Hello readers! I'm sorry if this fic seems a bit confusing right now, but it will get better, I promise. Not sure how long this is going to be, as my plotline is not yet concrete. However, I will try to update as often as I can, with school and all. But anyway, here's chapter one! R&R, please n.n
New Arrivals
Sasuke sat in the back of the classroom, glaring at the blackboard with unmoving eyes. Boredom enveloped him like a gray, monochromatic shroud. It was not conducive to learning. He scanned the classroom, hoping to find something that would alleviate his lethargy.
Haruno and Yamanaka were casting quick glances in his direction. Those two annoyed him almost as much as that idiot Uzumaki. That particular idiot was gazing placidly at the board, a single line of drool dribbling slowly down his chin. Next to him sat Hyuuga. She was gazing, not at the board but at Uzumaki. Sasuke turned his attention elsewhere. Naara was fast asleep head dropped onto his desk and next to him, Akimichi was munching steadily on a bag of potato chips. Inuzuka was gazing idly around the room, not paying attention in the least. Across the aisle from Sasuke, Aburame sat completely still. He hadn't moved in over an hour. It was a but unnerving when he did that.
Sasuke's gaze slid to the teacher. Yamato-sensei's history lectures were dull at best. Today they were learning about some obscure battle that no one ever heard of and none of them would ever need to know about. Sasuke sighed slightly, his eyes falling on the clock. His thoughts drifted, carried on the last of the summer's heat.
It was Monday of the third week of school at Hiruzen Private School. The freshman class had adjusted to their schedules and routines fairly well. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the freshman class would be together for the whole year. He would never have a moment of peace. The only reason he was even here was because Nii-san had-- No. Sasuke wasn't going to think about that. Not now. As little as possible, in fact. To that end, he directed his thoughts to the sprawling campus outside the window. Across the quad, he could see the domed building. Inside those red-brown walls were the group dorms, dining hall and library. The building they were in now held all the classrooms, teacher's offices and an assembly hall. This school was set fairly far away from the nearest city. It was set in the mountains, where trees ranged over the whole landscape. Sasuke felt safe here, in these isolated buildings.
The bell rang, startling him out of his musings. The class got to their feet and spilled into the small tide of students speeding to their dorms before study hall. Sasuke allowed himself to be shunted through the halls by his peers as the intercom crackled and the principal's voice dominated the space.
~*~*~*~
"All students, drop your books in your rooms and report to the auditorium. There will be no study hall today." The speakers crackled as the principal, Tsunade, made the announcement. Just my luck, Ino thought as she walked out the doors to the courtyard, And now I have to do that stupid history homework after dinner... It was only the third week of school and she was already regretting her attendance. It was all work and no play, in her opinion. Wake up at seven, breakfast at seven-thirty, Math at eight. Then Orchestra for two hours where she had to compete with Sakura like crazy. English at eleven then lunch break at noon. Biology at one, then History (the most boring class ever) at two. Study hall at three. Now that was crappy. Sitting in the stuffy library for an hour while that librarian made it smell like cigarettes. Apparently he'd never heard of a purifier, or going outside for that matter. Once they were free of the library, they could do whatever they wanted until dinner at six. The lamest thing about this school was that the lights went out at nine-thirty. Way too early, in Ino's opinion. Pretty much the only good thing about this place was Sasuke. Ino watched him walk through the quad, loving the way his hair looked blue in the sunlight. He was the bright point in her otherwise dull school life.
Ino arrived at the dormitory that she shared with Sakura, Hinata and a sophomore named Tenten. As she put away her books on the large shelf next to the door, she noticed that there was an extra bed on the far side of the room.
"What's that for?" Ino asked Hinata, who was sitting on her bed.
"I don't know," Hinata replied quietly.
"I heard someone else is moving in," Sakura said from the doorway.
"That's weird," Ino remarked.
As the three of them exited the room and walked back across the quad to the auditorium, Ino wondered. She wondered who this new student was. Ino hoped that whoever she was, she wouldn't try to steal Sasuke-kun. That, Ino would never forgive.
~*~*~*~
What a drag... Shikamaru thought. This whole assembly thing was annoying. He sat next to Chouji in the back row of the freshman's portion of the auditorium. The other students were arranged according to year. All the freshman sat in front of him. The sophomores were a section over. They were all sitting moderately quietly. The only ones who Shikamaru could pick out of the crowd were Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee and Tenten. He didn't know any of the juniors or seniors. Never bothered to learn their names. Shikamaru never bothered to do a lot of things.
He continued to scan the auditorium. The teachers sat in the front row. Hatake-sensei, the math teacher, sat next to Obito-sensei, the Spanish teacher. Next to him was Rin-san, the guidance counselor. Izumo-sensei and Kotetsu-sensei were sitting together, talking quietly. Yuuhi-sensei and Asuma-sensei were doing the same. Yamato-sensei sat alone, his nose in a book. From the door on the far side of the room came the distinct sight and sound of Gai-sensei entering the room. He sat down next to Hatake-sensei and began to speak raucously. Mitarashi-sensei was absent, as always.
Presently, the principal stepped into the stage, three students Shikamaru had never seen before following her. Tsunade-sama tapped the microphone for silence. The babble of voices subsided to a taut, volatile silence.
"Today we have three new students joining our ranks," she began. A curious murmur swept through the students. Tsunade spoke over it unconcernedly.
"These three are Temari," she motioned to a blond girl, "Kankuro," a dark-haired boy with odd tattoos on his face, "and Gaara Sabaku." The second boy had crimson hair and something -Shikamaru wasn't quite sure what- tattooed above his left eye.
"They are foreign exchange students who will stay with us for the rest of the year. Treat them as our own." Tsunade's eyes swept the room fiercely.
"Dismissed." The students stood in a rush to get out the door. Shikamaru took his time, not noticing people who passed him. The start of the school year was as boring as ever. Not even three exchange students could make it interesting.