A.N.: Here's the Prologue. Not much else to say ;)

Edited by: J.O.L the 1

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My Protector

Prologue – The Beginning

My small feet tripped over another rock, stubbing my toe for the fifth time tonight. Trees rushed past me in my haste to get away from the villagers. Why did they try to hurt me? I never did anything to them, did I? I tried my hardest to be good! Why didn't they like me?

I tried to run faster because the civilians were catching up. It was more difficult than it sounded because trees and rocks kept getting in my way. My head really hurt too. Was it because I was tired? It was getting late.

It didn't really matter right now; I just had to get to somewhere safe.

I slipped on a patch of moss that I didn't see in my haste. I dropped down quickly, my face connecting with the dirt harshly. I felt my foot twisting in an odd angle, and I had to cut off my cry of pain by biting my lip. I heard the villagers' loud cries and their angry shouts of 'Demon!' and 'Get the monster!'.

At that time, I pleaded inwardly that they wouldn't see me. By some wonderful stroke of fate, my pleads were answered. I heard the shouts heading in a different direction, away from where I was lying face down. I waited until I could no longer hear them, then lifted my face from the ground and sighed in relief.

Looking around, I couldn't recognize my surroundings. It all looked the same, trees in every direction. I was only five; I didn't have a sense of direction yet! I brushed a stray blond hair out of my eyes. How was I going to get home?

I moved myself into a sitting position, wincing when I bumped my ankle. Did I break it? It sure hurt enough! I casted my gaze around again to make sure the villagers weren't nearby still; I softly touched my already swelling ankle. With a grimace I quickly retracted my fingers when I felt the skin throb under my touch. I let out a resigned sigh. Would I be able to walk?

Carefully maneuvering my other leg so my foot was on the ground, I pushed up on my hands. I pin-wheeled my arms, trying to regain my balance on one foot. Once I was steady again, I took a deep breath and tested my injured foot hesitantly. As soon as I placed my foot on the ground, pain zinged up my leg. With a strangled cry, I fell back on my backside ungracefully.

"Owwww…" I whimpered softly, rubbing my sore rear.

I didn't have any chance of getting home now. I was lost, in the middle of the forest, with a sprained or broken ankle, unable to stand, let alone walk. It just wasn't a good day.

Spotting a tree not far away, I crawled towards it, careful not to bump my injury. My knees scraped across the ground uncomfortably as I crawled. Once I made it to the tree, I turned myself carefully so my back faced the deep brown bark. Leaning against it, I closed my eyes tiredly.

I wondered if Old Man Hokage will notice if I wasn't there in the morning. Would he search for me even if he knew?

So many unanswered questions swirled around in my head. My exhaustion soon took its toll as I drifted into unconsciousness.

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A hand just barely larger than my own, not-so-gently, shook me awake. Opening my eyes, I blinked blearily at the black and green shape in front of me. My vision cleared and I saw the person who awoke me was a boy. He looked a little older than me. His large, round eyes observed me confusedly, while his long, braided, black hair swayed slightly in the breeze. The boy was wearing a green T-shirt with a pair of black shorts and had the bushiest pair of eyebrows I'd ever seen in my short life.

I jumped when I realized how close he was sitting and shrunk away slightly. He stared curiously at me for a moment longer before talking.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, tilting his head cutely. "Were you out here all night?"

Why did he want to know? Any adult would've glared or shuffled away by now, or the kids got dragged away by their parents.

Not keen on speaking, I just nodded mutely to his second question. Usually I got in trouble if I spoke to anyone besides Jiji. Besides, I didn't know this boy, or what he was there for.

"Why are you out here?" he asked again. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

My hand automatically moved to wrap around my ankle when he mentioned home. It was the one thing that prevented me from going home. He saw my movement and looked down at my foot. By now it was purple and heavily swollen. The boy gasped at the sight of it, and moved his own hand towards it. I flinched back, afraid he'd hurt it. He looked back up to me, sensing my fear, and retracted his hand slowly.

"Is that why you slept out here? It looks like it hurts." His eyes shone with sympathy.

I stayed silent, but grimaced in agreement. He shifted so he's sitting Indian style across from me. He observed me, taking in my muddied blonde hair, then the ripped orange dress. He then looked back down at my ugly purple and black ankle.

"You know, you don't have to be scared to talk to me. I won't hurt you." My blue eyes widened at his statement. I felt a bit reassured with his express permission. Gathering my courage, I took a deep breath.

"W-what's y-your n-name?" I ended up stuttering. He looked delighted with the question.

"My name is Rock Lee! What's your name?" he said enthusiastically.

"U-uh, it's Uzamaki N-Naru." I replied shyly. He grinned brightly, showing all his teeth. I couldn't help but to smile slightly back.

"Will you tell me why you're out here?" he asked, obviously encouraged by his small success.

"Um... The v-villagers chased me out here last night." I said. Sadness crept into my voice and my smile dropped. He frowned in return and his bushy eyebrows drew together.

"Well that's not very nice," he concluded at last. I let out a breath which I didn't know I held. I almost thought he was going to leave when I told him that I was being chased by the villagers.

"It's okay. Old Man Hokage says that they just don't understand," I smiled sadly.

He frowned more. "But, you got hurt! Just because they don't understand, that doesn't mean they can hurt you."

"There's nothing I can d-do about it though. The old man can't usually get people to protect me soon enough."

He looked deep in thought, trying to find a solution to this problem. He stayed in that position for a few minutes, thinking hard. I shifted, scratching my cheek uncomfortably. Then suddenly, he gave a happy shout, pumping a victorious fist in the air.

"I got it! I'll protect you! That way you won't get hurt!" he said happily.

I blinked, astonished at his kindness, "R-Really?"

"Yeah! It's perfect, don't you think?"

I looked at him for a moment, unsure if I could trust this kind boy I had just met. However, looking into his black eyes all I could see was sincerity. I grinned happily back at him.

"Thank you, Lee-san!" I exclaimed as I attacked him with a hug. He happily returned it, grinning.

After a moment, Lee noticed my ankle again.

"Oh! We need to get you back to town! It looks like it's broken," he said, standing up.

"Oh, um… The Hokage says to go to him when I get hurt, since the hospital people don't like me much."

"Ok! I'll go with you there!" he said, not deterred at all.

He extended a hand to help me up, which I took gratefully. Now upright, I tried to put my foot down. The result was the same as last night. It made me almost fall over if Lee wasn't there to keep me steady.

"It's okay Naru-chan; I'll carry you there if you can't walk!" he said cheerily.

Before I could respond, he lifted me up so I'm reclined in his arms, making me 'eep!' in surprise. He started walking, making sure he didn't jostle me too much.

"A-are you sure I'm not too heavy, Lee?" I asked timidly.

He looked down at me and grinned dazzlingly. "Of course not! I'm gonna be a ninja, and I'll be really strong so I have to start training now!"

"Really? I'm going to be a ninja too!" I exclaimed, glad we had something in common.

"Cool! We'll both be the best ninjas ever!"

"Yeah!"

I smiled brightly. Last night may have been hard, but today was the day I made my first friend. And now, I could tell things were going to be better.