Tsunade's lips twitched.
Before her stood her best elite, flawless uniform, immaculate white shirt, missing tie (as usual), yet his visage was not so flawless.
A small snort escaped her lips.
The more she tried, the harder it was to contain it, for the longer she gazed upon the reddening handprint left on his cheek, she simply could not help herself.
She burst into laughter.
"I must say, Uchiha, you've had better days!"
After all, it wasn't every day that the notorious prodigy was met with rejection, and even then, it was never accompanied by a physically reprimanding memento. And Tsunade had a very good idea of who the lovely female responsible for such a feat was. She had to give it to Hinata, this was handy work…in more ways than one.
Thus, the president remained silent. Why dignify with an answer something that left him, as well, unpleasantly bewildered? If he were to be honest, he was still somewhat vexed, and possibly a little indecisive on how to proceed. There were ways, of course, but which one was best –or better yet, which one he would enjoy most- he had yet to determine. Also, he refused to be maimed by his principal's mocking.
"I'm done," he announced.
Tsunade ceased her amused snickering, pinning her student with a most serious look. He was not joking. This was not right, Sasuke was not one to give up so easily. Quite the contrary, she knew he positively despised forfeit. So why now, of all times, did he decide to withdraw? Moreover, did he honestly believe he had a say in the matter? His participation was crucial, and, like it or not, he would not be allowed to decline. She knew all too well that when it came to this stage of the conversation, it was too late to reason with the Uchiha genius. No, the young president matched her stubbornness. It was time for some threats and blackmail.
"Your job is not done."
"800 girls have increased their scores under my tutelage, out of which 150 of them have participated in national competitions and won suitable prizes. Moreover, Hyuuga Hinata is already an acceptable student. As far as I'm concerned, this competition is over."
Yes, it was true, Hinata's grades were good. Not brilliant, but good. However, that was not the point, Tsunade knew.
"In case you've forgotten, Uchiha, the deal was to make your target elite. That was our main agreement."
He stared at her indifferently. He hadn't forgotten this aspect of their bargain, of course. But what the principal did not know was that his withdrawal from this unchallenging game did not coincide with diminishing his interaction with the Hyuuga girl. Quite the contrary.
This morning's incident was not something he had expected to happen, but he had every intention of acting accordingly and getting back at the unsuspecting girl. Despite the circumstances, a bystander could conclude but one thing: he had been struck by a girl, and with a great crowd to witness the deed. That wasn't something he could easily dismiss. He had every intention of relishing in the panic that would cross her face. It would be in her benefit if he were out of the game. Then he would exact retribution at his own pace. Painfully slow, but delightfully enjoyable. However, were he to remain a participant in the principal's game, he would be bound by said game's rules. Yes, he could make them work to his advantage, but then he would be compelled to act swiftly so that he may obtain favorable results in record time. And the rush, the pressure would make him even more competitive, would provoke him into being far more aggressive. However, game or no game, he had every intention to exact some form of satisfactory retribution.
"Your sole accomplishment is improving the grades of several girls," Tsunade put it bluntly, despite the great amount of girls he had helped, "yet you are behind everyone else in terms of interacting with your target. As far as I am concerned, so far you are the loser of this game."
Oh, she had struck a very sensitive nerve, and they both knew it. His well defined lips pressed into a thin line, a sole indication of his displeasure, for his features remained schooled into a mask of his ever unbreakable nonchalance. The more he silently debated with himself on how to proceed with the perplexing girl that was his target, the more the principal mistook his unrelenting silence for frustration.
And yet, how accurate the principal's interpretation was could not have bothered him less. Truth be told, this was turning out exactly as he had wanted. It was not by chance that Sasuke reported to the principal's office only several minutes after the forsaken incident. He also had no doubt that deep down, the principal too was wondering just why he had chosen to come see her when the evidence of his humiliation was still so visible. However, Sasuke knew Tsunade Senju was not one to doddle on other people's motives, unless truly important. He knew she wouldn't give much thought to his ulterior motives. And yet, they were real. Very real, and quite indecent. He was well acquainted with how quickly his principal would react should he mention a possible withdrawal from the competition, and he also knew that now was the time for him to make several demands. Tsunade would relent, as long as it insured his continued cooperation. And that was exactly what he'd been aiming for all along.
"No more boundaries."
A blonde, perfectly shaped eyebrow rose at his sudden demand. Tsunade was intrigued.
"Excuse me?"
"Full access and unlimited time inside the new buildings. Free access to the secretarial office's database. No questioning the places I go, the people I see."
So, he desired complete independence in this game, did he? To say that this was interesting was an understatement, Tsunade decided. Her top elite proved overly determined and definitely not in the mood to be deterred. His requirements were most curious, and yet, no matter how she looked at it, she had no plausible reason to deny him. Most people would protest her logic, seeing as the aloof prodigy had a most rebellious nature. Ironically, despite his president status –a position meant to ensure school laws were being followed- Sasuke was not one to abide by the rules, even going as far as gaining the reputation of one who broke rules without giving much consideration to the possible consequences. Still, no one could deny that when the situation truly called for it, the president proved most efficient and responsible.
She closed her tired eyes, releasing a sigh of defeat. She would relent this time.
"Done."
He smirked then. He had succeeded, and now, he could move on to more enjoyable matters.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Konan?"
The blue-haired librarian adjusted her glasses, briefly glancing over the monitor of her computer to stare in wonder at her shy assistant who patiently awaited her response. Smart, quiet, collected, polite, and innocently introverted, the young Hyuuga was quite possibly the most suitable person for the position that she currently occupied. Such an inspired decision it had been to allow the soft-spoken Hinata to join the library staff even within her first year of high school, and Konan had never once regretted her decision.
Truthfully, the head librarian of the country's most resourceful library was a woman of few words and did not particularly like surrounding herself with new faces. Fortunately for her, yet quite tragic for the young generation, few students chose to spend time in the company of good books. Hinata, however, was an exception among exceptions. Konan had seen them all, all the types of students that frequently occupied a chair or two inside the library: either mediocre nerds who sought to robotically memorize new formulas, heart-broken girls –in rare cases, some boys too- who wanted to quench their sorrow in novels, the top 4 elites who hungered for knowledge, yet never truly tasted the personality of the book they were perusing. None of them would taste the unknown and unexplored universe of a book like the timid girl in front of her did. There was hidden potential within her, Konan could see, but she had yet to see the delicate girl tap into it.
Konan had expected Hinata not to return today, seeing as she had finished her tasks early in the morning. In fact, if she recalled correctly, the last thing she had asked her to do was deliver a book to one of the elites. Why she was back was anyone's guess, and Konan was not one to pry, but one thing was certain: Hinata looked more flustered than usual.
"No, thank you, Hinata. You can go to class early if you want."
With a demure shake of her head, Hinata grabbed another pile of books which needed to be placed in the proper order on their respective shelves. No, she had no desire to go to class early. In truth she had gotten very used to her independent studies. Many were the reasons to justify her solitary life, yet today, her reasons for not returning to class were entirely different.
Once out of the librarian's sight, her rapid pace gradually decreased and with a quick side-step to hide behind a large mahogany bookcase, she finally heaved a deep sigh. She needed time alone, time to think and put her thoughts in order. What better place to do so than the silent and vacant labyrinth of their beautiful bibliotheca? And so she gave in to her inner turmoil, letting her slender body rest against the bookcase and slide down until she could finally feel the immaculately polished floor beneath her. The book she had brought with her soon became forgotten, and with a light thud, it slipped from her hand and landed beside her, awakening a thin layer of dust to dance sporadically in the rays of light that filtered through the bookshelves.
Slightly trembling fingers rose to her coral lips, reliving as if in slow motion the events that occurred but merely 2 hours ago. She shouldn't have done that. She truly shouldn't have. Never mind that the president had acted without her consent, she had behaved so rashly. She should've found a better way to deal with the situation, but she had downright provoked the school's most prideful and influential elite. Her ivory cheeks were gradually gaining a most befitting shade of fuchsia the more she remembered her meeting with the Student Body President.
Such a mixture of emotions she was feeling; bewilderment of what had transpired between her and the aristocratic Uchiha, captivation, she scandalously admitted, towards his ever so elegant allure, shame due to him stealing something she had desired to receive from someone else, disorientation for she did not know how to proceed. Because of her actions, she knew things were going to take a turn for the worst.
And now, what was she supposed to do? Should she…continue on with her plans for the day? Would she meet him again if she did? She hoped not, yet she also knew that the chances of it happening were very high now, especially due to her being so involved with club activities.
Within their esteemed school existed many clubs; some were completely dedicated to extracurricular activities, such as cooking, foreign languages, swimming, martial arts, the list went on and on, and some clubs were dedicated to completely supporting their top four elites. School policy claimed that a student wasn't allowed to join more than three clubs. Because of that, Hinata had decided to be a part-time staff member. Since it was not an official full time membership, she was mentioned in no register and other members paid no mind to her. This arrangement was most suitable for Hinata. Yes, she was quite introverted, but her passions were many and the "part-time membership" arrangement allowed her to participate in more than three clubs. And the truth was she was very pleased with everything she had learned so far from all the clubs she was involved in: she was a part-time lab assistant directly responsible for microscope samples at Nara Shikamaru's Science Research Club; for the Martial Arts Club….well, she was a Hyuuga, martial arts had been taught to her before she could walk; she helped the cooking club; she was involved with the Ikebana club; she was also…part of the cheerleading team…in a way.
And although one particular elite had managed to slip through her defenses and win her own innocent affection, Hinata had avoided joining the fan club dedicated solely to him. A small, genuine smile of appreciation formed on her lips as she recalled the beautiful face of their Football Team Captain. Naruto Uzumaki was someone she truly looked up to, someone who deserved so much more than what was being given to him. One thoughtful encouragement from him, one selfless act of him standing up for her within their first year of high school, and the sports genius had made Hinata see him in a completely different light. Behind his bright smile, she saw compassion. Behind his cheerful nature, she saw determination. Behind all the hardships he had endured to get where he was, he seemed to hold no resentment towards anyone. Behind everything, she saw how much he had to offer, and how little he asked in return. How could she not be enamored with someone like him?
However, the more she watched him, the more she noticed how little the fan girls would get through to him, how little attention he paid them. Of course, that also had something to do with his strong affection for his childhood crush, their charming head cheerleader. But Hinata had decided that regardless of that, she too would try to support him and be of as much help as she could. And she had indeed found a way to approach him. An unorthodox one, true, but she hoped that with time, she too would somehow, at some point, be able to instigate a way for him to notice her and not be reluctant to entertain thoughts of her as a potential love interest.
She will not let today's incident interfere with the things she desired to achieve, she decided. It was not fair. And perhaps her apprehensive mind was blowing things out of proportion; she did have a habit of doing that.
And just like that, her eyes burst open, having not even noticed that she had closed them in fearful contemplation. She had just remembered: she was late for practice!
"So…you're basically saying you're interested in me?"
Neji suppressed a frustrated groan. It was getting rather difficult to entertain a decent conversation with the infuriating woman that was his target since she had the ridiculous habit of simplifying his words and turning them into something they were not.
"I asked if you had free time. I was hoping for a yes or no."
"I specifically recall you asking about my relationship status too."
"I was being considerate."
And just like that, she turned around and immediately answered her ringing phone. No "Please excuse me for a moment" or maybe even a casual "Hold on, please". No, it's what she did best: dismissing her interlocutor as if she had been alone all along. He failed to see how people imagined him presumptuous when in front of him stood the epitome of this concept. Really, he had a hard time understanding just where her confidence came from, or what gave her confidence in the first place. Physically speaking, she was…plain, to crudely put it. Plain. All there was to her was round chocolate eyes, skin of a pleasing light olive-like tone, and a pair of well defined, long legs that- …Very well, so he did not find her completely displeasing to the eye. But in light of current events, her attitude was still irking him to no end. He had half a mind to just reach out and close her godforsaken phone himself, and at least finish what he had come to tell her. But praised be the heavens, she had closed it on her own before he could risk throwing it outside the window and into the koi pond their school was so fond of.
"In case you do have free time," Neji began in a deceitfully calm demeanor, "I wanted to-"
"Hyuuga," another voice interrupted him.
Today just wasn't his day. And with a markedly displeased click of his tongue, the Hyuuga genius turned to face the notably dissatisfied Student Body President. Truth be told, Neji was vexed to see that Sasuke had chosen to interrupt him at this very moment. It's not what they agreed on, after all. Right at the beginning of the "principal's game", as they called it, all elites had made a solemn promise which as time went by became an unwritten rule, so to say: no interrupting when the "game-players" spend time with their targets. That kind of time was limited, after all. But here stood the aloof Uchiha, ruining an already difficult conversation with the Higurashi girl.
"I have to get going," Tenten announced with a wave of her hand. "See ya."
And just like that, the two elites were left alone to deal with their mutual displeasure, not one of them bothering to respond to the girl's casual goodbye. As her light footsteps disappeared around the corner of the school's corridor, the talented Hyuuga successor finally voiced his indignation.
"What do you want, Sasuke?"
A moment of silence followed. What it was for was anybody's guess, really, and Neji didn't have the time to doddle on what could possibly deter his usually sharp-tongued friend.
"Tell me where your cousin is," Sasuke finally demanded.
Ah, he should've known. And judging by the light, yet still visible reddening of the pale Uchiha's cheek, he had quite a good understanding of why his tone sounded determined, undermined with urgency and the ever present impatience. Neji smirked. His cousin had undoubtedly proved to the notorious Uchiha that she did have Hyuuga strength in her strike.
But Sasuke would not let the martial arts captain consider his response much longer.
"Don't try to use the 'distant cousins' card. It's clear how much you look after her."
True, Sasuke had not been aware of how close Neji truly was to his petite younger cousin, but his sources were vast and efficient. It did not take them long to inform him of the time the two cousins spent together, and of the close friendship they had.
"What's in it for me?" Why beat around the bush? Neji thought. There was no point in denying something that was true and something he most certainly wasn't ashamed of. Circumstances considered, there was room for bargaining.
"You've been trying to get a position at the hospital Higurashi works part-time at, but with no results. That can be changed."
That was undoubtedly true. Yes, the Hyuuga's were influential, but the Uchiha's were even more so.
"Very well," the pale-eyed genius consented.
"Alright, ladies, let's call it a day!"
High-spirited and vivacious, the head cheerleader proudly made her announcement, truly satisfied to see how her charmingly spoken words brought relieved smiles upon the faces of every other girl present on the field of their school's sports arena. It had been a long practice, hard and quick-stepped. But every effort had been worth the while, for even Sakura had to admit that the dance they had put together was by far the most outstanding one they had ever done. She sincerely could not wait for the football competition. As far as cheerleading performance went, their adversary high school, Suna, was beneath impressive. At least in her opinion. Sure, it was notable that the Suna girls were just as hard-working, but choreography-wise, Sakura's team excelled and she had every intention to always put on a better performance than the one she had previously done.
"In order to celebrate our complete rehearsal, I've asked the cooking club to make us something special. Please enjoy," and with those words, Sakura motioned behind her, where a few members of the cooking club had arranged a large table filled with freshly made peach buns. It was a simple and sweet snack, but it was fairly tasty and well-liked by the majority of the students, and the cheerleading team was no exception.
One could say it was comical to see how every girl, tall or small, energetic or exhausted, all rushed in a rush of legs, dust and hair to reach the table and finally reward themselves with the appetizing pastry.
"Hey, where's our mascot?" asked one of the girls, fighting off the crumbs her unlady-like manner of eating smeared across her lips and cheeks.
"Leave her. It's not our business if she wanted to leave early."
It didn't go unnoticed to anyone that Sakura Haruno was not very fond of the poor girl inside the mascot suit. But none of them bothered to comment on it. The truth was they were simply glad that someone had taken the position, seeing as during auditions, their team captain had made quite a few girls burst into tears due to her acidic, criticizing words. So it was only normal that when one day another girl dressed in the mascot suit appeared and was finally accepted by the team captain, they asked no questions and were simply satisfied to see a mascot practicing along with them.
Cute fluffy ears. She loved them. She really, really did.
Every time she took off the mascot head, she would take the time to run her fingers across the furry fabric and caress the pretty fox ears, for that was what the mascot costume represented: a beautiful, red furred fox with nine-tails, in honor of their football team conveniently named Kyuubi.
At first, Hinata had not expected to become so attached to the duties of a mascot, seeing as she too had once dreamed of being a cheerleader. Let's be fair, an athletic, sports loving girl like herself, who also happened to be enamored with the kindhearted and sympathetic Football Captain, of course she would be interested in being a cheerleader. It was the obvious choice. But her reconsidering of that decision had little to do with Sakura's caustic personality, and more to do with the fact that… she had never seen Naruto give at least one girl a second glance, save for Sakura, whom it was clear he adored with all his being. It was a wonder she did not return his feelings and instead chose to give her undivided attention to the Student Body President.
That being said, she had chosen to become the mascot. She knew the team needed one and she knew how disappointed Naruto was that for a very long time the spot remained vacant. And so, she decided she would wear the costume and do her best. It oddly enough became a beautiful experience. It was ideal for an introvert like herself, and it allowed her to support the sports genius, albeit discreetly.
She did not know if he would ever come to return her feelings, but being there, on the field, watching him score victories and be as happy as he'd ever be, it truly seemed the most satisfying thing for her. It's not that Hinata was a coward. No. It's true that she was timid, and she sometimes took longer to choose the right words to voice her thoughts -especially when under pressure- but she did try to tell Naruto of her feelings at one point. Of course, it didn't exactly go as planned, seeing as seconds later from her confession, it was announced over the school speakers that it was April Fools ' Day. Okay, she should've checked the date before confessing. Of course, the outcome was inevitable. The Uzumaki sports genius laughed and patted her shoulder tenderly, telling her "good one". After that, she avoided him, the experience making her uneasy. She truly didn't want him to think that her confession was merely a prank. But Naruto being the sweet and goofy Naruto, every time he'd see her on the corridors, he'd just laugh sympathetically again and remember about the "cute prank" she pulled on April Fools'.
Back then, her hair was short, and she was very small and thin. As the years passed, her figure had changed, her hair growing longer, its violet shade darkening; her height increased, allowing her to look slim and well proportioned; her body matured, and gained a much more feminine shape. And due to their classes together lessening, and their meetings gradually decreasing, the Uzumaki captain had all but forgotten about her. Or he just simply did not recognize the "April Fools' Day" girl anymore.
But Hinata saw in this a new opportunity. And as she gazed upon the Kyuubi costume head between her small hands, she could not help but smile. She was glad that she could cheer Naruto on, even anonymously.
But she digressed. The truth is she had a very good reason for leaving the practice as soon as it ended, careful to sneak away unnoticed. And she needed to hurry changing out of the costume before the other girls walked inside the locker room.
A few months ago, she made a sort of deal with Sakura Haruno. She basically asked –or, better yet, insisted- that Sakura accepted her on the team. The harsh words that were spoken in response to that request meant far too little to Hinata, and she was more than glad to be able to explain to the pretentious cheerleading captain that she had no desire to be an official cheerleader. Just a mascot. And so, Hinata promised that she would not interfere with their rehearsals and that she would be glad to undertake the duties of a mascot. Her one and only requirement was that Sakura allowed her to keep her identity a secret. It's not that she was ashamed of her mascot role, but she simply didn't want the principal and other students questioning how many club activities she participated in. You never knew when one or two were found out. Best try to be prudent. Needless to say, Sakura agreed to her terms.
And so, here she was, in the far corner of the locker room, where the light was dim and she was somewhat shielded by anyone who walked in due to other lockers placed in front of her small bench.
The rest of the mascot costume was soon discarded, and she was left in a mesh top that she usually wore underneath the costume, and a pair of black shorts. It was getting dark, the light inside the room dimming by the minute, threatening to soon leave her veiled in darkness. It was just her luck that the light bulb in that part of the locker room decided to burn out.
With precise movements, she neatly folded the costume and placed it inside her small white locker. It was time for her to leave.
"The school mascot. I never would've guessed."
Her heart stopped. This was not happening. Why was he here?
"Turn around, Hyuuga. Showing me your back isn't going to make me go away."
Her movements were rigid, but she did do as he so authoritatively commanded.
"I'm so sorry," she immediately blurted. It was as if her mind reacted on instinct to hearing his displeased tone and immediately tried to fix what she undoubtedly thought the problem was…and the reason for his unwanted visit.
Sasuke regarded her wordlessly, calmly. His sharply alert eyes quickly observed her appearance, everything from her attire -notably less loose than her usual one- to the length of her hair, to her height (distinctly smaller than his own), to her overall appearance. In doing so, he dismissed her quick apology without a second thought. Of course he was aware that by now she would feel differently about the little incident involving the two of them, but her three stuttered words of regret would most certainly not suffice. He had other things planned.
However, he had to give it to her: choosing to be a mascot in order to be close to her crush? It was quite ingenious. Not too close to Naruto to suffocate him with attention as so many other girls did, but not too distant either. Ingenious. But far too subtle for someone as simple-minded and dense regarding all love-triggered actions as Naruto. Still, it was something completely new…and unique. He could appreciate the innovation of her plan.
"Is there…something you want?" Hinata asked, albeit regretting that she used that precise choice of words.
The president merely inclined his head to the side. A poor choice of words indeed. But she was very much spot on.
And the more she looked him in the eye, Hinata felt heat rising to her cheeks. She was not used to being…inspected so closely. It was hard to explain because he didn't do anything in particular to heighten her unease, but he was intimidating. Ironically though, hard as she tried to avoid meeting his scrutinizing gaze, her eyes still lifted and tried to photographically memorize his elegant visage. It was a different kind of beauty. Not boyish like Naruto's, nor mature like Neji's, nor like Shikamaru's. His was… aristocratic, graceful…polished with ivory skin, and completed with an underline of bad boy air given by his clothing and his rebellious hairstyle. She tried not to scoff. Bad boys were the opposite of the type she was attracted to. Most definitely.
For a moment she thought he would speak again, but then his eyes lowered from her own, fixing their sharp gaze unto her torso. It did not take a genius to figure out he was paying attention to her…different attire. But she refused to give him the chance to analyze her any more than necessary.
"I have to go-"
"I have something for you."
And there it was. He spoke again, and his attention was once again on her face.
But no more than a few seconds later did they hear laughter and chatter coming from down the hallway. It would seem the girls were returning to the locker room, and the noise of their approaching steps became louder much faster than usual. Why were they in a hurry today of all days? Not only was she risking being seen, but she was risking being seen with the Uchiha president of all people. This was not good. This was so not good.
Thankfully, the prodigious president was one to quickly react and without warning, he grabbed the indecisive girl, embracing her skillfully and silently with one arm around her shoulder and casually prompting her to fall in step with him and nonchalantly exit the locker room, making sure that the approaching team of girls would be able to see him, yet not be able to see who was beside him.
Needless to say, his sudden appearance in a place where male presence was forbidden came as a shock to the other unsuspecting cheerleaders. After all, who on earth could expect to one day come back from practice and see the illustrious dark-haired elite exiting the girls' locker room in the company of someone they couldn't pin point? Nevertheless, his presence had caused them all to stop talking and simply stare in utter bewilderment.
To Sasuke's eternal chagrin, their quiet shock quickly turned into a loud uproar. He was merely thankful for the master key –a beautifully designed white card with the red Konoha symbol- that one of the campus guards gave him (courtesy of Sasuke offering generous compensation); it was the one thing he relied on to escape the growing crowd that undoubtedly tried to follow him. But there were corridors restricted to students, doors only the master key could open, and he took advantage of exactly that. Turning an abrupt corner, and swiping the master key against the sensors, a door leading to a different part of the building opened, and as soon as he and the quiet girl beside him entered, it closed and kept anyone else on the other side of the door. For now, they could relax.
Not seeing the point in talking to the relieved girl in a dusty corridor, he simply continued to lead her outside, thankful for the fact that she did not sputter a thousand questions. A beautiful quality in a girl, he decided.
Once outside, Hinata finally removed his arm from around her with an urgency that astounded even her. She was very much appreciative of him helping her avoid a most unpleasant incident, but being alone with him hardly qualified as a situation she could relax in. It also didn't help that, while she dearly cherished the football captain, being in close proximity with the Uchiha elite was not something she was completely immune to. What girl could handle allowing a handsome –albeit arrogant, and deceivingly clever- but handsome man embracing her that closely and say they are completely unaffected by it? Maybe there were girls who could handle that, but Hinata suspected it was harder for her since she had kept her interaction with the opposite sex at a minimum. And the truth was, as brief as it was, she hated that he managed to capture her attention and wrap her in an unconscious timid sort of attraction. Brief, but it was still there. Her apprehensiveness grew the more she watched him, the more the silence stretched between them, and the more she recalled that…he had something for her. It made her feel uneasy. But first…
"Thank you."
Her words were soft, yet sincere. It was clear to him that she felt real gratitude from not having to deal with her teammates. And if truth be told, he could not blame her.
Instead of answering her sweet declaration, he decided to proceed with what he wanted to tell her.
"Here's your new dorm key."
What?!
No…that wasn't possible.
Even he could not have that much authority on their campus.
As If to prove her point, she hurriedly reached inside her pocked to grasp her real dorm key, a red card similar to the master one, yet thicker, with a red light that was usually turned off; it also had her name and room number engraved on it. The electronic key started to beep. And her face paled even more. It was not supposed to make that sound. The key was designed to recognize her fingerprints. The beeping noise meant that it didn't, that it had been deactivated.
"I've taken the liberty of changing your dorm room. Can you guess where your new one is, Hyuuga?"
…:::About this chapter:::…
Hello, sweet and patient readers! I know it has been a ridiculous long time, but I sincerely hope this second chapter was worth the wait. I want to apologize for making you wait this long, university life is so demanding and no matter how much the people around me tell me I have to "act like an adult", I can't give up on animes and fanfics. At least not for good. I still come back to them. Eventually.
!IMPORTANT!
Some of you have left reviews saying that this story seems familiar, as if you've read it before. That's because it's TRUE. I have published this story loooong ago on but have deleted it due to people republishing it. It doesn't matter if a story sounds good or silly or outrageous, the author does spend time writing it and trying to make it enjoyable for reading, so when someone else steals your work and claims it's their own? It stings. But I've decided to republish it AND modify it. It's going to be BETTER. Look forward to lots of comedy, lots of steamy scenes and a lot of character development since that is something that I truly appreciate in a story. The characters need to evolve and not remain as they were when the story began.
That being said, I am very happy to be back and hope I will not disappoint you. Feel free to give me suggestions, advice, anything you feel can improve this beautiful experience for all of us. I'm always receptive to constructive criticism and your opinions truly matter to me.
Thank you for the wonderful reviews, my passion for this story has been renewed by reading them. You are all amazing. Take care and see you next time!
