((Well, not many people seem to like this right now…but I'm going to send one more chapter up, hopefully this one will get some reviews…Hint, Hint. Anyway, this if for your knowledge:
Songs in First Chapter:
"Proud of your boy" – Song deleted from Aladdin – Naruto"Confrontation" – Song from Jekyll and Hyde – Sasuke and Dream Itachi
Songs in Second Chapter:
"Ordinary Man" – Song from My Fair Lady – Shikamaru"There's a Fine, Fine Line" – Song from Avenue Q – Sakura
Also, I'm not saying Sasuke is gay! As the story goes on you will find out he's not. It's just a joke that might go on for a few chapters.))
Act 1 : Scene 3
With a heavy sigh Sasuke walked along the streets of Konoha. The people moved about him, all very cautious of the ex-missing-nin.
"Sasuke-baka!" a voice shouted out from behind Sasuke as he chuckled lightly, turning to see the energetic blond running towards him.
"What do you want Dobe?" Sasuke asked, smiling as he talked. Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"A few of the guys are getting together down at this Barbeque place Choji keeps wanting everyone to go to…do you want to come? It's a guy time only, so I mean…you might enjoy it…"
"What's that supposed to mean…?" Sasuke asked, slightly irritated. He had gotten this a few times from Naruto…he knew the blond was only kidding, but that didn't make it any better.
"Well, I mean, all those years without one female contact MUST have had some effect on you, right?" Naruto didn't even get to laugh as Sasuke cracked him upside the head, sending Naruto sprawling to the floor.
"I'm strait, Naruto" was all Sasuke said as he picked the blond up by the back of his jacket, "Anyway, let's go…I'm hungry anyway" He said as he began walking. Naruto ran up beside Sasuke and began to laugh.
"Seriously though, you should have seen your face….it was priceless."
Once Naruto and Sasuke entered the restaurant the others were already there. Naruto had a red mark under his left eye while Sasuke looked irritated.
"'Bout time you showed up!" a loud Kiba shouted. Shikamaru sighed as he took a sip of his drink.
"You can't be quiet, can you?" He asked the dog master. Kiba just laughed and reclined in his chair.
"Maybe that's why Hinata doesn't like you" Choji said slyly as he and Shino chuckled at his joke. Kiba almost fell out of his chair and looked back to Naruto, who was laughing as he and Sasuke sat down.
"No worries Kiba…I don't like her like that." Naruto said with a smile. Kiba chuckled and smirked back.
"She's gonna be heartbroken when she finds out…" Choji said softly.
"Then Kiba can pick up the pieces" Sasuke said softly as he took a sip of his drink, which had just arrived. Naruto laughed and shook his head.
"Women aren't even really worth the trouble…" Shikamaru said simply. The others looked to him confused.
"What do you mean Shikamaru?" Choji asked. Shikamaru sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"I find that the moment a woman starts to like you she becomes jealous, exacting, suspicious, and a damn nuisance." Shikamaru explained, "And I find the moment that I start to like a woman I become, selfish and tyrannical…" Shikamaru chuckled at the look on his friends faces.
"So…you don't trust women?" Kiba asked softly. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.
"It's just that…well, right now I'm a confirmed bachelor and likely to remain so…after all, you see…"
The others leaned in slightly to listen to his words.
"I'm an Ordinary man…Who desires nothing more, than just the ordinary chance." Shikamaru began to sing lightly as he ran his fingers along the table as if they were a person.
"To live exactly as he likes and do precisely what he wants...An average man am I, of no eccentric whim, who likes to live his life, free of strife, doing whatever he thinks is best, for him…" Shikamaru stretched and laid himself back. With a slight nod of agreement the others began to talk amongst themselves.
"You sure Shikamaru?" Naruto asked softly. Shikamaru nodded and smiled.
"…It a very simple life…But…" the others look to him on surprise, "Let a woman in your life and your serenity is through!" Shikamaru, being on the end, stands and begins to walk around the table, leaning on it as he explains to the others,"She'll redecorate your home, from the cellar to the dome, and then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you" He walked towards the wall and points to it as he sings "...Let a woman in your life, and you're up against a wall, make a plan and you will find, she has something else in mind, and so rather than do either you do something else that neither likes at all!"
The others were getting confused, where did Shikamaru get all this "Knowledge" from? "You want to talk of Keats or Milton, she only wants to talk of love, you go to see a play or ballet, then you explain what's going on! Oh…Let a woman in your life and you invite eternal strife!"
He sighed as he walked back to the table, wiggling his fingers in front of them as he sings the next bit. "Let them buy their wedding bands for those anxious little hands…" He pounded the table lightly as he points to his mouth, "I'd be equally as willing for a dentist to be drilling than to ever let a woman in my life!" Shikamaru seemed to calm down then as he sat back down and looked to the others. The others begin to eat slowly, thinking Shikamaru's ran is done. As they do, Shikamaru begins to start up again.
"I'm a very gentle man, even tempered and good natured whom you'll never hear complain, who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein, a patient man am I, down to my fingertips, the sort who never could, ever would, let an insulting remark escape his lips, just a very gentle man..." Choji sighed as he leaned over to the others.
"Lair…" He said softly, causing the others to laugh, even the normally silent Sasuke. Shikamaru sighed and looked to them.
"But, let a woman in your life! And patience hasn't got a chance!" He stood up again and looked to everyone else, "She will beg you for advice, your reply will be concise she will listen very nicely, then go out and do precisely what she wants!" He sighed and sat down again.
"You are a man of grace and polish, who never spoke, above a hush…"
"Like Shino…" Kiba muttered.
"Now all at once you're using language, that would make Naruto blush!" He sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Oh, let a woman in your life…and you're plunging in a knife!" He pulled out a Kunai and slammed it onto the table for emphasis, "Let the others of my sex…Tie the knots around their necks…" He turned to Naurto and whispered lightly so only he and Sasuke could hear, since they were the only ones at the table who knew of Kyubi, "I'd prefer the Akatsuki to turn me into Kyubi than to ever let a woman in my life!"
The others stopped eating and looked to Shikamaru.
"Are you quite done?" Shino asked irritated. Shikamaru had never gone on such a rant before. Choji looked to his friend worried.
"Yeah, did something happen to you Shikamaru?" He asked softly. Shikamaru sighed.
"Never mind…" Shikamaru said softly as he looked down at his untouched food.
((For those of you listening to the song, pause it here...don't worry it'll start up again lol))
As the group finished eating they said their goodbyes and began to walk their separate ways. Shikamaru and Choji walked towards the meeting place of their team.
"Ino wanted to talk to you about something Shikamaru" Choji said simply. Shikamaru grunted and looked to the sky.
"So troublesome…" He sighed and looked to Choji, "Sorry about at the restaurant"
"Don't worry about it" Choji chuckled and shook his head, "But…What happened to bring that on?" Shikamaru sighed and looked up to the sky.
"Temari…" He said softly. Choji cocked an eyebrow slightly, confused.
"What about her?" Shikamaru shook his head.
"No, forget it, I won't be like dad, I won't need a woman" He said to himself as he sighed and shook his head.
((Start the music again folks!))
"Choji…I'm a quiet living man, who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room, who likes an atmosphere as restful as an undiscovered tomb. A pensive man am I, of philosophical joys, who likes to meditate, contemplate, free from humanities mad inhuman noise, just a quiet living man..." Choji sighed, he was getting nowhere with this guy…
"Shikamaru…maybe if you actually let a woman in your life, you might see that that things aren't as bad as you say they are…" Shikamaru looked to Choji as if he had just grown another head.
"Let a woman in your life! Then your sabbatical is through, in a line that never ends comes an army of her friends, come to jabber and to chatter and to tell her what the matter is with YOU!" He pointed to himself as he growled and began to pace in the street. "She'll have a booming boisterous family, who will descend on you en mass, she'll have a large barbarian mother, with a voice that shatters glass" In exasperation he throws his hands into the air. He turns to Choji, walking menacingly towards him.
"Let a woman in your life? Let a woman in your life! Let a woman in your life?" Shikamaru growled as he turned suddenly away and sighed, collecting himself"I shall never let a woman in my life." He sighed and began walking off towards the meeting place. Choji sighed when Shikamaru was finally gone.
"…Ok, so you're in love, aren't you?" Choji said softly.
Act 1 : Scene 4
Sakura Haruno giggled as she, Ino, and Ten-Ten walked through the streets of Konoha. Ever since Sasuke was brought back Sakura and Naruto haven't needed to go on any missions. She smiled as Ino told another story of her team mates.
"So when they finally got to the meeting" Ino continued, "Shikamaru looked like he had just gotten into fifteen fights on the way here, and Choji just looked really confused." She smiled and turned to Ten-Ten, "Choji says he's in love but he won't admit it."
"He's in love? With who?" Sakura asked. Ten-Ten smiled.
"I bet it's with Temari-san, isn't it?" Ino stopped walking as she looked to the ground. Ten-Ten and Sakura looked behind to see Ino behind them, looking sad.
"I suppose that would be true, wouldn't it?" she asked softly, she sighed and closed her eyes. Ten-Ten walked to her younger friend and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright Ino?" Ino sighed and looked up with a smile.
"Of course I am!" she walked towards Sakura and grabber her arm, "Anyway, so I asked Choji what had happened, and it turned out that he had gone on this giant rant…" Ino's voice trailed off, leaving Ten-Ten behind. She sighed and looked towards where Ino had left.
"You'd better tell him…I hope you know that…" She said simply as she followed after them.
Act 1 : Scene 5
"So she doesn't like Sasuke anymore?" Kiba asked as he, Naruto, and Shino walked down the street.
"Yeah" Naruto said as he looked ahead. He was walking in-between Shino and Kiba, "I found out about a month or so ago…She was standing on the roof of the academy, where she, Sasuke and I first became a team…she looked so sad…"
"What happened? And did she even know you were there?" Shino asked softly, his hood down now, since he had no real reason to keep it up.
"Are you calling me a stalker!" Naruto asked irritated.
"Yes…" Shino said simply, causing Kiba to laugh and Naruto to sigh, slumping his shoulders, "But that's beside the point…Did she or didn't she?"
"…No, I was going to ask her to get a bite to eat, to celebrate the end of my training, but when I got there I heard her talking–"
"Talking? What was she saying? Who was she talking to?" Kiba asked. Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he sighed.
"I was getting there…" Kiba nodded as he and Shino sat down on a bench, near the playground outside the academy. Naruto sat down on a swing that was near enough to talk to them normally and they could hear him.
"Anyway," Naruto began, "She was standing on the top of the academy…"
Naruto walked slowly towards the pink hair kunoichi, who didn't seem to even notice his presence. He grinned lightly as he was about to shout out, but something stopped him…she was talking to herself…Naruto stopped a listened for a moment before he ducked behind a pillar, to listen better and not be seen.
"…So you're really gone are you?" Sakura said softly, looking to the sky, "I knew you were but…no mater what I had always hoped…" She sighed and shook her head.
"I told you I loved you Sasuke…And back then I thought I meant it…" Naruto's eyes widened slightly, where was this going?
"Sasuke…" tears began to fall down Sakura's cheeks as she looked up to the sky, "You took away my childhood! I spent all my time waiting for you, watching you, trying to get your attention! …And it was all a waist of my time…" Naruto felt something tug at his heart. He felt for the pink haired kunoichi, he knew EXACTLY how she felt…Softly, she began to sing to a very slow, and soft tune.
"There's a fine, fine line…between a lover and a friend; there's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend; and you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb. There's a fine, fine line between love, and a waste of time…"
Naruto sighed, saddened by Sakura's words. He didn't know if there was anything he could do to help her…Sakura sighed and turned around, crossing her arms and looking down. Naruto made sure he was hidden before he watched her.
"There's a fine, fine line between a fairy tale and a lie; and there's a fine, fine line between "You're wonderful" and "Goodbye." I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't such a crime, but there's a fine, fine line between love, and a waste of your time."
Sakura turned back to the sky and began to shout/sing to wherever Sasuke was.
"And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore! I don't think that you even know what you're looking for! For my own sanity, I've got to close the door and walk away...Oh..."
More tears began to fall down Sakura's cheeks as she looked down and placed her hands on the railing.
"There's a fine, fine line between together and not; and there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got… You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime!"
Naruto came out from his hiding spot and began to walk towards her.
"There's a fine, fine line! Between love…and a waste of…time…"
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked softly. Sakura turned suddenly, trying to hide her tears. Naruto sighed softly and took her into a hug. Normally Sakura would have pushed him away…but this time, she didn't. She wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder…They stood like that for a moment until Sakura stopped crying and looked up at Naruto.
"I'm sorry Sakura-chan…" He said softly. Sakura nodded and touched his shoulder lightly before she began walking off.
"Thank you, Naruto" Sakura said before she left, turning towards him, "For everything…"
The others looked at Naruto in slight shock as he finished his story. Shino was the first to regain his senses as he asked another question.
"Does Sasuke know?" Naruto nodded.
"He and Sakura talked a day after he returned and things started going back to normal. They're friends now, and that's all Sakura wants to be, after all he put her through…"
Kiba nodded as he stood up and stretched.
"Well, we've got to go find Hinata, we'll see you later Naruto!" Shino looked at his friend and team-mate with confusion.
"…We do?" Kiba looked down to Shino irritated as Naruto laughed.
"Maybe Kiba's just trying to find a reason to see Hinata." Kiba turned his glare to Naruto as he grabbed Shino by the arm and dragged him towards Hinata's estate. Naruto chuckled to himself as he stood and began walking back towards his own apartment.