Best Friend's Brother 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used aside from my OC.

There were no words between the teens on the drive to the Uchiha residence and if not for the music that played from Natsumi's phone, the entire ride would have been silent. Every now and then, Sasuke's onyx orbs would shift from his gaze on the road to the dark haired girl that sat beside him in the passenger seat. Natsumi said nothing; she couldn't keep her mind from racing in the many thoughts that were brought about by the events of the afternoon as her eyes stayed glued to the passing scenery.

'I still don't understand what happened back in that classroom' Natsumi thought as she looked out the window, before feeling Sasuke's stare boring into her.

"What are you looking at Sasuke?" Natsumi asked turning to look at the Uchiha, who simply scoffed in reply as he turned his gaze back to road.

There was nothing else said for a while as the drive continued. When the pair finally arrived at Sasuke's house, the Uchiha turned off his vehicle then led Natsumi to the entrance of the home with caution. He tried his best to open the door quietly but it was no use as the teens stepped in, his mother immediately appeared with a wide smile on her face as her eyes landed on the young girl behind Sasuke.

"Natsumi you're here!" Mikoto exclaimed excitedly rushing to embrace the dark haired girl, who stiffened in fear.

The spot where Jugo had taken hold of her had certain tenderness about it, and thanks to the pressure applied by Kabuto earlier, she knew that any touch to that area would mean a stinging pain shooting through her arm. And knowing how tight Mikoto's hugs could be, she dreaded the pain to come as the woman approached. Yet before she could get any closer, Natsumi was surprised to see Sasuke step in front of her and take the full brunt of the impact from his mother as she too gave her son a confused look.

"Natsumi might be catching a cold" Sasuke informed his mother whose eyes then lit up in realization.

"Oh dear" his mother said releasing him from her hug as she looked at Natsumi with furrowed brows. "I'll get you some hot tea with some fresh soup" she said giving the girl a caring smile before making her way into the kitchen.

Sasuke released a breath of relief as Natsumi gave him a curious look. Taking notice to this he took hold of her hand and quickly led her up the stairs to his room. Once closing the door as they entered, he finally spoke.

"I had to say that or else she would've hugged you and found out about what happened with Jugo" Sasuke said as Natsumi gave him a weary look of suspicion.

'Does Mikoto know who Jugo is? Does she know about his temper? And more importantly how would she know this? Also why would Sasuke not want her to know about what happened with Jugo?' Natsumi thought furrowing her brows in concentration before taking notice to Sasuke's absence.

He had set down the pair's school bags on the small sofa in his room while he himself busied himself in his closet. Walking over to where the boy was; Natsumi curiously peeked in to see the dark haired boy shifting through various shirts on hangers, before finding the one he wanted. He pulled the shirt off the hanger, before suddenly tossing it to Natsumi.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as the article of clothing hit her in the face and she glared to the boy who simply walked past her.

Unfolding the shirt to further inspect it she saw that it was a simple cobalt blue t shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back. In all honesty, she was surprised that Sasuke would have such a shirt in his wardrobe, considering that it seemed like it might be too small for the teen male.

"What's this?" she asked as she stepped out of the closet as she saw the teen boy sitting on his bed with his attention on his phone.

Upon hearing Natsumi's voice he looked up to see her looking at him curiously while holding up the shirt and making him give her an annoyed look.

"A shirt" he said in a smug tone that made the dark haired girl scoff before speaking again.

"I know that but why did you throw it at me?!" Natsumi asked in an annoyed tone as she folded her arms over her chest.

"For you to change into" Sasuke said simply making Natsumi roll her eyes.

"Well how was I supposed to know that?!" she asked in an angry tone. "You just tossed it at me then walked off" she went on.

"I was giving you time to change!" Sasuke argued back making the teen girl grow silent.

"You could have said that" she shot back feeling slightly embarrassed as she turned her gaze away. "But why do I have to change anyways?" Natsumi asked curiously as she turned to look at Sasuke again.

"How else am I supposed to look at your arm?" Sasuke asked rhetorically in a monotone voice.

"What makes you think you need to?" Natsumi asked staring at the dark haired boy.

"I'm not stupid Natsumi. I saw how you reacted when Kabuto touched it" he stated while standing from his seat on his bed as he now made his way over to the young girl.

He now stood in front of the dark haired girl, looking down at her as she stared back stubbornly.

"Don't think I'm backing down Uchiha" Natsumi said with narrowed eyes. "I feel fine" she said stubbornly making the dark haired boy narrow his eyes at her as well, before a thought struck him.

Sasuke gave the girl a smug smirk before reaching out and taking hold of her shoulder where Jugo held her. Natsumi's eyes immediately widened in pain at how hard Sasuke's grip was, making her bring a hand to his chest as she pushed herself away from him.

"And you said you feel fine" Sasuke said smugly as Natsumi placed her hand over the sore spot and glared daggers at the young man.

"You are such a jerk" she said in an irritated voice as the Uchiha simply scoffed.

"Well if you weren't so difficult" Sasuke shot back dismissively folding his arms over his chest. "Now would you hurry up and change" he said in a commanding tone.

"No" Natsumi replied stubbornly crossing her arms again as an irk mark appeared on Sasuke's head. "Why should I have to listen to you when you won't even answer any of my questions?" she asked as Sasuke rolled his eyes as he looked to the side, before being struck in the face as Natsumi threw the blue shirt at him. "Also for your information I have an undershirt on!"

"I told you Jugo had a temper!" Sasuke said.

"That didn't seem like a temper problem Sasuke" Natsumi said thoughtfully. "Why was he so different? And why were you the one to calm him down? Earlier Suigetsu said you know how he could be, but how? How do you fit into this?" Natsumi asked earning a heavy sigh from Sasuke as he ran a hand through his black locks before looking to the ground.

"If you let me look at your arm, I'll tell you everything" Sasuke said, making Natsumi perk up in interest.

"Alright" Natsumi agreed surprising the Uchiha as he looked at her in slight disbelief before nodding to the teen.

"I'm going to find the first aid kit, you can change while I'm gone" he stated earning a nod from Natsumi before making his way out of the room.

'At least I'll finally get some answers' Natsumi thought before walking over to Sasuke's bed.

She released a heavy sigh as she made her way over to Sasuke's bed, letting her school jacket drop from her shoulders and undoing her tie. She pulled the fabric from her neck before she went about starting to undo the buttons of her white button up, when a thought occurred to her.

'I've never changed in a boy's room before' she thought before shaking the thought from her mind. 'It's not like I'm really changing or anything. Sasuke is just going to see me in my tank top, not my underwear' she contemplated before finishing unbuttoning her shirt and allowing it to fall onto his bed.

"Are you done?" Sasuke's voice came through the door.

"Uh yeah" Natsumi called back, deciding it best to not bring it up with how awkward things would already be.

Opening the door Sasuke made his way in holding a small white box with a red cross that Natsumi guessed was the first aid kit and made his way over to where the teen girl sat on the sofa.

"Are you alright?" he asked noticing the look she had on her face as he sat beside her.

"I'm fine" Natsumi lied running a hand through her dark locks nervously before something occurred to her as she turned to the Uchiha with a determined look on her face, that made him raise a brow in wonder. "I want answers Sasuke" she said making the boy release a sigh as he leaned back into the couch.

"It's a long story Natsumi" Sasuke said as the girl turned to face him in interest.

"I want to hear" she stated as Sasuke glanced at her before turning his attention to the ceiling.

"Fine" he stated before closing his eyes as he proceeded. "I had a bit of a rough patch last year. I didn't have the best attitude towards school, my family, or the people at school" Sasuke went on as Natsumi listened.

'You mean his attitude was worse than it is now?' she thought in alarm.

"I felt like I wasn't doing enough, like I was stuck and nothing I did would really amount to anything meaningful" Sasuke said making Natsumi feel her heart grow heavy.

'Was Sasuke depressed?' She thought furrowing her brows in sympathy while she waited for him to continue.

"I started blowing off Naruto, I spent a lot of time in my room and when I was at school I wasn't exactly respectful to the teachers" he explained. "Kakashi-sensei tried to help with talking to me but I didn't listen" he said coming to a pause as he thought back to that talk he shared with the silver haired male.

"If that's the case, then why did Kakashi-sensei recommend you for the TA program?" Natsumi asked curiously catching Sasuke's attention as his onyx eyes shifted to meet the gaze of her brown orbs.

"He only did that to keep an eye on me to make sure I didn't slip up again" Sasuke replied shocking the dark haired girl with his bluntness.

'That explains why Sasuke turned down the offer' Natsumi thought as she gave the young Uchiha a nod of understanding before he continued.

"Even with how hard Kakashi-sensei or even the dobe tried, my attitude got worst" Sasuke stated making Natsumi raise her brows in surprise, as she knew how persistent Naruto could be.

"What did your parents do?" Natsumi asked as Mikoto came to mind. The woman seemed so invested in caring for her family, she was sure that the mother did something, but with how Sasuke's gaze shifted to the ground, she knew something was off.

"They were more focused on Itachi and his friends to care about what I was doing" Sasuke replied bitterly as Natsumi brows rose in alarm.

'That's harsh, but even so Itachi must have noticed something was wrong with his younger brother' the dark haired teen thought as she bit the inside of her cheek. 'Then again it might not be best to ask about that now' Natsumi thought.

"I just felt like I wasn't enough and it really was Itachi's fault" he said looking down to his lap as he folded his hands together. "The only person who really understood that was Orochimaru-sensei, so he offered me an internship under him while he worked on his research at the university" he went on making Natsumi's brows rise in intrigue.

"How do Jugo and the others fit into this?" Natsumi asked curiously.

"When I worked under Orochimaru-sensei, I met Jugo, Suigetsu and Karin. And even though I was cutting so many people out, I spent so much time with them that I didn't mind being with them. I wouldn't exactly call them friends, in all honesty if it weren't for Orochimaru I don't think I would've ever talked to them. Karin was always annoying but she put in so much effort that she was usually the first one there and last one to leave, while Suigetsu was probably the laziest but when given the right motivation he was hard working in his own way. Finally Jugo, who at first seems to be the peaceful one, but the thing about him is he grew up a little rough and when the person he trusted most died he went through something, so the smallest thing could set him off in anger that makes him seem like a different person." Sasuke explained as Natsumi's brows rose in interest.

"Why did he listen to you?" she asked bluntly.

"He said I remind him of that person he lost so he'll always listen to me" Sasuke replied as Natsumi nodded in understanding.

"Why didn't you want your mom to know about earlier?" she asked making Sasuke shift his gaze away.

"Even though my parents were focused on Itachi, my father still managed to get a background check on my new associates ... and my mother wasn't exactly excited with what he found" Sasuke said looking to Natsumi.

"Hn ... did the background check include Jugo's 'temper'?" the dark haired girl asked.

"It had a little more than that" Sasuke admitted with his gaze shifting to the side.

Natsumi's brows furrowed in suspicion at the actions of the Uchiha, before deciding on what she would say next based on what she was told as it only brought about more questions for the teen.

'What did his father find out? Had Jugo's temper caused an incident to occur that made the Uchiha want to limit their son's time with the orange haired boy?' She contemplated.

"Natsumi I need to look at your arm" Sasuke stated pulling the girl from her thoughts as she noticed she was spacing out.

She blinked a few times before nodding to the black haired teen boy and shifting in her seat on the small sofa to allow him better access to the injured arm. It was then he saw how red the large area was in the place Jugo had held. Sasuke released a sigh of discontent at the sight while Natsumi gave him a curious look.

"What's wrong?" she asked as the boy took a careful hold of her arm as he turned it to better inspect how much of the area was red.

"This is going to bruise" he stated plainly, earning no response from Natsumi as she allowed her gaze to shift away. "What?" Sasuke asked taking notice to the shift in the girl's attitude.

"What happened after you father had the back ground checks?" she asked looking back to Sasuke, who sighed in annoyance before replying.

"I had to drop the internship because they thought I didn't need any more on my plate" he replied wearily as Natsumi gave him a questioning look as she noticed the change in his tone. Feeling Natsumi's brown orbs drilling into him, Sasuke glared at the girl, who simply returned the act before the boy rolled his eyes and released a sigh. "They didn't want it to interfere with my therapy" he admitted as Natsumi's brows rose in surprise.

"Hn" she stated simply looking to her lap.

"That's all you have to say?" Sasuke asked defensively, as the girl only offered an understanding nod. "It's not like it was really a real therapist" Sasuke said turning his gaze to the side as Natsumi's head turned to the side in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Natsumi asked cocking a brow in question.

"The Uchiha handle things differently in terms of self-care" Sasuke stated further perplexing the young girl as she waited for him to continue. "I had to leave Konoha for a short while to ... take care of things" Sasuke explained.

"You need to explain more because if I'm being honest it sounds a little like you were involved in something illegal" Natsumi said earning a blank look from the Uchiha.

"I spent some time with an older cousin, who had me work through my issues through manual labor and physical training" Sasuke stated bluntly as Natsumi's brown hues lit up in realization before she nodded in understanding. "You're such an idiot" Sasuke said earning glare from the girl before continuing.

"It's not my fault you make everything sound so morbid" Natsumi shot back making the Uchiha scoff before dropping her arm. "Anyways, what happened after?" she asked.

"Shisui sent me back and things seemed better" Sasuke replied.

Natsumi simply nodded in understanding as she absorbed this new information, taking that Shisui was most likely the cousin Sasuke worked under while he was away. But that brought about a new question as her gaze dropped to her lap.

"How long were you gone?" Natsumi asked looking back to Sasuke.

"Only a few weeks at most, but when I got back the dobe said it felt like years had passed" Sasuke said with a dismissive scoff as Natsumi smiled.

Honestly the over exaggeration of time by Naruto seemed a bit dramatic but with how over top the hyperactive blonde was, it was no real surprise.

"What are you smiling at?" Sasuke asked poking the girl in the arm and earning a hiss of pain as she leaned away and glared at the onyx eyed boy.

"You're lucky Naruto missed you" she said surprising the Uchiha at her words as he gave her a serious look before she continued. "Then again it's not like I can imagine you being all that grateful ... but you should be I can't imagine anyone else being excited about the return of someone so moody" she said dismissively making the boy narrow his eyes at her.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the sound of knocking at the door of his room. The young Uchiha's eyes flickered to the door in surprise as his family members usually walked in.

"It's Itachi" the voice of his older brother rang through after a while making the young Uchiha cock a brow in interest. "Sasuke are you there? Is it alright if I come in?" he asked.

"Come in" Sasuke called back.

Itachi entered the room with his dark eyes lighting up as he registered his younger brother's presence.

"Mother wants to know if Natsumi plans to stay this evening for dinner" Itachi stated allowing the gaze of his onyx orbs to land on the dark haired girl who sat beside his brother, yet upon taking in the change of appearance he noticed the red spot on her arm. "What happened?" Itachi immediately asked approaching the pair.

Itachi stood for a moment studying the young girl's arm that he knew all too well would bruise. A serious expression crossed Itachi's face as he gingerly reached down to take Natsumi's arm in his hands, turning the appendage slowly to learn more, before he turned to Sasuke expectantly.

"It's nothing" Natsumi tried to interject as Itachi's gaze to his brother hardened. "I did something stupid in PE" she went on, but earned no response as the brothers stared to one another.

"Sasuke" Itachi sated, earning a scoff from the young boy. "You didn't do this, did you?" Itachi asked in disbelief as he held up Natsumi's arm.

Natsumi's eyes widened as she realized what Itachi was implying. She immediately pulled her arm from his grasp earning a worried glance from the young man before his gaze shifted back to his brother, who currently fumed with anger.

"No I didn't" Sasuke replied in a low tone that was evident with offence as he glared at Itachi. "How could you think I would do something like this?" he asked in anger.

"Don't lie to me Sasuke" Itachi said in a monotone voice as he looked down at Sasuke. "This isn't the kind of injury that accidently happens in PE ... she had to of had it in a serious grasp" Itachi stated making Natsumi inwardly groan at the flimsiness of her cover story.

"It's not Sasuke's fault ... entirely" Natsumi cut in as she could feel the worsening mood between the two.

Both Itachi and Sasuke looked to her in surprise as they waited for what she would say. Natsumi knew all too well that telling the entire truth would mean running the risk of Itachi telling their mother about the encounter with Jugo. So she worded her explanation carefully as both boys watched her intently.

"It's no secret that Sasuke has a fan club ..." Natsumi started earning a confused look from her dark haired friend before she continued. "I miscalculated the severity of the situation and ended up in a tighter spot than I would have preferred ... and in all honestly it could have ended up a lot worst if Sasuke didn't step in" she went on locking eyes with the young Uchiha who now had a look of understanding.

"You have a fan club too?" Itachi asked in confusion. "I'm so sorry" Itachi apologized to his brother as he turned to face him.

Sasuke scoffed as he rolled his eyes while Natsumi gave a light breath of relief.

"You actually thought I would do something like that?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Sasuke I misunderstood the circumstances of the situation" Itachi tried to explain, making the younger Uchiha scoff once again. "It's just ... I know how your temper can be and-" Itachi started again before being cut off by Sasuke.

"I don't need you telling me about that!" Sasuke shot back glaring at the older male in disdain. "I don't need you keeping tabs on me Itachi! What I do in my life is MY business and what happens with MY friends and I is no concern of yours!" Sasuke continued with the volume of his voice increasing in anger as he spoke.

'What the hell?' Natsumi thought with her brown orbs darting between the two brothers, taking in the situation awkwardly.

"Sasuke I never intended to offend you but-" Itachi tried again raising his hands to calm the younger Uchiha before being cut off again.

"You have your own life Itachi! Last I checked that's why you were too busy for me, but what having your own friends to praise you isn't enough?! You have to come mettle in my life to get on the better side of my friends?!" Sasuke yelled back as he stood from his seat and glared at Itachi.

Itachi had no words as he took in what Sasuke said, letting it soak in before his onyx orbs shifted to Natsumi who now stared at her lap, radiating an aura of discomfort.

"Sasuke this isn't the time for this conversation" Itachi said calmly as he looked back to see Sasuke seething in anger.

"Then why don't you leave and come back when you aren't busy?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, as Itachi stared at him, slightly taken aback by his remark.

"Sasuke" Itachi said in a calming tone as he looked at the younger boy with softer eyes.

"Go" Sasuke said in a low voice as he clenched his fist in anger.

Itachi gave a sigh of defeat before making his way to the door to exit the room. Awkward silence enveloped the two teens for a while after his exit; there was a dark gloom that surrounded Sasuke before the young man finally fell back to his seat beside Natsumi. She continued to stare at her lap, knowing the Sasuke wasn't really one to talk about his feelings, but when he suddenly took hold of her arm again, she looked to him in surprise to see him with not a look of anger, but his usual stoic expression. She said nothing as he examined her arm again before going about digging through the first aid kit and producing a jar of ointment.

"What's that?" Natsumi asked curiously as Sasuke unscrewed the lid and went about beginning to place the white cream onto her arm.

"Medical ointment" he replied in a monotone voice as he remained focused with the task of applying the ointment to her arm.

"Hn" Natsumi replied simply turning her gaze to the side awkwardly, until the boy stopped his actions and began to wrap a bandage on the area and earned a confused look from the girl.

"The ointment will help with the bruising" he explained with Natsumi simply nodding in response. "You know you're lucky that it wasn't worst" he then stated as he went about putting the items back into the first aid kit.

"What do you mean?" Natsumi asked raising a brow in interest as she looked at the boy.

"Any other girl or any other person for the matter would've screamed or cried or showed fear in some way and it would've ended a lot worst" Sasuke explained as Natsumi gave him a look of alarm.

"Sasuke you need to explain that better" Natsumi stated continuing to give the young man a look of alarm.

"Jugo likes blood when he goes into his little episodes of rage" he stated in a dull tone that further disturbed the dark haired teen girl as she raised a brow in disbelief. "But it didn't go that far and part of that is because you managed to stay so calm until we left the classroom" Sasuke said looking over Natsumi as she took in this new information. "Then again it's not like it would've gotten that far with me around" Sasuke said smugly as Natsumi rolled her eyes at his arrogance.

"You are so full of yourself" Natsumi said dismissively, making the Uchiha scowl.

"If you would've gotten up when Suigetsu said, then you would've never ended up in this situation" Sasuke shot back making Natsumi roll her eyes. "I'm right you know, if you would've gotten up we wouldn't have had to come to my house for me to take care of it. I had to apply the ointment and wrap it for you" Sasuke continued making Natsumi scoff.

"Well thank you but it's not like I asked you to do all of that Sasuke" Natsumi shot back in an annoyed tone.

"Natsumi your soup is ready" Mikoto suddenly announced stepping into the room with a tray that held the steaming bowl of soup along with a tea cup that also gave off steam. "What happened to your arm?" the woman asked in alarm as she eyed the wrapped bandage Natsumi wore.

"Fan club" Natsumi replied simply making Sasuke face palm while his mother gave an understanding nod.

"I hope everything is alright, I thought I heard yelling earlier and then Itachi left without saying anything" she said noting the quiet atmosphere that surrounded the teens.

'He didn't say anything' Sasuke thought in surprise as he turned to face his mother.

"That was us" Sasuke admitted earning a questioning look from his mother.

"About?" Mikoto asked raising a brow at her son, before Natsumi finally spoke.

"Sasuke called me fat" the teen stated in a meek voice that made a look of alarm cross both Mikoto and Sasuke's face as he turned to look at the girl in shock before looking to his mother.

"Sasuke" Mikoto said in a low voice that made her teenage son cower back in fear as a dark aura surrounded her.

Suddenly the sound of a phone ringing caught the attention of the three, as they turned to the source. Walking over to Sasuke's bed, Natsumi pulled the device from her jacket revealing a number which she did not recognize.

"I'm sorry but I need to step out to take this" the dark haired girl said turning back to the mother and son.

"It's fine dear, I have to have a word with my son anyways" Mikoto said in fake cheery tone.

Natsumi gave a nod of understanding before glancing to see Sasuke stiffen as he gave her a pleading look as if asking her not to leave. After his mother turned back to face him, Natsumi shot the boy a smirk before making her way to the door, as his brows rose in disbelief.

"Sasuke, a woman's figure is a sensitive subject and it should never be commented on so brashly!" the woman began in a harsh tone that made the teen male shrink back.

"But mom-" Sasuke tried to explain in a weary voice before the woman released a breath of anger.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Natsumi heard Mikoto say as she was beginning her lecture, while the dark haired teen girl closed the door as she stepped into the hall.

"Hello" she said as she answered the phone, bringing an end to the ringing.

"Hello Natsumi" a familiar voice replied from the other end of the line.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Natsumi asked as she recognized the voice of the silver haired male.

"Yes" he replied with a slight laugh. "I'm sorry to call so unexpectedly" he said as a new thought occurred to the teen girl.

"How did you get my number?" Natsumi asked curiously.

"Oh it was in your file" Kakashi replied from the other line.

"Hn" Natsumi stated simply before the man continued.

"I'm sorry this is so last minute but I'm actually going to need you to come back to the school" he said with awkward laugh, as Natsumi raised an eyebrow. "The Student Council is holding a progress meeting and have requested the presence of faculty and their aides" he explained further as Natsumi released a sigh of annoyance.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you're giving me another late notice" Natsumi stated in a monotone voice.

"You don't mean that Natsumi" Kakashi said awkwardly.

"What's the excuse?" Natsumi asked bluntly as she leaned against the wall with an arm crossing under her chest.

"Well you see I just got lost on the path of life" Kakashi replied meekly earning a scoff from the teen girl.

"I'll be there sensei" Natsumi stated releasing a deep breath.

"Perfect" Kakashi said happily. "You don't need to come now maybe in an hour or so" he said from the other line.

"I'll probably be along sooner otherwise we might both be late sensei" Natsumi stated making the other line go silent.

"Very funny Natsumi, I'll see you then" Kakashi finally said after a long pause before Natsumi hung up.

"Well there goes my Friday night" Natsumi thought out loud as she leaned her head back onto the wall with a heavy sigh as she looked to the ceiling. "Then again it's not like I had any plans" she said before running a hand through her locks and saving Kakashi's number in her phone.

She looked down at her phone for a moment before deciding to set an alarm for herself to leave so she would be able to arrive at the school on time. Then she made her way back into the room where she saw Mikoto finishing up a talk on woman's feelings while Sasuke stared downward.

"Natsumi" Mikoto exclaimed as she noticed the presence of the dark haired girl. "We're just about finished, why don't you sit and have your soup" she said kindly as Natsumi approached the pair slowly.

"Thank you" she said giving Mikoto an appreciative smile before returning to her seat on the couch.

"Of course dear" Mikoto said offering the teen another smile before making her way out of the room.

It was silent between the teens before Natsumi finally decided to reach for the bowl on the tray in front of her. The smell of the broth wafted upwards making the girl's mouth water as she lifted it to bring the bowl to her lap.

"So did you have a good talk with your mom?" Natsumi asked innocently, immediately earning a glare from Sasuke.

"You realize I received a whole lecture because of you, right?" Sasuke asked in a dark tone that made the teen girl stiffen before she offered an awkward laugh.

Sasuke then reached over, taking the soup away from Natsumi and beginning to eat it much to the dismay of the young girl.

"That's my soup" Natsumi whined, earning a sideways glare from Sasuke.

"Yeah but you're not sick" he replied snidely as he set the spoon back in the bowl, earning an eye roll from the dark haired girl before she reached over and took the spoon with some soup and placed it into her mouth. "You're so annoying" Sasuke said narrowing his eyes at the girl before she placed the spoon back and picked up the tea on the tray and began to sip it, paying no heed to the Uchiha's remark.

Sasuke reached for the remote, turning on a movie while the pair sat in silence as he finished eating and Natsumi sipped the rest of the tea. It was peaceful until his door suddenly swung open and Naruto appeared. The blonde wore a pair of black joggers with a plain black shirt and an orange and black jacket unzipped to reveal a necklace with a blue crystal around his neck.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said excitedly as he entered before his gaze landed on the two teens on the couch. "Oh and Natsumi is here too" the blonde said offering a kind smile before rushing to jump over the back of couch and landing between the two dark haired teens.

"Naruto" both said in unison as he plopped down on the sofa, before turning his head fully to Natsumi.

"Wow you got comfortable being here Natsumi" Naruto said looking at the tank top the girl wore, before his eyes lit up. "Wait a minute, why are you wearing that?" Naruto asked curiously as he scratched his head in thought.

"It's a long story" Natsumi said dismissively turning her attention back to the screen.

"Did you guys do something?" Naruto asked with a sly grin, before immediately earning a slap to the back of his head from Sasuke.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked in an annoyed tone as Naruto turned to him while placing a hand over the spot Sasuke struck and removing it allowing Natsumi to strike him again.

"You're such an idiot" Natsumi said catching the blonde's attention as he turned back to her.

"I'll take that as a 'no' otherwise you'd both be in much better moods" Naruto said dropping his hand from his head and earning another hit from the pair. "Ow!" Naruto cried out grabbing his head again.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Sasuke asked as both he and Natsumi looked back to the TV.

"Pervy sage had a package of foreign movies delivered" Naruto said, suddenly pulling a case from inside his jacket and holding it in front of him for both teens to see. "I thought I'd bring it over so we could watch it" he went on with a smile.

"Fine" Sasuke stated earning a wider grin from Naruto before the blonde turned to Natsumi for a reply, yet before the dark haired teen girl could respond, she was interrupted by the sound of her alarm going off.

"I have to go" she said turning off the alarm as both boys looked to her curiously. "I have this thing with Kakashi-sensei for Student Council" she explained as Naruto's brows raised and Sasuke gave a knowing smirk.

"Do you have to go? It's a Friday, you don't want to spend it with boring old Kakashi-sensei" the blonde whined as he furrowed his brows while the girl stood from her seat.

"Natsumi doesn't mind, she might actually like spending time with 'boring old Kakashi-sensei' instead of us" Sasuke said smugly with a smirk making the dark haired girl narrow her eyes to glare at the Uchiha while Naruto scratched his head in confusion at the looks the two exchanged.

"Whatever I'll see you guys later" Natsumi said with a scoff before grabbing her jacket and bag and rushing out the door.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked with a perplexed look crossing his face as he watched Natsumi exit.

"Just play your movie" Sasuke said dismissively.

...

Meanwhile Natsumi pulled her arms into the sleeves of her shirt beginning to button it and then placing the school jacket on while she was making her way down the stairs when she ran into Mikoto, who was disappointed that the young girl would not be joining the family for dinner. Natsumi was not permitted to leave until promising the woman she would be over more often and join them another time. The dark haired teen released a sigh of relief after Mikoto made her way back to the kitchen. Natsumi quickly made her way to exit the home but when she arrived at the door she was surprised when it suddenly opened to reveal Itachi.

"Itachi" Natsumi said jumping back slightly in surprise as the older Uchiha looked down to meet the gaze of her brown hues. "Your mom said you left" she said abruptly as she regained her composure.

"I forgot my wallet" Itachi explained offering the girl a half smile as he stepped into the home.

"Hn" Natsumi replied looking to the ground as she gave a nod of understanding. "Well I'll see you later" she said offering the young man a polite smile before beginning to make her way out of the door.

"You aren't staying for dinner?" Itachi asked bringing the girl to a halt as she looked back up to meet his gaze.

"I have a prior commitment with the school" she said earning a nod from the young man.

"Oh, would you like a ride?" he offered, making Natsumi give him a look of surprise, before shaking her head in response.

"You don't have to do that, but thank you" Natsumi said with an appreciative smile.

"It wouldn't be any trouble, I just need to grab my wallet if you didn't mind waiting" he said grabbing the back of his neck.

"Um ok" Natsumi agreed running a hand through her hair as she stepped away from the door.

"Actually if you want you can wait in the car, I need to grab one more thing" Itachi suddenly said as the teen girl nodded in understanding.

Natsumi quickly made her way out to the vehicle, opening the passenger door and taking a seat while she waited in silence before her gaze traveled to the middle screen and the song name Floral and Fading caught her attention.

'He listens to Pierce the Veil?' Natsumi thought before she contemplated turning it up to see if that was what was playing.

She nervously glanced to the direction of the house before slowly reaching over to turn the volume up from zero and much to her surprise discovering that she was right as the familiar tune and the voice of Vick played. She couldn't help but smile as she listened to the song and thought about the serious Itachi Uchiha having such a similar taste in music to her. This was soon interrupted though, as the song ended and she glanced back to see the older Uchiha nearing the car. Her brows immediately rose in surprise as she rushed to turn the volume down so he would not know she had adjusted it.

"I'm sorry did I startle you?" Itachi asked as he sat in the car and looked to the nervous looking teen.

"No" Natsumi replied quickly trying to look casual as the young man gave her a weary look before he noticed her shift her gaze to the middle screen.

Itachi gave a small smirk before pushing the back button to restart the song and then turning the volume up.

"This is: Floral and Fading by Pierce the Veil" he stated looking back to Natsumi. "There this band that-" he began to explain before being cut off by the young girl.

"I know" she said sheepishly, surprising the young man as he looked over the young girl.

"Really?" He asked in shock, before Natsumi pulled her phone from her jacket pocket, unlocking it and opening her playlist to hold the device up to the young man to show a few of the bands albums in her library. "Hn" he said before turning forward and remembering the object in his hand.

Itachi held up the ice pack to Natsumi who gave him a curious look before taking it.

"Thank you" she said holding the cold pack to her injured arm.

"I know Sasuke probably already treated it, but the ice will still help" Itachi explained earning a nod from Natsumi before he went about putting on his belt and pulling away from the Uchiha residence.

Nothing else was said between the two as they made their way down the streets of Konoha with only Itachi's music playing. It wasn't awkward as Natsumi enjoyed the silence as it allowed her to listen to the music that played, but upon reaching the front of the school Itachi finally spoke.

"Natsumi" he started as the young girl turned to look at him curiously. "I'm sorry about earlier, it wasn't my place to assume the nature of your injury and it was rude to have that confrontation with Sasuke in front of you" he apologized making a look of surprise cross the girl's face.

"You don't have to apologize, Itachi" she said trying to wave off the subject before he gave her a small smile of appreciation with a nod.

"You're too kind" Itachi said looking forward. "Sasuke is lucky you're so understanding" he went on as Natsumi gave a light laugh, catching Itachi's attention as he turned to her again.

"You're the kind one Itachi. I wish more guys could be like you" Natsumi admitted locking eyes with the Uchiha, before a thought crossed her mind.

She suddenly had a flashback to the conversation she previously had with Temari that day, when the topic of dating Itachi came up. But that didn't take long to end as Natsumi's eyes widened at the horror of her having this thought after the compliment she had just given the young man.

"I mean, I think people should be kinder in general" she corrected herself quickly as she nervously scratched the back of her head while giving the young man a closed eyed smile.

Itachi gave a light chuckle at the antics of the teen before her eyes opened to see him place a hand on top of her head.

"Sometimes I forget you're Sasuke's age with how mature you are, but moments like this are a nice reminder" Itachi said with a smile before removing his hand.

"Um thanks" Natsumi replied wearily. "And I appreciate you dropping me off" she said before opening the door and stepping out of the car.

"It was no problem Natsumi, I was just going to meet my friends to discuss furnishing the basement" he replied before the girl nodded in understanding and shut the car door.

She waved goodbye to the young man, watching him drive off before making her way to the school's entrance where she was surprised to see Temari casually leaning against the doorway with a knowing smirk across her face. The blonde wore a pair of light blue jeans with an off the shoulder purple t-shirt.

"Hello Natsumi" Temari said as the girl neared with a weary look.

"Hey Temari" Natsumi said.

"So was he 'just being polite' when dropping you off?" Temari asked making a blush cross Natsumi face.

"No he was being nice" Natsumi replied making her way past the blonde.

"Is that why you're blushing?" Temari asked in a teasing tone as she caught up and walked alongside the dark haired teen.

Natsumi glared at the laughing blonde with an irk mark appearing on her head before she suddenly walked into another person. Taken aback by the collision, the dark haired girl clumsily stumbled back before looking up to see Gaara. Temari immediately brought an arm to the back of Natsumi to steady her. The dark haired teen gave her blonde an appreciative nod before looking back to Gaara.

"Sorry Gaara. I have got to stop running into you like this" she apologized with a sheepish smile.

"I didn't see you" he replied simply as Natsumi awkwardly looked to the side, unsure of how to respond.

"Gaara, I thought you were going to wait in the conference room until the meeting starts?" Temari asked curiously catching the attention of her brother as he turned to her.

"I wanted to let you know we'll be starting" he replied earning a nod from the teen.

"That's fine, I'm sure Natsumi was the last one to arrive" Temari said.

"Am I late? Did Kakashi-sensei actually get here before me?" Natsumi asked in a worried tone as both siblings turned to face her.

"I doubt he'll show up until the meeting's almost over" Temari said allowing Natsumi to release a breath of relief.

"Temari was only at the door to allow the student aides and other council members in. He's a teacher so I'm sure he has a key to get in later" Gaara interjected as Natsumi gave a nod of understanding before the three made their way toward the conference room to start the meeting.

...

It was no surprise when Kakashi casually slipped into the meeting as it neared the end, leaving the silver haired man many glares of annoyance that were only met with his usual closed eyed smile before making his way to stand beside Natsumi. Soon the attention was taken off of him as Obito was the last to arrive, before the meeting was dismissed.

Natsumi gave an annoyed sigh as Kakashi tried to explain his reasoning for being late, before she caught him and Obito up on what was missed. Since the man was absent when the time came to assign jobs, Natsumi had taken the liberty of signing him up for supervising the late float making shifts and volunteering herself for donation collecting throughout the week with the council.

"I'm a little offended that you signed me up for the 'late' shifts but still glad you had a handle on things while I was gone" Kakashi said as he ran a hand through his silver locks.

"Hn" Natsumi replied as the pair walked down the hall toward Asuma-sensei's class where he requested the other faculty members to meet him to add to the donation.

"You really lucked out with such a good TA Kakashi" Obito said as he walked alongside the pair. "It's a Friday night and Natsumi probably had better plans than covering for you at some boring meeting" he went on.

"Shut up Obito" Kakashi replied with an annoyed tone as he looked over his dark haired friend. "But he does have a point; I hope I didn't disrupt any important plans" the silver haired man admitted turning back to Natsumi.

"It's fine sensei" Natsumi said reassuringly. "If you hadn't called I probably would've just watched a movie with Sasuke and Naruto" the girl said catching the interest of both men.

"Oh, that's nice you're such good friends with those two. They're a handful but they're good" Kakashi said placing his hands into his pockets.

"Were you watching at the theater?" Obito asked curiously looking over the girl.

"No Naruto brought a movie from home to watch at Sasuke's" Natsumi replied.

"You had to walk from the Uchiha residence?" Obito asked in surprise. "That's a far walk" he said nudging Kakashi with his elbow.

"I got a ride" Natsumi stated cutting in.

"Oh" Kakashi said glaring at Obito before looking back to Natsumi. "Sasuke probably wasn't too pleased but that's nice of him" the silver haired man said as the group came to a halt outside Asuma's classroom.

"Actually Itachi dropped me off" Natsumi said catching the attention of both men again.

"Oh" Kakashi said after a while, interrupting the silence amongst the three.

"Yeah but he didn't mind he was just on his way to meet with his friends to talk about furniture or something" she said before Obito suddenly brought a hand to his head and shut his eyes in pain.

"Obito, are you alright?" Kakashi asked in worry as Obito clenched his head. "Are you getting another one of your head aches?" he asked earning a nod from the black haired man as he kept his eyes closed tightly.

Natsumi had no idea what was going on as she watched Kakashi place a caring hand on the man's shoulder, only for it to be shaken off.

"I-I'm sorry Kakashi ... I have to go now" Obito then said before rushing off.

Natsumi and Kakashi stared after him until he disappeared from view.

"Is Obito-sensei alright?" Natsumi asked with her brows furrowing in concern.

"It's a discussion for another day" he replied as he released a sigh and led the girl into the room.

...

Asuma-sensei's class was warmer than usual and the line of staff members waiting to pitch into the donation didn't help. While waiting Natsumi grew tired of the heat and placed her hair into a high ponytail before being approached by Temari with a stack of posters and a stapler. The blonde requesting the girl's assistance in hanging the posters while Kakashi remained in line to pay (both his and Obito-sensei's parts), gave the dark haired teen a breath of relief as she eagerly nodded in reply.

The two girls quickly made their way around the halls placing the posters where they would best be seen by the by passers of the hall. Yet with all the walking done, Natsumi found herself to be growing warm once more.

"The air conditioner is set to go off automatically at a specific time" Temari informed the girl as she noticed Natsumi beginning to fan herself with her hand. "I would suggest taking off the jacket" Temari said, earning a nod of agreement from Natsumi.

When the girl's stopped to hang their last poster, Temari held it against the wall while Natsumi allowed the school jacket to drop from her shoulders before tying it around the small of her waist. She then immediately went about holding up the high corner of her end while Temari stapled the other. Yet in doing so repeatedly, Natsumi felt the pain of her arm erupt, automatically making the teen drop it in pain.

"Is everything ok?" Temari asked in concern as she watched Natsumi hold her shoulder.

"Yeah its fine, it's just a little sore" Natsumi replied dismissing the topic.

Nothing was said as they continued on; Temari simply gave the girl a knowing look that made her uncomfortable.

"Temari" Natsumi whined as they walked.

"What happened?" Temari asked in a demanding tone.

"Fan club" Natsumi stated in a dull tone, earning a baffled look from Temari before the blonde spoke again.

"They must feel threatened with how close you are to the Uchiha" Temari said in a teasing tone.

"It's not like that" Natsumi complained just before Kakashi-sensei opened the door.

"Oh you're back" the silver haired man said looking down at the girl. "I could give you a ride home if you like, but I was planning on stopping for a bite anyways" Kakashi offered.

"It's fine sensei I already-" Natsumi began before remembering she only had a bite from the soup Mikoto made as Sasuke finished the rest. "I don't mind walking" she back tracked as the man raised a brow in suspicion.

"We'll get dumplings" he said walking past the girl, who simply blinked in confusion.

"But I said-" she began before turning to see the man waiting expectantly.

She looked at Kakashi-sensei before looking back to Temari.

"We'll talk more later" Temari said offering the girl a reassuring smile before Natsumi began rushing into the room to grab her bag then rush back out to walk with Kakashi.

The rest of the evening held no real importance as the pair made their way to a small dumpling shop, where they sat and ate. The conversation was mundane as Natsumi didn't want to pry into the odd behavior of Obito-sensei ... yet. The pair mainly discussed the ongoing events to come before leading into the more basic topics of now Natsumi enjoyed Konoha and her new friends. At the end of their meal Kakashi dropped the girl off at home where she tiredly lay back on her bed as she let the events of that day sunk in.

'Why do I feel like things will only get worse when Homecoming is here?' Natsumi thought.

A/N: Well that's the chapter. I hope you all enjoy. Let me know you're thoughts on the story so far. Do we love Itachi? What are your thoughts on Sasuke? Are you ready to meet the rest of the Akatsuki? How do you think Natsumi will handle all of the new things to come? Please remember to read and review and til next time xoxo.