A/N: So this is my very first Naruto fanfic, and I don't have a lot of hopes that people will actually like it. I initially wrote it just for the hell of it, just for my own personal amusement, but when I told my friends about it, they told me they can't wait for it to be published, so here we are. I've actually written up to the Chuunin Exam arc, and I've written bits and pieces after that, so I'll try to update regularly, like bi-weekly, while I continue to write it down. Nevertheless, enjoy~
Reika sighs as she looks around the classroom from beside Uchiha Sasuke. Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura are still arguing over who would sit beside Sasuke, and it irritates her. Why can't they get the hint that he's not interested? At all?
It is the Genin orientation day, and Iruka will announce their teams before lunch time. Two days ago was the graduation exams, and for Reika, it was easy. Too easy. Why would you be tested on making clones for graduation exams? It's not like you can survive in the real world with just Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Jutsu).
"Reika! Stop hogging Sasuke-kun! Move! That's my seat!" Ino screeches from Sasuke's right, even though everyone knows that one seat beside Sasuke will only be occupied by Reika and no one else. Even though Reika wants to move, she won't because she knows Sasuke doesn't want her to move.
Reika rolls her eyes and runs a hand through her mid-neck-length uneven black hair, a habit she does whenever she needs to calm herself down. Reika sighs in irritation and leans back on her chair, letting her head fall onto the desk behind her. Her onyx eyes find the brown eyes of her best friend, and she gives him a small wave. Nara Shikamaru replies her wave with one of his own with a yawn. She also waves at Akimichi Chouji, who sits beside Shikamaru as usual.
Shikamaru is the perfect friend for Reika. He's kind and quiet, not to mention an amazing shogi partner. Even though she prefers crossword puzzles over any other games, she enjoys a good shogi game with a smart partner like Shikamaru. She vows to defeat Shikamaru at least 15 times before she dares to challenge Nara Shikaku to a game of shogi. So far, she has won 6 games against Shikamaru. She made him swear not to take it easy on her, so she knows that he's always serious whenever they play.
Suddenly, the girls scream. Reika raises an eyebrow and turns around, only to find her seat mate locking lips with Uzumaki Naruto. Reika's eyes widen and she bends over to conceal her giggles. When Sasuke glares at her, Reika sits back up and shakes her head. She can feel the glare coming from the girls. She looks over the table to find Naruto lying down on the floor. The girls must've been done with him.
Reika is a mystery to everyone. No one knows her surname, where she comes from, or whether she has family or not. She doesn't really show her emotions, so people don't know what she's thinking all the time. All that people know is that she bears an uncanny resemblance to the only survivor of the Uchiha clan, with the dark hair and onyx eyes, not to mention the smirk. People swear that they look identical when they smirk. People ask them all the time whether they're related or not, but they always refute those claims and say that their resemblance is only a coincidence.
Another thing that people know – and Sasuke's fan girls hate – is that Reika is pretty much the only girl who doesn't chase Sasuke around (excluding Hinata), thus becoming the only girl Uchiha Sasuke can tolerate and communicate on a normal basis. She is also the only girl he calls by her name instead of "hey" or "you". Even though they claim that there's nothing between them, most villagers would find them attached at the hip most of the time. When they're not together, people would find Reika with Shikamaru and Chouji, or just Shikamaru.
Shortly after the accidental kiss, Iruka comes through the door and starts a speech about how proud he is of everyone. His sight mainly focuses on Naruto, though, who sits at the end of her table beside Sakura, beside Sasuke. Reika wonders when that happened. She peeks at her back and finds Ino fuming from the seat right behind Sasuke, definitely annoyed over her loss.
"…from here on, you'll be in a squad of three and carry out your missions under your Jounin sensei. But because we have an uneven number of graduates this time around, two teams will be a four-nin squad instead of the usual three. The groups have been determined so that the strength of the groups will be balanced. Now for the assignments!"
Three or four-nin squad, huh? Well, as long as I'm with him, I'll be fine, Reika thinks as Iruka calls out names.
"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto… Haruno Sakura…"
"Yes!"
Reika looks to her right and sees Naruto fist-bumping and Sakura hanging her head.
"…Uchiha Sasuke…"
Naruto and Sakura switch reactions and Sasuke just looks forward, not bothered by anything.
"…and this is one of the teams that will have four-nin in it. The last addition is Reika."
She can feel the glare from every girl in her class, but all she can see is Sasuke, looking at her with genuine happiness in his eyes, mirrored by her identical ones. He may not be smiling, but Reika knows that he's just as relieved as she is. I'll be fine, she thinks to herself.
xXx
Reika frowns as she walks through the halls of the Academy. She tried to get Naruto and Sakura to eat with her, knowing that Sasuke will go to their usual spot ahead of her, but they ignored her, to her annoyance. But when she reaches their usual spot, Sasuke isn't there. Which is why she is walking around the building, trying to find him.
She closes her eyes and two seconds later, opens them in shock, and then she runs towards a warehouse behind the Academy. She sighs and shakes her head when she finds the great Uchiha Sasuke, tied up and gagged.
"Do you need help?" Reika asks, half-mocking and half-serious. Sasuke glares at her. She laughs lightly and starts to rip the tape that shuts his mouth, "You do know that you can use Nawanuke no Jutsu (Rope Escape Jutsu), right?"
That only deepens his glare, and this time Reika laughs out loud. She doesn't know that Sasuke really likes it when she laughs like this, because she only does it in front of him. She waits until Sasuke is done with his escape jutsu before asking, "Who did this to you?"
"…Naruto."
"Naruto? As in Uzumaki Naruto, the dude you always call dead-last?" Reika's laughter continues, if not even louder. As much as he likes her laugh, he still gets irritated when he's the one she's laughing at.
"He used Kagebunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)."
Reika stops laughing and looks at Sasuke in shock. Someone who failed to graduate because of a simple Bunshin no Jutsu can actually do Kagebunshin no Jutsu? And defeat Sasuke in the process? Reika smiles slightly with a finger on her chin. Uzumaki Naruto, huh? Things might get interesting from here on out.
"Just help me find him."
"Fine, fine."
They walk around the Academy and find Sakura outside, who lights up at the sight of Sasuke and ignores Reika completely.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, you're such a shy bad boy! Are you prepared? I'm raring to go!"
Reika raises her eyebrows and turns to look at Sasuke as they continue walking towards the Academy. He shakes his head to signal that he doesn't know what she's talking about.
"W-Wait, Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke comes to a stop and Reika follows.
"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asks her shortly. Reika knows that he wants to be in Sakura's company as much as she does, which is not at all.
Sakura smiles, but Reika can tell that she's a little bit annoyed, "Oh, there you go, changing the subject again… just leave Naruto alone! All he does is pick fights with you! It's because he wasn't raised right! You know, he doesn't have any parents, right?"
Reika's right hand twitches. How dare she talk about parents to Sasuke, not to mention sounding all high and mighty like that? Reika looks at Sasuke, more worried about him, even though what she is saying also applies to her.
"He always selfishly does whatever he wants! My parents would get mad at me if I did something like that! It's so nice to be alone! There are no parents to nag you if it's just you alone, so his selfishness comes out at various times!"
Reika grows even more uneasy as Sasuke's face darkens even more as Sakura continues to blab. Until finally Sasuke opens his mouth.
"That loneliness… it's something worse than getting scolded by parents. And…"
"W-What are you talking about…?"
"Uh-oh…" Reika says under her breath.
"…you annoy me," Sasuke finishes. Reika sighs. Reika can see how distraught Sakura is by Sasuke's words. She knows that Sasuke could use a little lesson on people skills, but in his defense, Reika feels that Sakura deserves that. After saying what he has to say, Sasuke continues his walk towards the Academy building.
"For someone who claims to like Sasuke-kun very much, you seem to not know anything about him," Reika says to Sakura with a glare as she runs after Sasuke. She walks along a corridor and almost yelps when she is being pulled inside their empty classroom.
"Wha–" Reika's eyes widen when she is caught in someone's arms. A warm hand falls over the back of her head and she relaxes. She returns the embrace. She doesn't say anything, but she knows that they understand.
"Thank you, Reika-hime."