No sooner had I stepped into the door after returning from Temari's, Naruto began bugging me about earlier that day. "Umeko-chan, what happened during lunchtime?"

"Please drop it for now," I pleaded, almost to breaking down in tears.

"You said you would tell me," he reminded as he set his hand on my shoulder and turned me around to face him. "If you don't, I'll tell Iruka about what today."

"You will regardless," I barked, but it would make me reconsider and he knew it.

"True, but if you don't do it now, you know you will have no choice but to talk about it then." He smirked, knowing his blackmailing was working.

I sighed deeply as I glanced away for a moment. "Fine, Naruto-kun, It was about the boy that half the female population at the school is in to. His name is Sasuke." I paused for moment, bringing my hand to my forehead. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, Uchiha as in Uchiha Itachi?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. Itachi is his older brother. That's what Sasuke told me when we were partnered up with each other in Bio. I'll tell you another thing: he looks a lot like his brother."

"I saw that bastard. I have a couple classes with him. That gi-" he started to say. He cleared his throat. "Well, that explains why I don't like him."

"I'm sure." I smiled at him.

"Are you OK?" He asked. "What I mean is that with one of the Uchiha's here, the other one isn't that far behind?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "I don't think so. I mean from what Sasuke said and acted like he wanted nothing to do with his brother or maybe wants to get revenge. I don't know."

"Are you gong to tell Iruka?" Naruto posed.

"Tell Iruka what," our guardian inquired as he entered the house.

"That I would help you with dinner," I stated, quickly as I walked into our kitchen avoiding Naruto's glare.

"Thanks," Iruka stated, a bit confused at my sudden enthusiasm in helping with dinner. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I said even though I was shaking on the inside.. "I just want to help. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I guess," the scar faced man replied.

Walking into the kitchen to acquire some refreshments for Temari and I, I bumped into her brother, Kankuro, who was drinking a glass of water. It seemed as if he was waiting for me. But that is just silly not to mention a little self-absorbed. Apart of me wished he was though. Just a little part of me. Then reality kicked in. Remember what happened last time. Just don't let get swept up in things again. But he is really good looking and he was really nice … to me anyways. Maybe he was just being nice to me because I'm a friend of his sister.

"Hey," Kankuro said. "Umeko, right?"

"Yeah," I answered, smiling.

"So, what are you looking for? Maybe I could help you find it," the young man offered.

"That would be nice. Thanks." I kept smiling. "I'm looking for the tea that your sister likes."

"It's right here." He reached in the cabinet above the stove. "The water is still warm because I just fixed myself one."

"Where's your tea cups?" I asked as I pulled out two bags from Temari's box of peach tea.

"Oh," he mumbled. "They're right here." He grabbed from the strainer two cups.

"Thanks," I told him with a smile and nervously pulled at my hair.

"Hey," he said, coolly as I poured the water into the cups. "Would you like to go out sometime?"

My heart jumped up into my throat. It was hard to speak, let alone think. "Are you Are you sure?"

"Did you believe me?" His face went from a smirk to a shocked expression. "I was just joking." He laughed almost evilly.

My heart sank. One of the few decent guys I've met in awhile and he turns out to be a creep. Great. Pushing back the tears stinging my eyes, I grasped the cups and ambled as fast as possible to take Temari her tea. As I did, that weird little red head, their brother, was staring at me. I got a better glimpse at him this time before he disappeared into his room. It had a tattoo on his forehead. Kanji for Love. I wondered when he did that. If I did that when I was his age or younger, Iruka would have killed me then brought me back to clean up the mess on top of that make sure that Naruto was around to learn a lesson as well. While during that same situation, Iruka's ex-boyfriend would have tried to calm him down by saying something like "She's just a kid, who's trying to figure herself out. So be easy on her."

Opening the door, I said, "I got the tea." Sitting down next to her, I handed her a cup. "Here's your tea."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Thanks." She stopped for a moment to drink her tea and gazed at me for a moment. A look of concern swept over her face. "Is everything OK, Umeko-chan?"

"Yeah, I just got a call," I lied. "Iruka wants me home as soon as I can get there. I'll finish my cup of tea, go over some ideas, and then go home."

"OK," she understood. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I lied again.

"Who was out there when you got the tea?" she demanded.

"No one was out there when I went out there," I told her.

"Bull," she stated. "Kankuro was out there, wasn't he? Otherwise, you wouldn't have the look that somebody told you you're grandma died. Besides, I know you like him , because you look at him the way other girls look at Sasuke."

"That's not true," I mumbled as I felt my cheeks and ear warm up.

"Sure," Temari said, smirking.

Finishing up my tea, I said, "See you at school tomorrow."

"Later," Temari replied.

Rushing to my room, bumping into Naruto and ignoring Iruka's calls. I slammed my door. Crying as soon as my face hit the pillow, I hoped for alone time. But Naruto pushed through.

"What's going on? Iruka's worried and frankly so am I."

"Nothing," I told him.

He grimaced. "I don't believe that. I've only seen that look three times on your face my entire life. Would you like me name them?"

Telling him everything that happened that afternoon, Naruto's face contorted more and more to a side of him that I never wanted to see. Letting it all sink in for him and for me again, I knew it wasn't a good thing.

He went to punch the wall, but backed away. "I am going to kill him!"

Jumping from my bed, I stopped him from doing anything he would regret later. "No, Naruto. He's not worth it." I paused for a moment. "Don't do anything that you might regret later. Please." I gave him a pleading look.

He let out an angry sigh. "I won't do anything right now," he admitted. "But I am not going to break my promise to you. Although he's going to regret what he did. I'm not." He sneered.

"Naruto…" I growled, yet gave up trying to convince from harming Kankuro. "Are you going to tell Iruka?"

"I will, if you won't," he promised.

School went on as usual except for the fact that I avoided Kankuro like the plague when we were around each other. I never realized how much I liked him. But he, like the boy before him, made a hole bigger than I think I can repair.

The last bell of the day rang. Trudging to my locker to get my backpack. I was wading through my books well after everyone had left. I wasn't in a hurry since Temari and I decided to take the day off, because of our other course work. Finishing up with my locker and backpack, I spun around to go to my car. Naruto was probably waiting for me, if he wasn't with he new best friend, Kiba.

I wasn't the only one in the hallway. There were four teenage boys across the hall from me leaning on the orange lockers behind them. Noticing that I was done with my business, he started slinking towards me.

"Hey, New Girl," the boy greeted. They looked familiar. I think they hang out with Kankuro

"Where are you going?" another one said.

"I'm going to meet my brother and go home," I replied as I tried to force myself through the boys, but they stopped me.

"Do you have to go so soon?" the first one asked as he clutched my arm in his hand.

"Yeah," I answered. "And my brother is a big guy."

"From what I hear, he's big, but so scatterbrained that he wouldn't know what to do," he said, confidently.

"Why don't you bother someone else?" I posed as I tried to leave again. Wishing that Naruto was here. "Why do want anything to do with me?"

"Because we don't want to and besides Kankuro made it easy for us get to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, didn't Kankuro ask you out and then played it off like he wasn't interested," he asked. I averted my gaze. "I'll take that as a yes and he told us that he would do that because he wasn't interested in you or at least that's what he told us."

Where is that purple makeup wearing asshole? He will not get away with hurting Umeko-chan! Waiting for Kankuro to walk by his locker, because he knew on certain days that Kankuro stayed after school. At least that's what Kiba told him, but Kiba had also warned him that he wouldn't want to do that. But Naruto never listens to anybody except Iruka and Umeko and he barely listens to them.

Finally he saw the cat like ears from the hat that Kankuro liked to wear. Naruto watched as Kankuro slowly made his way to his locker. Before he touched the locker, Naruto twirled him around and slammed him against his own.

"Now you are going to listen," Naruto began. "You hurt Umeko-chan and you are going to pay. But since I've promised her that I wasn't going to hurt you, I'm not. Although she's not here right now." He paused for a moment. "No, I won't break my promise to her, but you are going to wish I had."

Pulling Kankuro away from the locker and slammed him against the locker again. The sound of the teenage boy hitting the lockers echoed throughout halls. Both waited to see if any teachers heard that, but no adults came.

"Now, I'll tell you something that she probably hasn't told Temari. She doesn't like a lot of people knowing and she'll probably won't like me telling you," he explained as he took a breath before he finished. "When Umeko and I were about 4 or 5, she was staying with Iruka and I. She stayed with us for a few days or so. On the last day about six in the evening, we all got into Iruka's car to take Ume-chan home. When we got to her family home, they should have been expecting us, but Iruka still knocked on the door and they usually answered the door. This time they didn't. Iruka opened the door. No one was in the living room, but someone had been there. I remember some blood on the carpet and some of the furniture. Umeko at some point let go of my hand and ran towards the bedrooms. Iruka picked me up and ran after her. He found her standing in the doorway to her parents room. Just standing there like she was unsure of what to do. Iruka set me down and grabbed her before she would run off again." Naruto paused for a moment. "Iruka called the cops and she's been with us ever since. The case is open still."

"What?" Kankuro managed before Naruto slammed his fist next to Kankuro's face leaving a dent in the locker.

"I'm not done!" he screamed. "Recently, Umeko started to date a boy by the name of Uchiha Itachi. We all liked him, but he tried to rape her and finish the job he started when she was four. We didn't find that out until she went to the cops to report the sexual assault. Now I'll be damned if that happens again."

"I didn't know that," Kankuro said after a few minutes. "I think Temari sensed that or she told her something without telling her everything."

"Now tell me what happened yesterday," Naruto ordered.

"I only did that because I was asked to by some friends of my. They like her and they wanted to know if I was too and that if I was that I would stay out off the way, which they only reason why I did was because I don't want a girlfriend. That was until she came here and I saw how I hurt her yesterday. I been racking myself over with the guilt since then," the purple makeup wearer clarified. "I didn't know that she had been through that."

"These friends of yours," Naruto getting Kankuo's attention. "Do you trust them around girls?"

"Kind of, but not entirely," he answered. "Why do you Aw crap. We got to get to her fast."

"She's at her locker," Naruto told him as he let him out of his clutches. "Go, I'll be right behind you."

Not knowing what to do I throw my heavy backpack at the guy who did most of the talking and charged at the second in command in order to confuse them and get away. Not to defend myself. It didn't work as well as I thought, because one of them grabbed me and tried to pin me against the lockers. I waited for him to do whatever he had planned, but it never came.

"Get your hands off of her," came the booming male voice. "I change my mind."

"If you think you can touch Umeko-chan without going through me, you got another thing coming, believe it!" Naruto promised as I watched him help Kankuro teach those boys a lesson.

Watching as the boys ran away, Kankuro put his hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," I told him. "I just need to go home. Naruto will you drive." I threw him my keys. "I'll cover for you."

Shoving the keys into his pocket, he agreed, "All right Ume-chan. Grab your bag and we'll be on our way. Later and thanks."

I knew what had happened between those two and I was glad later on, even though I would never admit that to Naruto.