"I guess we should stop here then," Leader said. The sky was already basking in the sun's bloody rays, signing that the night was just around the corner. Grey clouds crawled in, a sign of the upcoming rain. No matter how good a ninja was, sight will always be hindered in night time for the lack of light, except if he, or she, was a Hyuuga. Unless it was absolutely necessary, a ninja should always find a good, hidden spot and set up a camp to replenish one's strength and to prepare for tomorrow's possible fight. Unpreparedness was an enemy for a ninja.

I then prepared a tent for myself, while my teammates made theirs. I could taste the rain in the air as I set up the tent. I could also hear the crackle of a thunder and saw a distant flash, a sign of a storm coming.

Before long, I finished setting up my tent. The one who finished setting first must go and fetch some water for the team. I was the one who finished first, so I was told to go.

"There should be a river over there, down the hill," Leader told me as he pointed a path into deeper part of the forest.

"Don't get lost. I won't be forgiven by Haruno-san if you do," one of my teammates joked from behind me. I replied his joke with a hearty laugh and fake anger.

"Is that the extent of your trust to me? I feel hurt," I said sarcastically before he laughed at it, and I laughed too. However, Leader didn't seem to like our friendly banter, as he impatiently shoved me away and told me to hurry up.

"I'm not as patient as Kakashi-senpai, so hurry up and go before it rains!"

"Okay, okay," I said before I turned and began to walk deeper into the forest, carrying a medium-sized water container along with me.

雨の音楽|~
(Music of the Rain)
by Sapphire09

"How'd you know our name?"

STAGE II
Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru, or Not?

Naruto woke up to a delicious smell.

'Someone is cooking?' he thought absently as he groaned. Slowly, he opened his blue orbs and sat upright before he took in the new environment around him. Memories of yesterday slowly flowing back.

'Ah, that's right… This isn't my apartment…' he thought again. He found himself on a sofa with dark blue blanket covering him. Behind him, a white pillow was laid near the armrest. He lifted his arms upwards and stretched as he remembered the other Naruto's courtesy.

After they got back from the bridge last night, the other Naruto offered him to stay at his place for a while, until he could find his way home. Naruto, knowing there was nothing else he could do, took the offer. At least, he wouldn't have to worry about food while he stuck here. The other Naruto also has been kind enough to lend him some of his clothes and let him use the shower last night.

'…Despite being such a jerk about it,' he thought with annoyance.

Slowly, he lifted himself to his feet and made popping noises with his neck and went to the bathroom to do his morning routine, before he went to follow the smell.

"It smelled nice. What are you making?" Naruto asked curiously. The other glanced back before he continued his business at the counter and shortly replied.

"Morning to you too," he said flatly, which made Naruto to remember Shikamaru's way of talking. Naruto then frowned in displeasure, although it wasn't anything new. After a few minutes of observation, the other Naruto seemed to be a mix between Shikamaru's lazy behavior and Sasuke's rude behavior, which was scary, since he adorned his look to boot. However, before he could complain about it, he was told to sit down not too nicely, if not rudely.

"Are you going to stand there like a fool or are you going to sit down and wait?"

Grumbling, Naruto sat down obediently and patiently waited. It was very silent, as only the sound of hissing oil and the thudding sound of wood meeting metal which filled the room. Naruto never liked such silence.

"So…" he began in attempt to destroy the silence. He looked left and right, trying to find a topic.

"Nice weather, eh?" Naruto continued lamely. The other didn't pay him any attention, but at least he replied.

"No, not really. It's cloudy outside and it'll rain later around noon," the other Naruto said as he continued his cooking. Awkward silence then filled the room, making Naruto uncomfortable.

"Oh, really?" he tried again. "How'd you know?"

The other then passed a white plate in front of him and filled it up with a sunny-side up, a couple of bacons with either ketchup and mayonnaise by both side of the plate, a small plate of salad to go by and passed a bowl of rice. He also put a pair of chopsticks near the bowl.

"It was in the weather forecast this morning," he said as a matter of fact as he put another plate to another side of the table and filled it with the same dish, but in smaller portion, Naruto noticed. He then took a bowl and filled it with rice too, before he sat down and took a pair of chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu…," he said silently and began eating in silence. Naruto copied his action at last.

"Itadakimasu," he muttered out. The silence was so overwhelming for Naruto; he thought he could go deaf by it. He even ate in a slower speed, very unlike his usual manner of eating.

"My friends will be coming over two hours from now," the other Naruto suddenly said after a few moments of silence, surprising Naruto. He looked towards his look-alike to see him already finished half of his breakfast.

"Pretend that you're my distant cousin if they ever found you out. You may keep your name, but if you don't mind using alias, please do find other name," the other Naruto continued, his eyes never straying from his food as he kept eating his breakfast. Naruto could only frowned in confusion.

"Why?" he asked curiously. The other's eyes then darted to his direction.

"Why, what?" the other asked back. Instead of actually asking, it sounded almost like he was using sarcasm.

"I mean, why do I have to use an alias?"

The look that adorned the other Naruto as he suddenly stopped his eating and just stared at him was flat and really disturbed him. It also annoyed him a little, somehow. Then, the other Naruto sighed and returned to his eating.

"Because then it'll be easier to differentiate. If you ever do something wrong, it'll be me that will be blamed if you stubbornly kept your name. The least you can do is to keep yourself hidden, and if by some chance my friends found you out, do what I just told you," the other explained as he finished his breakfast. "Now finish up your breakfast and take a bath. You do remember where the bathroom is, right?"

It was just after he said that he put the empty plates to the sink and told Naruto to just do the same after he was done. Then, the other Naruto left, leaving Naruto to his half-eaten food.

"That guy is so cold, and a bit of a jerk," Naruto muttered, annoyed. His blond eyebrows creased, creating wrinkles in between of his eyebrows. His lips turned, making a slight frown as he continued eating the breakfast given to him half-heartedly. "But he really could cook…," he muttered out again, not really wanting to admit it. But…curses. The food was just too good, albeit simple. It really suits his taste. But, he was still not in the mood, so it took him a while to actually finish his breakfast.

After he was done, he did like how he was told, putting the empty plates in the sink. He then headed for the bathroom, to find the other just finished bathing, if his wet hair and towel clad form were any indication. The other who just stepped out of the bathroom stopped in his track upon realizing Naruto's presence and glanced at him. Naruto then noticed how the other's form seemed skinnier than him.

Glad to find another difference, Naruto thought.

"Bath?" the other asked indifferently. Naruto didn't actually like the way he talked in one-word sentence, since it reminded him of Sasuke. Hearing Sasuke's pattern of speech from someone who looked too much like himself seemed too creepy. It gave him shivers up to his spine. He couldn't even make up words for a proper reply, so he just nodded.

"The spare towel is inside a small drawer just by your right once you enter the bathroom. Put your dirty clothes in the basket just behind the door. I'll put the change of clothes by the counter near the sink later. To turn on the shower, I believe you still remember how, right? I've told you that last night. Any question?"

The other Naruto explained them all in one draw of breath; it was a miracle that Naruto even catch on a word that he said. He shook his head in negative as the other finished explaining. Satisfied, the other then left to the stairs before he disappeared to the second floor.

After the other left, Naruto went into the bathroom. He didn't really check it out last night, since he was too preoccupied by the thought of ending up in another world. The interior seemed nice enough and the size is also average. A shower stood by the end corner, by the opposite side of the door, with counters lined up from the right side of the door to the right side of the wall, with a sink on one of it and mirror. The flooring was colored in white tiles, like lower half of the walls. The upper half was colored in cream colored paint. In between the lined counters, a small aluminum drawer stood. By the left side of the door, there was a basket made of metal and aluminum. Dirty clothes neatly folded inside the rectangular basket.

After he removed all of his clothing, he opened the shower's sliding door and began showering.

At his room, Naruto dried himself as he took some pieces of clothing from his wardrobe. He chose a pair of light brown cargo pants and a simple black T-shirt. After he finished dressing himself, he took one look at his wardrobe again and began choosing garments for his look-alike.

He wondered why he even proposed such thing, letting a stranger to stay in his house. It was too nice of him, he thought. It was a drag for him, too troublesome.

Naruto let out a loud sigh. Stop kidding yourself, he chided himself. That guy didn't have anywhere to go, and he already took him to his house. He was the one who started it, so he had to see it to the end, just to make him sleep soundly at night. Besides, he really wanted to know why the guy had the same face as him.

Oh well, curiosity do usually wins.

He began taking a pair of army-patterned cargo pants and T-shirt, also clean, newly-bought underwear that he bought earlier this morning from a 24-hours store. Who would've thought such store that would sell everything, from foods to undergarments, could really exist so close to his home. Thanks to his discovery, he could eat something other than ramen this morning. And he also could avoid lending his own underwear to a stranger. Such personal belonging….

Taking the clothes with him, Naruto headed to the bathroom. He heard the shower running, so he figured his look-alike would probably be still in the shower. But, just to make sure…

Knock, knock.

"Who's there?" said the muffled voice from inside, which annoyed Naruto a little.

'It's your friendly neighborhood Spiderman! Who the hell do you think I am! Is there even anyone else in this house besides me!' he thought, but restrained himself to say that out loud. Instead, he said, "It's me. I brought your change of clothes."

"Oh? Uh… Wait there," the guy replied. Naruto waited for a while, noticing the sound of the shower stopped and the shower's sliding door. After a few seconds, the door let out a click before it was swung open, revealing a towel clad and wet blond. Indifferently, Naruto gave his look-alike the change of clothes before he turned around to the living room, noticing the sound of the locked door from behind him.

"Gee, not even a thank you," he muttered out, though he honestly could care less.

He checked the clock to see that it has been an hour and a half since their breakfast. They should come in another hour, he mused. He decided to go back to the kitchen and made some food. His friends always demanded them every time they would come by. Such bottomless pit…

Putting two blue hairpins to pull his side bangs out of his face, he decided to make sandwiches, since they were simple and edible. In the middle of making the sandwiches, he noticed the prattling sound from the glass of his window. He turned to see that it already began to rain. Frowning, he turned back to the task at hand.

"At least it wasn't a storm…," he muttered almost soundlessly.

It took him around twenty minutes to finish six big portions of sandwiches. Remembering the appetite of his friends, it didn't seem enough, though.

"Oh, well… Not my problem," he said to himself. His friends should already be grateful he even made something for them. After preparing drinks, the doorbell rang. He figured it was probably his friends, so he took his time to wash his hands and dried them. Then, he headed towards the front door.

He was surprised to see his look-alike already opened the door and greeted his two friends.

"…Damn…"

Right after he came out of the bathroom, dry and fully dressed, he heard the doorbell rang. Naruto glanced towards the kitchen to see that the other Naruto is currently busy. So, he decided to answer it instead.

He headed towards the front door and spun the knob before pulling it open. He was greeted by two familiar faces.

In front of him, a face with slanted, feral-like eyes and spiked brown hair stared back at him with a toothy grin. A brown, plain umbrella was at hand. Another one beside him stared him with bored eyes and his black hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, like a pineapple. In his hand there's a plain dark green umbrella.

Those faces… he knew those faces…

"Kiba… Shikamaru…," he muttered out unconsciously, more of surprise. He stood there, frozen by shock. The one he addressed merely looked at him questioningly, as if expecting him to do something.

"Aren't you going to let us in, Naruto? It's a bit cold here," Shikamaru asked flatly after a few moments of silence. But, instead of doing what he was supposed to do, Naruto still stood there like a statue.

"Oi! Baka! (Stupid)" a voice much like his own broke him out of his stupor. He quickly turned his head to glance behind him. The face that looked much similar with his was contorted to show an expression of annoyance. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and glared at him.

"Huh?" was the only word he could let out, which was replied back with a glare.

"Are you going to let my friends in or what?" the other said with annoyance latched in those words. Naruto noticed it, but he was too shocked to make out a retort. Seeing the faces of his friends made him think that perhaps his friends came to this place to rescue him.

"Woah! Two Narutos!" Kiba's loud exclamation rang through his ears and Naruto saw his look-alike rubbed his temple in exasperation. Meanwhile, Shikamaru had a look of surprise on his face for a second, before it turned back to normal. Curiosity lightened his once bored eyes as he observed both look-alikes.

"Shut up, Kiba," the other Naruto snapped in annoyance. "Go ahead to my room and wait for me there. You know where to put your umbrellas," he ordered both guest impatiently.

"Hey, that one must be our Naruto," Kiba said, smirking as he closed the umbrella behind him, "Heh. Then who's the other one?" Kiba asked curiously as he stared at Naruto, who backed away a bit, getting uncomfortable under such unknown gaze, one filled with curiosity and unfamiliarity, especially on the familiar face of Kiba.

"Kiba," the other Naruto threatened, which made Kiba to shut up before he followed Naruto's order reluctantly, putting his closed umbrella near the front door and went to the second floor. Shikamaru smirked upon seeing his friend's displeasure before he, too, closed his umbrella and put it near Kiba's brown one before he strolled to the second floor, sparing both Naruto another curious glance in the way.

After both of them gone, Naruto turned to see the other glared at him. He replied with a half-hearted glare of himself. The other Naruto didn't seem to like it, since Naruto saw the corner of his left eye twitched and he glared even deeper.

"I thought I told you to keep yourself hidden," the other said, or growled out. Naruto strayed his eyes away guiltily, yet still defiant on admitting his fault.

"…I forgot," he replied simply. If it was possible, the other glared even harder. It was frustrating, and also a bit scary, to see the other glared at him like that. It was like seeing yourself glaring at you.

Yeah, really scary…

That's probably why he couldn't even retort like how he usually would.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the other Naruto backed down, though his frown was still apparent. "Whatever. Just close the door and bring the sandwiches in the kitchen to my room," he said with a hint of annoyance, before turning back and left to the second floor. Naruto was a bit surprised that he let him off the hook just like that, but he was relived, nevertheless.

'…Wait… Did I just got scared back there? Of, practically, myself? '

Putting his annoyance aside, Naruto used that chance to think about what he just saw. Those faces… they just have to be Shikamaru and Kiba, no doubt about it. It was their voice, their appearance, he knew it. But, at the same time, they weren't. There was something different about them, something that Naruto couldn't grasp. Was it their way of talking? Or was it their behavior?

No, they were the same. The only thing that was different was the way looked at him. Instead of familiarity, they saw him like a stranger.

He wasn't sure what to think of it. The thought of him ended up in another world, or perhaps a parallel world, passed his mind. It seemed impossible, he knew, but here he was, in a place where someone who looked like him and had the same name as him, living not unlike an ordinary citizen. Let's not forget about Kiba and Shikamaru. Considering what happened, he couldn't really block out that possibility.

But how did he even end up here?

Can he even get back?

He decided that the first thing he should do is to regain his memory back. He needed to remember what happened after he camped that night before he could even comprehend what was happening now.

He eyed the pouring rain a bit sadly before he closed the door.

He missed Konoha already.

"He's your cousin?"

Kiba had said that with unnecessary loudness. Naruto merely nodded in affirmative as Shikamaru 'hmm'-ed in response of the new revelation. The three of them were currently sitting around a miniature table in Naruto's room. On top of the table, books and papers filled with formulas were scattered around. Each had their own assignment paper to fill in front of them. In his hand, Naruto held a pencil and he seemed to be in deep thought as he stared the assignment in front of him.

"You sure he's not your father's illegitimate child?" Kiba asked suspiciously, which was answered with a nasty glare.

"No way. Naruto got his look from his mother. That guy couldn't be from his father," Shikamaru said in retort without looking away from his own assignment.

"Then, is he your mother's illegitimate child?" Kiba said again, and Naruto's glare hardened. The pencil Naruto hand in his hand cracked and almost snapped in half. Kiba couldn't help but to flinch upon the intensity of that glare.

"Say that again and I'll rip your throat off," Naruto threatened coolly. Shikamaru could feel the murderous aura spiraling around the blond. He began to feel scared for Kiba. Poor guy…

"G-Gomen…(S-Sorry), I was only joking…" was all that Kiba could mutter out as he backed down, shivering and fearing for his life.

Suddenly, the door was opened and another blond—the second Naruto, Shikamaru mused—could be seen standing by the door, and Kiba couldn't be more glad for the distraction. In front of the second Naruto—or as Naruto had told them, Naruto's cousin—a wooden tray with a teapot, three cups, and a plate full with sandwiches was held firmly. He seemed apologetic for some reason.

"I brought tea with me," he said. Naruto then stood up and took the tray from the other's hands.

"Thank you," he said flatly, more out of politeness rather than real gratitude. He then turned back and put the tray on the floor near where he sat. The other Naruto took it as a cue for him to leave, but Kiba suddenly stood up and stopped him.

"Oi! What's your name?" Kiba asked as he reached for the other's shoulder, stopping him from taking another step away. He looked at the blond expectantly, waiting for Naruto's look-alike to answer.

Naruto glanced back to see how his look-alike would answer. Going with the same name as the one he introduced to him was the most foolish choice, so he hoped that his look-alike would find an alias, no matter what.

"Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto decided that his look-alike is, indeed, a fool.

"Woah! You even have the same name!" Kiba exclaimed loudly in surprise, however there was a hint of amusement in his tone. Naruto glanced at Shikamaru to see his eyebrows rose up in question. Shikamaru then turned to him.

"Hey, your mother's maiden name was Uzumaki, right?" Shikamaru asked for confirmation. Holding back a sigh, Naruto half-heartedly explained about his 'cousin'.

"Naruto is my mother's grandfather's brother's grandson's son. It was said that mother looked like her grandfather's mother, so maybe he got her genetic. As for the same name, it was a coincidence," Naruto said while looking a bit annoyed. He was never comfortable with lying, but he could make up stories if needed. Telling the truth to them will only exaggerate the problem. He was just thankful he didn't put his hopes up and already thought of a cover story beforehand.

He couldn't really tell them he found his look-alike falling from the sky, right? They'll stare at him as if he had grown another head. He also had his image to keep.

Both of his friends seemed to accept his story, but the interested look on Kiba's face and amusement in Shikamaru's eyes seemed to bother him for a bit. He didn't even know why.

"Can I go now?" his look-alike asked nervously. He seemed to be uncomfortable to stay even for another second. Naruto was about to grant his leave, but then Kiba cut him off.

"No, wait! I have another question to ask," he said, grinning widely. Naruto noticed his look-alike was inching closer the exit. He also noticed the amusement in Shikamaru's eyes hadn't gone yet.

"How'd you know our name?"

Naruto's eyes were widened in surprise upon hearing his friend's question. He was sure that he hadn't spoken to his look-alike about the name of his friends.

"You called us Kiba and Shikamaru earlier in front of the door. We were pretty sure we didn't tell you our names that time," Shikamaru said again, giving more pressure.

"That's because…," his look-alike trailed off, obviously not knowing what to answer. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his 'guest', silently questioning himself. He could see his look-alike sweating cold sweat from his anxiety, looking everywhere away from any of them as he did so.

"I… Eto..," his look alike kept trailing off, still unable to answer. His anxiety was felt to all in the room, making Kiba's playful grin even wider. Shikamaru also supported a small mischievous smile.

Naruto's blue eyes wandered away.

'Baka.'

~|TO BE CONTINUED|~

Sapphire09: I really can't remember when I last updated this... I was too caught up with Supernatural I kinda forgot how I wanted this story to go... Added to that, college really burned out my fuels... *sigh*

I can only hope someone is still reading this... Reviews to let me know, please? hhehe...