Woohoo! Last chapter! Now I can sleep well at night knowing that I have one less story to update! Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"..Shino?" Nori said quietly. She walked over to him.
"I've been watching you," Shino said. He held out a bouquet of flowers that glistened in the moonlight.
"I…don't know what to say…" Nori said truthfully. She tried to get a glance at his face when she took the flowers, but his high collar and glasses prevented her from seeing anything.
"You're surprised," Shino observed.
"I am," Nori nodded, still a bit shocked.
"You don't like me."
"Yes I do," Nori said quickly. "But…not the way you do. I'm sorry."
"I figured so much," Shino said unfeelingly.
"I'm sorry," Nori repeated. "You're a really nice guy and I still want to be friends. Is that okay?"
"All right," Shino said.
"Shino…are you okay?"
"Yes. Thank you, Nori."
Nori smiled and Shino walked away, back into the night.
She seated herself back on the edge of the fountain. She was a little disappointed and felt a little guilty, even though she knew it was probably some boy-type phase or whatever.
The flowers were kind of pretty, Nori had to admit. She lifted the bouquet to her nose and smelled the sweet smell of roses, lilies, and whatever other flower Shino had picked. She didn't know, she wasn't a botanist.
"Waiting for someone?"
Nori jumped with a small gasp and turned to see a figure, shorter than Shino. She squinted slightly and saw who it was. "Gaara…" she turned back around and sighed. "I was…but…wait, how did you know?"
Gaara sat down next to her. "Everyone knows."
"Right…" Nori sighed heavily once more. "I guess…I wasn't expecting who came."
"Who were you expecting?"
"I don't know…but I wasn't expecting…Shino…and it was so hard to just tell him no…you know?"
"Not really."
"Oh."
"Are you planning on sitting here all night?" Gaara said.
"No…I guess not," Nori said indecisively. "I mean, maybe…why did it have to be me?"
Gaara looked up at the starry sky. "You know, you're a likeable person."
"Huh? Oh…thank you."
"It's not a wonder he liked you. It doesn't matter who he is."
Nori smiled good-naturedly. "That's really sweet, Gaara."
Gaara turned a bit pink in the cheeks, but said, "It isn't hard to say what's true. You're smart, funny, talented, beautiful—"
He was suddenly stopped by Nori who had kissed him in mid-sentence. The two sat there for a moment, then broke apart, Nori smiling softly.
"I don't take compliments well."
Gaara's face was almost as red as his love kanji. He was shocked.
"Do you like me, Gaara?"
"…More than you'll ever know."
And for the first time, Nori blushed.
The next day…
"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's—"
"Shut up, Naruto!"
"Sorry…" Naruto said.
"Hey, did you ever get Sakura to dance with you, man?" Kiba asked.
"Nah…but Hinata danced with me!"
Kiba scoffed. "I bet she felt sorry for you, she's that kind of person."
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yeah huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yeah-huh!"
"Could you guys shut up for about two seconds?" Nori said, annoyed. "And it's the last day of school already, so set aside your differences! NOW!"
"Okay, okay…" Kiba and Naruto said.
"I'm sorry, Kiba," Naruto said. "As sorry as I'll ever be."
"And I'm sorry, Naruto," Kiba said, "that you're an annoying butt crack off the face of the world."
"WHY YOU—"
"Kidding! Mostly…"
Naruto pouted and crossed his arms, turning his back to Kiba.
"So…Nori, what's the deal with your secret admirer? I gotta know," Kiba said.
"No way, I heard what you two did. Telling the whole school about it, that was so cruel and unusual."
"Come on! It would've gotten out anyway! And it was mostly Naruto."
"HEY!"
"Too bad."
"It was Gaara, wasn't it?"
"No." And she wasn't lying either.
"IT WAS!"
"NO IT WASN'T!"
"Okay," Kiba smirked.
"I bet it was," Naruto said.
"You guys act like girls."
"WE DO NOT!"
"We're MEN!" Kiba said, thumping his fist against his chest.
"Yeah, what he said!" Naruto said, sitting up straight and puffing up to make himself look bigger…which didn't do much good for him since he's only like, under five feet.
"Whatever," Nami said, turning her back on the two boys.
"What's the matter?" Kiba asked.
"Nothing!"
"You're terrible at lying."
"I know…" Nori sighed. "It's just—"
BRING!
Nori cursed the bell under her breath. "I've gotta go."
First period of the last day was Drama class. She shared that class with Ino, Sakura, Gaara, Lee, and Shino.
"Ah, the last day of school," Mitarashi Anko said. "I'm sure you all are pumped to get through school and get home to hang out, huh?" She laughed pleasantly then slammed her hand on the table. "BUT NO! Now that it's the last day, I expect the BEST of you all, you got that? This'll be the last play we do, and I expect to air it today at lunch, you got that? Now, we all studied the scripts of three plays that we were thinking of doing, and I came to the conclusion of the ending play! The name of the play is Sleeping Beauty!"
There were a series of groans and cheers throughout the classroom.
"Does this involve actual kissing then?" Nori asked.
"I'm sure you all are old enough. Besides, in high school, you'll be doing Romeo and Juliet, so, I trust that you all studied your parts over the past week! Now, line up by character, now!" She flipped the switch on the overhead projector and a list of the characters and students appeared.
Nori stood up and moved to the table of main characters along with Sakura, Gaara, Ino, and a few other people. Sakura had the part of the first fairy, Ino was the second fairy, Gaara was the prince, and Nori was…you guessed it, Sleeping Beauty.
After a few minutes of going over lines, the class crowded together and rehearsed. After a few quick shouts from Anko, the camcorder was set up and Anko was taping the play. They had done this so many times before in the second semester, it was natural and easy.
Nori was now lying on the bed "asleep". She wasn't too fond of this part since she had to sleep through pretty much half of the play, but Anko seemed to feel like it was "the role she was born to play". After yesterday, she was a bit shaken to be around Gaara, no matter how sweet he could be.
She didn't even realize she liked him so much until yesterday. What was it about him?
As Gaara walked onto the stage quietly towards her, thoughts ran through her mind.
Well, she told herself. He's barely lovable half the time I've known him, but…the half of the time he is, it seems…so special…and…
Gaara was now at the bed. Nori felt his warm hand touch her face tenderly.
Whenever I'm with him…I feel…
She felt a pair of lips touch hers, giving her a gentle kiss. Not too long, and not too short.
Safe.
LUNCH
"Ah yeah!" Kiba cheered, tearing open his lunch bag and digging in like the canine he was. "Mom always packs the best lunch on the last day of school!" He revealed a beefy sandwich that had barely fit in the bag.
"I get the best lunch everyday!" Naruto exclaimed, unscrewing the cap of his thermos. "RAMEN!"
The two boys grinned widely and said, "ITADAKIMASU!"
Nori giggled. Her two best friends, Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto were complete gluttons sometimes. But who wouldn't be on the last day? She finished off her lunch quickly as well, and turned her attention to the widescreen that was placed in the lunchroom for the last lunchroom broadcast.
Principal Tsunade walked up onstage and clapped her hands loudly. "STUDENTS! ATTENTION!"
The room grew quiet.
She cleared her throat. "I'm sure you're all excited to start your vacations, no? But for the last thirty minutes of the lunch period, please enjoy this performance by the Anko-sensei's Drama Class, Sleeping Beauty!"
As the screen started playing the performance, Nori glanced about the room, looking for a certain someone. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see…
"Hello," Gaara whispered, sitting down next to her.
Nori smiled. "Hello."
Naruto and Kiba grinned silently as they watched the Drama Class's show, grinning especially broadly when they saw the true moment of the play. As soon as it ended, the room erupted in applause. Some nearby boys nudged Gaara playfully. It had seemed as though Gaara had been able to make some friends…
Nori laughed, hugging Gaara subconsciously, causing him to turn pink.
Tsunade walked back onstage and said loudly, "And that ends our year here at Konoha Middle School! I leave you all with one piece of advice: be open to change, my students, and who knows? Next year may be as changeable as this year! No go off and start your summer!"
"YAHOO!"
"YEAH!"
Well, thanks for reviewing this whole story everyone! Don't for get to R&R this last chapter as well! Who knows? Maybe I'll do a sequel...sometime in the future...eventually...
Thanks again!
-TTF