Second chapter; written in a rush amidst my very slow progress of term paper.

Happy reading.

Quite a while had passed, yet the queue still hadn't stirred an inch. The sound of traffic started increasing in volume and quantity. Hinata saw people exited their vehicle to find out what it was that had caused such a big holdup. A bespectacled man with black bandanna tied around his skull descended from the black convertible beside her taxi with a disgruntled look on his face. He came back a few minutes after, looking even sourer than before.

"Excuse me for a sec," the taxi driver addressed Hinata before rolling his window down and leaned out. "HEY, UNCLE!"

Hinata jumped a little on her seat. Other people turned their heads to see the source of the uproar. Yet, the blond driver remained unaware that his voice only narrowly missed being classified as deafening.

The convertible man, after a good measure of wince, snapped back. "What?"

"What happened down there?" the driver jerked his chin upwards. "This ain't some ordinary traffic."

The man looked like taking his time scrutinizing the driver before informing him gruffly, "There has been an accident or some sort. A bunch of drunken idiots crashed their car on a sidewalk railing. Now the road is closed until God knows when. Fools… Wasting my time..."

"Is anyone injured?" the younger one bellowed, but the man appeared to not have heard him. He continued to grumble after slamming his car door while brushing snowflakes off his shoulders.

"Damn it," the driver landed his fist lightly on the driving wheel. "It is a one way street. We can't just go back and find another route."

Hinata curved her head to see the road behind. From the blurred window she could tell the line of cars was approaching a mile long. Returning definitely wasn't an option.

The blond guy shifted his eyes to the mirror and stared at her. After a few seconds, he said, "Uh, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but... Well, considering we could be here for some time, we might as well converse. I'm Naruto, by the way. What's your name?"

Right, this is just a regular chitchat between a driver and his passenger, Hinata thought. It's not like he actually wanted to know anything about her.

"Hinata."

To her surprise, he turned his head around.

It was the first time she had the view of his full face, courtesy of the streetlight descending from right above them. The driver was still very young, couldn't be a year older than Hinata herself. He had a slightly disheveled look of somebody who had been long since having a proper nurture. Nevertheless, his eyes were the color of clear summer sky, and the way they emitted an audacious and rather childlike gaze made Hinata think of one of her young students, Konohamaru. Not that she was an expert in reading people or whatever, but she was pretty sure the two of them possess similar personalities.

She also just realized how downright attractive he was.

Naruto managed to capture her eyes with his own and split into a heartfelt beam. Distracted, she failed to return his gesture, and instead did one thing she was both most good at and most ashamed for.

She blushed.

"Nice to meet you, Hinata."

Having been so accustomed to it, she was in reality quite struck at his lack of using honorific. She had spent her childhood being labeled 'Hinata-sama' and had been recognized as 'Hinata-san' among any other people interacting with her, including strangers. The only ones calling her by her mere name was Kurenai-sensei, a senior teacher in her workplace, and her very few closest friends.

Nevertheless, that didn't help in easing her bashfulness. Still red in the face with downcast eyes, all she managed was a tiny nod and a feeble smile.

"So," Naruto resumed his position behind the wheel. "What do you do, Hinata? I guess it's only fair to ask that, since you obviously know what I do."

He tapped the steering wheel in a rapt rhythm then stuck a thumb at her direction. "Your turn."

Again, friendly banter, although quite unusual in its own way. "I'm a-a-"—she hastily disguised her shortcoming by clearing her throat—"I'm a piano teacher."

"Whoa," his eyebrows rose through the mirror. "That's great. I mean, good for you. You must be so smart and all that."

"N-not really."

"I bet you are, though. Not everyone can play and teach that kind of complicated musical instrument. I sure as hell can't. In fact, people keep telling me I can't do a lot of stuff since I was a kid. I would never be able to read, or write, or survive. I'm just gonna be another piece of trash littering this city. They say I'm bound to be a failure. Meh. Right now I may be only a cabbie, but someday I will show them how wrong they were. I'm gonna prove to them I am meant to be somebody. And I never go back on my word."

That was indeed something Hinata would least expect to hear from a total stranger. His tone, which was rising at every syllable he made, was brimming with such determination she could not help but to envy. She noticed how his hand curled up into a fist as he finished his sentence. She'd never had that kind of confidence in her life.

"Anyway, where do you teach?" he asked again in a casual air, as though spilling his earlier monologue one could consider as personal to someone he just met was something he regularly did everyday. It might be, though.

"Senritsuzen Music School," she answered after a few seconds of hesitation.

"I know that place!" he exclaimed, much to Hinata's amazement. "It's not too far from Ichiraku. That place serves the best ramen in the entire world, ya know. I come there all the time. Have you ever been there?"

"Um, no. I don't, uhm, I don't really like ramen."

"You don't like ramen?" Naruto responded as if she just said she'd never heard of oxygen. "Seriously?"

Unsure how to react, Hinata nodded again.

Naruto still looked baffled, shaking his head several times. Eventually he said, "You wait until you dine at Ichiraku. Believe me, it'll change your life."

Doubt it, she mentally piped in.

"Hey, maybe someday I could take you there!"

Hinata wasn't sure that she heard that part correctly.

"You know, as your taxi driver," he added. "The company's number is in the back of my seat. You can ask for me specifically if you like. Just mention the name, Uzumaki Naruto."

Oh. Right.

"I'll… I'll think about it."

"But hey, no pressure though," Naruto half-smiled, and at that moment the traffic began to creep forward. As the taxi glided further Hinata couldn't help but to feel a little crestfallen. Somehow she had an odd desire to stay on the road for as long as it could take.

She had to admire his persistence. Naruto kept trying to engage her in conversation, and after some time, she found herself more relaxed and open—something that astounded even herself. Although they were only small talks, and Hinata knew better to not rely on such mundane matter, they nonetheless helped in taking her minds off the unpleasant emotions evading her brain lately.

Which is why she completely forgot where she was going at the moment.

"There you go. Ogasawara Hall."

If it wasn't for his announcement, Hinata would've never recalled her purpose of travelling tonight. She didn't respond right away, merely stared blankly at the light-bathed building where the event she without any doubt was late for was held. The uneasiness started rushing back. She didn't even bother checking her wristwatch anymore.

"Um, Hinata? You're already there," he repeated in a diffident voice.

With eyes still locked on the building, Hinata murmured, "Can you.. take me somewhere else, please?"

"What? But we just got here—"

"Please?"

She was looking straight at him now. He could detect plea on her eyes, and his confusion lessened.

"Alright then," he sighed. "But where to, exactly?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. J-just… anywhere. Anywhere but here,"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. It wasn't long before his enthusiastic grin returned.

"I know just the place,"

tbc.

Well, far from satisfying, but there you go. :)

Now back to my seemingly neverending school obligation...