So this is the first attempt at writing with Hinata, and usually my first attempts at new pairings and new couples don't go very well, but really it's mostly important for me to start it off. So here's my attempt at it. Enjoy.

Entry #3

Blind

NaruHinaKiba

AU

In a local restaurant, a group of 3 were eating peacefully. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino had all gotten their favorite food and were chowing down. It was routine for the three, even if they aren't spending the day together, they always made sure to have time for each other around meal times.

In the beginning when they were all brought together by a class project and originally this had become the time to work on the project. Even after the project was done, it became routine, so they always kept their dinner date. You couldn't tell from first glance that they had only recently become friends because they seemed fairly close.

But truth was, at first it had been very awkward. Hinata was always quite shy and didn't speak unless spoken to. She was actually fairly smart, but her intelligence was hidden behind stutters and mumbles. Luckily, the project had allowed her to become much more comfortable around her two new guy friends and she now treated them like the brothers she never had.

Shino had always been the quiet one. Easily labeled as a 'nerd,' he didn't have many friends. This was probably because he never talked to anybody. But it wasn't because he was shy; it was because he never really found anybody he wanted to talk to, someone worthy of conversation. Shino had a brilliant mind, but also seemed kinda creepy with his obsession of insects. But he kindly restrained himself from talking about it whenever he was around his new friends. Both Hinata and Kiba appreciated him for his different input and simple way of looking at things.

Kiba was almost the complete opposite of the other two. Outgoing, crazy, quick-tempered, and rash were the words that described him. He had many friends, but he had only one very best friend, his dog Akumaru. Akumaru was the most important thing to him in the whole wide world. He wouldn't give him up for anything. Working with quiet people such as Hinata and Shino had been a testy time for him, but he grew to understand them, and now he wouldn't hang out with anyone else if he could help it.

The three had become best friends, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Soo… Hinata, wanna help me with my homework for today?" Kiba flashed a grin towards the blue haired girl. He always did this every single time, since he hated school work. For Hinata and Shino, it wasn't so bad for them. So Kiba always asked for help when he could. Hinata looked down, her instinct didn't want to refuse her best friend, but Kiba did need to learn how to do it on his own. Luckily, Shino answered for her.

"Shouldn't you been doing it yourself? I'm sure Hinata's got plenty to do anyway." Shino stated simply before taking another swig of his soft drink.

Kiba crossed his arms together with a pout, hoping Hinata would still say yes. He knew she couldn't resist that pout. He had been perfecting his puppy-dog pout most of his life, so he had it down pretty good.

"Um… uh, sure Kiba. I'll help you." Hinata timidly answered. Truth be told, it was a fact that she couldn't really refuse anybody, especially if they pouted. She felt needed, and had to respond to that need.

"Yes! Thanks Hinata!" He thanked the girl with enthusiasm just as he always did. Shino shook his head, but he understood Hinata. He knew that someday, she'd be able to say no. He was sure of it.

The trio returned to eating after that, fully focused on their meal. Outside, Akumaru waited for his master to return. He really was an amazingly well behaved dog and a smart one too. Kiba had raised him from a pup, so he'd grown up very well. Upon remembering Akumaru was still out there, Kiba hurriedly scarfed down his food.

"You shouldn't let him do that you know." Shino whispered to Hinata quickly so only she could hear. It didn't matter though; Kiba was so focused in his food that he wouldn't have heard what was said anyway. Hinata just shyly nodded her head sheepishly.

"…I know." She replied back before taking another bite and staring at her food. Shino couldn't help but shake his head. His head filled with words to say to the girl, but before he could, he was interrupted by someone he didn't know.

"Hey Hinata!" A loud blonde haired boy waved in Hinata's direction. She looked away from her food to see whose voice it was. But once she did, her heart almost died from surprised.

"Oh, oh, h-hi Naruto." Hinata replied back using what speech she could manage. She could so easily feel her face getting hotter by the second even though it felt that it couldn't get any redder. The boy known as Naruto just smiled back and went to find his seat with his friends.

The moment passed in just a second, but the reaction… it had yet still to come.

"WHO IS THAT?!" Kiba asked loudly. His mouth was still full of food so Hinata was given a double scare. His booming voice startled her out of her Naruto induced trance and back to her current surroundings.

Truth be told, her heart would not stop pounding. She had never expected to see the very boy that she'd liked all her life tonight. They had been be childhood friends, but ever since he moved off to go to some sort of special school, she hadn't seen him since. (1)

Of course, her feelings for him were never ending. In fact, time had made her heart grow even fonder. So when she saw him, so unexpectedly while with her friends, it gave her the surprise of her life.

"I hadn't seen him before. Someone you know from long ago?" Shino guessed in response. But honestly, he was just as curious as Kiba was. He had always known that Hinata was extremely shy, but he'd never seen her act like this.

"…yeah." Was the only word that Hinata could muster. Shino nodded in understanding, but sadly Kiba was still ready to make a scene.

"Where did you known him from!?" Kiba had his full attention on Hinata, who was looking through the corner of her eyes. Along with being given the shock of a lifetime, she was sure that Naruto could probably hear Kiba very easily and she didn't want him to think that she thought it was a big deal, even though it was!

"Kiba quiet down… I just knew him when I was growing up. I haven't seen him since he moved away about three years ago…" Hinata explained in a hushed voice, hoping that Naruto hadn't heard her.

"Soo… you like him??" Kiba asked unexpectedly. His voce was still rather loud and it was apparent that he was definitely teasing her. She could tell this by the grin he wore. But still, the question affected her. Sure, she had liked him all this time. But she had never really admitted that to anybody before.

"…yeah." Hinata admitted in quietest voice she could muster, her face was still red as tomato. She decided on the inside that it was time for them to leave, so she picked up her tray and threw the contents in the trash and headed towards the exit, hoping the others would follow her in the same action.

But sadly, if she would really look around, there were things happening around her that went unnoticed.

If she had really looked, she would have noticed that Kiba's grin had quickly turned into a frown when she admitted that she liked him. She could have seen that jealous look in his eye, and then just as quickly, could see Shino give a look of sympathy to Kiba.

For the both knew, Kiba actually liked Hinata all along.

And if she had looked a little harder, she would have noticed while her heart broke that the blonde haired boy she had liked so much, was the holding the hand of a very pretty pinked haired girl. She might have noticed the promise ring on that girl's finger.

Then she also might have noticed how Naruto looked so happy with her, and his other friend with the dark hair. She could have seen that he had found a happy life without her.

But sadly, she hadn't see this at all.

Hinata waited by the door for her friends as they emptied their trays. By then Kiba had forced a grin back on his face to act like he always did.

"I think you should say good-bye to him," he teased in a whisper.

But Hinata's emotions had been pushed too far for one day and she was in no mood for his teasing. So she just pushed him out the door and into fresh air.

Perhaps it was better to be blind to some things. For life seemed a lot happier that way. Because for all she knew, Kiba would always be her brother. And maybe, just maybe Naruto had liked her all this time. She only hoped that was the reason he came back.

But… with her eyes and their perfect vision, she was still so blind to the truth. (2)

Fin

(1) The 'special school' they went to was meant to mean just like how Naruto trained with Jirarya, Sakura trained with Tsunade, and Sasuke trained with Orochimaru. So you can consider it 'special' I suppose.

(2) Somehow I wanted to put in something about Byakugan into this story, but since it is an AU story, I couldn't think of anything logical to explain it.