Hello to anyone reading this fic!
I'd like to just ask any of my potential readers to please, please, please be patient if I'm late with chapters - if this story gets off the ground - some chapters maybe late due to my college workload, and other things I might be doing. REGARDLESS! I will try my hardest; even if there is only one person out there who decides follows my story.
Sorry about this starting chapter; once the story is set up I can get on with it and have some fun.
*This fic starts in shippuden*
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters from it.
Text guide:
Bold: that's me! I'll try not to interrupt the chapters half way through, but if there is a lemon/inappropriate moment for some readers then I will probably make a note of it.
Average/normal text: Narration, speech (clear with speech marks) ect. Basically the main chunk of story.
Italics: Thoughts of the characters
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Chapter 1 - Setting the Scene
"Ugh! I can't stand him!" Sasuke complained "He's so full of himself... He didn't even turn up 'til halfway through the briefings, and even then, he just talked to the director for 10 minutes before disappearing!"
He slumped down in the booth at the local café. He'd made few friends since he moved to Konoha three years ago, and so was pleased to hear that his good friend, Hinata had gotten a part to work along-side him in 'Naruto' – a new series named after the blonde haired colleague that he had just been moaning about. It was the first day of shooting, but they hadn't gotten a chance to take to the stage yet. They had been subject to briefings on Health and Safety and fire exits instead, and this hadn't left a very good impression of their first day on set.
Hinata sat across from him and sighed. She'd wanted to come here to enjoy a ridiculously sweet drink and sandwich before having to head back to the studio, but was met with her friends' insistence of distaste for their new co-worker. Thankfully, Naruto had insisted on taking an hour and a half for his lunch break – a liberty that came along with the entitlement of being famous.
A waitress took their order, and brought them what they'd asked for five minutes later.
Neither Hinata nor Sasuke had ever been in such important acting roles before, and they found the concept interesting. Sasuke had liked the fact that their characters had been made so similar to their own personalities – they had had several interviews to both fit their characters with them, and fit them with their characters - whereas Hinata had not. She enjoyed getting into a different mind-set, and found that she was more confident when pretending to be somebody else. However, she liked the plot that'd be nicely set up, and loved how the characters intertwined for an amazing backstory… Most of all, however, she enjoyed working with a certain male.
"I wonder if Naruto will actually notice me…" thought Hinata as she took a bite of her sandwich. She flushed and caught the steely glance from her friend across from her. She couldn't help have a soft spot for Naruto; he was handsome, charming, and his name didn't seem to carry the stigma of bad press.
"You know, Sasuke-kun…" She started "Uzumaki-sama doesn't seem that bad…" She blushed again, and hoped that Sasuke put it down to the warm weather they were experiencing.
He cast a slightly shamed glance downward; he knew he wasn't being unfair. "All I'm saying is that he seems a bit arrogant. Like, who needs an hour and a half for lunch?!"
"Perhaps he has plans … he's got to be pretty popular…"
Sasuke sighed; defeated. "Maybe I'm just over-reacting, but he hasn't made a good impression on me so far… look… I'll try to like him, alright?"
Hinata smiled approvingly as she watched her friend proceed to perk up and talk about the latest episode of the series that they'd been watching together. She hoped that someday random people in coffee shops would chat about their performance in this series, or later shows in their acting careers.
She frowned as she thought about how her face would look on screen next to the beautiful Sakura Haruno's. Sakura had played a few roles – though mostly supporting characters – since her debut, three years ago, and was just starting to become a familiar face in the five nations. The Land of Fire was the most popular place for the rich and famous to live, along with the aspiring. Though the nation was not the wealthiest, the weather and living conditions were the most agreeable, and so it was pronounced a desirable place to live. Most of the 'big names' lived in large houses on the outskirts of Konoha, the main village residing in the Land of Fire. Hinata grimaced. Their accommodation wasn't bad; in fact, it was the complete opposite. They lived in neighbouring luxury apartments, but it made Hinata feel guilty, due to the fact that they were both living off their family's money.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by an icy stare from across the table.
"Hinata-chan… are you listening to me?" Sasuke asked, letting out a murderous miasma due to the fact that she was daydreaming whilst he was trying to talk to her.
The girl under scrutiny checked a non-existent watch and yelped "Oh! Is that the time?!" before scuttling out of the café.
Sasuke smirked; she was so easily spooked. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and then grabbed his belongings. He issued a "thank you" to the waitress who had served them, causing her to blush, then stepped outside, trying to catch up with his friend.
"Hinaaaataaa-chaaan!" he teased, as he caught up with her easily.
She peeked out at him timidly from behind a curtain of hair. Seeing his smiling face put her at ease, and they lapsed back into excited chattering as they made their way back to the studio.
They came to a halt around the corner from their destination, and both of their eyes moved over a familiar figure.
"Please, sir; let me help you with that."
Naruto took the elderly gentleman's heavy shopping with one hand, and helped him across the road with the other. Once he was on the other side, the man took a closer look at his helper.
"Don't… I know you from somewhere?" he asked
Naruto laughed "I guess I just have one of those faces!"
Sasuke's heart gave an involuntary 'thump' in his chest, at the sound of the laughter, and his eyes widened; confused.
Wait… what was that… why am I so warm all of a sudden? Do I…? No… that's not possible…
Sasuke took Hinata's hand, and dragged her away from the sight while Naruto was talking animatedly to his new friend.
He needed to get out of the heat.
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