A/N: Hello everybody. Hope you're all doing well today. I appreciate the feedback this story has been receiving so far, but I'd like to make a request: Lets see if we can get this thing to thirty-five reviews by the next chapter. I don't need much, just a sentence or two if you can :)

Time for chapter 3

Enjoy!

Hinata straightened herself and took a deep breath as she reached forward to knock for the fifth time in three minutes. It was four-thirty in the afternoon, only an hour after the students of the academy had been released to go about their unbound lives. The day had been relatively uneventful, save for the numerous points at which Hinata's internal body temperature had reached record levels during lunch period with a certain individual. Hinata's comfort in conversation with Naruto had increased slightly during their second meal together, but she still often found herself struggling to articulate herself properly. Luckily for her, Naruto seemed to find her awkwardness endearing. He regularly laughed jovially in response to her stutters, and had even encouraged her at points to continue speaking despite her struggles.

After lunch had concluded, the final two classes of the day had occurred. The first of these was a historical course on the past happenings of the world around them. From politics to combative records, it was exceptionally dull. Even the heiress, who was generally quite interested in history, found herself struggling to stay conscious throughout the class many days. As per usual, she had spent the majority of the ninety minutes the class occupied gazing at the back of Naruto's head longingly. The final instruction period of the day was a bit more interesting, with that being a mathematical class regarding projectiles. She had still picked her spots to admire Naruto at points, but kept her focus sharp for most of the class.

Once both of the concluding classes had ended, the building emptied out quickly in the way it always did. Hinata herself tended to remain for a few moments after the fact to take a short inventory of what needed to be done for the following day. This process usually took anywhere from five to fifteen minutes depending on the magnitude of the assignments being forced upon the student body. The thing that had led her to the door she now stood before was the fact that she had noticed Naruto's things lying on his desk after his departure. He, like she had two days previously, had forgotten his supplies. Taking it upon herself to return them to their owner, Hinata had taken Naruto's supplies with her when she exited the building.

The heiress had opted to stop back at her home to deposit her own things to lighten her carrying load, and justifiably so. The combined weight of their supplies approached twenty pounds, and the walk between their homes combined with the distance from the academy to the Hyuga Estate was nearly three miles in total. Once she had reached her home, one thing led to another, and Hinata had wound up taking nearly forty-five minutes to make herself more presentable for the admittedly minor occasion. In the end, however, her timidity had limited her to only putting on a pair of earrings and scurrying out of the estate with Naruto's things.

She now stood before his apartment's door, and had been for roughly ten minutes. Self-talk had done little to raise her confidence to the level required to knock on the door. Over and over she had reached out, but time and time again, she had faltered.

'It isn't that difficult. Just reach out, knock three times, and wait' she told herself for the hundredth time. Finally, after much struggle, the Hyuga girl wrapped her knuckles on the wooden door three times in quick succession. For a few tense moments, no answer came. Just as Hinata had begun to relax with guilty relief that she would no longer be forced to potentially embarrass herself, the door creaked open. On the other side of the door frame was Naruto, who looked a bit groggy.

"Hinata? What're you doing here?" he asked through a yawn. His question snapped Hinata out of a trance induced by Naruto's disheveled appearance, causing her to flinch and back up a step.

"I t-think you forgot y-your things, N-Naruto-kun" she said offering his things to him with a polite bow. The blonde seemed to awaken a tad at the sight of his belongings.

"Oh, yeah. I think I did" he said as he slowly took them from the shy girl before him. Once he had set his supplies off to the side just inside his apartment, he frowned and studied Hinata carefully.

"How'd you find out my address? I don't remember telling you what it was" he asked curiously. Hinata willed her eyes away from the floor and to her classmate's' faces.

"I asked the r-receptionist in the l-lobby. I'd s-seen you enter this b-building in p-passing before, s-so I assumed you l-lived here" she explained as calmly as she could. Seemingly accepting the information, Naruto nodded.

"Alright, that makes sense. Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it" he said gratefully. The heiress smiled and shook her head.

"N-no need to t-thank me. Y-you did the s-same for me only t-two days ago. We're e-even now" she said. The blonde raised an eyebrow and cracked a grin.

"I owed you before, huh? Guess I should keep that in mind next time you do something for me. Can't imagine what you'd do to me if I didn't return the favor" he replied jokingly. Hinata immediately turned red and tensed.

"N-no, t-thats not how I m-meant it. I w-was-" she began, her voice clearly panicked. Before she could finish her feeble sentence, she was cut off by Naruto's humorous laughter. After taking a moment to gather himself, the blonde put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're all good. I'm just messing with you. Like I said before, try to loosen up a little. Have some fun, ya know?" he said. Hinata felt herself go numb at the sudden physical contact, but through a herculean effort, managed to remain conscious.

"O-oh. I s-suppose I must look quite f-foolish right now, h-huh?" she asked, a small smile on her face. Naruto removed his hand from her shoulder, much to her disappointment, and shrugged.

"No, not really. You just took me wrong, which is fine. Either way, thanks for bringing my stuff. I'd have totally forgotten till tomorrow if you hadn't" he said while scratching the back of his head. Hinata nodded.

"I-it was the least I c-could do. Y-you don't h-have to thank me" she said kindly. A personal dream of the young Hyuga was then unwittingly fulfilled by Naruto.

"Wanna come inside? I've got nothing to do, so I wouldn't mind some company" he offered. Then, oddly, he continued on.

"Not...that you have to. If you have better things to do, that's fine too" he said quickly. Hinata, who had been questioning her hearing a moment before, immediately nodded her head.

"Yes, of c-course. I w-would like that v-very much, a-actually" she said, her common habit of poking her indexes together resurfacing in obvious fashion. The response seemed to surprise her classmate, but nonetheless, he stepped aside to clear a path into his dwelling.

"It isn't much in here, and I really haven't cleaned up, but it's where I live" he said with a chuckle as Hinata slowly made her way into the apartment she had never dared to imagine she would ever have a chance to enter. Once inside, she took a moment to assess the living space. It was simple, but fairly practical given its owner. A small kitchen, an even smaller living room, and a short hallway that likely led to the bathroom and bedroom.

"A-as you said, it n-needs a little bit of c-clean up, but i-it's quite n-nice, I think" Hinata said. Naruto then directed her to the dining room, where a table and two chairs were positioned. Once they were seated, the blonde winced and gave her a guilty look.

"I don't really have enough food for two people right now, so if you get hungry, I can't really help you" he said awkwardly. His words instantly drew a look of puzzlement from Hinata.

"What do you mean? I'm not hungry, so you won't have to worry, but how is it that you're so low on food?" she asked, her stutter once again absent in a moment of genuine concern. Naruto stared down at the table.

"I can't afford that much" he said quietly. The heiress' confusion only grew in the wake of his response, and her questions increased in number.

"Is your family's income really that poor?" she asked, trying as best she could to broach the topic gently. Naruto then looked back up at her, his expression having shifted to one of resignation.

"You haven't figured it out yet, have you? Thing is, I don't have a family or an income. I'm kinda on my own" he said in a painfully matter of fact tone. Hinata's eyes widened as several pieces fell into place.

'So, that's why he's always conditioning himself alone. It also explains the lack of variety in his outfits' she thought to herself. She then returned her attention to the boy across the table, who was looking quite self conscious.

"I...had no idea. Forgive my ignorance" she said gently. Naruto sighed and shook his head tiredly. He then removed his orange jacket and tossed it over towards the doorway, revealing a black t-shirt underneath.

"No, you're fine. I don't talk about it much, so you had no way to know" he assured her. A depressive silence then took hold of the small apartment for a minute or two. Eventually, Naruto spoke

"Sometimes, you quit stuttering. It happens out of nowhere. Why is that?" he asked curiously. Not having noticed the disappearance of her speech impediment, Hinata's shyness returned with a fury.

"I d-do? I n-never noticed. H-how strange" she said. At the sound of her own voice and the stutter that came with it, the heiress groaned and hid her face in her hands. Naruto smiled at her endearing struggle and allowed himself to relax a bit.

"Head up, Hinata. We've both got our struggles. I'm poor, and you stutter a lot. Big deal" he said in an attempt to cheer her up. Hinata, who was now openly laying her head atop her arms on the table, peeked up at him.

"You b-being poor is d-definitely a 'big deal', N-Naruto-kun. If you c-can't eat, you c-can't stay h-healthy. I h-hate the s-sound of that" she said. Naruto maintained eye contact and studied her.

"What's my health mean to you? I'm just your classmate, Hinata. It shouldn't matter so much to you" he said. The heiress stood up from her chair suddenly.

"And why shouldn't it? You're just as valuable as anybody else. You're a human being, and you deserve to be cared for like one. Have some self worth, Naruto-kun. Please" she said, her tone making it perfectly clear that there was no argument to be had. Naruto stared at her wide-eyed for several moments before responding.

"I think your stutter goes away when you're angry" he said somewhat fearfully. The Hyuga girl shook her head and sat back down.

"Were you even listening to me?" she asked in a lighter tone. The blonde pursed his lips and nodded before sighing heavily.

"Yeah, I heard you. I just...I'm not used to hearing that kinda thing, you know? Iruka-sensei has been nice and all that, but even he has his limits. Thank you, Hinata, really" he said quietly. Hinata gazed at him softly and bit her lower lip.

"Why? Why has nobody told you that you matter? That's so cruel" she asked brittly. Naruto gave a hollow laugh and shifted in his seat.

"I wish I knew. Might not help anything, but at least I'd have some peace of mind, or whatever it's called" he replied numbly. The heiress took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Please know that you are worth something. You have value, you have good qualities. Qualities that...I p-personally like q-quite a l-lot" she said, her timidity preventing her from fully staving off her stutter until the end. Her final comment, unlike her previous bold encouragements, drew a smile out of Naruto.

"Thank you, Hinata. I'll...try to remember all of that" he replied. Hinata returned the smile and inwardly sighed out of relief. A quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall then revealed that the girl's curfew was fast approaching. Hinata's face fell visibly as she stood up out of her chair again. She then bowed to her host and classmate.

"T-Thank you for h-having me, Naruto-kun. It w-wasn't the m-most pleasant conversation, b-but I'm glad to h-have learned a bit about y-you" she said sincerely before turning around and heading for the door. Just before she could turn the handle, Naruto spoke up.

"I don't know you super well, but I like a lot of stuff about you too, Hinata. You're really cool" he said with a thumbs up and a grin. Hinata kept her back turned to him to conceal her burning cheeks.

"I'm g-glad you t-think so. I hope I c-can live up to t-that opinion" she said before opening the door and disappearing into the hallway and shutting the apartment behind her. As her footsteps grew quieter, Naruto smiled and let out a sigh.

"Weird girl, but man, you won't find a nicer one" he said to no-one in particular. The blonde then retrieved his tossed jacked and hung it up as neatly as he could. Then, a thought crossed his mind.

'Isn't there usually an open seat near her?'

Hinata pulled the hood of her jacket off as she entered the front door of the main Hyuga building. She had made it within seconds of her curfew's expiration. Too close for comfort was something of an understatement. It was now six-thirty, which meant that dinner would be served in less than an hour. There was much to be done in a fairly short span of time. Before she could even take a step towards her room's hall, the sound of a clearing throat caught her attention. Snapping to attention and whirling around in an instant, Hinata bowed to her father, who had been silently waiting in a room to the side of the entryway.

"In the knick of time. At ease" he said calmly. Hinata released the breath she had been holding and relaxed considerably.

"I d-didn't mean t-to cut it so close, F-Father. Something...c-came up" she said a tad too vaguely. Hiashi raised an eyebrow and motioned for his daughter to join him in the side room. Hinata quickly followed the silent order and sat down across from him in the dimly lit room. Once she was situated, the clan head spoke once again.

"Explain what kept you. Be honest with me. I'm in a pleasant mood" he urged her. Knowing full well that lying was both foolish and a waste of time, Hinata took a deep breath to begin her explanation.

"M-My classmate forgot his t-things at the academy, s-son I d-decided to help him by r-returning them to his residence" she explained. Her father nodded and thought for a moment.

"A valid cause, but a simple delivery wouldn't take you so long. I'm assuming the two of you spent a stretch of time conversing, correct?" he asked. The heiress nodded in response. Hiashi then posed the question she had been dreading.

"Which classmate of yours was it? To my knowledge, you interact very little with your peers" he inquired. Hinata shifted uncomfortably and fidgeted.

"Uhm…" she said, completely unsure of how to approach the revelation of Naruto's identity to a person who was more likely than most to find him appalling. When her thinking process stretched on for too long, Hiashi cleared his throat once again.

"Out with it, Hinata. I'm sure this person's name isn't unpronounceable" he said a bit more sternly. The younger of the two Hyuga then swallowed and looked to the floor.

"Naruto Uzumaki" she said as quietly as she could. The following pause was nearly unbearable for the poor girl, who had braced herself for the words of her father's disapproval well ahead of time.

"Well, that's certainly a surprise. Not the fact that he forgot his items, that much sounds standard, but that you actually spent time engaging him in conversation. When did you grow so social, my daughter?" Hiashi asked, much to her shock and relief.

"H-he invited me into his h-home to converse, and I felt I h-had the time to s-spare, so I obliged. Is...t-that a problem?" she asked, deciding to test her father's opinion on the matter definitively. The clan head simply stroked his chin.

"He invited you into his home, did he? How bold. Not a poor choice of acquaintance based upon what I'm hearing. I see no issue given that you arrived home on time" he replied. Hinata's entire body went numb with excitement, which she was then forced to suppress forcibly to maintain her composure.

"I-I'm glad, F-Father. Thank y-you for understanding" she said with a short bow. Hiashi nodded and stood to his feet. As he moved to exit the side room, he glanced over his shoulder at his daughter.

"Before you ask at a later date, yes, I'm well aware of who Naruto Uzumaki is and what his social status is. Unlike you, I also know why. Luckily for you, I'm also of the unpopular opinion that he's harmless. Do with him what you please. Just adhere to your curfew" he said before stepping away and going on his way. After a few moments of self-gatherment, Hinata stood to her feet and allowed a smile to creep across her lips.

'A week ago, I was stuck. Now, you're within reach, Naruto-kun'

A/N: Took three days this time, so one day late. Sorry about that, guys. Either way, I hope you liked it. (Remember: Let's get this to 35 reviews by next chapter :) )

See you next chapter! Read and Review!