The bell rang again after a about forty-five minutes, signaling a break. Naruto stood and walked toward the door, waving impatiently. Sasuke and I followed almost automatically, but we were stopped at the door.
"Stop," Itachi said from his desk, leaning over a stack of papers.
Sasuke turned to walk toward his brother, and he froze in a potent mixture of panic and surprise when Itachi shook his head, "No, I want to talk to Tsukimi,"
Sasuke looked at him for a second with an unreadable look and then followed Naruto, who was waiting just outside. Itachi looked at me, but I couldn't give a single logical guess as to why. I froze in panic and my brain stopped working. I feared that my organs, specifically my heart, would shortly follow.
"Tsukimi, did you have any trouble with the work? You look flustered," He asked worriedly, a kind and over-concerned-for-a-normal-teacher look on his face.
"Not with the work," I muttered darkly in spite of being switched off.
"Then what was it? Did Sasuke say something to upset you?" He stood up, ready to talk to his brother, which I had a gut feeling was something that he didn't do for every student his brother gave a hard time.
"No, it wasn't him," I looked toward the door, wishing that we weren't all alone, that someone, anyone, was here to keep me from doing something stupid.
"Are you OK, you look really red," Itachi stepped over to me and pressed the back of his hand to my head.
I tried to form words, but the skin contact rendered me paralyzed. I felt my mouth contort in both a smile and a frown as he stepped a little closer.
"Here, let me take you to the nurse," He scooped me off my jelly-made legs into his arms.
The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes and staring at an old wrinkly woman, and I was laying on an orange cot. I saw that Itachi was staring at me more worriedly than before.
"What happened?" I managed to ask, now that I wasn't touching that perfect angel that I had to force myself to remember was my teacher.
"You fainted as soon as I offered to take you here," He left out out the part were he obviously was the one who carried me.
"Fuck!" said under my breath, upset that that happened.
"You better watch your mouth, it'll get you in trouble one of these days," He told me sternly, with an air of dry joking.
"You heard that?!" I asked in alarm, thinking that I had said that too quietly for anyone to hear.
He merely smiled in response and asked the nurse while keeping his eyes on me, "So, is she fit to go back to class?"
"Nothing is wrong with the girl, just hormones," The nurse snapped.
I sat up and almost headbutted my knees in embarrassment as I thought of a distraction, "What about the class?!"
"Oh, don't worry, my assistant took over while I watched over you," He tried to act as if he had not noticed my blushing, but he couldn't help but smirk.
"How long was that exactly?" I asked nervously, trying to change the subject as we both headed back to class with nurse scowling at our backs.
"About twenty minutes," He shrugged, thankfully taking my bait.
"Thanks for staying with me," I was so tempted to add that he should since it was his fault I was here in the first place, but that he didn't have to miss class for my sake.
"You shouldn't thank me, it was my fault, and I probably shouldn't have stayed, but I had to make sure you'd be alright," He said as the door to the nurses office closed behind us with a metallic snap.
"Well, thanks...." I murmured, wondering if he could read minds.
"No, I can't read minds," I must have given away my thoughts with my face.
I realized suddenly that my hoodie was on. Weird, considering I took it off earlier.
"Why is my hoodie on?" I asked him.
"After you fainted and I stepped toward the door, remembered that it is winter, and put it on you. Then I carried you to the nurse," He said simply.
"Thanks. Sorry if you had a hard time," I really hated that my breasts were one of my bigger features.
"A bit when I tried to get it around your chest," He admitted.
"Oh, I meant getting it over my head...." I blushed, praying that he didn't do anything he didn't need to.
"Oh. Well, uh, do you want to come over later today?" He asked so casually, I almsot didn't see the stange implications of that request.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"To help Sasuke with your class project," He explained.
"Oh," I was thinking something way different.
"Well, do you?" He asked not too casually this time.
"Sure," My face started to burn as we walked toward the classroom.
The class turned to look at us when we entered the building. My face was burning and I'm sure that it was scarlet. Itachi's face was a bit pink, now that I looked at him. I heard the class start to whisper as Itachi and some blonde guy traded information, though I can't say that I blamed them. I quickly took my seat next to Sasuke and buried my face behind my science book. He looked at me sideways and was most regrettably the one person I couldn't hide from.
"What the hell happened?!" He demanded, which really was different than what I was used to.
"Itachi asked how I was doing with the work, and I told him it wasn't the work that bothered me. Then he asked if it was you, and I told him you did not upset me. Then I guess that I fainted. I woke up in the nurse's office and then we came back here," I left out some things, but hey, I was under no obligation to spill my guts.
Sasuke eyed me for a moment, then decided to believe me, "So, are you OK?"
"I'm fine. So, what project are you working on?" I suddenly remembered what Itachi was talking to me about before we entered the classroom when our eyes met for a few moments.
"Project? What project?" He looked at me, wondering what his brother had told me.
"Oh, Itachi told me that you had a project and wanted me to come over so I could help," I wondered if he was lying to me, but I instantly shot that thought down, knowing that he wasn't that type of person, regardless of being a complete stranger.
"Must be something he'll assign us later," Sasuke said more to himself then to me.
Finally, that blonde guy left and Itachi took control of the class, "Class! Sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm back now. We'll cut into science today and pause with art for two weeks, as Mr. Deidara has informed me that the school is now required to have a sex-ed class. I have faith that you all already know about all that, so instead, I'm going to make you all take care of a fake baby. These babies that you get will be exactly like a real child, so take this seriously! You will be monitored by the baby on how well you two do as parents! I will call parents or guardians asking if the two of you can stay together for two weeks. If not, then try your hardest to communicate!"
Ok, that was a new twist on an old classic if I've ever seen one. Stay two weeks with our partners? Did the school not realize that most of the class pairings were boy/girl? Well, I guess that it made the assignment realer and far more practical, but really, I this assignment is an instant "doomed to fail" type life-ruiner. Really.
That blonde guy, Deidara, came back into the class with a box full of dolls. He left immediately after he set the box down. Itachi walked around the room, handing out babies.
He handed me the last one with a bright smile, "I know you two will do just fine,"
He walked away and lectured about the class, giving full details and instructions. Sasuke turned toward me unsurely, tuning out the rest of the class. I looked at him and gulped.
"After only a day?" I laughed nervously, trying to lighten the atmosphere between us, which I had no idea was so tense until that moment.
"Yeah. You may want to hold the kid upright," He pointed out that it was upside down in my arms.
"Good call," I turned it over, blushing deeply.
"It's not fair!" A girl suddenly burst out crying.
"Sakura? What isn't fair?" Itachi played dumb and asked the girl sitting next to Naruto.
"That!" She pointed at me with the intention of murder.
I looked around and saw other girls have a similar reaction. Well, I was now the most hated girl in class, which was admittedly, much faster then I expected.
"Don't let them bother you. Just ignore them, that's what I do," Sasuke said from the corner of his mouth to avoid worsening the situation.
I nodded, "Thanks,"
Same old message, new version.
