Author's Note: Sixth fic! And yes, it's finally a Naruto one-shot! I've been having a writer's block for that particular anime for an eternity…Of course, it is yaoi (SasuNaru), so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't read. It's in Sasuke's POV, and as a rule of thumb, if "he" or "his" is italicized, it's talking about Naruto. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, then…well, just be glad that I don't own it.

Finally Broken

He had finally done it. After seven long grueling years, he had finally done it.

His former best friend was dead. And he…he was the cause of it.

Yes, it had taken hundreds of thousands of training sessions to build up his body to full potential. Yes, it had taken spending an eternity with that power-hungry, child-molesting Orochimaru to gain the ultimate knowledge of jutsus. Yes, it had taken most of his precious teenage years away from him. But it was worth it.

Or perhaps not. His brain agreed with him…but his heart…it was telling him differently. His body…his entire being…should be leaping for joy right now—if there were any emotions left in his empty soul. It had been his goal to assassinate the blond ever since he was just thirteen. But for some strange reason, it seemed to be doing the opposite.

It just didn't make any sense.

He had to do it. By leaving the boy alive meant still having ties…connections with Konoha. And deep inside, he had to prove to himself that he could actually defeat his ex-best friend. And he did. Now he was superior.

And it wasn't like they were friends anymore. Once he left the village and declared himself a rogue ninja, their bond was broken.

Broken. But that's how his heart felt right when he plunged Chidori in the blond's unguarded chest. That's how his heart felt right after feeling his warm blood flowing thickly down his ash-pale arm.

That's exactly how his heart felt right after the oblivious imbecile professed, "I still love you, bastard," before the light left his angelic blue eyes.

He shook his head and looked down at the still, bloody body of his former friend. No, he was just being silly. Those final words must be playing with his mind. Honestly. He could have never loved the blond. They were old rivals…bitter enemies. They weren't even friends anymore, so it was absurd to think they could've been lovers.

Perhaps his heart was just going through post-traumatic stress. Many people go through that after killing someone. But that didn't seem right. He had probably killed one thousand people by now, and not once did he regret the cold thrill of ending someone's life.

Perhaps his heart was just angry for such a pathetically short fight. Yes, that was it. He had expected a decent battle with the blond. Ever since childhood they were great sparring partners. Their fights lasted an eternity; one always knew how to counter the other's attacks. But so much for expectations. In their final clash, the blond seemed to have lost his fiery spark. It was so…simple to defeat his only equal opponent.

But that still didn't make much sense either. Why would having such a feeble battle affect him this much? It should make him happier—if he could ever experience such a useless emotion—reassuring the fact that indeed he was the best now.

Was it true that the blond really loved him? Or were his final words the ravages of a dying man?

He looked down at the peaceful, but grimy face of his former friend. At first glance, no, it did not make any sense for the boy to love him. He showed no signs that he was even interested in other guys. Chasing around that pink-haired girl all the time made it really seem that he was straight.

But there were also clues that pointed out the blond's true orientation.

Like that one time in the academy, when they kissed mistakenly…now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't even an accident.

And the blond always vied for his attention. Maybe that's why they always competed with each other. Perhaps the idiot thought that if he could beat him in a battle, then he would admire him.

And then, why did he want to go to the ends of the earth to retrieve him from Orochimaru? He first thought it was just because of friendship. But it did seem to make more sense if it was for love.

Then, if the blond really did love him, why didn't he just say so from the very beginning?

Was he afraid of rejection? No, that wasn't right. The blond was a loud-mouth. He never cared what others thought of him.

Maybe the boy didn't even realize he loved him until he left the village. That was a plausible reason. The idiot was oblivious to everything around him, perhaps even to his own emotions.

Then, if it was true that the blond loved him, did he return the emotion? In other words, was it possible that he loved the idiot back? And was it true that the only way he could realize that fact was once the other was dead?

There were so many questions! He put his head in his hands and rubbed his aching temples.

First question, then: Did he love the blond back then?

The query seemed simple enough. At first thought, the answer would be "no." But in reality, it was extremely complicated.

They were only friends. At least, that's what he always thought. He never considered the blond in that way. The idea never even crossed his mind. All he was ever concerned about back then was killing his older brother and avenging his clan.

So, the answer was "no."

Second question: Did he love the blond now?

Now this problem was even more difficult.

"I still love you, bastard." That's what the blond said. Maybe those words finally opened his eyes.

The ache his heart felt right after the punching his fist through the other's chest was so intense. And the way the blond seemed so heartbroken when he confessed those words, it was like he had misfired and hit himself with Chidori instead. Was that pain a sign of regret? Was that pain signifying that wished he never left Konoha in the first place?

Was that pain the sign that he loved the blond?

He kneeled down on the muddy ground and looked down at the blond's face once more. His spiky flaxen hair was the same as before, perhaps a bit longer, but now it was crusted in dry blood. His skin was probably as tan as ever, but it was hard to tell beneath all the huge blood-spattered scrapes. His blue eyes were wide-open and still, yet they looked so sad…so disappointed. He reached out and touched the three whisker-marks on his face. Those stupid, wonderful whisker marks.

And as he did this, his heart felt as though it was ripping into tiny, bite-sized shreds. The realization finally struck him.

He had killed the one person he had loved.

He reached and caressed the blond's bloody locks, and laid his head on his lover's neck. Perhaps he could still be…

But there was no heartbeat.

He lay across the blond's chest like that for what seemed like an eternity. Cold tears were dripping down his nose, but he didn't mind them. It had been forever since he last cried.

Last question, then: Would it have been different if he just stayed in Konoha? Would it have ended happily?

It hurt to think of the possibility. If the blond had begged him to stay in the village, instead of the pink-haired girl, would he have obliged? And if he had stayed, then it was more than likely that they would have realized their love for each other in a more pleasant manner. Perhaps they would've confessed during a late sparring session, or eating ramen at Ichiraku's.

So, yes, it would have been different.

But it was too late now. Sasuke had already done it. After seven long years, he had finally done the inevitable.

Naruto, his best friend and lover, was dead. And he…he was the cause of it.

And now, Sasuke's heart, his soul, his everything…they were finally broken.

— — —

Author's Note: I don't know if I like this one too much. The writing style was interesting, but probably extremely confusing to read (it's probably really hard to tell if "he" was talking about Naruto or Sasuke). And for some reason, I think it's kind of abrupt (like all of a sudden, Sasuke realizes he likes Naruto…which is retarded). And I don't think it's depressing enough. But I'm an idiot, so my views don't count. Anyways, thanks for reading!

Oh, and REVIEWS would be lovely! Please tell me how you thought of it.