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Lady Sings the Blues	By : antilogicgirl Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1015 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: “Lady Sings the Blues”
Author: antilogicgirl
Series: Naruto
Genres: angst, romance
Begun: April 27, 2008
Compelted: N/A. In progress
Summary: Naruto thought he knew everything about his best friend, but it would appear that he was mistaken. Sasuke, on the other hand has strange ways of dealing with his emotions.
A/N: Strange how things turn out. This was supposed to be a funny story, the original title being “King For A Day”, named after the Green Day song. Instead, it turned into this. It’s a moody little thing…
On a side note, the name of the story is actually taken from one of my favorite Regina Spektor songs, and each of the chapters are the names of Foo Fighters songs. Since this story has a lot to do with music, it naturally had to be that way.
Warnings for the faint of heart:
FL--Foul Language
S-ai--Shounen-ai
V--Violence
Part I: The Deepest Blues Are Black
Everyone has secrets. No big deal. Or, so he would have liked to think. There were little secrets, like not telling your best friend that he’s been walking around with nori stuck in his teeth for the entire day…then there was the big stuff. Big secrets, between friends, were the kinds of lies by omission and slips of the tongue that could cause arguments, or break hearts.
His black eyes watched as his best friend of twenty-four years shoved French fries into his mouth. It had, for some time, been difficult to watch the other man eat, talk, or do anything that would require his attention to be fastened firmly to the way those lips moved. That was part and parcel with his big secret. No…he simply could not watch that mouth do anything. Instead, his eyes found it easier to slide away, looking out of the window, and he tried not to frown when the other said around a mouth full of fried potato, “Wah’s ‘oor pahb-um?”
He almost cursed aloud when he involuntarily looked back at the man across the table. His gaze was met with confused, concerned blue eyes that were almost obscured by too-long blonde bangs. And of course, there was that mouth. Currently, the corners of those shapely lips were drawn down into a frown of worry as food was swallowed. “Hey, you in there, Sasuke?” A hand rose in front of his face and fingers snapped, making him jerk in his seat, sitting up ramrod-straight.
Irritated with himself for having been caught, Sasuke pushed away his friend’s hand. “Stop that, Naruto.”
“Huh.” Grunted the blonde, before he leaned forward on his elbows. Suspicion narrowed Naruto’s eyes, and he pointed a somewhat limp French fry at him. “What’s the matter with you lately? You’re spacing out all the time. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were bored of me after all these years.” Sasuke blinked at him, face composed in a mask of total impassivity. The inner turmoil he went through need not show. He was not going to talk to anyone about what was wrong with him. As far as he was concerned, it was his problem alone, and he would work it out on his own. So he just did what he always did when he didn’t want to talk about something. He pushed it aside and ignored it. Bored indeed…ha!
“Shut up. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Naruto snorted, grabbing at his enormous soda cup. After a slurping gulp, he set it down, the ice rattling within. “Like hell there’s nothing wrong with you. I know you too well.” That was probably true. They’d known one another since they were right around three years old. They attended same pre-school, same dojo, same elite private schools…same college. Now they both worked for the same company. They’d been together for so long, they were close as brothers.
Bu because of that relationship, Uchiha Sasuke had long since lost his ability to hide things from Naruto. When those blue eyes turned onto him, they missed absolutely nothing. The seemingly moronic man had enough practice at figuring out Sasuke’s various and sundry levels of morose, bitter, angst, and admittedly cruel amusement. And it was precisely that ability which had caused him to do some of the things he had in the last year.
Slowly, and with not a little effort, Sasuke had regained some semblance of a hiding place from his closest friend. It was not that he wanted to have secrets. Nothing could be further from the truth. His problem was such that it required time to work through, and he was doing all he could to deal with it in his own way. One day, Sasuke would tell him, explain everything. He wanted to do so right now, just like so many times before…but then again he didn’t. There were some things that went better unsaid. For now. “Don’t worry about me, Naruto. I’m fine.”
Naruto shut the door of his apartment. Out of habit, he dropped his keys onto the lacquered table to the left of the door before sitting down to remove his shoes. His movements were automatic as he untied laces, loosened them, and slid his sneakers off. Placing them next to the black dress oxfords that he’d worn yesterday, he began to worry, once again.
There were two pairs of slippers sitting here. One was blue. They were just as well worn as the orange ones he now shoved his toes into. But when was the last time Sasuke had come over? He was just about to stand up when he thought back to exactly how long they’d been occupying permanent space at each other’s residences.
They had the same ritual since they started college. Weekends were for hanging out. Fridays were spent at Sasuke’s house in the outskirts of town, while Saturday nights found the two of them piled onto Naruto’s couch, often with other friends, watching movies or debating some random issue that Sasuke thought was important. More often, they just sat around, reading or taking naps. When you knew someone for as long as Uzumaki Naruto had known his best friend, there were just times when you didn’t need to talk.
One example of this was Sasuke’s rating system for girls. In high school, if a girl walked by that Naruto thought was pretty, he’d look at Sasuke. A favorable judgment would be indicated by a very slight rise in one eyebrow. If the girl wasn’t to his taste, the eyebrow would rise higher as if to say “You’ve got to be kidding.” Very few girls actually met with Sasuke’s approval. Naruto had come to the conclusion that his friend was simply too picky. In fact, he remembered one particular occasion during summer vacation when they were in their second year of college…
Naruto glanced over his shoulder. Sasuke sat beneath an enormous blue beach umbrella, in the shade, but he knew that his friend was slathered in sunscreen anyway. He never tanned, no matter how long he was exposed to the sun. All that ever happened was the world’s worst lobster-red sunburn. Azama Sansan Beach (1) was alive with people, even before noon. Everywhere, people were setting up umbrellas, children were dipping toes into the surf, and a group of US Marines was standing in a knot a few yards away, unpacking what looked like a sizable barbeque.
“You think you’re going to come into the daylight, Dracula?” Naruto teased, “Everyone else and their mother is.”
Sasuke’s mouth turned down a bit at the corners, making him appear to pout, even though he would never have admitted to such a thing. “If everyone else jumped off the top of the Sunshine 60 (2), would you do it?”
Naruto grinned. He loved this part. “Would I live?”
Sasuke rolled his eyes. “What are you talking about? Would you live? That building is more than two hundred meters tall. Of course you’d die, you idiot.” He crossed his arms over the front of the only non-loud Hawaiian shirt Naruto had ever seen, and then muttered, “And in answer to your question, ‘no’. I’m not a masochist. My ass is staying right here in this chair, thank you very much.”
Three hours later…
Naruto heaved another bucket, feeling the grit of sand bite into his palms. This was the reason he went to the beach. Since he was very little, one of his favorite things to do when he did get the chance to go to the seaside was the building of sand castles. Currently, the castle he was nearly finished constructing was five feet, seven inches tall, and nearly as wide. It had five turrets, and he was nearly done erecting what he might dub the ‘servants’ wing’.
His efforts had drawn a small audience, mostly consisting of young children and a contingent of highly attractive girls that might just be his own age. He piled the sand on top of the rest of the small mound, and picked up the plastic trowel he liked to use for smoothing out the walls. Whispers from the girls drew into giggles, and a smile formed on his face as he worked. He loved being at the center of attention. It was an added bonus that such attention was given by abnormally attractive girls, though…
“Hey!” came a familiar, yet strangely altered voice, “Yeah, you! Get yer’ fat ass out of the way! I can’t see around it!” Naruto’s eyes widened in horror. The next few moments seemed to occur in slow motion as he looked up to see the prettiest girl in that group burst into tears. This girl was far from fat. And what made things worse was the fact that as he looked past her, he saw Sasuke, still lounging in his beach chair, with a sizable pile of Sapporo beer cans just to one side. Great. All I need right now is a mean drunk…Damn it, Sasuke!
Sticking the trowel into the sand next to the servant’s wing, he pushed himself to his feet. Naruto stalked over to where his obviously inebriated friend was seated, and hissed, “Stop that, you bastard. You’re making the ladies cry.”
Sasuke’s head cocked up, and a dopey smile spread across his face. Good God, he’s shit-faced! “Hiya, Naruto. Like yer castle…but I can’ see it too well…those fat cows… in my way.” One hand waved vaguely in the direction of the sobbing girl, and Naruto heard her start to cry harder, and her friends started leading her away. The little kids started to disperse as soon as the girl began crying, so the two of them were left alone.
Naruto reached down and grabbed the front of Sasuke’s shirt, hauling him to his feet. “That’s enough beer, and enough of your lip, asshole.”
“My, my,” the drunken man leered, “aren’t we chivalrous for someone that doesn’t even stick around to enjoy it?” That comment was enough to make Naruto see red. Before he could stop to think about it, and before he even tried, his fist clenched and he took a swing at Sasuke. With what can only be described as the ‘luck of the drunk’, Sasuke dodged his fist and kicked his feet from beneath him. Something strange entered Sasuke’s eyes, which Naruto thought might be hurt, or indignation. Finally, he seemed to settle on a look of resigned annoyance. With a sigh, he said, “What do you care about her, Naruto? She’s gone now, anyway. Come on and sit down. I don’t want to fight you.”
But Naruto had not let it go. In the end, they’d both been covered in sand; Sasuke had a black eye, and Naruto a bloody nose. They’d nearly been arrested. What Naruto didn’t understand about the situation was that the girl Sasuke had yelled at had not been fat. In fact, she was the most beautiful of any of the girls that had been watching. She’d had perfect skin, long legs, beautiful black hair that had been spilling down her back, and eyes like smoky obsidian. That girl was perfect. And she’d run off crying.
As he walked into the living room, he wondered where his best friend was, and what was wrong with him. He’d been acting even more strangely than usual for the past few months. Neither of them were really what anyone would call normal, but still…
Dropping onto the couch, he put his feet up, pulling his wallet and cellular phone out to put them on the coffee table. Naruto leaned on his usual arm of the couch, his eyes trying to look over at the phone. He could always call. Sasuke had to know that he was worried about him, but he just would not tell him what was wrong, no matter how many times he asked. All he ever said was “I’m fine,” and that Naruto should not worry. Sighing, he let his head fall back. A little more time. He could give his friend just a little more time.
The house was quiet, as always. Sasuke walked through the darkened rooms, not needing the lights. He’d lived in this house all his life, after all. Through the living room, past the kitchen, to the stairs and up, he went. Not until he reached the spare room at the end of the hall did he flip a light switch.
The room revealed looked normal enough. He was careful to keep it outwardly simple. Nothing strange or different was ever left lying out in the open. The only thing that one might find strange here was that there were no fewer than six closets. Oddly enough, though this place was part of one of his least healthy habits, Sasuke felt a sense of peace here. Unlike the rest of the house, it had a personality of its own which was entirely of his invention. His family no longer lived here; they’d all either died or moved away. Though he was the only person that still remained, he’d done little to change the place.
This room, however, was his alone. He moved to the first of the closets and slid the door aside. Before anything was withdrawn from within, his cell phone let out a shrill sound.
One slender hand reached into the pocket of his pants, withdrawing the dark red device. Flipping the thing open, he held it to his ear and said, “Yes?”
“Are you coming tonight?” A familiar, masculine voice asked.
Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes, but settled on a small smile. After six months, did they still think he’d quit? “Why would I stand you up?”
Knock, knock.
Naruto blinked. Someone was knocking at his door. For half an instant, he thought it might be Sasuke. But that thought was dismissed almost as soon as it had come. Sasuke never knocked. He’d had a key to the place for years. Wondering whom it could be, Naruto levered his body up off of the couch and shuffled to the entryway. The knock came again, sounding light and crisp.
Looking through the peephole, he found himself staring at a pair of bright green eyes. “Naruto!” The girl cried, “I know you’re in there! Open up!” He stood there for a long moment, watching as one of his good friends began to get slightly annoyed. Haruno Sakura always looked prettiest when she was angry. Speaking of pretty…she looked abnormally nice tonight. Her hair was done up in a twist, pretty jeweled pins sticking out at various angles, and she was wearing a black dress that was a concoction of lace and silk. If her boyfriend found out she wore that out of his presence, Sakura might very well be in trouble.
After disengaging the locks, Naruto pulled the door open quickly and leaned on the doorframe. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” She looked startled, but recovered sooner than he thought she would.
Smiling, she stepped closer. Sakura kissed his cheek, and gave him a small hug. “I was on my way out. There is a new-ish club…and I was wondering…if you’re not doing anything with Sasuke tonight—“
Naruto smiled broadly, and finished her thought. “You need a big, strong man to make sure no one molests you, eh?” Sakura slapped his shoulder lightly, but agreed after a moment of glaring. “Where is Ino tonight?”
Sakura waved a hand dismissively. “She’s trying out a new restaurant. If it’s good enough, that’s where she’ll have the engagement party.” Their friend Chouji had finally asked her to marry him, after they’d dated off and on for eight years. It was a wonderful surprise, and the best way anyone had ever popped the question.
Chouji was soux chef at one of the best restaurants in town. He’d closed the place for the night, so that he could have the restaurant for just the two of them. The staff had worked long and hard, creating the perfect dinner. Dessert was also perfect. Ino’s favorite custard tarts were topped with sugared violets, and one candy violet held the ring. Even Naruto had gone all misty-eyed when Sakura told him about it.
He was in a teasing mood, so he asked about her boyfriend. “What about Neji?”
Her eye twitched. “He’s working late. I think I might have to talk to his uncle. That man is a slave driver.” Naruto decided that it might be a bad idea to tease her further about this. Sometimes, she forgot just whom she was angry with, and tended to take out her frustration on whoever was closest. So, he stepped aside and let her in.
“What kind of place is it?” he asked, trying to get an idea of what he should wear.
“Dunno. Sai told me about it…sounds sort of upscale, to me.” She seated herself on the couch, careful not to wrinkle the silk of her skirt. “You’ll be safe if you wear your black suit, I think.” Naruto smiled. If it was Sai, he was pretty sure it was not just upscale. The place was either an artsy jazz bar, or a posh dance club. Naruto shrugged as he entered his bedroom. He would try anything once.
Cultural Notes:
1) Azama Sansan Beach—One of three notable beaches on Okinawa’s main island. Very tourist-friendly.
2) Sunshine 60—a 60-story building in Tokyo. From 1978-1985, it was the tallest building in East Asia.
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Lady Sings the Blues