Title: Three Loves For Naruto
Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Sai/Naruto, Naruto/Kiba
Rating: M
Summary: Naruto's stranded in New York City, trying to find his fiancée. Luckily, he is with charming company, the author Sasuke Uchiha, and his publisher Sai Satoshi. Cupid's struck arrows to their hearts, but who will capture Naruto's?
Disclaimer: I wouldn't write about them if I had them.
Quick recap below:
Sasuke Uchiha is a romance novelist. Sai Satoshi is his publisher who lives next door. Naruto Uzumaki is a country bumpkin who is supposed to be wedding his fiancée Kiba, who left to New York City and his fiancée is desperate to find him. After a rough first meeting with both men on a train car to New York, Naruto ends up having a chat with Sasuke and Sai then goes off to find his fiancée.
He stops by where Kiba used to work, finds out he hightailed out of there with his last paycheck, and is now staying at the novelist's apartment while cleaning up for the publisher. All Naruto wants to do is find Kiba, get home, and get married, but wait…what's up with this interest he's got with Sasuke? And since he's got a girl of his own, what does that mean for either of them? And why can't Sai stop being such a creeper?!
Notes: I suppose I never did state what Sakura's job is huh? She's a doctor/medic—an extremely good one at that. At first I wanted her to be an actress, but nope she's good at healing…just not hearts. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the overdue chapter!
Chapter Six
"If you continue to bite down on your nails like that, they'll never grow." Naruto jumped up at the sudden voice, and looked over at Sai who was adjusting his tie. He had yet another meeting to go to later on in the day, and since Naruto had done such a bang-up job the day prior he was being let off to do whatever he wished. In thanks for the job and the day off, Naruto helped Sai get himself together before leaving.
He had also been unconsciously biting his fingernails down to the skin while he pondered about what to do with the rest of the day. He thought of yet another day of Kiba-hunting, wondering if whether or not he would be able to have even a sliver of success. It was kind of depressing, not knowing exactly where the man had run off to. He just hoped that Kiba was still within New York City or at least in the vicinity of it, because if he wasn't then maybe Naruto would never find him and that hurt the blond's heart just a little more.
Without telling his new employer a single thing about what he was going to do, Naruto wished Sai to have a pleasant day and not to cause any trouble. Sai moved close to try and give him a domestic token of affection—a kiss—to which Naruto punched him in the head and yelled at him to get going. Even if the man had given him a job and a place to stay, he was still a nasty little creep and it would do Naruto good to get away from him. Living under the same roof was not going to be good for his heart if any of this continued.
After everyone was finally out of apartment complex, Naruto scooped up Kyuubi and wandered into the bathroom to get ready. The fox had not been expecting his master to drop him into the bath water and scrub him clean, and was so not happy by the rough treatment. He squirmed and tried to run away, but Naruto just grabbed him and made sure to lather him up about as much as he was. He squealed with laughter as Kyuubi inevitably gave up the fight and let himself be pampered by the human. After a few minutes of being thoroughly cleaned, Naruto let him go and dry himself off.
"I've gotta admit, this place is really amazing." Naruto looked around the bath which was huge and tiled in all the right places. The tub and toilet were made of the highest quality porcelain along with the sink. Everything was so pristine and new and white that Naruto had to pat himself on the back for making it all so spick and span the day before. The bathroom was meant to be entirely white but there were accents of green to give it a sort of minty quality, that and the shower wash had a hint of mint to complete the feeling. Naruto believed that this was all some kind of private heaven, and he wondered whether or not Sai or Sasuke built it with that kind of frame of mind. More than likely, he did.
He sighed as he finished up in the bath and went into the room to grab some clothes. He scavenged through his suitcase, happy that he brought clothes for about a week or two. If he didn't find Kiba soon, he would have to find a real place maybe and buy some new gear for however long he could keep this up. In truth, Naruto almost wanted to call home and give the others the news that he couldn't find him and was going to return, but he had made a promise to find his love and he didn't want to go back unless Kiba was with him.
After dressing himself, Naruto called out for the fox to come with him. Kyuubi padded over and leapt up, attaching himself to the blond's arm and then moving up to sit on his head—just like he usually did with Sasuke. Chuckling at the fox's behavior he asked him, "You got a thing for people's heads don't you?" The fox swished his tails before gathering them all up and putting them around himself. That pretty much answered Naruto's question, and so they set out into the vast city together on an adventure to find his runaway fiancée once again. He wasn't going to stop unless he gave it a continuous try.
Naruto and Kyuubi walked out of the building after having a small talk with the doorman. He was surprised to see the fox on Naruto's head and being so well trained that he didn't even dare bat an eyelash at being petted. "He's just a really good pet!" The man exclaimed as he laughed with good cheer and it almost reminded Naruto of his family back home. They didn't have any pets, but once he healed a squirrel that had been hurt for a little while. When his stepfather found out about it, and was amazed that it was well behaved after being healed, he'd said the exact same thing but they still had to get rid of it.
Letting his eyes trail upward as one of Kyuubi's tails spilled down on his ears, he wondered whether or not Iruka was going to let him keep the fox. He hoped that leaving the fox behind was something he didn't have to do, and then pushed that thought out of his mind. If he had to fight Iruka on the subject of Kyuubi, then he would fight until he got his way. Whenever Naruto was truly passionate about something, the older man would back down and give him what it was he required. That was how he ended up engaged to Kiba in the first place.
Iruka had barely liked the fact that they ended up as lovers. He always said there was something too "wild" about Kiba and that he acted as if he didn't need roots. He was a free-spirit and was going eventually leave Naruto out in the dust. Of course the blond paid no mind to those words, chalking them up to some kind of mother hen thing that Iruka was so in tuned with. He loved Kiba and Kiba loved him, and if they could just survive on love as he expected they could then they would. There was no ands, ifs, or buts about it! They were going to be fine.
Or so Naruto had believed once upon a time, and look at where it got him now. He was in New York City by himself, searching for the man he loved who had practically skipped out on his job and was in nowheresville. It was just all too ridiculous and more than a little sad. Naruto was growing frustrated by just remembering that he had let Kiba walk out and go to the big, bad city to be by himself and do what he wanted. Maybe if he had gripped Kiba just a little tighter and begged him to never leave his side then they wouldn't be in this kind of predicament.
Kyuubi who had been resting on top of his master's head as they aimlessly wandered the streets, suddenly moved from his place to wrap himself around Naruto's neck. Once again the man was thinking too much and his sadness was almost overpowering. The fox tried to calm him down as best he could; trying to disturb the human's thoughts so he could focus on something that was a little more pleasant. Whatever the master's thought process was he hoped that it would end soon so he could see his master smile widely like he did upon their first meeting. He had so much hope and happiness then; what had taken his smile away, he wondered.
The fox's fur tickled his neck slightly and Naruto readily lifted a hand to run his fingers over the softness. His lips quirked up just slightly and he took in a deep breath. These thoughts of Kiba had to change into something better or else he would never get better in time. His heart was wounded, but it didn't have to stay wounded. He was just going to have to press on forward and find his love before he shattered and had to return home empty handed. Naruto was just too much of a selfless lover whereas Iruka always said that Kiba was just too selfish. He would take and take and take without giving enough away or right back to the person who gave him what he wished.
Sometimes, even Naruto had to realize that elders spoke a little bit of truth even when he believed they were wrong at first.
Without realizing where his legs were taking him, Naruto found himself all the way at Central Park's entrance. He looked up at the corner of 59th and Columbus Circle, a horde of people passing him by as they either walked to work elsewhere or to the Time Warner building behind him. Crossing the street after a shrug, Naruto wandered into the park after a litter of kids with their parents who laughed right along with them. It made him miss his family once more, but this feeling made him smile softly. Despite all of the letdowns and unhappy conversations he had prior to his trip to New York with Iruka, they were a happy family along with the man's husband, Kakashi.
It was by Kakashi's cheerleading that Naruto had the confidence to go after Kiba. Once Naruto returned home after the book signing, he realized that he needed to go and attain what he desired. If Kiba was what he truly wanted, then it was up to Naruto go and retrieve him. However, if Kiba didn't desire Naruto anymore then he was just going to have to face it and return with his pride and heart thoroughly ruined.
Naruto stopped walking; his heart started hurting and he pressed his hand over it. A frown was pulling at his lips and he tried to will the thoughts away once more. Why couldn't he just stick with a happy memory or thought and just be okay? He didn't want to be troubled or plagued by any of this anymore, He just wanted to find Kiba and go back home! Why did it have to be so goddamn difficult?! Naruto just wanted to shout out from the rooftops, hoping that if he repeated his fiancée's name into the wind like in old romance films, then he would just come and find him.
It was unfortunate that love never seemed to work out like in those romance films or in Sasuke Uchiha's majestic love stories.
Ah, and that was yet another problem in his life. Sasuke Uchiha was the adventure and romance novelist that both he and Kiba had enjoyed, and with just one meeting their lives became inexorably linked. Now that he was living with the novelist and his crazily creepy publisher, Naruto didn't know whether or not he fawned over him as a fan or if he was beginning to actually like the bastard. At first, he believed he had a wicked personality and an attractive face, but now he knows that there is something more beneath his exterior that he almost wants to peel off himself.
Then again, if he peeled it off who's to say that Naruto would enjoy all of Sasuke Uchiha? Not to mention the fact that they had kissed in the morning—which made Naruto's lips tingle just a little bit more than it ever had with Kiba—and that was just a crime against his marriage. Well, it was a crime against his engagement. Naruto hadn't explicitly cheated, but enjoying the contact between their lips just a little bit made him feel guilty. Sure, neither he nor Sasuke were at fault, but still…the guilt thing was there in Naruto's conscience.
As the blond delved further and further into Central Park, Kyuubi hopped off of his shoulder and ran up a hill. All other thoughts suddenly ceased turning in his head, and Naruto followed his beloved fox up the hill. Once he caught up to Kyuubi, the fox was just sitting in the grass and swishing his tails as he looked over a small cliff side. Naruto walked up to him, plopped down beside the fox and watched as cars and carriages pulled by horses with other tourists and residents alike passed by. Where they sat together in the blissful sunlight with a small wind passing through them, a two way street segregated a bit of the park into two factions. It was fantastic.
Naruto understood that there were several streets that ran along the width of Central Park, making it easy for the buses and other systems of transport to go through. There were also little sidewalks beside the roads so that people could walk on those instead of wandering through the grass all of the time. He supposed that it was efficient and kind of nice to have all of these kinds of things within the city, and he almost wondered if Kiba or Sasuke or Sai had ever just sat down within the park just to clear their minds or just to relax.
Just thinking of Sasuke and the word relax in the same space made Naruto laugh. In all honesty, he couldn't imagine the man trying to kick back and ease off the stress level. He seemed to ooze with stress ever since he got to know him a little better. They only knew each other what, a maximum of five days now? If he could even call their interactions on the train getting to know one another that is. Naruto did have to hand it to Sasuke; he did feel at ease whenever he was with him even when they argued. It was almost like a little friendship rivalry whenever they spewed some nonsense at each other. Naruto was quick to anger while Sasuke took things at a casual indifference.
Naruto had to wonder how he had ever got that way. What truly made Sasuke tick? Well, he knew that Sai always pissed him off at different intervals, but they worked together for a long time and probably knew everything about each other by now. There was also the matter of the girl who was pressing for a marriage with him—she reminded Naruto of himself and his quest to bring his own lover home for a marriage. However, Naruto didn't know anything beyond that. There weren't any other personal facts given to him about Sai or Sasuke now that he thought about it. He even wondered if he was allowed to tread on that kind of territory. They weren't exactly friends, but did he want to be friends with them? They allowed him to stay in their shared apartment complex, but did they expect him to stay and want to get along with them on a friend-to-friend basis?
These questions plagued Naruto as he sat on the miniature cliff with Kyuubi at his side. The fox's tails swishing behind him and every so often would gently brush against his master's back in a soothing way, trying to relieve the human's stress as much as he could. If only that stupid dark haired human would do something to help his master. They'd been allowed to stay together in that man's room until he moved them to the other house. There were so many mixed signals between the two humans that if he could talk a normal human language, he would have made them sit down and have them explain what it was they truly wanted from each other.
Kyubi had no idea of the complexities of the human heart and love; ignorance was bliss.
x.x.x.
"Sasuke?" Sakura called out to boyfriend, reaching out to touch his hand once again before thinking better of it and pressed both of her hands to her coffee cup. She was nervous about their meeting now; Sasuke's mind seemed to be elsewhere and every so often she could catch him drifting. She wondered what was going on with him, but he always managed to evade the question. Sakura was beginning to have a mental tally on the evasive maneuvers.
Sasuke looked down at the nearly empty coffee cup that he clutched in his hands; the caffeine was going to make him jittery soon enough. He had planned to discuss the ending of the relationship as a whole once he settled down in front of Sakura, but his mind kept switching between thoughts of Naruto and his fiancée, Naruto and the kiss from the morning, and his bastard of a publisher who was mistakenly left with his housekeeper for the day. It was a wonder how he had managed to keep a straight face, and stay in his chair even though he almost wanted to go back home.
He needed to be a dignified man and sit before Sakura, look her in the eyes and just tell her that, "its over." His mouth opened and said the words before he even expected them to fly out. Sasuke's lips thinned after the words were uttered and Sakura just stared at him for one long, lingering minute. He didn't miss the way that her nails clutched tightly at the cup, as if the touch was meant to penetrate the shell of it and spill its contents over the tabletop. He didn't miss the way that her mouth opened in an "O" formation before she swallowed thickly and tears were welling up in her eyes. No, he couldn't miss any of that because he was sure that Sakura was about to have a breakdown and he was the cause of it.
"What?" She choked out; the cup went forward just a little and the contents sloshed within. Sakura was caught off guard by the statement and its bluntness and her mind was suddenly being filled with those words turning over and over. She could hear Sasuke continuously telling her those horrible, nasty words but she didn't want to believe them. Maybe she had heard him wrong, and there was some odd mistake with her hearing.
He took one last swig from his cup, the coffee now cold as it went down his throat before he opened his mouth to repeat. "It's over." He said those words before adding for an extra shot of heartbreaking pain to Sakura's system, "Between you and me; we're over, Sakura. I'm doing something that I should have done a while ago." It hurt her even more because it had been planned long before Sakura could even see a problem in their relationship. It was over before it even began, at least that's how it seemed to Sasuke, but to the little medic across from him it was so sudden and he was so cold—Sakura didn't want to think anymore.
A delicate hand flew up to her forehead before trembling down to her eye. The other one came up to join it, and before she could even notice, Sakura began to cry. The tears just wouldn't stop when she wanted them to, because if she kept crying in front of Sasuke then nothing would ever come of this and she would just be his ratty ex who couldn't control herself in front of him. It was just too tragic, too hurtful, and too depressing for her. What a shame; to be dumped on a perfectly beautiful and sunny day as it was, Sakura had the worst luck. She sobbed uncontrollably right in front of him, while the other patrons in the diner began to talk amongst themselves and take pity on the poor girl.
Sasuke tried to keep his composure, but keeping a poker face while the woman kept crying did nothing for him. Sighing heavily, he held out a napkin for her to take which she did. Sakura blew into it, her sobs never ceasing and only making the man sitting opposite of her wince internally. It's not as if his resolve to break up with her was going to suddenly crumble and turn on its head because she was breaking down in front of him. No, Sasuke was pretty much tired of this relationship and needed to move on, and perhaps with time Sakura would be able to do the same—or at least that was what he was hoping for.
As he swung his legs to the side so that he could exit the booth, Sakura belted out another loud cry before she blew her nose into the napkin again. Sasuke had to refrain from saying anything else that might deeply upset her further and so he paid their bill while getting up and tugging at the woman's arm. They both had to get out of this diner before someone found out exactly who they were and created a scandal for the papers. It was bad enough that their waitress seemed to know exactly who he was, and since he had motioned for her to not even dare fangirl in front of him, he just hoped she could keep her trap shut. It was hard being famous; it really was.
Looping the crying woman's arm with his own, Sasuke practically dragged Sakura out of the diner as she wept and outside onto the sidewalk. Her sobs were now becoming ragged hiccups, and Sasuke turned to look at her while his lips drew into a thin line once more. She was much more trouble than she was worth, and he always thought he understood that but this was just all too much. As soon as they stepped outside, a couple had nearly run right into them. The female of the duo's eyes lit up with wonder as she looked upon Sasuke and opened her mouth to say something or other, but the novelist merely grabbed the medic and tried to hightail it out of sight.
"Ooh, let me go! Let me go!" Sakura wailed, taking to hitting Sasuke's arm with her purse as they walked together. She was beyond upset by this time, and how dare he just pluck her from her seat and take her to goodness knows where. It was almost like kidnapping; it was.
Softly snorting as the woman kept making a racket, Sasuke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk right in front of the Time Warner building. They had just escaped from the diner, and he managed to just keep on walking without any idea of where to go. Before he knew it, he crossed several streets uptown and turned up an avenue only to stop by the subway station with a crowd of people passing by. Several heads turned as Sakura opened her mouth to start shouting at her new ex, but Sasuke took the opportunity to kiss her right on the mouth before he could let that happen. Suddenly the people of the New York cooed at the couple before walking on by—public displays of affection wasn't all that big a deal within the city, especially anywhere within the vicinity of the fountain right by the park.
"Oh…" Sakura said as Sasuke released her, eyes wide and a blush painting her cheeks a shade of pink that matched her hair. She touched her lips gingerly as she blinked slowly to take it all in. Perhaps Sasuke did love her then, but why would he kiss her if he meant to break it off with her? Sometimes—no more like all of the time—she couldn't understand what was going on in that mind of his. Perhaps he was more of a romantic than she ever did believe; he did write those sorts of novels, didn't he?
He took her hand again, tugging her past the building and across the street to the park so that they could be alone. Although Central Park was a public space, there were so many couples and families and others that were within the tremendous space that there was a sort of privacy kept inside of it. It was so overt to be there that it was covert, and Sai had once or twice said that to Sasuke when it came down to courting several different women at one time. He explained that no matter who was on a date in the park, they could have some peace by settling by a lovely tree and having a picnic on the grass.
That was why Sasuke tugged Sakura into the folds of Central Park. The fields and trees were lush with greenery—so pretty that he knew Sakura would find it enjoyable—and he was able to have some peace of mind to talk to her in a secluded corner of the area if he wished. There was also a space that Sasuke had designated as his own—one hilltop in which he could watch most of Central Park from it. It was right above a street pass, many cars and carriages always zoomed on by and he was able to watch the tourists and residents alike have seemingly happy lives of which he drew many a conclusion on their romances in order to write.
It was from those hopeful souls that he could turn his imagination into some sort of career, and he intended for it to stay that way. Romance was a silly and troubling business, and so he never really stayed in love. Perhaps there was some sort of liking and attachment, but love—no, the girls always fell in love while he stayed at a considerable distance emotionally. He could never just give in to the simple pleasure and torture that is love; he could write about it and formulate plots that handled its intricacies and complexities, but he never once thought he could actually give himself to it wholly. He never planned on completely falling head over heels in love.
Sasuke was unlike his female companion Sakura; she believed in their love wholeheartedly. Although she knew somewhat that Sasuke was going to be a challenge and that getting him to keep their romance afloat was going to be difficult, she threw herself in. Sakura believed that Sasuke would and could love her as much as she loved him. She chose to believe that he did, and in the long run that he would love her so much and as desperately as she did him that he would marry her. Sakura had plans, but she never schemed to get him to do her bidding—she was just simply too hopeful and that had lead to this apocalyptic end of their relationship. Or at least, that's what she had heard come from his mouth and then he kissed her. Now, Sasuke just made her mind and her heart do all sorts of flips and she wanted some explanations.
She let herself be dragged into Central Park; her cries stopped once they set foot within and started their trek to his favorite spot. She let herself pass by several happy families and couples sharing ice creams or holding hands, happiness making them glow as she had long ago when the pair of them first started dating. Sakura wondered what she looked like now; did she still glow or had she lost all of the shine she once had? It would do well to take a better look at herself in the mirror; Sakura had indeed still dressed herself up and put on makeup to look beautiful, but she never took that deep of a look at herself to see the woman she'd become. It was sad really; just a little bit, when she thought about it.
Once they made their way to the hilltop, Sasuke stopped completely and Sakura nearly fell. His arm was linked with hers, and she wasn't expecting him to stop anytime soon. Sasuke was always a particularly swift walker, but usually the trek to his favorite spot seemed endless. And if she were being true to herself, her mind was nowhere on this trip but instead she continued to reflect on her relationship and how she did not see the formidable end of it all. She looked at other couples and tried to see the cracks in their relationships, wondering if they mirrored any of the ones she and Sasuke carried along with them but saw none. Everyone looked so damn happy while she was suddenly crumbling to bits and pieces of herself. So, this was true heartbreak—it hurt her deeply.
Sakura had not loved many as she did Sasuke; she dated before but those attachments weren't as strong and passionate as she believed the connection was with him. They were still young, and more than likely she would be able to put herself back together after the shock wore off. However, that didn't make any of this hurt any less and so Sakura just felt like she should have known something—anything that would have made her second guess everything. Sakura believed they were perfect for each other, obviously Sasuke did not.
As she nearly stumbled to the ground because Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, all of Sakura's thoughts about them and their relationship ceased. It was as if cold water had been dowsed onto her head and she opened her mouth to question him. Sasuke paid her no mind; instead he looked at whoever had stolen his dear spot. She followed his gaze, finding a blond man lying on the grass without a care in the worldeyes closed and more than likely he was asleep. His tanned features were indeed exquisite and Sakura blinked at him with her eyes full of wonder. So this man took Sasuke's favorite spot, perhaps they would have to find somewhere else to go—it didn't matter so long as they could talk. Too bad, he was really an attractive fellow, but Sakura wanted to see if she still had any hope with the man whom she was still latched onto.
Sakura pressed her hand against Sasuke's arm, trying to jerk him to reality as he continued to stare at the tanned man. For some odd reason, he wouldn't budge. Pouting just a little bit, Sakura turned her attention back to the man and noticed that there was something fluffy and a striking shade of red pooling onto his stomach. She gasped as she realized the creature was taking a nap on top of the man, and she cooed at the furry creature as its ears began to twitch. One eye opened along with its mouth as it yawned, suddenly alerted of someone's presence. As its gaze was caught on the two humans who dared to wake it from its slumber, both of the fox's eyes opened. It was that other dark haired human—the one who was torn between affection and indifference with his master—however there was someone else with him.
Kyuubi yawned once more, its tails fanning out wildly as it stretched on his master's belly and began to paw at him. If he woke his master now, he could talk to those humans and possibly ask for some help with his predicament. Neither Kyuubi nor his master had planned on taking such a fulfilling nap in the middle of the park on the cool grass, but it had been well worth it. The fox felt like he was quite refreshed, and he could only imagine that his master would feel the same. Crawling slowly on top of his master, he began to lick at his face in an attempt to wake him up. He was like some household dog, alerting his master of something or other.
Naruto shifted; his nose and mouth scrunching up as Kyuubi continued to lick him, and for a moment he didn't want to open his eyes although his dream was slowly fading into reality. He could feel the hazy edges of sleep floating away from him, and he moaned just a little at the loss of a brilliant dream. It featured both him and Kiba, happily married and back in the south with their family and friends waving them off from the church. They were going to climb into their limo for the reception, but Naruto turned to look back and found both Sasuke and Sai right at the church's entrance waving them off with the rest of the congregate. It gave him a little pang of sadness and he didn't understand why and just as their limo began to pull away and the two men turned into dots, the dream was leaving him behind just like he did the two men.
One of his hands flew up to scratch Kyuubi on the head, right above an ear before he opened his eyes to see his pet. "It was such a good dream too." He yawned as he began to sit up. Kyuubi pressed his paws against Naruto's chest as he started to wake up before climbing on top of his shoulders and biting at his ear playfully. He chuckled at the fact that the fox was so energetic the moment that he woke up after their nap; Naruto made a grab at the fox's tails in order to pull him back down. Just as he was about to pull on the fox once more, a voice from behind him made him jump a little forward and scare him half to bits.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto knew that voice; it was deep, somehow soothing, and yet it also spoke volumes of distaste for whatever he was doing.
Naruto gave a look to Kyuubi before looking over his shoulder to see Sasuke—and a random woman who he assumed was the same one that he and Sai spoke to over the phone in the morning. He ran his tongue over his lips before stating the obvious. "I'm relaxing and getting a breath of fresh air over here. I was having some nice peace and quiet before you showed up, but excuse my manners." Naruto stood up as Kyuubi wrapped himself around the blond's neck and stared between Sasuke and Sakura. He could feel a charged energy coming between his master and the humans, and he was unsure if it was a good one or not. Only time would be able to make him tell the difference.
Naruto beamed at Sakura, holding out his hand for the woman to take. "I didn't know he would be with darling company, hello there my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm sure you're wondering how the two of us know each other. I can see it in your beautiful eyes." The woman giggled as she detached herself from Sasuke, her hand pressing against Naruto's as she smiled at him shyly. Clearly this friend of Sasuke's was winning her over in seconds flat while the bastard looked at him as if he ate something sour.
"Sakura Haruno." She said as Naruto kissed her hand politely before she pulled back and giggled again. Her heartbreak was still well within her mind, and her eyes were red from crying but this Naruto didn't seem to stare too hard at her appearance. Although Sakura had begun to feel ugly and unhappy, the blond's smile gave her some hope and happiness. He was like a ray of sunshine lighting up her life within an instant. He was a cute one for sure.
Sasuke shook his head, sighing at the fact that these two suddenly hit it off without really paying him any mind. As he put his hands into his pockets, Kyuubi jumped from his place around Naruto's neck to hop onto Sasuke's pants and up to his body to his shoulders. He perched on the man's right shoulder, his tails flicking behind him and swatting the back of the man's head to do something about his master. Sasuke glared at the fox, but didn't yell at it or tell it to get off of him. The two of them engaged in some kind of weird stare down and Naruto's eyebrow rose as he watched the two of them.
"Kyuubi?" Naruto called out to his pet, but it wouldn't relent against the Uchiha.
"He's so cute; did you purchase him around here?" Naruto turned to look at Sakura, smiling and nodding at her question.
"Mhm! There's a pet shop in the city that my fiancée used to work at. I bought him from there. I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to get back home with him though." Naruto chuckled and ruffled his hair as he thought about it. He didn't want to part with the fox, especially since it seemed to give him more comfort than anything else within the city.
Sakura blinked and poised a finger on her cheek. "You're not from here? But you seem to know Sasuke so well, and you've even came to his favorite spot." She heard that he had a fiancée, and wasn't even surprised to find that out. An attractive fellow like Naruto just had to be taken; he was even so polite to a person he'd just met. What manners!
It was Naruto's turn to blink now; this was Sasuke's favorite spot? He turned to regard the cars that passed by, the hum of the park and the laughter of children and adults alike. Naruto could understand why Sasuke seemed to like this spot so much; it was even kind of remote—as remote as you could get inside of a magnificent city such as this one. "Ah, I didn't really know that but that's good to know. Um, yes I'm not from here. Actually I live down in the south and I'm kind of on a vacation here, sorta kinda. It's really a lovely place—New York I mean. Terribly lovely and there's so much to do and so many people." Naruto stopped speaking to look at Sasuke suddenly scratching the top of his fox's head as if it belonged there on his shoulder and like it was his own. What was up with Kyuubi and Sasuke? Was he going to be loyal to that guy too? He didn't like Sai one bit, just like Naruto barely liked Sai most of the time, but what did that say about his own relationship with the novelist? It was hard to tell.
Moving away from Sakura to pluck Kyuubi from Sasuke's shoulder, Naruto smiled softly and accidentally touched the man's neck. He felt a jolt from the simple touch of skin against skin and swallowed, and then he tried to act as if nothing was amiss. He looked apologetic, mouthing the word "sorry" at Sasuke before cradling Kyuubi in his arms. "Well, seeing as this is Sasuke's favorite place and he brought you along Ms. Sakura, I think I'll be taking my leave." Kyuubi tried to make a getaway, back to Sasuke so he could do something about the two of them leaving, but Naruto was holding him tight and was not about to let him go.
Sakura pouted once again, tugging onto Sasuke so he would do something. "Oh, do you really have to go? And here I was having some fun just talking to you, Naruto. Why don't you join the two of us?" If he stayed with them, then they wouldn't have to talk about the end of their relationship and she could fill herself up with good cheer that came from Naruto being around the two of them. She looked at Sasuke, tugging on his arm once more before pointing her chin towards Naruto. She so terribly wanted to keep talking to him, and it seemed that only Sasuke would probably be able to convince him to stay.
However, after Naruto touched Sasuke right on the neck—it was a simple touch how could it affect him so—he stood stark still and stared at him. Now, Sakura elbowed him in the stomach, an angry look passing over his features as he looked at her before opening his mouth to answer. "Yes, why don't you join us?" The words left an odd taste in his mouth.
Naruto smiled, shaking his head as he moved Kyuubi from one arm to the next. "Sorry, but I can't. I have to go and see my fiancée soon. I hope the two of you have a delightful time here, and besides I just had a lovely nap and feel like I have all the energy in the world. I can't sit around here just to chat, maybe some other time Ms. Sakura." He glanced at Sasuke as he moved past the two of them, about to descend the hill from whence he came. "I'll see you around too Sasuke." Later on in the night, hung in the air between them as he finally did leave.
Sakura sighed, suddenly pained by being alone with Sasuke in his favorite spot in Central Park. The difference between Sasuke and Naruto was amazingly huge, and Sakura wondered what Naruto's fiancée was like. She must be a wonderful and terrific girl—someone who would be as loyal to him as he must be to her. As Naruto left the two of them, her hold on Sasuke's arm slackened and she moved to sit down grumpily on the grass. She no longer cared if her dress was going to be ruined; her heart was already broken and no matter what else Sasuke said to her, nothing would ever be the same.
Sasuke sat beside Sakura, his legs dangling right over the cliff. He was supposed to be saying something to the girl next to him about their relationship—the beginning, the middle, and the end of it—but he only thought about the man with the fiancée who couldn't find the girl and was as charming as anyone he'd ever met. It was odd to think about someone like this. He was affected by Naruto so much in such a short amount of time, and now there was loneliness since the blond left. It was unnerving. He was with a woman right now, someone he was supposed to be focused on and yet the pair of them was now thinking about the ray of sunshine that descended past the clouds and somewhere else in New York City.