Sasuke sat in the light of a fireplace, all alone in the uchiha manor. Dressed in a black bath robe and reading a scroll of forgotten jutsu seeing how long it whould take before the candles when out darkening the last of his life.

He saw the light grow dim as memories started rushing back to him. The masicre of his clan, the killing of his brother, him murdering his closest friend; naruto and the most painful one of all; the death of his love, haruno sakura. the pain searing in his heart as if his was being stabed with a red hot kuni. Now all his could think about was death and the morbid hope that sakura whould walk in and cheer him up. knowing that whouldn't happen, what was the point of liveing now?

Eyelids heavy, his head sluped over into a light slumber. The manor silant along with his room, the vision of sakura filled his mind untill a knock came from his bed room door. He looked back from his chair, startled from the sound, he started to tremble. Could it be? Is sakura really be still alive?

"yeah right." he spat, turning back around. The knocking continued as he sliped downing into his chair. "just some fangirl at my door. just that and nothing more" he said with a slightly annoyed tone. He slumped back into his chair with the scroll in hand.

The dieing embers wrought it's ghost into the air. "it's a cold night for summer." she said as the freezeing air rushed in.The smoke swirled around him with the wind as the air grew colder, but he didn't flinch nor shiver. He was too cold to move, too cold to see, too cold to love again.

He kept thinking about that pink haired maidan, who he loved till the very end, who gave him something to live for. "sakura...sakura why?" he said nearly begging. he started trying to seek comfrit from the scrolls scattered on the floor.

"we'll meet again, you wait my flower maden."

His curtains blew, sounding like the crack of a whip filling him with fright. Crawling under his chair shakeing with terror that he only felt back when he was a child. His sharingan activated by acident, thought hopeing that the knocking whould stop. One by one drops of sweat ran toward the floor as he whispered "just someone at my door just that and nothing else.

He started to imerge from under the chair, his legs feeling like jell-o no longer. "fellow shinobi" he started "or kunochi. if you wish to talk to me, come out of the shadows if you will" he said aproching the door. His hands shook as his lifted a kuni from a night stand near by.

"forgive me, I was going over passed missions, so you came knocking wat my door." he swung open the door thowing the kuni at the wall. darkness and nothing more. he walked thought the halls looking for any sign of life, wither it be human or beast. 'I must be lossing my mind' he thought going back to his room. "sakura...sakura" "naruto?!" he turned around, but all he saw was darkness and nothing more. "but I thought..."

He stared into the darkness, only his breathing could heard. silence was still, almost deathly still. "this is nothing to me." he said walking back. but again as he walked back to his chamber someone or something whispered a single word. "sakura?" chills ran down his spine, makeing him turn around. only a kunai stuck in the wall and nothing more. "sakura!" uttering that name, tears theting to spill out of the uchiha's eyes as he turned back to his chamber.

once back in his chamber, he layed on his bed half fearful and half saddened. Never had he bee this afraid sence the killing of his clan, though he wondered. 'Why am I being tourtered this way?'SCRICH -SCRACH! SCRICH-SCRACH! He shot up looking at the window. "so it's akamaru!" she siad walking to that window. "kiba!!! get your dog off my window seal!" he yelled opening it.

As he flung the window, in steped a fox from the night's kohonan gates. little obeisance it made, not to stop ro stay, and with all the mein of a pampered reynard or vixen climed up to a bust of of the hokage above his bedroom, streched and sat.

this made sasuke give a small smrik. "I hope you've groomed your fur" he said dryly, the fox bulgeing his fancy into smileing. "ghastly, grim, and ancient kitsune, tell what your name on this night's kohonain gate." he said as the kitsune gave an almost human smerk. quoth the kitsune. "nevermore"

Sasuke much marvaled at the crimson fox to hear such a stern answer. though haveing little meaning, but he couldn't help to agree, being blessed to see a fox on his door. Seeing fox or beast above his bedroom door with a name such as never more.

But the fox, smileing like the cheshire cat on the bust of the hokage spoke that only one word, if that was the only word it's soul out pour. 'other beasts have run before' He though to himself. 'tomorrow he or she will leave me, no big' then the fox said "nevermore"

His hair stood on end form the stillness broken from such a reply so aptly (and rudely) broken. "obvious" he said "you where caught by some unhappy owner who had no mercy and a disaster followed fast and followed faster till your yelps one burden bore, till the dirges of your hopes the tune that is your burden of never-nevermore"

But the fox still bugeing his sad fancy into smileing. stright he wheeled a his chair from his laptop in front of fox, bust, and door. even though the fox creeped him out abit he couldn't help but guessing at this kitsune. at this red eyed kitsune who had abrply come in to his home and who's fur resenbled that of burning flare, but the lineing around it's eyes was black as coal but looked so familar.

But suddenly the air grew denser, as if someone had speayed sakura's favorate perfume around him causeing memores rush back to him. "damnit!" he cryed "the gods has sent me, by the angels they have sent! When!? When can I forget these memorys of the lost cherry blossom!?" Quoth the kistune..."nevermore"

"DEMON!" he cryed now fustrated. "thiing of evil! thing still, if fox or devil! whether the death gods have sent you here on this home where the blood of my clan has been spilled! Tell me! Is there paridice in heaven! Will I be away from the perv I call a sensei?! Will I meet the maiden the angells call sakura?! the rare and pink maiden whom the angels named sakura?!" quoth the kitsune "nevermore"

The replys of 'nevermore' drove him mad as the thought came back to him now. "N-N-NARUTO?!" he yelled as the fox stared down at him with a wicked smile. Quoth the kitsune. "nevermore uchiha sasuke..." The deepness of it's voice rang though his his mind as he withered on the floor, afraid...afraid for his life. "Why? Why do you torment me like this?" he weakly asked looking up at the fox. "because.." the kitsune started as it's tail spred into nine in a fan like fasion. "you killed my kit..."

And the that fox, ever flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust of the hokage above his chamber door. And It's eyes had all the seeming of demon's that was dream, with the candlelight growing o'er thows it's familar shadow on the floor. And from the soul of the uchiha prodige that lies floating on the floor...

SHALL BE LIFTED - NEVERMORE!!

and for anyone who doesn't know the poem...

the raven

by edgar allen poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"- here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" -
Merely this, and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice:
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more."

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning- little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as "Nevermore."

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered- not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered, "other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before."
Then the bird said, "Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never - nevermore'."

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted- tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend," I shrieked, upstarting -
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!- quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!