Dear God it's been a while.

I haven't written/read FanFiction since I was like 13, but here I am. I recently started watching anime again to brush up on my casual Japanese, and thus began the landslide that landed me back on this dear site.

I hadn't watched "Naruto" in almost a decade and have only just started Shippuden, so bear with me on any semantic discrepancies. Also, fair warning, this story started as a daydream evoked by Sum 41's music, so it will be vaguely song-fic-ish. I'm not gonna transcribe every goddamn lyric, but some music will be involved. Besides, there's a reason Sum 41 and similar bands remind me of "Naruto" - they entertained me as a teen and share the same angsty energy (hence all the Sum 41/Naruto AMVs, I suppose).

I can't promise to update super super frequently at the moment, as I'm in Japan for the year and haven't got wifi all the time yet. BUT I've really enjoyed writing this story so far and have a decent idea as to where it'll go, so hopefully I'll follow through (unlike the Morbid Original of ~10 years ago).

I hope you guys enjoy this little introductory chapter. I've written the next one as well, so if y'all seem to like where this is going, I can add that one pretty soon.

...Also NaruSaku so hard, guys.

XXX Morbid Original

Fix You: Exposition

Have you seen Sasuke lately?

For the first time in years, this was a question to which Sakura could answer, Yes, she had. She had seen him the other day at the training arena, when he had come by to watch the rest of Team 7 practice. His probationary criminal status prevented him from joining them officially, but since he'd come back four months ago, he'd never missed his comrades' sessions and would be seen emulating their training immediately after their dismissal.

Learning the truth behind his brother's actions had exorcized his demons, it seemed. Rid of his thirst for revenge, he had dedicated himself to his new goal: redemption. He must repay the village for his betrayal, make up for all the hurt (physical and otherwise) he had caused, and to do so he would become the greatest ninja the town had ever seen, in service to his home.

These thoughts he had voiced not so literally – at least to anyone other than the Hokage's council – but they were generally understood. Despite all that had happened, it was difficult to hold a grudge as the Uchiha heir, the Leaf Village's prodigal son, came home. Just as Sakura had wanted.

But to much surprise, Sasuke's return had brought her about as much elation as being hit in the face with a tennis ball. It was certainly surprising, made her ache right between the eyes, but not particularly pleasant. Objectively she was glad he was back, sure. But 'glad' didn't quite balance out the pain, the gut-wrenching misery she had suffered when he left.

Maybe time had worn away her feelings, euthanized her ability to love; it had certainly diminished her will to trust people. She kept telling herself that, eventually, everything would go back to normal. Her heart would thaw and it would still beat for Sasuke, it would pound. But these assurances were usually met only by a dull ache in the pit of her stomach; doubt's dark matter.

Yes, she'd seen Sasuke, she finally answered, revealing none of the inner monologue that constantly followed his name to Ino, the perpetrator of this latest utterance.

"You should tell him to come tonight," the latter said, prissing about in front of the mirror, ignorant to her friend's transiently matted gaze.

"Come where?"

"To the boys' show, you bimbo." Incredulity had ripped Ino from her reflection, whipped her around to fix her friend with a gawking stare.

"Show?"

"Are you a parrot? Jesus! How have you not heard about this? The boys – the boys' band. Naruto's the frontman, how has this escaped you?"

Ino's reproachful rant did indeed ring a bell for Sakura. She remembered Shikamaru and Kiba bragging about their newfound talents on various occasions; perhaps Naruto had been there. In any case, that explained his abrupt disappearances following their training sessions of late.

"I guess I've just had other things on my mind," she muttered, suddenly taking great interest in her shoelace as she twisted it around her finger.

"Oh please, honey, cry me a river," Ino said, but her tone had softened. A brief silence followed in which she turned back to the mirror, Sakura to the sunset-swollen window. "Just invite him. Get him drunk and jump his bones already."

This coaxed a chuckle from Sakura's lips. "You'd let me have him so easily? Where's the fun in that?"

"Oh please," she scoffed, "I'm over it. Wouldn't wanna interfere with true love." Unnoticed, Sakura's smile turned bitter. "Besides, I'm going for a band member. That's where the real fun's at."

"Which one?"

"Haven't decided yet. I figure I'll leave it up to fate and hit on whoever's the most hammered."

"You know, you've always struck me as the frontman type," Sakura jabbed, eliciting a prompt, pig-like squeal of disgust.

"Ew, just stop. Not in a million years. Besides, everyone knows he only has eyes for you, Sakura-chan."

She grimaced, more out of habit than anything else. Naruto's advances had dissipated quite a bit in the year since Jiraiya's tutelage. Dumb jokes and perverted jutsus aside, he had matured quite a bit in his time away, Sakura thought. Perhaps he had outgrown his childhood crush, realizing there was nothing behind it but arbitrary infatuation. Or maybe he had just buried it. She wondered, sometimes, if the gleam in those sharp, oceanic eyes belied more than the camaraderie they had strictly established; if something still burned inside him, somehow persisting despite lack of advancement. But this curious shimmer appeared less and less frequently – or maybe she had just stopped noticing. Her boisterous blond teammate was the last thing on her mind these days. Maybe he had sensed that, and backed off. Maybe that was why he didn't invite her to their show. She had no idea.

"So are you gonna bring him?"

"Bring who?"

"Christ on a bike, Sakura. Get – out – of – your – head!" Ino chastised, accompanying each syllable with a rap from her pillow. "There's no way you'll manage to seduce Sasuke if you're constantly daydreaming about Sasuke."

Having successfully snatched the pillow from her friend's hands, Sakura stood. "I wasn't daydreaming," she said forcefully.

Pointing an accusatory finger, Ino returned, accurately, "Lies."

Sakura sighed, shying away from another pointless defense of her state of mind. Instead, she changed the subject.

"When is the show?"

"Ten o'clock, Rock Bar. Don't be on time."

"Gotcha." Tossing the pillow back onto Ino's bed, Sakura made toward the door. It was getting late as it was; she had just enough time to go home, get changed, and decide whether or not she should go…and whom to invite, or not.

"Hey!" Ino's voice drew her once again from the steep descent into revelry. "Don't forget to come, space cadet."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I won't!"

"And remember, bring Sasu-"

But the door had slammed before the final syllable escaped.