One

HALF MOON

"Itachi! No!"

Sasuke jerked upright in bed, lines of chilled perspiration crawling down the flesh of his back and his charcoal T-shirt clinging to him. Damn, another one…He realized, rubbing his temples as if to rid any traces of the horrid scary-familiar nightmare from his twisted subconscious. Blinking a few times, his bedroom slowly began to come into focus. Dark curtains drawn to terminate the pale morning sunlight from leaking in; a wooden desk in the corner scattered with pages of homework and chewed-up pencils and an obsolete computer sleeping quietly, the monitor dark as a frozen black hole; his backpack haphazardly thrown in the opposite corner amid discarded mud-caked combat boots and ripped up jeans.

Sighing, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, balance retained along with eyesight upon waking. He stretched, savoring the orgasmic popping of his ligaments and straightening of his spine, and went across the hall to the bathroom. The bright light made him wince at first, but his oculars gradually adjusted, allowing him to yank on the shower nozzle and send a torrent of icy cold water gushing out. He pulled off his shirt and boxers, leaving them in a rumpled pile on the linoleum floor. He stepped into the shower and was instantly aroused by the pelting of water on his skin. Tipping his head back, he allowed the liquid to soak his ebony hair and ooze into his pores, cleansing him not only physically but mentally as well, ebbing away at the hangover-like aftermath of the unconscious torture known as his warped idea of sleep and dreams.

The shower was brief and effective. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Sasuke stared—not of his own free will but by a taunting unnamed force that he loathed—into the mirror. Sleepless onyx eyes that craved seemingly unreachable malevolence framed in a pale, sallow face stared back, as if taunting him and his miserable life. Scowling, he slammed his palm onto the glass surface, leaving a handprint that absorbed the mist clinging to the reflective substance amid trailing finger lines as he dropped the appendage and brought it to the light switch, flicking the bathroom into a shroud of darkness.

He yanked on the jeans he'd thrown on the floor last night and a T-shirt from his closet, running his fingers through his damp hair and flicking the water droplets on the dirty grey walls. Glancing at his computer, he pondered whether or not to get on and check his e-mail. The clock on his bedside displayed seven-fifteen in luminous numbers. Probably not enough time. There was never enough time.

Breakfast was not an option either. Swiftly grabbing his backpack and sweeping out the front door, Sasuke climbed into the ancient van parked in the narrow driveway. In the vast empty space behind the driver and passenger seats, a various assortment of instruments sat waiting—guitars in sticker-encrusted cases, mikes, amps, and coils of wire and plugs left over from his band's rehearsal. If nothing else, Homicidal Transfixion was the best garage band in town at the moment. With Sasuke's insane lyrics, Neji's inhuman drumming, and Gaara and Tayuya's awesome guitar skills, they were guaranteed a break soon enough.

"Gotta tell the others about practice…" Sasuke muttered, backing out and speeding in the direction of the high school.

Neji, Gaara, and Tayuya were already loitering at the entrance doors of the school, obviously waiting for Sasuke.

"There you are," Neji folded his arms and watched with translucent white orbs as Sasuke got out and swung open the back doors of his van, allowing the respective owners of the instruments to grab them.

"My baby," Tayuya crooned, crouching on her haunches and unsnapping the chrome fastens on her case, caressing the smooth crimson body of her beloved guitar. She trailed her long fingers down the finely tuned strings, longing to pick and strum at them and let loose the cacophonous metallic rhythm.

The bell then screamed from inside the building, signaling that the population of rebels still lounging outside had better haul their sorry asses into school for some institutionalized backbreaking education.

"That's our cue," Gaara smirked, his sea green eyes smoldering beneath permanent obsidian smudges that bellowed his chronic insomnia. He folded his muscled arms and, reluctantly setting his bass back into Sasuke's van, trudged into the lobby. The others followed his example.

Art class. It was the last class on Sasuke's schedule, and his favorite. He loved the smell of paint and the serene atmosphere of the art room in general. He loved the feeling of running a brush down a piece of paper and seeing his thriving inner psyche come to life.

He sat at a table in the corner, oblivious to the excited chattering around him, and got a piece of thick paper from a cabinet. He reached into a plastic container for a brush, then a small palette with streaks of dried red and purple in the hollows. Setting these materials where he sat, he made his way back over to the same cabinet he'd just visited, his eyes studying with close scrutiny the barrage of used paint bottles displayed before him. He didn't paint specific objects, exactly, more like a motley assortment of incoherent blotches that represented the various moods that hovered over him. Today he felt…indifferent; the same sensation of dullness throbbing through his veins as always, amid the hard stoic outer shell he encased himself in whenever he was around human beings.

Sighing inaudibly, he grabbed three half-empty tubes—one midnight black, one velvet blue, and one alabaster white—and went back to his table. Going so far as to squeeze a color into the palette and dip his brush into it, he was interrupted by a female making her way over to his table. A certain female with unmistakable carnation hair, unmistakable shining jade eyes, and an unmistakable infatuation for Sasuke.

Sakura.

"Hi, Sasuke," She began tentatively, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "Mind if I sit next to you?"

He didn't respond, and she took it as an affirmative. Pulling out the chair next to him, she edged her way in and immediately started observing as his practiced hand swept across the paper, leaving bold strokes and masses of indescribable dark color.

"So…how's your day been?" Sakura asked, attempting to begin a conversation.

Biting back a sarcastic response, he replied, "Fine." Simple, effective—or at least he thought so.

Clearly dissatisfied at Sasuke's lack of articulation, Sakura cleared her throat and tried again. "That test today was killer, wasn't it? I studied, of course, but I still wasn't prepared for the totally unfair questions…" She babbled on and on, completely forgetting any previous hesitation about being near her lifelong crush, her studious bravado quickly taking over and transmuting her from a primly composed girl to an extremely annoying individual.

Exasperated, Sasuke furrowed his brow and harshly squirted a blob of black onto his mutilated paper, making Sakura stutter, then start back up again. God, just make her go away…He pleaded silently, unconsciously dragging the brush down his paper, not even trying to form anything remotely resembling his mood or anything else physically and possibly able to live on the planet.

When the bell rang, Sasuke bolted from the art studio in a blur of motion, leaving his mess and a crestfallen Sakura behind.

"Finally," He suppressed the urge to whoop with joy upon climbing into his van. However, a familiar voice stopped him from peeling out of the parking lot and risk getting a big, fat ticket from the local police cruisers parked on the edge of the road.

"Hey, can I get a ride home, douchebag?" Tayuya grinned from outside the driver's side window.

"Sure," Sasuke smirked as she walked around and, tugging on the beaten-up passenger-side door, swung her svelte frame into the leather seat. For a moment, Sasuke couldn't help but stare at her fiery red hair billowing out from under her black skull cap, her porcelain face half-hidden by thick, dark eye makeup.

He backed out of the parking lot and coasted down the street, leaving peacock tails of foliage that rained out from underneath his tires.

"So, practice at your place tonight, right?" Tayuya confirmed. Sasuke nodded.

He suddenly felt awkward in the void of silence left behind from Tayuya's voice. Reaching for the radio dial, he switched it to a local rock station. A new, popular song blared out at a thousand decibels.

"Ooh! Awesome song!" Tayuya grinned and swayed her head to the beat. Sasuke could take it or leave it, but he knew Tayuya was horrifying if angered, so instead of changing the station he leaned back and made a right turn at the upcoming intersection.

"Well, here's your house," Sasuke pointed out lamely when he'd pulled into Tayuya's driveway.

"I can see that," She grinned and swung herself out of the van after muttering a 'thanks'.

"Hey, wait," Without thinking, Sasuke got out of the van and went up to her side. "I'll walk you to the door."

"…Okay," Tayuya furrowed her brow at Sasuke's sudden burst of courtesy.

After Tayuya had safely gotten inside her abode, an inwardly satisfied Sasuke climbed back in the van and drove home.

Usernames_Are_Pointless has signed on.

Usernames_Are_Pointless: I know you're on, douchebags.

Sasuke sat back in his desk chair with a smirk. He knew the others would sign on in about three…two…one…

Horrid_Fate has signed on.

… has signed on.

Horrid_Fate: I see your psychic abilities are heightening. Impressive.

…: Damn bass…

Usernames_Are_Pointless: I've never gotten over your username, Gaara.

Horrid_Fate: Likewise, very original.

…: Hn.

FK_YU has signed on.

FK_YU: wAzZuP

Sasuke resisted the urge to yelp with delighted laughter at Tayuya's profane screen name. He thought for a moment, then,

Usernames_Are_Pointless: Practice at five. Everyone be there, or else.

…: I wonder how your entrails would look decorating the shrubbery, Uchiha…?

FK_YU: o_O

FK_YU: xD

Horrid_Fate: I've been wondering the same thing. You may be on to something…

Usernames_Are_Pointless: And I wonder how yours would taste with a side of sauerkraut.

Usernames_Are_Pointless: That means you too, Hyuuga.

Horrid_Fate: Fuck you

…: Is this a challenge?

FK_YU: I'm betting on insomniac! =D

Usernames_Are_Pointless: Then you don't get a ride home tomorrow…

FK_YU: I hate sauerkraut.

…: I hate all of mankind. I also loathe Uchiha.

Horrid_Fate: Destiny cannot change…the fact that Sasuke is a hermaphrodite.

FK_YU: At least he'd make a beautiful woman –lol-

Usernames_Are_Pointless: You just wait, all of you. When you show up for practice, you're going to get a warm, welcoming surprise…

FK_YU has signed off.

Horrid_Fate has signed off.

… has signed off.

Usernames_Are_Pointless has signed off.

Sasuke shifted his weight from one foot to the other and adjusted the microphone he gripped in his hands before signaling to Tayuya to begin the song.

"Let's do this thing!" She screamed, cranking up the volume on her amplifier and swiping her pick across the strings of her guitar, creating a crashing chord. This was followed by a series of shorter sounds, accompanied with the identical lower hum of Gaara's bass, amid Neji's harmonizing drums.

Sasuke dug deep into his soul to unearth the raging fire longing to break free when he sang; not the usual calm attitude he displayed daily, or the serene inward bliss that seeped through him when he painted in art class. This was different, not the steady constant flow of the other feelings but a whole mess of erratic surges and explosions, let loose through his seemingly inhuman larynx. When he sang, people's eyes widened—most from pleasing shock, others from slight disapproval. This Sasuke relished.

Before he knew it, the two-minute song was over, much to his dismay.

"All right," Neji smirked and twirled his drumsticks between his thin alabaster fingers, leaning back precariously in his stool.

"Man, I can never get enough of that," Tayuya, flushed from headbanging to the cacophonous rhythm polluting the neighborhood, yanked off her skull cap and threw it on the ground, tousling her wild mane of flaming hair. To his surprise, Sasuke found himself gawking. He mentally slapped himself and pretended to be immensely preoccupied with his mike stand to hide the damned blush he knew was seething across his pale face like poison ivy.

"See you tomorrow," The others bid their separate goodbyes and climbed into Neji's white Nissan parked alongside Sasuke's millenium-old vehicle.

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed. He gathered up the instruments and threw them into the back of his van, then closed the garage and started up the sidewalk to his back deck. Glancing up at the charcoal-stained sky, he realized he hadn't noticed how late it was. Wispy grey clouds sheathed the atmosphere, winding like ribbons between glittering diamond stars and framing a glowing half-full moon.

Suddenly an ear-shattering howl rang through the night, making the blood freeze in Sasuke's veins.