A/N: Here's the pseudo-sequel to "Musical Musings," only a day later than I wrote the first one. It's a request. I got the idea for it while I was in the department store and heard big band swing coming from the electronics section. Of course, I rushed home. I couldn't let an idea this juicy get away.
Legal Stuffiness: I don't own Naruto, and I don't have the rights to the songs used in this fic. All songs are credited in the end author notes…enjoy.
Shinobi Swing!
Naruto's eyes lit up as he stared at the invitation in his hand. He had just found the absolute perfect date to take Sakura on! Who knew why, but Tsunade-baba had come up with the idea to throw a huge party at the Hokage tower. The best part is, it has a theme! The party's theme was 1940's era swing music…and costumes were required. He ran all the way to Sakura's house, not noticing the dark figure that shadowed him the entire way there.
It was only a week since he'd asked her out, and she had agreed. Granted, he'd wrestled her to the ground and she at first had only seemed to agree because she wanted to get up off of the ground…but that didn't matter. He had to go and tell her about the party and make sure that she would agree to go with him! As one might expect, he was not in the least bit winded when he knocked on the front door of Sakura's house, excitement bubbling over in his mind and showing all over his face. The door opened a moment later, and he saw Sakura standing there smiling at him. He instantly turned into a pile of goop, and there was no recovery until she looked at him in concern.
"Oh! Sakura-chan! Remember how last week you said you'd go out with me?" He asked, hoping against hope that she remembered.
"Of course I remember, Naruto. How could I forget?" She seemed a tad exasperated with him, but otherwise things seemed to be going just fine, so he continued.
"Ah. I was wondering, did you get your invitation to the big party on Friday?" He produced his own invitation, and showed it to her. She took out her own, which was in much better condition, since she hadn't crumpled hers from the sheer excitement of being invited to a party for the first time in her life (Sakura had been invited to parties before, but this was Naruto's first party, and if Sakura agreed to go with him, it would be his first date, too). "Good, good. Would you like to go with me, then?"
Sakura eyed him. "I wouldn't mind, but do you even know how to dance?"
That was an odd question, but a pertinent one, he supposed. It was a party where there would be a band, and lots of dancing. After some little thought on the matter, he replied optimistically, "Nope. But I'm a fast learner, Sakura-chan! Do you know how to dance?"
The pink-haired girl smiled widely, her eyes softening. "I do. Would you like me to teach you?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. The prospect of dancing with Sakura was oh-so-very tempting. He thought for a moment that he might skip training today if he could do this instead. Dancing requires that you hold your partner, right? With that thought, he smiled broadly as she pulled him inside the house.
The dark figure that hid in the shadows was brooding over what he had just seen. Damn him. He thought, and retreated back down the alley. He removed the dark hood that had been hiding his face, shaking out his dark hair. Feeling in his pocket for the dratted invitation, he pulled it out. Looking at it with his cold black eyes, Sasuke sneered. Looks like I'm going to a party… Lots of people, and music. Not his scene, but if there was even a remote possibility of him getting to cut in and dance with Sakura, he'd take the chance. Now, all he needed was a costume and ten minutes to watch others dancing with his Sharingan, and he'd be all set.
His sneer turned into a smile as he slinked down the alley. Two days. He had two days to find a costume and do something about learning how to dance. Then, it was all up to his skills. Revenge was his specialty, and it would be sweet when Naruto was left sitting alone and it was Sasuke dancing with the lovely pink-haired Sakura. The evil grin on his face did not disappear as he walked down the street, and people's eyes widened as they saw him, and they backed away.
Later that day, in Sakura's back yard.
Sakura held her sides, laughing. "I don't think that's the way it's supposed to work, Naruto." He had just tried to make her lead. This dancing thing was harder than it looked. Just then, Sakura's mother came out. She had a barely repressed smile on her face. "Okaa-san, please help. I am apparently a very bad teacher! Naruto is having trouble."
"Hmn. I could see that from the kitchen." She turned to Naruto. Her dark green eyes were very like Sakura's, but her hair was a dark brown. Apparently, Sakura's pink hair had not come from her mother. "Well, Naruto-kun…let's see. Basics first. Your hands go like this." She placed his right hand on Sakura's waist, then put Sakura's hand into his, her fingers pointing upward. His eyes had a look of revelation in them. They'd apparently had their hands the wrong way all along. Sakura's other hand was placed on Naruto's upper arm, and Mrs. Haruno started counting. "1-2-3-4, and turn, 1-2-3-4…"
By the end of the day, the three of them were all exhausted, but Naruto was much better. He was learning fast now that he had the basics down, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. Sakura sat tiredly at the kitchen table, watching him devour a cookie. She wondered how it was that she never saw how darned cute he was before. But she had seen it now, and she was hoping to have a very good time on their date on Friday. Suddenly, her head snapped up. "Crap!"
"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of chocolate-chip cookie.
Sakura's face fell. "Costumes. They're required." Naruto looked at her, a strange expression on his face.
He finished chewing his snack and swallowed it, then took a gulp from the glass of milk in front of him. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can find something, Sakura-chan…" Then, both he and Sakura were staring at Mrs. Haruno. She began laughing very, very hard.
"I don't believe you, Sakura. Did you forget that I used to make costumes for a living before I married your father?" Naruto's eyes got wider, and Sakura jumped from her chair, running to hug her mother around her waist.
"I absolutely love you, Okaa-san. You mean you'll help us?"
"You'll have to pick out cloth and stuff, and the pattern, but sure. I'll make your costumes. You two should get going to the shops if you want to find fabric so that I can get started. We only have two days, you know." Now, it was Naruto that jumped for joy. He ran and shook the woman's hand. "No need for that, young man. So long as you make sure that Sakura has a good time, I don't mind helping you out." No sooner were these words out of her mouth than her daughter had Naruto by the hand, dragging him out of the house.
"We'll eat out tonight, Okaa-san! There's a lot of work to do!" And so, they went shopping. After finding shoes at a small vintage shop, along with a dark blue fedora and an orange tie for Naruto, they went down the street to the fabric store. First they found a couple of 1940's era patterns, and then went in search of some nice fabric. Sakura immediately fell in love with a spangled red velvet, and bought enough of it to make her dress and a little bag.
Naruto had a little more trouble. He had run across the street and found a dress shirt at the thrift store, but was having trouble finding something to make the rest of his costume out of. All of the stuff seemed to be too new-looking. At least that's what he told Sakura.
"Naruto, Naruto! Come looke at this!" He ran across the store, and saw what she was pointing at. Navy blue, with light colored pinstripes, he nodded immediately. They'd found his stuff, too. After a short time, they found all of the supplies needed, and then took their bags to the ramen bar, and had dinner. All in all, it was enough to tire both she and Naruto out, but they weren't done.
When they got back to Sakura's house, they were practically attacked by Sakura's mom, since she had been waiting longer than she thought necessary. She took the bags from them and brought them into the sewing room. After taking what seemed like endless measurements, she let them go. "Don't forget, you two. Fitting tomorrow at five."
As Sakura walked Naruto out, he asked quietly, "Do you think she'll have all that stuff ready for tomorrow afternoon?" He sounded doubtful. It was tedious work, and he seemed as if he was sure no one could get that much done in less than twenty-four hours.
Sakura smiled wearily. "You and I might be ninjas, but that woman can really sew…think of it in terms of level. I made my old shinobi outfit. That's my level. If we were to compare that to actual shinobi levels, it would be like the difference between Konohamaru and Kakashi. She's just insane when it comes to that stuff. Don't worry, she'll have it done, and it'll be great."
Mrs Haruno had everything ready, but wouldn't let either Sakura or Naruto see the other in their costumes. The woman did seem a little insane to Naruto. When Friday came, Naruto came by in the morning to pick up his costume, so that he could dress at his apartment when it came time to pick up Sakura. Then, he went out to train. When he got to the training field, he stopped dead in his tracks. Was he seeing what he thought he was seeing?
Naruto bit his lip and smothered his face in his shirtsleeve to keep from laughing and giving himself away. The source of his hilarity was Sasuke. The Uchiha was dancing. He was dancing badly. In his own head, Naruto was in a desperate conflict. He was trying to decide if he should pity him or just laugh out loud. On one hand, the young man's jerky movements were funny, but really…Sasuke was his friend. He should help him out, right? Right? His conscience got the better of him, and he decided to see if Sasuke wanted help. If not, he'd let him make an ass of himself.
"Oi! Teme, what are you doing?" He called over to Sasuke, and the young man nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Dobe! How long were you standing there?"
"Long enough. What are you doing?" Naruto continued walking toward him, and Sasuke was eyeing him warily. "Don't worry. I'm not going to pick a fight." The other looked relieved, but made a shooing gesture. "You need some help, Sasuke." It was not a question. It was a statement of fact, and Sasuke seemed to realize this. Whether he cared or not, now that was a problem…
"Look, Naruto, I'm going to learn how to dance on my own."
"Like hell you are. This isn't like training, Sasuke. There's a bit of something you're lacking here." Naruto leaned against a tree, smiling slightly. He had an air of newly acquired knowledge around him, and Sasuke seemed jealous.
The dark-haired youth raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be, you dead-last moron?" The insult had all of its usual bite, but it didn't make a dent in Naruto's unusual composure. Sasuke gulped. He didn't seem to like the turn of events.
"Dancing requires emotion, Sasuke. You need that before you can actually dance. Otherwise, you'll be totally stiff, like you were just now." He tilted his head to one side. He admitted aloud, "Your technique is good, but you really need to loosen up. Like I said, it isn't training for a jutsu. It's something that requires personal style, so that you can give it your own little spin." He examined his nails, feigning boredom at his own words. In truth, this was something that he was just realizing. He had his own modest style of dance, and he was sure that Sasuke would make a total fool of himself if he didn't develop one himself. "Just think about it, teme. Have you ever really seen people dancing?"
Sasuke shook his head.
"I thought as much. You should try it some time. It might help." With that, he walked off, leaving the young Uchiha alone with his thoughts.
Knock, knock!
Sakura ran to the door. It was seven o'clock, and she knew it was Naruto to come and get her for the party. When she opened the door, both of them stood and stared. Naruto's pinstriped zoot suit and fedora were perfect. The blue of the suit made his eyes stand out more, and the fedora looked incredible on him. Sakura was giggling internally to no end. Wow. Just…wow. Ok. Pull yourself together, Sakura. Yes, we have established that Naruto looks good. Dare we say…he looks freaking hot! Her thoughts went on like this for a few more seconds.
Naruto blinked. Sakura was so pretty! Well, she was always pretty, but for some reason, with that red gown and her hair all done up, she seemed more lady-like and…oh, give it up. There aren't really words to describe how beautiful she is, are there? Taking a nano-second to think that one over, he agreed. If it was possible to be too beautiful, Sakura had just met the requirements. Finally, he found his tongue.
"S-Sakura-chan! You look really pretty!"
Blushing profusely, Sakura replied, "Thank you. You look…good too."
"Ready?" He asked. She nodded, and he offered her his arm and they walked toward the Hokage's tower, her high-heeled shoes clicking on the street next to his spats. Naruto had to keep his eyes to the front to make himself not stare at her and he had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other to keep from doing a dance of joy where he was. Finally, they got to the tower. The doors on the bottom floor of the tower were flung open, and music spilled out of them. The party seemed to already be under way.
Sasuke sat in a chair in the darkened room, watching people dancing with his Sharingan. He had the movements down. He knew that. But he didn't know about that emotional thing that Naruto was talking about. The people seemed to be having fun, if that's what he meant. Then, he saw them. Sakura and that dobe had just walked onto the dance floor.
The band wasn't bad, in spite of the fact that Kakashi was in it. Naruto hadn't thought that his former sensei had a musical bone in his body, but there he was, in a black suit, playing an upright bass and bobbing his head to the music. On drums, to Naruto's surprise, was Kiba. Well, not that surprising. The guy was pretty hyper. Then he saw who else was on the stage, and his eyes nearly left his skull. There was a piano, and sitting at it was the lazy bastard, Shikamaru. He was pretty good if the current song was any indication. Standing next to a set of guitars was Maito Gai. He was taking a break, it seemed. Naruto never thought he would see it, but there he was, Rock Lee on the saxophone!
But what really took him by surprise were the singers. There was a female singer, with a playful voice, dark hair, and pale skin…Hinata! The male singer was no less of a surprise. A rather unassuming fellow, Shiranui Genma had changed his bandana and jounin uniform for a dark green double-breasted suit and a matching fedora, but his senbon needle was stuck in the brim. The two of them were singing an old song. Hinata began,
Things have come to a pretty passOur romance is growing flat…
For you like this and the other,
While I go for this and that.
Goodness knows what the end will be
Oh, I don't know where I'm at!
It looks as though we two will never be one
Something must be done…
Genma adopted a raspy voice and began singing similar lines. "Naruto, are we going to dance, or just stare?" Sakura had begun to get impatient with him. He immediately snapped back to reality and the fact that he was on a date with the prettiest girl in the room. They began to dance in a medium tempo, with Naruto twirling Sakura a couple of times, her dress swirling around her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. If he had, he would have noticed that others were staring at them, as well.
Sooner than he realized, the song was over. Shikamaru began to play a bit of jive on the piano, Kiba joining in with a nice beat, then Hinata started singing.
It don't mean a thing,
If it ain't got that swing…
Naruto smiled. He could tell that his friends on stage were having a great time, even if he wasn't looking at them. He himself was having the time of his life as he jitterbugged across the floor with Sakura.
Sasuke watched the two of them as they danced. Sakura was breathtaking. Naruto didn't look like his normal stupid self, either, and Sakura seemed to have noticed. She was having a very good time, it seemed. The dark-haired youth watched them as Sakura spun away from Naruto, her dress swirling, revealing a good deal of leg beneath. That's it. Next song, I'm cutting in. Once again, his hormones had taken over. Poor Sasuke. He watched as a space was cleared for Naruto and Sakura. How had that dobe learned how to dance like that? There was a difference in his movements that Sasuke couldn't put his finger on.
Watching them dance was like listening to them scream out to everyone in the room that yes, they did like each other, and that no, Naruto was not as big a dumb-ass as everyone thought he was. After a moment, he thought that he understood what Naruto meant by dancing needing emotions.
The song was over too soon, and then another person joined the others on stage, and the dancers looked up to see a shining trumpet, played by none other than the closet-pervert, Ebisu. Genma began to sing an old Cab Calloway song, "The Lady with the Fan," While Hinata went to get a cup of punch. Naruto and Sakura continued to dance, but Sakura was surprised after a moment to feel a hand on her shoulder, then hear a familiar voice near her ear.
"May I cut in?" She turned to see Sasuke, all in black. She pursed her lips, then looked at Naruto. He eyed Sasuke suspiciously for a moment, then nodded.
"Once is fine." Naruto went to get himself some punch and talk to Hinata for a few minutes while the song lasted.
Sakura felt awkward. It wasn't like dancing with Naruto at all. Sasuke seemed rather stiff. "Relax, Sasuke! We're not going into battle, we're dancing!" After she said that, his grip on her hand relaxed, and he seemed less tense. He turned her outward, as Naruto had done a few times earlier, but then pulled her instantly back toward, him. Sasuke's arm encircled her waist. Now, she was thoroughly uncomfortable. She was pressed against him, and they swayed slowly back and forth, then he spun her again, and they were dancing normally once more. When she looked at his eyes, she saw mischief. What's going on? After a sudden realization, she thought desperately, where are you, Naruto? Lucky for her, the song was a short one, and her date came right back. He took her back from Sasuke, who thanked her for the dance.
"Naruto, I think Sasuke's up to something." She watched worriedly as Sasuke sat back down, but was rather relieved when he was asked to dance by Ino. To her surprise, he complied.
"When isn't he up to something, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked softly near her ear, and she shivered. His tone was no doubt the consequence of Hinata's voice as she sang.
Say nighty night and kiss meJust hold my tight and tell me you miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me…
Sakura pulled away from him a little, looking at his face. In the darkened room, his features were shadowed, but it was plain to see in his eyes what his mood was. It was his eyes that she was being pulled toward, with the help of Hinata's voice gently singing over the music played by Shikamaru, Lee, and Ebisu.
Stars fading but I linger on dear,
Still craving your kiss.
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear.
Just saying this…
Sweet dreadms till sunbeams find you,
Keep dreaming, leave your worries behind you…
Sakura let go of Naruto's hand, and put her arms around his neck, then started pulling him closer.
But in your dreams, whatever they be…
Promise me
You'll dream
Dream a little dream of me
The song ended, and their lips met. If their eyes had been open, they might have seen Sasuke's jaw drop. He was standing stock still, Ino looking at him in confusion. But they didn't see that, because Naruto and Sakura were too busy. Sakura sighed softly as he pulled away from her. She smiled shyly, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked at her, confused by her sudden change of mood.
Another song had begun, and Sakura put a finger over his mouth. "Shut up, Naruto. Let's dance."
Sasuke just stood there, staring at the two of them. His mind went totally blank of all thoughts that didn't involve killing Naruto. He had never wanted to hurt him like this before. He ignored Ino, who was now stalking off to where Chouji was sitting. As Shikamaru played and Hinata sang, Sasuke's heart felt like someone was twisting a knife in it. A big knife. Without making a conscious decision to do so, he had begun to unbutton his right shirtsleeve.
Below the saxophone solo, the sound of birds began to fill the room. A smirk formed on Sasuke's face as lightening-like chakra gathered around his hand. He ran toward Sakura and Naruto, and raised his hand, ready to strike.
Naruto and Sakura both saw Sasuke's chidori forming, and seemed outwardly not to care. He ran at them, and came to a stop as he was going to strike at Naruto. The blond shinobi spun Sakura toward Sasuke, and she came to a stop just in front of the chidori. The lightening-like chakra tickled her face, and she looked Sasuke in the eye, raising an eyebrow. "You know, Sasuke, if you're jealous, you could just say so. Not like it's going to do you any good." Naruto watched as the chidori dissipated.
"Oi, Sasuke. You should chill out." Naruto laughed as Sasuke stood there, stunned.
Sakura leaned over to Sasuke, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "You're a good guy, you know? You just need to relax a little, and you'll be fine." She walked back to Naruto, leaving the Uchiha stunned and slack-jawed in the middle of the dance floor. He didn't even protest when Tsunade-baba asked him to dance. Naruto had a feeling that it had been a very, very long time since Sasuke had been so thoroughly dismissed.
Sasuke danced with the Hokage, trying to collect his scattered thoughts. "Uchiha." He looked at the Godaime's face. She was smiling, but said, "You need to get over it. I know she chose him, but there are a lot of other girls here. You might like one of them if you give them a chance." He took one last look at Sakura and Naruto. He admitted, grudgingly, that they were good together.
"Ok." He mumbled.
"Good. There are about a hundred girls here who want to dance with you." His jaw dropped. Tsunade reached over and closed it for him. "Gotta get over it, Sasuke. I have an idea. Hinata is due for another break soon. Why not ask her to dance?"
Hinata? He had never thought much of her. She had a nice voice, as he had discovered when he first heard her sing. Hell, why not? He nodded. Tsunade-baba seemed like she was setting him up, but it was better than being totally miserable and staring at Sakura and Naruto.
A/N: I know. Not nearly as much Sasuke bashing as you would have liked, right? That's ok. Just imagine his terror at Tsunade's suggestion that he might have to dance with his entire fan club…
Songs used: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald), Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing (Ella Fitzgerald version), Lady With The Fan (Cab Calloway), Dream a Little Dream of Me (Louis Armstrong version). Thank you to the people who now own the rights to these songs. Also, thank you Ella, Louis, and Cab, the inspiration for this piece. Love you all.