Disclaimer: cries
blisblop – wahaha you pressed the button! I'm glad you did. Btw, the reason sasuke decided to talk to hinata as naruto is—in the next chapter
Scented Candles - Thanx Usually I proofread my work several times before I'm confident enough to post it online. I'm really glad you didn't find any major faults and stuff!
ElasticBobaTurtle – I'm happy that you stuck with this story! I'm also happy that you reviewed again, reviews make me high. Oh, and I guess sasuke will be stalking hinata for a little longer…
Kichou – thanx, here it is, I hope you like it.
-o-Competition-o-
"I-Im s-s-sorry N-Naruto-kun," she inhaled sharply. "b-but I'll be b-busy."
Without making eye contact, Hinata went past him and broke into a run.
Sasuke remained immobile, stunned for the second time.
Had he just been…rejected?
-o-O-o-
Her sandals created thundering thuds on the ground, rising dust by the force of her steps. Hinata finally paused to catch her breath by a fork inthe path.
The Gods must be against me, she thought in despair. Why did this opportunity have to come at such a bad time? Last she heard, Naruto was dating Sakura and she wouldn't want to intrude…
—But if Naruto was with Sakura, then he wouldn't be asking her out would he? Her conscience argued. Even if it were merely a friendly get-together.
Hinata held both sides of her head in anguish, realizing her mistake.
She was an idiot. Now, he probably wouldn't look at her twice again.
Should she run back and say that it was all a mistake and that she'd gladly come? What if Naruto-kun suddenly changed his mind?
Idiot, idiot, idiot…
It took a moment before she realized that she was crouched in the middle of the street with her head sandwiched between her hands. The Hyuuga colored, she must have looked deranged… Hinata picked herself up and decided to drown herself in her self-pity at home.
It just so happened that when she looked up, she realized that she been right in front of the Ichiraku ramen bar. There, sitting on a stool was Naruto himself.
Her eyes widened. But how could he—
Her train of thought was cut short however, when Naruto noticed her presence and started to approach her. Hinata went back to her usual flustered self.
"HEY HINATA!" He gave a little wave, accompanied by his fox-grin. "Watcha doing here?"
Hinata looked down and bit her lip, blushing like mad. Hadn't this happened before…? "U-um, I w-was on my way h-h-home…"
An uncomfortable pause.
"Oh."
They stood without saying anything to each other for a while, both blushing. Gazes on the sky, the trees, the clouds…
Naruto'd been hearing some rumors that Hinata liked him for some time and actually thought it over in a deep, soul searching afternoon. He'd found out then that after all these years, maybe, he did like her back. Hinata was pretty and kind and considerate and it wouldn't hurt to give wooing her a shot.
"Hey," Naruto started. "Uh, I was thinking of eating down Ichiraku tomorrow, but it's getting kinda lonely by myself," He scratched his head, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically as flustered as the Hyuuga. "so, uh, er, what I mean is…wanna come?"
Hinata's mind was reeling, had she just been asked by Naruto two times? She was in too much of a shock that she didn't even feel herself nod in reply.
"Really? GREAT!" Naruto punched the air. "I'll meet you at your house at seven then!"
By the time Hinata had snapped off her trance, Naruto was already halfway down the road. A thought suddenly slipped into her mind. Hinata gasped, half-stumbling her way towards the blond. "Gah, w-w-wait Naruto-kun!" She paused to catch her breath. "A-aren't you dating S-sakura?"
"Huh?" He looked mildly confused. "No, why?"
"O-oh," She flushed in happiness, the constriction in her chest suddenly gone. "I-it's nothing…"
Naruto gave her another of his fox-like grins, Hinata melted. "Oh, is that all? See ya tomorrow then!"
Hinata dropped her hand down mid-wave, a giddy sensation in her system as she watched Naruto. Maybe the other Naruto she saw before was just her imagination. Or the heat getting to her. But it didn't matter now right? Naruto had asked her out, and she'd agreed.
And she was happy, really happy.
-o-O-o-
Did he do it wrong?
Maybe the Hyuuga girl didn't really like the dobe in the first place, who in the right mind would anyway?
Either way, it was a major blow to his ego. None of the plans he had planned this carefully had screwed up before…
Sasuke sat on the branch of a sturdy oak tree overlooking the Hyuuga compound, letting his legs dangle carelessly in the air. He was in a foul mood he supposed, as he glared at the butterfly that fluttered by, the dog, the old man with the shitty looking cane, Hinata—
Damn.
Hinata seemed to notice the pressure of his glare, as she immediately turned to his direction and blushed an awful shade of cherry.
She snapped her head back to where it was facing originally, particularly avoiding his eyes and took slow jerky movements towards the Hyuuga mansion. It was amusing how she tried to show that she was unaffected when she was obviously shaken.
Hinata tried desperately to keep her composure, knowing that he was watching her every move, but it was hard, especially as the memory of the night before suddenly flooded back into her mind.
That particular evening after she had returned to the Hyuuga mansion had gone by rather uneventfully, even a blur in her mind. The only memory she recalled quite clearly was when she had dived under the covers of her bed blushing crazily, heartbeat erratic. No matter how many times she tried, the embarrassing scene of the renowned Uchiha Sasuke ever seeing her in that situation kept replaying in her head. So she had spent almost the entire night willing the flush away and wishing for some peace in her dreams. The Hyuuga hardly got any shuteye then.
As soon as Hinata reached the gates of her home, she almost rushed inside and hastily shut the door. She let a minute linger, pressing her back against the iron gates until her pants of breath had evened out. Hinata held her quivering hands against her cheeks, it was boiling hot, and it was no good to let any of the branch or main house family members see her current condition.
Somehow, she could still feel his gaze even through the thick metal separating them. It was strange how he had this effect on her. The Hyuuga shivered as she made her way to her room. It was really strange.
Once her aura had gone faint in his senses, Sasuke jumped from the branch he had been sitting on, a smirk curling in his lips.
He wasn't about to give up yet just because of a failed attempt.
After all, a good challenge was what kept his blood on fire.
-o-O-o-
What's sasuke to do? This isn't gonna turn into naruhina by the way, it's sasuhina, and sasuhina til the end! XD
Sorry for the late update, had our final exams keeping me up. It was HELL, HELL. Uh, so anyways, now that we're having our summer break (woOoo!), I can update more!
