A/N: Ugh, I suck at romance…lol. Hopefully you guys approve of this--I wouldn't be surprised if it was deemed as dirt. If you find any errors, I apologize…I'm just too lazy to check over this over and over again.

Chapter 3

Hinata felt numb as she stared back at the fallen boy, thoughts flying through her mind in a flash of colors. Ever since the beginning of this whole fiasco, she became accustomed to confusion, or so she thought. Seeing the young man before her, however, with his arms and legs tied up, Hinata felt her mind going blank once more. Biting down on her lower lip, she clasped her hands before her, her brows furrowed. Time seemed to stretch then, and seconds began to feel like eternity as the two merely drowned in each other's gaze.

Naruto was losing himself--he can tell by the way he nearly forgot his struggles. Upon the entrance of this newcomer, the scent of lavender danced around in the room, intoxicating him. Eyes showing an interesting mix of violet and pearl swam in his line of vision, a sense of open innocence and vulnerability coming to mind. To say she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen would have been too clichéd, also somewhat of a lie. Ever since time immemorial, the world's main idea of beauty was one who was tall, leggy, and has, preferably long, blonde hair. The young woman who was standing before him now was short, pale to the point of nearly having translucent skin, and dark. Her short-cropped hair--with the exception of those strands kept long--gave the image of a child, actually, not something that promotes sophistication. With a couple of other observations, Naruto figured her to be mousy as well; she was fidgeting in various ways, from poking her fingers together to shifting her weight to the other leg.

What Naruto preferred was a confident woman who was not afraid to speak out her mind, someone who was outgoing. Someone with a spark. Remembering a certain pink-haired girl in his high school years, Naruto's thoughts screeched to a halt.

What is he doing, thinking about girls? He needed to escape! Clearing his throat, Naruto placed a pleasant smile on his face.

"Finally! A friendly face!"

Hinata nearly gave a soft squeak from the guy's voice breaking the silence. Feeling caught in a heinous act, her face reddened as she gripped her hands tightly.

"Um…"

"Please help me, miss," Naruto stated, his face dropping its care-free mask. An urgent look crossed his face then, his mouth forming a thin line while his eyes darkened for a moment.

"I don't know where I am, or how I got here… Hell, I don't know WHY I'm even here," Naruto added under his breath as he lowered his eyes for a moment. Hearing no other response from the female, he glanced back to her, his brows quirked.

"Miss?" Geez, is she thick-headed or something? Naruto wondered to himself as he flexed his hands.

After clearing her head and coming to a conclusion, Hinata gave her soft reply as she advanced towards him.

"I'm sorry, you just caught me by surprise," she stated as she walked around him. Kneeling at his back, she brought out her hands towards the knots at his wrists.

"Excuse me?" Naruto tried to look over his shoulder as he raised his eyebrows. This girl is way too soft-spoken. Hinata merely shook her head briefly, lowering her head as to let her hair cover her face.

"All right…" Hinata then said as she finished with his wrists. The bindings at his wrist fell to the ground with in inaudible thump, and Naruto gave a mental cheer. The slight sounds of moving cloth brought Naruto's attention once more as Hinata appeared before him, sitting near the knots at his ankles with her legs tucked beneath her. With her being closer, Naruto gave himself a chance to look more into his "savior."

At that moment, sunlight filtered through the windows behind Naruto, a slash of light falling across Hinata's features. Literally put in a "new light," Naruto felt his sapphire orbs widen in mild-surprise as Hinata transformed before him. What he thought was an awkward, shy girl was a woman in the next; to call her dark was a mistake in Naruto's mind. With closer inspection, he noticed that there was a slight glow beneath Hinata's skin, and the blush in her cheeks actually made her…attractive. Her short hairstyle was also a factor; the short cut brought more attention to her slim, long neck. Though she was short, Hinata was a full-grown woman, he noticed. How could he not? She had a petite form, slender and graceful as a willow, with a slim waist and…a decent bust line. Her bust may not have been what Naruto liked, but then again, its humble size suited her form. Briefly, Naruto imagined himself grabbing her by the waist and lifting her over his head.

It seemed possible with her build.

Then Naruto frowned to himself. Then again, she could be such a fragile thing… Staring some more, Naruto looked off to the side and refrained himself from spitting. Maybe those spoiled-princess brats… After following that thought, Naruto stuck out his lower lip and gave a soft humph as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes back on her with defiance.

If she is, then I wouldn't waste my time with her help…

Yet, finding himself gazing back to her, such thoughts melted away with the light. The way her eyes were slightly narrowed in determination made Naruto feel a stab of guilt. In a way of redeeming himself, Naruto spoke once more, his voice low and sincere.

"Hey, thanks…for helping me."

Hinata had her eyes trail up to his face, allowing herself to briefly look into his eyes before she tore her gaze away, her cheeks reddening some more.

"It's…It's no problem," she replied, ducking her head even lower. A hand appeared before her line of vision, fingers curled a bit as they went below her chin. With a slight hand movement, Naruto tilted her face upwards, a blank expression on his face.

"Eh?" Hinata breathed out, eyes wide as she stopped her ministrations.

"I really mean it," Naruto said. "Thank you for helping me." Hinata stared, feeling her mouth going slack until she corrected herself. Another splash of red appeared on her cheeks as she gave a shy smile. Naruto's serious façade slipped off as he too busted into a grin.

"Ah, I finally got to see a smile from you!, er…" Hinata blushed even more as she returned to the task at hand when a tanned, outstretched hand came to her. Snapping her eyes to his face, Hinata tilted her head to the side, a question appearing in her eyes.

"I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said as he kept his hand out. His other hand went to the back of his head as he sheepishly grinned. "I believe this is the part when, if you don't mind, you take a hold of my hand and we shake. Afterwards, you'd tell me your name as well," he prompted. Hinata jumped a bit, timidly slipping her smaller hand into his. The sensation of soft, velvet skin upon rough, calloused ones were apparent, and both Naruto and Hinata silently wondered over their differences until Hinata spoke up.

"Hinata…Hinata Hyuuga." Naruto gave a brief squeeze on her hand, making Hinata shyly look away.

"Nice to meet ya," Naruto quipped. "Now, after this slight bit of interaction, will it be okay if I state us as friends?" Naruto felt himself holding his breath as he mentally slapped himself. Since when did THE Naruto gave off cheesy lines like that? And what the hell was he thinking about friendships when he was just ambushed by his own comrades a while back? And from seeing Hinata's empty stare, Naruto felt like snatching his hand away and escaping through the window nearby.

She probably thought he was a psychopath. If their roles were switched, Naruto would've thought the other as a nutcase, offering friendship right off the bat.

So it was a surprise when he felt Hinata's grip tighten slightly on his hand, and to see her beaming at him nearly blew his mind away.

"I would like that, Naruto…"

With hackles being lowered, Naruto relaxed. A lone breeze wafted through the area then, playing with their hair. Indigo tendrils curled at Hinata's cheek, and she brought her fingers to sweep them away. Naruto, mesmerized with her actions, watched silently, his smile becoming more defined. Feeling mighty pleased, Naruto gave off the v-sign as he laughed lightly.

"I believe we're going to get along very well."

"I agree," another male voice said, making the two separate from each other in surprise. Forgetting that his ankles were still tied, Naruto ended up sliding into the overturned chair, causing a loud crash to reverberate in the room.

"Wak!"

Kakashi was grinning at the both of them from the door frame, a hand in a pocket while the other was held up in a mock-salute.

"Mr. Hatake," Hinata muttered, a hand over her chest as she tried to ease her pounding heart. Really, the man had a way getting around without being noticed…

Naruto, rubbing his lower back, had a different response.

"ARGH, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

TBC…