Charlie: ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say a few words of thanks to all of you who had supported me. my last chapter. (sigh)

Narra: does this mean I have to stay in some dark place with no food until you come up with an idea for another damn story?

Charlie: yeah, that's right (pops open a champagne bottle) let's party!

Narra: they haven't even finish reading the story yet! Hey, are you listening? Charlie!

NEWS: read my profile to get a little update on my next story!

Quotes:

Paul Harvey Writes:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boygirl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Paul Harvey RIDDLE:

When asked this riddle, 80 of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17 of Stanford University seniors.

What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?

Battle for Dominance

By Charlie

Chapter Twenty-Four: End of WWI

The brush hit the floor and snapped into two. A blonde boy sat in front of a canvas, angrily pulling on his hair.

"That's your fifth brush already. The school isn't going to pay for that," said a teasing, girl's voice.

"One, I don't have a model! Two, I can't figure out what to paint even if I do have one!" the blonde boy cried in frustration.

"Halie, Naruto! Time for lunch!" yelled an old man.

Naruto sprang up. "Maybe I just need some food," he said drooling at the mention of it.

"You always need food," Halie said and walked away as he followed her, complaining all the while.

Flashback:

A somewhat old man stopped Naruto on his way to class and handed him a piece of paper. "I signed you up and-."

Big question mark. "Signed me up for what?"

Seriously, he should've slapped the young boy. "The art contest, remember? Anyway, you have a week to finish the painting. The address and everything you need is on the paper."

"A week? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

The man rubbed his head sheepishly. "I forgot."

End of Flashback.

Naruto slurped down his ramen as he thought about the event. That had pissed him off big time. He would have clobbered the old guy if the tardy bell hadn't rung.

Halie ordered something else besides ramen. Eating that stuff all the time made her sick. "Want me to find you a model?"

"Like a real model?"

"If you want," she said casually.

Even that seemed somewhat impossible to Naruto. Yeah, she seemed mysterious and had lots of "connections", but that didn't mean she could get a real model, besides-. "I want someone original. Someone who's hot that no one in the whole world has ever seen him/her before. Creamy delicious skin, impassive, but deep down a really nice guy." His mind immediately settled on a certain raven hair boy.

"I don't want to hear about your boyfriend, I'm eating."

He smirked teasingly. "You're just jealous because I have a boyfriend. Hey, aren't you and roomy going out?"

"Roomy sounds gay and no. We're friends."

"Yeah, that's what they all say," he said and gulped down his fifth bowl. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You're annoying."

It was around six and everyone'd gone home except Naruto. He sat at the blank canvas, grumbling about stupid good-for-nothing inspiration. "I can't do this!"

"Can't do what?"

Naruto peered behind the canvas and smile. He ran and jumped on his boyfriend, resulting in them both tumbling to the ground. He sat up on Sasuke's stomach and grinned widely. "You came to see me?"

Sasuke's glare softened when he saw the cute grin. He sat up so that Naruto sat on his lap and wrapped his arms around him. "Of course I came to see you," he said and nuzzled into Naruto's chest.

"You're acting like a puppy," Naruto said, chuckling.

The nuzzling stopped right there. "I am not a puppy."

"Why not? I like puppies!"

Sasuke smirked and touched Naruto's nose with his. "So that mean you like me?" he teased, but he was hoping for Naruto to 'fully' tell him that. Even though they've done 'things', they haven't once confessed to each other.

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and leaned in closer until their lips almost touched. His eyes partially closed with a haze of seriousness. "No, I love you."

Sasuke stiffened in surprise. He hadn't expected a full 'I love you' confession.

Naruto must've noticed his discomfort because he pulled back and smiled nervously. "Oh sorry, Sasuke. I didn't mean to sound so-." Before he could finish, he was pulled down into a wild kiss.

When they pulled away, Sasuke smiled and gave him a chaste kiss on his wet pink lips. "I love you too." Then he thought about it and added, "…dobe."

It made the blonde pout adorably. He retracted his arms from around the other boy's neck and folded them across his chest, turning his head away. "Dobe, dobe, dobe, dobe," he mumbled in an irritated way. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

Sasuke nuzzled his face against Naruto's cheek. "…because you're my dobe."

But Naruto grunted stubbornly, however the blush on his cheeks told a different story. A hand grabbed his chin firmly and turned to him face a pair of onyx orbs. Then lips crushed against his softly. He closed his eyes and his arms slackened their hold as a barrier between them.

Sasuke pulled Naruto closer so that there wasn't any space left and kissed him senseless.

CLICK!

A flash of light notified them that they weren't alone anymore. They glared at the intruder.

Halie held up ten photos of them. "Stop glaring and get a room. Here, Naruto."

He took the photos and blushed at them. Sasuke tried to take a peek at them, but Naruto got up at that moment and stuffed them into his pocket. "I should get back to my painting."

Sasuke frowned, but didn't argue as he knew this was for some art contest. 'We can always continue later.' Evil thoughts formed in his mind concerning our blonde hero under him. A thwack on his head brought him back to reality.

"Stop daydreaming," she said, her voice hinting that she knew what he was thinking about.

Naruto sniggered, but continued sketching out his thoughts. "Hmm, it still isn't right."

"Let me see," Sasuke reached for it, but Naruto quickly snatched the picture out of his reach.

"You'll see it at the contest."

He raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend's weird behavior. "Why can't I see it now?"

Halie gave him another thump on the head. "Leave him alone. Come on. I'll take you home."

"I have a car."

"I was talking to Naruto."

The day of the contest arrived and Naruto was standing in a corner. Well, it was the corner of the art studio.

"You're gonna tear a hole through your shirt if you don't stop," said Sasuke, handing him a drink.

Naruto let go of his shirt and took the drink. He hadn't realized he been holding it at all. "Thanks."

Sasuke reached to comfort him in some way, but Naruto backed away and gave him a 'look'. "What?"

Naruto gestured with his head towards the talking crowd.

He rolled his eyes and sipped his drink. "Whatever." But he decided to keep his hands to himself. Naruto was jumpy enough as it was.

"Sorry I'm late," said Halie, running over to them.

"It hasn't started yet."

"What's wrong with him?" she said, looking at Naruto.

"Hyperventilating."

"Oh."

Tsunade and everyone showed up to support Naruto. The host and pretty much everyone was shock to see the four famous families show up for a simple art gallery.

The three in the corner went over and…you know.

Again shocking news for everyone else.

"Tenten, aren't you going back to Paris today?" asked Halie while everyone else mingled.

"Yeah, but I decided to stay a few more days."

"Oh, I get it," she said smirking, making Tenten blush deeply.

Neji came over and wrapped an arm around Tenten. "You're not harassing my girlfriend, are you?"

Halie made a shocked face. "I am surprise that you would think that of me, Neji….ok fine."

Tenten giggled and grabbed Neji's hand. "Halie was just asking me about my stay here."

Neji warmed up at her touch.

"…and the beast is tamed," toasted Halie until she got a glare. "I'll go get drunk now. Excuse me."

"May I have your attention please?" The noise ceased. "It is time for the….."

Naruto felt like time was slowing down with every word the host was saying. 'Hurry the fuck up!'

Finally after 2 long minutes, the dude was finished and the paintings were put up for display.

Naruto stood in front of his painting thinking how bad it looked. There was a girl holding a boy and they looked at each other fill with love, but all Naruto saw were two lustful teenagers holding deep dark sinful secrets in their hearts.

"That's good," said a man's voice from behind him.

"Yeah, but it would be better if it wasn't always….that."

He twitched. 'That? What the hell was that? Oh my god, I ruined it! I don't even know what that is!'

"What do you mean?"

'Yeah, what the fuck are you talking about?'

"Just the couple. Come on, let's go."

Naruto turned around and without thinking, blurted out, "No!" He stopped and got a good look at the two people. They were holding hands and they were guys. "Oh. I mean…I-I….uh...hey, Halie!" he called and quickly ran over to her, somewhere.

"I thought you were okay with gay couples. I mean you yourself are," said Kiba as he started breathing again.

He never did find Halie. "No, I screamed no at them."

"And you would do that because?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "They said something was wrong with the couple and they won't tell me what it was."

Kiba gave him an odd look then sigh irritably. "I think they meant that people always have a girl and boy couple, but never boy and boy, get it?"

"So, it's wrong?"

He groaned stressfully. "Look, technically….technically," he said emphasizing strongly on the word technically. "…yes, but-. Hey! Where you are going? Oh, shit!"

Halie was talking to some random people. She was trying to be nice as much as possible, but it was getting a little hard. That was when she heard Kiba saying, 'Oh shit!'. She turned around and narrows her eyes. "Oh, shit."

Sasuke saw people looking behind him and pointing. He turned around and slaps a hand to his forehead. "Oh, shit."

Naruto went up to his painting. He crossed the ropes, opened the glass carefully, and started changing some things with the brush he had in hand.

That's when all the commotion started. It actually started when Kiba said the word yes instead of no.

"Naruto?" called Tsunade.

"Hmm?" he said, not paying attention to the surrounding people.

"What are you doing?"

He said something incoherently, probably buying some time before the security guard cuffed him. Then he stepped down and was caught.

Sasuke stepped in since he really didn't want to have to bail his boyfriend out of jail. He grabbed Naruto, catching the attention of the two guards holding him at the other end. "I'm sorry for this inconvenience. It'll never happen again. I'll be taking him now. Please excuse this intrusion."

The two guards only scoffed and proceeded to pull Naruto away, but Sasuke held Naruto tightly.

"No, I really think you should."

They turned around and was about to cuff him too when they saw faces of the demons from hell staring down at them. Faces as in the Uchihas, Hyuugas, Inuzukas, Naras, Tsunade and Jiraiya. Not to mention Halie too.

The two security guards immediately let Naruto go and backed away slowly.

"Are you okay?" asked Halie.

"Yeah."

"Good," she said and whacked him over the head.

"What was that for?"

"What were you doing up there? This is a contest and that counts as cheating!"

Naruto shrugged. "So, they seem to like it though."

Everyone turn toward the wall where the crowd was swarming. They parted their way through and saw the most astonishing painting.

Naruto had covered the entire painting with a light coating of a clear liquid making the paint seems like an illusion. Then he hadchanged the girl by making feathery, blurry, but quite visible wings on her back, making her look more like a guy. And the guy. The guy was hotter then before. He stared longingly at the angel. An expression of happiness and a hint of lust.

What was even more astonishing was at an angle, the image moved so that it makes the two kiss, holding each other tightly.

Halie petted Naruto's head, to which he gleefully grinned at. "Wow, you did that in a few seconds. I'm impressed." She stopped and nodded her head approvingly.

A hand grabbed Naruto by the arm and pulled him to the back of the crowd, where it was empty.

"I'm proud of you, dobe," said Sasuke and ruffled his hair. He was thinking of kissing him, but thought better of it.

Naruto smiled and gave him a small kiss on the lips. "Thanks."

"You did all the work."

"Noooo, not all of it." He gestured towards the painting with his hand. "See anyone familiar."

Sasuke looked at the painting then blinked. He squinted to see if he was seeing things. "So that's what's with the photos."

By concentrating on the paintings of the non-angel figure's face, showed Sasuke. Not quite, but the details are hard to miss.

"You know the angel reminds me of someone too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, leaning in for a kiss. This one much longer.

"Now I'll reveal the judges."

Naruto nudged Sasuke. "What is he talking about?"

"If you had pay attention, you'll know. The judges weren't announced as whom so that they get to choose the best artist."

The confused look was still on his face.

"I don't know."

Halie rolled her eyes. "They're sponsoring the best candidate, first place winner."

"What does that have to do with any of this?"

"Do you really want to work with a spoiled, disrespecting kid?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled, and then he turned back to her, leaning in close to her ear so Sasuke wouldn't hear. "I don't know. It does have its benefit."

She gave him a teasingly shocked look. "Un-believe-able."

"What's unbelievable?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto waved it off, but he was still smiling. "Oh, nothing."

Sasuke shrugged off the somewhat arousing feeling when Naruto said that. It was disturbing, but a really good disturbing kind of feeling.

When the judges were revealed, Naruto outwardly pointed out that that was the guy that said something was wrong with the couple he painted. Halie had to slap a hand over his mouth of course, but that didn't stop people from staring.

"Right," the announcer said, giving Naruto an odd look. "Now let's wait for the judges to decide. Anyone want food in the lobby while we wait?" Glares were all he got. "It was just a question." He was handed a paper and began opening it. "…and the winner is….Ayame Tanaka!"

Naruto slump down, but he clapped, somewhat. Halie patted him on his back comfortingly. He gave her an 'I'll be fine' look.

After the contest was over, everyone went to chill in the lobby. Naruto got lots of 'She probably slept with one of the judges' or 'Yours was so much better.'

He stood dejectedly in a corner with some of his friends.

A man from across the room looked around and when he spotted Naruto, he came right over. "Hi, I'm Watanabe Kagehiko, Preparator of the Memorial Art Gallery. You have quite a gift, Uzumaki-san. Here's my card. Give me a call if you feel interested working for us," he said and left.

Naruto gaped at the card and looked at his friends. "Wow," was all he said.

"Ayame may have won first place, but…."

He waited for one of her inspiring quotes.

"….I got nothing. Ok, I'm joking. This is what they call a true first place. I would've been pissed if what's-a-ma-call-it went over to what's-a-ma-call-it."

"Uh-huh. Right."

For the next couple of hours, reporters and artist came up to Naruto asking questions and making offerings.

Naruto moved around in Sasuke's lap, laughing as he tickled him. "Say it! Say it!"

Sasuke tried to stop Naruto's hands from touching…the sensitive spot. "Ok, ok." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Uzumaki Naruto is the hottest, best artist in the whole wide world."

"…and…?"

"And he's great in bed."

Naruto laughed and let his weight fall back against the boy behind him.

After the art gallery, they went to a grass-covered cliff overlooking the town to relax and spend some time together.

"Ne, why do you think the stars are there?" asked Naruto.

"My mom said it had something to do with dead people," he said, knowing it would irritate the blonde.

"Sasuke!" Naruto felt Sasuke's chest rumble as he laughed.

"Well they are dead," he joked, but it was true. Then he guided Naruto's hand to a shape made by the stars. "Eyes of an angel watching and guiding the path you walk. Up the stairs to where I am. Or down where I cannot see." He wrapped Naruto's hand in his own and turned to the blonde who looked up at him expectantly.

"That was cool. Who told you that?"

"Surprisingly, my dad."

"That is surprising," Naruto said and laughed along with Sasuke.

He leaned down and kissed Naruto as the moon watched them from above.

"A little lower. Higher! I said higher! Ok, that's perfect!" Jiraiya busied himself giving orders to his students. He was having a last minute decoration for the concert.

"Naruto, take that box to the back! Halie, bring that piano out onto the stage! Come on, it's not that heavy!"

She glared at him and continued pushing that huge piano by herself because apparently everyone was too busy to help her.

"Hurry up!"

Halie glared at Jiraiya and gave a push. The piano rolled itself to the middle of the stage and stayed there.

"Alright, go help bring in the boxes!"

'I'm gonna order a mutineer!'

The schedule of the day was concert on the last period. After that everyone come back at 7 and they're gonna have a homecoming. Tickets were $8 each. Pretty much everyone was coming.

Naruto look at everything and turn to Chouji. "Do you think that's ok?"

"Yeah, it's great. Now come on, I'm starving."

That night at 6:55, everyone lined up in the hallway waiting for the doors to open. Naruto and the homecoming committee waited for Halie to show up since she has the keys being part of the security system thing.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, guys," said a girl.

Everyone share a confused look.

Konohamaru stepped forward. "Excuse me, miss, do we know you?" A purse slammed down and would've hit him if he wasn't quick to dodge. "W-What?"

Naruto looked her up and down then blink in recognition. "Halie?"

"What?" she said angrily.

"Y-You l-look-."

"-preppy," said the little teenage boy. The purse came down at him again and came into contact this time.

Halie wore a long, blue skirt that reached to her knee. It was decorated in flowers at the bottom and top, with a green, spaghetti strap, V-neck camisole. Her nails were actually peachy instead of its usual black.

Without her hood on, everyone could see that she had shoulder-length brown hair. It was clipped to the side and she wore simple jewelry making her look like a sweet Christian girl. As if.

"Got a problem with it?" she said, challenging anyone to speak up.

It was still the same old Halie.

She took out the key and opened the door. Everyone peeked inside, but were disappointed to see red curtains covering the opening. "Still not seven yet. Sorry, folks. Where's your date?"

Naruto shrugged angrily. "Late."

The crowd parted as the 'cool' people walked in. Let see that was Neji-Tenten, Kiba-Hinata, Shikamaru-Temari, and Sasuke.

Halie hurried the committee inside to get ready, including Naruto. She and Shino stood by the door and got out a clipboard, complete with headphones. "Get in line!" she shouted and a straight line immediately formed. "Alright, give me your tickets and find your table!"

Once everyone went inside, they gasped at the sight. The whole gym was decorated like an Amazon rainforest/palace with a little updated technology. Everything fit together, not making anything stand out.

The tables were close to the wall, leaving a large area for the D.J. and dance floor. There were black see-through veils hanging from the ceiling down, not blocking anyone's view. The veils were also used as table cloth and in the center was a vase of different flowers. The chairs had pink shawls on them, in curtsey of Sakura.

There was a path leading out into the courtyard where a small stage was put up for people who like classical music. It was a little far from the gym so the two music wouldn't disturb each other.

The outside was decorated the same, except with vines hanging from the pillars surrounding and white veils.

The theme tonight is a masquerade ball (mask ball) staring in the 18th century. At the end, they were to unmask to show everyone their identity, not that it really mattered since gossip never does dies.

Everyone practically knew what everyone else was wearing.

Naruto checked if everything was ok and decided to relax in a corner.

"You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" whispered a voice in his ear.

He turned around and almost drooled. 'Damn. He's hot.' "Hi, Sasuke," he said casually, trying to hide the trembling in his voice and gave his boyfriend a chaste kiss.

"I would've thought you be out there dancing," Sasuke said, scooting closer.

"I'm tired."

"Oh, really."

"Yes, re-." He stopped. Sasuke's tone was perverted. Too perverted. His suspicion was confirmed when he felt a hand on his thigh. "Hey!"

"What, I thought you said you were tired."

Naruto grabbed his hand before it went any further. "Well, yeah, b-but if you do that i-it….you know!"

Sasuke chuckled and kissed Naruto's hand in a proper manner. "Fine, I'll save that for later, but-."

"Naruto, can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Halie.

He nodded and left Sasuke's side, promising to be back later. They went out into the courtyard where there were less people.

"Congratulations on everything you've done."

"Thanks," he said, looking at her confusedly. "…but I didn't do it by myself. The others helped me. And you too."

"So," she said teasingly, hitting him on the arm lightly. "Think you can survive on your own next semester?"

He hit her right back on the arm and smirked. "I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself." An arm wrapped around him from behind and a grinning Kiba came into view.

"Hey! They're about to cut the cake! Come on!" Kiba said and begin to drag him back.

She stood where she was and smiled. "Take care of yourself, kiddo."

"I'll see you on Monday." It was more of a question then a statement.

She didn't reply, only gave him a sad wave.

Naruto reached out to her desperately. Even when she was standing there in front of him, he felt small abandonment. Another person came and hurried him to the table where the humongous cake was.

Everyone cheered and handed him a knife. Naruto got so caught up in the moment he forgot about the sad feeling. He cut a piece of cake and handed it to the person next to him. Everyone cheered and whistled, each grabbing a plate.

Naruto groan and slam a hand down on his alarm clock. 'Damn, I forgot about that curse thing!' He rolled over to his side and grabbed the clock.

"NARUTO, BREAKFAST!"

His ears perked up at the sound of breakfast. He sprinted out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

As Tsunade piled pancakes on his plate, she asked, "What are you doing today?"

He shrugged and shoved a whole pancake down his throat.

"Why don't you go with Halie to the mall?"

"Sur-wait a minute," he eyed her suspiciously until the phone rang. They both looked at the phone and Tsunade made a grab for it, but since Naruto was the closest, he got there first. "Hello? You're looking for Tsunade?" Naruto looked up at his aunt evilly. "And who might I ask is this? Oh." Then he hung up the phone.

Tsunade glared at him and snatch the phone away, redialing. "How could you do that?"

"Me? What about you? You're going on a date! Are you waiting for me to leave? Is that what you were waiting for all these years?" he screamed at her. A hand came down sharply and slapped him across the face.

"No. That wasn't what I was waiting for. That wasn't what I was thinking about. I never thought about that, not even once. Are we clear?"

Naruto stood up quietly, holding his cheek. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Then she smirked and tapped him on the head. "It's ok to be jealous of your aunt. I mean I am pretty hot."

He scoffed and grabbed a packet of ice. "Yeah, but does he know you're older than his mom?" He ducked as a phone flew at his head.

That Saturday night, Tsunade was having dinner with her 'friend' in a restaurant. They looked at each other dreamily and clinked glasses.

Naruto came in through the door dressed in a black, baggy jean and an even larger black hood. There were several rings in his ears and visible tattoos on his both of his hands. There was a sign of a dragon on his neck and a black doggy collar.

Naruto walked up to them and pretended to act really shocked upon seeing them. "Tsunade-bachan! It's a surprise seeing you here!" He said and invited himself to sit down.

"Bachan?" asked the young man curiously.

She laughed nervously. "Well, you see-."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, her nephew. She's been taking care of me since my parents died in a terrible fire."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Tsunade is very generous to have taken you in."

"I wish I hadn't," she muttered.

Naruto smiled and looked towards her. "What was that?"

"Nothing," she said, painfully smiling back.

The young man felt the tension in the air, but didn't know why it was there so he tries to be nice. "I'm Chikato Rishou."

"Oh, Rishou-kun! Tsunade never really told me about you," he said, purposely being rude, but still smiling.

Tsunade cut in immediately. "Why don't we order something? Waiter!"

Rishou watched in a disturbingly polite manner as Naruto wolfed down a whole plate of something that he couldn't really distinguish anymore.

Tsunade swirled her spoon in her bowl while thinking of many ways she could kill her nephew and not go to jail. She gave Rishou a small smile, to which he returned.

"Tshi 's ood!" he said with a mouth full of food. "Waiter, get me another serving of Toro!" called Naruto as he gulped down something else.

The people surrounding whispered and looked at the young boy and felt pity for the pretty lady.

Tsunade took her frustration out on her spoon, but Naruto saw her anger and spoke up.

"Awww, Tsunade-bachan, you can't eat with a bent spoon!" he said loudly for everyone to hear. "Waiter, get this woman another spoon! And give me some more soup!"

She buried her face in her hands as everyone looked at her.

Rishou walked Tsunade to her door at the end of their 'date'.

"I'm sorry about Naruto," she said.

"Don't worry about it," and he smiled seductively.

Just as they were about to kiss, Naruto came in between. "Awww, look at that!" he shouted in a happy manner. "Thank you for the night, Rishou-kun!" He grabbed the man in a death grip and tried to squeeze the life out of him. Naruto hit Rishou's back hard and laughed. "Well, we had a great time! Bye!" He quickly grabbed his aunt and went inside, slamming the door in Rishou's face.

Sunday night, Tsunade had persuaded Naruto to go over to Kiba's house, lying to him that she wasn't going out on a date or nothing. She just needed "time to herself".

Tsunade, kissing Rishou, stumbled inside her apartment to see two boys sitting in front of the TV playing video games. They stopped as Naruto turned to them.

"Hey, guys! Kiba wanted to come over here since something happened at home! Oh, Rishou." Naruto looked to Tsunade, who turned away, flustered. He got up and dragged Rishou over to them. "Let's play some video games!"

It was midnight when Naruto would let the over-exhausted Rishou go home, which he gladly did. He rushed to the door without saying good-bye to Tsunade.

Tsunade glared at Naruto, when he didn't acknowledge, she angrily stomp to her room and slammed the door. "ARRGGH!"

Naruto waited until he heard the shower turn on. He laughed and handed Kiba small black box. "Here you go."

Kiba look inside the box and hug it to him. Then he glared at the blonde devil. "Something happened at home, my ass!" he hissed and left angrily.

Naruto turned off the game and decided to go to bed. He grinned as he walks past the bathroom hearing Tsunade curse loudly.

Monday morning, Naruto walked into class. He instinctively looked up to where Halie always sat, but she wasn't there this morning.

Mr. Field came in and took roll call. Halie still wasn't there. "Akemi Emiho."

"Here."

"Benio Juri."

"Here."

"Hana Hatsumi."

"Her-."

"Wait, you forgot Halie," interrupted Naruto.

The old man looked at Naruto confused. "Who are you talking about?"

Sakura stood up in her seat. "We mean Halie. She's been in your class for the whole semester."

"Huh?"

"She always sits next to Naruto."

He looked at everyone and they all nodded. "I never saw anyone there. I thought Naruto liked to talk to himself."

They all sweat dropped. "BAKA!"

Naruto grabbed his bag and left. "I'm skipping!" he called behind him.

Naruto went to the main office and quickly ask for Halie's record.

The secretary looked up from the screen and frown. "I'm sorry, but there's no one here named Halie Coron."

"Thanks," he said and left.

He knocked on Halie's door rapidly. The door opened and he looked up hopefully only to find a man. "Are you Halie's roommate?"

"Who?"

"There's a girl Halie Coron, she lived in your house. I've been in there a couple of times."

"Sorry, but my wife and I just got back from vacation. Are you saying someone broke into our house?"

Naruto rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry, wrong house." He went to Sasuke's house, finding no one there, but the maid. She let him in and he went to the phone immediately. He called everybody at the Uchiha mansion using the excuse that he was being held hostage by a rapist.

He sat on the couch and waited suddenly there was a loud BOOM! He ran out and saw the door knocked down and in the middle of the doorway was his friends and family. "Uh, hi."

Tsunade ran up to him and check him for any injuries. "Where's the bastard? I'll kill him!"

"Calm down, calm down. There isn't any rapist." He back away as lots of large red eyes stared down at him. "Halie's missing."

Sasuke glare at him. "You think we'll believe you after what you just did."

Naruto glared right back at him. "Look, HALIE IS MISSING! Understand that and we won't have a problem! How else was I supposed to get you guys here fast enough?"

He had a point.

"I tried the school, but her file wasn't there. Her house, turns out she was squatting. I would've called her if I knew her call number. Now sit!"

Everyone grabbed a seat.

Fugaku snapped his fingers. "When did you last see her?"

He rubbed his head. "Homecoming. She was acting weird and then she said 'take care of yourself, kiddo' like she wasn't coming back, which I found out now is true."

"Well you said she was squatting so it's most lightly that she had to run before they cuffed her," said Sasuke. Everyone glared at him. "Heh, joking."

"Shikamaru, can you check for her file?"

"I'll try."

Fugaku called the FBI and his business partners to help. Temari called her brother and told him what happen. Gaara had lots of underground connection due to his 'job'. The others waited around anxiously then the phone rang.

Mikoto quickly pick up the phone. "Hello? Oh. I see. Thank you, bye."

"What happened?" asked Naruto.

Before she could answer, the phone rang again. "Yes? Thank you, bye." She turned around and sighed.

"Well?" asked Sasuke.

"Halie doesn't have a record. They've looked in every possible way, even in the witness protection program."

Naruto's body went rigid. "What about the ones who already died?"

Everyone shared a look with each other and nodded to Mikoto. She picked up the phone and called the police back. After she hung up, they waited for her reply.

"There are two Halie Corons. One died of a car crash in Italy. Another died during a volcano eruption in Hawaii."

Naruto sighed defeated.

"I think I found something," called Shikamaru.

They all rush over to him and crowded over the laptop.

"A virus got in my laptop." They were about to pound him if it weren't for his serious tone.

A little white bunny hopped onto the screen with an envelope in its mouth. Shikamaru clicked on it and the mail open. Halie's voice came on the blank screen.

Dear…everyone,

By the time you read this, I'll be gone. You probably already realize that I don't exist, which in a way is true. No, I am not dead, like those two girls you guys looked up. You can say I'm like a guardian angel, but technically I'm not an angel.

You won't see me again. Ever. I'll become another memory in your little heads, but hey, I love you anyway. Life will go on without me.

Since I don't exist in your world, I can't stay. I can't tell you anything about myself because it's against the rules. But I'll tell you that my life is normal just like yours' except cooler and has way more magic.

A little secret. I was the shrink and the fortune teller. I mean come on! Madame C. Char. They're anagrams! To think that humans are the smartest animal on earth.

Naruto, I better be the godmother of your future children. Hey, I deserve some credits for helping you guys out. Hn, all of you.

(pause)

Well, guess I'll be going now. Sayonara.

They stared at the dark screen sadly until Shikamaru said, "Guys, I don't have speakers."

P.S. Shikamaru doesn't have speakers. Oh, and the computer will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

They panicked and jumped to the floor.

(laughing) JOKING!

They glared at the screen. 'Man, she still got us even when she's gone!'

The old maid came out and saw everyone on the floor. She shook her head and went back the other way. 'They need a life.'

They found out it was Halie who planned all the ideas and such. All she had to do was take command and order everyone around. They were thankful for it since they got their soul mates in return.

Sasuke was really angry because during that motorcycle incident, Halie had made him do all kinds of things just for one day with Naruto. She had a pretty convincing argument. He didn't mention what it was exactly, but it was pretty bad if it made him "forbid" her name being spoken in front of him for a whole week.

Ah, he finally got over it, somehow.

Other then that little discovery, life went on just as Halie said. Everyone got to know the next day that she wasn't coming back.

Naruto became a famous artist and was filthy rich, not counting the money his husband, Sasuke made. Yes, those two tied the knot…right after high school. They adopted a few brats and of course, Halie was there godmother.

There was one thing that bugged everybody. The FBI would call Naruto for help whenever they were in a stitch. Yes, it is weird. Turns out, Naruto's "tactics" (Sasuke would like to say pranks. He also forbids Naruto to do what he did on him, in bed, to the suspects) did a fine job in catching the bad guys or in torturing them. They confessed right after the pitchfork. Don't ask.

Sasuke took over his father's company while Itachi became a writer. He still does a little painting now and then, but mostly…he writes. He took up one of his mother's offers and went out with girl, fell in love with her, and had lots of kids.

Fugaku was so happy; he told his son he loved him. It gave everyone nightmares.

THE UCHIHA LINE LIVES ON!

Naruto never moved to that quiet place away from the city that he wanted, but instead moved into the Uchiha mansion. Since Sasuke could sue anyone within an inch of their life, nobody really bothered them and it was pretty quiet, so Naruto got his wish, somewhat. Itachi moved out into a condo, saying he'll die living with his little brother.

Tsunade got back on her feet. She quit gambling, or at least that's what she told Naruto. She made a ton of money off her medicine. Oh, she also married that young guy, though they didn't have any kids. It took a lot of convincing from Naruto that her husband wasn't a mafia boss, he was just an accountant.

Kakashi married Iruka and they adopted one or two kids much to the displeasure of Kakashi. They still worked as teachers in Konoha High, but Kakashi partnered up with Jiraiya and his writing. They made a lot of money so Iruka couldn't really say anything about it.

Kiba married Hinata after passing the deadly so-called "tests" that her father and Neji had thrown his way. Kiba of course took over his father's company while Neji managed his uncle's…until Hinata gave birth to her third child.

Neji worked alongside her, sorta like guiding. He married Tenten after she finished her education and they had twins. It drove Neji crazy trying to find out who was who. They were practically identical. Only Tenten knew how to tell the difference.

After her studying, she became engineer. Surprise? You should be. But she also worked part-time as a model, though frankly Neji and her children would have gone absolutely berserk if they saw her on the front of a magazine. Wearing something semi-revealing, or worse….a bikini.

Shikamaru took over his mother's company. Yes, it was his mother's. Got a problem with it, go tell his mother. She'll slap you so hard; your face'll fly right off. He also sometimes helped advice people like the president or some Navy officer, but he charged them. Hey, he wasn't called a genius for nothing. Besides, when your country's in danger, you need to pay up or go up. Way up. Catch my meaning?

He married Temari, with some difficulties from Gaara, Kankuro, and her parents. Well, her whole family. He had an indifferent face when he met the family, answering all necessary questions and got committed after dessert.

Gaara handled his parent's company with his siblings by his side. He made a formidable businessman. Nobody argued with him, mostly cause their afraid too. When he found out about Halie, the only thing he said was, "I always knew there was something wrong with her."

Naruto translated as: I'll miss her very much.

Kankuro married a common girl and Gaara hooked up with a fortuneteller. It was her inspiring talk against everything he believed in that attracted him to her. He would've passed her in the streets if she hadn't yelled, "Hey, bitch, want to know when you're gonna die?"

He replied with, "No, but I know when you're gonna die." They hit it off perfectly.

Their kids were quite friendly, a little damaged in the head, but friendly.

Sakura and Ino became fashion designers on the Broadway Runway. They were partners, friends, and roommates. Sakura met a guy, a magazine photographer, while hosting a show and ended up marrying him. Turned out the guy was Rock Lee. Surprisingly, their kids didn't have big foreheads or large bushy eyebrows. They were quite pretty. All ten of them.

After Lee was kicked out of school, he went through many sessions of therapy. Till this day, he never fully recovered until he met Sasuke again. That was after he married Sakura. He screamed and fainted right in the middle of the sideway. After a long (I mean looooong) talk with Naruto, he became friends with Sasuke and got over his "fears".

Ino married Akimichi Chouji. Everyone was shocked when they saw the husband-to-be. He was fat (or big boned as Chouji likes to call himself) and considering Ino's personality, his chances were 0 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Choji became a botanist. Surprising there. Due to that, their babies were healthier than everyone else's. Naruto got so angry and went on a physical test himself. Everyone's jaw hit the ground when they found out Naruto was way healthier then the Akimichi brats!

The truth was because of Tsunade. She's wasn't the greatest doctor for nothing. Oh, she went on some sort of doctor contest and won. Choji's father was on there too.

After school, Haku opened up a club. It was a hit since everyone liked the host; even after they found out she was a guy. For those of you who didn't know, the teacher Haku had an affair with is a guy called Zabuza, who got his teaching career back.

One of his students once went to Haku's club and hit on him, sexually. The guy was confused as to why his Math teacher would always glare at him.

They adopted two kids, a girl and a boy. The girl would always, 24/7, have a scowl on her face exactly like her father's. The boy was pretty popular at school because of his looks. Exactly like the others father. Everyone soon found out after that the girl was friendlier then the boy. Way friendlier. Looks can be deceiving.

Haku started off another relationship with Sasuke. Don't worry, they're just friends. Sasuke found out about how he had helped Naruto and him so he reconsidered it.

Everyone had a happy on-going life, but every year during a holiday, they would all gather at the Uchiha mansion for a party. Sasuke tried to be as unfriendly as possible since his house would always look like it had been robbed after they leave, but a kiss from Naruto changed that.

They kept in contact always. Family's forever. Yup, they were one big family and forever shall be.

Owari

85 years later:

A boy of 6 walks by a school. He stayed in the bush watching the kids play sadly. Suddenly someone tap his shoulder scaring him. He sat on the ground and looked up. A hand reaches out and helped him up.

The 6-year-old looked at the other young boy in front of him. He was dress in a clean black t-shirt and blue jeans. His hair was neatly comb with a slight edge to it. The boy had black silky hair that matched his onyx eyes perfectly. In other words, he was beautiful.

The boy was everything he wasn't. He himself was dressed in an over-size, brown t-shirt and jeans that had one too many holes in it. His hair was bright blonde and eyes like deep blue lakes.

The boy with the raven hair held out a pork bun. The blonde look at him and the bun confusingly.

The raven boy seemed impatient with his hesitation. He grabbed the blonde's hand and made him hold the bun.

A tingling feeling went through the blonde's hand as the other boy touched it. He looked up and smiled.

The other boy blushed and withdrew his hand, somewhat reluctantly. "I have to go. Bye," he said and ran off.

The blonde boy held his hand and blush a deep red. He ate the pork bun as he walked "home".

His home was a corner of an alleyway in a slum. Even if it was an alleyway, there was a big hole in the wall to which he crawled in and into a storage room. He used the bricks to cover up the hole so he wouldn't get caught.

He cautiously made his way and was about go into the alley when a hand roughly grabs him from the neck and threw him into a wall. He winces and looked up to see three burly men grinning down at him.

"You're a pretty little boy," said the man who threw him.

"He'll be good for business."

"Will you two hurry it up? There's a girl they just got and I want to try her out!"

The little boy cringed in fear and closed his eyes, awaiting the worse. Nobody was going to help him. He was doom.

"The boy's mine," said a girl's voice.

The blonde boy gathered up his courage and look toward the direction of the voice. The girl was pretty. She had shoulder-length brown hair. The girl wore a dark blue, spaghetti strap t-shirt and brown cargo pants.

There was also a man walking next to her. He had a silver mask covering the top half of his face, black pants, shirt and a huge black leather overcoat. It wasn't a surprise that his hair was black too.

The girl didn't look like she belonged in this kind of street, but the guy was different, however he seemed to be like the "slave" of the girl. That's strange cause the girl was shorted and looked a lot younger then him, but there was something about her that seem…powerful.

One of the three guys smirked and looked her up and down. "We'll gladly hand him over if you'll come with us."

"Sorry, you're not my type," she said dully.

"But you're mine. Hey, boss, can we take her?"

The man, who was there boss, grinned. He gestured with his head and the two guys rushed toward them with open knives and guns.

The "slave" moved with in a flash in front of the girl. A kick in the stomach and another to the head. Then a side-kick and the second guy went flying out into the street.

The blonde boy looked up as the girl calmly walk through the scene and to him. He saw the gun aimed at her and instinct took whole of him. The next thing he knew was that he was in the girl's arms, his back to her. From his view, he could see smoke coming from her palm as she drop the bullet to the ground.

She smile down at him then the boss was beaten up in a flash by that oniichan he saw with her. "Hey, little boy, would you like to come with me?"

He stared up at her, innocence in his eyes. Everyday kids got kidnapped, well; everybody got kidnapped every now and then.

"It's ok if you don't trust us," she said and stood up, ready to leave, but he felt like he was being abandoned and whimpered. She turned back and held out both her hands which he gladly ran to.

The girl picked him up and held him in her arms. "We're gonna go eat, ok?"

He nodded. There was something about the girl that seemed trustworthy; he hoped his instincts were right. He looked back at his "home" one last time. He waves good-bye to nobody in particular and slowly fell asleep as he was being carried away to some unknown place.

To be continued...

Halie's Poem:

Two boys
One of the dark sea
The other of the bright sun
I have watch them fight
I have watch them kiss
I have watch them hesitate
I am tired of only watching
Two boys
The sun does not cry
The sea does not pain
Two boys
I shall mark their fates

Charlie: thank you so much for reading this. did any of you answered Paul Harvey's question? it isn't disappointment cause frankly you can't eat it. if you have any questions about the "sequel", well, by reading what I just wrote you should've figured it out and what I named my chapter title. have a good summer.

Narra: all of you better pray she hurry up! pressure her to hurry up everybody! I don't wanna be stuck in a dark place with no delicious food for weeks or…..months!

Halie: good bye, losers. I love you! you're the best. thank you for reading, now review.

Naruto: WOW THANK YOU EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH!

Sasuke: be kind and review…or else

Kiba: I love you guys too! Hey you, cutie! (whispers) call me

Shikamaru: (yawn, waves hand)

Neji: whatever he (points to Sasuke) just said

Tsunade: who loves me, huh? who loves me! yeah, I'm the best! You all love me the most right? (holds up fist) right?

Jiraiya: (look at you) hey you! yeah you! wanna me in my movie? (pull of stage) NO, WAIT! WHAT'S YOUR NAME? WHAT ABOUT YOUR PHONE NUMber………!

Itachi: (winks and smile seductively) bye

Tenten: see you guys soon! Bye! Don't forget to review!

Temari: review! Tell the author how great I am and how I should be in the next story! Don't forget! I love you!

Hinata: (bow) thank you for reading this story. Hope to see you next time.

Fugaku: (on the phone and looks at the camera) get away from me. I'm busy. Hi, honey. Yeah, I'm filming. Call me back.

Mikoto: see you in the next story, everybody. don't forget to be a good little boy/girl.

Sakura: (bend over and winks. Another position) I'm signing autographs at 3! Send me emails! Bye!

Ino: aww, look the camera loves me! hah, take that forehead girl! I love you guys! Write to me! I'm free on Saturday!

Choji: (burp) oh, you have any cookies? Cake? Chips?

Lee: EVEN THOUGH I AM ONLY A MINOR CHARACTER, BUT MY SPIRIT LITS UP THE STAGE! (winks and blind everyone)

Haku: bye, I hope to see you again very soon.

Zabuza: (scowl) who're you looking at? Better not be looking at him. yeah, I thought so

Gaara: (grins evilly) meet me backstage. I have a gift for you. (behind him is a butcher knife)

Kakashi: (opens up his coat and reveal ton of random stuff) hey, kid, wanna buy something?

Iruka: did any of you read the lemon? I'll call your mother if you did.

Movie Quotes:

(from Hitch)

Hitch: Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away.

Sara: what should we toast to?

Hitch: Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.

Vance: (after telling Hitch that he only wants a girl so he can sleep with her) No, I was told that you help guys get in there.

Hitch: Right, but see, here's the thing - my clients actually like women. "Hit it and quit it" is not my thing.

Vance: Let me make one thing clear to you, rabbi, I need professional help.

Hitch: Well, that is for damn certain.

Vance: (grabs Hitch by the wrist) You see what I'm doing? This is what I'm about - power suit, power tie, power steering. People can wince, cry, beg but eventually they do what I want.

Hitch: Oh! So that's, like, a metaphor?

Vance: Oh, yeah.

Hitch: Right. Well, see, I'm more of a literal kind of guy. So when I do this...
(he reverses the grip, twists Vance's arm back and slams him on the table)

Hitch: this is more like me saying that I will literally break your shit off if you ever touch me again. Okay, pumpkin?

Hitch: Basic Principles - no woman wakes up saying "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!" Now, she might say "This is a really bad time for me," or something like "I just need some space," or my personal favorite "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that? Neither does she. You know why? 'Cause she's lying to you, that's why. You understand me? Lying! It's not a bad time for her. She doesn't need any space. And she may be into her career, but what she's really saying is "Uh, get away from me now," or possibly "Try harder, stupid," but which one is it?

60 of all human communication is nonverbal, body language; 30 is your tone, so that means 90 of what you're saying ain't coming out of your mouth. Of course she's going to lie to you! She's a nice person! She doesn't want to hurt your feelings! What else she going to say? She doesn't even know you... yet. Luckily, the fact is that just like the rest of us, even a beautiful woman doesn't know what she wants until she sees it, and that's where I come in. My job is to open her eyes. Basic Principles - no matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet; he just needs the right broom.

Hitch: (Hitch showed Sara where her great-great-grandfather Juan signed into Ellis Island, and she ran out the door crying) I'm really sorry. When I saw him on the computer, it said "The Butcher of Cadíz." I thought it was a profession, not a headline.

Sara: relationships are for people who are waiting for something better to come along

Hitch: One dance, one look, one kiss, that's all we get, Albert. Just... one shot, to make the difference between happily ever after, and oh? he's just some guy I went to some thing with once.

Albert: You know, honestly, I never knew I could feel like this. You know? I swear I'm, I'm going out of my mind. It's like I want to throw myself off of every building in New York, I, I see a cab and I just wanna dive in front of it because then I'll stop thinking about her.
Hitch: Look, you will. Just give it time.

Albert: That's just it. I don't want to. I mean, I've waited my whole life to feel this miserable. I mean and if this is the only way I can stay connected with her, then... well this is who I have to be.

Sara: so you kinda like me, huh?

Hitch: no, I love you

Hitch: Lean in, place your hand on the small of her back, say it in her ear like a secret. But watch your hand placement, too high says, I just wanna be friends, too low says, I just wanna grab some ass?.

Albert: Okay. Friends. Ass. Me.

Hitch: Because that's what people do. They leap, and hope to God they can fly, because otherwise. you just drop like a rock, wondering the whole way down, why in the hell did I jump? But here I am, Sarah, falling, and the only one that makes me feel like I can fly... is you.

(last line)
Hitch: Basic principle...there's no such thing

Albert: You know what it's like getting up every morning? Feeling hopeless, feeling like the love of your life is waking up with the wrong man. But, at the same time hoping that she still finds happiness, even if it's never going to be with you.

Hitch: Now, on the one hand, it is very difficult for a man to even speak to someone who looks like you. But, on the other hand, should that be your problem?

Sara: So life's kind of hard all around.

Hitch: Not if you pay attention. I mean, you're sending all the right signals - no earrings, heels under two inches, your hair is pulled back, you're wearing reading glasses with no book, drinking a Grey Goose martini, which means you had a hell of a week and a beer just wouldn't do it. And if that wasn't clear enough, there's always the "fuck off" that you have stamped on your forehead.

(Albert is holding a box of Krsipy Kreme doughnuts)

Hitch: what you got there?

Albert: this? I figure if my heart stop beating it wouldn't hurt so much

Hitch:(talking about when kissing going 90 per cent then he goes 10) All right show me the magic.

Albert: OK.
(going to kiss Hitch)

Hitch: (after being kissed) What the hell?

Albert: Well, you said show me the magic

Hitch: Yeah, but you go 90 then I go 10. You don't go the whole hundred, you over-eager son of a...

Hitch: I'm a guy. since when do we get things right the first time?

Max: spoke like a true cynic

Sara: I'm not a cynic, I'm a realist!

Max: Or a realist masquerading as a cynic who is secretly an optimist