Authoress: yosh! I'm back again with chapter eight of Hensou…I didn't think I could drag things out this long…but…/smiles/ I'm just having so much fun with the mind fucks…so I'll keep my rants short and sweet today! Oh…one more thing I'd like to mention before starting this chapter….(some of you may have already heard about this) but I was looking for some beta readers…I currently have three (YOSH FOR ME!), so I don't really need any more beta readers right now...but if anyone is interested in getting previews to this (or other stories), summaries...or even some hints on what I may write for my next story (I have many good ideas...hehe)...I welcome all e-mails, reviews, and such...and, if you ask for something in your message, I'll definitely answer! (usually with an insanely long reply to your review (or whatever))...and if you are a member of hotmail...I'm almost always on MSN messenger (darkqueen(underline...underscore...whatever you wanna call it...since FFN doesn't let that particular stroke show up) 1 (same as my e-mail address)...you'll know me by that pervy Yaoi display pic of mine.../laughs/...and I have one more thing to mention...well, actually warn...this story is a YAOI (hear me now) YAOI fic...and there may be some instances of Hetero or Yuri...but the majority will be guy on guy action...so, I hope you are, in no way, offended by reading Yaoi (or maybe Yuri…if I feel so inclined to write later on)…. And…if you are offended by such things…..WHY HAVE YOU READ THIS FAR!...(I was reading through old reviews for one of my other stories and found some flames...and I just had to make that apparent...)...and one more thing.../smiles/ I'd like to thank Heosic-chan for beta-ing this chapter /claps/ she did a wonderful job...and I suggest everyone go to her FFN profile to check out her amazing stories /sighs/ some of the best Naruto fics I've read yet...
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…but I would do some very creative changes in plots and characters' apparel!
Chapter Eight
(Third Person POV)
Hinata stared down that the silver phone in her hands, gently running her fingers over the bluish buttons, her movements filled with familiarity and the certainty with that went with it. The pressure wasn't enough to be registered as 'pressing' the buttons, so the Hyuuga heiress simply traced out the phone number, a lump developing in her throat as she remembered the voice that always picked up when she dialed that particular number. She bit her lower lip as a wave of sorrow swept over her at the faint memory of what she had always taken for granted.
Maybe it would have been better if Neji-nii and I hadn't gotten into a relationship, Hinata told herself as she loosened her grip on the cell phone and watched as it fell to the carpeted floor with a soft thud. In the past few months of her taboo relationship with her cousin, Hinata had discovered the true meaning of love, but she had also been subject to the pain that accompanied such an affiliation. She bit her lip, hoping to prevent the tears that she could feel coming to her eyes, but that only made her lower lip quiver as she sniffled. She had been having such thoughts for over an hour, but no amount of repeating that statement could make her believe that things would have been better if she and Neji never fell in love. She knew that he was the best thing to have ever come into her life, no matter how much pain came with it.
Hinata smiled sadly as she looked at the phone cradled in her shag rug. She hadn't gathered enough courage to actually call Neji, just finger the achingly familiar digits. Hinata knew that Neji didn't deserve what happened that morning, but couldn't bring herself to call him up and apologize. She had gone with Sakura and Ino that afternoon in attempts to forget that she had had a fight with Neji, but it only made it hurt even worse when she got back home. Her father had business partners over for dinner, Hanabi had friends over, even Hinata's mother was entertaining guests…but Hinata was left alone to sulk in her room as she tried to work up the nerve to call her cousin.
If it hadn't been for our relationship…Neji-nii would still be living here…Hinata thought to herself as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her bare legs. She had been in her pajamas for the past two hours, but she didn't have any urge to sleep. With a soft sob, Hinata buried her head into her nightdress and let her emotions flow. Hinata was someone who hardly cried-she usually started stuttering or burying her head into something to escape the pain-so she was surprised that she was able to cry, continuously, over a half hour before she felt the last dregs of energy-and with it, sorrow-leave her. Hinata kept her head hidden in her pale nightdress, wishing that Neji was there. Even if he wasn't in the same room as her, she would have felt better knowing that he was near enough that she could feel his presence; know that, if she really needed him, he would be there in the blink of an eye.
Neji always had an ability to know exactly what to do and when to do it when it came to Hinata-today being the only exception. It was just a bad day for Hinata and she had accidentally taken it out on the person she loved most, going as far as to slap Neji as he tried to calm her down. At the time, all Hinata wanted to do was scream-to let out all the anger and pain she had been hiding from her family, but ended up hurting the one person who she had never meant to injure. Now, Neji probably wouldn't talk to her even if she tried calling him-if she ever could resolve to do so. I just wanted to tell him…that…I was…
Hinata broke down into a new spiral of depression as she remembered what had gotten her into such a bad mood in the first place. It wasn't a terrible thing, but, ironically, something wonderful-at least from Hinata's point of view. What had made her so quick to snap was that she knew how her father would react-what exactly he'd do to Neji and Hinata if he ever found out. Something like this would be inexcusable in Hiashi's mind and even the fact that Hinata was his eldest daughter wouldn't save her from his wrath.
"Hinata?" The Hyuuga pulled her head away from her knees when she heard her sister's voice echo into the room. Hanabi was standing in the doorway of Hinata's room, letting the hallway's light flood into the darkness of the unlit bedroom. Hinata sniffled, hoping that her annoying sister would leave her alone-as Hanabi was prone to do since she hated Hinata, but there was no such luck. Hanabi had caught a glimpse of her sister's tear-stained face and, even though she had always experienced indifference when it came to Hinata, she felt her sisterly instincts kick into overdrive when she saw the streaks of liquid. Hinata never cried, even Hanabi knew that. "What's wrong?"
"Go away, Hanabi," Hinata mumbled softly, her voice cracking after all the time she spent crying. She closed her aching eyes and sniffled quietly, keeping her head resting against her knees until she felt her bed shift. Hinata opened her eyes and turned her head enough to see her younger sister sitting on the bed, waiting for Hinata to say something. "Leave me alone."
"What's wrong?" Hanabi repeated stubbornly as she rested a hand on Hinata's shaking back, making her older sister look at her with distrust. "Look, I know…I know I'm not exactly a great sister…but I can tell something's wrong…"
"I'm fine," Hinata retorted, surprising herself with how sarcastic she sounded as she pulled her body away from Hanabi's touch. The smaller Hyuuga pouted slightly at her older sister's actions. She was trying to be nice to Hinata for once and was about to say just as much when Hinata's façade crumbled and she flew into her sister's chest, clinging to Hanabi for dear life.
Hanabi was so stunned at the change in Hinata's character, she reflexively tightened her arms around Hinata's shivering body and just held her sister as she felt the tears soak through her clothes. Hanabi sat there, gently rubbing her sister's back until Hinata finally stopped weeping, but the Hyuuga heiress couldn't stop shaking until long after her tears ran out.
"What happened, Hinata?" Hanabi asked gently once she was sure Hinata wouldn't go into another hysterical fit. The older sister sniffled into Hanabi's shirt as a response. "I may be a bitch sometimes…but I'm still your sister, Hinata…you can talk to me." Hanabi's statement made the barest of smiles come to Hinata's face. She could hear that Hanabi was saying the truth-that she really did want to help Hinata for no other reason than that they were sisters.
"…you can't tell Father…" Hinata mumbled into her sister's chest between taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Hanabi could barely make out what her sister said, but what Hinata said next made Hanabi's eyes widen as the younger Hyuuga prayed what she heard had somehow been misunderstood.
"I'm…pregnant…"
/Authoress: BOO YA!…hehe…yep…that's one hell of a twist, ne?…I'll stop now…/
Bang! BANG! BANGBANGBANGBANG!
"FUCK!" Naruto cried as he flew out of his bed, cursing whatever hellish deity existed. It was, in all ways unholy, to bang on his front door at four in the morning and the Uzumaki didn't care who you were. No one had the right to wake him up in the middle of the most erotic dream he had to date. It dealt with two of his biggest passions-Sasuke and ramen. It was one sexy image, in the blonde's mind. In attempt to restrain himself from throttling whoever was on the other side of the door, Naruto kept that image in his mind as he plodded through the tiny apartment. Once he reached the closed door, that was still being "knocked" on (if that incessant pounding could be called a knock), Naruto took a deep breath and opened the door. Naruto only got the chance to get a glimpse of his guest before the Hyuuga plowed into his chest and knocked him down onto his bottom, with her in his lap.
"Naruto-kun…gomen for coming so late…demo…demo…" Hinata burst out into a wail, clinging to Naruto's less-than-clothed body. It took Hinata a moment to realize she was wrapped around a nude blonde, then another moment before she slowly got off of him, apologizing profusely.
"Calm down, Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up, making no attempts to cover himself from the Hyuuga. Hinata had seen him naked more than once, so what's there left to hide? Naruto nodded at his logic, waiting for the girl quiet down before he took a deep breath and smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"…N-Neji…we got into a fight…and I h-hit him…and when I went…to Sasuke-kun's to apologize…neither one of them…was there…a-and…I-I didn't want to go back home…" Hinata replied between taking deep breaths in order to compose herself. It apparently didn't work as Hinata went into a new set of sobs, reattaching herself to Naruto's nude body.
"Then they're probably at Gaara's," Naruto theorized, amazing himself that he could actually think straight when so tired that he was about to pass out in the middle of his apartment with the front door wide open. Yawning softly as he wrapped his arms around the girl's shivering frame, Naruto then made a soft shushing sound that, when Iruka made it, had always gotten Naruto to calm down when he was young.
"… I'm sorry for waking you up," Hinata said quietly, her voice slightly muffled since her face was still buried into Naruto's chest. "I didn't mean to-"
"Daijoubu, Hinata…look, why don't you sit down and tell me what happened?" Naruto asked, remembering that his friend had mentioned something about getting into a fight with Neji and hitting him. Neji didn't seem like the kind of person who would take a hit, even if it was from his girlfriend, and Hinata wasn't someone who would attack her lover without a good cause. I get suspended for a few days…and I miss this! Naruto sighed at his luck. In his second day of suspension, the most enamored couple in their school had a physical fight, which left Neji missing and Hinata in hysterics.
Hinata nodded her head at Naruto's suggestion and quickly let go to find a seat on the blonde's bed that rested against the farthest window from the front door. With a smirk, Naruto watched Hinata smooth out the crumpled (and suspiciously stained) sheets, her naivety quickly being replaced by a blush. Hehe…that's what you get for waking me up in the middle of a dream…Naruto stated to himself as the girl eeped and stood up, the blush on her face turning to a deep crimson. "You're acting like a virgin, Hinata," Naruto stated seductively as his friend's blush deepened further, if that was even possible. Naruto chuckled and pointed to his kitchen table. Hinata quickly moved to the table and sat down in one of the chairs, keeping her eyes glued to the tabletop as Naruto sat down across from her. The blonde jumped slightly at the cold wood against his nude body, but ignored it when he saw the fresh tears in Hinata's eyes. "What did I miss today?"
"…this morning…anou…yesterday morning," Hinata corrected herself as she glanced at the digital clock on Naruto's microwave, smiling sheepishly when she realized what time it really was. "…I…got some news…"
"…did someone die?" Naruto asked curiously, making the girl snort and shake her head. "Then what happened?…is it something horrible that Haku'll love to spread around the club tonight?" Naruto questioned, knowing that his gossip-loving brother would be ecstatic to hear what had brought Hinata of all people to Naruto at four in the morning.
"…Iie…it's…something…wonderful…" Hinata replied positively, but then her face dropped and she sighed. "But…Neji and my father won't see it the same way…"
Neji…and her father? What do they have to do with this news…if it's something wonderful? Naruto wondered to himself, crossing off the possibility that Neji finally proposed. The older Hyuuga wouldn't be anything but bouncing for joy if he and Hinata were engaged. "…you make it sound so scandalous!" Naruto exclaimed, smirking. "You're making it sound like you're pregnant or…some…thing?…" Naruto took one look at Hinata's raised eyebrow and that slight smile and his eyes widened. "HOLY FUCK!…you're…pregnant! How is that possible? I mean, I know how, but…whoa…what did Neji say…?" Naruto ranted, but stopped when he saw that he had hit a nerve with that last question. "Neji doesn't know yet?"
"…I…I was so nervous yesterday…I snapped at him before I could…tell him…" Hinata mumbled, pushing her fingers together, which she hadn't done in months. Naruto sighed and slid his hands across the table to grasp his friend's. "A-And…I…I didn't want to tell Neji-nii over the phone…"
"…so tell him today in school," Naruto commented as he tightened his grip on Hinata's shaking hands. She was seriously afraid, but Naruto couldn't blame her. He had heard enough about her father to see that the man wasn't someone you fucked with, unless you had a death wish. In other words…Neji was as good as dead if the Hyuuga patriarch ever found out about Hinata's pregnancy.
"…I…have a doctor's appointment…I…was wondering…i-if you'd come with me, Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered softly, biting her lip as she looked into Naruto's eyes, as if she was searching for something. She evidently found what she was looking for from the smile she gave Naruto. "…I'm…not going to tell Neji-nii…"
"Nani!"
"…he'll be leaving Konoha in less than two months…after he graduates. I don't want him to give up on going to college because I'm pregnant…" Hinata said, her voice filled with emotion. Naruto was impressed to hear that there wasn't an ounce of fear or doubt in Hinata's voice. She had thought this out and thought this was the best for everyone-even if it meant giving up on Neji.
"…are you sure?" Naruto asked gently, brushing his fingers against Hinata's hands, which had finally stopped shaking. She nodded her head and gave Naruto a smile. "…I guess we're going to have to do a complete wardrobe change in a couple of months…" He flashed a forced grin at Hinata, but the Hyuuga heiress couldn't see the blonde was inwardly cringing at the thought of hiding something like this from, literally, everyone except themselves.
/….on to another section of the story/
(still third person POV)
Temari slammed on Gaara's bedroom door, hearing three distinct moans as she knocked a second time. She was actually surprised it took one of the teens only a few seconds to get up and crack the door open before she pounded a third time. Sasuke glared at her for a moment from the small opening in the door, then opened the door the rest of the way and went back to sprawl face down across Gaara's unoccupied bed. Temari glanced around the messy room and found her brother curled up on a windowsill and Neji lounging across the cluttered floor. Gaara was rubbing his eyes as he yawned while Neji simply laid there, unable to move.
"…I'm guessing you three aren't going to get plastered again for a while?" Temari asked, gently poking Neji with her foot. The lethargic Hyuuga moaned, burying his head into the pile of clothes near his head. "…you're going to be late for school, Hyuuga…and as for you two…" Temari glared at the Uchiha and her brother with an icy look. They froze where they sat/laid and kept their eyes on Temari. "…you're going to clean this house until it shines! I am not going to clean up after you three go on drinking binges…oh, the veterinarian called, Gaara, and said that Shukaku will be fine. Also…Hinata stopped by with a blonde…to see if you two idiots were here." That comment was directed at Neji and Sasuke, who looked at each other with curious looks. "…Hinata apologized, but said she doesn't want you back, Neji, unless you stop this 'destructive nature,' her words exactly…and that blonde said that you're an evil bastard for not inviting her to binge drink with you."
Neji dropped his head even deeper into the pile of clothes at Temari's forthright statement, while Sasuke gave Temari the middle finger from the bed. She sighed, returning the gesture to Sasuke as she walked over to Gaara and ran her fingers through his hair in an attempts to make the fiery locks stick up at less…unusual directions. Gaara was quick to pull away from Temari's attentions, but he did take a glance in his mirror and started fiddling with his bed-head.
"I'm going to work now…I hope you all suffer all day with terrible hangovers," Temari all but sang as she strutted back out of the room, leaving three perplexed teens in her wake.
"…the hell is wrong with her?" Neji asked, his voice muffled by the clothing in his mouth. Gaara shrugged, not that Neji could see him, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow. The Hyuuga pulled his head out of the pile of material and frowned as light hit his eyes. "…did we really drink that much?"
"…all I remember…is Shikamaru…" Sasuke replied curiously, looking at Gaara for confirmation and the Sabaku frowned when he realized he couldn't place the name to a specific person. "…and Kankuro…got a makeover?"
"…Un…that I remember," Neji replied, smirking when he remembered what a change it was to see Kankuro without any makeup and with his hair neat. "…but Shikamaru?"
"…he was kissing Temari last night…" Gaara stated, finally remembering where he knew that name from. He's the son of Temari's boss…the redhead added inwardly as he watched Neji and Sasuke chuckle to themselves.
"…we can't let Shikamaru live this down," Neji decided as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and turned to look at his two friends. "Maa…I have to get to school…have fun cleaning."
"…Teme…" Sasuke mumbled, keeping his face planted into Gaara's mattress as he flipped off Neji. The Hyuuga chuckled as he stole a few articles of Gaara's clothing that he assumed to be clean and went in search of the bathroom and breakfast.
Now…how to suck up to Hinata? The Hyuuga wondered to himself, but didn't think of a good answer, which was just as well, since Hinata never came to school that day.
/…should I continue?…alright…one more section!
Sasuke glared at the flashing light on his answering machine for a minute, weighing out his choices. If he did listen to the messages, he'd probably have to deal with Aoi's screeching, but if he didn't, he would just have to listen to her later-in person. Deciding that the message was a lesser of two evils, Sasuke pushed a button and Aoi's voice filled his once-silent room.
"TEME! I can't believe you! We were supposed to hang out yesterday and you ditched me to go off somewhere! And then I find out you went drinking with Neji without meeeee! You two had Hinata all worried! BASTARD!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he heard an echoing bang come from the message, quickly followed by Hinata's soft voice.
"Gomen nasai, Sasuke-kun…Aoi and I wanted to leave you a message in case my father called and asked where I was. I…I went over to Aoi-kun's house and we were going to go out today…" Sasuke frowned at Hinata's later comment. Hinata never voluntarily skipped school, especially considering their final exams were coming up in a month or so. The Hyuuga would never miss classes unless something was seriously wrong. …mate…I remember what was wrong with Neji. He and Hinata had a fight. She probably doesn't want to see him for a while, Sasuke theorized, flinching when a high-pitched screech came over his answering machine. The fact he had a terrible hangover didn't help make matters any better.
"Oi, teme…one more thing…you kiss like a girl!" With that, the message abruptly ended with a soft click. Sasuke blinked at the black box in amazement. Like…a girl? He felt his face warm up as he remembered the last time he saw Aoi and what he nearly did with her. Kuso…she's never going to let me live that down…Sasuke thought to himself, wondering what this meant to his relationship with the blonde. He wasn't exactly sure he could call himself her boyfriend…they weren't even friends. All Aoi had ever been to him was a major pain in the ass. With a sigh, Sasuke reprimanded himself for thinking something like that. Aoi was a friend-an annoying friend, but a friend all the same-but Sasuke never thought that his hidden feelings for her would ever come to light. Let alone be shared!
Sasuke reran the events of the past few days in his head. He and Aoi got into a fight that left Sasuke with a broken arm (that still stung terribly). That night, when Aoi came to apologize, Sasuke all but ravished her. She then passed out while taking a shower and Sasuke found out a few surprising facts about the usually bouncy teen. Aoi wore a massive amount of makeup to cover up scars on her face and she wore a wig to cover up her short, unruly hair. The third thing that Sasuke discovered about his friend was that she cut herself. The memory of seeing the shockingly white bandages against Aoi's tan skin made Sasuke shiver slightly. He had his moments of depression-who wouldn't in his situation-but Sasuke was too cowardly to actually harm himself (with sharp objects at least). Aoi always had a smile on her face, but she had a serious problem with depression where as Sasuke just drank and used drugs, but that particular pastime was becoming less and less frequent. The Uchiha pulled himself out of his thoughts when he heard his answering machine start a new message. And the voice made Sasuke step backwards hesitantly.
"Sasuke-kun…I called to tell you it was a pleasure to have your girlfriend visit the other day. She's very…spirited. Wouldn't it be fun to take that away from her? Kimimaro would have agreed with me, but sadly, he died yesterday." The fact that there wasn't an ounce of sadness in the slithery man's voice made Sasuke tighten his hand into a fist. His entire body shook slightly, but refrained from doing anything, since the evil bastard wasn't even there to see Sasuke snap. Sasuke slowly let the fact of Kimimaro's death filter through his mind and Sasuke found himself not caring at all. "Oh, one more thing, Sasuke-kun…I spoke to Itachi the other day…and he told me about a play you're going to be in. Daijoubu…I'll be there…kuku kuku."
The message ended with a click and Sasuke found himself lowering his shivering body into a nearby chair as another message filled the room after the machine stated the time the message was taken, which was surprisingly at four a.m. that morning. That time made Sasuke raise an eyebrow, but thankfully, though, it was a voice that didn't make the Uchiha's skin crawl, just twitch.
"Sasuke-kun…gomen for calling at such a strange hour, but my servants just informed me that Hinata is missing and I was sure that she would be with him…" Hiashi's voice took on an unfamiliar, threatening tone when he mentioned Neji. Obviously he still wasn't over the fact Hinata and Neji were a couple. "I know Neji is currently living with you and I know you won't let this atrocity occur within your home, so I do not mind if Hinata is there." For some reason, Hiashi's tone had dropped to something close to soothing, which made Sasuke imagine that his tiny wife was glaring at him for all her worth. The man couldn't stand when his wife was mad at him, so he was probably trying his best to be forgiving, but such a quality wasn't in Hiashi's nature. "…onegai…just tell her to come home…" This message ended with an even softer click than the other messages. Sasuke rubbed his aching temples, wondering when he had become the image of morality, let alone trust. Hiashi had to know by now that Sasuke had nothing against Hinata and Neji's relationship, but somehow, the Hyuuga trusted Sasuke to keep them apart while they were in his home. Sasuke pondered momentarily how he would even accomplish such a feat. With a pry bar?
Sasuke was about to get up and make himself a strong pot of coffee, but froze in his seat when he heard the answering machine spurt out another message. Four messages in one night through the next morning…it was a new record for the quiet Uchiha.
"Ohayo, Uchiha-san…obviously you're not home, even though it is only seven in the morning," the woman's voice took on a reprimanding tone, which made Sasuke twitch slightly. She was mad at him for being out all night when she herself was hardly around enough for Sasuke to get an appointment! "…my secretary has already scheduled another appointment for tomorrow afternoon at three. After yesterday, I think it would be better if we got together to talk on a more regular basis and I suggest you bring that female friend of yours." It wasn't a suggestion, like she stated, but a requirement. Sasuke glared at the machine, wishing that he could just ignore this message completely, but the woman knew where he lived-and she was the kind of person who would make a house visit if he didn't show up. "Uchiha-san…I know it may be hard to tell your girlfriend that you see me, but I believe that she can help with your issues and I'd like to meet her." Sasuke inwardly cursed, wondering why he had even mentioned Aoi. With a bitter smirk, he remembered exactly why-it slipped out. The blonde woman had asked Sasuke why he was in such a perky mood (for Sasuke) when he had gone to her office the day before. Sasuke had replied without even thinking, 'I found someone…' That only lead to the bitchy woman interrogating Sasuke and he finally cracked, mentioning a few things about Aoi. She had put two and two together and recognized this 'someone' to be the same girl Sasuke was tutoring (another slip up on Sasuke's part). The Uchiha couldn't keep his mouth shut whenever he was in the woman's presence.
"Uchiha-san, I know you're still listening to this message, so I have one more thing to say to you. If you ever walk out of a session like that again, I will be forced to restrain you!" The message ended with an echoing slam and Sasuke sighed in relief. He had, literally, stormed out of the cozy room as he flipped off the woman. He then continued to leave the office, kicking the secretary's annoying pet pig as he left. With a smirk, Sasuke wondered if he had seriously injured the pink creature. He wouldn't be anything but ecstatic if he heard it was dead.
"Oi teme! It's me again…Hinata…and I need a ride…" Aoi's voice gave Sasuke an image of the blonde smiling sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head as Hinata sighed in the background. How did he end up attracted to such stupidity? "…we called your friend's house but he said you left a while ago, so I'm guessing you're home, you anti-social bastard…" A light smack came though and Sasuke inwardly cheered for Hinata's bravery in hitting the blonde. "Itai!…hehe…anyways…we're at the mall and it's…two…thirty…" Sasuke sighed, glancing at a clock hanging on the wall across from him. It was 2:45, which meant that they had just left the message right before he got in his house. With a sigh, Sasuke slowly stood up and gave the answering one last glare, as if waiting for it to spit out another message, but Aoi wasn't done yet. "One more thing, you stuck-up prick…Hinata's moving in with me and if you tell her father, I'll kill ya!" With that, the message ended and Sasuke was left with blissfully dead silence.
Moving in with Aoi?…doshite? Sasuke wondered to himself as he stood up and went over to the black box that had finally finished spewing out messages-none of which Sasuke wanted to hear. He quickly erased all the recordings, then went in search of his keys.
/Authoress: okay…just one more part…/smiles innocently/ we're kinda going back in time to get to this part…so please deal with it…/grins/
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed as she ripped the cell phone out of the blonde's hands and gently hit him in the back of the head with it. He chuckled as he pulled the Hyuuga into a bear hug, laughing outright when she squirmed to free herself. "Why did you tell Sasuke-kun I'm moving in with you?"
"Because…" Naruto took a deep breath, not releasing his hold on the girl. "You can't really hide a pregnancy from your family if you're living with them! What would happen if someone walked into your room before you were finished getting dressed or something? Hanabi might be ignorant, but I think even she'd notice you've grown a basketball for a stomach!" Hinata slapped Naruto for that comment, but couldn't help but agree with his logic. "Anyways, you don't have to be stressed out with hiding it from your family all the time if you live with me. Hell, my family wouldn't care-they'd probably spoil you if they found out!"
"…Arigatou, Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, tears coming to her eyes. Naruto caught a glimpse of this and squeaked out a 'don't cry,' but it did no good. Hinata returned the embrace, burying her head into Naruto's warm chest as she let finally let her emotions take the better of her. After visiting the doctor, it finally started sinking in for the small Hyuuga. She, Hyuuga Hinata, a mere sixteen year old high school student, was pregnant-and she knew nothing about such matters. Not only that, but she had decided to keep such a major event a secret from everyone in her family, even Neji.
A whole new wave of tears hit her when Hinata remembered the doctor's appointment. The woman was very nice, asking very few questions about Hinata's situation, simply because she was slightly curious why someone so young would keep a child. The one thing that had surprised Hinata was that the doctor had assumed Naruto was the father. Hinata hadn't expected that, since most people mistook the pretty blonde as a girl upon first glance-sometimes all 'glances.' Hinata pressed her face even deeper into her friend's shirt, starting to regret making Naruto an accomplice in her plot.
The girl couldn't help but feel ashamed to ask Naruto to keep something like this a secret, but a small part of the Hyuuga reminded her that she knew and kept his secrets. That small part was the same side of her that had decided to hide her pregnancy from everyone but Naruto. Not even the doctor knew Hinata's real name, just in case her father ever looked at her health files. It was a good thing that people could easily be paid off in order to ask no questions. She looked back up into Naruto's worried face and smiled. It always amazed her how different the young man looked in and out of school and the club. In high school, he was, hands down, one of the prettiest 'girls' enrolled, while at the club, he was one of the sexiest men. Looking at him now, as his worry dissipated and he broke out in a broad grin, Hinata didn't see either persona that Naruto had worked so long to keep. Now, she saw him for who he truly was-a normal teenager whose beauty went far beyond his facial features. Naruto held a splendor that couldn't be contained by the limits of gender-or even by looks. He radiated a quality that had captured Hinata so completely, her earlier fears were already disappearing under the energy of his honest smile. Hinata knew that, if it hadn't been for the fact she was already hopelessly in love with Neji when she first met "Aoi," she probably would have fallen for Naruto within moments. That was just the kind of person he was. Even back before they were on a first name basis with one another, Hinata recognized that attribute in her best friend, and everyday she thanked whatever gods that existed that she had had the pleasure to meet Naruto. Hinata had known about Naruto's situation since almost the beginning of the school year. With the barest of chuckles, Hinata recalled the day she first ran into Naruto.
/A/N: you could tell this would be a flashback, ne?
(Hinata's POV!…oooh, have we done this POV before? I don't think so…)
I nervously swallowed, trying to remove the lump that had lodged itself in my throat. I couldn't stop myself from looking down at my trembling hands when I felt his gaze travel across the crowded auditorium, as though he knew it was me that had been watching him. Almost an instant later, I could feel the sensation of eyes on me leave, and with it, a sigh of relief. I had already tuned out the principal's voice, that had been dragging on in a monotone for the past fifteen minutes, so I had nothing else to do except look around at the mass of heads.
There were familiar faces-those people who I knew from last year. All of my old classmates had returned, even Kiba, which surprised me, since he was so terrible in all classes. I looked around, seeing many of the girls who I had become something of "friends" with last year. Sakura and Ino were arguing about something with each other in hushed voices; they had been talking in barely contained screeches for the entire speech and had only broken out into one slapping fit in all that time. Thankfully, the pair had only hit each other once before one of the new teachers had come to sit between them. The man was very pleasant on the eyes, I had to admit. He wasn't one of those types that every girl in the school would throw themselves on (though we did have a few of those in previous years). He had a look in his eyes that was almost…brotherly. It was very calming to see someone like him, someone who you could immediately tell actually cared about the students, not his salary or the chance to see girls in gym clothes (we had a few of those teachers also, but most of them had been fired, thankfully). I studied the back of his brunette head for a moment, inwardly wondering if it was against regulations for male teachers to have such long hair. I had never seen another teacher whose hair was long enough to put into a ponytail, whose tips could brush the back of his neck with ease, if they weren't sticking up at an odd, gravity defying angle. It almost reminded me of Nara-san's hair in that way. I glanced to my left and saw the black-haired boy, who was sleeping with his head resting on Akimichi-san's shoulder. That boy had a bag of chips on his hand, a soda in the other. He and Kiba-san were trading the chips and soda back and forth, somehow keeping the foodstuff hidden from the brunette teacher only a few seats down from them. Maybe the man was just ignoring the pair of eating teens and the sleeping one since his attention was mainly on the pair of girls leaning out of their seats to argue across him. I covered my mouth to hide a smile. The poor man didn't know what he was getting in to when he tried to separate Ino and Sakura.
I continued looking around, noticing that the only Aburame in our school was sitting on the other side of Nara-san, his face halfway buried into his jacket while the other half of his face was hidden by (prescription) sunglasses. I couldn't tell if he was paying attention or not, but I guessed he was as interested in the speech as I, and everyone else, was. My pale eyes then shifted, making sure to quickly skip over that head of long, black hair. On one side was Ten-Ten-sempai, who was very…interesting. She had visited the mansion on more than one occasion, but I didn't really know her since I always stowed away in my room when she was around. Truth be told, I was slightly afraid of the young woman. On the other side of him was Rock-sempai. He was a very kind young man, whose smile always got me to giggle when I hadn't escaped to my room before he got into the mansion (he usually accompanied Ten-Ten-sempai when she came to work on one project or another with him). When he wasn't making some speech about youth and energy, he would joke with me and make bets with himself to test his limits. I found his presence very calming-for all his wild antics.
I then continued down the lines of people, recognizing many as his classmates, and more of my own. There were many new faces, most of them belonging to the grade below mine. Surprisingly, though, my eyes kept landing on the back of one head in particular. It must have been the unnatural-looking blonde hair. From the length of those pigtails of shockingly yellow hair, I guessed the person was a girl, but I could see from my seat that she was wearing a boy's uniform. I knew our dress codes weren't exactly strict (or even enforced most days), but teachers never let students wear the opposite sex's clothing. Perhaps it was a boy and he was like many of the other boys in our school and liked to wear his hair long. But pigtails? Our principal had problems with Nara-san's ponytail last year-this would be beyond "school protocol."
As though she (he?) knew I was looking at her (him?), the blonde turned around and the brightest blue captured my gaze. I had never known such a color existed, let alone be the color of someone's eyes. The shade couldn't have been natural, I theorized, but I found myself lost in their depths. Those blue eyes belonged to one of the prettiest faces I had ever seen, so I assumed this girl must have just wanted to rebel, so she wore the boy's uniform. She had rosy, slightly rounded cheeks and long, thick eyelashes that I could see from so far away. A thin blonde eyebrow, whose color matched that of her long hair, rose as she watched me. Apparently her hair color was natural. I blushed as I tore my eyes away and looked down. I hadn't meant to stare, but there was just something so hypnotic in those eyes.
I continued to stare downwards, pushing my index fingers together until I heard the shuffling of chairs as people around me began standing up. I slowly followed suit, but froze when I saw a pair of bright orange sneakers (which were definitely against the dress code) out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and heat rose to my face when I found myself staring into those amazingly blue eyes again.
"…Ohayo…" she said softly, her voice higher than I was expecting. She looked away from me as a nervous smile coming to her face. I returned the slightest of smiles and repeated her greeting softly. "…I'm Aoi…" How…fitting…I thought to myself as I giggled slightly and those eyes filled with humor. "Interesting name, ne?"
"…M-My name is H-Hyuuga Hinata…" I stammered, bowing politely. She chuckled, her laugh deeper than I would have expected from such a feminine person. I blushed deeply as she continued to giggle. My eyes fell to the ground, wondering if I had done something wrong and she was laughing at me.
"…gomen, Hinata-chan…I-I'm new here…and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to my classroom…" I glanced upwards and saw her smiling sheepishly. I wondered momentarily if she was always smiling and laughing, but kept the question to myself as I nodded my head. "…anou saa…I'm in 2-A…and…I don't know where exactly to go…"
"…I-I'm in 2-A too…" I stuttered in reply. For a moment, I was surprised to know this girl was in my class. She looked old enough to be in his class, but her smile made her look even younger than I was. For a moment, I pondered over the idea she was held back, but I could see a glimmer of intelligence in her azure eyes. "…O-Our classroom…is t-this w-way…" I couldn't help my stammering. It always happened when I was talking to someone, especially someone I didn't know. Also, I wasn't used to talking so much with someone. Usually the most someone could get out of me was an incomplete sentence, which almost always was one or two words.
"…arigatou, Hinata-chan!" she exclaimed. I jumped in surprise when she tackled me and wrapped her arms around my small body. She's really tall…I realized as I found myself being squashed into her chest. I briefly wondered if she was related to Rock Lee…her actions and temperament were very similar to his. I couldn't help but chuckle into her chest. There was something very calming about her and I found myself immediately warming up to the Amazon-like girl.
/A/N: we're still in flashback mode, but we're skipping a little ahead in the first day of school!
I sighed in relief as the math teacher, Morino-sensei, finally finished his lesson for the day. Thankfully I had him last year and knew what to expect from the demanding teacher. Even on the first day of school, he had loaded our class with four homework assignments; all of which should take a minimum of a half hour to do. The good thing about Morino-sensei was that he only collected homework once a week, so students didn't have to do all his homework in one night. From the looks of Aoi, who was positively frightened by the assignments, she hadn't read about that detail in Morino-sensei's list of his expectations of our class. Since the majority of our class had him last year, many of us were sighing in relief as he left the room. Last year, he wasn't as compassionate as to only assign four pages for homework. Many times, I found myself staying up until ten or eleven at night with four hours of math homework. And I was one of the best students at math. The only person who could beat me in grades for math was Nara-san, but he usually didn't apply himself, so he was always on the fine line between passing and failing. Sakura-chan had identical grades to mine in math last year, but overall, she was far above me. She excelled in nearly every course, whereas I was only proficient in math and English. If I was a more boastful person, I probably would have rubbed in the fact I could speak English perfectly, just to make fun of Sakura-chan, who was still having a slight problem with the language. The only reason language came easily to me was that my father was a very powerful businessman and, as his eldest daughter, I would be taking over his company one day. Because of that, I was forced to take language classes since I was about five years old. English had only been the first of several languages. No one in the school knew I was multilingual, except for the teachers, who probably didn't believe that small detail about me. They probably didn't even know I could speak Japanese since I hardly ever talked in class and, even when I did, my words became jumbled and my grammar was terrible. Other students laughed at me for it, so I was usually exempt from answering questions aloud.
"Hinata-chan!" I nearly fell out of my seat in surprise when I heard Aoi scream into my ear. The girl was nearly bouncing as she handed me her schedule. It was nearly the end of the day, but she was still having a slight problem reading the complicated schedule. I had already memorized mine (and, technically, hers, since we had all the same classes). "What do we have next?"
Without even looking at the piece of paper, I replied, "G-gym…" The one class I hated more than anything else. The coach we had this year was the same as last year-Yuushi-sensei. She was, in the minds of all female students in our school, the incarnate of Satan. She was even more demanding than Morino-sensei and she wasn't even pleasant, like the scarred math teacher was. Aoi squeaked out something, but I didn't exactly understand what she said, since it was too high pitched to even hear syllables. I guessed it had something to do with our gym clothes (the disgusting things those were). They were forest green bloomers and white t-shirts. Compared to some schools I had been to, these outfits were a godsend, but they were still the most unflattering thing I had ever worn.
"I can't go to gym!" Aoi exclaimed, her voice filled with worry. I watched her begin to hyperventilate for a moment, then chuckled. I hated gym, but I never had gotten this worked up over the class. Aoi puckered out her lower lip and sniffled, probably hoping I would know a way out of the class. I would have suggested skipping, but knowing Yuushi-sensei, that woman would search every crevice in the school if she found out someone was trying to skip her class.
"W-why not, Aoi-san?" I asked curiously as I slowly closed my math books and placed them in the shelf underneath my desk. I got up out of the chair, waiting for Aoi to move so I could start walking to the door. The one thing unusual about Konoha High School (besides the teachers and array of students) was that, instead of having cubbies in the classroom, like traditional classrooms, we had lockers in the hallways. I preferred having the lockers, since it meant I wouldn't have to socialize with so many people in the back of the room just to get to my cubby. I knew that the school arranged lockers according to last name and classes, which meant that I was between Sakura-chan and Nara-san. Aoi, on the other hand, was somewhere on the far end of the row of lockers for class 2-A.
It only took me a moment to grab my gym clothes out of my thin locker, since I didn't have to wait for someone to move so I could reach my locker. Nara-san hadn't even gone to his locker and Sakura-chan was leaning against a locker near Ino-chan, bickering with the blonde girl. I stepped back out into the hallway that was crowded with our class, immediately able to find Aoi's blonde head among the sea of students. She jogged up to me, a folded pile of clothing in her hands. I took one look at the clothes and could immediately tell they weren't the uniform I had in my hands.
Aoi, obviously noticing that I was looking at her outfit curiously, smiled slyly and chuckled. "…I…have scars on my legs, so Yuushi-sensei said I could wear pants instead of…those." Aoi pointed to the green article in my hands and I couldn't help but chuckle. She apparently hated the outfit as much as I did.
I didn't mean to be nosy, but I couldn't help but wonder where she had gotten such terrible scars from that our gym teacher would allow her a different outfit. "S-scars?" I repeated curiously as I started walking towards the girls locker room to change. Aoi followed a half-step behind me, her steps unsure as we walked down the long hallways.
"…un…I was in an accident," Aoi stated quietly, her tone telling me that she didn't want to talk about it. I politely let the topic drop without another question, but I still wondered over it in my head. We walked the rest of the way in silence, finally reaching the girl's locker room which, from all the noise coming within, was already filled with the girls from our class.
I held the door open for Aoi and was quick to find a locker once she was through the doorway. Last year, I hadn't been able to get a locker, so I was forced to share with Ino-chan…and I never wanted to experience something like that again. It was the school's policy that gym lockers were shared by two (or sometimes three) people, unless you got one of the small lockers. No one voluntarily picked one those lockers since you couldn't even fit a shirt into the tiny things. I sighed in relief when I found one of the larger lockers that had yet to be claimed. I pulled the piece of yellow paper taped to it and burned the combination written on it into my memory. Aoi pulled the paper out of my hands and looked at it curiously. I couldn't help but question whether or not she had been in a school like ours before. She had no idea what to do in all of our other classes. After our first class, she had actually left the room before noticing that no one except the teacher had moved. Since she had no problem with the idea of lockers, I theorized the school she went to before must have been more like an American school. Thinking along those lines, I wondered where Aoi lived before moving to Konoha.
"…Aoi-san…w-where did you m-move from?"
Aoi looked over at me in amazement. Maybe she hadn't been expecting that question from me. I smiled at her, wondering if it was impolite of me to ask. I was about to apologize when she chuckled. "…hehe…all over, I guess…my family just moved here a few weeks ago, but before that, we lived in Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo, Hirosaki, Yokohama, Osaka…for a while, we lived in Fukuoka…" I knew I must have looked amazed from the blush that appeared on Aoi's face as she trailed off.
"Y-you lived in Fukuoka!" Aoi and I both jumped when we heard Ino's outburst. I personally hadn't even known that the girl was in the room. Aoi nodded dumbly and we found ourselves surrounded by a few of the girls. "I've always wanted to go to Hakata-za Theatre!" I smiled slightly, remembering the one time I had gone to the famous theatre to see a musical with my family. Out of all of us, I think the only people who enjoyed it were Neji-nii-san and myself. For weeks afterwards, I wondered why my stoic cousin would have liked a musical of all things. I hadn't even known he even liked the theatre until that trip.
"…hai…my father was an actor there for a while…" Aoi replied, raising an eyebrow at Ino's surprising enthusiasm. I never knew she liked the theatre-but apparently she did from the squeal she let out when she heard Aoi's comment.
"Does that mean you've done acting before, Aoi-chan?" I heard mental warning bells go off when Ino's voice turned almost sickeningly sweet. Aoi innocently nodded her head since she didn't know the other blonde as well as I did. Ino was very…persuasive when she wanted to be. "Sugoi! Then you'll have to join our drama club this year! Gai-sensei is starting it up tomorrow during our study hall period. So far we have nine potential members…but Sakura, TenTen and I are the only girls…so would you join?"
"…a drama club?" Aoi glanced over at me and I nervously played with my fingers as I looked down at the ground. I would have loved to join, but who would want such a timid person in a drama club? "Hinata-chan and I'll join!" My nervousness blew into deathly fear when I heard her exclamation. I hated talking in front of our tiny class, how would I ever be able to act!
"Hinata-chan! You wanna join!" It was a rhetorical question in my mind, but I apprehensively nodded my head. She, unexpectedly, glomped me and I found myself being swung around like a rag doll. "That's great! Now we have two Hyuuga in the drama club!" With that, Ino let me go and left us with a friendly wave. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in. Neji-nii-san…he's in the drama club? He's never said anything about that…I thought to myself, so caught up in my own questions that I didn't realize Aoi was talking to me.
"Oi, Hinata-chan…two Hyuuga? You have a brother or something?" Aoi asked curiously, cocking her head to the side. I bit my lip, wondering how I should answer the question. In a certain light, Neji was like a brother, since our fathers were identical twins and he had been all but adopted into our family after his parents died, but he was still my cousin.
"…Neji-nii-san… "I replied quietly as I started to take off my shirt. If we didn't change soon, Yuushi-sensei would come in here and drag us out half-naked if she felt like it. I could tell Aoi averted her eyes as I quickly stripped down to my underwear then dressed in record time. I found it slightly curious that she was blushing. Most girls didn't care about other girls changing-since it's not like we're seeing something new. I wasn't ashamed anymore, even though I was probably the shiest girl in the entire school. I wondered if Aoi's old schools were that different from ours that it was unusual for girls to change in the middle of the locker room. She'll be in for a surprise at the end of gym class…I thought to myself with a blush. Ino and Sakura had no qualms about taking showers and walking around nude until they were sufficiently dried. I had to deal with it all last year, so I knew I wouldn't be shocked to see them naked. I hadn't become that…outgoing yet. I still clung to my towel after gym class and waited for a stall or something in order to change back into my clothes.
"Neji, huh?" Aoi asked as soon as I finished readjusting my bloomers. I nodded my head, raising an eyebrow when I saw that Aoi had yet to even take her shoes off. "Hmm…ch-chotto mate…he's that prick that flipped me off this morning because I accidentally ran into him! Bastard…" Aoi growled softly, then glanced over at me and smiled innocently. "Hehe…thankfully you only look like him, Hinata-chan…" I couldn't help but blush. Most people had to have Neji and I stand next to each other to notice our similar features (besides our pale eyes, that is). It actually took the majority of the school a few months last year to figure out that Neji and I were related (they somehow ignored the fact we had the same last name…). Very people in the school even knew how closely related we were. TenTen-sempai and Rock Lee were the only students to ever visit our house, so they were the only ones who knew Neji and I lived under the same roof. I didn't mind if people knew, but I usually kept that fact a secret since I could tell my cousin didn't want to be associated with me anymore than he had to. It hurt to know that. "That asshole was the one who hit into me!…grrr…I wanted to punch him in that pretty face of his!" Aoi continued ranting, shaking her fist in the air as I simply sat back and watched in amusement. Very few people were brave (or stupid) enough to talk badly about my cousin. I didn't know which Aoi was, but I was starting to lean towards the later.
"N-Neji-nii-san isn't t-that bad," I pointed out quietly, which made Aoi stop her raving abruptly. She blinked at me in amazement, then her cheeks turned pink. She looked down, ashamed. I smiled slightly at her spasmodic actions. If nothing else, Aoi would be able to keep a person guessing what'd she'd do next…
"Gomen…I shouldn't have said that about your brother…" Aoi said softly, keeping her head bowed. I giggled softly, which made Aoi glance up curiously. "Lemme guess, you agree with me that he's a prick?"
"Iie…Neji-n-nii-san is…my c-cousin…" I replied, smiling at Aoi. I agreed completely with her summary of my cousin. I had known him as far back as I could remember and Aoi had only met him this morning-and we knew about the same about him. Nothing, except he has a bit of a personality deficit. That, and he dislikes just about everyone. Even his two 'best friends' were nothing more than classmates in Neji-nii-san's mind.
"C-Cousin?" Aoi repeated, staring at me with a dumbfound expression. "But…you said Neji-nii-san…" I nodded my head. It was what I always called my cousin, ever since I was a little child. He never told me to stop calling him it, so I just continued using the honorific, even after we "grew up." Neji had the sensibleness of an adult, but I was still just a little girl in a teenager's body. Maybe the large gap in our maturity levels was due to the experiences Neji had to face in his life. I couldn't imagine what'd it be like to lose both of my parents so suddenly, then be left alone in the world. My father took Neji in, but my cousin never saw that gesture as anything but another way to torture his existence. I knew that, once he graduated, that he would move as far away as he possibly could, then finish his schooling at whatever college he wanted. It somewhat hurt to know that I would probably never see him again after he graduated at the end of this school year. And I'll never get to tell him… Even the thought of telling Neji-nii-san such a thing made my heart beat faster.
"W-we're very c-close c-cousins…" I said as I tried willing my heart back to a normal speed, but the lump that just developed in my throat wouldn't go away. I coughed to try ridding myself of it, but it did no good. "N-Neji-nii-s-san's father and m-my f-father were b-brothers…"
"Were?" Aoi looked at me curiously and I looked down, my cheeks burning pink. I had said too much about my cousin. Neji never talked about his family life, or anything about his life to anyone, not even our family. Aoi obviously understood that I had spoken out of place and guessed what I wasn't going to tell her from the soft 'ah' that escaped her lips. "Oi, can you keep a watch, Hinata-chan?" I glanced up questioningly and saw the faint blush across Aoi's cheeks. I then looked around and found that we were the only people left in the room. I nodded my head, raising an eyebrow when I saw Aoi sprint across the room and into one of the empty bathroom stalls. I kept glancing from the painted stall door to the exit, but when neither opened for over five minutes, I started to get worried. I was about to go knock on the green stall door and had actually walked halfway there before I heard an 'eep' from the other side, quickly followed by a ripping sound and a crash.
"Aoi-san?" I hesitantly raised a hand to knock on the door, but my fingers froze when I heard a muffled cry from the stall, followed by a string of curses that had me blushing in no time. I furrowed my eyebrows when I heard Aoi's rant change into something that had my mind swirling. She had ceased speaking in Japanese, but had begun cursing in English. My eyes widened at her broad vocabulary of such filthy language (AN: not English, the language…just the terms Aoi's using), then remembered how she was struggling in our English class this morning with the simplest of things. Aoi didn't even know how to greet someone in English or say 'thank you.' How could she possibly know this much English (and pronounce it with, not a Japanese, but an American accent) and not know the basics of the language?
"Gomen, Hinata-chan…my hair got caught in my zipper…hehe…" I could tell Aoi was blushing furiously on the other side of the door. I chuckled softly to myself, wondering how she accomplished that of all things. For such long hair, she must have gotten used to getting dressed without it getting in the way. Maybe it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime occurrences. "Could you…keep a secret?" There was something in Aoi's voice that made me step back slightly, contemplating what exactly Aoi could be hiding that she would sound almost frightened.
"Of course, Aoi-san…" I replied, turning to look at the exit and wondering how much time we had before Yuushi-sensei came in to drag us to the gym. It had to be less than five minutes, so whatever Aoi wanted to keep hidden from the rest of the school would have to be quick. My gaze returned to the stall door when I heard the latch slide across the door and the metal object opened with a slight creak. I found myself staring at a furiously blushing blonde.
Immediately, my gaze went to the blonde's head and I quickly realized something was wrong. Aoi's hair wasn't stuck in her zipper, it had been removed completely from her head and was attached to the ball of green Aoi was holding outwards. I bit back a snort as the, now, short-haired teen looked away in embarrassment and I quickly took the pants from her. I went back to sit at the bench below my locker and stared at the mess of hair and material. Upon closer inspection of the hair, I found it to be a beautiful wig of very human-like hair. Even looking at it this close, if I didn't know better, I'd say it really was hair that was still attached to someone's head.
"My brother is into wigs," Aoi commented as she came to stand in front of me. I slowly started picking the hair out of the metal teeth, but my curiosity got the better of me and my gaze quickly traveled to the girl's legs. There's no scars on her legs…I realized, but my eyes froze in the middle of their inspection when I saw something that definitely wasn't supposed to be there. Aoi turned to the side, covering her groin with her arms. The spell over my eyes broke with that slight movement and I eeped, nearly jumping off the bench when it hit me. The pretty blonde standing not even a meter away from me wasn't the girl she seemed to be. She was most certainly male. Aoi chuckled, nervousness in his voice. Now that his charade had been found out, his voice dropped down from the high falsetto I had been getting used to. "…hehe…gomen…I didn't think I'd be found out on the first day of school."
"…why?"
"I…I know a lot of people who go to this school…and they hate me…so…I dressed up so they would treat me normally," Aoi replied, his eyes traveling across the floor. The blue orbs never met my gaze, but I didn't need to see the pain in his eyes. I could hear it in his baritone voice. I let my gaze drop as I continued to work on the zipper and wig. "I just wanted a chance…to be like a normal kid…"
I mentally sighed, understanding the feeling of wanting to be treated like a normal teen. No matter where I go, though, my name would precede me. Everyone knew to treat me with the utmost respect and to be very easy on me, in case word got back to my father about someone's harsh treatment of me. It made me very self-conscious everywhere I went. I pulled at the hair and smiled slightly when the last strand was released from the zipper's grasp. "Here's your pants and hair," I said softly, surprising both Aoi and myself when I didn't stutter at all. He raised an eyebrow as he took the pants from me and quickly slid them on, finally covering up the large bulge in the front of him. "…I'll help you with that wig." Aoi was obviously taken aback when he heard me volunteer to help him with this act.
"Y-you're not going to tell anyone?" he asked doubtfully as he brushed his fingers through a pigtail of his wig in order to straighten out the hair. I shook my head as I smiled at him. If he didn't want people to know who he truly was, then I would do all I could in order to help him. He was willing to swallow all his pride and hide everything about himself in order to keep people from prejudging him. I admired the amount of self-confidence and courage he had.
"…you're the first person who has been kind to me…" I said softy, smiling again when I heard my voice not even quiver in the slightest. I had never spoken to someone with so much…assuredness in my words and I liked this distinct change in myself. Maybe Neji-nii-san will think better of me if I don't stutter around him anymore…I thought to myself with a blush creeping onto my cheeks. Aoi, without warning, glomped me and held me for a moment. My blush turned to a deep crimson as I uncertainly returned the embrace.
"I could say the same about you, Hinata-chan…" he stated as his grip tightened around me just enough that I felt like he could have easily picked me up if he wanted to, but not enough to crush me. Though, from the muscle I felt underneath the thin pieces of material separating us, I guessed he could have done just that with ease as well. It was an odd combination, to feel such solid muscle around me, but such a soft chest against me. I wondered for a moment how much padding that bra must have had in it to make Aoi's "breasts" feel lifelike. I blushed at the realization I was wondering about his chest. "It took me weeks to find something that felt real…" I buried my head into Aoi's chest in embarrassment at his comment, which only made me realize I was sticking my face into the object of my discomfiture. I eeped into the softness and I could feel the rumbling of Aoi's chest as he chuckled deeply. The blonde let go of me and I shakily sat back down on the bench, my eyes fixed on his fake breasts. They looked so real. "Water balloons…" he stated proudly as he stuck a hand down the collar of his shirt and pulled out a pale orange ball of rubber that jiggled slightly as he tossed it over to me. I fumbled to catch it and was surprised to find the rubber was thicker than a normal water balloon. No wonder Aoi-san isn't worried about it popping…I thought to myself as I felt over the water balloon. It surprisingly did feel real, to some extent. I glanced up at him and giggled when I saw his bra was still in the shape of his breasts. There must have been a great deal of padding in that bra as well. "…I'm some sexy girl, ne, Hinata-chan!"
I chuckled at that statement, watching as Aoi posed with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out. He was very pretty, I had to admit, but I also wondered how much of that loveliness was makeup. "We better be getting to gym before Yuushi-sensei comes looking for us!" I stated, louder than I have ever spoken before in my life. Aoi smirked and stuck the wig on his head-backwards. I chuckled as I watched him flounder around, trying to pull the wig off. When he finally got the hair off his head, he turned it around, an embarrassed grin on his face. He put it on the right way and started pushing his actual hair up underneath the wig. With a sigh, I got up off the bench and pulled his hands down, finishing the job of tucking in his blonde spikes. After a few minutes of fussing and last minute changes, I took a step back and found myself staring at the very feminine looking blonde without a strand of hair out of place.
"Y'know, Hinata-chan…I'm glad I met you!" Aoi exclaimed as he quickly hugged me, then started towards the exit. He stopped when he felt me wrap my hands around his larger one and I found myself staring into a pair of concerned blue eyes. He raised an eyebrow, not even needing to ask the question that I knew was in his mind.
"…Aoi…kun…thank you for being a friend," I replied quietly, wrapping my arms around his thin waist. I held onto him for a moment, until I heard him chuckle, then felt a soft pressure against my head. I looked up and saw Aoi had placed his hand on my head and was rubbing my hair gently.
"Daijoubu, Hinata-chan…you're really the first friend I have…" he replied, a smile on his face, but I could see that his eyes weren't reflecting the same happiness. They revealed that he was speaking the truth-a truth that hurt him in many ways. Seeing that in his eyes, I tightened my grip around him and didn't let go until I felt sure that look had left his beautiful eyes.
"Alright, girls, stop the loving moment!" Aoi and I spun around and found ourselves facing Yuushi-sensei with a dodge ball in one hand and a whistle in the other. I blushed slightly as I looked down at the floor. Suddenly, my nervousness returned tenfold and I could hardly even move, let alone speak.
"Gomen, Sensei. I was just telling Hinata-chan about my kitty, Fluffers-san…who was ran over yesterday," Aoi lied, sniffling. I glanced over at him and could see that tears had already begun running down his cheeks, smearing mascara and eyeliner everywhere. No wonder he would join the drama club…I thought to myself with an inward smile. I knew he was lying, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Fluffers-san as tears began to prick at my own eyes.
"Alright, alright…just hurry up," Yuushi-sensei stated before quickly leaving the room. I could see her eyes were misting up before she had turned to leave. I turned back to look at Aoi and found him snickering hysterically.
"I can't wait to start up that drama club," he commented, his smile reminding me of some American movie I had seen as a child. What was that cat called?…oh, the Cheshire Cat, I remembered as I returned the smile. He looked just like the Cheshire Cat in Alice In Wonderland.
/A/N: end of flashback…
"Oi, Hinata-chan…there's the bastard's car!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the convertible pulling up to the curb. I smiled at him and his childish antics. If it hadn't been for Naruto, I would have never gotten to show Neji my feelings. I would have never joined the drama club. I wouldn't be pregnant. I wouldn't have the rest of my life all but destroyed.
And, because of that Cheshire Cat, I have no regrets.
Authoress: now, that is how you end a chapter!
Neji:..
Hinata:…I-I-I'm…pre-/Authoress covers her mouth/
Authoress: remember, Neji doesn't know…so, anyways…thank you all for reading this insanely long chapter and to Heosic-chanfor her wonderful job at beta-ing it (You did a wonderful job!)! Until then, sayonara!
