SECOND CHAPTER!After waiting for like, two weeks, I decided that who was I fooling? I wasn't getting anymore reviews! HA! sigh. I didn't want to keep the people I actually have waiting, so...here ya go! I love you all! all three of you.
Okay, so I didn't get as many reviews as I would've liked, but hey, you've gotta start somewhere, right? I know that my summary was sort of suckish too, so neh. I'm going to go with the advice of one of my reviewers and see how the slight romances roll along in my story. Good call. But just to keep everyone up to date, so far Gaara's the fav. pick. I never would've thought, I swear.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and who knows? Maybe I'll be lucky and actually get even more reviews! Heh, trying to fool myself again. How unlikely. I just hopethe story'srunning along smoothly. Actually finishing this and being a good updater is my main goal.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"Late! Late! LATE!" Nori muttered LOUDLY as she ran down the halls. She had stopped by the girls' bathroom to make herself look a little more presentable but it apparently she had a little run-in with a stubborn broken faucet. She left a trail of water as swooped across the halls. She got to Room 7, grabbed the doorknob, slid past, and slammed into the wall. Ow. The pain. She winced and opened the door like a civilized person…who was dripping wet and breathing hard as if she had run a marathon.
"Sorry I'm late sen…sei?" Nori said, looking around. The class was large with rows of desk and a big desk off the side in the front. It was empty. The students were socializing and goofing off.
"Hey! Nori!"
Nori saw a familiar blond boy waving to her from the back of the room. She waved slightly, walked over, and sat down in the empty desk. She saw that Sasuke was sitting at the last row on the left a few desks and a Naruto from hers and Sakura was sitting in the front, glancing back at Sasuke and blushing every few seconds. Shikamaru was looking sleepy…no, wait, he was asleep. The boy she met before, Gaara, was sitting at the desk on the right side of the room that was about two desks from hers.
It seemed that he had some kind of invisible aura that kept people away. It was sure working. He looked a little sad and isolated, though. At least, it seemed that way if you looked past the blank glare of his sea foam eyes. (A/N: I have been confirmed by a true Gaara fan girl cough my best friend cough that his eyes are sea foam. Not green. Sorry.)
"Hey, why're you still wet? And why's your hair wet too?" Naruto asked.
"Because," Nori said, wringing out her hair for the third time, this time on top of Naruto's head, "the school's faucets suck."
Naruto laughed. "I could've told you that!"
"Well you didn't," Nori said, sighing. "Where's the teacher anyway?"
"Dunno," Naruto shrugged. "I heard that Bushy Brows kid saying that he was always late and would be late for his own funeral unlike…uh…someone…oh yeah! Gai-sensei I think it was."
Nori nodded.
"Hey, it's fine with me," Naruto said, shrugging again. He leaned back in his chair, then slammed the two front legs down forward. "I just got a great idea!"
"Does it involve pranking?"
"Yes!"
"Pranking me?"
"No."
"Okay. What's your idea?"
"We get a bucket of water and put it on top of the door. That way, when sensei comes in, he'll get all wet!"
Nori stared at him. "Okay, one, why does your pranks always include water. Two, where do you expect to get a bucket. And three, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"Is not!" Naruto exclaimed. "And here's a bucket right here!" He dug in his backpack and brought out a bucket.
"You keep a bucket in your backpack?" Nori said doubtfully.
"I just found it, okay?" Naruto said. "Well, are you going to help me or not?"
"Fine," Nori said, rolling her eyes.
The two walked to the sink and started filling the bucket with water.
"I think that's too full," Nori commented.
"It's fine," Naruto said, heaving the bucket. He turned around and—
SPLOOSH!"
Nori muffled a squeak.
"Uh…" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Sorry there, pal."
Gaara looked murderous.
"No hard feelings, right?" Naruto said, backing away. "It was an accident, I swear."
Gaara narrowed his dark-lined eyes and clenched his fist. "You…are going to pay."
"Gaara!" Nori shouted, catching his fist before he could make contact with Naruto. "Stop! You can't blame him, he's a baka!"
"Hey!"
"I don't care," Gaara said. "He's a fool for messing with me."
"Hey," said a voice. Sasuke walked up to them, his feet making small sounds on the water. "Don't mess with them. They're not worth it."
Gaara glared at him. "These friends of yours?"
"Of course not," Sasuke said coolly. "But Nori's right. Naruto's a complete dobe. He's not worth it."
Gaara growled and jerked his fist out of Nori's grasp. "Whatever."
He walked away.
"That guy's scary," Naruto trembled.
"Naruto, you baka!" Nori hissed, slamming her fist on his head. "That's Gaara, you can't mess with him!"
"How'd you know who he was?" Naruto asked, rubbing his head. "I heard he transferred from a school called Suna or something!"
"It doesn't matter," Nori said, crossing her arms. "You're gonna get a load of pain dropped on you if you ever cross him again."
"By the end of the year you'll be a heaping pile of ash," Sasuke added.
"Shut up, Sasuke," Naruto said.
"Try thank you so much for saving my worthless butt, Sasuke," Sasuke said, sauntering away to his desk. "Dobe."
"I know you are but what am I!" Naruto shouted. He angrily turned back to his bucket and started filling it up again.
"Naruto, you seriously aren't going to do this stupid prank still, are you?"
"Watch me."
Nori sighed.
Naruto balanced the bucket on top of the door that was opened ajar and chuckled deviously. "Heh, heh. He's coming!"
Nori shook her head.
The two got back in their seats and waited.
The door creaked wider.
SPLASH!
"Ahahahaha!" Naruto laughed.
The class started cracking up, at least, most of the class.
"Oh, sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. "Naruto Uzumaki did it!"
"Thanks a lot, Sakura!" Naruto shouted.
The teacher tipped the wet bucket up, revealing that he wore a mask that covered half of his face. Long, wet gray hair covered his head. "I see."
He strolled to the front of the room and wrung out his clothes. "That means that Mr. Uzumaki will be staying after class helping me clean up all this water."
"Aw man!"
"Now, as much as I hate to do this," the teacher said, "I'm supposed to introduce myself and tell you a few guidelines of the school. Then we have to get to know each other a little, eat lunch, and go home. Today, as you know, is a half-day. Now, I'm Hatake Kakashi…"
The rambled on about rules in a bored tone. Everyone wasn't paying any real attention to him. Why would they? He was boring himself.
It seemed like the students were going to die of boredom and hunger when the bell rang, signaling lunch. They all stampeded out like a pack of hungry wolves.
"I uh, don't suppose you have any ramen?" Naruto asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Take it and like it," the lunch lady growled. She plopped something that looked a little like mashed potatoes…that were purple and chunky.
"Where do you wanna sit?" Naruto asked.
Nori looked around. "I told Kiba that I'd sit with him."
"Kiba? The dog-boy? Man, who have you been hanging out with?" Naruto said.
"He seems nice enough. There he is," Nori said, walking over.
Naruto sulkily followed after her. "He's a loud guy who always wants to be the leader, that's what he is."
"And you aren't?" Nori said doubtfully. "Hey, Kiba."
"Hey Nori," Kiba waved. He looked at Naruto and wrinkled his nose. "Who let the trash in?"
"Who's gonna let the dogs out?" Naruto shot back.
Nori rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with you two?"
"Nothing," Kiba laughed. "Naruto's just sore that I got to be team captain last year at Field Day."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Are not."
"Are too."
"Hey guys?" Nori said, looking at her food in a what-the-heck-is-this look on her face. "Is this mashed potatoes or…egg plant?"
"I'm pretty sure its mashed potatoes," Kiba said.
"Then why's it purple?"
"Uh…just have some of my lunch," Kiba said, handing her a piece of jerky.
"Thanks."
"Do you have ramen?"
"Uh, no."
"Oh, okay," Naruto said sadly.
"So how's class?" Nori asked.
"Ah, nothing much," Kiba said. "Our teacher's a woman. She's okay, I guess."
A familiar boy passed by. It was Shino.
"HEY! Shino! Get over here!" Kiba shouted suddenly.
Shino just glanced at him and kept walking.
Kiba jumped up and grabbed him, bringing him to the table. "What, are you deaf or something, buddy?"
"No."
"Come on! Take a load off!" Kiba exclaimed, food flying out of his mouth.
Naruto burst out laughing, spitting out food as well.
"Oh…gross…" Nori said inching away from the two boys.
"Um…Kiba-kun? N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata said uncertainly.
"What's so funny?" Kiba demanded.
"Nothin'," Naruto said, wiping his mouth.
"I think I've lost my appetite," Nori said, "not that I ever had it." She picked dumped her tray.
"A-Are you going home?" Hinata asked.
"Well, yeah," Nori said. "Kakashi-sensei said that it would be a half-day, right?"
"R-Right," Hinata nodded. "Bye, Nori…chan."
"Bye," Nori said, waving slightly. "See ya, boys."
"Bye!" the boys called.
Shino waved and walked away.
The next day was when the real work began. After a few reviews on essays and punctuation, Kakashi announced that he had set up an exercise for everyone to do. Oh boy.
"This is a group exercise," Kakashi explained.
The class groaned.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Come on. Try to be a little more enthusiastic."
"And this is coming from the king of enthusiasm," Nori muttered.
"I heard that, Miss Hiroshi."
"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei."
"Anyway, I'll put you into groups. You'll spend the week together and get to know each other. Each day you'll write a journal entry of what your day was like. The entries have to be at least a paragraph long. On the last day you'll write a two-page essay in fourteen font about your group and how compatible you were. I have your groups all ready…"
He started reciting the groups and their members. The groups were groups of five. It took a while until he got to Nori's group. "…Hiroshi Nori, Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, and Sabaku no Gaara."
Curse Kakashi.
The bell rang.
"Remember, you have to do everything on your free time with them," Kakashi said. "That means lunch, free periods, and after school time for at least two hours."
"Dude, you landed a group with Sasuke and Gaara? Not to mention Shikamaru, the laziest guy on Earth!" Naruto exclaimed.
The two were at their lockers. Naruto's locker was a few lockers over, luckily.
"Don't remind me," Nori sighed. "Shikamaru doesn't sound so bad, but I don't really want to be in a group with a pompous heartthrob, obsessed groupie, and scary psycho."
"Psh," Naruto said, waving her miseries away. "You're new here, how would you know how they're like?"
"Uh, you told me," Nori said slowly.
"Oh yeah."
"Well, I think Kakashi's just put me in a group because I made that little remark," Nori said, slamming her locker angrily. She sqeaked. "Ow. Ow. Crap. That was my finger." She put her finger in her mouth.
Naruto chuckled.
"Oh, what are you so happy about?"
"Nothin'."
MATH CLASS
"So I guess we're in the same group," Shikamaru whispered to her in Asuma's math class.
"Guess so," Nori said. "But personally, I'm kind of glad to be in the same group with a person who isn't insane."
"Thanks, I guess," Shikamaru said.
"Shikamaru?" Asuma said sternly. "Do you have the answer to the question?"
Shikamaru looked up wearily. "Fourteen to the fifth power."
Asuma looked at him bug-eyed. He glanced at the board, thought for a second, and said, "…Yes. Yes! That's correct!" He smiled happily. "Kids! We have a genius in our class!"
Shikamaru groaned.
Nori looked at him strangely. Wow. Smart cookie.
LUNCH
"So I guess you're eatin' lunch with your group, huh?"
Nori didn't answer.
"You know, Gaara, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru?"
"Shut up."
"I mean, it isn't that bad. Shikamaru's like, the smartest kid on Earth and Sakura's the prettiest girl in the schoo—"
"Naruto, I'll give you two seconds to shut that black hole of a mouth before I fill it with my fist," Nori warned dangerously.
Kiba laughed. "Hey, it isn't that bad, is it?"
"Yes, it is," Nori said. "Have you seen these guys? I don't know how Kakashi managed to put the most incompatible people on Earth together in a gr—oh, hey guys!" Nori said pleasantly. The three had stopped at the table Nori's group so happened to be sitting.
"Catch ya, later, Nori," Kiba said.
"Yeah."
Nori sat down and the group at in silence. Well, almost silence.
"I'm so excited! I think Kakashi-sensei is one of the best teachers, don't you think?" Sakura asked energetically.
"No," her group replied dully.
"Oh. Well…so…" she trailed off.
After a few minutes, Sakura said, "Sasuke-kun, maybe we could do the assignment together. I mean, maybe we could go somewhere fun so it would be more enjoyable. What do you think?"
"I don't care," Sasuke said shortly.
"Oh. Uh, what about the amusement park? Or skating rink? It's nice and dark in there. Your style, right?"
"Whatever."
"Actually," Nori said, finishing off her meal, "I think Sakura's going somewhere with this."
"Nani?" Sakura said in surprise.
"Yeah. Skating rink. Tonight," Nori said, nodding. "We could do homework and have a little fun. I don't think you guys even know the meaning of the word."
"Something that provides amusement or enjoyment," Shikamaru recited. (A/N: lol Got that out of the Merriam Webster dictionary)
"Ha, ha," Nori said sarcastically. "Just be there, okay? We can make this assignment as painless as possible."
"What are you, Queen of the Universe?" Sasuke said.
"Looks like nobody wants to take that role, Sasuke-kun," Nori said.
Sasuke glared at her.
"Look, maybe I'll see you guys later. Maybe." She walked away.
"That is one bipolar girl," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
"Bipolar…or just strange?" Sakura said. "It seems to me that she likes making little jokes about everything. No wonder she ended up with Naruto and Kiba as friends."
Gaara had finished his meal. He stood up and dumped his tray. Then he slowly turned to face the group. "Are you all going to the skating rink tonight?"
It took a while for everyone to answer.
"Hey, she's got some odd personalities, but I can't leave her hanging, right?" Shikamaru shrugged.
"I guess," Sasuke said.
"Me too," Sakura nodded.
"Thought so," Gaara said. He walked away.
PLEASE REVIEW! I happen to know that I've gotten about eleven times as many hits there are here than reviews and I am not pleased. Even if its a flame, I don't care. As long as I get some kind of feedback! Oh, and be sure to tell me if Nori seems like a Mary Sue.
Thank you for your time.
-TTF