[thanks to Myfailsafe and Carpe0ominious for inspiring me again.]
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. :]
Warnings:uhh...its M. SOOO, its going to have lemons and limes at some point. Self harm, drugs, foul language, violence,..i dunno. generally some angsty type stuff. This is a Yaoi, so Sasuke and Naruto will be together at some point as a gay couple.
Perfectly Imperfect.
Chapter 1.
"I can't see going on.
I can't see I'm so tired, of trying to mend the wounds of all my suffering.
What do I do now?
All I'm asking from you please,
Send me a sign To guide me through the times that lie in front of me.
I'll get by myself"-Mudvayne
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Sasuke.
Sasuke Uchiha.
A perfect example of a male figure. Strong, tall, beautiful, intelligent. The list goes on.
Driven to succeed by the pressures of home. Determined to outshine his brother in one of the most severe cases of sibling rivalry in modern history. Perfectionist, minimalist. Black hair carefully coaxed into place each morning, teeth brushed for 60 seconds every morning and evening. Brown eyes so dark that the pupil and iris seemed to blend; only adding to the mystery and allure seen by many of the females of the human race [and a few of the males, though they wouldn't admit to it].
His home life was nothing short of dismal. More money than he needed, though he did not take it for granted. It was all he had.
His Mother and Father were so wrapped up in their money and thirst for power that the only time they noticed anything or anyone not work related, it was Itachi. The first born. The Prodigy. The one who would take over the buisness' and their many Estates when Mother and Father retired.
unless of course, Sasuke proved he was better than his brother.
Soon.
So here he was, at one of the finer Universities, doing just that.
He had straight A's. Top of his classes, grade, and if he continued at this rate, he would graduate top of the school. Valedictorian.
Perfection.
Life was as it should be.
He had a steady girlfriend by the name of Sakura. She had all the credentials he needed in a woman. She was strong, had ambition, intelligent conversation, and she was attractive.
His Mother and Father approved.
Love was not a factor for him. All that mattered was the drive to outshine Itachi.
Itachi had no such woman at his side.
Sasuke was one up on Itachi.
As a matter of fact, the only imperfect thing about Sasuke's life, was his dorm mate.
He shared a student apartment with a clutzy messy young man by the name of Naruto.
They carried a bit of a rivalry between them, and though he would not admit it; Sasuke loved the imperfection of his room mate. The opposite of what he had made himself, and though he would not admit it, Naruto had quickly become his closest friend.
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The brass colored dorm key slid into the lock smoothly, the slience of the carpeted hallway making the tiny click of the lock unlatching audible. I quickly pulled the key from the door and walked in to the relative [and surprising] silence of my apartment. I glanced at my watch, a silver rolex with a reflective crimson face, to check the time. The digital display below the hands reading 12:30am. "hn", I mused aloud. Usually Naruto was in the living area playing video games about now.
I glanced to my left at the small white kitchen. The fridge sat next to the door i had just come through, making it impossible to open the door all the way, a stove next to that with the microwave attached above it. A small counter space next to the stove and across from the stove was the sink. Small amounts of counter on either side, a dishwasher embedded next to the sink, and a raised island type counter space attached a few inches up from the sink, making it perfectly stool height.
I placed my keys on the adhesive backed plastic hooks Naruto had attached to the side of the fridge for just this purpose. There were three in a not quite straight line [yes this fact bothered me, though i hadn't brought myself to fix it yet], one for my keys, one for his, and one for a guest.
The usual bricka-brack was on the kitchen counters. Green cloth wadded up in the sink;[ I inwardly groaned, and wrung it out to lay over the sink divider.] Ramen wrapper left on the counter, dirty pots still sitting on the stove, dishwasher full of clean dishes.
"Damnit Naruto!", I said to myself, as I slid off my black dress shoes, placing them in the shoe rack next to the door. I ran a hand through my hair, effectively messing up what i had so meticulously put in place only a few hours ago.
I walked onto the white tile floor, the flat cool tiles feeling wonderful against my tired feet, and began the task of cleaning the kitchen.
I was halfway through with unloading the dishwasher when I noticed the note stuck to the fridge.
sasuke call me theres been a emergency i went to find u
naruto
I narrowed my eyes, not even bothering to let my mind wander over the many grammatical and punctuation mistakes of his letter.
why had he gone to find me? What could have possibly happened that couldn't wait until I came home from my date with Sakura? He actually wrote my name, not teme, or asshole, or any of the other abusive and aggravating nicknames he had adopted for me , I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and walked from the kitchen through the living area to the right, and into my room. My phone had lost battery life while I was out. I charge it every evening, but I do not usually make it a habit to stay out so late, as a result, it died.
So, I plugged my phone to charge from my nightstand, and sat on my full sized bed. While I let my phone gather enough battery power to turn on I removed my red tie and black socks, placing them in my dirty clothes hamper. I began to remove the crisp white dress shirt and black slacks when i heard the front door open. My fingers on the fourth button, I halted and walked towards the living area.
"SASUKE! ARE YOU HERE!?", Naruto called out before i had even taken half a step.
"In here", I said back. I saw no need to shout, it was silent in the apartment, the whole floor probably heard him. Loudmouth. I smirked at my own joke, but it died on my lips when i saw Naruto's face appear in my doorway.
His usual sunshine demeanor was gone. His face was void of its usual glow, his eyes were not their usual high-lighter blue either, instead they reminded me more of the ocean at night. A dark and troubled blue.
He was wearing his sleeping clothes. A white 'wife-beater' style undershirt, and black university sweatpants cut off mid calf. He didn't even have his shoes on.
This was probably going to be very bad news.
I mentally braced myself, not letting the fear or apprehension I was feeling show. Emotions never changed anything. My family had taught me that.
I watched his hand rake through his hair as he struggled with whatever he had to say.
"Naruto?", I said, trying to ease this silence and the twisting feeling of my gut.
A tear escaped his eye. "They are gone Sasuke."
"Who's gone?", I snapped, the amount of emotion twisting in my gut deciding that anger was the best outlet.
"Itachi...and y-our mom 'nd dad", He said, his voice cracking with the effort he was making not to cry.
"gone...where?" I responded stupidly. The back of my mind shouting the truth, while the rest of me tried to deny it.
There had been a buisness party tonight. Mother, Father and Itachi had been there. I had taken Sakura as my date, and been quite satisfied to see that Itachi was alone. Everything was fine. The normal tension, Mother and Father had been very impressed with Sakura, Mother had spoken with her for quite a time, Father had even nodded his approval before going to secure more buisness ties with the other men there.
Sakura and I had left early to go to dinner together.
"Car crash..", was Narutos choked reply. He watched me, as I soaked it in. I must have looked like a statue. I was in shock for a moment. I couldn't move. The horrible thought that Naruto could be joking crossed my mind for only a second; I didn't believe Naruto could be that cruel, and I let the idea slide away.
"dead?", I asked as if i were simply inquiring about the weather.
He nodded.
"They went off the bridge downtown. Some drunk hit them..I went to the scene thinking maybe someone had gotten ahold of you, and you were there. " His voce cracked as he spoke. Silent tears sliding down his face. Whether he upset about the scene of the accident, or simply crying out of pity, i didnt know.
"The police need you to identify them."
I sat on the bed, willing myself to understand what was being said. I closed my eyes and rubbed them with the heel of my hand, the pressure and slight pain making me feel a little calmer.
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At some point while I sat there, I simply went numb all over. I guess I finally grasped the fact that my parents and brother had died in a car crash while i was enjoying a house salad and filet mingon. I remember feeling the pressure of Naruto grabbing my arm to guide me out of my room. I remember a car ride, and the streak of lights on the wet passenger window.
I must have identified the bodies because their wet bodies were burned into my mind.
All of them in their nice dress clothing. Father and Mother in their Pinstriped suits. Mother's tailored to flatter her form, and Father's tailored to impress. Their faces pale, their lips had a blue tint to them. Their hair was wet and dripping. Mother's perfect face was scratched and bloody, her make up running. It looked as though Father's jaw was broken and he had a small smudge of lipstick on his chin.
Itachi's was the worst.
Even in death he was perfect. His hair had been tied back, and the wetness only made it stick in place more than usual. His plain white shirt and red tie had been a perfect match to my own. In fact, he looked so uninjured that i almost expected him to sit up and laugh at me for believeing him to be dead.
I remember nodding my affirmation and walking out. Naruto never leaving my side, it was oddly comforting.
I wasn't required to arrange a funeral, Mother, Father and Itachi had it clearly stated in their wills what was to be done. [Yes, we all had wills that we adjusted as we needed to through the years. As soon as I had come of age it had been a neccesity.]
Itachi had left every thing to Mother and Father, myself if something had happened to them. Mother and Father had left everything to Itachi, again defaulting to myself if anything shoulf happen to him.
I was an afterthought in both wills. That's how I saw it anyway.
When we arrived back at the apartment around 2am there had been newscrews outside the University wanting to speak with me. I was the young heir to the Uchiha billions, of course they wanted to speak with me. I had shoved past them. Naruto had talked at me about his day, a thousand innane things, beating video games, passing his chem test; all meant to distract me from the cold rock in my chest i supposed. I never really answered him. I didnt listen to half of it, and I dont think he really expected me to. I suppose in a small way I appreciated the gesture.
I didn't go to the funeral the next day. Naruto had come in several times to tell me that it was healthy to go, it gave you a chance to grieve, etc.. I just stared at him, my mind empty, until he left. I was still wearing my half unbuttoned shirt, pants and belt from last night. It was 5pm now. Sakura had come by. I had feigned sleep, and she had simply lay next to me and stroked my arm.
I wanted to be left alone.
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The next few days passed in a haze. I didn't go to class. I didn't go to work. I didn't eat, or move for that matter unless I was going to the restroom. People came and went, but i paid them no mind.
My mind was a whirlwind.
What do I do now? My whole life, my whole plan, has been wiped out from under me.
All I ever wanted was to surpass Itachi, Impress Mother and Father and gain the company.
Now...the company was mine..but i didnt want it.
I had all the Estates, all the money I could dream of obtaining..but I hadnt earned the right to it through Mother and Father, nor had I worked to achieve it.
My education has been up to this point, only a race to achieve a Masters Degree in Buisness before Itachi. I knew more about buisness than any of the idiotic professors, but it was the degree that I wanted. The piece of paper to show I was more intelligent than Itachi.
Now that was a waste as well.
I had no drive...no motivation anymore.
nothing mattered.
As the fog in my head began to clear, I looked over at the clock. 4am. I felt nothing about the time. I didnt care if it was 4 in the morning or evening. I had simply looked as a means of changing my scenery. I would probably never forget the small cracks and bumps in the ceiling above my bed.
The small calendar on my night stand still said it was Friday.
I picked up my phone, still on its charger, and long since charged, and 'dismissed' all the missed calls and texts and voicemails in order to see the day. It was Tuesday morning. There was a plate of food on my desk. I didnt remember it being brought in.
A bottle of water. A B.L.T. cut in triangles and held together with toothpicks in the middle of each, and a zebra cake.
At the sight of food, I sat up and stared. My stomach gave an almighty roar. I grabbed the water and drank it all before making my way into my adjoining bathroom. I turned the water on hot, and stepped in fully clothed, closing the stall door behind me.
The shock of the cold water was quickly replaced by the pain of the hot.
I wondered if the water had been cold or warm when they drowned.
If they drowned.
Maybe the impact killed them.
I sat against the wall of the shower, the spray barely grazing my bare feet.
I held an arm to my chest, as if trying to hold in the pain. The feel of my clothes sticking to me,I found myself wishing that I had been in that car.
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AN: Yea, its a bit short, but thats what i wrote. Review, let me know if you liked it. If some people are interested I'll continue it. Maybe I'll continue it anyway, just to get the plot bunny outta my head.
yay!
-Jiz