Prologue: Shooting Star
Disclaimer: Sorry, yup, I don't own the Naruto or Alien/Predator franchises. ^^
A/N: I'm a total Alien-Predator trip right now, hence this fanfiction. If you don't like, don't read. That simple. For the more open-minded, I hope I don't disappoint!
P.S: Full credit for musical inspiration goes to the theme for Chibi Vampire (also known as Chibi Vampire Karin or just Karin) Scarlet by Brace'd!
Naruto glanced up into the dark velvet sky, his eyes falling on the billions of pinpoints of light scattered across the dark expanse.
"Do you ever wonder what's out there?" He asked.
Sakura thought about it for a moment before sitting up, her hand dancing lightly across her mouth to stifle a giggle before she replied, "I don't think I've ever really thought about it."
"Really?" He asked, folding his hands under his head.
"Well, with everything we deal with down here," she punctuated this with a wave of her hand to the land around them, "when do we have time to think about what's up there?" Her hand lilted up to the endless sky.
He laughed, "I suppose."
Sakura rolled over, flopping lightly on her toned abdomen as she turned her head to him. "Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering." He smiled.
"You?" She snorted playfully, "Thinking? You must not be feeling well."
He laughed again, rolling onto his stomach to better face her.
The kunoichi beside him absently toyed with a blade of grass before rolling back onto the green underneath them. Naruto did the same beside her, his arms cushioning his head.
"I wonder what Sasuke's up to." Sakura stated a moment later.
"He's around." Naruto assured her.
"Oh, I know. I was just thinking out loud." She replied with a soft smile.
"We should go get some ramen later." He chirped back.
"Yeah. But we're dragging Sai and Sasuke along this time." She responded.
"Totally! And Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura giggled again, flinging aside the small leaflet of grass.
Her green eyes flicked sideways to Naruto and for a moment she studied him: though it washed his hair out, his eyes were quite stunning in the moonlight, and his skin looked even more golden with the moonlight illuminating it. She was just about to open her mouth to speak to him again when he suddenly cried out, "Look!"
Her head snapped up, her eyes finding the streak of light that sprang across the sky. It danced briefly against the black cloth of night before disappearing below the tree line.
"Make a wish." He told her.
Sakura smiled at him, "I have everything I want."
Naruto gave his signature goofy grin back at her.
Neither of them saw the halo of light that suddenly sprang faintly from the trees miles off and just as quickly died out again.
The shattered container's side gave way to the scurrying creature inside. Its brothers and sisters had long since made their way from their containers and were now skittering along the underbrush towards the warm and waiting hosts in the city not far off.
Sasuke snorted to himself as he called to the incessant knocking, "Coming!"
Naturally, the moment he opened the door two sets of hands latched onto him and pulled him through the door frame. He barely had time to twist the door closed behind him before he was hauled into the street.
"Yes?" He sighed impatiently.
"Ramen." Sakura replied with a smile as she looped her arms around his, Naruto clapping his hand against the Uchiha's back.
The raven-haired youth just sigh, though his lips turned up in a good-natured smirk. This was just…the team dynamic. It was similar to their genin days, but with an overtone of maturity and an undertone of oneness. How could their not be with everything they had seen and done together? But it was reassuring, even to the stoic Uchiha, that they had survived the test of time…and his betrayal.
He still remembered being shocked by their smiling faces as they literally dragged his semi-conscious body through the gates of Konoha. Both of them were beat up fairly badly, having gotten between him and Itachi. It was because of them that he had defeated him at all.
And in the time since then, he had slowly come to trust and, he would never admit this even under pain of death, grow fond of them. There was camaraderie between them and a level of acceptance he hadn't found anywhere else. He even rather enjoyed occasionally being forced from his home for the stupidest reasons. Like tonight…Again, not that he would ever admit it.
But he didn't need to. They had become quite adept at reading each other. In battle, in casual conversation, it didn't matter. They had even begun to occasionally finish each other's sentences…and each other's attacks…
"That's what you dragged me out here for?" He grunted.
"Believe it!" Naruto replied.
"Naturally." Sakura smiled as they veered down the street and into the small shop.
Their orders were placed quickly and within a few minutes Ayame was laying out their bowls in front of them and handing them their chopsticks.
"Thanks!" Naruto replied loudly as he pulled off the wrapper and broke them apart unevenly, leaving the tips jagged. But that didn't stop him from delving into his usual order of pork ramen.
"Where does he put it all?" Ayame giggled as she wiped down the counter.
"Well, at least you won't be going out of business anytime soon!" Sakura replied as she broke her own chopsticks apart.
Sasuke just smirked as he lifted a set of noodles to his mouth.
"This is the best!" Naruto cried out.
"Try to keep it down." Sasuke admonished.
"Make me!" The blond yelled.
"Boys!" Sakura growled maternally before turning to her own ramen.
Both of them sighed, but were kind enough to shut up for once…or at least until Naruto mumbled something she didn't quite catch that had Sasuke up in arms faster than Itachi would have…
"I said settle down!" Sakura cried, her fist coming down on the counter hard enough to crack it.
The impact was enough to jar both of them back to their senses, but not enough to stop the verbal sparring that seemed inevitable to begin with.
"Loser." Sasuke hissed.
"Idiot!"
"Fool."
"Teme!"
"Jerk."
Their contest was interrupted suddenly by a high, melodious pitch. They both glanced back at Sakura as she removed the pager from the holster on her hip and glanced at it. An odd expression came over her face, but quickly, as a kunoichi of her skill was so adept at doing, it was covered up.
"Whoops, sorry guys, I have to cut this short." She stated stoically as she tucked it back in her belt.
"What's going on?" Sasuke demanded.
"Nothing." She replied…a little too quickly and waspishly for him…
But he knew better than to press her. When her persona changed that suddenly, it meant something of particular concern had just occurred, and she was clearly in a hurry to get to the hospital. He watched her carefully control her pace until she reached the corner and then pivot hard on the balls of her feet the way one would when breaking into a sprint and disappear around the bend.
"Wonder what that was about…?" Naruto trailed off through a mouth full of ramen.
"Attemptsome manners, if you don't mind." Sasuke dead-panned.
Naruto angrily flung a chopstick at him, which the Uchiha easily caught and slammed down on the counter with an easy smirk.
"Three years and you have no more skills than a genin." He sighed.
"Hey!" Naruto cried angrily.
"Yes?" Sasuke replied.
"TEME!"
"If you're going to insult me, have the courtesy to do it logically." He smirked before walking away.
TBC
Opposites. Fire+Water. Push+Pull. Yin+Yang. Balance. Such is the nature of Zuko and Katara. They balance each other. Their passion is unknown by any other. They are opposites. Fire+Water. Push+Pull. Yin+Yang. Balance.