Best Friend's Brother 21
HOMECOMING! Part 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used aside from my OC.
The next day during lunch, Natsumi sat at the table with Temari discussing the decorating schedule for the Homecoming dance while the girls waited on their other table mates to arrive. So far the only ones present at the table were Choji, Shikamaru, Sai, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and Natsumi.
"Why are you even talking about that now?" Kankuro asked in a bored tone as he poked at his used a fork to poke at the food on his plate with one hand while he used the other to rest his cheek against as it was propped up on the table. "No one's even signed up yet on the schedule" he continued as the two girls turned to look at him.
"I'm letting Natsumi get an idea so she can start thinking about what shift to sign her and Kakashi-sensei up for" Temari explained earning an eye roll from Kankuro while the boys turned to the girls in interest.
"Don't you mean so she'll know what shift Kakashi-sensei might sign her up for?" Choji asked in confusion as he stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth.
"You would think so, but if it's left up to Kakashi-sensei, it'll get done so late that it might interfere with my other plans this week" Natsumi explained further intriguing the table's occupants as they looked at the dark haired girl before Shikamaru gave a nod of agreement before releasing a heavy sigh.
"What a drag" the boy said gaining the attention of the table. "Natsumi is going to get first pick at a great shift since she gets to make those decisions, while I'm going to be stuck helping with whatever shift Asuma-sensei wants to do with Kurenai-sensei" Shikamaru said as the table looked at him, trying not to laugh.
"I'm confused on how that's a problem" Sai stated honestly making the teens start to laugh.
"It's not in your book?" Natsumi asked rhetorically, making the pale young man's face light up in realization before suddenly producing the book that was given to him by Itachi.
The table sweat dropped as a result while the boy began to thumb through the book's contents, but Natsumi sat staring at the object with a blank stare. As her brown orbs ran over the title, The complexity of Different types of relationships, memories of the day Sai received the book came rushing back. She thought back to her walk through the crowded shopping area with Itachi and the long discussion the two shared, before the crowd sent her into a panic, how the Uchiha had calmed her when he embraced her and brought her to the small book shop. Natsumi could feel the rush of heat that went to her face as she thought over that day, before she was suddenly pulled from the thoughts when she felt Temari nudge her with her shoulder.
"Natsumi?" Temari asked making the girl blink before turning her head to her.
"Hn?" Natsumi replied.
"You good?" Temari asked in concern, earning a nod from Natsumi before the girl's returned their attention to the others.
"So what plans did you not want to be interfered with?" Kankuro asked turning the discussion back to Natsumi.
"Dress shopping" Natsumi replied honestly with a bored expression.
"Oh really when are you going?" Temari asked in an excited tone.
"That depends on what shift I take for the dance decorating" Natsumi replied earning nods of understanding from the group. From the corner of her eye, Natsumi could see Choji glancing behind her casually, as if trying to be inconspicuous. Natsumi curiously looked at the young man with a confused look on her face before starting to turn around to see the source of his attention.
"So if your dress shopping does that mean you plan on going to the dance?" Shikamaru suddenly asked, stopping her from turning around as she now shifted the gaze of her brown eyes in his direction.
"Hn" Natsumi replied nodding her head wearily as she then noticed Choji hold a thumb up in the air.
"What are you looking at?" Natsumi asked curiously, starting to turn around again before being stopped as Sai set down his book with a loud thud.
"According to this, the relationship between Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei is a developing closeness that could mean ... the blossoming of intimacy ..." Sai said looking back to the book to read the last part before trailing off and having a confused look cross his face.
The others looked at him with looks of disbelief on their faces before Kankuro finally broke the silence.
"You look confused" Kankuro stated catching Sai's attention as he turned to look at him.
"Well from what I can gather intimacy is the closeness of familiarity or friendship between two individuals that can sometimes translate sexually in intercourse" the pale boy explained. "But if it's all simply a part of the process of reproduction, then why is it not looked upon more casually" Sai said with a perplexed look on his face as he placed a hand under his chin in contemplation.
"You've never had a girlfriend, right?" Kankuro asked making a few of the table's occupants stifle their laughter.
"Yes" Sai replied simply removing his hand from his chin as he turned his head to look at Kankuro. "And you've never had a real date since from what I recall puppets don't count, right?" Sai asked bluntly, making Kankuro stiffen as the table grew silent for a moment before the teens could no longer hold back their laugher.
"Can we all stop talking about last year's Homecoming already?!" Kankuro asked in an annoyed tone as the laughter continued.
"Oh don't worry Kankuro we will" Temari said through giggles, earning a glare from the young man.
"When you bring a real date" Gaara stated bluntly, making the other teens burst into a fresh fit of laughter as Kankuro gave an annoyed huff.
"Hey guys" Ino suddenly greeted the group as she and Sakura slid into their seats with their trays.
"What kept you guys?" Shikamaru asked as the two girls settled into their seats and turned to look at him.
"We had something to take care of" Sakura replied before the gaze of her green eyes shifted to Natsumi for a moment.
"Because we care about our friends" Ino interjected while the blonde dramatically slammed a fist in front of her on the table.
Natsumi raised a brow at the two girls as she looked over the pair giving her kind smiles.
"You seem a lot better today" Ino commented.
"Hn" Natsumi said giving a nod as she continued to give the pair a weary look.
"Yeah we heard you all laughing" Sakura added on making Natsumi continue to give the girls a perplexing look. "What were you guys talking about?" the pink haired girl asked looking around the table.
"Nothing!" Kankuro replied immediately as he waved his hands in front of him.
"Homecoming" Sai replied honestly, making the pair's eyes light up in excitement.
"Omg can you believe it's happening this week?" Ino asked clasping her hands together with a large smile on her face.
"I already have my dress ready!" Sakura exclaimed happily.
"Oh me too!" Ino gushed excitedly before turning to see Natsumi and Temari give the pair give slightly perplexed looks. "Do you guys know what you're wearing?" the blonde asked trying to bring the two into the conversation but only receiving simple head shakes of no.
"Really?" Sakura asked. "Aren't you guys going?" Sakura asked earning simple nods from the two girls.
"We've had other priorities" Temari stated as Ino and Sakura continued to give the pair confused looks.
"But the dress is the most important part" Ino stated.
"And if you put it off too long, then all the good ones will be gone by the time you go dress shopping" Sakura said in a worried tone.
"Don't you want to look good for your dates?" Ino asked in disbelief.
"Aren't you worried about not making a good impression?" Sakura asked.
"Well if we want to 'look good' it will be determined by our own standards and not based on a date's opinion" Natsumi replied bluntly, earning a nod of agreement from Temari.
"Yeah and if your date has already invited you, then wouldn't they in theory already consider you to 'look good' and have made a 'good impression?" Temari asked as the two girls grew silent.
The table was left in awkward silence as Natsumi and Temari gave Ino and Sakura expectant looks as they waited for their replies. Meanwhile the boys were frozen and silent as they watched and waited for the scene to unfold further.
"Yeah well ... the dress is like the first thing girl's usually take care of" Sakura tried to explain.
"Yeah and it's not like we disagree or anything ... it's just the dress" Ino tried to help explain only to trail off.
"Hn" Natsumi replied giving the girls a blank stare before looking down to her tray.
"I guess we don't have the same priorities as most girls" Temari stated lifting her drink to her lips to take a sip. "But that's fine if you guys think that way" she added afterwards.
"I just didn't take you for the type of girls who needed the affirmation of others when you seem plenty confident on your own" Natsumi added looking back up to Sakura and Ino who sat in silence.
"I am almost entirely certain this is what one would call awkward" Sai suddenly stated followed by another silence.
"Sai now's not the time" Shikamaru stated in a hushed voice. "Trust me the last thing you want to do is end up in the middle a disagreement between girls" he went on as Sai gave him a confused look.
"What kind of disagreement?" Sai asked curiously.
"There isn't" Temari stated simply. "Right?" she asked looking to Ino and Sakura expectantly in a tone that made the girls shrink back.
'I'd hate to be on the other end of that stare' Natsumi thought looking sideways at Temari as she took a bite of the apple on her tray.
"No, no disagreement at all" Ino said shaking her hands in front of her.
"Why don't we just change the topic?" Sakura offered with a light hearted smile.
"Now I'm even more confused" Sai admitted truthfully as the other members of the group released heavy sighs.
"Understanding a woman's mind could leave even the brightest of minds in confusion" Shikamaru stated earning solemn nods of agreement from Choji, Kankuro and even Gaara.
"Did you guys hear about that kid who used the marque at the movie theater to ask his date to Homecoming?" Ino asked looking at the table members and earning a few nods in response.
"I think it was nice that he did such a big gesture" Sakura said excitedly before looking to the males at the table. "Have you guys thought of doing big Homecoming proposals?" she asked earning head shakes of no in response.
"You guys are so lame" Ino commented chastising the boys.
"Hey it's a lot of work to just work up the nerve to ask a girl out" Choji retorted shoving a handful of chips into his mouth while Ino scoffed in annoyance.
"How would you know when you never even done that?!" Ino yelled back.
"Exactly" Choji agreed. "Being friends with you makes it ten times harder to build up that confidence knowing how demanding girls can be" Choji stated.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ino yelled angrily.
"He's not wrong, especially now since here you are telling us that a simple invitation isn't enough in comparison to a big Homecoming proposal" Shikamaru stated before releasing a heavy sigh. "What a drag" he stated making Ino roll her eyes as Choji nodded in agreement.
"Hey not every girl needs a big spectacle to be made" Temari interjected offering Shikamaru a smirk that made him crack a smile before looking down.
This did not go unnoticed though as the other teens at the table exchanged knowing glances before the conversation picked up again.
"Uh what do you think of big Homecoming proposals, Natsumi?" Sakura asked turning the conversation to the dark haired girl.
"I'm not really one to want too much attention or draw a spectacle, so I would be fine with just something simple and straight forward" Natsumi replied honestly making Sakura's eyes widen in surprise.
"Wait so you don't want something too flashy?" Choji suddenly asked catching Natsumi's attention as she turned to see him shake his head no while looking behind her. She watched as Shikamaru face palmed at this before Ino and Sakura looked behind her as well and suddenly released squeals of excitement that made Natsumi jump back.
'What the hell are they looking at?!' Natsumi thought starting to turn around again, before being stopped yet again as another interruption happened. This time it was when Sasuke suddenly slid into his seat beside her with his tray, releasing a heavy sigh of frustration.
"What's wrong with you?" Natsumi asked startled by his sudden presence. "And why'd you just get here?" she asked when his onyx eyes shifted to her.
"The dobe needed help with something stupid" Sasuke replied starting to dig into his plate. "I don't see the whole point of getting so excited over something as silly as asking someone out" he went on stuffing a bite of food into his mouth.
"I agree" Sakura and Ino suddenly interjected earning a befuddled look from Natsumi.
'Yeah right that's not what you guys were saying earlier' Natsumi thought rolling her eyes at the two before her attention shifted to the side as Naruto burst through the doors of the cafeteria with a dozen pink roses and a large pink sign.
"Hey Sakura!" Naruto called loudly as he approached the table with a large smile.
'Oh no' Natsumi thought as she watched him come to a halt in front of the pink haired girl. 'He's been talking about taking Sakura this whole time? What will Hinata think?' Natsumi thought as Naruto turned the sign around to reveal the words: Will you go to Homecoming with me?
"Looks like Naruto doesn't share that viewpoint" Ino stated nudging Sakura playfully as the pink haired girl stared at Naruto with furrowed brows.
"So what do you say Sakura?" Naruto asked giving a bashful chuckle as a pink blush crossed his face.
Anyone could tell from the guilty on the pink haired girl's face that she would turn the boy down, but Naruto had hope.
"Naruto ... I can't" Sakura said slowly making the blonde's smile fall as his blue eyes looked at her with sadness. "I've been waiting on getting asked by someone else" she admitted with her gaze shifting to Sasuke for a moment before looking back at the defeated look on Naruto's face.
"Yeah I understand Sakura" Naruto said dropping the roses in front of her on the table before walking off with his head hanging.
"That was harsh" Natsumi stated surprising the table as they all turned to her.
"Naruto can handle rejection. It's not like this was the first time" Sakura stated trying to defend herself as Natsumi scoffed.
"You told him you were waiting to get asked by someone else" Natsumi shot back. "Don't you think that was a little insensitive to do?" Natsumi asked beginning to stand so she could make her way to go after Naruto but being stopped when Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let him take some time to clear his head. Babying him won't make him feel any better" Sasuke stated making Natsumi remain seated.
"Uh Natsumi?" Ino suddenly asked catching the girl's attention. "You should turn around" she stated.
"Man that's rough for Naruto" she heard Kiba say from behind her.
Natsumi turned around immediately to see the young man standing behind her while he ran a hand through his brown hair.
"Kiba" Natsumi said in greeting to the young man as he now looked fully to her.
"Hey Natsumi" he said offering her one of his signature smiles that perfectly displayed his sharpened canines. "So I heard you were going to Homecoming and I was just wondering-" he started before being cut off by Shino.
"Why did you throw these at me?!" Shino asked holding up a bouquet of daisy's angrily.
Kiba paled at the question while Natsumi looked between the two boys with a look of confusion on her face. The other table members' face palmed at the awkwardness of the situation with the exception of Sai who didn't know what was going on and Sasuke who simply rolled his eyes before returning to his meal.
"Shino not now" Kiba tried to push his friend away.
"Poor flowers ... left out of your plan just like me" Shino said looking at the flowers in his hand while Choji and Shikamaru looked away awkwardly.
"Hey Shino" Natsumi greeted the young man who now turned to look at her.
"At least someone still bothers to acknowledge me" Shino said in a petty tone that left Natsumi slightly taken aback. "It's good to see you Natsumi" Shino greeted her before looking back at the flowers in his hand and holding them out to her. "These are for you" he said.
Natsumi looked at the flowers with a raised brow before reaching out to accept them after a moment of contemplation.
"Thank you Shino" Natsumi said with a nod before the boy walked off leaving the teens to turn to Kiba to see how he would try to salvage the train wreck of a situation.
"Natsumi I was wondering if you would go to Homecoming with-" he started again before being cut off again, only this time the interruption being from the sudden ringing of Natsumi's phone.
"Oh sorry" Natsumi apologized looking to the front pocket of her school jacket that had the device.
"Ugh you're so annoying I'll get it" Sasuke said suddenly reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone much to her surprise.
"Hey!" Natsumi called as she watched the Uchiha read her caller id.
"Calm down it's my mom I'll talk to her" Sasuke said dismissively trying to wave Natsumi off much to her dismay.
The others watched with wide eyes as the two dark haired students fought and fumbled with the device. Natsumi had set down the flowers by her tray as she tried to snatch her phone back. In the midst of the tussle the two managed to not only answer the call but put it on speaker and put the call on mute as well.
"Hello? Hello Natsumi? It's Mikoto dear can you hear me? I just wanted know when you wanted to go shopping for your Homecoming dress because we'll probably need to stop and buy a matching tie for Sasuke so we can be certain it'll match your dress" the female Uchiha's voice rang out loudly making the entire table turn to Sasuke and Natsumi with wide eyes.
Natsumi immediately snatched her phone away from Sasuke and took it off mute and speaker before holding it to her ear.
"Mikoto right now isn't a good time but I promise I'll call you later ... Hn ... Thank you ... Goodbye" Natsumi said into the device before hanging up and looking around to the many shocked faces of her friends.
Natsumi felt a pit of nerves form in her stomach as she felt the scrutiny of their stares bore into her.
"You little snake" Ino said in a cold tone.
"And you thought I was cruel for turning down Naruto?" Sakura asked in disbelief as she looked at Natsumi with accusatory eyes.
"You pretended like you didn't like Sasuke then turn around and ask him to Homecoming?" Ino asked angrily.
"It's not like that" Natsumi tried to argue.
"Yeah right!" Sakura snapped back with her green eyes starting to water with hurt that matched Naruto's earlier.
"Knock it off" Sasuke stated catching the attention of the two. "Natsumi didn't ask me to Homecoming; in all honesty we're not going together because we want to ... we probably wouldn't go at all if it weren't for my mom's guilt trip" Sasuke said silencing the pair and making the rest of the table stare in shock.
"Hn" Natsumi said nodding in agreement before hearing a 'tsk' from behind her.
Turning around she saw Kiba standing with his smile no longer on his face.
"I'll see you around Natsumi" Kiba said in a dull tone before turning to walk away.
"Everyone is so annoying" Sasuke said with a huff before nudging Natsumi to gain her attention. "Don't start feeling bad for him too" he went on making the girl glare at him.
"Would it kill you have a heart Sasuke?" Natsumi asked in an annoyed tone, only earning an eye roll from the Uchiha before the teens went about eating in silence.
"Darn just when I thought I might ask Natsumi" Kankuro stated sarcastically to try and lighten the mood only to earn glares from Ino and Sakura.
"Now's not the time Kankuro" Gaara said bringing silence to the table again as the teens went back to eating.
"It has been a very confusing lunch time" Sai stated breaking the silence.
"A disappointing one" Ino and Sakura corrected him as a dark gloom surrounded them while they looked downward.
'Did either of them really expect Sasuke to ask them?' Natsumi thought glancing to the pair for a moment before continuing with her meal.
"Is it really such a bad thing to not have a date yet?" Sai suddenly asked gaining the attention of the table.
"If you don't mind going alone because you've turned down every other guy that's asked you up until now" Sakura said bitterly.
"Yeah" Ino agreed in a gloomy tone.
"Does everyone else already have dates?" Sai asked looking to the other occupants of the table and earning nods from Shikamaru, Temari and Gaara.
"Even Gaara has a date?!" Ino asked taken aback by his response as her brows furrowed in surprise.
"There's no hope for us" Sakura said dramatically as she stared at her tray.
"You could always accept Naruto's offer Sakura ... no one's even asked me yet" Ino exclaimed in a worried tone before turning to Choji. "Am I really that bad?!" she asked making the boy jump at her volume.
"Calm down its only Tuesday" Temari said dismissively.
"That's easy to say when you already have a date" Ino retorted.
"If it's really such an issue, I could always take one of you" Sai offered looking to Ino and Sakura who froze in their rants.
Both girls looked to him before shifting their gaze to one another and looking back to him again.
"I'll go with you!" Ino said quickly as Sakura had started to open her mouth to reply. "Good luck going alone Sakura" Ino said in a sly tone as she offered the pink haired girl a smile.
Sakura was dumbstruck as she looked between the two in disbelief before she scoffed and stood to leave with her tray.
"Sai was right, this has been a confusing lunch" Choji stated setting down his bag of chips.
"That's an understatement ... We went to all the trouble of helping Kiba ask Natsumi only to find out that she's already going with Sasuke ..." Shikamaru said earning a nod of agreement from Choji.
"If you wanted to know if Natsumi already had a date, you could've asked me" Temari said looking at Shikamaru who looked away awkwardly.
"Well Kiba gave us a pretty short notice on helping him" Choji interjected.
"You guys sure weren't subtle" Kankuro stated earning nods of agreement from the other occupants of the table. "Those signals had half the cafeteria looking over" he commented earning a light laugh from Natsumi.
"Honestly those signals seemed more like you guys were trying to direct traffic than be discreet" Natsumi commented making the others start to crack smiles and prompting conversation amongst the teens.
...
Meanwhile Naruto wandered the empty halls aimlessly. He gave a heavy sigh as he looked at the poster he held in his hand.
"Just great ... what am I going to do now?" Naruto asked himself running a hand through his hair before hearing the sound of his phone ringing.
Pulling out the device he saw the name of his guardian on his phone, making a panicked look cross his face.
"Oh man now I'm going to have to tell the old pervert that I got turned down" Naruto said face palming.
'I could always say I was too busy to take the call' Naruto thought before shaking the thought from his head and deciding to answer.
"Hey Pervy-" Naruto began to greet the man before being cut off from the other line.
"Hey what did I say about calling me that?!" Jiraiya's voice boomed from the other line. "Is that any way to greet the man who raised you as his own?! Kids now a days can be so ungrateful to their guardians" he went on making Naruto roll his eyes.
"Yeah yeah yeah" Naruto said dismissively as he spoke into the device.
"I swear no respect for your elders" Jiraiya continued to chastise the teen.
"Whatever you say" Naruto said in a dull tone.
"You sound upset" Jiraiya stated from the other line.
"What would you know? Aren't you busy with your research?" Naruto asked as he continued down the hall.
"Hey my research is essential to helping me write the books that help fund taking care of you" Jiraiya replied making Naruto scoff.
"Yeah I'm sure that's not how the women you peep at feel" Naruto retorted making Jiraiya gasp.
"Hey I called to check in with you, not to get judged!" Jiraiya said making Naruto roll his eyes.
"Sure thing old perv" Naruto said into his phone.
"So how'd it go?" Jiraiya asked from the other line.
"How'd what go?" Naruto asked, earning a heavy sigh from the other line.
"How'd it go with asking that girl to Homecoming?" Jiraiya specified making stiffen. "You didn't get turned down, did you?" he asked making Naruto feel a wave of depression wash over him again.
"Well about that ..." Naruto began to explain before hearing the sound of his named being called and bringing him to an abrupt stop.
Turning around he was surprised to see Sakura rushing down the hall before coming to a halt as she stopped in front of him.
"Naruto I need to talk to you" the pink haired girl said awkwardly looking to the side.
"Hey old perv, I'm going to have to call you back ... she wants to talk to me" Naruto said into his phone, not taking his eyes off the girl in front of him.
"Oh ... I was worried you might've been rejected but this sounds like good news" Jiraiya laughed from the other line before Naruto hung up.
"Sakura" Naruto said giving the pink haired girl his full attention.
She immediately took hold of his hand leading him in the direction of her locker.
"Where are we going?" the blonde asked in a confused tone.
"To my locker so I can give you a swatch of my dress" she replied continuing to pull him.
"Why?" Naruto asked further confused.
"So you'll know what tie to buy to match it" she said in an annoyed tone.
"But Sakura why would my tie need to match your dress?" Naruto asked making her stop and turn to him with an annoyed look.
"Because you're taking me to Homecoming" she stated simply making his eyes light up.
"Really?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Yes really" Sakura said in an annoyed tone. "But you have to buy a red tie to match my dress, and pay for dinner beforehand, and the pictures, and you have to be my ride to and from" she said making a smile cross Naruto's face as he stared at her. "What are you looking at?" Sakura asked in an annoyed tone.
"I have to be dreaming" Naruto said with a light laugh as he ruffled a hand through his golden locks. "But if this is a dream then I could kiss you and you won't get mad" Naruto reasoned before starting to lean forward and causing Sakura's eyes to widen in a panic.
"Watch it idiot!" Sakura cried, before the bell suddenly rang and students began to file into the hall.
Upon seeing the array of oncoming foot traffic watching the pair with curious eyes as Naruto continued to lean down, caused the blonde to be punched by the pink haired girl.
"Yeah I'm definitely not dreaming" Naruto said from the floor as many students stepped around his injured frame.
"You just had to push it" Sakura chastised the young man before shaking her head dismissively and walking away, leaving the blonde boy on the floor in pain but with a satisfied smile on his face.
...
"Matsuri, I'm sorry" Yukata apologized walking alongside her brown haired friend with an apologetic look on her face.
The two girls currently walked the bustling halls together. Matsuri walked fast as if to try and leave Yukata behind as she stared straight ahead.
"Could you please say something?!" Yukata pleaded walking around and coming to a halt in front of the brunette.
"Yukata, I got chewed out all by myself by Sakura and Ino while you ditched me to go to the bathroom!" Matsuri shot back in an annoyed tone that left a guilty look on the black haired girl's face as she looked down with a pout. "Do you have any idea how I felt having to deal with those two on my own?!" the girl with short brown hair asked.
"I know you're upset Matsuri but I told you if you got involved with those two and Natsumi it might back fire" Yukata said making the brown haired girl scoff before rolling her eyes and walk around her.
"How could you even think to say I told you so?!" Matsuri asked in disbelief. "Saying something that reckless makes it seem like you're on her side you know?!" she said glaring at her dark haired friend.
"I'm not on her side though" Yukata tried to say only to be ignored when Matsuri suddenly walked into the girl's bathroom.
Yukata quickly entered as well to see Matsuri walk into a stall. Giving a huff the black haired girl walked into another stall, setting her bag in front of her by the foot of the door. Yet she was completely unprepared when her bag was suddenly yanked from underneath the door.
"Hey!" Yukata called in surprise.
"Now you know what it's like to be left hanging when something you need is taken from you when you need it most" Matsuri called from the other side of the stall door much to the shock of the black haired girl.
"Matsuri this isn't funny" Yukata called back. "I need my bag back and you know why!" she yelled.
"I don't think you've learned your lesson yet so I'll be back later" Matsuri said back making a panicked look cross Yukata's face as her eyes widened in horror.
"You made your point Matsuri!" Yukata called back with worry evident in her voice.
"Why don't you wait and find out if Natsumi comes to your rescue?" Matsuri asked sarcastically before walking out of the restroom.
...
Back with Natsumi sat in her art class watching the clock with a bored expression as she tapped her pencil against her desk.
"You alright un?" Deidara asked in a concerned tone as he stood in front of the dark haired girl.
Looking over the young man she saw that he was wearing a pair of black joggers, with a dark grey sweatshirt over top that had Konoha University written across the front in bold white letters and a black denim jacket over top with a pair of white shoes.
"Oh yeah" Natsumi replied with a nod as she sat up straight and looked down to the blank page in front of her.
The assignment for the week called for the students to sketch out something that could translate happily over to their childhood. Unfortunately for Natsumi this meant the only thing she could think of was her mother and how the teen had yet to call to make up with her.
"You know you'd make a great model right un?" Deidara asked earning a perplexed look from the teen as she looked at him.
"What?" Natsumi asked wearily.
"I'm not just saying that to say you're pretty either" Deidara said looking to the side shyly as a light pink blush dusted over his cheeks. "You're like an open book with how you display your emotions" he explained. "In a way that could be a bad thing but in this case, I can tell you're lying about being alright" he went on making a pink blush cross her face as she stared at him.
"Deidara I ..." Natsumi started before trailing off as she didn't know what to say.
"I know you have a lot more people that come to mind when you think of friends but you should know that I'm here for you too whether you want to talk about an art assignment you're struggling with or anything else because otherwise holding it in will translate through your work un" he stated pointing to her blank sketch page with a serious look on his face.
Natsumi looked between the page and him for a moment before a small smile found its way to her lips and she nodded in understanding.
"If I'm being honest I'm struggling with the assignment right now since my family life and childhood are a little ... well nothing's right, right now" Natsumi explained earning a nod of understanding from the blonde as he placed his hands into the pockets of his pants.
'Deidara has never been this cool before' Natsumi thought.
"I agree" Sai suddenly said interjecting himself into the discussion. "I'm struggling with this assignment as well since I grew up an orphan and all remnants of my childhood revolved around drawing to distract myself from the harsh reality of my situation" the pale boy explained, earning looks of astonishment from both Natsumi and Deidara.
'And I thought I had problems' Natsumi thought looking at Sai with wide eyes. 'All I did was fight with my mom' she thought feeling the guilt of her situation begin to weigh down.
"Art is an explosion" Deidara stated surprising Natsumi as she turned to look back at him. "And with that being said it can happen in even the briefest of moments but have the biggest impact with its beauty" Deidara continued on. "So the thing about your assignment is that you could say your teenage years are still a part of your childhood since you aren't adults yet, so if it helps think of something that could have occurred more recently even if it's something small because it can still hold great meaning to you" he reasoned making Sai's eyes light up for a moment before he placed a hand on his chin in thought while Natsumi looked at Deidara in disbelief.
"That's a really good way to look at it" Natsumi complimented Deidara who smirked in reply.
"It comes with being a lot older, wiser and experienced un" he said winking at the dark haired girl before Sai set his hands onto the desk suddenly catching their attention.
"I got a date to Homecoming today" Sai exclaimed making Deidara laugh.
"You could use that" Deidara said with an encouraging smile before Sai nodded in understanding and went about starting his sketch.
"That's probably one of the least creepy things I've heard you say to Natsumi so far this year" Sasori stated suddenly bringing a hand around Deidara's shoulders as he stood next to the blonde young man, making him scoff while Natsumi released a light hearted laugh.
Sasori wore a pair of black pants with black shoes, a red turtle neck, and a dark grey plaid coat overtop.
"Would you mind your own business?!" Deidara asked in an annoyed tone as Sasori smirked in reply before shrugging his shoulders and making his way to another student a few seats away. "The nerve of that guy" Deidara said releasing an annoyed sigh as Natsumi released another laugh that drew his attention to her. "I'm glad you're laughing un. It wouldn't take an artist to tell you that you look a lot better now with that smile on your face" he said making the girl look away shyly to hide the blush in her face.
"Thank you Deidara" Natsumi said quietly making the young man smirk.
"You know this might seem a little out of the box but you could take alumni to Homecoming and since I'll already be there then maybe ..." Deidara suddenly said surprising the teen girl as she quickly turned to look back at the blonde.
"I step away for two seconds and you go back to being creepy" Sasori said walking back to the pair while shaking his head at Deidara in disappointment.
An immediate irk mark appeared on Deidara's head as he turned to glare at the red headed boy while Natsumi released another laugh. Yet even though Natsumi felt much better and was able to enjoy the spectacle made by the two who went back and forth as per usual, she couldn't help but feel the small pit of guilt over her fight with her mom. Looking to the clock in the room, Natsumi noted the time and figured her mother would most likely not be in a meeting now.
'Should I call her?' the dark haired teen contemplated before raising her hand and gaining the attention of Kurenai-sensei.
"Yes Natsumi?" Kurenai asked looking to the teen.
"May I go to the restroom please?" the teen asked wearily.
"Class will be ending soon" Kurenai stated looking at the clock before looking back to Natsumi.
"Please sensei?" the teen asked with pleading eyes.
"Alright, take your bag in case the bell rings but if you can try to make it back to class for your homework assignment" the woman instructed earning an appreciative nod and smile from the teen as she stood and quickly gathered her things.
After Natsumi rushed out of the room Deidara gave a heavy sigh as he watched her leave.
"I never got a reply" he said dejectedly.
"You mean rejection?" Sasori asked making the blonde turn to him with narrowed eyes.
"And who says she would have rejected me un?" Deidara asked.
"She would have rejected you" Sai stated surprising the blonde as he turned to look at him with a confused look.
"How would you know that?" Deidara asked curiously before a look of horror crossed his face. "Wait a minute the date you got to Homecoming today wasn't Natsumi was it?" the blonde asked in a worried tone.
"Natsumi isn't my date" Sai replied making the blonde release a breath of relief before waiting for Sai to continue. "But she does have a date already" he said making Deidara drop his head downward.
"Damn it" Deidara exclaimed dejectedly still hanging his head low.
"Of course you should know she's going with Itachi's younger brother" Sasori stated making Deidara lift his head in surprise.
"How did you know that?!" Deidara asked in a shocked tone.
"It's no surprise that you weren't paying attention when Itachi talked about it" Sasori said looking at Deidara before shaking his head dismissively at the blonde.
...
Meanwhile Natsumi nervously paced the halls staring at her phone with her thumb hovering over the call button for her mother's contact.
'What am I even supposed to say?' Natsumi thought releasing a heavy sigh as she allowed her brown orbs to wonder the empty halls before landing on the girl's restroom. 'Maybe I should splash some water on my face' she thought as she now started to make her way to the door.
Stepping in Natsumi saw it well lit and at first seemed to be empty, but she soon discovered to be wrong when she stood in front of the sink and looked into the mirror and saw two feet underneath a stall door.
'I guess I'm not here by myself' Natsumi thought looking into the mirror before turning on the sink and leaning forward to splash the water onto her face.
"Hello?" a female voice called out surprising Natsumi as she froze in her actions. "I can hear the sink" the voice called out gaining Natsumi's attention as she looked back to the occupied stall with her brows furrowed in confusion.
Natsumi gave the stall a weary look before reaching over to the paper towel dispenser on the wall and pulling out a sheet to dry her face before she slowly walked towards the stall.
"Hi" Natsumi said awkwardly standing outside the stall and hearing a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank god" the voice breathed out. "I've been sitting here for almost an entire class period" the voice went on making Natsumi raise a brow in question.
"Um ok" Natsumi said adjusting the strap of her bag awkwardly. "Are you alright?" she asked wearily.
"I just got my ... and I don't have my bag so I don't have ..." the voice explained wearily, making Natsumi's eyes light up in realization.
"Oh" Natsumi said pulling her bag around and opening it up to shift through.
"Yeah so do you have anything?" the voice asked in a pleading voice of desperation.
"Hn" Natsumi replied producing the object needed and holding it under the door. The girl on the other end gave a breath of relief before accepting.
"Thank you so much ... You're a life saver" the teen complimented.
Natsumi gave a small smile before returning to the sink to finish wetting her face. She was in the process of drying her face again when the stall door opened to reveal the familiar black hair and brown eyes of one of the girls she knew as Gaara's admirers.
"It's you" the girl said coming to a halt as she froze when she recognized Natsumi's face.
"Hey" Natsumi greeted the girl with a nod.
"You're Natsumi" the girl stated slowly making her way to a neighboring sink to start washing her hands.
"Yeah" Natsumi said giving a nod while the girl shifted her gaze from her task and Natsumi sporadically. "I'm sorry but I don't really remember you name" Natsumi admitted earning a nod from the black haired girl.
"I'm Yukata" the girl introduced herself.
"Hn" Natsumi said nodding in understanding.
They were quiet while occupied at the sinks until Yukata finally chose to speak.
"So Homecoming is coming up" Yukata said awkwardly trying to start a conversation.
"Hn" Natsumi once again replied with a nod as she considered leaving.
'Why am I so awkward?' Natsumi thought as she turned to the door before coming to a halt. 'I can't complain about being anti-social when I don't try to carry on a conversation.' She continued on in thought before turning back to Yukata to who carefully looked at her in the reflection of the mirror.
"Are you going to the Homecoming dance?" Natsumi asked trying to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah" Yukata said nodding her head with a smile. "I heard you're going with Sasuke Uchiha" she stated.
"Uh yeah" Natsumi replied awkwardly.
"That's good" Yukata complimented, earning a confused look from Natsumi.
"Do you have a date yet?" Natsumi asked awkwardly.
"No" Yukata replied honestly.
"Oh" Natsumi thought looking to the side, before a thought struck her. "Were you planning on asking anyone?" she asked earning a surprised look from Yukata.
"No" Yukata replied. "I'd like to get asked but no one has yet" she went on.
"So this might sound kind of weird but I know someone who still needs a date and you know him so I'm sure it won't be too awkward if you wanted I could ..." Natsumi begin to explain.
"Like a blind date?" Yukata asked curiously turning her head to the side.
"Well kind of ... we could talk more about it after school if you want?" Natsumi asked earning an excited nod and smile from Yukata. "Ok um I will let him know and we can meet out front later" she went on before offering the girl a smile and turning to leave.
"Hey Natsumi" Yukata called bringing he dark haired girl to a halt as she turned her head to look back at her.
"Thanks" Yukata said with a smile before Natsumi nodded and continued on her way out.
'I guess Matsuri was right ... Natsumi did come to my rescue' Yukata thought looking into the mirror of the bathroom.
...
The rest of the day was uneventful, or at least until the end of PE. The guys walked out first shortly followed by the girls. The teens happily went about discussing their plan for the upcoming week until Rock Lee made his way through the crowd with a dozen white roses.
"Oh great Lee's probably going to ask me to Homecoming" Tenten said in a disappointed voice as the young dark haired man begin to walk towards the students. "I wish he wouldn't have to make such a big deal about it though" she chastised as Lee neared the group of girls before coming to a halt.
"Tenten" he said loudly, with his voice echoing through the gym.
"Here we go" Tenten said dejectedly releasing a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes and held her hands out to accept the flowers.
"Please step aside" Lee said loudly making her eyes open abruptly and she gave him a look of disbelief.
"What?" Tenten asked in shock, before Lee simply smiled at her and stepped around her further to her surprise.
Yet the surprise did not stop here as he then made his way past every girl in class and suddenly came to a halt in front of Neji before bowing and holding the flowers out to the Hyuga. Neji's normally calm and serious demeanor was replaced as he stood frigid looking at Lee in disbelief.
"Neji Hyuga!" Lee said loudly. "Please accept my invitation to Homecoming!" Lee stated.
"Lee what is the meaning of this?!" Neji asked taken aback by his friend's offer.
"I originally planned on asking Sakura to be my date but when Guy-sensei took me off campus to buy the flowers at lunch, I missed the chance as she decided to go with Naruto" Lee started to explain loudly making the class turn to the pink haired girl and blonde for a moment before looking back to Lee with raised brows. "And since it would have been a shame to have the flowers go to waist, Guy-sensei recommended giving them to someone else even if it was not a romantic gesture. And that was when I remembered that he once gifted a bouquet of white flowers to Kakashi-sensei as a sign of their friendship. So will you please accept these flowers as a token of our appreciation and go to Homecoming with me as my friend?" Lee asked standing up straight and prompting Neji to accept the flowers.
"You really couldn't think of anyone else to give the flowers to?!" Tenten now interjected loudly with anger evident in her voice.
Lee quickly turned his head to look back at her with a confused expression on his face.
"No I could not" he stated honestly, making an irk mark appear on the girl's forehead.
"Really?" Neji asked face palming as Lee shook his head no.
"You know I haven't been asked yet, right?!" Tenten asked angrily.
"Tenten right now is not the time to make things about yourself" Lee said looking at the girl before turning back to Neji. "Especially when I have not received a reply!" he said holding the flowers further to Neji, who wore an annoyed expression before snatching the flowers from Lee's hands.
"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY OF YOUTH!" Guy-sensei exclaimed with tears running down his eyes. "NOTHING IS MORE BEAUTIFULTHAN THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP!" he cried making the majority of the class sweat drop as they turned to him with awkward expressions.
"I still haven't been asked yet!" Tenten said loudly catching Lee and Neji's attention before Lee's eyes lit up in realization.
"Tenten do not worry about being alone" Lee said turning to the girl and pointing to her dramatically. "When you still have yet to find a date on the night of the dance, you may accompany Neji and I as the third wheel of our tricycle of friendship!" he exclaimed giving the girl a bright shiny smile and a thumb up.
Tenten did an anime fall in disbelief before seeming to erupt in anger.
"Don't you mean 'if' instead of 'when'?!" she asked angrily.
"I'M SO PROUD OF MY STUDENTS FOR DISPLAYING SUCH MATURITY TO INCLUDE OTHERS!" Guy-sensei exclaimed with his nose now running as heavily as his eyes.
The bell then sounded prompting the other students to awkwardly inch toward the main doors.
...
"That was interesting" Natsumi stated as she and Sasuke walked out of the gym.
"Hn" the Uchiha replied with a nod as the teens continued to walk.
"I can't imagine my closest friends being two guys and neither one thinking to ask me" Natsumi said looking back to the gym.
"Lucky my mom is making me take you" Sasuke said earning an eye roll from Natsumi.
"I could get another date if I wasn't going with you" Natsumi said earning a snort from Sasuke as he tried to suppress a laugh. "I've been asked by other guys you know?" Natsumi asked rhetorically earning another snort from Sasuke much to her dismay.
"Whatever you say" Sasuke said earning another eye roll from the teen girl before he noticed a look of realization cross her face.
"I have to go" she stated suddenly beginning to rush off before being stopped when the Uchiha clasped her hand in his. "What?" she asked being yanked back.
"What do you mean what?" he asked. "You're supposed to call my mom back remember?" he asked.
"I'll do it later" Natsumi said pulling her hand out of his grip as she turned to walk away again. "You act like I won't be at your house later tonight anyways" she called back over her shoulder before colliding with another.
"Natsumi try to be more attentive. You never know what compromising position you might end up in otherwise" the familiar voice of Kakashi-sensei rang out as the teen stumbled back and a blush crossed her face.
"Idiot" she heard Sasuke say from behind her as he rushed forward and brought a hand around her shoulders to stop her from falling.
Standing up straight, the dark haired teen looked up to her silver haired teacher hoping her face had returned to its natural color. Kakashi looked at her with a typical closed eyed smile before surprising the teen as he held out the bouquet of daisies from earlier.
"You left these in my class" he stated as Natsumi reached out to accept the flowers from him.
"Thank you sensei" Natsumi thanked him with a small smile while Sasuke scoffed.
"You two should really be more careful on how you word things, some people might get the wrong idea about the nature of your relationship if you talk about going home together too casually" Kakashi stated earning blank stares from his students.
'He's really the leading the authority of saying things with misinterpreted wording' Natsumi thought giving the man a blank stare before he gave a light laugh and turned to walk off from the pair.
"You have the worst taste in guys" Sasuke suddenly stated making Natsumi's face light ablaze in red before she struck him on the shoulder.
"At least my first kiss wasn't Naruto!" Natsumi shot back.
"Have you even had your first kiss?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow, making the girl's face turn a deeper shade of red.
"You're such a jerk Sasuke!" Natsumi replied beginning to stomp off angrily.
"Whatever" The Uchiha said.
...
Yukata stood outside the front of the school nervously playing with the hem of her skirt as she looked around.
"There you are" Matsuri's voice suddenly rang out making the black haired girl stiffen as she turned to face the short haired girl.
"Matsuri" Yukata said in surprise, before the brunette tossed her bag at her.
"I thought you'd still be in the bathroom but when I went to check you were gone" she stated as Yukata put the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. "I think you've learned your lesson so why don't we go get something to eat?" Matsuri asked casually as she started walking but came to an abrupt halt when she noticed Yukata wasn't following her. "Well aren't you coming?" she asked expectantly.
"I'm meeting someone" Yukata said running a hand through her hair awkwardly as she avoided the shocked gaze of Matsuri.
"Who?" Matsuri asked in disbelief.
"Hopefully someone I can go to Homecoming with" Yukata replied further perplexing the brown haired teen.
"But what about Gaara?" Matsuri asked turning to face her.
"You heard him say he has a date already" Yukata responded.
"Yeah but if that doesn't work out then there's still a chance he'll ask one of us" Matsuri tried to reason.
"Homecoming is this week Matsuri" Yukata said. "We don't know who he's taking and I'm certain he won't ask one of us ... besides I want to go with someone who would want to go with me mutually" she went on making Matsuri scoff.
"How could you say that?" Matsuri asked in disbelief.
"I deserve to have fun and make memories that don't revolve around the chance of a boy changing his mind" Yukata stated firmly.
"Fine Yukata ... don't come crying to me when I'm at Homecoming with him and you're with some loser" Matsuri retorted before storming off.
Yukata released a heavy sigh as she looked down to the ground in thought.
'I hope I'm doing the right thing' she thought before lifting her head upon hearing the familiar voice of Natsumi approaching.
"Would you stop being so difficult?" she heard Natsumi say.
"You asked if I wanted a date to Homecoming and I said yes ... granted if it's you asking I don't want any trouble with the Uchiha over a dance" a male voice complained.
"I'm helping you get a date and it's not me" Natsumi retorted.
Suddenly emerging from the front doors of the school, Natsumi appeared dragging Kankuro by the arm.
"Yukata" Natsumi said with a smile as she made eye contact with the girl.
"Natsumi" Yukata said as the teens came to a halt in front of her. "Kankuro" she said greeting the dark haired boy.
"Yukata" Kankuro said taking in the presence of the dark haired girl. "So you were looking for a date?" Kankuro asked earning a shy nod from the girl.
"You don't have one yet either?" Yukata asked with a smile.
"Yeah" Kankuro said with a nod as he looked down awkwardly before looking to Natsumi and seeing the girl motion him to say something else to Yukata.
"So Natsumi who was the guy I knew who didn't have a date yet?" Yukata asked curiously, making Natsumi do an anime fall.
'This girl can't be that dumb?!' Natsumi thought looking at her in disbelief before Kankuro's laugh caught her attention.
"You haven't changed a bit Yukata" Kankuro said through his laughs, earning a confused look from the teen girl.
"Uh thank you" she said with a smile while Natsumi face palmed.
"So do you want to go to Homecoming with me?" Kankuro asked casually making the girl's eyes light up in realization.
"Oh Kankuro is the guy I know!" Yukata exclaimed making Natsumi shake her head in disappointment as she look down. "So he's the one you were talking about"
'She's definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed' Natsumi thought sweat dropping.
"I'd love to!" Yukata said with a bright smile as she turned to Kankuro again.
"Great do you want to talk about it over dumplings?" he asked with a smile.
"Don't you have to get back to Student Council to help Temari and Gaara?" Natsumi asked giving the boy a confused look.
"They'll be fine without me, besides I'm sure they'll excuse it when they find out I got a date" he said with a smirk.
'He just doesn't want to go back to help them' Natsumi thought with a dead panned expression.
"That sounds great!" Yukata exclaimed before looking over to Natsumi. "Thanks" she said making Natsumi smile.
"Oh yeah thanks Natsumi" Kankuro said turning to the girl. "Do you want to come with us?" Kankuro asked casually, yet before the girl could open her mouth to reply she was cut off as the school doors opened again.
"There you are" came the familiar voice of Sasuke.
Turning to the Uchiha, Natsumi was surprised when he tossed the daises into her arms suddenly.
"Temari said you left those behind when you grabbed Kankuro" Sasuke said earning a glare from Natsumi before making his way down the steps and taking hold of her hand to pull her forward.
"Hey! Where are you taking me?!" Natsumi asked in an annoyed tone as the Uchiha pulled her along.
"My house" he stated simply. "My mom called and said to bring you now" he explained continuing to pull the girl away much to her dismay.
Meanwhile Kankuro and Yukata watched awkwardly.
"Never a dull day since those two met" Kankuro stated earning a nod of agreement from Yukata.
...
A/N: I am so sorry for updating so late. This chapter has been a bit of a journey since so much happened lol... Anyways the clap backs of Natsumi, Temari, and Yukata were brought to by International Women's Day... This chapter was a lot of fun and I hope you all enjoyed the drama around the characters trying to get dates lol. Well for now please remember to read and review because I love hearing from you guys and until next time xoxo
