Hey everyone! Next Chapter! Hope you like it :)

Disclaimer: Naruto and party are not mine.

xXxXxXx Chapter 3 xXxXxXx

Hinata's next class was freshman's history, there wasn't going to be anyone to save her from sitting alone this time. It was all on her. She arrived early since it was only next door to her last class and she couldn't have Hidan and Sasori be late for their own classes again. After waving them off she crossed the threshold, wary of the four students already seated. Keeping her chin up and back straight, the Hyuuga headed to the back of the class with poise. She chose the back because it was out of the way and it seemed to be the consistent pattern of the day.

She took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and took the seat at the very back, one over from the left side. She felt overjoyed that she'd managed to chose a seat all on her own. No one had to make her sit down either.

A small feat, that everyone else accomplished without thinking twice about, but for Hinata it was the first step of her independence. She couldn't hold back her thrilled smile.

"What're you smiling at?"

Hinata peered up inquisitively at the person who'd spoken. She recognized Sasuke Uchiha from her old middle school, the raven-haired boy looked a bit taken aback.

"Hinata-san?" the Uchiha questioned, evidently he had not recognizing Hinata before he addressed her.

Sasuke had simply thought it was weird to see a girl smiling to herself, females baffled him. When the indigo-haired girl looked up and he realized it was his old classmate, he was surprised. Hinata looked different.

"Um, h-hai," she replied, suddenly nervous. It was the first time she'd been noticed by an old classmate. The Hyuuga found it rather embarrassing, especially the way he was gawking at her. "I-is there s-something on my f-face?"

Sasuke hadn't noticed that he was staring until then. The Uchiha had come to a halt halfway up the isle when he identified the Hyuuga. Snapping from his semi-trance, Sasuke shook his head.

"No, I just didn't really recognize you," he clarified, continuing to the back of the class.

The raven-haired boy took the seat to Hinata's left. He hoped to avoid sitting next any squealing fangirls that managed to worm their way into his class. He'd been ducking admirers all day, it was tiresome. Knowing Hinata was nothing like them, he felt it would be safe to sit next to her. They did know each other most of their lives.

The Hyuuga and the Uchiha families were familiar with each other. The two family went way back and had a history. The history wasn't necessarily a good one, the families quarreled mercilessly. That did not mean that their was no semblance of friendship between them, and fortunately as of late the two households were harmonious.

Though, Hinata hardly conversed with Sasuke. Only rarely at family functions would they say hello. Hinata was always so intimidated by the youngest Uchiha and Sasuke didn't really feel like reaching out to change her views of him. She was always so shy and delicate, while Sasuke was bold and tough.

The girl before him wasn't quite the same.

"You really changed," he commented, his eyes landing unwillingly to her bare thighs. Sasuke couldn't remember Hinata wearing short skirts like that in all the years he'd known her.

"N-not r-really," the Hyuuga mumbled, only proving her point by stuttering. Her fingers yanked at her tiny skirt, stretching it farther over her skinny legs.

Sasuke's gaze hurriedly drifted back up to her face. She was obviously the same girl because Hinata was blushing as usual. He never noticed how cute she was, nothing like Ino or Sakura, who were annoying beyond belief. Hinata was quiet and reserved, she never gave him trouble. Maybe she wasn't that bad at all.

"Sup', Uchiha, who's the chick?" came a rowdy voice, followed by a chuckle. Hinata peered up to find Kiba Inuzuka, from her old middle school, the brunette looked a bit stunned.

Then Sasuke peered up expectantly at the Inuzuka, who's mouth was hanging open as his gaze was fixated on the embarrassed indigo-haired girl.

"You want something?" asked Sasuke, unconditionally irritated. Kiba wasn't exactly his friend and the brunette generally annoyed him with his egocentric mannerism.

The Inuzuka turned to Sasuke, not hearing a word he'd said. Then the brunette leaned in to whisper something into his sorta-friend's ear.

"Whoa, is that Hinata-san?"

"Yeah," Sasuke confirmed for her. He wondered why Kiba didn't ask her himself, as he fished out a notebook and ballpoint pen from his schoolbag.

To the Uchiha's disliking, the brunette sat himself down in the next seat up, twisting around to face them. He was grinning in his normal happy-go-lucky way.

"How's it going Hinata-chan?" asked Kiba casually, as if they'd been friends all their lives instead of exchanging words for one of the first times.

"F-fine," she replied, her voice was a mere squeak.

"Inuzuka, turn around!" demanded Anko-sensei. "Class is starting!"

Without their realizing, the class was filling up and Anko was already writing on the board despite the bell had yet to ring.

"Sensei, we still have another minute!" complained one of the girls, sitting up front.

Anko-sensei looked unsure of herself, checking the clock. Then after a small laugh she said, "Oh."

Always jumping the gun.

"Oh my God!" came a squeal from the doorway. Ino and Sakura had finally made their appearance spotting Sasuke with hawk like eyes, dead set on winning the Uchiha boy's heart.

"Looks like you're fan club's presidents showed up," mocked Kiba, laughing at the obvious detestation clear on Sasuke's face.

Luckily, the few seats surrounding the Uchiha were already filled. He sighed, relieved at this discovery. Class began, for real this time. The two infatuated girls threw loaded looks at Sasuke throughout the class, fortunately for Sasuke they were seated a safe distance away. He refused to indulge them with a smile or wave, only causing the two girls to work harder for his attention.

This period in particular seemed slow for Hinata. She was actually paying attention to Anko-sensei's ramblings. As was the Uchiha at her side, attempting to block out his fangirls' advances. Kiba would occasionally turn around and make comments, or ask the two of them questions. Aside from that, it was boring. The Hyuuga had gotten used to being inadvertently entertained by her new friends, they made her previous classes lively.

She let out an involuntary sigh.

"You okay?" whispered Sasuke, who had been gazing out the window until he'd heard her.

Hinata nodded, eyes at the head of the class where Anko was watching them. When their sensei looked away she admitted,

"Th-this is a b-bit boring."

Kiba sniggered, "You can say that again."

Sasuke's eyes wandered to the clock, noting the time with a dull enthusiasm as he informed them, "There's only five minutes left."

The Hyuuga and Inuzuka double checked with their own eyes, comforted by the fact.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, what are you doing for lunch?" asked Kiba abruptly, his voice hushed as he slightly turned in his chair.

"M-me?"

"Inuzuka!" snapped Anko impatiently. Kiba jumped, whirling back around for the fifth time that period. There was a subtle hint of terror that was emitted by the purple-haired woman, it ensued fear in her students hearts. She enjoyed that pleasure all year 'round.

Hinata pondered Kiba's question, since he dared not twist back around in his seat to repeat it. What was she going to do about lunch?

At first she assumed that she'd eat lunch with Gaara on campus somewhere, but the Hyuuga thought back to her new friends. They hadn't mentioned anything about wanting to have lunch with her. Would they even care?

Hinata also contemplated who else would be eating with Kiba, probably all the old gang. Hinata wondered if she was ready to face everyone all at once, especially a particular blonde. That would be a bit too uncomfortable the Hyuuga decided.

The bell let out a ring that carried faintly into the classroom.

Freely, Kiba whirled around in his seat and brought up his topic again.

"So, what do you say, Hinata-chan? Wanna have lunch? You too Uchiha!"

"Who's gonna be there?" asked Sasuke, considering the option only vaguely. It wasn't like he had made any other plans.

Kiba thought for a moment before replying, "Probably: me, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, and ******."

Hinata blocked the last name from her mind, pretending she hadn't heard it.

"I-I was g-going to e-eat with s-someone else," squeaked Hinata, swiftly gathering up her belongings.

That's right, she thought to herself, I'll be perfectly fine eating lunch with Gaara-chan.

Kiba hastily added, "They can come too!"

"N-no!"

Now Sasuke looked at the flustered girl, surprised. She was red-faced and looked angry. The Uchiha hadn't thought Kiba had been exceedingly pestering her, all the brunette had done was offer her to eat lunch with him. Though Hinata reacted like he'd harassed her.

"Oi, Hime!"

The Hyuuga and the two boys' gazes were drawn to the open doorway, finding a silver-haired upperclassman. Hidan had his hands pressed onto either side of the doorway, leaning forward into the room.

"Come on, Hinata-chan! Let's go get lunch, hmm!" called Deidara, pushing Hidan through the entrance. The blonde quirked an eyebrow at the freshmen boys with her, immediately recognizing one of them.

"Oh, I-I'm coming!" she called to Deidara and Hidan, giving an apologetic smile to Sasuke and Kiba.

"Who're they?" questioned Kiba, looking curiously to Hinata.

Hinata slung her bag over her shoulder before answering, "M-my f-friends: H-Hidan-kun and S-Sasori-kun."

"They're your friends?" asked Sasuke incredulously.

Of course the Uchiha knew them, Hidan and Sasori were also friends of his older brother, Itachi. The youngest Uchiha didn't like any of Itachi's friends. They were violent, cruel, and generally bad natured. The thought of Hinata, the cute and shy little Hyuuga, being friends with them was absurd!

Hinata missed what he was getting at, merely saying, "G-gomen, I-I'm eating w-with th-them today. B-bye!" She waved, hurrying to the two impatient sempai.

Her pale eyes landed on Sasori, standing idly in the hallway. His face did not alter at the sight of her, as had Hidan and Deidara. Though the redhead could distinguish he was glad that Hinata was joining them.

"Finally," muttered Hidan, he shot a warning glance to the two boys who had been crowding around his hime. Hinata sure was getting popular fast enough and part of Hidan didn't like that at all.

Deidara slung his arm around Hinata's shoulder, maliciously grinning over his own shoulder at the freshmen boy's behind him. He enjoyed making them feel inferior, especially if it would help keep them away from the pretty little jewel he'd found.

Sasori observed his friend's efforts with a vague interest. He got the, accurate, impression that Hinata would eventually be fought over. The redhead sighed, oh well.

"D-Deidara-kun, y-you're arm," stuttered Hinata, it wasn't as overbearing as Tobi's advance yet it brought out her blush all the same.

"Hmm?" he hummed, turning around to find her red-faced. Deidara didn't understand what she was trying to tell him.

Sasori sighed, nabbing the Hyuuga's arm and yanked her away from the blonde.

"Deidara, you're harassing Hinata-kun."

"Oh, gomen, Hinata-chan," Deidara properly apologized, though he was ticked off at his best friend. The blonde assumed Sasori wanted Hinata to himself.

The Hyuuga's escorts brought her safely to the cafeteria, where the four approached a lone table at the edge of the roomy cafeteria. It seemed oddly set up, the other tables were lined up vertically across the room while the single table was horizontal and placed at the very back. The other's didn't seem to notice or care. Tobi as well as two others were already seated. Upon the four reaching their destination, Tobi leapt from the bench.

"Hinata-chan!" he cried, ensnaring the unsuspecting girl in his loving arms.

The abrupt hug sent Hinata's head spinning. She was going to have to adjust to his physical display of emotions.

"T-Tobi-san!" she stammered, unable to do much of anything else in the given situation.

Hinata could not see who'd sternly said,

"Tobi-chan, let the poor girl go. Now."

There was a deep change in tones throughout the phrase, nonetheless Tobi's grip slackened and the dark-haired boy stopped squeezing her. It gave the Hyuuga girl an opportunity to glance up at the person who'd come to aid her.

It was the same exasperated senior from before who was divided down the middle by black and white. He was dressed in a plain gray T-shirt and jeans. His white hand was running it's fingers through his messy green hair, golden eyes silently scolding Tobi. The energetic boy was such a handful.

The boy to Zetsu's right was a sight as well. His skin was tinged blue and his hair was a shade or two darker of the same unusual color. His nose was pressed to his face and there were strange black markings on his cheeks. The boy's resemblance was that of a shark. He also chose to dress in the color, blue jeans and a plaid blue shirt over a plain white one. Hinata had never seen a blue person before, but being as polite as she was, her eyes averted immediately.

"Zetsu-san is no fun!" complained Tobi, reseating himself on the bench opposite the contrasting boy. "Hinata-chan, come sit with Tobi!"

"O-okay," she agreed, sitting down on his right.

Sasori took the seat on the Hyuuga's right, while Deidara circled around the table to get as far away from Tobi as possible, and Hidan conveniently vanished.

"Hinata-chan, what're you having for lunch, hmm?" asked Deidara curiously, he was still standing by the blue boy.

"Th-that's right!" she recalled, standing back up. "I-I'm h-having the school's l-lunch today!"

"Me too," remembered the blue one, who suddenly rose to his feet.

Zetsu shook his head while saying, "You're such a scatterbrain lately, Kisame-kun. Seriously." Again his voice changed and it somewhat startled the Hyuuga.

"Then let's go, hmm!" decided Deidara, who apparently also needed to retrieve his food from the lunchroom.

Along the way, Deidara more formally introduced Kisame to Hinata. Which was a good thing, since she was slightly afraid of the shark-like boy. Though when he said hello, he was very gentle. It put the indigo-haired girl at ease.

When the three returned with their food, Hidan and another boy had joined the table, munching on a homemade sandwich. The new addition had disheveled blackish hair, dark skin, and an almost acidic green tint to his eyes. He glimpsed at Hinata, nodded, and went back to his sandwich. The girl assumed it was his own way of accepting her.

"Where are the others?" asked Kisame, reseating.

Zetsu was the first to answer, "I heard Pein and Konan went to eat off campus. Lucky bastard owns a car. Yeah, Leader, is rich and spoiled. Oh, here comes Itachi-san. Where? There you moron! Oh."

Hinata got lost in the dialogue and felt herself getting dizzy as she grasped that Zetsu was having a conversation with himself, so much so that she hadn't noticed a silent Uchiha stride up to the table directly behind her.

"What're you doing here, Hinata-san?"

The Hyuuga had jumped at her name, whirling around to face the towering Uchiha. The two had become familiar with each other and were relatively friendly towards one another. Unlike his younger brother, Itachi had always been kind to Hinata. She'd even had a crush on him once when she was littler.

Back in middle school, Itachi would often tutor her with math and such at her father's request. She enjoyed Itachi's methods of teaching they were so much simpler. It was thanks to his efforts she found herself passing classes easily and becoming a bit of a nerd herself, but it came in handy now that she was in high school.

Itachi was dressed casually in darkwash jeans and a plain black T-shirt. His hair was back in its usual ponytail, with bangs swept to the side of his face. His eyes were pools of black as always as they stared down curiously at the small indigo-haired girl.

"I-Itachi-sempai," she greeted, not nearly as frightened as she'd been before. Actually she was sort of glad to see him. "H-how are you?"

"Fine," he responded flatly, his dark eyes narrowing. "That still doesn't answer my question though."

"Hinata-chan is Akatsuki's newest member!" Tobi eagerly replied, his hands shooting up like an explosion for emphasis.

"No, she isn't," corrected Sasori, deadpan as usual while he sipped his juice box.

Tobi looked like he'd been kicked, spinning to face the redhead, as he exclaimed, "Why not!? Tobi wants Hinata-chan in Akatsuki!"

"That's up to everyone. Not just you, Tobi-chan," said Zetsu, mildly scolding him with his harsh tone.

Deidara spoke up, "Hinata-chan could be in Akatsuki if she wants, hmm."

"She seems nice," added Kisame, flashing the girl a warm toothy smile.

"Tobi wants Hinata-chan to join!" repeated the energetic freshman.

Kakuzu gave a shrug, "Fine with me."

Itachi put forth a simple, "Sure."

"I say she can join. I think she's hot."

Sasori choked on his juice.

Everyone --excluding a certain coughing redhead-- did a double take, swerving to stare flabbergasted, incredulous, and wide-eyed at the green haired boy, looking content with his statement. The group was so stunned they were caught off guard by Hidan's outburst, though it did relinquish the thought going through everyone's mind --aside from Sasori, who was still chocking, and Tobi who was wondering what 'hot' meant.

"What the fuck?!" he cried, looking perturbed. "Just let Hime join already!" The silver-haired junior had become irritated by the discussion and his friend's blunt remark.

"We better call Leader," announced Sasori, his voice raspy, finally alright thanks to Itachi giving him a slap on the back.

Then Tobi screamed,

"AHH!!! HINATA-CHAN IS DEAD!!!"

Lost throughout the chaos and confusion the poor child fainted. Everything was too much for her brain to process as it piled up and Zetsu's remark pushed her over the edge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX 2 BEE CONTINUED XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N:

So, did you like it? I think it's getting a bit silly. Do you like it silly or should I fix it and get back to the story?

Also: Adelaide 'Adell' Peirce --Konan will be in the NEXT one, promise. She just wouldn't fit in this one.

And: --is that ZetsuHina? I've never really thought of the couple. So this is a first attempt.

Thanks to all my reviewers so far! You guys are awesome! ^-^

Please keep reviewing! I'd love to help make your dreams come true! So tell me what you want! :)