Chapter One: A Yellow Rose in the Red
She was going to be Neji Hyuuga today.
My god. If you'd told her that she'd sailed to such heights last year, she'd never have believed it. Last year of the tight-fitting tenth grade uniforms and limp stockings, and having to deal with an uncanny growth spurt with additional fat in uncomfortable places.
Last year, she'd have been happy to be left alone.
She was unaccustomed to such attention from the guys, but moreover, she didn't want attention. She needed everything happy and friendship-like, or just being left alone. She could even deal with that science teacher rumored to have raped a girl the past summer. She could deal with being pushed down hallways and...
But romance she couldn't deal with.
She turned in the mirror, striking a pose. And then immediately felt silly.
"What're you doing up there?" bellowed her manager from downstairs. "We leave in fifteen minutes! I promised your mother that I'd do my role, and you're already tarnishing my record!"
She stiffened, her stomach producing butterflies. Grabbing her periwinkle, "manly" book-bag, she traipsed down the stairs unhappily.
Karu was waiting by the makeup table positioned in the guest room. He winked at her; "Ready, butterscotch?"
"No," she scowled, and plunked down on the plastic chair.
"Now, don't be that way," he reproached her absent-mindedly, and threw his unfinished cigarette into the wastebasket. Reaching for the powders, he held her head up, tilting her chin. "Don't move, now."
"Grnshfpk," she responded, his fingers pulling down the left side of her mouth. She sighed inwardly. She knew she wanted to do this - it was a chance of a lifetime - but now that the situation was right in front of her, she was loathe to.
Something about the atmosphere of a private school, she supposed, and with strict dorm rooms that were anti-co-ed. She would never survive the first day of living in the same room as a guy - as a man.
And what made her think that her acting skills were on par to such a level? - Fooling the principal and teachers, not to mention the beady-eyed gossips? And the locker room? She would have to change in the bathrooms, and then what? What if she had her period? And -
Chasing the worries from her mind, Hinata shook her head almost violently.
Karu started. "No! Don't do that! You'll muss up the face foundation!"
"Sorry." She worried her lower lip, fighting a rebellious tears. If she couldn't get past today, how would she manage for an entire year?
When he finished, she followed behind and into the car. She was suddenly glad that he was Karu, manager, and not Hiashi, father. Something about Hiashi ensured that he would not be happy if he knew she was doing this.
They drove to the K'onoha District. The buildings suddenly grew more enormous and there were a lot more buses. Hinata watched out the window, eyeing each potential boy who went down the street on a motorcycle or skateboard; Is he going to be in my school?
She caught sight of a boy with deep inky hair who seemed immersed in his headphones. He was riding down the far street away from her. As she watched, he glanced down at his watch and sighed discontentedly.
Somehow, she knew he felt exactly like she did.
As the car started forward, the boy's form was lost among the roving vehicles, and Hinata trained her eyes forward once more, and sighed.
When they arrived at the school, Karu slowed at the first parking lot in sight and killed the engine. "Come on, butterscotch."
She trudged after him, feeling vulnerable in her ugly black uniform and long wig. They'd bought the wig for two hundred - the uniform was forty-five dollars - out of her mother's fortune. Hinata wondered off-handedly where she was know. The last time she'd seen her mother was on a commercial for bug spray.
"We're here. This must be the building. They said the intersection of Howell and Degas..." he trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.
Hinata followed his gaze upwards, and then blanched visibly.
The edifice was gargantuan. At least a hundred windows decorated the flawless steel walls, each with an immaculately pulled curtain. The window ledges each had some variety of potted plant. Two smaller buildings branched off, having the same design and appearing just as impeccable.
A banner hung from one long end to the other; "Welcome Students to a New School Year!" with a decorated Trojan mascot underneath the letters.
Hinata swallowed. Her gaze jumped to Karu's. If he were to say, "You'll be O.K, butterscotch," she could not restrain a punch. Because then, he would be lying, and she hated lying above all else.
He gave her a funny sort of look, and suddenly looked as nervous as she was.
"Good luck" was all he said, and he gave her a gruff hug. All their goodbyes had been said yesterday. "Call me every week, okay? If anything's wrong, I'll come get you."
She swallowed again.
"I'll see you at the first holiday, then," he said uncertainly. "Christmas." He walked backwards a few steps, half-waving. "Good-bye, butterscotch."
It wasn't until his car had pulled away did her tears finally fall.
"Good-bye," she whispered.
--
Student Profile
Name: Neji Hyuuga
Grade: 11
Sex: Male
Recordings: Previous Captain of the Tennis Team, Student Senate
Social Security Number: 636-423-2985
--
She looked down at her itinerary, tears blurring her vision. Then she realized that her makeup had come off - the droplets on the paper were murky brown. Grimacing, she entered the cool immense double-doors and hurried into the bathroom, intent on reapplying the makeup.
She realized too late that she was in the girl's. Hastily switching, she swiveled around to see if anyone had noticed.
No one.
She sighed with relief and went to adjust her wig and tone down her cheeks. Her body was bound and flatter, and she wore pads in her feet. When everything was re-checked, she scrutinized herself in the elongated mirror by the door.
Everything looked as it should; surely her cheekbones were more prominent, her lips less rosy. Her eyebrows were drawn down sternly, and her uniform was like any other boy's. She exhaled, calming herself.
At once the door opened and she jumped up in surprise.
A boy walked in and paused. He wore the standard black outfit, except the top two buttons were unhooked and his pants were torn fashionably in the knees. A sort of reddish tattoo marking made fangs under his eyes. When he caught her staring at him, he grinned wolfishly.
"First day, eh? How about that?"
"Yeah," Hinata echoed, her voice subdued. She forced it two notches lower. "It sucks..." She supposed she should add a friendly term on the end, "...man."
"School in itself sucks, dude," responded the guy, and he looked down to check if his pants were still torn in the right place. He widened the gash on his knees with a long finger, tearing the materal and revealing more skin - hairy.
Hinata winced inwardly. She'd never seen anything above a boy's ankle.
"So, you new 'round here?"
"Y-yes."
"So you don't know that the guys here all rip their pants?"
"What?" she exclaimed, forgetting the pitch.
He apparently hadn't noticed, though Hinata berated herself severely for slipping. "The fashion here is ripped pants," he explained, turning around to examine the effect, "That is, if you're in the cool group. All the girls like it, though the staff doesn't, which makes it cool, y'know?"
She did not know.
"Anyway, it's like a mark of rebellion. Cool, huh? That our gang all hate school and that it's a waste of our time, listening to motherfuckers ramble on about subjects we don't care about."
She winced at the expletive.
He noticed her expression. "What? Oh. I get it. You're one of those hoity-toity rich guys, aren't you?"
She shook her head violently.
"No? Well, you'll have to get used to the cursing," he informed her, inspecting his long, overgrown nails; "because that's what we fucking do all day long."
She winced again, then winced again for wincing.
He laughed, a dog-like bark. "Well, at least you're honest, huh? I never figured the rich guys would be like that. Here." He handed her a pair of scissors. "I like you. How about joining the gang?"
She glanced up at him quizically.
"Y'know. The gang that I mentioned a few moments ago? You've gotta. It's in right now, and you, like, automatically get girls. Besides," he finished, hoisting up his heavy, greasy book-bag, "the others - the guys outside the gang - are bullied. Oh gods, we love to hate them." He grinned ferally.
Hinata shook a little, and then, suddenly, she drew the scissors across her knees lightly. It made an incision on the fabric. She used her fingers to tear it bigger.
The guy nodded approvingly. "Yeah, that's right. Now you feel like you belong, at least more than before." He grinned at her, showing pointed incisors, and clasped her on the shoulders. It hurt. "I'll see you in hell," he chuckled. "By the way, the name's Kiba."
When the door had closed, she sat down heavily on a chair, head spinning. Were all guys like this? she wondered. It wouldn't be so bad, if that were the case. If all guys were friendly, albeit a little wild - but friendly - then she'd be fine. She'd maybe even be happy. Guys were so different from girls, she mused. They weren't so paranoid, and they gave you the benefit of the doubt instead of mistrust and gossip. Why, they probably even listened to what you had to say.
Slowly she drew the scissors closed and placed it in her bag. She faced the mirror again, this time smiling hesitatingly, and then exited.
Immediately the throng of students forced her forward. Feet stampeded around her, with voices uncomfortably shrieking over her shoulder. High-fives were slapped, many "I-miss-yous" were shouted, and the cacophony only rose as the crowd surged onwards.
It led Hinata into the auditorium - an enormous, elevated room with tall ceilings. The windows were longer here; they were twice as tall as Hinata. As the seats were quickly taken up, a twin-pig-tailed woman entered the the stage and took up the podium.
"Listen!" she ordered over the hue and cry. "The faster you quiet down, the faster you'll find out who you're bunking with!"
The noise ceased immediately.
"Now listen! I'm not going to waste my time any longer, so keep your mouths shut and listen to me." Evidently satisfied, she moved on; "We'll start by a fifteen minute introduction by the principal, Mr. Sarutobi."
The crowd groaned, then quieted when the vice-principal gave a searing glare.
A diminutive man shuffled onto the stage, smiling benignly. He had to scroll the microphone down in order to reach it. "Hello, and welcome all, to..."
He droned on at a relentlessly slow pace, inducing sleep. When twenty minutes was over, he handed the stage to the vice-principal once more.
She stifled a yawn before commencing, "We will now pick roommates as means of a random drawing."
An immediate protest came from the students.
"Now, just wait till you hear it, and shut up!" she snapped impatiently. "It's not as if you're choosing the love of your life or anything. Rooms will be same-sex, so I see no problem. You'll get to know eachother and become friends, and you'll study better, because relationships should be less frequent - "
"Oh, no," whispered a bun-haired girl mischeviously, "They occur much more often."
" - unless you're gay or something." The crowd tittered, and the vice-principal allowed a small grin. "Now, we'll have two boxes for drawing the names, so you'll have to sit tight until your name is called. When it is, you'll go to the main lobby to collect your keys, dump your stuff in your room, and introduce yourself to your roommate and brew a nice friendship.
Unless you're gay, of course," she added again.
The students laughed, but more politely and more empty this time. Evidently the vice-principal's joke was getting stale, though she thought she were a big hit.
"Now, the boys first, and then the girls. We'll do one of each at a time, so it's not 'sexist'.
First off; Asoka Rora, Remu Gahai..."
As the clock ticked by, the group of students slowly thinned. Most wore the similar expressions of boredom, anxiety, or relief when they heard the names. Once, a yellow-haired boy reacted angrily when he heard he was paired with Shikamaru Nara.
"But he's so smart!" the raucous boy argued. "I can't stand smart people!"
"Maybe it's because you're not so smart yourself," supplied a pink-haired girl close to the stage, and the students laughed.
Five minutes later, Kiba was paired with Shino Aburame, and he loped out the auditorium, grinning to collect his keys. Hinata's throat suddenly became parched; she'd wanted him for a roommate; he was the only one here she knew relatively.
The crowd was dispersing; bunches of people were heading off to their dorms. Hinata fidgeted anxiously, fighting the fight-or-flight response. She couldn't bear to know her roommate - if he drank or smelled or was mean or rude or had ten girlfriends or smoked -
"Neji Hyuuga," said the vice-principal, and Hinata stood up, knees weak.
"...And Sasuke Uchiha."
She watched a boy in the front next to the pink-haired girl rise. He had inky black tendrils of hair and spikes in the back. His pants weren't ripped, and he had a cool, detached way of walking. He turned into the aisle without giving her a second glance, though she'd risen, and he went forward to receive the two pairs of keys.
She followed, lagging behind. He had a manner that just exuded confidence and an 'I don't need you' sort of charisma. Maybe he was that type of rich guy that Kiba had been scorning. Maybe he was an outcast, and a snobby misanthrope who hated all people in general.
He reached the end of the hallway to a brightly lit doorway, and paused, turning.
His eyes were black to the point of smoldering, his mouth bent perpetually downwards. He wore a chain neclace and his sleeves were pushed up, though he didn't look scruffy in the least. In fact, it gave him an almost scholarly appearance.
His mouth moved, but she didn't catch the words.
"Wait - what?" she half-stammered, the words coming out a squeak.
He gave her an odd look. "I said, I think I saw you coming to school."
"I - I - I think I saw me coming to school, too," she repeated, strangely breathless. "Yeah, I saw myself..."
His eyebrows furrowed and he cast her a disdainful look that screamed "psycho".
She caught herself. "I - I mean - yes, I saw you." Her voice was becoming raspy again. She pushed it down five notches. "Yeah, you were driving a - um, bike." Mortifyingly, her voice brayed like a donkey's and hit two octaves higher, as if she were going through a growth spurt. She blushed, immediately.
"Riding a bike, yes." He inserted the keys and flicked the lights, entering the room quickly as if to avoid her. He set his bags down and then noticed her lone book-bag. "Where's your stuff?"
"Uh - um, Karu - that is, my, uh, father - he dropped it off yester, uh, day."
"Oh." His eyes rested on the gash on her knee. "And what is that?"
"Uh - I'm in a gang," she said in her deep voice. It was becoming much easier. "Uh, y'know. Being cool and all that - " She gestured a little too crazily - "And bein' a hit with the ladies, of course!" She laughed, nervously.
Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Some psycho gang?" he rejoined smoothly.
Her cheeks flushed as she wondered if he were being sarcastic. "Uh, no, dude."
"Oh. Then a gang for potheads?"
She ducked her head, the redness suffusing to her hairline and down to her neck. She did not know how to respond to his blatant assumptions. "No," she said feebly, and did not bother to laugh politely this time.
"Hm. For a moment I thought - but no, I guess you're too old to join the mental constitution." He reached for his jacket, walking past her, and opened the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm off to see my girlfriend like any normal guy would." His voice emphasized 'normal' pointedly. "That is to say, I'll leave you here to jerk off with yourself."
The door shut smoothly and Hinata's mouth fell open.
She didn't know entirely what 'jerk off' meant, but she knew it was very, very bad. He was - he was rude. A rude and - and confident roommate, someone who was arrogant and judgmental - there couldn't be anyone worse than he.
She shrugged off her book-bag, not knowing quite how to respond, and then her eyes noticed a Post-It on the side of her shoulder.
She read it, her horror growing.
Tearing your uniform was just a joke.
-K.
Author's Note: This is a massive rewrite of I am Hinata Hyuuga - you probably think I'm crazy for doing such a thing, but the previous story has been bothering me. It's been screaming for a rewrite since I clicked the "completed" button. For one thing, the tone is informal and changed paces frequently. The plot was random at times and spastic...the characters were out of character.
Secondly, it's not really finished. (AGhhhhhh!) It think it's because of the plot and casual, ineffective writing. All in all, I was unhappy about how it turned out, and it needed a lot of work.
The narrative in the rewrite is obviously third-person, and character build-up and development will be existent this time. I won't bore you with all the infinitesimal details, but I will add more dialogue and description. The first story was lacking in that.
Anyway, I won't discard the older version of the story. I'll just rewrite it. More significant characters will be added and others will be deleted, and, hopefully I'll finish the story this time.
It mainly depends on you :D If you review, I'll continue to write.
Love,
-H.H.