Best Friend's Brother 22
HOMECOMING! Part 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used aside from my OC.
Upon being pushed into Sasuke's car, Natsumi released a heavy sigh.
'Would it kill him to not be such a jerk?' Natsumi thought as she watched the young man make his way around to the driver's side of the car.
"What?" Sasuke asked as he entered and noted the stare of the girl's brown eyes.
Natsumi simply rolled her eyes in response before buckling her seat belt. Sasuke huffed in annoyance before doing the same and starting the vehicle. Deciding it best to not drag out this altercation, Natsumi connected her phone to the car and selected a song so the pair wouldn't travel in complete silence as they pulled out of the school parking lot.
Arriving at the Uchiha residence, Sasuke and Natsumi were met with the usual greeting from Mikoto as she embraced the teens once they stepped inside.
"Oh Natsumi it's so good to see you again" the woman said as she looked over the pair of dark haired teens.
"I was just here yesterday" Natsumi replied awkwardly earning a snort from Sasuke as he tried to stifle a laugh.
Mikoto smiled at Natsumi before her onyx eyes shifted down to the bouquet of daises in the teen girl's hands. Noticing Mikoto's gaze, Natsumi nervously fumbled the flowers in her hand.
"So Sasuke said you wanted to see me" Natsumi said trying to change the subject.
"Oh yes dear, I wanted to know if you would like me to schedule your appointment for tomorrow?" the woman asked redirecting her gaze to meet Natsumi's stare.
"Appointment?" Natsumi asked giving Mikoto a confused look.
"For your dress" Mikoto replied earning a nod of understanding from the girl before her gaze shifted to the flowers that the girl held. "So what are these?" she then asked.
"Oh they're flowers from ..." Natsumi started to explain before trailing off as she thought back to the events of lunch.
"Mom we have homework to do" Sasuke tried to interject.
"Were you asked to homecoming?" Mikoto asked ignoring her son, as Natsumi looked down feeling a blush of embarrassment cross her face.
"Yes" Natsumi replied awkwardly.
"It's not important" Sasuke said cutting in suddenly.
Mikoto looked between the two dark haired teens with a look of contemplation.
"I want to hear more about this" Mikoto stated before grabbing each of the teens' hands and pulling them in the direction of the living room.
...
After telling Mikoto about the events that took place at lunch the woman wore a blank expression as she processed the information.
"Well that's interesting to hear" Mikoto stated.
"Mom we have homework" Sasuke stated standing from the couch and looking to Natsumi expectantly.
"Oh yes, well Natsumi" Mikoto suddenly said taking hold of the dark haired teen's hand. "I'm sorry that you had to reject the only Homecoming proposal you received" she said giving the girl's hand a light squeeze.
Natsumi offered the woman a reassuring smile before Mikoto released her. The dark haired teen stood to begin following Sasuke out of the room before being stopped by Mikoto again.
"Natsumi dear if you would like, I could put those in some water for you" Mikoto offered motioning to the flowers in the teens hands.
Looking down to the bouquet, she gave her a nod and appreciative smile in response. After handing the daises to Mikoto, the teens then began to make their way up the stairs, leaving Mikoto alone in the living room.
"It's such a shame that Natsumi had to turn down a proposal ... she probably would have said yes since girl's love big gestures" Mikoto thought aloud as she looked at the flowers before her eyes lit up with an idea as a smile crossed her face.
...
Ino released a tired yawn upon entering her family's flower shop. After the long day she had at school, the last thing she wanted to do was work her usual afternoon shift.
"Hello dear" her mother called, watching as Ino stretched.
"Hi mom" Ino greeted the woman with a small wave as she made her way through the store.
The blonde teenager quickly made her way to the back of the store to where the Employees only door was. Entering she walked to where her locker was, opening it up she began to remove her school jacket and unbutton her white shirt. She allowed the white fabric to side off her shoulders before tossing it, along with her jacket into the locker. Ino then pulled a purple short sleeved button up out from the locker, before slipping her arms into the sleeves and beginning to button it. Stopping part of the way up, Ino walked to the mirror overlooking her reflection as she fumbled with the top three buttons, seemingly trying to decide if she was going to have the top buttoned all the way up or leave them alone. Turning to the side before facing forward again, the teen girl continued this pattern until suddenly hearing the sound of her mother calling her.
"Ino hurry up!" the woman's voice rang out making the blonde teen jump in alarm.
Ino quickly rushed away from the mirror grabbing her green apron that hung by the door, before placing it over her head as she entered the flower store. Once she made her way in, she looked to her mother with alarm filled eyes, before releasing a sigh of annoyance as she saw the woman on the phone.
"I need your help starting this order" her mother said taking the phone away from her ear for a moment as she registered her daughter's presence.
Ino released a deep breath before making her way behind the counter to look over the order her mother was writing before her brows shot up in surprise.
'Five dozen roses?!' Ino thought looking over her mother's writing, blinking several times in disbelief.
"Yes I understand completely ... We're already starting it now ... So for delivery tomorrow? ... Ok yes we can take care of that ... Alright, thank you... Ok bye bye" her mother spoke into the phone before finishing up the order sheet.
"Whoa someone's getting five dozen bouquets of roses delivered to Konoha High tomorrow?!" Ino asked in alarm, catching her mother attention.
"Ino I told you wanted your help starting the order, not judging it" her mother said placing a hand on her hip as she looked over her daughter. "Young lady, button your shirt right now!" she then ordered making the blonde stiffen. "We're going to be busy especially considering its Homecoming week, I don't need all the extra business we're getting to think that this is how we're advertising!" she went on motioning to the undone buttons, much to her daughter's dismay.
"Mom!" Ino exclaimed only to be given a harsh stare in response before she buttoned the top of her shirt.
"Don't 'Mom' me young lady now button your shirt and start getting this order together, since you'll be in school when the rest of us have to make the delivery" she chastised earning a defeated sigh from Ino before she went about gathering the flowers needed.
...
Itachi sat on the couch of the basement, tuning his guitar while awaiting the arrival of the other Akatsuki members. He wore a pair of dark blue denim jeans with a black short sleeved t-shirt. So far the room was silent as aside from the Uchiha the only ones to arrive were Nagato, Zetsu, Kakuzu and Kisame. Nagato wore a pair of faded blue jeans with a black t-shirt and a grey hoodie unzipped while fiddling with a spot light. Zetsu wore a pair of black pants with a dark green hoodie that had Konoha University written across the front while he had opened up the smoke machine to work on it. Kakuzu had on a pair of black pants with a dark grey button up and a loosely hung black tie as he flipped through a folder of papers. Finally Kisame wore a pair of grey sweat pants with a black long sleeved t-shirt while he scrolled through his phone. None of them had much to say, simply all working independently in silence, or at least until, the sudden arrival of Deidara and Sasori as the blonde burst through the dramatically before his eyes landed on Itachi.
"Itachi!" Deidara exclaimed pointing to the Uchiha who now looked up from his guitar with a blank expression as the others in the room also turned to the blonde in surprise.
"Yes" Itachi said acknowledging the boy's presence as he made his way over to stand in front of the Uchiha.
"Why didn't you tell me your brother was taking Natsumi to Homecoming un?!" Deidara asked angrily, as the others now started to stifle laughs as they waited for Itachi to respond while Sasori shook his head in disappointment.
At first Itachi gave no response, instead opting to simply blink at Deidara with a blank expression on his face.
"Well?!" Deidara asked.
"I mentioned it to everyone before. Were you not paying attention?" Itachi asked calmly making Deidara stiffen while the others laughed in the background.
"Told you" Sasori said slapping Deidara on the back of the head, much to the blonde's disdain.
"No one asked you un!" Deidara snapped earning a smirk from the red head, while the others continued to laugh.
Itachi shook his head at the antics of the pair, before rising from his seat and beginning to make his way over to the stair case.
"Hey where are you going un?!" Deidara asked abruptly pointing to the Uchiha who simply looked over his shoulder as he continued on.
"To get a drink" Itachi replied casually.
"Wait a minute ... wasn't it Deidara and Sasori's turn to restock the fridge this time?" Nagato asked innocently making Deidara do an anime fall.
"I told you we didn't need to rush over right away" Sasori chastised the blonde boy.
"Seems like Deidara wasn't thinking with the right head" Kisame snickered.
"Indeed" Zetsu agreed as the others turned to see Deidara's face blush in embarrassment.
"Why didn't you say something?!" he asked arising from the ground and shaking Sasori by the collar dramatically.
The red head narrowed his eyes at the blonde in annoyance before pushing him off. This in turn caused another scene to break out while Itachi slipped out unnoticed and began to make his way towards the kitchen, before stopping upon hearing his mother's voice.
"Yes that's going to be 5 dozen red roses delivered to Konoha High tomorrow ... Yes for the girl my son is taking to Homecoming" she said making Itachi draw nearer in interest.
'The girl ... Natsumi?' the Uchiha thought raising a brow in interest.
"I don't want it to be done too early and the afternoon classes won't do either... Oh I know!" he heard his mother exclaim excitedly. "They both have Orochimaru during third hour, could it be delivered then?" Mikoto inquired hopefully. "Perfect ... Alright she'll be the girl sitting by my son ... yes you know him ... Great thank you ... alright bye bye" she went on much to Itachi's surprise.
Stepping out he saw his mother hang up her phone with a satisfied smile on her face before looking at the bouquet of daises in her other hand.
"Mother" Itachi said catching the woman's attention.
"Itachi" Mikoto said turning to her son with a surprised look on her face.
"You know ... Natsumi ..." Itachi began before his mother squealed in excitement and cut him off.
"Is going to love her Homecoming Proposal!" Mikoto exclaimed earning a blank stare from Itachi.
"Well I was actually going to say she might –" Itachi tried to interject again.
"Appreciate the gesture more if it's a surprise?!" Mikoto asked with her eyes lighting up in excitement. "I thought of giving her and Sasuke a heads up so they could have something to look forward to, but could you imagine the surprised smiles they'll have when they both don't know!" Mikoto reasoned making a look of disbelief cross Itachi's face before she rushed out of the room excitedly.
"... not want a big gesture" he finished dejectedly as he watched his mother leave.
Itachi released a deep breath before turning back to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
'I suppose I'll just have to let her and Sasuke know beforehand myself' the young man thought.
...
Unfortunately for Itachi there wasn't a proper time during dinner to warn Sasuke and Natsumi as his parent spearheaded most of the conversations. After dinner he thought he would try to let them know, but when he approached Natsumi as she was helping to clear the table, Sasuke immediately made his way over to pull the dark haired teen girl away. Later on after Sasuke dropped her off at home, Itachi thought he could let him know, but Sasuke seemed to be in a bad mood and completely ignored him. It was now the following morning when Itachi was finally able to catch Sasuke outside when he was leaving for school.
"Sasuke" Itachi called bringing his brother to a halt as he had just stepped off the front porch and tuned his head to glance back at him.
"Itachi" Sasuke replied bitterly with a scowl on his face as he looked at the older Uchiha.
"I need to discuss something with you, it's about Natsumi" Itachi stated making Sasuke's glare worsen.
"You know what Itachi, anything that has to do with Natsumi is none of your concern" Sasuke said harshly. "I already told you she's MY friend" he went on making a look of confusion cross Itachi's face.
"Sasuke I think you should know-" Itachi began again before being cut off by his younger brother.
"What?!" Sasuke snapped now turning partially around to look at Itachi. "What could you possibly have to tell me about her? Like I said before leave my friends alone and focus on your own ... especially the ones dumb enough to hit on minors" Sasuke said leaving Itachi slightly taken aback by his words before storming off.
'He's not in the best mood ... perhaps I can tell him later' Itachi thought.
...
"So then I was helping his mother clear the table while he talked with his father, but when Itachi walked up to me, he stormed over and dragged me away!" Natsumi said angrily as she slammed her locker shut.
"Did you try talking to him about it afterwards?" Hinata asked meekly as she and Natsumi started to make their way down the busy halls.
"No because as soon as we got back up to his room he completely ignored me until he took me home" Natsumi said running a hand through her hair with a frustrated sigh.
"Is that when you guys talked it over?" Hinata asked nervously as the girls walked on.
"No it's when we argued" Natsumi replied feeling her blood boil at the thought of the Uchiha. "I swear he just makes me so mad sometimes" Natsumi exclaimed earning wide eyed looks from students they passed in the hall. "It's like where does he get off telling me who I can and can't talk to?!" Natsumi asked angrily.
"Well maybe he's just a little over protective since you're his only friend aside from Naruto" Hinata said.
"He had me so mad that I forgot to plug in my phone last night!" Natsumi went on pulling out her device to show the Hyuga the low battery percentage.
"So you guys still haven't made up yet?" Hinata asked earning a blank look from Natsumi in response.
...
Meanwhile with Sasuke and Naruto, the two boys had just arrived on campus. They exited the Uchiha's car, making their way into the school as on lookers looked at the pair nervously upon noting the dark aura surrounding Sasuke.
"I'm just saying you seem a little off you know?" Naruto asked nervously as the boys walked through the crowded halls.
"Not now Naruto" Sasuke said in an annoyed tone.
"I'm just saying maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to make up with Natsumi" Naruto said holding his hands up in defense, earning a harsh glare from the Uchiha, before the sound of his phone ringing caught his attention.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Sasuke scoffed upon reading the caller id, before declining the call and placing the device back into his pocket.
"Who was that? Did your number get out to your fan club again?" Naruto asked curiously as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his school jacket.
"No" Sasuke replied with a huff. "It was Itachi" he said continuing on.
The boys walked on in silence for a while before suddenly coming to a halt.
"Natsumi! Hinata!" Naruto said as the boys stopped in front of said girls.
"Na-Naruto" Hinata said shyly with her face lighting ablaze in red.
Both Hinata and Naruto looked to Natsumi and Sasuke in anticipation of their actions. The two dark haired teens glared at one another in disdain, before Natsumi rolled her eyes and pushed past the Uchiha. Sasuke scoffed before continuing on in the original direction he traveled.
"Oh geez" Naruto breathed out turning his head to look at both. "I hope they make up soon or we're going to be in for some awkward tension today you know Hinata?" Naruto asked looking down to the Hyuga for a response.
Hinata's face was now a deep shade of red as she looked at Naruto's expectant eyes.
"Yes" Hinata agreed nervously as she averted her gaze to the ground.
Naruto thought for a moment releasing a thoughtful hum.
"Oh I know!" Naruto asked with his blue orbs lighting up in excitement. "What if we help them?"
"We ... L-like to-together?" Hinata sputtered out nervously.
"Of course after all we're friends and they're our friends!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why don't you talk to Natsumi and I'll talk to Sasuke and see if we can get them to make up before the end of the day?" Naruto asked suddenly placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder much to her alarm.
Hinata quickly looked between Naruto's hand and his hopeful gaze, feeling as if her heart would burst from her chest.
"We-well I – we could bu-but I think it might be best if we don't get involved" the Hyuga admitted making Naruto's smile falter as he watched her gaze shift towards the ground. "After all we don't want to make things worst between them" she explained as a look of understanding crossed Naruto's face.
The blonde teen boy quickly removed his hand from the girl's shoulder as he placed it under his chin in thought.
"That's a good point Hinata" Naruto said, making the girl feel her stomach flop. "I got it!" he suddenly exclaimed making her jump in surprise at his outburst. "I know we'll all sign up for dance decorating these next two days and when they make us break into pairs to work, you and I can be partners so they'll have to work together!" Naruto said as Hinata looked at him with wide eyes.
"To-together? You and I?" Hinata asked, earning an excited nod from Naruto.
"Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "They'll have to make up if they spend more time together, it's the perfect plan you know?" Naruto asked, earning a light hearted nod from Hinata as she stared at Naruto. "Great I'll take care of signing us all up now" Naruto said rushing off with a smile as Hinata looked after him in disbelief.
'Well this might not work if other people try to partner with Natsumi and Sasuke ... hm like Temari since she'd probably work with Natsumi ... unless Shikamaru is there ... I'll just sign him up too then!' Naruto thought.
...
It was not an enjoyable day for the Uchiha as he and Natsumi promptly ignored one another in their morning class, bringing an awkward atmosphere amongst the room. On top of this throughout the majority of his morning classes, Sasuke found himself silencing his phone as the screen lit up with Itachi's name. In route to his science class, he scoffed when he looked down to see 7 missed calls and 4 text messages from his brother.
'What the hell does he want?' Sasuke thought before turning his phone off as he continued down the hall.
Meanwhile Natsumi trudged through the halls on her way to Orochimaru's class when she suddenly felt the light vibrations of her phone in her pocket. Pulling out her phone, she thought for a moment it could be her mother, but her eyes lit up in surprise upon seeing Itachi's name on her screen.
"Hello?" Natsumi answered the phone wearily as she continued on at a slower pace.
"Natsumi!" she heard Itachi from the other end of the line with a voice of what sounded like relief. "Thank goodness you answered are you with Sasuke?" he asked making a confused look cross the girl's face.
"No but I'll see him in my science class" Natsumi said in a dull tone. "Did you need a message delivered?" Natsumi asked rolling her eyes at the thought of Sasuke, before she heard two beeps.
Pulling the device away from her ear, she gave an annoyed sigh before returning it to her ear.
"Is everything alright?" Itachi asked in concern from the other line.
"My phone's about to die, do you think you could just call Sasuke yourself?" Natsumi asked, hoping he would agree.
"I'm sorry Natsumi, that's not really an option since I think Sasuke turned his phone off" Itachi replied making the girl's shoulders drop as she gave a defeated sigh.
"Oh ok" Natsumi replied.
"Well you see I think it's better if I tell you" Itachi said from the other line, sparking the girl's interest. "Sasuke isn't taking my calls now but I wanted to let you both know that my mother is planning a Homecoming proposal for you in place of Sasuke" he informed the dark haired teen, making her stop as she processed what the Uchiha just said.
"What?" Natsumi asked in disbelief.
"I heard her on the phone yesterday and she's planning on having five dozen roses delivered to you during Orochimaru's class" he said, making Natsumi feel her blood run cold.
"I've got get out of here" Natsumi said in a panic as she contemplated rushing to Kakashi-sensei's class to see if he would let her work on grading rather than attend her third hour.
Hearing the panic in her voice Itachi could feel himself grow worried.
"Natsumi listen to me" he said from the other line catching her attention from her thoughts. "The company doesn't know what you look like, they were only told to deliver them to the girl sitting beside Sasuke" Itachi said making her eyes light up in realization.
"So if I'm not sitting next to Sasuke then I don't have to deal with the spectacle?" Natsumi asked clutching the strap of her bag in anticipation of Itachi's answer.
"Yes" Itachi stated bringing the girl a breath of relief before the call suddenly cut out.
Looking at her phone, Natsumi saw that it had died before she placed it in her pocket and quickly made her way to class. She rushed down the halls hastily, before suddenly colliding with another.
"Sasuke!" Natsumi exclaimed taking a step back to steady herself as she looked up at the Uchiha.
"Watch where you're going" Sasuke said dryly before side stepping her to enter the class.
"Sasuke we have to talk, Itachi-" Natsumi began rushing alongside him, before being cut off as he turned to her in the door way and leaned down to her with narrowed eyes.
"If you want to continue this stupid argument, then I'm not interested" Sasuke said in a dangerously low tone, before turning to continue into the class.
'He's not going to listen' Natsumi thought as she released an annoyed huff.
"Move it Nakamaru" Karin suddenly said standing in the door way and making Natsumi's eyes light up.
'They don't know what I look like ... they'll give it to whoever is sitting next to Sasuke' the dark haired teen thought as she turned to Karin.
"Hey Karin I need to ask you a favor" Natsumi stated earning a sarcastic laugh before being pushed to the ground.
"Like I'd do anything for you" Karin said making her way past the dark haired girl who sat on the floor now fuming in anger.
'The nerve of this girl' Natsumi thought, before being pulled from her thoughts by a friendly voice.
"Natsumi are you alright?" Tenten asked earning a surprised look from Natsumi as she pulled her up from the floor.
"Uh yeah but what are you doing here Tenten?" Natsumi asked in alarm.
"I've had this class since the first day" Tenten replied, as Natsumi looked at her in disbelief.
'I guess I'm not very observant' Natsumi thought before her eyes once again lit up. 'Wait a minute Tenten is the type to appreciate a big gesture' she thought looking to the girl.
"Hey Tenten do you think you could do me a huge favor?" Natsumi asked taking hold of the girl's hand.
"Uh yeah" Tenten replied wearily as Natsumi's face lit up with a smile.
"Oh my god, thank you so much!" Natsumi said happily. "You wouldn't mind taking five dozen roses for a Homecoming Proposal right?" she asked making Tenten's eyes widen in surprise.
"Of course especially since I wasn't asked at all" Tenten replied.
"Great, I just need you to switch seats with me for this period because I'm not really looking forward to making a scene over it" Natsumi said with pleading eyes before earning a smile and nod from the brunette. "Great um where do you sit though?" Natsumi asked making Tenten release a light laugh.
"In the middle lab station with Neji" Tenten said pointing to her seat beside the Hyuga boy and making an even more confused look cross Natsumi's face.
'I'm really not observant at all' she thought as she made her way to Neji.
"Natsumi, what is the meaning of this?" Neji asked taken aback by the dark haired girl's presence.
"Hey Neji" Natsumi greeted the boy with a small smile and wave before taking a seat beside him at the lab station. "I asked Tenten to switch seats with me but it's just for today" Natsumi explained as Neji raised a brow in question.
"Why?" Neji asked.
"It's kind of a long story, but trust me you'll see why later" Natsumi said earning a weary nod from the boy.
Natsumi then watched as Tenten made her way over to her seat beside Sasuke. The girl cautiously pulled out the stool and slid into the seat, at first earning no reaction from the Uchiha until he turned to his head to look at her and had a taken aback look on his face. Natsumi stifled a giggle at the confused look on the Uchiha's face as his onyx hues scanned the room, before landing on her. The dark haired girl gave the boy a smile and wave, further perplexing him before the bell rang and brought his attention forward.
"Alright students let's begin class" Orochimaru announced to the class as his eyes traveled over his class before shifting between the switched pairs of Natsumi and Neji and Tenten and Sasuke.
'Mixing things up... very interesting' he thought before a smile crossed his face.
"Today we will be taking notes so please take out your notebooks" he instructed. "I have many plans for this upcoming lesson" he stated pulling a remote from his lab coat and turning on the projector.
Orochimaru started then his lecture that only really required the students' attention as they took notes. There was no real conversation between Natsumi and Neji as they worked, but it wasn't like she really minded as she and Sasuke weren't really conversationalists. When Orochimaru's slide show drew to a close, he announced that the students would be assigned to read the next chapter in their text books for homework and could begin until the bell rang.
Natsumi nervously glanced to the clock, counting down the minutes as she felt a nervous pit form in her stomach.
'I hope Itachi was right, otherwise I might've gotten Tenten's hopes up and switched with her for nothing' Natsumi thought nervously glancing over to where the girl sat beside Sasuke.
It didn't take an expert to tell you the atmosphere around the two was awkward as Tenten and Sasuke worked. The Uchiha kept his eyes on his book, while Tenten would occasionally glance from her book to him. Natsumi raised a brow at this until the classroom door suddenly opened, catching her attention as she (and every other student in class) turned to see Ino's mother and a four other people wearing green aprons enter the class, each holding a bouquet of a dozen red roses.
'Here we go' Natsumi thought nervously as she watched Ino's mother look around the room with a blank look on her face before her eyes landed on Sasuke and a smile crossed her face.
The woman swiftly made her way to where Tenten sat beside him with a wide smile.
"Excuse me miss these are for you" she said holding the roses out to Tenten as the other employees followed suit.
Tenten's face lit up with a bright smile as she looked over the arrangements.
"Well what do we have here?" Orochimaru asked making his way over with his arms crossed over his chest.
"A token of appreciation from the Uchiha" Ino's mother stated with a smile, that made Sasuke stiffen before turning to look back at Natsumi with a shocked expression.
'Looks like Sasuke is putting it all together' Natsumi thought with a smirk, before Neji tapped her on the shoulder to catch her attention.
"Is this the reason you switched with Tenten?" the Hyuga asked making Natsumi bring a finger to her lips as she nervously glanced back to the scene.
Seeing that none of the workers had taken notice to his question, she released a breath of relief before wearily nodding her head in reply.
"You realize the recklessness of your actions don't you?" Neji asked earning a blank stare from the girl.
"It'll be fine as long as no one finds out" Natsumi replied in a hushed tone.
"It has been a very eventful day indeed" Orochimaru stated folding his hands together as he smiled at Sasuke and Tenten. "Wouldn't you agree Natsumi?" he suddenly asked making the dark haired teen feel her blood run cold as he turned the gaze of his yellow eyes to her.
'Oh no' Natsumi thought looking back at the man with a stoic expression but with the panic evident in her eyes as she felt her heart beat quicken.
"Why exactly is the Uchiha giving such a generous token?" Orochimaru asked looking back to the workers.
"I believe it's for Homecoming" Ino's mother replied.
"Ah yes but ... I'm almost certain Sasuke Uchiha was going with-" Orochimaru started making Natsumi feel her heart drop, before he was cut off.
"Orochimaru-sensei I have a question about the notes relation to our text book, it seems to differ" Neji suddenly said with a raised hand, that caught the attention of the serpent like teacher.
Natsumi released a breath of relief at this as she quickly gave Neji an appreciative look before Orochimaru made his way over.
"Oh we have to go" Ino's mother said looking at the clock in alarm before placing the flowers in front of Tenten and making her way out followed by her workers.
'That was close' Natsumi thought releasing a breath of relief as the bell rang prompting the students to pack and leave.
...
Natsumi thanked Neji as the teens made their way into the hall, before being yanked away by Sasuke. Hearing the lecture from the Uchiha left the girl slightly annoyed but upon looking back to see Tenten excitedly handing a couple bouquets over to the Hyuga to carry, she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Explaining what happened to Sasuke was made more bearable thanks to this and by the end it left the teens without the tension that surrounded them earlier.
"That's so stupid" Sasuke criticized as the teens walked the halls.
"It might be stupid, but if you would have just answered his call then I wouldn't have had to make a plan without you" Natsumi shot back earning an eye roll from the Uchiha.
"Whatever" Sasuke said dismissively as the pair walked on.
By the end of the next class period, Natsumi was surprised when she found Sasuke waiting for her outside Kakashi-sensei's classroom.
'I guess we're not fighting anymore' she thought as the pair made their way to the cafeteria.
Arriving together earned a shocked gasp from Naruto as they sat.
"You guys aren't fighting anymore?" Naruto asked in a worried tone.
"No" both Sasuke and Natsumi replied in unison.
"Oh boy I wish I knew that sooner" Naruto said awkwardly scratching his cheek as the two dark haired teens gave him confused looks.
"Damn it Naruto, why did you sign me up for dance decorating these next two days?" Shikamaru asked as he took a seat at the table.
"Well you see ..." Naruto started to explain with a light chuckle before being cut off.
"You didn't" Sasuke said in disbelief as Natsumi's eyes lit up in realization.
"Naruto" she said in a warning tone as the blonde gave a guilty laugh.
"I just thought we could all have fun together" Naruto said innocently as the three teens glared at him.
"You idiot" Sasuke said angrily.
"What a drag" Shikamaru said giving a defeated sigh as he folded his arms over his chest and looked up.
"I'm supposed to get my dress today" Natsumi said pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"Well how was I supposed to know you guys already made up?" Naruto asked defensively.
"Then why the hell did you drag me into it?" Shikamaru asked in an annoyed tone.
"It's a long story" Naruto admitted scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as the others glared at him before starting to eat.
...
Mikoto blinked a couple times as she processed what Natsumi recounted from the day. The two dark haired females sat in Mikoto's car in the parking lot of the dress store. Mikoto had picked up Natsumi after she had finished at the school and was surprised when the teen walked out tiredly.
"On the bright side all the decorating for the dance is done" Mikoto tried in a positive tone.
"It was supposed to be a two day job but thanks to Guy-sensei and the 'power of youth' he insisted we finish today" Natsumi replied.
"I'm sure the teacher who's in charge of the second day is happy things finished the way they did" Mikoto said opening the car door.
"I have a feeling Kakashi-sensei only signed up to be in charge of day two because he knew Guy-sensei would try to get everything done on day one" Natsumi said earning a small giggle from Mikoto before they made their way through the parking lot and entered the shop.
Upon entering Natsumi saw the many dresses hanging on racks and some displayed on mannequins and others on walls all in various shades of styles and colors. Natsumi felt awkward looking at the several colorful dresses Mikoto picked out. Typically when she was to attend company functions with her parents, her father always had full say on what she would wear. So having the freedom to pick left her feeling her a bit out of her element. Sensing the teen's discomfort, Mikoto placed a caring hand on the girl's shoulder, and pulled her to the side of a rack of dresses.
"Natsumi dear, you seem uncomfortable, is everything alright?" Mikoto asked with concern.
Natsumi shifted her gaze to the ground guiltily; the last thing she wanted was to ruin this experience for Mikoto. Yet she could not help but feel overwhelmed by the many options in front of her.
"I'm really sorry Mikoto, I know you've been looking forward to this but I just ... I'm just not used to all of this" Natsumi said motioning to the many dresses.
Mikoto smiled kindly at the teen girl before rubbing her shoulder.
"Natsumi you don't have to apologize, I'm sorry for not considering how you might feel with everything just thrown at you at once ... tell you what, why don't we start off simpler and pick a color first?" Mikoto offered earning a nod from Natsumi that made her smile. "Alright, what color do you want to wear?" Mikoto asked.
Natsumi bit the inside of her cheek in contemplation as her eyes traveled the many racks.
"I don't want anything too flashy and I know Sasuke would probably want-" Natsumi started to reason before being silenced by Mikoto as the woman took hold of her shoulders.
"Natsumi, I appreciate you taking my son into consideration but his opinion doesn't matter. You get full range on the decisions for this and whatever you pick is what he's going to agree with no matter what" Mikoto said making Natsumi smile before nodding in understanding.
"I think I want a blue dress" Natsumi stated as Mikoto nodded in understanding.
"Alright now is there anything else bothering you?" Mikoto asked kindly.
Natsumi thought for a moment before thinking about the fight she had with her mother. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought about how they had yet to make up. Over the past few days, she couldn't help but replay everything that was said, and as much as she hated to admit it, she was in the wrong. The more she thought about it, she found it to quiet convenient joining the Uchiha as she was able to not only have an enjoyable home cooked meal, but also take time to complete her homework with Sasuke. The kindness of Mikoto was something that the teen admired greatly, and the fact that it carried over to helping with something like homecoming left Natsumi at a loss of how she would ever be able to repay her. Yet with the thought of Homecoming in mind, a new issue arose in Natsumi's mind.
"Mikoto, I know you offered to help me with getting a dress and even getting ready, but I can't help but feel worried about my mom-" the dark haired teen started to explain before being cut off by Mikoto.
"If she'll get to see you?" Mikoto asked placing a hand over her heart. "I plan on taking so many pictures that she'll feel like she didn't miss a thing" the woman said reassuringly. "Although, won't she be getting back by then or at least by the time the dance will end?" Mikoto asked.
"She wasn't too specific on when she said she'll be back" Natsumi replied.
"I'll go start picking out blue dresses and you call her and ask for sure when she'll be back" she stated before walking off from the teen girl.
'Good thing I charged my phone in Mikoto's car' Natsumi thought while she sweat dropped as she looked after Mikoto's retreating figure before releasing a heavy sigh and pulling out her phone.
She nervously ran a hand through her dark locks before scrolling to her mother's contact and pushing call. She held her phone to her ear, listening to the ringing as she wondered if her mother would even answer.
"Hello" her mother's voice came from the other line making the teen suck in a breath of air. "Natsumi?" she asked as the girl released the breath.
"Mom" Natsumi said placing her other hand in the pocket of her school jacket.
"Is everything alright?" the woman asked making Natsumi feel her stomach turn as she swallowed her pride.
"I-" Natsumi started before faltering due to her anxiety.
'I don't know how to start this conversation' the dark haired teen thought.
Natsumi turned looking around to distract herself from the seriousness of the call when her gaze fell onto the shops front window, looking out the window of the dress shop and in that moment seeing Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro pass by. The teen immediately felt her heart grow heavy as she thought back to what she learned from Temari about their mother.
'What are the chances?' Natsumi thought turning away from the window and releasing a heavy sigh.
"Natsumi? What's wrong?" her mother asked in a worried tone.
"Mom, I'm sorry about the fight we had before you left" Natsumi said, at first hearing nothing but silence from the other line that prompted her to continue. "You were right about everything and I shouldn't have argued with you like that. I was angry and upset ... but I know that wasn't your intention. I've actually been having a great time with Mikoto and I just ... I'm sorry" Natsumi apologized looking down.
"Oh Natsumi" she heard her mother from the other line. "You've always been so stubborn, I wasn't expecting an apology" the woman admitted with a light laugh. "I love you dear" she said making Natsumi release a 'tsk'.
"I love you too mom" Natsumi replied looking back up and catching sight of Mikoto excitedly waving to her with an arm full of various blue dresses. "Hey mom, when are you coming back?" Natsumi asked starting to make her way over to Mikoto.
"Probably not until Saturday" her mother replied releasing a heavy sigh.
"Oh" Natsumi said as Mikoto began holding up some of the dresses one at a time for the girl to either shake or nod her head at.
"Is something wrong?" her mother asked.
"No" Natsumi lied slightly disappointed that her mother would miss the chance to see her on the night of Homecoming.
Yet this didn't go unnoticed by either woman, so the teen was taken aback when Mikoto suddenly took the phone from her.
"Hello Kazumi, its Mikoto" the Uchiha said into the phone. "Oh that's lovely to hear ... Uh huh ... Oh yes we're actually shopping for her dress now ... No don't worry about it I insist, but you see I think Natsumi might've wanted you home when she got back from Homecoming ... Oh yes I see ... Well I think I have an idea" Mikoto spoke into the device as Natsumi stared in wonder.
Mikoto handed Natsumi the rejected dresses and pointed her to the racks to put them back before turning away.
'My phone' the teen whined in her head as she watched Mikoto speak more.
Natsumi agreed obediently before looking over her shoulder as she watched Mikoto speak into the device. Upon returning back to her she was surprised when Mikoto handed the phone back to her.
"Your mother said she had to get back to a meeting but she said to tell you she loves you" Mikoto said with a smile as Natsumi accepted the device back.
"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod.
"We discussed a few things about Homecoming and I figured it might be best if you stayed the night on Friday so I could help you get unready" Mikoto said making Natsumi stiffen as she gave the woman a perplexed look.
"What?" Natsumi asked in disbelief as she raised a brow at the woman.
"I know you were looking forward to seeing you mother afterward, but since she won't back it would be a shame for you to have to go home to an empty house all alone" Mikoto explained.
"Mikoto I've been doing that this whole week" Natsumi said.
"I know but that's because you've been prepared for that" Mikoto replied.
"It's really not necessary Mikoto, it's not like it's my first time being alone on a Friday night" Natsumi tried to explain.
"Oh Natsumi" Mikoto said placing a hand on her heart as sympathy filled her eyes. "It's final then" she said placing a hand on Natsumi's shoulder.
"But Mikoto I don't think-" Natsumi began before being silenced as Mikoto pulled her into a tight hug.
"It's alright dear, you can sleep in the guest room and when your mom gets back the next day, we can all go to brunch and talk about your week" Mikoto said squeezing the teen girl tightly.
Natsumi felt like her lungs would explode from the lack of oxygen, prompting her to nod her head in agreement just so Mikoto would release her.
'What am I getting myself into?' Natsumi thought sweat dropping as Mikoto then pushed her into a changing room with a handful of dresses.
...
After picking a dress, Natsumi was alarmed when Mikoto paid for it at the counter.
"Mikoto I have my card" Natsumi offered only to be waved off.
"It's fine dear, I already told your mother I would get it" Mikoto said happily, before her eyes filled with alarm.
The woman quickly pulled her phone from her pocket with a panicked look crossing her face as she noted the time.
"Oh dear" Mikoto exclaimed.
"Is everything alright Mikoto?" Natsumi asked furrowing her brows in concern.
"The flower shop will be closing soon, and we haven't gotten Sasuke's tie yet" the woman exclaimed in a worried tone.
Natsumi sweat dropped at this.
"Um ok ... If you want I can head over to the flower shop while you get Sasuke's tie" Natsumi offered earning an appreciative smile from the woman.
"That would be perfect! Thank you so much" Mikoto thanked the teen before rushing off from the teen girl.
Making her way over to Ino's family flower shop, Natsumi was surprised to see she wasn't the only one running late to buy a corsage and boutonniere as she saw Sai standing outside.
"Sai" Natsumi greeted the pale young man, catching his attention as he turned his head to the side to look at her.
"Ah Natsumi" Sai said smiling to the girl.
"What are you doing here?" the dark haired girl asked curiously.
"Ino said it was my job to order her corsage today" Sai informed the girl as she nodded in understanding.
"Doesn't Ino's family run the shop though?" Natsumi asked raising a brow in question.
"Yes but she said since I was taking her I had to order it today or the order wouldn't go in" Sai replied as Natsumi simply nodded. "Are you placing an order for Sasuke's boutonniere now?" Sai asked.
"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod.
"Ah it seems Kakashi-sensei's late nature is rubbing off on you if you're doing it at the last minute" Sai stated earning a glare from the girl.
"You're doing it at the last minute too" Natsumi said in an annoyed tone.
"Yes but Ino said to, but I'm almost certain Sasuke didn't tell you to do this now" Sai replied making Natsumi roll her eyes.
"Well I'm going in, are you coming?" Natsumi asked earning a nod from Sai.
The teens entered seeing a man that Natsumi did not recognize behind the counter. He was older with long blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail.
"Welcome" the man said gruffly as Sai and Natsumi nodded to him. "Are you kids here for the Homecoming flower things?" he asked earning a perplexed look from Natsumi while Sai nodded.
"Yes but I believe the terms are corsage and boutonniere" Sai said. "Shouldn't someone who works in a flower shop know this?" Sai asked. "It seems lazy to refer to it so simply, that type of attitude must not do well for making sales" he went on, earning an elbow to the ribs from Natsumi while the man chuckled.
"Sai don't be rude" Natsumi said in a low voice, before turning back to the man and bowing. "I'm sorry about him sir" she apologized as the man now made his way around the counter.
"It's no problem at all miss, it's a good thing you're so fast to act otherwise I can only imagine the trouble your boyfriend's mouth gets him into" he laughed making the teen girl sweat drop.
"He's not my boyfriend" Natsumi replied making the man's laughter cease.
"Oh my apologies ... well uh you kids are here for those things right?" he asked changing the subject and earning nods from the teens. "Alright, well usually my wife and daughter are more help with that but they had to go get my daughter's dress fitted and I had to watch the counter." He explained motioning for the teens to follow him to the counter before placing a large book in front of them. "They said in case anyone came to have them go through the book and fill out an order sheet with what they wanted" he said now handing a page each to the two before hearing the phone ringing. "I'll be back" he said leaving the two as he pulled out his phone and walked to the back.
"Alright do you know what to do?" Natsumi asked turning to Sai.
"I was under the impression that girls were better at these types of things" Sai stated earning a confused look from Natsumi. "But I suppose you're not really like most girls since you don't seem like an expert with typical womanly things" he stated.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Natsumi asked taking hold of Sai's collar and pulling him down to her eye level.
"Just that you don't seem to worry much about gender stereotypes" Sai explained. "I heard about the race you had with Sasuke and Naruto" he said as she released her grip on his shirt.
"Hn" Natsumi said turning her attention to the book.
"I also notice how fast you eat sometimes at lunch and that's not winning any etiquette awards" he said making the girl glare at him again.
"I don't have time to deal with you right now" Natsumi said taking a breath to calm her nerves, before she turned to see the confused look Sai wore as he looked over her shoulder at the book. "Everything alright?" Natsumi asked.
"I'm not too sure how to go about this" Sai admitted as Natsumi fully turned to face him. "Ino told me her dress went well with a hue of pink hues" he said. "But she didn't want a plain pink rose or anything too basic. Then she said she didn't want anything too overdone so it wouldn't take away from her dress" he explained.
Natsumi processed this as she placed a hand under her chin in contemplation.
'Leave it to Ino to give Sai some of the most complicated directions that are both vague and specific' Natsumi thought before an idea struck her.
She quickly flipped through the pages of the book before taking Sai's order sheet from him to start filling out.
"Do you know Ino's favorite flower?" Natsumi asked.
"I think she likes Sakura blossoms" he said, making Natsumi pause in her writing.
'What are the chances of her liking a flower that has the same name as her best friend' Natsumi thought before finishing filling out Sai's order and handing it back to him.
"It's a white rose surrounded by Sakura blossoms" Natsumi explained as Sai simply nodded.
"Thank you Natsumi" he said. "You may not be the most feminine but you are certainly a great friend" he said giving her his signature smile.
"I'm going to take that as a compliment" Natsumi said suppressing the desire to strike the young man.
"Was it not?" Sai asked curiously.
"Are we almost done?" the man asked stepping out from the back.
"Almost" Natsumi replied as she went about filling out her form again.
She decided to select a white rose surrounded by blue ribbon and a simple white rose for Sasuke.
"So when did you kids decide to go to Homecoming?" the man asked awkwardly trying to start a conversation.
"Tuesday" Sai replied as Natsumi finished writing.
"Ah that's nice" the man lied crossing his arms over his chest.
"You really should try to be more honest" Sai said surprising the man. "You're not the least bit interested" he went on making Natsumi face palm. "I'm guessing your job doesn't involve servicing the public with how antisocial you seem" Sai went on earning another elbow from Natsumi as the man laughed.
"You're one to criticize social skills" she chastised.
"No he's right" the man said before taking the two order forms from the kids and glancing over them. "Hey kids you know you're ordering two corsages right?" he asked earning nods from the teens. "And I'm no expert with this flower thing ..." he started before trailing off as he looked at the forms.
"Obviously" Sai said earning another hit from Natsumi.
"The things your ordering don't really go together" he informed them just before Mikoto caught his attention as she entered.
"I made it!" she said happily before noticing the man. "Hello Inoichi" she greeted.
"Mikoto" he greeted her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"We're just getting everything ready for Homecoming" she said walking up to the counter and placing a hand around Natsumi's shoulders and making a confused look cross his face.
"Wait a minute she's going with Sasuke?" he asked pointing to the girl as she and Mikoto nodded. "Huh well in that case god help whoever is going with this young man" he said looking to Sai who smiled at him.
The group laughed as Inoichi rang up Mikoto for Natsumi's order.
"Actually sir I'm going with-" Sai began before being cut off by the arrival of Ino and her mother.
"Ino I just think that your dress might be a little much" the woman said.
"It's not that big of a deal Mom" Ino replied rolling her eyes.
"I'm not sure you should wear something so revealing ... and on top of that we still haven't met the boy who's taking you" her mother replied.
"Mom" Ino whined before her eyes fell onto the group. "Natsumi" she said noticing the dark haired teen before her eyes landed on Sai.
"Hello Ino" Sai greeted her.
"Sai, did you get my corsage ordered?" she asked making her way over to the young man and taking the form from his hands.
Natsumi saw as Inoichi stiffened in realization while Ino's mother's eyes lit up.
"Well I'll see you guys at school" Natsumi called to Ino and Sai before hooking her arm with Mikoto and dragging the woman out of the shop.
...
A/N: I'm sorry for updating so late again. I thought I had a handle on this chapter throughout the week, but I ended up being wrong. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will let me know your thoughts in the comments. I've loved reading the comments so far and encourage you to leave more. I also have some news in regards to the next chapter. First off, it will have Homecoming and with that being said it'll probably be kind of long with all the descriptions of dresses and such. Secondly, it may or may not be up this coming week. I've been invited to a friend's wedding and if I go it's going to be out of town for a few days and unfortunately I won't have time to write, edit, and upload. Right now nothing is really too set in stone and I apologize for not being able to give a direct answer, but with everything going on in the world I'm honestly not sure if I can follow through with my travel plans. Finally, I thought I would let you all know I'm kind of struggling with updating on time and hope you know I'm appreciative of your patience. I was told I should probably take a break from writing for a while since I'm getting kind of stressed out with all the on goings of life, but I like writing this story and I know you like reading it. So I'll do my best for now. Well that's all for now and until next time xoxo guys
