Part Three
As fast as it had come, the recognition was gone, and suddenly, he found that her eyes were not of the correct shade, but duller. There was no spark in them that was distinct with Uzumaki Naruto, and he suddenly began to doubt he saw it at all. Perhaps it was a trick of the lights? But he was so sure…
Suddenly frustrated by his doubt, the only action Sasuke could think of was to directly talk to her. If anything, her reaction to him should give her away. Naruto was never a good actor. And there was always the Sharingan, though he would have preferred not to use it in such a public place.
Just as he was about to slide off the leather stool, a hand gripped his shoulder and he fought down his initial reaction of grabbing the offending arm and flipping the person over.
"I wouldn't suggest it, kid."
He looked over his shoulder to see it was Hunter who had stopped him. She was still smiling at him, though this time, there seemed to be something calmer and almost pitying in her expression.
"What?"
His eyes flicked on their own to her hand, and as if reading his mind, she smoothly removed it. It kind of creeped him out, how she could read him so well. But of course, his face gave away nothing.
"I know who you were staring at, and I'm telling you to forget about it." She leaned forward, balancing her elbows on the bar counter, until her face was almost level with his, and they both looked out into the sea of people at the single blonde beacon twirling and writhing in her own little world.
"We call her "Blue" around here, since she's never given her name to anyone."
"Why that name?"
Sasuke mentally beat himself for asking such a useless question, one he had just blurted out. But he could not kill his slight curiosity, of why they would name his teammate, for he could not shake the feeling it was him, that name. Not to mention, this was the Blue that Mika had compared him to earlier. He didn't know if he should be insulted now or not. He certainly hoped he didn't look like a girl. Then he realized he forgot to listen to the answer of his question.
"…a pair of the bright blue eyes I've ever seen—"
Sasuke stiffened.
"—and so, started calling her that and it sorta stuck."
He nodded absently but said nothing, his mind already debating whether or not this new bit of information was helpful on disclosing the identity of this girl. But before long, Hunter chuckled, and his concentration was broken.
"I'm telling you, kid. Give up now. The last time someone laid a hand on her, he got that arm broken and several teeth knocked in. It's her rule: look, but no touch." Gray eyes fell on his body, and her voice changed into something almost teasing. "But I will admit, you're probably the finest boy out of all I've seen who've tried to go for her."
He chose not to comment to that. Instead, he decided to concentrate on what he had just learned. If what Hunter said was true, then that meant that Blue at least had fighting abilities, which meant she had to be Naruto, right? After all, the blond had reflexes just like his, and the other's reaction to someone else's touch would be the same as his before, right? But then, he knew there were those who studied martial arts outside of the hidden village, as a sort of self-defense against these kinds of happenings, and Blue could be one of them.
Annoyance level rising, Sasuke bit back a growl from growing in his throat. Really, only the dunce ever made him this agitated. Thinking was getting him nowhere, so he should just approach her. It's not as if he can't defend himself, and if it really wasn't Naruto, then her fighting skills wouldn't even measure up to his. And if it was, well, his mission would be completed.
Hunter was surprised when she saw the boy straighten to head out towards the dance floor. Was he crazy? Did she interest him that much? Hell, he could probably have hundreds of other women, with his looks, women who wouldn't attack upon contact. It was a pity, because she really liked him too. He didn't seem to have any bad intentions, unlike the other lecherous people she's seen set their eyes on Blue.
"Wait!"
The boy stopped and turned his head slightly so she could see the profile of his face, and waited. Really, what a quiet boy.
"…If she starts to attack you, tell her I sent you. I don't know if it'll help, but with any luck, she'll stop."
There was a pause, and then a nod, before he turned again towards Blue's direction, and suddenly, there was something so powerful about him, about how he walked, as if he would not lose, and she had to tell him.
"We don't just call her Blue because of her eyes, you know. From the first day, there has been something very sad about her. You can see it in the way she dances, as if she's crying out." She wondered if he could even hear her voice, it had gotten so soft. "So please, if you can, make her smile? A real smile, I mean, not one of those flirty ones she throws to addle the crowd and I mean…Okay, I don't really know what I mean, but I just wanna say…good luck."
For a moment, she thought her words had been lost in the overwhelming sound of the club's music, but then, the boy she had only met for a few minutes, without turning, raised his hand in slight gesture, and she knew he had heard. A warmed smile settled on her lips and she knew everything would be okay. He would be okay.
Then she realized she didn't know his name.
/ black eyes with black hair and black clothes, moving with a smoothness like the wind, and a quiet calm settled all around him like blanket of cool air, and it reminded her of /
Night. That's what she would call him. For he really was a child of the Night. And, she realized later with a small laugh, it was like she was watching a knight off to rescue the damsel in distress.
Yes, best of luck, Night. Bring our Blue home.
She had never felt more alive. The music was fast and she was dancing and everyone was watching. They wanted her, she could tell, with a lust so primal it made her blood burn. While this brought her a thrill that she couldn't get enough of, there was also a somewhat desperate need in her step, as if something inside of her was thirsting, wanting for something—
look at me
—or someone. But she brushed it aside as silly, and focused on her dance and on the feel of everyone's eyes, running through each pair in the crowd and then—
someone find me
—she felt it.
In the direction of the bar, she turned, opening her eyes to see what kind of person it was that affected her so. What kind of person made her feel so whole. And there, standing by Hunter, she was met with a pair of the darkest eyes she had ever seen, pools of black that she could drown in, and suddenly, she felt a surge of unexplainable fear, because it was him and what was he doing here and—
Sasuke
—then, there was nothing. It was just a man, a boy, really. Just another male caught by her dance, and nothing special. Though he was cuter than most, from what she could tell at this distance. Then, a pair of people blocked her view and she closed her eyes again, forgetting the strange boy and his eyes and continued to dance.
But for some reason, she couldn't shake the sudden empty feeling inside.
Thanks again to all my reviewers. Sorry that this installment did not get put up as quickly as the second chapter, but I was debating whether or not to change a few things in response to what some of you wanted to see. I ended up not adding anything to this chapter, but I will most likely be for the future parts. So please be patient if the updates aren't daily.
I realize many of you wanted to see Sasuke's reaction to Naruto's new look, and may have been disappointed by the logical-ness of this chapter. This is because Sasuke is still not 100% certain that this is Naruto. So you'll have to wait a little longer until you see his real reaction. ;
I'm not going to explain anything about the last bit of this chapter. You'll have to wait and see.