Katsusaki found her second class with ease, thanks more to Mr. Hatake than to Katsusaki's horrible sense of direction. Before she could even utter a 'thank you' to Kakuzu he was gone, and she decided to take her time packing up her things, lest she appear as though she were chasing after him. She wasn't too keen on running into him in the hallways, anyway. Before she could leave, Hatake offered to print her a map and Katsusaki gratefully accepted.
"You'll get used to it. The school seems big at first, but after a while it'll seem small," he shrugged, taking a drink of his second cup of coffee, that of which he had disappeared for ten minutes after his arrival to class to go and get. Katsusaki thanked him before rushing off to her next period.
Her second hour was in W30 with Mr. Sarutobi, who taught History. The second she stepped inside she could smell the cigarette smoke, and despite all of the windows being open the room continued to appear dark and somewhat gloomy. The chalkboards were covered in old dust and unintelligible scribbling crammed in between the old, yellowing maps of the the world. On his desk was scattered paper work, and piles of completed and ungraded assignments, manila folders and cigarette butts. One cigarette glowed in the ashtray placed precariously on the corner of the desk, a coffee mug placed beside it that said 'World's Greatest Dad.'
Whom she assumed was Mr. Sarutobi nodded at her as she walked in-he had dark brown eyes and hair and a trimmed beard lining what looked like a strong jaw line. His eyes were somewhat droopy, and he looked wired, as though he had been up all night and drinking coffee all morning. He did not look unkind-simply tired.
"You're the new kid, huh?"
"Yeah. My name is Katsusaki Mo Outoya. You can call me whatever variation of the name you like."
He paused, picking up his cigarette and puffing once.
"Sit down, kid."
Those were the only words they exchanged.
The class she had after that was Photography, and she couldn't help but find herself looking forward to it. She had never had a Photography class before, but for her fifteenth birthday her mother had finally gotten her a beautiful camera and the most expensive thing she had ever owned individually. Ever since she got it she could hardly put it down, finding a sort of solace in practicing her ability to take photo's. She didn't really know any of the techniques in taking quality photographs, though, and that was her main reason for taking the class. She had a camera, and now she wanted to know how to use it.
She found her class, Room B5, easily. She knew an art wing when she saw one, and she had walked past it twice already. It was hidden in the back of the school, tucked away like the rest of the extra classes were, and when she walked in she couldn't help but feel the same, familiar feeling she got whenever she walked into an art room. It was comfortable and easy, her eyes taking in the free-form pieces and the expressions of individuality pasted up on the walls. She couldn't quite explain it - there was simply a sense of isolation in art rooms, but not the bad kind. It was the sort that simply meant she could be herself without worrying what others were thinking, because they were all doing the same thing.
She was one of the first students in, besides a somewhat tired looking boy with long, wispy black hair sitting in the back corner of the room. She followed suit, making her way to the back and the opposite corner and settled easily, particularly because the boy didn't even bother to look up when she entered. She busied herself with pulling out a notebook, entirely prepared to take notes and not quite sure what to expect otherwise. She gazed distractedly at the photo's on the walls, and managed to poke her finger on the loose end of the wire binding. Penance for not paying attention to what she was doing with her hands, Katsusaki supposed.
They ranged from portraits of young actresses to pictures of normal, cookie cutter houses that one might find in middle class suburbia, photographs of starry painting and paintings of women who smiled with half a heart, and people on a busy street dressed in blacks and grey's and carrying briefcases filled with confidence, worn from days of the same familiar rout taken over and over again. Some she recognized for being famous, others she wondered if they were simply interesting photographs taken by talented students. She gazed at them, studying each of them in turn as the other students filed in. Some of the people she vaguely recognized, having seen them in the hallways or in other classes.
She stiffened when she recognized a certain red-headed boy as he walked through the door. Katsusaki ducked her head, hoping that he didn't recognize her as well, and began to scribble in her notebook, pretending to write something. She noticed him only coming closer and could feel herself stiffening up as he did. She wondered - was she sitting in his seat? Or was he not just having a bad day - did he really have something against her?
Katsusaki let out a breath she barely knew she had been holding when he sat down in the middle of the back row, setting his book bag down and turning towards the black haired boy, making an idle comment to him about one thing or another. She visibly relaxed.
That is, until another boy she recognized walked in to the room, and she suddenly found herself feeling less at home in the Photography room than ever before. She winced as his sharp neon eyes grazed over her and an annoyed look crossed over his face. He looked away immediately afterward, and much to her surprise, joined the two other boys in the back of the room. He didn't say anything as he sat down in front of the black haired boy, scowling as Mr. Akasuna said something to him.
Of course! Why wouldn't the one morning class she might enjoy not be accompanied by the two most hostile people in the school? Or, at the very least, the most hostile towards her. She flinched when Akasuna turned to look at her, though she was trying hard to make it look like she wasn't paying them any attention. She couldn't hear what they were saying - the other students filing into the class were talking too loudly.
"Why don't you just go and kick her out of your seat?" The red-head asked noncommittally, his lazy eyes falling back on his companions. Kakuzu glared at him before turning away glowering down at his phone, typing away at it mechanically. It was an old flip-phone, somewhat dented and scratched. His friends had picked on him for having it for so long, but whenever they forced him into making a comment he simply said how it did it's job. He wasn't the type to use anything 'fancy.' Sasori shot him an annoyed glare when he didn't respond, instead turning to the black haired boy beside him. "Hey, Itachi."
"Hello. Where is Deidara? He wasn't in Pre-Calculus this morning," the black haired boy said monotonously. Sasori sighed, leaning back in his seat casually.
"He got himself suspended for that prank he pulled last week."
"Idiot," Kakuzu grumbled.
"That's what I said."
"The one with the paint in the girl's changing room?" Itachi asked, his voice deep but soft. He looked tired. There were long marks underneath his eyes as though he hadn't gotten enough sleep in a long time. Overworked, probably. Sasori looked away.
"Yeah. The least he could do is behave, but he obviously takes school for granted," Sasori sighed. He glanced at the blond sitting on the other side of the room and raised an eyebrow. "She really doesn't look like much. You could probably just go ask her to move, you know, instead of sulking like a child."
Kakuzu shot him another glare, but Sasori didn't seem particularly offended. Sasori went to say something else, but before he could their teacher walked into the room.
Well, more like jumped. It was a regular occurrence, her leaping in from the window. Most of the class was used to it.
The only person who gaped in surprise would be the new girl who sat in the back. She looked up and her eyes widened and Sasori raised an eyebrow at her ignorance. The teacher didn't hesitate in beginning class, her entrance grasping their attention as she picked up a piece of chalk and tapped it against the board at the front of the room. Katsusaki didn't really have much time to be surprised as she began to write in large, looping letters across the board.
The bell rang, but she didn't stop, continuing in what she was writing. Katsusaki watched as she wrote quickly, her handwriting sloppy, and finally when she finished she dropped the chalk and turned around, making a show of dusting off her hands and then placing them on her hips.
"Good morning, class!" She called, then waited.
"Good morning, Ms. Mitarashi," the class chorused back, and she grinned cheekily, flicking back her bangs.
"Today we'll be taking a couple of notes on your next assignment, and then we'll let stragglers finish up on the last project while those who don't dawdle get a little well-deserved free-time." With this she shot a glare at several students in the front who had been previously talking, but quickly shut up when it was clear that she was talking about them. When they stopped she smiled again in an eerily cheerful way. "Alrightie then. Let's get started. Take out your notebooks!"
Katsusaki blinked, not quite sure how to react. Before she could decide on whether to make a comment about it or go on gasping like a fish out of water, the woman looked at her and appeared somewhat surprised.
"A new student?" She turned to the table-top, picking up a clip-board and glancing over her roster. She seemed to find what she was looking for as she glanced back at Katsusaki again, her eyes narrowing in concentration. At this point the entire class seemed to realize that she was there. They shuffled in the usual way that everyone else did when there was a new student, thoughts going through their minds as they made their first judgment. Was she the shiny treasure to be fought over, or a punching bag? "Katsusaki Mo T. Outoya. That's a long name."
Katsusaki didn't know what to do other than nod, swiftly feeling herself becoming more and more embarrassed.
"Ah, well. I'm sure you'll settle in just fine," Ms. Matarashi relaxed, flapping her hand absentmindedly in Katsusaki's direction. The other students turned back around, but Katsusaki could only feel herself becoming more and more tense as a wave of hushed conversation crashed over her. She had enough experience to know that they were all talking about her.
Before they could get too loud, Ms. Matarashi turned. The only thing she had to do was send them a sharp look before they all quickly closed their mouths.
"Alright, quiet. Write this down." She turned to the board and tapped it once on her way past, moving to the window and snapping it closed, then turning back around. As she picked up a sheet of paper, she said; "I'll be putting you in groups of two." This was accompanied by a groan. "I know, I know. I'm a villain, I get it." She rolled her eyes haughtily, glaring out over the students as they wrote what was on the board. "You'll be putting together a twenty-photo gallery using everything we've learned up until this point which means, yes, you'll have to actually work with your partner and yes, that means talking to them. Perhaps you'll learn how to be somewhat civil."
With this Katsu glanced out of the corner of her eye at the neon eyed boy, and she blushed when she realized he had noticed and turned to glare at her. She quickly went back to staring determinedly back up at the board, and the eccentric teacher in front of it.
"You'll each be taking four pictures of living things, four pictures of inanimate things, and two pictures of your partner. Yes, you're partner is living, but they are not considered a living thing for the sake of this assignment. You can put your hand down, now. I don't need your snarky attitude. Or vise versa." Ms. Matarashi rolled her eyes and snapped the paper in her hand so it didn't lay limply. "I want your gallery to flow, I want it to mean something. Get creative! I don't want something boring - unless you're trying to send a message, but don't get smart with me. I know when you're putting in effort and when you're simply being annoying. Now, your partners."
Someone in front of Katsusaki coughed, trying to motion something to their friend, who looked equally hopeful. Ms. Matarashi shot them an annoyed look, but didn't say anything. "Alright, the first group is Sasori Akasuna and Kakuzu Zangei..." She began reading a list of names off of the paper she held, and only when she reached the end did she realize that she had forgotten about her new student.
"Ah, and Itachi, since I would have otherwise put you with Kakazu and Sasori, you can instead work with our new Ms. Outoya. This will give you a perfect excuse to catch her up on the notes from the past couple of months." Katsu glanced around curiously, looking for this 'Itachi.' Before she found him, Ms. Matarashi started talking again. "Now I'll give you some time to finish up our last project. Those are due tomorrow, so they better not be late. Yes, Sasori?"
Katsu turned to find the red head lowering his hand lazily, setting his elbow down on his desk and then setting his chin in his palm.
"When is this project due?"
"Good question," Ms. Matarashi sighed. She turned and wrote a date on the board. "Not this Thursday, but the Thursday next week. You have ten days, which I suspect should be enough time. Any other questions?" She waited, flicking a strand of short hair out of her face. "Good. Get to work. Oh, and Itachi?" She gestured towards Katsusaki, and the class erupted in casual conversation.
Katsu blinked and looked around curiously, wondering who exactly was going to- and then a very handsome boy stood and made his way over to Katsusaki, and she felt her cheeks turn a violent red. She flinched, quickly turning her eyes down to her desk and hoping desperately that he didn't notice the way her cheeks darkened.
A sense of sharp dread filled her stomach a second later, and she reminded herself not to get attached. She was constantly stuck in the limbo of recycling schools and friendships. Surely this boy would be no different. That thought was enough to stop her cheeks from heating and she managed to look up just as he came to sit in the empty desk beside her.
"Hello," he spoke, and his voice was soft and nonchalant. Katsusaki offered him a smile, and he continued to look at her with tired eyes.
Itachi was a handsome boy, and it was easy to say so, but when Katsusaki looked at him for a second time, and this time without the haze of a crush, she saw that he was burdened by something. What, she wasn't sure, but his dark eyes were heavy and he looked as though he had not slept in a long time. He had regal features, making him look as though he came from a long line of refined people, and fair, pale skin. His hair was long and black, and maybe a little thin. It fell around his face in a haphazard sort of way, as if he had far more important things to worry about than the way he looked. It suited him. Though still he wore his uniform properly, his shirt done up and his tie exactly centered, his pants pressed. He looked like an old prince, royal and settled under the weight of something too large to imagine.
"I am Itachi Uchiha," he introduced politely, but his kindness did not extend beyond this. Katsusaki almost imagined that he sounded as though he said this far too often, his eyes seeming to grow weary as he said his name. He looked expectant, somehow, though horribly so. "You are new?" It didn't sound very much like a question, more a prompt. Katsusaki smiled awkwardly, trying to shove away her nervousness.
"Yes. My name's - ah, Katsusaki Mo Outouya, but you can call me whatever variation of the name you like."
Itachi waited for a moment, watching her carefully, before a small, unsure smile tilted his lips upwards. He looked so wary, as though he were afraid of something. Katsusaki didn't understand, but she struggled to continue smiling, as though to encourage him.
He placed a notebook on her desk after several long seconds, one that she hadn't noticed he had been holding, and she looked at it before glancing at him questioningly.
"I keep all of my notes for this class in there," he said softly, his words kind and careful, though he withheld emotion. "You may borrow it for as long as you need it." Katsusaki would have been struck by his kindness, if she hadn't noticed the way that the neon eyed boy was shooting disgusted looks at her from behind Itachi's right arm, across the room. She didn't quite know why, but she felt humiliated, and she ducked her head, embarrassed.
"Thank you very much, Itachi."
She waited for him to go away, knowing now that his friends thought her a complete idiot and feeling somewhat angry and sad at the same time for it. She didn't notice the curious way that Itachi looked at her, his eyes searching before they pinched in his confusion. He looked for a moment as though he was going to ask her a question, but then he thought better of it.
"It is my pleasure, Miss Outouya." Then he stood and after a moment of pause, he went back to his friends.
Where he belongs, Katsusaki thought inwardly. She curled in on herself, hunching heavily over her desk, her pen gripped tightly between her white fingers. Her blond hair fell over her shoulder, hiding her from the rest of the world and the observant, flickering eyes of an artist.
A/U: Ok, so this chapter is about half the length of the last one. To be fair, the first chapter was about twice the length I usually write. The average for number of words per chapter is 3,333. I heard that somewhere. To be honest it was probably the internet, so I would take it with a grain of salt.
Special thanks to Shekame who beta'd this chapter for me, and did a wonderful job if I do say so. If you have the time, I would suggest also going to read her somewhat similar in a not-similar-at-all kind of way story, Miscalculations.
Also, if you have a tumblr, you can follow this story at tumblr (dotcom) / blog / ersatzvirtuoso.
REWRITTEN VERSION
I own only Katsusaki Mo Outoya, Takara Outoya, Hikaru Outoya and the plot-line. All other characters and names belong to the author of the Naruto Manga series and those affiliated.