What Brings Us Together

Chapter 5

School is always a bummer, especially on a Monday. Mondays just suck for some reason. My alarm on my phone went off, playing the screaming part of "Cassie" by Flyleaf. I hit the snooze, but 5 minutes later, my phone went off again.

"I…Will…Say…YEAH!!!!!!!!!" I hit the stop button and stretched. Why did school have to start a 7:30? (AN: I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and most of the public schools start at 7 or 7:30.) I groaned and looked at my phone. I had a text message. Wait, just got another one. I opened the first one. It was from Sakura.

Hey Nori. Jst wanted to tell u I stayed wit Sasuke. ;) Giv u details when we get to school k? *{~br3thl3ss~}* (AN: there are signatures for the characters)

I just rolled my eyes, smiling at my funny friend. I'm just glad she got her dream boy… even if he was a douche. I responded:

k. but u got the car… HOW THE HELL AM I GONNA GET A RIDE???? =z .::+l0v3l3ss+::.

After it sent I looked at the other message. I almost dropped my phone when I saw the id. It was Gaara!

Hey sakura told me u need a ride. Wat time should I go get u? ==SANDMAN==

My jaw dropped. THE Sabaku no Gaara was offering me a ride to school. Wait, DID SAKURA TELL HIM I LIKED HIM? I trusted her with the vital information. My phone vibrated, catching my attention. It was Sakura again.

I've got that taken care of. Has Gaara txted u yet? *{~br3thl3ss~}*

I replied quickly while I headed to the bathroom.

Yea he did. Srry for yelling. C u at skool .::+l0v3l3ss+::.

Then I answered Gaara's text.

Yea she's got the car so well yea. Um… can u be here at 7? .::+l0v3l3ss+::.

I washed my face and brushed my teeth while I waited for his reply. My phone vibrated on the sink, and I flipped it open.

Yea I can. Be sure to bring a coat. It's colder then a bitch outside and I don't have a heater. ==SANDMAN==

I blushed slightly. Was he concerned for my well-being? Wow, never thought I'd see the day he'd care about someone that way.

Ok I will. ;) C u at 7 .::+l0v3l3ss+::.

I pressed the 'send' button before I could stop myself. I'd just sent a winking face to a vamp that just so happens to be very unloving to the world. I was surprised when he replied. Crap, probably gonna tell me to not send flirty smileys to him. I froze at what I saw.

;) 2 u 2. ==SANDMAN==

I snapped myself out of my trance by shaking my head. Gaara had sent a winking smiley to me. I quickly saved the message before brushing my hair. I decided to put it into an Itachi style ponytail and got dressed in the uniform for school. The white short-sleeved polo was underneath a long sleeved black sweater, my red tie tucked into the sweater. The black pleated skirt had to have been picked out by Jiraiya-sensei; it was short. I wore some black micro-mini spandex shorts under the skirt, just in case someone was looking for a show. I put on my white thigh-high tights and my black slip-on uniform shoes before grabbing my phone and heading into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass and filled it with milk, popping a Toaster Strudel into the toaster as I went. I drank the milk quietly while I hummed Sally's Song from the Nightmare Before Christmas. (AN: I don't own Toaster Strudel or The Nightmare Before Christmas.) My strudel popped out and I frosted it, taking a bite before applying some black eyeliner around my eyes and putting a small diamond nose stud. I ate the rest of the strudel and then applied some clear, shimmery gloss that tasted like lemonade. My phone vibrated again, and I saw a text message flash across the screen as I opened it.

I'm outside. ==SANDMAN==

My stomach tightened. I giggled like an idiot and grabbed my schoolbag and keys. I pulled on my Linkin Park hoodie and walked out. I locked the door to the apartment and ran downstairs. There he was in the parking lot, standing next to his black and red crotch rocket. He wore an ACDC hoodie over his uniform. His intense jade eyes looked at me with interest as I walked up.

"Morning Gaara-kun!" I waved before stopping in front of him.

"Morning Nori-chan." He greeted as he handed me a black visor helmet. His own was red. I placed it over my head and fixed my backpack so it was tight on my shoulders. He swung a leg over as he placed his on. I got on behind him, and he started the engine.

"You better hold on, Uchiha. Don't want ya to get blown clean off." He teased me. He was actually saying full-blown sentences instead of just saying one word! I giggled and decided to see how far I could get. He always shuddered when it came to human contact on our previous meetings. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly from behind.

"Here we go" Was all I heard before we were speeding off and out of the parking lot. I gave out a small scream and increased my grip on his waist. I could have sworn I heard him laugh as we sped down the streets of the City Hidden in the Leaves. He was right though about it being cold. Thick white clouds blocked out the sun, and the little breeze was frozen. These were snow clouds though. How much you wanna bet it'll be snowing by lunchtime? We stopped at a red light, only to see Sakura next us, with my cousin in the passenger seat. I smirked before Gaara hit the gas and we sped off once the light was green. He slowed down as we pulled into the parking lot of Konoha High School. Students were hanging out all over the place, laughing and talking.

A fight had already broken out in the parking lot. I looked closely only to see the two most desperate girls in the school going at it. The blonde was Ino Yamanaka; a girl who'd been after Sasuke ever since she figured out she liked boys. The other was a girl I barely knew, but I did know that her name was Karin. She was Sasuke's ex, and was desperate to get him back. Boy, were they in for a surprise when they would see Sasuke riding in the car with Sakura. I just laughed as Gaara pulled into a parking spot, cutting the engine and taking of his helmet. He shook his messy red locks before putting the helmet into his bag. I got off the bike and took the helmet off, handing it to him. He just shook his head.

"Go ahead and keep it. You might need it later." He smirked slightly at me. I smirked back and held onto it. I'd put it in my locker on the way to class. We began walking towards the field in the back of the school. That's where are groups hung out before classes started. As we were walking, Ino shrieked at the top of her lungs. Gaara and me looked back, only to see Sakura pull into a space and Sasuke getting out. He walked to the driver's side and opened the door, holding a hand out to my friend. She took it and shut the door as they walked towards us, Sasuke's arm around her shoulder and Sakura's arm across the back of his waist. Ino and Karin were glaring daggers at her back.

"Hey guys!" Sakura waved with her free hand. I waved back. Sasuke just nodded his head. Gaara responded with his own nod. We continued walking to the field till we reached the bleachers. Tenten was their, spinning a plastic knife in her fingers while taking to Kiba, and then Hinata and Naruto were hooked up to Hinata's ipod; Naruto drumming on invisible cymbals and snares while Hinata was playing an air guitar. I wasn't used to seeing her so open with people. Maybe it was because she's liked Naruto for a while now. I looked to the field and saw Akatsuki playing football. Itachi was just tackled to the ground by Kisame and Deidara. But, the bell rang, students groaning as they grabbed their bags and headed to class.

We all had homeroom, and Kakashi-sensei didn't care what we did in that class so we headed to his room. I stopped by my locker and put the helmet Gaara gave me onto the shelf and grabbed my copy of Breaking Dawn before slamming it shut. (AN: I don't own Breaking Dawn. Stephenie Meyer does.)I stuffed the book in my bag and headed to room 304. Sakura waved from her place on Sasuke's lap and motioned to the seat next to her…that I realized was inhabited by Gaara. Oh well. He'd have to deal with me sitting on the table part of the desk then. I plopped my bag on the ground and sat on the desk, crossing my legs as I turned to my best friend. Her green eyes were wide with excitement as she blabbered on about Ino and Karin's reaction to her and my cousin this morning. That's when several cell phones went off, including mine. I looked at the video message, only to see Karin getting knocked out by a direct punch to her face. You could hear a student yelling "K.O!" as the message ended. I laughed as I shut my phone. Those girls were so freaking stupid.

"Hard to believe you were actually WITH Karin before, huh cousin?" he rolled his eyes and groaned, pulling Sakura towards him.

"Don't remind me." Naruto walked over and plopped down in the desk behind Hinata's. I could already see Hinata's face starting to turn red. 3, 2, 1. She passed out, her head landing on her arm that was resting on the desk. Naruto started panicking.

"Calm down Naruto. She just fainted. She'll come to in about a minute tops." I reassured the whisker-faced vamp. The door opened, and Kakashi-sensei strode in, his copy of Make Out Violence in his hand as he closed the door and plopped down into his seat and resumed his reading. I looked over and saw Hinata starting to wake up.

"You ok Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked quietly. She just nodded and sat up.

"Hey. Where's Tenten and Kiba?" she asked innocently. We all proceeded to scan the room, and they weren't in sight.

"They said something about going to TenTen's car and getting something." I looked at Gaara, his black-rimmed eyes closed with his arms crossed. He opened one eye and lifted his hands making air quotations.

"'Something' being the key word." My friend was out with a werewolf. Perfect. Sakura grabbed my arm, catching my attention.

"I got to tell you something. Away from our little bat boys here." I got off the desk while she pulled out of Sasuke's lap. We didn't bother asking sensei for a pass. He didn't care anyways. We walked to the bathroom, which was surprisingly empty. She turned to me with a smile across her face.

"You'll never guess what I figured out!" She jumped excitedly.

"What is it?" I asked as I checked my hair in the mirror. "Gaara-kun is interested in you." I froze, and then turned to look at her.

"Me and him were texting last night and I brought you up, doing the whole 'do you like her' routine. He does, and is planning on making a move later today!" she squealed. Oh my god… I almost pulled a Hinata and passed out, but I kept my cool and hugged Sakura, squeezing her slightly.

"You're an angel Sakura!" She just smiled.

"So I've been told." She shrugged and we walked out of the bathroom and back towards class. As we walked in, a paper plane zoomed past my face, missing by inches. I just rolled my eyes and sat down on my previous desktop, with Gaara looking at me intensely. Sasuke pulled Sakura back into his lap and pulled her close. Sakura and me kept talking till the bell rang. I grabbed my bag and headed towards the music building with Hinata. We had chorus while everyone else had Journalism and Drama.

Our teacher was a nice girl from Sunagakure, but was known for her loud yelling at students who pissed her off. Yep, Temari-sensei was a livewire. We walked in and took our seats in the back. That's when Hinata turned to me and asked very timidly.

"D-do you th-th-think N-Naruto likes m-me?" she was so random but you couldn't help but love her.

"He definitely does Hina-chan. I can tell just by the way he looks at you." She just looked at me, and I smiled reassuringly. The bell rang as Temari-sensei walked in, a mug of coffee in her hand and a bagel in the other. For being a vampire, she sure looked human. But, she loved humans, so she was a cool person to know.

"Morning guys!" she called after taking a sip of coffee.

"Morning sensei" we greeted in unison.

"Let's get started then shall we. As you know, our concert is on Friday and we've made excellent progress. We had room for one more song, and I threw one in. The catch though; it's a solo piece that I want you to audition for." Hinata whispered to me shyly.

"You should try out for it. I heard her singing it last week. It's a pretty piece." I nodded. I looked to see Ino whispering amongst her snot-faced groupies. I knew she'd try too. I glared and brought my attention back to Temari-sensei.

"Any volunteers?" A few hands shot up, followed by mine and Ino's.

"Ok then. Hinata, would you play the piano part for them?" Hinata nodded and walked to the piano at the front.

"Ok let's start with Tayuya." I gagged at the mention of her name. The girl was a royal bitch, and her friends were a band of jerks. Temari-sensei handed the sheet music to the magenta-haired stick in the mud. Temari gave the count, and Tayuya started. She sounded like a broken record.

"Sorry Tayuya. You're not ready for this piece. Next!" girls tried out, but were shot down as gently as possible. Ino was put down for pronunciation of the words.

"Noriko? You ready?" I just smirked and nodded. My aunt/adopted mother had trained me in opera since I was eleven, and I took Latin in my freshman and sophomore years. This would be a breeze. I took the sheet music, readying for the signal. It was brought, and I let my voice go from its restraints.

(Lilium by Kumiko Noma)

Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam Et lingua eius loqueter indicium

Beautus vir qui

Suffert tentationem

Quanium cum

Probatus fuerit accipient coronam vitae

Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison

O quam sancta

Quam serena

Quam benigma

Quam amoena

O castitatis lilium

(Vocal solo)

Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison

O quam sancta

Quam serena

Quam benigma

Quam amoena

O castitatis lilium…

People clapped, and Hinata stood up and hugged me.

"Now that's some serious vocal talent. Congrats Nori. You got the solo." I jumped and hugged her before taking my seat. She practiced with the few guys we had on their part for a song, leaving us girls to chill out till the bell rang. When it did, Hinata and me grabbed our bags, heading to the door. I heard snickering, and Hinata was tripped by Ino. I helped my friend up and then looked at Ino.

"What the hell is you problem Ino?" she just glared at me.

"You are my problem, Uchiha. You and your 'kiss my ass' attitude." My anger started to rise.

"Then launch your petty shit at me, not my friends." Ino just laughed.

"She should've been watching where she was going. It's not my fault." She put her hands up, laughing the whole time.

"Don't play stupid Yamanaka. No wonder Sasuke never showed any interest. He's not even as cold-hearted as you." Her smile vanished.

" Don't talk about shit you don't know about!" she walked up to hit me, but I just shoved her. I got in her face, her blue eyes filled with terror.

"Start something Yamanaka. I fucking DARE you. Hit me, go ahead and do it. Just know this. I will take you down." I felt Hinata tugging on my arm. I backed away from Ino and turned, slamming the door open as I went. Hinata was telling me to calm down, her hand on my shoulder. I got to class and sat down in the desk in the back. Sakura walked in, holding hands with Sasuke. She saw my angry expression and walked over.

"What's the matter?" she asked urgently.

"Ino was being a bitch and tripped Hinata on our way out of the chorus room. She pissed me off and tried to fight me." Sakura rolled her eyes and sat in the desk in front of me.

"Forget about her girl. That's just the way she is." I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut. I hope Ino gets run over by a bus. I started to calm down and I released my nose and opened my eyes. Sakura grinned, the bell ringing as everyone ran in. Sasuke sat next to Sakura, Naruto behind Hinata, and Gaara beside me. Iruka-sensei called roll before starting a video on the history of the land of Fire and turning off the lights, leaving the classroom dark. I already knew this stuff, so I snoozed through most of it. The bell rang, and we headed back to Kakashi-sensei's room for literature. The class went by surprisingly fast, and we headed to the lunchroom. I stood in line with Hinata and Itachi, waiting for our food. After grabbing a tray with a salad and sandwich, I walked to the soda machine and bought a Pepsi before sitting at the table where Hinata was. Sakura was sitting with Sasuke, as expected. Gosh, what am I? Chopped liver?

"Hey guys mind if we sit here?" Naruto asked, Gaara standing beside him.

"Go ahead." I said, taking a bite out of the sandwich. The ham tasted kind of funny, but then again, didn't ALL school food taste funny?

"Still no sign of Kiba and Tenten?" I asked, taking a sip of Pepsi.

"Kiba texted a few minutes ago. Him and Tenten went to a movie." Great. 2 of my friends were dating creatures of the supernatural. I might join the group though. Life's sense of humor is so weird.

"You guys already hunted or what?" I looked at Naruto and he smiled.

"We're gonna hunt sometime tomorrow night. Gaara heard there are some grizzly's terrorizing one of the mountain ranges in this area." My vampire friends never hunted humans unless it was some crazy murderer walking the streets. The bell rang and I proceeded to chemistry. Kurenai-sensei gave us a test, earning a groan from half of the students, including Sakura and Naruto. Chemistry wasn't their forte. I breezed through it and turned it in at the same time as Sasuke. The bell rang, and I made my way to my least favorite class of all…Gym. Gai-sensei was a real weirdo, totally obsessed with youth and beauty. It was really annoying when he lectured us about it. We changed in the locker room, pulling on the tight white shirts with out names on the front and small spandex shorts. I already had some on, so no worry there. Gai-sensei had told us to come out barefoot, so we walked along the cold tile to the gym. There were giant blue mats everywhere, a long with a balance beam, a set of high bars, the rings, and a pommel horse. Shit… we were doing gymnastics.