Hey everybody, this is my first story in a long while, so I just want to explain some things. I ship GaaraxMatsuri. In fact it's my OTP, but I felt Matsuri would be too shy of a character to use in the plot, so I made an OC for Gaara. Also I ship ShikaxTema, but just like the OC, I felt Ino would be better for the story and I didn't want to work in another guy for her like Chouji, who by the way I think she would do really paired with, or Sai. Anyway... Enjoy.

What am I doing here? Why am I in Japan? What am I, crazy? I can barely speak Japanese. I should have just stayed back in the states like a sane person. Well, of all of the things I think about myself, I'm surest of the fact that I am not sane. The girl sighed and walked into her first class of the day, Calculus.

"Morning Class. We've got a new student today," said a silver haired teacher with a mask over his mouth in a bored tone. "She just transferred from America. Would you like to introduce yourself?"

She looked startled. "Hajimemashte. My name's Sophia." She did an awkward half-wave, not really sure how to behave.

As if answering her silent question, Kakashi said, "Sit in the empty seat next to Gaara, the red-haired boy." She sat down, getting out her materials. She was disappointed to learn that she'd already covered all of the material he introduced that class. Kakashi-sensei had left some time at the end for them to work on their homework, and for him to read Icha-Icha Paradise.

Sophia had finished all the problems in 10 minutes, most of the trouble was deciphering the word problems. Then she just stared around the room, observing all of her new classmates. At the far end of the class, there was a group of girls who were whispering avidly, clearly not worried at all, though judging by their faces during Kakashi-sensei's explanation, they hadn't understood it. Then there were several guys who were concentrating fiercely on their work, as though if they looked away, even blinked, all the problems on the page would run away. Well at least they look like they care. After them there was a smattering of people who were working on their problems, steadily. Well this is much more productive than in-school working time back in the states. Lastly her attention turned to the red-headed boy she was sitting next to.

He was frowning slightly, and did some scratch work in a corner of his paper, finally scribbling down an answer on his sheet. She was pleased to see it was correct as were all of the others on his paper. She smiled to herself and stared out the window, watching the wind shake the branches of the tree.

The bell rang and she grabbed her bag to go to her next class, Chemistry. They were studying equilibrium concepts. With all the new vocabulary she had to relearn in Japanese, she was quite occupied. When she finished looking up all the words in her pocket dictionary, she understood what Kurenai-sensei had been saying and sighed, looking at her worksheet. It's a good thing there wasn't a lab today. I don't want to look like a dunce in front of everyone because I'll be triple-checking the directions to make sure I read them right. Then she looked at the people sitting at her table, four girls. She had only just learned their names and was not so good at remembering, but the blonde girl was Ino, the pink-haired one was Sakura, the brunette with the buns was Tenten, and the shy one with the sleek black hair and lavender eyes was Hinata. They seemed nice enough, and at least they didn't stare at her like the rest of the class had when she introduced herself. She went back to her work, less apprehensive than she had been at the start of the day. By the time the bell rang, she had finished half of her chemistry homework.

She stared at her schedule. Just one more class then Lunch. That's good because I'm starving. And with those thoughts she headed off to Japanese. Itachi-sensei taught the class, and that day, they were reading the poetry of Bashō. Arigatou gozaimasu kami-sama. I'm so glad I can actually read this. The girls from the chemistry class were there as was the red-headed boy from math. He was sitting with 4 guys who looked to be his friends. One was blonde and kind of a class clown, from the many times Itachi-sensei had scolded him, she learned his name was Naruto. Another had hair kind of shaped like a pineapple. He seemed to be sleeping, but whenever Itachi-sensei had called on him, he answered correctly, his name was Shikamaru Another looked quite similar to the shy girl from chemistry, long black hair and lavender eyes. Neji was quite knowledgeable about not only Bashō, but also many other poets who he kept referencing in his comments. Lastly, Sasuke, was the younger brother of Itachi-sensei, and to the raven-haired boy's annoyance, he was continually called on, just because Itachi could. Sophia thought it was sweet. It reminded her of the dynamic between her brother and herself.

The only comment she had made was to reference the Imagist style of poetry and a poem by H.D called the Oread, which she then recited in English. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just don't really know a translated version Itachi-sensei."

"That's okay, I know the poem you're referencing, and even if the rest of the class doesn't, who cares? Like they knew what Neji was talking about. Interesting comparison."

And the rest of the class continued as it had before, but she felt occasional glances at her back, as if people were staring at her. I should have just kept my mouth shut. Now everyone probably thinks that I'm so stuck up about American stuff and think that it's better than anything a Japanese person could come up with. Crap. I'm actually really interested in Bashō's work. Back in the states I even read some of his hokku, just because I was interested. I'm doing a really great job today, aren't I?

When the bell rang she hurried off to lunch, her stomach almost audibly rumbling. Sophia had packed herself a bento of fried egg, rice, some chicken, and a sliced up apple. She daydreamed about how good it was going to taste until she got to the cafeteria. She stopped in her tracks. Where am I going to sit? If she had been sitting at a table or a desk at the time she would have surely smashed her face against it. Sighing to herself, she sat down at an empty table in the corner, trying not to draw attention to herself. This failed miserably. She was the new kid and everyone wanted to know who she was, because there was nothing better to talk about.

"We should go over and hang out with her. She seems nice enough, and it's just not right to let her eat alone," suggested Sakura, a couple tables over.

"Maybe she's shy and doesn't want anyone sitting at her table," said Tenten.

"Just because she didn't say much doesn't mean she didn't want to," asserted Hinata, standing up to walk over to her. The whole group followed her but as they started walking from their table, they noticed another group of girls approaching Sophia.

"Hello," said a red-haired girl, sickeningly sweet.

"Hi," replied Sophia. "I'm Sophia, new transfer student from America."

"We know," said another girl.

"Uhh.. Okay?"

"We're here to let you know how this school works," said a third girl. Sophia just stared back, a confused expression on her face. The last two girls of the group whispered something to each other and both broke out laughing, condescending expressions on their faces.

The red-headed girl, probably the leader spoke up again, "You see, there are some rules that we think you should be aware of."

Sophia was getting tired of this. "And those would be?" she asked in a bored voice.

She smiled a mischievous smile. "We run this school, got it? Not the teachers, not the principal. So you better do what we say, when we say it."

Sophia raised her eyebrows, "Are you done, because I'd quite like to finish my food." They looked affronted, as though no one had not taken them seriously before. "Just so you know, I'm here to learn, improve my Japanese. I'm not here to play lackey to the whims of a few shallow girls. I'm not afraid of you. I don't care if you're well connected, or you have money, or whatever it is that you think makes you so special. So get out of my face." She turned away and went back to her meal, bobbing her head along to music only she could hear, while munching on an apple slice. The girls stalked away, muttering angrily.

Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, and Ino had seen all of this go down, and now all four of them wanted to go talk to the new girl. Sophia had seen them coming and sighed thinking that they too were there to harass her.

Ino made the first introductions, "My name is Ino, we had Chemistry and Japanese together earlier today. And this is Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten. We were about to come over when the pep squad showed up and well, we were impressed. Not too many people stand up to Karin and her minions."

Sophia smiled. "Thanks, my name is Sophia and obviously I'm the new kid who just transferred from America. It's really nice to meet you all. And about what just happened, what's their deal?"

Sakura chose to answer, "They aren't the do-it-yourself type. They probably thought they could either rope you into doing homework for them, or something else along that sort."

"Yeah, when I joined the school, they tried to rope me in too. Probably because I get really good grades and I'm kind of shy, so the thought I was an easy target," added Hinata.

"That's awful."

"Meh," said Tenten. "It's not like they can do very much, especially if you want to hang with us." She lazily pulled a knife from somewhere and started polishing it and holding it up to the light.

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

"You should just forget about them, now that they know they can't get to you, they'll leave you alone. Anyway, what classes do you have the rest of the day?" asked Sakura. She passed her schedule over to them. "Awesome, you have all the rest of your classes with us. Gym, History, and then English."

"Why are you taking English?" asked Ino. "You must be fluent."

"That's what I said, but they said I had to take it. It's a graduation requirement. Plus, Tsunade-sama said that I can help other students."

The bell rang, "Come on. Let's get to class," called Tenten as she ran out of the caf.

"Gym is her favorite subject, in case you couldn't tell," said Sakura as they chased after her.

"LISTEN UP, LADIES!" yelled Anko-sensei, her voice echoing across the Gym. "I'll be your, for a lack of a better word, teacher this semester. Many of you will be disappointed that you didn't get an easier teacher, so be disappointed while you work. 10 Laps, NOW!"

The five of them formed a group as the jogged the circumference of the room. "She's a slave driver isn't she?" commented Tenten, beaming brightly.

"Tenten, you don't have to be so glad about our misery," snapped Ino.

"What's the problem? Too far away from a mirror?"

"No, I can see myself just fine, in your oily face."

"Um, are they okay?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah they just do that. They'll stop soon, don't worry about it," said Sakura.

Sophia just shrugged. Ino and Tenten didn't stop bickering until they finished running. "You girls better do better next time or I'll make it 15," said Anko-sensei. Tenten's eyes widened like that was the best thing in the world. "Today, we'll be playing dodgeball. I'll let you pick teams. Split yourselves evenly, now GO!"

The five girls and another handful managed to scramble to one side of the room. "Alright, Hinata, you play recovery. Sakura, use your power throws to knock them out. I'll be in the front with her. Ino… just stay there," Tenten commanded to the group. "Sophia, I don't really know what you're good at, so just do whatever."

"Okay, that's fine." They took their positions against the opposing team, when Sophia realized that the same group of girls that had come over to her during Lunch was over on the other side. This should be interesting. Anko threw the balls out onto the floor and blew her whistle. Sophia ran up as quickly as she could pushing as many balls back to her side as she could. Picking up one for herself she ran back, getting ready to aim. Tenten had already knocked out two of the girls, and Sakura had hit one pretty hard in the stomach. Ino had already gotten out for when Tenten had shouted for her to catch the incoming ball, she whined that she had just gotten a manicure. Before long, Sakura had gotten out for hitting someone in the face, giving them a massive welt. She didn't seem too bothered by it though, because it had been Karin.

Hinata, who had stayed in the back for most of the game, Tenten, and Sophia were all that was left of their team. On the other side Karin, and two of her other cronies were in on that side. Hinata had decided to step up and throw too, but missed by several feet, and got hit right after. Karin then threw a ball at Sophia's feet, which she jumped over, to then slam her ball into Karin's shins. Tenten had managed to hit the other girl, knocking her sideways, so it was just those two against the last girl. They approached menacingly. She half-heartedly threw her ball, which Tenten caught, bringing Sakura back into the game. Just as they were about to strike, Anko's whistle blew. "Tenten's team wins. Go get changed!"

They chatted on their way to Iruka's class, delighted to see that Karin's face was still red. It was a pretty average class, they discussed some of the feudal wars, and he assigned a chapter to read for homework. Before Asuma started class he pulled her aside and said, "So I understand that you're fluent in English." Sophia nodded. "And that Tsunade-sama had talked to you about helping out." She nodded once more. "Good, because we're really understaffed in this department, so I'd really appreciate your help."

"No problem, just tell me what you need me to do."

"Well, today we're going to split up into groups to discuss a video that we'll watch in just a few minutes. If you can just make sure everything that people are saying is grammatically correct in your group, then I can stay in the other one, and split my time effectively."

"Sure. I feel like I need to earn my grade somehow, because otherwise I feel like I'd be cheating, what with me knowing English fluently and all."

"I'm glad you feel that way. If you'll just step inside we can begin class." They entered, and Sophia was introduced once more, but this time in English. "Did you have a good break class? We have a new student this semester who'll be helping me out a bit. She just arrived from America, so she'll be policing the class's grammar, etc. If she does correct anything, take it with good grace because she knows what she's saying. Okay class?" They murmured their quiet assent. Asuma had them watch a short video clip from Whose Line is it Anyway?, one of Sophia's favorite shows, so she and Asuma were laughing all the way through it with some chuckles throughout the class during the less referential parts. Asuma then split up the class to discuss the parts that they didn't understand. Asuma took one side and Sophia took the other which consisted of Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, Ino, Gaara, Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru.

"Alright, I don't really know how to start out, Asuma didn't give me much to go on, so was anyone confused about some of the jokes?" The boys just sat there, staring at her appraisingly.

Ino jumped right in and asked, "So who's Richard Simmons."

Sophia laughed and was just about to explain, when Neji interrupted, "You think you're special, don't you? First you mention an American style of poetry in Japanese class, then you're strutting around with your English skills."

"Excuse me?" She took a deep breath. "If I gave you that impression, then that's my bad, but I don't ever remember saying that I think I'm all that, so I'd appreciate it if you'd pay attention. And for your information, not that it's any of your business, I asked to opt out of this class and take something else, so that I could earn my grade properly, but Tsunade-sama thought that all of you needed a fluent English speaker. Asuma asked me to help, so I'm helping. Now, you can either act like a pompous ass, or you could help yourself to some conversation."

The girls burst out laughing and Naruto shouted, "She pwned your ass, Neji."

"Thanks Naruto. And Ino, in answer to your question Richard Simmons is a very flamboyant person who creates exercise videos. He has a very distinctive voice which was excellently represented by Greg Proops."

Naruto then asked, content with her abilities, "Why is Regina a funny word?"

The girls started snickering, but the boys looked non-plussed. Sophia sighed, "Um. Well. Naruto, Regina is a city in Canada, and it sounds like another word."

Still not understanding, he kept going, no understanding at all, "What word?"

She just decided to go for it. "It sounds like vagina, that's what it sounds like."

"What's a vagina?"

"Really? Really? Girls, help me out, please." They did a collective shake of the head, and doubled over with laughter. "Thanks, that really helps. Chitsu," translating it to Japanese. All the guys turned a shade of red that rivaled Gaara's hair. Laughing at the looks on their faces, she added, "Anything else you want to talk about?"

After they had all calmed down, everyone started asking her about certain things that the comedians had mentioned. And when the class was almost over and Asuma-sensei had replayed the clip everyone laughed at all the jokes. She was glad that she had been useful in teaching them some clearly obscure things, but still interesting. As everyone gathered their stuff, Sophia walked over to the guys. "Hey," she said with a wave. "I know I'm new here, but you guys seem nice enough, so do you want to hang out later?"

Okay everybody. I hope you liked it. I referenced a few things that I would suggest you check out. I think that Imagist poetry is really awesome, so I would suggest checking it out, especially Oread. Also, those were actual things from Whose Line is it anyway, even though they were from separate episodes, so I would recommend checking that show out. This is just the first chapter, and I know it was slow, but it should get interesting really soon. All reviews are welcome. Oh and if you could suggest names for the other fangirls, that would be really helpful. Hope to write more very soon,

-MorwenKazul