Psychoticbunny: Yo, peoples! 'Sup? 'Tis me, the insane person. Or Psychoticbunny, which still includes the fact that I am completely bonkers. This is my third Naruto fic, but my first one that isn't a one-shot. Now, here's the deal. I'm gonna update this fic now (duh), finish another story of mine, and then continue updating this one. There also might be a couple of updates in between and I might switch to updating this story. So yeah. On with the disclaimer. Take it away Hinata!
Hinata: T-t-the author o-of t-t-t-this f-fanfic d-d-doesn't-
Psychoticbunny: Okay, this is taking too long. Tsunade!
Tsunade: SHE DOESN'T OWN THE FIC, KONO KUSO GAKI! (Translation: you spoiled brat)
Psychoticbunny: The only warning is I might put some shojou-ai in. Enjoy!
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Before this day, I had never known a door could be this intimidating. It is large and wooden with a word painted neatly at the top, but to me it is as if it is bearing razor-sharp fangs.
The boy beside me is glaring. His very bold features, including eyes as black as a raven's feather and dark hair with an almost blue-ish tint, contrast beautifully with his pale, smooth skin. He clicks his tongue between plump, pink lips and says something with an angry gesture at the door.
I shake my head. I can't go in there! There's a picture of a little man on a blue background! I'm not stupid!
He grunts in annoyance, turns, and stalks off moodily.
I cross my legs my legs, trying to help my problem. I need to get to it, but how? I can't go through that door! But do I have a choice?
Down the hall, I see the boy come back with the teacher, a vivacious women with blood-red eyes. I can almost feel his fierce look radiating towards me.
I bite my lip anxiously. This is so embarrassing!
The teacher speaks slowly and carefully to me, as if it will help me understand. I shake my head, not knowing what else to do.
The teacher twirls her wavy hair and her enchanting eyes turn upwards in thought.
After a bit she speaks the same words, now pointing from me to the door.
"No!" I cry in distraught, but all she does is look at me like I just grew a second head.
She turns and says something to the boy, who has been watching the whole scene with an amused smirk on his face. He nods and heads back towards the classroom.
The teacher whispers what I think is supposed to be comforting and caring, but for all I know, she could be requesting me to jump off a cliff.
Then, there are two boys standing next to me. The one from before, and an almost creepy second with messy red hair and a character on his forehead over his right eye. Finally, something I can read! It says 'love.'
"What's your problem?" he says bluntly.
"I-I'm so s-s-sorry! I d-didn't mean t-t-to c-cause any t-trouble!" I stutter. I was never good at talking to people. I'm very shy.
"Well, too bad. You did. Why can't you just go to the bathroom?" he accuses. I want to crawl under a rock and cry my heart out.
"I c-can't g-g-go in t-there!" I cry out.
"Why not? The door doesn't bite, you know." Yes, but it looks like it could!
"Y-yes. B-but that n-n-not the p-problem!"
"No, it isn't. You know what the problem is? You!" I don't like this boy.
"W-what do y-you m-mean?"
He laughs at me. It sounds just as creepy as how he looks. Does he put on eyeliner? If he does, it's certainly too much.
"Jeez, it's a bathroom. I've been in there tons of times and I've never had an issue with it. Seriously, what's wrong with you? It's not like you're a girl."
"I am a g-g-girl!" Almost no stuttering.
With the way all these people are staring at me, I'm starting to actually think that I might have grown another head. I subconsciously reach a hand up to my neck to check.
"What?!" is all he manages to get out in his stupefied form. I can't blame him for thinking I'm male. My hair is short and boyish, and I'm wearing a baggy t-shirt with baggy jeans.
"I'm a girl! I'm a girl! I'm a girl! And I need to pee!" I'm surprised at my outburst, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.
He quickly explains the situation to the teacher. Or he's inviting her to dinner. I hope it's the first!
Her eyes widen in realization and he talks. After he is finished, she orders them to do something, grabs me by the hand, and leads me to another door. This one is the right one! It has a picture of a little woman on a pink background.
I rush inside and relieve myself. Oh thank you so much ancestors! I'm so lucky I got up early enough to pray to you all!
I exit after thoroughly washing my hands. I like being clean.
The teacher is waiting for me outside. I wish I knew her name.
She pulls me by the hand once more as we return to the classroom. I do wish that my classmates wont laugh at me like Creepy Boy. There. That works. Creepy Boy is the creepy boy's name. The teacher can be Ms. Pretty Lady, and the other boy…hm. He'll be Pretty Boy. I can only pray he doesn't find out about that nickname.
We reach a room with another terrifying door. They were just popping up all over the place.
I gulp as she reaches for the doorknob, half expecting for it to jump off and bite her. I want to scream, "Don't do it!" but all that would do is trigger Creepy Boy to snicker at me again, and maybe even gossip about how stupid I was with his friends.
I briefly wonder about whether or not Creepy Boy and Pretty Boy are companions, but am forced to stop as I get yanked into the room.
Ms. Pretty Lady smiles and… well, I'll presume she's introduced me. Some people are waving, and others (like Creepy Boy and Pretty Boy) ignore me like Ms. Pretty Lady dragged in a log instead of a human.
Then, she instructs Creepy Boy to do something and he glares at me with those unnatural, turquoise eyes. I think I may have accidentally walked into a glaring contest between Pretty Boy and he.
"She wants you to introduce yourself," he states in a monotone.
"Oh. O-okay. M-m-my name's N-neji. H-hyuuga Neji," I practically whisper.
"Not in Chinese, doofus! English!" His name is now Creepy Boy That I Don't Like. Or maybe that's a bit long…
"Quit spacing off!" he scolds.
I apologize quietly.
Ms. Pretty Lady looks at us quizzically and says something else to Creepy Boy. Yes, I'll just leave it as Creepy Boy.
He replies with my name.
Ms. Pretty Lady points at a chair next to Creepy Boy, saying something else. I'm not sure what she means. Does she want me to get the chair for her?
I nervously walk over (everyone's watching me), pick up the chair, and begin walking back before Creepy Boy stops me.
"She told you to sit down! Now put down the chair! You look like an idiot! Can't you speak English?"
I blush and return the chair to its original position. Hesitantly sinking into it, I see Pretty Boy chucking at me. This only makes me blush harder.
Ms. Pretty Lady starts elucidating the homework from last night (or from several nights ago, for all I know), which I do not have so I tune her out, taking this opportunity to examine my classmates.
On my left, (unfortunately) sits Creepy Boy. Every so often his eyes flick towards me and away, once he perceives I'm looking back. Pretty Boy is sitting across from me, making tiny check marks on every problem. To my right is an attractive girl with long, sleek blond hair. She stares non-stop at Pretty Boy, but he either doesn't notice or doesn't mind. The boy diagonally to my right has his pineapple-shaped ponytail sticking up, head resting on his desk. Oh no! Is he in trouble?
Not wanting to cause commotion, I lean over to my left and murmur, "Is t-that b-b-boy okay?"
"Who?" Creepy Boy answers testily. "Oh, you mean Shikamaru. Yeah. He's fine. The lazy bum's just sleeping. He always does that in class."
"B-but he s-s-should b-be paying attention o-or else h-h-he'll f-f-fail!"
"Nah. That guy's a genius. Sleeps through class, yet does all his homework and aces every test."
"W-what? B-b-but d-doesn't he g-get-"
Creepy Boy interrupts me. "You know, it's really annoying when you stutter. Cut it out."
"S-sorry. I mean sorry."
"Anyway, shut up. I'm trying to pay attention."
I doubt that, but don't mention it. What good would it do to anger him more? Getting back to my classmates.
A brunet is sitting diagonally to my left. He's passing notes with a blond boy near him. A pink-haired girl glares at them disapprovingly as they snicker at the tiny papers.
A little farther on a boy in… oh my god. Is that spandex? Green spandex? Oh, my eyes. Oh, my poor eyes. Oh dear, that's very disturbing.
Anyway, moving right along, Spandex Boy is gazing at Pink Girl with the same look on his face as Blond Girl.
I finally get over the spandex and am able to inspect Spandex Boy.
Okay. I wish I just stuck with the spandex. Oh dear. Those eyelashes. And that hair. Oh dear.
I copy Shirimari? Shimiranu? Sleepy Boy. There we go. So, I copy Sleepy boy and place my head on my desk.
"You okay?"
I let out a shriek at the sudden voice and everybody's eyes are on me for the second time this day. Creepy Boy is glaring at me with more irritation than usual.
Ms. Pretty Lady looks at me, concerned, before telling Creepy Boy to do something. He tries to respond, but she cuts him off and repeats herself.
He looks very frustrated, and for a second I think he is going to attack Ms. Pretty Lady, but only demands me to follow him.
"W-where are w-w-we –sorry- where are we going?" I inquire.
"Nurse," he grunts.
"Why? I'm not sick. I feel fine," I say.
"Tell Ms. Stupid then! I tried to tell her what happened, but she never listens to me!" he rages.
I squeak in fear. I hate it when people get angry.
He pauses for a moment and then mutters something.
"Huh?"
"I said I'm sorry," he mumbles, a bit more clearly.
"Oh. T-that's –sorry, it's a habit- that's okay." I smile at him and even though he immediately swings his head to the side, I still see the light pink on his cheeks and his lips turned up ever so slightly. He doesn't look that creepy when he smiles. Maybe I'll change his name to Smile Boy. Actually…
"Um, what's your name?"
We've started walking again, but he stops and turns to face me.
"Oh yeah. It's Gaara. Nice to meet you… Neji, right?" He says.
"Yeah." I say and bow. "Nice to meet you."
I hear a snort of amusement, a mutter of, "Overly polite," and footsteps.
With a start, I apprehend that he's begun walking without me. I jog a bit to catch up, however, he just picks up his pace. Catching onto the game, I also increase my speed and soon we're racing to the nurse's office.
Gaara is winning and doesn't even seem to be trying very hard, while I am running at my top speed and panting like a dog on a hot summer's day.
Before I know it, he stops, and I find myself with a face-full of his shirt. He flinches, but doesn't say anything.
"Ow. What's wrong?"
"Teachers. Smile and look innocent."
I peek over his shoulder at a man with his chocolate-colored hair pulled back in a ponytail chatting casually with another man, this one with gravity-defying silver hair and… wait. Is that a mask over his face? Yes, yes it is. What kind of teacher wears a mask?
They momentarily greet Gaara and me before continuing their conversation. Again, I'm just assuming they've greeted us, and not asked us to go bungee jumping in the Himalayas.
"Mr. Kakashi and Mr. Iruka," Gaara says, distracting me from the visual in my mind of us leaping down mountains.
"Wha?" I've gotta work harder at paying attention to people or everyone will think I'm mentally challenged (or maybe they already think that).
"The two teachers. Those are their names."
"Oh."
We continue walking, void of any conversation.
"So…" Gaara says, trying to break the silence. "Why are you dressed like that anyway?"
"Like what?" I ask.
"Like a boy," he replies.
"Oh. It's… um… well…"
"You don't want to tell me?"
"It's not that I don't want to, but you'll probably just laugh at me." I halt and stare down at my sneakers.
"I wont."
"No, you will."
"No, I wont. Not if you don't want me to."
"I… okay. I'll tell. My parents want me to." I rub my shoes against the floor so they make a squeaking sound.
"So? Why follow their orders?"
"I don't want to disappoint them anymore." I stop rubbing. I want to cry. I really do. That's my greatest fear: Disappointing people, especially those dear to me, yet I do it anyway.
"How have you disappointed them?" The voice is a lot closer than I expect. Gaara has moved right next to me.
"I should've been a boy. If I could've done anything in my life differently, I would've been a boy." I'm surprised my voice hasn't cracked. I don't like talking about this.
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I ask in return. And he calls me stupid. "Girls can't do anything! Girls don't have power! Only boys do! So I have to dress like a boy for good luck so I'll have a younger brother. Then, I'll be given away to the orphanage because my parents wont have a use for me any longer. I only have one year left. It's Hyuuga tradition to wait ten years before having a second child. And then I'll be useless."
I burst into sobs after squeezing the explanation out. It hurts so much, knowing that you're not even wanted by your own parents.
I can tell Gaara is unsure of what to do. He raises his arms as if he wants to pat or hug me, but stops mid-way and lets them flop back to their previous positions at his sides.
"Shhh. It'll be okay," he states with uncertainty. A hug would make it better. Holding his hand, burying my face in his shirt, just as long as we are touching. That's what I desire: human contact, the one thing my parents refuse to give me.
I shyly reach my hand out to touch his check. He doesn't notice; he is too busy attempting to cheer me up with his awkward words.
My tears ease up as I near his face. The closer I get, the calmer I become. My heavy sobs have been reduced to mere sniffles, as I am just about to stroke it.
I am absolutely silent as my index finger gently brushes his soft skin. I am amazed. I had thought it would be rough, like his personality.
He instantly jumps back, like he has been slapped. His eyes, so sinister and frightening all this time, do not scare me now. They have been replaced with something else. What? It's not anger or shock, but perhaps an emotion I am all too familiar with. Is that fear I see? What has upset him?
"Gaara, are-"
"Let's go back to the classroom," he says stiffly and briskly struts in that direction.
I have to jog to keep up, except this time no game has been generated. We go in a quiet manner.
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Psychoticbunny: So, what do you think? Like it, hate it? I think I might actually switch to this story now that I've typed it up. Now, voting time! I do want tomake this romance so you have three choices for couples (unless I add more): Gaahina, Inohina, and Sasuhina. You can also offer your own pairing as a side-pairing or a main pairing, but…
Warning: If it's not Gaahina (which is where it's heading right now), there is a chance I will pair Gaara with Lee.
Warning #2: If you ask for Naruhina, Narusaku, or Sasusaku, forget it because those are my least favorite pairings. I do like Shikatema and Shikaino though, and I also don't mind any shojou-ai and shounen-ai pairings besides Orosasu because it creeps me out.
Other than that, all I have to add is that even thought it's rated K now, the rating might go up for cursing and violence, if I choose to put it in. The highest it will go to is T, though, because I don't write M-rated fics. Oh wait! I do have something more to add! I might be switching p.o.v. in the chapters. So bye! Review and I'll work harder on getting the next chapter up!