Author's Notes

So, I've had this idea in my head for quite some time. It's just a simple story of what love can bring to two people, and all the tribulations that follow. I also have a pretty cool idea that I want to introduce too. I don't know if this has been done before, but if you know me as a writer, you'd know that I haven't done anything like this before. So, to give some background on the idea I have to say, that I personally think that music is a great medium to use when writing a story. I listen to music whenever I right, it often helps give me ideas and point me where I want to go. So I thought, what if I let the readers listen to what I'm listening to, when I'm writing the story, or at least show them the ultimate emotion I want them to understand.

So, only if you want to, go to any website that allows you to listen to music, or just use Google. Search, "The Heart of Life," by John Mayer. When I say "(Play)" during the story just play the song! It's as easy as that! I will be doing this for the future chapters, each with a different song, but it's up to you if you want to partake. I promise, I'll always pick the right song to exemplify the emotion.

Chapter One

"Happy Birthday, Naruto"

The air never tasted sweeter. The sky never bluer, and the grass, never greener. One the best summers that Konoha had ever experienced now endured the village. A tree, overlooking the village swayed gently as the air played with the emerald colored leaves, and whistled majestic tunes when the breeze seeped through them.

We happen upon our hero as he lay underneath the rooted being, taking in the warmth of the sunlight and the solitude of his thoughts. His spiky blonde hair fell into his eyes while he lightly snoozed the hours away. The First Hokage's necklace, given to the sleeping boy by Lady Tsunade, glinted in the sunlight over a black t-shirt. An orange a black jacket was strewn across a massive root, peeking above the ground's surface.

A low chanting sound was emanating from somewhere in the village, adding to the serene state that the blonde was in. The singing was voiced by many of the villagers below. It seemed Konohagakure was in the middle of a celebration.

"Hey, Naruto."

He didn't wake right away, but instead he flopped over and unintentionally ignored the appeal. Someone sat down next to the blonde. They appeared friendly, as they did not wake him up and instead, they sat upright, back against the tree. This person had short, dark brown hair, and it tied in the back of his head into a short spiky pony-tail. Shikamaru Nara was his name, and today he looked just as lazy as usual.

The Nara picked up a long blade of grass and pressed it to his lips. He began lightly blowing on it to produce such a loud piercing noise that caused the dormant blonde to stir himself awake.

"Hunh?" Naruto said aloud, still thinking he was dreaming. "Shikamaru? Did you wake me up?" The picking up of the breeze drowned out the boy's groggy voice.

Shikamaru laughed at his friend, fully aware of the annoyed grimace Naruto was wearing. The blonde was about to berate his friend, when the Nara piped up. "Why aren't you at the festival?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Naruto responded idly, positioning himself against the tree to match the sitting height of his friend. The whiskered boy watched Shikamaru sigh and bow his head in what seemed like apprehensiveness. "Is something wrong, Shikamaru?"

"No, nothing at all." The dark-haired boy said, sporting a faltering smile. "I just wanted to know why you were up here instead of celebrating." he added, earning a disconcerted look from Naruto.

"You're still worried about Temari, aren't you." Naruto posed this as more of a statement, and not a question.

Shikamaru nodded absentmindedly, looking up at the cloudless blue sky, and sighing again. "I just don't know what I'd do if I lose her . . ."

Naruto looked to his friend, his face slowly turning saddened by the expression the Nara was wearing. Naruto suddenly began to miss his solitude. He didn't know how to deal with the heartache Shikamaru was going through. His girlfriend of a few months now was in serious trauma, after a mission defending the Leaf Village from potential attackers who were from the Hidden Mist. Shikamaru was on the mission attempt with her, but compared to the assailants, he was no match.

Tears began to well in Shikamaru eyes, and Naruto's heart went out to him, along with a friendly pat on the Nara's shoulder. "She's gonna be okay." Naruto offered, but to no avail.

"How am I supposed to celebrate some annoying festival when I know she's in that hospital, dying?" Shikamaru said, beginning to shake.

The blonde had never seen the shadow-user so distraught before, he didn't know how to handle the situation. Shikamaru was usaully so cool, calm and collected, it was actually quite strange to see him breaking down, to see him . . . vulnerable.

"Shikamaru . . ." Naruto said lowly. "Talk to me." It was the best way he could think of to sway his friend to calm down.

Shikamaru's dark eyes connected with the blonde's icy blue ones. For a moment they stared at each other, neither passing a word. Another breeze rolled in on them, engulfing them in a warm blanket of air. Naruto's spiky hair played with the breeze's tinglings, making him smile in the face of the distressed Shikamaru. Granted his eyes were closed.

"Happy birthday, Naruto." Shikamaru said, smiling weakly.

The long cobbled walkway back into the heart of the village was a journey for our hero. Not in the physical aspect, but a mental one. He was left by Shikamaru with the harboring thought of Temari's potential death. Temari was a friend, as he thought of it, she was a very close one. Mostly, because she was the sister of the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara. The two, Naruto and Gaara, were very close indeed, both sharing the commonality of being vessels for the acclaimed Jinchurikis.

His thoughts then went out to the reason behind why the village of Konoha was celebrating today. Under the blue sky, he remembered back to when the Yondaime saved the village from the very thing living inside him. That was what the people of the Leaf were honoring on this beautiful day. It didn't seem right for him to intrude on such an occasion.

It was stupid of him to be thinking this hard on his day off. Because of the festival, Lady Tsunade gave everyone the day off, and ordered nearly all the ninja on leave for missions to come back to the village and join in the festivities. He should have relaxed, but now, he was heading for the hospital where he would meet up with Shikamaru for a visit to Temari's room.

Naruto thought back to how Shikamaru and Temari had become so close. During Naruto's plight to retrieve Sasuke when they were all younger, Shikamaru and the pig-tailed beauty began to share a connection, one that Naruto yearned to have with someone.

The door to the white hospital room opened with a long strenuous creak. Seven pairs of eyes settled on him and fixed him with happy, yet curious looks.

Shikamaru greeted his friend with a firm handshake and a gracious smile. "Thanks for coming, Naruto."

The blonde followed the dark haired boy further into room where he was greeted by more familiar faces. Sakura Haruno saluted him with a fervent glance, her hand barely leaving her side. Ino Yamanaka have him a 'turn back now' look, and her teammate Choji Akamichi was nervously eating from a potato chip bag, occasionally crunching the contents with his overbearing hands. Temari lay in bed - white covers reaching her neck - smiling broadly at Naruto. Two other beings stood on either side of her and barely acknowledged his presence before returning their gazes back to the eldest blonde in the room.

"Gaara! Kankuro!" Naruto exclaimed, taking a step forward and reaching for Kankuro's shoulder. "It's great to see you guys!"

"It's great to see you too, Naruto . . ." Temari said from somewhere below Naruto's line of sight.

"Oh, Temari . . ." Naruto began, a look of seriousness clouding over his face. "I'm sorry about what happened." It was his best attempt at sincerity, but Temari, as well as everyone else, could tell he meant it.

"It's not your fault." The Sand woman said, shrugging and smiling meekly. "If I were paying attention then I would have seen the attacks coming."

"This wouldn't have happened if one of us was with you." Kankuro said lowly, trying not to be overheard.

"Are you saying I'm incompetent?" Shikamaru said, uncharacteristically angry. Kankuro had unsuccessfully hid his words. The two stared at eithe each other with icy cold rays, and it insinuated that the Nara and the puppet-user never really got along.

Naruto was surprised by Shikamaru's outburst, but the more he thought about it, in the few seconds he was allotted, Shikamaru had a right to be angry. After all, it wasn't his fault what happened to his girlfriend, and Shikamaru was one of the best shinobi to have when going into combat.

"No I'm not saying you're incompetent, although given the circumstances . . ." Kankuro said, turning his glare towards his sister, which faded the more he talked. "I think Temari should come back to the Sand Village with me and Gaara."

The black suited Sand-nin's words stung Naruto, and even everyone else in the room. He could only imagine how they sounded to Shikamaru. It was then that he realized why no one else in the room was talking, and he slowly backed away from the bed, standing next to the equally blonde Ino.

Shikamaru's head bowed in defeat. It was saddening to watch for Naruto, because he remembered how hard it was for the shadow-user to get Temari to live with him. He had to jump through many hoops and appeal to the elders of Sunagakure. When Shikamaru passed the test many of the Leaf-nin were astounded, because that is a hard feat to carry out indeed.

"I already told you, Shikamaru and I have a happy life together. I'm not going back to the village." Temari said defiantly, turning away from her little brother and instead looked to her youngest sibling.

Gaara had remained stony throughout the entire conversation, giving it an even larger air of importance. He merely stared at his sister's state, his pale blue eyes examining her with a somewhat sympathetic look.

"Tell her!" Kankuro pleaded to his brother. The hooded Sand-nin raised an arm in angst over his sister's incarcerated body. "They can't take care of her here!"

The Kazekage stared at his older brother, no emotion in his eyes, nor the rest of his face. Gaara found his voice after a minute of absolute silence. "Temari is perfectly capable of taking care of herself." His voice was short and almost commanding. "It is her decision to make. She can live wherever she wants, and with whomever she wants."

This ended the topic, sending Kankuro into an unspoken rage. His hands clenched into balls, and his jaw quivered under the pressure of his frustration. Naruto studied the Sand Kage, admiration in his eyes. Gaara's word was law, there was nothing his brother or his sister could say to dissuade the demand of the red-headed Jinchuriki , and Naruto longed to be revered with such respect. "We're leaving." Gaara said, indicating himself and the puppet-user to his sister.

Temari nodded in understanding, accepting that her brothers were already departing under the threshold of the door. "Thank you, Garra." She said, her voice sounding exhausted.

"We should probably go." Sakura said, watching Shikamaru reach out an arm so he could grab hold of his girlfriend's hand. It was a pretty scene to observe, it gave Naruto a sentimental feeling, increasing his urge to find a girl whom he could be with, like the shadow and Sand-nin.

The four outsiders, caught in a very awkward situation left quickly, feeling they crossed the line of overstaying their visit long before this point. Choji disappeared behind the door first, Sakura and Ino following in his large wake. Naruto paused at the aperture, turning around to see the two lovers in a warm embrace. "It's good to see you're doing better." He said simply, sporting his usual stupidly happy grin.

"Happy birthday!" Temari replied, Shikamaru releasing her so he could wave good-bye.

"Happy birthday, Naruto!"

Four small cups of saké clinked together, then the hands holding them quickly brought them to their respected mouths. The group that had left the hospital room hours ago found themselves in a tiny, yet full tavern, somewhere deep into the heart of the village. "Thanks, guys." Naruto said, looking to his friends and smiling kindly.

The day had rapidly turned to dusk, it seemed Naruto and his friends were in that hospital room for longer than they thought. The blonde set his saké cup down on the table, and looked morosely to the window next to them, displaying the festival outside. He was there, with Ino, Sakura and Choji physically, but not mentally. He was thinking hard about the exhibition he witnessed back at the clinic. Shikamaru and Temari were the perfect example of what he wanted for himself. He wanted someone to protect, no matter the circumstance. Seeing Shikamaru fight for his girlfriend touched him deeply. He had never really seen that kind of closeness, in anyone. Having no parents put him at a disadvantage in that field. He was emotionally disconnected from people. No matter how easily he made friends, there would always be a certain social barrier he couldn't overcome, and it usually always circled back to his lack of love as a child. Although, he had a lot to be thankful for, too much to really use as an example for himself, but to him, nothing he had accomplished would ever add up to the love of a companion.

"I hope you're having a good time so far!" Ino said exuberantly. The sheen of her platinum-blonde hair reflected the low light hanging over the table they all before. "After all, we're all paying for this."

"Oh, don't remind me." Sakura sighed, running a hand through her vibrant pink hair. "I'm gonna go broke after this." She added with a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry about it!" Choji said, stuffing his face with a bread roll that came from a small basket in the middle of the counter. He slapped Sakura hard on the back, in what was meant to be playful, but he ended up with a welt the size of his fist on his forehead, due to a chakra induced punch by the pinkette.

Naruto laughed. Reminding himself that had friends was the best medicine whenever he was feeling lonely. "Where is this food?" He inquired, trying to further the thoughts from his mind.

"We've been waiting for some time now." Ino said, agreeing with Naruto's inquiry, her pale blue eyes searching about the tavern for some sign of a waiter. "But, then again, this place is unusually busy. Probably because of the festival . . ." She trailed off, her head turning to the window.

Fireworks littered the skies, all of bright colors and contours. The foursome watched the bursts of light explode with much enthusiasm, occasionally crying out when one was exceptionally pretty. The thunderings from above were a sure sign that things weren't as bad as they seemed for poor Naruto. It was a sign that things were looking up for him, and he, rightfully so, deserved every minute of it.

The waiter came bearing only three plates of food. Ino was appalled when she saw that her plate was not set down in front of her. "Where's mine?" she cried, her hands balling into fists under the table.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." The young-looking waiter replied, with sorrow in his voice. Naruto couldn't tell if the boy meant it or not. "You're order, is taking . . . time to cook." He left swiftly afterwards. Ino had a dumbstruck look upon her face.

"What was that all about?" She asked, not really saying it to get an answer. The others simply looked at her, ignoring their food. It's normally shameful in their culture to eat at a table where not everybody has food. "Don't worry about it, guys. Go ahead, eat up." She sounded genuine, which was enough for Choji to begin devouring his meal.

"I'll wait for you." Naruto said, as he watched Sakura slurp up a noodle. The pink-haired girl eyed Ino apologetically, still eating. Ino laughed, lightly shoving her friend into the glass of the window. "How's the food?" Naruto asked Sakura, when the laughter died down.

Sakura stuck her tongue out, catching the snide in Naruto's comment. "It's pretty good!" Choji exclaimed, eyes closed and his mouth full of barbeque pork.

The table was in laughter once more. It was good to laugh again, Naruto thought. He hadn't laughed this hard since Jiraiya had died. The grey-haired man flashed through his mind, smiling broadly and standing atop the giant toad, Gamabunta, and posing ridiculously. Holding back small tears, Naruto discarded the thought to the dark recesses of his mind, hoping to never have to see that again. The less he thought of it, the better his days would go.

"I think I'm gonna head out now." Choji said standing up from the table and dusting off his red suit. "I'm gonna go see how Shikamaru is doing."

"What?" Naruto asked, sliding into a more comfortable position in the booth. "You're going back to the hospital?" He thought it absurd to go back there, mostly because getting caught in another awkward situation like before would be torture.

"I think he said something about going home around this time, so I'll just head over there." The red-headed mass said briskly. Without another word, he tossed his share of the money on the table and departed the tavern.

Naruto watched him walking slowly through the street, dodging little kids running with sparklers. Somewhere in his peripheral vision he saw Sakura stand up, ushering Ino out of the booth so she could get out. "I have to go too." She said lightly, putting her money on the table next to Choji's. "Lady Tsunade wants to see me bright and early in the morning, so I think I'll get some shut eye." She added with a swift wink in Naruto's direction.

The tavern was getting quieter and quieter as the night went on. Ino's food finally came out, only after Choji and Sakura left, so now at least Naruto could eat too. Although, by this time his food had already gone cold. People were leaving left and right, and soon, Naruto and Ino were the only one's left in the tavern, aside from the waiters and the bar-maiden.

The two were sharing many laughs together, recounting on old child-hood memories. "Remember when you and Sakura-chan would fight of Sasuke?" Naruto said, sniggering as he chopped up a small portion of pork.

"You idiot, Naruto." The blonde-girl said, betraying a laugh herself. "I used to like Sasuke-kun. I'm over him now!"

"Big talk!" Naruto exclaimed. "I bet if he walked in here now, you'd be all over him!"

"I bet, you would be all over him!" Ino retorted, making both the blondes laugh until their cheeks hurt.

So far it had been a great night, and a great birthday. Apart from the hospital experience, it would be a very memorable day. But, for some reason he still had this inkling, that he was missing out on something, and he was sure it stemmed from Shikamaru and Temari. He wanted what they had, true happiness, together.

"This stuff is pretty good." Ino said, twirling her chopsticks into her miso soup.

Naruto watched her, already done with his own food. Ino's candid form was truly beautiful, the more he thought about it the more he remembered when a certain pale boy had called her that. Ino was pale, or not pale, he corrected himself. She was fair-skinned, yes, that was the term. Her champagne colored hair fell behind her in quiet ripples, a fold of it, lying in front of her cerulean eye. Naruto was drawn to her. He wanted to capture this moment, to take a photo of her and collage it somewhere in the back of his mind, somewhere he wouldn't forget it.

"Naruto, I said, what are you doing?" Ino's voice came on a sweet roll of air, sending him sky-rocketing out of his own brain.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." He managed to say. He looked steadily to his empty plate, and tried to concentrate on the markings he left with the different sauces of the dish he. Little did he know, he was slowly giving himself away.

"Hm . . ." Ino said, turning her gaze from Naruto to the fair outside. "I wonder what the show is tonight . . ."

"What show?" The whiskered boy asked a little too casually.

"Every year, the festival holders put up a show, a special reenactment of the best battle of the year."

"Do they really?" Naruto turned to the window, but instead only saw his reflection. The low lighting above them left a glare that was hard to see through.

"You mean to tell me, you've never been to the festival before?" Ino asked in amazement.

"Well, I was never allowed to go as a kid, and I guess as I got older I never really wanted to go . . ." Naruto said, putting his elbow on the table and leaning his head on it. "It was never really important, you know?"

Ino looked at Naruto, for what felt like really the first time. Whether she had just gotten new eyes or what, she couldn't decide, she was too busy studying him, taking in his features. The blonde boy was staring wistfully out the window, just as he was doing when they first arrived at the tavern. His crystal blue eyes showed mystery behind them, making Ino want to call out to him, and ask him what he was thinking. But, she withheld the thought, already aware of the Sonnin, Jiraiya's death, Naruto's godfather, and friend. His spiky blonde hair reached the brim of his forehead protector, and his sideburns grew to about the bottoms of his ears. Through the years, Naruto had grown so much, no longer acting as the village prankster. He acquired many friends, and not to mention some muscle to boot. Ino recalled seeing him at the hot springs with Kiba and Shikamaru once, he was definitely the most physically fit out of that group. He was truly a handsome boy. At the moment, Naruto looked troubled, like he was lost in thought, and it would take a lot to drag him out. She wanted to caress his sun-kissed skin, to tell him not to worry about master Jiraiya, that everything was going to be okay. She shook the thought, remembering how she was when Asuma sensei passed away. She wanted to cry most nights, and during the day she didn't want to be talked to. Was that how Naruto was feeling?

He could feel her eyes on him. The pale blue orbs seeping their rays into every nook and cranny that was himself. No doubt she was checking him out, much like he did to her moment ago. He took pride in that, even though he didn't know for sure. A smile crept upon his face, wrinkling his whiskers and giving him a slight crow's feet on his eyes. "Let's go to this festival." Naruto said suddenly. This time it was his turn to break her concentration.

"What?" Was all she could muster. It was her ploy to get Naruto to ask her to go, but she didn't think he'd come up with the idea all on his own.

"yeah, just me and you."

"Alright . . . but only because it's your birthday."

(Play)

"Naruto! Stop!" Ino laughed out, trying to protect herself.

Naruto was tickling her far beyond her limit as they perused the streets that the festival encased. He finally stopped after a full minute of torture, the champagne blonde heaving deep sighs, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm gonna kill you, Naruto." She said, holding her midriff, which was revealed by how short her dark purple top was. "I'm not kidding." She added, seeing how hard he was laughing. She couldn't help but release a chuckle or two. She was happy, he was feeling better, nobody should be sad on their birthday. "It's not funny!"

Naruto looked at the girl, an embarrassed expression made her face grow redder and redder. He couldn't stop laughing, hopefully she knew it wasn't in a mean way. "I'm sorry . . ." He said, when she continued walking, still holding her stomach.

"Whatever!" She said in what sounded like an angry tone, but there was a twinge of sarcasm, which luckily, Naruto caught. "Come over here!" She called.

Naruto followed her beckoning, and was soon introduced to a street vendor bearing a treasure trove of goodies and candies. The man was shallow-skinned, and his hair was losing its color as well as its fullness, yet, that didn't take away from what was behind him. Under the warm glow of a lantern, dumpling sticks covered in sparkling sugar were planted on a small machine, spinning rotisserie style. The sweet aroma enticed Naruto and Ino, and soon enough the Jinchuriki slammed his frog-shaped money pouch on the table and started throwing coins at the vendor. He bought four sticks, two for both blondes.

"Thank you!" Ino said sweetly, batting her eyelashes, and accepting the sticks of sugared bread.

"No problem." Naruto said, ravaging his first dumpling in under a second. "So where to next?" He asked once his mouth was empty.

"The show is starting in a couple of minutes, we could go see that. If you want." She said, giving the decision to Naruto.

He thought about it for a minute, as they walked closer and closer to the middle of the festival. The place was adorned with many decorations. Brightly colored dragons draped every electricity pole, flashing lights laced every awning and overhang, while children played around a fountain, ablaze with gleaming water. Naruto was surprised that he was actually here with Ino. This was the last girl that he would have seen himself with, but it just felt . . . right. He watched her blonde hair bob behind her as she walked over to the fountain.

She beckoned him forward once more, calling the Jinchuriki over with her sweet sounds. He felt like Odysseus, being lured in by the beautiful sirens of the sea. "Is something the matter?" She asked, once Naruto reached her.

"No, nothing at all." He said quickly, but when Ino eyed him warily with her blue orbs, he added, "I'm just happy to be here with you."

She was literally taken aback. Her shoulders moved behind her head, and her free hand unconsciously went to her chest. She was the epitome of the 'who, me?' look. Naruto laughed at her astounded state, and read her mind. "Yes, you . . ."

"I'm happy to be here with you too." She said, and she never would have thought she'd say that to Naruto, of all people. But, she meant it, every word. In her embarrassment she moved her hair out of her right eye, and smiled, revealing rosy red dimples.

"Why do these festivals go on for so long?" Naruto asked, feeling his own face go hot.

"Well, no one really knows why . . . But, Shikamaru thinks it's all just an excuse for our parents to get really drunk!" She giggled, remembering the first time the shadow-user told her that. She immediately slapped her hand to her mouth when she saw Naruto's head bow in a sudden depression. "I'm so sorry!"

"Its alright, I'm used to it." He replied with a fake smile. Ino bowed her head in shame, her hair falling all over her shoulders. Naruto put an arm around his fellow blonde, coddling her like he was trying to keep her warm. "Its okay, seriously!" He said, making Ino look up into his eyes, matching blue to blue.

"I'm just . . . really sorry . . ." She said softly, unwavering her gaze.

"I know . . ." He replied, a crooked smile creeping upon his face.

It was a spontaneous feeling. He didn't know how it happened, but without thinking he kissed her. It was fast, but long enough for him to know that it was right. he could taste the sugar crystals left over from her pale pink lips. In that split second, her eyes had closed, and Naruto was left with a fleeting snapshot of his first intimate interaction with a girl.

It was the wind. No. His lips. She didn't know how it happened either, but she thought it felt . . . nice. Her heavy-lidded eyes closed under the pressure of having to look at him after. She kept them closed, her head still arched into the kiss, yet there was no contact. It was fast, but, justified. She could tell he was nervous. She was too, judging by how fast her heart was beating. In that split second, she realized Naruto was more beautiful than just a chiseled body. "Happy birthday." She managed to say before slowly nuzzling into his chest.

"Thank you . . ."

Author's Notes Continued . . .

So, readers, let me know what you think. I've been writing this for quite some time, and I felt it was finally time to release it. Tell me what you liked, and what I could improve on. Thanks for reading!