Adagio, I Love You
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I only own the plot of the story.
Author's Note: I read this fan fiction my friend suggested and it somewhat inspired me to write this story. This is my favorite story I've written so far so yeah, I hope you guys would enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to review, let me know what you guys think about it, and yeah. Take care ya'll!
Music. It is not just a word that you see as you browse the pages of the dictionary. It is not just a sound that you hear whenever the leaves brush one another as the wind blows. It is not just a form of art that some people tend to misinterpret the meaning. It is a novel, where ones story lies beneath every note, being interpret by musicians through their respective musical instruments, and shouting to the world the tale of the composer. And what's beautiful about it is that each notes, like words, touches the listener, and moves them correspondingly to the feelings that each notes portrays, uniting them with the music itself.
It is a wonderful feeling – to be able to connect to someone, to realize that someone understands you. It makes you want to fly and let the emotions explode in your heart like paints being splashed in to the canvas and transform into a work of art. That feeling of excitement, and happiness colliding that makes you feel so contented, so relieved, that you can die the next day. That is the only thing that Naruto wants. And that is the only thing he cannot achieve.
Being a music student is not that easy. Other people tend to demean the music course because it only offers few opportunities, which is somewhat true, especially if you are not that talented. And besides,gifted musicians will never have a hard time in this course. Taking it is as easy as singing the alphabet song for them. But no, it is not. You may have the skills but not all gifted musicians can touch ones heart and awe the audiences.
Naruto is a prodigy – a gifted pianist, and an astonishing violinist. He actually passed the Julliard without a single sweat, and he used to play in grand parties his parents attend to when he was still in Chicago. All his professor and classmates adores him so much, but why would the girl he admires the most, Hyuuga Hinata, the daughter of the greatest saxophone player, would not notice him at all? Sure she praises him, and most of the time blushes whenever they meet down the hallway, but how come his music does not seem to reach her?
For an out-going type, he's kind of an introvert when it comes to his feelings, and the only way he expresses intense feelings such as love and hatred, is through music. He would sometimes arrive back in their dorm room and unexpectedly head to his keyboards and hit the notes like some unknown entity already conquered his body. It actually irritates his roommate sometimes. Not because he's playing nonsensical notes, but because he never even bothered taking it down or even recording it. It was a once in a life time melody. Naruto does not care at all. For him, everything is music, even the clicking sound his roommate's laptop makes whenever she types a story.
"Sakura-chan! What do you think of my new piece?"
"Yeah, it's alright." The girl uttered sarcastically as she gently runs her fingers on her own keyboards. Seriously, you call that a piece? You don't even have any notes of it. She thought.
Never in her life did she imagine herself rooming with a very, outrageous human being. She cannot even trace back how she was roomed with the blonde musician. All she could remember was that she was in rush, searching for a vacant room before the first semester starts, until her best friend, which happens to be a blonde musician as well, only a female, suggested a dormitory that offers a very spacious area with two bedrooms. The writer gladly accepted her offer, but she never thought that that said dormitory allows different gender in one room. Good thing though, Sakura and Naruto have known each other since grade school years.
Writing has always been Sakura's passion. And she was beyond delighted that her parents supported her writing career and allowed her to go to New York with her best friend, Ino, to express their artistic talent. Ino at first was forcing the rosette to apply to an art school because of her drawing and painting skills, but Sakura's passion for writing is above anything else, much to Ino's dismay.
And as soon as her essay was accepted in the New York University, she immediately searched for a place to stay in. And the rest was history. She could remember Naruto when they were in third grade, he was really into the rosette, but Sakura kept on turning him down till they reached high school, where she met the man who inspired her most, Uchiha Sasuke, the heart-throb of the whole campus. Naruto, on the other hand, met Hyuuga Hinata. Sasuke was the reason why Sakura started posting her short stories in the school news paper and online, in hope that he would notice her good writing skills. He actually did. Of course, he's a book-worm. But the problem is, the only thing he acknowledged is the stories and not the author at all. She tried everything to make the said Uchiha notice him, until an astonishing plan came to her mind one day – a love story dedicated to the raven, in hope that her feelings for him would reach his heart.
She is still writing the story up till now. And for an exceptional writer, it was the first time that a certain story challenged her brain. It looks like she cannot find, or better yet, express the most passionate feeling of love. And that is when she realized, just now, after the blonde's never-to-be-repeated composition, that what she feels for the raven is just a mere infatuation and not love at all.
"But Sakura-chan, don't you appreciate it, as in really appreciate it?" the blonde asked with a pout, hoping that his roommate will for once appreciate his music whole-heartedly. With that, the rosette finally removed her glance from the laptop's screen and looked at the blonde's blue eyes,
"Of course, Naruto, I appreciate it, it's just…" she trailed off as her brain played the melody her roommate created earlier. "Can you play it again?" she said as the light bulb on top of her lit with a blinding glow that could illuminate the whole room.
"Play what again?" the blonde asked upon standing from the stool. Head a bit tilted with curious expression.
"The piece that you played, can you play it again?" she uttered as her gaze returned back at her laptop's screen and began brushing her fingertips again on her beloved keyboards, and began typing words she had never thought of typing before, words that she was searching for years, the words that would express her deep love, but for who?
Of course she knew. For the past three years she had been living with Naruto, she managed to live up with his unruly world, and not to mention control her temper for the blonde's usual stupidity, that changed her impression to musicians ever since. But most of all, she managed to feel him, to connect with him. He may not realize it but his music always connects with her. It never failed to touch her heart and give her different emotions, activating every cell in her brain and not only inspiring her, but also motivating her to write wonderful stories. Naruto was the one who inspired her most, and he was the one who showed her what love actually means.
"Sakura-chan, you know I couldn't—"
"Just play anything."
"Anything?" he repeated while paying random happy notes, making the rosette raise a brow while typing.
"No, no… A love song maybe." She uttered, eyes still locked on the screen.
Naruto was quite unsure what to play. A love song? That he never tried playing before. Sure he composed several songs dedicated to Hinata, but come to think of it, none of them where even a love song. Most of them were happy and, and… Happy?! No wonder Hinata is not reaching his feelings at all, well actually she does, that's why it always makes her happy to hear his compositions, because they are happy. Which means he's not a failure, he just don't understand everything at all, particularly his feelings towards the said Hyuuga. He tried to imagine Hinata and his so-called love for her as his finger tips touches his keyboards.
"No, no… it's too happy. C'mon, I'm sure you got something up in your sleeves."
"I am trying—ttebayo." The blonde said. He doesn't like people pressuring him, it makes him feel, well pressured of course.
He then took a deep breath and tried to picture Hinata's sweet smile as he played different notes again.
"No, no, no!" said the rosette. Irritation was hinted in her voice.
Naruto was running out of ideas. He likes Hinata. She's the apple of Naruto's eye, but how come he cannot express a single love song for her? His one hand rubbed his temples while the other one played random notes, he was about to lose hope when he caught sight of the typing rosette across the living room, he was surely captivated by every moves she make. Like how her green eyes glance through her keyboards and to the screen. How she smiles when she re-reads her work. How she bite her lower lip whenever she feels like she has to change something. Her long, fair-skinned fingers gently typing and how her back remained straight. Everything was in order, and it was beautiful. He then suddenly remembered why he liked her before when they were in grade school – she was one of a kind.
Sakura was kind and fair to all, she never judged people. A very artistic person and he admit to himself, her stories and artworks move him to no end. And sure, she does have a temper, but that what makes her a human. She is independent and can definitely stand up to herself. A positive thinker and always thinks before entering a dire situation. The only person who changed those traits of her is Uchiha Sasuke. She became dependent to her feelings and always strived to reach that bastard who does not even acknowledge her at all. It was then he tried to forget his feelings towards her, to shift his attention to something else. And there comes Hinata entering his life, and fulfilling the job in stealing his attention away from the rosette.
Yes, he remembers now, that feeling, it's coming back again. He then closed his eyes, shook both his hands, sat straight, and for the first time in his life, he clicked the record button on his keyboards, and began playing his greatest masterpiece.
And swear to god that melody gave Sakura the chills and made her heart skip two to three beats. It was the most breathtaking piece she had ever heard from the blonde for the past years of living together. She can feel the emotion he was expressing, it was pure love. She can feel her eyes tearing up with happiness. She had never felt this way before, even Sasuke cannot make her feel this way, it was Naruto all along, and this wonderful melody he is currently playing.
Everything was in sync – the sound of her clicking keyboard keys with the slow, passionate beat of the blonde's keys, the tapping movement of his feet with her heartbeat. For once, everything seems to be in harmony.
And at last, the musician and the writer finally hit their last few keys and sighed in content. As the ocean blue eyes meets with the grassy green ones, a smile unexpectedly grew in their faces as silence dawn in the room.
"Want to read it?" the rosette asked weakly. The blonde then gave her a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head, and shyly nodded as he stood up from his stool and head to the sofa where the rosette scooted to the side to give him space.
Naruto swore to the whole universe and to all the entity living in it, it was the most marvellous story Sakura ever wrote since they were in grade school.
It was a story about two lovers who loved a certain person whom they cannot reach, until their beloved art slowly made one another realize that they are the one for each other.
It was a story about two artists connecting to each other and expressing their feelings through their respective forte.
It was a story about two people, how they realize their love for each other, strengthened by the memories they have shared for the past years.
And most of all, it was their story.