A/N: Set around 1700's in Germany.

Herbst (Fall)

A wadded up piece of parchment soared across the room and landed almost gracefully under the window, from which warm, autumn sunshine was pouring into the small, cramped room. Ideas for new compositions were certainly running short. No, inspiration was running short in the rich, aristocratic town, where art and music were falsely appreciated by the money-ridden men and snooty women.

The town's greatest composer, Uchiha Sasuke, rubbed his temples in frustration and sighed deeply. "Good god, since when did I start writing such tripe?"

He picked up his quill once again and stared down at a fresh piece of parchment, half-hoping that great music would suddenly start writing itself from nowhere. One of the toughest jobs had to be that of a composer: you were expected to always and forever write masterpieces that moved the world, carving your name into history and being remembered till the end of time.

Sasuke started to idly doodle on the corner of the parchment. Not only was writing music that was actually acceptable difficult, but so was getting people to listen to his work. He had to jump through many loops to get bureaucrats and governors to support him and help pay for his tools and instruments. And well…it didn't hurt that he had managed to sleep with some of the richest women in town, who would lavish him with praises and promise to provide him with plenty of money so he could continue with his work. Hey, a composer's gotta do what a composer's gotta do.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair and sucked on the tip of the feather quill, losing all hope of getting off of square one for a new song that day. So what if he was getting paid to do this and that all his supporters were expecting something great? If you had no inspiration, you had no song.

He groaned and held his aching head as three loud knocks on the door echoed throughout the dusty room.

"God, what?" He snapped irritably.

The door creaked open and his assistant, Naruto, bowed his way into the room. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, sir," he said with relish.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and set his chair on its' four legs. "What, Naruto? I'm busy."

Naruto snickered. "Doing what? Thinking of the next whore you're going to bring back tonight?"

Sasuke smirked. "Don't be jealous now, my dear assistant. When you're a great composer like me, the women will be crawling at your feet like the mongrels they are." He rested his hands behind his head. "So, what is your reason for your intrusion?"

Naruto dug into his pocket and produced a small, square piece of yellow parchment. "Miss Haruno invites you to come to the performance of another person she's supporting."

Sasuke laced his fingers together. "Okay…"

Naruto glanced down at the paper. "It's an opera show featuring a young woman named Hyuuga Hinata."

Sasuke raised his brow in interest. "Is she decent-looking?"

His assistant shrugged. "Don't ask me. I hadn't even heard of her before Miss Haruno gave me the invitation."

Sasuke sighed, got off his chair, and looked out the small window. The red and brown leaves shook as a light wind whispered through the trees, and the golden sun was making it's descent below the horizon. Ah, autumn was a beautiful time of the year: the time for change, shedding off the old and getting ready for the new.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to go," Sasuke mumbled, still turned away from the other man.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and smiled his signature fox-like grin. "You'd get to see Miss Haruno."

Sasuke scoffed. "What do I care?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? She's the most beautiful woman in the whole town and you've even managed to get her in your bedroom!"

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "The only thing she is to me is my money provider, no matter how good-looking she is on the outside. Besides…" He faced his assistant. "She's a downright snoot who thinks that everyone must do her bidding at any time of the day or night."

Naruto let his shoulders drop. "Hey, if I were in your position, I'd be the goddamn happiest man ever!"

Sasuke shook his head. "Trust me, being a composer is one of the worst professions ever."

"So why are you-"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Sasuke swapped the parchment out of his hand and stared down at it.

"So it's at eight o' clock tonight at the opera house, huh?" He frowned and crinkled his nose when he saw a small hand-drawn heart next to Haruno Sakura's signature. "Jesus, this woman is impossible."

Naruto smiled, looking relieved. "So you're going?"

His teacher slapped the parchment back into his hands. "Sure, maybe I can get some inspiration from this Hyuuga woman."

"Or from Miss Haruno, or possibly Miss Yamanaka."

Sasuke shuddered. "Ugh, don't even mention those two women in the same sentence."

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "I don't get it. You should be the happiest man in the entire town."

Sasuke gave him a small wink. "Composers are infamous for being insane."

Later that night, the two men made their way into the middle of the town under the corn-yellow moon and deep, midnight blue sky, dressed in their best vests and waist coats. Naruto was about ten feet in front of Sasuke, walking very quickly and seeming very anxious to get to the opera house.

"What's the hurry?" Sasuke said lazily to Naruto's back. "We have time."

"But," Naruto panted, quickening his pace even more, "I want to see Miss Haruno before the show starts." He sighed wistfully. "Ah, she's an angel."

Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah, with an attitude comparable to the devil's."

He laughed to himself as he imagined the look on the other man's face at that moment: scowling and angry, like when a child didn't get any sweets after their dinner. Ah, his assistant was almost cute.

"You shouldn't be talking, sir," Naruto grumbled.

"Come now, Naruto," Sasuke replied cheerfully. "Let's not be in such a sour mood when we should be enjoying ourselves tonight!"

"Fine."

"That's a good boy."

They walked the rest of the way to the opera house in silence, their shoes scraping loudly against the newly paved road. When they turned the corner to the street the opera house was on, they were both slightly surprised at the large, elegantly dressed crowd moving their way through the double glass doors.

"Wow, should be a good show," Naruto said breathlessly.

"Let's hope so," Sasuke muttered. "I don't want to waste a whole evening and gain no inspiration."

They looked at one another and nodded before pushing and shoving their way through the huge crowd, women screaming at them for indecency and men clicking their tongues loudly and commenting on the lack of manners people had these days. After a few moments, Sasuke and Naruto managed to squeeze their way through the double doors and into the brightly lit main hall, where exquisite paintings and gold statutes stared down at them from almost every corner.

Naruto looked around in awe. "It's so…fancy."

Sasuke sighed. "Eh, it's nothing new." He grimaced as he looked past the heads of the entering crowd. "Oh great, here she comes-"

A woman with pink hair in an elegant bun, a stunning gold and white dress that puffed out on either side, and some of the most expensive jewelry in the entire town pushed her way through a mass of people and ran up to Sasuke and Naruto, slightly out of breath.

"Such a pleasure to have you here," the woman said sweetly.

Sasuke plastered on his fake yet charming smile and bent down on one knee. "Good evening, my dear Miss Haruno." He grabbed her hand and gently pressed his lips against her fair skin, causing her to giggle loudly, and stood up.

"Ah, Mr. Uchiha," Sakura said, batting her eyelids. "I'm hoping that you didn't only come to see the show." She winked.

"I-I came to see you," Naruto whimpered, his face reddening.

Sakura frowned and turned to Naruto with a look of disgust on her face. "And why are you here?" She snapped, her politeness suddenly disappearing. "I remember only inviting Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who looked like a puppy who had just been told off for misbehaving. "Naruto was the one who suggested I come. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here at the moment."

Sakura sniffed and crinkled her nose. "Hmph. I suppose I will allow it for tonight." She looked back at Sasuke, her face glowing once again. "I hope you enjoy the show. Miss Hyuuga and the others are very talented singers." She gestured to a flight of marble stairs in the corner of the hall. "Won't you join me in my private balcony?" She glared at Naruto. "Alone, if you would."

Sasuke waved his hand. "No thanks, Miss Haruno. I think I'll sit with the commoners." He nodded at Naruto and they made their way to the doors that led to the audience area.

"Isn't she fantastic?" Naruto said, sighing and holding his hand over his heart. "She just makes me go insane."

Sasuke sat down in a sit near the back and crossed his right leg over the left. "She's an egotistic, pompous priss. I still don't get what you see in her."

Naruto slumped down on a seat to Sasuke's right. "Hark the one who spent the night with her."

Sasuke had no response to that and was very happy when the lights finally dimmed and the curtain rose. "The show's about to start. Keep quiet now."

"Always changing the subject," Naruto whispered.

The orchestra started playing as a young woman walked gracefully onto the stage, her dark hair falling to her bare shoulders and the dim light just barely making her white dress shine. The audience hushed as the woman opened her milky white eyes and began singing in Latin.

"Ave Maria
Gratia plena…"

Sasuke laced his fingers together and stared intently at the girl. Her voice hit the high and low pitches perfectly. Her hand flowed over her heart when she raised her voice, adding to the emotion. Her snow-white eyes shimmered throughout the entire song, and sometimes a small grin was visible on her face.

"I think that's Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto said in a hushed voice.

Sasuke ignored him and continued to stare at the girl, entranced. Such talent, such beauty…a woman like that was hard to find. He listened without really listening, mesmerized by the girls' hand motions and white eyes. She finished with such gusto, her hands reached out towards the audience and her eyes closed tightly. All too soon, it was over.

Sasuke came out of his trance when the girl walked off the stage to loud applause and tears of joy. "Hey, that's it?"

"I think there will be other singers, too," Naruto said loudly over the clapping. "Might as well watch them all."

Sasuke uncrossed his legs and folded his hands neatly in his lap as another young woman walked onto the stage. He watched her sing for only a few minutes before he started to get antsy. This girl did not give him the same feeling as the Hinata woman did. She just seemed so emotionless and, not to mention, was pretty plain when it came to outer beauty. How was he supposed to get inspiration from a lifeless singer? He need to see Hinata. Now.

Sasuke stood up and tripped over Naruto as he tried to get past him. Naruto raised his brow and grabbed his arm.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Sasuke shook off his grip and tip-toed into the aisle. "I'm going to see her."

He quickly and quietly walked to the wooden doors and slowly creaked them open. He slipped through, the bright lights of the hall nearly blinding him. He blinked a few times and was relieved to see that the hall was empty. He walked, more relaxed, through the hall and soon found his way down a smaller hallway.

'This seems to be the right way.'

Sasuke slowed down his pace as he walked down the hallway, staring at the doors and the name plates on them. The lighting in the hallway was about as dim as the performance area, but he managed to find his way around, bumping and knocking over only one priceless vase. A smiled tugged at his cheeks as he came to the last door in the hallway: Prima Donna, Hyuuga Hinata. Sasuke licked the tips of his fingers and ran his hand through his hair before clearing his throat and slowly and quietly turning the doorknob.

As the door swung open, Sasuke got a nice view of the back of the woman, her dark, silky hair being brushed gently by her pale hands and her face remaining calm in the mirror in front of her. He felt himself blush; she was only wearing a thin, pink under dress.

"May I ask why you've entered my dressing room without knocking?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, slightly taken aback by her relaxed voice and demeanor. "Uh-"

The woman turned around, a small yet reproachful smile on her face. "Have you just come for no reason, just to see me?"

Sasuke bowed slightly. "Not at all, Miss Hyuuga."

Hinata giggled. "Then if you didn't come just to gape at me, you should've warned me before entering." She faced the mirror. "So tell me, who are you and why are you here?"

Sasuke stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "I'm a local composer supported by Miss Haruno, Uchiha Sasuke."

Hinata turned her head slightly and rubbed her cheek. "Oh yes, I've heard of you. Rumor is that you are quite…shall I say, frisky with women?"

Sasuke smirked and leaned against the white wall from which a picture featuring Sakura herself was hanging. "I do what I need to do."

He could see Hinata raise her brow in the mirror. "Sleep around the town?"

Sasuke looked down at his hand and picked at his fingernail. "It's to get money for my supplies and such."

"So you're a male whore?"

Sasuke shrugged, liking this woman more and more with every passing second. "You could say that."

"Right…" Hinata tugged at a strand of her hair. "You didn't answer my other question: why are you here?"

"To be completely honest…" Sasuke slid over to Hinata and rested his hands on her naked shoulders, causing her body to tense up. "I need you for inspiration."

Hinata relaxed slightly. "Inspiration, huh? Was my singing really all that moving?"

Sasuke gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Of course it was! You had such emotion and you hit all the right notes and, not to mention, you are a nice-looking woman, better than all plain little girls in this opera house."

Hinata's pale face turned pink. "Th-thank you very much for saying so. But-" She touched the man's hand lightly. "-how am I supposed to inspire you further?"

Sasuke leaned closer. "How about you just come by my small studio tomorrow evening?"

Both of Hinata's brows shot up. "So soon, and yet we only just met each other. You really are a tad crazy, Mr.Uchiha."

Sasuke winked at her in the mirror. "Like I told my assistant, us composers are infamous for being messed up in the brain."

Hinata sighed and leaned forward. "I suppose I can manage to sneak out for an hour or two. My father is extremely protective and he tries his best to keep me away from men."

Sasuke took his hands away from Hinata and stuck them in his pocket. "Well, he doesn't have to know about this, does he?"

"So a secret rendezvous, huh?" Hinata said quietly. "How romantic."

"I sure hope it will be," Sasuke mumbled under his breath.

Hinata turned to him, frowning. "Excuse me?"

Sasuke waved his hand. "Nothing, my dear, nothing at all. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my assistant before he dies from boredom."

He gave her another small bow before quickly exiting the room and making his way back to the audience area stealthily, leaving an almost dumbstruck Hinata in his wake.

Sasuke tapped his fingers on the table and stared outside the window at the beautiful autumn scene: the red and yellow leaves flying to the ground, the clouds blowing by peacefully in the sunset, and the shouts of laughter and joy erupting from the young children playing on the street below. He moaned, his sixth sense of being able to detect Naruto from ten feet behind him starting to go off.

"Yes, Naruto?"

Sure enough, Naruto was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed tightly and a scowl on his face. "So where did you go last night during the performance?"

"None of your concern," Sasuke said lightly, still staring out the window.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, did you get any inspiration at least?"

Sasuke smiled. "In fact, I did."

Naruto's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yes…" Sasuke stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "My next piece will be called… 'Herbst'."

Naruto chuckled. "'Herbst'? As in, 'Fall'? That's the most unoriginal name I've ever heard for a song."

"Quiet you, it's the best I got."

A/N: Oh wow, this was a new style of writing for me. I hoped it worked out okay…I've never written a story where the "Naruto" characters are in a totally different time period and not to mention totally different country (which, by the way, is supposed to be Germany).

And yes, I do know the original "Four Seasons" were written by Antonio Vivaldi (thanks, Pump it Up!), but…well…just tryin' to get creative here. I do give Mr. Vivaldi total credit though for his amazing compositions and to clear up the fact that Uchiha Sasuke DID NOT compose "The Four Seasons". May Vivaldi's work live forever.

Herbst: "Autumn" or "Fall" in German.