Just to let you guys know, this story isn't going to follow exactly the same plot as Love In The Mask. It's going to have my own little touch to it okay? Hope you don't mind. Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!
A Year later…..
Hinata had that calm, collected look on her face. She was walking with Sakura to class at their new school. Hinata instantly pointed out which students would give them trouble, and which ones would leave them alone. Sakura was oblivious to her friend's quiet judgment of the school. She was too busy trying to make new friends. They arrived at their classroom. Of course, it was an average classroom. It had desks neatly lined up in rows, and in front of the desks, was a big black board. The Teachers desk was seated directly before the Black board, so he could teach. Hinata looked down at her pathetic school uniform. She wore Navy blue pants and a white polo shirt with a burgundy blazer. Sakura was wearing a short checkered skirt that went just above her knees and a white polo shirt like Hinata's.
"Hiro, aren't you going to sit?" Sakura asked her best friend. Hinata nodded at sat directly behind Sakura. That way she could keep an eye on her at all times. Sakura was talking to a giggly bunch of girls, while Hinata sat back and continued to survey the room. Hinata hardly even saw the Fangirls she had attracted. They were whispering about how she was soo good looking, with a touch of feminine featured too. They loved the way Hinata's hair was jet black and styled amazingly. One brave girl with chocolate brown hair shyly walked up to Hinata.
"I…I was wondering if you would go out with me?" She asked. Hinata looked up at the girl from her seat and frowned. 'If only they knew I was a girl too, they would freak.' Hinata thought to herself. She smirked at the girls boldness but declined. The girl looked disappointed, while others were cooing over how gruff Hinata's voice was. Hinata sighed, this was going to be a long year.
Suddenly, the classroom door barged open and two figures walked in. One was a guy with spiky brown hair and red markings on his cheek. The other was a girl with long platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The guy noticed Sakura and immediately sat in the empty seat next to her. Sakura stopped chatting and looked at him. He looked back at her squarely. "You'll be my partner from now on. Sit next to any other guy and your dead." Sakura gulped but answered firmly. "The teacher will be assigning us seats." Kiba ignored this. "I said, if you sit next to any other guy, your dead." Sakura was shocked. She hardly even knew this guy.
"Kiba, are you picking up girls already?" The girl laughed, coming up behind the brown haired guy. She took one look at Sakura and gasped. The girl had the same angelic aura and look as her sister. But…her sister had died over a year ago….
"What the fuck are you bitch! Pissing me off like this!" Ino yelled, kicking over Sakura's desk. Sakura jumped up in surprise and Ino grabbed her by the collar. "Fuck you!" Ino continued to scream. Sakura finally found her voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She shouted back the blonde. Ino was just about to throw a punch when she felt an hand on her shoulder.
"Get away from her." Hinata said in her calmest voice. The other people in the class stared at her in awe. She had just stood up to a member of the gang called 'The Red Scorpions.' Ino turned to face the person that dared challenge her. She took one look at her new opponent and yelled "Who the hell are you?"
Without a warning, Hinata swung the girl around by the arm and let go, sending her flying into another desk. People around them gasped. Hinata ignored them and walked directly over to Sakura. "Are you okay?" She asked, calm as ever. Sakura stood up, clutching her throat. "Ye-Yeah…." Hinata's eyes widened when she felt someone kick her in the back. She fell forward against a desk and clutched at it to prevent her from falling. "You idiot, you think you can mess with us?" It was Kiba, glaring at her angrily. "Let's go to a quieter place." Kiba gave Hinata a wolfy smile. Hinata just firmly gazed back at him, not scared at all. "We haven't even done anything! You guys started it!" Sakura shouted desperately.
Ino stood up from the wreckage of the desk and brushed herself off. "What you did, was mess with us!" She told Sakura simply. "That makes no sense! Hiro, don't go with them!" Sakura begged her friend. "Hah! What a little bitch, looking down on us like that!" Ino smirked. Kiba sighed at his overly-violent friend. "This is just between me and him." He told her simply. "The loser has to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness." Kiba told Hinata. Hinata looked at him, her face resembling a doll. "You do that, I just what you two to stay away from Sakura."
"Fine, I win you have to get on your knees. If you win then I'll stay away from her. If that's good with you then we'll just go outside and—
But Hinata had already turned away from him and walked outside. Kiba frowned and yelled after her. "Hey, I wasn't done speaking with you!" Kiba just stared at the back of the guy walking away from him. 'This is the first time someone's walked away from me like that. It makes me strangely interested in him.' Kiba thought as he followed the raven haired guy outside.
Once outside, the four people stared at each other. "Please Hiro! Can't you just not fight?" Sakura begged again. Hinata just kept staring at her opponent. "No." She answered. " Just move away to a safe distance." Hinata ordered. Sakura nodded her head slowly in defeat, moving away from the two. Ino had already gotten herself a reasonable distance away. Kiba grinned and walked right up to Hinata's face. "Even if I break something, you can't complain." He told her. Hinata just continued to gaze at him calmly.
Without a warning, Hinata swung her fist. Kiba just barely managed to dodge it in time. 'Shit she's fast!' He thought. Hinata stood facing him in an attacking pose, her fists curled up in front of her and her legs standing firmly apart, just like she had been trained. Kiba grunted as Hinata's foot came in contact with his nose. Quickly, her elbow slammed into his shoulder blades. Without missing a beat, she kicked his cheek and punched him squarely in the stomach. Kiba doubled over. 'He's soo fast; I can't even get my act together!' Kiba thought desperately. "I-I lose…." Kiba rasped, clutching his stomach. 'This is the first time Kiba's lost without getting a single punch in! Aside from Naruto, he's never lost to anyone before!' Ino panicked. Sakura smiled happily. 'I knew Hiro would win!' She thought happily.
"Keep your promise. Stay away from Sakura." Hinata said in monotone. Sakura clutched her friends arm happily. "That's fine! We don't even want to go near the bitch anyway!" Ino yelled. Hinata's eyes went immediately to Ino. "Watch your back." She threatened. Before grabbing Sakura by the arm and walking away. Once they were out of earshot Sakura spoke. "Are you okay?" She asked. Hinata's eyes widened and she clenched her fist behind her back. "I'm fine." She smiled down at her pink haired friend. "All because of me, I'm soo sorry…" Sakura mumbled and looked at the floor. Hinata rolled her eyes. "I said I'm fine." And the two continued walking.
'That bitch! She reminds me soo much of my sister, it pisses me off!' Ino raged inside her head. She angrily turned to the crouched over Kiba. "Get up you useless mutt!" Ino shook Kiba who grunted with pain. "That guys not normal!" He cried out. Ino glared at the brunette. "We should tell Naruto…." Ino said quietly after awhile. Kiba just looked up at her as if she was nuts. "No way! Those kinds of guys you leave alone." He told her. Ino's inner rage fired up again. "I hate that girl! I want her kicked out of the school!" Kiba sighed at his friend. "You know…..that's why Naruto hates you. You raise a Scene so easily." Ino gritted her teeth at the mention of their gang leader. He raised fear with just a simple mention of his name. "What else are we meant to do? If I hate something, I hate it with a passion!"
Meanwhile, Hinata and Sakura were walking down the school corridor. "Hiro, I wish you wouldn't get yourself involved with soo many fights!" Sakura scolded her raven haired friend. Hinata sighed without emotion. "Don't worry about me" He muttered with half closed eyes. Sakura just stared at her in disbelief. "I hate it when I see you get hurt! It hurts me too!" She cried, tears threatening to spill. Hinata just shook her head. "I can take care of myself. Also…I'm doing my duty." Hinata said sadly.
Somewhere…
"Stop thief!" A man shouted, running out of his house in his underwear holding a raised baseball bat. The other man looked shocked at the sudden appearance of the owner of the house he was robbing. "Hehe…I've got you cornered now!" The underdressed man smirked in delight.
"S-stay back!" The thief slashed the air with a pocket knife. The man in his underwear just shook his head. "Don't kid me!" He suddenly yelled and swung his bat, knocking the knife right out if the thief's hands. "Get on the ground and kneel!" He commanded, enjoying this just a bit. "Y-yes sir" The thief did as he said and got on the floor. It was then that the police decided to show up. "We're the police, drop your weapons and raise your hands!" They ordered. "W-wait a minute! I'm not the thief! He is!" The guy cried, pointing to the man on the floor.
"What do you mean you're not the thief? Jeez the nerve of these thieves these days." The police shouted as the man in his underwear began to run while shouting "I'm telling the truth! You've got the wrong person!"
An hour later….
"You wind up in every situation possible, don't you Arata?" A man with short black hair came in through the jail cell door. Arata grinned at the sight of his best friend. "Hey, how did I know they'd take me to jail in just my underwear?" He complained as His friend chucked a bag of clothes at him. He caught it and took a look inside.
"Just put your clothes on so I can leave already!" The guy said irritably. Arata just chuckled. "Calm down Sai." He said while pulling his shirt over his head. Sai shook his head. The guy could be completely clueless sometimes. No matter what the situation, Arata always managed to screw something up.
Later on, Sai was driving Arata home. The two calmly talked about things they hadn't already mentioned to one another. Sai, being 24, a year older than his friend Arata, was naturally more mature. But then again, a five year old could be more mature than Arata.
"Man, why do you keep driving this piece of junk?" Arata jerked his thumb at the car. "I'm scared It'll just stop in the middle of the road. We should have taken the subway." He continued to complain. "Yet you chased a thief in your underwear?" Sai shook his head and sighed. "Hey, when a man hears a woman cry out, he must go and save her! If I got the chance to do it all over, I'd do it exactly how I did it!" Arata defended himself. Sai groaned. "You couldn't have worn Boxes?" Arata looked shocked that Sai would even suggest that. "I like briefs!" He protested. Sai face palmed. "At least wear Speedos." He sighed again. Now Arata looked absolutely appalled. "No way would you ever catch me wearing Speedos! Anyway, a good deed is a good deed. No matter what kind of underwear your wearing!" Arata pouted. Sai chuckled slightly. "Since when did you get so poetic?" He asked. But then he went serious. "People like us, no matter if we're good or bad. We live in a world where the tattoos on our backs mark us as sinners and criminals." Sai lowered his gaze on the road. Arata decided to cheer his friend up a little.
"Pretty poetic for a virgin…" Arata grinned. Sai blushed deeply, refusing to look at his friend. "S-shut up!" He muttered. Arata grinned harder. "I bet you've never even held a girls hand before! 24 years old, and only had one girlfriend!" It was then that Arata realized he had gone a bit too far. Sai stopped blushing, and focused strictly on the road.
*Flashback*
"Miss, are you currently dating a man named Sai?" A weird looking figure stopped a passing by woman. The woman was shocked to be stopped by a random stranger. "Uh..yes…I am…." She answered with a frown. "How did you—
"Look, just pass a message on to him. If he doesn't quit that little gang he joined, where going to cut you up into a million tiny pieces!" The man threatened with a grin. The woman was shocked. Sai? In a gang? Why hadn't he told her? What the hell?
The strange figure shuffled away into the shadows of the night, leaving her to her own thoughts. After a quick shake of her head, she ran inside to the comfort of her home. Planning to question her lover tomorrow.
The next day….
"What's wrong Maiko?" Sai asked his lover. They were sitting in a little café near the local pier. Maiko averted her eyes before asking. "Are….are you….are you in a gang?" She asked him quietly. Sai stared at her for a full ten seconds before answering. "Yes. I am." She looked at him in fear. "And did you know…..did you know yesterday a man came up and threatened me if you didn't leave your gang?" Maiko was on the verge of tears now.
"What? When was this! Maiko, why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Sai looked alarmed. He reached over to grab her wrist. "I can't live like this! Why didn't you tell me!" She broke into sobs. Sai panicked, never had he seen Maiko cry like this before. "Maiko…." He went to comfort her, but she recoiled at his touch. "We're over Sai. I love you, but I can't go through stuff like this!" She sobbed as tears ran down her face. Suddenly, she stood up and ran out of the restaurant, leaving Sai dumbfounded in his chair.
It was late at night when Sai arrived at the parking lot. He knew the members of the opposing gang would hang out here some times. It was just his luck that a member of the group suddenly walked past. The guy turned around and faced Sai, wondering what the hell he wanted. "What do you want?" His words sounded a bit slurred, obviously that meant he had been drinking. "To answer your message." Sai said simply, and aimed a direct kick at the man's head. The guy fell backwards onto his ass, looking completely pathetic. "Don't play dirty! Tell your leader that Sai wants a faceoff!" Sai yelled at the cowering man. He watched as the man scrambled up and bolted for his life. Sai grinned and walked away, off to go get drunk with his friend Arata and spill out all his troubles.
…..
"Fuck….does a guy who can't even hold on to his girl have the right to call himself a man? From now on, I'm a woman!" Sai hiccupped as he spoke to his friend, who was for once, acting serious.
"Stop bitching about a girl that won't even have you! Just forget about her! She should be the regretful one, not you!" Arata encouraged while drinking that last bit of his alcohol. Sai frowned at his friend. "Don't lump Maiko together with other girls!" His words were slurred and he hiccupped again.
"You're my friend, the most important person to me right now! If I had it my way, I'd beat the girl senseless! You really don't know how important you are to me! You and I grew up at the same orphanage for 13 years, you can't think that you mean absolutely nothing to me!" Arata groaned into his empty cup. "A bloody random woman with nothing going for her, doing this to you, it just pisses me off!"
"Maiko didn't do anything wrong! It was all me! I was being way to –Hic— greedy." Sai said setting his cup down. Arata groaned again before announcing "I'm gonna drown myself in beer." And chugging down an entire bottle. Sai laughed at his friend. The two went back to Sai's house, laughing about nothing in particular.
No one knew that tomorrow would change their lives.
It was 6am when Arata answered the phone. "Hello?" He grunted into it, still half asleep. "PLEASE! SAVE ME!" There was a desperate cry coming from the other end of the line. Arata sat bolt upright. "W-who are you?" He stammered, getting out of bed. "Come down here in an hour. If you don't, you'll never see her again! You know where I am right?"
Arata was completely shocked "W-wait a minute! Who are you!"Arata shouted into the phone. There was no answer, only Maiko's pleads for help. Arata glanced at the sleeping form of Sai next to him. "Fuck." He muttered. Sparing one last glance for his friend, Arata grabbed his coat and ran out the door. Determined to save his friends girl.
It didn't take Arata long to get to the warehouse. He had guessed from what Sai said about Maiko's break up, it had to be those same people that threatened Maiko. Arata knew that it was the low life gang members of "Red Backed Warriors." Both he and Sai had many arguments and fights with them before. Only a few years ago, had they found the place where they liked to call their hide out. Arata, normally they happy-go-lackey kind of guy, now wore a angered expression. In his left hand, he held a baseball bat, prepared to use on anyone who tried to stop him. He sucked in a deep breath before slamming the door open.
His anger only grew as he saw Maiko tied up and squirming on the floor. A man, grinning, sitting on a chair acting all high and mighty. "Oh, good your finally here…." The man smiled up at Arata. "What the fuck is this? I knew you guys were creeps but I didn't think you would sink this low! If you wanted a fight, you only had to invite us!" Arata yelled, other members of the creepy gang circled him, like a pack of wolves.
"Wasn't it you guys who broke my friends neck?" The leader smirked. Arata grinned. "What makes you think I have anything to do with that?" Arata watched as the leaders face contorted with rage. "IT WAS THAT SON OF A BITCH SAI WHO BROKE HIS NEAK! YOU THINK I'M GONNA LET THAT SLIDE? YOU PEOPLE PARALISED MY BROTHER! WHERE'S THAT ASSHOLE SAI!"
Arata's grin widened. "Why would he bother himself with a low life piece of trash like you?" Arata then raised his bat and swung. Maiko only watched in fear as the friend of her ex-lover bashed the skulls of the gang.
Elsewhere….
"SIR! SIR WAKE UP! ARATA –pant— ARATA….." A younger member of Sai's gang burst in. Sai sat bolt upright, glaring at the guy. "What do you mean? What's wrong with Arata?" The poor younger guy panted a little more before answering. "They took him sir. They took him to a building somewhere! They've got him held captive!" Sai's eyes widened before he ran out the door to save his friend.
Meanwhile, Arata sat in a chair. He was tied down to it to prevent his escape. He groaned and looked around, struggling in his bonds. The leader, all bloodied up from the previous fight smirked. "I told you I wouldn't let you go." Arata gave him his trade mark grin. "You think the way we're living right now is a life? I don't care if I die!" He yelled into the leader's face. The leader growled before leaning right up into Arata's face. "You think I'm going to kill you? No…no…I'm going to break every bone in your body, one by one!"
Arata laughed "Oh! I'm sooo scared~! I think I'm gonna faint!" He joked, laughing harder than ever. "Fucking bastered!" The leader snarled. He raised the bat Arata had brought with him and swung in into Arata's knee. Arata groaned and sucked in a breath through his teeth. The leader continued to hit Arata over and over with his own bat. Maiko had tears running down her cheeks. 'I won't scream.' Arata promised himself as the bat hit him once again. "Sai….Sai…." He gasped the bat hit his head with full force. He slumped forward in the chair, just as his friend crashed his way through the door.
"HEY, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Sai shouted. He was pissed. "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!" he thundered. He punched the first guy he saw to the floor. Behind him, another guy raised a bat, trying to hit him. Only, that didn't work. Sai dodged it and glared at the guy. He punched him and turned to the rest if the gang. 'shit, he's just as strong as they say.' The leader thought. Maiko watched in amazement. The gentle, shy man Maiko thought she knew hit guys over and over with skill.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Sai yelled, raising a fallen bat. The leader cringed as Sai smacked the bat into him again and again. He went to hit the man again when he felt something near his back. He turned his head to see Maiko, her eyes pleading. She no longer wanted to see anymore of this. "Don't try to stop me! It's an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!" He shouted and grabbed the leader by the collar. The man cringed again, waiting for the blow. Maiko ran in front of the man, protecting him with her own body. She didn't want to see this ever again.
Sai stared into her eyes. Maiko shook her head and Sai lowered the bat. He dropped it on the floor and embraced Maiko, not even caring that the leader had ran out of the room. He untied her bonds and the rag that was preventing her from speaking. Once free, she spoke. "Sai, please! Your different from them! Don't sink to their level." She cried into his chest.
Nobody noticed the guy that Sai had punched before stand up and pull out a knife.
He plunged the knife deep into Maiko's back. Her eyes widened and she stared into Sai's dark grey eyes, her green ones filled with tears, before she slumped in his arms. Sai froze, his own eyes wide with shock. He held her as she died, crying out her name.
*End of flashback*
"Don't talk about it Arata." Sai grumbled, his eyes never leaving the road.
Alright! Another chapter! Hope you guys like it, and sorry about the sad sob stories, but it helps you understand the people better. Anyway, I know Sai sounds VERY OOC here, but I couldn't help it. Please understand. Also thanks for the Reviews, I'm glad you like the story!