Drinking. It had never been one of Sasuke's favourite activities. Unfortunately, there were times when he resorted to high consumptions of alcohol and tonight seemed like such an occasion.

The red liquid kept swirling and swirling as Sasuke gently rocked the crystal clear glass with his uninjured hand. The other was too busy hanging loosely in the air. Obsidian orbs watched the liquid as it bled from brighter red to darker shades. Those depths watched with fascination when the colour resembled that of human blood.

"Damn it!" Someone shouted.

"There are too many burning parts. We can't get them all out in time!" Another screamed.

"Help me!" A third party came into the scene.

"Sasuke… Do not cry. It will be all over soon. Just hang in there, okay? Just… hang… in there…" Someone else said.

"Nii-san…" Sasuke whispered before the whole world disappeared before his eyes.

Several shouts were heard when glass shards started raining. They collided with the cold tiles of the dirty floor along with a few drops of blood. Sasuke's eyes widened only a small fraction, but their dark colour never changed. It remained as dull and lifeless as ever even when the Uchiha used his eyes to examine the damage. He was too busy looking at his hand to notice the several people that had gathered around him. Sasuke felt a hand being put on his shoulder. The man stopped his actions immediately. He inhaled slowly before tilting his head to the side slightly. He then carefully looked up and murmured:

"Nii-san…"

His eyes then drooped and he fell to the ground, undoubtedly hitting his head on some of the sharp shards that were under him, waiting to devour any patch of vulnerability they could sink their teeth into.

The beeping of a machine and the blinding brightness of a light woke Sasuke up. Pale eyelids fluttered open only to be sealed again as their owner cringed from the glowing light. He used one of his hands to cover his eyes only to feel something coming along with it. He carefully opened one eye and looked at his palm. Soon his other eye was opened as well. Their form multiplied as time passed and Sasuke observed everything in the room.

Aside from all the wires he had attached to his body and the various beeping machines, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. Oh, did he mention that he was in a hospital room? Wait, a hospital?!

"How the hell did I end up here?" Sasuke whispered as he ran a hand through his hair. He then lay the hand back down only to bring it back up again and examine the bandages his wrist and palm were wrapped in. He then brought his other hand up and his eyes widened when he realised that he had injured both of his hands.

"Great! Now that blond kid will pester me even more." Sasuke grumbled as he rubbes his eyes furiously.

"You know, talking to yourself is said to be one of the first steps to loony town." Someone said.

Sasuke's eyes were immediately freed. Those black depths looked at the person who had just spoken. Sasuke blinked a couple of times to make sure that he was not hallucinating again. Thankfully after a good five minutes of rubbing, blinking, rubbing and blinking again, he was certain that the person standing a few feet away from his bed was the real deal.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, but cringed when he heard how raspy his voice sounded.

Kakashi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He then began walking towards Sasuke's bed with both hands in his pockets. Once the man was right in front of the bed he smiled sadly at his former patient and said:

"The question should be – what are you doing here, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha groaned as he lied back down on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands, as though this way he would be able to hide from whoever wanted to harm him. He then sighed and questioned:

"They aren't here, are they?"

"If by them, you mean your parents…" Kakashi began, but stopped when Sasuke's hands freed his eyes. Anxious black depths looked into worn grey ones before Hatake sighed and looked away. Kakashi's eyes watched the darkness of the night sky and noted the lack of bright stars. It seemed that no matter how much he had wished before, he still was not able to avoid this.

"Then no," Kakashi said, still looking through the window, "they aren't here."

A sigh in relief escaped Sasuke's lips. He allowed himself a small smile, which immediately faltered when Kakashi turned to look at him and uttered:

"But I will call them if you allow this to happen again."

Sasuke felt a surge of anger course through his veins at that sentence. His chest tightened when the unfairness of Kakashi's penance resonated through his head. After all, it was not like he could control it. Those images just came back to haunt him every damn year with their pain and unforgiving nature. The venom that had been injected in little Sasuke's veins was still there. It had, after all, managed to poison his heart and as much as Sasuke wished, he could not repair the hole that had formed no matter how much he tried. It was just there. It was there on that faithful day. It was there on his graduation from his high school. It was there when he had broken off his first relationship. It was there when he had lost his first and only love to it. It had always been there and it was here to stay and as much as Sasuke hated to admit it, he was partially attached to it because, unlike everything and everyone else, it had stayed with him. It was the only change that had become a constant thing in his life. It was the only thing that Sasuke knew inside and out. It was the only thing that knew Sasuke inside and out and still, despite all his defects, despite all his bitterness and cynical nature, it had stayed.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said as he waved a hand in front of the boy's face.

The Uchiha's eyes widened slightly. He shook his head in order to rid himself of such pessimistic thoughts before refocusing his attention on Hatake. Kakashi only sighed before he withdrew his hand and repeated what he had said earlier:

"I'm worried for you Sasuke."

"Don't be." The Uchiha cut him off quite rudely as always, but instead of making Kakashi angry, it only elicited a small chuckle from the man. Sasuke smiled slightly as well. Mentally he corrected himself. No, not only the whole had stayed. Kakashi had stayed as well. And even though before Hatake had been his psychologist, after the therapy he and Sasuke had kept in touch and had even become good acquaintances, though Kakashi insisted that they were friends. Ah, friend. It was a word so unfamiliar to Sasuke that he was surprised he even knew the meaning of it. Perhaps he was fooling himself. Perhaps he had had friends at one point, but they had turned out to be not what Sasuke expected and as a result the Uchiha had pushed them away or had ended the relationship without even asking for their feelings or opinions on the matter. Maybe this type of behaviour was inherent in Sasuke's nature and there was no way he could change it or get rid of it. Perhaps it was not even a result of all the pain and anguish he had felt. Maybe it had always been there, but only showed its ugly head after the accident. Whichever was right, one thing was for certain – it was a horrible trait, one Sasuke wished he could get rid of, but at the end of each day he always welcomed it and sometimes even found himself thanking it because, after all, if you let no one in, then no one could hurt you, but yourself, right? Right? At least, that was the delusional thoughts Sasuke was trying to fill his empty heart with.

"I'm serious Sasuke. If you do not take care of yourself, I will be forced to take drastic measures." Kakashi said desperately begging Sasuke to understand and not protest, but, as always, the Uchiha would do the exact opposite of what he had been asked.

"Humor me and describe in detail exactly what you will do to me this time – shock therapy, picture therapy, association therapy, hypnotization, or just having a good, old heart to heart conversation?" Sasuke uttered sarcastically as he smiled sweetly at Kakashi.

When no answer came Sasuke asked:

"Neither? Oh don't tell me you've run out of ideas?"

When Kakashi did not reply again Sasuke's smile turned into a satisfied one as he said:

"Good." His smile then disappeared and his facial expression turned into an aggravated one as he added, "Because last time I checked neither one of them worked."

Kakashi sighed before he questioned:

"Are you done?"

Sasuke chuckled as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

"No, to your misfortune, I am just getting started."

"Don't do this to yourself, Sasuke. Don't try pushing me away again. You know it's not going to work just like it didn't the last hundred times you tried." Kakashi uttered wearily as he rubbed his eyes, ignoring the glare coming from Sasuke.

"Only a hundred? I thought it was at least a thousand. I must be getting rusty." Sasuke muttered.

"Damn it, Sasuke! Why does everything have to be so difficult with you?!" Kakashi screamed as he gazed directly at Sasuke.

For the first time that night Sasuke's gaze was not there to meet Kakashi's. No, there was no glare, no scowl, no frown, and no trace of anger or irritation in those black depths. There was nothing aside from blankness which was perfectly hidden by a curtain of black locks.

"Because that's how it's always been, right? That's what I've always been – difficult." Sasuke uttered lowly before looking up and meeting Kakashi's sorrowful gaze.

"Oh, Sasuke… don't tell me that today's the day." Kakashi said as he looked hopefully at Sasuke, begging the boy to tell him that no, he had not missed the most important day in the Uchiha's life. Normally when said date came, Kakashi would at least call Sasuke, even though the latter often protested and dubbed Hatake's yearly rings a nuisance. Despite the Uchiha's annoyance, Kakashi knew that Sasuke secretly appreciated the attention to some extent.

"It is… was actually." Sasuke said as he looked at the wall clock. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed how late it was. That was the reason why he asked, "Aren't visiting hours supposed to be over?"

Kakashi chuckled before he answered:

"Yes, they are, but I told the nurse that I was uh… a distant family member and she allowed me to stay the night, but I can go, if you want?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at Sasuke, while he waited for the other's answer. As time passed and there was no response, Hatake took it as his cue to leave, but upon walking past the chair that was near Sasuke's bed, the Uchiha uttered:

"You can stay… that is, if you want to."

Kakashi sighed internally in relief, but on the outside only sported a smile before he nodded and said:

"I do, Sasuke. I do want to stay."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Kakashi's rare tendency to be overdramatic at times. He then smiled slightly because he knew that all that melodrama on his friend's part was just a way to hide his concern. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Sasuke could not help but dwell on some of the mishaps during his day. Guilt started crawling back when he remembered how he had treated Naruto. The boy was only trying to help, despite the mess he had made. Plus, Naruto had noticed that something was wrong. He had seen the injury and he had even asked what had happened and what did Sasuke do? He had pushed Naruto's attempts at finding what little information he could about his teacher away. He had pushed the only person who had actually seen something that was true about Sasuke away all because he was afraid. With a bitter smile the Uchiha noted that he had not changed at all during the past five years and despite all the knowledge and experience he had gained, on the inside he was still a scared and lonely little boy that only wished to be noticed, to be accepted, to be seen by someone, anyone.

"You should get to sleep." Kakashi reminded Sasuke once he had positioned himself on the previously empty chair.

Sasuke shook his head to get rid of all those unnecessary thoughts. He tried to forget about Naruto and the pain he had seen course through those radiant blue eyes for a split second when Sasuke had given him the cold shoulder. However, despite all his efforts, the Uchiha simply could not shake off something that was bothering him and seeing as he was not going to fall asleep any time soon and there was a psychologist nearby, Sasuke spoke.

"Kakashi, are you awake?" He asked.

Some time passed before the Uchiha lost his patience and uttered, clearly irritated with his friend's antics:

"I know you're awake."

Incoherent mumbles followed Sasuke's statement, but soon Kakashi gave up on his attempts at evading the Uchiha's searching eyes. With a soft sigh Hatake got up into his usual sitting position and nodded, not bothering to voice his answer, even though it had got quite dark into the room.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, sighed internally and iterated:

"Something's been bothering me."

Kakashi's jaw hit the floor. His eyes bulged out of their sockets when he exclaimed:

"You're actually admitting to needing help without any protest or persuasion?!"

Sasuke cringed at Kakashi's unneeded loudness, but nodded, nonetheless. He then rolled his eyes after some time went by and Kakashi still was not responding. With an exasperated sigh the Uchiha questioned:

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Kakashi shook his head. He soon managed to recollect a small fraction of his rationality and sanity before replying:

"Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I just… I never thought you would openly and willingly seek my help."

"Kakashi, I need to get this over and done with before noon so do you think you would be able to listen or should I find another person to go to?" Sasuke asked.

"You have no one else to go to simply because you trust no one else besides me." Kakashi said as a matter-of-factly, earning himself a glare from Sasuke. Hatake only chuckled at his friend's antics before saying, "Ready when you are."

Sasuke nodded. He inhaled and exhaled before beginning:

"I think someone has caught my attention again."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly before he responded:

"Define what you mean by 'caught your attention'."

"You know damn well what I mean." Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Kakashi shook his head, while chuckling, before he replied, "No, I'm afraid I don't, Sasuke."

The Uchiha merely rolled his eyes and ignored his friend's unusual display if childishness. Sasuke then closed his eyes and sighed. After that he reopened them and explained:

"I think he is special Kakashi. When I'm near him, I feel this force that's pulling me towards him and I just can't ignore it. The worst part is that I might actually end up following it one day."

"I see no problem here." Kakashi said before he relaxed and got himself comfortable on the chair once more.

Sasuke's eyes widened before he exclaimed:

"What do you mean you see no problem here?! Of course, there is a problem here."

Kakashi chuckled before waving his hand up and down, while saying:

"So you're interested in someone. It's no big deal. It's perfectly normal. I would actually start to worry, if no one managed to catch your eye after so long."

Sasuke felt heat traveling to his face at the mention of someone being able to attract his attention in that way. With a slightly lower tone Sasuke said:

"I didn't mean it like that. I simply feel…. pulled towards him. I'm not even sure what my feelings are towards this person let alone if such even existed."

"You would not be talking about him if you weren't in the least bit intrigued by him. I bet you at least care for him in some way." Kakashi explained before yawning.

"There is no way I can care about him. I barely know him." Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke, it is not necessary to know every last detail about a person in order to care about them. I thought that after all those hours spent with me you will have learnt a thing or two about human nature." Kakashi responded.

"I have," Sasuke said before adding through gritted teeth, "a little too much actually."

Kakashi chuckled before he felt the anxiety practically escaping from Sasuke's body and seeping into the air. With a long sigh Hatake rose from his comfortable position, looked directly into Sasuke's eyes and explained:

"Relax, there is nothing to worry about, Sasuke. People experience different things with different people. Whatever emotions you will experience and whatever feelings you will have for this man only time will show. And I suggest you let them in Sasuke, allow him to enter your life and give yourself the chance to explore his. Who knows? This might be the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

Sasuke bit his lip before saying:

"The problem is I'm not talking about a man. I'm talking about a boy. He's one of my students actually."

Kakashi's eyes widened before he shot out of his chair and exclaimed:

"A student?! You're screwing a student?!"

Heat from anger and embarrassment traveled towards Sasuke's face and blessed his pale cheeks with a barely noticeable rosy colour. The Uchiha huffed, rolled his eyes and almost yelled:

"Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?!"

"A lonely and confused one." Kakashi replied.

"What?" Sasuke asked confused, all redness disappearing from his face and opening room for the usual paleness of the white skin.

"Sasuke, don't you understand? You're too vulnerable and broken to even attempt at starting a relationship. Not to mention that your chances of maintaining a stable one are slim to none." Kakashi began and held up his hand in order to prevent Sasuke from interrupting him before going on, "I just don't think that pursuing a relationship that was doomed from the start is something you should indulge yourself in."

Sasuke huffed before saying:

"I know." He then sighed before asking, "But can't I try to at least… be there for him in some way? Can't I help him in a way a teacher can because he is one of those troublesome students and he seems to have taken a liking to me?"

Kakashi smiled sadly at Sasuke, but soon his smile turned into a warm and proud one. He then moved and walked towards Sasuke's bed. He sat on it and did the unthinkable – he dared embrace Sasuke Uchiha. To Kakashi's surprise Sasuke did not push him away, but he did not return the hug either. The Uchiha simply brought his hand up and patted Kakashi's back awkwardly, but Hatake was proud of him, nonetheless, because that small movement meant that Sasuke was making progress. That small welcome was a sure sign that the Uchiha was not an incurable and unchangeable case. He could change. He could progress. He could become a different person. He could restore part of the exuberant, friendly and caring child he had been. Or, at least, that was what Kakashi was hoping for. Hatake soon let go of Sasuke as he said:

"Of course, you can." Kakashi then smiled at Sasuke's small quirk of the lips. Kakashi chuckled slightly and ruffled the Uchiha's locks, despite the boy's protests.

"Hey, you know I'm not a kid anymore, right?" Sasuke asked after a small chuckle when Kakashi was making himself comfortable on the chair.

Hatake chuckled as well before he replied:

"To me you'll always be one Sasuke."

Sasuke grumbled at Kakashi's choice of words. Before mumbles of how unfairly Kakashi treated him and mutters of 'I'm not a kind anymore!' filled the room Hatake said:

"I think it's high time we went to bed, don't you think?"

Sasuke looked at the clock wall and cringed. It was half past two. It seemed that time really did fly fast during some days. With a barely suppressed yawn Sasuke nodded. He then settles himself between the sheets, but before he fell asleep he muttered:

"Good night, Kakashi. Thank you for everything."

Kakashi smiled before whispering:

"Anytime."