Chapter 1

I looked in the mirror. Everything about me just seemed… different. Today, I would be going off to my new school, hoping to bring honor to my family. Especially since they were one of the most respected families in the village. I knew that there would be no way I could please my father, but my mother was an understanding and kind woman. She would've understood if I somehow dishonored the family. Maybe. I saw the time and I quickly got dressed. It was a bright day, and I was looking forward to it. Not only would I now be away from my father for quite a few hours a day, but also I was looking forward to new friends and teachers. The academy looked quite promising to me. So many pros for it, and little to no cons. I smile to myself at this thought. I got to be away from the family compound for quite a few hours. That alone made me love school.

"Hyuuga-chan! Hey!" a familiar voice called out to me. I turned around to see a certain pink haired shinobi behind me. I only really knew her because I would see her around the village a lot. She seemed nice enough… to me at least.

"Ohaiyo, Haruno-san," I said as I bowed to her. She smiled at me.

"So, are you excited about our first day at the academy? Oooohh! I can't wait!" I merely nodded. She was probably about to start telling me everything about everyone that she knew. There was something she liked about gossiping. I just don't know what she liked about it.

The academy looked so big once I was actually there. I walked with Sakura over to our classroom, where she immediately began to notice a particular raven-haired boy at the back of the classroom. I think his name was Uchiha Sasuke. I found a seat that was in the back corner of the room, where no one would really notice me. I looked around my classroom. I could see a number of different kids of honored families. That's when, a blond haired boy walked in. I immediately recognized him as Uzumaki Naruto. He wore a very bright orange jumpsuit, with blue on it. I knew that my family seemed to hate him. I never knew why, though.

"Ohaiyo, everyone!" he said with a goofy grin. Everyone just gave him a deathly glare instead of saying hello back. He just sighed and found himself a seat near Sakura. It was very obvious he liked her, but no one knew why he liked her. I mean, I always wanted to know.

"Ok students, sit down," the sensei said as he walked in. I recognized him as Umino Iruka. "My name is Umino Iruka, and I will be your teacher."

"Nice to meetcha, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled out loudly. Iruka-sensei looked at Naruto.

"Ah, you must be Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard about you."

"Hehe, who hasn't?" Naruto laughed. For some reason, I wanted to laugh with him.

"Hm. Well, I'm going to take role, so if you hear your name, just raise your hand and say 'here.' Ok?" He paused for a second. "Aburame Shino?"

A tall boy with a coat that covered his mouth and dark sunglasses raised his hand. "Here," he said in a very reserved voice.

"Haruno Sakura?"

"Here!" she yelled as loudly as she could. The roll call went on like this for a little while.

"Hyuuga Hinata?"

I raised my hand a little. "Here," I said in almost a whisper. He looked up and repeated my name. "Hyuuga Hinata? Are you here?"

I raised my hand a little higher and repeated, "Here!" I was a little louder this time.

"Oh, sorry about that." He continued, and I felt very embarrassed. I have already made an utter fool of myself and my family! "Uzumaki Naruto?"

"HERE IRUKA-SENSEI!" he replied cheerfully. I felt a little… awed. I wish I could always be so happy and energetic. My father though… He just seemed to suck all of the energy and joy out of me. No matter what I do, it's never good enough.

The class laughed at Naruto, and he stuck out his bottom lip comically.

"What are you all laughing at?" he pouted. I found myself laughing with the rest of the class. The day continued on much like this, with Naruto trying to be funny, the students laughing, and the teachers (except Iruka-sensei) all treated Naruto like dirt. I wondered, how did he stay so carefree? That question ran through my mind all day long. I admired how nothing seemed to hurt him. I wish I could be like that. Maybe, someday I will be like that, except, instead of being cheerful and carefree, I'll be numb and as hard as a stone.

As I walked home, I sighed. The academy was ok, but it was a little awkward. Also, I knew that as soon as I got home my father would be there, waiting to here how I was already the top of the class. I definitely would not tell him about what happened during roll call, or he would surely tell me off for being "weak" and a "disgrace." Father really did get too overly worked up about the smallest things. I saw the entrance to the Hyuuga complex and took in a deep breath. I must be prepared for anything that happens.

My father had gotten mad at me, and he lectured me about being more aggressive in class. He made me feel so small, so weak. How was he able to do that with no effort at all? I will never know. I slowly walked to my room, where I found myself a comfortable spot on my bed to cry. Father had always that only the weak cry. Maybe I am a weak person. I felt like the day seemed to go by too quickly at school. At least, there will be more school tomorrow.

I woke up early and got myself ready for school. I looked forward to being outside of the Hyuuga compound and at school. I walked out of the gates of my house and Sakura was there again.

"Ohaiyo, Hyuuga-chan! Did you see that guy yesterday in our class? Haaah… he was so cool and good looking… What was his name again? Satsume?"

"I think it was Sasuke… He is an Uchiha," I replied. Father had made me learn the names of all the respected families and their kids' names.

"Yeah! That was his name! Uchiha Sasuke…" She seemed to be in some fantasy. That's when Yamanaka Ino walked over and joined Sakura and me.

"Ohaiyo, Hyuuga-san! Sakura-san." She gave Sakura an icy glare. Sakura returned her icy glare. "Did you guys see that really hot guy in class yesterday?"

"Yeah! His name is Uchiha Sasuke…" Sakura said to Ino. "He's so mine though, Ino."

"What? Hell no! He's mine!" Ino yelled back. It was like this until we got to the academy.

I walked to the same seat I sat in yesterday, back right corner. I was waiting for Iruka-sensei when he walked in. Naruto.

"OHAIYO EVERYONE!" Naruto yelled as loudly as he could. Again, there were many awful glares towards him, but I was smiling. I liked that he always was so happy. I also felt the dreadful pang of jealousy as I wished I was like him. Iruka-sensei came in just then.

"Naruto, please take your seat. Ok, this is our training schedule: Mondays, Wednesday's, and Friday's are chakra and justu training days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are taijutsu training days. Then, Saturdays are genjutsu training. During each day, though, we will go over history and anything else. Any questions?" Iruka-sensei announced.

"When is lunch time?" Naruto said with a goofy grin. He earned quite a laugh from that.

"I will tell you when that is." I stared at Naruto. He was always so happy and silly. I admired his spirit.

After some taijutsu training, Iruka-sensei announced it was lunch time. I grabbed my bento and went to find a place to sit and eat. I saw Naruto eating alone under a tree, and I was surprised. He looked so lonely. I decided I would go over there and talk to him.

"Um, ohaiyo, Uzumaki-san," I said timidly. He looked up at me.

"Oh, hey! You're Hyuuga, right?" he asked me.

"Yes. May I sit here and eat with you?" He looked shocked when I asked him that. He looked like someone had just electrocuted him. Only, his hair didn't frizz and become poofy.

"Um, sure! Oh, and you can just call me Naruto."

"Oh, g-gomen, Naruto… kun," I replied shyly. He smiled at me and we both said, "Itadakimasu!" I ate all that was in my bento and I looked up. He was smiling at me. I felt my face flush and I pressed my index fingers together. What was going on with me? Why was him smiling at me making me blush? Why is this one little moment so… beautiful?

"…uuga-san? Hyuuga-san?" Naruto said. My head shot back up. He was looking at me with a puzzled expression. "Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah… Arigatou for eating with me, Naruto-kun…" Then I got up and walked away. I looked back at him and I saw him smiling to himself. I blushed and I turned away.

I went through the rest of the school day distracted. I wondered why I kept reliving the lunch I had with Naruto. Why did that one lunch seem so precious? I didn't know. I just wish the moment had lasted longer. That's when I came to a hypothesis. Did I… like him? Was a crush starting to form? All I knew is that this was yet another thing I would also never tell my father about. He would kill me for eating lunch with Uzumaki Naruto, the village prankster. I mean, he thought that everyone was below him, so he might actually kill me if he found out. I was startled when the bell rang. I wasn't expecting it to ring so soon. I sighed and I packed up my things. I had hardly paid any attention at all during class! I guess I would have to catch up on my own time.

I saw the gate to the Hyuuga compound and wondered if there was any way that I could possibly hate that gate more than I already did. I gasped as I saw my father sitting just inside of the gates glaring at me. There really was a way to hate those gates more.

"Come, Hinata. It is time to train," he said coldly. I shuddered. He had started "training" me ever since I was very young. Really, the training was just my father pointing out all the flaws in me and telling me how disappointed he was in me. Then, he would have me spar with him until I dropped. I was not looking forward to training.

I awoke the next morning on the Hyuuga's dojo floor. I tried to get up, but I felt much too weak. I was able to get a hold of the wall, where I finally got myself up. I felt dizzy and woozy, but I knew I had to go to school. I walked over to the bathroom using the wall as a support, and I got myself ready. After a hot bath, I was able to walk without using the wall, but walking was still very hard. I eventually made it out of the Hyuuga compound.

"Ohaiyo, Hyuu- Oh my god! Hinata, are you all right?" Sakura said when she saw me. I tried to say anything, but I couldn't get myself to say anything. "Hyuuga-chan? What the heck happened? It looks like someone pounded you!"

I tried again to say something, but my voice was gone. Sakura looked very worried. I tried to smile to her, but I just couldn't. Ino joined us again, and she had the same reaction as Sakura. I suddenly wondered how awful I looked. I didn't look in my mirror in ths morning because I was too tired.

We came to the academy, and I managed to smile a little when I saw the door to my classroom. I walked over to my usual seat and I put my head in my arms. I only lifted my head when I heard Naruto shout his hello to everyone.

"OHAIYO!" he yelled. I smiled and said a very quiet greeting back. He didn't hear me, though.

"Hello, everyone. Naruto, please sit down," Iruka-sensei groaned. It seemed like he had to ask Naruto to sit down everyday. Iruka-sensei called all of our names, and he started class like usual. Except, he came up to me a few moments later and asked me if he could talk to me.

When we arrived outside he looked at me. "Hinata, why are you so bruised and hurt?"

I sighed. I knew that was what he wanted to talk to m about. "I was training last night, Iruka-sensei."

"Training? But, you can hardly stand or walk. What kind of training was this?"

"My father was training with me, Iruka-sensei. It is my own fault that I was affected this much by the training… I should have blocked his moves better, been quicker, and not as much of a failure as I already am… I need to become strong, and if Father believes that this training will help me become strong, then I will do the training as I wish to become strong as well." I felt sick. Did I just defend my father? Why did I? He was the one person I didn't wish to defend. Maybe I defended him only because he is my father.

Iruka-sensei gave me a troubled and puzzled look. "Look, training is not a bad idea, but not to the extent that your father must have taken it. He should not be training you this hard, Hinata. You could get seriously hurt one of these days. Also, you are not a failure."

I smiled. I was happy that there was someone out there who didn't think I was a failure, unlike my father. We reentered the classroom and class continued like usual. When lunchtime came, I thought about the lunch I had had the day before. I blushed, and I walked over to the tree. I sat down and set out my lunch.

"Hey! Can I sit here?" I looked up to see Naruto standing in front of me.

"O-of course, Naruto-kun!" I managed to stutter out. He smiled and he sat down in front of me.

"So, Hinata-chan, why are you so beat up?" Naruto asked me with genuine concern on his face.

"Well, uhh….." I pressed my index fingers together and ducked my head. Then I realized, he had called me Hinata-chan. I felt myself blush and I ducked my head even further.

"Uh… How is your day going?" I could see that he was only trying to change the subject.

"O-ok… I guess, Naruto-kun…" I didn't look up, but I could feel his stare. I think I could even feel his smile. I found myself smiling at him in return.

"Well, let's eat!" Naruto suddenly said. "Itadakimasu!" we both said. I was saddened when Iruka-sensei called us all in a little while later. Naruto and I had talked about random things, but he seemed to want to talk to me, which made me feel good.

I had stared at Naruto for the rest of the class day, and I was sad when school ended. I found that I didn't like being away from Naruto… Was I crushing on him already? Even after I knew that he liked Sakura and not me? Will I just be heartbroken in the end? I wondered all of these things as I walked home. I stopped as soon as I saw the gate to the Hyuuga compound. Again, there was my father standing just inside of the gates. And, he looked very angry.

"Hinata," he said, "we need to talk. Now." I shuddered to myself as I tried to think of what he wanted to talk about. I walked forwards quickly and he led me into his private dojo, the one dojo where no Hyuuga was to go except him. Not even I was allowed in there.

"Can you explain to me why you were eating your lunch with that Uzumaki boy?" Father asked angrily.

"H-he looked so lonely, Father… I just wanted to be a good person! I mean…" I said to him.

My father looked even angrier than before. "Shinobi should not be good people! We have a duty to protect our village, and a strong shinobi would never let feelings or emotions get in the way! You will never eat lunch with that boy ever again, do you hear me?" I was shaking. I felt angry and very upset. The next thing I knew, the block of ice on my tongue melted.

"Well, I'm sorry, Father! Am I being a failure again? Am I not what the Hyuugas wanted? If I'm not, then I'm sorry, but you're going to have to live with what you've got! You know, if Mother were here, she would tell me that she understood, or that what I did was the right thing to do! Maybe, someday, you will see how strong I am!" I couldn't believe I had just said that to my father. I felt myself sake with fear, and I could see that my father was beyond angry now.

"Don't you ever talk about your mother!" he yelled, and then I felt him smack me across the face. I fell and it the dojo's ground very hard. Father just looked at me.

"You are a DISGRACE. Don't ever eat with that boy again, and don't EVER talk about your mother!" Father then walked off. I was feeling pretty dizzy from the hit. I tried to get up, but I couldn't. Luckily, one of the maids had come in to clean the dojo.

"Miss Hinata! Are you ok?" she asked as she ran over to help me up. I tried to say something, but my words were all locked up inside of me. The maid had genuine worry on her face. I managed to say, "I'm fine… a-arigatou…" She frowned, and she took me over to the bathroom to help me get cleaned up. I hadn't noticed earlier, but she was about my own age. Maybe a year or two older.

"Miss Hinata, what on earth happened?" she asked me. I described to her what had happened. She looked so shocked and disgusted by the end of my retelling.

"That's horrible! Oh, he should be pretty damn sorry!" she said. I could hear the anger in her voice.

"W-what's your name?" I finally asked her.

"I'm Miyuki. I just started working as a maid here…" I smiled at her. I liked Miyuki. Maybe we could become friends. I sighed as I walked over to my bedroom. Walking wasn't easy, but I was able to do it. I looked in my mirror and saw that I really did look horrible. I had a black eye and bruises all over my face, and a new bruise forming on my right cheek. I started trying to make it look smaller. But, I didn't have any makeup to my name, so I had no luck with that. I went and got ice, and I put that on my face. It was very cold and it stung, but I didn't care. As I lay down on my bed, I wondered how Father had found out that I was eating lunch with Naruto. Did he have some spy in the academy? Did he have someone go over and make sure that I was being a "proper" Hyuuga? I didn't even know. Then, I thought about the fact that Father said I wasn't allowed to eat lunch with Naruto anymore. I could feel my heart start to break. I really did have a crush on him… Even though I know that he will never be interested in me. I think that's what hurt me the most to think about, the fact that he'll probably never be interested in me. But, there was still hope, right? I mean, if Sakura's interested in the Uchiha guy, then there is hope for me to get Naruto's attention, right? I don't know. Maybe, even though Sakura's not interested in him, he'll still be interested in her or he'll become interested in someone else. Like someone who is not me. That's a very sad and likely possibility…

"Miss Hinata?" I jumped. I went over and opened my door, and I saw Miyuki there.

"Y-yes, Miyuki? Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"Um, here are some clean sheets for your bed. Also, do you need any help with anything?" I smiled at her. She really was very kind. I shook my head. "Ok, then. Goodnight, Miss Hinata."

Miyuki left after she handed me some blankets. As I was unrolling them, I found a small makeup kit in them. I smiled. I walked over to my mirror and used the makeup to hide some of the bruising. Hopefully, she and I will become friends.