Thanks for choosing Symphony, I hope you like it. This is not your typical highschool AU, that you would see as the chapters progress. The ships in this book are canon.
This book would contain depictions of violence, self harm, hurt and comfort, and many other things that consists angst. Don't worry though, it's nothing graphic but I'd give a heads up at the start of each chapter in case.
Enjoy...
Woke up with yawning, it's dawning. I'm still alive. Turned on my radio to start up new day. As goddamned DJ chattered how to survive, amazing news got over on my airwaves ...
Music blasted through the blonde's headphones as he mounted his bike. The wheels made soft squeaks from old age and proper use as he pedalled down the street.
Tonight, love is rationed. Tonight, across the nation. Tonight, love reflects worldwide. Almost another day.
His golden tufts of hair played with the wind as his hood fell back to reveal his face. Tanned skin adorned with three whisker like birthmarks across each cheeks made up his handsome face and embodied the bluest of eyes one could ever see. His eyes rivalled the ocean on a clear sumer day but those eyes held no mirth despite the nature of the song he was listening to.
He turned off the music which was performed by Beat Crusaders and kept his iPod in his worn out orange backpack. Inhaling and exhaling enthusiastically, he pushed the glass doors of his destination open. The bells above the door tattled on his arrival. He was not even allowed a breathing space before he was hounded by the owner of the shop.
"You are late, Naruto!"
No he wasn't.
"Come on get your body moving! You should be thankful that I even employed you to work here so move it!" The snarky woman yelled. The teen, Naruto, resisted retorting and decided to begin work instead. Her words had some truth to it for she was the only one to take pity on his sorry self and employ him. She wasn't faithful in his paycheck payment though, he received his wages as when she felt up to it.
After a day of hard labour despite working in a coffee shop, Naruto finally trudged home with his bike dragging along beside him. "Tadaima." The blonde called out to the emptiness of his house. The place was a small rooftop apartment, nothing to be proud of, but it was the only place he could afford.
He washed his hands and boiled water for instant ramen. After the excruciating three minute wait, he was set to eat. After his meal, he went to the small TV he owned and inserted a tape into the DVD outlet. He skipped the tape to the part he loved best and stood up. Michael Jackson played from the speakers as a man danced to the rhythm. He was graceful, boneless and spineless. His legs glided across the platform like it was made just for him.
Along with each step he made, Naruto danced along. His heart poured out into his movements and he became one with the dancer. The song ended and both men were panting slightly. The man's blond hair glimmered under the spotlight and his blue eyes shone. He looked just like Naruto save for the whisker marks. Naruto collapsed to the floor and hugged his knees as he skipped the tape again.
"The artiste of the year, Fire Awards goes to..."
There was a drumroll as the camera showed all the nominees for the famous awards.
"Namikaze Minato!"
The camera zeroed in on Minato's reaction. The man grinned widely and cheered as he climbed up the stage to receive his award which was one amongst four other ones. He was given the chance for a speech which he did with a smile.
"...and most of all I appreciate my girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina, for always being with me. You are the best girlfriend a man could dream of, I love you."
Echoes of 'awws' and applauses filled the place as a red haired woman arose from the crowd and made her way to the front. She held a bouquet of flowers but didn't give them to him, instead she wrapped her slender arms around his neck and gave him a loving kiss.
The two parted and smiled brightly to the crowd as they cheered for them. Naruto inserted another disc of the blond man dancing and danced along with him. He watched as he won the artiste of the year consecutively for five years and paused the screen on a particular scene.
The man and his now wife smiling brightly to the screen.
Pale pink lips quirked up in an attempt to imitate the big smiles on their lips. He was successful but he could not mimic the glint in their eyes. Their eyes showed love, joy and happiness but his own eyes were hollow. Sighing, he switched off the TV and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He passed by some newspaper article cut outs and some dismissed papers and stopped to look at them.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: UZUMAKI KUSHINA GIVES BIRTH TO A BABY BOY.
NEWS FLASH: TEENAGE BOY STABS PARENTS TO DEATH!
JUST IN: NAMIKAZE MINATO AND UZUMAKI KUSHINA MURDERED. SUSPECTED MURDERER IS THEIR TEENAGE SON!
BREAKING NEWS: NAMIKAZE NARUTO TO ATTEND COURT TRIALS FOR THE ALLEGED MURDER OF FAMOUS COUPLE!
Naruto growled and kicked the papers away before going into the bathroom. After a shower, he changed and lied down on his futon. For some minutes, he stared up at the ceiling which had brown rings from roof leaks and simply counted them. Tomorrow would be better than today. He told himself and with that shimmer of hope, he allowed himself a dreamless sleep.
-
Today would be a shitty day.
Naruto sighed as he mounted his bike. First, he had little to no sleep last night. Second, he woke up late, irritable and annoyed. Third, his bicycle's wheel decided to take a vacation so he spent time fixing it. All these coincidences made the blond teen decide that today would not be good.
It didn't surprise him much when he found another person doing his job in the coffee shop but it still hurt. He was about to ask what was going on when the shop owner called him separately into her office.
"Naruto, can I see you for a moment?" The blond followed her into her office where he awaited the worst. "I am sorry but I can no longer keep you in this shop." The bombshell was dropped.
"W-what?! But I have been working here for almost a year now!" Naruto complained.
"Yes and my business has been putting up with you likewise. The shop hardly attracts customers just because it is you serving them. I only took pity on you and employed you but it is not doing good for me." The woman slid a paycheck down the table towards him. The tan young man took it and frowned at the digits there.
"This is not my full pay! You gave me a half salary last month and didn't pay at all the month before that." Naruto complained.
"Like I said, it is because of you the business is not running well. It can't be helped that I gave you half your wages. Now please leave, I have work to attend to." The woman stood to leave the office.
"It's unfair! I worked harder than everyone here, how could you do this?!" Naruto protested but it fell on deaf ears.
Upon getting to his rooftop apartment, he saw the landlord furiously knocking on the door and that was when he remembered that he had been given a quit notice the week before. He was to either pay on before today or move out. Neither options were good for he had no money or a place to move to if he moved out. The landlord, after his knocking barrage, noticed the teen coming and marched to meet him.
"You are owing in your rent! I am very sure that you were given a quit notice, Naruto!" The man bellowed.
"I am so sorry, can I pay half of it?" The blond teen bargained.
"Absolutely not! You have been owing me for three months now. Either pay in full or leave this place now!" Landlord raged. Sighing, Naruto packed the little he had and surrendered the key to the landlord.
Stares were cast his way as he trudged down the street with his bag. His bike made squeaking sounds as he pulled it along with him. He could hear the whispers but paid them no attention for he was used to all of the hate directed towards him. Naruto allowed his legs to take him wherever they willed as he mindlessly wandered around the streets of Konoha.
By the time he came to, he found himself in front of a local dance studio. It wasn't anything fancy, just a small building with graffiied walls where hipsters liked to hangout but it was Naruto's second favorite place in Konoha, the first being Ichiraku Ramen shop.
I can sleep here tonight, I guess.
And with that thought, he pulled his bike over next to the building and went inside the open doors of the place. It closed at five everyday so Naruto made a plan to hide during the closing hours. That way, he would be locked in and would have a place to rest.
A blond brow raised when he heard the soft thumps of a dancer's feet against the floor. He thought the place was empty. His feet drew him towards the sound to an open door where he saw the most beautiful sight ever. A girl dancing. Her black shiny hair which seemed navy blue under the light bounced off her body as she danced to music playing on her purple headphones.
Naruto found himself entranced by her beautiful moves. He noticed that she used her toes to dance sometimes and it was graceful like a swan. The girl suddenly noticed his presence behind her through the mirrored walls (Naruto had no idea when he walked inside the room) and spun around.
Unique pupil-less lavender eyes met with ocean blue eyes and both froze for a moment. She's beautiful! Naruto was starstruck. What ever moment they had was broken when the girl's ivory face bloomed red and she ran away, shoulders brushing against Naruto's in the process.
The latter sighed at the reaction. He was unsurprised that she ran after realizing out who he was. Putting the thoughts behind him, he decided to hide in the changing room.
Xxx symphony xxX
"Ladies, stand straight." A woman instructed. Two girls, one with black hair that shone navy blue under the light tied into a bun and pearly lavender eyes, and a younger one with brown chocolate hair tied likewise and the same pearly lavender eyes, obeyed their instructor. "First position," They both moved their legs. "Second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and rest."
After a few more stretches and positions, they started their dance practice. Both were dancing the part of Clara in the Nutcracker. A good ways into the dance while the elder one was doing a spin, she missed her footing and fell. The instructor sighed, this was not the first or second time it happened.
"Lady Hinata! I see you have not been practicing your twirls." The woman reprimanded.
"I am sorry, I'll get it next time." The older girl, Hinata, apologized albeit halfheartedly. You see, she didn't like ballet but her father disapproved of what she really liked to do.
"If you keep on like this, you would never become the prima ballerina of Konoha School of Arts."
Hinata sighed. The school she attended was a prestigious art school which produced world class celebrities and figure artists. The ravenette liked that she was in an art school but she was not free to do what she really liked for fear of her father getting angry at her.
After the ballet practice was over Hinata ran to her room (more like she speed walked to her room) and quickly changed into some casual wear. A light blue jacket on a white and purple shirt and dark jeans with purple sneakers to match. She wore her purple WiFi headphones and connected it to her iPhone and took her orange fox themed wallet. She was ready.
As she was about to jump down her window and sneak outside the huge mansion, a knock interrupted her along with a deep rich voice. "Don't even think about it, young lady. Now open the door." Hinata groaned and marched to the door, swinging the wooden door open to reveal a handsome guy standing there with his arms crossed.
He had dark brown and almost black long hair which flowed down in straight chocolaty glaciers down his back. On his forehead was a blue tattoo shaped like an X with two hooks on either side of it (~ x ~) which was a result of teenage hormones and rebellion. Hinata remembered the day he was caught (he had been using a tacky leather head gear to cover it up), her father kept hounding him for weeks.
"Neji-niisan!" Hinata exclaimed sheepishly.
His unique lavender eyes gazed sternly at her. "Where are you going this time?" Her older cousin, Neji, stepped into her room and closed the door behind him. The two of them along with their younger sibling were so close, one would think that they were real siblings. Neji's parents died when he was four and Hinata was three, so he was adopted into the family by Hinata's father and his uncle.
Hinata flopped unto her bed and groaned. "Niisan..." She whined, pulling on her best puppy eyes and a cute pout. Neji only frowned harder. "Gah, it never works on you!" The girl exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Of course, I am immune to the little sister cuteness virus." The older chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Going to Shippuden street again?" He asked.
"Yes. I promised Kiba and Shino that I'll be there, I don't wanna disappoint them. Also..." An elegant brow raised at his baby cousin's reaction at the last mumbled word. Her cheeks flushed and she played with her fingers. She was nervous.
"Also?" He pressed.
"Uh?! Nothing!" Hinata nervously yelled and frantically flailed her hands.
"Hmm, I trust Shino but Kiba...if he tries to hit on you again, I promise him a slow death." Neji threatened.
"So...you're allowing me to go?" Big lavender eyes looked up hopefully. Neji sighed.
"I'll cover up for you, just make sure to be back before five thirty." Neji admonished.
"Hai!" Hinata pressed a kiss to his cheek and in a blink, she was out the window.
"Goodness gracious, who would believe that shy Hinata is that active underneath?" A new voice asked from the doorway. It was Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister by three years and four years for Neji. Said guy turned around to face his littlest sister-cousin who was leaning on the door with her arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "I tell you she has a crush she's going to see at Shippuden street."
"I really hope it's not Kiba."
"Nah." Hanabi waved a dismissive hand. "They're platonic. I think this guy is a stranger. I wanna know how he looks like!" The brunette pouted.
"Should we follow her?" Neji suggested.
"We should mind our business." Hanabi reprimanded but deep down she wanted to do exactly what he said.
"But she's our sister." Neji tempted. "We're only looking out for her, riiight?"
"Riiight." Hanabi succumbed but then Neji flicked her forehead with a finger.
"Who would cover us up if we did? Come on, let's do something together." Neji said with a smile.
"Okay! Let's make plush toys!" Hanabi exclaimed excitedly and led Neji by hand through the big mansion.
"Oh, she's here already! Hinata!" A brunette called out to her waving his hands in the air. He had red upsidedown triangles on both of his cheeks (a family trait) and unique slit onyx eyes (also a family trait) along with sharp canines poking out from his lips which gave some kids the impression that he was a blood sucker (also, also a family trait).
He was wearing a red jacket on a white shirt with tan jeans and white Nike shoes to match. Next to him was a boy his age with dark shaggy hair and sunglasses. Most of his facial features were covered by the army green hooded jacket and matching scarf that he wore.
His hands were buried deep inside the pocket of his jacket, silently observing everything that was going on. He did that so often that his friends even forget about his presence sometimes. No hard feelings there.
Hinata ran towards them. "Kiba-kun, Shino-kun!" She greeted them respectively and knelt to give the big white dog beside them a hug. "Hello Akamaru." Akamaru barked in response and licked her face in greeting. The dog was Kiba's exceed and service dog. Just three years ago, he was the most adorable pup ever seen. Oh well.
"You brought your Bluetooth speaker, yeah?" Kiba asked Shino who nodded and held up a black and green water bottle shaped speaker. "Cool! Come on before those pesky kids hijack our room!" And with that, they all ran to the local dance studio in Shippuden street.
Hinata met Shino in school during her freshman year in middle school. She was an awkward and extremely shy girl with no friends until Shino talked to her. He was awkward and most of the time silent but they both loved dancing.
The duo met Kiba later in the dance studio. Due to Hinata's father and his social standards, the teen had to dance pop secretly and that was how they found Shippuden street and where they met their third member.
Kiba was from an average family and could not afford to enrol in Konoha School of Arts (KSA) so they could only meet during weekends or holidays. However, the new principal of KSA, Senju Tsunade, gave a chance to those with talent to enroll into the school based on skills. There would be a talent audition and the selected would be enrolled into KSA.
They got to the place luckily before younger teens started coming and chose the biggest dance room in the place. Akamaru was allowed in because he was a service dog. Hinata's eyes searched the people there but couldn't find what, more like who, she was looking for. She pouted in disappointment and followed the boys into their chosen room. Orange range's Asterisk blasted on the speakers as the trio danced to their hearts contents.
After hours of dancing, Kiba remembered that he had studying to do which he hated but had to do because of his enrollment into KSA whereas Shino needed to be home early. "I'll stay here for a bit. Bye guys." Hinata waved as they left.
"See ya! Let's go Akamaru!" The dog in question barked and followed his master while Shino waved and silently walked out. One would think the guy is mute with how silent he was.
Once they were gone, Hinata connected her headphone to her phone and continued dancing to Tatiana Manoas' You mean to tell me. The song was a little fantasy of hers but... The guy she liked didn't even know her. Heck, she barely knew him! It was more of a crush at first sight thingny than anything but damn did she like him.
Hinata stopped. She noticed somebody staring and spun around to face whosoever it was only to be knocked off her feet by the sight of the vulpine boy she so admired. His golden blond hair scattered in wild directions as usual and his tan skin glowed under the light. He wore an orange hoodie as usual which made the girl like the colour and his adorable fox whiskers...he was a Greek god!
His big blue eyes met her doe lavender ones and slowly, Hinata was turning red because Omgmycrushlookedmeintheeyes! The moment they had was broken because her phone secretary reminded her to be at home before five thirty and the time was five o'clock. With that, she took off like a gazelle when it spots a hunter and in her clumsiness bumped shoulders with him.
This would be an interesting year.
Thank you for reading!
Song used in the chapter
Tonight tonight tonight - Beat Crusaders.
See you in the next chapter.