Was he mute? Probably deaf? Or both? He was lying in this bed for five whole days now without even looking at him. The pale boy looked at the raven who did nothing more than staring at the ceiling since he woke up. He remembered the first and only look Sasuke gave him after he opened his eyes in the big and cold hospital room.

There was nothing. A short gleam of hope which directly turned into a sight of hopelessness, loneliness, emptiness. The will to die. Sai didn't know what to do. Somehow he had to make him talk, right? There must have been a chance to lure at least one word out of the Uchiha's mouth. But all of his attempts were worth nothing. He just didn't talk.

Two weeks. Sai's brother came by two days ago and the 16 year old boy still didn't open his mouth. Slowly Sai really started to worry about Sasuke. He got to know his name from one of the nurses and everytime Sai called his name the raven covered his ears, curled up in his blanket and Sai swore that he saw him trembling once. But he had enough of this. He gave up trying. He really thought that there was no use trying anymore because he couldn't break this thick wall of ice.

More weeks passed. Sai sat on his bed and drew. Something he did almost every day. When he felt bad he couldn't draw because then his hands and his whole body would tremble and shake like hell. The raven still didn't open his mouth. It really started to feel as if he was mute. When nurses or doctors talked to him he mostly nodded or shook his head, meaning that only Yes or No questions had been asked and this was annoying Sai to the core. It sounded like those people were talking to themselves if he didn't look at them to see if Sasuke really was lying on his bed to give them an answer.

But something was different today. The doctors just left the room after their medical round and Sasuke sighed. Sai almost startled at this unfamiliar noise the Uchiha made. He looked at Sasuke who was staring at the ceiling again.

"I'm tired." It was just a faint whisper but he talked! He really talked.

"W-... What?" Sai was too baffled, way too surprised to form a complete sentence now. He never heard his voice before. Never saw his lips move. He wasn't mute. He was able to talk and he didn't know why but Sai was glad that he could talk.

"I said I'm tired." The youngest Uchiha looked at Sai. His eyes still empty and the lack of color was almost indescribable.

Sai was shocked. He didn't know that someone could look so sad, lonely and hopeless at the same time. He didn't know what to say. "Well then... you should try to sleep more, I guess?"

A brief smile and he just looked at the ceiling again. "Just try to sleep more. Yeah." He whispered and closed his eyes. "I tried to sleep but they all wouldn't let me. No one let me sleep though I tried to. I wanted to sleep so bad. Why did they... find me?"

The pale, almost white skinned boy stared at him in confusion. He sat up. "Find you? What do you mean?"

Did he really want to hear his answer? He had the feeling that he wouldn't like it. He knew it would shock, at least scare the shit out of him.

Sasuke's eyes were literally locked onto that ceiling but he couldn't help it. Why did he feel like this? Why did this weird guy talk to him and he felt like crying the whole time?

Probably because he was the only one who ever asked him anything at all. Who seriously showed some interest. Big, hot tears started to pour down his ghost-like skin and he didn't dare to look at Sai. He felt like suffocating and as if he wasn't even able to say a single word.

"I'm... I'm a mess. I just wanted to sleep! Those pills helped and..." He couldn't talk. It hurt. His throat, his whole body was aching but it felt so good that someone finally showed some interest. Someone asked him at least something.

Sai swallowed. He looked at him carefully and talked quietly, being afraid that talking too loud could make him mute again.

"You tried to commit suicide." Sasuke just nodded. It was no Yes or No question but a statement he could answer with Yes.

Sai didn't know what drove him to do this but he stood up though he wasn't allowed to. It was hard for him to stand up let alone walk but it was just a small way to Sasuke's bed. He sat down next to him, made him sit up and took him into a gentle and warm embrace.

Sasuke sat there with wide eyes. He didn't know what was going on. No one ever showed as much interest as him in those four years his brother passed away now. No one ever came as close as he did. Why? Why now? Why after his attempt to leave this planet? Sasuke couldn't understand.

But the first time in four years he felt warm and comfortable again. He felt like he came back home and embraced his mother after coming back from school. Several seconds later the room was filled with loud sobs and screams out of desperation.

The raven trusted someone he never met before. Someone he didn't know and someone he probably wouldn't ever meet again if he left the hospital. Why did it feel so right to let it all out in his arms?

Sasuke didn't know anything at this moment but no one even dared to think about the fact that those two would share such a deep and strong bond one day and that this strong bond full of love could be destroyed in such a short time.

They shared everything in those five years. They told everything about each other. Why Sai came into the hospital and what happened before they met. The reason Sasuke did end up in this hospital and how he planned to go on in the future. So many questions had been asked. Most of them were answered and some of them couldn't be answered. But they fell in love with each other. They loved each other unconditionally and those five years passed way too fast. The blink of an eye and Sai was gone.

Several days passed since his 21st birthday. He was sitting in front of the TV watching videos and photos they made on the few days they could spend outside and not in the hospital. So much laughter, so many smiles, the amount of love couldn't be described.

The videos and photos found an end and Sasuke started them all over again. Beginning with his own personal hell.