Disclaimer: l don't own Naruto

Naruto groaned as he woke up. This was simply another reason he disliked school. Anything that forced you up in the morning was evil. He didn't want to go but he had to, lest his mother get him. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Hinata. He didn't like her like that but he also didn't know what to say. Yesterday he had been blunt with his words and he regretted it. He wasn't in the business of making girls cry, no matter the situation.

He wished he had Sakura's strength to flat out say no and move on. Of course said girl couldn't even move on from Sasuke but that was beside the point. How would he face Hinata today. He wasn't a coward but part of him just wanted to ignore last night, pretend it hadn't happened. A little voice in his head said otherwise and that voice sounded like Mito. She was a girl so she would know best how Hinata felt.

He could have her talk to Hinata. No, that wouldn't do. It was his problem, one which she had been a catalyst in but he could overlook that bit of information. He was biased about her roll in his dilemma. He groaned once more, it was too early for this. Since when did his life have so much drama?

Mito blinked as she sat up straight, stretching as she scanned her surroundings. Her room, that was odd. The redhead didn't remember coming home. It would have been alarming but it was most likely that Naruto had carried her back. She needed to stop falling asleep in his arms but he radiated warmth like a furnace against a winter cold.

She was still in the same clothes as last night so the idiot hadn't bothered to change her. It was fine that way for her though. Had he done so she would have been reminded of one of the steamy scenes from the icha icha series. She walked out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She wondered how the Hinata situation would pan out. She was going to let him do this one on his own. It was actually her casually throwing the blonde under the bus and hoping for the best. Not the best plan. Adding her presence would likely only be detrimental, like it had been yesterday.

It had kinda been her fault, though she would never say that out loud. It could not be changed, all she could do was hope for the best.

Hinata wasn't sure if going to school would be best but she couldn't avoid it. She couldn't avoid him. The very notion of avoiding Naruto was ridiculous. She had practically stalked him all her life. All that to be brought down by a simple question on his behalf and a truthful answer from her. She felt hopeless.

She would have felt better had he actually given her a straight answer. Instead, he was quiet. She didn't know what he had been thinking in that head of his but she was afraid of his eventual response, if there ever was one. She cried herself to sleep last night, wishing it hadn't been so. It was impossible to fathom. The same boy she admired was the same one making her cry. Ridiculous. There had to be a way to fix this all. Hinata gulped as she stepped out the door. There was no room for error this time.

Kakashi wasn't known for actually taking his job seriously. He was often seen as the lazy pervert that got paid to babysit the teens in the morning and afternoon. The guy barely even gave work to his cute little students. Instead, he simply observed them. From a neutral point of view. It was often entertaining what his students did when they thought he was reading his book. If only they knew.

He had checked in as usual -meaning he was late and offered in his expected excuse- and did the whole roll call. He watched as his students casually conversed or tried to in Shino's case.

The atmosphere was telling him something else. It was akward. Why? He didn't know but he was suddenly interested. It was clearly something fresh, something that hadn't been there yesterday. He just knew it, the man had a nose for these things. It certainly helped when the setting matches one of the previous icha icha stories.

Naruto and Hinata. He eyed the pair inquisitively, outwardly showing a bored look. It was only natural at this point. Rin and Obito would love his acting skills.

He watched how Naruto would glance at her with an unsure expression of something between worry, confused and guilt. The girl in question seemed scared of something. He also spotted how Kiba and Mito were keeping tabs on the two.

Something had happened and he would come to know. It was his duty to watch over Minato's kid and all that.

This needed to end. It was starting to bug him out. The guilt he felt multipled each time she shied away from him. Since when was he scared of talking to someone. He was always confident in his social skills but now...

"If you keep staring at your desk like that, you'll burn a whole through it," Mito said as she gave him a worried look. He waved off her concern by giving her the truth. Why couldn't he just do the same for Hinata and tell her the truth. Was it that he didn't want to break her heart. No, he was already doing that.

"I wish l could burn myself instead," he said as his head slid against the same desk that he had been glaring at. Mito facepalmed at this. He needed to sort this ordeal out fast.

Naruto groaned as he stood up, intent on facing this now. It wasn't doing good on his conscious. Was thinking about problems this hard. Was this how adults felt. He turned to Hinata, who was cross class from him.

He took a step forward automatically, trying to gather up his normal confidence. Each step got harder than the last and at last he was within range. He moved to open his mouth when suddenly she looked up from her book, emotions swirling in those pearl orbs.

He froze and audibly gulped. This wasn't as easy as he had originally planned.

"C-can we t-talk?" since when did he stutter. He had to be losing it. She looked like she wanted to bolt on the spot bit she steadied herself. She nodded, not trusting her voice in the current situation.

The walk out of class was one of the longest that ever experienced and Kakashi pretended not to notice it.

Sasuke had been watching as well as he tried to figure out what was wrong. His sources -Ino and Sakura- had led him to believe that the two had gone on some date, along with Kiba and Mito. He didn't pry but obviously something had occured

"Mind explaining this to me?" he asked the redhead who shrugged at his question.

"Depends, you asking me ?" she sounded smug and now he had to backtrack. Was this really important. Yes, apparently it was. As cold as he was, he still technically cared for the blondes well-being. He would never openly show this though.

"So..." she drew out. It had gone too akward too fast. Naruto looked back at the Hyūga with all the determination he could muster. He refused to run or hide, not anymore.

"I'm sorry l ignored you and didn't give you an answer yesterday. I acted like an asshole but l'm here with one now," he told her. She nodded as she prepared herself for what was coming.

"I like you but not like that... we're friends and... thats all we are ever gonna be," he delivered the crushing blow swiftly though internally, he knew it came out harsher than he meant for it too. He watched as her expression slank with each word before tears rimmed her eyes.

He had made her cry...again and he hated himself for it but this was right, he wasn't going to lie to himself and her. He didn't feel for her besides friendship and now, even that may have been lost to them.

He sighed and walked out of the corridor, leaving the heart broken girl. She knew that was the most likely outcome yet hearing him reinforce her beliefs was painful. She felt like something had just died inside of her. Weakly, she slumped down onto the floor and buried her face in her arms. Hear silent cries were painful to hear.

Suddenly, she didn't think she could go on anymore.

"Your acting is gonna be so akward and tense," Mito told him flatly as the blonde sighed. He had told her that he had it. He had just crushed a girl's heart. Was this how Sasuke felt because it sucked. He couldn't drop acting class now because his grade would suffer and he was already getting a hounding from his mother.

"At least it's done," she told him as she gave him a sideways hug. The tension left his body though he was still a bit stressed by things. He would be fine, he knew that much. He had likely lost a friend but he had made that chose.

"Sorry we ruined your date," he apologized. Mito blinked owlishly at him as she gave an embarrassed smile, very odd for her.

"Oh yea...l kinda let that slip my mind," she said. He moved to say something but she was quick to intercept.

"...on purpose,"

She had said the last part pointedly, daring him to question her thought process. At least she had one. He didn't bring it up after that. He just figured there would be no second date for Kiba.

He looked out the window in serious contemplation. Rain. It was raining, odd. It made the mood pretty depressing and dull. Part of the reason he hated the rain was because at times, the force of nature drowned out his voice. The blond didn't like being ignored, he liked attention very much.

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice droned out at him. He shot the Uchiha an irritated glance, his lip automatically frowning at seeing the guy's face. Sasuke glanced back with emotionless eyes that seemed to read the blonde's soul like an open book.

""What do you want you bastard!" he yelled back at the onyx eyed teen.

"Stop frowning, it's creepy me out," Sasuke delivered boredly, not an ounce of emotion detectable.

"I wasn't frowning," the blonde defended himself even though he wasn't sure.

"Hn,"

"Why do answer like that if you started this conversation?!"

And now Naruto was back talking to himself again, just typical in his life. Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eye. The blonde wasn't smiling but the persistent and pessimistic frown was gone. That would do for now.