A/N- This has been circulating in my head for a while now, hope you enjoy. Also, yes, I HAVE researched actual Tarot meanings. And, yes, it took me a very LONG time, thank you.
Disclaimer: Do. Not. Own. Naruto, or any portions thereof.
Warning: Shounen-ai, and references to past relations between two males.
..:':.. ':.:'At The Turn Of a Card ':.:' ..:':..
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When They (almost) all arrive (a.k.a. 5:00am)
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The rain beat heavily on the cool Monday morning. Team Seven was waiting not-so-patiently at the bridge, Sakura using a light pink and white umbrella as a cover from the rain, and Sasuke a navy blue-lined black one. Naruto, who was too poor to buy an umbrella, used a newspaper as a cover over his head, ignoring the drops that hit him through the thoroughly soaked paper. Finally, Naruto, fully soaked from waiting for his sensei in the rain, opted to ask Sakura to share her umbrella.
"Ano sa, ano sa..... Sakura, can I use your umbrella?" He looked at her, shivering in the rain, lips turning blue.
Sakura looked at him for a while, she didn't like him...... annoying..... But, but he really 'was' cold, she didn't want him to catch the pneumonia, be nice...... "Aa, Naruto, we can share the umbrella. But don't get too close alright..... You're wet." She gave him a reproachful look.
"Aaaaaaa? Nani? What? Really? Arigatou, arigatou, Sakura," thanked a surprised Naruto, walking over to Sakura and her umbrella.
He didn't even notice that his shoelace had gotten stuck on a loose screw protruding from the bridge, until it was too late. Falling onto the horrified Sakura, Naruto's face landed in a certain... um... 'area'. Also effectively wetting the poor pink-haired girl in the process.
"..... ITAI!!! PERVERT!!!!" she glared at him murderously.
"Aa, aa sorry Sakura-chan, my foot got stuck......" Naruto tried to explain.
SMACK
Naruto lay face down on the wet bridge, a large lump appearing on his cheek, while Sakura, holding her abused 'items', took cover under a tree nearby.
"Itai....." moaned Naruto. Then, slowly getting up, made his way to the same spot he had been before, moping silently in the rain. Not saying a word, eerie in its own right. Silence once again reigned over the bridge, the rain pattering heavily upon the surface.
Sasuke, who had been watching the scene in mild interest, allowed some feeling to show when he saw Naruto begin to sneeze and cough from the cold. Taking some pity on the half-frozen boy, he made his way to Naruto's crouched figure and held out his umbrella, bracing himself for the icy coldness of the rain once he was unprotected.
"Dobe....." Sasuke called softly.
"Sasuke..... What do you want you bastard?!!" Naruto snapped, before coughing and wheezing again.
Sasuke snorted from the lack of creativity, then frowned at the unhealthy state of his friend. "You'll catch a cold if you're out in the rain too long, moron," he held out his umbrella to the blond boy, "Kakashi won't arrive for a while yet. So, share mine while you're waiting."
Naruto looked up at him suspiciously, why was he being so nice?
He sneezed again, and again, and again, and ag-.
Well, anything was better than this, so Naruto made an attempt to stand up.... Before slipping and falling on his ass again. This time, Sasuke held out a hand, an amused smirk on his face as Naruto looked at him annoyed. Sighing, Naruto, giving up his pride, reached out and took Sasuke's hand, and the dark haired boy pulled his teammate to the dry safety beneath his umbrella.
Of course, Naruto, being the clumsy boy that he is, tripped again. This time, bumping into Sasuke's chest lightly, before righting himself, and jumping back. Both boys blushed a little at the slight contact, and even more so when they realized their hands were still attached. Hastily letting go, neither boy said nothing, looking elsewhere, content to let silence remain until their blushes ceased.
Naruto glanced over to see Sakura, still under the tree, but now asleep; he smiled a bit. She really was a kind soul, and did actually 'want' to be nice to him, but the yellow-headed blunder kept having bad luck when near her; it was unfortunate.
Naruto, turned to face his roommate-under-the-umbrella, perhaps his best friend in the whole world, and adverted his eyes a bit.
"Arigatou..... Sasuke." He whispered, still cold, but no longer wet.
Sasuke's eyebrows shot up, but then returned to their former place.
"No problem, Dobe." He answered back, just as softly.
Naruto looked at him with one of those, 'you just had to say that didn't you?' looks, but let it pass. This silence was more important, and they had a lot of time to pass until Kakashi arrived.
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7 HOURS later (a.k.a. 12:00am)
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"ARGHHHHH! Where the hell is he?!" screamed Naruto, it was 'still' raining, and Kakashi had yet to make an appearance.
"Shut up Dobe." Said Sasuke, annoyed but calm. More so at Kakashi. As Naruto had actually only started complaining an hour ago, a feat in itself.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!!" Naruto yelled.
"D-obe." Taunted Sasuke.
"BASTA-"
"Shut up Naruto! Kakashi-sensei's arriving." Sakura snapped.
True to her words Kakashi appeared next to them with a poof.
"Yo." He held up one hand while still reading his 'book', which looked like it was waterproof..... "Sorry for the wait, but I suddenly learned how to fly on the way here and had to test it out-"
"LIAR!!" came from two of the three.
Kakashi, not fazed in the least, looked up at the sky, still blessing the earth with her tears. And decided he might as well treat them to a free day- it did no good to train in the rain.
So, making his decision, he put his book away in his pocket, and looked at his three students, who were in quite an odd position. Sakura, who would usually be trying to gain Sasuke's attention, was the furthest from him. The reason for this being that Naruto was sharing Sasuke's umbrella. Which was odd, for usually Naruto would be trying to get the furthest away from Sasuke, but closest to Sakura, who he was currently farthest from. Sasuke, caught in the middle, was acting out of character in sharing his umbrella with Naruto, and would, on a regular basis, be trying to veer away from the blond 'and' Sakura, of who he was both closest to.
Kakashi scratched his head, 'very' strange morning, indeed.
"Okay, since it's raining, and we cannot possibly train, I think that we should have a day to become closer, as a team." Said Kakashi. Causing Naruto and Sakura to stop ranting and look at him seriously.
"Wahhhhh? Does that mean we aren't training?" said Naruto, looking at Kakashi, annoyed.
"No, it means that we will be spending the day shopping and doing other fun activities." Kakashi allowed this to sink in before awaiting the expected reactions.
"No waaaay!!!! A whole 'day' of shopping, wai!!!!!!" screeched Sakura, jumping up and down-pausing every now and then to list what she needed.
This was followed by a loud groan from Sasuke, who put his head in his hands. And next, would come Naruto:
"WHAT!!!??? We're 'shopping'?!!!! Awwwww man..... Kakashi'sensei! Can't we do something more cool?!" he whined, before going into 'mope mode'.
And while all this was happening, the rain still poured, and Kakashi took the time to read some pages from his book. Once the reactions were complete, he put the book away and suggested a reasonable solution.
"Naruto, and Sasuke, if you do not want to join me and Sakura in shopping, I can arrange for the both of you to do something else....."
"Like what?." Both of his students said, glaring at him with suspicion.
"Like...." They all held their breaths, hoping it wasn't something perverted, "Getting your fortunes read!!!!"
His two more colorful students did a facefault, while the black-haired one produced a fairly large sweatdrop, they were all expecting something a little different from their sensei...... After Naruto had recovered from his surprise, he actually gave the thought some consideration, it was...... kinda cool. Why not? It wouldn't hurt, it could actually be sorta..... fun.
".... Aa Kakashi-sensei, I suppose that would be alright." Said Sasuke, tiredly.
"Ya!! Okay!!!" yelled Naruto.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head; they hadn't realized that they would be doing this 'together' yet...... Oh well, their fault. "Okay everyone, off we go." Kakashi jumped down from the rafter he was currently sitting on, and walked away towards the town market.
Team Seven, realizing that their sensei was leaving them behind, ran to catch up with them. Sakura practically skipping along, and Sasuke and Naruto trailing behind a bit.
Both Naruto and Sasuke failed to notice something throughout the entire trip into town, Kakashi had noticed it from the beginning though, it was rather funny actually.....
They were still sharing the umbrella.
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In Town 10 minuets later (a.k.a. 12:10pm)
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"Oh WOW! Kakashi-sensei look at those dresses!" Sakura pointed excitedly to a clothing store nearby.
Kakashi sighed; a ninja shouldn't be so interested in clothes.... But she was only 14; girls were interested in that kind of stuff at this age. "Aa Sakura, you go on ahead, I'll meet you there." And he watched her run off into the store. Sighing, he turned to the male members of his team, "Alright you two, follow me, I'll take you to a fortune teller I know." With that he jumped off, followed by Sasuke, and then Naruto.
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Fortune Teller's
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The bells rang as the door opened, signaling the entry of a customer. A middle aged woman looked up from behind the desk where she had been rummaging previously, and gave a sly grin at the two boys- seemingly not noticing their teacher Kakashi. The woman wore a normal purple kimono, and her ebony hair was held in a ponytail behind her. She was completely normal, unless you saw her yellow eyes, and the red jewel at her neck. Her sandals made a clunking noise on her hardwood floor, as she made her way to her three customers. All of them soaked by the rain outside, despite their umbrellas.
Her soulful eyes examined each of them one by one, stopping finally at Kakashi, who she gave a curious look.
"Good afternoon, Kakashi." Her voice was a deep mellow, not seeming to notice the shock she had caused the younger man, and turned her attentions back to the two boys standing next to their sensei. "I see you brought guests to my house."
"Urm... Yes, Ms. Maya, These are my students-"
"Sasuke and Naruto, yes, I know." She said matter-of-factly, interrupting a rather shocked jounin. "You two are here for a joined reading, are you not?"
Naruto and Sasuke stuttered a bit before pronouncing a meek, "Yes ma'am."
"Follow me." With a swish of her cloak, Maya left and went into the back room, which was covered by a heavy curtain. Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other nervously before following the woman into the musty room. Leaving Kakashi to let himself out.
Within the room, there was a simple wooden table, and the walls were devoid of any decoration. The only out-of-place item was the deck of cards that lay on the surface of the table, and the three chairs that surrounded it. Maya, walked over to the chair that was furthest from her, and sat down, leaving two side-by-side chairs that were for Naruto and Sasuke.
"Sit, and pick a card Sasuke." Both of the boys sat and Maya fanned the cards so Sasuke could pick one, but before he could touch the cards, she whipped them away, "But first, I must tell you what you shall be drawing for; your past lives together, your future together, your present relationship, and the past itself. Sasuke, now you may draw a card." She once again fanned them out towards the black-haired boy, and he chose a card.
"The Relationship," Maya informed, "Flip it over."
Sasuke flipped it over and was greeted with the image of a young maiden taming a lion, with an olive leaf crown. 'Strength' it read, it was rightside up.
"Ah, 'Strength'," Maya sighed; she could see where this was headed, "Between you two there is a mixture of Courage, Self control, Fortitude, Comradelier Love. There is a control of passion against one's baser instincts; determination, generosity, strength and power under control. Energy, Optimism, Generosity, resolve and reconciliation." Maya stared at the two boys in front of her, one dark, and one light with a dark spirit residing within. She noticed how they had both glanced at each other when she had uttered 'love', and smiling inwardly, she realized that though the two of them both claimed rivalry, they only thought of each other truly in kindness.
Letting her words sink in, Maya once again fanned her cards, and this time she addressed Naruto. "Naruto, pick a card and do the same as Sasuke did."
Naruto reached for the cards watching Maya's yellow eyes bare into him, and picked one closest to the edge.
"Past Lives." Came the reply from Maya, and Naruto stared at the card.
......
"'Death'" he read aloud, he glanced at Sasuke. "And it's upside down." He turned to Maya for her answer, and was shocked to see her staring at him, and inch from his face, head propped up on her hand. She was staring at him as though he wasn't there, it was..... Unnerving. Sasuke then let out a low growl unconsciously, and Maya moved away, still smiling.
She began by taking a deep breath, ".... You poor souls. It seems as though in your past lives, you have.... Been unable to change, 'unwilling' to change. And that has resulted in immense tragedy.... Another point of this card is to make sure you don't make the same mistakes again, and one of those mistakes.... Was keeping a secret from the other." She took the time to pause and lay a lingering glance on each before finishing, "You were both harmed mentally, and in the end physically. This could have been avoided if the both of you had not feared a change between you two." With that she clicked her tongue dissaprovingly and once again fanned her cards towards Sasuke.
He snorted, and reached towards the cards, drawing one from the opposite side as Naruto. He turned the card so Maya could see, and tried to ignore her knowing smirk- which she was openly brandishing at him.
"The Past." She told her two customers. And they both shivered under her unfocused stare. "And it seems, Sasuke, that you have chosen the 'Hermit', and it is the wrong side up.... This is predictable, considering the occupants before me, and their relationship." Both of the rivals felt edgy..... She was talking about them in third person. "It is also to be noted that between three draws and the two of you there have been three Major Arcana drawn, the Major Arcana symbolize power and destiny. Whatever has, or will happen, is meant to; and there is no stopping it- it is inevitable. You may not like what you learn, and so I ask you; do you want to continue?" She stared at them, completely serious.
Naruto looked fairly horrified, while Sasuke grunted, looking bored.
"Ano.... Sasuke, I think we should stop.... I don't think we need to continue." Said Naruto, quietly, nudging Sasuke. Naruto would never admit it, but he was frightened, what if the next card said they would kill each other in a bloody battle, and left to rot under sun, moon, rain, and heat.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, annoyed, "Come on Dobe, you're such a weakling; afraid of what some cards will say about you?" he mocked, smirking.
Naruto, not to be outdone, turned away from his rival and crossed his arms stubbornly- he wasn't scared.... No of course he wasn't, why be afraid of some dumb cards..... Right?
"Ah woman, we'll continue. Tell us what it means. See I'm not weak Sasuke- bastard, and don't call me a dobe!" Sasuke opened his mouth to retort back but was cut off by a swish of Maya's hand.
"Both of you, stop fighting." She ordered. Then clearing her throat, she began to tell them the meaning, "The reversed Hermit relationship is one that does not accept counsel or assistance. You are both immature about you relationship in different ways, and tend to seek an isolation from others, regarding your true personality." At this she smirked, much like Sasuke, and stared at the ceiling. Naruto and Sasuke followed her eyes, and were astounded at the owl that sat on a low rafter, looking at them both in a wizened, regarding manner. Then Maya, still staring at the owl continued her speech, "There is a denying of help, both of you wanting to prove yourselves, and, naturally, you both have been suspicious of the other at one point.
"But, there is also an indecisive pattern of actions that bind you together. I'm sure, that though neither of you would admit it; you both rely on each other deeply. Bad habits have produced a delay in your friendship, such as fighting just to fight, for instance." She looked away from the owl at that moment and stared at them fondly. "However, though you rely on one another, you constantly try to become independent, but, without the other, your resources are, ultimately, inadequate. I hope you've learned your lessons fully." And when both of them nodded, she once again fanned her cards.
"It's time to choose your future, Naruto." She waited patiently and watched the emotions that passed through the blondes eyes. He was nervous; she could tell that he didn't want to know his future.... But he was also curious to find out if his dreams would be fulfilled or not, and he didn't want to look like a coward in front of his best friend and rival. So, slowly he reached for the cards, and drew from the middle.
"Your Future." Maya whispered, she knew what the card would be.
Naruto turned white at the face of the card, and donned a lost, unbelieving look as Maya took the card from his fingers. Sasuke watched this; unbelievingly curious to know what had his teammate so stupefied.
He knew as soon as Maya uttered the first syllable.
"'The Lovers'..... I do believe this is self-explanatory."
.......
Her voice was soft, mystic. A stark contrast to the loud pounding in the teammate's heads, both of them turned to the other and stared in his eyes, searching for the love Maya talked about. Both found a flicker of something akin, but, the love wasn't completely there.... Not yet.
Naruto was the first to speak. "Ms. Maya, there must be some mistake, Sasuke and I.... we don't feel that way at all, about each other!" Naruto yelled at the black-haired woman, tearing his eyes from Sauce's. He slammed his hands on the desk, and stood up rather quickly, causing his chair to fall back from the force. "We just..... Don't." he trailed off- Ms. Maya was still smiling.
"My cards don't lay Naruto-kun, and no, there is no real love between the two of you.... Yet. But as you grow older, you'll find that the only true comfort you receive will be in each others arms..... Or, eventually, bed." She said matter-of-factly, blinking quite diligently during the pauses.
"That's bullshit!" Sasuke said, also standing up, but slower than his counterpart, so his chair didn't fall. "This whole card game of yours is a hoax to get people's money, and mess with their heads! Dobe, come on, we're leaving!" With that Sasuke stormed out of the room, dragging a still heart- stopped Naruto behind.
Maya smiled secretively, watching her once customers leave, and clasped her hands together as she stared unseeing out the curtain-covered doorway. "Ah, Sasuke-kun, if you were not so caught up in your feelings you would have noticed I didn't take any money from Kakashi, and that I had given you a chance to leave before you future was foretold." And then, rising from her chair, she opened a hidden door in the room and disappeared into the darkness.
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Outside
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Once they were outside the two teammates, finally slowed, allowing the tension to fill the air between them. As the rain poured, Sasuke finally let go of Naruto's hand, and glanced away quickly, Naruto did the same, and they both blushed deeply. Eventually one of them spoke, it was Naruto.
"Sasuke...... Do you think what the woman said will happen?" he waited patiently for an answer, when none came, he continued, "'Cause if it is, I hope you don't hate me for it..... I- I don't think I could stand it." Naruto looked up at Sasuke, to find that his rival was staring right back at him.
"Idiot....." he said, "It's still raining, get under the umbrella." Sasuke opened his black blue-lined umbrella and held it out to the blond.
Naruto smiled, and walked over to his best-friend, huddling close for heat. All thoughts of the fortune-teller were banished from their heads as an overwhelming sense of dèja-vu, and both of the boys looked at each other suddenly.
"Dobe, I'll never 'truly' hate you. That hate is reserved for someone else." Sasuke said, but neither was really listening, "And all of what that woman said..... Was completely..... Gibberish...." He cut off.
For Sasuke had suddenly noticed how blue Naruto's eyes were, and how close he was, or rather lips were. And Naruto could see how long Sasuke's eyelashes really were, and how his hair fell in his face. Unconsciously they began to lean forwards, lips inching closer, the fortune-teller's words of 'Lovers' echoing through their head. Sasuke could feel the hairs on the back of his neck bristle in excitement, as the distance closed-
"Yo." Said Kakashi.
Both Sasuke and Naruto jumped apart, blushing furiously, hands straight at their sides and gazes pointed elsewhere.
"Uh, did I interrupt something?" Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Um.... Nothing, Kakashi-sensei." Said Naruto, mumbling.
Kakashi looked at his two students, something 'had' happened...... But, they obviously weren't going to tell him what, and he also had to meet Sakura soon; he'd ditched her in a clothing store, and she was bound to notice he was gone soon. "So, how did the reading go?" To his surprise the two before him glanced at each other and blushed before turning it into a full-blown glare.
"It was complete rubbish, Kakashi. We completely wasted our day." Said Sasuke bitterly. "I could have kicked the Dobe's ass some more instead." He teased, though not as meanly as he usually would.
And Naruto wasn't as angry as usual, "Shut-up Sasuke-bastard! I could kick your ass any day." He stuck his tongue out playfully..... Wait, playfully?
Okay, now Kakashi was sure something happened. But he wasn't going to question, "Okay both of you, cut it out. I have to go pick up Sakura now, so follow me." And with that Kakashi jumped off, followed by Sasuke and Naruto, who shared a quick glance before following their sensei.
The sun didn't shine that day, it rained on and on. The wind bent trees over, and clouds covered the sky that cried its tears. But perhaps, someday soon, the rain would end. And the sun would shine, and two rivals would grow love for the other.
After all, as Maya said:
"My cards don't lie Naruto-Kun."
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:.Owari.:
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