Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from this fanfic.

Warnings: No real warnings apply for this chapter.

Well, I guess this couldn't be classified as a speedy update, but at least it's still the same year right? That has to count for something… Anyways, I ended up taking a bit of a different approach to this chapter than the others and actually really liked how it turned out, hopefully you all do to!


~Goodbye~

Hello, my name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't know if you are aware of this, but you have been following me ever since I returned to Konoha…now, I'm not gonna lie, for a while it was really creepy. I mean every time I turned around you were there. But, once you made it apparent you weren't going anywhere anytime soon, I got used to it. I can't really say I blame you though; my life is one giant ball of crazy isn't it? Up to this point, you have watched me struggle to come to grips with the fact that I still love the boy I fell for in high school, struggle with the fact that I may lose him all over again, and struggle with how I am supposed to get him back. The struggle is real! (Sigh)

What? Don't look at me like that; I know exactly what you are thinking.

"Sasuke stop your bitching! You caused your own problems by leaving all those years ago." That was me impersonating you…in case you didn't catch that. I'll have you know that I am fully aware of this fact. But here's the thing…you don't know the whole story. You don't know why I left, or what circumstances led me to make that decision. It's really easy to judge someone when you only see the situation from the outside.

I realize that it's not your fault you don't know my past…after all, you only became a stalker a little while ago. So I guess this is the part where I tell you to sit down and hold on for dear life because it's gonna be a bumpy ride.


Flashback Sequence Activated!

(Cue Twilight Zone Theme)


All right everyone; take a good hard look at that building over there. Looks like a pretty typical high school right: a boring ass white exterior with a shit ton of windows that every delinquent or misfit student sits staring out of the entire class period, right? Well, it looks typical, because it is. There is absolutely nothing spectacular or special about Konoha High. The education is mediocre at best and the students are all average Johns and Janes.

Well, at least most of them are. I guess thinking back there were a few people who stood out among the rest. I happened to have been one of them. Not meaning to toot my own horn, but I was a rather popular guy in high school. I never had any shortage of girls chasing me and guys wanting to hang out with me. Even the teachers all liked me, because of my outstanding grades and participation in class. Yep, you could say I had all my bases covered. I was good looking, smart, charismatic, and labeled as a cool guy.

There was also the ever popular Ino Yamanaka, who was captain of the cheerleading squad, and Kiba Inuzuka who was the quarterback on their football team. Naturally, these two did try dating for a while, but quickly figured out it wasn't going to work. The student council president, Sakura Haruno and vice president Neji Hyuga were always surrounded by people, and were well respected throughout the school.

Then, of course, there was my loud-mouthed, slightly rebellious, blonde idiot of a best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. He was labeled as a troublemaker, but even so, people gravitated towards him on sheer instinct. I always figured it was because he never put on any facades. Regardless of the situation, he was always completely genuine; a rare breed indeed. Plus, it didn't hurt that he was extremely good looking as well. He and I had known each other for more years than I could count, and regardless of the night and day differences between us, somehow we managed to function as friends.

It wasn't until the third quarter in our sophomore year that things began to change. Naruto had somehow managed to convince the student body president that he was boyfriend material and had been officially dating Sakura for a couple of months. Because of this, you can imagine how shocked I was when Naruto told me he was gay. About a week after telling me this, Naruto broke up with Sakura by explaining the situation. Surprisingly, Sakura was very mature about the whole ordeal, and as time went on, she became one of Naruto's closest friends. A few months later, Naruto got his first boyfriend…I'm sure you all remember how I handled that particular situation. That was the first time that I had started to look at my best friend in another way. Suddenly, I wanted more out of our relationship, and I was jealous that Sai got that something extra and I didn't. Long story short, I always came out on top…regardless of the situation, I always got what I wanted. So it was no surprise that in the end, I got the boy. Naruto broke up with Sai, and I quickly took the bastard's place our junior year. Our relationship was no secret, and in time most of our classmates got used to seeing us together as a couple. Sure there were a few people who never ceased their obnoxious, homophobic comments, but after suffering a few bloodied lips and black eyes courtesy of Naruto, they quickly took the hint and kept their comments to themselves…and occasionally Facebook, but what can you do? My point is, we were gay, we were open, and we were happy. I was happier than I had been in a long time…and for some reason that scared me a little.

That was junior year in a nutshell, now we can move on to what I actually brought you here to see: Senior year. So get comfortable, put your feet up, grab some popcorn, and get ready to dive even further into my maze of a life.


"Sasuke, is there a reason why you didn't fill out your career survey?" Mr. Umino placed the blank survey in front of Sasuke across the desk. Sasuke glanced at it with about as much enthusiasm as he would watching grass grow.

"There isn't any point, I already know what I'm going to do after I graduate." Honestly, he hadn't really been given a choice in the matter. His father, Fugaku Uchiha, was the CEO of a very prominent business. He had poured more money, blood, sweat, and tears into that company than either of his children or his wife combined. His greatest wish was for the company to stay within the family. Unfortunately for him, his heir and Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, didn't want anything to do with the company. Itachi had different ideas on how he was to live his life, and had subsequently left for Europe the year before. Naturally, Fugaku then turned to his youngest to take his place as CEO one day. He would remind Sasuke of this fact daily, and had apparently already set up not only an internship, but also a guaranteed paid position upon the internship's completion for Sasuke, that was to start immediately once he graduated. So you see? Sasuke had no use for a career survey when his entire future had already been planned out for him.

"You may know what you want to do now, but what about five years down the road? Your plans may change, you never know." Mr. Umino picked up the survey and held it out in front of him. Sasuke looked at it for a moment, but finally with a resigned sigh, he took the paper from the guidance counselor's hand and turned to leave, only to stop when Mr. Umino began talking again.

"Not very many people get to do what they love for a living Sasuke; don't squander any opportunities that might allow you to do that." Sasuke didn't respond, and continued his way out the door. He made his way to his locker to pick up his belongings so he could start the long trek home. He jammed his massive calculus and chemistry textbooks into his book bag; exams were coming up and he needed to study. Sasuke rounded the corner towards the courtyard and came face to face with the bluest pair of eyes he had ever seen. A warm pair of lips latched onto his for a chaste kiss before pulling back into a mischievous grin.

"Hey there gorgeous, what took you so long?" Naruto took his place beside Sasuke as they both began walking.

"Hey yourself, I was talking with a teacher, sorry I made you wait." Sasuke slung his book bag over his shoulder before taking Naruto's hand in his. It amazed him how natural being with his best friend turned out to be. At first, he had been a bit hesitant about going public with their relationship. Which was understandable, after all he had been "straight" up until Sai had shown up. But as they both got more comfortable with their new found rolls, and Naruto's unwavering patience and support, he found himself not caring what people thought as long as they both were happy…which is how things ought to be in a relationship…right?

It was about a mile from school to Naruto's house; Jiraiya worked the graveyard shift at his job and didn't get home till three in the morning, so they tended to spend their evenings there doing homework and…other stuff, before Naruto, gentleman that he was, would walk Sasuke home.

There wasn't much Naruto hated more than studying for exams. In fact, just getting him to focus on one subject was nearly impossible. Anything and everything was a distraction. One mustn't study on an empty stomach, let's spend a good half hour making a snack…Oh look, the clock is a whole minute off, it must need a new battery, let's get one now…Sasuke I've talked with Shikamaru and he swears that the secret to successful studying is the environment you choose to do it in, let's Feng Shui the living room!

"Naruto, if we don't start now, we won't have enough time to get everything done tonight." Sasuke reasoned. Naruto slumped down into the sofa, pulling a pillow over his face.

"You're taking this study thing way to seriously Sasuke; exams aren't for two whole weeks yet."

"Yes, well unlike Shikamaru, I cannot spend all night studying the night before and still get straight A's on everything…and you are not the one taking AP Calculus here." A noncommittal grunt was all he got in response. With a heavy sigh, he started packing up his computer.

"Look, if you aren't going to study with me, then I'll get more done at home." Immediately, as Sasuke tried to sit up, a pair of arms encircled his waist and pulled him back down. Naruto's lips found purchase on the juncture between Sasuke's shoulder and neck and began trailing upwards. Wondering hands caressed and teased the firm chest and stomach underneath them. Naruto gently ran his teeth over Sasuke's jaw.

"How about you entertain me first, then after I promise to behave and help you study to your hearts content?" He purred. Sasuke was having a hard time coming up with a reason to refuse such a tempting offer. His body was already betraying his brain's better judgment as he struggled to hold in a groan of pleasure. As soon as those ridiculously seductive lips touched his own and a searching tongue slipped into his mouth, his thoughts became mush…

A^2 + B^2 = something else ^2, Sign, Co-sign, and Tangent have something to do with triangles. Columbus sailed the ocean blue a long fucking time ago. What goes up must…come…down. Way down! That's definitely hitting below the belt! All the blood had left Sasuke's brain and was currently supplying Sasuke Jr. with ample amounts. Alright Naruto, you win, studying will have to wait.

Needless to say, they didn't get any studying done that night. They laid on the bed, thoroughly sated and exhausted. Naruto lounged on his side, head propped up by his hand. Sasuke faced him, admiring the bronze, slightly damp skin of Naruto's toned torso and thighs. He reached a hand out, and ran his pale fingers up and over his lover. Naruto caught the pale digits and kissed them sweetly before keeping hold of Sasuke's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"So what did Mr. Umino want with you today?" Naruto asked curiously. Sasuke sighed and flipped over on his back.

"I didn't complete my career survey, he was wondering why." Sasuke answered simply. Naruto raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Why didn't you complete it?" He asked.

"What's the point? My father has my whole career planned out for me." Sasuke laughed bitterly. He watched as Naruto's golden eyebrows dive into a frown.

"Ok, so that's what your father wants for your future…but what do you want for your future." Naruto questioned. Sasuke shook his head. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. Naruto wouldn't understand how much pressure he was under from his dad to take over the company. His brother had already disappointed their father; it was his obligation to do as his father wished. He was the only one left who could at this point.

"I don't know what I want Naruto. I just want to get these stupid exams over with and graduate already." Which was true, he was tired of high school. What he really needed was a change. He wasn't exactly certain want needed to change…only that something needed to. Naruto laughed lightly.

"I hear ya! Don't worry Sasuke; you're one of the smartest people I know. Regardless of what your father says, I know you would be capable of doing just about anything." He placed an affectionate kiss on Sasuke's lips.

"What about you Naruto? What did you write on your career survey?" Sasuke asked, curious to see what ambitions his boyfriend had. They had never really talked about "the future" or anything like that. Naruto had always been a "go-with-the-flow" kind of guy, so it had never really come up.

"Well aside from my dreams of one day being the prime minister of Japan, I hope to be a successful artist someday." Sasuke let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah, okay and what are you going to do for income?" He inquired. Completely serious, Naruto smiled.

"I never said I wanted to be rich. It's my passion; I would rather be a poor artist doing something I love, than a miserable millionaire stuck in a job that I hate." The logical part of Sasuke's brain said that sounded absurd, but at the same time, he felt envious that Naruto had the luxury to think that way.


Sasuke loved weekends! He loved waking up naturally whenever he felt like it, and then realizing he didn't need to go to school! He stretched lazily, moving his head out of the direct path of the sun that shined through his window. He got up and threw on some pants and a t-shirt and went to get some breakfast. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air as he descended the stairs to the kitchen. There he was met by his father who was typing on his laptop already and drinking a cup of coffee. As soon as Sasuke sat down with his bowl of Captain Crunch, his father turned to look at him.

"Got any plans for this evening?" He asked nonchalantly. Sasuke had planned on spending this weekend like most of his other weekends: with Naruto, but he couldn't really tell his father that. He had come out to most of the world…just not his immediate family. To his parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles, Naruto was just a good friend.

"Not really, why?" He replied.

"Your mother and I are having company over for dinner and I would like you to be present." Fugaku stated. Sasuke obediently agreed to be back strictly at 5:30 for dinner. That still gave him the rest of the day to spend with Naruto.

Normally, they would go out and do something over the weekend, maybe see a movie or hang with their friends at the park, but not always. Sometimes they preferred to stay at home and not do much of anything. They would play video games and eat pizza or find something else to entertain themselves. Today was one of those days, but played games nearly all day, simply because they could, right up until Sasuke needed to leave.

He arrived home promptly on time and immediately went upstairs to get ready for what he knew would be a rather formal dinner. When he was ready, in his black dress slacks, short sleeved black dress shirt, and dark red tie, he met his mother and father in the foyer and awaited the arrival of their esteemed guests. Sasuke's father had not told him who they were hosting, but he could guess their importance simply by the fact that his mother had broken out the good china and the most expensive bottle of scotch they owned.

In typical motherly fashion, Mikoto wet her fingers with saliva and attempted to sooth a few stray hairs on her son's head. Slightly annoyed, Sasuke pushed her hand and glared at her when she laughed at his reaction. Fugaku impatiently checked his watch, and as if on cue, the doorbell rang signaling to all that their company had indeed arrived.

Sasuke was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Something or other, and their daughter what's-her-face. He wasn't nearly interested enough to remember their names. Apparently, the man was also a prominent business owner, and this dinner was set up to discuss a possible merge between their two companies. Sasuke sat in polite silence and listened to their discussion with unhearing ears. He engaged their company in conversation only when they asked him questions…which happened a lot as the evening went on. He found it odd that most of their questions had a personal aspect to them. What were his future goals and aspirations? How were his grades? Did he get along well with children? Questions like that. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. That was until his father suggested that he take their guest's daughter on a tour of the house and his mother's garden. She was relatively pleasant to be around he supposed. She was quite the chatter box which meant little to no effort was needed on his part for conversation. She seemed quite interested in everything Uchiha.

"So, how many summer homes does your family own?" She questioned while examining Mikoto's hydrangeas.

"We have four; one on the coast, one in the Mist Nation, and two in the Lightning Nation."

"How splendid, I've always wanted to travel up north! Where does your family generally spend holidays?" She had moved onto the Lilacs now.

"At my grandfather's manor in Iwa City. Why all the interest in our family affairs?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Well, If I'm to be an Uchiha someday it's only natural I should know who they are." Sasuke stiffened at the unexpected answer.

"What do you mean by 'if you are to be an Uchiha'?"

"Didn't you know? Daddy says that I am to be your bride once we have graduated! Isn't it wonderful? We are going to be so happy!" Sasuke didn't even know how to respond to this newfound information. He felt shocked, enraged, depressed, and numb all at the same time. He excused himself from the tour to go to the bathroom where he submerged his face in cold water a few times. Of course his father had planned something like this for him. It wasn't enough that his future career had been decided for him, now who he spent his future with had decided for him as well. Did no one care about what he wanted?


Two weeks had come and gone in a flash, and Sasuke had not confronted his father about the arrangement. What good would that do anyways? Sasuke already knew the answer, talking to a brick wall would yield better results. His life felt like a ticking time bomb about to go off. At first he had been excited about graduating and couldn't wait to be done with high school, now he wished it would never come.

He sat in the computer lab finishing up a programming assignment as his mind tortured him with all the thoughts spinning wildly around within it. Naruto had trigonometry this period, but they would meet up for lunch on the roof after the bell rang.

Mr. Hatake, the tech teacher took a seat beside Sasuke to overlook his work.

"This is fantastic Sasuke! You have a real gift for this kind of thing. Heck, you could make a real solid career out of something like this if you wanted to." Without another word, Mr. Hatake briefly looked over the two other student's work in the room and then went back to his desk to read his porn...er, uh…literature.


That night, his professor's words stuck with him, and he found himself reading over that damn career survey again and again. Sasuke nearly screamed he was so frustrated and upset by the whole situation. He grabbed his phone ready to call Naruto, but something stopped him. Was there any point in dragging him further into the soap opera his life had become? Would it only hurt him further to stay by Sasuke's side? He wasn't sure where this train of thought had come from…maybe the hopelessness of the situation, or maybe reality was finally breaking through the cloud of intoxicating, delusional happiness his relationship with the blond had created. His first instinct was always run to Naruto. Naruto would fix it. Naruto would make everything better. He wanted to take the blonde and run. Where, he didn't know, just that he needed to go…somewhere far away where his father couldn't force him to do anything against his will. But that wasn't fair to the blonde, was it? He had hopes and dreams too, and he had a real chance to achieve them. Sasuke couldn't ask him to throw his own future away just so he could stay with Sasuke. Yet he desperately wanted to! It terrified him to think he was such a selfish person…more than that, it terrified him to know just how much he depended on his boyfriend. Here he thought he had been the strong, stable, successful one in their relationship. Ha! What a load of bullshit! He was as helpless as a baby without the blonde by his side.

He was Sasuke Uchiha…but what the hell did that even mean? Who is Sasuke Uchiha really? He didn't know. He didn't have an identity beyond his father's son and Naruto's boyfriend. He had thought he needed a change…but really, maybe what he needed was to start over. A blank slate that could be crafted into whatever he wanted for a change.

"What do you want for your future?" Naruto had asked him that a few weeks prior. He had brushed it off as Naruto not understanding his situation, but Naruto had understood…he had known all along what Sasuke needed. So, what did he want?

Did he really want to take over his father's business? Did he really want to marry the woman his father wanted him to? Did he want to spend his whole life lying and miserable?

NO!

No, he didn't. He couldn't. There was no way he could go along with this anymore.

It was his life damn it! He decided how he lived it, no one else! He jumped on the computer and set a series of events in motion he wasn't sure he wouldn't later regret, but he had to do something. He had to take his life in his own hands for once. Graduation was in two days. He was out of time.

Several hours later, he shut the computer off. He had one final step to take that night. He picked up his phone and dialed a number he hadn't used in almost a year. It rang 1, 2, 3 times before someone finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Itachi?"

"…Hello Sasuke, it's been a while."

"I need your help."


Sasuke looked over himself in the mirror. Long, shiny, black robe in place over his formal attire, and awkward, square graduation cap settled precariously atop his head. He was ready…ready to stand in line for hours waiting for the principal to get to the U's, so he could get a piece of paper and a handshake. Oh yes, that was totally worth the twelve years of grueling work he had put into getting this far. Life lesson number one right?

He turned to look at Naruto, who was only three people behind him, standing proudly in his hard won cap and gown. He was clearly more enthusiastic about this whole graduation ceremony than he was. He had gotten a new spiffy outfit and hair cut just for the occasion. He caught Sasuke's eye, and gave a saucy wink and smiled. Normally, he would have found the gesture to be reassuring; today however, it just put more knots in his stomach. When the time came, would he be able to do what he knew he needed to?

Finally, every student had their diploma, and was throwing up their caps in celebration. Shortly after, the festivities began. Nearly every household had a different party at a different hour and all the restaurants were filled with families taking their sons and daughters out for dinner. Naruto, Sasuke, and many of their friends partied too; but like so many times before, the couple ended up back and Naruto's for the evening.

They didn't waste much time divesting each other of their clothing and falling into bed. Sasuke made slow, passionate love to Naruto that night. He cherished every ounce of skin his lips and fingers came into contact with as if it were a gift from the heavens. They called out each other's names many times before finally falling exhausted and satisfied beside each other in Naruto's slightly too small bed. Sasuke wrapped his arms around the man beside him and held him close. Trying to convey something neither had said verbally yet.

"I love you Naruto." That's what every fiber of his being wanted to say, but he knew that it would be cruel to do so now. So, he held on for dear life all through the night. Naruto had fallen into a deep sleep soon after they had finished, but Sasuke wasn't able to sleep at all. He watched the clock on the nightstand with both anticipation and dread as the hours slowly ticked by.

Finally, six o'clock rolled around, and Sasuke forced himself to let the blonde go. He got up, and dressed himself trying to make as little noise as possible. When he was ready, he took a piece of paper off Naruto's desk and jotted a small note…the only three words that he could bring himself to write.

"I'm sorry…Goodbye."

He laid it on the pillow next to Naruto's head, then bent down and bushed a feather light kiss across the blonde's lips, before ghosting out the front door and jumping into the waiting cab that would take him to his new life. His heart, however, would remain in the little blue, two-storied house on the corner of Rasengan and Main.


Finally, Sasuke and Naruto's backstory revealed! Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I honestly have no idea when the next chapter will be out… all I can do is promise that there will be another chapter haha. Thank you to all who favorited/followed/reviewed, I love hearing what you guys think, it means a lot! :)