Luckily, or unluckily, I have a plan set in mind. A plot, you could say (btw, Gaara's gonna show up). But all new ideas are welcome, yeah, even nasty yukky flames.
Well, since we've come so far, I wouldn't want to stop writing there. Sequels, I noticed (fifty percent or so) tend to be not as good as the story before, so I decided to continue. Oh, and this story will go, ah, massive, lotsa, revision...
And also, the pairing, I have decided, is... (: on bottom :)
Ah, well, on to the story!!
I am Hinata Hyuuga
(Part Two)
I: Arisa Voce
Forget. Forget. Forget. She'd done that. She'd forgotten.
I was on a date. I wore a busty red chiffon dress and had pinned my hair up. Now the hair swayed slightly as I took my seat opposite.
Mikio was at the other end of the small wood table, cande light flickering over his face. He had heavy dark bags underneath his sleepy eyes and a lazy posture. As he saw me he made an effort to sit up.
He wanted me for money, and this third date just proved it all the more.
I saw the little black box half-in, half-out of his jacket pocket There was an engagement ring in there, I knew.
Time to end this.
I leaned over, smiled deliberately, feigning innocence. "I don't want to rush into things, Mr. Keyo."
His heavy-lidded eyes blinked. "Please, call me Mikio. Rushing? Arisa, you know how I feel about you." He parted his mouth, smiled. The air before me smelled suddenly of fish.
"I don't think I'm ready," I countered. I had rehearsed this. "I don't want to be engaged or married yet. I'm young. Only twenty."
"Marry? Who said married?" Beads of perspiration dotted his thick bushy brows.
"I meant what I said." Reaching over, my hand met his. He carressed it.
"Arisa, let's talk this over - "
I sunk my crescent-shaped thumbnail into the folds of his flabby skin. He gave a whimper of pain.
"When I say no, I mean no." I blew him a kiss, stepped purposefully on the tip of his highly polished shoe, and swept out of the restaurant. The lights flickered dimly on the roof of my car.
In my bedroom at home, I bit down my lip to keep from crying. Another relationship biting the dust. It was too hard to maintain a friendship and simply impossible for love.
I couldn't find him. Mr. Right. Something nagged me, but I brushed the thoughts away.
For I was a small, trembling girl no longer - not a highschooler, not some dropout, but an actress.
Arisa.
Arisa Voce.
Xxxxxx
I smiled serenely into the audience, my hands clasped.
"Number seven; begin."
I walked to the front and shoved the microphone aside, ignoring raised eyebrows. There was no need for a microphone.
A-u-a-u-ah, a-u-a-u-ah! And I love you, miss you; we're together beautifically, but it's useless, I'll never be the one you want. It's hopeless...
I collapsed on the ground for effect. In the story, Maylu was fainting. There was a rustling of papers as the judges whispered.
"Number eight; begin."
But I knew, instinctively, I'd get chosen.
Xxxxxx
It's been like that for three years now. Acting is second nature, in different famous plays. Did I say three? I meant four. Not that it mattered. I planned on living in Sunagakure for acting. The rest of my life.
It's worked out quite well.
Xxxxxx
A week later, the letter arrived in the mail announcing I had received the main part. I smiled. So I'd be Maylu, the ditzy heroine who was tragically in love with her friend's lover, and etc, cliche, etc.
It was crap. It was shit.
Better be the actress I knew than the person I didn't.
Xxxxxx
Miss Arisa Voce, (1)
Congratulations! You have received the part "Maylu" in our famous award-winning play, "Sunshine Falls Anew." Rehearsals begin next week...
Xxxxxx
It went on quite a while, decribing who got other parts, and the monetary gains.
I set down the letter on the table, not bothering to read the rest of it.
One more time to act.
Be anyone but myself.
Xxxxxx
"Cut!" howled the judge, who seemed on the verge of tears.
"Sooooooooooo be-yoootiful! Arise, you've got it down!" He turned towards the other girls. "Nice job on jealousy. Keea, Seig, Keijo, Satski, all of you - Jai, Karina, Miaki, we will do just - " He struggled to find anothe adjective, failing miserably - "beyooootifully next week!"
Claps of approval. Scattered claps.
"Well, be proud and break a leg for our performance!"
Xxxxxx
I sat after a long bath at my petite desk. I stared at the window. Shadows lanced across the lawn - like photo negatives. This was my house, my tiny, but confortable house. Secluded, maybe, but I wasn't livinng as a hermit.
The Internet loaded. I clicked mail.
Xxxxxx
-From: CraZyActress; Keea W-
-To: ArisaV; Arisa Voce - SatskiGurl; Satski Sovune - KeijoM; Keijo Machiro - HSeih; Seih Hake - KarinaLi32; Karina Li - MiSh; Miaka Shirano-
Hi, guys! Just emailing to say good luck! It's been so fun to get to know all you guys! I can't believe the performance is next week! AGH!
Lol. Anyway, good luck! See ya all in Konoha!
--Keea Watake
Xxxxxx
I froze. See you in Konoha. See you in Konoha.
No...no...
Instantly my hands clamped over my ears in a protective way. I squeezed my eyes closed, forcing myself to take slow breaths.
It could not be.
She had made a mistake.
I tore downstairs to check the letter that I had dismissed months ago.
Xxxxxx
Miss Arisa Voce,
Congratulations! You have received the part "Maylu" in our famous award-winning play, "Sunshine Falls Anew." Rehearsals begin next week...
Xxxxxx
I scanned it quickly, frantically.
Xxxxxx
...Because of its large population, Konoha will host us in our play, "Sunshine Falls Anew."
Good luck to all. I look forward to meeting and practicing with all of you.
Hikaru Takami
Manager
Xxxxxx
My heart thudded. I gulped down two aspirins and resolved to check my eyesight.
It can't be...it's totally impossible I would miss something huge like this...
Xxxxxx
Day before performance-
She vomited her lunch into the washbowl, grimacing. "No...damn! Damn! Not on the day before the..." Before she could continue it felt as if her forehead was split into two.
But she managed to crawl to the computer.
Xxxxxx
-To: TakamiH; Hikaru Takami-
-From: SatskiGurl; Satski Sovune-
cant go 2 play tomorr. vey sick. sry bye
Xxxxxx
The manager rubbed his temples. "Withdrawing just before the play? This - this is...terrible..."
A noise interrupted his contemplations. The telephone had began ringing.
He picked it up with a spark of hope. Maybe Satski had gotten better?
"Manager!" It was Arisa. "Is it true we're going to Konoha for the performance?"
The tilt, the arrogance, and irritated lilt of her voice was capturing and perfect.
"It's true," he confirmed. "What - "
"I'm not going!" The lead actress was filled with indignance.
This was both unexpected and unreasonable. The manager's patience was low. "No," he declared calmly. "Satski has just emailed. She's sick. I am not risking another actress. Please don't call again, Ms. Voce."
He placed down the phone and massaged his temples once more.
The day of the play. Oh, the tears. The sweat. The joy. The passion.
All acting.
I arrived at the building where all twenty three actors and singers were lined up to take a posh and expensive bus.
To Konoha. To Konoha.
Impossible. I clenched my fists tightly, approaching the manager. To Konoha...but not if I could help it. Never. Never again. Fuck no.
"I said before," I said in a cool, detached tone, "I am not going. To...K-konoha." It was so difficult to say just the name.
"You're going," he bit out. "You're the best actress we have. You are not going away now. It's too hard to find an actress who has enough experience to replace you. Hell, it was hard enough to find a substitue for Satsku! And she's not as nearly talented as you!"
He jabbed a finger towards me. "You've acted and practiced this play for nearly five months. Almost half a year. You're definitely going."
I hate people telling me what to say. I'm not weak.
"Look," I said coldly. "I can act the part. Just not in Konoha."
"No," he emphasized again. "No. I've worked - we've all worked - too hard in this play. We can't give up now. There's an audience waiting in Konoha. I'm sorry. But you. Are. Going."
If I could kill him...
I wouldn't let memories consume me. I had forgotten them all. I'd tasted- what was it again? love? possibly - and it had hurt me. Hurt me greatly.
Love. Hate. Bonds.
...Death.
Forget...
No one would recognize me. All for the better. I had grown out my hair and on stage required inches of makeup.
So what am I afraid of?
The location,a s we arrived, I saw, wasn't anything like the place where I had once lived.
It was more urban-like, with towering buildings and muddy sidewalks.
No.
I would not need to worry.
Xxxxxx
With ten more minutes before the play actually began, I was dressed in my idyllic spring green dress, my hair slightly curled. My face had makeup covered so the audience could clearly see my expression.
I stepped to backstage, where the manager was fixing some small things. He caught my gaze and motioned me over.
He must have short term memory loss. Or he was a sycophant, sucking up to me.
"Guys" he said urgently, his voice hushed and earnest. "Here's the actress who will be replacing Satski. I'm very lucky to have found her."
I gave her a once over; deep black hair, large doe eyes. She was smiling with excitement and had a pair of glasses in one well-manicured hand.
"Everyone, meet Karin."
(1) Arisa is like "Arisaema". Which is a toxic plant. Voce is from sotto voce, an Italian word literally meaning "undertone".
I'm sure it's not that clear - the plot is confusing, but it has been four years. I'm sorry for the length! I just felt like trying the four year timeskip. The next chapters will be longer.
Oh, and yeah, the - THE - pairing I mentioned at the top?
Um, SasuHina. I'm sorry if you didn't get what you wanted. But I love SasuHina! (Guess who Neji's with).
I know it seems too early to update, but I wanted to update. If I didn't update today I would have basically no time to in the next few days.
Edit 3/23/08.