura began, leaning closer to him so he had to lean back otherwise they'd be touching. "Did you still want that long-overdue date?"

Naruto's mouth fell slightly open and he immediately scooted away from her. "W-What?"

"Do you want to go on a date, together?" she repeated patiently, smiling a coy smile that she had never once used on him, and reserved only for Sasuke.

"No!" Naruto objected, perhaps a tad too strongly.

The smile slid right off Sakura's face in a flash. "Well, why not?" she demanded, scowling. "You don't like me anymore?"

"No, of course I do!" Naruto said hurriedly. "It's just…"

He was lost for words. He didn't know what he could say to Sakura. But he was being completely truthful. He really did still like her. Despite her countless rejections, he had not given up hope, but at the moment, it did not sit well with him to agree. Naruto knew very well that she was still in love with Sasuke, and she was only opting to be with him because he had been Sasuke's best friend…once, at least.

And Naruto was no replacement for someone like Sasuke.

"Then what's the problem?" Sakura asked insistently. "You've been asking me out since our days in the academy!"

"I think you're just confused, Sakura-chan." Naruto said quietly.

"Me? You think I don't know how I feel?!" she asked incredulously, her tone hinting at something more dangerous.

Not for the first time that day, Naruto wished he had just kept his mouth shut. Matters seemed to get worse each time he opened it.

"Naruto! Sakura!"

He could have kissed Sai when he saw the pale teen hurrying towards them. Sai's face was flushed from running and he was out of breath.

"What is it?" Sakura asked in alarm, her eyes wide.

Clutching at his ribs, Sai panted heavily for breath. "Sasuke," he gasped. "He was sighted fighting Uchiha Itachi along the border of Otogakure."

"How long ago?"

"About twenty minutes, I think."

Before Naruto knew what was happening, his legs were carrying him towards the Hokage Tower. He didn't need to look back to know Sakura was following him.

A shiver of anticipation surged through him, its magnitude so great that his entire body shook.

It was him, Sasuke.

The one person who brought Naruto the most happiness, but also the most grief.

End of Part 1: Chapter 1

Please review and thanks for reading!