Wow, long time, no? Well, is now officially blocked on all of my schools computers, and I have taken up an interest in my original writings. Point being: I haven't really had reason to write much for my fanfics. Even if I had, I wouldn't be able to post anything.
I thought it would be a good idea to just post everything that is completed that I have, so here it goes. This way, when I do continue writing over here, I can just have a fresh start with some of my old ideas.
Chapter 3:
The blonde had spent a few minutes panicking, before Kiba convinced him to backtrack. So, the two of them got into the van and drove back to the pharmacy. In the fading light, Naruto scoured the parking lot, with no luck. He noted that the old rust-bucket car from earlier had disappeared from the parking lot and prayed that its owner hadn't found his card. The owner clearly needed more money, and a credit card lying on the ground with no strings attached would be highly inviting.
He pushed through the door to the pharmacy, the bells overhead jingling familiarly. In one glance, any hope he had was crushed; his cashier wasn't there anymore. "It's no use," he groaned.
Kiba rolled his eyes and pushed passed him. "Shut up and stop complaining. I know you don't give up easy over stupid things, so why should this be any different?" The brunette approached the checkout desk and leaned against it, catching the attention of the woman behind it now. "Hey, hun," he began. "My friend lost his credit card earlier today. Do you know if anyone found it?"
The woman shook her head slightly and Naruto stepped up. "Uh, the guy who was here on the last shift, I guess. Where is he? If anyone has it, he should."
"He said someone was probably going to come in asking for him," she answered helpfully.
"Where is he?" Kiba asked excitedly; they seemed to be making some progress now.
"Well, he's off right now. He'll be back sometime next week. Hmmm . . ." she tapped a painted fingernail on her chin in thought. "He supposedly has another job he goes to after this, but I can't remember where it is."
Naruto grimaced. "Thanks." He gestured at Kiba. "Let's go." He walked to the door, closely followed by the brunette, and left. He got into the van quietly, and Kiba shut his door. After a moment of awkward silence, he grabbed at his hair and let out a wordless shout. "This sucks!" he announced. "How the hell am I supposed to find a guy when I don't even know his name?!" He breathed deeply for a moment, recovering.
"You done?" Kiba asked, turning the key in the ignition.
"Yeah," Naruto answered dejectedly. After a moment, he glanced up at Kiba. "I can terminate my card, right?"
"Of course."
Naruto nodded in a that's good kind of way, eyeing the streets that Kiba was taking. "Where are we going?" he asked after a few minutes.
"A bar," Kiba announced matter-of-factly. "I think you need a drink." The blonde didn't argue, so the brunette continued energetically. "I used to play there with Sakura and Sasuke; we were just this little three-piece band. Honestly, it was mostly Sasuke, with the two of us as these really minor accompaniments."
"Is this another one of those stories about your best high school buddy again?" Naruto asked with a slightly annoyed sigh, to which the brunette frowned and wisely stopped speaking.
Kiba had talked about his friend Sasuke for as long as Naruto could remember. According to him, this nearly mythical person was quite possibly the best out there in the musical department; he sang, he played, he wrote, he performed, he looked good, and people loved him.
Despite wanting to believe Kiba, Naruto had always been skeptical. Kiba always talked about him like they had been extremely close friends. If that was true, how come the blonde hadn't met him in the last five years? Also, why did Sakura always roll her eyes, look pissed off, and then walk away whenever Kiba mentioned the guy?
"I like being over twenty-one," Naruto finally said, feeling guilty for cutting his friends story short. "It means I can drink without getting in trouble."
"Amen to that," Kiba agreed with a grin. "We're here. I'll go find a place to park; you go in and order some beers."
The blonde didn't need to be prompted twice. He pushed open his door and jumped out to make his way to what was obviously the bar Kiba had been talking about; a neon sign in the window read LIVE MUSIC, so he was pretty sure of himself. He saw the hulking form of a rusty old car and frowned. He wasn't positive, but it looked like the thing that had been in the parking lot earlier that morning.
The second he opened the door, he was hit with the sounds of loud laughter and the smell of all forms of liqueur—but no music. That was kind of disappointing; he was still looking out for someone to fill Gaara's currently vacant space in the band. He found his way through the murky room and sat down at the bar, calling for two beers. When he got them, he sat there stewing as he sipped from his.
"Can I help?" asked the barkeeper. Naruto glanced up and shrugged. He wasn't sure why barkeepers always wound up being nice people. Sometimes, he thought they could be more helpful than psychiatrists.
"Not unless you can make lost credit cards reappear," he answered bitterly, to which the man lifted a bemused eyebrow. "Never mind," the blonde said, waving a hand slightly. "So, no one's playing tonight?" he asked, gesturing toward the back where a small platform was located.
"Oh, we did have some music earlier. We've been holding a talent contest for the last few weeks; had our finals tonight." He tilted his head down the bar toward a crowd of people. "Our winner was this guy who's been playin in here since he was a kid. He's prob'lly drunk as a skunk now, but I could rustle him up if you wanted. He wouldn't mind playin again, I reckon."
"Nah," Naruto began. "You don't have to—"
"Naruto! Naruto!" an excitable voice shouted, disturbing several patrons. Kiba appeared at the blondes side, and clutched at his arm, panting. "He's here!"
"What?" he asked in confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the barkeeper making his way down the bar, snatching a set of keys from someone. He started slightly and wheeled around to stare at the person who'd just been robbed of their keys. "It's him!" he hissed, not sure if he was angry or really happy. Kiba was stunned and let his eyes travel to where he was staring.
"No," was the barkeepers strong reprimand as a drunken raven haired man snatched at his keys haphazardly, nearly losing his precarious balance and falling away from the bar. "I'll call you a cab. You might feel like a winner now, but you won't when you wrap your car around a telephone pole."