I decided to switch to this format... Mehh, forgive me for my indecisiveness! I've really neglected this story. When was the last time I updated? Last year? Sheesh, I'm a lazy-ass. This chapter's been done the entire time, and I've never published it.

Well, maybe if you reviewed...


At 6:55 A.M, Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto met up at the gate of Konoha. Naruto was noticeably still half-asleep, yawning every 10 seconds. Hinata would blush at this, while Sasuke would only get irritated. It was clear that Sasuke woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Hinata seemed to be the only one that was a morning person. When Asuma arrived at 7:00, Sasuke and Naruto were already fighting.

"Shut up, teme!" Naruto yelled with a yawn.

"At least I'm not the grumpy one," Naruto accused.

"I'm not grumpy, you're just irritating," Sasuke retorted.

"Hinata, isn't Sasuke-teme being grumpy?" Naruto asked Hinata.

Hinata looked down, and began to fiddle with the bottom of her jacket. She tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

"A-ano... W-well, he c-could–" Hinata stuttered.

"Spit it out, already!" Sasuke snapped.

What the hell is with that freaking stuttering?

Sasuke was annoyed with Hinata's constant stuttering and quiet tone. He didn't have the patience to deal with those kinds of people.

"Teme! Don't be rude to Hinata, you hurt her feelings! Say sorry, teme, dattebayo!" Naruto ordered Sasuke.

"A-ano... I-i-it's okay," Hinata said to Naruto.

"Rudeness shall not be tolerated! Sasuke-teme must say sorry!" Naruto declared.

"And what are you going to do if I don't, dobe?" Sasuke questioned.

"Then I'll tell on you!" Naruto threatened.

"Really mature," Sasuke responded, crossing his arms.

"If the two lovebirds are done bickering, then I'd like to do my job," Asuma interrupted, before Naruto could yell something back at Sasuke.

The three began to pay attention to Asuma. Asuma handed Hinata the map, and gave Sasuke a leather pouch with money in it.

"Hey! How come I don't get anything?" Naruto questioned.

"I give you the Power of Positive Thinking," Asuma told Naruto as he poked his forehead.

"All right!" Naruto shouted in excitement.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at him, and Hinata smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Any questions?" Asuma asked.

The three became silent, trying to think of any questions they wanted to ask.

"Ano... W-what exactly is the scroll?" Hinata questioned.

"The scroll that you three will be protecting holds secrets about the origins of dojutsu, the Ten-Tails, and the Sage of the Six Paths. It is inside of a vault in the Hidden Mist's Department of Secrets," Asuma answered.

"Why do we need to protect it if it's already inside of a vault?" Sasuke asked.

"The lock of the vault is being repaired, and the scroll will be featured in a museum until the repairs are done. All you guys have to do is watch over it from 8:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M.," Asuma told them.

"Any other questions?" Asuma questioned.

"Nope," Naruto confirmed.

"All right, get going then. It'll be a long trip," Asuma told them.

"Oh, and don't worry about getting in trouble for looking at the scroll. It's in ancient writing that hasn't been decoded, yet," Asuma added.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke began walking to the Village Hidden in Mist. Hinata and Sasuke barely took a glance at each other, mostly because Hinata was busy reading the map. Occasionally, the three would take a break from walking. Naruto tried to cheer Hinata and Sasuke up, using the "Power of Positive Thinking". Once again, Hinata would blush, while Sasuke would get irritated.

Hinata was always scanning her surroundings with her Byakugan, taking in as much as she could. To her, nature was the only beauty in life. She constantly made sure they were going in the right direction. By sunset, the trio decided to set up their camp. They voted to set up camp at a small clearing in the woods, near a waterfall.

Expectedly, Naruto was the one that had trouble setting up his tent. Hinata assisted him, and her face would go red every time Naruto complimented her. Every time Sasuke rolled his eyes at Hinata, Naruto reprimanded him and told him to be more positive. Sasuke would scoff in response, crossing his arms.

"I'll go gather the firewood," Sasuke volunteered.

"No! You have to stay here, and bond with Hinata, teme, believe it!" Naruto demanded.

That blonde annoyed the crap out of Sasuke sometimes. All he wanted to do is get away from him. Maybe Hinata would revert to the person he met at the training grounds when he was alone with her.

"As long as I get some peace and quiet," Sasuke replied.

He tried his best to keep his tone from sounding like he was actually looking forward to "bonding" with Hinata.

"Good. Hinata, tell me if Sasuke does anything mean to you," Naruto told Hinata.

"O-okay," Hinata agreed.

"Okay!" Naruto responded, giving Hinata a thumbs up and a toothy grin.

As expected, Hinata's face turned red, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Once Naruto was out of sight, Hinata immediately chose to not talk to Sasuke, unless he talked to her first. Hinata got out the map, and began to study it.

We'll be there by tomorrow if we keep up this pace.

A few minutes passed until Sasuke decided to end the awkward silence. Hinata was actually enjoying the silence.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened in the supermarket," Sasuke apologized.

Why am I apologizing? I just wanted to talk!

No response.

It felt weird being the one getting the cold shoulder. Usually, Sasuke was the antisocial one. Hinata's lack of response tortured Sasuke. He really wanted to make conversation with her, for some reason.

"What's with the double personality?" Sasuke questioned.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Hinata replied, not taking her eyes off of the map.

Sasuke instantly shut up. He was trying to think of a good comeback, but nothing came to mind. A few more uncomfortable moments passed.

"You like Naruto?" Sasuke brought up.

"Again, shouldn't that be my line?" Hinata repeated.

"After all, you're the guy that kissed Naruto-kun in the Academy," Hinata recalled.

"Sh-shut up! That was an accident!" Sasuke responded.

Hinata activated her Byakugan to check his reaction. He was looking away, trying to hide the tint of red on his face. Hinata smirked, and deactivated her dojutsu before he noticed.

"Whatever you say, Uchiha boy," Hinata replied.

The two remained silent for some more minutes. The silence was suffocating Sasuke. He never acted this way around anyone. What made Hinata different?

"I hate Itachi," Sasuke suddenly stated.

"I used to look up to him because he was my big brother, but then he changed. He became cold and distant. One day, he murdered my clan, and spared me. He told me I was weak and worthless. I really hate him, but I still miss the times when we were happy and everything was okay," Sasuke admitted.

Words could not describe how jealous Hinata was of Sasuke. Gods, if only Itachi decided to kill her clan! And he actually used to have someone he looked up to! She only had someone who looked down her. And by someone, she meant everyone.

"And why would I care, Uchiha boy?" Hinata questioned bitterly.

She wasn't even looking at him. Gods, Hyuugas could be so creepy sometimes. They acted like they were blind even though in reality they could see everything.

"Do you expect me to pity you, or something? Do you want me to comfort you and say that that's the past, and this is the present? You've done nothing for me, and I'm just returning the favor," Hinata told the Uchiha.

It was way too much of a shock for Sasuke. Anyone else would have instantly started to give sympathy. No, Hinata was way too different. She knew how he felt, and didn't want to try to help him unless he wanted to try to help her. Hinata was asking for a mutual friendship.

"Fine, then. I'll scratch your back if you scratch my back. Tell me your life story, Hyuuga girl," Sasuke agreed.

He could've given up, but he chose not to. Sasuke was really determined to become Hinata's friend for some reason. He reasoned that it was Uchiha instinct to accept difficult challenges.

Hinata turned towards Sasuke. She just couldn't figure out why the hell he wanted to know so much about her. Nobody cared about her. She wasn't as outstanding or popular as the other girls, and she preferred to stay in the dark. She could see in the dark, anyway, thanks to her bloodline.

"Hiashi, my 'father,' is always abusing me. Whether it's physically or emotionally, it happens all the time. I was originally supposed to be the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, but Hiashi thought I was too weak, and gave the position to my younger sister. He even beat my mother to death to prove that being nice was equivalent to being weak. I wear this jacket all the time to hide the bruises. My entire clan pretty much hates me, and I wish they were all dead," Hinata described.

More unpleasant muteness. At least she was finally looked at him.

"What's with all the stuttering around everyone but me, Hyuuga girl?" Sasuke questioned.

"What's with all the coldness around everyone but me, Uchiha boy?" Hinata retorted.

"I'm sick of being mean," Sasuke answered.

"I'm sick of being nice," Hinata replied.

More silence made its way into the conversation. However, it was a silence that's used for thinking and understanding. The Hyuuga and Uchiha were finally starting to warm up to each other.

"I guess we could get along, then," Sasuke said.

"I guess so," Hinata concurred.

"Let's make a promise, then. I'll always be there for you, and you'll always be there for me. Fair enough?" Sasuke said.

"I agree to those terms," Hinata confirmed.

Sasuke and Hinata shook hands to seal the deal. While they were shaking hands, their eyes met. The Hyuuga and Uchiha saw eye to eye. When the handshake was done, Hinata sat down, her legs in front of her and propping herself up with her arms. Sasuke sat next to her, sitting cross legged.

"So... You like Naruto?" Sasuke brought up again.

"Yes, yes I do. He's the reason why I continue to live," Hinata finally confessed.

A strange sensation curled up in Sasuke's stomach. What was that? Was he jealous? Sasuke shook away his thoughts and returned his attention to Hinata.

"Itachi is the reason why I continue to live," Sasuke replied.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at Sasuke.

"You love him?" Hinata questioned.

"Ew. No, I hate him. My goal in life is to kill him," the Uchiha responded.

"There's a thin line between love and hate," Hinata teased.

He felt like vomiting at that statement.

"Gross," he responded.

She smirked at him.

"Well, I love Naruto-kun. My goal in life is to be able to be his equal."

How sappy.

"And to kill Hiashi."

That's better.

"We're really alike," Sasuke noticed.

"No, we're complete opposites," Hinata denied.

They were both thinking the same thing.

Opposites attract.

After all, there wouldn't be yin without yang. The two talked together as they waited for Naruto to return from gathering firewood. The topics they spoke about were mostly trivial. They shared a few laughs every now and then. They were so out of character when they were alone together.

When Hinata and Sasuke heard Naruto's footsteps, they reverted back to their original selves. Hinata was sitting and reading the map, and Sasuke was leaning on a nearby tree, his arms crossed. Naruto had three clones accompanying him, all to their chins with firewood. They dropped the wood in the middle of the campground, and the clones disappeared with a cloud of smoke.

"Oi! I'm back!" Naruto announced.

"W-welcome back, Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted with a soft smile, putting away the map.

Hinata stood up, and Naruto walked to Hinata's side, causing her to blush at how close he was. Sasuke didn't like how fast Naruto got Hinata's attention when he had to tell his entire life story to get her to give him a real response instead of an insult, albeit it was about how she didn't care about his life.

What's so damn special about that idiot?

"What took you so long, dobe?" Sasuke asked, once again irritated.

"Shut up, teme! There was barely any wood on the ground, so I had to cut down a tree to get this wood, believe it!" Naruto responded.

"No wood on the ground in a forest?" Sasuke skeptically questioned.

"A-arigato, Naruto-kun. I-it must've been hard," Hinata complimented, ignoring Sasuke's remark.

"Ehehe, it was no big deal," Naruto replied modestly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the two. The feeling of envy curled up in Sasuke's stomach again. He then proceeded to start the fire. Sasuke gathered some of the firewood in a pile. He did some hand seals, and blew a small flame onto the wood, setting it on fire.

Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke's attempt to boast about his fire jutsu. Hinata gave Sasuke a small smile. When Naruto wasn't looking, the smile turned into a smirk. She mouthed the words "Show off" to Sasuke. Sasuke smirked back, thinking that his attempt to impress Hinata worked. Hinata rolled her eyes. Naruto was completely oblivious to the two's silent communication.

"Soooo... What'd you two talk about while I was gone?" Naruto asked Hinata.

Sasuke secretly looked at Hinata, curious of what Hinata's answer would be. He was hoping that she wouldn't tell the truth and say they got along, or else Naruto would accuse him of liking Hinata. Even if he did like Hinata, he wouldn't want to be teased about it his entire life by Naruto, and secretly Hinata.

"N-nothing...," Hinata lied.

The Uchiha and Hyuuga both knew they talked about way more than nothing. They didn't even have to discuss it to know that they wanted to keep their friendship a secret. Both of their reputations would be shattered if the truth came out. Great minds must think alike.

"Well, that's good! Teme is extremely moody, you know. I'm glad he didn't hurt your feelings or anything," Naruto replied.

Hinata smiled, with a faint blush on her face. Sasuke crossed his arms, rolled his eyes, and began to get jealous again. Naruto yawned, crossing his arms behind his neck as he walked towards his tent.

"I'm going to go sleep, now," Naruto declared.

Naruto walked into his tent, and zipped it up. The sun was setting, making the light of the fire seem brighter each second. In a few seconds, Naruto's faint snoring was heard.

"Talked about nothing, huh?" Sasuke brought up.

The two shared a quiet laugh, careful to not wake up the slumbering blonde. Sasuke took Hinata's hand, and began to drag her off somewhere. Hinata resisted, trying to pull Sasuke back towards the campsite.

"What?" Sasuke questioned.

"Isn't it a bad idea to leave a fire unattended?" Hinata asked.

Sasuke only shrugged, resuming to haul Hinata out of Naruto's hearing range in case he happened to wake up while they were talking. Although it was highly unlikely since Naruto was a heavy sleeper, the two didn't want to take a chance. Hinata broke free of Sasuke's grasp.

"God, you're so handsy," Hinata complained.

"Would you prefer it if I placed my hands somewhere else?" Sasuke retorted.

"In your pants, away from me," the Hyuuga answered without blush or stutter.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Hinata's rebellious attitude. He was actually hoping that she would get all embarrassed like she did with Naruto.

"Whatever, just follow me, slowpoke," Sasuke ordered.

Hinata let out a sigh, crossing her arms.

"How troublesome," she commented.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You sound a lot like Shikamaru when you say that," the Uchiha remarked.

Hinata blinked in surprise.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, I never talk to him, though."

Hinata felt awkward knowing that they were actually connected by more than one person and have still never talked before.

"His lazy attitude is really troublesome," they said in unison.

There was some silence, embarrassed that they were so in sync. Hinata glared at him.

A copy cat, just like his sensei.

Sasuke glared back.

What is she glaring at me, for?

"Go to hell, Uchiha boy."

"After you, Hyuuga girl."


Do not freaking forget to review! I forgot about this story because you didn't review.*sigh* What am I going to do with you lazy readers?