Best Friend's Brother 10
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used besides my OC
Aside from the eventful start to her week, not much else happened for Natsumi as the end of the week came and went without much alarm, until Sunday night when she was laying back in the comfort of her bed when a thought struck her, alarming the dark haired girl so much she shot up with a start.
"I still need to find a teacher to be an aide for!" she exclaimed in a horrified tone as she sat up and remembered how she'd forgotten to find the main assignment for Shizune-sensei's class.
'I'm such an idiot' she thought releasing a heavy sigh as she fell back onto her bed and stared blankly to her ceiling. 'If I go into school extra early then maybe I can find one, besides I'm sure I'm not the only one' she thought while rolling to her side in deep thought of her plan for the next day and allowed her eyelids to grow heavy as she drifted off to sleep.
...
Unfortunately for Natsumi like most things, her plan hadn't gone exactly the way she'd hoped. She had accidently overslept and had been stopped by her mother to discuss the trip she'd be taking, making the teen girl even more late than originally as she rushed out into the brisk fall air of Konoha.
'So much for going in early' Natsumi thought critically rushing down her usual route to school when she decided to try a shortcut to save herself some time, so she quickly made her way down an alley which she assumed would get her a street closer to the school. In theory this idea didn't seem too bad as she'd walked to school every day, she thought she knew the streets of Konoha well enough to know where she'd end up, but she was wrong. Exiting the alley, Natsumi found herself on a busy street filled with fast moving traffic, that made her heart stop as she realized how there seemed to be no crosswalks and she was a little lost.
"Excuse me do you think you could point me in the direction of Konoha High?" she tried politely asking passing strangers who seemed too preoccupied with their morning routes to work to acknowledge the lost teen.
'Ok so I guess no one is going to help' the dark haired girl thought dejectedly after being ignored by three consecutive people and deciding it best to try and make her way based on instinct. Releasing a heavy sigh, she looked both ways before readying herself to sprint across the roadway when safe. Yet this didn't happen as a black car pulled to the side of the road, alarming the teen girl as she jumped back slightly and waited to see what would happen next. As the passenger side window rolled down, she was met with confused onyx eyes that alarmed her as she registered that the driver of this car was none other than Itachi Uchiha.
"Natsumi?" the young man asked making Natsumi blink in surprise at how he'd remembered her name, as she nodded back, seeming to forget how to talk as she stared blankly at the Uchiha. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously looking over the young girl who immediately looked down before responding.
"I-I'm lost" she admitted staring dumbly at her shoes as she hoped her face was remaining a neutral color. "I tried to take a short cut for school because I had a late start" she explained further as she was met with silence, but when the dark haired young man said nothing she shyly looked up and was surprised to see him moving what looked like a back pack and jacket to the back seat, before offering her a kind smile.
"Come on I'll drop you off on my way to school" he offered, making the teen gaze nervously shift away from him.
"Um I'd hate to be a bother" she replied shyly nervously bringing a hand to the back of her neck.
"It's not a problem Natsumi, besides if I drop you off, you won't be late" he said making the teen girl bite the inside of cheek in thought, as she thought through what he said.
'I'm dead meat if I'm late' she thought before pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the time and seeing that Itachi was right, if she walked she would most likely be late, whereas she could make it on time if he drove her.
"O-ok" she nervously agreed as she opened his car door, slid into the passenger seat, and buckled her seat belt. He offered her a kind smile that she returned as she knew he could probably tell how tense she was.
"So how do you like school so far?" Itachi asked filling the awkward silence as Natsumi's eyes shifted around his car taking in the many details.
'His car is so clean' she thought before realizing what he asked and trying to conjure an answer.
"F-fine" she sputtered, making herself inwardly cringe at how nervous she sounded.
"Hn that's good" he said refocusing on the road as silence once again fell over the pair.
'Why am I ruining this?!' Natsumi inwardly screamed in anguish as she let her eyes glance over the dark haired male every now and again to take in his presence. He was currently dressed in a pair of black pants, a red t-shirt, and a grey zip up hoodie over top with his hair tied in the usual low ponytail.
"Everything alright?" Itachi asked startling the teen girl as she snapped her eyes away from him immediately.
'Why was I staring?!' she thought nervously balling her fists in her lap.
"Um I'm sorry" she apologized with a heavy blush of red across her face as she inwardly chastised herself.
"There's no need to apologize" Itachi's kind voice said breaking the girl from her thoughts, as she looked at him in shock. "It's understandable that you're uncomfortable, even though we've met before, we don't really know one another all that well so technically you kind of got into a car with a stranger" he elaborated further, making Natsumi's brows rise in alarm.
"No" Natsumi tried to counter, when she realized the alternative was admitting that she was staring at him.
"It's ok Natsumi" he said trying to calm the teen girl as he offered her a smile before silence once again befell the pair. Usually Natsumi didn't mind silence but in this case it made her feel as if she was suffocating in an invisible river of angst.
"So" she said breaking the silence as Itachi briefly glanced at her, urging her to continue as his eyes met hers, for the slightest moment breaking her train of thought.
'Don't talk about the weather' she thought warning herself as she gave him a slight smile, before realizing she wasn't talking and he had now come to a red light and was looking at her expectantly, and in turn making her anxiety grow.
"How's everything going with your dad and your band?" she nervously asked in a quick way, before realizing the thing she asked could be too personal of a subject, making her furrow her brows in concern.
'Stupid!' she thought inwardly kicking herself.
"I-I mean uh ... You don't have to answer that ... I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked" she said waving off the question in between nervous chuckles, before Itachi cleared his throat, silencing the teen girl completely.
"It's not a problem, I'm actually surprised you asked" he said as Natsumi looked at him worriedly.
"I didn't mean to ... I'm sorry it's too personal, it's really none of my business" she said.
"Its fine, after all it'd be a surprise if you weren't curious about it, especially after the lunch we had" he said as the light turned green and he moved forward. "My father has never been the least bit pleased with my choice in friends, but thanks to some convincing from both my mother and I, he's trying to keep an open mind" Itachi went on as Natsumi nodded in response, turning to meet her gaze, he was met with one of the most attentive looks he'd ever seen, which made him smirk.
"That's good" she commented, waiting for the dark haired male to continue.
"Well his way of being supportive is allowing us to use the basement for practices after he gets it sound proofed" he went on.
"Oh that's pretty cool" Natsumi said.
"I think he may only be doing so to keep an eye on us as I doubt he has any real interest on our music" Itachi went on making Natsumi turn her head in confusion.
"What kind of music are you guys going to be playing?" she asked curiously.
"Hopefully you'll get to hear it if things go as planned" Itachi said with a smile as the two neared the school and he pulled into the front drop off area.
"Oh" Natsumi said knowingly as she looked toward the building. "Um thank you Itachi" she said thanking the young man as the car came to a stop and she began to unbuckle her belt.
"Uh Natsumi" Itachi called out, stopping the teen girl, as she opened her door and turned back to look at the young man. "It looks like it might rain later so why don't you take my jacket" he offered reaching to the back seat and holding his dark grey jacket to the girl who currently wore a slight pink blush.
"Uh that's ok I um think I'll be ok-" she began to try to decline the offer before being cut off by the older boy.
"It's not going to be a good idea to turn it down, especially since you walk home, right?" he asked making the girl forget how to speak as she simply nodded and allowed him to hand her his jacket.
"Thank you Itachi" she said once more. "But when can I give it back to you?" she asked.
"I'm pretty sure mom will invite you over sometime soon" he replied giving Natsumi a reassuring smile.
"Hn" the girl responded fully opening the door and exiting the car before the male called out to her again.
"Natsumi if the rain is too bad, have Sasuke take you home" Itachi said as she leaned down to look at him before nodding in understanding. After this he offered her another kind smile before she shut the door and watched him drive off as she made her way into the school building.
'Itachi' she thought hugging his jacket close to her as she made her way down the bustling halls of her school.
...
"So what did you do with his jacket" Hinata asked with wide eyes of curiosity as she looked over Natsumi in their fourth hour class.
"Well when I got to first hour I barely beat the bell so I stuffed it in my bag so Sasuke wouldn't see it" Natsumi explained nervously scratching the back of her head.
"So you didn't tell Sasuke that Itachi gave you a ride this morning?" Hinata asked.
"There was never really a time to tell him" Natsumi said shifting her gaze away from her dark haired friend.
"It didn't come up in your homeroom or science class?" Hinata asked noting how uncomfortable Natsumi seemed to become.
"Actually I thought it might have been a better idea to not bring it up since Itachi is kind of a sensitive topic with him" Natsumi said wearily looking back to Hinata who gave her a confused look.
"Don't you think it's better if you tell him instead of him finding out when you have to give it back to Itachi?" Hinata asked.
Natsumi felt as if her stomach was turning as she imagined Sasuke's anger with his cold eyes and usual glare that would be directed to her if such a thing were to occur.
"It might be best if he didn't know at all" Natsumi admitted sheepishly with a light laugh.
"Natsumi" Hinata said in a knowing tone that made the young girl silence herself.
"I know" Natsumi said with a sigh. "I'll tell him at lunch or afterschool for sure" she went on earning an approving nod from Hinata.
'But it's going to suck' she finished quietly in thought as she looked down to her desk.
"Why did he say you could give it back when you come over again anyways?" Hinata asked bringing Natsumi back from her thoughts.
"Well their mom has been inviting me over almost every evening to try and redo that lunch we had, but I've just been so busy with school and my family" Natsumi admitted earning a nod of understanding from Hinata just before the bell rang signaling the beginning of class.
"All right show of hands of those of you who have already started picking out teachers that they want to be an aide for" Shizune-sensei stated standing from her desk as a few students slowly raised their hands.
'Looks like I still have time' Natsumi thought looking around to the few hands up in the air and releasing a sigh of relief.
"I will be asking every day of this week and I expect the amount of hands to include everyone by the week's end" Shizune-sensei finished before allowing the students to use the rest of the class for a study hall.
'This Sasuke thing can wait, I definitely need to find a teacher first' Natsumi thought determined.
...
"Looks like he was right" Natsumi thought out loud while standing in the front doorway of the school as she watched the down pour of rain increase by the minute. She released a heavy sigh, reaching into her bag and pulling out Itachi's jacket from her bag.
"Who was right?" Sasuke's voice asked, making the teen girl freeze in her actions as she placed the article over her shoulders.
"Uh" she said dumbly turning to the Uchiha like a deer in headlights. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she watched him raise a brow at her.
"Going home" he replied in a dull tone. "What kind of question is that?" he asked critically standing beside the teen girl who nervously looked away from him.
"I could've done without the attitude" she said rolling her eyes at the young man who she just noticed was staring down at her or to her horror the jacket.
"You know-" he began before being cut off by Natsumi.
"I'll see you later" she spurted out quickly before turning away from the young man who cocked a brow at her actions.
"You know you should probably put your jacket on the right way!" he called out to the young girl who had just stepped into the rain bringing the jackets hood over her head as she turned back to meet his gaze. "Or at least brought one that wasn't so big" he commented as she maneuvered her arms through the long sleeves of the coat while trying to hold up her bag. The article was certainly made for a someone other than Natsumi, as it was so oversized that it ran pass the length of her skirt, certainly from the back giving the appearance that she hadn't worn bottoms, fitting loosely even when zipped, hiding the various contours of her figure, while the long sleeves hung loosely, making the young teen girl look like a child.
"No one asked you" she shot back trying to free her hands from the sleeves by pushing them back.
"Hn whatever" Sasuke commented looking away from the girl as she began to walk down the steps of the school.
Stepping out, Natsumi could feel the rain start to come down harder through the thick material of the coat, making her think back to how Itachi had told her if it was too bad, to have Sasuke take her home. She stopped in her tracks turning back and seeing that said boy currently placed his school bag over his head in attempt to avoid the rain as he stepped into the rain. Releasing a heavy sigh, she quickly unzipped her jacket and walked over to him, bringing it up with her arms to shield both teens from the water.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked ducking down to better accommodate Natsumi's reach.
"Would you rather be wet?" she asked giving the boy a stoic look, to which he glared at her.
"Hn" he said rolling his eyes as he looked away from the teen girl, making her slowly pull away with the coat, and immediately bringing his attention back as one of his arms shot up to help her hold it up. "Wait" he said locking eyes with the young girl who looked at him expectantly, waiting for a proper answer to her question. "No" he said with an annoyed huff, earning a nod from her as they made their way towards his car.
"So do you think you could drop me off at home?" she asked as the pair reached Sasuke's car.
"Why didn't you just ask to begin with?" the Uchiha asked smugly as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the vehicle, making Natsumi roll her eyes.
"Why do you have to have such a big head about it?" she asked looking at the dark haired young man.
"Would you rather be wet?" he asked recycling her earlier question and earning another eye roll.
"Whatever" she replied suddenly walking off from the young man to open the passenger door, and in turn allowing him to become soaked as the rain poured over his unshielded form.
The car ride was pretty uneventful as it was mostly Sasuke chastising the young girl for giving no warning as she allowed him to get caught in the rain. When she made it back to her house she waved him off before entering the warmth of her home and allowing herself to relax as she leaned against the door. All seemed well, until the feeling of guilt overtook her.
'I still haven't told Sasuke about Itachi' she thought bringing her back to the door with an exasperated sigh. 'Maybe it can wait until after I get a teacher to aid' she thought sliding down the door to sit on the floor, before standing with a new found resolve.
...
Throughout the week Natsumi found herself in some of the worst situations when it came to finding a teacher. Her first stop was Kurenai-sensei afterschool on Tuesday. As she entered the room she was surprised to see that the teacher was gone but both aides were still there.
"Natsumi" Deidara greeted the teen with a smile as she approached him and Sasori, who simply nodded to the teen girl.
"Hey guys um where's Kurenai-sensei?" she asked curiously standing before the pair who seemed to be stacking various papers into piles.
"She had some things to take care of in the teacher's lounge" Sasori replied continuing to sort the papers as Deidara completely stopped working to gawk over the teen girl.
"What did you need un? I'm sure I could be just as much of a help if you let me" Deidara said standing from his seat and walking around the table to lean against it.
"Uh no I'm good" Natsumi said taking a slight step back from the young man.
"We can let her know you stopped by unless you want to wait" Sasori offered glancing up from his work as Natsumi smiled at him for his helpfulness.
"I guess I'll wait then" Natsumi replied walking over to her usual seat as Sasori nodded in understanding.
"Hey Natsumi what kind of music do you listen to?" Deidara asked taking a seat next to the young girl.
"Uh all kinds" she replied honestly thinking back to the diversity of her playlist.
"Oh how do you feel about bands, more importantly guys in bands un?" he asked leaning toward the young girl with a smile.
"What do you mean?" she asked leaning back slightly as he leaned in more, further intruding on her personal space.
"I'm in a band" Deidara stated happily pointing to himself with his thumb, as Sasori looked up from his work with an annoyed expression.
"Oh really?" Natsumi asked curiously. "That's really cool what do you play?" she asked scooting her seat away slightly again.
"I'm the drummer" Deidara replied proudly as Sasori scoffed in the background, having already noted the space Natsumi was trying to keep between herself and the blonde. "Yeah it's pretty awesome, I guess you can say that it makes me an artist in more ways than one" he stated smugly now making Sasori roll his eyes as he watched Deidara bringing an arm around Natsumi's shoulders to bring her closer.
"Hn" Natsumi stated taking hold of Deidara's hand and removing his arm from her frame with a casual smile, that he didn't seem to understand as he blushed at the contact and took the opportunity to take a firm grasp at the young girl's hand, surprising her.
"You know you should come watch us play sometime" he offered smiling to the dark haired girl who was currently occupied with trying to pry her hand from his. "This music thing is going to get us a lot of attention but I'm still going to stay focused on my art, after all it is my passion and I hardly stray once committed un" he said slyly with a smirk, completely oblivious to the girl's actions of trying to escape.
"And you should stop striking out with the kid and actually help me with the papers we're supposed to file" Sasori said suddenly popping up and bringing down a hard hand in front of the pair with a loud bang, which made the two jump back in surprise, alarming Deidara enough to release Natsumi who immediately pulled back her hand and offered Sasori a grateful look, that he returned with a knowing smirk.
"Sasori!" Deidara said irritated by the red head's actions as he stood from his seat and glared at him.
"You should know better than to get distracted, she came to speak with the teacher not you" Sasori retorted.
"I was just keeping her company until then" Deidara argued back with a notable irk mark on his head.
"She didn't need it, now get back to work and don't keep me waiting" Sasori said back in a low voice as he crossed his arms.
"Who put you in charge un?" Deidara asked defiantly, as Natsumi glanced between the two awkwardly.
"Who asked you to harass the students in this class?" Sasori shot back.
"I'm not harassing her!" Deidara said defensively.
"Do you really think that's how she sees it?" Sasori asked motioning towards the dark haired teen that was currently sinking into her seat as the two argued.
"How do you think she sees you rudely interrupting our conversations?" Deidara asked angrily.
"As a savior from your idiotic fails at hitting on her" Sasori answered honestly making Natsumi's eyes widen in alarm.
"That's ridiculous!" Deidara retorted. "You're wrong"
'He's not wrong though' Natsumi inwardly admitted looking down to her lap.
"No Kurenai-sensei was wrong for giving you a chance at a job that I could've done better on my own" Sasori said striking a nerve with Deidara as the blonde notably stiffened.
"Whoa what's going on in here?" Kurenai-sensei asked entering her classroom as she walked over observing the situation at hand.
"Kurenai-sensei I need to ask you something" Natsumi stated standing from her seat and breaking silence as the teacher took her attention away from her interns.
"Yes Natsumi?" she asked as the boys walked back to their previous seats going back to work quietly.
"Would you consider taking me on as your teacher's aide?" the young girl asked hopefully to her teachers.
"I'm sorry Natsumi but I've already accepted Hinata as my aide" Kurenai-sensei replied with an apologetic smile crossing her features. "I accidently walked in on her meeting with her father and Principal Tsunade and I offered to take her under my wing" the dark haired woman explained as Natsumi nodded in understanding.
"I see" Natsumi stated with a blank expression.
"If I could I'd take both of you but I doubt Principal Tsunade would let me especially after I've already bent the intern rule" Kurenai-sensei admitted placing a comforting hand on the teen girl's shoulder and catching her interest as her eyes shifted to the two working males and gave Kurnai a confused look.
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
"Originally I was only supposed to have one intern, Deidara was the only applicant I had but Sasori applied just before the deadline and his resume which would've earned him the job automatically, but I couldn't bring myself to turn either one away. I was lucky that Tsunade allowed me to accept both otherwise we would've only had Sasori" Kurenai-sensei explained, as Natsumi nodded in understanding, realizing why Deidara had frozen up earlier in his argument with the red head.
'That's rough' Natsumi thought giving the boy a sympathetic look.
"Talk to a few more teachers and if you can't find one to be an aide for, let me know and I can try talking to the principal again but no promises" Kurenai-sensei said giving Natsumi a kind smile which the teen girl returned before making her way out.
"Oh hello Natsumi" Kakashi-sensei's voice suddenly said bringing the teen out of her thoughts as she looked at the white haired male with a light blush on face.
"Kakashi-sensei" she exclaimed awkwardly waving at the man as she neared him.
"How's the hunt for a teacher going?" he asked casually sticking his hands in his pockets as Natsumi was about to reply, until stopping abruptly.
"How did you know I was looking for a teacher?" she asked raising a brow at the man.
"What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't pay attention to what's going on in my student's lives" he replied back with his usual closed eyed smile.
"Oh" Natsumi said wearily accepting his answer. "Well it's not off to the best start but it's still early in the week" she replied in a determined tone.
"Oh well keep in mind there are other teachers t who don't have the luxury of having two interns" he hinted hoping the teen would understand his intention, but he was mistaken.
"You're right Orochimaru-sensei only has one intern so he might still need a TA" Natsumi reasoned, making Kakashi-sensei notably drop his shoulders in disappointment.
"Oh really because I was more or less talking about-" he began before being cut off by Naruto rushing down the hall.
"Kakashi-sensei come quick Granny Tsunade said she needs your help getting Bushier Brow sensei out of her office!" the hyperactive blonde exclaimed coming to a halt in front of the silver haired man.
"Well I'll talk to you later Kakashi-sensei" Natsumi stated quickly making her way in the direction of the science wing, while the silver haired man released a heavy sigh as he followed Naruto in the direction of the office.
...
The next day Natsumi felt utterly devastated as she watched more hands shoot up as Shizune-sensei asked who had already found a teacher to aide.
'I was too late making it to Orochimaru's class after school, and when I asked him about it today in class not only did he say no, but Karin made the whole class think I was only doing it to kiss up" she thought bitterly sinking back into her seat.
"Is everything alright Natsumi?" Hinata asked in a concerned tone as she noticed the distressed look on her friend's face.
"I still haven't found a teacher yet" the girl said dejectedly as she dropped her head to her desk.
"It's ok Natsumi the week's not over yet" Hinata said trying to comfort the teen girl.
"Easy for you to say, you already have a teacher" Natsumi replied lifting her head from the desk, just before Shikamaru entered the classroom.
"I'm sorry I'm late" the teen male said handing a note to Shizune-sensei.
"Shikamaru have you found a teacher to aide yet?" the sensei asked as the class turned to the young man for a response.
"Yeah that's actually why I was late" he explained casually grabbing the back of his neck as he looked to the side to avoid the many eyes on him.
"Really? Wow good job Shikamaru, I honestly expected you to be the last one to find a teacher with how lazy you are" Shizune-sensei commented making the class break into laughter.
"What a drag" Shikamaru replied, as Natsumi dropped her head to her desk again with a loud thud and Hinata placed another comforting hand on her shoulder.
...
By the end of the day, Natsumi had had it with her poor luck. She'd been turned down by Orchimaru, Shizune wasn't an option and Kurenai couldn't take any more help. That left her with Iruka, Asuma, Kakashi and Guy, not that she considered Guy, but now he too was off the table after PE.
"Ok students I have a marvelous announcement to make!" the eccentric man announced at the beginning of the class as the students stretched. "I am pleased to announce that I will be taking Lee on as my teacher's aide for this year!" he said pointing upwards dramatically.
"He's not even in the program" Natsumi quietly stated in disbelief.
"Precisely!" Guy-sensei said loudly, pointing to the surprised teen as she thought only Hinata would've heard. "But thanks to my impeccable skills of persuasion and the power of youth I was able to convince Principal Tsunade to make an exception." The man explained pointing to himself with his thumb while giving the class a bright smile.
"That's not how I remember it. Principal Tsunade got tired of you crying and bugging her about it, but finally gave in after Kakashi-sensei had to help pry you out of her office" Naruto said with his hands folded behind his head, making the class erupt into laughter while shattering his teacher's facade.
"Guy-sensei was not crying! He simply became so passionate in his pursuit that it appeared that he became emotional! Who wouldn't become worked up when so dedicated and driven by the power of youth?!" Lee yelled at Naruto as the class continued on in laughter.
"As I recall you were both crying" Naruto thought out loud, silencing the young man immediately. "Granny Tsunade originally said no since Bushy Brow isn't the best student academically, but after Bushier Brow sensei promised to help him keep his grades up she gave in" Naruto went on in thought making both green jumpsuit wearing males fall in shock. "'Please Lady Tsunade! Lee is precious to me!'" Naruto imitated their sensei causing the class to laugh more. "'And I promise that if I am able to work under Guy-sensei, I am willing to study even harder for my other classes!'" Naruto continued now imitating Lee, while the class was in hysterics.
The class paid deeply for this outburst though, as after regaining the attention of the class the teens were to run 50 laps around the field, complete 50 pushups, and 50 sit ups in three sets before the end of the period. By the end most of the students exited the gym completely winded (some not having finished the assignment were to be docked participation points) and chastising Naruto.
And although Natsumi was one of the lucky few to barely finish and she walked out feeling like her lungs were on fire, she was still far too taken aback by the fact that even Lee was able to become an aide before her. Was she not taking this seriously enough? With all these thoughts circling in her mind, she wasn't paying attention when she suddenly collided with another.
"Kakashi-sensei!" she exclaimed jumping back slightly in surprise as the man gave her a closed eyed smile and wave.
'I swear it's like I'm seeing more of him than usual this week' she thought returning to her composed posture.
"Hello Natsumi so it looks like even Guy had no trouble in finding a TA" Kakashi-sensei commented leaning against the wall by the teen.
"Hn" Natsumi responded as she nodded in agreement.
"Are you still looking-" Kakashi began before being cut off by the loud voice of someone running towards the pair.
"Natsumi!" Kiba called out as he neared the young girl and teacher.
"Kiba" Natsumi said in greeting as the young man came to an abrupt halt.
"Come on we're going to be late" he said taking hold of her hand and pulling her away from the silver haired teacher, as she gave him a puzzled look. "You said you'd come with me to walk Akamaru today" he said as a look of realization sunk into the young girl.
"I completely forgot that was today" she said with her eyes going wide. "I'm sorry but ..." she began before watching the smile fade from the brunette's face as she started to apologize.
"Do you have plans with Sasuke again?" he asked sadly, loosening his hold on the girl while bringing the teen a feeling of immediate guilt. Truthfully she didn't because she'd been dreading telling Sasuke about her encounter with Itachi. She knew upon her next visit she would need to return the older Uchiha's jacket but also knew she'd need to face whatever Sasuke would throw at her. He had been adamant in telling her his mother wanted her over again, but she was using this assignment as an excuse to say no. But until all of this was taken care of, she had been in turn neglecting other commitments of her social life.
"No it's just I've been so busy with this assignment for my fourth hour, that I haven't really been able to focus on anything else" she explained furrowing her brows. "What if we rescheduled for tomorrow?" she offered bringing back Kiba's smile.
"That sounds great" Kiba said tightening his hold on her hand, making the teen girl smile awkwardly as she pulled her hand out from his grasp.
"Yeah anyways I'll text you later" she said stepping back from the young man before his phone rang making his eyes went wide before he nodded to Natsumi before and ran down the hall.
...
The next day came and went much to the dismay of Natsumi as she trudged her way into Iruka's classroom at the end of the school day much to the surprise of the brown haired man.
"Hello Natsumi how is everything?" the man asked as the usually calm and composed teenage girl neared his desk looking stressed and unruly.
"Not good sensei" she admitted standing beside his desk with a far off look on her face.
"Pull up a seat and tell me about it" he instructed as Natsumi nodded in understanding, walking over the front row and grabbing a chair to place in front of his desk.
"I'm having trouble finding a teacher to be an aide for" she stated simply after sitting, the man was about to speak, but was interrupted as the young girl suddenly continued after a heavy sigh. "First I went to Kurenai-sensei but she already has Hinata. Next I asked Orochimaru-sensei but he said he was fine with Kabuto as an intern. Then Guy-sensei, who I wasn't going to ask but even he, had Lee. And finally I went to see Asuma-sensei yesterday but he has Shikamaru" she explained quickly looking up to meet the surprised eyes of Iruka as he processed all she had just said.
"Ah I see that does sound difficult" he said.
'You have no idea' the teen girl thought bitterly remembering how after almost every rejection Kakashi-sensei would appear out of now where and ask about what happened.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" the man asked slowly nervous over the mental stress on his student.
"I know you split your time between here and the elementary but is there any way I can be your TA?" Natsumi asked with hope filled eyes.
"I wish you'd of come in sooner" the man said with a sincere look, as the teen girl inwardly shattered. "I just found myself a TA yesterday" he went on as the teen looked at him in disbelief.
"Who?" she asked furrowing her brows.
"Shino" Iruka-sensei replied, shocking the young girl. "He has an interest in working with kids so I actually get to take him off campus when I go to the elementary" he explained before Natsumi spoke again.
"Wait but I thought Lee was the only exception, he can't be your aid if he's not in the program?" Natsumi questioned as she thought back to her fourth hour trying to imagine every face in the class.
"I am in the class" Shino's voice suddenly said catching the teen girl's attention as she turned around to see the young man sitting in the far corner of the room with his hands in the pockets of his large coat.
"Shino! I didn't realize you were in here or my fourth hour" Natsumi said as the teen boy had a dark aura surround him.
"No one ever notices when I'm around" he said bitterly making Natsumi feel a pang of guilt. "As for the fourth hour, I was going to sit next to Hinata on the first day until you came in, then again I don't feel too bad considering you didn't notice Shikamaru in the class at first either" he went on making the dark haired girl feel worst, before returning her attention to Iruka who up until now simply watched the events unfold awkwardly.
"Thank you for your time sensei" the teen girl said before standing with her things and giving Shino a quick wave as she rushed out the door in embarrassment.
'I'm such an idiot' Natsumi thought critically as she clutched the strap of her bag tightly. 'I really need to get my life together' she continued on in thought starting to space out as she stared blankly at her shoes.
"Natsumi!" Kakashi-sensei's voice suddenly said alarming the young girl as she jumped in surprise and looked up to meet his usual closed eyed smile.
'At this point I'm going to be the only one with their hand still down tomorrow' she thought relaxing as she released a deep breath.
"So I heard you're still on the market to be a teacher's aide" the silver haired man said with his hands in his pockets as he approached the teen girl more closely.
'Heard? More like stalked with how often you pop up after I get rejected' she thought awkwardly smiling while scratching the back of her head.
"So are the rumors true?" he asked with an unchanging expression.
'That I'm still on the market? Yes in every sense of the saying so you should work on your wording sensei' she thought before nodding in response.
"Hn well ..." he started before glancing in both directions of the hall. "Follow me I'm not looking for any surprises from Naruto or Kiba" he said with a more serious look on his face before leading Natsumi back to his classroom.
"Uh sensei is everything alright?" she asked curiously as she thought about what he had said.
'Do Naruto and Kiba really interrupt that much?' She thought letting her mind remember that after every time she'd run into Kakashi-sensei either of the two loud males would seemingly come from nowhere with something to say to end their conversation.
"Hn of course" he said offering the teen girl a reassuring smile before walking over to his desk and motioning for her to take a seat in one of the many empty desks.
'It's kind of funny to think that Kiba and Naruto interrupting him could make him so nervous' Natsumi thought as she sat and looked at the silver haired man expectantly.
"Natsumi I realize you've had a hard time with finding a teacher to be a TA for" he stated earning a nod from the teen girl, prompting him to continue. "Well I've seen you almost every day after school after talking to teachers, but every time I start to ask I'm interrupted" he continued to explain rising from his seat and walking around his desk as Natsumi stared at him. "So I might as well get to the point now seeing as it's nearly the end of the week, would you like to be my teacher's aide?" he asked folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against his desk, looking down at the teen girl.
'It's not that I haven't noticed these things or even considered being his TA, but I don't understand how I feel. From the moment I saw Kakashi-sensei I thought I'd fallen in love but that's stupid considering how little I know about him. Aside from that I would always stare at him, but I figured that would change once I was used to him. Even if I'm not as nervous around him, I still have a slight crush on him. I thought avoiding him would be the best way to make it go away but nothing's changed. Maybe being his TA will make things worse; then again if I get to know him better maybe I can find more reasons to not like him. What should I do?' Natsumi thought nervously shifting her gaze away from him and to her hands.
"Natsumi?" Kakashi asked slowly approaching the girl, bringing her out of her thoughts as she looked at him with wide eyes.
"Yes" she stated simply, surprising not only him but herself as well, her words sunk in bringing a smile to the male's face.
"Great you won't regret it, regardless of the rumors I'm not that bad of slave driver" the silver haired man said with a smile.
"Wait what?" Natsumi asked raising a brow.
"N-nothing" the man said waving off his previous statement as the dark haired girl rose from her seat and approached him with a weary look.
"Hn" she replied doubtfully standing before the man as he held out a hand, reaching up she took hold before the two shook.
"I look forward to working with you this year" Kakashi said with a genuine smile, as Natsumi hoped she wasn't blushing and returned the gesture.
'This will be an interesting year' she thought.
...
The next day Natsumi felt a huge relief off her shoulders as she sat in her fourth hour and was able to raise her hand with the others when asked if she had found a teacher. She no longer felt like she was falling behind and was pleased that the only thing she had to focus on now was returning Itachi's jacket that she had since washed and had folded in a bag in her locker, ready to be returned. Yet she could worry about this later as she finally allowed herself the social freedom necessary now that she completed her assignment. Currently she sat with her group of friends at Naruto's table telling them about her week.
"So you're going to be Kakashi-sensei's TA?" Naruto asked at lunch as the dark haired girl finished telling her tale.
"Hn" she nodded in response as he smiled at her.
"Well that's great I'm happy for you Natsumi" Naruto said patting the teen girl on the back.
"So does this mean you're free this weekend?" Sakura asked, alarming everyone at the table with her kind tone.
"Uh I'm supposed to meet with Kiba after school today" Natsumi replied wearily making Sakura's eyes light up.
"Oh are you going on a date?" she asked excitedly once again alarming the table.
"No just tagging along with him while he walks his dog" Natsumi responded notably disappointing the pinkette as she furrowed her brows.
"As if she would have a date Friday night" Ino said snidely catching the attention of the table as the teens looked to her.
"Oh who are you going out with tonight?" Natsumi asked, striking a nerve with the blonde as she glared daggers at the dark haired girl while the others at the table laughed.
"I'm confused are we all supposed to be going out since its Friday?" Sai asked making the teens break out into a fresh fit of laughter.
"But anyways are you free to go shopping this weekend?" Sakura asked when the teens settled down, making Natsumi give her a bewildered look before looking around to see if she had asked Naruto or Sasuke. But much to her surprise the girl's green eyes were focused on her with a kind smile.
"Just because I'm not talking to you doesn't mean you can try and replace me with her, Billboard brow!" Ino said angrily at Sakura, catching the attention of the table at the outburst.
"No one was talking to you Ino-pig" Sakura shot back turning her attention to the blonde.
"You know what" Ino started before the girls were full on yelling at one another, leaving the rest of the table to awkwardly watch until the end of lunch.
Upon exiting the cafeteria Natsumi was surprised when Sasuke walked with her.
"We need to talk about something" he said bringing Itachi's jacket to mind, as the girl began to overthink the many scenarios in which Itachi could have mentioned how he wanted his coat back and Sasuke was now bringing it up.
"What?" Natsumi asked nervously shifting her brown eyes to look over the Uchiha.
"My mom wants to have you over again" he said making the girl release a heavy sigh of relief.
"Oh um I'm free whenever" Natsumi said as the pair walked on.
"Hn I figured, then again you've been saying no every day this week" Sasuke stated earning an eye roll from the young girl.
"You know that was only because I wanted to focus on finding a teacher to assist" Natsumi said folding her arms over her chest.
"Well she was starting to think you didn't like the family since she hasn't seen you in a week" Sasuke said, making Natsumi feel a pang of guilt.
"That's not it at all, I was just busy" Natsumi replied furrowing her brows in worry.
"Whatever you say I'll text you later" he said as the pair reached the girl's art class and he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Hn" the girl nodded in understanding before the boy walked off leaving her to enter the room.
"Hello Natsumi" Kurenai-sensei greeted with a smile as she stepped into the doorway of the class, alarming her young student.
"Hello Kurenai-sensei" Natsumi said after regaining her composure and making her way past the smiling woman.
"Boyfriend walked you to class?" Kurenai-sensei asked with a slight laugh, stopping the teen girl in her tracks, as the heads of the few individuals in class turned toward the pair.
"No" Natsumi automatically replied shaking off the stares of the on lookers as she made her way to her seat.
"Looks like someone isn't too comfortable with their little boyfriend walking them to class" Natsumi heard the voice of one of the senior girls say snidely making her roll her eyes as she sat down.
"Looks like someone is a little jealous of the junior's boyfriend walking her to class" Sasori said in a bored tone from his seat in the corner with an unchanging stoic expression as he worked. His comment immediately struck a nerve with the senior girl who immediately stiffened while others laughed.
"Natsumi you don't really have a boyfriend right?" Deidara asked slowly approaching the girl with his hands in his pockets.
"No I-" Natsumi began before being cut off as Sai claimed his seat beside her.
"Am I not you boy friend?" Sai asked taking his seat as Natsumi turned to give him a look of disbelief. "I thought I'd at least be one of them" he went on thinking aloud, making Natsumi release a disappointed sigh as Deidara's eyes grew wide in surprise.
"And she's not too uncomfortable to with the hormones to have more than one boyfriend" another girl in class said making the students erupt in laughter, as Natsumi could sense the impending panic settle in as everyone's attention turned to her.
"Wait what?" Deidara asked confused at the statement as he looked over the embarrassed teen.
"Sai means boy' space' friend like boy who is a friend not like boyfriend" Natsumi tried explaining as she turned back to face Deidara with a crimson blush on her cheeks.
"Isn't that what we're talking about?" Sai asked leaning forward in his seat to reenter the conversation.
"No we're talking about the new girl's boyfriend walking her to class" the voice of the girl from earlier rang out again.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Deidara asked ignoring the girls statement as Natsumi immediately shook her head no, much to his relief as he smiled at the girl before returning to his seat beside Sasori.
"Wait I'm still confused if a boy who is your friend walks you to class then does that make him you boyfriend?" Sai asked catching Natsumi's attention. "Because with that logic you'd have more than one boyfriend including me" he reasoned making Natsumi face palm before the bell rang and the teacher started the lesson.
...
Making their way into Kakashi-sensei's class, Sai nodded in understanding as Natsumi finished explaining the basis of relationships and how this related to the events that unfolded in the art class.
"Do you understand now Sai?" Natsumi asked as the pair began to make their way to their seats separated by Naruto.
"Yes better now" he said with his signature smile, as Natsumi nodded before the pair took their seats.
Not long after this the bell rang bringing silence to the class as they waited for their teacher.
"It all makes much more sense as to why those girl's thought Sasuke was your boyfriend now" Sai exclaimed in realization breaking the silence as the students all turned to him.
"Sai!" Natsumi said angrily turning to the young man.
"So they are dating"
"I can't believe we had to find out from Sai"
"I totally called it"
"But I heard she had a date with Kiba afterschool"
"I can't believe he's settling for someone like her"
"She's dead!"
"She's not good enough for Sasuke" the many voices of the various students rang out making Natsumi drop her head to her desk in defeat.
"Sai don't make up rumors" Naruto said turning to the pale boy.
"I didn't, it was the senior girls in our art class" Sai explained.
"They're not dating!" Naruto announced silencing the class as they all turned to watch what Natsumi would do next.
"Thank Kami"
"I knew it!"
"Sounds like someone is in denial"
"Well Sasuke hasn't said anything"
"Like he would date her" the voices now said following Naruto's outburst.
"Why did the senior girl's in your art class think we were dating?" Sasuke asked looking over to Natsumi who had yet to raise her head from her desk.
"Because you walked with me to class" Natsumi said in a low voice for only Sasuke to hear.
"Hn" he said returning to his usual relaxed composure.
"It'll blow over after the weekend" Natsumi said more or less to herself, as Sasuke nodded in agreement and the pair sat silently as the chaos continued around them until the teacher arrived.
"Sorry I'm late guys there was this old lady who needed help crossing the street" Kakashi-sensei said with his signature closed eyed smile as he entered and took notice of the situation at hand. Every student in class seemed to be preoccupied as he observed some girls crying, and the others split into two groups in a heated argument that had Naruto and Sai trying to calm the antics. It was one of the strangest sights he'd seen in a long time, but even more so when he saw how still Sasuke and Natsumi were amidst the commotion.
'What the hell is going on?' the man thought walking to his desk and slapping the surface loudly and bringing silence to the room.
"The last time this class was this preoccupied everyone was quiet while Sasuke and Natsumi fought, but now they're the only ones who aren't fighting. What is the meaning of this?" Kakashi asked in an irritated tone.
"Sasuke and Natsumi are dating" some random student exclaimed.
"No they aren't" Naruto corrected loudly.
'Are they seriously fighting about these two?' Kakashi thought in disbelief as he looked over the dark haired students who sat silent with no visible reactions to the events.
"Sasuke, Natsumi do either of you have anything to say about this?" Kakashi asked as the heads of the students turned to the pair.
"We aren't dating" both replied in unison bringing relief to half the class.
"Well there you have it now let's start the lesson" Kakashi said shaking his head at the antics of his students before beginning his lesson.
"Idiots" Sasuke mumbled under his breath earning a solemn nod from Natsumi.
'Why did my life have to get so complicated when I moved to Konoha?" Natsumi thought releasing an exasperated sigh.
...
A/N: I am so sorry for uploading so late. My bad guys but I hope you all like the chapter. Also thank you for those of you who do comment, they are much appreciated. I hope you all enjoy the story so far and I hope that you don't mind how slow things are progressing. Funny thing is I hope none of you mind if Christmas happens in February ... but speaking of holidays hope you all have great ones and please remember to read and review
