AN: It's been a looooooong time since I updated stuff huh? Well it's going to be like this for a while since I turned 20 and am still looking for a job while I attend classed. But I will try to work on stuff every now and then.

But anyways, You guys will like this chapter I think, there is a hint of NaruHina in this one. Though Naruto seems to be thinking of something completly different than 'Hinata is adorable' :\ Oh what could it be...


The previous hustle and bustle wasn't here at the club 'BURNED' like it was the first night Hinata had been here. A week has passed and she finally had her excuse to her father down pact. When the violet haired girl would be here downtown, learning about her new role at the club, her father would be thinking she was staying overnight at a friend's home to work on a Chemistry project. This was one of those nights as she waved at her apprehensive cousin from across the dressing room.

She nodded to him to reassure the boy she was ok being left to her own devises while Sakura and Ino were busy rehearsing for their own shows, Tenten, busy thinking of how to incorporate their newest star Hinata, and Neji, getting ready for tonight's performance. Normally, being by herself could be comforting, the silence gave her a piece of mind and time to think about how she would really find her place here, among so many talented students of Konoha Academy's sister school.

However, this was not the comforting time to think about herself at all. No matter the time, last week's talk with Naruto replayed repeatedly in her frantic little mind whenever left time to think by herself. Why did he ask her if she liked Ryou? Yes, the boy was nice, he sang with her the first time she came to the club. Ryou's friendly nature let her be at ease, when usually she would become tense and shy around strangers. Personally, she felt it was simply a feeling of admiration for his openness than romantic.

So, was it love? She highly doubted it, but then again, the way he cares for her made her feel so much more important than she has felt in a long time. She could like Ryou, yet she never told Naruto. Instead, that time the blue-eyed youth pulled her away from the group to ask her she had simply clamped up; unsure of how to answer, even as he pried and pried for her to speak up. In the end Hinata watched Naruto sigh and give up in forcing the answer out of her before walking off.

Since then Hinata has made a point to be as far away from the boy as possible. She didn't want to be cornered once more and asked, because she really did not know the answer to such a question.

Shaking her head to rid the thoughts of last week from her mind yet again Hinata focused on the girls dressing room she was hiding out in. Just like the first night came was brought here the room was outfitted with a table the length of the room on one side with mirrors for the performers to ready themselves, as well as a rack of different clothes behind her that she could see through the mirrors reflection. On each section of table a mirror hung above were bottles, bags, and other miscellaneous things that belonged to the girls who used that area.

Hinata giggled to no one as she examined the different things on the table. She could tell Sakura used the spot to the far left; there were several books on the performing arts as well as a medical book. A picture was stuck between the mirror and metal framing of the pink haired student and Sasuke together. They seemed younger than they were now, maybe younger than Hinata too. She smiled. Both Sakura and Sasuke seemed to have known each other a long time.

Then to the girls' right was a mess of different beauty products Hinata could only assume was Ino's. There were pictures of the 'BURNED' employees as well as others from school.

Where Hinata sat, the table was clean, the mirror clear of any personalization. This, she supposed was to be her place in the dressing room.

'Her place'….it had a nice ring to it.

The Hyuga home was much less a home than a place where people of the same last name lived. The building was cold, with a lack of personality the club brought simply be meeting the people who ran it. When she was young, before the time Hanabi was born she remembered the warmth her mother's presence had always brought to the traditional Hyuga complex. Sunshine reached every corner of the mansion and the help was always friendly. Hiashi too, was a nicer man and loving father.

The death of his wife however, turned the once familiar home into a claustrophobic and cold box. Hinata reached into the purse she brought along with her to the club and pulled out her light colored leather wallet. Opening it she picked out a picture she had hidden in one of the credit card slips.

There was a spring garden blooming with ivy and violets arranged around a centered willow tree. Three people stood close together while an image of an older Hinata held her swollen belly delicately in her hands. A man with his equally long hair had his arm wrapped around the woman's shoulders.

A scuffle of footsteps turned pearl eyes to the door where the brown haired Ryou had stopped suddenly.

"Oh, uh…Hinata-san, what a nice surprise!" he spoke while his jittery hands found their selves tapping the door. The girl felt a pleasant feeling lift her sagging shoulders as she motioned it was ok for him to sit with her.

"I just arrived a few minutes ago, N-Neji-nii didn't want me to wander off too far so I came h-here." She explained. Ryou dragged a nearby chair beside hers as she went back to the picture in her pale hand.

"So uh, how are you, have you settled in?"

"N-Not yet actually." Hinata admitted. "I don't really know what to do, everyone is already occupied and I don't want to bother them."

"You can bother me," Ryou stuttered a little too enthusiastically. Hinata sharply turned to him with a look of surprise at his straightened back as his torso leaned clumsily closer. Their faces flushed almost simultaneously as the Hyuga female leaned away awkwardly. "I mean…you know, if you wanted to."

"I-I couldn't, you must also have things to prepare f-for…R-Ryou…" she mumbled shakily. The closeness bothered her, making her form a knot in her throat as her hands shook with the thought of pushing him away rudely.

Yet, the boy seemed to realize his mistake quickly and backed away with a red face.

"Sorry Hinata-san," he chuckled to lighten to mood " Any ways…Uh, Tenten wanted to go over something with you later so come down to the first floor in say…twenty (20) minutes?"

She curiously tilted her head, why so precise? Hinata didn't question though as she nodded. The boy smiled happily before getting up.

"All right then! I have to..you know, do stuff downstairs!"


The picture of a happy family now lay snug between the streak less mirror and its metal frame. Glancing over to the clock that hung over the door frame, Hinata decided it has been twenty minutes and picked her belongings up to head downstairs to see Neji's female friend.

The clang of the iron stairs was constant for each step, but it wasn't bothersome, she like the sound as the beat of the music downstairs got louder…

Wait—what?

Walking out onto the stage to see what the deep base beat was for, Hinata just about shrieked as a powerful spotlight hit her along with a cacophony of 'surprise!' from the group of people just below on the dance floor.

Hinata looked down to see Sakura, Naruto, and Ino with their hands stuck in the air as emphasis for surprising the shy girl. Her cousin sat farther away with some of the other lack luster guys at the bar with a drink, yet that didn't stop her from spotting his approving smile directed at her.

There were others, the people Neji had introduced her to quickly on the first night as well as Ryou who looked at her strangely. She didn't have much time to ponder over his expression though once Naruto jumped up on stage and wrapped an excited arm around her neck. His grin was electrifying.

"So, were you surprised Hinata-chan?" he asked.

"W-what is all of this?"

"A party!" he screamed with his free arm out. Well that was sort of obvious, Hinata smiled at his simple answer that didn't really tell her much.

"It's your welcome party sweetie." Ino spoke up.

"My…? R-Really?" Hinata gasped, her cheeks flushing more than when the blond teenager close to her wrapped his arm around her.

"Duh, we can welcome you with a funeral." Ino shrugged as if it were obvious.

"Naruto bring her down here so we can get this party started!" Sakura cheered. The pale eyed girl supposed she was already feeling the party vibs.

It wasn't long before she was becoming giddy with excitement either, even if her outward body language didn't show it.

Sitting on the bar stool, the Hyuga girl watched Ino and Sakura bump hips in a silly dance while Sasuke sighed at their idiocy. Neji still stayed where he was, next to her while he drank something he said she could have until she was older. Maybe it was alcohol?

Alcohol or not she liked watching all the employees dance and laugh. It made her want to do the same, throw caution to the wind and act like no one watched. But, Hinata knew she was too shy to really put herself on the spot like that, even as Tenten beckoned her over with the other girls to play. She held up her hand to say she couldn't.

"Hinata-sama, you can go and enjoy yourself here. We are with friends." Neji touched her back like a father or mother would to their child to say 'go have fun'. She shook her violet head.

"I am having fun Neji-nii, it's fun to watch them."

"Yes, but—" she didn't here what her cousin said because Naruto popped up in front of the two with a boyish grin as he grabbed Hinata's hands.

"Come with me Hinata-chan we're gunna dance!"

"Eh?" Hinata blinked.

"Eh?" Neji caught his shy cousins cola before it hit the ground.

Neji turned back just in time to see the blond menace tug his cousin on the dance floor, with the strobe lights flashing, like a rag doll.

"Damn it Naruto don't you dare do something weird to her!"

If the silly boy heard him he made no indication of it as he pulled the frantic girl to the middle of the floor with Sakura and Ino doing their own thing.

"B-b-but I—" Hinata's pink lips stuttered. A rough finger pressed against them and she once more felt her face heat up.

"Everyone can dance Hinata-chan, just follow me."

The wasn't much else she could do at this point she supposed. She held her arms close to her chest as she watched Naruto move his own body freely, his cyan eyes held hers even as she wanted to turn away in embarrassment. Her body was as stiff as a board and then she felt his hands on her once more as he pulled her arm away from her chest.

"You gotta move Hinata-chan."

Hinata gulped as the beat of her heart sped up from his touch, but whether it was the beat of the music in her ears or her blood, she couldn't tell as another hand guided her hip to sway. Eyes grew wide and she looked down to the tan hand back to Naruto's grinning face.

Which way was up again? That silly grin without a pinch of malicious intent he wore turned her world upside down.

"That's it Hinata-chan your dancing!" His happy complement made her blink as she realized his hand had left her side while she swayed to the beat like the two other girls out of the corner of her eye. She blinked again before the sweetest smile spread across her lips as she followed her blond partner, her hand still in his joyously.

Too engrossed in her fun, Hinata never saw the happy look fade from Naruto as he spun her around.

Or a flustered Ryou holding his drink behind them.