Work Text:
______ sighed heavily as she looked at her grades. She had almost straight F's. And not like, borderline D F’s, low F’s.
'This is really bad....' She thought, hanging her head.
Everyone was on their way to an all-school assembly in the auditorium. It was about grades. She sighed again because she was pretty sure she had the worst grades in the whole school. She entered the auditorium and met up with her best friends Ella, Hitomi, and Dakota.
"Hey guys." She said, sounding drained.
"Well, someone's cheery." Ella said, raising an eyebrow at her.
"You know the whole grades bullshit?" ______ asked.
They nodded.
"I'm pretty sure I have the lowest grades in the whole damn school." ______ muttered, handing them her grades.
They stared at her grades in shock.
"How?!" They exclaimed.
______ shrugged and slumped into a seat, smoothing down her uniform skirt. She really hated this stupid private school. She didn’t know why her parents sent her there in the first place. The lights dimmed and the headmaster stepped out onto the stage.
"I'm sure you're all aware of why you’re here." He said, resting his hands on the podium.
"Yes sir." The entire school said.
"Good. In light of this situation, we've brought in some students from the college to tutor those whose grades are inadequate. Inadequate being a D or an F. Now, since this is a pristine school, there are only 28 failing students. We have brought in ten tutors." The headmaster said, gesturing for them to come out.
Ten people joined the headmaster out on stage. They all lined up and ______ and her friends surveyed them:
There was only one girl out of the ten of them. She had blue hair, amber eyes, and pale skin. She was fairly tall and pretty with lavender eyeshadow and her lower lip was pierced in the middle. She wore a short navy-blue dress that was really low cut with black tights underneath and white heels. She was introduced as Konan.
The man next to her was a bit taller than her and had chin-length red hair. He had dark amber eyes and really pale skin. He was wearing a black t-shirt and dark jeans with black sneakers. He was introduced as Nagato, nicknamed Pein.
The guy next to him had slicked-back silver hair and purple-red eyes. He had pale skin and an arrogant smirk on his face. He wore black sneakers, black jeans, and a white v-neck shirt with a plunging neckline. He also wore a silver chain around his neck with a Jashinist symbol pendant hanging from it. He was introduced as Hidan.
Next to him was a tall man with tan skin and green eyes. He had long dark brown hair and a bored look on his face. He wore grey pants, a white shirt, and black shoes. He was introduced as Kakazu.
Next to him was a tall guy with short, spiky, black hair, black eyes, and pale skin. He wore blue jeans, an orange shirt, and black shoes. He was introduced as Tobi.
Next to him was a tall guy with short, spiky, green hair, pale skin, and amber eyes. He was dressed in a hip-hop style outfit that was split down the middle, from his shirt to even his shoes, black on one side and white on the other. He was introduced as Zetsu.
Next to him was a guy with short red hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. He looked bored and had his hands in his pockets. He wore a dark purple button up, black jeans, and black dress shoes. He was introduced as Sasori.
Next to him was a guy with long blond hair put up in a high ponytail with his bangs over his left eye. He had blue eyes and pale skin. He wore a grey sleeveless shirt, black jeans, and black boots. He was introduced as Deidara.
Next to him was a really tall guy with blue hair. He had tan skin and a shark-like grin. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, dark pants, and black shoes. He was introduced as Kisame.
And the last guy caught ______ ‘s eye. He was tall and had pale skin. He had onyx eyes that had an almost red tint to them in the light. They also held a gentle look as he gazed at the students. He had jet black hair that was tied into a low ponytail with a red hair tie and it was laying over his shoulder. His bangs were parted in the center of his forehead and framed his face. He wore dress shoes, black skinny jeans, and a wine-red button up shirt, slightly unbuttoned. He wore a necklace around his neck that consisted of three circles on a black cord. He was introduced as Itachi.
______ stared at him with wide (e/c) eyes. He was gorgeous, and he reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t place who. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. She swallowed hard. She wasn't even paying attention to what the headmaster was saying.
"Each tutor will be assigned three students. Except one,” The headmaster said, “Mr. Itachi Uchiha is exceptional at teaching and will be taking only one student. He will be tutoring the student with the worst grades. Mr. Itachi Uchiha will be tutoring Ms. ______ _______."
She snapped back to reality and tears came to her eyes. The headmaster just announced that she had the worst grades in the school. She stood from her seat and bolted out of the auditorium.
Itachi watched a (h/c)-haired girl abruptly stand from her seat and run out of the room. He assumed that she was his student since she ran out after the headmaster announced her name. He looked at the doors she'd left out of with sad eyes and frowned. The headmaster spoke for another minute before handing it off to the tutors so they could announce who they would be tutoring. The headmaster walked off stage and Itachi followed him.
"Sir, excuse me!" He called after him.
"What is it Mr. Uchiha?" He asked.
"Do you really think it was a good idea to announce that my student had the worst grades in the entire school,” Itachi asked, a hint of anger in his voice, “I mean, she's going to be made fun of and bullied for this."
"That is part of the schooling and teenage experience Mr. Uchiha." The headmaster said, sounding uninterested.
"But sir-"
"Mr. Uchiha, you have a job to do,” The headmaster interrupted, glaring at Itachi, “And that job is not to stand here and criticize me on how I do my job. Now, go find Ms. _______ and do what I'm paying you to do. Understood?"
He stared back for a minute and said, "Yes sir."
The headmaster left without another word and Itachi rolled his eyes. He left to go find his student, ______. He jogged through the halls of the school, genuinely worried about the girl. While he was looking for her, he ran into Deidara and his three students.
"You ok Itachi? You look weird." The blond said.
"I'm worried. I can't find my student, ______, anywhere. She ran out of the auditorium earlier and now I can't find her." Itachi answered.
The blond frowned and said, "Man, that sucks."
He turned to his students and trained his eyes on one girl.
"Hey, Ella, you said you know her, right?" He asked.
She nodded and said, "She's my best friend. I'm really worried about her...."
Itachi nodded and went off to look for her again. He passed by a stairwell and heard someone crying. He backtracked and went down the stairs. He peered around the corner and saw ______ curled up in a ball crying.
"There you are." He said softly.
She jumped and looked up at him surprised.
"I-Itachi?!" She said, quickly trying to wipe her tears.
He smiled kindly at her and sat beside her. He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her so her head was resting against his chest.
"Itachi...?" She asked, sniffling.
"Shh... it's alright to cry you know...,” He whispered, “Just let it out...."
She sniffled and started crying again, grabbing onto his shirt. He wrapped his other arm around her and stroked her hair. They sat there like that for a while until ______ went limp against Itachi's chest. Itachi sighed sadly and gathered her in his arms, heading to the nurse's office.
"Oh my god! What happened to her?!" The nurse, Tsunade, exclaimed, looking at ______.
"She passed out." Itachi said, shifting her in his arms lightly.
"Oh my. Here, put her in this bed. We'll let her rest for a while." Tsunade said, leading Itachi over to one of the beds surrounded by a white curtain.
Itachi set ______ down on the bed and pulled the blanket up over her. The nurse pulled the curtain around the bed and left Itachi alone with ______. He sat down in the chair that was beside the bed and sighed. He’d known this girl for less than two hours but it felt like a lot longer than that because of what had happened. He sighed again and looked at ______, resting his elbows on the bed.
______ groaned lightly as she blinked her eyes open against the bright light shining against her face. When her eyes focused, the first thing she saw was her new tutor, Itachi Uchiha. She blushed as she remembered what had happened and bolted upright in bed.
“Itachi! I-I’m so sorry!!” She said, bowing her head.
“It’s alright ______,” he said with a small smile, putting his hands up, “No need to apologize.”
She blushed more and nodded.
“Y-you can just call me ______ (shortened version of y/n if you have one) by the way….” She said, playing with a bit of her hair.
He nodded and said, “Well, there’s only about ten minutes left of the day, so how about we get your things and head somewhere to start that tutoring?”
______ nodded and got up. She wobbled slightly and Itachi took ahold of her arm to steady her.
“Thank you….” She mumbled embarrassedly, looking at the floor.
“Of course.” He said.
______ led the way through the hallways to her locker and they went over what she would need to study. By the time they had everything and were making their way out of the building, school was ending. As they rounded a corner, ______ was slammed into by someone. She dropped her backpack and fell back against Itachi’s chest, feeling two pairs of arms wrapped around her. Itachi’s arms were around her waist, supporting her weight, and a pair of arms were around her neck.
“______,” a very familiar voice exclaimed, “Thank god you’re ok! Itachi told Deidara what happened and he told me!”
She sighed as she recognized who it was.
“Ella, I’m fine,” ______ said, “Thanks to Itachi anyway.”
Ella nodded and pulled away from her. She then noticed Itachi’s arms around ______, still supporting her weight. Ella smirked at ______ and she flipped her off. Ella tried to bite ______’s finger and she flicked her nose.
“Well, we’ve got some studying to do,” Itachi said, leaning down to pick up ______’s bag (while keeping his other hand on her waist), “So we’re going to head out.”
“Have fun!” Ella called out after them, causing ______ to flip her off again.
“So where are we going to study?” ______ asked as they walked out of the building.
“My family’s place,” he answered, “My brother goes here as well so he’ll also be able to help you out a bit.”
______ nodded, albeit a little confused, and followed him to his car. Her eyes widened as she saw his car. He had a black 2015 Mustang V6 Fastback.
“Holy shit!” She exclaimed, staring in wonder at his car.
“Like it?” He asked, opening the door for her.
“It’s fucking amazing!” She said, smiling brightly.
He chuckled as he got in as well and started the engine. The drive to his house was relatively quiet, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was a comfortable silence that wasn’t too heavy, nor too light. It was just perfect. After a while, they pulled up to a large metal gate. He pressed a button on his keys and the gate opened, allowing him to drive through. As they drove up the drive, the house- no, huge mansion came into view and her eyes widened.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, looking at the large brick building in awe, “You live here?!”
“Sometimes.” He said, mild amusement in his voice.
“What do you mean ‘sometimes’?” She asked, looking over at him.
He chuckled lightly and said, “This is my parent’s place. I grew up here and my brother still lives here. I split my time between here and the house the ten of us who are tutors share when we have classes.”
______ nodded and just looked around as they pulled up in front of a large set of stone stairs, leading up to the large front doors. Itachi shut the engine off and got out, going around to ______’s door to help her out of the car. He slung her backpack over his shoulder and put his left hand on her lower back, guiding her up the stairs and through the front doors.
“Ah, Master Itachi,” a young man a few years older than Itachi said, looking surprised, “Welcome home! And you brought a guest!”
“Hello Daniel,” Itachi said with a slight smile, “And yes, this is ______ _______. She goes to Otōto’s school and I’ll be tutoring her from now on.”
The man, who ______ now knew was named Daniel, smiled more and nodded.
“Your mother and brother are in the kitchen,” he said, gesturing down a long hallway, “Would you like me to take you?”
Itachi smiled again and said, “That’s alright Daniel, I can take it from here. Thank you.”
He nodded and bowed to Itachi before turning to ______.
“It was nice to meet you, Miss _______!” He said, bowing to her as well.
“It was nice to meet you too!” She said, smiling.
He left and Itachi guided her down a long hallway.
“I’m going to warn you now,” he said, looking down at her, “My family can be a bit of a handful sometimes, but they’re good people. Most of the time….”
______ giggled at his last few muttered words and mentally prepared herself to meet his family. He pushed a door open and they stepped into a huge kitchen.
“Okāsan, Otōto, I’m home, and I’ve brought a guest.” He said as they walked in.
______ saw a beautiful woman that looked to be in her mid-thirties and a teenage boy with his back to them. They both turned to look at them and the woman smiled.
“Itachi! It’s nice to see you, sweetie!” She said, hugging him.
He gently hugged her back, a small smile on his face.
“Mom, you act like you haven’t seen me in weeks,” Itachi said, chuckling lightly, “I was here a few days ago.”
‘That’s his mom?! She doesn’t look old enough to be his mom!’ ______ thought.
The woman laughed lightheartedly and said, “I know, I know, but it’s always nice to see my oldest.”
“I don’t get this treatment.” The other boy said.
They all looked over at him and ______ instantly recognized him.
“Sasuke….” She said quietly, recognizing her younger school acquaintance.
‘I knew his last name sounded familiar!’ ______ thought.
“Well of course not,” Itachi said, smirking, “You live here.”
“When you move out (if you move out) you’ll get the same treatment since you’ll always be my baby.” Their mother said, pinching Sasuke’s cheek.
“Mom, quit it.” Sasuke said, blushing lightly and pushing her hand away.
He looked at ______ and raised a hand slightly in a wave.
“Hey ______.” He said, looking disinterested.
“Hi Sasuke.” She said, waving back.
“Oh, so you two know each other already?” Itachi asked.
Both teens nodded and ______ said, “Yeah. I guess you could say we’re kind of friends. We hang out together at school sometimes.”
Sasuke nodded and went back to eating the berries he had in a bowl in front of him.
“So, you three all know each other,” their mother said, “Do I get an introduction?”
Itachi rolled his eyes with a smile and said, “Mom, this is ______ _______. She’s a senior at Konoha Academy and I’ll be tutoring her from now on. ______, this is my mother Mikoto Uchiha.”
______ smiled and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Uchiha.”
The woman smiled and instead of nodding, she pulled ______ into a light hug, surprising her. She looked over at Itachi, who just chuckled lightly and shrugged.
Mrs. Uchiha pulled back and said with a smile, “You’ll be around a lot, so there’s no need to be so formal.”
______ nodded, again surprised. After a few more minutes of conversing with her, Itachi lead ______ upstairs to a room. He opened the door and motioned for her to go in first. She thanked him and walked in, looking around. It was a large bedroom and it was incredibly clean and neat. There was a large, two-section desk in the far-right corner with two comfy-looking chairs, and a large window next to it.
“Go ahead and have a seat while I take a look at your grades again.” Itachi said, motioning to the desk.
______ blushed a little and nodded, plopping down into one of the chairs. She had been right; they were extremely comfortable. She watched Itachi pull out her report card and gracefully sit in the other chair beside her.
“Well, I see you don’t need any help in your electives seeing as you have a B in art. And you’re doing fairly well in Horticulture with a C, though we could raise that easily. But you’re failing everything else. Care to explain why?” Itachi said, raising his gaze to ______.
There was no malice or teasing to his voice, only genuine care and curiosity.
“I just… don’t understand the material…,” she mumbled, biting the dead skin on her lips, “Pre-calc is so hard, and I've never been that good at math. It’s the same with advanced biology. Econ and Japanese are just so confusing and communications is all speeches and essays and I'm just not good at them….”
Itachi nodded and was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
“How were your grades last year?” He asked, trying to get the full picture.
“Passing, but not great. Pretty much straight C’s.” ______ said.
“And the years before?” Itachi asked.
______ chewed her bottom lip a little and said, “Well, freshman and sophomore year I had my brother to help me, so my grades were pretty good. But then he graduated and moved out and wasn’t around to help anymore, so last year was a little worse, but I managed. This year I just… I don’t know….”
Her shoulders slumped and she curled in on herself a little bit, utterly embarrassed.
“She’s also way more depressed this year.”
______ jumped in surprise, hard, as she heard the voice from behind them. She turned around with a racing heart and hot face to see Sasuke standing in the doorway.
“Depressed?” Itachi said, looking at ______ with worried eyes.
“I am not depressed Sasuke.” ______ hissed, glaring at him.
The younger Uchiha snorted and said, “That’s not what I've heard.”
______’s face grew hotter under the stares of both males and she couldn’t muster up any words.
Seeing ______’s state, Itachi gave Sasuke a hard look and said, “Alright, enough being a brat, Sasuke. Leave us alone.”
The younger boy raised his hands in defeat and said, “I was just trying to be helpful.”
He closed the door and Itachi sighed before looking at ______ again. Her face was flushed and her eyes were glassy.
“Ignore him,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “He’s just being a brat and trying to get under your skin. He’s good at that.”
______ sniffled lightly and said, “I wouldn’t call him a brat.”
“Oh? Then what would you call him?” Itachi asked, intrigued.
“A dick.” She answered quietly.
Itachi laughed at this. Wanting to turn the mood around, he grabbed his phone and pulled up his schedule.
“Alright, I have all morning classes, so after school and weekends would be best for me. Are you in any sports or clubs that we need to work around?” He asked, looking back up at ______.
“I’m not allowed to participate in any extracurriculars because of my grades,” ______ answered, looking down, “I won’t even be allowed to go to prom if I don’t get them to C’s.”
Itachi looked confused and said, “Since when is that a thing? We didn’t have those rules when I was at the academy.”
______ shrugged and said, “Ever since we got a new headmaster that’s a tyrant.”
“He was more than a bit of an asshole when I spoke to him. I wonder why Miss Tsunade didn’t become headmistress after Sarutobi retired.” Itachi said.
______ shrugged again and said, “I don’t know. She’s still head dean and head nurse, so who knows.”
Itachi shook his head and said, “Well, anyway, let’s set up a schedule for studying.”
______ nodded and they discussed times and days, eventually landing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after school, and Saturday mornings.
“I’m sorry that I’ll be taking up your Fridays and Saturdays. I'm sure there are other things you’d rather do than teach my dumbass on Friday nights….” ______ said, chewing her lip again.
Itachi chuckled and said, “All I usually do on Friday nights is either hang out here if the others are having a party or read. You’re actually giving me something to do.”
______ nodded shyly. A moment later, her phone rang, causing her to jump again. She looked at the screen and sighed.
“It’s my mom, I've gotta answer.” She said, sighing again.
Itachi nodded and she answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Where are you? You should be home by now.” Her mother yelled.
“Mom, I texted you earlier; I’m with my tutor.” ______ said, cringing at the loud volume of her mother’s voice.
“Well, you better have proof when you get home otherwise you know what’ll happen!”
______ chewed her bottom lip and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“And you better be home soon or I’ll get really mad.”
“Yes, ma’am.” ______ repeated, swallowing hard.
Her mother hung up without another word and ______ let her hand drop into her lap. She shyly looked up at Itachi, who had a concerned look on his face.
“That was your mother?” He asked.
She flushed and nodded as she said, “Yeah…. She’s really… strict. There’s a reason my brother left the day he turned 18….”
Itachi sighed quietly and pulled out a notebook. Curious as to what he was doing, ______ looked over his arm.
“What are you doing?” She asked.
“Writing out a lesson plan and a note for your mother. That way you have your proof.” He answered, giving her a sympathetic smile.
She flushed again and nodded, quietly thanking him. Once he was finished, he sighed the paper in both English and Japanese, almost like he was a teacher.
______ furrowed her eyebrows and said, “You did that just like a teacher.”
He laughed lightly and said, “I should, I'm about to get my associate in education.”
“You’re gonna be a teacher?!” ______ asked, a little surprised.
He nodded and said, “Yep.”
“That’s so cool,” ______ said, smiling, “What do you want to teach?”
Itachi smiled back and said, “Well, the end goal is to teach language and psychology, but I’ll most likely be working as a preschool teacher while I get my bachelors.”
______ smiled more at the thought of him teaching little kids. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t already attracted to her tutor, but picturing him teaching preschoolers just made him even more attractive.
“Well, we should get you home before your mother freaks out anymore.” Itachi said, breaking ______ from her thoughts.
“Oh, yeah….” She sighed, slumping her shoulders.
Itachi gave her another sympathetic smile and ruffled her hair a bit. He helped her gather her things and carried her backpack as they headed through the large house.
“Leaving so soon?” His mother asked as they walked past the kitchen.
“Yeah,” ______ mumbled, blushing a little, “My mom wants me home soon.”
“But she’ll be back for some of our tutoring.” Itachi said, putting his hand on ______’s shoulder.
His mother smiled and nodded.
“See you at school.” Sasuke said from behind them, scaring the ever-loving shit out of ______.
“Would you stop doing that?!” ______ almost yelled, pressing a hand to her racing heart.
Sasuke smirked and said, “Doing what?”
“Sneaking up on me like that!” ______ said, glaring at the younger boy.
He shrugged and got a glass from the cabinet without saying another word.
“Jerk….” ______ muttered.
Itachi chuckled and shook his head, placing his hand on her lower back.
“Come on, we’ve gotta get you home.” He said, leading her towards the door.
They made it outside and to his car and ______ groaned.
“The sun isn’t even setting yet, why does she want me home?” She whined rhetorically.
Itachi shrugged and opened her door for her. She thanked him and got in, and they were off to her house. Once there, ______ sighed again.
“Thank you for everything.” She said, smiling shyly at him.
He smiled back and said, “Of course. I’ll pick you up from school tomorrow at three and we’ll start studying, ok?”
______ nodded and got out of the car. She walked up the walkway to the front door and looked back over her shoulder, smiling when she saw that he was watching to make sure she got in safely. She unlocked the door and waved to him before going inside. Once the door was closed behind her, it started.
“You’re late.”
She flinched at her father’s slurred words and sighed silently.
“I’m sorry, I was with my tutor.” She whispered, not daring to look at him.
“Where’s your proof?” Her mother asked harshly.
______ pulled the note Itachi had written out of her bag and handed it to her mother. The older woman quickly read it and scowled.
“Is your tutor a man?” She asked.
______ swallowed hard and said “Yes ma’am. He’s a student at Kage University. The headmaster at school assigned the tutors to us, I didn’t have a choice.”
“Fine,” her mother grumbled, “But if I find out there’s anything going on between you two at any point, you will be sorry.”
“Nothing is going to happen between us, trust me.” ______ said, almost sadly.
“Well, I don’t.” Her mother spat, glaring at ______.
She sighed and nodded, finally being allowed to retreat to her room. She did her homework as best as she could before going to bed without eating, not wanting to see her parents again that night. In the morning, she got dressed and skipped breakfast, leaving her house as early and as quickly as she could. By the time she was halfway to school, she was a little light-headed from not eating.
“You ok?” A voice asked, scaring ______.
She turned and saw Ella standing behind her.
“Fuck, you scared me,” ______ said, putting her hand to her chest, “And not really. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”
Her friend looked concerned and asked, “Why not?”
______ sighed and said, “My parents aren’t happy that my tutor is a guy and were really mad last night, so I skipped dinner so I didn’t have to see them again after getting yelled at. And I didn’t feel like getting yelled at this morning, so I left as quickly as I could.”
Ella frowned and said, “You need to eat something before you pass out. Again.”
The blonde girl pulled out her phone and called someone. She had a brief exchange of words with the other person before hanging up.
“Dakota is gonna meet us with extra coffee and pumpkin bread from Starbucks.” Ella said, linking her arm with ______’s.
“Oh, thank god.” ______ breathed, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder.
They started on their way to school and Ella hummed.
“So, what’s Itachi like?” She asked.
______ smiled a little and said, “He’s great. He’s really nice and doesn’t think I'm a complete dumbass for having the grades I do.”
“Well, that’s good,” Ella said, smiling herself, “You got lucky.”
“Yeah, I did. How’s your tutor? Deidara, right?” ______ asked.
Ella nodded and said, “Dreamy.”
______ snorted and said, “Of course that’s your answer.”
The blonde shrugged, unashamed in her admiration. They made it to school without anything eventful happening and waited for their other friends. Hitomi arrived not long after the pair and was caught up on their earlier conversation.
“So, how’s your tutor?” ______ asked.
“Sasori? He’s good. Kinda quiet, but I don’t mind.” Hitomi said, smiling a little.
Ella snorted and said, “Well duh, that’s because you’re quiet too.”
The Japanese girl shrugged and pulled a book out of her backpack. Soon, Dakota pulled up in her green car and hopped out, a carrier of four coffees in her hand and a bag hanging from her arm.
“Your savior is here!” She exclaimed, a smirk on her face.
She handed out the coffee and ______ took a long sip of her Frappuccino, groaning in delight.
“You’re a godsend.” She said, hugging Dakota.
“I love you too.” The brunette said.
They separated and the group sat in silence as they drank their coffee and ate their various pastries and breads.
“How is your tutor, Dakota?” Hitomi asked quietly, breaking the silence.
The brunette grinned and said, “He’s great! He’s funny and he’s hot.”
______ rolled her eyes while Ella and Hitomi giggled.
“So, we all like our tutors! That’s great!” Ella said, smiling.
They all made noises of agreement, then ______ sighed.
“Mine comes with an asshole on the side though.” She said, frowning slightly.
They all gave her weird looks and Ella asked, “What do you mean?”
“Sasuke is his little brother.” ______ answered, letting her shoulders droop.
“Really?” Hitomi asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.
______ nodded.
“Wait,” Dakota said, scrunching her eyebrows, “I thought you were friends with Sasuke?”
______ took a sip of her coffee and said, “I mean, I guess I am. But he told Itachi yesterday that I was more depressed this year, which I'm not.”
The group fell silent and ______ looked around at her three friends, who all had concerned looks on their faces.
“What,” ______ said, curling in on herself a little, “I am not depressed.”
The other girls all looked at each other before sighing.
“______, we’re the ones who told Sasuke that you seemed more depressed.” Ella said, rubbing her arm.
“What?” ______ asked, hurt flashing in her eyes.
Hitomi bit her lip and said, “Ever since school started this year you’ve been really down. More than usual.”
“He asked us one day if you were ok and we kinda told him that we thought you might be really depressed but trying to hide it.” Dakota said, scratching her cheek lightly.
“We didn’t mean to make you upset,” Ella said, seeing the hurt expression on ______’s face, “We were just really worried about you.”
______ sat in silence and looked down at her hands in her lap, her almost empty coffee cup forgotten beside her. The tension in the air was almost palpable and the other three girls shifted uncomfortably. Dakota tried to lighten the mood by talking about how funny her tutor, Kisame, was, but ______ remained silent the rest of the morning, even when they headed to class. She was silent at lunch, despite how her friends, and Sasuke and his little group tried to get her to talk. After school, while they were all waiting for their tutors and/or study groups, ______ was still silent. The only thing that got her to speak was her phone ringing. It was Itachi.
“Hello?” She answered, voice quiet.
“Hey, I’m parked right outside the front gate.”
“Ok. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She hung up and grabbed her backpack.
“I’ve gotta go, Itachi’s here.”
The girls said their goodbyes and ______ walked away from the group. It only took her a minute to spot Itachi’s car and get in. She didn’t say anything as she got in and buckled her seatbelt, hugging her backpack to her chest. Itachi started driving, but periodically flicked his gaze over to ______.
“Are you alright,” he asked, coming to a stop at a red light, “You haven’t said a word and you look like you’re about to cry.”
______ took a shaky breath and said, “My friends are the ones who told Sasuke that I'm depressed. I'm not depressed. I just have bad days. Everyone does.”
Itachi sighed lightly and said, “I’m sure they’re just worried about you. Even Sasuke, as much as it doesn’t seem like it.”
“It doesn’t feel like it….” She mumbled, hugging her backpack tighter.
Itachi sighed again and it was quiet between them for the rest of the drive. ______ only broke the silence when they pulled up to a huge house that was not his family’s house.
“Is this where you live?” She asked, a little in awe at the old house.
Itachi nodded and said, “Yeah. The whole group, all of us who are tutors, live here together. We call it Akatsuki.”
The engine cut and Itachi got out of the car, quickly moving to open ______’s door. She thanked him and got out and followed him up to the front door. He checked the handle and rolled his eyes when he found it unlocked.
He opened the door and yelled, “Hidan, Tobi, how many times do I have to tell you to lock the door behind you?!”
______ looked at Itachi a little surprised, not thinking he would be one to yell.
As if reading her mind, he looked at her and said, “I don’t usually yell like that, but those two really piss me off when they don’t lock the door.”
______ nodded and followed Itachi further into the house.
“It wasn’t me this time!” A voice yelled from the living room.
“Tobi’s sorry!” A higher-pitched voice called from another room.
Itachi rolled his eyes again and shook his head before leading ______ up the stairs and to his room.
“Hopefully since everyone else is busy with tutoring we won’t be interrupted.” Itachi said, closing the door behind them.
______ nodded and looked around the room. It wasn’t as big as his room at his parent’s house, but it was still a rather large room. It had a decent-sized desk in one corner and a large bed in another, along with a closet and what she assumed was a door leading to a bathroom. The room was neat and tidy and simplistically decorated. Itachi grabbed a comfortable-looking armchair from one corner of the room and brought it over to the desk.
“Your choice of seat.” He said, gesturing to the chair and desk chair.
______ tested out the armchair and instantly fell in love.
“It’s even more comfortable than it looks.” She said, relaxing back into it.
Itachi chuckled and said, “Yes, it is. Are you going to be able to focus in that chair?”
“Mhm.” ______ hummed, sitting up and stretching a little.
Her back cracked and she sighed in relief.
She sat up properly in the chair and said, “Alright, let’s do this.”
Itachi chuckled as he sat in the computer chair and grabbed ______’s backpack. He pulled out her math textbook, notebook, and folder, setting them down on the desk.
“Aw,” ______ groaned, slumping her shoulders a little, “Do we have to start with math? I hate math and it’s my worst subject.”
“That’s exactly why we’re starting with it.” Itachi said, smiling a little.
She groaned again but flipped open her textbook and notebook and pulled out her homework. She frowned down at her notes as the numbers and symbols just looked like gibberish.
“Ok, let’s start by going over the basics of this chapter.” Itachi said, grabbing a pencil.
He used it to point out which part of the text he was explaining and to ______’s surprise, she actually began to understand what he was saying. With Itachi helping her, she finished her homework in record time.
“Holy shit, that was fast.” She said, sliding her homework sheet back into her folder.
“I told you it wouldn’t be that bad.” Itachi said with a small laugh.
______ smiled over at him and pulled out her next assignment.
The next few months went on just about the same way: go to school, go to tutoring, get yelled at by her parents for just about anything, dream about her crush, and repeat. ______ spent almost every spare moment getting tutored by Itachi and she actually loved every second of it. She wouldn’t say it was love at first sight, but more of crush at first sight. The love came after getting to know him better.
“So, finals are next week,” Itachi said, closing ______’s math textbook, “How are you feeling?”
______ took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“I think I can definitely pass. But don’t expect an A.” She said, smiling smally.
Itachi returned the smile and said, “You’ve got this.”
They smiled at each other for a minute before a knock on the door broke their attention away from each other.
“Yeah?” Itachi called, turning to face the door.
The door opened to reveal Konan.
“Sorry to bother you, but I just needed to know what drinks I should get for the party.” She said.
“The usual is fine, I guess. But get a lot more soda than last time for those who don’t drink.” Itachi answered.
______ looked between them confused and asked, “Party?”
Itachi looked at her and said, “New Years party. Do you want to come?”
“Um… I don’t know if I can….” She said, biting her lip and looking at her hands in her lap.
Itachi looked at Konan and she motioned that she was going to go and closed the door behind her.
“Hey,” Itachi said, gently lifting ______’s chin, “What’s up?”
She sighed and said, “I would love to go but… there’s no way my parents will let me.”
“Would they let you go to one of your friend’s houses to spend the night?” He asked.
She frowned and said, “I doubt it. It’s rare that they let me do that.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask.” He said.
She nodded and sighed again, feeling sad. They finished the rest of her homework and hung out until she had to go home. When she returned home, her parents were sitting in the living room, beer and wine in hand.
“M-mom, dad…?” She called quietly.
“What?”
She took a silent deep breath and asked, “Would it be ok if I spent the night at Ella’s house for New Years?”
Her parents were silent for a few minutes, making her sweat.
“Yeah, why not. It’s not like were gonna be home that night anyway.” Her father said, dismissively waving his hand at her.
She froze in shock for a moment before she said, “Thank you.”
She quickly scurried up to her room and texted her friends the good news.
Finals came and went, and ______ passed with all B’s and C’s, a huge improvement from her last assessments. Itachi was extremely proud of her and took her out to lunch to celebrate. Not long after, the party arrived.
“I can’t go!” ______ exclaimed dramatically, throwing herself onto Ella’s bed.
Ella gave her a look and asked, “Why not?”
______ looked at her and said, “I have nothing to wear to a New Years party!”
The blonde snorted and said, “Girl, I gotchu.”
She went to her closet and pulled out a short, silver dress. ______’s eyes widened at the sight.
“I am not wearing that!” She exclaimed.
Ella rolled her eyes and said, “I know, this is what I'm wearing.”
She then turned and pulled out a silver, flowy top. It wasn’t too low cut or cropped, so ______ didn’t blanch at it. She got up and took the top from her friend and they both got dressed. ______ paired the top with a pair of dark wash jeans and black heeled boots, also borrowed from her friend.
“Can I do your makeup?” Ella asked.
______ frowned and said, “I’m not allowed to wear makeup….”
“Your parents aren’t going to be there, so they won’t know. Come on, please?” Ella begged.
______ sighed and nodded. Ella cheered and sat her friend down at her vanity. She quickly did her friend’s makeup before turning her to the mirror.
“Oh wow….” ______ breathed, taking in her appearance.
The silver eyeshadow and black liner made her (e/c) eyes stand out even more. She smiled as she stood up and went to grab a hoodie.
“No hoodies! It’ll ruin the look!” Ella yelled, grabbing ______’s arm.
She pulled her back to the mirror for one last look.
“We’re going to freeze.” ______ said, laughing slightly at their reflection.
“But we’re gonna look hot!” Ella said with a wink.
______ laughed again and shook her head. They grabbed their stuff and made their way downstair just as Dakota texted them saying that she was outside. They nearly sprinted to the car through the snow and dove in, reveling at the warmth.
“No coats?” Hitomi asked.
“No. Ella said it would ruin the look.” ______ said, rubbing her arms.
Dakota snorted and said, “Duh!”
______ rolled her eyes with a smile and the four girls made idle conversation as they drove. When they pulled up to the house, they were all surprised by just how many people were there.
“Good god…!” ______ mumbled, feeling a little intimidated as they stepped out of the car.
Ella took ______’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, just stick with me and you’ll be fine!”
______ nodded and they walked into the house, the (h/c)-head not noticing the looks she and her friend were getting.
“You guys are here!”
______ looked up and saw Deidara and Kisame grinning at them.
“Yep!” Ella said, letting go of ______’s hand to hug Deidara.
The other girls went to find their crushes/tutors and ______ was left standing on her own for a minute, not knowing what to do.
“You alright ______?” A familiar voice said over the loud music.
She jumped a little and turned to see Itachi smiling at her. Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled back at him.
“This is my first party,” she said, leaning closer to him so he could hear her, “I’m not really sure what I should do!”
He chuckled and said, “Just have fun.”
She nodded and jumped again when she felt someone grab her hand.
“Come one,” Ella yelled, tugging her slightly, “Let’s go dance!”
______ looked back to Itachi as she was being pulled away and he gave her a little encouraging wave. She waved back and turned her attention to her friend. As the night went on the girls danced and played various party games. The other girls indulged in the alcohol that was there but ______ chose not to, figuring one of them should be sober. At some point, her friends all got pulled off by their tutors/crushes, leaving ______ leaning against a wall on her own, nursing her coke. She smiled as she watched Ella and Deidara dancing on each other, both obviously intoxicated but absolutely adorable. What she didn’t notice was Itachi standing on the other side of the room, keeping an eye on her. She was a little uncomfortable on her own, and she started to space out a little.
“Hey their good lookin’.”
______ jumped a little and looked up, snapping out of her trance. She saw a guy she didn’t recognize, most likely a student at the university, and smiled awkwardly.
“Hi….” She said.
“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing all by yourself?” He asked, a shit-eating grin on his lips.
______ grimaced slightly at the smell of vodka and stale cigarettes on his breath and tried to cover it by taking a sip of her drink.
“Just enjoying the party.” She finally replied.
The shit-eating grin turned into a perverted smirk and he said, “How about we take this party somewhere a little more… private?”
He slipped his hand around her waist and down to her butt, causing her eyes to widen and a squeak to leave her mouth. Before she was able to say or do anything, the man’s hand was ripped away from her.
“Do not put your hands on a woman you don’t know who is obviously not interested.”
______’s breath hitched when she recognized Itachi’s voice. She snapped out of her shock and focused her eyes on the two men in front of her.
“The fuck you mean not interested? We were just about to take this party elsewhere!” The guy said.
Itachi breathed an incredulous laugh and said, “That’s exactly what was happening.”
“Man, back off! I was here first.”
“As a matter of fact, you were not.” Itachi said, a look on his face ______ had never seen.
They went back and forth for a few minutes, gathering attention from the people around them. ______ swallowed hard, feeling uncomfortable with the attention that was being drawn.
“Why don’t you find some other girl who dresses like a slut, this one is mine!” The guy said, jutting his thumb toward ______.
Before ______ even had time to let that comment sink in, Itachi’s fist was connecting with the guy’s nose, sending him to the ground. She gasped and the crowd went nuts. The next second Kisame and Deidara were there, their respective girls following.
“What the hell is going on?!” Kisame asked.
“This bastard touched ______ and called her a slut. I don’t know who invited him, but he needs to go.” Itachi said, a cold look on his face.
They nodded and grabbed the dazed guy from the ground. ______ gasped again when her hand was grabbed and she was pulled away from the scene. She looked up and saw Itachi pulling her toward the stairs. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the back of his head, following him up the stairs. He pulled her into his room and the door slammed behind them. She stood stunned for a moment before turning to ask him what the hell had gotten into him. The first word had barely left her mouth before he grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her, hard. Shocked didn’t even cover how she felt, but she shyly kissed him back and gripped his forearms. A good minute passed before they finally pulled apart, ______’s hands falling to her sides. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into his, the question of “what was that” screaming in her eyes.
“I know it’s only been a few months,” he said, biting his bottom lip for a second, “But I really like you.”
A stunned, incredulous laugh slipped from her lips and she said, “I really like you too…!”
A smiled spread across his face and he kissed her again, this time pulling her flush against his body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, feeling like she was dreaming. She blushed when she felt his tongue on her lips, but opened her mouth for him. When their tongues touched, she could taste cinnamon and alcohol. She cringed and pulled away, thoughts racing through her mind.
“You’re not just saying all of this because you’re drunk… are you…?” She hesitantly asked, afraid of his answer.
His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned.
“I am nowhere near drunk, I can promise you that. I have feelings for you, and nothing is influencing me to say that.” He said, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
The conviction in his voice calmed her nerves and she nodded.
“Sorry…,” she mumbled, letting her chin fall, feeling bad and a little embarrassed, “It’s just… this all feels like a dream and I never in a million years would have thought that you would like me….”
He lifted her chin and said, “But I do.”
She smiled smally and nodded. He smiled back at her and kissed her again.
“Do you want to go back to the party?” He asked.
She thought about it for minute before she shook her head and said, “Not really but… what are people going to think if we just disappear?”
A small smirk crossed his lips and he said, “That I got lucky with an incredibly beautiful girl. Of course, only if she let me.”
______’s eyes widened and she blushed, hard.
Itachi laughed softly and said, “That’s not me asking you to sleep with me, just so you know.”
______ blushed harder and mumbled, “But… what if… I want to…?”
Itachi’s eyes widened a fraction and he asked, “Really?”
She bit her bottom lip and nodded a little before she said, “I’m not going to lie, I’ve… thought about it before…. Well, more fantasized about it I guess….”
She could feel how hot her cheeks were after saying that, and couldn’t believe she actually said it out loud to him. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her breath hitched again when he lifted her chin and kissed her hard again. He pulled her flush again and after a minute, grabbed her thighs and picked her up so her legs were around his waist. He carried her over to his bed and laid her down gently, never breaking their kiss.
When he finally pulled away, he whispered against her lips, “I hope this lives up to your fantasies.”
“Where did they go?” Ella asked, looking around.
“He probably took her upstairs to get away from everything.” Deidara answered.
The blonde girl looked at her crush and said, “I hope she’s ok. I know that situation made her so uncomfortable.”
Deidara nodded and Ella glanced up at the second-floor railing, frowning.
“Hey,” the blond man called, making the girl look at him, “She’s fine with Itachi, so you don’t have to worry.”
She smiled at him and nodded, letting him pull her back to the dance floor.
“Ok, it’s been hours,” Ella said, looking around again, “They even missed the ball drop!”
“Actually, you’re right.” Kisame said, frowning.
The party had ended twenty minutes ago, around 2 am and ______ and Itachi still hadn’t been seen.
“I’m sure they’re fine.” Deidara said, his words slurring together a little as he drunkenly laid on one of the couches.
Ella breathed a laugh at him before turning to Kisame who was dealing with an even drunker Dakota.
“Should we get these two to bed and then find them?” She asked.
The tan man nodded and scooped up the brunette girl. Ella managed to get Deidara to his feet and carefully followed the tall man up the stairs. After getting the two drunk parties to their respective rooms (Dakota going to Kisame’s), they met back in the hallway.
“Check Itachi’s room first. It seems like the safest place. I’m gonna stay with Kota cause she’s pretty drunk.” Kisame said.
Ella nodded and she went to the closed door down the hallway. She knocked, and a minute later the door opened, just enough for Itachi to peek out and see who it was.
“Yeah?” He said quietly through the crack.
“Is ______ with you,” Ella asked, trying to look through the small gap between the door and the frame, “You guys disappeared like, three hours ago.”
Itachi paused for a moment before opening the door more, revealing ______ in his bed, her bare back exposed just enough by the blanket for it to be obvious what had happened.
Ella’s jaw dropped and she squawked, “WHAT?!”
Itachi brought his finger to his lip, telling her to be quiet.
“S-sorry,” she said, shaking her head like it would make things make more sense, “I just can’t believe you two snuck off to have sex! I mean, when did you guys become a thing?!”
Itachi hummed and said, “About three hours ago.”
Ella breathed an incredulous laugh and said, “Unbelievable…!”
Itachi smiled a little and said, “We didn’t sneak off to have sex, it just happened. And she initiated it by the way, I did not pressure her.”
Ella’s jaw dropped again and she said, “You’re lying! There is no way she would start it!”
“I kissed her first, but she’s the one who said she wanted to have sex. All I did was make a joke.” Itachi said, smiling more.
“Oh my god, unbelievable.” Ella repeated.
Itachi chuckled and opened his mouth to say something when a drunk Deidara appeared beside Ella.
“Come lay with me…!” He slurred, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck.
She flinched a little and said, “Only if you brush your teeth first! You smell like tequila and I can’t stand the smell of that!”
He groaned but let go of her to drag himself back to his room. Ella shook her head and looked back to Itachi who was smirking.
“It’s not what you think.” She said, rolling her eyes at him.
“Right,” he said, laughing a little, “Goodnight.”
“Night.” She said, smiling herself.
The morning came too quickly for ______, her eyes feeling heavy when she tried to peel them open. She groaned quietly and snuggled back into the pillow beneath her head upon deeming it impossible to open her eyes.
“Good morning.” A soft voice said.
Her seemingly glued eyes shot open and she was suddenly wide awake.
“Did I scare you?”
______ looked over her bare shoulder and sighed in relief when she saw Itachi smiling at her, the events of the previous night flooding her brain.
“Kind of,” she said, smiling back, “I’m actually not used to waking up to someone else next to me, believe it or not.”
Itachi chuckled and leaned over, kissing ______. She kissed him back and her smile grew.
“Ella knows what happened last night.” Itachi said casually, sitting up and stretching.
______’s (e/c) eyes widened and she exclaimed, “What?!”
He chuckled again and said, “Yeah, she knocked on the door at around 2:30 looking for you.”
“And you told her?” ______ asked.
“Well, she could see you asleep in my bed naked, so she kind of put two and two together.” He answered, smiling apologetically.
______ opened her mouth to answer but was cutoff by a knock on the door.
“______, are you up yet? It’s almost 9:30, we gotta get back!”
“Fuck,” ______ almost cried, quickly jumping out of bed and grabbing her discarded clothes, “Ok, ok, I’m getting ready!”
Itachi followed suit in getting up and getting dressed, albeit calmer. Once both were dressed and hair tamed, they headed downstairs.
“Finally!” Ella said, not yelling, but loud enough to make Dakota and Deidara flinch.
“Not so loud…!” The brunette said, holding her head in her hand.
______ raised an eyebrow at her and asked, “Are you even ok to drive?”
“No. That’s why I'm taking you girls home,” Kisame said, ruffling Dakota’s hair gently, “Kota is gonna stay here for a while until she can drive.”
The two girls nodded and Ella frowned after looking around.
“Where’s Hitomi?” She asked.
______ looked around as well and said, “I don’t know.”
“I’m here.” A soft voice said.
Both girls turned to look at the stairs where their small friend was walking down, Sasori behind her.
“Ok, good, let’s go!” Ella said, looking a little panicked.
“What’s your rush?” Deidara asked, rubbing his temples.
“I kinda told my mom we’d be home before she woke up and we most definitely aren’t.” Ella said, grimacing.
Deidara frowned and said, “But your mom’s pretty cool. Are you sure she’ll care?”
“I don’t know, that’s the problem.” The blonde said, letting her shoulders slump.
“Then let’s go.” ______ said, patting her friend’s shoulder.
Ella nodded and turned to give Deidara a hug. ______ did the same with Itachi and he kissed her softly.
“I love you….” He said against her lips softly.
______ flushed and smiled as she said, “I love you too….”
“That’s cute and all, but we gotta go!” Ella called.
The new couple pulled apart and said goodbye before ______ was dragged out of the house.
Late January
“Baby, you know I love you, right?” Itachi asked.
______ furrowed her eyebrows and said, “I’m not going to like the next words that come out of your mouth, am I?”
Itachi sighed and said, “I think you should see a doctor.”
______’s shoulders slumped, knowing what kind of doctor he meant.
“I’m not depressed.” She said, tired of this conversation already.
“Please, just go for me.” Itachi all but begged.
She sighed heavily, knowing that he wouldn’t drop this. She loved her boyfriend more than anything and she didn’t want to disappoint him or make him upset, but she really didn’t think she had a reason to go.
“Fine, but only if you will drop it after they say nothing is wrong.” She said.
Itachi smiled and nodded. He helped her set up an appointment for the next day and even accompanied her, but waited in the waiting room. The appointment lasted about an hour, and when ______ finally emerged from the back of the clinic, she had tears in her eyes and looked defeated.
“What did she say?” Itachi asked, gently taking her hand and leading her outside to the car.
She sniffled and said, “I’m depressed… and have anxiety….”
Itachi hugged her tightly and she buried her face into his chest.
“Please don’t say ‘I told you so’….” She mumbled.
“I would never.” He said, kissing her forehead.
He got her in the car and got in himself.
“So, what’s the treatment plan?” He asked, turning on the car.
“An antidepressant and an antianxiety. And birth control.” ______ answered.
“What?” Itachi asked, looking at her confused.
She shrugged shyly and said, “She asked if I was sexually active and I told her yes. So, she put me on birth control just to be safe.”
He nodded and they headed back to Akatsuki.
Mid-April
______ blinked her eyes open and sighed, sitting up. Another Monday after an entire weekend of avoiding her parents. She shook her head and prepared for the sense of dread she would feel first thing in the morning. She got up and began getting ready for school, styling her hair as normal. By the time she was completely ready to leave the house, she realized that the dread hadn’t hit her. She furrowed her brow in confusion but went along with her normal avoidance tactics to leave without seeing her parents.
“You good?” Dakota asked as she got in the car.
“Yeah,” ______ said, still a little confused, “Yeah I'm good.”
Dakota shrugged and started driving.
‘This is really weird…,’ ______ thought to herself, ‘I’m not… anxious…!’
She shook it off and went through her school day feeling… amazing. Her smile was genuine, her thoughts were no where near dark, and she felt truly happy for the first time in a long time. By the end of the day, she had realized that her meds were working. When the last bell rang, she gathered her things and sprinted out of the school. She quickly found Itachi in the line of cars and b-lined for him. She dropped her bag and jumped on him, hugging him tightly. He was a little caught off guard but wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back when she kissed him hard.
“The meds are working…,” she said as she pulled away, “I feel amazing! Thank you!”
He smiled and kissed her again, both of them forgetting where they were. They got in his car and left, but it was already too late.
“Did you see that?” Maddison asked, staring after the black car that just left.
“That was ______ and Itachi Uchiha, right?” Jessica asked in disbelief.
“Yes, it was.” Veronica said, glaring in the same direction.
“But, she can’t date her tutor, can she?” Jessica asked.
“I don’t think so…,” Maddison said, twisting her lips harshly, “And did she say she was taking drugs?!”
“I think she did! But they looked so happy.” Jessica said, sounding confused.
“Not for long they won’t be.” Veronica said, an evil smile playing on her lips.
She turned on her heel and marched back into the school building, heading straight for the headmaster’s office.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?” Itachi said, kissing ______’s hand.
She smiled and said, “Yeah. Love you.”
“Love you too.” He replied.
______ got out of the car and walked up to the door of her house. She turned and waved before opening the door. Before it was fully shut behind her, a hand connected with her cheek, hard. She was stunned for a moment before something was thrown at her. She heard plastic hit the floor and something scattering before she looked down. She saw her prescription bottles on the floor, the pills strewn around the floor and her birth control pack lying next to them.
“You little lying slut!” Her mother yelled.
______ slowly raised her teary eyes to look at her mother. She could smell the mix of wine and whiskey, and slowly glanced at her father. His face was twisted in anger and flushed from the alcohol.
‘Oh no…. This is going to be really bad…!’ She thought.
“You ungrateful, lying little whore!” Her father said, hitting her across the face so hard she was thrown to the floor.
“You’re on drugs and sleeping with that so called tutor!” Her mother screamed, kicking her.
______ knew better than to say anything that could be construed as arguing or talking back, so she did her best to clench her jaw shut. She heard the sound of her father’s belt being undone and she sobbed quietly, knowing what was coming. The first hit of the leather against her shoulder made her flinch, but didn’t draw a sound from her. The next five or six whips where much the same, and her father began getting even more pissed.
“That not enough for you?!” He slurred.
The next hit came, and ______ cried out as she felt the metal of the buckle rip through her skin. It went on like this for a while, her mother kicking her and her father whipping her with the buckle of his belt. It wasn’t until her mother grabbed the mostly empty wine bottle from the kitchen that she begged them to stop. It fell on deaf ears however as her so-called-mother brought the wine bottle down on ______’s head. It took a few hits to her head and shoulder before the bottle shattered, throwing glass shards everywhere. After what felt like an eternity, the beating finally stopped. ______ laid there on the floor, bleeding and crying silently as her parents grabbed more alcohol and sat on the couch. What felt like hours later, she finally heard the snores and heavy breathing of her passed out parents.
She slowly pulled herself up, just enough to confirm that they were out, before struggling to her feet. She flinched as shards of glass embedded themselves into her bare feet. When had she lost her shoes? She limped to the door and opened it as silently as she could before making her way down the porch stairs and to the street. The freezing rain quickly drenched her body and hair, but she couldn’t care less. She started to stumble down the street, heading towards the one place she felt safe. She didn’t know how long she had been walking, but when she saw that familiar red door, tears came to her eyes again. She tripped up the stone steps and began to bang on the door as hard as she could in her injured state and ring the doorbell. When a few minutes passed and no one answered the door, she sank to her knees and started sobbing again.
The door was ripped open and an annoyed looking Kisame yelled, “It’s 1:30 in the fucking morning, what the fuck is going o— ______?!”
He dropped to his knees in front of her and she let herself fall against his chest, her hands weekly grabbing onto his t-shirt.
“What the hell happened?!” He exclaimed.
“Where’s Itachi…?” She weakly asked.
“H-he went to his parent’s house for the night. You’re bleeding!” He said, concern laced in his voice.
______’s eye closed and she sobbed weakly, the little energy she had fading quickly.
“Fuck,” Kisame swore, panic setting in, “Somebody help!”
“Kisame?” Konan called from behind him.
The tall man turned enough for the woman to see ______ in his arms and she herself swore.
“What happened?” She asked, dropping to her knees as well.
“I don’t know! I heard banging on the door and the door bell ringing like crazy and when I opened the door, she was here like this asking for Itachi!” Kisame answered.
Konan looked her over quickly and said, “We need to get her to a hospital. Go get your truck and get her in, I’ll be right there. Call Itachi as well.”
Kisame nodded and gathered the mostly unconscious ______ into his arms. Konan turned and all but ran upstairs to her and Nagato’s shared room.
“What’s going on?” Nagato asked, half asleep.
“______ just showed up badly injured looking for Itachi. Kisame and I are going to take her to the hospital. We’ll keep you updated.” She said, placing a quick kiss on his cheek before grabbing her stuff.
She ran back downstairs and out to Kisame’s truck. She climbed in and gently cradled ______ to her chest.
“Did you get a hold of Itachi?” She asked as he began driving.
Kisame shook his head and said, “No, he didn’t answer.”
“Ok, I’ll try him.” Konan said.
She dialed Itachi’s number but he didn’t answer. She tried again and finally he picked up.
“Konan…? It’s two in the morning, what’s up?”
“We’re on our way to the hospital!” She said, sounding a little panicked.
“What? Who?”
“Kisame and I. It’s ______. She’s hurt.” Konan said, looking down at the girl in her arms.
“WHAT?”
She quickly explained everything they knew and told him to meet them at the hospital.
“I’m on my way!”
They hung up and not long after they arrived at the hospital. They quickly jumped out and Kisame scooped ______ into his arms again. They ran into the ER and yelled for help. Two nurses quickly ran up to them and led them to a room where he set her down on the bed. Two doctors and a few nurses swarmed the room, moving quickly to assess her. They hooked ______ up to the monitors and got her vitals.
“What happened?” One of the doctors asked.
“We don’t know,” Konan said, stepping out of the way of one of the nurses, “She just showed up at our house like this. She’s our friend.”
“She’s hypothermic,” one of the doctors said, “How long was she out in the rain?”
“She walked 8 miles.”
They all turned and saw Itachi standing in the doorway to the room, staring at ______. Her (e/c) eyes cracked open and she said his name almost silently.
“Hey, I’m here.” He said, taking her cold hand and kissing it.
“She’s got on a high school uniform,” one of the nurses said to the taller doctor quietly, “We should call her parents.”
______ heard this and started to panic and thrash a little on the bed. Itachi tried to calm her down, but she managed to squeeze out a few words.
“My… p-parents… did this….”
His eyes widened and he almost yelled, “Stop, don’t call her parents!”
The nurse and doctor stopped and looked at him confused.
“She’s eighteen, you don’t have to call her parents. You need to call the police though, because her parents are the ones who did this.” He said, voice hard.
The nurse looked to the doctor and he nodded. She left to call the police and the other nurses worked on getting ______ out of her wet clothes and into a gown. Once changed, they began working on warming her up with warm IV fluids and warming blankets. Itachi stayed by ______’s side, holding her hand the whole time while Kisame and Konan stood by. The police arrived a short while later and took everyone’s statement to start. When they were finished with that, they moved on to photographing ______’s injuries. When they were finished and had left, the medical staff began to clean and dress her wounds.
“You guys should go back home,” Itachi said, looking to his friends, “I’ve got her.”
They nodded and Konan said, “Keep us updated. Please.”
Itachi nodded and they left after saying their goodbyes to ______. Itachi went back to ______’s side and held her hand until the medical staff was done.
“Alright,” one of the nurses said, taking off her gloves, “The doctors want some imaging to see what’s going on inside, ok?”
______ nodded and let them take her for a bunch of x-rays and CTs. Once done, she was return to her room and Itachi sat on the edge of her bed. She rested her head on his chest and he carefully wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. One of the doctors came in and asked about her pain level. When she told him she was at an eight, he told the nurse to give her some meds. It didn’t take long for the meds to kick in and for her to fall asleep. A little while later, the younger of the two doctors came back.
“How is she doing?” He asked.
Itachi looked down at his sleeping girlfriend for a moment before saying, “Better I think, now that she’s sleeping.”
The doctor nodded and said, “Well, her images came back.”
“How is she?” Itachi asked, eyes never leaving ______ ‘s face.
“She’s got two fractured ribs, her nose is bruise but not broken, the same goes with her left eye socket, a dislocated elbow, no internal bleeding but she has a concussion, along with all of the other cuts and bruises.” The doctor said, looking through her chart.
Itachi nodded and finally looked up at the doctor as he asked, “When can she go home?”
“We’d like to admit her for a few days just to be safe, but after that you can take her home.” The doctor answered.
Itachi nodded again.
The doctor motioned for a nurse to join them in the room and said, “I hate to do it, but we need to wake her up and reset her elbow.”
“Ok….” Itachi breathed.
He gently woke ______ up and explained what was going on. She groggily nodded and Itachi held her hand while the doctor and nurse did what the needed to do. Once reset, she was put in a sling and moved out of the ER and into a hospital room. Itachi climbed back into the bed with her and held her gently while she fell asleep again. Once she was out, Itachi pulled his phone out and texted the others, updating them on ______’s condition. He didn’t sleep at all after that, just held his girlfriend for hours while she rested. Finally, around noon, the police came back.
“Mr. Uchiha, correct?” One officer asked.
Itachi nodded and asked, “Did you get them?”
The other officer nodded and said, “We got a full confession out of both of them. They’re going away for a while.”
“Good….” He said, looking down at ______ again.
“I know she’s eighteen,” the first officer said, “But I hope we can trust you’ll take care of her?”
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Itachi said, looking back to the officer, “That I can promise.”
The cops nodded and took their leave.
“Are you sure you feel well enough to leave?” Itachi asked, worry laced in his voice.
“Itachi, I’m fine,” ______ said, packing her stuff into the bag Ella had brought a few days ago, “Besides, I’m going stir crazy.”
He sighed and nodded, knowing that she was right. Once all of her things were packed, Itachi took her bag from her and took her hand, helping her to walk on her still slightly sore feet. Once in the car, realization hit ______.
“W-where am I gonna go now…?” She asked, panic settling in a little.
“What do you mean?” Itachi asked.
“M-my parents are in jail now,” she said, visibly worried, “I-I can’t pay for the house or-or anything like that…!”
Itachi reached over with one hand and took hers as he said, “Baby, you don’t have to worry about that. You’re coming to live with me, both at Akatsuki and my parents’ house.”
“What?!” She exclaimed, looking at her boyfriend incredulously.
“I’ve talked to everyone already and they all insist that you stay with me.” He said, looking over at ______ at a stop light.
Tears welled in her (e/c) eyes and she smiled, feeling loved.
“Thank you.” She said, kissing the back of Itachi’s hand.
He smiled and mirrored her action. Not long after, they pulled up to Akatsuki. Itachi quickly got out of the car and helped her out.
He helped her walk up to the door and when he opened it, they heard, “WELCOME HOME!!!!”
______ nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud voices and looked around wide eyed. All of Akatsuki, their significant others, and Itachi’s family were there, smiling at them.
“______,” Ella, Hitomi, and Dakota yelled, rushing forward.
They carefully group hugged her and tears were in all of their eyes.
“You’ll never believe it!” Dakota said.
“What?” ______ asked.
“They fired the headmaster!” Hitomi said.
______’s eyes widened and she asked, “Why?!”
Ella took her hand and said, “It turns out he’s the one who called your parents and told them about you and Itachi. And that you were on drugs or some shit like that.”
______ frowned in confusion and asked, “But how did he find out?”
“Oh, that’s a great story too.” Ella said.
“That bitch Veronica saw you guys that day and went and told him. She got expelled because of it!” Dakota said, grinning.
______ was a little shocked nodded.
“And Miss Tsunade is the new headmaster!” Hitomi added.
______ smiled and nodded. After that, everyone made their rounds to say hello to her and they had a little celebration of her return. A few days later, she returned to school.
May
“We did it!” Dakota exclaimed, dancing around.
“Can you believe we finally graduated?!” Ella asked, a bright smile on her face.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for all of us!” Hitomi said, smiling as well.
______ nodded and said, “Considering last semester I literally had the school’s worst grades, yeah.”
The all giggled and headed for their boyfriends.
“Congrats ladies!” Kisame said, catching Dakota as she jumped into his arms.
“Yeah, you did great!” Deidara said, spinning Ella around.
Sasori didn’t say anything as he pulled Hitomi in for a soft kiss, making ______ smile happily at the quiet couple.
“I’m so proud of you.” A familiar voice said as strong arms wrapped around her waist.
The smile on ______’s face widened and she turned in those arms to face her boyfriend.
“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Itachi smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her. She kissed him back and couldn’t believe that this is how her life had turned out. She no longer had to live in fear of her parents, instead, living with her practically perfect boyfriend. She couldn’t believe that she was actually kinda grateful to their shitty old headmaster. If it wasn’t for him, she probably never would have met Itachi, and she wouldn’t have the life she does now. And all she could think of was how life could only get better from here on out.