(Two days later at Konoha High School)

"Why does she need a new friend? Aren't we good enough?" Deidara asked, unsure of the idea.

Itachi shook his head. "No, we have to try and find a female friend. I've read in some teenage girl magazines that they often confide in other girls. We may be able to push Sakura-chan into the direction we want to. If that is possible, we'll become boyfriend material!" He raised his fist triumphantly.

"Why are you acting so dramatic today?" Sasori asked.

"Well, I borrowed some Shoujo manga books from the library and the male protagonist often strikes poses and acts very flamboyant," he replied, pulling out the books.

"Back to the discussion, Itachi-kun?" Kisame suggested, pushing the books back to the president.

Itachi cleared his throat. "I texted Sakura-chan to meet us here so we can have the entire discussion as a club, but I will say that if she does make a new friend, this person will, obviously, not be allowed to be a member of the Student Council. Their position will only be used as someone to receive information from Sakura-chan and then back to us. We mustn't explain that part to Sakura-chan though. Deal?"

Hidan acted uncomfortably with the idea. "You promise that this will make all of our chances better?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," Itachi assured.

They formed a circle and joined hands in the center. "Now, when Sakura-chan arrives we'll tell her of our concerns!" Itachi announced.

"What are guys doing? Some kind of Student Council ritual?" Sakura joked, walking towards the group.

"Actually, Sakura-chan, we wanted to talk about something with you," Itachi began, pulling the girl into the group.

"About what?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"We decided it would be best if you had at least one girl friend," Itachi stated.

Sakura laughed and spoke in a teasing manner, "Oh? Are you guys not good enough for me?"

"That's what I said!" Deidara yelled.

"It's not that, Sakura-chan. It's just that we're boys and we don't know all the stuff girls go through and thought it would be best if you had at least one girl to talk to," Itachi reasoned.

Sakura thought for a moment and shrugged her shoulders with indifference. "It doesn't matter to me, really. If you guys want to, I can find a girl to hang out with."

Itachi pulled out a notebook and flipped to a page. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. Now, we've already got an idea for some girls to apply for the position as your -"

"Wait, wait, wait! You can't just apply to be a friend! It just happens, you know?" Sakura broke in.

Itachi blinked. "We only want the best for you. What if some girl wasn't the right fit? We're going to make them fill out a simple survey that has your likes and dislikes on it and other interests."

Kakuzu rested his hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Trust us, Sakura-chan."

The girl heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine, but I'm not entirely sure if this is right."

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. You can thank us later," Itachi replied.

The bell rang and they separated to their classes. Itachi, however, turned the corner to reach the principal's office. When Sakura took her seat, the intercom buzzed on and Itachi's voice rang out.

"Attention female students, this is the Student Council President, Itachi Uchiha. Sakura Haruno, a freshman, is in desperate need of a friend to share talks with. During lunch today, I will be handing out surveys that will possibly match you up with her, so please visit the Student Council room. Thank you for taking the time to listen to this announcement." The intercom shut off and the entire class turned to Sakura.

Her face was burning and she knew that her skin was likely the same shade as a tomato. She heard snarky remarks beside her and noticed a smug smirk on Ino.

Kakashi-sensei stacked his quiz papers. "Well, you all heard the announcement... Let's get started, shall we?"

Sakura walked with Deidara to the club's room. "I can't believe he said that!" she exclaimed, still very embarrassed from the announcement.

Deidara patted her back. "Itachi-kun is just like that, Sakura-chan. You know he's kind of oblivious to those kinds of feelings."

The two were surprised to find a large group of girls invading the room. They noticed Kakuzu and Hidan sitting against the wall and walked over.

"You mean to tell me all these girls are here to take the survey?" Deidara asked.

Hidan nodded his head and frowned, "Yeah, but they're blocking the room so we can't get in! Such rude bitches here!"

Itachi's voice was heard from the room. "Please, ladies! Everyone form an orderly line so other club members can enter the room!" The girls quickly obeyed and created a line that reached back to the end of the hallway.

Sakura and the other three hurried past the girls and sat down in their usual seats. "Senpai, this is quite the crowd..." Sakura pulled the case off of her bento and began eating.

Itachi smiled. "A large turnout always brings back good results, Sakura-chan." He continued to hand out surveys to each girl.

After a girl received her survey, she would run back in line and add a little comment to speak to the president.

"Senpai, I would love to spend some time with you and Sakura-chan!"

"Itachi-kun, you're so brilliant to think of this!"

"I'll be her friend forever if you go out with me!"

Sakura sipped down her drink and watched as a few familiar faces walked in the door to receive a paper. She dropped the can of soda as a blonde ponytail bobbed up and down as the girl entered the room.

"Ino? What are you doing in here?" she questioned.

Ino blew a piece of hair out of her face and smirked. "I just wanted to see how many girls actually came here and it looks like a lot. Too bad it's more for the eye candy and not to be your friend."

Itachi turned to the girl. "I'm sorry, Yamanaka-san, but you're not allowed in this room. I'll have to ask you to leave."

Ino rolled her eyes and walked to the door. "It's a shame you have to go to such low levels to find friends, Sakura. It's quite embarrassing too. I almost feel sorry for you."

"Hey, fuck you! Cherry-chan has friends! We just want her to have a girl or two to speak with! Get your fat ass out of here before I kick it out!" Hidan yelled. The freshman was fuming, but left the room without another word.

The line of girls dwindled until the bell rang for lunch to end. Sakura stood up to leave, but was caught off guard by Itachi blocking the door.

"The bell rang, senpai. Let's go back to class."

Itachi shook his head. "Today, you're going to skip your afternoon classes and help organize the surveys."

Skip class? Skip that many classes?

"I would love to, but it's against regulations and I could get in big trouble." She reached for the handle, but Itachi dragged her back to her seat.

"Skipping because you don't want to learn is bad, but we're not delinquents, Sakura-chan. Since we're members of the Student Council, we are permitted to take time out of our school day on certain occasions. Now, help us sort through these surveys. Anyone with a score between zero and six are sorted into the discard pile. Anything else with a score higher is sorted into the collection pile." He handed her a large stack of papers and sat down at the head of the table.

"I didn't know we had that privilege," she stated.

"It's only at certain times, Sakura-chan. Itachi-kun asked permission before he read off his announcement," Kisame replied.

She nodded in acceptance and read through each girl's survey. Many scored below six and were discarded while only a few were set into the collection pile.

"There aren't many here that share many likes with me, senpai," Sakura said, finishing her pile.

"Yeah, I only had three out of fifty-eight," Sasori stated.

"Well, let's just dive into the ones that are in the collection, okay?" Itachi ran through the names.

"There's a girl named Tenten... She's a junior and she didn't seem to want to date Itachi," Kakuzu said, handing the survey over.

"Yeah, but she's not very noticable when it comes to these kinds of things," Itachi objected.

Deidara raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean? She's a girl and scored a nine!"

"All I'm saying is she doesn't stand out and, let's face it, won't grab enough attention even if she did become friends with Sakura-chan," Itachi explained.

Deidara picked up one of his papers. "How about Hinata Hyuuga? She scored a seven."

"The Hyuuga family has some serious problems with outsiders. Just look at her cousin! He's a complete jerk to anyone," Itachi argued.

Deidara sighed and glared at the president. "How about-"

"No!" Itachi yelled out.

"What? But I didn't even say a name?!" Deidara yelled back.

"You're right, I apogize, Deidara-kun. Please continue."

"Ayame Ichiraku." Deidara finished.

Itachi shook his head again. "No, she won't do."

Deidara threw his papers in the air. "Gah! I'm done throwing out names and getting rejected! I'm getting a drink." He stomped out of the room and down the hallway.

The other members called out names, but Itachi continued to reject each.

"Maybe this was a bad idea... I shouldn't have let you all talk me into this," Itachi mumbled.

"What the hell, Itachi?! It was your idea to begin with!" Kisame shouted.

Sakura waved her hands. "Hey, guys, it's alright! I don't really need a girl to talk with! All of you are perfectly fine and I don't get along well with most girls anyway."

"But Sakura-chan, we're all guys... How can you talk about girl stuff if you're always around us?" Sasori asked.

Sakura's eyes looked around the room. "I don't usually talk about girl stuff anyway. That's probably why I didn't have that many girl friends to begin with."

The ringing of the bell startled them. A herd of students ran out into the hallway and back to their cubbies to switch their shoes.

"It's already time to leave?" Deidara asked, surprised.

"Well, we'll discuss this during the club as well. Let's go stretch our legs first," Itachi ordered, walking out the door.

The group roamed the hallways and noticed a slender, young woman and two men speaking to Kakashi-sensei. The woman turned around and waved enthusiastically at the boys.

"Wow, it's been awhile, guys!" she called, walking over.

Itachi stared for a moment and suddenly slapped his hand to his forehead. "I didn't recognize you, Hana-chan. Or... should I call you 'Hana-san'?"

Hana laughed. "It doesn't matter. So, are you all doing your Student Council jobs?" Her eyes drifted to the pink-haired freshman.

She bent down slightly and smiled. "A new member? And it's a girl?! That's a surprise, so who is she?"

Itachi pulled her over to face Hana. "This is Sakura Haruno. She has taken the role as the Mascot for the club."

Hana stretched out her hand and shook Sakura's happily. "I'm Hana Inuzuka. I'm Kiba's older sister."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you. Kiba's a very nice boy - we share the same homeroom," Sakura replied, shyly.

The two boys met with Hana and stood together as a pair. "Are you picking on the freshman, Hana-chan?" one of them teased.

Hana smiled and punched his arm playfully. "These two are Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. They're a bit daft, but they're quite friendly if you feed them."

Kotetsu sneered at Hana. "Hana-chan isn't so bad either... Once you get passed the terrible stench of animal piss and old, cat litter."

Itachi turned to Sakura. "These three were members the same time as my cousin Shisui was. Hana-chan was the Vice President and Kotetsu and Izumo shared roles as Committee Rep's."

"It was fun too... So, you guys want to hang out for a while? We're planning on hanging around the park or other places," Hana offered.

Itachi searched for any opposing expressions and accepted her offer. "We'll be happy to come, Hana-chan."

The group of ten arrived at the old park and sat down on the soft earth near the playground. Hana looked around with the same smile that had been on her face since her arrival. "I really love this place. It's so nice to just come back to your hometown and have all those memories return to you."

"Are you going to settle down here once you've found a man?" Kotetsu joked.

Hana turned to him, her smile widening. "I hope so..."

Izumo snickered. "Yeah right, we're going to all stay single for the rest of our lives."

Itachi frowned. "Why speak such a way? Everyone has another half just waiting for them."

Hana watched as a few children played on the jungle gym. "Sometimes it's too late to wait."

Kotetsu immediately knew that the mood was changing and stood himself up. "Hey, guys! Let's go down to the creek! I bet I can grab more frogs than any of you."

Izumo joined him. "Yeah, let's go!"

Hana laid down on the ground. "Nah, I'm okay. I'll stay here."

The boys stood up and Itachi turned to Sakura. "Are you coming, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head and scooted closer to Hana. "I'll stay here too. I'm not that into frogs," she laughed. Itachi smiled and hurried to catch up with the others.

"Those boys have changed dramatically since I've last seen them," Hana admitted.

The pinkette laid down next to the woman. "They have?"

Hana nodded, staring up at the clear, blue sky. "Itachi was so serious back then and barely spoke. You'd think he was a mute or something. On the way here, he acted like such a dunce."

Sakura laughed, "Yeah, he's like that a lot."

"The other boys I don't much about, but they seem pretty cool and friendly. Hanging out, even for a day, with you guys makes me feel like a teenager again," Hana added.

She looked on and continued to let all her past memories flood her thoughts. "Those were the days when I really thought I was going to have anything I wanted..."

Sakura sat up. "But you still can, Hana-san. You're not some old woman."

Hana laughed dryly. "I messed up a lot in my highschool days, Sakura. I know I won't get back what I lost back then."

She turned to Sakura with a sorrowful smile on her face. "Just don't make the same mistakes I did."

"What mistakes? You seem to be doing fine with a good job and great friends. Like senpai said: 'Why speak in such a way?' " Sakura was growing confused by her sudden change in attitude.

"He also said that everyone has another half waiting for them... But I ruined that many years ago," she paused, hesitating for a moment, and turned to Sakura again.

"Shisui Uchiha had fallen in love with me back in highschool," she revealed.

Sakura was surprised. "Shisui Uchiha?" She knew he had the same position as Itachi and were relatives, but Itachi never spoke much about him.

Hana smiled. "But I didn't realize it... I was too stupid to ever see it even though it was all right in front of my face." Sakura waited for the woman to continue speaking.

The veterinarian inhaled deeply and blinked back regretful tears. "He was too shy to speak out his feelings for me, but, like I said, I was an idiot and only recognized it as being friendly. When I realized I felt the same way, it was too late... Shisui was already dating someone and was soon-to-be married. I've hated myself ever since for losing him. Sure, I've dated before, but it just didn't feel right without him. I couldn't bring myself to date after trying four other times. I've been single for a long time now and I feel that's what I deserve."

Hana lifted her head and faced Sakura. "I know you're just a freshman, but if there's a boy you like - don't hesitate, just do what your heart tells you! Your dad would probably try to kill me if he heard me say anything, but please don't let your naivete block out a love that could be right in front of you!" She wiped a stray tear running down her own cheek.

As soon as she finished speaking, the boys came back with Kotetsu and Izumo covered in a thick layer of mud. "What happened to you?" she asked, plugging her nose from the terrible odor.

"We fell in the creek and landed in a giant, mud pile. Seriously, it was never this bad when we were kids," Izumo complained.

Itachi headed over to Sakura and handed her a single, purple flowered stem. "It's a piece from a Shirane-Aoi plant. They grow mostly in June and I thought this piece of the plant was exceptionally beautiful. Do you like it?"

He plucked it from her hand and pulled back her hair to place it behind her ear. "Green eyes are shone more brightly when accompanied by anything purple or brown," he explained.

She blushed as he stepped back and admired the young girl. Hana glanced at her and smiled. "You look beautiful. Doesn't she look absolutely breath-taking?" She turned to the other highschool boys and found each a hint of blush on their cheeks.

"I guess she has more on her plate than I expected. I thought only Itachi liked her, but this entire group of boys? Man, maybe I shouldn't have given out my advice!" Hana thought.

The Inuzuka stood up and walked to her friends. "We'll come back and visit during the Sports Festival. Do your best because we'll be rooting for you!"

"That's great. It was nice to see you all again," Itachi answered.

Hana walked over to Itachi and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "Oh, and can you tell Shisui-kun that I send my love? Just as an old friend, of course."

Itachi nodded his head and waved to the trio as they walked back to the school. He turned to the setting sun and at his phone for the time.

"Well, the Sports Festival is in a few days, so we better get some rest. We'll be doing a lot of work once the time comes," he reminded.

Sakura walked home with Itachi. The purple flower stem was still behind her ear as they approached her doorstep.

"Hana-san and the boys are really nice. I'm glad I met them today," she said, her hand on the doorknob.

"Me too." There was silence as the two occasionally looked around.

"Senpai, I want to say thank you for giving me the chance to join the club," she blurted out.

Itachi turned to her and smiled. "I'm glad you accepted my offer, Sakura-chan. You're a lot of fun and you make each of us very happy." He climbed up the stairs to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Her legs wobbled while he tighted his hold around her small shoulders. She slowly placed her hands around his back and nestled into the hug.

"You have all made me feel so wanted... I've never felt so important in my life." she confessed.

"We've all changed due to your presence. You make us feel just as important and special. Don't ever forget that." He stepped down and took out his phone.

"I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He waved good-bye and walked down the street to his home.

"Bye," she mumbled softly.

She hurried to her room and jumped on her fluffy mattress. Kizashi could hear the noises from upstairs and turned to his wife.

"What's up with that girl?" he grumbled.

Mebuki smiled. "Isn't it obvious? She's in love!"

Kizashi flipped to the next page in his book. "Yeah, but with who?"

xxx

xTsu