Chapter 1: The Bus Ride
I sighed as I gazed up at the ceiling in my room. Today was Saturday and I had a lot to do. I was a new transfer and Hidden Leaf High School, the most high credited school in the village. It was dawn now. In two hours, I would be getting ready to leave. Every time I'd try to close my eyes for extra sleep, dreadful thoughts about this new school emerged in my hazy mind, causing me to take over five minutes to think about positive outcomes and not negative.
Before I knew it, it was time for me to get ready for the bus ride. If I missed the bus, I'd be scolded by my siblings and the teachers at the school. I sat at the edge of my bed, yawning in the early sunlight. Sluggishly, I stood up and entered my bathroom. I blinked out the sleepiness in my eyes as I came to the sink. Once my vision had improved, I stared myself in the eye through mirror. I frowned as the horrible thoughts flooded my mind again.
I'd miss my apartment. The shiny bathroom and such. Now I'd be living in a corridor. Sighing, I twisted the sink handle and cold water splashed into the sink bowl. I cupped my hand together, filling them with water. I threw the water on my face, chilling my cheeks and making me shiver and it trailed down my body. Questions flooded my mind like;
Who would I be neighboring by?
Would the people be welcoming and warm?
What were the teachers like?
Why was it the most credited school?
How would living there be?
Where would I be in the thoughts of other's minds?
My eyes started to water but I swiftly wiped away the tears. I had to stay strong for this. And if anything happened, I knew how to use my fists. I let out a sigh to relax myself as I continued to rinse my face. I pulled out my toothbrush out of one of my packed bags and started to wash my teeth. Rinsing my mouth and my tooth brush, I slipped it back in my bag. I brought my bag back into my room. Setting it back on the bed, I pulled off my red pajama shirt and folded it neatly before fitting into my suitcase. I shook water off my face and sat down on the edge of the bed again.
I took out my light green shirt and my red jacket from under my pillow. I put them on slowly, wanting to have to last moments in my apartment without hast. I tugged on my black jeans and grabbed my suitcase and other bags. I looked down at the necklace I was wearing. It was from my brother and sister. A good luck charm that only made me feel worse. If good luck was needed, then I knew this was going to be bad.
I gathering my belongings and headed out the door. I felt the breeze in my hair as I walked. I sat down at the bus stop, resting my tired feet from all the dragging. On the bench, I sat quietly and waited for the bus. A heard a rustle beside me and I turned around. Next to me on the bench, a boy about my age sat down, huffing with suit cases and bags at his feet. His dark blue eyes glistened in the sunlight. His black hair was pulled back a little. I stared at him for a while, taking in his look and his situation. Was he going to the same school?
He turned to me with those dark, piercing eyes and my eyes widened. Those eyes carried such darkness. If looks could kill, I'd drop dead. I quickly looked away, acting as if I was rummaging in my bag. We sat there at the bus stop silently until the mysterious one broke the silence. "We're here early. Might as well talk a bit." My eyes narrowed and I tried to keep my focus on a random rock in the street. What was this guy playing at?
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." He introduced himself with a cold voice. Reluctantly, I spoke out. "Gaara." I said my name with a thick caution. Sasuke blinked and rose any eyebrow. "You seem confined." He muttered, turning away from me and locking his attention to a far off bird. I didn't like how he could read feelings. Did he see it in my eyes?
I decided to give him the satisfaction of hearing me speak. "Are you transferring at Hidden Leaf High School?" Sasuke nodded, not saying anything afterwards. I sighed and brushed my hair back some. Sasuke eyes were piercing into my hair and I gave him a questioning look. His expression was blank as he stared at my hair. "You're hair is extremely red." He muttered, turning away again. I grabbed my hood and put it over my head. "You could have just told me if it bothers." I insisted. Sasuke shot me a quick glance before whispering. "No, I kinda like it."
I felt only the slightest bit surprised. Right now, I didn't care what this guy said. I jerked my hood down in frustration. There was a faint screeching of wheels and a big bus was seen down a few streets. All you could see, is that it was black. Shiny black. As soon as I was about to get my bag from beside me, there was tug on my neck and I looked down to see that Sasuke had my necklace pendulum placed carefully in his hand. He examined the small red marble feather. "That's pretty cool." He commented before letting go of it. I relaxed as he withdrew.
The bus stopped next to us and it's door slowly slide open. A bus with sliding doors. They really got it real at this school. Maybe the corridors wouldn't be as bad as I imagined. I gathered my things and boarded the bus. I sat down in the back, wanting to be alone. The bus wasn't moving. Once again the familiar rustle was heard. Sasuke had sat down next to me. I tensed, in both irritation and shock. The bus pulled away from the bus stop and headed to the next stop. Sasuke and I were the only ones who were on the bus at the time. I picked the conversation back up. "Aren't you uneasy about this?" I murmured.
Sasuke rested his forehead in his hands and nodded. "To be honest I am. Not being able to see my brother kind of shakes me." I rose my head, suddenly interested. "Your brother?" Sasuke let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Itachi Uchiha. We lived together without our parents." I saw a flash of sadness in his shadowy eyes. I didn't want to ask what happened to his parents, thinking it might get him too deep. "I lived alone." I said, gazing at him. Sasuke lifted his head to look at me in awe. "Alone? With nobody?" I nodded and sat back in my seat. "I do have a brother and sister. Temari and Kankuro. They used to visit me but we all lived separately." Sasuke seemed completely confused. "Why didn't you all live together." I shrugged. I myself didn't know much about it.
Sasuke shook his head as if he didn't get it at all. The bus jerked to a stop, causing Sasuke and I to be thrown back into our seats. Our heads hit the seat hard and we instantly held the backs of our heads. I looked up wearily and saw that others were boarding the bus. "Sasuke, look." I said. Sasuke rose his head, still holding it in the pain. "Ugh, more people." He whined, going back onto the seat. I relaxed back onto the seat, happy to rest my head. There was a loud thump that made my head throb. I turned my head to see a girl with pink hair had sat on the seat in front of us with another girl. The other girls hair was purple and long.
"This school will be great Hinata!" The pink haired girl cheered, settling into her seat. The other one who must have been Hinata had stayed silent, putting her bags at her feet. There was a quieter thump and a boy with really long, silky brown hair sat down in the seat across from Hinata. "This whole thing is ridiculous." He muttered drowsily. I heard Sasuke chuckle and he nodded. "Sure is." The bus moved on. The brown haired boy must have heard Sasuke. Since the bus was moving, he had to support himself on the chairs to sit down across from Sasuke. "I'm Neji Hyuga." He pronounced his last name a bit oddly, but I remembered that name. "You're from the Hyuga Clan?" I asked. Neji nodded and went back to his seat, Hinata was calling him over.
The world around us outside, flashed by with beams of light. It made me dizzy so I turned away from the window. I felt Sasuke freeze next to me. "He's stopping." Sasuke warned. I sighed and held onto the seat in front of me. Sasuke did the same as the bus came to a rusty stop. Sasuke smirked. "Damn bus driver." He muttered, leaning back into his seat. I let out the breath was I holding in and nestled back into the seat. I examined the people who came onto the bus. A boy with short brown hair and red marks on both of his cheeks. Neji seemed delighted to see him. "Kiba! Sit next to me!" Neji called to him. Kiba smiled brightly and sat down next to him.
"That's last stop! Off to the school!" The bus driver informed. The bus was on the move again. "In case we get separated," I heard Sasuke say. I glanced at him. He held out a paper that read, -Third Floor, Room 25A-. I took the paper and smiled at Sasuke softly. "Thanks. Oh, um, let me give you my room number and everything." I dug in my hand bag and found my gray notebook and a blue pen. I carefully ripped out a small piece of paper and placed the notebook back in the bag. I twisted the pen in my hand a bit before writing down my room address. -Fourth Floor, Room 12B-. Sasuke folded the paper neatly and pushed into his pocket. "Thank you." He murmured.
I placed his address in my pocket and relaxed into my seat once again. My eyes fluttered shut. I felt so sleepy. Suddenly, my body surrendered to sleep. I was patted on the head a bit and was awoken by Sasuke. My eyes widened and embarrassment flooded through me as I saw that I had been leaning on him. The bus ride wasn't over. His hand softly rested on my shoulder and I tried my hardest not fidget. My head was on his chest and I realized that he was drifting into sleep as well.
Unfortunately, the bus came to another one of it's unskillful stops, ramming my head into his chest. Sasuke gasped and hit his head again. I swiftly sat up and tried to clear my head as I picked up my bags and suitcases. Sasuke did the same and we rushed out of the bus. Before us stood a large building with the words labeling it; Boy's Corridors