A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! We're enjoying writing it. Naruto is always so much fun to write because he's so immature... XD Sakura's reactions are just as much fun. What does the chapter title put into your head? Take a guess and find out! Can you find out where we switched?
I think that's it! FantomoDrako will add anything else that needs to be said at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: If you think I own Naruto you're sadly mistaken. The only thing I can draw that resembles a manga character are their faces... Maybe Naruto's whiskers? But don't steal the plot. That belongs to the both of us.
Chapter Two: Is It Imaginary?
A gentle zephyr eased its way around the glade; caressing all with its feather-soft touch. The sun had passed its zenith not too long ago. The warm rays of the fiery orb were at just the right angle to alight upon the whiskered face of a sleeping boy.
With the light shining a reddish colour through his eyelids, Naruto started to stir. He was quite content to stay where he was and tried to ignore the sun. Unfortunately, his stomach chose that time to give off a loud, unhappy gurgle. 'If I'm this hungry, it must be time for lunch,' he thought groggily, still a little muddled by sleep. Tilting his head up, he took note of where the sun was. "Jeez, no wonder I'm hungry!" he grumbled aloud.
Getting to his feet somewhat stiffly, Naruto made sure to stretch out his muscles to work out any kinks and remaining stiffness. That done, he pulled out his frog-shaped purse. Opening it, he quickly counted out what was left. Giving a happy grin, he stuffed the frog back into his pocket and set off to his favourite ramen stand.
Reaching the end of the forest that his glade was located in, he let a barely perceptible sigh past his lips. 'I hate walking through the streets…you'd think I'd be used to it by now…' he thought morosely. Shrugging the unpleasant thought away, he plastered on his signature fox grin and stepped jauntily into the village streets.
He ignored the few glares sent his way and ducked under the Ichiraku shop curtain. Plonking himself down on one of the seats, he only had to wait a couple of seconds before he was hailed by a cheery voice.
"Why, hello, Naruto! Here for lunch, I presume?" Ayame inquired, tucking a stray lock of brown hair back under her bandanna.
"You know it!" he chuckled in reply.
Ayame just smiled serenely. She was always happy when her 'little brother' came around. He paid well, too. "What flavour will it be this time?" she asked, already knowing he wanted ramen of some sort.
Naruto stopped and pretended to think hard, causing Ayame to giggle. There was no one else at the stand save for him, Ayame and her father, so he was a lot more comfortable and true. He nodded in an exaggerated way and sent the young noodle chef a charming - yet cheeky - smile. "Oh, how about a miso?"
"Sure, coming right up!" She turned around, but didn't need to repeat Naruto's order to her father as he'd been listening.
Teuchi had already started to cook the noodles when he saw the mop of blond hair come under the curtain. He hummed a little to himself as his hands, sure and swift from many years of practice, expertly tossed the noodles around to cook them better.
Naruto's nose could already detect the sweet scent of the cooking ramen. Trying hard not to drool, he attempted to distract himself while he waited for his meal. Closing his eyes, he mentally recounted the money he had with him. He only had enough for three bowls because the rest of his hard earned cash was carefully stashed away.
The first time he had gone somewhere with Jiraiya, the old man had taken - and spent - practically all of his money. Naruto had quickly learned the value of saving some money at home after that. He always kept half of his earnings on him and the other half hidden in his house.
Naruto almost fell off his seat as a loud clattering noise assaulted his ears. Bubbling water, breathing, heartbeats and low, indecipherable voices came to him in a rush. He quickly stifled a surprised gasp.
Ayame had, at that moment, chosen to turn around to chat with her favourite customer. She took in his slack jaw and wide eyes; a complete deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. Growing worried, she walked over to him. Leaning over the counter, she anxiously waved a hand in front of his face. "Naruto? Are you alright?"
Feeling a little dizzy, he nodded. He didn't want Ayame to start fussing over him if he told her the truth. Besides, the sounds had faded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered something that I was supposed to do today, that's all. Don't want Sakura getting mad at me for forgetting!" he chuckled nervously, hoping Ayame would buy the cover-up.
She did, mistaking his nervousness for fear of his pink-haired team-mate's wrath. "Oh, you had me worried for a moment there. It looked like you'd seen a ghost!" she continued, missing Naruto's small flinch at the word 'ghost'.
"Yeah…" he trailed off half-heartedly. "Sorry Ayame, but I only have enough time for three bowls. The thing I remembered is really important!"
"It sure sounds like it, if it's got you this spooked, kid. Here, I'd eat up quickly then," Teuchi advised, setting the miso ramen down on the counter. He turned away to prepare two more bowls, muttering under his breath, "Not that he ever eats slowly anyway. Where does the kid put it all?"
Naruto hadn't been fully lying. This reoccurrence was proof that something was wrong. His mind began working as furiously as his mouth. 'This sound thing is becoming an issue. If I don't get to the bottom of this, it'll cause problems. What would happen if I was on an important mission and it happened again? I can't freeze up like that; it'd be far too dangerous! If I gasped because of it, too, it could give away my position to any enemies!'
His mind took a brief respite as it registered his second helping. Naruto shoved his first bowl out of the way and pulled the second closer, digging his chopsticks in. 'That first time in the glade couldn't have been a one-time thing then. Maybe I really SHOULD go see Granny Tsunade?' Tilting his head back, he slurped up the broth.
Another bowl of ramen later and Naruto was walking down to Sakura's house, musing on what he would tell her. He had to find a story that wouldn't sound too unbelievable because otherwise she'd kick him out.
'"Oh, hey, Sakura! I know you kicked me out yesterday but I just wanted to tell you about something weird that happened to me today! What was it? Well, I could actually hear my heartbeat!" ' He was mentally rehearsing ways to tell her and imagining her replies.
'"Oh, yeah, I know that you can hear your heartbeat but I could also hear my blood running through my veins! It was so weird because normally I can't hear anything that clearly. Any idea what's going on?" ' And he immediately scrapped that idea. It had been the third one, too…
Just when he was getting stuck on "I can hear the wind whispering through the tree leaves" he was in front of Sakura's door. Naruto decided to wing it from there and knocked on her door, plastering a rather nervous looking grin on his face. He still had to keep the cheery mood up otherwise Sakura would really think something was wrong.
He didn't have to wait five minutes until Sakura opened up, hair sticking out in odd places.
"Oh, it's you, Naruto." Sakura sounded disappointed. "Did you want something? You just saw me yesterday if I remember correctly. Or at least I think it was yesterday." She looked deep in thought.
"It was yesterday, Sakura," Naruto assured her. "Hey, uh, can I come in?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "All right. Is there something you want, though?" she added once Naruto was across the threshold.
Naruto looked around the room before leaning in and whispering, "How good are you at diagnosing things?"
"All right." Sakura was whispering, too, looking confused. "Why are we whispering?"
"'Cause I have something that's confusing me," Naruto started, leaning back, looking at the ceiling, and twiddling his thumbs. "Um…what are hearing problems exactly?"
"Problems with your hearing," Sakura said matter-of-factly.
"No!" Naruto shook his head. "I meant, what kind of hearing problems are there? Is there something like someone's hearing actually being—I don't know—magnified?"
Sakura leaned back against the doorframe. "Not that I've heard of. The only cases that have been recorded are of hearing loss or deafness. That's when you can't hear," she explained. "At all," she added as if Naruto were stupid.
'I'm not stupid. Even if I act like it.' Naruto kept his mouth shut and nodded, encouraging her.
"But I haven't heard of anyone's hearing actually being magnified unless they use a jutsu," Sakura concluded. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm having some problems with mine," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.
"That's hard to believe," Sakura muttered, disbelieving. "You're always screaming at the top of your lungs…"
"New problems." Naruto stressed the "new". He didn't think that screaming at the top of his lungs counted for making his hearing sharper. "They really started yesterday, I think, after I checked up on you."
Sakura put both hands on her hips and glared at him. "Are you my doctor?"
"Um, no?" Naruto didn't see where this was going.
"Then why are you checking up on me like I'm five-years-old and incapable of taking care of myself?"
Oh, that was where it was going.
"'Cause the last time I left you alone for five days your room was a wreck, dishes were piled up in the sink, and you had ink splattered all over your clothes," Naruto said, trying not to back down from Sakura's ferocious glare. She was scary. "And you looked like you hadn't slept in all that time. Honestly, Sakura, I don't think Granny Tsunade would be happy to see that you're driving yourself nuts over this apprenticeship thing."
"It's Lady Tsunade!" Sakura corrected sharply. "And going without sleep is the only way I'm getting enough time to study!"
Naruto realized they were getting off-track and steered the conversation back to his original topic. "Look, I know I have a problem when it comes to my hearing, okay? Just hear me out, will you?"
"Listening." Sakura waited impatiently, one brow raised.
Now came the problem. "I've had these…episodes," Naruto said slowly, trying to find the words to express the problem. "I've only had them twice but they really caught me off guard. If it happens during a really important mission I'll be in big trouble. See, my hearing's gotten…better? I don't really know how to describe it but there are these times when I can hear practically everything that's going on. And when I say 'everything', I mean everything."
Sakura was actually looking interested. "Elaborate."
Naruto struggled to describe the experience. "I can hear all the heartbeats in the vicinity, conversations I normally wouldn't be able to overhear, and people breathing. That was just the second time. The first time I was…" He debated briefly on whether or not to tell her and then just did. "…alone in the forest and I could hear all the small animals around me. I could even hear my breaths going in and out of my lungs."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah." Naruto shifted his weight. "So…do you have any idea what it is?"
Sakura was in thought for a moment. "Is it happening right now?"
Naruto was taken aback by the question. "Uh, I don't think so."
"Can you hear this?" Sakura demanded. She then proceeded to mumble something in a low voice that Naruto couldn't make head or tails of.
"No, I can't," Naruto admitted, a bit frustrated. "Look, Sakura—"
"Did you think that it might be just your imagination?" Sakura interrupted.
Naruto folded his arms, glaring now. "Why the hell would it be in my imagination? I wouldn't just make up something that's so life threatening!"
"How is it life threatening? If anything, I'd actually call it helpful…"
"It just comes on and off! I can't control it! What if I'm in the middle of a really important fight and it just hits me? What then? Suddenly having a really important sense magnified would catch me off guard!" Naruto was ranting. "And—"
Sakura cut him off again. "Naruto, if you want attention from me you don't have to go to these elaborate lengths. Look, get some rest, okay? You do look like you need it."
Naruto stopped there, his brow furrowing. 'I slept a ton last night and took a nap earlier! How could I look like I need rest?'
"It's night-time now," Sakura continued, looking out the window to make her point, "and it's getting late. Get home, get rest, and clear your mind, all right?" She pushed Naruto out her door. "If you're still having problems"—she looked really disbelieving there—"come see me again tomorrow. We can have Lady Tsunade check it out."
With that, she shut the door right in Naruto's face. 'Well, that's just great…' Sighing in frustration, he stuck his hands in his pockets and headed back to his apartment.
"Okay, now what am I supposed to do?" the blond grumbled, sitting cross-legged on his bed. He had his curtains closed tonight. Normally he wouldn't bother with such a thing but, just tonight, he didn't want anyone seeing what he was up to. "That's right…'clear my mind'."
Naruto was trying to meditate. He figured he might be able to magnify his hearing again if he was calm and focused enough. Unfortunately, he kept hearing Sakura's disbelieving words echo in his mind. Her clear-cut refusal to take him seriously had stung. He had thought that his team-mate of all people, would give him the benefit of the doubt at the very least.
Unable to block out the pink-haired girl's voice from his mind, he gave an angry snarl and wildly swung a fist around. It came into contact with the dummy Naruto had made of Kakashi. Various bits of straw and stuffing were forcefully ejected from the dummy's torso to float down to the floor. Feeling a fraction better, Naruto settled down to try clearing his mind again.
'Clear the mind…focus within. I feel so stupid… FOCUS! Okay, my mind is blank. Let go of all the tension in my body. Relax. I still feel stupid. Argh!'
Naruto smacked a hand to his forehead. "It's no use…I can't seem to concentrate. Maybe if I had something to concentrate on? Just focus and think about that one thing until my mind clears? Yeah, that might work!" Completely disregarding the fact that he was speaking aloud to himself, he hopped off his bed and ran into the kitchen. What he needed was tranquillity. Getting an idea, he took out a glass from one of his cupboards and filled it with water. Walking slow enough so that he didn't spill any, he sat himself on the floor in front of his bed and placed the cup before him.
Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to become engrossed by the water in the glass. With his eyes glued on nothing else, his mind became fixated with the water. It effectively drowned out any voices from his memories. Feeling his world fade away to the small island the cup of water had become, he closed his eyes. A cacophony of noise assaulted his sensitive hearing and he jerked into full alertness. As he did, his hearing decreased to the level he was used to. Determined, he refocused and tried again.
As the build up of tension that today had caused began to ease from his body, his ears started to pick up more than they should. It happened slowly this time, so Naruto wasn't startled out of his mini-trance.
He once again heard the blood rushing through his veins. He could even make out the voice of the cranky old man that lived close by. From what Naruto could make out, the old man seemed to be yelling at his sink. The blond struggled to stay calm, desperate not to lose all that he'd managed to gain from doing this.
As he gained some semblance of control over his hurricane of emotions, he started to hear other people. Concentrating fiercely on one set of voices in particular, he found that he could make out most of the words. When he caught the name 'Hazumi', however, he his eyes automatically snapped open in surprise.
Hazumi was a middle-aged woman that lived with her husband three houses away. He knew them both quite well. The two of them were of the opinion that Naruto should be exiled if not executed. They had resented the fact that the Third had overruled the council and let him live. The two did not hold a high opinion of Tsunade for that same reason; she had let Naruto live freely within the village. If they were outside when he went past, they made sure to glare or jeer at him.
Dragging his mind away from those unpleasant recollections, he realised that his hearing was no longer magnified. 'Is it my imagination or does everything sound a touch louder than normal anyway?' Following that nagging thought, he found it to be true.
He could just hear a little bit more than he could before this whole thing started.
He suddenly yawned. Glancing at his clock, he was shocked to find that it was past midnight. Frowning, he figured that any more 'experimenting' could wait until he got some sleep. He scoffed as Sakura's words from earlier floated through his head. 'I didn't look like I needed rest! She was probably trying to get rid of me,' he thought morosely.
He stripped off everything but his boxers, as it was a warm enough night to go without pyjamas, and burrowed under his bedding.
'"It's all in your imagination." Pfft.'
A/N: You know, if I didn't know which parts I wrote and which ones inukagome15 did, I don't think I'd realise where we switched… Kudos to anyone who takes a guess and gets it right!
The chapters will continue to get longer from this point.
That's all for this chapter. Please remember to review if you've read as we'd like some feedback. This is our first co-authored story and we'd like to know if we're doing alright so far. Please?