"Please, tell me your name?"

Hinata turned her head so far that it cricked, and she had to hold it as it recovered with every painful throb. Can't a girl simply fulfill her most valued hobby of collecting blossoms without being bothered by a curious spectator?

"Excuse me?" The pinkette reminded the small girl of her existence. "I want to know your name, please."

"Wh-why?" Hinata glanced over her shoulder, wincing from the now pulled muscle in her neck.

The girl simply shrugged, blushing lightly. Hinata's cheeks blended with the other's. She noted the softness and sadness in the other girl's emerald eyes, and how her cheeks are stained with tears. Crying. She was crying before she spotted Hinata in the meadow gathering flowers in a basket.

"I'm curious." She answered, causing Hinata's own shoulder's drop to the truth of her predicament. This girl is curious for a petite child to be sitting out in a field all alone and plucking flowers. How weird.

"Hinata." Hinata answered, boastful of the fact that she did not stutter on her own name.

The young girl's lip trembled as she swallowed back tears. This is the first time someone's gave their name to her without giving off notes of her large forehead behind her thick bangs. This girl has thick bangs also, so maybe she has something to hide.

Sakura reached out and unconsciously brushed the small child's bangs, making her gasp and fluster, but not draw back. Sakura's finger traced the shape of the pale brow. Hinata's eyelids lowered until she closed her eyes softly in relaxation. Her fingers gripped the bar of her basket till her knuckles paled whiter than her own snow-white skin. This feeling of being touched felt good. It has been much too long since someone has touched her softly.

No one felt her the way Hinata wanted them to. They usually kept their space, believing a soft, timid girl was claustrophobic, and though she appreciates the care, that's the opposite of what Hinata wants.

Sigh.

The sound of exhale yanked Sakura out of her trance and she swiped her hand away. The Hyuga opened her eyes gently, sorrowful that this comforting feeling has ended. She lifted her gaze at the girl, nibbling her soft pink lips before asking, "Wh-what…what is…what is y-you're…name? T-tell me your name p-please…,"

Sakura found herself shocked that she has been asked a question, hypnotized by the young Hinata's stuttering and wondering if she'll ever get the statement out. And she thought SHE had speaking problems. "Sakura-chan."

"S-Sakura-ch-chan…," Hinata echoed incorrectly.

Sakura giggled, putting her hand in front of her mouth shyly. This is nice, giggling at a girl with more of a shy problem than her. What the heck, she'll have fun with her.

"No," she lectured, "S-Sakura. Not Sakura. Y-you overuse the U in it. Say it again-Sakura."

Hinata gave it a second shot, the corners of her lips lifting, "Sakura."

Sakura laughed louder this time, "No, you silly! Now you're using the R too strongly! Just say it softly. Sakura."

"S-Sakura…" Hinata whispered too quietly to hear.

"Not that soft!" Sakura's actually having fun. "Say it louder. And let it roll off your tongue. Sakura! SA-KU-RA!"

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

...
"Sakura-chan…" Hinata stared at the new-and-improved Haruno, the one with a ribbon holding her hair up high, and this time without the strong-hearted Ino Yamanaka at her side.

For a minute, the pinkette seemed lost as she looked into the academy classroom, searching for a place to set her rear. "Where should I sit?" Sakura muttered beneath her breath, keeping it from earshot of anyone, especially the blonde girl that stormed past her, shoving her shoulder as she went to sit next to the infamous Sasuke-kun, whom Sakura missed from her gaze. She fumed. Now where will she sit without looking like a moron?

Damn, she always looks like a moron, mostly when she trailed behind that stupid Ino-piglet.

"Sakura-chan!" A louder blonde stood from his seat, sensing Sakura's distress. "Sakura! You can sit by me!"

"In your dreams, baka!" There is no way Sakura is going to get anywhere close to that idiot. Why is it always the blondes?

Hinata flinched at the hand suddenly propelled in the air, in front of her face. "Naruto-kun…" She shyly muttered, muffling it with her fist in front of her lip. Hinata leaned to peer past the boy's hand and try to see what Sakura Haruno will do. The girl she's barely spoken to the day after she first met her, because after that she became friends with Ino.

And yesterday they dumped each other as best friends… Now what?

Sakura spotted a small flicker behind the loudmouth, and there was the little Hinata, the girl she's forgotten about for all these years. And more importantly, an empty seat beside her. With pride, Sakura held up her nose as she marched up the stairs, past the obnoxious and disappointed Naruto, and slammed herself next to black-clad Hinata. Crossing her legs, Sakura leaned back and crossed her arms, greeting in superiority, "Hello, Hinata-san."

In truth, Sakura only felt guilt and embarrassment in leaving this child behind like an overused toy and then crawling back to her like she'll accept her friendship.

"G-good morning…S-Sakura-chan."

Sakura was taken back at the kind reference. So she does accept her. Sakura stared at Hinata in shock. She's just too good for the likes of Sakura.

"All right, class, let's begin," Iruka entered the classroom, distracting Sakura from her speculation. "Today is ninja fitness. We'll start off as always: Transformation. So get with a partner, find a spot in the room, and begin. This will last for five minutes. Each of you will do two special transformations your partner suggests. AND NOTHING IDIOTIC, NARUTO!"

Naruto's snap of fingers and chuckle filled the room.

"Be my partner?" Sakura went doe-eyed at Hinata, knowing now she had no associate. Ino was, of course, her No. 1 partner. And she could hear Ino screeching from behind her, swooning, "Oh, Sasuke-kun! Be my partner, 'kay? Not that Big-head Sakura! I'll transform into your sexy bod!"

"'B-Big-head'? Ergh! INO-PIG!" Sakura shot up from her seat, and was about to pummel the pig-headed Ino, but a cold hand held her shoulder.

Sakura looked back and drowned in the concern in Hinata's face as she said, "I'll be your partner, Sakura-san."

"Oh," Sakura blinked, "Thanks."

They found a quiet corner by the door. An awkward silence stretched between them as they faced each other. Hinata's eyes wandered the room, watching Ino flirt with Sasuke, who always seemed too frightening for her tastes, Naruto and Kiba, who both argued on the better transformation, Choji and Shikamaru, instead of doing their work, Shikamaru leaned against the wall and slept and Choji stuffed himself with treats. It was nothing but a distinct chatter, while the only peacefulness that remained was up here, with these two girls.

Finally, Hinata broke the long silence by forming her hands into a seal, and asking no higher than a whisper, "Wh-what should I b-be…?"

Sakura shook her head. Hinata lowered her hands in confusion as Sakura said, "Let's not do anything. I wanna talk. We haven't spoken in a long time."

Hinata looked down at her feet, her hands falling at her side. "It has been a long time." She whispered, shutting her eyes and remembering the feeling of Sakura's finger curling around her head. The sensational tingle in her touch that made Hinata loose all consciousness of the mishaps in this world. How she wanted that feeling again.

Sakura stayed silent, evidently awaiting for Hinata to start the conversation. Bad idea. Hinata was never best at small talk, and starting it is no exception. Anyone who knows her at all would know that as the simple truth.

"So… H-how are y-?"

"What a boring way to start a chat." Shikamaru cut off Hinata's words as he strides over the steps, skipping every other stair, and Choji never leaving his little trail, almost as if their was an invisible rope connecting the two.

"Fuck off, you lazy pineapple…," Sakura growled in defense, warning him like a beeping red button by the way her jaw clenched. The blushing Hinata felt her steps fall towards the wall, because a picture of fangs and dripping venom came to mind when she saw Sakura upset.

"I heard rotten language up there!" Iruka shouted out with his snappy, loud voice, causing every ninja-in-training to cease their practice and gawk up at the two girls. Hinata squealed and hid behind Sakura as she crossed her arms and sulked from the embarrassing eyes of her peers.

Hinata gripped Sakura's arms as if to use her as a shield, just as Shikamaru regarded in a low voice, "'Lazy pineapple,' huh? Never heard that one before…,"

"Shut up…," Sakura's eyes grew sinister and lingering as her inner power came out. Shikamaru hazes away from her evil gaze.

Iruka's mouth formed a straight, disapproving line before he ordered, ending the long silence, "All right, class, that's enough practice. Now I want you to line up and instead perform your transformations in front of me!"

Moans echoed across the class as everyone moseyed and moped their way to the front of the class, half of which exchanging glares at Sakura and Hinata, who in response, Sakura narrowed her eyes back at as she walked down the steps, with the Hyuga clinging onto her shoulders for protection from the pressuring gaze of their classmates.

"I will not tolerate dirty language in the class," Iruka eyed the passing girls, speaking aloud as a reminder to her and the rest of the class. The handsome man's gaze caused Hinata to blush at his tall figure and hide her face in Sakura's neck as the pinkette ignored the sensei to take her place in line.

Hinata did not seem to fancy the idea of liberating her hold of Haruno, and Sakura didn't really care if she held onto her, as long as no one shoved the young Hyuga like everyone else did as they got in line. And she liked the idea of Ino realizing that Sakura's already got a replacement for her.

"Sakura-chan…," Hinata's breath whisks strands of Sakura's growing, pink hair.

"We'll talk later, Hinata-san," Sakura glanced over her shoulder with a kind smile, combing her own hair behind her hair. "Wanna meet me at Tea Street after class?"

Hinata's head popped up in a certain warmth radiating her heart. "R-really…?" she whispered back, "Y-yes…of course…I would love…to…,"

As the girl spoke, Sakura got a sudden epiphany of the greatest day ever. With a wide grin, she lifted her arm to Hinata and pushed her blue bangs away. The soft blend of pink tinted Hinata's cheek as the memory was sent back to her, and Sakura whispered, "Sounds like a date,"

A…date…? The blue haired heiress only blushed in response.

"All right, you foul-mouthed ladies," Iruka snarled, "You're up, one at a time."

Sakura nodded, softly removing Hinata's hand from her shoulder. The Hyuga's hands lingered, outstretching slightly to the departing Haruno and hugged her hands back to her chest, the cold air hitting her like a shove.

"TRANSFORM!" Sakura summoned her chakra and renovates into another version of Ino Yamanaka, with a curly tail and a pig nose. From the end of the line, a shrill scream fills the room.