SasuSaku Month 2015
Day 2- No Filter
Title: Behind the lens
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A/N: well... Blame Instagram or any photo editor but... When I hear filter, all I can think of it taking pics... So, another AU won't be that bad... I've tried to make a different personality for Sasuke based on... Idk, personal experiences with taking pics? Maybe... Haha Hope you enjoy it!
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His life has always been based on his photos. The talent and the perspective he had when behind a camera were something extremely precise and unique. His angles were perfect. His vision was revolutionary. All of that in a 20 year old boy with an incredible future ahead of him. His name was already renowned in the world of fashion and, due to his incredible looks, every model in Konoha would kill to have a private photo section with him. Uchiha Sasuke was a trend. He was a talent, indeed. But that overrated and billionaire talent of his was, slowly, killing the photographer inside of that boy. The passion he had once developed for photography was, tragically, reaching its end.
What was happening to Sasuke was the same thing that tends to happen to every successful artist. All that fame and glory and the popularity earned due to their talent end up replacing the one feeling that has made them start the whole thing: love. The love for the profession and the passion for doing what makes them feel good gets totally outshone when all the perks of being "important" are offered to the artists. They change after that. All that love and passion disappears and, before any of them can notice, years have gone by without a single pleasant memory regarding what was once the dream of their lives. It's a sad world for artists and, when all those benefits start to lose their meaning,- because they all will, eventually- depression and mental blocks and anger starts hitting them until they finally give up. And giving up wasn't something the Uchiha wanted to do.
Even if he had barely turned 20, the photography prodigy could already notice how his life had turned upside down. He could see how the inspiration he used to gain from little things and the initiative of photographing the new were flowing away from his body. Sasuke knew he wasn't that same boy with an old camera in hands anymore. He knew he didn't smile behind the lens anymore. And you bet he missed that feeling. The feeling of a well done job and the excitement of doing anything to get the best close and the love for making a single moment eternal by using a single finger. He missed his old self more than anything. But just missing that little boy wouldn't bring him back. The photographer was going to do something about it. Somehow, he would.
Not exactly knowing why, the Uchiha ended up telling his agent about the whole identity crises he had been living recently. He told that gray haired man about fearing the depression and taking bad pictures and missing his old passionate self that felt pleasure in his work before. Sasuke told him everything and, after analyzing the whole talk, the agent decided to help his client. If he wanted passion, he would have passion. And, if love was the one thing he was looking for in a photo section, why not sending the boy to be the official photographer of the newest Valentine's Day clothing collection of a famous brand, right? Right... But the boy wouldn't know that until he met the model.
After discovering what his agent had done, Sasuke didn't like it at all. He didn't want another superficial job with those dry models anymore. He didn't want the frustration of another monotonous work. He wanted more than that. He wanted to feel something- anything- with his pictures again. And a Valentine's Day catalog- the most emotionless event in the world- just didn't seem to be the answer. Still, since his name was on the contract, doing it had become an obligation. An obligation that, in his mind, would only destroy even more the true image of himself he preserved in his memories.
The shooting section was set to happen in only one day. Sasuke had been informed that only one girl would be posing for him and that she was also a great model. The whole thing seemed to be extremely too perfect and extremely too boring for that kind of job. Nothing that he wasn't already expecting, to be honest. However, when his eyes first saw the girl he would be working with, something inside his heart told him things would be different. And, indeed, they would.
The first time he had the chance to see his model was when he first entered the backstage to check on the scenario. Through the reflection of a mirror, finally, his eyes found her. The girl that was being prepared by the make up team was certainly something interesting with all of her features. Her green eyes reminded him of the intense color of the forests and her height, even if she was impressively small for a model, seemed to be just perfect in her proportions. Her milky skin and her legs that were exposed were just too shiny and seemed to be too soft no matter from where he looked at it. And, finally, the one thing that caught his- and probably everyone else's- attention the most, was that pastel pink hair of hers. That, out of all the times he had worked with girls, was something his dark eyes had never seen before. And they were glad for the opportunity.
The length of those locks reached just a little lower her shoulders. That unusual coloration of pink, when contrasted with her emerald eyes, made her look so fresh and young and while wearing that figurine,- a white lacy set of bra and panties that was careless exposed by an open robe- his eyes couldn't help but being thirsty to see more angles of her body. He just couldn't wait to meet her. And, fortunately, all the preparations were finally over. It was time for photographer and model to meet.
With the brushes and the people away from her, the girl with pink hair was finally able to see him staring at her through the mirror in front of her. When she realized so, it took the pinkette almost two full minutes to express any reaction other than just staring at him. His dark eyes were hypnotics and, somehow, she just couldn't command her body to look another way. She wanted to look at him. And, at the same time she had reached that certainty, the photographer also realized that his gaze was simply trying to devoure hers. At that time, something had definitely happened between those two. Something, doubtlessly, impossible to be measured by words.
It was only when someone accidentally bumped into him that their whole staring section was interrupted. He blinked a couple of times and the girl shyly covered herself with the robe before, finally, standing up and walking towards her future photographer. There was a blush on her cheeks by the time she was standing just some inches away from him. And that blush, he though, deserved to be framed.
" hi... I am Haruno Sakura... Your model... The model."
" do you know who I am?"
" well, yeah... I only knew you by name until some moments ago when the team finally pointed at you while you were standing there..."
" oh... Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
" it's okay... It's not like things won't be like this in some moments, right?"
She offered him a smile. A smile so warm and sincere that made all of his muscles relax. Perhaps, working with her would be an interesting experience.
"... I am Sasuke... Uchiha Sasuke. I hope we can have an amazing day at work today."
" me too! I hope we can have lots of fun!"
Her childish face made her whole self seem just like an innocent child. An innocent child in stilettos and barely naked under that pink robe of hers. Sakura, in his eyes, held that same aura he had when he first started taking pics. That aura was just so pure and precious that the Uchiha knew he had to immortalize it before the time came and destroyed it forever. It happened to him. Then why wouldn't it happen to her too, right? It would certainly be a shame to lose such perfect and fresh innocence but, unfortunately, there was nothing that could save it. He knew about it already. He knew that he couldn't simply convince her to drop it all. After all, the whole modeling thing was still a dream for her.
" how old are you?...if you don't mind me asking."
" not at all... I'm 20 and I've been modeling for... 7 years already."
" hn. Then we have no amateurs here." He smirked, just a little to send her the air of the joke.
" not at all. None of us will be able to count on beginners luck this time." She mimicked his gesture, and he liked what he saw. A girl with personality, for what it seemed. Photographing her, definitely, wouldn't be that boring, after all.
Their breath meeting ended right after they unconsciously exchanged another moment of silent staring. As the loud signal bell echoed around the whole shooting set, the whole crew knew that it was time for them to free the main scenario and occupy their positions. The show was about to start.
Model and photographer walked side by side until they reached the scenario that awaited for them. It was something trying to simulate a teenage girl's dream room. There was a fluffy carpet and a high large bed and the most delicate of the decorations placed on that pre-maid set. The Uchiha went towards the camera that had been provided by him and, after checking the illumination and giving the girl a last check on her make up, the team behind the studio took her robe off, revealing the rest of that amazing body of hers. Sakura was, indeed, an impressively beautiful model. A model like no other he has ever met before and he has met many already. Her whole self seemed to be different. And that just left the boy even more curious to see how her photos would be. He was positive they would be good. Unfortunately, as the girl full of surprises she is, Sakura broke all of his expectations. And he wasn't ready for that at all.
" okay, everyone. Let's start this and go home."
When his cold eyes finally started to look at her through the lens of his camera, the Haruno girl knew that there was something wrong happening. She wasn't feeling safe. She wasn't feeling confidant and, every time she looked at him, all her emerald eyes saw was a camera with legs. There was no emotion behind those moves and she just wasn't used to that kind of treatment. It felt as if she was committing a crime every time her body made a pose. It felt as if she was being watched by a stranger. It felt as if there was no human being behind that machine. And that was simply unacceptable for the pinkette.
It didn't take long before Sakura, literally, stopped molding her body into poses. Her ears could capture the surprised whispers and the blaming words of some models who were watching her from the back. She knew everything was going to fall on her, yet, such thing didn't matter at the moment. At that exact moment, the only thing that mattered for her was discovering what was wrong with that boy. And, once he removed his eyes from behind the camera and met hers, they both knew that solving that problem would not be something easy.
" Sakura... What's wrong?"
" ... I can't do this."
" uh?" He approached her, holding the camera in his left hand. " are you shy or something?"
" no, don't be ridiculous, I-"
" are you feeling bad or something? Want me to ask for a doctor?"
" no.. No, it's not it. I just-"
"Uhm.." He placed his right hand on her forehead and, at that moment, that girl was starting to lose her patience. " you don't seem to have a fever. Did you eat something weird? Because, when I do, I can't-"
" Sasuke!" She shoved his hand away from her. " this isn't the problem! The problem is... I can't feel your heart... I can't feel you here... With me."
The way her eyes were staring deep inside his black pearls was just too intense for him to be able to hold that eye contact for too long. For him, it felt as if he was the one to be blamed for at that moment. He was the guilty one according to her eyes and they were right. It was his fault. Not entirely but still his fault. He was the one running away from that place. He was the one who couldn't find a way to change his own carrier. He was the one who had already given up. And Sakura noticed that just by looking at the one behind the camera.
"..."
" what's wrong with you, Sasuke?" She said, holding onto his hand.
" nothing. Let's go back to this, okay?"
"No! Not until you tell me what's going on."
" tch... I've never had an annoying model."
" if being annoying is the same as being concerned, then, yes, I am annoying."
" hn."
"... Let me help you... At least in this photo shoot, we are a team. I'm not an amateur, remember?"
The way she squeezed his hand and looked at him simply brought all of his barriers down. Even if he had just met her, Sasuke could already tell that she had a strange power over him. A strange power that could make that whole crises of his turn into words for the first time. If it was with her, the Uchiha knew he could express himself perfectly. If it was with her, he knew she could help him. And she would, for sure.
Sighting defeatedly, the photographer returned his eyes to her and his dull expression quickly became a sad one. Sasuke didn't know what else to do with the whole photography anymore. It wasn't the same and he just couldn't accept anything different than before.
" I hate it..."
"... what?"
" I hate photography..."
With that said, the boy offered her the camera and her eyes widened. Sasuke was, at last, exploding.
He hated photography at that moment. All that love he once had for immortalizing people and places, was no longer inside of him. There was nothing more than an empty shell inside of him. But you could make sure she would fill it back.
" take back the control over your pictures... Do it on your own way or don't do it at all. You can do it. You are the photographer here, Sasuke..."
Using her delicate hands, Sakura softly pushed the hand with the camera back to his body and, softly, she stood on the tip of her toes, aiming to reach his ears. When she got there, her melodic voice, finally, whispered:
" you are not an amateur..."
For some reason he didn't know, those words made effect on him. Those words that had been nothing but a mere joke between them moments before; were surprisingly unlocking all of his emotions from inside his heart. Of course he wasn't an amateur. He was a famous professional and he knew exactly why he had become one. He knew his purpose with a camera and, after meeting her and seeing in one person all the feelings he had been looking for, Sasuke knew how to bring his old self back. He was going to immortalize that stunning blush of hers just like he had many times immortalized the happy moments of his family before the accident. Sasuke would make them proud. And he would do it in his own way.
"... Thank you."
" uh?"
"... Out." He said, almost in a whisper.
" what!?"
" I said OUT!"
In the second time, it came as a scream. A scream so loud and clear that, after seconds, all the people that were surrounding them simply exited the room. Sakura was about to do the same but, before she could take any step away from him, his hand held her shoulder and she knew that he had woken up. The photographer didn't need those people around him to make what he loves to do. All he needs is his camera, a little bit of creativity and, of course, the girl with pink hair. Without her, there would be no photos. Not for that catalog. Not for the rest of his life.
" if we are really gonna do this... It's gonna be my way."
" copy that! Just tell me what to do and I will!" She smiled proudly of him.
" hn. Let's finish this and I'll pay you a coffee." He smirked. " first of all... Take this shoes off... Teens don't walk around in their hells while wearing only bra and panties."
"... Yeah, I agree... Give me a hand here." She said, asking for a supporter while she took off the shoes.
"... Uhm... Use the bed. I need to do something."
" tch... You could have helped me before..."
With a pout in her lips, the pink haired girl, innocently, sat on the edge of the bed while taking off those heels that felt more like needles in her feet. She threw them under the bed and, silently, waiting for his next order. Sakura could feel like he had finally gotten back on his feet. She and the rest of the world they lived in knew about his awards and his gift with the photography, but she also knew about the trauma that life had caused him. She was a huge fan of his work and finally having the chance of being a part of it was a dream come true. She wanted it to work out for him. She truly wanted him to be happy while behind those lens. No matter what, she wanted him to fall in love with the essence of being a photographer again. And, using the most unusual methods, he would fall in love again. But not only with photography this time.
Closing her eyes for those exact nine seconds was probably the worst of the ideas after having activated the true artists within the Uchiha. By the time the 10th second arrived, her body had been thrown behind, with her back laying against the soft mattress of the bed. Her pink hair had been splayed around and her eyes were staring into his eyes. Sasuke had literally thrown his body over hers, placing one knee in between her legs and supporting his weight with one hand while holding the camera with the other. At that moment, Sakura saw the smile behind the camera. She saw the darkness of his eyes. A darkness so beautiful and deep that, instead of scaring her, made her blush. And that blush was the one thing he wanted for his camera.
Sasuke's brilliant idea came when he remembered the one thing he hated the most in all of the Valentine's Day clothing catalogs. In every single one of them, there is an implicit act of sex about to happen between the models. It's always like that and, indeed, it sells. But he just couldn't imagine a girl so pure as Sakura doing that. Not a girl with such a warming blush like hers. So, taking that red and pink cheeks as his inspirations, the boy decided to use them as the great theme of his work. The blush of a person in love. The blush of an innocent girl. The real blush of a real girl. And what a perfect combination that had become.
" hold still..."
" Sa-Sasuke-"
"...-kun."
" uh?"
" say it... With my name."
"... Sa-Sasuke-kun..." She blushed harder and he couldn't help but smirking. At that moment, his finger, finally, captured that blush of hers. And you bet that blush of hers also captured something else.
Even after the picture was taken, the photographer and the model remained in that place for almost five minutes. Their eyes hadn't been disconnected not even once and, if not for the camera in hand, something more than just staring would have definitely happened. But, once the whole romantic atmosphere was dissipated, the awkward moment that followed was, certainly, embarrassing.
" I-I think I should..."
" yeah... That would be a good idea..."
" hn, sorry..." He said, sliding over the side of the bed and sitting on its edge. As a mirror, the pinkette also did the same but in the opposite side. None of them talked for some moments but, eventually, something came out. And what came out was the most contagious laugh he had ever listened to.
" why are you laughing?"
" because... Because you actually climbed on top of me just for a photo... How many girls can say that?"
" hn... Just you."
" see? That's... That's awesome."
" tch... I still didn't get the laughter."
" isn't it obvious? It's because I'm happy, silly. Loving what we do is simply amazing and now I see that you've regained this love."
" hn." He smirked. " indeed... I think I love you."
" what?!" Her eyes widened.
" what?"
" did you... Did you just..."
" hn, we have no time for that now, Sakura. We still have some more photos, let's go."
Embarrassedly, the boy stood up and went to check on the illumination that was near the mirror. He still didn't know how to photograph her but, as long as he stood away for that moment, she would probably not notice his own blush. What a silly photographer, she knew. Still, she followed him after some moments and, indeed, they finished all the pics, each of them with a different point of view. His point of view. The point of view only he had and that would only feature the one with pink hair, he had decided. Sasuke knew he couldn't do his job without her anymore. He knew he wouldn't be able to smile without his blushing muse anymore. So, from that moment on and during the coffee he had offered, the Uchiha had decided to make her his exclusive model. He wouldn't let anyone else but him capturing that stunning blush of hers. Only he could do that.
The catalog came out after some time and, on the cover, the blush that changed his life. He had demanded the editors not to touch such unique blush with their computer programs or photo editors. He wanted that pic to be published exactly as it had been taken. He wouldn't accept any change on that natural beauty. No photoshop, no editors. No filters. Just the true face of a blushing model. His blushing model.
