Disclaimer: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the text below.

He had tried hard, so hard. He did everything he could to keep up his façade. He should have known that Sasuke could see past it though. Sometimes, briefly, Naruto wondered how. He kept acting the way he used to, he didn't stare at his best friend for longer than he should, he didn't let his hand linger on Sasuke's back for longer than usual, he didn't stop calling him names or teasing him, he was the same Naruto he had been for the last 18 years. But then he realized that this was Sasuke. Sasuke knew everything, saw everything, nothing went past Sasuke unnoticed.

Maybe that was the worst part about all of this, that Sasuke knew. And it wasn't that Sasuke had only just figured it out, no, he knew all along. He knew through the 4 years that Naruto himself had doubted his own feelings. He was aware that this would happen before anyone else would even think of it. Sasuke didn't tell anyone of it, he just kept it to himself that entire time. He just kept to himself that burden for 4 long years. Maybe that's what hurt the most.

Or maybe what hurt most wasn't that he knew, it was what he decided to do just to spite it. It was when Naruto had finally confessed to him, and a day later he accepted to go on a date with Sakura. And had asked her to dinner the weekend after that. And then accepted the fact that the school called them the couple of the shool, and that Sasuke encouraged it. Naruto wouldn't even look at them when Sasuke smiled at Sakura the way he never smiled at Naruto: Genuinely. He wouldn't look at them ever, actually. Naruto never wanted to look at him again, because it would only make his heart clench even more painfully, as if it didn't already when he could hear the smooth voice speaking to Sakura the way Naruto had dreamed of being spoken to. After so many years of thinking that Sasuke hated Sakura and that he was the only person Sasuke liked, it turned out to be the exact opposite.

Maybe it was how Sasuke responed to Naruto confession. The way Sasuke's face first relaxed, and the way he whispered "finally," and how that gave Naruto hope that maybe he wasn't alone with how he felt. But when he noticed Sasuke roll his eyes and saw his face twist into a sadistic smirk, Naruto stopped biting his lip and let his hands fall limp at his sides because he knew what was coming. He thought it wouldn't happen, because in all the books he'd read this never happened, but he knew that this was real life and had prepared himself for it. He just didn't expect it to hit him that hard; The acidic words that flew from Sasuke's mouth with no guilt. He could still recall it, how it flowed, like Sasuke had prepared it. And when Sasuke had finished, he seemed to know he was cruel, but he still stood with an accomplished aura.

No, what hurt Naruto most through the past month was when Naruto had gathered up the courage to finally speak to Sasuke again, to apologize for causing all of this, and overheard Sasuke on the phone. It still echoed through his mind, just four words, over and over and over and it was driving him insane. Naruto couldn't deal with it anymore, he was done with the hurt and the echoes and the smug look and everything.

And so there lay Naruto, thick red liquid spreading around his head, note in hand adressed to Sasuke with the same words he'd heard the raven chuckle into his phone.

I've always hated him.