A/N: I thank you to all those who took their time reviewing my work. You don't have any idea how happy I was when I read your comments. Regarding the review of FaerieLight and LeeRocks, I apologize for the confusion. The story told to Neji was just part of what really happened three years ago. I'll reveal the whole story in this chapter also for convenience for the readers. Again, I'm sorry. But I hope you would still enjoy reading my story. Here's Chapter 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 2

"Preparations for the chunin exam?" a guy with red hair and jade eyes asked in a monotone. "So it's already that time, huh? I never noticed." He said, his eyes focusing at his paperwork.

"It's not surprising for you to say that. You're the Kazekage after all, Gaara. And everybody knows you're very busy." a blonde kunoichi with a hairstyle of four ponytails, two on each side of her head, and dark green eyes said at the man sitting in front of her behind a huge desk. They were in the office of the Kazekage in Sunagakure, the hidden village of the sand.

Gaara merely nodded at the girl's statement. "How long are you going to be away again?"

"A week at the least. I'll be staying in Konoha probably for four days." The girl said thoughtfully.

For a moment, she waited patiently for a reaction from her stoic younger sibling whose attention was still on the pile of paperwork on his desk.

"I should be going now. I'm being put to work as soon as I get there. And they needed all the help they can get." The blonde kunoichi said after a while as she turned to leave.

"Temari" Gaara called out.

Temari, the name of the blonde kunoichi, stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at the Kazekagae inquisitively. He was now looking at her.

"Take care" was all he said before drawing his attention back to the stack of papers in his hands.

Temari's eyes widened in surprise but she immediately smiled. She knows her sibling cares, though he doesn't say it or even at least show it. Sure, there are times he does, but that's only if he really feels there's a need to say it. "I didn't expect for him to really miss me this much. What a cute younger brother!" Temari thought with a sly grin on her face.

"Try not to enjoy too much of your stay or you might end up wasting your time with the Nara you keep talking about so much." Gaara said in a monotone. Nara Shikamaru, a Konoha ninja with dark brown eyes and black hair tied into a ponytail, was usually the one to guide Temari during her few stays in Leaf Village as the ambassador of Suna. Every time she returns in Suna from Konoha, she may not have realized it, but her topics would often drift to the Shikamaru calling him 'a lazy bum' or 'lazy-ass'. At her first few visits, it wasn't yet that often. She may have mentioned it once or twice but never was a topic about him lengthy. However, as time passes by, she became rather eager and impatient in going to Konoha and after she comes back, topics would either begin or end with him. His name written all over Temari's face to the point that even Gaara, who doesn't care about other's businesses, noticed she was interested in him.

Temari's grin on her face was immediately replaced with a blush as she swiftly turned her body around. So, that's what he was worried about! "N-N-N-NARA?!" she stuttered, her face now as red as a tomato. "I-I'm d-d-definitely not in l-l-love with th-that lazy bum!"

"Who said anything about you being in love?" Gaara said, not looking up.

Oh crap. "H-huh?! N-no one!" Temari answered, unable to get rid of her stuttering which she was now silently cursing. "I-I sh-should go n-now." Temari started to walk towards the door but was again stopped by Gaara.

"What do you see in that Nara that makes you like him so much?" he asked, surprisingly not in a monotone but in a curious tone.

Temari turned to look at her sibling once again. "I…" she paused. "I honestly don't know." Temari finished, realizing that it was futile to continue denying the fact of having interest in Shikamaru. And then it hit her. "Wait a minute, why are you suddenly asking such a question?" she said while pointing a finger to Gaara who was still busy with his papers.

Gaara sighed and shrugged. "I've once read in a book that when a person likes someone, they tend to change…like you did. I just don't understand why or how someone…how do you call it?" he asked as he tries to remember the words he need.

"Falls in love?" Temari suggested.

"That." Gaara said.

Temari giggled at her brother's curiousity. Of course Gaara won't understand that sort of thing! He has never been in love before! "I guess the girls who are chasing after you aren't helping, huh?" Temari thought out loud.

"Why would they help? What for?"

Temari sighed in exasperation. "Gaara, even if I explain to you the concepts of being in love, you won't understand until you experience it yourself. Why people fall in love, you ask. Every question in your mind regarding that will all be answered once you learn how to fall in love yourself."

"At least tell me the feeling you feel."

Temari thought for a moment before answering. "When you fall in love, you feel feelings you can't describe. You feel all kinds of emotions when you're around that person. Your heart skips a beat and beats fast that you feel like your chest can barely contain your heart and that your heart will explode anytime soon. It's really hard to explain this kind of thing and you may not understand this yet. But I know you'll be able to soon enough." Temari gave Gaara a reassuring smile.

"When's soon enough?" Gaara asked, no longer focusing on his work.

"I'm not pretty sure. All I can say is you wait." Temari said. "Well, I'm a bit behind schedule. I really should be going. Bye, Gaara."


"I'm sorry for making you do this, Hinata-chan." A guy with blond hair and blue eyes said. "It's supposed to be my work yet I'm making you do it and at an early time at that."

"It's okay, Naruto-sama. I don't have anything to do anyways." Hinata said with a smile. She was at the Hokage's office with Naruto. It was still early in the morning when she arrived at the Hokage tower for her missions. As she opened the door to the Hokage's office, Naruto was sitting behind his desk looking as if his soul left him. When he noticed Hinata, he quickly ran to her and hugged her tightly while begging for help on his paperwork.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! I thought I told you, no formalities. Call me Naruto, just Naruto." He said syllabicating his name.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you're the Hokage now so it's just right to call you 'Naruto-sama', Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she stacked the papers she was holding in a pile.

"I guess 'kun' is fine. Well, I'm glad you're treating me like a Hokage, Hinata-chan. But our friends just call me Naruto and not Hokage-sama." Naruto pouted.

Hinata can't help but smile. "I think that's because they don't want you to feel awkward. It's true they should treat you with respect now but that's the very reason they want to act casual with you so that you would feel comfortable with your position as Hokage."

Naruto was silent as he processed Hinata's words. "Is that so? Then, I'd like to think of it that way! Thanks, Hinata-chan!" he beamed at the pale-skinned girl.

Hinata just nodded and went on working on the pile of paperwork. Silence filled the room. Naruto stopped on working and instead stared at the heiress in front of him who kept her attention to what she was doing.

"You've changed." Naruto said in a while, his voice almost like a whisper. "You used to stutter a lot." He chuckled.

Hinata said nothing; she still kept on working, not even sparing a glance at the blond who still stared at her.

"Hinata" Naruto called out surprising the girl. He called her name without an honorific. He never calls her name alone; he would always call her 'Hinata-chan'. But there was once a time when he called her 'Hinata' – It was the incident three years ago.

"Hinata" Naruto called out again his voice gentle as he stood up from his chair and slowly made his way towards the heiress who was in front of his desk seated.

Hinata flinched. This scene was like three years ago…when he confessed. Her chest started to pound fast. She was nervous. "What's going on? What's going on? Why is he calling me like that? What does he want to say?!" Hinata freaked out in her thoughts. Naruto was now standing in front of her, waiting for her to respond. The heiress slowly looked up, afraid of what was going to happen. As her eyes rested on Naruto's face, she realized he was serious. Does he want to say anything? Perhaps that incident between them?

"Hinata…did I do something wrong?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock and confusion. "H-huh? What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto lowered his eyes to the ground as he said, "I…I was wondering if I ever did something wrong because ever since I confessed my feelings to you, instead being closer you seemed to be more distant from me. You…drifted apart from me." his voice was full of sadness. "I just don't understand…I told you I liked you…and I still do…or perhaps, you don't feel the same way anymore?"

"What is he saying? I…I was being distant because he chose Sakura-chan! Why is he saying this?! What's happening?!" Hinata mentally screamed.

"Hinata, don't you love me anymore? Do you like someone else?" Naruto asked as he was now kneeling in front of Hinata looking up at her.

Hinata was stunned and unable to say anything. What was he saying? She doesn't understand at all! Why was he asking these questions when he's with Sakura? Why was he saying all of this to her? He still loves her? What does that mean? Does she still love him? What does that all mean?! What exactly did she feel towards him?!

She forgot…everything.

"Hinata?" Naruto's voiced echoed in her head. The world seemed to be spinning around her. She felt dizzy, her head ached, her heart clenched. She heard papers flutter and fall; she heard Naruto calling her, his voice seemed concerned. Then…everything went black.

"It's a five-day long mission, Hinata-chan. Are you sure you're okay without a team?" Naruto asked Hinata who was standing in front of his desk, playing with her fingers.

"Y-yes, H-hokage-sama." Hinata shyly said her face a shade of pink.

"Then, it's settled." he said. Then, for a few seconds, Naruto fell silent. "Um, actually, I didn't call you to give you your mission." He said after a while, a slight blush grazing his cheeks.

The heiress's head snapped up. "E-eh? W-w-what do y-you mean, H-hokage-sama?"

"Naruto…call me Naruto, Hinata-chan. You make me feel so important it makes me uneasy." He grinned.

"Y-yes, Ho – I mean N-n-naruto…-kun." she said as her blush deepened, becoming a shade of red.

"That's it, although not quite what I had in mind." He chuckled. Hinata was about to apologize when she was cut off. "Anyways, I called you for a very different reason…not relating to missions. I guess you could say I abused my position as Hokage." he said as he scratched the back of his head.

"W-what is it t-that y-you called m-me f-for, N-naruto-kun?"

Naruto's goofy face became serious almost immediately. "Hinata" he called out, his voice firm as he stood from his seat and went in front of his desk. He was now standing face-to-face with the Hyuuga.

"Y-y-y-yes?" Hinata stuttered blushing furiously.

"Hinata," he started his voice gentle. "When you confessed to me, you said you loved me ever since we were little. Is this true?"

"Y-y-y-yes. I k-kept on w-watching you f-from a-afar." Hinata answered.

To this, Naruto smiled. "I'm glad…to know that someone noticed me when nobody did. Hinata, you have acknowledged my presence when I thought I was alone. You were there for me, silently supporting me."

Hinata averted her eyes from Naruto and stared at the ground. She was now playing with the hem of her jacket.

"Hinata…" Naruto took a stepped forward, closing the distance between him and the shy kunoichi. "When you confessed to me, I was…really happy. I've given a thought about it for a long time now… about your confession."

Hinata gulped. She could feel the pounding of her chest while her eyes remained on the ground. She waited for Naruto to speak again. But he didn't say another word. Instead, she felt his hand on her chin as her head was slowly raised. Slowly, her eyes fell on Naruto's neck, to his lips, and finally to his blue eyes which was staring back at her. The next thing Hinata knew was Naruto's lips was on hers. He kissed her gently. It was short, but it was enough to make the heiress blush an even darker shade of red. It took a lot of effort for her to remain conscious, trying her very…VERY hardest not to faint.

It was all going well…until Naruto spoke. A boyish smile was plastered on his slightly flushed face. "I love you… Hinata."

That's it. Hyuuga Hinata… can't take any more. It's too much for her heart; it felt like it would explode any second now. And so, Hinata did what she was annoyingly good at – fainting.

Fortunately, Naruto was there to catch her limp body. "Uh, Hinata-chan?! This is no time to faint. You've got a mission to do, remember? Please wake up!"


Hinata opened her eyes to find herself back in her room at the Hyuuga compound. She turned her head to look at her window, it was afternoon. She remained still in her lying position as she tried to remember what happened. She remembered being with Naruto at the Hokage's office, she remembered him asking her questions…ah yes, he asked her if she still loved him. After that she fainted. No wonder she dreamt of that incident three years ago – of when Naruto confessed to her…when Naruto kissed her.

She remembered everything that had happened back then; she remembered it quite clearly than she wanted to. What she can't remember was the feeling she used to feel. That time, why was she feeling so happy? She knew she loved Naruto, but what was the feeling she felt when she loved him? That, she forgot. After returning from her mission and witnessing Sakura's confession, ever since then, she felt so empty, so…numb.


"Oh, it's Gaara's sister! And you're here for the preparations for the exam, right?" Naruto said quite loudly. "Shikamaru's guiding you, as usual. He'll be arriving soon." He was lively as ever like what happened early in the morning with Hinata never happened. The truth is, when Hinata gave no response but instead fainted, he became depressed. He was disturbed by the fact that Hinata's face looked like she was scared of him, or what he was asking her. He noticed her quiver and her eyes stare into his. In fact, she acted weird when he began calling her name without an honorific, weirder than she already acted around him.

Dense as he is, Naruto noticed that ever since she came back from a mission three years ago, Hinata's attitude towards him drastically changed. At first he thought it wasn't Hinata, for she talked in a monotonous tone and not in stutters. He expected her to be blushing furiously and be shyer than she already was when she comes to report to him. He even thought they would be together then for he already confessed to her, but reality surprised him. All those things came back to him as he saw Hinata shaking in fear earlier at his office.

Why was she acting scared? He can't recall a thing he did that made her act so…not Hinata. Was it his face? Nah, couldn't be. He had this goofy face shown to Hinata like 1019282374 times already. He was so stupid, to which he admiringly acknowledged, he couldn't figure out the answer. Every time he tries to think, his head aches. And so, he tends to forget things like those. And the question regarding Hinata is no exception.

"It's Temari, you idiot shrimp. You should try and start remembering that now." Temari said not minding the insult she just gave to the Hokage.

Naruto was about to say something when a knock on the door stopped him. "Enter" he said. The door clicked and revealed a ninja with black hair – Shikamaru. One hand shoved on his pocket while the other still grasped the knob.

"Yo, Naruto and…" he paused to look at Temari who was staring at him with eyes that held meaning he couldn't decipher. "You." He finished.

A frown immediately formed on Temari's forehead. "What's with you?! Try calling my name for once, you lazy ass!" she exclaimed.

Shikamaru ignored her as he silently stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. "Troublesome." He muttered under his breath a smirk forming on his lips.

"What was that?!" Apparently, Temari's ears got used to Shikamaru's quiet remarks.

"Calm down, woman." The Nara said as he handed down his report to Naruto who was currently covering his ears. Temari was still shouting curses at him but he ignored it and said, "Come on, we still have some preparations to do."

Temari quieted down, but a pout was on her face when she followed Shikamaru out of the room. Both of them exited the Hokage tower in silence.


"Hinata-sama, p-please accept this!" a guy exclaimed as he bowed his head low while his hands that held a box were extended towards the Hyuuga heiress. It wasn't the two of them alone. A swarm of males surrounded Hinata while the one in front of her spoke.

"Hinata-sama, please accept mine too!" another one exclaimed. Several voices followed after that until everything became noisy. This was the everyday life of Hinata – and she had to deal with this every time.

"Shoo! Shoo! Go away, all of you!" a female voice said beside her.

"Tenten-san, it's okay." Hinata said. "I'll take care of this."


"What's going on over there?" Temari asked the Nara who was in front of her. He stopped walking and looked at the direction Temari was pointing.

"Oh, that? It's nothing really." Shikamaru answered as he started walking again. Temari quickly grabbed his arm and tugged him, catching him off guard.

"How troublesome. What is it now?" he asked annoyed. Temari's hand was still on his arm.

"I want to know what's going on." Temari said her voice was low.

Shikamaru just sighed. "It's just Hinata with a bunch of guys surrounding her. It's a pretty normal thing as it happens every day."

"Hinata? Who's that?" the blonde kunoichi asked.

"Hyuuga Hinata." Shikamaru answered.

Temari's eyes widened at the name. "Hyuuga? You mean, the weak and shy girl who got beaten up by her cousin back at the chunnin exams several years back?"

"What a way to describe her."

"Is she being bullied every day?"

Shikamaru let out a laugh to which Temari responded with a slap on his arm. "What's so funny?!" Temari shouted.

"Look closely and you'll understand." Shikamaru's laugh still didn't cease. Temari did as she was told. She looked closely and realization struck her followed by surprise.

"They're hitting on her!" Temari said the look of surprise never left her face as she looked at the Nara, his eyes looking at the direction of their current topic.

"You never would've expected that, wouldn't you? Apparently, it's been like that for a long time. Hinata became bolder catching the attention of men in the process. Pretty troublesome, if you ask me." Shikamaru said turning to start walking again. "Let's go."

It was strange. Temari was curious as to why the Hyuuga changed a lot since the last time she saw her. She looked back at Hinata for the final time before silently following Shikamaru to where the preparations for the exam will be made.


The next day came. Temari was at the Hokage's office pacing the room back and forth. She was obviously steaming with anger. Naruto wasn't in the office anymore; he had some matters to be taken care of. But before leaving Temari alone in the office, he said that there would be substitute for Shikamaru for he won't be able to accompany her today and, maybe, for a few more days. And now, Temari just can't believe it! That lazy guy can't accompany her? And what in heaven's name might he be doing now that he won't be able to be with her today?!

A knock was heard on the door stopping Temari on her tracks. Since Naruto wasn't there, she would at least answer the door. "You may enter, the idiot's not here."

The door opened to reveal a pale girl with midnight locks peaking behind the door. Temari stood still with arms crossed and waited patiently for the girl to close the door and walk towards her.

"Good morning, Temari-san. My name's Hyuuga Hinata. I'll be in your company for today." The heiress said while bowing her head.

Temari couldn't hide her surprise. It was Hinata – the girl she saw yesterday. She admits that she's rather curious about this girl. Being accompanied by someone else other than the Nara maybe won't be as bad as she thought. "Fine by me." The blonde kunoichi said.

Hinata and Temari both left the Hokage tower. When they were already outside, Temari stopped and Hinata followed behind her. The blonde girl turned her head to look over her shoulders. "Before we go to our destination, I'll eat first. I haven't eaten my breakfast yet. You know some place?"

"What do you prefer to eat, Temari-san?" Hinata asked.

Temari thought for a moment before answering. "Omelette…I want to eat omelette."

Hinata smiled. "Please, follow me."

The two girls walked silently, this time, with Hinata leading the way. Everything was quiet and peaceful, until Temari noticed the stares the Hyuuga receives every now and then. Temari didn't do anything, she just observed. It wasn't her business anyway. She would've left the matter alone if only the guys didn't start approaching Hinata like pests.

"Hey, do something about this." Temari said quietly at Hinata who was already trying to excuse herself from the men who started surrounding her.

"I'm sorry but I'm currently on the job. I don't want to appear rude in front of our Suna guest." Hinata said gently to one of the guys. As soon as she said that, those men around her spared a look at Temari who was quietly observing from the side.

"Everybody, Hinata-sama is with a guest from Suna, we shall help her by giving her space." One man from the crowd said. All seemed to agree with this seeing as they started leaving the heiress alone.

As soon as all of them were out of the way, Temari didn't miss the chance to ask a question. "Don't you get bothered a lot by this? I've heard you're dealing with this every day."

"Eh? Where did you hear that from?" Hinata asked, turning her head to look at the blonde kunoichi behind her.

"From the lazy ass." Temari replied.

"I see." Hinata nodded.

"So?" Temari asked again, referring to her previous question.

"What?"

"You haven't answered my question yet. I asked you if you don't get bothered by all those guys swarming over you every time." Temari said a bit annoyed.

Hinata stopped walking, Temari stopped as well. "I…I don't know." Hinata said her voice had the slightest hint of sadness.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Temari asked but Hinata already started walking. She decided to let the subject drop for now. In silence once again, they passed by several shops, turned for like a thousand times, approached by men for like a billion times and at last, for what seemed like eternity, they arrived at a decent-looking shop.

"Here we are." Hinata spoke. Temari slowly went inside the shop, Hinata following shortly. The shop was neat and has a warm atmosphere around it. The chairs and table were wooden. All-in-all, it was an acceptable place to eat. A waiter led them to a table where they can sit. After they were left alone to pick their order, Temari raised her head from the menu to look at the quiet Hinata who was sitting across from her smiling.

"You can order anything, Temari-san. It's my treat." The pale girl offered.

Temari shook her head. "No, you order something you like, I'll pay."

Hinata's eyes widened for a split second. She then gave the blonde kunoichi a warm smile. "Thank you. But I'm not really hungry."

Temari nodded her head. The Hyuuga was really polite with her. No wonder those men kept on surrounding her. If it was Temari, she would've shouted at them or beat them senseless. They were too annoying for her.

Temari observed Hinata's features. She had pale complexion, as well as pale eyes. Her midnight hair was shiny and looks soft and smooth. She was beautiful, Temari had to admit, too beautiful, to say the least. She was pretty sure that if ever Kankuro, her other younger brother, meets the girl in front of her, he would surely hit on her the moment he sees her. He is that kind of guy, after all. Women in Suna call him a pervert. But he isn't really a pervert. He's just purely…flirty.

The blonde girl closed the menu and called a waiter to fix her order. After the waiter walked away, Temari turned her head to look at Hinata, a question crossing her mind. "When you answered my question earlier, you said you don't know." Temari saw Hinata stiffen. "What did you mean when you said that?"

The topic is making Hinata uncomfortable. She didn't want to answer, but she also didn't want to disregard the question of a guest so she took a deep breath and answered. "I also asked myself the same question in the past…but I can't bring myself to a conclusion."

"Why? You don't feel the same way as them right? So aren't they just a nuisance who chase after you?" Temari asked, now even more confused.

"It is certain that I don't feel the same way as them…whatever it is they're feeling." Hinata flashed the blonde girl a fake smile.

"Huh? What do you mean? Isn't it obvious that they feel love towards you?"

"Love?" Hinata echoed, her fake smile staying on her face. "Temari-san, can you please explain how love feels like?"

Temari stared wide-eyed at the smiling Hyuuga, unable to say anything. "Explain how love feels like? Why is she asking such a thing?"She thought. "Are you serious?" was all Temari could say at the moment.

Hinata nodded and stared into Temari's dark green eyes, patiently waiting for an answer.

Memories of her past conversations with Gaara flashed on Temari's mind. Remembering all those curious questions of his made her giggle. It was all the same – both the Hyuuga and Gaara asked the same question.

"Hyuuga Hinata-san…" Temari called her name for the first time. "You're surprisingly an interesting person."


A/N: I went through Chapter 1 again and saw several typos I made. Also, I apologize if the characters are out of character but I'm doing my best. About the next chapter, I might be updating late. I got a lot of projects to do but I promise as soon as the second semester ends, I would be able to update faster. Thank you. Reviews please! :)