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Thanks for making my day, cuties.

Disclaimer: I like, hardcore don't own Naruto. Not even a little. I wish I owned Naruto. And Sasuke. And Kakashi. Especially Sasuke and Kakashi. And Neji 3

Without further ado, I give you Chapter Three!

Though his lids were completely closed, Neji still managed to roll his eyes, annoyed by the tapping noise his cousin was making on the wood finished doors of the limousine. She had begun rapping her manicured nails on the siding ever since they left the school, and he'd just about had his fill. In order to distract her, Neji decided to strike a conversation.

"Hinata-sama, what's on your mind?" He sighed as he saw her fidget at the heaviness of his question; he could tell that she was carefully choosing her words in her mind. She's still the same as ever, he thought. He then attempted to help her out, like he always did, by asking her if she met any people that she could see herself befriending soon. His younger kin flushed at his question as a series of faces flashed through her mind.

"Ano... there's Naruto-kun..." her faced flushed at her mentioning of his name, much to her cousin's disgust. Neji could see that the Uzumaki brat had left a good impression on his innocent, easily pleased cousin. Though Uzumaki Naruto had not necessarily done anything personal to him, he still felt that Hinata didn't belong with his crowd. He was loud. He was a total idiot (literally an idiot; he's making all C's). And he didn't hang around the best people. His best friend was the school asshole, Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha. Sasuke. Just thinking of the name "Uchiha" makes me want to gag, Neji thought as Hinata continued to list new acquaintances she had come across. If there was anyone Neji disliked more than Naruto, it was definitely Sasuke. Neji doesn't consider himself bitter towards the Uchiha; he respected the fact that he was smarter than him, earning the highest marks in class. He just hated his attitude. Though Neji himself could be considered cold, and unfriendly, Sasuke was nearly ten times as worse. The Uchiha had a certain "I know I'm the shit, let me hear it for me," air about him that just did not sit well with Neji. Such a boy, with a cynical demeanor and conceited, hurtful way towards others would most likely destroy the rare, timid nature possessed by Hinata. Hinata, in more ways than one was very much like the whitest of roses. The pale, Hyuuga eyes symbolize the innocence and superiority she should have above others; the dark, vile darkness lying within the searing Uchiha stare could only cause contamination and utter disaster. Some things just shouldn't mix... and the way the Uchiha looked at her earlier... He thought no one witnessed the disgusting shade of pink that scarred his cheeks while they had a staring match... I will NOT allow him to make her into a plaything of sorts, nor will I allow her to become some crazed fan-girl... Neji was quickly snapped out of his thoughts as Hinata sent him a genuine smile, full of familial love and complete contentment. Neji smiled back halfheartedly, still deep in thought about the Uchiha problem. Neji shook himself out of his angst filled stupor, feeling foolish for taking a "big brother" type approach towards his young cousin. He knew he was overprotective, but she needed protection; living in a sheltered home constantly surrounded by guards and high gates of the Hyuuga compound did not allow Hinata to learn the woes of love, popularity (or the lack there of) and the dangers of brooding, self-centered boys. For once, the Hyuuga name had caused damage to it's carrier; because of the prestigious title, Hinata has always been isolated from other people outside of her family, let alone people her age. Neji had suggested that her father, Hiashi, allow her to experience life at South Konoha High in order to further develop her social skills. Though he was happy at his eagerness to move her to his school, Neji now regretted it, for he did not consider the colorful characters she would be constantly surrounded by. Neji clenched his fists as Hinata began tapping the door of the limousine, causing his deep thoughts to cease realizing that they had arrived at his—now THEIR home. His piercing white eyes danced with amusement as Hinata gawked at the size of his miniature mansion.

"I-isn't this a bit much? I know my father wanted us to live comfortably once together, but... this is a l-little much, ne?" Hinata's brow soon furrowed deeply as seven bodyguards quickly surrounded the entrance to their large home, making sure the entrance was clear. Neji smiled as Hinata slowly made her way into the door way, turning around in a full circle to take in all of the beautiful Terra-cotta handrails and sculpture that garnished the pale, off-white walls.

"I thought you'd be accustomed to living in such a home Hinata-sama," Neji said blandly, taking off his school jacket and shoes. "It's not as big as you think, there's just an abundant amount of windows. Don't worry, you won't get lost like you used to at the compound". Neji let out a small laugh as Hinata quickly turned around, raven hair wrapping around her shoulders and red blush covering the entirety of her face.

"I didn't get lost Neji-nii! I was a little kid... I was j-just exploring!... I didn't think you'd remember that..." She smiled while thoughts of her childhood swept through her mind. Neji had been the only one around her that did not pressure her into being the perfect "princess" that most company CEO's preferred to have as daughters. She could be herself and not worry about being reprimanded and trained like a show animal around him. He had sheltered her from that, and she could see that he still hadn't changed. He saved her from suffering yet another year by suggesting the transfer to South Konoha High, and for that she was grateful. "Neji?"

Neji, who had been showing the bodyguards to the rooms surrounding Hinata's, quirked an auburn eyebrow in response to his name. "Hmm?"

"Thank you... I f-finally feel free... I think I'm going to like it here". Neji smiled warmly at his cousin and childhood best friend, mentally vowing to protect her from getting the kindness and sincerity she always exhibited taken away from her. He began to go upstairs, mentally and physically exhausted from the long day, stopping midway to answer back to Hinata.

"I think you're going to like it here too".

The only sound being made in the tiny apartment Sasuke shared with Naruto was the bubbling of the hot stove-top ramen. Sasuke sat on one end of the small kitchen table, diligently doing the English homework assigned by Kurenai-Sensei during English Literature class. He gathered his jet black eyebrows in frustration, attempting to decode the Sonnet he was assigned to analyze:

Sonnet 61 by Petrarca

Oh blessed be the day, the month, the year,

The season and the time, the hour, the instant,

The gracious country side, the place where I was,

Struck by those two lovely eyes that bound me;

and blessed be the first sweet agony

I felt when I found myself bound to Love,

The bow and all the arrows that have pierced me,

the wounds that reach the bottom of my heart.

And blessed be all of the poetry I scattered, calling out my lady's name,

and all the sighs, and tears, and the desire;

Blessed be all the paper upon which I earn her fame,

and every thought of mine,

only of her, and shared with no one else.

Sasuke read the words over and over again, failing to understand the meaning after each reading. He suddenly pushed the poem away, too frustrated to make another attempt. All of this talk of "love". Is it even emotion that could be defined? This is all so stupid, Sasuke thought, getting up from his chair to go inform Naruto that his ramen was ready. It's as if Kurenai-Sensei knew of his internal struggle when she assigned him this idiotic, confusing, sonnet. How am I supposed to understand this shit? I'm not an old Italian poet. And I'm not in love. Never been in love. And will never be in love. He sighed, as he contemplated going to the library before class tomorrow, in attempt to do research that would held him understand the poem. Sasuke sighed longingly as he recalled the first few words of the poem: "Oh blessed be the day, the month, the year, the season and the time, the hour the instant, the gracious country side, the place where I was; Struck by those two lovely eyes that bound me". He swallowed hard and fought a losing battle with the heat finding its way onto his cheeks, as he was instantly reminded of the subtle, stunning beauty of Hyuuga Hinata. I'll never forget today... time seemed to pause, everything around us was became frozen when I met her... The "gracious country side"... that could be the sakura blossoms falling around her; they made her pale skin even paler, and they matched her beautiful blush perfectly... And her eyes... those EYES... those "two lovely eyes that bound me"... He quickly dismissed his thoughts, realizing that he had walked from the kitchen to the dobe's room. He looked over his shoulders in a paranoid manner, as if someone could have seen his flushed cheeks and read his Hyuuga-filled thoughts.

He stood at the doorway of blonde's room and knocked firmly upon the redwood door. He was NOT about to step inside. He pushed the door open roughly and merely looked around the cluttered, overly-orange room, in search of a glimpse of blonde hair beneath heaps of dirty clothes and scattered papers. Spotting his friend sprawled out across his bed, Sasuke began to speak loudly, just in case he was asleep.

"Hey DOBE!" Naruto sat up with a start, a long line of drool connecting his whiskered cheek to his orange and black pillow.

"Wha-WHA? Huh? Oh," he replied, calming down and squinting towards his doorway. "Is that you, Teme?" Rubbing his eyes, Naruto stood up groggily, vision still blurred from his short, intense sleep. Sasuke rolled his eyes, walking away from the doorway as Naruto stumbled and tripped over clothes in his room, heading straight towards the kitchen.

"No," Sasuke said coolly, a bit of amusement in his voice. "It's your precious Hinata-chan". Sasuke was surprised to hear the dobe laugh at his smart comeback; he expected the dobe to get mad at his sarcasm like he always did.

"That makes sense! I always thought you were secretly a little petite girl, always pouting and moaning about something! You aren't nearly as cute as Hina-chan though!" Naruto laughed, completely ignoring the angry emotions that caused Sasuke's facade to become contorted and covered with disgust and embarrassment. "Speaking of Hinata-chan... you never answered my question". Sitting back down at the table, Sasuke looked down at his pile of homework, avoiding direct contact with the dobe's all-knowing cerulean eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about".

"Sure you do," Naruto replied, slamming his bowl of ramen down onto the table right next to Sasuke, splashing Sasuke's slightly annotated poem with chicken-flavored ramen juices. Sasuke wrinkled his long, pale nose in disgust, wiping the excess liquid away from his paper and wincing as Naruto sat backwards in his chair, his tan whiskered face just inches away from his. "So tell me."

"I answered you. I said 'ehh', Dobe. So you're stupid AND you have bad memory. Sucks to be you, ne?"

"Bastard, I thought you didn't know what I was talking about! How would you know what you answered? Now tell me! What do you think of Hinata-chan?" Sasuke mentally scolded himself as he considered possible answers for the dobe's heated question. Damn, how'd I let him get control in this conversation? Oh well, fuck it... Better give him an answer. What DO I think of Hinata-chan? And WHY does HE want to know? He has his precious Sakura-chan, does he not? Hmmm... Sasuke frowned as he turned away from his homework, looking directly into Naruto's eyes, making sure his own obsidian eyes were void of emotion. Naruto stared back eagerly while stuffing his face with a nonstop flow of deep yellow noodles.

"Why do you want to know? What do YOU think of the Hyuuga girl?" Satisfied with his rebuttal, Sasuke sat back into his chair, crossing his arms and tilting his head slightly, giving off the impression that he was seriously intrigued with the dobe's reasoning. He felt his chest tighten up with a pang of anger as Naruto pulled his fork away from his face, raising his right hand behind his head and laughing, a light pink blush covering his cheeks, similar to how a pink blush covered the face of the beauty in question.

"Well, er—she's SO cute. And she's really sweet. Did you see how she smiled and blushed the WHOLE time I was talking? And she didn't even push me away or anything... Teme... I think she has the hots for me. Don't you think so? She seems pretty cute right?" Naruto looked up, shocked to see the cold expression still etched onto Sasuke's face. So he likes her too, huh, Naruto thought. He doesn't even have to say it. This could be interesting. A smirk made it's way onto his face as Sasuke turned away from him, arms still crossed across his body.

"N-nani? YOU? A beautiful girl like HER with the likes of YOU? Don't make me laugh dobe! What about the pink-haired girl? I thought you were hell bent on being with her, ne? Don't go near Hinata, dobe!" Sasuke snarled towards his roommate, his expression quickly changing from anger to shock as he realized the words he just said. Fuuuuuuck, Sasuke thought, slowly standing up and backing away from the small wooden kitchen table. He brought his hands to his face, covering the deep red-violet blush that now adorned his porcelain skin, eyes wide and racing as he looked toward Naruto, who was now dawning a Cheshire cat-esque grin. He knows. He knows. Fuck! I gotta clean this up somehow. But how? Ugh this is bad... Sasuke quickly straightened up, coughing and clearing his throat as he rid himself of his childish display of embarrassment. "Don't go near her because... because I want to play around with her. Did you see the way she looked at me? I've never had a girl turn away. I'll teach her a lesson she's never gotten in her 'Princess 101' training. She won't know what hit her".

Naruto, furrowed his blonde brows, feeling a sudden hatred towards Sasuke for wanting to crush the happy, kindred spirit Hinata harnessed. Remembering Sasuke's initial answer to his question, Naruto smirked and scoffed, knowing that Sasuke was merely bluffing in attempt to hide his true emotions. Naruto was considered to be the boy's best friend for a reason; he could see through the front Sasuke constantly put up and could understand why the isolated Uchiha felt the need to hide his true intentions from everyone.

Displaying his emotions and wearing his heart on his sleeve had lead Sasuke to depression just two years ago. Two years ago, Sasuke's older brother Uchiha Itachi moved out of their home while Sasuke was away at school, claiming that such a drastic change would force him into growing up and getting over the loss of their parents. Being the youngest and most connected with his parents and being accustomed to the idea of family, Sasuke was hit hard when they were suddenly taken away from him. Itachi only added insult to injury, severing the only tie his younger brother had to the Uchiha clan. Sasuke was isolated and did not speak for months, staying his old, powerless home until the landlord asked him to leave. Naruto knew of Sasuke's situation, and sympathized with him. He too had been shaken by death early on in age,but was fortunate enough to be left with a decent apartment, and was in search of a roommate. He asked Sasuke to join him, in attempt to turn his life around and aid him in returning to his old self, because everyone deserves to be happy, despite any tribulations and obstacles thrown into one's life. Sasuke accepted, and has slowly begun the recovery process. Though Naruto cared deeply for the well-being of his friend, he also felt a slight feeling of envy towards him. Sasuke was everything in life that Naruto wanted to be, and unknowingly had everything Naruto wanted in life. He was smart. Cool. Handsome. And he managed to capture the attention of the most beautiful (well, ONE of the most beautiful) girls in class, Haruno Sakura. Sasuke was fortunate to have all of these attributes come naturally to him while he had to work hard to attain these things, with little to no success over his high school career. Naruto finished his ramen, and stood up, walking towards the frozen Uchiha with an evil grin on his face. As much as he loved Sasuke as a brother, he could not allow him to have everything he wanted in life. Something's got to give, Naruto thought.

And I won't go down without a fight.

Daaaahh! Naruto VS. Sasuke! Who shall win?

Hehe, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter :)

I think it's my longest one for this story! :

I hope ya'll didn't mind the whole Hinata/Neji half. I had to establish their relationship some kind of way, I just hope it wasn't too long, or too shitty.

And I really didn't want for it to seem NejiHina-ish. Sorry if it did! I like that pairing okay, but it does NOT fit in this fanfic at ALL.

Oh! And I don't own that poem I used! It's called Sonnet 61 by Francesco Petrarca. It was written in the 1300s, and I believe it was in his book of poems dedicated to/about his true love Laura titled Rime in Vita E morta di Madonna Laura (ca. 1327). I thought it kind of fit this story since Sasuke felt that, time like, stood still when he first laid eyes on Hinata!

There will be a SasuHina reaction soon, and a little competition between the teme and the dobe in the next chapter!

Until next time, my sweets! :)

Read and review, cuties!

Love love love love love you guys!