The beginning of the end...

"You're going to be late, Hinata," Neji was saying as he watched her scramble for her things Monday morning. It was unlike her to not be prepared; usually she had her bag ready the night before, so this exact predicament wouldn't happen. He could see the small bead of sweat rolling down her brow already as he watched from his place in her doorway.

Despite the situation, she seemed rather cheery that morning, so he wasn't about to interrupt her routine, lest he disturb this strange peace.

"I think that's all the printed papers," muttered Hinata quietly to herself, readjusting her headband. She stood, glancing herself in her full view mirror. Her bruise was only minor now. It was almost barely noticeable. She smiled at her reflection before turning to face her cousin. "Let's go, Neji,"

He smiled at her, turning to leave. She followed eagerly. He didn't dare mention she hadn't stuttered once. This was most definitely an improvement.

OOOO

Shikamaru smiled when he saw the look on Hinata's face when she walked into the classroom. She was holding a stack of papers in her hand. He guessed it was the finished report they would turn in. Because she wasn't there Friday, she probably had no idea the presentation was actually just handing in the papers, but he trusted that she did a good job. All three of them would need to be present when giving it, and Sasuke was still not here.

"There's no need to hurry, Hinata," he said with a drawl to his voice, "We're not presenting."

"W-We aren't?"

"It was changed Friday due to student complaints."

She seemed to exhale in relief, before chuckling softly. "That's a relief…" Shikamaru was about to comment on her speech pattern, for it was a giant leap forward for her, when the door slid open and Uchiha Sasuke walked in. So instead, the boy genius grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. "Look who finally showed up,"

"Nara," Sasuke said curtly.

"Uchiha," was the dry reply.

Hinata giggled quietly at how little their relationship had changed, but she stopped dead when he peered at her silently. She looked down in embarrassment. After all that had happened, she wasn't sure how they were supposed to act around each other. It was awkward of course, but she had no idea what she was supposed to say or do. Should she bring it up? No, that would make for a tense conversation. Were they supposed to stop talking to each other after this project? What was going to happen to their small, meager relationship? She almost didn't want to think about it.

"Let's sit down," Hayate called from the front of the class, "Your groups are going to come up and hand in the reports. After that, we will begin today's lesson. First group!"

It was as close to nerve-racking as she had ever felt. What if she made a mistake when typing it? What is she was forced to retype everything to make up for the terrible grade? What if they all got terrible marks? Would they be upset with her? Not Shikamaru, probably, but Sasuke might. What is all the help became undone? What if her father found out and would force her to drop her friends? What if-

A hand was placed gently on her shoulder. She looked to see Shikamaru, standing with the report. "It's time to go up,"

"W-What if I messed up?"

He paused, before sighing. "Don't worry. You didn't mess up. Let's go…" She glanced at Sasuke, who had also stood, before going down as well. Even from behind him, Hinata could tell he was just as nervous as she was. Yet, he hadn't spoken to her all morning. Was he mad at her?

Hayate shuffled through the papers, nodding every once in a while, before placing them on the stack.

"…That's it?" Sasuke spoke, though sounding incredulous. Hinata had jumped at the sudden sound of his voice.

"Yep," Hayate said, "Now go sit down."

Class had blown by after that, and Hinata could not help but feel relieved, as well as a little sad. Truthfully, she was going to miss spending their lunch hour together in the library, no matter what happened there. She had gotten closer to Shikamaru, and had realized the true person behind Sasuke's mask. But even now, the confidence that had emerged from that feat was seeping away, and she knew unless she used it, she would just lose it again.

RING! RING! RING! RING!

The Hyuuga heiress blinked in surprise, and found herself alone in a classroom with her teacher. Hayate stared at her for a moment, dark circles under his eyes clashing painfully with his pale skin. "Things on your mind?" She nodded slowly, before reaching for her book bag. Getting up, she noticed a paper on her desk that hadn't been there before. It looked to be one of those mini paper footballs; only the words READ were scribbled in messy script. She didn't recognize it as Shikamaru's, or as any handwriting she'd seen from her friends. Stuffing it into her bag with her class work, she bowed at her teacher before heading towards lunch.

OOOO

"So I heard he liked the report," said Ino with a smile as Hinata sat down with her packed lunch, "Congratulations!"

"I-It wasn't that big of a deal," Hinata said timidly, puncturing the top of her juice box.

"Nonsense," Shikamaru said, waving his hand at her, "You have wonderful grammar. Hayate loved your report."

"Take the compliment, Hinata," Tenten whispered, "We rarely hear him say things like that…"

"I heard that, woman," he said darkly, though with little effort. Ino coughed lightly.

"Anyhow," she said excitedly, "I bet the second biggest contribution came from Sasuke, not this lazy sack of meat,"

"I-I think we all did an equal share…"

"Yah, but Sasuke's a genius!"

"I'M a genius, Ino. Sasuke is clever."

Hinata and Tenten smiled sheepishly as the two continued to bicker.

"HEY!" Hinata turned her head towards her right to see Sakura charging toward them. Hinata swallowed her sandwich bite, eyes growing wide as she realized that Sakura did not have on her lipstick coated smirk, but a twisted scowl.

"Tenten," Sakura bellowed, "I have a bone to pick with you!"

"Oh, what is it, Sakura? We're trying to eat…" Tenten muttered darkly. The pink haired girl did not react to the obvious hostility, but instead pointed directly at the brunette. "I know you're some psycho star athlete, but that doesn't mean you can have any guy you want! I want to know what you said to Sasuke Friday after school!" Hinata froze at the Uchiha's name, before glancing at Tenten, who was in turn glancing at her. Hinata did not realize this, but everyone else at the table was also staring at her.

"I merely said what everyone else said," the brunette said slowly. Sakura looked a bit taken aback by this. "What do you mean 'everyone'…? Weren't you confessing to him or something?"

"As if," Ino said, "If you knew anything Forehead Girl, you'd know she's going out with another star athlete: Rock Lee,"

"Sasuke is the only Star Athlete I know, Pig Girl," Sakura retorted, before turning back to Tenten, "Then what did you say?"

The group stayed silent, sharing glances with each other.

"… What did you say, guys?" it was spoken so quietly that it was almost inaudible. But Shikamaru jerked his head up at her words, and the girls looked worried. They hadn't mentioned they had confronted the Uchiha boy, and only Shikamaru knew of what had transpired Saturday morning (he was in good relations with Neji and Itachi).

"We only said that he made a mistake, and that he needs to fix it," Shikamaru said carefully. They weren't talking to Sakura anymore. They had shifted to Hinata.

"Well that's rather vague," Sakura said dryly, "I shouldn't even bother with you mindless bunch. You're useless…"

She left, leaving a tense silence.

Hinata almost wanted to cry. She knew Shikamaru had told Neji, because he was a family member. But how did the others find out. She could only imagine how Sasuke felt if he'd been told by multiple people the same thing over and over again: he made a mistake. She too knew that feeling. Her father had told her that many times in her life, and so did her grandparents and extended family. It had been a major part of how she came to be so… weak.

"Hinata…" Ino began, but Hinata shook her head, quickly wiping away her forming tears.

"I-I know you must've been up-upset, but…" She stiffened when she felt Tenten's hand on her shoulder.

"Hinata, please bear in mind we were defending you. We were unsure if he realized how much damage he did."

"But he did realize," Hinata said a bit loud, making the brunette jump in surprise, "He already knew what he did was bad!"

"If he knew then why would he do it?" Tenten questioned, scooting over to comfort the frazzled heiress, "If he knew that just makes it worse!"

"No!"

It was a genuine shout this time. Hinata looked at her best friends, wanting to explain and for them to understand. She looked at Ino, a proud supporter of Sasuke, but she held a worried expression to her face, and was obviously torn. Shikamaru just looked at her with stone grey eyes, and Tenten was obviously unreachable. She wanted to tell them how much deeper Sasuke was than just a popular boy. She wanted them to know he hurt, and he wasn't cold. Or ruthless. He was confused… But how could she tell them? How could she make them really understand how he feels; how she had felt so many times. The table was quiet, and all that could be heard was the rest of the cafeteria around them, and the sudden chimes of the bell.

They watched her in silence as she got up. They'd have to see it for themselves, she concluded. They had to give him a chance by their own means, or else they'd never realize the true Sasuke.

Or the true Hinata.

Shikamaru watched her go. And was startled when Tenten finally spoke, "She obviously needs to see the real Sasuke," Shikamaru almost snorted at the irony. They brought their trays (as well as Hinata's) to the bin, when Ino spoke up.

"When did she become so outspoken?"

Shikamaru broke out into a fit laughter, leaving the two girls to wonder what they were missing.

OOOO

Hinata wanted nothing more than to go home. She felt so awkward and indebted to Sasuke now, knowing her friends had caused him unnecessary trouble. Shuffling through her bag during Algebra, she happened upon the mystery note, and opened it under her desk slowly, so the paper wouldn't rip.

"Detention…?" she read aloud in a soft whisper.

OOOO

It felt strange waiting outside Kakashi's classroom after hours again. Neji had said he's wait for her when she told him, but she had politely declined the offer. She didn't want to be more trouble than she had been the last few days. A loud click signified the opening door, and the heiress stepped aside as the twins came out, shoulder to shoulder. They glanced at her, and to her surprise, merely smiled at her knowingly before heading down the hall. Kankouro was no different, muttering a quiet, "I hope you feel better," before going his own way.

Tayuya came out with a large frown, as if she had had a rough day. She turned to face the heiress, before saying, "I want that coffee tomorrow. I'll be waiting under the clock tower," Hinata nodded with a small smile. Giving her thumbs up, Tayuya sauntered off, heavy boots resounded against the windows.

Glancing in, Hinata met eyes with Kakashi, who glanced at the figure near the front. Sasuke was facing the windows at the moment, but as soon as Kakashi had moved, he had turned to see her.

Hinata stepped in, and her eyes locked with Sasuke's dark iris', making her blush slightly. Calming herself, she took the seat next to his. They sat in silence for a while. Hinata felt rather tense because of Kakashi's presence, and because she had been in this scenario before. Would anything really change? Would something different happen? Did she have to instigate it?

"I'm sorry," she said.

Sasuke jerked his head towards her. "For what?" he demanded, voice at a higher pitch than normal.

"F-For my friends. I had no idea they had talked to you about what happened. I would never ask them-"

"I know you wouldn't ask them," he interrupted, "I know you wouldn't want that. It's okay. Don't apologize for their mistakes."

"But… but maybe if I had asked them not to-"

"They would have done it anyway. It's okay…"

They averted their gaze from each other, resulting in a tense moment of silence to engulf them again. Hinata fiddled with her fingers, unsure of what to say next. Her conversation topic had been shot down rather quickly, and she didn't want to just sit there.

"I wanted to say thank you," came his quiet voice, making her turn to face him again, though this time the action was slower, "For Saturday. You… really cheered me up when I was down, so I wanted to say thanks. For that." He turned away from her, making sure she didn't see the blush creep up to cover his face. Kakashi, who was currently writing on papers on his desk, glanced up to see Sasuke's ears turn red.

"I-I," she started, "I'm glad I was able to help. I guess… I wanted to thank you too. For letting me help. It… gives me confidence, I think; helping others makes me feel… like I'm worth something." He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Everyone is worth something, I guess," he said with a shrug. Hinata stared at the back of his head. "Even Naruto?"

"No," Sasuke said forcefully as he whirled his head around to confront the question, "He has minimal uses. Like copying homework. Otherwise, he's just extra baggage."

"Why would you want to copy homework from Naruto?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow, a puzzled expression on her face. Sasuke stared at her, noting her soft face and her thick indigo hair as it curled around her neck onto her narrow shoulders. Her small hands were no longer fidgeting. He then chuckled, creating a tremor in Hinata's spine. She could feel her bones quivering.

"You wouldn't," he said with a smirk, "It just proves my point."

Hinata laughed along with him, their voices resonating in Kakashi's classroom. They stopped after a minute, and not knowing how to continue their conversation, both fell silent once more. It seemed to stretch out forever, until Kakashi abruptly stood.

"I need to work, kiddos," the masked teacher said with a slight perk to his voice, "I need you two to leave."

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" Hinata said, jumping up from her seat. Turning to the Uchiha, she wondered what she could say to end it. What could she say that would help their friendship grow. She wanted to know more about this person. Who was Sasuke Uchiha, and what did he want to be when he grew up? What did he like to eat for dinner? What was his favorite movie?

She wanted him to know she'd be there for him when he needed her. She wouldn't judge him. She wouldn't push him aside. She'd listen. She wanted him to know these important things. For she knew herself that she'd want the exact same thing from any other person. And she knew that if she could muster up this fading courage, only then would it be possible for her to say those things.

"Sasuke?"

He was already looking at her, expectant, waiting. Was that hope she could see reflected in his eyes? Could she really be a good friend to him? Could she make this bond she had formed stronger? Tougher? Everlasting?

She blushed, realizing now that what she really wanted… might be to just to be there the day he finally broke out with a real smile. Not a smirk. Not a twitch of the lip. A true, joyful smile. She wanted those dark eyes to light up. She wanted him to look at someone that way once in his life.

Maybe even her.

"Would you like to get tea?" In truth, she had actually meant to ask if he wanted to just get a drink, but somehow something specific slipped in.

"O-Or any other beverage! Food! Snack!" she added hastily at his blank expression. He stood, grabbing his bag from the floor.

"I like green tea," he said as he looked away.

She smiled, secretly happy because she too liked green tea. With a bow to Kakashi (who nodded in return) Hinata and Sasuke left his classroom. The science teacher listened as their footsteps began to fade.

"By the way, your speech is becoming more consistent," he heard Sasuke say, before the clops of their heels failed to reach his ears.

Kakashi smiled to himself. He thought he'd never see the day detention was useful for anything good…

The end. Yes, it's finished. I most likely will NOT do a sequel, because I can't commit to a sequel, unless it turns out to be a oneshot. Thing is, this oneshot will turn out all fluffy and gross, so I still probably won't make a sequel. You can just imagine that what I started will end happily.

Yes, I ended this with the beginning of their relationship. If you must know the reason why, it's because I can't picture it in my mind to be anything other than uneventful. It will be fluff. "What about Sakura? With jealousy comes drama!" I'm tired of writing Sakura as the enemy, 'kay? I still don't like her, but she's not THAT bad. I mean, seriously...

Kiba/Naruto/Chouji have disappeared? Yes, because their roles were insignificant copies of the same archetype. Like Sasuke said, "Baggage..."

TRIVIA: Some plot points and conversations are based on real life.

The Ford catching fire? It really happened to my family (though it was in a parking lot). It was really because of the cruise control too.

The whole Chapter 7 "I'm a failure!" cryfest Sasuke had was based on a real event (though I was the Hinata, not the Sasuke). A friend of mine really felt that way about himself, and really started crying. It was, like, the last day of school, and he sorta bombed the ASL exam because he was too tired thanks to his meds, and he said he would just fail anyway. This situation was duplicated to fit the sotry, with a few tweaks.

So yeah. There you go! Sorry if it felt rushed! I don't feel like correcting spelling errors! I'm sorry!

:)