I still own nothing. Slight SasuSaku side couple. (Sorry SasuNaru fans!) And a big thanks to my first reviewers! I'd state names, but the majority were anonymous, so yeah…Onto the chapter!
"It's go time."
The text that I read from Kiba was enough to make my heart stop. Our plan (Sakura's plan, really) was finally going into action.
It was supposed to go into action a week ago, but for some reason, Naruto was nowhere to be found: not at school, not at work, and no one dared to go to his house and check. We finally convinced Sakura to ask Sasuke where he was (and it took a lot of convincing; whenever Sasuke's around, Sakura drops about 40 IQ points), but he wouldn't say where Naruto was. It's not that he cared about giving out Naruto's personal information, but Sasuke seriously had no idea where Naruto was.
Because we sent Sakura to talk to Sasuke, she wound up confessing our entire plan to him. And he actually wanted to join. (Of course, that was after he asked, "Who's Hinata again?") After much consultation among our group (and a tiny bit of begging from Sakura, but only a tiny bit because it's not like she was obsessed with him anymore. At least, not a lot), we agreed to let him join. (We appointed him as The Outsider.)
"'The Outsider'?" Ino snorted. "What kind of codename is that, Forehead?"
"Like you can come up with anything better, Pig," Sakura retorted, rolling her eyes. "And it was the only thing I could think of! Besides, it's clever because not only does it signify that he gives us all of the outside information on Naruto, but it's funny because he kind of is an outsider. You know, the way he never talks to anyone?"
"Hn." Sasuke, who was sitting right next to her, said. "Why are we sending Kiba in to get the information when I could figure it out just as easily?"
"Well, one: because Kiba has more classes with Naruto than you do," Sakura stated.
"And, two: because Kiba needed a job," Tenten added.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I guess."
"The point is: it's time," I reminded all of them.
We were all gathered around the same table in science, staring at the text messages Kiba had sent to all of us.
"Do you think anyone is suspicious?" I asked, surveying the area for teachers.
"No, Asuma-sensei goes to flirt with Kurenai-sensei in the teachers' lounge at around this time," Sakura said.
"They do more than flirting," Ino pointed out. "That's partially the reason that I never want to step foot in the teachers' lounge."
"Apparently, they do some pretty sick stuff in there," Sasuke said. "I don't know why they hired half of these idiots."
We all leaned toward Sasuke, pushing for more details.
"What?" he asked, studying all of our expectant faces.
"What do they do in there?" Tenten asked.
Sasuke sighed. "All I can say is that you should never touch the copying machine."
We shuddered in unison.
"And where do you get all of your information?" Ino asked, raising an eyebrow.
"My brother," Sasuke replied.
There was a beat. "Is he hot?" Ino asked.
Sasuke rolled his eyes in response.
"Stupid question," Tenten muttered.
I quit paying attention to their conversations (not sure I liked where it was going), and focused instead on the message still displayed on my phone. Should I ask him how it was going? The anxiety really was going to kill me. I wonder what Kiba was asking him. And what was Naruto telling him? Was it all working?
"—Hinata?" I tuned back in when I head Tenten say my name.
"What?" I asked.
"It's really sick what goes on when we're not looking, isn't it?" she repeated.
"Oh, yeah," I replied, not as loudly as I wanted to.
"Are you okay, Hinata?" Sakura asked.
"Oh, yeah, just fine," I said, sheepishly scratching the back of my head.
"It's okay if you're nervous," Ino said. "We've all got your back."
I sighed. "Thanks guys."
My heart stopped again when each of our phones vibrated. We stared at the new text from Kiba: "The deed is done. Kami, that guy's an idiot."
Everyone snickered, even Sasuke, and put up their phones.
"I wonder what he said," Ino thought out loud.
"Probably something stupid like, 'She has to love ramen,'" Sakura stated.
"And making him ramen," Sasuke added.
"And talking about ramen," Tenten laughed.
With each added comment, my face grew redder.
"What do you think, Hinata?" Sakura asked.
I hid my eyes behind my bangs and shrugged.
Tenten poked me in the side and continued chuckling with everyone else. This was going to be mortifying.
xXx
After school, we all gathered in my backyard (even Sasuke was there). We reviewed the list Kiba made for us.
"Number one: She has to love ramen," Sakura read, and we all snickered. That's exactly what they predicted.
Ino snatched the list away from Sakura. "Number two: Unique. What?"
"He likes girls that are different," Sasuke informed us. "Since he's such an outcast, he wants someone that's like him."
"Well, Hinata's got the whole purple-ish-hair-thing going on, right?" Kiba noted, messing with my hair. "That's pretty unique."
"She's not much of an outcast, though," Tenten mumbled. "I mean she comes from one of the richest families in town."
"But she's the outcast in her family," Ino chimed in.
"Thanks, guys," I muttered, hiding my face in my lap.
I was sitting, clutching my knees on my patio. Kiba was next to me, Sakura and Sasuke were sitting at a small glass table under an umbrella, and Ino and Tenten were next to each other sitting on the rail on the trampoline.
Kiba patted my back. "Hey, this is what you wanted," he whispered.
I fell over into Kiba's lap and covered my face with my hair.
"Moving on," I heard Tenten say, and then the sound of paper wrinkling as she tore the list away from Ino. "Number three: She has to know how to have fun. Well, Hinata's really fun!"
"Yup," Sakura said, and I heard her get up and take the list from Tenten. "Number four: Someone smart. Why would the idiot want someone smart?"
"To make him look like less of an idiot," Sasuke said, causing everyone to chuckle. I could feel Kiba's shaking form.
"Number five," Sakura continued. "She has to be kind."
"To humans and animals," Kiba added. "He gained a few respect points for that one."
"Is that all there is to the list?" Sasuke asked, and I heard him flip through some pages. "He really is simple-minded."
"Well, it's a good thing it's not endless," Ino pointed out. "With only five requirements, he shouldn't be hard to please. You might not even need a makeover, Hina-chan! Just a confidence boost!"
"That's great," Kiba said, shaking me until I sat up. Everyone was flashing me a wide grin. Well, except for Sasuke, of course.
"Time to unleash the beast?" Tenten asked. "A.K.A. Hinata?"
"Only one problem with that," Kiba said slowly.
"What?" Sakura asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Anyone notice that Naruto has been around for a while?" Kiba pointed out.
"Oh, right," Ino said. "How is this going to work, then?"
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked.
We all turned to him.
"I told you, I have no idea where the dobe goes anymore," he stated.
"Well, he told me," Kiba said.
"WHAT?!" we all exclaimed, causing Kiba to fall back on the patio.
"Tsunade was concerned with his ramen addiction, so she made him go to some form of therapy class for a couple of weeks," he explained, repositioning himself. "He checks in at school at the beginning of every week, gets the week's assignments, and then he's out again."
"…That's just said," Tenten said after a moment of silence.
"So, the only real way we can show him Hinata is to go to one of his therapy classes," Sakura stated. "Did he tell you where he goes?"
"Yeah, it's therapy place right by the mall," Kiba answered.
"Perfect," Tenten said, wringing her hands. "Hinata, you're about to develop some mental problems."
"I think she already has them for being interested in the dobe," Sasuke said, triggering more laughter.
Oh, this can't be good.
XxX
I looked around the small room at the circle of empty chairs. Joy.
Sakura found information on Naruto's therapy classes and called to sign me up. So, there I was in a small brick room with only one large window on the side wall. There were blocks in the corner, so it looked like it doubled as a preschool. There was a chalkboard behind the other end of the circle and a pot of coffee brewing in the far corner away from me.
"Oh, it seems you're the first one here," the instructor said when she saw me. "You must be the new member. Hello, I'm Anko Mitarashi."
I shook her outstretched hand and introduced myself.
"Well, you're a quiet one, aren't you?" she laughed. "Don't worry, we're all friends here. Make yourself comfortable."
That brought me to my current situation of sitting alone in a circle of chairs while Anko was in the back gathering some supplies.
"Testing, testing, can you hear me?" Sakura's voice rang in my ear.
"Ow!" I squealed, clapping a hand over my ear piece. "Loud and clear."
The group decided it would be a nice idea to spy on the meeting and provide necessary assistance. So, they shoved an ear piece in my ear to communicate, and a little microphone blended into the dark collar of my dress so that they could hear Naruto. Sakura, Tenten, and Kiba were hiding in the bushes outside the window.
"Great, we have contact," I heard Sakura tell the others.
"Saku-chan, I'm still not sure about this," I whimpered. "I mean, I don't have any problems to discuss, and I have no idea what I'll say to Naruto."
"Wait for him to notice you," Tenten said. "Only talk when he talks first. And trust me, he will. You look kick ass in that dress."
My face reddened. "Thanks."
Just then, the door opened and more people started entering.
XxX
I sat by myself at one end of the circle while everyone else chatted at the other end.
"Still no sign of Naruto," I whispered to Sakura and the others. "Are you sure this is the right class?"
"Well, I checked the…" I tuned Sakura out when I spotted orange coming through the doorway.
"Bingo!" I exclaimed in a whisper. "He just walked in."
"Score!" Tenten shouted, and I heard her high-five someone. Probably Sakura.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked, coming closer to me and taking the seat next to me. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, um, Neji suggested that I get some help," I lied, giving him a small smile.
"I wouldn't have listened to him," Naruto snorted. "These people are a bunch of low lives. I swear Anko has a drinking problem."
I giggled. "How redundant."
"Yeah," Naruto laughed. "So, what are you in for?"
"Um…" We still hadn't figured out what I'd make up as my story.
"Alright, guys, let's get this show on the road!" Anko cheered as she entered the room, taking a seat in the circle.
Phew, saved by the Anko.
"Who wants to go first?" Anko asked, examining the circle.
A man on the opposite side of the circle stood up. "Hello, my name is Genma, and I'm an alcoholic."
"Hi, Genma," everyone else in the circle said in a monotone. Wow, it was just like the movies.
xXx
We had made it almost the entire way around the circle. With each new story, Naruto would snicker and whisper something to me. The earpiece remained silent (except for the occasional mutters of "What an idiot").
"What about our newbie over there?" Anko asked, her voice aimed at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Alright, Hinata-chan!" Naruto cheered.
I gulped. "Guys, help," I whispered into the microphone as I stood up slowly.
"She's a shy one," Anko informed everyone.
"H-Hello, my name is Hinata," I sputtered, "a-and I'm a, um…"
"Chocoholic!" Sakura shouted.
"I'm a chocoholic," I stated, trembling.
"Hi, Hinata." Naruto was louder than everyone else.
"Really? Chocoholic?" I heard Kiba through the speaker.
"Yeah, Kiba's the chocoholic!" Tenten stated.
"I panicked," Sakura mumbled.
I sat back down, not bothering to say anything else, and buried my face in my hands.
"That was perfect," Naruto whispered, patting me on the back. "Nothing to be ashamed of."
I gave him a meek smile and heard Sakura and Tenten squeal in unison while Kiba snorted.
XxX
When the meeting let out, I released the breath I had been holding the entire time.
"Hey, Hinata, it was great seeing you here," Naruto said as I grabbed my stuff to leave. "I think you can conquer your problem easily. I couldn't ever tell you were addicted to chocolate. I mean, look at you!"
I blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Thanks, Naruto. It's great knowing that you're here, too."
"Leave him wanting more!" Tenten's voice crackled into my head. "Walk away!"
"Well, I'll see you around," I said, turning and starting to walk out of the room. My stomach was in knots.
"Wait up!" Naruto called after me, and then his hand caught my shoulder and spun me around. "Are you, um, busy tonight?"
My breath caught in my throat.
"You're not!" Sakura reminded me. "But don't sound too eager."
"No, why?" I asked, attempting to act cool. I'm such a fail.
"Well, I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to get some ramen tonight." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "So, do you?"
"Isn't he supposed to be avoiding ramen?" Sakura asked.
"Aren't you supposed to be avoiding ramen?" I echoed.
"What can I say? I'm a rebel," he said with a wink. "So, do you want to get some ramen with me?"
"Um, sure," I said, still trying to act cool. I'm sure he could hear my heart pounding.
"Awesome!" he cheered, punching the air. "I'll pick you up at seven."
"Alright," I said. "I'll see you then."
Then I turned and walked out of the room without looking back.
Sakura, Ino, and Kiba rushed me at the front of the building as soon as I walked out.
"'Sup chocoholic?" Kiba laughed, ruffling my hair.
"You've got a date!" Sakura squealed.
"Let's go tell the others," Tenten said, and dragged me behind them as they rushed back to the Hyuuga complex.
I couldn't believe it actually worked…
XxX
I know, short and kind of lame. It's not exactly how I wanted it to turn out, but I'm working through a bit of writer's block. I promise it'll get better and KibaHina will be exposed soon! Review?