Title: Metamorphosis
Author: Nakora-chan
Series: Naruto
Rating: T
Pairings: Sasuke x fem!Naruto
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any songs whose lyrics are used in this fanfiction.
Summary: For two years, the group Tanabata ruled the music industry only to mysteriously transfer before their label Akatsuki Records was charged with kidnapping and extortion. A blonde suddenly transfers into Sasuke's class, and Kyuubi takes the music world by storm.
Warnings: fem!Naruto, genderbender
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Chapter One
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Sasuke walked into the classroom casually, trying not to draw attention to his entrance. Without any visible signs, he mentally cursed any deities watching him in his situation.
After the press conference yesterday, the media had immediately bombarded him with questions and not even his patented glares could get him out of the situation. Once security came in and order returned to the room, the press flooded Kyuubi with questions, such as why he chose someone like him, who else, and what plans were in store. Just as the press conference was beginning to wind down from the hype, he hightailed it out of the building.
He fled straight back home, still trying to keep his cool, but the moment that he got home, Itachi stood there in the doorway and raised an eyebrow at him. He rushed past his older brother to his room, just to get away from the prying eyes of the other people in the household.
Itachi hadn't said a word to him since before the conference, but the looks were more than enough throughout breakfast and on his way out.
As he walked to school, people constantly gave him looks, trying to keep the looks covert, but they all kept on blatantly staring. He was hard pressed not to curse them out for their stares. Hell, his classmates couldn't their whispers to a down low.
He sat down in his seat, on the last row near the windows, second to last in the row. There were few people in the room since it was so early in the morning, but the few people that were there kept staring and whispering.
It didn't take long before more people walked into the room, gossiping and laughing only to stop when they saw Sasuke already in the room. Immediately, they started acting like the rest of the idiotic people in the room. Everyone in the room did that, but what scared and annoyed him the most were the… fangirls…
"Sasuke-kun!"
He winced when a pink head shoved itself in front of him.
Haruno Sakura, one of his top stalkers, sat to his right in class, and although he admitted that she was one of the smartest people in the grade, she didn't think about anything else but… well, him. He wondered just how the girl studied when… he… was the only thing on her mind almost all the time.
With a sickeningly bright smile, she asked, "Ne, Sasuke-kun, why didn't you tell us that you're starting a band with Kyuubi-sama?"
He didn't say anything; he ignored her.
"Baka Big-Forehead, why would Sasuke-kun tell you?"
He winced again when a blonde head pushed the pink head aside.
Yamanaka Ino, another of his top stalkers, sat thankfully on the other side of the room, and although she wasn't as smart as Sakura, she ranked just as high as Sakura since Ino did much better in P.E. than Sakura. This girl, he knew, didn't think about… him… just as much as Sakura did because she helped out with her family floral shop.
"I wasn't talking to you, Ino-buta!"
"What did you call me, Big-Forehead?"
"You heard me!"
"QUIET!"
Everyone looked up to see their homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka, walk in with a small scowl set on his face.
Sasuke frowned. Iruka usually had a deeper scowl set in his face this early in the day if his… stalkers started bickering in class; Iruka looked… happy.
A collective groan rang throughout the room while everyone reluctantly sat down in their seats. Iruka made quick work of going through roll call, as he usually did, but he did it today with an unusual enthusiasm. Setting down his attendance roster, he smiled benignly at the class, "Today, we have a transfer student joining us, and I expect everyone to treat her well." He turned towards the door and called out, "Come in."
The door slid open, and in walked a blonde.
The blonde crossed the doorway, and a collective silence held the room. She walked in and stood by the teacher's podium; she held herself demurely and politely. She seemed shy with her hair covering almost all of her face; no one could make out any of her features. She had a good physique and looked to be in better shape than most of the people in the room.
Iruka wrote her name on the chalkboard in the front of the room and told the class, "Everyone, this is Uzumaki Naru. Be nice to her."
"Hai!" the students responded excitedly, all eager to meet the blonde.
Looking at Naru, Iruka asked politely, "Would you like to say anything to your classmates, Uzumaki-san?"
Everyone leaned in, their faces bright waiting for what the pretty blonde had to say.
"I'M UZUMAKI NARU, YOU STUPID BASTARDS, AND I'VE COME TO COLLECT YOUR GOD-DAMNED SOULS!"
Everyone blinked.
WHAT THE HELL?
"Uzumaki-san!"
Her legs spread apart, her arms crossed over her chest, an arrogant and cocky look on her face, she looked at Iruka and demanded, "What? You asked me if I had anything to say to them, and I told them."
Iruka closed his eyes and made a really ugly face as he fumed silently.
"You know, Iruka-sensei, you make a really ugly face when you're mad."
"Just go sit down!"
Naru blinked and pointed out, "But you haven't told me where to sit."
Again, Iruka closed his eyes and pursed his lips, trying not to make another ugly face for the blonde to make fun of. Calming himself, he looked around the room and told her, "You can sit in the empty seat behind Uchiha-san."
Naru blinked again and tilted her head in confusion before asking, "Who's that?"
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By the time that lunch came around, Uzumaki Naru had unexpectedly surprised everyone… in other words, she had officially pissed everyone off.
Whenever anyone had tried to talk to her, she called them names, teacher and student alike; but she was smart. Despite her trashy talk and vulgar way of speaking, she knew what she was talking about whenever she had to get up to answer questions.
Because he sat in front of her, Sasuke noticed that she had slept through all of Math, noted by her snoring, and she was doing god-knows-what during English. From the quick glance that he spared the blonde during the period, he nearly blanched at the sight of so many notebooks spread across her desk, and she wrote furiously in all of them, despite how sporadically she did it.
When the lunch bell rang, he stood up and walked out of the classroom as soon as he heard the squeals of fangirls following him down to the cafeteria and he sure did not want to commit mass homicide before he graduated from high school.
"Is Uzumaki Naru here?"
Sasuke turned to look at the person asking, and recognized the guy to be Inuzuka Kiba, star player on the basketball team. He briefly wondered why the Inuzuka asked for the blonde. Without a word, he nodded in the direction of the blonde still at her desk and still feverishly scratching in those many notebooks on her desk.
From what he had seen of the basketball player, Kiba's face always seemed to be tight and even though the guy laughed brightly with his friends and his teammates, he noticed that his smile never reached his eyes.
Kiba's sharp eyes, slit like cat's, searched the room before spotting the golden blonde hair seated in the last seat in the row nearest the windows. His face visibly softened, losing all the tightness, and then he smiled, a real smile. "Yo, Naru!"
Naru, whipping her waist-length golden hair aside, looked up, her sparkling blue eyes searching around trying to locate the person to match the voice. Her eyes landed upon Kiba, and a great grin dawned on her face. She called out, "Hey, dog-shit!"
At that point, Sasuke felt that his presence had just become a nuisance and walked in the direction of the cafeteria, wondering just who Uzumaki Naru was.
Kiba, on the other hand, leaned on the doorway waiting for the blonde to gather all her notebooks she had scattered on her desk. She gathered them all in one arm while taking her bento in the other hand from out of her desk; trotting over to him, she kept grinning. "Let's go. Tell me what everyone's been doing while I was gone."
The animalistic-looking brunette frowned lightly, and his eyes turned away guiltily.
Naru looked at Kiba in surprise, her eyes wide Kiba's expression, and her expression softened, her eyes understanding and her smile gentle. "Don't worry about it, dog-shit. You just owe me ramen for life."
Kiba stared at her, then guffawed.
The gentle smile became bright once more, and with the arm with the bento in hand, she linked arms and dragged him off. "You can take me to cafeteria and tell me all about it."
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Sasuke closed his eyes, and briefly wondered if he could claim self-defense for mass murder. He mentally groaned; this was the second time that day that he had contemplated mass murder… what was next? The whisperings and not-so-discreet looks grated on his nerves more than ever, and he wondered what he should do about them.
Suddenly, the whisperings and looks turned away from him, and he immediately noticed. Glancing around, he also looked in the direction where everyone else was looking.
Uzumaki Naru and Inuzuka Kiba had just walked in. Naru had several notebooks in one arm and a bento box held in her other hand, her face bright and smiling; Kiba, on the other hand, had stuffed his hands in his pockets, his stance casual, but the guy kept on growling and snarling at anyone who looked at Naru the wrong way. The guy could have possibly been Naru's boyfriend, but he didn't act like it. In fact, he acted like an overprotective older brother more than a jealous boyfriend.
The duo didn't stand in line for long since only Kiba bought some melon bread. They moved around until they sat down at an empty table suspiciously near him; in fact there were several empty tables around him, but they chose the closest one.
Sitting in front of Kiba, she dumped her notebooks on the table and pushed them towards the other.
Kiba, taking a bite out of his melon bread, opened all of the notebooks and started reading whatever was on the paper with an alarming rate. His eyes widened. Sticking the bread into his mouth, he brushed his other hand clean on his pants and started turning pages with it. His face spoke of shock as he kept on turning pages; if his mouth wasn't full, it would have dropped in awe.
After a while, he started stuffing his face with melon bread again while more slowing turning pages. He looked completely immersed with whatever Naru had written in the notebooks, but closed his eyes tight when he finished his melon bread. He forced himself to close the notebooks, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get away from them for the rest of lunch, and he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Naru before the end of the school day.
Leaning back in his chair, Kiba smiled and told Naru, "You are amazing; you know that?"
Naru returned with a playful grin, "I know. That's why I'm me, and you're you."
The brunette barked a laugh before tapping one of the notebooks with his knuckles. His face was bright but the look in his eyes spoke of more serious matters. "Who's going to play this part?"
Having opened and started eating her bento while Kiba looked over her notebooks, she paused with her chopsticks halfway between her food and her mouth. With her other hand, she scratched her cheek while smiling nervously and responded half-heartedly, "I hoped that you would recommend someone."
Kiba sighed in exasperation, but didn't look upset by the blonde's revelation. "I'll look for someone, but I can't guarantee you I'll find someone. If I were you, I'd be asking Shikamaru for help."
"How's Shikamaru been doing?"
The guy looked at her with confusion before smiling. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"
Naru pouted and whined, "At least, let me finish my ramen!"
"You brought ramen as a bento?" exclaimed Kiba as he leaned forward trying to peer at her packed bento, and sure enough, she had ramen for lunch. "You sure are weird, woman—OW! What'd you do that for?"
The blonde didn't reply, just responded by quickly slurping up the rest of her ramen. Efficiently, she packed up the empty container and gathered up her notebooks lying askew in front of her friend. She looked at Kiba with a grin, "C'mon. I want to see Shikamaru, and maybe Hinata-chan will be there."
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As Kiba led them towards wherever they were headed, Naru became quiet and she only did this when her mind wandered off, and he certainly knew what she was suddenly thinking about. He leaned on the doorframe of the classroom of Class 3-B with Naru standing right beside him though not so deep in her trance. Searching the room and spotting the people he was searching for, he called out, "Shikamaru! Hinata! Look at who's here!"
Both of them turned when they heard Kiba yell out their names, and their gazes focusing on Kiba in the doorway, their eyes automatically fell upon the blonde beside Kiba.
"Naru!"
Shikamaru and Hinata nearly knocked their chairs back with their surprise, and almost jumped out of their seats to reach Naru.
The blonde girl with a smile pulled the two in a deep hug, burying her face between them. She stayed like this for a long time, and they let her. They needed this as much as she did.
Finally, she pulled back and looked at them in their faces. With watering eyes and a truly happy smile, she said, "Tadaima."
Hinata returned the smile shyly. "Okaeri." Taking Naru's hand into both of hers, she pulled the blonde towards their little lunch group. She dragged her friend over to a group of four desks, two people sitting there and looking on at the events taking place.
Shikamaru grabbed chairs nearby, depriving other people of their seats for a while, to accommodate Naru and Kiba, who sat down on each side of the group of desks pushed together. Surprisingly, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Kiba only sat down after Naru did, though one could barely tell since the time difference was so small.
Glancing at the two people sitting across Shikamaru and Hinata, Kiba gestured over to them. "Oh, Naru, this is Akimichi Chouji and Aburame Shino. Chouji, Shino, this is Uzumaki Naru."
Naru bowed lightly and said, "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."
Both Chouji and Shino bowed in return, but only Chouji responded, "Nice to meet you, too."
A large grin appeared on her facel, and she asked, "Your family owns Akimichi Restaurant and Grill, don't they?"
The "big-boned" guy mirrored her smile and nodded enthusiastically. "Wow, it usually takes people a while to figure that out. How could you tell?"
"I have my ways," responded Naru, her face effectively hiding her secrets. She then looked at Shino and tilted her head side to side, as if deciding on something. "You… do you know Aburame Shibi?"
Shino, who wore dark sunglasses that covered his eyes very well and a dark-colored tuque (Naru didn't know if that was against school policy here, but apparently Shino got away with it), gave a nodded and gave a succinct answer, "He's my father."
Still grinning widely, she informed him, "I thought so. Your father's research in entomology has greatly helped Konoha Alliance and Hyuuga Industries' manufacturing."
"How do you know that?"
Naru promptly pointed at Hinata, who ducked her head and blushed a fierce red. "She told me." Waiting for a sound of understanding and not getting one, she explained, "Hinata-chan, here, is the heir to Hyuuga Industries."
With Shino nodding in understanding finally, Naru noted that Chouji didn't seem surprised, "You don't look surprised, Chouji?"
Chouji, only slightly and inwardly surprised by the informal way the blond treated him, replied, "Hinata-san eats at my family's restaurants whenever there's a big business dinner or formal event."
Naru frowned and was about to say something when she glanced in Shikamaru and Kiba's direction. The two gave her a warning look that she immediately understood despite wanting to keep up the conversation. There were some things that just couldn't be said regardless of the circumstances, and what she was about to say was one of the things that she should never say in public.
Shino noticed the tense atmosphere as soon as it appeared in the conversation. He wondered why it appeared, but he knew it had to deal with the circumstances around Uzumaki Naru. He certainly heard the gossip that floated around this morning about the blonde female transfer student; he was certainly surprised by her sudden appearance in their classroom with Inuzuka Kiba in tow.
He did not know that Kiba was good friends with Shikamaru or Hinata until today; in fact, it seemed as if the Inuzuka had kept his distance from the two for the entire time they had been in high school. Neither Shikamaru nor Hinata had made a move toward Kiba during the two years during high school, though that could be attributed to the fact that Kiba wasn't in their class
He had been watching all the students in their grade, and kept careful notes about each of them in case something happened that might help his situation, though he had no situation that his information might help. To his knowledge, Kiba hadn't talked to Shikamaru or Hinata until today.
It was something similar to the case with Shikamaru and Hinata. In freshman year, Shikamaru had been in a different class and hadn't shown that he knew anyone from any other class, but once he joined his and Hinata's class back in sophomore year, Shikamaru and Hinata had stuck together like glue, some strange force pulling them together. And now, Kiba joined the like. Shino wondered just how this happened, since he doubted that the three had anything to do together afterschool.
But with the introduction with this new character, Uzumaki Naru, Shino had wondered about the bond that joined these four.
All of the sudden, Naru straightened up and looked at all of them with a smile different from her regular grin. "I have something to show you!" She got up from her seat, moving the chair back to its previous place, and grabbed her pile of notebooks. She caught her friends' eyes and something passed between the four of them that only they could understand.
Shikamaru got up from his seat and mumbled, "Too troublesome."
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They all reached the music room, which surprised both Chouji and Shino, who never expected the blonde or rather Kiba to lead them there. Naru apparently wasn't good with directions, so Kiba led them to the music room without even asking Naru if that was their destination. Seemingly, Kiba knew Naru well enough that he automatically expected her to go to the music room.
Sliding the door open a bit, Naru poked her head inside to see if anyone was inside before sliding the door the rest of the way. She bounced into the room, her mood immediately perking up once nearing the instruments in the room. Coming to a decision, she sat down at the piano and played a few notes, checking the tuning.
"What are you going to play, Naru-chan?"
Naru blinked and turned back to the group, surprise on her face. She flushed and raised a hand to scratch the back of her head, "Sorry. I forgot that you were there."
Kiba sighed and crashed onto one of the seats in the room. "You always do that, Naru. It couldn't hurt you to remember that we exist."
"Hey! I just get carried away!"
Shikamaru, already in the seat next to Kiba, slouched and crossed his arms across his chest. He grumbled out as his eyelids started falling down, "Troublesome woman."
Hinata gracefully took the seat on the other side of Kiba and repeated quietly, "What are you going to play, Naru-chan?"
Naru's attention turned to Hinata and the blonde grinned. "Final Distance."
"Final Distance? I've never heard of it," mused Chouji.
"Probably because it doesn't exist."
"Huh?"
The blonde didn't respond, her attention already fully focused on the piano in front of her. Her expression completely changed, a totally different person sitting in Naru's place, the serious look on her face not matching the blonde at all. Her back unexpected straighted, her posture fitting that of a born pianist, she closed her eyes and started.
"Ki ni naru noni kikenai (I'm anxious, but I can't say anything)
Oyogitsukarete kimi made mukuchi ni naru (I'm tired of swimming, even you've become silent)
Aitai noni mienai name ni osarete (I want to see you, but an invisible wave pushes us)
Mata sukoshi tooku naru (Again, just a little more distance)
Togirenai you ni keep it going baby (Try not to stop, keep it going, baby)
Onaji kimochi janai nara tell me (If you don't feel the same, then tell me)
Muri wa shinai shugi demo (Even if your principle is to not try)
Sukoshi nara shite mite mo ii yo (It's alright to try a little)
I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance chijimete (Let's shorten the distance with the two of us)
Ima nara maniau kara (We can still make it on time)
We can start over
Hitotsu ni wa narenai (We can't be as one)
I wanna be with you now
Itsu no hi ka distance mo (Someday, even this distance)
Dakishimerareru you ni nareru yo (We'll be able to embrace)
We can start sooner
Yappari I wanna be with you (After all, I wanna be with you)
Hito koto de konna ni mo kizutsuku kimi wa (You, who gets hurt with a single word)
Kodoku wo oshiete kureru (taught me what loneliness is)
Momorenai toki keep on trying, baby (When you can't protect me, keep on trying, baby)
Yakusoku doori janai kedo trust me (It's not as I promised but trust me)
Muri wa shinai shugi demo (My principle is to not try but)
Kimi to nara shite mite mo ii yo (I would do it for you)
I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance mistumete (Look at our distance with the two of us)
Ima nara maniau kara (We can still make it)
We can start over
Kotoba de tsutaetai (I want to tell you with words)
I wanna be with you now
Sono uchi ni distance mou (One day, even the distance)
Dakishimerareru you ni nareru yo (I'll be able to embrace)
We should stay together
Yappari I need to be with you... (After all, I need to be with you…)"
As the music drifted off, something lingered.
Hinata sniffled, tears trailing down from her silver eyes down her cheeks, and she tried to regain her composure. The song reminded her of the two years, the long two years that her best friend was gone from her life. For those two years, she knew nothing of Naru's whereabouts, and Naru hadn't even told her or anyone she knew where the blonde had gone off to. She worried for two long years, everyday bringing on a new pain and sorrow. This song was for them; this was Naru's apology to them for their pain.
Shikamaru leaned his head back once he heard the verse and closed his eyes. He didn't want to hear this; these were words that he didn't need to hear. These words only reminded him of his failure in this friend's life. He knew what happened to her, and though she might deny it, he felt that it was partly his fault. Why hadn't he paid more attention to the world around? If he had, she wouldn't have suffered as long as she did. This song was the forgiveness she gave him for his mistakes.
Kiba scowled and had looked away in the middle of the song; he knew the true meaning of this song, moreso than he felt Hinata or Shikamaru knew. He had known from the beginning, and there was nothing that he could do about it. There was nothing he could have done to help Naru despite all his boasts and whatnot. He failed, and the moment he had done so, despair set in. Naru knew this; she knew that all of it pained him. This song was to sooth away those pains, those aches; this was Naru's compassion.
Not understanding the feelings that overwhelmed their friends, Shino and Chouji clapped politely hearing such a moving piece.
Naru turned towards them, her face bright and smiling, a hand scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Domo. It's not much, but I hoped you like it."
Wiping her face of the tears on her cheeks, Hinata smiled in return and said, "It was great. You haven't changed at all in two years, Naru-chan."
"Thanks, Hinata-chan. I was a bit scared that my style changed a lot, but I'm glad it hasn't."
"Damn it, I'll do it!"
Everyone in the room looked at Kiba, who wore a resolute face. "Damn it, I'll quit the basketball team!"
All of them gaped, jaws dropping, eyes wide with surprise. Kiba loved basketball; why did he all of the sudden decide to quit?
The blonde frowned at his canine-like friend. "I didn't play that song for you to do something for me."
"I'm not doing it for you, woman. I'm doing it for myself," argued Kiba, his face forming a small snarl, getting a bit defensive about his sudden reasons for his change. "Your actions don't affect me. I decide my own life, and quitting the basketball team is the only way I can go to do what I truly love."
Her eyes searching his face for a moment, she grinned. "You do that, dog-shit."
"Bitch!"
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Author's Notes: So I'm finally done with the second chapter of Metamorphosis after several months. I thought I'd be doing this fanfiction on a weekly basis, but apparently with all my exams and homework, I can barely work on this and New Future. I'm currently working on the next chapter of New Future, so New Future fans, don't worry, it'll be out soon.
Oh, I'll be going to Hong Kong for two weeks during between December and January, so I probably won't have that much time to write (like I had much time with my classes). Anyway, onto notes about this chapter:
Japanese school system: I don't live in Japan, so I don't know how the school system is like there and I'm basing the entire fanfiction upon the tidbits I pick up from watching anime and the like. I've done a bit of research so I know that students go to school Monday through Saturday (Saturday being a half-day). There's elementary school going from (1 to 6), middle school (7 to 9), and high school (10 to 12) . For more information, you can go search Wikipedia.
Tadaima: I'm home
Okaeri (short for Okaerinasai): Welcome back.
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu: Nice to meet you
The song "Final Distance" is Utada Hikaru's 8th Japanese-language single. The reason why I chose this song compared to other songs is because most of the harmony of this song comprises of piano, which as described in the story, is in the music room, and there usually always is a piano in a music room. With this in mind, I had to choose a piano or acoustic piece (a guitar may have been in the room); going through my list of Japanese music, I narrowed my list down to songs sung by female singers. To further narrow it down, I had to look at the lyrics of the songs and how I could relate the lyrics to the story. Final Distance puts a nice feel to the story and helps clear up some of Naru's feelings about the two years she spent away (not going to say anymore).
If anyone doesn't like this style, please review and tell me so. Usually, I hate to see the format and style of my story like this, but this was the best I could make do with.
Please review!