~*Chapter One: Her Confession*~
I hate them... I fear them... I detest them... When it comes to men...
When the last bell rang, alerting students and teachers alike that the school day was now officially over, Uzumaki Naruto all but jumped out of his seat. Running a hand through his sunny blonde locks, he slung his school bag over his shoulder and prepared to leave. As he made his way to the door he did not miss the promiscuous gazes from some of his female classmates, but he didn't bother returning them like he normally might. Sauntering nonchalantly to the door prepared to escape, Naruto was just about to leave when he was caught.
"Naruto-kun, let's go out to karaoke!" bubbled a voluptuous girl with platinum hair styled to perfection, her baby blue eyes blinking underneath the caked on, heavy eye make up. She winked at him flirtatiously and wiggled her fingers at him in a wave, her painted, acrylic nails gleaming. Before he could utter an excuse, he was interrupted.
"Don't even think about it, Naruto! You have cleaning duties today!" snapped a scowling, pink-haired girl with bright emerald eyes, one hand propped on her hip and the other pointed at him accusingly. Naruto's shoulders slumped; it seemed he wasn't going anywhere today.
"Sorry, Ino," he grinned sheepishly, pretending to be apologetic. The blonde girl pouted in a way that Naruto assumed she thought was cute, but she easily forgave him. They always did.
Sakura merely nodded in approval since he wasn't shirking his duties for once before leaving to start her own.
"Tough break," said a boy with spiky brown hair. Naruto sighed and slumped back down in his desk, the other boy sliding in the seat next to him.
"Better escape while you can, Kiba, before Sakura puts you to work too."
"Heh, I don't think I'd mind that. She's pretty hot, so I might actually enjoy being ordered around by her..." the boy chuckled. Naruto rolled his eyes, a smirk in place.
"So which one would you pick?"
"Eh? What do you mean?" Naruto frowned in confusion, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly.
"The flashy cheerleader Yamanaka Ino, or the assertive class president Haruno Sakura?"
"Hm... Neither."
"What?! They're the two hottest girls in the school, and you choose neither?" Kiba exclaimed dubiously.
"Well, they are pretty attractive... I guess the only girl I'd really pass on is that Hyūga Hinata." Naruto and Kiba glanced over to the other side of the room where the girl was standing, facing the open window. A breeze swept through, rustling the long indigo tresses of her hair. Her pearl-colored eyes never strayed from the scenery outside, seemingly oblivious to the two boys observing her.
"You don't think she's cute?" Kiba asked with slight surprise.
"I don't like those types that pretend to be sweet virgins," Naruto explained with an air of general disdain. "I thought I'd give her a thrill one day by touching her hair, but she flinched back and fainted without warning."
"Oh yeah, she seems to do that with people in general."
"Really?" his question went unanswered when their attention was diverted.
"Hinata-san, would you please erase the chalk board?" asked the teacher, who stood at his desk sorting papers. At the sound of her name the girl turned, walking timidly up to the front of the class.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Grabbing the eraser in one hand, she proceeded to erase the chalk marks that marred the board. Standing up on the tips of her toes, Hinata still couldn't reach the very top to erase. Seeing her trouble, Kakashi came up next to her.
"Here, let me help," the silver-haired man offered, leaning close to her. When his side brushed against hers and their hands came in contact from Kakashi taking the eraser from her grip, the girl gasped and flinched back forcefully. Hinata's face paled, her entire body breaking out in a cold sweat, and her vision blurred before she fainted.
"Hinata-san?" Kakashi asked nervously as her knees buckled underneath her before falling to the ground in a heap. Another girl (one of Hinata's few friends, Naruto could only guess), quickly ran to her side and checked on her.
"She's okay, just fatigued. She'll wake up soon." the twin-bunned brunette reported, gently shaking the unconscious girl to wake her up. Hinata blinked groggily before pushing herself up off the ground to stand as she profusely apologized to the teacher.
"Wow, you're right... How did I not notice that before?" Naruto grumbled.
"Well, it's not like you're the sharpest tool in the shed, Naruto..." Kiba grinned, and the blonde flipped him off with an offended scowl. Kiba only laughed harder.
"Will the people on cleaning duty today meet at my desk please?" Kakashi drawled boringly, as if this was the last place he'd rather be. A handful of students, including Naruto, stood to do their teacher's bidding.
"Hey Ino, aren't you on duty today as well?" Sakura asked, but the blonde was too busy touching up her make up to fully notice.
"Am I?" she murmured halfheartedly, applying a generous amount of pink gloss onto her lips before rubbing them together. She blew a kiss at the reflection in her compact mirror before snapping it shut with satisfaction, and Sakura rolled her eyes with a sigh.
Naruto meandered down the hallway with his arms crossed behind his head, now that his duties were done. It wasn't that cleaning duties were difficult, he had just wanted to make it home early so that he could start training. It was his dream to become a mixed martial arts fighter, to get out of the small town of Konoha and hit the big time in a big city. But it seemed fate had other plans that day for him, and so he found himself stuck at school.
He turned the corner to come face to face with a walking stack of papers- or at least that's what it looked like to him. As he walked by he realized it was none other than Hyūga Hinata, who was struggling to carry all the papers herself without stumbling.
"Here, give them to me," Naruto offered, reaching his arms out to take the load. Hinata's eyes widened and she slowly backed away, noticing that they were the only ones in the hallway. Naruto frowned in irritation and stepped closer until her back hit the wall. At the closer proximity he could see her breathing was shallow, and she trembled violently. Her wide, pearl-colored eyes shone with...
Fear. It was as if she had desperately resolved herself to something, her body rigid as if to spring at any moment.
"Fine... Do it all yourself." Naruto grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets to walk away.
"I-I'm sorry..." she whispered quietly, but he didn't hear.
"Hey, what are you still doing here?" Kiba asked curiously, catching up with Naruto. "I thought you'd be off by now to go train."
"I was just about to leave when I bumped into that Hinata girl." he mumbled, still bothered by what had happened.
"Still think she's a pass?"
"Definitely. Besides, there are already plenty of other girls who I can mess around with."
"Ha, that's true." Kiba chuckled, gathering his things to go home. Naruto once again slung his bag over his shoulder, walking out the door with his friend trailing behind him.
"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow." The brunette waved goodbye before turning down the opposite street.
"Bye," Naruto said shortly. Walking to the parking lot, he mounted his bike before taking off. Passing the quaint buildings on his way home, he reasoned that while Konoha couldn't be considered country side, it definitely was a small town. A village, even. He planned to move out the first chance he got to move to the big city, but for now he was stuck. Naruto had been living with his grandmother, Tsunade, since his parents had died in a car accident when he was young, and he helped her out with the small, family restaurant she ran. He envied his older adopted sister Shizune, who had left years previous to live in Tokyo where she was studying to become a doctor.
Naruto propped his bike up on the side of the house, ready for use the next day, and mentally ran through his schedule for the rest of the night. He had to help out at the restaurant, that much was certain... Luckily he didn't have any homework that day, leaving him more time for training... Then dinner, if he didn't eat already, and bed. Perfect.
The chimes tinkled a melodic tune when Naruto pushed the door open, alerting his arrival. Quickly donning his apron and bandana, he washed his hands and got ready for work in the kitchen.
"The A-Set meal is ready!" he called out a while later, and a large-chested blonde woman rounded the corner to collect the plate to give to one of the regular, longtime customers.
"You've taught him well, Tsunade. He could take over the shop any day now!"
"I think he should impregnate a local girl and settle down." Tsunade said with a wink, and a look of horror descended upon Naruto's features.
"Don't say such awful things to customers, Baa-chan!" he chastised, but his words fell onto deaf ears. Or rather, they fell onto women's ears, and we all know what that's worth.
"Oh my, maybe I would suffice!" Blushed one of the older women.
"You have a husband, Haruno-san." Naruto informed with his eye slightly twitching, never faltering once in his kitchen work.
"Then how about my Sakura?"
"Great idea!" Tsunade said before Naruto could get a word in.
"Don't try and force me into marriage! Besides, I don't want to take over the shop. Why don't you remarry, Baa-chan?" She looked up at him pointedly and blushed, causing the boy's jaw to drop.
"Enough acting like a girl, Baa-chan!"
"But... Hehe..." The older lady blushed, covering her cheeks with her hands. Before she could say anymore, the door suddenly slammed shut. Naruto was gone.
"Hey Naruto, where are you going during business hours?" Tsunade hollered, schoolgirl facade gone.
"I'm going out on a delivery!" he yelled back without opening the door.
"Damn that Naruto... He still doesn't recognize himself as the successor." Tsunade grumbled with a huff. A thoughtful gleam appeared in her eye. "Maybe I really should marry him to Sakura..."
"Hey now, wait a minute..." Her mother laughed nervously.
Outside, Naruto began to take a walk down the road. He had discarded the bandana but forgot to take off the apron, so he figured he looked more than a bit odd going down the street dressed like that, but he didn't mind what others thought. In fact, he was too focused on his own thoughts to care. Who would want to live in a place like this? I'm not going to stay in the countryside and serve food for people day in and day out. I'll definitely become an MMA fighter and move to Tokyo, and live the life of a bachelor!
"Hey, Naruto-kun~!" called a familiar sweet voice. He turned at the sound of his name to observe the dolled-up blonde walking down the street.
"Ino, what are you doing walking around this late?"
"I was just taking a walk, no need to worry," she looked up at him mischievously. "Besides, I wanted to see you..." Naruto nodded absently, figuring that was what she was up to. I'll take my womanizing skills up a level in preparation for when I move to the big city. He thought, schooling his features and bringing his hand up to gently lay on the side of her face. Naruto leaned forward as Ino's eyes fluttered shut, their lips mere inches from each other-
"Naruto!" yelled a familiar, angry voice. The blonde quickly turned on heel innocently to face the aggravated pink-haired girl.
"Sakura?!" Ino hissed angrily as Naruto slowly began to back away to avoid any trouble.
"What do you think you're doing, making out in the middle of the street? It's indecent!"
"What makes you think you can act like his wife, huh?" Ino snapped.
"I'm just looking out for his reputation, or what's left of it!" Sakura retorted.
"Well, I've got a delivery to make now, so I'll be going..." Naruto announced uneasily in an attempt to get away.
"I'm coming!"
"Me too!"
"Uh, but," Naruto inwardly cursed, wondering how to get the two banshees off his back. "But it's in that church!" He pointed towards the broken down, abandoned building. Two gasps could be heard from the girls, who looked horrified upon the very notion.
"The Yamato Church?!" they cried out together. It's said that the church is haunted by a man who was left at the altar, who eventually decomposed and turned into wood.
"This is the place..." Ino whispered, a shudder running through her.
"It's a famous local haunting spot..." Sakura supplied, nervously chewing at her lip.
"So, are you coming?" Naruto grinned, and both girls looked at each other.
"..."
"I have chores to do, I'll see you later." Sakura called behind her back as she turned to leave.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I have homework to do. Maybe we could go out on a date tomorrow though? Good night!" Ino winked before taking off down the street, and Naruto gave an inaudible sigh of relief in response. He slipped in through the door quietly, the eery creak from the door the only thing that welcomed him. Naruto stepped forth to kneel in front of the altar, his hands clasped together in prayer.
"God, I want to confess... In middle school, I made up a story about a haunted church," he admitted with a facade of guilt. "...But man, these hicks will believe anything!" Naruto shook with laughter as he rolled on the ground, laying on his back staring up at the stained glass window above.
"There's one more thing... I'm leaving Baa-chan, and this place. It's my life and my sister did it too, so why can't I? It isn't a bad thing, is it?" He sighed to himself, conflicted. But I have to keep up training if I want to escape this place. Better get going. He stood and brushed himself off, turning to the door when it creaked open. Shit! Is it Ino? Sakura? Whipping his head around in shock, Naruto quickly opened a nearby door and ducked inside without checking.
Just who could it be, he thought, stealing a small glance out the crack in the door. He froze upon the sight of none other than Hyūga Hinata, and his desperation grew tenfold. Hyūga Hinata? What is she doing here?! But she just moved here... So she doesn't know about the rumors... Naruto opened the door a few inches wider in order to see better, when the hinges creaked.
"Who's there?" Hinata asked, slightly unnerved by the sound. Naruto covered his mouth with a hand, his mind reeling.
"I-I'm... I'm the priest here!" he called back, and he slapped his forehead in exasperation at the lame excuse.
"...The priest?"
"Today's mass has ended, so unless you want to confess, please go home." Naruto informed, masking his voice with authority. He heard footsteps and another creaking of hinges before he sighed lightly in relief.
"I'm not a Christian, but will you allow me to confess?" came a voice a mere foot away. Naruto repressed the urge to jump in his seat, realizing that she was indeed inside the confessional beside him. No way this is happening!
"Father...?" she asked with uncertainty, and the blonde covered his face in his hands with resignation.
"You may confess." It would probably be something trivial anyway, he reasoned. Most teenage problems were.
"...When I was in junior high I was sexually abused by my step father. I-I got pregnant, then had an abortion..." Naruto felt his breath die in his throat, his eyes slowly widening as he ingested her words. I thought a classmate's confession would be... Something trivial. After the unbelievable shock came doubt. That couldn't possibly be true... Could it?
"Despite that, my mother refused to help me and my step father's violence continued... I got pregnant again." Naruto was beginning to feel sick as he listened to her, and he covered his mouth. His eyes were wide and he resisted the urge to cover his ears so that he wouldn't have to listen to the awful things she was saying. She had to be joking.
"At the time, the strain on my body was such that I may never be able to have children again. Since I couldn't raise the children and it seemed nobody would help, it was like a death sentence for a fourteen year old..." He could hear the hitching of her voice, which indicated she was crying if not sobbing out right. She took a moment to collect herself.
"One year ago today, I gave birth to a boy and put him up for adoption."
A/N: I do not own the characters of "Naruto", nor do I own the plot of "Bitter Virgin" (though I will be making changes later on).
Just my mind running rampant. I reread Kusunoki Kei's manga "Bitter Virgin" recently (it's a beautiful story, if you'd like to check it out online) and instinctively wondered how it could be incorporated with "Naruto". I may trash this, but I figured I'd give it a chance and see what people think of it.
I know Naruto is OOC in this chapter, I'm sorry! But he will get better in later chapters, I promise. He had to be a jerk in the beginning, it was unavoidable. Review and tell me what you think! Should I trash this or continue? ;P