[Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto Masashi, my Lord, owns Naruto. I worship him and only him. (That was a joke)]

Chapter Three: The Concert

            "Ramen comin' right up guys! Who wants chicken flavor?" Naruto came in loudly with a bowl of ramen. The room was filled with ninja's, talking about mainly Sasuke.

            "Um, I think I'll have chicken, thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata shyly ordered.

            "I think it's been too long a time… Sasuke-kun could be hurt! Didn't you see the look on that woman's face? We should go to his house and check!" Sakura worried, almost completely ignoring Naruto's request.

            "…Don't worry. Sasuke is fine…" Shino said.

            "How do you know? I'm going to check on him…" She argued. But Shino grabbed her arm, nodding. Sakura then gave in, sighing in a concerned manner as she sat back down.

            "What do you think, Lu?" She asked him.

            "Um… I really don't know. I don't know that much about Sasuke and his past. I think maybe we should listen to Shino there because ah I don't know. I guess because Sasuke seemed to know what he was doing back there with that girl."

            "So chicken is you're favorite flavor, Hinata-sama? I like the miso flavor the best!" Naruto interestingly claimed, ignoring the conversation in the other room.

            "Erm… Yes, I like the chicken flavor. It does taste like chicken…" She giggled. She was excited that he called her 'sama'. Naruto laughed before taking a big bite of noodles. Wow. Hinata told a joke. Quino stood up to walk towards the food just before there was heard knocking on Naruto's front door. Sakura instantly stood up to answer it, still in her nervous mood.

            She opened the door and there stood Sasuke. She smiled warmly and let him in, "Come on in and tell us about…" Then she saw Varlene. She gasped instead of going on, but let her in anyway since Sasuke was telling her with his hand that she was a friend.

            "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. Is you're friend okay? I'm sorry if I hurt you…" Varlene bowed to Sakura in apology. Quino came from behind Sakura.

            "Oh no I'm okay really. Don't mind me." He said to her politely and bowed back.

            "Listen… This is my sister, Varlene. You guys remember Itachi, my brother? Varlene is Itachi's younger twin. That's why she looks so much like him, but don't worry. She won't hurt us…" Sasuke told his friends about Varlene and her disease and all about her, reminding them many times that she should stay as secret so that she wouldn't cause panic in society about her disease. And just in case there were any enemy spies around that could be listening. They all were surprised when Shino mentioned that he's the one who helps Varlene keeping up with her medication and lotion.

            "Sasuke, what exactly is her disease?" Naruto asked him.

            Varlene spoke instead, "No one has ever had it before, so no one really knows what it is. I call it the 'dechanitos'. Dad told me that if I don't take my medication, then the dechanitos will completely take over my body and it will quickly kill me by eating through my blood cells and veins within a week or two, and it's kind of like catching the flu. I become very weak if I don't take my medication, and I bleed everywhere. The dechanitos gives me holes right where my chakra points are sometimes, I don't know why, and I have to wait for it to heal back up before I can perform a jutsu or else it will hurt. My lotion somewhat helps that but it still sucks… It also makes me really dizzy, and I have trouble seeing sometimes."

            "Hey, why can't you get the medication and lotion yourself?" Naruto asked.

            "I don't like being around people. Normal people fear my Sharingan eyes. And it's not like I can change that because somehow I was born with my eyes like this and they have never changed. I just don't get along with people… And I don't have any money. I used to pay Shino for buying my medication and lotion, but then I went out of money and he was nice enough to get it for me anyway. That money was what I had from what my parents gave me for when I traveled around a lot.

            "Ah… If there's anything I can do to help then I'll do it! You shouldn't have to worry about all that and still be a ninja!" Naruto said after a pause of Varlene's explanation. Varlene blushed.

            "You'll really help me? Wow, Sasuke you're friends are very nice! I wish I had friends like you guys!"

            "Well, now you do!" Sakura said cheerfully with a smile. Everyone else in the room gave her a determined "yep" smile.

            Lu looked at the time and stood up in a panicked manner. "We should go! Like, now! It's already past 7:00! We'll be late! Oh! My guitar! I still have to go get it and… Oh no!" He ran out the door, being followed by a panicked Quino. Everyone else except Varlene didn't really care. They were tired.

            "Guitar? What's going on?" She asked.

            "Oh yeah. There's a concert tonight at the uh entertainment hall. Our mission is to attend it and guard. That's all." Sasuke said as he walked out the door. Everyone else followed him. Hinata was tapping her fingers nervously. 'I get to spend this whole day with Naruto-kun… maybe-' Naruto interrupted her thought.

            "Come on! Lets go Hinata! Time to rock and roll!" He said. She blushed as she followed along behind Naruto.

            "Sasuke… it will be so much of an honor for me to attend a concert. I love music so much, it's almost like I'm not worthy of hearing such beauty." Varlene said to him.

            "Don't worry about it. Maybe you can even play in it if Marya says its okay. (Marya is the one who helped us build the place.) Do you think you can still play flute and guitar?"

            "What do you mean can I still play? Of course I can! I'm the one who taught you, remember?" She laughed. "I miss it so much… I can't believe I haven't played in four years. Can you still play?"

            "Of course…"

            "What? You play guitar and flute, Varlene-san?" Sakura overheard.

            "Oh yes… when I was young, around three or four, I was on different medication and it was hard for me to keep up with my normal routine because I would get sick really fast, and if I did much then I would start bleeding in places. So Mom and Dad bought me a flute and guitar. I learned pretty fast because I already knew how to play piano. Mom would teach me how to play piano and I loved learning from her. When I was like six or seven she told me that I was better then her and that I couldn't learn anymore; I had to start teaching myself. I started teaching Sasuke because I thought that he would like to learn since he always asked me to play while he trained, and I didn't really know how I could teach myself without knowing how to teach someone first."

            "Sasuke-kun? You can play piano and..? Wow! You're even more amazing then I thought, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura flirted. Naruto made a determined, angry face.

            "I bet playing music isn't that hard! Sasuke probably isn't even anywhere near as great as Varlene-san." He said.

            Varlene laughed. "Actually, Sasuke became better then me when I turned 14. He would make up his own tunes and never stop playing sometimes. I thought of him as a prodigy, still do. I just wonder if you still play at all." She laughed again. Sakura stuck her tongue at Naruto and Hinata giggled.

            By this time in the conversation they were arriving the entertainment hall. "You're late! But I guess that's okay. Come on in and enjoy you're mission." Marya smiled as she greeted them. She ignored Varlene, thinking that she was just a friend of theirs.

            When they walked into the building, the sound of Quino's voice and Lu's guitar approached their ears. Naruto was excited. He's never been to a concert before and he didn't listen to much music as it was. But when he saw Sasuke standing by the front door, he remembered that he was supposed to be guarding. So he went to stand next to the front door also, ready to be on patrol.

            "I've got the front. You're supposed to guard the back, idiot…" Sasuke provoked.

            "What! No one told me so!"

            "Common sense… there is two sides of the building. The front and the back. I'm already guarding the front, so what side do you think you're supposed to guard?" Naruto was now annoyed. He was about to say something against it, but then he saw Sasuke move. "Fine. I'll get the back. No big deal." Then he coolly smiled to Naruto. What? Sasuke smiled at me? Haha… Naruto laughed. But wait. We're not rivals anymore since that incident with the sound ninjas. Or are we? He stopped laughing and looked at Sasuke, who was walking towards the back door already too far away for Naruto to say anything to him. 'Sasuke? Are you feeling okay?'

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            Sakura was carrying a plate of drinks as she smiled at Sasuke who passed her. He took a cup and said "Thanks," with a smile before he proceeded towards the back door. She blushed. 'Sasuke-kun smiled at me!' It was the end of a song and Quino walked up to her to get a drink. "Water is a very nice thing when you're singing…" He said before drinking the whole thing in one gulp. Sakura smiled.

            "I'm sure it is." Then she walked on, offering people drinks.

            Hinata was standing somewhat close to the front door, peeking every now and then at Naruto, holding a drink. She just couldn't get the courage to go and talk to him. Why not? Just a small conversation, that's all she wanted. She slowly walked towards Naruto and said, "G-good evening, N-Naruto-kun."

            "Oh hey Hinata! How are ya?" He asked.

            "Uh, I-I brought you a-a drink. I-in case you're thirsty." She stuttered.

            "Oh thanks! You're really nice!" Naruto accepted the drink, smiling his fox smile.

            Shino was standing in the corner, staring at who knows what through his sunglasses. Not much else to say there.

            Varlene sat in a chair, reading a book about ninjustu, waiting for the next song to come up. When it did, she stood up to listen. It was a girl singing a slow song. She looked somewhat familiar to Varlene. As if she's seen this girl before. The pianist who was playing as her accompanist seemed familiar too. He wore glasses, and…hmm… lots of scars on his face. This seemed slightly suspicious to Varlene. Something wasn't right. Then the girl who was singing looked at her. The girl didn't look away. It was almost as if she was angry or something because her eyes widened strangely. Her voice cracked, and she looked at the pianist and nodded. What's going on? Varlene was confused. The singing stopped right in the middle of nowhere. Then it got to her. 'That girl! I know her!'

            Marya looked to see why the singing had stopped. The singer had gotten off of the stage and walked up to Varlene. Marya went up to the girl, confused. "What are you doing here?" She overheard the girl say.

            "I-" Before Varlene could talk, she saw Marya there.

            "What's going on?"

There was silence between both of them.

            "Why did you stop singing, Mikota?"

            The girl, Mikota looked back and forth at Varlene and Marya. It took her a long time to answer. "I… I needed a drink of water. My throat hurts. I'm sorry. I couldn't go on." Her voice was harsh and stressed. She took Varlene's glass of water from her hand and drank all of it. Then she slammed it on the nearest table, almost breaking the glass. She walked back onto the stage and finished her song. Marya stared.

            "M-Mikota…?"

            Varlene walked off to get another drink of water, ignoring Marya. After getting the water, she walked towards Sasuke, and was getting more nervous by the minute.

            "What was that?" He asked.

            She was standing on the outside of the door so that no one but Sasuke could see her. "That was Mikota, a sound ninja. And the pianist is a sound ninja also…" She was looking around to make sure no one was seeing her while she talked.

            "Varlene… You don't have to stay here. You can go." Sasuke mentioned.

            "No! They'll attack, so I have to help-" Before she went on, she gasped and looked behind her. A sound ninja. Sasuke had no clue where he came from.

            "Help who?" He asked, suspiciously and slowly. "Help us?" Varlene was shaking. "Or help them?" He waited, crossing his arms. Sasuke didn't know what to do. Should he attack? Or should he act like he was on their side, spying also? "Linko Setsuna! Answer me!"

'Linko Setsuna?' Sasuke wondered. It must be the name that she used to hide her real name from the enemy.

            Varlene hesitated before she spoke. "This… is Uchiha Sasuke." She said slowly, speaking faster by the word. Sasuke was totally confused. "Orochimaru-kun… is looking for him?" She waited for an answer. Sasuke could somewhat see where this was going, but didn't suspect at all the next thing.

            "Y-yes… go on…"

            Varlene didn't go on. After finishing her water, she threw it against the ground, letting it shatter. Then she punched Sasuke really hard in the face, knocking him out. She caught him when he fell. "I was paying him a favor. Come on, let's go and give Orochimaru-kun his body." She said, smiling evilly at the sound ninja. They disappeared into the night.

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~(muhuahahaha… my first cliffhanger! XD)~