Notes: OOPS! Thanks for pointing out my mistake, akai! Shino should not be waving at Hinata, nor should Shikamaru nod at her. Very good eye, very good. And soooooooo, my bad! Sorry for the slip up, really! As for everything else, I'm sorry if you don't like certain things I do (like killing Akamaru; you can't believe how much I hate myself for that) and if it seems I'm not responding to certain requests, it's nothing against you; it just doesn't fit into the story. So, right then. Onward!

Part 1: Chapter 7

Somehow, it just feels right when Ino, Haku, Shino, and Shikamaru all turn up for the practice even though they're not in the band. They belong there; they are part of Sharingan. I know Naruto feels the same because when they each wander in with the real band members, he greets them with equal enthusiasm. That's just one of the things I love about him.

"Okay, first practice is mainly about getting you guys familiar with playing together and a look at our singer's lyrics," the blond glances over at me and I nod back. "Let's have a look at the songs first, so you all can be on the same page when it comes time to break out the instruments." I lay out the blue-covered notebook on the short table that everyone's sitting around. They either lean forward or scoot closer to read the first song, which apparently is going to be our first single.

"Hey," Kiba perks up. "This is the one you had me audition with."

I nod. "Your beat was pretty much the way I heard it in my head."

"What does it say?" Hinata asked and I blushed—I hated reading my songs out loud because then it sounded like poetry; it just didn't come out right.

I pushed the notebook in Kiba's direction: "You read it to her." He took it off the table and gave me an odd glance but then began reciting the lines on the paper to his blind companion. She listened to his voice intently. The others turned from them to look at me.

"That was really well-written, Sasuke," Ino said, sounding slightly impressed.

"Thanks," I gave her a half-grin.

"Have you written a melody for it yet?" Garra asked me. I shook my head.

"That's why I asked for someone who composes music back on the last day of tryouts," Naruto made a face. "No one responded."

"No one?" Haku lifted an eyebrow. "That's quite odd…"

"Yeah, I was hoping we'd find someone at school, that way we could all participate in the writing," Naruto continued his explanation. "I think that Sasuke writing the lyrics by himself is all well and good, but the music has to come from all the band members, and has to reflect them. As much as people say they like the lyrics of any song, it's the music that always ends up stuck in their heads." I know he was speaking honestly, so I didn't flinch when he put music over lyrics. Besides, in several ways, he was right: lyrics were just poetry without the beat.

"That's a very good idea," Haku looked like he was thinking, so I prompted him.

"Do you know someone at this school capable of writing music?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Well it is a liberal arts college."

"Really? You know someone?" Naruto got excited. "Well, get them! Bring them here!"

"I am here," he smiled softly. There was a pause.

"You never told me you write music," my eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You never asked," he said sweetly. "Besides, Garra knows, don't you?" Garra nodded his head, his fire-red hair spilling over the almond-shaped ice-colored eyes. The eyeliner he wore to accent the odd color clashed with his sand-colored complexion, making him look more like he had two black eyes, or rather, like a mean raccoon. And that kanji over his eyebrow…what did it mean? I realized I knew nothing about Garra besides his name. And as for Haku, he was surprising me more and more with each passing day. Had I not been his roommate in a non-co-ed dormitory, I would have assumed the pretty-faced, gentle Haku to be a girl. I wasn't trying to be rude, or a bad roommate, but I knew absolutely nothing about the both of them. And suddenly that bothered me like it never had before. Now that they were part of my world, my band, they became important to me. I decided that, starting now, I would try to find out more about them. Had I known they would have confessed their pasts to me within the next few hours, I wouldn't have missed half the practice with my thinking.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Hinata was complimenting you."

"Oh…" I blinked stupidly and sat up straight, looking at her. Kiba was handing me my notebook and giving me a questioning look. I took it back. "Sorry, I was…thinking." Which wasn't a lie at all.

"I said, your lyrics are beautiful, Sasuke," she smiled at me and I blushed. "All of them are."

"All of them…?" I suddenly tensed. They had gone through my entire notebook while I was somewhere else? Then that means…they read… I looked at Naruto helplessly. He winked at me and pointed down. A single notebook paper poked out from beneath his thigh and I breathed a sigh, laying my forehead against his shoulder.

"Sasuke, are you sure you're okay?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"Just tired," I mumbled against Naruto's arm and he patted my head gently.

"Yeah, I kept him busy all night last night," I heard the grin stretch across his face and I blushed against the smooth orange fabric of his jacket. The others were incredibly silent. Finally, Naruto laughed. "Hello? I'm talking about band preparations here! Wow, you guys haveto get your minds out of the gutter!" Scattered laughter. I winced—this new relationship was not going to be a secret for much longer. It's not like I was trying to hide it or anything, but… I looked at Ino and Sakura, who were holding hands. Is it really that easy?

Garra opened the door and I heard him setting down his synthesizer by the closets. Naruto walked in just ahead of me, and I heard the familiar squeak of a body on my cot and I joined him. Haku came in last, shutting the door behind him.

Naruto handed me the torn-out lyrics. "Here you go. Kiba was getting ahead of himself, and everyone really wanted to hear the others, so I took the notebook and tore the page out while everyone was discussing them."

"Thanks," I breathed, folding up the paper and tucking it in the back of the book.

"Another song?" Haku asked and I nodded absentmindedly. It wasn't until I realized I wasn't holding my notebook that I snapped out of it and saw Haku with it tucked under one arm, the unread lyrics unfolded before his eyes. "Don't—" But I already figured it was too late. His eyebrows were raised in intrigue and his lips were moving along with his eyes. After a pause, he handed them to Garra, who glanced at them, chuckled to himself, and went about getting ready for bed. I felt my face go red.

"These are the lyrics you wrote that night…" Haku spoke up finally, looking at me. I nodded. "Are you two going out?" Naruto looked from me to Haku and back to me, unsure of what to say. I nodded at him and he blushed slightly, but nodded back.

"Yeah," I said weakly, "we are."

"Oh! Well then, good for you!" he smiled and I looked at him.

"You don't think that's…weird?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, no, why would I?" the black-haired man handed me my notebook and the paper.

"I don't know," I put it away again. "Some people wouldn't find this…normal."

"No one person can define normal," Garra spoke up from the bathroom, coming out and turning off the light. "Normal is what you think it is. It changes, depending on your outlook. But you and Naruto going out," he gestured, "I'd say that's normal. I mean, isn't that what people do when they're in love?"

"Well, yeah," I blinked at my other roommate. What the hell…? "But you have to agree, it is out of the norm, two guys dating."

"No, it isn't," Haku laughed, sitting on Garra's bunk. "You just think it is because you never see it."

"I admit, I thought it was a little weird too," Naruto blushed, looking down at his hands.

"You never said anything," I looked at him.

"Because it felt right," he met my stare. "And something that feels right is never wrong, no matter what anyone says." I felt my face burning again. He had a point. It did feel right.

"Very good," Haku beamed at us. Then he looked over at Garra: "So, is it our turn?" The red-head shrugged.

"It's not a secret or anything," he said and I looked back and forth between the two of them.

"What?" Naruto asked the question that was running through my head.

"Haku and I are dating," came Garra's simple answer. I blinked—Somehow, I am not surprised.

"We met before college," Haku waved a hand idly. "Back when we were about fifteen or sixteen, if I recall correctly."

"I was in a gang," Garra sat beside him, folding the clothes he had been wearing earlier. "That's where the kanji came from. Means 'love'," he added, placing the folded clothes on his computer chair.

"A kanji meaning 'love' in a gang?" Naruto sounded confused.

"We were called the Jinchuuriki," he shrugged. "Everyone had one of the emotion kanji tattooed somewhere on their body, and it was the emotion they lacked while in battle."

"For someone who lacked love however," Haku smiled fondly at him, "he saved my life."

"It was a hit job," Garra filled us in. "I was supposed to take out a supplier of our rival gang, the Anbu. I walked in on him beating the life out of his plaything. He was preoccupied, so I took the opportunity."

"He killed my former master, Momochi Zabuza," Haku clarified. "After that, I was indebted to him."

"He followed me around like a shadow," Garra put in.

"Well, you did kill my only means of survival," the other man smiled sweetly at him. I glanced at Naruto, who glanced back and shrugged. They were talking about their blood-stained pasts as if it were the weather. Who knew? "Anyway, after a few months, I convinced Garra to leave the Jinchuuriki and come with me," he continued. "After some community college classes, we took our entrance exams together. And wound up here."

"The gang let you leave that easily?" Naruto had to ask.

"What gang?" Garra said flatly.

"And, no offense," I raised an eyebrow, "but, why are you not in jail?"

"Haku made us new identities," the red-head turned to his lover and smiled in admiration—a new look for him. "Gave us new names, new information, relocated us; he did everything."

"But I decided, in the end, to focus my computer skills on something other than criminalistic activity," Haku blushed, giving the other man a loving smile in return. "Do you think they'd appreciate my composing skills after what they just heard?"

"I don't even have to hear it," Naruto looked at me for confirmation and I nodded in approval. "You're in."

"Thank you very much," he smiled and took Garra's hand.

"Wow," Naruto fumbled for his keys. "Haku and Garra are awesome!" I had to agree with him.

"I never knew that about them…" I never bothered to ask…

"So…" he got the door unlocked and paused. "About us…"

"Don't worry," I felt myself smiling. I leaned over and kissed his lips softly. When I pulled back, he looked as happy and dizzy as I felt.

"I'll take that as a 'see you tomorrow'," he grinned like a ditz. I leaned forward again, pressing my lips to his once more. He moaned softly against me and I pulled away before the kiss escalated.

"That was 'goodnight'," I winked.

"Do I get a 'sweet dreams' one as well?" he pouted. I nudged him inside his room and laughed softly.

"No, but you'll get a really long 'good morning' one to make up for it," I promised.

"See you bright and early tomorrow morning then," he grinned, closing the door. I stood in front of it for a little while longer, my hands in my pockets, smiling to myself. I imagined he was on the other side of the door, leaning against it, smiling as well. We were both relieved, our minds were at ease, and everything was going to be so much easier now.

Ha.