Beautiful People

Chapter 7: But can a stranger give you better answers?

Beta: beta'd by strawberries and napkins

….

Mornings are dull, I decided. Sitting around thinking was uneventful, and I clearly had too much to think about. Neji was out, he refused to tell me what for, but that he'll spend time with me tonight, and that was enough for me. Lately, I've been less expectant of things. I'm not saying I think Neji won't keep his promise, he will. I just feel like I should've fought for more, instead of settling.

Because sitting out here is painful.

I left the house, in the baggiest pants I had on, and walked. About a mile, I suspected, because I ended back up in the Konoha Market District. The people were lively, selling and buying such meaningless things, their personalities the opposite of me. I didn't feel like doing much, and I didn't want to buy anything. But as I walked down the crowded road on my lonesome, merchants were shoving all types of food at me, which my stomach was grumbling fiercely. In embarrassment, I stumbled into the nearest store. Looking up, I realized I was in another sweet house.

"Sweets," I mumbled to myself and sat down in a booth. I checked my pockets, I didn't have a lot of money with me, so I had to choose something cheap, but I already knew what I wanted.

"Mango Parfait," I said when the waitress appeared. The service was fast, but when she set the dessert in front me of me, I grimaced in disgust, the ice cream was already melting and the mangoes were soggy and swimming in the pool of vanilla ice cream. I pushed it away from me. What a waste. But as I put the money for it on the table, and began to slide out of the seat, someone slid into the seat across from me. I blinked a few times. She was fair-skinned, and sprinkled with dirt. Her hair was full, thick and darker than anything I've seen, kept in a slack ponytail that barely reached her shoulders. And her eyes were the same shade of darkness, too. Although her skin was imperfect, she was still pretty.

She grinned toothily. "I will trade you this apple for that," she pointed to the melting parfait and held out the large apple in her other hand. I nodded and took the apple, but didn't bite. On the contrary, my stranger had already pulled the parfait close to her, and shoved in at least two spoonfuls before she started talking again.

"You must live around here," she said, mouth full. "Because you look funny. Do your eyes do that all the time?"

I wanted to giggle, but I just nodded instead. She knew nothing of my bloodline. She swallowed. "Thought so. You Konoha people are weird, me, I think I'm pretty normal. Only time I ever need to be here, is to sell apples. I love apples, but you Konoha people sure act like you don't need 'em."

"You must love mangoes too," I said as she ate another spoonful of ice cream, and she laughed. Her eating habits weren't as bad as I would've guessed, aside from talking with her mouth full. I was still in shock, one moment I was lamenting that I was alone, and now I've met a complete stranger who was in no way shy about introducing herself. By the looks of her clothing, she must live on the outskirts of some nation, in the places that still farm for a living. The apple still sat in my lap, untouched.

She raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't like apples neither?" I jerked. Her voice was thick and deep, and reminded me of chocolate.

"No, that's not it," I lied. I hated apples. Hm…maybe she did have a point in her stereotype.

The girl shrugged and spooned up a soggy mango to her lips. "Food here is good," she murmured. "Nothing like this over there."

I sat forward. "If you don't mind me asking, where do you live?"

"None of ya business." She answered curtly that had me taken aback. I sat back in my seat, with nothing else to say.

She's so…strange!

She ate, and I watched her, fingering the apple in my lap. There was shrilling laughter behind me, and I turned around and saw three other kunoichi in another booth, who were looking over and pointing with hushed voices. I rolled my eyes.

"You know them?" I jumped again and returned my attention to the girl in front of me, finally finishing my snack. I nodded.

"I asked them for their food too, I said, 'give me those dangos for this here apple?' and you know what they said, 'shoo! Get away from us!' Like I'm some dog, or something. I'm no dog, I'm sure of that."

She's not very literate, I noted, but I sympathized with her. I knew them, all three of them. Busty girls with no ninja skill. The kind of girls that Naruto attract, and he's had all three of them, I knew them well. Yes, I knew them well.

"You seem distracted," the girl noted. I shook my head. "Nothing…I'm just, thinking."

"'Bout?"

"It's okay; I don't feel like talking about it."

She shifted her eyes and muttered, "You Konohas never want to talk. So different from us."

I didn't answer.

"It's probably a boy; all girls are troubled by boys." She said with a smirk.

I frowned. "What makes you think it's a boy?"

"Because you're too pretty to be alone by yourself like this, that much I'm sure of." She grinned at me. I blushed in embarrassment.

I wanted to return the compliment, but for some reason I'm not aware of, I didn't. She was still staring at me, so I changed the subject. "What's you name?"

"You don't need to know that."

…Well, I guess I don't anymore. "Would you like me to order you something else?" I tried. She shook her head and stretched, yawning deep.

"Nope, it's time for me to leave anyway, have to harass you people to buy my apples." She stood up and slid out of the booth, but as she walked past me, I shouted for her to wait.

"Hold on!" I cried, and then searched frantically for an excuse while she stared at me, arms crossed, in annoyance.

"I, uh, I'd like to buy some apples…please?"

You know, Neji's smirking face is starting to piss me off. I haven't even made it to my room without him following me with those, those…leering eyes of his!

"What's your deal?" I grumbled, pushing past him. He followed after me.

"Why apples?"

"Because I felt like apples today."

"You hate apples."

"Well, I changed my mind." I blushed, and kept my head down as I trudged the five pound bag of lumpy-looking apples behind me. He scooped them out of my hand and held them up, examining them. I crossed my arms over my chest.

I entered my room and attempted to shut the door behind me but Neji managed to slip himself in. Well, fine, I thought to myself. I guess I could use the company. I dropped the apples beside my bed with a loud 'thunk', and crawled on my bed in exhaustion. He sat on the edge of my bed and stared at me.

My face went hot. "What do you want?"

"I need someone to brush my hair 100 times for me."

I groaned. "100 times?"

He nodded and held out the brush concealed in his other hand, which I did not notice. "Yes, 100 times."

Although it was tedious, I was starting to enjoy it, sitting here just brushing his hair carefully and I was a bit jealous at the way it shone even in the dim lamp light of my room. The sky had already turned dark, the signs of nighttime, but I wasn't ready to sleep. All I wanted to do was comb his hair and forget about my day.

54, 55, 56…

"You left today."

"Yes."

57, 58, 59, 60. 61…

"Why?"

Sixty…two?

I don't think I should lie to him…

"I…I was trying to find Naruto."

I could feel his back tense at the mention of his name. I resumed.

63, 64, 65, 66.

He didn't say anything, and I thought maybe he was trying to ask me why I was looking for him, but he already knew why. He understood me.

"And did you find him?"

"No."

67, 68, 69.

'Heh, it used to be inconsiderate of him to ask me so many questions of me. Now he needs to ever since…'

Seventy.

Neji stroked my leg absently as I combed through, his head was down and low, and for a moment I thought he had fallen asleep. But he didn't, he was just thinking, like he always is.

71, 72, 73!

"Why do you still bother with him?" His voice was torn into a strangled whisper that threatened me to be careful with my answer. This time, I would not lie. I stopped brushing and wrapped my arms around his torso, then laid my head on his back, breathing in the deep scent of mint from his hair.

"I love him." I did not notice my own tears.

He didn't answer me so I continued. "I love him…so much, and from it I only get pain…" I wonder still if what I said was truth.

He patted my leg. "Stop running from it then."

"It follows me."

"And that's what life is, Hinata. Pain is just an unfortunate compromise, if you're looking for something. What are you looking for?"

How do I answer you?

"Hinata, what are you―"

Please, no more.

"I used to have hair like yours. I used to have really nice hair, before all this…"I whispered and buried my head in his hair. I listened to his heart beat, and lost another tear, because his heart was not the one I remembered.

He nodded. "You have beautiful hair."

I sniffled, and unstuck his hair from my cheeks as I sat up again. Wiped my face, and picked up the brush. I lost count…

"Seventy four," he said.

You still make me smile, Neji.

"Sorry I cried…" I sniffled.

75, 76, 77, 78, 79.

"Sometimes you need to cry, don't you? Don't be ashamed."

80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87…

"Neji."

"Hm?"

"I don't regret it."

"Mm."

88, 89, 90. 91, 92, 93, 94, 95.

What do you call that feeling when something forces you to say stuff you don't even yourself understand? "I don't regret any of it."

Neji inhaled sharply. "All these years…and you're still just as foolish." Even from the back of his head, I could feel his smile.

96, 97.

I smiled too.

"What will you do now?" He murmured.

I'll always want my hair to shine like his, and shine like Sasuke's, I'd promise myself that.

"Eat an apple and do some writing."

98, 99…

"But you hate apples."

"I can change."

100.


Even after shooing Neji out of my room, and preparing myself for a resting I didn't need, I still had nothing to say when I opened Sakura and she greeted with the deep smell of blank pages. I took a bite of the apple in my left hand and did not make a face. The taste was tangy at first, but then became sweet. An imperfect apple, and yet still as tasty.

I know what to write about now. I grabbed my pen.

Dear Sakura,

Today I've learned something important about myself. I've learned that it's not completely hopeless, my situation I mean. The truth can only set you free to a point, the rest I'll have to do myself. And that's okay. I have Sakura, and Neji, and you. I will face my problems, and when I do, I hope I'll have the same faith and courage of a certain stranger. A stranger with an imperfect beauty, if there is such a thing. If I could meet her again, I'll tell her that. I'll tell her that I'm still searching for beauty in myself, but I saw it an imperfect beauty in you.

And that can broaden my search some, right?

Tomorrow I have many problems to face, but for tonight Sakura, I'll dream about me and my hair.

Hinata.


What to say here, I feel like I was all over the place, but I was trying to expose more of Hinata's feelings, so hopefully, I did just that. And sorry for throwing in some random character, but I couldn't just go down the list of available Naruto characters, could I? No, that'd be boring and predictable, and I like to think of myself and Hinata as neither of these things. :p

Enough with me, please review!