A/N: Got bored and started writing on a piece of paper, and this plot was born. If I do a Hinata Oneshot project, this'll be the first one in it! Warning: Contains ShikaSaku, KankuIno, ShinoTema, and NaruTen. IE, immense crack.

It hurt to watch your friend get her heart broken in two by of one your other friends. That was a fact that hit Akimichi Chouji as he watched Uzumaki Naruto turn down Hyuuga Hinata after school.

True, he had always been in love with the white eyed, indigo haired girl, but to see her get her heart crushed by the boy she loved was just too much. He had been happy for her, glad that she had finally gotten the nerve to tell Naruto, because he knew she wouldn't like him, so he would settle for having her happy.

He knew it was overused, but saying that he wanted her to be happy almost covered up the heart break at the fact that Hinata would be Naruto's instead of his.

Naruto, of course, had no idea what sting his words were causing. "I mean, yeah, you're my friend, but why would I date you? You're not my type! I like another girl, anyway!"

Tears were welling up in Hinata's eyes and Chouji was getting pissed. What right did he have to say such cruel things? Of course, this was Naruto who hardly knew anything about conversation. But he could have at least turned her down politely.

"I…I'm sorry," Hinata said, trying her hardest not to cry.

"See, that's another thing! You always apologize for things! That's why I really don't like you as anything more than a good friend!"

Chouji decided to stop Hinata's heart from getting shredded anymore. He closed his locker and took a step forward.

The auburn haired and chubby for his age (17) had always known he would one day see her confess to Naruto. And here he was, about to defend her from the blonde haired idiot.

"Hey, Naruto," he said.

"Oh, hi, Chouji," he said, as if he hadn't done anything wrong. Of course, he didn't realize that he had done something wrong.

"I don't know if you know it, but you've sounded really mean. You know, it's okay for you not to like a girl, but to run her into the ground when she really likes you and has for a long time but has been to shy…that's really could, Naruto," said Chouji, trying to sound intimidating.

"Oh. Sorry, Hinata," Naruto said, grinning. "I didn't mean to hurt you feelings or anything. Friends?"

"F-friends," said Hinata and Naruto walked away. Though she had put on a brave face for Naruto, the tears fell now.

"Hinata, it's alright. He even apologized," said Chouji, pulling her into a hug. She so small and delicate in his arms.

"But th-that's how he…he really…feels," she said, not stuttering, but choking with sobs.

"Well, then, he's obviously not the one for you. You need someone who cares about you more than Naruto does."

"B-but I-"

"Listen. He's not the kind of person for you. When you love someone, you let them be happy no matter what. That's why I never tried to get in the way of the girl I loved and the boy she loved," Chouji said. There was no way that Hinata could know she was the one he was talking about.

Hinata looked up at Chouji and tried to think of who he was talking about. It could be Sakura who was taken by his best friend Shikamaru, Ino who was taken by Kankuro, Temari who was taken by Neji, or whoever the girl Naruto liked was.

He could tell that she was debating on this in her head. He wanted to tell her that she was the girl, but he said nothing. Why add having an admirer that she didn't like to the list of daily stress?

"You should really be getting home," he finally said. Most of the people that had been in the hallway when she confessed were gone. there was hardly anyone left at Konoha High.

"Oh, yes," Hinata said. "I-I'll be going now."

"I'll walk you home," Chouji said and Hinata didn't argue.

"So…I-I don't want to sound nosey but…wh-whose the lucky girl? The…the one you love? Unless you don't want to answer."

"Oh…I really don't want to tell anyone," he replied.

"Oh…okay."

The two fell silent and they walked the rest of the way. A pissed off Neji was glaring at him through the window. He had obviously made a transition to being overprotective.

Chouji started having second thoughts about being madly in love with Hinata.

~X~

The next day, as he was getting books out of his locker, Ino slide over and said, "Congratulations, Cho."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Duh! You and Hinata! Everyone saw you hugging, or at leas enough people to verify it!"

Chouji blushed. "But I was-"

"I'm so glad you finally have a girlfriend!"

"But, Ino, I-"

"I don't want to ruin your happiness, but I think you're her rebound guy because I heard Naruto just recently rejected her and-"

"INO!"

"What?"

"I'm not dating Hinata and I'm not her rebound guy! I was only comforting her yesterday! We aren't dating!"

"Aw, how sweet! You two are too shy to tell anyone! Okay, I'll go along with that," Ino said before walking away.

And Ino wasn't the only one who said something like that to Chouji. Everyone seemed to know about the day before and everyone thought they were going out.

Neji was sending him death glares all day, obviously connecting his walking her home the night before with this new rumor. And it got even worse as the day wore on. Some people claimed that they had seen then making out in the hallway and then the rumor that they had sex came up, but Neji silenced that one.

"I saw him walk her home. There was no way they could have done anything like that. That's completely foolish."

Chouji had never been so grateful the older Hyuuga in his life.

Okay, so I got luck that time, he thought. Got lucky? Whoa, way wrong sentence to use in that situation! I wonder how Hinata's day is going though. Probably just as bad as mine.

Which was true. All day, girls accused Hinata of pretending to be shy just to get everyone's attention. One girl burst into tears because she had always been in love with Chouji.

All in all, their days were total hell.

"I don't know what to do," Chouji said. "Everyone's going crazy about it."

"I-I tried to…to tell them, but they wouldn't listen," Hinata said. She had been insulted to tears many times that day and just wanted it all to be over already.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"We could give them what they want," he suggested before thinking it over.

"H-huh?"

"I…er…just…I dunno…walk out together?"

"But…but what about the girl you love?"

"Oh, her," Chouji said. "The reason I didn't want to tell you was…no. let's just go. It was a dumb idea."

"N-no, I want to…know…"

"No, Hinata, let's just got." But, for once in her life, Hyuuga Hinata was going to do something for herself. She wasn't going to do what anyone, even her friend, told her to do.

"Chouji! I want to know!" she said in a forceful voice that she had never used in her entire life.

"Uh…alright. But don't blame me. You're that girl, Hinata. I've always loved you."

He waved and turned, but she was still on a roll. She grabbed him and kissed him, not caring what people thought for once. Of corse, later she would wonder what the hell had happened to her, but for now she was enjoying it.

And so, the rumors at school became mostly true. And Neji had even said that Chouji was the best pick for a boyfriend because he was kind and would never try anything.

Damn, he thought, giving up Hinata wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Of course, it won't be so easy for Hiashi at the wedding.

So Hinata was in love with Chouji and Chouji was in love with Hinata, Naruto's dream girl turned out to be Tenten, but Hinata was fine. She had Chouji now.

And it was partially thanks to some rumors.

A/N: AGH! TOOK ME FOREVER TO TYPE! I was just REALLY lazy. And then Firefox was being annoying and not letting me add it. Ugh! I hate this stupid excuse for an internet browser! I had fun making Hinata have an overprotective family.