Hello everyone, BlackRoseDragon13 here! I'm happy to announce that I have a new fic finished! As you probably noticed, it's called Matched, and it's a contest entry for a friend's Valentine's Day contest over on deviantART. Unlike her birthday gift, though, I'll actually be spacing these chapters out! There are four chapters plus an epilogue, which means five updates all together. I'll be posting one part each day this week, meaning that the final chapter will be on Friday! I know it's a bit early for Valentine's day, but I want to make sure I have it all posted by the deadline, and have a regular updating schedule!

Alrighty, some notes to go along with it~

-This is rated Teen. There are a few swear words, and some...mischievous situations, so I thought this was an appropriate rating.

-The culture and setting for this fic, so that no one is confused, is an AU high school story in America. Only the characters' names are Japanese, because I can't exactly change those! I chose an American setting because I want to make sure I actually know what I'm talking about, and because it just fits with the story better!

-Also, there are crack pairings in this fic! So, if there are pairings you don't support, please don't bombard me with comments saying so. Just move along, please – I write what I enjoy, and I won't change it to fit what you want. Otherwise, please feel free to comment in an review – each one makes me smile, and I promise I'll reply and thank you personally – I appreciate each review, and every favorite too!

Main Characters: Hinata Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha

And, of course, the disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, Naruto or any of it's characters or concepts in any way, shape, or form. This is a fanfiction written only for entertainment, from which I receive no profit!

Okie dokie, I think that's everything! So please enjoy the first chapter of Matched! And wish me luck in the contest!

Chapter One: Matches

Lilac eyes stared out a window, observing the snow-covered ground outside. They were supposed to be reading their current literature assignment, but they just kept getting drawn to the white wonderland outside. This was unusual. The mind they were attached to was usually studious and dedicated to its work. But there was something on it that was clouding its usually-diligent thoughts.

Naruto Uzumaki.

That, of course, wasn't too uncommon. It seemed like the blonde was always the focus of that particular brain, if not lurking in the back when something else needed its attention. But to be so distracted was definitely strange.

"All right class, please put your books away. We have something a bit different for you to do today."

The freshman literature class hesitated. Mr. Hatake never let class out early, or allowed for any distractions. Whispers broke out at what the change of pace could be, and finally, the distracted mind was brought back to reality.

"Eh?" Hinata Hyuuga questioned quietly, blushing softly as she realized she had been daydreaming. Again. Curse Valentine's Day being only a week away! She had only one week to muster the courage to ask him, Naruto Uzumaki, to be her Valentine. Ever since she first started crushing on him so many years ago in first grade, she had tried every year to state her feelings before February fourteenth. But always, her fear and shyness won out. Why did it have to be so difficult to just speak to him?

But this year, it was their first year of high school. She had to say it! Especially since there was a dance next Friday. She didn't want to be the only one in her class to go alone, or worse, not go at all!

At the front of the room, Kakashi Hatake straightened a stack of papers in his hands. "This year, the tech class is trying something new. For their programming lesson, they are to create a program that discovers a person's match based on basic qualities. So, the entire student body is asked to fill out these forms and turn them in before the end of the day."

A hand shot into the air. "But...what's the point?" Sakura Haruno asked. "A match? Like...a Valentine?"

"Basically," the teacher replied. "From what I understood, the data entered for each person is matched against others, and when you have many points in common, you are deemed compatible. The results will be passed out to you on Monday. This is volunteer, of course – if you don't want to get matched, you don't have to fill the sheet out. That way, no one can get you as a match."

"So, the whole school will be entered? At least, those who participate?" Ino Yamanaka mused. "Sounds like fun!"

Kakashi's mask crinkled with a smile. "Indeed. So, I'll go ahead and pass these out. If you don't want to participate, just leave it blank." He then weaved between the desks, dropping the form before each student.

When Hinata received her copy, she read the entire thing first. The top was for the person to fill out their traits, such as hair and eye color, body type, grade, age, and interests. The bottom, as it said, was what they were seeking in someone else. This brought a blush to Hinata's face. What...I want? Naruto's face floated to the front of her mind. Well...I guess I might as well try it...who knows? Maybe we'll get each other, and he'll ask me to the dance! Containing a squeal, Hinata began penciling in her answers.

Around the room, the document was getting mixed reviews. The girls, mostly, were excited about the prospect, curious to see who the program would match them with. The boys, however, were a bit more pensive.

"Hey Sakura," a certain blonde boy said loudly. "I bet I'll get you for sure!"

The pink-haired girl gave her fellow student a disgusted look. "Ugh, no way! The only one the program will match me with is Sasuke!"

"I highly doubt that," another blonde retorted. "I'll be the one to get Sasuke, Forehead!"

"Ha! No way, Pig! It'll be me!"

Kakashi sighed at the front of the room. "One person can have several people get them as a match. For example, you both could get Sasuke as a match...or...both of you could not..."

The girls, however, kept arguing. Sasuke, who was sitting at the other side of the room, groaned lightly. This was all just a waste of time, in his opinion. But he eyed the sheet, a slight curiosity nagging at him. All the girls annoyed him...but if this paired him with someone he'd actually get along with, maybe it was worth a look...

"Oi, Bastard, you gonna fill it out?" Naruto said from his seat behind his rival. "Or are you scared you won't get matched with anyone?"

"The only one who won't get matched is you, Idiot," Sasuke retorted.

"Heh! I bet you wouldn't get anyone...since you're so cold, Sasuke!"

The Uchiha boy glared at his friend. "Tch..."

"Coward," Naruto taunted. "I bet you won't get anyone! And even if you did, I bet you wouldn't have the guts to do anything about it!"

"Shut it, Naruto," Sasuke growled. Picking up his pencil, he started filling the slots. I'll show that idiot...Sasuke Uchiha is NOT a coward!

Hinata listened to Naruto with a sad expression on her face. All he sees is Sakura...but maybe if he gets me, he'll finally see me too!

Kakashi picked the forms up just before the final bell, reminding his class, "Remember, you'll get your matches Monday morning. Then you have a week to make a move!" He smiled again, watching as his students left the classroom buzzing, eager to get their matches. Chuckling, he said to the empty room, "They won't be able to focus after Monday morning...might as well bring Icha Icha to class next week!"

Outside in the hallway, Hinata put her things away slowly. What if Naruto didn't get her? Or...what is she didn't get him? I'm sure I will...I mean...what could a silly computer program tell me what my heart wouldn't? Comforted by that thought, she packed her bag and made her way out the door to walk home.

Either way, a whole weekend without knowing was going to drive her crazy.

.oOo.

Sitting at home, Sasuke lazily flipped through TV channels after school. There wasn't anything to do during the weekends, and the annoying matches were intriguing him more than he wanted them to be. He was about to call it quits and turn on his game console when the front door opened and his brother walked in, always late after participating in chess club. Looking over the back of the couch at him, Sasuke greeted, "Hey."

"Hello Sasuke," Itachi replied politely, taking a seat beside his brother. "How was your day?"

"Same as usual," the surlier boy replied, taking a controller and handing it to Itachi. "Beside those match things, of course."

Though he didn't see it, Sasuke sensed his brother's smirk beside him. "Yes, those ought to be interesting. How many girls do you think will be paired with you?"

"Any is too many," Sasuke muttered in reply, scrolling through the game menu.

"Oh, come now...don't you want a girl to take to the dance?"

"Hn. What about you, Itachi? Who are you gonna get?"

Itachi silenced at this, his smirk gone. "Probably no one of consequence."

"You've gone through all of high school without dating anyone, Itachi. And you don't have a lot of friends, either. Maybe this match thing will be good for you." Sasuke began jamming buttons as he and his brother entered a fight.

"Perhaps," Itachi grunted in reply, trying to focus both on the conversation and the game.

Another thing to be curious about, Sasuke thought with a groan – his brother's match.

.oOo.

Never before had the student body been eager for a Monday morning. The hallways were all abuzz with predictions, hopes, and fears for the results. Girls were gathered in whispering circles, while boys eyed them thoughtfully.

Hinata did neither. She kept to herself, as usual, getting to her first period math class early. Her stomach was full of butterflies. How she had hoped all weekend that Naruto would be matched with her! Daydreams of them dancing together on Friday had filled her thoughts every spare moment away from school. Her fingers trembled, and she kept them clasped in her lap in an attempt to still them.

The bell finally rang, and the math teacher, Asuma Sarutobi, greeted her warmly as he did every other morning. She managed a shaky smile, noticing a bundle of papers under his arm. Are...are those the results?

Ino and Sakura barged into the room, arguing loudly once more who would get Sasuke. Naruto listened sadly, wanting Sakura to notice him. Sasuke sat coolly in his chair, trying to look disinterested. But he too was eager to know what his results were, though he didn't show it. If it's either of them,he thought sourly, looking at the bickering girls, I'll have to go find a cliff to jump off of.

When the starting bell rang, Asuma made his way to the front of the class, the ominous stack of papers grasped in his hands. All eyes were on him.

"All right...I know math is the last thing on your minds this morning," he chuckled. "So, we might as well get this over with. Here," he said, holding up the papers, "are the results. However, I'd appreciate it if you would wait until after class to read them."

Immediate cries of outrage filled the room, and the teacher raised his other hand to quiet them. "Settle down, settle down. The reason I ask this is because this is still my class, and we have things to do. You are in school to learn – use your break time to read them, and my class time to do your math. I'll pass them out before the bell."

Hinata's shoulders sagged as she sighed. Another hour before she could know if her crush would see her name. Well...no use complaining.

Math dragged on for what seemed to be hours. Every so often, a head would turn to look at the papers on Asuma's desk in yearning. Hinata did her best not to, but she still took the occasional peek.

Then, finally, after the longest hour of the year, Asuma said, "All right you lot. I'll hand the papers out now."

A cheer sounded, mostly from the girls. Grinning, the large man started passing out the much-anticipated sheets. One by one, students read their results, and sounds of either joy or anguish soon filled the room.

"WHAT?" Ino screeched. "I got Sai?"

The quiet boy's eyes widened. "You got me?"

Turning in her seat, she gave him a glare. "Don't even think about it!"

Sakura laughed. "Well then! I guess I'll have Sasuke all to myself!"

Just then, Asuma approached her desk, placing the paper face-down. Looking smug, Sakura flipped the paper over and read it.

Her grin soon disappeared, replaced with a look of pure horror.

"What? What is it, Forehead?" Ino asked, leaning to try and see. "Who'd you get?"

Growling, the pinkette crumpled the paper and threw it away. "Huh! Stupid program...it obviously doesn't work!"

Ino frowned. "Hey! I want to know who you got!"

Sasuke watched with an amused look on his face. Serves you two right.

"Yes! Yes yes yes!" Naruto cheered loudly behind him, and Sasuke immediately knew what the paper said. "Sakura! I got you as a match!"

"Can it, Naruto!" Sakura yelled back. "I don't care!"

Crestfallen, Naruto muttered, "But...I wanted to ask you to the dance..."

"Ha! As if I'd ever go with you!"

Hinata listened, outraged at Sakura's behavior and hurt that Naruto hadn't gotten her as a match. Glaring at the pinkette, she thought, You...you...! But she was interrupted as Asuma gave her her paper. Near tears, she wiped them away to read the text.

Naruto Uzumaki

She froze. She got him! She knew she would! But...Naruto hadn't gotten her in return. That meant...she'd still have to try and tell him. Sighing, Hinata folded her arms on her desk and rested her forehead.

Across the room, Sasuke accepted his paper. Skipping the top, he looked directly at the name in the middle of the page.

Blinking once, twice, he wasn't quite sure what to think.

Hinata Hyuuga

Hinata? The quiet one? Glancing up, Sasuke saw her resting her head on her folded arms. No way. He'd never even talked to her! And he knew for a fact that she was crushing hard on Naruto. But the paper stared back at him, unchanged. Though he questioned the program's accuracy, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was trying to tell him something.

The bell chose then to ring, and Sasuke reflexively grabbed his things and headed out into the hallway. He didn't get far, however, before Naruto caught up to him.

"So Bastard," he asked, "who did you get?"

Silently, Sasuke handed over the paper as he approached his locker. Naruto read it behind him, remaining oddly quiet.

"Have you ever even talked to her?"

"No. And she likes you, Idiot."

Naruto blinked. "She...she does?"

"It's totally obvious," Sasuke replied dismissively. "She's always staring at you and blushing."

Naruto considered this as he followed his friend to their next class. "So...she probably wouldn't go out with you, huh?"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Who said I wanted to go out with her?"

"You got her as a match!" the blonde exclaimed. "Doesn't that mean something?"

"Yeah, well, you got Sakura, and look how well that turned out for you," Sasuke growled. He didn't like where this was going.

"That's different..." Naruto muttered.

"No, it's exactly the same. Hinata likes you, you won't date her. You like Sakura, she won't date you. She likes me, I won't ever date her. All of us are unhappy, and none of us get what we want."

Naruto thought this over, and then asked something that actually surprised the raven-haired boy. "So...who do you want that you don't get, Bastard?"

Sasuke mulled that over as he stared straight ahead. "I don't know, Idiot. I don't know."

.oOo.

Naruto's question bothered Sasuke a lot more than he cared to admit. He gave it thought all through the day, up until the beginning of last period. It was then that he remembered that his brother would have also gotten his match. Curiosity burned him, and he focused on that in an attempt to stifle his own uncertainty.

"All right class," Kakashi began. "I'm sure that you're all a bit...distracted, what with this match thing to worry about. So, I'm going to be nice. Read if you want, but I really don't mind." With that short explanation, the teacher pulled out his own text, propping his feet up on his desk and burying his nose in the pages.

Immediately suspicious, the class lingered for a moment before dissolving into talk. Wanting another distraction, Sasuke picked up his book and started reading.

Hinata, however, was still sulking from the bad news. She just stared out the window, sighing. She was so hoping that the match would get Naruto's attention for her, instead of having to tell him herself. Forcing her eyes shut, she reprimanded herself. No! You have to be brave...you have to tell him. Friday, in school before the dance. Just get it over with.

Having nothing to do, and no will to do it, the period seemed to last forever to the Hyuuga girl. When the bell finally did ring, she shuffled out of the classroom with her bag on her shoulder, a bit in a daze. So distracted was she, she crashed right into a body going the other way.

"Ah!" she cried, falling backwards onto her backside, her skirt falling dangerously short. Embarrassed, she instantly started rattling off apologies.

"I'm s-so sorry! I, I wasn't watching where I was going – it was all m-my fault..." she said, coming to a stop as the person she'd run into offered a hand to help her up. Blinking, she blushed as she saw one of the most popular boys in her school.

Itachi Uchiha.

With a gentle smile, Itachi replied, "Not at all, Hinata. I too was distracted." With strong arms, he lifted her up and placed her on her feet before she could protest.

H...Hinata? He...he knows who I am? "B-but..."

"Until later, Hinata." With that, the boy melded back into the crowd, ignoring the small group of people staring who had seen the entire incident, and leaving poor Hinata wondering if she had imagined the whole thing.

.oOo.

This time, Sasuke was in his room studying biology when his brother returned home. Hearing the door, he waited for the older boy to enter his room to greet him as he always did.

"Hello Sasuke."

"Hey." Now all he had to do was casually bring up the matches, and find out who his brother had gotten.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I was wondering who you have gotten in the matches today."

Sasuke choked slightly, caught completely off-guard. "U-uh..."

"My result was a bit odd...a girl in your class, as a matter of fact."

Making a face, Sasuke muttered, "Please tell me not Ino Yamanaka or Sakura Haruno."

Itachi chuckled lightly. "No, not either of them. A girl named Hinata Hyuuga."

Once more, Sasuke choked. "R-really?"

"Yes...I've never met her before, though I did happen to crash into her in the hallway after school."

Sasuke just stared. How many times was his brother going to surprise him today?"

"So, who was your result?"

Sasuke glared out the window over his desk. "Hn..."

"Sakura?"

"Ugh, no."

"Hm..."

"I got Hinata too."

An odd silence fell between the brothers. Looking back at Itachi, Sasuke saw him raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. That's...unexpected."

Sasuke didn't reply. Both boys fell into thought. Sasuke stared at his brother, who stared out his bedroom door. Itachi's never dated anyone, even though he has girls throwing themselves at him. Maybe...he should give this a shot. The Hyuuga girl, from what little Sasuke had ever gleaned about her, was quiet, polite, and not very popular. Itachi was quiet, polite, and all-too-popular. When he really gave it thought, he realized that the two might not make a bad pair.

"Ask her out."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly as his gaze returned to his brother. "Excuse me?"

"I said, ask her out. She'd be good for you." Sasuke decided to leave out the part of her being madly infatuated with his best friend.

"Sasuke...she's a freshman-"

"So? I can tell you now she's a lot more mature than all the other airhead freshmen girls."

Itachi gave his brother a look. "I hardly think it's appropriate."

"You need to branch out a little, Itachi. You don't ever see anyone outside school, you spend all your time studying and doing chess club, and you never go out with any girls."

"Neither do you."

"That's beside the point. At least I have friends and go out and-"

"You ask her out, little brother. It's clear you also need some female company."

Sasuke frowned. "No, I don't."

"You also received Hinata as a match. Your chances are as good as mine."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke retorted, "I don't want to date her!"

"How do you know that? What do you want, Sasuke?"

Naruto's question echoed in his ears. Who do you want that you don't get? "Tch..."

"Alright then, let's play a little game, Sasuke. We will each pursue Hinata. One date each. We will then both ask her to the dance, and see who she chooses."

Again, Sasuke frowned. "Messing with a girl's feelings isn't a game, Itachi."

"That's not quite the right word, no. But we won't be 'messing' with her. We will be seeing which of us, if either of us, she would enjoy accompanying to the dance. Perhaps even forge a relationship with."

Despite not wanting to see the affair as a game, Sasuke immediately saw it as a competition between he and his brother. They had always been rivals, but competing for a girl was certainly a new one. And once Sasuke saw something as a competition, he didn't like to lose. Making up his mind, he muttered, "Fine. But you better not botch it on purpose."

Itachi gave the smallest of smirks. "Very well. I shall ask her for a date Thursday, and you shall ask her tomorrow."

"Why do I have to go first?"

"Because I'm the oldest and I said so." With that rather immature response, Itachi left his brother's room, smiling. He wasn't one to get involved with another person, but perhaps Sasuke was right. Maybe he needed to try to find a companion. He didn't have any close friends, and he did get lonely on occasion. And even if she doesn't choose me, at least she may choose Sasuke. With that thought in mind, he went into his own room to study...and to plan.

Alrighty guys, what did you think? If you have a moment, please let me know with a review! The next chapter will be posted tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that! Thanks again so much for reading, and bonus thanks for reviews! Wish me luck in the judging!

Also, just a random little note about the plot: the concept of the data match is something that I actually had in one of the high schools I went to, and I was actually a part of the tech class my senior year!

Until tomorrow, loves!

~BlackRoseDragon13