Best Friend's Brother 36

Halloween Part 4

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

It came as no surprise when the group saw that there was a line to enter, but what did throw off the teens was the extra 'security'. There was college boys dressed in togas walking the length of the line and pulling out girls to walk to the front. When one of these boys approached the group at the end of the line he grinned confidently at the girls before speaking.

"Hello ladies, so right now we have a sweet little deal that allows you to get to the front of the line" the boy with blonde hair said.

"No thanks dude we're all staying together" Shikamaru cut in, stepping in front of Temari as the older boy's eyes ran over the girl's figure.

The boy scoffed before looking away from Shikamaru.

"Sorry buddy but this deal is something that I'm sure the girls in your group can answer for themselves" the boy said earning a narrowed gaze from the Nara before his eyes landed on a certain dark haired beauty. "In fact it only takes one of the girls to get the rest in ... you wouldn't mind giving me your number to help out your other female friends right cutie?" the guy asked sending a wink to Hinata whose face turned bright pink in embarrassment.

Hinata looked at the young man in disbelief as the others waited for Neji to step in but before the male Hyuga could speak, Naruto held a hand out in front of the girl.

"Not gonna happen" Naruto said shocking Hinata as the boy now glared at the blonde boy.

"No such thing will happen" Neji said protectively.

"Yeah what makes you think perving on girls in line is the right way to get a number?" Ino asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"What a creep" Sakura commented making the boy roll his eyes.

Yet before the boy could open his mouth to retort, he was cut off by a familiar voice that made him stiffen.

"Yo what's taking you guys so long with the line?" Kisame asked as the young turned to face him. "Are you still hassling girls for their numbers because we told you numbers don't make up for the cover charge" Kisame went on before he looked over the group the boy stood in front of.

It took a moment before Kisame's eyes landed on Natsumi and his face lit up with a grin.

"Oi Natsumi what are you doing in line? That flyer Kakuzu signed could have helped you skip the line with your friends" Kisame said making the girl's brows rise in alarm before the boy turned to the group with wide eyes.

"They never gave me their flyer" the young man argued before Shikamaru held up the sheet and showed the back that had Kakuzu's writing.

'The kid gets in free with her whoever she brings- no questions –Kakuzu' the note read making the young man pale.

"Follow me" Kisame called motioning for the teens to follow him as he walked toward the front of the line to the front door.

"Uh thanks Kisame" Natsumi said as she allowed her friends to enter before her as she hung back to speak to the taller man.

"No problem kid, besides your my entertainment for the night" Kisame said with a laugh that made Natsumi raise a brow.

"What do you mean by that?" Natsumi asked giving a confused look to the dark haired man before he gave a dismissive wave and pushed her in after her friends.

After stumbling in Natsumi was pleased that the first person she bumped into wasn't a stranger.

"Hey watch it! Oh Natsumi" Kiba said with a smile as he realized it was Natsumi who bumped into him.

Natsumi released a deep breath of relief before looking around and noticing that the others were gone.

"Where are the others?" Natsumi asked looking back to Kiba with furrowed brows.

"Oh I think Shikamaru and Choji went to raid the refreshments table and the girls went to dance but I'm not too sure about the others, they kind of just disappeared into the crowd" Kiba replied earning a nod from the girl as he turned his body to face her but in doing so, was pushed into Natsumi. "Oh sorry about that" Kiba apologized with a halfhearted smile as a pink hue dusted over his cheeks.

Natsumi gave a nod of understanding before taking a step back from the young man and letting her eyes wonder the venue. It was dark but the bright flashes of light along with the white lights on the stage, showed that the warehouse was very large. The band was set up at the far end of the building from the entrance with large speakers on either side of the stage and a huge crowd surrounding them. From what Natsumi could see everyone was in costumes (girls wearing less than Ino and Sakura and some who weren't wearing costumes wore masks that hid their entire face). Looking to the stage Natsumi tried to get a glimpse of what the Akatsuki wore but thanks to her short height and the many tall people jumping in the crowd; she couldn't get much of a view.

"This crowd is crazy!" Kiba yelled over the music, earning a nod from Natsumi as she tried to stand on her toes to gain a better view. "Hey if you want I could put you on my shoulders" the brunette offered making Natsumi look back to him with wide eyes before shaking her head no.

Kiba smiled down at the girl before feeling someone else latch onto his arm.

"Hey there cutie" a drunk girl slurred holding Kiba's arms close to her scarcely dressed body.

Kiba's face lit up with a bright blush as the girl cuddled closer to him. She was a little older wearing the same Red Riding hood costume he'd pointed out to Natsumi the day before. She was shorter than him with a curvy build and medium length brown hair and dark eyes.

"Uh" Kiba said awkwardly, not knowing how to react to the situation as the girl placed her head on his shoulder.

"Oh I'm sorry is this your boyfriend?" the girl asked looking to Natsumi who at this point seemed just as shocked as Kiba.

"No" Natsumi replied back shaking her head at the girl.

"Perfect!" the girl said happily. "He's coming to do shots with me now" the girl declared locking her arm with Kiba's before forcibly pulling the boy away from Natsumi and leaving her alone on the crowd.

Natsumi blinked in disbelief before letting the events sink in.

'That was very forward' Natsumi thought before starting to look around in hopes of finding another familiar face. 'And now I'm alone' Natsumi thought before her eyes landed on a tall figure wearing a cloak and a wolf mask, that seemed to be staring at her. 'And afraid' Natsumi thought immediately looking away until feeling a hand encase hers and making her stiffen.

"Hey Natsumi don't tell me Kiba ditched you" Naruto's voice rang out allowing Natsumi to relax as she turned to the blonde boy and nodded. "The nerve of that guy and after all the trouble he caused in saying he'd hang back to wait for you ... I'm going to give him a piece of my mind for being such a jerk" the blonde said before Natsumi glanced back to where the masked figure stood before, but now saw that they were gone. "Hey are you ok Natsumi?" Naruto asked gaining the girl's attention again.

"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod as Naruto released a heavy sigh.

"Alright well if you want you can hang out with Sasuke and I" Naruto said motioning over his shoulder with his free hand. "I'm not drinking tonight since I'm a driver and Sasuke is such a stick in the mud that he probably won't drink even though he's allowed to" Naruto said as he began to lead the girl off to the side where the Uchiha sat with a blank expression on his face while a group of girls flocked around him. "Ah man I left him alone for two seconds" Naruto complained earning a small smile from Natsumi as he continued to pull her toward Sasuke.

They had almost made it to the dark haired teen when a girl suddenly blocked their path and brought them to a halt. She was maybe a year older than them with long black hair pulled back into a high ponytail and black hues that were framed by her bangs. She was pretty and from the small amount of clothes that she was wearing she appeared to be a zoo keeper.

"I didn't come here looking for a fox but I'm glad I found one" the girl flirted with a smile until she looked down to see the hold Naruto had on Natsumi's hand. "Don't tell me this is your girlfriend?" the girl asked looking Natsumi over with a judgmental gaze.

Natsumi raised a brow at the girl.

'What is going on with these girls?' Natsumi thought before Naruto chuckled sheepishly and smiled to the girl.

"Uh she's not my girlfriend" Naruto said making the girl's smile widen as he released Natsumi's hand and waved his hands in front of him with a light blush.

"In that case why don't we ditch your friend?" she asked taking ahold of Naruto's free hand and pulling him away from Natsumi.

Surprised by the girl's strength, Naruto awkwardly stumbled forward and lost his balance which allowed the girl further control as she forcefully tugged him along. Just before disappearing into the crowd Naruto looked back at Natsumi before shouting.

"Wait!" Naruto called before disappearing.

'And once again I'm alone' Natsumi mentally noted as she looked to where Naruto once stood.

Letting her eyes look around, Natsumi weighed her options of either spending her time with Sasuke and his new fan club or trying to brave the crowd to find her female friends. Glancing over to the Uchiha, Natsumi caught the eye of one of his new admires and earned a glare.

'Evil girls surrounding my best friend or a crowd of people surrounding my other friends' Natsumi pondered before releasing a heavy sigh. 'Crowd of people it is' Natsumi thought turning to the crowd and starting to weave her way through.

Thankfully it didn't take Natsumi long to find Temari and the other girls and after a while Natsumi was happy to be jumping around with them as they listened to the music from the Akatsuki. Normally she wasn't one for crowds but being with her friends made her feel somewhat ok. At some point the girls managed to push their way to the front. It was then that Natsumi was able to see the band in all their glory as she stood closely to the stage. They were wearing long black robes with red clouds and thanks to where she stood; she also felt the vibrations as the music blared in her ear. After a while though Natsumi had to admit she was beginning to feel overwhelmed as she was pushed and shoved in the crowd. She felt confined and thanks to the smoke machine along with the heavy odors of others she felt like she was suffocating in warm bodies. Not wanting to make a scene though, Natsumi tried to stay reserved at least until the band took a break, but when that was finally announced she felt like her feet were killing her, so she made quick work to excuse herself for fresh air.

"You ok?" she heard a male voice ask as she finally squeezed her way through the crowd.

Looking up to the source Natsumi was meant with a worried look from a boy who was slightly older than her with brown hair and dressed in a toga. Natsumi gave a nod motioning back to the crowd.

"I just needed a minute" the girl said earning a nod from the boy before she started to make her way to the exit.

As she stepped out into the cool night air, Natsumi immediately felt better as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment Natsumi allowed her eyes to open before looking up to the clear night sky and seeing the many stars overhead. She felt at peace, at least until a random girl pushed past her and rushed about ten feet ahead before starting to throw up on a tree. Not really feeling up to something like this happening again (especially given the chance that someone might not actually make it past her and instead throw up on her), Natsumi decided to make her way along the side of the building to stay out of the way. As she stood alone, Natsumi took the opportunity to take another deep breath before closing her eyes and leaning against the side of the building to let herself relax.

"Hey cutie" a familiar voice said making the girl's eyes shoot open as she looked to the side to see the boy with blonde hair who was trying to get Hinata's number in line.

He walked up casually before placing a cigarette in his mouth and making his way to lean against the wall by the dark haired girl.

"Hold on I know you" the boy exclaimed as Natsumi felt his eyes run over her. "You were in that group with that girl who dressed like an angel" he said as Natsumi slowly inched away. "I didn't mean to sound like such a dick earlier." He said making a surprised look cross Natsumi's face as she looked at him. "I know the douche bag frat guy is such a believable stereo type but I was only messing around" the guy said as he lit his cigarette.

"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod.

The boy took a drag before holding the cigarette out for the girl. Natsumi shook her head no, earning a shrug from the boy before his attention turned to the side as another boy approached. Natsumi immediately recognized him as the boy who'd asked her if she was ok before she exited the building.

"Hey dude" the brown haired boy greeted the blonde before taking notice to Natsumi. "Uh why don't you go ahead and head in" the boy said making his friend raise a brow at him. "Now" the brown haired boy said in a more demanding tone, making his blonde friend roll his eyes before waving to Natsumi and walking back around to the entrance.

Natsumi gave the brown haired boy a weary look as she looked over him and noticed a bottled water he held in his hand.

"He didn't give you anything right?" the boy asked with a worried tone.

Natsumi shook her head making the boy release a breath of relief.

"Thank god, he's my brother and I love him but he has a bad streak with girls" the boy commented as he now leaned against the wall by Natsumi.

Natsumi gave the boy a weary look before she decided to speak.

"He's your brother?" Natsumi asked.

"We're in the ΘΠΩ frat house together" the boy responded as Natsumi's eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh you're fraternity brothers" Natsumi said earning a nod from the boy before he held the water up to her.

"I thought you might like this" he said as Natsumi nodded in thanks before accepting the bottle. "So how do you like the party?" the boy asked casually.

Natsumi didn't know how long she talked with the older boy, but after a while she didn't feel so uneasy. He seemed nicer than the other boy who she met earlier and she didn't seem to mind talking to him, until his blonde friend rushed out again.

"She's the one" he said making his friend's smile falter as he looked back to him.

"What?" the brown haired boy asked raising a brow at his friend.

"She had the flyer signed by Kakuzu" the blonde replied making the brown haired boy narrow his eyes at him.

"What's he talking about?" Natsumi asked curiously as she looked to the brown haired boy.

He turned back to Natsumi with a reassuring smile before looking back to his blonde friend.

"I think he might be confused about something" the brown haired boy said staring down his blonde friend with a serious look. "Uh don't move I'll send him back inside and be right back" the brown haired boy said before walking over and pushing his friend back around the building.

Natsumi felt uncertainty well up inside her as she watched the pair disappear around the corner.

'Something's wrong' the dark haired teen thought.

...

"Dude she's the one the drummer wanted us to help him with" the blonde said to the boy once they were out of ear shot of the dark haired girl.

"I'm not stupid I know that" the brown haired boy replied. "But I also know that that idiot didn't plan out his little rescue attempt too well because he texted me saying the plan was off" the boy went on now holding up his phone so his friend could read the message.

Drummer Loser: The plan is off. Kakuzu has me running social time with the sororities.

The blonde boy wore a weary look looking back to his friend who wore a smug smirk.

"I don't think you should try anything" the blonde one said making his friend scoff.

"Don't try to pull that 'I saw her first' crap with me. I've been chatting her up for the past fifteen minutes and I'll be damned if I don't get something out of it" the brown haired boy said making his friend's eyes widen a fraction in surprise before he stepped back with his hands raised in defense.

"Whatever dude" the blonde boy said before turning to head back into the building, but in doing so also bumping into a certain masked man. "Watch it loser" the blonde said harshly but earning no response as the masked man simply walked out past him.

...

"Sorry about that" the brown haired boy said making his way back to Natsumi who no longer leaned against the building as she stood with her arms wrapped around herself.

"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod. "Um thanks for hanging out here and talking with me" Natsumi said with an appreciative nod as the boy furrowed his brows.

"You alright?" he asked noticing the weary look that the dark haired girl wore.

"Uh yeah I just ... I was starting to get cold so I figured I would head back in" Natsumi said.

"Really because I was kind of hoping to spend more time with you" the boy said grabbing the back of his neck as he let a small smile cross his lips. "If I'm being honest I think I've had a lot more fun talking with you than feeling claustrophobic in there" the boy said pointing with his thumb to the entrance as more loud music was heard along with excited cheers from the crowd.

Natsumi took a minute to process what he said before a small blush crossed her cheeks.

'He has a point, I was having fun with my friends but I much rather prefer being out here away from the crowd' Natsumi thought before being pulled from her thoughts as the boy spoke again.

"You're a really cool girl" he suddenly said making Natsumi's brows rise in surprise at the comment.

"Thanks" Natsumi replied shyly looking to the side as the boy smiled at her and made her feel at ease.

'Maybe I was overreacting before ... his friend was probably just being a creep' Natsumi thought before deciding a few more minutes with the young man couldn't hurt.

"Can I ask you something?" the boy asked making the girl give him a curious look before nodding. "Are you still cold?" he asked making Natsumi shrug before feeling the boy pull her into his embrace.

Natsumi felt her face burn as it glowed red.

"What are you doing?" Natsumi asked in alarm as she pushed against his chest to put space between them.

The boy smirked before he took her by surprise and pushed her against the wall pinning her arms at her side as he leaned into her.

Natsumi felt immobilized as she stared at the boy with wide eyes.

"I could keep you warm" the boy said in a low voice that made Natsumi feel a shiver run down her spine.

"I'd prefer to head back inside now" Natsumi said trying to sound like she wasn't afraid.

"Come on you've been out here with me for this long what's a few minutes longer?" the boy asked bringing a hand to caress the girl's cheek and making her stiffen.

"Stop" Natsumi said earning a smirk from the boy before he brought his hand under her chin to lift her gaze to his.

"Why do you have a boyfriend or something?" he asked teasingly.

Natsumi felt like her heart beat was pounding through her ears as her fear ratcheted in her, making her feel like there were a million alarms going off for her to run.

"Don't tell me it's one of the guys in that group you came with" he said as Natsumi turned her head to the side. "Well it wasn't the wolf or the fox, they both ditched you for the sluts from my school ... Oh wait unless you don't have boyfriend and you're in some weird undefined relationship" the boy said leaning down to speak into the girl's ear.

"Knock it off" Natsumi demanded, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "I'll scream" she threatened, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get out of his grip otherwise.

"Whose going to hear you with how loud the music is?" the boy asked as his hand forced the girl's head back to look at him. "Go ahead and try to yell for him though, maybe you'll get lucky and he'll hear you when a song ends" the brown haired boy said with a sinister grin that made Natsumi feel her blood run cold.

Natsumi stared at the boy with wide eyes before she tried to push him away again, but every attempt was meant with resistance that made the girl feel more helpless. Panic set in as she felt her heart beat increase more and before she knew it she drew in a breath and called help. Natsumi screamed hoping that by some chance someone would hear her or that the boy holding pinning her to the wall would back off, but this wasn't the case because as soon as she opened her mouth to let another shriek out, she felt a hand cover her mouth.

Fear filled her eyes as she was brought to face the brown haired boy again. He leaned in closer this time, making Natsumi feel his breath on her lips. Her brown eyes shut tightly before she felt his weight move away from her before a grunt was heard. Opening her brown orbs she was shocked to see the brown haired boy on the ground.

"Are you ok Natsumi?" the kind voice of Tobi said, making Natsumi feel a large sense of relief as she looked at the masked man.

"Tobi" Natsumi said hearing her voice crack before she felt a single tear roll down her cheek as she smiled to the dark haired man.

"Tobi was worried when he heard a scream" Tobi said before turning his head to the boy who was now standing back up. "You made Natsumi cry" Tobi said earning an annoyed look from the boy.

"Calm down Freak Show, I was just having a little fun with her" the boy retorted before walking over to Tobi. "Why don't you head back in and hype up the crowd? You don't really do much else for the others" he said.

Tobi clenched a fist in anger before looking back to Natsumi. The masked man held a hand out to the dark haired teen that she started to reach for before her wrist was grabbed by the brown haired boy.

"Let go creep!" Natsumi said trying to pull her arm back.

"Creep?" the boy asked rhetorically. "I'm not the one in a mask" he pointed out before Tobi suddenly took hold of his wrist.

"Tobi wants you to take your hand off of Natsumi" Tobi said.

The boy scoffed before releasing his hold on Natsumi but when he turned to the side he quickly took hold of Tobi's neck before slamming the masked man against the side of the building.

"Tobi should mind his own business" the boy said Tobi released a hiss of pain and brought a hand to his head.

"Tobi" Natsumi said starting to reach for the masked man before he held a hand up to stop her.

"If you think I would abandon her ... you have another thing coming" Tobi said in a serious voice that was nothing like the child like one he always used.

Natsumi watched with wide eyes as Tobi's entire demeanor suddenly changed. He quickly maneuvered out of the boy's grasp before twisting the young man's arm behind his back and pushing his face to the wall of the building.

'It's like he's a totally different person' Natsumi thought, feeling frozen in shock.

The boy pleaded to be released only to be met with a low chuckle before Natsumi suddenly heard a pop, followed by a quiet scream from the boy. Natsumi didn't know what to do because she was frozen in place and couldn't find the will to intervene or even look away. Although she was safe, she still felt fear as her heart proceeded to pound through her ear drums. It was like a nightmare that she couldn't wake from, until she felt a hand grab her forearm and start pulling her away.

"Come on, let's go!" a male voice said, seemingly snapping Natsumi from her daze as she turned to see this new comer.

"Neji?"

...

Neji pulled Natsumi along to the back of the building, close to the path they had arrived at before coming to a halt and turning to face her. Natsumi stared at the ground with a grim expression as she felt her hands shaking in fear and her heart about to burst. On the way there she lost her hat at some point. It was quiet for a few moments until Neji chose to speak.

"Natsumi" Neji said in a soft tone, she'd only heard him use with Hinata.

Slowly she looked up to meet his weary pale purple hues before the boy went on.

"Are you alright?" he asked but earned only silence as Natsumi tried to formulate the words to reply.

A moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

"I thought I saw you rush out earlier, but when we didn't see you come back in I thought I'd come check on you ... then I heard a scream and saw ..." Neji began before Natsumi tuned him out completely.

Neji talked for a while but none of it seemed to be getting through to Natsumi as she stared blankly at him before she felt her vision blurring. Her mind raced as it continuously replayed the encounter with the older boy. His face flashed through her mind and she felt like she could still feel the closeness of his proximity which made her feel sick to her stomach. After a while she felt the warmth of her tears running down her cheeks as she tightly clenched her fists while trying to open her mouth to take in a breath of air. A sharp pain erupted within her chest making the teen start to panic as she tried to suck in more air.

"Natsumi!" Neji cried out snapping Natsumi out of her thoughts before seeing the male Hyuga come back into view as he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked as Natsumi looked to him with worry filled eyes.

"I-I can't ... breathe" Natsumi gasped out as more tears streamed down her cheeks. "I-It ... It hurts" she said holding her hands over her chest as she began hyperventilating.

Natsumi desperately tried to gasp for air as the pain in her chest became worst. Her mind became blank as she tried to focus fully on breathing and it wasn't long after this she felt her knees grow weak before she started to collapse to the ground.

"Natsumi!" Neji said as he caught the girl to keep her standing. "What's wrong?" the male Hyuga asked unsure of what to do until another male voice caught his attention.

"She's having a panic attack" the voice said as he approached the pair.

Both turned to the source to see Itachi coming from the direction of a back door that was behind the ware house.

"Who are you?" Neji asked wearily.

"Itachi Uchiha" Itachi replied making Neji's brows rise in surprise then remembering what he said about her before looking back to Natsumi. Itachi quickly made his way over to the other side of the young girl before placing both his hands on her shoulders.

"Natsumi look at me" Itachi said in a reassuring voice.

It took a few moments for her to comply but soon Natsumi looked up into Itachi's onyx orbs to see his attention fully focused on her.

"I-Itachi ... I-I ... I can't ..." Natsumi gasped out.

Neji stood by watching with alarmed filled eyes before Itachi looked up to meet his gaze.

"I can calm her down, go find my brother" Itachi ordered, snapping Neji out of his daze before giving Itachi a nod and turning to leave.

After watching the boy disappear, Itachi looked back to Natsumi.

"Listen to me Natsumi, you need to control your breathing" Itachi said. "Take a deep breath" he instructed.

"I-" Natsumi started to argue back before Itachi cut her off.

"A deep breath" Itachi said. "Take one with me" he said.

Natsumi nodded before beginning to take her own breath in.

"Hold it" Itachi said after a moment.

Natsumi felt like her lungs were on fire as she wanted to release the air she held.

"Breath out slowly" Itachi said slowly releasing his own breath of air.

Natsumi breathed out.

"Slower" Itachi said as Natsumi sniffled. "We're going to take another one" Itachi said starting to breathe in shortly followed by Natsumi.

They followed this pattern for a few more breaths until Natsumi had calmed and the sharp pain in her chest was no more than a dull ache. Natsumi's eyes looked down as Itachi kept his hands on her shoulders to help her stand until he felt her breathing stabilize to match his. After a moment, Natsumi felt the Uchiha's grip loosen before taking one hand away while the remaining one was rubbing her shoulder.

"Are you ok Natsumi?" Itachi asked with his brows furrowed in concern.

Natsumi was calm as she looked back up, but the look on his face made an array of other emotions stir as he stared into her brown orbs. She felt the shock and panic slowly ebb away as she felt safe with Itachi. The memories of the occurrence raced back through her mind making her eyes well with tears once more. Suddenly she felt him reach up to wipe her tear stained cheek with his finger as she looked up to him again.

"Everything's alright now" he said giving the girl a reassuring smile that made her breathing hitch.

It was silent for a moment, before Itachi removed his hand from her shoulder.

"What happened?" Itachi asked in a soft voice.

Natsumi reached up to wipe underneath her eyes before releasing a deep breath and looking to the side.

"I-I stepped out to ... to take a break from the crowd ... I was talking to this boy and he- he ..." Natsumi started before balling her fist in frustration before she felt Itachi place a caring hand on her shoulder again.

After taking a second to regain her composure she went on.

"He wouldn't let me go back in ... He pinned me to the wall and he said if I screamed- if I screamed no one would hear me" she said feeling her eyes start to water again. "Then Tobi came" she said looking back to Itachi as she wiped the stray tear. "He stopped him but the boy choked him and he hit his head" she said unknowingly making the Uchiha cock a brow in interest. "After than he ... he didn't seem like himself and he ... I don't know ... it happened so fast before Neji pulled me away" Natsumi said clutching her fist tightly.

It was silent for a minute with only the faint sound of muffled music being heard from the warehouse while the other sounds of the woods surrounded the pair.

"Tobi ... he ... you should check on him" Natsumi said breaking the silence as a surprised look crossed Itachi's face.

"He's alright" Itachi said making Natsumi's brows furrow in concern.

"But-" the dark haired girl began before Itachi patted the top of her head.

"Trust me he'll be alright, it's you I'm more concerned about" Itachi said making Natsumi blush in embarrassment.

"I think I'm okay now" Natsumi said slowly as Itachi removed his hand.

Silence befell the pair again as they both looked away from one another.

"Itachi" Natsumi said regaining the boy's attention.

"Hn" Itachi replied.

"What were you doing out here?" Natsumi asked curiously.

"The band was on a break and I needed a break from the crowd too" the Uchiha admitted making Natsumi's brows raise in surprise before turning her head to the side as approaching footsteps were heard.

Moments later she saw Neji return with Sasuke.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked upon seeing the disheveled state of his dark haired friend before turning to his older brother with rage filled eyes.

"Now is not the time little brother" Itachi raising a hand to Sasuke. "Right now I think Natsumi needs you as a friend" Itachi said making the harsh look in Sasuke's eyes soften.

Natsumi looked downward as she felt the attention of the group shift to her.

'I might've ruined the night for everyone' Natsumi thought shamefully before she heard the crunch of the ground as Sasuke walked up to stand in front of her.

It was quiet and she felt herself well with anxiety as she waited for the boy to speak.

"Neji" Sasuke suddenly said shocking the girl in front of him. "Let the others know we're going to start heading back to the cars" Sasuke said before another female voice spoke.

"Na-Natsumi?" Hinata asked softly as she approached the scene. "What's wrong? What happened?" Hinata asked gaining the attention of the group as she walked closer with a concerned expression.

"Lady Hinata right now isn't the time" Neji said holding a hand in front of the female Hyuga to stop her from further approaching Natsumi.

"B-but I saw you rush in and say something to Sasuke. Are you ok Natsumi?" Hinata asked placing a hand on Neji's arm before looking at the dark haired girl.

Slowly Natsumi lifted her gaze before giving Hinata her best smile.

"I-I'm fine Hinata" Natsumi said trying to sound reassuring as Hinata wore a weary look.

"It's probably best if the others don't see her like this" Itachi said in a low voice so only Sasuke would hear him.

"I found your hat" Hinata said slowly holding up the black witch hat as Sasuke turned to take it from her.

"Oh yeah I guess it fell off" Natsumi lied, still trying to maintain her facade of being alright for the sake of Hinata until Itachi turned to Sasuke with a look that told him to intervene.

"Neji take her back" Sasuke said abruptly, earning a nod from Neji before he brought a hand around Hinata's shoulders to begin leading her away.

"B-but Brother Neji-" Hinata started to argue before being silenced as Sasuke spoke again.

"Hinata" Sasuke said gaining the girl's attention. "I know Natsumi came with you and Temari but I'll make sure she gets home" he said earning a momentary hesitation from the girl before she nodded and walked away with Neji.

After a moment of silence Itachi spoke.

"I need to head back inside" Itachi said walking to the building before being stopped by Sasuke's voice.

"Itachi" Sasuke said making Itachi stop with his back turned to the pair, tilting his head slightly to see them.

"Don't worry little brother I know... I'll handle it" Itachi said earning a nod of understanding before Sasuke turned his attention back to Natsumi to see she was once again looking at the ground.

"Let's get back to the dobe's car" Sasuke said making Natsumi look back to him.

"I'm fine if you want to go back in" Natsumi said earning a stoic look from Sasuke.

"Don't lie to me Natsumi, I know you better than that" Sasuke said making Natsumi raise her brows in surprise before looking to the side.

"Besides..." Sasuke said making her look back to him. "...there's no way in hell that I'm going back in there" he finished making an amused smile cross Natsumi's face.

...

A/N: And that's the chapter ... please comment your thoughts. I don't really know what else to say.