Must be a fic that the other authors wouldn't even bother to finish… for the lack of reviews and all…
But since I'm not an 'other author', I'll try to crawl until I get this done…
And maybe revise this for good when done.
And maybe I'll end this quickly due to my personal unreasonable reasons…
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… and an ill-mannered attitude.
I admit I'm not that humble but I don't FLAUNT… damn those… ugh. This is not jealousy… I just hate it.
I don't own 'Utakata Hanabi'… it belongs to 'Supercell'!
Warnings: Some words. Naruto-ccentric somehow. Childish Sasuke somehow. Anti-Sakura damn right.
—BITTERSWEET LOVE SONG OF OURS—
Sakura drags Naruto to the rooftop along with her friends that are madly glaring at him. The place is cleared from unwanted people and the three girls stand in front of the blond. Naruto wonders about the matter they need to discuss… choosing such a stereotypic place of hurt and comfort, romance and terror, and bonding and solitude. Sakura then slaps him in the face, causing his cheek to redden like apples. He looks at her with confusion and she glares a cold stare as she crosses her arms over her chest. She calls with a cold voice, "Naruto…"
"Yes?" Naruto responds… keeping some words from being said. He looks at her girlfriend with eyes of uncertainty… eyes that do not understand the matter. She then clears her throat… "I'm breaking up with you."
Naruto freezes… his eyes widening like baseballs. His girlfriend seems to be… her words are unclear, reasons either not yet stated or not understood. Why would she break up with Naruto… just because of what Sasuke has done? Is he really responsible for that? Those words are Sasuke's words not his… and yet… "Why?" He whispers…
"Why, you say?" Sakura gets on her derisive tone, "Do you really wanted to ask ME why? Why don't you even ask yourself, Uzumaki Naruto? Didn't your friend tell you EVERYTHING! I'm not explaining anything." Sakura then passes him by and pushes him off balance as she passes him by. The two fur balls laugh and leave with the pink tinge. Naruto sit there… for a moment…
"I need to find Sasuke…"
Song 4: Love Led Me
'Hi… I'm back… can I talk to you again?'
"This is insane." Tenten says as she gazes at Sasuke while walking around him, "Can you seriously perform in three days? I mean, you looked like shit." Sasuke sighs and he looks at his wounds in the nearby mirror. He has stayed silent ever since Naruto has beaten him and he even skipped class for it. Now he's standing before the Sen-San, showing them his damaged face, Bandages are running around his face save for the right eye and nose. His precious lips are also busted so it has to be covered as well. His raven hair is caught under some bandages but it is not covered at least.
Sasuke shrug his shoulders as if saying he doesn't know if he can but he walks to his guitar and wears it on. He looks meaningfully at Tenten as he moves his fingers to strum. He'll try. Try is not that good enough, though. Tenten shakes her head and says, "We have to cancel the show." She holds Sasuke's shoulders and says with a very worried tone, "Rest, Sasuke… that'll be for the best."
Every one leaves and Sasuke stays there alone. He hangs his head and grasps at the neck of his guitar. Hinata then gazes at his back from the door… she can feel depression spreading at the atmosphere and sadness seeping from underneath those thick bandages. Sasuke then shoots his other hand to rub it against the free eye… she knows Sasuke is crying. But why?
Hinata goes back to him and hears him sniff and sob a little. She asks, "Sasuke?" The guy waves his hand back and forth as if trying to say that he's fine and she can go. Hinata huffs a little and goes in front of the raven. For a second, she is able to see Sasuke's red and wet eyes, a clear evidence. He turns away and takes off his guitar, only to walk out the room… and hide his broken heart from everybody else.
000ooo000
It is already late night… Naruto has just finished his shift. He is at the parking lot and is staring at those meters at his bike. He stares at that red line… and it goes blurred as tears start to flood his eyes. He lifts his helmet's wind guard and wipes his eyes free from those tears. He and his girlfriend had just broken up… but there's something that tells him that's there one more reason for those tears to run…
Then it starts to rain heavily as if the heavens are grieving with him. The rain gets excessively hard… making things cold and sickly. But Naruto decides to stay by his motor… feeling those heavy drops press against his weakened body. He is sitting at his motorcycle that rainy night… sad, crying and alone. His teeth clatter as they clash against each other in oppressive coldness, his fingers going numb beneath those gloves.
"Damn." Naruto curses despite the freezing rain and weakly pummels at his motorbike's head. Then he stops as he feels those painful drops stop pressing against his skin and he looks at the man that appears at the corners of his eyes. It is Sasuke… the raven with his head all bandaged up. He is shading himself and Naruto with an umbrella and he says, "I shouldn't have talked to her… now, I made you cry again."
"Sasuke…" Naruto says and Sasuke motions his head for a slow nod. Despite the hard rain, his voice seems to be so clear as if it is the only thing Naruto would want to hear. His eyes continues to tear and his voice shakes in cold and sadness, breaking it somehow, "What are you doing here? Haven't I told you enough not to show your face to me again?" Sasuke shakes his head and says, "I can't do that… especially when I see you like that. I know it's my fault… but I can't stop myself from going near you. I want to make it up to you, Naruto."
"Then go away from me! I don't want to see you again!" Naruto makes an angry outburst at the raven, the view of his mad eyes can say it enough. Sasuke remains in his position… feet still as if planted in the ground. The blond glares at that sorry and sad onyx orb with his own teary sapphire ones. And just like their first re-encounter, Sasuke looks so sad… but that heartbreaking view seems to not affect Naruto anymore. His heart has been broken into so many pieces that he even forgets it exists. He makes another outburst, "This is the last time you'll ever see me, you bastard!"
"Naruto… I'm still grateful that I have met you… even things has to end up like this." The raven speaks making those sapphire ones grow wide. He continues as he seems to motion to take the umbrella away from Naruto now, "I tried to fix things but it wouldn't work out. I'm sorry for breaking your heart into many pieces that even I can't fix it myself. I'm so sorry to let you fall for that manipulating bitch… and giving her a reason to push you so hard… just like how I did before, which I greatly regret."
"…" The surprised eyes then grows angry and vile again, "Then what are you trying to say? You want to get back to me?" Sasuke smiles, Naruto can tell from the view of his onyx orb, but says despite the difficulty because of his covered mouth, "No, Naruto. I've hurt you enough. I was planning to… but I guess I don't deserve a second chance. I was just…" He shakes his head and says in a clearer voice, "I'm just here to tell you that I won't go near you ever again."
"…" Naruto freezes in his place and Sasuke stretches his hand to wipe the newest tear at Naruto's eye, "I wish you to be truly happy, Naruto. Choose someone more deserving next time." Sasuke then turns away and starts walking from Naruto. Every step seems to be slow, each second ticks as if it takes a minute to do so. Naruto watches Sasuke walk away… both of them crying silently.
Happy?
Can Naruto define being happy?
Sasuke has ruined his life now… twice. The first event is of a trivial fight leading to his biggest mistake and the second event is of another mistake of cracking the girlfriend. But unlike before, Sasuke comes in peace and surrender… making a promise of not going near the most loved blond. It's all painful… 'Naruto, I'm leaving you… all alone.'
Some more tears come rolling down Naruto's face… but there's something that makes him desperate. This is his one last shot… or he'll never ever touch Sasuke again! Naruto takes off his helmet and throws it away as he gets off the bike and runs to Sasuke. But he slips with all the muddy flooring and he lifelessly falls down due to the peculiar burning feeling his body starts to suffer from. He raises his head and sees Sasuke going farther and farther… he tries to stretch his hand and whisper…
"Sasuke… wait…"
His head falls to the wet grounds… heart crying more than what his eyes can…
And he's gone now… he's gone forever again.
000ooo000
Sakura is standing under the shed waiting for her girls. It is afternoon the next day and she is still pondering if she has done a right move. It seems like Naruto doesn't know anything about their very conversation and the blond seems to take it too deeply. She strokes at her hair, "Maybe I should tell Naruto it's all a misunderstanding. And I'm very, very sorry. I know he'll forgive me… he loves me."
"Sakura!" Her friends call out to her and she greets them, "Hey! What's wrong?" Then they drag her to a spot… from there she can see Sasuke, with less bandages running at his face, and a mysterious girl having tea with him. The guy looks miserable and the girl smiles at him as if telling him to relax and it'll be fine. The pinkie smirks and looks at her girls with a menacing smile…
"Sasuke, believe me. It's going to be okay." The girl smiles and Sasuke sighs softly, stirring the tea continuously, "Hinata, tell Tenten I want to really have that show on Saturday. I'm getting better and I can play starting tomorrow. Please…" The girl giggles and then Sakura approaches them, "Hiya. I didn't think you're dating with someone else." Hinata and Sasuke looks at her and Hinata smiles as her, "Oh no, we're not dating, Miss."
Sakura raises a brow and then Sasuke sighs yet again, "I don't have time for whores like you. Didn't you have enough with all those men and now you're going after the man you should hate the most?" Sakura delivers a slap to Sasuke's face, not caring if she hits those bandages at his face. The raven hisses in pain, not from the slap but to the reopening of the cuts in his face, "What the hell do you want?"
Hinata twitches at the sudden shift of tone, from worried to annoyed/pissed off, and watches Sasuke argue with the pinkie as she seems to sit back and enjoy. Sakura glances at Hinata's smiling eyes and says, "Nothing really. I was just wondering what happened to your face? You must have tried and bitched another woman, huh? How hard did she slap you, huh?" Sasuke rolls his eyes and drinks his tea. Hinata notices Sakura grow mad at the ignoring and then she asks, "Sasuke, who is this girl?"
"Sasuke?" Sakura stirs a little and Sasuke lowers his drink, "Just a girl at the streets." He drinks again and Hinata smiles at the pinkie, "You seem to be surprised, Miss. I thought you knew." Sakura frowns at the dark-haired woman, taking note of her features and compares it to a girl she knows. She covers her mouth with a hand, "Hyuuga Hinata?" Hinata wonders at her words and smiles helplessly, "Oh my, you can tell." Hinata then exclaims at Sasuke, "My, Sasuke. You didn't tell me you have a courtesan."
"Courtesan, my ass." Sasuke finishes his tea and stands up. He goes to Hinata and says, "She's not MY courtesan… and she used to be a courtesan of someone I know." The raven pulls on Hinata's arm, making her stand up and follow him away, "I don't have time for you. And if you're planning to get back to Naruto…" Sasuke eyes at the pinkie with his death glare, "There's no chance he'll be even interested to hear you out."
With that, Sasuke and Hinata leave the place, leaving Sakura there alone… and frozen. Her friends come to her and asks, "Sakura, what happened? Didn't the girl fall for it?" Sakura stands there as if planted in the ground and wrapped in vines. It is humiliating for a fan girl… but what can she do?
She didn't know it was Uchiha Sasuke.
000ooo000
Sasuke…
Sniff. Sniff.
Sasuke?
Nothing can deceive Naruto's nose, it is indeed Sasuke's smell… the smell he used to breathe in. Naruto slowly opens his eyes and sees a very familiar surrounding… as if he had been there before. But he feels very weak and painfully warm… he remembers what happened that night. Sasuke's gone… why think about him more?
He's starting to rethink about those days that Sasuke first left him… the days when those emotional scars were so fresh. Tears start rolling down his eyes again and he clutches at his shirt above his chest and starts sobbing, "When I thought I have forgotten…" He then stops crying as he rubs the tears off his eyes, and sits up despite the pain that embraces his body. He then looks around and finds a very delusional view.
It is Sasuke's room… before. The same colors paint the room and the same smell conquers the place. Naruto continues on rubbing his eyes as all the pain rushes inside him, seeing the cursed place once more. Then he sees a guitar case at the corner of the room. He walks to it despite his weak posture and sits down before it. He opens it and finds an old guitar, not used for some time now. He strums somehow… checking if the guitar is still in tune. It is and he strums some more… now accompanying with a song…
Afureru hito de nigiwau hachigatsumatsu no omatsuri
(The festival at the end of August was lively and overflowing with people)
Yukata o kite geta mo haite karankoron oto o tateru
(I put on a yukata and geta making clanking and clicking sounds)
Fui ni agatta hanabi o futari de miageta toki
(When the two of us looked up at the suddenly risen fireworks)
Muchuu de miteru kimi no kao o sotto nusumimita no
(I secretly stole a glance of your face watching them in a trance)
Kimi no koto kirai ni naretara ii no ni
(Although it would be better if I'd come to hate you)
Kyou mitai na hi ni wa kitto
(On a day like today)
Mata omoidashiteshimau yo
(I'd remember you again for sure)
Konna kimochi shiranakya yokatta
(Not knowing these kinds of feelings would have been great)
Mou nido to aeru koto mo nai no ni aitai aitai nda
(Although we will now never meet again, I want to, I want to see you)
Ima demo omou kimi ga ita ano natsu no hi o
(I still think of that summer day when you were with me)
Mou wasureyou kimi no koto zenbu
(I'll forget all about you now)
Konna ni mo kanashikute
(This is just too sad)
Dou shite deatteshimatta ndarou
(Why must we have met?)
Me o tojireba
(If I close my eyes)
Ima mo kimi ga soko ni iru you de
(It'll be like you're there even now)
Hitorikiri de miageru hanabi ni
(I looked up at the fireworks all by myself)
Kokoro ga chikuri to shite
(Making my heart prickle with pain)
Mou sugu tsugi no kisetsu ga yatte kuru yo
(Very soon, the next season will arrive)
Kimi to miteta utakata Hanabi
(I had watched the transient fireworks with you)
"Ima demo omou ano natsu no hi o… (I still think of that summer day when you were with me…)" Naruto ends the song with a whisper and his eyes has been never dry ever since last night. He could have been dehydrated but it feels like he has so much to cry… "Sasuke…" Some more tears roll down his face and a voice startles him a bit with the chuckle, "You're too enticing to watch, Naruto."
Naruto twitches… knowing his heartache a while ago is too painful to be a dream…
"Just as always."
"Sasuke!" Naruto roughly throws the guitar and jumps at the guy by the door. Sasuke takes the sudden impact but manages to stay in balance. The blond is holding him so near and it feels like a dream to both of them… a dream that will remain a dream no more. Naruto hugs him tighter, "You said you're never going to get near me again! What… Why are we here?" Sasuke returns the hug and smothers himself with Naruto's hair, "I saw you at the ground when I wanted to see a last glimpse of your eyes. I can't take you to the dorm so… I… took you here instead."
"Don't you have any better place?" Naruto pulls back and Sasuke strokes at those blond locks that he longs to touch again, "You've been sleeping for almost a day now… and how're you feeling? Last time I check you have a high fever." Naruto pouts and hugs Sasuke again, shoving his face between Sasuke's neck and shoulder, "I feel a little better now…" Sasuke hugs him back, swaying a little much to Naruto's dizziness, "Oi, Sasuke-teme… stop swaying… or I'm going to puke at you."
"Ahahaha!" Sasuke loudly chuckles and breaks the hug to carry Naruto bridal style, "You should stay in bed." Naruto starts struggling from the embarrassing hold, "Oi, Sasuke-teme! Put me do—aahh!" Sasuke drops him at the bed and the blond wriggles because of a sore back, "Fuck you, teme." Sasuke sits at the edge and Naruto stops to look at Sasuke's eyes… they look like glad and smiling…
Happy.
That's right, Sasuke is happiness.
His so-called true happiness.
Naruto smiles and grabs Sasuke's collar only to pull him closer to him. Sasuke yelps a little and chuckles as his nose touches Naruto's… and they can feel each other's breaths at their faces. Naruto gazes at Sasuke's orbs and runs the back of his hand at those bandages at his face, "I destroyed your face… and I'm not apologizing for that." Sasuke smiles and climbs above Naruto, "You don't have to apologize…"
"You're the one who's supposed to apologize." Naruto then frowns, "What did she say to you anyway?" Sasuke looks away and whispers, "It might hurt you, Naruto. You did love her to start with…" Naruto snorts and rubs his nose against the raven's, "You don't have to worry about it. I'm done with her…" Sasuke looks back at his eyes and speaks, "She said she pities you and so she let you be her boyfriend… just for the sake that she has a boyfriend. She stays with you longer because you have work and you have money to buy her things. She never loved yo back… and if she did, maybe it's a little half-hearted."
"I'm so unlucky, ain't I?" Naruto sighs and Sasuke strokes as Naruto's stray bangs, "Yeah, she knew that I'm the Sen-San guitarist. We met earlier when I was with Hinata. We bought some medicine for you." Naruto then blurts out at Sasuke's face, "They know about me!" Sasuke laughs out and Naruto blushes more, "Sakura knows I'm your friend and Hinata thinks the same. They don't know I'm your… ex-boyfriend." The raven whispers the last word and Naruto chuckles as he strokes at Sasuke's raven hair, not commenting on that…
"Yeah, Naruto, can I ask something?" Sasuke gazes at those sapphire orbs and the blond stares back at his onyx orbs. Sasuke gazes some more and slowly tries to get nearer, the time delay asking if he is permitted to do so. The blond uses his hand to press Sasuke a little to make their lips brush at each other as he speaks, "Just do it, no questions asked." Sasuke smiles and then chuckles, "I have to ask before I make another violation… and… I have only done this once before."
The raven seals their lips together and the blond starts savoring the kiss the raven is giving him. Ah yes, the same taste… the same delicious taste of Naruto's first kiss of love. He did say he's quite happy breaking up with a guitar-head like Sasuke… but never did he leave his mind. He is always there and he is always the main attraction of things. But right now, he is with Sasuke… and Sasuke alone. No one else but Sasuke…
Naruto then stops kissing back, making Sasuke stop and pull back a little and yet their lips are still brushing each other. The blond smiles and cries in his very own sense of happiness, "I love you, Sasuke. Please don't break my heart again." The raven kisses him again shortly and says, "I love you, too, Naruto. Don't worry… that's a promise. I can keep promises now. I can admit that I am not that serious before… but going through a life without you makes me realize how important you are and how stupid I am to push you away…"
"Sasuke…" Naruto kisses him once, "I can tell…" The raven smiles and both of them have tears rolling down their eyes. Naruto then laughs out after receiving couples of teardrops from those onyx orbs, "We're supposed to be happy, teme! Not crying like this!" Sasuke wipes his eyes and chuckles, "You started it, dobe!" Naruto then places his arms at Sasuke's nape and Sasuke's lips go straight to his. Both of them smirk and start kissing one another… forgetting that somebody is sick. The two lovers go on with their passionate night…
The first night they have been together again… after more than three years…
000ooo000
"Sasuke!" Tenten waves as she welcomes their bass guitarist. Sasuke returns their greetings with a genuine smile and a two-finger wave from the forehead. Shino is already at his station and strums at his acoustic guitar, "You seem to be very happy. Did you find what you're looking for?" Sasuke smirks and walks to his station with everyone, "Yeah… and more than that."
"Let's practice for the next show!" Hinata cheers and Neji says, "We better start with the opening song." Tenten cheers as she hands out the members of Sen-San, "I'm not really done with the sequence and I have to reserve some new songs for the next one after this—"
"Everyone." Sasuke calls everyone's attention as he wears his guitar strap on. Everyone looks at him with happy faces, aside from Shino's poker one… expecting some sort of cheerer from Sasuke even if it has to be first one from him in years. That genuine smile and greeting are the firsts of their kind in years anyway. Sasuke smiles at them, face free from hesitation, "After this show on Saturday…"
Hinata is smiling…
Tenten is grinning…
Neji is gazing with interest…
Shino is looking down at his guitar…
Sasuke releases a deep breath and smiles again, "I'm leaving Senbon Insanity."
[The End]
Phew… I finally finished this chapter after the long crawl. Anyway, I am serious when I say I'm ending this fic even it has to be the shortest one so far. Next chapter will be the last and I don't know if there's something to follow this. Thank you to all those who have been reading this. Thank you… thank you!
Lovelots, Rei Haruno –Sakura no Imooto…