~*Chapter Four: That Special Girl*~

Whomever dreams of happiness, even a girl who bears the weight of reality, will surely realize it someday...

"Good morning, Uzumaki-kun," came a meek voice from behind. "How's your injury?" Hinata inquired with concern. Naruto's hand reached up and touched the gauze wrapped around his head gingerly. The gentle look on her face made him squirm, and he felt a flush creep up his neck.

"I-it's okay," he stammered, his tongue strangely numb.

"That's good." Hinata nodded with a smile, and she stepped towards him. She continued to walk forward and Naruto almost thought that she was going to approach him directly, but then she walked right passed him without any hesitation. At this he felt... Disappointed.

Naruto frowned a little. Hinata greeted her other female friends. Ino watched it all with narrowed eyes. Sakura walked up with a clipboard in hand, taking attendance. She stopped in front of her blonde friend and cocked a brow at the odd look on his face. Inwardly, Naruto has having a silent panic attack about what he was about to do. Surely lending someone a CD wasn't a big deal, but why did he feel so nervous about it? Just suck it up and do it already, he told himself.

"Ah..." He cleared his throat to gain Hinata's attention, but she remained oblivious. Naruto grew antsier with each passing moment, nearly suffocating in the awkwardness.

"H-Hinata..." he tried again, but his voice came out as a mere grumble. The blonde hid his face in his hands, feeling that he had brought stupidity a new level. Why can't I talk to her?! Sakura watched with interest but said nothing.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, Naruto wants to talk to you." The pinkette murmured quietly as she walked passed the other girl, who looked around in surprise. Naruto slumped in his desk as he inwardly beat himself up, not noticing the girl approaching him from behind.

"Uzumaki-kun?"

"Eh? Oh, Hinata! Uh..." He was both ecstatic and horrified to find that Hinata had sought him out on her own. Perhaps there was a God after all...

"Sakura-chan said you wanted to speak to me." Hinata replied. Ah, so Sakura was the holy being that gave him this opportunity. Figures, he inwardly grumbled. Though he wasn't quite sure if he should be thanking her or cursing her at the moment.

"Right, right," he trailed off before pulling the CD out of his coat pocket and thrusting it at her. "You can borrow this, if you'd like. The song you said you like is track five." Hinata took the disc with care and inspected it thoughtfully. Sakura, who was curiously watching from the other side of the room, froze when she saw the CD.

"It's track six."

"Eh? It is?!" Naruto asked, embarrassed at his mistake.

"Yup," she nodded.

"How did you now?" he inquired uncertainly.

"Oh, I have this CD too." she explained with a polite smile, and Naruto fiercely resisted the urge to slap his own forehead. Of course she has it already! Why didn't I think of that? I'm such an idiot!

"But I left it at my parent's house when I left... May I borrow this?" Hinata asked meekly, and Naruto blinked.

"Yeah, return it whenever..." He assured, pleased at the way things had turned out.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" Kiba interjected cheerfully, and Hinata gasped in surprise... Then she fled on instinct.

"Whoa, she's fast..." the brunette marveled, and Naruto scowled at the interruption.

"She wouldn't have ran off if you hadn't sneaked up on us like that," the blonde sulked.

"Oh yeah? And why is that? She was talking to you just fine, but with any other guy she runs away or faints." Kiba pouted, rubbing his chin with a hand in puzzlement. Naruto opened his mouth to retort when his friend's words caught up to him.

"Is that true?" he asked, and Kiba nodded.

"Yeah, even though you said she was a pass. How odd." Naruto mused over this for the rest of the day, unaware of the set of intelligent green eyes studying his form and the blazing blue ones glaring daggers at Hinata.

At the end of the day, Hinata went to her locker where all of her things were kept to retrieve her outside shoes. Pulling off her slippers, she replaced them with her other pair before putting her homework in her bag. As she placed various books inside she reached into her locker to grab the CD that Uzumaki-kun had been kind enough to let her borrow. She opened the case and checked the CD for scratches when she noticed the writing inside.

"Happy birthday... Dobe." she murmured to herself in confusion. So the CD had been a birthday gift to Uzumaki-kun, but why would the person giving it to him call him a dobe? Odd, she mused. Though Hinata was curious, she decided she wouldn't pry. People had their private issues, after all, and she certainly wouldn't appreciate if someone were to pry into her business...

Hinata was about to put the CD away safely in her bag when she felt a piece of paper on the backside. She flipped it over to reveal a sticky-note taped in place. Aren't you not good with guys? It was hard to read, given the messy penmanship. She concluded that it was a male's handwriting, and given the situation at hand it was from Uzumaki-kun. She wondered what the note meant, thinking carefully. It seemed her fear of men was obvious, and while she was embarrassed it appeared that Uzumaki-kun was... Concerned? The note wasn't asking her if she was good with boys, she realized. Rather, it was silently asking why she was interacting with him considering her fear. Hinata thought for a bit and realized that she did treat Uzumaki-kun differently than the others... Why was that? She wasn't so sure.

Flipping the sticky-note over, she dug a pen out of her bag and began to write.

At the end of the day, Naruto also went to his locker to gather his things. Kiba trailed behind him dutifully, chatting about random gossip that Naruto didn't really bother listening to. Shoving his homework in his bag begrudgingly, he wondered how long he'd have to work at the restaurant that day. Hopefully there would be time for training after everything was done. While it was true that he had gotten up early in the morning for that specific purpose, Naruto believed that you could never get too much training in one day. Maybe he could squeeze in some time before bed.

"Hey Naruto, hurry up!" Kiba called from the doorway, having already gathered his things.

"I'm coming, hang on," the blonde said, pulling on his shoes. He nudged his locker shut with an elbow before turning towards his brunette friend. As he took his first step, he felt something crinkle in his shoe. Is there paper in my shoe?

"Kiba, you can go on ahead, I've got to shake out my shoes." Naruto sat on the floor as Kiba shrugged.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then." the brunette waved before leaving. Naruto pulled his left shoe off and held it upside down, but only a few pebbles fell out. Putting it back on, he tried his other shoe. When a small sticky-note fluttered out he plucked it out of the air. Thanks for the CD. Uzumaki-kun is special. Naruto stared at it for a long time, wondering if someone was pulling a prank or... If Hinata had really written it. I'm... Special? What kind of answer is that? And what does it mean? He couldn't keep his mind off the note the whole way home.

"Naruto, I have to go out to run some errands. Manage the restaurant while I'm gone. Sakura is here to help." Tsunade ordered as she walked through the door, which was still open from when Naruto entered.

"Okay..." he answered to the empty air. Sakura was inside washing her hands, getting ready to work. He pulled on his apron and bandana before washing his hands as well, drying them off with a stray towel.

"So Baa-chan dragged you into working too, eh?" Naruto jabbed at his longtime friend. Sakura rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"No, Naruto. Unlike you, I actually enjoy helping out."

"Really? I figured you'd rather be reading textbooks or writing essays for fun on your free time." he grumbled, earning a hard jab in the ribs by her elbow.

"And I thought you'd rather be training and neglecting your studies, like the meat-head you are." she snapped, giving him a warning glance. He merely smirked before getting to work.

"Here, the B-set meal is ready," Naruto informed a while later, handing the plate to his apron-clad classmate. She took it and eyed him quizzically.

"You seem to be in a good mood today." Sakura observed, and Naruto looked up at her from his cooking.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you've been humming all night. And it's been the same song..." she trailed off.

"Oh." he simply said, unsure of what to say. She looked at him for a moment, as if to say something, before she abruptly walked away with the plate in hand. That song... And that CD... Sakura bit her bottom lip and shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts her mind was about to delve into.

Naruto flipped the contents of the wok over the stove expertly, his mind also far away. Am I happy? Why am I happy? ...Is it because Hinata called me special? Firstly, what do you even mean by special? Huh? What do you mean, Hinata?

He decided he would get to the bottom of this the next day.

It seemed that whenever Naruto sought out Hinata, he could never find her. Or, when he did happen to find her, he couldn't approach her for various reasons.

"There she is," he murmured to himself, at his first attempt to approach her. She had her back to him, dressed in her P.E. clothes and washing her hands. He opened his mouth to speak when his voice died in his throat. Er, this isn't a good time...

The second time he saw her, Naruto was determined to speak up. She was walking down the hallway and he automatically trailed behind her without noticing just where Hinata was going. He was just about to follow her into girls' bathroom when he noticed the sign on the door, and he quickly ran away in horror before anyone could witness his mishap. This isn't a good place!

"You said that Hyūga Hinata was a pass, so why are you so worried about her?" Naruto turned to see the blonde girl leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Ino... When did I say-"

"You said it!" she interrupted, some of her anger slipping out. Naruto thought back and, with a jolt, realized she was right. But that had been a while ago, before he knew...

"You heard that?" he squeaked quietly, afraid someone else would overhear.

"You can hear everything in that class," she informed, voice just as low.

"Oh. Well, I'm not really worried about her..." he claimed, gazing out the window.

"Look me in the eye when you talk to me." she snapped. Naruto turned and looked at her, taking in her appearance. If it's Ino, then I can talk to her and touch her easily. He reached up and brushed a stray blonde lock of hair behind her ear as if to prove the point. Ino and Hinata are both women, so they should feel the same... Right? She did not resist when he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He stood quietly, thinking, as Ino's heart fluttered from their close proximity. ...But it's just not the same.

"I'm going home," Naruto said, releasing her without another word. She covered her blushing face with her shaky hands, overjoyed, and Naruto walked away, painfully oblivious. I'll try to talk to Hinata again tomorrow. Maybe casually at lunch or something. Perhaps quietly when she's alone...

"Uzumaki-kun?" Naruto just about jumped out of his skin at the sound of the familiar, meek voice calling out his name. He turned to see the smiling girl with his CD in hand.

"Thanks for the CD. You can have it back now."

"Eh? I said you could borrow it as long as you'd like... Well, okay." he conceded, taking back the CD. I can't even speak to her like a normal person. Why is that?

"I'm leaving now, see you tomorrow."

"Why did you say that I'm special?" he blurted out fortuitously, and Hinata blinked in surprise. Even though I should understand girls, I just don't get her...

"Uzumaki-kun... Before, in the classroom, you said that I was the only girl you would pass on." she said quietly, and Naruto felt his heart hammer painfully. In that moment, the regret and shame was stifling.

"You... You heard that?" he asked miserably, and she nodded.

"I really am bad with boys, but you've been nothing but nice to me. I know that you don't see me as a woman, and that's why I'm not afraid of you." It's because you don't frighten me. Her silent words went unspoken. "And that's why you're special." she finished with a surprisingly bright smile.

Naruto felt extremely conflicted, and even disappointed. She's not afraid of me, but I bet she would be if I did something completely unreasonable. He imagined grabbing her roughly, pushing her against the wall to kiss her fiercely. If I did something like that, she'd definitely be afraid of me. She'd cry. She'd hate me. He felt inexplicably angry at her reasoning, despite her smile.

"Uzumaki-kun?" she asked uncertainly, and he clenched his hands in fists. If I laid even a single finger on her, she would break. After all, I know perfectly well just how wounded she really is.

"I know everything, Hinata. Your secret..." he started, but she seemed oblivious.

"Of course. You're my one and only, best male friend." Hinata said ecstatically, and Naruto felt all his previous anger melt away from the look of utter happiness on her face. "We saved the baby together, and we like the same song..." she continued, and Naruto sunk to the floor in defeat.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked with concern, kneeling down next to him. He ran his hands through his unruly blonde locks. I'm happy... Yet I'm so sad. It hurts...

"Uzumaki-kun?" she asked with worry. Rape, pregnancy, abortion, childbirth... This girl in front of me who tries to hide her wounds.

"...I'm sorry." Naruto apologized solemnly. Hinata blinked in surprise.

"What for?" she inquired. He clenched his jaw, no longer angry at her but nonetheless conflicted with the situation at hand. I can't take another step.

Ino walked cheerfully down the hall, a slight bounce in her step. As she passed the classroom she noticed the pink-haired class president inside, bent over working on paperwork.

"Hey Sakura, do you know where Naruto-kun is?" Ino cooed, and Sakura scowled.

"Do you seriously like him? Honestly?" she asked guardedly. While she and Ino weren't exactly enemies, they weren't particularly friends either. Though she wasn't a judgmental person usually, Sakura didn't want that kind of girl around her idiotic best friend.

"Well, obviously! We are dating, after all." Ino gushed, and Sakura blinked in disbelief...

"What?!"

A/N: I do not own the characters of "Naruto", nor do I own the plot of "Bitter Virgin" (though I have made changes and will be making more later on).

Do any of you like GaaSaku, by any chance? If so, you should check out my new story "The Ties That Bind" (I'm a diehard GaaSaku fan, if you were wondering, though I'm not against other Sakura pairings). It's written from Gaara's POV, in first person. I have high hopes for it, and I'd REALLY appreciate it if you checked it out. ;3

Shout out time! I give a HUGE thanks to Codaram, Hinata-Hime-Starz, devilzxknight86, dantheman23, Guest, and yazhe-chan for reviewing! The encouragement and constructive criticism is much appreciated. And to all you silent lurkers out there, won't you join us? ;P