Best Friend's Brother 25

HOMECOMING! Part 6

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

Natsumi had never felt more offset then in the moments after her realization. As the song drew to a close, the Akatsuki earned many applause and cheers of praise. And although the atmosphere around Natsumi was as lively as ever, she felt frozen. Sasuke released his hold on her waist, but noticed Natsumi had yet to remove her hands from his shoulders. The Uchiha raised a brow at this before looking at her and seeing a blank expression on her face as she looked downwards.

"Natsumi" he said catching her attention abruptly as she looked at him in alarm before taking notice to the situation.

Natsumi quickly retracted her hands from his shoulder before stepping back and off of the boy's shoes.

"Uh sorry" she mumbled awkwardly before beginning to fumble with her hands.

Sasuke gave her a weary look as this type of behavior of unbefitting of the dark haired teen girl. The Uchiha opened his mouth to inquire about her odd behavior before being interrupted when Yahiko spoke into the mic.

"We're really glad you guys liked that one!" he said with a smile as he ran a hand through his orange locks. "If you guys don't mind we're going to keep things mellow for one more song" he stated earning cheers of encouragement from the room of teens.

As Itachi began to strum the next few chords, Natsumi's eyes lit ablaze in recognition, but she stopped herself from looking to the stage.

"We should sit down" she said looking up to Sasuke as the other couples began to sway around them.

Sasuke gave her a curious look before nodding and following the teen girl back to their seats at the round table. Upon sitting down Sasuke watched as Natsumi stared down at the table in front of her with her brows furrowed in thought.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked at first earning no response as she seemed to be lost in thought. "Natsumi" he said raising his tone and making her jump as she shifted the gaze of her brown orbs to meet his onyx ones.

"I'm sorry what?" she asked making the boy raise a brow at her.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

'I like Itachi' Natsumi thought looking at the boy in front of her with a blank expression as she felt her heart beat erratically.

"Nothing" she lied earning a weary look from the boy.

"Natsumi you can't lie to me" Sasuke said, making the girl's chest tighten as guilt befell her.

'I did' she thought looking to the side before turning back to him.

"You try wearing these shoes for two hours and tell me you won't get tried" she shot back taking Sasuke by surprise as he looked at her give him a serious look.

"Are you seriously acting this weird over some stupid shoes?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"Hey shut up" Natsumi retorted. "My feet are killing me" she exclaimed earning an eye roll from the Uchiha.

"You're so annoying" he said shaking his head at her before looking elsewhere in the room. "I thought something was actually wrong" he mumbled under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Typically Natsumi would retort with sarcasm but with her mind still in disarray she remained silent before excusing herself to the bathroom and rushing off from the Uchiha. She was pleased to see she was alone as she went to stand in front of a mirror.

'This can't be happening' Natsumi thought staring at herself in disbelief before leaning onto the sink feeling her stomach turn. 'I like Itachi ... I really like him ...' she thought trying to take a breath to steady herself. 'Why?' she thought clenching her fists together tightly so her knuckles turned white.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself looking back to her reflection and seeing the flustered state she was in.

Immediately the girl brought her hands to her face, slapping herself on her cheeks before releasing a heavy sigh.

'I want to tell myself that this is nothing ... that I can get over this like my crush on Kakashi ... but I don't think this is anything like that ...' she thought feeling her heart clench in her chest as she returned her hands to the sides of the sink. 'I really like Itachi ... it feels so much more real than what I felt for Kakashi ... but I know that ... I can't hurt Sasuke' she thought staring downward.

'Stop' she thought looking herself in the eye. 'You look like an idiot and if you keep acting this way ... Sasuke will figure it out' she thought before hearing the approaching footsteps and giggles of others.

Quickly Natsumi turned on the sink, and began to wash her hands as the group of girls entered. After finishing she gave herself one last look over, taking a deep breath and standing straight.

'You got this' she thought before making her way back out to sit with Sasuke.

...

After Natsumi left, Sasuke found himself watching her until her form disappeared from his line of sight.

'What's wrong with her?' he thought looking back to the table and beginning to strum his fingers against the table. 'Is it really her shoes bothering her?' he thought furrowing his brows in thought. 'Natsumi doesn't seem like the type to worry about something like that ... but is there anything else that upset her?' he thought thinking over the evening's events.

Sasuke released a heavy sigh before bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

'Maybe I should've asked her to dance sooner' he contemplated before shaking his head dismissively. 'Natsumi's not the type to get so worked up about something like that' he thought crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

"This is so stupid" Sasuke breathed out closing his eyes as he waited for her to return.

Natsumi sat down and looked at Sasuke before looking back to the table in front of her, feeling herself fall into her thoughts all over again. Sasuke opened his eyes when he saw her sit down, taking a moment to contemplate what he might say before he scanned over the various couples dancing before finding the familiar head of blonde hair. Naruto danced with Sakura, wearing one of the largest grins imaginable as he held the pink haired girl closely.

'Idiot' Sasuke thought looking at the blonde boy before looking back to Natsumi who still seemed to be dazed.

As the song drew to a close, Sasuke waved the blonde over, earning a confused look from him before Sakura noticed and dragged the blonde over.

"Hey Sasuke" Sakura greeted with a smile as she and Naruto came to a halt at the table.

"We should go soon" Sasuke said ignoring Sakura as he looked at Naruto. "Natsumi's not feeling well" he stated, catching the girl's attention at the mention of her own name.

Natsumi turned to look at Sasuke and Naruto, earning a concerned look from the blonde as his brows furrowed.

"Are you alright Natsumi?" Naruto asked, making the girl wave her hands in front of her.

"I'm fine" she said reassuringly before being cut off by Sakura.

"Oh no what's wrong?" the pinkette asked in concern, making a confused look cross Natsumi's face as she looked at the girl, but upon noticing her green orbs darting to the side to see if Sasuke was watching, Natsumi knew this seemed to be an act.

"I'm fine" Natsumi stated again with an annoyed expression. "I'm just tired, my shoes basically killed my feet" she explained, as Naruto and Sakura's faces lit up in realization.

"Oh I know what to do!" Naruto said suddenly kneeling down in front of the dark haired teen and taking one of her feet into his hands.

"What are you doing?!" Natsumi asked pulling her foot back.

Naruto pulled it back further to her alarm before pressing down on the sides of her heel and then running a thumb over her arch. The relief she felt at this made Natsumi release a whimper as she realized just how much her feet actually hurt.

"I heard Sasuke say he wouldn't do this for you, but it seems like you need it" Naruto said moving onto her next foot as the girl released another sigh.

"How did you know how to-" Natsumi began to question before Naruto finished and rose to his feet as he started to reply.

"The old perv told me that ladies appreciate a guy who's good with his hands" Naruto replied. "I wasn't too sure what he met at the time but I figured it must have met massage stuff, especially since girls wear heels that make their feet hurt ... so I watched a bunch of videos on it in case Sakura wanted a foot rub later, you know?" the blonde asked with a sheepish chuckle, that made Natsumi sweat drop.

'Pretty sure that's not what he met idiot' Sasuke thought before shifting his gaze to the pinkette and seeing her drooling over him with a dazed look, that made the boy roll his eyes before looking back to Naruto and Natsumi.

"Well thank you Naruto" Natsumi said awkwardly as she looked up at the boy.

"No problem Natsumi" he said giving her a wide smile before looking over to Sakura.

Upon seeing her gazing at Sasuke, the blonde released a disappointed sigh before folding his arms over his chest.

"I think I'm going to go to the bathroom" he stated walking off, before being stopped by Sasuke.

"Are we leaving afterwards?" the Uchiha asked earning a simple nod from the blonde before he turned to walk away again.

Silence befell the table at this point, as Sakura casually slid into the seat beside Sasuke. The pinkette glowed in glee, while the boy stared elsewhere, trying to ignore her. Meanwhile Natsumi shook her head at the girl.

"Hey what's going on here?" Kiba asked walking up with Shino and Hinata.

Pulling out a chair, the brunette sat down beside Natsumi as the others followed suit.

"Just taking a break" Natsumi said looking over the trio and earning nods of understanding.

"That's understandable since these social functions can be so draining" Shino said earning a nod of agreement from Natsumi and Sasuke.

...

After arriving back, Naruto called the other group members to join in around the table, making it a tight squeeze as some pulled chairs around the table and others opted to stand closely behind their dates.

"So did we decide what we're doing after this?" Naruto asked looking around the table's occupants standing behind Sakura and Sasuke.

"I thought we all agreed to go out to eat after this" Choji stated folding his arms over his chest in disappointment.

"Well that was before we heard about the after party" Ino interjected beside him.

"Why can't we just stick to our original plan?" Choji asked wearily.

"We could always go out to eat another time" Sakura cut in earning nods of agreement from the table.

"I can't believe you guys want to change our plans that easily ... what a drag" Shikamaru stated closing his eyes as he released a heavy sigh.

"Oh you must be so exhausted from the long week you had with Student Council and then spending so much time dancing" Temari said sarcastically as she smiled at the boy and nudged him.

"And now my date is criticizing me ... how troublesome" Shikamaru exclaimed crossing his arms over his chest while releasing another heavy sigh as the other watched awkwardly.

"You guys sure know how to make everyone feel like third wheels" Ino commented earning laughs from the others.

"Honestly I've never had a scenario call me single in so many ways" Tenten said earning more laughs as Shikamaru and Temari looked away from one another with light blushes on their faces.

As the teens continued on in laughter and broke into an array of other side conversations, Natsumi found herself spacing out as her eyes wondered to where the Akatsuki played. She couldn't help but focus on Itachi, feeling her heart beat quicken, before Naruto called for the attention of the group.

"Alright guys we still haven't decided what we're doing" the blonde said taking control of the conversation.

"I don't want to go to a party" Choji said earning a nod of agreement from Shikamaru.

"You're just saying that because you want to go out to eat!" Ino yelled at the boy. "And you don't want to go because you're lazy!" she said turning to Shikamaru.

"Yeah you act like they won't have food at the party" Sakura said cutting in.

"Not real food" Choji argued. "It'll be nothing but snacks" he whined.

"You love snacks!" Ino argued.

"Yeah but I've had snacks all night in anticipation of the meal we were going to have after" the young man reasoned making the girls sweat drop.

"Why don't we put it to a vote?" Naruto suggested looking around the table.

"I don't care" Sasuke stated earning nods of agreement from Natsumi, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and Sai.

"Ok so half of us don't care" Ino said with an annoyed huff.

"I think it would be fun" Yukata said with a shrug as the other girl's agreed before a thought struck her. "Um I forgot to mention, whatever we decide would it be ok if Matsuri joined us?" the girl asked looking around the table.

"I guess" Naruto said with a shrug.

"Yeah" Tenten said with a smile.

"Of course" Sakura chimed in.

"If she's going to vote in favor of the party, you should get her now" Ino stated.

"Who?" Kiba asked in genuine confusion.

"You know her friend with the short brown hair" Sakura replied.

"Oh you mean the one she used to follow around Gaara with?" the boy asked making the girl turn pink enough to match her dress, while the table had an awkward silence.

"Don't say things like that" Shino chastised the young man.

"Well am I wrong?" Kiba asked earning a hit from Shino. "Ow! I'm just saying it was a little creepy" he said.

"Kiba you shouldn't say those kinds of things, it's rude" Hinata said in a hushed voice.

"You're one to talk" Kiba said making Hinata glow bright red as she looked to her lap.

"You can't criticize her especially when you're the same way with Natsumi" Shino shot back making Kiba grow silent as he blushed.

"You follow me?" Natsumi asked raising a brow at the boy who turned to her with a worried expression.

"What? No!" Kiba replied shaking his hands in front of him as the others broke into laughter.

Natsumi gave the boy a weary look before scooting slightly away from him as he struggled with an explanation.

"Hey guys we need to make a decision" Naruto said bringing the groups attention back to the main topic.

"Why can't we just go to both?" Fu asked raising a hand as she excitedly bounced in her seat.

"I mean we could" Tenten said with a shrug as the others nodded in agreement.

"I agree!" Lee suddenly exclaimed standing from his seat in excitement. "We should embrace the events to the fullest extent and what better time to do so when the night is still young?!" he asked clenching his fists in front of him while the others sweat dropped.

"Lee sit down!" Neji yelled at the young man as others in the room turned towards their table while Tenten face palmed.

"So I guess we're doing both" Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders as everyone nodded in agreement, of course with the exception of Natsumi and Sasuke.

The dark haired girl found herself staring at the table in front of her again before being shaken from her thoughts as Sasuke placed a hand onto her shoulder. She gave the boy a startled look before he simply pointed to the others who were gathering their things in anticipation of leaving and Yukata who had retrieved Matsuri. Natsumi simply nodded in understanding, standing to follow the others as they left.

...

As the others joked and talked amongst one another, Natsumi trailed behind walking beside Sasuke as she kept her eyes on the ground in front of her with a blank expression on her face.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Sasuke asked bumping the girl with his shoulder, making her blink as she turned her head to face him. "Do your feet really hurt that much?" he asked raising a brow at the girl.

"I have an extra pair of flats!" Tenten exclaimed holding up an extra pair of black shoes as the others gave her bewildered looks.

"I can't believe you took them off so soon" Sakura interjected as she and Ino still had their shoes on.

"Oh yeah I almost forgot about that" Naruto said before glancing down to Sakura's feet.

The blonde boy's face suddenly lit up with an idea before he spoke.

"You know maybe you shouldn't be walking on them ... just to give your feet a break, you know?" the blonde asked as the others looked at him suspiciously.

"No" Natsumi replied bluntly with a blank expression.

"Well hold on a minute Natsumi!" Naruto said shaking his hands in front of him as he walked closer to the girl before shooting her a wink and slinging an arm over her shoulders as the others turned to the pair. "I get that you might feel weird being the only one being carried, but I'm pretty sure it might be better for the other girls to get a break from walking too" he said shooting a smile to Sakura who gave him a dead stare.

Naruto chuckled nervously before looking back to Natsumi who pushed his arm off.

"It could actually be a lot of fun" he said as Natsumi raised a brow at him. "What if we had a race?!" Naruto asked excitedly turning back to the others.

The girls looked to each other wearily as the boys showed various looks of disinterest, indifference, and excitement.

"A race would be a wonderful display of youth! Just like a training exercise!" Lee exclaimed pointing upwards dramatically before jumping to squat down with his hands held out behind him. "Neji!" he called as the others broke down into laughter.

"Forget it!" Neji said angrily as the other's persisted in laughter.

"Fine!" Lee said before turning his back to Tenten. "Tenten let us show our classmates how we can out do them in this great display!" Lee announced as Tenten once again face palmed.

"So what do you say Sakura?" Naruto asked with a nervous smile as he walked closer to the pink haired girl.

"Yeah right, I know this is just some ploy" Sakura said crossing her arms over her chest as she turned away from the blonde.

"Say whatever you want Billboard Brow, we all know you don't want to do it because Naruto won't be able to carry you" Ino said catching Sakura's attention as an irk mark appeared on her head.

"What did you say Ino pig?!" Sakura asked clenching a fist in anger.

"You heard me!" Ino yelled back before turning Sai around and making the boy bend down as she hiked her dress up slightly before climbing onto the pale boy's back.

"Oh you are on!" Sakura exclaimed grabbing Naruto by the shirt and forcing him to squat down so she could jump onto his back.

As Naruto and Sai rose to their full heights, Ino and Sakura shared a glare that radiated electricity as the others watched awkwardly.

"Omg a race would be so much fun!" Fu exclaimed jumping onto Gaara's back.

Everyone grew silent in anticipation of the redhead's next actions, watching with cautious eyes as Gaara notably stiffened before taking a breath as he hooked his arms under the small girl's legs to better accommodate her as she wrapped her arms around his neck with a smile.

"Well isn't that cute!" Kankuro said breaking the silence as he slapped Gaara playfully on the shoulder and prompting laughter from the others (with the exception of Matsuri who glared at the scene) as the redhead had a light pink hue dust over his cheeks as he turned his attention to the ground.

"Oh that does look fun though!" Yukata exclaimed taking hold of Kankuro's arm and holding it closely to her body as she bounced in anticipation of his response.

Kankuro's face immediately lit ablaze in a deep red blush as he looked from Yukata's pleading eyes to the curious eyes of the group. Eventually the brown haired boy released a heavy sigh before dropping down to his knees for the young girl to climb onto his back. Yukata released an excited sequel of glee before lifting her dress slightly as she wrapped her legs around the young man's middle while securing her arms around his neck as he rose to stand up straight.

"Now that's cute" Temari commented in a teasing tone as Kankuro glared at her with narrowed eyes.

The blonde girl simply laughed before pulling out her phone, taking a few pictures of her straight faced brothers and the smiling girls they carried on their backs.

"I assume this means you won't be participating" Gaara said in a bored tone as he looked over his smirking sister.

"Yeah right, I doubt her and her date could even try to keep up with us" Kankuro said cutting into the conversation with a cocky smirk shot at Temari. "It would be such a drag" Kankuro said sarcastically as he impersonated Shikamaru's signature phrase.

The girl clenched her fists as she stared at the pair with narrowed eyes, making the others feel an icy chill from her gaze before Shikamaru released a heavy sigh.

"I really thought we could take it easy tonight but it looks like you want to prove a point" Shikamaru stated before kneeling down with his back turned to Temari to climb on.

A light pink blush crossed Temari's face as she looked down at Shikamaru before glancing to the other group members who looked at her expectantly. Releasing a breath to steady her nerves, the girl slowly hiked up the sides of her dress as she lowered herself to hang onto the boy as he then stood.

"I'm down for a race" Kiba interjected catching the group's attention as they turned to see the brown haired young man crack his knuckles as a smile crossed the boy's face to display his sharpened canines.

"Are you going to carry Hinata?" Sakura asked looking to Hinata who up until now stayed silently observing.

As the others turned to face the teen girl, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she nervously shook her head no while stepping back.

"You don't have to if you don't want to" Shino said placing a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder and making her release a breath.

"Lady Hinata are you sure you do not wish to be carried?" Neji suddenly asked making his way over to his cousin causing Hinata to look down shyly at her feet.

"I don't want to be a burden, but my feet are killing me from dancing all night" she admitted.

Neji then nodded in understanding before slowly lowering himself to the ground for Hinata to climb on.

"Well I wasn't intending on having Hinata be my partner" Kiba suddenly stated as they turned to see him direct his gaze and smirk to another dark haired girl.

"Stupid" Sasuke breathed out as he watched Kiba walk up to Natsumi with a confident smile on his face, standing directly in front of her before leaning down to meet her eye level.

Natsumi hadn't been paying attention as her thoughts encompassed her leaving her with a blank look.

"What do say Natsumi?" Kiba asked suddenly within a few inches of the girl's face and making her jump in surprise as she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"What?" Natsumi asked in surprise before Kiba smiled down at her again before turning his back to her and kneeling down as he looked at her over his shoulder.

Natsumi wasn't too sure what to say or do as her brown orbs shifted uncomfortably from Kiba's intense gaze to the eyes of the friends that watched intently.

"Why don't you go bother someone else" Sasuke said catching the group's attention as Kiba turned his head to him with a glare.

"I don't recall asking you Uchiha" Kiba shot back making Sasuke narrow his eyes at him.

The others watched intently, preparing for the likely scenario of the boy's taking their fight further than harsh words. Gaara looked to Kankuro, giving him a knowing look and nod that was returned before he took notice to the girl on his brother's back. He watched as Yukata wasn't preoccupied with the situation at hand and instead seemed to be more focused with looking back to Matsuri who stood awkwardly by the group. After shifting Fu up a bit to better accommodate his hold on the girl, he slowly made his way over to the brown haired girl.

"Matsuri" he spoke immediately catching her attention as she looked at him with surprised filled eyes while Fu smiled and waved at her.

"Gaara" she said looking to him and trying her best to ignore the blue haired girl on the red head's back.

"If you're interested in joining us, get on Kiba's back" Gaara stated in more of a command than a suggestion, while the brunette took a second to process what he said before nodding obediently.

Slowly the girl made her way to the source of the commotion for the group. Kiba now stood fully facing Sasuke with his fists clenched tightly as the Uchiha dared him to make a move first. Natsumi clenched her jaw in annoyance as she stood between the two males with an annoyed look on her face. Matsuri acted quickly, rushing behind Kiba and grasping his shoulders to hoist herself onto his back with a small jump. The act left Kiba completely thrown off as he stumbled to regain his balance as the girl hooked her legs securely around him.

"What are you doing?!" Kiba asked in an annoyed tone after regaining his composure as he glared at the girl over his shoulder.

"Shut up I'm not doing this for any other reason than Gaara telling me to" she stated snidely as she turned her head away from him with a huff.

Kiba rolled his eyes at this before his gaze shifted to Natsumi, half hoping for a jealous reaction that to his disappointment wasn't there as the dark haired girl was once again staring off into space with a blank expression on her face. The brown haired boy released a sigh at this, letting his shoulders slump in defeat as he walked back to his spot beside Shino with Matsuri still clinging onto his back. Sasuke simply rolled his eyes at this before the gaze of his onyx orbs shifted back to Natsumi as he saw the dazed look she wore.

"Don't think I'm going to do this stupid race with you" Sasuke stated nudging the girl with his shoulder and expecting her to shoot back with a witty retort that would eventually lead to her climbing onto his back as they would inevitably join their friends, but much to his surprise the action hardly even evoked such a response.

"Whatever" Natsumi replied in a bored tone as she continued to stare at the ground.

Taken aback by her simple retort, Sasuke raised a brow at the girl before placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her to face him.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked bluntly, making her brown eyes immediately shift to his onyx ones in surprise at his forwardness.

Sasuke stared at Natsumi, willing her to answer as he watched her furrow her brows in contemplation and making a nervous pit form in the Uchiha's stomach.

"Is this about what I said earlier?" Sasuke asked in a low tone so only Natsumi could hear him. "I ... I'm not great with apologies but I didn't know you'd get so worked up over that whole panic attack thing that happened with Itachi" he stated further surprising Natsumi with his soft tone.

"Sasuke I-" Natsumi began before the pair's discussion was interrupted as Naruto bounded up to them with Sakura on his back.

"Are you guys ready?" Naruto asked looking between the two dark haired teens with curious eyes, before Sasuke simply scoffed.

"Damn it dobe, we're not doing your race" Sasuke replied crossing his arms over his chest as Naruto narrowed his eyes at him.

"What did you call me?!" the hyperactive blonde yelled angrily, before being stopped by Sakura.

"Would you stop trying to start a fight?!" she asked angrily. "Sorry about him Sasuke, you don't need to carry Natsumi if you don't want and besides we all already know you'd probably beat everyone if you did join" she said smiling at the Uchiha who gave no response.

There was an awkward silence among the teens until someone else chose to speak.

"Why don't those of us not participating in the race, make our way to where we're all parked now so we can keep an eye on who finishes first?" Shino asked earning nods of agreement from the teen as the others lined up in a straight-line.

"Who's going to yell go?" Fu asked excitedly as the teens looked to one another.

"I'll do it!" Choji said raising his hand up as the others gave him confused looks.

"From the other side of the parking lot?" Ino asked earning a nod from the boy who suddenly pulled out a bag of chips.

"As soon as I finish this bag I'll blow it up and pop it so you guys know to start" he explained as the others looked to each other wearily before nodding in agreement.

"Wait aren't you guys going to race with us?" Temari then asked making the others turn to look at Sasuke and Natsumi.

Both dark haired teens looked awkwardly away from the curious eyes before Sasuke finally looked to Natsumi.

"The whole reason this whole thing is happening, is because you" he stated making the girl's face light ablaze as her eyes traveled over their various friends who looked at them in anticipation.

"I'm not really in the mood for a race" Natsumi admitted grabbing the back of her neck as she shifted her gaze to the ground with a guilty expression on her face.

"Really?" Naruto asked in disappointment evident in his tone.

"Please race Natsumi and Sasuke!" Lee suddenly exclaimed. "This way when the weekend ends I can tell Guy-sensei about the great venture we took to compete against one another although our mentors were absent!" he said loudly.

"You could at least carry Natsumi since you wouldn't let me!" Kiba interjected more towards Sasuke.

"Hey watch how you talk to Sasuke!" Sakura defended the young man.

"Didn't this all start because her feet hurt?" Ino asked curiously.

"I still have an extra pair of shoes if you want them" Tenten offered.

"Just climb on" Temari commented.

"All of this debating is ridiculous" Neji exclaimed.

Natsumi felt terrible hearing the voices of her friends.

"You don't have to feel bad Natsumi" Hinata's caring voice suddenly said, giving Natsumi a breath of relief as she looked up to meet the kind eyes of the girl.

Natsumi offered Hinata a small smile before giving her a simple nod as the others grew quiet and lined up again. The dark haired teen began to walk as she saw Shino and Choji starting for the other end of the parking lot before she was stopped by Sasuke. Suddenly the teen felt the grip of his hands on her waist before she was hoisted over his shoulder.

"SASUKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Natsumi exclaimed in surprise as she tried to squirm out of the boy's grip

"Shut up" Sasuke said simply. "You said your feet hurt and since you don't want to do the race, I'm not going to piggy back you" he stated starting to walk forward as the girl struggled and he kept hold while making sure her dress didn't ride up.

"Put me down!" Natsumi yelled hitting the boy on the back in protest as he continued on unaffected.

The others sweat dropped giving the pair awkward stares as they watched them. It didn't take long for Natsumi to tire herself in her ignored pleas before taking notice to the wide eyed looks the others gave her. She immediately felt her face burn at this and this was only made worst when she received a smirk and wink from Temari.

"This night is too much" Natsumi breathed out falling limp over Sasuke's shoulder as she stared at the ground in defeat, prompting a smile from Sasuke to repress his laugh.

When the teens reached the other end of the lot, Choji had just managed to finish off his chips as Sasuke set Natsumi down. She watched as Choji blew air into the bag until it expanded and he brought it over his head before bringing his other hand to it. With the loud 'POP' echoing though the quiet lot, the others broke into a sprint.

At first it seemed the high spirited Naruto and Kiba would maintain the lead as the blonde and brunette exchanged trash talk as they ran. Meanwhile Sakura laughed tauntingly back at Ino as Sai trailed behind the pair. Yet it didn't take long for Lee to suddenly bypass Kiba and Naruto with a jolt of speed as Tenten smiled and gave the others a piece sign from his back. This in turn prompted Yukata to begin cheering Kankuro on from his back as they caught up to Naruto and Kiba.

"How did you catch up?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"I design puppets with wood I hand select and transport myself ... compared to all the wood I carry, Yukata's basically a feather" he replied with cocky smirk before Gaara suddenly appeared at his side with Fu. "Oh you finally caught up Gaara" Kankuro said looking to his brother.

"How did you catch up?!" Naruto asked looking to Gaara in shock.

"Fu's light" Gaara replied simply.

"You guys are lucky" Naruto breathed out lowly, suddenly catching Sakura's attention.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Sakura asked angrily. "Are you trying to say I'm heavy?!" she asked making Naruto stiffen. "Why don't you stop complaining and start picking up the pace?!" she asked prompting the blonde to find new energy to make him speed up: fear.

Lee remained in the lead with Naruto closely behind him in second followed by Kiba, Gaara, and Kankuro tying in third while the others trailed closely behind. It seemed like this might be how the teens finished, but Kiba suddenly lost his footing, almost tripping and throwing off Gaara and Kankuro as he stumbled. This in turn gave Sai the perfect opportunity to slip though the chaos and make his way up to Naruto, where Ino and Sakura exchanged more insults. Lee ran fast, as he neared the finish, smiling in victory as he approached, but just before he could reach it, Neji surprised everyone as he shot through the others and passed Lee.

"And the winners are Neji and Hinata" Shino announced as the others finished soon after wards.

Neji was in first. Lee was in second. Naruto and Sai tied for third (much to the disdain of Sakura and Ino). They were then shortly followed by Gaara then Kankuro and finally Kiba (who was last thanks to his small slip up).

"Wow nice job Hyuga" Natsumi said approaching Hinata for a high five but finding herself surprised when it was Neji who reciprocated the gesture.

Hinata gave Natsumi a simple smile and shrug of her shoulders, prompting a small laugh from Natsumi as she lowered her hand and the other girl's jumped down from the males' backs. Not long after this the teens disbursed to their perspective cars after agreeing to meet at the Korean Barbeque place. As Natsumi slid into the passenger side of Sasuke's car, she was surprised when the Uchiha pulled out of the parking lot and turned in the opposite direction of the others.

"What are you doing?" Natsumi asked in confusion as the boy drove. "We're all supposed to meet at the barbeque place" she went on looking back to the lights of the others before turning back to face forward.

"We're going home" Sasuke stated surprising Natsumi as she looked at him. "I'm not really in the mood to put up with anymore social interaction" he admitted making Natsumi roll her eyes as she smiled.

"Hn" she replied with a nod as Sasuke drove.

"Something tells me you've had your fair share too" he then stated making the girl scoff as she turned her attention to the window as the pair drove in silence for the rest of the ride to the Uchiha residence.

...

Upon arrival into the home, Sasuke and Natsumi walked in tiredly before Mikoto suddenly appeared in the doorway with her brows knitting together as a confused look crossed her face.

"What are you kids doing home?" she asked curiously as Sasuke and Natsumi halted in front of her.

"Coming home for the night" Sasuke replied simply.

"But the dance hasn't even ended yet" Mikoto exclaimed. "And I thought you said you guys were going out to eat with friends afterwards" she went on placing her hands on her hips. "I didn't expect you two home for hours" she said.

"Father wants us in bed by 1" Sasuke replied with a shrug as he ran a hand through his locks. "And since we didn't want to miss bed checks, we gave ourselves a curfew" Sasuke replied sarcastically, making Natsumi look down to hide her smirk while Mikoto's mouth hung open in shock.

"It's only 11 o' clock though" Mikoto argued crossing her arms over her chest. "You kids should be out enjoying yourselves not coped up in the house" she went on earning heavy sighs from the pair, before she herself released a breath of defeat and stepped aside for the pair to enter.

Sasuke began going up the stairs, making his way into his room to change while he noticed his mother lead Natsumi into the guest room to assist her in removing her dress and makeup. The Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he only had to change his clothes instead of going through an entire ritual as Natsumi would.

It didn't take long for Mikoto to help Natsumi with removing her makeup and taking down her hair before unzipping the dress the teen wore. Natsumi then quickly changed into a blue Captain America t-shirt and a pair of light grey shorts. As Mikoto brushed through the teen's hair, she talked happily about her day and her excitement to hear about Natsumi's night with her mother tomorrow. Natsumi awkwardly agreed, simply nodding as she felt her stomach flop at the thought of trying to explain the night's events to not only her mother but the mother of the boy she realized she liked. By the end Mikoto left the teen, informing her she could go ahead and call if anything else was needed. Natsumi simply nodded in understanding before grabbing her toiletry bag and making her way across the hall to Sasuke's room. After knocking a couple times she heard a gruff 'come in' before she entered.

"Hey I'm going to use your bathroom to wash my face" Natsumi said walking in and catching sight of the boy sitting up at the head of his bed while on his phone.

She saw that he too changed; now wearing a pair of light grey sweatpants and a blue long sleeve.

"Alright" Sasuke replied simply as Natsumi stepped in and made her way to the bathroom to wash her face and go about her usual skin care routine before halting her routine.

'What do I do?' she thought looking over her reflection. 'It doesn't make sense, when did I start liking him?' she thought before becoming lost in her thoughts as she thought back to all the moments she shared with the older Uchiha. She found the heat rushing to her face as she pictured every time the boy smiled at her or said something kind and how whenever she was in a room with him, he was always the one she paid the most amount of attention to, actually even when he wasn't in a room she was curious about him.

"I'm so stupid" she whined looking downward with a heavy sigh.

'Should I tell Sasuke?' she thought biting her lip in contemplation.

Her immediate answer was no before she started looking at the pros and cons of telling Sasuke.

'I should tell him because it is his brother and he's my best friend but then again that could work against me because it is his brother, even if I'm the closest to him, I can't open up about this to him' she thought

'But at the same time, if I don't tell Sasuke I'd be lying to my best friend' Natsumi thought furrowing her brows in concern. 'I'm a terrible person' Natsumi thought feeling her shutter at the thought of trying to explain things in a calm way to her teen friend, before shaking the thought from her head dismissively. 'I hate that I'm getting so worked up about this!' she thought releasing a sigh.

She kept quietly thinking over this problem going back and forth before a thought struck her as she remembered something Sasuke had said.

'... no matter how hard I try I'm always second best and never good enough compared to him'

She was quiet for a moment as she processed this before thinking again.

'No I can't tell him because if I do he's going to think that his paranoia about Itachi trying to steal all his friends is true' she thought releasing a heavy sigh.

"If I tell him, he's not just going to hate me but Itachi too" she mumbled in defeat.

"I've been acting like an idiot since the dance ... at least the others got my mind off of it for a while but now that I'm alone with my thoughts, I feel so lost" she admitted before taking a deep breath to calm herself.

'Maybe I can try to get over it' she thought standing up straight and overlooking herself in the mirror. 'It's not like I would actually have a chance anyways ... he probably only sees me as his little brother's friend' she thought staring over herself in disappointment.

"If I tell Sasuke, he'll get mad. Then I'd risk losing my best friend over a relationship that's likely to not happen" she admitted. "It's better if I keep it under wraps until I figure out more about how I feel" she said giving herself a confident nod and returning to her routine.

Upon stepping out, Natsumi felt emotionally drained. Walking out she began to make her way out of Sasuke's room before the boy spoke and brought her to a halt.

"Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked abruptly.

"What?" Natsumi asked.

"Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked again in an annoyed tone, making Natsumi raise a brow at him.

"We had dinner already" she stated crossing her arms over her chest. "And besides if you're hungry then maybe it's because we should've just went with the others" she retorted earning an eye roll from the Uchiha.

"You know I wasn't the only one who didn't want to go" he argued. "You made that plenty obvious with how out of it you were" he went on making Natsumi grow silent as she shifted her gaze downwards while uncrossing her arms.

There was silence as Sasuke waited for her reply which surprisingly didn't come in the form of words but when a grumble was heard from the dark haired girl's stomach.

"Let's go" Sasuke then said jumping from his bed and walking to his door.

"Where are we going?" Natsumi asked curiously.

"To get something to eat" he replied in an obvious tone.

Natsumi rolled her eyes at his arrogance before running to toss her small bag into the guest room and then run after him.

While the teens were in the kitchen, they decided to heat up a few different left overs, grabbing a couple forks and drinks before making their way to the counter and pulling up two stools so they could eat in silence. The teens didn't speak, and the silence was comfortable for the most part before deciding to call it a night. Sasuke had told Natsumi he could start cleaning up while she went to start brushing her teeth and such before bed. Natsumi agreed making her way back up the steps and picking up her toothbrush from her room and making her way to brush her teeth in Sasuke's bathroom. When she finished, she stepped out seeing Sasuke had just arrived back from down stairs.

"Goodnight" she said as the boy walked past her as she made her way to the guest room.

"Hn ... Night" he replied with a simple nod before he disappeared into his bathroom.

Natsumi quickly made her way back across the hall, stepping into the guest room and shutting the door before making her way into the large bed and releasing a content sigh as she felt her body relax. Suddenly all the pain she felt from her shoes shot through her as she laid still, trying to distract herself from the discomfort, Natsumi tossed onto her side as she stared around the dark room. Letting her eyes adjust she saw the wall with the closet Itachi hung the hook on. She thought back to the little effort he used in performing the task, feeling her face burn as she shut her eyes tightly to ignore the increased heart beat she had before her eyes shot open again.

'Itachi's room is on the other side of this wall' Natsumi thought gripping tightly at the blanket she had brought over her shoulder as she curled into a ball. 'This is not the time to think about that' she thought turning on her back to face the dark ceiling as she breathed a heavy sigh. 'I really need to get it together' she thought bringing an arm over her eyes and trying her hardest to not open them again as she felt fatigue set in.

...

The next day Natsumi awoke as Mikoto softly knocked on the door before sticking her head in the door.

"Natsumi" she called softly making the girl's eyes flutter open slowly. "I'm making breakfast for the family dear, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to join us or wait until we went to meet with your mom" she said earning a light hum from the teen that made her smile. "You go ahead and get some more sleep dear" Mikoto said in a caring tone. "I'll call you down for a small bite when it's ready" Mikoto informed the teen as she earned another softer hum in response before smiling at the girl as she closed the door.

Natsumi felt like she barely shut her eyes again when she heard another knock at the door.

"Yes" she called tiredly, not wanting to rise from the comfort of the large bed.

"Natsumi, my mother wanted me to wake you and Sasuke for breakfast" Itachi's voice said softly, making the girl's eyes shoot open as she sat up from bed.

Immediately brown orbs met onyx as Natsumi looked at Itachi's form standing in the doorway. The older Uchiha wore a pair of black basketball shorts with a black t-shirt. She stared at him unsure of what to do or say as he smiled at her before motioning to her hair. Reaching up, Natsumi's eyes went wide as she felt the mess her hair had become while she slept. She quickly jumped out of bed, stumbling as she did so and making Itachi stifle a laugh as he watched her rush over to her bag and produce a brush to begin running though her dark locks.

"I'll be down in a second" she replied giving him a nervous smile as she hoped it would come off more confident to distract from her almost falling on her face in front of the young man.

"Hn" Itachi replied with a simple nod as he smiled at the girl before shutting the door again.

Natsumi released a heavy sigh as she rested her hands on her hips.

'I can't start acting stupid in front of him' she thought critically as she found herself staring at the floor with her brows creased.

Suddenly her attention went to the door as it swung open to reveal Sasuke tiredly running a hand through his hair as he released a yawn.

"It's time for breakfast" Sasuke stated stepping into the room and taking hold of the girl's wrist to begin dragging her down the stairs.

"I'm still in my pajamas!" Natsumi argued as Sasuke continued to pull her.

"So am I" he replied motioning to his sweats and shirt.

"Ok but you can't just barge in announced what if I was changing?" she now asked making the boy scoff.

"It's too early to deal with your drama, it didn't happen so just shut up" he replied as the teens now descended the stairs.

Natsumi released an annoyed huff, deciding not to argue back as they entered the inning room to see Fugaku reading a newspaper and Itachi helping Mikoto set the table. Everyone took their usual seats beginning to eat the meal while discussing their plans for the day. Natsumi made sure to keep her line of sight away from Itachi as she didn't want to feel awkward.

...

After finishing her light breakfast with the Uchiha, she and Mikoto cleaned up before going about getting ready to meet her mother at the Café they selected. Mikoto wore a dark purple long sleeve with a white skirt that went to her knees with a pair of black flats. Natsumi dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white blouse with white shoes. Currently the dark haired girl sat in a booth with Mikoto sipping a cup of juice while the woman had tea. When she heard the bells of the door opening she raised her gaze to the door to see her mother walking in looking around before catching sight of the pair and having a smile cross her face. Natsumi's mother wore a pair of dark grey pants with a black sleeveless blouse.

"Natsumi" her mother said as she approached the table.

Natsumi stood and immediately was pulled into a tight embrace of warmth while Mikoto cued.

"Oh how precious" she commented clasping her hands together before pulling the pair into a group hug.

"Mikoto" Natsumi's mother greeted the woman wrapping an arm around her.

When they let go, Natsumi's mother moved to sit beside her daughter on her side of the booth before they decided to order. Since Natsumi and Mikoto had already had a small portion during breakfast with the Uchiha males that morning, both chose to have light plates while ordering.

"So how was your trip Kazumi?" Mikoto asked taking another sip of her tea as she looked at the woman.

"Productive, I'm very pleased that I was able to make the close within a week instead of two" Natsumi's mother replied with a smile as the waitress brought her a cup of coffee.

Mikoto sweat dropped at this response as she smiled awkwardly at the woman.

"I'm sorry I actually meant more or less in regards to your visit aside from the business" Mikoto said making Kazumi's eyes light up in realization.

"Oh dear I'm sorry for misunderstanding" Kazumi replied with a light laugh.

"No it's fine I should have clarified ... I honestly should know better at this point since my husband usually responds the same way" Mikoto laughed lightly, making Kazumi nod in understanding while Natsumi found herself tuning out of the conversation until the food arrived.

"Oh I'm sorry dear, we're supposed to be discussing your week, and here we are talking about your mother's work" Mikoto apologized bringing Natsumi into the discussion as both woman turned to her.

"No its fine go ahead and catch up ... I-I don't really have much to say" Natsumi said waving her hands in front of her as she found herself stumbling over her words nervously.

Mikoto and her mother gave the teen weary looks before smiles crossed their faces and their eyes lit up in excitement.

"It doesn't seem like you don't have much to say" Natsumi's mother replied with a knowing tone that made her teen daughter feel uneasy.

"Of course that can't be the case, it was Homecoming after all" Mikoto added on with her brows furrowing. "There had to be some drama that happened" she went on excitedly, as Natsumi's brows raised in surprise.

"Th-there's nothing" Natsumi said shifting her gaze between the two women, hoping her face was remaining a neutral color as they studied her.

"Did you have a nice time?" Her mother asked.

"Was Sasuke a nice date?" Mikoto asked eagerly.

"You didn't spend your entire time sitting around right?" her mother asked.

"Well no one had the same dress as you right?" Mikoto asked.

"Did you have any problems with other girls?" her mother asked.

"There was no drama for you and Sasuke with his fan club?" Mikoto asked earning a head shake from the teen girl as Kazumi gave her a bewildered look.

"His what?" Natsumi's mother asked with a raised brow.

"It's a long story Kazumi" Mikoto said waving off the topic dismissively with an awkward laugh before the woman resumed questioning the teen girl.

"Was everyone nice to you?" Natsumi's mother asked earning a nod from her daughter.

"Did Sasuke just sit around the entire time?" Mikoto asked raising a brow.

"N-no" Natsumi replied feeling like she was being interrogated.

"Oh did you two dance together?" her mother asked placing a hand over her heart.

"Uh yeah" Natsumi replied earning coos of praise from the woman.

"That's so cute" Mikoto said proudly. "Was it a slow dance?" she asked earning a nod from Natsumi and making Mikoto places both hands over her heart.

"Was it magical?" Natsumi's mother asked, making Natsumi stiffen as she thought back to her dance with Sasuke.

He'd placed her on his shoes while they danced and with her arms around his shoulders, she gazed over his shoulder and realized she liked Itachi.

'It was but not for the reasons their thinking' the dark haired teen thought.

Natsumi simply shrugged.

"Really?" both women asked in unison as Natsumi nodded in reply.

Both scoffed, making the teen sweat drop.

'They seem more interested in the drama than anything else' Natsumi thought releasing a sigh of relief as the women returned their attention to their meal.

As they finished the trio made their way out to the parking lot where Natsumi moved her things from Mikoto's car to her mother's before they all said goodbye.

"Thank you for everything Mikoto" Natsumi said as the woman hugged her.

"There's no need to thank me Natsumi. Having you over this week was a pleasure and getting you ready for Homecoming was the most fun I've had in a while" she admitted as she released the teen and a sad look crossed her face before she shook off the thought and smiled down at Natsumi again, before turning to say goodbye to Kazumi.

'Mikoto always smiles ... but she seems lonely' Natsumi thought as she and her mother departed from the female Uchiha.

The car ride home was silent for the most part until Natsumi and her mother arrived in their driveway. As they stepped out, the pair gathered their bags from the car before starting towards their home.

"Natsumi" her mother called catching her daughter's attention.

"Hn" Natsumi replied coming to a halt and looking to her mother.

"Did you really enjoy yourself at Homecoming?" her mother asked, surprising the teen with the question. "You look troubled" she went on making the teen stiffen.

"I'm sure mom" Natsumi replied trying to wave off the topic as she gave the woman a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure? You have this look on your face ... you know whatever it is, you can tell me ... even if it's boy troubles" she said making Natsumi's chest clench her smile fell.

'I guess there's no hiding things from mom" Natsumi thought releasing a sigh.

"I figured you might not want to say anything in front of his mother but you can tell your own mother" she said walking up to her daughter and placing a caring hand on the teen's cheek.

It was quiet before Natsumi shook her head.

"It's fine mom" Natsumi said dismissively.

"Natsumi" her mother said in a knowing tone.

"Mom" Natsumi whined in annoyance.

"I don't want you to bottle it up" her mother said, making Natsumi feel a pang of guilt.

"I promise if I need to talk that I'll come to you" Natsumi said, earning a smile from her mother before she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Let's go inside and you tell me all about it" she said. "It's kind of funny to think we'd be talking about boy drama" she laughed making her daughter cringe.

"Mom it's ... why are you like this?" Natsumi asked feeling her face burn in embarrassment. "You guys at the Cafe seemed more like the teenagers talking about drama than I did" Natsumi said earning another laugh from her mother as she brought an arm around her daughter as the two walked to the front door.

"And you seem so serious compared to us" her mother said removing her arm as she went to unlock the door.

"It's a good thing one of you is acting like an adult" a serious male voice came from behind the pair, making both freeze. "I swear your carelessness seems to be the only thing that's certain, after all is there any reason our daughter didn't come home last night when I know she didn't go out of town with you" the male went on as Natsumi and her mother turned to face him.

He was tall with a pale complexion. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a serious look on his face as he stared down at the pair. His dark brown hair was slicked back and his dark brown eyes were narrowed. He wore a pair of black shoes with a pair of black pants with a grey button up shirt that had the sleeves rolled back and a silver watch on his wrist.

"Dad" Natsumi said breaking the silence as his full attention turned to the teen girl.

...

A/N: And that is the conclusion to the Homecoming Arc lol! Lots of drama took place and I know this chapter is mostly Natsumi overthinking but that's just who she is. And the ending with her dad like wow ... anyways I loved reading your reviews and I hope you all continue to read and review because as I said before I love hearing from you guys. I hope you're all well and staying safe Until next time xoxo.