A/N 1: Sorry for the late update, due to RL and other stuff, Myomi is unable to continue working on this story with me, so it's like five times harder to write it without her help, hence the delay.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. I don't own it. I don't own a lot of things. Unfortunately. Bummer, right?

A/N 2: So…I had to re-edit this chapter because:

1. I had pacing issues with it; it hadn't flowed coherently enough before, for me…sorry. #Sheepish grin. I didn't want Naruto's feelings to seem rushed (at this point he's only supposed to be being…a guy seeing Hinata as a 'girl' for once. Not someone in love).

2. It looked like I was hinting at NejiHina (which I wasn't btw) *shudders* sorry if you ship it but I don't. I was trying for a sibling moment thing. Epic fail. *facepalm*

So… yeah. I had to fix all…that. No major changes though, so if you read this chapter already you can just skip on to the next.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X


"Oii! Uzumaki! Get out here or we're leaving you behind!"

Kiba's yell was punctuated by repeated honks of the horn.

Naruto rolled his eyes skyward at his friend's impatience. Like they couldn't afford to wait a few extra minutes, they had no need to rush. The gala had only just started, it was barely 10 minutes past 7 o'clock, the gala having been scheduled to begin at 7.

Having just finished securing the last knot in his tie, Naruto scrutinized his reflection in the mirror, immediately grimacing at how neat he looked.

"Ew." He muttered under his breath.

His hair was brushed. Brushed. He hadn't brushed his hair since he was eight. Towel-drying until it poked every which way in unruly spikes was always sufficient as far as hair care was concerned.

And his tie… What the hell was it doing fastened around his neck so tight?

He looked like a bad James Bond Impersonation.

Naruto groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. He knew exactly what was happening. And he knew exactly why he was stressing about his appearance.

This is crazy. He thought in exasperation. So I told Hinata that I couldn't wait to see what she wears. It's no big deal, right? So then, why should it matter what I look like? I mean, Hinata's never cared before, so why would she now?

Naruto tensed.

Wait a minute… what if she doesn't care? Wait, this is Hinata we're talking about. I mean… she's my friend and that means she does care… right?

Letting out another groan, Naruto scratched at the back of his neck in frustration.

He shook his head, a hand coming up to muss up his hair while another pulled at his collar to loosen his tie. After another once-over in the mirror, he nodded to himself, feeling better at his now slightly disheveled appearance.

But wait, what if she thinks I'm a messy slob?

Naruto let out another groan and reached for the hairbrush, just as yet another yell from Kiba carried through the window, followed by a particularly long honk of the car horn.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X


On the other side of town, Hinata sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, barely able to recognize her 'glammed-up self', as Ino had put it, as herself. She had done her hair and make-up exactly as Ino had shown her to, and although she'd been skeptical about the hairstyle the blonde had opted for, Hinata couldn't deny that it suited her, and it complimented the dress and jewelry…whatever that meant- again, Ino's words.

It was the night of the gala, and Hinata couldn't remember any other time in her life when she'd been more nervous. Her hands kept wringing together in her lap as she chewed on her bottom lip, and she kept glancing at her alarm clock for the time. She exhaled slowly as she stood to pace, hoping to calm her frayed nerves by doing so, before her ride came for her.

The fact that she had neither seen nor heard from her brother since their 'altercation' a mere two days before did nothing to calm her jittery nerves. You'd think that, living in the same house and all, she'd have plenty of opportunities to catch him alone and attempt to smooth things over, but no such luck.

Her brother could be very difficult when he so wished, it seemed.

Whenever she thought of their confrontation on that pitch, her stomach would twist itself into knots from worry, as she wondered just how long her brother would continue to give her the cold shoulder. Really, now he was just being unreasonable, and Hinata felt mild frustration bubbling forth.

Hoping to distract herself, Hinata ran a finger across the necklace that now sat along her neck, the cool metal feeling nice on her somewhat feverish skin.

Turning to look at herself in the mirror, Hinata let a small smile grace her lips, her hand still fingering the cool, gold chain.

She'd decided to wear her 'gifts'. If not just to show her admirer she appreciated them, but also to see if they could help her identify him.

Sighing as her other hand fingered one of the earrings that dangled from her ears; Hinata frowned at how clammy her hands felt. She ran them over the smooth material of her dress, wincing at the tightness of the bodice.

"Hinata, honey," her mother's voice drifted up the stairs, "Shikamaru's here."

Hinata nearly fell over, her nerves going into overdrive. "C-coming," she just barely managed to call back.

Against his wishes, but thanks to Ino's err, persuasion, Shikamaru was to chauffeur them all to the gala one at a time, starting with Sakura, followed by Hinata, then Tenten, and finally Ino. They had agreed to meet at the entrance, and enter as one, fashionably late of course, on Ino's insistence.

Hinata rolled her eyes at that. The Yamanaka could be a little overdramatic sometimes.

Exhaling through her nose, she quickly grabbed her purse and shawl, and after one last glance in the mirror, she sighed and flicked her bedroom light off.

Pulling the door closed behind her, Hinata glanced at the door to her brother's room down the hall and vaguely wondered if he'd already left. She frowned slightly, and then sighed in resignation as she heard her mother call for her again.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X


When the soccer team, in its entirety, finally pulled into the Konoha High School Parking Lot, it was well past 7:30. Not that it mattered, since no one seemed to care that they were late, as they noticed people still arriving.

Some teams hadn't even arrived yet.

Including the netball team, as Naruto immediately noticed. He couldn't see Hinata's long head of hair anywhere. Then again, he reasoned, maybe she'd tied it or something.

It wasn't that he was particularly looking forward to seeing what she would wear or anything. Hinata wasn't exactly the type of girl that cared about appearances and what she wore. It was one of the things about her that he liked- er, thought was cool.

Naruto flexed his fingers, irritated with himself.

No, he wasn't just excited about seeing her. He wanted to make sure she was okay. She'd been pretty upset that Wednesday on the soccer pitch after Neji stormed off. And he hadn't had a chance to talk to her since the incident.

That was it, he reasoned. He was just worried about her. Friends worried about other friends, right?

He shook his head. He seemed to be asking himself questions a lot lately. Sighing, he refocused on his teammates' chatter around him as they made their way across the parking lot and towards the school gymnasium.

"Remind me again why we have no dates?" Kiba snarked as he watched yet another couple pass them, all the while making googly eyes at each other. His nose wrinkled at the sight.

Well, that guy is totally whipped. He thought to himself.

"Because we're too cool for dates, duh." Adam snapped.

"No. It's because we forgot to ask girls." Sai corrected.

"Who invited you to ride with us, anyways?" someone sneered.

Naruto rolled his eyes, knowing that it was just the beginning of yet another pointless argument. Now that he thought about it, his teammates could be extremely childish.

"Dude, no self-respecting guy uses the word 'duh'," Kiba shook his head.

"Actually, 'Duh' isn't really a word. It's really more of a colloquialism." Neji corrected absently.

Naruto's eyes snapped to the Hyuuga at the sound of his voice, and he wondered what was going through his captain's head. Sure, he looked composed and neutral now, as he always did. But, according to the rumor mill, Neji hadn't been seen with his sister at all since Wednesday.

Who knew what the eldest Hyuuga was thinking.

"Nerd alert." Adam teased, distorting his voice by pinching his nose.

As expected, the team erupted into snorts and snickers.

Sasuke, walking on Naruto's right, rolled his eyes at the display. "You're all pathetic losers. No wonder you can't get any dates."

"Says the guy who came stag himself." Naruto shot back.

Sasuke grunted, choosing not to grace that with a response in favor of walking ahead of his team towards the already packed gym.

Noticing a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye, Naruto turned to see Sakura walking up to them. He noticed his teammates either jawdrop or do double-takes as she passed them, which was not surprising.

Sakura was an athelete… an athlete in a very short dress. A very short dress that was flaunting her long, lean legs.

They were a bunch of hormonal teenage boys. It wasn't as hard as rocket science to figure out.

But Naruto wasn't ogling. Nope. He noticed something they all hadn't because they weren't looking at Sakura's face, as he was. This was one of the few things that still managed to scare him even after years of seeing it.

Haruno Sakura was pissed.

"Oh no." Swallowing, Naruto grabbed the nearest arm, which unfortunately happened to be Sasuke's.

"What are you doing, idi-"

"Sakura's pissed." Naruto cut into the would-be objection, hurrying his steps. "Run." He warned the others as he pulled on Sasuke's arm.

The impending terror of an angry Sakura finally registering, the boys started to hurry towards the gym. All except Neji, that is.

He didn't seem worried. Which was all well and good when Sakura came to a stop in front of him, heels clacking on the cement lot.

"You!" she snarled, jabbing a finger into his chest. "I have a bone to pick with you."

"What do you want, Haruno?" Neji drawled impatiently.

His teammates had all clambered away to safety inside the gym, leaving him alone with the angry pinkette. Neji rolled his eyes inwardly. What a bunch of cowards, to be so easily scared. And by a girl with pink hair of all things. He wasn't scared, mostly because he didn't know much about Sakura. In actuality, he knew virtually nothing about her except that she was his sister's friend and teammate.

At the thought of Hinata, Neji's eyes narrowed and his stance became more rigid. "Well?" he pressed. "I don't have all night."

"Why are you avoiding Hinata?" Sakura demanded without preamble.

"Is that why you came looking for me?" Neji crossed his arms and let out a small sigh. "It is none of your business what happens between my Sister and I. Honestly, why you and everyone else seem so adamant to interfere in personal family affairs is beyond me."

Sakura let out a derisive snort. "Oh, get off your high horse, Neji." She sneered, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest. "The whole overprotective brother stint is getting really old."

"Don't spout off carelessly like you know anything about me, Haruno."

"Okay, fine." Sakura scoffed and shrugged. "You're right. I don't know anything about you."

Neji looked smug, but Sakura held up a finger before he could say anything.

"I may not know anything about you, but I do know that no one knows Hinata better than I do. I don't care what you say about 'interfering in personal family affairs'. Hinata is one of my closest friends, and her happiness is very important to me. And when some pompous jerk upsets her so much she, being the dedicated athlete she is, oh I don't know, can't even concentrate during practice because she's too busy crying…then it becomes very much my business what happens between you and your sister."

For a second, Neji looked ashamed, but that was quickly overwritten by simmering anger. The seconds slowly ticked by with them locked in a glare-down. And when the other still said nothing, Sakura scowled darkly.

"What exactly is your problem, Neji?" she asked flatly. "I know you know the kind of person Hinata is. She is insecure, and does not appreciate herself nearly half as much as she should. But, do you have any idea what this whole Secret admirer thing is doing to her? She can't even be excited about a guy being interested in her because of you! This whole time she's just been 'big brother this, Neji that', so wrapped up in making sure you don't find out, she can't even find time to squeal about it-"

"And that's my problem." Neji cut in coldly. "She is my sister. I am supposed to look out for her. Why didn't she just come to me and tell me what was going on? I would have known what to do."

"'Known what to do?'" Sakura repeated incredulously. "Do you hear yourself?" She laughed humorlessly. "Look at how you've been acting, and then ask yourself why she didn't tell you what was going on, and why she didn't want you to find out about it."

Unnerved, Neji shifted on his feet, just as Sakura's phone started vibrating in her hand. She flipped it open, took one look at the caller ID and then snapped it shut again.

"Hinata's here." She informed him. "You better talk to her before the gala starts. You and I both know she won't have any fun tonight if you're still fighting… or whatever it is you're doing."

Satisfied that she'd accomplished her mission, Sakura stalked off towards a car that had just pulled into the lot before he could respond.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X


When Shikamaru parked the car, any calm Hinata had collected on the silent trip over immediately dissipated. She could hear the faint thump of music coming from the gala, as well as some voices and laughs that were carrying over from students loitering or hovering outside the building.

As she unbuckled her seat belt, Hinata took slow breaths in an attempt to calm down, her mind racing with her flurrying thoughts. Her insecure side seemed to have gone hyper during the drive over, and despite her parents' compliment, Hinata was suddenly nervous about anyone else seeing her 'glammed-up self.'

What if they think I look weird? What if my admirer hates it and changes his mind and decides he doesn't like me after all? Or wait… What if Naruto hates my dress? What if he doesn't like what I've done with my hair? What if I accidentally trip and fall in these heels? What if-

"Will you relax already?" Shikamaru's lazy drawl cut into her frantic train of thought.

Hinata blinked. "What?"

"The anxiety is just rolling off you in waves," he explained. "You need to calm down before you pass out."

He'd probably meant that as a joke, but it hit too close to home for Hinata's liking. She'd been one thought away from fainting.

She gave Shikamaru a sheepish smile and assured him that she was fine. He gave her a skeptical look, but then he just shrugged as he got out of the car. Hinata sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat as she watched him walk around the car to open her door. She mumbled a quick thank you as she took the hand he offered to help her out.

The night air was warm and crisp as she stepped out of the vehicle, a fact Hinata was thankful for as the dress' shawl provided little to no protection from the cold. She smiled when she spotted Sakura's pink head talking to someone a few feet away and was just about to thank Shikamaru for the ride so she could go over to her, when she spotted just who Sakura was talking to.

Had Shikamaru not been holding her arm, Hinata was pretty sure she'd have fallen over from the shock as she recognized none other than her brother. As it was, she only stumbled unsteadily.

"Geez," Shikamaru muttered, setting her back upright on her feet. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Hinata probably would have answered, if Sakura and her brother hadn't turned and spotted them at that moment thanks to the sound of Shikamaru's voice.

"Hey Hina! Shika!" Sakura cried, waving an arm as she walked over, looking very much at home in the poofy little red dress and matching high wedge heels she was wearing, unaware that she was turning heads as she rushed over to them.

"I'm glad I noticed you before you left," she was saying as she reached them. "I forgot my purse at home, could you please stop by my place on your way to Tenten's so I can pick it up?" she asked sweetly.

"Gas is expensive, you know," he answered simply.

"I was just asking for formality's sake," she retorted, climbing into the passenger's seat, not so subtly ignoring the panic on Hinata's face. "Don't worry Hina! We'll be back ASAP! Just wait for us here!"

Shikamaru sighed as he got into the driver's seat.

"Hurry it up Nara!" Sakura snapped impatiently.

"Relax, will ya." He droned, taking his sweet time closing the car door and putting the key in the ignition. "What a pain." He muttered when Sakura continued to grumble under her breath.

"Don't make me show you why these shoes are called wedges." She warned.

"I'm pretty sure your idea is different from the designer's," he muttered as he started the engine.

Hinata stood rooted to her spot as she watched the car back out of the lot, not daring to turn around until it had disappeared from sight.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X


"Good evening boys."

"Coach Yamato." Naruto grinned, breaking away from his friends to run up to the deputy coach. "Whoa, I don't think I've ever seen you in a suit before." He laughed. "You look really….old."

Sasuke shook his head at his friend's lack of tact.

"Yeah…well, thanks, Naruto." Yamato muttered dryly with an eye roll.

"So, where do we sit, coach?" Adam asked, when they'd entered the gym.

It didn't look like a gym at all. The decorating committee had outdone themselves. The entire hall was filled with large tables covered with white tablecloths, places set already with cutlery and napkins, complete with name-cards at each place to avoid confusion. There was a stage and a podium set up at the front under the basketball hoop, and speakers were set up already, from which the music was steadily thumping.

A long line of tables was set up along one wall of the gym, upon which a large, appetizing buffet was set up.

"Wow," Kiba whistled, "feels like we're going for a fancy dinner or something."

"Well," Yamato adjusted his tie. "The awards ceremony is a pretty important event."

Kiba shrugged, too preoccupied, like his teammates, with looking around.

"The seating arrangements are as follows: two teams have to share each table since the gym wasn't large enough to accommodate a single table for each team. And ours is the one at the center of the room." Yamato explained.

"You mean the one with the netball squad?" Kiba drawled through clenched teeth, pointing at said table, where a few girls he recognized from the squad were already seated.

"Yes, well," Yamato sweatdropped. "After the incident last year, the volleyball squad refused to share a table with you guys this year. Sorry guys, you just have to find a way to get along with the girls tonight."

"This is all your fault, Sai." Adam snarked as they all made their way to their table. "You just had to open your big mouth last year and piss off the volley girls."

Sai shrugged unrepentantly. "It is not my fault that they are all unreasonably sensitive."

Naruto rolled his eyes as yet another childish argument started.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X


"Nii-san." Hinata wrung her hands on her purse strap, not daring to look up, lest she meet her brother's eyes. "Um…. H-how are you? I haven't seen you in a while."

Neji exhaled lightly and shook his head. "Hinata." His tone sounded exasperated, much like he would sound when he would berate her.

"I- I wanted to apologize!" she blurted before she lost her nerve, and before he could say anything else. "I…I have wanted to apologize, but…you're always busy so…" she trailed off uncertainly.

He stared at her for a few moments, and Hinata shifted uneasily under his gaze.

"Apologize for what exactly?" he asked plainly.

"Well, I…" Hinata faltered, blinking in confusion.

That was a good question. What was she apologizing for again? Well, Neji had said he was disappointed in her, and that was… well, it meant that he was mad at her, right? She was officially confused.

"You said you were disappointed in me." She accused with a puzzled frown.

Neji raised an eyebrow at her. "And you wanted to apologize for that?"

"Well…no. But…" Hinata faltered again. "I mean, you are angry with me, aren't you? I just wanted to apologize and …well, fix things." She finished lamely.

Neji shook his head again, his hair, which he'd let loose for some reason that night, swishing with the movement. "Let me ask you something, Hinata." He crossed his arms. "Why do you suppose I said I was disappointed in you?"

Another puzzled frown made its way onto Hinata's face. "Well, I didn't tell you about the notes and the gifts…that's why, isn't it?" she asked uncertainly.

"No." Neji dropped his arms and stared her down. "You lied to me. I asked you what was going on, and you looked me in the face and lied."

"Oh." Hinata hung her head.

"So, no. I wasn't disappointed because you have a secret admirer." He clarified. "I was disappointed that you didn't trust me enough to talk to me about it. I thought we were closer than that as siblings."

Hinata's head jerked up. "But I-"

"It's okay, Hinata." He held up a hand. "I don't really blame you for what you did. I know I can be a little…stiff at times."

Hinata slowly raised an eyebrow, more than a little confused. It almost sounded like her brother was the one apologizing.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you the other day. I was only angry when I found out that you had lied to me."

Ah, there it was. He shifted uncomfortably, and Hinata had to smile fondly, knowing how uncomfortable such conversations made her brother.

"I'm sorry I lied, Nii-san." Hinata apologized, "I just thought…you would disapprove somehow, if I told you."

"I see." Neji let out a low chuckle. "You do know me well, Hinata."

"I knew it." Hinata sighed and sweatdropped. "You do disapprove."

"Hmmm." Neji glanced up at the starry night sky. "Not… necessarily." He answered slowly.

Hinata couldn't help a chuckle at that. Just like that, it was like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders, and she could finally breathe in her ridiculously tight dress. Now that she was sure everything would be alright. But just to be sure…

"Awkward sibling hug?" she asked, holding out her arms.

The awkward sibling hug used to be something that they'd do whenever they had a fight as children. Since they rarely fought, Hinata thought it was perfect for this incident.

Letting out a small sigh, Neji decided to indulge her…more to make up for the fact that he'd upset her enough to cry than anything. "Awkward sibling hug." He acquiesced, lifting an arm.

Giggling gleefully, Hinata walked into his side and hugged his torso.

"Soo…what did we learn?" he asked, just as he used to when they were children.

"No more lying." Hinata answered in sing-song, much like a child being scolded would. "And what did we learn?" she asked in turn.

"Uh…be more rational?"

Hinata sweatdropped again. That was so Neji.

"Um…good enough." She chuckled, stepping out of his embrace.

"We should go before we're late." Neji advised, holding out an arm for Hinata to hold onto for balance as they walked.

"Hmm, Ino says we have to be fashionably late in arriving, so I bet they're waiting for me at the entrance." Hinata chuckled.

Neji, not finding it as amusing, stopped walking. "Please tell me there's at least one sane person in your group of friends."

"Nii-san. That's not nice." Hinata chastised as she pulled on his arm to get him to start walking again.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X


"I take it everything is A-okay now?" Ino asked with a smirk as Hinata and Neji approached, arm in arm.

"Yes." Hinata beamed. "Nii-san and I talked about it and everything is fine now."

"Aww, look at that," Sakura teased as she punched his shoulder lightly. "Neji does have a heart under all that ice. Way to go, buddy."

"Don't push it, Haruno." Neji warned coldly.

Next to Sakura, Tenten and Ino snickered.

"Tenten." Neji pinned the brown-haired girl with his stoic gaze, under which she tensed.

"Uh…yeah?" she asked uncertainly.

Their audience shared a knowing glance. Tenten had trouble paying attention whenever Neji talked to her if his hair was down and loose like that. She claimed it was distracting.

Yeah, right. Sakura would scoff whenever she did.

"I hear it was your idea to trick me into thinking this whole thing was just another rumor?" Neji asked, stuffing a hand in his pants' pocket.

Tenten blanched, and then rounded on Hinata. "You told him?!"

Hinata chuckled sheepishly, holding her hands up meekly in front of her in the universal sign of defeat.

"Yeah, well, so what if it was my idea?" Tenten huffed at the elder Hyuuga.

"Oh nothing," Neji calmly replied.

And then he did something that shocked them all. Neji…actually smiled at her.

"You should know though," he continued smoothly. "I don't always ignore what I hear through the grapevine."

Tenten's cheeks coloured, the thought of her rumored relationship with him coming to mind. He didn't fail to notice her burning cheeks, if the smirk he was wearing was any indication. And with that, he passed her to enter the gym, purposefully brushing her shoulder on his way. Tenten all but turned into a statue at the contact, as she like, Sakura and Hinata, was wearing a sleeveless dress.

Sakura and Ino jaw-dropped and openly gaped at Neji's retreating back.

"Hmm," Hinata shot a bemused Tenten an amused smile. "I think Nii-san was… flirting with you just now, Tenten."

"He was?" Tenten's brown eyes went wide, hand flying up to her chest. "You think?"

Hinata giggled, and Sakura and Ino after sharing a knowing glance, high-fived. "Heck yeah!" they cheered.

Tenten's face went as red as a tomato.

"Oh, dear naïve Tenten," Sakura teased.

"S-Shut up." The flustered girl hissed. That had them giggling again.

"Okay, come on girls," Ino clapped her hands to claim their attention. "To the bathroom, for last minute touch-ups!"

"Whaaat?" Sakura and Tenten groaned as one.

"Is that really necessary…?" Hinata asked uneasily. "I feel like I'm wearing too much make-up as it is."

Ino frowned. "You're only wearing foundation."

"That IS too much make-up for her." Sakura interjected. "You know Hina doesn't do cosmetics, Ino."

"Hey! No objections." Ino snapped her fingers and headed in the direction of the nearest girls' bathroom. "Follow the captain!"

"Ugh…again with that." Sakura grumbled as she followed after the blonde. "You're not the captain, pig!"

Tenten chuckled and took Hinata's hand. "Tell you what, Hina." She whispered as they followed their friends. "While they're distracted, I'll help you get that junk off your face."

"Really?" Hinata perked up.

Tenten shot her a wink and a thumb-up. "I hate cosmetics too, remember?"


X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X


"Are you guys ready?" Ino asked, fidgeting excitedly.

She stood at the gym entrance, arms looped together with her best friends. Tenten on her left, Hinata on her right, and Sakura on Hinata's right.

Standing between her friends, Hinata inhaled deeply.

This was it. She was going to walk into that hall. And she would do it with her head held high, and with her friends on both sides, holding her up, she knew she was guaranteed not to fall. She would do it, and catch Naruto's -and her admirer's- eye and then she would-

"What are you three still doing? The ceremony started an hour ago and you aren't in your seats yet!" the usher at the door hissed.

"Fashionably late? Check!" Ino sang gleefully.

"Alright! Let's do this thing, ladies!" Sakura announced, a fist pumping the air.

Giggling amongst themselves, the four girls entered as one, only to stop short when roughly 150 pairs of eyes landed on them. Up on the makeshift podium, the school principal let out an exasperated sigh that echoed through the microphone, as the girls had walked in just as she was just about to start the opening speech.

"Um…anyone have any idea where we're supposed to sit?" Tenten whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

An awkward silence had started to settle. Somewhere in the far back of the gym, someone coughed loudly.

Hinata tensed, blinking rapidly. She had light-sensitive eyes, and after being in the dim light outside for so long, being suddenly thrust into the gym's bright lights was unbearable. Not to mention, all those eyes on them were making her dizzy. They kept swimming in and out of focus.

Feeling a slight pang of panic, Hinata's fingers dug into her friends' forearms, and she was only distantly aware of Sakura's voice whispering for her to relax.

She didn't hear what Ino whispered to her, for in the sea of eyes staring at them, her pale lavender met sky blue, and everything else just seemed to fade away.

Just like that, all she saw, all she was aware of was him. Naruto. He was staring… and at her. And he looked…simply put… gob-smacked.

The thought had her cheeks warming, and she was just barely aware of Sakura pulling her to their table, which much to her delight, they were sharing with the Soccer team.

"Nice of you to join us, ladies," Tsunade, the principal, muttered dryly as the girls shimmied to their assigned seats.

Upon seeing where her name-card was placed, Hinata felt faint. She figured someone up there must really love her, for her seat was right next to Naruto's!

Damn, there were those butterflies in her tummy again.

As it was, she quickly took her seat before whatever luck she'd been having with her heels wore off and she fell over.

"W-wow. Hinata…you look…" Naruto trailed off, eyes still wide.

Hinata giggled demurely at the fact that he'd actually been rendered speechless, (while internally doing a happy dance and cartwheels).

"T-thanks." She whispered back to him. "You look really dapper yourself in your suit… N-Naruto."

"Y-yeah, well…y'know." He chuckled, hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck nervously.

Offering him a small smile, she felt her insides all but melt when his eyes met hers again.

With things patched up with her brother, she had one less thing to worry about. Now all she had to worry about was whether or not her secret admirer would like her look.


X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X


A/N: Sooo…someone reviewed a couple chapters ago asking what netball is? Sorry, I keep forgetting to respond, if you still need info on it please let me know. I'll be happy to answer your questions!