Good morning, good afternoon, good evening!

Yet another late update from me…

I DID, however, publish a new story that I actually plan on continuing. I just feel the need to finish this, even though there probably aren't a lot of people reading this anymore.

If you have any questions, please write to me!

High School of Disasters – Chapter twelve – Please, Trust me

Konoha, the High School of Disasters.

A tall man in dark shades entered his office after fleeing from a young student, checking to make sure that she wasn't close by before allowing any noise to echo in the room. He knew she was a trustworthy girl because he had seen her with the boy. He knew he liked her because he treated her to much better than any other girl. It was intriguing to watch, but nothing had improved. Naruto was still the one terrorizing Ebisu's school and he feared that not even Hinata could stop him. At this point, he was willing to take any forms of measures to help the boy.

He caught sight of the files on the floor, but one in particular stood out to him. It had his name inscribed on it. His feet moved on their own and he gradually reached down to pick up the file, his fingertips sliding against the glossy floor while grasping its surface, as if he were picking up the pieces of a shattered porcelain plate.
Naruto meant the world to him, and Ebisu loved him with all his heart, but this needed to come to an end.

Then he saw the letter.

Slightly tilted. The text was also somewhat blurred at the bottom, presumably a fingerprint from someone not used to handling preserved treasure.

Hinata.

She had read the letter. Ebisu's eyes widened and his eyes began scanning the room out of habit. She was gone, probably ran for her life after learning that Naruto's very own mother had tried to drown him. Perhaps it was for the better, though. The only thing he really regretted was that she had to discover it this way. Naruto should've been the one to tell her. Either way, there was nothing he could do about it at this point, other than hope that this being revealed to her wasn't going to make things worse than they already are.

"D-date…?" Hinata's eyes widened, clearly out of bewilderment and loss of words.

"You helped me become who I am today – a better person. No one has ever, like, protected… me before…" Kiba was having a difficult time talking, and kept finding things to fiddle with. Hinata was, for once, standing completely still without moving a single muscle.

She had way too many things on her mind, and the words just slipped out for her.

"Can we talk… Some other t-time…? I'm not feeling so good right now…" This reply caused Kiba to stiffen a bit and turn a dark shade of red. In an attempt to play off his embarrassment, he changed the topic.

" What are you doing coming from the principal's office, anyway?" to his dismay, this question only made Hinata act more panicked.

"O-oh…! U-uh-uhm… N-no-n-o-no-no…no-.. I'-I'll see you l-later!" Instead of staying to finish her sentence, Hinata made a run for her life. She wanted to run away from what she had just read, from Kiba…

From everything.

'This school… The students, the principal… No one is normal! I don't belong here!' But what was she to do? There was absolutely no one on her side now that Shiro and most likely the rest of the girls had turned their backs on her. But why would Shiro ever do something like that…? And if it was true, why would Naruto hurt her?

'Jiraiya' There was something about that name. She needed to find this man and discover the complete truth about Naruto-
Or she could just ask Naruto himself… But it didn't go too well last time she tried.

'"Hinata… Thank you."' Was all he'd said.

Hinata sat down on a bench facing the football field and sighed. She folded her hands in her lap and stared blankly at the figures kicking a monochrome circle around in an attempt to score a goal. She needed to figure out what to do, and quick.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke came walking up to her with a towel on his head sporting an Aikido uniform that reached all the way down to his ankles. It looked warm, since the sun was finally out.

Hinata averted her eyes and watched how some of her hair danced with the breeze that blew lightly between them. She felt stimulated to feel the free, gentle wind run across her as if telling her to let her problems go with it. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn't that easy. She would need a hurricane in order to let go of troubles as severe as these.

Rather than telling him on the spot, Hinata stood up, slipped her small, pale fingers between the gaps of sasuke's fingers and began making her way to a less popular part of the school.

'I may not have many people I can trust…' While walking, Hinata couldn't help but smile to herself as she felt the warmth of Sasuke's comforting hand in hers.

'But at least I have someone.' She looked back and smiled at the very bewildered and embarrassed Sasuke. When they finally reached a more isolated area, she turned around, let go of Sasuke's hand and spoke up.

"Please… Don't ask any questions now… I.. I need to know this…" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow and watched the girl before him having a difficult time continuing. He nodded unsurely and secretly braced himself for what was to come.

"Who… Who is Jiraiya?" She knew he wasn't expecting a question like this, so his widened eyes didn't make her confused or nervous. Sasuke stopped himself from asking her where she'd heard of him and decided to just answer how it was.

"He was a teacher Naruto's and my previous school. A wise, old, pervert. I'm guessing you want to know what he has to do with Naruto?" Hinata nodded. "They were like parent and son. Naruto's dad ran away when he was very young, so he never really had a fatherly figure to guard and teach him things. He had a step-dad, but let's not talk about that scumbag."

"Okay…"

"Something… terrible happened… It was disastrous, so bad that Naruto couldn't live at home anymore, so he moved in with Jiraiya-sensei. Naruto and I grew more and more distant, but I remember one day when he came to school really sad. Well, everyone took it for anger since he punched the teacher and broke someone's locker, but I knew he was sad. It was the day that he'd been kicked out even by Jiraiya. So… The principal, Ebi- Are you crying?"

Tears streamed down Hinata's cheeks as she took short breaths and whimpered. She kept wiping her tears, but they wouldn't stop. She managed another nod.

"You sure cry a lot, you know that?" Sasuke leaned down to her level and raised his hand to her face. Hinata took a second to look at him, but she quickly closed her eyes when he gently flicked her forehead. He laughed a bit at her reaction and stood straight again.

"Wh-why did you do that?"

"My brother used to do that to me when I got too caught up in something. Don't worry, Naruto will be fine."

'Hinata… Do you care for Naruto?'

"And I just think you might be the key to ending his suffering."

It was the week after the class had returned from Osaka and, strangely enough, Hinata had not been confronted by anyone by Sasuke ever since. Shiro wouldn't talk to her, Naruto was absent, and any other student that might have bothered was keeping his distance. It was also hard to believe how nice the weather had been. The sun shone every single day without even the slightest sign of rain.

But then there was the problem with the broken air conditioners. Still.

"I propose that we re-repair the air conditioners before upgrading the football field…"

Hinata spoke insecurely, but nevertheless voiced her justified opinion. She found herself arguing with the sports club members too often about matters that should be ridiculous to anyone around. It was difficult for her to be the first real class president, but the teachers were impressed by her patience and performance. Thanks to her, the school was very slowly, but surely improving by the day.

That's what they said, at least.

Hinata yawned and leaned back in her chair, clearly irritated by the fact that none of the members were listening to anything she had to say.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do… I've already prepared all the paperwork for the air conditioners…" She pushed her fringe up with the help of her least cold hand and pressed it against her forehead. While only half-heartedly listening to the students in front of her, she opened one of her drawers and pulled out a cooling gel patch and slapped it onto her forehead without straightening or evening out the folds. The look of relief on her face made it seem like she just took a heavy set of drugs.

Ding dong ding dong

"Saved by the bell…" She whispered to herself and watched the bickering seniors leave for their next class. She had finished her classes for today and had already decided ahead of time that she'd send in the papers and try to get a hold of this Jiraiya who wrote the letter about Naruto.

But first…

The door opened and in stepped the sweat-drenched leader of the football team. He had his right arm wrapped around the black-and-white patched ball and sported an orange and blue uniform. He was a bit surprised to see Hinata leaned back in her chair with a cold gel patch hanging from her forehead down just above her eye, but nevertheless stepped forward like a robot given a command by its owner. She could tell just by the way he walked that his peers had told him to give her a hard time, but he seemed to have different intentions.

"H-hey…" He looked to the side and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, his blond hair moving in all sorts of different directions as his hand passed through them. Hinata averted her eyes and fixed the gel pad while pretending to be wrapped up in the paperwork she'd already finished.

"Hi…"

"The football team wants you to prioritize the football field over…"

"Th-the air conditioners…?" She looked up.

"The what? That's clearly more important."

' Then why are you here…?'

"I'll go have a talk with those bastards." He began to turn to leave, but stopped as he remembered something seemingly important.

"Oh… Uh…"

"…?"

"I know about that you were sent to the principal's office last week…"

'Was he watching…?'

"And I know it's about Shiro saying that I beat you up. Well, I did."

"W-why..?"

"Because she told the teacher that you'd cheated, duh."

'But… Why would he care..?'

"I don't like people who go behind others' back, especially not when it's Shiro. She pisses me off."

"I… I thought sh-she was my friend… But… F-for her to d-do that.." Hinata looked down, sad that the people she thought were friends turned out to not be.

"Well, I'd like to take the blame for it. And you don't need to worry about going through the detention slips anymore, I promise to behave and stay out of your way."

Something pierced through Hinata. Stay away? No… That's not what she wanted…!

"W-why?"

"…Cya." Naruto began to walk.

Hinata couldn't think straight, her body moved on its own. She stood up and lunged herself at him, throwing her arms around his warm body and embracing it as if he was about to depart for battle.

Naruto was shocked. His eyes widened frantically and he immediately put his hands on her arms and tried to pry them off him, but she just held him harder and harder. He looked down at her hands. Her small, weak hands that tried so hard to stop him from leaving the room. It would be so easy for him to just elbow her in the face or kick her shin when she was this vulnerable and he'd finally be able to get back at her for when she sent him to the hospital, but he couldn't.

No, he didn't want to.

"Ugh…" Naruto bit his lip in defeat, drawing blood that slid down his chin and dripped down onto her knotted hands. He was becoming soft, soft to this little girl who could freeze him just by wrapping her tiny arms around him.

But he knew how it would go, he knew how everything would eventually end up, because that's how women are. She was just out after him because of his looks and grades. If he managed to go on without committing suicide, he'd eventually get rich, and then she'd want him even more, because that's what girls are like. They just want to live stable lives while sucking all the money out of their spouse, and if their kids didn't turn out the way they wanted them, then they'd…

"Is it because I asked you what happened during your childhood…?"

Naruto shook for a second. He turned his head and looks down at her. She had her head buried in his back and was trembling. Was she afraid?

"It's absolutely none of your business. Don't act like you care."

"I'm not acting… I do… I do care…"

"No you don't!" Her ripped her arms off him and pushed her back. A bit too hard, her back collided with the desk and she let out a defenseless gasp. But she struggled to stand, because she knew that he would leave as soon as she fell. She inhaled sharply and yelled out:

"I care about you!" Naruto furrowed his eyebrows and stepped towards her, grasping her wrists and pushing her back down on the table with an irritable expression.

"And how the fuck am I supposed to believe you, huh?" Hinata wouldn't let her fear of his strength overcome her and she met his anger with the same attitude.

"Does jumping off a bridge to save you from drowning mean nothing…?" He went silent.

Damn.

"Tch." His expression lightened a bit, but he kept his grip on her wrists.

"What does it matter? What could you possibly gain from knowing anything about me? Laughter? You'd tell the whole school about me, wouldn't you?"

She didn't answer him, and he knew why. Hinata would never do something like that, she wasn't that kind of person at all. But he wanted to believe that there was a reason for him to not have to share his past with any woman.

"I don't need to tell you." He let go and left the room in a hurry.

"I want you to trust me, Naruto…" Hinata said to herself as she listened to the door slam.

But there was one thing that Sasuke said that didn't match the letter.

"I need to talk to that principal again." Hinata got up and made her way to master Ebisu's office as quickly as she could without being seen.