Part I

(From another world)

Summer was finally in the air.

The sky was vividly blue and deep, his vast infinite hovering over the town into a glowing sheet. Big and all encompassing, it stretched through Konoha, like thin strips of ocean overhead weaving its way through the tops of the skyscrapers and houses.

The balmy warm spread by the sun blended in perfectly with the effervescence of the townspeople. Streets were abundant, laughers and noises painting the town of Konoha into a picture of energy and gaiety.

The place reminded of ocean, beaches, and fun. It was easy to get lost in the natural easy-going atmosphere, in which most people indulged in.

Everyone was enjoying, and last years of Konoha high were no exception.

Hiruto, who was a student at the local high school, was pretty popular. His reputation expanded outside of the school itself. There were many three reasons: his parents' shameless wealth, his eccentricity and his legendary crazy parties.

Today was no exception. It was Sunday and since yesterday they were partying. No parenting. No limit. Just a bunch of hunks and beauties, loud music and beers. The wide atypical pool with an incorporated bar and the gigantic house lavishly showing off their wealth arranged Hiruto's business. His guests wouldn't complain.

Everyone was having fun. Laughs and screams drowned in the mixing of the DJ, which echoed in the confinement of the house. Every door and window was closed, almost leaving them in complete darkness if it wasn't for the flickering blue light, or the strings of light along the doors' frame, rails and walls. To give a bit more fun, bubbles were shot in all directions to cool off their skins.

It was so hot inside, and pretty much very VIP. The doors were closed to unwanted people.

Hinata knew it. Her presence was due to her entourage or she wouldn't have set a foot there. She was almost scared as the scenery went against what she knew and considered decent.

"We just arrived and it's already like this?" Hinata murmured to herself, surprise and shock written all over her face

"It's clear it's your first time" her cousin drawled

"Hey, Neji-kun! Wh-where are you going? Are you leaving?" she asked, her eyes getting wetter with every word coming through her mouth. She knew he wasn't leaving. She just wanted to tag along.

She was afraid to stay alone.

"What?"

"I… I…"

"You, you what? Look, you tagged along to meet your friends. You begged for this. Now fend for yourself." Neji said, annoyance rooted in his voice

"I don't know what to do. I never have been to such a… a place before" she begged.

"Learn then! I don't know. Look for your boyfriend. He's so bright that I'm sure it won't be hard to spot him. Now I'm off"

After two hours she was still alone.

There in the middle of the mini Sodom and Gomorra she realized she wasn't like them. It corresponded to the description of what adults called pathetic and plain dumb.

Yet they were having so much fun while she was the odd one. She had always known it and kept to herself, but being in the middle of all those normal teenagers, her insecurities were reinforced.

Hinata was at the periphery of the crazy crowd, reflecting on the spectacle and her own self.

She had always tried her best to be the good girlfriend, student, daughter, sister but lost herself on the way. Yet life didn't give her the sugar and water to go with the lemonade. Everything sucked for her. Depressive, lethargic, and all the misery that came along with had always constituted her day-to-day life. Meanwhile she was witnessing this.

All those teens that were registered in the black book of most adults for living a life of savagery were having fun. Her friends, her boyfriend, everyone was beyond happy; they were having the time of their life.

She eventually spotted her friends and joined them. That was the saddest part. They were laughing and smiling. She was doing the same thing too, yet their joy couldn't reach her.

She was trying so hard.

"Wow, girls ARE frightening. You are already thinking about wedding and here I am, not knowing what I'm gonna do tomorrow. Damn!" Kiba laughed

"No one talked about getting married dumbass. Besides, we still have one year to go." Ino moaned grumpily "Forehead is just dreaming out loud"

"Who is talking? Thanks heaven Sakura had the last word in your lifetime rivalry" Kiba bitted back

"P-please calm-" Hinata tried to intervene but she was curtly interrupted

"Really guys? We are supposed to have fun, not bickering like retarded" Tenten said harshly. Hinata was surprised. She didn't recognize the usual joyous girl.

"Tenten-San. Please, you can't talk like th-" Hinata tried again to speak up

"I'm not bickering. It's the truth. I mean they made their rivalry about boys public" Kiba shrugged Tenten off "Now it's clear. Ino, zero; Sakura, one"

"Well said, Kiba" Sakura exclaimed

"You are just like that because I rejected your sorry ass?" Ino mocked "It's pitiful"

"We did go out together but when we broke up I didn't complained" Kiba shrugged again, this time with a sloppy grin

"I'm not having fun here so I'll seek for a better place" Tenten made her annoyance clear before she turned away.

In no time Tenten was on her way for another corner of the big place, followed closely by Ino. It was strange because they weren't that close but Sakura used that to mock her friend.

Ino and Tenten disappeared in the sea of people. In their group, Ino and Sakura had always been like twins until they started fighting over a guy. Just like that, they took separated ways, Ino being popular for her looks and Sakura for that and her wits. Lately they integrated the same group of friends but tensions were subtly visible, piercing through the apparent truce.

At that time, Hinata who was barely able to have her presence acknowledged had Tenten as a friend. She was her sole friend, due to her being Neji's girlfriend. But after their recent break-up, their friendship had suffered. Tenten isolated Hinata in favor of Ino, with whom she seemed to share a secret.

"Ino had been strange lately. She can't even take proper joke." Kiba complained "this group had always sucked"

"And she is always behind an even stranger Tenten"

"And I suppose you will dig that secret out?" Kiba questioned, indifference laced in his voice

"Don't care much" Sakura said with a grimace

"It's like girls to grow more and more apart for boys and stupidity"

"And you are better?! You are the last one that can ever get judgmental about that." Sakura eyed him with scorn, hands on her hips "Anyway. Hinata, did you see Naruto around?"

"N-no" Hinata quickly answered. Her heartbeat quickened to the sudden attention she received. She clutched at her little blue purse.

"Oh well, I will seek for him myself"

All her friends were gone.

Kiba was there but he would join his friends soon. It was okay though. Tonight it didn't matter, anything did.

She decided to have fun like her other friends did. The darkness reduced any perceptions of time to nothing. It felt like night, thought. Whatever the time outside was, she was going to do like them.

No sulking tonight.

No chagrin.

Just fun.

"Like really? Sakura, the only one who actually talked to you, only asked about a guy?" Kiba more stated than asked.

"U-um…" Hinata bashfully murmured, tripping her hair and fingers.

"Now you get why I changed my social circle." Kiba spoke up again. He nodded at his own self "What they call 'rookie nine' is rotten. They are just stuck-up little pussies who only think about their fringes"

Hinata didn't answer. Her head hung down.

"…you still don't even fit in despite years"

"Maybe I am the problem… don't you think?"

"Or maybe you just need to dump those sorry asses and have fun with other people" Kiba crooked his lips, mimicking someone thinking deep.

Hinata didn't react. Kiba took her hand and led her to the large makeshift bar made up for the occasion. The way it was lightened up in this otherwise dark room attracted her eyes. When her eyes adjusted to the white light coming from the glass behind, she realized that a group of people was looking straight at them.

"The night belongs to us!" a gray haired boy screamed and then laughed. When he turned around and his eyes met Hinata's, he squinted "whoa! Who's that?"

The dark haired girl got more scared when the stranger put his arms around Kiba's and her neck. The hug was uncomfortable. Too close. Too tight.

"Hinata, Sakon; Sakon, Hinata Hyuga" Kiba replied with a feral grin

She understood that they joined the infamous band.

"As in Hyuga Neji's cousin? That prick? You are crusin' for a bruisin'?" Sakon asked with a somehow mocking tone

"So? She decided to spend her time with the cooler ones" Kiba replied

"But she looks like a lost kitten" Sakon retorted "she is even trembling."

"Well, why don't you initiate her to the wild life" Kiba kept defending her. But the more it went on, the more embarrassed she was. She wanted out but the fear of deceiving her lone company terrified her.

Grinning strangely, Sakon completely turned toward her.

"Look, Kiba thinks you're cool enough to hang out with us, so be it." Sakon said. She didn't know if he was trying to be friendly, but it wasn't working for her. His smile seemed off. "We're not like those bitches you call 'your friends'. So if you can't keep up you're through"

"What a Hyuga is doing here?" a black haired girl asked. Her nasal voice scraped hard against the ear

"Ok, Ok Sakon. Let me introduce our folks" Kiba hurried to speak up "That's kin, and next to her -in order of course- Kidomaru, Juugo and Suigetsu. Don't mind the latter face" he said with a wide eyed Hinata who thought idly about their reputation "he got in trouble but it is okay. We're going to have fun and I feel it. So, what do you want to drink? I take it on me"

"It's a party dumbass. Everything's free!" Kin cut in

"Isn't she that Uchiha's friend?" Suigetsu asked with a small pout

"So what? She's not with him right now and like I said before" Kiba rolled his eyes "we don't give a shit about him. Where are Karin and Tayuya anyway?"

"Aw, seeking for your sweetheart?" Suigetsu mocked

"At least I have one"

They bickered until the said girls came.

Tayuya, a softly red haired laid-back girl, reminded her of Shikamaru. Kiba introduced her as his girlfriend. Her clothes were simple: jeans short, a netted shirt over a wifebeater and boots.

Karin was another case. Her former hostility toward Hinata almost made her run away. The second after she was suddenly friendly, leaving Hinata flabbergasted. At this point, Hinata stayed away from her, worried about her 'tsundere' ways.

This group was different from the one she 'belonged' to. They seemed to represent a darker side of the former. Their clothing was a mixture of goth's and jock's fashion, and their jokes consisted of plain black humor.

Hinata wondered what she was doing there with them; yet she stayed.

She saw people rejected by the society just like her. In reaction, they seemed ready to give their middle finger to the world. They were proud pariah who always looked for fun. Was it there she was meant to be? After all, they hadn't rejected her. She wasn't even a wallflower.

"Shut up! Don't listen to that fuck face. Sasuke is the hottest thing on earth." Karin said with a shrug

"Gotta agree" Tayuya drawled

"Hey!" Kiba complained

"You know she's right Kiba. Every girl in Konoha high wants to get in his pants. He's even teachers' pet. He's got it all" kin explained mocking pointedly Kiba and Suigetsu

"Right Hinata? You too you want to get in his pants, don't ya?" Karin asked making Hinata blush hard

"I-I… u-um" Hinata mumbled. She almost jumped out of her skin when she was mentioned.

"Come on, don't be a tight pussy like that pink haired bitch" Karin started getting a bit annoyed

The warm rising in Hinata's cheek fell back. Despite the temperature in the room, coldness ran a finger down her back. At first she had a difficult time to digest all the swearing and cursing. That was different thought.

It didn't take it to be exceptionally intelligent to see what was going on.

"Well Hinata and Sasuke look good when put side to side" Tayuya said

The warm crawled back up.

"You gotta be kiddin' me? She's crazy about that guy's best friend" Kiba intervened. He eyed Hinata again. To his surprise, she was giggling.

"So close and you never even tried to kiss him?" Karin asked with her hands hiding a large smile "Ah! You're blushing"

"N-no!" Hinata vigorously defended herself

Yep there was only with this people she could hear stuff like that.

Karin teased the poor Hinata who tried to hide her face but laughed when the red haired girl tickled her here and there. When it got hard, she used a technique she learned right on the spot: she commended four shots for the girls included her. Four followed, then three. They were getting drunker and drunker with time, expect her who pretended. Hinata was still sipping the same drink since the beginning.

"You know what? I'm glad Kiba brought you" Karin said, each syllable cut by hiccups

"Re-really?"

"Yeah! I was planning to come to you when I first saw you"

"W-why?"

"Why not? I mean, you're fun. We're gonna get along just fine. I'm sure of that" Karin slurred

Hinata thought she said that because of the alcohol infecting her system. It was hard to deny the warm feeling her words brought though. That is what made her stick longer with them than she planned.

There wasn't much time left before the party was over. She planned to spend the rest of the night with Kiba's friends, but what would happen two hours from now on was something completely different. She would have never even dared to imagine that.

There was chance she didn't get back up from it, for she was too pure for that…

…

A/N:

That's an old story, so nothing new. However, I'm re-writing everything to edit errors. A reviewer had complained about the grammar and after re-reading it, I cringed myself. That's a story that I like and that has pleased some readers. It would be a shame if the spelling and what not ruin the mood.

If you know a beta-reader, if you're one or if you want to experience being one first-hand, you can contact and help me.

I ship and will always ship SasuHina above all ships. Haters gonna hate, I'm gonna shake.

Next issue: chapter one, Part II (Unexpected)