Just One World after All Chapter 9: They Feel, a naruto fanfic

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 Nine – They Feel

Sakura furrowed her brow as she tapped the pen impatiently against the table. She concentrated on the piece of paper in front of her, her mind whirling with possibilities. She was currently taking the entrance exam for the school she planned to go to, once in Paris. When Sasuke had told her three months ago to have a shot at it, she actually had been thinking about it. Hinata helped her out on the decision. Why not just take the exams she planned to take and see if she passes them? Then, she could decide, among the schools that accepted her, where she'd want to go if she did. She could always go to Paris for a week or two and check out the schools. Biting the cap of her pen, a bad habit of hers whenever she was nervous, she thought about the answer to the question that lay before her. Of course, she was taking advanced baking lessons but that didn't mean she didn't have to tackle general subjects like Math, Science, and English. She was already taking French lessons and was getting better at it. By the time she would leave for Paris, she would know enough to tide her over, taking more lessons in France if need be.

Tightening her hold on the pen, she wrote the answer neatly then went to the next question. Looking at it, she tried to understand it. She didn't. Looking at the clock, she calculated how much time she had left. The test started at nine and would end at twelve, it was nearly eleven. She had an hour left to answer the remaining forty questions which, at least, were right up her alley. She was good at Math and could handle this. Looking back at her paper, she stared at the numbers, letters, and figures in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she hunted around for her scratch paper. Spying the piece of paper, she picked it up and proceeded to solve for the number. As she let her body relax slightly, she continued to write her solution out with more ease.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Dinner

"When are you going to find out?"

"I'll find out, probably next month, at the earliest, and two months from now, at the latest."

"Ganbatte, Sakura-chan!" said Hinata sincerely as she looked at her tired out best friend lean back into the car seat. They had just finished lunch at Golden Phoenix and were on their way to the mall for a shopping trip. Since Sakura might be going to Paris next year, they decided to change the store hours. The Monday through Friday schedules were the same, from 10 to 7:30, the weekend schedules changed. Saturday, they had work from 10 to 3, only opening once more on Monday. Sunday was their rest day. Besides that, after the Saturday shift, Hinata scoured for a trustworthy co-chef for Sakura since Nakuru would be left there. They were planning to expand Blossoms to one more area, having two shops instead of one. Ryuki and Sae had invited to of their schoolmates to help out in the second store since it was fun working with Sakura and Hinata anyway.

"Arigatou," said Sakura as she blushed faintly, a laugh escaping her lips. She had just finished the hardest exam she'd have to face. Though there was one more going her direction but it was easier than the one she had just taken, she had a friend who took that test before her and she said so. Her friend was smart and if she said the one they had just taken was harder, she'd believe her. "What time is he coming, by the way?" asked Sakura as she faced the pearl-eyed girl.

"Maybe at two thirty, tomorrow afternoon?" supplied Hinata as she took a right.

In another section of the city, Sasuke was looking intently at a new guitar. Not that his guitar needed a change but what was wrong with looking at new guitars? And anyway, he was out so why not. Glancing around, he was glad that not many people were in the music store. It was easier for him to look at the various electric guitars, especially the one that was right in front of him. It was basically black with crimson red streaks imprinted on the shiny ebony surface. The strings looked to be of high quality and it was given such importance. It was in the center of the group of guitars, beside guitars that didn't hold an empowering design over the black and crimson one.

"So, you like that one?" asked an elderly man as he peered over Sasuke's shoulder. It was pretty hard to do, seeing as Sasuke was over six feet tall but, then, man wasn't exactly peering over the shoulder of Sasuke's full stature. The rock star was hunching, to get a closer look at the instrument. Standing up straight, Sasuke turned around and looked at one of the store's staff. "Well young man?" he asked a friendly smile on his face.

"S'ok, I guess," he said, as he pocketed his hands, a distant look on his face, "But I'm not really looking for a new guitar. I just wanted to see your inventory." The elderly man nodded, asking once more if he really didn't want to try it out. It was a pretty good model. Most of the customers, who bought that guitar, though in different colors, had nothing but praises for it. "Oh okay," said Sasuke in defeat as he turned around and picked up the instrument. He wanted a new one but he saw no need. Trying it out wouldn't really hurt. As he slung the strap across his shoulders, he prepared to play the G Chord in Truth in Dreams. Though it wasn't –his- favorite song in the album, it was his brother's; it had the easiest opening chord. Strumming the intro, he closed his eyes as his calloused fingers smoothly found their place in the neck of the guitar. Soon enough, he stopped. An invisible satisfied smile was plastered on his face. It was very hard to get a satisfied smile from Sasuke, let alone an invisible one.

"Well, sir?" asked the elderly man as he sort of sensed the satisfaction emanating from the rock star, "Would you care to buy it?" Sasuke put the guitar back on its rack, crossing his arms as he faced the elderly shop keeper. Sasuke asked him who made it. "Not quite a known brand for electric guitars and basses but they make quality ones," said the elderly clerk, frowning as he tried to remember who made it. "I think the name of the brand was Of the Spring. That's what the man said when he came here to put up his wares on sale here. When I did a search on them, the company was called Haruno." A slight look of surprise crossed Sasuke's features momentarily. But wasn't Sakura a pastry chef? He didn't remember which Sunday it was but when she asked if she could see his guitar, he brought it with him since he had practice later that day; she didn't even know any basic chords. Maybe she was just related or it was a coincidence.

"How much is it?" asked Sasuke as his fingers brushed against the leather of his black wallet. He was tempted to buy it. If the price was right, he'd buy the guitar. It was a good one, the neck and body not being too thick or thin. The strings were of high quality and the design was pretty nice. "And if I were to buy it, would you get one from storage, same color?" he added, a tone of need in his statement. He never bought things off the rack, unless they were petty things like books and food or something. All the expensive things he owned came from storage. He'd tune the guitar; it was easy for him to anyway. The elderly man looked towards the direction of the storage room before turning to face Sasuke and nodding.

"¥23540 without the case, ¥25000 with the case," supplied the elderly man. Sasuke nodded, motioning that he'd get one with the case. "Okay, if you'll please wait by the cashier, I'll get your guitar packed up and ready for you," said the man cheerfully, pointing towards the direction of the cashier. Sasuke gripped his wallet tightly as he walked towards the cashier. Why he got a new guitar when his was still perfectly usable, he did not know. He just did. Maybe, he bought it because the brand was 'Haruno', but that was a stupid reason. If his brother found out, as well as Sakura, he'd die from embarrassment, not that he ever got embarrassed in the first place. Thank God that the brand wasn't imprinted on the guitar. Cases never had a brand name on them so he was safe. And at least, the shop keeper said the brand was fairly unknown.

Sasuke furrowed his brow as he thought about her. Why he always did, he didn't know. It's not like she was particularly important to him, right? She just happened to be a friend, though he grudgingly called her that (he always grudgingly called anyone a friend to begin with). Why did her pink hair and cheerful jade eyes plague his mind, every time he closed his eyes? Her bright smile always seemed to brighten his day to such an extent that he never thought possible. Was it because she treated and regarded him as a normal person, unlike most people who idolized him for his rock star status? Or was it because of her simplicity and her naturally cheerful attitude? Whatever it was, in the back of his mind, though he never really thought about it, he was in love with her. Crazy, madly, deeply in love with her. He'd deny it for as many times as he needed to, but he could never tell her, he just couldn't risk it. If his brother teased him or annoyed him about it, he'd curse Itachi to go to hell and burn there. If Neji said anything about it, he'd punch the living daylights out of the Hyuuga. If Naruto mocked him, he'd murder the blonde drummer.

"Sir, here you are," said the elderly man as he came back, the guitar packed neatly into its black case. Sasuke blinked, snapping out of his train of thoughts. Plucking his wallet out of his pocket, he looked around for that piece of platinum-colored plastic. Finding it, he pulled it out and handed it to the shop keeper. Glancing at the picture at the front for recognition, the shop keeper took it then prepared to charge it to the credit card company. Sasuke would pay for it later; he never really carried a lot of money with him. He always brought just enough to survive, paying most of the things with his credit card. As he watched the elderly man charge it, he pocketed his hands once more, contemplating on Sakura again, until his concentration would again be broken by the old man, calling his attention to sign that sheet of paper.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Next Day

"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?

He was never supposed to feel these feelings. He had no need to feel these feelings. But why, ever since that lunch out in that Chinese restaurant, did he start growing closer to her unconsciously? She was just another one of his fans and he was just another one of those objects of adoration, him being a rock star and all. Falling onto his bed, he buried his face into the pillow, somehow managing to do it without hurting himself. When people fell on their bed, they usually hurt themselves, no matter how slight the pain was. Clenching his fists, bunching up the sheets of his mattress within his hand, Sasuke tried to release all of the foreign emotions coursing through his body. He wasn't used to this and he would never be used to this. He should never feel these emotions to begin with.

A few hours later, he was sitting down at his desk, his pen dancing on sheets of pad paper, characters flowing out with ease. His brow was furrowed, more out of concentration than anything else. On top of the pad paper were a couple of words and with the way he was writing it out, it seemed to be a song. The characters on top said, 'Why Do I Feel' and below it, the lyrics. He was almost finished, adding a few corrections here and there. Setting his pen down, he looked down at the song in slight satisfaction. Standing up, he picked up his old guitar, slung it on his shoulders and began to think of an introduction. He already had a specific tune in mind for the song but he didn't know if it would stay like that. Usually, it did, but there were times when the finished song didn't sound at all like how he had first imagined it to be. Exhausted ended like that and it was a great song.

Concentrating on the words before him, he hummed the way the words were supposed to be sung, experimenting with the chords. Whenever he began to put an exact melody on any song, he usually had a chord chart with him, just to make sure his fingers were in place. After creating his part, he'd create Neji's part and have him have a run through. He'd make his older brother have a run through with the bass, the lead guitar and the rhythm guitar playing their pieces. As soon as all three electric stringed instruments had their pieces down, they'd make Naruto listen to it so he could think of a beat that would best complement the song. But, for some reason, he seemed to concentrate on the song alone, not caring if Neji, Itachi, and Naruto would like it. The song was just different, somehow.

Outside, Itachi was passing by, hearing the faint vibrations from Sasuke's guitar. Putting his hand to the door knob, he twisted it. The door wouldn't budge. A smirk graced the older Uchiha's face as he pocketed the hand he had used and made his way to his room. Very much like Sasuke to lock the door whenever he made a song, especially a song that wouldn't be for Sharingan. He had a folder nearly filled to the brim with those kinds of songs. He always made songs like that, whenever so many emotions were tying him done, wrenching his inner self and driving him to a point of utter confusion. He hadn't done that in a while, three months actually, and here he was, doing it again. Within the walls of the room, Sasuke was playing the guitar chords, his voice faintly accompanying the vibrations of the stringed instrument.

When the rain falls down

I see nothing but darkness

Feel nothing but emptiness

Hear nothing but silence

Grasping towards the blackness

I try to think about you

I try to think about me

All those times we spent,

What do they mean?

Did these arise from them, at all? At all?

So tell me why, why do I feel?

Won't it just break my heart?
Won't it just kill my soul?

So tell me why, why do I feel?

Oh I now know

It's just because...

Of the way you are

That's why I feel

The way I do, about you

Even though it hurts

This pain is forever here

Blinding confusions, blinding fears

Broken by torments

Grasping towards the blackness

I try to think about you

I try to think about me

All those times we spent,

What do they mean?

Did these arise from them, at all? At all?

So tell me why, why do I feel?

Won't it just break my heart?
Won't it just kill my soul?

So tell me why, why do I feel?

Oh I now know

It's just because...

Of the way you are

That's why I feel

The way I do, about you

Did you even answer, why, why, why?

Do you even care to explain to me?

Why must I feel this way?

Why must you break me?

Break me

So tell me why, why do I feel?

Won't it just break my heart?
Won't it just kill my soul?

So tell me why, why do I feel?

Oh I now know

It's just because...

Of the way you are

That's why I feel

The way I do...

The way I do about you...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Work Hours

Hinata had gone home to do some things that she had forgotten to this morning. Ryuki and Sae had left an hour earlier than normal because they had an exam the next day. Nakuru had just left after bidding good night to the pink haired chef. Sakura was left in the dimly lit Blossoms, cleaning up whatever was left to be cleaned up. She had spoken with the one who would help them set up another branch. There was a relatively good location near Chakra Records and because this was her idea, Sakura would go to work there, Hinata staying in this branch along with Nakuru. They had already found a co-chef who Nakuru sort of knew. Her name was Miyabi and she seemed to be a cheerful girl. Ryuki and Sae said that their classmates, Sai and Arisa, were okay with working with Sakura. Her childhood friend, Ryuunosaki Kenji, visited her soon afterwards, congratulating her on her venture. Though the newer branch might not be something she could handle full time, once she left for Paris sometime next year, if she planned to, she still wanted to have it set up. Suddenly, the door opened, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Oh, excuse me but Blossoms is closed for the night," said Sakura apologetically before noticing who the visitor was. Blinking she bit her lower lip as she saw who it was. It was Sasuke, his hair dripping wet, sticking onto his face. It was raining outside, heavily too. His hands were deep within the pockets of his trench coat, a couple of pieces of crumpled paper in his right hand. "Sasuke-kun!" she said in surprise, dropping the cloth she was using the clean the tables, "Come in! You must be feeling cold. Here, let me get you something warm to drink." Ushering him in, she forced him to sit down. Closing the door, she began to walk towards the counter, to get a mug of hot chocolate.

"You don't need to, I wasn't out in the rain for long," said Sasuke stubbornly as he placed a set of keys on the table, "I at least drove here. I didn't walk under the rain. That would have been a stupid thing to do, seeing as I left the house and it was already pouring." Sakura nodded as she set the empty mug back down on the rack. Shuffling over to where he was seated, she sat down across him. "Who were you with earlier, around one or two in the afternoon?" he asked a hidden tone of jealousy in his voice. Sakura blinked before replying that she was out with a friend. "Oh," he said bitterly, trying so hard to hide it. He didn't need her to know anything. He didn't even want to know more about him though deep inside, he wanted to know more and rip her friend to pieces.

"He came all the way from Yokohama for a visit. He wanted to know how I was doing," said Sakura happily, unaware of the psychological torment that Sasuke was going through. Words passed through his ears as he tried to restrain himself. He had never felt this way before. Jealousy was something that could turn even the quietest of people to someone that people would fear, if it struck the wrong chord. More often than not, jealousy reared its ugly face when a person in love with another, assumed the wrong thing. "And it was fun talking to him," said Sakura with a faint blush, more of because she was talking about it over actually liking Kenji any more than a friend. Sasuke's eye twitched. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" she asked as she noticed that he was even broodier than normal.

"No! I'm not okay!" he said, sounding whinier than he thought possible. Suddenly, the barrier of self-control broke. He admitted. "It's so fucking wrong to see you happy with another guy," he muttered bitterly as he crossed his arms, a look of jealousy and possessiveness stamped on his face. Sakura was taken aback as she heard this statement from him. "I can't fucking allow you to –be- happy with another guy because I fucking love you damn it!" he growled agitatedly, his fingers massaging his sore temples. Sakura stared at the rock star before her. "What?" he half-shouted impatiently, "Couldn't you see it?!"

"Sasuke-kun... I... I..." she stammered as she looked down at the floor uncomfortably. Of all the places and of all the ways it could have been said, it was said like this. Sasuke looked at her impatiently, the barrier of self-control broken. Heaving a sigh, she got ready to explain. "Kenji-kun's a childhood friend. Scratch that, not really –my- childhood friend. He's my cousin's childhood friend and I'm close with my cousins. Besides, he has a girlfriend," explained Sakura as she put her hand on Sasuke's cheek, a sort of happy look on her face. "And I can't say that I love you but I do like you, I really do. Maybe, it can turn into love, it probably will anyway. In a few more days, I probably would have fallen in love with you; Sunday's coming up after all."

"You would have?" squeaked Sasuke, uncharacteristically of him. When his barrier of self-control was broken, he never acted like himself. That rarely ever happened though. The minute Sakura had said that, his self-control was slowly building up. Gathering all his courage, he pressed his lips awkwardly against hers. Sakura's eyes widened as the rock star pulled her closer to him, his arms wrapping tightly and possessively around her waist. Soon, their worlds blackened, leaving only the two of them visible in each others presence. Everything else was forgotten. The smell of hot chocolate was making the place smell sort of like a home.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Be Continued...

Okay... definitely did –not- expect it to end that way. It was cute though Sasuke did go OOC in that part. But what can I say jealousy makes people act differently. Oh, and the song 'Why do I Feel', the one Sasuke wrote, is an original song by me! :3

The next chapter will most probably –be- the third to the last chapter, the fic probably having only twelve chapters all in all. This fic will have either an epilogue or a sequel, whichever you, the reviewers prefer more. Though I'll have an easier time making an epilogue rather than a sequel...

I have a new story, by the way! It's a Drama fic, mostly, with Romance embedded in it. It's SemiAU and I hope you guys read it as well (I personally like my writing style there more plus the story is extremely closely related to the animanga itself)! Here's the info about my other Naruto fic called Balance!

Summary: Snail defeats the snake; snake defeats the toad; toad defeats the snail. When the balance of nature lies in the hands of three teenagers with uncontrollable potential, what will become of the people around them? SemiAU. Features Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto.

Pairings: Romance isn't the main genre of this fic. The main pairings, however, will be Sasuke/Sakura, with other pairings. Read the story to find them out.

Here's the next chapter preview, as always!

Next Chapter: Chapter Ten – They Think

Chapter Preview: It had been a month since the incident. Somehow, Neji, Itachi, and Naruto found out. Sasuke got extremely angry at Neji for reminding him about what happened, as if he didn't think about it enough. His older brother was teasing him. Naruto would have mocked him but Sasuke found out something and used it to blackmail Naruto. He had asked Hinata to be his girlfriend! Sasuke was currently drinking coffee in the nearer Blossoms branch. Because he was Uchiha Sasuke, the renovation of the basically set up structure sped up and Sakura was able to move in, along with Miyabi, Sai, and Arisa.