I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Kishimoto-san does. If he gave me the Naruto franchise, THEN I'D OWN NARUTO!

Don't sue meh. (￣▽￣)ノ

The Alphabet with NaruHina!

U is for Unobtrusive

Hinata: Ohayō.

Naruto: Ohayō! Are we meeting up today?

Hinata: Yes, I am free after school.

Naruto: Cool. ^_^

Naruto: Can I ask you something?

Hinata: Of course!

Naruto: What's ur favorite colour?

Hinata: Purple..wbu?

Naruto: Orange. It's a fruit too so it's cooler, ya know.

Hinata: Lol. You are so funny Naruto.

Hinata: Orange suits you. :)

Naruto: Purple is a pretty colour.

Naruto: Are you doing anything today?

Hinata: No, just babysitting my little sister. Why?

Naruto: Wanna get ice cream later?

Hinata: I would love to.

It was the last day of doing their project together. Three weeks worth of meeting up and awkwardly talking was slowly turning into a comfortable, dare she say it, friendship. Naruto began asking to hang out outside of class and lunch and she was comfortable with the idea of being alone with him, much to her surprise. Hinata found herself at ease around Naruto. He wasn't the same boy who violently bullied her, no, he was a fine young man. Soft at times even.

Hinata found herself hanging out with Mitsuko one day. They were at her house since Hinata wanted to avoid her father for a bit. Hiashi could be overwhelming at times. "What's this?" Mitsuko picked up a folded piece of paper that consisted of a doodle of Naruto as a cat.

"Are you- Hina-chan!" Mitsuko hissed. "Please tell me you aren't still hanging out with him."

"Well..yes. He's kind to me." Hinata squared her shoulders as Mitsuko scoffed at the idea of Naruto being nice.

"Yeah it's a tactic Hinata. You can't trust him."

"Look, I tolerate him at lunch because he brings his friends around but being around him more than that is a bad idea, I'm telling you Hina-chan."

Hinata huffs and snatched her doodle from Mitsuko's grubby hands. "Naruto is nice to me," She stressed once more. "And honestly, if you have a problem with him maybe you should talk to him yourself."

"I don't have a problem with that moron, he's just trouble! Everywhere he goes he's bound to bring misery."

"Mitsuko!" Hinata snaps. "Don't blame the stuff his father gets into on him. You of all people should know what that's like."

"I just don't want to see you hurt." Mitsuko quietly adds after a moment.

Hinata sighs and grabs her hand. With a squeeze and a smile, she assures Mitsuko that everything with Naruto was okay.

"Fine just..if he tries anything I will murder him. Twelve feet into the ground."

"They bury bodies six feet under?"

"Adding an extra six for when I dig him up and beat him six feet more."

"You're crazy.." Hinata sighs exasperatedly. The pair share a laugh and move on from such a topic.

••••

Time flies at Konoha High. Summer was slowly ending and Hinata couldn't be any happier. She hated being sweaty and constantly fanning herself in between classes. Knitting club was going great as well. She was busy making a pair of socks for her sister when someone familiar came through the door.

"Oh hey Sakura!" Temari, an upperclassmen Hinata knew fairly well, greets. "Didn't think a girl like you enjoyed knitting."

"Don't mind me, I actually came here for Hinata." Sakura then turns and bows slightly.

Hinata felt herself flush. She cleared her throat and waved albeit shy and unobtrusive.

"I realize that we have third period together and I was wondering if you'd like to hang out some time. I like to get to know all of my classmates." Sakura smiles broadly.

"O-oh..sure! I'd love to."

"Great, I got your number already so I'll text you. Bye-Bye~!" As fast as she appeared, she left just as quick.

Hinata was confused to say the least. On one hand, making friends was wonderful. On the other..

"She's the ugliest girl in school!"

Hinata shook her head at the thought. That was years ago. She couldn't hold Sakura accountable for stupid behavior from when they were children. Hinata felt as though everybody deserved a chance.

Her thoughts drift to Naruto.

He was so kind and gentle compared to his old ruffian behavior. Hinata enjoyed his presence and would sometimes catch herself staring at him and daydreaming; wondering, what they could be if the friendship went beyond. But those thoughts would stay buried. She couldn't think of him that way, not yet. Not so soon.

"Careful with Sakura, Hinata." Temari comments.

"Hm?" Hinata looked up from her thoughts.

"I'm not one to gossip, but she's trouble at times. She follows that Uchiha boy and does anything to get his attention; especially if it means putting other girls down. Just..be careful."

Hinata smiles and thanks her for the advice. She kept her spirits high though. Sakura seemed so nice to her, there was no way she was the same.

••••

Shopping wasn't Hinata's usual way of hanging out but when she did go to the mall, she just couldn't hold back on spending. She was well off in her family and never asked for too much. So when she explained that she wanted to go shopping, Hiashi didn't hesitate to give Hinata his card. Sakura had texted her early that morning asking if she had plans that slow Sunday.

Hiashi gave her a lecture but eventually let her go if she brought her younger sister, Hanabi, with her. Hinata wasn't one to complain but it irked her having to watch her younger and annoying sister all day. Hanabi was five years younger than Hinata and thus they rarely had things in common. Hiashi kept her busy all day with school and keeping her up to date on the Hyūga family dealings. The Hyūga Clan was one of the first settlers in Konohagakure. They had a hand in everything in the "little big city".

"You will one day inherit all this land Hinata. You must keep up a perfect image, you must be a perfect example, you must, you must!"

Her mother died a year after Hanabi was born. Hiashi had raised Hinata with an iron fist and rarely let her do things that he deemed an "embarrassment". Sometimes he'd let her go, possibly because he felt guilty for her time at the Leaf Academy.

Who knows.

"Ouuu I love this colour on you Hinata!" Sakura held up a bright red top that seemed to just be material. There were no straps!

"Uhm..how do I even wear it?" Hinata comments as she flips the garment upside down and inside out.

"It's a tube top silly. You just slip it on and bam! Everybody can rock a good tube top." Sakura then pushed her into the direction of a dressing room.

"Come on Hanabi." Hinata throws over her shoulder as she's pushed behind the privacy curtain.

Their time at the mall ends with the familiar sight of the Hyūga driver coming to collect them. "Can we at least get pretzels with cheese?" Hanabi would ask.

"Of course. Be quick, your father is expecting you."

Walking side by side with bags full of clothes, Sakura lightly bumped Hinata's shoulder. "I didn't realize you had a personal guard." She slyly comments.

"He's not my guard, just our driver. Our overseer is actually over there." Hinata points at a random stranger.

"No way." Sakura openly gawks. She sees the sly smile on Hinata's face and realizes the joke being made. "Ha! You got me there Hyūga."

The walk back to the car was full of laughter and Hinata joking a lot more than usual. Hanabi was slightly behind, enjoying her pretzel in silence. Their driver was loading the car as Hinata bid Sakura goodbye. "It was so nice hanging out with you, Hinata-chan. Let's do this again!"

Sakura then hugged her and smiled brightly. Hinata waved as the pink haired girl walked back to her car.

"Your friend was so nice Nee-chan." Hanabi comments on the way home.

Hinata smiles shyly. "Yeah..she was, wasn't she?"

••••

The sun was blazing the following Monday afternoon. School was finally out and Hinata was having the worst case of sweaty armpits. She had to keep her cardigan on in order to avoid the embarrassment of having someone else see. "Wanna go to our spot today, Hina-chan?" Mitsuko asks.

"Uhm..I need to run to the restroom. Can I meet you there?" Hinata replies in a jiterry fit.

"Ya, see you there! Bye-bye!"

Hinata raced to the nearest girl's bathroom which was located on the second floor. Throwing her cardigan off, she grabbed several napkins and pat herself down. "I wish it was winter already.." She whines to herself.

Giggling at the door caught her attention. Hinata quickly runs into a stall and locks herself in. She squats over the toliet and listened as two girls walked in. It was Sakura!

"I can't believe you hung out with her all day too!" An unfamiliar voice screeched.

"I know~! And she brought her little sister! What a loser."

Wait..

Hinata looked through the crack of the door and sure enough there stood Sakura at the mirror with her best friend, Yamanaka Ino. "She never even seen a tube top before Ino! Like get real girlfriend. All that money and you can't even dress properly.."

Hinata felt her heart break in two. Sakura was gossiping about her. What she thought was a nice day out was nothing but a plot to ridicule and harass her.

"And she's still ugly." Ino sneers. "Dead Eyes never changed it seems."

"Ino!" Sakura gasps dramatically. "You are such a bully. She's not even all that bad."

"Bad enough that even you couldn't stand her!"

They laughed on and on at her. Hinata couldn't discern what the feeling swelling in her chest was. She wanted to cry, yes, but she wanted to yell, fight, and scream at the gods all at the same time. Hinata was no longer the pathetic girl they could bully. She was stronger, better than the little girl she once was. She opens the stall door with a loud slam. Both of the girls at the mirror jump and turn towards her.

"Hinata-san?" Sakura calls.

Hinata clenched her fist, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked through her bangs in pure fury. "I thought you'd change. I thought we were becoming friends.."

"But now I see..you are the same cold-hearted bully..! Shame on you." Hinata then stormed out of the bathroom with her head held high.

"Psh! As if we give a shit about what you think!" Ino called after her. Hinata didn't care though. It felt great to finally get that off her chest after years of running and being passive.

But damn, did it still hurt.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she bolted out of the school doors. She was running home and the fastest path was through the track.

"Hey! Hinata!" Naruto calls from the garden. He runs up but stops short at the sight of her tears.

"Hey..are you okay?" He gingerly asks.

Hinata couldn't stand the fact that she was embarrassing herself even further by crying. She hides her face and squats low as another sob racked her body. She felt Naruto rubbing her back, telling her that everything was okay.

"Sakura asked to hanged out..but then she made fun of me. She called me "Dead Eyes"." Hinata sobs.

Naruto suddenly goes still. It took a moment but he eventually moved his hand from the middle of her back to the top of her head. "Don't listen to her, Hinata." He whispers hoarsely.

"You are the most gorgeous girl at this stupid school and people like Sakura are just jealous. They wish they looked like you. And I'm not saying it 'cause we're friends either, ya know."

Her tears had ceased at his words. She sniffles, and looks up. Gorgeous? Was that the word he just used? Hinata felt her cheeks flush with color at the immense weight of his words. She looked up into his sapphire eyes. Was he lying? Was this truly how Naruto thought of her?

Every fiber in her body screamed to run, hide her shame and embarrassment but looking into his eyes seemed to calm her. Hinata felt safe with Naruto. She couldn't believe it herself. The same boy who prompted her seclusion so long ago was now consoling her from the same treatment. It was ironic, funny even. And yet, Hinata couldn't find a reason to find it wrong. She leans into his body and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was an intimate hug but one that she needed so badly.

woooo. longer chapter! we have seen majority (save for one) of the same group from the Leaf Academy. we will be seeing sakura and ino again! thank you for reading and leaving reviews. i know i dont reply to them individually but i do actually read them. in particular, someone left a review regarding something naruto has not done yet…hmmm keep that detail in mind friend!

please R&R!

background facts;

this is a small detail but hinata's cat doodle of naruto is a reference to when she gave him onigiri in the shape of himself.

temari is a third year and i wanted to introduce her now for a plot device in the future potentially.

the biggest take away from this chapter was sakura's betrayal and the development of hinata's feelings. in the anime, specifically "The Last" movie, i truly felt like sakura pushed hinata and naruto together because she knew naruto deserved hinata's love. (naruto still loved sakura at the time) this chapter was my way of having sakura's actions push them together, albeit in a trauma induced way.

much love,,