Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Naruto Universe. I just have fun playing around with it.

Just My Luck

She had to be just about the unluckiest girl he'd ever met. Met being a bit of a stretch seeing as he was sure she had never seen him a day in her life.

He saw her though. Just about every day, and he was positive she was a bit of a phenomenon.

At least once a week, something inconveniencing, bothersome, or just down right shitty would happen to her, and he would silently watch it all.

Sometimes, he'd even laugh like a bit of a jackass.

Like the first time he noticed her at his lone table in the campus café. Drinking his hot chocolate (because coffee was God awful and he was not about to be caught dead sipping herbal tea), and waiting for Sasuke, the pretty princess he was. Always late, but still right on time.

When she had come barreling by, like a whirlwind. Literally.

She was surrounded by a whirlwind of papers. Flying all around her as she tried in vain to corral them.

He'd laughed so hard that his peppermint hot chocolate came spurting out like a bit of a geyser, and the peace of the café was broken for a second as people turned to look at him for a moment, a fraction of their day, before resuming after a few offended looks and raised eyebrows.

He did not notice any of it as he watched her then. Dark navy tendrils whipping against her cheeks with the winter wind and doe lavender eyes wide in wonder and exasperation.

She was a sight. A pretty one, but a sight indeed.

By the time he'd seen her scurry after a page, and he'd finished padding away the stray droplets, he'd realized that this whole time he should have been helping her. It'd make for a great story for his friends, and he'd bring someone a little sunshine on this dreary day.

But, by the time he'd stood up in assistance, she had caught the last askance paper in her grip in triumph. A wide smile on her face, and her cheeks red in which what could have been exhaustion or embarrassment. A glimmer in her eye before she crossed the street at the crosswalk.

He'd never know. Since he'd acted late, but he had a sneaking suspension now that he'd been watching her for a while.

In the winter, he'd seen her bump into someone leaving the café, spilling piping hot coffee on the guy and herself.

Sasuke had walked right passed the incident. A condescending look on his face even as the girl practically prostrated herself while standing in front of what he assumed to be a professor from his appearance.

Even as he reached the table where his blond companion was waiting, Naruto was smiling in jubilation as the girl fumbled and stumbled over an apology. Her whole neck runny red.

Oh my, oh my, what a jackass he was.

Pretty soon his afternoon entertainment became more of a curiosity than a past time.

You see, Naruto himself had always been rather lucky. He was born into a nice middle class family. His parents loved him to bits, and he had a whole array of loyal friends willing to help him with practically anything at a moment's notice (even if some of them would whine a bit first).

He was handsome, athletic, and even though he was not particularly smart, he'd still ended up in one of the best universities in the region.

He'd basically hit the universal jackpot when it came to life, so it was only natural he'd be curious about the walking disaster that despite being terrorized by life constantly, she always seemed to keep smiling.

When she was splattered by a puddle on her way past the café, she had stood there in shock with her mouth open for a moment. Almost processing what happened before laughing at the absurdity. Even as she waddled her way home in her wet black tights, her mouth remained open in astonishment.

Or that time, she had rounded the corner a little later than usual, and she had missed the campus bus by mere seconds. She had run after it for a good minute or two before giving up.

Konoha University was huge, and it was often difficult to get from place to place in a timely manner without some transportation like the campus bus, bicycle, or a scooter.

Some buildings were located miles apart, and if you had ten minutes or less between classes, you were usually out of luck.

When he had seen her shoulders droop as the bus drove away, he had expected her to completely give up, forget about class, and maybe even come into the café. He would buy her a drink, to cheer her up, and maybe get to know her a little.

A part of him felt bad for her as usual, but another part of him was happy at the possibility of her finally walking into the café. Finally noticing him.

The thought had surprised him since it was so sudden. He'd been admiring her from afar for a month or two, but he had not realized he had become that interested in her. It seems his curiosity had developed into a bit of a crush.

It was not to be however. As he sat there ruminating over his feelings, instead of giving up on attending class as he had anticipated, his unlucky friend instead went over to a bicycle rack he had never paid much attention to, deposited a few coins, hopped on, and was away and about her day.

As he left the café that day, he walked past to see it was a public payable bicycle station. He himself never would have thought of doing that even as he hopped in Sasuke's car to head to the library (a place he dreaded like the plague but needed if he were to at least squeak by with a degree).

Had it been him, he probably would have gone home and taken a nap. It was her drive, the determination, and the sweet way she occasionally helped the elderly across the street, or helped a lost child find their parents. It was those things that slowly made him take a liking to her.

He had watched and watched. Had gotten to know bits and pieces of her through her actions and her smiles. Even on a bad day, she seemed like sunshine. Always cheerful and smiling. It seemed nothing could get her down.

It finally got to the point that he was enamored enough with her that his nerves couldn't take it. He had always been a hyperactive child. It always took him a while to figure something out, but once he did, he usually acted without thinking. That's how it seemed to others at least.

His mind was always going a mile a minute. The doctors called it something like ADHD. His mother called it too much ramen. Said it messed with his development.

Whatever it was, he was ready to get to know her. The real her.

One day, Sasuke was in the middle of another conversation about being harassed that Naruto was only half listening to when he saw her. Right on time.

The weather was starting to warm up, so instead of her dark winter petticoat, she had settled for a light sweater. Her hair was down in a way he realized highlighted her features well (when did he start noticing things like that, if Sasuke heard his thoughts, he'd never live it down).

She also was not alone. He'd occasionally seen her walking with a female friend or two, and even a few males. This was different.

He'd never seen her hold their hands before. Or smile at them like that. And they'd never pushed her hair back like so….

That blush…that blush he recognized all too well. Every time she tripped and checked to see if anyone was watching, or bent down and tore a hole in her tights, she would wear that blush. That oh so pretty blush as she shyly looked up into eyes that were not his.

Yes, what a sight.

He stared too long, and Sasuke looked back to see the same as he had seen before turning to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

He'd talked about her a few times with his friends, and it was obvious to anyone who'd listen that he had a crush. A huge one at that. Though, it seemed, just as he had been too late to be the knight and shining armor, he was too late now too. Unlike Sasuke, he'd never had a good sense of time.

He never brought her up to his friends again after that day.

Time passed, and Naruto began to visit the café less and less. Even the workers started to notice.

As much as he tried not to think about it, it became hard. Seeing them. Holding hands, his arm around her, or a soft peck on the forehead he'd do when she said something cute. He'd always known she probably said such cute things.

But none of that was for him, and he began to feel weird watching them. It wasn't his place.

He'd tried sitting in other areas of the café to avoid the sight, but sometimes it was unavoidable since just like he had his coveted spot, many people had their own perches, and they were not fond of him getting in the way.

So, his daily visit had slowly dwindled to being weekly. If that.

It would be a couple of months before he would visit again. They had just come off of a somewhat long break, and he had walked back into the familiar surroundings. Everything looked exactly the same, and his usual spot in front of the window sat there vacant.

As he walked in, he was greeted by a familiar face and a nod of acknowledgment before he ordered himself a smoothie. It was new to the menu, and it was a little too hot for a hot chocolate.

He sat in his usual spot, and even though he instinctually kept looking, he did not expect to see her. It was almost evening. Way past her usual time.

So, he was shocked when he saw her rounded head (that had come to remind him of the grapes from his godparents' vineyard) round the corner.

She was walking with her all too familiar sweet air, and instead of walking past as he had anticipated, she had actually entered the café.

In a sense of déjà vu, he nearly choked on his smoothie as she glided inside.

His body began to shrink in his chair, and it was not until she walked past him with the scent of vanilla and crisp apples that he realized, she did not even know he existed.

He swallowed a lump in his throat before recognizing that her boyfriend had been sitting not too far from him the whole time. How long had he been there? Had he been there the whole time?

Well, this was uncomfortable.

A part of him screamed at him to leave. This was just torture at this point.

But, another part of him was fascinated with the fact that she had actually walked into the café where he had been seeing her almost every day for half a year. He completely missed the irony of it being with her boyfriend.

Sipping his pineapple mango smoothie, he spent the majority of his stay staring straight ahead. Sneaking glances at the couple when possible. He would later completely forget the taste of his drink when asked.

After sitting for what felt like an hour, he noticed her boyfriend stand and walk out of the door. Good, Naruto had grown tired of staring at his back.

He had expected them to leave together, or her not too long after him. But, she didn't.

She sat there staring at her half empty glass of lukewarm chai tea. He was not surprised to see she enjoyed tea. He'd almost imagined she would. Chamomile, green, or lavender. Never chai.

She stared at it for another ten minutes in silence. Something did not seem right, but he did not want to be too obvious.

Abruptly, she stood up, grabbed her things methodically, and headed towards the door.

As she walked by, he chanced a glance up, and his blood ran cold as he saw tears straining against her bottom lash. One finally breaking free as she maneuvered by him and towards the door. Sure, she had held it in just enough.

Despite everything, it was the first time he'd ever seen her without a smile.

He heard a crinkling in the background, and stared down at his hand to see his plastic cup crumpled violently in his hand. How he wished it was that devil's head. Who else would make an angel cry? (Wow, that was extremely corny…but true.)

Would it be weird for him to hunt the guy down and pound his face in? It probably would be for a stranger like him. He could literally feel his ego deflate.

After that, it was extremely hard to keep him from the café. He began dropping by almost daily as he had before. Sometimes even twice a day (once before and after his classes finished for the evening), and he had not seen her once since that fateful day.

In fact, it would be another 3 weeks before he saw her again. This time, during the evening.

She had her backpack slung across her shoulder, and her face, while not sullen, did not hold its usual vigor. Even as she bumped into someone at the crosswalk, her blush wasn't there. The glimmer was missing.

Naruto watched her sadly cross the street, and he'd wondered if seeing her as she was now was worse than not seeing her at all.

She continued on this way for a while. Even amongst her friends, a smile was rare, and fleeting when it did appear.

A part of him wished to be that knight he had failed in being too many times before, but he really had no idea what to say to her.

She did not know him from a bug on the street, and if even her friends could not cheer her up, how could he, a mere stranger.

It made him a little depressed, and his friends could not understand it. His emotions had been up and down since the first day he saw her. Sometimes flying high, and now, occasionally down. They were starting to think he was sick.

Had it gone on much longer, they may have held an intervention.

Luckily for him, his mystery girl was not one to stay down for long.

Slowly but surely, he saw pieces of who she once was returning. She had gone through a track pants and hoodie phase right after her break up. Almost as if she did not want to be seen by the world. And, it had been strange for him to see her that way. Though she was never one to overdress, she never dressed over casually either.

Naruto, himself did not care much about fashion. That was more Sasuke's thing, even though he often acted like he didn't care, but it was kind of nice seeing another side to her prim yet clumsy character. He was a little over attentive to her actions.

It was funny how much he could see of a person through a coffee shop window.

It was not until autumn, winter almost on its heels, that he saw the girl that he had come to recognize.

Her step had become more cheerful, but he still kept his distance. Scared to approach her too soon, but also scared he would be too late once again.

One evening, he stopped at the café to notice that their peppermint hot chocolate was back on the menu with a grin. He decided to order one to go since he had promised Sakura that he would spend time actually studying for his upcoming exams instead of "goofing off at his little café" with Sasuke. Because apparently Sasuke was passing his classes and Naruto was unanimously barely hanging on.

Sounds about right.

It was pouring cats and dogs outside, and people were running into the café as a place of refuge. Naruto was actually thankful Sakura had nagged him about bringing an umbrella (apparently her senses had been tingling…whatever that meant) because the sudden rainstorm seemed to be a surprise to everyone else.

He grabbed his drink from one of many faces he had come to recognize, and grinned back as he turned to leave.

Luckily there was a small patio and cover in front of the café that would allow him to open his umbrella outside since he didn't really feel like poking anyone's eye out today.

However, imagine his surprise, to walk out of the door and walk smack dab into a trembling grape.

He looked down and stared right into large and round luminescent lavender eyes, and all he could think was how they were ten times more beautiful up close.

His mouth ran dry.

"Oh my, I'm s-so s-sorry."

She spoke with her tremble, and from experience he knew her body was prime and ready to bow before him, but they were so close it was not possible. She could have stepped back, and she looked as if she contemplated it even though it would put her right back in the rain from her tiny refuge.

Naruto could only stare at her state as she continued to apologize. Her hair had been wetted out of her bun, and her clothes were soaked through. Her sweater failing at its job in the crisp chilled air. She was a mess.

But she was also blushing, a peach color he had not seen in a while.

He noticed after a second or two, she was staring at him, and he realized. She was waiting for him to respond. Or move. Anything.

So, he did what came natural and grinned. His whiskered birthmarks could have reached his red rimmed ears.

"U-ummmm, uhhh, n-no problem. I…uh, I was probably in the way."

He said, and she shook her head so hurriedly, he was sure he felt droplets fly from the deflated shape of her hair.

"Oh, no, no no! It was m-me… I…I was the one in the w-way."

She said as she stared down for a second. Her peached skin reddening.

Her voice was like a tinkling bell. Softer than he imagined, but just as lovely.

A sneeze interrupted his musings as she struggled to bundle herself more in her soaked sweater, and Naruto noticed that she made no move or indication of trying to join the others seeking warmth inside.

"Aren't you going inside? It's kind of like…wet…and cold out here. And, you kinda are too."

He said, and she looked up at him in shock and surprise as if what she was hearing was new information. Naruto thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen in his life (no exaggeration).

"Um…I…I'm a little…umm…wet."

She said as if it answered everything, and Naruto only raised an eyebrow in question.

"And?"

He could see the red running up her neck. The telltale sign.

"I…ummm…..I d-don't want to inconvenience a-anyone…"

She said it, and Naruto almost felt stupid for not knowing. It sounded just like her to say something like that.

He looked down at her drenched state before looking around at the café and down at his umbrella.

He had wanted to give things a bit more time. So her heart could adjust, and he had no idea if her boyfriend was still in the picture and if he was barking up the wrong tree. But, fate, did not seem to give a damn at all.

Timing was never his strong suit.

"Do you happen to live in any of the dorms by chance?"

She tilted her head at him in a look of confusion before nodding once.

"Y-yes, I live in the Suzuran g-girls dorm down the street f-from here."

Naruto felt himself smile almost foxily. His blue eyes shone with a hint of mischievousness he hoped she could not see.

"How about I walk you to your dorms then? So you can get cleaned up? We don't want you catching a cold. And, you're kind of soaked."

"R-really? You'd do that for m-me?"

She asked in wonderment. As if no one has ever given her a gift so precious, and Naruto felt his inner self do a little dance. Vowing he'd do everything in his power to protect that preciousness.

"Yeah, of course! It's nothing big."

He responded as he opened his large dark umbrella. Waiting for her to get close enough where he could smell her vanilla and crisp apple scent. He probably smelled like peppermint hot chocolate and cup ramen himself.

"I r-really don't want to inconvenience y-you."

She shivered out even as she got closer to him.

"Seriously, I mean it. Grab on."

He offered her his elbow to draw her in out of the rain as they began walking, and she clenched at the material of his jacket like a whisper. Too shy to press herself to him, but also not wanting to get much wetter.

He could even spot a blush. He felt a wave a triumph.

"I'm Naruto by the way. Uzumaki Naruto."

She looked up at him and smiled. The smile he had been cherishing and carrying around since that lone winter day. It had gone away for a while, but had come back full force to hit him right in the upper left side of his chest.

"Nice to meet you U-uzumaki-san. I'm Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata. T-thanks again for this. I g-guess today is my lucky day."

She said.

He could not disagree more. He was the lucky one.

Just a short one-shot I pretty much wrote in one day.

It was supposed to be 1,000 words. *sob* I am so long winded even though I practically said NOTHING during this story. It felt rushed to me like nothing happened.

I had another one-shot planned for this series, and I was pretty much almost done with the last section (it's really long). I had edited it and everything when I came back and 3,000 word disappeared. Woosh…in thin air. I lost all motivation after that, but I wanted to give you guys something before the New Year since I said this was going to be a series.

So, here you go. Hope someone likes it at least.