AN: Been busy, finally on spring break. I have just a few more months before I graduate, so hopefully I can finally write consistently. Thanks for sticking with me through all this time.

8/7-re-uploaded, fixed a typo

Three

"You know, Naruto really cares about you. He's a nice person."

Sasuke glanced at Hinata from across their small coffee table.

"Either you're spending too much time with him, or not enough. I can't tell which is worse."

It was their last meeting of the quarter and they were just finishing up. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. The entire quarter had been more successful than he had originally anticipated. As her prior work showed, Hinata easily lifted her own weight during their projects, and even picked up on some of Sasuke's slack here and there—not that he slacked off, he just got a little tight on time once in a while. And he would have easily finished his fair share too, but she had offered and he…trusted her?

Hinata giggled at his reply. "Sasuke, you say that, but I'm sure you care about Naruto too."

"Tch."

"That's not a no." Sasuke rolled his eyes and went back to his work.

The two were once again engulfed in their small bubble of silence. The coffeehouse was relatively packed with students trying to cram the past few months' worth of notes before finals week. The aroma of coffee and small chitter chatter filled the air around them. From their past meetings, Sasuke was able to get a better grasp of the Hyuga. While the both of them usually worked in silence, she had begun to talk to him more and more after their two-hour long conversation a while back. Although he for the most part remained silent during her small talk, his small grunts and nods every while encouraged her to continue. Not that she had much to say, anyway. She would say a sentence or two, before the pair dissolved into their normal silence. And that was their pattern for the previous few weeks. Neither of them were talkers, and that was okay. With her, silences were comfortable, even.

Hinata tapped her pencil against the table a few times. She reflected back to the day she had disclosed so much about herself. She didn't want to admit it, but a small part of her would miss these little project meetups that they had. Not that Sasuke was good company, but it had been a while since she had someone to just talk to. She didn't know if he minded or not, but he never told her to stop talking, or that it was irritating. She didn't even need him to respond, she realized. His mere presence was enough for him. And with that, her thought drifted off to the boy of sunshine. Maybe she was the Sasuke to Naruto. Maybe Naruto just needed somebody to talk to.

"Sasuke, do you think Naruto and I are friends?"

Sasuke raised a brow. Her feelings for Naruto were all too clear. Oftentimes, he would see her after class waiting to greet Naruto, who returned her greeting five times more enthusiastic. But Naruto was like that with everyone. Sasuke brushed aside some minor irritation at the thought. It wasn't his business what she thought of him or what she expected to come out of it. He wasn't encouraging anything nor was he against anything. She just asked him a question and he was expected to answer.

He grunted in confirmation.

She almost didn't expect him to answer. But hearing this, she smiled and went back to work. And at that, Sasuke felt one of his heartstrings twang with guilt. That's absurd, though. He had nothing to be guilty about, it was just a question. He had no business whatsoever in whomever she was interested in, and whatever happens is out of his control or care.

His focus shifted back to her. He wondered if he would see her around sometime. Surely he would catch a glimpse of her head this week and next—the same dark-haired blob in the front row. The few times that Sasuke managed to succumb to a distraction of his mind or the external world, he often found his gaze on her head when he woke from his daytime reveries.

"This is our last project meeting together." The words slipped out of his mouth in almost a whisper, but she picked it out.

She smiled. "Yes, it is."

"Thanks."

"You too."

Maybe he would see her around sometime. Or maybe not. The latter thought picked at the same heartstring and he chose to ignore it.

-x-

"You know, Hinata, thanks so much for helping me with econ this quarter. I really don't know what I'd do without you!"

Hinata felt her heart skip a beat.

"I-it's no problem, Naruto. I'm glad to help."

Autumn had kissed Konoha goodbye with the last of the fallen leaves, and winter soon descended, enveloping the city with days of wind and cold. Hinata wrapped herself with her arms as she trailed behind Naruto. Despite a big puffy coat and a hand-knit scarf to match, she couldn't help but shiver at the needles of cold that were weaving in and out of her. But she looked up at the boy in front of her and couldn't help but feel slightly warmer.

Hinata scurried behind Naruto as the two made their way to the ramen shop. The two had just finished another study session and decided to follow up with their usual dinner. Hinata couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness at the thought that their study sessions would no longer continue. Naruto, unaware that two of Hinata's petite footsteps were needed to match one of his own, moved forward with ease. He was going off about a wild story involving a lot of tequila, someone named Rock Lee, and a used car salesman but Hinata only heard bits and pieces of the conversation. Her mind was more preoccupied with stray thoughts of their friendship. Would she see him again? Or was he just a temporary prince that would exit her life once the academic period was over.

They had reached the all-too-familiar ramen stand sooner than she had expected. The two were seated at their regular table and Naruto jumped right into his parade of stories. Those that she had heard before, Hinata kept silent and nodded in encouragement. It only meant that she had more energy to focus on his energy and rugged features.

"Hmm, it's been five minutes! Where is our ramen?" Naruto pouted impatiently.

Hinata giggled. "Naruto, don't you ever get tired of ramen?"

"What! How can someone I consider a friend even say such blasphemy!"

Hinata felt a tingle in her toes at the mention of the word friend.

"We always eat ramen though…"

"It's not all I eat! I also love onigiris, cheeseburgers, and fried rice! What about you, Hinata? You must love ramen just as much as I do if you agree to come with me so much. What do you even like to eat anyways?"

"Oh, I eat anything. But I do love to cook and I love making onigiris."

"Wow, you're so talented Hinata! Smart and talented."

Hinata blushed at the compliment. "I-I can make you some sometime if you'd like, Naruto."

"Wow, that'd be great!"

Hinata's thoughts drifted aside just as their ramen arrived. They were friends. Of course they would see each other again.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Mphh-yeah?" He responded between slurps of ramen.

"I have some free time this week and I can help you with econ one last time before the final."

"Wow, thad' be great!"

Hinata chest fluttered with warmth. They would see each other again.

-x-

Hinata nervously fidgeted with her fingers as she tried not to stare at the blonde in front of her. He was doing the final problem in their practice set and the struggle was clear in his intense staring at the paper and desperate erasing. But his struggle was just another thing to be admired. Hinata admired his willingness to persevere despite his weakness. She admired that he never gave up despite his disgust for the subject. Hinata peeked over at a plastic bag to her left. She hoped that he would like them. Inside the plastic bag was a bento box consisting of four laboriously handcrafted onigiris. She had woken up early that morning to craft them. She had even cut the pickled radishes into sun-shaped, bite-sized pieces. Would he like them?

"Hey, N-naruto?"

"Yeah?" Naruto looked up from the work.

"I-I made—"

Beep beep!

"Oh, hold on Hinata! I lost track of the time!"

Naruto reached frantically in his pants pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Furious fingers started typing away.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah! I have a date today and I almost lost track of time with this problem set."

"D-date?" Hinata felt as if her lungs had been sealed into the bento box next to her and that the air-tight container was slowly suffocating her.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, I told her I would be at the library studying but I'm supposed to meet her in about 5 minutes. Anyways, sorry to cut this study session short, Hinata. I totally forgot to mention it earlier."

Hinata as if a needle had been slowly inserted into her heart, pricking its way deeper and deeper as the seconds had passed.

"A-ah, i-it's no prob—"

"Naruto?" A voice chimed from behind her seat.

"Oh! You found me! Hinata, this is Sakura!"

Hinata turned around and surprised lavender eyes met ones of bright emerald green. She was of a petite build, with pale pink hair that complimented her name nicely. A small identification card was clipped to her belt with the label "Surgical Unit" in red. She was beautiful.

"She's a med student here." Naruto's voice brought Hinata back from gazing at the girl behind her. Hinata couldn't help but to follow Naruto's gaze to Sakura. If he was the sun, then she was his sky. The intensity in his eyes promised nothing but devotion, and she sensed its compliment in the pink-haired beauty. The needle pushed in deeper.

"Hello, nice to meet you. Naruto has told me all about you." Her voice was the sound of wind. The needle began threading through her heart.

"H-hi. It's nice to meet you too." Hinata swallowed the lump she had unknowingly been holding in her throat.

"Hinata, thanks so much for your help! We have to get going but I'll see you soon, alright? Good luck with the final, but I know you won't need it!"

"Y-yeah. Good luck to you too." The threads began to pull tighter.

Sakura gave a wave of her hand, and Hinata watched as the two turned the corner.

The threads squeezed painfully with every pump of her heart.

Feeling her eyes water, Hinata took a deep breath. She had been silly. What had she expected between them? Naruto was a great friend and he probably didn't treat her with special attention. She had only known the man for a few weeks, after all. It was just a silly crush. Maybe she was just lonely. Maybe she just needed someone to talk to. Perhaps, in another alternate universe, they would be together. But the love she saw in his eyes was brighter than the sun that lived within him, and through heartbroken lenses she could wish them nothing but the utmost happiness that they were surely destined for.

Hinata wished for nothing more than to disappear from the face of the earth at this time. He wished to never see the boy of sunshine again, who unknowingly singed her porcelain skin. But they were friends, so of course they would see each other again.

-x-

It was the last week of class before finals week and Sasuke walked briskly through campus, eager to escape the cold and into the temporary protection of his car.

There she was, in the usual puffy coat and hand-knit scarf that he so often saw her wearing during the more unforgiving days. She held a plastic food container in her hands. Sasuke couldn't help but stare a bit longer at the tint of pink that dusted her pale cheeks. She must have been cold and he couldn't help but wonder as to why she would be out here of all places when warmth was just a few minutes away. The library was just a short walking distance away.

Unable to control the movement of his own feet, he found himself approaching her. He stopped in front of her but she seemed not to notice, only staring at the plastic container before her. Sasuke coughed to get her attention.

"What are you doing out here in the cold?"

She didn't reply and the only notice that she had heard him were her eyes fluttering upwards to meet his for a moment, before drifting back to the bento box before her.

"Hey, answer me."

Sasuke saw the quivering of her bottom lip before the first teardrop hit the bento box. And for the first time in his adult life, he felt as if his heart was connected to that single teardrop-as if its splattering across the pink plastic of the container shattered his very being. And his body moved of its own accord when he found his arms wrapped around the crying puffball and her head tucked into the nape of his neck. And never in his adult life did he remember initiating contact with another human being, but here he was, holding her in the freezing cold. And for a reason that he himself could not even put into words. She didn't let go of the bento box while she hung limply into his form. Sasuke almost felt as if he had done something wrong, until she leaned into him and let the sobs flow freely.

As she trembled in his arms, he looked up at the sunset lighting up the weary campus. Something landed on top of her head and he softly blew it off. It was a pink petal. It seemed that the sakura blossoms had bloomed early this year, and they were the most beautiful shade of pink.