I'm With the Band

Neji looked up at the makeshift platform to see Sakura looking back at him expectantly. He sighed and glanced back down at the table in front of him.

“Thanks Sakura, we’ll let you know.”

“Neji!”

“Sakura, everyone needs their chance before we decide. There’ still one more person left. So we’ll let you know.”

Sakura’s shoulder dropped and she dragged herself off the platform. Neji rubbed his temples and chanced a glance behind him. Sasuke and Gaara wore their usual stoic faces, though Sasuke’s face was slowly becoming more annoyed. Neji turned around to see Sakura and Ino in front of him. He rolled his eyes as they flashed Sasuke the ‘call me’ sign before walking away. Neji let his head fall to the table and didn’t lift it until he heard the door open and close.

The three boys looked up to see a blond boy wearing black board shorts and a blue t-shirt. Sasuke’s eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“Um… I’m here for the audition.”

“Your name?”

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

Neji smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Neji, and this is Gaara and Sasuke.”

Sasuke looked at the blond boy intensely, taking him in. The bright unruly hair, the piercing blue eyes, the faint marks of whiskers on his cheeks. Sasuke assumed that was just make up, but he couldn’t be sure. He ran a hand though his silky black hair and smirked softly. He knew who hi vote was going to.

Neji looked up at Naruto. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Naruto smiled and swung his black acoustic guitar over his shoulder and onto his chest. He dug around in his pocket and produced an orange pick, then took a deep breath and started to play.

“I’m so tired now from the longest drive home, and you’re like my therapy, when I feel so alone. In all my sincerity it’s needless to say, I like things the way they are and I wish that they could stay. We’ll burn the night away, we’ll burn ourselves blind, ‘cause no one here is watching us and us is not a crime.”

Naruto’s eyes closed as he reached the song’s chorus.

“I’m dizzy I’m dizzy. Maybe I should it down ‘cause my head is spinning round. I’m dizzy, I’m dizzy. I think I found the reason I keep coming back to town.”*

Neji put his hand up. “That’s enough Naruto, thank you.”

Naruto’s blue eyes opened up and met the gaze of Sasuke’s onyx ones. Naruto smiled and put his pick back into hi pocket then swung his guitar back over his shoulder.

“We’ll let you know tonight if you made it.”

“Okay, thanks for listening to me.” He smiled once more before leaving.

After the door closed, Neji turned around to face Gaara and Sasuke. He pushed his hair back over his shoulder so it wouldn’t get in the way and began to speak.

“So…who do you guys think we should choose?”

Gaara blinked at Neji causing Sasuke to smirk. The latter addressed Neji’s question. “I think the choice is obvious, we choose that Naruto guy.”

“But we don’t even know him.”

“But we’ll get to know him. Plus, he can even play guitar.”

Gaara rolled his eyes, his arms crossed. “I agree with Sasuke. We’re going with him and that’s final.” Gaara stood up and stretched, then turned to leave their practice room, grabbing his drum sticks. Neji rubbed his temples, his eyes closed.

“Okay, whatever, I guess I’ll start calling people.” He stood up and grabbed his clipboard, sunglasses, and car keys. He turned to Sasuke once more. “See you at school tomorrow.”

“Hn.”

“Alright, bye.” Neji left, leaving Sasuke alone in the practice room.

Sasuke stood up and walked into the kitchen to see Itachi sitting at the table looking at the newspaper. The two brothers had lived alone at the Uchiha mansion ever since their parents died in a plane crash. People had tried to put them into foster homes, but the lawyers of their father’s corporation had stopped that, as was requested in his will. Itachi had been given control of the company and their family’s fortune. He was responsible enough, though not always.

As Sasuke opened the fridge, his brother put down the newspaper. “You know, most of those people sucked. If you picked anyone just because they were eye candy, I don’t think I can manage your band or let you guy practice here, so I hope you choose wisely.”
“Hn.”

Sasuke grabbed an apple out of the fridge and bit into it. He still had summer reading to finish and he had a headache from listening to all the performers that couldn’t sing. He muttered a good night to Itachi and climbed up the stair to his room. He briefly wondered why he hadn’t ever seen that Naruto guy before. He sat in content knowing that he was now a part of the band and Sasuke decided right then that he would make the blond love him. He brushed the thought away and opened his book, sighing softly.

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Naruto walked into the guest house and toed his key onto the table. He put his guitar back onto its stand and checked to make sure that his phone was on before walking into the main house through the garage. He found Iruka in the kitchen, making dinner.

Iruka had adopted Naruto at a young age. He had been close friends with the boy’s father and was happy to be the one who got to keep him after the incident. Minato had been killed along with Naruto’s mother. The attackers had spared Naruto and left him with only whisker like scars as a reminder of what had happened. It had started out as a home invasion, but Minato came downstairs with a baseball bat. One of the men snuck up behind him and his wife, stabbing them. Naruto had been found by a neighbor in the morning, crying.

The blond smiled when he saw Iruka in the apron because he thought it made the man look very feminine. Iruka looked up when he heard Naruto walk in. “How was the audition?”

“Fine, they seemed to like me.”

“Good, you deserve it.”

Naruto smiled, but it faltered when he saw the bag on the counter. He walked over to it and peered inside, then knocked the bag over, scowling.

“Naruto!”

The blond looked up at Iruka. “I’m not wearing them because I’m not leaving my friends to go to some snobby rich kid school.”

Iruka lifted the spatula he was using and pointed it at Naruto accusingly. “You should be happy Tsunade is letting you attend. It’s-“

“’An honor and a privilege.’ I know. But it’s a privilege I don’t want!” He turned to retreat to his room in the guest house and ran right into Kakashi.

“Ah! Kaka, move!” Naruto had called the silver haired man by this name ever since he was little because he used to have trouble saying the man’s full name when he was little.

Kakashi looked from the teenager in front of him to the frown on Iruka’s face. He grabbed onto Naruto’s shoulders and got him to sit on the couch before walking over to kiss Iruka hello. Naruto folded his arms and pouted, drawing his knees to his chest.

Iruka and Kakashi had been offered teaching jobs and a full scholarship for Naruto at the Konoha Preparatory School for Boys. Naruto had been going to Konoha High, which was a nearby public school. He was about to started his senior year, and he didn’t want to have to switch schools, but Iruka and Kakashi were making him because it was a ‘great opportunity’ or something equally cliché.

Iruka pulled the chicken out of the oven and set it on the stove top. “Naruto, you’re going to Konoha Prep and that’s final. This isn’t something you have control over. Besides, it might do you some goo to meet new people.” He grabbed the bowl of pasta and set it on the table and it was closely followed by the chicken, which was now on a platter.

Kakashi smirked. “And you could meet a nice boy toy.” Then he thought for a second. “Or in your case become a nice boy toy.”

Naruto went a deep shade of red and Iruka smacked Kakashi while walking by with a pitcher of lemonade. Kakashi smiled and rubbed his head where Iruka had hit him, and tugged at the collar of his turtleneck. “I mean, what’s wrong with you Naruto? A gay boy going to an all boy school should be ecstatic.” Kakashi’s smile only faltered when Iruka stepped on his foot.

Naruto had known for a while that he was gay. He had a girlfriend freshmen year, but he only went out with her because she liked him so much. They never even kissed, mainly because the thought had disgusted him. He hadn’t dated anyone after her and most people figured that he had unresolved feeling for her or something, because she bounced from boyfriend to boyfriend, one right after another.

Naruto scowled as his face flushed a deeper red. He sat at the table and started to serve himself food. After dinner he reluctantly grabbed the bag holding the school’s uniform and apologized to Iruka. Then he stalked back to his room where there was a message waiting for him on his phone. He tossed the bag onto a chair and dove for his bed, landing with a thud. He grabbed his orange phone, dialed his inbox, and brought the device to his ear. He was met with the robotic voice of the voicemail lady before Neji’s voice filled his ear.

“Hey Naruto, its Neji from Black Sand. We met earlier? Yeah, so I jut wanted to let you know that we picked you to be our new lead singer. Uh…oh right. We practice every Tuesday around four at the place you auditioned. So, um, congratulations and we’ll see you then. Thanks. Bye!”

Naruto smiled and pumped his fist in the air. “YES!” He dropped his phone on his bed and danced around the room, grabbing his orange stuffed fox, Kyuubi, that he’d had for as long as he could remember. He held the toy close to his chest, unzipping it and pulling out a picture of his parents. He kissed the picture and smiled before replacing it and falling onto his bed.

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Naruto woke to the sound of Iruka banging on his door. “Naruto Uzumaki, if you don’t open this door right now, then no more ramen for a week!” The brunette was about to continue with his threats when the door flew open.

“I’m awake, I’m awake!”

Iruka smiled at how easy the teenager reacted whenever ramen was involved. Kakashi appeared behind his husband and hit Naruto in the face with a stream of water from the squirt gun he was holding. Naruto scowled and lunged at the man but Iruka stopped him. The silver haired man smiled. “That’s so you don’t fall asleep again.”

Naruto pouted then turned from the two men so that he could get ready in relative peace. He took a quick shower and emerged from the bathroom to see the uniform set on his bed. He groaned, pulling on the black slacks and the white dress shirt that bore the school’s logo. He also put on an orange tie, just to try to add his own personal touch. He sat down on his bed and pulled on the dress shoes. Then, deeming himself ready, he grabbed his backpack and cell phone and walked into the main house.

Iruka had made breakfast and it was set on the table. Naruto grabbed a piece of toast and started to eat. Once Kakashi and Iruka were ready to go Naruto ran back to his room and brushed his teeth, meeting the two men in the garage. They climbed into Iruka’s Prius and pulled out of the garage, heading towards the school.

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Naruto looked blankly down at his schedule. His first period was Iruka’s class and his second period was Kakashi’s.

“I can have someone show you the way if you’d like.”

“Thank you Tsunade, but I can find the room.” Naruto smiled before getting up and leaving Tsunade’s office. He turned the corner and started walking towards Iruka’s classroom. He knew the location of Iruka’s and Kakashi’s rooms because he had helped them set up over the summer. Because of this, he also knew most of the staff and where their classrooms resided.

He walked down the hall and turned into Iruka’s senior English class. Iruka had already assigned seats, by pulling names out of a hat. Naruto looked at the projector screen, spotting his name, and then moved over to his table. Each table sat two people, instead of one person desks. Naruto took off his backpack and dropped into the chair, playing with his phone to seem like less of a loner then he was.

When Sasuke walked into his first period class, he was surprised to see a familiar mane of golden hair. Not that anyone around would know he was surprised because Uchihas showed no emotion. While he could, he looked the blond boy up and down. ‘He looks good in that uniform.’ The raven smiled inwardly and looked at the screen, finding that he would be sharing his table with Naruto. He smirked and walked over to the table.

“Hey Naruto.”

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A/N: Sorry about the lack of boy action, there will be some in the chapters to come. I promise. Please read and review, I'm alway open to feedback. Thanks!