~Konoha High School Art Club~

4

Always Welcoming New Members

Saseme stood speechless as she watched the new Transfer enter the room. And the look he wore on his face practically screamed about how he didn't belong there. She could see the color flush to his cheeks as he turned to Hinata.

"Art Club!?" he hissed. I think it was an attempt to whisper, which he failed miserably.

"Are you kidding me!? I'm no artist!"

"B-But, it's just..." Hinata gulped,"The Art Club has the least members so...it will be easier for you to join here after transferring in so late..." Hinata explained,"Plus...they really need the members..."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked,"I don't get why that's important...?"

"W-Well...y-you see..." Hinata gulped,"The Art club...is..." she fidgeted with her fingers a bit unsure of how to respond...but was quickly interrupted by Sai.

"If you two are done with your...uhm...private conversation..."

Saseme and Gaara couldn't help but stifle a snicker as they quickly hid behind their eisels, pretending to be working on something creative.

It was funny because...

They could hear everything they was being said.

It seemed Saseme's small snort caught his attention, because he looked right at her, and she quickly averted her gaze and ducked behind her project...

Hoping he wouldn't notice.

A smirk could be heard from him.

"...So you're part of the Art Club too, huh?" he asked, directed toward her while she peeked around with a shy nod.

"Figures as much." Naruto chuckled,"But as I was saying...I ain't no artist!"

"Well if you would allow me to finish." stated Sai, to whom Saseme looked to apologetically for interrupting him in the first place while he cleared his throat and smiled.

"The Konoha High School Art Club is not merely about art...but about expression!" he explained.

"Huh?" this response seemed to throw him for a loop, and so this time Saseme stepped in.

"What Senpai is saying is...you don't have to be a good Artist to be apart of Art Club..." she said.

"Yes! Yes! That is correct~!" said Sai,"We don't take artists, we make them!"

"...Says the two best artists in the room." Gaara muttered as he ducked down behind his iesle.

"Take Gaara for example~!" said Sai, which brought Gaara to attention, and again Saseme stifled a giggle.

Should have stayed quiet, Gaa-chan~

She snickered.

"Why do you have to throw ME under the bus like that!?" he panicked,"Saseme-chan!?"

"You would have been better off staying quiet, Gaa-chan~" She whispered, making a cheeky face as she teased him playfully to which he heaved a heavy sigh.

"...Dammit." he muttered while she tried to maintain her giggles.

"Would you care to explain to us what you're working on over there?" Sai said with a smile while Gaara sighed.

"Well..." he began to explain while averting his gaze,"...it was originally meant to be an expression of childhood that led to my teenaged angst..." Gaara blinked, "But mostly..." he stated as he began to slowly turn his canvas and duck half his face behind it,"...it's a Moo-Cow."

An audible smirk could be heard from Naruto as Gaara was forced to show his "masterpiece" to the class. Not that it consisted of many people...but even so. It seemed to be a purple cow in a lilac sky jumping over a moon of cheese, painted in a blocky style that looked like a little kid drew it.

"...Is the moon a wheel of cheese?" asked Naruto.

"...Don't stifle my creativity!" Gaara stated.

"So as you can see, Naruto." Sai explained,"One does not have to be a good artist in order to be a member of The Art Club."

"...Are you saying my art is bad, Senpai?" Gaara blinked as Saseme burst into a heavy laughter that cost her the loss of her breath while her fiancee pouted and blushed. "You could just say it's bad you know..."

"Nonsense! We don't talk artists down in this club~" said Sai,"I am merely stating that your creative views are rather...unique."

"Riiiight." Gaara narrowed his eyes, sizing Sai up in his bull shit.

"It looks good, Gaa-chan! Really!" Saseme said to try to smooth out his ruffled fur,"Like something you'd see out of a little kid's story book!"

Though he didn't take that too well either.

"You know- how about I just paint you instead!?" he huffed as he began swinging a paintbrush at the girl who ran for her life around the small room, ducking and weaving between supplies in a fit of laughter.

Hinata fidgeted nervously with a shy smile as she watched Saseme's "fiancee" chase her around with a paint brush and couldn't help but stifle a small giggle as well. She always enjoyed visiting the Art Club. It was small and simple.

"Saseme-chan and Gaa-kun are the only other members of this club...aside from the the Club President himself, Sai-Senpai." Hinata explained,"B-But...they're all really nice, I assure you!"

"Indeed." said Sai with a shrug,"We are rather care free here~" he stated with a beaming smile that was soon met with a splatter of black paint.

"Gaa-chan! Look what you did!" Saseme gasped.

"Shit, Senpai-" he gulped,"I-I didn't mean it...honest..."

"...You do realize..." Sai muttered as his dark eyes narrowed into something fierce, and shot in their direction,"...This means war!"

"OH CRAP!" the both gasped and now were both running for their lives.

That's when they knew...

We're in serious trouble...!

Sai joined in on the war, and all that could be heard over their screams of fear from Sai's wrath, was Naruto's bellowing laughter.

"You know what...forget what I said!" laughed the blonde, "I think I'm gonna like it here!"

Hinata watched shyly as the blonde was genuinely enjoying the scene of the three Art Club Members splattering eachother with paint and turning the whole room into an Art Project... when she finally cleared her throat and spoke up.

"I know...the art club is really small." she said softly, grasping the attention of the male next to her,"But...it's their home..." she said, focusing her pale gaze on her best friend Saseme, who smiled brighter no where else than in this club,"They love it here...and really care about each other... and this program."

"...You're doing this... to help Saseme, aren't you?" Naruto asked as he noticed the quiet girl's gaze was fixated on the only other female in the room. Caught in her own trap Hinata blushed and looked down shyly with a nod.

"...Saseme-chan is my best friend..." she explained,"And I feel like...here, in the art club is the best place to get a glance of the real Saseme-chan." she blinked.

Naruto took a moment and followed Hinata's stare.

She's right...

He thought to himself, focusing on the now paint splattered girl who couldn't hide her happiness.

...That's a genuine smile right there.

He blinked.

Unlike what I saw earlier in class today...

His eyes narrowed, looking back upon the memory of the Uchiha female, who came off timid and panicked... trying so desperately to save a damaged page of her sketchbook. It was clear that it was something she truly cared about...

"Hmm..." he sighed.

Hinata gulped as she shifted her shy gaze between the two and continued.

"...They...really need the members..." she said softly,"And I just know you'd be welcomed here with open arms." she explained,"They're all really nice people once you get to know them..." she chuckled,"They've...even asked me to join them a few times."

"...So why don't you?" he blinked,"Clearly you care about it too, or you wouldn't be trying so hard~" he teased with a cheeky grin while he folded his arms over his chest.

"O-Oh...w-well you see..." she gulped,"U-Uhm it's just...I...I'm already a committed member to the Literature and Poetry club." she explained,"A-And the cooking club too-Of course-I'd welcome you to any of them as well! But- I-I'm not sure either of those would be... something you'd be interested in..." she gulped,"It's...really quiet there so...it didn't really seem...like something you'd truly...enjoy." she explained,"B-but here, in the art club, you would have plenty of room to really express yourself." she explained,"In spirit...and creativity..."

"Hmm..." Naruto blinked and looked back at the paint war that was underway, and smiled,"All right then." he said with a grin and folded arms,"I'll give it a try!"

"Huh!?" the three stopped in place as they heard Naruto's decision. Each one Looking like a Paint-splattered masterpiece.

"You heard right, boys and girls~" Naruto beamed,"I, Uzumaki Naruto, have decided to join as a member of your club!"

XXXXX

Gaara gaped in a small gasp and exchanged glances with Saseme. They couldn't believe what we were hearing. Sai, however, could not contain his excitement.

"Excellent!" Sai beamed,"Then, in celebration of welcoming our brand new member, we won't have a topic piece today~!"

"All right!" Gaara fist pumped the air in victory. Admittedly Saseme was pretty relieved as well, considering her drawing hand was out of commission for the current moment anyway.

"Instead...our club activity today will be...to clean up this mess!"

"Awwww..." they all groaned and Sai huffed and crossed his arms.

"Don't you moan and groan at me!" said Sai,"You started this!" he leered directly at Gaara.

"Yeah, yeah..."Gaara sighed as he prepared the cleaning supplies,"Well then...let's get cracking."

"Oh sorry...my hand see~" Saseme waved the bandaged appendage jokingly and he rolled his eyes, taking the lead in scrubbing as she stuck her tongue out playfully and she could hear Naruto snickering behind her.

"Yo-that's messed up~!" he smirked,"You got a little bit of a mischevious side, huh~?"
"Wha?" she blushed,"N-No of course not!" she panicked,"O-Of course I'm planning to help it's not that bad! I just..." she looked down nervously which left a look of confusion in the Blonde's blue eyes. She could feel them drilling into her. Trying to read her...and could feel the heat in her cheeks rise.

"I just wanted to...personally welcome you...to Konoha Art Club..." she stated, giving him a friendly smile before quickly turning away on her heel to swipe a spare rag from Gaara and start on the other side of the room.

Man...what a weird chick.

Naruto blinked with a side smile.

"Yo...hand me a mop, will ya?" he asked, waving an arm to volunteer on cleaning the room as well.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said his name softly and blinked before falling slowly into a relieved smile.

Thank you...Naruto-kun..."

To Be Continued