Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

School has always been a bore but my friends made it bearable. I honestly don't think I would have survived freshman year without them. We all made it passed our freshman year, Naruto as well to most of the group's surprise. It wasn't a shock to me though, Naruto may have portrayed himself as the idiotic clown of the group but when he really was decently smart. I had no doubt that, if he put in the time and effort, he could even surpass Sasuke.

Sasuke sat next to me "resting" his eyes as he normally did as I played subway surfers on my phone. Naruto was telling Kiba about whatever boyish thing he had recently done while Hinata, who sadly was seated in between the two loud boys was fighting off a blush by trying to focus hard on the book in front of her instead of Naruto's hand which kept on brushing against hers whenever he moved it while expressing whatever he was talking about. The three set in front of us and to our side sat Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji in that order. Ino kept on trying to talk to Sasuke who didn't even pay her any mind, Shikamaru just like Sasuke was "resting" his eyes while Chouji was sneaking snacks from his bag which was under his desk. I always wondered how Sasuke and Shikamaru managed to sleep through the noise, anyways, in front of them sat Neji and Ten-Ten who were casually making out and Shino whose focus was on his new bug collection. Today was just as all the other days were but it would later on turn out to be the last day, we'd ever experience this normality we had come to known.

Kakashi-sensei, our homeroom teacher, eventually walked into class with his smutty book in hand. Oddly enough he didn't bother to explain as to why he was late nor did we bother to question him. It was the same when we were freshman and will probably continue to be the same throughout. He ordered us to be silent as he placed his book down, not forgetting to bookmark the page he was on with his dainty yet equally perverse bookmark. With everyone sat properly and now waiting attentively to hear what he had to say, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Alright guys, the school will be receiving new students today from Suna" he said, stopping to fix his tie before he proceeded to speak "I would like the following students to make their way out and head to the principal's office please" he said a smile forming underneath his mask. "Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara..." he paused as the two boys stood up.

"Troublesome" Shikamaru whispered under his breath as he stood. Naruto was ecstatic as ever, I adored that about him.

'I hope he doesn't call my name out' I secretly thought to myself. "Oh, and Sakura Haruno" he said, his features soft as he looked in my direction. He knew very well that this wasn't something I would have agreed to but hey it's probably just being a guide for a day or two. It shouldn't be so bad, right?

Unwillingly, I released a deep sigh as got up from my chair, shoving my phone into one of my pockets. Sasuke gave me sympathetic look as I made my way to the front of the class where Shikamaru and Naruto were waiting for me.

"Here are your hall passes." Kakashi said as he handed us the pink slips "Class will probably be over by the time you are done, so I guess I'll be seeing you in the next class we have together" he concluded grabbing his smutty book, sitting down as he casually raised his legs placing them on his desk while the rest of the students proceeded to do as they please. Assuming that was him releasing us, the boys and I made our way to the principal's office.

Shizune was seated by her desk in the reception when we walked in. She greeted us with her usual shy smile "The principal is still occupied momentarily" she said sweetly as offered us seats while we waited.

'Great, first she calls us out here and now we have to wait?" I thought to myself as I starred at the wall expressionless. Shikamaru and Naruto had their chairs leaning against the wall, relaxed as usual while I slouched on mine. About 15 minutes later the front desk line rang.

"Yes ma'am, I'll send them in" Shizune said before hanging up. "You may go in now" she said still smiling when she addressed us. Shizune was extremely kind and hardworking, I often wondered how she handled Tsunade.

I walked in first wanting to get this over and done with, Shikamaru followed and lastly Naruto as he closed the door behind him. Tsunade seemed to be going through some documents before looking up and smiling at the three of us.

"Well good morning you three" she said a bit too happy to see us. Naruto and I shared a look both thinking the exact same thing 'She's up to no good'. Shikamaru wasn't even paying the slightest attention to her.

"I am sure Kakashi has already briefed you on the situation. We have three new students today" she started off, her tone now stern, the tone she usually used when she meant business. "The three are siblings and if you may please turn your attention to the right will see them seated" we all turned our heads to the right as directed and there they were. I wasn't even aware of their presence until it was mentioned. There sat two boys and a girl. They didn't seem to be paying attention to us at all. The girl with four spiked ponytails was busy on her phone, while the brunette next to her was sketching something. The red head who shockingly has a 'love' kanji tattoo on his left temple and either had too much eyeliner on or had troubles sleeping, seemed to be "resting". 'Great another Shikamaru and Sasuke kind of guy' I thought to myself as smirked mentally

"Their names are Temari, Kankuro and Gaara Sabuku, in that ordered." Tsunade-sama said and as she called out their names, their attention snapped from what they were doing to us. I watched as the read head slowly opened his eyes. His sea foam eyes, though bright, were cold and strong yet beautiful. There was a story behind them, one so dangerously captivating. His face was expressionless, stone hard and cold. Out of the three, he looked like he wanted nothing to do with whatever Tsunade-sama had planned.

"Oh cool, there's another girl here. All this testosterone was starting to kill me" she said as chuckling. Tsunade cleared her throat startling Temari "I mean, not saying you're not womanly Tsunade-sama. You ma'am are VERY womanly" Temari said pointing out Tsunade-sama's huge breasts as she got up and made her way to me "Hi, my name is Temari Sabuku" she said smiling "The two disrespectful idiots still sitting are my bothers, Kankuro and Gaara" she said as she pointed to them and they simply nodded at us.

"Sakura Haruno" I replied smiling back at her "The blonde is Naruto Uzumaki and the one who looks uninterested in life is Shikamaru Nara." I said pointing to them as well. "Yo" the two boys said.

"I absolutely love those cargo pants girl" Temari squealed out

I laughed nervously thanking her, finally looking at her fully, she wore a purple mini skirt which had a slit on the right side plus a black crop top paired with white sneakers. 'She's going to fit right in with Ino'. She also had on the prettiest gold bracelet with diamond detailing and pendant necklace with a little fan on it. 'Looks expensive'

"I love your accessories; did you get the custom made?" I asked her admiring them

"It was a gift from our cousin, he owns an art store and does jewellery on the side. You probably have heard about 'Art is Beauty'" Temari replied smiling.

"Yeah totally, the art there is amazing. I bought a piece from them last year." I replied giggling. 'I like her, she's not so bad"

Our conversation would have continued if it weren't for Tsunade-sama clearing her throat, snapping us out of it. "Now before you two continue this 'bonding' thing going on, I must let you know who your guide is going to be" Tsunade said, smiling at me.

"Well, I'm obviously with Sakura" Temari said excited, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. She was slightly taller than me but it didn't bother me.

"Sorry to burst your bubble kid but given you temperament, you'll be with Shikamaru." Tsunade said as she read a document. "Having you and Sakura together as a duo is a recipe for disaster"

"Of course" Temari said with her head hung low, her energy and excitement all gone. Though I was slightly offended by Tsunade-sama's words,I rubbed her back to give her some form of comfort.

"Hey, we'll still see each other. Shikamaru and I share the same friend group" I said to her giving her a small reassuring smile. It seemed to cheer her up. I noticed Gaara staring at our interaction but he soon looked away when I caught him staring.

"Naruto will be with Gaara and Sakura with Kankuro" she concluded

"Alright Pinkie, looks like you are with me" Kankuro winked as he said this to me.

"Ugh great! Stuck with a guy who wears paint on his face." I said rolling my eyes "You could have assigned me Gaara and I would have been happy" I said to Tsunade giving her a half-hearted glare.

"Well then, it's a good thing you agreed to let them stay with you and Naruto. You'll get to see him plenty" Tsunade said casually

"WHAT!?" I yelled out loud, shocking everyone in the room

"Oh dear, did you forget already. God, you're so forgetful Sakura, should I make an appointment and get that checked?" Tsunade said still smiling sweetly.

At this point I was seething but then cooled down realising what was happening here. 'Two can play at that game'

"Right, I totally forgot about it. You had mentioned it when you agreed to double my living allowance, as well as Naruto's" I said smiling sweetly. It was Tsunade's turn to get angry.

"Well then come on roomies, let's get your schedules and introduce you to everyone yeah?" I said, grabbing Temari's hand leaving the room.

Shizune was waiting outside with a cup of coffee and handed it to me. I smiled thankfully at her, I guess she had expected this to happen. Gaara stared at me curiously and didn't look away this time when I caught him. I turned away hiding a blush suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"May you please hand me their schedules please" I requested of which Shizune promptly provided the needed papers and we left the reception. We stood in the hallway where their lockers were located which was conveniently close to mine. Gaara's was next to mine followed by Temari's and Kankuro's. Naruto's was across the hallway along with Sasuke's.

"Alright, it appears Tsunade took the liberty to ensure that we all have the same classes except for the optional one's and a few others for Temari but she'll be with Shikamaru then, so she'll be fine." I said scanning the three documents. Temari raised an eyebrow at Shikamuru since her classes were advanced compared to hours.

"I am a bit too smart for my own good" was all Shikamaru said

"Gaara, Kankuro and I have art and crafts while Temari has food nutrition" I continued looking up "You'll be with Hinata, she's a friend of ours. You should meet her in our next class" I concluded smiling at her.

"We all seem to have the same free slot" Naruto pointed out loudly. "You guys should hang with us in the music room if you don't mind" he offered

"Sure, sounds fun." Gaara spoke up for the first time startling me slightly. His voice was deep and sent shivers down my spine. I knew from his looks that he was powerful and adhortative but it still came as a shock to me. IT WAS INCREDIBLY SEXY!

We headed out to our next class which we were late for but explained the situation to the teacher who let us off with a warning. He then proceeded to change the arrangement so that we were seated next our assigned partners. I was still seated next to Sasuke at the back of the class but this time around I was in between him and Kankuro but we later on switched since I liked the window seat. Kiba had moved since he was scared of Gaara for some reason, having Gaara take his seat in front of me, followed by Naruto and Hinata. Ino had Chouji move and took his seat because she wanted to get to know Temari well. Shikamaru sat where he usually sat. Kiba and Chouji were now seated in front with some random girl.

Normal POV

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me and simply told him I'd explain later. The rest of the class went by in a blur until it was finally lunch time. Everyone walked out of class grabbing their stuff leaving Sakura and Sasuke behind. She was always slow to get her stuff packed but he always waited for her and made sure she had everything.

"You don't have to wait for me, I'll catch up with you guys" she said as she packed her books into her cute tote bag.

"No, it's okay I can wait" Sasuke said smiling at her.

Gaara had thought Sasuke to be more like him, he was shocked to see him act this way towards the Sakura.

'Perhaps I was wrong about him' he thought to himself diverted his attention from the two listening in to whatever Naruto was taking about. Sakura and Sasuke finally emerged from the classroom and they started to make their way to the diner.

"Oh shit, I need to get something from my locker" Sakura said suddenly remembering her little journal in which she wrote songs, her thoughts and whatever came to mind.

Shikamaru, Kankuro, Temari, Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara stopped to look at her and just when Sasuke was about to speak up Gaara beat him to it.

"I need to get put down my stuff, I'll go with you" Gaara offered. His face held no emotion as usual.

Temari and Kankuro gave each other a look, silently communicating. Gaara never offered to do anything for anyone. He was man of his own, reserved.

"Okay you guys will find us at the cafeteria then. Come on you two" Temari said smiling

"I could come" Naruto and Sasuke began to say but were inturrupted by Temari who grabbed both their hands dragging them away. The two looked a bit concerned with the pinkette being with Gaara alone. Shikamaru and Kankuro followed behing the three.

Sakura and Gaara walked in silence until they reached their perspective lockers. Grabbing what she needed and Gaara lessening his load, he looked at her drinking her in before deciding to speak up.

"I would have expected someone like you to do better than Sasuke" Gaara said rather bluntly

"Excuse me!" Sakura replied shocked at his words.

"I said-" he started to speak "I know what you said but I'll have you know that Sasuke and I are just friends and even if there was anything between us, I don't think there is anything relatively wrong with that" Sakura said angrily. Who was he to say such about her friend? So rude.

'Beautiful, feisty and stands her ground? Not bad' he thought smirking at her

"You know what? I like you Haruno" he said walking away from the stunned pinkette. He stopped noticing she wasn't following him. "Are you coming?" he asked a bit concerned when he noticed she slight blush forming on her face.

"Y-yeah" she responded a bit stunned and she closed her locker and ran up to him. Her heart fluttered at his words.

'Well Sakura you've reached an all-time low. Too stunned to speak because a hot guy you just met said he liked you' she silently thought, facepalming herself mentally. "Follow me" she said as she guided him to the cafeteria.

As always Sasuke had reserved a seat for her next to him, Naruto being Gaara's guide did the same. They group was chatting senseless about something that they didn't notice the two approaching them until they were seated. To Sakura's despair, Naruto had saved Gaara a seat right next her. She could feel his body heat radiating off him, she even picked up a cinnamon like scent.

"Alright, pretty sure you guys know who is who by now" she said trying her best to distract herself. Sasuke noticed of course; nothing ever went unnoticed when it came to her. Besides the loud blonde, she was the only thing that mattered to him. His love for her had grown into a romantic sense since last year when she helped him through his parents' death. To him, Sakura was his guardian angel and this new boy seemed to be a threat. Everyone nodded to agreeing to what she had said

"They'll be staying with us starting from today too." she said in a squeak as she took a huge bite of her sandwich. Everyone around except the three siblings looked at her shocked. Sasuke was the first to speak up.

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked Sakura

"Hmm?" she replied as she shoved more of her sandwich seemingly trying to avoid answering any questions.

"What she means is, we'll be her new housemates" Gaara said with a rather smug look on his face. Seemed like pissing of the Uchiha would be fun, especially with Sakura being unaware of his feelings towards her. Sasuke simply glared at him, not saying a word in return.

"Her mother thought it would be best to have more people since she and Naruto lived in a huge house alone. It was not only her way of offering us accommodation while we looked for a house but also for her safety" Gaara added on nonchalantly as he casually took a sip of his water. Everyone else watched this interaction closely as the tension rose between the two boys.

"I have a feeling this year going to get interesting" Ino whispered to Temari who nodded her head in agreement as they took sipped on their drinks.

"Hey we should have like a sleepover this weekend!" Ino said trying to lift up the mood.

"Totally, we should!" Temari said joining her

"We could even have a girl's night afterwards. Next week Thursday, there'll be a ladies night even at our little joint." Hinata suggested

"Yeah, I am down for it. We can end it with a sleepover. Gaara, Kankuro and Naruto can join if they don't have plans at that point but only because they live there" Ten-Ten said

"Yes guys, love to see you making plans at my house without my permission" Sakura said sarcasticly

"Oh, shut girl, majority rules!" Ino said as the girls laughed

"Forget about you Sakura, what about us?" Kiba said dramatically

"We've been completely side lined" Neji added on

"Forget us, I never thought I'd see the day Sasuke wasn't included in any of Sakura's plans" Chouji pointed out while inhaling a sausage roll.

Sasuke blushed in embarrassment. It was true Sasuke had always been with Sakura through it all even when the rest of the gang wasn't available, he always was. This was unfair on him but she also really wanted a girl's night.

"Well, that's a shame, but don't worry Sasuke, we'll take good care of her" Kankuro said teasing the poor boy. Sasuke's blush intensified but luckily to him Sakura informed him of a loophole in the plan. If he was to make sure to hang out with the guys before the girls got back, he wouldn't have to leave because technically he's hanging out with the boys. She warned him not to tell the others though or else that precious tub of gel he held so dear would be gone including his backup supply. He was happy she still thought of ways to include him, he loved this about her.

To Sasuke Uchiha this was serious threat! And so, the plan was in motion.

Tbc..