This was supposed to be a oneshot, with just Naruto's thoughts, but then I started to write Sasuke's and it kinda just spiraled from there. XD


I finally have Sasuke back. He's quiet as ever, but I can tell what he's feeling. He's sorry, really, really sorry. I don't know how many times I have said that it's okay, that no one here blames him anymore, but it's unfixable that he blames himself. I hadn't realized how much our friendship has deteriorated over the years. Some relationships take more time than this to heal.

I am treated as a hero, crowned Hokage by Tsunade, who claims that she is too old for this anyway. I constantly remember the words spoken by Dark Naruto, and I cannot help feeling that they are true. That it is disgusting, how they used to treat me so horribly because I was a Jinchuriki, and they now are so kind to me. Not a single person even apologized for treating me that way. And yet, I still enjoy how well I'm being treated now.

People have gotten over their hatred for Sasuke, not to mention with a lot of help from me. They treat him with silence and uneasy friendships. His cold demeanor isn't exactly helping, although I get the feeling he really doesn't give a fig.

I don't understand why he isn't grateful, why he doesn't try his best to make friends. It's obvious that I don't know everything about the Uchiha. He spent three years with Orochimaru, after all.

A lot of people think that I was crazy for chasing after Sasuke for so long. I suppose it's sort of true – I nearly drove myself insane searching for him, and having him slip away from between my fingers so many times. Our relationship was complicated and I must admit that even I didn't understand it sometimes. But still, even that didn't change the fact that we were best friends. Maybe, if it weren't for his need to kill his brother, or Orochimaru's curse mark, we would have stayed best friends. Become heroes together.

But it did happen, and it left me strong and better.

But it left him more broken than ever.


Review please!