AN: Thank you for the reviews!

I couldn't help but laugh at this TikTok video about enemies to lovers:

"Do you really like enemies to lovers, or do you just like the idea of someone seeing you at your worst and still loving you?"

Ha. Ha. I felt personally attacked. : (

So, I have exciting news:

I have one chapter and a half before I finish my first novel!

This chapter is a little bit more on the emotional side, unlike the other chapters. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you!

Heartwarming Encounter

The constant noise from the monitor machine made him feel uneasy as he sat beside his mother's bedside. Even the touch of his mother's warm hand was not enough to take him out of his discomfort.

"Naru-chan, why are you here during school hours?" The kindred red hair mother questioned.

"It's a holiday," He responded in an unconvincing tone.

"Oh really? A holiday?" She smirked, raising her thin eyebrow slightly. "And what holiday might that be, Mr. Uzumaki?"

He groaned loudly as he slammed his head on the soft mattress. "Kaa-san," He whined. "Who cares about school?" He looked at her briefly. "School is a pain in the ass,"

"But without your diploma, how will you find a proper job? Didn't you want to open up your own ramen stand?"

Naruto pouted; his eyes drifted outside to the blue sky. "I'm sure I can do that without a diploma."

Sighing, she ruffled his blonde hair, and he closed his eyes before opening them. "You know how important it is to get your diploma, Naru-chan. You don't want to be considered a delinquent, right?"

"No," He muttered under his breath.

"Have you met any girls?" She smiled faintly.

"I'm going to be a lone bachelor!" Naruto declared. "Besides, my face isn't exactly appealing," He pointed at his face. "They all get scared every time I talk."

Kushina, his mother, couldn't help but frown. "And what's wrong with your face!" She almost screeched. "Your face is beautiful, just like your papa!"

Naruto didn't remember much about his father since he had died when he was three, but his mother always spoke fondly of him and what kind of man he was.

"Do you know how handsome your papa was? Every girl wanted him; he was even the most popular boy in school."

He already knew how this story would go, as she had told it many times! It was almost as if he could recite word for word what she was going to say, but he wouldn't spoil it for her after seeing how the life in her eyes lit up.

After an hour of storytelling, Naruto smiled warmly. Kushina's eyes widened when he crawled into her hospital bed, resting his head on her stomach. The woman was thin as it was, so adding another person made it seem like one was lying on it.

"Kaa-san, I have work soon. Can you wake me up in thirty minutes?" Naruto said in a soft tone.

"You shouldn't be working, Naru-chan. Why don't you focus on school? Your friends? A girlfriend?"

"I don't think I have any friends," Naruto admitted before drifting into a deep slumber.

Kushina frowned at the sudden confession. She was sure her beautiful boy would have many friends as he did in elementary school. Everyone loved being around him and even called him the beautiful sunshine boy because of his beautiful smile that lit the entire room.

Now that she thought about it, when was the last time she saw him smile like that? It pained her because she felt like a failure of a mother. When Naruto entered fifth grade, she fell terribly ill and was rushed to the hospital by her brother. Ever since her health deteriorated, she could no longer walk him to school, attend his parents' meetings, or participate in school activities. She was sure he would grow to hate her, but that wasn't the case. He had his father's heart and kindness. There was no way he could hurt a fly.

"Let go of me, you blonde hair bitch!" Hinata shouted.

"Not until you let go of my hair!"

Ino sighed upon seeing the two young teens entangled within one another. Ino didn't even know what had happened. They had only stopped to get a burger before going to Sakura's house until they ran into Naruto and his goons. It was just a simple run-in, but it led to an argument between Hinata and Naruto.

"Hinata might be a masochist," Sakura confessed.

Nodding her head, they sat down and waited for the two to tire themselves out. Surprisingly, it only took an hour, and minor damage was done to the establishment.

Hinata straightened out her clothes as they approached Sakura's house. The girl was still upset by their encounter with Naruto and couldn't wait to graduate so she wouldn't have to see his stupid face again!

"Hinata, do you like Naruto?" Sakura questioned in a soft voice.

Ino looked at Sakura briefly, then at Hinata, who had swirled around. "How could you possibly think I'll like someone like him?" She almost exploded. "I'm here, and he's there," Hinata said, pointing to the ground.

"I was just wondering because you guys always argue. It reminds me of a tv show I saw last night when enemies turn into lovers,"

"We're not enemies, and we're not lovers. He isn't even an associate!"

"Mhm," Ino said, which made Hinata glare at her.

"So, why did you two force me here?"

Both Sakura and Ino gazed at one another before grinning. "We got invited to a mixer!" They screeched.

"No," Hinata said flatly. "I'm leaving."

Sakura grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the entrance of her house. "Hinata, today is Saturday! It'll be fun."

"Besides, this will be a great opportunity to know how our university days will be," Ino added.

"Boys are stupid!"

"They can be, but it'll be a fun experience!" Sakura said, using all of her strength to pull Hinata in.

Hinata let out a yelp when she collided with Sakura. Grinning, Sakura held her by the cheeks. "You're so cute, Hinata. I know you're going to get a lot of attention."

"I don't want attention." Hinata frowned.

"Oh, come on," Sakura pouted. "It'll only be for a few hours tonight, and if you don't like it, we can always leave."

"We promise!" Both girls said simultaneously.

Hinata still had that gut feeling she shouldn't go, but she was curious to know how these things went. After all, she had read countless mangas about group dating. Besides, it's not like she was looking for a boyfriend anyway.

"Fine," Hinata muttered. "But I'm leaving the second I get uncomfortable."

Ino and Sakura squealed in excitement. "Makeover!"

Hinata's heart dropped to the pits of her stomach when Ino grabbed her legs, and Sakura grabbed her arms.

"What did I get myself into?" She groaned.

It was surprising to see how different she looked with a bit of makeup and a change of clothes. Her straight hair was placed into two Chinese buns. She tugged at the mini polka dot skirt, hoping it would go down just a little. She felt a little silly looking at herself, but she felt pretty.

"Is this a new fashion look?" Hinata questioned, her eyes still gawking at her reflection.

Sakura pulled out the latest K-Teens fashion book and flipped through it. "Chinese buns are the new look most girls go for. Polka dot skirts are in, stripes are out," Sakura said, showing Hinata the book.

Hinata looked at the magazine page Sakura showed. A tall girl stood confidently posing; her hair showed the same look Hinata was given.

"Who is she?"

Ino gasped when Hinata pointed to the girl. "You've never heard of Tenten?"

"She's a teen model!" Sakura said, staring in disbelief. "She graduated high school last year, and guess what?" She grinned at Ino. "She's attending Konoha University!"

Ino squealed in excitement. "We're going to be in the same university as Tenten!" Ino said, jumping up and down. "Her face is flawless," Her blue eyes sparkled in awe. "I can't wait to graduate!"

"Me neither!" Sakura said, smiling. "So, we all agree we will be in the same dorms, right?" She looked over at Hinata."

"Yes," Hinata said, sitting on the furry pink chair.

"I can't wait! We'll be real adults living on our own." Sakura said, holding the white-furred pillow close to her. "No more parents."

"No more curfew." Ino commented.

"And not to mention all the cute boys!" Sakura squealed. "We must make sure we do well on the entrance exams, okay?"

Hinata nodded. Hearing Ino and Sakura talk about university made her feel excited. She'll be far away from her father and stepmom, and although she would miss her little sister Hanabi, she couldn't wait to leave behind her father.

"Let's make memories," Sakura said, staring at her friends fondly.

"Of course we will! We're friends for life," Ino said, grinning.

"The mixer!" Sakura said, jumping up. "Let's go!"

Hinata smiled when seeing how enthused Sakura looked. Maybe she was overthinking. Tonight wouldn't go wrong, right?

Hinata held onto her purse tightly as she staggered down the lonesome pave way. Salty tears ran down her rosy red cheeks as the teasing words said to her played in her mind. Although she was a tough cookie, she was still a girl who had feelings! Seeing those guys flirting with her friends/classmates made her jealous, as no one paid attention to her, but that was fine. Men were stupid anyway! But when one did pay attention to her, he teased her, and the rest joined in. How childish!

Her bottom lip was turning red as she chewed down on it. Why was she even crying anyway! She wiped the tears from her eyes, but they kept coming back.

"Stupid boys! Stupid tears! Stupid emotions!" She shouted. "I'm pretty too!" Stopping in front of the window, she stared at her reflection through blurry eyes. So, maybe she wasn't as pretty as Sakura with her slender body and cutesy face or as beautiful as Ino, but was she really that ugly?

Shaking her head, she quickly walked down the sidewalk, her shoulders slumped. Pressing her fingertips against the cold window, she shivered before stepping back. Maybe her stepmother was right after all.

After walking some distance, she settled on a bench across from a small ramen restaurant closing for the night. Placing her purse next to her, she lowered her head and stared at her freshly polished nails Sakura had done for her. Her mind was racing as she knew she should have never gone there. That wasn't her scene, and it's not like she was looking to meet a boyfriend. She almost gagged. Who needed boys anyway! She had planned to live a nice peaceful life without being involved with any men.

Even with that thought, her heart still trembled from tonight's events. Her phone buzzed next to her, and she knew it was Sakura and Ino trying to reach out to her. She knew they were good friends, but did she deserve them? She always treated them harshly, yet they remained and invited her to their outings.

Fresh tears were starting to form, and as much as she tried to hold them in, they fell all over her skirt. On days like these, she wished she was born a boy so she couldn't be as emotional.

Wiping her eyes, she sniffled.

"Can't you find another place to cry? You're scaring away all of our customers."

Hinata slowly raised her head and was surprised to see Naruto standing before her. His blonde hair was neatly tucked in a hair net, and he wore a white stained apron over his clothes. Sighing, she lowered her head as she didn't have the strength to bicker back and forth with him. She knew there was a possibility God hated her, but this was just confirmation now that Naruto had been watching her cry for some time.

Surprised by the lack of response, he eyed her briefly before heading back to the ramen restaurant. Whatever happened wasn't his business.

"Is she okay, Naruto?" Ayame inquired.

He shrugged. "Don't know, don't care," Naruto said, returning to clean up the kitchen.

Ayame couldn't help but frown. "Clearly, she isn't doing fine! How callous can you be?" She placed her hand on her hip. "Women have feelings too."

"Not that one," He chuckled. "I don't even think she's a woman," He mumbled.

Gasping, she smacked the back of Naruto's head.

"Ow!"

"You shouldn't talk that way about a girl. We have feelings," She tried to reason with him.

"Everyone has feelings," Naruto mumbled, which made Ayame send him a sharp glare. "Fine," He sighed. "if she's still out there by the time I get off, I'll try to be nice."

Ayame would have gone herself but seeing someone cry wouldn't do her any good as she would have cried alongside them.

Time passed as Ayame kept an eye on the young girl sitting across the bench. It seemed she had calmed down slightly, but she knew the girl was not okay! Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead as he threw away the last piece of garbage.

"Ayame, tell the old man I'm leaving," Naruto said, getting ready to leave.

"Naruto!" Ayame shouted. "She's still out there. Go check on her!" She approached the boy with a ramen container and chopsticks. "Ramen makes everyone happy. Give it to her."

He reluctantly took the container and sighed. As much as he didn't want to confront the she-devil again, he knew Ayame wouldn't let him rest.

The bell chimed as he closed the door behind him. Hinata was still sitting on the bench, her head lowered, and he mumbled a few curse words. Why couldn't she find another spot to dawdle on? Their earlier encounter still had his head hurting. He had to check twice to ensure there weren't any bald spots!

A chill breeze swept by him, which made him shiver. Maybe it was a warning to stay away. He looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Ayame peeking out the window, ensuring he had done what was told.

The bench creaked when he sat a distance from her. Naruto tilted his head to look at the starry sky as he tried to find the right words to say. Five minutes later, he still didn't have a clue.

"Why are you out here?" He finally said.

There wasn't a response.

"I can't believe someone like you can shed a tear."

He looked at her and saw her shoulders tremble.

"Crying is only going to make you uglier, ya know."

A tick mark landed on Hinata's head, and she felt herself twitch. Not catching the hint, Naruto continued to chat. "You shouldn't be crying on somebody's property. You're going to scare people away when they see someone like you crying. And why are you dressed like that? I'm surprised you can look girly. I was scared at first…." With each word, the tick went bigger and bigger until…

Naruto fell backward off the bench when Hinata slammed her purse into his face.

Shooting up, she hovered over him, sending him a sharp glare. "Why can't you ever learn to shu—"

"So, is orange your favorite color?" He grinned when flicking up the polka-dot skirt.

Hinata raised her foot to stomp on him, but he rolled out of the way just in time. She balled her fist tightly but suddenly let go and plopped down on the red wooden bench.

"Just leave me alone," She sighed.

Sitting beside her, he stared down at her polished toenails. She had a slightly fruity scent, and looking closely at her, it almost seemed like she was on a date!

"Someone wanted to date you?" He let his inner thoughts out. "I guess it didn't work out?"

Naruto remained silent as she cried silently next to him. In all honesty, he never expected Hinata to have a side like this to her. Feeling the tears about to spill, she quickly turned away as she didn't want him to see her cry again.

"If you tell a-anyone, I'm goi-going to k-kill you," She sniffled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," He fanned her off. "Here," Naruto said, handing her the container of ramen. "Eat it."

She eyed the container suspiciously, then the chopsticks he placed on top. "It's ramen. Heard it's supposed to make ya feel good or some shit like that,"

She took the container of warm ramen and gently placed it on her lap.

"I'm ugly." She said aloud.

"Very," Naruto said, nodding his head. "I see we've come to an agreement."

"You're insulting!" Hinata barked at him.

"It's not like I was hiding it!" Naruto shouted back.

They stared dangerously into one another's eyes before breaking apart, sticking their noses in the air. Hinata tore apart the container before indulging in the freshly made ramen. Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the way she gobbled down the ramen as if the world would end any sooner.

"Stupid boys! Who needs them!" She said in between bites. "I don't care if I end up alone!"

"Oi! Stop talking before you bite your tongue!" Naruto warned, but it was too late. He caught the ramen container before it could fall to the ground when Hinata covered her mouth with both her hands. The corner of her eyes swelled up.

"I try to warn you," he sighed, resting the container beside her.

Without a word, he left her. A single tear slid down her cheek as her tongue cried in pain.

"Here," Her cheek shivered when Naruto placed a cold green tea against her. "I like ramen too, but you shouldn't talk while eating it." He scolded, taking a seat next to her. "Geez, I see you're crazy in all departments."

Hinata flinched when she placed the cold bottle against her injured tongue.

"So, I guess a boy said something to you?" It's not like he cared, but he should know why she was crying if he was forced to be here.

Her silence confirmed it.

"Wow," He said in awe, "I didn't expect the mighty Hyuga to care about what any boy says or does."

"What would you know," She replied in a soft tone. "Is it so sinful for me to have feelings too?" She looked at him.

The black mascara was smudged against her cheeks, leaving a black trail, and her Chinese buns were unraveling.

"What did he say to you?"

Hinata chewed down on her lips which left Naruto feeling impatient. "I already know you're a closet perv. I'm pretty sure it can't get any worse than that."

"How am I a perv?" Hinata questioned, her eyes wide. "If anyone is the perv, it's you! You always lift my skirt up!"

"Innocent until proven guilty." Naruto shrugged. "So, you did go on a date. Looks like it didn't go too well, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" Hinata said, rolling her eyes. "They… they teased me," she said, lowering her head. "Called me ugly," She muttered. Hinata was waiting for him to make the obvious comment, but he didn't respond as she thought he would.

"I've called you ugly a few times, and I've never seen you get so upset." He pointed out.

"It's different!" Hinata threw her hands up in the air. Now that he had pointed that out, Hinata wondered why she never got upset with him the way she did with those boys, especially Shin.

Crossing his arms, Naruto stared at the ramen shop. "I just find it annoying that you're crying over something like that. I'm ugly too, but you don't see me crying."

"It's still upsetting when someone points it out and makes fun of you," Hinata frowned.

"Maybe it's because they are intimidated. You're not an approachable girl, ya know."

Hinata was about to launch at him, but he pointed at her just in time. "See! See! I didn't say anything dishonest, and now you're going to fight me."

The wind blew her hair slightly, and she loosened her fist. "Compared to those two girls you hang out with, you're frightening. You always wear that frown like someone ate all your ramen."

"I have a lot to be upset about."

"Maybe if you tried smiling a little more, you wouldn't get teased." He shrugged.

"I do smile!"

"Okay!"

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair, staring at her. "Besides, those outfits don't suit you," He grumbled.

"What?"

He brushed her off. "You're talking too much, which means your tongue is healed. Eat up so I can go home."

The bench shook when Hinata sat down. "Regardless of what I might be, no girl would like to hear they're ugly." She whispered before eating the remaining ramen.

Naruto spotted Ayame giving him a thumbs-up, and he could only roll his eyes. He took a quick glance at Hinata before looking away. She wasn't even that ugly. His cheeks unknowingly turned red.

Hinata held the purse tightly in her hands as she and Naruto walked down the sidewalk to the bus station. They hadn't spoken another word about the incident, and she wanted it to remain that way.

"So, you work there?"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

"A few months now," He answered.

"Isn't that going to mess with your school?"

"Do I look like the kind of person who cares about school?"

Hinata shook her head. "You're right. What was I thinking?" She rolled her eyes.

As much as she hated to admit it, it was nice to be around him during this situation. She couldn't possibly let Sakura or Ino catch her crying! That would be more embarrassing than Naruto seeing her cry.

"Why are you an asshole?" Hinata questioned. "Why can't you be like this in school? This way, we could avoid killing each other."

"If you didn't falsely accuse me of spitting on you that first time, then we would have never crossed paths."

Hinata stopped in her tracks. "You did spit on me!"

"I did not!" Naruto turned to face her.

"I saw you!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"It was Kiba!"

"Yeah, right!" Hinata said, jabbing him. "And was it Kiba who spit on my food the second time?"

"That was me!"

"I know it was!"

"The ugly girl found herself a boyfriend. It warms my heart to know that two ugly people can connect on such a level."

A few of the girls giggled at the popular boy's comment.

Naruto looked down when Hinata grabbed his hand. "Naruto, let's go," Hinata mumbled.

She led him past the group of high schoolers until she heard him say, "She's such a fat ugly bitch."

A lump formed in Hinata's throat; no matter how hard she tried to swallow it, it wouldn't go down. She was on the verge of tears again.

"You sent a hundred guys to the hospital, right? Are you really going to let him get away with that?" Naruto said, looking down at her.

"You already cause me to get into many problems. I don't want him to be the reason I get into trouble too." She whispered.

"Okay," Naruto said, letting go of her hand. "You owe me one. Hey! You pale-looking bitch," He called out to the boy standing in the center.

Everyone turned around, eyes wide at the comment.

"Hey, you can't talk to Shin like that." A girl piped up.

"Yeah, yeah! You delinquent!"

Naruto rolled his eyes at the comments thrown at him. As if he hadn't heard worse.

Shin smiled cockily at Naruto, crossing his arms. His entourage stood by his side, glaring at the blonde boy approaching them.

"Naruto," Hinata called out. "What are you doing?"

Hinata almost gasped when Naruto punched the boy without warning in the face. Blood seeped out of Shin's nose, and he couldn't help but cower at the sight of Naruto, who hovered over him.

"I'm going to make your life a living hell until Hinata finds it in her heart to forgive you," Naruto said, jumping at the group of students to scare them. It worked as they trembled.

Turning around, he grabbed Hinata by her hand and pulled her toward the bus.

"You can get in trouble," Hinata said, still stunned by the sudden encounter.

"It won't be my first time," Naruto said.

Hinata allowed herself to be pulled by Naruto as he led her to the bus station. "When people act like that, you just gotta punch 'em," He said, showing his fist. "One good swing. That'll keep their mouth shut."

As much as she tried to fight it, Hinata couldn't stop herself from smiling. Naruto was stunned once seeing her smile the way she did that he had to look away.

"I'll remember that. So, the next time you call me ugly, I'll punch you."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at her comment. "We'll see about that, Ms. Hyuga," he said, eyeing her.

"We shall," she said, staring at him dangerously.

As soon as the last bus of the night stopped in front of them, that's when they realized they were still holding hands. Letting go of him, Hinata quickly ran onto the bus expecting Naruto to follow her. When she sat down, she noticed he was still standing outside.

The bus door closed, slowly leaving the area. Naruto had his hands shoved into his pockets, watching as she entered the bus. Once she sat down, he smiled softly before walking away. For a second, Hinata's heart skipped a beat when seeing him smile. There was just something different about it.

First thing Monday and Sakura was already crying while hugging Hinata tightly. Snot drained down her nose, but she couldn't stop crying.

"We're sorry, Hinata," Ino said, lowering her head.

"You didn't do anything," Hinata said, rubbing Sakura's back.

"Yeah, but what gave him the right to say something so mean," Ino frowned. "I wanted to pour my drink on him, but I didn't want to cause problems."

"I was going to punch him, but Ino stopped me," Sakura cried.

"No more mixers," Ino said. "Not until we enter university," She laughed.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement. "No more boys until university or dates!"

"I don't want to stop you two from enjoying your time. Really, it's fine."

Shaking her head, Sakura grabbed Hinata by her shoulders. "Were you hurt? You would tell us if you were upset, right?"

Hinata stared at them momentarily before nodding. "Yes, yes, I would."

Ino still felt terrible about what happened since Hinata had already stated she did not want to attend something like that. She figured it would be good for them to loosen up for the university days that were soon approaching.

"Why don't we wash our faces before class starts?" Ino suggested. "And Sakura, stop that crying," she said, frowning. "Hinata says she's okay, so let's take her word for it, okay?"

"I just don't like to see Hinata upset," Sakura said, wiping her eyes.

"You said the same thing in elementary school." Hinata sighed. "Let's go,"

As they walked down the halls of the school, Ino had already spotted the blonde hair teen walking with his goons. She was beyond annoyed as she didn't want him to trouble Hinata! She would put her foot down if he said anything, even if they were already trembling.

Students aligned the halls once spotting Naruto and Hinata walking head-to-head. They were beyond in suspense to know what their next move would be. Will they rip the halls apart again? Would classes be canceled? The suspense was eating at them!

The disappointment was evident when the two walked past each other without glancing at one another.

Hinata hated him, and Naruto hated her.

Even if they did share a similar taste in books, or if he was kind that night, their story ended there. Nothing good will ever come out of a friendship between those two, is what they believed.

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