This chapter is unedited. (6/25/19)


Chapter Two: Close Shot

Sasuke


Close shot

A detailed view of a person or object, usually without much context provided.


"This has been such an amazing year for the band! Congratulations to all of you. With the world tour, the platinum sales, do you ever get time to yourselves? I imagine that your lives must be so hectic."

The piercing sound of the endless screams from a sea of people overtake my senses.

"It's a little hard, gotta say, but I'd say it's worth it, 'ttebayo!"

The deep bass fades away, leaving small vibrations in its wake.

"It can be a bit of a drag sometimes, hearing from my mother who complains about me being gone too long. It's fulfilling, though."

The keyboards melody disappears, its player's voice replaced by soft exhausted panting.

"Did you ever imagine the band coming this far?"

The last strum of a guitar, the electrifying sound igniting more adoration.

"We didn't start this thinking it would come so far, but we didn't start this just to fool around, either."

An exhilarated yell comes from behind me. His fist is raised in the air, in it: two drumsticks.

"Not entirely, true. Especially with this loudmouth here, fooling around ends up happening."

"Shut up! You're one to talk!"

The only thing left is a spotlight on us, a spotlight in front of thousands of tiny lights lit by phones in the air. I feel a sense of adrenaline and relief. Then, the giant screens close, like curtains falling, keeping us out of their view. The spotlight fades.

"With the schedule you guys have, do any of you get time to just unwind? Perhaps with a special someone? Sasuke?"

"I don't have time for that."

"Understandable. Especially with what's been in the news about your family. Any comment on the situation?"

"No."


"He isn't happy, you know?"

Taking a swig of my drink, I let the burning sensation travel down my throat until it's gone. "Like I care."

I can hear him sighing from the other end of the line. "He's gonna try and do something, Sasuke. I suggest not making him any angrier."

"He's grandfather," I state. That's enough explanation.

"And he wants you as heir to his 'empire'."

"I don't want his empire. It's supposed to be yours, Itachi. It's supposed to be father's, actually."

Even though their an ocean away from each other, I know he's pinching the bridge of his nose. "Things change, Sasuke. You and I both know that."

That I do. All too well.

No words are exchanged for what seems like hours, the soft sounds of our breathing the only thing that replaces the silence in the air. This makes me feel like when we were children. I always end up looking up to him. But this time, for once, he needs to tell me the full truth. He knows I want him to stop telling me "next time," because for all we know, next time might never come.

Then, my mind conjures up a picture of my father's stern look with my mother's smiling face beside his, her arm in his. Content.

"We'll talk when you get back, little brother." Itachi breaks the silence, his voice calm and reassuring.

I look at my now empty glass, swirling the little amount of whatever I drank left at the bottom around, unsure of how serious this talk of his is going to be. Not knowing how to respond, I hum in agreement then promptly hang up.

"Tough call?" Kakashi speaks right as I hang up, appearing out of virtually nowhere like he usually does.

"Aa."

He walks casually where I stood with my hands over the railings. "Drinking before rehearsals isn't something you usually do." He puts his hands in his pockets as he stares at the sky. The sun isn't out, so it's nothing but clouds.

"Gonna need it."

He doesn't respond. Instead, he raises a single brow before turning his attention back to above us. "Got an interesting call a few hours ago."

I say nothing.

He takes this as a sign to continue. He adjusts his mask before speaking. "Thinking about taking another acting job after the tour?"

Acting. I've done a few movies these past few years. I don't hate it, acting. But it's hard to find a project that I want to do. Some studios send scripts that make me want to hurl it out the window. But when I do find something that catches my eye, I can find enjoyment in it. That's how I started with music, come to think about it.

"What's the offer?"

"Action film. Might Guy's directing. Though there's romance in it, too, from the excerpts they've sent to read."

I scoff. "Turn it down."

"Hm," Kakashi brings his thumb to his chin, in thought. "You should try and read it. It's not what you think."

"If they want me to make believe heart eyes and rainbows, I'm out."

"It's primarily an action film. The two main characters are a sort of… enemies to maybe lovers, I'm guessing."

"No."

I feel him give me a pat in the back. "I know you've been interested in taking up another role, Sasuke. The scenes they sent? I think you won't hate them. Try and give them a read. I'll e-mail them tonight." Then as quickly as he came, he leaves.

Letting out an unimpressed breath, I continue staring at my empty glass. Alone.


"You sure about switching the opening?" Naruto asks as he continues tuning his bass. He's sitting on a large speaker, one foot on it, the other dangling by its front.

"Blind's a better opening."

"Does the studio know we plan on playing it? It isn't released yet."

"I made the call when we landed," Neji answers for me, walking away from the stage manager and towards us. "Sasuke's right."

Naruto pouts. "Why didn't any of you ask me what I thought?"

"We tried," a groggy voice fills the space. Shikamaru lies on the edge of the stage, one arm covering his eyes from the bright lights illuminating the stadium. "But you wouldn't wake up."

Kiba, with a water bottle in hand, leans onto the speaker Naruto is sitting on with a teasing smirk on his face. "Wouldn't stop mumbling bullshit while you slept either."

"You guys suck."

With a sigh, I decide to take matters into my own hands and remind them of why we're in this empty stadium in the first place.

It's the last concert of the tour, and we're supposed to be rehearsing. We've been on the road for months. and I'm aware of the solo endeavors each of us want to get to. We had our minds in different places at the moment.

Neji has family matters to attend to. Shikamaru wants to focus on producing music. Kiba has a solo EP in the works. Naruto wants to try a hand in motivational speaking, which I admit he wouldn't be terrible at. I, on the other hand, just want a distraction. We started this band when we were teenagers and now, we're all in our mid-twenties with different ambitions in mind. Are we breaking up the band? It's a possibility.

The exhilaration I felt at the start is slowly drifting farther away from me. I was tired of the magnifying glass on me everywhere I turned. And then there's what's going on at home. Or what I used to call home.

The only thing the public knows is what we tell them, what we show them. But they don't know shit.

Nothing at all.

Naruto senses something off and right before we get on stage for our last performance, he asks me, "You okay?"

"Aa."

"I know shit's going on, but I'm your brother, too, basically."

"You gave yourself that role."

He ignores me. "When you're ready, I'm all ears."

Naruto's always willing to help. I don't know why he's always so optimistic. I want to call it naivety, but that isn't it. He's seen things, experienced things when he was by his father's side with different types of people and learned what they had to go through. If he wasn't in the band, he'd probably be following in his father's footsteps.

But I don't want to talk about it. Not right now.

We flow through the performance, like we always do. It's the last crowd, so they sound louder than usual. The rest relish in the last play, but my mind's elsewhere.

It has been since my parents got into that accident.

The accident that has them hooked up to a bunch of wires keeping them alive. And why my grandfather's looking for a replacement. And he thinks that it's me.

I don't know what I want.


"Ahh!" Naruto lets out a satisfied sound as he stretches his arms up and leans back onto the plane seat. "That was a great tour."

"Gotta admit, I agree."

"Don't make it sound like it's hard to agree with me, Kiba."

He snickers. "But it's good to be going home. I miss my dog."

"Surprised you didn't bring him with you," Shikamaru says as a yawn escapes his lips, making his voice sound tired.

"He's getting too big. Plus, my sister had to keep a check on him, might be getting tired of all the flying."

"Goes with age, maybe."

"Don't call Akamaru old."

"Isn't he?"

"…Yes."

Neji folds his arms above his chest, watching them banter with a critical eye. "You all love to talk about nothing, don't you?"

"Best way to pass the time, Neji." Kiba says, a playful smirk etching his lips.

"Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Shikamaru's awake."

"Sadly," our keyboardist says, bored.

"And you're just itching to see TenTen again and want to silently brood about not seeing her for months in peace."

Neji doesn't reply. Instead, he sighs and turns his head to the TV in front of him.

"Head right on the nail," Naruto laughs. "Don't worry, Neji. I want to see Gaara, too."

As they continue their back and forths, I decide to take my attention back to the tablet on my lap.


From: Uchiha, Madara

To: Uchiha, Sasuke

Subject: Meeting on the 30th

Uchiha Towers main conference room. 10:00 AM. I expect your presence. Do not be late.


Short. To the point. The usual for the patriarch of the Uchiha family.

I glare blankly at nothing, rage threatening to escape. But a loud cough takes me back to reality.

Kakashi. The band's manager and old family friend of the Uchiha. He knows more than most, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not on my part.

"How're things on the home front?"

My gaze finds the view out the window. "No change."

He takes the seat in front of me and leans back, arms on both sides of the seat. "And you?"

I narrow my brows. What does he mean by that?

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

A quizzical brow rises. "Hm."

"What do you want, Kakashi?"

"Just an observation, Sasuke, but you've been out of it."

He's right. But I don't say it.

"It's a difficult time, I know. But it's better to talk then bottle everything up. Eventually, you'll explode."

"You're not paid as my therapist."

"No, but I'm saying this as someone who thinks you a student of mine."

He taught me how to play guitar when I was a child, so in a way, he's right. Apparently, he's talking in place of Itachi right now because this conversation feels eerily similar to what would happen with him.

"What do you want?"

I look at him, my eyes finally turning to his face. He leans in, elbows on his lap and fingers weaved together. An earnestness marks his one-eyed gaze, his other eye still covered with the black eye patch he's been wearing for years. "What do you mean?"

"I don't mean it as in the long run. I mean, right now. What do you want?"

I relent, an exhale of breath exiting my lips. "A distraction."

His fingers let go and find his knees. "Then, we'll get you a distraction."

Taking the tablet, he presses a finger onto the screen, appearing to be scrolling until he finds what he's looking for. He places the tablet back on my lap, and I look to see what he put up and raise a brow.

"Give it a read."

Giving up, I humor him in hopes to get him to stop.

But then I feel a sense of curiosity envelope me as I scroll through its contents. It isn't a full script. In fact, there are only four scenes: the main characters meeting, a vivid description of a fight scene, the main characters arguing and what I presume is a climactic scene with the male character.

It's intriguing, I'll give it that. It's not something I'd usually consider but something stands out. The manipulation twisted within the words the two characters use feels like what I've been hearing. Being tossed around as a means of gaining something for someone else's goals, essentially a puppet for whatever my grandfather has planned.

The script isn't entirely ridiculous, but it has something.

And I needed a distraction.

Maybe playing a puppet master would make me feel like less of a puppet. Even just for a moment.

"I haven't seen this movie in a while." I hear Naruto say, and I look to see his eyes glued to the screen.

"What're you watching?" Kiba peers over to see. "Oh, that one. Yeah, it's been a while."

"I remember when this came out. To think Sakura would go so big." He laughs.

"She hasn't been doing much lately, right? Haven't seen her update her Instagram page in months."

"You keep track?"

"I like her feed," he says, nonchalantly.

"It was ever since that whole debacle with Sasori," Neji states, his eyes not leaving his phone.

"Come to think of it, Sasori's been gone, too." Naruto looks to me. "Hey, Sasuke, isn't your brother friends with him?"

I shrug. "Acquaintances."

"Maybe he knows what happened."

"None of our business, dobe."

It really wasn't. And I could care less.


Kakashi schedules a meeting with the studio, and it turns out they were waiting for my answer to finalize things. That and one other request.

"A screen test?"

"With your potential costar, yes," Hagoromo, the main producer, replies. "As you've read, we need the main characters to have chemistry."

"Is the actress new?" Screen tests don't usually happen when there are two big names attached to a film.

"No, actually."

They're not going to say who it is, then. I don't press them for it. I really don't care.

I've never taken a role with a romantic subplot prior to this. The closest thing is that one mystery movie that had a character with a heavy crush on mine. That went off screen, too. Needless to say, a restraining order was filed.

There are rumors about my personal life, as everyone in this industry would experience. But I never address them. The more I give them, the more they pester me for information.

The meeting continues, discussing schedule, training, and finance. If all else fails, at least this distraction will be compensating me well financially. Then, we get into the contracts.

"Public relation strategies that of which are not odd within this line of work will be utilized. These strategies include public outings with the cast members, social media presence, and other strategies that could be discussed further," Kakashi reads through an item in the contract. "Any objections to this, Sasuke?"

I don't think much of it, but that last sentence… "What other strategies?"

"Nothing out of the norm. If things arise during filming or the press tour, we can discuss any different promotional moves to use," a studio executive chimes in.

"As long as it's discussed with my client prior to use, then it's fine," my lawyer says.

The meeting goes on as typical as a film meeting goes, despite the director's high energy babbling. I've heard of Might Guy and his eccentricities, but this is pushing it.

A few hours pass, and I'm in a car, heading to my penthouse apartment in the city and find my brother on my living room couch, waiting for me. I forgot he had a key. Slowly walking into the room, I close the door behind me and throw my things onto the table by the door.

"You didn't call when you landed a few days ago, Sasuke." He walks over to me and hands me a glass. "You said you wanted to talk."

I could never run from him. "Aa."

"Avoiding me?"

I take a sip of the unusually heavy looking red substance. Tomato juice. "Had things to do."

He gives a slight nod. "Or are you avoiding the issue as a whole?"

I glare at him. "Itachi-"

"I know, I know. You just need time to think."

"Why doesn't he want you?"

He's quiet. His feet slowly take him to the giant window that showcases the view of the city. I make my way to his side, my eyes on the sight in front of me. Thousands of lights outside this dark cave above it.

Ever since I was a child, Itachi's always been there for me. His ways can be strange, but he always had me in mind. But sometimes, I wish he'd tell me what he's thinking. It's always a runabout to figure out what he has going on, and I'm beginning to tire of it.

And, right on time, I feel two fingers tap my forehead. "I'll tell you next time, Sasuke."

Always next time. When is that exactly? I'm tired of being kept out of the loop. "Then, why are you here?" I sounded dismissive, tired of the same answer.

"I wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"What games are you playing at, aniki?" I can hear the anger rise in my voice. I try to suppress it, but I can tell Itachi sensed it.

"No games, Sasuke. I just want to know you're okay." The concern in his voice is perceptible.

I scoff. "I already said I'm fine."

"And you and I both know there's more to that."

I don't respond. I don't want to.

"Have you visited mother and father?"

I let out a long sigh, a shudder escaping with it. "…Yes."

"When you landed?"

"Made sure no camera was close." I don't want any word of it out. That's one thing me and the old man agree on. "Nothing's changed."

"And yet everything has." He sips his drink. "But at least we can count on one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Each other. Been that way since we were children."

And on this summer night, we stared at the bright lights within the darkness. Despite his methods, deep down I know he means well. And with our parents unconscious, it's never been more evident that it was just the two of us.

"Yeah. It has."


A week has passed and I'm in Six Paths Studios for the screen test. The lines are simple and memorizing them were easily done. I hadn't heard from the band since we landed, apart from Naruto who called to invite me to his first TED talk. How he got the gig so fast, I don't know, but I have a feeling Kakashi had a hand in organizing it to.

Speaking of the manager, he's late. As per usual.

I head my way back to the set when I run into the director. Perfect.

"Ah, Sasuke! I hope you're feeling incredibly youthful for today's screen test! We need great results!" Stars look like they were coming out of his eyes. Just what is this man? A walking caricature?

He takes my lack of response as a sign to keep his mouth moving. "I had a feeling in my gut, no, my entire being that you and her would be a great match for this! But the studio wanted this screen test, but I am confident you, two will knock it right out of the park! Homerun!"

Does he only speak in level ten volume?

His eyes seem to grow even wider with delight as he looks over my shoulder. "There she is! Sakura, meet your potential costar!"

I turn my head to see the woman who had just stepped foot off the elevator.

The telltale pink hair, the bright green eyes, the fair skin. That's her.

Sakura Haruno.

I'd seen a couple of films from her. She's talented. But her roles seemed too similar to one another to differentiate her from the other actresses in the industry. But she's here for the role of Akira. That's a surprise.

I nod, greeting her. She seems to have stopped in her tracks, a flush on her face and a look of uncertainty as she nods back. It's a look I know a little too well. Hopefully, a restraining order would not be needed.

Guy leads us inside the set, and there are only a few people in the room. A few people from my team, a few from hers, the director, a boom man, and a cameraman. The studio executives will be watching the tape later on to judge it, I presume. Time to get this over with.

We walk in front of the camera and find our spots. She looks a little nervous, either about the screen test or because of me. She's done this more than me, so I don't know why she'd be nervous about the former. But with the rumors swirling around her lately, most people would be nervous, too.

"Okay!" Guy clapped loudly. "We'll start from the moment your characters meet. Akira, I mean, Arisa is lead by Kai to another room, and action!"

The camera's light turns red, and Sakura's eyes change from unsure to a look of a deviant hiding behind innocence, a veil of irritation covering the layers. Well…

She attempts to walk past me, and I grab her. Lowering my lips to her ears, I whisper, "Wouldn't want you to get away."

"Now, what exactly would I be getting away from?" She tilts her head slightly, her eyes meeting mine defiantly.

I smirk. "The festivities. It's a little early to be leaving." I loosen my grip on her arm.

"Didn't know we had a minimum time in attendance to be able to leave."

"You haven't even tried the food."

"How would you know that?"

I peer closer to her face. "Watching you. I don't recall ever seeing you here."

She shrugs, unmoved by the intimidation tactic. "Never had the chance to." Extending her hand, she smiles playfully. "Arisa Mifune. You're Kai Shido, aren't you?"

Her character's fake name. "Aren't I?"

We stare at each other, eyes never straying from their target. She's good, I'll give her that, but even with her in character, I see the little specks of the Sakura Haruno I'd encountered before we got in this room hiding beneath her character's covers. She's still nervous.

Somehow, that adds to her performance, a side of the character that wasn't seen on paper. Depth. When I first read the script, her character felt artificial, perhaps to add to the fact of her being a spy. But she gave a spark of life in it, something I didn't quite expect.

It's not a bad surprise.

We continue the scene, the room silent as we recited and acted out what we were given. Both characters try to have a peek at what each other is thinking, using the tools in their arsenals available.

Sakura leans in, hand on my chest where a tie would be. "I was craving a little adventure, as some would say. Is that so wrong?"

I tilt her chin up. Our eyes meet again. "Wrong? Hardly. Everyone has… desires that lurk underneath the surface."

She squints her eyes, pretending to read me.

"My question is, what exactly are yours?"

This is the part in the script where she answers vaguely, and the room's wall go down, revealing that the entire conversation was being watched by the partygoers. Kai's gift of entertainment to who was there and a shock that makes Akira become more weary of him.

But right as Sakura was about to utter her line, a series of claps echoes throughout the room. The camera light goes out, and everyone's head turns to the source of the applause.

"That's it!" A man with grey hair comes out of the shadows. "It's even better than I pictured it."

Guy jumps to his feet. "Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya? Where have I heard that name before? I look at the women beside me, to see if she knew him. She shrugged at me, understanding.

"You two, this is Jiraiya. Our screenwriter!"

The man walks forward, a hand outstretched. "You're definitely our Kai and Akira."

Sakura accepts the gesture and shakes his hand, thanking him.

"And Sasuke!" He grins. "How's Naruto?"

"Naruto?"

"Ah, yes. I'm his godfather." He gives a thumbs up. "He didn't say anything about you getting this part."

"That's because I didn't tell him." And I don't remember Naruto mentioning this man before, so that's not why the name sounds vaguely familiar.

Guy point to the man next to him. "Jiraiya is a famous author. This is his first dip into the film world."

Sakura's face lights up at the mention of him being an author. "Really? I'm sorry I don't know, but what work have you done?"

"Oh, you know. There's that ninja series I do, but I think I'm more well known for the Icha Icha Paradise series." He sounds proud.

But one look at Sakura's face and her twitching eye makes it look like that's something he shouldn't be proud of.

And then, I realize where I heard his name from.

I look for Kakashi and find him in the back, book in hand. I'm sure there's an annoying smile underneath that damn mask of his as I flash him a glare. The old pervert had the nerve to wave.

He wanted me in this because the author of those porn books he reads is in it.

Granted, I asked for a distraction, and the role happened to pop up, so I know it's not fully his doing.

But it's still irritating.

"The higher ups will definitely say yes to these two. I don't know why they wanted a screen test to begin with, anyway. As soon as you said their names when we were looking for actors, I thought they were perfect."

Guy nods at Jiraiya's words. "Every studio's different. I told them there was no need for it, but just watching this one scene's enough."

That means we don't have to do the second one, then. But they do have a point. I may have not been in the same number of films as Haruno, but my name isn't small, I know that.

In the corner of my eye, I see Sakura's eyes find the floor, a signal of uncomfort.

Ah, yes. That.

After a few more minutes of conversation, we're told that we can leave, and they'll contact us when it's time to finalize and sign the contracts. Saying our goodbyes, people start to exit the room.

I walk with my hands in my pockets, ready to head home, but I stop for a beat. Everyone's outside, but I know she's trailing behind me.

"It's a job."

I didn't have to look to see that she's staring at the back of my head.

"Whatever the execs think, you're here for a reason. It's a job, and people trust you enough to be here."

She's confused. Hell, I am, too. I don't have to tell her anything. She's more experienced in this line of work than I am. But that uncertainty is odd for someone who's been working since she was a teenager.

Without another word, I walk out. I see Kakashi leaning by the door. "Got your shit signed?"

"Yes."

"You need to find better books."

"Don't knock 'em 'til you try them, Sasuke."

Sakura finally steps out of that room and goes towards her team, her eyes briefly meeting mine before quickly turning away.

Kakashi seems to notice this and eyes me suspiciously. "What was that?"

"Nothing." I turn away and begin walking.

He hums, following me. "Sure."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"No, actually," he replies. "You two looked good in there."

"Good. That's how we're supposed to look."

Before he could add anything, my phone begins to ring. I don't need to look. I let it go straight to voicemail. Kakashi doesn't even need to ask who it is.


Note:

Kakashi, the number one SasuSaku stan.

And here's chapter two. It's harder for me to get into Sasuke's headspace, but in this, I think of Sasuke as a mix of his genin self and his early-Shippuden self except he has a support system in Naruto, Kakashi, and Itachi, whereas in the series, he didn't (ES). He's complicated which makes it intimidating to write in his perspective, so I hope this is okay. His POV is more direct, kind of always suspicious where Sakura's isn't afraid to fully delve into her emotions. Sasuke here is still trying to find out what he wants, what he's feeling, and where he wants to go. I didn't want to go the obvious route and make him an all out asshole because that isn't who he is deep down. Sure, some things he say can come off that way, but that's just the complexity that is Sasuke.

Also see that callback to that one SasuSaku scene in the series I did there?

Anyway, a new chapter of Eternal is coming up, soon, like I said last chapter.

Reviews are welcome! Happy reading!