Prima Ballerina
Stephano Hungary: …Yeaaaah, this is what happens when you overdose on Princess Tutu and Naruto all in the same month, but I wanted to ring in the New Year with something fresh! Hope you guys like it!
AN: Dear God, ya'll don't know how long it took me to read all these damn glossaries on ballet positions and all that ish! I was slowly going insane, and yet, I have something new and quirky to discuss with friends… Yay…
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 1: Introductions
Hinata sat on the wooden floor, her left leg was stretched out while her right was tucked in, sitting on top of her thigh as she rolled her foot. She took sports bandages and wrapped the balls of her feet and her toes to add padding to her pointe shoes. She switched legs and did the same thing to her left foot.
She slipped into her light pink shoes, wrapping the ribbons around her ankle and lower calf over her stockings and stood up to face the mirrored walls of the dance studio.
Hinata placed her right arm on the barre and brought her left arm up. She placed her feet together at the heels before relevéd, standing in en pointe. She repeated this procedure for more than a minute before she placed her feet side by side once more.
She bent over, her left hand touching the floor before bringing the top half of her body back up. Hinata breathed deeply before stretching back down.
After completing her stretches, Hinata walked over to a small radio and pressed play, letting the orchestra music fill the room and began to dance to her heart's content.
Normally she would dance with her mother for practice and for fun; however, this time it was because she was nervous. 'I can't believe it…!' She thought.
Her mother had just told her that she was accepted to Konoha High School of the Arts, and Hinata fell into a dead faint at her words. The school was the most prominent art school in the entire country of Konoha, and she was accepted.
How in the world that happened, she will never know.
In the middle of her dance, Hinata paused, relevéing on her right foot, lifting up her left leg behind her in an Arabesque position while holding her arms over her head. She stared at her posed body in the mirror in awe, wondering how she was accepted to an arts school without having any training from an instructor besides her own mother.
Hikari, her mother, was a renowned and retired ballerina. She left the spotlight without a care in the world after she met Hiashi and had Hinata years later. Hikari trained Hinata since she was seven years old, never taking her to another teacher.
Hinata dropped from her stiff pose before pirouetting on her left foot. She spun for a few seconds before bringing her right foot down and stretched out behind her body as she turned her left foot to the side.
The music slowed down before stopping and Hinata straightened up from her pose and continued to stare in the mirror. 'I can do this…'
Hinata stood in front of the school courtyard; students were hustling and bustling around her, each of them going to separate buildings on campus. She held a map of the school campus in her hand but was still confused beyond all belief.
Her school uniform consisted of a blue blazer, a white blouse, a red tie, and a green plaid skirt. She also had ankle-high white socks and brown shoes. Hinata gripped her practice bag as tight as possible to calm her nerves and walked towards the main building to speak to the principal.
She pushed open the doors to the school and was even more overwhelmed at the interior than exterior. The polished, tiled floors were so clean she could practically see her reflection bounce off of it. The oak staircases were polished as well and no matter how many students touched the railing, there were no fingerprints left on it.
Hinata looked at some of the student body that walked through the halls. She saw that some of them had leotards and pointe shoes in their hand; others had a sketchbook and charcoal, oils, or paints. Some more students had scripts and costumes in hand, and lastly, other students held instruments, like flutes, clarinets, and she even saw one student carrying a cello!
"Wow…" She mumbled to herself. "I know it's awesome, isn't it?" Another voice said to her. "GAH!" Hinata jumped in fright at the new voice and turned around. She gasped at the sight of a tall, skinny girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Hi! Name's Ino Yamanaka!" Ino held out her hand for Hinata to shake.
Hinata released her tight grip on her bag to shake Ino's hand, "H-Hello… My n-name is Hi-Hinata Hyuuga." "Oh, my God! No way!" Ino shouted. "You're the daughter of Hikari Hyuuga? Oh, my God, I think I'm gonna die! I practically worship her!" Hinata smiled tensely, "O-oh… That's, uh… C-Cool…" The blonde noticed the map in Hinata's hand, "So, you new here?" Hinata nodded. "Cool, I'll ask Tsunade if I can show you around," Ino walked up beside Hinata and linked arms with her, "Come on, let's go!"
Ino knocked twice on the door before a voice said, "Enter!" She opened the door then she and Hinata walked into the office. Hinata held in another large gasp at the sight of the principal and her… um… Ladies…
"Yes, they're real, don't ask!" Tsunade said tersely. Hinata squeaked and blushed, covering her face with her hands. Ino patted her on the shoulder, "It's okay, I thought the exact same thing when I first came here."
"So you're the new student, right?" Tsunade asked Hinata. The blue-haired girl nodded. "And Yamanaka, you're here because…?" Ino stood up straight, "I would be honored to escort Hinata around the campus if I could, Ms. Tsunade."
The busty woman pondered for a minute before nodding, "You may." "YAY!" Ino squealed and hugged Hinata in a death grip. "U-um… Yay?" Hinata said. "Let's go! I've got a whole lot to show you, and there's a whole bunch of people to meet!" Ino shouted, dragging Hinata by her left arm out of Tsunade's room.
"Well, this auditorium and another building are for the ballet department." Ino said as she opened the door to the large room. Hinata poked her head in before walking all the way into the room.
Her jaw dropped at the spaciousness of the auditorium. There must have been more than five hundred seats!
"Huh…?" Hinata saw the stage light up and watched as a girl with pink hair and green eyes in a red leotard and white stockings strutted to the middle of the stage. She also noticed that the girl had red pointe shoes.
Music suddenly started to play and Hinata watched as another dancer walked onto the stage. This time it was a male with short, spiky black hair and black eyes. He wore a white shirt, black tights, and black ballet shoes.
The boy walked up to the girl, staying impassive, and held his hand out, and the girl smiled widely and placed her left hand in his eagerly. The raven-haired male stood behind the girl, holding her left hand above her head, and balanced her as she pirouetted on her right foot.
He then placed both of his hands on the girl's waist, lifting her up. The girl lifted up her right leg, and held her arms above her head, and the boy turned his right foot sideways, bending his leg and stretched out his left leg behind him.
Hinata's eyes were wide at their dance, "So… beautiful…" 'But…'
The boy gently placed the girl back down. The girl leaned back as the boy held her waist with his left hand. The girl balanced on the tip of her right toes, lifting her left leg high in the air.
Looking at their dance, any ordinary person would say that it was beautiful, but if they were a dancer, they would say different.
Hinata noticed that girl was extremely happy; her moves were smooth and elegant. The boy's moves were just as fluid, but Hinata saw no emotion in his eyes. 'No joy…' Throughout the entire dance, the boy did not smile, nor frown. His lips remained in a thin, straight line, and eyes stayed just as emotionless. Hinata could not tell whether he hated dancing or if he just simply didn't care.
'It doesn't make sense… Why is he so… Empty-looking…?' Hinata thought. Ino placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, there's still some more I have to show you." "O-okay…" Hinata said.
She turned around and walked towards the door. Before she closed it, Hinata turned to look at the two dancers once more.
The boy held the girl by her waist again as she stood on her left toe and bent down towards the floor. He looked up towards the empty chairs and noticed a small stream of light. He then craned his neck towards the door, and stared at a blue-haired, white-eyed girl who was watching him.
Hinata held her breath when he looked straight at her and did not move. The boy remained emotionless and turned his attention back to his partner, and Hinata released the breath she was holding and exited the auditorium.
"Who… Who was t-that?" Hinata asked. Ino blew her hair out of her face, letting it fall back into place. "That was Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha." "O-oh…"
"Sakura's like the Prima ballerina of the school and Sasuke's the Premier danseur." Ino said. "W-wow… They're t-that good?" "Mmhmm!" "O-oh… Well, that S-Sasuke didn't l-look too happy w-when he was dancing… In fact… He d-didn't look mad or s-sad about it e-either… What's w-wrong with h-him?" Hinata asked.
Ino shrugged, "Nothing's wrong with him. He's just Sasuke, I guess." Hinata blinked but didn't say a word. "So, what're you here for anyway?" Ino asked. Hinata smiled, "O-oh, I'm here f-for ballet!" Ino grinned, "Awesome, me too! How long have you been dancing? I've been dancing since I was six."
"I-I've been dancing s-since I was s-seven." Hinata said. "Cool, so we've got close to the same amount of years of practice." "H-How long h-have Haruno-san and U-Uchiha-san been dancing?" Hinata asked. "They've been dancing since they were four years old. Can you believe it? They've got a whole bunch of experience on us." Ino said.
Hinata poked her fingers together, "Well, i-it's only by a few years… I-If we all g-go here then o-obviously we m-must all be e-equally talented." She said.
Ino scoffed, "Try telling that to her majesty, Sakura!" "U-Um… Did s-she do something to m-make you m-mad at her…?" Hinata asked. Ino sighed, "We used to be best friends when we were younger. We even went took the same ballet classes together. But that all changed when Sasuke joined our class, and the two of us began fighting each other to decide who would be his girlfriend. Eventually – last year actually – Sasuke chose Sakura to be his girlfriend after being her partner since we started going to this school."
"I had long since let go of my crush on Sasuke and I tried to be friends with Sakura again, but she refused. Now she continues to rub her relationship in my face when I don't care, and I don't have the heart to tell her that Sasuke doesn't even look half as interested in their relationship as she is. I think he just went out with her because people thought they would end up together since they're the best dancers in the school." Ino said.
Hinata's eyes widened at the story and placed a hand on Ino's shoulder, "I-I'm sorry. It must b-be really hard to l-lose a f-friend." The blonde shrugged, "Well, you know, it takes time. But I'm okay, really." She smiled and Hinata smiled as well.
"Now, hurry up, there's a whole lotta campus we've got to explore!"
After showing Hinata around the rest of the campus, Ino took her back to the auditorium for the ballet class' practice.
Ino changed into a sky blue leotard with white stockings. Her pointe shoes were sky blue as well to match. She rolled her ponytail up into a bun and pinned back her long side bang with a few hair pins. "So, you nervous?" She asked Hinata.
"N-no… Yes." Hinata replied as she tied the ribbons of her pointe shoes. Her leotard was navy blue and her stockings were white as well. Her shoes were navy blue instead of light pink this time as well. She took her long hair and rolled it into a bun as well and let her bangs and the strands of hair that framed her face hang down.
Ino clapped her hands before speaking again, "Alright, time for another great day of class!" Hinata breathed deeply, hoping that the classmates were a little nice.
"Okay, class, we have a new student today. Her name is Hinata Hyuuga, I hope you all will treat her well." A woman with long black hair and red eyes spoke. The students began to whisper at the name of Hinata, talking about how she was the daughter of the renowned Hikari Hyuuga. Hinata stood nervously to the side of the stage. She walked up bowed and went back into place.
"GOOOOOOD MORNING, STUDENTS!" A loud voice shouted. "Eh?" Hinata squeaked. Everyone around her was rolling their eyes or slamming their face in their hand, shaking their head in embarrassment. "W-What's going on Ino?" She asked.
Ino sighed loudly, face-palming, "It's Gai-sensei…" "W-Who?"
Suddenly, a man in dark green unitard and orange leg-warmers leaped out from the curtains, landing in the middle of the stage. Hinata's eyes started to twitch looking at the man. His bowl shaped haircut and white as snow teeth made her want to cringe. "That's Gai, Hinata." "…" Hinata said nothing.
"And whoooooo's the new student gracing us with their presence, today?" Gai shouted. Everyone immediately took a step back, leaving Hinata up front by herself. "E-eh?" She squeaked again.
Gai ran up to her, "Hello, new youthful student!" Hinata shrank back at his appearance, "H-Hello…" He hugged her in a death grip and swung her around, "It is so joyous to have another youthful student grace the stage!" "I-It's great to b-be here!" Hinata screamed.
Gai stopped spinning and placed Hinata back down, letting her sway back and forth, her eyes swirly. "W-Well… He certainly is e-enthusiastic…"
Kurenai clapped her hands, silencing the giggling of the class, "Everyone, partner up. I want to assess your abilities. You have thirty minutes to make a routine and we will present towards the end of class. Stretch first, and then begin."
Hinata and Ino walked off to the left side of the stage and placed their hands on the barre. They stretched out their legs and arms and rolled their feet for about five minutes. "Um, before you go and choose a partner, I wanna let you know that whatever you do, don't get stuck with Shino Aburame." "Who?"
Ino pointed to other side of the stage at a lone dancer. The boy was wearing a white shirt, black tights and black ballet shoes. He had short, curly hair and black glasses.
"W-Why shouldn't I partner w-with h-him?" Hinata asked. Ino shrugged, "The guy's just a really bad dancer! I remember every year when we had to do pas de deux, he and his partners never got along and their routine always sucked! On top of that he's kind of a weirdo…"
"O-okay…" Hinata said, continuing to stretch.
Kurenai clapped her hands again, "Alright, everyone partner up, now!"
Before Hinata could even take one step, all of the students immediately started sprinting across the stage, pushing her around to get to their intended partners. Hinata felt herself get spun around for more than fifteen seconds before stopping.
She dizzily looked around the room and saw that everyone had grabbed their partner. Ino was paired with a pale-skinned and short, black-haired ballerino. Hinata saw that Sakura was – of course – paired with Sasuke. The pink-haired girl had her arm linked with Sasuke's as she peered up at his face lovingly.
Hinata looked around the room and saw Shino stretching in a corner. She looked at Ino who was mouthing 'Don't do it!' to her as well as making an 'x' with her arms.
Hinata switched back and forth between Ino and Shino before she shrugged her shoulders and headed over to the recluse boy.
"U-um… I, uh…" She mumbled trying to speak to the boy. Shino looked up from stretching his legs and stared at Hinata. He continued gazing at her for a few more seconds before looking back down. "U-um… Well t-there's no o-one left… And I-I, um…" "You might as well make up your own routine." Shino said. "Huh?"
He stood up and pushed his glasses back with his index finger, "I said you'd be better off dancing by yourself. Anyone who ever danced with me has failed horribly. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself on the first day, would you?" Hinata shrank back at his looming figure and frowned. Shino said nothing else as he turned around, placing his left leg on the barre and reached down towards the floor.
Hinata was aghast at what he just said to her, and was even more offended when he turned his back to her. Just because he had a few bad partners in the past doesn't mean he should simply give up. If he loved dancing as much as she did then they would dance together.
"N-Now, wait just a-a minute!" Hinata walked around to face him. Shino stood straight again, listening to what she had to say. "I-I know I'm new h-here, and we've obviously g-gotten off o-on the wrong foot," She clenched her fists at her side, "But t-that doesn't m-mean you should j-just disregard me f-from the start! I-I'm not sure about y-you, but dancing is my life, and anyone who disrespects it like you just did is lower than dirt itself!"
Although she could not see his eyes, Hinata saw Shino's eyebrows practically disappear into his hairline. "... You are really passionate about ballet aren't you?" He asked. Hinata blinked, blushed, and poked her fingers together, "O-oh, yes… I've always l-loved ballet. M-my mother would perform f-for me all the t-time and t-then one day… I a-asked her to teach me h-how to dance…"
Shino's eyes softened, "Your mother sounds like a very kind woman." "She really is."
"Aburame-san…" "Hm?" "I… I would b-be honored if y-you would dance with me… So that I may express my p-passion for dance to y-you…" "You… You would really dance with me?"
Hinata turned her head up, remembering Shino's past partners and how they would shun him. "Yes… I would. A-as a student of d-dance… It is t-to be expected that w-we'll have to d-dance with others… So…"
Shino gulped as Hinata held out her hand, "A-Aburame-san… Would you –" "Shino." "Huh?"
He smiled, "Call me Shino. After all it is important for partners to have a mutual trust in one another, right?" "Okay, b-but if I call you Sh-Shino, then you h-have to call m-me Hinata. D-deal?" She asked. "Yes."
"Great!" Hinata jumped in happiness before taking a deep breath. "So, w-what're we g-going to do?" She asked. Shino said nothing before he took a step towards her, "May I…?" He asked. "O-oh, uh, yes!" Shino turned Hinata around and placed a hand on her hips, "I have an idea… Just follow my lead and freestyle along the way, okay?" "Uh, y-yeah, okay." Because of the way she was turned, the two dancers missed the blush on each other's faces. Hinata was blushing because she had never danced with another person besides her mother, let alone a guy! And Shino was being so forward as well by placing his hands on her waist. Shino's blush was because of the fact that Hinata was willingly letting him touch her. Every one of his past partners shivered and shuddered at the thought of his touch; every pas de deux he did, all of his partners stood at least three feet away from his person, but Hinata didn't… It was a pleasant change.
Unbeknownst to the two dancers almost every other ballerina and ballerino in the room had stopped to stare at them. "I don't believe it…" Ino said in disbelief as her partner, Sai, lifted her off the ground, "Me neither…" He said.
Sakura stopped pirouetting and Sasuke got off of his knees to stare at the duo. "Hmph, doesn't really make a difference. We'll still be the best, right Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said sweetly. "Whatever." He said.
They stared for three more minutes before all of the dancers went back to practicing, still bewildered at the pairing of the Hyuuga and the Aburame.
Hinata balanced on her left toe and had her right arm in front of her, rounded. Shino held her left hand in his over her head and turned her with his right hand by her waist, making her pirouette slowly, but gracefully. "This is p-perfect, Abu-… Sh-Shino-san!" Hinata said. Shino's cheeks had a light pink tinge to them, "…Thank you…" He replied sincerely.
"I hope everyone is ready to present." Kurenai said. "I cannot wait to see all of your youthful dances, my students!" Gai shouted. "Yes, Kurenai-sensei, Gai-sensei!" Was the collective reply of the students.
"Well, why don't we start with our star dancers, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha?" Kurenai asked.
"Certainly, sensei." Sakura said, standing up. Sasuke followed after her to stand in the middle of the stage. Sakura was in front and Sasuke stood behind her as they took their position. The two rounded out their arms in front of them, the fingers almost touching, at the front of their hips, crossed their legs, the heel of the one foot placed close to the toe of the other as their feet turned outwards.
Kurenai turned to Gai and nodded, signaling him to press the button on the radio to play the music.
Sakura and Sasuke stood on their toes and did a couru to the right for a few seconds. They stuck out their right legs and did a relevé on their right foot, lifting up their left leg in another Arabesque position at ninety degrees, and held their arms high above their head.
'They're in perfect synch…' Hinata thought to herself as she bit her lip.
The duo did another couru, this time to the left. After a few seconds, Sakura crossed her right leg over her left, rounding her arms above her head as Sasuke stepped towards her with his left leg bent and his right leg extended behind him. He lifted her up by her waist, and Sakura spread her arms out, bending her left leg and straightening her right.
"Wow… Sasuke-kun is sooooo handsome isn't he?" "I wish I could be his partner…" "He's such a great dancer!" "Sakura-chan's so amazing!" "I want to be an awesome dancer just like her!" Some of the students whispered in awe at Sasuke and Sakura's performance.
Sasuke placed her back down, gently. Sakura then fell back, kicking her left leg high in the air as Sasuke caught her with his right hand. He brought her back up as the two began to pirouette in a circle formation across the stage.
Sakura and Sasuke did a straight leap into the air, holding their arms in a straight line. They landed and Sasuke gracefully grabbed Sakura's hand and spun her into him.
Kurenai and Gai stood to the side of the students, watching Sakura and Sasuke's performance impassively.
As she turned in, her back to him, Sasuke grabbed Sakura by her waist again and threw her up into the air.
"Aaaaah…!" Was the collective gasp at the height of Sasuke's throw.
Sakura flung her hands up as she turned her body in mid-air. As she fell back down, Sasuke posed, his left leg was bent again and his right leg jutted out behind him. The music climaxed as he arched his back and held his hands up, catching Sakura by her waist and once she was firmly in Sasuke's grip, Sakura kicked her legs open in a wide angle.
As soon as the music faded and Sasuke placed Sakura back down onto the floor, the class broke out in a loud clap. Hinata clapped soft and slow. 'It was a beautiful performance… But Sasuke still looked so unhappy, even with his girlfriend… Why is he so impassionate…?'
Kurenai and Gai nodded, pleased with their performance.
"No joy…" Hinata muttered. Shino turned to her, "What was that Hinata?" "O-oh, it was n-nothing important! Hehehe…" He raised an eyebrow at her answer but let it go. Out of nowhere, Hinata asked a question, "Shino-san?" "Yes?" "Why d-do you wear g-glasses indoors?" "To hide my true emotions from others." "B-but why?" Hinata asked again. He raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"
She placed a finger to her chin as she thought, "W-well… Ballet i-is an art f-form, right?" "Correct?" "A-and with a-art, the artist e-expresses themselves, right? Either t-through dance, p-painting, or music, right?" "Also correct?" "S-so w-why wear them w-when as dancers, w-we are supposed t-to express o-our emotions through d-dance?" Shino didn't really have anything to say to that, "Well, I suppose it makes for a… safety blanket… if you will."
Hinata giggled; his stoic personality reminded her of her cousin, and the thought of Neji having a safety blanket made her giggle even more. "What is so humorous, Hinata-san?" Shino said. "Hehehe… I-I'm not laughing at y-you, Shino-san! Y-You just remind m-me of my c-cousin, N-Neji, with your p-personality…" "Interesting." He said with a smirk on his face.
Hinata calmed down, wiping the tears away from her eyes, "B-but in all s-seriousness Shino-san… For our pas de deux… W-would you r-remove your glasses, f-for me?" He paused, "… Normally, I do not remove my glasses unless we have an official performance… But…" He looked at Hinata who stared back at him with her large, white, doe-like eyes, pleading. He blushed, lightly again, "I-I… I suppose… Just this once…" "Yay!"
Once Sasuke and Sakura left the stage Kurenai and Gai switched back and forth between choosing the next performers.
"Okay, and lastly… Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame." Kurenai announced.
Hinata's heart started to race as she took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "Just relax." Shino said, walking behind her towards the stage, "Everything will be perfect… Like you said." She smiled, "T-thank you, Shino-san. O-oh, before I-I forget!" She walked up to Shino and inched his glasses off of his face, "Th-there… All better!" He squinted his eyes, getting used to the lighting of the auditorium.
She blushed a little looking at Shino's face; his dark brown eyes made him look quite handsome.
The students' jaws dropped once more at the interaction between Hinata and Shino; she actually touched the guy and removed his glasses all in the same day? The apocalypse was near. They were sure of it.
"Kurenai-sensei, c-could you p-please hold Shino-san's g-glasses while w-we perform…?" Hinata asked her. "Sure, I can." "Thank you!"
As they walked on stage, Hinata stood on the far left and Shino, the far right. The students watching had indifferent looks on their faces. "I'd be standing that far away too if I had to be partnered with the Aburame…" "Yeah, me too! He's so weird." "Ditto."
Ino overheard their comments and tried to ease her nervousness. She couldn't take it and ended up slapping her face in her hands, "Oh, I can't watch this! Hinata's going to be so embarrassed!"
Hinata and Shino looked at each other from across the stage and nodded as they took their positions, ready to perform.
Gai pressed the play button, and the orchestra music filled the auditorium.
When the music started, Hinata relevéd on her two feet, standing in en pointe, and began to couru towards the center of the stage; as she did this, she turned in a circle, and once she was in the center, she stood on her right toes and lifted her left leg at a ninety degree angle behind her as she brought her arms up in a rounded arc above her head. Her eyes were closed and her lips were turned up in a soft smile as she stood perfectly still in the Arabesque position.
Shino then began to perform his part as he did a pirouette towards Hinata's posed form. Once he was a few feet away from her, Shino gracefully slid onto one knee, posing his right hand over his heart as he offered his left hand to her. His eyebrows were furrowed as his lips were slightly pouted, leaving an expression of desire on his face.
So far, the students were silent, wondering what the next move would result in.
Hinata opened her eyes and looked down at Shino, sweetly. She lowered her left leg and her arms as she courued towards him. She placed her right hand into his open palm and put her left hand underneath his right as she stood up, slowly.
"Woah…" The students were shocked that Hinata willingly approached the weird Aburame and held his hand! "I can't believe it… She's really doing it!" Ino whispered in amazement.
Once the two stood face-to-face, Shino took Hinata and spun her into him, her back softly leaning against his chest. Hinata released her left hand from Shino's hold and held it out to the side; Shino's right hand was posed out to the side as well, leaving their intertwined left and right hands gently placed on Hinata's stomach.
The two began to move together, doing a couru to the left. As the music got louder, Shino and Hinata lifted their free arms above their head, creating a lop-sided heart, almost. Hinata craned her neck to look up at Shino as he looked down at her. The two smiled at each other and continued to move to the rhythm of the music, with poise.
"… I… I didn't know that the Aburame was actually a pretty good dancer…" "Yeah, he and the Hyuuga look so in synch…" "Are… Are they together or something, cuz they looked pretty serious to me…?" The students whispered among themselves during Hinata and Shino's performance.
Kurenai and Gai had their eyebrows raised in intrigue and their mouths were curled up in a small smile during Hinata and Shino's dance. Okay, Kurenai had a small smile on her face, Gai was practically beaming.
Shino spun Hinata outwards from him, releasing their held hands, making them face each other.
They mirrored each other's movements; turning their left foot sideways and crossing their right leg over it as they leaned towards the other with their arm held out. Their hands gently grazed one another, entangling their fingers, briefly, before they pulled back. The duo switched the position of their feet, turning their right foot and crossing their left leg over their right, once again grazing the other's hand.
They switched back to the first pose once more, but after they touched hands, the two brought their limbs back and bowed to the other. Hinata bent her right leg and stretched her left leg out behind her as she lowered her body slightly, dipping her head while keeping her arms to her side. Shino dipped his head a little lower, tucking his left arm behind his back and turning his right arm into his torso as his legs mimicked the same formation as Hinata's.
After they bowed, the duo straightened their bodies back up. Hinata relevéd on her two feet and Shino stood on the balls of his feet. They held their right arms above their head and had their left hands intertwined by the fingers as they danced around in a circle.
They separated hands once more as Hinata turned into him and they moved to the right. Hinata looked up at Shino and the two nodded as her strides became wider. She turned her body to the right as she stepped forward with her right foot. She bent her right leg as she brought her left forward, and with all of her might, Hinata pushed her body off of the ground.
Shino held her by her waist as she kicked her legs out in a split, holding her right arm over head and straightening out her left behind her.
"She's… So graceful…" "Like a swan…" "And he's… so calm and mysterious…" "Like a raven…" "So different…" Sakura turned her head to the students who were whispering, but remained silent. The edges of her mouth curved down into a small frown as she looked at Sasuke who remained indifferent as always.
'It doesn't matter… I'm the best… He's the best… We're the best…' Sakura thought to herself as she wiped her worried look off of her face.
Shino was now holding Hinata by her waist in his left hand as she leaned back on her left toes, kicking her right leg high into the air. The two then switched into another pose where Hinata was in an Arabesque pencheé position, supporting her body on her left leg with her right leg extended high into the air behind her, both of her knees straight. Shino placed his left hand on her lower stomach and his right hand held her right leg by her calf. In this position, Shino's left leg was forward, his foot turned out, as his right leg remained in a straight line.
Shino brought Hinata back up as they spun in a circle around each other. As Hinata turned once more, she kicked up her left leg to where her knee almost touched her nose. Before her leg fell back down, Shino pranced behind her, holding her left leg in that position with his right. Shino balanced on his right foot as he lifted up his left leg behind him. His left arm was held above his head as he closed his eyes.
Hinata's left arm was held straight out and her right arm went up as she balanced on her right toes. She tilted her head back, so that the only thing that the students could see was her nose, mouth, and swan-like neck.
"She… He… They're so g-good…" Ino mumbled. Her face was tinged pink as her hands slapped her cheeks in amazement.
As the music neared the crescendo, Hinata and Shino released from their previous pose. He took Hinata's left hand in his right, holding his left arm out, as she began to pirouette on her left foot. She turned and turned and turned for what seemed like an eternity as the music grew more intense.
Then, Shino released her hand, switching his feet around so that his right foot was turned outwards and his left leg was held straight to the side. Hinata stopped spinning, dropping her legs down moving her feet into fifth position, crossing her right leg over her left. She then relevéd on her right foot, lifting her left leg high behind her, once again posed in Arabesque position, as Shino held her waist with both hands, hoisting her into the air. She moved her right arm over her head and placed her left arm straight out.
Shino and Hinata stayed in that arrangement, their chests heaving up and down from their many movements. She smiled down at him, "You… w-were amazing Sh-Shino-san." "So were you, Hinata-san." He smiled back.
The music had long since ended and the students remained speechless. All of their jaws practically touched the floor after watching Shino and Hinata's pas de deux.
-clap, clap, clap!-
Ino was the first to snap out of her daze, clapping slowly and loudly, and then Sai took her lead, clapping with her as well. Soon, everyone else followed suit, some even cheered at their performance. Sakura raised an eyebrow, smirking to herself as she clapped softly. "Well aren't we full of surprises? Huh?" Sakura looked to her left in astonishment; Sasuke Uchiha was actually clapping for them? Well, he wasn't actually clapping for them, more like hitting his palm softly with the fingers on his other hand, but it was still clapping, dammit! He didn't even say anything to her about their performance!
She then looked at Kurenai-sensei and Gai-sensei; they were clapping, too! They didn't applaud her and Sasuke's performance!
She frowned deeply; what did these two have that she and Sasuke didn't?
Shino let Hinata back down and the two turned to the audience and bowed, making the students clap and whoop louder.
Gai held his hands up, silencing the applauding of the students. "Alright, those were some wonderful performances, everyone! So much youth… I THINK I MIGHT EXPLODE!"
Kurenai rolled her eyes at his antics before she said something, "There were some excellent performances," The student's whose dances received great applause practically puffed out their chests with pride, "And there were some performances that were a tad bit lackluster and could use some work." Those students that she was referring to had blushes on their embarrassed faces.
"But, there will be plenty of time to remedy that and show Gai and I your true potential as we start casting for the ballet, Swan Lake, in December. I do hope that you all will do your very best." She announced. The students began whispering amongst themselves once more at Kurenai's statement; Swan Lake was one of the most famous ballets ever, and they could be staring in it.
Hinata's eyes widened and she looked at Shino. "Do you all do big ballets like these every year?" He nodded, "Yes, the ballet is different every year. Last year it was Romeo and Juliet, and the year before that it was Snow White. We also do two small ballets, one for the winter and one for the spring as… practice, if you will, for the main ballet near the end of the year."
"T-that's sounds n-nice." She said.
Gai spoke up this time, "I cannot wait to see all of your youthful potential! This year's productions are sure to be ones of great entertainment!" Hinata twitched again at Gai's enthusiasm; it looked like a giant river of tears was flowing down his cheeks.
"Alright, class will be over in fifteen minutes, so go ahead and go change and get ready for your next class." Kurenai said.
The students began to file out towards the dressing room. As soon as Hinata and Shino stepped off the stage, they were bombarded by the other students, "Oh, my gosh! You two were amazing!" "Aburame-san, I didn't know you could dance like that!" "Hyuuga-san, you were marvelous!" "Are you two going out or something? You guys looked pretty serious up there."
Hinata and Shino both blushed at the last statement before Ino pushed her way through the crowd, "Alright, alright, one side here, people!" She placed one arm around her shoulder, "Of course they're not together, they barely even know each other!" "Then how come they looked so into each other when they were dancing on stage earlier?"
Ino rolled her eyes, "They aren't into each other, they just conveyed their passion for ballet with their pas de deux. Their movements were so graceful and in synch…" Hinata looked at Ino and saw a faint blush on her cheeks, "The emotions radiating from the stage became so palpable, for I minute there, I also thought that you and Shino were together…"
"Oh, w-well… Hehehe…" Hinata simply giggled in response to this while Shino said nothing.
Hinata noticed that Ino's eyes began to glaze over, "U-um, Ino-san…?" The blonde snapped out of her daze, "Anyway, let's go, people, we've gotta change!"
"Ah…" Hinata sighed as she sat on a bench and stretched out her feet, satisfied at the cracking noise they made once they were free of her pointe shoes. "You know," Ino started as she peeled off her leotard, "You didn't do too bad, today." She rolled down her stockings, standing in nothing but her underwear and bra, "In fact, you were amazing!" She placed her removed clothing in a small cubby assigned to her before pulling out her school uniform.
"Y-you really think s-so?" Hinata asked as she slipped on her plaid skirt. Ino turned around and hugged Hinata from behind, wrapping her arms around her neck, "I know so!" "T-thank y-you!" Hinata's face flushed a bright cherry red, not at Ino's hug, but at the fact that Ino still hadn't put any of her school uniform on.
The blue-eyed girl jumped off her back and quickly began to dress.
Hinata was the first one to finish dressing. She placed her bag into her designated cubby before she turned around. Her gaze was met by two jade green eyes from across the room. Hinata gasped in surprise and froze again. The pink-haired girl smirked as her eyebrows rose a little bit, her eyes seemed to be trying to force Hinata to back down with a condescending look.
Something in Hinata snapped at her gaze. She had seen that scrutinizing stare before from numerous other dancers… as well as her father. She broke free from her frozen position and furrowed her eyebrows, a look of determination on her face, and continued to stare down Sakura.
Sakura sat on a bench, unraveling the ribbons on her cherry red pointe shoes. She pulled them off of her feet and placed them in her cubby. She then curled her toes. She leaned her head back and groaned at the cracking noise.
She looked back down at her feet and sucked in a quick breath at the sight. She could see a dark pink spot appearing along the knuckles and some of the nails of her toes. Sakura stood up and took off her leotard and stockings to examine her feet more. She gently peeled off the present bandaging, hissing at the stickiness of the material and how it irritated her skin.
Once the tape was removed, she saw that some of her toe nails were chipped or cracked and bloody. Her knuckles were just as red with open sores present. She stayed silent as she reached into her bag and pulled out a box of band-aids. Sakura pulled back the plastic of the band-aid before wrapping it around her big toe knuckle; she did the same to almost each and every toe.
After taking care of her feet, Sakura pulled her socks on and then reached for her skirt. She finished buttoning the middle part of her blazer before she maneuvered her tie underneath her collar. "All done…" She said to herself as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her tie.
She craned her head back up and looked around the dressing room, seeing some girls place their practice attire away and others putting on their uniforms. She looked at the other end of the room at Ino and Hinata, watching their interaction with each other.
She felt her fingers twitch at watching Ino shout words of encouragement to Hinata.
"If you hide your forehead that gives more people a reason to make fun of you."
Sakura reached up and grazed her forehead with her right fingers.
"But, my forehead…" "That's the point! If you show it off, nobody will have a reason to make fun of you for it!"
Sakura saw Ino turn around and hug Hinata tightly from behind. At that moment, she retracted her fingers from her forehead like she had been burned. "Tch…" What did she care? She didn't need Ino anymore, as long as she had Sasuke, everything was perfect… It always will be perfect.
As Sakura began to leave the room, still looking at the two, she saw Hinata turn to face her. She stared back at white and lavender eyes. Hinata seemed to freeze up like a doe caught in the headlights and Sakura smirked at her vulnerable pose.
She straightened her back and stared down Hinata with renewed fervor. After a few seconds Sakura saw Hinata blink and form a determined look on her face as she looked back.
Sakura scoffed to herself as she broke the stare down and exited the dressing room.
Hinata placed a hand on her racing heart as she fell back on the bench. Ino placed a hand on her shoulder, "Saw it all, you okay?" she asked. Hinata sighed deeply, "D-do you… Do y-you know w-what just h-happened?"
"Well, I don't wanna burst your bubble, but… I think Sakura Haruno just made you her number one priority." "I-is that good or b-bad?"
Ino raised an eyebrow at her, flashing a look. Hinata sighed again as she hung her head, "…Y-yeah… I thought i-it was b-bad."
END
Stephano Hungary: Ugh, hands so tired. So, hope you guys liked it, feedback is awesome! If you're a dancer and you've got pointers, please hit me up! It would definitely help me with this story a lot more!
Glossary:
En pointe (Pointe) – "on the tips of the toes"; ballet technique that enables dancers to dance on the tips of their toes for extended periods of time with reinforced shoes.
Pointe shoes – reinforced shoes with padding that gives dancers the ability to dance on their toes.
Arabesque position – "in Arabic fashion"; a position of the body where the dancer stands on one leg, while the other is extended behind the body, and both knees are straight; most common angles that the legs are positioned at are on the floor, at forty-five degrees, and ninety degrees.
Arabesque pencheé position – a position of the body where dancer stands on one leg but the angle of the leg extended behind the body is greater at ninety degrees, so the body leans foreward to counterbalance the back leg.
Relevé – "lifted"; rising from any position to balance on one or both feet in demi-pointe, heels off of the floor, to full en pointe.
Couru – small quick steps where in most cases, the calves are kept together; also described as "massaging the floor with your feet."
Pas de deux – "step of two"; a duet usually performed between a male and a female dancer.
Pirouette – to "whirl"; a controlled turn on one leg.
Fifth position (feet) – the dancer's feet are turned out as far as possible, like in first position, only instead of the feet being placed next to each other by the heel, one heel of one foot is placed close to the toe of the other foot, making the legs more crossed than in third position.