Confidiant.

Dissociative Personality

"..masks don't heal wounds, they only hide them."

______________________________

Everyone in the school stared at him, it was impossible to miss the big bruise on his eye and his broken but bandaged hand. Even when he entered class, everyone eyed him. Not only him, but Sasuke as well.

He sighed and sat in his assigned seat next to him, he didn't dare give a small glance at him. Sasuke didn't look at him either, but it was obvious he felt the presence of the other boy.

But Sasuke also just pretended he didn't care, he always did. Always acted like nothing could hurt him. He puts up this big wall of toughness and pretends everything is fine.

He acted like he didn't need somebody's genuine "affection" but in reality, he was just too scared. Scared of not being good enough, scared of letting someone in. Afraid of the possibility of being loved by someone in fear that they will eventually let him down after getting attached. Afraid he would give his all to someone who promised they wouldn't hurt him.

Afraid that his heart will break into a million pieces again after getting attached to someone who might just leave him in the end just like his family did.

"Asshole," muttered a voice sitting beside him.
The Uzumaki's skin crawled at the low, breathy voice that spoke to me.

"Fuck off," the blond grumbled, scooting to the farthest edge of his desk to distance himself from the other boy.

"I'd love to give you a matching black eye," he smirked, whispering. "I suggest you change seats if that's what you want."

"Look around, dipshit, there's no where else for me to sit." He pointed out with annoyance.

With wonderful timing, the class turned there heads to the door after hearing it being opened and thats when the class had started.

**

"..Sasuke." Kakashi called out.

The Uchiha broke out of his day dream to look up at him. "Yes?"

"In your opinion, what do you think the meaning behind this poem is?"

'Damn you, Kakashi. You know exactly what's going through my mind, and yet you're expecting me to pull some brilliant analysis out of my ass here...'

"Well, uh," Sasuke started, trying to skim the poem as he developed his thesis on the fly. "I'd say Dickinson is comparing hope to a bird, because it's a sign of life. Birds sing in the spring, when everything is coming back to life, and it sings without words because its song is universal. Hope affects everyone equally."

"Interesting, interesting," the silver-haired teacher mumbled, nodding his head sagely.

"And later on, when Dickinson describes the bird in the storm, it demonstrates how hope is most powerful during difficult times. When things go wrong, hope is always there to help you back on your feet. It takes something severe to "abash," the bird, because hope is strongest in those hard times."

Kakashi then asked the class. "What do you think that sore storm is, then? That can abash hope?"

Sasuke froze as the mysterious teacher began to circle the room with his stack of graded essays. Regardless of what Kakashi said, that message had been solely for the Uchiha. There was definitely something Kakashi saw in this poem that was so meaningful for Sasuke.