Hey people, I finally managed to get this chapter posted. Sorry it took so long, but I actually ended up writing over the entire thing, completely changing it from my original idea...but it was for the better!

Chapter Three

Shattered Pieces

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…Sasuke does…or at least he hopes to.

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Sasuke's POV

When I finally found him, he was on the balcony, sitting on a bench with his knees brought up to his chest, gazing over the village. I could tell he was crying. 'Damn you Sakura,' I thought. She had made him cry – something I hated to see him do. He's usually so cheerful and upbeat that it makes my heart ache to see him sad. I walked over to where he was sitting, hoping that I could comfort him.

"Naruto…" I said as I sat next to him.

"What do you want, teme?" he asked bitterly.

I winced at his tone. He obviously didn't want me there, but I couldn't leave him like this. "I just wanted…to see if you were alright," I murmured. He glanced at me before looking away. "Of course I'm alright," he responded sarcastically, "I just had my heart broken, that's all. It's no big deal really. What do you care?"

'If only you knew…' I thought sadly, looking away. 'If only you knew how much I cared.'

"Naruto, I-"

"Teme! Why are you here?! What do you want?" He cried vehemently, cutting me off.

I sighed. He wasn't taking this well at all. "I already told you, I wanted to make sure you were alright…which you're obviously not."

He glared at me then, and I panicked slightly, not wanting him to make me leave. I wanted to stay, to comfort him somehow…I just didn't know how. I'd never had to comfort someone before, and I'd never intended on having to do it…but this was different. This was Naruto…and with Naruto, I always seem to end up doing things I wouldn't normally do. I thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Naruto, about what happened…Sakura…maybe she didn't mean to hurt you. She was probably just trying to make me jealous…" I sad softly, not sure of how he would react. Apparently I upset him more, because his glare worsened, pain and anger showing clearly in his eyes.

"It's always about you isn't it?" he asked angrily. "Sakura…she never cared about me…all she ever thinks about is you! Sasuke…Sasuke…Sasuke…you're all she ever talks about!"

I looked away from him then, not wanting to see the hatred in his eyes. 'He hates me,' I thought dejectedly. Naruto got up from the bench and walked over to the railing. I glanced at him and saw that he was crying again. He continued speaking, his voice much softer now.

"Sakura…she doesn't care about me or my feelings. No one does. I'm just Naruto, the Kyuubi vessel. Everyone hates me…no one will ever love me…"

"That's not true," I said suddenly, going over to where he stood. He looked at me sadly and shook his head. He seemed so unhappy at that moment. This was a side of Naruto I'd never seen before. It pained me to see him like this. I just wanted to take away all of his sadness and make him smile again. Once again, I contemplated telling him how I truly felt about him. Maybe, just maybe, if he knew how I felt, he'd cheer up a bit, knowing that there was someone who loved him. Still, I hesitated. What if he rejected me…if he didn't want me…would he hate me for it? I cringed. I couldn't bear the thought of him hating me. I wanted…no, I needed him to love me. I clenched my fists at my side, trying to gather the courage to tell him. I had to…I needed to know how he felt, or I would go crazy. Slowly, I relaxed, brought my hand up to his face, and gently stroked his cheek.

"People do care about you Naruto…" I breathed. "I care about you…"

He looked up at me, confusion showing on his face. "Sasuke, " he whispered, "w-what…are you…"

Before he could finish speaking, I brought my lips to his in a soft kiss. It didn't last long though, as he quickly pushed me away. He looked up at me, his expression being one of pure shock. I waited for him to say something, anything, wanting so badly for him to accept me, but he didn't say a word. For what was possibly the first time in his life, he was speechless. He just stood there staring at me, touching his lips in disbelief as his mind replayed what just happened. I couldn't take it any longer. I could feel my heart breaking with each second he stood there, staring at me like he'd seen a ghost. It was obvious that he didn't want me, and the pain of that revelation was unbearable…but at least now I knew how he felt.

"I…I'm sorry…" I murmured sadly, walking away quickly.

"S-Sasu…Sasuke wait!" he called.

I heard him calling after me, but I didn't stop…I couldn't. I couldn't bear to face him – not after what I'd just done. I quickened my pace, anxious to get away from him; away from the hurt and humiliation I now felt in his presence.

"Sasuke! Stop!" he shouted, hurrying after me. I managed to get away from the party, before he caught up to me outside the building. He lunged at me, tackling me to the ground. "Teme! You can't just kiss me and then walk away like nothing happened!" he yelled, gripping my shirt forcefully.

I looked away from him then, not wanting to face his accusing eyes. He let out what sounded like a growl, and punched the ground next to my face. "Damnit Sasuke, look at me! He yelled in frustration. I jumped in surprise and turned to look at him. I noticed that there were tears in his eyes again. My heart caught in my throat, and I mentally kicked myself. Now I had been the one to make him sad – something I'd never ever wanted to be the cause of. Satisfied that he had my attention, he loosened his grip on my shirt and slowly got off of me. I stood as well, once again avoiding his gaze.

"Why'd you kiss me?" he demanded.

I glanced at him and shrugged my shoulders. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," I answered finally, now fixing my gaze on the floor. His eyes widened slightly, and he seemed almost hurt at my answer.

"You bastard!" he screamed, punching me n my face. "It seemed like a good idea?" He punched me again before I could even react. "What the hell kind of answer is that?" he yelled, raising his hand to hit me again. This time, however, I gripped his fist, stopping him in mid-swing. He glowered at me, and was about to raise his other hand against me, but stopped short. He gasped as he stared into my eyes, probably stunned at the amount of emotion my eyes showed at the moment. I had let my guard down, and so my eyes were flooded with all the emotions I was feeling at the moment. They may seem cold and emotionless, but my eyes are capable of showing such intense emotion that they can render a person speechless.

"Sasuke…"

I immediately let go of him and turned away, trying to control my emotions – something that was proving to be more and more difficult whenever I was around Naruto. I needed to get a hold of myself. Steeling my heart, I forced myself to turn to face him, my eyes cold and emotionless once more. He seemed to notice the sudden change in my demeanour, and lowered his eyes, before speaking softy.

"Sasuke…please…tell me why…you kissed me," he pleaded.

"I already told you…it seemed like a good idea" I replied.

He glared at me for a moment, before looking down once more. "So…then you didn't mean what you said earlier?" he asked, his voice even softer now. I was caught off guard by the question, and I hesitated, wondering what he really meant; did he want me to care for him that way? I shook my head at the thought. Naruto didn't want me – he had made that pretty clear earlier. I was letting my feelings get the better of me…and it had to sop – now.

"No," I said finally, in response to his question, "I didn't."

He let out a small gasp and looked up at me in confusion. "What? But…"

"You were right before," I said, cutting him off. "No one could ever love you."

He flinched as I said those words, his eyes filled with pure anguish.

"Oh…" he mumbled, his voice finally cracking.

I practically heard his heart shatter into pieces, and I knew I had gone too far. Those words would echo in his head - he had told himself those words countless times, convinced that it was true…and I had just confirmed it by saying them to his face. I felt horrible for hurting him like that, but I couldn't bring myself to take back what I'd said. I wasn't about to put myself any lower than I'd already done earlier.

"Sasuke…"

I turned my back to him and walked away, leaving him there staring after me despondently. He'd broken my heart, now I'd broken his…in so doing, leaving each of us now staring at the shattered pieces, wondering how to possibly put them back together.

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Well, that's it for now! I hope you guys liked it! Remember, constructive criticism is welcomed, and your reviews are greatly appreciated!!

Peace Out!