disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
summary: This is not a love story, but it is a story about love. —Sasuke/Hinata
notes: I've been MIA for a while now, but I swear, I haven't forgotten about any of these stories.

Sasuke next sees Hinata in one of his training sessions at the Academy. He's dressed in loose white shorts and a large dark blue top, handed down from Itachi; they're worn at the knees, and there's a hole in the shirt next to the neckline, but it feels comforting and safe, almost as if he has his brother right with him, cheering him on. He's standing at the back of the class and she's down near the front, past an obnoxiously loud boy with obnoxiously bright yellow hair, the colour of sunshine. Iruka is standing at the front, coaching them through different exercises to control their breathing and increase their stamina, and it's interesting, sure, but Sasuke's heard most of it before, of his father or brother. He keeps getting distracted. He keeps meeting Hinata's eye and she keeps smiling, and then they both keep looking away.

He spends most of the lesson wanting to talk to her—wanting to cross through the other children and ask her where she's been, how are the ducklings, why hasn't he seen her in a while—but it's too difficult trying to push forwards, so he decides he'll find her at the end of the lesson. After that, he focuses a little more, puts all his effort into the training (and just catches her eye once in a while), and that's when he begins to notice some of the other kids looking at him. They're looking with wide eyes and open mouths, turning and whispering to one another.

The blonde boy next to Hinata turns around and gapes at him openly.

Iruka is watching him with a critical eye and, at the end of the lesson, he comes up to Sasuke and says, "Good. A little sloppy at times, but good. Well done."

Sasuke's cheeks flush a little pink and he tries not to let the pride show on his face.

Iruka smiles and claps his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, before walking over to a boy with dark hair and dark glasses and offering advice low and quiet in his ear instead.

He starts to thread his way through the children, over to where he can see Hinata pulling her hair out of her eyes, when a hand grips his wrist. He turns around, grumpy and irritable, and quirks an eyebrow. It's the blonde boy, sunshine boy, noisy and obnoxious, and Sasuke is just about to tell him to let go when the boy starts speaking, fast and frantic and loud. "Wow, you were so cool! I always find this kind of stuff really difficult, but you were just—wow, and I mean, you must be really smart and stuff, but that's okay. I'm going to keep training and I'm going to be smart and strong, and one day you're going to come up to me, and you're going to be like wow. You better believe it!"

He actually pumps his fist into the air, and Sasuke feels confused and maybe a little frightened.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the boy crows. "You better remember that name!"