So I took this story from my very, very, very old account BodaciousGracious because I wanted to resurrect it to make it even better. Most of it is the same, though there are a number of changes, and I just crammed in 4 chapters of the old story into this one chapter here. But after this chapter, it's all going to be new stuff! So read on and I hope you like it! Critiques are more than welcome. Read, review, enjoy!
-XoxOxoX-
Go Army - Chapter One
"Stop! Stop!" I heard someone's scream echo through the halls of the locker room. My skin tightened from apprehension and a tickle of fear crawled up and down my neck.
"Shut up and plant a good one right here and I'll let you go, sweetie," a sly voice said. I felt a shock go through my body in a split second when I recognized that voice. It was our PE teacher. What in the world was he doing?
The screaming stopped and turned into whimpers, "Stop, please stop." I stood there around the corner not knowing what to do or think. What was our teacher doing to this girl? What should I do?!
'Ino, come on,' I thought to myself, 'That girl sounds like she's in trouble. You came her to go to the bathroom but now you've got to do something!'
I inched towards the turn in the hall and peeked around, as slowly and carefully as I could without being noticed. I had to stop myself from gasping when I saw that our PE teacher was pinning down a student on a bench. They were facing the other way so he wouldn't have been able to notice me peeking from behind and the girl was blindfolded.
"Come on, sweetie, just a quick one," he cooed as he caressed the girl's cheek with one hand. Panic started to hit me as my mind raced to figure out what to do. My eyes darted around the hall and caught sight of the hockey stick rack sitting up against the wall across from me. Without event thinking, I grabbed the closest one with my hands shaking. I had a weapon, but now what do I do?!
"NO!" the girl kept on pleading.
Our teacher chuckled, "Hmm maybe I'll have to-" I cut him off when I charged from around the corner and struck the back of his neck with the hockey stick.
"What the-?!" he started to exclaim as he turned around with his hand over the back of his neck. I didn't wait another second. I shut my eyes and with a yell, struck him again twice as hard in the face. The girl screamed, not aware of what was going on. She then fell silent, appearing to have fainted.
Our teacher fell to the ground covering his face in pain. I realized I had just turned the situation on myself and I had STRUCK a teacher. But no, I couldn't let him get either the girl or me. With the adrenaline covering my senses, I struck him in the groin and he went limp after a scream in agony.
Then from out of nowhere footsteps came running, echoing in the hall where I had come form. I turned around to see the principal and another PE teacher out of breath, dumbfounded and staring at the scene before them.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" the principal yelled- almost shrieked- with his face red as a beet. I started to shake, felt the sweat on my palms and my grip on the hockey stick weakening. The tears started to sting my eyes. My throat became dry.
Behind me, the PE teacher I struck came to and answered before I could.
"She was about to beat the girl on the bench and I came to stop her. But she got me instead," he said weakly. I felt the anger rising in my throat but I couldn't find the words to say anything. I swallowed to get rid of the lump in my throat but failed. I was too scared to move.
"You," the principal said fiercely to me, "in my office. NOW."
-XoxOxoX-
I knew that this whole commotion would so go down on my permanent record. The Police could charge me with assault and I'd go to Juvenile Hall.
Images of me in court started to rush to my head and the feeling of innocence started to melt away. I'm a juvenile delinquent. I struck a teacher. Everyone would be talking about this. How Ino Yamanaka, a goody-good, had "beaten a teacher with a hockey stick and intended to beat a fellow student".
I sat there in one of the chairs in front of the principal's desk waiting for him to come in. My fingers were tight on the chair's arms and I imagined my fingernails digging deep into the leather. The sweat in my palms was still running and the lump on my throat hadn't gone away at all.
I didn't know what to expect.
No, that was a lie. I'd probably be expelled, sent off the Juvie, forced to do community service and just to rot in the hellhole for adolescents. I had a struck a teacher with a hockey stick for Christ's sake. I took a deep breath in and had a difficult time letting it out.
Finally, after what felt like an agonizing eternity, the door clicked open as the principal made his way in.
I was prepared for the worst.
-XoxOxoX-
3 days later…
I was suspended from Konoha High for two days. That was it. But the only reason why I was suspended was because they, as in Mom, Dad, and the principal, were still pondering about what to really do with me. He called me back to school on Thursday to tell me what their decision was. My parents had come along, probably to watch the moment where their little Princess would be expelled.
The principal sat in his chair behind his humongous desk. He folded his arms and sat back. I was standing right in front of him. My parents were sitting in the back on the couch. The three of them looked so solemn. Yeah, it was definitely an expulsion.
"Miss Yamanaka…" the principal started, "Due to your inappropriate behavior and juvenile actions, I only have but one thing to say to you." I gulped.
"I am deeply ashamed." I nodded. Sweat started to wet my clasped hands as if they had never dried from a few days ago. My dad whispered something to my mom, but I couldn't hear.
I got busted for everything. The PE teacher wasn't even charged with sexual assault. The girl he was trying to harass fainted so badly she hardly remembered anything. Of course, the teacher lied. He back up what he said in the locker room: that he was trying to stop me from beating the shit out of the girl, but got knocked out himself. Who did they believe? Him. Because he was a teacher.
"So, Miss Yamanaka," the principal continued, "You will be punished for your juvenile and preposterous actions of physically assaulting your teacher and initially intending to do the same to a fellow student." I held my breath for what was about to come next.
"You will be transferred from Konoha High School to the Konoha Preparatory Academy for one year," he said. I gawked at him. The Konoha Preparatory Academy was the Land of Fire's military school up in the mountains. MILITARY SCHOOL. My mind screamed.
"What?!" I screamed at him, "Why?! It wasn't my fault I swear! I already told you-."
"Enough!" he yelled at me, raising his hand, "It was either that or a year in Juvenile Hall. You're parents already agreed on it." He nodded at my parents. I turned to them.
"Mom! Dad!" I shrieked.
"Calm down, Dear," My mom said quietly, "It's for your own good." Even my parents doubted me.
"Yeah, Ino," my dad said, "By the time you get back, you'll be as buff as those people around there." I rolled my eyes. Leave it to my dad to totally make a seriously serious situation comical and failing.
"But I swear, it was not-."
"Ino," My mom said, shutting her eyes, "We've heard it. And all of the evidence points to you. Just take it and not cause anymore trouble, please?"
I started at her. That was all she was going to say to me? Just to take the blame? No way. This was not happening. For once, Mom hasn't backed her little Princess up. I had 'done' something bad and now she can't take that her Princess had finally turned into a bad girl.
"You will start at Konoha Prep a week from now. You'll need that time to gather your things, make mandatory arrangements, and so forth. But,I will only give you one day, that's it, one last day here in Konoha High. Just to say goodbye and gather all your work, I don't care," the principal said, "But only one day."
-XoxOxoX-
I dragged my luggage right behind me as my parents and I strolled across the airport's entrance. I had packed everything. Well, everything that I needed. Twenty pairs of assorted shirts, ten pairs of pants, shorts, and skirts, and all those necessities right down to my toothbrush.
"Well, Ino, this is it," my dad sighed, "Good luck, kid." He patted me on the shoulder. I smiled at him, trying to hold my annoyance back. My mom came swooped over me and gave me a hug.
"Just promise me that you'll be all right, Dear," she said as she squeezed my cheeks.
"Mom, jeez, you're acting like I'm going off to war or something," I said, chuckling.
"Well, Ino, going to Konoha Prep is war," my dad winked at me, "I hear that the kids that are from the academy are cruel, tough military dogs that are merciless." My mom stomped on his foot.
"Ow!" he cried.
"Honey, don't scare her like that!"
"Flight 29, Konoha Preparatory Academy, ready to board,"a female voice said over the intercom.
"Now, go on, Ino," my mother said warningly, "You don't want those doors to close on you." I nodded and gave them my final good-byes.
"Bye."
I made my way to the boarding gate, dragging my luggage. I saw a line of teen-aged kids, just like me. They were all chatting and talking to one another. I assumed that this flight was mine. I looked up; the sign said 'Flight 29'.
"This is it," I sighed to myself.
It was odd, my dad said kids from Konoha Prep were "cruel, tough military dogs that were merciless" but it seemed to me that these kids were just like the ones back in Konoha High. I sighed. Dad and his attempts to be funny…
I went to the back of the line and took out my ticket and passport for identification. A few more kids lined up behind me and it took me a while to feel that someone was tapping on my shoulder.
"Huh? I turned around to see a really weird looking guy behind me. He had a bowl-cut hairdo and had extremely thick eyebrows.
"Hello!" he said cheerfully. He stuck out his hand, "I am Rock Lee. You are-?"
"Yamanaka Ino. Nice to meet you," I took his hand and shook it with a smile. I just barely met this guy and I'm already saying nice to meet you.
"You must be new to Konoha Prep. I haven't seen you around the academy, or at the least, the airport for departure and arrival." I smiled at him. I liked him already. He seemed nice, sweet, and like all the sun's sunlight was inside him.
"Yes, I'm new," I said, "But I'm not going on my own free will."
Lee looked at her with a questioning look, "And why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" The line moved up.
"Well, it's a long story…" I said, looking out the big windows, seeing the plane. I sighed. Lee looked at me.
"It's okay, Yamanaka-san," he said smiling, "You don't need to tell me."
I turned back to him as the line moved up again, "Thanks Lee-sa-!" I bumped into something. More like someone ahead of me. That 'someone' had a strong, solid back, black hair shaped like a chicken's bottom and eyes like stone.
"Oops! Uhm, I'm sorry!" I said frantically, trying to regain my composure.
The guy only grunted in reply before he turned back to the front. Lee chuckled.
"Looks like you bumped into the Uchiha boy," he whispered to me.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Ticket please?" the attendant said, holding out her long-nailed hand. I handed it to her and took the handle of my luggage bag.
"Thank you, Ma'am. Next!" she handed my ticket back after checking and I made my way to the security check. I saw Lee right behind me, carrying his jumbo bag on his back that I didn't even notice till now.
"Who is this Uchiha boy?" I asked Lee as we set our bags on the conveyer belt for them to go though the x-ray. Lee shrugged.
"He's just one of the 'hearthrob' boys at Konoha Prep and a fearsome candidate." At the word 'heartthrob' he used his hands to make air quotes. I giggled.
"You still use air quotes?"
He smiled his funny smile, "Yeah. I know, so middle school, right? But youth within us never dies!"
I saw the Uchiha boy two security booths down. He was looking at me. I quickly tore my gaze from his and turned my attention back to my stuff. I stepped through the metal sensor and gathered my things. I still could sense eyes on me. I didn't dare to turn to where I felt it was coming from. I just stared straight ahead.
I waited for Lee to finish and at the same time, tried to resist looking at the Uchiha boy. I mean, he was pretty cute, I guess. He at least had a decent face- better than many at Konoha High.
"Ready?" Lee asked, making his way to the entrance of the plane. At the side of the plane, it said 'Konoha Preparatory Academy'.
"Yeah, I'm ready," I mumbled as I followed him.
I really wasn't.
-XoxOxoX-
I sat in my seat right next to the window in complete silence. The other kids were chatting like crazy and were leaning over their seats to talk to the people behind them. One person even had the nerve to stand in the middle of the aisle to talk to his buddy. But the worst part of it was…I was sitting right next to Mr. ChickenButtHead Uchiha.
Now, I'm not making fun of him, but honestly was his hair muse a chicken's bottom? When he sat down right next to me, he didn't even flinch. I don't even think that he even cared. And as the plane took off in the air, he fell right asleep…leaning in my direction. I had to sit up against the wall.
Lee was sitting a few seats in front of me and it looked like he was having a laugh. It looked like he was sitting with his good friends. All I knew was that the person he was sitting with had brown hair and had a dog. I though pets were supposed to be kept in cages when flying on planes.
I felt a something land on my shoulder as I watched the movie they were playing on the screen at the front of the plane. I looked down on my left shoulder and saw the Uchiha's head laying there. He was still sleeping like a baby. I didn't know what to do, but I knew he was going to sleep the whole way to the academy because I saw him take a sleeping pill before falling asleep.
What was I supposed to do? Let him sleep? Or whack him awake?
I sighed. I saw two other boys across from our aisle whispering to each other while glancing back our way. I ignored them and leaned back on Uchiha, to make it more comfortable for myself even though it would have been giving the wrong message. I stared out the open window.
This was going to be a long flight.
-XoxOxoX-
Sasuke POV
I woke up with a start.
'Ugh, my head hurts,' I thought, rubbing my forehead. I felt something warm right next to me and above my head. Someone was sleeping on me.
"What the-" I started to say, but stayed still. I didn't want to wake her up, embarrassing both of us. I slowly maneuvered myself out from under her, gently pushing her to the wall of the plane. Her head slightly banged on the window.
"Owww," she mumbled. She was still asleep.
I looked around the plane, looks like everyone was sleeping . The lights were turned off except for on seat, which was Sai's. He was probably drawing or reading. Annoying snoring filled the whole plane and it irritated me to no end.
I looked past the girl's head and out the window and it was pitch black outside. I looked down on my watch. "Hn, midnight," I whispered aloud. The girl stirred and flipped over, facing me.
She was pretty all right, I had to admit, but I could sense that she had a hot temper. After all, she was blonde and the blondes I've come to know are pretty short on patience. But her.. she has a curious aura about her.
Her breathing was low and content, no snoring whatsoever. It was definitely quieter than sitting right next Naruto because him snoring is like a bullhorn. Luckily, he's in a different cabin.
'Just one more hour,' I sighed and lay back on my seat.
And finally, the light from Sai's seat turned off.
-XoxOxoX-
Ino POV
"Wake up," someone shook me on the shoulder. "Wake up, we're here."
"Huh?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes, "Just five more minutes." I heard the person sigh.
"Unless you want to fly back, you better wake up," my mother said. Mom shook me again.
"I'm up! I'm up!" I yelled, "Jeez Mom-!" I froze. It wasn't mom who had tried to wake me up. It was the Uchiha boy, not Mom. He was staring at me like I was crazy or something. Everyone was looking at me, too. "
Yeah, Uchiha's your mama," one guy wearing a cat hood laughed at me.
Everyone started to laugh. "Hn, whatever," Uchiha took his bags and filed out with the rest of them.
I sulked back into my seat. I don't even know these people and I had just embarrassed myself right in front of them. I rubbed my temples as I waited for the last people to get out. I didn't want to face them again, let alone make more of a fool out of myself.
"Yamanaka-san!" I heard Lee call for me. I stood up and took my bags with me. Lee was at the exit, waving to me. "Hurry, before we miss the shuttle!" And he hurried on, with me right behind him.
"What happened back there?" Lee asked me.
"Yeah, calling Uchiha Sasuke your mom," someone said behind me.
"Ah!" I jumped.
"Kiba! You didn't have to pop up like that," Lee scolded. It was the guy Lee was sitting next to on the plane.
"Well, sorry," Kiba said, chuckling. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, nice to meet you- uhm…" he held out his hand.
"Yamanaka Ino," I said, shaking his hand. A dog barked somewhere.
"What was that?" I asked, confused of where the barking was coming from.
"Akamaru!" Kiba took his bag and unzipped it.
A cute dog popped out and jumped on me. I shrieked in surprise and almost fell back as I caught the dog in my arms.
"Down, Boy!" Lee said, grabbing him. All around us, other Konoha Prep students were staring at us while walking to the airport entrance to the shuttle pick-up.
"What is up with you guys?" a shrill voice said to us.
I turned to see a red haired girl strolling to us, carrying a purse. "You guys are such dorks; carrying mutts around the place," she said. She looked at me and sneered.
"Oh, you must be that new girl I heard about. The one who beat up a student and a teacher with a hockey stick." She sneered, "Hm, guess they don't train dogs well."
I stared at her and suddenly go angry, with her and whoever spread my story. I was not going to be known as that person.
"Don't call me a dog," I said angrily.
She giggled, "Oh, what are you going to do about it?" I only glared at her.
"Are you going to smack me with a hockey stick too?" the red haired girl smirked.
I saw Sasuke walking past us, carrying his bags. Our eyes met, just for a second before, "Ohhh! Sasuke! Let me walk with you!" the red girl said in her little sweet-ass voice. Sasuke groaned and walked faster, almost jogging.
"Sasuke! Wait for me, please?"
The girl strutted away, swinging those hips so exaggeratingly it looked like they would pop out of place at any moment. Lee and Kiba laughed.
"Dude, I don't get how she can walk like that," Kiba wiped his teary eyes from laughing too hard.
"Who was that?" I asked Lee, who was still holding Akamaru.
"That was Karin. She used to be one of us, until she hung out with these two other girls. All three of them are known as 'The Plastics'."
"With those hips? Psh, more like she got plastic surgery," I said. They burst out laughing.
-XoxOxoX-
After the half an hour shuttle ride, we were finally at the academy.
'Finally!' I sighed in my mind as I rubbed my temples.
The place was amazing. The building was tall and wide and it didn't look like a military academy at all, more like a military base. The windows were huge, bullet-proof glass slabs that were held together by strong, thick steel poles. Tall brick walls made of linder surrounded the campus and front gates that looked like a tank couldn't knock them down. At the front, a heavy looking metallic sign stood. In golden letters, it said 'Konoha Preparatory Academy.' I stared in awe, I mean...it was engraved in gold.
The front courtyard was grassy and wide, separating the building from the parking lot. No one was outside, but vehicles of any type were parked out in the lot, only leaving some few open spaces. The train of shuttle aligned behind one another along side the drop-off.
"Okay, you lil' army goers," the driver said. He turned around to face his young passengers, "Good luck this semester and don't go on and get yer lil' selves into trouble, now." He looked at Kiba at the last sentence.
"Aye aye Cap'n," Kiba said, smiling and rolling his eyes. The driver turned to Ino as one-by-one the passengers filed out to gather their things from the back, "Lil' Lady, watch out for them Chess, ya got tha'?" He nodded at me solemnly. I looked at him, trying not to look disturbed. Finally, I nodded and got out after Lee.
"See ya's later army goers!" And with that, he sped off with the other shuttles.
I looked at Lee, "Lee? What was he talking about when he said 'Watch out for the Chess'?" Lee looked hesitant as he exchanged glances with Kiba.
"Bah, they're just gender-confused assholes who think they rule the school," Kiba said, shaking his head as they made their way to the building.
I replied, "Oh, okay. Is that red haired girl one of them?"
Lee shook his head, "No, she's more of a wannabe." Kiba laughed.
"Yeah! She follows them around the whole time, spit hanging over her mouth." we all laughed. I was glad I met these guys. They calmed my nerves even just a little bit and that was all I needed right now.
I sighed as we made our way into the front building.
'This is gonna be an interesting year,' I thought.