A/N: Welcome, one and all, to Help Needed 4! We've got a new setting, new characters, and a whole new plot. No villains like the last books, the focus of this story is the development of the girls as characters. That's not to say there won't be conflict, but there won't be any of my usual insanely overpowered fight scenes. That being said, there probably will be some more realistic lemons, and of course, the focus of this story is the music. I'll probably confuse a few people with some of what I say, so I'll try and include a glossary of musical terms at the end of each chapter for the average reader.

And so, without any further ado, let's begin!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Although, this series is so far removed from Naruto at this point that it's probably not necessary to do this anymore.

Help Needed 4:
A Change of Seasons

Chapter 1

Juke Box Heroes

The small club was nearly empty, save for a few loyal patrons at the bar, when the last act of the night crawled up on stage. It was still an hour until closing time and the quartet were planning on making the most of that time.

A woman in her early twenties started the song, her bass plucking out the melody. The drummer kept a steady rhythm on the bass drum, though she wasn't visible in the low light.

Standing in the rain
The lead singer sang, a spotlight illuminating her just in time.
With his head hung low
Her blonde hair hung in front of her face, her own head mimicking the subject of the song.
Couldn't get a ticket
It was a sold out show
She continued, raising her head and shaking her bangs out of her eyes.
Heard the roar of the crowd
She sang, pitch and intensity rising.
He could picture the scene
Her voice was reaching a crescendo. (1)
Put his ear to the wall
Then like a distant scream

He heard one guitar
A new spotlight appeared, revealing a pink-haired guitarist. She hit a loud, distorted power chord, (2) accompanied by a crash from the drummer's cymbals.
Just blew him away
Another power chord, the low E on her guitar, (3) rang out into the bar.He saw stars in his eyes
And the very next day
She scraped her pick down the strings, leading into the next quiet verse. She twiddled the volume knob on her guitar down to zero and slid into the background.

Bought a beat up six string
In a secondhand store
Didn't know how to play it
But he knew for sure

That one guitar
The guitarist jumped back in, the same power chord pattern (4) as before roaring out her amplifier.
Felt good in his hands
Didn't take long
To understand
Just one guitar
Slung way down low
Was a one way ticket
Only one way to go

So he started rockin'
The drummer finally got a rock beat going, the odd kick/snare swing beat (5) left behind for now.
Ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on rockin'
The singer practically screamed the final word of the line, her eyes squeezed shut, all focus on the music.
Someday gonna make it to the top

And be a juke box hero
The guitarist and bassist joined in, singing back-up.
(Got stars in his eyes) (6)
He's a juke box hero
He took one guitar
Juke box hero
(Stars in his eyes)
Juke box hero
(Stars in his eyes)
He'll come alive tonight

The guitarist stepped back, turned the volume on her guitar down a little, and played a low single note riff with a bit of a swing to it as the third verse started. The drummer went back to the steady beat on the kick, and the singer took center stage again.

In a town without a name
In a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow
By the backstage door

Like a trip through the past
Once again, the power chords rang out from the guitarist, while the drummer added a snare to her beat and threw in more kicks.
To that day in the rain
And that one guitar
Made his whole life change

Now he needs to keep on rockin'
He just can't stop
Gotta keep on rockin'
That boy has got to stay on top
The drummer's fill (7) carried them into the chorus, a long roll across the snare and toms.

And be a juke box hero
(Got stars in his eyes)
He's a juke box hero
(Got stars in his eyes)
Yeah, juke box hero
(Stars in his eyes)
With that one guitar
(Stars in his eyes)
He'll come alive
Come alive tonight

The guitarist slid into the front, using her tremolo arm (8) to mess with several lengthy chords.

Whoa

A bluesy solo commenced, filled with slides and bends interspersed with quick single note runs, building in speed as it went. As she worked her way up the neck, she began throwing in taps and pinch harmonics (9) to spice it up, finally hitting a final high note and letting it ring out as the final chorus started.

Yeah, he's gotta keep on rockin'
Just can't stop
Gotta keep on rockin'
That boy has got to stay on top

And be a juke box hero
(Got stars in his eyes)
He's a juke box hero
(Got stars in his eyes)
Just one guitar
Juke box hero
(Got stars in his eyes)
He's just a juke box hero
Juke box hero
Juke box hero
The singer jumped to a whole new octave for a moment.
He's got stars in his eyes
Stars in his eyes

The drummer's final fill started quietly and built up both volume and speed as she pounded away on her kit, leaving a final crash ringing while the guitarist played the final descending lick.

The band looked up eagerly, only to be met with one or two drunk men clapping in the back corner. "Screw this," the guitarist said, hopping of the stage. She leaned her guitar against a barstool as she slid up to the bar itself.

"Give me a beer, Jim," she said, kneading her forehead with her knuckles. The bartender slid a mug in front of her and she took a long drink. The man beside her stared as she drained half the mug in before she set it down to breathe.

The drummer joined her, sighing heavily. "We have to stop closing this place. Jim, why don't you let us play during the middle of the night? All we ever do is open or close, and we get zero publicity."

Jimmy Astro, owner and bartender, shook his head. "Because, this is Boston. We don't have a big market for metal bands, and you girls only play classic rock when I move you to the end of the night. I like what you do, but it's not a big draw for customers."

"Give it a rest, Aiko," the guitarist said, draining the last of her beer and motioning for another. "At least we get free booze."

"Speaking of which," Aiko replied. "That sounds really good right about now."

A mug was placed in front of her, and promptly snatched out of reach by the singer as she walked up. "You are still underage, remember?" She said, more to Jim than to Aiko. "And don't encourage her, Kiora."

Kiora Hyuuga Haruno stuck her tongue out at her antagonist before returning to her own drink. "Isn't the battle of the bands this month?" she asked into her mug, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

"Two weeks, dear," Natsuko said, before turning to the stage to start packing up gear. Kiora thought carefully, then sighed loudly.

"We're not going to win it, are we?" She asked, still speaking into her (now empty) mug.

"What?" Aiko asked incredulously. "Of course we're going to win it!"

Kiora snorted. "Yeah, right. We've been to what, three of them now? And the best we've done is third. This place is still empty every night when we go on."

"Okay, that's enough for you," said a voice from below the edge of the bar. A pair of young girls appeared, one taking Kiora's elbow, the other her guitar. Together, they led her out of the back of the bar and up the back staircase to the apartment above. Aiko apologized to Jim, and followed them.

"Took you two long enough," she said as she entered the apartment. The older looking girl, Yumi, answered.

"Sorry, we were a little busy, and didn't realize the music had stopped. That's usually our cue to come cut her off."

The actual older girl, Kohana, was nowhere to be seen, presumably putting Kiora into bed before she tried to hurt somebody.

Aiko sighed. "Such is the glamorous life of a wanna-be rock star."

"I can't believe her!" Natsuko complained, wrapping up cords and tossing them into bags and cases. "Give her a few drinks and she turns into Little Miss Negative Nancy."

Melody Uchiha grunted in agreement before locking her bass in its case.

"Not to mention we had- no, still have, almost a half an hour to play, but noooo, we have to stop because nobody's here to listen."

"Well," Melody said, carefully choosing her words. "We are a rock band, we need an audience, right?"

Natsuko frowned, pausing in the middle of pulling apart a mic stand. "I suppose, but I mean, how are we supposed to attract an audience if we only ever play one song before our egomaniac guitarist jumps off stage because the current situation isn't good enough? I mean, let's not forget the fact that Jim is nice enough to rent us the apartment over the bar for half what he should be charging, all under the assumption that we're going to draw in customers."

"Maybe," Melody said, in a voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe we need a costume change."

Natsuko raised an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that?"

"Well, maybe we should, well, use our femininity, so to speak, to get some attention at the next battle of the bands. Every other metal band just dresses up in black and plays, maybe we should put on a bit more of a show. Make a lasting impression."

Natsuko grinned. "I like the way you think."

Kiora groaned at the thin strips of light streaming in through the curtains on her window, rolling over to get away from them. She found herself eye-to-eye with Kohana, her lover.

"You suck at holding your liquor," the blonde vampire said. "I mean, wow. I thought with as much stamina as you have, you'd be able to hold more than two pints of beer before going off the deep end and getting all depressed."

"Shut up," Kiora said, burying her face into her pillow. "It's not like I grew up drinking every other day. I'm just not as used to it as some people. Now stop making me talk, my head hurts."

"I hope you remembered that you're supposed to help Jim in the bar today," Kohana reminded her. "You've been asleep for about eleven hours, just so you know."

Kiora thought quickly, ignoring the dull throb in her head. "We played at two in the morning, so I can sleep for two more hours before I have to start getting ready," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Right," Kohana said. "Let's just say I understood your mumbles and reminded you that you have to be downstairs in twenty minutes."

"WHAT?" Kiora shouted, leaping out of bed. "Pick out some clothes for me, I'll be in the shower!" She ran to the bathroom, stripping on the way. After a three minute shower, consisting of washing her hair and any sweaty bits, she stormed out, drying herself with one hand and putting on makeup with the other.

She pulled on a clean set of underwear, threw on the skirt and tank top that Kohana had picked out, and pulled on her sneakers before taking the stairs three at a time.

"I'm not late, am I?" she asked as she hopped over the bar. Jim was already there, pulling the day's cash out for the register from the safe.

"No, you're fine," the kind middle-aged man said. "Even if you were late, nobody would have been here for at least an hour."

Kiora glanced at her watch, and silently cursed Kohana's poor math skills. She heard the TV power on, and turned to catch the news.

"-but the fact remains that we don't know if these people pose a threat to the safety of the rest of the world. This 'chakra' that they possess is dangerous, and they're training people to use it as a weapon!"

"I understand your fears, but you also need to take into account that their techniques also include many medical miracles that are equal to or beyond the capabilities of our current level of technology. These people have the capability to save hundreds or thousands of lives, and you want to deny them the right to exist?"

"No, not to exist, I just want to see some regulation on the offensive natures of their abilities. They're training children, as young as age seven, in the use of these metaphysical feats. I don't see that as safe, and there are many who agree with me."

"Yes, but you have to realize that they come from a world without weapons like we have, and they learned to harness the energies inside their bodies to their advantage. These are still human beings, senator, and you can't regulate their right to live, and their military's source of strength. I see no reason to fear people who have shown us no ill will."

"Change the channel, will you?" Kiora asked, disgusted. She had heard various forms of this debate for months since Konoha's ascent from its alternate dimension prison.

She often wondered what was going on at home, but as of yet, no one had attempted to connect them to the global information network, beyond building an airport and a pair of seaports. Sakura had made several appearances on news broadcasts, giving speeches to try and calm the rest of the world.

It hadn't worked.

It wasn't long before word got out about the superhuman abilities of the shinobi, and people either flocked to Konoha in an attempt to learn how to control chakra, or petitioned, rallied, and protested the fact that people with such abilities were allowed in society. For now, political pressure had forced the Ninja Academy to close its doors, but private schools were still open. Sasuke and Anko were teaching those who would have normally attended the Academy, but several of the survivors from other villages had taken to teaching foreigners for profit. Conservative estimates placed the number of people with very basic chakra control in the thousands. Those with the capability to perform jutsu numbered less than three hundred, but that didn't stop the masses from panicking about "supernatural threats."

Kiora had managed to convince Jim that she and her group of friends were from the southwest of the United States, and had all moved to Boston to try out the music scene. She didn't really know why, but she didn't want him to know she had once come from Konoha.

The illusion was helped, somewhat, by the fact that she no longer had the ability to control chakra. That brief lapse in judgment, when she regained the use of her patriarch gene, and she had simultaneously released the gene and the Kyuubi's chakra at the same time, had put too much strain on her chakra coils. Unfortunately, it would have been fine had she rested and allowed them to recover from the shock, but she had pulled off several long-distance teleportation jutsus and aided in the rebuilding of Konoha, and it had crippled them beyond the ability of medical jutsu to heal.

Sakura had sealed her chakra coils, preventing her from damaging them further. She now lived as a normal human girl, forever frozen at the appearance of sixteen, courtesy of the vampire she had left upstairs.

She bit back her visible anger. Any time she got too stressed, the seal on her belly flared up, sending a wave of searing pain through her. She had very quickly learned to control her anger. Not any of her other emotions, mind you, just anger. And the others had filled that very large void.

Just as Jim had said, the bar stayed empty for the first hour, and then the first customers began to slowly trickle in. Melody and Natsuko came down later, mostly to tell Kiora they were going shopping for something band related. The night stayed quiet until the usual crowd of leather-clad bikers showed up near midnight.

"Hey, babe, what's a looker like you doing working in a dump like this?" One asked, obviously new to the place, since Kiora had been doing work around the bar for almost six months since they arrived.

Kiora ignored his question and asked him what he wanted to drink. He didn't seem to get the picture, instead hitting on her. His buddy, next to him, tried to warn him, but it was too late.

The pocket knife was out in a flash, stabbed down in the wooden bar, perfectly between the impudent man's pointer and middle fingers. Kiora had started carrying the small weapon shortly after moving into the apartment, realizing a kunai would have given her away.

"Okay buddy, you get one more chance," Kiora said, a fake smile on her lips. She ignored the twinge of pain that indicated the start of her seal locking down. "Order a drink, and you can stay. Keep up what you're doing, and the next time this knife comes out, I take a few inches off of your most prized possession."

The man stuttered that he'd take a beer, and Kiora slid the pocket knife back onto her belt. Jim sent her a mandatory glare, but she knew he appreciated the fact that she kept the peace. It wasn't hard to win a fight around here, as long as you had an edged weapon, and once she had used the Hyuuga clan sword to break up a particularly bad fight. It may have been overkill, but seeing as how Melody had been warming up her Mangekyo, it was probably the lesser of two evils.

She sighed, poured the guy his beer, and leaned back up against the bar. Tonight was going to be quiet.

Or else.

A/N: Wow, I really don't want to know how long that took me. It's been quite a while since HN3 ended, and I totally remember saying this was going to start a few weeks later, but I got majorly sidetracked, so meh... I got kicked out of the Navy for helping a friend, started working on my first album to try and get a band together, and moved to Washington state! Fun stuff, we had a blast. Hell, the only reason I started working on this again is because the internet is down, and I got tired of doing sidequests in Star Ocean 4... So yeah...

Anyways, REVIEW! Please?

(1) Crescendo: Easiest definition is that the music gets louder, building to a peak, typically before getting quieter.

(2) Power Chord: The most important chord in all of rock! It's the root note, the note that's 5 higher (the fifth) and occasionally the octave. Go listen to some Green Day, you'll know what a power chord is soon enough.

(3) Low E: The lowest note on a guitar in standard tuning. Guitars are normally tuned (from low to high): E A D G B e

(4) Pattern: Music has structure, and as such, it has patterns. Learning these patterns makes it easier to learn songs.

(5) Drum Beats: A rock beat is typically a kick on the odd beats, a snare on the even beats, with cymbals doing some other time-keeping. Swing beats are similar, but think 50s style rock and roll.

(6) Any time I put lyrics in parenthesis, it means that they're being sung by back-up singers (Typically Melody and Kiora).

(7) Fill: A non-standard bit of free form playing, most often used by drummers, but you can have guitar fill and bass fills, etc. Often used to link two patterns.

(8) Tremolo Arm: Fancy name for a whammy bar.

(9) Taps/Pinch Harmonics: Advanced guitar techniques; Tapping involves using the picking hand to play notes without picking, and pinch harmonics create artificial notes by muting the string slightly with the thumb while picking.