It was evening, and Sasuke was at his house, the Uchiha Compound, walking down the halls. He did this quite often, recalling the events of his brother killing his entire clan two and a half years ago. He clenched his fists, glaring at the world ahead of him.

"I'll kill you, Itachi. Just. You. Wait, bastard," he growled out. There was no one that lived there at the compound besides him. It would get lonely at times but it was nothing he, an Uchiha, could not handle. He sighed loudly and ran his fingers through his dark hair. His mind flickered to the orange scarf Natsumi wore. "I've seen it somewhere... but where?" He pondered, opening a door into his room. He shut the door behind him—old habits die hard. He sat on his bed before laying down in it, putting his arm over his eyes.

In general, he couldn't get Natsumi out of his head. He did not know what exactly, but there was something about her that just screamed them being alike. It naturally attracted him. In Konoha, there was not anyone like him but Natsumi... she seemed to actually understand some of his problems, despite their bickering. He could see it in her eyes. Sasuke rolled on his side, falling asleep.

The orange scarf never left his mind.

Squad Seven was now just outside of Konoha's gates, planting saplings and flowers. Sakura was certainly the most skilled at it while Natsumi and Sasuke on the other hand, were struggling slightly at first, but eventually got the hang of it. Kakashi just sat on a bench nearby, reading his book, Icha Icha. Sasuke kept glancing at Natsumi—well, her scarf specifically.

"What?" she eventually asked. "I know you're looking at me, Teme," she said, not looking up at him as she planted a flower.

"Where did you get that scarf?" he bluntly asked. He certainly did not beat around the bush... He gazed at her, waiting for an answer. He saw her jaw stiffen slightly, as if she was trying to choose her words carefully.

"It used to be my Sensei's," she said. "It was a gift from him. Why do you ask?" Sasuke shrugged, planting a sapling,

"It just looked familiar," he replied, narrowing his eyes at the blond.

'There's something she isn't telling me,' he realized. He crouched down next to her, putting some flower seeds into the soil.

"I'm going to get more seeds!" Sakura yelled. "I'll be back!" She ran off. Natsumi looked at the nonexistent pile that had once been full of seeds and saplings to find it empty.

"And who was your teacher?" He asked. Sasuke saw her body stiffen as she looked at the ninja headband that had a slash in the middle of it. "A missing nin?" He asked, with his tone growing more interrogative.

"Since when are you so interested about my life?" She coldly asked, glaring at him, but for once it was weak—forced. Sasuke shrugged and stared at her heterochromic eyes.

"I am just intrigued. Considering you're my teammate, shouldn't I know a bit about you?"

Natsumi scoffs and rolls her eyes. He supposed he was never this interested before around her.

"Since when does an Uchiha treat others as an equal?" Sasuke glared slightly at her.

'I suppose this is what I get for trying to act nice,' he thought. He then sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, after this mission, do you want to go to a ramen stand with me—my treat?" Personally, he did not like ramen all too much, but he needed to know more about that scarf and what she was not telling him! After a few seconds of Natsumi seeming to consider his proposal, she finally nodded.

"Sure, I guess." Sasuke smirked slightly.

'Ramen is definitely her weakness.'

Sakura eventually came back with more seeds and saplings.

"I'm back!" She yelled and gave the two others some more seeds. They began working away again until a few hours before dusk.

Once the squad was dismissed, Sasuke and Natsumi were the only ones left standing outside of Konoha.

"So, where did you have in mind?" She asked with her hands shoved in her pant pockets. Sasuke shrugs.

"Just follow me, Dobe." He started walking, not waiting for her. She quickly caught up and walked beside him.

"What's with your obsession in calling me that, Teme?" She asked, pulling on her scarf so she made it tighter around her neck.

"Tsk. What's your obsession with calling me a bastard? Are you in love with me or something?" He asked, scoffing after, mostly teasing. Natsumi rolled her eyes.

"As if. I know you're used to having everyone's undivided attention and praise." She scoffs back. "But I'm not going to do that," she said, fiddling with the scarf. He watches for a minute.

"Oh?" He asked, raising a brow. "Yet here you are going out with me." She glared at him.

"This is not a date." Sasuke smirked.

"I never said it was." He raises a brow. "Do you wish it was?" She then would not be much different from any other girl... she shook her head quickly.

"No," she hissed. "This was your idea," she said. She tugged at her scarf.

"Tch. You're in love with me like everyone else," he said, rolling his eyes. To be honest, if that was the case, he would be a bit disappointed. He just wanted to find someone that did not worship him. It would be nice… Before she could protest and say anything else, he said, "Look, we're here," he said as if he was bored. Natsumi shrugs. The ramen shop sign said Ichiraku Ramen.

"Great. You get to interrogate me." Sasuke smirked and sat down at a seat.

"You have dobe-ish humor," he retorted, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Can you stop calling me that?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Why? I can do whatever I want," he said, shrugging. "I'm an Uchiha, right?" He asked, smirking as he used her own words against her. She rolled her eyes and grabs a menu. It was clear she had never been there before.

"Let's just eat," she said, suddenly looking very interested in the menu. Sasuke nodded and grabbed a menu as well with the usual cold look in his eyes. After a few minutes passed, a teen girl walked up to the two.

"Hello! I am Ayame! What may I get for you?" She asked with a warm smile on her face.

"I'll get a miso ramen," Natsumi said dryly, staring at several empty bowls ahead of her. Ayame looks at Sasuke.

"And you, sir?" Sasuke shrugged, thinking for a brief moment.

"I'll just have the same thing as her," he replied. In truth, he had no idea what to pick. There were so many options... Ayame smiles.

"Two miso ramens coming right up!" After saying that, she spun around and walked off to go prepare the food. Sasuke drums his fingers on the counter, bored. He then looks at Natsumi.

"So, Dobe, have you always lived in Konoha?" He asked. He never recalled seeing her before she mysteriously joined the Academy on Graduation Day. Natsumi shook her head, for once not commenting on the insult.

"No, not always."

"Where did you use to live?"

"North."

"Where up north?" She seemed hesitant to answer.

"The Hidden Sound Village—I think," she responds, shrugging. Sasuke narrows his eyes.

"What do you mean, you think?" He asked, wanting to know more. She sighed.

"You're from Konoha, right?" She asked, clearly wanting to change the subject. Sasuke nods.

"Yes, I thought you already knew that. Do you have a short-term memory or something?" He asked, setting his hands in his lap. She rolls her eyes, ignoring his snarky reply.

"Have you unlocked your Sharingan yet?" She asked. Sasuke glared at the counter. He was not annoyed with her question, per se. Just annoyed at reality.

"No, but who needs it?" He was cringing quite badly, his tone bitter.

'Now I have made you hate me. Now you have the desire to defeat me. Which is exactly why I'm going to allow you to live. Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me one day in hate and revenge, surviving in such an unsightly manner as this, by all means flee. Cling to your wretched life and then one day, when you possess the same eyes as mine, come back and face me.'

Sasuke gritted his teeth at the memory and then sighed.

"Itachi got his so early..." Natsumi noted, unaware of Sasuke's current state of mind. He glared at Natsumi.

"I know, okay?!" Natsumi shrugged.

"What? Can't handle that someone is better than you?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"What is your obsession with Itachi?" He asked with his volume increasing a little. Natsumi stared at him.

"You're the one always nagging about how you're going to kill him," she said.

"That's because I'm related to him. Unlike you, I know him," he retorted, getting that arrogant look in his eyes again. Natsumi mumbled something under her breath, seeming to disagree based on her facial expression. He stared at her, slightly taken aback. "You know him?" He asked, emphasizing each word. Natsumi shrugged, but then nodded. "How?" He asked, glaring again. Not at her specifically, just at the situation.

"He was my Sensei. One of my very first, actually," she said, tugging at her scarf again. Sasuke blinked in realization.

"That scarf is his... I remember," he said. He remembered four years ago that one day his older brother did not return home with his favorite orange scarf and when he asked him about it, Itachi just told him he gave it away to someone. Sasuke never believed him until now. Sasuke stared at the ninja headband with the slash in it that Natsumi wore. "And that's...?"

"Itachi's too," she said, now looking around. He stared at her.

"But why? Why do you wear the traitor's headband?" He asked, scoffing in disbelief. Natsumi shrugged.

"It... doesn't matter," she said, fidgeting with the scarf again, blankly staring at the counter. Before Sasuke could ask about anything more, Ayame came with the food.

"Here's your food!" She placed the bowls in front of Sasuke and Natsumi. "That'll be one thousand yen please!" Sasuke nodded and pulled out his wallet. He grabbed the one thousand yen and gave it to her.

"Here." She took it.

"Thanks! Enjoy the rest of your day!" After she said that, she walked off, busy with taking other customers' orders. Both Natsumi and Sasuke grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began to eat.

"Huh, it doesn't taste too bad," he admitted, looking down at it. Natsumi finished a bite before talking.

"Mhm. It's amazing, hm?" The tiniest of smiles appeared on her face before vanishing.

"Woah, I think you just smiled," he said, smirking. She rolled her eyes.

"As if you do." He just shrugged and went back to eating. More time passed as they ate and eventually Sasuke pushed away his bowl, now done with it.

"How... close were you and Itachi?" He asked, trying to seem uninterested. He could not tell if Natsumi caught on to this or not, as she stared at him for a second before answering.

"Like I said. He was my Sensei, and I was his student," she said, shrugging.

"You're acting like that isn't true. As if you were something more than that," he said, continuing to stare, wanting answers. She sighs, now rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Why do you care so much? I'm starting to be convinced you're the one obsessed with me," she said. She also pushed her bowl away. "Jealousy does unimaginable things, you know."

"Don't be ridiculous. We're teammates. Nothing more." He stood up and pushed his stool in. Natsumi did the same. "See you around, Dobe." The corner of his mouth was curved up. He was smiling the tiniest amount. Natsumi shrugged.

"Yeah, see you, Teme." With that, the two walked away to go home. The entire way back, Sasuke felt a little lighter. It was an unusual feeling, to say the least. He could not remember the last time he felt this. He did not even feel this when thinking about how he was going to kill and torture his brother, Itachi.

'This is quite weird indeed.' He sighed and shook his head. 'I promise Itachi: I will kill you. I will gain the Mangekyō Sharingan no matter what it takes.'

Even if it meant he had to kill this best friend.

AN:

What did you think? Please leave a review!