Title: The Four Seasons - Pt 1: Winter

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Humor, romance, music

Pairing: Eventual SasuNaru

Characters: Lots of Team 7 (Sai included) and more or less everyone else.

Wordcount: 5 450 of 29 300

Summary: What does a string quartet consists of? A good violinist (first violin), a bad violinist (second violin), an ex-violinist (viola) and someone who hates violinists altogether (cello).

Unbeta-ed D: I apologize in advance for all the errors and typos ;-;

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: Things MoWa should be doing - work, writing other things. What she actually does - this. At first meant as a fill for the naruto_meme community ('what if Naruto was a violinist?') but it turned into that behemot of a fic. I kept writing it because inspiration was here and I decided to ride the wave instead of letting the fic fall into the cursed realm of 'things I shall finish one day. Perhaps. Not.' That, and I've been pining after fics lately, and I guess it might be the case for other people? I don't know, I most of all that fic isn't that bad and you can enjoy reading it.

Also, I have to confess I'm no musician. If there is anything amiss in what I describe well... It's fiction, people! :D On a more serious tone, don't hesitate to correct me. It would make me go to sleep smarter.

The Four Seasons

[Viola, n.: A stringed instrument of the violin family, slightly larger than a violin, tuned a fifth lower, and having a deeper, more sonorous tone.

In the past, since the viola's role is mostly as accompaniment, that is to say 'secondary', violists (= viola players) used to be chosen among the worst violin players. It's not really the case anymore today but violist are still the target of countless jokes among musicians, having the reputation of being bad, often dumb players.]

- Winter -

The premises where the philharmonic orchestra of Konoha was training, not far from the concert hall, were buzzing with activity and noise. The new year had just begun and all the musicians were already back for a new season: training would start back up to fill an intense and demanding program, new units would be formed and newcomers would be introduced.

Sasuke Uchiha, first violin and thus leader of the orchestra, was looking at all that bumming around with a slight sneer. He despised the inability of others to stay calm and composed.

He was watching the contrabassist try to negotiate his instrument through the disorder for the room, wondering with morbid curiosity if the bass would come out of it unscathed, when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he noticed Kakashi Hatake, the man in charge for the stringed instruments section of the orchestra, beckoning him.

Leaving the messy room without a backwards glance, Sasuke followed his former teacher down the corridor to a smaller, more secluded room, where the man turned back towards him and smiled.

"I thought now would be a great time to introduce you to the other members of your new string quartet," he said, gesturing towards the two other people present in the room whom Sasuke only noticed then. "Sakura Haruno, the second violin."

The young woman, who wore her pink hair gathered at the top of her head, nodded nervously at him, fidgeting with the instrument resting on her lap. Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. Great, another one of those good-for-nothing idiots that trembled like a leaf in his presence, couldn't hold a straight note for more than two seconds and would burst into tears at the first sign of disapproval, even though they should be used to it after all that time.

"Sai Root, the cello."

The pale-skinned man with dark hair and a fake smile stapled to his face tilted his head to the side with a small wave. Sasuke felt his lips tug down at the corner. He'd never liked cellists but that one... That one he was going to hate, he could feel it. He reeked of hypocrisy and had probably wormed his way in by pulling strings, no less. Insipid moron wouldn't ever be able to infuse any kind of emotion in his music, if he even knew how to read his scores correctly.

"And it appears that our violist is late," Kakashi went on, unfazed by the dirty look Sasuke threw at him, beginning to suspect the older man had given him those shitty partners on purpose as a revenge for the the shitty way he'd treated the former ones during the past year.

There might have been an awkward silence if a commotion outside hadn't broken it before it even began.

"-m late late LATE if you could just let me PASS," a voice shouted before a man appeared in the doorway, tripping over his own feet and barely catching himself on the doorjamb. He had messy blond hair, a mismatched shirt and jacket and a viola case slung over his shoulder and held by a strap. "Sorry if I'm-" he began as he straightened up, only to be interrupted almost at once.

"Hey, Naruto, man!" another voice exclaimed. "Wait a sec'!"

The blond man turned his head in direction of the person who'd called him, eyebrows raised. Sasuke recognized Kiba Inuzaka, one of the trumpeters, who reached out a hand and stuck something in the other man's palm.

"Here."

The blond man unfolded his hand, revealing a crumpled banknote of fifty ryō. "Um, thanks?" he said hesitantly. "I don't remember you owing me anything from the welcoming party, y'know."

"Oh, it's no repayment," Inuzaka replied, batting a hand. Then he grinned, revealing his strangely prominent canines as he added: "It's what I pay you so that you don't play at all today. I kinda value and, you know, need my ears."

The blond man let his breath out in an indignant huff and tilted his head to the side. "You see that one, Kiba?" he asked, flipping him the bird. "Be happy it's the only thing coming at you. For now."

Then he stepped through the door and slammed it shut in the brass player's face.

"And Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi announced in the renewed, somewhat astounded silence that followed. "The viola."

"I'm really sorry for being late," Naruto said once more.

They were sitting in a semicircle now, with Kakashi standing with his back against the wall and his arms crossed, obviously enjoying how awkward this all was. Sasuke was glaring, the second violin was becoming daring and was now and then glancing in his direction, the cello still hadn't shed his empty smile and God, the viola just had to be the reason why prejudices against violas existed in the first place. Loud, clumsy, far from intellectually bright (physically it was another matter altogether)...

Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even know how to hold his bow correctly.

"Don't worry," the cellist said, speaking for the first time. "I've heard that violists are often quite slow."

Well, at least the man was kind of entertaining in an I-know-how-to-put-my-foot-right-in-it kind of way, Sasuke thought. The blond violist pressed his lips together, his gaze turning murderous as he spat:

"Curious, I always heard that about cellists, but not in the same way. Although that piece of information might've gotten lost on the way to your brain."

"Now now, children," Kakashi mildly intervened from where he was slouching. "Play nice with each other."

The second violin chose that moment to take the leap. She cleared her throat and said: "Um, maybe we could begin?" Sasuke glanced at her with an eyebrow raised in interrogation. "Try a piece to see how we work together?" she went on, her voice curiously becoming stronger.

Sasuke had been sure she would quack in fear. He looked at her in silence just to see her squirm and gulp, then he turned away and reached for his violin.

"Grieg, G minor," was all he said before he started readying his instrument.

If they didn't know which piece he was referring to, well. At least it was sunny outside: they wouldn't get wet when they got thrown out on their asses.

Okay, so maybe, maybe the partners Kakashi had selected for that season weren't quite the bunch of worthless idiots they appeared to be.

Naruto was actually the only one being entirely new in the orchestra, transferring from a smaller one. From what was written in their folders, Sakura had already been there for a couple of years and Sai had even been handpicked right from the Academy by a member of the management board. Sasuke just hadn't cared enough to really notice them among the mass of musicians before Kakashi put them together.

And they weren't too bad, he guessed. They never balked at the huge amount of rehearsals their training required, half of it with the whole orchestra and the other half with only their quartet partners. They knew their repertoire too, and could sometimes draw something almost correct from their instruments.

Not that Sasuke would let them think that even for a second. They would've begun to rest on their laurel's, which wouldn't happen on his watch, not with the demanding string quartet program the management board had found funny to dump on their shoulders that year. That, and the fact that they could go alone from the beginning to the end of their part without tripping too much didn't mean that the piece sounded right when they played it all together. They all had they faults: the cello was far too bland, the second violin tended to play far too fast and the viola...

"God damn it, moron, what did I just say?" Sasuke snapped, interrupting their music before they even reached the fourth line. Music leaders often had nicknames for their players but rarely used them to their face out of delicacy. Sasuke had no such qualms. If they couldn't bear a little bit of roughing up, then they'd better go look elsewhere. "Why don't you move into horn playing if you want to play loudly that much?"

"Well it's you who insist we play like sissy assed fairies!" the blond violist retorted, never one to back down. "Tell me, do you intend for people in the second row and beyond to be able to hear us or do you think it's an honor reserved for pompous assholes like you sitting up front?"

"We're not here to play a military march," Sasuke spat back. "Not that you'd know the difference."

The viola only rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Like you're better, with that whining you call music."

"That piece needs to be played with feeling and sensitivity," Sasuke gritted between his teeth, more picked than he would've liked to admit. "We will repeat it as softly and as many times as necessary for that to go through your thick skull before I even think of allowing you to try and play it at the usual volume."

"But if you don't get used to the normal intensity then-" the blond moron began, raising his hands in the air. There he abruptly paused, noticing how dangerous his absurd flailing was for his instrument. He bent down and put his viola back into its case, snapping the box shut before he stood up. "I'm going for a walk," he growled.

No one stopped him. They'd rapidly learned that it was best to let him go and cool off on his own. The pink-haired violinist joined him sometimes but today she stayed behind, tuning her violin and pointedly ignoring Sasuke while she was at it.

She had a sturdy character on her, that one, without looking like it. And Sasuke didn't want to know what the cellist was doing apart from sitting there and smiling ever so blandly.

On his way out the viola passed Kakashi who was just entering the room. The man only smiled.

"Well," he said. "I'm happy to see you get along so well."

Fortunately the first series of musical events held by the opera house involved no quartets but the whole orchestra, which was a good thing since their group was far from being ready, in Sasuke's opinion. At least with the whole orchestra playing their errors could melt into the crowd, so to speak, and escape notice.

As the leader of the orchestra Sasuke got his fair share of applause along with their conductor, a busty blond woman who steered the whole orchestra with an iron fist. She was probably the only one to know how much he'd worked to make his solo piece sound so pliable and melodious.

Sasuke liked to make his playing look effortless, even if he'd learned early on that it was no small feat.

At the end of the last concert of the first series of events his fingertips were aching and he was ready to collapse on his feet. He would have given anything to go right back to his flat and bury himself under his cover but of course life couldn't be that merciful, could it? Tradition was tradition after all and he had to suffer through the hell that was their post-concert celebration party. It was that or listening to another one of Itachi's lectures about how asocial he was being, about how it wasn't good for him and about how to behave in society.

So he stood in a corner with his champagne flute held close to his chest, glaring at anyone passing nearby, hating his life and waiting for the moment it'd be acceptable for him to leave - or rather for people to be drunk enough not to notice his disappearance.

The party lasted and lasted and lasted. Kakashi had stood with him for a while, making stupid jokes and softly commenting on Sasuke's playing, giving him small hints for further improvement, but now he'd walked off to schmooze with the new treasurer, probably trying to get a raise or something.

People were beginning to stagger around more than walk and Sasuke was beginning to hope the right time was about to come when he heard Kiba Inuzaka ask loudly from the sofa he was sprawled over:

"Say, what's the difference between a violin and a viola anyway?"

His cheeks were red and he'd completely ignored Hinata Hyuuga, the orchestra's harpist, who was discreetly trying to shush him.

"A viola burns longer," Ino Yamanaka, one of the flute players, chirped from the buffet where she was refilling her glass.

Kankuro Sabaku, one of the percussionists, only snorted. "You can actually tune a violin."

"There is no difference," a clear voice cut through the ambient buzz. "Violins only look smaller because the violinists' heads are that much bigger."

There was a short, stunned silence, then Kiba guffawed loudly. "Good one, man," he threw in Naruto's direction just as Sakura, who was sitting beside the blond violist, playfully punched him in the arm. His other companion, Gaara Sabaku, another violist whom Naruto knew from a former orchestra apparently, as well as his brother Kankuro, smirked darkly.

But what unnerved Sasuke was that the blond musician, at whom he'd glanced as soon as the question had been asked to see his reaction, had been looking right at him when he'd spoken, his eyes serious and angry, as if his words hadn't quite been meant as a joke.

Naruto was late the following morning. Sasuke would've used the time they had to wait to make his barbs especially sharp for the second the blond violist would step in through the door if Kakashi hadn't dropped by to whisper in his ear that he'd actually come in early and then been summoned to the head manager's, Danzō Shimura's, office.

Which wasn't good. At all.

The answer as to why he'd been summoned came the moment Sasukee and Sakura were finishing a duo they'd chosen as a warm-up. A series of loud footsteps echoed down the corridor, accompanied by a litany of 'damn it damn it damn it DAMN IT-'

The door was kicked open and in walked Naruto, eyebrows fiercely drawn and lips pulled back into a snarl. He stomped to his chair where his things were resting, snatched his coat and his viola case, all the while spouting a stream of insults interspersed with the head manager's name and gibberish about the orchestra and opera house. He didn't appear to even notice that other people were present in the room as he turned away and he probably would've walked right back out if Sakura hadn't finally caught his attention by shouting his name with unexpected strength.

Naruto ground to a halt and looked at her, chest heaving.

"What's the matter with you?" Sakura asked, her hard tone doing nothing to hide her somewhat worried frown.

"What's the matter with me?" Naruto repeated, voice raising with the second. "What the matter with me? Everything is the matter with me apparently! The matter is that I'm considered a loser around here, as if I didn't know it already! The matter is that apparently the only thing that got my worthless ass in was my father's name! The matter is that I should be grateful for that favor and heaven forbid I disparage Shimura's beloved violinists since they're the only actual players around here!"

His head whipped in Sasuke's direction at that, his blue eyes blazing with fury as he spat:

"I bet you're satisfied with yourself now, huh? Finally got me out!" He turned back to Sakura, his lips twisting in a bitter line. "I worked my ass off to get in!" he rasped, the first hint of self-consciousness and hurt vibrating all around him as he spoke. "I worked my ass off to join the Academy, I worked my ass off to end up on top of all my classes, I worked my ass off to arrive where I am today! Yes, I'm my father's son!" he claimed, much to Sasuke's surprise. "So what? He loved music, and I love music too, but I would never use his fame to get me anywhere! Never! So Shimura's fucking favor? He can stuff it! I'm not staying here for a second longer!"

He tightened the grip he had on the strap of his viola case and spun around, intent on slamming the door shut on his way if his outstretched arm was any indication.

Sasuke spoke before he could, calmly asking:

"Where do you think you're going, moron?"

If possible, Naruto's shoulders tensed even further. "Well I would think it was pretty obvious, bastard," he replied, his voice dry with sarcasm.

"My mother and father are happily married, thank you very much," Sasuke retorted without raising his voice. "Now we've already lost almost a whole hour with your antics. Some training before tonight would be nice."

Sakura's eyes were dancing between him and Naruto. The blond musician whirled back around, expression fierce.

"I told you-"

"The only thing I understand," Sasuke firmly interrupted, "is that you got into a tiff with Mr. Shimura. No wonder, the man is an asshole. Did you already see him holding a viola? No, and it's a good thing because you would have died choking on your own breath from too much laughing. I don't care what you say about violinists, you would have to say much worse for it to stop being true. I don't care who your father is, and I don't care what you did to get in here. What matters is that you are in, and what you do now." He paused, then looked around to the other members of the quartet as he added: "Now that these things are clear, shall I suggest we we move on and work on some Dvořák? You still play the end of the last movement so hard it hurts the ear who has to listen to it. And please, Sai, put some energy into it for once, it would help Sakura refrain from rushing through the piece in the hopes it will convey the dynamism you fail to bring."

Smile tugging at the corner of her lips, Sakura was already back on her seat. Naruto was still standing in the doorway, lips parted, staring at Sasuke like he'd sprouted a second head.

Sasuke only raised an impatient eyebrow in his direction.

"Do you intend to play while standing? If not I advise you to hurry, we've already lost enough time as it is," he snapped, leafing through his score to find the beginning of the piece.

Slowly, Naruto walked back to his chair and draped his jacket on the back of it before he put down his case and snapped it open, all along watching Sasuke with wary, puzzled eyes. He didn't protest as he usually did when Sasuke clicked his tongue in impatience.

"Good, now that we're all there... finally... On the count of three. One, two-"

Music streamed through the room and out the opened door, swift and harmonious. Under the sound of the first scales, no one heard the rustle of fabric and the shuffling of feet right beside the door in the corridor where Kakashi had been leaning against the wall, wondering if he should intervene. Putting his hands in his pockets he closed his eyes for a second, letting the notes wash over him. Then he turned around and walked away, smiling softly to himself.

Another evening, another concert. Their quartet's first solo performance was coming up and Sasuke was beginning to feel like training with the whole orchestra was nothing but an annoying setback preventing their quartet from getting that inch closer to what sounded exactly right.

It didn't help matter when some jerk decided tonight was the time to come and spew his bile in public.

"I really don't understand why the first violin gets his own set of applause even when there isn't a single solo during the concert," Neji Hyuuga said to his small group of admirers during the small reception that followed the charity concert the orchestra had just played. He spoke just loud enough to be sure everyone nearby could hear him, including Sasuke. "It is an insult to all the other musicians' talent and entirely underserved, don't you think?"

Usually Sasuke knew how to deal with the man. A few well placed words or, more frequently, simply ignoring him was enough, if unsatisfying.

Which was why he was surprised when he heard another voice rise right beside him.

"Oh, shut up, Hyuuga," Naruto said, almost growled. "I don't see you on the leader's seat."

"I don't see you in the orchestra at all, actually," Sakura added from Sasuke's other side before raising her cup in salutation and taking a sip of champagne.

It was widely known that Hyuuga had left his last orchestra with a bang and had started a career solo. Some said it was a good thing because working with an orchestra only undermined his talent. Some didn't share that opinion.

"You know," Sai mused, popping up from nowhere, like usual. "I've read that really interesting critique's piece."

Sasuke smirked when he noticed Neji refrain from starting since Sai had appeared right beside him.

"It explained quite well that your inability to play well with others, apart from being your worst shortcoming, would condemn you to stay on the sidelines of the music world as it currently is. See, the most recent trend is for putting teamwork in the spotlight. Now don't you find that wonderful that-"

Naruto snorted in his glass of champagne and had to turn away from Sai's bland smile and Neji's irate frown. Sakura followed suit, taking Sasuke by the arm and steering him away.

When Sai joined them later, a puzzled frown on his face as he wondered aloud why his interlocutor had left the party so abruptly, Naruto and Sakura dissolved into peels of laughter and Sasuke found himself smirking.

He didn't say anything though, and only offered Sai a cup of champagne.

Try as he might Sasuke couldn't help but go down into another bout of hacking coughs right in the middle of the piece, disrupting their playing once more.

It was the third time they had to stop.

"This is ridiculous," Naruto said, rolling his eyes as he rested the edge of his viola on his thigh.

Sasuke glared rebelliously at him. Easy to say for someone who could apparently walk around with nothing but a long-sleeved shirt right in the middle of winter and most of all didn't feel like shit right now.

"No really," Naruto went on. "What are you doing here anyway? You should be at the bottom of your bed right now. Since you've got the perfect excuse to skip and all..."

Sasuke's dark glare turned vicious. Because Naruto thought Sasuke enjoyed feeling that way, that he reveled in being up while his whole body ached with yearning towards warm sheets and a comfortable mattress?

Well, guess what? He didn't. He would've given anything to be back home right now - only he couldn't, and that was what he'd repeated to himself during the long, slow torture that had been getting up, taking a shower and pushing food down his sore throat that morning. He couldn't afford to miss practice, not even once. So much remained to be done. They needed the training, every single one of them.

"It's true you're not in the best of state to practice," Sakura agreed cautiously, eyebrows pulled together with faint worry.

"I've read," Sai intervened, repositioning the neck of his cello against his shoulder, "that sleep and rest were the best medicine against any kind of sickness." He paused, frowning as if in puzzlement. "Apples too, I think."

Sasuke almost winced at the prospect of slightly tart pieces of fruit painfully sliding down his throat.

"Our first concert as a quartet is coming up," Sasuke gritted between his teeth, glowering at the music stand in front of him as if it was responsible for everything. "We're far from being ready. We need all the training we can get. I won't allow something as measly as a cold to get in the way of that. We need to be the best."

"Right," Naruto retorted sarcastically. "Because when you're done transmitting your germs we will all be geniuses on top form, no doubt."

The words Sasuke intended to snap back - and which were a sharp reminder of what he thought of the violist's playing - were cut short by another hoarse cough that felt like his throat was being ripped up. It was a surprise he didn't cough up blood, really.

Naruto clicked his tongue, in disapproval or impatience Sasuke didn't know, and stood up abruptly. "We're having a break," he announced. Then, without waiting for Sasuke's approval - which he wouldn't have got - he put his viola away and snatched his jacket and coat before he left the room. His angry, long steps echoed down the corridor.

Sasuke sighed in frustration. "Five minutes," he mumbled at Sai and Sakura who were exchanging a glance. He took it as an opportunity to go to the bathroom where he splashed a little bit of water on his face to try and get rid of that heavy feeling that made his head buzz. Then, hands resting on the edge of the washbasin, he looked up at his reflection.

He didn't only felt like shit, he also looked like it. His eyes were red and tight around the edges. He couldn't relax his eyebrows which were perpetually drawn together, as if they were trying to build a barrier against the headache that was beginning to pound against them. His hair fell limply around his face, tangling with the scarf he'd kept around his throat because the mere idea of taking it off made him shudder.

All in all, he was a pitiful sight and could very well understand their remarks. Had any one of them turned up at work looking like he currently did he would have sent them back with harsh words about how useless they would've been anyway and the order to rest so that they could come back healthy as soon as possible.

But he wasn't any of them. He was their quartet's leader, he was the first violin of the orchestra. He had responsibilities.

It would all be so much easier if he wasn't weak enough, stupid enough to inevitably get sick, every winter, every year.

With another sigh that almost resembled a growl he took a tissue out of his pocket and blew his clogged, already irritated nose. Another thing he hated about having a cold. But what wasn't to hate, really?

When he returned to the room Naruto was back, sitting on his seat and tuning his viola like he hadn't already done it. Sakura was warming her hands around a paper cup, eyes closed, while Sai blew on his own as if to cool it off.

And a steaming cup of lime-flower tea with a touch of honey was resting on the small table closest to Sasuke's seat, patiently waiting for him.

Sasuke stalked to their back room as soon as he was finished dealing with the pseudo intellectuals who'd asked to have a word with him after the concert because they loved to hear themselves talk and comment the way their string quartet had played its pieces, never forgetting to drop in a criticism or two. As if Sasuke didn't know the first thing about music and wasn't able to hear when something was wrong.

Stopping in front of the door, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. It wouldn't do any good to vent the frustration born from a conversation he'd rather have ignored on the other members of the quartet. They already had enough coming as it was.

Once he was sure he was in control of his emotions, he turned the handle and pushed the door open just in time to see Naruto extract a bottle of sparkling rosé from his bag and to hear Sakura whoop.

Looked like he'd arrived right on time.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke snapped, narrowing his eyes.

"Celebrating," Naruto replied readily, fumbling with the Swiss army knife he'd painstakingly taken out of his pocket. "Come on, bastard, the concept shouldn't be that far-fetched even for you."

"And what, pray, is there to celebrate here?" Sasuke went on, firmly closing the door behind himself and crossing his arms.

"I heard it was tradition to celebrate the end of a performance the first time - and the last time," was Sai's mild, useless input.

Sasuke glared at him. "You call what you did a performance?"

There was a silence. Naruto looked up at him, caught off guard and frozen in the action of cutting through the foil covering the cork. Out of the corner of his eyes Sasuke saw Sakura roll her eyes.

"There is something called team morale, Sasuke," she said. "You're supposed to up it, not to break it."

"I don't care about your feelings," the first violinist retorted. "And especially not after what you did. God damn it, Sakura," he went on, unable to prevent his voice from rising. "After all those times we rehearsed that third movement and you just had to mess it up anyway, didn't you?" He let his eyes slide to the others as he added. "Naruto, I know I told you to stay in the background because it's what you're supposed to do but I didn't ask you to fall asleep there while you were at it. If what you did is all you can do then I wonder why we bother with a viola in the first place. And Sai, don't even get me started on you. Did you even tune you cello before you started or were the so-called notes you made it scream the product of some innate ability?"

By now the silence had turned somewhat shocked. Sasuke drew some satisfaction from the renewed paleness of their faces. They looked quite taken aback, as if they hadn't expected his remarks.

Way to kill the buzz, was it?

"I thought there was that moment," Sai murmured after a while, looking at the ceiling as if he was addressing God, "at the end of a concert, some sort of state of grace during which we could relax a bit before criticism started." He looked back down and blinked. "Did I miss ours?"

Naruto put his bottle on the table behind him with a disgusted snort. "You could cut us some slack, you know," he growled.

"No rest for the wicked," Sasuke snidely replied. "Now get that bottle out of my sight." He turned slightly and addressed them all when he added: "I won't allow things to go on that way. So either you pull yourself together and start to make some actual music or you're out of here."

Sakura took an abrupt breath at that. "You can't-" she began.

"I can and I will," Sasuke interrupted her. A pause, then he added in a more measured tone: "If necessary. We're the best, or we aren't anything." He reached up to get his coat from the rack standing beside the door and slipped it on, then went to pick up his violin case. "I advise you to take some sleep. Practice at seven tomorrow morning."

He turned away to leave.

"For we're jolly good fellows," Naruto muttered with a wry smile, rising his empty glass.

Sasuke closed the door behind him with a snap.

TBC