A/N: Meh. I wrote this in like an hour. I really don’t like it that much. If anyone has ideas for improvements, lemme know.
Legal Stuffiness: No, I don't own Naruto.
" " = dialogue
' ' = thoughts
~
text = song lyrics
~
--
Musical Musings
The clouds were passing by, a high-altitude wind blowing them swiftly to the east. The breeze teased the grass Sakura lay in, and blew her hair around her face. She’d brought a small portable radio with her, and she’d been trying to find a station for the past few minutes that suited her mood. Her mood was one of frustration. Uchiha Sasuke was on her mind, and he was working her last nerve. What the hell was his problem?
Finally, she found a nice-sounding song, the first few chords being struck just as she tuned into a station near the left-hand side of the dial. Then, the words began, and she knew that this was the song.
~
I was sitting, waiting, wishing
You believed in superstitions
Then maybe you’d see the signs
~
“Damn it, Sasuke. You’re totally blind. Either that, or you’re a total moron.” Sasuke acted as if she didn’t exist. He never even acknowledged the fact that she liked him, even though it was painfully obvious. Naruto even knew. 'That’s pretty bad. Naruto’s pretty dense. So how dense does that make Sasuke?'
~
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you?
Must I always be playing, playing your fool?
~
“Hmn. Yeah, I feel like that. I feel like a complete fool. Am I wasting my time? I mean, I’ve been bonkers over him for years. I openly fought over him with Ino. He should know, right?” That wasn’t necessarily true. Boys are really stupid about that sort of thing. Her mom had told her that it took her kicking her dad in the shins and yelling at him to make him realize that she was in love with him in the first place. 'That’s gotta suck. But then again, what better position am I in? Sasuke treats me like a helpless kid. I guess I am helpless compared to him and Naruto, but that’s no reason for him to treat me like that!'
Sakura’s mind wandered as she listened to the last verse, letting the words soak in. She sighed.
~
Well, if I was in your position
I’d put down all my ammunition
I’d wonder why it had taken me so long
But lord knows that I’m not you
And if I was, I wouldn’t be so cruel
Because waiting on love
Ain’t so easy to do
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you?
Must I always be playing, playing your fool?
~
“Damn right.” Both Sakura and Inner Sakura came to a decision at the same time. She would go over to Sasuke’s house, even if it was only seven o’clock in the morning and he may actually still be asleep since it was a Saturday. “He’s made me suffer, even if it’s only because he’s too dense to figure out that I like him. So, I’ll make him suffer by waking him up in the morning. If I have to, I’ll beat him over the head just like I do Naruto.”
She stalked down the street, talking to herself in a low growl. Inner Sakura was taking over, and there wasn’t much she could have done, even if she had wanted to stop her. There was a kind of grim smile on her lips, as she entered the large gates that had the Uchiha crest on them.
--
~
London calling to faraway towns
Now that war is declared—and battle come down
London calling to the Underworld
Come out of the cupboard all you boys and girls
~
Sasuke tried not to bob his head to the music as he went through his morning yoga routine. The Clash always seemed to make him feel better. The sounds were so manic, driving and forceful, while still managing to be fun at the same time. There were so many things to make him tense, and he had to relax. Naruto just kept bugging him, and Sakura had been acting oddly lately. She wasn’t her usual cheerful self.
~
The Ice Age is coming the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
London is drowning—and I live near the river…
~
Settling his weight into his final pose, he let the beat of the music soak into him. He figured that the song was about the end of the world, but he could never be sure. Symbolism had never been his strong suit. Subtlety wasn’t, either. Why was it that everyone was acting so strangely? Naruto was almost depressed, and kept asking him these strange questions, Kakashi had been on time three times in the past week, and Sakura…well, she was Sakura.
When he thought really hard about it, pushing all thoughts of revenge from his head as another song came on the mix CD he had playing, he wondered what his life would be like if he’d just forget about killing his brother, just for a little while. He snorted. “I might have to try it sometime. I feel like I’m drowning in all this stress.”
--
Naruto sat staring at the floor. He watched as the sun rose, not wanting to get out of his pajamas. His sleeping hat was tossed onto the floor, and his feet dangled over the side of his bed. He’d turned on his small stereo, and put on the CD he’d had Chouji make for him. Lately, he’d been wanting to wallow in his own self-pity. The fifth song finished, and he prepared to sink into further depths as the sixth one began.
The words were the very essence of how he was feeling, and when the chorus came, he finally stood, singing in a broken voice.
~
There is only so much I can give without return
Maybe a song
Maybe a few
Maybe not
Maybe, finally fuck it and just take a shot
And I battered, broken, barely hoping remade token
I would crawl back to you and say thanks I needed that
It’s been a while…
~
He stared miserably around himself. The bed, unmade now for a week, was empty of everything, but even when he was in it, he felt as if it was empty. Naruto was in this sorry state for one simple and undeniable reason: Sakura. She knew how he felt about her. He figured that she’d known for a while now, but he’d just up and told her outright last week. As he looked at his reflection in the glass of his window, he frowned.
She’d told him that at the moment, she was still trying to get things sorted out with Sasuke. He didn’t even seem to realize that she liked him, according to Sakura. Naruto sighed. 'He wouldn’t know love if it bit him on the ass.' He thought for a moment about going to see Sasuke so he could kick his ass and tell him that Sakura was totally nuts over him. That might start things in the right direction. It wasn’t exactly his place to do something like that, but who the hell cared? If it resulted in the happiness of two out of three, then it was worth it, even if those two didn’t really include him.
--
The radio in Sakura’s pocket was still on, and a song she’d never heard came on. It made her stop before she knocked on Sasuke’s door.
~
Never there, you’re never there…
~
“Boy does that sound familiar. Teme!” She sighed, and turned the thing off. It was time to confront him, and it was Inner Sakura that was going to do it. She just shrank back into a corner of her mind and let the other, more forceful part of herself step in and take over. Rather than her usual ladylike knock, she pounded her fist on the door, much like Naruto would do when he wanted to beat the crap out of Sasuke. It wasn’t as if she didn’t feel like doing that exact thing right now, anyway.
--
Sasuke sat drinking a glass of water, listening to another of his favorite songs, “Someday, You Will Be Loved,” by a band called Death Cab for Cutie.
~
You’ll be loved, you’ll be loved, like you never have been
And the memories of me will seem more like bad dreams
Just a series of blurs, like I never occurred,
Someday, you will be loved.
~
He dropped his head onto the table and the music washed over him. He was swallowed up in his own misery, he realized. He’d forgotten what it was like to have someone love him. His pitiful self-reflection was interrupted when he heard a familiar banging on the door. “Naruto…it’s a little early.” He growled as he walked through the house to the door, his annoyance overwhelming his sadness. When he got to the door, he yanked it open, glaring at the intruder.
“Sakura?” She was glaring right back, as the music echoed through the house. She didn’t even say hello. The pink-haired girl simply pushed past him, then grabbed him by the ear and pulled him after her.
When they got to the living room, she picked him up bodily and threw him onto the couch. He cowered beneath her gaze, as her hand reached out and smacked him very hard on the top of his head. “Baka!” Her eyes were like pools of green fire. He was scared.
“What did I do?”
“Not what you did, it’s what you didn’t do.” She crossed her arms as he rubbed the lump on his head. She pulled a small radio out of her pocket and put it on the coffee table, then sat on the table next to it. “Are you a complete idiot?”
He blinked, then said stupidly, “I hope not. What’s this all about?”
By this point, “Breathe” by Prodigy had begun to play, and the aggressive beat seemed to fuel her mood. Sasuke heartily wished he had turned the CD player off.
She laughed harshly. “I’ll tell you what it’s about. You must be totally blind. I’ve been nuts over you for years. There, I said it. I’ve done all I can do here. Boy, I feel better.” She turned to leave, picking up her small radio. He was still blinking in surprise when he heard her footsteps heading for the door. He was still staring at the spot where she’d been sitting.
Finally, he seemed to understand what she said. Fast as any move Kakashi may have used, he ran and caught up to her. Putting himself between her and the door, he said, “Wait.”
Her face had one of the most sarcastic expressions on it that he had ever seen. “Do you really think I’m going to hang around after I’ve made a complete ass of myself?” Her hands were on her hips, and he noticed for the first time that she was slightly dirty, and that her hair was mussed.
“Depends,” he smirked, “I’ve got something to say. Will you listen?” Looking her over again, he saw that some of her hair was in her face. She crossed her arms under her breasts, and tapped her fingers on her arm, impatient to be gone.
“Well? You better hurry up, or I’ll have to knock you through the door. I need a shower.” Sasuke nearly laughed. He’d never seen Sakura act like this. It was…interesting. Maybe it was his hormones, or maybe it was just part of his brain finally waking up to the fact that Sakura was a girl (and a really good-looking one, at that), but he found himself moving toward her.
“First, I wanted to know what brought on this change…” he asked as he brushed that small bit of hair out of her eyes. She eyed him suspiciously. “Because I kind of like it.” He came to a stop not far from her at all, inches really. Sakura had stiffened, and was now stock-still. She seemed, after a moment, to find the will to speak.
“It was a song I was listening to.” Her eyes were no longer looking at him, but seemed to be seeing something far away. “All about waiting around for someone. Something just snapped. I got tired of waiting for you to see that I liked you. Now that I’ve told you, I’m not sure how much I like you—“
In true Sasuke fashion, he didn’t let her finish her sentence. His hormones seemed get the better of him, and he grabbed Sakura and kissed her. He didn’t think it was possible, but she stiffened even more, then he had this awful pain in his chest and then an instant later in his back. Finally, he found himself sprawled in the street. She had punched him though his door. Well, at least he now knew she’d been serious about that.
“Baka! Teme! What the hell did you do that for?” She advanced on him, and he scrabbled backward. She stood in the middle of the empty street. Suddenly, he thought, 'God, am I glad no one is around to see this.' He’d never live it down. “I just said that I don’t know if I like you anymore. What was that supposed to be, your way to convince me that I do?” She let out a strangled scream of frustration.
“I don’t know. It just sort of happened.” He winced as he felt a warm wetness trickling down his back. He was bleeding. She grabbed the front of his shirt, and yanked him to his feet.
“You know, yesterday, I would have been jumping for joy that you kissed me. Now, I just don’t think I will.” She dusted him off, and then switched on her radio. “I’ll see you in training, Sasuke.” He blinked after her, watching her retreating form. What did he do wrong? 'Damn. What I wouldn’t give to be able to do that again. But have her kiss me back…'Sasuke apparently liked it a little rough. Scary, if you ask me.
--
She wasn’t sure why, but she felt a million times better. As she walked upstairs to her room, she began to laugh. Sure, he was Uchiha Sasuke, the prodigy and last remaining descendant of the Uchiha clan. But now, having punched him through his door, she couldn’t see that he was that special. Especially since it literally took him being beaten over the head to have him realize that she liked him. Her primary emotion as she put away her small radio was one of oddly calm satisfaction.
After looking out at a sky that was as blue as Naruto’s eyes, she took out a set of clothes, and went to the bathroom to take the shower she’d been needing since the night before, switching on the stereo on the way.
~
Sometimes I feel
Like I am drunk behind the wheel
The wheel of possibilities
However it may roam
“Keh. Fastball. Who would have thought? I guess I was a little out of my head over him, huh?” She asked herself as she turned on the water. The song was drowned out as she got into the shower, and she could only really hear the baseline. It didn’t matter, because she knew all of the words.
Halfway through her shower, her mother poked her head into Sakura’s room. “Sakura! You have a visitor. Hurry up! He’ll be waiting on the back porch.”
Sakura snorted to herself. “Better not be you, Sasuke. I’ll knock you across the field out back if it is.” For some reason, that idea appealed to her more and more. 'I guess I know how Naruto feels now! He’s kind of…annoying, isn’t he? Damn you, Sasuke. If you try anything, you’ll definitely be sorry.'
After she was done in the shower, she towel-dried her hair quickly and ran her fingers through it. Then she slipped on a black tank-top and a baggy pair of dark red shorts, and a pair of sandals. Much better. As she went through her room, she heard:
~
How does it feel…
To treat me like you do?
~
“Hmn.” She stomped down the stairs, and onto the back porch, prepared to repel Sasuke again. To her surprise, it was Naruto. He looked utterly miserable.
--
“Sakura-chan…” Naruto kept his voice as level as he could, but it didn’t really work.
She walked quickly over to him. “Are you ok, Naruto? You look so sad!” She gave him a hug. When she pulled away from him, he was blinking in surprise. “I’m sorry. I know you’re probably mad at me. I deserve it, I guess.” He stared at Sakura, shock apparent all over his face.
“Um, Sakura-chan? Are you alright? You never hug me.” His self-pity was still thick, and he stared at her from the depths of it. All he knew was that she still loved Sasuke, and there was no hope for him. He was torturing himself just being here. He wanted to leave, but she looked so happy. Why had he come here instead of going over to that teme’s house first, he’d never understand.
“Oh, I’m fine.” She smiled. After a moment, she laughed. “I’m better than I have been since I entered the Academy.” He was confused. What had happened? His question was answered in a moment. “Sit down, Naruto. You look like you could use it.” The both of them sat on the edge of the porch, their feet dangling just above the ground. “I went to see Sasuke this morning.”
“Oh.” He figured it out. He was pretty sure that the reason why she was so freaking happy was that Sasuke finally realized that he liked her back, and that they were dating. He wanted to vomit.
“I told him I liked him, but now I’m not sure that I really do anymore. I told him that too, then he kissed me.” She shivered, as if trying to shrug off the memory. Then she looked over at Naruto, who was still in shock at her reaction. He blinked in surprise, trying to process all of this information. Then, she tipped the balance, breaking his brain. “I punched him through a door, into the street.”
“Argh!! Sakura-chan! You did WHAT?!” He couldn’t believe it. “I thought you were totally ga-ga over him! Why would you punch him?” His brain still wasn’t working. She’d punched Sasuke? While he was kissing her? That was better than he could have hoped, even from her. What the hell brought on something like that? Then he looked over at her, and saw that she was staring at him. “What?”
“Hungry?”
Naruto thought for a moment. “Not really.”
“What, not even a little? It’s my turn to make breakfast this morning, and my mom said I’m not getting out of it, even if I punch her through a wall, too. It wouldn’t be any trouble to set an extra place.” She poked him in the ribs. Her eyes narrowed. “Have you been eating, Naruto?” She lifted his shirt up to look at his ribs. “You look like you’ve lost weight.”
Naruto grumbled something about not being hungry lately, and snatched his shirt back down, blushing. Sakura had just yanked his shirt over his head! She was offering to cook for him, too. He didn’t want to be rude, but he didn’t think he could really eat anything. Naruto had been fasting for a few days now. He had heard something about it clearing one’s head, and he decided to try it. 'God knows I could use a clear head…'
“I’m really not very hungry, Sakura-chan. I can try to eat something if you’re going to go through the trouble, though.” She smiled when he said this, and pulled him back into the house.
--
Later that same day.
Kakashi stood around, waiting. It was the first time that he was early and the others were late. Why was everyone acting so out of character lately? Oh, well. They had five more minutes, and then he was going to take ten and hunt them down. Suddenly, Sasuke appeared, looking rather harassed and stiff. “Yo. What’s wrong with you, Uchiha?”
“Sakura punched me.”
Kakashi snorted, raising an eyebrow. “Did you deserve it?”
“Honestly, I think I might have. I’m just not sure.” He stood stiffly with his former sensei, waiting for the others to arrive. And arrive they did, talking and laughing with each other. Offhandedly, Kakashi thought that was a bit odd. He watched as Sakura pointedly ignored Sasuke. 'What the hell is going on?' He didn’t really want to know, but he hoped that it didn’t affect the way the team worked.
“Oi! Kakashi-sensei! What’s up?” Naruto said loudly. Kakashi noticed that he looked much better than the last time he’d seen him. Sakura was watching Naruto closely, taking in his every move. He’d seen that look before, but she’d usually looked at Sasuke that way. This whole thing was making his head swim.
“Not much, Naruto. I was going to train you guys, but I have something that I have to do, and now I’m going to be late because you guys were late…” All three of them looked at him in horror. He nearly laughed. “It isn’t that big a deal. You guys can manage on your own, can’t you?” they all nodded, and he walked away, humming under his breath.
--
Sasuke watched Sakura from the corner of his eye. She was ignoring him, and it was pissing him off. The problem with finally realizing your feelings for someone is compounded if they don’t feel like waiting around for you…there are always awkward situations. He decided to take out his frustrations on one of the posts on the training grounds. What the hell was she doing, anyway? She liked him, didn’t she? Didn’t she?
--
Sakura sparred with Naruto. Neither of them were getting serious, though. Naruto didn’t want to hurt her, since she just started treating him nicely. Sakura didn’t want to hurt him, because she was too busy noticing how his eyes were the color of the sky, and how he now had taken his jacket off, and…his muscles…she suddenly dodged one of his attacks, cursing herself for getting distracted.
Naruto stopped momentarily. “Sakura-chan, do you want to really spar? I feel like we’re playing.”
At that, she went all out on him, Inner Sakura taking over, and working him over like she would Sasuke if she were sparring with him. Naruto rose to the occasion, dodging, blocking, and carrying out attacks of his own. Both of them smiled the entire time. They didn’t know it, but they were being watched jealously by Sasuke. He brooded over by the posts.
As Sakura dodged one of Naruto’s attacks, she spun toward him, taking him by surprise, and tackling him to the ground. Both were breathing hard, and she pushed her hair out of her face. “I win.” She smiled broadly. Naruto’s grin broadened to something like double its original size, and he reversed their positions easily.
“You sure about that, Sakura-chan?”
“Hey, let me up!” She tried, but couldn’t get out of his grip.
“I’ll let you up, if…”
“If what?”
“If you go out with me.”
She smiled, and laughed. “Ok, Naruto. I’ll go out with you. Just let me up, ok?” Both boys on the training ground were stunned by her too-quick agreement. Sasuke’s predominant emotion was jealousy, coupled with shock, and a desire to rip Naruto’s head off. Naruto, for his part, was mostly surprised. He’d really only been joking. The odd thing was that she sounded serious. He let her up, still stunned.
“You mean it, Sakura-chan?”
“Sure. You’re not so bad now that I think about it. Come on. I think we’re done.” She put her arm over his shoulder, and they left the training grounds, waving to Sasuke in the process.
--
The young Uchiha heir stomped off to his house, put on a CD of very dark and angsty music and brooded. He plotted ways to make Naruto suffer a horrific death, but none of them really ever were carried off. He was just a miserable person until he got over losing Sakura, and then he concentrated once again on his revenge.
--
A/N: Sort of anti-climactic ending, huh? I just hate Sasuke, and even though I think Sakura doesn't deserve Naruto, better her end up with Naruto and make him happy than have that damned Uchiha be happy. Ever. He was born to brood.
Yes, I know I used lots of songs. They are:
Jack Johnson—Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
The Clash—London Calling
Death Cab for Cutie—Someday You Will Be Loved
Cake—Never There
Jude—Battered, Broken
Prodigy—Breathe
New Order—Blue Monday
Fastball—Out of My head
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