Naruto Uzumaki sat on the ground, leaning against an oak tree, sighing contentedly as the gentle autumn breeze rolled around him, carrying golden and vivid red leaves in its zephyrs. Blades of grass tickled his arms as he lounged, looking up through the branches and leaves, into the sky. The sky itself was covered with dark, grey storm clouds. He had been watching the weather reports earlier, and the weatherman had mentioned thunderstorms in the late afternoon.

The town had been abuzz with the news that a hurricane was making its way toward their small town in eastern Pennsylvania. The meteorologists had been tracking the storm for days now, and every time, they always ended the forecast with safety precautions and the advice that everyone stock up on essentials. It didn't look likely that the furious storm was going to curve away from its path. Naruto had already gone shopping with his father, Minato, for supplies in case of a power outage or worse. One time, they had been caught unprepared by a hurricane, which left everyone in the town – and a few towns over – without electricity for four days. Naruto wasn't about to get himself stuck in the same situation again. That had been awful. It had been August, and the air in the town had been stifling.

Now though, it was late September. The air had a crisp, cool edge to it, and some days it felt as if winter was already on their doorstep. Naruto stood up as he heard the first low rumble of thunder in the distance. He corners of his mouth turned downwards ever so slightly as he looked at the horizon. He reckoned it was about time to head back to his apartment. He found that, as he swung his leg over his parked motorcycle, that he didn't want to go to his apartment and sit there, alone, waiting for the storm to knock all of the power lines over. Shaking his head, he put on his helmet, fastening it tightly. He would go by his dad's house and stay with him. Besides, he was sure the older man wouldn't want to be alone either.

It had been roughly eight years since his mother had passed away from cancer. He smiled sadly to himself as he remembered her. Always smiling, lending out a helping hand to her son and husband and whoever else may have needed it. No, he figured that Minato could use as much company as he could get, especially during the hurricane. Bad weather tended to bring Minato down. His usually cheery mood would be tinged with an edge of loneliness. Naruto wasn't quite sure why his father got that way during storms, but once he had asked him. The older man's response had been something along the lines of "just makes me think of her. I'll be fine, son," and he would put on a smile for Naruto. But he wasn't an idiot, just as Naruto wasn't. They both knew he was just putting on a façade.

As Naruto revved the engine of his motorcycle, the first drops of rain started to fall from the cloudy sky. They were light drops, nothing threatening just yet, but he knew he had to make it to his father's house before the weather worsened. He took off, swerving carefully onto the road leading out of the park before turning onto the main highway. He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes to protect them from the sprinkles of rain.

It wasn't long before he pulled into the driveway of Minato's house, turning off his bike and pulling it into the separate garage. Minato had built the garage – with the help of Naruto and his best friend, Kiba. He closed the garage and jogged over to the walkway that lead to his father's house. It was built to look like a log cabin, and the windows of the place were illuminated by the golden light shining from within. He took off his helmet, tucking it under his arm as he rapped on the door with his knuckles twice before letting himself inside. Minato didn't mind in the least – Naruto still thought of this place as his home, although he had an apartment on the other side of town. He was twenty-two years old, and still visited his dad whenever the opportunity arose.

"I'm home!" Naruto called out into the house. No response. He set his helmet down on one of the couches and walked around the seemingly empty house. "Dad?"

He walked down the hallway and passed his old bedroom, the guest room, and a bathroom as he made his way to his dad's bedroom. The door stood open, and he could hear the steady rush of water from the master bathroom. Naruto shook his head, smiling to himself. His dad was in the shower, and he had left the front door unlocked, for any stranger or burglar to come in through, had they chosen to. Now, Naruto could see where he got his nearly non-existent cautiousness from.

He knocked gently on the bathroom door. "Hey, Dad, it's me. Just wanted to let you know I'm here."

"Oh, sorry, Naruto. I'll be out in a few minutes," came the reply, only muffled by the closed door that stood between them.

"No rush, old man," he said, grinning as he heard his father's easygoing laughter through the door.

Naruto walked back into the living room and plopped down on the couch, grabbing the remote control from off of the coffee table. He slipped his shoes off and pulled out the recliner on his side of the couch. He leaned back and flipped through channels, searching for nothing in particular as he did so. His phone vibrated from inside one of the pockets on his jeans. He pulled it out and answered it, holding it to his ear, his hair still slightly damp from the drive over.

"Hello?"

"Naruto! Dude, we've already lost power at my place," Kiba's voice rang in his ears, "what about your place?"

"I dunno. I'm actually at my dad's place right now. I'm sure if you lost power, then I probably did too. My apartment's not that far from yours," he said, suddenly feeling even more thankful he had chosen to keep his father company.

"This sucks. Ino's here though, and she says hi." Kiba said, growling something in annoyance as the voice changed.

"Hi, Naruto, it's Ino," she gushed, obviously not wanting to wait for a response before she continued, "How do you think your dad would react if you asked him if he wanted to have a hurricane party?"

He paused for a moment. At that moment, Minato had chosen to walk into the living room, freshly dressed and toweling off his hair.

"Hey, Dad. Wanna have a hurricane party?" Naruto asked from his spot on the couch, covering the phone's speaker as he looked up at the tall, blond man.

Minato raised his eyebrows. "A hurricane party? What is that?"

"Dad! You know what that is. People bring stuff like food, drinks, tons of booze, radios, candles, and other crap. The hurricane isn't supposed to hit 'til later on tonight. Like around one in the morning. Whaddya say?"

Minato grinned. "Sure, that sounds like fun. Who all's coming? Kiba, I assume."

"Yeah," he said, uncovering the speaker of his phone. "Ino, who's coming. Kiba, you, and…?"

"Me, Kiba, Shikamaru, and probably Sakura," she listed off. Naruto nodded. Sakura would probably be joining them, seeing as how she was Ino's best friend.

"Okay, then. I'll order a few pizzas and sodas. You guys bring whatever else you want. And pick up lots of booze!" Naruto said.

"Alright. We'll see you in an hour," and with that, she hung up.

Naruto laughed as Minato ruffled his hair. "This'll be fun, Dad. We can break out your old beer pong table!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, this ought to be a fun night. I'm excited. I'd rather sit here and party than listen to everyone on the radio whine and tear up people's nerves about Hurricane Trisha."

They ordered four large pizzas and a few two-liter bottles of soda from a nearby pizza place. The workers sounded harassed, and Naruto expected that they were probably getting a lot of orders from people who were doing the exact same thing that they were doing.

Forty minutes later, the doorbell sounded and a young man stood on the doorstep in a poncho, holding the pizzas in a huge bag to keep them warm. Rain was pouring down, and the puddles in the yard had started to form together, creating huge puddles around the front yard. Naruto felt bad for the delivery boy, and tipped him nine dollars, a fair trade for the amount that he had paid for the pizzas and drinks. He brought the pizzas and drinks inside, setting them down on the dining room table. He sniffed the air appreciatively, wondering if he should wait for everyone else to arrive.

He didn't have to wait for very long, because as soon as the delivery boy had left, a new set of headlights shone in through the living room windows. A few seconds later, the doorbell was ringing obnoxiously. Naruto hurried over to the door and threw it open, standing aside as his friends trudged inside, immediately shedding their raincoats and shoes. Kiba was the first to acknowledge him, pulling his friend into a hug.

"Good to see you, man," Kiba said, smiling. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes; Naruto was sure he was picturing the night ahead of them in his mind. "Look at that crazy shit outside! It's raining cats, dogs, pigs, chickens - "

"Naruto!" a blur of pink pushed Kiba aside and enveloped him in a hug. "It's so good to see you."

"Hey, Sakura," he chuckled as Kiba yelled obscenities at the pink-haired girl. Shikamaru just shook his head and mumbled something about "troublesome girls".

Everyone finished their hellos and Minato ushered everyone to the dining room where he had set out plates and cups. They all dug in, their conversations steadily flowing as they all stuffed their faces, talking about everything and nothing in particular. As they finished their late dinners and cleaned up their messes, the lights flickered. The power surged, but the lights illuminated the room once more as they came back on.

"Candles! Flashlights!" Ino said loudly. They followed her back into the living room and dug through their backpacks. Everyone pulled out assortments of candles and flashlights.

"Okay. Anyone have a lighter?" Naruto asked. Silence met his ears. "Anyone? Seriously? No one has a lighter? Matches?"

"No. Sorry, dude," Kiba answered.

His father was rummaging through the cupboards and drawers. He pulled out a book of matches and flicked it open. There was only one left. Naruto groaned.

"Craaaap. Well, anyone wanna come to the store with me?" he asked no one in particular.

"I call not it!" Kiba declared, laughing as Naruto flipped him off.

"I'll go with you, Naruto," Ino said, smacking Kiba on the back of the head. The brunet growled and rubbed his head, playfully glaring at the girl. Ino's pretty jaw set in a devilish smile as she waved "goodbye" to Kiba.

They hurried outside, into the rain that came down, pelting them like bullets. They got into Kiba's car, and Ino handed him the keys, which she'd snagged off of the table next to one of the couches. Naruto had driven Kiba's car many times before (most of the time, Kiba was in the backseat, drunk), so he knew his best friend would have no qualms about him driving it.

The pair set off to the nearest gas station, which was right down the street. It was hard to see the road, even with the windshield wipers going the fastest that they could. The rain was just coming down too heavily. Finally, they reached the gas station and ran inside. It was cold inside, and Naruto fought to keep himself from shivering as they walked up and down the aisles. Ino was off in another aisle, looking for some more snacks, because she had a feeling that this hurricane would be particularly devastating.

After much searching, Naruto found the matches and reached for them. His hand knocked against someone else's hand, and he pulled back apologetically. He looked at the man next to him and smiled.

"Sorry. Go ahead," the blond gestured toward the matches. The man just raised an eyebrow at him and grabbed a pack of matches. Obsidian eyes regarded Naruto carefully – almost suspiciously – as he took the matches.

"There's only this one pack left," the stranger said, speaking in a low voice. He was rather soft-spoken, but there was an intensity in his eyes – in the way he was looking at Naruto – that made him shiver. His jet black hair framed his face, contrasting greatly with his porcelain complexion. He looked good, and Naruto could see that – if he were a woman – he would probably be very attracted to this guy.

Naruto looked at the empty spot on the shelf where the matches had been. He cursed his luck. Of course, everyone else in town had had this same idea. The residents were probably all holed up in their stupid houses, with all the stupid matches and freakin' candles –

"You can have it if you want," the stranger said, offering the book of matches to him.

Naruto shook his head, smiling. "Nah, that's okay. You can take it. I'll just get a crapload of lighters or something."

"A crapload?" the stranger said, the corners of his mouth turned upward, slightly amused. Was this guy making fun of him?

"Yes. A crapload," Naruto finished, his cerulean eyes twinkling with amusement. "Or, a shitload, if you'd rather."

"I'd rather not hear about either, if that's okay with you," he replied, smirking.

"Fine, suit yourself," the blond said, still grinning. He stuck out a tan arm, extending his hand. "I'm Naruto, by the way."

The ebony-haired man narrowed his eyes, taking the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you, Naruto. I don't give out my name to strangers I meet at gas stations in the middle of the night."

"It's not the middle of the night," he pointed out, letting go of his hand after shaking it.

"Hn," the stranger said, turning away from Naruto, who was now frowning. What was up that guy's ass? He hadn't said anything that could come off as rude or insulting, had he? Inwardly, he shrugged. Maybe the guy was just a dick for no reason.

He perused the aisles for a little while younger, finally grabbing a few lighters (one for each of them) and heading up to the counter where Ino was chatting it up with the midnight-haired stranger from earlier. He looked bored, from what Naruto could see, but Ino either didn't notice or didn't care. Ino was, in fact, pointing at Naruto, or at least in his direction. He walked up to the counter, raising an eyebrow at them as he approached.

"Good, you found me. Naruto, I was just inviting this handsome man to our little hurricane party. Tell him, isn't it going to be so much fun?" she said, practically devouring the man with her eyes.

He felt a smile already spreading itself across his face. "It is going to be pretty awesome."

"Sorry, but I have other things to do tonight," the stranger said, waiting in line as Ino paid for her things. Naruto tossed the lighters onto the counter with Ino's stuff, much to the cashier's dismay, with a promise that he'd pay Ino back.

"Like what?" Naruto challenged readily, tapping his foot.

"Like, oh, I don't know. Survive the hurricane? Not end up trapped in some guy's basement that I met at a gas station?" he answered, smirking.

Naruto's jaw dropped. He was offended. Did he look like a murderer or a psychopath? He did not think so.

"I'm not gonna kill you or rape you or anything. I was just being friendly and inviting you to my party. That's all," he said, snatching the receipt out of Ino's hands. He borrowed a pen sitting on the counter and scribbled down some numbers and his name on the paper, stuffing it into the stranger's hands. "There. That's my name and my phone number. If you decide you wanna come – 'cause this thing's probably going to last a couple of days – give me a call or a text."

The guy just gave him a strange look, but took the paper anyway and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He nodded as Naruto and Ino gathered their bags and headed towards the door. He held the door open for Ino and, together, they headed for Kiba's car. They slammed the doors shut and turned on the engine.

"Whew. That rain is getting worse and worse," Naruto exclaimed, turning the heat on blast as they headed back to the house.

"Yeah. Anyway, oh my gosh, Naruto. That guy was so hot!" Ino squealed excitedly. "I hope he comes. Oh my gosh, he was like a model!"

"Pffft. He wasn't that great. He was good-looking, but I'm way hotter," he said, playfully. In truth, the stranger had been very attractive. He was just as – if not more – attractive as Naruto, in his opinion. And Naruto thought of himself as a pretty decent-looking guy.

Ino playfully smacked his arm. "You know you're hot, Naruto. Shut up."

"I know," he joked, pulling into his father's driveway and shutting off the car.

They rushed inside and stripped off their jackets and shoes once more. It was around nine at night now, and the storm was kicking in, fast and furious. Luckily, the lights hadn't gone out just yet, but they were flickering every now and again. Naruto lit a few candles and set them around the house sporadically. When he was satisfied that at least two candles were in every room, he relaxed, opening a beer to catch up with everyone else.

Around forty minutes later, the lights went out with a flash. Thunder rumbled in the background, more audible now than ever. There was no sound of the heating system in the background. The air was still around them, and for a heartbeat, no one said anything. They could see each other by the dim candlelight, and no one was really bothered by the darkness, as they were all buzzed by now. Some movement was heard, footsteps, some shuffling as someone unzipped a backpack. A clicking noise, and then…music. Kiba turned the battery-operated radio's volume all the way up on blast so that it could be heard from anywhere in the house and probably from outside.

"'TIL THE BREAK OF DAWN!" he said, quoting his favorite movie, Project X. Everyone cheered and started dancing; even Minato busted a couple of moves. Naruto smiled. This was great. Everyone he loved and cared about in the same room, getting wasted. That was the definition of a great night, in his book.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, the sudden light hurting his eyes as he peered at the text. It was from a number he didn't recognize, but it said "Is this Naruto?" His drunken brain's gears moved slowly into action as he recalled the stranger from the gas station.

He texted back. "Yeah. Is this the guy from the gas station who wouldn't give me his name?"

Satisfied with his text, he went back to his fifth or sixth beer, feeling good as he danced around to some unknown song. Five minutes later, his phone buzzed again. He pulled it out, reading the text woozily.

"Yes. This is he. You can call me Sasuke. I think the weather is too bad for me to make it to your party. Sorry I couldn't come. You seem like…a fun guy. Maybe we'll hang out another time."

Naruto frowned, slightly disappointed that this guy, Sasuke, couldn't come. Ino had really been looking forward to him coming, but he could tell that Sasuke wasn't into Ino anyway. If he had been, he probably would have asked for Ino's phone number, or at least asked Naruto for the girl's number.

"It's cool. We could definitely hang out sometime though. I'll think of something for us to do. You sure you can't come? It's pretty awesome."

He got his answer in less than a minute. "Yeah. My driveway is flooded. Whenever you want to hang out is fine with me. Thanks for inviting me over though."

Naruto let a small smile touch his lips at this. For someone who had been such a dick, Sasuke actually seemed kind of cool. He could tell that Sasuke was not the type to text random strangers, and that it must have actually taken a lot for him to get up the nerve to text him. Naruto was the complete opposite. He reached out to people that he wanted to get to know. He loved meeting new people. It was exciting for him to make new friends, and that was something he did with ease, everywhere he went. It seemed he was going to have to reach out a little farther for Sasuke's hand in friendship, but that was fine by him, as the man seemed lonely. After all, he was texting a stranger. Quickly, Naruto responded.

"No problem. I'll hit you up tomorrow. We can hang out in a few days, after the storm has passed. Sound good?"

"Yes, that sounds good. See you later, Naruto."

"Later, Sasuke. :D"

He looked around to see that Shikamaru and Ino were passed out on the couch together, Sakura was setting up her sleeping bag on the floor, and Kiba was talking animatedly to Minato about something that seemed to be of great interest. The music had been turned down to a low drone by someone, and a weather report warning cut through the music, reminding everyone of the incoming storm.

"Well," Naruto groaned, stretching his muscles, "I think I'm going to hit the hay."

"I think that sounds like a good idea," Minato said, stretching as well. He ruffled his son's hair. "We can stay up later tomorrow, but it sounds like everyone has had a long day. I'm off to bed."

"Night, Dad," Naruto said, giving his father a half hug. His dad smiled.

"Night, Naruto. Night everyone," Minato said quietly and stumbled off to his bedroom.

The blond flumped onto the other couch, grunting when Kiba pounced on top of him, smothering him in blankets. The shoved his friend good-naturedly, laughing as Kiba fell onto the floor. The brunet got up and readjusted himself on the couch so that Naruto was lying on one end, and he was laying on the other. The two talked for a little while before sleep overtook them both, the sounds of the storm wailing outside lulling them to sleep. Naruto sighed happily, tightening the blankets around him to make a cocoon. He didn't even notice when his phone went off again. Sleep was bliss.