Chapter Gaiden I
The Festival
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A/N: Short meaningless chapter that has nothing to do with the story. Enjoy!
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An uplifting feeling of meaningless happiness was in the air. Men were jeering, women gossiping (obviously), and children chasing their peers with hysterical giggling. Even the segregated child, who sat alone in his chair with his mother, had a peculiar cheerfulness about him when he watched his isolating peers frolicking onto a swirl of festival lights.
"It's okay, right?" the mother asked her child, staring deeply into his blue eyes. Somehow, even though his face was twisted into a smile, she could see a senseless feeling of sorrow within her child's eye.
"Of course it is!" the boy said with a smile. For once, he actually was content with his isolation from the other kids. To be here, with his mother on their little table, was enough to make him laugh with joy.
His mother gave him an incredulous look, doubting that her boy would be content with only her company. "Are you sure?" She had a twinkle in her when she continued. "Do you want me to ask your 'girlfriend' to come over and play with you?"
The boy visibly flinched; then, got angry.
"Mother!"
"Yes?" Her mother cocked her head in mock confusion. Glaring at his mother, he couldn't hold back a playful smile. Within a moment, both the mother and her child nearly doubled over from laughing. The former was first to recover, albeit, her smile made her the human equivalent to the Cheshire Cat. "Well, whether you want me to or not, here she comes!" She pointed to the back of him.
The boy jerked his head backwards. True enough, a brown haired girl wearing a frilly pink dress was advancing towards him, disbelief and anger growing with every step.
"You!" She pointed accusingly at the boy.
"Me?" The boy got off his seat and began stepping backwards, increasing the distance between him and his childhood friend.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked with a look of exasperation on her face. She paused briefly and looked at boy's mother. When the latter nodded the girl resumed with her fierce stomping. "It's about to start!"
"What?" the boy asked when he was backed onto a wall.
"Don't 'what' me mister! This is not the time." She grabbed him by the ear and began dragging the blonde haired boy towards a row of seats behind a row of vending tents. "Tonight is very important to me and you're not going to ruin it!"
"What's happening?" the boy asked between grunts of pain. He couldn't believe he was being manhandled by a girl! It would be frightening if the girl should learn martial arts.
"Romeo and Juliet, that's what!"
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"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
"Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou would not, but be sworn my love, I'll no longer be a Capulet."
Everyone sat transfixed at the brown haired girl's performance. Though the play itself was a bit too fanciful (A love story in a place that don't exist seems a bit too cliché) the girl was spectacular. Even her male counterpart, 'Romeo' was no where near her level of acting.
Her childhood friend especially was shocked at her acting. His agape jaw and blank stare could tell as much. But, when the scene was over, and the kissing finally stopped (thank God!) he couldn't help but to smile at his friend. Seldom would anyone see the isolated child have such a smile on his face. Even his mother, who once again sat next to him, was as shocked as anyone else.
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"So how did I do?" The girl sat the edge of the stage, her legs dangling down next to his head.
"Alright, I guess." That ominous aloofness was back. His face was stoic and yet a warm smile was on his face.
"Alright?" she asked in mocking disbelief. "Just 'alright?' Not 'exceptionally spectacular?'" She kicked him lightly on his shoulder.
Rubbing his unscathed shoulder, he nodded.
"Well that hurts and you will have to make it up to me." She jumped off the stage and grabbed his hand. "Let's go get some ice-cream; your treat." Just as she was about to drag him to who-knows-where to buy ice-cream, she heard her friends calling out for her.
"Oiiiiiii!"
The girl looked behind her and saw three girls standing next to 'Romeo'; all of them have a look of disapproval on their face; their facial expression clearly said 'Why are you with him?' One girl had gone so far as to show her disapproval by mouthing the word 'hypocrite' to her.
She quickly turned to her childhood friend and was about to say 'We'll ignore them' but was beat to the punch.
"It's alright." He removed his hand from hers, and began walking away. "Sayonara!"
As he walked away towards his mother, the girl felt a clench in her heart. All at once, she yelled his name out and ran towards him.
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Hinata woke with a start; her face covered with sweat and her eyebrows furrowed.
"Again?" she asked aloud in her desolate room. It has been over five weeks since Naruto disappeared, and every night since then, she has been having these peculiar dreams. All of them had been the same. She assumed the role of a brown haired girl and somehow had many interactions with the blonde haired boy, whose aloofness reminded her of Naruto.
Normally, as she awakens from these dreams, there would be one thing on her mind, and that would be a certain blonde haired boy. But, tonight was different.
Other than her dream counterpart's name, she knew nothing about this dream world of her's; albeit, tonight, she learned something new from said place.
And it left her wondering:
"Who is Cloud Strife?"
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End
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(Cue the appalled screams of horror)