A/N: Thanks for the interest I've been getting! I started this as an experiment, so it's great to know people actually enjoy it. Makes it worth while to keep writing hehe. I hope I don't make things too obvious...enjoy!


"Well now, there's no need for you to throw yourself at me little darlin', I'm always more then willing ta hold you."

Those words sent a sudden wave of fear through out Hinata as she widened her eyes. Yet before she could even react, arms were wrapped around her; she'd barely managed to lift her own up in protest and now stood squished up against the man's chest, entirely uncomfortable. She gave a tiny squeak in protest and went to open her mouth to say more.

She never needed to however, as a grunt was heard from behind her attacker. Her eyes widened yet again, and although she couldn't see over Suigetsu's shoulder, she was suddenly lifted as the large man took her with him, turning around in order to see just who was grunting toward them. Pale eyes suddenly took in onyx ones, yet even as shock over-whelmed her, the need to struggle returned. She didn't want anyone's arms around her, especially not Suigetsu's! The boy was certainly flirtatious of late, and although she found he didn't mean any actual harm by most of his words and actions, they embarrassed her to no end.

'Besides there's only one person I want holding me like this….' Her own thoughts made her blush, an action thankfully going unnoticed by the two boys. It was only then that she realized Suigetsu was still speaking, ignoring her struggles. Until suddenly the arms were gone, and she was landing on her feet with a soft thud.

Her eyes widened only to narrow in confusion as she quickly peered toward the two boys, and realization dawned on her. Suigetsu was a fairly good textbook example of ADD, and with the boy's attention currently settled on her raven-haired savoir, Hinata did the only thing she could at that particular moment. She hiked her bag back onto her shoulder and made a point of quietly slipping past the two of them. As soon as she was within homeroom, Suigetsu would stop with his advances, and although she felt slightly guilty for leaving her savoir, someone like Sasuke Uchiha could more than handle the overly touchy feely Suigetsu.

It was only about ten feet that she had to walk, yet she almost giggled in her own mind at the sight she must pose if anyone were to watch. Bag held to her stomach so that it wouldn't cause any unwanted noise and her feet lifted so that she only walked on the tips of her toes, she rather carefully slipped past the two. There were many skills she'd failed at doing while growing up in the Hyuga household, and while she wouldn't normally call this particular skill an asset, becoming invisible and slipping away was almost a gift to her. Quiet by nature, her steps were always soft and her breathing barely even noticeable; Neji had once told her she would make an excellent stalker in jest, around the same time he'd noticed her infatuation with a certain blond. She would never lower herself to stalking him! Besides, it was entirely impossible to stalk someone who was constantly bouncing around everywhere.

Once safely within the room, she quickly made her way for her usual seat in the front row, pausing only to smile and nod at their homeroom teacher. "Ah, Hinata, I see you're here early as well." The comment made her blink as she peered around the room, noticing two other students already seated. Well she wasn't first, and yet that was good wasn't it? How eager would she have seemed had she been first to arrive?

"Hina….Hina!" Her nickname coming from the hallway made her blink, as she peered up momentarily. Suddenly remembering her encounter out there though, she lowered her head quickly, focusing instead on her fingers. While her points pushed together nervously, she couldn't help noticing the nail polish was chipping slightly. It'd be best to keep her hands hidden from Ino or Karin for that matter. Both girls would suddenly demand redoing them, and they were entirely too pushy for her liking.

A simple week spent with her friends over spring break had resulted in nearly her entire wardrobe being discarded and replaced, entirely against her will she might add, by more fitted and 'brighter' clothes. It'd taken all her begging just to allow her black cardi/hoodie that she now wore, and in truth she believed they only allowed it because it was name brand and looked fashionable enough. Personally, Hinata enjoyed it because once she wrapped it around herself, the shape of the top entirely concealed her own figure. She hadn't been so lucky with her other cardigans the girls had made her buy.

And yet despite all the shopping they'd forced upon her, she'd been certain that her father, or perhaps even Neji, would have complained and demanded everything be return. Surely spending that much money on clothes would enrage them or the fact she was showing her body off more might bother them, right? Wrong. It's what she'd laid her hopes on and yet they'd seemed thrilled! Or at least as thrilled as two stone-faced Hyuga's could possibly be. Hanabi on the other hand had practically screamed in joy, proclaiming how she could now 'borrow' clothes from her sister.

Really, what was wrong with what she'd been wearing before? They were all comfortable clothing! So what if most of them were unfashionable and dated, she wasn't attempting to become a model or fashionista! She had to admit though; the orange jeans she now wore made her smile softly. The first time she'd worn them to class, Naruto had actually approached her on his own, exclaiming how he loved the colour! She'd nearly fainted from his voice, and she certainly didn't mind when he'd slung an arm over her shoulders.

Her attention reverted to reality as she heard footsteps walking past her, and a quick glance upward confirmed it was her savoir. As she'd predicted, he'd more than successfully gotten rid of Suigetsu on his own. Dropping her eyes back to her fingers quickly and pressing her lips together for a nervous moment, she quietly chided herself about manners. He'd helped her, she should thank him!

"Thank you." It was soft, much too soft she told herself! He probably didn't even hear it, yet even as she thought to raise her voice and repeat it, Sasuke paused. Wait, was he looking at her? So he had heard her comment then? She felt her cheeks flush somewhat at the sudden attention and completely missed his smirk. The slight grunt he gave in reply confirmed he'd heard and so her shoulders relax slightly. She barely noticed him taking a seat nearby, her nerves a complete mess.

Ino, Karin, Tenten and Sakura's attempts to strengthen her self-confidence were really all a waste in her opinion. She couldn't even raise her voice to utter a thank you to someone who had helped her. There was also the mere fact that she'd required the help when it wasn't as if Suigetsu was a horrible person. Surely one of her friends could have easily stopped his advances.

Such a depressing train of thought caused her shoulders to slump slightly as she let out a sigh and clutched her bag for a moment longer. How could she ever hope to amount to anything, ever hope to confess her feelings or make her father truly proud of her accomplishments, if she still shied away from nearly everything? A new wardrobe didn't amount to a new personality, as she'd chided to her friends so often. At that moment, however, she silently wished there was such a thing as magical clothes that indeed suddenly gave their wearer confidence and strength. Whoever said clothes could change a person hadn't met Hinata obviously!

A piece of chalk on the board caught her attention as she glanced upward; what was Iruka writing on the blackboard? Canting her head a bit, she tried to focus on his hand over his shoulder, yet his body was covering up whatever it was he was writing. Her curiosity only needed a few moments however, as he soon stood aside, turning to face her with a smile of all things. Wait…what?

There was a list written out on the blackboard, of names. And there was hers, third on the list. Peering at the names above her own, everything became clear as she spotted two names beside each of the present students.

"So Hinata, any idea on who you'd like to team up with?" They…they were picking their own partners? Her eyes widened into saucers as a blush slowly crept onto her cheeks. Wait, that wasn't what she thought was going on…how could she possibly choose to partner with Naruto? That would be like confessing to him, and while the option was right there in front of her eyes, it was to embarrassing to even attempt. "Don't worry, we can come back to you. You'll still have first dibs. Sasuke?"

The teacher's attention diverted even as Hinata continued to have a minor internal breakdown. Choosing Naruto would only cause her to hyperventilate for the next month, and while she could pick one of her friends, she also knew their own dreams on which partner they wanted. Could she really make them suffer a partnership with her only so that she didn't have to be so embarrassed? Wouldn't they…be angry?

"Hmm, quiet bunch. Oh, what have we here? I never expected to ever see you here so early Suigetsu, that excited are we?" The mention of her flirtatious annoyance caused her to finally break from her internal struggle as her attention diverted for just a moment. Eyes meeting with his briefly, she couldn't ignore the smirk that was plastered on the boys face, causing her own to drop down immediately, blush once again creeping up her cheeks. Did he always have to tease her like that? The comments he'd thrown toward her may have only been his thoughts, but they were loud and clear to Hinata, who had thankfully tuned them out. She didn't need to know what he thought of her today, or how much he enjoyed her revealed neck.

Unconsciously, Hinata pulled at her cardi a bit, concealing as much of her neck as she could manage.

"Aww, come on teach, how can I give up the chance to get exactly who I want?" There was underlining meaning to those words and even the rather innocent and naïve Hinata caught it; she didn't always have to read someone's thoughts to get such things. Her blush intensified even as she suddenly grew fearful. Wasn't he now next on the list? Confirming her worries, Iruka suddenly turned to the board and began writing the boys name.

"Well then, any clue on just who you want?" Didn't Iruka even understand what was going on?

Chewing on her bottom lip she began chiding herself repeatedly. She was ahead of Suigetsu on the list; she could easily get herself out of this situation by simply speaking up and saying someone's name, anyone's name! Yet why was it that her lips seemed immovable even as her teeth bit down on them? There were only five people here, surely it wasn't THAT embarrassing to speak someone's name. Like Sakura's! Well, no, she desperately wanted to partner with Sasuke of all people and would probably get upset over the forced pairing. Ino or Karin were free, and yet even as she thought the names she knew that all three of them were in an endless battle to gain said boy's attention. Any one of them would silently resent Hinata, and while their thoughts might not harm anyone else she had the unfortunate ability of knowing exactly what her friends truly felt, and knowing would tear her apart. There was Tenten, and while she was sure her eager friend wouldn't mind being partnered with her, Tenten was also a drill sergeant as far as training was concerned. Oooh…it would have been better to come later after all!

"Hinata. I'll take Hinata."

'Wait, nooo…!'


As he stared at his name written on the blackboard, Sasuke mentally frowned. Is this what they meant by first come first serve? They got to pick their own teammate? Well now, that complicated things. It meant he had to actually consider whom he wanted to team up with.

Apparently he wasn't alone in that prospect as Iruka passed over Hinata only to press him with the same question. His response was silence as the raven-haired boy focused on the blackboard and attempted mentally narrowing down the list.

As he'd stated before, Shikamaru was a good option since he'd never worked with the boy before, yet the same could be said for Shino, Kiba and Chouji. Only Sasuke had no desire to spend the entire camp in the company of Kiba, and would he had nothing personally against Chouji, he saw no merit to training with him. He could definitely handle the solitude that would accompany working with Shino, and yet it would do little in his own personal training. This wasn't about whom he preferred spending time with, but whom he could most benefit from training with.

He often worked along side Neji, there for it was rather useless to spend even more time with the Hyuga, and while Naruto definitely offered him a challenge as far as physical training went, it was something they often did anyways. What was the point of more training when he could find his roommate at any point of any day to spar against him? Besides, the training camp situation would cause him to spend hours a day alone in a training room and while he'd said this wasn't about whom he preferred, it still weighed heavily on his choice.

"Well then, any clue on just who you want?" Iruka's voice brought him back to reality and Sasuke blinked once before glancing toward his teacher. Noticing the man glancing away from both him and Hinata, he followed the train of vision, finally taking note that Suigetsu had entered the classroom. A quick glance to the blackboard confirmed he was already on the list, and the smirk that was slowly forming on the white haired boy's face did not bode well in Sasuke's mind.

How could Iruka miss the look Suigetsu was giving Hinata? In Sasuke's mind it was blatantly obvious what he had on his mind, and for a brief moment Sasuke wondered if Hinata knew herself. Being a telepath, surely she had to understand just what the boy wanted from her, right? How did her power work anyways? He'd never once taken the time to ask about it, finding such an ability although intriguing, more of a hindrance in his particular field of expertise.

And yet, curiosity was beginning to bud as he thought back on everything he knew about Neji's ability, wondering how similar they were. He didn't have much time to process those thoughts however, as Suigetsu looked to have made up his mind and the twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes to anyone paying attention.

"Hinata. I'll take Hinata."

….

….

Even as he heard his own voice, Sasuke was stunned to stillness. Wait, why did he just? It wasn't as if he had to keep rescuing her damnit! She could easily get out of the situation by picking her own partner, he didn't need to help her!

Yet had he spoken because he wanted to help, or was it his sudden curiosity for her ability that had sparked the words to leave his mouth before his mind could even catch up?

Apparently, he wasn't the only stunned one in the room as Suigetsu stood with his mouth hanging open, still prepared to speak up. Hn well tough, he was to late.

Hinata had actually lifted her head up, lavender pale eyes peaking at him for a brief moment before they once again redirected downward. Yet in that brief moment, the shock and confusion written all over her face had been obvious. Certainly if Sasuke was one to show emotions he'd probably be mirroring the look the girl had given him.

Lastly there was Iruka, who had been expecting Suigetsu to speak yet now found himself peering toward Sasuke, and for all the teacher knew about the reclusive student, picking a girl as a teammate was something he'd have least expected. Perhaps he'd merely misheard?

Clearing his throat first, Iruka spoke up, wanting to clear up the matter before proceeding anywhere. "Um, Sasuke…you are aware Hinata's ability will give you no defensive nor offensive advantage, correct? You wont…" Trailing off, he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence right in front of the girl, yet it wasn't hard to figure it out anyways. 'You wont gain much training with her.' The words hung in the air even if unspoken, and while Iruka hated to belittle the girl's ability, Sasuke was obsessed with becoming stronger, of finding a means to impress his father and surpass his prodigy of a brother. Why would he want to spend training camp with the Hyuga girl?

Which was precisely the question Sasuke was asking himself. He already knew that mind reading would do little good for him, so why had he? Peering toward Suigetsu, and then Hinata, both of whom were frowning in his direction, the boy merely shrugged and played it off with an air of nonchalance.

"I've never trained with her before. As for physical training, Naruto would more than make up for that." He could just hear his roommate shouting and screaming about his chance being taken away from him. Well, that's what he got for still not showing up!

Really, why was it he constantly complained about the blond and yet always relented in the end? There was no way he could possibly consider Naruto his…friend right? No, that idiot wasn't worth his time, as he kept insisting time and time again.

"Uh Sasuke I'm pretty sure you're already aware of this, but training camp is for two man, or woman, teams only." Why was he being so difficult about this? Sasuke had made his choice, couldn't Iruka just accept it?

"47 students." Blinking, Iruka nodded slowly at Sasuke's comment.

"Yes I'm fully aware of the amount of students enrolled in our school Sasuke. What does that have to do with anything?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, at least as far as an Uchiha was concerned, Sasuke lifted up a rather bored expression and directed it toward Iruka. "47 is an odd number." How can every team be two people if we have an odd number of students? The rest of the comment went unsaid, yet the boy stared at his teacher as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And yet Iruka stood there, blinking lamely for a moment as if he'd entirely forgotten such a fact, yet that was impossible, right? Clearing his throat, he began to nod slowly, almost as if he'd just recalled something important. "As you've said Sasuke, it is an odd number, and yes one person will be left out. Yet that is meant to fall to the last person who arrives as a punishment for getting here so late."

"The idiot will probably be dead last anyways, just throw him in with Hinata and I."

As if finally understanding what was going on, Hinata's face shot up, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red while her eyes widened quickly. "W-what? I…no!"

Did the girl just…refuse to work with him? An eyebrow twitched. Looking toward her, he allowed a frown to crease his mouth while hoping to gain her full attention, trying to stare her straight in the eyes.

"You don't want to work with me?" It was a plain and simple question and far as Sasuke was concerned, he had kept any annoyance out of his voice, letting it roll about in his mind instead. 'Since when has anyone refused me? Damnit, I forgot she practically ignores my existence, wait why do I even care if she ignores me? This isn't about personal feelings but furthering my ability! I could care less what she feels, I just want to train…what the hell is wrong with her?'

As the girl had turned to face him, opening her mouth to speak, she paused rather suddenly. Mouth shutting, he could actually see her swallowing in nervousness and rather foolishly he recalled what was going on. 'Right, mind reading. Tch, annoying-I just want to get to know your power Hinata. So unless you can speak up, it's either me, or Suigetsu.' Her eyes had widened even more, proving his suspicions, yet suddenly she looked away and peered down at her desk. Gah, why was she so…meek? Seriously annoying.

"I…I don't mind. B-but I think we shouldn't f-force Naruto to work with us. He…may show up early. It'd be unfair to t-take away his choice." So her problem wasn't with working with him, but forcing Naruto too? Why did she even care about the idiot's say in all this?

His eyes caught sight of her orange pants, an annoying colour in his day-to-day life and for some reason, even more annoying on her. That's when he remembered, Hinata paid attention to no guys at Konoha Academy, being as sweet as she could be to all of them while avoiding any of them altogether; unless of course you considered Naruto. She was always shyer around her, stuttering furiously and never ever lifting her head to peer at his face. Sasuke suddenly had the sinking feeling that this shy girl had fallen for his obnoxious roommate. Naruto? Why on earth would she like that moron?

"Well Hinata, if you have no problems then I see no reason to keep talking about it. As for Naruto Sasuke, we'll see what happens when he arrives. Who knows, he might surprise you and arrive early." Sasuke wanted to scoff at that possibility. Naruto would struggle getting here on time, let alone early!

Turning back to the board, their teacher proceeded with writing Sasuke opposite Hinata's and thus erasing his name off the list below her; it made it look as if Hinata had chosen to team up with him specifically. That didn't go unnoticed by the girl either, who now sat staring wide-eyed at the board. She was probably questioning herself on just what she'd gotten herself into, and yet Sasuke knew she wouldn't dare speak up against it.

Hn, Naruto over him? Shaking his head, he stood up from his seat and proceeded to the back where he typically sat even as he heard footsteps running down the hallway. Now that his partner was chosen, he no longer needed to remain upfront and for reasons he couldn't fathom, he wanted to distance himself from the pale-eyed girl.

"So Suigetsu, what about you? Have you…oh hi Sakura, Karin. You two didn't run here did you, you know that's danger-?"

"I WANT SASUKE!"

Both girls barged into the room suddenly, trying to squeeze through the entrance at the same time and raised their voices, shouting in equally annoying voices, at once. Iruka seemed entirely unfazed by the fact they'd ignored his question, yet Sasuke found himself glad everything was resolved earlier. Why was it that he got the annoyingly loud and in your face fangirls while N-a-r-u-t-o got the quiet, shy girl? Hinata would never annoy anyone with her incessant nagging; of this he was certain. As if to make it all the more humorous, that very same Naruto preferred the annoying pinkette that constantly swooned after Sasuke. If he actually liked the shy Hyuga, they'd make for a rather hilarious love square; best to avoid that ever happening.

As he took a seat and reached into his bag to pull out his laptop, it never occurred to him what all of this would mean to the poor Hyuga girl, who now had to face the wrath of her friends. They were about to realize that their shy little friend, who was never a threat in their hunt for Sasuke, had somehow managed to end up his teammate for the upcoming training camp.

Entirely oblivious to the turmoil of his partner, Sasuke occupied himself with loading up a game of Mahjong before class officially started.


A/N: Look forward to another character next chapter! And I may be able to squeeze in some power explanation by then, I know people are probably wondering just what everyone can actually do ;)