Disclaimer: Read chapter one. Rated M for breathing room.

Pairings: Not known as of yet.

Note to readers: Any suggestions, leave in review. Any idea for pairings, leave in review. Flame me - I'll hunt you down and make you regret it. XD

Rating: T

Midnight Summer

Chapter Ten

The day slowly turned towards lunch. She promised Naruto that she, along with Hinata, would eat lunch with him. She has pulled her hair up and grabbed her bag before heading downstairs. World History is finished and now she has an hour to kill. Or an hour to be killed.

She walks into the crowded room and her eyes hunt for their goal. One that comes from behind her and drops its arms around her shoulders. She nearly screams.

"Come on, Gwyn-Chan! I have so many people to introduce you to!" Naruto exclaims as they make their way to the table.

"Has Hinata come already?" She asks and Naruto tells her that they had last hour together.

Gwyn smiles. She has seen the way Hinata's face goes red when it comes to her blond friend. She only wonders how long the crush has been active.

They come up to the table and Gwyn's head cocks to the side. There, sitting where Hinata is sitting, is three others. All who she does not know.

Naruto brings them to halt before them and he says, "Gwyn, this is Sakura, Ino, and Sasuke. Everyone, this is Gwyn!"

Her eyes sweep over the three and she notices they each have something different to them. Sakura, a pretty female with emerald eyes and bubblegum hair, smiles kindly. The girl named Ino has long, pale blond hair and blue eyes. The male sitting across from them, Sasuke, has black hair and onyx eyes.

Her eyes focus on Sasuke's hair and he looks up at her. Annoyance crosses his face before he says, "What?"

"Your hair…" she pauses and she can see Ino's gaze turning into a frown and Sakura's eyebrows rising.

He folds his hands together and rests his chin on them. His eyes stare ahead of him and she finally finishes her train of thoughts, "Ah, I remember what it reminds me of! A duck's ass!"

She claps her hands together as Sakura and Ino chock on their drinks, Naruto howls out in laughter, and Hinata's face reddens slightly. Sasuke slowly turns and sets a nasty glare on his face.

Sakura pounds her hand against her chest to dislodge the liquid caught in it and her face turn an outrageous shade of red. Her eyes, wide and filled with tears, hold her amusement. Ino, on the other hand, looks about ready to kill her.

"Eh, you crazy-haired bitch! What did you call my Sasuke-kun!" she roars.

"I didn't call him anything! I only said that his hair reminds me of a duck's rear!" Gwyn waves her hands, palms showing, before her. Kind of like a submissive defense.

Naruto is now bent in half, arms wrapped around his waist, and howling with laughter. Gwyn is rather sure that he is about to pee himself. It's hard to hold your bladder when you're laughing that hard.

Ino's hands hit the table as she snaps, "His hair is awesome!"

"P-please, stop fighting!" Hinata looks between them with wide eyes.

Sakura now is also laughing.

"His hair looks like a duck's rear and you call it awesome? That's kind of creepy, Ino." Gwyn frowns and cocks her head to the side.

The vein in Ino's forehead starts to twitch and Gwyn grins. She leans back as she asks, "Ino, what's wrong? Do you like him?"

Ino's face, at this comment, turns red before she smiles. Well, not a smile really, but a predator-like grin. Gwyn's smile falls from her face.

Crap.

Gwyn looks this way and that before turning her eyes back on Ino. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Happy now?" Gwyn waves her hands in front of her, again, in defeat. The long, blond hair female smiles sweetly as she sits down.

"Yes, I am." She replies as she takes a bite out of her lunch." She replies and Gwyn sighs.

Mood swing much?

Now, as she sits there, she looks down at her lunch. It's one her mom made. Different types of cheese, a bit of meat, a couple of cookies, a few pickles, and a soda. Yep, her type of lunch!

She sets into it as Sasuke, out of the blue, asks, "What is your goal?"

She pauses with the cheese halfway to her mouth before saying, "What?"

"Your goal. What is it? Everyone here has a goal." He replies and she cocks her head to the side.

She sets the cheese down as she answers, "My goal? I don't have one, I guess. I'd like to get good grades, go to college, ya know, the works."

Sakura smiles before adding, "I want to be a doctor."

Gwyn's eyes widen as she turns to look at the pink-haired teen and sees the kind eyes staring at her. Then she looks over at Ino, who looks back, and asks, "What about you, Ino?"

She sets her food down as well before answering, "I want to run my own flower shop. I help my mom with hers…but I want to do something on my own."

Gwyn nods and then her eyes land on Naruto.

He smiles.

"I want to be the next leader of Konoha. It's been my dream since I was a kid! What about you, Hinata?"

The black-haired female's face turns beat red as she answers, "I-I want t-to become a b-better person so that I-I can support m-myself. I w-would like to help o-others."

Gwyn smiles at this.

"Sasuke?" Gwyn turns to look at the male and he looks back up at her.

"There is only one thing I want. I want to defeat my brother."

"Your…brother?" her eyes soften as she thinks of Max. As she thinks of…

With a mental cry, she pushes away the other thoughts that try to worm their way into her mind.

Instead, she smiles, and she says, "Well, if anything, I would like to help my family in any way possible!"

They all smile – minus Sasuke – and they all go on talking about their goals and how they plan to go on about it. It feels almost comfortable but a nagging feeling tells her that she is being watched.

So she turns.

And her eyes meet blue.

Words: 1,034 (above the line)

Note from the Author: Hello and Good Evening! I have to say that this is getting better and better. I would like to thank Random Kidd, again, for getting me another reviewer! That's you, Secertly Evil D! Yes, I must agree with you. Writing Tobi, Zetsu, and Kisame will be interesting. Hidan as well. Good thing I have this Rated M! Foul mouthed Hidan needs room to talk when he appears. Thank you for reviewing and enjoy the next chapter - whenever it decides to appear. Soon, I'd take it. Knowing me and my quick writing! XD

Profiles (only original characters unless asked otherwise - they only come up when the new character comes into the story):
Gwyn Armstrong
Age: Not Mentioned (NM)
Gender: female
Hair: chocolate brown, long
Eyes: NM
Family: Mom, dad, Max, Grandma Berta(the old lady)

R&R