Hey guys! This is an early update! I simply couldn't stop myself from writing. You'll be happy to know that I also finished the third chapter. Tomorrow (December 27th 2012), I'll be starting the fourth one. Now, I told myself that I wouldn't make promises about updates because you know, who knows if I'll actually keep them? In an ideal world I'll be posting at least one a week with a max of two (have to keep you guys in suspense lol). But, without further adieu, chapter two:

Cover My Eyes

by, Rampantt

Chapter Two : It's Personal

It had been a week since Naruto had come home and Hinata had been on cloud nine ever since. She literally felt invincible, like nothing could touch her. She felt more secure and confident in herself just by knowing that he was there in the flesh. In the near two years that he had been gone, Hinata had only ever looked forward to his letters –nothing else was nearly as important. Every now and then they would even skype but that became too painful after a while –being able to see him and not touch him was too hard. Each one of his letters meant the world to her, whether they were long and intimate or brief and crude it didn't matter, she saved each one of them in a shoe box under her bed. When she was sad and lonely, or just sick thinking of her father and the Hyuuga, she reached into that box and pulled out any letter that would make everything alright.

They hadn't established anything between them and as such Hinata had been careful not to say too much about them to anyone. Naturally private, it wasn't too hard really. Often she felt bad keeping it from Sakura when she would pry but she didn't want to risk anything by talking about him. Sakura only knew the basics of their relationship, or whatever was going on between them. Hinata hadn't really thought too much into it either, she didn't mind the slow pace she and Naruto were taking. Honestly, she was just glad that there was anything at all between them.

Hinata had just gotten out of class when her phone vibrated. Pulling the sleek device from her Dooney & Bourke tote, she glanced down at the screen, Haruno Sakura: Where are you?

The heiress quickly responded to the text as she made her way out to the parking garage, letting her pink haired friend know she was still on campus. Her text was answered with a frowning emoji.

Typical. What did Sakura expect?

The pinkette had contacted her earlier in the day, wanting to meet for lunch and the Hinata had specifically told her that she wouldn't be getting out of class until after two in the afternoon. Now she was upset with her for not skipping class? Not everyone could live such a sweet and pampered life like Sakura. Hinata considered her thoughts soon after and decided that she wasn't one to talk much, considering the fact that her family was far more wealthier than Sakura's, but still. Hinata had things to take care of during the day. She didn't spend the majority of her time shopping or modeling like Sakura did.

The pinkette had tried to explain on many occasions that her occupation wasn't as easy as it looked but Hinata wasn't too impressed. Sure, not everyone could be a model but she wouldn't call it hard work necessarily. She never told her friend that however, she didn't want to spoil her fun. Climbing into the driver's seat of her vehicle she texted her friend back and let her know that she was on her way. She dumped her things into the passenger seat and was out of the parking garage in record time.

It wasn't long before she arrived either, she made it downtown rather quickly, she noticed, sparing a glance at the clock. It was slowly approaching three. Her gut told her that she was in for a verbal lashing from the pinkette when she got into the restaurant and she was right. Hinata parked in one of the various parking garages on main street and walked down the block until she came upon Sakura's favorite place to eat: Nodaiwa.

Hinata handed over her burned orange blazer as she entered to one of the many attendants and was soon brought over to Sakura's table. She flashed the pinkette a small smile and was greeted only with a grumble.

"You're late..."

"I told you I had class," she said quietly, sinking into the seat opposite her friend.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Would it have killed you to skip?"

"Potentially."

Sakura cracked a grin. "You're always so over dramatic."

Hinata smiled at her friend, picking up the menu and glancing over it. "You're one the talk. Have you ordered yet?"

"No, and neither will you," Sakura said, taking the menu from her and closing it. "Sasuke isn't here yet."

Hinata arched a brow at that. She hadn't expected to be eating with Uchiha Sasuke. To be honest, she didn't like hanging out with Sakura while Sasuke was around. It wasn't because she disliked him, rather she just felt like the third wheel. Had Sakura told her Sasuke would be coming she would have invited Kiba too...or Naruto. She swallowed as the blonde crossed her mind for the millionth time that day.

"I didn't know he was coming," Hinata said, looking to her friend openly and pushing the blonde from her thoughts.

"Well, it was going to be just me and you but I got some good news earlier and I wanted to share it with the both of you," Sakura explained, excitement evident on her face.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Don't be so greedy Hinata. I'll tell you just as soon as Sasuke gets here."

Hinata smiled, understandingly. Who knew how long that would take, however? Sakura had already been waiting fifteen minutes before Hinata arrived and Sasuke wasn't there yet. Perhaps it slipped his mind then? Hinata leaned forward to express her thoughts to her friend but she didn't get the chance to.

"Here he comes!" Sakura exclaimed, her emerald eyes leaping up to meet with his onyx ones.

Uchiha Sasuke nodded his head in her direction as he made his way over to their table, escorted by one of the attendants.

"Now that your party is here, I'll be back in a few moments to take your order," she told them as Sasuke took up the seat beside the pinkette.

Hinata smiled and bowed her head politely, silently dismissing her.

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke-san," Hinata said to him, ever the polite one.

She offered him a smile which he did not return, not that she expected anything else from the stoic Uchiha. He reminded her a bit of her cousin Neji which made her avoid him all throughout high school. It wasn't until Sakura became close with him that she found herself sucked into positions where she had to engage with him. She supposed even more so now that Naruto was home, she'd be seeing a lot more of him.

"Good to see you too," he responded with less enthusiasm.

Hinata didn't take it to heart, however. Just like her cousin, Sasuke was stale but she didn't think he was particularly mean however. He was a man of few words which often left the majority of their conversations awkward and boring. Which was odd when Hinata thought of it, it was clear that Sasuke was not a dull man, nor did she consider herself to be. She supposed they were just two people who were forced to communicate with one another every now and then.

"Well, now that you're all here...albeit late," Sakura stared, making a point of their tardiness. "I can finally tell you all the good news."

Hinata looked to her expectantly, a light smile gracing her lips. Sasuke on the other hand was busy looking over the menu. Sakura was known to make any little thing into something massive. He didn't put it past her to drag the two of them out to tell them about some shoe sell across town. He only hoped for her sake that it truly was important or else he wasn't sure if he'd be able to control his tongue.

"So, what is it?" Hinata pressed.

Sakura beamed, bubbling with happiness for herself. "I just signed a contract with Juicy Cosmetics. I'm gonna be a Juicy Girl!"

Sasuke tried hard to hold back his laughter which ended up sounding like something caught in his throat and he was choking. Sakura ignored him however, too caught up in herself to even notice him laughing at her expense.

"Wow Sakura! That's amazing! Congratulations," Hinata cheered for her friend, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.

Sakura continued to smile, her rosy lips splitting and showing off her perfect teeth. "Thanks so much! I shoot my ad next week," she started. "This is the sort of thing I had been hoping for. I'm finally getting real recognition!"

Hinata smiled for her friend, she was genuinely happy to see her succeeding. All Sakura ever talked about since middle school was being a model, Hinata kind of suspected that it was because she didn't want an actual job. When she thought of it, she couldn't see Sakura doing anything other than modeling. She had long, toned legs that most girls could only dream about. She had an interesting bone structure to her face as well. Sakura wasn't conventionally pretty, she looked more exotic, the way her emerald eyes were set sunken in slightly below her brow bone. Her hair was naturally long too, falling at her waist and curling lightly at the ends. Sakura had always been the most beautiful person Hinata had ever met. It was often intimidating to be around her, what with her towering over her and commanding attention with her looks. Hinata got used to it eventually however.

She remembered in middle school she had avoided that girl like she had some infectious disease. Looking back at it, she was surprised they even became friends. If it weren't for their fathers working together on multiple occasions they probably wouldn't have. She still remembered the evening her father had the Harunos over for dinner. After the meal was over, Hinata and Sakura had been excused to Hinata's room. It took her a while to warm up to the pinkette, however. Sakura started by asking her various questions as she looked around her room, picking through her things and commenting on how neat everything was. Hinata had mainly answered her questions in formal "yeses" and "noes" and when they wouldn't do she answered as plainly and politely as possible. Her father told her before they arrived that she ought to be good to their guests and make them feel welcome. Hinata didn't want her father to scold her if she'd didn't behave well.

"Is this your cousin?"she had asked that night.

Hinata remembered the picture the pinkette had picked up from her dresser. It was the only one she had of Neji. Back then he had been her most important person. Had she been honest with her she had developed a tiny crush on him but it fizzled away during high school.

"Yes."

"He goes to our school doesn't he?" Sakura asked, setting it back in it's place.

"Yes."

"He seems kind of standoffish. He must not have many friends."

"I... don't know..." Hinata answered shyly, her voice soft.

"Hm. Everyone says he's a freak. That he chases squirrels after school and keeps their dead bodies beneath his bed," Sakura mentioned, spinning around to look at Hinata.

That was probably the most ridiculous thing Hinata had ever heard. Her cousin was not a freak nor did he have dead bodies under his bed. Even if that were true, Hinata was certain no one outside of their family had ever even been in Neji's room to know what's under his bed.

"Th-that's not true..." Hinata said, defending her cousin despite knowing how stupid what Sakura suggested was. Anyone with a brain would know that wasn't true.

"Are you sure?" Sakura bated. "I wouldn't put it past him. He's always so...weird. You know?"

"Neji-niisan is not w-weird...!" Hinata exclaimed, clutching the ends of her dress.

"Of course you'd think that. He's your family. You're supposed to love him and think the best of him. But the facts are the facts. Neji's got dead squirrels under his bed."

"Shut up! That's not true!" Hinata nearly shouted.

"Oh yeah? Prove it then! Let's go to his room and check under his bed."

Hinata's brow crumpled lightly and she bit at her bottom lip. "We're...not supposed to g-go...into Neji-niisan's... r-room."

Sakura arched her brow, folding her arms across her chest. "Oh yeah? Says who?"

Hinata blushed a bit, feeling intimidated by Sakura's emerald stare. "Niisan... he doesn't like people t-touching his stuff..."

"We won't touch anything. We're just going to peak under his bed and check for the squirrels," Sakura insisted.

"But there aren't any s-squirrels..."

"How do you know for sure?" Sakura challenged, her gaze narrowing slightly and her brow arching in question.

Hinata felt her heart racing and she found herself looking away from the pinkette. She pressed her index fingers together, feeling cornered by her question.

"Well? How do you know for sure?" Sakura repeated herself as if speaking with a child.

"I...d-don't."

"Then it's settled," Sakura said. "We're going to his room and we're going to see for ourselves."

"Sakura-san... I don't th-think that's a good i-idea... Neji-niisan will k-kill us if we – "

"Just like he killed those squirrels?!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"No! There are n-no squrriels!" Hinata answered, tripping over her words.

"Then don't be so scared. We'll just go peak real quick and then come right back. Don't be such a baby."

Hinata pressed her fingers together again, biting into her bottom lip as she considered what to do. "You p-promise not to t-touch anything...?"

"Yes. I promise, now lets go."

That night the two of them ventured into her cousin's room and peaked under his bed just like Sakura suggested. Of course there were no squirrels under his bed, the idea was ridiculous to begin with. Just as soon as they peaked their heads under his bed did Neji walk in and catch the two of them. Hinata still remembered the verbal lashing Neji delivered to her after the Harunos left. The next day at school Sakura had clang to Hinata despite her many protests. The pinkette had dragged her everywhere since then and it wasn't long until Hinata actually considered her a friend, then eventually her best friend. That night had been the first of many shenanigans Sakura had dragged her into. Hinata loved her anyway. Sakura added fun to her life. She was so unpredictable yet predictable at the same time.

"How long are you going to be gone for?" Sasuke was asking, interrupting Hinata's thoughts.

"Hmm... about a week," Sakura answered.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked, trying to find out where the conversation had turned since she drifted away.

"Weren't you paying attention Hinata? Jeez," Sakura complained, rolling her eyes. Her smile quickly returned however, she was far too excited to be upset even for more than a few seconds. "The Tea Country."

"Wow. It's really nice there, I'm sure you'll have a good time," Hinata commented, smiling softly at her friend.

Sakura bobbed her head and went into a rant about her career and the luxuries of the Tea Country. Sasuke on the other hand was less enthusiastic like the two women around him. He took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as he eyed the menu. At least he could get some peace and quiet around his condo for the next week. He wouldn't have to worry about the pinkette barging in at random times and staying for however long she felt. Then again he supposed with the dope home he'd be suffering somehow. On the other hand, the blonde might be caught up with a certain Hyuuga, giving him the space he craved.

His onyx orbs looked up then, landing on the Hyuuga in question. She was smiling pleasantly, just a light tilt upward at the corners of her lips, with her hands folded neatly atop her menu. She wore her hand long now; Sasuke remembered the bob her hair had been cropped to in high school. She obviously grew it out since then, letting it fall past her shoulders and back where she cut it bluntly at her hip, he noticed. She was dressed nicely too, not too flashy like some other girls in her position; for an heiress she was very modest. He noticed the blue and white Ralph Lauren button down she donned as well as the simple pearl earrings and matching bracelet around her left wrist. His eyes traveled back up to her face and settled there for a while, watching her serene expression with mild interest.

Her clear eyes glanced to him casually and she caught him staring. She didn't make it known however, but it was obvious that she knew, considering the light pink that stained her cheeks when she refocused her attention on Sakura a second later. Sasuke swallowed and returned to the menu, going over the selections that had offered. What made him look at her anyway? He glanced up at her one more time as he thought of this, watching the way she smiled at Sakura. The two of them rarely ever spoke. He wasn't sure why that was.

He knew he had no reason in particular to engage her, but that's how he felt about everyone, it was nothing personal. Most people made conversation with him; he was always the unwilling participant. However, with Hyuuga Hinata that had never been the case. Somehow, she was a consistent, yet silent part of his life.

As a child in the Uchiha household, he was forced to have many dinners with the Hyuugas, all of which Hinata had attended. Even when he had been dismissed from the table along with her and her cousin, the two of them never really talked. He supposed he grew up knowing Hinata when he thought about it. They hadn't had many times to meet each other after elementary school however, and consequently he had forgotten all about her until high school. At first he thought she would be like so many other girls and cling to him and use their families as an excuse to talk to him but she never did. For a while it seemed like she was avoiding him too but Sasuke didn't think too much on it.

Now her blasé attitude toward him was even more strange. They were constantly around one another –what with Sakura dragging her along like some kind of puppy as well as her connection to Naruto – whatever that was. On holidays, she would be there either as a guest of Sakura's or Naruto's, she'd accompany them on double dates, she'd been there for most of Sakura's catwalk appearances (all of which they were forced to sit beside each other for) and she was also the one who threw Naruto's going away and coming home party. He couldn't avoid her if he tried, not that he wanted to. Sasuke was only briefly wondering how two people who seemed to spend a great deal of time in one another's presence could manage to barely know each other.

"Oh."

Sasuke was dragged from his thoughts by the soft gasp that sounded from Hinata's lips. He watched as she fished around in her purse, where he noticed soft music and vibrating was coming from. To confirm what he thought, she pulled out a white iPhone.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked, nosily.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata responded, fiddling with the device before bringing it to her ear. "Hello, Naruto-kun? Yes, about an hour ago. Hm? I'm not sure, I'm out right now. With Sakura."

There was a pause from her and Sasuke could hear Naruto's voice on the other end, rambling on. Hinata smiled a bit, biting lightly at her bottom lip and chewing away her lip gloss. "Hn. Yes well, Sasuke-san is here too."

There was more rambling from Naruto and Hinata laughed softly, covering her mouth with her dainty hand as if ashamed of her laughter. "I'm sure she didn't mean to exclude you, Naruto-kun. Sakura probably forgot you were home."

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "Oh no! Is he upset with me?" she asked Hinata who shook her head 'no'. "Tell him I'm really sorry! But I've got good news! Tell him I'll fill him in later."

"Did you get all of that?" Hinata asked into the phone, smiling gently. Naruto's groaning could be heard from the other end of the phone and Hinata giggled again. "Don't be like that. I'll bring you something later."

Sasuke watched the many emotions that displayed on Hinata's face. She had always been like that with Naruto, smiling and blushing. He had first thought she was weird. Who in their right mind would be attracted to that blonde idiot? Sasuke didn't mean to be arrogant but when he thought of it something had to be wrong with her. In high school all the girls looked to him –he was rich and handsome, tall and lean. There wasn't a girl in the Academy that didn't find him desirable. The only one to deviate from the norm had been Hinata who had eyes only for Naruto. Sasuke clenched his jaw and sat back in his seat, watching as their call ended.

"Yes. So... I'll see you soon?" she asked into the phone expectantly.

Seeming to get the answer she wanted, the heiress smiled and pressed the end button, slipping her phone back into her purse.

"You and Naruto seem to be getting along rather well," Sakura said, beaming at her friend.

Hinata blushed, her face a deep red. "Ah w-well.. I –"

"Isn't it a bit rude to answer your phone in front of company? Especially without excusing yourself first?" Sasuke commented, ever stoic.

Hinata blinked a few times, surprised by Sasuke as her white eyes met his. "Ano... I'm sorry... I just -"

"Sasuke! Don't talk to Hinata like that!" Sakura exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. "I'm sorry Hinata. I don't know what his deal is, he's been grouchy like this for the past few days."

Sasuke sucked at his teeth, rolling his eyes.

Hinata smiled pleasantly, shaking her head. "No it's okay Sakura. He's right. That was very rude of me," she started, bowing her head politely at Sasuke. "Please accept my apology for my mistake."

Sasuke grunted but otherwise remained silent, frowning at his menu and ignoring the glare he was receiving from the pinkette beside him. "Don't apologize to him Hinata. He's a jerk."

Hinata laughed softly. "Maybe. However, this person is important to you, Sakura. I'll do my best not to upset him anymore."

Sasuke looked up at her, catching her smiling at him. She was so predictable. Unlike Sakura, she wouldn't fight with him, or anyone for that matter. Hinata, from what he gathered, was the type to let others have their way. For a while, he thought of her as a push over but the more time he spent around her the more he realized that she treated the disagreeable characters in her life as children who pouted and stomped their feet until they got their way. She was looking down on him, letting him have his way because it was easier than actually dealing with him. She didn't waste her time on small matters, especially not temper tantrums. That meant that now, she was treating him like a child, letting him have his way because it was not worth her time to argue with him. For that, he found himself annoyed at her.

"Tch, whatever."

"Are you sure, Hinata?" Sakura asked, sounding concerned.

"Of course. As you said, he has been in a bad mood for the past few days. I'm sure it's nothing personal," Hinata commented. "Let's order, yes?"

Little did she know, it was personal. Sasuke ignored her for the remainder of the meal however, if he wasn't worth her time then she wouldn't be worth his.

Stay tuned for chapter three!

As a side note, I'd like to let everyone know that I have a fictionpress account, I don't know if any of you use that site, but if you do it would mean the world to me if you checked mine out!

/ (squiggle line) rampantt

Anywhore, thank you for reading. Reviews would be amazing!

- Rampantt