That day, it was Sakura that didn't come to class.

She had been feeling bad the day before, face a little red and eyes glistening, so Hinata assumed she must be sick. She hoped she would get better soon.

Because Sakura wasn't there, Hinata realized, for the first time, that she had been eating lunch with her every single day since the beginning of the school year, and hadn't noticed until the time came and she sat, alone under a tree overlooking the playground.

She opened her bento box and looked distractedly towards the other children, who were playing without a concern after quickly finishing their lunch. Hinata didn't feel lonely doing this. Maybe once she would have, but now she had friends and wasn't as alone anymore. She had nothing to envy them. Besides, she didn't mind sitting alone once in a while.

"Ah, Hinata!"

The girl jolted upon hearing that voice, coughing a little when, due to the surprise, she almost choked on her food. She quickly put down her chopsticks and looked up to see Naruto approaching her, bright smile on his face.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Watcha doing here all alone?" he asked, oblivious to the redness of her face, product of almost swallowing her food through the wrong hole, and glanced around, a small frown forming between his brows. "You usually eat with Sakura-chan, right? Where is she?"

"Ah, S-Sakura-chan is… sick. She didn't come today" she explained. Naruto gasped, turning to look at her with big eyes.

"She's sick? That's too bad!" he lamented, before sitting down next to her. Hinata moved a little to the side to give him space when their shoulders bumped with each other. He was too close, her face was becoming warmer. "I hope she gets better soon."

"I hope so too, Naruto-kun."

"I wonder if I should go visit her…" he wondered outloud. He shook his head immediately. "No, Sakura-chan wouldn't like that, and I don't think her mom would either. I still remember the way she looked at me that one time she caught us talking together!"

He was probably talking of the first and only time Sakura had been nice to Naruto, when they met and she had offered her bento to him. Hinata looked away, wringling her hands, trying to quell the jealousy in her chest.

"Anyway" he said, completely oblivious to what she was feeling right then, "what are you eating? It looks delicious! It's been a while since I ate one of your bentos, now that I think about it" he pondered, tilting his head to the side. Hinata showed him, smiling a little and quickly forgetting about her jealousy.

"Just fried rice and… croquettes… do you want one?" she offered. Narutot's eyes shone.

"Yes!" he grabbed a croquette and ate it, closing his eyes to savor it. "It's so good!" he said with his mouth full.

"N-Naruto-kun, swallow first…"

"Yes, yes" he did, before giving her a grin. "You sound just like Iruka-sensei, you know? But your food's really yummy. You would make a good wife, Hinata!"

Hinata's heart pounded so hard she was afraid it would burst out of her chest. She blushed, and darted her face to the side before Naruto could notice. "Y-You think so, Naruto-kun?"

"Of course! Doesn't a wife have to good be at cooking? At least, that's what I always hear the adults say. You're already so good, you have half the work done!"

"I-It's not that big of a deal…" she fidgeted, feeling almost numb from the heat coming off her face. "I like cooking… I've been d-doing it since I can remember because my mother also l-liked it. It reminds me of her when I do, so I practice a-as much as I can."

"Your mom is also a good cook, Hinata?" he asked, stealing another croquette. Hinata let him. She truly didn't mind when he seemed to enjoy her food so much.

"She was… she… she passed away a few years ago" she confessed. Naruto stopeed chewing, his cheeks full of food, as he looked at her with surprise.

"Your mom is dead?" he asked with a full mouth, before forcefully swallowing. Hinata nodded. "I didn't know that. I'm really sorry Hinata! How…?" he stopped himself at the last second, as if suddenly realizing it might be too insensitive to ask. Hinata smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's alright. S-She was a sickly woman, from what I've been told… after Hanabi's birth, that is, my younger sister's birth, she became very weak… she never recovered from the stress of labor."

She had barely been five, and Hanabi six months. She still remembers her mother, laying on bed, with a soft smile on her lips as she cradled Hanabi, Hinata sitting next to her. And she still remembers the day of the funeral, the muted dark colors of her clothes, and the stoic face of her father that belied the grief underneath.

"That must have been tough" Naruto said, glancing down. "You know I never met my parents or had a family, right? So I can't imagine what it must be like actually having them and then… losing them" his voice became smaller, and Hinata couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. She didn't want him to be sad, and so, in an attempt to change the subject to something brighter, she opened her mouth and tried to say something, just to be interrupted by Naruto suddenly lifting his head and giving her an awkward smile, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "Heh, sorry Hinata, you probably don't want to talk about this anymore. I promise I won't say anything weird, ok?"

"Ah, don't… don't worry about it, Naruto-kun…" she made haste to ease his worries, gesturing reassuringly. "I wanted to tell you, so… so it's alright" she smiled, making him smile in return.

"By the way, I didn't know you had a sister, Hinata. That's so cool! How is it, having a sibling? Is it fun? I bet it's fun!" Naruto continued after the ambiance returned to normal, in his usual enthusiastic voice. Hinata picked up a croquette and took a bit, nodding with a small smile.

"Hanabi's very cute and hardworking" she explained once she swallowed.

"Mmm, I think I understand what you mean" Naruto nodded, too, crossing his arms and glancing at her from the side. Hinata tilted her head, confused, but before she could ask what he meant, ha gasped. "Recess is almost over! Hinata, quickly, you have to finish your lunch before…!"

The bell ringed, and Hinata squeaked, quickly shoving food in her mouth under Naruto's harried instructions. She closed the lid while stil chewing, and stood up with the boy, making their way over to the building.

"Hey, Hinata, let's eat lunch together again sometime, ok?" Naruto said before they had to part ways. "I know that you eat with Sakura-chan every day, but… if she doesn't mind then we can…" he trailed off, unsure. Hinata gave him a soft smile.

"I'll ask her, Naruto-kun."

"Really? Great! Then, see you later, Hinata!" he waved as he ran towards his classroom, with a few teachers scolding him on the way and telling him to slow down. Hinata waved too, even though he could no longer see her, and turned towards her own classroom.