A/N: Summer school is over!! XD Thank you, dear reviewers.
Here I would like to clarify that any preference for pairings and any feelings towards certain characters are not my own opinions, but merely the views of the characters that are expressing them. For example, if I made a character hate Sakura doesn't mean that I hate Sakura. Thanks for understanding.
Scarlet
"The colour of Scarlet resides between orange and red. It is a complicated colour, capable of changing in both directions and becoming either redder or more orange. It is not a colour that can be trusted. Yet, it is loved by the Rain god for its unpredictability."
Rain God's Veils, the novel.
The only high school in the city of Konoha is sponsored by the Sharingan Corporation, owned by the renowned Uchiha family. Therefore, children with the last name "Uchiha," or even names that are similar in pronunciation, are always treated like gods by the school staff.
And by the students.
"They are hot and rich," Hinata's best and only friend, Karin, often told her as she examined her orange-red hair in a nearby mirror, again. "The very epitome of dark beauty."
Thus, the Hyuuga, sworn rivals of Uchiha in Japan's economy, are often ignored in school.
At the very least, they ignored Hinata.
Her cousin, Neji, got along fine with his looks and striking demeanour. Besides, he is used to being ignored.
Hinata sighed as she thought of her cousin, who pretends that she did not exist. She had given up trying to say "hi" to him a long time ago.
Absentmindedly, she smoothed her uniform as the bus continued to rumble steadily down the cement road. The skirt of the uniform was dark red and clashes badly with her purple hair.
After several attempts, she had finally persuaded Taka, her family's butler, not to drive her to school. She is not one that would like to be noticed, especially not in a grand white limousine.
Besides, they are no match for the charisma of the Uchiha's vehicle, painted a red so dark that it is almost black.
The bus rumbled to a stop in the "drop-off" lane of Konoha High.
The school's walls were painted white, the roof dark red. A two-storey building, it consists of much advanced technology, including automatic doors and computer controlled food stands.
Hinata waited patiently until most of the people got off the bus. Then, she stepped towards the door and proceeded to carefully dismount the steps into the cool morning air, already disturbed by the collecting number of students in front of the school.
A sudden push on her back made her squeak as she fell forward, scattering her books across the cement floor.
Hardly noticing the predicament her books are in, as people stepped carelessly over them, Hinata shifted her weight and examined her knee.
An ugly scrape greeted her. Third one this week, she thought dully, already knowing what had happened.
"Oh sorry," a bored-sounding voice came from behind her. "Didn't see you."
Hinata didn't bother to speak as Hori Shizuye walked past her, smirking as she stepped onto Hinata's books.
Making sure that her hair covered her face from the giggling groups of girls that followed Shizuye, Hinata slowly stood up and began retrieving her books.
I can't cry, she thought. At least not in front of them.
As she reached for her biology textbook, a hand reached out and snatched it before she could. Startled, she looked up.
Uzumaki Naruto grinned down at her, holding out her book gingerly as if it was a butterfly.
"Hey," he tried to greet her, but instead fell forward, dragged down by the book which is heavier than he had expected.
Thump.
Trying to suppress the furious blush creeping up her cheeks, Hinata, used to the weight of the book, reached over and retrieved it easily from the ground.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Scratching the back of his head, Naruto picked himself up and dusted his uniform.
"Guess biology is not for me," he said dully, more to himself than Hinata. "Memorizing that entire book? No way."
Then, he realized that the girl with the strange white eyes is still standing in front of him, her face red.
"Eh?" he placed a hand on her forehead gently. "Do you have a fever? Do you need to go home?"
To his surprise, the girl let out a small scream, pushing his hand away hastily.
"Uh--" he began. Poor girl, he thought. She must be really sick.
Horrified by what she had just done, Hinata bowed. "I am really sorry!!" she panicked. "I- I am not used to people being so close and--" She stopped abruptly as Naruto held up a hand.
"Whoa there," he said, bewildered. "What are you being sorry for? By the way, what is your name? I have never noticed you before."
"Oh," Hinata said quietly, letting the fact sink in.
So he never noticed her?
"Hyuuga Hinata."
Naruto nodded as he flashed a brilliant smile. "I am Uzumaki Naruto."
As if she doesn't know.
His expression changed abruptly as his smile vanished, taking her by surprise. "I saw what she did," Naruto told Hinata furiously, referring to Shizuye. His normally cheerful blue eyes were hard. "Be careful."
Hinata hugged her books tightly to her chest, rattled by this near-stranger's concern.
"Naruto-kun?" she managed to squeak out. "I—"
"Sorry Hinata," Naruto cut in, eyes distracted by a figure near the front gates.
"I'll catch you later, ok?" he said, turning to leave. "I need to talk to Sakura-chan."
"Of-of course," she replied sadly, watching him turn to leave.
Hinata stood there, forlornly, as Naruto walked up to a pretty girl with pink hair. She observed the way his face seemed to light up as he asked Sakura something, and how disappointment adorned his face as Sakura smacked him on the head, obviously rejecting what he had said.
"Idiot!!" Hinata heard Sakura yell.
They look good together, Hinata thought sadly.
She was, however, soon knocked out of her reverie.
"Hinataaaaa!!" A girl squealed as she pounced on Hinata, who caught a glimpse of red hair.
"Hi Karin," she greeted her best friend as she pushed Karin gently off.
Karin straightened up and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Drooling after Naruto again?" she teased. Sympathetically, she patted Hinata's shoulder. "Sakura is so greedy," she complained. "She took Naruto away from you yet is still going after Sasuke."
Hinata nodded. As nice as Sakura seemed to be during the few times she had talked to Hinata in Biology, Hinata still resented her.
That girl has everything. Looks, friends, self-esteem, everything.
A squeeze on her arm snapped Hinata out of her thoughts as Karin excitedly tugged Hinata's sleeve. "There it is!!" she gasped jubilantly.
The courtyard in front of the school is filled with students from every grade, eyes glued to the dark-red limousine that had pulled up in front of the looming gates.
The courtyard fell silent as the door opened with a click.
Out stepped a slender boy with delicate features, his black hair trimmed modestly short with no hint of gel.
"Uchiha Kagerou," Karin whispered breathlessly beside Hinata, who shook her head at her friend's obsession.
Kagerou looked around and smiled, black eyes lighting up in delight at the sight of his admirers. Unlike the other Uchiha who seemed stiff and formal, Kagerou is relaxed and irreverent. He enjoys joking with teachers and once even did a pirouette behind the principal. He made his way slowly through the crowd, returning smiles and waves, but is careful to keep people from touching him.
"Thanks for attracting so much attention, Kagerou," a flat voice lashed like a rock in a pond, silencing the crowd immediately.
"Much better," the voice continued, pleased by its effect on the crowd, as its owner stepped out of the limousine.
Uchiha Hotaru's eyes swept over the crowd, flickering with annoyance. Some girls slightly flinched as those black holes lingered upon them.
"Aw sis," Kagerou bounded over to his elder twin like a puppy. "They are already here, so might as well make them happy."
"As if I care," she retorted, flicking her bangs out of her face impatiently. Grabbing her younger brother by the hand, she dragged him through the crowd, pushing fangirls away roughly when they did not get out of the way in time.
"Hmph, bitch," Hinata heard Karin mumble bitterly and smiled reassuringly.
Karin squeezed Hinata's arm hard, ignoring the yelp. "Just because she is related to Kagerou and is a cousin of Sasuke's, she thinks she owns them."
Hinata did not speak. When Karin is in such a mood, it is better to keep quiet. Besides, she did agree with Karin. Hotaru's cold demeanour and air of self-confidence is a slap in the face for Hinata, who is the exact opposite.
"It is ok, Karin," Hinata tried to placate red-haired girl.
She didn't need to, as the last and final member stepped out of the car.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Unlike either Hotaru or Kagerou, Sasuke's face is calm and composed, revealing nothing. Nothing at all.
He walked through the crowd as if there is no one else in the courtyard.
"He is so cool!!" Karin squealed, followed by the rest of the girls in the crowd. The squealing quickly turned into screaming.
Hinata winced as she covered her ears.
She risked a glance at Sasuke, who continued towards his two cousins as if nothing is happening. Hinata turned her head slightly to look at the twins.
Kagerou was enjoying every minute of it, laughing and waving at Sasuke, while Hotaru, like Hinata, had her ears covered and was glaring at the crowd.
Hinata slightly yelped as Hotaru's eyes suddenly met hers, glaring. She stared back defiantly but shakily.
To her surprise, the obsidian eyes softened, and Hotaru smiled as she nodded to Hinata.
Hinata, bewildered, smiled weakly back.
Hotaru can't be as bad Karin said she is, can she? Hinata wondered.
"Sakura," a voice made the pink-haired girl look up from her locker. On seeing who it is, she quickly shifted her gaze and continued organizing her books.
"What do you want, Karin?" she kept her voice as even as she could.
Unaffected by Sakura's impassive tone, Karin bent down next to her.
"You are a Sasuke fan, and I am a Sasuke fan," she whispered, trailing her fingers over the air slots on Sakura's locker. "There is something interesting about Ino you might want to hear."
Slam.
Sakura closed her locker loudly, and the sound resonated throughout the hallway, making passerbys stare. "What are you planning?" she demanded.
Karin smiled innocently. "What are you talking about? The news does not only concern Ino, but Hinata as well."
"The Hyuuga?" Sakura asked in spite of herself. "What does she has to do with Uchiha?"
"Oh, everything, believe me," Karin examined her nails, pleased. "Trust me."
Hinata sighed as she placed her books on a table in the biology lab. She glanced at the clock. Five more minutes.
Yawning, she placed her head down on the table. A nap wouldn't hurt. She had spent nearly the entire night trying to memorize Latin terms, and is very tired.
Just five minutes, she thought, as she closed her eyes.
Splash.
The shock of cold water made Hinata jump up from where she was sitting. She looked down in disbelief at herself and her ruined uniform.
Around her, the students bursted out laughing.
Except for two people.
Karin, sitting beside Hinata, squeezed her friend's arm sympathetically.
Hinata looked around, trying to find out who did that to her. Her eyes landed on Sakura, whose eyes met hers distractedly, then quickly flickered away.
Surprised at the sudden anger, Hinata clenched her fists.
"Sakura," her voice was quiet yet hard. "Did you--?"
Her accusation is interrupted as the door slammed open. "What is going on?"
Yuuhi Kurenai stopped in her tracks as she noticed Hinata standing in front of her table, water dripping down from her clothes and forming a puddle on the floor.
"Hyuuga Hinata," she said, slightly concerned that she comes in everyday and nearly always finds Hinata as the victim of a prank. "You are excused. Go dry yourself and come back."
"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata bowed, and then rushed out the door.
She failed to notice the smirk on a student's face.
As she ran towards the nearest washroom, her mind was in turmoil. Sakura, did Sakura do this? She thought. Why? I thought you, at least, did not care that I am a Hyuuga.
As she ran with her head bowed, she did not notice a certain Uchiha walking past her, eyebrows slightly raised at her predicament…
"Hey!! Sasuke!!"
Sasuke sighed as he rolled down the window, ignoring the rain that splattered into the car.
"What do you want, Naruto?"
Grinning and ignoring Sasuke's apparent bad mood, Naruto yanked open the door and climbed in, squeezing himself between Hotaru and Kagerou. "Gonna catch a ride with you guys today, it is raining cats and dogs."
He shook his hair, spraying water across the car.
"Watch it," Hotaru warned, a ghost of a smile grazed her lips. Kagerou laughed as droplets of water landed on his face.
Sighing again, Sasuke gestured to their driver. "Let's go, Matsuda, stop by Naruto's house first."
"Yes, Sasuke-sama."
The engine roared to life.
"I still wonder how Sasuke puts up with you when his patience with his own cousins is clearly less," Kagerou joked as they pulled out of the school grounds.
"Sooner or later the idiot is going to die," Sasuke replied before Naruto could. "Next time, stick my katana in his seat, sharp end up."
Kagerou chuckled.
"Hey, isn't that Hinata?" Naruto suddenly pointed to a bus stop. The purple-haired girl had her head down as she waited for the bus.
"Hinata," repeated Kagerou. "Isn't she a Hyuuga?" Dislike slightly coloured his tone.
Naruto sighed, exasperated. "So what if she is a Hyuuga? What is it between Hyuuga and Uchiha anyways?"
His question went unheeded as Kagerou put a finger to his lips and pointed to the back of Sasuke.
"Eh? There is another Hyuuga besides Neji?" Hotaru said in disbelief. "I thought one is enough." She spared a glance at Sasuke.
To her surprise, she noticed a slight frown on Sasuke's face as he stared into space. "Sasuke?" she inquired.
"She seems…" Sasuke fell silent without finishing his sentence.
Naruto sat back in his seat after leaning forward to hear. "Depressed," he finished for Sasuke, knowing that the Uchiha is not the type to express his thoughts.
Stiffly, Sasuke gave a slight nod. "I saw her earlier today. She was all wet, yet I don't think people swim in the middle of September wearing their uniforms.
Kagerou chuckled. "Seems that Sasuke-sama is not made of stone after all."
"You mean that someone played a trick on her again?" Naruto exclaimed, repulsed. He punched the back of the seat in front of him.
The limousine suddenly swirled to the left, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
"Sorry sir," Naruto apologized to the shaken driver whose seat he had punched.
Letting out the breath he had being holding, Kagerou dragged Naruto back by the collar. "Sit down properly, will you?"
Wincing as he adjusted his collar, Naruto looked around the car. The twins on either side of him are staring silently out the window, while Sasuke has his back to him and is fiddling with a pen, its gold filigree glittered in the streetlight.
"Well?" Naruto began, breaking the silence.
The rain continued to platter on the roof as the limousine pulled up in front of Naruto's house.
Three pairs of smouldering black eyes turned on him.
"Well what?"
Gulping uneasily, Naruto felt himself shrinking as their gaze never left his face. "Aren't you going to do anything about it? It is your school."
Kagerou let out a snort as Sasuke turned back to the front, disinterested.
"We do not involve ourselves with affairs concerning Hyuuga," Hotaru informed Naruto, as neither of the other two Uchiha bothered. "Besides, such things happen in every school."
"But you guys are so popular!!" Naruto tried again. "Your word is law in this school, you can order them to stop."
"And cause Hinata more trouble by making her the centre of attention?" Hotaru responded evenly. "Think about it thoroughly, Naruto. We can't muzzle the whole school. Once our backs are turned, who knows what those radicals will do to the poor girl."
Kagerou came in then, supporting his sister. "You can probably guess the consequences if we gave more attention to one person over another."
Sasuke remained silent.
"Have you ever wondered that it may be because of the Uchiha that she is suffering, since she is a Hyuuga?" Naruto's voice rose slightly. "Shouldn't you feel at least somewhat responsible for her situation?"
"Wow Naruto, you are actually serious for once," Kagerou joked, trying to divert the subject.
"Perhaps you have not considered that it may be her own vulnerability that attracts bullies?" Hotaru yanked the subject back, ignoring her brother.
Naruto glared at her. "Not everyone is like you , Hotaru." He leaned over Kagerou and opened the door, and then paused. "There are people in this world who are less fortunate than the Uchiha," Naruto's voice was soft yet strangely clear as lightning illuminated his face.
Rain swept into the car, dampening the clothes of its riders.
Snap.
The sound made Naruto slightly jump.
Snap.
Sasuke let the broken pieces of filigree fall from his fingers. "Close the door, Naruto," he said, as another bout of wind sent a new shower into the car.
"We'll see what we can do."
A/N: lalala!! Second chapter!! I was going to update yesterday, but I am only allowed one hour and a half on the computer everyday, which isn't nearly enough to word-process and edit chapters. Updates will probably be rare once school starts, so I am doing all that I can right now.
Please Review. XD
And about my OCs. I needed some characters to compliment the story, yet Itachi and Sasuke don't fit the roles. Their personalities is just too...cold, so I had to create my own characters.