Hey you guys! Thanks so much for reading Hidden Behind Silence. I'm actually surprised that I got reviews for it. Special thank to TimeToWrite (awesome username!) and RoseTiger(Yes I update quickly) for their comments because I wasn't going to continue this right away. Thankz again!

Harima POV

I was so embarrassed that they heard Ryu and his loud abusive voice. Now they probably know something's not right at my house. That's why Hinata and Neji invited me to stay. I honestly would have if Ryu didn't tell me he knew where they lived already. I couldn't put them in danger.

The thing is that Ryu ruined everything for me…maybe even my mother.

I was maybe six when my mother first brought him home. I was happy for her because my dad died before I was born and she found someone to love her even with a kid in first grade. She introduced him to me as Rayito Yanaku, but the impression he left on me was caused by that elongated tattoo around his neck coming up from his back. The tattoo of a dragon. So he became Ryu to me. The Dragon.

Pretty soon they got serious. He started spending the night, he started coming with us when we went out and overall he was my competition for my mother's love. They got married when I had just turned ten. That was also the first day of reality.

He started turning from fun-loving Ryu-sama to the abusive lazy bastard on our living room couch, Ryu-teme. He began to call my mother out of her name and swear at her in English, knowing she didn't understand. I understood and I was old enough to know that my mother wasn't any of those things. He used to laugh at her when she didn't understand and hit her when she didn't give him the answers he wanted. Things like that went from being an occasional thing to often to everyday. I tried to stay as far away from as possible, but when he was known to that idea, he started hitting me whenever I didn't speak to him or when I said something he didn't want to hear.

Originally, the move to Konoha was supposed to serve the purpose of getting away from Ryu, but it didn't work since they were married. He came along too.

I haven't seen my mother since she started her new job. I guess she's trying to stay away from Ryu. I understood why. I even understood why she never seemed to come for me. Coming for me was risking her well-being even life. He wouldn't kill me because I'm worth more alive than dead. It doesn't matter anyway. As long as Ryu is on this whole new pedophile kick…I am dead.

I snapped back to my situation. I was at Hinata and Neji's house with my friends. We were sitting at this big glass table with cushioned chairs and armrests. God, they were rich. This was much nicer than the apartment we lived in.

"Where are you from, Harima-san?" Sai asked me. Sai smiled that smile that Ryu smiled a week ago. The memory rushed back to my head, making it hurt. I'd endured much more so I dealt with it.

"Nara…" I said lowly. They are just trying to get to know me, I told myself. This is what friends do when they first meet each other…I think. Shikamaru exhaled in some kind of laugh. Oh yeah his last name was Nara.

"How old are you?" asked Sakura.

Ryu asked me how old I was too. "Close enough," he'd said.

"Fifteen," I answered. "I'll be sixteen on July 6th."

"Really? You're only a day older than me!" Kiba barked. He smiled widely and smiled back. For real this time. Not one of my corner mouth twitches. I loved his energy.

"We can have our birthday party together now!" he said excitedly. I shrugged. Inside, I was freaking out. He had plans to still be my friend in July!

"What's your favorite anime?" asked Tenten. "I like the cute stuff like Peach Girl and Ouran Host Club." She had seen me reading Peach Girl that day we officially met, hadn't she.

"I-I'm into the gory stuff. I like Hellsing and Full Metal Alchemist and Beck was good." I was getting a little louder with each passing question and I was proud of myself.

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Temari interjected. "You were amazing!" I beamed. I'd had never sung anything before the Karaoke thing. I never tried.

"Who was your first kiss?" asked Naruto. I choked down a laugh. I had been told about his first kiss and surprisingly it was not Hinata. I thought it was pretty sad that my technical first kiss was pretty much stolen from me, but then again, it wasn't a mutual thing so it wasn't a real kiss. So I guess the answer was that I hadn't had my first kiss yet.

"Who was your first kiss?" I countered, thinking it was funny. I instantly covered my mouth, thinking I had gone too far. Naruto and Sasuke scowled and the rest of them laughed. I slowly uncovered my mouth and uttered an apology.

"Guys," Temari said in awe. "She's so innocent. She hasn't kissed anybody yet." I turned deep red and looked down. Everyone here was so fun. Twisted in a sick sort of way, but fun. I think I was the only one who hadn't kissed a boy yet. Man, I was embarrassed.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Tenten said pressing her cheek to mine when she hugged me. My nose is pierced, I don't own a shred of pink, and I have never owned a skirt (unless you count the school uniform). Cute was definitely not what I was going for.

"What do you want to do when you graduate? I mean, you're the second in the class. Are you going to university?" asked Sakura. "I mean what do you want to do?" I looked blankly at her and then at the collection of empty Ramune bottles. Something told me that the sixth one may have been too much. She was hyper and talking a mile a minute.

"Well yeah, I want to go to university," I sighed. "I want to go around the world too." My dream in life was actually to get the hell away from Ryu.

"Why are you so quiet?" Kiba asked. I paused. I really had no answer for that one. I've always been this quiet. It was just who I am.

"I don't know…"

It was Hinata's turn for a question. I kind of relaxed a little because next to me, she was the most innocent person I know. Still, her mind has been contaminated by these blockheads.

"Ano…" she started shyly. "What do you like to do?"

"I like singing…sometimes I watch poetry…or play video games."

She smiled, feeling that she accomplished something. Hinata was almost like my best friend of this whole group. She knew more about me then than everybody else did when they just asked me outright. That's the duty as a best friend, I guess.

Kiba POV

Okay I admit it. I may be in love with Harima. Okay I am, but what point did it make. She was so quiet and innocent and I'm loud and I like to cause trouble. She probably went for the cool type like Sasuke or Shikamaru. But if that was the case then she wouldn't have fallen asleep on me, huh?

"Hey Harima do you need a ride to the concert on Saturday? My sister can drive us," I blurted. She turned her head to look at me. Damn, so much for being smooth. I just blew that.

She closed her eyes and giggled. "You're sister won't mind?" She looked up with those big blue eyes of hers. My heart jumped into my throat.

"No! Of course not!" I lied. Of course Hana was going to kill me. After Kin, she decided that she didn't want me to bring anymore girls home. Then again, Harima was far from being Ino. "Hana'd love you!"

"You can pick her up from here!" Hinata suggested. "Neji's car only has two seat anyway."

Harima smiled at me. "Arigato Kiba…kun." Kun? I was Kiba-kun! Yes! I thought I played that kind of smooth didn't I?

The next day at school, Harima was back to her old self. Quiet, sullen and Harima. Now that the girls are surrounding her I can't see her that well. I had no choice t to pay attention to the lesson.

Kurenai-sensei got boring so I started to write a new song for the band. So far I had come up with nothing and Battle of the Bands was coming up. Pretty soon I got engrossed in it.

She's sitting with her friends

Looking found and lost

Hidden in her silence

And I wonder at what cost.

Her smile can melt a diamond

And her laugh can break a heart

As I wish I could tell her

I wouldn't know where to start

"Kiba, please read what you have so far to the class," Kurenai-sensei said suddenly. I looked up. How did she know I wasn't doing her assignment when her back was turned? What was with her some kind of shinigami or something? "Come up to the front of the class and read."

You know how you read those mangas and they say getting called up to the front is like being on death row? Whoever wrote that is an idiot. It's ten times worse.

"She's sitting with her friends

Looking found and lost

Hidden in her silence

And I wonder at what cost.

Her smile can melt a diamond

And her laugh can break a heart

As I wish I could tell her

I wouldn't know where to start"

I felt dorky having to read the start of my song out loud. Especially with the girls watching. Knowing Kin, she probably thought it was about her. We broke up months ago. I had decided that I wouldn't tell Harima about me and Kin. Kin had bullied her and it would go all wrong if she found out that I used to go out with one of her tormentors.

"That's a very good start Kiba. Sounds like a lovely girl in your poem." I looked up at her confused. What was the assignment and how did I accidently do the assignment. "Please sit down and finish it."

"We had to write a poem or a song," Sakura whispered to me on my way back to my seat. "You lucky teme!"

I exhaled and passed Harima who was refraining from silence. "What?" I asked, matching her smile. "What? Am I funny?" Please say yes, PLEASE say yes. She nodded. I smiled wider and shook my head at her. I patted her head and proceeded to my seat. Damn, that was close!

"Well obviously, you weren't talking about Kin," Naruto said as I took my seat in front of him and behind Temari. "You've got another girl on the brain."

"Naruto…" Sasuke started. You know that street in front of the school?"

"Yeah?"

"Go play in it," I finished. Honestly, Naruto kind of set himself up for that one.

"Writing a new song for the band, huh?" Neji commented. "It sounds good so far."

"Thanks."

"The concert tomorrow should be easy with your new muse there," Sai said smugly.

"What the hell are you guys getting at?" I demanded. I stole a glance at Harima while Temari wasn't in the way. She was busy writing whatever poem came to her head, whatever was in her head.

"Dude, we all know you like Harima-chan," Shikamaru yawned. He got up to go turn his paper in. "We knew before you knew."

"No way!" I argued. I was a little defensive about being easy to read. It was my strength and my downfall.

"So you don't like Harima? Can you look me in the eye and say that you don't like Harima Riuzi?" challenged Naruto. Those whiskers of his seemed to taunt me. I looked away. One thing I cannot do is look somebody in the eye and tell a lie. I knew I liked (maybe even loved) Harima and I guess they knew it before I did.

The PA system crackled to life. Everyone hated that sound. "Kurenai?" Principal Tsunade voice said. "Can you send down Riuzi Harima to my office. It's her stepfather."

"Let me take her down!" I offered. Kurenai sensei agreed and Harima and I got up from our seats and walked into the hallway. She was pale and sullen. In other words…she was scared shitless.

Was that Ryu guy from last night…her stepfather?

"Oh here you are, Harima. Okay, Kiba you can go back to class now." Principal Tsunade was unusually pleasant and it was kinda scaring me so I patted Harima's head, scowled at the creepy guy and left into the hallway. I ducked into the hall's bathroom just in time to see Harima and Ryu trail out. Ryu shut the door behind him and looked up and own the hallway before slamming her against the wall.

"Why didn't you come home last night when I told you too?" he demanded. "I told you to get your ass home!"

"I stayed with my friend," she said. That blow to her back must have knocked the wind out of her.

"I'm not stupid like you or your mother. I know where you were! They wouldn't let me in the gate to get you!" Ryu hissed. I smirked to myself. I may or may not have had anything to do with that. The more I listened, the harder it got for me to stand there and just listen. Harima…she was just taking it.

SMACK!

He'd smack her clear across her face.

"HEY!" I heard myself say. I came from around the corner faster than I could have ever run. "Keep your hands off of her!"

Ryu had her by the wrist and his face was half an inch away from hers. He backed away from her to face me and chuckled. "And who might you be? The hall monitor?" My blood boiled. How dare he disrespect his own stepchild and her mother? I split second passed before my fist collided with his face. In the impact, he'd let go of Harima who just backed away and looked doe eyed.

He didn't hit me back, but he did kind of laugh at me. "Looking out for her is a lost cause. Pretty soon, she's gonna have to come home and well she knows what's gonna happen when she comes home." Nobody had ever been more slimy and disgusting to me ever. Maybe Vice Principal Orochimaru but I think he's getting help with that now.

He shoved his hands in his pocket and exited through the main doors. Then it was just me and Harima, who was on the floor with her knees to her chest and her head resting in them. I saw her wrap her arms around her knees. She was crying.

"Harima?" I said sitting down next to her.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said loudly, but she was muffled by her arms. I scooted closer to her and tried to hug her as best as I could. She leaned closer to me almost instantly. "I'm so sorry."

I knew she wasn't sorry that Ryu had hit her or that she hadn't told anybody. She wasn't sorry that he called her and her mother stupid either. I'm not the first in the class like Shikamaru, but I didn't need that to know that she was apologizing because I had seen it.