Yes! The 8th chapter is finally done! I'm so happy, you have no idea! I'm sorry for the too long delay (it seems like this is my opening sentence) and I hope you haven't given up on me and my fic! Please read and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 7-Photographs

.o.O.O.o.

Sasuke felt somewhat odd. There was this strange feeling inside of him which made him feel uneasy. What was it that made him feel like this? He couldn't find the answer, no matter how much he tried.

It was Tuesday. Naruto left Leaf Academy. And Neji was pissed off.

Sasuke had an idea why, though. It was because of Naruto's departure, or rather, what happened because of Naruto's departure. Sabaku Gaara would have followed Naruto to hell if he could. When Naruto transferred to a different school, so did Gaara. And it pissed Neji off because, apparently, he was in love with the grumpy moody red-head.

Sasuke found it hard to grasp. How could you possibly feel such strong feelings for someone to begin with? To him it seemed like a mere burden which he didn't want to be bothered with. But Neji-Neji!-he claimed to be in love with Sabaku Gaara.

Sasuke let out a small sigh and seated himself on the bench beside Neji. It was a cloudy day and the weather just started turning even chillier than usual. Sasuke loved it. Winter was his season.

"Did you speak to that Sabaku?" he asked, not knowing what made him do so. He wasn't really interested in Neji's love life, but something about his friend's expression-Sasuke couldn't figure out exactly what- made him spill the words before he could stop himself.

"As if you care Uchiha," came the bitter reply and Sasuke had to smirk.

"I don't, really," he said to his sulking friend, "just asking because you look like shit."

"Why, thanks for informing me," Neji said. "I do appreciate your concern."

It was always like this between the two of them. It was as if they communicated solely through sarcasm.

Neji pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and fished one out. Putting it in his mouth, he lit it up and inhaled deeply. Immediately he seemed more relaxed.

"I pity you Uchiha," he finally said after a moment of silence. Sasuke said nothing. A smoking Neji was like a hungry Chouji- annoying and obnoxious. So he preferred to let the storm pass without making a fuss over it. "You're like a shadow," Neji went on. "I can touch you but not really feel you, now can I? I think, someone stole your actual body and left only your shadow."

"Very poetic, Hyuuga."

"Thank you Uchiha. But there's more!" Neji smirked at Sasuke who scowled unhappily. Neji inhaled his cigarette again. "You're kind of pathetic. You keep distancing yourself from people, scowling at them every time someone tries to talk to you and when people try to make friends with you, I mean become real friends with you, you run away as if a hundred demons are chasing you. I bet you're also lonely but just too damn proud to admit it!" Neji finished his cigarette and let out a chuckle. And suddenly, Sasuke knew what it was all about.

"You've fallen hard for the Sabaku," was all he said and Neji shut up. Now it was Sasuke's turn to laugh. "And you call me pathetic…"

"You are." Neji insisted. "You like Naruto, maybe even have a crush on him, but like I said," he pinned Sasuke with a glare, "You're just too damn proud to admit it."

"Fuck off Hyuuga." And Sasuke stood up and left. Neji stood there for a few more minutes, staring into the cloudy sky, before the bell rang and he too went inside the building. Uchiha Sasuke was so stubborn sometimes.

~o~o~o~o~

There were other things on Sasuke's mind. He wondered, for example, what Naruto really was, and who was Kyuubi? The name rang some bells but Sasuke just couldn't remember where he heard it before. Lady Tsunade said something about a demon in Naruto. Did she mean it literally? Or was there a real demon inside Naruto? Was it even possible? Do demons really exist? It was all too crazy and for a while Sasuke felt like he was inside a dream, where anything is possible and nothing is too odd. While he was recovering from his injuries, Sasuke wanted nothing to do with Naruto. But now, now he was intrigued. How could any human being posses such speed and strength like Naruto had demonstrated? So he decided to do a little research and find some answers.

He didn't find much, though. He searched Kyuubi and Shukaku but what he found wasn't much.

Kyuubi: the nine-tailed fox demon, the strongest and most powerful of all nine demons.

Shukaku: the one-tailed raccoon demon, the first and weakest of all nine demons.

According to legends there are nine demons who roam our world. They are ranked from one to nine by their number of tails which indicates their power. One tail (Shukaku) is the weakest and nine tails (Kyuubi) is the strongest. But even the one-tailed Shukaku is more powerful than one can imagine.

It wasn't helpful at all. All it told him was that Kyuubi and Shukaku were demons, real ones.

Sasuke sighed in exhaustion. He closed his eyes and fell backwards, landing softly on his bed. Outside the sun was already setting, painting the sky crimson red and gold. He was so tired ever since yesterday and the thing was he didn't do anything out of the ordinary to exhaust himself like this. Maybe he was just thinking too much.

There were knocks on his bedroom door and it opened. Itachi stood there.

"Come Sasuke, Deidara's here." Sasuke mentally groaned. God, he hated that guy, he couldn't tell exactly why, but he disliked him so much!After the ROCK N' ROLL day (which he missed of course, not that it was a bad thing but he wanted to see Sasori sama in action!) Deidara and the others stayed for a couple of days and then left. Itachi stayed with Sasuke, who was healing from his injuries, so Deidara would come to visit sometimes and stay no longer than two days each visit.

"I'm coming," he said and got up. He put on a "Sasori is the BEST" tee, just to piss Deidara off, and followed his brother downstairs. Deidara was there, in the kitchen-the kitchen!- making something suspicious for dinner. His long blond hair was tied up in a high pony-tail and he was wearing rather nice jeans and a simple white tee that fit him very nicely. Itachi came up behind him and gave him a light peck on the cheek which Deidara returned with a full kiss on the mouth.

"Geez, find a room, will you?" Sasuke grumbled and made them both chuckle.

"Aww! Don't be like that Sasuke-kun!" Deidara turned to him, holding a half sliced onion. "One day you too will find the one for you, don't worry!" Itachi laughed and went to set the table.

"So Sasuke-kun, how's school?" Deidara asked while cutting the onion. Sasuke guessed that he was trying to be nice, start a conversation, but Sasuke didn't want him to be. He didn't want to have a conversation with him. 'Just leave me alone,' he thought but instead said: "It's fine. It's school. How could it ever be?" Maybe his voice was too sarcastic or too monotonous because Itachi shot him a glare. Sasuke ignored him.

"Oh, I don't know," Deidara said, completely oblivious, "School was pretty fun in my days."

"I guess your days are over," Sasuke replied coolly. This time Itachi's glare was harder and Sasuke had the brains to look away.

"Yes, I guess they are," Deidara said, not minding Sasuke's tone at all.

Dinner was finally ready and the three of them sat down around the table to eat. Sasuke had to admit (begrudgingly) that Deidara was a marvelous cook. The food was better than any home-made food he'd ever tasted and maybe even better than the food in some of the fancier restaurants. Sasuke hated it. He hated that Deidara was here, he hated that he was dating Itachi. He hated that Deidara was so talented and seemingly perfect! He was handsome, his voice was amazing and he could cook! What's more, it seemed like he was a good-hearted man too because he didn't mind Sasuke's jibes and sarcasm. Sasuke couldn't stand it.

"Is something wrong with the food Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked up in surprise. "No," he answered. He didn't know he was being so obvious. He needed to be more careful, because it seemed like his mask was falling off. "Oh, I thought maybe you didn't like it because you made a face a moment ago."

"No, it's great," he said truthfully. Deidara smiled and went back to his conversation with Itachi, but Sasuke didn't miss the look Itachi gave him. 'Great, now he's suspicious.' The meal went on peacefully and after they finished they moved to the living room, where they watched a movie that Deidara brought. Coincidentally it was called "The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox". Deidara and Itachi didn't miss his sudden interest in the movie.

"Do you like this kind of stuff Sasuke-kun?" Deidara asked, smiling softly.

"Not really," Sasuke answered. "A friend of mine is a huge fan of legends and things that have a connection to demons," he lied, "Especially the Kyuubi and Shukaku."

"Really? Then he has some very unusual fascinations." Itachi said, eyeing Sasuke.

"Yes," Sasuke said, "He's a little unusual himself."

"I don't remember you having a friend like that," Itachi continued and Sasuke cursed inwardly. "No, he's that guy, Uzumaki," he said in the end, finding no way out of it without telling the truth. Well half of it, since Naruto wasn't really fascinated by demons. Or if he was, Sasuke didn't know it.

"The one you-"

"-Got into a fight with. Yes, him."

Itachi said nothing. Sasuke had no idea what he was thinking, he could never be sure with Itachi, but for some reason he hoped whatever he was thinking it wasn't too harsh on Naruto. When Itachi was informed of Sasuke's hospitalization, by Lady Tsuande herself, he said nothing and just came to be with his little brother. He didn't ask questions, didn't want to hear the story. Sasuke suspected that Tsunade informed him with the details of what really happened too. He was kind of glad for that, actually. He was afraid of Itachi's reaction. No, to be exact, he was afraid Itachi would become mad at Naruto. And that for itself was odd because Sasuke didn't care about the guy! Moreover, Naruto did hurt him, didn't he? Why should he care if Itachi was mad at Naruto? But he did and it annoyed him because he didn't know why.

"What's his name?" asked Deidara.

"Naruto."

"It's an unusual name indeed."

Sasuke mumbled something but they didn't hear him because the movie had started. It was actually rather nice, he had to admit, and somewhat believable. But he wouldn't admit it because it was a movie Deidara had picked.

"I'm going to my room," he announced when the movie was over and didn't bother to wait for a reply.

His room was his sanctuary. It was filled with things he loved and objects that reminded him of things he loved. Photographs were a major décor; the room was filled with them, all kinds of them, all over the walls. There were photographs from his childhood, photographs of his family and some friends, photographs of places he'd been to and photographs of random people who Sasuke didn't know but found them interesting enough. Photography was a hobby oh his which not many knew about and Sasuke wasn't really a person who would tell everything about himself even to his friends. The only people who knew about his hobby were Itachi, his deceased parents, Sakura and Neji. Not that he minded people knowing, he just didn't think it was relevant for them to know.

As he entered his room and glanced around briefly, Sasuke was suddenly reminded of his first camera. It was given to him by a friend of his father to his tenth birthday. That was how he became infatuated with photography. That person, he remembered, was also a renowned photographer and had taught Sasuke the basics of photography. Since then Sasuke and the camera were inseparable. Wherever he went, Sasuke had made sure to always to his camera with him. And it was a good camera and he taken many pictures with it. Soon after, Sasuke decided that knowing the basics wasn't enough and he began his photography studies. He was a bright student and excelled beyond expectations. Some of his photographs were bought by enthusiastic people who found his works marvelous, and the fact that he was only a child made them feel even more compelled to buy them. It was obvious that he loved what he did.

Sasuke lied on his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling above. It was cream-colored and unlike his bedroom walls it was blank and plain. He preferred it that way, though. He once thought of covering it too with photos but then decided against it. He needed something to be blank and plain and simple. It was just like in life; everything was like a storm of photographs, a puzzle, and sometimes it was too much to bear with. That was when simplicity was his salvation.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes and averted his eyes to the open window. The sky was now dark but there no stars that could be seen because of the clouds. A chilly wind blew in and made him shiver involuntarily. He the got up and went to close the window. The garden below looked rather spooky at this time. Beyond the tall walls that surrounded the house, Sasuke knew, was the city of Konoha, probably wide awake and vigorous as if it was still day. He couldn't see it, but he could hear the voices and noises in the distance; the cars and the train, people shouting and laughing. It was as if he was living in a different dimension where he could hear the other world but not see it, not feel it. Not really.

He went back to his bed and lay there once again, not feeling like doing anything in particular. He checked his watch-it was seven pm- and sighed audibly. He had home-works to do but he didn't want to. Suddenly he felt tired, as if all his built-up fatigue and stress knew that now he could finally rest and get some peace. But before he could go to sleep Sasuke went to brush his teeth and wash his face. He changed to his pajama and slipped under his blankets. Now he felt very calm and tired in a nice way. It was very early to go to sleep but he didn't care at all. He had home-works but he didn't care either. Slowly he drifted into a deep sleep while a storm began to brew outside and the tree-tops shook with fear as the hazardous winds threatened to uproot them mercilessly.

~o~o~o~o~

Sasuke dreams he is soaring in the sky. No, no really soaring because he was thrown into the air by the horrible winds. It is a hurricane now and he can't do anything about it. He flies in a whirlwind, his limbs ache. He wonders when it's going to stop and where he'll land. He hopes it's not too far away from his room, or his bed, because suddenly he notices that the whirlwind is inside his room itself. And then all the photographs are torn away from the walls and Sasuke is surrounded by them, hundreds of photographs whirling around him, colliding with his face and sticking to him everywhere. When he tries to take them off new ones immediately replace them and he sees his past and memories. Here is that old tree where he found a red fox cub, and here is him with his brother at the lake… there is his mother hugging him and smiling, he almost forgot how beautiful she was…! And there is his father, serious and calm but his eyes shine with happiness. There's Sakura and Neji and there's Shikamaru asleep under a tree in the Uchiha gardens, there's him with his family and friends… Sasuke wants it all to stop. He wants to be back in his bed and sleep peacefully, how did the storm enter his room? Why can't he call for help? His voice was gone! Where is Itachi? Does he not hear the noise? But then Sasuke realizes that he can't hear it either, it's a silent storm in which no sound exists, not even his own voice. He tries to get back to his bed. He desperately tries to but the storm is fierce and much stronger than him. He can't. And then… he sees something. He doesn't know what it is but it looks like a golden stripe of some sort. He wants to reach it, he tries to but it disappears as suddenly as it came.

~o~o~o~o~

Sasuke rubbed his eyes for the tenth time at least. God, he was so tired! You would think that after sleeping so many hours he'd be kind of refreshed, but he wasn't. His sleep was plagued by odd dreams about his photographs and storms and golden stripes. He felt like he didn't sleep at all!

"You look horrible," Neji told him later at lunch.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked him worriedly. Sasuke mentally groaned. Now they noticed, damn it all.

"I had stupid dreams," he said begrudgingly, knowing too well she wouldn't stop bothering him until he told her the truth, and lying to her would be futile because Sakura seemed to have the irritating ability to detect lies.

"What about?"

"Stupid stuff. I don't remember." She gave him an apprehensive look but asked nothing more, thankfully. Sasuke knew she didn't let go of the subject, she simply let him be for now, and he tried not to think of when she'd attack again. He needed to find a good way to avoid her. Or prevent her from asking any more questions. He didn't feel like dealing with her at the moment.

"Maybe he's having dreams about someone," Neji suggested with a smirk. Sasuke glared at him coldly. "Dreams he doesn't want to share with us," Neji added.

"Shut your hole Hyuuga," Sasuke snapped at him. Neji just smirked in response and turned to Sakura.

"Have you heard from Uzumaki-kun?" he asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes but Neji ignored him.

"In fact I have," said Sakura brightly, "He goes to Haki Academy now, you know." Neji nodded and Sasuke looked up. "Haki?" he repeated, as if not believing his ears. She nodded. "The ones we beat last year?" Sasuke asked again. "And the year before that and the year before that," Neji confirmed. At that moment he glanced at Sasuke meaningfully and Sasuke returned the same look. Sakura watched the interaction between the two and she didn't like it. Because they seemed like they were wordlessly agreeing on something and whenever Sasuke and Neji happened to agree on something it was never a good thing.

"You better not be thinking of doing something stupid," she warned.

"Stupid? We wouldn't dare to!" Neji promised but his smirk said otherwise.

"We're just going to crush them harder this year," said Sasuke, grinning deviously. Sakura sighed. Boys were so competitive! But why did the both of them want so badly to beat Haki again this year? There was definitely something going on she didn't know about, but what? Was it somehow connected to Naruto-kun?

"Anyway," she said after a while, "Naruto's doing well. He said he joined the art club. Which reminds me," she turned to Sasuke, "Sai said he needs to talk to you." Silence. Everyone waited for Sasuke's reaction. For a long moment he said nothing. Sai wanted to talk to him. About what, he had no idea. But for Sai to have something to tell him… it was kind of absurd. Sai was very distant and aloof, but not in the same way as Sasuke though. Sai never interacted with other people even if necessary. If he did, it was because of some odd reason no one understood or could understand. He was observed in his own strange world and people were a little wary of him because he was so unlike the rest of the world. But they didn't know what Sasuke knew- Sai was autistic. It was worse when he was a child but now it was better, much better.

"Yeah, ok," he said finally. "He'll be in the club room, right? I'll go talk to him." Sakura nodded and returned to her food.

When the bell rang they all put they cleared off their trays and went back to their classes, Sasuke and Neji to Advanced Math and Sakura to Biology.

~o~o~o~o~

Sasuke stood at the door and watched silently. Sai hasn't noticed him yet. He was busy with a large canvas, probably painting something beautiful as usual. Sasuke didn't want to disturb his work. He looked so concentrated yet calm at the same time. His brows were furrowed and his lips a thin line on his pale face. Sasuke didn't want to disturb him but he couldn't stand there the whole day.

"Sai," he called to the boy and stepped inside. Sai looked up, his face expressionless as usual. "Sasuke-kun," he greeted without a smile. Sasuke stepped behind him and examined his work. It was magnificent, but the concept was what caught his attention.

"It's…"

"Uzumaki-kun," Sai completed. Sasuke stared at the painting and couldn't help but admire Sai's skillful hands and observant eyes. Most people thought Sai was stupid or maybe not very smart but the truth was the opposite. Sai had the sharpest eyes he'd ever seen. They could capture every person, object or view exactly as they were, not only on the outside but also on the inside. When he painted a person you could almost see his heart and soul. It was as if he could capture not only your look but your whole being too.

"But why…?" Sasuke wanted to know. Sai put down his pencil and stared at the canvas before him. "It's for you," he said after a long moment of silence, not looking at Sasuke. He never looked at people when he talked to them.

Sasuke blinked in surprise. For him? Did Sai know something? There was no way he did, because… well why not? Naruto used to be in Sai's club, was he not? Maybe Naruto told him something. No, it wasn't possible. Why would Naruto tell something so private to a person he barely knew?

"Umm… but why?" he asked again, utterly confused. Sai's reasons were always a mystery. Sai then looked up and stared Sasuke in the eye. Their black eyes were so much alike yet so different. Sai's eyes were void, almost dead and Sasuke was unable to tear away his gaze. The moment was intense. Then Sai spoke.

"He… smiles and… means it. You are fake. He can teach us how to be real. Make him come back." He struggled for the right words but it was not a request. It was a demand and Sasuke could only stare at him. What did he mean by 'you are fake'?

"I can't make him come back," he finally said, unable to think of anything better to say. Sai glanced at him and lifted one delicate eyebrow. "Yes you can," was all he said before going back to his canvas. Silently he removed the canvas from its stand and carefully folded it. Then he handed it to the surprised Sasuke.

"Oh, the sun is shining…" he said to no one in particular and Sasuke looked out the window. It was true. The sun came out from behind the grey clouds and its golden rays made the world sparkle.

~o~o~o~o~

His old camera lay inside a drawer in his closet. He hadn't used it in a while, maybe in two years, but now he felt like going out and putting that old camera to good use. Sasuke grabbed it gently and dusted it. So many pictures were taken with this camera, so many memories treasured with it. He wore the camera strap around his neck and then put on a jacket. It was almost time for sunset and though the rain stopped and the sun came out it was still cold.

"Where are you going?" Itachi asked. He was in the kitchen, making dinner.

"Outside," Sasuke answered without farther elaboration and left. It was a good thing he added a muffler to his outfit because it was also windy outside. He left the house and wandered along the streets of his neighborhood. It was one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Konoha. Many celebrities lived here but Sasuke didn't really know them. He wasn't interested in celebrities. He liked the place because of its location and the view it provided. From the windows of their second and third floors he could see the valley bellow and the neighboring village. In the distance he could see the mountains behind which the sun set every day. Sasuke walked up the hill and stood there at the top, the valley spread bellow him. The setting sun painted the sky crimson and gold and when he inhaled the cold air he suddenly felt more alive than ever. He took some pictures of the valley and the mountains and the setting sun. When he checked them out there was one he like in particular. It was of the valley but on the left top of the photo there was the sun, peaking between the mountain tops. The light it casted was golden and bright and made the valley almost shine in a divine light. It reminded him of his dream.

When he was done Sasuke went back to his house. Dinner was ready but Sasuke wanted to put his camera back in its place so he went upstairs and put it back in the drawer. He was satisfied and for unknown reasons-happy. He turned around, intending to leave his room, but something on the wall caught his attention. It was unusual for something on his wall to capture his attention because, really, his bedroom walls were all decorated with so many photographs and small items that he didn't pay attention to them anymore. But what he thought he saw at that moment… Sasuke stepped closer. From here it looked like a… golden stain. He stepped even closer so that he was at arm's reach from the wall. Some other photographs covered the gold stain and he carefully removed them, exposing another photograph, an old one. It was of him, about the age of twelve. Yes… it was him in a place he didn't know-he had no idea when it was taken- and on his left stood another boy-Sasuke realized that the golden stain was the boy's hair- with cerulean eyes and the brightest smile he'd ever seen. And as he stared at the photo with eyes wide open Sasuke just knew exactly who that kid was.

.o.O.O.o.

I'm back! Finally! I know it's been a long time since my last update and I'm sorry. So I've finished my year of national service and I'm free! Kind of…am about to start my graphic design course AND my Japanese course. Tough. I hope you liked this chapter (I did :D) anyway, I'd appreciate it if u R\R.

~chu~

hairom