I don't remember much about that day.

I don't remember lying down in the grass.

I don't remember losing everything.

Even my memories.

I don't remember how I got the pendant I was found holding.

It was all just this blank spot in my head.

What I do remember was the rain.

It beat down on me, swallowing my tears, as if it were sucking out every ounce of strength I had left.

It was as if every drop was chipping away at me, just waiting for me to shatter.

And just when I was at the breaking point...

I remember that was when he made the rain stop.
It felt good, so good, to be free from its relentless beating, and his warm hands on my cold skin, and his kind face staring down at me, and his smooth voice whispering me words of comfort...

When my whole life was crashing down around me, he made the rain stop.

And I will always be grateful to him for it.

I will always love him for it.

…Make the rain stop…

Itachi sat on the porch, gazing out into the distance, his fingers toying with a loose thread on the hem of his pants. It had rained relentlessly throughout the week, and this afternoon was not an exception. He knew he had homework to do, and he knew his father would scold him if he didn't have it done, but on this particular dark, dreary day, he decided he didn't care. He had been confined to the Uchiha complex every afternoon this week, and he was beginning to feel restless.

The wind whistled through the trees, blowing ice cold droplets of water onto Itachi's face. He shuddered, and a thought crept into the back of his mind that perhaps he ought to go inside before he caught cold, but he quickly pushed the notion to the side. Itachi ached to feel the sun on his face, but he also knew it would be a while before he could, and so, despite the discomfort of the cold, he remained on the porch, relishing the sharp, clear scent of the rain and patiently awaiting the moment the clouds parted to reveal the delicious warmth of the sun.

As he sat lost in thought, the cool breeze surrounding him escalated to a howling, almost loud enough to cover up the sound of light footsteps padding towards him. He turned towards the sound, his hair whipping about his pale face in the breeze. The footsteps stopped, and there stood his eight year old brother.

Itachi smiled at the sight of him, his small frame clad in a warm-looking long-sleeved navy blue shirt and white shorts. He pulled at the hem of his shirt, shifting from one bare foot to the other; black fringe framed his wide, dark eyes, a sharp contrast to white skin, betraying a hint of nervousness. "What's the matter, Sasuke-chan?" he asked, imagining the boy was likely scared by the storm. Somewhere high above them, the gods clashed, but Sasuke's face showed no sign of fear.

"Aniki... When will the rain stop? I'm bored. I want to play outside." He pouted slightly and Itachi chuckled. His brother was restless, just as he was. He motioned for the younger boy to sit beside him, and he happily obliged.

"I don't know..." He frowned at Sasuke's disappointed expression, and pulled the boy close, keeping him warm. He looked out into the horizon again, brows furrowing in thought. The rain really wasn't that bad, and they were so incredibly bored, stuck in the complex day after day...

"Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take a little walk..." Itachi mused. Sasuke jumped up from his seat beside his brother, an enthusiastic look gracing his features.

"Really, nii-san? Do you think we really could?" he all but shouted, practically jumping up and down.

"The least we could do is try..."

At that the two boys made their way inside to attempt to convince their mother to allow them to go out for a short walk. After promising to keep his younger brother warm and dry, and to stay close to home, Mikoto Uchiha reluctantly gave her permission. She worried, but she understood how the felt, being cooped up in the dark building all week.

Sighing, the boys' mother watched as Itachi helped a squirming Sasuke put on his rain coat and boots. The two grabbed umbrellas from the container by the door, and set out, waves of joy wafting off of even the normally stoic older Uchiha.

The ground was wet, the grass squelching beneath their feet with each step releasing an earthy smell, but the wind had died down a bit and the two could see that the worst of the storm had passed. Feeling happier than he had in a long time, Itachi watched as Sasuke practically skipped along the path unable to contain his joy at being able to get some fresh air, singing a little song he'd learned the week before at his elementary school about being thankful for the rain. Itachi remembered learning the same song when he was in second grade, and found himself singing along in his head. Children's songs were contagious like that.

The pair stayed true to their promise to stay close to home, only going as far as the playground in the Uchiha district (although both brothers would have preferred to go see the lake, which was about a quarter mile outside of the district), and the walk passed by without incident. As they reached the playground, they decided to stop and sit under the covered pavilion where the benches were dry. As Itachi placed his umbrella off to the side and turned to sit, he heard a splash and noticed that his brother was no longer beside him. Surveying his surroundings, he located the boy standing slightly off the sidewalk in a large puddle, staring into the distance.
Itachi raised an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into the boy. He walked to the edge of the pavilion. "Sasuke-chan, you mustn't splash in the puddles," he gently reminded the younger Uchiha, but Sasuke paid him no notice.

"Aniki... I think there's someone over there, just lying on the ground..."

Curious, Itachi grabbed his umbrella and stepped off of the sidewalk to stand beside his brother. Sure enough, just off into the bushes, the was the crumpled form of a boy about Sasuke's age.

From where he stood, he could see the boy's blond hair and knew that he was not Uchiha. "Go get father," Itachi instructed, realizing the boy could be hurt or lost or worse... Dead. As chief of police in the small town of Konoha, their father would know what to do. Sasuke nodded and ran off, understanding the seriousness of the situation despite his young age, leaving Itachi to walk towards the sodden form.

The boy was thin, his skin tanned, and he wore a faded orange shirt with blue shorts. Itachi noticed he was not shivering, despite the cold, and began to worry. He gently rolled the boy over so that he faced Itachi, holding his umbrella over him to keep the rain off of him. His skin still held some of the warmth of life, and he had a pulse, though it was weak.

Itachi used his shirtsleeve to dry the boy's face a bit, and he responded to the touch. His eyelids slowly fluttered open to reveal eyes of the brightest, most vibrant blue Itachi had ever seen. The boy bit his lip and let out a small whimper. "Don't worry, help is on the way," Itachi soothed, gently stroking the boy's small face. As he did this, he noticed three whisker-like scars on each cheek.

The boy closed his eye again, feeling comforted. "Who... are you...?" came the boy's hoarse whisper.

"Don't try to talk; save your strength," he advised, then added, "My name is Itachi."

…Make the rain stop…

Mikoto wrapped the boy's small frame in yet another blanket as he began to shiver again. His pulse had gotten stronger and he was fully conscious since her husband had brought the boy into their home, but his body temperature was still far too low. Her sons stood awkwardly in the door frame, wanting to help, but not sure what to do. "Itachi, check to see if the soup is ready," Mikoto said, smiling at the boys' concern. "Sasuke, fetch me the thermometer." Both brothers nodded and hurried off to complete their respective tasks.

"How are you feeling?" she asked the boy.

"Better..." came his soft reply.

"What's your name?"

The boy hesitated, a worried look on his face. His small features scrunched up in concentration.

"I... I don't know..."

Mikoto frowned. Did the boy have amnesia? "Well, where is your mother?"

This question brought tears to the boy's cerulean orbs. "I don't know... I can't remember anything."

Mikoto felt her heart break for the little blond boy. Though he was not injured externally, something awful must have happened to him to cause him to lose all of his memories. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure someone will come looking for you soon."

Tears streamed freely down the boy's face. "I want my momma..." he sobbed. Mikoto held him, and the boy pressed his face into her breast, taking in her warm scent. This was not his mother, but she was warm, and kind, and her fragrance was comforting.

"Don't worry, until we find her, I'll be your momma, okay?" She felt the boy nod against her chest. She rocked the boy back and forth, and he fell asleep within seconds. He really was exhausted.

When Itachi returned with the soup, Mikoto waved him away. The boy could sleep now, and eat later. When Sasuke returned with thermometer, she placed it on the night stand. That could wait too.

As she sent the boys to their rooms to let the boy sleep, her eyes fell on the pendant the boy had been found wearing. It was shaped like a spiral, and on the back she just now noticed some tiny, engraved characters... They read "Uzumaki Naruto." Mikoto looked at the boy's sleeping frame. That must be his name. She left the room to go tell her husband of her discovery.

…Make the rain stop…

"The boy's name is Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

Fugaku looked up from where he was sitting at his desk, reading over some documents for work.

His wife held in her hand a small pendant. He nodded. "I'll look to see if I can find any other Uzumaki in the area. The boy was alone on our territory, he can't have gotten too far away from home." He turned to his computer and pulled up the city database, keying in a search for the name Uzumaki.

Mikoto sat on the edge of their bed, anxiously waiting to see if the search came up with anything. She felt bad for the family who was missing the poor little boy, and nearly began to cry when she thought of how she would feel if Sasuke or Itachi were to go missing.

"Funny... No Uzumaki in this city..." Mikoto frowned at this. Fugaku typed away, bringing up a new screen. "Let me check the database for Suna, Oto and Kiri..."

Each search failed to retrieve anyone by the name Uzumaki. Fugaku clicked into the sheriff's department website, pulling up a list of recent Amber Alerts within a thousand mile radius. Mikoto walked to the desk, placing her hands on her husband's shoulders as he scrolled through the list, looking for any missing persons by the name or likeness of Uzumaki Naruto. There were none.

Fugaku leaned back in his chair, wondering what to do. It was as if the child had come from nowhere. "Well, at work tomorrow I'll search the global database for someone that might be related. If nothing come up, we'll file our own missing person report."

Mikoto nodded, thanking her husband, "That sounds like a good idea."

"I'll call the orphanage, see if they can make a spot for him."

At this, Mikoto gasped. "We can't send him to an orphanage," she shouted in outrage. "The poor thing is lost, and confused, and so sad, we can't just cart him off to strange people and leave him there!"

Fugaku shot her a glare. "To him, we are strange people, too," he reminded the distraught woman.

She shook her head, remembering her promise to be the little boy's momma until he found his. "At least here, we will know he is taken care of."

"It's none of our business, love," he insisted, no warmth in his voice, despite his choice of words. He logged off the computer and stood, ready to leave the room.

Mikoto stared at his back, angrily. "I can't believe you. I mean, imagine if something happened to Sasuke. How would you feel knowing someone just stuck him in some cold lonely orphanage with no one to care for him?" Fugaku gave no indication he had heard her, continuing to walk towards the hallway with phone in it.

Getting angrier by the second, Mikoto wrapped her arms around herself, nails digging into soft skin as she followed him to the hallway. "Of course, you probably wouldn't care." Fugaku paused with his hand on the phone. Glad to be getting a reaction out of him, she continued in her assault. "You never did care about Sasuke. I remember you practically begged me to get an abortion."

Fugaku said nothing. His knuckles turned white where they grasped the phone, but he made no move to remove it from its cradle.

"And when he was born how you wouldn't even hold him. They all told me you were heartless, but did I believe them? No-"

Fugaku whirled to face his wife. "I care about Sasuke. I really do, but honestly, Mikoto. We can't handle having another kid around. Both of us are up to our necks between work and the kids, and Itachi's practically raising Sasuke as it is." Mikoto's eyes flooded with tears. "The answer is no Mikoto, and you're not guilt tripping me into letting this Naruto boy stay here the way I let you guilt trip me into keeping Sasuke. That was different because he is my son, but this kid is not my responsibility, nor is he yours, and I suggest you stop acting like he is."

Mikoto stood where she was for a moment, stunned by her husband's cruel words. When she spoke again, all weakness was gone from her voice, and all that was left was a dangerous fury. "Uchiha Fugaku, if you so much as think about picking up that phone, I swear I will leave you in a second, and I'll take the boys with me. All three of them. I'm serious," she added, though her tone made it painfully obvious.

At this Fugaku hesitated. "Why... Why do you feel so drawn to this boy? He's not family, you haven't even met him before today, but still you're so protective of him..."

Mikoto sighed. Sometimes men were just so oblivious. "Because he needs me."

Fugaku turned and stalked off down the hall. "Fine, but don't expect me to help you take care of him."

'Don't worry, I wouldn't expect you to lift a finger,' she thought sarcastically, but merely said, "Thank you," politely as he walked away.

…Make the rain stop…

After Naruto woke up the next morning, Mikoto happily informed him that they had figured out his name, and that they were searching for his family as they spoke. The boy's grin was priceless and made the fight with her husband the night before feel worth it to the raven-haired woman.

The boy's body temperature had returned to normal, he had eaten his fill of Mikoto's home cooking, and finally he was looking healthy and livelier by the minute.

"Sasuke and Itachi are at school right now," she informed him. "I took off of work today to take care of you. You'll be staying here until we find your family."

Wide grin still in place, Naruto replied, "Thank you, onee-san."

Mikoto smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "No problem. You should rest up for now. When the boys get home from school, you can play with them," she added, noting that there hadn't been signs of rain all day.

"Okay." Naruto nodded and lay down as Mikoto left the room. 'Itachi... That was the one who saved me,' he thought, trying to remember his face. He didn't have a clear picture in his head, he had been disoriented that day, but he all too clearly remembered soft, warm hands, and a beautiful, kind voice. Naruto felt his face heat up, turning giddy with excitement at the prospect of thanking his savior.

…Make the rain stop…

"Did you find anything," Mikoto asked her husband almost as soon as he returned home from work.

Fugaku looked thoroughly stumped. "Just one Uzumaki Kushina, but she died eight years ago. Supposedly during childbirth, along with her newborn. His name was Naruto. There wasn't a father's name recorded on the birth certificate, though his death certificate listed a Namikaze Minato. Also dead."

Mikoto looked out the window to where the boys played and Fugaku followed her gaze. Naruto and Sasuke were arguing over a toy, while Itachi watched on, amused. "Well... That can't be right."

"I know, but it's all we have to go on. We filed a missing person report, but until someone steps forward and proves they're a relative, I've filed for us to be the boy's legal guardians."

"Oh, Fugaku, that's so sweet of you," Mikoto cooed, truly thankful towards him. She knew it wouldn't long until the stoic man warmed up to the sunshiny blond.

He sighed, draping an arm over his wife's shoulders. He had a feeling the boy would be with them for a long time to come.

But he was ready.

…Make the rain stop…

I'm steadily making revisions to this story, so if the next few chapters are difficult to read, just hang tight! It will be fixed sooner than you know. :D And I wouldn't mind reviews, even though the story is complete… :3