Setting modernized, but characters still recognizable

Circle K Sunkus, a Japanese convenience store chain, is taking preorders for a yaoi drama CD called Yours for an Hour. What makes this particular CD noteworthy is its origins: an English-language fanfiction posted on FanFiction.net in 2010 by Hic iacet Mori (who is credited as the original author), also known as "Yours for an Hour." That story was based on Naruto and paired the title ninja with Sasuke.

This version reworks the story to a modern-day setting with characters named Haru Hinomoto and Aki Tsukikage (which translate to "Spring Base of the Sun" and "Fall Shadow of the Moon," by the way), but it doesn't seem to be much of a stretch to state that there's more than a passing resemblance there with Naruto and Sasuke.

In this story, Haru had a rough upbringing in an orphanage, but that's not enough to dampen his optimistic, determined spirit, and he puts everything he has into his job as a handyman. Aki is a successful businessman known for his cool, icy personality, but he also has "a kind side he'll only show to someone whom he trusts." The story seems to focus on Aki, since the other characters are all his coworkers or ex-classmates. He encounters Haru thanks to one of Haru's flyers, and finds that only one hour with him is enough to change his life.

Haru and Aki are voiced by Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama , respectively — the same voice actors behind Naruto and Sasuke. The CD comes with a fully translated English script and bonus material from the voice actors — chit-chat, 10 greetings in English and Japanese, their feelings about the CD, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and messages for the fans. It is part two of a series of yaoi drama CDs with English translations included; the first one, It's How You Blend, is set in a coffee shop.

Yours for an Hour goes on sale on March 7 for 2,000 yen. Just to make it a little more obvious, March 7 is considered SasuNaru Day among the Japanese Naruto fandom. While this is unusual, it's not unprecedented — the popular romance novel and film Fifty Shades of Grey originated as Twilight fanfiction.

[Via Circle K Sunkus Online, Twitter and Tokyo Otaku Mode]