Hey guys, my first author's note. Just wanted to say, thanks for all the support and reviews. I'm sorry this chapter's taken a little longer, but I've had exams and stuff to contend with. Anyway, enjoy, and remember constructive criticism is always appreciated. Oh, and I clearly don't own Naruto…
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No one had ever called me beautiful before. I knew Hidan was drunk that night, but still, he told me I was beautiful. And what did I do? I just shut the window and went to sleep.
Still, it was Monday. I had school to look forward to. School's never really been a problem for me. I'm not popular, but I have my friends, and I get good grades.
We go to Suna High School, (original name or what?) which is actually one of the top schools around. I guess I like that, because it means we've got friends from pretty much everywhere.
Anyway, I made my way to Kankuro's room, expecting to find my brother sleeping. He's never really been an early riser, and school only seems to put him off actually getting out of bed.
So imagine my surprise when I found Kankuro fully dressed, seemingly wide awake and grinning brightly. Seriously, my brother's antics were getting increasingly weird. We might have to consider therapy. Again.
And when I casually inquired as to where Gaara was, I practically fainted.
'Oh, yeah' Kankuro smirked, 'He's gone to school with Sasori and Dei'.
'Right' I nodded, choosing to drop the matter there. At least my seemingly sociopath brother had begun to socialize. 'And you didn't want to go with Pain-san, Kankuro?'
Kankuro shook his head, snickering, as if to suggest that I knew nothing, despite my being older than him.
'Sis, in case you hadn't noticed, most of the guys are a little older than us. College students, not high schoolers. Dei and Sasori are the only one at high school'.
I blushed. Kami, I was turning into an idiot. I mean, it was rather obvious they were older than us. Take Hidan for example, I mean, high school students don't have abs like that. Not that I'd been looking. But you know, you notice these things…
I shook the thought out of my head before Kankuro could say a word. I did not need my brother making my state of confusion any worse. Stupid Hidan. I hated guys sometimes.
School that day was not unbearable. I'd managed to get to lunch without feeling the need to bang my head against a wall repeatedly. And in my experience, that's pretty good.
Of course, you can't hide things from your closest friends.
'So what's his name?' I heard Ino sigh from her seat opposite me at the lunch table.
I stared at my dango, biting my lip, wondering if it had hurt when Hidan got his pierced.
'He has no name. There is no he'.
Ino laughed, brushing her blonde hair away from her eyes.
'So let me get this straight, there is no guy, but I can tell from that look that every time someone mentions his name, you can't think straight. And whenever you think about him, you start wondering if he's thinking about you'
'And he probably is' I heard Tenten chime in. 'So, is he cute?'
'Please, guys, stop it. There is no guy'. I rested my head on my palm, staring down at the table. Stupid Hidan. He's be the death of me.
I looked up as I heard Ino and Tenten giggle, glancing at each other. What were those two up to?
'He's definitely cute then,' Ino smirked, 'Right, Tenten-chan?'
'Oh most definitely, Ino-chan' Tenten grinned in reply. 'Hmmm, what do you think he looks like? Blonde hair? Red? Brown?'
'I vote blonde,' Ino giggled brightly, 'And the eyes. How about black? Or green? Red maybe? After all, Sasuke looks so good with those red contacts'.
I sighed, knowing I would live to regret this, but unable to stop myself. I mean, really, red eyes?
'Actually,' I whispered, 'His eyes are magenta'. And then, before I had to face more of the squealing, clapping and questions from my friends, I ran to the library.
Seriously, I had to stop running away and/or closing the door or window in people's faces when they were trying to talk to me. But hey, it seemed to work.
Yeah, that thing I just said about slamming doors in people's faces? Foolproof. That is until you arrive home after school to find the person you're trying to avoid sat on your doorstep. I mean, how on earth are you supposed to avoid six feet or so of college student? Impossible.
There Hidan was, dressed in a pair of black jeans, a tight purple t-shirt and a black cardigan. Seemed he'd recovered from his hangover. And in a cardigan, he looked quite adorable.
'You know, if you keep fucking shutting windows in people's faces, you're gonna make a lot of enemies'.
I felt like a kid being lectured by their parent, but I couldn't just back down.
'And if you keep sitting on people's doorsteps, you're gonna end up with a lot of restraining orders'.
Hidan smirked, 'Yeah, maybe so,' his sarcastic tone softened, 'But if you shut the window in people's faces when they're trying to tell you something they really mean, they're gonna get pissed'.
I blushed, my own voice unable to rise above a whisper.
'Well it's a good job they didn't really mean it then, isn't it?'
Hidan stood up then, and I realised how tall he was. Not as tall as Kisame, but still, Hidan towered over me.
'In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a fucking baby,' he sighed, 'I'm old enough to say what the hell I feel. And if you don't believe-'
'Well say it to those other girls, Hidan!' I yelled, feeling my eyes water. 'Because I bet they'll believe all the stuff you say!'
Abruptly, Hidan leaned forward, and before I could wriggle away, I found myself crushed against his (admittedly muscular) chest in a bear hug. His arms were warm, and I felt safe, but I was still mad at him.
As I pushed him away, Hidan slipped a small piece of paper into my hand. I glanced down at it, but before I could say a word, Hidan was jogging back across the street.
'See, Temari-chan,' he yelled, 'Don't feel so good when people ignore you, does it?'
I went inside the house then, carefully unfolding the note as I stood in the hallway.
It was crumpled, torn paper, with scrawled writing marring the page. And yet it was the sweetest thing I'd ever read.
Temari,
So I hear you saw me with those other girls. Yeah, I feel pretty shit about that. Well, anyway, I'm not good at all this pansy shit, but here goes nothing. I really meant what I said. And those girls? I won't say they're nothing, cos that's fucking disrespectful, but they don't mean the same to me as you. Let's just say, girls like you don't like guys like me, and I get that. So, here's the really fucking pansy-ish bit. I do what I do cos my heart tells me to do it.
I might have wondered if someone had written the note for Hidan. After all, it wasn't like the guy I knew. But then I saw the final line, and I knew it was Hidan's work.
Oh yeah, not just a fucking pretty face.
