A/N: Well it is 11:20 P.M. And I have learned something. I really need better sleeping habits. I'll do my best with this one guys. Thanks for being patient *ignores people destroying things in their impatience.*
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. My deal fell through. I will get you Julio Lopez-Martinez-Ramirez!
Naruto was depressed. This did not happen often. Naruto was usually the happiest little ball of sunshine and hyper-cheerfulness. This of course meant that very often his friends had the urge to pick up a really big stick and beat them with it, sometimes which they did. But on the rare occasions Naruto had gotten depressed, it meant that something, or in this case some things, had managed to take a sucker punch right into the cheerfulness of the boy's happiness gland. This day was the mo- second-most depressing day of his life. First he has to go to work as an illustrator because he hasn't been making enough money at the art gallery to afford some things, like his rent, new clothes, food. Then he ended up having to illustrate the biggest jackass in world's book. The guy had wasted a whole 20 minutes arguing with their publisher trying to convince him that his "precious book" didn't need an illustrator, that the words "gave the imagination what it needed to see the images" whatever the hell that meant. After a while he realized arguing with Kakashi-sensei was like trying to pull, by hand, a woolly mammoth out of a swamp, so he just sat their in the chair farthest away from Naruto sulking. And man that boy could sulk. You could actually see anime lines of depression hovering around him. Which was fine with him. He got to sit next to the cute editor anyway. And afterwards she had invited him and another person to this bar, which was awesome because it was the same he and some of his friends frequented, which meant that he could show her off to them. Indiscreetly. Just before they had entered the office he had annoyed Sakura. That girl had one hell of a punch. Even with the memory of Sakura's punch lurking in his mind Naruto was still happy. That was until the memory of who the person Sakura had invited. His writer. Uchiha Sasuke.
Naruto shrugged off his jacket and threw his boots into one of the cubby-hole that Kira-baasama, the bar owner, had placed next to the door "to keep people from messing up my nice clean floor. I mean do these people just coat their shoes in whatever available dirt they can before coming in? I swear..." Naruto usually tuned out at around this point. No-one had ever heard the end of Kira-baasama's rant. It was suspected that she didn't even pay attention. Naruto spotted Sakura and him ughh, sitting at the bar talking to Kira-baasama. More accurately would be saying that Sakura was talking to her while Sakura, to put it bluntly, stared. Not the normal kind of staring she got though. The ohmigodsheishot! staring she usually got, which wasn't bad for a woman who was over 50. It was the kind of staring done by the devout when they were looking at statues of their idols. A sort of admiration mixed with worship. The weirdest part was that he was only looking t her eyes. Sure they were kind of unusual and exotic, but that was it. They were just green. He should see her when she was wearing her contacts. But even then they weren't much compared to her chest. Man her breasts were like... but he shouldn't think thoughts like that. Who knew whether or not Oro-jiisama was around. He'd heard stories of what he'd done to guys who'd even stared too long at Kira-baasama, even his best friend Ero-sennin. And that was just when they were dating. He was supposed to have toned down in his later years but no-one had been brave ,or stupid, enough to find out. He navigated his way over to where Sakura was and his heart sank. The only seat available near to her was between her and him. 'Oh well, the crazy things we do to get a chance with a hot girl,' he thought and pawned his soul. "Hey Kira-baasama," Naruto greeted, "Can a get a beer?"
"Sure sweatheart," she replied and stooped to reach the beers from the fridge underneath the bar.
"How can you call her that Naruto? She's barely older than us!" Sakura chastised.
"Actually honey, my 51st birthday is next month," Kira-baasama replied from under the bar, "May 25th . What kind of beer do you want honey?"
"Surprise me," Naruto answered. "Hey Sakura-san, are you alright?" he asked. The girl looked liked The Scream.
"You-your 50 years old?" she managed to stutter out, "Your barely look 25!"
"I am blessed," Kira-baasama. "Japanese okay with you honey?"
"Sure," Naruto replied, not taking his eyes off Sakura. It wasn't like he wouldn't've gotten anything else. She always gave him the same thing when he said "Surprise me." He couldn't understand how Sakura could be so surprised at Kira-baasama's age. Sure she looked younger than she was but it wasn't that strange. Tsunade-baasama looked like that too. Orochimaru-jiisama looked kind of in-between and Ero-sennin looked like... Ero-sennin. Not particularly old-looking, not particularly young-looking either. Thinking of which...
"Where are they anyway?" questioned Naruto, taking a swig of his beer.
"They said they'll be here in about 10, 15 minutes so probably in the next two-"
"Who's they?" asked Sakura, momentarily recovering from her shock.
"Hey, got any sake!" called out a familiar voice.
"-or sooner," she finished, "And yes you old hag, and when are you gonna lay off the alcohol? Too much is bad for your liver."
"But great for my skin," Tsunade-baasama retorted, sitting down into a recently vacated seat next to Sakura. People tended to leave the seats near the bar when the Sennin entered. At least the regulars did.
"Great for mine too," Kira-baasama said with a smile and placed a glass in front of her old friend. "And where's Shizune-chan anyway?"
"She's off with you-know-who" Tsunade-baasama said in an exaggerated whisper.
"Maybe she and him will get some action," remarked Ero-sennin, taking a swig of his beer, American not Japanese.
"Jiraiya, you pervert," giggled Kira-baasama, swatting him playfully on the arm. Naruto wondered about this. Usually she would just say "Pervert" while going on with whatever she was doing. The last time he had seen her act like this was when they were hooking up Shizune-neechan with her boyfriend. Did that mean that Kira-baasama was going to get him and Sakura together? She did love to play Cupid....While Naruto entertained his unrealistic daydreams the conversation continued around him.
"Does that mean we get Ton-Ton for the night?" Kira-baasama questioned Tsunade-baasama.
"No they have Ton-Ton for the night. I wonder what kind of date you can take a pig on." Tsunade-baasama said.
"We'll find out tomorrow," Kira-baasama replied. "If we're lucky," she added, after a moments thought.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "Honey these are my friends Tsunade," she introduced pointing to the blonde woman.
"Jiraiya," the white-haired man
"And, at his request, my husband Orochimaru," she said, pointing to the pale, black-haired man who had been sitting quietly.
"Thank you," Orochimaru-jiisama said
"Your welcome and oh yes, in the days of our youth people called us the Sennin." She finished, smiling.
"Sennin?" Sakura asked, "That's the name of your bar."
"Oh it's just a nickname. We did some things together and people decided we needed a name. I thought it would be funny if I named my bar after us." Kira-baasama explained.
"But why-" Sakura began.
"But I've wasted your time telling you about an old woman's past, why don't you go over to one of the tables over there and I'll bring you something to eat."
"All right," Naruto agreed, "Come on Sakura-san, Uchiha." Naruto had been thinking. Usually whenever Ero-sennin made a comment on anything Kira-baasama would give him a taste of her right hook which, if she tried, could take his head off. She had acted like this when they had hooked up Shizune with her boyfriend. Did that mean? Could it? They were going to match him up with Sakura-san! He loved Kira-baasama more than ever now. As Sasuke and Sakura walked, and he almost flew, to the table Naruto felt that maybe it hadn't been so bad that he had to take the illustrator job after all.
"Your sure this will work?" Tsunade asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Why do you doubt me?" Kira questioned, "When I have ever been wrong?"
"If you were you'd probably erase our memories of the incident," Jiraiya replied.
"Probably," she conceded, "And yes I am sure, if I'm not right then all that work will have been for nothing.
"Good night Naruto-kun," called out his next door neighbour Hinata.
"'Night Hinata-chan," he called back and unlocked his apartment door. He stepped inside and flicked on the light. "This was the best night ever!" he exclaimed to no-one in particular. He lay down on the couch and let the memories of the night flood him.
"Hey Sakura-san sit next to me!"
"All right Naruto-san," she giggled and sat next to him.
"Hey kids, I hope your hungry!" said Kira-baasama setting plates which already had food on them in front of each of them and placing the meat and fish on the metal grille, under which hot coals burned.
"I'll leave you to talk now talk now," she said and winked.
'Yep she is definitely trying to hook up me and Sakura,' he thought 'I love that woman.'
And he and Sakura had talked for hours while he had sat there in silence. He didn't even stay long, for which Naruto thanked Kami-sama for. After he finished eating he got up without a word and left the bar, stopping only to say something to Kira-baasama. This left him alone to talk with Sakura-san. And if that wasn't enough, Kami bestowed upon him even more good fortune. Sakura allowed him to walk her home.
"So Naruto tell me something," Sakura said.
"What?" he asked.
"Why do you speak so informally to females, like how you call me Sakura-san, but you speak formally to males like how you call Uchiha Sasuke Uchiha."
"Oh, that. I watched a lot of American TV when I was little. It stuck." He explained, "Plus I spent too much time with Ero-sennin. Only he's obsessed with women while I just just respect them more than men."
"But wouldn't that mean you would call me Haruno-san?" she asked.
"American TV." He replied.
"Ah."
And the best part:
"Ok Naruto-san, this is my building." Sakura said, stopping in front of a tall, brick building.
"All right, see you tomorrow Sakura-san!" Naruto replied
"Naruto call me Sakura-chan."
"All right but only if you promise to call me Naruto-kun"
"Done," they said at the same time.
Life just couldn't get any better. He should get off the couch and get ready for bed now but he was suddenly so tired, he'd just lie there for a while, then he's get up. He'd just close his eyes for a little while, he wouldn't fall aslee…
A/N: Liked it? I didn't finish it the same night, no. I finished this about a month after. I need to stop procrastinating. But really what have you given me to inspire the muse. I looke for new NaruSasu fanfiction and please tell me this was just my computer because My fanfic "Last Kiss", which I posted a month ago, was number 2!!!! Number wasn't published recently published either. So I want all of you to go out and write. And don't tell me that you have exams cuz I know you Americans are on vacation while I have exams and I'm still writing. So go make me proud!!! Oh yeah I'm gonna be writing a new summer series. And because I still kinda like you people I'm gonna give you an extra.
-W-i-t-h-K-i-r-a-a-n-d-O-r-o-c-h-i-m-a-r-u-
"Are you sure It's gonna work?" Orochimaru questioned his wife as she changed.
"Yes why does everyone keep asking that?" she moaned.
"It's just that…. if it doesn't work one work then one of them is going to get hurt." he said.
"I know but we have to give them a chance." she replied, "A chance they were robbed of. Sometimes you have to take chances. We did."
"I remember."
"Good, now we just have to hope that it works out for them, like it did for us. We both know sometimes all you can do is hope."