Author's Note: Here's the second chapter; the third one's almost done as we speak. I'm not sure if this will be three or four chapters long, but we'll see. Enjoy.

"When did you first meet N-Naruto-kun?" She felt a tinge of gidiness when she asked the question—surely, there had to be some amazing story behind the two of them becoming friends. Hinata was keen to find the truth behind it.

Sasuke glanced toward her, dark eyes half-lidded.

"We were kids, I don't remember how young, but I had to be pretty young since I was playing in the sand-box. He knocked over my sand castle that I'd spent two hours working on."

Hinata giggled, before clapping a hand over her mouth. Her cheeks reddened. "And w-what did you do?" she said, voice muffled owing to her hand still being over her lips.

"I sent his crying to his mother with a bloody nose," Sasuke told her.

She gave him an astonished look. "You d-did not!" Hinata gasped.

The man cracked a cocky smirk. "Our parents were on a bench just a few meters away," Sasuke continued. "My mother made me apologize to him." Hinata giggled once more—the mental image of Sasuke apologizing to someone was too much for her. "Afterward, though, his mother admitted that the idiot had deserved it for—her words, not mine—'knocking over such a sweet looking sand castle'."

"S-she did not!"

"You've never met his Mom," Sasuke murmured. "Trust me—she is not what you'd call a normal parent."

"And what happened afterw-wards?" Hinata asked softly.

"The next week, I saw him in the sand-box. Building a castle of his own." She already knew what he was about to say. "I knocked it over."

"Y-you didn't!"

"I did," Sasuke said. "We fought; I won. He ran off to his mother with scraped elbows and knees. I was grounded for a week—it was definitely worth it to see the look on his face."

Hinata sucked in a deep breath. "I-I don't see h-how a friendship managed to come from t-that kind of introduction," she admitted.

"It happens," said Sasuke. "The specifics after that don't really matter. We went to the same school, rode the same bus, had the same classes." He sipped at his coffee. "I should be getting home."

He stood up—Hinata took a step or two back as he slid out of the booth, already reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

Sasuke set the money on the table, then set out himself for the door.

"W-wait…" she said, just loud enough for him to hear. Sasuke turned—she shrunk back a little as his obsidian gaze bored into her.

"What?"

"My shift ends in fifteen m-minutes," Hinata mumbled. "Could I come to your house? I-if Naruto-k-kun isn't there, I mean."

"What for?"

Her cheeks pinkened. "I-I just…" She swallowed. "I-I just want to see his room. How he lives."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"... no."

Hinata blinked.

"W-w-why not?" she questioned.

"I'm no social guru, but that's weird, even for me," said Sasuke. "Why on Earth would I let you see his room?"

"B-b-because…"

She didn't have anything to add on to that.

"I'm not going to feed your obsession, neither am I going to violate his privacy like that," the Uchiha continued. "I can help you in another way, however."

"H-how?"

"By telling you this: get over him." Sasuke's gaze was crisp, clear—same as his words. "He and Sakura are not going to split any time soon. Naruto barely knows you, and you're not going to become his friend lest some miracle of nature happens in your favor. Get over him, or else you're doing nothing but wasting your time."

With that, he turned and left.

Hinata stood there; petrified.

Tears slowly began to trail down her cheeks.

There was a flurry of footsteps behind her—as if called by some supernatural force, Ino swept to her side a few moments later. "Hinata!" the blonde called. "What—what's wrong?"

Hinata grit her teeth; she couldn't see through her tears. She could feel the eyes of the other patrons in the store staring at her sides and back.

"I-it… S-Sasuke…" whimpered Hinata.

"Huh?" Ino said. "What about Sasuke—what did he do? You guys were just talking, you seemed fine…"

The indigo haired waitress let out a choked sort of sound, before borderline sprinting into the back of the store. Ino followed after her quickly, already pulling out her phone.

"Sakura?" Ino said, staring at a sobbing Hinata with bewilderment. "I think you're going to need to have a talk with Sasuke."

"... why?"

"Hey! What the heck did you do to—!"

Apparently, it wasn't the best idea to rush up to someone with training in multiple fighting forms before they even had their morning coffee.

When Sakura stepped into the bedroom after her boyfriend, she wasn't surprised to find him with his arms wrenched behind his back, his head shoved into the sheets, the blonde struggling fruitlessly.

"What are you up to now, idiot?" Sasuke grumbled, not showing any sign of letting go.

Sakura strode up to him. And she poked him right in the gut, hard.

"In what world do you think it's—" She used a word that would have made Hinata squeal. "-okay to make Hinata of all people sob her heart out at the tail-end of an eight hour shift?" She growled at the Uchiha. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself? An explanation? A defense? Well?"

"What can I say?" Sasuke said. "She gets on my nerves." He looked down toward Naruto. "And what are you doing here, idiot? You don't even know who she is."

"... do too!" was Naruto's muffled response as he kicked his legs in an attempt to buck himself free.

"She gets on your nerves?" Sakura roared. "That's your excuse? She gets on your nerves? God! You are… insufferable! And let my boyfriend go for God's sake!"

Sasuke kept at it for a few more seconds, before, reluctantly, letting Naruto up. The blonde retreated slightly, fists raised, though he looked a little worse for wear.

"I don't want to see you around that cafe again when Hinata's there," said Sakura. "She is not to serve you—only Ino and I from now on have that 'privilege'."

"Or what?"

"I'll call your mother."

Sasuke paused in the doorway.

A quick glance around told him that the only server on the floor, conveniently, was Hinata. The bell had already rung—she was already looking in his direction.

When she saw him, she did a sort of double-take, clearly half torn before running in the other direction and holding her ground.

He sighed, before turning around and making his way back out of the store. The bell rung again.

Not many shops were on this street—he'd have to go quite a ways to get to the next one. He wondered if their coffee was quite as—

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

He turned.

There she was, breathless and red-faced; it was clear she'd sprinted after him.

"I-I'm s-sorry for getting y-you in trouble!" said Hinata earnestly. "I—I overreacted! Y-you w-were just trying to help me… I'm sorry!"

Sasuke blinked.

"I practically got myself in trouble," he murmured. "So don't worry about it."

Hinata frowned ever so slightly. "H-how d-did y-you get yourself in trouble?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"Trying to keep your little secret," Sasuke told her. "I couldn't exactly let them know the truth."

"T-truth?"

He sighed. "That I was telling you to let Naruto go. I'm not the type to spill someone's secrets like that."

"W-what did you tell them i-instead?"

"That you got on my nerves."

"D-do I get on your nerves?"

He paused for an instant. "Sometimes," said Sasuke. "But less often than any other woman I know."

Hinata's lips twitched. "They t-told you not to be served by me again, did they?"

"Right."

"W-well…" She cleared her throat. "It's the policy of the owner that all customers are to be served in our establishment unless grevious circumstances prevent us from doing so. And if I'm the only person on the floor and there's a customer waiting to be taken care of, it's my duty to look after them."

"I see," Sasuke said.

Hinata smiled—it was a brilliant, vibrant one.

"Why are you smiling like that?" he questioned.

"Because you are," was her reply.

He was smiling. It was slight, hardly noticeable, but he was.

Of course, the second he noticed, it was wiped off his face to be replaced by a scowl. But the simple fact of seeing Uchiha Sasuke smile—if just a little—had Hinata legitimately grinning.

"I'll see you in a moment, sir," Hinata said, turning and hurrying back to the store.

Sasuke froze for a few seconds. Had he really… smiled?

That wasn't a regular occurance.

With some hesitation, he followed after her.

He sat in his usual booth; Hinata was, again, the only server on the floor at the time. She was rather busy though, bouncing back and forth, though still looking impeccable. Her indigo hair bobbed up and down in the high ponytail she'd tied it into.

When she finally got a moment of rest, she gravitated toward his table.

"I h-hate working alone sometimes," Hinata admitted to him, using the pretext of refilling his coffee mug to lean against his table and catch a brief moment of rest.

"It happens," said Sasuke. "I wanted to show you something; it'll only take a second."

"W-what is it?"

He pulled out his phone; a moment later, he showed her what he'd wanted to show her.

It was a picture of a bedroom. An unspeakably filthy bedroom with ramen cups and clothes and just all sorts of things strewn everywhere. The sheets were orange and the pillows blue, a dingy TV camped in a corner.

"W-w-what's that?" Hinata murmured, nose scrunching up. She could almost imagine the foul odor.

"Naruto's room," said Sasuke nonchalantly.

"R-really?"

He shrugged.

"A picture or two won't hurt him."

Hinata blushed prettily. "T-thank you," she said quietly, watching as Sasuke put his phone away.

"Not a problem."

There was a soft smile on her face as she went back to work.

She heard the bell ring when she was in the back, pulling two plates of food from the window. Hefting them up, bony arms carrying them with ease, she glided back into the store proper, swiftly heading to the proper table and setting the plates down.

"E-enjoy!" she stuttered, before whirling around to see who had come in.

There was Sasuke. But, there was a woman sitting across from him—an older woman, who looked near exactly like him. Black eyes and hair, fair skin. She was either his (much) older sister or his mother.

Hinata put on her bravest face.

"T-the u-usual, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked as she walked up to them.

"Yeah," said Sasuke.

"And y-you, ma'am?"

The woman smiled a toothy smile at Hinata. "Just some green tea, dear. Bring a pot if you can—I don't want you running back and forth every few seconds."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

As she walked away, she heard the words—"Who's she, Sasuke?"-come from the woman.

She returned with a platter, coffee and pot of tea and empty mug prepared. Setting it down on an adjacent booth, she carefully placed it down in front of them.

"No sugar or sweetener?" said the woman.

Hinata swallowed nervously. "R-right there, ma'am," she said, pointing past the two of them toward the end of the booth, where a small container with three kinds of sweetener and sugar inside sat.

"Ah, I see," she said. For some reason, Hinata had the slight suspicion that she was being tested. Still anxious, she went to attend to another table's needs. Again, she heard words spoken behind her. "Backbone," the woman said. "More than the most of them, at least."

"All she did was point out where the sugar was," was Sasuke's reply. Hinata was still in ear-shot.

"You'd be surprised how many waitresses would simply disappear into the back and bring me out some, instead of pointing it out to me like that." The woman was probably smiling that same toothy smile. "They might be afraid that I'd think they were insulting me, or any other silly little—"

After that, she didn't hear a word.

The tables began to thin out before long and soon she was given a break to rest. She tried to stop herself, but habit dictate that she gravitate toward Sasuke's table.

"Hinata?" the woman said.

"Y-yes?" she asked. It occurred to her that she hadn't told this woman what her name was.

"You're absolutely gorgeous, sweetie," the woman continued. Hinata flushed crimson. "But, I don't see more than a hint of makeup on you. No alterations, nothing like that. What's your secret? Share it with an old woman like me—I won't tell, I promise!"

Hinata put on her best smile. "A h-healthy diet and g-good genes, ma'am."

"They've told me that one before, but no matter what kind of jeans I buy it doesn't seem to help."

Sasuke shook his head; it took Hinata a moment to process what the woman had said.

When she did, she giggled quite loudly. The woman smirked in a way reminiscent of Sasuke.

"Sasuke here told me that he's been coming here for about two months now," the woman said. "And he says that you're his preferred waitress. I have to ask—how many times has he made you cry by now? Be honest."

Hinata giggled again. "O-once," she said.

"Only once? I'm impressed, Sasuke."

"Mother…" Sasuke mumbled, a forlorn look on his face.

"I've seen the hardiest of teachers babble like little toddlers in front of this boy," Sasuke's mom said. "And yet you seem to be resistant. Perhaps, that's a sign?"

A flush crept up Hinata's neck. Sasuke looked away.

"A sign that you two should…"

They both grimaced in advance.

"... get to know each other better, of course. Have you even met outside of this place before?"

They both blinked. Sasuke had already braced himself for his mom to drop a wonderful—'you two should start dating!'-as she'd done many times before to horrific effect.

"Well, I-I did c-chase him out of here once…" Hinata mumbled weakly.

"That doesn't count," said Sasuke's mom. "Exchange numbers; go out and see a movie or something. That's what friends do."

"Who said we were friends?" Sasuke said.

His mom sighed. Then leaned forward and pinched his cheek—he recoiled, groaning. "Shut up," she said sweetly. Hinata giggled once more.

One of her tables flagged her down and Hinata swept away. Sasuke glanced at her back for a moment, his mother flashing him a knowing look.

A few minutes later, she dropped a check at their table, along with a small piece of paper.

Sasuke blinked. He paid in cash, always—he knew the exact price so there was no need. Why had she—?

He looked at the paper, and there, scribbled in pretty handwriting, was a phone-number.

Also, a small note beneath that.

'Your mom is terrifyingly persuasive.'

He cracked the smallest of smiles.

She dragged a brush through her hair, staring at herself in the mirror that was perched across from her. Hinata sat cross legged on her bed, clad in a tank-top and some shorts, humming a little song under her breath. It was her first of two days in a row off—the sun gently set in the distance.

Her phone buzzed.

Hinata picked it up—it was a text from an unknown number.

'I heard Sakura mention that she was working with Ino tomorrow, so I presume you don't have to work. There's a restaurant that I've heard good things about—want to go there tomorrow?'

She found herself beaming at the text.

'Sure, what time?'

'I'll pick you up at six,' was his reply a few moments later. 'What's your address?'

Hinata texted him her address—with some anxiety if not reluctance, heart thumping in her ears. After that, she also added—'Is it a fancy or a casual restaurant?'

'Casual. See you tomorrow.'

She stared at those words—see you tomorrow. For a good minute or two, until the screen on her phone dimmed out as it timed out from inactivity. When that happened, she was shaken from her stupor.

Grinning from ear to ear, Hinata returned to brushing her hair.

"Maybe," she mumbled under her breath. "I ought to get Ino's help to figure out what to wear…"

Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review if you liked it; as always, have an awesome day.