Despite the ever increasing number of days since their oh-so-public break-up, Sasuke was still struggling indescribably. Naruto leaving him had never been his intention. Their awkward uncomfortable split, which had become public knowledge over night, had divided their college in terms of loyalty. The music academy they both attended was small, made up of about 300 students and all had taken sides- even though Sasuke and Naruto had attempted to dissuade people from doing so; Naruto verbally, expressing his feelings as articulately as possible & Sasuke with cold glares and stern dismissals of those who approached him.
It appeared that the entire student body were hell-bent on disliking Sasuke now. This was entirely true however. Admirers remained due to his good looks and his family name. Sasuke supposed that really it was his own fault that people hated him now. He had publicly degraded one of the most popular boys in attendance at the college.
Sasuke and Naruto had become friends accidently, at high school, in their final year, over Christmas break. Actually, they were never friends. They had been blind-drunk and the only students in the common room. So? They had fucked. Sasuke hated wording it like that but that had been how it happened. Naruto had got up and left afterwards, content to take this as a one time deal. But Sasuke had pursued him with vicious intent, something he had never done before. He hadn't even cared that Naruto saw him as needy, ego deflated and feelings bore.
They had been together just shy of two years when they broke up. Honestly though, Sasuke had been feeling unsettled for several weeks and he and Naruto had been arguing almost constantly since they began their second year at Konoha Academy. Their relationship had taken a turn for the worst due to Sasuke's sudden impatience and his seemingly uncontrollable temper. Naruto had always been slightly submissive, and although Sasuke had teased him about it and many arguments over Naruto's permanent 'uke' status (the blonde had wanted to switch on occasion) Sasuke had loved this side of his nature. Soon, he had taken it too far though. He had hit Naruto several times during arguments in the dorm they shared. He had known it was unacceptable, had apologized afterwards every time and had regretted it, yet continued anyway. Sometimes he felt like he couldn't help it. Wrong as it was, he saw it as the only way to shut the blonde up.
Naruto had never mentioned it to anyone else while they were together. Not to Itachi, Sasuke's older brother whom particularly close to. Nor Kyuubi, his own brother older than him by one year (as was Itachi to Sasuke). Neji and Gaara had not been informed of the sudden violent change in their relationship either, despite the fact that they had been Naruto's best friends for years. They had all been enlightened, however, after the split. All had been horrified and had admonished Sasuke relentlessly for weeks. It wasn't Sasuke or Naruto's mutual friends that Sasuke minded knowing, it was that fact that everyone in their entire college knew what had happened. This was Sasuke's fault. Undeniably so. It was the same event that alerted the world and its wife to their relationships inner workings that led to their breakup.
Sasuke had been unable to deal with Naruto's popularity. As a first year, everyone in their college had known of him and he was especially popular with a group of third years who all showed a large interest in Naruto and his progression in dance. Sasuke was paranoid, and jealous, and on their return to college to begin their second year had been unable to deal with the amount of people Naruto socialised with- people who openly raped him with their eyes. Naruto didn't even seem to mind that people lusted over him. He was a guy and he was hot. Of course he appreciated the ego boost. Naruto. Golden skin, honey blonde hair and unbelievably blue eyes. He sounded, to Sasuke, like a cartoon character, yet every time he saw Naruto, he was reminded of the truth of his beauty.
Their breakup had been difficult; Sasuke had acknowledged this easily, for both of them. Sasuke had retreated in on himself again, returning to his anti-social, apathetic, pre-Naruto state. Naruto had taken it worse. Not only had he jumped into bed with a dozen different me in the months that followed and began staying out every other night, he began to avoid Kyuubi and Itachi: the closest parental figures that he was ever likely to get. Their near abandonment had not been taken lightly- they had staged an intervention at which Naruto's nearest and dearest sang his praises and begged him to be more careful. Sasuke wanted to attend but Itachi had forcefully stopped him, later he apologised of course and had explained the details of the meeting to his younger brother.
Naruto had appeared to have calmed down but in January, five months after their breakup and two week after Christmas break, it became clear that Naruto's behaviour had remained self-destructive but more subtly so. Naruto had developed bulimia and had self-harmed on numerous occasions. Kyuubi had discovered this over New Years it turned out due to his living in closer quarters with Naruto than he did during term time. The redhead's intentions had this time been to sit down with his brother, and talk it out. Naruto had known that Kyuubi had discovered his secrets though and had avoided him completely, going so far as to stay at Gaara's house for a week. Kyuubi had been forced, therefore, into an undesirable course of action. He shouted his brother into submission in the dance studio with enough people present to create a huge amount of fresh drama within the academy.
Sasuke had been present for this "intervention" and had watched, in fascination, as Naruto became equal parts sorrowful and enraged. It was a shock to see the blonde lose control and act so out of character. It had taken three students to pull the brothers apart. In the end, it took another student, Kankuro Suna, to fully calm the young Uzamaki down. He had to restrain the blonde, holding his wrists firmly behind his back and when Naruto finally quietened, whispered loud enough for everyone to here "You're better than this." Almost immediately, in a grand flourish, Naruto twisted out of the boys grip and tackled him to the floor, effectively pinning the brunette to the ground. In a matter of seconds, the boys' lips were in a fierce tangle.
Sasuke hated Kankuro.
