Storybook Romance

By: Chibi Shi-Chan

Author's Comments: My gods, people like this story. Yay! Thank you everyone for your reviews (I'm too lazy to answer individually, I know, that's bad). Um... let's see... this chapter is where the story really begins, the last chapter was just a little teaser. Not too many people were confused (yay) but just wanted to know what was going on. I think someone figured it out, can't remember. And to answer someone's question, no Sasuke and Naruto are not going to turn into girls. The yuri in the fic, there isn't much but it is an important part, this is mainly a yaoi fic. There is, well apparently from the prologue there is some het, but it's not much and again it's important to the story. That ends the rant, now for the first chapter!

storybook

Chapter One

Uchiha Sasuke had a secret. Not just any ordinary "don't tell my parents" secret, but an "if you tell anyone this secret I will be sure you experience something worse than death" secret. A secret that not only could ruin his reputation, but would ruin his reputation, crush it like a giant robotic foot on a candy apple red sports car.

Only the now sixteen year old as of two minutes and twenty-three seconds past midnight last night Uzumaki Naruto knew the deadly secret Uchiha Sasuke possessed.

Sasuke snuggled closer to Naruto and draped his arms around him to pull him closer, making his very own life-sized human pillow. Naruto allowed himself to be pulled into Sasuke's arms as he just continued to read his book and wait for his lover to wake up.

Uchiha Sasuke... was a huge cuddler when he slept.

It was a secret Naruto discovered the very first time the two of them had slept together. Sasuke had a tendency to curl up, snuggle up, cuddle up to anything he was sleeping next to be it pillow, stuffed animal, or boyfriend. It was the cutest thing Naruto had ever seen... and he already knew that if he told a soul his body would explode from the sheer magnitude of Sasuke's glare. So Naruto kept it to himself and locked it in the vault of things Sasuke did cute... like when he'd get ice cream on his nose and Naruto wouldn't tell him just so he'd have an icy cold chocolate cream smear on that perfect face all day.

Smiling to himself Naruto went back to reading his book. He had started over from the beginning a while ago since he had finished the rest when he had woke up. It was so strange, constantly reading the same story over and over again to the point of waking up early just to finish it and start all over again. But he loved it so much! He couldn't explain why but he did.

He loved the characters: the fox demon, Kyubi. A beautiful blonde with the most natural looking fox ears and nine-tails that she would've looked strange without them. Eyes the color of a clear icy blue sky and skin made up of caramel peaches, she was a very enchanting demon who didn't even realize how truly magnificent she was. A creature that could dance and bathe in fire and manipulate it anyway she wanted to, but a creature known for her lack of control especially when her powers had a tendency to explode due to her emotions. When this happened the fire would surround the blue of her eyes and make them an angry flame colored red.

The sand demon, Shukaku. Handsome and dangerously sexy with blood red hair that was always tied back in a messy ponytail and piercing eyes of green surrounded by dark circles from lack of sleep. His skin was the color of pale sand, the type found on a beach on one of those perfect weather days when it wasn't too hot or too cold. The demon that was known as monster more often then he was known as Shukaku, everyone feared him and the sand walls of death that he could summon upon you if he thought you looked at him the wrong way. Not only that but he could never be hurt. His sand would wrap around him in a mother's embrace and protect him from any harmful attack, making it impossible to even through a rock at him. In simpler terms he was what those who feared him called an indestructible beast.

But Shukaku was simply one of those monsters who was misunderstood, and only Kyubi knew that.

Both of them were similar in every way, their gender being the only difference between them. Two beautiful creatures who were feared because of their power, and therefore neither of them ever had a single friend besides each other. As they grew up together from childhood towards the doors of adulthood both learned things about how friendship could blossom into love. How kissing could be just as fun as playing on the old swing tied to the tree as children. And how it didn't take an expert to figure out the proper way to make love with the person you held close to your heart. There was no real instruction manual, such a beautiful art couldn't be told how to do but experienced. They both blushed, kissed, giggled, touched, trembled, expressed uncertainties and fears, exchanged words of love and compassion. No matter how many times they took the physical approach of expressing love it always felt new and there was something to be learned. Shukaku learned the first time to hold her close, the second time he learned to never separate his lips from hers, the third time he learned that petting a fox demon had them eternally gratefully and praising your name, the list went on and on.

It was a beautiful love story that wasn't just a love story, there were too many words to describe it. It captured Naruto's heart the first time he even picked up the book. It started as a joke, really. One of the characters in the story had Sasuke's last name and was only known as Uchiha. So Naruto would read the book in the bookstore all the time just to piss Sasuke off by going on and on about how he was in the story because the woman had his name.

She was quite an interesting character in the story. A member of a well-known clan of humans who were part of the few groups who actually respected and perhaps even worshipped Shukaku and Kyubi instead of feared them. Maybe they showed respect because their own clan name caused fear to enter the hearts of those they hunted and killed if necessary. Very powerful, the type of humans you'd hear someone ask, "What are you? You can't be human, what are you?" But they were human, very human, just very powerful and very unique in the trait they carried that made them so terrifying.

Sharingan.

Blood red eyes that contained swirls of black flames. With these eyes they could watch and learn a person's abilities as if they possessed the ability themselves. As the eyes became more advanced more tricks could be learned and morphed into their own style. But one trick, one trick was the deadliest trick of all and could crush a person's very soul. An Uchiha that was advanced enough could manipulate your mind and make you see anything they wanted you to see for several tortured hours. This could cause a person to become completely comatose, could cause the most powerful leader to go insane. It was that one thing you heard about that was always, always, worse than death.

The Uchiha woman, only known as Uchiha-san in the story, was a close friend of Kyubi. An un-human like beauty caressed the woman's body with her long waves of painted black silk that couldn't even be called hair because hair never felt that soft to the touch. Eyes the color of midnight that could be covered in blood on command, Uchiha-san was a master of the sharingan eyes and was known to show the most terrifying things with them. She was a bit taller than Kyubi, the perfect height for that storybook romance of scooping the woman in her arms and leaning down to kiss lips that certainly did not hold true to the fearsome image other humans painted the fox demon in.

Uchiha-san had fallen madly in love with Kyubi but it was too late, her heart had belonged to Shukaku ever since childhood.

The story soon went from being a joke on Sasuke to Naruto actually liking it, liking it so much that every time he was near the bookstore in the mall he'd go inside and just sit down and read it. There was always a copy of the book available for him to read, most likely because it was one of the books that was buried beneath the best sellers that Naruto always avoided. Those books always intimidated him. It was like the rest of the world expected you to like it and worship it and if you didn't you'd get the wide eyes and the, "How could you not love this story?" He hated being told what was good for him because it was a big let down if it wasn't.

For some reason no matter how much he loved the story he never actually bought the book, never owned a copy of it until Sasuke gave it to him as an early birthday present. Maybe he didn't have the money that day, maybe it was a subconscious excuse to get out the house and do something besides sit in the back of the class and play the part of class clown. Only a select few people knew the secret of Uzumaki Naruto having a brain that he could use very well if he felt like it. It was just fun pulling pranks and pissing people off then taking them completely by surprise when he showed another emotion besides stupidity.

Sasuke knew that his boyfriend was certainly the opposite of stupid, just him and a few others knew. It was just that Naruto preferred being a happy, lighthearted and constantly smiling teenager and the one to always smile in any situation. What was the point of being sad or angry over things when you could smile and try your best to make the bad things better. It took a long ass time for him to develop that attitude and he was quite proud of himself for being able to go through what others would certainly call hell and still be able to laugh it off.

"Naruto! Breakfast!" Naruto sniffed the air and his stomach sang happily from the teasing smell of brown sugar flavored oatmeal. Oatmeal? Naruto grinned, his guardian had his boyfriend over last night and was, as usual, worn out. A term that Naruto didn't understand until that first night with Sasuke, a term that Naruto was happily experiencing after last night.

"Coming!"

"Tell Sasuke there's enough for him." Yep, there was the voice of said guardian wearer outer. Naruto giggled and closed his eyes, already picturing the scene in the kitchen in his head.

Naruto was the sole survivor of a horrible fire that happened when he was two years old. All he remembered from that day was a man he liked to think was his father, he couldn't remember, getting him to safety and telling him not to move. He'd be right back. He was going to get mommy.

Neither one ever came back.

The fire spread, spread very fast and refused to be stopped. It was one of those fires that everyone who was outside of it just watched in awe. Firemen lost that day, they couldn't stop it either. The fire didn't stop until the heavens began to cry and shed rain down onto the earth, pleading with the indestructible flames to stop and whispered how they had done enough. Anything and everything Uzumaki was destroyed, everything but Naruto. All he had that even showed he was even in the fire were two strange things: whisker like markings on his cheeks and a very strange mark on his stomach that was made up of weird looking swirls.

Naruto had no idea where the marks came from but he was pretty sure that it didn't come from the fire since he couldn't remember feeling anything burn him. Even so, marks like that were too damn strange to be burn marks. But whatever fireman or policeman or adoption guy genius it was who saw him chalked it up as it being the fire's fault when he very well could've had them all his life.

He was only two, how was he supposed to know? And by them calling those marks part of the fire he was called a miracle for surviving something so horrible. And from that day on Naruto learned to hate that word. Miracle? A miracle that his entire family and anyone in the area was burned to death? Screw miracles.

Going place to place was hell. Hearing the stories about how this kid was that kid, the one who lived, was hell. Everything was hell...

... until finally someone taught him how to smile again. Taught him the very attitude Naruto held today.

Iruka.

A man who was average height for his age, Iruka taught at the high school Naruto attended now. Cocoa brown sugar colored hair that was always tied back in a messy ponytail and a scar across the bridge of his nose that was oddly very cute on him. The man was always smiling and it was absolutely contagious. So eventually Naruto started to smile too after three years of frowning... and now he couldn't stop. But as Naruto grew up he learned something else...

... Iruka always blushed. All. The. Time.

Especially when his boyfriend was over.

Kakashi and Iruka had been dating for... well... ever. As far back as Naruto could remember there was always a Kakashi somewhere in the picture. He couldn't remember exactly when they started to officially date, or when they officially said they loved each other, he just knew that the gray haired man was always around. Kakashi was another teacher at the high school, in fact it was kinda funny because he was one of his teachers now. Kakashi was the exact opposite of Iruka. Iruka was very soft spoken and, as said before, blushed a lot whenever he was complimented or well... anytime Kakashi was in the room with him. Iruka also wasn't a lazy ass like Kakashi was. Kakashi was always late, always sounded bored, always looked like he didn't want to be there and was always reading a book that was nowhere near suitable for hormonal high school teenagers. But at the same time Kakashi was one of those people who, when they got serious, you damn well better pay attention. He was the type that even if he sounded bored he really wasn't, he was well aware of what was going on around him and always had something useful to say.

But at the moment... at the moment Naruto knew they were both in the kitchen, Kakashi sitting down and reading his book and Iruka blushing over what Kakashi just said about Sasuke being there.

Iruka was also one of those parents who was in deep denial about their child being in a relationship. Of course Naruto being with Sasuke didn't matter, Iruka himself was with another man. The denial part came in whenever Kakashi made a comment about Sasuke still being up there, having spent the night with Naruto meaning the two of them had been quite busy. Iruka was still in the, "My precious Naruto would never do that," stage while Kakashi was in the, "Sasuke and Naruto are going at it like rabbits and enjoying it," stage. Then they'd argue about Kakashi saying something like that and Kakashi would say something about them being the same way when they were sixteen and Iruka would shut up and blush.

Apparently the two of them had known each other for a long time, but at the age of sixteen they weren't really together they were just... sleeping together. Not too much of a shock, looking at Kakashi who wouldn't want to sleep with him? It was later in life when they finally made it an official relationship and not a shaky, "We're not together really so I can sleep with other people," type relationship. When Iruka started to get jealous about Kakashi with other people, which took him a hell of a long time to admit to, was when the official title began to take shape. And now they loved each other to death... even if Kakashi still acted like he was sixteen.

"Sasuke isn't up there, Kakashi. You know Naruto doesn't..."

"... uh-huh." Kakashi was really glad he wasn't a parent, even if Naruto teasingly called him Kakashi-tousan, but that amount of denial had to be unhealthy.

"Sasuke says thanks for breakfast!" Naruto shouted from his room and just knew, just knew that Iruka's face was red and Kakashi was wearing a smug look behind his ever-present book.

"That was evil." Sasuke muttered, finally deciding that he could sit up and let Naruto go so he could stretch and attempt to apply that pesky waking up thing. "You and Kakashi like giving Iruka-sensei heart attacks." Even outside the classroom Sasuke called him that.

"But it's fun!" Sasuke just gave Naruto a half-hearted, still full of sleep glare because there was no way in hell someone should be smiling brighter then the sun this early in the morning. "Awww, don't give me that look... snuggly..."

"What did you say?"

"Snuuuuuuggly." Naruto cried out and if possible that smile got brighter when Sasuke decided to do something about that god awful nickname Naruto teased him with because he was a... cuddler... that was still hard to admit to. Naruto was now pinned down to his bed and dying from uncontrollable fits of laughter as Sasuke tickled him mercilessly, his book dropped to the ground in an attempt to stop the evil morning tickler but his attempts were all in vain. "O.K.! O.K. O.K.! Stop it! Stop it I get it!" Sasuke pulled his hands back. "Snuggly snuggly snuggl-ACK! SASUKE!" Then said hands returned to tickling Naruto senseless. By now both boys were laughing, because Naruto's smiles and laughs were too damn infectious and always broke down Sasuke's, "I'm so pissy," walls. At first Sasuke tried damn hard to fight it, but being around someone who laughed so much for so long proved to be too much for the pissy one and it was decided in his own head that he could fall in front of Naruto... just not at school. But even that was getting hard to do but it was getting to the point of him not giving a shit because a beautiful smile like that was meant to be enjoyed.

Sasuke finally pulled his hands back to look at the finished product. Naruto was lying back in the bed trying to catch his breath from all his laughing, but a small chuckle would leave his lips every now and then. He slowly opened his eyes to look up at Sasuke, all the happiness in the world displayed proudly for him to drink in.

Damn, Sasuke found himself smiling again.

"I wonder what others would think if they found out you smiled this much."

"I only smile this much because of you." Sasuke leaned down and rested his forehead against Naruto's, brushing his lips very softly with his own. "It's your damn fault."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Naruto's voice had gotten softer like it always did when Sasuke was in kissing distance, but it still held the sarcasm he wanted it to for that fake apology. "What can I ever do to get you to stop smiling so much?"

"Absolutely nothing." Their lips met in a birthday morning kiss even if they shared one when Sasuke came over last night. Just to be cute he came at 12:02 a.m. on the dot, making sure he picked up that rock and tossed it at Naruto's window exactly 23 seconds after it hit two minutes past midnight. That was just the type of person Sasuke was and it use to drive Naruto crazy, it still kinda did sometimes, but with sweet things like coming over at the exact hour your boyfriend was born Naruto could let it slide. Their lips were sweetly pressed against each other, the kind of kiss that sped Naruto's heart the most because of how slow, sweet, and absolutely sensual it was. A kiss that let you feel just how much someone loved you without using words. A kiss that showed that words weren't always needed, they were nice, but they weren't the only way to express emotions. There was also the hand Sasuke trailed up Naruto's arm very slowly, just as slowly as he was kissing him, until it reached his lover's hand so he could hold onto it. Naruto trembled underneath him, the softest sounds of love and pleasure being delicately tasted by Sasuke's lips.

"Naruto! Get down here, you still have to go to school!" The two broke apart and couldn't help but smile at each other. Staying silent for just a few more seconds Sasuke leaned in to attempt to kiss Naruto again. "Sasuke! Don't even think about it!" Yep, Iruka-sensei had been through this routine enough to know what was going on even if he was down in the kitchen. Taking the hint that he was beaten Sasuke slid off of Naruto to let him up.

"Don't worry. There's still the janitor's closet in between classes." Sasuke grinned at Naruto's idea as the boy got out of bed to get his uniform. Without even looking back at Sasuke, Naruto tossed him an extra school uniform that was left for such occasions as the boy coming over and spending the night. That extra uniform was getting more attention then the ones Sasuke had at home. Both of the boys had left their books at school, it was a silent agreement that when Sasuke wanted to spend the night they'd use study hall to do work and not make-out. There would be no late night paper writing or Sasuke waking up extra early the next day to go and get his schoolbooks from home. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Can I join you?"

"No!" Naruto giggled when they both heard Iruka scream out the response.

"I was just making sure you were listening, Iruka-sensei!" Sasuke laid back in the bed and waited for Naruto to take his shower so he could take his own. He looked over to see the book still lying on the ground and he just stared at it for a moment before giving in and picking it up. Not like he had anything else to do, and he himself had never actually read the story but he knew it like the back of his hand since Naruto was constantly talking about it. Opening it he drew his hand back and immediately dropped the book when he felt something cut into his finger.

Paper cut?

Sasuke examined his now bleeding finger and blinked in surprise when out of all things he saw a grain of sand resting against his cut. Was that what cut him?

Sand?

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun."

"Oh." Naruto turned from his locker to see one of his closest friends smiling shyly up at him. A sweet girl who was more soft spoken than Iruka and who was always blushing when she was around Naruto. It was rumored that she use to have a crush on him until the other rumor started about him being with Sasuke. She never admitted to liking Naruto as more than a friend, and Naruto didn't know if she ever did like him but he knew that he enjoyed her friendship very much. "Thank you, Hinata." He blinked in surprise when she thrusted a package into his arms and lowered her head, not looking at him anymore.

"I... hope you like it..."

"Oh wow. You didn't have to get me-AH!" Naruto had opened the package and stared at the object in his hands. It was the newest dvd to his favorite anime series, this thing had just come out today and he was going to stare inside of the video store and just drool over the cover and episode descriptions but now it was his. "Oh my god! Oh my god I can't believe you got this for me!"

"Well... you said you liked the series..." Big, clear colored eyes that seemed like mirrors widened when Hinata found herself being glomped by one happy birthday boy. Was it possible for someone's face to overheat and become completely red?

"Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!"

"You... you're welcome..." And all too soon he let her go and walked down the hallway to get to class, singing horribly off key about how he was finally going to find out if the best friends and possible love interests really did fight to the death or not. Hinata just watched him with the softest of smiles on her face.

It always made her happy to see him so happy.

The horrible singing made its way to the first class of the day where Naruto sat, still happily singing over his new dvd. He was so happy about it that he hadn't realized he had brought it into class, not until it was snatched away.

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Hm... best friends forced to fight to the death because one is on a quest for power. Will he really kill him... or will their feelings blossom into something more?" The dvd was handed back to Naruto. "How troublesome."

"You always say that about everything!" He got no response. "Shikamaru!"

"You yell too much." Shikamaru, if possible, was labeled as being even lazier than Naruto was. And if Kakashi looked bored all the time this kid gave a whole new meaning to being bored. At times he'd go so far as to be asleep in the middle of class and not even care how loudly he was snoring. But just like Kakashi there was something much more to the boy, in fact if he wanted to Shikamaru could teach the class. "And here, happy birthday."

"You got me something?" Shikamaru shrugged and handed Naruto a very poorly wrapped package that could already be seen as a cd Naruto had wanted. "Oh wow, thanks!"

"Whatever." Naruto sweatdropped and just watched the other students walk into the classroom. Sasuke was, of course, running late because of his little fan club. Well, little was an understatement, but Naruto didn't want to blow things out of proportion even if in this case he could. Entering the classroom was the upperclassman, Lee, who was a student teacher for their professor this period. And yep, entering with him was Gai-sensei, the man Lee respected and worshipped more than anybody could worship any god. It was surprising that Gai even got to class on time seeing since he'd spend the time before class arguing with Kakashi over something. Who could drink their coffee the fastest, who graded the papers the fastest, old school rivals all the way to adulthood. Naruto waved to Lee who nodded in response, the two of them were kind of friends, friends enough for Lee to hand Naruto a birthday card and say happy birthday to him. Hinata entered a few seconds later after making sure her blush was gone and sat in her seat, the seat that allowed her to watch Naruto and just smile at him.

Other students began to file in faster now since class was close to starting. The names Naruto remembered were Kiba, who he liked to talk to after school so he could play with his dog. Shino, who kinda creeped a few people out with his fascination with, out of all things, bugs. Chouji, who Naruto always went to so he could get good food for lunch and not the cafeteria hell... if Chouji was willing to part with it.

Neji, another upperclassman who was in the class to observe it a lot like Lee did. Neji was... well... Naruto didn't want to try and explain him simply because he couldn't. Hinata lifted her head up when Neji entered, his eyes mirroring her own, and they said nothing to each other.

Rumor had it that they didn't like each other very much, family be damned.

Ten-Ten, the last upperclassman who observed the classroom along with Neji and Lee. The only girl in the team of students who were picked to sit in Gai-sensei's class as student teachers. While in most cases a professor had only one student teacher Gai, in an attempt to once again out do Kakashi since he had one measly student teacher, proclaimed that he could handle three. Student teachers however were more difficult than the students themselves. Students only asked questions pertaining to class, the student teachers asked questions pertaining to the teacher himself. But Gai would never lose to Kakashi, at least that's what he said, so it wasn't just Lee but Neji, and Ten-Ten too.

Other students entered and the bell was dangerously close to ringing when Sasuke waltzed in, taking his seat which was just like Hinata's seat: in a good spot to be able to watch Naruto. It was Hinata who shyly suggested he sit there and when he saw why he actually ended up blushing a bit when his eyes landed on that damn smile Naruto wore that drove his heart nuts. Behind him two girls struggled to get in, fighting and shoving each other away to try and race inside and sit next to Sasuke first.

Believe it or not the two girls were best friends and it was rumored that they were actually in love with each other. Or was it, Ino liked Shikamaru and Sakura was starting to tolerate Lee who openly had a crush on her... high school rumors were confusing. Even so, it was no rumor that both of them liked Sasuke, be it because they really liked him or needed something to fight over was the question. With one last shove Sakura managed to stumble inside and race over to the empty chair closest to Sasuke but was brought to a screeching halt when Ino grabbed a fistful of bubblegum pink and yanked her friend back by her now short strands of hair. She had cut it not too long ago and actually looked better with short hair while Ino kept hers pulled back in a long cotton candy yellow ponytail. Sakura gave a yelp of protest before she sank glittering hot pink nails into her rival's arm and earned a scream of protest.

It was a daily routine that everyone in the class had grown accustomed to.

Eventually Sakura came out on top, her nails proving too much for Ino's arm, and triumphantly sat next to Sasuke. Despite rumors of Sasuke and Naruto being quite hot and heavy for quite sometime no woman in her right mind wanted to believe it, except Hinata who was too sweet for words. So with a quick hair comb with the fingers and deep breath for self-confidence Sakura made her move.

"Good morning." Two words that she had practiced saying all morning in the mirror. And her reward?

"Morning." She mentally cheered over Sasuke speaking to her... too bad his eyes were on Naruto who was busy laughing over the card Lee had gotten him for his birthday, Lee looking absolutely proud of himself for getting the perfect card and getting a thumbs up from his beloved Gai-sensei.

Just as the bell decided to finally ring and let the school day technically begin one more student entered the classroom, staying by the door. Gai glanced over and nodded his head, showing off his perfectly Mentos white sparkling teeth.

"Right on time." Gai turned his attention back to his students who were already doing the new student initiation of looking over the new kid and mentally approving or disapproving of him. "Class, I'd like you all to meet a new student."

Cool mint green eyes traveled around the classroom, doing the opposite of the new student nervousness and just settling for being calm and taking in the new surroundings. It looked like an ordinary classroom. School desks where everyone sat, the teacher's the biggest. School clock that taunted the amount of minutes left until class was over. School door that had two full-time jobs of being an entrance and exit for eager students who wanted to learn or leave and for overworked and underpaid teachers. School window that silently laughed at the suffering children and did the cruelest thing of all: show the outside world.

Nothing of interest in the room, nothing out of the ordinary, just another school that...

Naruto blinked when his eyes locked right on target with the new kid's eyes. He was telling himself to get his eyes away from the leaf green fields but for some reason, for some damn reason his eyes just wanted to stay focused on that one area. What did the boy look like? What color was his hair? What color was his skin? Naruto couldn't answer any of those things, not now, because those eyes had pulled him in and...

... held her hostage. But she didn't want to escape. This creature in front of her, her best friend for... gods however long it was. She remembered old swings and beautiful gardens, running around with him and playing, enjoying the only friend she had ever had. But now...

Naruto's eyes widened and he seemed to be frozen to his chair. The story? Why was he remembering... why was he even thinking about... it didn't make any sense. How could this person...

... make her think this way? Feel this way? Her heartbeat became loud enough to make her deaf as he leaned in closer. Was this really about to happen. Was he really...

"... about to..." Shikamaru glanced over at Naruto in question. What was he mumbling about? And why was he staring at that boy like that? "... kiss..." Shikamaru rose his eyebrow in the air. Kiss? What in the world was wrong with Naruto and what was with the spaced out look on his face? Waving a hand in front of his friend's face Shikamaru tried to snap Naruto out of whatever trance he was in but it didn't work. Instead Naruto spoke a name very softly, but Shikamaru still heard it.

"Shukaku."

"Everyone. This is Gaara."

End Chapter One

Author's Comments: Wow this chapter did have a lot of um... I guess explaining stuff. I didn't expect that. And it looks like the other Leaf ninjas in the series have showed up, which I also didn't expect. I think they'll show up more in the story. This is what happens when you finally catch up with the Naruto series... for the most part... and start to fall in love with more of the characters. They're all pretty much the same as they are in the series since well... I like them that way. The next chapter... um... I'm not sure at all since I have no plan for this fic. Probably more fun story flashes or... something... we'll see.

See you all next chapter!