Song: Sum 41- Pieces

Winter turned Konoha into a cold and empty place. The streets looked duller than the grey skies overhead, the tiny golden glimmers of light barely visible through frost coated windows. It thoroughly depressed him. The short, dreary days and long, dark nights put him in an awful mood that no one seemed to cure... Apart from him, of course.

I tried to be perfect...

The cold air played with the thin material of his shirt as he walked, dark eyes turned to the ground. His black hair took amusement in flinging itself about his pale face, but he decided to play ignorant, and walked on with a slow, dragging pace. A few small children were playing football, wrapped in huge coats and pointlessly long scarfs, as their feet crunched upon frozen ground. He allowed himself to reminisce with a sad smile, remembering his afternoons with nii-san...He shook his head angrily at that term. He was not worthy of it. All the days practising and learning together, upholding the family name and 'bonding'. All he had wanted was to be like him, to be the one his father was proud of... He was never perfect enough, though. Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs full of the crisp, cold air and exhaled a long sigh. His warm breath hung like a cloud, hovering before slowly dispersing and drifting away.

I tried to be perfect,

But nothing was worth it...

A ball flew towards him, an accidental kick sending it ten feet in the wrong direction and his hands easily snatched it from the air. He rolled it gently back towards a small boy, who smiled nervously in thanks. It looked like his oversized coat was slowly digesting him and Sasuke smiled in spite of himself before turning away.

"Oi!"

He looked back, curiously, to where a larger boy was standing and pointing at him.

"Wow... It's Uchiha! Look, Gin, that's him."

"Awwwwesome!"

He turned away, onyx eyes rolling at the children. He was used it now. The "last of the famed Uchiha's" and at 18 everyone seemed to expect some sort of miracle from him to revive his clan. A smirk appeared on his thin lips, shoes scuffing the icy ground in his annoyance. He wondered coldly, what would they all do if they found out the truth? Their "perfect" Uchiha: Legendary anbu assassin, killer of his traitorous brother and the man who took down Akatsuki from the inside. That's how he was depicted now: a returned hero and prodigy.

What if they knew? What if they knew I would give it all up...Everything. Right now.

The thought pounded his chest, beating along wildly with his heart. If they knew who he really was, if they saw him as the bitter fool that he knew he was....

Perfection....

What is perfection?

" A lie."

His voice cut through the air, as harsh and as cold as the icicles dangling like innocent daggers from the rooftops.

I tried to be perfect

But nothing was worth it...

I don't believe it makes mereal.

His feet stopped, abruptly. He could see the small orange glow of light, shining through thin curtains and out into the dark. Sasuke paused, his heart beating against his ribcage in a painful rhythm as he raised a pale fist. It hovered over the dark wood door, not daring to knock for fear of the reaction his letter would have received...Fear? No, not fear...Apprehension. Nerves. Excitement. It didn't matter though, the best outcome was almost impossible so he had come prepared for the worst....All he needed was to see his smile and then he would leave, if need be.

The pale hand still hovered, as if frozen there in the cold air. This wasn't as easy as he had thought... The letter had been the easy part. He had written everything down from his feelings to when it had first began and why he had left Konoha...Left for all those years...

He bit his lip, angrily, frowning in determination and knocking a little harder than intended. Dark eyes widened as he heard footsteps approach and a lock slide slowly from its' latch.

I thought it'd be easy,

But no one believes me,

I meant all the things I said...

Blonde hair and blue eyes greeted him as the door swung open. The man stood in a crumpled white T-shirt and baggy jeans, shivering as the cold hit him and began to invade his warm flat. He looked at the skinny man before him, pale skin shining white against the dark.

"Shit, teme...Why aren't you weari-?..Never mind..Quick, come in."

Sasuke smiled awkwardly, moving past Naruto in a graceful step and letting the warmth soak through him. The stark contrast made entering the apartment feel like walking into a sauna. The blonde walked straight past him, picking up a dirty dish on his way to the kitchen in an effort to avoid eye contact with the shivering Uchiha. Anbu uniform...he gulped hard, and began washing the last few plates upon the side as a distraction. His best friend never failed to make an impression on him... Now far taller than Itachi, he was a striking figure of pale skin and lean muscle. Very toned and defined lean muscles, currently encased in tight black material...He rolled his eyes, scolding himself mentally and putting the plates to one side.

Dark eyes watched, anxiously, as his best friend made an unnecessary amount of noise by stacking plates before speaking.

"Um...drink?"

"Sure...Anything strong? I've got to go kill another rich business man in about an hour."

"Nice one, not used to you making jokes... Well, trying to."

"Teme..."

Naruto laughed, warmly, making his heart jump a little in his chest at the sound. He smiled in return, as he moved over to the couch and sat down, hunching himself forward to lean his elbows upon his knees. A vacant look occupied his face, features softening and dark eyes staring into the small fireplace, deep in thought.

Blue eyes watched him, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He was perfect...He had always been perfect in his eyes... Chiselled cheek bones and soft pale lips, paired with such deep, obsidian eyes. Naruto had always envied his slightly feminine looks, and the fact he was now a head taller than him, the bastard. The raven beauty could run half the models in Konoha out of their jobs, if he was interested in that type of thing. Yet he despised his looks, saying he looked too much like Itachi mixed with a depressed ghost...Naruto thought he was an idiot.

Maybe that was why he'd had despised him growing up. He had everything: The looks, attention, popularity and power. But how stupid he was, never seeing past the 'perfect' Sasuke. He smiled, remembering the old days together- the fighting and bitter rivalry...But that was long gone. They were so different now. He grinned, walking over and placing the sake cups down on the table between them.

If you believe it's in my soul

I'd say all the words that I know

"Naruto..."

"I know..."