Race around the world: I love you Sakura Haruno!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and any of its characters and make no money from this story... support the official release and all that jazz!
Written by Ghostsammeo
AN/ Next chapter, now the story starts!
I am bent over Ino Yamanaka's shoulder, watching her type away at a computer. We're in her bedroom which is primarily coloured purple, besides the desk she is at which is an old, rotting brown wood.
"The next flight from California South airport is... in two hours and fifteen minutes. Oh and there's one last seat left for booking, aren't you lucky," Ino reads then turns with a smile at me.
"Move over," I say as I shove her out the way and start typing in my credit details to book the flight.
"How long does it take to get to this airport?" I ask her as I type.
"About two hours," Ino replies after a quick glare.
I pause and turn to her, "About?"
"You'll get there in time if you speed a little," She smirks as I continue typing.
I slide the curser over to a yellow bubble reading: book flight, and then click it.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ino asks as she follows me rushing out the room and gathering my flowers from the sofa.
"Yes," I answer shortly.
"So you're literally just going to follow this girl you haven't seen in a year all the way to Canada to what? Tell her you love her?"
I nod stiffly at the doorway.
She sighs as she slumps down onto her sofa, "That's romantic; I wish someone cared for me in that way. Well there's Suigetsu but I'm pretty sure he's just going to turn into a booty-call."
"Ino," I interrupt, "I would love to chat but I've got roughly now two hours and ten minutes to get to a two hour away airport, get through airport security and get on a plane."
"Right, right," she nods, "Got your passport?"
"In my car," I confirm.
"Okay then, it was nice meeting you Sasuke, I'll call you if I get any news."
I nod gratefully, "Thanks Ino."
Quickly I run out the room and down the stairs. After five minutes getting out the building and running down the street, I finally arrive back at the car park. As I go to my car, immediately I notice the presence of Naruto's shitty green Honda. What, is he going to walk to Canada?
Quickly I take out my phone and dial his number.
"Yo!" comes Naruto's voice after a few seconds. I can hear some laughing in the background and the sound of a car's engine.
"Naruto, what the fuck are you doing?" I demand quickly.
"Ah, I bet you saw my car still in the car park eh Sasuke?" Naruto laughs, "Don't worry; I've got my ways of getting around."
"I said what are you doing, dobe?" I repeat as I fall into a leaning stance against my car.
"My car couldn't last the journey I decided, so I got a ride with Kiba," Naruto explains to me.
...Kiba?
"Kiba..." I say, fishing for an answer to who the hell 'Kiba' is.
"Yeah Kiba, he went to nursery with me when I was two, we bonded over our love of the canine species. I just met him in the car park awhile back and he agreed to help me," Naruto says.
"A canine isn't a species it's a family... you know what it doesn't matter, how are you planning on getting to Canada?"
"Oh well Kiba here booked me a flight on his Android Smartphone," Naruto explains down the line, "You know what? I'm really liking his Android, I used to be an IPhone guy but now, I'm not so sure."
"No, Iphones are better," I say into my phone rudely then stuff it into my pocket and hop into my car.
Damn Naruto and damn Kiba! Seriously Naruto is so fucking lucky to meet an old nursery friend actually willing to give him a two hour ride to the airport.
Checking my watch I see it's just turned eleven am, meaning I have two hours exactly till the flight takes off.
Quickly I pull my Lamborghini out the car park and soon enough I've hit the road.
It takes fifteen minutes to get out of the city, and eventually I am driving down a desolate piece of track, a straight road with only long, dried up grass on either side for miles. The wind sails through my hair in my open top car, and travelling at a way over the legal limit eighty miles an hour, I feel comfortable about my journey.
Under my sunglasses, my eyes constantly switch between the road and my in-car clock which now reads half past eleven, meaning an hour and a half till I arrive at the airport.
I start to reflect on what I'm doing as I drive. It may sound like a crazy thought to think that I am planning on travelling all the way to Canada on a working week weekend just to make sure a girl I like knows I like her, but in my mind it seems so perfectly right it's unbelievable.
As my mind wanders, my car begins to slow.
My eyebrows furrow as the speedometer slowly drops. Eighty, seventy, sixty fifty and eventually all the way down to zero miles per hour in a matter of seconds.
My car ceases at the road side.
I squint up at the sun then look at the empty fields of grass around me then slam down on my wheel, "Fuck!"
The fuel. I'm out of fuel! In my rush I forgot to refuel!
I kick my car door as I step out onto the grass. This is a big fucking disaster. I stare at my car as if willing fuel to appear then kick it again when nothing happens.
Sighing I realise the truth of the matter. Flying to Canada? Really? My cars broken down and Naruto's speeding away with fucking Kiba to the airport. It's best I just give up now.
I'm just about to call Naruto to tell him the race is over when a voice speaks out, "Hey there friend!"
Coming down the grass is a strange looking man. He has spiked up greyish hair and is wearing some ripped and broken clothing. In one hand he is carrying two plastic bags, full of cans of food and other unwanted items, and in the other hand a small green plastic can, full of fuel.
"Is that fuel?" I say, stepping forwards towards this strange highway hobo.
"Sure is," The hobo says, his eyes squinted because of the sun as he watches my desperate face slowly morph into something positive (i.e. a smile).
"Well, can I have some, cuz my cars completely empty," I beg.
He whistles and hobbles over to my car, stroking the yellow bonnet.
"I'd be happy to lend my fuel to you... if you could do me a favour," He puts forth.
I don't normally deal with hobos, no offence to any hobos out there, but this time I'm desperate.
"Sure, yes whatever, what do you want?" I ramble as I slowly edge closer to his fuel can, so desperate to get my car to start moving again.
"I wanna ride, a trip to the nearest airport," he says.
"Yes, yes, yes," I ramble, "Good, sure! That's where I'm going now, just give me the fuel and hop in!"
"Thanks buddy," the hobo smiles and climbs into the front passenger seat after handing me his fuel can, "I'm Kakashi by the way."
"Sasuke," I introduce myself as I fill up my car.
"Where should I put my stuff," he asks as he ruffles his plastic bags.
I look up from the back of my car; eyebrow raised, "Erm, in the backseats."
"Thanks," he nods and places them in the backseat as I come back around and into the driving seat.
I turn the key and rev the engine, "Yes," I smirk.
Finally the vehicle starts to roll forwards and soon enough the car is up and speeding at eighty miles per hour once more.
"So, Sasuke," Kakashi says as we drive.
"Hn?"
"Why are you going to the airport?"
I glare at him from the corner of my eye, though he can't see because of my shades. It's not the question that annoys me about him; it's him that annoys me about him. I don't want some smelly hobo hitching a ride in my Lamborghini!
"Just... for a girl," I say.
"Ah, a romantic I see," He laughs lightly, "I myself am going there for free stuff, hoping to get lucky at the Starbucks and claim someone else's coffee before they can get to it."
"Good luck with that," I say, giving him a funny look and hoping inwardly he'll shut up for the rest of the journey.
"I'm a hobo you see," He continues.
I glance back at his bags containing useless miscellaneous. "I do see."
"Never the career choice I intended of course," He converses.
"Of course," I comment.
"No, I always figured myself for a painter, but it's a hard business to break into I'll tell you that," He shakes his head sadly.
"And... that's when you decided to become a hobo?" I try sarcastically.
"Oh no, I never decided to be a hobo, that was decided for me by the people of South Dakota in nineteen eighty eight," He explains.
We sit in silence for awhile, only the noise of the wind blowing past us and the car engine audible.
"Did you know-"
"Radio?" I interrupt before he can begin talking again.
"Oh, no thank you," He smiles.
"Really? I'm in the mood for a bit of radio myself," I say and switch the radio on with a button.
"What do you do for a job Sasuke?" He asks a good while later, through the drabble of a news reporter.
He had been so quiet I had barely noticed him.
"Err, I'm studying law at university," I answer.
My eyes fall to the clock. Five minutes to twelve, an hour and a bit till the plane takes off, but without any signs, I can't tell how long it will take till I even arrive at the airport.
"That's interesting, I was going to study fine art at university till..."
He stops midsentence looking ahead at the road.
"Till?" I try to egg him on.
"Till it happened," He mutters.
"Till what happened?" I ask loudly.
"Till... Would you really like to hear my story?" He turns his body to me.
I do a double take at him, "Yeah, sure," Why is he making this so epic and movie-like? He's only a hobo.
"I was nineteen and had applied to study fine art at a university in North Dakota," He begins.
"Not South Dakota?" I question.
"No, South Dakota was where I grew up, I went to North Dakota to study," He says.
"I see."
"When I applied to study there, they turned me down," he sniffs, "and so I gave up in life."
I nod a couple of times but then notice he isn't speaking anymore.
"Is that it?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's a... that's a sad story," I really don't know what to say.
"Not all is bad though, the hobo community is a strong one, and I have many friends," He smiles at me.
"Yeah... that's nice," I nod kindly, though in my mind I'm screaming at Kakashi to get the hell out of my car.
We drive on for what seems like an eternity longer, him asking a couple of personal questions from time to time which I refuse to answer.
Eventually, I start to panic that I won't make it in time for my flight so I speed up.
I check the time again, quarter to twelve, and still no signs saying anything about an airport.
"Hey Kakashi, have you been on this highway before?" I ask my companion who looks up from stroking the leather of my seats and nods.
"Sure have, my friend Asuma is currently walking up this road in search of a ride into the city," Kakashi answers me.
"Well, do you know how close we are to the airport?" I ask politely.
"Well I think I recognise this part of the countryside, so I'd say we're about twelve minutes away," he figures.
I look outwards to the fields of grass which look exactly the same as the fields of grass we passed an hour ago.
"Great," I mumble.
We drive on for another five minutes and eventually I see in the distance the grey tarmac of the airport, tiny dots of people moving around these small white airplanes, when suddenly, "Oh hey stop the car!"
"What?" I say, jolting round at him.
"Stop the car!" He demands of me.
"Okay, okay," I breath and pull the car to a stop, expecting to find the back of my car on fire or something.
"Hey Asuma!" Kakashi bellows and climbs into the backseats to talk to Asuma.
Asuma trudges over to my car through the grass as Kakashi opens the door behind me, greeting this new hobo fella' fondly.
Instead of some danger or serious problem, Kakashi has stopped my car to talk to a fucking hobo.
I just stare at the two of them open mouthed.
I'm not sure if he notices or cares, instead he chats merrily along to Asuma about highways and airports and other hobo stuff.
This is a joke isn't it?
My eyes flicker between the airport in the distance and the in-car clock. Seven minutes exactly till it takes off. There isn't time for Asuma and remembering the good ol' days dammit!
Kakashi is talking about me now; I glance at him then at the airport then at the clock.
The clock handle ticks off another minute; I'll never make it now!
Well, not if I'm just waiting here...
I glance at Kakashi again then at the little people moving around a plane in the distance, my plane, the plane I need to catch which people would be boarding already.
"I'm going," I say suddenly.
"Yeah, yeah, give me and Asuma another minute to catch up."
I slam my wheel in anger.
Grinding my teeth I look between the clock, the airport and then Kakashi.
Before I even know what I'm doing, my hands are reaching out and with a shout I've pushed Kakashi out of my car, making the man roll onto the grass, swearing.
Before he gets up my car spits fumes into his face as I pull away to the sounds of him swearing after me.
The car speeds, ninety miles per hour on a fifty speed limit road.
The plane will be taking off in five minutes! I could get to the airport in that time but surely not the actual plane. Time slipped away from me in that trip with Kakashi!
"Come on, come on," I mutter to myself as my Lamborghini speeds down the hill.
With three minutes to go I rush into the glass-walled airport after parking my car just outside. Immediately a call for my name is issued in the sound system.
Swearing I push through the crowds and make it through the first parts of the airport fine seeing as I have no luggage.
With one minute to go I get to the airport security when going onto the plane.
"Items?" The guard drawls and shoves a tray in my face.
"No, no fuck off," I growl.
Tutting, the man lets me through the metal-detector which beeps immediately.
"Fuck!" I cry out to the world, resulting in some dirty looks from onlookers.
"Items," the same guard comes over to me and pushes the tray in my face again.
I take off my watch and shove it in the tray, glaring at the man as I do so.
"Hey Kotetsu," The guard with the tray calls to another guard nearby.
"Izumo?" Kotetsu says as he comes over.
"Check this guy, will you?"
Guard Kotetsu begins to tap down my body for any items, which is more embarrassing then I remember.
Tutting, I look at a clock hanging over a reception area. One minute to go and I'm stuck at airport security.
"Can you hurry this up please," I snap.
Izumo and Kotetsu look at each other as I say this, then the Kotetsu guys continues checking me for any items, obviously and deliberately slower.
I glance out the window; I see a plane with the number of the flight I booked on its nose. I see the last passenger get on, then the stairs onto the plane being wheeled away.
"No," I sigh as the plane starts to move.
"You can go now," Kotetsu says as I stare longingly out the window.
"Twats," I hiss and set off running down the long corridor leading out to the runways.
"Don't forget your watch," Izumo calls after me.
I stomp back, snatch my watch out of his hands then speed off again.
But I'm too late. I watch as I'm pushed back by plane monitors my plane fly off into the sky.
I swear loudly and walk back to the entrance of the airport and slump down at the front doors. The beeping, the talking, the announcements all drowned out in my misery.
Eventually I get the nerve to phone Naruto.
"Hello, Naruto?" I say wearily.
"Oh hey Sasuke, shouldn't you be on a plane or something?" He asks me.
"Shouldn't you?" I reply, my shoulders perking up slightly.
"Nah, I missed my flight, so I'm driving all the way to Canada with Kiba," Naruto tells me.
"Woo! Road trip!" I hear the voice of what must belong to Kiba call down the phone.
"So you're driving all that way?" I clarify.
"Sure am, what about you?" He asks.
"I'm at the airport; I just missed my flight too."
"Well you better get going, because we've been driving northbound for awhile now, yahoo!"
Naruto hangs up, leaving me with hope yet.
A/N yeah so, drop a review if you're enjoying the story or saw any faults you wanna point out, thanks for reading and check out the next chapter! – Re-drafted!