Hotaru closed her eyes. “Who am I say? I can’t control what mortals do nor can I predict the future like mother can. What happens is because they made it happen.�

Rikugou or Riku as he preferred, frowned. “So why did you save that mortal boy. It’s not just because Kyuubi is your friend is it?�

Hotaru smirked. “I could care less what that bumbling, pyromaniac, idiot does. Life and Death are mine to control. I can choose who will live and who will die for that is my power.�

“Yet mother is the one who tells you who will die and who will not,� accused Riku.

Hotaru turned towards her brother. “You have a lot more to learn Riku. We exist to help, guide, and protect mankind. Just because we know what the future holds, doesn’t mean the mortals can’t change it. I didn’t save that human boy. He was still alive when I came to him and Kyuubi. I just increased his chances of survival. What that boy does is entirely up to him. Just like how it’s Sasuke's decision to walk away from his friends and home. We can’t force them to go the way we want them to. Do you think I always completely obey mother?�

Riku just stared in shock. Hotaru just smiled. “Let’s go home. I’m sure Chi is wondering where we are.� Glancing toward Konoha in the distant. “It shall be very interesting to see how this turns out.�

A gust of wind blew and they were gone.

&------&

Down below, a single thought pass through Naruto’s mind. ‘Sasuke...’

&-------Owari---------&

Title: Message On the Wall
Fandom: FMA
Pairing: Guess
Note: This was suppose to be a Christmas Story... but I don't think I'll get around to finishing it.

Chapter 1: I hate myself
Christmas is always supposed to be a joyous time of year. As snowflakes dance upon the air, smiles and shared everywhere. People dashed about, finishing their Christmas shopping with ease. While easy for some, other still can’t deny the underlying stress it tends to bring.

So amidst this all this hustle and bustle at the shopping center, a young man was trying to fight his way through the crowd. When all of a sudden he stopped. He didn’t know why he stopped. Between the chaos and holiday cheer that simple message on the back of the wall just seem to ring out. The young man frowned; the words puzzled him. Not much time was given to him to think before he was pushed aside by the crowd. He grumbled and glared at the man who pushed him. People these days. What happened to the Christmas spirit these days?

It seemed that people didn’t see the message. Or rather they choose not to see the message and simply ignored it. Then again, it was on the side for a café’s wall, where people rarely see it. It was simply because he walked this way to get to the café that he noticed it.

He walked up to the message, tracing the words with his fingers. Why would anyone write a message like that? Out of anger? Sadness? Maybe both? He fished out a sharpie from his pocket.

‘Hold on!’ His brain screamed at him. ‘That’s graffiti you idiot!’

He ignored it though. Curiosity killed the cat as they say.

Title: Jellyfish Day
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Sasunaru


---------------------

Jellyfish Day

--------------------

The city of Konoha was in chaos. Had this been some time in the past when Konoha was a hidden village full of ninjas, this would have caused a huge alarm, making many think a war was upon the village. But in the modern day city that Konoha had become, chaos had taken a different meaning.

The streets were covered with glitter and pink and red streamers. Flower petals practically covered the sidewalks. Paper hearts were plastered onto the walls and bright red neon lights displayed sappy love phrases everywhere. One could almost see an immensely bright, happy aura oozing from almost every household. The clouds in the sky looked strangely heart-shaped and the smell of chocolate was strong.

In simple words, it was Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day: n. February 14, observed in honor of St. Valentine as a day for the exchange of Valentine’s and other tokens of affection.

Every year when Valentine’s Day came, it was like this unusual madness gripped every girl’s soul. Those without sweethearts were safe from most of the madness (though it left many of them bitter) while those with sweethearts were showered with endless amounts of chocolate and gifts. Of course, there was always that (un)fortunate bachelor, the one with the insane fangirl club who is literally hunted like animal while the hunter girls tried to track him and give him their homemade chocolate.

This year unlucky bachelor would have to be Uchiha Sasuke.

---------

Sasuke took a moment to catch his breath. He had been running from those crazy fangirls of his for hours. Sasuke even went as far as to skip school today just to make sure he didn’t have to deal with those girls. No such luck. He spent most of the day hiding and running.

At the age of seventeen, Sasuke was one of the most popular boys in town. Girl swooned over his silky black hair and cold black eyes. Many thought their cold loner prince just needed a beautiful girl to melt that icy heart. For as long as he could remember, Sasuke has always been trying to avoid girls. How on earth did his brother survive high school? Oh, that’s right, his brother did the sensible thing. Itachi got himself a girlfriend.

Sasuke glanced around. The sound of girls stampeding was getting closer. He had to find somewhere to hide. The best idea was to hide in one of the stores. Sasuke ran into the closest one near him. Hopefully there weren’t any girls in there.

“Hiding?�

Sasuke jumped, surprised to hear someone sneak up behind him. “Uzumaki,� he growled.

Uzumaki Naruto grinned. “Nice to see you remember me, Sasuke-teme.�

Uzumaki Naruto was the reining trickster of Konoha. Just a few inches taller then Sasuke, Naruto’s sunshine blond hair and bright sapphire eyes matched his personality perfectly. His whisker-like scars added to the mischievous smile.

When comparing the two boys together, one will find that they are as different as the sun and moon. Sasuke was the popular cold-hearted prince while Naruto was the smiling clown, the not-so-popular guy. At school, the two never got along and it wasn’t surprising to see the two of them fighting. Sasuke was just annoyed by Naruto’s presence and Naruto seemed to purposely push Sasuke’s buttons just for the sake of doing so.

“What are you doing here?� Sasuke said coldly.

Naruto frowned. “I should be asking you that. You’re the one who came into the store. Unlike you, I work here. Actually, don’t bother answering that question. I know why you’re here.� Naruto walked past Sasuke and locked the front door.

Glaring at Naruto’s back, Sasuke shot back, “How would you know?� This day couldn’t get any worse, could it?

Naruto flipped over the sign from Open to Closed and proceed to shut the curtains. “It’s as obvious as day. It’s Valentine’s Day. You’re hiding from your fan club.�

Glaring at Naruto’s back, Sasuke shot back, “How would you know?� This day couldn’t get any worse, could it?

Naruto flipped over the sign from Open to Closed and proceed to shut the curtains. “It’s as obvious as day. It’s Valentine’s Day. You’re hiding from your fan club.�

Sasuke scowled before moving onto his next question. “What are you doing?� he asked. His eyes blinking to adjust to the sudden loss of light as Naruto closed all the curtains.

“Closing the shop until you leave. If your fan club finds you here, they’ll wreck the place,� said Naruto as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Sasuke’s scowled only grew longer. Naruto rolled his eyes. “You’re a full time supporter of Jellyfish Day aren’t you?�

That question at least got Sasuke’s eyebrow to rise a bit. “A full time supporter of what?� Sasuke questioned. Uzumaki certaintly didn’t just say…

“Jellyfish Day.�

“What the hell is that?�

“The day where all of those bitter of Valentine’s Day gather to share tokens of bitterness and snarky remarks about Valentine’s Day and love in general. Oh and of course, support the Jellyfish,� said Naruto. He had said it with an air of calmness, as if the holiday Jellyfish Day was common knowledge.

“Who the hell made a stupid idea like that?�

Naruto shrugged. “I suppose some popular guy like yourself broke the heart of a girl too many times. Or it could be just a bunch of bitter girls who never have fallen in love and don’t plan to. Could even be a bunch of guys. Who knows?�

An odd silence fell over the two of them as soon as Naruto finished. Naruto was content with playing with a piece of a chocolate, tossing it back and forth between his hands while Sasuke didn’t feel like talking.

Sasuke took the silence as a time to untangle his frantic nerves and take a look around. The store was bigger than it looked from the outside. In the back, Sasuke could see shelves of assorted items, ranging from clothes, food, school supplies, to other everyday necessity. The front part where he stood looked different. More like a café with tables and chairs. There was even a little a glass display featuring some delicious pastries.

“What is this place?� asked Sasuke. He never recalled seeing this store before in all the time he lived in Konoha.

“Houkiboshi. Your one stop store for everything,� replied Naruto.

Another bout silence fell. This time it made Sasuke just a little uneasy. He was used to having Naruto’s voice constantly ringing in his ears. Sasuke didn’t think it was even possible for him not to talk. Sasuke wasn’t sure what unnerved him more: a silent Naruto or hordes of crazy girls. Probably a silent Naruto.

‘I can’t wait until this day is over,’ Sasuke thought. ‘There’ll probably be a mountain of chocolate when I get home, but at least by tomorrow morning most of those crazy girls would have given up by now. And hopefully most of those chocolate are white chocolate.’

Unknown to most of Konoha, Sasuke had a secret weak spot for white chocolate. No one had bothered to ask him what his favorite chocolate was so he always received milk chocolate and dark chocolate. White chocolate and a cup of tea were most welcome right now. Right on cue his stomach grumbled.

“Sounds like you’re hungry,� said Naruto with a grin. Sasuke shot him his usual glare. “Maa, maa. You’re never going to get any food like that,� said Naruto with an amused smile. He set down a cup of hot tea and a plate of white chocolate on the counter. “On the house. Strawberry Cream tea and white chocolate,� said Naruto with a grin.

Sasuke was taken aback. “How…�

“Did I know,� finished Naruto. “You drink tea everyday at school. That’s a given. And a little birdie told me about your obsession with white chocolate.�

Sasuke was at a loss of words. When the hell did the dobe get so… smart and cunning? Naruto only grinned as he grabbed his own cup of tea. “So why don’t you get yourself a girlfriend, Sasuke-teme, if you don’t like going through this every year?�

Sasuke took a seat. “I have no interest in girls,� he muttered.

“You’re gay.�

Sasuke nearly choked on the piece of white chocolate he just ate. “What the hell gave you that idea?� A red tint was beginning to appear on his face.

Naruto’s grin widened. “Well, usually when a guy says he has no interest in girls, he’s far from straight and very close to gay.�

Sasuke glared back. He was beginning to detest that grin of Naruto. How the hell did he know about that? Not even Itachi knew that. “Have you been stalking me, Uzumaki?� Sasuke asked flatly.

“Perhaps.�

That time Sasuke fell out of his chair. He suddenly got a feeling it was a lot more dangerous to be in this store with Uzumaki then it was to be outside with the crazy fangirls. Naruto leaned over the counter to look down at Sasuke. “You know you’re going to get hurt if you keep doing that,� Naruto said with a chuckle.

Sasuke glared once more. “And you’re gonna get your face stuck like that if you keep glaring at me like that.�

Sasuke growled. “Only because you keep doing weird things. Has anyone ever told you you’re like a different person outside of school?�

Naruto smiled. “Yup, glad you noticed.�

Sasuke got back up into his chair. “And what about you Uzumaki? I thought for sure you would be outside waiting for someone to give you chocolate.�

Naruto frowned for a moment. “Well, for one thing I had to work, and for another, I’d much rather give someone chocolate today rather than receive.�

Sasuke’s eyebrow rose. “You do know Valentine’s Day is the day when –girls- give out chocolate right?�

“Of course.� Naruto grinned. “But you still owe me a White Day’s gift for the free chocolate.� Naruto leaned over and gave Sasuke a quick kiss on the lips. “Happy Jellyfish Day.�

-Thud-

Naruto leaned over the counter once more. “Hmmm, I think I just made Sasuke faint.�

------------------

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. He had the scariest dream ever. He was in this store and Uzumaki Naruto had just kissed him. Those blue sapphire eyes staring at him looked really familiar…

“Awake yet Sasuke-teme?�

Sasuke groaned. It wasn’t a dream! ‘Someone shoot me now,’ Sasuke thought to himself. He tried to get up off the floor only to realize that he couldn’t. Naruto conveniently decided to sit on him. “Off, Naruto,� Sasuke growled.

Naruto grinned his infamous grin. “Finally decided to call me by my first name too, huh?� Naruto kissed Sasuke on the cheek. “I think I like it here.�

A blush rapidly appeared on Sasuke’s face. Damn Naruto.

“You know, this was the last thing I expected to find when I came home.�

Sasuke tilted his head to see who was talking while Naruto had a startled and almost scared look on his face. It was Seika. “Seika, a little help here,� asked Sasuke, recognizing his brother’s girlfriend.

“Hi neechan,� said Naruto cheerfully.

Sasuke looked back at Naruto. “She’s your sister?�

Naruto grinned. “Small world isn’t it?�

“… Will you please get off?�

Seika, the owner of Houkiboshi and Naruto’s foster sister, rolled her eyes. “Get a room you two.�

Sasuke stared at her. “You’re not gonna help me, are you?�

Seika walked pass the two boys. “Nope, consider it payback for locking me in the closet with Itachi all those years ago.�

“He forced me to help him! And it worked out for the better didn’t it?�

Seika paused to think for a moment. “Nope. Not gonna help. Beside I have meet your brother for dinner soon anyways. I’ll tell him you’ll be staying over for the night. And Naruto…�

Naruto tilted his head. “Yes?�

“Nothing more than cuddles.�

Naruto pouted. “Mou--�

Seika smiled and headed back towards the door. “Have fun you two,� she said, waving bye as she closed the door.

For the third time that day, silence fell. Sasuke glared at Naruto, who was still sitting on him and Naruto only smiled back. Naruto popped another piece of white chocolate into Sasuke’s mouth. “I’ll say it again. Happy Jellyfish Day, Sasuke,� said Naruto giving Sasuke another peck on the cheek.

Title: Kuro to Shiro no Kagi
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Seika/Itachi
Note: side story to Kagau Waku Wa hana no shita ni te
--------

Kuro to Shiro no Kagi

---------

Loner and Popular. Genius and Failure. Black and White. Two complete opposites and yet the same. Never getting along, now for first time without fighting, they’ll talk with words of anger. Music will be their connection.

--------

Soft music danced in the air. Lean pale fingers moved gracefully over the white and black keys. An escape; his escape. To leave reality and into fantasy. Fingers moved again, changing keys. Notes changed and the music continued to flow. Each note was a word, forming a message. Not a single word was said yet one could hear what the song was saying.

Somewhere in the midst of the larger Uchiha mansion, sat a teenager in front of a piano. His black hair was limp; the air in the room was dry and dead. Black onyx eyes were closed. There was no need to look at the sheet of music. He knew it by heart. Nearby on a chair laid a black cloak with red clouds. He wore a black shirt and black pants. The darkness of his clothes greatly contrasted with his pale skin.

The music sounded hauntingly. Perfect for such a setting. Everything here seemed dull and lifeless. Thousands of rooms were empty, collecting dust. Memories either buried in the mind or buried underneath the white sheets that covered countless furniture. No light seemed to shine and birds didn’t sing. Everything here was dead. Trapped in time. Nothing moved nor did it change. Glasses didn’t sparkle, the colors of flowers weren’t vivid and bright, and it was almost a ghost town at night. There was nothing comforting or homey here. After all, money can’t buy everything.

=Across Town=

More music was heard. This tune was different from the other. Brighter, happier. Small, pale fingers move quickly over the chords of strings. Some was strumming, the others fingering. An escape, her escape. From reality to illusion. A new chord was strummed, before returning to an old chord. Each note was different. Some created messages, and others did not. The beauty was this music was unrestrained and unheard of.

Sitting on a swing, next to a lake in the middle of the park sat another teenager with a guitar in her lap. Her white hair flew in the gentle wind. Her sapphire eyes were closed. She needed no music. Every note came from the heart. She wore a long sleeved white shirt with a knee high, white skirt. They blended well with her pale skin.

The music was lively. It worked well with this surrounding. Everything was alive here. The grass was green, and the water was crystal clear. Birds sang cheerfully and fishes swam happily. The sun shined brightly as big, white, fluffy clouds rolled by and nothing seemed to matter. Eventually changing, especially with the seasons, everything was happy. Memories didn’t matter. Who she was didn’t matter. The only thing that matter was the song she could play. Happiness is something earned, not given to.

=====

They were two completely different people...

Uchiha Itachi was the eldest of the last Uchiha.

Usuyuki Seika was eldest and only grandchild of the Usuyuki clan.

He was everything her family had hope she was

She had the freedom he always wanted

Yet they insisted on not getting along

=====

Music is a flow of words and/or notes. They often say it is easier to play something then to speak it. Music is the reflection of the feelings. When the song is sad and haunting, the person is mostly feeling sad. When the song is happy and upbeat, the person is full of energy and smiles. It takes a real master to make the music flow like it should. Anyone can make notes. Only a few can make the person listening feel what their feeling.

Uchiha Itachi quietly covered his dusty piano. As usual the house was quiet. Sasuke was mostly likely with Naruto again. His little brother had found a friend. He soon left the room.

====

The Uchiha mansion was big house. Actually big is a loose term. It was bigger than big. But bigger never means better. Actually, the largeness of the mansion made it lonely and sad. Itachi could wander through the empty halls for hours and never once run across his brother if Sasuke was doing the same thing. To him, home was never home. It was just an empty house he came to at the end of everyday. Other than fond memories, this house held little importance to Itachi. True his stuff was in his room but that could always be replaced.

Yet the only thing he cared about in this house, aside from his brother and a picture of his family when he was younger, the only thing Itachi always returned to was the old grand piano in one of the larger living rooms in this mansion. For one reason or another, Itachi was always loved playing on that piano. He enjoyed it. It almost exceeds his love for martial arts. Almost.

His wanderings brought him to the front of his house. Just as he passed the front door, the doorbell rang. It was times like these; Itachi wished he actually had servants to answer the door. Maybe he’ll look into one day. Itachi opened the front door to reveal the last person he would see at his doorstep: Usuyuki Seika.

Seika's long, white hair and sapphire blue eyes often made it easy to spot her in large crowds. Her long white bangs always fell in way that it seemed to frame her face, no matter how many times she tied them back or pushed them behind her ear. Her sapphire eyes were always flashing different emotions. She’s almost a head shorter than Itachi, petite, small, and light. The dragon necklace around her neck stood out against Seika’s white outfit. In her small, pale hands was a textbook.

Usuyuki Seika is an easily angered and annoyed type of girl. She often jumps to conclusion before getting all the facts when angered or annoyed. There were many times when her temper gets the better of her judgment. She doesn’t talk much and preferred to be alone. Stubborn when she wants to be, she’s actually a nice girl if you don’t get on her bad side like Itachi normally does. Seika was Itachi’ s classmate and Naruto’ s roommate. (See Kagau waku wa hana no shita ni te for more info. Chapters 1 and 4 are a good start about the roommate thing) Seika is the loner of the school. She never talked to people and Itachi didn’t even know of her existence a few months ago. Due to some current events, for some reason, Itachi has been annoying her since he met her.

She handed him the textbook in her hands. "Here. You left this at my house when you came to pick up Sasuke yesterday." Itachi took the book. How on earth did she know where he lived? Wait don’t answer that. Everyone and anyone know where the Uchiha Mansion is. The only problem was actually finding it. It’s so secluded it’ s hard to find. (Ignore the fact that it’s just the biggest house in the town, surrounded by smaller houses). With that, Seika turn and began to leave.

"Seika, wait. Do you wanna come in," asked Itachi. Seika stopped and look back, her eyebrow raised. If Seika belong to the Uchiha Itachi’s Fan Group (UIFG not to be confused with USFG [Uchiha Sasuke’s Fan Group]) she would have been screaming excitedly and hugging the older Uchiha. The thing is, Seika wasn’t a part of such a group so her reaction was dull, blunt and straight to the point as it always has been. "Why?"

Since the day they met, the relationship between the older Uchiha and Seika had been quite strange. The Monday after White Day, the older Uchiha had made it a habit to annoy the white hair girl. From there the process continued. There were rare times where they actually agreed on things. Other than that, they were either arguing with one another or Seika was losing her cool. It was cute in a sort odd, twisted, I-hate-you-but-I-love- you sort of relationship. So while Itachi was trying to make it to first base as friends, Seika just wanted some peace and quiet. Where Itachi was trying to include her in his life, she wanted no part of it. It was very strange indeed.

As one of the most popular boys in the high school area and on the list of most wanted to date, Itachi had no real friends. He considered Kisame as a bodyguard and anyone else in the school either hated/envied him or wanted to date/fight over him. It was very'85 annoying. But perhaps that was the reason why Itachi was so intrigued by Seika. She was the first girl he'd met that wasn’t “lovey dovey� about him. But then again, Itachi wasn’t too sure why he wanted to know Seika better.

On the other hand, Seika would rather not be friends with Itachi. As a loner, she enjoys her peace and quiet, something she hasn’t had since Itachi became determined to find out more about her. In fact her life was even more chaotic after Sasuke and Naruto got together and Itachi wanted to become friends with her. So far she had nearly been trampled by fan girls more then once, had false rumors floating around about her and Itachi, had her grades drop because of Itachi, and the list goes on and on. It could be the fact that she never had any playmates her age when growing up, since socializing with people is something she never really knew how to do.

Another thing was the fact that everyone in the whole damn school insisted on comparing her to him. It was mostly about grades. Seika really didn’t understand that. The older Uchiha was genius; she was struggling to just get an A in her classes. Did everyone have to point that out? It was annoying to Seika. They were two different people. If they were related like how Sasuke is to Itachi, then she was okay with it. After all it was like the same genes but that didn’t matter. They weren’t related. So why compare them?

Itachi didn’t really say why he offered Seika to come in. It could be that he was lonely. Sasuke was out with Naruto. He had no parents and friends. Aside from Kisame, Seika was only person Itachi attempted to talk to. "Talk," he randomly and casually said. Seika stared at him. Her sapphire eyes glimmer with confusion. Surely this was one of Itachi’s plots to annoy her. Then again it wasn’t like she had anything to do. Sure she could train but hey she was looking at losing anyways, so a day off wouldn’t kill her (actually it could).

Debating whether she had just sealed her doom or not, she said, "I guess."

====

The beauty of music is a rather an unusual thing. Some understand it, some don’t. Music is an art that can be expressed with or without words. To create a musical masterpiece, it must come from the heart. Music reflects the soul like any other art such as drawing and writing. Some people can create beautiful musical masterpieces with ease. Other prefer different ways.

Music isn’t just notes played together as one. It’ s also the ability to string words together to craft a magnificent song. Music comes from the heart and not from the head...

===

Whether it was intentional or not, Itachi had led Seika into the very room he was just in. Itachi had left Seika alone for a minute while the telephone rang. Seika scanned the room. This was the first time she had been here and frankly she didn’t like it. It reminded her of the main house. That was the last place she wanted to be. It was so empty here. There was no life, no color. It was blank almost.

Her hand ran across the white sheet that covered the piano. No dust. ‘He played recently,’ she mused to herself. It was hard for the older Uchiha (even Sasuke) to keep things from people. Sooner or later, their stalkers discovered their hobbies and such. It was only a miracle that no one had found about Sasuke and Naruto’s relationship yet. So like everyone else, Seika knew Itachi enjoyed playing the piano.

She moved from the piano to the small picture frame that lay on a nearby table. A family picture of the Uchiha. There was a tall man with black hair and eyes and woman with black hair and eyes holding a baby. At their feet stood a small Itachi. He must have been about 5. While she subconsciously noted that Itachi and Sasuke held more of their mother’s features, Seika wasn’t looking at Sasuke or his parents. Rather she was looking at the expression on Itachi’s face. He was smiling.

It wasn’t a smirk and it wasn’t a cold smile either. A true, genuine smile. When was the last time she had seen her classmate smile like that? She remembered seeing it at the Sakura Matsuri. But other than that, Seika didn’t remember when. Itachi doesn’t smile like that in school.

"They were great parents when they were alive and when they had time to spend with us."

Seika turned around. Itachi had come back. She set the picture back down, only for Itachi to pick it back up. "When they were alive," she questioned. His parents were dead? Seika didn’t know that. Itachi looked at her. "You didn’t know?" She shook her head. Was she supposed to? "Funny I thought everyone in town knew about it. They made it the talk of the town for months. They’ve been dead for 5 years. Someone poisoned them. Never found the culprit."

Seika blinked. ‘How can he say that like he doesn’t even care?’ When Itachi told her that, his voice was his normal, withdrawn, cold voice but it was almost as if he didn’t care that his parents were dead. Itachi set the picture down on table. "What about you? What are your parents like?"

In a normal case Seika would have yelled at Itachi for asking such a question. But he told her about his parents, it’s only fair she do the same. Her eyes looked up at the high wooden ceiling above her. "I can’t say," was all she said.

"They dead too?"

"You could say that."

Silence fell. Itachi didn’t understand what Seika meant by that last sentence. Did that mean she was adopted and her real parents were somewhere out there? Seika was a completely mystery. Definably living up to her name as a loner. Itachi then noticed that the air in the room seemed sadder. He decided to change the subject.

He grabbed Seika before she could object and proceed to dragged her out of the house. "Wha-? Where are we going," she asked.

His only response was, "Ice cream."

====

Music doesn’t have to be notes played or sung. To some the art of conversation is music. For those who live in complete silence, music and words are blessing to hear. Some never hear words and notes in their life. It’s funny how when the small things are gone, it is then when we realize how important they are to us.

The gift of conversation is another art in itself. Anyone can play notes; anyone can string words together to form a sentence. However, there are too many times when we stumble over the right words to say and express ourselves. To be able to talk freely and without trouble is a blessing that many do not possess.

Music can be a conversation. It takes practice to play notes and form an exquisite song. It’ s the same for speaking. It becomes easier to converse with people when you start talking more. To someone who is shy, they will always stumble over their words. But when that shy person finally begins to speak, then their confidence begins to grow as well. After a while they’re comfortable with speaking with people.

====

Seika normally didn’t treat herself to one of life’s simple pleasures, ice cream. She normally didn’t have the money to spend to buy ice cream. Don’ t get me wrong. Seika loves ice cream. It was her “sweet snow�. But she had a tight budget so eating ice cream was never on her list of things to buy. Therefore, to anyone who knew of Seika and her tight budget would go and get their eyes checked if they walked by to see Seika buying ice cream.

Seika stared at the vanilla ice cream in front of her. On those extremely rare days when she does treat herself to ice cream, it’ s usually gone by now. Something was wrong. It could be the fact that she was feeling guilty. Guilty that someone else was buying her ice cream. Guilty at the fact that she’ s been treating Itachi so poorly and now she was eating ice cream with him. Guilty at the fact that she isn’t paying for this. Just downright guilty. She propped her elbows onto the table, folded her hands and rested her forehead on her hands as she said, "I don’t deserve this."

Itachi looked up from his chocolate ice cream cone. It had taken him 30 minutes to get Seika down here and order. She so stubborn and too generous too. "Huh," he asked. Seika lightly glared at him. "I don’t deserve this ice cream."

"Why not?"

Seika nearly fell out of her chair. Was he blind? Over the pass months hadn’t she, one, punched him, two, falsely accused him of a rumor that was never his fault to begin with, three, thrown water at him, four, hit him countless times, five, well... this list was getting too long so Seika stopped herself from continuing. And he’s telling her to eat ice cream?! Something was wrong with this picture here. "You’re treating me to ice cream and I’ve treating you like trash so to speak."

"So?"

Seika really did fall out of her chair that time. Someone tell her that she was hearing things. "You mean after all I’ve done to you over the past couple of months, you forgive me for it?" Itachi shrugged. "Well I was kinda just jumping unexpectedly into your life. I can’t really blame you for most of the things you’ve done. I probably would have done the same thing to if I was in your shoes." Seika stared into Itachi’s eyes, her hand feeling his forehead. Nope he wasn’t sick. Was this really the same Itachi she saw at school every day? Didn’t seem like it.

The Itachi she saw at school was cold and distant. He was more a loner then Seika herself. He was icier then her and could charm a girl within seconds so that she was nothing more then putty in his hand. The Itachi she knew was annoying and always trying to talk to her. So who was the dummy that replaced the real Itachi and where was the real Itachi?

Seika never noticed that she lean so closed that the tip of her nose got chocolate on it from Itachi’s ice cream cone. She sat back down; her cup of vanilla ice cream was starting to melt. It was then Itachi noticed the spot of chocolate ice cream. He chuckled lightly. Seika looked at him confused. (Seito: You get confused a lot don’t you. Seika: That’ s ‘cause you made me that way.)

Itachi lean over with a napkin and wiped her nose. "You’ve got chocolate ice cream on you," he teased. Seika’s nose scrunch up a bit as a lightly and very faint blush appeared on her face. Itachi leaned back into his seat and chuckled lightly. Seika, who finally figured out what Itachi was doing, also began to chuckle.

====

You know, it’s a funny thing, the way humans think. We’ re always quick to judge others before we get to know them completely. Yet we can relate to each other when we share a common bond. The saying, ‘Never judge a book by its cover,’ is true. They don’ t know it but it’s the loneliness in their life, their interest in music, the masks they wear, the people they care for, and many other things that tied the two here together. They may never be more then classmates or people who happen to know each other because of their friends and brothers. But for now... let them just enjoy the moment. It isn’t everyday that these two laugh and it almost never that these two manage to get along.

It’s actually quite picturesque. Two classmates who never got along sitting there, actually talking for once. Two teenagers just trying to be the best they can be without hurting anyone in the process, eating ice cream together, laughing as well.

=Outside=

Naruto and Sasuke were passing by outside. As usual they were spending time alone. Today they went to Crystal Lake, the lake located in the center of the park. After getting each other wet, they were heading home to dry off. They were passing the ice cream shop when the two of them spotted something very strange. Seika and Itachi were eating ice cream.

"Quick!! Sasuke, the camera," urged Naruto. Sasuke found the camera and snapped photos. This was perfect blackmail on the older siblings. (Although Seika wasn’t Naruto’s blood relative. Just someone he considered to be an older sister) Sasuke chuckled lightly. Oh the possibilities.

"We can get those developed," cheered Naruto. Now he had something over Seika for the videotape she had tape of him and Sasuke’s first kiss. Sasuke gave Naruto a sloppy wet kiss on the forehead. "Let’s get home first," he said, offering his hand to Naruto. Naruto smiled at took Sasuke’s hand. Revenge on Seika and Itachi could always wait. It wasn’t like Naruto could always have a day with no interruption with his boyfriend. Yup. He was just going to spend some time with Sasuke first. Who wouldn’t want to spend the whole day with their boyfriend without interruption?

Naruto sighed and leaned against Sasuke’s shoulder. Finally, some peace and quiet. The two boys made it towards the Uchiha mansion. Their hands were intertwined. It had been an eventful day to them.

=A Year Later=

Again pale fingers flew across the black and white keys. This melody was different from the first that was heard. Where the first one was sad and haunting, this seems to be cheerful and soft. Familiar words could almost be heard as the tune continues to dance and play in the room. He was so absorbed in the music he never heard the door open. The music continues to flow through the room, swirling around the room.

The room seemed brighter somehow. It wasn’t as lifeless and dull as it was before. Things that never had a shine seem to sparkle a bit. There wasn’t much different but one could tell. The air wasn’t dead and dry. It just seem lighter, happier, some how different. It was... almost comforting for once.

The music continued, picking up a slightly faster beat. It was still a soft tone, still slow, just slightly faster. "...Together that’s you

Forever with me

We’ll always be good company

You and me

Yes together we’ll be...�

Itachi stopped and looked towards the source of the voice. Seika was leaning against the doorframe with a gentle smile on her face. Absentmindedly she pushed back her bangs as Itachi stood up from the piano seat and headed towards her. "Hurry up," she said. "We’re going to keep your brother and Naruto waiting. We’re already late."

Itachi chuckled lightly. He didn’t bother to cover the piano anymore. He played on it everyday now. Itachi followed Seika out of the room. The room returned back to its original state. Time stopped again, waiting for its master to return. The room reminded lifeless once more. The air became heavy, dry and dead. In spite what had happened just moments before, the room was still the same as it was a year ago as it was the same 10 years ago. But there was something different in the room aside from the missing piano cover.

On the piano right above the black and white keys, was a picture. It was the same one Naruto and Sasuke took. It was the picture of Seika and Itachi at the ice cream shop. Seika was sitting, pushing her bangs out of her face with a big smile on her face as she was laughing. Itachi held a napkin in his hand that had a brown spot on it as he laughed as well. The breeze suddenly blew the picture onto the black and white keys where it stayed there.

-----------Owari----------

Title: Kagau waku wa hana shita ni te
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Sasunaru
Note: My first story... >> so prepare for spelling mistakes, grammar and overall lameness. >>

----------------

You know trying tell the boy you love that you love him is very hard. Especially when you think he doesn’t even know you exist. It doesn’t help that he’s the most popular boy in the entire school and you’re the loser of the school. It MOST CERTAINLY doesn’t help that you happen to be a –boy- yourself now does it? Valentine’s Day and White Day must be a real downer for you...

----------------

A blond hair boy gradually made it back to his apartment. His bright sapphire eyes held a great deal of tiredness. Today had been a disaster and very exhausting. He failed his science test, boys were running around giving gifts as thank you for Valentine’s Day, the teachers yelled at him again for doing something he didn’t do, but to sum it all up his life was just fine and dandy. Fumbling with his keys, which were jingling in the process, Uzumaki Naruto finally managed to open the door. Music soon greets his ears as he walked into the small apartment.

The apartment was small and was only a two bedrooms apartment. The kitchen was rather small and the living room was the dining room. White carpet covered the floor. Pale blue curtains hung from the big glass window in the living room and small one in the kitchen, flapped as a gentle breeze blew. A long hallway leaded down to the two bedrooms and bathroom. Naruto walked down the padded hallway floor. Upon coming to the second door, he pushed it open. It was his room. Slightly messy but that was expected for a boy his age, Naruto’s room was a white and pale blue color, much like the rest of the house. However someone was occupying his bed. Sitting on his bed, next to the window, he found his roommate and good friend Seika.

Seika was a few years older then him around the age of 17 while Naruto was 12; attending classes in the high school area of the school. Snow white hair swayed in the wind as the bright sapphire eyes, which closed at the moment, sparkled. Seika’s soft small hands moved over the strings of the brown guitar, playing each note right on the beat. The long sleeved white shirt and black fingerless gloves moved with each note. The brown guitar rest on the blue jean long pants, with the right foot keeping time with the music. Seika wasn’t your average roommate though. Where Naruto was loud, Seika was quiet, Naruto played pranks, Seika played with silent mischief, Naruto was struggling with school and grades, Seika was a straight A student through hard work, Naruto was the loser at school, Seika was a loner yet still quite popular, Naruto would rather outside and play, where as Seika would rather be inside listening to music. They were opposite but seemed to get along just fine. Especially the fact that Seika is a –GIRL-.

When Seika and Naruto first met, there was a screw up in the room assignment. Since the school acted as a part boarding school, there were apartments that were provided for the students who lived far away. There were usually two people sharing an apartment and the school chose the assignment so you won’t end like Seika and Naruto, girl-guy pairings. So unless there were problem between you and your roommate (you two always getting into fights or something of that sort), you were pretty much stuck with them for the rest of your time at dorms. That or you were rich enough to pay for your own apartment. Luckily the school covered all the bill with you’re tuition (though you had to pay a little more for your tuition, then someone who just attends the school with out board.) So Seika and Naruto ended up with the same room. Both had complained to the school nearly five years ago. As you can see nothing has been done yet. However fives years later, present time, both Seika and Naruto have learned to live with each and long given up trying to get the school board to change the assignment. Despite the fact that Naruto was five years younger then her, Seika threaten to pound him into the ground if he tried anything stupid. Her parents were excellent martial artists before they passed away, and Seika learned everything she knew from them.

One of Seika’s sapphire eyes opened, upon noticing that she wasn’t the only one in the room anymore. The normal white and pale blue room was greeted with the bright orange of Naruto’s outfit. “Konnichiwa Naruto-kun,� she said. Her voice was soft and carried a light caring tone. “How did the science test go?�

Naruto frowned. “I failed it.� Seika’s eyebrow rose. She knew he studied all night for the test. Naruto noticing that, answered, “I apparently studied the wrong part of the chapter. It was second part of the chapter we were being tested on, not the first part.�

Seika shook her head, amused at Naruto’s answer. Only Naruto would do something like that, but then again that was one of the few things that made Naruto...well Naruto. “So enjoy White Day,� she joked.

Naruto glared at her. Seika just smiled. “Chill, Naruto. I was just joking. Ne. Your gift will have to wait though. I’m not done with it.� Seika was referring to Naruto’s over due Valentine’s gift. Sure she had treated him to ramen, but she also promise something else. Earlier this morning Naruto gave her a cup of instant ramen for White Day. Naruto raised an eyebrow at Seika’s words. “You’re scaring me Naruto,� said Seika lightly. It was rare for Naruto to seem mad at Seika’s words. “Let’s just hear it,� he said.

A very mild shocked covered Seika’s before smile appeared on her face. “I guess you figured out what it is huh?� Naruto gave her one of his fox grin as be put his arms behind his head, clasping his hands together. “It’s not hard to guess it. You’ve been playing with a new song all month and by now you’ve asked for my opinion already,� he said. Seika smiled again. “Fine. This is just the first part. Take no offense to the gender thing. It just happens to fit better.� Seika began to strum on her guitar. The music started to flow. Words began to tumble out of her mouth.