Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto I'm just borrowing the characters for a little bit.
*Flashback*
"Naruto-chan!" 10 year old Hyuuga Hinata called out. "Naruto-chan, where are you? It's time for recess." Little Hyuuga Hinata was searching for her friend, Naruto. She would always play with him at recess when everyone else wouldn't. Hinata rummaged around her fifth grade teacher's class room to find Naruto but he was no where to be found. She exited the class room and walked through the halls.
"Naruto-chan!" she called, "Where are you?" She stopped in front of the boys' restroom and debated on weather she should go in or not. 'I have to find him' she thought to herself.
Hesitantly, Hinata walked into the restroom. "Naruto-chan!"
No reply.
She heard soft sniffles coming from one of the stalls and followed the sound. The worried girl knocked on the stall door quietly.
"N-Naruto-chan, is that you?" The boy didn't answer.
"Naruto-chan, it's me, Hinata" she assured him, "Are you okay?"
The door to the stall swung open revealing a crying blonde boy. He lifted his face and looked at Hinata with tear filled eyes. Hinata was heart broken. She hated seeing her friends sad, especially Naruto. She lunged herself at him embraced him tightly. Naruto hugged her back and buried his head in her shoulder, weeping harder.
"Naruto-chan, why are you crying?" Hinata asked, concerned.
"S-some kids w-were m-making fun of m-me for b-being poor" He managed to get out between sniffles.
"Who?"
"S-Sakura, Ino and K-Karin"
Hinata inwardly cringed. Naruto had always had a crush on her even though she would always treat him like trash. She wanted to give Sakura a piece of her mind.
"It's ok, Naruto. I like you just the way you are", Hinata smiled warmly at Naruto.
"R-really?" He said sounding more cheerful.
"Of course! Naruto-chan, you're my best friend!" Hinata held her hand out to him, "Now, come on. Let's go play"
Naruto shook his head frantically and sat back down on the toilet seat. "Sakura and her friends are out there"
There went that name again. Sakura…it was like a swear word to her. Hinata had always been told not to hate others by her mother but Sakura was an exception. She hated anyone who dared to hurt Naruto. She decided to talk to Sakura about how she's been treating Naruto. The determined little girl marched out of the restroom and out to the playground. Naruto watched her from inside.
Hinata approached the pink haired girl chatting with her friends. She tapped on her shoulder. Sakura spun on her heels to face Hinata. "What?" She said raising an eyebrow.
"I-I don't like the way you've been treating Naruto-chan!" she was flustered. For some reason, being around Sakura drained all of her confidence.
Sakura glanced at the friends on each side of her and looked back at Hinata with a smirk spread across her lips. Then, as if on cue, she and all of her posse burst into laughter. Hinata stepped back slightly in fear and humiliation.
"Haha! Hinata, you've grown yourself a backbone!" She mocked, "Listen, why don't you crawl back into the hole you came from, hm? Quit trying to be a somebody 'cuz you will ALWAYS be a nobody."
Those words echoed over and over through her head as she ran back inside with tears welling in her lavender eyes. They were like daggers through the heart. Naruto ran after her.
"Hinata-chan! Stop!" He called.
She stopped and turned to Naruto. "I'm sorry. I'm so weak"
"No! You're not weak! You're the strongest girl I know!" He countered "You stood up for me in front of the meanest girl in the whole fifth grade! I'm so proud of you!"
"You really mean that?"
"Believe it."
They hugged each other tightly with wide grins spread across each of their faces. "Hinata"
"Hm?"
"You're a really awesome friend. Let's be friends forever", he said with a smile and thumbs up.
"Y-yeah." They connected pinky fingers and walked back to class.
*End Flashback*
It's been four years since that day and Hinata has certainly blossomed. Her body has matured greatly since then. Her curves filled in nicely, facial features more defined. She stood in front of her mirror in her uniform – a navy blue pleated short skirt and a white sailor top with a navy blue collar to match the skirt. She had a red headband in her indigo locks with a bow on it. She looked adorable for her first day at Konoha Arts Academy. She smiled at her reflection. She was so excited. She had been accepted into the dance, music and martial arts programs at Konoha Arts. She felt so accomplished. And the best part was that all her friends from elementary school were going to be there too, especially Naruto.
Hinata had developed a crush on Naruto in sixth grade that hasn't simmered once. The only problem is that he's dating Sakura. Ever since Naruto found out his father was Minato Namikaze, owner of Nagareboshi Record Company, Sakura has been all over him. She's obviously after his money but Naruto doesn't realize that because he's been madly in love with her since elementary school.
Hinata grabbed her bag and hurried downstairs to the kitchen where her older brother, Neji waited for her. "'Morning, little sis." He walked over to her and patted her on the head. "Ready to go?"
"Do I get to eat first?" she asked giggling.
"I have some poptarts and granola bars in the car. You can eat some of those." Neji said grabbing his keys and heading out the door. Hinata followed.
The Hyuugas hopped into a shiny jet black Honda Civic and headed to school. Hinata stared at her brother as he drove. She had always admired her brother. He was so talented. He was the only person in his age group to be accepted into all 5 departments of art and Konoha Arts. She wanted to be like him. She trained with him all the time and sometimes he would teach her some of his drama techniques.
"Hinata, why are you staring at me?" Neji inquired curiously.
"U-uh…"
"You're so weird"
"Oh, shut up, Neji. I don't have a poster of my crush half naked up in my room like someone I know"
"Hinata, I told you this before. Tenten made me hang it up. It was her first edit in her digital art class!" he countered "And she's NOT my crush"
"If she's not, then why do I hear you moan her name in your sleep?"
Neji's cheeks shone a deep red "Well…I-"
"As I thought"
"Y'know that's really creepy and stalker-ish. Why the hell do you watch me when I sleep?" Neji was flustered.
"I don't. I can usually hear you in the night…unless you're not really sleeping.."
"Okay, we are not going there, Hinata." Neji cut her off. "I've created a monster. I liked the old you that marveled at everything I said and did and didn't corner me in with your perverse thoughts"
Hinata giggled at that. She loved her older brother so much. He was always there to cheer her up and make her laugh when she needed it most She felt like she could let go of her inhibitions whenever she was around him.
They arrived in the school's parking lot and Neji found a space to park. Both of the Hyuugas hopped out of the shiny vehicle. "Good luck today." said Neji encouragingly. "And try not to daydream about Naruto too much, hm? I don't want you running into things all the time"
She stuck her tongue out at him and received the same response from Neji. The two walked their separate ways to find their first period classes. As she walked on the sidewalk toward the school she noticed that everyone was directing their attention in one direction. She turned around to see a shiny black stretch limo making its way through the pick-up/drop-off area.
" I really don't like the idea of coming to school in a limo" the boy whined, "You know I don't like to draw attention to myself"
"Oh please" the older male snorted "Naruto, you're the most obnoxious person I've ever met. You'll be fine. Now, get out. I'm late for my meeting"
"I don't want to be treated any different because you're rich, Dad"
"Fine."
"Thanks, Dad!" Naruto waved to his father and stepped out of the limo.
"Good luck, son"
Naruto, with his eyes closed, let out a long breath. He opened his eyes and every bone and muscle locked tight. All eyes were on him. His eyes searched frantically for a friend to dash to but that plan failed. The flustered young man gathered every ounce of energy in his body and began to walk toward the school entrance. He felt something tap him on the shoulder.
He turned around to face the person behind him. It was a raven haired boy, about the same height and Naruto.
"How's it goin', dobe?" asked the raven haired young man, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Naruto smirked back and the two touched knuckles "Pretty good, teme"
"How's life with your newly found father?"
"It's cool, I guess"
"You guess?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Your dad is the owner of Nagareboshi records. Y'know, that huge record company that sponsors a bunch of those famous musicians? People would kill to be in your shoes"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. But, I just don't want people to treat me differently just because I'm rich now. Your family's rich, right? Do you ever feel like people only like you for your money?"
"No, no, no. See, there's where you're wrong. People like me because I'm drop-dead gorgeous"
Naruto laughed. "Sasuke, you're so full of it"
"You don't look half bad yourself. Looks like your dad got you a bit of a make over for high school"
Sasuke was right. His hair was still spiky like it was throughout elementary and middle school but it was slightly longer making the spikes hang a little. He looked well groomed, too.
"Well, we better get to cla-"
"Naruto-kun!" chirped a feminine voice.
Two slender arms wrapped around him tightly. The girl looked up at him and smiled brightly. "Good morning, baby"
"Morning, Sakura-chan."
Sasuke wore a disgusted look on his face. He never trusted Sakura. He knew about how she'd treated him throughout elementary school and some of middle school.
"Sasuke-kun, you're looking hot as ever" Sakura flirted "Why didn't we hang out much this summer?"
A strong urge to vomit his breakfast flushed over Sasuke but he controlled himself. "I don't like to hang around trash"
"Hey! That's my girlfriend you just insulted!" Naruto interjected.
"Calm down, Naruto. He was just kidding, right Sasuke?"
"No, actually I wasn't" Sakura frowned "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to speak to my friend alone" Sasuke gestured for Naruto to follow him. "We need to talk"
Naruto waved at Sakura and caught up to Sasuke. The two of them walked through the bustling halls to find their homeroom class. There were crowds of fangirls squealing and ogling at the pair with eyes full of hearts. Ignoring the countless stares they received, they strolled down the hall way. Naruto was becoming uncomfortable "Do you even know where we're going?" asked Naruto.
"To find my brother" Sasuke replied.
"Why?"
"So he can tell us where Mr. Umino's class is"
"How will you know where to look?"
"Just look for a very large mass of fangirls."
Naruto looked around awkwardly at the fanatic girls on the sides of the hallway. 'Well, there's a large mass of fangirls here too' he thought to himself. He wasn't at all accustomed to the countless stares they were getting. He was usually the one everyone was telling to shut up because they thought he was obnoxious. How Sasuke dealt with this had always been a mystery.
After a few (painful) minutes of dealing with screaming fangirls, Sasuke spotted his brother conversing with his friends. "Itachi" Sasuke called. The older Uchiha turned to face his younger brother.
"Oh, hey Sasuke" said Itachi "What's up?"
"Naruto and I are looking for Mr. Umino's class"
"Oh, that? It's down that hall" Itachi explained.
"Thanks"
A blonde haired friend of Itachi's studied Naruto carefully. Somehow, he looked familiar. The boy rubbed his chin lightly. "Hey, you" he said pointing at Naruto "What's your name?"
"Um, Naruto" he responded unsure of why he cared.
"You got a last name?"
"Uzuma – Namikaze" he corrected himself.
The older blonde gasped rather loudly "Namikaze like Minato Namikaze?"
"Y-yeah. He's my dad"
"Omigosh! Can have your autograph?"
"U-um…I haven't really gotten around to making myself a signature"
"What?" The older boy looked surprised.
"Is that bad?"
"Kid, you're a potential super star. If you're going to the most prestigious fine arts school in all of the five great nations, you need a signature"
"I'll work on that"
"Naruto, this is Deidara. He transferred here from Iwagakure and he's living with us" Sasuke explained.
"Cool" came Naruto's response. It almost sounded as if he didn't care. Itachi observed Naruto closely. Something didn't seem right. The loud obnoxious hyper active kid he knew was not there. "Naruto" Itachi said "Is something bothering you?"
"Huh? Theres nothing wrong"
"Why are you so quiet?"
"I…I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous"
"Hm. Alright then. You two should get to class. The bell rings in five minutes" Itachi said looking at his watch.
Naruto and Sasuke walked into the class room Itachi had pointed out for them. They noticed that the teacher wasn't there. There were a few other students in the room; the girls ogling and the guys glaring. "Sasuke, how do we make them stop?" Naruto whispered leaning toward Sasuke slightly.
"You don't."
Naruto's heart sank at those words. How on earth was he going to deal with all this new attention during his first year. It was always Sasuke and the popular crew who got all the stares. 'Does this mean I'm popular?' Naruto thought. Come to think of it, Naruto had always wanted to be popular. 'Maybe this won't be so bad.' Sakura popped into his head, suddenly. 'She'll love me even more if I'm popular'.
"Hey, Naruto" said a lazy voice
No reply.
"NARUTO!"
"What?" asked Naruto snapping out of his thoughts.
"Sheesh, space cadet much? What happened this summer?"
" N-nothing. I just…" he noticed Shikamaru standing in front of him "Hey! Shikamaru! How's it going?" They touched knuckles.
"Pretty good. Just dealing with what life throws at me. How goes it with you?"
"I'm fine. The whole new father thing is still a big shock but I'm slowly adapting"
"You still dating Sakura?" Shikamaru's voice turned urgent.
"Yeah"
"We need to talk about that girlfriend of yours, Naruto." Sasuke added "I don't trust her"
"I don't either" Shikamaru agreed.
Naruto looked bewildered "Why?"
"She's dating you for your riches" Sasuke said bluntly.
"What the hell makes you say that?" Naruto was getting angry.
"Naruto wake up" Shikamaru warned" "She treated you like shit all through elementary school and middle school until she found out about your dad"
"So?"
"Doesn't it bother you that she had such a sudden change of heart?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto stared at his two best friends in disbelief. Why weren't they happy for him? "Sasuke. Shikamaru." Naruto said "Are you two trying to break me and Sakura up because you like her?"
Sasuke and Shikamaru smacked his forehead. "You're a world class idiot. I've never liked Sakura and I never will like that bitch." Sasuke stated firmly.
"Have you seen some of the horrible things she's done to people? It's disgusting." Shikamaru added.
"Okay, one, this is my girlfriend you're insulting. Two, I don't believe Sakura would hurt me" Naruo countered.
"Whatever, Naruto. We're just telling you this for your own good."
Hinata walked through the halls looking for her homeroom class. 'Mr. Umino. Room 9' she thought to herself. The school was so big, she didn't know where to look.
A cheery voice rang through the halls "Hina-chan!"
Hinata spun on her heels to face the direction the voice was coming from. Her eyes widened at the dark purple-haired female that was sprinting her way. The girl crashed into Hinata with a tight hug. "Hina-chan! It's been so long!" exclaimed the girl.
"Y-Yumi, we hung out last week" said Hinata gasping for air "I c-can't breathe!"
"Oh! Sorry, sweetheart" Yumi let go of her friend and smiled "Hinata, can you believe it? We made it to Konoha Arts!"
Hinata couldn't help but smile at her. "I know! What departments were you accepted into?"
"Music, Dance and Martial Arts"
"Hey! Me too!" The girls squealed and jumped up and down.
"Will you two shut up? Sheesh, you're so loud" came an annoyed female voice. Yumi and Hinata turned to see two of their close friends. One had shoulder length black hair with turquoise eyes. The other was very tan with orange hair and emerald green eyes. A wide grin spread across Yumi's face "Hikari-chan! Aiko-chan!"
The violet haired teen dashed over to the girls and embraced them both. "You made it, too!"
"Hi, Yumi" said Aiko with a smile.
"It's great to see you, but you're cutting off my circulation and I'd like to give Hinata a hug." Hikari said in her usual sarcastic tone.
"Oh, sorry." Yumi let go of her two friends. Hikari and Aiko shared a friendly embrace with Hinata. The four of them had been close friends since fourth grade when they met in a martial arts class. They were like Hinata's 'backbone' since Hinata had issues with standing up for herself.
"So, who are your homeroom teachers?" Hinata asked "Mine is Mr. Umino"
"Me too!" exclaimed the three others. They all laughed at the fact that they answered in unison.
"Well, I guess we better head to class" Hikari said "Wherever that is"
"We should ask someone" Aiko suggested.
"Good idea" Hikari replied "But who?"
Yumi pointed to a group of juniors chatting near their lockers "How about them?"
"Yumi, we can't ask them! They're juniors!" said Hinata in a hushed tone.
"How do you know?" Yumi asked skeptically.
"The one with the black hair is Itachi Uchiha. He and Sasuke are always over at our house or vice versa"
"Oh yeah! Don't your families own Sharikugan inc. or something?"
"Yeah"
"Well, that just means they know their way around. Come on!" Yumi made her way over to the senior boys and tapped one of them on the shoulder. He and his other friends turned to face her. Yumi immediately locked eye contact with the long blonde haired senior. She waved at him as if she was possessed by his eyes. "H-hi" she breathed out.
"Hi" responded the older boy in trance. The other students stared at their hypnotized friends weirdly. Yumi examined his perfect build—he must be a dancer she thought. His face was perfectly molded and unique. She admired hi long golden hair. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. "Hello?" Hikari called snapping her fingers in her friends face. Neither of them responded.
"Hey, wake up, man" Itachi shook his friend lightly.
No response
"Wake the hell up!" Hikari screamed loud enough for the people outside to hear. Yumi and the blonde snapped out of their trance and blinked a few times. The surrounding friends laughed at them. The older boy extended his hand to Yumi for a hand shake. "My name's Deidara"
Yumi took his hand and shook it lightly "I-I'm Yumi"
Hikari rolled her eyes and faced Itachi. "Can you please tell us which way Mr. Umino's class is?" she asked clearly irritated.
"Mr. Umino's class is down that way" Itachi explained pointing at the hallway straight ahead.
"Thank you very much. Let's go" Hikari walked in the direction Itachi had given them but noticed that Yumi wasn't with the,. She marched back to where Yumi was (still flirting with Deidara) and grabbed her wrist. "Let's go. We're gonna be late to class." She demanded
"You remind me of my brother" Itachi commented.
Hikari scoffed "Hn! Sasuke? As if!" she pulled Yumi along to their class. Yumi mouthed a 'call me' to Deidara earning a wink in return.
The four girls entered the classroom giggling about what just happened. They noticed some familiar faces in the room and began to catch up.
"Naruto! Hey! How's my village idiot?" Yumi grabbed him by the neck and noogied him
"Hey, Yumi" Naruto replied with less enthusiasm.
"So how have you been? I heard about your dad. What's that like?"
"Yeah, I heard your dad owns a record company!" Aiko said rather loudly. Some other kids in the class tuned into the conversation.
"U-um…Let's talk about it later"
"Fine. Let's talk about something else. Something like your massive bitch of a girlfriend, Sakura" Hikari suggested "Why the hell are you dating her?"
With perfect timing, Sakura, Ino and Karin strutted into the room. "Why don't you mind your own damn business?" Sakura seethed.
"Sakura, what an unpleasant surprise" Hikari started walking toward Sakura "Let's get something straight. When my friends are in danger of getting hurt, I make it my business"
"He's fine. Back off, whore."
" Well, with trash like you, you never know, right?" Hikari and Sakura were glaring at each other passionately.
"I wish you two would stop fighting" Hinata mumbled. Sasuke noticed Hinata sitting on a desk, sort of distanced from everyone else. She had been so quiet, he didn't realize she was there.
"Hey, Hinata. I didn't notice you over there. You were so quiet"
"Oh, hi, Sasuke-kun. How are you?"
"I'm fine. What really matters is how you're doing" Sasuke said sounding a little concerned "How are you handling all of this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know about your crush on…you know" Sasuke gestured at Naruto with his eyes.
"Oh, that. I….Um…."
"Hinata?" Naruto noticed her "Is that you?" He came over to her "I almost didn't recognize you. You look great!"
"Thank you, Naruto-kun"
"How are you?"
"P-pretty good. I haven't seen you in a while" she said sounding a little hurt "I guess you were busy with your new dad and…Sakura"
"Hinata, I'm so sorry we didn't hang out this summer. We'll spend more time together this year. I promise"
Sakura heard what Naruto said and decided to come over. She had always disliked Hinata mainly because she always had popular kids protecting her over the years. Hinata always seemed to get everything Sakura wanted and she was tired of it. It seemed like every time something bad happened to her, somehow it turned out good. 'You'll get yours, Hyuuga. Bet on it.' Sakura thought. She signaled for her girls to follow her.
"Hinata, is that you? I almost didn't recognize you. I didn't think you'd look so homely on your first day of high school" Sakura mocked. She and her posse laughed.
"Sakura, back off before I pop you like the little zit you are" Hikari threatened.
"Look at this disgusting hair" Sakura walked to her side and picked up a lock of her hair "It's indigo. That's such a revolting color"
"And the style… Don't you know bangs went out last year?" Ino added.
"What's with this bow? We're in high school, hun, not pre-school" Karin cmmented.
"I-I like it" Hinata replied. Her confidence crushed.
Sakura and her friends laughed. "Aww, how cute! Hinata likes it!"
"Sakura, stop. You're making an ass out of yourself. No one agrees with you." Sasuke said.
"That's not true. Naruto agrees with me, right?" Sakura looked at Naruto "Right?"
Naruto looked at Hinata and back at Sakura and took a deep breath "Yeah, she's very unattractive. I've never seen anything like it"
Hinata's eyes widened in horror at what came out of Naruto's mouth. Did he really just insult her like that after promising to spend more time with her? They were supposed to be best friends forever. Her heart sank even more when she saw Sakura plant a passionate kiss on Naruto's lips right in front of her. She smirked at Hinata and pulled Naruto away by the hand. "Come, Naruto, sit by me" Tears trickled down Hinata's cheeks as they walked away from her.
"Don't worry about her" said Sasuke trying to comfort her "If you want a guy's opinion, I think you're gorgeous."
"In a weird way, Sasuke is right." Yumi agreed "If anything, Sakura's the homely one"
"Don't say that. Sakura is very pretty. Prettier than I am" Hinata sniffled.
"Ha! Flat chest, no ass, and a manly looking face? Sweetheart, she doesn't compare to you" Hikari snorted.
"Then, why did Naruto pick her over me?"
"Naruto's an idiot" Sasuke said simply.
"I heard that!"
"Don't care! Anyway, Hinata, dry your tears. You are more beautiful than she'll ever be"
"Thanks, Sasuke…everyone… I love you guys"
"Just tell us if she messes with you anymore. Well kick her ass!" Aiko assured her.
Mr. Umino entered the room and placed his laptop on his desk and his briefcase by the side of his desk. "Good morning, class" He greeted "Please, take your seats. As you may already know, I'm but you can call me Iruka-sensei"
He proceeded to give a long speech congratulating them on being accepted and the rules of the school, etc. Finally, the bell rang and students poured from their class rooms into the hallway.
Third period was already here. Hinata and Yumi walked out of the girls locker room together and found a spot in the gym to sit and wait for dance to start. Sasuke and a light blue haired boy walked out of the boys locker room and over to Yumi and Hinata.
"Who's this?" Yumi inquired.
"This is Suigetsu. Suigetsu, this is Hinata and Yumi" Sasuke explained.
The three shared their hellos and began to chat.
"Oh no" Yumi said.
"What?" asked Hinata.
"Sakura and her clones are in our class"
"Ugh! Great…I hate that bitch" Suigetsu complained "She's so evil"
"Yeah, we know"
"See that girl, Karin, the red-head?"
The group nodded.
"We used to be best friends."
"What happened? Did she get freaked out about your fetish for fish?" Sasuke teased.
"No" Suigetsu smacked Sasuke upside the head "Sakura told her that I use my fish collection for some kind of deep sea voodoo"
"That's so stupid. What kind of pathetic rumor is that?" Yumi laughed.
"That's what I said! And Karin believed her"
"Karin isn't a very bright one is she?"
"Well, she is. But, Sakura is her idol. She hangs on her every word. It's quite painful to watch."
"Looks like class is about to start" said Hinata standing up. The gang stood up after her and headed over to gather around the teacher. "Alright, kids gather around!" the teacher called "My name is Miss Mitarashi. You can call me Anko-sensei. Since Today is your first day, I'm going to have to try out your skills and see what you can do. You're going to freestyle for me"
Those words echoed in Hinata's head over and over. How on earth was she going to muster up the courage to freestyle dance in front of Sakura? She closed her eyes and prayed that something would happen and she wouldn't have to go that day.
Holy cow, that's long...Does anyone else feel like the pacing is insanely slow? Maybe I'm just being dumb. Also, sorry or the crappy ending. It was over 5,000 words long so I had to end it. I really hope you like this! I will keep updating. Review, please and tell me how I did for my first time! I need constructive criticism!