The arts are one of the best ways to leave your stamp in history. In a world where technology is constantly upgrading and one day something is popular and then unpopular the next, everyone can agree that showing talent in music or art is something they long for. If you ask a high school graduate what they plan on going to college for, they will most likely give you a straight answer of business or accounting. Now if you were to ask them what their dream job would be, it more often than not would be something completely unrelated to what they are going to school to study. For me, personally, I'm going to college to study business and technology related subjects, but I really want to be an artist. I honestly don't care if its as a painter, a singer, or dancer. I just want to live a life with a constant ability to express myself. It wasn't that I hated the idea of being a businesswoman and pursuing my family's expectations, its just that I don't have any passion for it.

My hands danced over the piano keys in the empty and dark music room. The sleek feel of each key brought a swell to my chest and a mental image of me playing for a stadium brought a small smile to my lips. I'd sneakily taught myself how to play piano over the course of multiple years, only truly considering myself no longer a novice a year or so ago. A soft melody drifted into the air and it were as if I could see the notes physically floating out of the instrument and into the atmosphere around the room. The intrusive sound of snickering quickly wiped the euphoria out of my mind and my eyes shot to the window next to the door to see two students, a boy and a girl, with their noses pressed to the glass making faces at me. The swelling in my chest disappeared instantly and a soft sigh pushed past my lips as I dropped my eyes back to the piano keys, stopping my fingers' movement.

The door handle jiggled, but I had locked it on my way in as I'd become used to being interrupted. The disappointment I felt toward said action happening once more was quickly rising into a panic. The snickering of the duo picked up as the intruders realized I'd expected them to come harass me. It wasn't anything new for me to be teased by a handful of my classmates, but this couple was the worst and the most consistent. They were Karin and Suigetsu: the school's "it" couple, but not because everyone loved them. They'd bullied and bought their way to the top. Karin was undoubtedly one of the prettiest girls I'd ever seen, with blood red hair and sultry dark eyes set against flawless pale skin, but the moment she opened her mouth she transformed into a disgusting witch. Suigetsu, on the other hand, wasn't the most handsome guy. He was quite average with shoulder length white hair and blue eyes. If we're all being truthful, Karin held all the power and spotlight in their relationship, but that didn't mean Suigetsu wasn't intimidating. The young man was more than eager to act on Karin's orders, even if they were to physically injure someone.

Karin's family had designed a chain of high-end glasses and made quite a statement in the fashion industry. The girl in question had nothing to do with any of the designs, but told everyone that she'd done most of the work for the line and people either believed her or pretended to so they wouldn't be her next target. I remember on the last day of school my freshman year, the two held a girl down in the gymnasium and cut her hair so short that she probably had to shave her head to make it even. Said girl'd had the prettiest natural pink hair and was quite a stunning person in general, which made me think Karin must've felt threatened and saw her as competition that she needed to be rid of. I don't remember the girl's name, but she didn't come back the next year so I assume she switched schools. I could feel sweat forming on the back of my neck as they tugged at the handle again. One of my hands instinctively reached up to touch my long black hair. The school year, and my high school career, was coming to an end in just one week. They wouldn't be interested in repeating their actions from back then, would they? Surely not on me. They'd butchered that girls' hair because she was gorgeous and unique, and I was anything but that. "We're not leaving until you come out!" My hands moved to clench into anxious fists in my lap as I panicked. Father would be so angry if my hair was cut. It was the Hyuga standard to have long and flowing hair. My family runs a very large computer business, similar to that of Apple or Samsung. Because we're the daughters of the CEO of the corporation, my sister and I are expected to hold to our family's traditions and image incredibly dear.

I glanced at the walls of the room and lost even more hope. The music rooms were all windowless and lined with soundproof panels. I pointedly ignored the cat-calling and digs that were now erupting behind the glass window as I closed the lid over the piano keys and pulled my book bag over my shoulder. The clock on the wall told me that my free period would be ending in about a few minutes, so I'd have to get out of the room soon or my father would be notified that I was tardy to my next class. With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and walked as confidently as I could toward the door. The second I turned the lock, it shot open, forcing me back a few steps so as not to be smacked with it. The two tormentors stood with their arms crossed and smirks on their faces. If they didn't have such distinctly different features, I'd have guessed they were related with their similar personalities and expressions. "That didn't take as long as I'd expected it to, Hinata." Karin's pearly white teeth sparkled as she gave me a syrupy smile. I moved forward toward the couple with intent to brush past them and head toward my math class. Suigetsu, never one to shy away from getting physical even if he was a boy and most of their targets were girls, grabbed my forearm and stopped me from leaving.

As I froze, my mind reeled to try and come up with a plan to get out of this predicament without causing a commotion. Karin continued talking, as she knew that Suigetsu would have her back and keep me in place, "Hinata I'm really going to miss you once we graduate. Don't you feel the same?" I'd never been one to fight back verbally with the couple and would likely stutter too much for an insult to do much damage anyway, so I just gave Suigetsu a pleading look. On a few occasions the boy had convinced Karin to let me go easy, but it was only, I'm guessing, because he knew Neji would come after him if he caught wind of the two bullying the heir to the company. Neji's my older cousin who just graduated from college and has been working hard for my father. Per Father's orders, he is to be my "right-hand-man" if and when I take over as CEO. The boy gave me a scary smile before turning his head toward his girlfriend, "Karin maybe we should wait. Class is about to end and we'll get caught by Anko." Anko's the vice principle who patrols the top couple floors of the building between classes and is known to be quite strict when it comes to punishing wrong-doers.

I didn't turn to look at the redhead's reaction, but I heard her huff stubbornly before stomping her high-heeled foot, "You never let me have any fun anymore!" All three of us knew that Suigetsu didn't "let" or "forbid" her from doing anything and that he just kept her from getting caught, but none of us spoke on the fact. I was kicked on the back of my knees and felt my body be thrown forward to the floor. My hands smacked against the linoleum just in time to stop my head from bashing down and I lay still for a moment while trying to gather a breath. Suigetsu and Karin both cackled like a witch on Halloween before nudging me in the side and walking off toward whatever classes they had next. The bell rang and I quickly jumped to my feet, dusting off my uniform. Hundreds of students flooded the hallways and I spotted Anko down the hall with her hawk-like gaze swimming over the crowds of students for fights or misbehavior. Shutting the music room door behind me, I dipped into the chaos of bodies and headed toward my math class.

At the end of the school day, I headed toward my locker. It was on the top floor, very close to the music room I'd been in earlier. I peered at my reflection in the small rectangle of glass on the door, tempted to go back in to play for a few minutes before heading home, before freezing. Suigetsu was staring back at me from the other side of the window, though the lights were off in the room. Quickly, I tried to get lost in the crowd of bustling teenagers in the hall, but the door to the room swung open and my arms were both grabbed. I was once again pulled against my will by the white-haired male. To my dismay, all of the senior students flooding the hall were too busy rushing to their after-school clubs or to their cars outside to notice my abduction. My back hit the back of the re-closed music room door and I heard Suigetsu turn the lock. My heart was beating so quickly, I'm sure he could hear it. My books lay on the ground in a mess by my feet. Suigetsu's blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark room as he put a hand on either side of my head and smiled down at me. "Hello Hinata." I was sweating nervously. His face was so close to mine that I could smell the mint of the gum he was chewing. "S-s-s-suigetsu! W-" I couldn't even finish before the man brought his face closer to have his nose touching mine and cut me off, "You know. I haven't seen or heard from Neji in months. He must be working so hard for your daddy that he doesn't have time to come check on his poor little cousin." Tears welled in my eyes, but I tried to hold them back. "You should tell him not to worry, though. I've been keeping Karin at bay so you can graduate in one piece. You should feel ashamed of yourself for never even thanking me, Hinata!" I reluctantly opened my mouth to give him the thank you he'd requested, if only just to get him to release me, but he kept on talking, "I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me."

I felt a warmth in my chest, and it wasn't a positive one. The boy's hands moved to hold my shoulders and he pressed his lips roughly against mine without permission. The familiar heat of self-loathing crept up onto my cheeks and I felt tears start to fall past my lashes. I didn't move my lips with his and tried to push him away, but his grip on my shoulders just increased until I gave up fighting and let him kiss me for a moment. My head felt cloudy and light, making me worried that I'd faint with all of the emotion flooding blood up to my face. He pulled his lips away and I thought that he was going to let me go since he had gotten what he wanted, but he dipped down and kissed my neck. My whole body was positively shaking with nervous energy. I felt his hot breath against my damp skin as he laughed, "I can tell you're not used to this, Hinata."

Despite the fact that I wasn't attracted to the boy that was pretty much molesting me, I could see how someone you were actually interested in doing this to you would drive you crazy. I pictured Naruto's face and shut my eyes, only to quickly shoot them open. I tried harder to push away when a familiar feeling in my abdomen appeared when I tried to picture Naruto doing this to me. Naruto was one of the most popular guys in school who was a good friend of mine in elementary school. Once he hit puberty he shot up and became muscular and attractive, therefore becoming quite the ladies' man. He hadn't been rude to me at any point, he just kind of seemed to forget who I was or that I existed in general. That didn't mean I didn't remember how sweet he was back in grade school. He'd even saved me once from a group of bullies who were teasing me about my eye color.

Suigetsu pulled me out of my thoughts by sliding his leg between mine and nibbling slightly on the crease of my neck. One of his hands slid down from my shoulder and toward my breasts, but I put all of my might into one strong push that finally put a foot or so of distance between us. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, but I quickly unlocked the door and sprinted down the hall toward the stairs. There was barely anyone left in the halls at this point, and those that I passed didn't spare me a glance. The boy had still been smiling when I'd shoved him and made no move to follow me. That didn't stop me from hurrying down the stairwell and out the front doors of the school without looking back or even getting my stuff from my locker. The few stragglers outside of the school looked at me with confused looks as I roughly wiped my tears and hurried in the direction of my home.

My family's personal home was a measly few blocks from the prestigious school in a good neighborhood with a park, library, restaurants, and cafes all in the area. I surveyed each yard on the way home and sure enough each one was perfectly mowed and decorated with perfect gardens. No yard clippings or litter dusted the sidewalks. Many people walked the sidewalks in the area, whether it be the business people headed for a restaurant for a dinner meeting, families headed for the park, or students headed for the library. The city bus drove past and my father's stoic face was planted on a poster on the side of it with the Hyuga name and our latest gaming laptop next to it for advertisement.

I just wanted to get away from everything that reminded me of my family and school. The only thing truly stopping me was myself, I suppose. I had turned eighteen a few months back and was perfectly capable of working to pay for an apartment. I turned back to look at my father's picture just before it turned a corner and left my view. He was the main reason I hadn't up and left. Despite wanting to live an artistic life, the fear of not being successful enough to live on my earnings scared me into staying so one day I can accept the CEO position of the family business. At least then I'd have a very good and stable source of income for a family that I hoped to have one day. I turned the next corner, bowing politely at an elderly couple that passed by before heading up the steps of the only house in the area. My father had purposely bought the land in the middle of the business district so we wouldn't have any neighbors trying to become acquainted with us just for the monetary or social benefits. The house itself was a mix between modern and Victorian. It was three stories tall and had a perfect garden in the yard to match the rest of the neighborhood.

Stepping through the doors, I immediately heard my little sister's taunting voice from the dining room, "Ooooh, you're in trouble!" I felt an unappealing pout tug at the corners of my mouth and hurried into the dining room to see Hanabi, Neji, and my father sitting calmly with coffee cups in front of them. I went to sit down as well, but Father stopped me with a raised hand, "Hinata, I plan on making this quick and simple." I glanced at Neji, who kept his gaze on the dark coffee in his mug. "I will not be offering you the CEO position upon my retirement." Shock rocked my body and I forgot my manners momentarily, "What!? Who is getting it then?" Father stood quickly and hardened his gaze, "That is not the proper way to address your elder. This is yet another reason why I have decided to have Neji take over as heir to the company until Hanabi comes of age. I've been informed by a few of your teachers that you are not outstanding in any way. How could I leave my company in the hands of someone who blends into the background? I do, however, expect you to support this decision and choose which position you would like to train for within the company. Hanabi mentioned that you may be suited for Human Resources. Would you agree?" Hanabi didn't even try to stifle her snickering, but silenced when Father shot her a glare as well.

My mind reeled as the three stared and waited for my reply. My mind was blank. All my life I've been under the impression that the eldest daughter would take over the business. The familiar feeling of tears coming made my eyes sting and I quickly turned and hurried out the front door before my family could see the disgraceful reaction. None of them bothered yelling at me or following me and just let me leave. Things were made worse when I tripped on the last step and fell onto my hands and knees on the concrete sidewalk. My shoulders slumped and I watched as my tears fell onto the concrete like rain falling from the sky. My knees and palms hurt, but I couldn't bring myself to move. A few people walked around me quietly only to start whispering frantically once they thought I was out of earshot, but a large hand on my shoulder shook me from my depressed stupor. My head shot up and I sucked in a sharp breath at the beauty of the man standing above me. He had a naturally grey tint to his white hair, dark eyes, and full lips that could have been mistaken for a woman's if the rest of his face wasn't so obviously masculine.

My scratched hands shot up to rub the tears off of my cheeks and I nervously accepted the man's outreached hand to get to my feet. "You took quite a spill there! Are you alright?" I nodded my head with heat rushing to my cheeks. I fell in front of this modelesque man, how could my day get any worse? He gave a warm chuckle before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. I then noticed that he was in a very expensive looking suit. I gave him as close to a smile as I could, accepting the cloth and lightly dabbing at the remaining tears. When I went to return it to him he put his hands up in defense with a kind smile, "Don't worry about it, miss. If you don't mind, though, may I ask you to accompany me for a cup of coffee?" My heartbeat raced and I felt uneasy but flattered. The man appeared to be around thirty or so, but didn't seem to mind asking a clearly much younger woman to have coffee. I glanced back up at the house I'd hurried from. None of them had come to check on me yet. The slightest bit of anger rose within me and I accepted the man's invitation solely out of spite. Father would never approve of me going on what looked to be a date with someone so much older than me.

We walked side by side in silence for a few moments until we came to the small café at the end of the block. The man held the door open for me and I gave him a smile as thanks. Once we were seated and had our coffees in front of us, the man finally started talking. "So what is your name?" A small laugh escaped my lips. It was odd how quickly I'd been cheered up by such a small act of kindness from a stranger. "M-My name is Hinata. What a-about you?" I don't often release my last name unless I'm sure of the person's intentions. The man took a sip of his black coffee, his eyes never leaving mine. There was a thin scar going from the middle of his right cheek up to his eyebrow, but it did little to distract from his handsome looks. He smiled a blinding smile that reminded me slightly of Naruto before replying, "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I am the CEO of Evolution Entertainment." My heart fell to the pit of my stomach and I could tell he noticed because he started laughing light-heartedly. Of course I knew of that talent agency. They were famous for being one of the first agencies to form co-ed groups and very successful ones at that.

I immediately felt like a toad. The girls that he chose to recruit for his agency were often more than worthy to be actresses or models and I was undoubtedly very plain looking compared to them. Once his laughing ceased, he continued, "It wasn't my intention to scare you, Hinata. I simply wanted to let you know that you caught my eye. Do you sing at all?" I was scared that my voice would waver too much to be understood so I simply nodded. It took all that was in me not to faint or let my mouth hang open in awe. The man's smile widened and he rested his chin on his intertwined fingers, still studying my ever-reddening face, "That's good to hear. To be honest, when you looked up at me with tears in your eyes, you reminded me of the lead actresses in those romantic Korean dramas. I'm working on a four person group and I need just one more female and I was looking for someone with that same softer, more feminine look for the spot. Would you be interested in auditioning?" I couldn't stop my hand from shooting up to cover my gaping mouth in shock. He was so honest when he spoke that it took me off guard. I guess if you're as powerful as he is you don't have to edit what you say to others quite as much.

Without thinking I nodded again. The man's grin reached the widest it had since I'd met him and it felt as though my stomach was turning in knots, but in a good way. I would never be interested in dating a man with such an age gap as his, but I couldn't deny that he was insanely attractive. He reached into his suit coat and pulled out a pen and a small card. The logo for Evolution Entertainment was on the front and on the back was the number to the secretary of their office, named Shizune if I read correctly from across the table. He signed the card and wrote "12 PM" with the date before handing it to me. I read over the card and spoke in a defeated tone, "At n-n-noon? I will have c-class then..." The man didn't let my opposition faze his glee and took another sip of his coffee as he rose to his feet, "If you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to make it on time." He gave me one more smile before leaving money for our drinks on the table, "I hope to see you tomorrow, Hinata. It was nice to meet you."

I rose to my feet and shook his hand. He turned to walk out before pausing and turning back to me for a moment with a small smile on his lips, "Don't let your family get to you. The Hyuga's are known for being far too serious." My cheeks paled and he let out another warm chuckle before giving me a small nod and finally leaving the café. I can't believe I've been scouted. As I stared down at the fancy signature on the card he'd given me, I didn't have a doubt in my mind that I would be going to that audition, even if it meant skipping school and incurring the wrath of Hiashi Hyuga.