Learn to be Lonely Chapter 1: When September Ends, a naruto fanfic

Title: Learn to be Lonely.
Summary: "There is no worse pain than that of a broken heart," Naruto explained with a vulpine grin. Breaking Sasuke Uchiha's heart should be a piece of cake. Right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but a girl can dream, right?

September

Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last. Wake me up when September ends.

"Watch where you're going, loser!"

Naruto side-stepped the group of students leaving the old library, a scowl set on his face at the insult. He should be used to it by now; all day, every day students would call him names and trip him up in the corridors. It was always much worse at the beginning of the school year; the other students of Konoha High (nicknamed Leaf because of the school emblem - a tree losing its leaves in autumn) were always much less forgiving after six weeks of no bullying. It was as though they felt the need to make up for lost time. It made Naruto feel sick to his stomach. Why him? Why did they choose to target him when he'd done nothing wrong? Nothing he could control anyway.

He hadn't always been considered a loser. Five years ago he'd been something close to popular. With his bright smile and even brighter personality it was hard not to get along with him. Naruto thrived in social situations, he was what most people considered a 'social butterfly'. But then his best friend turned against him, told everyone all his deepest secrets, completely humiliated him, and they were quick to turn against him too.

The old library was usually empty and quiet - that was the reason Naruto had chosen to go there - because most people preferred the newly refurbished library at the other side of school. Naruto pulled a face at the stench of stale books overwhelming his senses and took a seat at the back table. He hoped that Juugo and Suigetsu had forgotten his little prank from the end of last year and wouldn't come looking for him...

As much as Naruto accepted his fate, accepted that he was the loser of the school, he couldn't allow himself to stand by and do nothing in retaliation. Fighting was out of the question - he couldn't risk being kicked out of school so close to the end - so he settled for childish pranks. Even if he got his ass kicked it would be worth it to know he hadn't been a complete push-over.

Naruto looked up as the doors to the library creaked open. His breath caught in his throat. Please don't be Juugo, please don't be Juugo... He released his breath in a sudden whoosh of air and grinned at the sight of his best friend. Shikamaru Nara. Shika had started at Leaf only a couple of years ago and he was one of the few people willing to spend time with him. He found following the crowd too 'troublesome'. In fact, he found most things too troublesome. He was extremely intelligent but extremely lazy. Naruto had met him in Psychology and they had become best friends soon after.

"Naruto," Shikamaru greeted with a nod of his head. A moment later he'd collapsed into the chair next to the blonde boy, burying his head into his arms.

Chuckling at the act of laziness, Naruto prodded the lazy boy on the shoulder. "Shikaaa!" He sing-songed. "Don't fall asleep. You need to help me with the Psychology project, remember?"

"Fuck off. I'm resting my eyes." Was his only response.

There was silence for a while as Naruto lost himself to his thoughts and Shikamaru continued to 'rest his eyes'. Finally the lazy boy spoke again. "Did you hear about Hinata?" He asked carefully. Naruto had always been extremely protective of Hinata. She had stood up for him when the bullying first started, despite being a shy well-mannered girl she was more than able to speak her mind when it came to defending her friends. Hinata had never said a bad word against him and for that Naruto would always be thankful.

Predictably, Naruto's eyes lit up at the name and he shifted his gaze back to Shikamaru. "Nope!" He replied, popping the P loudly with his lips. "What about her?" He asked.

Shikamaru gave a sad smile. "Sasuke Uchiha," he said simply. It was all the explanation required. Sasuke was known for using girls, charming them into bed and then leaving them the moment they dared speak of love.

Naruto laughed loudly, the sound echoing around the abandoned library. It sounded painfully desperate to Shikamaru's ears. When the blonde boy spoke, his voice was firm and he sounded confident. "Hinata wouldn't get involved with that bastard."

Shikamaru replied solemnly, "But she did."

There was a beat of silence and Shikamaru watched the rage that flashed through Naruto's blue eyes. Hate for Sasuke had always been there in the blonde, though Shikamaru didn't know the reason why, and after this revelation that hatred had only intensified. "How did you-"

"Find out? Let's just say Neji wasn't a very happy bunny when he found out. Uchiha has a bruise the size of a small country on his face."

Naruto's lips quirked up into a tiny smile. The thought of Sasuke's flawless face being damaged made him feel a little better. "He deserves a lot worse..." Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement.

"Do you want a game or something?" Shikamaru asked suddenly.

He had noticed the way Naruto's eyes had drifted towards the old chess which was set up at the front of the library. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed Naruto staring at it either but he couldn't figure out why. There was nothing special about the set and Shikamaru could see nothing fascinating about the cheap pieces. Naruto shook his head slowly in reply and tore his gaze away from the badly-crafted wooden pieces. "Oh...I don't play..." Not anymore.

It was a week into the school year before Juugo and Suigetsu finally caught up with Naruto. They had been chasing him all week but the blonde proved to be a hard fish to catch and successfully avoided them by hanging out in all the less popular spots in school. But they had grown wise and followed him from his fourth lesson to the old library at lunch where they cornered him.

"We've been looking for you."

Naruto allowed a sarcastic smile to curve onto his lips. He was scared of what they could do to him but refused to submit to them. "Oh really? How flattering."

Juugo's eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into angry fists and Suigetsu had to hold him back to stop him from punching the smile clean off Naruto's face. Naruto watched the exchange, amused and not even bothering to hide it. "Why you little-"

Naruto interrupted the threat with a chuckle. "I must say your new hair colour is brilliant. Now you're just as blonde as me, blondie!" He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at how well his prank had turned out. Even after six weeks their hair was still a bright shade of yellow, even brighter than Naruto's own hair. Adding yellow dye to the shampoo in the sports showers had been his best idea yet. Maybe now they would stop calling him blondie all the time.

Juugo's face turned the same shade of red his hair had once been. He glared viciously at Naruto. "You'll pay for this, loser." There was a promise to his voice.

Naruto watched the duo leave, exhaling with relief. He had been expecting much worse when they finally caught up with him. A few broken bones at the very least. No, this time he'd gotten off lightly and he couldn't help but be suspicious. Were they planning to catch him with his guard down later on in the year?

"You shouldn't wind them up like that, Naruto. You're making dangerous enemies," A timid voice warned.

"Hinata?" Naruto was surprised to see the violet-eyed girl back in school so soon after what had happened. She looked truly awful. Her dark hair was mussed and the dark circles around her eyes told of many sleepless nights. Naruto felt a pang of sympathy for the girl he considered as close as a sister.

Hinata gave him a gentle, reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hello Naruto."

The urge to hug her went ignored; Naruto felt that if he touched her she would surely break. There had always been something so fragile and delicate about the Hyuuga girl. "Are you..." He trailed off, unsure of how best to phrase the question he wanted to ask. Was she OK? Of course she wasn't.

Hinata, sensing his inner turmoil, answered his half-question to the best of her ability. "I will be." There was no point in lying. Right now she was anything but OK; she was sleep-deprived and heartbroken.

Naruto felt proud. No matter what the bastard had put her through Hinata was still able to see hope for the future. That was where her real strength lay - in understanding and love and hope. "Good. I'm glad." He really was. But that didn't make him any less angry for what Sasuke had done to her.

"You... Shouldn't blame him," Hinata said, faltering slightly in her words as she saw Naruto's face harden. "Please, Naruto, you need to forgive him..." She wasn't just talking about what he'd done to her.

Naruto shook his head, blonde spikes falling into his eyes. "I do blame him. I will always blame him." His blue eyes softened as he gazed at her, taking in her determination and strong will that was once hidden behind stuttered words and pretty blushes. "He used you."

Violet eyes grew sad and distant. Naruto swallowed his guilt. "Yes. He used both of us but..." She stared past him out of the window, watching as a bird made a nest in a nearby tree. "I saw something in him that wasn't..." She frowned, struggling to find the right words. Her eyes returned to meet his. "He's sad, Naruto, so sad. And so lonely."

"That doesn't give him the right!" Naruto snapped. His voice was so loud and filled with anger the bird quickly flew away, leaving a half-built nest behind. "He isn't worthy of your forgiveness..."

"I haven't-" Hinata started to deny.

Naruto interrupted her, voice surprisingly gentle. "But you will. You always do. You wouldn't be Hinata if you didn't."

Hinata stayed silent, not knowing what to else to say. She wasn't the type to hold grudges, she would eventually move on with her life but Naruto... He had held his grudge against Sasuke for so long it was eating away at him, destroying his innocence and corrupting him slowly. Her brow furrowed with worry but at that moment the bell rung, signalling the start of last lesson. Hinata watched sadly as Naruto left the library without another word or a glance back at her.

"Don't you see?" She whispered to the empty space where Naruto once stood. "You're just like him, Naruto. Lonely."

"Waaah! Sasukeeee!"

Naruto tried his best to drown out the noise and focus on studying for the group project he was working on with Shikamaru. They were doing a study which explored the scientific explanation for love and lust and its effects on the human mind and body. Psychology had always been something that interested Naruto - he found it fascinating how easy it was to manipulate the brain into feeling certain emotions.

As the noise continued Naruto found his attention drifting away from the project. He found himself peeping through a gap in the bookshelf, watching as Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm desperately. "I thought you l-loved me!" She wailed, clinging to him like a monkey.

Naruto noticed Shikamaru look up from his book curiously, also listening to the conversation. Sasuke's voice was loud and cruel as he manouvered himself from the pink-haired girl's tenacious grip. "You thought wrong, Haruno. You were nothing more than an easy lay..."

The blonde found himself wincing along with Sakura at the cruel words. It was painful to listen to. Had Hinata gone through the same thing? He closed his eyes, remembering a time when he'd looked at Sasuke with the same adoring eyes.

"Hey, Sasuke? Am I your best friend?"

He had been so innocent and naive to believe that someone like Sasuke liked him. He trusted him, told him everything... Loved him.

"I want to tell you something... Just promise that you won't tell anybody else and you won't hate me for it."

Naruto drew in a deep, shuddering breath as the memories of their friendship flooded through his mind. He had admired Sasuke, saw him as a hero, but then he'd been betrayed in the worst possible way.

"I thought I was your f-friend!"

His eyes opened, hatred reflecting in the blue depths.

"You thought wrong, Uzumaki."

They narrowed towards the Uchiha boy. Years had passed, five long years, and Sasuke never spoke to him again. But Naruto couldn't forget - couldn't forgive him for the betrayal. He never would.

Turning back to his friend, Naruto whispered, "I feel like punching him but I don't want to risk being kicked out of school."

"Emotional pain is much worse than physical pain," Shikamaru pointed out. He waved a hand towards the sobbing pink-haired girl as though to demonstrate his theory.

"I wonder if anyone has ever broken his heart."

Shikamaru replied bitterly, "Does he even have a heart to break?" He'd had a grudge against Sasuke ever since the stoic boy had stolen the affections of Ino Yamanaka - the girl he'd been crushing on ever since he'd arrived at Leaf. Sasuke had no real interest in Ino and one day she would be used like the rest of them. Shikamaru was determined to stop that from happening. He'd tried countless times to make Ino see sense but his words fell on deaf ears. His only real hope was for Sasuke to stop his heart-breaking ways. There wasn't much hope at all.

Blue eyes sparkled mischievously. Naruto ignored Shikamaru's bitter response in favour of putting forth an idea. "Well... If nobody has rejected him before, maybe it's about time they did."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "Just what are you suggesting?" He asked the cunning blonde.

Naruto leant forward and eagerly told him the whole plan.

"How about we run through the plan one last time?" Shikamaru suggested, clapping his hands together.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "It couldn't hurt!"

"Ayame," Shikamaru nodded towards a young brunette woman, caked in make-up who looked uncomfortable in the short black dress she was wearing. "You will approach Uchiha when he enters the cafe and strike up a conversation with him." Ayame nodded her head.

Naruto took over the run-through. "He'll make a move - who wouldn't with you dressed like that? - and you'll turn him down. Got it?" Ayame nodded her head once again, a light blush on her cheeks from the compliment.

Catching sight of Sasuke walking towards the cafe, Shikamaru propped a menu up on the table which concealed him and Naruto from view. "Positions everyone!" He ordered, like a director of a movie.

Ayame quickly stumbled to her feet, staggering clumsily to the door in her heels. Both Naruto and Shikamaru winces as she lost her footing and fell down in front of Sasuke's feet. The dark-haired boy who'd just entered the cafe looked at the girl impassively. Just as he was about to step past her, Ayame squeaked, "G-Good afternoon, Sasuke!"

Shikamaru nudged Naruto's arm to get his attention. "Are you sure this is going to work? She sounds just like Sakura!"

"Shh! She'll be fine. Ayame isn't the sorta girl to whore herself out..."

They watched in silence as the Uchiha made his move and Ayame - "What?" Naruto blurted, struggling to keep his voice down. A few customers looked their way but luckily Sasuke wasn't one of them.

Shikamaru hushed him, a finger raised to his lips but Naruto was unwilling to stay quiet.

"I can't believe this! She's leaving with him!"

"I guess the plan failed then..."

"Yeah..." Naruto sighed, placing a cheek in his hand as he watched the pair walk out of the cafe, holding hands.

Shikamaru stood up from the table and extended a hand for Naruto who used it to pull himself up. "Well I guess this is why they say if you want something done you should do it yourself."

Naruto blinked and a grin spread across his face. "Maybe I should!"

For a long moment, Shikamaru stared at him. He half-expected Naruto to start laughing or claim it was a joke but the blonde simply stared back at him. "Are you being serious?" He asked.

"Well... Why not?" Naruto challenged. "I'm a Psychology student! I know much more about seduction and manipulating emotions than any girl."

Shikamaru snorted. "Sasuke Uchiha isn't gay." His brows furrowed as he added, "Naruto... You're not gay!"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "So? It's not like I seriously plan to date him. I just want him to know how it feels to not get his own way for once."

"But why go through all the effort of breaking his heart? Surely there's another way for you to get revenge..."

"It's like you said. Emotional pain is much worse than physical pain and there's no worse emotional pain than that of a broken heart."

"You're failing, Naruto."

Naruto stared at the grey-haired teacher in complete shock. "How can I be failing?" He wailed. "I tried so hard on that last test. Believe it!"

"Well... You're not exactly the smartest student-"

"Hey!"

"-and I think it would be beneficial for you to have some extra support."

A frown tugged the corners of Naruto's lips downwards. "You mean like a tutor?" He asked uncertainly.

Kakashi grinned widely, eyes wrinkling at the corners, and nodded his head. "Exactly like that!" He agreed. "However since the school can't afford to fund tutorts you'll be getting help from a fellow student."

Naruto chewed lightly on his bottom lip. No student would be happy about spending time with him. "Do I have a choice?" He asked meekly.

Kakashi's grin seemed to widen as he replied, "No." Naruto rolled his blue eyes and turned to leave the room. Kakashi chuckled at how eager the blonde was to leave. "The next test will decide your overall grade. You need a B or above to pass."

Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he left the room. He could barely scrape a C grade on a good day so how on Earth was he supposed to get a B or above? He felt like he might faint.

Shikamaru wasn't sure how he'd been dragged into Naruto's plans again. The blonde had dragged him to the old library from the lunch hall, leaving behind the sandwich he'd yet to even take a bite out of... And for what?

Naruto waved a gay magazine in front of his eyes. "We're putting this on the table over there and then waiting for Sasuke to come along and read it!" He announced happily.

"What is wrong with you?" Shikamaru asked, pointedly averting his eyes away from the naked men on the cover of the magazine. "How did you even get that?"

Naruto gave him a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his neck. "I... Uh... I bought it but that's not the point!" He replied, an embarrassed blush spreading across his tan cheeks. "Uchiha will be here any minute and when he sees this we'll be watching behind those shelves for his reaction."

Shikamaru looked at his friend blankly. "Remind me why we're doing this again?"

Naruto gave an exasperated sigh. "Because we need to see if Sasuke is attracted to men or not, that's why!" He marched towards the empty table, placed the magazine in clear view before returning to Shikamaru, dragging him by the arm to their hiding place behind the shelves.

"How will we be able to tell?"

"Pupil dilation, heavier or uneven breathing and other - uh - more obvious signs of arousal." Blue eyes lit up as he saw Sasuke entering through the library doors. "He's here!" He announced, nudging Shikamaru's arm a little harder than necessary.

Shikamaru grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his arm and peering out through the gap in the books. "He's looking at it..." He whispered back. He stared, shocked as Sasuke stared at the magazine, flicking through the pages boredly. Shikamaru had no idea how he could act so casual while looking at porn in school.

"Can you see if his pupils are dilated?" Naruto whispered, squinting his eyes at the raven-haired boy.

A snort left Shikamaru's lips. "It hardly matters..." When he received nothing but a quizzical stare from the blonde, he motioned for the other boy to look down. "I think we've already got our answer."

Naruto looked away from Sasuke's crotch and a vulpine grin appeared on his face. "So the plan might actually work?" Shikamaru wasn't sure whether to be amused or scared by the look of excitement on his friend's face.

"I doubt it."

"How come?"

Shikamaru pursed his lips. "Don't take this the wrong way but you're not exactly liked by many people." He tried not to feel guilty as he saw the blonde wince. "So why would he be interested in you?"

Naruto knew it was a reasonable question but he didn't have an answer to give. He tapped a finger against his lips and watched the pale-skinned beauty from across the room. If he could find a way to become his friend, the rest would fall into place but he had nothing in common with Sasuke. Nothing at all.

The plan was put on hold once again.

"Uzumaki..."

"Gaara! Where've you been?" Naruto babbled excitedly. He latched onto his long-time friend in an awkward half-hug, half-tackle.

The red-head didn't return the hug but he didn't pull away from it either. He patted the blonde once on the back to show he accepted the gesture. Showing emotions wasn't a strong point for Gaara. Glaring viciously and emitting a murderous aura, on the other hand, was. "Temari has travelled to Konoha to visit my brother and I."

Naruto had only met Temari once. She was quite possibly the toughest girl in the world. Well, maybe not as tough as Sakura. "Well... That's good news. Right?"

Gaara stared at Naruto before replying, "Not really."

Naruto's smile didn't waver. He was used to Gaara's cold demeanour, even around those he considered close friends like Naruto. "I was thinking that you should buy me ramen to make up for ditching on the group project!"

"...Sure."

The smile that was curved onto Naruto's lips grew even wider. Gaara had been his best friend long before Shikamaru had moved to Leaf. He knew everything about the Sasuke situation and he hated the Uchiha with almost as much passion as Naruto did himself.

"Sakura..."

"I don't want to!"

"...Saku-"

"I refuse!"

Kakashi stayed silent for a long moment. He couldn't force the girl to tutor Naruto but she was the best person for the job; Naruto needed someone who could motivate him and who better than Sakura Haruno? "He really does need your help, Sakura... Just think about it, OK?" He turned away to stack some papers on his desk, a pleased smile forming on his lips as he noticed the girl had yet to leave.

Sakura chewed lightly on her bottom lip. "I don't want people to know that I'm tutoring the demon..."

Kakashi frowned a bit. "It isn't fair to call Naruto by that name..."

Sakura dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "But I don't want him to fail. He doesn't deserve that. So if I agree to help him can it be kept a secret?" She asked, green eyes looking up at Kakashi imploringly.

The teacher hesitated. It would be good for Naruto to have a few more friends besides Shikamaru and Gaara but it seemed that nobody was willing to go near him because of the stories they'd heard. No... Not stories - facts, he corrected himself. But still, it was such a shame that somebody as outgoing and sociable as Naruto was left alone for reasons he couldn't control.

"Well?" Sakura pressed, unknowingly interrupting Kakashi's trail of thought.

He nodded once, resigned. "Fine. I trust you can arrange times to meet with him?"

Sakura smiled brightly, green eyes sparkling. "I'll talk to him at the end of the day!"

"Ow!" Naruto whined, yanking his arm back and rubbing at the red marks Sakura's fingers had left behind. His eyes gazed around their surroundings and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Um... Sakura? Why are we in a supply closet?" He asked nervously.

Sakura's jade green eyes promised death, making him gulp and utter a quick prayer under his breath. "Shut up! I don't want people to see me talking to you!" Naruto tried not to be offended by the way she referred to him with such disgust, as though he was something nasty she'd found on the bottom of her shoe and not another human being. He waited patiently for her to explain. "Kakashi told me you need a tutor," she whispered, listening carefully to make sure nobody was outside the closet door.

Naruto couldn't help but look surprised. "You? Why would you agree to tutor me?" He wondered out loud, forgetting to keep the volume down.

Once again he was subjected to Sakura's death glare and whacked over the head with the back of her hand. Naruto absent-minedly decided he was right about Sakura being tougher than Temari - the girl had super-human strength! "I... I just thought it would look good on my record."

"Right..." Naruto said, clearly not believing her.

Sakura scowled at him. "I'm not doing this because I want to, demon. When can we meet up?"

Naruto ended up meeting with Sakura most days after school. Neither of them were busy and Naruto had no parents to give him grief for staying out too late. Over the space of two weeks they formed a friendship of sorts. It wasn't perfect; Naruto was still an idiot in Sakura's eyes but she didn't call him a demon again. Gradually, even her hits became less painful. Either Naruto was growing a resistance to her strength or she subconsciously didn't want to hurt him.

At school they didn't acknowledge each other but outside of school they chatted like old friends. "Hey, Sakura?" Naruto asked, slurping his chocolate milkshake. They were at Sakura's house, studying once again.

The pink-haired girl stopped mid-explanation and huffed as she realised Naruto hadn't been paying any attention. "What?" She snapped.

Naruto stirred the straw in his drink absent-mindedly. "I was wondering about you and Sasuke... What exactly happened?"

Sakura opened her mouth and Naruto waited for a shout or an insult but instead she simply sighed softly. "I still love him... But he doesn't care about anyone else but himself. I changed myself so much so I could be good enough for him and yet nothing mattered in his eyes. Ino told me he liked girls with long hair so I grew my hair the longest, wore the shortest skirts and lost all respect in myself trying to get him to respect me!"

Naruto listened to her, blue eyes filled with sympathy as a few tears slid down her cheeks. He didn't want to over-step his boundaries by reaching over to brush them away so he just waited for her to continue talking.

"I realised... Not long ago... That if I had no respect for myself, how could I expect someone else to respect me?" She scoffed, turning her head away to hide the silvery tears from her one-person audience. "Why am I telling you this? People like you don't love."

He opened his mouth to say otherwise but the words caught in his throat. Instead he looked down at the text book. "So how do you do this?" He asked, despite already knowing the answer. He wanted to distract her.

It worked.

Sakura sniffled and glanced down at the question. "Idiot," she muttered but the name held affection rather than spite. Her tears dried up as she began explaining. Naruto smiled knowingly at her when her back was turned.

It was through pure luck that Naruto found the answer he'd been looking for. It was almost the end of September and both Shikamaru and Gaara had disappeared for the day. With no friends for back-up, Naruto decided to avoid the canteen and instead headed for the old library which was quickly turning into one of his favourite places. With all the cold weather, his normal spot on the school roof had been avoided.

Entering the library, Naruto was surprised to find Sasuke Uchiha sat in front of the chess set, moving the pieces with a serene expression on his face. It didn't take a genius to work out that he was familiar with the game. Who'd have thought the most popular boy in school was secretly a chess geek? An amused smile played on his lips at the thought and he stepped forward.

The creak of the floorboard was loud in the otherwise silent room and Sasuke jumped, dark eyes looking about him wildly. Onyx eyes landed on Naruto and neither boy spoke for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Naruto broke the silence. "So... Chess, huh?" It felt strange to be talking directly to Sasuke after five years of avoiding him. But at the same time it felt familiar.

Sasuke dropped the piece he was holding. It bounced off the edge of the board and rolled under the table. His eyes followed the movement before returning to the blonde in front of him, eyeing him warily. Why was Naruto talking to him now? He had made it clear how much he hated Sasuke after what happened... "You wont tell anybody-" He started.

Amused, Naruto interrupted, "I might."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and repeated his earlier words in a firm tone which left no room for argument. "You won't tell anybody about this." He turned to leave, his mood turning sour. Naruto's next words made him hesitate in the doorway.

"I like chess too, y'know, teme!"

"Nobody cares what you like or dislike... Dobe."

Naruto watched him leave. After a moment he reached down to pick up the fallen chess piece. It was a pawn. His thumb stroked over the rough wood absent-mindedly. Maybe now that he knew one of Sasuke's interests he could use it as an excuse to get close to him.

His fingers closed around the pawn and a smile spread across his whiskered face. "I can't wait for you to feel the pain you cause, teme..."

end chapter 1

A/N: OK, this is my third attempt at writing this story but you know what they say about the third time being lucky. I looked through all of my reviews and took note of what you guys considered to be 'problem areas'. I sat down for days and slowly started to fill in all the holes in the plot until it eventually turned into a completely different story. I was going to wait until I'd completely finished writing the story before publishing this but I decided that the people reading this story deserved something. I don't know when I'll next update but I do know that, as of now, LTBL is no longer discontinued.

Q. Why does Naruto come up with the plan?
A. He wants revenge. The Naruto in this story can hold a grudge for a long time. I tried for a long time to come up with something more logical for why he would come up with the plan or go along with it but in the end I realised that for this plot to work - Naruto will always have to be a little OOC. There isn't a logical reason for why you'd want to break someone's heart - Naruto isn't thinking logically.