Konoha Academy

by ceemee

Naruko Mitzuki is a transfer student from Iwagakure. She brings with her a dark past and a fierce attitude. Her first day there, she managed to make enemies and friends. What will happen to Konoha now that she's there? And what about her real parents? What will she uncover there?

Chapter 1

I looked up at the tall building, anxiety settling in my stomach. I felt my face turn into a frown as I thought, once again, how I didn't want to be here.

"Can I help you?" I turned to see a guard standing behind the gate. He had dark eyes and brown hair that covered one eye. He wore a standard security guard uniform and the name "Kamizuki" was on the uniform.

"I need to know where the main office is," I said.

"Name?"

"Naruko Mitzuki." He checked his clipboard, and then opened the gate.

"Welcome to Konoha Academy," he said.

I rolled my eyes and hauled my luggage through the gate. The place was huge. The buildings seemed to disappear in the sky and the area seemed endless. It took nearly ten minutes to get to the doors. When I walked inside, I was instantly pulled into the huge crowd of students. I had to shove my way through, knocking down a few kids, but oh well. I was pushed out of the crowd in front of the office.

A woman with shoulder-length black hair, with a pig sleeping near her feet, was sitting at the front desk. She looked up from her typing and smiled at me. Her name tag read "Shizune."

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," I said eyeing the pig, "I'm new here."

"Ah, you must be Naruko." She clicked away on her computer. "Now let's see. You're in Dorm Room 30. I'll call one of your roommates to show you the way and I'll give you your schedule for tomorrow." She stood and walked to the printer. She handed me my schedule then disappeared into another room.

I looked over my schedule:

1st period: Algebra 2, Mr. Hatake
2nd period: English, Ms. Yuhi
3rd period: P.E., Mr. Guy
4th period: History, Mr. Nara
Lunch
5th period: Chemistry, Mr. Sarutobi
6th period: Free Period

Shizune came back and took her seat.

"Sakura will be here in a little bit. Why don't you take a seat?" she said. I obliged. Shizune kept her eyes on the computer, her whole attention on whatever it is she was doing. No one else was in here and the silence seemed to suffocate me.

The door banged open. A pink-haired girl walked in, her green eyes shining as she faced me. I felt myself lean back as she took my hands in hers.

"You must be Naruko! It's so nice to finally meet you!" she said excitedly. I looked to Shizune for help, but she kept her eyes glued to the computer. "Come on! I'll show you to our room."

She took one of my bags and hurried me out the door. I could do nothing but let her drag me from the room. She chatted away happily, showing me this and that. I tuned her out. She was a little annoying, and her voice seemed to piss me off.

"Here we are!" she said. I looked to see her opening a door to a building. I looked around, wondering when we got here. "This is the girl's dorm and we're on the third floor. We have two other roommates, Ino and Hinata."

We walked up three flights of stairs and stopped in front of the first door near the stairs. There were handmade face signs on the door. She opened the door and dragged me in. There were four beds, two on opposite sides of the room. Two of the beds were occupied. There was a small girl with short, dark blue hair and strange purple-white eyes. The other girl had blue eyes and long blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail and a little covering the right side of her face.

"Is this the new girl?" the blonde-haired girl said. "I'm Ino."

"And I'm Hinata," the blue-haired girl said. "Welcome to Konoha Academy."

"Thanks," I said smiling. I like this girl. She seemed nice.

I already did not like Ino. Something about her screamed "bitch," and I could already tell we were going to have problems. Hinata seemed like a sweet girl, and Sakura was a little too chipper. There are way too many different personalities in this room.

A bell sounded from through the building. I looked to Sakura for an explanation.

"It's time for the beginning of the year assembly," she said.

I shrugged and followed the rest of the girls out. We walked in a crowd with the other girls from the dorms. We entered a cafeteria and took our seats. The boys were sitting separately from the girls. I could see a blonde-haired, hyperactive boy chatting excitedly. The person beside him, a guy with black hair and an annoyed look, gave him a deadly glare.

"Oh my god, is that Sasuke over there?" I heard Ino whisper.

The other girls looked to where she pointed and squealed in that annoying girly way. Someone screamed his name and the black haired guy looked our way. We made eye contact, the guy looking at me with a look of pure hatred. I frowned and gave him the finger. I don't know what this guy's problem was, and I'd be damned if I let him take it out on me.

"Naruko! You don't do that to Sasuke!" Sakura said glaring at me. Oh, ew. She was a fan girl.

"I could care less. That guy glared at me when I didn't even do anything," I said shrugging. Other girls around me also glared at me. I gave them the finger as well. Stupid fan girls.

The principle, a busty woman with long blonde hair, grabbed everyone's attention. I tuned her out and retreated into my mind.

I thought of my foster parents, who were the ones to send me to this horrible place. Their exact words were, "We don't want you here anymore. So we're sending you away to where you came from. Don't bother coming back." I didn't care, though. They were spending their own money to send me here, anyways.

"Naruko." I blinked away the memory and stared up into Hinata's purple eyes. "The assembly is over."

I looked around the see everyone leaving. I didn't miss the obvious glare from the girls. Was this Sasuke guy really that important? Or were these girls stupid? I think I'll go with stupid.

"You're not mad at me for giving Sasuke the finger?" I asked Hinata.

"No, I don't like Sasuke that way. I like someone else," she said blushing. I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering why she was blushing. "How about we eat dinner together?"

"Sure," I said standing up and stretching.

We walked out of the gym and toward the cafeteria. We passed by a couple of whispering girls who shot me dirty looks. I was really starting to hate this school.

Chapter 2

I looked at my suitcase in undisguised anger. My clothes were on the floor around my bed and "Go away! No one wants you here!" was written inside my suitcase with a permanent marker. Sakura and Ino were nowhere in sight.

"Um, Naruko?" Hinata said hesitantly.

"It's okay," I said. She sighed, thinking I wasn't angry at all. I was mad, but I wasn't going to lie down and take it. Revenge was soon on its way for them.

The door opened and in walked Ino Sakura followed by two other girls. They were laughing as they walked in, but stopped when they saw me. They looked at the mess in triumph.

"I guess I should thank you for unpacking for me," I said picking up my clothes, "but I don't say thank you to stupid fan girls who play such childish pranks."

"Look here new girl," Ino said, "us girls don't let anyone disrespect our Sasuke. So be prepared for the wrath of every girl in the school."

"Oh I doubt every girl likes him," I said looking briefly at Hinata. "And you only look pathetic. The guy obviously doesn't like you, yet you do all of this for him."

"Why you—" Ino said.

"Shut up," I said as annoyance began to sink in. I gave them my deadliest one-eyed glare and they backed away in fear. "I'm sick of hearing your voice."

"Who do you think you are? You're only new here. We run the school, not you," Sakura said.

I dropped the clothes I was holding and walked their way.

"W-what are you doing?" Ino asked. I shoved her out of the way and left the room. If I'd stayed there any longer, someone would have been in the hospital by now.

I walked out of the building and into the cool night. I walked around aimlessly until I came to a garden. I sat on the bench crossing my legs and propping my face into my hands. I sighed unhappily as I stared off into space.

"Hey." I was once again pulled away from my daydreams. I blinked and looked up at the cause of all my troubles. "You shouldn't be out here."

"Says who?" I asked coldly. This guy was the reason those stupid fan girls glaring at me and ruining my things. "Your face pisses me off."

"What's your point?" he asked glaring at me. I stood up and got in his face.

"I really want to punch you. Do you know how much I've been glared at today because of you? Do you have any idea how annoying your stupid ass fan girls are?" I said angrily.

"You think you have it bad? Try dealing with them every freaking day. Do you know how annoying it is to have your name screamed over and over again every single day?" he said.

"Ugh, I can only imagine," I said frowning. I looked at him and sighed. "Well, I guess I can't be mad at you. I'd walk around with an annoyed look on my face all day if I had to deal with that, too." I sat back on the bench, with Sasuke doing the same.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Naruko."

"Naruko…?" he mumbled to himself.

We were silent as we sat there. I couldn't help but wonder about this guy. He came off as a major jerk, but now I could tell how alike we were. He was pretty hot as well. I straightened up and slapped myself. I refused to turn into one of those fan girls.

"I'm leaving," I said getting up. I stretched and began the trek to my dorm. I stopped, realizing I had no idea how to get back.

"Lost?" Sasuke asked smirking.

"Yeah, I kind of am. You wouldn't know how to get to the girl dorms, would you?" I asked.

"Believe it or not, I actually do," he said. "Come on, I'll show you." I followed him, wondering if he was afraid to go near the girl's dorm. It was a dangerous place for him to go there.

"You know, you can just point me in the right direction. It's not smart for you to go near the girl's dorm," I said.

"Its fine," he said without turning.

I shrugged and stared at his back while walking. He looked just as good from the back. I could see the outline of his muscles through his shirt. I wanted to reach out and touch them. He suddenly stopped, causing me to walk right into him.

"A little warning would have helped," I said rubbing my nose.

"We're here," he said motioning toward the building. It was quiet and no one was out. I could see a few lights on. "See ya."

"Yeah, see ya," I said watching his retreating figure.

I made my way to my room through the almost empty halls. Sakura and Ino weren't there. Hinata was on her bed reading, already in her pajamas.

"Oh, Naruko, you're back. I was worried you would get lost," she said.

"Yeah, I had Sasuke show me the way," I said. I undid my two pigtails and shook my blonde hair in place.

"Eh?! Sasuke did?" she asked a little surprised.

"Yeah, he's a pretty cool guy," I said smiling. The door opened and Sakura and Ino walked in. they were carrying shower caddies and were already in their pajamas. I ignored them as I grabbed my own caddy and headed to the shower room.

I let the hot water envelope me and take me to a faraway place. It took me to the orphanage, and to the happy times I had there. I remembered the other kids, and how they were more of a family to me than my foster family. I wished I'd stayed there instead of being adopted.

No one else was taking a shower when I got out. I made my way back to my room and instantly disappeared into my covers.

Chapter 3

I opened my eyes and shielded it from the bright lights. I grabbed a pillow and buried my face into it. Who the hell opened the freaking blinds?

"Naruko, it's time to get ready for class," Hinata said shaking me gently. I groaned and emerged from my pillows. Everyone was already up and getting ready. Well, except me.

I dragged myself out of bed and dug through my dresser for some clothes. One good thing about this horrible school is the fact that we didn't have to wear some stupid uniform. But of course, some people took it to the extreme.

Take Ino and Sakura for instance. Ino was wearing a low cut shirt that revealed way too much cleavage, an extra mini shirt, and high heels. Sakura was wearing a strapless, and short, dress and a pair of high heeled boots. Way to look like hookers Ino and Sakura.

"Ready?" Hinata asked me. She was wearing a flowering dress, that seemed to make her bust stand out, and sandals. She smiled down at me waiting for my answer.

"Ready," I said tying my shoe. I was wearing an orange tank top with a pair of my favorite jeans. It wasn't as fancy as what Ino and Sakura were wearing, but whatever.

Me and Hinata walked out of the room and were soon pulled into the crowd of girls. We soon parted ways and I begin to find my ways to Algebra 2. I roamed around for ten minutes before I found the room. There were only a few people, since class hasn't started yet. I noticed Sasuke sitting at the back with his signature look.

"'Sup," I said taking a seat next to him. "You're looking annoyed as usual. Run into any fan girls?"

"What do you think?" he grumbled. I guess that's a yes, then. "Why are you sitting by me anyways?"

"And here I thought we were getting along great. And we even bonded over our dislike for the Sasuke Fan Club!" I said dramatically. I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn I saw him smile. Not smirk, but smile. "Dude, you just smiled!"

"No I didn't," he said frowning.

"Yes you did! Do it again," I said feeling giddy.

"I already told you, I didn't smile."

"Uh, yeah you did. There's no point in denying it; I already saw."

"What's up everyone?!" I turned from teasing Sasuke to see the hyperactive kid from yesterday. He stood in front of the room and smiled at everyone in the room, his blue eyes shining.

For some odd reason, there was something strangely familiar about him, and the fact that he kind of looked like me. What the hell?

"Yo, Sasuke!" he yelled making his way over. I heard Sasuke sigh in annoyance. He took a nearby chair and took a seat in front of Sasuke.

"Leave me alone, Naruto," Sasuke said. I rested my head on my hands and watched them.

"Don't be like that, man, and here I thought we were friends," Naruto said.

"How many times do I have to tell you? We're not friends. You're annoying and I don't like you. Now leave." Ouch.

"I know you don't mean that," Naruto said slapping his back. I couldn't hold my laugh. Sasuke looked as if he wanted to kill Naruto. You can pretty much feel his anger. "Hey, who're you?"

"Naruko Mitzuki," I said holding out my hand.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said gripping my hand. Just from his handshake, I could tell this kid worked out. His grip was pretty strong. "Are you Sasuke's girlfriend?"

"Well, you know…" I said.

"No, she's not!" Sasuke said angrily.

"I'm only kidding," I said with a wave of my hand. "His fan club is angry with me at the moment."

"Oh, you're that girl from yesterday! The one who gave him the finger," Naruto said laughing. "Guess there are some girls who don't fall for you, eh Sasuke?"

"You two are annoying, so shut up," he said staring out the window.

He seemed to shiver and directed his attention to the front. Me and Naruto looked at each other, and then looked out the window. I began laughing as I saw a few of his fan girls holding up a sigh saying 'I love you Sasuke!' When they say me, they began shouting for what I believe were curse words. I began making faces at them and that seemed to make them angrier. Naruto joined in, too.

"Well, this looks like fun," a voice said from behind us. Naruto stiffened. I looked back to see a white-haired man with a cloth over his mouth. He gave us a smile that sent shivers down my spine. "If you don't mind, I'd like to start class now."

Me and Naruto took our seats and faced the front. The guy, Mr. Hatake from my schedule, smiled again and made his way up front.

"Welcome to a new semester everyone," he said. "First, we have a new student. Naruko, would you mind standing and introducing yourself?"

"My name is Naruko Mitzuki. Very nice to meet you," I said dryly. I sat back down and kept a blank look on my face. I hated when people stared at me.

"I hope everyone will welcome her with open arms. Now, today's lesson will be…"

The day went by painfully slow. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back in bed. Especially after P.E. I had this extra weird teacher, Mr. Guy. His definition of encourage us students to be "productive" and "live out our youth" was blowing a freaking whistle and bouncing around like a kid jacked up on candy. You wouldn't believe how many times I wanted to hurl a basketball at his face.

Lunch rolled around and I followed the crowd of students to the cafeteria. I grabbed as much food as my tray could hold and went searching for a table. I found Hinata sitting with a couple of friends and sat with them.

I couldn't stop staring at the guy with Hinata's purple-white eyes and long hair. Seeing those eyes on Hinata made her look sweet and fragile. This guy made them look mean and scary. But I just couldn't stop staring.

"What?!" he asked stabbing his food. I turned to Hinata and pointed to the guy.

"Why are his eyes scary and yours aren't?" I asked. The guy tried hopping over the table after me, but the girl next to him held him back.

"Chill out, Neji!" the girl said. "I said chill!" The girl knocked him on the head.

"You didn't have to hit me!" Neji yelled.

"Um, Neji, TenTen, please stop fighting," Hinata said. They had no choice but to listen because of the pleading look Hinata was giving them.

"Yo, I'm Naruko," I said to TenTen.

"I'm TenTen. And this grumpy guy here is Neji," she said pointing a thumb at him. "He's usually easier to handle."

"Don't worry, I know a guy just like that," I said thinking of Sasuke. "And much cooler." Ah, that hit a nerve. "I'm kidding."

"Um, Naruko, where are you from?" Hinata asked, looking nervously at a fuming Neji.

"Iwagakure," I said absently. "Hey, are you going to eat that?"

"Oh, no, you can have it," Hinata said handing me her large chocolate chip cookie. I bit into it and savored the sweet, delicious taste. "It's good that you're so close. You can go visit your family."

"Don't have any," I said chewing the last of my cookie. "I was dropped off at an orphanage. I have no idea who my parents were. Some family adopted me, and then sent me here because I was too hard to handle."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I had no idea…"

"Don't sweat it. Now smile and stop looking at me like that," I said giving her my brightest smile. Of course, it wasn't real. Saying that out loud hurt more than I'm willing to show.

"Yo, Naruko!" I turned to see Naruto making his way toward us.

"'Sup, Naruto," I said bumping his fist. Oh yeah, we were that close already. Naruto already feels like an old friend of mine.

"Some friends of mine are playing soccer outside. Want to join?" he asked.

"Hell yeah I do!" I said jumping up. "I'll see you later Hina-Uh, are you okay?" Her face was flushed and she was looking down.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. You go on ahead," she said smiling nervously. I stared at her, trying to figure out what it was.

"Okay," I said finally looking away. I'll just have to get it out of her tonight.

I followed Naruto out to the field. A couple of guys were kicking the ball around and some were standing around waiting. One of the people waiting was Mr. Moody himself, along with his own entourage.

"Naruto," Sasuke said grabbing Naruto's collar, "why the hell do I have to be here?"

"Well, you looked a little moody lately," Naruto said nervously.

"I thought he was always like this?" I asked.

"Who asked you, stupid?" Sasuke said.

"What was that, asshole?" I asked getting in his face.

"You heard me. Are you stupid and hard of hearing?"

"You're asking for an ass whooping."

"Guys, calm down," Naruto said breaking us apart. "How about you settle it on the field?"

"That's not a bad idea. But how about we make it a little interesting," I said with a dark smile. "If I win, you have to talk to you fan girls for ten minutes."

"Fine," he said smirking. "But if I win, you have to talk to the fan girls for fifteen minutes."

"You better be prepared to lose," I said smirking.

"Bring it," he said.

"Uh, guys…" Naruto said.

We ignored him, though, as we went to pick teams. On my team, I had Shikamaru, Shino, and Naruto. Sasuke had Kiba, Choji, and Lee.

"Alright guys, we're going to win this. And, if we don't," I said threateningly, "someone's going to get the snot knocked out of them. Got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am," they said.

"Good," I said smiling at them. "Now, let's go kick their ass!"

So, to make a long story short, I lost. First, there was Shikamaru, that lazy bastard. He kept repeating 'What a drag' over and over again. He was lucky Naruto was there to stop me from bashing his freaking face in. and then there was Shino, the goalie. Stood in the same got damn spot and only moved when the ball was coming his way. Naruto saved his ass as well. Naruto was better, though. He was actually pretty good at soccer.

"Well, it seems we won," Sasuke bragged. I restrained my fist and glared at him. "Well, their waiting." I looked to where his fan girls were standing and groaned.

"Damn it all," I mumbled. I made my way there and tried to keep the pissed look off my face.

"Well, if it isn't Naruko," Ino said crossing her arms and glaring at me. "Did you come to apologize?"

"Why the hell would I do that?" I asked.

"Why else?! You were playing soccer with Sasuke, without our permission!" she yelled. The girls behind her gave a chorus of 'Yeah's.'

"I had no idea you guys controlled his life," I said checking my watch. Ten minutes to go. Kill. Me. Now.

"We don't run his life! We make it our duty to keep bimbo's like you from corrupting him!" a random girl said.

"Who's the bimbo here?" I asked looking at her poor excuse for a dress. "Is that supposed to be a shirt of a dress?"

"You don't deserve to be near Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I looked back to see the guys watching with a mix of fear and curiosity. Except for Sasuke, who wore a smug look on his face that was starting to piss me off.

More girls joined in to belittle me and tell me to stay away from him. What the hell was wrong with these stupid girls? To be this crazy over a guy, that's just stupid. I tried taking calm breathes before I completely snapped. Nothing good would come out of it.

"Stay away from Sasuke!" Cold water splashed over me. I stopped with the calm breathing and looked at the person who threw water on me. She stepped back in fear and so did the other girls.

"Now you just pissed me off," I said, finally snapping.

Chapter 4

[Sasuke]

I watched as Naruko talked to the fan girls. I could tell she was holding in her anger by how stiff her back was. A part of me wanted to go up there and take away from those crazy girls, but that would only make things worse. Besides, why should I care? I only met the girl yesterday.

"Naruko!" Naruto yelled. Some girl was coming toward Naruko with a bucket of water. Naruko must not have heard since she didn't bother to look up.

"Stay away from Sasuke!" the girl yelled throwing the water on her. Naruko looked up and the fan girls backed away in fear. I don't know what it was she said, but the fan girls all turned and ran away. Naruko chased after them and pulled them to the ground.

By now, Naruto and I were already running after her. She threw the girl who threw cold water on her to the ground. She raised her fists as if to punch her, but Naruto and I pulled her away. The girl crawled away before finally running away.

"Naruko, calm down! It's only me," Naruto said as she tried breaking away. She stopped and turned to look at us. The glare she gave us was frightening and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Let me go, or die," she threatened. "I have to teach that girl a lesson!"

"No, you don't! Now calm down, stupid!" I said tightening my hold. She stopped struggling. Naruto and I looked at each other, wondering if we should let her go.

"I'm fine, you can let me go now," she said. We hesitantly let her go. "Hey, Sasuke, you just called me stupid again, didn't you?"

"And?"

She turned swiftly and punched me in the stomach. I doubled over in agonizing pain. How the hell can she have such a powerful punch?!

"Ah, I feel much better," she said smiling cheerfully. "Sorry about that, Sasuke. You were the perfect person take away my anger."

"You…stupid girl…I'll…kill you…" I said between gasps.

"You'll be fine," she said waving me off. "Now, I should get out of these wet clothes before lunch is over." She hurried away, leaving me to suffering.

"You okay?" Naruto asked.

"Do I look okay, you idiot?!" I asked, the pain subsiding.

"Oh no! Sasuke's hurt!" Oh hell no.

"Naruto, you have to get me out of here," I said trying to stand.

"But I'm stupid remember?"

"Okay, fine you're not stupid. Now help me."

"Apologize," he said. "If you don't, I'll leave you here."

"F-fine, I'm sorry for calling you stupid," I said through clenched teeth.

"Good enough," he said.

He helped me evade the fan girls by taking a short cut through near the gym. They ran right past us without even noticing. I gave a sigh of relief.

"How's your stomach?" Naruto asked.

"Better, but it still hurts a little. When I see that idiot, I'm going to kill her!"

"Is that so?" Naruto asked giving me a goofy smile.

"What's with that smile?"

"I've never seen you like this with anyone else. You like he, don't you?"

"W-what the hell? Why would I like a stupid girl like her?" I said looking away. There was no way I could like her!

"Whoa, is that a blush?" Naruto asked poking my cheeks.

"Damn it Naruto! I'll kill you!" I said lunging for him. I missed punching him and he ran away.

"Good luck!" he yelled to me.

I slumped against the wall and put my hand over my face. Why the hell am I blushing for a stupid girl like her?

"You're late Ms. Mitzuki," Mr. Sarutobi, my English teacher, said.

"Sorry, I had a little water trouble," I said.

"Fine, take your seat," he said.

I spotted Hinata in the back and made my way to the empty seat behind her. The only downside was that Ino and Sakura were beside her. They refused to look me in the eyes and buried their faces behind their books.

I put my chin on the desk and stared at Hinata's back, retreating into one of my memories. I thought about the time some jerk tried to pick on me because of my pigtails.

"Nice pigtails, you little runt!" he said pulling on my braids. I clenched the hem of my skirt, trying my hardest not to cry. "Want to cry, huh you little baby?"

The kids around him pointed at me and laughed. Every day was the same old thing. I would get picked on, everyone would laugh, and no one would come to my rescue. The other kids from the orphanage were either too young, in different classes, or were older kids in a different school.

"Stupid!"

The kid pushed me into the desk and I fell to the floor. By now, the tears were already falling from my face. I don't know what happened, but something in me snapped. The tears stopped as I stood from the ground.

"Oh look, she got up! What are you going to-" I slammed my fist into his face. I had my fists clenched as I stood over him.

"Shut the hell up," I said with a scary look on my face. "Try this crap again, and I'll kill you. And don't call me stupid again. Got it?"

The kid was so scared, he pissed himself. When the teacher asked what had happened, he and the other kids refused to tell her anything. After that day, no one picked on me or the other kids from the orphanage.

I smiled as I replayed that memory. That one incident started my life as a troublemaker.

"Are you back?" I turned my head to see Mr. Sarutobi standing over me. I looked around the room to see the students watching with fear and pity. "Now, if you don't mind, read the first chapter on page 11 out loud."

"Uh, no thank you?" I asked nervously.

"It wasn't an option!" he said.

I took out my book and turned to page 11. I tried reading it, and messed up every single word. I really hate English.

Chapter 5

"Eh, basketball game?" I asked looking up from my comic book. Hinata smiled brightly at me.

"Yes, there's one in half an hour. Do you want to go?" she asked. I looked at her in suspicion. She didn't take me as the type to be interested in sports.

"Yeah, sure," I said putting my comic away. I grabbed my sneakers and tied them on my feet. "So, how good is our basketball team?"

"They were National Champions last year," she said. "If it wasn't for Sasuke and Naruto, I don't think they would have won."

"Those two are on the basketball team? Oh man, now I really have to see this game," I said heading out the door.

"So, how do you like Konoha Academy so far?" Hinata asked.

"I hated it at first, but now it's not so bad. These last two weeks were really something," I said smiling.

"Yeah, especially when you started that food fight," she said laughing.

"Hey, Neji started it. I don't see why he was so mad," I said defending myself.

"Well, you did say he looked like a girl."

"Oh yeah, I did say that," I said laughing. Ah, good times.

We walked to the gym chatting in excitement. I had no idea what Hinata was so excited about, but I wanted to see how Sasuke and Naruto played together. Those guys are always arguing. Well, Sasuke would do all the arguing while Naruto would have a stupid grin on his face. The bleachers were packed on both sides. There were a lot of signs, cheering, and insults.

"You guys suck!" someone from Konoha's side yelled. Suddenly, food and drinks were being thrown. Hinata and I took shelter under some bleachers to avoid getting hit.

"Whoa, they're really serious about this game," I said watching show before me. "Wait a minute, I recognize some people. Who are they playing against?"

"Iwagakure Academy," Hinata said looking around.

"Ah hell," I said sighing. "Hinata, who are you looking for?"

"What? I'm not looking for anyone," she said nervously. "We should go find some seats."

"Narukooooo!" I heard Naruto yell. I turned to see Naruto making his way toward us, dodging food and drinks. "You came to see me play?"

"I had no idea you were on the team. Hinata invited me here," I said. I turned to look at Hinata to see her blushing.

Okay Naruko, think. Why is Hinata always blushing? She only does when Naru—

"Sweet baby Jesus, I figured it out!" I yelled pointing at her. "Naruto, leave. We need to have a girl time."

"Maybe I can help," Naruto said.

"We're going to talk about tampons."

"Oh man, is that Sasuke calling me? I should go," Naruto said hurrying away. I shook my head smiling.

"You like Naruto, don't you?" I asked bluntly. Her face flushed and she began to stutter. I put my hand over her mouth to shut her up. "Don't worry, I won't tell him or anyone else. That's so cute, you having a crush!"

"No, don't look at me!" she said covering her face.

"But you look adorable! Let me see, let me see!" I said trying to remove her hands. I finally left her alone when she dropped to the floor hiding her face. "Okay, I'll leave you alone. We should find seats."

We emerged from the bleachers, looking around cautiously. There were no signs of flying food, thankfully. Naruto saved us seats at the front near the players. I smiled mischievously as I snuck up on Sasuke.

"What up Mr. Moody?" I said in his ear. He jumped and looked at me in anger. A fit of laughter erupted from me. "Oh man, you should have seen your face!"

"Damn it Naruko! Why are you even here?!" he asked.

"Well, I heard you guys were playing, so I had to see it," I said. "You don't want me here?"

"I never said that," he mumbled while turning away. "Just don't bother me."

"Fine, fine," I said leaning back in my seat.

The game was about to start. The players stopped practicing and walked back to their team and huddled around their coach. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw Kakashi as their coach. This lazy guy was their coach? He said a few words to them and sent them out to the court.

The game started. Both teams were good, neither trying not to let the other score. But soon enough, Iwagakure was winning by ten points. Konoha looked tired and worn out.

"Come on guys, you can do it!" I yelled. I couldn't help but get fired up. Sports do that to me.

"Yeah!" people around me yelled. "Ko-no-ha! Ko-no-ha!"

I joined in the chant and that seemed to boost the team's spirits. They began to play more seriously. They easily caught up, taking the lead by fifteen points. Iwagakure called for a time-out and the teams made their way off the court.

"Good job out there," I said high-fiving Naruto. I held my hand up for Sasuke. He stared at it for a while before finally slapping it.

The game started again and it picked up where it left off. But Iwagakure began to play dirty. They purposely bumped and tripped into our players. The idiot ref only saw it as an "accident".

"What the hell!" I yelled standing. "You dirty cheaters; I'll kick your ass!"

"Calm down, Naruko," Hinata said holding me back.

"How can I?! Those guys are cheaters. Makes me embarrassed to say I grew up there," I said falling into my seat. "Hey ref, you suck!" Iwagakure's side looked smug and confident as they team began to catch up. They cheered loud and proud for their cheaters.

I should have known they would do this. When I went there, there were rumors that they would pull all kinds of stunts to win. I didn't think much about it back then, but I wished I would have remembered earlier.

"Go Sasuke!" I looked to see Sasuke effortlessly dodging the other players. He passed it to Naruto, who did the same. They did that until Naruto shot a three-pointer.

"Go Naruto!" I yelled excitedly.

Their teammates caught on and, soon enough, they were avoiding Iwagakure's tricks. This time, it was our team that was cheering and Iwagakure who was complaining. With five seconds on the clock, we were in the lead. Iwagakure became bolder about their cheating as desperation kicked in.

"Five...Four...Three...Two...One!" And we won! We cheered and screamed and jumped up in joy. The players wore smile on their faces as they hugged each other. Even Sasuke was smiling. I ran off the bleachers, pulling Hinata with me, and ran to give Naruto a death hug.

"You were so awesome out there!" I said letting him go. "Right Hinata?"

"Y-you were great," she said blushing. "Congratulations."

"Thanks Hinata!" Naruto said pulling her into a hug. I snickered as she turned beet red. When he let her go, she staggered dangerously.

I looked around for familiar black hair and found him surrounded by screaming girls. He saw me watching and looked at me for help. I shrugged and he glared at me. He moved the girls away and made his way toward me.

"You could have helped me, you know?" he said.

"Hey, my life is already on the line," I said glancing at the fan girls. Just their usual, un-frightening glares. An idea popped into my head and I smiled at Sasuke sweetly.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" he asked warily. I threw myself at him and pulled him into a death hug. I looked behind him to smirk at his fan girls. I felt him stiffen under my hold. "N-Naruko?"

"Hehe, they look mad," I said. I stuck my tongue out at the fuming fan girls. I released Sasuke, who still stood stiff. He covered his face and looked away. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he said refusing to look at me. I rubbed my chin and stared at him, thinking. Now this seemed familiar. Why was he blushing?

"Sasuke, you don't like me, do you?" I asked bluntly. His face turned completely red. "Ah, am I right?"

"Like hell you are!" he yelled. "Who the hell would like a stupid girl like you?!"

"Hey, asshole! What did I tell you about calling me stupid!" I yelled back.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"You want to die?" I asked clenching my fist.

"Uh, guys…" Naruto said nervously.

"What?!" we both asked. I dropped my fist when I saw everyone staring at us, even the people from Iwagakure.

"Hey, isn't that Naruko?!" I heard someone ask. Damn it all, I do not want to deal with these people.

"Hinata, I'm leaving first," I said.

I walked away, praying no one stopped me. A huge body blocked my way. I craned my neck to stare into the angry eyes of a giant.

"You're not going anywhere," he said crossing his arms.

"And why is that?" I asked mimicking him, though I didn't looked as intimidating as him.

"Me and you have a score to settle," he said. I cocked my head, trying to remember what it was I did to him.

"And who are you exactly?" I asked. A vein appeared on his forehead and he clenched a fist.

"You mean you don't remember me?"

"There are just so many people who have a grudge against me. I can't possibly remember every single one of them."

"You still manage to piss me off!" he yelled throwing a fist at me. I easily dodged it and he came at me again. He kept coming after me and I kept dodging them.

"No wonder I can't remember you. You're so weak," I said tauntingly.

Yeah, I know I shouldn't insult the person trying to beat me up, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't in me to not be so blunt when fighting.

"This is getting boring," I said after dodging another attack. Blocking yet another attack, I brought my feet up and kicked him in the face. The people behind him moved back as he fell. Everyone gasped and looked from me to the now unconscious guy.

"That was so cool Naruko!" Naruto said taking my hands. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Uh, sure," I said trying to free my hands. Hinata was giving me a terrifying look, especially with those weird eyes of hers.

"Yo, Sasuke," I said pointing at him. He flinched and backed away. "Call me stupid again, and I'll knock you out cold like that guy."

"I-I'm not afraid of you," he said looking away.

"Hehe, he's scared," Naruto said laughing. "Looks like Naruko wear the pants in the relationship."

"I don't think you should have said that," I said. He turned to see a furious mob of fan girls behind him. "I think you should run." He ran and the fan girls chased after him in a stampede. Glad it wasn't me.

Chapter 6

"Okay class, today we're playing dodge ball!" Mr. Guy said a little too enthusiastically. I sighed, already feeling annoyed. I usually liked P.E., but this guy is making me really hate it. "Now, pick your team and take your positions." I walked over to where Kiba and some other guys were, not even bothering to team up with the girls.

"You guys mind if I join you?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? With you on our team, we're sure to win," Kiba said.

We took our positions, watching the balls lined up in the middle of the court. Some of the boys looked scared when they saw me. I smiled at them and that seemed to make them even more scared. Ah, how I loved to scare people.

"Start!" Mr. Guy yelled blowing his whistle.

I made a mad dash for the balls and grabbed two. I threw them at two guys. A ball was heading toward me and I caught it. Without missing a beat, I threw it at another guy. I risked looking at my team. They were holding strong, with only two players down. Those two being Shikamaru and Choji. I turned back to the game to see a ball flying toward me. I easily dodged it and looked at the person who threw it.

"I think you were aiming for my head," I said to a terrified Sakura.

I smirked at her and picked up a ball that rolled to my feet. I used it to block another ball and hit the guy who threw it. There were only three people left on the opposing team and two on ours.

"I guess it's only us," Kiba said watching the other team.

"That's good enough. I'm tired, so how about we make this quick?" I asked.

"Sounds good to me," he said dodging a ball coming for him. I dodged a ball and picked up one, knocking a player out. Kiba and I picked up a ball and, at once, hit the last two players.

Kiba and I were pulled into a group hug by our team. Mr. Guy pulled me from the crowd and pulled me into a hug, crying his eyes out. Pissed, I grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back. He was unfazed as he got up.

I headed to the locker rooms to take a shower. Everyone was talking excitedly about the game. Well, everyone on my team was. I snickered at Sakura and disappeared into a shower cubicle. I took a quick shower so I wouldn't be late for History. I wrapped the towel around me and walked to the changing room. I opened my locker and found only my backpack in there. All of my clothes were gone.

"How strange," I said to myself. I looked at the rest of the girls, who refused to look at me. "Anyone seen what happened to my clothes?" no one said anything. "I asked if anyone's seen what happened to my clothes."

"Uh, Sakura and her friends took them," one girl said.

"Typical," I scoffed. "Well, I guess I have to show them how useless that was. They still don't understand how their childish pranks had no effect on me."

I tightened the towel around me and grabbed my backpack. I walked out of the locker room and into the gym. I could hear the audible gasps from the people there and kept walking. I walked outside into the warm weather. People moved out of my way as I took the route to the dorms.

"Naruko?! Where the hell are your clothes?!"

"Oh, hey Sasuke. I, uh, lost them. Yeah, that's what happened," I answered.

"Like hell you did," he said pulling me toward the supply shed. He shrugged off his bag and pulled out his gym clothes. "Put these on." I took them and went to change behind the volleyballs.

"I'll wash them before I give them back," I said after changing.

"They took your clothes, didn't they?" he asked.

"Who else would do it?" I said sighing. I looked at Sasuke, who was sitting on the ground with a fierce look on his face. "There's no reason to be angry. It was just a childish prank."

"That's not why I'm angry," he said.

"Then what is it?"

"Everyone saw you half-naked," he mumbled. I raised an eyebrow and he looked away.

"Are you…jealous?" I asked. He flinched and put his hand over his face. I bent down to try and see if he was blushing again. "You're not blushing, are you?"

"Of course not, stupid!" he said.

"That's not going to work. Now let me see your face," I said. I did to him what I did to Hinata, continually pestering to see him blush. "Okay, fine." I gave up and took a seat next to him.

He didn't say anything as he kept his face hidden from my line of view. The bell for class had already rung and there was no way I was going now.

"You should go to class," I said to him.

"Don't feel like it," he said. I shrugged and leaned my head back. I closed my eyes and retreated into my thoughts.

[Sasuke]

Damn it, why am I blushing again?! And why am I so pissed that other guys saw her half-naked? I must be going crazy. There's no way I should be having the feelings.

Something leaned on my arms and I turned to see Naruko fast asleep. She shifted and grabbed my arm. I sat there as still I could, afraid of waking her.

"No, that's my cookie Sasuke," she said. I smiled, wondering what kind of dream she was having exactly.

As if it had a mind of its own, my free hand reached out and stroked her hair. It was as soft as it looked. And then it went to her cheeks, which were warm and soft. And then there were her lips. Soft and pick, and called for me to taste them. I lifted her face up as I brought mine down closer, my heart beating fast in my chest. We were only inches apart and I could feel her soft breathing.

"Yuki," she breathed.

I froze as the name of another guy escaped from her lips. I pulled away. I stood up, waking her up in the process. She yawned and looked up at me with glazed eyes.

"I fell asleep," she stated yawning again. I said nothing as I grabbed my bag and headed from the supply shed. "Are you okay?" I ignored her and could hear her hurrying after me. "What's wrong? Your mood changed again." She attempted to grab my arm, but I pulled it away.

"Don't touch me," I said coldly. I couldn't bring myself to look at her face afraid she might see the anger in hurt in my eyes.

Chapter 7

I don't know why Sasuke was so angry with me. Was it because I fell asleep? No, that's no reason to get angry. Well, we are talking about Sasuke here.

"Oh, I just don't understand him," I said falling into my pillows. I was now in my room telling Hinata what happened and hoping for some advice. "He's so damn moody."

"I think you should try talking to him again. Sasuke doesn't strike me as the type to get angry over small things," Hinata said. "I'm sure you two will be getting along well tomorrow."

"Yeah, hopefully," I said sighing. "Oh right. I was wondering, what exactly do you like about Naruto?"

"W-what? Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?" she said blushing.

"No reason, just want to know. Besides, I need something to distract my mind."

"W-well," she started, "he's different. Naruto is always smiling and could bring out the best in people. He's always there for people and never lets anyone bring him down. Whenever I see Naruto, I just feel all happy inside."

"Do you love him?"

"I think so," she said smiling, her eyes shining.

"Naruto is one lucky boy to have a girl like you love him," I said smiling sadly. "I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning."

I turned my back to her and pulled the covers over me. I didn't want her to see the sad look that came over me. If she saw it, then I would have to tell her about Yuki, and god knows I don't want to think about him. But it was too late, and I was soon taking another trip through my memories.

"P-please don't hurt me. I'm sorry."

I stared at the guy begging on the ground with merciless eyes. He began to whimper and started crawling away. I advanced on him. He tried running, but I kicked him out cold.

"Outstanding as always," I heard someone clap. I turned slowly to see a guy leaning on a nearby tree. His brown hair was messy and hung over his green eyes. He moved from the tree and walked toward me. "I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from Naruko Mitzuki."

"Who are you?" I asked. He stopped a few feet away and stuffed his hand in his pockets.

"My names Yuki and I've been watching you. You're strong," he stated as he surveyed my body. "And you don't look half bad."

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying," I said.

"Well, I guess I should come right out and ask," he said smiling. "How would you like to be my partner?"

"Do you want to die?" I asked threateningly.

"No, not like that. I mean, would you like to start a gang with me? No one would cross us and we'll run Iwagakure."

"Sorry buddy, but I have no interest in running Iwagakure," I said.

"Even if it means pissing off your foster parents?" Ah, now that intrigued me. There's nothing I would like more than to piss off those miserable excuse for parents.

"Keep going."

"If you do join me and cause enough trouble, they'll have to send you back to the orphanage. That is what you want isn't it?" I looked at him suspiciously.

"Why do you know so much about me?" I asked.

"I have my sources. So, are you in?"

Something told me not to trust this guy, that there was something off about him. The fact that he knew such an intimate detail about me gave me the creeps. But I wanted so badly to go back to the orphanage and away from my horrible foster parents.

"Fine," I said. He smiled and, at that time, it should have occurred to me how much of a bad decision that was.

I opened my eyes to the sun shining in my face. I rolled over to see the other girls still asleep. I got out of bed and grabbed some clothes. I headed to the showers, which were thankfully empty. I took a long shower until other girls began to enter. I changed and went back to my room for my shoes.

"You're up early," Hinata said when I entered.

"I'm surprised myself, especially since it's a weekend," I said throwing on my converse. "I'm going out for a walk. See ya."

I headed from the dorms and into the warm morning air. There were some kids walking around, but it was pretty much empty. I guess most people slept in.

"Hey, Naruko!" I turned to see Naruto making his way toward me, with Sasuke close behind him. I smiled at him, but he turned his eyes away from me.

"Hey Naruto. Why are you guys up so early?" I asked.

"Practice," Naruto said with a grimace. "Mr. Hatake wants us to start practicing on the weekends now."

"You mind if I watch?" I asked.

"Sure!" Naruto said grabbing my arm.

He pulled me toward the gym, talking excitedly. We entered the gym and I went to sit on the bleachers. Thankfully, there were no fan girls. I put my elbows on my knees and rested my chin in my hands. I watched them go over drills and practice their shots. I couldn't help but watch Sasuke, and wonder what was up with him yesterday. Sometimes that guy was so easy to read, but then he wasn't.

"Okay, that's it for now," Mr. Hatake called. The guys made their way to the locker rooms. I got up and stretched. "Well, how did you like practice?"

"It was okay. I never thought they would be that good with you coaching them," I said.

"Is that so?" he said laughing lightly. He grabbed his things and headed out of the gym. I waited for Naruto and Sasuke to come back out.

"So, how was I?" Naruto asked running toward me.

"You were great," I said high-fiving him. "With moves like that, I bet all the girls would be all over you."

"I bet you would know," I heard Sasuke say as he passed us.

"What did you say?" I called after him. He ignored me and kept walking. I hurried after him and turned him toward me. "What the hell is your problem? You've been acting weird since yesterday."

"I told you not to touch me," he said coldly.

"You're avoiding the question."

"I don't need to answer any questions from you. Now leave me alone." He walked away and I balled my fist. This guy was seriously annoying me. I grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at his head.

"What the hell?!" he yelled turning his angry eyes on me.

"Stop ignoring me!" I yelled. "If there's something I did, then tell me, don't ignore me. If you don't want to be friends with me, then tell me straight."

"That's not it," he said rubbing his sore head. He looked up at the people who stopped to listen and glared at them. They scurried away, looking back every so often. He headed toward me and grabbed my arm. "Let's go somewhere to talk."

"Fine," I said letting him lead me away. I looked back in time to see Naruto give me thumbs up. He led me to the same garden I met him at my first night. He let go of my arm and sat on the bench.

"Who's Yuki?" he asked. My body went cold at the mention of his name. Sasuke was watching me carefully so I quickly hid my nervousness.

"How do you know that name?" I asked.

"You talk in your sleep," he said. I laughed lightly and ran my hands through my hair. Weird, I thought I tied it this morning. "So, who is he?"

"He's no one," I said taking a seat beside him. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Stop avoiding the question."

"You avoided mine."

"Is he your boyfriend back in Iwagakure?"

"No," I said slowly. "He was my ex."

"So you still have feelings for him?"

"No, I don't. I hate him," I said with as much hate as I could muster. "That was the biggest mistake of my life."

"So, you don't have a boyfriend?"

"No, I don't," I said laughing. "So, we good now?"

"Yeah, we are," he said smiling.

"You smiled," I said happily. "You should do that more often." He frowned and looked away. I poked at his cheeks, saying, "Ah, come on and smile again."

"No way," he said swatting my hand away. "You really know how to annoy me."

"And that's why you love me," I said patting his shoulder. I felt his shoulder stiffen. "Hey, you okay?"

He suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. My body refused to pull away as he put his arms around me.

"Sasuke…?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he said. "It's your fault I have these strange feelings. Damn it, Naruko. Why do you make me feel this way?"

I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I couldn't do anything. I could knock anyone out, fight more than one person at a time, but couldn't pull away from Sasuke's hug. But I didn't want to pull away. I liked the feeling of being in his arms, of hearing his heart beat so fast. It was oddly comforting. He finally pushed me away, blushing.

"Sorry," he said.

He was still holding my arms and I could feel the warmth coursing through my body. I leaned closer, causing Sasuke to lean away. I had no control of my body as I continued to crawl toward him. I crawled over his body until I was over him. My hair fell over his face as I stared into his eyes intensely.

"Naruko…" he whispered wrapping his arms around my waist.

He pulled me closer to him until our bodies were touching. He moved the hair from my face and bought my face closer to his. I could feel his breath on my face before we completely closed the distance. I grabbed his face and deepened the kiss. The kiss got deeper and deeper as the need to kiss him more overwhelmed me. When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathing hard.

"Wow, you're a good kisser," I said breathlessly. He sat up, keeping me on his lap.

"You're not so bad yourself," he said watching my lips. Knowing what he wanted, I pulled his face toward mine. I kissed him slowly this time, savoring every bit of it.

"I think my hormones are acting wacky," I said after pulling away. He smiled and pulled me closer.

"I know how you feel," he said. "You want to go out with me?"

"What?" I asked laughing. "You're asking me out?'

"No need to act surprised," he mumbled.

"Sorry," I said patting his cheek. "I'd love to go out with you." He put his head in the crook of my neck, sighing.

I closed my eyes and pulled myself closer.

Chapter 8

"Hinata, come with me," I said pulling Hinata away from Neji and TenTen.

"What is it Naruko?" she asked.

"Sasuke asked me out," I blurted. I covered her mouth before she could scream. "And I need your help."

"What do you need me to do?" she asked removing my hand.

"I need you and Naruto to double date with us." Her face turned pale and she began to stutter. "Please, Hinata. I have no idea what to do during a date."

"B-but I can't," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"Hinata," I said grabbing her shoulders, "don't you think it's time to tell Naruto how you feel? I've only known him for a short time, and I know he wouldn't hurt you. I'm sure he'll agree to the date."

"B-but Naruto likes Sakura."

"Eh?" I said. "He likes that tramp?!"

"You didn't know?" she asked confused. I felt a feeling of disgust wash over me. Naruto…likes Sakura? He has horrible taste in girls.

"Never mind," I said still disgusted. "You've told me something I would have never wanted to know."

"Sorry I couldn't help you, but congratulations. You and Sasuke look great together," she said smiling at me.

"Thanks Hinata," I said pulling her into a hug. "You're a great friend."

I let her go back to her friends and went to go find Naruto. We needed to have a serious talk. I found him in the cafeteria sitting with Kiba, Sasuke, and Lee. I took a seat across from Naruto and stared him down.

"Uh, is there something you want Naruko?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Naruto, I just heard some very disturbing information about you," I said keeping my stare on him. "Is it true you like Sakura?"

"What? Where did you hear that from?" he asked blushing.

"Well, it's no secret you like her," Kiba said.

"It is pretty obvious," Sasuke said.

"Naruto," I said regaining his attention. "What about Sakura do you like?"

"Well, because she's pretty," he said sheepishly. I slammed my fist on the table, startling everyone.

"Is that it? So you don't care for her personality, which is horrible by the way? Of all the girls, it had to be Sakura. Why not someone like Hinata, for instance? She's pretty right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," he said blushing. Wait, hold up. What the hell was up with that blush?

"Hm," I said thinking. "I see now. Well, I will see you guys later." I stood up, throwing a quick smile at Sasuke.

[Sasuke]

"So, Naruto, are you going to tell her?" I asked him. Naruto was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. He looked over at me and gave me a weak smile.

"Why should I? She would never like a guy like me," he said. I sighed and slapped him upside the head.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but Hinata actually likes you," I said. He sat up and looked at me shocked.

"She does?"

"Of course she does, you idiot. It's pretty obvious." But they were both pretty dimwitted, it's no wonder neither knew the other liked them. "You're such an idiot, Naruto."

"Shut up or I'll tell Naruko on you," he said childishly. "I know you're scared of her."

"I am not scared of her," I lied. I was actually was. That girl had superhuman strength, and I did not want to get hit by her again. "Well, I'm tired. So shut up."

"But it's only six o'clock!" Naruto said. I sighed and rolled over on my bed. "Why don't we invite Hinata and Naruko out tonight? We could sneak out and go to the beach."

"No thanks," I said keeping my eyes close.

"You could see her in a bathing suit." My eyes flew open as I imagined her in a bathing suit. She would no doubt look good in it.

"I guess I could go," I finally said.

"I knew there was a pervert in you, Sasuke. I'll go tell the girls." He walked from the room and I rolled over on my back. I couldn't keep the image of Naruko in a bikini out of my mind.

Chapter 9

"I-I don't think we should be doing this!" Hinata whispered yelled.

I shushed her as I peaked around the corner. Good, there was no one there. I grabbed her hand and hurried toward the door. I expected an old woman or a guard to be here so no one would sneak out. And I even wanted to knock them out.

"I see them!" I yelled over my shoulder. Naruto waved to us and I noticed others with them. Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Neji, and TenTen were waiting. I frowned as I saw Ino and Sakura glaring at me.

"Are we the last ones?" I asked.

"Yep. Time to go guys," Naruto said.

We headed to the back of the school. There was a huge hole in the gate and we all slipped through. I walked behind Hinata, who was pulled into a conversation by a nervous Naruto. I looked over at Sasuke to see Sakura and Ino trailing close behind him. I smiled sweetly and went to walk beside him.

"Hello," I said smiling at him. "Oh man, it's so crowded. Maybe it has something to do with the groupies."

"What did you say?! And why are you so close to Sasuke?!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, you're giving him a headache!"

"Uh, no. I think that's because of you," I said. "Besides, who the hell invited you two?"

"We had to come to watch over Sasuke," Ino said.

"You guys are pathetic," I said pulling my attention away from them. "You know, I never took you as the type to go to beaches."

"Naruto wouldn't stop bugging me about it," Sasuke said.

"Is that so? Naruto told me it's because you wanted to see me in a bathing suit," I said nonchalantly.

"Well he lied!" he yelled blushing.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I was only kidding. And don't worry, you won't be disappointed," I said winking at him. He turned his face away and I laughed quietly.

Oh, what's this evil aura I sense? I turned to see Ino and Sakura giving me a killer glare. I shrugged and turned my face forward. I could see the beach ahead of us and joined the others in running the rest of the way. The night was warm as I pulled off my t-shirt and shorts to reveal my stripped blue bikini.

"So, how do you like it?" I asked Sasuke.

"I-its fine," he said turning red.

"Hehe, you're blushing," I said poking his forehead. "Hey, let's join the others in the water."

"I don't swim," he mumbled.

"Ah, come on Sasuke. Please?" I asked smiling. He blushed more and looked away.

"Fine," he said standing. He took off his shirt, revealing glorious abs. I wanted to run my hands over them so badly, but restrained myself.

"Wow, nice body," I said staring. I poked at his abs, causing him to flinch. "No wonder girls go crazy over you."

"Aren't you even ashamed of what you say?" he asked walking toward the water.

I ran past him, grabbing his hand and leading him toward the water. The others were already splashing away having fun. I snuck up on Naruto and pushed his head in the water. I hurried away laughing when he tried to get me. Someone picked me up and threw me into the water. I emerged to see Kiba laughing at me.

"Hey, that was dirty!" I said after being dunked. "You are so going to pay for that Naruto!"

I chased after him until finally jumping on his back, hoping he would fall under the water. He didn't even budge! He only laughed as I tried, unsuccessfully, to make him sink. I hopped off and swam away, giving up.

"Damn it Naruto!" I heard Sasuke yell. I laughed as a soaked Sasuke wrestled with a laughing Naruto. Sasuke may have sounded angry, but I could see he was actually having fun. He and Naruto were almost like brothers.

I sunk low into the water until only my eyes and nose were visible. I crept slowly behind Neji, who was busy splashing TenTen and Hinata. I sprang from the water and hopped on his back, knocking him back into the water. I swam from under him a good distance away. I laughed to myself as he tried to find out who did it.

"Having fun?" came a voice from behind me. I half-turned to see Sasuke standing behind me. I let my eyes roam his body once again.

"Hey Sasuke?" I asked standing from the water.

"What?" he asked watching me warily. I walked closer and resting a hand on his chest.

"Do you know how irresistible you are?" I asked running my hand over his body. "Seeing you like this makes me want to do unspeakable things to you."

"How honest of you," he said pulling me closer. Oh man, I need to get away from this guy before I scar the others with things they did not want to see.

"Hey! Let me go!" I looked at the shore to see Sakura being confronted by two guys. Ino was yelling at the guys to let her go. Naruto tried to step in, but was easily knocked down by the bigger guy. I pulled away from Sasuke and walked toward the shore.

"Hey, how about you leave my friends alone?" I asked.

"And what are you going to do, girlie?" the smaller guy said. He grabbed my arm and yanked me toward him. I could smell alcohol on his breath. "You don't look half bad."

"Your grip is weak," I said uncurling his fingers from my wrist. I turned and threw him over my back. He landed with a loud thud.

"Naruko, watch out!" I turned in time to avoid the bigger guy trying to grab me. He lunged for me again and I kicked him in the stomach. He fell to the ground in pain.

"Well, that was easy," I said watching my handiwork. I looked over to see Sakura crying to Ino. Hinata was busy making sure Naruto was okay.

"How'd you learn to do that? You were so cool!" TenTen said excitedly.

"Well, here and there," I said.

"You should join the Judo Club! Right Neji?" she asked turning to him. Neji refused immediately and that got him and TenTen into an argument.

I left them there to see how Naruto was doing. He wasn't as hurt as he was shaken up. That guy dropped him pretty hard, it's no wonder he's shaken up. He seemed alright, seeing how he had a stupid smile on his face from having Hinata fret over him.

"Looks like our fun is ruined now," I said gathering my things.

"Yeah, thanks to those jerks," TenTen said.

Everyone else began to gather their things and putting on their clothes. I looked over at Sasuke, who was now pulling on his shirt. I pouted and he smirked at me. Man, I wanted to stare at his glorious abs longer.

"You sure do know how to crush a girls dream," I said sadly.

"Shut up," he said walking away.

I sighed unhappily and followed everyone from the beach. Ah, well. Apart from those two assholes ruining our fun, it was a pretty fun night. It's been a while since I've actually had fun with "friends."

Chapter 10

I looked at down at my test in utter horror. How the hell did I get a 52 on my test? I studied for it. Sure, not as much as I should have, but it should have been enough. It had to me Mr. Hatake. That lazy bastard failed me on purpose.

"Wow, that's a pretty bad score," Naruto said peeking over my shoulder.

"What was your grade?" I asked hopefully. Surely I'm not the only one who failed. Naruto struck me as the stupid type.

"A 68," he said smiling. I dropped my head to the desk, defeated. How the hell did Naruto do better than me? Did the world hate me?

"You must be really stupid if Naruto did better than you." There was that word again. And from the one person I didn't want to hear it from. "And it was such an easy test."

"Uh, Sasuke, I don't think you should make her angry," Naruto said nervously. Well, it was too late for that.

"I don't think I heard you correctly," I said lifting my head. I looked back at Sasuke with a cool expression on my face. "What was it you called me?"

"Uh, nothing," he said backing away. I stood from my seat and advanced on him.

"It wasn't anything. Did you forget about my warning? About you calling me stupid again?" I brought my foot up to kick him, but he easily dodged it. "Eh, what's this? You actually dodged my kick."

"Of course I did. I didn't want to get hit," he said.

"Well, maybe I should try again," I said trying to kick him.

He continued to dodge my kicks so I made them a little less easy to dodge. He struggled to avoid them and I took that as an opportunity to kick his knees from under him. I smiled in triumph at him lying on the floor.

"Maybe next time," I said encouragingly. I held my hand out to help him up, but he ignored it. He walked out of the room without a backwards glance.

"I think you made him mad," Naruto said.

"He's so moody. You can't even joke with him," I sighed.

"That's just Sasuke. He wasn't always like this. Before his parents were killed," Naruto said sadly.

"I had no idea," I said. "But still, he doesn't have to be such a killjoy. Well, I guess I should go turn on the charm and apologize."

I walked from the classroom and went to search for Mr. Moody. It didn't take me long, since I've found out his hiding place long ago. I entered the garden and found him sitting alone on a bench.

"What a beautiful day, eh?" I asked sitting beside him.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you?" I countered.

"Missing one day is nothing to me. It's different for you, though."

"And here I am, trying to make you feel better. Way to hurt girl's feelings," I said dramatically. "Now, are you really that upset about me dropping your ass? It wasn't the first time I did that."

"That's not why I'm angry," he said staring ahead. I looked at his face to see a forlorn look on it. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn't anything good.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, I don't," he said.

"Fine with me, but when you do, I'm here to listen. Also," I said scooting closer, "no one's here."

He grabbed my waist and pulled me onto his lap. He wasted no time and closing the distance between our lips. I was enjoying this secret relationship. Well, it wasn't as much as a secret. We just never got around to telling people. I mean, who cares? It's not like any of his fan girls had the balls to say anything.

The bell for class rung and we pulled away. Sasuke had this look in his eyes that said he wanted to continue. I was all up for another make out session, but it was time for English, my favorite subject.

"Sorry, but it's time for class," I said giving him a quick peck on the lips. I got off his lap and ran off to class.

Halfway to English, I realized I forgot my things in Algebra 2. That means I had to think up an excuse to Mr. Hatake as to why I wasn't in class. I peeked inside the room to see a few kids already in there, but not Mr. Hatake. I hurried to my seat and hurried to grab my things.

"Well, it seems you're alright." I flinched and turned slowly. Mr. Hatake was smiling behind me in a scary way. "It must have something serious to miss my class."

"Uh, well, I forgot?" I said hesitantly.

"Come to my office after school for your extra homework."

"Oh, come on! Why can't you give me detention instead?" I whined.

"Because that's too easy. Now run on to class." I pouted and stormed from the classroom. Stupid teacher, giving me extra homework. He sure knows how to torture his students.

"You look unhappy, Naruko," Hinata said as I sat next to her.

"Stupid Mr. Hatake is giving me extra homework," I complained.

"Well, you do skip his class a lot."

"Well, that is true."

"Okay class, settle down," Ms. Yuhi said. "Now, today we'll be writing group poems. Everyone would get in groups of five, pick a topic to write about, and each person will write one line each. Then one person will come up to present it to the class."

We then broke off into our group. There was me, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and TenTen on one group. Why the hell do I have to team up with Ino and Sakura? This is so wrong.

"So, any ideas on what to write about?" Hinata asked.

"I say we write about Sasuke," Sakura offered.

"Yeah, great idea!" Ino said excitedly.

"Denied," I said x-ing my arms.

"Yeah, I agree. Not all of us are obsessed with him," TenTen said.

"Well, how about school?" Hinata offered.

"It's better than the first idea," TenTen said. "And I'm sure we can all think of something."

So, for the next twenty minutes, we thought up what to write until we finally came up with a decent poem.

"Naruko, who would like to go for your team?" Ms. Yuri asked.

"I'll be going," I said standing. I went to the front with our poem. Clearing my throat I began to read:

Why is school such a drag?
And why is our principal such an old hag?
The books, the teachers, their all so dull.
And the homework, why do we have to put up with the bull?
Dealing with stupid girls and a moody boy,
But it's not so bad to get then annoyed.
Despite that, school can be fun.
Especially hanging with friends at the beach under the sun.
School can be so many things,
If you find great friends fill your days.

"That was great girls," Ms. Yuhi said clapping. I did a bow and headed back to my seat.

"Hey, I think Shikamaru is glaring at us. I think he's pissed we used his word. Nice one Sakura," TenTen whispered. We snickered at Shikamaru. I hate to admit it, but that was a great line Sakura made. Maybe these fan girls wasn't that after all.

Chapter 11

"This…can't be. It must be black magic."

"It has to be. This can't be right."

"Maybe it is? I mean, she's pretty smart…I think. And it was only math she did badly in."

"You guys do realize I'm sitting here, right?" I asked irritated. Naruto, TenTen, and Hinata were all huddled around my history exam, which was an A by the way. Apparently, everyone assumed I was brain-dead or something because of how horrible I was in math.

"But, you did better than Sasuke!" Naruto said holding the paper to my face. I snatched it from him and stuck it inside my backpack.

"It's not a big deal. I'm sure there are other people who have done better than him, right?" I asked. Everyone exchanged looks and shrugged at me. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

At that moment, loud shrieks erupted from the cafeteria. Sasuke, followed by his fan girls, emerged from the cafeteria and headed our way. There was his signature scowl on his face, which seemed much worse than it was. That means something was bugging him. He took a seat on the grass near Naruto.

"Nice entrance, as always," I said. He mumbled something and scowled at nothing. "Are you going to tell us what's bugging you?"

"Maybe it has something to do with you getting a higher score than him," Naruto added. He hurried from Sasuke before he could grab him. He laughed as he took a seat near me. "There's no reason to be angry. You can't be number one at everything."

"Shut up Naruto," he said.

"There's no need to be jealous of your girlfriend," TenTen said. Sasuke glared at her, and she glared right back. "Sorry buddy, but that glare of yours doesn't scare me."

I sat back and let them talk. It was fun watching them go at each other. Back at Iwagakure, I always envied people who had friends and laughed and had fun, unlike me, who had to be tough and always watch my back for someone trying to take me down. Not to mention not having any parents and feeling that lonely, empty feeling. But now I have friends who care about me, and I'm able to live a somewhat normal life.

"I love you guys," I said. They stopped talking and looked at me with surprise. "I just wanted to let you know that."

"Heh, even him?" TenTen said pointing a thumb at Sasuke.

"Who knows?" I said with a slow smile.

My eyes shifted to movement somewhere far away behind us. A familiar figure stood near the gym, watching me. I couldn't see his face because of the shadows, but I could see his brown hair as a tiny bit of sun shone on it. My body went cold and anger overcame me.

"I'll be right back," I said getting up.

I hurried over, ignoring the calls for me to wait or come back. The person disappeared inside the gym and I followed. When I walked in, he was disappearing into the boy's locker room. Knowing it would be empty, I followed.

"You look as lovely as always, Naruko."

Yuki emerged from behind the lockers and smiled at me. I kept my glare on him, remembering how much I hated him. The dream I had about him replayed in my head, wanting to become real. If it did, I'd probably be serving life in prison.

"And you're as repulsive as always," I retorted. He chuckled and walked toward me.

"How have you been?"

"Fine, until you showed up. What are you doing here?"

"Well, to see you of course."

"Cut the crap. What do you really want?"

"Ah, I forgot how impatient you were," he said stopping in front of me. "I want you to come back. The gangs not doing so well and we need you back."

"I'm not going back. I gave that up, and you know why," I said.

"That was necessary. If I hadn't done that, then we would have lost our turf."

"Don't give me that crap! You know damn well we would have gotten it back. What you did, you did it for your own selfish reasons. I know about your little 'deal.'"

"Fine, you caught me," he said laughing. He stopped and smirked at me. "It's not like he hurt her or anything."

"He raped her you asshole!" I yelled with my fists balled. "You sold one of the few people I actually cared about to a sick, perverted bastard. You're lucky she didn't die, or else you'd be dead by now."

"I don't see what you're so angry about. You got her back, right? And we managed to keep our turf and the money. You're overreacting."

I couldn't contain the anger that was quickly building up. I brought my hand up and grabbed his neck. I threw him to the lockers hard. I picked him up and then kicked him in the chest. He moaned in pain and I stared down at him with pitiless eyes.

"You piss me off," I said. "Don't ever come near me again, or I'll do something much worse." I turned and walked toward the door.

"What about your friends?" he asked. I stopped and turned to him slowly. He was leaning on the locker, a hand to his injured chest. "I can have them hurt, or worse. That little blue-haired girl is pretty cute. I'm sure I can find some guys who could take good care of her."

"Don't you dare go near them," I threatened.

"Come with me and nothing will happen to them," he said. I wouldn't put it past him to actually hurt them. Yuki could not be trusted and he was a dangerous person.

"Do I have your word?"

"On my life," he said smiling. I glared once again before leaving the locker room. I felt the need to punch something, so I brought my fist up and punched the bleachers.

"Whoa, are you okay?"

"Did you follow me?" I asked Sasuke.

"I was worried about you," he said. I smiled weakly at him.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. I promise."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, too bad," I said walking toward the gym doors. He grabbed me and turned me toward him. "What?"

"Aren't we supposed to talk when there's something wrong?" he asked. I looked away, not wanting to do what I knew I had to do. I really do like him, more than I should. It breaks my heart to see him hurt.

"It's not like we're together or anything. I only assumed this was a small 'fling,'" I said. He let go of my hand and I looked up at him. There was the pain and hurt I never wanted to see. He looked away from me and sighed.

"Is that really how you feel?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, it is," I lied, my heart breaking with every word.

"I thought you were different, that you felt the same way I felt," he said searching my eyes. "Do you have any idea how much I like you? I would do anything for you, Naruko. You make me feel things I've never felt before. Naruko, I lo-"

"Stop, don't say it," I said. "I just…I don't feel the same way, Sasuke. I'm sorry."

He continued to stare me in the eyes. I wanted so badly to tell him I didn't mean anything I said. But I couldn't. If I was going to leave, I wanted him to forget about me, to hate me. That way, he would find someone better. So he can be happy.

He nodded and brushed past me out of the gym. I stood rooted to the spot, tears leaking from my eyes.

"Well done," I heard Yuki say.

I did not want to deal with him right now. So, I said nothing to him as I left the gym. I looked to where the others were sitting and saw Sasuke wasn't there. I walked over slowly, going over how I would hurt them.

"Hey Naruko, where'd you disappear to?" Naruto asked. I kept an emotionless look on my face as I gathered my things. "Hey, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," I said standing. "You guys think you're my friends, and that I actually like you. Well, I don't. You're annoying. The only reason I hung out with you guys was because I was bored and didn't know anyone here. So, do me a favor and don't talk to me ever again."

"Wait a minute, Naruko! What the hell do you mean by that?!" TenTen asked standing angrily.

"Yeah, I want to know too," Naruto said angrily.

"Exactly what I said. I don't like you," I said.

"Who do you think you are?! You think you're too good or something? Sorry to break it to you, but you aren't. Good luck being alone," TenTen said. She grabbed her things and stormed off. Naruto looked at me with a mix of anger and sadness before leaving as well.

"Naruko, you don't mean that," Hinata said. It hurt more to do this to her. She was my best and first friend here. "Do you really not want to be friends with us?"

"No, I don't," I said without emotion.

"If that's what you want," she said picking up her bag. "But if you change your mind, I'm here for you." She walked away and I watched her sadly.

Now I had no more friends. Well, that'll make leaving a whole lot easier, but a lot more painful.

Chapter 12

[Sasuke]

I paced the garden in anger. All this time, I thought Naruko and I felt the same thing, that she liked me as well. So why, why did she say those things? Something deep down told me she was lying, but I couldn't bring myself to find out why. I was too hurt and angry to care anymore.

"Sasuke?" I turned at the sound of my name, hoping it was Naruko. But, of course, it wasn't.

"Is there something you want, Hinata?" I asked. I didn't mean to sound mean, but I couldn't help it because I was so angry.

"It's about Naruko. She said some things earlier," she said.

"Yeah, I know. She rejected me," I said. I had no idea why I was telling her this. It just seemed to come out by itself. But I did feel a little better telling someone. "But I think she was lying."

"Yeah, me too. I've only known her for a short time, but I know that she isn't the type of person to hurt others without a good reason," Hinata said. "I think something happened after she rushed off."

"Yeah, possibly," I said, my anger being replaced by curiosity. "We should find out what happened."

"But how? Naruko is pretty stubborn and she made it clear she doesn't want to us talking to her."

"Then we'll follow her and watch her every movements," I said smirking.

"Right and we'll get everyone to help us," she said smiling. "You've changed a lot, Sasuke. Since Naruko showed up, you seem a lot happier. It must be love."

"What nonsense are you saying?" I asked covering my mouth as a blush formed. "We should go and tell everyone. I'll talk to Naruto; you can talk to TenTen and Neji."

I headed to my room and found Naruto sulking. He sat in the corner, his face in his arms. I sighed and took a seat near him.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I thought she was our friend. I didn't know she felt those things," he said. I sighed and patted his shoulder.

"You're sad? How about being rejected by her?" I said. "Come on Naruto, you should know her better than that. You're like a brother to her, and I bet it pained her to hurt you."

"So she didn't mean anything she said?"

"I hope not," I said sighing. "So, are you going to help me find out why she acted like that by following her? Hinata will be there."

"Well, I guess I could go," he said with his goofy smile.

We headed out to meet Hinata and the others. Whatever it was Naruko was hiding, I was going to find out.

[Naruko]

I peaked inside the room, thankful it was empty. Hinata, Ino, and Sakura were nowhere inside, giving me the chance to pack without any questions. I hurried to my bed and dragged a duffle bag from underneath. I threw in some clothes and then other items like my toothbrush and whatnot. I wouldn't be able to take some things, but that was alright. It's not like I had much anyway.

I put the bag back under my bed and looked at the time. I was leaving tonight at midnight, only six hours away. Yuki made it clear that I needed to leave immediately. I sighed and sat in my bad. I looked at the room, feeling a sense of loneliness. I was used to this feeling of not having anyone, but this time was different. I actually had friends, but had to lose them. Damn Yuki.

I lay down and closed my eyes, and then fell asleep. I heard Sakura and Ino come in, but didn't make an effort to get up.

I opened my eyes to darkness. Getting up quietly, I could see the others already in bed. Looking at the time, I saw I had half an hour to meet Yuki. I silently got out of bed. I threw on my sneakers and retrieved my duffel bag. Tip toeing out of the room, I shut the door as quietly as I could. I walked out into the warm night air and made my way to the back of the school, near the hole in the gate.

"Glad you could make it," Yuki said as he leaned on the gate. When he smiled at me, I felt nausea wash over me. Man, I really did hate this guy.

"Of course I did. I wouldn't want anything to happen to my friends," I said.

"Or that Sasuke guy," he said smiling at my surprised face. "I have informants here."

"Can we go now? The sooner I leave the be-"

"Don't leave Naruko!"

My body went stiff at the sound of Naruto's voice. Turning slowly, I could see Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, TenTen, and Neji hurrying toward us. Why were they here? How did they know where to find me?

"Its guys fault, right? We heard everything. You should have told us," Naruto said.

"B-but how…"

"We followed you. How can you be so stupid?" TenTen said. "Who is this loser anyway?"

"You must be Yuki," Sasuke said. He stepped in front on Yuki. "We're not letting you take her."

"Is that so, Little Uchiha?" Yuki said. "Are you going to stop me like you did your brother? Oh, right, you never did." Sasuke's face turned into anger and grabbed Yuki by the collar. "Careful, you wouldn't want to make me angry."

"Sasuke, calm down," I said pulling his hand away. I did not want him to fight Yuki, fearing he would only get hurt.

"Are you planning to run away with this guy? I thought you hated him," Sasuke asked pulling his hand from mine.

"You don't understand, okay? Just forget you ever met me, because that's what I planned to do about you," I said. I felt arms snake around my shoulders and looked up to see Yuki smiling smugly at Sasuke.

"Why don't you get the hint already? Naruko belongs to me," Yuki said tightening his hold on me. He whipped out his phone and sent a text I couldn't read. "Let's go Naruko," he said leading me away. I looked in time to see everyone become surrounded.

"You promised not to touch them if I came with you!" I yelled.

"You should know me better than that, sweetheart," he said kissing my cheek. He pushed me and I crashed into a brick wall. Well, it was actually a giant that felt like a brick wall. The giant held on to me and began to follow Yuki. I struggled, but to no avail.

"Let her go!" I heard Sasuke yell. We turned to see their attackers lying unconscious on the ground. Everyone looked unharmed.

"How did you defeat my men?" Yuki asked incredulously.

"Don't take us so lightly," Naruto said smirking. "Now, I suggest you let Naruko go or get your ass kicked. Your choice."

"Take care of them," Yuki said to the giant. He let go of me and could only stand there, dumbfounded. What the hell is going on?!

"I'll take care of this," Hinata said. Everyone backed up, leaving Hinata to face the giant. He swung at her, but she easily dodged him. She jumped and kicked him in the face. He leaned back a little, and she kicked his knees from under him.

"Hinata…" I said as I eyed the now unconscious giant. "What the hell?! How the hell?! Who the hell?!"

"I guess I have to do everything," Yuki said stepping in front of me.

"I'll take care of him," Sasuke said stepping forward. Hinata backed away to stand beside Naruto.

Yuki got into a fighting stance and Sasuke stood there with his hands in his pockets, waiting for him to attack first. Yuki moved and threw a punch at Sasuke, who dodged it easily. Yuki kicked at him and Sasuke stepped away, sending a kick into Yuki's side. Yuki, now angry, continued his barrage of kicks and punches. Sasuke took his hand from his pockets and punched him in the stomach. Yuki doubled over, clutching his stomach, and then proceeded to vomit. He then fell unconscious.

"That's still disgusting to watch," Naruto said cringing.

"What the hell is going on?! You guys knew how to fight, which is pretty sweet by the way, yet you didn't tell me?! You," I said pointing at Sasuke. "I've hit you so many times, yet you could have stopped me. What the hell man?"

"How about we go somewhere else to talk?" Sasuke said grabbing my arm. I allowed him to pull me toward the gym, thinking, yet again, what the hell was going on.

Chapter 13

[Sasuke]

"Explain. Now," Naruko said crossing her arms. I looked from Naruto and the others and knew I would have to be the one to explain. They were useless.

"Well, to make a long story short, we've been trained in fighting since we were in elementary school. It was mandatory, of course, and not many students actually do it."

"Wait, hold the phone. Are you guys are like some ninjas and this is like, some secret ninja school?" she asked confused.

"Well, no. It's a little complicated, I know. Our school doesn't specialize in secret ninja training, if that's what you mean. It's just a program for those who want to strengthen themselves. Whether it is for a personal reason or just for the heck of it, you can participate."

"Is your reason because of your brother?" she asked. I looked away as my eyes took a ferocious look. "Oh, right! If you knew how to fight this whole time, then why did you let me hit you so many times?" I sighed, thankfully for the obvious conversation change.

"I didn't let you hit me. For some reason, I can't dodge your attacks very well. You're, how should I say it—unpredictable," I said frowning. She tilted her head to the side, seeming to ponder what I said.

"So, that means I could keep attacking you successfully?" she asked. I smirked and I saw a smile tug at her lips. Ah, never would've imagined I'd miss that smile of hers.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like my apology now?" TenTen said loudly. Naruko looked guilty as she seemed to remember what she said earlier.

"Sorry about that. I actually don't hate you guys; I just didn't want Yuki to hurt you. Though, I did say some really mean things, so I'd understand if you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

Naruto was the first one to tackle her. I could see it took her by surprise, and they both fell to the floor. She landed on her back with Naruto hovering above her. She was pulled into a deadly hug as he smiled and flung her around.

"I knew you didn't mean it! I'm so happy you don't hate me," he said. I pulled Naruto was off of her roughly. I did not like the way he was on her, and I'd be damned if I let him stay on her like that. I held him by the collar and nearly threw him toward Hinata. I held a hand out for her and she graciously took it.

"Well, I won't forgive you until you buy me lunch," TenTen said crossing her arms. She then smiled and pulled Naruko into a hug. She looked at Neji expectantly, until he sighed and rolled his eyes. She smiled and hugged him, and he tried prying her off. She then looked at Hinata and, before she could say anything, she hugged her.

"Thank you, Hinata. Even after I said all those mean things, you still believed in me, and offered to still be friends."

"Of course," she said. They pulled away and smiled at each other. And then she was crushed into another Naruto hug. This time, though, she squeezed him back, before I could grab him and knock a little sense into him. He wiggled in her hold and she held on until he had enough.

"N-Naruko," he said falling to the ground. "T-that h-hurt."

"Sorry Naruto, but you crushed me first," Naruko said shrugging. Hinata bent down to help him.

"Well, I'm going to bed since we're done here," Neji said yawning. He turned and walked from the gym, with TenTen following behind him.

"I think I'll be going too," Naruto said. "You guys coming?"

"You take Hinata to her room. We'll catch up later," I said standing beside Naruko.

Naruto nodded and gave me thumbs up. Hinata gave Naruko an encouraging smile as she and Naruto left. She peeked up at me as I looked down at her, watching her closely. She returned a deep stare, not looking away. I then pushed her against the bleachers, wasting no time capturing her lips. It started off rough, but gradually took on a slow, yet passionate, pace. We finally came up for air and we stared at each other, trying to catch our breaths. Sometime during the kiss, her legs made their way around my waist and her hands over my chest. My hands were placed firmly on both of my legs as I crushed her against the bleachers.

"That was pretty intense," she said breathlessly. "So, about earlier…"

"When you rejected me?" I asked watching her lips. My eyes went to hers and I saw a sad, guilty look on her face. "Sorry, that kind of slipped."

"No, it's alright," she said. She wiggled under me, trying to get down. Reluctantly, I did, but I still kept her against the bleachers. "I'm sorry, but I lied back then. I really do like you, way more than I should. And I don't even know why I like you. You're arrogant, sarcastic, moody, an all-around jerk, you have no idea what 'fun is,' and not to mention the annoying fan girls. Man, I should hate you."

"But you don't, instead you like me," I said putting my forehead against hers. "Do you have any idea how I felt, thinking you didn't feel the same way? For the first time in my life, I felt the sting of rejection, and it hurt."

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't bear the thought of Yuki hurting you or anyone else I cared about. I was afraid someone else would get hurt because of me," she said.

I felt her hands clench my shirt and heard a faint sniffle. I held her tighter, not asking the question that was burning in the back of my mind, about the person who was hurt.

Chapter 14

No one knew of my plans to leave, seeing how I planned to leave without a trace. It never occurred to me to actually resign from school, or how my foster parents would feel about their money going to waste. Ah well, who cares now?

School resumed as if nothing happened. I woke up—well, Hinata woke me up-and went to class. I forgot to do my homework, which Mr. Hatake made sure to punish me for. I swear I was going to make him suffer one day. Maybe when he reaches old age, I'll kick his wheelchair down a flight of stairs.

I also never heard from Yuki. He, nor his minions, appeared from the shadows to threaten or kidnap me. I could only assume he gave up and went back to Iwagakure. But, then again, this was Yuki. He was a persistent little bastard.

But the worst thing was the new dress code. Thanks to certain people, we now had to wear uniforms. The school store was selling uniforms for the rest of the week and, starting next week, everyone is supposed to be in uniform. Our uniform was blue and white. The top was white with a blue collar, red scarf around the neck, and the skirt was blue. The boys wore a white collared shirt with dark blue pants.

So, when a new week started, I put on my new uniform and observed myself in the mirror. It actually wasn't half bad, though. It actually made me seem normal, like I was the same as everyone else.

"Ugh, I can't believe their making us wear uniforms," Ino whined. I rolled my eyes at her. Whose fault did she think it was? "Supposedly, some idiots were violating the dress code or something. When I find out who they were, I'll ruin their life."

"Hey, idiot, stop whining. It's you guys fault, wearing those skimpy clothes," I said checking myself out. I tried out different poses, seeing how they all looked. I could hear Hinata laughing, but I paid her no mind.

"Excuse me, but the clothes we wear are elegant and classy. We made this dull school look tasteful," Sakura said flipping her hair dramatically. I snorted and pulled myself away from the mirror.

"Whatever you say Billboard Brow," I said grabbing my bag. Sakura's face turned red with anger at her old nickname I learned from one of the many people that disliked her. I laughed as Hinata and I made our way out. Even on the second floor, I could still hear the insults she was directing toward me.

Hinata and I separated and I headed to Algebra 2. A few people said hi to me and, being the good person that I was, I greeted them back. I had no idea how so many people knew who I was, but I wasn't going to question it.

I was two doors from class when I was blocked. I looked up to see a pretty boy standing in my way. He gave me a dazzling smile and shook the hair from his face. I was nearly blinded from the smile he gave me.

"Hello Naruko," he said. My god, even his voice seemed to shine.

"Um, hello? Who are you Mr. Shining Man?" I asked covering my eyes. He took my hand and kissed it, all the while keep his eyes connected with mine.

"The name is Ryo Yoshida. It is nice to finally meet the Naruko Mitzuki. You're somewhat of a celebrity here," he said still holding my hand. I pulled at it a little; his grip was tight, but I could easily break his hold.

"I guess that explains why everyone seems to know me," I said nodding my head in understanding.

"Why of course! Not only are you strikingly beautiful, but you're also a gifted fighter. A fourth of the students here have received rigorous training, yet you appear and manage to repeatedly defeat our most gifted, Sasuke Uchiha."

"Well, I didn't really defeat him. I've only just roughed him around a couple of times."

"And that's impossible for some to do. That's why everyone's intrigued by you, including me," he said stepping closer. "

I laughed nervously, seeing where this conversation was going. I pulled at my hand again, but still he held on. Where was Sasuke, or Naruto, when I needed them? I seriously did not want to hit this guy. He was too pretty to hit.

"I'm sorry but I already have someone I'm interested in," I said.

"I don't mind being the 'other man,'" he said taking yet another step closer.

"Na~Ru~Ko!"

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Naruto's voice. I smiled at Ryo and grabbed his fingers. I easily pried them off without much force as Naruto, followed by Sasuke, came closer. Naruto pulled me in to a hug, which annoyed Sasuke.

"You look great in you uniform, Naruko. Sasuke wouldn't stop talking about seeing you in it," Naruto said laughing. Sasuke blushed and knocked Naruto over the head.

"Stop telling lies, you idiot," he said.

"I feel so special being near the three hottest people in school," Ryo said from behind me. I felt him come closer behind me, and his hands go on my shoulder. "Naruko and I have already been acquainted with each other."

Both Naruto and Sasuke now had serious looks on their faces. It was no big deal to see it on Sasuke, but seeing Naruto so serious and intimidating seemed surreal. His once blue eyes seemed on the verge of turning red. I was more mesmerized than scared.

"Get your filthy hands off of her," Naruto demanded. His hands were off my shoulders before Naruto could finish his sentence. Sasuke immediately pulled me next to him. "Now go, and never come near her again." Ryo scurried down the hall, but not before giving us one last terrified look. I was beyond confused at this point.

"Um, guys? What was that all about?" I asked. Naruto turned to me, all traces of serious gone. His eyes had already changed back to the brilliant blue I came to love.

"Sorry you had to see that. I just didn't like seeing a guy like him near you," he said rubbing his head.

"That guy isn't anything good. You should stay away from him," Sasuke said.

"Are you guys worried about me? Aw, that's cute," I said pinching both of their cheeks. "But you guys do know I'm no normal girl, right? I've been dealing with dangerous. No good guys my whole life. I'm pretty sure I can deal with a lecherous pretty boy."

"You're still a girl, so be careful," Sasuke said. I raised an eyebrow and a tinge of pink covered his cheeks. "If you don't, Naruto will be worried and annoy me with his whining."

"Uh-huh," I said slowly. "Well, shall we get to class? Or do you want to continue telling me how much you're worried about me?"

Sasuke covered his face and breezed past me and into Algebra 2. Naruto and I followed behind, laughing non-subtly about his embarrassment. As soon as our feet stepped through the room, the late bell rang.

"Hurry to your seat," Mr. Hatake said with an eerie smile. We scampered to our seats and sat there like good students the whole period.

Chapter 15

[Naruko]

Naruko,

Your mother and I have decided to send you back to the orphanage. I will not elaborate as to why we decided this, as you already know our reasons. You should be excited to be able to return there, seeing as you never liked it here with us. So, you need to pack your things and return to Iwagakure next week. We've already contacted the school, so there's no need for you to do anything else.

I stared at the letter with shaky hands. Now they decide to send me back? And right when everything was going great with my life, I had to return to Iwagakure. Couldn't they wait until I graduated, when they would have nothing else to do with me?

"Are you alright, Naruko?" Hinata asked. I quickly folded the letter and put it back in its envelope.

"Perfectly fine," I lied. There was no way I was leaving. I'll find a way to stay here, with or without the help of my foster parents.

"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course," I said standing from my bed. "Now, let's go get dinner. I'm starving."

I hurried and pulled her from the room so she wouldn't ask any more questions. We headed to the cafeteria for dinner, and I talked the whole way. I couldn't tell Hinata or anyone of my friends I had to leave, since I don't plan to. It's best to keep them out of it anyway. I know I should be happy going back to my real home, but I already found one here. I can't go back to my old life as a delinquent; I didn't want that. That was the main reason I even came here, to escape everything.

"Naruko~!" I heard Naruto yell. Ah, Naruto, how I'll miss you.

"Naruto~!" I mimicked running to him.

It was like a slow motion action, with both of us running to each other with open arms. I leapt into his arms and he twirled me around. It was blissful. We laughed, we cried, and we continued to twirl.

"Will you idiots cut it out already?" Sasuke's voice cut in.

And just like shattering glass, our blissful fantasy was gone. Just a few words from Mr. Moody himself killed that one blissful moment I desperately needed. Now I actually had to think about next week. Or I couldn't and disguise it by being overly Naruko. Yeah, I like the second option better.

"Geez, way to ruin our fun Mr. Moody," I said taking a seat across from Sasuke. I smirked at him. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"

"Who would be jealous of Naruto?" he asked scowling.

"You obviously," I stated. I turned toward Naruto, who was sitting next to me, completely ignoring Sasuke. "Hey Naruto, how about we sneak out Friday, like last time? Everyone can come."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Naruto said excitedly. "We should invite Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino. Maybe Sakura and Ino too?"

"No way," everyone else said.

"I want to go out on the town," I said already pumping with excitement.

"You've never been right? You should really see it since you're staying here now," Hinata said smiling. Come on Naruko; keep a smile on your face. Don't let them see the pain on your face. Don't you dare cry woman!

"Yep, can't wait!" I said with a little too much excitement. I need to hurry and get away before I break down right here. "I'm going to get some grub. I'm starving."

"I'll go with you," Hinata said standing. I nodded and made my way to the food line.

I tuned Hinata out for a moment as my thoughts went ahead of me. What should I do? Maybe I should go, run away, and then come back. I could tell everyone here that there was an emergency back in Iwagakure that required me to leave for a week. No, I doubt that would work. The school already knew I was leaving, I doubt they'll let a runaway in who left the school.

If only my real parents hadn't given me away. I stayed up so many nights wondering who they were, what they looked like, and why they never wanted me. As a child, I used to have this undying dream that one day they would come and take me home. But, as I got older, that dream became more and more unlikely. They gave me away because they didn't want me. Why would they come back to get me? I was less than trash, thrown away without a care in the world.

They never loved me, and I don't love them either.

"I received your transfer."

I stared down at Mr. Hatake with a blank look. Of course he did, he was my teacher. I still had yet to tell Sasuke and the others about me leaving. I planned to do it tomorrow, when we sneak off to town that night.

"I know," I said calmly. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes ever so drowsy. I wonder if he can sleep sitting up. Or if he can sleep with his eyes opened? It seemed possible.

"You can talk about it if you want," he said leaning back in his chair.

"And why would I do that?" I scoffed.

"Who else can you talk to? I'm guessing you haven't told your friends yet," he said lazily. Of course, he was right. The guy was lazy but he was good at picking things up.

"I can handle it on my own. I'm strong; I don't need anyone to rely on. I've been doing that for years and that hasn't changed," I said determinably.

"You're right, you are strong, and I'm sure you've had to fend for yourself since you were a child. But don't you think things are a little different now? There are people who care for you here. You should think about talking to them."

"The people at the orphanage care. They've always cared in the place of my real parents. They're my family, I have to go back."

I had my fists clenched to my side as my body shook slightly. Why was I letting this lazy bastard get to me? I was doing fine until he called me to his office after class. I was holding myself up without anyone finding out anything was wrong. Of course Sasuke had his suspicions, but I knew how to divert his attention.

"You're a stubborn girl. You remind me of Kushina," he said nostalgically. I tilted my head a little, wondering who this Kushina person was.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Who's who?" he asked frowning a little. I frowned too. Didn't he just say I reminded him of this Kushina person?

"Who's Kushina? You just said I reminded you of her," I said exasperatedly.

"I did?" he asked with a confused look on his face. "She's no one; don't mind me. You can go back to class."

I was still frowning as I left the classroom. Was Kushina an old lover of his? But the way his face looked, it seemed sort of sad. This Kushina person must be dead for him to make such a face. I walked into second period English and gave Ms. Yuhi my note. I took my seat and tried paying attention, but my mind wouldn't allow it.

Now I had to worry over leaving and wondering who this Kushina person is. The more I thought of her, I got this deep feeling that made me want to know more about her. What kind of person was she? Who is she and why did I even care to think of her? I really needed to badger Mr. Hatake about this person before my head explodes with unanswered questions.

I sat in the gym, watching Naruto and Sasuke practice. But I had my eyes on Mr. Hatake. Because of him, my head was filled Kushina questions I wanted nothing to do with. I glared at the back of his head and, when he turned to look at me, I glared harder until he turned around. I was trying to tell him it was his entire fault; I think he got half of the message.

"Okay, that's it for today," he called to the guys.

I stood and made my way down the bleachers as the guys went into the locker room. Mr. Hatake was picking up the basketballs and I decided to quietly help him. I still glared at him and I was more than sure the smirk on his face was because of that.

"Was there something you wanted?" he finally asked. I gripped the ball in my hand and turned toward him. He was standing next to the equipment room, his arms crossed. "You've been glaring at me for the past two hours. It was a little uncomfortable."

"Good, then it was working," I said. I threw the ball toward him and leaned on the wall. "Who's Kushina?"

"Still on this?" he asked sighing. "I thought I told you to let it go? Kushina is none of your concern."

"Well I can't, thanks to you. For some unknown reason, I can't get her out of my head. Will you just tell me who she is for the sake of my sanity? I have enough worries," I pleaded. He sighed and threw the ball into the room.

"I can't tell you. It's bad enough I already let her name slip, and telling you would cost me my head. I'd advise you to let it go right now," he said giving me a cool look.

"That's easier said than done," I said evenly. We stared each other down until I finally gave up. "Fine, I'll drop it. But only because you're giving me a scary look."

"Good to know it worked," he said with a lazy smile. Well he sure bounces back fast.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled just as the guys came out. Sasuke caught my eyes but I quickly diverted my gaze. Just looking at him reminded me of leaving.

"Hey Naruko, did you enjoy our practice?" Naruto asked hurrying toward me.

"You bet your ass I did!" I said high-fiving him. "You really improved on your jump shot. You were like a pro."

"Well, I am that awesome," he said smugly.

"She's only being nice, Naruto. We all know you're not that great," Kiba said.

"You're only saying that because you're a mutt. Of course you would like chasing balls," Naruto muttered.

"What was that?" Kiba asked threateningly. Naruto pretended not to hear him and that just made it worse. I stood to the side and watched them bicker in amusement. I mean, who doesn't like a good argument?

"Naruko." I jumped slightly and turned to see Sasuke standing behind me. "We need to talk."

"Um, now?" I asked nervously. "This fight seems pretty interesting to miss."

"Now."

The seriousness in his eyes told me I had to go. Normally, I wouldn't take his commanding so easily, but I feel like he's had enough of my dodging. I guess it was time to finally tell him about my leaving.

"Oh man, I love this place!" I said sitting on the bench. We were in the garden again, a regular place for us. Sasuke sat next to me and I kept my eyes anywhere else.

"You're not being yourself," he said. I turned and frowned at him.

"Of course I am," I stated. No, I wasn't. Just ask me why so I can tell you already!

"You're not," he said sighing. "What's the matter? Is it Yuuki again?"

"No, that's not it," I said turning away. Hm, Yuuki? I hope I don't run into him when I go back to Iwagakure. "I'm going back."

"You're going back?" he repeated with a frown. "Back where?"

"To Iwagakure," I said quietly. "My foster parents decided they were tired of supporting me, so they're sending me back to the orphanage. That means no more Konoha Academy, since they were the ones paying for it."

"When do you leave?" he asked. That's what he asked? I was expecting him to tell me not to go, or something along those lines. But this was Sasuke, of course.

"In three days," I whispered. "I planned to tell you guys tomorrow."

He said nothing. The short time I've known him, I knew he was either angry or deep in thought. Or he was just ignoring someone, such as Naruto or his fan girls.

"I wish I didn't have to go," I said when the silence seemed to stretch. "I'm going to miss everyone. I won't be able to tell Hinata good morning anymore. Or have any fun, brother-sister like bonding with Naruto. No more soccer with Kiba and the other guys. I may even miss Sakura and Ino just a teeny tiny bit. I'll miss coming here, to this garden with you. I'll miss everything."

I stood up as I felt myself on the verge of crying. I never cried. I didn't cry when I was placed in a foster home, or when I had to fight a gang of guys who wanted nothing more than to kill me. To think that the great Naruko of Iwagakure would be crying like—well, a girl.

"Damn it, this is why I hate crying," I said wiping my eyes furiously. I could hear the sound of Sasuke coming closer and shied away from him. "Don't come near me."

"Naruko, it's alright," he said coming closer yet again. I moved away again, this time closer the garden entrance. "Naruko—"

"I'm sorry, I need to be alone right now," I said.

And like the coward I was, I turned and ran.

Chapter 16

"Isn't it great Naruko?!"

"Yeah, it's fantastic," I said smiling slightly.

I followed behind everyone as we walked around town. People crowded the streets—mainly kids our age or a little older. Everyone was looking for a fun weekend that didn't involve school, training, or work.

I was only looking for a distraction.

I only had two more days here with everyone, but here I was—depressed. I couldn't bring myself to smile as I usually did as leaving begin to weigh down on me with each passing day. There was also telling everyone I was leaving.

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Perfectly fine," I said forcing myself to smile as big as I could. Naruto narrowed his eyes, as if he picked up on my lie. I quickly grabbed Hinata and smiled between them. "How about you and Hinata talk while I walk up front with Sasuke? I wouldn't want Hinata to walk alone."

"Um, sure," Naruto said looking away blushing.

A winked at a flustered Hinata and made my way to the front of the group. Sakura and Ino decided to tag along and were bothering Sasuke with their admiration for him. I walked behind them quietly, not being able to talk to Sasuke ever since I ran away crying.

"Let's go there!" Ino yelled out excitedly.

She was pointing toward a club that had a long line of people. I instantly knew I did not want to go inside. I could already imagine being groped and squished into a group of smelly, sweaty people. Yep, did not want to go in there.

"I think I'll pass," I said stepping out of the group.

"Loser," Ino scoffed. She grabbed Sasuke's arm and smiled sweetly at him. "You'll go, right Sasuke?"

"No thanks," he said pulling from her grip and coming to stand beside me. I unconsciously moved away from him. He noticed and stuck his hand in his pockets while pretending to look elsewhere.

"I say we split up and meet back here in an hour. None of us wants to go to the same place," TenTen said.

"Okay, I can go with Sasuke," Ino said excitedly.

"No, I'm going with Sasuke!" Sakura yelled angrily.

"Sasuke wants to go with me, so back off Billboard Brow," Ino said nastily.

"No he doesn't, Ino Pig," Sakura retorted.

"How about you two go to the club like you wanted, and Sasuke can go with Naruko," TenTen said leading them away. They yelled as she escorted them to the club.

Naruto and Hinata went on their way with only a wave, while TenTen and Neji left as well. If felt awkward with just the two of us standing in the street not saying anything. Sasuke was trying his hardest not to look my way, and I all I could do was peak up at him. I felt guilty for hurting his feelings.

I felt a hand snaking its way around my waist slowly. I quickly grabbed the hand and pulled the person and the ground in front of me, while keeping their arm bent, in one swift motion. They howled in pain and I looked down at them expressionlessly before realizing it was Pretty Boy Ryo. I let him go and he stood, rubbing his arm.

"Oh, didn't know it was you," I said with little emotion.

"No, I should have known better," he said wincing. He smiled and moved the hair away from his way in a diva-like way. "It's a surprise to see you here. A pleasant one at that."

"Uh-huh," I mumbled looking at Sasuke. He was glaring at Ryo and I noticed he was much closer. I turned my eyes back to Ryo, keeping the smile from forming on my face. "Was there a reason for you trying to put your arm around my waist?"

"Just wanted to surprise you," he said looking at Sasuke nervously. "Can we talk alone?"

"No," Sasuke put in for me. He stood close enough for our bodies to touch lightly. "Whatever you have to say, say it now. Naruko isn't going anywhere with you."

"I can speak for myself you know," I said raising an eyebrow at him.

"You're not going anywhere with that creep," he said angrily. I frowned at that. Okay, Little Boy Sasuke was being way too possessive here.

"Okay Ryo, let's go somewhere to talk. Alone," I said glaring at Sasuke. I began to walk away, but Sasuke grabbed onto my arm.

"Will you stop being so difficult and listen to me?" he said with annoyance clear on his face. I glared and pried his hand from my arm with a little too much force.

"Why should I? You don't own me. You don't even care that I'm leaving," I said spitefully.

"What? Why would I not care?" he asked with a frown.

"You figure it out," I said walking away.

When he tried grabbing me again, I grabbed his arm and flipped him over my shoulder and onto the ground. I then hurried away, with Ryo following close behind, before Sasuke got up. We said nothing as we walked through the crowded streets.

"We can go there," Ryo said pointing at a deserted park. I shrugged and followed him to a bench. I sat down heavily, a scowl on my face.

"So, what do you want?" I asked with annoyance. He seemed unfazed as he smiled lazily.

"So, you're leaving? Where are you going?" he asked as he let his arm rest on the back of the bench.

"Iwagakure," I said sullenly. I could see a spark in his eyes when I mentioned Iwagakure, but it was quickly gone.

"So the Mighty Naruko is leaving Konoha," he said chuckling. I narrowed my eyes, not finding anything funny. "It is a pity, though. I was hoping we would get a little closer."

"The closest we will get is my foot in your face," I said with annoyance. He chuckled and looked out into the street.

"Ah, now I could see how Yuki fell for you," he said.

My head turned so sharply, I nearly snapped my neck. How did Pretty Boy Ryo know about Yuki? It was unsettling to think he knew about a part of my past I would rather keep behind a locked door, with the keys buried deep underground.

"How do you know that name?" I asked curiously.

"I know many things," he said chuckling again. "But, to answer your question, Yuki and I are brothers, unfortunately."

"You're his brother?" I asked edging away. He noticed that, and grabbed my arm in a tight grasp.

"We're half-brothers with the same father," he said bringing me closer. "When he told me about you, I couldn't keep you off my mind. My brother couldn't control you; he was too weak. I can, though. So, how about you submit to me?"

"How about you burn in hell?" I asked spitefully.

I brought my free hand toward his face in a punch. I grabbed it before it connected with his face. I tried pulling it free, but his grip was surprisingly strong.

"Let's save that for later, shall we?" he asked yanking me to his chest.

"Get your filthy hands off of me," I ground out angrily.

I could feel the anger boil inside of my stomach. I hated the way he was handling me, like I was some weak girl that could be tamed. My resolve was slowly crumbling as I felt myself slipping into a dark place I kept under control. Soon, my other, darker, side will come out. She as not to be let out—nothing good would come out of it.

"Only if you become mine," he said smiling while bringing his face closer. I did nothing, and I said nothing. Instead, I sat there and waited. It was coming and I would graciously accept it if it meant putting this pervert in his place.

Crack.

That was the sound of me finally cracking, of a darker Naruko breaking free.

I lifted my eyes to Ryo. His were closed and slowly making their way toward mine. I brought my head back and head butted him as hard as I could. He howled in pain and released me completely. I stood and immediately grabbed him by the head, slamming it into the back of the bench. Blood dripped from his face, but I couldn't find it in me to care. He twisted in my hold and tried knocking my feet under me. I let go of his hair and jumped back. He wiped the blood in his face and stared at it angrily, before bringing his eyes up to look at me.

"That hurt," he said not looking fazed at all.

"I told you to take your hands off," I said emotionally. He laughed and smiled at me.

"Now this is interesting. Where have you been hiding this anger? I like it," he said smiling like a Cheshire cat. "When you finally come to your senses and submit to me, we'll be unstoppable. Doesn't that sound great?"

"No, it sounds like I didn't hit you hard enough," I said walking toward him. He grinned and placed his hands to his side.

I ran the rest of the way and tried hitting him with a spin kick. He grabbed my leg before it connected to his face and shook his head at me. I dropped myself onto my hands and turned, bringing my other leg up to hit him again. He was unprepared as it hit him in the face. I cart wheeled away and looked at my handiwork appreciatively.

"Now I'm serious," Ryo said angrily. I smirked and he ran toward me.

Every hit he threw my way was dodged or deflected. We were equally matched; we didn't let the other find an opening that would no doubt be fatal. He did get in a few punches, but nothing too bad. Ryo was throwing pretty hard punches, meaning I seriously made him angry. Good; he deserved it.

"Not giving up, I see. Your face doesn't look that bad," I said as I dodged yet another kick.

"Glad to see you're having fun. It's too bad, though," he said smirking.

"Oh, what is?"

"I was going to tell you about your parents, but it seems you've made me angry," he said.

I faltered, and that gave him the opening to kick my side. I fell to the ground as I held my injured side. Ryo slammed my head to the ground and towered over me. That kick had me rooted; the pain was greater than I thought it would be. Not to mention the massive headache I now had.

"You should know better than to let your guard down," he said.

"You know about my parents?" I asked with a glare. "Or was that some cheap trick to lower my guard?"

"Oh, I know all about your parents. And your brother," he said smiling widely. "Of course, that information isn't free. You know what I want, Naruko. Submit to me and I'll tell you everything I know."

"I've always wanted to know about my family. Are you lying to me?" I asked curiously.

"I'm not," he said rubbing a hand over my cheek. I looked into his eyes, looking for any deceit. Sad to say, I found none.

I smirked and spit in his face. He looked stunned at the act and I took that as a chance to knee him hard. He groaned in pain and I pushed him off of me.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather not be someone's bitch," I said spitting at the ground next to him. "Whatever you know, I can find out myself. I don't need to sell my soul just yet."

"Why you little—" he said glaring.

"Now, now," I said bending down to face him. "Let's not go and start name-calling. Are we done here? I really have to talk to my friends. How about we call this a draw?"

"You'll pay for this," he said angrily. I rolled my eyes and stood.

"Yeah, whatever. How about you get in line with your brother and every other loser who's said that?" I said walking away confidently.

I headed back to where I let Sasuke. He wasn't there, of course. I sighed and made my way to the meeting spot. Everyone was there, just like we agreed on; everyone except Sasuke. Naruto and Hinata seemed to be flirting; TenTen and Neji were bickering, as usual; Sakura and Ino were getting hit on by a couple of guys. I shuddered at Sakura and Ino, and made my way to Naruto and Hinata.

"Hey guys," I said making my way between them. I rested my head on Hinata's shoulder, smiling internally at Naruto's glare. His glare turned to shock and concern as he grabbed my face.

"What happened to your face?!" he yelled. That got the others attention as they noticed the damage to my body. I hadn't seen my face, but I can only imagine how it looked.

"Oh, does it look bad? He didn't hit me in the face much," I said feeling my face. Naruto's face contorted into one of rage.

"Who did this so I can kill him?" he asked angrily. "Was it Sasuke? Did he do this to you?"

"Heck no," I said immediately. I removed his hands and rolled my eyes. "Sasuke didn't do this. It was Ryo. He had a little scuffle, that's all. Don't worry, I handled it."

"That's all? Don't worry?" he seethed. He breathed heavily and punched the pole we were standing next to. It dented and was on the verge of falling. "How can I not worry about you? You're someone important to me, and I'll be damned if I let that ass get away with this!"

"It doesn't matter anyway!" I yelled. I turned away and refused to look at any of them. "I'm leaving Monday. My foster parents are sending back to Iwagakure."

"Is that guy behind this? Is he making you say this?" Hinata asked.

"No, Yuki has nothing to do with this," I said shaking my head sadly. "It's my entire fault for being a horrible child."

No one said anything as sad looks took over their faces. Sakura and Ino said nothing, thankfully, though this would be the perfect time for them to say something horrible. They looked as down as the rest of us.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." I turned to see Sasuke walking up to our group. He was glaring, but, just like Naruto, it soon turned into one of shock and anger. "Did he do this to you?"

"We had a little fight. It's not a big deal," I said defeated. I was physically and emotionally drained. I just wanted to go to my room and sleep for hours. "Can we go now? I feel weak."

"Yeah, I think it's time we left," Naruto said solemnly. No one said anything as we made our way back to the dorms.

Sasuke grabbed my hand, and Naruto grabbed the other. I held them both as tightly as I could, wishing that I would never let them go.

Chapter 17

[Sasuke]

Three weeks later

I walked into the packed cafeteria, keeping my face void of any emotion. I blocked out the sounds of annoying girls as I made my way to my usual lunch table. Everyone was there—Naruto, Hinata, TenTen, and Neji. They were absently eating their lunch as no one said anything.

"Hey guys," I said taking a seat. Naruto looked up and gave a slight smile.

"Hey, Sasuke," he said quietly. "So, did you hear from her?"

"Sorry, I haven't. Did you Hinata?" I asked.

"She hasn't called or sent a letter. Guys, I'm worried about her," she said sadly.

"I'm sure she's just busy catching up with her family at the orphanage. She'll call us, I know she will," Naruto said.

These two weeks haven't been the same since Naruko left. The day she left was a hard one. Naruto had trouble letting her leave; we had to pull him off so she could. Everyone was teary-eyed as she gave her goodbyes. When she kissed me, it felt like a real goodbye; it was as if we would never see each other again.

When she left, it seemed as if she took our happiness with her. We had no idea how much she meant to us until she left. It just wasn't the same without her.

"That's it, I'm tired of this!" TenTen yelled as she slammed her fist on the table. "Naruko has some nerve making us worry like this. I want to give her a piece of my mind."

"But we don't have any way to reach her," Hinata said sadly. "She didn't leave a phone number or address."

"I was thinking of something better," she said smirking. "I say we go to Iwagakure."

"What? We can't leave school," Naruto said with wide eyes.

"Well of course we can't, but aren't you forgetting something? We have summer vacation coming up," she said smiling widely.

"That's another two weeks. I don't know how I'll go on," Naruto said looking down sadly. "I just feel drained."

"Just think of how you'll be able to see Naruko again," Hinata said encouragingly.

I watched and listened with interest. I wanted to see her, to hear her voice. I don't care if she hits me for calling her stupid—at least I'll be near her.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto called. I pulled away from my thoughts and turned to him. He looked serious and angry. "Did you find out about Ryo?"

"Yeah, I did," I said as I clenched my fist. I wanted to pummel that guy for what he did to Naruko. I would have done it already if he hadn't disappeared. "It seems as if he transferred. I wasn't able to dig up any dirt on him, though. Mr. Hatake was getting suspicious."

"Where did he transfer to?" Naruto asked. I sighed, as I already knew the type of effect this information will have on him.

"Iwagakure Academy," I said.

I heard something break and looked to see the silver fork Naruto was holding snap in two. He looked beyond furious—his eyed had this dangerous look in them, as they seemed to turn red. I've seen him like this only a few times, and it always freaked me out.

"Calm down Naruto. I know how you feel, but there's nothing we can do at the moment," I said sighing.

"We can't wait another two weeks! What if he hurts her again? I can't let that happen!"

"Naruko would hit you if she heard you say that," I said smiling lightly. "I don't like it either, but I know that Naruko is strong. She can handle him like she did before."

"But Sasuke, Yuki is there as well. She told us they were brothers, right? They could gang up on her," Hinata said frowning.

"I know that, and I don't have any solutions. We can just hope that it doesn't happen," I said rubbing my temple. "Guys, I know this is hard, but we need to stay put these next two weeks. Got it, Naruto?"

"Please Naruto," Hinata said taking his hand. He looked torn between agreeing and disagreeing.

"Fine, but only if you promise to let me beat up Ryo," he said to me. I frowned, not liking this 'deal.' I wanted to beat him up just as much as Naruto did.

"Fine, if it keeps you put," I ground out.

"This doesn't sound like a friendly visit anymore," Neji said.

"It's also a visit for revenge," TenTen said smirking.

I smiled as well. I was looking forward to this visit.

[Naruko]

It was a happy return to the orphanage. Everyone hugged me until we were dirty from rolling on the ground. Some of the smaller kids wouldn't stop crying out of happiness; some wouldn't let go of me and bombarded me with questions. I was happy—I felt loved, and I felt right at home.

My old room was left untouched—my comics were still next to my bed and the teddy bear I've had since I was a baby was lying against my pillows. I sat on the bed and grabbed the bear, hugging it against my chest. Now that I was alone, I felt the loneliness and sadness of coming back. I really was happy about being home, but I've made another 'home' in Konoha. The people here were family, but so were everyone in Konoha.

"Naruko?" someone called. The door opened slowly and Yuri poked her head through the door. She smiled as her green eyes sparkled in happiness. Her short, black hair framed her soft face. "It's time for dinner."

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute," I said smiling at her. She nodded and closed the door.

My smile faded as I remember all she's went through because of me. More specifically, because of my idiotic involvement with Yuki. She was the reason I accepted my foster parents offer to go to Konoha. If I left, no one else would get hurt. Now I'm back, though, and I'm sure Yuki and his henchmen know that. I'll have to be careful from now on.

Two weeks later

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked up at the blazing sun. It was almost summer, and the heat was unbearable.

"Keep going, Mitzuki!" my gym teacher yelled. I groaned and started running.

I've been back at Iwagakure for two weeks now—and I hate it. It was as if I never left. Everyone was still afraid of me, the teachers didn't like me, and my old buddies distanced themselves from me. I was alone and I hated it. Every time I tried talking to someone, they would either run or cower in fear. Then, a teacher would come and I'll get in trouble.

Like right now. All I did was ask the kid next to me to let me borrow his eraser. He shrieked like a little girl and gave me the eraser. I was then ordered from the classroom and told to stand outside until class was over. My punishment was running ten laps on the track.

"Ah, I'm done with this!" I yelled as I fell on my knees in exhaustion. I lay down in the middle of the track, catching my breath.

"No one told you to stop!" Mr. Slave Driver—whose name I did not know, sadly—yelled coming toward me. I sat up and glared at him.

"Why am I being punished when I did nothing wrong? I only asked him to borrow an eraser; I wasn't going to beat him up or anything," I said standing.

"I don't want to hear that from a delinquent. We all know how you are," he said looking at me with disdain. "You should have never come back. The school was peaceful."

"Some teacher you are! You're pathetic, you steroid-induced freak!" I yelled before I took off running.

I could hear him chasing me, but I pushed my legs to go faster. I ran as best as I could after running eight laps, and was able to shake him off. I disappeared into the locker room, changed out of my gym uniform, and hurried back to the classroom for my bag. I peeked inside to see it empty, and then hurried to get my things.

"Yeah, and then we're going on a date this weekend!"

I panicked at the sound of voices. I looked pretty suspicious laying low like this. I headed toward the window and looked down. Two stories didn't seem so hard of a jump. The door opened and I turned to see two girls watching me with wide eyes. I smiled at them before jumping from the window. I landed smoothly, catching a few people by surprise. I brushed myself off before walking toward the gate nonchalantly, but also watching out for Mr. Slave Driver. No one was waiting for me at the gate and I sighed thankfully, and headed toward the orphanage.

I blended into the crowd of students, while also letting my mind wonder to what I'll have for dinner tonight. I was too unfocused that I didn't notice the large crowd of people until I bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it," they said turning. When they saw it was me, the paled and began to stutter out apologies. I sighed and put a hand up for them to stop.

"What's going on here?" I asked him.

"There's an argument, ma'am. Some guys are arguing with girls they tried to pick up, ma'am," he said nervously.

"Thanks," I said smiling at him. "Also, stop with the 'ma'am' this and 'ma'am' that. I'm not an old lady."

I walked past him and through the crowd. Whoever these idiots were, they were backing up traffic and my dinner. I shoved my way through the crowd until I was face-to-face with the argument. Three girls from my school were yelling at a couple of guys. There were four guys—big guys. There was something familiar about them, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Hey, how about you guys cut this out?" I said stepping from the crowd. The three girls backed away, fear in their eyes. The guys looked at me in surprise.

"Naruko?" one of the guys asked. He smiled big before running toward me. On instinct, I brought my leg up and kicked him in the face.

"It really is Naruko!" another of the guys said smiling. I backed away a little, not liking this at all. Not to mention the frightful whispers from the crowd.

"Look, I don't know who you guys are, but leave those girls alone and apologize. You're stopping traffic," I said.

"If Naruko says we have to, then we have to," the guy I kicked said standing. He turned to the girls and bowed, saying, "We're terribly sorry. Please forgive us for being idiots." The other guys bowed as well.

"I-its okay," one of the girls said backing away. They turned and hurried through the crowd. Soon enough, people dispersed and the large crowd was gone.

"I can't believe you're back," one of the guys said.

"Do I know you?" I asked frowning. The guy I kicked looked heartbroken.

"You don't remember us? After all we've been through?" he said on the verge of tears. He took my hand. "It's me, Tsubasa. And that's Akira, Ryohei, and Daichi. Together, we're DART."

I looked at Tsubasa as if he were a complete idiot. The others looked embarrassed at the nickname Tsubasa gave. Something in my mind clicked and I remembered them.

I remember Tsubasa being the emotional and idiotic one of the group. He was a lady killer—blonde hair, blue eyes, and charm. Akira was the serious one. His red hair and green eyes made him look like a delinquent. Ryohei was black-haired and grey eyed, yet he was a gentle guy. He enjoyed such things as knitting, reading and cooking—which he kept private. Daichi was the muscles; he liked to fight and was not ashamed to admit it. He had brown hair and brown eyes to match—he looked too normal for someone who enjoyed fistfights.

"Ah, now I remember," I said. "Tsubasa, can I have my hand back?"

"Ah, yes," he said sheepishly. He went to stand near his group and I smiled at them.

DART—as Tsubasa likes to call them—were good friends of mine. They went to an all-boy's school, so I rarely saw them. We went to the same middle school and hit it off immediately. The reason I couldn't recognize them was because they've grown. I'm not saying they were tiny, but they weren't six feet when I left. They weren't the fighting type—well, except Daichi—unlike me, and they didn't look the part. They were just normal boys.

"How did you guys get so huge?" I asked wide-eyed.

"A lot of things happened," Akira said frowning.

"Yuki things?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's causing problems again. It seems a war is coming," Ryohei said.

"Yeah, he's teaming up with someone by the name of Ryo," Tsubasa said.

"Damn it, I thought I was rid of him," I said with annoyance.

"Wait, you know him?" Tsubasa asked.

"He went to the school I was at. We fought before I came back, and I thought he would leave me alone since I came back."

"Well, he's not coming anywhere near you along as I'm here," Tsubasa said putting an arm around me. "DART has your back, Naruko."

"No, you guys don't fight. I wouldn't want you getting hurt," I said frowning at the ground. Daichi laughed.

"Oh please, we've been fighting for months. Ever since you left, it's been hell. Everyone wants to take your place as the best," he said smiling slowly. "Tsubasa is right, we have your back. We won't leave our exclusive member of DART hanging."

"He's right. You're too precious to us," Ryohei said.

"I'm in as well," Akira said smiling at me.

"You guys," I said tearing up. Tsubasa and Ryohei had tears in their eyes as well. I smiled at them and put my game face on. "Okay, looks like I'm coming back—for a moment. This will be my final battle and I'm going out with a bang."

"And we'll be by your side," Tsubasa said with a determined face. The guys looked ready as well.

For a moment, I forgot about Konoha and my friends. Only for a moment though. These five reminded me of my friends back at Konoha. When those thoughts wormed their way through my head, my face fell and I looked at the ground sadly.

"What's wrong?" Ryohei asked worriedly.

"I miss my friends back at Konoha," I said. I messed my hair up, hoping to make the thoughts go away. "Man, this is so depressing. I don't want to think about this right now."

"You had friends?" Tsubasa said with wide-eyes.

"That's not nice Tsubasa," Akira said with a shake of his head.

Tsubasa looked horrified as he began to understand what he said. I only smiled, not fazed at all. I've never really had friends, and was pretty bad at making them. I was outspoken and rowdy. I've had female friends at the orphanage and my guy friends at school.

"Its fine, I'm not mad," I said laughing lightly. "Now, I think I should get going. I have chores."

"Wait, can I have your number?" Tsubasa asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah sure," I said pulling out my phone.

As I exchanged numbers with them, I remembered when I was saying goodbye to everyone. They gave me their numbers and, as soon as I got to Iwagakure, I bought a cell phone. I had their numbers, but I was too afraid to call them. Emotionally, I don't think I could handle it.

"See you guys later," I said waving. I turned and made my face hard.

I need to focus my thoughts on Ryo and this war. There was no way I was letting him get away with this.

Chapter 18

[Naruko]

Left, right, kick, repeat.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I continued working on the punching bag. I let my mind drift to nothing as I mindlessly worked out.

The days have steadily passed since I've began preparing for this war. I did not allow myself to think of anything else as I worked to make myself stronger. Especially those in Konoha.

It's been a month since I've seen them. Sometimes, at night, when I'm worn out form the day, my mind would drift back to those times. There were always feelings of sadness and happiness accompanying those memories. I missed them dearly, and I wanted nothing more than to go back.

I missed Hinata's smiles every morning, every day. I missed Naruto's laugh and the feeling of familiarity. I missed TenTen and Neji, and everyone else. Most of all, I missed the feeling of Sasuke's touch, his presence, his kisses.

I was never interested in boys and relationships before. With Yuki, it was more of a "political" relationship. There was no intimacy—we didn't kiss, hug or even held hands.

I stopped, wiping the sweat from my brow. Grabbing my water bottle, I took a long drink, enjoying the coolness that passed down my throat. With a sigh of pleasure, headed to the locker rooms to take a much-needed shower.

I was currently using a gym close to the orphanage to train. I initially used the gym at school, but a teacher ran me out. According to him, I was scaring the students. I expected to be ran off, but it still annoyed me that I was still being treated as a criminal.

Entering the locker room, I headed to my locker to grab my things and then headed to the showers. Allowing the warm water to run over me, I closed my eyes, thinking of the upcoming weeks.

From what Tsubasa told me, the war for power would happen sometime during spring break, two weeks from now. Ryo and Yuki were two main strong forces during this war. They have been recruiting members over the weeks, trying to strengthen their power with the number of fighters. With Tsubasa's latest update, their numbers were nearly even, being in the 200s.

As for me, I've been laying low and not attracting attention. Most of my gang either picked a side, that was not mine, or they did not want to involve themselves in the fights. Most of them resented me for leaving, for breaking any allegiance to me. They were eager to see my title as the strongest taken, and were sure either of the brothers had the power to do so.

I smiled dejectedly, not exactly blaming them for having those feelings. I didn't exactly interact with the gang when I reigned, letting Yuki do that. The only people I cared about at that time were the ones at the orphanage. Many of the gang members looked up to me, to my strength. When I left, it was like I betrayed them.

With a sigh, I turned off the water and toweled off. I threw on my clothes, packing my things back into the duffel bag I had. I made my out of the locker room and proceeded on my way out of the gym. I waved to the worker at the front desk, earning a smile as they turned their attention back to a customer.

Stepping out, the day was almost over as the sun was close to setting. The street was filled with people heading home for work, and students heading home from after school activities. I was recognized—and avoided—by some of the students, but paid them no mind as I headed home.

As I was walking, I noticed a group of buff guys giving me the eye. I tightened my hold on my bag and kept my senses sharp. They were all sporting black earrings on their left ears.

They were from Yuki's gang.

"My, oh my. If it isn't the mighty Naruko," one of the guys said. They all moved to block my path. I stopped and dropped my hands from my bag.

"And you are?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"We're friends of Yuki. He told us a lot about you," he said eying my and grinning.

"Well, I hope it was something good," I said smiling. I can play their game. Well, until the game turned violent. "Although, there were nothing good about our relationship."

"Well, that doesn't matter now," he said smiling back. He walked closer, examining me again. "You're pretty hot. How about you come and play with us?"

"How about I go home and you guys never approach me again?" I asked.

The guys behind him didn't seem to like what I had to say, as they moved a bit closer. I chuckled softly, amused that they believed they could take me. There were five of them altogether, each one with significant muscles. Still, I took down a giant with one kick. These five weren't much of a challenge.

"You're a cheeky thing, aren't you? I like it," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Look, you want to do this or not? I'm exhausted and do not have time for any more games. How about we go in the alley and get this over with?" I said exasperatedly.

Without waiting, I turned and walked to the nearest ally. I could hear them follow behind me at a distance. Dropping my bag, I turned, stretching my arms and rolling my neck. I dropped my hands near my side and gave them a smile.

"Let's go."

I dropped my bag on my room floor and sat heavily on my bed. The day had me exhausted, and fighting those five guys had my bones aching. I easily beat them, thanks to my constant training. Before leaving them there, I made sure to pass on a message to Yuki, telling him to be prepared because I wasn't holding back.

I got up, and walked to my dresser to get out my pajamas. I quickly changed into them and plopped back on my bed. I sighed in contentment as my body began to relax.

"Naruko?" someone knocked on the door. I groaned, really wanting to sleep.

"Enter," I said sighing. I sat up as my door opened and Yuri walked in. "What's up?"

"You're back pretty late. Were you at the gym again?" she asked frowning.

"Yeah, I wanted to get a little workout in," I said. Yuri didn't know of my involvement in the war with Yuki and Ryo, nor did anyone from the orphanage. If they did, I knew they would persuade me to back out. So, for the time being, they believed my frequent trips to the gym was me staying in shape.

"Oh, I see. Well, I wanted to let you know that you had a phone call earlier."

"Did they say who they were," I asked with a frown. The only people that would call are Tsubasa and the guys, and they had my cell number.

"No, they said they would call back another time," she said with a shrug. I nodded, still frowning. "Well, night." I mumbled a reply as I continued to mull over the anonymous caller.

"I'll think about it tomorrow," I said with a sigh. I turned off my light and laid down.

It didn't take long for sleep to take me.

Chapter 19

[Sasuke]

A month. That's how long it's been since I've last seen Naruko.

No calls, no letters, nothing. Many times, I've convinced myself that she moved on and cared nothing for me or the others. Otherwise, why has she not contacted us? To think that, it hurt more than I was willing to admit.

Other times, I knew Naruko well enough to dismiss those thoughts. Naruto was like a brother and Hinata was her best friend, her feelings for them were deep. For me, I could only hope she felt the same as I did for her.

I sighed, sitting in the garden, the place that reminded me of her the most. When I felt like I wanted nothing more than to get away from everyone, I came here. That was usually a lot of the times. It was the first place we kissed; I still remember it so clearly.

Sighing again, I stood from the bench and made my way out of the garden. I needed to talk to Naruto about us going to Iwagakure and if he had any news on Naruko. Kiba knew people in Iwagakure, and he's asked them to keep ears and eyes out for Naruko. So far, there has been no news.

It was the weekend, so there weren't many people around. A lot of the students have family living in Konoha. Around the weekend, some would leave for home for a few days, leaving the campus partially empty. Students like me, who had no one, liked to loiter around and enjoy the peace for a bit.

I found Naruto sitting in the cafeteria, eating as usual. A couple of the guys were sitting with him, including Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru. I headed over and sat near Kiba.

"Nice of you to join us," Naruto said with a cheeky grin.

"Have you heard anything?" I asked, getting right to business. I was becoming more and more anxious as the days dragged on. Who knows what she could be going through, alone in Iwagakure.

"Actually, we have," Naruto said. He motioned to Kiba to speak.

"There's a war brewing over there," he said a bit excitedly. It was no secret that Kiba enjoyed these types of things. No doubt he wanted in on this war.

"Right, you've mentioned this before," I said a bit annoyed.

"Everyone wants to be at the top. Ever since Naruko left, there has been a power struggle, with everyone wanting her title as the strongest of Iwagakure. As of lately, there seems to be two sides to this war: Yuki and Ryo," Kiba said with a frown.

I clenched my fists and anger consumed me. Just hearing their names made my blood boil. Thinking of Naruko there, in the same town as them, without me there, did not help.

"But," he said pausing. He looked between Naruto and me, then stared down at his hands. "According to him, Naruko beat up some of Yuki's guys a few days ago. That pissed Yuki off, and now he wants his revenge."

"I'll kill him if he lays his hands on her," Naruto said angrily. He eyes swirled a bright red as he gripped the table. It bent slightly under his hands.

"Calm down, Naruto," I said calmly. His swirled toward me, anger in his eyes. I stared him down until he calmed down. He eventually, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, he hasn't been able to catch her," Kiba continued. "Rumor is, she's not exactly alone. She has others on her side, though it's not a lot. They've been keeping Yuki's men away."

That seemed to calm Naruto down completely.

"Have you been able to get in contact with her?" Naruto asked me.

"No," I said sighing. "Every time I've called the orphanage, she was either out or asleep."

I've been calling the orphanage every day, whenever I could. Kiba was able to obtain a phone number from one of his contacts a week ago. I've had zero luck in talking to Naruko, and it was beginning to piss me off.

"I'm going to go train," I said standing.

"I'll go with you," Naruto said standing as well.

Ever since Kiba told us about the war over there, we've been training in case anything happened. I wanted to get stronger and protect Naruko. I know how strong she is, but she was still a girl. I wanted to protect her, for once.

2 weeks later

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked, annoyed. Naruto looked up from the traveler's guide to glare at me.

"Yes, for the hundredth time, I know where we're going," he said irritably. I sighed and turned from him, wanting nothing more than to punch him in the face.

We've arrived in Iwagakure an hour ago and I'm more than sure we're lost. And it was all because Naruto had no idea how to read a map. Why we even let him lead is beyond me.

"Give me that," Neji said snatching the map from his hand.

Finally, I thought. Naruto looked at me, glaring, as if he read my mind.

I ignored him and followed Neji, who knew what he was doing as he led us through the town.

We were heading for Iwagakure High, whose Spring Break did not start until tomorrow. Our hope was to surprise Naruko at school and catch up with her. For the record, it was all Naruto's idea to do this. The rest of us didn't have the heart to tell him no.

"There it is," Naruto whispered excitedly.

The building was small compared to Konoha Academy. It was a bland gray, with two connected buildings. It was surrounded by a tall, black gate that seemed menacing and uninviting. Students were already piling out of the school, their eyes curious at the group of strangers waiting near the gate.

Naruto was nearly dancing on his feet, straining his neck as he watched out for Naruko. Hinata stood next to him quietly, smiling softly. TenTen and Neji stood off to the side, talking quietly. Sakura and Ino—who I had no idea why they came, since they hated Naruko—looked bored as they examined their nails.

Suddenly, Naruto took off running inside the gate. The rest of us rushed to see what set him off, only to see him flying backwards.

Naruko stood there with shock on her face and one foot in the air. She looked up from a crouching Naruto to the rest of us, he eyes beginning to shine.

"Wha—"

That was all she managed to get out as Naruto came for her again, this time prepared for her kick. He effectively dodged her feet and hugged her from the side.

She still looked shocked, but eventually began laughing along with Naruto as she hugged him back. The let go and Naruto nearly dragged her towards the group, a smile still on her face. She hurriedly hugged Hinata, burring her face in her shoulder.

"What the heck are you guys doing here?" she asked letting Hinata go, but keeping a hold on her arm.

"Well, someone didn't call like they were supposed to, so we had to come all the way here to check on them," TenTen said. Naruko looked down, her face crestfallen.

"Yeah, about that," she started. "Things happened and I didn't want to bother you guys. Sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it," I said coolly. She looked at me, her eyes misty. "We were worried about you, Naruko. Did you think we wouldn't come here to see if you were alright after not hearing from you? Are you stupid?"

"Sasuke," Naruto started.

"No, Naruto," I said glaring at him. He shut up and let me continue. "You really are an idiot. You have friends here who care about your well-being. You can't just cut off communication with us completely like that. And to hear all of the crap going on here, and how you're now involved. You idi—"

Naruko hurried toward me and hugged me. I instinctively put my arms around her, hugging her as tightly as possible. I put my face in her neck, breathing in her sweet scent.

"I am so sorry, Sasuke," came her muffled reply.

"I really missed you," I said.

"Me too," she said hugging me tighter.

We stayed that way for a while, before someone had to clear their throat. I looked up to see not only the others watching us, but also a group of students. They looked at us as if we were some unknown creatures.

Naruko pulled away, but I kept a hold of her waist, not yet ready to let her go. She smiled up at me, putting a hand on my arm.

"You guys know about what's been happening?" she asked us. Everyone nodded and she sighed. "You shouldn't have come."

"All the more reason to," Naruto said frowning. "We're not going to let you fight alone."

"I'm not alone. I have allies," she said. "They're strong guys. We can handle this, so you guys stay out of it."

"No," Naruto and I said in unison. She looked between us, a frown on her face.

"Guys," she said sighing.

"We're helping, whether you like it or not, Naruko," Hinata said.

"But Hinata," she whined.

"No, Naruko," Hinata said sternly. They stared at each other before Naruko sighed, giving in.

"Fine, if you insist on helping," she said throwing up her hands and smiling. She looked at all of us, her smile fading as her eyes land on Ino and Sakura. "Why the hell are you two bimbos here?"

"We're only here for Sasuke," Sakura said glaring at her.

Naruko looked at me, her eyebrows raised. I gave her the 'I didn't want them to come either' look, which she chuckled at.

"Fine, maybe you two can cook or something," she said. They looked horrified at that, to which Naruko laughed at.

Oh now I missed that laugh.

Chapter 20

[Naruko]

"So, where are you guys staying?" I asked after taking a big bite of my burger.

We were currently at a fast food restaurant, catching up. It was mostly me telling them about my month back and how my training was going. I left out the fact that I virtually had no friends at school, and how I only spend my days in the gym or at the orphanage.

I told them how I came back and learned that Yuki and Ryo were fighting for control over Iwagakure and how that divided the whole town. I had to recap how I got involved in this war exactly, as I had no plans of getting drawn into the past life. But, with me being me, I couldn't leave well enough alone as I wanted to squash this battle once and for all.

Of course, I had to tell them about DART and how they've been helping me, which Naruko and Sasuke was not happy about.

"We're staying at a nearby hotel," Naruto answered. He smirked and looked briefly at Sasuke. "Sasuke wanted to stay with you though."

"Aw, how cute of you," I said pinching Sasuke's cheek.

I was expecting one of his infamous scowls, or a threating word to Naruto and me. I was not expecting silence, and this intense look from him. He wasn't guarded and was allowing everyone to see his emotions. This was so new to me, so surreal, that I promptly removed my hand and blushed a tinge.

"So, um, as much as I enjoy the awkwardness, what are we doing about this war?" TenTen interjected. We all gave her a brief look of gratitude—except Sasuke, who still seemed out of it.

"We are not doing anything," I said to each of them. "This is my mess to clean up. I have to make this right."

"We already told you, you're not doing this alone," Naruto said crossing his arms in a defiant manner.

"But I'm not—"

"No," Sasuke finally spoke up. "Your problem is my problem, and I'll be damned if I let you go alone."

"Mine too," Naruto said. The others nodded in agreement—except Neji, who shrugged. Naruto threw his arms around my shoulders casually, to which Sasuke frowned at. "Oh, lover boy is back."

"Did you get lost, Lover Boy?" TenTen teased.

"Naruko has a mesmerizing effect on people," Hinata added.

"Makes you want to puke sometimes," Sakura mumbled.

I didn't join in the banter as my mind drifted to the battle in three days. I had everything planned for the guys and I but, with Sasuke and the gang showing up, things must change. The plan was for Akira, Ryohei, and Tsubasa to infiltrate the battle from different points and create a distraction. While that was going on, Daichi and I would take on Yuki and Ryo. If we can keep the lackeys distracted, taking on the bosses should be simple.

However, now things change. I know for a fact that Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata can handle their own and would be great help. With Neji, I've always had this vibe that he was also a great fighter. With TenTen, Sakura and Ino, I was doubtful.

The real problem was getting them mixed up in my old lifestyle.

"Hey, your phone is ringing," Naruto said nudging me. I snapped from my thoughts and quickly pulled my phone from my pocket.

"What is it Tsubasa?" I asked picking up. Sasuke grumbled something and crossed his arms, to which I rolled my eyes at.

"Its bad Naruko," he said sounding worried. "I just got word that Yuki is planning on starting this war early, and Ryo will not take it sitting down."

"How early?" I asked, feeling a chill go through me. We were not prepared for this early start. We were hoping to use these last few days to really concrete our plan.

"Tonight," he said. Suddenly, I heard voices in the background, followed by a curse from Tsubasa. "Naruko, listen. Ryo is on to us, so our plan may not work. He also knows about me and the guys and he's after us. We'll try to evade him as best as we could but, if we can't, it's up to you."

"I need you guys to hide and be safe. Please," I pleaded. More movement could be heard—sounds of a fight echoed in the phone. "Tsubasa?"

"I have to go. Be safe, okay?"

The line was cut, and all I could do was stare at my phone. I don't know what happened, but I did know Tsubasa and the guys were in danger. That means I was alone in this and, more importantly, I put the lives of my friends in danger.

"I have to go," I said standing quickly. Sasuke stood as well and grabbed my arm. "I'm going alone. As I've said, I will not put you guys in harm's way. So please stay out of it."

"I'm not letting you go so easily," Sasuke said tightening his hold. "Let us help. We're strong; we can handle it. If we get our asses kicked, then you can hit me for the rest of our lives."

"Whoa, was that a proposal?" Naruto said watching us with the eyes of an excited child.

"I can't," I said.

"Well, it's not your decision," TenTen spoke up. "We want to go and that's a decision we made ourselves. You can't keep us away, so save the frustrations and just agree."

"I didn't agree to anything," Neji said frowning at TenTen. She responded by elbowing him in the stomach.

I looked to each of them hesitantly, seeing the unwavering determination in their eyes. I had a feeling deep in my gut that they would somehow find their way to the battle, despite my instances for them to stay away. I guess since they stubbornly want to tag along, they were safer with me.

"Fine," I said with a defeated sigh.

"Sweet!" Naruto said smiling excitedly. "I call dibs on Ryo."

"No, I'm getting Ryo," Sasuke argued back. "After what he did to Naruko, I'll beat him half dead."

"That's not fair! I want to beat him half dead too!"

"Guys, I'm fighting Ryo. It's my score to settle, not yours. Besides, he seems to know something about my real parents and I want to know what."

The guys grumbled and said nothing more.

"Okay, we have to prepare." I said taking my seat again. Tsubasa told me the battle was moved to tonight. So, we should come up with a strategy. I no longer have the surprise attack; they know I'll be coming. Neither does Tsubasa and the guys."

"But they don't know about us," Ino spoke up. "We can blend into the crowds, posing as members of either gangs, and destroy them from the inside. You and Sasuke can handle the bosses while the rest of us handle the small fries."

"That's a solid plan. It's the same as the plan with Tsubasa, but we now there's more of us with better experience," I said nodding approvingly. "Nice job, Ino. I guess you're not just a pretty face."

"Well of course," she said with a smug smile.

"Great, now that we have a plan, I need to figure out what happened to—" My phone rang before I finished. The caller ID said Tsubasa and I hurriedly picked up.

"Tsubasa, where are you? I was just about to come look for you."

"Tsubasa can't come to the phone right now." I felt my skin crawl at the voice on the other end.

"Yuki, you have Tsubasa?" I said unemotionally.

"He was a slippery one to capture," he said with a chuckle. "Oh, but I made sure to treat one of your precious friends so well."

"I swear, if you hurt him, I will kill you," I seethed.

"Tsk, tsk. There goes that temper of yours. You know what I want and, if you give it to me, I'll let him go and promise to keep my hands off everyone you know and love. If you don't, well…you know."

"You want me to join your side."

"You're as sharp as ever, my little butterfly."

"How about we make a deal instead."

"A deal? Fine, I'm listening."

"I'll get rid of Ryo and never interfere with your matters. You will keep your slimy fingers away from those around me and never interfere with my life again."

"Do you really expect me to agree to that? You're a prize, and I want you on my side," he said angrily. I smirked at that.

"Fine. Then I'll just stay back and let Ryo defeat you. We both know he was the stronger men and he is a more reputable fighter than you."

"What was that, you bitch?"

"Tsk, tsk. Careful, you're letting your mask slip. Do we have a deal?" I was reveling at Yuki getting angry. I now felt in more control. Yuki wanted Iwagakure and, to get it, he had to get rid of Ryo and keep me tamed or away.

"Fine, I'll agree. Don't even think of double crossing me. If you do, there will be hell to pay."

The call disconnected and I let out a breath I did not know I was holding. I looked at the surprised faces of everyone at the table, letting a Cheshire smile overcome my face.

"Part one of the plan: complete."

"Okay, let me get this straight. Your guys purposely got captured so they can have a better opportunity at infiltrating the enemy's stronghold. You and this Daiki guy were then going to join the war during the confusion and fight the head honchos," TenTen asked as we were getting ready.

"Yup," I said pulling on a pair of black tights. "Akira came up with the plan. He and Tsubasa volunteered to be the ones captured. Ryohei is our intel; he keeps an eye on what's going on and lets us know. He's also responsible for purposely feeding information to both sides. As of now, Yuki has Tsubasa and Ryo has Akira."

"Has Ryo contacted you?" Hinata asked.

"I got a text from Akira's phone: I have your puppy. If you want him, come get him ;)."

"Dang girl, you guys are good at this covert stuff," TenTen said with smile.

"It was mostly the boys, I'm only good for my muscles," I said flexing proudly.

"You were working out," Hinata said poking my arms.

"And I see you've been drinking a lot of milk," I said eyeing her huge boobs. "I would honestly trade some of my muscles for your boobs."

The other girls grunted in agreement and eyed Hinata with envy. Hinata simply blushed and glared at me. I laughed as I pulled on my gloves, flexing my fingers. Once the others were done, we headed out of the gym locker rooms and met the guys outside. We were all sporting black and looked like a badass team of fighters.

"Alright. Let's do this."