Chapter Three; Practice Makes Perfect
About twenty minutes or so after Sasuke had called him, Naruto pulled his car into the driveway. "Hey." Sasuke began after walking out the front door to greet his friend. "You're just in time. Sakura and Ame just got back from their walk." He told him.
"Hey what's the big idea? Ame's only three months old she can't even crawl yet." Naruto said.
"You know you really are an idiot do you know that? It's a miracle that you even made children in the first place. She took her out in her carriage." Sasuke told him.
"Right, I knew that." Naruto told him with a slight nod.
"Whatever." Sasuke muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, the point is that she's back and we can rehearse now." He told him.
"Oh c'mon Sasuke do we have to right away? I was sort of wanting to see my granddaughter first. You know, I have to admit, when Himawari first told me that I was going to be a grandpa I thought that it was a sure sign of getting old. But as much as I love my children, I actually enjoy it more. I get to have my fun with her and then when I get tired of changing her dirty diapers I get to send her back to her parents." He said with a grin.
"You'll see her when you come in. She's right in the living room." Sasuke told him before the two boys turned around and walked back inside. However that's when suddenly Naruto sniffed the air and then wrinkled his nose making a face of disgust.
"Well, she's here alright. But I don't think she's in the living room." He told him.
"Yeah, Mom had to go change her diaper again." Sasame told him.
"Sometimes I wonder why her parents even bother feeding her if it's just going to go straight through her." Naruto said.
"Sasame was exactly the same way when she was a baby." Sasuke pointed out.
"Yep, babies poop a lot." Sasame told him before Sakura exited the nursery and carried Ame down the hall while she started sucking on her pacifier.
"Look who's here Ame, Grandpa came to see you." Sakura told her softly before she placed her inside Naruto's arms.
"That's right baby girl." Naruto began while grinning down at her. "Wow, you've gotten so big. I guess that you are keeping more inside of you than I thought." He told her.
"I'll go put her in her playpen so she can watch her mobile while we practice." Sakura said before she took the baby again and then laid her back down inside of it before winding up her Little Mermaid mobile that had Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder on it and played the tune "Under The Sea" while it slowly spun around.
"That's so cute I've always loved The Little Mermaid! I've loved it ever since I was a little girl!" Sasame exclaimed excitedly. "Well, come on Hiro, let's leave Mom, Dad, and Uncle Naruto alone to practice." She told him before she hoisted him up inside her arms and carried him outside just as Chika was coming through it.
"Oh shoot." Naruto began with a sniff as he felt his eyes becoming red, watery, and puffy. "I forgot that you had a c-c-cat." He sneezed before rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.
"Oh that's right, I'm sorry. I forgot, you're allergic to cats aren't you?" Sakura questioned before she bent down and scooped her up inside her arms.
"I wish that I was. Then we could get rid of her and get a dog instead." Sasuke said.
"Oh Sasuke stop it!" Sakura snapped. "We're not getting rid of her she's part of the family. So get that through your head." She told him. "Come on Chika, you're going to go in the bedroom while Naruto's here." She said before she turned around and carried the cat back down the hall.
…..
"Alright, what song are we going to work on first?" Naruto wondered while he sat down behind his drumkit and started beating it with his sticks.
"Naruto." Sasuke began as he continued drumming and hitting the symbols. "Naruto!" Sasuke hollered.
"What?" Naruto questioned him before he steadied the symbols.
"Do me a favor and promise me that while we're practicing you'll do everything in your power not to get on my nerves." He said.
"Well I will if you will." Naruto began with a scowl. "And as of right now you're failing the test." He told him.
"Guys that's enough! There's no time for arguing!" Sakura snapped. "Now you're going to get through this with smiles on your faces because you're friends and you're working together and you're also like brothers and you love each other." She told them. "Got it!?" she hollered while narrowing her eyebrows and glaring back over her shoulder at them as Naruto gulped.
"Yes Sakura, anything you say." He told her shakily as Sasuke just simply rolled his eyes at him.
"Give me a break." He muttered under his breath. "You might be the seventh hokage and a proud father and grandfather, but you're just about one of the biggest wimps that I've ever met in my life. I can't believe that after all of these years you're still afraid of her." He said.
"Oh yeah!? Well she's always had a thing for you ever since we were kids! She's never threatened to beat you up before!" Naruto cried.
"Naruto, she has beat you up before." Sasuke pointed out.
"Exactly my point! I'm telling you Sasuke, even though I love her and she's my sister, your wife is incredibly freaky!" Naruto exclaimed as Sakura cracked her knuckles and continued glaring at him. "Right," Naruto began with another gulp. "let's just get this over with. I want to live to see Ame's first birthday." He told him.
"Alright then, give me a beat." Sasuke instructed before Naruto started pounding out a beat, Sasuke struck some chords, and then Sakura started to sing.
I remember when I was a little girl,
My mama was my whole entire world,
She was my number one fan!
She gave me everything,
She taught me how to sing,
And how to get any man.
Well guess what the secret's out,
I have a crush on you,
But you don't even seem to notice me!
She belted out before Naruto drummed out a long-extended beat and hit the symbols and then she broke into the chorus.
Well who says that we can't be friends?
After all friendship can turn into love!
And who says that we're not meant to be?
Oh you and I baby are one another's true destiny!
She sung before the music suddenly ended. "Alright, that's all I have so far." She admitted.
"What? You haven't even finished writing the whole entire song yet?" Sasuke questioned her. "Sakura, we're playing in two weeks." He told her.
"I know, but don't worry. I'll be ready. I promise." She assured him. "But for right now we can practice what we know. From the top guys!" she exclaimed before the music started again and she broke into song once again.
