A/N: So, after skimming over a previous work of mine with this same idea, I thought I would apply it to the Naruto fandom. I present to you, this fic. An AU, no less. Goodness. Oh, right; both Naruto and Sasuke are fifteen in this fic - all other character that relative age. Reviews make me happy, and update faster! ;D
Disclaimer: Not mine. Give the credit to Kishimoto.
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki is a rebellious gang leader, and pocket picker, that one day meets the overall regular high school student, Sasuke Uchiha. The extremely rich Uchiha, who has just become Naruto's next target.
Labyrinth of Deception
Prologue
Ominous gray clouds of a storm gathered above a dark city, casting a shadow of black and white on the tall buildings below. People were ushered inside, children staring out windows, and tracing their fingers slowly to match the drops of water that slid down windowpanes. Cars sped past, oblivious to how they splashed water on passing people, who cursed at their ignorant action. The whole place was engulfed in a sense of slow morbidity. Except one small place, this is…
Police cars with flickering lights surrounded an alleyway, their sirens echoing off the buildings that towered above. Another murder in the city of Konoha had been reported, and officers flocked to the scene within minutes, restricting the area with bright yellow tape that whipped around viciously in the wind.
"This is a damn shame," one officer murmured. He was carefully leaning over the lacerated body of a young girl, and giving a soft sigh. Pulling his cap down to try and block the rain from further soaking his hair, the officer cleared his throat and stood. Pictures of the child had been taken, and rushed off for analyzing only moments before - the only job now was to clean the area.
"Well, who do you think did it? We've been getting a lot of homicide calls since…" The other officer trailed off, his eyes lingering on the body of the girl. He grimaced.
"Who do you think! Come on, Iruka, what other blood-thirsty murders are there in this city?" The officer growled deep within his throat, his fingers twisting around in his pockets as the two men made their way to their vehicle. When the door finally slammed closed, the sound of rain dulled to a soft patter against the windows.
"Maybe it wasn't him," Iruka began, "we just don't know. There are other gang leaders in this city, maybe they—"
The car's radio screeched for a moment, and a second later, the voice of an urgent man was speaking, his voice muffled slightly by the static. "Back-up! I need back-up on—"
The speaker was snatched up by the other officer, his gruff voice demanding what was wrong. When the scratchy reply came, the officer slammed his foot on the gas, his hands grasping the wheel and turning on a nearby road.
"M-Mizuki! W-What's going on?"
The driver swerved onto another corner, and several others flashing red and blue lights came into the view. His eyes narrowed, fingers nearly slipping from the leather wheel as the car veered onto another street. "They've found him." There was a thick and satisfied smile spreading across his face. "They found the demon child."
A thin form with tousled blonde locks skidded around a corner, panting heavily as two figures behind him advanced, following the boy at every turn. He slipped in and out of the shadows; the deep blue eyes he possessed were dazed in the heat of a chase, and darted in various directions, before he took off running again. Rain pounded down effortlessly, flooding the streets, and making everything that fell to its superior power, soaked. This included the blonde, who had grasped onto another wall, spinning himself into the next alleyway.
His foot slid into a puddle of murky water, dirty from the pollution in the abandoned lane, and he gasped as his weight shifted behind him, and his back connected with cold, wet stone.
"Damn…."
There was the sound of fast approaching footsteps, the incessant beat of the rain, and off in the distance, the sound of sirens. Cursing, the blonde boy pulled himself up, hissing from the pain it initiated to his now bruised back. The sounds of water splattering from his pursuers just behind him echoed to his ears, and he cursed under his breath again, speeding his pace once on his feet.
The chase continued, each party straining their muscles with pumping legs as they ran through the alleys, turning corners, avoiding streets and sidewalks. All through it, the rain continued to soak them, and their clothes weighed heavy with the added water that pulled the fabric down. Suddenly, there were several shouts, and the blonde panicked; they were getting closer.
Stray locks of gold blocked his vision, and he pushed them away with irritation, turning yet another corner as he did so. This time, however, his feet stopped in their place, and his eyes went wide. Facing him was a large stone wall, towering above like some foreboding challenge. Just behind it, he could make out the faint sounds of cars riding by, a child crying, and doors slamming at their own will to the wind that was beginning to pick up.
As the blonde let loose a string of curses, he turned to evaluate how much time he had. The voices behind him were getting closer, giving harsh orders to each other, yet their words were muffled by the rain and thunder in the distance. Blue eyes made their way back to the wall, skimming it for any support. He caught sight of an old iron ladder that led up to the roof of the building next to him. Within seconds, a small body was scrambling up in a panicked manner. Several times, the rough hands slipped on the iron bars, but he continued his journey upwards.
He could feel an extra weight on the ladder below him, and dared cast a glance to see two shadows making their way up as well. With a newfound strength, he pulled himself up, even with the rain pushing against his skin until it burned, and the lightening above blinding his visions for mere seconds, and the cackling thunder that made him tremble.
A wind caused the ladder creak, and the blonde was able to miss it as the ladder began swaying dangerously. He nearly collapsed on the flat roof that the accursed fire escape had led him to. Without any further thought, he scrambled his way over to the edge, glancing down onto a street filled with cars that rode by impatiently.
"You think you could get away so easily?" There was a daunting voice behind him, and the blonde faltered, nearly jumping at how close the person was. His two followers stood only several feet away, arms crossed, eyes focused on him.
The blonde smirked - a feral smile that twisted the features of his face and gave a strange glint to the lively blue eyes. He grasped the edge of the roof, scooting his way closer to the end, and finally stood just on the tips, arms outstretched like a graceful bird. The other two seemed surprised, their own eyes narrowing.
"You wouldn't," one hissed, taking a step forward.
Then the blonde was grinning again, showing a pair of bleach white canines. A flash of lightening illuminated his face for a moment, all three figures flickering in and out of vision once the spark passed.
"I would," he said. Another flash of lightening came, causing the pursuers to stumble back from the sudden flare. When they looked up, the blonde had vanished from his place on the roof.
They ran their way over to the edge, looking below to see nothing but gray sidewalks and black streets filled with cars that were being mercilessly attacked by the rain. One of the figures, a female, looked around feverishly, while the other placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"There's no use looking. He's gone. Let's go; the police are following our trail."
The two shared a moment of staring into each other's eyes, defiance flashing like the lightening above, before both left the roof. In the distance, thunder roared, and shook the city with its rage.
Uchiha Sasuke, was absolutely and positively bored out of his mind; and the continuous onslaught of rain didn't help any. His dark, black eyes tried to avoid the teacher in front of the room, who had been talking for a good hour about the works of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and it's dramatic irony. If the rest of the class was in the same state as him, they would probably be sleeping, or passing subtle notes to each other.
Instead of taking part in such childish actions, Sasuke turned his eyes towards the window, propping his chin up on his palm, the end of his elbow digging into the hard desk beneath him. Strands of black fell into his eyes, but he ignored them, as he lost himself to his thoughts. He was pre-occupied with why he had to even go to this horrid place.
Of course, since his family had to be so rich, one to boast their wealth, they had sent their son to a private academy. One that was squeezed between apartments, and had the appearance of some old abandoned school, that people saw in horror movies. The desks were ancient, the chalkboards scratched up, and the lockers were a strange brown color; the insides were even worse. The brooding Uchiha absentmindedly wondered how a private school, one where the wealthiest children were sent, could be so depressing and disgusting.
The voice of the teacher soon became a drone in his head, and he sighed softly, watching the passing cars on the street below.
The school had five floors, since it was located in the small city known as Konoha, it was packed between other towering structures and buildings made of metal and wood. The entrance at the front was small, and Sasuke often compared it to looking like some orphanage doorway.
As the black-haired boy continued to ponder these thoughts, staring out the window on the fourth floor, two things brought him from his daze. First, was the sharp sounds of sirens. The second, was much more surprising. His eyes widened when a shadow passed outside the window. The figure suddenly halted, the outline of it's arms appearing, as it seemed to pull itself up in an attempt to get through the window. Sasuke could suddenly remember films when bizarre zombies slowly pulled themselves into buildings, and crawled through windows as blood ran down their mouths.
It took only seconds to register that there was a person hanging on the edge of the cement windowsill outside. Even in the rain, Sasuke could see dark blue eyes staring back at him, a feral look flashing in the depths of cerulean.
Then, suddenly, the eyes were gone, fingertips releasing their grip, and the figure vanished - the shadow slipping out o sight. It was then that Sasuke had realized a damn person, had just plummeted three stories down, onto the cold sidewalk below.
He raised his hand, the fingertips shaking. "K…Kakashi s-sensei?"
The teacher turned, a piece of chalk in his hand. His hair was a white color that contrasted nicely with his hands, that were caked with chalk.
"…May I be excused?" Sasuke regained his composure, pulling himself from his seat as the teacher gave a soft nod. He let himself out the door, bolted down the steps, and rushed out the entrance. No one bothered to have petty things like guards at the schools doors; how could they stop a child with nearly millions more dollars than they?
With no regards to the pouring rain, Sasuke lunged down the stairs, grasped the wooden banister that led up to the school, and swung himself around to face the sidewalk. Even in the gray cloud the city had been engulfed in, Sasuke could see him.
A blonde boy was laying on the ground only several feet away, just below the classroom window Sasuke had been staring out. Messy gold locks covered his face, and his whole body was twisted into a very grotesque shape.
Even from a small distance away, Sasuke noticed yet another two things; the blonde was bleeding heavily. And he was breathing.
So much for boring days.
To Be Continued…