I was inspired by Miss-Monster-Kimono's reviews to my Fatass fic, and I decided to write a HinaChou fic. If you're a major fan of Ino, prepare to be disappointed...because I don't make her look good at all. I'm sure she's fairly normal and all, but I think I may have over-exaggerated her character a bit. I'm trying to make up for it. Maybe in the next chapter... Hmmm... Then again, maybe not.

I hope you all enjoy it. And I hope you all like the concept. Everyone knows the real way to a man's heart is through their stomach, and that goes doubly so for Chouji...

His Favorite Food
Part One -- "Her Favorite Compliment"

"Chouji, you idiot! What are you doing!?"

Chouji looked up from his chips, up at his very-blonde, very-pissed off teammate. "Snack break. All of this training wears me out…"

"Of course it does! That's why it's called training! Maybe if you weren't eating every ten minutes you'd have more energy to train longer! Ugh, why'd I get stuck with you!? I'll never beat Sakura and impress Sasuke with a team like this!!"

Shikamaru spoke up when he noticed Chouji's full face falling. "Maybe we'd get more done if you weren't stopping every ten minutes to check up on your hair."

She whirled around, her face clearly showing she was highly offended. "Never underestimate the importance of looking good while fighting! You never know when looks will win a battle–just look at that pervert Naruto!"

At the mere mention of that name, Hinata's ears twitched, and she drifted away from her team as they were passing by Asuma's favorite training grounds, going to go check out what was going on. What she walked in on was a heated argument rather than a discussion of her hero.

As she watched from the sidelines, her eyes gradually drifted toward the boy walking away from it all.

"Chouji needs to eat to replenish his chakra, Ino!"

"Yeah, well he eats a lot when he's just sitting around, too! He needs to start eating only when he absolutely needs to, damn it!"

"Why, so he can be tired enough all the time for you to yell at him more often? After all, if Chouji wasn't around, the only fat you'd be able to look at would be your own, turkey legs."

She screamed, unable to find anything else to counter that verbal wound, and Shikamaru took it as a win, regardless of what it really was. On their team, it could've been anything. He turned back to their portly partner–"Oi, Chouji…"–only to see a bag of chips in his best friend's place. "Chouji?"

Chouji sighed, walking over to a bench a few blocks away and having a seat. He was sure if Ino were there, she'd make a comment on making sure he didn't break the poor thing. His cheeks flared at the thought, and he looked down at his gut, sighing sadly.

Everyone in his clan was like this–they were all just big-boned, as his father had put it once. But…that still didn't stop people from treating him differently because of it. He could only wonder how his father got through childhood without wishing to just end it all.

"Ch-Chouji-kun…?"

A timid voice from his left caused him to turn, looking for the source. The source was none other than Hinata, one of the Hyuugas. Her father was way too strict and her sister was a little creepy…but she wasn't so bad. Just a bit too shy, was all.

He lifted his hand in greeting, forgetting to put that dull smile back on his face he'd perfected. "Hello, Hinata. Where's Kiba and Shino?"

She quivered a little, sitting down beside him. "Oh…they're t-training…"

"Oh…? Why aren't you with them?" Something in him stirred, and he could only wonder if she'd been dealing with the same sort of thing as him the entire time. After all, it couldn't just be a mere coincidence that she just so happened to decide against training that day while her teammates went ahead.

She, stuttering, tried to find the best way to put it. 'Relax,' she whispered to herself mentally. 'This isn't Naruto; no need to panic, Hinata-chan…'

She nodded her head, determined, before turning to him. "I…I wandered off to watch you three train."

His brows furrowed, and he watched her, perplexed. Naruto's team he'd expect, but his and Shikamaru's? "Why?"

She went red, her fingers pulling together and touching, index finger to index finger. "I-Ino said something about N-Naruto-kun…"

"Ah."

A silence formed, creeping in unexpectedly and lingering there like a tense cloud of smog, and between the two of them, Chouji was receiving only half of the awkwardness. Hinata's cheeks went pink. She wanted to comfort him somehow, say something to make him feel better and forget about what Ino had said, but she was herself, and she couldn't just come right out and say something out in the open like that! 'Think!' she thought. 'What would Naruto say in a situation like this??'

"Ch-Chouji!"

Her sudden zeal caught him by surprise and he turned to her sharply, spooked. "Y-Yeah??"

"D-Don't… Don't listen to what Ino says! Y-You're just different than her and…and she's frustrated by it! What matters is that you try your best and don't get b-bummed out by what anyone tells you!"

By the time her pep talk was done, she was breathing a bit heavier than normal, looking at him with an intense, albeit fearful, look in her eyes, and her hands were clenched into fists at her chest.

A few moments passed until he couldn't hide the laughter threatening to bubble over any longer. He laughed a little, and Hinata turned inward again, her gaze returning to her hands. Her face flared and she felt completely ridiculous. That figured–her being outspoken was just so out of place…

Chouji's chuckles dwindled until he was looking at her again, simply smiling. "Hinata, you sounded just like Naruto."

She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise momentarily and her face turning bright red, until she looked back down again, smiling. "Th-Thank you…" Her voice was back to its normal tone, and Chouji suddenly realized just how cute she was.

His cheeks turned red, and he looked away, off toward where his friends were probably looking for him. "Well, I…I should…go…"

"O-Oh… Okay…"

"Bye, Hinata…"

"…B-Bye…"

She watched his figure disappear into the distance before she slapped her hands against her cheeks, rubbing furiously. "He–He said I… He said I sounded like Naruto-kun!!" It took everything in her to keep herself from fainting.

Her? As confident as Naruto-kun?? If she didn't know any better, he was just saying that to make her feel better after laughing like that!

Wow. I just realized how short this was... The next chapter should be longer a bit... Sorry about that.