The Party

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; Kishimoto does.

Hinata truly had no idea what she was doing at an event like this. Already, as she stood beside the parked car with Neji by her side, she was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. It didn't have anything to do with the house in front of her; no, the house looked quite nice. It was a two-story home, appearing very big, with a simple red color pattern. The yard was quite large and very well kept, except perhaps for the other vehicles parked on it in many miscellaneous positions. Yes, it seemed that most people would park anywhere, whereas Neji had been polite enough to park in the streets. As she looked at the cars on the yard, she couldn't help but wonder whether or not Tenten actually had permission for this party.

Tenten Higurashi was a friend of Neji, though Hinata was quite sure the girl was more love-struck admirer than friend. She was always trying to be around Neji and to participate in anything that he participated in; once, they had the same gym class and she would overhear Tenten talking about Neji quite frequently. Still, from everything she knew, Tenten seemed like a nice enough girl. Hinata had never really made friends with her, though they had interacted on a few occasions with little happening of any note. In fact, she had not even directly invited her to the party; Neji was the one who told him of her invitation, which led to her assuming that Tenten agreed simply so that Neji would come.

She was still not entirely sure why she had decided to come in the first place. Even though she had not been to any real parties in the past, a large reason why was that she did not want to. Well, maybe she wasn't directly invited to any like these, where it was mostly a party of friends and a plus one, but still she had previously never been inclined to go. Maybe it was because Neji had been, for some reason, quite insistent that she attend this one. He said that it really would be quite good for her to go out for a night and meet some people in a social environment, and she found herself agreeing. Lately, it just seemed like all there was to her life was school and dealing with her father. Even Hanabi seemed to be growing further and further away.

"So, this is Tenten's house?" she asked, just trying to make some sort of conversation. She figured that, if she could talk comfortably to Neji then maybe it would be able to transition to others. Every time she talked to someone new, it's like a knot formed in her stomach and she became incapable of speaking properly.

"Yes; it is quite nice. Her father is in the manufacturing industry. A shame at what they've done to the lawn; I do not suspect he will be too pleased with that."

"I thought you said he knows about it?"

"Well, perhaps I was a bit coy. He expects a get together of ten people and, well, from the look of things I would say it is probably along the lines of one-hundred." It made her feel a bit guilty, knowing that she would be indirectly taking advantage of Tenten's father's trust by participating in the event in any way, and part of her wondered if maybe it was not too late to just leave.

"I know what you're thinking," Neji said, interrupting her thoughts, "and while I will take us away if you should want me too, I do believe that this event shall do you some good if you allow it to, Hinata. Please, give it a chance. It is quite healthy to have some friends with whom you can relieve your stress." He always had a way of knowing her thoughts and being able to convince her on matters, and this time it was no exception. Really, there was nothing for her to lose so why did she keep allowing herself to slip into her fears? If she walked away tonight with no new friends, then nothing had changed. If she walked away in embarrassment, it would fade. And yet, this knowledge did little to comfort her.

It's not that she had no friends, really; she knew of a few people that she would call friends. It was mostly that she spent so little time with them that they never developed into close friends. Usually, after school, she would go straight home where she would tend to the house a bit and help Hanabi with whatever she was learning. Usually, when Father got home, he would then personally tutor her in a particular field of study for around two hours. As a result, she knew that she was quite ahead at times in certain subjects, though Father was certainly not teaching her Chemistry or anything of that sort.

"I-I know you're right, Neji. It's just a bit strange for me, that's all. Please don't worry about it." He gave her a nod, and she allowed herself to relax. Already, only briefly into the evening, she had caused Neji to worry about her. She really needed to be less selfish; after all, Neji was here by direct invitation and she was sure that Tenten would like very much to have his undivided attention. If Neji was too worried about her, then it would be unfair to both Tenten and him. Yes, no matter what, she would not allow Neji to worry about her any more.

They knocked at the door, and it was immediately answered by a bun-haired girl that she recognized as Tenten. Normally, she dressed quite casually, though tonight it was clear that she put some effort into putting on some better clothing and being quite diligent in her make-up application. Tonight it was clear that she wanted her appearance to be special, and to be noticed. Hinata was sure that she was the only Hyuuga at the party who knew that answer.

"Ah, Neji, it's so great to see you!" she said, a wide, genuine smile on her face and eyes practically sparkling. "And Hinata, I'm so glad you decided to come! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" she said, her smile faltering slightly and clearly not as excited as she was pretending to be. Still, Hinata knew that she was just trying to ingratiate herself to Neji by treating her kindly. There was nothing wrong with it, really; Tenten was a good person and she was sure she would have been greeted warmly regardless of her familial relations.

"Y-yes, it has been quite a while." Her voice sounded so quiet compared Tenten. For some reason, it made her think of a sheep. Yes, she sounded like a sheep. That was nothing to be embarrassed about though; sheep were lovable animals. At least, they seemed like they would be. She had never actually interacted with one or anything.

"Greetings Tenten. I hope that we are not late."

"Of course not, right on time as per the usual Neji! I think mostly everyone is here, but there are a few people who prefer to be fashionably late, of course. Please, come in." She gestured with an open arm as she opened the door wider to allow them entrance. Neji and herself both said their thanks as they stepped into the door, entering the bun-haired girl's abode. Immediately she was immersed in the rapid change in atmosphere; there was loud and fast-paced music playing beats with no lyrics, she could hear a lot of people talking, and she saw a lot of them standing around, usually in groups of two or three. Already she felt quite uncomfortable but resolved to not show it, for Neji.

"Do you want me to show you two around?" Tenten asked, and Hinata was pretty sure that she would prefer to have it just be Neji.

"Yes, that would be nice."

"You two go on without me." When Neji looked at her somewhat surprised, and Tenten looked at her with a thankful expression, she knew that she had made the correct decision. She leaned in closer to Neji and whispered, careful to be loud enough that she could be heard over the music. "I think that, perhaps, it's best I give immersion a try."

Neji looked at her and nodded. "Very well; please do enjoy yourself. Now, Tenten," the poor man's arm was grabbed and he was hoisted away without a moment's more notice; Hinata couldn't help but giggle to herself. She had a good feeling about Neji and Tenten, they just seemed so right for each other. Unfortunately, as she looked around, she began to lose that sense of happiness and have it replaced with nervousness. So many faces, so many people that she didn't know. Some of them looked at her briefly, and she would turn her head as if looking at something else. Deciding to not just stand around, she started walking at a somewhat leisurely pace into what she presumed was the living room.

The living room, as it turns out, was the source of the music. There were a few speakers set up with a phone connected to them, undoubtedly playing some pre-arranged playlist of someone's idea of party music. Hinata would not call herself a fan of the music playing anytime soon, that's for sure. It was loud, with only beats and no lyrics; usually, she preferred her music to be a bit slower and packed with feeling. Sure, there were songs that she liked which branched away from this style, but it was generally the case. She saw two girls she knew, standing around the furthest wall and talking to themselves, and determined that she would at least say a greeting to them.

"Hello Sakura, hello Ino" she said, approaching the two of them with a smile on her face. Sure, they had never been friends, or really 'talked' per say, but they had the occasional class together and interacted a slight bit. At the very least, they were people to help her get comfortable.

"So anyway, that's when I was like… oh, hey. Hiama right?" The blonde said, and her self-esteem dropped immeasurably. Here she was, trying to extend a safe greeting to people she recognized, and it ended up like this.

"Don't be rude, Ino. Her name's Hinata. Hey, Hinata. So, you were saying?"

"Right. So I told him..." She casually walked away, knowing full-well that she had been largely ignored. Maybe she just wasn't assertive enough? What was she doing wrong? How could everyone else have such an easy time with these things and she did nothing but struggle? Getting tired of hearing the doubts mixed with the poor musical choices, she decided to get something to drink. Apparently, someone had provided punch. She poured herself a quick glass, or perhaps plastic cup was more appropriate, and took a sip only to immediately cringe slightly and almost spit it out.

There was alcohol in the drink; from the smell of things, a pretty good bit of it too. It tasted terribly, but she swallowed the first bit of it regardless since doing anything otherwise would be rude. She knew from that one taste, however, that she would not be drinking any more. It's not that she was some moral crusader against alcohol or anything to that regard. It was mostly that she was not a fan of the effects that she knew it could have on people, causing anything from uncontrollable anger to severe depression. So, she had chosen from a pretty early age to ignore the substance. At least she knew now that she also did not like its taste.

For the next half-hour or so she roamed the household, getting familiar with everything from its collection of fine china to the somewhat intimidating katana serving as a mantelpiece. Occasionally, she would recognize someone that she knew, but it seemed like they were always busy with someone else and no one ever initiated conversation with her. She reminded herself that, in a way, she was doing this for Neji; so that Tenten could have a bit of alone time with him. It helped to distract her a bit from the loneliness that seemed to be encroaching from every direction.

It was at this point where the music changed a bit, and she heard a few people loudly cheering for a moment before the beat even really started going. It was a very fast paced, energetic beat, the opposite of anything that she would ever usually listen to. When she got back into the living room, it seemed like everyone was dancing. Although, perhaps, dancing was not quite the right word. They had mostly all paired up, boy with a girl, dancing hip-to-hip in the most erotic way possible that did not involve nudity. The girls who did not have a partner had their hands raised up, shaking themselves around as if trying to attract someone over to them; the boys seemed unable to resist, going to a girl and attempting to join in the dance. If the girl deemed the boy unsuitable for the ritual at-hand, then she would not return in his obscene hip movements and he would move on in search of the next.

She had never been more uncomfortable, of that she was sure. She could feel her face heating up, from the mere thought of even attempting such a performance. No, that was not possible; there was no way that she could. She crept along the wall, attempting to remain as hidden as she could, before slipping out the back door. The music, for the most part, faded away, and she was hit with the somewhat chilled auburn air. The backyard had a nice patio, actually, and luckily for her it was completely empty. She took a seat, putting her face into her hands.

Why was she so different? Wouldn't it be better if she were just more like the other girls, if she enjoyed most of the same things? It's not like she was asking to lose her individuality or anything; after all, Sakura and Ino fit right in with this scene but they were distinctly different people. So, what was wrong with her? Why did she have to feel so unbearably uncomfortable in situations where everyone else seemed so unaffected? Is the grotesque dancing and alcohol-drinking what it takes to blend in with people around her? Was it really the only option? If so, she was sure that she was doomed to a life of eternal sadness. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but did her best to fight them off.

"Hey, are you okay?" she heard a male voice ask, someone who had seemingly stepped outside mere moments ago. Her mind was so busy shouting questions that she could not even hear the door opening. She looked at her questioner, and saw a somewhat tall man with spiky blonde hair. His blue eyes were looking at her inquisitively, and Hinata was sure that there was true concern within them. She took a moment to attempt to calm herself down.

"Yes, everything is quite alright. I was j-just hoping for some nice fresh air, is all." She wasn't really sure how her voice came out mostly even, disregarding one slight stutter. Considering how she felt it was really a bit of a blessing.

"Ah, guess that makes sense."

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, not trying to sound hostile or anything but genuinely curious.

"I saw you come out here and wanted to check up on you. And, well, to be honest, I guess that whole thing going on in there isn't really my kind of scene, ya know? Don't mind an excuse to miss out on it." A large part of her calmed down a bit more; she was no the only one who was made uncomfortable by the living room scene. The next breath came just a bit easier to her.

"Y-yeah, it's not for me either. I-I'm not sure why it isn't, not sure why I'm not like all those other people." She spoke before she could really think about what she was saying, and was a bit embarrassed about what she had said. Here she was, getting personal with a complete stranger! She felt both lucky and unlucky when he didn't run away or laugh at her.

"Meh, better to be yourself than anyone else. At least, that's what I've always told myself. Been my motto since I was ten years old!" he said, raising his voice slightly for emphasis. She found herself laughing a bit at his sudden, energetic excitement, bringing a bit of life to the area around them. She failed to even notice that she was now sitting up a bit straighter.

"That's a good way to think about things. I guess that sometimes I just wonder what it would be like to think and act like everyone else." She was talking so fluently now, and in a weird kinda way, it felt comfortable to her. By any logical sense, she should be extremely uncomfortable talking about such a personal topic with a complete stranger. Yet, she wasn't.

"Trust me, I understand. When I was a kid, going to school for the first time, I used to always ask myself why I couldn't fit in with anyone else. I'd do anything to try to fit in with someone, from playing pranks to make myself seem cool or skipping class with some of the other kids to try to fit in with them. But it never really worked; I was always just there. It never felt like I belonged." The boy's head was hanging a bit, obviously sullen now, talking about something that was clearly very close to him.

"What changed?" she asked, noticing that he was speaking in the past tense.

"Well, I'm sure you noticed that I'm a bit of a talker. It seemed like, one day, people just started talking back a bit more. I'm not gonna say they were listening, because who really listens to what some guy is saying right? But they were responding, and that felt nice. Thing is, no matter how much I appreciate the friends I have now, I can't forget that a lot of them were the people who used to ignore me. It's an odd thing, wondering if anyone would miss you when you're a seven year old, and it's not something I would ever forget."

"I-I understand. There have been times where I've thought that Father would be much happier without me as a disappointment. He's always trying his best to teach me everything I need, but I'm never getting it perfect like he wants. I can tell that it distresses him"

"Then he's an idiot. He should support and cherish his children, not be disappointed in them." He said, voice calm and confident. Hinata, for her part, restrained herself from rushing to her father's defense. This was hardly the appropriate place to even be talking about any of this. "You know, I never had a father. Nor a mother. All I had were some caretakers at a run-down orphanage who were more concerned with barely passing inspection than with children. My godfather didn't even want to associate himself with me until I was twelve. And there are just way too many people out there who don't get how important parents are and how much they affect their kids." He paused for a moment, seeming to compose himself. "Sorry about that, I guess it's just something I've had a lot of time to think about, ya know?" he said with a soft smile, seemingly slightly embarrassed.

"You're an orphan?" she asked, too concerned with the details of his statements to worry about much else.

"Yeah; my dad died in a car accident on the way to the hospital on the day I was born, and my mom died in childbirth. Weird, huh?" He asked, and Hinata was somewhat shocked by the unlikelihood of such a tragedy. Such a shame, to come into the world with such a streak of bad luck.

"I-I'm sorry to heart that."

"Don't be, really; in a strange sort of way, if I'm happy with the way I am now then it'd be wrong to wish everything was different." There was a pause in the conversation, a slight lull as if everything that had needed to be said was said and now there was nothing.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" he asked, and it was the first time the entire night where someone had even bothered.

"H-Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata. I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." He was smiling at her, the type of smile that was full and genuine. And it was directed towards her, and her alone. It felt nice. Already she felt like she knew so much about him and that he knew so much about her, even if she had not really told himself all that much about her. It just felt like he understood. He reached a hand out toward her, and it seemed like his eyes were lit up with excitement and energy. "I know we just met and all, but could I have this dance?" he asked, in such a cliché and old-fashioned manner that it wrapped all the way back around to being gentlemanly and adorable.

She could hear now that, from their position, the incredibly up-beat and loud music that was playing inside dissipated a bit and only about half of the beats were clearly audible, though they were still much quieter than on the inside. Her face was turning a bit red; she knew it, she could feel it. But it was nice because it was not because she was embarrassed at herself, it was because someone had actually asked her to dance. A boy had asked her to dance. She had not really anticipated this happening; she had never drawn much attention from guys, in part because she did not seek it as others did.

"That would be nice" she managed to say, after a few moments before putting her hand into his. He closed his hands around hers, his being a good deal bigger, as he helped her to her feet. One hand was kept held together as his other hand was on her shoulder. It started with a simple swaying, nothing exciting at all. For some reason, though, he was smiling so widely, as if it absolutely made his day to have a dance with her. It made her feel as if she were some sort of princess, and she could not help but to smile gently back at him. The pace picked up a bit, them mostly walking in circles and undoubtedly looking like hopeless fools to anyone who actually knew how to dance. Then he did something unexpected and twirled her, the surprising spin eliciting a giggle from her.

He led them out off of the patio into the grass of the backyard, where the sound of the music was even dimmer to the point of hearing maybe only a quarter of the beats. The dancing slowed down even more and they stood closer together than ever before. His eyes were locked on hers, and she could not resist the temptation to look back into his. Even though it was a new moon tonight, there was just enough light being given off from the house to illuminate them as they slowly danced. Perhaps dancing was too generous a description for the way that they were swaying back and forth in circles, but it felt a bit too perfect to describe in any other way.

She never would have thought that a moment like this would happen in her life. No, meeting random people who wanted a real conversation was not meant for her. Dancing slowly in a lawn, the only light that of the nearby house they had fled? Surely that was destined for someone else. She could never have one of these moments. She was too shy, not ambitious enough, unwilling to put herself out there; yet, here it was, happening to her and for her, nobody else. Suddenly he stopped and, after a moment's hesitation, he started leaning forward slowly, eyes mostly shut.

A part of her knew what was happening, but another part of her was confused that it was happening to her. She had never kissed anyone; never even met someone where the concept would have been a possible outcome. But now, with someone she had met mere minutes before, the moment was at-hand. She was scared, really, and wanted to just run away and pretend that none of this had ever happened. She had not met some caring stranger on an outdoor patio, and they had not slow-danced in the darkness. But she remembered that she had come to this party hoping to change, hoping that some part of her loneliness could be taken away. Even though she had thought it would be through talking and finding friends, this seemed like an alternative worth risking. Mustering all of her courage and refusing to let herself back down, she leaned forward as well.

Their lips met, and even though they were together only a brief moment, it sent a bolt of electricity through her. Even if they never talked to each other again, she would not regret her decision in this moment. They broke apart, him staring into her eyes a bit more. By anyone else's standards, she was sure that it was a boring, chaste kiss; to her, however, it was a lot more than that in ways that she knew she would never understand.

He put one hand on the back of his head, rubbing his neck and smiling. "Sorry, I'm not sure quite what came over me there."

She smiled at his apology, though she would not have been demanding one in the first place. It made her feel a bit better about herself, that she was not the only one who felt a bit uncomfortable about it all. Though, as tonight had taught her, sometimes it was better to be uncomfortable

"So, I know I just met you and all, and I hope you'll say yes, and don't think you have to say yes because you don't," he said, speaking really fast and seeming more nervous. Hinata giggled softly, seeing this new side to the guy who had seemed so confident to her. She felt flattered that she could make him act in such a way. "but, do you wanna maybe go to the movies or get dinner or something sometime?"

He was asking her out on a date? Did that mean that he wanted to be her boyfriend? She wondered, briefly, about what her Father would think. Already the boy had called her father stupid, what if the two of them met and didn't get along? What if Father forbade her from seeing him because she should really be focused more on her studies? That's when it occurred to her: she didn't care. This was her decision to make, and hers alone. For a brief moment she felt so free, so confident, like a bird let out of its cage.

"Yes," she said, smiling, "that would be nice."

A/N: Just a quick little NaruHina one-shot, written mostly to get a bit of the fluff out of my system and to treat my readers. Let me go ahead and say this: The fact that NaruHina is my preferred pairing, and that I have written about them here, does not in any way increase the likelihood that they will be paired in any of my other stories. Just feel like I have to say that. Most of the time I prefer to stay within the canon universe, but for a quick story I thought it would be easier to set it in an AU due to not having to deal with all the little nuances of canon material.

I reserve the right to expand this story; when I started writing it, I had intended it to be multi-chaptered but decided against it for reasons of simple ease. College life is pretty stressful at the moment, and this is one of the ways I like to wind down. I've already got a basic story planned out that I may or may not expand this in to; I've yet to decide. I am not sure of the type of response this story will receive. Of course, I hope you all will enjoy it. It is very different from what I've posted of my other fics, and I am unsure how readers will react to that. I'm not one of those authors who will promise that "If I get enough favorites/follows/reviews then I'll write more of it!"; I'll only write more of it if I genuinely want to.

As always, thank you for reading. If you're a new reader, I hope you will check out my other, as-yet unfinished stories. If you're a reader from my other stories, I hope you'll enjoy this slight shift in content. Please feel free to favorite, follow, or review.