Chapter 4: 'limitless discoveries'
Everything was just perfect that morning. Dad volunteered to drop us off at school because he said the university where he teaches will have its annual program which will start around 8:00 am. And that gave him enough time to drive us to school.
My homework, which I miraculously did last night, was tucked safely inside my sling bag. Halleluiah!
Inside the car, the air was cool and the radio was humming the song 'With You' by Chris Brown.
And thank God, Dad was busy ogling at his latest volume of Icha-Icha Paradise. No nuisance, no bother, no nothing.
(Hagi: He was not driving.)
Ah.
I leaned back and closed my eyes.
Everything felt so perfect, when all of a sudden I was hit by a realization. We were already 20 minutes late for our first subject.
So much for Halleluiah.
Damn. There goes my hard work, my brain-bursting, my nose bleeding, my-my. . . my homework.
Sigh.
Whatever happened to 'the early bird catches the worm'?
As if they heard my desperate call, Sakura got in the car with Hinata trailing after her.
I didn.t looked at the two new arrivals and I said, "Next time please, just please; show even the slightest consideration here."
Toinks! My words had directly hit someone and that someone didn't fail to snap back, "As if you have one."
"Of course I have plenty of that. That's why I'm sitting here as early as 6:50, so that we will get to school on time." I answered back while peering over my shoulder slightly. "But thanks to you, we're already late."
Sakura intentionally gave out a loud scoff, emphasizing the insult she was about to say next, " Brat, you really amuse me in a thousand ways. When did you even learn the difference between 'on time' and 'late'? Just this minute perhaps."
My lips twitched with irritation. How dare she!? She's one the wrong here, and I'm right! Why wouldn't she just admit it!?
"Sakura-sissy--!"
Dad cleared his throat. His never-dying signal that his temper was very soon to reach its boiling point.
Now that I came to think about it, maybe it was from him I got the mannerism of clearing my throat whenever I demand of full attention.
"Uzumaki chatter boxes," Dad said while turning the stirring wheel to the left, "I would rather drive alone than have the two of you inside this car."
He gave quick glances to everyone.
I don't get Dad at times, really. And this minute belong to those 'times'. He could have at least pointed out the mistakes of Sakura-sissy, and told her how right I am flat to her face!
Face? Hmm. . .
I looked at the rear mirror and saw Sakura-sissy's face glowering with annoyance. Her lips pouting and eyes darted outside the window. Ha, serves you right, sissy.
And then someone caught my eyes.
(Hagi: who else could it be?)
Tentenenen!
It was Hinata. She was there sitting beside Sakura-sissy. Something was not right about her face.
Her hair was tied up into a bun, while some strands were hanging loose and framing her face.
And there was something odd in her eyes, too. Hinata's eye lashes were curled in an elegant way and were way much darker and looked a little bit of longer than yesterday.
Her eyes were cuter than yesterday. Is that even possible?
Do eyes get cuter over a period of time? I wonder.
She's blushing? No. I think not. Sakura-sissy might had put that-that-- how does she call it again?—on Hinata's cheeks.
Oh great, now Sakura-sissy will have her own minion to control, and how about me? Maybe I can ask Dad about that later.
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Though they arrived 23 minutes late for their first class, which was computer. . .
"As I was saying, kindly pass your assignments forward."
Naruto was able to pass his assignment.
Though they arrived 23 minutes late for their first class . . .
"Good Morning, Sasuke-kun." Their sensei said sarcastically, "Rough night, huh?"
They discovered somebody was very late other than them.
It was Sasuke.
(Hagi: Uh. . . sorry for butting in, but do I really need to say Sasuke's trait? I mean, everybody knows right? That when we say Sasuke, these words come trailing after: handsome, rich, popular, a real turn on, turns all girls head over feet, mysterious, sexy, and all those things that make a human being perfect, get it?)
"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto said while giving him his signature grin.
But the guy didn't bother to return the greeting. Instead, he kept on walking and eventually stopped beside Hinata's desk.
Everyone was looking now. The students who were sitting at the front had turned their heads almost 360 degrees to watch the whole scene. Even the stern-faced teacher was peering over the sight, curious of what about to happen next.
"Get off my seat." It was a demand, not a request.
Hinata's fingers began to fidget on her lap, her eyes were unsteady and as if searching for something imaginary.
"Uhm . . . Anou—I-I am--." Her voice was lost, maybe because of the humiliation or just because she sensed her words were useless over the dense voice of the guy standing next to her.
"Get.Off.My.Seat." Sasuke hissed once again.
"But . . . Yesterday—, "She tried to speak the words she typed mentally, but no hope, she couldn't do it. Her mouth was quivering way too much that she couldn't bring it to speak.
To her surprise, somebody nudged Sasuke and said, "Oi, Sasuke, why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The dark-haired boy threw Naruto a stern look, "This is none of your business, idiot."
"Just kidding!" Naruto said while scratching the back of his head. "But you might want to back away from her a bit."
"I don't care if you're kidding or not. Just get your face hell out of here together with this girl."
" Actually, I was half not. " Lowering his hand down and jamming it both to his pockets, he added, "She's my sister. And I think you're picking on the wrong person."
Everyone's breathe hitched the highest peak. No one dared to speak, or even move. Except for a group of girls who held their hands over their mouths, and their occasional gasps.
Sasuke's pair of eyes narrowed, "You're talking nonsense, Uzumaki."
Composing his self again, and regaining his control over himself, Naruto plastered a smile on his face, "No, really. She's my sister. Let me introduce you."
Naruto motioned next to Hinata and said, "Uh . . . Hinata, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Hinata, my sister. Hinata, please forgive Sasuke for harassing you a minut ago, that's just because he doesn't know you're my sister. But now that he does know, you're better than okay."
"What do you mean by that, idiot?" Sasuke said in his bored tone.
"Oh come on," Naruto patted Sasuke's back lightly, while the latter was trying to shove off the other boy's gesture. "We're friends, right? And Hinata is my sister, so you two can also be good friends! Got my logic?"
"Whatever." He was trying to shrug off Naruto's hand which was resting on his shoulder.
"Logic my friend, logic." Naruto said patting the irritated guy's arm again.
"Now, fellows, could you please go back to your seats?" Their teacher suddenly blurted out from nowhere. She was obviuosly unhappy with the ending.
But she got a better idea, "Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke was still standing beside Hinata. He grunted, and the teacher took it as a response.
"You haven't got a partner yet for our quarterly project, have you?" She grinned sadistically.
"So?"
"I've decided to pair you up with Hinata-chan, and," the grin turned to sadistic smirk, "If you resist, well what do you think you would get?"
A group of boys exclaimed their protest, whining that Hinata was 'too' angelic for Sasuke and they should be her partner instead.
While a certain girl, named Karin, inquired if she could trade his partner for Sasuke and then looked at the guy with lust. And she added, "I can be your lifetime partner, too."
This time, Naruto stood up and said, "It's not that I don't want what you just said sensei, but I think it would be better if I join their group. I assure you, it will be the biggest blast you'll ever see in computer history.The discoveries would be limitless! Now, sensei, I want you to imagine four years from now--."
"Shaddup!" Shikamaru bellowed from his seat. "I'm your partner and no discovery would ever change sensei's mind."
Laughter fillled the room.
Naruto glared at him and said, "That was a very big help. Thank you very much."
The teacher was smilling to herself, and as if heard nothing from the class that was bursting with ructions.
"Well, what do you think Sasuke-kun?" she purred insultingly.
Sasuke's jaws tightened, but didn't said a word.
"That settles it then," she said, straightening and reaching for the stack of papers on the teacher's table. She turned again to Sasuke, "And if you think otherwise, maybe ten days of detention, and a failing grade wouldn't hurt that much?"
"S-sensei . . . T-that's too much!" This time, the protest came from Hinata.
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---Dismissal Time
"Naruto!"
Wow. Suddenly my popularity increased by half.
"Is Hinata-chan with you?"
Obviously, she's not. She ran away with Sasuke-kun.
"WHAT!!?"
"Just joking. What I really meant was, Sasuke-kun kidnapped her.
"Yeah, right."
What do you want with her in the first place?
"I was just thinking if I could walk her home and give her several advices on how to preserve her youthful beauty."
Walk her home, huh? . . . DAMN! I nearly forgot! Fuzzy-brow, I got to go. No one knows what Ino-chan can do to me if I miss her for the second time this week.
"Wait, where's Hinata-chan?"
Gone to Sasuke's house. They have to beat their deadline for the quarterly project in computer.
"You mean, she went to his house?"
Uh. . . Yeah. That's just what I said. Stop following me!
"But what if that freak make my Hinata-chan drink something and—and--!"
Since when did she became your Hinata-chan?
"—And stain the purity of my Hinata-chan!?"
Well, I never thought of that. I'm pretty sure Sasuke-kun has total control over his raging hormones.
"But somebody told me that the more you hold inside your sexual desires, the more aggressive a per--."
That treacherous freak! This is one of his evil schemes! He asked sensei to pair him up with Hinata and that gave him an oppurtunity t-to release his exual desires! Bastard. Oi, fuzzy-brow, call that freak now!
"I don't have either his cellphone number, nor do I know his address. The truth is, no one does. OMG! My Hinata-chan is in the hands of a chicken-butt-haired kidnapper! What should we do?"
Dial Shikamaru. Ask him if he knows any trace of Sasuke-bastard that can help us track him down.
"Naruto."
And if any came up, don't forget to contact me. Hinata is in deep danger--.
"Naruto."
I-Ino-chan? How long have you been there?
"Oh, I've been here every afternoon, because I thought my boyfriend would walk by and then walk with me like he always does."
Hahaha. Sorry. Oi, fuzzy-brow, come here. Do what I told you. Call Shikamaru and if you can't squeeze information from him, try giving Chouji-san a ring, okay?
"For the sake of my youthful Hinata-chan, I'll do it."
Now, you go do it, and I'll send ino-chan home.
"But--!"
"And for crying out loud, stop calling Hinata your's!"