Chapter one

"You're fired" Those hadn't been the two words that Naruto Uzumaki had wanted to hear the moment he stepped foot inside his boss's office this morning. Naruto had dedicated the last several weeks to working his butt off trying to please his boss and trying to prove his father wrong, that he wasn't some screwed up mental case that wouldn't get anywhere in life. You see, Naruto Uzumaki struggled with Bipolar disorder, he was either super happy or super depressed. Naruto took medication to help his mood swings but they didn't always work and Naruto would be left struggling. Naruto wasn't sure why he had been fired, his boss hadn't even given him a reason, just that he had expected Naruto to be out of the office by the end of the day.

Which is how Naruto found himself sitting at a bar contemplating his options. He knew he would have to tell his father and he was dreading it, Minato didn't think he would ever be able to keep a job as it was. Naruto knew that his father loved him and wanted what was best for him, but sometimes the man didn't want Naruto to live the way that Naruto wanted to and that could be a little hard to handle. Minato didn't really believe that Naruto could live independently away from him, because of the mental illness that Naruto battled day after day, Naruto had always believed that he could but sometimes he had to wonder.

Sighing, Naruto spun his cell phone around in small circles on the counter top, he wasn't quite brave enough to pick up and call his father. He could do without his father's disappointment for a few more minutes. Naruto really wasn't in the mood to hear his father say I told you so. Minato didn't seem to think that Naruto could handle his own mental illness without his parents being around to monitor him 24/7. Naruto was determined to prove him wrong. Just because he was Bipolar it didn't make him any less of a person and it didn't mean that he had to live with his parents the rest of his life. Sure, Naruto was a little behind on his rent because his landlord had raised his rent, yet again. That didn't mean that Naruto couldn't be a successful individual.

Still Naruto sat at the counter staring down at his phone, dreading the call that he was about to make. He knew that his father would be disappointed, like he almost always was anymore. But he supposed his father had the right to be informed about what was going on in Naruto's life. Lately Naruto felt like he was nothing but a disappointment, this had been his third job this year that he had been fired from. His father was still at the same job that he gotten after he had graduated from college. Naruto didn't understand why he couldn't just hold a job down for long, for some reason his boss's found out that he was bipolar and started thinking that he would be a liability to the company had always fired him. Of course they never came out and said it was because of the mental illness, they always had some kind of lame excuse to give him. Except this time, they hadn't given him any kind of explanation, only that they wanted him out of the building by this evening. Naruto always knew somehow though that him losing his job always came down to the mental illness, it always came back to him not taking his medicine because he didn't like the way that it made him feel, he didn't like feeling like a zombie. Even when he was really hyper Naruto always done his best to please his boss, staying after hours without any over time pay so that the boss could go spend his time with his family. Naruto suspected that his latest episode had been the reason he had been fired. Naruto could always get more work done than some of the other employees, and Naruto suspected someone had gotten jealous and had made something up.

Now as Naruto sat there, his hyper activeness sinking slowly into a deep depression he couldn't help but wonder what the use in living was if he was only going to disappoint those whom he cared about.

Suddenly Naruto's phone started buzzing and Naruto knew without looking at the screen, who was calling. The question was why was he calling? Had his father already heard about Naruto losing his job?

"Are you going to answer that?" an irritated voice said from beside him, causing Naruto to look up and notice the black haired young man that was sitting beside him and currently glaring at him. Naruto couldn't help but stare, the raven haired young man had the prettiest pale skin that Naruto had ever seen. It made Naruto wonder if it was as soft as it looked, somehow though he doubted the man would appreciate it if he reached out and started stroking his skin. The man kept glaring at Naruto, making Naruto wince at the hateful glare. The man might have been pretty but he really needed to work on his people skills.

"Hey, loser" the voice growled catching Naruto's attention. "Are you going to answer your phone or am I going to have to break it for you?" Naruto scowled at the man before reaching down and grabbing the phone.

"Hello," Naruto muttered as he accepted the call.

"Are you off your meds again?" his father's angry voice filled his ear making Naruto wince. "I just got a call from your boss telling me that you had been fired for coming in high as a kite."

"I don't like how the pills make me feel" Naruto said softly, feeling like a scolded child instead of the adult that he was. "And I have told you this before."

"If you don't take your medicine, I will no choice but to you institutionalized." Minato said firmly "honestly that's probably the best place for you since you can't seem to be able to hold down a job."

"You have no right to do that." Naruto protested "I'm an adult."

"But you are not taking the necessary medication" Minato pointed out "I won't have my son become a danger to society."

"I've been a danger to anyone, I can take care of myself." Naruto protested.

"Which is why you have been fired from three different jobs in the last year and a half. And you can't even pay your rent on time."

"Is nothing confidential anymore?" Naruto wondered.

"Not for my mentally ill son." Minato said "I have to make sure that you are able to function in society, sometimes I wonder how much longer I can take care of you. You are stressing me out"

"Never mind that it's invading my privacy. I'm sorry I'm such a burden." Naruto said bitterly before hanging the phone up, not caring that the conversation hadn't been finished. He wasn't sure why but he always felt worse about himself right after talking to his father. Feeling eyes on him, Naruto raised his head to find the raven haired beauty looking at him. Smirking, and ignoring the pain in his heart over his father's comments. Naruto raises his glass.

"What do you say to coming back to my apartment and allowing me to service you?" Naruto asks causing the other man to scowl.

"I don't swing that way faggot." The man said "and even if I did I wouldn't date a potential danger to society. I prefer my women to be perfectly sane." the man stated cruelly making the blonde man flinch and back away.

"Clearly the world would be a better place without me." Naruto murmured before standing and grabbing his phone and making his way towards the door. Maybe if the world didn't want him, he wouldn't stick around. His father would only seek to take his freedom because Naruto didn't like taking the pills. They numbed him to everything that went on around him. How could one truly live if they didn't feel? You couldn't, and Naruto couldn't make his father understand that.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, with an idea in mind, Naruto heads toward Konoha Park. There was a pond there with a bridge that over looked it. No one would think to look for his body there. Naruto would prove to his father that he wasn't a danger to anyone but himself.

Naruto reaches the bridge after a ten minute walk from the bar. Walking onto the bridge, Naruto makes his way to the middle where he stops and stares down into the water. He wasn't going to leave a note, why bother when what he was about to do would hurt his father for a long time. Naruto didn't really want to hurt his anyone, he just wanted his own pain to end, he was tired of being a disappointment, he just wanted his struggles to be over. He wanted others to be okay with who he was, he didn't want to have to change himself because they thought that he should. He didn't want people to think that because he had a mental illness he would kill a bunch of people before killing himself. Yes, he had a mental illness that didn't make him a killer. Those whom had never struggled with mental illness would never understand the struggle to fit in, to find acceptance for who they were. Naruto deserved to be loved the same as everyone else.

Placing his hands on the railing, Naruto pulled himself up and over it. The bridge wasn't tall so Naruto knew the fall wouldn't kill him but the water would, Naruto could barely swim as it was, which is why he chose the pond as his final resting place. He could almost taste the freedom from the prison of people's approval. He didn't have to care what others thought about him, he would soon be free from that.

As Naruto prepared to jump he found his mind wandering to the black haired young man that had sat down beside him at the bar. It was a shame that the man hadn't been gay, he might have been able to convince Naruto that this wasn't the right idea. From the looks of the lightly muscled body the man would certainly know how to him a good time.

"May the bastard learn to show some kindness." Naruto murmured as he closed his eyes and jumped. Naruto didn't bother holding his breath, as far as he was concerned he didn't have a use for breathing anymore. As water begins to fill his lungs and his consciousness begins to fade, Naruto wished that he could have done something to make his father proud instead of constantly disappointing him.

~Sasuke~

"Clearly the world would be a better place without me" the blue eyed man muttered, making Sasuke frown. He couldn't help but overhear the phone conversation going on next to him. It was pretty clear that Sasuke wasn't the only one having a rough day. Sasuke listened silently, enjoying his drink. Sasuke had to listen to his brother complain because he'd had to fire one of his best employee's for coming to work high as a kite.

"I never would have thought that of him." Itachi had told him. "No one else works as hard as he did." Sasuke understood perfectly why Itachi had such a problem with drugs and those that used them. Itachi had battled a cocaine addiction for two years before he had overdosed and ended up in the hospital. Once he had recovered he had been forced to go to rehab where he had managed to get clean. Now five years out of rehab, Itachi was still clean and was working for their father in his company. Because of Itachi's battle with drugs, their father had a rule that anyone caught doing drugs would be fired on the spot, same would happen to those that came to work high. This was their father's way of showing support for Itachi's battle to stay sober, Sasuke fully supported the plan as well. He had watched Itachi struggle to get clean and it had hurt him knowing that he couldn't do anything to help.

Sasuke had escaped to the bar as soon as the work day had ended. Listening to both Itachi and their father complain was more than enough for Sasuke to handle. Sasuke had found the first available seat at the bar, which just happened to be next to a miserable looking blonde man. Sasuke had been silently enjoying his drink when the blonde's phone had started vibrating on the counter, distracting Sasuke from enjoying his drink. When the blonde finally answered, Sasuke couldn't help but hear the angry man on the other end, since the man was practically shouting.

Sasuke slyly glanced at the blonde man on the phone, he seemed to wilt with every word the man on the other end said. Sasuke found himself growing annoyed with the man that wasn't even here. Sasuke had no use for someone who put others down just to make themselves feel better.

Once the blonde hung up Sasuke was surprised when the man turned to him. What he said however, pissed Sasuke off and he couldn't stop the sharp reply that escaped his lips. The man's reply surprised Sasuke even more, since he hadn't been expecting something like it.

A foreboding feeling came over Sasuke as he watched the man exit the bar. Unsure of why he even cared, Sasuke paid his bill and made his way out of the bar. He was supposed to meet Itachi for drinks later, but Sasuke had the feeling that something more important was getting ready to happen. Glancing around, Sasuke found the blonde and silently began following him, staying close enough to see the man but far enough away that he couldn't be seen. Sasuke trailed the man all the way to Konoha park where he watched the man head for the bridge. Sasuke watched as the blonde stood there for a minute. Thinking that the man had only gone there for some fresh air, Sasuke started to turn and head back the way he had come. Hearing a splash, Sasuke turned and noticed that the blonde no longer stood on the bridge. Panic filled Sasuke as he looked towards the blonde, he could see bubbles from where the man had hit the water. Frowning, Sasuke started running towards the bridge, once he hit the middle Sasuke pulled himself over the railing and jumped into the pond. Taking a deep breath Sasuke dived under the water and once he found the man, unconscious, Sasuke grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him towards the surface.

Once Sasuke's head was above water, he pulled the other man to the surface and made sure that he was floating while Sasuke gently tugged hims towards the shore. When Sasuke's feet touched dirt, he pulled the unconscious man towards the grass.

Gasping for air, Sasuke pulled the man onto the grass, and knelt down beside him. Placing two fingers on the man's throat, Sasuke felt for a pulse that wasn't there.

"You are not going to do die so easily" Sasuke muttered as he positioned his hands on the man's chest, and began to do chest compression's. The man might have annoyed Sasuke but that didn't mean he was going to sit back and let him die.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke heard his brother's voice call out, and Sasuke ignored him. He didn't have time for his brother right then.

"Oh my god" Itachi muttered as he approached Sasuke and noticed the man whose life Sasuke was trying to save. "This is the man that I had to fire today."

TBC? Thanks for reviewing and reading PS. I am no expert on bipolar Liz