I meant to get this out earlier. But there was something missing. So I added a new beginning because I realized this character has been missing in action a bit. This part is needed for their plot to flow smoothly. So sorry about the delay.
BlackElement7 – you are awesome! You are sooo quick with my chapters and supportive. You really are an amazing beta. THANK YOU!
This chapter is dedicated to:
esm writer 24 – You really did light up my world when I read your review. The preconceived biases that exist when you're writing using someone else's characters, is hard to deal with. As an author, you constantly worry whether or not the readers are seeing your characters the way you've shaped them or the way they know of them. The fact that I managed to change your mind and that you can see them the way I wanted you too, makes me happy. It makes me feel like I am a good writer and that something I've been working towards.
Playlist: Born for this – Paramore
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Glee.
Here's what you missed on gLee:
Well, Glee had their first meeting and it was a doozy! They have two days to find SEVEN members for glee aka social suicide! Can you sing impossible? Especially considering as coach, Anko, Ino and Sakura will glad to see it choke on its doe, ray, me's. Seriously, what's up with the cheer people boo-ing glee? But, apparently Kakashi-sensei has a secret weapon and it's…Naruto Namikaze? And poor Rin! She's obviously still tormented about whatever she and Kakashi had in the past. And Kakashi just seems to enjoy tormenting her about it! Yikes! And Sasuke was visiting someone in the hospital with very tight security? Who is it? Do you know? Me neither! Well, that's what you missed on – gLee!
Day 3: Wednesday 'Hump Day' Morning. Countdown begins.
"Whose stupid idea was it to wake up at the crack of dawn, again?" slurred a sleepy Shizune.
"Kurenai's. Majority of us are busy after school, so it made sense to her," Rin said as she held her coffee in her hands. She was not a morning person at all. Instead, she preferred the atmosphere that the night would provide for her. So the only thing that could keep her up in the morning was strong, black coffee. No sugar and no milk.
Kakashi thought she was crazy for her habit.
Shizune and Rin were in Starbucks, waiting on their coworkers to arrive. It was their annual 'hump day' breakfast chats. They usually tried to do it afterschool, but since Kurenai's pregnancy, her husband was very overprotective and didn't like her staying out later than needed.
"Urgh – that's because she can't go back to sleep because of the morning sickness, not out of convenience," grumbled Shizune.
"You're usually pretty awake in the morning. Did you go to sleep late, Shizune?" Rin was concerned. Out of their little group, Shizune was one of the morning birds, along with the pregnant Kurenai.
"Genma's fault. He was insatiable last night." Shizune did not even have the energy to blush at her blunt statement. But Rin blushed enough for the both of them.
(Thank goodness! A change of subject!) "Look, Kurenai is here!" They both turned to watch Kurenai being helped out of the car by her husband.
Rin had to fight back the sigh at the unbelievable amount of cuteness in front of her. Asuma was being adorably protective (though Kurenai would just call him annoying) as Kurenai got out of the car. He treated her as if she were a delicate glass figurine, and then proceeded to jump around getting all her stuff so she wouldn't have to move. Rin bit back a laugh as she watched Kurenai smack her husband violently with her handbag, as her patience ran out. She could see her friend gesturing violently to her husband in the universal language to 'leave me alone'. She was practically shoving him back in the car and shooing him away. (He's probably only leaving because he's worried this much stress would be bad for the baby. Otherwise, I bet he'd be in here lecturing me about the safety of driving back to the school.)
Shizune and Rin waited patiently as Kurenai ordered her breakfast and walked over.
"Hungry, are we?" Rin grinned. Kurenai had gotten a cheese omelette, a cream cheese bagel, oatmeal, fruit and about four glasses of different types of milk: strawberry, chocolate, soy and skim.
"Considering the fact that I now wake up to vomiting instead of an alarm clock, then yeah. I'm starving!" Kurenai started on her oatmeal first while drinking the strawberry milk. "Where's Anko?" she managed to blurt out in between bites.
"Ah! Speak of the devil," Shizune mumbled after taking a sip of her French vanilla.
"What's up preggars, slut and prude?" Anko greeted like usual, holding her shot of espresso.
Rin hid a grin, just barely. Anko was the type of person where you didn't want to be on her bad side. She was sadistically evil to those she considered enemies. But as a friend, or even an acquaintance, she was hilarious in her blunt manner. She was especially hilarious in the morning after having sex and a shot of espresso, which is exactly what was happening. She had no filter on her mouth at all.
"What's got you so perky this morning? Usually, you needed at least four of those to get you up," Shizune asked, her distain obvious at seeing such a happy person early in the morning.
"Found a nice little silver fox with the stamina of a teen, with his Viagra of course!" Anko licked her lips obscenely, causing a few nearby people to shift awkwardly in their seats.
"How good?" Kurenai asked before chewing on her bagel.
"Eight. You know I don't give out tens easily. Only one person got that perfect score."
Rin didn't notice that Shizune choked on her coffee while Kurenai, whose mouth was stuffed, was making a violent motion for Anko to shut up. She was too busy listening to Anko, she was curious about this perfect ten that she's never heard of. "You gave out a perfect ten? You are ridiculously hard to please? Just who is this guy?"
Kurenai was patting Shizune's back while her motions increased in urgency, her jaw chewing anxiously.
"He was purrrrrfect!" Anko purred in memory. "He was super sexy! He had one of the best bodies I've seen, with the stamina of a teenager but the last effect of a pro. He was creative in bed and up for almost anything. And best thing was that he wasn't looking for any sort of commitment. Just physical sex. We fucked for about a couple months steadily before we decided to dip our toes elsewhere. I wouldn't mind hooking up with Kakashi again if it weren't for his stupid decision to run Glee." Anko shot down the rest of her coffee. "Can I get another one of this?" she yelled out to the waitress.
The grass crunched underneath his feet as he walked towards the gate.
Pausing, he pushed the gate open. It let out a loud creak that penetrated the silent Konoha cementary.
(Forgive me. I've forgotten to bring fresh flowers.)
Neji breathed out slowly. No matter how many times he entered, he always wanted to cry.
(In. Out. In. Out.) Neji exhaled deeply, clearing his mind of his sadness and begging his eyes not to water.
His eyes swept across the cemetery. There were many different tombs spread out across the hill, each for a different person. Some had crosses, angels or just a simple rectangle with a message. There were even some that were unmarked, showing the body of a John Doe.
Regardless, the rows were endless and seemingly went on forever.
(Countless losses. They may be able to rest in peace, while we suffer with their absence…)
It was very early in the morning; the sun had barely risen. Most people were just de-tangling themselves from their sheets but Neji made sure to wake up early enough to come here. After all, he hadn't had the chance to come for two days like he usually did.
It was one of the few times when, despite being in the same town, Neji couldn't get a chance to visit their graves.
But he always did make it up to his parents.
(Though I'm sure you'd both understand…You were both so considerate, after all.)
The harsh burning behind his eyes hit him like a punch in the gut. Neji had to stop immediately in fear that any sudden movements would dislodge the beginning of the flood of tears.
(Four years without you. It hasn't reduced the ache in my heart one bit. I miss you, okaa-sama. Otou-sama…)
Neji stopped at one of the numerous rows, before turning to walk in between a couple of lines of tombs. His critical eyes swept over the tombs, noticing how most of them had not been cleaned recently and only a few had signs of maintenance.
(That's what ends up happening, after all. Life moves on and most are able to forget the tombs of their loved ones.)
His eyes darted to the ground, mentally noting that the maintenance people had not cut the grass in this area.
(Of course, I'm not one of them. How can I forget that perfect life we had? In the span of one year, everything fell apart. It would be unforgettable to any child…)
Neji stopped abruptly at the sight of his parents' tomb.
Dust was brushed off, and the tomb was cleaned with a wet cloth. Spare leaves were removed from the area. Two white and silver bouquets of what looked to be fresh flowers were at the base of each of his parents' tombs in the vase.
(Looks like you didn't need fresh flowers, Okaa-sama, Otou-sama…)
Naruto quickly splashed water on his face, allowing the sleepiness to evaporate.
He was late.
(Damn. Sai, Kiba and Sasuke are probably already out there. Shit~!)
And sure enough, the sight that greeted him as he stepped out of the school was Sasuke running laps around the track, Sai jumping rope and Kiba doing chin-ups using the back of the bleachers.
Naruto eyed Kiba warily for a moment. (I don't even want to know how that idiot got up there, especially considering how tall the back of the bleachers are…)
"You're LATE!" screeched Kiba painfully, as he stopped midway though a chin-up.
"Only by 15 minutes!"
It had become a daily routine for these four to meet up early in the morning before school began and work out more to improve their football skills. Most of the others didn't know about the additional training they did. And Naruto wanted to keep it that way. He enjoyed the bonding they would do…
(What…? Girls paint each other nails and guys work out. So sue me.)
"Punishment~!" Sasuke sing-songed as he neared the area where the others were, continuing his running.
Naruto could see Sai smirk despite the sweat dripping down his head. "Suicides." Sai's voice showed no sympathy.
Naruto scowled as he listened to Kiba's cackling. "Jackass."
Whenever one of the guys was late to their daily training, the others got to decide his punishment.
(Technically, suicides are the most useful punishment, but damn if I let them know that!)
The ability to rapidly change directions in running helped Naruto out more than he wanted to admit out loud.
"You sound like a dead cat," Sai deadpanned in response to Kiba's laughter. Naruto hid his smirk. One of the worst things you could do was compare Kiba to a cat. But then again, Sai always did love to push a guy's buttons.
"SHUT UP, TIGHT ASS!" At Kiba's comeback, Naruto snorted and Sasuke's laughter rang out.
Sai was the offensive's tight end. He basically would either be an offensive linesman or another receiver, depending on the play. That position was a very versatile one. But its name was a joke. It only took Kiba all of two minutes to change 'tight end' to 'tight ass' as Sai's nickname.
Thankfully, Sai wasn't one to be angered easily.
Naruto grudgingly set himself up in the middle of the field for the suicides.
Lee walked happily through the empty halls of the school.
He loved mornings. Birds chirping, sun shining. The sound of a bicycle bell as the newspaper boy went about with his delivers. The smell of coffee or tea being made for those in dire need of a caffeine fix. The morning smell of dew was especially addictive.
Lee hopped a bit in happiness before resuming his pace.
But the best part was arriving at school and no one being there. There were no groups of people chatting and gossiping.
(It's nice to be able to walk across the hall without feeling like every laugh is about you and every whisper is a harsh remark about you.)
Of course, Lee knew he was being bigheaded to assume that people cared enough about him to gossip about him.
(Though they sincerely care enough about Neji-kun. Or at least Hyuuga in general.)
He knew it shouldn't bother him anymore. The stares and whispers. (But they still do.)
Only a little bit.
After all, he had his friend's approval. So what did the rest of them matter?
(But it doesn't stop it from hurting. They've judged me without really knowing me).
Lee shook off his sad thoughts like he usually did and focused on what's important.
(My friends from student council.)
They all really were friends, though others often thought differently.
(Neji-kun was, after all, the first to establish that we are all comrades and friends. We share a bond that others won't. That's all thanks to us being the student council.)
Lee cheerfully opened the door to the student council and froze, surprised painted on his features.
"Matsuri-chan, you're early."
Oh no I just keep on falling
(Back to the same old...)
And where's hope when misery comes crawling?
(Oh my way, Ay...)
With your faith you'll trigger a landslide
(victory)
To kill off this common sense of mind
Her fingers flew across the frets and harshly strummed her favourite guitar. The melody in her notes.
It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine
You can't down it with your eyes
So we don't need the headlines
We don't need the headlines
We just want...
His head bobbed as his bass complemented her guitar. His hair swayed as his body helplessly moved to the song, even as his fingers picked. No noise erupted from him, only a smirk showed up on his face.
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Adrenaline filled him like always. His wrists rolled when they needed to, his feet stepped for the cymbals when they needed to, his arms moved quickly so his drums sticks could produce the sound needed. After all, the drum was like the heart beat of the song. His voice echoed out to help hers when the song required it. But it was mainly her voice that was doing the singing.
Right now you're the only reason
(I'm not letting go, oh...)
And time out if everyone's worth pleasing
(Well ha-ha!)
You'll trigger a landslide
(Victory)
to kill off their finite state of mind
Hinata's head bobbed as she listened to her friends. They sounded better then they did last time she heard them. And the last time, they were amazing! She smiled to herself. What had started out as a way to kill time had turned serious. The three had worked hard to get where they were. Even the laziest of the three managed to hit his notes perfectly and accompany his siblings. She knew they would be an excellent addition.
It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine
You can't down it with your eyes
So we don't need the headlines
No, we don't want your headlines
We just want...
But her opinion didn't matter. Rather, it was his that did.
(We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back)
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure?
Kakashi's foot betrayed his calm as it couldn't help but tap along to the beat. He wanted to remain aloof to see if he could scare them out of their professionalism. For being high schoolers, these three were surprisingly good at the music. They obviously worked very hard to be able to perform this song to that quality. It was almost as if Paramore themselves were in front of him. Except her voice was a little bit more alto than the lead singer of Paramore.
Alright, so you think you're ready?
Ok, then you say this with me
Go!
We were born for this
We were born for this
Alright, so you think you're ready?
OK, then you say this with me
Go!
We were born for this
We were born for this
We were born for this
We were born for this
We were born for
We were born for
Kakashi's gaze slid over to his piano player in contemplation. Not even a few days had passed, but she managed to find three amazing musicians? It was almost too good to be true. The original four of the glee club were having a hard time find people to join, but the new girl had not only found three, but also managed to convince them to join the glee club, which was well known to be extremely unpopular. That sort of thing required balls of steel and loyalty. Harade Hinata certainly was a mystery.
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure now?
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?
We were born for this
We were born for this
We were born for this
They certainly were born for music.
"Welcome to Glee."
Alternate Endings?
Yes – 4
No – 1
I added the conversation with Rin last minute. I realized as I was going through the corrections BlackElement7 had given me, that there was something missing. It took me a while to figure out that there hasn't been much development on her plotline in a while. So, that's the reason for the delay.
Also, as you can see – I don't have the running total of Hinata's choice anymore. Not that I am not accepting them anymore because I still am and I still like knowing what my readers like. It's just that I want you guys to concentrate on the alternate endings question too!
Can I also just say 'YAY!' I got a little over one hundred reviews! I'm soooo excited! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!
Speaking of reviews! I love getting them and I make an effort to response to everyone I get. But the troublesome thing with anon. reviews is that I can't. So, from now on, those who have written me an anon. review, I will response via a journal entry on my livejournal. Yes, I have a livejournal. All are welcome to check it out!
lil-ramen-lover(dot)livejournal(dot)com/
Or you can just go to my profile and click on my homepage.
READ & REVIEW PLEASE!
-Ramen
