"What did you do anyways?!" Hinata was practically out of breath.

"I might have sat on his favorite beetle." Kiba laughed nervously as she stopped.

"You're on your own." She frowned as he looked back to where Shino was already caught up and passing Naruto and Sasuke.

They saw Hinata run in a different direction until she accidentally bumped into someone for looking back at them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was-" She paused as her eyes met the strangers in front of hers.

"I'm sorry." She repeated again and brushed past him.

Who was he?

Sasuke wondered for her to have a reaction like that.

He followed her as she was walking towards an ice cream shop while Naruto went to separate Shino and Kiba before they killed each other.

"Do you always eat ice cream when things go wrong?" She heard a voice behind her.

"Are you making fun of me, sensei?" She pouted.

"No, I'm joining you." He replied as he passed her to buy an ice cream cone himself.

"Sensei, How did you find me?"

"When we shared emails, I made sure we shared locations also." He smirked as she looked at him creepily.

"Stalker, much?" She laughed as he hit her head.

"Never-mind, that. Why didn't you tell anyone about the bullying?" He sounded like his mother which made him blush a bit from the embarrassment.

"I thought I could handle it." She said.

"Idiot." He hit her head.

"Learn to rely on people." He then added.

"Like that's easy." She said biting into her ice cream.

He raised an eyebrow before the same stranger from earlier had walked in and stared at them.

Hinata avoided eye contact as Sasuke looked at him. He seemed around her age maybe a bit older but one thing that did struck him was his eyes. They were pale and white just like hers. Was he a relative of hers or something? If so, then why hide?

"Hinata." Were the words that came out of his deep voice.

Who knew that by just him saying her name that it would send shivers down her spine. The way he had said it was with hatred but also a bit of kindness hid behind it.

"Let's go." She said to Sasuke as she got up only to be tugged back his hand grabbing onto her arm.

"I need to talk to you." His voice was demanding.

"Like that ended well the first time." She whispered as he rolled his eyes and took her outside.

He watched them carefully as he heard laughter behind him.

"Sensei? Where's Hinata?" Naruto looked around until he saw her outside with him.

"Neji." Shino spoke as a sweat drop appeared on his face.

Naruto secretly walked to the door as he decided to eavesdrop on them. Not that Sasuke cared but he was a bit curious of what they were talking about.

"So, this is where you've been hiding." His shadow stood over her.

"It's best if you stay out of my way, then." He shoved passed her as she lowered her head.

Come on, Hina.

"No." She clenched her fists.

"No?" He questioned turning back around.

"You don't get to walk out of my life and treat me like garbage." She looked at him.

"Hin-"

"No, I needed you and you walked away. I loved you, Neji-nii-san but you pushed me away every time things went wrong. We both needed each other and I tried my best to be there for you only to ridiculed and laughed at." He stood silent.

"So, this time you stay away from me because I'll be the one walking away and moving on." She brushed passed him as her heart was thumping from saying things out of her character.

Naruto watched her walk passed them with a small smile. There was the brave girl he had fallen in love with.

As to surprise, Sasuke has also caught himself smirking. Who knew this student had it in her? Although, if that boy was her sibling (due to her referral towards him from earlier) then that would me she does have some sort of family.

"Hina, wait up!" Naruto ran after her while he stayed behind.

"Well I have to go to work." Kiba looked at his watch.

"I'll come with you." Shino followed shortly after.

He turned back to the boy who was still taken a back from her sudden words.

"Hyuga." He said assuming that was his last name.

To his dismay, the pale eyed boy looked up.

"Who are you?" He said with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Doesn't matter." He replied.

"Well, what do you want?" He crossed his arms.

"Are you Hinata's elder brother?" He asked.

"Something like that, I'm her cousin actually but she sees me more as a brotherly figure, I suppose."

"Why is it that you hate her so much?"

"When her parents died they hit another car during the crash. That other car, my father was in."

"If they hadn't gone to pick her up from her ballet rehearsal, they wouldn't have lost control on that cold icy road." He clenched his fists.

"Now because of their stupid mistake of sending her in the first place, my dad is an comma."

"At least, your father is still here." He whispered as he realized that was the same lesson she was trying to teach him.

He bit his lip and waved goodbye to him but not before saying:

"I'm sure your dad will wake up soon."

He walked away leaving the boy in silence once again.

"By the way, what happened to her face?" He sound a bit worried.
Uzumaki Mansion
"Naruto, I'm fine." She smiled kindly.

"Your face is all beat up, at least let me patch you up." He placed the first aid kit right beside him.

She sighed before agreeing to do so. His face heated up after realizing how close their faces were.

He remembered his fainting problem around her as it was common for the both of them. She on the other hand, was too dense to realize why.

"Are you getting a fever?" She chuckled while feeling his forehead causing him to sweat as he felt something press against his chest.

"Oh, you're really hot." She said removing her hand.

"Naruto?" She said before his head titled back with blood dripping from his nose.

"Naruto, we're ho-" A familiar voice echoed through the walls.

"Hina-Chan?" The man stepped forward.

"Minato-san, Kushina-san! Welcome back." She laughed nervously as she couldn't find the words to explain why their son was on the floor with a bloody nose.

"I'll get the tissues." Kushina said walking into another room.

"It good to see you again." Minato smiled.

"You as well." She said as a fainted Naruto was re-opening his eyes.

"Dad? Hina? What happened?" He rubbed his head.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Kushina returned with an ice pack and a box of tissues.

"Well I better get going now, it's getting pretty late." She excused herself before Naruto accompanied her.

"Sorry, I couldn't patch up your face." He said looking rather down.

"It's no sweat, well see you tomorrow." She waved goodbye before disappearing into the street.
Apartment B
"You're home early." A sarcastic voice was heard behind a newspaper.

"Haha." She added more sarcasm.

She looked at his arms as she felt her face turn a dash of pink. She remembered the warm and comfortable feeling of being in them a couple hours ago. She remembered feeling safe for the first time in her life.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed now." She avoided eye contact with him.

"Hold up." He put the newspaper down as he pat the floor next to him.

"What?" She walked up to him.

"Sit." He instructed.

She did as told as she felt a bit of cold from a healing ointment that was being applied to her face. 

She might not have noticed but now that they were so close to each other..

"Sensei, you have really dark eyes."

"And you have really pales ones, your point?" He said placing a patch over her bruised up cheek.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, I meant they're really beautiful." She let out with realizing what she had just said.

"Ahaha, Thank you for patching me up! I'm going to bed now!" (And hopefully die) She thought to herself as her face was all rosy red.

"Right?" He questioned as she went Godspeed to her room.

"At least, Neji packed a good med kit." He said remembering his request after he handed Sasuke a random med kit.

"Patch up that idiot."

"Didn't think you'd care so much."

"Not a word of this, especially not to her."

"Silent as a grave."