Chapter Eleven: The Downfall, The Resistance

Author's Notes: For some reason, I've gotten a few "guest" reviews, yet they won't show up for public? I did the thing where you accept them and I just don't know what has happened to them. So I hope some of you will please log in to tell me. I love feedback (bad or good)!

FYI: Short Chapter

Chapter Eleven: The Downfall, The Resistance

When Naruto heard Sasuke's footsteps, because they could only be Sasuke's, he got up and just started walking away. Something was hurt and broken and so sad inside him. Like it physically pained him to walk. Curling up into a ball and just waiting for it to pass would surely be easier.

Another part of him was furious. How dare Sauske lead him on. Knowing he was going to be moving. Maybe he wasn't leading him on. Maybe he was confused. Maybe he liked Naruto and didn't want to let him go. Maybe he was trying to figure out his sexuality.

Naruto tried to shake his head, he was more confused now that ever. He only knew he was sad and angry and so many different things. It was so overwhelming it felt crushing. It shouldn't feel crushing, he tried to reason. He had only just started to know Sasuke, he should feel indifferent.

Yet when he felt Sasuke's hand wrap around his upper arm, he yanked it free and kept marching.
He wasn't far from home and it finally registered he should walk that way.

Sasuke tried reaching for him again and this time Naruto turn to him.
He stopped in his tracks, his chest heaving, and tear tracks down his face.

He opened his mouth and raised his hand with a finger pointing. He heaved in a great breath to say everything that was boiling under his skin.
How dare Sasuke. Screw him. Fuck off. Why? What about how I feel? How could you? He wanted to punch him and he wanted to kiss him. He wanted to cry and scream.

Sasuke looked a little shocked. Before Naruto even read into any emotion playing across his face, before he started actually looking at him, he turned again. He just shut his mouth, dropped his hand, and walked off.

This time, Sasuke didn't follow.

By the time Naruto arrived home it was dark out.

Sasuke car was sitting out front, idling quietly. Naruto stopped on the sidewalk, clenched his fists and withheld a scream. Naruto continued his angered walk past the car, up the lawn and stood there as he dug out his key. He heard the car shift in gear as he was about to put the key in the lock, and listened as the sound of Sasuke's car faded down the street.

He didn't know why he was so sad at the thought, though. He was mad at him, right?

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh and dug his key in the door and pushed it open. He slipped his shoes off, practically broke the zipper trying to get his hoodie off, and practically stomped into the living room. Iruka was sitting on the couch, legs crossed and book in his hands.

He looked up quickly, "No stomping."

Naruto stopped himself midway through the room, Iruka's stern voice always made him stop everything. He gave his dad an apologetic look and hung his head as he dragged his feet the rest of the way to the couch. He flopped down next to Iruka, which earned him another look, and then he fell over onto his dads shoulder. He didn't sigh or make a sound, but stayed with his head resting on Iruka.

Iruka didn't say anything, he just shifted and put his arm around Naruto's shoulder and rubbed his arm.
He silently marked his book and shut it and put it on the side table.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to be four again."

Iruka chuckled sadly, "What happened?"

Naruto sat up, turning to look at his dad, "That's just it. I don't know! I don't know anymore. Everything is so confusing and messed up. I hate this dad, I hate this."

It was the second time that week, that Naruto ended up crying himself to sleep.

The weekend ended with Naruto avoiding everyone.

He used the excuse of needing to catch up on his work since he was returning to school on Monday. Part of Naruto wanted to stay home today and just get a Home Bound teacher for the rest of the year. He knew he couldn't hide forever though.

So despite not having slept much that weekend, he still woke up before his alarm clock that morning. He texted Sakura after his shower asking for a ride, she of course was perfectly fine with that. He was outside for a few minutes, huddled in his hoodie when she pulled up. Ino wasn't with her, which Naruto found strange. He got in a she leaned over and gave him one of her bone crushing hugs.

She pulled back and gave him a smile, "Glad you're back."

"Glad to be back," He said. Though he wasn't sure that was entirely truthful.

"Did you get enough time to catch up on your homework?" She pulled off, starting towards the school.

"Oh yeah, I'm caught up," He nodded. Truth be told, he had already been on top of things.

Naruto never took his education for granted. His life could have gone such a different route. He felt like he owed it not only to himself, but to Iruka as well, to do well in school and make something of himself.

So he took the weekend to think about things. To emotionally get himself back together as much as
possible.

"Where's Ino?"

Sakura smiled lightly, "With her mom. She's dropping Ino off on the way to work. They've all been very close since she came home."

Naruto could only imagine. Just a blink away from almost losing your family. It's not a permanent loss either. They were still their, tangible and alive, but away so you couldn't see them. You were still aware of them but couldn't talk to them.

"Did you talk to Gaara last night? I missed his call while I was showering, when I called back they said he used all his phone time."

Naruto chuckled at the face she made, and Sakura elbowed him in response. He rubbed the spot lightly.

"I didn't take up most of his time last night. I got the last call, spent most of it on Hinata last night. He said Ino was chatty, too."

"What about Sasuke?"

Naruto shrugged, "He apparently didn't pick up."

"We talked Saturday, but he was busy so it wasn't for long. He's been off."

Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Tell me about it."

"You've noticed it too?"

"Yeah. The proverbial stick up his ass has finally reached his mouth apparently."

"Naruto," Sasuke chastised, "Something might be wrong."

"Well I can't help him fix or get through what is wrong when he won't talk to me, let alone tell me what is."

She tried to look at Naruto from the corner of her eye, a frown etching her lips. "Is something else going on?"

"No, why?"

She barely lifted her shoulders and she made the turn into the student lot, "I don't know. You've just got a lot of animosity towards him over him being upset or whatever."

Naruto felt a pang of guilt in his chest for not telling her, but it wasn't his place. He could talk to her about his feelings and his talk with Sasuke, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about it without getting angry or choked up, so he went back to pretending not to know.

Naruto avoided Sasuke the rest of the day.

He road the bus home for the first time in a long time. He didn't want to sit with Sakura and Ino while they theorized what was wrong with Sasuke and thought of how to cheer him up. He turned down the invitation to dinner with the three of them, mostly shocked that Sasuke agreed to go.
Iruka was home when Naruto got there and Naruto did something he rarely did.

"Dad? Can I borrow the car?"

Naruto usually didn't use the car because Iruka typically had it and it was the only one they owned. Usually he hitched a ride with his friends so much it didn't even bother him. Yet today he didn't want to ask a friend for a ride to do what he needed to do.

Iruka was sitting in his chair, legs kicked up and watching a movie.

He nodded, "Sure. You want to say hi first or...?"

Naruto winced, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to go to the store before I got settled. Did you want anything?"

"Will you get us bubble tea from the market? I know it's a longer drive but I've been having a craving and I was waiting for you."

Naruto nodded, "Sure thing."

Naruto took his dads car keys and credit card and went right back out the door.

He had been thinking about it all day. Each extra step as he took the long way to class, making sure to avoid Sasuke at all cost. The one time he caught sight of him in the hallways he turned right around and went the opposite way. Every time he had a conscious thought it was about Sasuke, which made him want to see for himself. That was when he decided to just go and look.

He knew Sasuke wasn't lying. Most of him wanted it to be a lie. He also hoped it was true and Sauske didn't want to be with him because he was moving and not because he just came to his senses.

So even though he had been to Sasuke's only once, the directions were pretty straight forward and he didn't live far away. He wasn't far from the market he needed to now go to anyway.

So he drove in silence. He lingered at each stop sign. He went obnoxiously slow (or so says the honking car behind him) when he was coming up on Sasuke's street.
Then he pulled up in front of the house, not going up the long and snaking driveway, and stared at the small and quaint sign posted on the front lawn. The bright red strip on the top saying "FOR SALE" in black and bold lettering.

He stared at it for one more moment before he pulled off, now driving faster than he should be.

He drank bubble tea with Iruka, did his homework over dinner that he couldn't eat, and was in bed by nine o'clock sharp. He didn't have much to say when Gaara called, texted back and forth with Hinata making plans, and in between it all he thought. He had been doing that a lot lately. He felt like he was thinking more than he would ever again. He thought about what he was feeling. He wondered why. He replayed all scenarios in his head; their first meeting, their first kiss, falling asleep together and Sasuke telling him that is was never meant to be.

Why did Sasuke keep initiating most of those things? Why did he go along with them? Why, why, why with no answer in sight. His phone dinged as a sign he received a text message. He turned and eyed his clock. It was a little after eleven at night.

He plucked his phone off the charger and looked at the bright screen.

Sasuke: Are you going to avoid me until I leave?

Something akin to anger flared inside Naruto, and he held back from throwing his phone across the room.

I'm sorry, did you want to lead me on until you the second you actually left?

Naruto knew he shouldn't have sent that, he knew he should have gone a different path and said something else, but he didn't care. He had been thinking about this for days. He was torn between anger and sadness. Right now, anger was winning. He tossed the phone back on his nightstand. Now awake with irritation.

Naruto didn't know if he should be relieved or worried when the minutes passed in silence. He hated how he kept looking at the nightstand in hope he got a message.
When it finally sounded, Naruto rolled his eyes at himself when he sprung up to grab at his phone.

Sasuke: Will you come outside?

Naruto rolled out of bed, grabbed a hoodie without zipping it and slipped into some shoes. He quietly went out his room and silently went down the steps. He didn't bother turning on the front light when he walked out the door. The cold air hit his bare chest and stomach instantly and caused bumps to flash across his skin with a chill.

He nearly walked right into Sasuke who was standing there waiting for him.

His car was off and parked, like he intended to be there for more than just a minute. It made Naruto's heart hammer between that realization, being toe to toe with him, and looking him straight in the eyes for the first time since Sasuke told him they couldn't be anything.

There was silence for a moment as they looked into each others eyes, like searching for lost words hidden away. Naruto clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. Sasuke was the one who broke the eye contact and looked away first.

That pissed Naruto off even more. "Why the hell are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you-"

"-Oh, now you can."

"-Obviously that was a mistake," Sasuke bit, turning back to him with his eye blazing with irritation.

"You know what? Fuck you, alright," Naruto started. "I kept asking and asking and asking. Then I fucking kept waiting. On your time. While you led me on. I thought maybe you felt guilty about Gaara. Then I thought maybe it was me or you or us. Like you realized you weren't gay and that I was a test. That maybe you were still trying to figure it out. But you knew you were leaving. And-"

"-And what?" Sasuke nearly growled. "You've just figured me all out, haven't you?"

"Then why the hell didn't you tell me when you found out?" Naruto ground out, trying so hard not to yell.

He didn't want to wake his dad or his neighbors. He didn't want to lose his cool. He didn't want this to be happening at all for that matter.
Yet it seemed he pushed Sasuke past his breaking point. His jaw was tight his lips were pressed together and he was glaring for all his worth.

"It wasn't that easy, Naruto..."

"And this? This fucking shit is easy right here?" Naruto gestured between the two of them.

"The first person I have ever even remotely invested myself in, the first asshole I open up to, and I'm getting ripped away from that," Sasuke growled, looking away and his pinched with pain. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to face it," Sauske whispered the last part harshly.
"Because part of me was...afraid that you wouldn't care. Then there was the possibility of all of this. All of this fucked up shit because we care about each other."

All the anger and confusion and rage and sadness. The one little domino that wrecked their neat little trail.

"I wanted to just back away and not do this but couldn't. I wanted to so badly so I could spare us of this and I couldn't. I was selfish. I didn't want to lo...let you go. So there you have it."

Naruto was slightly taken aback and he opened his mouth to say something, anything.

He figured he'd ask the questions that were going to hurt the most, his shoulders tensing at the thought alone, but his tone was quieter. He kept avoiding eye contact now.

"When do you leave?"

Sasuke sighed, "A month."

"Where?"

Naruto heard him shuffle his feet, "Across the country."

"Why?"

"My father's work."

There Naruto stood, feeling awkwardly comfortable yet uncomfortable. He was relieved and stressed. He was still teetering on the edge but didn't know where to fall. Silence fell on them heavily and thickly. Naruto just didn't know what to say or do.

The blond looked up when he saw Sasuke take a step down out of the corner of his eye. He turned and faced Naruto, his face blank. He wouldn't lock eyes.

"What we're doing, it's making this easier."

"Talking?" Naruto said hopefully, though his heart thudded with knowing.

"Breaking apart from each other. Acknowledging it. I thought...I wanted us to at least have a proper goodbye."

Naruto felt a wave of anger hit at him again. An unnecessary and intense rage.

He didn't even respond. He turned on his heel without so much as another word, walked in and turned and locked the door.

So that way, just as quickly as he and Sasuke started, it was done.

Never while growing up did anyone ever explain to Naruto breaking up without being together. No one ever handed him a guide book to feelings. Not a soul said one day you will feel heartbreak and this is how you should handle that situation. Someone didn't lay down the difference between love and affection. These were things Naruto had to figure out on his own with only experiencing them to guide him.

So he marched up the stairs and refused to cry. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it just seemed like he shouldn't let someone hold the power over his heart to cause him such turmoil.

There was never a proper way about him and Sasuke, so he didn't see why it should end with one soul thing of goodbye. He felt like it would be easier without saying it. Clinging to denial like a child. He also began to realize that anger made it easier. His thoughts would slip to thinking about Sasuke and his heart would begin to crack. He'd tightly grip the rage of being led on with false pretenses and somehow, it all held together.

People always come and go, he'd try to reason, he'd needed to get used to it now.

He sat on the edge of his bed, his face planted in the palm of his hands and his teeth clenching. He suddenly snatched up his phone and opened his phone book and went straight to Sasuke.

He'd just delete his number, delete any pictures and with any luck just delete the memories altogether. He hesitated with his finger over the red and glaring delete button. He breathed through his nose and clicked it.

Are you sure you want to delete contact?

Yes or No

He sighed heavily and pulled away, shaking his head and flicking his wrist to toss the phone across the floor. He rolled over on to his side and faced the window.

So all he could do until the sun rose to officially start the day, was grasp on to the hatred, that lessened the pain.

Naruto didn't sleep that night, yet he approached the day like any other.

He caught a ride with Sakura and Ino to school, and they briefly spoke about Sasuke.

"It's so sad," Ino sighed. Sakura nodded along.

"I'm sure we'll all remain friends and stuff. No worries."

They smiled at him and started talking about Gaara and Hinata and school and hanging out. They complained about homework and the smell of school buses.
They pulled into a spot next to Sasuke's, who was standing and waiting outside of his parked car. He looked as tired as Naruto felt. They three of them emptied out of Sakura's car and the girl's greeted him excitedly as any other day. He did as he did before and nodded with minimal words and they just smiled at him. It was just how Sasuke was. This time he was staring at Naruto and no amount of ignoring it would make it go away. So Naruto acknowledged him with a quick smile and short eye contact. He walked around the car to the rest of them.

He clapped Sasuke on the shoulder with the side of his fist, "Move it, Uchiha. No need to leave a shitty taste in the teachers mouths by being late."
He began walking backwards and gave him a lopsided grin. He spun on his heel and Ino caught on to his elbow and they walked like that to class, chatting as they were linked arm and arm. Sasuke and Sakura followed close behind, but each attempt Sakura was making at conversation was failing. She let it go, no doubt chalking it up to Sasuke not being a morning person.

They stood on the second floor together, five minutes before first bell. Naruto hugged both Sakura and Ino and even looked at Sasuke as they talked about sitting together at lunch.

Naruto walked passed Sasuke and gave him a passing pat on his upper back as he walked past him, "See you at lunch."

That's how Naruto approached the day. To go about it like nothing was wrong. That nothing was bothering him. That everything was fine. He and Sasuke were just normal friends that happened to occasionally talk. So that's how he played it off. At lunch he'd occasionally address his presence in the conversation and make eye contact and smile. At the end of the day when they went out to go shopping after school, he even walked beside him while he talked to Sakura about the ugly purse she just bought. He even waved goodbye at the end of the excursion and said goodnight.

He got home in time to eat dinner with his dad. He languished over homework for a few more hours and then finally went to bed.
He curled up in his covers, looked up briefly to his phone as it chimed for a text message. He resisted the urge, rolled over, and finally succumbed to complete and utter exhaustion.

Author's Note: I think the thing I hate most is intertwining experience and fiction and trying to find the balance. So I think there might be one or two more chapters of heavy like...emotional crap and less dialogue like this one. Just a heads up for those of you who aren't so fond.