Notes: Hooray, end of part one! Now, after this chapter, the point of view switches from Sasuke to Naruto, just to remind you so you're not confused. This entire chapter looks awesome in my head, but if you don't understand it, I'm sorry! I'm just writing to finish the concert—I can't wait to see what happens! (No, not even I know what'll happen at the end… :P) GO SASUKE AND YOUR UBER SINGING VOICE! –waves flag-
Part 1: Chapter 10
Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!
Pah-pah, ba-da-da-da-da da-dah! Bah dah-da-da-da-da da-dah! Ba-dah bada bah da-da-da! Tah ta-pah! Tah ta-pah! Tarararararararatah!
"Pen and paper in my hand," I closed my eyes and leaned over the mike. Dah dada dada da-da daaaaaaah dadada! The crowd cheered wildly. "Thinking up this song for you." Naruto's guitar kept in rhythm with my voice; I could see his fingers flying over the chords in my mind's eye. "Haven't seen you, for days now, I'm not sure what to do." Daradara da-dah! "Listening to the radio, singing all the songs that remind me of you," I opened my eyes and looked at the huge wave of people jumping up and down to the beat. I grinned slightly. "And remind me of the things we used to say—." Bah pah-dadadadadada-da da-da! "And all the stuff we swore to do." Naruto jumped forward, ignoring the fact he had his own mike as we hit the chorus. Kiba fairly stood up on his stool and pounded the hell out of his drums: Parrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrah pah! "Everyday I look for you."
"For you!" Naruto leaned over to sing and Kiba howled his line into the mike.
"I want to tell you everything," I continued, half-turning to my band. "And have you tell me everything too." Sakura's brow furrowed in concentration as she moved her hand rapidly back and forth, plucking the appropriate chords with a rose pink pick Ino had given her as a good luck charm. "So, I'm always looking for you—"
"For you!" Kiba and Naruto chimed again; the blond continued to hang on my shoulder.
"Daydreaming about the times together; I had everything when we were together," I resumed. Bah dah dada-da-da-dadadah dah dah! End of chorus. Naruto retreated to his area of the stage, bounding and playing at once. The audience ate it up—those who knew who he was screamed his name. Some were screaming mine. I was getting dizzy with the head rush this was giving me. I glanced back at Sakura for confirmation. She had relaxed since I last glanced at her, back to the rhythmic strumming that they used in the main verses. She looked excited; her cheeks were pink and her aqua green eyes glittered happily. Apparently, she loved the way this was going as well. And her solo was up soon. Tick tick taktak! Kiba on the cymbals reminded me that I had more lyrics to sing.
I whirled back on the audience, striding forward with every word until I could simply reach out a hand and touch them. "You taught me how to see the nigh; I told you all you had to do was—"
"Take my hand," Naruto joined my voice, then fell into concentrated silence as I continued.
"And I could show you what the day brings." Pa-rararah! "I want to spend forever with you—"
"Just holding on and talking to you!" Naruto's voice overpowered mine again. He was using his own mike this time.
"It seems I ask for everything, when all I want is you," I finished the verse. Bararararararararararah! Bah! Bah! We picked it up again: Garra used his synthesizer to slide the sound of the guitars and we busted out into the second repetition of the chorus.
"And everyday I look for you—" I sang.
"For you!" Kiba and Naruto both jumped up at their line.
"I want to tell you everything, and have you tell me everything too," I began to back up. The blond beside me did the same. We were clearing the makeshift stage for our first solo. "So I'm always looking for you—"
"For you!"
"Daydreaming about the times together; I had everything when we were together." Kiba made each of his drums sound like a roll of thunder as he rapidly moved his hands across the set up. BarararararaPahdararararaDahpahpapapapapapapapaBRAHDAHDAHDAPAHPAH! Sakura strode forward, planted her feet, and lifted her arm for the audience's attention. Kiba's drum roll finished. Her hand shot down: Chkaaaaaaaa! She narrowed her eyes in concentration and leaned over her guitar, her hand flying deftly over the silver strings, making her beautiful instrument sing. Her pink hair flashed in the cold air (which wasn't cold, but hot and alive with energy), glistening with sweat from the exertion of her playing. I stood back and watched in appreciation—she was damned good. Garra tweaked the dials on his synth and helped her along on the slides and chord vibrations as she began jumping around the stage, going right up to the audience and playing even harder and better as they grabbed at her. Naruto was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his fingers hovering over his own guitar, waiting for his chance to re-join the music. Kiba was keeping time with his right foot, the steady dun-dun-dun-dun resounding softly in under the wailing guitar. Sakura finished her solo with a flourish, standing in the center of the gazebo-stage with her arm raised again, this time in triumph. The crowd went absolutely nuts. She backed up to her place in front of Kiba and behind me as I crossed to be center stage again. I grinned at her and she grinned back, her face radiating her happiness beneath the redness and the sheen of sweat. I turned back to the almost-out of control student body; everyone was out now. Teachers, students, people who lived nearby even. I raised the mike and was greeted with a shriek that I thought couldn't possibly be any louder.
"When I'm not there for you, it hurts me like you can't know," I closed my eyes, recalling the words in the back of my head, wondering if Hinata was still listening. Buh-dah-duh, buh-dah-duh, buh-dah-duh! "Because you're always there for me; I'll try to be a better friend, so—" Badah! "Tell me the truth without subtlety, so I can keep learning more from you. To be the friend I can never seem to be—the one I want to be for you. So…" BAH! "Everyday I look for you—"
"For you!" Kiba and Naruto screamed over the crowd.
"I want to tell you everything," I looked out into the crowd for her. It was as if the people had actually carried her closer. She was almost at arm's reach. "And have you tell me everything too." To add for effect, I pointed directly at her. Of course, she couldn't see this, but the people around her did and nudged her forward until she was there, right at the edge of the stage. "So, I'm always looking for you—"
"For you!" Naruto was the only one who sang this time. I chanced a glance back at Kiba. He was still playing but his eyes were wide and on her blushing face. I got an idea.
"Daydreaming about the times together," I took her hand and pulled her beneath the gazebo. The response from the crowd nearly drowned out our music. "I had everything when we were together." I let her go, standing her in my spot and scooting to Naruto's side. He grinned and flashed a quick thumbs up at me, then took to his guitar like a possessed man. The strings practically shrieked his music. Sakura whooped; Garra left his instrument alone and let the blond handle the sound tricks on his own. Kiba limited his playing to rhythmic taps; the lack of power behind the drums was a bit awkward, but necessary. He opened his mouth and began to sing.
"Everyday I look for you—"
"For you!" I repeated into my mike. Naruto did not help me; it was his solo.
"So I can tell you every time I see you, 'I love you' and 'I miss you'…" Hinata's face was paler than usual, but the blush was still high up on her cheekbones. "And 'I'll always be here for you'," he continued. It looked like he was crying again, but from this angle I couldn't tell. It didn't interfere with his voice, crying or not.
I sang my line again: "For you!"
"I'm looking at a star now," Kiba sang into his mike and I joined him on the next part of the line: "Just for you." He tightened his grip on his drum sticks. "And hoping through my eyes that you can see it too. I make a wish on it for you—"
"For you!"
"And watch it fade away. It's sucked into the brand new day—the sun-lit sky is like our lives, you know. But I still want to be there," my voice joined his next three words, "just for you. And I want to be a better person," again, "just for you. And I just want to let you know now, that I don't care what other people say, or what they think they know." They were both, most definitely crying now. I had to cut in before he lost his focus. I stepped up early and Naruto looked up from his jam session. I glanced at Garra to make sure he was ready to cover up if Kiba faltered on the drums. He had his fingers on the keys already—he was way ahead of me. I held up a hand so only the band would notice it and Kiba understood too. The drumming got louder, intense once more. I started the closing of the song.
"My dearest friend, I will always dream, of all the times we had together; and remember always, your words of advice, and try to be all you need—"
I looked at Naruto. He nodded and twanged his guitar sharply as he darted up to sing the last line.
"For you…" we sang together into the microphone. Bah-da-da-da-da-dah DAH! The electric guitar cut off abruptly. We looked up at the audience. And they screamed. And screamed. And kept on screaming. Things were being thrown at us, but we weren't paying attention anymore. I saw Haku run to Garra and embrace him tightly. Ino whooped and tackled Sakura and the two stumbled, laughing happily. The sound was lost in the united roar of the campus. I heard a clatter and turned around only to laugh. Kiba had dropped the drum sticks and ducked out from behind the drums, coming over to the blind woman. He touched her face with his fingertips. I heard her gasp and then she flung herself into his arms.
"Kiba!" she wailed. He held her against him as Shino and Shikamaru huddled around them, talking excitedly to the friend they had missed. I smiled broadly and turned to the last member of Sharingan. Naruto was holding his guitar by his side, gripping it by the neck and looking at me with his clear, blue-eyed stare. I read the look: We did it. I crossed to him and extended a hand. He took mine with his free hand and I pulled him close to me, laying my forehead against his. He was sweaty and panting and grinning like a fool, but that kind of grin was contagious and I knew I was mirroring it. I was falling into his eyes. The cheers and whistles and applause fell away. It was me and him, the only ones left in the world.
"We did it," he voiced breathlessly. "We did it, Sasuke."
"Mm," I didn't care. I was happy, I was content, and Naruto was smiling at me—that was all that mattered. "Think they'll throw us a party?"
"I don't want to go," he said and I felt his hand press against the small of my back, holding me closer. "I want to be with you. Right now, there's no one else." I blinked and wondered not for the last time if he really did read minds.
"We'll just have a party of our own then," I chuckled. "Just the two of us."
"Only us," he agreed and kissed me. It was simple, it was brief, and no one else seemed to notice. But that's okay. It moved me in ways not even I could write down on paper.
Thunk! The last trunk was loaded. I turned to the others with a grin that had been on my face since the concert almost three weeks ago.
"See you guys in a month," I waved.
"And practice!" Naruto hollered from the passenger side window.
"Follow your own advice, chief!" Ino called back with a wink. She turned to me and extended a hand. "See you next semester, Sasuke."
"Bye, Ino," I shook it. "You and Sakura drive safely."
"Bye Sasuke!" the aforementioned girl waved from the small, dark purple Honda idling next to us. I released her hand, and Ino dropped into the passenger seat, shutting the door. I waved as they drove out of the parking lot, then turned to get into the seat of my Mustang.
"Oy, Uchiha! Uzumaki!" came the familiar howl as I pulled open the door. I glanced to the car backing up in front of us. Kiba waved from the back of the Ford pickup truck. His drums among some other suitcases and boxes were covered by a blue plastic tarp. Hinata was waving too. Shino started up the car as Shikamaru also offered a lazy wave, without even turning around. Naruto and I waved back.
"Bye Hinata!" we chimed in unison. She beamed and waved faster. The truck pulled out. Haku and Garra had left yesterday; they were going to spend Chirstmas with the red-head's family—they wanted to finally meet the man that had changed their delinquent son's life. For some reason, Haku had never been invited over before, but I had a feeling the events of this past semester had a lot to do with Garra's decision, whether he admitted it or not. I finally climbed into the navy-colored car. Beside me, Naruto was already commandeering the CD player. He wore the same expression I did: a wide grin was plastered on his face, making his round, scarred cheeks glow.
"Come on," I started the engine. "Let's go home."
He leaned over and kissed me.
"Let's go!" he pointed forward, and we were off.