Hinata's grip tightened around her phone. "Is it really you, Dad?"
"Yes, it is," Hiashi's deep voice stated.
A million questions ran through Hinata's head at a thousand miles per hour. She settled on asking one question though. "Do you have any idea how torn up Hanabi is about your disappearance?" Hinata dug her fingernails into the wooden surface of the table. She had listened to her younger sister silently cry into her pillow every night since they had moved in with Hizashi, saw how red and swollen her eyes were the next morning. No matter how much Hanabi smiled and tried to mask her sadness Hinata could see right through it. "Hanabi does not deserve your negligence. Unlike me, she actually cares about your well being."
"Are you done with your childish banter?" Hiashi asked. His tone was flat as if he didn't care at all about what Hinata had said. Wood splintered underneath Hinata's finger.
"Yes, I'm done, Father," Hinata said, matching Hiashi's nonchalant tone. "Is there a particular reason you called me?"
"Of course, I wouldn't call just to have a casual conversation. You know me better than that, Hinata," Hiashi said. Hinata's heart clenched. No, Hiashi had never been one for conversation that didn't benefit himself in some way. He treated everything like a business deal. "The Hyuuga name carries a significant weight. That is the reason I had to relocate myself. You and your sister are better off with Hizashi. He will take care of you in my absence."
Hinata felt her anger further build up as she sat and listened to her dad talk. He had just abandoned his daughters like they were stray animals, like they were up for grabs to whoever could keep their water and food bowls full and their cages clean. "Are you not going to offer any explanation of why you left or where you are or, oh, if you're ever going to come back?" she asked, slamming her fist into the picnic table.
"I see you're still controlled by your emotions," Hiashi said. Hinata clenched her teeth. "I will not go into anymore detail about my current situation. You only need to know the things I've told you thus far."
Hinata took a deep breath as she tried to reign in her emotions and keep them from slipping out of her grasp again. "Thank you for the information, Father."
"That will be all," Hiashi said, then after a moment added, "Tell Hanabi that I am fine." The line went dead after that.
Hinata only noticed the pain in her left hand when she put away her phone. A purple bruise had bloomed on the spot where she had slammed her fist into the table. Her pointer finger was also bleeding from where she had dug it into the wood of the table. Wincing, she searched her purse for a band-aid. After successfully wrapping it around her still bleeding finger, Hinata stood from her spot. The bell had rang two minutes ago, signalling the beginning of her fourth hour art class.
Hinata stopped by her locker to grab her binder before going to the art class on the second floor. She remembered Naruto pointing it out while he gave her a tour of the school. When she opened the door to the art room, she got the usual stares which she ignored.
"Can I help you with something?" a black haired woman dressed in a pencil skirt asked. Hinata assumed she was the teacher.
"My name is Hinata Hyuuga and I'm a new student," Hinata said.
"I'm Ms. Yuhi," she said. "I know it can be a bit difficult for a new student to find their way around this school. Did you get lost on your way here?"
"Yes, ma'am," Hinata lied. She had actually been on the phone with her father who had disappeared a week ago and had the audacity to act like he didn't care about either of his daughters.
"Feel free to sit at any available table," Ms. Yuhi said.
Hinata sat next to a boy with black hair and the palest skin she had ever seen. He smiled at her then turned back to the drawing in front of him.
Ms. Yuhi walked over to the dry erase board. She wrote something on it then stepped aside so the students could see. "Express yourself," Ms. Yuhi read. "Most of you in this art class are juniors and seniors, correct? That means you've all been in school long enough to know how to do what you're told. Everything is systematic. They tell you to plug in x in the equation so you plug in x. They tell you to write an essay about the book you were assigned so you write an essay. They tell you about the history you've been learning since elementary school so you continue to learn it throughout high school. My point is that you guys are always being told what to do and how to do it. I want you all to break the shackles that have rendered your imagination useless. Pry off the grip on your mind and let your creativity take over."
Hinata had no idea how to be creative. She didn't even know why she had to take an art class.
"This assignment won't be due for sometime so don't fret," Ms. Yuhi continued. "I want you to all think of ideas and sketch them out. Turn them in at the end of class please."
Hinata stared at a blank sheet of paper hoping an idea would suddenly come to her. After a few more minutes of useless staring, she looked around the classroom for inspiration. The walls were painted different colors, each containing various graffiti. Hanging from the ceiling, were paper airplanes, paper clouds, and various paper airplanes. There were bean bag chairs deposited in the back of the room where students were already sitting at.
The tip tap of a pencil stopped Hinata's eyes from wandering. She glanced over at the boy next to her. His pencil glided across his paper. There appeared to be a giant snake wrapped around an even bigger jaguar. The snake had completely coiled itself around the other animal and was about to consume its head. Drawn above both animals though was a dinosaur...with wings?
"No peeking," the boy said. His voice was completely monotone but his dark eyes revealed a hint of playfullness.
At the end of the class period, Hinata turned in a blank sheet of paper.
Hinata's last class was English and the third class she shared with Naruto Uzumaki. She had somehow ended up sitting in the desk next to him, surrounded by his group of friends.
"I thought you and Karui were back together, Kiba," the pink haired girl, who Hinata later learned was named Sakura, said to the brunette sitting in front of Hinata. Sakura Haruno was the "it" girl of Hidden Leaf High School. She was the captain of the volleyball team, junior class president, and on the path to being valedictorian.
"We decided to take a break," Kiba replied. Hinata had learned that Kiba Inuzuka was a player. Girls liked him because he was titled as a bad boy. He and his girlfriend Karui had been on and off for two years.
"When you were drooling all over Samui, Karui looked like she was ready to kick both of your asses," Ino, the blonde sitting to Sakura's left, said. Ino Yamanaka was co captain of the cheerleading squad and apparently knew the latest gossip on everyone. Hinata had originally thought the girl was bitchy but later learned that she was just overly honest and blunt much like Hinata.
"Karui always looks like she's ready to kick somebody's ass," Sasuke said, leaning back in his seat. Next in the group was Sasuke Uchiha who was dating Sakura and was Naruto's best friend. Girls flocked to Sasuke within seconds of seeing him. He was tall, dark, and handsome. His popularity was further stretched due to him being the youngest person in Hidden Leaf history to become captain of the football team during his sophomore year.
Naruto nudged Hinata's arm with his elbow. Slightly annoyed at having been hit, she glanced over at him. Naruto gave her a smile that she didn't return. Instead, she went back to working on the English assignment that nobody seemed to be doing.
Naruto Uzumaki was the biggest mystery of all. Hinata didn't understand him in the least. He had completely gone out of his way to make a perfect stranger feel comfortable. He could have just left Hinata alone, but she guessed that was what made him so popular and well known. He had a certain warmth to him that made a person want to stick close to him and never let go. He was loud and obnoxious but was also kind and big hearted.
When the bell rang, dismissing everyone for the day, Hinata was the first person out of her seat and in the hall. The day had been overwhelming for her, but she would never admit that out loud.
"You're like Lightning McQueen," Naruto said. Hinata rolled her eyes. Of course he would follow her. "I blinked and you were already gone."
Hinata pulled on her backpack and proceeded down the now crowded hallway. "Is there a reason you're following me, Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Me and the group are heading to this really awesome restaurant, and I was wondering if you want to tag along."
Maybe it was the hopeful smile on Naruto's face that made Hinata agree.