A/N: Happy belated birthday to me! I meant to publish this early yesterday but I guess I got too caught up with the celebration and all…hehe

Let's all pretend Hinata's confession didn't happen and Sasuke's back in Konoha or that he didn't become a missing-nin. So…yeah…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Common Knowledge

To put it simply, Hyuuga Hinata was different. What every girl in the village knew about him, she didn't.

And it was to Uchiha Sasuke's growing frustrations to have this fact slapped across his face at every encounter he had with Hinata.

It started one day when the dobe Naruto, his self-proclaimed best friend, practically dragged him to Ichiraku Ramen to have breakfast with their old team. On the way there, they came across Hinata who was walking towards the training grounds for morning practice. He didn't fail to notice the blush on her ashen cheeks when her gaze met Naruto. She bowed while the blond idiot shouted his greeting for all of Konoha to hear.

Sasuke stood to the side, hands in his pockets and not one bit interested in their conversation. But then Hinata's eyes shifted to him and she gasped, a hand covering her mouth.

"S-Sasuke-san…" she said in a soft voice and bowed to him, "I…I didn't see you there. I-I'm sorry."

He stared at her. Then, he blinked. It was all he could do not to give away his confusion. His mind ran over what the Hyuuga said. Despite the small distance in between, he was still standing beside Naruto.

How come she hadn't notice him? At all?

His eye twitched.

Of course she wouldn't. She was too engrossed with the fucking dobe and his nonsense to notice him—the Uchiha Sasuke. It wasn't everyday he was ignored—if at all—and the experience was foreign to him. But not like he cared, so he brushed it off and Naruto went back to talking with the Hyuuga.

And Sasuke was, once again, left ignored.

The conversation, however, was cut short at Sakura's appearance and her violent complaint to their tardiness. And as usual, Naruto was the punching bag. Several moments later, when Sakura was finally calm and Naruto was beaten black-and-blue, the pink-haired girl turned to Sasuke.

With the sweetest smile on her face, she said, "Let's go, Sasuke-kun." Then, to the Hyuuga, "Please excuse us, Hinata. Our team was supposed to have breakfast together." She pinched the blond's ear and gave it a tug, earning her a whine. "Naruto-baka here just had to make us all wait."

Naruto struggled in her death grip. "Why only me? Sasuke-teme's here too, ya know!"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes when another series of beat ups commenced.

"Umm…Sasuke-san?"

He turned to the girl in front of him. Her worried gaze was fixed on the scene before them.

"Is it alright to…um…leave them be?" she said.

He looked back to his teammates with an impassive expression. Then, he shrugged. "It's not like it's the first time."

Hinata turned to him. "But…you're alright with that?"

"Naruto's an idiot and Sakura's annoying. It's better this way than have them both bothering me."

She averted her gaze back to duo who attracted too much attention. "P-Pardon me for asking…but d-don't you l-like Sakura-san?"

Sasuke nearly showed his disgust. He glared at the Hyuuga. "What gave you that idea?" His voice was rough and low, causing Hinata to flinch.

"I-I just—I'm s-sorry. It's just that Sakura-san is y-your teammate—"

"I merely tolerate Sakura because she's in my team," he said.

"Y-you don't l-like her?"

"I don't like annoying clingy girls."

She looked to the ground. "Oh. I see…I-I'm sorry."

He raised a brow at her reaction. His mind, yet again, went over her words.

It was common knowledge that Uchiha Sasuke wasn't interested in any of his fan girls. What made them still pursue him despite this fact was beyond him—or anyone else for the matter. Didn't the Hyuuga know of this as well? Hell, he presumed the whole village knew, male and female alike. Apparently, he was wrong.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know about that one obvious fact?

The second time Sasuke came across Hinata was when she was enjoying her cinnamon rolls at a café he so happened to enter. To his surprise, she smiled once she saw him. He gave her a nod. For a moment, she opened her mouth, but then closed it and looked down. He stared at her with scrutinizing eyes, ignoring the waiter who offered him a table. She was fidgeting with the hem of her jacket like she wanted to say something yet she couldn't find the courage to.

He wasn't the type to meddle. But the waiter who was still trying to get his attention was bothersome. So he decided to approach the Hyuuga and took a seat across from her, much to the girl's surprise. It's not like he was curious of what she wanted to say or anything.

Okay, maybe he was, a little.

…a lot.

"What is it?" he said.

Hinata bit her lip and looked to the side. "Well…um…Sasuke-san, h-have you seen N-Naruto-kun?"

He suppressed a groan. He should've guessed. The Hyuuga spouted of nothing but the dobe as far as he knew.

"No," he said.

Her shoulders slumped. "I see." She reached at her back pouch and pulled out a small container. She lightly grasped it in both her hands and glanced at Sasuke. "M-May I ask…a f-favor? C-could you please g-give this to N-Naruto-kun when you see him?"

Sasuke raised a brow. "And what makes you think I'll accept?"

Her cheeks colored in embarrassment and she bit her lip again. Sasuke deduced it was an action she did whenever she's nervous. "N-Nevermind," she said.

There was a moment of silence. Hinata stared at the container in her hands with sad eyes. She looked so down and gloomy and it wasn't long before Sasuke let out a sigh.

"Fine, I'll do it. Just this one time," he said. She raised her head and her eyes lit up. She thanked him with a wide smile on her lips.

Suddenly, he felt glad he gave in.

But then, she had to dampen his mood when she offered him a cinnamon roll.

It was common knowledge that Uchiha Sasuke disliked sweets.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know?

The third encounter was when Hinata woke him up from his sleep.

He was settled on a thick branch of a tall tree, away from his loud teammates and shrieking fan girls, and was taking a rather peaceful nap when she called his name.

At first he pretended not to hear it. He just wanted to be left alone and away from the world as much as possible for even a moment.

She called him again, her soft voice barely reaching his ears. He still ignored her. And although he expected her to call him once more, seconds passed but only the gentle howling of the wind and the rustling of leaves could be heard.

He felt a presence near him. His eyes snapped open and, in a flash, he held a kunai to the person's throat.

Hinata gasped and tensed in her spot in front of Sasuke.

"Did you want to die?" Sasuke hissed and withdrew his weapon. "What the fuck were you thinking, Hyuuga?"

"S-sorry!" she squeaked and bowed her head in shame.

Sasuke frowned at her. "So? What was so important that you had to climb your way up here?"

"Ah, r-right…um…N-Naruto-kun asked me to l-look for you," she quietly said. "H-He said to tell you that you have t-training today."

Sasuke leaned his chin on his palm and blankly stared at her. Ah…it's about her "Naruto-kun" again. "Why did he send for you? Knowing the dobe, he'd use his stupid clones to look for me."

She looked to the side. "A-actually, it's not really a t-training. N-Naruto-kun and I were talking and he told me he wanted to s-spar with you. Sakura-san heard him and protested," she said. "H-he asked me to l-look for you and…Sakura-san currently has him on a h-headlock."

He leaned back on the tree trunk and closed his eyes. While he didn't mind a good spar, these instances were one of those rare times he just wanted to relax. The wind gently blew over and the quiet howl in his ears lulled him.

"Sasuke-san?"

His eyes opened and he looked at the girl, about to shoo her away, when his words died in his mouth. Her long indigo locks flowed with the wind, swaying in waves behind her like a long shiny curtain of satin. She was looking back at him, question in her eyes, her brows slightly furrowed and lips parted.

"Sasuke-san? Are you alri—"

He reached out, combed his fingers through her silky tresses, and held a lock in his hand. Hinata's cheeks turned pink and she looked at him, wide-eyed in shock. Sasuke stared at the indigo strands for a moment and, to both their surprise—because he wasn't really thinking at the moment, brought it close to him and smelled it. Hinata turned beet red.

The calming scent of lavender. He met her unsteady gaze. Just like her eyes.

It was common knowledge that Uchiha Sasuke liked long hair.

So, maybe he didn't particularly like long hair. Maybe what he liked was indigo-colored and lavender-scented long hair.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know?

…it's best if she didn't.

The fourth time was downright ridiculous. Naruto and Sasuke were at the training grounds sparring when Hinata came into view. The same bottle of the one she asked Sasuke to give to the dobe days ago was in her hands. She silently seated herself under a tree and watched them.

When they were finished, Naruto grinned and waved at Hinata. The girl blushed and shyly waved back.

Sasuke nearly scoffed.

Hinata stood up and approached them. She briefly greeted Sasuke, turned to the blond, and handed him the bottle.

Naruto took it and his face lit up. "You're the best, Hinata-chan. Thanks a lot!" Then, he crushed her in a hug, causing her to squeak and redden. "I always run out of your amazing ointments, ya know. Last time, I had to ask Kiba if he had any left!"

"Y-You're welcome, N-Naruto-kun," she said and the blond released her. "It was a good s-spar, by the way."

Naruto grinned. "I was awesome, wasn't I?" Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Y-Yes, you were great."

If he were anyone else, Sasuke would've toppled over in shock. Not because it wasn't true that Naruto was a great sparring partner but because Hinata was feeding the idiot's ego.

The girl turned to him. "A-Ah, Sasuke-san, you were good too."

His eye twitched. Good? Just good? What. The. Hell?!

It was common knowledge that Uchiha Sasuke was a genius.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know?

She did. She just wasn't looking at him.

The fifth encounter was when Sasuke finally snapped.

"I had no idea S-Sasuke-san loves tomatoes," Hinata said with a hint of amusement in her tone. They were in the middle of a market. Sasuke turned to her, and then down to the bag filled with tomatoes in his arm.

His brows furrowed. Normally, he would tell her off, because it was none of her business to know what he liked.

But…It was common knowledge that Uchiha Sasuke liked tomatoes.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know?

"Does Sasuke-san come here o-often?"

His frown deepened.

It was common knowledge that Uchiha Sasuke goes to the market every Saturday.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know?

When he didn't answer, Hinata bit her lip. "I-I'm sorry for prying. P-please forget what I said."

Sasuke stared at her. Then, his eyes caught something orange inside the basket Hinata was holding.

Hinata followed his gaze and blushed. She pulled out an orange jacket which could only belong to one person.

His eyes narrowed.

"I-I was going to r-return it to N-Naruto-kun today," she said.

How the hell did she have it? He wanted to ask, but his pride didn't let him. Thoughts filled his head about different reasons and he looked at her accusingly. She seemed to have read his mind for her eyes widened and she violently shook her head.

"I-I—N-Naruto-kun just lent it to m-me yesterday!"

His eye twitched—Sasuke noted it does that an awful lot lately. Maybe he had to get his eyes checked…

"N-Naruto-kun was also kind enough to w-walk me back home."

…the hell? Naruto walked her? Sasuke felt his blood boil. Fucking dobe. The oblivious idiot doesn't even notice the girl! Yet, here she was, clutching at his jacket like it was the best present she had ever received. Why was she blushing anyway? Naruto wasn't even around. Oh, what, just the thought of him was enough to make her blush? That's just great. What a foolish—

Sasuke caught himself, frowning at his thoughts. What the hell was he so worked up for? So what if Naruto lent his jacket? So what if he walked her home? So what if the Hyuuga likes the dobe? It wasn't any of his business! Uchiha Sasuke doesn't give a damn in anything that doesn't involve himself.

Hinata continued to ramble on, trying to explain why she had Naruto's jacket, and failed to realize Sasuke was in his own little world. "I-It was raining heavily l-last night and I was out at the training grounds. N-Naruto-kun happened to pass by a-and offered me this. Y-You see, I-I was in my t-training clothes and didn't have my own j-jacket with me a-and Naruto-kun just—but I t-tried to assure him that I was f-fine but he said he wouldn't t-take 'no' for an answer. So I—"

"Shut up, Hinata."

She clamped her mouth shut.

Sasuke glared. "I didn't tell you to explain, did I? So stop spouting things that have no use to me, especially about how you got the jacket and about the idiot."

To this, Hinata's brows furrowed. Her lips jutted out in a small pout. "N-Naruto-kun's not an idiot…" she whispered.

Sasuke snorted. "The whole village could testify against that."

"They d-don't know Naruto-kun."

"And you do?" he said with a brow raised.

Her mouth hung open. "I-I wasn't—"

"Oh, what were you trying to say, then?" He took a step forward. Hinata stepped back. "What else do you know about the dobe? Tell me, Hinata. You seem to know a lot about him than anyone."

"I-It's not—Naruto-kun's—"

His lips formed a thin line. He grabbed Hinata by the arm and roughly dragged her into a nearby secluded alleyway.

"S-Sasuke-san? W-what are you—"

His glare cut her off. "I've had enough of this. I've had enough of you! First, you could only see the dobe and failed to see me standing just beside him. How could you not see me? I was right beside him. Then, you go assuming I liked Sakura. I wasn't—I can't even begin to think where you got that stupid idea. I was never interested in any of those shrieking banshees, everybody knew that. But why didn't you? Not only that, there's this one time you tried giving me a cinnamon roll. I don't like sweets. I hate them. Why aren't you aware of that? Why is it that all you know is only about that idiot? Don't you know anything else? Do you even know a single thing about me?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion. But Sasuke didn't give her a chance to talk.

"Did you know Naruto's oblivious to your feelings? Did you realize the whole village knew of your infatuation with him? You praise him like some sort of god, like he's a genius and everything he does required some compliment. You give him things, like that ointment of yours. You just give without asking for anything in return. That one time you came looking for me. You looked for me because he asked you. You're one foolish girl, Hinata. You act like your world revolves around him. Or did you not realize I was observing from the side? Did you even know I existed? No, you were too caught up with Naruto to notice me." He dropped the bag in his hand and it fell to the ground with a thud, spilling the tomatoes.

Sasuke walked closer to Hinata who slowly backed off. She pressed herself against the wall, her eyes on the ground. "Did you know that every time we met I didn't like it when you mention the dobe? Did you know that whenever your eyes would light up and you'd smile because of him, I would feel this…strange feeling, this rage, bubble up inside me? And, somehow, I would ask myself this stupid question that what if…what if I were the one you talk about? How would you react? What would your expression be?"

He drew closer to her until their noses were almost touching. His obsidian eyes softened and his voice toned down to a whisper when he continued, "What if you know about me as much as you know Naruto? What if you know that I wouldn't mind receiving the same stuff you give him? That I want to see how well your ointments work? That I want you to praise me as much as you do the dobe? That I want you to notice me first before realizing the dobe was even around? That I want you to forget him and—"

Sasuke quickly pulled away from Hinata, as if he was snapped out of a trance. He almost slapped a hand to his mouth in horror.

Damn. He had said too much. His mouth just had to open and spout some nonsense.

He looked at Hinata. The girl stared back at him with wide eyes and red cheeks. He suddenly couldn't bear to look at her for long, so he averted his gaze to the tomatoes scattered on the ground and cringed. He bent down and placed all of it back to the bag. Once he was done, he stood in awkward silence. He stole a glance at Hinata, debating on what to say to explain his rare display of foolishness.

In the end, he decided to keep silent. And so, he turned and left, leaving a stunned Hyuuga all alone in the alleyway.

After his sudden and unexpected rant yesterday, seeing Hinata in front of him was the last thing Sasuke had in mind. But there she was with her head bowed, face beet red, and eyes fixed on the ground. On her outstretched hands was a square object wrapped in a light blue cloth.

Sasuke could only blink in confusion. He could tell she was nervous. She was biting her lip and her hands were trembling. Feeling like he should at least say something, he eyed the object on her hold and said, "What's this?"

"A b-bento," she said, still not raising her head.

He was silent for a second. Then, he asked, "Why?"

This time, Hinata slowly straightened herself but didn't meet his eyes. "Well…um…y-yesterday, Sasuke-san was really upset. S-So I thought I should do something t-to cheer you up and to a-apologize for whatever I did."

Sasuke paused, feeling warm inside. "You…made this?"

Hinata nodded.

His heart skipped a beat and he gulped. Slowly, while trying his best to stop his hands from shaking, Sasuke reached for the box and took it from her.

"…thanks," he muttered.

A shy smile formed on Hinata's lips, causing his face to warm up. He looked away. Clearing his throat, he said, "Listen, whatever I said yesterday, forget it. I didn't mean any of it." He met her gaze seriously. "I snapped for a different reason, got that?"

Hinata stared at him. Then, her eyes flickered with amusement and a blush dusted her cheeks. "Yes," she said and looked at the ground. "I understand, Sasuke-san."

He raised a brow at her, wondering what she was pleased about. Shrugging it off, he turned to the bento and unwrapped the cloth. When he opened the box, the smell of tomatoes wafted through his nose. His eyes widened at the sight of different tomato dishes before him and he looked back at Hinata in awe.

She remembered. Never mind that it was only yesterday she knew his love of tomatoes and the fact was still fresh in her memory. She remembered something about him, for the first time.

Sasuke couldn't help the smile that crept up his lips.

At the unusual sight of a smiling Sasuke, Hinata's face turned red.

It was common knowledge (these days) that Uchiha Sasuke has his eyes only for Hinata.

How come the Hyuuga didn't know?

Well, she did.

It was Sasuke who had yet to admit it to himself.

-FIN-

A/N: I kinda realized Hinata's obliviousness here was a little exaggerated. But, oh well, I like Sasuke to suffer. I don't know what's up with this pairing that I just couldn't resist. I'm not particularly a Sasuke fan. I like Hinata but not Sasuke. In fact, I hated him the first time I saw his emo face. Could anybody enlighten me? I really have no idea why I am craving SasuHina. I'm a NaruHina fan from the very beginning, even before I started reading and watching Naruto, thanks to my best friend.

Anyway, if SasuHina were ever to happen, I couldn't picture out Hinata being the first to fall in love. Whatever approach it may be, I would always end up imagining for Sasuke to be the first to be attracted to Hinata, not the other way around. Hinata's love for Naruto is one of the main reasons. But then I wondered, disregarding her feelings for Naruto, Hinata won't still be the first to like Sasuke. Yes, he's said to be handsome and attractive, but considering Hinata's personality, I don't think she would find Sasuke's attitude…uh…likeable. At least, that's my take on it.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading!