Nailed it

Waking up from his evening nap, the first thing Naruto did was blindly grabbing for his mobile phone from under his comforter. It was a nice windy cool evening demanding him to bundle up like a cocoon. But the nice cocoon he made earlier had loosened from his constant unconscious movements throughout the half hour nap, Naruto just can't keep still in his sleep sometimes, what more when awake.

Feeling for the phone around his body he discovered that it had slid under his thigh, he grabbed and take a look at it. With still sleepy eyes, he unlocked the phone and peered at the screen. First order is to check Leaf B*****s - the name of the messaging circle for his group of friends from the Konoha suburbs. Temari reminded them that, the Sabaku siblings will not be able to make it up for tonight, of which everyone in the chat group already know as the Sabakus were never around in Konoha at the end of every school year. Chouji, dropped the message that he had booked their usual studio from 9.30 pm to 11.30 pm for tonight, reminding someone to be there before time or the booking will be cancelled. Being reminded of their jam session, Naruto reminded himself to borrow extra money from Iruka this month because Sasuke had bought him expensive drumsticks instead of the cheaper ones.

Next, he checked his few active social media, he noticed that no one had interacted with his newborn twitter account nor with his year old Instagram, so he clicked on his Facebook app. His timeline was quite boring, people were either away on family vacations or just sharing some trivial things. As usual he clicked on a particular Facebook page, which Kiba had started with Chouji, Shino and Ino, named Konoha Stuff You Don't Want To Know. Despite the name, they regularly share viral postings from around the world.

Naruto is a visual person so instead of reading lines of postings, he prefers watching videos. Scrolling down the page he saw one video with the hashtags #pontianak #vampire. The two minute video began playing after a few seconds of buffering. The picture was dark and pixelated, and Naruto couldn't comprehend what the video was supposed to show but the sound effects was of female voice laughing complete with echoes. The subtitle told the viewer to watch for an object in the far corner of the dark visual. Since Naruto never even heard about what Pontianak is, he double tapped the Wikipedia app on his phone and entered Pontianak. Wikipedia said that it was a female ghost who died upon childbirth. Pontianaks roamed the earth drinking the blood of humans at night time, killing her victims with her sharp tongue and nails. Some said it can be turned into human if you stick a nail on its neck. The article on Pontianak was accompanied with an illustration of a white robed human with long hair, red eyes and fangs. The teenager eeped at the thought of it.

Naruto wasn't game for scary stories. He avoided watching scary movies during the day and watch every other genre at night. Nobody knew about this because his friends never watch movies during the day, and he never spent any nights, going movie watching with them as he worked at Jiraiya's coffee shop at night. The few nights he had off, he spent it at Sasuke's house learning to play drum with the senior Uchiha or watching tv with Iruka, his foster father.

Iruka hollered from downstairs for Naruto to head down for dinner. He shoved his phone under his pillow and walked out, inhaling the scent of ramen like cookings.

xoxoxooxooxooxxooxoxooxoxoox

Later as the clock ticked closer to 9.00 pm, Naruto checked his appearance on his mirror before heading out with his friends for their jam session. They weren't really serious musicians but since some of them can play some instruments well, they decided to jam together during the few months leading to their eventual separation towards tertiary education.

"Do you have any money? Did not you just blow the last of your allowance on Sakura's birthday party." Iruka asked as Naruto exited the house.

Naruto sighed and answered "Yeah I do, Jiraiya just paid me my last salary in cash. And I still have some graduation gift money left as Tsunade-baachan gave me a hefty sum." With the thought of that huge sum of money, he grinned. Tsunade his childless God Mother must have been mighty proud of her one and only god son.

"Why don't you join the summer camp as instructor? They needed someone for something, Kakashi told me," said his father.

Naruto knew Iruka was just worried seeing how he had spent all his days after graduation doing normal teenagers thing. Iruka often fussed over him for being too relaxed, for not being as hardworking as the next door Uchiha kids. Iruka didn't want him to end up homeless or worse jobless. Naruto thought Iruka was just overly worried.

He knew he was lucky despite not born with a silver, gold or even stainless spoon in his mouth. Iruka offered to get him a temporary job at the law firm he operated, but Naruto deems the law world as suffocating and cramping his teenage minds. He had his mind on something physical like being a photographer, fireman or policeman.

Since he finished school he hadn't resumed working with Jiraiya either, primarily because his former working place was now rebranded into a maid's café. His status being currently unemployed is normal for an 18 year old, but living with an independent parent who built his business from scratch, makes Naruto sigh everyday.

Iruka and Naruto only had each other and the older man was only thinking about his future, but Naruto thought since he had done quite ok at school his future could wait awhile. Naruto thought maybe he could enrol in the University Of Life, maybe take a year off from studying and volunteering. When he told Iruka that, Iruka said there's plenty of volunteer work at college too. So he figured Iruka will always win, one way or another, in any debate or discussion about his future plans.

Luckily Iruka's salary as a lawyer, as a single guy and a having only one son means he could provide Naruto with a fixed monthly allowance though he nags the kid about working.

"Here's a 100, treat Sasuke and the others to something healthy, don't just eat Ramen, you are a growing boy."

"Thank you mommy," Naruto smiled and hugged Iruka around the waist while trying to lift the man playfully.

Iruka rolled his eyes and Naruto let go. He went out to slip on his sneakers.

"Don't be out too late too," Iruka's last warning.

"Yeah yeah."

Fact was Naruto didn't just laze around the entire month. He helped Iruka took care of the house while Iruka was away. When Iruka's clerk was away for holiday, Naruto acted as a tempt clerk answering calls did some filing under Iruka's mother chicken nose.

The rest of his days were spent hanging out at Sasuke's house. Ever since Sasuke's musician father renovated one of their rooms into a studio, Naruto became the senior Uchiha's biggest fan. Truthfully he wasn't even aware that the music college principal was a former rock star who exchanged leather jackets for polo shirts and slacks.

Sasuke, Naruto's best friend was not just musically talented, he was also a hardworking student. So while Naruto was still laying out plans regarding his future, Sasuke had already secured a place in UK to study music. Usually when they jam, Sasuke plays the guitar, Naruto on drums, Gaara provided the vocal, Sakura on the keyboard, Hinata on bass, Kiba as second guitar, and Chouji acts like their manager, he books studio, records their playing and refines their recording for playbacks. The non present for tonight, Kankurou, Temari and Gaara sometimes join the jam session too as keyboardist, bass and vocals. Usually Gaara sings, but tonight Hinata takes over as vocal.

Naruto roared his 20 year old baby blue Honda cup which belonged to his late father. This was one of the still functioning inheritence from his late father apart from a trust fund. He was very fond of the antique bike.

As he rammed his engine he thought to himself "Sasuke is off to the UK next month, the jam session wouldn't be as fun. Maybe I should find a job after he left. Iruka would be thrilled."

Xooxoxooxoxo

After 2 hours of singing, some new song experimentation, laughters, and someone's hair caught in the strings of Hinata's bass, except it wasn't her hair, the Konoha b*****s said their goodbyes and headed home with the promise to meet again tomorrow night. It was Friday night after all.

Only Sasuke was able to entertain Naruto to check the new tea place in town. The place was owned by a Malaysian who married a Konohan. Their peers told them they sold tea with milk, called Teh Tarik, which basically means pulled tea. So off they go on Sasuke's mini cooper as Sasuke said he forgot to bring his jacket so they weren't riding Naruto's bike to the stall seeing the night was too cool for Prince Uchiha's skin.

Downing the Teh Tarik along with buttered toast, they talked about everything, playing down the fact that they would be apart for the first time. Then Sasuke's phone rang and he answered it.

For the next ten minutes he was on the phone, Naruto thought whether he should upload Skype on his phone or laptop to chat with Sasuke. He was sure going to miss his buddy, and he was a little hurt by the fact that Sasuke didn't choose to attend the college where Sasuke's father worked, but Naruot knew they were bound to separate sooner or later.

Sasuke eventually finished his call and sipped on his warm tea.

"Sorry about that, it's Karin your cousin. She said she wanted me to meet a friend of hers who is going to the same Uni I'm heading to."

"No problem man. Just don't forget to give me some hot girl's email when you settle down," Naruto joked.

"Yeah. Hey do you have Skype on your phone N? I don't want you and me to end up not contacting each other like Itachi did when he was only a month overseas. It hurt like hell, I thought he forgot about me already since he joined a fraternity there." Sasuke looked at Naruto with a small frown.

Unlike Naruto who expressed his feeling with physical movements like hugging, crying and flying fists in his uttermost rage, Sasuke delivers his emotions with carefully worded expression. But Naruto being his close friends, he loosened up much.

Naruto smiled "You were too melancholic, and you were just 10 bro."

"Yeah I was just ten, but it still hurt like hell. And I will miss your stupid laugh and idiotic stories," Sasuke smirked.

"Awww, why don't we just get married now and you don't need to be afraid of losing me, " Naruto said smiling wide and punching Sasuke on the shoulders.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto laughed.

Xoooxoxooxoxo

It was 1.30 am and Sasuke left Naruto alone outside the still open jamming studio. Sasuke left Naruto alone and rode home as Naruto told him he couldn't just leave his motor there. So alone on his bike Naruto drove home.

While Naruto was half concentrating driving on the road and half thinking about Sasuke's going away, suddenly his motorcycle jerked to the left and then right. He lost control of his smooth ride but luckily he was driving slowly.

His house was not so far away and Naruto decided that there would be no harm in taking a look at what's wrong with the bike. He got down from the motor and checked at his tyre. The front tyre was flat. Then he noticed the huge nails scattered on the road.

"Which stupid person throws nails on the road? So irresponsible!" he wailed into the darkness. The road was dim as some lights went out following a lightning strike yesterday.

He pushed his motor on the side of the road and took off his helmet and placed it in the basket. He pushed the bike but it wouldn't move and he dropped down to check the other tyre. It looks like the rear tyre had three nails stuck on it. A wind rushed by and Naruto shivered, he pulled a glove from his jacket and pulled the rusty nails out.

Naruto stood again and began to push the motorcycle again. The wind was increasing its speed. Suddenly he saw something from afar in white and long hair coming towards him in a blink of an eye. The object hit his face and he dropped himself to the ground and in the process his motorcycle.

"Go away!" Naruto shrieked trying to pull the object away.

"I want you" it's voice scarily ethereal.

"Eh?" Naruto fright increased and he thrashed around wanting the thing off his face. Scrambling blindly too panic too shout he felt his hand grabbing the rusty nails from the road around him. He rammed the nails into the object on his face..

"Oyyy that hurts you know," screamed the voice.

"Eh?" Naruto stopped and the object released its hold on hid face,

He crawled away unknowingly hurting himself as he grabbed on the tarred road to push himself away.

"It hurts like hell," the voice said.

Naruto turned around to look at the familiar voice. Somehow Sasuke was in front of him.

Naruto lay there confused.

"What the hell Sasuke? What were you doing?"

"I was just returning your drumsticks you left in my car?" Sasuke said, his palms on his neck, maybe feeling an injury or something

"Then why don't you return it to my house instead of scaring me here?" Naruto asked in confusion. "You don't need to jump me like that!"

Sasuke smiled and stood up. He knelt down before Naruto and said "I was just giving my farewell kiss."

"….…."

Sasuke closed the distance between Naruto and him. Naruto eyes fell half lidded as he anticipatd Sasuke's lips. But Naruto phone rang and Sasuke stopped. He stood up and watched Naruto, an unusual emotion playing on his face.

Naruto stood up, turned away and absent mindedly answered his phone.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other said "You left your drum sticks in my car, Seeing you aren't home yet, I'll send them tomorrow ok.?"

Naruto turned slowly to face Sasuke who stood behind him.

"Hello? Hello Naruto?" Sasuke's voice asked in increased concern from the phone.

The Sasuke in front of him smiled and its grin widening to its ears as fangs grew out. The hairs elongated and the white tees turned into long white gown.

Naruto's breath stalled, somehow his fingers grabbed on the rusty nails he absent mindedly placed in his pockets.

Luckily I still have some nails.

Authors Note : Thanks for reading, I need to make some corrections later.