Their coach should not be late on the day they would be going away to Suna. Then again, it was Kakashi, and Kakashi and tardiness would be impossible without the other. Thankfully though, it was not Sasuke's problem. However, it was his team's and the whole school's reputation.

The blond would text him every once in a while, asking if he has seen the silver haired coach of theirs by the gate. Sasuke would reply a "No" every time. He would roll his eyes and look at the dimmed environment.

He still felt weary after the restless night. Even the hot bath he took earlier did not help that much, only refreshed him by a few measures.

And that damned coffee did not help either.

Sasuke was not new to going to school earlier than most. He was an athlete, and they would go to school earlier whenever they needed to go to other places to play. Also, there were times when they needed to sleep over at their school after immense training or whenever they really needed to. Even if the academy had a few fair shares of scary stories, he was never bothered with it.

When he and Naruto arrived at the school, his friend asked the guard if he was the only one the team was waiting for — the guard would know of course if he was, he was the Uzumaki Naruto after all. Turns out he wasn't. In fact, the team was still waiting for their coach, Nara Shikamaru, and their captain.

For the most part, it was not surprising at all. Nara Shikamaru would be late from time to time, and Sasuke even wonders if it was because he would still style his ponytail. Kakashi was not any different, the tardiness was probably in his blood. Hyuuga Neji, however, was far from being tardy at everything.

The long-haired boy was always early at everything without wanting the purpose to stand out, he was just that way. Sasuke wondered what the heck just happened with their captain. It was a first.

But he wasn't worried. No.

Naruto left for the gym where everyone was waiting for each other, sending farewell to Sasuke before running towards the opposite direction of where they initially faced.

Odd, that Hyuuga jerk is late, thought Sasuke to himself for the nth time. Usually, he would not mind the brunette as the glaring bastard was nothing but everything Sasuke despises. But then, the Uchiha was waiting for a revelation.

Would Neji bring Hinata with him, or no?

Sasuke was being true to himself when he told himself that he was not looking too forward to seeing the gorgeous Hyuuga.

"Ya waiting for someone?" asked the guard, putting a stick of unlit cigarette in his lips. Sasuke raised a brow at the man. "No one's around, boy. I do it all the time."

"Make sure to keep the smoke away from me," Sasuke warned, his voice lower than usual. The caffeine still hadn't kicked in, and Sasuke wondered if it was because it was an instant coffee.

"Sure boy," muttered the guard with a smirk. He lit his cigar, blowing in the direction where Sasuke was not. "Who 'ya waiting for?"

"The captain," he answered simply, not wanting to make the conversation long as he was still feeling drained from the sleepless night.

"You Uchiha Fugaku's son?"

Sasuke was used to the recognition. His father was a famous one, and he never really cared much. The only good thing it brought aside from the never-ending money was the connections his family can use.

"Hn."

"Ya must be really proud then," said the guard, smiling through his cigarette. "I still remember that boy when he was just around your age. Quite popular with the ladies, that one. Follow him all year round. Morning to the moment he leaves. They treat him like a king. Honestly made my job easier."

First, Sasuke thought that the guard was old, but not that old. Second, he was not *that* proud. Third, he was thankful that the girls who follow him were not like that. There were a few who were irritating, but at least they did not follow him all around like their lives depends on him.

"And he would sleep here," said the man, pointing at the bench of the guard house where it was covered with a large sign that said this way to the main building. "Poor boy would ask for a cup of coffee from time to time. Never said no."

Huh, so there was a time when he wasn't a complete asshole, Sasuke thought to himself, almost smirking at the thought. And there he thought his father had always been like that.

"He'd even come here during his vacant time just to rest," said the guard, chuckling lightly. "Always expected good results with the kid, always believed in him. Look at him now. Married the most famous actress of the age, became the legendary basketball player of the country. So proud of him."

Sasuke could not feel anything except for pity towards the man. He sounded too proud of Fugaku without knowing his father was far from the boy the guard knew.

Erase that memory of that asshole in your mind, you'll be disappointed of how he is now, he wanted to tell the guard. But Sasuke saw the smile on the man's face even with the dimmed surroundings, and he could not bear to destroy that. He let it go. He was still too tired to even do anything.

"Say, why don't you rest for a while?" asked the old guard. "Wake you up later."

Sasuke thought about it, taking notes of the possibilities. Then he decided he'd agree. After nodding, the man motioned over the bench in which he walked over to. Sitting up straight, Sasuke pulled his bag closer to his chest in order to rest his head there. He did not want to lie in the bench — that would be too much.

And then he felt thankful because the coffee still wasn't in his system, Sasuke could still sleep.

The moment he closed his eyes, he could feel the tiredness slowly drifting away. It was cold, but he managed. It was still dark, and people could barely see him due to the sign covering him.

As unusual as it may sound, Sasuke fell asleep quickly.

His dreams were a mixture of everything weird, including having to join the game in Suna, seeing his mother there with his brother, and even in his dreams, Sasuke was not looking at them.

"Uchiha. . ." said an all-too-familiar voice.

Before Sasuke could even open his eyes, he grunted. He was awake now. Well at least he was saved from a potential bad-day-magnet dream.

"Uchiha," said Neji, his voice louder now. "Wake up."

Still, even if Sasuke's system was already awake, he did not open his eyes, nor move. The grunt was just a one-time thing — a reflex. He realized he still had his face buried in his backpack which was a good thing, they would not see him, and they would not realize he's awake.

He did not really know why, but he did not want to show signs he was awake.

"You got any urgent needs for that boy?" asked the guard. "Been here since early morning, I don't suggest you wake him up. Boy was too pale and looked unwell."

"Is that so?" he heard Neji ask.

Though covered, Sasuke rolled his eyes at the team captain's stupidity. Why else would a complete stranger tell you that?

"Yeah son. Your coach Kakashi is already waiting for you."

"He's arrived then. Thank you," Neji told the man. "Uchiha. . ."

"I- I'll inform h-him wh-when he wakes up. He l-looks too deep i-in h-his sleep. D-don't w-wake him up."

Sasuke never knew how much he longed for those stutters before hearing them that very moment. A few hours ago, he told himself he was not looking too forward to seeing her. A few hours ago, he was too frustrated to even think of her that way.

And then. . .this happened.

Hyuuga Hinata was close again. He heard her soft voice again. Sasuke could feel her presence.

And this. . .maybe this was the reason why he preferred not to show them he was awake. He was waiting for this moment.

Not planned, but a good choice.

"You sure about that?" asked their captain. It was good Sasuke had his bag covering his face, otherwise someone could see his smirk. "Well then, how do you suppose I'll leave you?"

"Here," said the girl simply. "I'll w-wait 'til Uchiha-san wakes up."

Yes, that's it, thought Sasuke, still not losing the smirk he was covering. Wait, what? Uchiha-san? Now where the hell did that come from?

"Are you sure about this?" asked their captain.

Just go!

"Fine." Sasuke then could hear a small few set of noises, clanking, and rubbing of tiny things. "Take this with you. It's a pepper spray. Use it on anybody's eyes, I couldn't care less. Your father can afford to fix their eyes anyway."

Was that a joke? Sasuke asked himself. The always-serious-good-for-nothing glaring bastard can joke? And here he thought having such a gorgeous cousin was already a revelation.

Speaking of revelation, Sasuke finally had the answer to the question he had in mind earlier. Neji did come with Hinata.

"I guess you can go now," the girl said softly. Sasuke raised his brow, even under the bag. "Your teammates are waiting for you."

"I guess so," their captain agreed. "I've already talked with Uchiha, he'll take care of you."

You demanded, you did not talk to me, he thought. Even without Sasuke seeing, he knew the asshole was glaring daggers at him. As if he was affected. Yes, I'll take care of you.

"Don't forget everything I told you," Neji spoke again. "Have him close to you, but not too close. Do not refuse to use your pepper spray when you badly need it, target your attacker in the eye. If need to tell me anything, just call my number using anyone's phone. Most importantly, put your health first and take care. We're good?"

"Got it," the gorgeous Hyuuga responded. "And you, too. Take care."

"I will."

"N-now, off y-you go."

"Keep yourself safe," said Neji.

With that, Sasuke heard faint footsteps walking away. Another school gate was near the school gymnasium, and it is where the basketball team would meet up as the bus would be parked just a few meters away from the building.

He waited until he couldn't hear anything aside from his breaths, the guard's small movements, the brushing of leaves from the trees, and Hinata's soft sighs that would occasionally make its way to his ears.

"How 'bout you girly? Who you waiting for?" asked the guard after quite a while.

Now that's a stupid question, Sasuke thought to himself. Hinata did not know about their conversation earlier so obviously she would be surprised if someone asked her with a 'how about you?'

"H-him, I t-think," the girl replied, most probably pertaining to Sasuke who was still pretending to be asleep.

"Ah, poor boy looked very tired earlier," said the guard. "Said he was waiting for the captain, never mind that now, yeah? Captain's already left."

"Oh," was Hinata's response.

"You look tired as well girly," the man commented. Sasuke tried his best to fight the urge of looking at Hinata. "It's still early. You wanna take a nap? He still got some space. Was surprised he did not lie down."

Sasuke's ear perched up.

"I'm f-fine."

"Care to drink a cup of coffee then?" asked the man. "To freshen you up. It's still early."

"I. . ." Hinata paused, her voice trailed. "I c-couldn't, I'm sorry."

"Nah nah, tis fine." There was assurance in his voice, meaning he did not take it to heart. "Then you could sit anywhere you'd like. Ya still got around two hours before students arrive."

Two hours. . .Sasuke calculated everything in his mind. Naruto and him left at around four in the morning. He did not know how much he slept but basing it on the time, the usual time early birds would come at their school was around seven o'clock, and that would mean the students would still have an hour and 30 minutes before the official classes start. So maybe it was around five or six in the morning. At least he felt fresh after getting a few minutes of sleep.

"O-okay, m-maybe I'll s-sleep for a f-few minutes," said Hinata suddenly.

Sasuke's heart raced for a few seconds before his heartbeats returned to its normal pace.

"Yeah yeah," the guard said dismissively, walking away, maybe towards the guard house.

There was not a hint of Hinata moving towards him, not even small sounds of her feet meeting the ground, but she sat just a few feet away from him — and Sasuke based it on the clanking metal against Hinata's ID lace. It was quiet enough, so he would definitely hear her walk. Was that even possible? The girl must have been quite a sneaky ninja in another universe.

Sasuke shook his thoughts away, but he did not move.

He waited for a few minutes for absolutely nothing to happen. After all, he would not know if she was asleep or not. He could not take a sneak peek, or his cover would be blown. Pretending to sleep, that was it.

The surroundings were pretty quiet, Sasuke could hear her small breaths and the way the guard lit another cigarette. Thankfully, the old man listened to him and did not blow the smoke in his direction.

When Hinata's breathing became even and long, he moved his backpack away from his face, not moving any more than that. Sasuke was almost sure he had a lot of markings in his face from his bag's zipper after resting his head on it.

Then he waited again before moving silently, now taking his time to look at Hinata — whom he assumed was sleeping by then.

And if she's awake? a part of him asked.

After a few time has passed again, Sasuke could not wait any longer. He decided to brush his worries off.

Then she's awake, what's the problem? another part of him retorted.

Slowly, he lifted his face away from all the covers he did not know he used — including a handkerchief he packed the night before. And she was there.

It was still dim, but not as dark as it was before. The school was illuminated enough for him to see her clearly.

Long strands of dark hair covered most of her fair skin, and Sasuke was thankful for that. Sasuke could not see her face, as she was bowing and was facing her right. In her arms was a plastic case — Hinata was hugging it the way Sasuke did with his backpack earlier.

And the Hyuuga looked peaceful as she slept.

How can someone's aura bring so much peace? He did wonder.

It was impossible to look away from her. Even in her sweater above her uniform, she looked elegant, prim, and proper. She was every definition of everything that stood out to Sasuke.

Again, he wondered for the nth time. Why haven't I noticed you before?

He was not sure if they have been classmates before, otherwise he would have noticed, right? Who wouldn't notice such a beauty?

"I d-don't stand out," Hinata told him when they first talked, never missing a stutter in her sentence. He found it adorable, truthfully, but how can she not stand out?

But that could be a good thing, right?

Less competition for him.

Now why was he thinking that way?

Startled at himself, Sasuke averted his eyes away from the Hyuuga as if she made it awkward for him. Thankfully, the Hyuuga was still sleeping peacefully. There was no way, after all, she would pretend to be asleep like what Sasuke did earlier.

Careful not to make any noise, Sasuke moved closer to Hinata. Closer, but not too close to be considered a violation and get her all confused once she wakes up. Just close enough to let anyone who sees her think she isn't alone.

While she was sleeping peacefully, Sasuke did his best not to stare at her. Instead, he brought out his phone, only to find out its battery was on 16%.

Now he wanted to groan, but Sasuke did not want to wake the Hyuuga up.

Just remembering her telling their bastard captain to not wake him up had too much impact on him. That was a gesture he would never forget. Kindness was not uncommon to his world, but it was something he appreciated.

For quite a while, he found himself staring at the wide space above him.

Sasuke watched as the dark clouds create gradients of purple, then orange. The colors above him shifted slowly until he could see the small rays of sunlight from the peaks of the mountains in a distance. Whenever the soft wind passed by, the leaves brushed off one another.

And everything looked beautiful.

It could be a scene from a movie, or an excerpt from a book, and maybe even a simply written poem he would appreciate.

That's saying something, I'm not a fan of literature.

When more rays of the sunlight began to appear in the scenery, Sasuke slowly looked at Hinata. The girl was still sleeping, now resting her head in the back of the bench. Now, Sasuke could no longer think of the sunrise. The Hyuuga's side profile was something he would paint if he only could.

Her purplish hair was pushed out of the way, pointed nose sticking up in the air, as well as the parted lips of hers. Sasuke wanted to take a picture of her as Hinata looked perfect, and he contemplated whether he should, but he did not.

He felt like he should not.

Time passed by quickly as he stared at her. The more rays the sun showed, the more majestic Hinata looked in such an unusual position. Sasuke did not question it though. It felt like she was perfectly placed in where she was seated.

And then the next thing Sasuke knew, Hinata was already moving gently, showing signs that she would soon be waking up.

Sleep, Sasuke! Sleep.

Without making much noise, Sasuke closed his eyes and moved a few inches back to hide the fact that he was closer earlier.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head on the bench the same way Hinata did. His bag was thankfully on his lap, it's not much noticeable that he was awake all this time.

"I-" he heard Hinata say. Sasuke felt her eyes on him. "Ah."

The Hyuuga sounded relieved that Sasuke was still asleep. Although Sasuke was not asleep, but she was never gonna know that.

In just a few minutes, I'll wake up, Sasuke told himself.

Too much waiting for a single morning. First, he waited for the Hyuugas to show up, then they showed up. Second, he waited for her to wake up because she fell asleep. And now he's waiting for the right time to wake up.

It did not take him long though, he had to act like he just woke up. Sasuke lightly stretched his hands out, making sure not to touch Hinata accidentally. Then he slowly opened his eyes, not looking at her immediately but in front of him where the sun was covered by clouds now.

That much time had passed? he asked himself.

"G-good morning, Uchiha-san," Hinata suddenly said in a soft shy voice — she called him, and it was a perfect opportunity for him to look at her. "Uh, I did not mean to startle you."

Now he had the best view in the whole world. Under the orange light, Hinata looked much beautiful awake than she was asleep. Maybe it was her sleepy lavender eyes, or her slightly parted red lips, and maybe it was her aura all in all. . .Hyuuga Hinata was very pleasant to look at.

If Sasuke felt discomfited all night just thinking about the task Neji entrusted him with, knowing that he would be with Hinata in two whole days immediately erased all the frustrations he felt.

"I didn't wake you. . .did I?" she asked in an apprehensive manner.

"No," he replied. Normally, if it was some other person, he would have just shaken his head, but that was not the case with Hinata. She was not just anyone. "You didn't."

Your stupid cousin did, earlier,he wanted to tell her. But that would blow my cover now, yeah?

"Oh uhm," the Hyuuga started, biting her lip, averting her eyes from meeting his. "Th-that's a relief then."

It was not unnoticeable, so Sasuke immediately knew that she was trying her best not to stutter. There was nothing wrong with her stutters. In fact, he did find it cute.

The Uchiha knows to himself that there are people who cannot speak straight without a stutter, and from the moment he knew Hinata, he already knew she was one of those people. But he did not judge her for it. It was normal.

A faint smell of coffee entered his senses. It was coming from the guard house. Sasuke had coffee while he was at Naruto's apartment, one more couldn't hurt, right?

No drinking coffee, he can hear Fugaku's voice in the back of his head. It will make you all shaky during your games.

Kakashi, on the other hand, would say, You can drink coffee if you'd like. It'll wake your spirits up during the game.

Of course, Sasuke would go for his coach's advice. His father was nothing but a showoff.

Without thinking, Sasuke told her, "We need coffee."

He did not look at her, but Sasuke knew Hinata knew it was her who he was talking to.

Both of them still looked tired. Hinata was still stunning, even if she had small bags under her eyes and even if her eyes were droopier than usual. Sasuke, on the other hand, knew to himself he looked unwell. There's probably countless of dark bags under his eyes.

"I'm not allowed t-to drink coffee," said Hinata before she cleared her throat. "If you want, I'll just stay here."

"Sure, that would be fine," Sasuke told her, giving her a side glance — trying his best not to look directly at her for he knew he would stare long. "I take it you don't want anything."

"N-nothing," was her reply.

Hinata kept shrugging and sometimes her lips quivered as she spoke — it did not help with her stutter. She was cold.

"You're cold," he commented. The morning was cold, but not cold enough to bother him. The blazer, undershirts, and slacks they had to wear as their uniforms helped a lot. Well, Hinata was a girl, and they were wearing skirts, so it was only natural for her to be cold.

"I'm f-fine," Hinata said, obviously lying.

"I insist," Sasuke said. Normally, he was not this persistent, but it was a promise to her asshole-of-a-cousin and well. . .personal goals. "Stay here. I'll get you something."

Sasuke stood on the balls of his feet, putting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. Walking away, he did not know why but he could feel her contemplations from behind him.

"You look like you do want to come," he commented out loud, as she looked like she somehow wanted to go. Sasuke did not mean to say that, but he gave her another side glance. After catching a small glimpse of her, Sasuke looked away again. "You can stay here if you don't want to."

After a while and a few steps, he heard her clear her throat.

"I'll go. . ." she softly said before walking towards him.

Inwardly, Sasuke smiled. Out of all the things he had planned all his life, the best ones would probably be the ones he did on the spot. It was as if the universe was in synch with everything he does.

The gods must have blessed me.

Sasuke let her walk one step before him, to keep a distance. While Neji specifically said to keep the distance in a five feet diameter, he would never do that type of torture to himself. What's Neji gonna do about it anyway? The glaring bastard must have been a few towns away by now.

It was no surprise that Hinata knew where they were headed. The café near their school was nothing special, but its offers were nicer than the big ones. It was mostly cramped up during examination weeks from morning to night, but thankfully it was sports season which meant it was busy season.

When they reached the cafe, Sasuke hurried his way in front of Hinata without being too obvious.

Reaching for the door, Sasuke wasted no time and opened it completely. Hinata made way first and entered the door before he did. It was not in his nature to imagine things out of thin air, but she gave him a small grateful glance.

The aroma of coffee filled the place, something Sasuke neither hated nor loved. While he was not a huge fan of coffee, he was not a hater either. He prefers water over everything.

"Look for something you'd like, doesn't matter if it takes you a lot of time," Sasuke said, not looking at her to avoid making his company uncomfortable. While Hinata was looking over the signs, Sasuke took his time to look for a drink of his own too. "I'll have a red eye for me."

"T-turmeric Chai latte. . ." Hinata replied after a while, it was like she thought of it.

"Spicy. . ." he whispered underneath his breath, making sure Hinata would not hear. Then he raised his voice just a little bit just to let Hinata hear him say, "No food for me, pick yours."

I really need to avoid asking her any questions.

"I think I'm fine," the girl replied softly.

"Just drinks then. You look certain right now."

"Hmm," said the Hyuuga with a small nod.

"Got it."

Sasuke motioned over the seat closest to Hinata before he went to the counter to order their drinks for them. It was one of those no-waiters or no-waitress types of cafes. It was also one of those cafes where the staff is very limited — the counters can be the barista and vise versa.

After a while, the lady in the counter instructed him to wait for five minutes or so, so Sasuke went back to Hinata who was then writing in a notebook. Sitting in front of her, Sasuke was careful not to glance at what Hinata was doing. He did not disturb her or anything, just sat in front of her while waiting for their order.

The Hyuuga would not speak anyway, but he was not mad.

"Calling on Sasuke-san and Hinata-san, your drinks are ready," said the lady in the counter, holding onto two drinks. Sasuke was the one who grabbed their drinks. "Thank you! Please enjoy your drinks."

Glancing at the cups of coffee, Sasuke saw a heart in his coffee cup while Hinata had a sun drawing. When Sasuke came back to their table, Hinata had already stopped writing and was holding just a pen in her hand and a few cash.

"Keep it," he said before she could even give him the cash. "It's just a simple drink."

"But still. . ." Hinata trailed off.

"Keep it," Sasuke repeated, his voice now softer.

And Hinata kept it, not being stubborn.

It was one of those not-so-significant moments that would stick in your mind after a really long time — still giving you small impacts from time to time.

After that, Sasuke's mood changed.


Her father had always recommended Turmeric Chai latte whenever they visit a cafe or a restaurant, as it was good for her heart. But then. . .Hinata was with Uchiha Sasuke. How can one calming drink counter that one thing that made her heart race aside from Hanabi's random shouts?

There was imbalance in the Uchiha and the latte, but both kept her awake. That was a good sign.

Sleeping last night was a hard thing to do. The reason as to why she could not sleep? No, Hinata, we are not going there. Hinata kept shrugging the thoughts away, she could not bring herself to admit it anyway.

It was almost as if she did not sleep, even if she had two hours of sleep before Neji woke her up and another rest by the school. Thankfully, Sasuke was still asleep by the time she woke up. It would be embarrassing even if she knew how silent sleeper she was.

And now they're walking back to their school. Hinata was still on the middle of drinking her cup of latte, the Uchiha already finished his drink while it was still very hot.

The morning was cold, and the latte helped. Her sweater helped only a little. Still, Hinata wondered why the basketball player do not shiver when she had been shivering all morning. Good thing is, the climate can be pretty unpredictable. It'd be sunny later on.

"Your room is at the end of the hall," the Uchiha stated, looking at her before staring back at the surroundings.

Again, it was her go not to stutter around the Uchiha — it was something she had embedded in her mind since they first met. Naturally, Hinata had to be careful around him. Although she had stuttered several times when he just woke up, Hinata was pretty sure it was almost unnoticeable.

"I. . .," Hinata answered, looking away. Composing herself, she told him, "You don't have to walk me there, it'll be fine."

Hinata did not like the way her voice trailed off, but there was nothing she could do. It was not in her nature to speak loudly.

They were at the grounds by then. Sasuke stopped and started looking around. There was not a lot of students, it was still early so it was understandable.

"If you're worried about people seeing us together, I'll keep my distance," the Uchiha spoke in a monotonous way that almost made Hinata guilty if it were not for the fact that the Uchiha had his eyebrows raised in a flashing way — it was like a rare sight. "I'm only following your cousin's orders."

Hinata did not know why, but she felt tired again. Even after that cup of latte? She just felt drained again.

"I'm not," she started. She needed to get things straight first. "I'm not worried."

"Yeah, don't be," Sasuke agreed. "The gossips, the cheerleaders, and medics are cities away from this school anyway."

"I guess so," she agreed, taking a look around. Indeed, there was only a few students left behind.

A few of her fellow campus journalists left for the sport event in Suna, alongside the cheering squad and the medics. Only those who are left behind are either a.) Not part of any club; b.) The ones who stayed, just like her, and c.) Those who are *irrelevant* as her cousin, Neji, would call it.

"It's just two choices," the raven-haired boy started, catching her off guard for a few seconds. "You'll let me walk you closely or I'll watch you go to class from a distance."

His aura changed in a lighter way. . .Hinata could feel it. Though she did not know why. I guess it's not my business anymore.

"But it's fine if you don't want to, it's not gonna be harder for us both," he told her, shrugging.

This caught Hinata's attention. For the first time in the day, Hinata found herself staring at the boy, her eyes meeting his.

The boy in front of her was not in any way pertaining that she was stubborn, like how his father would do whenever he wanted to make her choices for her. He also did not raise his voice at her, like what Neji would do whenever Hinata felt like she did not want to follow his orders.

And she did not mean to compare, but it was a gesture she found nice.

"Strange. . ." she thought out loud, making her heart start beating wildly. "I. . .it's n-noth—"

"You don't have to explain," Sasuke told her, looking in another direction before meeting her eyes again.

It took her back to the time Naruto unknowingly made it awkward for her to talk to Sasuke that one time they stumbled upon each other on the hallways. After all, Naruto did say that Hinata was asking about Sasuke's relationship. . .and she only asked it because she did not believe that he was single, and that he has never been in a relationship. It was wrong of her to do so, but it was the only solution that she thought of to avoid false information. . .but Hinata did ask about the sketchy information of other players as well.

"B-but. . ." Hinata started, her lips trembling. "I d-did, b-but n-not b-bec-because —"

"You don't have to explain yourself," the Uchiha muttered, bored eyes staring back at her.

"Thank you," she blurted out. Her cheeks felt warm immediately — maybe as warm as the cup of latte in her hand.

Hinata did not know where that came from, or why she was thanking him, but there was no turning back now. The Uchiha did not seem like the type to ask more questions after a simple, and she was thankful for that.

"For lunch. . ." Sasuke started. "You do have a place in mind on where we can eat."

Startled, Hinata averted her eyes. She had to remind herself that Neji was the mastermind of it all. While she never thought of avoiding the Uchiha because she knew it would be kind of impossible for them to cross paths, anyway, never had she imagined that it would happen sooner — all because of Neji.

"I eat in our conference room," Hinata admitted shyly before drinking the remains of her latte and dropping the cup in the bin next to her. "T-together with some co-journalists."

Stop stuttering, please, she pleaded to herself. Closing her eyes, Hinata silently prayed she would stop stuttering around Uchiha Sasuke. It was a promise she vowed to herself the first time they met after all.

"I need to make sure you eat properly," Sasuke suddenly spoke, making Hinata shut her eyes open. "Hyuuga's orders."

"Y-you d-don't n-need, no, ha-have to w-worry about me," Hinata stammered, losing her words at the end, now completely losing her will to speak. Neji's overprotectiveness can be really embarrassing at times. "I- I w-will eat properly, I promise."

"I don't doubt it," said Uchiha Sasuke suddenly, almost cutting her off if it were not for the split second. His eyebrows lowered, showing a much softer look before he said, "Now breathe."

Hinata did not realize how much her breathing became unstable when she started stammering. Taking Sasuke's words as an advice, she tried her best to breathe properly. Even closing her eyes shut to make sure she gets enough oxygen — because she knew how much the Uchiha affected her breathing.

"If you'd like to be alone, it's fine," he told her. She opened her eyes only to see Sasuke looking at nowhere in particular. This helped her calm her nerves. It was something she badly needed. "But I prefer it if I were to accompany you."

Now, if Hinata remembered correctly, Uchiha Sasuke was a persistent one. She never expected that he would be the type to be so understanding. If she remembered correctly, the Uchiha was tenacious with everything.

For goodness' sake, was she even talking to the same man who framed her into saying details about her? Was he even the cunning man who asked her flirtatious questions?

"I'll give you time to think about it," he told her. "I'll wait for you later in your class."

"But people will s—"

"Let them," Sasuke spoke, cutting her off. He sounded so neutral about it, but at the same time, she could sense a hint of what seems like irritation. "They always have something to say."

That does not make me any different, she thought sadly. I'm a campus journalist.

"I reckon you've brought with you your snacks," he said. As an answer, Hinata nodded. "Good."

It would not be wrong of her if she asked about him, right? After all, what if the Uchiha did not bring any snacks with him? He did seem like one of the boys from her class that never brings their own food — much like Kiba who was always talking about how hungry he is at class but wouldn't accept anything Hinata wanted to give him.

"And you?" she asked.

At this, Sasuke's head immediately moved to meet her eyes. She could tell that he was surprised, even if his eyes were still at its normal shape. Now why was that?

"Did you bring any. . .any snacks with you?" asked Hinata again, now almost hesitating. Suddenly remembering something, she put her bag on her front and opened it. Rummaging through her snacks, Hinata did not want to look at him. "If you'd like. . .I got some extra shortcake here. . .and uh. . .they're homemade, so if it d-doesn't suit your taste, I'm really. . .sorry."

Once her hand grabbed the airtight container, Hinata closed her bag and looked at Sasuke. Only to see him with parted lips and in a different expression. She could not quite put a finger on his expression right away since he looked shock, but at the same time: calm.

"Here," said Hinata slowly, sticking out her hand to give the Uchiha the container of shortcake she had baked yesterday. Hopefully, it's still fine to eat — it's in an airtight container anyway. "Un-unless you don't want to."

The Uchiha had an unreadable expression, as always. The different glint in his eyes never left.

Uchiha Sasuke barely moved. He just stared at her in an expression she had never seen before — even with Neji. His eyes are not fully widened, but wide enough for her to read that he was indeed surprised. His lips were parted lightly, showing a bit of his pearly white teeth. Thin eyebrows rose in a snail pace.

"Uchiha-san?" she asked. "D-do you not like to?"

Hinata was slowly hesitating, slowly pulling away her hand that held the container. But then, the boy suddenly moved, almost catching her off guard from her wits. Although his previous movement was brisk, Sasuke sluggishly moved his hand to grab the container.

Hinata smiled at this, still looking at her container as Sasuke held it in both of his hands. Upon meeting his eyes, she found that the boy in front of her looked rather grateful and surprised — still.

"Thank you. . ." His voice trailed. From looking at her, the Uchiha shifted his vision to the container in his hands.

The sincerity in his voice made Hinata smile more. The fact that he did not reject it nor do anything remotely close to showing distaste made her heart flutter. So, this is what it feels like.

"You're welcome," she almost exclaimed, except for the fact that Hinata still used a hushed tone. As it was getting late, more students entered the gate. It was time for them to go on. "I, erm, guess it's s-settled now."

"Yeah, I guess so," said Sasuke in a whisper.

Then they started walking towards their building — their classes were on the same section. They do have different sections though, but that a relief. She could never handle being in the same class as the Uchiha. How embarrassing would it be if he saw her getting shamed for failing to answer most of the questions her teachers ask her.

When they reached the door of Hinata's class, Sasuke opened the door for her which surprised her. It made her heart beat really fast. She started worrying about the potential of someone being in class earlier than her. Thankfully though, there was no one there.

"You'll be fine." It was a sentence meant to be a declaration, but it sounded like a question, so Hinata just nodded. "Then I'll go to my classroom now. You take care."

"Y-you too," Hinata stated. The stutters were inevitable, so she just shook it off.

"Thanks again."

With that, Sasuke walked away. Hinata was left alone in an empty classroom. But she was not in any way anxious or anything.

For a certain reason, her mood lightened up.

I hope he likes the shortcake.

After some time, her classmates slowly came in one by one — some greeted her, some did not. Most barely knew her anyway so she just stared at the window most of her classes.

Just like Neji's orders, Hinata made sure to eat her snacks during her recess. She wondered if Sasuke liked her shortcake, but the thought did not bother her like some anxiety inducing situations she had been in before. In fact, it excited her to know about his opinions.

No one has ever tasted my cooking before, Hinata thought. He would be the first one. I hope he likes it.

Hiashi, her father, hired a cook since before Hinata could even remember it. It was because he was too busy with his patients to cook for his family. Although it had been so long since Hiashi last cooked for his family, Hinata remembered his father's cooking as the best. Especially his tonjiru which Hanabi described as to die for, whatever that meant.

As a result, Hinata would spend her time in the kitchen, practicing her cooking skills without anyone's guidance. It was hard at first, but she eventually liked her dishes. Though she hoped it was not because she knew to herself it was her who cooked the food. Hinata was too shy to ask Neji to taste her food, too scared of her own little sister's sudden shouts, and too embarrassed to even try asking for her father's help.

In a blink of an eye, her morning classes had ended. Though she did not have a lot of sleep the night before, Hinata felt fine. Maybe it was because of the spicy latte she had in the morning, which was Uchiha's treat, maybe it was because of the small sleep she had before the Uchiha woke up, and Hinata even considered the fact that her spirits woke up when he accepted her shortcake.

So there is really something about people accepting gifts.

Hinata had a lot of time thinking about having lunch with the Uchiha. Though she still had troubles whether she should or should not, Hinata had decided that it would be fine if she did.

The bell rang and almost everyone stood up, at least aside from Hinata. There would be a few who would stay inside their classes, while there were some who would go outside to eat. Contrary to popular belief, Hinata was not the type to eat in their respected classes. She grew out of that type of habit.

Hinata stood up once half of her classmates left the room. With her bag in her back, Hinata started walking towards the door. Only to meet eye to eye with the Uchiha leaning on the door frame, just wearing his undershirt with his blazer hanging on one of his shoulders.

Relieved to see him there, Hinata smiled, mostly to herself than to the Uchiha.

"Where to?" asked the Uchiha, probably guessing she had chosen to have lunch with him. He guessed right though.

"Wherever you may please," Hinata replied, just to be safe with her choices. "I'm fine anywhere. . .just not too crowded."

"Conference room or somewhere else, it's your choice."

It was a simple statement — which sounded like a question — yet Hinata thought back to every cliche books she had read when she was younger, all the predictable films she had watched, and even some of the series that were pretty predictable.

A scene. A scene where the main character and another character would find a place they would call their own. Something that would be embedded in their memories, never to be forgotten. One look at a place, and memories come flashing back.

"The conference room," Hinata said shyly, choosing not to go with spontaneity. "Only if you want to. . .'course."

"It's your choices that matter here," was what he said before starting to walk. "Lead the way."

So, they walked to the conference room. It was strange how the thoughts of people judging them did not cross her mind. When it did, Hinata felt like it did not matter at the moment.

When they reached the conference room, Hinata had one of its keys and opened the door. While Sasuke turned the lights on, she plugged in all the fans rather than opening the air conditioner.

They seated in the farthest table without talking to each other, as if they understood each other's thoughts out. Well, they did go to the same table without talking and without glancing at each other.

Don't go with spontaneity, huh?

Hinata could not bring herself to eat while Sasuke ate in silence. He would look back to her from time to time as if he was asking why she was not eating, but she did not mind even if she did notice.

The deafening silence was disturbed Sasuke's phone lit up from inside his bag which was left open.

"Your cousin's calling," said Sasuke, showing her the screen of his phone which had the words **Glaring-bastard** on it. To Hinata's surprise, Sasuke just set his phone aside while it vibrated violently against the table. "I'll answer it after a few more calls."

"That's. . ." she started. *Not nice,* she wanted to say, but immediately stopped. "I guess he'll be livid."

Now Hinata wondered if the Uchiha was even scared of her cousin. A lot of them were. Neji can be pretty intimidating most of the time. He aced in his sports and have been the first in his classes. His grades were always high, and plus, he's popular with the ladies.

"If there's anything I want, I wish I'd be there to see his reaction," said Uchiha, smirking as the call ended and his phone went to sleep.

For a few moments, Hinata got to observe the picture in lockscreen. At first, she was baffled. Until she realized it was *her* schedule.

"Y-you have my schedule as your lockscreen wallpaper?" she asked, surprised. Even more surprised that she asked, Hinata let out a small *squeal* . Sasuke's eyes widened for a split second then.

"You squealed," Sasuke commented, his smirk turning into a lopsided grin before his eyes went back to his food. "It's. . ." he paused. "Adorable."

Don't think much of your embarrassment, please, Hinata pleaded to herself, not giving herself a chance to recover from the pause the Uchiha did.

"Set it last night," he told her, pertaining to the wallpaper. He took a bite of his fishcake before looking back at Hinata. "The shortcake you gave me is really good by the way."

The shortcake you gave me is really good by the way.

The shortcake you gave me is really good by the way.

The shortcake you gave me is really good by the way.

The words echoed through her mind continuously until it dawned on her. So someone did like her cooking. It was her first time to share her food, and it was not like she did not want to, she just could not find anyone who does not have an exquisite taste because she thinks her cooking skills are. . .well. . .not that great.

"I take it you made them," he commented after swallowing his food. "It's really good."

"H-how did you know?" Hinata asked, taken aback at his guess.

"You did say it was homemade."

A lot of her co-journalists can easily remember details, since they need that kind of skill in their writing. Maybe there are people who would willingly remember details, but she had not expected the Uchiha to be one of them.

"Is it really that good?" Hinata asked after a while, now having the appetite to eat what their cook made for her. She did not know how long she had been staring at her food, but it felt appetizing now.

"I could eat it every day," he said in a whisper.

There was a long silence after that, but Hinata started eating her untouched food. The flavors of the sauce was just a reminder of what more she needed to learn in cooking. The atmosphere also felt warmer than earlier — even if she still had her sweater on over her school uniform.

They ate in silence, but it did not feel awkward. It felt warm and nice. It was like a lunch with just quiet friends. Her lunch with her co-journalists were mostly noisy, or in most cases, they talk about what they needed to write. But with Uchiha, it was just silence.

It was nice.

"You have a vacant time tomorrow." It was Sasuke who broke the silence.

Before she could answer, Sasuke's phone lit up again.

"Neji-nii is calling again," said Hinata, eyes on his phone.

"I'll answer it for the sake of convenience," Sasuke stated.

He swiped the phone symbol and put it on loudspeaker. He rested his phone on the table and continued eating. Putting his pointing finger to his lips, he requested her to be quiet.

"Oi, where have you been?" exclaimed Neji on the other side, enraged. "I was beginning to worry!"

"'Bout me?" asked Sasuke, crumbs of the fishcake falling out of the edge of his lips. He licked the remains of his food before saying, "Sweet."

"You fuc—"

"Language," warned the Uchiha, cutting Neji off.

"Where's my cousin?" asked Neji with the same tone he used earlier.

"Who?" asked Sasuke, feigning ignorance. He met her eyes and winked. Before Neji could speak, he spoke again, "Do you take me for someone who would know anything about you?"

If this gets out of hand, I'll be very guilty, thought Hinata, biting her lip. Uchiha looked very confident though, so she let him be.

"Fu—" Neji stopped, taking a few breaths. It can be heard from another line. Then he spoke again in a much calmer voice, "Okay. Okay. At least let me know where she is."

"Conference room. Probably three feet away from me," Sasuke answered truthfully. "Hinata, speak up."

First, Hinata was pretty sure he would be teasing Neji more before admitting that they were indeed together. Second, Hinata never thought he would actually admit that they are three feet away, Sasuke did say that they were supposed to be five meter in diameter apart. Third, Sasuke called her. . .by her name.

"What do you mean three feet away from you?" asked Neji, the irritation can be heard from his tone. "Didn't I tell you to keep your distance away from her?"

"Either me or someone else," said Sasuke. "Admit it, Hyuuga, I'm the only and best choice for this job."

The silence was almost deafening. Thanks to the small static from the other line, it was not. Otherwise, Hinata would feel awkward with how quiet everything is.

"May I speak to my cousin now?" asked Neji after a small while, defeat almost draped around his tone but his proud voice overlapped it all.

"Sure," was Sasuke said before he motioned that she can now speak.

"Hi?" Hinata said shyly after composing herself.

"Hinata-chan?" asked her cousin from the other line. "Is the jerk doing what he is told?"

Hinata first looked at the Uchiha. It seemed like he was not affected with the comment but rather amused. The lopsided grin was now a wide entertained grin.

"Yes, Neji-nii."

"Good. If you need me, just ask the Uchiha for help, alright?"

"Alright."

"I need to go now. Eat lots."

"You, too, Neji-nii."

The phone was still resting on the table, untouched until Sasuke's finger came into view and tapped on the end call button.

"Now that was a lot of fun," said Sasuke in a blank tone before eating on his fishcake. "And speaking of fun, I have a proposal to make."

Hinata stopped munching on the shrimp in her mouth and looked at Sasuke. They were facing each other eye to eye — it was not so awkward as it was before and Hinata did not know why.

"G-go ahead," she said, her heart starting to race for some unknown reasons.

"Your cousin is gone for two days," said Sasuke.

Yes, I know, she answered in her mind, never bothering to open her lips because she knew it would only result in broken sentences

"It's obvious it's only you and I who will accompany each other," he said again, spitting facts. "Your fellow journalists are out of the picture, basketball players are out of the frame."

In return, she just nodded. What else can she do aside from it anyway?

"Honestly, I live an organized life," the Uchiha said, almost shocking Hinata. She herself was far from being organized. "I don't mind a little drift."