A/N: This story is an AU based mostly on Naruto, but there are characters from other series in here, too, like Prince of Tennis, Gakuen Heaven and a couple others. The setting is a high-class private boarding school, Bell Liberty Junior and Senior High School. The story sort of moves through a lot of different characters' perspectives to show all the different sides of a big mess that took place one day at Bell Liberty.
The second chapter is from the point of view of Ito Achilles, a relative of Ito Keita's. He's the head of the Snapdragon dorm, which is kind of like Slytherin, but less evil.
Warnings: AU. Possibly OOC. Some pairings will come up, including Sasuke x Naruto, Achilles x Neji, Shikamaru x Temari and others.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter 2 - Achilles
Achilles tapped his fingers impatiently against the glass of the window pane tracing the dark rivulets that streamed endlessly down the other side as he was forced to partake in one of his least favorite pastimes—talking to Shikamaru. It wasn't that the Daisy representative was stupid, just dull and Achilles was usually bored by the time he got through saying good morning to the other boy.
"So, when you say you saw him go out toward the stables awhile ago…how long are we talking?" Achilles asked carefully trying to somehow funnel Shikamaru's answer toward something specific. The storm going on outside had taken a turn for the worse about 10 minutes ago, and after watching Neji's favorite Bluebell track water in through the front hall completely soaked with no proper raincoat on Achilles had begun to wonder where it's Mother had gotten off, too.
"Well…um…" Shikamaru's eyes were fixed on the darkening window behind the Snapdragon, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides and his head caulked to one side with the great effort that this must be taking him.
"Well how long?" Achilles prompted again. He had grown bored even of tapping his fingerers impatiently against the glass, pushing off from the windowsill and facing Shikamaru with crossed arms, revealing finally some of the temper that he was beginning to feel. This was why he had told Neji to just leave it for tomorrow—or better yet leave it to the Bluebells to take care of themselves—but no. Neji's dorm was his baby and he couldn't leave it alone for 5 freaking seconds to consider the weather or the position that he was putting Achilles in either.
"Yeah…" Shikamaru finished finally, "It was…awhile ago." The blond Ito willed himself not to be angry and to keep smiling through sheer force of will. The Naras' loose relationship with time was legendary and no amount of physical intervention would cure the problem. Besides he had more important things to do right now.
"Alright—I'll be sure to show my thanks then," Achilles offered with a smile not waiting for the other dorm head to start forming the laboriously long goodbye in his defective brain. He would show his thanks by having Dmitri stay home sick tomorrow—and specially allowing Temari to take a partner from the Daisy House. It was two birds with one stone really since Temari would never pass up the chance to torture Shikamaru with her particular strange brand of worship. It could even be considered 3 birds with one stone if you added bossing Dmitri around as a bonus.
It pleased Achilles all the way until he got to the building's entrance, and was forcibly reminded of the unnecessary trek he was being forced to make as he slipped on his long dark blue raincoat—buttoning the front slowly and clasping it at the waist. The wind had kicked up enough that there probably wasn't much point in trying to bring an umbrella. The tall black boots that the Ito slipped into would keep his feet dry but everything else was going to get wet. Achilles opened the door cautiously, feeling the first gusts of the storm as a smattering of fat drops hit his face and pattered against his coat, and the wind teased the material of the long jacket to flutter out behind him.
Achilles stared back up at the storm with angry blue eyes, moving purposefully toward the stable. In the first place, why was the head of Bluebell out here alone picking horses for his house? When the pretty boy had come calling on Achilles with his lecture about picking out the proper animal for each rider, the blond haired Ito had engaged in a quiet fantasy about exactly what people like Akutsu, Temari, and Hiroshi would do if he tried to pick out a horse and assign it to them, and just let Neji talk. It had been relaxing and brought a smile to his face.
Neji was pretty when he was worked up—speaking animatedly with his hands and waving that favored pointer finger in the other boy's face. His cheeks took on a red tinge too when he was really annoyed, and sometimes Achilles purposefully disagreed with the Bluebell Head just to see that reaction. Neji didn't even seem to realize though, that if it had been anyone else Achilles wouldn't even have stayed to the end of the lecture, much less stayed quiet.
The dark sky rumbled angrily above only seconds after the entire sky was lit for a moment with a streak of white lightening. Achilles hurried on seeing his objective finally in the distance. Water was dripping down the blond boy's face, and the blond Ito was forced to lift his arm to shield his vision from the torrent as the wind changed direction whipping the falling drops straight into his face. The Snapdragon felt his mood darkening right along with the sky. When Neji had said he was going out to pick horses Achilles had assumed that Bluebell's Mommy had intended to bring all her children with her and lord it over them as they were forced to make formal and possibly even written greetings to whatever hapless pony Neji had decided suited them best. He wasn't supposed to be out here alone in the middle of a storm!
The blond had reached the stable finally pulling the sturdy wooden door with its cheery blue design open just far enough to slip in before closing it firmly behind him. His body temperature began to rise immediately just being out of the wind, and the warm stables suddenly didn't seem like such a very bad place anymore as he looked around the well lit and cared for common areas. The insulation on the building was good too, the blond could barely hear the raging of the winds, if Neji was still here he probably hadn't even noticed the storm that had kicked up outside.
It didn't take Achilles long to find what he was looking for—the Bluebell head was the only other person in the stable after all and the long dark haired boy was humming quietly to himself as he rubbed down one particular pure white pony with a brush—the name plaque on the door said the lucky creature was named Beatrix and owned by the Hyuuga Family. Neji's back was to the Snapdragon his loose hair swaying as he moved, rhythmically brushing to the strains of that "Kiss Me" song that Gwen was always playing, as he hummed it quietly. Achilles felt that smile creeping onto his face again.
"So this is that pony that you're so proud of," the blond Ito stated after a moment crossing his arms and tossing his head toward the creature. Neji whirled around in surprise at the voice making the white horse at his side stamp and whicker nervously.
"Achilles!" the pretty black haired boy accused—his cheeks were burning with spots of red that just made the Snapdragon Head smile wider. "How long have you been standing there?" the Bluebell demanded, settling a comforting hand to settle the pony at his side.
"Long enough to enjoy a free concert," Achilles teased keeping his head tossed into the air as he looked down at the fuming boy in the stable in front of him. Neji's cheeks were even redder now, but the embarrassment in his face had quickly lost out to anger, just as the Snapdragon Head had known it would, and that favored pointer finger came to fix right at him again.
"What did you come here for?" Neji demanded. He had even left off brushing the precious Icelandic Pony in order to direct the full extent of his emotion at Achilles and that was how the Ito liked it best.
"Didn't you say you'd help anyone who came to the stable to pick out their horse Neji?" Achilles questioned meeting those passionate eyes with his own taunting blue, "I'm here to pick out a horse."