Disclaimer: I don't own nor have I contributed to Naruto in any way! Nope! None!
Sky-eyed Kitsune: Listenin' to lots o' music…..un.
Gomi-kun: What she said.
Reviewer Replies (Cause I'm not using the button anymore)
To Sarah: Hm, an interesting concept to include more of their high school life! Maybe I'll include it! ;) Thanx!
To Seph Lorraine: True, but Sasuke's was baffled by Naruto's loneliness since all the celebs he interview were too wrapped up in their fame and fans to be lonely.
To TasteLikeBlood: Sry, no can do! ;) You'll see this chapter…mwhehehehe
To berkie88: If you're a Gaara fangirl, then you'll luv this chappie, lol! The crystal will come in later muhaha!
To BeneathSecrets: Yep! Ur right, lol! This is a sasunaru fic, but Kiba doesn't seem to realize that yet and will be fighting for the dobe!
To EllaCrain: I'm sorry! I luv to torture with cliffie's, lol!
To Knute314: Ah! Arigatou!!!
To xXxTylerxXx: Kiba will try, but sadly he is not aware that the writer of this fic has declared this a sasunaru story…hehe
To moonlit dew: Yep! Orphanage!
To black'nred: Though Naru is a hot and smexy, he is the uke of this fic.
To Samantai: Yes, they're alive, but he doesn't live with them.
Chapter Dedication: For berkie88, EllaCrain, and BeneathSecrets. Luvs you! huggles!
Chapter Six: Midnight Montage
Sasuke felt his blood freeze to a temperature colder than the autumn chill around him as the wind rippled under his skin.
His gaze settled on a ramshackle pile of what used to be a modest building, dirt and grime invading the crevices of the once strong frame, now a decrepit structure.
Sasuke looked to his right where Naruto stood next to him, still smiling warmly as he stared at the dilapidated mess. His eyes flicked up to look at Sasuke, and Naruto nodded forward.
Sasuke hesitantly stepped forward onto the property, and then noticed a collapsing sign in front of the building.
He walked over to it and swiped the dirt and soot away from it with his sleeve.
Konohagakure Orphanage.
Sasuke felt his heart catch in his throat and he blinked and reread the sign.
He felt something sweep past him and looked up to find Naruto walking up the cement steps of the building, ignoring the time worn wood that creaked and groaned under his weight.
Sasuke silently followed as Naruto opened the door, broken on one of its hinges.
The building had a large front room with a toppled desk against the back of the wall, open arches parting left and right, leading to different rooms.
"Home sweet home," Naruto said, smiling softly.
"You lived here?" Sasuke asked. "But…but Jiraiya called you 'son'…he's-"
"My adoptive father," Naruto filled in. He walked to the left and Sasuke followed suit, ducking under a collapsed wood from the upper floor.
"I never knew my parents; they died when I was born, so I was placed in an orphanage. I lived here for twelve years."
Naruto and Sasuke entered a large open room, devoid of furniture or otherwise.
Dust coiled and kicked up under their shoes as they shuffled in, dancing like murky serpents around their ankles.
Naruto looked to the corner where a lone broken chair sat next to a grimy window.
---Flashback
The brunette looked up from her desk and paperwork as a couple walked in, pulling their winter coats tightly around themselves as they closed the chill and snow out of the moderately warm building.
"Welcome to Konohagakure orphanage!" she said, smiling sweetly. "Are you looking to adopt?"
"That's right!" the wife said happily and the man nodding.
"Great!" the brunette said standing from her desk. "Around Christmas we normally have families flooding in, but it's been slow this holiday. Oh dear I'm blabbering! Come, walk with me through the orphanage!"
The brunette walked ahead into the next rooms, kids whizzing past and shouting and playing around them.
"So what age exactly were you looking for?" the brunette asked. "As you can see, the differences vary."
"Well, we were hoping for a boy between the ages of five and seven," the wife said. "You see, I remarried one year ago and my husband had a fourteen year-old daughter, and I'd always wanted to take care of my own child since I never had one, but his daughter was beyond that stage as soon as she became a teenager."
"Oh yes, that's actually quite common in the families that come here," the brunette said. "Oh yes! That's Ritskuo over there, a hyper young man, and over there is Yuki! He's shy but very rambunctious!"
The wife looked over to her husband.
"I think we're looking for someone a little bit quieter."
"I think I know just who!"
The brunette walked back to the front entrance room and flagged a left.
She flourished her hand to the corner where a small boy with spiky blonde hair sat, staring blankly out the window at the falling snow. He hugged a red fox plushie to chest.
"That's Naruto-kun," she said. "Naruto-kun six and is very…quiet."
The trio walked up to the boy, who didn't even turn.
"Naruto-kun?" the brunette said.
The blonde turned his head, his big blue eyes shining against the three whisker-like scars on each of his cheeks.
"Oh, he's adorable!" the wife said.
"Naruto-kun, these people may want to be your mommy and daddy," the brunette said softly, kneeling down in front of Naruto so that she was eye level with him.
Naruto looked up to the couple, who smiled warmly.
"Hello Naruto-kun!" the wife said.
Naruto blinked.
"So Naruto-kun, what's your favorite animal?"
Naruto held out his fox in front of him, but quickly pulled it back and hugged it tightly. (The plushie itself was bigger than half of his body.)
"A fox huh?" the wife said. "That's an interesting animal Naruto-kun! What about your favorite color?"
Naruto blinked again.
"Naruto-kun, won't you talk?"
Naruto held up his plushe to cover his mouth.
"Naruto-kun is very shy," the brunette said. "He's practically a mute."
"I see…well, I'd rather have a more open son."
The brunette sighed and Naruto looked back out the window.
"I see…well, let's continue then."
Naruto buried his head against his fox as the trio left.
-----Flashback over
"Naruto?"
Naruto blinked as a hand on his shoulder shook him back to reality.
"Huh?" he said, looking at Sasuke.
"Dobe, you just froze," Sasuke said. "I thought you were in a twilight zone."
Naruto looked back at the chair.
"I kind of was," he said quietly, and Sasuke saw the flash of sadness in his eyes.
"Why did you stay at the orphanage for so long?" Sasuke said more quietly, taking a chance.
"No one wanted to adopt me," Naruto said. "I used to sit in that chair everyday and look out the window."
"Why didn't you play with the other kids?"
"Because, no one wanted to play with someone who wouldn't speak."
Sasuke gave Naruto a quizzical look.
"I was never adopted because for twelve years I was a mute," Naruto explained. "It's also why I was an outcast as a kid. I wanted to talk, I really did, but…I don't know, I just couldn't. I guess deep down I never found the need or want to."
"But…didn't you want a family?"
Naruto turned to look at Sasuke.
"More than anything," he said. "I would try so hard to talk. I would practice in front of the mirror for an hour every morning, trying to make a sound come out of my mouth, but it never worked."
Sasuke felt his heart wretch as the blonde's eyes became hazy with sadness.
"When did you start talking?" Sasuke said slowly as if the wrong word would break the blonde.
Naruto grinned at Sasuke
"After I was adopted by Jiraiya. Jiraiya is always to smug to admit it, but he always wanted a kid. Too bad he was never married. He didn't care if I couldn't speak, because I showed enough emotion on my face to talk. He said I was weird…" Naruto chuckled. "But in a good way! Then I met Iruka who basically became my long lost mother. One day when I was almost thirteen Iruka took me to the park. There were a lot of tourists that day and I got lost in the crowd. Iruka was frantic calling my name and I heard him, but couldn't shout back. As Iruka's tone got more worried, I got scared he wouldn't find me, and finally strained my voice to call his name."
Naruto giggled and Sasuke felt his heart melt.
"'Ruka was so relived that he almost passed out."
Sasuke smiled a bit.
"What about you Sasuke? You have family?" Naruto said, walking back out of the building.
"Pfft," Sasuke scoffed. "If you count a sadistic older brother, a perfectionist father and an overprotective mother, then yea. I guess I do."
Naruto laughed.
"Overprotective huh? You think you've got it bad?" Naruto joked.
"Hn. Dobe," Sasuke said.
"Teme!" Naruto said, stopping and whipping around.
"Usuratonkachi."
"Asshole."
Naruto and Sasuke stopped as they realized their close proximity. With every insult delivered a step was taken until they were both an inch from each other's faces.
Naruto felt a blush creep up his face as Sasuke's breath rippled against his skin, and the scent of the winter wind dipped in snow reached his nose; the scent itself belonging solely to Sasuke.
Sasuke felt himself become lost in a sea of sapphire blue as he stared into Naruto's eyes, the tint of pink on his cheeks illuminated by the blonde hair brushing against them.
"Thanks for the interview," Sasuke said, struggling to not let his eyes drop to half mast.
"N-no problem," Naruto said, Sasuke onyx stare rippling under his skin.
"We should do this again sometime," Sasuke said. "But not as an interview."
"Like…as friends?"
Sasuke smiled.
"Un, as friends."
Naruto smiled back, his heart pounding in his chest and his eyes closing as he saw Sasuke lean in, his lips hovering above his own.
A screech engulfed the air as a car careened around a sharp turn in the street and shrieked to a halt in front of Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto let out a yelp and clung to the thing nearest to him…meaning Sasuke.
"NARUTOOOO-SAAAMMAAA!" Lee called, his opposite car window rolling down.
Naruto let out a relieved sigh and blushed when he realized that he was gripping Sasuke.
"G-gomen!" he stuttered, letting Sasuke go.
"Whatever," Sasuke said, also fighting down a blush.
"NARUTO-SAMA! JIRAIYA-SAMA IS HEADING TO IRUKA-SAN'S HOUSE FOR YOU!!!"
"Oh shit," Naruto hissed under his breath. He turned to Sasuke.
"So uh…"
"This Monday?" Sasuke said, looking up at the sky nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets.
Naruto smiled and nodded.
"I'll meet you at the Cocoloco at eleven."
"Eleven?"
"Yea sorry, I have rehearsal for Crimson Eyes and a photo shoot at Sungakure Studios. That is…unless you wanna come to the rehearsal and shoot?"
Sasuke shifted his gaze to Naruto who looked to the ground quickly and blushed.
"I-I mean it'll be great for your job…right?" Naruto said.
Sasuke fought down a smile in an attempt to look collected and uncaring.
"I guess so," he said.
"Ok. Rehearsal begins at noon, and then the shoot starts at 5:00."
"Long practice."
"Yea, it sucks."
"It's fine. I'll pick you up at 11:45."
"It's alright, you don't need to pick me up. I have a driver and-"
"No. I mean…I want to," Sasuke said, looking away as he blushed.
Naruto turned a bit pink in the face and he smiled.
"Ok."
Naruto pulled out a pen from his pocket.
"NARUTO-SAMAAA!" Lee yelled, honking his car's horn.
"HOLD ON!" Naruto shouted back.
He turned back to Sasuke and pulled the brunette's hand forward, scribbling on it with his pen.
"This is my address, and that's my cell number in case you get lost," he said, giving Sasuke back his hand.
"Dobe," Sasuke scoffed.
"Teme," Naruto countered.
"NARUTO-SAAAMMMAAA!" Lee cried.
"Ok! Ok!" Naruto said.
"I gotta go obviously," Naruto said to Sasuke, rolling his eyes. "See you Monday."
Sasuke nodded, and suddenly Naruto leaned forward and closed the distance between them in a chaste kiss.
Sasuke didn't even have time to blink before it was over, and Naruto was staring wide-eyed at him as if he had initiated the kiss.
Naruto's cheeks flushed crimson and he put a hand to his mouth.
"C-cya Sasuke!" he said, quickly jumping into Lee's car and speeding away.
Sasuke stood there for a good ten minutes after they left, replaying over and over again in his mind what had just happened.
"NARUTO-SAMA I WAS SOO WORRIED WHEN I COULDN'T FIND YOU IN THE CLUB! I THOUGH YOU HAD BEEN KILLED BY THE PAPARAZZI!!!" Lee cried as he drove.
"I-I-I-I-I'm fine!" Naruto said, clinging to his only lifeline, otherwise known as the leather seat, as Lee drove like a maniac through the streets.
"Then I telsh em, nah! Thash only mah secund drinkie!"
Gaara glared intensely outside of the window of his black stretch limo, tapping his fingers. He wore his usual clean black suit and red tie, his legs crossed tightly as he retained his anger.
Shikamaru sat slumped next to him, his usual spiked ponytail undone, causing his black hair to fall in calm spikes around his face and brush against his neck. His black jacket had been removed, revealing his black fishnet shirt underneath over a firm chest.
"Idn't tha crazshy Gaa?" he slurred, falling back so that his head rested on the redhead's lap.
Gaara's eyes twitched.
After six bottles of imported sake, Shikamaru was declared dead to the world. (Of course Gaara had also had a glass or two, but he was never a big drinker.)
"Gaar?"
Gaara looked down and grit his teeth.
"'Crazshy' indeed," he bit out. He just had to survive five more minutes and Shikamaru would be out of his hair and back at his own house.
Gaara inwardly gasped as the front locks of his ruby red hair were tugged, and he came nose to nose with the wasted Shikamaru.
"Yoush got pretteh eyeses," he said, and Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow and he blushed a bit.
"Shikamaru, you're drunk off your ass," he said, bringing his head back up only to have it tugged back down again.
"No, I means it!" Shikamaru said, his face suddenly serious. "I knowsh I'm drunk, but I alwaysh thought yoush had pretteh eyeses."
Gaara's "pretteh" jade eyes widened as he felt a pair of warm lips press up against his own, and he gasped as Shikamaru's hot tongue lapped at the crease of his lips and begged entrance.
Gaara felt his whole body go numb as Shikamaru's skillful tongue probed his mouth open and crept in, mapping out the hot, moist cavern within.
The taste of alcohol prominent on Shikamaru's tongue swirled with his and Gaara's saliva, creating an intoxicating mixture that made Gaara's eyelids fall and his body feel hot with arousal.
Gaara finally moved his mouth, caressing Shikamaru's lips in slow, gentle circles. He groaned when Shikamaru's hand traveled up his shirt and over his lean chest. He broke from the redhead's mouth, letting him catch his breath as he began to suck on his neck.
Gaara gripped Shikamaru's shirt and pushed him away as the limo stopped in front of a modest house.
"Shikamaru, you're home now," Gaara said, and Shikamaru sat up reluctantly, casting a glance out the window.
He looked back to Gaara and leaned in, brushing his lips against the redhead's.
"Come in with me," he whispered, and Gaara felt his sanity slip.
How could this make him feel so good?
"I can't," Gaara said. "It wouldn't be right. You're drunk."
"I'd want you to come in even if I wasn't," Shikamaru said, sounding almost sober.
Gaara pushed Shikamaru off of him and pointed to the car door.
It wasn't that he didn't like Shikamaru………………..quite the contrary.
When Naruto was relaxing in the lounge and had no need for a bodyguard, Shikamaru would always sit down with Gaara in his office and just chat away. They both found that they had many things in common. The silences they shared were comfortable and relaxed, and glances were warm. You could say that the Sungakure Studios owner had grown a little more than a crush for the brunette.
But whether or not he had feelings for him was beside the point. He, like Naruto, had an obligation to his work. Having a relationship would distract him from everything important, and he couldn't take that risk.
Personal feelings had to be swept aside.
Shikamaru exited the car and entered his home, giving Gaara one last longing look before the limo took off.
"URgggggggggggggggggg…"
Chouji groaned as he sat slumped in his chair in front of the table where empty take out cartons lay scattered, completely cleaned of their foods.
"So Chouji, did you enjoy?" Iruka asked as he came in from the living room.
Chouji gurgled.
"I'll take that as a yes…" he said, sweat-dropping.
He looked down as the cell phone clipped to his waist buzzed, and he flipped it open to see one new text message awaiting him. He opened it and let out a relieved sigh.
To: Iruka
From: Orange Fox
Pulling up to house in 5 - thx
"Iruka!"
Iruka practically dropped his phone when Jiraiya's voice boomed right in his ear, and he whipped around.
"I've come to take Naruto home," the white-haired man said. "He's in your guest room, right?"
Iruka froze.
"Y-y-y-yea, b-but don't you want a drink or something first???" he stuttered, and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
"No…" he said slowly. "I'm sure Naruto would like to get home."
"WAIT! Erm…how about some sake!?"
Naruto hurried out of Lee's car and ran around to the back of Iruka's house.
He opened the window to the guest room where he was currently staying and climbed in, landing roughly on the wooden floor.
He heard Iruka's voice outside his door, frantic and babbling, and another deeper voice answered.
Naruto knew immediately who it was.
He ran to his backpack he had brought over to Iruka's house, undressed, slapped on a pair of worn jeans, and was tugging a blue tee-shirt over his head when the doorknob wriggled.
"Iruka, I said no!" Jiraiya said, gripping the handle of Naruto's door. "I'd just like to go home."
"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-ut-"
Jiraiya opened the door to Naruto's room and Iruka shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the explosion.
"Hey Naru. How're you feeling?" Jiraiya said in a fatherly tone, and Iruka opened one eye.
Naruto lay on the guest bed, his arms behind his head and his legs stretched out and crossed lazily.
"Better," Naruto said, smiling and standing up. "Ready to go home."
Jiraiya grinned as Naruto grabbed his backpack.
"Wow, I should let him stay over at your place more often Iruka!" he said, and turned when he heard a loud "thunk!" on the floor.
Naruto stifled a giggle as he saw Iruka passed out on the floor.
"What's wrong with him?" Jiraiya asked, jabbing a thumb at the brunette.Naruto chuckled.
"It's been a long night."
Sasuke threw off his shirt, not bothering to remove his jeans, and flopped down on his bed.
He put a hand to his lips where oh so recently the lips of a blonde angel had touched, and he felt himself smile.
Naruto…was definitely not what he had expected.
It was beyond his wildest dreams.
He was beautiful, smart, loud but cheerful, and he actually acted like he was a human instead of an otherworldly god. Sasuke realized that he had never wanted to listen to someone talk so much before…or even talk himself! He and Naruto were opposites, but alike in so many aspects…
Sasuke sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, his rare, soft smile staying with him. He felt like he wanted to giggle like an obsessed fangirl.
He blinked out of his fantasy world as the cell phone on his bedside table rang, and he flipped it open.
"What?" he said emotionlessly into it.
"How was your date?"
Sasuke bristled.
"Shino, it wasn't a date! It was an interview for work!"
"Then why did you stop taking notes halfway through?"
"I- wait…how do you know that?"
"In case you've forgotten, which I assume you have, this is my night off. I was invited to the Cocoloco by a celebrity friend that I used to work with in photography. I saw you guys from across the room."
"Hn," Sasuke said. "It wasn't a date. So what if I like talking to him? Naruto is an A-list celebrity/supermodel. He would never go out with a nobody."
"Is that what your interview with him told you?" Shino said.
Sasuke paused and touched his lips again.
"So what the hell are you waiting for Uchiha?" Shino said, reading Sasuke's mind. "You've never felt anything for another person before besides annoyance or disgust…or both. Who cares if he's an A-list celebrity? Obviously not him. C'mon Uchiha, don't let him pass you by!"
The phone line disconnected and Sasuke shut his phone, his eyes gleaming red in the dim light of his room.
He admitted it- he did feel something towards Naruto, and famous or not, he wasn't letting it go.
WOOT! GO GET YOUR DOBE SASUKE!!!
Sky-eyed Kitsune
Translated by Gomi-kun