To my fans, who've been ever so patient with me. :)

Chapter 7: I'll Protect You

Monday came pretty quickly, especially if you were Hinata and had nothing to do over the weekend. She was at her locker, taking out the books she will need in her first period class. As soon as she closed it, she saw Sasuke walk up to her. She gave a warm and friendly smile to him. He didn't seem affected by this and only continued to be emotionless.

"Sup?" he said while giving her a head nod.

She shrugged her shoulders and continued smiling, like she was a little girl with a very naughty secret. "Nothing," she replied, a hint of glee in her tone.

Sasuke was about to get a wrinkle above his brow from raising it so much, but continued anyways. "Why are you so happy?"

Again, she shrugged. "Don't know. I woke up feeling very content."

"You're not even stuttering. Are you even Hinata?" He was beginning to worry. Oh no, he thought. She's in love with me! The bitch is in love with me!

She giggled at his accusation. "Maybe. Besides, you didn't want me to stutter in the first place, remember?"

Shit, it's worse than I thought. "So you're not stuttering cause I don't want you to?"

She shook her head. "I guess I kicked the habit."

The first bell rang. "See you later, Sasuke-kun!" she said, and winked at him. Sasuke watched as Hinata was heading towards her class with Kiba and Shino. Sasuke-kun? What the hell, am I in the twilight zone right now? Am I getting punked?

"You sure like hanging around with Sasuke, don't you, Hinata?" Kiba asked her, as he saw her happy as a clam.

"I'm just generally happy right now." No one can believe she can be this happy without assuming she finally got it on with Naruto or she was on drugs.

He snorted. "Figures. You're not even stuttering."

She rolled her eyes. "Must I always stutter for e-everything?"

"Oh no wait, you're still your usual self." He chuckled.

Hinata went on to change the subject. "S-so, how long d-do you have detention for, Kiba-kun?"

He stopped chuckling and frowned. "For two weeks."

"HA." Hinata flashed a satisfying grin.

Kiba growled. "Shut up."

"See? Sh-Shino and I k-kept telling you i-it wasn't a g-good idea for you to bring Akamaru and you didn't l-listen! S-see what happens when you don't l-listen?" Hinata felt like doing a victory dance right then and there.

"I said shut up before I sick Akamaru on you!" He got out his bag and revealed Akamaru, sounding asleep in there. Hinata and Shino both smacked their foreheads.

Can't teach a dog a new trick, Hinata thought to herself. The three of them went inside their class just in time for the late bell to ring.

--

Hours later, it was lunch time. Hinata was going to Sasuke's table with a tray of food in her hand, when Kiba grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"And just where do you think you're going?" he demanded to know.

She tugged her arm back. "To S-Sasuke's table," she retorted softly.

He gave a look of disgust. "Why!? Hinata, are you gonna keep swapping tables back and forth, for the rest of your life?" He was clearly annoyed of her actions.

"Not f-for the rest of m-m-m-my life!" she defended herself. "Just until school ends."

"Gah! You know what? Go! Go sit by the cool kids of Konoha! I don't give a dog's ass anymore. Just go!"

"Kiba, calm down," Shino said, grabbing him by his shoulder. "Hinata has other friends to attend to as well."

He shrugged Shino's hand off. "Yeah, yeah, bullshit, but let me tell you one thing Hinata," -he squinted his eyes at her with the feeling of betrayal and his tone of voice changed harshly- "just remember who you're true friends are. The ones who took you in first, when those assholes only laughed at you. Just remember." He walked away without saying anything else to Hinata.

Hinata's cheerful morning turned into a bitter afternoon. She felt really heartbroken and hurt by what Kiba said. Even Shino wouldn't look at her after that. Feeling guilty and miserable, she went to Sasuke's table. She looked at the faces around her. Naruto enjoying his cup of ramen as always, Sakura staring at Sasuke and occasionally giving her a dirty glance, and Sasuke eating his lunch silently.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, acknowledging the fact she's there.

She gave a wry smile for only a second. Sasuke noticed the sadness she was portraying through her face. She looked as if she was about to cry.

"You know, there was this one person who asked if I was emo," he said, to break the tension. That seemed to catch her attention.

"Who doesn't think you're emo?" Naruto added.

Sasuke was annoyed by his interruption. "Shut up, baka, I'm telling a story."

"Your stories suck."

"Fuck off, I'm trying to get a point across this."

"No."

"Naruto, shut up and let Sasuke-kun finish his awesome story!" Sakura came in the argument. She smiled meekly at him. "Go on."

Naruto went back eating his ramen, only this time, he seemed aggravated and lost his appetite for them.

Sasuke went back to telling the story. "So ANYWAYS, before I was interrupted, I told him I was not emo. And then he tells me I act very emo-ish. I tell him it's just how I am... and then cursed him off too."

Hinata was confused at the point he was trying to make. What did this have to do with... well, anything besides people assuming he's emo? Everyone thought that!

"And you know what his comeback was?"

She listened carefully.

He flashed a quick smile. "He said 'cheer up emo.'" He was staring at Hinata the whole time. Hinata still didn't understand the point he got across.

Did he just call me emo?

Naruto gave an obnoxious yawn. "Boring. That sucked big time."

Sakura held on to Sasuke as if he was a golden trophy she won at some difficult competition. "I thought the guy was an idiot. You're not emo! I mean, what the fuck kind of lame comeback is that? Cheer up emo? Even my grandmother could've came up with better comebacks...."

While she kept blabbing on and on about her grandmother and witty comebacks, Sasuke was directing his focus on Hinata the whole time. Hinata had her attention focused on him as well, and they both were staring at each other. He flashed a small, subtle smile that lasted for a very long time. Hinata, embarrassed at the his expression, looked away with blush on her cheeks. And at the moment, she finally figured out what Sasuke was telling her.

Cheer up, emo.

--

The last class of the day and Hinata was wandering around the hallways, not speaking to anyone, nor walking with anyone to her last class. All she could think about was Kiba and Shino and how much of a horrible friend she was being to them. She didn't want to lose them, and she wished she could explain EVERYTHING to them. However, she also didn't want to include them in all this mess, so there was only one thing she could do. Break the ice with Sasuke. If being his girl friend met losing the people she loved and cared about, she didn't want to take anymore chances.

As soon as that period ended, she went right to Sasuke's locker.

"Um, Sasuke?" Her head hung low and her palms became sweaty. A big lump formed in her throat.

"Yeah?"

She tried getting the words out of her mouth, but realized it was much harder than she thought it would be. "I.... I...."

"You....?" He awaited anxiously. Oh no. She's gonna tell me she's in love with me. That's why she's fidgeting with her thumbs! No, no, no, no, no! That was too quick. Why did I have to be so fuckable, why!?

She took a deep breath and then just said it. "I don't wanna be your friend anymore."

"I don't feel the same way," Sasuke said at the same time Hinata confessed she didn't want to be his friend anymore.

"What?" they both said altogether.

"Wait... what did you say?" Sasuke asked her first.

Hinata took another deep breath. "I don't want to be your friend anymore."

"Oh." He took a sigh of relief. Wait, that's still not good either. "Why?"

"B-Because it's dr-driving me and my friends ap-part!" she admitted. "It was r-really n-nice to have been hanging out w-with you," she continued. "B-B-But I do-don't think we should continue this if I'm gonna l-lose them too."

At first, Sasuke didn't know what to say. Until he heard people screaming and he could only shout, "RUN!"

"What?" He took her by the hand and started running with her. There were lots of students running and screaming their heads off. They heard gunshots that were coming closer. This frightened Hinata a great deal as soon as she found out what was going on. Gun shooting!? Oh no, Neji-nii! She was shaking so much, it seemed like she was having a seizure.

"Would ya stop shaking!?" he yelled at her and looked around. There was a closet ten feet away from them. He ran with Hinata as fast as he could and opened it. He went inside with her, then closed it with the lock. He pulled the string of the rope dangling at the air and light came on. Hinata was breathing heavily.

"We're gonna die," she whispered while sobbing softly, "we're gonna die."

Sasuke silenced her with his hand. "We're not gonna die," he reassured her sternly. They heard more screaming and more gunshots getting closer. "Okay, we are gonna die." This caused Hinata to bury her face in her hands and cry. "God, you're such a crybaby. Why can't you calm down? So what if we might? Do you want to spend your last minutes like this!?"

"Th-then w-w-what d-d-do you th-think we should d-d-do?" Hinata said through sobs.

Sasuke had an idea, but felt compelled not to do it. "I don't know," he lied. "What would you do if you had a boy in a closet with you while awaiting death to come and take you both?"

Hinata shrugged and sobbed even more. "I d-d-don't kn-know!" She threw herself to Sasuke and sobbed on his dark blue t-shirt.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. "I have maybe one idea..."

"Sasuke, we c-can't do th-that!"

"What?" He thought for a second. "No! Not that! I mean something else..."

She looked up at him. "L-like what?"

He bit his lip. "Well...." It got quiet. Real quiet. He looked down at Hinata, with the calmest expression Hinata has ever seen on him. How can he be so relaxed at a time like this?

He touched her face with his hands, closed his eyes, and kissed her gently.

Hinata was shocked at the gesture. This was her second kiss, since her first was already taken by Kiba when they both were experimenting as kids. She couldn't believe what he was doing. His lips felt so dry and cold, like no one's ever kissed him. She didn't know how to react at this.

When he stopped, his lips parted from hers slowly. His eyes was still closed. She smells like vanilla, he thought to himself. Her lips felt warm and moist and her skin was soft under his touch.

There was a knock on the door. They both were silent.

"Open up!" A familiar voice came. "It's Jiraiya!" Ah, yes. The perverted vice principal.

Sasuke unlocked the door. Jiraiya opened it and noticed how red Hinata's face was. "Am I interrupting something here?" he questioned with sexual intentions.

"Is it safe to come out yet?" Sasuke asked, checking out the hallways.

Jiraiya nodded his head. "The police came here as soon as possible. They arrested the brats that started the school shooting. Fortunately, no one is dead. Only injured though."

Hinata sighed with relief. "Oh thank God."

"Indeed, Miss Hyuga. It's safe to come out now. Unless," he flashed a perverted grin, "you both aren't finished with what you were... doing...."

Hinata and Sasuke both looked at each other. "We're gonna get out of here," Sasuke said.

"Oh well. Your loss." He left them both alone.

There was an uncomfortable and awkward silence between the two. They both began walking through the hallways and noticed an ambulance picking up injured students. They didn't look fatal and it was safe to say they probably weren't going to die as well.

They left the school and noticed many ambulance and police cars. They walked past that and went walking towards wherever they were going. Hinata was happy that she left alive and didn't have to worry about others being dead, although she was still concerned if anyone she loved was injured. Sasuke was somewhat content as well he left out alive.

"Listen," Sasuke broke the silence, "I only did that because I thought we were gonna die. And I thought I was doing you a favor."

"Favor?"

"Yeah, favor. I thought... you were....."-he scratched the back of his head-"falling in love with me...."

Hinata lifted both eyebrows. "W-What made you think that?"

"Because you seemed so happy this morning," he answered. "And you didn't stutter. And I thought it was because of Saturday..."

Hinata chuckled. "I'm not in l-love with you s-silly..."

"Yeah, I realized that when you didn't kiss me back, ha." He turned to another topic. "So you said you didn't want to be my friend anymore?"

"A-Actually, I change my mind."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Y-You made sure I w-was s-safe when that was happening. You r-really are a true friend. And I d-do love you. B-But, you know, I'm n-not in love with you."

Sasuke, for once, flashed a true genuine smile at her. "Thanks." They stopped at intersecting pathways.

"S-So, I'll see you t-tomorrow?" Hinata asked, as she's walking backwards to her home.

"It's a date," Sasuke teased.

Hinata knew this time he was joking. "Alright, b-bye Sasuke-chan."

"Later." And with that, she ran back to her home.

Leaving Sasuke standing there alone, not wanting her to go away.

Sorry Sasuke was acting so disgustingly OOC here! Thought I'd reward you people for not writing for almost like... forever.. xD I promise I'll have him back to his cold, sarcastic self in future chapters! Thank you for reading, please review! :)