You are one of God's mistakes

M u r d e r

P a r t I

Sasuke dumped his bag on his bed, not bothering to check for any of Itachi's spiders. If he was lucky, he might have crushed one or two. Without thinking, he walked up to his desk, climbing up on it to see over one of the plants in his window.

What he saw outside didn't surprise him. All he could see was the white house where Naruto lived, and he noted that the car wasn't there. Maybe Naruto was at home by himself. Maybe he was sick – because why else would he have tried to glare at Sasuke like that?

Grabbing the jacket he had thrown on the floor merely a minute ago he hurried downstairs. He knew that Naruto was at home, because the blonde had hopped off the bus there about fifteen minutes ago.

He put on his shoes and jacket at the same time, and his father gave him a slightly curious, yet disapproving glance. "Where are you going, son?"

Sasuke looked up, smiling. "I'm going over to see if Naruto is at home."

Fugaku only nodded once, not bothering to question Sasuke's motives. The young Uchiha made his way outside and walked with long steps over the asphalt road that separated them. He walked on the little stone path that lead to the door, and he wondered how the garden could be so well-kept when he hadn't seen anyone taking care of it.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for it to open. It did open, slowly, with a small whine.

Naruto looked like shit.

Sasuke swallowed the gasp he had felt coming up, and forced himself to look at the blonde. Naruto was pale and his cheeks looked wet, as if he had just been told some horrible news.

"Naruto…are you okay?" He held out his hand to…well, he didn't know what he was going to do with it, so maybe it was good that Naruto flinched away. "What happened?"

"I…I…" Naruto cast his eyes downwards. "I fell. Nothing important. I'm just…I'm just silly."

Now, Sasuke wasn't as dense as Itachi said he was. He could see that Naruto was lying. How to act around a crying and lying person was not Sasuke's expertise. He had no idea how to handle sad people.

"Uhm… Do you want a hug?"

Naruto blinked. "No."

It was worth a try, at least. "Can I come inside?"

Naruto licked his lips, seemingly debating whether to let the Uchiha in or just close the door. "Yeah, sure." He stepped aside, letting Sasuke inside.

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that it was dark as he was led to what he assumed was the living room. No lights were on, and the only light was coming in through the windows. The sofa looked new and comfortable. Naruto gestured for him to sit down in it.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"

Sasuke shook his head. Naruto sure seemed to be the perfect host. "No, thanks. I just wanted to check up on you. I…I was wondering if you were mad at me?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he sat down next to Sasuke. He was probably not prepared for that kind of question. "No," he confessed. "I'm not mad at you, Sasuke-san."

"But?"

"But?" Naruto repeated, confused.

Sasuke shrugged. "I feel that there's a 'but' hanging in the air. You're not mad at me, but…"

Naruto looked away, down on the bowl of fruit on the coffee table. "But I don't understand why you're behaving like you are."

Sasuke furrowed his brows. "What? Am I behaving badly?" He had only been told by his parents or Itachi when he was behaving badly or rudely towards other people, never by anyone else. Now, it wasn't unusual for Mikoto to bring Sasuke into another room and tell him to be polite, but no one else ever told him that he was bad-mannered.

"No!" Naruto shook his head furiously. "So-sorry, Sasuke-san! I didn't mean to be impolite!"

"Just tell me what I'm doing wrong, okay?" He hissed.

Naruto gulped inaudibly, but Sasuke could see how his throat contracted before relaxing. "I…I was just wondering what your mo-motives are. I mean, why would you else be so nice to me? I don't mean to be rude – promise!"

"Motives? Motives for being nice to you?" Sasuke had to smile, he really had to. "God, you're stupid."

Naruto nodded once, as if he already knew that.

"I don't need any motives, Naruto. I just want to be your friend. You seem alright, and lonely, so why can't I be your friend?"

They heard the front door open and close.

Naruto closed his eyes. "Because…"

"Naruto?"

Sasuke looked up at the man that entered, and he wondered if he was going to be kicked out. The man looked a bit scary in his long, white robe and his pale complexion.

"Just because," Naruto whispered.

"You must be that charming young man that lives across the street. Uchiha Sasuke, is it?" The man gave a crooked smile, and Sasuke wondered if it would be too suspicious if he just stood up and ran. He simply nodded in response. "Ah, now, maybe you should go home, Sasuke. I have a few things to discuss with my son."

"Of course, sir." Sasuke threw the man a dirty look before he stood up and left the room. He hurriedly put on his jacket and shoes and exited the house.

But instead of even considering going back home, he sneaked around the corner of the house to where he knew the living room was. He spotted the window that had been the only light source, and immediately walked up to it.

He felt like the sneaky little brat he was, as he stood pressed against the wall where he was able to see inside.

His breath hitched upon the sight. He clenched his eyes shut and hated himself for being so weak. No other boy would have been frightened upon seeing such a simple slap.

It wasn't the actual hit that scared Sasuke, but the thought that his friend had just been hit by his father.

To Be Continued

A/N: As you know, I'm beta reading a story called Yearning for Comfort, by tsubaki uchiha. A few of you wondered when the first chapter was coming out, and I'm glad to tell you that it's on her profile by now. So, check it out and send her some constructive critism!

Thank you for reading! Please review!