Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Love Me When I'm Gone	By : KittenCobra Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2015 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (the manga or anime) or any of the characters included within it. I only own the original characters in this story including the main character Utako Mizuke. I do not make any form of profit off of this story.

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26. Job
I help Naruto up off the pavement and we hobble over to a little ramen shop named Ichiraku that he adores across town. I like ramen too, so this is a very natural pastime for us now. We leave Shikamaru behind in the street.
He can kiss my ass! I still can’t shake my shock at his cruelty compared with the kindness and tenderness Temari always remembered from him. I’m not sure I like the idea of her seeing him. Perhaps…
“Yoohoo!!”Naruto says loudly, waving his hand in my face. “Hey you okay?”
“Oh, sorry,” I say for what must be the millionth time today. “I was thinking about Shikamaru. I promised Temari I wouldn’t tell her brothers… but maybe I should.” I had learned earlier in our conversation that their relationship apparently wasn’t a secret amongst the people of Konoha.
“What do you mean?” he asks, confused.
“Gaara cares about Temari very much, and so does Kankuro. They would protect her if they knew.”
“Look,” he says, rubbing the back of his head nervously, “I don’t know what’s up with him, but he’s not really like that. He’s real great with Temari, I swear. Otherwise, I’d tell Gaara myself.”
“You’re a really great friend to him Naruto,” I say softly, my heart squeezing painfully, “Thank you.”
“Hey… No more crying okay?” he says with a worried expression.
“Sorry.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Hey! Gaa….. um… someone told me once that you sing. They said you have the most beautiful voice ever! Is that true?”
“Well,” I blush slightly, “I wouldn’t say the most beautiful, but yes I love to sing.”
“Would you sing something for me?”
“What do you want to hear?” I expect him to have something specific.
“Um…” his sudden blank expression makes me nearly giggle. “I don’t know. Anything I guess.”
I shut my eyes and begin to sing out a clear and wordless melody. It starts out light and airy, but I cannot help but let it ebb and flow with the emotions running through me. It begins to drop lower and I can feel my heart begging, drawing out, and longing for my lover. The wind begins to blow restlessly around my ankles. I flutter back up again into a high staccato, at my fear and my emptiness, and I can feel it brushing gently back against my face. I drop back down again into a mid-range, and draw out my notes, singing with all the love I hold in my heart. In my mind I am singing to Gaara. I want to tell him that I still love him, that I forgive him for not wanting me anymore. Without realizing it, I slip into his melody towards the end – the one I used to sing to him on the rooftops – and it is suddenly too painful. I choke out one more mournful note, and then stop.
When I open my eyes, Naruto is staring at me with his mouth hanging open. He is not the only one either. I am embarrassed to find that the owner of the little ramen shop, his daughter, and half of the street has simply stopped to stare at me. Most of them are smiling. A couple of them have a tear or two in their eyes.
“”Gosh!” Naruto suddenly shouts, snapping out of his momentary stillness. “He wasn’t kidding. Your voice is so beautiful! Did you just make that up, or did you hear it somewhere?”
“My songs are usually my own,” I admit, “Unless something particularly catchy gets stuck in my head.
“Excuse me, miss…” I turn to see a tall, lean man standing behind me. He has a kind face, but he is watching me with a little too much interest.
“Yes?”
“I couldn’t help but notice your beautiful voice.”
“Thank you,” I smile at him.
“Actually…” he hedges. “If you don’t mind me saying so… your voice is almost as beautiful as you are.”
Uh oh… now I’ve done it. “Well… that’s very kind of you but…”
“Hey!” Naruto shouts, standing up between us. “Back off you old perv!”
The man holds his arms up as if in surrender. “Whoa, kid. I mean no harm. I’m not asking your girlfriend out on a date. I was actually going to offer her a job…”
“Uhh…” Naruto rubs the back of his head. “Well she’s not actually my girlfriend. See I got this… I uhhh… We’re just friends.”
“You said something about a job?” I inquire with skepticism clear in my voice.
“Yes!” he says more enthusiastic than before. “My name is Jiro. I own the restaurant and entertainment parlor down the street from here… and I’ve been looking for a woman with your talent for some time.”
“What does the job involve?” I can feel my eyebrow nearly reaching my hairline.
“Well, live performance mainly. You don’t happen to dance do you?” he rakes his eyes over my form again, but not in a crude way.
“Hey!” Naruto shouts again. “She’s not some doll you can just…”
“Yes, I dance.” I cut Naruto off. I glare at him to let him know I do not need him speaking for me. “Depending on the type of dancing of course. What type of entertainment are you looking for exactly?”
“Oh nothing inappropriate,” he assures making an odd face of disapproval. “Just something to help the local shinobi relax after returning from a long mission. I’ve been looking for someone who is, um…” he clears his throat, “able to captivate with both her visual appearance and vocal talent; someone to encourage the locals to hang around and watch before hurrying home. You know what they say… the longer they stay, the more money they spend.” He ends with a cheesy smile.
I scan his thoughts, expecting something terribly vulgar, but his offer is genuine. He isn’t looking for an exotic dancer like some of the establishments I’ve seen in other towns. He genuinely wants an entertainer.
This could be great! I think to myself. I could covertly practice my skills, get paid, and avoid this terrible boredom all at once. Maybe if I could make enough money… I could even remove myself as a burden from Gaara.
“How much would it pay?” I ask, “How often would I work?”
“Well, I would only need you at night. You can work as many days of the week as you want to. I won’t lie… it’s base rate pay, but I bet you’d make a lot of money on tips.” He holds out his hand to me. “Do we have a deal?” His mind is a constant, Please say yes, Please say yes, Please say yes, Please say yes, Please say yes, Please say yes… I almost giggle.
“Yes, Jiro,” I shake his hand firmly. “I think we have a deal.”
-------------------------------
Tonight is my first night at the… bar to be honest. You don’t have to be a specific age to eat here… but most of the patrons appear to come for drinks and relaxation. The place is well kept and only slightly smoky. The shinobi finishing their drinks look bored out of their skulls. A few of them laugh, joke, and carry on conversation; but most of them just look tired.
Wow… I think. No wonder he wants an entertainer. These guys look like they’re about to leave.
Naruto was furious that I accepted Jiro’s offer. I think back on our exchange.
“What are you doing accepting a job from that creep!” he shouts at me.
“Naruto…” I sigh at his childlike conclusions. “I have done this before. How do you think I picked up so many of my guardians?”
“But… but they’re just gonna leer at you like a bunch of old pervs!” he’s really working up a fit, and I am beginning to get annoyed.
“Who cares?” I challenge. “I enjoy singing and even dancing! It’s not like they’re going to touch me, and I’m going to be fully clothed for God’s sake! Naruto… don’t get so worked up over nothing. I have done this off and on for years.”
“But Gaara is paying for everything so you don’t have to!” he screeches, “You shouldn’t have to worry about that stuff anymore! He doesn’t …”
“Gaara!” I scream at him, truly angry now. “Gaara is not my keeper Naruto! He left me here. He doesn’t WANT me anymore! Don’t you get it!? He’s paying my way so I stay out of his hair, and he doesn’t feel guilty for leaving me behind. It is right for me to get a way to support myself! I shouldn’t be a burden on him forever.”
“That’s not true!” he shouts again. “Who the hell said he didn’t WANT you?!”
“HE DID!!” My voice breaks in my anger, and I turn away so he cannot see my grief. Naruto saw Gaara’s indifference himself when I accidentally assaulted him with my memoires. He should know better than to try and convince me otherwise.
“He…” Naruto’s voice is suddenly soft, and confused. “Look… I know he told you that, but it’s not true. He’s just… real messed up right now. He…”
“He doesn’t want me,” I cut him off, hating the brokenness in my voice. “He told me so when he left, and you know that. Please… Please go away Naruto. I can’t talk about this anymore. I can’t… I can’t take it.”
“But…”
“Please!” I beg, my voice breaking on a whisper. “Just go.”
Now I look out at the crowd in the restaurant, and I am again happy about my choice. This will be exciting! I am dying to see how I can change the atmosphere in this place. I bet Jiro is right… I bet I can make tons of money on tips if I play my cards right. I have dressed to impress tonight. It took a lot of effort with the clothes Gaara left for me. Temari definitely had no hand in helping with those….
I took one of the plain black pairs of long pants and split them up the sides, lacing them back together with thin straps of leather from one of the ridiculous cloaks. I then found a beautiful red velvet shirt – also long sleeved and completely boring. I cut out beautiful patterns along the chest and sides, and completely removed the section across my lower back. I left the sleeves on, but split them also all the way to the shoulders and let them hang loose as an accent. Thankfully, I managed to find a decent pair of black pumps in the closet. Temari must have at least taken some pity on me… I pulled my hair up into intricate braids atop my head, and then let it fall in loose waves down to the middle of my back. With a little makeup… I know I look great.
I step out onto the little stage, putting forth all the confidence I possess on display. Inside I have butterflies in my stomach…
“Hello boys,” I say with a seductive smile towards the crowd. I cue the two musicians Jiro hired to accompany me and begin to sing.
Eyes start lifting from plates and glasses – drawn to me. I start slow, singing a seductive low tune and swaying my hips as I pass back and forth on the stage. More eyes move toward me, some of the men and women start smiling. One man grabs his chair, walks right up to the stage and sets in down in front of me – settling in for the show.
Now that’s more like it! I think with a hint of excitement.
Before too long, I am belting out rough melodies, and sauntering across the stage in my full performance mode. I excite the crowd by causing a breeze to stir through them at key moments. They clap and cheer, and sure enough – the cash starts rolling in. Jiro is in the back of the room cheering mentally to himself. He cannot believe his luck.
Eventually the night winds down and I let my songs drift to a more mellow tone. I am now leaning back against the large counter in the corner, with my leg propped on one of the bar stools. I feel tired, but more alive than I’ve felt in days. These people really enjoyed my singing. The women too! Some even joined in on songs they knew. As I finish my last song for the night, I lean over to give Jiro a peck on the cheek.
“Thanks,” I whisper, “This is great! I’ll definitely be back.”
“You’re amazing! They love you!” he cheers. “Come as often as you like. I’ll hold this spot open for you any time.” I beam at him and turn to leave.
Naruto… I mentally gasp to myself. He is sitting in the back of the restaurant in a booth, glaring at me. His shoulders are hunched in disapproval. He is glaring even harder at the shinobi leaving. To my shock…Shikamaru sits next to him.
I don’t want to talk to him! I shout mentally at both of them and turn to head out the back.
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Love Me When I'm Gone

26. Job