So, if you didn't know, I'm really in a depressing mood more often than not lately. So, I finally wrote something a bit darker, a bit more angsty. I hate Sasuke, but this is a take on him that I can actually sort of like. I think it's pretty IC, but it's also a lot of my wishful thinking. Because the Sasuke in the manga right now is just depressing.

I don't think this counts as spoilers anymore, unless you ONLY watch the English anime subs. And then, well, I'm sorry, b/c I can't stand the English eps anymore. Believe it.

Darn it, figures my first pure one-shot is about my least favorite character…and it makes him look good, too. Gosh. Well, Naruto looks good, too, so that's nice. Oh, and it kind of reads like a yaoi, now that I look at it, but I did NOT intend that to happen. So think whatever you want…I don't care. haha.

Enjoy!

~Nicky

I don't own Naruto. Trust me, if I did, the whole Hebi thing would never have happened.

Breaking Bonds

He always knew that they'd come, someday. They'd said so themselves; for some reason, they couldn't leave him alone. They couldn't accept that his only purpose was revenge; nothing else mattered. So they'd follow him until the end of time, calling for him to come back, to reclaim his self.

They were such fools.

But after the first year went by, and they hadn't shown up, he thought that maybe they were farther behind him than he thought; maybe they couldn't chase him, couldn't keep up.

After the second year, he thought that maybe they really weren't so foolish. Perhaps they had given up, and finally left him to his fate. Not that he cared.

But then, one day, as he slept in his room, what'd he thought was a pale new recruit of Orochimaru's opened his door and bound him with ink snakes. And the traitor was clever; he kept his distance, cautious of his powers. And then the boy spoke.

"I want to try protecting the bond with you that he is trying so hard to mend."

And he knew they'd come.

But he didn't have any bonds. He'd broken them that night, long ago. So he broke them once again; he broke the snake-bindings—how foolish, to use serpents against him, the apprentice of the Snake Lord—and he made the explosion. He wasn't sure why; it was unnecessary, and only signaled his location. And it was ridiculous to think that he actually wanted to see them, wanted them to find him.

But they did find him. First the kunoichi, the silly, impulsive, doting little girl with no skill. She reacted first, her anger still ridiculously out of control, and belittled the boy who'd found him, shrieking about some trivial matter. So, he spoke her name, more to announce his presence; he did not like to be ignored. Never to call for her; no, he'd never call to her. Because she didn't matter to him.

And when she turned to him, the surprise in her eyes, something in him moved. Something in his heart twitched, and he ignored it. He had just awoken; his body was most likely still adjusting to wakefulness.

And then…him. That foolish boy. He looked older, taller, and different somehow. But not more powerful, of course; just, different. But something in that boy's eyes…and now his own heart was beating faster, and he assumed that he was just remembering their last battle, and he knew that this time, he'd win.

And he gazed on his old team, his former sensei replaced by another man, and the boy from earlier, with the black hair, cold eyes, and talk of "bonds," had replaced him. How fitting. And yet, he felt a pang in his heart; a stab of what some may call jealousy. He knew better. Because the only emotion he had room to feel was rage, and only towards one man. So he told them so…he told them how foolish their little group was.

And his replacement talked of recovering forgotten bonds, and for a moment, he cracked; something in him faltered, as he remembered…

But he regained himself, and reminded them of his duty, his sole purpose, and only his onetime rival seemed unsurprised. She certainly wasn't…but then, she wasn't there when it happened, when he'd finally severed his bonds. Or so he'd thought. Standing here now, he knew that he needed to do more…

And then his rival did something that he'd never expected…he grew thoughtful. And the bumbling ninja asked him the question, the one he could not answer. So he told his old teammate the same reason that he'd repeated to himself every day since. It was a whim, a silly, boyish though of defiance of his brother's demands. One that had passed.

And they did not believe him, he saw it, so he came down to his old rival, came down next to him. And the boy didn't flinch, didn't move, just stood. She flinched, but she was always weak. Imagine, she had become more emotional than her dead-last teammate. The dobe had changed. But not enough.

So he reminded his once-rival of his own goals, his own drive…his dreams of being Hokage. And he questioned his one-time friend's commitment. And he drew his sword, to prove to his old teammates that he didn't care; to sever their bonds on a whim. And he wasn't sure what he was doing, but he needed to rid himself of this bond. Because he thought it was gone, but the ache in his heart told him otherwise.

And then his onetime teammate, his past friend, his once rival, replied, clearly and without fear.

"Like there's any chance someone, who can't save a friend, could become Hokage. Don't you think, Sasuke."

So Sasuke drew his blade, and moved to strike Naruto. Because, in this moment, Naruto knew what he wanted; how to get it. Naruto was too much like himself, only Naruto's goal was so much purer. And so Sasuke knew he had to destroy this bond, now, before it consumed him. And Sakura shouted out, but she couldn't stop him before and surely she couldn't stop him now.

And then the boy, his replacement, stepped between them, and halted his strike. And suddenly he was reminded of a day on a bridge, with ice mirrors and senbon…

And it was then that he knew that no matter how hard he tried, the bonds would remain, tying him down. So he attacked, his calm exterior hiding the confusion underneath…

…

…

…

And somehow, at the end, Sasuke emerged knowing more about Naruto than ever before, and that Sakura wasn't as weak as he'd imagined, and suddenly the bonds were tighter than ever.

And so Sasuke told them, told them why he needed to sever their bonds, why he was going to Orochimaru. And he prepared to kill them there, once and for all, because he could not escape them if he let them live. And his new instructor stopped him, the foolish but powerful man, who he both loathed and needed.

And so he was forced to leave them alive, leave those bonds still intact, and his last glance was to Naruto, the one who refused to let go, and Sasuke's eyes betrayed his true thoughts, for one moment, before they left.

And somehow Sasuke knew that he was still going to defeat Itachi…but, perhaps, he could retain himself. Perhaps the meddling Orochimaru was really another kind of bond to cast off.

And so, when the time came, he knew that striking Orochimaru down was the only way to seek revenge; the sannin's usefulness expended. And this time, he destroyed the bond for good.

A/N: Well, kind of dark, but hey, I was bored. Not expecting much response on this one, since it's my first one-shot, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Review, if you'd like! Happy week before thanksgiving!

I should be updating HPNDP by the end of the week…if I'm not too lazy…