Wow. I go this idea watching cartoon network on a Friday morning lacking anything better to do. Hopefully this goes over as well as I think it's going to. By the way, they're supposed to be twenty to twenty-two in this fic. And it's AU if any of you were too dimwitted to have figured that out. Just as a bit of warning, there may be a bit of light shonan ai/slash. later on. Nothing too heavy though seeing as I suck at romance. I still am not quite sure what my pairing will be in this fic. I'll try and consider some requests if any one has any although some aspects of the story are already set. Thank you for taking the time to read this!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the other characters. They were brought to life by the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto.
Naruto turned the key to his newly bought bus. Not to say that it was new or anything because it most definitely was not new, worked ok but it was old and told many tales with all the graffiti that was layered on it's once yellow sides.
Some people would probably think him crazy. He was really taking his chances, but he didn't have much to lose. In fact, just about the only things he did have to lose were his life, his bus, oh and the lottery he'd previously won. That was the last time he'd taken his chances and once he saw where it landed him he thought, 'Ah, why not buy a bus and make my living taking hitchhikers across the country?'
Which was what he intended to do. He used to have a huge house in southern California with expensive furniture, people to cook and clean for him, even a pool. But even all that wasn't worth coming home to such a cold, formal atmosphere. So he fired his workers, sold the house and furniture, and bought the bus from some drug addicted hippie left over from the seventies. The bus had originally with held the odor of marijuana, but a little, no, a lot of Febreeze fixed that.
And so here he was driving down a crowded highway during rush hour his blaring radio being heard from a mile away. The bass making the asphalt below tremble. Tired people coming home from long hours in the office glared at him and began hitting their heads up against their steering wheels, praying to God for a miracle to get the grid locked traffic moving.
And this was the scenario in which he encountered his first passenger. The rose haired girl stood on the side of the road clothed in a fashionably tattered set of acid wash jeans and a red leather jacket over a black halter top. On her back was a backpack and at her feet were two suitcases both worn.
Naruto pulled over and opened the door giving her his signature foxy grin, "Konnichiwa! Need a ride?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Hi. Sure." 'Isn't he a little young to be driving buses for a living?' she thought to herself about to lug both of her suitcases aboard.
"Hey let me help you with that!" He put the bus into park and hopped out, irritating the people who, despite his best efforts to move onto the side of the road, were unable to pass him.
"OK." She replied as he took both of her suitcases and lugged them aboard the mobile sad excuse for art.
Naruto tossed them into a random seat and started driving (if you could call being stuck in such heavy traffic driving) again, "So where you headed."
"Well in the long run I'm headed to New York City but how far will you get me?"
"I'll take you all the way. I started a hitchhiking service you see! That's how I'm gonna make my living! What do you do?"
"Well, I'd like to go into medicine and I have a degree and everything but I don't have much money. I think the prices are going to be a lot cheaper in New York. Because, well you know how expensive stuff in California is! And you said that you make your living running this-" she paused, "hitchhiking business. I can't pay you." She looked at the ground ashamedly.
"You're that poor huh?" He ignored her "hey!" and thought for a minute, "Hmmmm. Well I guess I could always ask for a favor instead. You any good with money?"
"Actually yes although you couldn't tell by looking at my bank account." Sakura replied sheepishly.
"Than if I let you ride for free for now will you manage my money?"
"How?"
"As soon as you get your address let me know. That'll be my billing address! As soon as people can pay I'll have them send the money to you and then you can deposit it into my bank account! Sound cool?"
Her face brightened despite her surprise at his quick thinking, "Yeah that sounds great. I mean if you can trust me. Thank you!"
"Sure!" he flashed a smile, "So where you from?"
She thought a minute deciding whether or not she could trust him. In the end she decided that a serial killer wouldn't drive a hippi bus, aimlessly around the country picking up people in need for a ride.. Unless he got his kicks from running from the law and killing random strangers. He just didn't seem the type though, "Actually I'm originally from Arizona. My Dad is an insurance salesman and my Mom is a teacher. We never had much money and people used to make fun of me in school so I thought I'd get away from everything and try to prove to people that you can get anything if you work hard enough you know?"
"Yeah."
"So I'm going to go to New York and hopefully find a job in a hospital."
"Why? That's so boring!" the blonde exclaimed.
"Excuse me!" she gaped at him, insulted.
"Not that it's bad or anything! It just sounds really really boring!"
"You think that being in an emergency room trying to dispel a blood clot in someone's brain is boring?"
"I'm not saying it's not hard work. It's just… kinda boring. I'd rather be meeting new people and doing a lot ya know?"
"I guess if you're not seeking to make much money that's the way to live."
"I've got enough money to last me a while actually. I'm the winner of the big $111 million dollar lottery!"
She gawked at him, "So you're driving hitchhikers around?! Why aren't you living the good life?"
"Well I did for a while but I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I was so bored, With only the butlers for company and all! They're all old and grumpy. Not to mention the loneliness…" For a minute he stared off elsewhere. A melancholy look adorning his sunny features, but quickly the mask slid back into place, "Eh heh heh I figure I'll find the perfect girl if I have the whole country to choose from! But looks like I didn't have to go far!"
'So he's a perv is he?!' Inner Sakura exclaimed, 'If ha lays one hand on me I'll kill him!' She opted to voice only that he not get any ideas.
He chuckled nervously sensing the murderous energy behind her response. Suddenly his eyes widened. Sakura gasped and clung to the seat in front of her for dear life as he veered off towards the nearest exit.
"Are you trying to give me whip-lash?" she demanded angrily.
"No! Sorry it's just that there's this really good place for food nearby! You don't see many ramen stands around!"
"Must we? I like lived off of ramen for the past couple of years."
"Awww come on! You can get something different."
"Oh fine." She sighed as they entered the busy city traffic. (A/N: LOL yes more traffic.)
Yes everyone (or anyone...) that is all for now. Did you like it? Yes or no? Please review and once I see the feedback I may decide to write some more! But you have to review! Any questions comments and flames are welcomed! (Although I doubt people have any reason to flame me so far…)
8:54 PM Eastern Standard Time
Me
