~*Chapter Five: Love Her*~

It is said that when you fall in love, you see the world in rose color... Those are huge lies.

"Good afternoon, Hinata!" Kiba greeted cheerfully with a friendly pat on the shoulder, greatly shocking the girl and causing her to freeze. Her eyes grew wide and glossy, as if to lose consciousness at any moment, when Kiba was kicked halfway across the room by an aggravated blonde, thus sparing Hinata the embarrassment.

"Bastard, don't be so energetic!" Naruto snapped with an irritated eye twitch.

"I wouldn't be so energetic if you weren't so hateful!" Kiba claimed, hiding behind a facade of hurt. His bottom lip trembled as he nursed his wounded pride, causing everyone in the immediate vicinity to roll their eyes at his antics. Naruto sneaked a sidelong glance at the timid girl beside him and felt a sharp pang in his heart- the same pang that seemed to occur whenever she was around, oddly enough. Such evils in the world had all befallen a single person... To think that such an innocent girl had so many sins that she hadn't even committed herself, yet the pain was all hers and hers alone. Naruto decided that, with her fear of men in mind, he would stay away from Hinata, if only to protect her. Despite the newly emerging, rather confusing feelings he seemed to have for her, he would rather see her happy.

And so Naruto brushed passed Hinata, carefully as to not come in contact with her, without another word. It's for the best... For her-

"Good afternoon, Uzumaki-kun." Hinata greeted with a cheerful smile, completely unfazed by his aloof actions. Her acknowledgement of him made the blonde disregard his previous thoughts of martyrdom.

"Ah, good afternoon, Hinata!" He returned, a wide grin spreading across his features.

"I heard that the meals at your restaurant are famous for being delicious," she continued meekly, and Naruto blinked in genuine surprise.

"Really?" He asked dumbly, mentally cursing himself for the lame reply.

"Maybe I could drop by sometime." She said thoughtfully, and Naruto nodded enthusiastically as she walked away.

"I-I suggest the A-set meal!" He called to her, and she smiled politely before walking into the classroom. Naruto stared at the place she once stood with a goofy grin plastered on his face, and Kiba waved his hand in front of the blonde's eyes to get his attention.

"Why does Hinata treat you differently?" Kiba wondered out loud, and Naruto thought of the answer. That's right, she's afraid of men, but she's okay with me... Because I'm special to her. That must mean... I've been friend-zoned. He sighed in disappointment before rounding the corner into the classroom, nearly running right into a familiar pink-haired girl.

"Good afternoon, Naruto." She greeted amiably.

"Hey, Sakura." He returned, and he couldn't help but notice how she was looking at him... As if she were inspecting some new sort of life form.

"Er... What is it?" He asked with uncertainty, and the pinkette turned her back to him nonchalantly.

"I didn't know you were serious about that girl." She said offhandedly, while watching him carefully. Sakura had been beyond shocked by the news that Naruto had actually committed himself to a single girl, and to Ino of all people... But Naruto's thoughts had been on another girl entirely, and thus Sakura's remark had been sorely misinterpreted.

"It's not like I wanted to start liking her! It just happened..." Naruto insisted desperately, wondering just how in the world his pink-haired friend had managed to see through him. Sakura whirled on him, eyes wide with shock.

"So it's true?" She demanded, and Naruto knew he had fallen right into her trap. He opened his mouth and shut it multiple times, unsure of what to say, resembling a gaping goldfish. Sakura watched him thoughtfully, her brow creasing slightly.

"Just to let you know, Naruto, that girl is quite a handful. You better prepare yourself before you date her." It was his turn to be surprised, and he blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a scowl as she walked away, but she didn't answer. Sakura's words echoed inside his mind, making him wonder just how much she knew. Sakura... Does she know about Hinata's secret? But how? She wouldn't talk about her past with just an acquaintance...

He spent the rest of the class staring at Hinata, then at Sakura, and back again. Naruto was puzzled, to say the least, and he wasn't one much for puzzles. His thoughts were interrupted when the bell chimed for lunch.

"Hinata-chan, let's eat lunch in the courtyard outside!" Suggested a girl Naruto recognized- Tenten was her name, he thought. Hinata nodded politely and walked out the door with her friend, lunch box in hand. Naruto deliberated for a moment the morality of what he was about to do but his feet decided for him as he stepped forward to follow the girls. It wasn't stalking, he swore to himself; he just wanted to see how she reacted in a normal, everyday situation.

"Naruto-kun, I made you a bentō!" Ino called in a singsong voice. When she found that only Sakura and a few stragglers remained in the room she pouted.

"Sakura, do you know where Naruto-kun is?" She asked, cradling the lunch box in her arms. The pinkette looked up from the book she was leaned over, her long-forgotten lunch sitting beside it on her desk while her chopsticks were held limply in her hand.

"Naruto? I don't know where he is... Did you make that bentō yourself, Ino?" She asked, surprised.

"Yup! It's like they say, the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" The blonde said with a wink. Sakura smiled politely and nodded before getting back to her book, while Ino fled the scene in hot pursuit of her boyfriend.

Naruto wasn't too far away, leaning his arms on the sill of a window that overlooked the courtyard that Hinata and her friends were currently in.

"Your bentō looks amazing, Hinata-chan!" One of the girls complimented, and Hinata blushed with a smile.

"I messed up on it a little..." She admitted modestly, fiddling with her chopsticks. Naruto watched from afar with a smile. With a barrier of girls around her, she can eat her lunch without a care in the world.

"She's so clumsy," Naruto mused as Hinata picked up an anko dumpling, only for it to fall from the grasp of her chopsticks into the grass below. She was indeed clumsy- but it was cute, he had to admit.

"She's so bad with chopsticks!" He laughed to himself as she fumbled with the eating utensils. Was she always this adorable? How had he not noticed before?

"Whaaa! She's choking!" Naruto panicked as Hinata went into a coughing fit, covering her face with her hands. He only calmed down once she recovered, sparing her friends an apologetic glance.

"What are you doing?" He asked out loud with a chuckle. He saw Hinata's mouth move as she spoke to her friends without fear, her features animated. Her gentle opalescent eyes were full of trust from being around her fellow girls, and Naruto felt his smile turn saccharine. I want to get closer too, but...

"Who is that?" Naruto muttered to himself as an unfamiliar boy interrupted them. He could see the boy speak to the girls around Hinata and, all at once, they left... As if to give him and Hinata some privacy. Naruto didn't wait to see the haunted look return in her eyes; instead, he wasted no time in rushing down the hall.

"I wanted to speak to you alone, Hinata-chan." The boy started, and she stared resolutely at the ground without a word. When she didn't acknowledge him the boy stepped closer, until they were only a mere foot apart. Hinata went rigid, her jaw clenched tightly as she attempted to calm herself and keep consciousness.

"Are you okay?" Hinata couldn't help but flinch while the stranger's hands inched nearer, aiming to be placed on her shoulders consolingly. She braced herself, fisting the hems of her skirt in an iron-grip while holding her breath to keep from screaming.

"HINATA!" Yelled a familiar voice, and she looked over in surprise to see Naruto rushing over from the building. He scrambled over a leafy hedge without concern, leaving the bush dilapidated and slightly askew, though no one seemed to care at the moment. Hinata felt her body move of her own accord as she stood, her bentō falling to the ground with a clatter as the contents spilled onto the ground with utter disregard.

"Uzumaki-kun!" She choked, her voice strained with barely repressed emotions. Hinata stepped away from the strange boy and into Naruto's arms, gripping his button-down shirt tightly in her fists. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the close proximity, though she was too caught up to notice.

"Take me to the infirmary; I don't feel well..." She let out quietly, and Naruto placed an innocent hand on her shoulder to steer her back towards the building.

"Uh... Hello?" Called the boy who was left behind, but no one was there to hear him. Inside, Naruto led a trembling Hinata to the infirmary.

"The nurse isn't here..." He muttered with a frown as Hinata seemed to relax more with every passing second. "Are you okay?" Naruto asked carefully, his brow wrinkling in concern.

"Yes, I'll just lie down for a while..." She assured before climbing onto the cot in the corner, pulling the thin sheet over herself.

"Good, good..." Naruto nodded. He cleared his throat in the awkward silence that followed. "I'll just be going now..."

"Why?" Hinata asked with genuine confusion without missing a beat.

"Uh... Well, you need to rest and all..."

"Stay," she insisted eagerly, but he could see the slight insecurity in her gaze. "In case that guy comes back..."

"...Okay." Naruto simply said, and he pulled up a chair beside the bed. Hinata laid on her side facing him, her eyes fluttering shut while her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep. The blonde watched her in slumber, once again swearing to himself that he wasn't a stalker or anything, just a concerned friend... Yeah, right.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how her dark, indigo hair fanned out across her pillow, the dark tresses greatly contrasting against the white linen. It looked so soft and silky, shining in the light, that he was just itching to feel the soft strands slipping between his fingers. She's definitely afraid of men. We may have become pretty friendly, but what's with this trust? Her hair seemed to beckon him, begging to be handled. I bet if I touched her, she'd freak out.

He raised his hand without much forethought until it rested on the top of her head. The light contact confirmed Naruto's suspicions; her hair was indeed soft and silky. He felt his breath catch in his chest when she opened her pearl eyes, looking at him blankly as he waited for her reaction. Naruto was even more shocked to see that she didn't seem disturbed in the least, only a bit confused.

"What is it?" Hinata asked, tilting her head slightly.

"You... Really aren't afraid of me." Naruto managed to say. It was more of an observation than a question.

"Of course not. That's because Uzumaki-kun is..." Naruto gulped silently, hanging on her every word as he searched her eyes for something he couldn't quite explain. His hand still hadn't moved from its spot on her head. She smiled softly before taking a small breath to continue her sentence-

"Naruto-kun!" Cried a familiar voice, and a startled Naruto jumped out of his seat reflexively as Ino barged into the room.

"What do you think you're doing, leaving your girlfriend all alone?" She demanded, and Naruto stared at her as if she had grown another head.

"What? Girlfriend?!" He sputtered in disbelief.

"That's right! We're the most popular couple in school! Rumor has it that it's futile to approach Naruto-kun because he's so entranced by me," Ino informed, flipping her mane of platinum hair over her shoulder.

"What?!"

"Yes, I heard about it. Congratulations." Hinata chirped with a happy smile as she sat up, and Naruto felt his heart sink with disappointment.

"Don't tell me... Earlier, you were gonna say..."

"That's because Uzumaki-kun is Ino-chan's boyfriend." Hinata finally finished, and Naruto sagged in defeat. Yup, he was definitely and hopelessly friend-zoned.

"Come on, Naruto-kun! Before lunch is over!" Ino insisted, pulling at his arm incessantly. When she successfully dragged Naruto out the door, despite his protests, she kicked it with a slam, leaving Hinata alone. She was still sitting in bed with the sheet pooling in her lap as she stared at the door. Her smile slowly dropped to reveal her true emotions. The happy face of Ino hanging on Naruto was still on the forefront of her mind, fresh in her memory. Someday... Will I be able to be happy like that, someday? Even with a boyfriend...?

She already knew the answer to that question, of course. She had spent endless nights coming to terms with the fact that she would never be able to have the things normal girls had, though that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Why did it have to be me...?" She whispered to herself, covering her face with her hands.

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).

I must confess, I feel extremely guilty for making Ino such a psycho in this story. Truth be told, I really like Ino. I used to dislike her, but over time she stopped being annoying and she grew on me. Personally, I adore InoCho, but this story calls for a psychotic female antagonist and Ino just seemed to fit. True, I could use Karin, but it just makes more sense to use the Konoha characters, you know? Not that I have anything against Karin (I used to dislike her as well, but I've grown to like SuiKa). Anyway, enough of my rambling. Long story short, I'm sorry to all the Ino fans out there! I'll make it up to you someday by writing a cute InoCho story (or YamaIno. That pairing is seriously underrated.)

Note: this story is rated M for later chapters. I'll put a warning for the chapter where things start to get graphic.

Also, I will be changing things/already have changed things in this story. I have started planting the seeds of a very major event that will take place in this story that did not happen in "Bitter Virgin", though you may not have noticed. I apologize for the slow progression, but there will be some major changes, I can promise you that. This is only the beginning!

SO MANY REVIEWS! This is the most I've gotten with only four chapters, and I am absolutely ecstatic! You guys are the best, and I love you all! Shout outs to the following: devilzxknight86, yazhe-chan, lemonist, CandyMari, Hinata-Hime-Starz, neoB, dantheman23, Rose Tiger, basketballgirl1185, DerelicV, CharNinja LOL, NaruHinaAlwaysAndForever, Asuka Kawashima, K L STORMZ, nakashima0518, jojo07, Streema, BubbleWarrior32, and Forever-a-Guest! Good God, there's so many of you it's getting difficult to do shout outs! Not that I'm complaining. ;)