Summary: Sasuke, a rock star, meets one of his fans as they were about to buy the same and last copy of a certain CD. Who says they can't fall in love since this is just one world after all. Completely AU. Mainly SasuSaku.
Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTenten, ItachiNoOne, AnkoKaka
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and if I did, I would probably promote the pairings up there.
Just One World After All
Chapter Eight – They Deny
Pale coffee colored eyes scanned the vicinity. Her dark lavender hair was held up, spiking above her head, her bangs covering the pale coffee orbs that people seem to wonder as to how it got to that shade of brown. Her hands were pocketed inside her tan trench coat. Beneath it was a black mesh short sleeve shirt atop a white sleeveless one and on her legs was a pair of loose black slacks. A tan shin guard covered both of her shins as well as her feet with the exception of her toes and on her feet were a pair of flat black sandals. As she walked in the streets of Kyoto, people turned to look at her. It wasn't every day that you saw people wearing that kind of outfit but here she was and she didn't seem to mind the strange looks people were throwing at her.
"Where is the damn building?! It's just like him to give vague directions," growled the young woman of about twenty-nine. She was looking for tall chrome colored building. That's where he told her to meet him so she was trying to look for it. Growling in agitation, she turned to ask the nearest person where the building was. "Hi, do you know where the building of Chakra Records is located? I'm supposed to meet someone there," she asked the nearest person who happened to be a man, roughly her age, maybe a little older or a little younger. The woman crinkled her nose as she realized what kind of person this man was. He was a biker and he looked to be one part of a gang and holding a high position in it.
"No babe but I do know the direction of a place you'd love to be in," he flirted, flashing a greasy sort of smile. The woman crinkled her nose and snorted in disgust. What a stupid pick up line. Her boyfriend's was better even though he fumbled with his words just to say it. Better, nonetheless. The woman shook her head and made a motion to ask another person but the biker grabbed a hold of her wrist and clenched his hand tightly so she wouldn't escape. "Come on, I'm sure you'll like it better there than wherever you're headed," he cajoled as he flashed his greasy smile. The woman shook her head again and managed to get her hand free. As she was about to move on, the biker walked in front of her and towered over her. "I do not take no for an answer, babe," he hissed as he squinted towards her.
"Then do you take this as an answer?" she asked, disgusted at him, as she drove her clenched fist into his face, causing him to fall down with a loud thud, "I don't have time for this. I only have ten minutes to get to the place and I'm not about to be late like my boyfriend usually is!" She added that last statement with a hiss. He was usually late but how their date went always made her forgive him anyway. There was just something about him that she couldn't stay mad at. Pocketing her free hand, she stepped over the fallen biker and began making her way to the chrome building in a huff.
Snow was swirling down peacefully. There wouldn't be a snowstorm today so she allowed herself to take a walk to the place. She would have taken her car but it seemed to be like an okay day to walk to the building. After about five minutes of wandering, she finally found the chrome colored building. It didn't stick out like a sore thumb because the buildings nearby were in varying shades of gray and white. Speeding up her pace, she began walking towards the building.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the Studio
Kakashi sighed as he watched Naruto and Sasuke argue... again. There was never an hour, except when they were busy practicing or something but right now, they obviously weren't practicing. They were arguing. He sighed again. It was a pointless argument; at least he thought it was. From what he was able to remember, the argument was all about yesterday. When Naruto brought Hinata home, after the snowstorm had cleared, Sasuke, apparently, was still in their apartment complex. Then, for some reason or another, Naruto made this complex theory about Sakura being Sasuke's girlfriend and the younger Uchiha actually being human and so ensued this little argument. Kakashi sighed a third time. He should've been the manager of another band, less white hair due to stress on his part. They were always bickering. Always.
"No! No! And no you idiot!" bellowed Sasuke as his piercing onyx eyes glared at Naruto who for the umpteenth time in their lifetime, provoked the younger Uchiha again. Neji was just standing there, his arms crossed and his back against the wall. He was not particularly caring since he had a date with Tenten that evening. "I. Do. Not. Like. Sakura. In. That. Sense.!" He shouted, his eyes turning crimson, flecked with black. Only when the Uchiha was provoked did his eyes turn to that eerie sort of pupil that was called by the Sharingan or the Copy Wheel Eye. They came from a ninja Clan that had that sort of eye but due to the declining need of the shadow fighters, it merely became a decoration for the modern Uchiha. Itachi's eyebrow rose. So that was how the famed Sharingan looked like, crimson, like his eyes, with three black comma-things swirling around. Even he was never that provoked for it to appear.
"Maa, maa Sasuke!" said Kakashi as he tried to calm the enraged Uchiha. He had seen the Sharingan once before and it was no pretty sight. When the Uchiha with the fully evolved Sharingan eyes glared at anyone, that person became delusional and almost lost sanity. This particular Uchiha had one of the shortest tempers known to man so Naruto would obviously go beyond losing his sanity. "You don't need to get pissed at Naruto that bad!" he tried to explain, motioning for the others to try and calm Sasuke down.
"Yeah Sasuke, it's not like the idiot is worth your time," calmly said Neji as his lips tilted into a smirk. Two birds with one stone. One, he was calming Sasuke and two, he was insulting Naruto at the same time! Hip hip hooray! "You should go out and practice your guitar or write a song or something rather than waste your time by just looking at Naruto. You could lose brain cells even more quickly." Ah. How fun it was to calm Sasuke down when it involved Naruto. He got to insult the blonde who aggravated him so!
"The blind guy's right, little brother," came the crisp voice of Itachi as he spoke to his younger brother, "It's wasting your time and your breath by retorting to the blonde numbskull." Neji snorted as he heard Itachi's voice. So calming Sasuke was okay, for so long as his older brother was –not- around. Itachi smirked. He liked to calm Sasuke down when all of them were there. He got to insult Neji and his white eyes and Naruto and his brainlessness. (A/N: Yes! Sorry for the Naruto-bashing, I think he's sorta cool but I mean, Neji is hardly ever nice and I doubt Itachi is nice as well, 'ne?
"But he did not insult you!" roared Sasuke, his voice blaring as he glared at Neji and Itachi. Naruto was trying to go off and hide but Sasuke turned to face him far too quickly. "You! Do you –think- you can get away with this?!" he shouted as he tried so hard to restrain himself from lunging at the blonde drummer, "You do not say –anything- like that, at all, for as long as you or I live damn it!" The comma-things in his eyes were swirling around even more violently than they did earlier. Clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly, Sasuke tried as hard as he damn could to stop himself from lunging at the blonde drummer. His feet were already trying to get off the ground. Suddenly, the door slammed wide open as the four boys looked towards the door, Naruto –fearfully- looking towards the door.
"Hey you guys!" said the visitor cheerfully, a woman, as she walked inside. The woman blinked as she saw who was inside. Of course Kakashi was there, not looking at her. Neji was leaning on the wall, looking at her indifferently. Itachi was looking amusedly at how Sasuke was reacting. Sasuke's eyes were flashing from its Sharingan state to its onyx state as he gaped at who had arrived inside. "Oh, hey Sasuke!" she greeted as she plopped down on the couch, "Miss your teacher?"
"You! What are –you- doing here, Anko?!" he roared as his eyes turned black. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. At least his eyes were normal again. Mitarashi Anko was his guitar teacher. 'You!' apparently became his favorite sentence now. He'd been using it lately and Naruto was genuinely afraid of Sasuke. Though, eventually, the drummer would forget about how savage Sasuke's anger could be and prod and annoy him again but in any case, he was genuinely afraid.
"To visit my boyfriend!" she chirped as she left it to them to figure out who it was. Neji stared at the lavender haired woman. Naruto's eyes bulged. The normally stoic Itachi and Sasuke gazed at her, their mouths in a grim line but twitching. It couldn't be Neji, he loved Tenten. Sasuke never really said much to her, even during their lessons. Itachi insulted everyone and Anko had that temper that wouldn't take the insults. Naruto was to idiotic for Anko's tastes, though the other three thought it was because they were too alike. So, all in all, it left Kakashi, their ever so late manager. Kakashi turned around and was coughing right at this time. "Kakashi!" she whined as she faced him.
"Ahahaha," stammered Kakashi as he faced the boys who were all just glaring at him. Of all people, why did it have to be –her-?! Sure, he was allowed to have a girlfriend, no one ever stopped him from having one but... why did it have to be her?! Power-tripping, loud, forgetful, all the qualities they hated were in her. "So, now that you've met Anko..." said Kakashi, trailing off at the end. When Anko had said the reason of her visit, everyone seemed to forget that Sasuke was even angry with Naruto. The only thought coursing in their minds was the fact that Kakashi even had the nerve to ask Anko to be his girlfriend! "How about if I treat you boys out for lunch?" suggested Kakashi as he scratched the back of his head, afraid to even think of what could happen if he didn't try and make them all happy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After Lunch, At Blossoms
"You better pay for this, Kakashi," growled Itachi as his crimson eyes fell on their silver-haired manager, at Anko, then back at Kakashi, "Because if you don't... you don't even want to know what I can do." Kakashi gulped slightly as he nodded. Geez, this was the first time all four of them were ganging up on him. Even Naruto seemed to be dead serious about not wanting Anko to be Kakashi's girlfriend. It was okay, if Anko didn't really show up to their practices or something but Kakashi had invited her today and today was a practice day! Kakashi loosened his collar as they stepped in front of the counter. Ryuki was behind it at the moment.
"Welcome to Blossoms! How may I help you?" greeted Ryuki as she picked up a few of the laminated menu, handing one to each of the six adults. All of them kept quiet as they chose their food and drink, occasionally glaring at Anko and Kakashi. Anko smiled wryly when they looked at her, Kakashi just gulped and loosened his collar some more. Soon enough, they gave Ryuki the menu and told them their choice.
"I want a Blueberry Muffin and a Decaf," said Naruto as he spoke to the High School student, remembering how good the muffin tasted when Sakura had offered him a snack while waiting for Hinata during the first time they went out together. Itachi ordered a slice of Honey Vanilla Cake and Hot Spanish Chocolate. Neji ordered a couple of Cream Puffs and black coffee. Sasuke ordered Strawberry Cheesecake and Spanish Chocolate as well. Kakashi ordered a Chocolate Croissant and water.
"Espresso and a Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese frosting for me," said Anko cheerfully as she told Ryuki her order. Ryuki nodded as she began calculating how much it would cost them, Kakashi to be exact. "So, when did you boys find out about this place?" asked Anko, remembering the time Kakashi brought her a slice of their Mango Cream Pie. Naruto said that he saw it one day and decided to try it out, bringing a box of cake to the studio. He said that they knew the owners of the place, they were both really nice and around their age. "Who, if I may ask, are they?" asked Anko as Kakashi brought out his leather wallet and paid the bill.
"My cousin, Hinata, and a friend of hers, Haruno Sakura," said Neji simply as he crossed his arms and looked at the door. As if on cue, Hinata came out with a tray of freshly baked Chocolate Éclairs that were going to the clear glass display. "Hinata, come here," said Neji as he motioned for his younger cousin to go over where they were. The younger Hyuuga blinked as she gazed at the members of Sharingan, Kakashi and a new person, Anko. Putting the éclairs in their place, she walked over to them. "Anko, my cousin, Hinata," said Neji as he faced the loud guitarist. Anko eyed them critically. Of course they were related; Hinata had the same white eyes and pale skin that Neji had. No one else in the world had that kind of eye.
"Hello," said Hinata shyly as she faced Anko, bowing slightly, "Nice to meet you." Anko smiled slightly as she bowed in return. Standing up straight, Anko made a mental note that despite Neji and Hinata being cousins, they had extremely different attitudes. Hinata seemed to be the quiet and shy type, with a sort of inferiority complex. Neji was quiet because he was cold, not because he was shy, plus the older Hyuuga, like the Uchiha siblings, had a sort of superiority complex. "Excuse me but Sakura-chan may need my help in the kitchen," said Hinata as she bowed slightly, leaving the Sharingan members, Kakashi and Anko to themselves. "Have a seat, please," said Hinata before leaving them, pointing to a vacant table with six chairs.
"Hinata's not at all like you, Neji," commented Anko as the six began walking to their seats, "She actually seems more hospitable than the Hyuuga I know." Neji grunted as he sat down, somewhat cursing himself for introducing his cousin to Anko. The others sat down too, waiting for their cake and drinks. A few moments later, someone was walking towards them, with their food. Not just any someone, it was Sakura.
"Sakura-chan!" greeted Naruto as Sakura reached their table and began putting the cake in front of the one who ordered them. The pink-haired woman smiled and said hello to everyone, her gaze lingering for a split second longer on Sasuke than on everyone else. "So, how have you been?" asked Naruto as he faced the pink-haired chef.
"Oh, I've been okay. I've been thinking about something recently but I haven't quite decided. I'll let you know when I have," said Sakura as she held the plastic tray. Sasuke closed his eyes for a few moments, opening them to look at his food and drink. He knew what it was about, of course. Sakura had spilled it to him during one of their Sunday sessions. It was about moving to Paris for a few years then coming back. It would be a hard decision, of course, since it meant leaving Blossoms in Hinata's hands. The café was doing so well too so that was another reason which made the decision so hard.
"Good to hear," said Naruto as he picked up his fork, "We have a concert next month, would you and Hinata want to go?" Sakura said that she would love to but the tickets, by now, probably would have been sold out. "Aha! That's where these come in," said Naruto with his trademark grin plastered on as he flashed a pair of tickets that were particularly near the stage. Flipping them over to the back, it had the Sharingan stamp on it, the words 'backstage pass' scribbled neatly on it. "Have fun, my treat for you both," said Naruto as he pressed the plastic-textured paper into the palm of Sakura who merely said 'Thank you' and that Hinata would have said the same thing.
"Well, anyway, I still have some work to do. Hope you like your snack!" said Sakura cheerfully as she turned around, the tickets in her hand, walking towards the kitchen. What a lucky break! Naruto had given her tickets to their concert next month, plus, it also acted like a backstage pass! Kakashi liked doing that, sort of like a lottery. Tickets acted like a backstage pass and there were two or three that had the stamp at the back. Sometimes, Neji asked for one of them to give to Tenten but this time, Naruto had asked for both of them. Kakashi normally wouldn't really give the tickets to the boys but if they had a good reason, why not. When Naruto had mentioned that it was for Sakura and Hinata, he gave it willingly. The other three suspected it was because he assumed that Sakura and Hinata would bring some cake or something after the concert.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Sharingan Leaves
"Sakura-san! I can't believe Naruto, the Naruto of Sharingan, gave you and Hinata-san those tickets! They're the backstage pass sort of tickets too!" whined Ryuki as she gazed at the plastic-textured paper that Naruto had given to the pink-haired chef. "I can't believe how lucky you are! It's so hard to get those sort of tickets, even plain Sharingan concert tickets for that matter!" complained Ryuki as she eyed the rectangular pieces enviously.
"First, Hinata-san is related to Neji-kun. Second, you're both friends with the band and their manager. Third, you get treats like this from them?! How lucky!" squealed Sae as she looked at the two owners with starry eyes. Sakura smiled slightly, as did Hinata who said that she'd try to persuade Neji to give her three tickets for the three of them, even the plain ones.
"You're the best, Hinata-san!" cheered Nakuru after hearing Hinata say that. Hinata just smiled slightly as she blushed. She wasn't used to praise like that. "Oh! Speaking of which, Sakura-san, why were you blushing when you said 'Hi' to Sasuke-kun?" asked Nakuru as she faced the pink-haired chef. Sakura blushed when Nakuru asked her that. "You like Sasuke-kun, don't you?!" asked Nakuru with a sort of knowing glint in her eyes, "I know that look! My younger sister has the hugest crush on Sasuke-kun! Her room is plastered with Sasuke-kun related things! Posters, pictures, quotes, you name it! Plus she buys two copies of their CDs just to be able to rip out the little booklet if it has a picture of Sasuke-kun! She's even an official member of his unofficial fan club!"
"That's not a crush, that's an obsession," said Sae with a laugh. "I think Itachi-kun is cuter than Sasuke-kun any day." Sakura laughed slightly as she heard Sae say that with a slight reddish tinge on her face. Not that Sakura really knew much about Itachi from what Sasuke tells her but she just knew that he wasn't exactly the nicest older brother. He was nice towards her but, sometimes, when she'd ask Sasuke how his brother was doing, a dark look crossed his face and he'd just change the topic. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world for him to speak of. "But still! Sakura-san likes Sasuke-kun and is friends with him... Kyaa!"
"Sae!" said Sakura with a red tinge on her face, "I do not! I like him as a friend, sure, but nothing more!" Ah, denial, something a lot of couples went through. Sasuke denied that he liked Sakura; Sakura denied that she liked Sasuke. Little did the other know that they both liked each other the way they wanted the other to feel. It was probably fear of rejection, one of the most painful feelings in existence that made them deny their own feelings. However, before they went to sleep, they thought of only one thing... each other. Sasuke thought about her cheerful disposition, the pink tresses that matched her jade green eyes. Sakura thought about how mysterious and human Sasuke could be, his raven hair and his sharp onyx eyes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Be Continued...
So, how did you like it? It's been three weeks since I've updated and I hope you guys like this! I really didn't expect the Sharingan to appear, as in the pupil itself, but it did. It didn't turn out that bad though. With the way things are turning out, I believe this may be shorter than twenty chapters but it'll be more than ten that much I can say.
Aww, Sakura and Sasuke are denying their feelings! I like the last paragraph, it really hints something. And there, Anko has an appearance, finally! Out of all the characters who are mainly supposed to appear, she appears last! Oh, and Itachi isn't really a bad guy here, he can just be too mean of a brother to Sasuke.
Oddly enough, I have the epilogue already thought up, also the last two, maybe even three, chapters already thought out. I guess, I just need to fill up the story from this point up till those chapters I have a rough idea about.
Here's the next chapter preview! I hope it'll give you a good idea about the way the story is going to be set up!
Next Chapter: Chapter Nine – They Feel
Chapter Preview: "Damn it," cursed Sasuke as he slammed his fist on his drawer. He had gone out earlier since there was no practice set for the day, and somehow managed to find himself a block away from Blossoms. Just as he was about to make his way towards the café, Sakura came out with a young man who looked to be about her age, a happy look on her face. At that moment, a foreign feeling, a painful one, surged through his being as he turned around and stormed all the way home. Was he, Uchiha Sasuke, feeling something he never expected to? Was he, Uchiha Sasuke, feeling jealousy?