I do not own Naruto, blah, blah, etc. etc.
(( fyi lemon will be in later chapters, and I apologize for the somewhat slow beginning. You should keep reading though, because it only gets better ))
…
Like an eerie orchestra playing an ethereal tune, the steady murmur of insects filled the balmy night air. Their otherworldly lullaby was accompanied only by the steady sway of leaves high in the trees, and the arbitrary drop of precipitation from looming storm clouds. Each droplet of water seemed to echo as it hit leaf after leaf, only ceasing when it finally came to rest on the forest floor.
Seemingly conducting all that encompassed that night was a full but softly lit moon. Its glowing form hung far above the ground in a starless sky. And by this almost nonexistent light, a petite figure moved cautiously through the closely nit trees. But for the rhythmical sway of cloth, the form's presence would have been a silent one.
The figure stayed bathed in shadow as it pressed forward towards a small clearing. The cozy patch of land was nestled between a small brook and an enormous rock wall overgrown with vines and weathered by time. A small breeze swept through the tall grass of the clearing, creating the illusion of a tranquil sea. The moonlight danced upon the waves as they swayed softly in the night.
Out from the forest and into the sea emerged the yawning form of a young woman. As she pressed into the waves of grass, she let her fingers run along behind her through the dancing greens. As she walked quietly along, the dim light reflected off her muted blonde locks and pale features, giving her a soft glow. The young woman looked up into the purple sky. The storm clouds had moved far to the south and almost dissipated since she had last checked. It looked as if she wouldn't have to worry about early morning showers.
It was still a few hours till sunrise, but the woman decided that walking till dawn had been a silly idea, and no longer even acknowledged it as one of her own. Especially since she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this tired. What had possessed her to walk for two days without sleep was beyond her brain functions right now. she laughed to herself as she thought of what her friend had said when she left, "Ayame, make sure you get some sleep along the way. Don't push yourself... again, okay?" oh she had pushed herself, and now she was paying for it. She was exhausted, and it was her fault.
She hadn't been to Konoha for quite a few months, but not much had changed thus far. She wondered if maybe the city might be different: maybe they'd opened up a new casino hall that Tsunade was bound to drag her to. She smiled as she thought of her much older friend. Tsunade the Hokage? hmm... they must have been desperate to appoint that drunk. Ayame was glad though; the short tempered woman was doing a good job thus far as the Hokage. The tired travaler thought she'd tell her so; if she remembered...
After about five more feet of walking, she had located what appeared to be the most comfortable patch of greenery. She stretched her arms high into air, and let out a quiet moan as her muscles lengthened. Then she lay carefully back into the grass. Her gray eyes fixed on the moon and her mind was completely, exhaustedly, comfortably numb. She lay there, staring into space, until the soft murmur of the wind lulled her to sleep.
…
"Naruto!" growled a very flustered, very tired, and somewhat harried medic nin. "If I ever catch you doing that again…" her brow furrowed and she cracked her knuckles for emphasis. "It won't be a pleasant experience."
"um, uh, sorry Sakura-chan." he mumbled into his jacket.
"I can't hear you…"
Pop, pop, pop… went Sakura's knuckles again…
Naruto's eyes widened and he put his hands in the air. "n-n-no. No! Really! I'm sorry!" sweat dripped from under his forehead protector. "Believe it!"
Something about those two words just made Sakura snap, and before Naruto could even dodge, he was flying, he was falling, he was whimpering in pain on the ground twenty feet away.
From a short distance away came a low and firm voice. "Are you alright, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto tilted his head bit by bit toward the sound. Walking unhurried in his direction was a rather slim, crimson haired and very, very, blurry sand nin.
"Gaara?!" Naruto said laughingly as he gave the visiting nin a giant, somewhat toothless, smile. "Hey! Why are you in Kono—wait… um, why, ah, are you walking around with, uh, shadow clones?"
"Shadow clones?" Gaara said evenly.
Sakura blinked, and looked quizzically at the battered blond.
"uh, yeah. There's three of you." Naruto chuckled.
"…" Gaara looked at Sakura and then back at Naruto "…really."
The blond giggled and then winced in pain. "uh, yeah" he then looked at Sakura. "HEY! You too?"
"God damn it." Sakura groaned under her breath. "This can't be good."
...
Skikamaru scratched his head idly as he sat in one the numerous hospital waiting rooms. Eyes fixated on the beige walls, mind somewhere far, far away. He had been visiting Choji, who had eaten his way nearly into a coma, when he had heard that Naruto was also a resident at the infirmary. Apparently he had suffered some kind of head trauma within the last hour. Shikamaru just hoped that the nurses would hurry up, so he could say hello, good-bye and leave.
He sighed as he looked out the window with longing. It was such a beautiful day. Bright blue sky, nice fluffy white clouds. God, he wished they'd speed things up. He knew just the spot for some good old fashioned cloud watching. He closed his eyes, and tried to remember everything about that spot. The tranquil sound of water, the tall green grass, and--
"Shikamaru, Naruto can have visitors now."
"hn?" Shikamaru blinked his day dreams away and looked for what had disturbed his pleasant thoughts.
"I said you can go see him now." The pink haired nurse smiled, turned on her heal, and walked hastily down the hall where raised voices were coming from.
Shikamaru sat up slowly, yawned, and proceeded to walk towards the opposite hallway Sakura had dashed down. Though, he sort of wished Naruto was staying in that hallway… Damn it. Why couldn't Naruto have gotten stabbed or something. Then he could see what the hell was going on down there. Troublesome.
...
"Irascible! Irascible! I'll show you irascible!"
"Tsunade-sama you can't hurt the patient!"
"Oh yes I can."
"Hokage-sama please calm dow--"
"Calm down?!" Tsunade grit her teeth and clocked the wall to her right. As the dust cleared, Staring through the newly created opening was a very terrified, very shocked patient sitting in his bed; petrified hospital food in hand.
"Tsunade-sama please settle down before you hurt someone!" said a young nurse pleadingly. The frightened man in the other room nodded his head slowly in agreement.
"That's what I plan to do!"
"But--"
"Shizune! Get out of my way!" growled a very irked Tsunade. Shizune whimpered but stood her ground, clipboard in hand, pig in toe. "I am not saying it again Shizune! Move it!"
The black haired kunoichi cringed, "oh shit."
………………
(( Hello reader, thank you for taking the time to read chp1 of Monday.
I ask that you please review and tell me what you like and don't like so that I can improve the story; either by making grammatical changes or perfecting the execution of the plot. Even if you completely hated Monday, your review is wanted. Constructive or unconstructive criticism never killed anyone…that I know of. Your reviews are appreciated and will help the story along.
If you have any requests pertaining to the story, let me know. Furthermore and most importantly, keep reading: this story is like delicious candy; it gets better with each bite…))