Chapter 1 - In the Event of Signing Any Contract

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto!

"Join the peach farming club!"

"Make a wish and become a magical girl today,"

"Hey, try to hit me you little shrimp! Loan shark club might be right for you!"

"It's not like I want you to join our club because you look like you'd fit in well with us or anything! I-Idiot!"

"Tennis!"

"Cooking club," Hinata said breathlessly, running away from a club member wielding a trumbone. "Where is the cooking club?"

A boy smiled at her and handed her a form. "Here,"

"Oh, th-thank you!" she exclaimed.

Hinata glanced warily at a small first year surrounded at all sides by the knitting club and shuddered. The last she saw of the poor kid was flashing needles and wide, terrified eyes.

Oh well. She was just happy to finally find the club she was looking for. Hinata smoothed the paper on her knee as she sat on a bench covered in cherry blossom petals.

Name: Hyuuga Hinata

Year: 1

Class: 1-B

Experience:

Hinata tapped her chin with her pen at that, enjoying the sunlight warming her skin and the gentle breeze in her hair. Ah, this was it. Her rose-tinted, beautiful, youthful high school life. She smiled as she wrote,

Bake sales and cooking at home.

Hinata blinked at the parentheses underneath.

(Include all previous experiences, including experience with contrabands)

Contrabands? As in something illegal? Illegal…food? Illegal cooking utensils? She bit her lip, white eyes squinting. Surely it was a typo?

Interests: Reading, gardening

"I sound like a granny," she muttered. She quickly added watching movies

Hinata pursed her lips and finished the rest of the form (former alliances, aliases, and territor[y/ies]). Surely the club just had an unconventional way of asking things.

She vaguely heard screams from where the kendo team and basketball team were "recruiting." Neji had informed her that recruiting largely consisted of beating first years to near death and then accepting those who still wanted to join. Hinata shook her head and held herself. She was not going back into the fray, dubious club forms be damned!

Her all girls' school and the all boys' school only joined together during the club fair for both recruiting, festivities, and flirting. Hormones and the rare occasion of interacting with the opposite sex erupted like a nuclear bomb of bad pick-up lines and coy smiles. Hinata looked away from a boy doing an impression of a penguin waddle in front of an unimpressed girl. This would be the springtime of her youth! Cooking club would be it!

llllll

"This can't be the right form,"

Hinata scratched her cheek.

"What, uh, makes you say that?"

Ino shot her a flat look and slammed the folder down on Hinata's desk.

"Hinata, they're asking for a bodycount. Come on, you can't misinterpret that,"

Hinata looked up to make sure their teacher hadn't noticed the sound the folder made. She fidgeted with her skirt hem and giggled.

"M-Maybe it's a bodycount for how many people you've 'knocked dead' with the yumminess of your food. Haha, see, it's just a joke, Ino-chan!"

At her best friend's unchanged expression, Hinata straightened in her seat and looked the blonde right in the eye.

"I made it a personal goal for myself to join a club in high school. I," she clenched her hem, knuckles white. "I was too much of a coward to join any clubs or teams in middle school, so I was - I am resolved to be active and make new friends this time. If I don't try to change," Hinata lowered her head. "If I don't try to improve myself now, it'll just become a bad behavior that will follow me for the rest of my life. So I'm going to check it out,"

Ino stared at her for a beat, then she sighed.

"I understand that, and I think you're beautiful for being brave and wanting that for yourself, but why not pick a club that seems more…what's the word -" her eyes brightened as she found the right word. "Legitimate,"

Hinata smiled at her friend's concern. "I will be careful when I go to the meeting. I promise to get out if it turns out bad. Besides," she grinned. "I have Neji-nii on speed dial!"

She wasn't surprised to see Ino was still worried with the way she was tugging on her long ponytail.

Ino gave her a small smile in return. "Hm, I don't think anyone wants to mess with anyone who has Neji on speed-dial."

The last bell rang and the girls packed up their things. Ino waved as she headed to her family's flower shop. Hinata had the club application form securely in her schoolbag.

"Under the tree at the east corner of the school," she mumbled, darting her eyes to see if there was anyone else at the meeting spot.

Ten minutes passed.

Her shoulders slumped. She tugged at her bag strap and exhaled softly.

"Maybe I should just find another club like Ino-chan said,"

Just when Hinata was about to go home, a pink van pulled up. It had paper hearts and flowers decorating it and a "Just married" sign in red and white plastic letters on the front.

"Aww," she smiled. "Newlyw-MMMF!"

A large hand clamped over her mouth and nose, a hard body shoving her forward from behind. Hinata watched with wide eyes as the pink car door jerked opened from the inside and caught her captor's shin.

"Ow! What the hell, dude? That hurts!"

Hinata took the chance to squirm and kick, but the boy promptly shoved her into the car.

"Quit your squealing, dick,"

A boy with spiky brown hair and red markings on his face caught her. Hinata lunged forward towards the door, but a blonde boy with whisker-like markings on his face got in, rubbing his shin.

"That all of them?" The other boy had her wrists in his hand. He grinned at her. "I mean, not that you're not cute but we were hoping for more girls,"

The blonde clapped her shoulder, blue eyes bright and smiling. "So what's your name?"

There was a distinct sound of paper rustling.

"Hyuuga Hinata, class 1-B," the brown-haired boy read off her application.

He snickered. "'Likes to garden',"

"H-How did you get that?" she squeaked.

Her schoolbag was opened on his lap.

Well.

He smirked. "I'm Kiba. This is-"

The blonde slung an arm around her shoulder."Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!"

Hinata looked at his arm in disbelief.

"Be-Believe-?"

"We're here! C'mon Hinata-chan. We gotta hustle,"

When Hinata gathered her bearings (the contents of her spilled bag, her surprise that her hands had been freed for some time, her risen-up skirt, and her hair), she slid out of the car behind Naruto and Kiba. Hinata made to run away, but suddenly the two rather muscular and tall boys flanked her with matching dangerous grins.

If you cooperate, we won't sell your organs. Or something.

To add to her dismay, the Kiba boy had her cellphone in his hand. She didn't want to know when or how he'd swiped it from her skirt pocket.

Hinata looked on helplessly as they led her past silver gates.

"This - This is the Uchiha compound," Hinata said. The red and white clan symbol was set proudly in her line of sight. Her heart dropped as the gates closed behind them with a sound click

She paled.

"Wh-Why are we here?"

Naruto pounded her back. "Chill, you're our new member, so you gotta be here,"

"New member…of the cooking club?" Her voice trailed off at the end.

The boys exchanged looks then burst out laughing.

"Cooking club? Nah, this is a gang!"

Kiba's flashed his fangs. "We're Rookies, Hina-chan."