India Ink
by thelastshanghai
A note from your author:
Hey! I'm back, and starting my first multi-chapter story! I'm testing the waters with this one, so if you lovely readers don't review, how will I know if people actually want to read this? Read, review, criticize, but don't flame :) Thanks, and enjoy!
She smiled softly at the scene, never joining in, in fear of ruining its ineffable perfection. She had a tendency to do that. Ah, the school cafeteria, where the student body united in an endeavor to alleviate its gnawing hunger.
Lounging casually against the doorway of the lunchroom—she was used to being on the outside looking in—she gazed at the sight greeting her. Sasuke Uchiha sneakily wrapping his arm around Sakura Haruno's tiny waist, Shikamaru Nara on the receiving end of Temari no Sabuku's wrath, and Naruto-kun….Her eyes widened as she turned away quickly. No, he would never look at her. Why would he?
Observing the joyousness of seniors shoveling curly fries down their throats, she felt something tug at her heart. Longing. She always wanted to belong, to be part of a happy memory without corrupting it, but it wasn't meant to be. After all, she was the dull, grey mockingbird amongst radiant say, "It's a sin to kill a
mockingbird." If that's true, then she died long, long ago.
"Hey, fat-ass!" The pink-haired potentate proclaimed from her throne; the big, bad wolf found a new piece of meat.
"How didya summer diet go?" Her innocuous tone belied the perverse amusement her emerald eyes reflected. A few snickers pierced the looked away.
"H-h-hello Sakura," Hinata stammered meekly, indigo bangs shielding her rapidly reddening complexion. Why can't I stand up to her? What's wrong with me?
Sakura, the benign monarch that she was, sauntered towards the homely peasant. She earned a few wolf-whistles by swinging her hips provocatively. No doubt that Sakura enjoyed the attention. She stopped in front of Hinata, arms akimbo.
"Did ya buy a new jacket, Hina-chan? Looks like it is XXXL, good job!" Hinata flinched. Involuntarily, she gave her hastily assembled outfit the once-over. She didn't realized how slovenly she looked: a beautiful grass stain graced the front of her favorite purple jacket, and parts of her jeans were unexplainably puce. I'm disgusting.Her face flushed dark red, as usual. Huh, I didn't know the cafeteria floors were tiled maroon and grey.
"Honey, lay off the hair dye too, you attention-seeking whore." Ino Yamanaka joined in the "fun," tossing her silky, naturally blond hair over her shoulder. The spotlight was on Hinata: what will she do? How will she react? But, no one expected a comeback from ugly, timid, little Hinata Hyuuga…And the one thing everyone in Konoha High knows: Hinata Hyuuga never disappointed. Shoulders hunched and staring at the floor, she made her way to her normal seat.
Why, Hinata? Why hope? It never changes, and it never will.
"What….a…..BITCH," Kiba grabbed Hinata's hand consolingly. Kiba's hands were surprisingly smooth and gentle, contrasting his fierce canine image. Even his fingernails resembled his dog, Akamaru's, claws, but Hinata never cared. She was kind in that way. "See underneath the underneath," Kakashi-sensei once told her class, and she took that moral to heart.
The one thing kind, gentle Hinata Hyuuga truly abhorred was the judging that society was programmed to do. People seemed to think that the ones they ostracized were inhuman, that the quiet wallflower and the "weird" dog kid didn't have feelings. The outcasts were constantly exposed to the ugly side of humanity. Hinata especially. So, in a way, Hinata could actually empathize with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the ones behind the Columbine massacre, not that she condoned their actions. After living through that hell for four, long years, it would be surprising if one didn't snap.
"Hinata, you can't let this continue." Shino sounded worried. Shino was yet another example of a cruelly misjudged and multi-faceted teenager. Despite his dark, circular sunglasses and long, tan, trench coat, no one knew that he was actually a big softie. No one knew that he could identify all species of butterfly on sight.
"Hinata," Shino glared.
"I-I-I know, but I th-thought that this y-y-y-year w-would be different,"
"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots, Hina-chan. This is senior year! You're supposed to have fun, not dealing with shit like them." Kiba exclaimed, waving his hands emphatically.
"That moron Kiba is right Hinata. Why? Because you don't deserve this," One tear trickled down her ivory cheek. Hinata quickly stood up and sprinted through the cafeteria doors.
High school was truly the cesspool of thundering cloud of insecurity that floated above Hinata's head was like a huge target saying: here's a girl who has no self-esteem, feel free to make her feel like garbage. And society? Society hunts and shoots her down with ease, eager to see whether she gets up again. Like in "Give Me a Sign" by Breaking Benjamin, "I'll rise to fall again."
Useless Hinata Hyuuga, so worthless she couldn't even defend herself. I do deserve all of that. I always have and I always will.
Dear Father would agree.
Hiashi Hyuuga lounges on the large, burgundy armchair in front of a crackling fireplace, his legs resting on a mahogany footstool. He stares into the fire not truly seeing the blues, oranges, yellows and reds dancing before his eyes. No, his eyes are glazed in a drunken haze, fingers clutching his Jack Daniel's lifeline. Teeth clenching and unclenching periodically, one has to wonder what is going on in that brilliant mind of his.
However, every man has his weakness, and Amaya was his. With her long, silky strands of indigo hair, her beautiful moonlike eyes, and outgoing personality, no man could have resisted her feminine charm; yet, of the many bachelors, she had chosen Hiashi as her lover. Hiashi allows himself to smile. That fact will never fail to please him; even Fugaku Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuuga was jealous of him when he and Amaya started dating.
But with the good comes the bad, because his precious Amaya is dead and left him alone with two daughters, Hanabi and Hinata.
"Hinata," He slurs. A pathetic excuse for an 18 year old greets his eyes. The dormant animal inside of him begins to stir.
"Y-y-yes F-f-father," She does that thing with her fingers again, pressing her index fingers together while staring at the floor. Stupid child.
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM SPEAKING TO YOU" She flinches as if Hiashi slapped her. In a way, he did; he just smites her with acerbic words rather than calloused palms. She slowly raises her head, fearful white eyes meeting frosty steel ones.His nostrils flare in anger.
"What is your class rank?"
"S-s-second," Even though Sasuke Uchiha is popular, and is Sakura Haruno's boyfriend, he is quite intelligent. He being the top student Konoha proves it.
"And, why is that?"
"I r-r-received a 97 on the f-f-final exam,"
"And what did Sasuke get?""98,"
"YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF GARBAGE! YOU CAN'T EVEN DO ONE THING RIGHT, CAN YOU, YOU SHITTY EXCUSE FOR A DAUGHTER?" ''Get. Out." And so Hinata does as she does best, she follows her father's orders. Soon the room in empty, except for a man whose grief killed his eldest.
"I-I'm s-s-s-s-or-r-y father," Hinata sniffled slightly.
"DON'T CRY, YOU WEAK ASS-HOLE."
"I'm s-s-orry."
And that's it for Chapter One! Hope you enjoyed it! If you truly did, you would leave a quick, 5 second review :) If I get a good response, I'll post Chapter 2 :)