Notes: Yay part two! Quick update is in order, I assume:
Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto met by chance after Sasuke misplaced his lyric notebook (he writes songs). Naruto invites him to be in a band, and they eventually form the group Sharingan, which consists of:
Naruto—bass guitarist, vocals; Sasuke—lyricist, lead vocals; Sakura—electric guitar, back-up vocals; Kiba—drums; Garra—synthesizer keyboard; Haku—composer; Hinata—back-up vocals; Ino, Shino, Shikamaru—technical managers.
They are signed up for the Battle of the Bands contest in January/February, but due to some twisted events on jealous cousin Neji's part, Sharingan nearly falls apart before their career can even take off! A last-minute performance and a brand new song clear the air and assure the band that they are all in this together, and the trip to Battle of the Bands is still on!
Remember dear readers, the POV has changed to our one and only Uzumaki Naruto! Yaaaaaaaaay! This part may have Sasuke a little less OOC, seeing as some really weird plot twists are going to appear…but that's for me to know and you to find out when you read it:P Same general warnings and disclaimers apply to Part Two, but! That "M" rating isn't there just for precaution, you know! There have been several implied moments of yaoi, if that hasn't given you a clue as to what is going to make this story earn that ranking. Oh, and to my reviewers:
the troublesome twins: Glad you liked it! Here's what you wanted! Took me damn near forever, though. XP
hokuto: Yay for fast updates! I told you I had no life. Heehee, I'm glad you like the song, and yes, I would give my left arm to hear Sasuke sing. And don't remind me of the valley thing! Agh! But I'm sure it kind of qualifies… -tweaks lyrics a bit- :P Yes. Yes, Neji is an ass. And he will still be an ass in part two. But an ass that will get his just desserts… I don't know how yet, but he will! XD
TenshiKaitou: You can't believe how incredibly difficult that was. Oo And I still think I could have done it better, but, I'm glad I didn't disappoint! Yaaaaaay, concert! And there's another one in part two, so, keep an eye out for some new lyrics and such.
rabidotaku22: Well thank you very much for the compliments! And, um… sure? XD
akai amaterasu: Heehee! Took long enough to get to the concert, huh? Hope you enjoyed. And yes, the –ish is gone. :D Huzzah! NaruSasu luff!
Now, on to part two!
Part 2: Chapter 1
I don't know why I was awake, and for a minute or two, I had no idea where I was. I mean, the walls were totally bare; nothing like my room, which is covered from floor to ceiling in band and music posters. Not that that's a bad thing, it just means I like music, right? I am in a band and all… And suddenly, it came flooding back as I blinked myself fully conscious. It was Christmas break and I was staying with Sasuke in his apartment. Oh yeah… I blushed and sat up, feeling the covers fall off my shoulders and into my lap. Bad move. I shivered hasrshly and quickly yanked them back up—it was cold!
"Did I wake you? Sorry," the cool, calm voice of my boyfriend spoke up and I looked around the living room where my futon was set up. Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in his armchair by the window, one hand propping his chin up as he stared out at the whiteness falling from the sky outside. I stood, taking my blankets and pulling them tighter around me, and padded over to him. Thank god I had socks on, that floor was like ice (as you can tell perhaps, I've never been in a cold climate before).
"It's okay," I stood beside him, pretending to stare out the window when I was really just looking at him. He was so gorgeous in this light, or lack thereof; his liquid blue-black hair fell gently over his eyes and the tips slightly brushed his shoulders (he needed a hair cut, but to be honest, I like it this way). "Why are you awake though?" I squinted at the digital clock on the side table and had to blink three times to assure myself I was reading it correctly. Four twenty-seven a.m.!
"I just had some lyrics stuck in my head," he mumbled, and it was then I noticed the notebook laying open in his lap. I saw four lines scribbled there.
"May I?" I asked and he handed the book to me wordlessly. I read them to myself: 'And I can't shake the feeling my voice goes unnoticed, And I can't hide the fact that I want you to notice, And sometimes I think It'd be so good to notice, The way that you're looking right at me tonight.' "Sounds like a hook," I gave it back. He nodded into his hand, his eyes keeping to the window as he set the book in his lap again.
"It's stuck in my head; I couldn't sleep," he explained, placing his pen in between the two pages and shutting the notebook. "I came out here to think, but I really didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's okay," I repeated with a small smile, my hand coming out automatically to touch his shoulder. We stayed like that for a few moments, my fingers moving from his shoulder, along his neck, to his face, and then his hair. Now that my attention was drawn to the snow falling outside, I relied on my fingers to tell me what he looked like. I've caught myself doing that since I first met Hyuuga Hinata, the blind woman we threw a concert for on the last few days of school. I've wondered what it'd be like not to be able to play my guitar, not be able to see Sasuke… I have to admire her, and at the same time I'm thinking this, I wonder—
"I wonder if Hinata and Kiba are doing okay?" he speaks up and I blink, looking back to him. "They haven't called."
"Oh… Yeah, no, they haven't," I start smiling again. It's weird how he and I can do that; it's like we know what the other is thinking while they're thinking it. I've done it to Sasuke a couple of times, and each time he gives me the same look of "how the hell?" and I honestly don't know. Maybe it's because we're so close? Even though we met just a few months ago, I feel like I've known him my entire life. Weird, huh?
"Do you think things are okay with them?" he asks slowly. "You know, with Neji and all…"
"I'm sure Kiba and Shino have whipped his ass by now," I answer with a half-grin (because in all honesty, I would like to whip Neji's ass too), "and maybe Shikamaru, if they got him off his lazy ass long enough." He laughs softly and I smile at him, even though he's still not looking at me. I don't take offense to it, that's just the way he is. "And I bet Garra and Haku are having an interesting time at his parent's place," I add, and this warrants a grin, and he finally turns his eyes to me. I shiver, and I think he thinks it's because of the cold, but it's not. His eyes always make me feel like I'm getting lost, like I've fallen into an abyss that I can't escape and frankly, don't want to. I love his eyes—I could stare into them for hours.
"Are you cold?" I was right. "Would you like some hot chocolate?"
"That stuff you made for me the other day?" I ask, excited. "Please!" He laughs and gets up, crossing to the tiny kitchen on the other side of the living room and I sit in his armchair as he begins pulling out mugs and stuff from the fridge. I quickly lose interest in what he's doing though, even though it's Sasuke. I've always been like that. My eyes go to the window, to the snowflakes that are drifting downward, and I don't think I've ever been this peaceful before. Time suddenly seems endless as the whiteness from the sky blends into the whiteness on the ground and everything I've ever worried about in my life fades away. And suddenly, he's there in front of me, holding out a steaming white mug. How long have I been spaced out? That soft smile on his face tells me that it doesn't matter how long I had drifted, and I take the glass from him. Our hands brush as the cup transfers, and on a spur of the moment, I take his as well. He gives me an odd look as I put them on the windowsill together and reach up, taking his waist and pulling him down into my lap. I reach around and wrap the blanket around the both of us, pick up my mug, and sit back, blowing on its contents. He's quiet and still, as if not sure what to do, and all I can do is smile as an answer. He leans down and presses his forehead to mine, his lips coming closer; my eyes close automatically.
"Naruto…?" he whispers.
"Hmm?" I tilt my head and nuzzle him lightly. He gives a soft chuckle and kisses my forehead, leaning back against me and picking up his mug as well. The rest is silence.
There's a knock on the door. I look around quickly for Sasuke, seeing as it's his house, but don't find him. Another knock. "Sasuke? The door." But he doesn't come out, and the knocker's starting to get impatient: Knock knock KNOCK! I get up from the couch, laying my guitar on the cushions and moving to the door. "Who is it?" I call out.
"My name's Hayate Kakashi," comes the monotone response from the other side of the door. "I'm looking for Uchiha Sasuke, and perhaps, an Uzumaki Naruto as well." I lift an eyebrow and set the chain in its catch, unlocking the other two bolt locks and opening the door as far as the chain would let it.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto…" I say slowly. He has silver gray hair spiked and combed to one side, falling over the left side of his face, where a black bandana covers what his hair does not. He is tall, and he wears clothes that are seemingly too small for him (the pants cut off mid-calf and his sleeves, mid-forearm), but they look good on him for some unknown reason. His only visible eye is disturbingly lazy—more so than Shikamaru's eyes together; his face seems vacant, but that one eye feels like it's surprisingly keen. He's holding out something while I've been in la-la-land, and when he lifts his visible eyebrow, I blink and take whatever it is through the crack in the door. It's a business card: Hatake Kakashi, Recruiter and Manger of Kinjutsu Records.
"I've heard about your band, Sharingan," he starts and I'm already getting dizzy. No way! Are we being scouted? "Actually, you're being offered a label." Did I say that out loud? "Yes, you did."
"SASUKE!" I holler and unlatch the chain, throwing the door open, pulling Kakashi inside, and slamming the door shut. "SASUKE!"
"Who died?" the black-haired song writer came out into the hall—he had been in the bathroom.
"Sasuke, this guy wants to give us a label!"
I saw him perk up: "You're kidding?"
"Well, there are a few things we have to talk about," he looked down and I did too. I was still grabbing his hand. I dropped it abruptly and looked at Sasuke, He motioned for the guy to come into the living room and I scuttled back to the couch, plopping down and grabbing my guitar, watching as Sasuke turned his armchair to face the room and offered it to him.
"Would you like something to drink?" he asked politely.
"Let's just get down to business. I'd like to get home as soon as possible," he leaned forward and leaned his chin atop his hands. Sasuke copied his pose. I just leaned back against the couch and slid my fingers quietly over the silver chords. "Now then," he cleared his throat, "I heard from a reliable source in your school that you all performed live on the campus near the last day of classes."
"Yes," Sasuke said clearly. Whoa, business mode switched on.
"How was it?" Kakashi asked.
"Great!" I bounced on the sofa. "Everyone on campus turned up! We totally rocked out!"
"Uh-huh," his lazy eye glanced me over. "You do realize that you disrupted classes and almost had a riot on school grounds."
I glanced at Sasuke nervously. He leaned over and without turning his head or taking his hands down from his mouth, he whispered: "The concert was a riot." I chuckled then cleared my throat abruptly as he straightened. Kakashi looked back and forth between the two of us before continuing.
"From what I've heard, I like you kids. Do you mind if I take a look at some lyrics? Maybe some music?" he asked. Sasuke started to rise but I put a hand on his arm and reached over the arm of the couch to my guitar case leaning against the corner. I rummaged through the front pocket and came out with our first official music sheet: it was the song Sasuke had written for Hinata and Kiba—'For You'. I handed it to him and he skimmed it over with his eye(s?), mumbling to himself. Finally he handed it back and put his hands on his knees, standing. We automatically rose as well. He extended a hand first to Sasuke, who shook it, and then to me. I was getting confused, Sasuke was not. Had something important just happened? "If you show me Sharingan is a band worthy of Kinjutsu Records at Battle of the Bands next month, you've got a contract."
My eyes widened and I couldn't help but blurt out: "Really?"
"Yes, really," he shook my hand as well. "I'll keep in touch, boys. Later." He waved and showed himself out. After the door shut behind him I screamed. Sasuke jumped, startled, and I screamed again, bouncing into the middle of the living room and doing a happy dance.
"WE'RE GONNA GET A CONTRACT! WE'RE GONNA GET A CONTRACT! WE'RE GONNA—" I chanted until a tackle from behind threw me onto the couch and I looked up at a laughing Sasuke. I grinned back and wrapped my arms tightly around him, pulling him close.
"We did it," he said softly.
"Should we tell the others?" I snickered.
"Nah, they'll find out," he shook his head with a smile that seemed to grow wider with each thought of success that flew through his head. I felt the same smile on my face as the same thoughts ran through my head. We did it! I can't believe we did it! We have a label! We're gonna be famous!
"Sasuke," I said breathlessly, still high off the elation running through my system. "I love you." And I froze. …I cannot…BELIEVE…I just said that… I mean, yeah, sure, we admitted that we were falling in love, but, to say that without a moment's notice…? Oh god, what would he say? Is he angry? And to my utter amazement, Sasuke's smile turned gentle as a soft red color began to tinge his cheeks.
"Me too, Naruto," he lowered his head and I could feel his breath washing across my cheek. It was the last coherent thing said before his lips met mine. "Me too…"