A/N: This is a band fic... Sakura centric.

SasuSaku Minor: NaruHina KibaIno NejiTen

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own the songs. Which are I Am The Walrus-The Beatles and Calling All Cars-Senses Fail

I slapped the wooden body of my guitar with the beat before I began strumming.

My hand dropped away from the strings again and grabbed the purple pen from behind my ear. I leaned forward and scribbled a few beats on the notebook in front of me, then tucked the pen back to it's previous position.

I paused in thought, recounting the rhythm with the nods of my head and trying to let the rest come to me.

The music that is.

I can't force it to come out. It has to want to, I have to feel it inside me. Otherwise it sounds mechanical. Like I used a step by step book on how to right a song.

Paint by numbers for music.

That's not how I like it to sound, like most of the crap on the radio. With all their auto-tuned bullshit.

Forget that.

It has no soul. No emotion, it doesn't mean anything to anyone. All it does is get stuck in your head and give sluts something to grind to at parties.

"SA-KU-RA! I'M LEAVING!" My mother's voice screamed from the bottom of the stairs.

God Dammit!

"BYE!" I hollered back. I couldn't stand having my music interrupted. The music only comes more and more rarely to me lately, and any distraction will ruin its flow.

"DINNER'S IN THE MICRO!"

My mom has an issue with shortening words, I think she thinks it makes her seem cooler and more in touch with my generation.

It only makes me cringe.

I took a deep breath and hummed out the part of the song I had just written out.

"DON'T STAY UP TOO LATE, HUN!"

"OH-KAY MOM!" I gritted my teeth and stared intently at the notebook in front of me, concentrating on the which strings to place my fingers on as I-

"I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW!"

Just leave already!

"OH HUN, DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF THE PORCH LIGHT!"

FUCK WOMAN YOU'LL BE LATE FOR WORK!

I heard the door close and held my position until I heard a car door slam as well. The gravel crunched as mom backed out of the driveway to quickly before finally vacating the premises.

I let out a long sigh to calm myself, then played the chords I had, starting with the beginning of the song and humming the lyrics that didn't quite exist yet.

Actually they didn't exist at all. I had no idea what the song was even about, I wish I did, then this would be a lot easier.

But like I said, it just comes to me, when I find the meaning of the music at a random moment it's like...serendipitous.

Yeah, that's the perfect word to describe it.

Serendipity.

Story of my life.

Story of my music.

My first song was about a coffee mug.

Yeah really, I was only eight but I was at the mall with my mom one day looking for new school shoes. Of course my mom is addicted to coffee (which is probably what influenced my addiction as well) so we had stopped at this coffee shop in the middle of the mall. Along the shelves there where all these great brightly decorated mugs.

I found one that was the perfect emerald color, exactly like my eyes, with a spiral of white wrapping around the handle.

It wasn't really anything special, but I seriously wanted that mug. It just fit with me, and I knew it was perfect.

I wanted it so bad, I begged and begged mom. She only complained I needed school shoes, not a coffee mug.

I offered a trade; buy the mug instead of the shoes.

She said I didn't need it and marched me out of the store. But the whole way through the mall I couldn't get this mug out of my mind, I didn't want shoes. I wanted the amazing mug I had found.

I don't need a drug,

Just a sip from my coffee mug.

I don't need a pick me up,

Just need my coffee cup.

Yeah, I sung that for the rest of our trip to the mall, constant loop. Mom was so pissed off she finally said she'd buy it.

By then, I didn't want it anymore.

That seems stupid, but I didn't have it and I had gotten something better out of it.

I thought how certain songs can make people cry or feel really happy.

About how those songs are powerful enough to make people feel the emotion for themselves.

I remember thinking; "Yeah, I want to do that."

So, I hadn't gotten a wicked awesome mug, I found music.

Once I got to the part of the song that I had last wrote I had to stop playing.

I couldn't think of anything else. I didn't know the next note or beat or chord.

I didn't know any words or the song title.

"Ugh!" I huffed and plucked my pen angrily out from behind my ear and through it down in front of me. It bounced of my notebook with a plastic click and onto the floor.

I've been trying to write this one song specifically for about 3 months, I just haven't been able to decipher it though. It's like there's a code I have to break to get the sound just right.

It has to be just right.

I want it to be perfect.

I sighed again and leaned back letting my back press against my cold bedroom wall, my head falling against it with a thunk.

It was only 8:30 pm in the residential district of Konoha, on a Saturday. The very first day of summer vacation. I hadn't done anything all day but sleep and fiddle around with my guitar.

I was hoping the start-of-summer high you get after the last day of school would help motivate some music.

All I got was about a dozen halfassed songs that I immediately scrapped. Maybe I needed to go out and do something to spark my creativity?

I stared at my cellphone sitting on my pillow to my left. Should I call Tenten maybe?

"I am the eggman

They are the eggmen

I am the walrus Goo goo g' joob."

First, I'd like to point out that this is the by far my favorite Beatles song, and Tenten's as well. Which is why it's her ring tone when she calls me. Thus bringing me to my next point, Tenten is probably most likely psychic. She always calls me when I'm about to call her.

I pulled my guitar out of my lap and set it gently next to me before leaning over and grabbing my phone. I clicked the 'Send' button.

"Yello?"

"Hola!"

"What's up?"

"I'm like outside your house dawg! So come outside, and no excuses. It's the first day of summer and I watched your mom go to work like five minutes ago."

"You've been stalking my house again?" I laughed.

"You know it!" Tenten said. I heard laughing in the background.

"Whose all there?" I asked standing up and walking towards my window, facing the front of the house. I pulled the curtain taking a peek at the driveway.

Sure enough Tenten stood with her cellphone to her ear, clad in blue jeans and a dark green Konoha track team tee. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled into to small buns on the top of her head and she appeared to be trying to shut Ino up.

Ino was doubled over in laughter, hugging her stomach, which was covered in a tight blue tank top, her loose blonde hair falling around her face. I took note of the fact that she wore khaki shorts, even though it was almost sundown and would therefore get chillier.

Hinata suddenly looked away from the scene and up at my window. A broad smile spread on her face and she pointed up at me and then down at the ground in front of her. Her hair dark purplish hair shined as it fell an inch below her shoulders, and I recognized the tie dyed purple top as my own.

When had I let her borrow that? Never. She probably stole it. The faded jeans too.

I'd have to rip her a new one.

I closed the front door behind me, jiggling the handle to be sure the lock was secure and walked down the steps lightly, to where my friends were waiting.

"You creepers, did you hide in the bushes again?" I asked.

"Duh, Forehead. If we had been anywhere else your mom probably would have managed to hit us with her car." Ino said throwing her arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a little hug.

"Really your mom is a terrible driver..." Hinata said glancing at the black skid marks on our driveway.

I shrugged. "She's never actually been in an accident though...Amazingly."

"Your mom aside, it's the first day of summerrr!" Tenten said pumping her fist in the air.

"What did you three have in mind?" I said suspiciously.

"Oh you know the usual. Make a Dairy Queen run." Hinata said smiling.

What. A. Liar.

I narrowed my eyes at Tenten who had adopted the same fake smile.

"Alright so there's a band playing on the north side and we wanted to swing by and scope them out a bit." Tenten shrugged.

"Scope them out?"

"You know, get a feel for the competition. That's all. Really we are getting ice cream though."

"Your can't break tradition!" Ino said happily.

"Hinata when did you steal my clothes." I pointed out.

"Uhm...well." She bit her lip and looked down at her clothes.

"Well Sakura, when did you steal my black skinny jeans?" Tenten said pointing accusingly at my legs.

"Or my red top?" Ino said tugging lightly at the red fabric. I glanced down realizing they were right. Actually I can't really tell what in my closet is mine or one of theirs everything gets traded and stolen constantly.

Ino's even broke into my house to steal my glow in the dark headband. Okay she didn't break in, all she did was use the spare key under the third flower pot from the right window.

Still, she never asked.

"Nevermind let's go!" Tenten said grabbing my arm.

I actually happen to be in a band.

A legit band by the way. I'd tell you the story of how it started but there really isn't one.

We were just sitting around one day and one of us (we usually argue over who actually suggested the idea, I secretly believe it was Hinata) said, "let's start a band."

Thus Acrylic Kiss was born.

Tenten has always played guitar and she taught Ino to play bass. Hinata is great at piano but found a love for percussion. I've always been singing my songs and playing a little guitar. So that's how it ended up happening I suppose.

Sakura Haruno-Vocals

Tenten Usagi- Guitar

Ino Yamanaka- Bass

Hinata Hyuga- Drums

We've only played a few shows for friends and such, but everyone that hears us says we're great.

I don't trust their opinions so much, considering we know them all too well. They could just be bias.

"Soft serve CHOCOLATE!" Ino shouted jumping up onto the picnic table outside the Dairy Queen. She did a little dance and started pumping her fist like the Jersey Shore guys.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!" Tenten said joining Ino on the table.

"Ice cream and cake do the ice cream and cake!~" Hinata and I sang together because this was tradition and we are the definition of "making a scene".

As we looked like idiots for the world, an absolutely beautiful red 2010 Chevy Camaro slowed down.

"Work it girlfriend!" A guy with spiky, and very bright blonde hair shouted as he hung out the passenger side window. I would have given him a stupidly uncreative nickname of mr. banana head right then, but I was too fascinated with the car he was riding in.

Hinata blushed and immediately turned away, probably praying he hadn't seen her. Hinata could be a little shy sometimes. She used to stutter a lot in junior high and practically faint when a boy talked to her.

Tenten and Ino responded by simultaneously blowing a kiss and then sticking up their middle fingers. Gotta love body language.

There was a chorus of more laughs coming from the rest of the car as the boy mouthed "Ouch" and they passed, turning left, out of sight, as I sadly looked on.

"Tsk. Tsk. That was rude." I said to Tenten as she jumped off the table.

"I'm a rude person." She shrugged still smiling and the rest of us skipped into the familiar shop with a jiggle of the bell hanging above the door.

We'd never had any experience meeting other bands before. We weren't exactly sure if we were a normal band, or if we were a bit eccentric.

Honestly I didn't care to find out because I was afraid we'd turn out to be the former.

I like being a bit different, look at my pink hair for example.

"Where the hell is this band playing Tenny?" Ino said from my back, because she had insisted that I owed her a piggyback ride. I still swear I don't know how her lip gloss ended up in my pocket when my pants went through the washing machine.

"Uhm some party I think?" Tenten shrugged.

"Whose party?" Hinata asked.

"I'm not sure." She shrugged again.

"...Tenten who did you hear about this band from?" I asked after a moment.

She glanced back over her shoulder at us and then faced forwards again. "Oh well..." She stopped. "I don't remember."

Ino slid off my back and put her hands on her hips. "Your kidding me right? I'm not walking around looking for some random person's party Tenten! I don't care if they have a band there or not."

"Ino you aren't even walking..." I said.

"Besides the point."

Hinata shook her head at Tenten but didn't say anything.

We kept walking anyway, skipping through the streets as it grew darker and waiting for the stars to blink on above us.

"There's Ursa Minor!" Hinata said, stopping on the sidewalk and pointing up at the sky. I followed her extended arm and found where she was pointing.

"And there's Ursa Major." I said, closing my left eye and tracing the stars with my finger.

"Draco, the dragon." Hinata said pointing out the way it snaked in between the two previous constellations.

"Could you guys stop the star catching for a minute?" Ino called over her shoulder. She always called it that, "star catching". I love it for some reason.

I really wish we were catching the stars. Putting their brilliant balls of light into a box and hiding it...

"Does someone have a piece of paper?" I said freezing.

"Huh? Uh no." Tenten said from where she stood next to Ino.

"Wow are you having one of your epiphanies?" Ino said turning around with an excited gleam in her eye.

"Shit." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and flipped it open, scrolling the main menu for my notepad. Thank god for technology. I typed quickly, the click of the buttons the only thing the four of us were focusing on.

We were boxing
We were boxing the stars
We were boxing (we were boxing)
You were swinging for Mars

I stopped typing. The flow had stopped and I stared at the screen disappointed. It really wasn't much, but I could form it into something later. All I needed was a snip it sometimes. Just one line could spark a whole song.

I flipped my phone shut quickly, before they could see and slid it back into the pocket of Tenten's skinny jeans.

"Hey! Show us!" Ino whined.

"Nope, it's hardly anything."

She didn't push it further and no one else commented on it. They knew how I was about showing my music, if it wasn't finished it couldn't be perfect. And if it wasn't perfect I wasn't happy with it.

I opened my mouth to say something to deter the silence settling over us, when Hinata shushed me.

"Wha?"

"Shhh." She held a finger to her lips. "Listen."

"Is that music?" Ino said softly. I pointed down the street and we broke into a run.

When you hear the music you follow...

The footsteps of our sneakers thudded against the pavement, scattering pebbles everywhere, before we finally found the source of the sound.

It was a garage. Go figure right? A garage band? How, I don't know eighties or something like that.

The door to it was shut but we could see light on from the windows of the door. We stood on the sidewalk for a minute listening to the noise inside.

The music had stopped except for the occasional bang of a drum or guitar chord, mostly whoever was inside was just talking.

"Calling all cars we've got another victim,
'Cause my love has become an affliction,
Well what did you expect from me? What did you expect from me?"

Tenten and I shared a look and immediately started slinking towards the side of the garage, crouched down low.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Hinata hissed at us.

"Checking out the competition." Tenten whispered.

"I'm sorry, but I think I failed to mention
That I lied at my very first confession
Well what did you expect from me? Well what did you expect from me?"

Ino and Hinata crawled after us and we straightened up and flattened ourselves against the dark side of the garage, now able to hear better.

"Cause this has been building since I have been breathing,
And I know how it's going to end.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?
I kept my word when I swore that I would let you down.
(And now that I'm gone) Try to forget me and just move on.
So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?
I kept my word and you hate me for it now,
(But you knew all along) Try to forget me and just move on."

I turned to look at Acrylic Kiss. "They're damn good."

"He sounds hot." Ino whispered.

Hinata elbowed her. "If someone sees us..."

"No one will see us unless you all shut the fuck up." Tenten whispered.

"Oh my dear what have I gone and done now?
It's curtain call, I'm about to take my last bow.
Well what did you expect from me? Well what did you expect from me?

Without giving away the hints on your ending,
I ruined the evening again.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?
I kept my word when I swore that I would let you down.
(And now that I'm gone) Try to forget me and just move on.
So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?
I kept my word and you hate me for it now,
(But you knew all along) Try to forget me and just move on."

I slid forward until I could peek around the edge of the garage at the closed door. A hand clasped my shoulder. "JEEzzz!..." I said whirling around to find Tenten.

"Idiot!" Tenten whispered. We all held our breathes carefully, waiting to see if the band would stop.

"I don't, have love left inside, inside.
And I don't, have love left inside, inside.

Are you desperate for an answer?
I don't have an ounce of good left in me now,
That's why I walked out."

Tenten crouched down on the ground and waved her hand for us to follow suit. She crawled ahead of me then led us around the corner. We all stood up carefully staying crouched over enough that you couldn't see the tops of our heads through the windows. Ino pressed her ear to the door.

That's when it jolted upwards and sent us reeling back in surprise. The music abruptly stopped and we all stood there as it moved upward and back into the garage revealing our...competition.

"Hello there?" A woman's voice called to the side and we looked over to find a middle aged woman with dark black hair smiling at us. "Can I help you girls?" She giggled to herself, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Heh, heh." Tenten said nervously, plastering a smile on her face. "No ma'am, we were just...listening?" she said.

"Oh alright, dears." The woman giggled again, and winked at us. "Your welcome to listen, but don't stay outside to long, you might catch a cold."

There was a cough from the garage and I winced before turning back.

There was a lot to take in at that exact moment, but the first thing I saw was a pair of dark eyes glaring at me.

The owner of said dark, sexy eyes was a very sexy boy that appeared to be our age. His hair was just as black as his eyes, with a slight blue tint to it. It stuck up spiky in the back, with long bangs framing his face on either side.

I took in the dark gray hoodie that was open to reveal a black t-shirt. A set of perfectly white teeth, with long sharp canines sticking down sat in the center of it. "Let us prey" was typed underneath in equally white lettering. My eyes traveled to his dark black skinny jeans, much darker and newer than my own (or Tenten's), and down to his beat up vans. Then I noticed the microphone stand he was clutching in his right hand.

Damn my competition was hot.

"Can we help you?" He said lowly, his jaw clenched.

"Hey teme, those are the girls from DQ!" A loud voice chirped in from the side of the vocalist. A shiny black and white bass hung down at his waist, but that wasn't what I was drawn to. Despite the fact that it was an exceptionally pretty and obviously expensive bass. I'm quite sure Ino was drooling at the very thought of that bass, or more likely the guys in the actual band, but I was drawn to his hair.

Mr. Banana head pleased to meet you again.

To be continued...

What do you think?