Best Friend's Brother 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Sitting in her 3rd hour class, Natsumi's brown eyes stared at the presentation being projected onto the board as Orochimaru lectured. Every now and then the man would randomly ask a question to a student to make sure that the students were listening.

"Suigetsu!" He called out making the boy with white hair jolt awake from his slumber.

"H2O!" the boy called back as he sat up straight in his seat and made the class erupt in laughter.

"I wasn't asking a question, but even if I was you'd of gotten it wrong" Orochimaru said folding his arms over his chest in annoyance as the white haired teen nervously scratched the back of his head.

"My bad" Suigetsu said as a few more students gave off light chuckles.

"Karin, would you care to enlighten your lab partner on what my instructions were?" Orochimaru asked turning his attention to the red head that sat beside the white haired young man.

"Of course sir" the red head said adjusting her glasses as she sat up in her seat. "We are to fill out the work sheets you pass out then began the lab with our partners" she said earning a nod from the teacher before he turned to pick up said worksheets, and giving the girl enough time to strike her partner on the back of the head.

"Ow" the white haired boy complained as he placed a hand over the injured area.

"Pay attention idiot!" she scolded in a warning tone as she clenched a fist in anger. "You'll make me look bad in front of Sasuke" Karin went on making the young man scoff.

"Like he cares" Suigetsu said dismissively glancing over to see the dark haired young man staring straight ahead.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Karin asked folding her arms in annoyance.

"If he wanted anything to do with us he would've let you sit by him and then I wouldn't have to put up with you" he complained earning a glare from the red head.

"Sasuke is still our friend and I would've gotten to sit by him if it weren't for her!" Karin said pointing menacingly at Natsumi who stared at the board as she rested her cheek on the palm of her hand with a bored expression.

"Sasuke WAS our friend, he doesn't hang out with us anymore" Suigetsu corrected the red headed girl. "And you can't blame her for how unappealing you are" Suigetsu said nonchalantly, as Karin turned to face him with a glare.

Meanwhile Orochimaru had begun to pass out the worksheets to the other students, paying no attention to the bickering pair until being interrupted as a certain blonde entered the class, approaching him and whispering something in his ear. Yet due to the increasing volume of Suigetsu and Karin's argument, he did not understand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karin asked with an irk mark appearing on her head.

"Get off my back!" Suigetsu said back raising his voice and catching the attention of the room.

"Suigetsu!" Orochimaru yelled making the teen stiffen as he turned his attention to his dark haired teacher. "I won't allow you to continue disrupting my class" Orochimaru said in a harsh tone that brought silence to the entire room as they all watched him intently.

"But Orochimaru-sensei she-" Suigetsu began to explain before being cut off.

"You can explain it to the dean; now get out of my classroom!" Orochimaru said pointing to his door as Suigetsu's head dropped in disappointment and Karin gave off a snide laugh before her face lit in realization.

"But sensei, how am I supposed to do the lab without a partner?" the red head asked in a worried tone.

"Not now Karin" Orochimaru said in a dismissive tone before turning to the blonde who spoke to him before. "What was it you needed?" he asked.

The blonde simply turned and pointed in the direction of Natsumi, whose brows rose in surprise as she at first looked around to be sure that it was her who was being pointed at.

"Kakashi-sensei wants Natsumi" Temari said simply making Orochimaru release an annoyed sigh before turning to the dark haired girl.

"You'll need to make up the lab another time Natsumi" Orochimaru-sensei said as he stared at the teen girl who gave a simple nod in understanding. "And unfortunately that means Sasuke will have to manage on his own today" Orochimaru said turning his gaze to the Uchiha as Natsumi gave a weary look before gathering her things.

"Sensei, can I work with Sasuke today?" Karin suddenly asked making the Uchiha stiffen as the teens waited for the teacher's reply.

"Well this lab was designed to be done with a partner" Orochimaru thought aloud as he placed a finger on his chin. "I suppose that would be best" he went on making the red head cheer as Sasuke turned to glare at Natsumi.

"What do you expect me to do?" Natsumi asked nervously as she inched away from the dark haired teen.

"Natsumi" Orochimaru called catching the teen's attention as she turned to him. "Since Karin will be working with Sasuke, you will need to complete the lab with Suigetsu" he said as the teen gave an understanding nod before turning to glance in the direction of the white haired teen who was still packing his belongings.

Upon noticing the gaze of the dark haired girl, Suigetsu looked up to see her brown orbs studying him before giving her a nod in acknowledgment which the girl returned before glancing back to Sasuke.

"Tell Kakashi-sensei you can't" Sasuke said in a monotone voice as Natsumi's brows rose in confusion.

"It's not up to me" Natsumi said as she swung her bag onto her shoulder and earned another glare from the Uchiha.

"Whatever" Sasuke said dismissively as he turned to face forward and Natsumi gave a heavy sigh.

"Sasuke" she began before being cut off by Karin who now pushed her aside as she slid into the stool beside the dark haired boy.

"Move it Nakamaru!" Karin said as Natsumi stumbled back a step. "Sasuke and I have a lab to work on" she said snidely making Natsumi roll her eyes as she opened her mouth to retort, only to be stopped as Temari placed a hand on the dark haired girl's shoulder.

"We need to go" Temari stated simply making Natsumi nod in understanding before turning to follow the blonde out of the room.

"See you later partner" Suigetsu called as Natsumi and Temari stepped into the hall and turned to see the boy wave to the dark haired girl before turning in the direction of the Dean's office.

There wasn't much conversation from this point as the girl's walked the empty halls, leaving nothing to be heard aside from the sounds of their footsteps. In all honesty, Natsumi wasn't too sure what she could talk to Temari about as the two never really interacted. Of course they ate lunch together almost every day but that mostly consisted of the two reacting to the conversation of the group than actually speaking to one another. To say it was awkward was an understatement as Natsumi could feel the weight of anxiety build within her. Usually she found silence to be peaceful but in this case she felt odd.

"So ..." Natsumi began as Temari glanced at her as the teens continued on, and immediately made the dark haired girl go mute.

'What the hell can we talk about?' Natsumi thought as she glanced to the ground.

Silence once again befell the pair as they walked the quiet halls.

"Your boyfriend didn't seem too happy that you were being pulled out of class" Temari suddenly said, alarming Natsumi as she turned to the blonde with a shocked expression.

"Boyfriend?" Natsumi asked raising a brow at the girl as she came to a halt.

"You're dating Sasuke, right?" Temari asked now stopping as well as she gave Natsumi a confused look.

"No" Natsumi said giving the blonde girl a look of disbelief at the thought.

"Oh" Temari said simply as awkwardness surrounded the two girls.

'We really don't know anything about each other' Natsumi thought as she studied the confused look Temari wore as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't have a boyfriend" Natsumi said catching Temari's attention as she looked at the dark haired girl.

'This is where you say something now' Natsumi thought as Temari continued to stare at her as if waiting for her to say more.

"Why did you think I was dating Sasuke?" Natsumi asked curiously as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I just heard it around school" Temari admitted as Natsumi raised a brow.

"We eat together like every day, you could've asked" Natsumi said as Temari awkwardly scratched the back of her head and looked to the floor guiltily.

'Then again I did the same thing with you' Natsumi thought, as she remembered how she asked the group about the relationship between Temari and Shikamaru, rather than asking Temari instead.

Natsumi gave released a sigh before stuffing her hands into the pockets of her school jacket.

"It's not like we really talk though" Natsumi said as Temari looked at the girl. "I guess it's kind of funny when you think about it, we see each other daily but don't really know a thing about each other aside from what others say" Natsumi admitted as Temari cracked a small smile in agreement.

"That's true" Temari agreed. "Some Vice President I am, I said communication was the key to success in our school year but I couldn't even communicate with someone I ate with at lunch" the blonde said as Natsumi's gave her a surprised look.

"You're the Vice President?" Natsumi asked in shock as Temari stared at her. "I never knew you're position" Natsumi admitted with a light laugh as she scratched the back of her head.

"I guess we really should get to know each other better" Temari said with a smile.

"I think so, if not I'm not sure what I might miss out on learning, like how you're the Vice President" Natsumi said with a smile.

"Or how you're not dating Sasuke" Temari said making the two teen girls break into laughter.

When the laughter finally ceased Temari pulled out her phone to see the time with her eyes widening in surprise.

"We should hurry" she said as Natsumi nodded in understanding as the two resumed walking.

"But did you seriously think I was dating Sasuke?" Natsumi asked as she and Temari walked through the halls.

"Well aside from the rumors, you two do seem to be close" Temari replied making Natsumi scoff. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it" the blonde said as Natsumi gave her a confused look.

"Sasuke is such a dick" she responded running a hand through her dark locks before a thought struck her. "Don't tell me you're in the 'fan club'" Natsumi said giving the blonde a weary look that made her laugh and brought a breath of relief to the dark haired teen girl.

"I think he's cute but I'm definitely not as dedicated as the other girls" Temari said with a dismissive wave as she stopped laughing and earned a taken aback look from Natsumi.

"You think he's cute?" Natsumi asked in disbelief.

"You don't?" Temari asked in the same tone.

"He doesn't need the ego boost from me" Natsumi replied casually waving off the topic, as Temari raised a brow in interest.

"You know there's no shame in admitting it" Temari said giving the girl a knowing look. "The first time I met Sasuke, I thought he was pretty cute" she admitted making Natsumi stifle a laugh.

"If you don't agree then who would you consider?" Temari asked defensively.

Yet before she could receive an answer they were brought to another halt as Natsumi heard her name as a group presence walked past her and Temari. As she turned to the source, she was met with the sight of Itachi walking behind two others, before turning around as he noticed Natsumi's gaze. The dark haired young man stopped as well while his friends walked ahead a little ways more before noticing he was missing and stopping to wait as they watched him walk over to the dark haired teen girl.

"Itachi" Natsumi greeted the young man in surprise as he came to a halt in front of her.

"Hello Natsumi" he said with a kind smile, before glancing to Temari. "Hello" he said politely before turning his attention back to the dark haired girl.

Itachi wore a pair of black shoes as well as black pants with a black turtle neck and a long grey trench coat over top.

"Hey" Temari said in greeting earning a smile before he once again looked to Natsumi.

"What are you doing here?" Natsumi asked curiously as she looked at the young man.

"I'm here for a meeting" he replied as he motioned back to the pair that waited for him.

Looking back to where the Uchiha pointed, Natsumi saw the young man he was with at Ichiraku who she remembered as Kisame, who wore a black bomber jacket over a white button up with black pants and shoes, along with an older man who was tall with tan skin, dark hair that was tied into a low ponytail but still managed to fall into his eyes, his piercing green eyes as he stared back at Natsumi and Itachi. He wore a suit with a white button up and a dark green neck tie with matching shoes. Natsumi felt uneasy looking over him as he gave off a very serious vibe, which reminded her of Fugaku and even her own father.

"You're friends seem nice" Natsumi said in a dull tone as she returned the gaze of her brown eyes to Itachi, who gave off a light laugh at the girl's sarcasm.

"Kisame is a friend from school but Kakuzu is more like a boss" Itachi explained as he shoved his hands into his pockets while Natsumi raised a brow in curiosity and allowed her gaze to shift to the man again. "Try not to stare so much or I'll get an earful about how disrespectful the youth are today for staring" Itachi said catching Natsumi's attention as she quickly looked back to him.

Itachi laughed at the girl's actions, earning a pout before he placed a hand on top of her head.

"I'm only kidding" he said with a smile as Natsumi leaned to the side, making his hand drop from her head. "I'm sorry" he apologized with an apologetic smile.

Natsumi released a deep breath as she folded her arms over her chest and turned her gaze to the side, before Itachi spoke and caught her attention again.

"Anyways, shouldn't you be in class?" the dark haired young man asked as Natsumi looked up to meet the gaze of his onyx hues.

"Yeah but-" Natsumi began to reply before being cut off by Temari.

"I had to pull her out of class for a teacher" Temari said as she stepped closer to Natsumi. "We have a few things to take care of with Student Council planning homecoming. I'm Temari by the way" the blonde went on making Natsumi give her a confused look as she went on.

"Oh that's impressive" Itachi complemented before checking the time on his watch. "Well good luck with your planning but I think I should get to that meeting" he said nodding to Temari. "I'll see you later Natsumi" he said giving the dark haired teen a kind smile before turning back to his friends who impatiently tapped their feet with folded arms as they stared at Itachi.

"See you later Itachi" Natsumi called after the dark haired male as he gave her a small wave before she turned to Temari with an expectant look.

"What?" Temari asked as she noticed Natsumi's stare.

"You can't communicate with someone you eat with at lunch, but cute college guys are the exception?" Natsumi asked with a raised brow as Temari gave a nervous laugh.

"We should hurry to Kakashi-sensei's class" the blonde girl replied pulling Natsumi by the arm.

Meanwhile Itachi faced his own critism as he approached the pair that waited for him.

"Took you long enough Itachi" Kisame said as the dark haired young man neared the pair.

"It would've been rude to not say hi" Itachi defended earning a scoff from the spiky haired young man.

"Having a girlfriend will be bad for business" Kakuzu criticized before turning to walk in the direction of the office, as Itachi rolled his eyes, choosing not to argue with the older man as the trio walked on.

Back with Natsumi and Temari they were nearly at Kakashi's classroom when Temari spoke again.

"So that guy's in college?" Temari asked curiously, earning a glare from Natsumi.

"That's what you caught?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Actually I caught that you were faster to call him cute than Sasuke" Temari said making Natsumi go silent. "Oh nothing to say?" Temari asked in a teasing tone as Natsumi looked to the floor.

"Shut up" Natsumi said as the girl's came to a halt outside of Kakashi's classroom door.

"But who was that guy anyways?" Temari asked before knocking on Kakashi's door.

"Sasuke's older brother" Natsumi replied folding her arms over her chest as Temari's brows rose in interest.

"You like older guys?" Temari asked with a playful smirk, making Natsumi's face light ablaze in bright red just as Kakashi opened his door.

"Oh hello girls" Kakashi-sensei greeted the pair with his usual closed eyed smile as he stepped out into the hall. "I'm sorry you had to be pulled from class so abruptly" the silver haired male said turning to Natsumi who simply gave a solemn nod as she stared at the floor, hoping her blush was going away.

'I hope he didn't hear what we were talking about' Natsumi thought worriedly, before looking up as Kakashi spoke again.

"I went ahead and volunteered you to help Student Council with advertising for these next two class periods" he informed the dark haired teen as she looked at him in disbelief. "I should've told you this morning but it was kind of a last minute thing to fill the schedule so I hope you don't mind the late notice" Kakashi went on as the teen stared blankly at him.

"If it were on time, then I might be surprised" Natsumi replied in a monotone voice that made the silver haired man stiffen before giving an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"Anyways I wanted you to stop by my class first so I could give you my classroom key" he explained holding out the object as the teen gave him a questioning look, prompting the man to explain further. "Obito and I are moving the next period to his class so you and Temari can work in my classroom" he went on as the dark haired teen nodded in understanding.

"But what are we going to do for now?" Natsumi asked curiously as she looked between the silver haired man and Temari before one of them finally responded.

"Temari is going to take you downstairs to the storage area to get the poster supplies" Kakashi said as Natsumi's brows rose in interest.

She had known there were different levels to the school. A few classes took place upstairs but those were mainly reserved for a few obscure electives, which she didn't take, as well as a few sealed off classrooms that were only used for standardized testing. Then the main floor which held a majority of the core classes and the regular electives which Natsumi was all too familiar with. Finally, the basement level that had even fewer elective classes as well as a few storage rooms for supplies. So she was a bit excited to finally see what that level looked like.

"Well we should be going now, we don't want to get caught in the hallway traffic when everyone else switches classes" Temari said earning a nod of agreement from both Natsumi and Kakashi before they disbursed.

...

As Natsumi and Temari made it to the bottom of the stairway, Natsumi's brown eyes looked over the area of the lower floor with great interest as they walked the empty hallway. There really wasn't much on the lower floor aside from the many doors to the various rooms. Walking past the various rooms, Natsumi saw that one of the doors was slightly ajar to reveal a room with bright lights, the smell of wood, and the sound of heavy machinery running. Noticing the curious look Natsumi wore, Temari nudged her with her shoulder to grab her attention.

"That's Yamato-sensei's wood shop class" Temari said earning a nod of understanding from Natsumi as they passed the room.

Peering in, Natsumi saw a man with brown hair wearing a pair of blue pants with a dark blue button up. He didn't seem to notice the teens passing as he was focused on shaving down a piece of wood.

Once the pair had made it past the room Temari led Natsumi to a door at the far side of the hall, where she produced a key to unlock it. There was nothing but darkness as the teens looked into the room, but as they allowed their eyes to adjust to the small amount of light that showed in from the hall behind them, they saw boxes upon boxes of storage containers stacked high.

"Where exactly are the poster supplies we're looking for?" Natsumi asked looking at the array of boxes that left room for only a small passage through the mess.

"In the far corner" Temari said as she released a heavy sigh before reaching into the room and beginning to feel for a light switch, but upon flipping it finding there to be no effect.

"Are the lights not working?" Natsumi asked as she noticed Temari trying the switch again.

Releasing a deep sigh, Temari pinched the bridge of her in frustration before turning to Natsumi.

"I think the light bulb might need to be changed but I'm going to need to find the light bulbs at the other end of the room and then back track to change the bulb" Temari said as Natsumi raised a brow at the blonde girl before looking at the maze of stacked boxes she would need to maneuver through.

"Have a ladder to get to the bulb?" Natsumi asked glancing up to the high ceiling.

"I think I can manage to reach it if I climb on top of the old speaker system" Temari said as she pointed to a large black box shaped object that Natsumi could see just overhead of the many boxes.

"Hn" Natsumi said as she nodded in understanding.

Temari quickly went about pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight as she began to make her way through the various stacks of boxes.

"Hey Natsumi I might need you to give me a boost to get on top of the speaker, so do you think you could meet me there?" Temari called from the darkness.

"Yeah" Natsumi called back now taking out her own phone and turning on the flashlight as she now stepped into the maze of boxes in an attempt to make her way to the large speaker that Temari had pointed out earlier.

The further she made it into the array of boxes, the more she noticed that she was really short. She found it to be somewhat intimidating that the more stacks she passed the higher they became and the narrower the passages were. She was currently walking sideways in an attempt to make it through but she couldn't shake the morbid thought of if one of the boxes were to come tumbling down on her.

'Why am I so short?' Natsumi thought as she continued to make her way through the tall maze of boxes.

By the time she reached the speaker, she let out a breath of relief as she stood by it and saw the faint light of Temari's phone approaching. She took the opportunity to take a closer look at the speaker and reached a hand out to touch it, and discovered it was a large solid sound system with the various plug inputs for cords and switches for adjusting the sound and volume of the speaker.

"You know this area is closed off to students so do you care to explain what are you doing?" a male voice asked behind Natsumi.

Turning to the source, the dark haired teen was met with a sight of a man with a blank stare on his face. His large black eyes bore into her and the intensity of his gaze was only made worst with the flashlight he used to light up his face from a lower angle. Natsumi jumped in surprise, accidently backing into the speaker system.

Hearing the sudden thud from Natsumi's position by the speaker, Temari rushed through the stacks of boxes to find the dark haired girl frozen as she stared at Yamato-sensei.

"Natsumi are you alright?" the blonde asked catching the pairs attention as Natsumi turned to look in her direction and Yamato-sensei dropped the flashlight to his side.

"Temari?" Yamato-sensei said recognizing the girl's voice as he watched her come closer.

"Yes" she replied as Natsumi released a breath of relief.

"What are you two doing up here?" he asked curiously.

"Kakashi-sensei signed up his aide to get supplies with me for posters" Temari responded as the man's eyes lit in realization before his gaze shifted back to Natsumi.

"Oh so that's why you're in here" Yamato replied as he nodded in understanding. "Sorry if I spooked you, I was just making sure no trouble makers were sneaking in" the man laughed as he casually scratched the back of his neck.

"It's fine" Natsumi replied regaining her composure, before the man turned his attention back to Temari or more specifically the light bulb in her hand.

"Does that need to be changed?" he asked pointing to the object as the blonde teen girl nodded in response. "It's probably going to be best if I do it, I wouldn't want you getting hurt" he said reaching for the bulb as Temari gave him a weary look.

"We could handle changing a light bulb Yamato-sensei" she said with offence in her tone.

Natsumi looked between the two awkwardly after this was said as she had a feeling the man hadn't meant anything by the offer, but Temari was very strong willed and independent.

"Oh of course, I just meant that its better if a teacher gets hurt than a student" Yamato corrected himself as he held up two hands in defense. "I can do it with a ladder so you two won't have to try climbing on the speaker" he explained further.

"Hm that sounds logical" Temari admitted handing the light bulb to the man who then exited to retrieve his ladder.

"Does he not have a class right now?" Natsumi asked when she was sure he was out of ear's shot.

"I think it's his prep hour right now" Temari replied folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh" Natsumi replied.

"Did he scare you?" Temari asked with a smirk, as Natsumi scoffed.

"He surprised me" Natsumi corrected the blonde who was now lightly laughing.

"Well he can be pretty intimidating, especially when you're probably more accustomed to the more handsome faces of Konoha" Temari said making Natsumi stiffen before raising a brow in question.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsumi asked curiously.

"You hang out most with Sasuke and you work under probably one of the best looking teachers at this school" Temari said earning an awkward laugh from Natsumi.

'I thought she figured out about my little crush I'm getting over' Natsumi thought as she felt herself relax.

"But speaking of cute guys, what's the deal with Sasuke's brother?" Temari asked raising a brow in interest. "Are you dating or something?"

Natsumi was grateful that the flashlights of their phones didn't reveal much; otherwise the pink blush on her face would be exposed. Of course she could admit that she found the older Uchiha to be attractive and she greatly admired the kindness he showed, but the thought of dating him was a concept Natsumi hadn't put much thought into especially considering how Sasuke was. Itachi preforming a gesture as small as paying for a meal brought much distress the young Uchiha. It seemed that every aspect of Itachi trying to extend an olive branch, only led the younger brother into further belief in the conspiracy of his brother trying to outdo him.

'Dating Itachi?' Natsumi thought as her mind raced over her prior encounters with the kind young man.

"Natsumi?" Temari asked bringing the girl out of her thoughts as she looked to the blonde.

"Sorry" Natsumi apologized sheepishly. "Um no Itachi is a nice guy and all but I'm sure he only said hi to be polite" she went on as Temari took in this new information.

"Oh I see" Temari replied placing a thoughtful hand on her chin.

"Yeah" Natsumi replied, before a new thought struck her. "Hey Temari I have a question" Natsumi stated catching the blonde's attention. "Are you-" she began to ask before being interrupted as Yamato-sensei entered the room with his ladder, abruptly bringing the girl's discussion to an end as they watched him awkwardly shift through the narrow passage with the ladder.

After making his way to the area under the fixture, Yamato quickly changed out the bulb. The room lit as he screwed in the bulb, revealing more path ways through the maze of storage boxes that were now revealed to be labeled.

"Thank you Yamato-sensei" Temari called up the ladder before motioning for Natsumi to follow her to the far end of the room.

Once maneuvering through a few more paths, Natsumi saw the large stand that held various colored rolls of colored paper. Temari quickly went about measuring out pieces of paper from the roll before clasping it down and tearing upwards. She was efficient and the way she went about it was graceful. As she placed them down, Natsumi quickly went about stacking them upon one another before rolling them all together, before Yamato-sensei announced that he would be leaving. The girl's called out a quick goodbye before returning to their work.

"Oh what was your question?" Temari asked curiously as she gathered a box with painting supplies.

"Oh I was just wondering if you and Shikamaru were dating" Natsumi admitted, as she noticed how her blonde friend grew silent.

'Was that not ok to ask?' Natsumi thought as she waited for Temari to respond. The two stood in silence for what felt like a couple minutes before the blonde teen finally replied.

"No we're not" Temari stated simply earning a nod from Natsumi. "Why do you ask?" she asked as she and Natsumi began to make their way out of the storage room with Temari carrying the box of painting supplies while Natsumi carried the roll of posters.

"You two just seem different with each other" Natsumi replied as they shifted through the stacks of boxes awkwardly.

"Really?" Temari asked curiously as the girls neared the exit.

"Yeah like when we were in that meeting and he fell asleep, but he stayed up after you woke him up" Natsumi pointed out as the girls stood in the doorway. "I don't know though, I'm no expert I've never even had a boyfriend" Natsumi said with a light laugh as Temari gave her a surprised look.

"You've never had a boyfriend?" she asked in surprise as Natsumi nodded in response, before stepping out of the room and waiting for Temari to turn the light switch off as she locked the door.

"No I never really went out at my old school" Natsumi admitted with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders as Temari gave her another shocked look.

"Have you ever been on a date?" Temari asked in shock.

"No, my dad was kind of strict" Natsumi said shifting her gaze downwards as she adjusted her hold on the posters she carried.

"Wait so you never got to go out to a movie with a boy? Did you just go to dances alone?" Temari asked as Natsumi now fully looked away from the blonde in embarrassment.

"Well I never really got to go to a movie with a boy or a group and I've never actually been to any school event" she admitted in a quiet voice.

Temari instantly felt a pang of guilt at the questions she asked. She was still so taken aback by this new revelation though that she had no words as the girls traveled back up the stairs. It wasn't until they had made it back to the main floor that she finally formulated something that would be appropriate to say.

"I'm really sorry about that, I didn't mean to bring something like that up" Temari apologized before she spoke again. "Are you planning on coming to Homecoming?" she asked looking to Natsumi who finally raised her gaze from the floor.

"Um yeah" she replied as she nodded her head.

"So this is going to be your first dance?" Temari asked again earning a nod from Natsumi. "Well it's going to be my personal mission to make sure you enjoy it" Temari stated before walking in the direction of Kakashi's classroom as Natsumi gave her a look of surprise before rushing to catch up with her.

"Why?" Natsumi asked as she caught up to the blonde girl and walked beside her.

"Because you deserve to have a good memory at one" Temari replied with a smile, just before the bell rang, signaling the passing period. "We should hurry or we might get caught in the traffic" the blonde said as Natsumi gave her an appreciative smile and nod before the two continued on.

As they arrived to Kakashi-sensei's classroom they had met the man just in time as he exited. Natsumi returned his key to him as they wouldn't need it and the pair went about working on the posters, while discussing the advertising strategy that would best work for not only the school but the community as a whole.

In the end they had decided to disburse several posters throughout the campus, hang flyers at various businesses and use social media to spread the word on the events for that upcoming week. They worked in a comfortable silence as they listened to music and made the usual small talk on the school gossip and other occurrences. The poster making went by fairly quickly with how efficient each girl was and while they waited for them to dry, they made use of the remaining time to begin designing the flyers that would go around the community. In the end they had accomplished all they set out to do and when the bell rang they happily talked as they made their way to the cafeteria to meet their other friends.

...

Walking into the cafeteria they quickly made their way through the lunch line as they talked with Temari mainly going on about the events planned for the Homecoming week. She felt bad that this would all be a first time experience for Natsumi but at the same time it gave her dedication to be even more meticulous to the details so the teen could enjoy the experience. The girl's went on in discussion about the week to come and Temari was even able to learn more as Natsumi discussed how she usually would stay home with her mother during these events.

"Well that's a thing of the past from here on out" Temari said as the girl's took their perspective seats at their table.

So far the only ones missing were Naruto and Sasuke.

"You two seem friendly" Ino stated as the girls settled into their seats.

"Yeah when did you two become friends?" Sakura asked curiously as she looked over the girls.

"We bonded over the art of poster making" Natsumi replied with a light smile before Temari cut in.

"And discussing cute guys" Temari added making Natsumi laugh as the table gave the pair weary looks.

"Well we could have done that" Sakura said as Natsumi raised a brow at her.

"Yeah we could have had girl talk" Ino interjected.

"Is it really girl talk if all you two ever talk about is Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked earning a glare from the two girls. "Just saying" he said with a shrug of his shoulders as a bored expression played onto his face.

"Am I considered a cute guy?" Sai asked entering the conversation, making the girls break into laughter.

"Real smooth" Natsumi said as the group grew quiet.

"You're not supposed to ask Sai" Choji said as he stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth as the group as a whole broke into laughter before beginning to eat.

"Oh I forgot a drink" Natsumi noticed as she looked down at her tray, before noticing that Sasuke and Naruto had yet to arrive.

'I wonder where they are' Natsumi thought.

"Here you can have my water" Ino offered bringing the girl out of her thoughts as she looked up to see the blonde holding out the bottle of water.

Natsumi smiled before shaking her head at the offer.

"It's ok, I can go grab one and pick up a cake while I'm up" Natsumi said as she began to stand.

"Oh if you want you can take Sakura's, she doesn't need the extra calories" Ino said earning a glare from the pink haired girl as Natsumi awkwardly watched.

"No it's ok I think I'll just grab one for myself" she said as she took a step back.

"Make that two" Choji called out earning a smile and nod of understanding from the girl.

As she approached the lunch counter, Natsumi looked over the various options for desserts before reaching out to grab two slices of cake with strawberries on top. She smiled to the lunch lady as she was rang up, turning to exit the line though she came to an abrupt halt as she was met with Suigetsu.

"Hey partner" he greeted with a grin that revealed an array of sharp teeth.

"Hey" Natsumi greeted the white haired boy looking up to meet the gaze of his dark eyes, before a thought struck her.

"Everything alright?" he asked raising a brow at the teen.

"Yeah I just forgot to get water" Natsumi said with an awkward smile before shaking her head dismissively.

"Oh well you can have mine" he said holding out a bottle to the teen who gave him a perplexed look as she wondered how he produced it so quickly.

"Uh thanks" Natsumi said as she balanced the two cakes on one arm while reaching for the bottle.

"Don't mention it water's important" the young man said as the girl took the object and placed it under her arm before taking hold of the cakes in two hands again. "I actually wanted to talk to you about our lab" he admitted as the pair made their way past the various tables.

"Oh yeah, did you want to work on that after school today?" Natsumi asked curiously as she watched the young man take hold of his tray in one hand while reaching to scratch the back of his neck casually.

"Well the thing is, I would love to but I have these plans with my friend Jugo" he said making Natsumi raise a brow in question. "So I was hoping that you could do the lab and just let me copy it, you know that way it'll get done right, otherwise I'm sure I would just be a distraction" he went on earning an offended look from Natsumi as the teens came to a sudden halt.

"Are you serious?" Natsumi asked in disbelief as she stared at the white haired male.

"I know you're a smart girl, so it's actually way better this way" he said as Natsumi continued to stare at him in disbelief. "So does that sound like a plan?" he asked turning to the girl with a grin and holding out a hand for her to shake.

"No" Natsumi stated flatly, making the young man's smile falter.

"Oh come on partner" Suigetsu whined dropping his hand to his side. "What if you do this one and I do the next one?" he asked holding his hand out again as Natsumi stared blankly at him.

"We're only partnered for this one lab" Natsumi replied in a monotone voice.

"So what I'm hearing is you want to negotiate it further?" he asked making an irk mark appear on the dark haired girl's forehead.

"Suigetsu" Sasuke's voice suddenly cut in catching the attention of the pair as they turned to see the Uchiha approach with his tray in hand. "You're not going to make Natsumi do your lab by herself"

"Oh come on Sasuke, you know I won't be much help" Suigetsu tried only to earn a glare from Sasuke.

'What does he mean Sasuke knows he won't be much help?' Natsumi thought looking between the two boys with a confused look on her face.

"Natsumi isn't doing it by herself. End of discussion" Sasuke stated in a commanding tone that brought Suigetsu to silence.

"Yeah but what if you helped her then-" Suigetsu started before a glare from Sasuke silenced him.

"You're meeting her in Orochimaru's classroom after school and don't try to get out of it because I'll be there too" Sasuke said making the young man's shoulders drop as he nodded in agreement before walking off from the dark haired teens.

"You didn't need to do that" Natsumi stated as she and Sasuke started back to their table.

"It's fine" Sasuke said dismissively as they walked on.

"No it's not" Natsumi argued back. "I could've handled that on my own" she went on as Sasuke glanced at her. "And another thing, I don't need you there just to make sure he helps" she went on earning an eye roll from the Uchiha. "I'm serious" she said coming to a stop.

"I won't just be there because of you" Sasuke said as he too stopped and now earned a questionable look from Natsumi. "Karin and I didn't finish the lab either" he admitted making a look of surprise cross the girl's face before the teen boy scoffed and the pair continued to their table to finish lunch.

...

The rest of the day was rather uneventful from this point on. Lunch's discussion held no more than the typical conversations on how classes had gone that day and the usual banter spear headed by Naruto. The other classes went by seemingly fast. After they had finished changing in PE, Sasuke met Natsumi outside the gym where the two had walked to Orochimaru's classroom in a comfortable silence, where they met with Karin and Suigetsu, who had waited outside the door.

"Oh Sasuke you're here" Karin said with an excited smile crossing her face after taking notice to the approaching dark haired teen, yet upon noticing Natsumi walking beside the young man, her smile fell.

Taking notice to the impending glare from the red headed teen, Natsumi released a heavy sigh as she shifted her gaze to the ceiling.

"Oh looks like you're not alone" Karin said as she narrowed her eyes at Natsumi. "You know Natsumi; it's really pathetic of you to be intruding on our meeting like this. I mean I know that you have to work on your lab with Suigetsu but you two could do that next week" she went on turning her head to the side as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You really think Sasuke wants to be alone with you on a Friday afternoon?" Natsumi asked rhetorically making the red head snap her gaze back to Natsumi with anger filled eyes.

Natsumi seemed unaffected as she simply stared back at the girl, wearing no expression as Sasuke sighed while Suigetsu did his best to stifle a laugh.

"You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that because last I checked if it wasn't for me being such a good partner, then who would've asked Orochimaru-sensei to let us work in his class after school?" Karin asked placing a hand on her hip as she pointed a finger at Natsumi.

"Yeah but it looks like you weren't that great of a partner if you two didn't finish the lab during class" Natsumi said in a monotone voice that struck a nerve with the red head as an irk mark appeared on her head.

"You know what you're problem is!" Karin said in an annoyed tone, before Suigetsu placed a hand on her shoulder as he released a laugh.

"You have to admit she has a point" Suigetsu said through his laughter before Karin shook off his hand rudely.

"No one asked you Suigetsu!" Karin said in an irritated tone as she balled her fists and turned to the white haired boy.

"Would you all shut up so we can just get this over with" Sasuke said making his way passed the teens to get to the door to enter the class as the group fell silent.

Karin shot one last glare at Natsumi and Suigetsu before following Sasuke into the science class while the two shared an awkward look with one another before following as well.

'I hope this goes by fast' Natsumi thought as they entered the room to find a note addressed to them that was written on the board of the classroom.

Hello students, although I am allowing you to work in my class without my presence, please be aware that does not mean you will not be out of my supervision. I have taken the liberty of lining my classroom with hidden cameras to ensure there are no mishaps and that you can be properly observed at all times. So please keep the rules of my class in mind while preforming your labs and be sure to practice appropriate behavior as I am watching.

Signed yours truly, Orochimaru-sensei

'Well that's creepy' Natsumi thought after her scanned the message scrawled onto the board with a slender lettering.

"It's like he doesn't trust us" Suigetsu said as he placed his bag down at his usual lab station.

"Of course not, you break almost everything" Karin said snidely as she too set her bag down at the lab station Sasuke went about preparing.

"I'm pretty sure the 'appropriate behavior' part was written to make sure you keep your hands off of Sasuke" Suigetsu shot back making the red head stiffen before turning to the boy with a glare as her face had a blush of embarrassment.

Natsumi rolled her eyes at the antics of the two before going about setting up the lab station for Suigetsu and herself as the boy and girl argued back and forth for a while, until Sasuke yelled for them to stop.

"Shut up we have work to do!" the Uchiha said with a commanding tone as the two coward back in submission before beginning to work.

The teens worked in silence for the most part and Natsumi was pleasantly surprised that Suigetsu was actually a lot of help. He and Natsumi took turns recording the information while the other preformed the experiment, so they both stayed busy. He was actually very knowledgeable on the topic, which further surprised the dark haired teen, because from what she could recall he was never really an active participant in class as he would for the most part doze off or argue with Karin.

'He's actually not that bad to work with' Natsumi thought as she took a pause from writing to look over the look of concentration worn by the white haired boy before allowing her gaze to travel over the room to where Karin and Sasuke worked.

From what she could see the two seemed to be much less productive as she and Suigetsu were as Karin seemed to be trying to take the lead to show her scientific superiority, but Sasuke being ever the stubborn one wanted to take the lead. Taking notice to her stare, Sasuke's onyx orbs flickered over to meet the gaze of Natsumi's brown ones before flickering to the door as he registered the sound of someone approaching.

"Hello?" the soft voice of a young man came as he stuck his head through the door and looked around the room before his gaze landed on Suigetsu.

Stepping in fully, Natsumi saw that he was very tall with spiky orange hair that shot out in various directions and red eyes. He had a rather stalky build and although he had such a large demeanor, she could tell he was roughly their age. Although she hadn't seen him in any of her classes or even around campus for the matter, she knew he was a student at the school as he wore a uniform except for the neck tie.

"Oh Jugo" Suigetsu greeted the young man as he turned in his seat. "We're almost done here" he said as the teen approached.

'So this is his friend that he had plans with' Natsumi thought as the young man came to stand behind the white haired teen boy awkwardly.

"Oh yeah, Jugo this is Natsumi" Suigetsu introduced the pair as he motioned to Natsumi, who offered the taller boy a small smile that he awkwardly returned with a nod.

"Hey Jugo" Natsumi said as the boy shifted his gaze to the ground.

"He's not the best with people" Suigetsu said dismissively as he turned his attention back to the lab while Jugo went to lean against the wall quietly.

Nothing else was really said as Natsumi and Suigetsu finished their lab. It was agreed between the pair that Suigetsu would start the cleanup for their station while Natsumi wrote the conclusion. By the end Natsumi released a satisfied breath of relief as she looked over their completed assignment before turning to take it to Orochimaru's desk to turn in, yet upon doing so she found herself bumping into the solid figure of Jugo and sending herself back as the papers dropped to the floor.

"I'm sorry" the young man apologized immediately dropping to his knees to gather the papers as the teens all watched him.

Yet since Suigetsu was still in the process of clearing the counter, as he turned to face the scene in such a worried haste, he accidently knocked Natsumi's textbook off of the counter and sent it tumbling down to collide with the young man's head. The room grew silent as Karin and Suigetsu watched with nervous looks. Jugo didn't move an inch as he stayed in his crouched position, seemingly trying to calm himself.

"Are you ok?" Natsumi asked disrupting the silence of the room as she kneeled down to Jugo, earning gasps of concern from Karin and Suigetsu.

"Natsumi get up" Suigetsu said in a worried tone that made the young girl give him a weary look before her attention was brought back to Jugo as a firm hand reached out and gripped her by the shoulder with such strength that brought about a slight pain that made the girl flinch.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Jugo suddenly asked in a voice that sounded much rougher and angrier than how it was before, thus making the young girl's breathe hitch as her brown eyes flickered in fear.

"Jugo, are you alright?" Natsumi asked calmly as she pushed her worries to the back of her mind as she studied how the demeanor of the young man changed. He seemed so mild tempered and timid before, but that all changed completely as Natsumi now saw that even his eyes seemed to change with his pupils becoming more dilated as his strong grip remained on her shoulder.

"I can't control it" Jugo rasped out making Natsumi's brows raise in worry.

'What the hell is he talking about?' Natsumi thought staring back at the young man before another finally spoke.

"It was my fault Jugo" Suigetsu said trying to gain the young man's attention, but that did nothing as his grip now tightened more on Natsumi.

"Relax Jugo" Sasuke's voice commanded suddenly making the orange haired teen freeze as his eyes widened in realization before his pupils started returning to original as he calmed down and loosened his hold on the dark haired girl's shoulder.

Taking the opportunity, Natsumi slowly placed a careful hand over Jugo's before moving it off of her shoulder so she could rise. She watched as the young man brought both hands to the floor as he took deep breaths to regain his composure. Leaning against the lab station she looked to where she heard Sasuke speak and saw the Uchiha standing directly behind where she sat, with a serious look on his face and a dark look in his eyes. She blinked a couple times before noticing his gaze return to its normal state of a blank stare, but shook off the thought as her attention turned back to Jugo.

"I-I'm sorry" he apologized meekly still holding his gaze to the floor as Natsumi stared at him.

"It's fine" she said as everyone stayed still, before Suigetsu moved to offer a hand to help the large young man stand while Karin made her way over to pick up the papers that had been dropped.

Natsumi watched curiously as she made her way to turn in the worksheets while Suigetsu led Jugo to where he previously leaned against the wall. It seemed like the group had a routine to follow but Natsumi was soon distracted from watching as she felt her hand being pulled to lead her away. Looking to the source she was surprised to see Sasuke having already gathered his and her things as he had both of their school bags slung over his shoulder as he led Natsumi to the hall. They walked for a while in silence before she chose to speak.

"What are you doing Sasuke?" Natsumi asked pulling her hand from his grasp as she came to a halt.

He too stopped as he turned to look at the girl with a serious look.

"W-what happened in there?" Natsumi asked hearing her voice crack, as she processed and replayed the scenario in her head.

"Jugo has a temper" Sasuke replied carefully as he waited for Natsumi to speak again.

"A temper?" she asked in disbelief, hoping her voice would return to its usual calm tone. "You have a temper! His voice and eyes and demeanor changed!" Natsumi said defensively as she pointed back in the direction of the classroom.

Sasuke didn't say anything as he stared at Natsumi, yet within that time she could feel her temper rise as she felt minutes tick away.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Natsumi asked in frustration as she looked over the Uchiha.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked finally after a long pause, making the girl scoff as she looked to the side. "Natsumi tell me" Sasuke said in a more commanding tone as the girl turned to look at him with an angry look.

"I'm fine" she said stubbornly, earning an eye roll from the Uchiha as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're afraid" he stated, making the teen uncross her arms as she looked at him in disbelief.

"I am not" she shot back before Sasuke stepped forward, taking hold of her wrist and bringing her hand up to her face.

"You're shaking" the Uchiha stated as Natsumi's brown hues lit up in realization as she watched her hand tremble.

'I didn't even notice' she thought as Sasuke released her wrist and she continued to stare at her hand.

There were no words as silence befell the teens. They stood in the hallway with nothing being said until the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.

"Natsumi" Kabuto's voice sounded as he appeared. "I'm glad I caught you before you left" he said with a smile as he approached the teen. "I was wondering if I could get those notes I asked you to take during that meeting?" he asked as Sasuke watched him with caution.

"Oh um yeah" Natsumi replied glancing over to Sasuke as he held her bag, taking notice of her look, the Uchiha brought the item off his shoulder as neared Natsumi and she opened the bag to find the sheet of paper.

Upon producing it, she held the paper out to Kabuto who smiled in delight as he accepted the item.

"Thank you Natsumi" he said looking it over, before bringing an arm around the girl's shoulders as he turned her away from Sasuke. "I might not agree with your choice in company but you are ever the diligent one" he said lowly as he rubbed her shoulder, making the girl hiss in pain as she stepped away from him. "Are you alright?" Kabuto asked in concern as Natsumi brought a hand over where she felt a slight stinging in her arm.

"I-I'm fine" she lied as she looked over to Kabuto to see him raise a brow in suspicion.

She knew it was best to not make a fuss over the event that transpired as she wasn't one that favored being the center of attention and in all honesty there was no real harm done. At most she may have a bruise but even then, she might not, so she figured it best to just let the situation go. Even if she was slightly intrigued as to why Jugo had gone through such a transformation or even how Sasuke had managed to calm him.

"Did something happen?" he asked wearily, pulling the girl from her thoughts as she looked at him. "Your arm is it hurt? If you want I can take you to the nurse's office" the silver haired boy offered as he held a hand out to the dark haired girl but she shook her head no.

"I did something stupid while in PE" she lied again as she offered the silver haired boy a halfhearted smile. "It'll be fine and besides I'm sure the nurse has gone home already" she went on.

"I suppose you're right but if you want I could take a look at it, medical training does fall under my degree" he offered again.

"No it's fine Kabuto, Sasuke's mom is probably expecting us so see you later" she said turning back to the Uchiha who looked at her curiously, before she took his arm and led him away.

"She lied" Kabuto thought aloud as he watched the two dark haired teens disappear before he himself turned to leave. "Did she do it so Jugo wouldn't get in trouble or was it because she wants to learn more?" he contemplated as he continued with a thoughtful smirk on his face.

...

A/N: And that's the chapter! I've been reading your guy's comments and they honestly give me so much life. I'm happy that you all seem to be enjoying the story so far and I hope you all enjoy what's to come. Feel free to continue leaving comments, whether they're about the story or if you just want to let me know who your anime crush is ... tbh mine is Kakashi ... funny story about that: this Kakashi cosplayer who I follow on Instagram followed me back and I legit screamed because this guys really out here looking like my soul mate lol anyways (but that's the life I lead lol) anyways please r and r