The second chapter of my first fanfic. Just to let you guys know, the romance will start heating up around chapter 5 or 6, and that's when the M-rated stuff comes into play. But for now, it's gonna be mild and well-mannered. At least, as well-mannered as Naruto can be. Also, there may be some underage drinking and gambling next chapter. Now I have too many warnings to put in my summary:P
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, it wouldn't be a family-friendly affair.
Note: Thinking and the creepy paranoid voices are like 'This' and Normal speech looks like "This."
As Naruto pondered the innner workings of his feelings under the dark boughs of the cherry trees heavy with sweet-smelling flowers, Sasuke Uchiha paced nervously in his room, thinking. His mind raced with disjointed thoughts, and his pulse raced. But he didn't quite know why.
No, he knew that was an obvious lie. His heart was thumping because Naruto had made a pass at him. Well, not so much a pass, but more like a subtle hint. They had brushed together for a moment, like the softest touch of a falling snowflake. Naruto had looked up, their eyes met, and they both looked away. It was strange to feel like that for Naruto, a knucklehead in every sense of the word. And yet…
He could not bring himself to say it. No. Never. He would not only make a fool of himself in front of the whole world, but he would lose his chance of ever reviving the Uchiha clan. So, without a doubt, he must marry a girl and have children to carry on the legacy of the great Uchihas. No other boy could do that for him, no matter how much buttsex they give each other. There were suitable girls amongst the fan club constantly following him; he could pick one randomly and have children. He could forget all about this strange and unorthodox attraction he felt to Naruto.
'Are you sure?' A voice whispered in the back of his head. A small muscle in Sasuke's face twitched in annoyance. 'Yes, I'm sure!' He mentally spat back.
The odd little voice gave only a chuckle and seemed to vanish. 'And good riddance!' He snarled to himself.
Now that his mental foray had finished, Sasuke finally became consciously aware he was starving. His stomach roared in hunger, and It felt as if he was getting an ulcer. Perhaps he was. After all the stress Sasuke had been under, he wouldn't be surprised. But, anyway, he required nourishment, and that's what he was going to get. Sasuke grabbed his wallet and headed for Ichiraku.
The day was crisp and clear. The sun gave a pleasant amount of heat and a cool breeze prevented overheating. A few clouds hovered over the distant horizon, but they were thin and wispy, not capable of giving rain. Sasuke, being the person he is, didn't pay attention to the subtle details that made the day truly beautiful; like the scents of the distant cherry blossoms or the rattling of bamboo windchimes. So he walked by all these things and finally got to the little ramen shop on the corner. He ordered some miso ramen and ate.
The food seemed flat, but he attributed that to the cook. In reality, an adrenaline high was just starting to go down, and it was affecting his sense of taste. Swallowing the bland noodles and discarding his chopsticks, he decided to go see the cherry blossoms. With nothing else to do, and nothing interesting sitting around his house, it was the only thing he could do.
Sakura blinked in shock at Naruto's last words. They seemed to echo back and forth in her mind like someone was playing racquetball. 'I think I'm in love with Sasuke Uchiha.' She was still blinking in surprise, and when the amazement faded away, she laughed.
"You're kidding. Right, Naruto?" Her smile faded as Naruto maintained a straight face. She hesitated. "You're not joking?" Her voice shook. "But…"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm hungry, and I'm going to Ichiraku. You can stay here or go home, just don't follow me." He turned his back to Sakura and stalked off.
Sakura watched as Naruto left. 'What's with him?'
(Quick A/N: INCOMING SHAMELESS SELF-INSERTION! And just to let you guys know, there are no OC pairings!!)
Naruto felt frustrated. No wonder he was gay! Sakura tried to make his feelings a joke, and the the thought, the simple idea that she didn't want it to be true made him feel discriminated against. There was no doubt in his mind who he liked now. 'Damn girls.'
Because Naruto was so busy being depressed and angry at Sakura, he didn't notice a girl with black hair nearly collide with him head-first. She leapt back nimbly just as Naruto was about to hit her.
"Hey, watch it!" She snapped. Naruto's head jerked up. He hadn't even seen her come around the corner. "Sorry," He mumbled, and quickly walked by. People had started to stare, and he felt uncomfortable. But the girl had a different idea on her mind.
"Hey," She called at him. "Come back here, I have a favor to ask you!" She ran at him.
Naruto decided this girl was crazy, so he picked up speed as well. "Go away!" He shouted over his shoulder.
The girl did not slow her pursuit. "No! Stop! I'm not going to hurt you!" She cursed momentarily under her breath and did some rapid hand signs Naruto didn't catch. Suddenly, Naruto ground to a halt, his shadow holding him in place.
"Shit," Naruto hissed under his breath. "Shadow Possesion Jutsu! Why didn't I see that coming?!" He slowly walked into a wall, where he was held in place by the forcing push.
The black-haired girl finally got to him. "Boy, you're an ornery one, aren't you?" The Shadow Possesion Jutsu receded and Naruto relaxed. "Now, for that favor. I'm new to Konoha, and I was wondering if you could show me around?"
Naruto reluctantly agreed. He didn't want to be pushed into a wall again.
The girl smiled brightly. "Thanks! By the way, my name is Kenami Yutetsu. What's yours?" She stepped away from the wall and adjusted an odd little bracelet around her wrist.
Naruto stretched his arms. "Naruto Uzumaki," He said simply. "Follow me, then," He set off to the training grounds with Kenami close behind.
While Naruto pointed out various landmarks to Kenami, Sasuke was wandering about among the cherry trees, admiring the natural beauty of the blooms. The sweet-smelling nectarine perfume made the air feel like silk, and the wind that wrapped its fingers around the gnarled tree trunks whispered delicately, confessing a lover's secret.
And that's when Sasuke slipped and fell on his ass.
Pain shot up his spine as Sasuke landed hard on the cold, wet ground. The moment he regained his composure, he looked to see what had caused him to slip. Running his fingers through the dirt, a limp thing caught in his fingernail, and he lifted it and examined the ramen noodle covered with dirt. That's when he realized Naruto Uzumaki had been there. He rammed his face into his hand.
"Idiot. It's just like Naruto to spill his lunch in the middle of a cherry orchard." He brushed himself off and stood back up. By closer inspection, he could see there were hundreds of ramen noodles littered over a wide radius. Naruto had either been very clumsy or…attacked.
His heart picked up speed again and he slowly made a move to draw a kunai in case an enemy ninja was lurking between the trees. "Come out here and show yourself!" He demanded to the air. He wasn't expecting a response, so he was surprised when Sakura emerged. "Sasuke-kun? Is that you?"
Sasuke almost jumped, but managed to keep a straight face. "Was Naruto here, Sakura?" He asked, trying to keep his voice even.
Sakura nodded. "I startled him, and he spilled his ramen, in case you're wondering," She looked at the scattered noodles. "I didn't think the ground would still be wet. Are you okay?"
Sasuke put his kunai away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know where Naruto went?"
Sakura hesitated. "I was talking to him, and he sort of stormed off," She left Naruto's admittance of loving the raven-haired Uchiha out. "My guess is that he went to get more ramen."
Sasuke snorted. "His ramen is more important to him, apparently." With that, he turned around and walked off, leaving Sakura alone once more.
Naruto was starting to feel tired. Kenami was insistent on viewing every landmark, every building, every pebble of Konoha. He was lucky his feet hadn't fell off by now, he thought. His face clearly showed exasperation, but Kenami pointedly ignored it, pressing Naruto on. Naruto wasn't sure why he was even doing anything for the persistent Kunoichi.
Finally she seemed to lose steam. "Okay, Naruto. I'm exhausted. Wanna come over to my house? You can invite a few friends!" Kenami took a sharp turn and entered a back door. "I'll clean up the house, you can go get a few friends!" Before Naruto could turn her down, she slammed the door and got working.
Naruto sighed. 'How annoying,' He thought. 'Oh, well. I might as well see what she wants me to see.' He decided to go find Sasuke and Sakura. Maybe Sasuke's attitude and Sakura's incessant and odd cheerfulness would make Kenami sure that she doesn't want to be friends with Naruto.
And so my second chapter is finished!! Sorry it took soooo long to get it out!! Internets access is starting to become more and more restricted in my house, and I have to keep all my schoolwork up and running. So forgive me if there are week or even month-long periods between chapters. It's not my fault (Well, part of it is), it's the fault of my school.
Please Read & Review! It's what'll keep my fic alive:P
(Also, sorry for the uber-long Author's note!)
