Disclaimer: Naruto characters are owned by Masashi Kishomoto and not me.
Chapter 1 Tryout
It was her homeroom class, scheduled right after lunch, which might be the reason for her slight drowsiness. She ran a hand through her indigo hair, right down to the tip which usually resides on the middle of her back when untied. She rested her elbow on her desk that was situated on the back of the room while cupping her chin with her hand, her pale lavender eyes lazily looking around. Nothing special really, just a classroom full of students wearing the same outfit as she does – navy blue blazers with a white polo shirt underneath with black plaid skirts that reached to their knees for the girls and black slacks for the boys.
"Hamachi, Kazuki."
H already? Her head perked up, nervousness setting in at the thought of speaking up at the whole class, however short it is.
"Here."
"Hyuuga, Hinata."
Hinata Hyuuga, the eye heiress is here! And then make it easier by saying it with one word… just one word, Hinata. One!
"H-here." Damn. She mentally smacked her forehead, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks.
"Inuzuka, Kiba."
"HEEERRREE-ow!" Kiba suddenly put both hands on top of his head, massaging the part where a book had crashed. He looked behind his chair and glared. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, INO?!"
A blonde girl whose hair was pony-tailed looked at him with distaste. "You don't have to raise both your arms and scream like a banshee just to let the teacher know you're there, stupid!" She lifted her chin defiantly, arching a brow at the brown-haired loud-mouth.
Hinata giggled softly with a hand covering her mouth. Her pale lavender eyes crinkled in amusement as she temporarily forgot about her social incapacity problem. Kiba tilted his head to the left, looking at her with his pair of brown, watery, puppy-dog eyes, a far cry from the menacing stare the blonde girl had received.
"What kind of a friend are you, Hinata? Laughing when your bestest friend gets hurt!" Kiba pouted dramatically.
At this statement, Hinata blushed while bowing her head down in embarrassment, her pointing fingers pushing against each other.
"AAHHHH –" Kiba semi-stood in alarm because of her action, stretching both arms towards the girl. "– I was just kidding, Hinata!"
"MR. INUZUKA!" A raven-haired woman stood a foot away from the front of Kiba's desk, her paper-filled hands at her sides, her blood-red eyes showing complete annoyance over the boy.
"Ahaha, Miss Yuhi!" Kiba's right hand was now slowly scratching the back of his neck in discomfort. Any student would have felt this this when faced by Kurenai Yuhi, homeroom (terror) teacher of Class 1-B.
Kurenai smirked. She just loved being a teacher. "I have a gift for you Mr. Inuzuka, a welcome home present from your two-months worth of vacation," she said cattily as she handed him a small green paper.
Ino snickered behind Kiba, which invariably earned Kurenai's attention. She visibly gulped at her teacher's intimidating stare.
"Ah, Miss Yamanaka, how are you? I have something for you, too," Kurenai handed the blonde girl a similar paper from the one given to Kiba, much to the girl's chagrin. She turned her back on the girl, facing the class with unpleasant eyes, her right brow arching into an inverted check mark. "Anyone else wants detention?"
----
Hinata stood on a covered pathway, her back resting on one of the metal posts that lined it. Her uneasy eyes were focused on a large gilded gate, the main gate of the campus that led to the outside world.
What am I supposed to do? Kiba isn't here and so is Shino. And he won't be here until next week. Cousin Neji's class won't be finished in three hours. Ino would sometimes hang out with me but she's in detention with Kiba. I-
"I don't want to be alone."
For the past few years Hinata had learned to value friendship, seeing that she gets her strength by being with people she was close to, cared for. Mind you, she still couldn't handle a crowd, but two or three people together with her usually work best for her.
She sighed in frustration while kicking an abandoned eraser she found lying in the ground. She watched its progress as it bounced on the tiled path. The eraser stopped when it hit a shoe. A black leather shoe and, yes, someone was wearing it. She whipped her head up to see who it was but immediately wished she hadn't when a pair of black eyes met hers.
Not just anyone's black eyes, but Sasuke Uchiha's black eyes. Cold, cold, black eyes; lifeless – like those owned by an expensive porcelain doll… staring straight at you, staring straight through you, yet completely impervious by what it sees.
She couldn't take her eyes off him. Even when his eyes narrowed slightly, her body just tensed up. Usually, she would have just looked away and hide behind either Kiba or Shino until he's gone but that clearly wasn't an option now. So what was different now? Why wasn't she hiding behind one of those metal posts? Honestly, she didn't know. What she did know was this was the first time Sasuke Uchiha looked at her while actually acknowledging her existence. That she was there, alive and breathing.
He was the first one to look away. He slid his hands into his pant pockets, his navy blue blazers creasing and hitching up a bit. He started to walk slowly away from her, opposite the direction she was facing, to the school gymnasium she supposed.
She let out her breath, much to her surprise. She didn't realize she was holding it throughout their staring match. Her heartbeat was faster than normal and her hands were fisted tightly, too. She was uneasy discovering many things she wasn't aware of while looking at those eyes devoid of any emotion. If she had been breaking into a cold sweat anyone who would see her would have thought she was having some sort of panic attack.
She let out another breath, this time a little shaky. She was just about to haul herself straight up when a blur of orange passed her.
"SASUKEEE!!" A blonde boy with spiky hair ran past her, a slim box in his right hand – a DVD box, Hinata deduced. The blonde boy suddenly skidded to a halt when he reached a few meters away from her and looked back. His eyes grew larger and a large grin erupted on his face.
"Oi! HINATA!" The blonde yelled, waving both his hands madly in the air so fast that she couldn't read what was written on the box he was holding – not that she was interested in knowing what the DVD contained. Okay, maybe a little.
"Naruto, you blockhead!" A pink-haired girl interrupted with her voice slightly raised. She stomped her way a few inches to where the blonde boy wearing an orange shirt with black jeans was standing. "You don't have to yell that loud when Hinata is that close to you, stupid!" She scolded with her fist shaking furiously in front of the boy. She faced Hinata. "I'm sorry, Hinata, if Naruto alarmed you. He is after all an idiot!" The pink-haired girl smiled sincerely at Hinata with her hands behind her back in a friendly pose.
Hinata blushed. She stole a glance towards the blonde then looked back again at the smiling girl. Make that a beautiful smiling girl.
Beautiful, intelligent, confident, and loved by the only person Hinata admired most – Naruto. Her eyes dimmed a little as she looked at the girl wearing a pink halter-top and a white skirt that ended an inch above her knees. She bowed her head, her bangs successfully covering her eyes as she stole a glance at the blonde boy whose left arm was currently scratching the back of his head in embarrassment but still having a large grin plastered on his face.
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I was just so glad to see you! Oh–" the boy's eyes grew larger, obviously remembering something. His head whipped on the direction of where he was heading previously. "SASUKE, YOU BASTARD! WAIT FOR ME, DAMN YOU!" He ran, not giving Hinata any backward glance.
A knot popped out of the pink-haired girl's temples. She sighed in defeat but looked at Hinata again. "I'm really sorry about Naruto, Hinata. He just gets too excited at times," she said with an apologetic smile.
"It's fine, Miss Sakura. I'm not really what Na- he went for anyway," Hinata said with a smile. She had her small hands waving in front of her, emphasizing that it was really fine – to a certain extent.
"I knew you'd understand, Hinata! And, please stop calling me Miss Sakura! It's not like we weren't classmates before. Well, see you!" Sakura waived and followed Naruto.
Naruto. Hinata watched both Naruto and Sakura's retreating back with sad eyes, wishing she was more forward. If she was then she would be there with them, more especially, with him.
Didn't Sakura say something about being friends? She mentally groaned. Okay, she said classmates but that could count, right? That means I have a right to be with them, at least. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath, her way of strengthening her resolve. I can do this.
She took a tentative step… and another… and another one after that. Until she was slowly working her way down the covered walk towards the school gymnasium.
----
Upon hearing Naruto screaming his name out loud for the second time, Sasuke finally stopped walking. He tilted his head sideways and back to see Naruto madly dashing towards him, a look of annoyance all over his face. He smirked. Leaning sideways onto one of the metal posts that lined the covered path, he deliberately set out to extend his leg on the tiled pathway.
Naruto, who wasn't expecting Sasuke to actually stop for him, was unable to end his run that quickly as he desired because of his high momentum and the smooth, expensive tiled path. So, even though he tried his hardest to break his movement by the time he was on level with Sasuke, he was still skidding slowly to a halt. His feet connected with Sasuke's heel, making him topple over the ground. He yelped when the DVD box suddenly flew out of his hand.
Sasuke involuntarily grabbed the DVD box with his two hands when it flew towards him. With curiosity getting the better of him, he glanced at the black-themed box, quickly scanning the contents written on it. Deeming it unworthy of his interest after perusing it, he tossed it onto the unsuspecting Naruto, who was still busy trying to right himself after kissing the ground.
Naruto's eyes grew bigger as he saw the box fly towards him. "AAAHHH–" he screamed as he tried to save the box from dropping to the ground with fretful hands. The DVD box bounced precariously on his hands for a few times before it sat securely.
"–BASTARD," Naruto huffed, his finger pointing angrily at him. "Do you have any idea how much I paid for this thing?!" Naruto yelled once again at Sasuke.
Sasuke turned his back and walked away, completely ignoring Naruto.
----
Hinata stumbled, albeit walking at a very slow pace, when she was able to hear Naruto's yelling voice. She blushed at the stream of profanities he was angrily throwing at Sasuke. She watched in silence as Sakura, who finally got to them, went behind Naruto and delivered a blow to his head, earning him an egg-sized bump that had him near to tears. Sakura didn't seem to be satisfied with just delivering a blow to him. She proceeded to yell at him for talking to her Sasuke like that; that he was in no way ever going to act like a boss around Sasuke because he never would be above Sasuke – ever.
She really wished she could do that to Naruto. Not the part where Sakura delivered a blow on his head or the part where she yelled her head off on him, but the part where everything just happened naturally. She stopped walking when she deemed it safe for her presence to not get noticed. She proceeded to hide herself on one of the metal posts of the covered path. She stopped midway, remembering her resolve just a few minutes ago. She heaved a nervous sigh, wringing her hands together in uncertainty. She knew who was causing her indecision and it wasn't Naruto this time – it was the raven-haired boy whose back was facing Naruto and Sakura… Sasuke Uchiha.
She was pretty sure she was okay with Naruto and Sakura but she didn't take into account Sasuke's presence. She didn't know why she missed that vital information; the three were practically inseparable even if Sasuke studied in a different school – not that it was a problem since it was just a few blocks away from the school Naruto and Sakura go to.
She debated internally with herself whether or not she was going to push through with her goal. While she was still thinking of stepping to where the others were or just go back and wait for her cousin on the front gate, another thing registered on her mind – the grounds was silent.
She focused her eyes and saw Sasuke now facing Naruto and Sakura with a dark scowl, Sakura clenching her fists on her sides while facing Naruto, and Naruto was facing Sasuke with his arms crossed in front of him. And Naruto… Naruto was smiling. Smugly.
----
Sasuke had to give the blonde boy some credit. Naruto was stupid but he knew how to push just about everyone's button – self included. His scowl deepened, his hands clenching tightly inside his pant pockets.
"What –" he started through gritted teeth. "– did you say?" He finished with a death glare.
"When did you become deaf, Sasuke?"
"Naruto!" Sakura berated.
Naruto sighed loudly. "I said you're just afraid I'll beat you in this game, Scaredy Cat."
Silence met the group. Sasuke continued to glare at Naruto while he in return threw him a challenging look.
"Fine," Sasuke conceded after what seemed like an eternity of silence.
Sakura, who was holding her breath after Naruto's taunt, let out her breath rather audibly, relieved at the outcome.
"Really? Woohoo! Man, you are so gonna love 'Ninja'. It's been getting fantastic reviews!" Naruto made a jabbing motion with his hand, the one holding the DVD box. "Anyway, the server is gonna be restarting at 8:00 PM tonight since it finished its beta phase two days ago. There's a manual inside the box once you buy it. OH! And don't forget me and Sakura are gonna be picking Fire Country – it's the place where you're supposed to be loyal with. AAAANND don't forget to IM me or Sakura your handle so we can PM you in-game! Oh, and Shikamaru, Chouji, Gaa– HEY!" This as Sasuke took the DVD box from his outstretched hand and started to walk away. "WHAT THE HELL, SASUKE?! That's my copy!"
"No, this is mine," Sasuke stated without glancing back at the two while tucking the box in his right arm. His tone brooked no argument.
Naruto tried to take the box from Sasuke's retreating back, opposite the direction he was originally heading for, while he shouted a mouthful of profanities once again. However, Sakura stopped him from doing so, successfully stopping his progress with her outstretched arms.
"Come on, Naruto. If you want Sasuke to play it, then just go buy yourself a new one."
"AAAHH! I'M GONNA BE BROKE!"
Sasuke walked away with a smirk, his hands going back to their home – his pant pockets. As he walked he came face-to-face with Hinata. Her face was flushed red and her fingers were pushing against each other. That seems to be a trademark of hers. He scowled as he remembered the words she had uttered while he was passing her by. He threw her a glare and he didn't stop glaring at her until he went past where she stood, looking back at him uncomfortably, rooted to the ground.
----
Neji, a second year student and cousin to the 'eye heiress', Hinata, sat on the back of one of the many cars owned by the Hyuuga empire. He sat on the rightmost seat while Hinata sat on his left side. He was looking out of the window, his right elbow sitting on the arm rest on his side, his chin resting on the back of his palm.
"Neji?"
He grunted in response, not looking at her as he flicked an errant strand of long, brown hair from his face with his hand.
"Um… I um–" she took a deep breath. "Can we stop at the c-computer shop near the mall?" She said in a small voice.
This time, Neji did look at her, his elegantly shaped brow raised in curiosity as he watched his cousin whose head was bowed down. "What for?"
"Um…" she fidgeted with her hands. "I-I saw a poster of a game plastered on their window and… and it – I want to try it out," she answered in an even smaller voice, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks.
"Hn." He signaled the driver to follow Hinata's request. He knew his cousin was lying. First of all, they didn't pass by the computer shop Hinata was referring to this morning, taking a different route to school to avoid the heavy traffic jam. Second, she was stammering – a trait she usually does when she was nervous – or hiding something. It must have something to do with that Naruto guy he saw with her when he got out of the school building. He decided not to pursue it – for the time being.
"I– thank you, Neji."
----
That night, Hinata turned on her personal computer. Having already installed the game when she got back home a few hours, she just clicked on the desktop shortcut with the 'Ninja' caption. She waited for the game to load, staring at a digital drawing of boys and girls wearing forehead protectors with strange symbols on them.
Author's Notes
This is my first fan fiction with canon characters, so please bear with me if I don't get their personalities, descriptions, and whatnots right. I am open to corrections regarding these, especially grammatical errors, but I'm telling this now – I am not open to suggestions plot-wise. Suggestions for formatting and grammar are graciously accepted.
Anyway, thank you for viewing. Tell me what you think of this chapter by dropping a review.