Annoying, firm, unrelenting knocking rang in his head.
Kisame groaned, rolling over and looking at the time on his phone. He was running late. He must have rolled over on his junky little phone. He grunted as he pushed himself up off his mat to answer the door.
"Are you going to school like that?" Itachi mused at him with a raised eyebrow.
"No, wait a minute." Kisame closed the door, throwing on his uniform haphazardly from off of the drying rack of clean clothes he hadn't bothered moving into the closet. He quickly brushed his sharp teeth, splashed his face, and gave his dark blue hair a quick toss. He grabbed his club jacket, bag, and a browning banana, and he headed back out to his ever-patient friend.
Itachi eyed him before heading off without a word. Kisame rolled his sore shoulders and let out a pained groan.
"If you're going to complain about being hurt, you should stop getting into fights." Itachi scolded.
"I didn't start it." Kisame defended.
"Yet, you enjoyed it." Itachi countered. "Making it still just as much your fault."
Kisame groaned. His skin held purple healing blotches from weeks ago, a few days ago, and last night. His hands were nearly permanently wrapped from bloody broken skin over his knuckles. If a man wanted a fight, he wasn't turning it down, but caring for the pains afterward made it a little less sweet even when he won.
"Just don't piss off the wrong people." Itachi finished.
"Yeah," Kisame mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Women and children avoided them on the street. The old ladies they passed every day still gave him the same dirty, disapproving looks. He was annoyingly used to it at this point. Massive teenage shark walking down the street this way, woo-hoo. He was a walking attraction, and not in a good way.
Kisame's height, muscle mass, blue skin, even darker blue hair, gil tattoos on his face, real gills on his shoulders, sharp rows of teeth, and clear signs of being in a fight made him look horrifying to anyone. Itachi benefited from his bizarre appearance, only the bravest of fans would approach, and even that was rare. They would admire him from afar. At least it helped someone. Call it a public service.
Kisame gave a bored wave to Itachi as they split into different rooms. This year, being put in different classes was around the top of his list of annoyances this school offered, right next to him having to duck into every doorway.
The class buzzed with new attention before he even opened the door. The usually sleepy room of students was excited about something.
In the front of the room stood a small girl who had to be at least a year or two younger than them. Pristine uniform with the skirt as low as it would go, the school standard sweater, and button-up buttoned up to the top. She looked like the model for the school uniforms that they sent to parents. With one hand, she fiddled with her long dark braid hung over her shoulder, and with the other, she leaned lightly on a pale purple umbrella.
Was it supposed to rain?
Was she lost? Kisame shrugged her off and dragged himself to the back of the room. He sat roughly and looked back up at her. She spoke with her eyes on her feet to their class president. The pierced teen listened with mild interest and a nod.
"Class," Pein said calmly. The room went quiet in interest in the girl. "This is in Hinata Hyuga. She will be joining our class."
Hinata bowed, and her bag slipped on her shoulder, pulling her off balance. She stumbled, shoving most of her weight on the umbrella. Her already pink face turned red as the class gave out a collective amused wave. She straightened like a pin to stare at her shoes.
"Take an empty seat," Pein told her. Hinata nodded quickly, taking a glance around the room.
A good quarter of the room was still missing. Kisame wasn't surprised. Most non-morning people like him would come in right before the bell. Tobi would rush in a couple of minutes after the bell to disrupt the class. Hidan would saunter in with a select finger to anyone who mentioned his lack of timekeeping.
So plenty of seats were open, so why was she making a beeline for him?
Hinata stopped at the second seat at his table and mumbled. "Does someone sit here?"
Kisame stared at her for longer than he needed to. Why did she want to sit next to him? Was she blind or stupid? "No."
"May I?" Hinata asked further.
Kisame's brows pressed together. "Knock yourself out."
Hinata mumbled a thank you, bowing more gracefully this time, then sat down. She quickly took out her notebook and pen before tucking her bag and umbrella beside her legs. Seriously, it was irritatingly sunny. Why the umbrella? Was that how she kept so pale?
Hinata was instantly the center of attention, and she didn't handle it well. Deidara turned in his chair and tilted it back, folding his arms on her section of the desk, making her jump.
"Aren't you a little young for this class, hm?" Deidara asked, laying his head in his arms.
"I was home tutored for a year. I got too far ahead in my materials," Hinata explained, shrinking back into her chair, and playing with her fingers.
Deidara continued to prod her with questions. Hinata gave short non-revealing answers to her face, progressively getting redder.
"Deidara, turn around. We are starting class." The teacher snapped.
Deidara made a face letting his chair slam down, making the poor girl flinch.
Hinata knew she was the current interest, but she was still uncomfortable with the attention. She fidgeted deliberately with her pen when she wasn't writing to keep her stress down.
She was sincerely glad she was not in her cousin's class. Neji meant well, but his constant smothering would not be missed for a few hours a day. And as much as she cherished Lee, he could be too much, and Tenten could be too harsh. She would gladly be in the group of strangers and possibly make new friends rather than let Neji and his friends scare everyone away.
Hinata was also glad there was a seat in the back of the room. Comfortably out of most people's sight was exactly where she wanted to be. She had ignored all other available seats as she bolted for it. She had barely noticed the massive man sitting in the second seat of the desk.
He had to be a foot and a half taller than her at least, and his thigh was the size of her waist, and she didn't consider herself thin. Hinata felt irrationally comfortable next to the large man, like she always did, being next to taller people. She liked to shrink into the background. She was glad to sit next to him. She wasn't sure what on earth he was, though. She wouldn't prod.
Hinata glanced around the room as more students came in late. This seat was looking like a better and better choice. She gave a sigh of relief. It would be rude to choose something different tomorrow anyway.
Hinata felt eyes on her but tried to ignore them. She should expect it for a while. There were a lot of black jackets in the room, all with a red cloud decal on the back. Even the class president had one. She felt the need to watch a movie about American greasers.
Hinata glanced to the side, the man beside her had the same black jacket on the back of his chair, so maybe it was a club? Was it official? There only seemed to be one girl in it. Was it a rough team sport?
Something to ask Neji.
When lunch came, Hinata debated getting up. She didn't want to. She knew Neji would want her to join him in the cafeteria, but she really would rather eat her packed lunch in the classroom.
Before she could decide, Neji popped in. "Hinata-sama." He called, walking toward her, eyeing the male beside her who also hadn't gotten up with distaste. Rude, she scolded in her head. "I'll show you to the cafeteria."
"Can't I stay here? I've had enough staring for one day." Hinata begged.
Neji pierced his lips. "Why are you sitting so far back? Couldn't you get a chair closer to the door? Should I talk to the teacher?"
No, no, no! "I chose it. I prefer the back." Hinata told him too firmly.
Neji waited a moment before nodding. He wanted to say more, but they both knew it was better to keep to himself. "Lee-san will be disappointed. Have a good lunch, Hinata-sama." Neji dismissed himself with a last warning glare at her neighbor. Hinata watched him leave and scanned the room. It was only her, the large blue man, and another student who packed in the front.
Hinata glanced at the neighbor with a question. He didn't have a packed lunch, yet, he hadn't gotten up. "You don't eat?" She asked bravely.
He turned his gaze at her, and she shrank. She shouldn't have asked. She was prodding. She quickly fumbled her bento out.
"No." He answered as she opened her box. He waited a moment, then answered her next question. "I can't eat school lunch, and I can't cook. I'll find something on the way home."
Hinata fumbled with her chopsticks, straightening them so she had something to do with her hands. "Is there something wrong with school lunches here?"
"Not wrong." He started with a shrug. "I'm allergic to milk, have to be careful with gluten, and all the preservatives make me sick." His special body had special needs, she understood. "Plus, the cafeteria reeks. Itachi usually sits in here with me, but he's meeting his brother today." Heightened sense of smell? Hinata wasn't sure what he was, so she had no clue what it came with. She hoped she didn't smell unpleasant to him. She would stay away from perfume.
Wait, Itachi?
"Uchiha?" Hinata asked. He nodded. "So he's with Sasuke-san?"
"You know them?" He asked, leaning his form over most of the desk into his folded arms.
"Uh, yeah. I spent some time with them when I was younger." Hinata looked at her food, not feeling hungry. "What do you usually eat?"
"Burnt rice, partly cooked fish, and bruised fruit." Hinata smiled at the joking tone. It was refreshing to hear sarcasm, honestly. That had to be unhealthy, having eating restrictions and not being able to cook.
Hinata paused for a minute, continuing to stare at her bento rather than eating it. "Do you like sashimi and rice balls?"
He sat up, looking at her in confusion. "Yeah?" Hinata lightly slid her bento toward him, plucking out a rice ball for herself. "You sharing?" He asked with a quirk of his brow.
Hinata gave a short nod, taking a small nibble out of her rice ball.
"Thanks." Hinata watched through her bangs as he picked up a rice ball and popped it into his mouth. They were much too small for him. She offered him her chopsticks by sliding them in front of him before taking another rice ball. She tried to ignore his amusement as he picked up on and ate one of the cuts of soaked fish. "This is great."
"Really?" Hinata asked, feeling herself visibly perk.
"Did you make these?" Hinata nodded shyly. "Cool." She felt her face warm as she shrank back into her rice ball. She was glad she chose to sit in the back of the classroom.