Author's note: I did not create, nor do I own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and various Naruto distributors.
~ Charm ~ - Naruto: SasuNaru Fanfic -
Grumbling under his breath, Naruto trudged through the library. He was not going to allow Sasuke to make a fool of him again. He planned to come up with an unrivalled strategy for their next mission that would outshine Sasuke. However, the issue remained; where was he supposed to look for the books he needed? Naruto knew nothing of the village library; he had rarely been there before. In actual fact, he was banned from using it for a year as a student, after causing a disturbance with his oiroke-no-jutsu 'experiment'. That was his first and last visit before now.
After several long minutes of searching, Naruto finally found the section he was looking for. He looked the bookshelf in front of him up and down. With a long sigh, Naruto evaluated the books while aggressively ruffling the back of his blonde hair.
"Okay!" he said enthusiastically, before lowering his voice, "what exactly am I looking for? Um, 'Battle Formations'? 'Battle Forms and Classifications'? 'Forms and Strategy'? 'Team Formations'? Why are there so many here, damn it!"
With a whine, he took a step back to contemplate the bookcase full of answers to his search. There were just too many for him to read, so he would only be able to choose a few. From those few, he would probably only read one, if only a couple of chapters; so the decision was imperative. As he took another step back, he knocked a book off the shelf behind him, which landed on the floor with a clunk. After frantically looking around with a dubious expression on his face, he picked up the book. It was full of strange patterns with which he was not familiar. It reminded him of seal tags he had previously seen during his training, but these did not resemble any such pattern. Turning to front cover, he looked at the title.
"Rei…-fu?" Naruto questioned aloud, attempting to guess the reading of the word. "What the hell is 'reifu'?! Doesn't that 'rei' that mean 'spirit'?" A shiver ran down his spine and yelped, "'Ghost-token'!"
He dropped the book and looked around with a suspicious expression again. Naruto squinted as he read the description under one of the patterns, careful that it did not bring back a cemetery full of spirits.
"Huh? 'Protection from Misfortune Token?" Naruto picked up the book; "These aren't ghosts. 'Ward against Nightmare Token', 'Wish Token'," he turned the page, "'Kindness Token', 'Ghost Token'."
Naruto gave another yelp as he dropped the book, looked around and then picked it up again. Someone walked past the aisle. Naruto looked over the top of the book with an awkward smile, receiving nothing but a bemused glance. When the man had wandered to another part of the library, Naruto continued reading, laughing sheepishly.
"'Ward against Bad Health Token', 'Victorious Token'."
For a moment, Naruto stopped to imagine what it might be like to use that marking. He could see himself having made Sasuke look like a fool repetitively. He could save him in a mission, beat him on an exam, come up with the better plan, and win all the girls. It was tempting daydream.
He turned the page and continued reading, "'Safe Travel Token', 'Receiving of Love Token'."
He could make Sakura fall in love with him? That was impossible, was it not? However, the mark's title implied that he could. Naruto fidgeted, staring at the book. It was worth a try, and there was no harm if it were ineffective.
Forgetting his mission in the library, Naruto put the book under his arm and registered it before leaving the library. Once he entered his home, he locked the door and closed the curtains before placing the book on the table. He stopped and scratched his head – why was he acting so strange? It was unlikely that anyone would see him anyway. Naruto collected a narrow piece of rectangular paper and opened the book. However, he stopped himself and laughed, closing the book again. Walking into the kitchen, he just shook his head.
"It's not like it'd work, you know!" he snorted, and turned to the cabinet next to the refrigerator, from which he pulled out a bowl of cup-ramen.
Naruto stood there for a moment, holding the bowl. He gradually looked over his shoulder at the book. Shaking his head, he boiled the kettle. There was no possibility of the marking working for him; it was just a superstition, after all. He also had no idea if you were to merely write the design on the paper. What if there was something else he had to do, or if he was supposed to write it on something other than normal paper? Alternatively, what if he was supposed to bless it at the shrine?
"Well, I could always put my chakra into it, I guess," Naruto mumbled as he poured the hot water into his cup and held down the tear-off lid. He slowly looked to his side again, and continued to whisper, "But, what if I'm supposed to give it to her, or something. I can't give her it! She'll figure out what I'm doing!" He paused a moment before adding loudly, "Why am I whispering?"
Naruto sighed, and checked the clock to see if it was three minutes yet. When his ramen was ready, he opened the sauce sachet and added it to the noodles and seasoning. Having mixed it all together, he took the bowl and a pair of chopsticks and sat at the far end of the table, across from the book. As he slurped his noodles, he glared at the book, determining whether he should merely try writing the symbol down. With a final slurp, he stood up and wandered to the book.
"Oh, whatever!"
Naruto took a pen and began to write on the paper, copying the design on the page. He checked that it looked like the book and held it up. Raising an eyebrow, he stared at it.
"Now what? I put my chakra in it? But how does it know if it's for her?" Naruto suddenly smirked, "I'll write her name on it! I'm a genius, ha!"
He added Sakura's name to the top and smiled. Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, attempting to focus on his chakra, feeling it flow through his body, his fingertips and then into the paper. After a minute, he opened one eye.
"Is that enough?" he wondered aloud.
He went to his room and hid the paper in a draw. Brushing his hands together, Naruto left it alone, attempting to ignore the fact that he created it, as though nothing had happened. Instead, he sat down on the floor of his living room and counted the money in his toad money pouch to see how much ramen he could buy. Nevertheless, he continued to laugh strangely.
"Finally!" Naruto cheered after training, "I'm going to get ramen, okay! Hey, hey, Sakura-chan. You wanna come with me?"
"No way, I'm going to eat with Sasuke," she snorted before running ahead. "Hey, Sasuke-kun! Let's go get something to eat."
Naruto pouted as he glared at Sasuke's back, although his teammate had coldly declined Sakura's request. With a snort, Naruto looked to his left and noticed a tree along the path. With a laugh, he ran to catch up with his team.
"Hey, hey!" Naruto called, jumping between Sasuke and Sakura, put weight particularly on Sasuke's shoulder.
"What, you moron? You're heavy," Sasuke mumbled irritably.
"Look!" Naruto pointed over his shoulder at the tree, "The cherry blossoms are coming out!"
"Oh, wow! So pretty!" Sakura exclaimed, running to the tree with scattered blossom-bulbs that were starting to bloom.
"Sensei!" Naruto called to their teacher who had also stopped, "Hey, Sensei! We have to have a hanami, okay!"
"Yeah! Come on, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura pleaded as well.
"I'll think about it. Not tomorrow though; training," replied Kakashi casually as he turned a page of his book.
"Awh! Come on!" Naruto whined.
"The ones in the park are probably staring to bloom. We have to get in there before everyone else!" Sakura added, imagining herself having a romantic lunch with Sasuke while Ino would be stuck under a skeleton tree, watching with envy.
"I'll think about it," Kakashi repeated as he walked away.
"Sensei!" Naruto pleaded a final time before Kakashi disappeared.
"If you have time for a hanami, dumb-arse, you have time to train," Sasuke mumbled as he walked past.
"Don't be party-pooper, Stupid Sasuke," Naruto growled as he glared. "It doesn't hurt to have one day off, you know. And I wanna see them."
"I've already seen them," Sasuke growled.
"That doesn't mean anything!"
"Hey, you lot." Naruto looked up to see Kakashi sitting on the poll beside him, "Meet at the pond by the teahouse for training's tomorrow."
"Hanami!" Naruto called a final time before Kakashi disappeared again.
Naruto closed his door with a slam, pouting as he removed his shoes. His charm did not work. Perhaps it took a few days for it to be effective. However, Naruto was looking forward to the possibility of having his first hanami. He had never gone to one before. Kakashi had probably already intended to go see the cherry blossoms, but, as usual, kept it from the team until he decided to meet there. It reminded Naruto of the time when Kakashi seemingly forgot about the New Year celebrations, but invited them for a meal in order to give them their O-toshidama.
Naruto sighed, deciding he would wait and see if the charm needed time to work. Leaving it where it was, he continued with his daily routine. All the while, he remembered Sasuke's rejection of his idea for a hanami. He needed to find a way to convince Sasuke to have one, just as he had with the team's private mission to see Kakashi's face, although that mission was still in progress. Perhaps Naruto could achieve both – winning Sakura's love and convincing Sasuke to have a hanami – in the next week or so, as unlikely as it was.
Naruto yawned as he wandered down the street. It was still early and the wind was cool. The shops were opening around him as he wandered past, waving at the owners. He had to remember to visit the Ramen Shop on his way home. Naruto yawned again as he passed Amaguriama and the teahouse. The cherry blossoms at this end of the village were fully bloomed, unlike the ones he saw the day before. Naruto felt proud that he was so early and was hoping to have the chance to speak with Sakura. His hopes faded, however, when he saw Sasuke was sitting under one of the cherry blossoms beside the pond. Perhaps he should have continued with the 'Victorious Token' after all.
"You're actually early?"
Naruto snorted and sat down against the trunk of the cherry blossom tree where he could not see Sasuke. They were silent for several minutes. Naruto took in the beautiful sight of the trees and continued his daydream of having a hanami. He wondered how long it would be until Sakura arrived.
"You know…" Sasuke mumbled.
"Huh? You say something?"
Sasuke sighed, "You know! I suppose having a hanami isn't that much of an inconvenience."
"Really? You mean it? That's so cool, yah!" Naruto exclaimed hugging Sasuke.
"Wh-what are you doing! Get off me!" Sasuke squirmed.
"All right! Now we can have a hanami!" Naruto continued to celebrate as he let go of Sasuke, paying not heed to him. "So what exactly do we need anyway? It's not like I've been to one."
"Hey, Naruto, are you listening to me?"
"Huh? What?"
Sasuke sighed and bowed his head into his hand, "Why someone like you?"
"What do you mean?" Naruto glared.
"I don't want to be on a team with someone like you!"
"I dare you to say that again!"
"I'll say it as many times as you want!" Sasuke growled back.
After glaring at each other for a moment, they both turned around with a huff. They sat against the tree with their arms crossed, staring in opposite directions, completely ignoring the other. Naruto was angry. Why did Sasuke always attempt to irritate him so? Why was he such a jerk?
"Dumb-arse," Sasuke mumbled.
"Prick," Naruto uttered in retaliation.
He glared and moved to sit under another tree when Sasuke stood up. Sakura was running towards them as Kakashi appeared. Naruto sighed with relief, no longer having to put up with Sasuke alone.
"Hanami!" Naruto started again.
"Well, let's go," Kakashi smiled, ignoring Naruto's request, which he continued to do for the remained of the training session.
The training focused on Taijutsu, and Naruto's limbs were aching by the time they finished. Regardless of how many times he fell down, he had pulled himself to his feet. However, once Kakashi informed them training was over, Naruto collapsed and lay on his back, the grass soft beneath him. He was panting heavily, his face flushed and his arms and legs were numb. Sakura, who had completed very little training in comparison to the boys, walked away with Kakashi, asking him about some strategy system that Naruto did not understand. Nor did he really care in that moment. He opened one eye as a shadow passed over him.
"Don't tell me you're just going to lie there all day."
"I'm taking a rest, okay!" Naruto growled, closing his eyes. "Not that it's any of your business. Jerk."
Sasuke stood there for a moment before releasing a sigh and walked away. Naruto glared after him. When Naruto regained his strength, he climbed to his feet, stretched and headed back towards the village. Perhaps he should drop by Ichiraku Ramen.
As he turned the corner of the convenience store, he noticed Shikamaru walking down the street.
"HEY~! Shikamaru, Choji! Where are you guys off to?"
"Hanami," Shikamaru yawned, holding up a massive bag of food, most likely for Choji.
"Aw, no fair."
"What, you guys aren't having one?" Choji asked, spitting pieces of his potato chips.
"Dunno yet. I hope we do, but…"
"Don't worry about it, Naruto. It's overrated. Well, we better go, though, or Ino will kill us," Shikamaru told him.
"She's been there since dawn, saving our spot," Choji explained.
"Oh, okay. Have fun."
"Whatever," Shikamaru replied with a yawn.
Naruto watched them walk down the street before sighing. He suddenly felt very lonely. His teacher was avoiding celebrating with them, one of his teammates refused to recognise him, and the other was a jerk. He would have liked to join Shikamaru and Choji.
With his hands in his pockets, Naruto began to wander around the village without any particular destination; he no longer felt like ramen. At some point, he found himself outside the academy. He sat on top of the fence that ran around the shinobi school and stared down the street, watching other members of the village move about their daily lives. There was such a joyous feeling about the people during spring, especially hanami-season. A group of children outside the tool shop were deciding on teams for a game of 'Ninja'. Four young kimono-clad women were walking towards the park, laughing cheerfully. To Naruto's right, a team of shinobi were eating dango together, discussing a country he had never been to. There was a group of outsiders crowed around one of the many stands that had been set up in the street. Everyone seemed so happy.
Naruto looked down at his feet as he swung them; without his team and friends, he had no one with which to share that energy. It was like being alone again, as he had as a child. Looking over his shoulder, he eyed the swing on which he had once spent much of his time.
"I wonder if Iruka-sensei is free," Naruto mumbled to himself.
He jumped from the wall and headed towards the academy building. The door creaked as it opened. Suddenly, Naruto face lit up and he smiled. He waved.
"Iruka-sensei!"
"Oh, Naruto. What are you doing here?"
"Nothing really, just wandering around, you know," Naruto smiled.
"Have you been training hard?"
"You bet! Just wait; I'll make you proud, I swear!"
Iruka laughed, "I'm already proud of you."
"Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei? Do you have some free time? Did you wanna go get some ramen?"
"Sorry, Naruto," Iruka smiled sadly, "I have a meeting. But, hey, if you have time on Tuesday afternoon, we can go to Ichiraku's then? I'm buying."
"Oh, okay," Naruto smiled, though was in fact disappointed. "Well, I should go train some more. See ya, Iruka-sensei!"
"Bye, Naruto," Iruka chuckled.
Naruto ran from the academy, through the streets and to the training ground. He honestly had no intention of training, but did not want to remain in the village. Everyone was too busy to spend time with him. As a result, he also had nothing to do.
"I suppose I could train, but…" he looked at the tree to his left and scrunched up his face, whining irritably, "I don't wanna do that, damn it!"
With a pout firmly on his face, Naruto took a kunai from his pouch and threw it at the tree. A second, third and forth fell in a perfect vertical line above the first. He weaved the fifth through his fingers, looking at the tree with a puzzled expression.
"Why can't I do that when someone's around!?" he snapped, yelling at his knives, "Stupid, kunai!"
"What are you doing, you moron?"
Naruto glared and looked over his shoulder, "What do you care?!"
Sasuke's expression showed nothing but indifference. Naruto's scowling gaze did not leave Sasuke's face as he wandered casually towards him. Sasuke stood beside his teammate, ignoring Naruto's expression, and stared at the kunai.
"Why don't you throw like that normally?"
"What do you mean?" Naruto growled.
Sasuke sighed, "Are you that much of an idiot?"
"What did you say!?"
"Your wrist, dumb-arse," Sasuke growled and continued when Naruto frowned. "Your wrist is always too tense when you throw."
Naruto looked down at his hand and tilted his head, "Huh?"
"So your aim is always a little off," Sasuke sighed, frustrated that an explanation was necessary.
"Oh," Naruto replied with the quiet noise before looking away; he suddenly felt stupid.
"So?"
"'So', what?"
Sasuke nodded at the tree, "Do it again."
Naruto glowered and raised his arm. The knife hit the trunk of the tree with a thud. It had landed two inches right of the line he had made. Sasuke sighed.
"What!" Naruto instantly snapped. "I try, okay? I know I'm not a genius like you, but…"
"Here," Sasuke explained, ignoring him and pushing a kunai into Naruto's palm. He raised Naruto's arm and lightly held his teammate's wrist, "Keep it relaxed here. In line, but relaxed."
Naruto pouted irritably; that made no sense to him. In order to keep his wrist in the correct position, he concentrated on it, and so it was tense. How was he supposed to relax it? Sasuke sighed again.
"Okay. You throw, and I'll keep your wrist in place?"
"I don't need your help," Naruto glared.
"Then do it yourself," Sasuke replied indifferently.
Naruto did not reply. He looked at the tree, focused on his target and, attempting not to become distracted by Sasuke's hand, released the kunai. It flew to the tree and thudded to the left of his last throw. Naruto laughed.
"Hehe, I did it!"
Sasuke snorted in Naruto's ear with a smile, "Yeah, yeah, well done," and released of his wrist.
Naruto turned around slowly, his face growing red, as Sasuke walked away, "H-hey? Um, er… uh, well, you know…"
"Don't worry about it," Sasuke smirked and, waving over his shoulder, walked back towards the village.
Naruto gulped and uttered quietly, "Thanks."
Naruto sat on the floor across from the draw, staring at it. His charm still had no effect; on the contrary, Sakura seemed to be ignoring him more. He wondered why he was even keeping it. With a sigh, he rose to his feet and wandered downstairs. Kakashi still had not arranged a hanami, and Naruto was beginning to worry he might not be able to have one. He grabbed his money pouch and left for Ichiraku's. At least, that was the plan. After the ten-minute walk to that region of the village, he walked straight past the Ramen Shop. He never could eat ramen unless he was happy. Instead, he bought two sets of mitarashi-dango, after arguing with the woman at the shop about not wanting the hanami-dango, and ate under a tree near the village entrance.
"You look like you're sulking."
"Why are you following me suddenly, hey?" Naruto pouted.
"What are you doing on my walk-route, hey?" Sasuke replied in kind, crossing his arms. He sat down next to Naruto and looked at the dango, "Why aren't you eating ramen?"
"Don't feel like it," Naruto mumbled.
"You sick or something?" Sasuke sneered, reaching for Naruto's forehead.
"No!" Naruto growled angrily, moving away.
"Then why?"
Naruto looked at the dango and mumbled, "I don't eat ramen unless I'm happy."
"Hmm?"
Naruto did not respond, and instead stuck a dango in his mouth. He showed no joy in eating it and continued to sulk silently. Despites his usual energy, he did not even feel up to yelling at Sasuke.
"Why didn't you buy hanami-dango?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto glared at the dango, but did not reply and ate another dango. Sasuke chuckled. He rested his arm on Naruto's fallen shoulders.
"You just want a hanami, right?"
Naruto said nothing.
"Well, I suppose, if Kakashi won't arrange one, I could take you if you're going to sulk about it."
"What?!" Naruto looked up at him with surprised.
"What?" Sasuke questioned, confused by Naruto's expression.
"You mean, really?"
Sasuke sighed, "I don't care, but if you're going brood over it…"
"But, why?"
Sasuke shrugged, "Well, main reason is, you're annoying." Naruto pouted and glared at him. "And it'll get in the way of missions." Naruto's glare deepened. "And I have nothing else to do."
Naruto snorted, "I knew you were a jerk."
"You asked," Sasuke explained innocently, which only caused Naruto to glower. "But whatever. If you're just going to complain about not having a hanami…"
Naruto looked down at his dango. In other words, Sasuke was just trying to shut him up, right? Sasuke sighed and scratched the back of his neck.
"Actually, why hasn't someone else asked you to go with them?"
"I dunno," Naruto mumbled sadly; he attempted to hide how hurt he actually was by such neglect.
Sasuke sighed, "Well, whatever. I'll take you up tomorrow; how's that?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. I told you, I have nothing else to do unless we get a mission."
Naruto smiled weakly as Sasuke rose to his feet. He looked down; he could finally have a hanami. Yeah, it was with Sasuke and he would probably drive Naruto insane, but it was a hanami.
Naruto grabbed the back of Sasuke's shirt and held up the last dango, "You want one?"
"Nah, they're too sweet for me."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "It's mitarashi-dango; they're not that sweet."
"Are to me." Naruto pouted as Sasuke scratched his head, "Look, if you want, we can get ramen, but you're buying your own; I'm not going broke for you. Unless, of course, you're still sulking."
"I wasn't sulking!" Naruto snapped, standing up and putting the dango in his mouth.
"I thought you said you couldn't eat ramen unless you're happy," Sasuke sneered.
"I knew I hated you for a reason…" mumbled Naruto with his mouth full.
Sasuke shrugged and walked off. Naruto had to contemplate whether he was going to go after him or not. He did feel a little happier – despites Sasuke's methods – and he did love ramen…
"Oi! Wait up!" Naruto called and ran after Sasuke, purposely jumping on his shoulder.
"Don't do that, moron," Sasuke barked. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"So, have you actually gone to Ichiraku's before?"
"Not sure. I avoided it 'cause of you."
"Liar!" Naruto growled, "Anyway, what are you going to have?"
"I dunno; we'll see when we get there."
"The miso's good, and the tonkotsu isn't bad either."
"I'll probably have shouyu," Sasuke yawned.
Naruto smiled; suddenly, Sasuke did not seem so annoying. It was perhaps the first time they had sat through a meal without fighting – they argued, but did not fight. Naruto found himself laughing more than he could remember doing before. He could not even recall if he had only one or five bowls of ramen. They left the shop as the sun was starting to set and Naruto stretched; he felt full of energy again. Moreover, he was looking forward to his first hanami.
"I'll meet you at the bridge about noon, 'kay?" Sasuke told him.
"Okay; do I need to get stuff or anything, you know?"
"Nah, don't worry about it, I'll get everything."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. See ya," Sasuke replied as he waved over his shoulder and walked away.
"Yep! Bye!"
Naruto waved, although Sasuke could not see the gesture. He felt awkward and confused, as well as happy. At the same time, he felt guilty for yelling at Sasuke so often. Even though Sasuke had a some-what harsh method, Naruto could still tell he had made an effort to cheer him up, regardless of what was said.
Naruto smirked, "Thanks, Sasuke."
Naruto woke up around 10 o'clock the next day. His wandered around the house in a daze for approximately half an hour before he remembered what was planned for the day, even though he fell asleep fidgeting with excitement. From that point on, he was rushing around the house. He washed his face vigorously and ended up poking himself in the eye. When he made breakfast, he burnt his toast. Finally, as he tried to get dressed, he ended up putting his shirt on backwards.
Naruto looked as himself in the mirror, "This hasn't started well…"
Fixing his clothes, he tied on his headband, brushed his hair feverishly with his hand and left for the bridge. He somehow had managed to trip over his own foot and hit his head on an overhanging sign by the time he made it. Sasuke was already waiting for him and gave him a strange look.
"What's with you?"
"I don't think today's a good day, you know…"
Sasuke sighed and shook his head, "Well, let's go. I've already set everything up."
"Okay!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly feeling better and hurrying after Sasuke. He was so excited about a hanami, it took Naruto a few minutes to realise they were not walking towards the park, "Hey, where are we going?"
Sasuke smirked, "You'll see when we get there."
"…huh?"
"I said I'd take care of it, right?"
"But… the park?"
"There's no way we'd be able to beat everyone else for a spot up there," Sasuke explained.
"So, where are we going?"
"I told you, you'll see when we get there."
Naruto shrugged and placed his hands behind his head. He had no choice but to trust that Sasuke knew what he was doing. They had been walking for about half an hour by the time Naruto started to become concerned. He looked around; they were still within the village because they had yet to hit the wall, but Naruto had never been in this part of the forest before. All he could tell was that they had been walking uphill for most of the journey.
"Hey, Sasuke…"
"We're almost there," Sasuke informed him.
"Really?"
Sasuke pointed ahead of them. The trees opened to a small clearing. There were five cherry blossom trees strategically set out with a sixth in the centre. Underneath it was a blue plastic picnic blanket with a large basket and cold-bag on top. Naruto opened his mouth and looked around; it was such a beautiful area. From this spot was a wonderful view of the village.
"Um, what is this place?" Naruto asked, turning around to look at his teammate.
Sasuke seemed reluctant to answer; "My family used to bring me here when I was little."
"Oh…" Naruto suddenly felt extremely awkward.
Sasuke seemed to attempt to hide any emotion from showing on his face and walked towards the blanket. Naruto followed him, took off his shoes and sat down, looking out over the village. The breeze was cool and gentle, allowing Naruto to relax easily. He looked up at the cherry blossoms above him as the flower scattered like white snow.
"Happy?" Sasuke asked honestly, as he handed Naruto a plate.
"Yep! This is so cool!"
"And we don't have to compete with everyone else at the park," Sasuke added.
Naruto laughed, "Definitely." He sighed, "It's so cool up here."
"It's quiet," Sasuke added, taking a bite out of his onigiri.
'Of course that's why you'd like it,' Naruto thought to himself, but decided against saying anything aloud. However, Sasuke was right. It was quiet and peaceful. The cherry blossoms were beautiful and watching them scatter over the cliff and towards the village was a wonderful sight. As well as that, Naruto was happy to share delicious food while admiring the nature around them. Although they did not speak much, he enjoyed it.
"These are really good," Naruto exclaimed randomly, eating his fifth onigiri.
"Really?" Sasuke responded, seeming unsure of how to reply.
"Yeah!"
Sasuke snorted and seemed to be smiling. Naruto watched him for a minute, then down at the food. Had he…
"Did you make it?!"
"Some of it," Sasuke replied quietly.
"Whoa! That's kinda cool! You can cook?"
"I've been living on my own, Naruto. Of course I can cook."
"Yeah, but I can't cook," Naruto laughed nervously.
"That's just you though, isn't it?" Sasuke sneered.
"Hey!" Naruto pouted.
Sasuke laughed at him. Naruto looked at him with surprised. He did not normally laugh like that. Naruto could not help but smile; at least Sasuke was enjoying himself too. Especially after going through the trouble of arranging it for him, Naruto was relieved that Sasuke seemed happy.
As the sun started to go down, the village started to light up. The light from the lanterns in the streets and from homes and shops were glistened from where the two were sitting. Naruto laughed happily; it was gorgeous. He stood up, put his shoes back on and walk to the edge to see the sight.
"Be careful, moron."
"I'm fine!" Naruto called back
"You normally say that before something goes wrong," Sasuke chuckled.
"I'm not clumsy or anything! Why does everyone think I ge-…" snapped Naruto, as he spun around to look at him.
As predicted, Naruto lost his footing and fell backwards. Sasuke moved quickly, grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him back towards him. Both boys winced as they fell back onto the blanket. Sasuke sighed.
"Told you so."
"Shut up, would ya" Naruto mumbled with a sigh.
After a moment, Sasuke added quietly, "Are you comfortable?"
"Hmm?"
Naruto looked down. He was still lying on top of Sasuke. For some reason, the event that transpired when they first became Genin crossed his mind and he quickly moved. The movement was not graceful, and he tripped over Sasuke.
"Ow! You stood on my leg!"
"Ah, sorry, I, uh…"
Sasuke sighed, "You can be a real idiot some times."
"Shut up already," Naruto growled.
"If you didn't get so wound up about everything, you probably wouldn't get yourself into trouble all the time. What's with that?"
Naruto shrugged. He felt bad for overreacting. All he could think of was looking at his crossed-legs. Sasuke tilted his head.
"Naruto? What's up?" When Naruto did not respond, he tried again, "What is it?"
"Why does everyone think I'm an idiot?"
"'Cause sometimes you are?"
"That doesn't help!"
Sasuke chuckled, "Is it 'cause you try too hard not to be an idiot, that you end up over-doing it, act recklessly and get into weird situations?"
Naruto looked at him with a frown; he had not thought of that. Sasuke leaned forward and there was a clink as their headbands knocked together. Naruto sighed.
"It's the same with your throws; if you put too much effort into not failing, you don't use your full potential, right? Obviously, you can do things well; the kage-bunshin is a Jounin jutsu, right? If you weren't so worried about everyone thinking you're an idiot…"
"Yeah, but…"
"Stop pretending to be tough," Sasuke smiled, "You're not an idiot, and you're not weak; you don't need to prove that, right?"
"Huh?"
Naruto was caught by surprised when Sasuke leaned closer to him. It was strange and yet, Naruto could not pull himself away from him as Sasuke kissed him. He was not sure what he should do nor why his body would not listen to him. Perhaps it was the atmosphere itself – being under the cherry blossoms and looking over the village. Whatever it was, it was causing Naruto's heart to beat fiercely in his chest. He did not want to shrink away from Sasuke's arm as it curled around him. The warmth was comforting. He only opened his eyes, suddenly, as Sasuke pulled away from him. His cheeks were burning as he looked at his teammate. Sasuke looked away.
"Sasu-…"
"Sorry."
As Sasuke went to stand, Naruto grabbed the bottom of his shirt, "Sasuke!"
His teammate's face was just as red as his own, "I, I dunno… sorry."
"That-that's not it," Naruto mumbled timidly. He looked up at Sasuke, "Just… thanks, for everything… you know, uh…"
Sasuke chuckled nervously, "You're such a dumb-arse."
"Don't contradict yourself!" Naruto growled in reply, but was smiling.
"Should we head back?" Sasuke asked, looking back at the village.
Naruto nodded and helped Sasuke pack up. Neither boy spoke of what had happened and refused to discuss it as they returned to the village. They said goodbye to each other and separated on the main road. Naruto leant against the door once he had returned home. He did not expect anything like that, especially not with Sasuke – not again, at least. Even so, Sasuke had gradually become nicer to him. However, to have kissed him under the cherry blossoms like that; it had been unexpected.
Naruto's eyes widened – Cherry blossoms?
He ran up the stairs quickly and wrenched open the draw. Sitting at the bottom was the reifu he had written and at the top were the distinct characters – sa-ku-ra.
"Sakura… the cherry blossoms."
Naruto covered his mouth and thought carefully; this was his fault. The reifu had worked, but not the way he had intended. From realising that, he felt extremely guilty. Taking the tag, he tore it in two and clutched them tightly in his fist – he would burn it later. Naruto knew he would have to talk it over with Sasuke somehow, but…
The next morning, Naruto was the last to arrive for training. Everyone else was waiting for him, but he did not feel like joining them. Sakura glared at him.
"Where were you!?"
"Naruto," Kakashi smiled, "Hanami."
"Really?" Naruto attempted to appear happy.
"If you were here earlier, you'd know," Sakura criticised, but was smiling. "We're going to the park tomorrow."
"Okay, cool!"
"Hmm, something wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi questioned.
"Nah, just tired."
"I'll mind the spot," Sasuke suggested, "I'll be up early anyway."
"Really? You're so cool, Sasuke-kun."
Naruto looked at his teammate, but Sasuke did not return his gaze. He did not listen to the rest of the discussion of his team and Sasuke left too quickly after training for Naruto to talk to him. He sat on the middle of his living room, contemplating what to do. Perhaps, if he went up early too…
Naruto had trouble sleeping and did not find it difficult to get up. The village air was cold as he wandered towards the park. He was unsurprised to find Sasuke sitting under one of the cherry blossoms. Some of the trees had finished blooming and he seemed to have found the only one that was fully covered in the snowy flowers. He looked up as Naruto walked towards him.
"What are you doing up here?" Sasuke questioned with surprise.
"I just wanted to talk," mumbled Naruto.
"About what?"
Naruto blushed as he looked away. Sasuke sighed and rose to his feet, walking over to him. Naruto looked up at him; there was no way he would still feel that way.
"Naruto?"
It took a moment before he could bring himself to look up at him. He did not know how to explain what happened. How could he tell Sasuke about the reifu, or should he just not tell him at all?
Sasuke smiled at him in a way Naruto had never seen before, "Let's go up there for a hanami again next year, okay?"
Naruto's face lit up; "R-really?"
"Sure, any reason why not?"
Naruto smiled and shook his head. Sasuke tilted Naruto's face up to look at him. All Naruto could do was blush and close his eyes as Sasuke kissed him. He smiled back at his teammate.
"Next year, then?"
"Definitely! Are you going to arrange everything again?"
"Well, yeah. I can't leave it to you."
"So long are you're cooking everything."
Sasuke laughed, "Sure." And he kissed Naruto's head before embracing him.
Next year?
…
Next year never came.
You left.
~***~
Naruto stopped suddenly and looked around him. After another failed attempt of bringing Sasuke home, he did not feel like spending time with his friends. Instead, he had found himself wandering aimlessly. From where he stood, he could look over the whole of the village, the sunlight casting the buildings in a white glow with the blue, clear sky soaring high above. Overlooking the village was the Hokage Mount, and the memory of Konoha's greatest shinobi still watching over their people.
With a sad smile, he looked away from his home. It was a precious sight for him, and there was a time he thought it was precious to Sasuke too. A small speck of white wedged in the branches of a bush caught his attention. He picked it out and looked at it. Slowly and carefully, he smoothed it out in his palm.
"Rei…fu," Naruto muttered to himself.
Taking the paper with him, Naruto sat himself down under a tree, the cherry blossoms from over his head fluttering out before him. The world seemed so different to what it was a few years ago. So much had changed. He held the burnt and aged charm tenderly between his hands and closed his eyes.
You're not here… but I'll keep trying. Maybe a time'll come when I bring you here.
However, despites the optimistic thoughts, the pain in his chest told him it was not that easy. He leaned forward and cuddled his knees. If Sasuke was there, how would he feel? Would he understand this pain? Would he take the fact that he had Sasuke beside him for granted? Would he take his team and friends for granted, without knowing that he could lose them?
This was another year he would not celebrate a hanami. He was determined to spend his next one with Sasuke.
'I'll wait however long you want me to, you idiot,' Naruto thought to himself with smirk.
Next year… maybe?
…
You had left…
…but I'll never leave you.
Japanese Notes
The original/uneditted version of this story can be found on my deviantART site. Check my profile. Here's some notes about the terms that were used. I tried to sort them in order of usage.
オイロケの術(Oiroke-no-Jutsu) - Known as the "sexy-jutsu" in the English Version, a Naruto-style 変化の術 (henge-no-jutsu) – transformation – Ninjutsu technique.
霊符 (reifu) - Charm/ Amulet– The actual patterns found on an ofuda (paper charms handed out at temples), etc. Naruto translated the kanji literally.
ラーメン (Ramen) – if you don't know what this is, don't ever talk to me... ie. Iit's a noodle-broth like dish with various fillings.
～ちゃん (-chan) – A "cute" suffix, typically used for girls.
～君(-kun) – A Japanese suffix, typically used for boys (also used by adults for males younger than the speaker).
ドベ・ウスラトンカチ (Dobe/Usuratonkachi) – both these words have been substituted for phrases like moron/ idiot and dumb-arse respectively.
先生 (Sensei) – A title for doctors and teachers, etc., and used as a suffix for said people.
花見 (hanami) - Flower-viewing. When the cherry blossoms bloom, many people go to the park/temples to have picnics under the cherry blossoms with friends, family or their company.
てめ (teme) – and Phrases like "Sasuke-teme" have been replaced by similar English words, like jerk, prick, and "Stupid Sasuke"
～ってば（よ） (-tteba (yo)) - Something that Naruto tends to put at the end of his sentences. It tends to imply some sort of emotion or annoyance (but childish ^^; ). I've changed this to more natural English phrases, such as "you know", "okay", "all right", etc.
お年玉 (o-toshidama) - Gifts given at New Years (normally money). At New Years, parents and sometimes extended family members/family friends give the children money. Both Naruto and Sasuke, in particular, are orphans, so it would be unlikely for them to receive anything otherwise.
体術(taijutsu) – 'Art of the Body', a classic form of martial arts.
団子 (dango) – sweet dumplings.
区内 (kunai) - it was a medieval tool in Japan, but also came to mean the shinobi's throwing knives.
豚骨ラーメン (tonkotsu-ramen) – pork flavoured ramen. Literally "pig/pork-bone", it's kinda creamy.
醤油ラーメン (shouyu-ramen) – shouyu-flavoured ramen. Shouyu is a type of Japanese soy sauce.
The event –Chapter/Episode 3 when Naruto became annoyed at Sasuke's attention, literally 'got in his face' and they accidently kissed.
下忍 (genin) – Lowest rank of shinobi
影分身の術 (kage-bunshin no jutsu) – "Shadow-clone jutsu" in the English version – a Ninjutsu technique.
上忍 (jounin) – The highest rank shinobi (like Kakashi).
桜・さくら (sakura) – Although it's the name of a character, sakura is the Japanese word for 'cherry blossom'. (N.B. Naruto had written "Sakura"'s name in hiragana - although her name is written in katakana in the manga)