Best Friend's Brother 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters used aside from my OC.
It was the week before homecoming. More specifically the Thursday before and Natsumi found herself to be utterly exhausted as she trudged through the halls, slowly making her way in the direction of Kakashi-sensei's classroom.
'This is just the week before Homecoming and I feel like crap, does that mean it's only going to get worst when the actual week starts?' the dark haired teen thought as she released a yawn before rubbing her eyes tiredly.
She usually seemed so stoic and unaffected but now she radiated nothing but that of sleep deprivation as the dark bags under her eyes were now far more prominent than that of her warm brown hues. Her usually shiny black hair seemed so dry as instead of hanging freely, it was messily tied back into a bun on her head while her bangs hung over her eyes.
"Good morning Natsumi" Kakashi greeted the teen girl casually from his seat at his desk, keeping his eyes onto his book while raising a hand to her.
"Kakashi-sensei" Natsumi said dryly as she closed the door behind her and approached the silver haired man's desk.
"You alright?" the man asked lifting his gaze from his book as his dark eyes shifted over to look over the young girl.
He received nothing but a growl in return as she looked at him and made her way over to pull a seat up to sit in front of his desk. Ever since the week started, Natsumi's usual schedule became far more hectic with all she took on. On top of her usual school work and teacher's aide responsibilities, she also had the donation collecting around Konoha with the council afterschool, and the late night float making shifts as they were the only shift available after her hours with her studies and her donation collecting. In all her grades remained intact and all of her commitments were met with satisfactory results, but sadly it was at the cost of her usual liveliness. That meant coming in even earlier than usual to deal with the extra work load.
"Well that's no big surprise considering the week we've had but at least it's almost done" the silver haired man said calmly as she sat in front of him resting her head on the desk with a thud.
"Can we just start?" Natsumi asked groggily unmoving from her position.
Kakashi smiled under his mask as he looked at Natsumi. Even on the brink of collapsing from tiredness, she was still pushing herself to keep going. Her dedication greatly reminded the silver haired man of his dark haired friend who had been MIA for the better part of the week. Kakashi felt a pang of guilt with this in mind as he was somewhat used to covering for the dark haired man, but now Obito's absences not only affected him as Natsumi was now dragged into covering for him.
"Natsumi I really do apologize for the inconvenience ... Obito is my friend and covering for him should be my responsibility alone" Kakashi said seriously as Natsumi looked up to meet his gaze.
"Kakashi-sensei as I recall you said me being your teacher's aide didn't mean I was just working for you but with you because this is a partnership" Natsumi stated making the man's eyes widen in surprise. "And with that being said, I'm not leaving you out to take care of everything on your own ... We're in it together sensei" she went on making a genuine smile cross Kakashi's face.
"Alright let's get to work" he said enthusiastically before reaching behind his desk and putting a box of files between the two.
Natsumi gave him a small smile of reassurance as she gave a nod before standing from her seat to begin taking the files out. She quickly went about sorting them into the perspective piles for her and Kakashi to start working when she noticed the man place a white bag onto the desk as well.
"Breakfast?" Natsumi asked hopefully as a small spark of light lit up her dull eyes, when she noticed the smell of food radiating from the bag.
Kakashi offered a small smile from behind his mask, making Natsumi's face light up in gratitude. One of the perks of helping Kakashi-sensei throughout the week was that the man had been kind enough to pack breakfast for the two with how early they arrived. Taking out the contents he set a bento box in front of the girl, taking off the top to reveal fish, rice and a scrambled egg, before taking out another for himself.
"Thank you sensei" Natsumi said with a smile before being handed a pair of chopsticks.
There wasn't much said between the two as they worked and ate in silence while working. As the time neared for other students to arrive on campus, they proceeded to clean up and set aside what they still needed to complete, before the silver haired man dismissed Natsumi to make her way to her first class of the day.
Walking out into the now more crowded halls, Natsumi felt the slight stinging to her eyes that made her shut them tightly before opening them again.
"You look awful" Sasuke suddenly said standing in front of the girl who came to a halt to glare up at him.
"Really? I had no idea, what would I have done if a friend like you hadn't told me?" Natsumi shot back sarcastically, earning an eye roll from the Uchiha.
"Whatever" Sasuke said stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants as he looked away from the girl.
"Hn" Natsumi said simply side stepping the young man before he brought a hand to the wall to stop her.
Natsumi glared a Sasuke for a while before the dark haired boy finally spoke.
"My mother wants to have you over this evening to discuss when you two will be going dress shopping" he stated earning a sigh from Natsumi.
"I don't know Sasuke" Natsumi said crossing her arms over her chest. "In all honesty that's the last thing on my mind with how this week had been going" she went on making the Uchiha raise a brow at her.
"You know you don't have to put in so much effort" the Uchiha said in a serious tone.
"It's not in my nature to half-ass something" Natsumi said rubbing one of her eyes tiredly.
"Natsumi you're killing yourself over something that isn't worth it" he stated surprising the girl as she looked at him in shock. "You come in early to help Kakashi-sensei with grading, you go to all your classes, you use lunch to study, you go around Konoha with the council afterschool, you finish studying and attend the late float decorating after, just to go home and do it all over again?" Sasuke asked leaving the girl with nothing to say as she looked at him in further shock.
'Sasuke really pays attention' she thought before rolling her eyes.
"I don't need your critique Sasuke" she said stubbornly looking to the side.
"What's the point in you doing all of this anyways?" Sasuke asked looking the dark haired girl straight in the eyes. "If you're just doing this all for him, it's not worth it" he said making the girl's face burn with embarrassment and anger as she stood looking up at the Uchiha with no words.
Natsumi was in utter disbelief as she stared up at the Uchiha. Sasuke had no reaction to her gaze, simply looking down at her. The tension between the two was so thick that it could be cut with a knife and that was evident to everyone who passed, but of course Naruto didn't.
"Hey guys!" the blonde greeted the pair in as he approached. "Can you believe Homecoming is already next week?" he asked obliviously as he stretched and released a large yawn. "Whoa, you look rough Natsumi" Naruto said taking notice to the dark haired girl's disheveled appearance.
"You guys are jerks" Natsumi said in an annoyed tone before storming off, leaving a confused Naruto and an indifferent Sasuke.
"Was it something I said?" Naruto asked scratching his head in confusion.
"Idiots" Sasuke stated simply before walking off and leaving Naruto in further confusion.
Meanwhile unbeknownst to the trio of students, they had acquired a few onlookers who watched inconspicuously from a distance.
"What do you think Sasuke meant when he said 'If you're doing this all for him, it's not worth it'?" Kiba asked curiously bringing an arm around Shino.
"It doesn't matter Kiba because it's none of our concern" the brown haired boy said in an annoyed tone. "I can't believe you actually had us stop to listen to their conversation" he went on before being cut off by Kiba.
"It's not like we listened to the whole thing Shino, otherwise we might know what guy they were talking about" Kiba said making Shino release a sigh of annoyance before the two boys walked on.
"Did you hear that Matsuri? It sounds like we don't have to worry about Natsumi getting involved with Gaara if she has a boyfriend" Yukata said happily before being elbowed by Matsuri abruptly.
"Would you pipe down?!" the brunette asked in an angry tone before looking around cautiously, to make sure no one had heard this time. "We don't need a repeat of what happened last time" she said turning her attention to her dark haired friend.
"You don't have to be so mean" Yukata said placing a hand over the spot where she was struck.
"We need to find out more about this mystery guy" the brown haired girl said ignoring her friend's previous statement.
"Why?" Yukata asked curiously.
"To make sure it's not Gaara of course!" Matsuri replied earning another look of confusion from the teen girl beside her.
"But what makes you think it would be Gaara?" Yukata asked as she turned her head to the side in confusion.
"Natsumi's been spending a lot of time with the council this week, what if it's all some ploy to get close to Gaara so she can ask him to Homecoming?" Matsuri asked making a look of understanding light up Yukata's face.
"But doesn't Natsumi spend most of her time with Temari, instead of Gaara?" Yukata asked with a curious look crossing her face again.
"We need more information" Matsuri said dismissively before pulling the black haired girl along as the halls filled with more of the morning school traffic.
...
Kakashi-sensei sat skimming the pages of his book with no expression on his face. His classroom was silent until the door suddenly opened and when he looked up he was surprised to see none other than Sasuke standing before him.
"Kakashi-sensei" Sasuke greeted the man who now set down his book.
"Sasuke, this is a surprise" Kakashi said as he stood from his seat.
"We need discuss something" Sasuke stated simply making Kakashi raise a brow in interest.
"Ah about?" the silver haired man asked casually.
There was an air of seriousness surrounding the two males as they looked at one another. At least that was until Naruto suddenly slammed open the classroom door as he barged in.
"WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT NATSUMI!" Naruto announced loudly.
"I told you to wait outside" Sasuke said narrowing his eyes at the blonde in annoyance.
"Yeah but then you would take too long to get to the point" Naruto said walking up to the pair.
"What is this about Natsumi?" Kakashi asked casually. "Did one of you want to ask her to Homecoming during my class because you two know I hate disruptions" the silver haired man went on earning blank looks from the two teen boys.
"No" Sasuke said in a dull tone.
"No not me either since ... I kind of already have plans to ask someone else" Naruto said between chuckles as a blush crossed his face while he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh" Kakashi said as Naruto continued to laugh while Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So what's this about then?" the silver haired man asked.
"Natsumi has been running herself ragged with all she's been doing for you" Sasuke stated surprising the man.
Kakashi raised his brows in surprise as he looked over the two boys. He could expect something like this from Naruto, but the fact that Sasuke had come to discuss the well-being of another was something that the silver haired man would have never expected. Kakashi released a heavy sigh before he spoke.
"I understand your worry over Natsumi. She has a lot on her plate with all the work she does and I've even offered to excuse her from the extra work, but she is persistent" the silver haired man said running a hand through his hair.
"Well can't you just take a break from all the work for a day?" Naruto asked placing his hands behind his head.
"If I did that then what would you suppose we do during class and what about the grading?" Kakashi asked.
"Well you could let us watch a movie and then just give us a break on grades for a while" Naruto replied causally scratching the back of his head while offering the man an innocent smile.
"Idiot" Sasuke said dismissively while Kakashi gave Naruto a blank stare.
Kakashi readied himself to explain why this would not be a possibility when a thought struck him.
"He might not have the worst idea" Kakashi finally said after a while, earning confused looks from both boys.
"Really?" both teen males asked in unison.
"But you see the problem is her work as my aide is only half the problem, the real issue is the work she has from Homecoming" the silver haired man stated. "With the time she has to put in after school, she's really throwing off her sleeping schedule, but the donations aren't going to collect themselves and if we had more volunteers them we wouldn't even need to have a late float decorating shift" he went on as the boys listened quietly.
"Kakashi-sensei are you just trying to get us to cover the remaining donations and finish the float?" Naruto asked crossing his arms over his chest.
Sasuke raised a brow at Kakashi, who simply held his hands up in defense while offering the two his signature closed eyed smile as he walked backwards to his desk.
"I'm not going to tell you boys to do anything" the silver haired teacher replied innocently as he sat at his seat. "I'm simply offering solutions to help your friend so she doesn't have to do that much more" Kakashi said now sliding a volunteer sign-up sheet attached to a clipboard toward the two.
"I could ask the old perv to make a donation and I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind" Naruto thought out loud running a hand through his blonde locks.
"How is two extra volunteer's afterschool going to get rid of the shift you and Natsumi have later?" Sasuke asked giving Kakashi a serious look.
"Oh you and Naruto certainly have the energy to get the job done, but I was more or less referring to the weight you pull with your peers Sasuke" Kakashi replied with another smile, making Sasuke stiffen while Naruto tried his best to stifle his laughter.
"No" Sasuke said bluntly.
"Oh come on Sasuke, it's for Natsumi" Naruto said slinging an arm around the Uchiha's shoulders.
"No" Sasuke stated again.
"You could get half the girls in school to sign up just this morning" Naruto said trying to persuade the dark haired young man.
"Shut up Naruto" Sasuke said in an annoyed tone as an irk mark appeared on his head.
"It was only a suggestion" Kakashi now said cutting into the conversation, but when the two teens turned to look at the man, they saw him casually reading his book again. "After all it would have been the best option since you wanted to help YOUR friend" the silver haired man went on making Sasuke clench his fists in anger.
Kakashi glanced between the two boys until Naruto finally turned to Sasuke with pleading eyes, making the Uchiha release an aggravated sigh.
...
Sitting in her first hour class, Natsumi was surprised when Sasuke and Naruto arrived late. The two boys simply offered a quick explanation to Iruka-sensei before taking their seats.
'They both came to school on time, so why are they late?' she thought curiously as she glanced to the Uchiha beside her.
Upon noticing Natsumi's gaze, Sasuke shot her a glare before turning his attention to the front as Iruka-sensei went about his lesson for the day.
'Maybe he's still mad about our fight this morning' Natsumi thought looking away from Sasuke and directing her attention to Iruka-sensei as well.
Nothing of interest happened for the remainder of class, but Natsumi did notice that the Uchiha was acting colder than usual to her. She shrugged this off, marking it off to one of his usual angst moods, but she had a feeling it could have been something more when Naruto didn't bother with an explanation but instead kept telling her she shouldn't worry too much about her afterschool plans thanks to the two boys, leaving the girl with an anxious feeling with what he meant. In fact the blonde's actions were even more off putting than the Uchiha's, making Natsumi grow weary as the day progressed.
'I called them jerks earlier, but it's not like I expected them to take it to heart so much' Natsumi thought as she sat in her art class.
She looked down at the piece she was painting, feeling unaccomplished as she noted how little progress she had made.
'I need to focus' she thought chastising herself but she couldn't help but let her mind wonder to the dark and blonde haired boys.
"Penny for your thoughts" Sasori's voice said pulling the dark haired teen girl from her thoughts as she looked up from her canvas to see his brown orbs staring down at her.
Sasori wore a pair of black pants with a maroon long sleeve shirt that had the sleeves pushed back and a pair of black shoes.
'Oh great now I'm going to get a lecture on my piece' Natsumi thought as she sat up.
"Sasori" she greeted the redhead half-heartedly.
"You seem off lately" Sasori stated simply, earning a confused look from Natsumi.
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
Sasori calmly reached over, picking up the canvas from in front of Natsumi to hold in front of himself to further inspect.
"Your hearts not in this" he said making the dark haired girl furrow her brows. "It's all over the place and scattered" he went on surprising the girl as he analyzed her work.
"I just have a lot on my plate right now" Natsumi admitted making Sasori glance at her before looking back to her piece.
"I can tell" he stated simply.
"Let me guess it's because I look awful?" she asked sarcastically making the redheaded young man raise a brow at her.
"I was going to say your work looks awful but since you said it, sure" Sasori replied honestly, making the girl smile.
"I really walked into that one" she said as Sasori offered no response.
"Natsumi I-" Sasori began before being cut off as Deidara entered the conversation.
The blonde wore a pair of black high tops with a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt.
"Don't listen to him un, Sasori wouldn't know real art if it blew up in his face" the blonde said standing beside the redhead. "Besides art is an explosion, it'll come to you spontaneously and as for how you look, I don't think you look awful because I would still-" he went on before being cut off by a push from Sasori.
"Stop before you say something illegal" Sasori said making the blonde glare at him.
"I'm building her confidence in her work!" Deidara defended himself before turning back to face Natsumi. "Anyways if you have a lot on your mind then I think-" Deidara started before being interrupted by Sasori again.
"So you were eavesdropping?" Sasori asked nonchalantly, making the blonde's face light up in a bright red blush of embarrassment.
"Would you but out?!" Deidara asked in an annoyed tone.
"Oh I didn't realize you wanted to have a private conversation, how rude of me" Sasori shot back sarcastically as Natsumi placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Anyways Natsumi" Deidara said turning his attention back to the dark haired girl as he ignored Sasori's previous statement. "If you have a lot on your mind you should take a walk to clear your head, I could show you around some of my favorite spots, you know there's this empty classroom on the upper level that I'm almost positive the teacher's still don't know isn't locked" he went on earning an awkward look from the dark haired girl as she raised a brow at him.
'He can't be serious' she thought looking at him in disbelief.
"I was going to suggest the same thing" Sasori said catching the attention of the pair. "Except I was going to recommend going alone instead of with a predator" he said glancing to Deidara at the end.
Natsumi couldn't hide the laughter that escaped as Deidara did an anime fall while Sasori simply stared at the blonde with a blank expression.
"I am not a predator" Deidara exclaimed loudly catching the attention of the entire classroom as they turned to look at the young man with wide eyes. "Out of context!" Deidara yelled to the students who wearily returned to their work while Natsumi laughed even harder.
"Of course not Deidara" Natsumi said after calming her laughter. "It's not like you offered me candy to lure me into a white van" she said jokingly, but suddenly making the blonde stiffen while Sasori now smirked. "What?" Natsumi asked looking between the two with curious eyes.
"Deidara drives a white van" Sasori said with his smirk widening.
"It carries my drum set!" Deidara said defensively as Natsumi now giggled at the antics of the two older boys. "And last I checked it also carries you and your keyboard" he went on.
"You guys are really great" she exclaimed through her laughter, before noticing Kurenai-sensei approaching.
"I'm not hearing the most productive conversation guys" she said standing beside the boys.
"Our apologies" Sasori said before placing Natsumi's canvas in front of her again.
"Is everything alright?" Kurenai asked in concern as her eyes fell onto Natsumi's painting.
'Is it really that bad?' Natsumi inwardly cried.
"Natsumi you seem to have a lot going on" the female teacher said furrowing her brows in concern.
"Um sensei would it be alright if I took a walk to clear my head?" Natsumi asked wearily.
The woman released a heavy sigh before running a hand through her hair in thought.
"Sure just make sure not to be too long" Kurenai replied before Natsumi made her way out.
...
Natsumi slowly walked the empty halls, releasing a heavy sigh as she stuck her hands into her pockets and kept her eyes downcast.
'I really need to get it together' the teen thought before the sound of another set of footsteps caught her attention.
"Natsumi" she heard the familiar raspy voice of Gaara say, catching her off guard as she raised her gaze to see him approaching her from the opposite direction of the hall.
"Gaara" Natsumi said as she walked up to the red head.
"What are you doing out of class?" he asked curiously as the dark haired girl stood before him.
"Apparently I had a lot going on so I'm supposed to be taking a walk to clear my head" she responded as Gaara nodded in understanding.
"Oh I see" he replied continuing to look down at the girl.
'Well this isn't awkward at all' Natsumi thought sarcastically as she looked up at the re headed boy, before thinking of something to say.
"What about you?" She asked looking to the side to break eye contact with the young man.
"Student Council" he stated simply, earning a nod from Natsumi.
'That's not really an answer but ok' she thought awkwardly looking to the ground, as she did not know how to continue this conversation, or any conversation with him for the matter.
When the two had first met, Natsumi could admit that she found herself attracted to the young man due to his striking features like his piercing blue eyes, unruly red hair, and voice. But after some time, she found him to not be the best conversationalist, which was odd considering that he was the Student Body President. The two never really spoke during the day. At lunch, Naruto was their middle man, in class they never interacted, and afterschool Natsumi mainly interacted with only Temari. So when rare moments like these occurred, it left the dark haired teen feeling off set on how she should talk with the young man, considering the natural quiet nature of Gaara.
"Well I guess I'll see you later" Natsumi said before sidestepping the young man.
"I've actually been meaning to talk to you" he suddenly said surprising the teen as she came to a halt and stared at the boy in wonder.
"Oh" she replied as he turned to face her.
"We won't need your assistance with donation collecting afterschool today" he stated as the girl raised a brow in question. "We received the remaining amounts today from two students' families" he explained as Natsumi nodded in understanding.
"Oh that's great" Natsumi replied not knowing what else to say.
"Yes" he agreed leaving another long pause before Natsumi spoke.
"Well I guess I'll see you later" she said awkwardly as she began to step away from the young man, before he stopped her again.
"There's actually something else I wanted to ask you in regards to homecoming" he stated bringing Natsumi to an abrupt halt as she felt her heart beat nervously.
"Oh Gaara, you see I already have a da-" she began she nervously grabbed the back of her neck before the stopping as the young man gave her a confused look.
"I just wanted to know if you would mind coming to the afterschool float decorating" he said making the girl feel as if the ground had been taken out from underneath her.
Natsumi's face glowed a bright red shade as she felt her voice hitch in her throat as she listened to the red headed boy continue.
"We received a massive amount of volunteers this morning so if we can get everyone to work productively then we won't even need the later shift" he explained further as Natsumi felt herself shrink down in embarrassment.
'I can't believe I thought he was asking me to homecoming' she thought as she felt her heart drop to her stomach.
"Is everything alright?" Gaara asked leaning down to be eye level with the dark haired girl, who blinked in surprise.
"Yes, sorry I just ..." she started to explain before noticing Gaara's confused look again. "I-I will be there" she said back tracking as she gave a nervous look.
Gaara simply nodded before continuing on his way down the hall and leaving Natsumi to stare after him trying to calm her flustered state.
'I'm so stupid' she thought in embarrassment while face palming before deciding to turn around and return to her art class.
...
Sitting in her art class Natsumi decided to no longer linger on the thoughts that haunted her mind, as she went about working on her piece with a focused look on her face.
"This is much better" Kurenai-sensei suddenly said placing a hand on Natsumi's shoulder as she stood behind the teen girl. "Before there was so much uncertainty but now you really managed to focus in on one emotion" she commented as Sasori and Deidara made their way over to glance at the canvas.
"It's true" Sasori commented standing beside Natsumi. "You really captured the essence of ... pain" he analyzed, making the girl feel as if the world around her was shattering.
"It's not pain, it's passion" Deidara argued as he stood on the opposite side of the dark haired girl. "Don't you see the conflict of the heart?" he asked pointing to a specific area as Natsumi felt herself shrink back in her seat.
'This can't get any worst' Natsumi thought.
"It's embarrassment" Sai suddenly said, making the girl fall out of her chair before snapping her head to the side to see the pale young man leaning over to look over her work.
"It is" Kurenai exclaimed as a smile of accomplishment crossed her face. "Good work on analysis Sai" she complimented before walking to another student.
"I see it" Sasori said leaning in to further inspect the piece while Deidara offered the teen a hand to assist her in standing up.
"How did you get that?" Deidara asked looking at the pale teen boy with a raised brow.
"You can see it in the pressure of her brush strokes, as well as the color scheme she used and the way she's blushing right now" Sai stated as the two older boys looked to Natsumi to confirm Sai's analysis.
"Shut up Sai" Natsumi said in a warning tone as the pale boy gave her a confused look. "I'm not embarrassed, if anything I'm really upset now" Natsumi stated glaring at the young man.
"Oh I know what to do" Sai suddenly said with his face lighting up in realization before the boy went about digging through his bag and producing a book.
"Understanding People's feelings" Deidara read the title aloud as he raised a brow in question.
"This is not going to end well" Sasori stated before crossing his arms over his chest and walking off.
"Ah yes, 'If your friend is under emotional distress, it is best to comfort them with a caring gesture that shows support like placing a hand on their shoulder or giving them a kind smile'" Sai read aloud as Deidara raised a brow in interest.
Sai then stood from his set taking a step to the dark haired girl.
"Don't Sai" she said in a low tone before turning her gaze away from the boy and looking back to her work.
'Is it really that easy to tell my mood from my painting?' Natsumi thought looking over the canvas with a critical eye, before she felt her personal space being invaded.
Sai slowly stood beside Natsumi, reaching around the teen girl before placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her close. Deidara's mouth opened in surprise of the quiet boy's boldness as he watched the scene unfold. With her head enclosed in Sai's arm, Natsumi felt her temper rise as she looked up to the young man and was met with his usual smile, that only made her angrier. Natsumi quickly brought her hands between the two, pushing Sai away as an irk mark appeared on her head.
"Damn it Sai" Natsumi said in an irritated tone before the pale young man scratched his head in confusion.
"I don't understand" Sai admitted before being interrupted by the sound of Deidara's laughter.
"This class is probably my favorite un" the blonde said through laughter before walking off from the teens as Natsumi returned to her piece and Sai referred back to his book.
"Uh Natsumi, I was actually hoping if weren't busy later, you might come hear my band practi-"Deidara started to ask the young girl before being cut off by the bell.
"I'm sorry Deidara I have to get to class" Natsumi said gathering her things and rushing off.
"God damn it!" the blonde exclaimed angrily.
...
To say the rest of the day was a surprise for Natsumi would be an understatement as her assignments did not have the usual amount of rigor she came to expect. In Kakashi-sensei's English class, the students were assigned into groups of three to read a small passage from their books, that they would then summarize and display on a poster that was due the following day. A simple enough assignment, but since Natsumi was placed in a group with Naruto and Sasuke, it seemed almost impossible to have any progress. Both boys still behaved oddly in terms of personality, but Natsumi was only further put off by their actions. Typically the more believable option of the two fighting so much that they would get nothing done, was not the case as instead, Sasuke simply refused to do anything, while Naruto was offering no input what-so-ever. Natsumi was fuming in anger by the end of class as the group had managed to finish reading their assigned section and place the chapter name on the poster, but thankfully Kakashi-sensei had informed his students that anything not done in class would need to be completed for homework.
'Did they do this on purpose so we would have to work on it afterschool?' she thought releasing an irritated sigh as she rolled up their poster and the boys returned to their perspective seats for the next class.
Yet things weren't any better for Kakashi-sensei's Math class, as the man had made the day a makeup day for any students who had missing assignments while the others were to watch and take notes on a video that would introduce the next topic. It was mainly silent for the most part and nothing happened, yet Natsumi couldn't help but feel like something was off, as her brown hues wandered through the room before landing on Sasuke.
'What's going on with him?' Natsumi thought as she looked over the young man, noting how much more rigid he seemed than usual. 'He seems more on edge than usual' she thought before the young man's onyx orbs made eye contact with her.
"What are you staring at?" Sasuke asked in a dry tone.
"What's going on with you?" Natsumi asked furrowing her brows in concern. "You've been acting so weird today like ... moodier than usual" she explained earning a glare from the Uchiha.
"Hn" he stated simply as he rolled his eyes.
"That's not an answer" Natsumi replied in an annoyed tone.
"Guys no talking" Kakashi-sensei then called from his desk as he kept his eyes trained on his book.
Natsumi released a huff of defeat before turning her attention forward, before noticing the small smirk the Uchiha wore in her preferable vision.
"I guess you are coming over later" he said smugly in a low tone, making the girl snap her head to the side to give him a look of surprise to which he gave no reaction, simply remaining silent until the end of class.
...
'Today's just not my day' Natsumi thought as she made her way back into the locker room after PE. The class itself didn't add onto the state of her day as the students were given a fairly easy day of capture the flag. Yet Natsumi couldn't help but let all of the other events wonder into her mind as she stood in the warm water of the shower.
'Sasuke and Naruto have been acting so weird lately' the dark haired teen thought as she began to lather her hair with shampoo. 'But it's not like I really have time to worry about that with all I have on my plate' she went on as she began rinsing her hair. 'On the bright side I might not need to be out so late tonight if everything with Student Council gets done' she thought before going about finishing her shower.
As she wrapped a towel securely around her frame after stepping out, Natsumi couldn't help but feel a bit of relief as she allowed herself to release a breath before making her way to the section where her locker was, yet when in route, she was taken aback when she was suddenly grabbed by the forearm and pulled.
"Hey Natsumi I need your opinion on something" Sakura said loudly, making the young girl jump in surprise.
Looking up she saw the pink haired girl had yet to get dressed as she too wore nothing but a towel wrapped around her.
"Can it wait until I get dressed?" Natsumi asked trying to pull herself from the pinkette's grip.
"It's just going to be really quick" Sakura said dismissively, finally bringing the dark haired girl to a halt as they stood by her locker. "What do you think I should wear?" she suddenly asked releasing Natsumi and holding up two shirts in front of her.
"What?" Natsumi asked in confusion as she looked over the two articles of clothing, earning only a serious look from Sakura.
The first shirt was a sheer red button up with no sleeves and a white tank top underneath while the other was a maroon V-neck t-shirt with short sleeves.
"Um what are you wearing for the bottoms?" Natsumi asked wearily, making the pink haired girl's face light up.
"These" Sakura said excitedly as she held up a pair of blue denim shorts, before setting it down and holding up the two shirts again.
"What's the occasion?" Natsumi asked looking at the pink haired girl.
"Float decorating of course" Sakura replied making a look of shock cross Natsumi's face.
"You're volunteering?" Natsumi asked in disbelief.
"Oh Natsumi, do you think this lipstick is a good color for me?" Ino asked surprising the teen as she turned to see the blonde enter the locker section, wearing a pair of light blue skinny jeans with a dark purple button up undone to reveal a white crop top underneath, while holding a red lipstick up.
"Are you volunteering too?" Natsumi asked in surprise.
"Duh" Ino replied snidely. "Now answer" she commanded making a confused look cross Natsumi's face.
"Hey I asked her for help first Ino-pig!" Sakura interjected in an annoyed tone.
"Like it would even matter, Billboard Brow!" Ino shot back. "Nothing you wear is going to take the attention away from that huge forehead" she went on crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh and you expect lipstick to cover how much of pig you are?!" Sakura asked rhetorically as Natsumi sweat dropped at the argument the two girls had.
'Maybe now would be a good time to slip out' Natsumi thought slowly taking a step back, before Sakura noticed her trying to escape and pulled her back.
"You haven't picked one yet" Sakura said holding the shirts up again.
"I just need a yes or no" Ino now said holding up the lipstick again.
Natsumi felt overwhelmed as the two girls continued to try and shout their choices louder than the other with her standing in between them. With the stress of the week finally wearing down on her, Natsumi could feel her patience began to dwindle. It really wasn't her day as the bickering of the two continued, with Natsumi readying herself to interject to stop them when it was Ino who suddenly changed the direction of the conversation.
"Wait a minute ... No offense Natsumi but do you really intend to go looking like that?" the blonde asked raising a brow as she pointed at the girl.
"Yes Ino, dripping wet in a towel is how I intended to go" Natsumi replied sarcastically as she now had an irk mark appear on her head.
"I think she means your face" Sakura said now entering the conversation, as Natsumi turned to her in disbelief.
'They want my opinions but are ripping on how I look?' Natsumi thought in annoyance.
"Yeah you look so tired" Ino went on catching the girl's attention again.
"I think I might be able to help" Sakura said stepping away to rummage through her bag before pulling out a makeup bag.
"I can do your hair" Ino exclaimed excitedly, making Natsumi sweat drop before being pulled to her locker where she pulled out a blow dryer and hair brush.
'What did I get pulled into?' Natsumi thought as both girls went about prepping her.
By the end Natsumi was led to the tall mirror of the locker room where the girls proudly presented their work. Her hair had been straightened and her dark circles concealed, leaving her looking ever so radiant. She would have been ready to go if not for the fact that she still only wore a towel around her body.
"Much better" Ino said with a smile.
"Thanks" Natsumi replied wearily as she stared at her reflection.
With how busy she had been lately, she didn't bother putting too much effort into her appearance but she was surprised to see how little work the girls had done to make her look like she actually had a healthy sleeping schedule. Of course Natsumi could have put in the extra effort with makeup, but the teen typically opted out during school as she knew there wasn't a real use since she had PE at the end of the day.
"What are friends for?" Sakura asked giving the girl a kind smile before a more serious look crossed her face. "Now which one?" Sakura asked urgently holding up both as the girl now had on the shorts and a white bra.
"This one" Natsumi replied pointing to the V-neck.
"Oh why not the pretty one?" the pink haired girl asked dejectedly.
"You're volunteering for float decorating, if you get paint on yourself I'm guessing its better this shirt than the other and as for your lipstick" Natsumi said now turning to Ino whose eyes lit up in excitement. "It's not really necessary" she said making the blonde's shoulders slump in disappointment.
"Really?" both girls asked in unison as Natsumi simply nodded in reply.
"Why are you asking me anyways?" the dark haired girl asked raising a brow at the two who looked away from her gaze sheepishly.
"Well since you're closest to Sasuke, we figured ..." Sakura began slowly, as Natsumi crossed her arms over her chest.
"You're the best person to ask for opinions because you know what he likes" Ino finished as Natsumi released an annoyed sigh.
"So that whole makeup and hair thing and 'What are friends for?' was an act?" Natsumi asked rhetorically as both Ino and Sakura looked down guiltily. "Sasuke was right you guys are annoying" Natsumi said dismissively before walking off from the pair with a huff.
...
Arriving at the area the float decorating was taking place, Natsumi's eyes lit up in surprise upon seeing not only a hoard of girls but her friend's Naruto and Sasuke.
"What are you guys doing here?" the dark haired teen asked as she approached the pair.
"We're here to help" Naruto said with a smile.
"Really?" Natsumi asked in surprise as her gaze shifted between the two.
Naruto excitedly nodded in response where as Sasuke simply scoffed as he placed his hands into his pockets.
"Did you actually think I wanted to waste my time doing this?" Sasuke asked gruffly as Natsumi raised a brow at him.
"Oh come on Sasuke, you don't mean that" Naruto said placing an arm around the Uchiha's shoulders. "Besides you don't want all the extra volunteers to hear you say that and then bail" the blonde continued earning an elbow to his ribs as Natsumi's eyes lit up in realization.
"You guys are the reason we had all the extra volunteers!" Natsumi exclaimed as she pointed at the boys.
Naruto grinned before taking hold of her finger and fully directing it at Sasuke, much to the girl's surprise.
"So you do have a heart?" she asked sarcastically with a grin earning a glare from the Uchiha.
"Whatever let's just get this over with so we can go home" Sasuke scoffed. "Besides my mom still needs to talk to you" he said before Naruto placed a hand over his mouth as his blue eyes filled with worry.
Naruto cautiously looked around before Sasuke pushed him away with an annoyed look on his face.
"Don't bring that up so loudly, after all the girls here think signing up means they have a chance of going with you" the blonde said in a low voice as Sasuke rolled his eyes and Natsumi stifled a laugh with her hand.
Thankfully the float decorating was the last as the amount of volunteers (which consisted of almost every girl in school) completed the work necessary, thus getting rid of any need for the later shift. Natsumi released a sigh of relief as the cleanup time came. The dark haired girl stacked the various paints into a box when Ino and Sakura approached her. The pair had been trying to get on her better side for the majority of the shift, only to be met with failure as Natsumi rebuffed their advances.
"Do you need any help carrying those?" Sakura asked innocently, earning a blank stare from Natsumi.
"I have it" the dark haired girl said in an annoyed tone before the two scurried off.
Natsumi stood lifting the box in her arms, readying herself to make the trip to the Student Council classroom when she was suddenly stopped by a voice that made her heart drop to her stomach.
"Natsumi I'll head that way with you" Gaara said in his usual raspy voice.
'Great now I can stick my foot in my mouth again' the teen thought as her mind went back to their earlier encounter making her feel utterly horrified of embarrassing herself again.
"We'll come too!" A girl with short brown hair said suddenly as she stood, pulling up another girl with long black hair by the arm as well.
'Thank god, more people mean it won't be so awkward with just him and I' Natsumi thought in relief.
"Come on Yukata" the brown haired girl said shoving a box into the black haired girl's arms.
"Ok calm down Matsuri" the black haired girl said as she regained her footing.
"Let's go" Gaara said making his way to the door as the two girls rushed after him.
'Great Gaara has a fan club too' Natsumi thought releasing a breath before making her way after the group.
They all walked in silence for what felt like forever until Gaara came to a halt, surprising almost everyone. But when they noticed it was so Natsumi could catch up, the two other girl's gave her dirty looks, that the girl didn't seem to mind as she had pretty much grown used to them from her first week with Sakura and Ino.
"Natsumi" Gaara then said catching the girl's attention as she walked beside him, with the two other girls following closely behind to listen. "About earlier" the red headed boy began slowly, as Natsumi could feel a knot form in her stomach.
"I completely misunderstood and I am so sorry" she immediately apologized before the boy could reiterate the events of her discussion with him, as the other two girls perked up in interest.
"It's fine" Gaara replied, earning a sigh of relief from Natsumi as they continued walking. "But the thing is Student Council is required to take dates to the dance so ..." he started, making Natsumi's eyes widen as she waited for him to finish. "if you know anyone who would be willing to go with Kankuro then maybe have them ask him" he finished surprising the dark haired teen as she stared at him in disbelief before releasing a light laugh.
"I'm not sure Kankuro would appreciate that tactic for finding him a date" Natsumi laughed, earning a confused look from Gaara. "I'm sure he'll figure something out" Natsumi went on.
"I would like to think so as well, but last year he put it off until the last minute and took a puppet" Gaara said earning another laugh from Natsumi, until she noticed his blank stare.
"Oh you're serious" she said in shock.
'And here's that awkwardness' Natsumi thought looking away from the gaze of his blue eyes.
"Gaara do you have a date for Homecoming?" one of the girls suddenly asked, catching the attention of the two teens.
'Yes please change the subject' Natsumi thought in relief before looking back to see the one with short hair who she thought was named Matsuri elbow the black haired one in the side.
"Yukata don't be so forward" the one named Matsuri chastised her friend, before glancing up to see Natsumi looking over the scene with a confused look on her face and earning a glare in response.
"I've made arrangements to bring someone" he replied making both girls' heads drop in disappointment before Natsumi looked away from them.
'Today is just something else' she thought as they continued down the hall.
...
A/N: I am so sorry I am uploading a little late and that the Akatsuki have yet to be introduced. Like Natsumi, I have had a pretty long week, but alas here is this chapter. I hope you all enjoy the antics had and will continue to read as the story progresses. The Akatsuki will be introduced in the next chapter for sure. Anyways please remember to read and review and until next time xoxo
