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The Unusual
I stared at the group, I felt my throat tighten as they stared back at me with unblinking eyes, I decided to start talking since they weren't. I made my way to the empty seat and completed the circle, "A-ano, G-good morning…I'm H-h-hyuuga Hinata." I stuttered awkwardly, I silently cursed myself, I could stop stuttering with my family and Sakura and Ino, but these guys were strangers…with a strange qualities….and they were the same age as me…what did I do to deserve this?
I waited for them to introduce themselves, luckily, two seemed to be quite the talker, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" the blond boy said, grinning. I was almost blinded by his smile. The second was a boy with large eyes and bushy eyebrows…and bowl cut hair, "Yosh! I am Rock Lee! What a youthful lady!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist.
I smiled at them and looked at the other two, after a few seconds the girl talked, "My name is Senbon Tenten." She twirled a pencil in her hand, looking at the last boy, waiting for him to talk.
. . . . .
Silence.
Hinata shifted in her seat, looking at the boy, he didn't look back at her though, he just stared at his desk with emotionless eyes. Naruto's eyes suddenly widened, "Oh yeah! The teme here, Uchiha Sasuke, doesn't talk!", I was intrigued by what he said, "R-really?" I asked.
Naruto nodded, "Yup, been that way ever since he came here, if he ever did talk, all he says is hn..hn…hn, I never know what it means though."
I glanced at Sasuke, he was drilling a hole into the desk with his eyes now, by his features I could tell he was saying "baka" at Naruto. I clasped my hands together, "O-okay then, from now on I will be your activity leader, a-and Sasuke-kun will be my patient."
Lee raised his hand, "Yosh! How youthful! But Nurse Yokihimaru said that two other people will come here."
I nodded my head, "Y-yes, they're my friends, Yamanaka Ino a-and Haruno Sakura."
Tenten seemed to perk up, "Oh! I heard from Nurse Kimiko that one will be assigned to Shikamaru and the other was going to work at the medical wing." She told me.
Sakura would probably work at the medical wing, seeing that she aspires to become a doctor someday. "Okay then.." I said, clearing my throat, gaining a bit more confidence, "For this to work I need all of you to cooperate. First of all, I need to know what's different about you…I know you may have a h-hard time but please…"
Naruto was the first one to talk, "I have Depersonalization Disorder, meaning I have a split personality." He said quietly.
Lee was the next, "I have ADHD."
Then Tenten, "I'm a pyromaniac." She said, glancing left to right, "And finally Sasuke doesn't talk, we don't know if it's considered a disorder though, but if it was it would probably be Antisocial Personality Disorder."
I nodded at what they said but inside I felt great compassion to the pains that they might have experienced, it must be hard to be driven away and put into isolation. But somehow I envied them, they knew where they belonged, they knew their places in society but they didn't seem to care when people give them dirty looks. When I first arrived at the asylum, I thought they'd be crazy, blabbering out nonsense and all those things, but when I look at them, they seem like normal people.
"Okay then…" I said, "Let's start the first activity." I took out pads of paper under my chair and passed it to them, also giving each of them a pencil and crayons. "I want you to draw something that represents you and write and explanation." I explained, "For example…" I took out a drawing that I made, Neji and Hanabi always told me that I was good at art, looking at the pictures, I guess I was. "…I drew a ruler, because I have a LONG patience."
Naruto then spoke up, "Oh! You should've drawn a lilac Hinata-sensei, because it's pretty like you!"
I immediately blushed and felt light-headed, "T-t-thank y-you Naruto-kun, a-and please c-call me Hinata."
Naruto nodded happily and started to draw, as well as the others. After a few minutes they finished and I told them to have a break, they walked out of the room, going to the cafeteria. I looked at the drawings that they made.
Tenten drew fire. Underneath was an explanation.
"Fire is deadly yet warm, like me. Fire burns yet lights the way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I may have negative attitudes, but I also have positive attitudes with them and finally fire is a source of energy. That is what I want to be, someone who can renew the hope of my friends."
Lee drew the sun.
"Yosh! The youthful sun is the main source of energy! And I am just full of energy and I want to spread my energy to other youthful people and show them the full-fledged power of youth!"
Naruto drew a mirror.
"A mirror. Your exact copy but also your opposite. I guess I'm like a mirror because I have two different sides. The bad one and the good one."
Sasuke drew a wilting flower.
"Like this flower, I am wilting. Drooping from the sunlight that I once loved and cherished."
I read their explanations over and over again. In my head I could already get a faint glimpse of what they were like. The Unusuals…yet…they weren't really unusual…they were just…unlucky.
I filed the papers into my blue portfolio and prepared the things for the next activity…the old ink splotch quiz.
