A Not So Midsummer Night's Dream Chapter 2, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I didn't make up Naruto or A Midsummer Night's Dream. I just combined them.

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Chapter 2

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"All right, is everyone here?"

"Lee, maybe it'd be better to actually call role, eh?"

"Of course!" agreed Master Lee Quince as if it was his plan all along, "alright, everyone. Here's a list of the people who were deemed the best choice to put on a play for the Emperor's wedding. We're putting on "The most lamentable comedy and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe." This play will be the greatest play the Emperor has ever seen, thanks to our gift of valiant youth! We will soar through the skies of glory and bask in the greatness of victory! We..."

"Uh, Lee, the roll call?"

"Ah, yes, right," Lee cleared his throat, "answer when you're called. Choji Bottom?"

"Here, sir," Choji answered, who had been the very man trying to get Lee on with the play.

"Very good. Choji, you are to play the hero Pyramus, a gallant lover that kills himself. Oh, what a cruel world this is for such a fate, but what beauty is youth that..."

Choji cleared his throat.

"Right, right. Sai Flute?"

"Ready, sir," responded Sai, a young man with short, black hair.

"You are to play Thisbe, the lady that Pyramus loves."

"What!? Why do I have to play a girl??"

"You best fit the character," answered Lee cheerfully, "don't worry; we'll give you a mask. Just make sure to talk in a high voice."

Sai grumbled something incoherent.

"Hinata Starveling?"

"H...here," said a young woman softly.

"You will be playing Thisbe's mother. Shino Snout?"

"...Shino Snout?..."

"Present," spoke a man with dark glasses softly.

"You will play Pyramus' father. Kiba Snug?"

"Here," he replied.

"You'll be playing the Lion."

"But I hate cats!" growled Kiba.

"To bad, it's the only part left. And as for me, I'll be playing Thisbe's father and speak the opening lines," Lee's eyes went misty, "Ah, the joy of theater, the thrill of audiences, the power of YOUTH! Come, my fellow actors, we'll head to the forest just outside Konoha, where we shall make ready the greatest play of all time!"

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The forest outside Konoha was very old. It had been there longer than Konoha had itself. The trees were tall; taller than most trees are. Their trunks and branches were thick and strong, but also smooth and soft. The ground was covered with lush, dark green grass, and plant and flowers grew everywhere. Rivers ran through the forest, and many creatures lived inside its protective boarders.

This particular evening, just as the sun was setting, something strange stirred high in the trees. A small white light floated by, moving to and from the branches. Then, all of a sudden, another light could be seen, making its way toward the first hovering light. What are they... could it be? Yes. The two lights met in a clearing near a small pond.

"Naruto, is that you?" inquired the fairy.

"Shizune? What are you doing here?" asked the second flying creature.

"Didn't you know? The Fairy Queen is coming to stay here for the night. You know I'm one of her ladies-in-waiting, so of course I'd be here."

"The Fairy Queen?!" asked Naruto in shock. "But the Fairy King is already here tonight. You've got to go back and make sure Her Majesty keeps out of his sight. You know what will happen if she doesn't."

"Hai, I know all to well," responded Shizune, then she sighed in exasperation, "It's been like this for months. Why are they even arguing in the first place? What could have made them both so angry?"

"Well, actually, it's two things," answered the fairy boy, "You see, the King and Queen are both suspicious that each one loves another. The second reason is a human boy which the Queen found in a distant country when his mother died. The King wants the boy to become a knight in his court, but the Queen won't let him. Now, every time the King and Queen meet, another squabble ensues. And this has been going on for years. In fact, because of this constant argument, the fairies have neglected the seasons. Now rain ruins the harvest, and flowers bloom in winter. Just lots of trouble."

"Speaking of trouble, Naruto," said Shizune with a raised eyebrow, "rumor has it that you're getting quite a reputation for running into the human villages at night, making trouble for those who don't do what you want, but bringing good luck to those who do. They either call you "Hobgoblin" or "Sweet Naruto", am I right?"

Naruto gave her a mischievous smile. "You heard right, little Shizune, I'm the sprite who pulls pranks on townspeople at night. A toppled cart, a bucket of water over a door, a stool breaking just as someone sits down; it's usually a sign that the "goblin's" around."

Suddenly there was a noise far to the right. The two fairies looked to see many more lights shining through the veil of the setting sun.

Naruto grabbed Shizune's arm and gave her a push. "Better get back to your mistress," he warned, "here comes the King and his train of fairies."

"Oh no!" whispered Shizune. To the left were also many lights drifting closer to the clearing. "It's the Queen as well."

The two fairies flew in opposite directions, each heading to their place in the train of their lord or lady.

As the mass of lights came together, the entire clearing lit up, as if it weren't night at all. There, the fairies transformed from small lights to full, human height and from. To the right were the fairies of the King, who were clad in white linen and green leaves. The king himself was also dressed in white linen, and a crown of golden leaves. He had long black hair, and wore an expression of boredom mixed with annoyance. To the left, the other fairies, all women, wore many different colors of silk; their hair filled with flowers, and their transparent wings glittered as they moved. From between them stepped a woman more radiantly dressed than the rest; her long blond hair fell across her back untamed, except for the few braids that were entwined with rose petals. She glanced at the fairy king with a look of contempt.

The King spoke first. "I'm afraid the moonlight does little for your features, Ino."

"What? Jealous, are we, Shikamaru?" mocked the fairy queen. She turned to her fairies-in-waiting, "away from here, my followers; this man is no lover of mine."

"Troublesome woman!" The kings face had changed from annoyance to anger, "do you forget who you're speaking of? I am your husband!"

"And I am your wife," retorted Ino. She turned to Shikamaru with a penetrating look, "but don't you think I don't know about your other fancies. What about that little harem girl? What was her name? Temari, was it?"

The king stiffened.

Ino smiled in triumph. "Oh, but that's nothing compared to now. Here you are, running off from Fairyland, trying to woo that emperor's daughter, Kurenai. And she is engaged!"

Shikamaru glowered at the queen. "How dare you accuse me of such a crime! Especially when I know that you are in love with the very man she is to marry. Emperor Asuma himself."

"Hah! Such a claim is made out of nothing but jealousy. I have guided Asuma for many years now, using my magic to make his kingdom prosper. I am but his guardian angel."

The queen's voice took on a more regretful tone. "Your constant arguing with me is turning this world upside down. Crops don't grow, and people become ill because it's cold and rainy, even now in the middle of summer, for random stretches anywhere we fairies are not dwelling."

The king's eyes softened slightly at this speech. "Then why don't we stop, Ino? This fighting doesn't need to continue. All you need to do is give me that young boy into my service, and everything will go back to normal."

Ino's face hardened. "Not in a million years will I give him to you!" she spat, "I rescued him and have cared for him all these years. His mother and I were very close friends. But like all humans, she died. Now her son is in my care, and for her sake, I will not part with him."

"How long do you intend to stay in this wood?"

"Until Asuma's wedding day," was Ino's answer. Suddenly, she walked closer to Shikamaru, "I shall go with my company to dance a blessing for the emperor's marriage. If you are still the kind, patient man you were, come with us, and we shall both dance to sanction Asuma and Kurenai's union."

The king locked eyes with the queen. "Give me that boy, and I will go with you."

Ino's eyes flared, "Not for your whole fairy kingdom!" She spun on her heel and stalked away from him. "Come, my fairies, we're leaving. Far too much destruction will result if I stay here any longer."

And with that, the queen and her fairies transformed from human shape back into tiny lights, flying away into the night that now shrouded forest.

The king of the fairies gave an exasperated sigh. The others in his company realized he wanted to be alone. With glances back and forth to each other, the other fairies quietly made their way out of the clearing toward their resting place for the evening.

"Naruto, come here," said the king softly.

Naruto, who had been following the others, stopped and made his way toward the king with a confused expression on his face. The king sat down a large stone, motioning the other fairy to sit beside him. Naruto did so. The king was quiet a long time; his eyes closed, with his hands formed in a circle. The young fairy recognized this pose. It meant the king was deep in thought. Finally the king looked at his serving-man.

"Naruto, do you remember once, years ago, when you and I were standing on a cliff by the sea, listening to the beautiful song of a mermaid riding the back of her dolphin?"

"Yes, I remember," he answered.

The king gave a small smile, and then he lowered his voice. "I know you didn't see it, but during that very song I saw Cupid himself fly down from the clouds and shoot one of his love-coated arrows at a young girl. However, that girl served in the temple, and her vow of chastity was so strong, that the arrow bounced right off her figure. Instead, it landed on a bed of white flowers. Because of the magic of love inside the arrow, the flowers were turned a deep purple. And now, if the juice from its petals is placed over the eyelids of someone, that person will fall madly in love with the first living thing they see. You know the flower; I've shown it to you before. Go and fetch one of those flowers, and bring it back to me."

Naruto's eyes brightened at the order. Now here was something interesting to do. "I hear and obey, my king," and he vanished in an instant.

Shikamaru chuckled to himself. "Now, my dear Ino, I'll put a stop to this useless bickering once and for all. Once you're asleep, I'll place the juice of that flower on your closed eyes. So the next thing you see, whether it's a tiger, wolf, or monkey, you will chase after with all your heart. And before I take the charm off, I'll easily convince you to give me that boy of yours; for it is high time he left your gilded cage and learned to live life as a man."

All of a sudden, the king heard noise farther off into the woods. It was distant at first, then gradually came closer. Curious, he made his way past through the trees and, hidden in the bushes, peeped over a small overhang. Below him he saw two young humans. The first was a man with spiky black hair and long bangs, wearing a dark blue haori, a blue undershirt, and white hakama pants. He was walking quickly, eyes fixed straight ahead. The second was a lovely woman with long, striking pink hair, wearing a red haori with black hakama pants. She was running after the man, trying to keep up. Shikamaru guessed that they had planned to come into the forest and weren't lost, otherwise the girl would be wearing a kimono and not traveling clothes. But the two didn't seem like companions to him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from me?" he heard the young man say to the girl in irritation, "I don't love you, so stop following me. Where are Tenten and that Hyuga? You told me they'd be in this forest, but the trees are so thick it could take all night to find them."

In emphasis, he banged his hand against one of the trees next to him. By this time the girl had caught up to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he shook her off.

"Go back home, Sakura, I've no use for you," he said unkindly, and began to walk again.

The girl followed after him. "You're so cruel, Sasuke, but all the same it does you no good. I'm drawn to you like iron to a magnet, but my heart is not hard like metal, however, it does have the trusted faithfulness of steal. And to be truthful, if you weren't so harsh, I probably wouldn't follow you as I do."

Sasuke stopped walking and he glanced back to her. "Do I persuade you to follow me? Am I kind to you? No, I'm honest. Honest in saying that I do not and cannot love you."

"And that's what makes me love you even more," insisted Sakura, "I'm like your faithful dog. The more you beat me, the more I'll fawn on you. You can use me anyway you like, just let me come with you."

"Don't try my patience, Sakura," said the young man, turning his face away from her, "Just looking at you makes me sick."

"Hai, and not looking at you makes me sick."

Sasuke stood still for a moment. Then, slowly, he turned toward the woman. "You're not very wise, are you, Sakura?" he asked, walking towards her, "leaving the city and putting yourself in the hands of someone who doesn't love you." As he drew closer to her, she stepped back, but he kept coming. She moving further backwards, but he continued walking towards her. He backed her up against a tree, and then leaned his face close to hers.

"It's especially dangerous to trust you'll be safe when night gives an opportunity, and a lonely forest offers temptation."

For a moment, Sakura looked alarmed. Then the same hazed look as before came into her eyes. "But you are a man of virtue, Sasuke; that knowledge is protection enough for me. Besides, nothing frightens me when I look at you."

She closed her eyes and moved her mouth to meet his, but he jerked back before she came too close.

"Get away from me!" he yelled, looking more afraid then she had. He turned away from her and started running through the woods.

"Run all you like!" Sakura yelled back, "I'll chase after you just the same."

That said, she flipped her hair out of her eyes and dashed after him.

Shikamaru chuckled at the scene he had just watched play out. "What a troublesome situation," he remarked. "Poor maiden, that you're stuck in such a love-hate situation. With such a spiteful young man, too."

The king was quite for a few moments. Suddenly he chuckled again. "Perhaps you're love doesn't need to be unreturned..."

A soft wind blew through the air. The king looked up. As expected, there stood Naruto, a giant grin on his impish face.

"I was wondering when you'd get back. Do you have the flower?"

"Right here," answered the fairy, holding out stem that connected three of the beautiful purple flowers.

"Good," said the king, "now listen. There's been a slight change of plans. I will go and put the flower juice on Ino. You, on the other hand, are to put it on another. There's a sweet Konohan lady in the woods who's in love with a disdainful young man. Go put the juice on his eyes when he's asleep, and make sure the first thing he sees is that lady. You'll know who he is by the Konohan clothing he's wearing. When you're done, meet me here at dawn."

"Of course, my lord. No worries." With that, Naruto flew off through the forest.

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I know, I know. The part about Ino being in love with Asuma and Shikamaru with Kurenai is really disturbing. But I have to go with the story plot. That part about Temari fit perfectly, though :)

Also, in case you didn't understand the Japanese clothing part, a haori is a silk jacket worn over a shirt the same color, and hakama pants are the kind used in martial arts; the ones that look like skirts but aren't. If it's still confusing, think Rurouni Kenshin. He wears a haori and hakama pants.

P.S. Do you think Sasuke and Neji should have samurai swords? I can't decide...