Chapter 1

It was three weeks after the Preliminaries for the Chunin exams, the Finals were only a week away and Neji was training in the area outside the Hyuga residence. Hiashi called for his two daughters to meet him in the Dojo inside their home.

"Hinata, I have been disappointed with your skills. You are a main house member and your cousin, a branch house member, defeated you in the exams. Your Sister, five years your junior, has also defeated you many times before. I wish for you to spar with your sister and judge your skills."

"Hai, Otou-san." she replied. She stepped out onto the practice floor. She was still in some pain from the beating that Neji had given her, but she knew that her Father would just see that as an excuse for her weakness.

Hinabi steps down and faces her sister, they bow respectfully toward each other and then they both take the beginning stance for the Gentle Fist style.

For a few moments both girls just stood there looking at each other when suddenly they both launch themselves at the each other. They both jab and block and it looks like Hinata is holding her own against Hinabi. Then as Hinata extends her arm going for the tenketsu on Hinabi's right shoulder when a pain shoots thru her left side. She aggravated one of the injuries Neji had given her. While she flinches only for a fraction of a second, it was enough for Hinabi to get an opening and now Hinata falls down on her back with 15 of her tenketsu points closed. Breathing hard she tries to get up but her left leg and arm is paralyzed from her sisters attack.

"ENOUGH!", yelled Hiashi. "Hinabi, open her tenketsu."

Hinabi goes to her sister and opens the tenketsu that she had closed. Hinata is still having problems moving from her previous injuries, but she is able to stand up. Hiashi looks at the failure that is his oldest daughter, shakes his head and begins to leave the dojo. Just before he steps out he states, "I don't know what I am going to do with you yet, but I will think of something."

Hinata winces at the venom in her father's words. Hinabi looks at her sister and them leaves the dojo saying nothing.

'I think I have hurt myself worse, I think I should go to the hospital.', Hinata thought to herself. When she got there they admitted her for a few days as she recovered from all of her injuries, new and old. When she was discharged from the Hospital, she began the walk home wondering if her father had decided on her fate.

"Hey! Hinata! How are you doing?"

"N-N-N-Naruto-kun?", a flushed red Hinata exclaimed as she turned around and saw the object of her affections.

"Are you ok? You look like you might have a fever."

"I-I-I-I'm ok."

"I was heading over to Ichiraku's for some ramen, would you like to join me?"

'No, don't faint! You can do this! It is just ramen. He just happened to bump into you. He would have asked any of his friends to join him.', she thought to herself.

"If you come it's my treat.", he added when it looked like she might not come.

'His treat, it is like a date!', She thought as she began to get woozy and started to fall when she realized that she didn't fall down, but fell up. Confused she looked and realized that Naruto had grabbed her and kept her from falling and was now holding her bridal style. She promptly fainted with her head laying against his shoulder. Naruto looked down at the girl in her arms and whispered so softly the she might not have heard it if she was still conscious, "How can we have a date when you keep fainting on me."

Naruto stepped in to Ichiraku's ramen stand and exclaimed, "Hey Ayame, do you have a chair back there with a back on it?"

Ayame stepped from the back to see Naruto still carrying Hinata. "I don't think she would be safe on a stool. She might fall off."

Ayame nodded and when back into the ramen stand and grabbed a simple chair that they keep back there to rest on between customers.

Naurto gently placed Hinata into the chair and just as he starts to pull away from her she snuggles her face in his shoulder, which then causes Naruto to gain a slight blush. He stands up and sits on one of the stools and says, "Three large miso ramens, and whatever Hinata wants when she wakes up."

Ayame nods her head and take the order to her father in the back. After Ayame walks out of sight Naruto looks back toward Hinata sitting in the chair still sleeping. 'She is so beautiful, I just wish I could get her to stop fainting. Maybe we could get some where.', he thought to himself.

Hinata shifted in her chair and mumbled, "Mmmm, That feels good Naruto-kun."

Naruto turns red and looks around to see if anyone heard her and thankfully no one did. 'Is she having a perverted dream about me?', He thought to himself. He reached with his foot and tapped he chair just enough to shake it and Hinata started to stir waking up. She yawned and stretched her arms out and then realized she wasn't in Naruto's apartment (like she just thought she was in the dream). Ayame turns the corner with Naruto's ramen and sees Hinata looking around and notice Naruto looking at her and then Hinata blushes heavily. 'She must like Naruto.', Ayame thought to herself. She set the ramen in front of Naruto.

"Are you ok, Hinata?", Naruto turned to see Ayame put down his ramen, "Ayame, could you get Hinata some water, Please?" Naruto picked up a menu from the counter and turned back to Hinata and began to fan her with the menu. Ayame was shocked, she had never seen him put ramen aside for anything. He must really like, or even love Hinata. Ayame came right back with the water and handed it to Hinata.

"Thank you, Ayame-san.", Hinata said as she took the water and began to drink it, slowly.

Naruto had grabbed one of his ramens and was eating if, but instead of attacking it like he usually did he held the bowl in one hand and had his chopsticks in the other and turned so he was facing Hinata.

'He was eating normally, well normal for someone not Naruto.', thought Ayame. Is this the effect that she has on him, or is there something more. If it wasn't for the whisker-like birthmarks and the orange jacket she would think that this person wasn't Naruto. If wouldn't make any sense for an intruder to henge into Naruto. He was to young and hated to be any use of the enemy. She looked back to Naruto and saw that he was on his second bowl and turned to her and grinned that silly grin of his. 'Yep, that's Naruto.', She thought.

"May I have another water, Ayame-san?"

"Of course you may. I go get it, I'll be right back"

"Are you hungry, Hinata?", Naruto inquired.

"N-n-n-no, I-I-I-I'm fine.", she lied.

'I know your fine.', thought Naruto. "Are you sure? They have a few things here besides ramen.", he said as he handed her a menu and she took it from him.

"Th-Th-Th-Thank you, N-N-N-N-Naurto-kun.", she stuttered. She was hungry, but she was so nervous about what her father was going to say to her. She wasn't sure that anything that she ate would stay down.

Naruto picked up his last bowl and Ayame came back with the water for Hinata. Hinata began sipping the water while Naruto continued to eat his ramen. He ate this last bowl faster than the other two, but again not as fast as normal. She was drinking this water slower as she was dividing her attention between the water and the menu she was reading.

Naruto finished his last bowl and began just watching Hinata reading the menu. He watched as she moved her head and eyes as she read, how she turned the page, how she shifted in her seat. To him, every move was perfection. Why didn't I notice her earlier?, the thought. Sakura was almost a guy compared to Hinata. 'Oh, crap. I'm gay.', he thought, 'No I can't be gay, I'm looking at Hinata and I have had a few perverted thoughts about her, so I can't be gay. Crap, I'm bi! No, that's not right,either. I don't like guys like that and I know that even though Sakura can be boyish, she is still very feminine at times, like times not punching me across the village.'

Hinata looked up and saw Naruto looking at her and she started to blush.

"Did you find something you wanted to eat?", asked Ayame.

Hinata handed her the menu and replied, "No, thank you." Hinata turned to Naruto, "I-I-I-I-I-I n-n-n-need to be h-h-h-h-h-heading h-h-h-home

"Ok, I'll walk you there.", Naruto got up and walked to Hinata and offered his hand to her to help her out of the chair. Her blush deepened and she took his hand and he gently helped her up. They walked out of the ramen stand and as they began to walk down the road toward the Hyuga district. Hinata's blush has slowly receded as Naruto took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow and then her blush came back in full force.

"Eep?" was all she got out.

"Isn't this how a guy escorting a girl home suppose to be?", Naruto asked as he looked at Hinata.

She smiled and nodded her head and they continued on. He knew that she was nervous about something, other than his proximity to her and he noticed that it increased the closer they got to her home. He knew that he had to do something, but he wasn't sure what. 'I need more information and I know I can't get it from her, so I am going to have to spy.'

As they got to the entry to the district, Naruto said releasing her had and taking a step back, "This is where I must take my leave of you, Hinata-hime." Adding a bow after his statement.

Hinata blushed at that and her smile came back too, Naruto noticed that some of the worry had diminished, he had hoped that maybe he had given her some strength.

"T-T-Thank you, N-N-N-Naruto-kun.".