Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, still wish I did.

Rated: T, for language only

Notes: I just want to reiterate this is a very odd story. Three different meetings, each told from three points of view (Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura), meaning there's some crossover here, but less n later chapters.
I'm trying, I really am. . .
Please R&R

Blessed Be Those Who Mourn

An Unwelcome Heart

Scowling at the offending nothing, the dark-haired boy found himself troubled by unwanted thoughts. He was always bothered when the wrong memories surfaced. He'd meant to leave them far behind, but they always managed to reappear in the most unexpected ways at the most inopportune times.

It was his own fault, he knew, though he'd never outwardly admit it. But such things were bound to happen. When you unwittingly chased memories, they tended to hunt you down. Leaning over the railing, he couldn't help but be insulted by the moon and sky. How dare it be such a beautiful evening when he was in such an ugly mood. It only served to spur his anger further.

The choice he'd made that time was right, his way carved out for him seven years ago when bathed in the moonlight of that cursed night. Maybe even in the time before when he was nothing but a darker shade of his brother's shadow. His life had always been shaped by the brother he no longer understood. Whenever he stopped to reflect on those long past days, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever known him at all. Was the kindly older brother he'd remembered from his childhood nothing but a cruel illusion? What had caused his idol to change? He found it hard to believe that Itachi was merely "testing his strength". It's a mystery that plagued him still, despite the fact he tried to focus on the crimes of his brother, rather than the motive.

Growling, he shook his head and with it dispensed his mind of questions he didn't like. There was no point to them.

His way, such as it was, had already been mapped out. It had been written in the blood of his family. So he drained his own heart of emotion in order to achieve his goal. After failing that first time, bawling like baby, standing useless in the light of the moon, there were no other options left for him. The only way to clear the shame of that inaction was to avenge the crime, cleansing the clan of its evil mistake. He was all that was left to carry this burden, and so he stood, stagnant, waiting in the darkness of that long ago night.

But when at last faced with his long missing brother, he'd been completely dominated like the weak pathetic child that had once stood in the shadow of death. After all that time, the training, the constancy of his devotion, to find himself lacking was unforgivable. It shouldn't have been like that, he should have been able to do something, instead of being so completely useless. He was forced to relive that sin from his childhood in more ways than one.

His weakness ate at him. All the more so because of the reasons for it.

There was no need for bonds in his life, no use for the pain they would surely bring. He'd had his fill of such sorrow years ago. He had no room for more. Such things only caused him to lose focus, falter from his path. So how had they wormed their way into a heart that had long ago been abandoned?

He hadn't fully realized what an affect they had on him until the defeat he'd received at the hands of his worst enemy. That loss had served as a reminder and an epiphany. His brother showed him just how little he'd grown, how little he meant.

Then that unseen knife twisted into his soul just a bit further when he realized that while he was not worth the effort, it seemed there was someone else who was. And just like that he'd been replaced in a role he never held. In all their time apart, he'd obsessed over a brother who hadn't even thought of him once.

In Itachi's eyes he was nothing but a piece of old trash to be tossed aside.

It hurt.

It hurt, to be left behind, left forgotten, while having all your worst fears confirmed. Fears he fought so hard to keep hidden behind a carefully laid veil of arrogance and conceit. Even when nothing but a little child, he was always lesser, the second thought considered only when in comparison to someone better. First it was his genius brother, and now it was his goofy teammate that held such amazing reserves of chakra that it caused the last of the Uchiha clan to be completely eclipsed.

And it hurt.

But things had changed since then, he was different now, stronger, and once again existing for one purpose and one alone. Never mind he his supposed "friends", they meant nothing. They had to. Believing otherwise would mean he was wrong. The decision he'd made was right because it had to be. There was no room in his narrowed life for error.

It was not something he normally needed to do, be reminded of his purpose. The absolute need to take vengeance on his brother was not a thing he questioned. If only it weren't for this day.

He silently cursed it.

There was no point to friends or home, and he'd made sure to cut off any hope of return long ago. So why had they even bothered to look for him? None of it even mattered to him anymore.

Or did it?

After the events of the morning, he saw a small part of his unwelcome heart disagreed. All the thoughts that churned through his mind irritated and confused him, as did the feelings they contained.

The doubt in his memory only unnerved him.

He could feel a familiar anger and frustration well up inside. He embraced it like a loyal lover. It was a thing easy to recognize and understand. All of a sudden, he swung his leg around, connecting with a chair and smashing it to pieces.

His breathing grew ragged and his sharingan flared, as it always did when emotions took over. It was pointless, he knew, the destruction of the chair, the release of anger. But it put him a little more at ease. Random physical violence always did. It was uncomplicated, base, required no thinking, relying only on instinct and the hotness of his temper. Sometimes he just needed to lose himself to that simplicity. Then he could block out the unnecessary emotions that plagued him. It gave him a semblance of control, a place to stand on in a life spinning wildly out beneath him.

How dare they make him remember things better left forgotten, feel things better left untouched! How dare that boy interrupt the constancy of his mind! He was an Uchiha, last of his clan, an avenger, a being with no need for gratuitous emotions like joy and regret. The sudden surge of feelings the day had brought up annoyed him still. He'd already pushed all such things from his hardened heart. Hate and determination were all that served him, all that remained.

Wasn't that right?

Quietly he swore to himself for allowing his mind to consciously question his resolve. All because of that damned fateful morning.

And it only irked him more that he'd brought it on himself.

The day had started out like so many others. Well, like so many others that were deemed safe enough to let him out of his cage, that is. Little reconnaissance missions like these were few and far between, and boring as hell, but at least they gave him the chance to get some fresher air. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm and he discovered he'd missed many of the things he'd once taken for granted. He uncharacteristically enjoyed the temperance of the day, but after so much time in darkness, anyone would find their attitudes shifting. At least on the minor things. It was a bit strange, but ultimately inconsequential, so he chose to accept the change and leave it at that.

He'd finally managed to lose that epitome of annoyance, a.k.a. Kabuto, after playing yet another tiresome game of cat and dog. He'd have sighed with relief, if that was the kind of thing he did. Even after two and a half years, the snake still didn't trust him completely, always sending his faithful lapdog as guard. But he was easy enough to ignore, like the buzzing of a fly, as Sasuke bided his time waiting for his chance to get away. All he ever wanted was a little peace from his self-created prison, a thing he could not do with that servant breathing on his neck.

These were never a big deal, these little escapes. He always came back. He had no other choice and they knew it. Yet still they insisted on playing this silly stupid game. Well, if they wanted to play, then he'd join in. That didn't mean, however, that he didn't find it extremely annoying.

The black-clad teen earned quite a few stares as he walked sullenly through the streets. What the hell was so fascinating, he'd like to know! He fought back the urge to spread a few glares around courtesy of the sharingan. His blood red swirling eyes would probably scare the hell out of these people, and it would serve them right. Of course, if he ever bothered to look in a mirror, the reason for the looks would be obvious. He cast quite the striking figure, like the dark of night dotted with the pale light of the moon at the few places his skinned showed through. And of course there were those eyes of his that somehow both threatened and seduced without him even trying.

Inwardly he sneered again.

What did they think, that he didn't notice all their eyes in him! It was extraordinarily annoying. But he kept the same impassive expression he'd schooled himself to wear since the time he was a young boy. Little did they see the boiling contempt held barely in check just below the surface.

Absentmindedly, a thin pale hand brushed a lock of hair from his face. He could feel an uncomfortably familiar sensation hidden somewhere within the streets of the no-name town. Without thinking, his feet carried him through those streets before coming to a stop, as if directed by some invisible guide. His eye twitched in hardly concealed ire as he took in the manner of building he now faced. Time after time, in his little moments of peace, he'd find himself standing before other such places without knowledge of how or why he had gotten there.

Well, he was a little hungry. Knowing that no matter how he tried to argue with himself he'd end up inside anyway, he resigned himself to his fate and entered.

He silently took a seat at the bar and placed an order without thinking. It was an old exercise, played many times, town to town and day to day. When his food arrived, he picked at it a bit before deciding to take a tentative bite. As always, he found he didn't really care for the taste, and pushed it away uneaten without another thought. His irritation at himself somehow served to fill his stomach. So he sipped his slightly acrid cup of green tea, all the while quietly seething beneath his well-trained exterior. This same scene played it itself over every time he made one of his little escapes. He hated that noodle-broth-junk concoction before he ever arrived, hated it still more once he left, and yet it was to it that he returned again and again. He couldn't understand why he kept doing the same inexplicably stupid thing. It was highly annoying. Made even more so by the fact he was the one doing it.

As he sat for a bit delicately sipping his bitter drink, he put a great effort into making his mind blank. What he really needed peace from were his own disturbing thoughts. Just as he felt the sweet comfort of nothingness embrace him, his body stiffened at the affront of that same undesired recognition.

The presence tickled at the edge of his mind even before he heard the obnoxious voice, an amazing feat when one considered just how loud that presence was yelling. Well, it was more like a poor attempt at singing, but that was beside the point. Some things never change. When the presence entered oblivious, a fleeting hope flickered across Sasuke's mind: maybe he wouldn't notice. The dark-haired teen hid himself as calmly as possible and tried to settle down the heart that irritatingly had begun to race. But when hit with the sudden lack of that loud voice and the feel of a familiar chakra that seemed to blink in surprise, he knew he had failed in his attempt at anonymity. Shit! Apparently he had not acted quickly enough, though by now he should have managed it easily. Maybe he secretly wanted to be found.

He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. It irritated him. This was a meeting he did not want, wasn't ready for. But now that it was here, he decided the best course of action was to just face it head-on. With little effort, he screwed his face into a comfortable smirk and turned his head to peek over his shoulder before speaking.

"Long time no see, dobe."

He heard his name whispered through the lips of a boy he'd tried so hard to forget. The strained silence that followed unnerved him. In the space between, he could see the other customers glance from him to the blonde, anxiously awaiting was to come next. As if it was any of their business. Annoying little bugs such as they were easy to tune out and he did just that. The boy in the doorway was another matter altogether. Not that he understood exactly why. And certainly not that he'd ever admit any such thing anyway. He found himself looking Usumacinta up and down, appraising the changes. The boy had grown a bit taller in the time apart and was better-looking than the prankster Sasuke remembered. All in all, he held an air of maturity, even with the goofy gap-mouth look on his face. But there was something else. Something about the way Uzumaki looked seemed inherently wrong to his sharp black eyes. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the feeling of "wrongness" nagged at the back of his mind. Pushing the nuisance of a thought aside, he inwardly frowned, showing slightly on his face. For once, the uncharacteristic silence was pissing him off. Damn, how could he manage to be so irritating without even using his loud, obnoxious voice! The fact that the silence bothered Sasuke was more irksome than anything else, so to distract himself, he spoke.

"What's the problem Uzumaki? Never known you to be at a loss for words. Not unintelligent ones, anyway."

Well, at least he FINALLY got a reaction out of him. It was amusing to see how quickly the boy reverted to the Uzumaki Naruto of long ago. "H-hey, you bastard! Who do you think you are? Like you're one to talk. Yeah, right. What the hell's so special about you? Other than the fact you've still managed to walk with that stick stuck so far up your ass?"

Nothing ever changed did it? Well, that wasn't entirely true, some things had changed beyond any hope of repair, but he pushed that thought aside with the others.

He fought back a smile (the hell?), when faced with the humorous image of an indignant Uzumaki. A warm feeling flowed over him, one so pleasant he could almost lose himself to it. Almost. He shifted a little in his seat as he laid his payment down, finding the situation uncomfortably comfortable. To lose himself to memory now would mean losing everything he'd done.

"Whatever you say, dobe."

He heard the ninja boy's short reply, followed by a pink tongue sticking out from his mouth. The little pout he put on his face just made him look that much more childish. What was he, five! Sasuke smirked almost amusedly as images of the younger Uzumaki appeared before him. That warm nostalgic feeling would've been nice, if it weren't so damned irritating.

Then a complete change came over his former teammate, which both puzzled and angered the avenger.

"Sasuke . . . why did you leave?"

This again? Why did this little moron insist on dredging up all the useless things from the past? It was over and done with. Not to mention that there was no way for anyone who hadn't lived through such an ordeal to understand it anyway. Maybe Uzumaki was purposely trying to piss him off. He was not going to allow that damn idiot get the better of him. Sasuke was not going to start a brawl here, even though it took nearly every ounce of control to stop from attacking. The dark-eyed ninja found his voice breaking open with barely contained rage.

"We've been through this before."

"Yeah."

Now he was acting like some shy little kid on his first day of school! What the hell was wrong with him? Maybe this was really one of Uzumaki's clones, sent to throw him off. It didn't make much sense to do that, but when did anything that dunce do make sense? And at least it would explain all this annoyingly strange behavior that was so completely un-Uzumaki. Sasuke was sick of this conversation and secretly wished he made his getaway when he'd had the chance, consequences be damned.

Why was that moron just staring at him? Just do something already! He was acting like an even bigger idiot than Sasuke remembered. And now there's that 'I'm-so-right' look of his again. Sasuke hated that look.

"Why are you being so damn stubborn!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You-you bastard!" If that's how Uzumaki wanted to play this, grabbing his shirt like this was some schoolyard scuffle, then Sasuke would let him. Though he really wished the boy would stop looking at him like that. "Why are you staying with that snake! For power? From a creep who can't even beat your brother? . . ."

On and on the boy went until Sasuke really stop paying attention anymore. He really just wanted him to shut up already! With great effort, The Uchiha managed to swallow back the great anger rolling around in his gut. Who did Uzumaki think he was to question his choices? He was thoroughly grateful when the ninja boy finally yelled his last.

"For a supposed 'genius', you're about the dumbest person I've ever met!"

"I'm looking at the dumbest person." He'd had enough of this.

"What is wrong with you!" Sasuke could feel the uncontrollable anger that he himself wore like a cloak reflect itself it his old teammate's eyes. It was interesting how different his rage looked on someone else. "You. Are. Not. Sasuke. I don't know who the hell you are, but you're not Sasuke. Sure, you may look the same, speak the same. But I'm not as stupid as people think, you know. You-you're just a shell. An illusion you wear to make the real Sasuke feel better about himself." He winced inwardly as his own fears and doubts were cast back at him. He was so wrapped up in denying these thoughts that he didn't notice their faces were so close until he felt the breath upon his skin. "Tell me. Is it working?"

Now that was just way too close for the Uchiha's comfort.

"Get your hands off me."

The sudden undeniable urge to flee overcame him, so he shoved against the other just hard enough to free himself. The overwhelming need to be somewhere else almost made him bolt for the exit. He secretly hoped he looked a whole lot calmer than he felt.

"Stop." He felt himself stop as if the word controlled him.

"You have to come back to Konoha."

He wasn't going to answer that. There were no homes for people like him.

"We've been waiting for you, you know. All this time. That's why I'm here. Why we're here. We were sent to bring you back." Of course. Nobody would willingly come for him. "Konoha's still there for you. I know it won't be easy, but you're not alone anymore. Sakura-chan came too, she hasn't given up yet. Even Kakashi-sensei's here. We were sent by Tsunade-bachan, so there's nothing to worry about. I know she'll let you back in . . ."

Sick of his useless babbling, he cut the speech off there.

"So what? Is that supposed to mean something? You really think they'd just embrace a traitor? Tch! You really are naive, Naruto."

He'd only said it to shut him up, but he still felt a slight queasiness at the knowledge that it was true. He didn't even notice that it was the first time during the exchange that he'd called his old friend by his first name.

"If you want to think that, go ahead. But at least I'm not some stupid bastard."

Sasuke wordlessly assented, even though he no longer wanted a part in any of this. There was no going back. Immediately he dismissed the thought of returning, angry he'd allowed himself to entertain it, no matter how subconsciously. He was well aware of the truth.

"There's nothing there for me."

"Are you even listening? Your family is Konoha." He wanted to snap back a scathing retort, but the unexpected crack in the other's voice hushed him. "What about me? What about your best fucking friend? Or was that just another lie?"

He really did not need this. Looking off into the distance, he tried to disregard all the senseless words he didn't want to hear. He caught something about Sakura, about a promise. Something about his life being a lie. That was absolutely unforgivable. He'd be damned if he ever even considered the possibility. Gods, did the moron never shut up?

" . . . You need to come back to Konoha – to where you belong".

Oh, so he was finally finished? "Tch. You always did talk too much."

"Maybe. But I'm still right."

That absolute confidence of Uzumaki's never ceased to piss him off. Involuntarily, he tilted his head back in remembrance. Try as he might, those times that had been still held him. The rest of the world slipped away, until he was alone in the room, as he was always alone in his mind. Unfortunately, he felt that he had to address that one annoying gnat that kept trying to encroach on his solitude.

"You realize of course, Uzumaki, that you're asking all this from a person you've just called a stranger."

"That's kinda the point, isn't it?"

Well, the boy had grown, he'd give him that. But that only made things more clear. Growing up was growing apart. There was nothing more between them, and Sasuke was glad for it. So why then did he not say so? Why couldn't he make himself just leave!

"Please. . ."

What was that? That couldn't possibly be Uzumaki Naruto!

"Please come home with me."

Now that was just plain unfair. How dare he do that! Speaking with that broken voice laced with emotion. Making it all personal, when it wasn't.

No one would welcome back a traitor who turned his back on his home and his friends. There was no way that a boy he tried to kill could forgive him, regardless of how sorrowful his plea sounded or how lost his blue eyes looked. No one could ever possibly forgive their murderer.

He released a sigh and let his body relax. Why had he ever allowed himself into this conversation? There were no other ways, not since long before any of this started. He could feel the ninja boy approach him. Did he think he could stop him? He couldn't do it back then and he couldn't do it now. Silly little idiot. Sasuke took a deep breath and prepared himself to say the word that would finally end it once and for all.

"No."

Not bothering to wait for a response, he walked out the door and lost himself to the nameless crowd of the street.

Walking back through the town, he found himself unnaturally bothered by the scene that had just played out. But Kabuto would find him soon. Sasuke knew the drill and now he was more than ready to return to the dark place he knew. He'd had more than enough of peace. It didn't even upset him much when he saw the people once again looking his way.

He was so lost in thought that he was almost caught unawares by the powerful punch that was suddenly thrown at him. But he was too skilled to be caught completely off guard and with an abrupt spin, he captured the fist neatly in his hand. It did surprise him, however, that the force behind the blow was great enough to push him backsliding on his heels.

Now that the immediate danger had been averted, he took the opportunity to glance at his sudden attacker. The pink-haired girl he'd once known stood there, panting heavily with exertion or anger, her head lowered and body tense. This was the absolute last thing he needed. What was it with this day and unwanted meetings?

"You cannot do this again," she growled through gritted teeth. Haruno's anger was something he could understand much more easily than the heartfelt pleading he'd just heard from his other former teammate. But it still irked him beyond measure, causing his body to tremble in scarcely held rage. Surely she felt the tremor through her fist and he vaguely wondered what she thought of it.

But they both seemed too lost in the frustration of the moment which weighed down like forever. In some ways, they barely noticed each other. The two of them radiated anger so fiercely it was likely palpable to the passersby who had suddenly given them a wide berth. This was just getting ridiculous! Exactly how long was she planning on just standing there like a statue and making him her unwilling partner. It was enough. He wanted no more of these reunions. Besides, if he didn't return soon, Kabuto would likely start seeking him out more impatiently, leaving not so discreet messages littered through town. The medic-nin really was a twisted little bastard sometimes. Pooling in as much calm into his voice as he could muster, Sasuke spoke, if only to end this as quickly as possible.

"I don't want to hurt you."

She let out a short, derisive laugh as though she doubted the sincerity of such a statement. But it was true enough, even if he told himself it was only because he didn't want to waste the effort.

"No, of course not." Fury nearly dripped from her words, but she still hadn't moved an inch. After another moment, though, her body relaxed and she lowered her arm to her side until she stood there like some forgotten marionette. He could have easily made his getaway now, but for some frustratingly unknown reason, he didn't. Instead, he leaned back, though still on the defense, apparently waiting to hear what she wanted to say. Not that he cared of course, he just wasn't in the mood for another scene.

Too bad she had other plans as she suddenly began throwing punches again. Right, left, right, each one he managed to block, if just barely. Well, at least she had improved. She seemed to be trying to vent every last bit of her frustration on him. And then, as quickly as the attack started, it stopped. Once she gathered herself, she just stood and stared at him, hands stiff at her sides, her breathing still harsh from her exertion.

"I was always a little jealous of that, you know."

Her voice was still hard, but held a tinge of sadness now. Sasuke could only wonder at it.

"That you cared enough about Naruto to try and kill him. While I was barely even worth your time. That hurt. More than if you'd just hit me with your chidori. I know it doesn't make sense to you . . . but that's how it is."

He snorted at such inanity. But at least her present hostile demeanor was far preferable to the tearful entreaty he'd been subjected to the last time they'd seen each other. So she'd finally grown up a little. Good.

The look of grim determination on her face somewhat amused him, even when she aimed a powerful kick straight to his chest. He dodged easily enough, but scowled further at having to deal with this fight at all. Apparently by using a different tactic she thought she could now succeed where once she'd failed.

"How can you be doing this! How can you be so completely selfish!"

Her eyes shifted to the side as she bit on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. The hatred and disappointment she spewed at him was a thing easy for him to see and accept. And maybe it was because of this that he suddenly wanted to leave so badly. And so he turned around to do just that, furious he'd allowed himself to be sidetracked so long.

"I still love you, Sasuke-kun." Her words may have been soft, but her voice was certainly not and it held him. "But I love Naruto too. I guess it took me a while to figure out what I really wanted. I just want us to be together again. I just want things to be like they used to . . ."

Closing his eyes in exasperation, he tuned her out. He didn't need this right now, or ever. Really didn't need it.

So why exactly was he staying here? Why wouldn't his body move?

Why the hell was he acting so strange this whole damn day!

At the back of his senses, he could still make out her drone, but he really wasn't listening. He was so sick of people telling him what to do, what was best for him, as if they knew better than he. He so did not need this! Subconsciously, he tightened his hand into a fist, not even noticing when a stream of blood trickled down his finger.

"How can you do this to him? How can you leave again? After everything he's been through because of you?"

And what was that supposed to mean? After nearly killing the little idiot, leaving was the best thing to do, were they so blind to not see it? They should just accept it graciously, go on with their own lives and leave him the hell alone. All this babble of love and friendship and promises and whatever other nonsense was grating on his last nerve.

She was as bad as Uzumaki, making him remember things he'd rather not, angering him with needs he didn't have. This conversation reminded him of the one they'd had the night he left Konoha forever and yet it was so different. That night, with two simple words he'd fleetingly acknowledged he cared for her, as a friend and teammate. And then he'd left those feelings behind, alone on a bench by the gates of the city. It was an easy thing to do and one he'd never regretted. There was no reason to be thinking on that now, and he told his infuriatingly disobedient brain just that.

" . . . realize that you never truly wanted to leave. Or else why did you feel you had so fight so brutally against Naruto? From what I can gather, you were pretty desperate to ignore anything he had to say. You really think it was because he was wrong? Or was it because you didn't want to face your own feelings?"

He tried to stay calm, ignore everything she was saying, but he realized that was something easier said than done. By now a tiny pool of blood had gathered below his still bleeding hand.

"And you're still doing it now. Pretending like you don't care when it's so obvious you do. Or else you wouldn't have to try so hard to hate him. And why else would you still be here listening? You could've yelled, hit me, run off, anything. But you didn't. Stop acting like some spoiled brat and accept how you really feel!"

Each word she'd spoken both begged and chastised, the combination of which he didn't like. His mind slowly registered that she'd finished her speech and that he'd unwittingly absorbed all that she'd said. What his subconscious was telling him in reaction to her words only irritated him further. She was not right. Could not be. He had needed power, so he went to the only one who was willing to give it to him. He refused to believe he was wrong in this.

He'd had more than his fill of pleading this day and was ready to leave it all behind.

An oddly nostalgic wave washed over him as he craned his neck back over his shoulder, habitual smirk firmly in place.

"You really are annoying."

He tried in vain to not notice the odd, sad look the statement had caused her to wear. Ignoring the resemblance to before, he cut the trip down memory lane short and teleported away, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

When he reappeared on the other side of town, he was somewhat surprised, though mostly annoyed, to be met with the condescending glare of Orochimaru's loyal lapdog. Standing smugly, Kabuto looked down on him with a devilish, knowing smile.

"Have fun?"

Sasuke only glared and narrowed his eyes. "I'm back, aren't I."

Figuring that to be enough, he began walking back in the direction he'd come from, back to his chosen path, back to Orochimaru. He dimly noted when the lapdog stepped up to walk beside him, cocky grin still in place.

"Have a good time with your old friends?"

So he knew. Well, that was no real surprise and Sasuke hardly cared. But his jaw still clenched at the pinch in the back of his mind that argued otherwise. And that only served to further irritate his already tender nerves.

Would this fucking day never end?

"Shut up."

He chose to ignore the amused expression the medic-nin was now sporting.

More than ready to be the hell out of this godforsaken town, he took to the roofs, using his natural agility to jump from house to house.

That was when he finally noticed the small line of blood dripping from the recently inflicted wound in his palm.

The night that had finally begun looked down on him in his contemplation, bathing the world in a color he knew well. This was his world now, the one he'd made, the one from which there was no real escape. He knew this and accepted it, or so he chose to believe.

As he stood alone in the looming darkness, memories continued to float through his muddled mind. Both long past and recent, they confused him in their insistence on being seen. He didn't like this one bit.

He felt a new hesitancy when he tried to once again embrace his well-wrought path. He shouldn't have this difficulty in reasserting his hate and anger. They were his only emotions now. He'd rid himself of all softer feelings back on that day years ago.

Hadn't he?

He hated this new uncertainty. It wouldn't even exist if it weren't for those damned unwelcome reunions he'd been forced to endure. They brought with them too many memories and doubts.

He could never return, not to his one-time home, nor to his former friends. He'd cut off all paths but the one he now walked. Even if he could go back to them, it would only mean that he had wasted the life he'd lived without them. And the very thought was unbearable. That's why he had to leave, both then and now.

He had no other choice.

Did he?

Damn that Naruto! He hated the effect that little moron had on him. And yet, he'd found himself settling back into their shared past like a warm, comfy blanket. Of the few new bonds forged without his consent, this one was the strongest. He knew it wasn't a lie back then, when he'd said he considered him his closest friend. But it wasn't entirely accurate, either. The bond they still shared was strange, complex, and far too important to give it some simple label. Not that he'd ever admit to thinking any of this.

And not that it mattered anymore anyway, right?

Those ties had already been severed when he made the decision to gain his brother's strength. He'd chosen to use that bond to his advantage in whatever way he could, even if it meant destroying that which was most precious. And so he'd made that decision to kill his friend.

It should have been easy.

It wasn't.

In the end, he chose another path, the one that led away from Itachi's footsteps. Or so he told himself. That was certainly part of the reason, but not the whole. Never mind that deep down, he didn't really want to kill Naruto. Never mind that after he'd spent his rage and stood above his fallen friend, he found that all he could do was walk away. In killing this precious person, he would have killed the only untainted part of himself he still possessed. Not that he would, or even could, see the truth.

The reason he left the boy alive had nothing at all to do with his attachment to him. The tie had already been cut, killing him then would have served no purpose.

That was right, wasn't it?

It had to be. There was nothing more.

He reassured his troubled mind that there was no longer a bond linking him to Naruto, or anyone else. In vain, he tried to tell himself that the memories he'd been forced to relive meant nothing.

Never mind that he no longer really believed it.

He told himself that the only reason he left his friend alive back then was to insure that he was different from his murdering brother.

That had to be the only reason. It had to be.

He refused the possibility of anything else.

And in his blind determination, he didn't realize that in his attempt to be different, he'd ended up the same.

On to Chapter 3. . .