Deep in his sleepy fog induced brain, Sasuke couldn't figure out what that obnoxiously, irritating sound was. It wasn't his alarm, both his body and mind knew how to act accordingly when it came to that. So why was this sound not registering in his hazy mind?

Once his mind caught up, his brain finally made the connection, some dumb ass was calling him before his alarm went off. Sasuke wasn't ready to deal with himself, let alone anyone else right now, so when the ringing stopped he let out an irritated huff then buried his head under his pillow. He didn't know how much time he had left until his alarm went off, but he wasn't going to open his eyes to check, fuck that. Each moment his eyes remained closed were precious.

Apparently the universe didn't agree with him because his phone began to ring again. Sasuke contemplated letting it ring again, or lacing into whatever moron was stupid enough to call him so early in the morning.

Begrudgingly he unburied his head and reached for his phone, letting muscle memory answer the call for him. "WHAT?!"

"Well good morning to you too little brother." Itachi answered, sounding not the least bit intimidated.

Slightly startled, Sasuke raises his head and chest off his bed, groggily blinking in confusion. "It-Itachi? Why are you calling me?"

If Itachi was a man who groaned, he would have. "Did you seriously ignore all of my texts?"

"Texts?" Sasuke looked at his phone, it didn't take long to see the slew of missed notifications from Itachi. 'Shit.'

"Yes, text Sasuke. Were you really that busy with our kitsune that you couldn't bother with your phone?" The older brother teased, completely oblivious to the day beforehand.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. He wasn't ready to hear or think about the blond yet. After kicking Neji out, he spent the better part of the night sitting on his bed staring at the drive left of his desk, he couldn't bring himself to touch it.

The mind reader he is, Itachi manages to pick up on his brother's strange energy through the phone. "Is everything alright Sasuke? Did something happen?"

Sasuke clicked his tongue and deflected. "Tch, where are you Itachi?"

Putting his brother's avoidance aside for now, Itachi let out a heavy sigh, he was clearly tired. "I had to fly out to Germany last night. There was an emergency and with father being in New York for his year end conference-"

Sasuke finished his statement for him. "He obviously couldn't be there. How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Should only be a couple days. I can't see it taking longer than that to resolve." The older brother sounded confident.

"Hn, alright." Sasuke managed before his alarm went off, blaring in his ear. The young raven couldn't help but groan.

Itachi internally chuckled at his brother's irritation. "I guess I'll let you get ready for school."

"Hn, give mother a hug for me. Although, knowing her I'm sure she'll beat you to it." Sasuke found himself smiling lightly. He couldn't deny that he missed his mother.

Even in an airport, surrounded by strangers, Itachi couldn't help the small smile tugging at his own lips. "Of course. See you in a few days Sasuke."

With that the brothers bid their farewells and hung up. Sasuke hoisted himself up out of bed, refusing to acknowledge the day before. All his focus was on autopiloting through his morning routine and making it to school. Thinking about the blond and Neji could wait until he faced them head on.

By the time he arrived at school, the halls were buzzing with a very ominous energy. What was even stranger was that none of it seemed to be directed towards him or even Naruto for that matter. Normally he wasn't one to listen in on other conversations, but he couldn't help himself with the things he was overhearing.

"I heard he lost his mind."

"Apparently he tries to kill his girlfriend."

"Can you believe he worked for law enforcement?"

"He tried to frame his own son."

"He took his own life after trying to kill his son and girlfriend."

"No one seems to know who his son is."

"Kinda makes you wonder what else goes on under our noses."

Everything the raven was hearing was sending chills down his spine. Having been preoccupied with avoiding everything this morning he hadn't even bothered to check his news feed, but when he did he couldn't believe the sheer volume of articles regarding a detective gone rouge resulting in the attempted murder of two and his own suicide.

'The fuck?' Sasuke couldn't fathom something like this happening in his own town. He was thankful Itachi was out of the country, otherwise he'd have a mother hen on his ass.

Opening one of the more reputable sources that was more writing than imagery, Sasuke was shocked. Not only did this detective Minato Namikaze try to kill his girlfriend and own son before taking his own life, but apparently law enforcement was in the process of going through drives of evidence that prove the man had been unlawful for years.

Sasuke briefly wondered if Narutos father knew this detective, but quickly put anything to do with the blond out of his mind. Sasuke couldn't understand how anyone could do something this awful, let alone a father to his own son. Sasuke had his share of disagreements with his own father, but his father was looking like a saint compared to this detective.

When continuing to read, Sasuke couldn't help but cringe, the article was hinting at gang affiliations and the possibility of the man selling his own son's body on top of years of both mental and physical abuse. No where did it hint at who the boy was or how old he was, not even the girlfriend's name was being given at this time. They were both rushed to the hospital, but only the boy had sustained life threatening injuries. For some reason, this was all giving Sasuke déjà vu of the articles he'd read on Naruto's shooting.

Cursing himself for thinking about the blond cheater, he closed his phone, reading articles on his town's tragedy wasn't helping anyone right now. Besides, this happened less than twelve hours ago, nothing concrete would be available to read for at least another day, maybe longer depending on what they find and if the boy makes it through.

Walking to class as the warning bell sounded, Sasuke was debating if he should switch seats with someone but opted to suck it up and deal with it. He was an Uchiha, he was apathetic and bred to ignore.

Walking into class he was expecting to meet a brooding blond, but he wasn't there, apparently Nara was M.I.A as well.

Sasuke took his seat as the rows of seats began to fill, He exchanged a few irritated glares and words with Sakura and Ino before the final bell finally went off. The raven couldn't help but feel that Naruto was simply avoiding him. 'Tch, pathetic. Must have gone crying to the Nara.'

Kakashi came in only five minutes late, looking far more dishevelled than Sasuke had ever seen the man. When they made eye contact it felt like the teacher was trying to convey some hidden message to him. 'Odd.'

The day just kept getting stranger and stranger. Orochimaru was away, and that man was never gone. Even when it came to Asuma and Kurenai, they were even a bit off as well, not to the extent Kakashi was, but off nonetheless. Sasuke figured it must just be because of the incident the night before. Thinking about it, it really is horrible to have something like that happen right under your nose.

Putting the weird vibes aside, the day wasn't going too bad. Naruto wasn't there, so he didn't have to face that today, and Neji was acting as he normally did. Neither of them had mentioned their terrible drunken romp the night before, and both seemed content to keep it that way. Sasuke was relieved by the fact, just remembering bits and pieces made the raven shudder. He'd never tell his friend, but the only thing that got him up was picturing the blond bent over for him. He'd even made Neji prep himself because the thought of prepping anyone besides the blond wasn't appealing.

Lunch came and went, everybody still talking about the incident the night before. It was recently released that the boy who was shot had pulled through surgery, and expected to survive. The girlfriend of the detective, Guren, hadn't spoken a word regarding the incident either, apparently she's not speaking at all.

If anyone needed proof of how deeply the incident affected the community, they just needed to sit in on Sasuke's PE class, because even Gai wasn't himself. By the time class was done Sasuke still had feeling in his legs and his shirt wasn't dripping with sweat. It was truly a weird day indeed.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, Sasuke went home, did homework, ate supper, shower, read and slept. Completely avoiding the drive still on his desk. Obviously he knew he couldn't put it off forever, but for the moment that's exactly what he planned to do.

The next day the only new news regarding the Minato Namikaze investigation was that somehow the boy who had had life saving surgery the day before, somehow vanished into thin air. There was speculation that he was placed into police custody to keep him safe from any gang affiliates that may come after him because of the detective, but there was no proof that was true. The whole thing felt bizarre.

Arriving at school, Sasuke was sure today would be the day he'd have his confrontation with Naruto. Afterall, the blond was dedicated to his studies, Sasuke couldn't see their situation preventing him from remaining diligent. However, Sasuke was wrong because Naruto and Nara were once again no-shows. 'Tch, pathetic dobe, can't even face me.'

When the next day came around and Shikamaru was there but still no Naruto, Sasuke would never admit it, but something inside him felt worried. Shikamaru had a strange feeling to him, he was as lazy as usual, but it felt different somehow, Sasuke just couldn't put his finger on it.

Sasuke wanted to talk with Shikamaru about the blond, but the teen wouldn't even look in his direction, even Choji seemed to avoid him. The raven didn't think Naruto would use their break-up to turn the only other down to earth people at the school against him, but apparently he was wrong.

Sasuke scoffed at himself. 'Of course he'd turn them on me. If he can cheat on me, he's obviously not above being petty.'

By the time Saturday came around Sasuke was convinced he never knew the blond at all. The raven admired the blonds goals, he was intelligent and driven, for him to just give up so he wouldn't have to face Sasuke, it was pathetic. Sasuke had even stopped protecting him from his group. Afterall, they were right about him all along.

Coming to the conclusion that he's not going to waste one more second thinking about the blond moron, he tosses the drive into the trash. Whatever was on there he didn't give a fuck about anyways.

Sasuke's phone buzzed, Izumo was letting him know that Neji was at the gate. Reluctantly he informs the guard to let him through. They still hadn't made any attempt to talk about what happened between them a few nights ago, and Sasuke wanted to keep it that way.

Sasuke made his way downstairs and greeted his friend at the door. "So, what brings you here?"

Neji looked nervous. His hands were intertwined behind his back and he was chewing his bottom lip fiercely. "I think we should talk."

"I don't think we have anything to talk about." Sasuke responded curtly. Yep, this was exactly what he didn't want.

"Come on Sasuke. I gave you the rest of the week, you can't blow this off forever." Neji's voice came out anxiously.

Sasuke sighed before he gestured for his friend to follow him. "There's nothing to talk about."

Neji removed his shoes and followed Sasuke faithfully towards his kitchen. "Come on Sasuke, you can't tell me it meant nothing to you?"

Sasuke ignored his question, making his way toward the fridge. "Can I get you anything?" How was he supposed to tell his friend he wasn't the least bit attracted to him? That he wished it never transpired? Besides, wasn't he taken advantage of? That night Neji seemed to have a plan, didn't he just take advantage of the situation. Sasuke felt a migraine brewing.

"Don't ignore my question!" Neji demanded, but it came out more like a whiney, desperate, plea.

Taking a deep breath with his back to the brunette, Sasuke leans forward, using his hands to brace himself on the edge of the counter. "Yes, it meant nothing to me, Neji. You are my friend, what happened shouldn't have happened."

Trying to remain composed, Neji clenched his jaw. "Do you regret it?"

"What do you want me to say Neji?" Sasuke asked more rhetorically than anything, not once turning around, he didn't want to look his friend in the eyes right now. "You're my oldest friend, we can't let hormones, alcohol and bad decisions ruin our friendship."

"I. Want. You. To. Answer. The. Question." Neji articulated each word slowly as he walked towards the raven, spinning him around.

Sasuke let himself be spun, but kept his gaze lowered. "Yes."

Neji dropped his arms that spun his friend like he was burnt. "So what? You can fuck the blond freak, but fucking me you regret?"

"Neji, we aren't doing this." Sasuke groaned, bringing a hand up to anxiously rub his face.

"Oh no, please continue, I'd like to hear where this conversation is going." A menacingly calm voice caused the two teens to internally shudder.

"I-Itachi, welcome home!" Sasuke tried to over enthuse his voice but failed miserably.

Itachi ignored him. "Neji, what were you saying about Sasuke fucking you?"

Neji was slightly dazed, hearing such a man use the word "fucking" sounded wrong to the pale eyed teenager. However, wanting to keep his entrails in his body he graciously answered the man. "W-well yes we were, um...intimate."

"Itachi." Sasuke tried to warn his brother, but his voice had no effect on the older Uchiha.

Itachi raises his hand to silence his brother. Seeing the calmness in his brother's face made Sasuke blood run cold. Itachi was pissed. "We're talking Sasuke, you know it's rude to interrupt."

"Hn." Was all Sasuke grunted before looking back at the floor, those tiles were looking mighty interesting.

"When exactly was this, hm?" Itachi was now standing directly in front of Neji, the teen wasn't sure how he moved so stealthily.

Neji's large gulp could be heard clearly across the kitchen. "Tuesday."

Itachi bowed his brow and squinted, now looking back and forth between the two idiots before finally settling back on Sasuke. " So you mean the night you were ignoring my messages, you were with him?" Sasuke didn't make a peep. "Answer me Sasuke." Itachi raised his voice, something he never does.

Sasuke jumped, he knew his brother was ruthless if crossed, but he'd never been on the receiving end before. "Yes."

Itachi hated cheaters. He was also quite fond of the blond. So finding out his brother cheated on him with none other than the conniving Hyuga, pissed didn't even begin to cover the range of anger he was feeling. "And what about this, what did Neji call Naruto? "Blond freak," what about him, how could you do this to him?" Itachi's words were downright venomous now, Sasuke somehow forgot Itachi didn't know what Naruto had done to him. The younger brother wanted to say something but his words died in his throat. Sasuke didn't scare, but Itachi terrified him.

Neji was shocked again, apparently the mighty Itachi Uchiha had a soft spot for the blond? How could that happen? Neji wouldn't let that go on any longer, he was quick to step in for Sasuke. "Naruto cheated on him."

Itachi snorted. "Bullshit."

Neji's eyes bulged as his jaw hit the floor. "I-it's true, we have proof."

Itachi's face was that of stone. "Listen, I don't know what you're playing at Hyuga, but I know Naruto, and he wouldn't do that. I don't appreciate liars."

"ENOUGH! It's true Itachi." Sasuke snapped. The younger brother wasn't exactly a fan of Neji right now, but he wasn't going to let his brother bully his friend and defend Naruto, not after what the blond had done.

A wave of almost sorrow washed over Itachi's face when he looked at his brother. "Sasuke, you know as well as I do just how smitten that boy is with you. You can't tell me you honestly believe he'd cheat on you?"

Sasuke snorted pitifully. "No I didn't, but the video evidence sort of put me in my place."

"Let me see." Itachi demanded, not leaving room for argument.

"You know what fine! Everyone else has seem him fucking everything that walks, why not you too!" Sasuke snarls. He digs his phone out and roots through it to retrieve the video he sent himself from Izuki's phone. Sasuke shoves the phone in his brothers awaiting hand. "Here, go nuts."

Itachi takes the phone and walks around to the other side of the kitchen island and plays the video. Two seconds into the video Itachi stops it and aggressively tosses it across the counter back towards his brother. "You complete utter moron!"

Sasuke fumbles to catch his phone. "Hey! What the hell?!"

Itachi almost growled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the hell? Oh I'll tell you, you're a fucking imbecile Sasuke!" Itachi looks up at his brother, something akin to furry in his eyes. "Foolish, foolish little brother. Did you even take the time to look at the video?! Or did you receive it and go "Oh, yep good enough, lets just say fuck it to the kindest most down to earth person you've ever met." Because from where I'm standing that's exactly what it looks like you did."

"Of course I watched it! I watched it over and over and over again! Don't you think I'd be sure?! You're my brother, aren't you supposed to be on my side?!" Sasuke shouted back at his brother, he was hurting, and as much as he couldn't admit it, he still needed his brother to be there for him right now.

Itachi doesn't so much as flinch at his brother's outburst. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, he really thought his brother was smarter than this. "Tch, brother or not, I won't side with someone who's clearly in the wrong. For someone who should know that boy, I'd think you'd have caught on to the video the first time."

Neji was curious as to what Itachi was talking about, but obviously couldn't voice it. The Hyuga was sure his plan was flawless, and when Sasuke bought it, there wasn't a doubt that in his mind that it couldn't backfire. So what was Itachi's move here?

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay fine, what oh great Itachi Uchiha did you see that I didn't?"

"I'll answer your question with a question. When was this recorded?" Itachi made a face like he was expecting that to solve all Sasuke's problems.

"Last week." Sasuke bit out.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at him like he was an idiot. "Wrong. Try again."

"What the hell are you talking about? She told me herself that this happened last week." Sasuke squinted at his brother.

The older brother let out a heavy sigh. "Idiot, look at his ear."

Sasuke lets out a rather dramatic sigh but brings the video up again. "Okay what about it?"

"When was the last time you've seen him with an orbital piercing?" Itachi raised an elegant brow, like he was saying "checkmate."

Neji was trying to keep it together, but mentally he was in a frenzy. He needed to figure out how to fix this somehow, there had to be a way. That was when he realised that Sasuke had already cheated on the blond, and said blond had been absent the rest of the week. Maybe he wouldn't have to do anything else after all.

Sasuke's world stopped. His already alabaster complexion paled. "Neji, we need to go."

Before Itachi could say anything, his brother was pushing the other teen out the kitchen. Itachi followed the teenager to the door. "We're not done with this conversation Sasuke."

Sasuke's troubled face looked at his brother's grim face and nodded. He knew this wasn't over, but right now he needed to get to the bottom of this shit.

Itachi allowed the sorrow to wash over him, this wasn't what he'd expected to come home to. Pushing it aside for the moment he went upstairs, if he didn't need a shower after his flight, he sure needed one now.

After his shower Itachi wasted no time heading down to fix himself a drink. He got his tumbler, he got his ice, and he poured himself some whiskey. The rich amber liquid was always his favourite, but something about the cold December air made him appreciate it all the more. Taking his drink away from the bar, he brings it over to the couch and flicks on the television. Having been away for days, he felt himself going through news withdrawal.

What Itachi saw made his blood run cold.


Sasuke didn't have a plan when he shoved Neji out of his house, all he knew was that the brunette knew how to get a hold of the slutty redhead. For some reason he was reluctant to give Sasuke any information.

"Look, I can't just give you her number." Neji argued.

"Then you call her. She lied, Neji!" Sasuke was in no mood for bullshit, his world felt like it was falling apart, and he needed answers.

"How exactly does a piercing prove that she lied? I mean people take piercings out all the time." Neji pointed out, trying to keep his friend on his side.

Sasuke tried to keep calm, but was quickly losing his patience. "Naruto had that piercing ripped out in a fight before him and I started seeing each other. In that video, he still had it."

Neji wanted to murder Izuki right now. "Ah."

"Yeah, so we're going to go to her work and if she's not there you're going to call her. Understand?" Sasuke didn't wait for an answer as he walked past Neji's car in pursuit of his own.

'Fuck,' was all Neji kept chanting in his head. The Hyuga got in his car and tried to call Izuki. After the third call went unanswered he sent her a text.

Neji:

Sasuke knows the video wasn't from last week! We're on our way to your work right now so he can confront you. You better hope you can come up with an excuse or else!

Sasuke wasted no time making his way out the front gate, he was getting answers if it was the last thing he did. Nobody fucks with an Uchiha. The raven rage was the only thing keeping him from crumbling into a pathetic heap of self loathing. How could he hope for both being right and wrong simultaneously? Regardless of the truth, the situation was fucked.

Neji pulled into the parking spot next to him. It was a busy Saturday and the lot was packed so they had to park way in the back. Sasuke wasted no time getting out, almost forgetting to lock his car. Neji was moving a bit more sluggish for obvious reasons.

Sasuke looked at his friend expectantly. "Did you call her?"

"Yeah, but she didn't answer. She didn't respond to texts either." Neji mumbled.

"Hn, let's go." Sasuke began walking towards the building, not waiting to see if his friend was following him or not. He was confident that the lack of phone presence pointed to the female working, he just hoped Naruto wasn't. Sasuke wasn't ready to cross that bridge yet. No, first he needed to sort this shit out, no more jumping to conclusions.

They made their way inside the store and up to the customer service desk. Upon requesting to speak with Izuki, Sasuke was content to hear that she was in fact working.

Sasuke knew he'd feel pissed off when he saw her, but he wasn't prepared for the sheer volume of malice he wanted to throw at the female. "We need to talk."

The female gaped, looking back and forth between the two males. They were both glaring daggers at her, but for two totally different reasons. "Um, okay. Give me five minutes."

"Hn." Sasuke managed to grunt keeping a firm scowl in place. Neji simply remained quiet, his silent glare speaking more than words ever could.

Sasuke turned to look at the brunette. "You don't need to stay anymore."

"Neji shook his head. "No, I'm staying. I want to hear what she has to say."

Sasuke nodded, finding the look on the Hyugas face rather curious.

"Alright follow me." A soft unsure voice came from behind Sasuke.

Izuki looked nervous which only angered the raven further. Innocent people don't act that way. Sasuke didn't know who he was more mad at, her or himself.

They made it to a secluded part of the store where she led them through an "employees only" door and into what looked to be their staff room. The one wall was lined with a dual stack of lockers, Sasuke immediately zoned in on the one Izuki was leading them to. 'Naruto.'

Izuki pulled out a piece of paper then proceeded to open the lock.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked suddenly. He could clearly see that the locker had Naruto's name on it.

"Giving you his belongings?" She looked genuinely confused.

Sasuke snarled before what she said sunk in. "What do you mean giving me his belongings? I came here to find out why the fuck you lied to me?!"

Izuki's eyes bugged out before shooting a nervous look at Neji. She dropped her head, finding the floor less intimidating. "He hasn't shown up for his last few shifts so they fired him. With you being here I thought maybe you could return his things."

"Why can't you do it?" Neji growled. He couldn't believe how stupid she was. She was supposed to be who Naruto cheated on Sasuke with, why would Sasuke want to bring him his things? She wasn't throwing a wrench at his well crafted plan, no, she was throwing a whole goddamn workbench.

Sasuke didn't need to be a genius to put the same sentiment together. "Yes, why can't you do it? After All, you guys are rather close right?" There was an eerie cadence in his voice daring her to lie to his face again.

"I don't know where he lives." She whispered, not brave enough to look either teen in the eye. She could deal with her terrifying dealer, but her shame made it impossible to look at the males before her.

"Say that again." Sasuke's booming voice demanded cooperation.

"I don't know where he lives, okay?!" She snapped back, finally looking at the raven. The icy gaze she was greeted with was enough to make her regret her decision immediately.

Sasuke's snort turned into seething mockery. "I thought you two were close, with him fucking you and all."

She crossed her arms and looked away with a huff. "Just because we used to fuck doesn't mean I know where he lives."

A wicked gleam cast over Sasuke's eyes as the female slips up. "Used to fuck?"

Neji looked ready to murder her, his eye brow almost twitching off his face.

"Heh, uh yeah. Like last we-week. Used to because w-we haven't since last week, heh." The female nearly choked on her words as she lied through her teeth, anxiously swaying on her feet. Lying never was her strong suit.

"Fucking moron!" Neji snapped, only to freeze in his tracks after releasing that outburst wasn't in his mind.

Sasuke slowly turned from the female towards the Hyuga. "Why are you angry about this Neji?" The unimpressed look on the raven's face showed he demanded explanations, and he demanded them now.

Izuki smirked. "Yeah, why are you angry Neji?"

Neji sent the female a glare signalling he wasn't finished with her either yet. The Hyuga glanced back at Sasuke with pursed lips. "Her and that freak hurt my best friend, of course I'm angry."

"Naruto is not a freak!" Izuki snapped. "I've never met someone who's as kind and selfless as him..." The redhead's words trailed off as she hung her head in shame, the weight and realisation of what she did to him hitting her full force now. She was no different than Neji and she fucking hated it. "He'd never lie to or betray anyone."

Dred filled Sasuke once more as a lump formed in his throat. If what she just said was true, she was all but admitting she lied.

"Not another fucking word Izuki." Neji's threatened slowly, his voice dark and low.

Sasuke didn't know what Neji was playing at but he was having none of it. "No Neji, I think I'd like to hear what she has to say."

Neji grew rigid, he couldn't believe he slipped up and let his emotions run him. "Come on Sasuke, she's a dirty drug dealing whore. You can't accredit anything she says."

"If that's true, what's the harm in hearing her out?" The raven bit back.

"The harm is, Mr. Soulless over there doesn't want you to know that he blackmailed this drug dealing whore into lying to you." She smirked fiendishly at the Hyuga.

"Why you insolent little shit!" Neji snarled as he lunged at the female slamming her into the lockers behind her.

Before Neji could physically harm her, Sasuke had launched himself at the Hyuga, prying him off the female and throwing him down, pinning him to the floor. "What the fuck is she talking about Neji?!"

Being pinned under Sasuke, Neji would have felt euphoric if it weren't for the look of pure hatred he was burning into the opal eyed teen. Not able to handle the malicious glare any longer, Neji looked away. "I have no idea what she's talking about."

Still straddling the Hyugas hips, Sasuke brings his hands up, grabs the Hyuga's sweater collar and lifts his back from the floor to bring him to eye level. Sasuke was seething. "Don't fucking lie to me."

Neji still tried to avoid his gaze, not able to speak a word. How was he going to fix this?

Izuki had gotten over her shock at the sudden attempted assault. The female wanted to laugh when she saw the proud asshole's look of avoidance. Somehow it all clicked in, seeing how he squirmed under the others gaze, how he couldn't look the other in the eye completely. 'He has a thing for him.'

Izuki made a sound like she had some life changing epiphany. "Huh."

Sasuke turned his head towards the redhead, giving her a quizzical look. If Neji was going with avoidance he'd gladly hear the female out. "What's he not telling me?"

She smirked, stepping a little closer, feeling confident Sasuke's grip would hold the glaring teen from trying to attack her again. "He threatened to sell me out to the cops if I didn't lie and say I was still sleeping with Naruto. The truth is I haven't slept with Naruto since September."

Sasuke's face morphed into confusion. Furrowing his brow he turned his attention back to Neji. "Why?"

"You're really going to believe her over me?!" Neji snarled.

Sasuke looks at him with disgust. "Honestly? Yes. The way you're acting screams guilty Neji!" Sasuke was dejected, he didn't know how to wrap his head around this. "How could you? What the hell happened to the guy who saved me from drowning in that frozen pond?"

Neji laughed pitifully. "Are you blind or just stupid?! Both you and Kiba, how can you both love that fucking nobody but not me?! I love both of you and you both chose him! Why can't you love me huh?! Even back then I loved you!"

Sasuke could feel bile rising in his throat. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Neji's eyes glazed to that of someone deranged. "The first time I met you was at that winter festival, even as a child you were the most beautiful person I'd ever met. I knew I needed you to see me, but you would never leave your brother's side. It was always Itachi this and Itachi that. It was infuriating. I knew if I could just prove to you my worth you'd finally see me."

"You're not saying..." Sasuke trailed off, not able to finish his thought.

"I knew where the ice was thinnest. All I had to do was save you. As you got older you forgot about me. When you showed up at Konoha High, I thought the universe was giving me another shot. But you fell for the same low life fucking Kiba did!" Neji finished with a snarl.

Izuki wanted to get away from this conversation. What exactly had she fallen into?

Sasuke looked at the Hyuga with abhorrence. "You're sick."

"I fucking love you Sasuke, why can't you see that?" Neji grabbed Sasuke's face and crushed their lips together."

The raven was shocked, then disgusted. He rammed his head forward, headbutting the brunette. They say nobody wins with a headbutt, but right now, Sasuke disagreed. The force shot the Hyuga back down so he was laying on his back. Sasuke began to pummelled him with his fists. Never had he felt as furious and violated as he did at this moment.

"I never...Want to...See you...Again." Sasuke spews between hits, only stopping when he registers the blood and shouts from the female at his side. Neji lay there groaning but not moving, tears welling up in his steadily swelling eyes. Sasuke felt nothing for the freshly batters brunette except revulsion.

Izuki knew Neji deserved the treatment but her boss Konan felt differently. The whole mess was surely going to cause her more than a headache.

Before anything more could be said Sasuke was up and out of there. At some point he made it home, but he couldn't tell you how exactly he made it there. The males mind was reeling, he couldn't fathom what he learned. Not only all the lies, but the pivotal point that started their friendship was all a set up. They were children, Neji could have killed him!

Then there's Naruto, everything Naruto had said, every warning, every feeling was spot on. Sasuke felt like a fool. Self loathing was strong with him tonight. Not only had he found out his supposed best friend was just like all those other crazed, crush chasing cretins, he had orchestrated the downfall of his relationship and succeeded. The worst part, Sasuke wasn't innocent, he went along and played right into it. Even if he did it unknowingly, he still didn't trust the blond, didn't bat an eye when he told him he was being an idiot. Sasuke betrayed Naruto in the worst way possible, and that he could never take back. Sasuke made a promise to both Naruto and himself at that moment, no matter what, he was going to beg the blond for forgiveness and spend the rest of his life if need be to prove he's sorry.

Even with the betrayal of his ex best friend fresh in his mind, he felt resolute in his new found motive to fix things with his blond, he just needed to find the perfect way to start begging. Also, there was the whole avoiding being castrated by his brother. The thought of what awaited him behind the front door made him shudder.

Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and entered the house. After he removed his shoes he set off to Find Itachi, better to get his evisceration done and over with. Maybe after he'd pity him and help him figure out a way to win back the blonds affection. Internally he gave himself an affirmative nod, nobody had better ideas than Itachi. Though he'd never admit that to the man.

It didn't take long to find his brother, usually after a long flight he finds him in front of the television, indulging in the news while he nurses a drink. There were a few differences that struck Sasuke as odd this time. The first was his brother seemed so engrossed that he hadn't even heard him enter the room. The second was his drink was too full and devoid of ice signalling he hadn't touched it and it sat there long enough for the ice to melt. Lastly, he was completely rigid. Itachi was always the epitome of elegance, but right now he looked like a cat about to receive a bath.

"I'm home." Sasuke gently announced, not wanting to startle his unusually inattentive brother. It apparently wasn't good enough, because for the first time in his life, Sasuke saw his usually composed brother jump.

"Sasuke!" Itachi exclaimed as he spun around and raced over towards Sasuke. The look that was on his face didn't suit him. It was one of grief, sorrow and panic. "You didn't tell me! How is he?! Do you know where he is?!"

Sasuke looked utterly confused by his brother's urgency. "What are you talking about Tachi?"

Itachi took a step back, scrutinising his brother with his lips pressed in a firm line. "Naruto."

'Oh, so this is about our break up.' Sasuke gathered. He knew his brother had taken to his blond, but didn't think it would ruffle him this much.

"Look, I know now that I fucked up. I shouldn't have trusted that redhead or Neji for that matter. I would do anything to take it back, I don't know how yet, but I'm going to make this right!" Sasuke said, sounding half sure of himself.

Itachi looked at him like he grew a second head. "Sasuke, what does the name Minato Namikaze mean to you?"

The younger brother raised a curious brow. "That's the detective who's all over the news. Why?" Sasuke didn't know why that was being brought up all of a sudden.

Itachi tried to steel his face, but his eyes held a trace of dolefulness. "I think you should sit down."

Sasuke skewed his face defensively. He didn't know why, but something inside had triggered and he was warring with his fight or flight response all of a sudden. "Why should I sit down? What's going on?!"

"Please sit down." Itachi pleads with him.

"No I won't fucking sit down! Just tell me what's going on!" Sasuke snapped, being told you should sit never meant good news.

Itachi let out a painful sigh, he didn't want to break the news to him. How could Sasuke not know? "Sasuke, Minato Namikaze is Naruto's father."

Sasuke's whole world stopped, it couldn't be his Naruto, it couldn't! It was impossible to believe that Naruto was the son in the news who had undergone such a horrific life that law enforcement had barely even scratched the surface of. But that tingle of anxiety that had been brewing inside him somehow all made sense now. Denial was Sasuke's only hope. 'Nonono, it can't be.'

"No, it can't be. Naruto's last name is Uzumaki, not Namikaze!" Sasuke panicked, not sure who he was trying to convince more, Itachi or himself.

Itachi turned around and grabbed the remote for the television. Rewinding the news he pauses it on a picture of Minato. He looked back at Sasuke with a frown. "Don't tell me you can't see the resemblance?"

"No, there are other tanned, blond's with blue eyes, that doesn't mean he's Naruto's father! IT DOESN'T!" Sasuke bellowed out, slowly backing away out of the room like a frightened animal. He had to go, had to leave. This couldn't be, it couldn't.

Sasuke took off in a full blown sprint, not even bothering with his shoes as he exited the house, Itachi yelling at him as he laid chase. "Sasuke wait!" But he was gone.

"Fuck!" Itachi cursed as the squealing of Sasuke tires took off down the driveway. There was only one place he thought Sasuke would go. Itachi found the address of the abominable detective and put it in his phone. Not wasting time, he quickly put on his shoes, forgoing his jacket in favour of grabbing his brother's own forgotten shoes. Without looking back he set out to prevent his brother from doing something foolish.


Sasuke pulled up to Naruto's house and threw himself off in his car emptying his stomach contents. Tremors wrecked his body as he came to terms with Naruto being the son of Minato Namikaze. How could he not know?

Police line stretched around the property, except a few loose strands that blew freely in the cold December wind. Sasuke's body was on autopilot, before he knew it he was breaching the crime scene tape that sealed the door.

The first thing Sasuke noticed was how cold the house was. In order to get to the stairs that led upstairs you needed to walk past the living room, and what Sasuke saw will forever haunt him. Sasuke fell to his knees, throwing a hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep the remaining stomach bile down. Blood stained everything. The floor, the couch, the walls and ceiling. And the smell, even in the frigid house, the putrid smell permeated.

Naruto's blood was stained there, so was Minato's. Naruto could have died again and he wouldn't have even known! That was when he realised this happened the same night that he walked in on him and Neji, the same day he accused him of cheating on him. The same goddamn day he busted a bottle over his head telling him he never wanted to see him again.

Unable to deal with the scene in front of him any longer he found himself standing outside the blond's room, he almost couldn't bring himself to open it. Everything inside him wanted to open it and find the blond adorably passed out. But deep inside he knew that wouldn't be the case. He took a deep breath and finally entered.

The room was relatively untouched. Sasuke walked over to Naruto's bed and sat down. He leaned over with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He rubbed his face until his hands found themselves tangled and pulling on his own midnight locks. Sasuke knew deep down he wouldn't be in here, not after the scene downstairs, but he was at a loss, what was he going to do? Where was the blond?

Sasuke dug through his pocket and produced his phone. He tried to send Naruto a text.

Sasuke:

Naruto, are you okay?

[message unable to send]

Furrowing his brow he re-text the same message

Sasuke:

Naruto, are you okay?

[message unable to send]

This time he called the blond.

"The number you have reached has been disconnected."

"No...NO!" Sasuke bellowed, whipping his phone across the room in a furry. Tears began to well up in his eyes, Naruto was gone, just gone. The raven curled himself on his side, hugging his knees and buried his head into the blond's pillow, trying to hold onto the scent that was unmistakably Naruto.

Sasuke was lost, for the first time in his life he didn't know what he was doing or where he was going. He needed Naruto, and Naruto needed him!

Sasuke heard his name being called but assumed it was in his mind, after all no one was there. Moments later he vaguely heard something behind him before his name was uttered sympathetically again. "Sasuke."

Recognising the voice, Sasuke slowly turned over, not bothering to hide his tears, he didn't care. His world had fallen apart and he felt to blame. If things had just gone differently that night Naruto would still be there with him.

"He's gone Tachi. He's really gone." Sasuke choked out a sob. He had never felt so hopeless.

Itachi's heart broke for his little brother. A part of himself felt missing as well. Itachi sat on the bed and did a very un-Uchiha thing, he pulled his brother into a bone crushing hug. Itachi gently rocked him as he placed light kisses on the crown of his grieving brother's head. "We'll find him, Sasuke. We'll find him."


The next week that went by was torture. Sasuke sat with no one and ignored everybody. It all made sense to him now, the teacher all knew it had been Naruto. Orochimaru had been arrested along with one of Konoha top doctors, Dr. Nadire Roga. The list of people being arrested just kept growing and it did nothing to ease the guilt he felt for not seeing the underlying pain the blond was going through. Using sex as a way to take control of his body, Sasuke wanted to slap himself, it made so much sense to him now. Of course Naruto would choose to sleep around before they were together, at least that he was in control of what people did to his body.

That night Sasuke broke into the sealed house he had skipped the basement, but after watching the new religiously now just to torture himself, he found out that it was basically a makeshift torture chamber. The scars, the "fights", Sasuke now knew that it was all Minato's doing. He didn't believe Naruto when he said his father made Fugaku look like a pussy cat, but now he understood.

What Sasuke wouldn't do to take the blond in his arms and never let him go. What he wouldn't do to tell him how much he loved him, how much he needed him. To tell him how incredibly strong and brave he is. As the days passed he feared he'd never get the chance, it was as if Naruto had vanished. Not the hospital or the police had any clue as to where he disappeared to. There was no proof he was even at the hospital, and with him almost dying the day before he vanished, it was more than terrifying. What if someone who had ties with Minato got to the blond?

Sasuke wasn't eating or sleeping much, even Shikamaru didn't know where Naruto went. The Nara had admitted to seeing Naruto in the hospital after surgery but relayed the same sentiments the hospital did regarding his vanishing. Each day that passed, Sasuke lost a bit more of himself.

Clinging onto anything that represented Naruto, Sasuke dug the drive out of his trash, when he finally looked at it his mouth went dry. He wasn't expecting an audio file. When he played it, there was his blond's deep captivating voice he missed so fucking much. Naruto had written and recorded a song for him. The song was about a dark haired beauty who stole his heart. By the end of the song Sasuke was in tears again. The song was about him, about how Naruto felt for him. The voice he hadn't heard in too long was belting out at him through the speakers and no matter how beautiful and how moved he was, it wasn't the same as having the blond there with him. That weekend Sasuke didn't leave his room.

The new year came around and Sasuke was just getting by. He was going through the motions of everything he needed to get done, but his mind was never fully present. Itachi and Kisame were both looking into where Naruto could be, but even with their pooled resources they were coming up empty handed.

With everything being electronic, it was very rare to receive physical mail, so Sasuke was intrigued when he heard a letter was waiting for him one evening.

Sasuke walked into the kitchen and there was a crimson red envelope waiting for him. Upon seeing the writing, Sasuke's heart stopped. His name and address were written in clean, neat writing. Sasuke would know that writing anywhere.

"Naruto." Sasuke whispered to himself.

It felt like he was dreaming, he almost wanted to pinch himself. His mouth ran dry as he stood there staring at the envelope, not daring to open it in case it crumbles to dust and he woke up.

At some point he had made it upstairs and into his bed. Finally finding the courage he opens the envelope.

Sasuke,

As you probably guessed I'm gone. Please tell Itachi and Shark face I hope they're well. Oh and Shisui, god he's going to cry like a baby when he finds out I'm gone. Anyways, I honestly don't know what to say. If I'm being honest I wasn't going to write to you at all. I still don't know why I sat down and wrote this. It's not the first letter I've tried to start if you can believe it, words just seem too hard. I don't know where your head is at, and I'm sorry if this letter breaches your request to never hear from me again, I just needed to tell you one thing. I don't know when or how it happened, but I fell in love with you.

Sasuke stopped as a lump formed in his throat. "He loves me?"

A new wave of guilt crashed into him and he found a few straggled tears cascading down his face once again. He continued to read before losing his nerve.

I never cheated on you Sasuke, not once. When you believe them over me I think you broke the last piece of me. I told you I believed in soulmates, and I'm positive you're mine. I'm afraid that now you've broken that piece that bonds us, the last piece that I had left that we can never be as we were. Why is this so hard? You're not even in front of me and it's hard to find the words. I guess what I'm saying is I can't love you anymore Sasuke, God I wish I could but I can't. Who knows, maybe next lifetime we'll get it right? Goodbye Sasuke, take care of yourself.

The one and only,

Naruto Uzumaki

A.K.A. Dobe

"I'll fix this, I promise I'll fix this Naruto, this can't be goodbye." Sasuke sniffled as he hugged the pillow he'd stolen from the blond's room. They loved each other, both too stupid to admit it to one another, he refused to believe it was too late. If his last piece was truly broken there was no way he would have written to him, Sasuke was positive. He had to hold onto any hope he could grasp or else he would crumble under his own tremendous guilt. The thought of him breaking the blond's heart was too much.

"I don't care if it takes my whole life, I'll find you and make this right." He didn't know how, but when an Uchiha says they're going to do something, they fucking do it.