A/N: It's been so long. It's like digging up a grave or dusting a ghostly attic. But I've nerves of steel, I do. I can't give up on this story yet haha. Along comes another chapter. To everyone still reading & reviewing, thanks for sticking around, a zillion cute bunnies to my special readers. A zillion? Now that's scary. All right whatever you want. It's yours.

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata all but leaped from her perch on the tree and brought Naruto standing below her, tumbling down with herself. Naruto looked up stunned at her angelic face brightened by laughter. A deeper, warmer shade of lavender set her eyes aglow. Her laughter washed over him warm and bright like the morning. She stopped, suddenly noticing he wasn't saying anything. There were very few things that made Naruto speechless. In a word, he was overcome. Unexpectedly, he sniffled.

'She came', his heart leaped. His first real friend. He would've hugged her if he dared.

"Hey, Naruto. I..I'm sorry." Hinata scrambled off him quickly.

"To think, you were hurt because of me, just yesterday...Oh no, does it hurt? Where does it hurt..?", she circled his prone figure frantically, mistaking his teary eyed look for pain.

"Ehm Hinata. I'm okay." Naruto interrupted her monologue finally. His ears burned with embarassment and pleasure as she carefully helped him to his feet.

"Ah..Naruto-kun".

Hinata's lips formed a little moue.

"Why did you just stand there? You could've easily avoided me."

"You could've hurt yourself. Jumping off like that." Naruto retorted.

"No, I wouldn't", she protested. Naruto just looked at her skeptically.

"Anyway, now we're even!", both exclaimed in unison.

They burst into laughter delighted by the feeling only a kindred soul would invoke. Hinata recalled how she had literally tripped over herself, the first time they met. How embarrassing it had all been. But it was so comfortable joking around with him now.

"You seem different.", Naruto said after a while.

"How so ?"

"You talk too much", he said bluntly not knowing how else to put it.

Hinata paused turning over his words.

"You're different too", she said finally.

Naruto gave her a questioning look.

"You talk too little", she grinned.

"Hey, I was being serious."

"Being serious and thinking. Don't do it too much, you might turn into me!", Hinata said quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Smart people think a lot...So I've heard", Naruto laughed.

"Well, you ain't smart. That's for sure." The low menacing voice was hard not to recognize.

"Just in time. I was beginning to miss you." Naruto said.

"Quit yapping. Money. Hand it over."

"Who do you think..", Hinata began indignantly but Naruto stopped her.

"You're the stupid one.", he addressed the bully again.

"You got a death wish..", the boy said angrily.

"I don't have any money on me, you big idiot, coz your 'friend' stole it before you could. Bet he didn't tell you that. He's probably busy spending it without you."

"Look", Naruto turned out his pockets to show him he had nothing on him. That made the leader of two older boys angry. He was cursing the missing boy under his breath. Just as Naruto implied, there was one person missing in their trio. He turned to Naruto savagely shaking him by the collar.

"Then it's your fault for not getting more for us to take from you, isn't it?"

He slapped Naruto across the mouth but before he could do anymore, Hinata pulled Naruto back and threw the entire contents of a bottle from her pack right into the bully's eyes. He wailed loudly as the liquid burned his eyes. He backed away, arms flailing and crashed into his partner crying for help.

"You better take him away. Don't want him to go blind do you", Hinata said in the coldest voice she had heard her father use, that never failed to strike fear into her heart. She brandished another bottle like a weapon. The other guy didn't seem too keen to carry on the fight alone.

"Come on", she urged Naruto pulling him away towards the academy grounds. They hid within the academy walls. It was Naruto's second home of sorts but he was more of an unwanted guest most times. The window to a classroom was flung open and predictably Iruka glared down at them.

"What have you done now, Naruto?"

Naruto looked from Iruka Sensei to Hinata standing defiantly next to him.

"Nothing at all, it seems", he shrugged.

"Out", mouthed Iruka. Naruto took the cue to exit. He hastily inched along the wall tugging Hinata behind him. When he had safely gone out of range of Iruka's glare, he cautiously looked out towards the woods. The older boys were retreating. One was supporting the other.

He sighed.

"Hinata."

Naruto looked at her sternly. All trace of humor gone.

"Wha..at?" Hinata faltered.

"What was that?"

"Well.."

"'Blind? I know he's a bully but that's going too far." Naruto ploughed on not waiting for an answer.

"But he was hurting you", Hinata exclaimed indignantly.

"Don't do that for me. What if he really does go blind? Do you think he deserves that?"

"That's not true. I was lying, to scare them. It's just healing ointment. It'll make his eyes sting and water but that's all. It should stop soon", she said anxiously.

"That's not it. I don't want to see anyone hurt. Not him and not you. What'll you do if they come after you next? Did you think of that?"

Hinata teared up. She'd never felt his anger before but it was different from her father's. Father's was cold. His was hot. Scalding. She felt ashamed, not afraid.

She hadn't really thought things through. But isn't standing up for each other, what friends were supposed to do? She was weak after all, who could she dream of protecting. No wonder Naruto was troubled.

Naruto looked away clenching his fists. This was wrong. The gentle Hinata he first met was like this because of him. Maybe he was nothing but trouble. He had failed her as a friend.

"Here", Hinata choked out, holding up the bottle of ointment in her hand.

"I got these for you".

Naruto watched in silent dismay the steady patter of her tears on the mud floor and all he could think of over and over again was,

'How do I protect you ?'

He gave her forehead a gentle poke, holding his finger there. Hinata stilled.

"Let's not be friends anymore", he said.