A Date With Destiny

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

Hinata stumbled back a few steps from shock. She felt Tenten's usually confident hands faltering a bit when she caught her. However, that didn't change the fact that Sasuke Uchiha was standing right in front of her. The Sasuke Uchiha. His cold smile scared the living daylights out of her and she couldn't understand what girls found so attractive about this cold block of ice. She was willing to bet that he had been enjoying the little show that Haruno had instigated earlier.

"What do you want?" Tenten's strong voice brought Hinata out of her daze, "You don't have any business here, Uchiha."

"Of course I do," a crooked smile appeared on his pale visage, "this is the girl that the news article mentioned with my name. I think that I have the right to…get to know her. If there's anyone that has no business here, it's you, Tenten-san."

"I'm afraid that you'll have to leave, Uchiha." Tenten's voice suddenly appeared to be hardened, "I'm just getting to know a new friend."

"A new friend that has just shot up into fame, a worthy ally should you ever come to trouble, I say," he retorted back.

"If that's all you're going to say, we'll be going now, Uchiha." Tenten jerked Hinata away from the quiet crowd. She sent an extra glare back at the Uchiha to confirm her statement. But it seemed to carry no weight, for when Hinata looked back, his arrogant smile was still attached in his face when he turned around and walked away.

"Um...I'm s-sorry, Tenten-san," Hinata felt that she apologize for the encounter. She hung her head low and stared at her feet miserably. She felt a firm hand stop her and Tenten's comforting voice reprimanding her.

"It's not your fault that you received that jerk for your date, Hinata." She continued," Honestly, I have no idea why you high school girls even like him. He's so emotionless and all he has is a pretty face! There are way cuter people when you get into college, I can guarantee that!"

"Th-thanks…", Hinata smiled slowly and raised her eyes to looked ahead. "Isn't that Starbucks? Let's go Tenten-chan."

With a partially forced smile, Hinata walked arm in arm with her new friend into the acclaimed coffee shop.

Sasuke Uchiha was quietly seething behind the composed mask of a face that he had carefully cultivated over the years. That Tenten person had stood up to him without hesitation—no wonder he seemed to find college girls so unattractive. If they were all as blockheaded as that girl, why should he even find them amusing?

Even that Hyuuga didn't give him the satisfaction he anticipated. Although on the outside, she resembled a scared rabbit, he could see hidden strength underneath those blank white irises. Maybe he could just leave her sniveling at the dance and go find someone actually sexy and appealing. There was always the option to force her into not going, then it wouldn't look bad when the Gabbler write its yearly tribute to the King of Hearts ball.

The Uchiha's eyes caught a flash of blond hair in the distance before it disappeared. 'Hn,' he thought, 'probably that idiot Uzumaki or that annoying conniver of a Yamanaka. It's not important anyway,' he deducted, 'and I need a nap.'

"Okay, here's your sleeping bag, pillow, tooth—"

"Naruto!" Hinata lamented, "You're not my mother the last time I checked. Why do you care so much?!"

"It's your first sleepover," Naruto replied while handing a T-shirt to Hinata, "I just want to make sure you have a good time. You deserve it."

Hinata's pearly eyes softened, "Thanks. I guess I am a bit nervous since it's my first time…Do you think they'll like me?"

"Of course, you're the best friend anyone could ever have," Naruto smiled coyly, "under all that shyness, of course."

"I'm working on it!" Hinata slapped his shoulder playfully and hoisted the bag on her shoulders. Looking around, she clapped her hands and said, "Well, I think that's it. Bye Naruto, and don't ransack my fridge while I'm out, 'kay?"

"Bye—hey! I'm not like Chouji!"

Hinata giggled as she heard Naruto's realization at what she just said. A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the entrance to the Valentino building and she was getting second thoughts. First of all, from what she could gather, there were going to be a lot of people there. And all of them would be ultra-popular—there would probably be a Gabbler article in the slumber party tomorrow. Could she really risk making headlines again?

"Hey! Hinata! Wait up!" A familiar voice called from far behind her. Hinata whirled around to see Naruto running toward her.

He was waving a purple bag and a towel in his hands.

"You," he tried to say in between breaths, "forgot…your…towel…and stuff."

Hinata gingerly took the objects from his hands and patted him on the back. "Thanks for bringing these," she smiled, "What would I do without you?"

Then, in a bold act that surprised both of them, she stood up on her toes and kissed him chastely on the cheek. Before he could say anything, she opened the double doors and let herself into the slumber party that she'd never ever forget.

Of course, she never saw Naruto turn beet red with a silly, possibly love-struck grin on his face when she left.

"Truth or dare?"

"Um…" Tenten tapped her chin decisively as she thought it over, "..truth!"

Ino's eyes glinted evilly, "Okay…is it true that you and Neji Hyuuga hooked up?"

"Hey!" Tenten looked around at the group of girls all staring intently at her, "Don't ask me that!"

"Neji…?" Hinata whispered to herself. Wasn't that her cousin? The cousin that she spent summers with as a child and saw a year go at his high school graduation?

"I didn't know…", Hinata continued to say to herself. Suddenly she realized that everyone was staring at her as she said those words. Her face flushed and she tried to hide her face in a pillow.

"Spill," a dirty blond four-pigtailed college student said, "What do you know about Neji Hyuuga?"

"Um…he's my cousin," Hinata bit her bottom lip nervously, still not feeling comfortable with the pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Really?! Oh my gosh, you're the student body president's cousin?! How come you never told anyone?" Ino exclaimed while slowly inching forward.

"W-well, it's not important…", Hinata stuttered, "B-besides, I haven't seen him s-since last y-year."

"Still! I can believe that you're in the same family! Are you rich too?" Ino's clear blue eyes widened.

"I-I…"

"Ino!" Tenten smacked the back of Ino's head, "Don't force it out of her! If she wants to talk, she will! Leave it."

"Fine," Ino turned her attention back to Tenten, "So…did you or did you not hook up with Neji Hyuuga?"

Hinata sighed as all the attention was finally turned away from her. It was going to be a long night.

Sasuke Uchiha looked out the balcony of his dorm while the light breeze caressed his soft hair.

For some strange reason, that encounter with the Hyuuga girl and Tenten was on instant replay in his mind. It wouldn't be weird if his mind was more focused on Tenten; she stood up to him after all. But no, he just couldn't take his mind off the Hyuuga standing slightly behind the tall stature Tenten. He just couldn't make up his mind on if her white eyes looked blank and unmoving or if they held a tint of lavender and held back terrible pain.

It was already three in the morning, but he just couldn't stop thinking about those eyes. Those pearly, translucent eyes that held so much suffering in them just kept appearing whenever he closed his eyes. They reminded him of something, or maybe someone. Who was it? He turned around slowly, shaking his head from side to side and walked back into his dorm.

Behind him, the crescent moon rose bright and gleaming in the sky above the quiet rustling of the lakeside trees.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still in shock.

Or rather, maybe he was in love.

He felt like slapping himself at the thought. Hinata-chan was his best friend! Someone that he could trust and confide all his thoughts in. She knew him through and through, knew about everything he ever did and probably will do. That kind of knowing will only result in friendship—love? Impossible. He must be an idiot for thinking that.

But he just couldn't help himself.

Why didn't he see it before? He had loved her the day that he met her under the shade of the apple trees.

A little girl, maybe six or seven at the most, was sitting quietly under the apple trees in a local park. Children were laughing and playing all around her, yet none came close to her. Maybe it was her blank white eyes, slowly dripping silent tears down her unnaturally pale face. Maybe it was short, violet-black hair surrounding her face. Either way, she was alone, shy and no one paid any attention to her. They had caring friends, a loving family and an impossibly carefree life. How could they possibly understand her?

However, one day, a skin-tanned blond boy slowly approached her. He reached out his hand and smiled brightly, "Hi. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, who're you?"

She looked up slowly in amazement and replied softly, "H-Hinata H-Hyuug-ga…"

"Why're you sittin' here all the time? Don't you want to play, Hinata?"

She looked out at the running children and said in a surprisingly cold voice, "No. Th-they have n-nothing to d-do with me."

Her red-rimmed eyes shifted back to him, as if challenging him to run away; just like so many others had done. But he scratched the back of his head, a trademark she would come to love, and replied, "Gee, isn't that a sad way of lookin' at everything? It's a nice day and all the flowers are awake. Don't you want to climb this tree?"

"I-I don't kn-know how…", Hinata followed his gaze to the highest branches of the tree. When she turned around, he had stepped behind her and climbed up the tree as swiftly as a monkey. She saw him pick a large blossom off with his hands and drop down onto the ground. He brushed the dirt and grass off of his clothes and handed the flower to her. She gasped and plucked it gingerly from his hands.

"A-arigatou, N-Naruto," she smiled for the first time. "I-it's really pr-pretty."

"Look! Isn't that much better? You look beautiful when you smile, Hinata!" Naruto grinned crookedly. He held out a hand to her again, "Wanna climb the tree with me?"

"I—", Hinata began.

"Oh yeah! I'm so stupid! C'mon," Naruto grasped her hand. "I'll teach you everything!"

"A-arigatou, Naruto-kun…"

Author's Note: Oh noes! How will Hinata solve this problem? Don't worry guys, this will still be SasuHina at the end. Please bear with me for the next few chapters (NaruHina isn't something I've ever written, and I don't really like it either.) Plz Review!

Thanks for the beta, DreamedSong!

moonlighthaku