A/N: Behold, the amazing sequel to Shall We Dance? It can stand alone though.Enjoy it my readers!
Warning: This is yaoi. SASUNARU so if you don't like it. Get out. Out out out!
A soft sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he sat lounging on his favorite seat. He was bored quite frankly. There was seriously nothing to do! And since Sasuke had gone grocery shopping, he had no one to pester or bother. Well, he could always bother Sakura and fuzzy eyebrows but he figured they'd be too busy with their newborn son. A normal person, at Naruto's position would've turned on the television to see what was on or surf the net. Maybe even have taken a walk. Thing is though, Naruto didn't feel like doing any of that. TV seemed so unappealing, ditto with the internet. He was too lazy to get up, much less get outside his door. Thus leaving not to many options for the blonde.
Sighing again, Naruto looked around the quaint living room of his and Sasuke's apartment. His cerrulean eyes falling upon a worn out photo album. Funny, he never saw that before. His curiosity peaking, he reached over and grabbed it. The cover, it seemed, was pretty thread-bare and it reeked of mothballs. Wrinkling his nose, Naruto wondered why Sasuke would have a musty, old album. It certainly couldn't be his, he never remembered owning it, or purchasing it, or receiving it.
Stroking the spine gently, Naruto carefully opened to the first page. Afraid any sudden movements would cause the album to fall apart. A startled gasp escaped his lips as decent sized picture of him and Sasuke, back when they were still oh so young and precious, greeted him. It depicted a five-year-old Naruto inviting a five-year-old Sasuke to play. An unbidden memory slowly fluttered into his mind. Taking him back to the good ol' days when life was still so simple.
It was spring, nearly twenty years ago. He was minding his own business, playing in the sandbox with his childhood friend Gaara. He recalled it was around lunchtime and their teacher, who usually never interrupted recess, called for attention. A new boy, it appeared, was going to be joining their little class of kindergarteners. He had just moved in the city, and although he was joining in late, the boy's mother assured that he would be just fine.
He also recalled that him, being the friendly boy that he was had invited the new boy to play with him. Only to have that offer harshly turned down with a displeased 'hn'. The boy, who he later learned was named Sasuke, immediately turned and walked away. Leaving a very pissed off blonde in his wake.
Chuckling softly at the memory, Naruto turned the page. This time the picture featured was bit more recent. It showed him and Sasuke bickering in front of the elmentary school. They were now in second grade and surpisingly, were the closest of friends. Though they did not show it.
He could picture perfectly how this photo was taken. It was the beginning of school, it was around September. He remembered that he and Sasuke were being walked to school by their mothers. He remembered his mother exclaiming how cute they looked and she just had to take a picture. So, she made them stand side by side, asking them sweetly to smile. He remembered that he was pretty excited at the time. He was fidgeting and squirming to the point where Sasuke got mad at him and called him 'dobe'. He, of course became annoyed and called Sasuke a 'teme'. Which lead to Sasuke making a snide remark and in turn lead to an all out verbal war. Had it not been stopped by the camera flashing, he suspected it would've turned into a physical fight as well.
Naruto smiled, how immature it seemed to bicker over really nothing in particular. Like he was one to talk though. He and Sasuke still fight over such trivial matters! Flipping to the next page, he began to laugh rather loudly. The current picture represented quite a humorous memory indeed. It showed Sasuke with white cream all over his face, a cherry on his nose, and red stuff, he guessed those were some kind of cherry paste, all over his mouth. It also showed him laughing his butt off opposite of Sasuke. And really, who could blame him? Sasuke looked like a pissed off clown! Sasuke, the cold-hearted, ice prince, a clown! Oh he could never forget, nor would ever want to forget how it all happened.
It was in fifth grade, Naruto had a large slice of cherry pie with special white cream (he was guessing it was whip cream but who knows). It was such a large slice, one might say it was the whole pie itself, and it sat precariously at the edge of his tray. He recalled that he was rushing over to his and his friends' table when he tripped on a wayward book lying innocently on the floor. As he fell, the cherry slice flew into the air and landed with a loud smack on Sasuke's face. Everyone was silent, barely daring to breathe as the plate slowly slid off the Uchiha's face. He was the one to break the silence first, he remembered, when he began to roar with laughter. Barely able to stand up, he stumbled over to the table to get a closer look. Unaware of the handful of mash potatoes Sasuke was about to throw at him. Luckily, he had fast reflexes thanks to countless hours playing dodge ball, and avoided the mushy missile. The mushy missile ended up hitting Kiba in the back of the head which of course caused the dog lover to retaliate. He threw his pudding cup at Sasuke who, with equally fast reflexes as him, ducked just in time. The pudding continued to soar, however, and hit Gaara square on the chest. Without further ado, he recalled Gaara, instead of bursting out in a fit of untamed rage and maiming Kiba, had instead stood up and announced, "FOOD FIGHT!"
Gaara's announcement was so unpredictable that everyone just sat there and stared at him. They didn't snap into action until he hit Sakura with saucy meatball. Man, it was chaos in the cafeteria that day. Although he, Sasuke, Kiba and Gaara all had to stay for a lengthy amount of time after school to clean up the mess, it was still such a fond memory. Moving on to the next page, Naruto turned a bright red. The picture on the page had a truly embarrasing moment in time. It displayed him and Sasuke in a forced liplock, that one day in seventh grade.
Sasuke by this point in his life had attracted quite a large group of annoying, screeching fangirls. One of those fangirls was his old crush, now best friend and trusted advisor, Haruno Sakura. When Sakura pushed him aside to sit beside her beloved Sasuke, you can bet he got pissed. Hopping atop Sasuke's desk, he stared down the bastard's handsome face. Then he recalled feeling someone's elbow prod his ass and the next thing he knew, he was lip to lip with his best friend. It wasn't so bad, Sasuke's lips were a bit chapped but it wasn't uncomfortable except for the fact that their teeth were mashed in the process and he was kissing his best friend.
Technically it was his and Sasuke's first kiss. And maybe it was the start of his and Sasuke's relationship as a couple. That kiss sparked something new between the both of them. That was for sure. True enough the kiss didn't feel very good but what happened after, years after, felt very very good. Feeling himself turn red again, Naruto flipped over to the next page. On this page, the picture was of him and his entire graduating class from junior high.
Their teacher, Iruka, had let them arrange themselves in a way they saw fit. So of course, all the groups got together, and his entire gang was of no exception. They situated themselves at the front despite some of them being very tall. He recalled with much amusement that the order went like this: Kiba, Hinata and Shino were to his left with Kiba trying to grope poor innocent Hinata and Shino forcefully slapping away his hand. Beside him on his right, Sakura was shamelessly trying to flirt with Sasuke while he was none too subtly asking Sakura for a date. Farther to his right was Gaara, who seemed to be glaring fiercely at the photgrapher, promising a painful demise later. Beside the infuriated red-head, was Ino screaming at Chouji who accidently got bits of chips on her hair and Shikamaru, with a pained look on his face, quietly announced that this was all too toublesome.
The camera flashed but none of them, except Gaara and Shikamaru, even noticed. All of them were too busy at the time to strike a pose. And honestly, Naruto wouldn't have it any other way. Moving on to the next page, Naruto bit back a sob. The picture featured on the page was a memory he wasn't quite as fond of. It showed himself and Sasuke, dressed in black, at a funeral. His mother's funeral.
He was around fourteen at the time. His mother, Uzumaki Kushina, had gotten ill. Very ill. She was a headstrong woman, loud and proud. Always filled with laughter and joy, cheering him up when he was down. It hurt so bad to see his mom, one that was so full of life, lie in that coffin. Silent and unmoving. She refused to take on his father's name, for reasons he never knew. He had always wanted to ask why, even as a child he was curious, but he always kept putting it off. Saying it wasn't important but now, it was too late. And now, he realized that it was important. Every little thing about his mother, from her scent to her smile was important now that she was...
A crystaline tear drop fell upon the picture as Naruto hastily wiped away his tears. It had been ten years, he has to move on. His mom would've been sorely disappointed in him if he didn't. He sniffled a bit while turning the page. This time, the picture had him and the rest of the gang at a halloween carnival. It showed all of them sitting upon a grassy hilltop, watching spectacular fireworks lighting up the dark night sky. His costume was that of a ninja's from one of the animes. The name escapes him now but he had on an orange jumpsuit and a blue headband. Beside him was Sakura, dressed like a corpse bride. Beside her was Ino, dressed as Tinkerbell. Shikamaru sat lower on the hill, he was dressed like Danny from Grease(1). On Shikamaru's left was Chouji who wore what looked like an oversized bag of Sugar Daddies. On Shikamaru's right, was Kiba who wore a pirate's costume. His arm was around a blushing Hinata who surprisingly wore a revealing belly dancer costume. Shino sat at the foot of the hill, wearing his usual bug costume. Gaara stood behind Naruto, he basically threw on a black cape and had a shirt that said, "This is my costume, now give me the damn candy!" Sasuke sat on Naruto's left, he wore a rennaisance prince costume. He, instead of watching the fireworks, had turned his head to watch Naruto.
He remembered it was his fifteenth birthday. His first birthday without his mother. Everyone tried their very best to cheer him up. Especially Sasuke. They played all the carnival games, and Sasuke won Naruto a cute fox plushie he had been eyeing for ten minutes straight. Although he wanted to win it on his own, Sasuke won it first, and honestly, he thought it was pretty sweet. They rode on all the rides as well. Going on the rollercoaster multiple times. He also remebered that they went to the haunted house much to his displeasure of course. But he didn't want to look like a coward in front of his friends so despite his fears, he went in together with Sasuke. He ended up clinging to Sasuke for dear life and screaming his head off. He could faintly recall that all the while, Sasuke had an amusing blush on his face, but since he was too busy screaming, he thought it was just his imagination. Looking back now, he wondered if it really was his imagination because afterwards, Sasuke didn't tease him like he expected him to.
Cocking his head, Naruto wondered why Sasuke acted so ackward around him that night. He acted sweet but ackward. It didn't end that night either. It continued on and the ackwardness grew in height. Sasuke was soon almost always blushing at the sight of Naruto. Flinching when the blonde made physical contact and for some time, he had wondered if he had done something wrong. Eyes widening, realization dawned on Naruto. Could it be possible that Sasuke acted that way because he had already fallen in love with him? Was this also when he began to love the raven-haired bastard back? He flipped the page, and as if to answer his question, the picture showed him hugging and crying an embarrassed Sasuke at the airport.
It was the beginning of their junior year and Sasuke was going to Japan for awhile. He had signed up for a student exchange program and apparently, this new guy named Sai was going to come and live with the Uchihas. Naruto recalled that a heart wrenching pain erupted in his heart that day. Though he had not exactly known why. All he knew was that as Sasuke boarded the plain, he gave him a huge bear hug while crying his eyes out. And it took a lot to get him to cry. Hell, he didn't even cry at his mother's funeral but that was only because his mother stated in her will, that when she died, there would be as little crying as possible.
Sai arrived about a week later, and looked similar to Sasuke. He was very sweet in his own way and Naruto got to befriend him. Even if Sai had very peverted tendencies. They still kept in touch to this day. The gang liked him as well. Well, maybe not Sakura since Sai always insulted her. Ino seemed very taken by him on the otherhand. When Sasuke learned about him, he hated him. He guessed because he felt like he was replaced by the newcomer. But Naruto could never replace Sasuke. Not in a million years. Not when he felt so abandoned when Sasuke left him for Japan. Going to the next page. Naruto didn't know whether to blush in humiliation, look in disbelief, or smile with joy. In this picture was the unforgettable Senior Prom. Sasuke and him were slow dancing in the center of the photo, while the gang and their boyfriends and girlfriends danced around them.
This was the night he had confessed his feelings to Sasuke in front of every senior in their high school. This was the night Sasuke told him that he had loved Naruto for a very long time. This was the night they shared their first true kiss. This was also the night where half the girls went home heart-broken while the other half became yaoi fangirls, that is if they weren't from the start. It truly was an unforgettable prom. Maybe even the most eventful prom the school had ever seen. Or not.
Everyone hooked up with their beloved that Senior Prom, Sakura with Lee who had transferred from a different high school that last year. Kiba with Hinata, but they've been a couple ever since freshman year. Ino was with Chouji, which was a shock but not too much of a shock. No, the biggest surpise was Shikamaru paired up Temari, Gaara's eldest sister. Oh, it was definately a night to remember. Turning the page, Naruto just had to smile at their graduation picture.
It was the whole gang again, except with their families. They all looked so grown up. He looked so much like his father, who was standing beside him, that it was creepy. He and Sasuke were standing next to each other as usual, holding hands, while Sasuke's parent stood behind him. At first, they didn't seem too keen about their child having a relationship with Naruto and honestly, he thought they would never be too accepting but they let Sasuke do as he wished. Their son was an adult after all and was free to do whatever he pleases. Beside his father was the Sabaku family, accompanied by the Nara family. Gaara stood beside Naruto, as he usually he does. Temari and Shikamaru stood between both their families, with Temari linking arms with the lazy boy. On the Uchiha's left was the Yamanaka family, the Haruno family and last but not least, fuzzy eyebrow's family. Sakura and Ino had an arm around each other, both holding their diplomas high. Lee stood behind them both, crying youthful tears. On the back, behind all of them were the Hyuuga family, the Akimichi family, and the Inuzuka family. Hyuugia Neji, Hinata's cousin, had come with his girlfriend and both stood proudly on each side of the shy girl. The Inuzuka stod on the far left, with Kiba's sister Hana hugging a violently protesting Kiba. In the middle of both families was the Akimichia family. Their large build towering over everyone. Chouji's dad had placed a strong hand on Chouji's shoulder as Choji threw off his graduation cap.
Sighing rather loudly, Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. He hasn't seen his friends in ages, all of them going their seperate ways. He hated to admit it, but he missed them so much. Aside from Sakura and Lee, he hasn't heard much from the others. Closing the album, he noticed a tiny enevelope had fallen out. Picking it up, Naruto quickly tore it open. He couldn't help but smile at the beautiful but sweet message it contained.
The soft click of the front door as it opened, was a signal that Sasuke was home. Getting up, Naruto turned on the stereo, played one of his and Sasuke's favorite music. He then headed for the kitchen where he greeted the raven with a forceful glomp. Laughing he eagerly asked what was for diner and if they could invite Sakura and Lee over if they weren't too busy. Sasuke of course was curious as to why Naruto was in such a good mood but he brushed it off.
Meanwhile, on the carpeted floor, lay the letter with its message bared for all the world to see.
Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God. Whenever possible, life should not be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. So even if life is not the party we hoped for, while we are here , we might as well dance.
I hope you dance.
Love,
Uzumaki Kushina
A/N: It sucked ass right? It didn't make sense right? Oh well. It was the best I could do. Sorry guys.
(1)Its a 50s movie basically blach leather jacket, white shirt, and black pants.
