Best Friend's Brother 48
Winter Break Part 9
New Year's Eve
The Festival
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters aside from my OC.
Walking along the streets, Natsumi was in awe as she looked around at the many hanging lanterns, lights and many colorful stalls with food and games. The streets were crowded with families, couples, and children. The smells of the various foods wafted into the air and the sound of chatter and laughter was all around.
It was her first New Year's Festival and compared to the many years she spent attending company parties with her father, she could tell this would very well be one of her favorites.
"Hey Natsumi!" a familiar voice called catching the attention of the dark haired girl.
Turning to the source, she smiled when seeing Naruto and Sasuke approaching. Naruto wore a white hoodie underneath a black cargo jacket with a pair of black gloves and dark blue jeans. Sasuke had on a pair of black pants with a white button up, black neck tie, a black vest and an opened long black coat with a pair of black gloves.
"Happy New Year" Naruto said as the pair stood in front of the dark haired girl. "Whoa you look different" the blonde pointed out referring to Natsumi's kimono.
Natsumi wore a cobalt blue kimono with white flowers and a champagne colored obi around her waist and a red obijime securing it all. Her hair was in a bun with her bangs curled and a red flower on the side of her head. She had a light pink blush on her cheeks, with a shimmery nude shadow on her lids and a black winged liner and a set of natural lashes that fanned out towards the ends (courteous of Temari).
"Uh thanks?" Natsumi replied awkwardly.
Naruto smiled proudly while Sasuke rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face in amusement.
"Happy New Year to you guys too" the dark haired teen girl said to the two males.
'Not a surprise that Sasuke is already dressed up for party now but Naruto looks pretty casual' Natsumi mentally noted.
"Everything alright?" Naruto asked noticing the confused look Natsumi wore.
"Uh yeah" Natsumi replied with a reassuring smile. "It's just ... are you going to the Uchiha party tonight too?" Natsumi asked curiously.
The blonde released a light chuckle before running a hand through his hair.
"Nah" Naruto replied taking the girl by surprise.
"Why?" Natsumi asked in a curious tone.
"I go every year" Naruto responded with a shrug. "And if I'm being honest it's kind of boring" the blonde said before leaning down and draping an arm around Natsumi's shoulder. "Besides it's probably for the best that I stick around at the festival with the others if I want to try and talk with Sakura" Naruto said in a lowered voice.
"Hn" Natsumi replied in understanding as Naruto removed his arm.
"Why? Were you going to miss me there tonight?" Naruto asked raising his brows at the girl and earning an eye roll from both dark haired teens while he folded his hands behind his head.
Sasuke scoffed.
"Don't get your hopes up dobe" Sasuke said making the blonde fake offense as he jokingly placed a hand over his heart.
"Come on teme this is going to be our first New Year's when we're not together" Naruto teased making Sasuke give him an annoyed look before turning to glare at the grin Natsumi was sending the pair.
"Knock it off" Sasuke demanded in his usual monotone voice, making Naruto chuckle as Natsumi held her hands up in surrender.
"Hey Natsumi where are Gaara and the others?" Naruto asked changing the subject as he glanced around. "I thought Temari was getting you ready" he went on before shifting his blue orbs back to the dark haired girl.
Natsumi released a breath before casually reaching over to take hold of her own arm.
"Well ... you know how competitive Temari and Kankuro can get right?" Natsumi asked earning nods of understanding from both boys before she continued. "So as soon as we got here they broke off from Gaara and I to check out some of the game booths and then Gaara said he had to head back to the car since he forgot his wallet" Natsumi explained.
Naruto gave another nod of understanding before Sasuke spoke.
"So basically you got ditched?" Sasuke asked bluntly.
Natsumi narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha.
"Being ditched would imply that they had no intention of coming back" Natsumi retorted.
"Well you would've been alone if me and the dobe didn't show up" Sasuke pointed out making an irk mark appear on Natsumi's head.
"Why don't we check out some booths on our own?" Naruto suddenly suggested as he slung his arms around Natsumi and Sasuke's shoulders as a way to stop them from beginning to fight.
"What about the others?" Natsumi asked as the trio began walking.
Sasuke didn't seem to care but Naruto gave a thoughtful hum before replying.
"I'm pretty sure they won't mind if we catch up with them later" Naruto explained as the trio resumed walking with Naruto's arms still slung over the shoulders of his friends.
"Think again Naruto!" a loud male voice suddenly called out making the three freeze before turning to the source and seeing Kiba.
The brown haired boy had a confident smirk on his face as he strode over with his hands in his pockets. He was currently wearing a grey parka jacket that had the hood down and a pair of dark blue jeans with black sneakers.
"What's this about you trying to ditch the rest of us?" Kiba asked as he stood in front of the three.
Sasuke looked to the side in disinterest while Naruto huffed in annoyance.
"Well it's not my fault that the rest of you showed up late" Naruto pointed out making Kiba tsk before turning his attention to the girl under Naruto's arm.
"Whatever anyways ... Happy New Year's Natsumi" Kiba said with a smile.
"Hn Happy New Year's" Natsumi replied with a nod before looking behind the young man as she saw two more familiar and irritated faces approach.
"You have a lot of nerve trying to lecture Naruto on ditching us when you ditched Hinata and I the second you saw-" Shino's voice lectured before being cut off by the soft feminine voice of Hinata.
"Shino remember you said you'd be more patient for the New Year" Hinata interrupted making Shino fall silent and release an annoyed huff.
Shino had on a white button up shirt underneath the green sweater Natsumi had made him for Christmas and a pair of black pants and black shoes. Hinata wore a dark purple kimono with white flowers, a blue wrap around her waist, her face having a light coral like blush on her cheeks with a winged liner and gloss while her hair was partially pulled back with a large flower clip.
"Hey guys" Naruto greeted the pair with a smile. "Oh you look nice Hinata" Naruto complimented the female Hyuga, earning a small blush before looking back to Shino and Kiba.
"What's this about Shino being more patient?" the blonde inquired as he tilted his head slightly to the side in curiosity.
Hinata smiled nervously at the blonde before Shino softly nudged her forward. It took a moment as her eyes shifted to the ground and she spoke.
"Kiba, Shino, and I" Hinata started slowly before looking back up to Naruto. "Made a pact to help each other keep our New Year's resolutions" Hinata quickly blurted out as a red hue crossed her cheeks.
Natsumi raised a brow in interest.
'Something tells me that hers was probably about talking to Naruto more' Natsumi thought.
"That's really cool!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "What was yours?" Naruto asked removing his arms from Natsumi and Sasuke as he stepped closer to Hinata, whose face lit up at the proximity of the blonde.
"Why do you care Naruto?" Kiba asked catching Naruto's attention. "It's not like you actually have something you want to do this year. You'll be the same loud mouthed idiot as always" Kiba said snidely.
"Oh yeah that goes to show what you know!" Naruto retorted as he narrowed his eyes at the brown haired boy. "I've already started my resolution" Naruto bragged as he folded his hands behind his head and casually turned to send a wink to Natsumi and Sasuke.
Both dark haired teens rolled their eyes.
"Well your resolution definitely didn't involve trying to keep it down. We heard you from the entrance" Shikamaru's familiar voice said catching the attention of the teens as they saw the Nara approaching with Choji at his side.
Shikamaru wore a green long sleeved shirt with a black puffy vest zipped partially up along with black pants and black high tops. Choji had on a white button up with a red neck tie, black pants, black shoes, and a long black coat.
"Well I see you didn't resolve to be less lazy" Naruto shot back making Shikamaru roll his eyes.
"I actually changed before coming because I didn't want to wear the suit my mom made me wear today. Whereas you probably slept most of the day and changed into your clothes" Shikamaru replied making Naruto stiffen.
"Yeah but didn't your mom get mad at you for dozing off during her dinner?" Choji asked innocently.
Shikamaru now stiffened while Naruto shot him a smug smile yet before the blonde could say anything the group's attention was gained by another voice's approach.
"So from the sounds of the conversation over here, you're going to be the same unmotivated guy as always" said the voice.
It was no surprise that it was Temari who said this as the blonde approached with her brother Kankuro. Temari wore a black kimono with a red wrap and her hair in its usual four ponytails with a red lip and black cat winged eyeliner. Kankuro on the other hand was more dressed down; wearing a black hoodie with a black jacket layered over top and zipped halfway up along with black shoes and pants.
"And now this troublesome woman has joined in the verbal assault of my character" Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag" the boy said making the group break into laughter.
Natsumi's brown eyes wondered to the side seeing the smiling faces of her friends before two familiar approaching figures caught her attention. It was Ino and Sakura. Ino had on a violet kimono with red, white, and pink flowers and a yellow wrap around her waist; instead of having her long hair in its usual high ponytail, it was hanging and she had on a mauve smoky eye with false lashes and a pink gloss. Sakura wore a pink kimono with a yellow and pink wrap while her pink hair was pulled into a bun with small white flowers around its base and light pink shadow with a clear gloss.
"Hey guys Happy New Year's" Ino said as she and Sakura joined the group.
"Happy New Year" Sakura said with a smile.
"Happy New Year" various other members replied to the girls before Ino turned to Shikamaru.
"So what are you guys talking about?" the blonde asked curiously.
"New Year's resolutions" Shikamaru responded in a bored tone.
"Really?" Sakura asked gaining the attention of the others.
"Believe it!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed as he smiled widely at the pink haired girl. "Everyone has something they want to work on for the New Year you know! Like Shino wants to be patient and I think Hinata wants to talk more or whatever" Naruto explained as Ino and Sakura's eyes lit up in surprise.
Naruto walked up to Sakura, making Natsumi clench a fist in anticipation.
'He's not seriously going to ask her now' Natsumi thought.
"It's pretty cool that they're going into the New Year with goals in mind you know?" Naruto asked with a light chuckle.
Since her eyes were on the pair, Natsumi noticed when Sakura slightly stiffened at this statement, making her raise a brow in question before Naruto spoke again.
"I actually have my own resolution I wanted to take care of" the blonde announced proudly, yet before he could say anything further, he was cut off by Kiba.
"Yeah yeah yeah everyone has something they want to work on for the New Year" Kiba said loudly. "But if I wanted to spend the whole night talking about things rather than doing them, I'd have stayed home tonight" Kiba complained. "Let's get some food or play a game or something" the brunette suggested folding his arms behind his head as the others all turned to him.
"Damn it Kiba you couldn't have kept your mouth shut for a minute longer?" Naruto complained with a huff only to be ignored as the group started to walk off.
"I wouldn't mind grabbing a bite" Choji said happily.
"I could go for something" Shikamaru agreed with a nod.
"I believe I saw a dango stand up ahead" Shino offered as the group continued on seemingly ignoring Naruto.
"Oh that sounds good" Natsumi said excitedly.
"Of course you'd think so" Sasuke said unenthusiastically.
"Well what do you feel like having Sasuke?" Ino asked.
"Hey don't ignore me!" Naruto called after his friends in an annoyed tone.
...
As the teens went about wondering the various booths for a while, it didn't take long for Naruto to rejoin his friends along with Gaara who'd he'd run into shortly after being left behind. The group seemed to split as some chose to play the games of the vendors while others chose to watch while eating snacks.
Natsumi had just finished her stick of dango when a certain pink haired girl walked up to stand beside her.
"Hey Natsumi do you want to finish this for me?" Sakura asked holding out her unfinished stick with two remaining dango.
Natsumi's brows rose in surprise.
"I had a big meal before coming and I want to save room for the soba we're getting later" Sakura stated.
"Hn" Natsumi replied slowly starting to reach out to accept the stick until being interrupted by Naruto.
"I'll take it!" Naruto announced bounding up to stand between the girls.
Natsumi had a moment of disappointment over not being able to accept the dango before she realized that Naruto was simply trying to get a moment with Sakura. This caused the dark haired girl to release a light sigh before noticing Sakura starting to berate the blonde.
"Really Naruto?" the pink haired girl asked in an annoyed tone.
"Uh yeah if you're offering?" the blonde replied casually scratching the back of his neck as he released an awkward chuckle. "Hey and if you give it to me then I can pay for your soba later you know?" Naruto offered with one his usual smiles.
"You've been awfully pushy tonight, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.
Natsumi sweat dropped as she watched Sakura narrow her eyes at the boy yet before she could hear any more from the pair, she felt herself being pulled away by the back of her arm. Turning to the source she saw it was Sasuke.
"Don't get involved" Sasuke stated.
"I wasn't trying to" Natsumi replied as Sasuke let her go and the two walked side by side.
Sasuke gave a 'tsk' before using his other hand to hold up an untouched stick of dango that made Natsumi's eyes light up.
"Wait a minute" the dark haired female said. "Why did you even bother buying one if you weren't going to eat it?" she questioned.
"Because I know you and I know how big of an appetite you have for sweet things" Sasuke replied holding out the dango to Natsumi again and earning huff before she took it.
"Well I'd say thank you but I'm not sure if I should since you slipped an insult in there" Natsumi retorted making the Uchiha raise a brow as the pair continued walking. "You make it sound like I can be bought with sweets" Natsumi pointed out making Sasuke snort to repress a laugh.
"I'm not wrong" Sasuke said reaching out to poke the girl in the cheek with a teasing smile that earned him a narrowed gaze.
"Stop it" Natsumi said pushing his hand away.
"Why?" Sasuke asked in a smug tone.
"Because you're annoying!" Natsumi retorted before the sound of someone clearing their throat, caught the attention of both teens.
Both froze before turning to the source behind them and seeing Gaara standing with a hand behind his back while the other was a fist in front of his mouth.
"It's Naruto and Sasuke's turn for the shooting game" Gaara stated motioning over to where the rest of the friend group was standing around a booth.
"Hn" Sasuke replied with a nod of understanding. "Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked glancing from the booth back to the red head in front of him.
"Temari is getting him" Gaara replied, earning another nod from Sasuke before the Uchiha started to walk in the direction of the booth, leaving Natsumi and Gaara alone in a somewhat awkward silence.
'It's always weird when I'm left alone with Gaara' Natsumi thought awkwardly looking after Sasuke before deciding to follow.
But as the dark haired girl took her first step after her dark haired friend she was stopped by the sound of Gaara clearing his throat again.
"Natsumi I'd like to speak with you" Gaara stated making the girl's brows raise in surprise before giving a silent nod of understanding.
Gaara offered his arm to the girl, earning another confused look to which he replied.
"In case you need help stabilizing yourself while walking" Gaara clarified. "Temari has talked about how hard it can be to stay steady zori sometimes" Gaara explained further earning a nod of understanding from Natsumi before she went about reaching out to take the boy's arm as he began to lead her away from their other friends.
This raised many questions for Natsumi, but rather than assume the reasoning behind Gaara's actions, she stayed quiet as not to make the wrong assumption as she did with Homecoming. When the pair came to a halt, she watched as Gaara's blue orbs looked back to make sure they were far enough away from their friends before she released his arm and he moved to stand in front of her.
Natsumi raised a brow in question but remained quiet as she refused to make things weird like she always did with the red head. Noting the confused look he was receiving from the dark haired girl, Gaara started.
"I just wanted to make sure we were far enough away so the others wouldn't hear" the redhead stated as Natsumi gave a weary nod. "Especially since you don't like public attention" Gaara said making the girl stiffen as she could feel an anxious feeling form in her chest as she waited for the boy to continue.
'Why did he have to say it?' Natsumi inwardly questioned.
Her gaze shifted around and she noted that Gaara had led her to a spot that was a little more secluded as it was off to the side of the main road with all the booths.
'The last time Gaara did something like this I thought he was asking me to Homecoming but I was wrong ... but this seems a lot like what someone would do for a confession' Natsumi mentally noted as she nervously looked back to Gaara.
"Earlier I won this in a game" Gaara suddenly said reaching into his pocket before presenting a small red charm in his hand. "It's a good luck charm for communication" the boy explained as he held it out to Natsumi to take. "You should take it" Gaara stated making the girl's brows furrow in confusion as she debated on accepting his gift.
"Gaara I-" Natsumi started in a tense voice before the redhead continued on.
"I don't need it seeing as I get more than my fair share of opportunities to speak and communicate with Student Council but you may need it since you lack highly in the areas of public addresses or even speaking amongst others" Gaara stated making Natsumi figuratively shatter as any chance of this being a confession flew out the window.
'He just called me socially awkward' Natsumi mentally noted as she sweat dropped before dejectedly holding her hands out.
Gaara's usually blank face showed a small smile before he placed the charm into the girl's hands.
"Let's get back" Gaara suggested earning a slow nod from Natsumi before he once again offered the girl his arm to lead her back to the others, completely unaware of the blank look on her face.
Both were oblivious to the prying jealous gaze that watched them.
...
It was really no surprise that she had spent the majority of her time following the red head once catching sight of him meeting his blonde friend Naruto. She saw the greeting the two gave one another before watching as they made their way to meet their other friends from their group.
She internally debated on walking up to say hi, but every time she worked up the courage, she was off put by the sudden interruption of him being pulled along to another booth by his group.
'Maybe I'll wait until he takes a break from the games' she thought before ultimately ending up watching him being pulled into competitive round after round with the others.
Matsuri released a heavy sigh, looking down at the light purple kimono she wore with the pink wrap around her waist and she reached up to touch the white flower in her hair.
'There was really no point in dressing up this cute if he wasn't going to see it' she thought dejectedly before pulling out her phone to glance at the time. 'I'll need to meet Yukata soon' she thought worriedly before stealing one last glance in the direction of the red headed boy that made her eyes widen.
He was alone; he finally broke away from the others.
'This is the perfect time!' she thought excitedly before watching him make his way over to an all too familiar pair of dark haired teens; Natsumi and Sasuke.
Her eyes narrowed as she observed the dark haired girl trifling about with the Uchiha boy she was almost always with. Their antics quickly came to a halt though, when Gaara gained their attention. She couldn't hear what he said but with his motion to the booth with the others, she felt an anxious pit form in her stomach.
'He wants them to play too' she thought nervously, before breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Sasuke walk there alone, but that relief was short lived as she witnessed Gaara stop Natsumi from following.
Her hands formed into fists at her side and the weight of her heart seemed to increase as she watched Gaara offer his arm to the girl. Her eyes immediately narrowed when Natsumi accepted the offer and began to walk away with the boy. There was no stopping herself as she slowly trailed behind the pair, remaining at a safe distance as not to be seen. And although her heart ached as her mind raced with the possibilities of what might happen, she couldn't stop. When she saw the pair stop a ways away from the others with felt her chest clench seeing him glance back to make sure they were out of ear shot. This made her duck away and sadly kept her at bay from approaching any closer.
'What could they be talking about?' she pondered as she watched Natsumi's face shift from a worry to alarm as Gaara spoke.
Seeing the red headed boy reach into his pocket, left the girl on edge until she saw him produce a small red charm to the dark haired girl, continuing to speak until the girl accepted his gift and he smiled at her. That was the final chord to be broken for her, as she watched the pair walk off together.
'Did he just confess?' the girl wondered feeling her heart break as she looked after the two and seeing Natsumi holding onto Gaara's arm.
"Friendship is a beautiful thing isn't it?" a sudden voice said making the girl jump in alarm as she quickly spun around to come face to face with a familiar pale face. "Are you alright?" the boy asked innocently as the girl looked at him with wide eyes.
He was one of Gaara's friends. She'd seem him plenty of times at his lunch table and he was known around school for being a little socially inept.
"Y-you're friends with them" the girl stated in a shaky voice as the boy gave a smile with a nod.
"I am" the boy responded. "My name is Sai" he introduced himself.
"What are you doing?" the girl asked. "Sneaking up on me like that is really creepy" she pointed out, holding an accusing finger to the boy.
Sai's eyes opened before turning his head to look after the pair and looking back to the girl in front of him.
"I'm meeting my friends for the festival" Sai stated. "I was on my way to greet them when I noticed you following Natsumi and Gaara so I thought I would ask why" Sai said making the girl pale.
It was silent for a moment.
"You had a good point" Sai suddenly said making the girl's brows furrow in question. "Sneaking up on someone really is creepy especially when one does so without good intent. I for example did so with the wellbeing of my friend's in mind while you seem to be doing it because the obsession you have with Gaara" Sai said bluntly making the girl stiffen. "Now that I think of it though, my reading would clarify that I was sneaking while you were stalking" Sai stated. "Maybe you should work on that for the New Year" Sai said giving the girl another one of his usual smiles before turning to leave. "Anyways I'm off to meet with my friends! Happy New Year" Sai stated.
Matsuri was silent for a while, trying to process what happened when all the emotions suddenly hit her. Tears came down her cheeks; tears of heartbreak, frustration, and embarrassment as she processed the situation that had played out. She quickly rushed away, pushing her way past the many bewildered faces of people she rushed through until she caught sight of a familiar head of black locks. Yukata was a sight in a pink kimono with a lavender wrap and her hair curled.
"Matsuri!" Yukata called with a smile until her brown eyes widened in surprise when she saw the tears streaming down her brunette friend's face. "What's wrong?" Yukata asked in a concerned tone.
Matsuri wiped her face with the sleeve of her kimono.
"Natsumi Nakamaru" Matsuri replied.
The name making Yukata's brows raise in alarm.
"Natsumi?" Yukata asked in disbelief. "But she's such a nice girl" Yukata said in confusion as she thought back to how Natsumi helped her find a date for Homecoming.
Matsuri scoffed.
"She wants everyone to think that!" Matsuri snapped. "But she's conniving and now she has Gaara!" she said making her friend's brown eyes widen more.
More tears came to Matsuri's eyes before Yukata pulled her into a tight embrace, trying to comfort her as her mind raced with one thought.
'This has to be a misunderstanding.'
"She's going to pay" Matsuri uttered, making the worry Yukata felt double.
...
Natsumi sneezed catching the attention of her friends.
"Bless you" Gaara said earning a nod of thanks from the girl as she released his arm when they joined the others.
Of course this didn't go unnoticed by a certain brown haired boy who immediately gave the redhead a skeptical look before being nudged by Shino which made Kiba grumble to himself and stay silent. To not have Natsumi notice, Hinata decided to pull out a handkerchief for her.
Natsumi gave a nod of thanks to Hinata as she accepted the white handkerchief. About this time was when Sasuke and Naruto had finished their game, turning toward the girl, Sasuke scoffed.
"You better not be getting sick" Sasuke stated in a bored tone, earning an eye roll from the girl until she realized something.
"Did Naruto win?" Natsumi asked in a tone of both confusion and disbelief as she watched the blonde accept a large bear as a prize, making the others turn to see as well before marveling at the sight.
"You guys act like you didn't expect me to" Naruto said in an annoyed tone as the others looked at him.
It was quiet for a moment.
"Screw you guys" Naruto said making the group break into laughter at the blonde's expense before the arrival of another gained their attention.
"Hello friends" Sai's voice said.
Everyone turned to see the pale boy approaching wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a black coat, a grey scarf, and black shoes.
"Happy New Year" Sai said earning similar replies.
"It's not like you to be so late" Naruto pointed out.
"And it's not like you to actually beat Sasuke" Sai replied making Naruto narrow his eyes at him. "But I guess there's a first time for everything" the pale boy stated.
"What kept you?" Ino asked with the curiosity evident in her tone.
"Something made me curious in regards to a friend" Sai replied earning questioning looks from the others before they ultimately decided not to ask and simply carried onto their next booth.
"Ok whose next?" Naruto asked as the group approached a dart booth. "Maybe someone should take on Sai since he just got here" the blonde suggested.
'Even if they're a little weird sometimes, I really like my friends' Natsumi thought before something caught her eye.
Naruto walked up to Sakura. The blonde sheepishly grabbed the back of his neck before holding the item out to Sakura and asking for a moment, yet before the pink haired girl could reply, green orbs met brown for the slightest second as Natsumi had been spotted. Natsumi quickly turned her gaze away as redirected her attention to the others.
'I guess Naruto wants to tell her now' Natsumi noted before she stiffened when she felt an arm interlock with hers.
Turning to the source, she was surprised when she saw Sakura standing beside her.
"Sakura" Natsumi said in surprise before she quickly turned her gaze away to look where Naruto was now under the arm of Lee who had just arrived. Lee wore a green turtle neck, a black puffy vest, black joggers, and a pair of white shoes.
'I guess that explains how Sakura slipped away' Natsumi thought before seeing Neji and Tenten approach the group as well. Tenten wore a pink kimono with golden flowers and a red wrap around her waist while her hair was in its usual style of two buns. Neji had on a black button up with a long grey coat, black pants, and black shoes.
"So I was wondering if we could talk." Sakura asked regaining Natsumi's attention but before the dark haired girl could reply she was cut off by Lee.
"Sakura!" Lee exclaimed pushing Naruto aside. "Happy New Year!" the boy said energetically jumping in front of the girl and making her jump as she removed her arm from Natsumi's.
"Oh Happy New Year Lee" Sakura said with a small smile while Natsumi awkwardly stepped back from the scene.
"What was that about?" a familiar voice asked making Natsumi turn to see Temari standing beside her with a brow raised.
Natsumi knew she was referring to Sakura's closeness, but since she didn't have an answer she simply gave a shrug.
"Well maybe she wanted your help getting in with the Uchiha" Temari suggested with a wink.
Natsumi scoffed as her brown hues traveled back to Sakura talking to Lee.
"I wouldn't be surprised but ... something tells me it's something else" Natsumi thought aloud before the sound of a certain boy clearing his throat caught the attention of the two girls.
"Natsumi my mother wants us there a little sooner than expected" Sasuke said as Natsumi and Temari turned to see him standing behind them.
"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod of understanding. "When do we need to go?" Natsumi asked until she was cut off by Temari.
"You guys have to go already, we haven't even had our New Year's Soba yet" Temari pointed out, gaining the attention of the others as they now turned to face the two dark haired teens.
"You guys are leaving already teme?" Naruto asked.
"But we just got here" Tenten complained.
"It's my fault, I knew I should've tried rushing Lee's meeting with Guy-sensei" Neji stated.
"I apologize!" Lee exclaimed bowing to the group who all awkwardly sweat dropped.
Natsumi released a breath, trying to keep her mind off the many eyes before shifting her gaze back to Sasuke.
"Can't we stick around a little longer to at least eat with them?" the girl asked.
Sasuke released a huff as he shut his eyes and looked upwards.
"Fine" Sasuke replied. "But you're explaining to my mom why we're late" he said looking back to Natsumi and earning a nod of understanding.
Having heard the exchange of words between the pair, Temari gained the attention of the others before announcing that they could go to eat now before Natsumi and Sasuke had to go.
...
As the teens gathered outside the Soba booth, they began chatting about their days when the topic of New Year's Resolutions came up again. Natsumi couldn't help but notice the conflicted look worn by Sakura as the conversation persisted.
'I wonder what's going on with her' Natsumi thought as she finished her noodles and went to throw away the container.
Suddenly she saw Sakura starting to make her way over again and Natsumi couldn't help but think back to what Temari said.
'If she really does just want to talk about Sasuke, then I don't see why she has to look so troubled about it. It's not like it's been an issue before' Natsumi thought as she remembered the time Ino and Sakura volunteered to help with the float decorating and how nice they were to her for information about the Uchiha.
Natsumi sighed.
'If that's the case again, I don't want to bother' Natsumi thought before turning her attention away from Sakura and in that moment seeing Neji approaching her as well.
The insecure feeling of dread over what Sakura might say made her move towards the Hyuga.
"Natsumi" Neji said as the dark haired girl stood in front of him.
"Happy New Year Neji" Natsumi said with a small nod and smile.
"Happy New Year" Neji said before glancing to the side as his hand went to his coat pocket. "I actually have something I wanted to give you" he announced making the dark haired girl's eye brows widen in surprise.
"I swear to god if Neji confesses to Natsumi I'm going to pissed" Ino's voice suddenly said pointing at the pair and making both stiffen as the group's eyes went to them.
"You're only saying that because Neji shot you down that one time in middle school" Shikamaru retorted making the blonde girl's mouth drop open in shock as the others in the group laughed.
Neji rolled his eyes at the antics while Natsumi stared directly at the ground in embarrassment of being put on the spot.
'God damn it Ino' Natsumi mentally cursed.
"That's not what I was talking about!" Ino replied placing a hand on her hip. "I only meant that I'd be kind of peeved because if anyone was getting a confessed to tonight it should be me" the blonde went on referring to her attire and making Shikamaru roll his eyes.
"You always have to be the center of attention don't you?" Shikamaru asked making Ino gasp.
"No one asked you Shikamaru!" Ino snapped back.
"And now here you go making a scene" Shikamaru sighed making the others laugh more as they directed their attention to Ino and Shikamaru's fight.
"Perhaps it's better if we weren't the spectacle of our friends" Neji suggested leaning down slightly so only Natsumi could hear him. "If I could trouble you for a moment alone?" the Hyuga asked holding a hand out to Natsumi.
Natsumi smiled giving the boy a nod before glancing over to see Sasuke still eating, just to make sure she wouldn't hold them up. Neji led Natsumi a bit of a ways away from the booth occupied by their friends before the pair arrived at a large tree that was off the path of the festival. It was secluded but with the lights of noise close by, it still felt like it was a part of the festivities.
"Is this where you kill me now?" Natsumi joked, trying to lighten the mood as she stood under the tree with Neji, who simply raised a brow at her in bewilderment. "Sorry wrong crowd" Natsumi apologized sheepishly as she took hold of her arm and slightly bowed to the boy.
'This is awkward' Natsumi noted as a moment of silence passed between the two. 'At this point I should've just gone with Sakura' Natsumi thought before looking up to see Neji fumbling with whatever was in his pocket again.
"I realized that after all you had done for me for Christmas, it was improper of me to not have a gift ready for you" Neji stated before pulling out a skinny white box from his coat pocket.
"Neji you didn't have to get me anything" Natsumi replied waving her hands in front of her. "It was a favor for a friend" Natsumi said before Neji gave her a small smile.
"I understand that and I appreciate how noble you are in not wanting anything in return but it would a weight off my shoulders to know that you'd accept my gift as thanks" Neji explained as Natsumi slowly lowered her hands.
She felt conflicted. She knew accepting Neji's gift would put his mind at ease but it also brought up the issue of her not having thought to get him anything either. Pushing these thoughts to the side though, the teen gave a small huff of defeat before nodding to Neji and making him smile again as he placed the box in her hands. She nodded in thanks before opening the lid and having her eyes slightly widen in alarm as she looked down at the silver hair pin that had crystal flowers at the end with silver tassels of white flowers.
"It's beautiful" Natsumi said holding it up in shock and for a moment a flash of light, made it light up more.
Both teens immediately looked to one another with confused expressions before looking around for the source. It was then then heard the sound of approaching footsteps and not long after met with the sight of Sakura walking into view with her phone's flashlight. Neji and Natsumi both released breaths of relief before the pinkette saw them and made her way over.
"Natsumi I really need to talk to you" Sakura stated coming to a halt in front of the two.
Natsumi glanced to Neji.
"Please don't let me keep you. I'll head back to meet with the others" Neji said earning a nod of thanks from the girl before he turned to go.
"Hey Neji!" Natsumi suddenly called bringing the boy to a halt as he stopped and turned his head in her direction.
She held the pin and box to her chest as she smiled in thanks.
"Thank you" Natsumi said earning a nod from Neji before he continued on his way again, leaving Natsumi alone with Sakura.
It was silent for a minute, as Natsumi's brown hues ran over Sakura and she noticed just how nervous Sakura seemed to be. Her brows furrowed in thought while her green orbs shifted to the side and her fingers twiddled together.
"Sakura" Natsumi said making the pinkette's gaze snap to her before she released a small breath.
'I've never seen Sakura look so worried' Natsumi noted as she felt herself growing anxious over what Sakura was going to say.
"I want to start the New Year with a clean slate" Sakura suddenly announced as her gaze fell to the ground again, making Natsumi raise a brow in interest before seeing Sakura clench a fist before continued. "I want to come clean for the sake of the New Year and ... the sake of our friendship" Sakura stated as Natsumi felt a nervous pit form in her stomach.
There was a tense silence for a moment as Natsumi noted how Sakura refused to meet her gaze.
"What do you mean?" Natsumi asked abruptly breaking the silence.
Sakura released a heavy sigh.
"This is something that's been weighing heavily on my mind for a while now ... and when I heard everyone talking about their New Year's resolutions ... it made me think about how I can't do mine until I fixed this" Sakura said looking back to Natsumi. "I want to focus more on the friendships I have coming into the New Year" Sakura stated with a sad smile. "But doing that with you is going to be hard since you don't know ... but I know the type of person you are so I hope you'll understand" the pinkette went on as Natsumi was now hung on her every last word.
"Sakura what did you do?" Natsumi asked bluntly, not being able to bear the anticipation of what the girl would say.
"You know I didn't like you very much to begin with" Sakura said truthfully. "So whenever I saw you with Sasuke, I couldn't help but be a little jealous. You just moved here and all of a sudden you were with him as much as Naruto and ... it wasn't fair" Sakura explained. "You didn't like him the way I did or even care what he thought of you" Sakura went on before closing her eyes and releasing breath before continuing. "So while Ino and I were talking to the other girls about you I made an off handed comment about you using Naruto and Sasuke. As it turns out making that comment turned into something bigger than I expected it to be, and that started the rumor about you using Sasuke and Naruto for popularity" Sakura admitted. "I'm not too sure how it got around so fast but everyone thought you liked to play the role of the innocent new girl who didn't like Sasuke because you thought it would help bring you closer to him. Everything about you was fake and even if you didn't act like it you wanted the attention" Sakura said followed by a long silence between the two girls.
It seemed like hours passed during the seconds before Natsumi looked up to see the genuine sorrow in Sakura's green eyes and then Sakura bowed.
"Natsumi what I wanted to say to you is that I'm sorry. I never meant for it to turn out like this." Sakura apologized making the girl jump in surprise.
There were so many emotions and thoughts flowing through Natsumi's head as she processed this information, especially when she thought back to a certain dream that the rumors had caused. The old her would've been filled with dread having had this rumor confirmed but the feeling of wanting to break down over the stress of the situation never came. She wore no expression as she looked down at Sakura, feeling the slight tinge of anger before remembering advice she received from a certain Uchiha.
'"You shouldn't worry so much about what others think Natsumi"'
Natsumi smiled, feeling a slight warmth come to her chest as she thought back to when Itachi said this.
"Sakura" Natsumi said trying to gain the pinkette's attention.
"Natsumi I really am sorry" Sakura apologized. "I was stupid and I felt terrible when I found out how far it went especially since you don't actually like Sasuke and you're not a bad person at all" Sakura said now rising to look at her dark haired friend.
"I forgive you" Natsumi said surprising the pink haired girl.
"Why?" Sakura asked in disbelief.
Natsumi released a breath.
"It's not like we can do anything about it now and besides you said it yourself, you know I'm not that kind of person" Natsumi explained making Sakura's brows raise in further alarm.
"Natsumi I did a terrible thing. I could've ruined your reputation- it could still happen since you still hang out with Sasuke and people will talk more" Sakura pointed out.
"Well I guess I shouldn't expect to win prom queen" Natsumi said sarcastically. "But that's definitely for the best since that's more of you and Ino's department" Natsumi went on making Sakura stiffen.
"How could you be so calm about this?!" Sakura snapped. "Aren't you upset?" Sakura questioned.
Natsumi smiled.
"Of course I am" Natsumi replied honestly. "But you wanted me to forgive you, didn't you?" Natsumi asked.
"Well yeah but not so easily ... I thought it would take more time and I thought you'd get mad and yell and-" Sakura said before being cut off by the sound of Natsumi's phone getting a text message.
'Where are you? We have to go' read the text message from Sasuke, that made Natsumi scoff as a small smile crossed her lips.
"I'm sorry that I'm not reacting the way you intended but you should know that I forgive you because we're friends" Natsumi stated. "I have to go now but Happy New Year Sakura" Natsumi now said giving the pinkette a small smile and wave before turning to go.
As she was making her way back to Sasuke, she heard Sakura reply back quietly.
"Happy New Year's"
...
It was disappointing when every time Naruto attempted to begin his talk with Sakura, he found there to be an interruption, as if the universe was trying to stop him. It was frustrating to say the least but Naruto was determined. He might be a little dense at times but he knew this was something he wanted to do today, but he also knew that something was off about the pink haired girl because whenever he found his gaze drifting to her, he found hers on Natsumi. He'd seen the number of times Sakura had tried to talk to the dark haired girl, only to be met with the same failure he faced in trying to speak with her. So when he decided to follow Sakura when she went after Natsumi and Neji, he wasn't expecting to hear what he did.
There was a small part of him, a small insecure part that told him Sakura wanted to speak with Natsumi in regards to setting her up with Sasuke. But what he heard seemed to be worst.
As the blonde boy stood behind the side of a booth, he didn't know what to feel as he processed the words exchanged between Natsumi and Sakura. Naruto was aware that he didn't hear everything while eavesdropping on them but he knows he got the general gist of what was being said.
'It was Sakura who started those rumors about Natsumi?' Naruto thought feeling confused over the situation, especially when his mind drifted back to a particular memory of when he first became friends with Natsumi.
He remembered asking the girl to hang out with him on during the first weekend of the school year, and she said yes. It was when he showed her around Konoha, taken her to eat at Ichiraku for the first time, and when she told him about a bad dream she had had in regards to some less than savory things said about her at school.
'"I heard those rumors at school that you only fight with Sasuke and hang out with me to get attention, but none of that is true" Naruto said, surprising Natsumi as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whoever is making all that up, is just jealous because I know you and I know you're not that kind of person" Naruto said making a smile cross Natsumi's face as looked over her blonde friend with a new found appreciation.
"T-Thank you" she said.
"And when I find who's been spreading those nasty lies I'm going to tear them a new one! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed with a clenched fist, before Natsumi removed his other hand from her shoulder with a laugh.
"I don't need you getting into any trouble because of me" the girl said.
"Hey I never go back on my word!" Naruto said loudly making Natsumi roll her eyes, before he offered her one of his signature smiles, making a small smile cross the girl's face as well.'
Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps made Naruto snap out of his flashback before turning to head back towards the crowded festival street. He walked quickly before turning into a booth that was selling masks, before glancing out to see that it was Natsumi who was walking away.
"Damn it" Naruto breathed out looking after his dark haired friend as he stepped away from the booth and stuffed his hands into his pocket.
'Why did it have to be Sakura?' Naruto internally questioned as he looked back in the direction that Sakura was in and he inwardly debated on going to her. 'What would I even say?' Naruto thought finding his gaze going to his feet.
The Uzumaki was conflicted. The entire situation left him completely unsure if he still wanted to confess or if he wanted to keep his word and defend Natsumi's honor like he'd said months ago, but that raised more issues since he'd only found out by eavesdropping.
'I don't even know how I feel about Sakura right now' Naruto admitted to himself. 'This isn't something I would've expected from someone I thought was a friend ... from someone I genuinely cared about.' Naruto thought.
"What do I do?" Naruto asked himself releasing a frustrated sigh.
...
A/N: I really hate writing my author's notes sometimes ... I think part of the reason is that I don't know what to write sometimes and the fact that I'm kind of awkward and don't know what you'd like to hear. Anyways here's the new chapter guys! I know that it's about three weeks late but I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm sorry it's taken so long but I've had a hard time writing it. A couple weeks back I remember trying to draw inspiration for organizing this chapter and having one of the suggestions be a story board. So I tried that and it was ok but I don't think I'll be doing it again for future chapters.
There were a lot of things that went into this as I thought through what I wanted to happen and the things I had planned that would affect later plotlines down the road. But what are your thoughts? What could come from Matsuri getting the wrong implication of the exchange between Natsumi and Gaara? What did you think about Naruto's plans to confess to Sakura and how it turned out after he heard her and Natsumi talking? Let me know in the comments because I do read them and they really help encourage me to write.
Also thank you to those of you commenting. I know you've been looking forward to the Uchiha party so I'm sorry this chapter was just the festival but I hope you still liked it. If I'm being honest I'm a little worried that I might not be able to meet your expectations in regards to that party but I will try. Is there anything in particular you'd like to see? Please let me know and please continue to read and review! I love you all and stay safe