Disclaimer: Nope, nope, nope.
Fired Up on Free Will
Sakura squatted behind the stage curtain, peeking out the side to catch a glimpse of the crowd shuffling around on the dance floor. There had to be at least two hundred and fifty people out there, maybe even three hundred. Sakura ran a hand through her hair as she looked up toward the balcony, and grinned. Definitely at least three hundred, then.
She rose to her feet and turned to look at the eight individuals behind her. Sasuke was alternating between tuning a guitar and fiddling with his drum sticks, while Naruto was engaging in an energetic conversation with Kiba about the merits of acoustic versus electric. Ino was warming up her voice with the help of Chouji, and Shikamaru was going over stage-lighting specs with Shino at his side. Sakura made her way toward Ino, tugging on the blonde girl's long ponytail to get her attention.
"Ow! What gives, Forehead Girl?" Ino asked, hands flying up to smooth any hairs that may have fallen out of place. Sakura rolled her eyes and adjusted a few of Ino's bobby pins.
"There's a huge crowd out there, all we have to do is not screw it up and we'll all be getting high marks for sure!" Sakura squealed, smiling from ear to ear. Ino's face brightened into a smile to match Sakura's own and tightly gripped the pink-haired girl's shoulders in excitement.
Sakura couldn't help but let her smile widen. They were all in their second year at Leaf Academy, the most prestigious school in the Fire country for musically-gifted kids. Their instructors were former and current musicians whose names were easily recognizable throughout the five countries. As a student, to graduate from Leaf with high marks was good, but to graduate with both high marks and notoriety was even better. That was what the show nights were all about.
At least once every other month, the students of Leaf Academy would be assigned to schedule a show to display their talents and musical prowess. A lot went in to booking a venue, advertising, and arranging songs to perform. The shows were a large draw for the city of Konoha's music scene, and record label executives were also known to stop by the performances. It was ideal; entertainment was provided for the masses while the students were given an opportunity for exposure.
Though they were each assigned to three-man teams which served as their core group, the students of Leaf Academy often got together with additional teams to provide backup vocals and instruments. Looking around, Sakura couldn't help but think to herself that her team, Team Seven, paired with teams Eight, Ten and occasionally with the third-years of Team Guy, was one of the best groupings Leaf had seen in years. Each of them had strengths which played to each other's weaknesses, and the teamwork they exhibited together was near-flawless. When, for example, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten had harmonized their voices the past weekend in the middle of Konoha's biggest shopping district to advertise for the show, such a large crowd had gathered and cheered that Sakura had known the production would be a success. Though Tenten and the rest of her team hadn't been able to make the current show, Sakura was already looking forward to singing with her, Ino, and Hinata at the next one. Speaking of which...
"Has anyone seen Hinata?" Sakura asked, raising her voice above the din generated by her classmates. Shino looked up from his position besides Shikamaru.
"She's having a conversation with Hiashi-sama about her attire for the night," Shino replied, adjusting his ever-present sunglasses. Ino looked over at him, her brow furrowed quizzically.
"What? Why would Hyuuga-sama need to speak to Hinata about her clothes?" Ino gestured to her own outfit as she spoke, and Sakura stifled a snort. If Hinata had worn anything close to what Ino was wearing, then she could definitely have seen why Hyuuga Hiashi would want to have words with his daughter. Hinata's outfit had been a far cry from Ino's sheer tapered mini-skirt and bustier, however. Last time Sakura had seen her, the dark-haired girl had been wearing a modest long-sleeved black dress which reached mid-thigh.
"Hyuuga-sama said she was showing too much skin," Kiba answered, stepping away from Naruto. Ino's confused expression quickly changed to an annoyed one as she began to open her mouth to speak. Before she could get a word out, however, Hinata stormed into the room, a grinning Kurenai close behind her with a garment bad slung over her shoulder. All traces of the sweet, shy girl that usually was Hyuuga Hinata were gone, replaced by a fire in her eyes and a rebellious look on her face. She stopped and faced them all.
"H-Hinata-chan, what..." Naruto began, eyes wide at the dark-haired girl's uncharacteristic personality shift. Even Sasuke ceased fiddling with his drumsticks and looked up.
"He said I'm being immodest and showing too much skin! Me! Immodest!" Hinata loudly announced, incredulity coloring her voice. She turned around to look at her mentor, and matched Kurenai's grin perfectly. "Well if this," Hinata motioned to her outfit as she spoke, "is showing too much, that's no problem. Kurenai-sensei brought me something I can cover up in." At that, Kurenai took Hinata's arm and began to guide the younger girl offstage toward the venue's dressing room.
"You kids better get ready," Kurenai called over her shoulder as she and Hinata walked away, "Your mentors are in the crowd, and they're expecting a fantastic performance." Kurenai ushered Hinata through the dressing room door before turning fully to face the eight performers. "Team Asuma, you're up first, followed by Team Kakashi. My team, you'll be closing the show. Break a leg."
Sakura's chest heaved as she cut off the last note, holding the microphone high with both hands and gazing toward the venue's balcony. The crowd erupted in deafening applause and the pink-haired teen couldn't help but glance at her teammates, a wide smile stretching across her lips. Naruto energetically waved to the crowd with both hands, while Sasuke looked out over the sea of people with a slight grin on his face. Multiple girls screamed fanatically as the Uchiha raised his hand in a semi-wave, and Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes as the curtain fell in front of them.
"That was AWESOME Sakura-chan!" Naruto enthused, engulfing the shorter girl in a massive bear-hug and motioning for Sasuke to join in. Looking slightly horrified, Sasuke instead took several steps backwards and held up his hands in a defensive gesture. Sakura stuck out her tongue at the dark-haired boy, returning Naruto's suffocating hug with a bone-crushing squeeze of her own before disentangling herself and walking offstage to grab her keyboard.
"I'm on synth and backup vocals for Team Kurenai's set," Sakura said over her shoulder, hefting the heavy instrument up with one hand and its stand in the other. After setting her instrument in place and connecting all the necessary cables, she looked around in slight confusion. Shino and Kiba were prepping their guitar and drums behind the dropped curtain, but Hinata was nowhere to be found. Sakura turned toward Naruto to inquire about the dark-haired girl's location, but stopped short at the glassy-eyed look on his face. Following his gaze, Sakura's jaw dropped.
Hinata emerged onstage, dressed in a high-collared, skin-tight black catsuit with a golden zipper which was fastened just high enough to cover her chest but left her collarbones and neck bare. Brushing her long dark hair behind her shoulder, Hinata walked confidently to take her position at the microphone in front of her team. The rest of them could only look on in shock; even Sasuke was alternating between staring and pulling Naruto offstage as Team Kurenai's performance was announced on the venue's loudspeakers.
"Damn, girl..." Kiba mumbled in awe as he took his seat behind his drum set. Hinata turned to face the three of them, and blushed slightly.
"It's Kurenai-sensei's, from one of her first tours," Hinata muttered by way of explanation, fiddling with the zipper slightly before smiling at her assembled team.
"Hinata-chan," Sakura called to her peer as the curtain began to rise, "I could get used to this version of you!" Hinata's smile widened and she turned back to the microphone. Kiba began to strike the rhythm on his drums as the curtain rose fully, and Sakura's fingers danced along her keyboard as Shino strummed the opening notes on his guitar.
'Well,' Sakura fleetingly thought as Hinata began to sing their cover to one of Kurenai's first hit singles, 'Hyuuga-sama did say she was showing too much skin...'
Author's Notes:
-The song I imagine Hinata singing at the end is 'Tesko Suicide' by Sneaker Pimps. Check it out, you won't be sorry.
-Also, what the heck is Hinata's hair color? Dark purple? Black? Blue/black? I swear every picture I see of her it's completely different.
-Do I know anything about keyboards, synthesizers, drums, or guitars? No. Do I know anything about what it takes to rent a venue for a show? No. Enjoy the fiction of the story, my friends.
-I am very pleased to say that this is my first Naruto fic ever posted on ! I truly hope you all enjoyed. I may or may not add additional chapters to the story, we'll have to see how the inspiration fairy feels about it.
-Reviews are always appreciated, even the critical ones. Let me know what you think!