How To End A Fairytale
Author's Notes: I am inspired by many things, and it just so happens that inspiration has been kicking my ever-loving ass. So, in lieu of Valentines Day and those fluff lovers out there, I give you this little thing.
Warnings/Disclaimer: Boys love, foul language and fluff. Light SasuNaruSasu and hints of LeeSaku. I still don't own Naruto, but just you wait...
How To End A Fairytale
For: Ashley, Jen-Jen and Kate – Happy Valentines Day my loves.
"I was nauseous and tingly all over. I was either in love or I had smallpox." - Woody Allen
"I just need that sure fire thing, you know?" The blond insisted, slapping his hand on the table for emphasis.
His friend looked up at him from his magazine. He rolled his eyes. "Sakura is leaving for University tomorrow and you want to sweep her off her feet now? Naruto, your time scheduling ability is horrible."
The blonde glared across the table. "Oh shut it, Kiba."
"I'm just sayin'." Kiba sighed, returning most of his attention to the reading material at hand. "What's the point if she's gone?"
"Love." Naruto stated earnestly. "Love is a very good point."
"Crush." Kiba corrected. "You don't love her, you're crushing on her."
"Who the hell are you to tell me who I'm in love with?"
"Your best friend." He responded quickly. "And as someone in love myself, you have your object of affection radar off a bit."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto bit.
Kiba shrugged, flicking the page. "Oh you're in love alright, but not with Sakura."
Naruto rolled his eyes, slapping the table top one last time before dragging his hand away. He kicked his feet up on the bench and laid his legs out. He brought his resting guitar up to settle on his stomach. He played a few notes while glaring down his friend.
"I really don't know how Hinata puts up with you." Naruto stated, pointlessly strumming the strings now.
"It's the love factor, blondie." Kiba sighed before mumbling to himself. "I don't know how in the shit that isn't a clue enough."
"Come again?"
Kiba shook his head and flicked to another page. "Its nothing."
Naruto scowled, but turned his attention back to his guitar. Kiba looked up and eyed him before rolling his eyes. How blond could he be when he couldn't figure out who he was really in love with.
Nearly everyone could tell.
"So are you really going to go and sing at her window?"
Naruto nodded, eyeing his fingers as they moved along the strings. He had been working on this song for nearly a year now, and he considered it his best work yet.
Kiba was watching his friend for a moment, his eyes closed and wrapped up in his song. Kiba's last thought that slipped through his mind before they paid the bill and left the diner was simple.
Didn't the moron realize he only wrote the song when he was with Sasuke?
"You want me to come along?" Coal eyes snapped to attention, annoyance clear.
Naruto shrugged it off, used to his friend and his ever changing attitude. Naruto ran his fingers up the neck of his guitar before resting his fingers and picking away at the strings. It was a soft melody, something that could calm someone.
Anyone but Sasuke Uchiha.
"I can't play two guitars at once." Naruto reasoned.
Sasuke changed the tune of the music quickly, playing his guitar over Naruto's and forcing the blond to join with a roll of his eyes. He was used it, Sasuke's way or no way.
Naruto's fingers kept up with the pace but just barely. Sasuke always had a way of pushing him to play his best, and Naruto always had a way of proving he could.
Sasuke slapped his hands down on the stings to cause a sour note, ending the rhythmic sound that had once filled the air. Naruto calmly settled the strings with a gentle touch.
"I'm not doing it." Sasuke finally answered.
"But when I wrote the song, I had it set up for two guitars." The blond whined lightly.
"No you didn't, it happened that way because you asked for my help." Sasuke pointed out.
"Then you have to, because its all your damn fault." Naruto reasoned.
"You can drop my guitar lines and add a few to yours here and there." Sasuke sighed out, reaching for a notepad and pen. He started writing the music on the paper, Naruto leaning over his shoulder and occasionally correcting him in what he thought would sound better.
Naruto would pull back sometimes and quickly play the cords and then watch Sasuke correct it on the piece of paper for the new sound. It didn't take long to turn the song into something for one person.
Naruto propped up the paper against Sasuke's back as he took a seat behind him and leaned against the wall, the raven putting his guitar down beside him as he rested his elbows on the low coffee table.
The first cords raised in the air in a chime, the next came as backup to the tone. It was a song Sasuke heard a million times over and played with his friend. It was always the first song they played together when they played on their guitars, and it was always their last. It was the first song they built together.
Naruto always said it was for Sakura, because his love for her inspired it.
Sasuke closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of Naruto's voice kicking into the song. It had a gruff edge at times, but the way his voice carried a smooth tune was beyond comparison.
"Your part." Naruto mumbled, playing the guitar a little harder now, causing the notes to blare, his voice to rise. It was powerful. Those were Sasuke's lyrics captivating the air with Naruto's voice.
"Now yesterday has come and gone,
Most memories will fade...
But your voice, your face, your smile,
They're what stays...what stays with me."
Sasuke sighed lightly at the only part he wrote on one particular day when Naruto was deadlocked, and the blond allowed him to help.
Sasuke listened to his words, his thoughts, his feelings.
All about Naruto.
Naruto adjusted the blazer in the mirror, doing and undoing the buttons several times while he tried to decide what looked better.
Kiba showed up behind him in the full length mirror, shaking his head. "You look like a douchebag."
"I look classy, asshole. Not like you know anything about that." Naruto snapped, running his hand down his tie.
"Be yourself." Kiba pushed, walking to Naruto's closet and grabbing his favorite band tee-shirt. He yanked out Naruto's favorite pair of jeans; battered, stained and ripped. Naruto looked at him like he lost his mind.
"I repeat. Be yourself. You can still put that blazer on over the shirt if you want, but if she can't love you for who you are – clothes included – then there isn't a point."
The blond shrugged. "But this is supposed to be romantic."
"But you shouldn't be fake." Kiba pressed, shoving the clothes against this chest.
"She said she liked seeing me dressed up, though." Naruto tried to reason.
Kiba turned to throw Naruto's boots at his face, but the blond held up his hands and surrender. "Alright, alright, I get it."
"Good, now go change, I'll check the guitar."
The two of them traded boots for guitar, and Naruto made a quick turn in the bathroom. Kiba took a seat on the floor as his friend changed, glancing at the clock as he put it back in tune.
It was just coming up on midnight. Sakura would be getting home soon after splitting with a group of her friends - Kiba's girlfriend included. It was a going away outing. Kiba would be leaving at the same time Naruto would be to join his girlfriend.
Kiba sighed, the cords perfectly in tune. He stood, listening to his friend curse a bit as he stumbled to change quickly. He grabbed Naruto's guitar case, the cloth worn to a now dull color and zipped in his precious cargo.
The blond stumbled out of the bathroom not a moment later, still donning his black blazer. He had on old tattered jeans he'd held onto since freshmen year. His favorite band tee-shirt was showing, faded so the words could barely be read.
"I feel like a fancy hobo." Naruto sighed.
Kiba rolled his eyes, "You look like yourself."
Naruto held up a piece of paper; smeared, stained and scribbled upon. The top heading read:
Sakura's Song.
"I thought you had it memorized?" Kiba asked, looking over the paper.
Naruto shrugged, folding it up carefully and tucking it away in the breast pocket of the blazer. "I told you it still doesn't feel perfect, I might add something on my walk there, you never know."
Kiba leveled his friend with a steady gaze. "So, you're sure about this?"
The blond smiled, bright and breathtaking. "Damn right I am."
Kiba rolled his eyes as they gathered their things and headed for the door.
"For now..." Kiba thought.
Naruto ignored all the comments about Romeo and Juliet on crack as he parted ways with his best friend. Sakura's house was only a quick walk from his house. Most of the friends he had grew up together, all in the same neighborhood. Kiba had gone the opposite direction towards his house, and of course on the way, he'd be stopping by to say goodnight to Hinata.
Naruto hummed the song as he walked down the dimly lit sidewalk, his shadow floating behind him from the streetlights. His fingertips were sore and some were numb; all he did was practice the song today. He wanted it right. He wanted it perfect.
His feet left the sidewalk as he ventured onto the Haruno's manicured lawn. This was it, he told himself. He knew where her window was. Her room hadn't changed location since they were seven.
He pulled his case off of his shoulder and unzipped the bag. Her room light was still on, she was still up.
Naruto slid the strap over his head, letting it rest on his shoulder and across his chest.
He took a deep breath in and out before bending down, picking up a few stray twigs in the yard. He held onto his guitar with one hand, and launched the twigs one after the other at Sakura's window. Her silhouette appeared, causing Naruto's heart to jump in his chest.
He placed his fingers on the strings, running them gently up the neck and readied his pick. She threw open the window, leaning out and squinting.
Her cropped hair was framing her face, her sweet green eyes growing surprised. "Naruto, what are you doing?"
He strummed the guitar, starting off the song. He looked up at her, smiling. He saw her roll her eyes with a growing smile. He looked down towards the neck of the guitar to check his fingers, using that excuse to not keep looking at her. He felt like his heart might stop if he did. He sucked in a breath, and his voice filled the air.
"You're the reason I woke up today,
...Your my reason, my reason, mhmm.
You're the hope that fills my soul,
...my reason, my hope, mhmm."
Naruto looked up, Sakura smiling warmly down at him. His fingers fumbled a little as his eyes connected with hers. He shook his head, shaking off the thought of expecting something else. Another color, another feeling. He was confused for a moment, but regained his composure and continued on.
"Now yesterday has come and gone,
Most memories will fade...
But your voice, your face, your smile,
They're what stays...what stays with me."
His stomach sank as he continued to stare at Sakura, whom he'd swore undying love for. But he expected something different after those lines. Those lines he sung over and over, pouring out his feelings. He expected Sasuke's voice in the background, more calm and lower than Naruto's when they sang together. He expected to look up at Sasuke to see his calm face, his eyes gazing at his fingers as they danced on the guitar strings. He expected him to look over at him as he played his guitar and smirk, knowing he wrote the best lines in the song.
He didn't think about Sakura's voice, not at that moment. He could see her face, her smile, but it wasn't the same. They didn't stay with him as he had sung to her. This wasn't her song because it wasn't for her. It didn't apply to her. It wasn't written about her, but someone else. He slowed his playing, his music stopping as he realized his mistake.
"Naruto?" Sakura questioned, realizing his face was more shocked than mortified.
He was smacking his forehead with his palm, trying to wake some rational thought in his brain, but it was all locked out. He wasn't that big of an idiot. He was not in love with Sakura, not by a long shot. It had taken some musical would-be confession to make him realize.
She gave him a soft smile. "Wrong window?"
There was a bit of a choked, hysterical laugh that snuck out of the blond. She nodded, smiling brightly.
Naruto threw his arms up, exasperated. She laughed, shaking her head.
"I could see it from a mile away and you couldn't even see it when it was right in front of your face."
"You didn't tell me sooner because?" He yelled back, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"It isn't worth it if you don't realize it yourself, Naruto. Simple as that."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. He felt so overwhelmed at the moment, and Sakura was acting like it wasn't that big of a deal.
"Hurry up Naruto, you know how cranky Sasuke gets if he's woken up. You might be able to catch him."
With that, before Naruto had a chance to respond, she receded back into her room and snapped the window shut. Naruto knew Sakura, he knew how she worked. She shut him out so he couldn't retort, not because she was being rude.
Sakura sighed and let out a giggle as she flopped down on her bed, reaching for her cell phone. She smiled as she scrolled through her contacts and landed on the name that always stuck out to her.
She nearly laughed when the phone barely rang and he was already picking it up, chatting her ear off.
"Sorry to call so late, Lee." She interrupted, looking at her bedside clock. "I just heard a part of a song that made me think of you..."
Naruto was now walking down the sidewalk, slowly dragging his feet and tugging along a limp guitar case. He was at a loss for words and he struggled to control his thoughts.
It wasn't as if every day he struggled to come to terms with who he loved.
It wasn't as if he didn't love Sasuke, he could easily admit he did. They were best friends, and Naruto loved his friends. He loved Sakura, he was certain, but he wasn't in love with Sakura.
"Damn Kiba..." Naruto muttered, walking down the sidewalk, his feet carrying him away.
He thought about the lyrics in his head, going over them like he usually did. He tried to find the flaw that he had been missing, maybe the smoking gun that could have made him see it before. His footfalls paused on his random journey of self pity and embarrassment. A bite of curiosity grabbed hold of him.
He crouched down, tugging out the paper and lying it on the body of his guitar, flattening it. He reread it several times, his eyes raking the words he knew so well. It still felt incomplete, not right in some way. He pulled out a pen that he had tucked away as an idea struck him, wondering if this would settle his crazed thoughts. He made a few sloppy scribbles and quickly wrote in the replacement he took a guess on. His heart jumped at the words.
The song was now really complete, he thought. Perfect, just like he wanted.
Now he had to go sing it to the person it was actually meant for.
Sasuke swore he was still stuck in a hazy dream when he was woken that night. There was voice he could hear singing. He knew that voice. It was beautiful when it carried a tune. It was the one thing that could calm him, that could consume him.
His eyes slowly opened, his eyelids fluttering tiredly till he sat up in his bed. He sat up, rubbing absently at his eyes as he turned his head. It was him.
He got out of his bed, his feet patting lightly against the floor as he made his way to his window. He launched it open and leaned out.
"Why in the hell are you singing to my house at one in the morning, moron?"
Naruto froze his fingers on the strings of his guitar, his singing silenced. Sasuke could hear him sigh all the way through their distance. He saw Naruto's shoulders shrug.
"I realized I need you to make the song complete."
"I told you I'm not playing a song for Sakura." Sasuke snarled.
"No! It's not...would you just come down here?" Naruto sighed out, tossing up his hands in annoyance.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Why, you already woke the damn neighborhood."
Naruto huffed. "Look, I'm not trying to lure you into to playing the song with me for Sakura, so get your ass down here Uchiha, and bring you damned guitar before I bring it down for you!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and went back into his room, listening for signs of his perhaps woken family. The house was still. He slipped on shoes and grabbed hold of his guitar as he exited his room, swinging the strap and positioning the guitar to rest gently against his back. He crept down the stairs quietly. He wasn't going to catch hell for his best friend being an idiot.
Sasuke walked out the side door, climbing up the small concrete stairs and finding Naruto staring where he knew his friend would emerge from.
"Now what in the hell is this about moron?
"Listen." Naruto instructed, holding up his guitar.
Sasuke rolled his eyes as the same some played out before him. He knew the changes as much as the original version; a song made for one instead of two. Naruto didn't sing this time as he played through the song that he had changed just the day before with his friend. He sighed as he strummed the last note, looking up at Sasuke from the guitar.
"I know the song, idiot." Sasuke finally said.
"Not this one." Naruto said lightly. "This one."
Naruto strummed at the guitar again, this time starting the version fit for the duo. Naruto stopped and started again, looking at Sasuke expectantly. He rolled his eyes, swinging his guitar from its hanging position against his back to perfectly sitting in his hands. He joined at the usual point in their usual tune. The one they played many times. He listened to Naruto sing out the lines, absently wondering if his neighbors were going to call the cops on their noisy acoustic session.
This time Naruto sang, and if at all possible, better than he had ever before. It was a bit softer, most likely to be somewhat kind to the sleeping people around them. It sounded more meaningful somehow, like he meant the words with more of a loving passion.
The two of them struck the last note together, and let the music fade off lightly. Naruto shrugged, running his fingers up and down the guitar neck before moving it out of his way. Sasuke mirrored his actions, the two of them adjusting their guitars so they rested against their backs, hanging by their straps.
"It just..." Naruto sighed, his face scrunching slightly as he searched for the words. "It wasn't right."
"I told you a million times over the song was fine."
Naruto uncomfortably shifted in his spot. "It wasn't right without you."
Sasuke paused at the stressed word, then rolled his eyes. "Either way Naruto, Sakura-"
"No!" Naruto held up his hands to silence Sasuke, then sighed harshly. "The song isn't right without you. Not for Sakura, Sasuke. This song...this song isn't right without the person it's meant for."
Naruto's heart was pounding so loud it echoed uncomfortably in his ears. For the first time in a long time he was losing his confidence.
"I wrote it with you, I played it with you, I made it about...about you." Naruto let out a shaky breath, his nerves grabbing him. "I wrote it about the person I'm in love with."
"You're saying you're in love with me?"
Naruto froze up under the dead stare from his best friend. He'd seen it many times in his life. Bored and expecting, impatient and downright demanding. It was always followed by a glare or an insult – always.
He jumped when he felt a hand touch his face, figuring Sasuke was checking his aim before swinging a punch. But instead that warm hand rested against his cheeks, and the fingers slid to rest against the soft skin. Naruto tried to hold back the shock, but the smirk carving out on Sasuke's lips told him he was failing.
Sasuke took a step forward and leaned in, tilting his head and causing Naruto to slam his eyes shut. He felt Sasuke's lips ghost his own, tickling them from the light touch as his words captured his heart.
"And what I wrote, Naruto, I meant. It all stays with me, every second of the day, because I love you."
He gasped and accidentally left Sasuke kissing his teeth instead of his lips. Sasuke chuckled, blinking a few times when Naruto lurched forward and corrected his mistake with a pressing kiss. He tried to wrap his arms around Sasuke, but was blocked by the guitar.
The blond dropped a crumbled piece of paper at their feet, settling for digging his fingers in Sasuke's hair. He held on as Sasuke connected their lips again, as if the brief separation had been a mistake that had to be quickly corrected.
Naruto smiled into the kiss he shared with Sasuke, his foot coming down and crunching the paper under it. That correction to the song seemed to be the new correction to his life. He didn't need the paper to remember the song; the notes and the lyrics. Just Sasuke. Only Sasuke.
The correction? Simple. Just the name of the title needed a bit of a re-write. The words "Sakura's Song" had been scribbled out, unwanted now, not needed. The new title was what had Naruto nearly smacking himself from the obviousness.
Our Song – Naruto and Sasuke
Kiba kicked off from a nearby tree, happy that he didn't have to drag Naruto here and draw him a picture. He was willing to feed him sappy love lines to call out to Sasuke if needed while he hid in a nearby bush, but he doubted Sasuke would really enjoy that all too much.
"It was never about Sakura..." Naruto sighed, pulling back from Sasuke's lips momentarily.
"I know." Sasuke assured, kissing Naruto's temple under the light of the moon that lit the yard.
"Why in the hell are you so smug about it?" Naruto asked, smiling lightly.
"Because, you're in love with me and that's that." Sasuke said.
Naruto laughed at the possessiveness, accepting the kiss that he received. "End of story."
Author's Note: Happy Valentines Day to all, and I hope you enjoyed my little mess of a oneshot.
The song is something I wrote with a friend of mine nearly seven years ago and something I like, but I'm not really all that proud of. Soon I'll be posting all the lyrics on my livejournal simply for the curious people out there who wanted to know the rest of the song.