Fish soup. The greatest evil on Earth. And the reason I'm only updating now (yeah, I actually got my computer confiscated for refusing to eat it). So after a week's worth of wait, here's what you've been waiting for...Enjoy.

Oh, and I haven't yet acquired the property of Naruto. Yeah...Still working on it.

Dreams, day and night

I half-woke on Friday morning, wondering if I shouldn't simply grab Sasuke's cell phone and throw it out the window. We were on the fifth floor; there was no way that goddamn thing could survive. I grumbled angrily as I was lifted off of my warm pillow, and heard the teme laugh.

"You want me to turn the alarm off or not?" he asked.

"I want you to turn it off and get back to your rightful place," I snapped tiredly. "That's beneath my head. Since I know you won't, I'll make the noises I want, thank you very much."

I barely heard his answer as he pulled the covers back over my body, tucking his own pillow between my arms. "Sleep," he ordered. "Your parents won't like it if you look like your zombie self when you return."

The next thing I remembered was waking up again, this time alone. As usual, the teme had left a note telling where he was. This time, however, he'd added his car keys, explaining he had to catch up with what he hadn't done yesterday morning, meaning he'd have to stay at the studio the entire day. He advised me to return home alone, assuring me he'd find a suitable taxi to drive him back. Rolling my eyes, I crumpled the note and immediately set off to find the idiot.

"You're stubborn, aren't you?" I remarked as soon as I had found him. He was doing group pictures with other male models, several of which I recognized. Sai was one of them. "I'll wait for you, teme. You can't sleep alone here, remember?"

"You're wasting an entire day," he remarked. "I'll be fine."

"No you won't. Besides, it's almost noon." I held his gaze firmly, letting him know I hadn't the slightest intention of leaving. "And I have things to do after lunch."

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Uh..." I hesitated, suddenly realizing that the reason wasn't likely to please him. "Sai said he wanted me to see his paintings."

"And that's supposed to take you the entire afternoon?" he asked, his voice dubious.

I shrugged. "He told me it wouldn't be five minutes' worth. And we'll talk after, I guess." I looked up. "Once he stops flirting, he's cool, you know."

"Hn."

He did not bring the subject up again. I waited for him to finish his morning duties before we set out to lunch.

The meal was pretty quiet; Sai had come to remind me when I was expected, and the teme had been brooding ever since. Ten minutes before one he got to his feet, and I looked up at him.

"They sure are expecting you early," I remarked.

"I could say the same," he retorted. Sighing, he closed his eyes, and I barely had the time to make my own switch before he grabbed my collar and pulled me against his chest.

"Rave," I complained softly. "You know we shouldn't take over while we're here-"

"How am I supposed to stay quiet when things like this happen?" he growled. "I don't want you going near him, Kit."

"I shouldn't have to come out," I remarked. "Naruto gets along with Sai just fine; they won't need me."

He pulled back to stare at me, eyes dark. "Be careful," was his last recommendation before he left.

Returning to my usual self, I found myself shaking my head as he walked away from our table. Why the hell did he have to act so jealous? He couldn't just switch into possessive bastard mode each time Sai came into the conversation, could he? Raven wasn't real. This whole thing was an act, and Sai wasn't supposed to be part of it.

* * *

The pale guy waited for me in front of his own room, leaning casually against the door. "I was afraid you'd forget the exact number," he admitted once I reached him. "There's no telling what stays in that head of yours."

"You ass," I growled. "You're no better than the teme."

He shrugged, opening the door. "If I was, you wouldn't be sleeping with him."

"I don't sleep-" I halted, realizing that in a literal sense, I was about to lie. But Sai didn't need to know I shared the teme's bed.

"You've kissed him," the painter remarked. "On countless occasions. And we don't know what's going on behind closed doors." He smiled sweetly, and a gave up on my need to strangle him, fuming in silence as I entered.

My anger vanished, as brutally as it had come, when the contents of the room met my eyes. I stared.

"I redecorated the place," Sai said. "With Hatake's permission, of course."

The walls were covered with paintings and drawings, though neither contained landscapes. Most of what lay before my eyes were nude paintings, of men and women alike. Some were partly dressed, or partly undressed, whichever way you saw it; shirts and blouses were undone, never hiding what they were supposed to. Legs were always bare, though some women wore skirts, or covered their waist with a cloth.

Somehow, I couldn't feel embarrassed. The place carried the same impression you felt in a museum, where nudity is only viewed as a piece of art. These -all of these- were art. And they were magnificent.

Sai waited wordlessly next to me as I scanned his work. The biggest one was undoubtedly the ink painting hanging directly above the bed. It was the only one where Sai had painted two models, both fully dressed. It took me several seconds before I realized the man on the left was Sai himself; next to him was a blond man, whose smile was soft as he gazed ahead. The two of them held hands.

"Your boyfriend?" I asked, pointing.

He shook his head. "My brother."

I looked again, then admitted that the gesture didn't look that intimate.

"I finished it last week," the painter added. "Thanks to you."

"Me?" I repeated, puzzled.

A nod. "He's dead," Sai said flatly. "He died about six months ago. And ever since his burial I had been unable to remember his face."

"I'm sorry." My voice was soft. I looked up again at the smiling face. "Didn't you have pictures of him?"

He shook his head, but it wasn't to deny. "It was useless if I didn't want to remember." As I frowned, he explained, "To deal with painful thoughts, your subconscious sometimes removes the memories causing them. To make it simple, part of my mind helped me get over my brother's death by trying to convince me he didn't exist."

"But that's-" I didn't finish, knowing my eyes were wide and filled with horror.

Sai shrugged. "It's psychological. I couldn't control it much, at the time. Many people do this, you know. Dealing with problems by pretending they don't exist. What you don't know can't hurt you, right?" I shook my head furiously, and he smiled. "Everyone has memories they'd rather forget. But after I met you, things changed."

I looked at him, wary.

"You looked like him. The first time I saw you on the track. He used to run too, you know. The instant I saw you, I saw him too. His face, as clear as day."

I frowned. "Why did you kiss me, then?"

"You're not his identical clone, if you haven't noticed," he told me, pointing at the blond figure before us. "Though you have the same personality. Besides the fact that you had stirred memories -for which I was grateful- I thought you were pretty cute. So I decided it was worth a shot."

I rolled my eyes, and turned to the other paintings and drawings. "So who are all these people, anyways?"

Sai stepped closer to the one I was looking at. "Models, for the most part. I asked some to pose for me, and others asked me to paint or draw them. They've got either copies or the originals. This young man" -he pointed at the guy, whose flaming red hair immediately caught the eye- "is Gaara Sabaku. I met him in Egypt. Dark type, but very interesting to talk with..." He told me everything he knew about the guy, and gradually the picture became more alive, more meaningful.

Sai introduced me to several other models, telling me about each of their lives as I realized exactly how much his knowledge had influenced his art.

They came from all over the planet. Sai told me about his personal life as well, explaining that he traveled a lot because of his work, much more than the teme. Though he said it was only because Sasuke wasn't an adult yet. As soon as he turned eighteen, he'd be traveling as much as twenty-year-old Sai. Maybe more. Somehow I wasn't sure I liked the idea.

"Your boyfriend's going to kill me if I return you too late," Sai remarked after a couple of hours. "When is he expecting you?"

"He's got tons of work, apparently," I replied, glancing at his alarm clock. It was nearly five. "He said he probably wouldn't eat dinner at the hotel. And stop calling my boyfriend," I added with a sigh. "He's straight and so am I."

"You don't act like it. Offstage," Sai added when I opened my mouth.

That shut me up for several seconds. Of course, he didn't wait for me to formulate a proper answer, and climbed off the bed we had been sitting on, walking to the desk where all of his art material was installed. "Do you want me to draw you?" he asked, taking out a large sketchbook.

I gaped, blinking seven times before finding my voice again. "Me?"

"Who else is there?" Sai inquired. "I thought I might be something you could give your boy- Sasuke," he corrected himself. "I'll let you keep the original piece of course."

"Why would the teme want a nude drawing of me?"

"Not nude." Sai rolled his eyes. "Itachi's conditions apply for me as well. You'll pull the sheets over your privates."

I flushed. "You didn't answer me."

"Would you refuse if he was the one offering it to you? It's still art."

Still beet red, I considered this. If Sasuke did give me a painted version of himself...After all, Sai was an excellent artist. And the teme's body definitely wasn't ugly. Would I say no?

"In case you're wondering, your body is just as admirable as his," Sai let me know. " Not in the same way, but it's very pleasing to the eye; Kakashi showed me your work, and I'm certain he won't discard it because of how you look."

I gave him a stern glare, and he grinned back.

"Please?"

I knew I was going to regret this. I knew it. "How am I supposed to do this thing?" I grumbled resignedly, removing my shirt.

Sai's smiled increased tenfold, and he got to his feet dropping his stuff on the table in order to help. "Let me put something white over the covers first," he said, removing sheets from one of the drawers. "I was thinking you could adopt a samurai pose."

I frowned, and he sighed. "Help me with this." I put my shirt down and helped him place the thin sheets over his bed. "Samurais sat down in a way that allowed them to draw their swords and get up quickly in case of an attack. Like this." He sat down on the floor, poking one of his knee sideways as though he sat cross-legged, while the other pointed up, the according foot placed in front of the opposing foreleg.

"Try it."

Obediently I lowered myself, imitating his posture.

"The sword was usually on the left. So it's the right knee that's pointing up." I switched my legs around, and waited for his approval. The posture didn't feel awkward at all, and Sai finally nodded. "Don't forget to relax," he advised. "You'll be staying like this awhile. Put the sheets on your right side, and cover what's needed, but I want you to keep you left side completely bare; that way you'll look more naked than you actually are."

I nodded, shrugging. "How long will it take?"

"Depends. A couple of hours, at least. More if I mess up."

I gave him a disbelieving look. "You're expecting me to sit still for hours?"

"You can stretch," he assured me. "Though please warn me first, and I'm begging you" -he brought his hands together- "remember your position before you do move anything."

I smiled. "I've been posing for to weeks, Sai. I know how to remember the way I stood. Especially with the commercial we did yesterday." I began undoing my pants, and he promptly turned around.

"Remember to tell Sasuke I didn't look while you were getting ready," he said, walking back to his seat. "He'll kill me if I see you naked. And sit in the middle of the bed, please."

Folding my clothes and putting them behind the bed, I then went to the appointed place on all fours, and resumed the 'samurai' pose. I then grabbed the side of the sheets Sai couldn't see, and pulled them over my groin before telling the artist I was ready.

Turning around, Sai smiled as he inspected me. "Shaved?" he asked.

I shook my head darkly. "Waxed. Legs and armpits," I added, lifted my left arm to show him. "They told us it'd stay off longer. For the bed scenes."

Sai nodded knowingly. "That's one of the reasons I respect the women so much; they don't need extreme circumstances to do it."

"The girl who did it told me it didn't hurt as much after a while," I grumbled. "The teme didn't complain at all."

"While we could all hear your screams of agony from the other side of the building," Sai added as he set his material.

"Hey, I'm a guy, dammit! I never do this!"

"You can keep complaining as long as you don't move," the artist informed me, his eyes darkening as he concentrated. "And the traditional, sexist belief is that the girls scream and cry when they hurt."

"Not for this," I protested. "They must have an off button on their nervous system or something."

Sai laughed, and the pencil he held suddenly began scratching the paper. Immediately I tensed, then forced myself to relax when he didn't look up again.

"I thought pencil gives a softer touch to the picture,"he remarked absentmindedly as he worked. "Paint will be too bright, and I only use ink for self-portraits or people like Sasuke. You're too pure."

I kept myself from nodding, but did speak. "The teme wouldn't like it too bright anyways."

"He wouldn't," Sai added. "And I think this is better for you." He looked up again. "Could you keep your arm there?"

I hadn't realized I had placed the right one upon my highest knee. "Sure."

"I'll warn you when I'll start drawing the hand. If you get bored, try thinking of something pleasant."

I remained still, knowing that either movement or speech could break his focus. Instead I let my mind wander, trying to find exactly what 'pleasant' was to me. Since my brain didn't feel up to the task, I switched to someone who could easily find an answer. After all, to Kit, what could be more pleasant thought than the memories I had of Raven?

Our numerous kisses flashed before my eyes, and I found myself smiling. Although he liked to play rough, or cold and dominant, Raven still kissed me like I was the luminous core of his black universe. We hadn't done much beside kiss and...-I blushed slightly- the things Kakashi had made us do, and...My blush deepened as I recalled Monday evening. And the time before we'd gone running. There had been real lust in Raven's eyes. If I hadn't stopped him...

I kept smiling, gently playing with the idea. We had never touched each other intimately. Except for the massage, but we hadn't expected it then. Still, it had been...nice. Unnerving, but nice. Not a memory I regretted.

I wondered if more of these accidental situations would happen. Not before the end of the weekend, surely, but what about after? Paris was the perfect setting...And Rave didn't seem to mind that much. Of course he was afraid of taking things to far. But he knew I'd stop him if I wasn't ready.

Time passed. Sai spoke occasionally, either to warn me to keep a part of my body still, or, on the contrary, to remind me I was allowed to stretch. Other than that he left me to my thoughts, which kept me entertained the entire time. So that I barely sighed when he put his pencil down.

"You were hard," he complained as we both stretched. "I had trouble with your face; the expression you had was subtle, and I had to be careful. And the shading was long, too. Sorry I made you wait. Are you hungry?"

As though answering him, my stomach let out a loud growl, and he grinned.

"We're lucky the restaurant's open all night," he remarked, taking the drawing. "Here you go."

I turned away quickly. "I don't want to see it," I said, shutting my eyes.

His voice was puzzled as he answered. "Why not?"

My cheeks slowly darkened as I answered. "I won't let him see it if I do."

"It's not that bad," Sai protested. "To tell you the truth it's one of my best-"

"I'm still not looking at it before the teme." My voice was firm.

He sighed, and went back to his desk. Still refusing to look, I heard shuffling, and Sai spoke. "I'm putting a plastic sheet over the paper to protect it," he warned. "It'll still look good, don't worry."

"You're the expert," I mumbled.

"You're the owner," he replied, shoving a solid object into my hands. Opening my eyes, I realized it was a rectangular box. "The drawing's scrolled up inside. Try not to leave it in there too long."

* * *

Night had fallen a while ago, and I found out that the empty version of the restaurant wasn't too bad. Now that he wasn't drawing anymore, Sai had resumed the abandoned conversation, adding a multitude of new questions I supposed he'd been asking himself while he worked. The main one being: "Admit it, you've spent the entire time thinking about the sweet Uchiha, haven't you?"

And the rest ensued, as I fought heart and soul to defend myself. I questioned him about his brother, once he assured me the subject didn't bother him, and neither of us noticed the hours slip by, until the conversation switched back to the teme.

"He's every girl's dream," Sai was saying. "Or at least a typical figure. Good-looking, mysterious and cold. For some reason, they love that."

"You're telling me," I grumbled. "It's impossible to flirt with any of them when he's in the vicinity. And even when he isn't it's hard, since I'm a friend of his."

Sai nodded. "And you can tell his dark side isn't a play. I wonder what could have happened during his childhood-"

"His parents died." I said curtly. There was no need to explain how, but I felt Sai deserved this much.

He winced. "Both?"

"Yeah. His brother takes care of him, now. They have enough money, so..." I trailed off, and a sudden thought reached my mind. "Sai, what time is it?"

He looked at his watch. "Late," he answered, eyes widening slightly. "Nearly two."

I swore, and sprang out of my chair. Under the handful of surprised looks, I darted out of the restaurant, followed by the confused artist. I raced back to my rooms, stopping only to make sure the teme's door wasn't open.

Sai caught up to mind me fumbling with my card key. "Hold this," I ordered, handing him my painting before he could open his mouth.

"Naruto, what-" My door jerked open, and I rushed inside, hurried over to the connecting door, guiltily noting it was wide open, and stormed to the other side, fearing the worst.

The toilet was flushing, and I could hear the sink's water run. Sasuke's bed was a mess. The sheets showed obvious signs of thrashing; some of them were on the floor, telling me how he had woken up. Hating myself, I went to the bathroom door, nearly colliding with Sasuke as he opened it.

He was livid. Not his usual paleness, no. His skin was pearl-white, almost matching the bed sheets, frighteningly so. His entire body shook, and I could tell he had trouble standing from the way he clutched the doorknob.

"Sasuke..." I reached out for him, but he shoved my hand away.

"Don't touch me." More than his glare, it was his voice that hit me like a hammer. Hate. Hate was clear in each of his words, even clearer as he pushed me back, brutally. "Get out," he spat. "Now."

I backed away, feeling something was crushing my heart into pieces. And it wasn't just guilt.

Sasuke slammed the connecting door back into my face, locking his side before I thought of stopping him. As soon as I heard the lock click, however, I returned to my senses, and let my entire body collide with the wood.

"Sasuke, let me in, you idiot! You can't lock yourself up after this! Open!" I shouted, not caring if I woke up the entire hotel. "Let me in, teme, you're going to throw your stomach up!" He didn't answer, and I kept slamming my fists against the door. "Open!" I roared. "Open, dammit!"

He didn't answer. He never answered. I didn't see Sai leave, and don't know how long I stood there, banging on the door, hoping it would eventually collapse. Only when I sunk to my knees, swearing and wiping tears off my face did I realize I was alone. Truly, completely alone.

And so was Sasuke.

I'm evil. Worse, I'm purposedly evil. Originally the chapter was longer, but I decided to cut the end off and put it in the next chapter to leave you all in agony. *Insane crackling* So endure, my fellow readers.

WHY YOU ALL SHOULD REVIEW: Simple. If you don't I'm stopping this fic right here and leave you with this wonderful cliffhanger. I've got three oneshots I either want or have to work on, so I'm telling myself this one can wait. Oneshots get more reviews, so....

I understand some of you wait until it's over to give your overall opinion. But I'm begging here. Please? Review?