Disclaimer: I do own Naruto. Yah, I'm a teenage girl who spends her time writing fanfics. My name is Masashi Kishimoto.
Not.
-First of all...I want to thank you. There really isn't much else to say. I love you all.
Second. I'm sorry! I really am. I'm really really super duper sorry.
Third...uhm, read? By the way, this is sequel to I am Hinata Hyuuga. You don't need to read that, though, because this is a time skip. It doesn't really matter, but you should know that Hinata escaped from Konoha to get away from her troubles. She had fights with Sasuke and Neji. Yay. And now she's an actress at Suna.
From I am Hinata Hyuuga: With ten more minutes before the play actually began, I was dressed in my idyllic spring green dress, my hair slightly curled. My face had makeup covered so the audience could clearly see my expression.
I stepped to backstage, where the manager was fixing some small things. He caught my gaze and motioned me over.
He must have short term memory loss. Or he was a sycophant, sucking up to me.
"Guys" he said urgently, his voice hushed and earnest. "Here's the actress who will be replacing Satski. I'm very lucky to have found her."
I gave her a once over; deep black hair, large doe eyes. She was smiling with excitement and had a pair of glasses in one well-manicured hand.
"Everyone, meet Karin."
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
Au Contraire, Madam
One: Lost
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
Karin. As if it weren't bad enough. Karin.
I stared at the other girl numbly. I saw the curve of the nose, the arrogant tilt of the head.
"I'm Karin."
It felt pretty much like hell after that.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
I ran towards the stage in horror. From the curtains I peeked out, my eyes worried and bleak. The audience was already present, sitting in huge groups in the auditorium.
Shit.
"I promised I'd forget," I voiced aloud.
"I promised I would never remember him again. Her. And her. Karin."
"I've broken it. I've broken my promise."
The manager beckoned for me hurriedly. "Play starts in five minutes!" he hissed once we were both in the wings of the backstage. "Don't look in the audience! They might see you."
I nodded impatiently, grinding my teeth. The manager nodded back in his usual nervous state and rearranged his tie.
Five minutes passed like a blur.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to...the play "Sunshine Falls Again." In this reproduction of a wonderful play, we included a few characters to spice things up, and I'm sure you'll enjoy our peformance..."
In irritation I stepped on his toe once he was backstage again.
"Oops."
"Good luck, Arisa."
Taking this as a personal insult I swept into the stage in a flurry of a loose green dress, silver hairpins, and a badly polished shoe. Smile. Smile.
"Sunshine is about love and peace," I projected, "and this story is such a story."
The girls in flowered hats flew in carrying bouquets of daisies, the blush on their cheeks as red as their lipstick.
The play lasted for three hours.
Of the same crap.
But the audience loved it.
(That's all that mattered, supposedly.)
With a sigh I tore off my lime-green purple polka dotted hat and threw it onto the couch. It connected with the leather, dropped to the floor, and rolled under, joining dustbunnies.
Crap," I said aloud. The hat had cost three hundred fifty bucks. I rammed my knees against the floor and peered under the sofa.
Nothing.
I swept the area with my arm, dustbunnies clinging resolutely to my dress.
Nothing.
"Arisa..." Oh, how I hated that voice. "Um, what are you doing?"
The manager sat perched on a tall stool. We were both backstage after the play, (after the five solid minutes of clapping) and cleaning up.
"Looking for my hat."
"You lost it again? Crying shame." He sighed. "When you're done, you may leave. We'll see eachother tonight at the party, so no worries."
"Party. Party?"
"Three to seven. Be there or be square."
I hit my head on the back of a chair.
"Look, Mr. Takeshi - "
"Hikaru."
"Hikaru - "
"No, I think Mister Hikaru sounds more formal." He examined the toe of his polished boot.
I sighed. "Mr. Hikaru. I'm not going to be there - I'm busy - "
"No excuses," he chimed in. "When I say 'be there or be square' I mean it. So no excuses." He smiled. "Besides, it will be a wonderful party. Excellent people there, Arisa. You could make even more money - "
Disgusting. "No thanks. I'm busy, you see."
"The other actors will expect you there, Miss Voce."
He always said my last name as "Vo-ssse".
"And your fans. You can sign a few autographs, expand your fame."
A sigh. "I'll be there."
He appeared mollified.
...but not square.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
Four years passed in a torpedo, a hurricane, a quick slash of time.
Enough for wounds to heal.
Enough to lose an identity and gain another.
Arisa.
Arisa Voce.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
I wore a black dress, black stockings, black makeup, black shoes, black bracelets, black neclace, black earrings, and a single white flower in my (blackish) hair. I peered into the mirror and decided to wipe away the mascara.
I studied the reflection.
If good looks could kill, what am I?
Would I injure? Would I give small scratches? Not kill. Definitely not.
I sighed and put on a baggy overcoat. At the last second I wrenched the white flower out of my hair and dropped it on the dresser.
Ready and adorned in completely black, I was raring to go.
And get it over with.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
The party's designated place was a lush green, grassy area on the outskirts of Konoha. A high, imposing glass building towered above houses, intimidating and fierce.
There were already at least one hundred people who had arrived, including the acotrs and their guests.
I took a seat by the window and resolved to shrink into invisibility. Images scraped at my eyes once I closed them.
The dark-haired boy, a,ways watching, always frowning. Can't I make him smile? Laugh? He frowns again. When I reach him, though, he is gone.
My eyes flew open as a bungling waitress crashed into my table. Spoons, knives, forks, and dishes slopped all over my dress. The dishes had custard in them.
"I'm sorry!" she howled, seizing a napkin. "I'm sorry!" Her face was ringed with custard as well. People stared to see what the commotion was all about.
"It's fine."
Perfect. An excuse. To go home, early.
"No - no, Madam. I'm terribly sorry! It's - "
"It's fine."
" - Madam - allow me - "
"It's fine," I repeated. "Don't mind me."
"What should I do" she wailed. "Is custard bleached off Or ironed off? Cold water? Or warm?"
"That depends on the fabric," I muttered, gripping the edge of teh table to stand up. My face was moist with custard. Bits of crust littered the dress.
"I - Madam, I'll wash it for you! the bathroom - here - "
Presently she tripped over a spork. It flipped over, flinging custard at me.
"No! I'm sorry - "
I shook her off. "Really. I'm fine."
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
After cleaning the dress to the best of my abilities with the waitress hovering nervously over me, I threw the paper towel into the trashcan and wiped my hands. "I'm going."
"I'm sorry," she echoed miserably.
"I told you. I'm okay."
She nodded. She couldn't have waitressed for long. "Um, are you an actress?"
"Yes."
"Do you know Karin?" she inquired excitedly, now the polar opposite of what she was moments before. "Karin?! She's my aunt! She's a excellent actress!!"
I smiled bleakly. "I'm sure."
"You should come meet her!"
"No. It's fine."
"Please? You guys probably already know eachother. Besides, you looked lonely sitting there all alone. Maybe you could be friends."
"..." Not possible. Never. Ever. To avoid further nagging I accepted. I'll just say hi. Then once this waitress is outta the way I'll return to my old seat.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
She lead the way to Karin. Karin was dressed completely in white. Black. White. My polar opposite.
Few people can pull off a white dress with lace, bows, and bunches of sashes.
She did.
"Karin!" The waitress grinned, waving. To my surprise Karin glanced at us and smiled broadly.
"Hey, Hira! Arisa."
"She's Arisa?" came the enthusiastic reply.
I nodded. Just when a sharp headache exploded in my head.
"Well, I'll leave you guys," offered Hira. She gave me another apologetic smile. "Sorry about the custard." She left.
Karin was fiddling with her nails. They were delicate, sharp, and pure white.
I spoke up. "Your niece wanted to introduce you, I suppose."
"Yeah." She turned away from me from a split-second, her curls bouncing. "Hey, get over here!"
There was an tall tanned man right in front of me. I couldn't see who she was calling to.
Karin faced me again. "Uhm, I brought a guest. Since we're all here, why don't you guys introduce yourselves to eahother?" She sipped her champagne, leaving red lipstick on the glass.
"Meet Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."
The name seemed distinctly familiar, buried under a web of lies, conversations, and acting. How long ago? I wondered. It seemed I couldn't even remember a few years back. The last memory was traveling to Suna on an airplane.
I gripped his hand in a handshake. His fingers were smooth and brief.
He looked down at me. I avoided his gaze and focused on his shoes. Formal. Very formal.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Voce."
"Likewise, Mr...Uchiha. Call me Arisa."
"Sasuke to you," he answered with a rather absent-minded air.
I nodded, looking up -
I
could
not
speak
Sasuke Uchiha was a tall man with black, night-sky eyes and a displeasured countenance. A firmly set jaw. Frowning mouth. At my gaze his mouth curved slightly. I could tell it was forced. I forced a smile every day.
I am young. Inexperienced. How can I forget the day he unearthed my disguise as Neji? Neji?! No -
"Arisa?"
Karin's face was worried.
"I'm okay," I responded automatically.
I need to get out of here. Now.
"I have an appointment," I rushed. Now this was familiar territory. Lies. Acting.
They were lost from view as I made my way through the huge crowd. Once outside, I inhaled a breath of cool air.
I can't believe this. i went too far. How could I let the dumb manager persuade me to the party? What have I done?
-It's over now. I'm going back to Suna.
But his eyes...damn! So hard. Hard to forget.
I twisted the key to the ignition and backed up.
"I'm not falling for that," I said aloud.
Three hours later, it was official.
Lost! I was lost.
I slammed the car door. What good were expensive cars when there was no GPS? Mainly my fault - I had been too lazy, but -
The road was dark; there were two tiny pinpricks of street lights in the distance. No cars. No one.
I jammed my fists into the overcoat. I was never good in emergencies.
"Crap." Massive understatement.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
I didn't carry around a cell phone; if I did I would have a hard time blocking the manager from reminding me every two seconds. So I never used one anymore. My laptop, something I always carried with me, had a map and GPS installed.
I returned to the car, shivering, and lay the laptop in my lap. (A/N: No duh.)
A pop up message flashed before me eyes. Scowling, I puched the X button. It disappeared. Another one came up. Then another one.
Damn!
The whole screen was filled now.
I forced myself to exhale. The time read eleven thirty. Then a pop up covered that, too. And another overlapped that pop up.
Breeding faster and more evil than bunnies.
I dragged my mouse to the shut down button. This program is infected with a virus. Please debug first.
I cursed. And then - maybe the pop ups - maybe if I clicked one, they all would go away.
I clicked. another page emerged from whatever evil depth the virus was from.
IM TODAY! it read. CHAT WITH BUDDIES IN KONOHA! FREE!! FREE!! FREE!! YOU BET YOUR PRETTY LITTLE FACE IT'S FREE!
"Shut up," I growled in frustration. I was about to click the X button when a message flashed up.
UKnockOffMySox: Hi! Ur our official first visitor!
I needed to sign in. I did so.
AV: What is this?
UKnockOffMySox: It's a website me 'n my friends made. Basically it's a chat rm. How is it??
AV: It gave me a million pop ups.
UKnockOffMySox: oop!! Sry. I'll have RGreen fix it up.
AV: Could you help me with something?
UKnockOffMySox: Sure! I've gotta get RGreen first, tho.
I was getting impatient.
UKnockOffMySox: Hi again.
RGreen: hi!
AV: Hi.
RGreen: don't mind N-
RGreen: I mean, UKnockOffMySox. haha.
RGreen: What problem did you have? are you from Konoha?
AV: No. From Suna. I'm lost. And I can't go on a map finding website because of your pop ups.
RGreen: Sorry sorry! It's not my fault. lol.
AV: That's okay.
RGreen: so um, where are you?
AV: I think -
I squinted at the street sign. "Hokage Road."
AV: I think it's Hokage Road.
RGreen: Oh! You're pretty close to us! lol. Well, Hokage Road is a huge main road in the middle of Konoha. so, um, could you be more specific?
AV: There's a large building with a fence across the street.
RGreen: more?
AV: Next to it is a big lot. After that is another small street that goes into a cul-de-sac.
RGreen: hm. are there any houses on that street? could you tell me what it's called?
I got out of the car and jogged up to the fencepost. In the darkness I could only make out the first few letters. The rest was swathed in a hazy black blue of the shadows the lamps casted.
AV: It says Sha. Then I couldn't see the rest.
RGreen: Oh! i got it. you're at the intersection at the Hokage Road and Sharingan Street. The building you're looking at is the Konoha Boarding School.
RGreen: I graduated from there! good times!
UKnockOffMySox: Hey! So did I!
RGreen: Shut up, baka. :) So, AV, where are you headed?
I swallowed. Very slowly I shut the laptop and stowed it beside me.
The laptop pinged, signalling a new message. I pushed the keys back into the ignition and drove.
I did not know where. Anywhere but here.
I hope it's good for a first chapter. I have many chapters trapped in my notebook - updates should be really fast!!
Please review!
By the way, if you're interested in BetaReading, please tell me.
