Chapter 1: Of virtues and life
It was cloudy in the summer morning of September. Groups of teens walked all together into a tall building where they would be well received by men dressed in a certain type of uniform. Those were the ones who guarded the building. Everyone greeted each other cheerfully. The atmosphere around was youthful and joyful.
The classes at Konoha High had started around a month ago. While some students were full of excitement, others were still bummed as they passed the front gates of the school being reminded of another semester full of work and drama. But nonetheless, the front gates of Konoha High were always admired by even the most rebellious students that hated school. Not only did the front of the school give a good impression; for there were a lot of freshmen complimenting the landscape as they entered. A group of girls admired the garden full of flowers with a variety of colors; despite the day being gloomy.
For some reason, everyone stopped on their tracks and looked behind them to see a large black car stop at the front of the school. The group of girls who were admiring the garden quickly rushed into the front of the school to see the person that had arrived, completely forgetting about the garden.
"Sasuke-kun!" The girls screamed as they saw a handsome tall man stepping out of the vehicle. With elegance, he took his bag full of books. With a cold gaze, he walked in between the group of girls who were trying to drag his attention. Not once did he bother to look at any of them, nor did he have the slightest intention of greeting anyone. As he made his way to the building, he managed to listen to a certain group of guys murmuring into each other's ears about how much of an arrogant he was. Maybe they were right, he always thought about how his attitude irritated many of his classmates; except the girls of course. But for him it was of no importance listening to other people's concerns.
Just as he didn't care about the weather being so gloomy that day, he didn't care what others thought about him. He only cared about himself in the most selfish matter.
A girl with dark long watched the whole scene with amusement. She wasn't surprised about the fact of seeing so many girls forming a group to receive the handsomest boy in the school. She was astonished of the way he had ignored the entire group, and how he didn't even bother to greet the others. It was no wonder that her friend Kiba was always talking about him. Not in a good way of course. She guessed that he was jealous of him as well, but there was only one thing she had agreed with Kiba.
He is the most stubborn and ungrateful person I've ever met in the world. She thought of her friend's words. Even though he has money, he looks at the entire world as if we were a big bunch of monkeys. I can't recall the time he ever said thank you to anyone.
Maybe her friend Kiba was jealous of Sasuke after all, but he was right about him not ever being grateful to anyone. She too came from a wealthy family. But the only few people who knew how wealthy she is where her closest friends. But nonetheless, she had nothing against Sasuke Uchiha but just the wish of him of realizing the many blessings he had around him.
"Hinata!" A tall girl with short pink hair said as she waved at her.
"Good morning Sakura-san," Hinata said smiling at her friend.
"Ready for the Calculus test today?" Sakura said.
"Don't mention it big forehead." Both Hinata and Sakura turned to see Ino approaching them with a not so pleasant expression.
"Let me guess," Sakura said. "You were up all night watching 'The Misfortunes of Sally Stewart' and forgot about the test today."
"Yes in fact I was." Ino girl said smiling ironically. "Besides, I never understood the topic. The teacher didn't even give us enough time to study…"
"Ino-pig he did." Sakura said glaring at Ino. "He gave us three weeks. I think that is enough time to finish watching your series."
"But it was the season finale!" Ino said. "Look, whatever. I'll just copy from you're test."
"No you will not! I studied hard for this test; you have no idea how much. So it's not my responsibility whether you fail or not."
"Wow what a great friend you are big forehead." Ino said sarcastically. Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at Hinata.
"I-Ino-san," Hinata said quietly. "I-I can tutor you before the test…"
"And do you guarantee I won't fail?"
"Ino!"
"What? I at least want to start my semester with good grades. Last year my grades were awful." Ino said as she pulled out a cherry lollipop from her bag and popped it into her mouth. The guys that were passing by her looked at her with a blush on their cheeks and sighing at the way she sucked the lollipop.
Ino was considered one of the most beautiful girls in the school. Her long blonde hair, in which she would usually tie it in a pony tail, would drag everyone's attention by how rich and healthy it looked. Most of the guys would drool for her as she would walk by them. Her body was one to die for, and her flirty personality would captivate any man's eyes. She had had several boyfriends, but none of which had been serious with her. She would always look for Hinata and Sakura to console her whenever one of her boyfriends would break up with her. But in a way, she would still get back up and keep moving forward for she had a very positive personality that Hinata always admired from her.
Unlike Ino, Sakura was considered as a beautiful girl as well, but most guys were scared of her personality. Whenever she felt that a guy would try to make a move on her, she would use her tough attitude and scare him away. In a way, Hinata liked it because she would scare the stalkers that would follow them whenever they went out to the mall. But Sakura's attitude would sometimes scare Hinata a little bit. But nonetheless, the three of them had gotten close since freshman year. Sakura and Ino already knew each other since childhood and basically their personalities were very similar; except that Ino was flirtier and Sakura wasn't. They would always fight like sisters all the time, but Hinata knew how much they both cared for each other.
"I-It depends on you…" Hinata said to Ino, she raised her brow while noticing the guys that were drooling over her friend. "I can help you out, but you have to put your effort in it."
"If it helps… then I can lend you my notebook so that you can get an example of the exercises." Sakura said while trying look as though she didn't care; trying to show some arrogance in her voice which did not work at all. She was naturally always helpful to others… only if they deserved it.
"Alright, I will!" Ino said cheerfully. She suddenly wrapped each of her arms on top of her friend's shoulders, dragging them into a big bear hug while walking toward their classroom.
"I knew I could count on the two of you!"
"Yeah yeah… Now let us go you pig, we're suffocating here…" Sakura said forcing her voice due to the lack of oxygen.
"Oops!" Ino quickly took her arms off each of them while giggling in the girly way she always did. "We'll group up after second period."
"Group up, for what?" A guy with tan skin said, approaching them as he grinned.
"None of your business buddy." Ino said glaring at him.
"Oh really, then Hinata, is it okay if I 'group up' with you too?" That made said girl blush furiously and hide her red cheeks by looking at the floor.
"That is the lamest joke that you've said right after the first one you told us when we met you," Ino said while crossing both of her arms. "Let's face it Kiba, you ain't funny!"
"Well, at least I try." He said shrugging his shoulders.
"What are you doing here anyway? This isn't your homeroom."
"You don't need to remind me, I came here to talk to Hinata." Kiba said getting near Hinata.
"Oohhh… Are you finally going to ask her out?" Ino said.
"Well, only if Hinata accepts." Kiba said winking at said girl, making her face go completely red. He always liked teasing her like that.
Kiba liked teasing Hinata since childhood. In a way, everybody suspected that he had a crush on her; but it was very difficult to see whether he did or not since they were both best friends. Whenever someone would ask him about his feelings for Hinata, he would always say something that would leave them confused; he knew how to defend himself from others really well. But Hinata never once saw him as more than just a friend. Shino was the other guy that the two of them had spent their childhood together. The three of them were always together. They were the only two guys that Hinata wouldn't get so nervous around. They were basically her older brothers.
Kiba noticed how red her face was so he changed his expression into a serious one. "But seriously though, we need to talk." Hinata nodded and Kiba made the gesture that he wanted to talk alone outside. Hinata then followed him out of the classroom.
"S-So what is it that you want to talk about?" Hinata said shyly. Kiba smirked at her expression.
Same ol' Hina. Kiba thought as he then ran a hand in between a piece of her hair that was on her front shoulder. It was the little things that he did, that even though Hinata thought of him as a brother and as her best friend, it would make her nervous sometimes.
"Has your father talked to you?" He said taking his hand off her hair.
"N-No… Why?" Kiba then looked at her. She could see that there was something going on whenever her friend looked at her with such a serious expression; normally he was always joking and smiling.
"I don't think this is the right time to tell you… But you have a right to know..."
"About what?" And as soon as Kiba was about to answer her question, he felt a sudden dark aura in his back, making him shiver and feel goose bumps run all over his arms.
I'm dead. Kiba thought as he feared the worst about to happen.
"Hinata-sama, may I know why is Kiba so close to you?"
"Neji-nissan…" Hinata said as she left Kiba's side and went to greet her cousin.
"Hey man, I was only talking to her." Kiba said raising his hands as if he were about to get arrested. "There's nothing to be worried about, besides she's my friend, we hangout all the time."
"Yes, but it doesn't mean I have let my guard down." Neji said glaring at him.
"As if I'll ever do anything to her," Kiba said, and now he really did feel like mocking him. "You know, Hinata is a full grown woman now… She doesn't need a bodyguard to be around her all the time."
"Well, when I see people like you surrounding her… It makes me think that something bad might happen to her." Neji said as he crossed his arms in his usual arrogant way. "It is when she mostly needs to be taken care of…"
"Of what," Kiba said starting to approach Neji in a dangerous way. He then grabbed Neji at his collar, pulling him close to his face. All the time, Neji never changed his expression. "A thug. Delinquent. Playboy?"
"Okay guys I think this is enough." A girl with two buns on the top of her head said as she separated the two of them. "Neji, we should go. Rock Lee is waiting for us in the class; remember we have a project to finish before the teacher comes in."
"Yeah, you better listen to your girlfriend. She clearly knows how much of a pussy you are to take on a man." It was then Neji's turn to grab Kiba tightly from his collar and pull him close to his face.
"What did you say?"
"N-Neji-nissan, please don't do anything to him…" Hinata said, fearing for the worst to happen. She knew how much her cousin over protected her; especially if there was a boy included. "H-He's only joking to mock you… You know K-Kiba-kun can be an idiot sometimes…"
"I said enough already." Ten Ten said grabbing Neji's arm and pulling him away from Kiba. "You can later deal with him after school. Not in the hallway where a teacher can see you."
Neji then took a deep breath to relax his shoulder.
"Fine… Inuzuka, I won't let my guard down on you." Neji said still looking at him as Ten Ten was still holding his arm, pulling him away as fast as possible.
"What just happened?" They turned around to see Sakura standing next to the door. She had been there all the time since the moment she heard Kiba's laughter and Neji's threat. "More like, what did you do now?"
"Me?" Kiba said pointing at himself. "I was only talking to Hinata. It's Neji that keeps coming out of nowhere thinking that I'll rape her."
They suddenly heard the three bells ringing; indicating that they needed to be at their seats already for the first period to start.
"Shit, now I'm late for Economy." Kiba said opening his eyes wide nervously. He then turned around to go. "Hinata, our conversation isn't over. There is something important that you should know." And with that said he rushed back to his classroom.
"Is he finally going to confess to you?" Sakura said, making Hinata jump at the sudden question.
"S-Sakura-san, n-not you too!"
"What? He may be your childhood friend, but it seems as though you two spend too much time together." She said winking at her. "No wonder Neji gets jealous."
"H-He does not… He just gets a little concerned."
"Sure, whatever you say Hina." Sakura said smiling playfully at her.
As the two girls entered the class, Sakura couldn't help but look at Sasuke sitting at the left side of the classroom. He was always sitting in the corner where no one would disturb him. She, on the other side, had always wanted to sit next to him. But the first time she did, she tried to make conversation with him and all he said was that she was being annoying; which felt like a bucket full of ice cold water falling on top of her.
Sasuke seemed to notice that someone was looking at him so he turned to look at the person with his usual cold and serious gaze. Sakura noticed and quickly looked away.
It was no secret to Hinata about her friend having feelings for Sasuke. She had always made it obvious since the first time she met him. And as cute and as sweet as it looked like, Hinata couldn't help but feel bad for her friend; for she knew that Sasuke's pride would never let him lay eyes on her friend Sakura. Deep down, she still hoped that Sasuke's attitude could change and notice her friend.
The whole classroom sat down right when the teacher started calling for assistance. Only a few weren't present in the moment.
Since the teacher was passing next to Hinata, she heard him calling a certain name and making an unpleasant expression as he called him out. The person he had called wasn't present at the moment. But Hinata managed to hear the teacher whispering something about 'how troublesome he was for always being late'. She didn't exactly know who it was, but it seemed as though the student was very fond of Iruka.
And so the class started. Many were already asleep; some were throwing tiny papers at each other while others, like Hinata and Sakura, were actually paying attention to the lecture.
The lecture was suddenly interrupted by the door busting open roughly; making Hinata jump a little after being so silently concentrated. A blonde boy was then seen getting into the classroom as fast as he could. What caught Hinata's attention were the unusual three whisker marks at each cheek that he had. His tan skin was covered in sweat. His blonde hair was messy, and it looked wild the way he styled it. Wild in a good way; at least that's what Hinata thought.
"I'm here… I'm here…" He said in between each breath he took, breathing heavy.
"Naruto, you're late, again." He waited for him to catch his breath. "Unless there was an emergency with a relative, or a sudden death, then I would consider you free from detention… But if it's because you overslept again, then I have no choice but to-"
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto said finally already relaxing his breathing, and interrupting the teacher. "I promise I'll get to school early from now on… But please, don't put me on detention again! It would be the tenth time this month!"
"And not to mention the twenty fifth time in less than two months…" As Iruka said this, the whole classroom was heard laughing. Some were giggling to themselves, trying to seem unnoticeable, while others were noticeably making fun of him by laughing. Even Sakura and Ino were giggling a little; except for Hinata. She was impressed by the way Naruto had had the courage to show up to class even though it was late; and that the teacher would scold him in front of the whole classroom. If it was her, she would've already died from embarrassment. She was sure Naruto would blush in embarrassment, but instead, he stood there not caring whether everyone was laughing at him or not. "I'm sorry to say this Naruto, but you get detention today…"
"But," Naruto said exasperated. "I'll miss the soccer tryouts!"
"Then you should've thought about it last night before going to sleep." Iruka said. "Now go and take a seat while I finish… what is left of the fifteen minutes of the lecture."
Iruka didn't mean to sound sarcastic, but even as he said that, the rest of the classroom was giggling again.
Naruto then proceeded to walk toward the first seat that he saw. All the time the whole classroom was looking at him. He then sat down next to Hinata.
When Hinata saw him walking toward the seat next to her, she had smiled a little to him, trying to show some kindness. But he didn't even noticed her, he was so mad at the moment that he didn't wanted to look at anyone.
Iruka then continued what was left of the lecture. But he suddenly stopped when he saw that Naruto had fallen asleep. Everyone knew that Iruka had made it clear that it was his number one rule to never fall asleep in his classroom; otherwise that student will suffer the consequences. He then grabbed the big Language Literature book he had on his desk and forcibly placed it on top of Naruto's desk; making him wake up surprised. He had fallen deeply asleep while he was seated, even though it wasn't the most comfortable position, for him it was like sitting on a big pillow.
"Uh… Wha…" Naruto said raising his head up and looking at Iruka with red eyes from the lack of sleep.
"Naruto," Iruka was about to scold him again, but he was soon interrupted by the bell ringing. "I'll see you at my desk in the teacher's lounge before you go to detention after school." Naruto was about to say something to defend himself, but he decided not to since it would only make matters worse.
Everyone quickly grabbed their stuff and left fast.
"Hey Hinata, don't forget about what you promised!" Ino said walking pass by her. "I'm counting on both you and Sakura."
"Sure do Ino-san… I'll help as much as I can… It is my pleasure to do so." Hinata said grabbing her bag and giving her friend a warm smile. Ino yelled back at her a 'thank you' and left the classroom fast. She sighed as she thought about her friend's foolish way of always saying something that would make everyone look at them; always causing the impression of a loud person since she was one.
Hinata then stopped on her tracks before leaving the room as her eyes were lost in two blue eyes. She then saw that those eyes belonged to Naruto, who had looked at the two girls upon the loud request. She saw him look away fast and taking his stuff with him as he exited the room; all the time he had an expression that said that he wasn't interested in anything else but to sleep.
"Man that test was hard!" Ino said as she sat down next to Sakura and Hinata inside the classroom. Sakura was battling with trying to open her juice while Hinata was silently eating her lunch box. "And that last exercise… It was impossible to do. Only a genius could solve it… I can't believe Kakashi-sensei would give us so little time for such a hard test…"
"That last exercise was the easiest problem of the whole test, Ino." Sakura said as she finally inserted her straw inside her juice. "Kakashi-sensei gave us that exercise to practice in his class… What were you doing during his class? Weren't paying attention?"
"Well… no… But you know math isn't my strongest subject."
"Neither as English, nor History, etc..."
"Oh shut up big forehead." Ino said standing up from her sit. "I do have a favorite subject that I am actually good at… And that is Physical Ed."
"Yeah because it doesn't involve any numbers or words…" Sakura said smiling. Hinata sighed as she saw her two friends arguing.
"Hey Hinata," Hinata heard as Kiba entered their classroom. "You got a minute?"
"S-Sure do Kiba-kun." Hinata said. Kiba indicated her that it had to be in privacy, so they had both left the classroom.
"Do you think he wants to confess to her?" Ino said, not caring if she was heard or not. Luckily Hinata did not manage to hear her, but the people that were close to her did.
"Who knows…? They've been best friends since little, and it's pretty obvious that Kiba does have feelings for her." Sakura said looking at them. "Even though Shino is always with Hinata as well, all he does is protect her as if she were his little sister; just like Neji… But Kiba on the other side, he gets over protective and sometimes even jealous…"
"Hey look," Ino said suddenly with a low voice. "Sasuke-kun was looking this way."
"Huh?" Sakura then blushed and looked at where Sasuke was sitting and all she could see is that he had on his usual serious expression. He was indeed looking at their way, but as he saw him notice him, he got up and left the classroom.
"I bet he was looking at me and not at you big forehead." Ino said as she gently pulled her fringe out of her eyes. "Maybe he finally realized that I am all he wants…"
"Oh, really… Then if he is interested in you, why did he leave instead of coming here to ask you out?"
"He must be shy." Sakura rolled her eyes as Ino kept talking about how Sasuke will pick her above any other girl; since she is considered one of the most popular and prettiest girls in Konoha High.
Meanwhile, Kiba and Hinata had made their way to a hallway that was far away from her classroom (and from her friends), or as Kiba always described them, her 'silly' friends.
"No one will bother us here… Not even you're cousin Neji." He said as he walked toward the window and gazed outside. "Hinata, there is something important that you need to know… But I don't know how to say it…"
Hinata looked at him and all she felt was a sudden pressure in her chest, indicating that something was not right.
"Kiba-kun… You're worrying me now… Is everything alright?" She said as she got closer to him.
"No… It is not…" He said still looking outside the window. He then noticed something moving at the top of the building. "Wait, is that who I think it is?"
"What?" Hinata asked, feeling confused as to the sudden change of mood.
"That idiot new kid," Kiba said pointing at the top of the building. "He's taking a nap on the edge of the building where there is no fence!"
Hinata then realized that it was Naruto who he was talking about. She saw him nap so calmly at the top of the building, very close to the edge, exposing himself to a big ugly fall. But he seemed so peaceful, that she doubted that he would fall. And if he did, then an angel would rescue him… His face was as peaceful as she wished she could have in her home.
"Oh whatever… a teacher will come later and get him in trouble again." Kiba said turning around. And that was when she saw that Kiba's expression seemed worried. "Hinata… the reason I asked you later about your dad is because I heard something that Neji mentioned earlier."
"W-What is it?" Hinata said as she felt her heart beating fast from the tension.
"Well, first of all, don't think that I was eavesdropping on your cousin… I was just walking by and managed to hear him… But what he said really shocked me… So much that I needed to ask you about it and if you didn't know, which in fact it seems quite likely that you don't, then I want to be the first one to tell you…" He gave a long pause as he breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. "Hinata… I don't think you're going to like what I say…"
"Just tell me what it is Kiba-kun… I trust that you mean to not harm me. Whatever it is, I am sure that I can manage it."
"Very well… Hinata, you're father has betrothed you…" Kiba gave a long pause as he saw Hinata's expression change into a surprised one. "I heard Neji this morning talking about it… When he saw that I was there, I left quickly to tell you…"
"I-I… can't believe this…" Hinata said as tears started forming in her eyes, but she managed to hold them in. "I know that my relationship with my father isn't at its best… but I never thought that he would ever do this to me behind my back… Even my own Nissan knew this…"
"Hinata, I'm sorry for what I just said. But you'll have to act soon… Your father is planning on telling you today, and it seems as though business is everything to him… He's going to make you accept the engagement in order to win more finance…"
"Inuzuka-san, I think you've said enough…" They suddenly heard as Neji showed up walking toward them. "This is only a matter of family business, in which it does not concern you…"
"Oh really, then if I hadn't butted in, Hinata would've been getting the surprise of her life later… Sooner or later she has to know! And I'm surprised that even her own cousin, who protects her so much, was hiding something like that to her!"
"Inuzuka-san, you know nothing about our family or how her father treats her!" Neji then grabbed Hinata's arm. "And look at what you just did! Hinata-sama is now upset…"
"N-Neji-nissan… W-Why did you not tell me this before?" Hinata said. "Why did you hide it from me…?"
"Hinata-sama, please understand that… Your father made me promise to him that I wouldn't tell you… And I was planning to tell you about it, despite making that promise to Hiashi-sama. But even so; it is you who concerns me a lot…"
"Since when do you know about this?" Hinata said looking at him. Neji couldn't help but feel a little pressure in his chest as he saw the deception in her eyes.
"About a month… I was waiting for the right moment to tell you…" Hinata then nodded and turned around to walk away from him. Kiba tried to place his hand on her shoulder but she only moved fast to avoid any comfort.
"Wait, Hinata!" Kiba said following her as she then started walking faster. She then started running and disappeared into the next hallway taking the stairs.
Kiba kept going following her, but he soon felt Neji's hand on his shoulder stopping him from his track.
"I think it's best if you let Hinata-sama be by herself right now…" Kiba roughly took his hand off his shoulder and glared at him. "She's upset right now, but she won't be like that for long… You know how she is, sometimes she needs time to be alone and think. She never spontaneously yells at people, nor does she ever get into an argument…"
Hinata ran fast enough on the stairs and made her way up to the top of the building. She then stopped and crouched down a little to catch her breath. She felt pressure in her chest, fatigued and sweat coming down her forehead. She suddenly felt a single drop of rain fall down on her shoulder, and looked up to see that the sky had gotten much darker than it was in the morning. She then started thinking about what Kiba had told her. She didn't know how to overcome that shock so she decided to runaway by herself to calm down.
Her head was dizzy with all the things that went through her mind. So she walked next to the edge of the ceiling were there were no fences. She was sure people were watching her from the other classrooms, but she didn't care. It wasn't as though she was going to jump off the building; she just needed a free way to look outside the school. She needed to feel the fresh air and the smell of humid rain about to fall down. She then breathed in and out to calm down her nerves and anxiety. It was then that she realized something she hadn't asked Neji.
Who am I engaged to? Hinata thought as she closed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. She then gave out a long sigh and sat down.
Staring at the cloudy sky, she thought about how much she used to enjoy those rainy days at home back when her mother was still alive. She would make soup, bake some cookies and they would eat them; fresh from the oven. Her little sister would fight with her in order to win their mother's attention. Her mother would laugh and hug them both. At night, her mother would put them in bed and hum a sweet song until they would eventually fall asleep.
Mother, only you know what is best for me… But what should I do? It's so scary to think that I am engaged to someone I don't even know, nor do I love… Hinata then looked down from the building. She noticed that there were people walking around. From her view, they all looked like ants. She wished she could sometimes be the one who is bigger than the others. So that they could all look up to her and not treat her like a defenseless child.
She then thought about it again. There was no reason to be mad at Neji since it wasn't his fault. It was her father's doing after all. She couldn't blame Neji for keeping it from her; he was only trying to protect her. But then again, she wasn't a child anymore.
She pushed all her thoughts away as she heard the bell ring. She stood up and went straight to the next class she had, hoping that it would rain a little.
Soon, after a long day, the final bell rang, indicating that it was time to leave.
Many students took their things and got out of their classrooms as fast as they could. Hinata always took her time to organize her things before leaving; she never had the anxiety that the others had.
"Hey Hinata," She turned around to see Ino running towards her through the hallway. "A couple of guys invited me to go and get some ice cream. And they said that I could bring my friends along. I already invited Sakura but she refused. But the other girls I asked said yes… I was wondering if you wanted to tag along as well."
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass-"
"Come on Hinata!" Ino said grabbing both of her shoulders. "It's their treat… It's not every day that you get a chance like this. And besides, you won't be alone. And it is also a great way to meet cute guys." She said the last thing winking at her. Hinata blushed and then shook her head.
"Sorry, but I have things to do. But thank you Ino-san for inviting me, perhaps maybe for a next time…"
"Aw come on, what are you going to do? Sit in your room and finish some homework or read a book? Hinata, do something different once in a while… You'll always have plenty of time to read… But, if it is what you want then I won't force you." Ino said as she took her hands off both of Hinata's shoulders and giving her a sad look. Hinata couldn't help but feel bad. But something told her that she shouldn't go. It was vibe, she guessed.
"I'm sorry Ino-san, but I promise I will for a next time."
"Alright then, see you tomorrow Hina!" As Ino said this, she hugged Hinata tightly and walked away fast enough to catch the crowd of people that were waiting for her at the other side of the hallway.
She felt bad for turning down her friend's offer, but she really didn't want to go; especially if there were going to be a lot of guys that she didn't know. But all she wanted was to relax. Besides, her cousin Neji would only tag along with them just to watch over her.
"I'm going to walk Tenten to her house before walking home." She heard Neji say as she saw him approaching her.
"It's okay Neji-nissan; I'm going to stay here a little longer." She said smiling at him.
"Are you sure? Because you can come with us, I prefer it more than you walking home alone." Neji said with his usual over-protective brotherly tone of voice.
"It's okay Neji-nissan, I'll be fine." She said softly.
Neji sighed a little and gave her a worried look.
"Fine, but don't come home late!"
"Don't worry I won't." As Hinata said so, she kissed her cousin in the cheek and left.
The school was almost empty; almost everyone had left to their homes. Hinata was one of the few left. But before going home, she wanted to go to the music classroom. She had done a habit of playing the piano there whenever no one was around. Coming from a rich family, Hinata was forced to learn many things, such as playing piano, doing ballet, singing class, etc… But she had never liked any of those things, except for the piano. Her eldest sister on the other side; was very talented in many ways. In just a few lessons, she had dominated well the ballet steps, faster than Hinata would ever thought she would. She once sprained her ankle, making her father disappointed, but she never blamed him since she was never that good at it as much as she tried to. Her sister was basically her father's favorite in everything. But she never envied her; she always accepted every insult or argument that her father would give her.
Her sister Hanabi, on the other hand, had a great relationship with Hinata in which she admired her older sister a lot.
Hinata thought about how much she and Hanabi were completely opposites. Hanabi was more outgoing, much clever. Hinata was more of the shy, introverted type. But that didn't stop the two sisters from being so close to each other since their mother's death. Hinata remembered a song that her mother would sing most of the time. Her mother had studied abroad in Europe and had managed to learn many languages of many cultures; but such as in music where she would play the piano ever so beautiful.
Hinata then saw the classroom and opened the door. She was about to close it, but she then thought that no one was there either way, so she decided to leave it slightly open. She quickly spotted the piano, and sat at the bench. She then started playing and soon after a few seconds of playing, she opened then started reciting the song that her mother used to love.
It was a soft and sweet song. She had practiced it since years; but such as other songs. And thinking about it, no one had ever heard her sing; not even her cousin Neji. The singing lessons she had taken once had helped her define her voice.
She sang as she moved her hands over the piano, making each tone sound soft raising her voice ever as often as she would get closer to the choir of the song. It was then, that she hadn't noticed that someone was behind the door, she heard someone letting out a yell of pain as she head a thump in the floor. She stopped playing and turned around to see that it was Naruto who was on the floor. Said guy looked at her and made his usual grin of embarrassment while scratching the back of his head.
"S-Sorry if I interrupted you…" He said. And so a big blush appeared on Hinata's cheeks.
Keep looking forward for more! The good part hasn't started yet.
I accept any type of critic; I am not bothered by it.
This is my first story since the last story I posted four to five years ago...
Enjoy yourselves!
