Notes: I know, the story's progressing weirdly. Sorry for all the angstyness! I promise, it'll get a LOT better very soon! Thank you for the reviews and keeping up wit my weirdness!

Part 2: Chapter 6

I grew up in a church that doubled as an orphanage. I was they typical problem child: picking fights, skipping school, never listening to a word anyone said. And when I was thirteen I told the sisters that I wanted to quit school and start a rock and roll band. That's when they told me about the night I arrived at the church. A tall man with blond hair (exactly like mine, I was told) had come to them one night during a storm, a sleeping baby in his arms. He had explained that his wife had died during childbirth, and living on the streets without a job, he couldn't take care of this newborn boy. He gave the baby to the head nun and turned away, leaving his only child without so much as a glance back. Even now, I don't blame my father for what he did. In fact, I'm grateful. He gave me to people who would care for me and take care of me like he could not. And after I heard that, I vowed that I wouldn't let his decision be in vain. I kept at school, I studied harder than ever before, and that's how I got here. But I still kept my initial ambition of starting up a band.

Music has always been a passion I've had. I like to imagine I got that from my parents. Music's helped me through years of life's ugly twists and turns, things that came up daily and other things that built up over time. Through teasing, ridicule, and loneliness; through a wave of depression that almost made me commit an act of sin so horrible, if the sisters would have known, I wouldn't have had to slit my wrists to accomplish my goal. I'm indebted to music and everything it's done for me. At age seventeen, I was definitely serious about starting up a band of my own. But the place I lived was so toneless and colorless and dull. I had to get out and do it myself, and the only way to get out was to get a scholarship to college. So, I tripled my study habits. It's basically one of those 'bad-kid-turns-good' stories you always hear about, but it wasn't just a story, it was my life. And I wanted to live it out to the fullest, for my mother, for my father, and for myself and the people who raised me.

And now, for Sasuke.

Sasuke… I wonder where he is and what he's doing now? Since we first met all those months back, this is the longest I've ever been away from him. It hurts, you know? Him not being here. Usually we'd be sitting together in those long, pleasant silences that you just felt like you didn't need to talk, it was already perfect enough, and he would be writing and I would be working out melodies in my head or on paper, sometimes on my guitar. And occasionally we would simply look up, into each other's eyes, and smile, then continue with what we were doing. I loved looking into Sasuke's eyes; they're really gorgeous--you think they're black until you're just inches away from him and you finally see that there are swirls and flecks of dark amber honey, the most amazing color in the world. I could go on about his eyes for hours, but there are other things I miss too: his short, neat, blue-black hair that he unconsciously fixes almost every five minutes; his soothing, tranquil presence that always seems to calm me down, bring me back to earth; his lips that I sometimes catch in the beginnings of a gentle curve of a smile. I love it when he smiles--I don't think he's used to it yet. That's okay, I'll make him get used to it. You need to smile more, Sasuke…

Sasuke is a lot like me, only instead of growing up in an orphanage all his life, he lived with his mother and father and older brother for the first eight years of his life. When his parents were killed in a car crash one December, his brother Itachi put him into a public orphanage and left him there. Sasuke hasn't seen his brother for more than ten years. I imagine at the orphanage he tried to be the resident wallflower: reclusive, introverted, the one that was invisible on what they call 'visitation day' (I don't know, that's what I've heard; the church never had such a thing). But as much as I know that's the way he is, I can never imagine anyone ignoring Uchiha Sasuke. His looks, even when he was younger, would have drawn anyone to him immediately. He never mentioned ever being adopted though, and I guess that's because he didn't want to be. What I can imagine is a little Sasuke watching the prospective foster families be led in and then run to a secluded hiding place. Heh.

I didn't hear them approach, but someone dropped their tray onto the table in front of me and it snapped me out of my thoughts, Kiba plopped down in the chair opposite mine and pointed his fork at me.

"Why do you look so incredibly happy?" he asked sarcastically. I heard the chair on my right scrape back and I glanced over to see Hinata sitting down carefully.

"Hey," I mumbled.

"Hi, Naruto," she smiled softly and it calmed me down a little bit.

"So, again, why the happy face?" Kiba jabbed the fork at me again and then stuck it into the brown substance that was supposed to be meatloaf. "Get in a fight with lover boy?"

I twitched: "Yeah, kind of."

"Oh no!" Hinata looked shocked. "I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto."

"Why?" I lay my forehead against the tabletop. "It's not your fault."

"Gay," Kiba snorted, leaning back in his chair. "You probably just did something stupid to piss him off."

"K-Kiba!"

"Not exactly my fault either," I mumbled.

"Naruto?" I grimaced as I heard Haku slide into the last available chair at the table.

Sighing, I resigned myself to getting the topic out of the way: "How's Sasuke?"

"Well, his nose isn't broken, but he's still sporting quite the bruise--"

"You punched him?" Kiba exclaimed.

"Yeah," I grumbled into the tabletop.

"Oh dear," Hinata sounded worried now. "Why did you hit him?"

"…he was being an ass," I answered her after a slight pause to think of something justifiable to say and coming up with nothing.

"He's still going to classes and such," Haku offered, picking at his dinner plate, "but he doesn't come back until late, and goes straight to bed. Garra's become a little…concerned about his behavior, and has started trying to find out what exactly what happened the night you two had that fight." I felt his eyes on me. "Unless…"

I sighed inwardly. Unless I'd care to explain what happened. I licked my lips and lifted my head to look around at them. "It's not my place to tell."

"Well at least tell us if we still have a lyricist after that: Kiba grunted and I shook my head.

"He quit," I mumbled.

"He WHAT!" Kiba threw his hands up and leaned back against his chair.

"He told us similarly," Haku nodded, confirming my statement. "In fact, it was one of only three things Sasuke's said to either Garra or myself for several days now."

"Haku," I looked over at him. "Did he…?"

He gave me a sympathetic glance: "The conversation was simple: 'What happened to your face?', 'Naruto punched me', 'Are you okay?', 'I quit Sharingan', 'Why?', 'I'm going to bed'."

I made a face and lowered my head to the tablecloth again, biting my tongue hard to keep myself from bursting out into fresh tears. I couldn't cry now, in front of all these people…

"So, what's going to happen now?" Kiba grunted. "What's going to happen to Sharingan? And the Battle of the Bands contest?"

"I'm not sure if we can still perform…" I heard Haku answer him, and I also heard an unspoken addition to the statement hanging in the air: 'If we want to.' And truthfully, for the first time in a while, I didn't know anymore. It was like my love for music was being pushed aside after all these years of being my one passion. Sasuke was firmly taking priority in my life.

"We're not Sharingan without Sasuke," I spoke up.

"I agree with Naruto," Hinata finally said and I could have kissed her if I didn't want to die. "Sasuke was more than just our writer and singer."

"He's family," I sat up slowly. "And if he has a problem, I have one too."

"You always have problems," Kiba sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Right, so then, what are we going to do about this problem?"

"…Get to the bottom of it?" Haku suggested.

We walked out of the dining hall. I briefly considered following Haku to his room, but the thought of confronting Sasuke after what I'd done made me sick to my stomach, so I opted to pass on that. There was a small group of people in the rotunda, huddling in a circle. A man's shouting voice was echoing through the grand hall. Hinata's head perked up.

"That sounds like Neji…" she looked confused. With her words I looked into the crowd and sure enough, I saw the long-haired man shouting and cursing as he tumbled around on the tile floor with someone wearing a combination of navy blue and khaki. My stomach lurched: Sasuke!

Kiba and I ran forward, leaving Haku with Hinata and darting into the crowd. Since I was smaller, I got their first. I dove into the tussle, feeling the anger and hatred in that concentrated space as I pushed the two of them apart and ended up grasping Sasuke's tense arms and pushing him back, away from Neji.

"What are you doing?" I panted, the scuffle leaving me out of breath.

"Let go of me," he hissed icily and I flinched but held on tight, continuing to push him out of the circle of spectators.

"Neji, no!" I heard Kiba trying to push past the blockade of people, and I knew the other man was behind me, ready to attack my open back. I closed my eyes and suddenly felt myself turning to one side. I stumbled and looked up in shock as Sasuke shifted his weight as I still held his arms, lifted one leg, and knocked Neji back with a firm kick to the chest. The sudden, flawless strength surprised me and (I know it wasn't exactly the right time) excited me. Neji fell back and the people jumped out of the way. He lay back on the tile groaning, and while I stood there, stunned, Sasuke shook himself free of my grip and turned away from the fight, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Watch how you talk, Neji," he spoke softly, but I knew what his face looked like without having to see it--he was pissed. "Not everyone will bend to your will."

Neji stood and spat at Sasuke's back. "And you think you're so high and mighty that everyone will just listen to what you have to say? Itachi never said why he gave you up, but if you were like this back then, it's pretty damn obvious why he did!" I sucked in a sharp breath at his words. A few other people felt the slap of the insult and joined me in my surprised gasp. Neji, you…you dick! I could…

Hinata was inside the circle of people; she had gotten away from Haku. I watched her fumbling for someone, and Neji stepped forward, letting her hand touch his chest. She felt the fabric of his shirt, then brushed her fingers up along his torso and along his neck, up to his face. She felt his features with a look of hard concentration on her face. He had a look of something like apprehension and helplessness in his oddly-colored eyes.

"Neji?" she asked.

"Hinata…" he confirmed his identity. Her face flushed; her cheeks were two patches of harsh flame.

WHACK!

Neji stumbled back, a hand on his assaulted cheek as he gaped at her. She stood in the center of the crowd, who were all wearing similar looks to Neji's, her shoulders rigid and her body still angled with the force of her slap.

"How dare you speak to someone like that! To Sasuke!" she cried, her white eyes flashing dangerously. "I don't ever want you here again, after what you've done to all of my friends: especially him and Kiba!" Neji looked like he was about to cry. Still clasping his injured cheek, he pushed through the crowd and stormed out of the school. As if a spell had been broken, the spectators fled as well--they scattered like a flock of startled animals. I suddenly blinked and turned to where Sasuke had been. He was leaving as well, only he was walking slowly, as if taking measured steps. I ran after him, and caught his arm just as he was going to descend the small staircase to the Breezeway.

"Sasuke!" He stopped. "Are you really…? Is it…?"

"I said it was over, Naruto," he looked over his shoulder at me, and those beautiful eyes, the ones that sometimes looked at me and made the world disappear, glared at me coldly like two chips of the blackest onyx. "I'm done with Sharingan, and what we had is over."

"Why?" I yelped. "I don't understand!"

He shook free of my grip and started for the Breezeway again. "Now that I've found him, I can finally get some answers," he said so quietly, I barely heard his words. Then he was gone, and I was left on the landing, staring after him.

"Sasuke!" I yelled. "Sasuke, come BACK!" He ignored me. I clenched my jaw and wiped a hand furiously over my stinging eyes. I felt a hand on my back and glanced back at who was there. Hinata's face was lined with worry and understanding. I turned to her and silently wrapped her in a tight hug. "I don't understand," I sobbed into her shoulder, shaking my head. "Why is he doing this?"

She stroked a hand softly through my hair. "Maybe…if you explain it aloud to us…you'll understand."

Sasuke… I heard Kiba and Haku rounding the corner. I cried harder against Hinata. I can't understand you if you don't let me!