FINAL EPISODE: PART FOUR

"Do you draw a lot?" Naruto asks, feet carrying him across gravel, eyes on Haku.

"Oh yeah," Haku says. He skids along the track, around the corner, keeping up with Naruto. "Most chances I get."

"You want to be an artist some day?"

Haku glances at Naruto sharply, and a strange smile spreads across his face. "I don't know." He laughs. "I never thought about it."

Across the field, Suigetsu and Karin are standing next to a bench nestled underneath the pine trees. They are talking to a girl sitting on the bench; he's never seen the girl before. Haku follows his gaze and says, "Ah, the new girl in school."

"But the school's not rebuild yet."

"Well, then she's the imminent new girl."

Naruto pauses by the far benches, sweating up a storm. He bends over the bench, retying his shoes, sweat dripping down his cheeks, beading at his chin and dropping down onto the grass. "Why've you never thought about it?"

Haku looks surprised by the question. "Thought about what?"

"Being an artist."

"Oh, I don't know."

"Well, you like drawing, right?"

"Oh, I love it."

"Well, what about it draws you to it."

"Pardon the pun?"

"What? Oh." Naruto grins.

"Why do I like drawing?" Haku says, sitting down on the bench, pulling his legs up, tucking them close to his chest. "Good question. I guess- I guess it feels like- well, if you draw something well, it's like you're giving it life, right?"

"I suppose."

Haku looks at his shoes. "I guess I like the idea of making just a shadow real."

"That's what shading's for, right?"

"What?"

"Depth. You know."

Haku smiles. "Yes."

Naruto skips out along the grass a way, jumps out and down, swings his arms. He feels good; endorphins invading his system. He looks back at Haku. "You- you don't-"

Haku looks up. "Mhm?"

Naruto laughs. "Do you sweat at all?"

Haku blinks, then touches his face, brings away his fingers. He's as dry as a bone. "I guess not."

The wind curls up from the east, and Naruto stands there, letting it flutter through his tracksuit. He looks up at the sky, grateful for the sun. There's something pure about sunny days that lets him feel better than usual; there seems to be less to worry about on days drenched in light. A cloud moves out of the way and his hair becomes sparkling yellow for a moment. He looks at Haku, and his eyes are blue as anything. "I definitely need to talk with Sasuke today."

"Sasuke?" Haku says. "Oh yeah. You guys had a fight, right?"

"Yeah. Maybe I acted- maybe I didn't act as well as I should have. I got a little angry."

"Everyone's entitled."

Naruto laughs. "Sometimes I get more angry than I should. We both do, I guess."

"You seem to really like him."

"Yeah. I really do."

"Seems selfish, though."

Naruto looks up. "What does?"

"I don't know." Haku shrugs, leans back on the bench. "You don't want him smoking. He shouldn't be smoking, right? Selfish for him to do that sort of thing."

"He wants to." Naruto bends down, reaches to touch his knees.

"Makes you upset, though."

"Yeah."

"So- then isn't he wanting to do something that's making you upset?"

"I just think he shouldn't have been hiding it."

"I mean- a guy hides something like that; what else could he hide?"

"Sasuke's a man of mystery, that's for sure." Naruto comes over and sits next to Haku and leans forward, smiling at him. "That's part of the appeal."

Naruto's smile is so unflappable, Haku has to look away. Jesus, he thinks; he really likes him. He looks up. "God, they're so immature sometimes."

Naruto looks over. Suigetsu and Karin have knocked the books out of the girl's hands and are laughing at her. The girl is stooping to pick up the books, a cross look on her face.

"Hey!" Naruto says, getting up and going over.

"Oh, don't bother, Naruto," Haku says. "They won't listen."

By the time, Naruto walks under the pine trees near the bench, Suigetsu and Karin have left. The girl is sitting on the bench, and at the approach of Naruto, is clutching the books to her, staring at him with a wide-eyed, almost scared look.

"They can be assholes sometimes," Naruto says, watching Suigetsu and Karin leave. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she says.

"You're new, right? What's your name?"

She opens her mouth, then closes it again. "I'm Katherine Mary-Starwell Superflower. I'm nineteen years old."

"I'm Naruto. Did you, uh-" He glances back at Haku coming over towards him. "Did you want to hang out with us?"

"Do you like anime?"

"What?"

"Anime. Do you like it?"

"Uh- I don't really- want much- television. Haku?"

Haku looks at him. "Yes?" Then looks across the field. "Oh shit."

Naruto follows his gaze. "What?"

There is a short young man beetling his way across the field towards them. He is wearing a long ratty cape around his neck. "Haku-" he shouts. "Haku-" He reaches the pine trees, pauses to catch his breath. "I need to tell you-"

"Naruto," Haku says, "this is Konomaharu."

Konomaharu looks at Naruto. Squints his eyes, then says, "Oh! The fag!"

Naruto glances at Haku.

"Wait," Konomaharu says. "Although I've heard maybe you're half-fag. Which means, what, half the cock?" He laughs. "What are you two jerks up to?"

Holy shit, Naruto thinks.

"Haku," Konomaharu says. "I need to tell you about my latest game." He looks around conspiratorially. "I'm playing- listen, I'm playing Eldar. Now, I know I don't usually play Eldar - I tell you that, don't I? - I don't usually play Eldar, but this time- well, sometimes they get good ranged units - anyways, I was playing against this one kid- he was running, shit, I don't know, Chaos or something - he was such- he was such a jerk. You've no idea-" He giggles. "What that jerk had against me, I don't know."

He notices Katherine, then straightens up, beads of sweat appearing at his brow. "Hi," he says.

She stares at him, wide-eyed and scared again. "I like horses," she says.

"Oh wow," Naruto says, looking at Haku.

ooo

Miss Tsunade crosses her legs, uncrosses them, and then crosses them again. She is sitting on a swing, and she is sipping her tea. She looks up at the birds sitting in the branches above her, glances across the park, and then looks at her soldiers. "Jugo, you shouldn't have."

"Aw, gee," Jugo says, forking over the bouquet of dead flowers.

"Jugo, Shikamaru has done so well so far," she says, sipping her tea. "Maybe you can take over for a moment and explain to me why Deidara and Sasori are staring at me like that."

"Being trapped in other dimensions does that apparently," Jugo says, shrugging.

Ino leans against the tree, hating how Shikamaru can't take his eyes off of Miss Tsunade. It's not as if he's looking at her with lust; rather he's watching her the deepest respect, hanging onto her every word, ready to mobilize and move out at her beck and call.

"So much sand," mutters Deidara.

"As a result of the difficult in the matter of Mr. Naruto," Miss Tsunade says, smiling over her tea, "I've enlisted the help of a professional."

"I thought we were professionals," Shikamaru says. He glances over at Jugo. "Well, I thought I was."

"Never said you weren't," Miss Tsunade says, nodding towards him. "I've just enlisted the help of another professional. Now-

"You've no idea, motherfuckers."

The man who stood next to Miss Tsunade is a good six-foot-five. He is slightly balding, his eyes staring out at Jugo with intensity. He is muscular, the kind of firm, sculpted body that fills out the black muscle shirt he's wearing like an orange filling out its peel. He is scowling slightly. He is also grimacing and sneering.

"Who's this?" Jugo says.

"Say one more word, motherfucker," the man growls, his voice deep, "and I bury you into the bedrock with my fist. I'll say a prayer for your widow. Before I make love to her."

"This is Killman McPunchFace," Miss Tsunade says. "He's ex-military, like Shikamaru. He's also extraordinarily good at finding people and bring them back to me."

"I don't want to question you, Miss Tsunade," Shikamaru says, raising a hand. "But I think we, Atkatsuki, can handle this case on our own." He glances at Jugo. "On my own, at least."

"I'm sick and tired of your bellyaching, motherfucker," Killman McPunchface snarls. "I'm counting down to the day where your neck will snap like a twig in my hardened grip."

"The man wrestles helicopters to the ground for fun," Miss Tsuande says, placing her tea cup back in her purse and snapping it shut. "So he comes along." She smiles. "Just so there won't be any further setbacks."

"Question," Jugo says.

"Denied," Killman McPunchface roars. "I don't want to hear anything out of your sickening, tiny mouth that isn't the sound of the joy of combat."

"Can we vote on this?" Shikamaru asks.

Slowly, Killman McPunchface turns his battle-scarred eyes onto Shikamaru and growls, slowly, "There's gotta be a hundred reasons why I don't blow you away. But right now I can't think of one."

"Ooh, fun," Jugo says.

Miss Tsunade stands up, nods to her limo driver to start the car, and turns back to Shikamaru. "I'm sure you'll all get along fine."

ooo

Sasuke falls back on the couch, lifts his arm to her forehead and says, "I just don't know what to do."

"It's chocolate," Orochimaru says, sitting back in the chair with a plate of a slice of cheesecake. "And rich."

Sasuke sits up, takes his plate of cheesecake and idling sinks his fork into it. "There has to be a balance, right?"

"Always a balance." Orochimaru spoons cheesecake into his mouth, savours it.

"I have to be able to do some things for myself without fear of Naruto's criticism."

"Criticism will ruin the relationship."

"That's what I'll do. I'll go tell him that."

Orochimaru's eyes sparkle. "As soon as possible. Remember, a single bad moment in a relationship can spiral out and become the end of it, if left unchecked."