Hi again! Thank you for all your reviews...I'm updating right now (it really is pretty early, considering!) because tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to be super busy!
January 7, 2008 - I replaced this better copy...there were a few minor errors XD
I am Hinata Hyuuga
Heaven III - Gaara's Dead; One More Down
Xxxxxx
Karu is twenty-six years old
Xxxxxx
I wonder which idiot made gym class the longest period of all. We're playing an idiotic game called the Konoha War using soft dodge balls as missiles.
Sad.
I'll spare the long, Gai-sensei and Rock Lee induced "Youthful Instructions."
Object of the game; to be the last one standing. You try to hit others.
Rules; if any limb gets hit, you lose it. For example...an arm gets hit. You have to put it behind your back. Leg gets hit, you jump around on one leg. If hit on both legs, you have to walk on his knees.
How to die; if you get hit in the back, head, or an already decapitated body part. You're out, to sit on the sidelines.
Simple and concise without the whole "run into the sunset" spheal.
"Psst!"
A girls with several blonde ponytails smiled and beckoned. Warily I approached her.
"The girls form an alliance," she whispered, grinning. "As usual. Well, you're new, so you don't know. Just to tell you."
I nodded. So I was to...aim for the boys?
"By the way, my name is Temari." She smiled and returned to the other girls. I was reluctant to, but finally I went over to them. Gai-sensei was just about to blow the whistle... "Let's win this thing!"
The whistle blew and ten dodge balls were immediately launched into the air. The bravehearted retrieved them and automaticaly pummeled everyone in sight. Arms, legs, backs, were instantly hit.
I ran to the wall, grouping with a few girls.
If they were as good to their word as being annoying...and surprisingly, they were.
Boys hit boys and girls hit boys and vice versa, but girls didn't hit girls. Actually it was a good idea...
Wham! A ball hit a girl on both her legs. She had black braids, and scowled and walked on her knees.
It was chaos. Balls were flying everywhere; I was trying to duck, but sooner or later my right leg was hit. I stumbled, dodged, and remained against the wall in a purely defensive position.
Most of the boys were already down after less than fifteen minutes. Just Gaara, sasuke, and Naruto remained. There were at least six girls, including me and Sakura. Temari was already sitting against the side wall.
Bam, bam. Whack!
Three girls were hit in the back and head. Ouuuuch.
With speed and ultimate precisio, a ball slammed into my left arm. I winced and put it behind me. With my right arm I picked up the ball hat had hit me.
I couldn't throw it at the boys because they were too far away. Sakura was right there, the only other girl remaining...
I wasn't planning to throw anything anyway, but... Ad I'd never agreed to the alliance. I'd never promised.
I threw it softly. It connected with her back
She cried out in surprised, and turned around. I froze. Maybe I had gone too far -
"You bi - "
"You're out," interrupted Shikamaru from the sidelines. I threw him a grateful look. Sakura stamped off, muttering under her breath. She sat near the girls that followed her around like puppy dogs.
Hah.
But I knew I'd done something both brave and suicidal. This was just the type of excuse Sakura could use to badmouth me.
Without realizing it, a ball hit both my legs with deadly accuracy. I looked up from the ground on my knees. Gaara stood about seven feet away. A corner of his mouth was lifted slightly, and he was reaching for another dodge ball when a surprised expression crossed his face.
A ball was thrown from behind - at his head. It was too quick to duck from.
Wham!
Gaara turned around, facing Sasuke, who was smirking. He had all his limbs still. I heard Sakura's cheer.
The redhead stalked off. And then those onyx, unpenetrable eyes stared at me. I blinked. The blood rushed to my cheeks. Now...
Now it was just me and him.
I swallowed, stumbling on my knees. I tried to position myself as far as possible. He had all ten dodgeballs and threw effortlessly.
One made a dent in the mat on the wall. Another hit exactly where my hand had been a heartbeat before.
SLAM! BAM. Two I ducked by rolling -
"Yea, go Sasuke!" yelled Sakura. I looked up, studying his face. Suddenly I wanted to know. Did he like her back? Did he really truly and honestly like a person such as her? Were they -
I cried aloud in pain. "A - umph!" My right arm was down. Now both my arms and both my legs were useless.
Was I still considered to be alive in this sick game?
Sakura's jeering voice sounded. "Stump! Stump! Hah!"
So I was a stump. Lovely.
And apparently I was still in the game. Damn.
He had three dodge balls in his grasp. It was easy now, I thought. I was awkwardly balanced on my knees with two hands tied behind my back. All I could do was shuffle around. But it was pointless.
He was swift, agile...deadly.
I rolled over, my arm hurting. The ball missed by a few inches. It slammed against the wall, rolling back to me.
"Use your mouth!" bellowed Gai-sensei. "Anything goes!"
Use my...mouth?! To throw the ball...?
Sasuke was getting closer. He wasn't even running. He knew it was futile for me. But I would not give up. I don't know how or what, but somehow I felt anger stir inside from when he was acting like a jerk.
Vainly rolling across, I clenched my teeth on the soft, firm fabric of the dodge ball.
I understand if you can't talk to me again
And if you live by the rules of "it's over", then I'm sure that that makes sense...
I will go down with this ship. And I won't put my hands up and surrender.
There will be no white flag above my door...
I got back up on my knees, determined. He was already there, less than one yard away from me.
Then Sasuke did something unexpeected; he tapped the dodge ball against his legs and got on his knees like me. I'm facing you...as an equal, his eyes seemed to say. Mine narrowed.
Quickly he covered the space between us and lunged forward to the right. I veered to the left just as he did. It was a feint!
I ducked but overbalanced, and hit my chest and stomach hard on the mat, my arms still on my back.
I coughed. The ball that had been in my mouth rolled away.
I felt strong arms pin my shoulders down. I tried to buck them off but couldn't. "Just kill me!" I hissed, my face half into the mat. It was so excruxiatingly embarrassing. "Hurry up and just do it!"
Abruptly the grip lessened. He leaned down, maddeningly close.
"No."
"Hurry up..."
"If I let you win this, will you forgive me?" he asked softly so only I could hear.
"Wh-what? No! No, wait - is that why you're trying to - "
"Then too bad."
Something gentle was pressed to my back.
The whistle blew.
I rolled over and got up. Who cared if I lost.
Just like how he'd acted, I didn't give him one backwards glance.
...I'd already forgiven him long ago.
Xxxxxx
Deliberately I had ignored Sasuke when he'd touched my shoulder just when he had gotten in his car. And he'd drove off..
I sighed. It wasn't against my better or worse decisios...I just needed a break for a while...
The truth had leaked out faster than sand ocould slip through figners. In school I wasn't the loser, and I definitely wasn't the most popular person, but I felt myself opening up. It really wasn't that bad.
It was a Friday, so we were driven back home until Monday. Until further hell, that was.
The same flashy red convertible stopped at the curb and Neji stepped out, grinning.
"How was your day? How'd it go?"
Squeals!
Giggles and whispering automatically turned on full-force.
"So that's Neji Hyuuga!!" Squeal!
"He's so hot!"
"I heard that he's an awesome basketball player! When Hinata dressed as him, I was thinking, no way! But now…"
"The real deal!"
He stared at me, eyebrows raised. He looked as if he'd swallowed something filthy. "So I presume that your disguise didn't go all that well."
I smiled, wishing we could just go home. "No…good luck sleeping tonight."
"They'll probably follow me. Stalkers."
"That's your problem."
He laughed and shut my door, getting in.
That night I laid on my bed, facing the wall at home. But in my heart? ...I was peaceful. I'd finally told them. It was out. I felt happy.
God could offer me heaven.
I'd refuse.
Saturday
I watched Hanabi's performance. She's doing a type of ballet. She wasn't the lead but was close to it. I'm proud.
Sunday
I'm bored. Today I went to two parties. Acting isn't all it's fucked up to be. I'm in a bad mood today. Sometimes I wish my parties were more like Sasuke's party...scary but true.
Monday
Boring. School. Sasuke's ignoring me. I think I've gotten used to it. Sarcasm.
Wednesday
Neji's accustomed to bringing me to and from school. I thanked him but he always has a funny look on his face when he picks me up. It's because of the girls. I just know it. They're slowly but surely annoying him to death.
Friday
Same old, same old. I can't believe the book Kakashi was reading...was a make out book! What the heck? But he's a better teacher than most, so students don't blab on him. Kind of cool...
It's been a week already...that went by too fast!! I actually love Konoha...
I just realized that Sasuke still has my jacket and my cell phone. Oh well. He can keep them. He can stay away from me. I can act like I don't care. But...agh!
Saturday
Neji's driving me home from another party...
"I'm having a basketball game tomorrow," Neji said as soon as I'd shut the door, "and you're coming."
I'd got in the back, and saw his eyes watching from the rearview mirror. "I"m not interested in basketball," I sighed. "It's just not my - "
I saw a flash of black in the back. I turned around, my seatbelt digging into my hip. I don't know why. It reminded me of Sasuke, always dark, deeply mysterious.
Of course it wasn't him. It was a piece of clothing from a clothesline. What had I been thinking?!
"What?"
"Oh, nothing." The black shirt was lost in a sharp curve; settled back in my seat, my heart strangely thudding.
"So are you coming or not?"
"I don't know."
"If you come I'll make sure it's worth it for you."
Oh, what the heck. I was being unreasonable. "I'll go."
"Only, the thing is..." His eyes met mine in the mirror again. His were as light gray as ever, but shadowed by his deepset face structure. "Hanabi has a dance lesson. Karu has a dentist appointment - "
I made a noise. "Hah! The dentist will proabably have a seizure when he sees that Karu's been smoking! It serves him r - "
"...Yeah..."
Silence reigned. I stared out the window.
"So I'll drive you," he said finally, pulling up to our house. "But..." he paused. "I'm also picking up my another friend."
"That's fine."
"My friend..." he hesitated and got out. "Never mind."
Also, I actually played the same dodge ball game at a summer camp! Except it was called "Army Dodge." And yes, it was painful.
And yeah, the girls DID form an alliance!! Lol.
Edit 3/23/08
