Hinata always walked to school.
Always.
Rain, snow, sleet, or shine, the young heiress could be seen navigating through the Hyuuga neighborhood to the main road that lead to her high school.
Even when she would oversleep and arrive to her first class about fifteen minutes late with uncombed hair and mismatched socks.
Even when Neji and Hanabi (and later just Hanabi when Neji left to study abroad) would be driven to the same school in a posh luxury car; warm, and dry, and safe.
(They had long given up asking her to ride with them)
Even when her father would shake his head in disapproval, even when the elders would whisper that the eldest was such a strange girl, always acting like a poor commoner, a nobody.
Even….Even when it didn't matter anymore because he never noticed her anyways. At least, not the way she wanted him to notice her.
Hinata shook her head a little to rid herself of such negative thoughts. So he didn't like her back, so what? She just wanted to bask in the warm radiance that was Naru-
"Oi, hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled out and waved one hand frantically. Sakura stopped mid-sentence and turned to see who Naruto was waving at but Sasuke kept walking, not even breaking his stride.
"A-ah, Hello N-Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan." Hinata replied in return, her pale skin already warming into a red blush. She quickly caught up with them and smiled shyly in greeting.
"Hinata-chan, did you understand the math homework? I was totally lost." Naruto asked, scratching his head sheepishly.
"No surprise there. How do you even pass the class, dobe?" Sasuke asked.
"Don't take advantage of Hinata, it's your fault for sleeping in class," Sakura said, hitting Naruto on the head with her satchel.
"Owwww, Sa-ku-ra-chaaaaan, that hurts!" Naruto whined uselessly.
Hinata lightly laughed at their antics which drew the dark Uchila eyes on her.
At first he wondered why the Hyuuga Princess insisted on walking with them but then he saw how her pale eyes never left Naruto, how her blush was only for him. It was similar to the way Sakura looked at him.
Pathetic.
But there had to be another reason. It's true that she had other friends but these days she primarily tagged along with "Team 7" as they were know at school.
Hinata felt a chill and looked away from Sakura and Naruto's squabble to see Sasuke staring rather intently at her. She froze, unused to his attention but her proper breeding overtook her fear.
"Y-yes, Uchila-san?" She asked politely.
"Why are you here?" he asked bluntly.
Hinata blinked in surprise before blushing again, "A-ano I-we go to t-the same school and I walk the same way so…"
He just stared at her impassively and just with that one look she knew he knew she was lying. He had reached a sense of harmony with the other two and didn't appreciate a stranger disrupting the flow, no matter who it was. She wasn't like Ino or Gaara, who would hang around them once and a while and then leave. She was with them all the time now.
"L-Lonely. I was lonely," she whispered. Thankfully Naruto and Sakura were a little ahead and no chance of overhearing Hinata's quite voice.
"That makes no sense. You have your family." Sasuke retorted with a little more heat in his voice. She had the one thing he would never have and would never appreciate it as much as she could.
She thought of the cold halls of the Hyuuga mansion, the pale eyes that watched her every move, waiting for her to fall, the sting of pain every time her father ignored her for Hanabi.
He watched her collect her thoughts, noticed as she stood up a little straighter and looked him in the eye to answer his question. They both, unknowingly, slowed their pace to the point where Naruto and Sakura (still discussing math class) were at quite the distance now.
"My f-family will never accept me for who I am, "she said and tightened her grip on her satchel. "I refuse to change for them, to mold into the heiress they want. If t-they cannot accept me for who I am, t-then I will go to those who will."
Her eyes were fierce as she gave her little speech as if daring him to argue but towards the end, they softened and looked towards the direction of a certain blonde.
Sasuke gave her a small smirk, "So you do have fight in you."
Hinata blinked at him and then blushed a painful red. Did she really just snap at him? Thankfully no one else heard but still!
"Ah ano, what I mean is- that is-S-sorry."
He didn't smile at her or ruffle her hair or any other friendly gesture that Shino or Kiba were prone to around her. They walked in silence, catching up with the louder pair and let their inane chatter fill the suddenly awkward void. But when the four of them reached Kohana High and split off towards their classes, he tossed a careless "See you at lunch, Hyuuga," over his shoulder. Hinata stopped mid step and flushed with pleasure at his acceptance.
"S-see you, Uchiha-san, "she whispered before hurrying off, grateful for the bustle of the students, for they hid her blush.