Chapter 1: If only

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Everything I do is just borrowing okay?

The streets were busy and alive on a hot Saturday in July. People of all origins walked the streets and chatted among themselves. Everything in the vicinity was alive and moving, anything to get away from the heat. The air smelt of heavy coffee and food that the local street venders were making. Some hung around the city's canal; others went to the beach, but for one blond boy, he preferred something else.

The bridge.

The bridge was famous for being in a painting. People often crossed it to go to work or just to admire the sites. The blond boy sighed and removed a lock of hair from his face. He looked at his watch and frowned, wondering why time had passed so quickly. He rose up from sitting at the edge of the bridge and stretched, unaware that there was another pair of eyes watching him. The creature wrinkled his nose, grooming his whiskers. He always came here at the exact same time for the boy. Watching as said boy looked out into the canal, and day dreamed, all until his shift at work began. He followed the boy often; he couldn't help it. It all happened from that day...

Flashback

The little creature had some how ended up in a mess. Not only was he trapped...He was hungry. He wiggled his whiskers and let his tail move back and forth rapidly. Different smells plagued the air around him. Making him twitch and his mouth water. The strong scent of spices invited his nostrils and made them twitch. He watched as several pairs of feet went by, either running or moving fast. Human scent was everywhere, to the point where it was making his vision foggy. The cooks in the kitchen were very busy today. The restaurant was a tourist hot spot and very popular. The little creature was stuck under a small stove that was currently being used. A pair of feet were right in front of him. The creature made a break and headed for the open floor. Before he could find a small space under the exit door, it happened. He would have made it, if it weren't for one thing...A female cook shrieked and saw him. She took a near by knife she was cutting with and lunged it at the floor. The creature barely dodged the knife and kept running. Shouts could be heard and people were yelling. The creature kept avoiding things being thrown at him, feet trying to crush him, and frying pans intending to squish him. He was nearly there when a jar was thrust over his tiny head. He slammed into the glass surface and frantically scratched on the glass. He made tiny squeaks of distress and fear. The person who caught him, raised the jar eye level and sneered in disgust at him. The creature was small and a blackish blue in color, being wild it was matted and went all over the place. His ears were slightly big and twitching. His tail was long and scaled, like any of his kinds should be. However, what creeped people out the most was his eyes, they were pitch black with a small tint of red. His tiny paws held capable scratching, nails, able to burrow into many things.

He...Was a rat.

A rat that called himself...Sasuke.

Sasuke continued to squeak and thrash. The head cook looked at him and huffed.

"I will not have such a disgusting vermin in my kitchen! It must go; this is a disease! If any of my critiques found out, I'd be ruined! NARUTO!" the man yelled, voice thick with a french-speaking accent. The man was a little squat; a fine mustache toned his upper lip with dark-green eyes and equally dark-brown hair. Far away, he would be mistaken as an Italian. A blond boy suddenly passed through the double doors, setting down a tray of drinks and walking over to the stout man.

"What is it...Huh, is that a rat in a jar?" the blond boy asked, pointing at the jar that held a panicked Sasuke, desperate to get out. The cook smiled and held the jar out to him.

"Ah, Naruto, be a good boy and destroy this evidence for me! I trust you to know how to kill a rat?" he asked, shoving the jar into the boy's chest. Naruto blinked and looked at the poor thing.

"But...Do I have to kill it? Can't I just let it go?" he asked, watching as the little thing started squeaking louder.

"No! If it lives, it can make more little rats! Go and drown him in the canal! Then, return to your customers!" the man yelled, pushing Naruto out the door into the dark streets. It was late at night, and the restaurant stayed open later for traveling customers. Naruto sighed and started out of the alley way. The jar started shaking in his grasp, but he realized it wasn't from the rat; it was him. His hands were shaking; he had never killed anything before, except for flies but...Mammals were totally different. He swallowed the lump into his throat and continued along the canal's edge. He watched as the water sped by, the light of harbor boats reflecting off its smooth surfaces. Off, in the distance, he heard dinner boats going by. The thick scent of the canal flooded his senses and smelt of fish and moss.

Can I really just...No, I...I can't! It's just a rat! Who will know? Who will miss it? It's just too cruel to kill something that is only trying to survive...

Naruto sighed and set the jar down on to the cobble stone street, slowly he un screwed the jar and let out the poor thing. Sasuke didn't want to move; he was being cautious. Naruto smiled and reached into his pocket. He took out some crackers he had and put them on the stone street in front of the jar. Sasuke couldn't ignore his instincts and ran to the food. He munched on it and devoured the first piece. He looked back up at Naruto, blue eyes watching him. The boy was smiling softly, something a kind to sadness upon his face. Sasuke grabbed the other cracker and started running across the street with it in his mouth. He stopped and turned around, Naruto, was still on his knees, watching the small creature go. He was bathed in the light from the street lamps above, his shadow reflecting off the alley wall. He was wearing a black, service, vest and white under shirt, a red bow across his neck. He still had his apron on and just watched as Sasuke went. The rat noticed the boy's hair resembled honey, his favorite sticky sweet. His eyes when he was up close were blue like the canal water. Creamy skin clothed a well-rounded face and soft cheeks. Complete with a pair of full slightly pink lips. Sasuke stared and completely forgot about the cracker in his possession.

He is so...Pretty...Like a piece of candy with a shiny wrapper...

Naruto smiled and picked himself off the ground. He picked up the jar and tossed it into a near by trash bin Sasuke watched as the boy waved a good-bye and headed down the street.

"Take care and stay out of the kitchen! I can't be there to save your rat ass all the time!" he yelled, breaking into a sprint. He didn't mind if Sasuke couldn't understand him, but he said it anyway. Sasuke though, when you spent your life stealing from humans, tended to pick up the language very easily. Sasuke watched him leave, a strange, strong, urge to follow the boy was making its way up his tail. He inhaled the other cracker and twitched his tail a little, picking crumbs off his face and whiskers.

He saved my life...A gave me crackers! The ugly man said that the boy's name was Naruto...I like him, he is a different kind of human. I'll stick around the restaurant for a while and see if I can't see the human again...Maybe he'll give me more food! And I like him...a lot.

Sasuke ran down the street and into an alley, disappearing from sight.

From that day, Sasuke followed the little blond around. Using fleeting passage ways and holes in walls to watch and observe. Lately, Naruto has become a bit of a obsession. He was different from other humans, much more gentle and sort of . . . Childish for a boy his age. He learned a lot about Naruto. He was sixteen, liked ramen more than anything, lived in a small two-room apartment by himself. He worked almost all the time, whether it was being a waiter or working at one of the popular local cafes. Even so, for some reason, before he ever went to work, he would always come to the bridge and watch the canal. Sasuke twitched his whiskers and looked around. The rat strangely sighed and drooped. In a small fuzzy way, he really liked the boy. In fact, Sasuke seemed . . . To be falling in love with the boy.

If only Naruto was a rat...

If only...

If only I were a human...

He would spoil Naruto! Show him all the bests garbage cans in the city!

Wait...Do humans eat out of the garbage? Well...I've seen some old men do it...No, that won't work...I would show him the best sights on all the roof tops. Take walks with him and go skating! Oh! We could go swimming on the beach and eat all the cheese we could stuff ourselves with!

However, the further Sasuke thought about it, the more he was saddened. His ears drooped even more, and he squeaked in a small way of whining. He loved the boy but couldn't be with him because of his species. The tiny rat looked toward the sky and watched as the clouds rolled by. Out of the sky suddenly, a short flash went by. Sasuke's eyes widened and he quickly closed them.

A shooting star! Now is my chance! Now or never Sasuke!

Sasuke tightened his eyes closed and wished with all his small little heart.

I wish...I wish...I wish upon this star, no matter what you are, a wish I may, a wish I might, hopefully make true tonight! Please make me human, so I can be with Naruto!

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked around. He frowned when he noticed he was still a rat.

TBC

R&R!