NARUTO P.O.V

I feel as though I'm being consumed from the inside out.

It's eating at me, killing me slowly, starting with my heart, devouring it into a black abyss.

But, I can't escape it. Not that I tried, at first. I gave into it without a second thought, accepting the comforting blanket it used to provide, hiding me from the world.

That's when the pain started.

I screamed. I cried. I just wanted it to stop.

But it continued. It ate at me, to the point that I couldn't handle the stress.

It's… excruciating. Too much to bear.

The hate.

The fear.

The Darkness.

My haunted features are a result of that.

The once, beautiful, soft, golden chin-length locks that used to hang in my face, now full of dirt and grime, turned a muddy brown from not showering.

My clear, porcelain skin, that was unmarked other than the odd whisker marks on my face, now blotched with purple and black bruises, riddled with patched-up cuts, and scarred in various areas.

The happy, bright blue eyes, that used to stare with wonder and awe at every passing object, now wept tears of deep sadness, looking at the world now with dark pools of pain, suffering, and angst.

I was alone in this world.

Neglected and hated by the village, poisoned and dying from the ever lasting feeling of numbness….

Why? Why was I so...so unloveable? Such a disgrace to my parents, no wonder they left me.

I had no friends, no one to lean on. My entire clan, my family, murdered.

I had never experienced the word, 'love' before, and found it impossible to do so, considering no one wanted to give such a gift to the unwanted.

I was a survivor.

But wished I was a victim.

At the present moment, I lay on the green sofa in my apartment, hands raised, a kunai pressed against the white fabric of my shirt.

Aimed directly above my heart.

Oh, yes, thats right. I forgot to introduce myself didn't I? Not that anyone cares anymore.

My name, is Uzumaki Naruto. Aged 14, known as the dead-last. The Dobe. The hate of Konohagakure Village.

Don't get me wrong, the village itself was full of peace between its people, a caring village that supported all of its members, and placed equality upon each. Almost.

Me? I was that almost. Despised, bullied, targeted, and abused by every current villager living in Konoha, life was a constant struggle. Every day, I would come back from the academy, ether with a broken bone, fracture, or bloody and raw, just to come home and find that my walls, furnishings and private quarters, had been violated, graffitied beyond recognition. But because I was only 14 years old, I couldn't just go and get it repaired. Not that they would help me anyway.

I can remember, once, when the hokage came to give me my weekly allowance, he found me tied to a post in the playground, as the adults and their children gathered around, throwing stones at me, laughing at my pain. The hokage didn't stop them though, just stood there, watching the entire scene play out. To make things worse, some of them pissed on me, not caring that the salt stung the wounds. When they had finished, my broken body could be seen lying on the ground, bloody and barely moving or breathing. Blood had leaked onto the ground, creating a small puddle from the wounds.

Despite the hurt and loss of the last shred of dignity I was experiencing, I still managed to lift my head from the ground. I glared at him, and said in strangled pants,

" Old man… I don't need ...you're 20 cents too. If you won't help me, and ..the village you run won't... help me, then I might as well just ...die, right? I mean ... I have no ...purpose in this world. So kill ..me. You kill me, ...Hiruzen, then you could.. just be the saviour of ..the village. go ahead ..and do it. I could ...care less." He didn't.

After that day, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the one man I grew to trust, continued to look at me with pity and disappointment. The one man, I thought could've lead me through the dark traumas of my mind, and into the light, betrayed me. He didn't want to help me. He was just like the rest.

Cold and heartless.

I wanted to kill him.

I don't know why the people hated me so much. It hurt. A lot. But most of the time, I chose to ignore it. Now, I've lost count of how many bones have been broken, blood shed, and friends lost because of the endless hate of the villagers. I don't want it to continue. I can't handle it.

Turning my head to the side, I stared out the window opposite me, the blinding light of the sun glaring into my eyes. Even though it was sundown, it was still bright outside, the birds chirping as the sun dipped lower behind the forest. The sky was tinted a pinkish-orange colour, going from light to dark the father away from the sun. Wind gently swished the tree tops, causing white doves to fly from their nest's.

It was perfect.

But beneath it all, were the roof tops of Konoha. The hidden leaf village. I hated it. To think my last look on the world, would be to see the thing I wanted dead.

A strangled sob was ripped from my throat, as a stray tear leaked down my face, creating a wet path in the dirt that covered it.

Even after I brought Sasuke back to the village, after having him run away to Orochimaru, bloody and proud, the only 'reward' I received, was a punch in the face, stones, and accusing eyes. Not even Sakura-chan, who I made the promise to, cared about me. She was the one that punched me in the face. They only cared about their precious Uchiha. Not the one that risked his life to do so.

Oh well. Its not like I can do anything about it.

' Don't worry, kit, I care about you. I will take you away from these bastards, to a place where you will not be judged for who you are. Humans cannot understand what you are going through, but I do. I understand.'

A deep, raspy voice enters my mind. It sounded… compassionate. Loving. But I couldn't see it. And what did it mean, humans? Was it not…

It doesn't matter, now though, does it?

Relaxing fully into the sofa, I decided to trust the voice. It didn't seem to be lying. And what could I do, anyway? it's not like I'm going to be here any longer.

'Who are you?' I asked it.

'My name is Kurama, kit.'

'Oh. Are you my other side trying to convince me not to do it?'

When I asked it this, I felt an amused chuckle ringing in my ears.

'No, I am not. I am a separate being. You will find out who I am in time, kit. But I will not stop you. I know how it feels to be used, broken, hated, and lonely. If you finish what you started, I can take you to a different place, far from this shit hole of a village, to somewhere you are wanted. Just trust me.'

Trust… I felt like I could trust Kurama. I always wanted to trust someone, and this could be the last time to do it.

" Kurama, before I go, can I call you Kura-chan?"

'Sure, Naruto-kun.' Another chuckle could be heard in the depths of my mind.

I smiled a bit, a sad one, but a smile nonetheless.

Lifting the kunai above my body, I watched the scene outside my window.

Kura-chan spoke softly to me.

'Wipe away all the worries, but keep the hate, the loneliness, the pain that you feel. When the kunai hits, just dream until tomorrow.'

"Dream until tomorrow…" I whispered a loud, before slamming the weapon into my heart.

I gasped, intense pain clouding my vision for a split second, causing me to cough blood, before a strange calm overcame it. It was like a warm hug, engulfing me into black oblivion. I took it gratefully as the pain ebbed. The light slowly faded from my eyes, as I felt my hands slip from the kunai embedded in my chest, only to dangle at my sides. Before the nothingness took hold of me, I heard the birds chirp happily outside, and saw a black raven sitting on the windowsill.

My, no, our last thoughts were,

'Never Forget...'

'Never Forget...'