The day was bright and warm. When the sun went down, it got cooler outside. In the woods, it was silent. They were far enough away from the slums that they weren't drowning in the sounds of the city.

Itachi sat under a tree with his brother. They watched the moon and Itachi told Sasuke old fables that have been passed down in their family.

"What happens when we die?" Sasuke asked out of the blue. "I mean, where do we go?"

"Our bodies stay here," Itachi said. "We keep doing what we do. We take care of the forest. Our bodies become plants, flowers..."

"What about the other parts?"

"Our souls move on," Itachi explained. "We go to the afterlife. Our mind's job is done."

"Afterlife? What's that?"

"Enough questions for now." Itachi poked his little brother's forehead. "You'll learn it all on your own. If I tell you everything, you won't find your way. You're only five. For now, talk to plants and trees and animals. Be kind to them. Be kind to everything. Every living creature means something. Learn to value what's around you. Pay attention. Everything is important. You'll understand soon. This will help you prepare for what's to come. Everything is connected."

"I don't like spiders," Sasuke said indignantly.

"But they have such an important job," Itachi told him. "Small as they are, they're not insignificant. You'll understand soon."

"When will I understand?"

"When you grow into your senses. They'll find you."

"Who?" The questions kept coming. Sasuke never understood the way his brother spoke in riddles – always so cryptic. "Spiders?"

"No..." He smiled. "Nevermind, Sasuke."

"Itachi," Sasuke whined.

Itachi shook his head, standing up. "Come, I'll carry you home."

||XxXx||

Sasuke never did find out what it meant to grow into his senses. He never found anything special about himself. He never understood why things were the way they were. He never understood why they had to hide and why they had to be so careful... but even so, he always thought they were safe. One night proved him wrong.

It happened after dark. Sasuke woke up to the sound of shouts and Itachi barged into his room, looking wide-eyed and afraid. He grabbed Sasuke's arm roughly, forcing him to his feet. "Run!" Itachi hissed at his little brother, shoving him out the back door.

Sasuke hesitated, staring up at Itachi with childish confusion. He didn't understand what was happening. He never saw his brother afraid before.

"Run, Sasuke!" Itachi repeated himself. "And don't look back! Never look back!"

"N-no," the child stuttered, not wanting to leave his family behind.

"RUN!" Itachi screamed and the sound scared Sasuke. Itachi never raised his voice.

Still, Sasuke hesitated. He simply watched, perfectly still and too afraid to budge an inch. He watched as men in masks invaded their small, modest home. He watched as they readied tanks of gas. He watched as his parents were forced to inhale poison. He watched as his brother was blinded and shoved to the ground and still, he shouted, "Run, Sasuke, run!" as blood ran down his face. His voice was ragged, pained and completely desperate.

This time, Sasuke listened. He ran to the neighbour's house, only to find that they were already gone. He moved to the next house and the next.

Dead, dead. Everyone was dead and soon they would come for Sasuke.

His heart was beating rapidly in his chest as he tried to escape. He could hear tree branches snapping behind him. They were coming.

He whimpered, running as fast as his little legs could carry him... but it was too late. Sasuke was cut off by a large man in a gas mask. For a long time, he simply stared at Sasuke and Sasuke stared back, worried what would come next.

"Are you going to kill me, too?" he asked softly.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he removed his mask and the face behind it was hardly kind. He was hardened and scarred with grey skin, prominent cheek bones and dark hair. He looked like a dead man walking.

He put a finger to his lips, telling the child to stay quiet. "Tell me your name," he requested.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the child responded in a choked whisper.

"That is the last time you will ever speak it," he commanded. "From now on, never tell a soul your name. If you do, you'll suffer the same fate as your family. Now run far and fast. Hide in the slums and don't leave." Those were his parting words. When he left, Sasuke didn't hesitate to run as fast and far as he could. He neared the city slums, a place he had never frequented – but he heard many rumors and of course the sirens. That meant raids. The sirens were something he would grow accustomed to as the time went on.

||XxXx||

Sasuke spent the following year in the slums. He made friends with other children, but he kept everyone at a distance. In the back of his mind he could still hear the strange man's warning – never tell a soul your name. Sasuke didn't want to suffer. He didn't want to die. He would do anything and everything in his power to survive, no matter how rough things got.

"S, right?" a pink haired girl asked as she sat next to him.

"Yes," he said. He was washing his spare shirt in the river when the girl approached. "Why?"

"Just wondering," the girl shrugged. "I see you around often. I'm Sakura. What's your full name?"

"I don't tell people my full name," Sasuke told her.

"But why?" she asked, confused.

"I don't want anyone to hold that much of me," Sasuke said, sounding wiser than he meant to.

"Oh," Sakura whispered, but that didn't stop her from trying hard to be his friend. Sasuke often brushed her off, but there were times he would allow her to sit in silence with him.

When raids didn't occur, the days were quiet. Sasuke almost enjoyed it, but he still kept on his toes. He remained distant and allowed everyone to think what they wanted. He allowed every aspect of himself to remain ambiguous. All his friends truly knew about him is that his initial was an S. That's all he told them. That's all he could tell them.

||XxXx||

One morning a familiar warning rang throughout the streets –

"Run! They're coming!"

And run he did. He hid behind a trash heap, trying to keep quiet but he didn't dare close his eyes. He inched forward and spotted a blond boy looking frantic. Without a word, Sasuke grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and pulled him close. "Sh!" he hissed, throwing a hand over the other child's mouth.

Together they remained silent.

"Is it over?" the boy asked many long moments later.

A pause. "I'm not sure."

Raids happened frequently. Traffickers would come into the slums to choose lab rats, brothel workers and slaves. So far, Sasuke had been lucky with his escapes but he understood it was inevitable. Someday his luck would run out.

The blond boy stared at him as he remained in thought. "Who are you?" he asked, a strange look on his face.

Before Sasuke could respond, another boy appeared – a shaggy-haired boy with big, brown eyes. "Naruto, there you are!" he exclaimed with relief. "The sweep is over!"

"Kiba!" the boy called Naruto exclaimed in return. "Who did they take? Is Karin okay?"

Kiba looked dejected. "They only took Sakura. She's cute, so she'll fetch a high price."

Sasuke was surprised when he found himself feeling upset, but he didn't let it show. He knew right then that he would miss the talkative girl.

Naruto simply frowned at the news. Kiba offered a piteous smile before running off to tell everyone else. Once he was gone, Naruto glanced at Sasuke. "You know," he started. "You should be especially careful."

"What about you?" Sasuke retorted.

"I'm kinda stupid looking," Naruto admit. "At least, that's what everyone says. Nobody'd ever want to buy me, but you should watch out. You're nice to look at."

Sasuke huffed at that.

"If they want cute girls, you might be next," the blond boy warned.

Sasuke was outraged.

A girl?

"I'm not a –!" he tried, only to be cut off.

Kiba returned with a big grin and declared, "Let's finish hide and seek!"

So they did.

||XxXx||

From then on, Naruto became Sasuke's protector – trying to make sure he didn't suffer the same fate as Sakura. Though the brunet child never asked anything of him, the blond seemed willing to give. Some days, Sasuke was thankful – but on other days he was tired.

After yet another game of hide and seek, Kiba was it and Naruto was the first one he found. Sasuke never played. He just watched everyone else and he watched the drama unfold every time Naruto started complaining.

"God damn!" Naruto exclaimed. "Shit! I lost!"

Sasuke smiled at that. "You're the worst."

"Terrible," Kiba agreed with a laugh.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at them. "Why do I always lose?"

"You're too loud," Sasuke said. "You give yourself away."

Naruto pouted, crossing his arms.

"Don't sulk," Sasuke said without an ounce of sympathy.

Kiba ran off to finish the game and Naruto stood alone with Sasuke.

"I still dunno your name," the blond said.

"I know," Sasuke replied.

"I'm your body guard," Naruto declared, dubbing himself as the brunet's protector. "Don't I at least get to know who it is I'm protecting?"

"No," Sasuke said easily. Without another word, he turned around and walked off.

Naturally, the blond followed. Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but he enjoyed the feeling of being adored. It's something he hadn't felt since being with his family – people he'd never see again... people who were all long gone.

||XxXx||

Eventually, Sasuke's luck did run out, just like he knew it would. He wasn't surprised when it happened. He couldn't even find it in himself to cry. He just gave in.

It happened in broad daylight. There was no raid. It was a one man job – the same man who let Sasuke go on that fateful night. It was almost fitting. You never suspect the one who saves you, after all.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I have no other choice," the man said gruffly.

He was taken to a tall, building just outside of the slums. It had a neon sign that flashed on and off, changing colors. Villa Joy. Something told Sasuke that the name would be deceiving.

Inside, he listened to the man talk to an older woman. "The last Uchiha," is what he said and Sasuke never felt more betrayed. "Just as promised."

The woman bent down and stared at him. "He'll be beautiful when he's older."

With a large sum of money, the man left and Sasuke was once again alone – forced to start over in a new place.

"Come with me," the woman instructed. "This will be your new home. I'm Koharu Utatane... but you can call me Mother."

She led Sasuke to a room full of children, closing the door and leaving him. Inside were a few other children his own age – one he recognized. "Hey," Sakura said, immediately spotting him. Like the other children, she was wearing a silk robe. She was clean and tidy, unlike Sasuke.

'Hi," Sasuke returned.

"Remember me?" she asked and he nodded.

Before Sakura could get out another word, women came into the dank room with rich fabrics in their hands. "Undress and put these on," they requested of him.

Silent and scared, Sasuke did what he was asked. From the corner of Sakura's eye, she watched him peel his dirty clothes away.

"You're a boy," she whispered, wide-eyed and surprised.

"Yeah," Sasuke murmured flatly. Once modest, he asked, "What is this place?"

"A brothel," she answered.

"What's that?"

"People come and spend a night with the person of their choice," Sakura informed him innocently. "But... apparently it isn't as nice as it sounds. Everyone says it's bad."

"Is that what we have to do?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not yet. We're too young. We have to wait until we're fifteen."

"A while away," Sasuke said.

"It's not so bad if you do what you're told," Sakura offered.

Sasuke learned the hard way to obey each order.

||XxXx||

Things seemed okay for once. Sasuke had a beautiful room all to himself. He bathed and ate three meals a day, but then everything changed.

Sasuke was almost twelve when it happened. It was late and Sasuke somehow knew death was close. He felt it for the entire day. Someone was gone. Somebody died – a girl named Amaru. Sasuke didn't know her. They said it was an accident and Sasuke accepted that until something caused him to question it.

He was on his way back from the bathroom when he saw the girl. She stared at him with a dull expression, but it changed when he stared back.

"You see me," she said breathlessly.

"You died," Sasuke accused. For some reason, he wasn't afraid.

"I didn't die," she told him. "I was killed."

"By who?" Sasuke whispered the question. "How?"

"Koharu fed me poison," Amaru answered. "She kills the ones she can't perfect. Be careful."

And then she was gone. Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat before returning to his room. The following day, he told Sakura, who couldn't keep her confused mouth closed. She told on him and when the strange story reached Koharu's ears, she knew what to do.

Sasuke was brought into a room by a man with long, dark hair and given a series of injections. Everything was fuzzy, but he could hear Koharu talking.

"We'll need to cleanse the rooms as soon as the bodies are taken away," she said. "Holy Day, my fat ass. Once a month isn't enough. I know this is a public building, but we can't have a repeat of this."

"Why not just get rid of the boy?"

"He's a rarity," she said fondly. "He'll be worth a lot of money when he becomes a man. I just need to shape him into an obedient boy so he doesn't end up like Amaru."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Punishment," Koharu answered simply. "Do you have children, Orochimaru?"

"A boy," he said.

"Do you punish him?" she asked.

"There's no need to. He's perfect."

"Ha," Koharu laughed bitterly. "I'm sure he wasn't always like that."

"He's what I made him."

"I thought so."

Sasuke closed his fluttery eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. When he woke up, he felt empty – like a piece of him was missing. Faces he should've known were now blank slates and memories he should've remembered were now vague.

When he was returned to his room, Sakura tried to see him but Koharu forbade visitors. Sasuke was yet again alone – always alone.

||XxXx||

Months after the event died down, Sasuke was no longer being watched like a hawk, but he was still being watched. Everyone was being watched. Cameras were installed. Everyone had to be careful, even the more careless staff members.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Sakura asked, nearly pleading for answers.

All Sasuke could give her was a blank stare.