Yeah, so I've decided to incorporate social ideals into my stories, and various other possibly-politically-and-socially-insensitive statements, so if any readers feel like I'm not expressing something correctly then please feel free to comment in the reviews - constructively.
Big thanks to Lili Bibi, Fruity Smell and Ichigo-chan for reviewing! :)
"Alright crew, listen up." Temari suddenly stood up from her seat, jolting Tenten out of her nap. The brunette grimaced. "ETA in one hour, and it's about time we discuss our strategy for this Tournament, so get your lazy asses off your seats and gather around!" She grinned energetically and tapped her foot on the seat several times, waiting impatiently for her sleepy team to congregate. "First things first, we need an image."
"An image?" Sasuke repeated dumbly.
"Yes. We need to find a way to capture people's attention."
"Why not just go in normally. That's what all the other teams did in the past."
Temari nodded her head in agreement. "Bo-o-ring! This year, we want people to notice us. We want them to really focus their attention on us, and let's face it: if we just waltzed in and back out like all the previous Suna competitors, whose team would the home country root for? And what about all those potential clients watching us, whose team would they focus more attention on?"
"Konoha's team," Ino piped up, having woken up from her sleep seconds before, "A valid point."
Temari flashed her a brilliant smile. "Well, this year our team definitely has something all the other teams never had. Spunk. Just think, we can use this spunk to our advantage - I'm thinking bold and daring, but to an extent. Recklessness won't get us anywhere either."
"So," spoke up Gaara, "I see where you're coming from. This so called 'image' you want our team to keep up will indeed bring more attention to our team and its individuals, but what if our "bold and daring" attitudes attract too much attention? You should know what would happen to us should we perform one little fault - not only will we be ridiculed about all around the world, our Academy's reputation will be ruined! As our team captain, you need to think this through more."
Tenten, seeing the unconvinced expression on her best friend's face, quickly interjected. "Temari, as much as your idea is fantastic, Gaara's right. We need to discuss this more as a group and set some ground rules before we commence, especially with the attention we'll be gathering later on."
Gaara shot her a rare smile. The entire group awkwardly acknowledged Temari's sudden drop in confidence, watching her mull over her ideas in silence. Keeping up an image, as she thought, wasn't just a way to attract attention. It was to make sure their true abilities - supernatural and mental - lay hidden in themselves before the Final Battle of the competition, even though its entire purpose was to promote inter-group bonding. Some secrets needed to be kept in the dark.
Temari sighed after a lengthy pause. "Alright, I get it. So, rules. Number one: No-"
"No violating anyone on the other team." Kankurou exclaimed, earning several shocked glances. "What? It's bound to happen! If not by Mr. Uchiha over there, then by Konoha's team. And if that happens, we'll obviously be the ones on the moral highground!"
"Nicknames," Sai interjected himself into the conversation, surprising his team members, "According to this handbook, lowering the register between participants through diminutive names promotes camaraderie and serves to reflect the minimalized social distance between, in this instance, a group. May I have the honour of distributing these nicknames?"
They took a moment to process his words. Then with a joyous laugh, Temari hugged Sai, surprising the boy. "Sai! You're a genius! Alright everybody, let's set to work. We don't have much time left."
She clicked her fingers and barked orders to her team members, who willingly obliged, knowing there was no way Temari would be distracted once she started something. Sasuke, who took a moment to observe the bustling scene before him, smirked at his leader's imperious commands to the two other females in his group ("Ten, I don't care if you hate make-up, this is for the team. Now, go, go, go!"). He watched them bicker back and forth with Temari, whose face was becoming redder by the minute as more they refused to co-operate with her ludicrous demands. Several objects flew around the bus as Temari finally snapped -
"All of this arguing! You will work together, Ino. You will wear make-up, Tenten. You need to look presentable for a minimum of...ten hours! DO you hear me? And Sasuke, do what I told you to do or I swear I will cut off your-"
He narrowly avoided a sharp object flying in his general direction and chuckled while extracting his best clothes from the suitcase.
To say that Konohagakure was in a state of anxiety was an understatement. It was the epitome of cluttered chaos. With only twenty or so minutes to spare before the arrival of their Suna guests, and a number of tasks to be completed before the Opening Ceremony, everyday citizens, shinobi and Gensho alike were zooming around the Village in preparation for the month's events.
Amidst the confusion, a slim, dark-haired girl clad in black trudged up a grassy hill. She bore a bouquet of white flowers which were reflected in her equally-white eyes - now glassy from the tears that threatened to pour down her heart-shaped face.
She arrived at the top and walked towards a humble-looking gravestone. Ever so carefully, she knelt down to place the flowers in a plain white vase in front of the stone and wiped off heavily-accumulated dust resting on the metal plaque. Hyuga Hina, it read. The girl closed her watery eyes, allowing a tear to trickle down her cheek.
"Hinata, Hinata!"
Shocked, she opened her still-teary eyes and looked around. No one was there. Slowly, she rested her right hand on the ground before closing her eyes again.
"Byakugan," she whispered, as the veins around her temples bulged. Her senses were suddenly heightened while she searched deep under the ground. Over vast expanses she connected with the passing trees, the healthy green grass as if swayed with the wind. Everything she set sight on rejoiced. Every rock, every leaf, even the bubbling brook that ran its course near the Hyuga mansion gurgled in delight. Millions of voices were whispered into her ear - some loud, some soft, some curious. She was one with nature.
A sudden snap of a twig and its agonizing shout nearby caused her to jolt out of her trance and she quickly tracked down the perpetrator. N-Naruto-kun? True to her vision, a blonde-haired boy in the Gensho Tournament uniform was approaching her - fast. She deactivated her Byakugan and hurriedly said her prayers to the gravestone before she hastily stood up, brushing off the dirt on her pants.
"Naruto-kun, i-is anything wrong?" she asked as said boy appeared before her, barely out of breath from running continuously up the steep hill. He seemed to have not heard her question, as he suddenly peered past her shoulder at her mother's tombstone. His eyes, so full of life only a few seconds ago, were downcast. She had only seen Naruto look this depressed once in her entire life.
It was during her first encounter with him at his parents' funeral. It had been a morose day for the villagers of Konoha, mourning the death of their youngest - and without a doubt, strongest - Hokage and his lively wife. She vaguely remembered being dressed in black clothes and afterwards clinging on to her mother's hand as they strode towards the funeral site.
They stood in their respective places among the Hyuga clan. She peeped out from behind her mother's legs, curiously looking around at the grief-stricken faces surrounding her. Hundreds of people dressed in the same colour as she wept miserably - but as her eyes ventured from one face to another, a high-pitched sob caught her attention. She looked towards the source of the abrupt noise. A young boy was sobbing inconsolably at the feet of a burly white-haired man. Hinata expected someone to usher him out of the crowd - just like she always witnessed when young Hyuga children cried. Surprisingly, no one did.
"Okaa-san, who is he?" The young girl directed her mother's gaze to the still-weeping blonde boy.
"He is the Yondaime Hokage's son, Hinata."
A rapid gust of wind brought Hinata out of her thoughts. She looked towards Naruto, who was now kneeling in front of the memorial stone. His body was tense, for reasons unknown to the girl, so she slowly approached him, careful not to make any noises lest she distract him from his thoughts.
"Hyuga Hina," he said. Hinata tilted her head inquiringly at him, although he could not see it as his back was turned towards her. "Is she your mother?"
This time he turned his head to the side to look at her. She could see the faintest traces of tears which no doubt streaked down his face earlier. Hinata nodded slowly, unsure of how he knew this connection. Since her mother's death 13 years ago, few outside the clan knew of the relationship between her and her mother.
Naruto smiled, not his usual overenthusiastic grin, but a small and sincere one. "You look just like her. Your mother, I mean. Seems you inherited her kind personality as well."
She blushed, not used to receiving compliments - and from Naruto, too. His smiling face returned to its previous, mourning state and turned back to face the stone. Hinata, positive that it was now safe to come near him, took a deep breath and stepped forward. Several more steps followed and soon she too was kneeling beside him, hands resting on her lap.
How did he know her mother? It was uncommon, if not rare, for her mother to leave the Hyuga estate for reasons other than village-wide events. Surely he could have had no way of meeting her?
"Hey, Hinata. I think it's time I told you this, but-"
A loud, booming noise sounded in the distance, startling the two. Fire crackers and a series of majestic trumpet blares could be heard. We had a festival?
"Oh shoot!" the boy exclaimed suddenly. Hinata shot him a surprised glanced. "I just remembered why I came here. We have to get back to the Hokage Monument for the Tournament."
She widened her eyes in understanding. How could she have forgotten all about that? Thank goodness she remembered to put on her uniform before.
"Y-yes, we should get going now, s-shouldn't we?" He grinned at her and stood up, silently sending his prayers to the tombstone before quickly grabbing her hand. She felt blood rush to the top of her head immediately and was on the verge of passing out when she heard Naruto's panicked yelling.
"Hinata! Hinata! Oh my gosh, what do I do? Hinata, don't faint now, Neji'll kill me! HINAT- oh, hell."
She felt her legs being lifted off from the ground by a strong pair of arms and blushed straight away after realising who the owner of the pair of arms was. She felt the wind nipping past her and Naruto carried her towards the Hokage Monument before promptly passing out.
Disclaimer: Nothing here is owned by me.
Hope you enjoyed this one! :D
~misspandalily