Learn to be Lonely Chapter 2: Kingdoms rise, Kingdoms fall, a naruto fanfic

Title: Learn to be Lonely
Summary: "There is no worse pain than that of a broken heart," Naruto explained with a vulpine grin. Breaking Sasuke Uchiha's heart should be a piece of cake. Right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but a girl can dream, right?

October

October. And kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall but you go on. And on.

Naruto wrapped the threadbare, orange scarf tighter around his neck. The weather was growing colder, a sure sign that winter was fast approaching. The trees were naked without their leaves, only a few remained desperately clinging to the branches. The blue-eyed boy watched with fascination as yet another leaf fell from a nearby tree, spiralling down to the floor where it collected with the others in a blanket of autumn colours.

"Brrrr!" He shivered, rubbing his cold pink hands together in a feeble attempt to warm them some. "Aren't you cold at all, Gaara?"

The red-haired boy who walked beside him stared impassively and sighed. "You're being dramatic again, Naruto. It's not cold. 7 degrees at the very least."

With a small pout clinging to his chapped pink lips, Naruto muttered sarcastically, "And who are you? The weather man?"

Gaara's lips twitched but didn't quite form a smile. His pace picked up as the late bell rang out through the yard. "No. I'm just a better Meteorologist than you."

"What's a Meteor- thingy?" Naruto asked, not really expecting an answer from his stoic friend. He didn't get one. "Hey! Wait up, Gaara. I've got shorter legs than you, damnit!"

Once again, Juugo and Suigetsu managed to corner Naruto in the old library. It was becoming a regular occurance. Perhaps the blonde would need to find a new hiding place or something. Huffing dramatically - for no other reason than to piss the other two boys off even more - Naruto marked the page he was up to in his book. He was becoming more and more fascinated by human mind and behaviour. He took a particular interest in emotions and how love, lust and attraction were formed by hormones and chemicals in the body.

"Well, if it isn't the Narutard!" Suigetsu sniggered, crossing his arms over his chest with a menacing sneer.

Naruto scoffed at the insult. "How very original. Did you think of that all by yourself?"

Juugo, having caught sight of the book in Naruto's hands, quickly reached forward to snatch it from him. "What's this, loser? Trying to make someone fall in love with you or something?" He laughed cruelly.

Naruto nearly smiled. Juugo was so close to the truth and he didn't even realise it. Of course, his plan to get revenge on Sasuke wasn't the real reason he was reading that particular book but the information it held would definitely come in handy. Naruto hadn't forgotten about his plot of revenge but he had all the time in the world to slowly worm his way into the Uchiha's heart. There was no rush. "Now you mention it, I was just about to start brewing a love potion before you guys came along and rudely interrupted."

Suigetsu's lips curled up in disgust. "Ha! Nobody could ever love a demon like you."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and pretended the cruel words didn't affect him at all. He refused to break down in front of them. Neji could keep sending his goons to torment him to his heart's content but Naruto would never give him the satisfaction of knowing it hurt. That the insults and abuse were slowly tearing him apart. "Are you finished? I mean, you should probably go and report back to Princess- I'm sorry, Hyuuga now."

Juugo's eyes narrowed and his fist clenched into a tight fist. Naruto eyed it warily. "You have no right to insult Neji, you fucking demon!" He bit out through clenched teeth and Naruto had to admit that, for two people who'd been forced into doing Neji's dirty work, they sure were loyal to him.

"If he didn't want me to insult him he would get a hair-cut. I mean, seriously, it's longer than Hinata's! He's just a prissy little girl-"

Naruto swore that he saw Juugo's eyes flash red right before he lunged at him. After that, all he could focus on was the pain of the punches and the desperate mantra he clung to in his head. Don't fight back, don't fight back...

The edges of his vision slowly began to blur and when the darkness finally came Naruto welcomed it with open arms.

It was a few days after his beating that Naruto returned back to school. Entering the first class of the day, he ignored the curious eyes of his classmates and made his way over to his desk. He gingerly sat himself down in the chair next to Shikamaru, taking care not to aggravate any of his injuries. His entire body was sore and it wasn't the only thing to take a beating - Naruto's pride was bruised, too, and he wondered if it would ever recover.

After seeing Neji's smug and satisfied smirk that morning he found himself wishing he'd done something. Anything. But if he was to give into his rage he would be proving them all right; they already thought that he was a monster, a demon and he didn't want to give them any more proof of that. Even if he fought out of self defence, they wouldn't see it that way.

Shikamaru gave a soft whistle as he inspected the damage. Naruto's entire face was covered in bruises and it was a miracle that his nose wasn't broken. "What did you say to piss Neji's goons off this time?" He asked curiously.

Naruto smirked and then winced at how tender his face was. He'd have to keep the smiling down to a minimum for a while. "I called Neji a prissy little girl." Shikamaru laughed and pushed his book across the table so that Naruto could copy the work he'd missed during his absence.

Half an hour into the lesson, Naruto's brow furrowed. He could feel somebody watching him but each time he turned around to look everybody was focussed on the work they'd been set. The blonde shifted slightly in his seat and paused when he caught onyx eyes staring directly at him from the corner of his eye. A small smile curved onto his lips at the attention. He'd definitely made an impression - good or bad, it didn't matter - if Sasuke had taken to staring at him in class. "Hey... Shika? I'm thinking of putting the plan into action soon."

Shikamaru looked up from his work and held back a sigh. He wasn't sure if this was such a good idea but the blonde could be incredibly stubborn. "Do you honestly think it has a chance of working?"

Naruto tapped the end of his orange pencil against the surface of the desk. "I've already done a month's worth of research. It's just like our project. Three simple stages - lust, attraction and then - eventually - love."

"So the plan is basically to dress hot and form some sort of connection with him?" Shikamaru questioned with an eyebrow raised. He couldn't help but be somewhat skeptical.

With a roll of his eyes, Naruto snorted. "I though you were into all this mind-fuck stuff? It's a whole lot more complicated than that. The first step is for me to program his subconscious mind into accepting me as a constant part of his life."

Shikamaru blinked stupidly.

Normally Naruto was the clueless one but now the tables were turned. When the blonde was passionate about something he would make sure to learn everything there was to know about it. Shikamaru found himself torn between encouraging his friend and convincing him to give up. Part of him wanted to see Sasuke suffer, to get revenge on the boy who'd stolen Ino's heart which was rightfully his (at least in his mind it was), and see if Naruto really could trick a person into loving him using his knowledge of the human-mind. But he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was bound to go wrong...

Looking at the determination that shone clear in Naruto's startlingly blue eyes, Shikamaru found himself unable to say anything at all. He turned silently back to his work, his brows furrowed in deep contemplation.

To say that Sasuke Uchiha was angry was an understatement. He was furious, filled with so much rage he was sure it would eventually bubble over and destroy everything in his path. Namely, Neji Hyuuga. When Naruto walked into class, covered from head to toe in bruises he'd been shocked and overwhelmed with emotions he'd successfully ignored for the past five years. No matter how much he told himself he didn't care...

He did.

Finding Neji wasn't hard and Sasuke found himself wondering if maybe the Hyuuga wanted to be found. The thought didn't stop him from approaching, though. "Hyuuga," he spat.

The long-haired boy looked up and a smirk spread across his features. "Uchiha. Is something wrong?"

Sasuke grabbed him by the collar and pushed him back against the wall. Neji's smirk only increased in size. "You promised that you would stay away from him!" He snapped, his black eyes seeming to flash red in the midst of his anger.

"Yes... Well, after five years a deal can become a little blurred around the edges. And after that little stunt you played with my cousin it seemed fitting that I pay you back."

"He was my best friend..."

"Was, being the operative word in that sentence."

Sasuke couldn't argue with that. No matter how much he wanted to.

Putting the first step of his plan into action, Naruto headed straight for the old library at lunch. He didn't plan to talk to Sasuke, just sit nearby until the other boy got used to him being around. Through constant repetition of this, Sasuke's subconscious mind would begin to accept Naruto as a constant in his life. It didn't matter if the recognition was good or bad - as long as Sasuke was thinking about him.

Arriving at the old library, Naruto was somewhat disappointed to find that Sasuke was not there. Hinata was. The pale-eyed girl was sat at a table, playing absent-mindedly with the pieces on the chess board.

Naruto wasn't sure what to say. Their last encounter hadn't exactly ended on a positive note. "Hinata..." He sighed.

A soft smile curved onto Hinata's lips as she looked up at him. "I thought I would find you here. I have something to give you."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, an action that made him look almost like a curious puppy. "Oh?"

Hinata reached down and rummaged through her bag. When she straightened up again she was holding a familiar book in her hand. "When I found out what Neji did I got your book back for you..."

Naruto made no move to take back the book and Hinata made no move to give it to him. An awkward, tense silence washed over them until Hinata's soft voice broke it, "It's a rather interesting choice of book." Her voice was innocent and unaccusing but the knowing look in her pale eyes made Naruto feel uneasy. It was almost as though those eyes could see into his very soul and read his mind as easily as the book in her hands.

Clearing his suddenly dry throat, Naruto mumbled, "It's for a group project. Me and Shika are doing a study on the human mind and behaviour." He wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to explain himself to her.

Hinata didn't even try to mask her look of disbelief. She slid the book across the table towards him and watched as he quickly put it in his own bag, all the while avoiding her suspicious gaze. "You know..." Hinata started gently. "Sasuke likes coming in here a lot, too... But you already knew that. Right?"

Naruto chewed nervously on his bottom lip. He could tell from her words that she had him figured out. How did she put the pieces together so easily? "Hinata..." He began but the look in her eyes made him fall silent once again.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she said simply. Naruto watched as she left, dark hair flowing behind her like a cape.

"You're in my seat."

"I don't see your name on it." Naruto didn't bother to look up. He could recognise that arrogant voice anywhere. Even after five years it was so damned familiar to him.

"You obviously aren't looking closely enough then, loser. Move. Now."

With a heavy sigh, Naruto lifted himself off the chair only to drop back down into the chair next to it. He shifted his blue-eyed gaze to Sasuke and glared. "Happy now?" He bit out, continuing to glare heatedly. Sasuke had always been a bastard - even when they were 'friends' - but the past five years had only improved his bastard-like skills and now he was a complete ice prick. Not that Naruto cared.

Sasuke sat down in the newly-vacated seat and proceeded to line up the chess pieces. He didn't reply.

After a while Sasuke began to feel unnerved by Naruto being there. The blonde was sat so close and he was watching every move he made. Sasuke felt suffocated. "What are you staring at demon?" He snarled. "Don't you have anything better to do?" The insult sounded half-hearted even to his own ears. He'd always struggled to pretend he didn't care when around Naruto. Even after the past five years of practice. But then again, the blonde had always made sure to avoid him... Until now.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I can do what I like, bastard."

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself. He glanced at Naruto one more time before returning to his game. "Whatever. Do what you want. Just don't distract me."

Naruto rested his head on the table and stayed there for the rest of lunch. The only sounds were that of chess pieces being moved across the board. Being around Sasuke wasn't so bad, he found, when there wasn't any talking.

Sakura twirled a long strand of her bubblegum pink hair around her finger. They were sat in Naruto's apartment this time as her parents had kicked up a fuss about how often Naruto came over. A lot had changed in a month; they were both more comfortable around the other and they acted like good friends. They were good friends. And as long as nobody found out about their new friendship, Sakura was content.

"Your bruises have mostly faded now," Sakura announced happily as she poked Naruto's face, much to his obvious displeasure.

After his beating Naruto had been sent home to recover. Knowing that Naruto had no parents to take care of him, Sakura took things into her own hands. She acted like a nurse, treating his injuries and fussing over him. Naruto couldn't stop thanking her for her kindness and it made Sakura sad to know that he wasn't used to people treating him nicely.

Naruto swatted Sakura's hand away from his face, grimacing as she prodded a particularly tender spot on his jaw. "Sakuraaa!" He wailed, jutting out his lips into a pout. Sakura merely giggled at him. The work books were left, forgotten, on the floor. "D'ya wanna watch a movie?" The blonde asked excitedly.

Sakura glanced at the clock. It was getting late and she really should be heading home but... "Sure." Another hour or so couldn't hurt.

Sasuke groaned as he caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair waiting for him in the old library. For the past two weeks, every day without fail, the blonde would be there waiting for him at lunch. Sasuke wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Did Naruto want to be friends after five years of hating him? Was he really that bored and lonely or had he just forgotten about the humiliation that Sasuke had put him through? Somehow, Sasuke doubted it.

A small sigh left his lips as he sat down in front of the chess board and began lining up the pieces. Naruto watched him as always. Sasuke didn't even need to look to know he was watching because he could feel the blue-eyed gaze on him. Always watchimg him.

Half an hour passed in complete silence.

Naruto's eyes had closed at some point and Sasuke wondered if he'd fallen asleep. When did he start thinking about Naruto so much anyway? The blonde didn't even need to say anything to irritate him! Frustrated, Sasuke slammed his fist against the table. Naruto's eyes snapped open in shock but he didn't utter a word. Sasuke surprised himself by speaking. "Do you know why I like chess so much?" He asked. He was staring straight ahead so he missed Naruto shake his head. He continued anyway. "It was the only thing that my brother couldn't beat me at."

Sasuke wasn't sure whether or not he'd expected Naruto to reply but a heavy silence hung over them. The chair scraped loudly across the floor as he stood up and walked towards the doors. "I'll see you tomorrow... Loser."

Naruto chuckled to himself, amazed. Two weeks of boredom had paid off. Sasuke had accepted him into his life, it didn't matter if he was consciously aware of the fact or not. He expected to see Naruto in the library tomorrow. The information about his brother was unexpected and Naruto wasn't sure why Sasuke felt the need to share it with him.

But he was glad that he did.

Progress.

Finally.

"Are you going to Ino's Halloween party?" Shikamaru blurted.

He had been looking forward to the party since the beginning of the school year. It was the perfect opportunity for him to get close to the girl he was crushing on but he didn't want to turn up alone.

Naruto gave a soft snort. "I doubt it. Nobody would want me there anyway." It wasn't exactly a lie; he would probably have the door slammed in his face if he dared to show up for the party.

Shikamaru placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder in an awkward attempt to reassure or comfort him. It did neither. "I want you there," he told him earnestly. The words made Naruto feel a little better.

"I might turn up... It's a costume party, right?" Shikamaru nodded and Naruto smiled. "Good. I've got an idea for my costume already."

"Hey... Sakura?" Naruto asked out of the blue one day. He was absent-mindedly chewing on his orange pencil, oblivious to the look of disgust on his friend's face.

Plucking the pencil from between Naruto's teeth, the pink-haired girl pulled a face and wiped the saliva off her hands. "What?" She grumbled, always impatient when it came to the loud-mouthed blonde. He was like the younger brother she never had - loveable but damned irritating at the same time.

Naruto hesitated before asking, "Are you over Sasuke now?"

"...No," Sakura replied honestly. Her jade green eyes stared down at her hands which were folded on her lap. "I keep seeing him with new, prettier girls and I know I should be angry at him for what he did but... I just feel jealous. If he asked me to be with him again I would accept without a second thought. I love him. I probably always will."

Staring out of the window at the setting sun, Naruto changed the topic of conversation. He hated how upset Sakura would become when Sasuke's name was mentioned but he couldn't help but be curious. "Are you going to Ino's party?"

"Of course. Ino won't stop going on about her plans to finally get her hands on Sasuke."

"I doubt that Shikamaru will let Ino out of his sight."

Sakura sighed wistfully. "Shikamaru is a great guy. Ino should just forget about Sasuke and be with the guy who's loved her all along."

Naruto nudged her arm. "I could say the same thing about you and Lee..."

Sakura shuddered at the thought. Lee had taken a liking for her back in first-year and hadn't left her alone since then. He had a bowl-cut, massive eyebrows and a liking for the colour green and Sakura swore she would never ever accept his offer of a date. "The world will end before I enter a relationship with him!" She vowed.

Naruto laughed and Sakura punched his arm in retaliation.

Naruto picked at the hem of his costume nervously. He was dressed up as The Phantom of the Opera, cape and mask and all, for Ino's Halloween party. He felt that he suited his chosen character - both outcasts, both considered to be monsters or demons... Naruto wasn't invited to the party and he certainly wasn't welcome there but Shikamaru wanted him to be there and nothing else mattered. He adjusted the mask which concealed half of his face and grimaced at the amount of gel that held back his blonde hair. Sakura had gone all out on the make-up and hairstyling. He looked like a completely different person.

Gaara knocked on the door as Naruto was too nervous to do so. He hadn't bothered with a costume. Naruto was glad; his best friend looked creepy enough as it was! The door swung open and Ino grinned widely at them. She was wearing a baby-blue bunny costume - if the lacy underwear and bunny ears could be called a costume - and was drinking vodka straight from the bottle. Her dazed eyes stared unfocussed at the pair. "Oh, hi Gaara!" She greeted happily before leering blatantly at the masked Naruto. "Who's your friend? He's hot!"

Naruto almost laughed at the irony of the situation. Gaara's lips quirked up ever so slightly. "Oh, him?" Gaara pretended to think. "This is... Tanrou."

Ino grabbed the startled blonde by the arm and dragged him through into the living area where the music was blasting, babbling excitedly about how his costume was 'awesome' and everything else was too. Gaara followed, stoic-faced but the laughter was obvious in his green eyes.

Naruto soon found that he was enjoying himself. The drinking games were fun and people were too drunk to recognise him as the 'demon boy' from school. Sakura - who was dressed in a bright pink cat costume and looking a tiny bit less slutty than Ino - and Gaara were the only two who knew it was him. Naruto's head was starting to spin from the loud music and flashing lights but he never wanted the night to end.

Was this what life would've been like for him if Sasuke hadn't ruined it all? Would he be popular? Tanrou certainly was.

"Hey Tanrou! Do you wanna, like, head upstairs so we can make the 'music of the night' together?" The red-haired girl with glasses cackled loudly at her own bad joke.

Naruto laughed, feeling strangely giddy from both the alcohol and the atmosphere, and winked playfully back at her. "It's a tempting offer but no thanks." The girl pouted before moving her attention to Gaara, who promptly rejected her with a look of disgust on his face.

"When can we leave?" Gaara asked. He was bored, having never been one for drinking or dancing.

"We haven't even seen Shika yet!"

"He's dancing over there with Ino."

Naruto followed Gaara's finger and squinted at the dancing couple. A grin spread across his lips. Ino was obviously drunk but Shikamaru was sober and smiling lovingly at her as they swayed to the music. It was almost sickening and Naruto was tempted to make gag noises. "Do you think he'll still be smiling when she throws up on his shoes?"

Gaara chuckled. "Looks like there's about to be some trouble in paradise..."

Naruto's grin quickly faded as he watched Sasuke Uchiha approach the happy couple. When had the bastard got there, anyway? He whispered something charming in the blonde girl's ear and she smiled sweetly at him, dropping Shikamaru from her embrace and welcoming Sasuke into it. Naruto really did feel sick as he watched Ino being led upstairs where Sasuke would no doubt take advantage of the drunk girl.

There was a short moment where onyx eyes met with blue and Naruto felt his breath catch in his throat. But the moment passed and Sasuke smirked as he pulled Ino along to the nearest bedroom.

Shikamaru stared longingly after Ino, wanting nothing more than to rescue her from Sasuke's evil clutches. But he couldn't bring himself to move. Ino would never forgive him if he destroyed her one chance with Sasuke, even if she didn't really have a chance to start with.

It was over.

Sasuke had won and Ino was his prize. Until he got bored of her.

Naruto could do nothing but watch helplessly as Shikamaru began to drink himself into oblivion. Gaara tugged on his arm and Naruto turned to face him, feeling a lot more sober after what he'd just witnessed. "Temari will look after him. Let's go home?"

"Let's go home," Naruto agreed.

Naruto pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he walked. It was October 31st, Halloween, and fucking freezing in Konoha. But then again, Naruto had always been affected by the cold more than others. Gaara had accompanied him for a small part of the walk but they'd quickly parted ways; the red-head lived in a completely different area of Konoha to the blonde and Naruto refused to be 'walked home'.

Even if the streets of Konoha were anything but safe at this time of night.

Involuntarily, Naruto shivered.

The streets were empty, deserted, and Naruto could hear nothing but the faint sounds of traffic in the distance. He gave a sad smile as he caught sight of his apartment building up ahead, covered in toilet paper and rotten eggs. He wondered which of his neighbours had slammed the door on the trick or treaters.

"Phantom of the Opera. Very nice. My favourite musical in fact."

Naruto's brow furrowed and he followed the voice to a man with fire-truck red hair, which brushed against his broad shoulders, and hazel eyes. Though, in the dim lighting they could very easily be mistaken for amber or gold. "That's nice and all but who the Hell are you?" Naruto asked, immediately defensive. He didn't live in a bad neighbourhood, but it certainly wasn't a good one either.

A deep throaty chuckle escaped the hazel-eyed man. "Does it matter?" Naruto didn't reply, just stared unwaveringly. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes and a lighter. He placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. The burning embers illuminated his features in the dark, revealing his sharp, angular bone structure and young face. "I like your costume, that's all, you're a cute kid-"

Naruto interrupted him. He'd spent too much of his life around perverts, only ever thinking about one thing. "I won't have sex with you."

With obvious amusement, the man replied, "I wasn't asking you to, Naruto."

Naruto stared. He found it hard to trust people. Everybody lied. How did this man, who Naruto had never seen before in his life, know his name and where he lived? "Who are you?" He demanded, blue eyes narrowing.

The man smiled, revealing sharp and pearly teeth. "Kyuubi," he replied simply, words muffled slightly by the obstruction in his mouth. His hazel eyes looked the blonde boy up and down before he turned and began walking away into the night.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Naruto called after him.

"Home," Kyuubi threw back over his shoulder. "It was nice meeting you."

end chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! So, I updated fairly quickly but I already had 1/3 of this chapter completed when I published chapter 1. I don't know when I'll next be updating, it could be next week or it could be a month from now. I can't write unless I feel like writing, yknow?

Q. Why should I read this story when you'll probably just leave it incomplete/start again?

A. I said I was sorry! People seem to be under the impression that I'm caving to the demands of certain reviewers and re-starting because THEY don't think my work is good enough. That isn't the case. I could see the plot-holes in my story and I knew that it couldn't be fixed without starting over - certain things needed to change that I'd already established in the last version. I didn't want to confuse people by changing things halfway through. I'm happy with this version and I'm really sorry to anybody who preferred the last one but this is MY story and I can't please everyone. So why try? This story will be completed, I don't know how long it'll take but it WILL happen.

So, reviews would be lovely thanks. Nice reviews, that is.

P.S. I think I'm coming down with a cold! Haelp meh! :(