Someone New | A SasuHina Story (completed)

chapter three | market

Important Note: In this fic the Rookie Nine and Gaara are all 21 years old. Tenten, Lee, Neji, Temari, and Kankuro are 22. Hanabi is 16.

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Despite Hinata enthusiastically agreeing to go shopping, she heavily disliked the market place. Oh how she'd almost forgotten.

Hinata was pretty well known, her being heir to the Hyuuga clan and dating the number one hokage candidate. She usually got recognized wherever she went. The older people would often offer her free fruits and vegetables that she'd politely decline. Meanwhile the younger people would ask her what was the secret to her good fortunate, to which she'd give a shy smile and excuse herself before giving an answer.

She didn't feel very fortunate. She knew she had way more than the average and was very grateful for that, but she had to work for it all. She had to fight for her spot to be heiress even despite her patching up her relationship with her dad. She also had to fight for Naruto to even acknowledge her as a women instead of just his classmate. She still feels like she's struggling with the latter, knowing they're not in the best condition right now.

She thought on the way to the grocery store she knew had all her friends favorite snacks. She was about a foot away from the door when she had bumped into someone's back.

She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize the person in front of her had stopped abruptly, making her crash into them.

She backed away and bowed profusely. "I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." Hinata apologized, her head down.

"Uh huh." The person towering over her replied. She looked up to see who had replied to her so curtly. She was surprised to say the least.

She had just happened to run into none other than her ex classmate.

Sasuke Uchiha.

"Well if you'll excuse me." Hinata said, a light blush appearing across her pale face. If it was a stranger that'd she accidentally bumped into that was one story, but this was Sasuke. She was sure she'd see him again at some point, and now he knew she was a daydreaming klutz.

"Wait." Sasuke said, stopping Hinata before she walked through the doors of the grocery store.

She turned her head slightly, looking at him with curiosity.

"I need you to do me a favor." He said. Hinata and Sasuke were not close, far from it in fact. Yes, they had been classmates, but their relationship went nowhere beyond that. Their only common ties were the academy and Naruto.

Even so, it's not as if Hinata could just ignore him.

"What is it?" She asked wearily. Sasuke wasn't known for having a good reputation, and although she didn't sense any malice from the man, she wasn't too keen on doing any favors for him either.

"Can you get me something out of the store?" He more so demanded than asked. Hinata raised a brow. This wasn't at all what she was expecting. "Don't look at me like that." He said scoffing. "This store is the only one in Konoha that has the brand of tomato juice I like." Sasuke explained. A hint of a blush dusted his cheeks. You could tell he wasn't accustomed to asking for help. He said every word through gritted teeth, and looked as if he suffering while explaining himself.

Hinata just stared at him. She was fairly amused, a small smile adorning her face.

"Why can't you get it yourself?" She asked him, teasing him a bit. She could guess why. Sasuke always managed to catch the attention of anyone in the vicinity of him.

"The female clerk." Was all he replied. Hinata nodded her head in understanding. She agreed to help him out and he told her the brand of juice he liked. After taking a mental note she went inside.

It took about 15 minutes for her to do all the shopping. She went to the first register, it had the shortest line.

The girl checking the items out had to be around Hinata's age or a little younger.

"So" the cashier started, startling Hinata. She wasn't expecting for the girl to try to strike up a conversation. "I saw you and Sasuke out there." She said, gesturing towards the huge glass windows that had a direct view of the entrance that Hinata had came in from.

Hinata put two and two together. This had been the girl Sasuke was trying so desperately to avoid.

"Aren't you dating Naruto Uzumaki? What are doing talking to Sasuke so shamelessly out in the open?" The girl asked accusingly. She had long since finished checking Hinata out and all the Hyuuga had to do was get her change back and go.

"Yes, I am dating Naruto and I can talk to whoever I want to, wherever I want to. Now can I please have my change so I can go back to shamelessly talking with my friend." Hinata said matter of factly. She was tired of people talking to her and treating her any type of way.

The girl murmured something under her breath while handing Hinata her receipt and change. Hinata quickly took it and scurried out the door. She didn't want to be there another second.

Sasuke was across the street, leaning on the wall of a dim alleyway. Hinata looked around to make sure no one was in way as she made her way over to him.

"I can see why you didn't want to go in there. Hinata said with a giggle. "She asked me about you."

Sasuke groaned. There was no place else he could get his juice from, he thought with a frown. It may have seemed immature but that juice was the only reminder he had of his messed up childhood. It reminded him of better times and tasted great too.

Hinata ruffled through her bag for a bit before pulling out a twelve pack of juice boxes and a cartoon of the same brand.

"What the hell did you get the boxes for?" Sasuke asked while snatching both from the small girl. He hated to admit it but he always thought the miniature boxes tasted better than the big cartoon. He just never could bring himself to buy it. It was embarrassing.

"You didn't specify which one you wanted. Don't worry, I didn't tell the clerk I bought it for you, wouldn't want to ruin your chances." Hinata said, giggling when she saw the way Sasuke's expression changed at the mention of the pushy cashier. "Besides, by the way you're clutching the boxes so close to you, I'd say you're not at all displeased with my purchase." She managed to squeeze out through her giggling fit.

"You're annoying." Sasuke said, upset that Hinata had managed to read right through him. This wasn't at all like the girl he had gone to the academy with. Hinata was definitely still shy and quiet voiced, Sasuke could deduct that much. But she was speaking with him clearly and even joking with him, something he wasn't at all accustomed to when it came to the lavender eyed girl.

"Listen, I told that girl that you and I were just friends. If we don't play along she's going to get suspicious. If you're going to start off this relationship with insults I don't think it'll last very long." Hinata said.

She had changed in many ways since Sasuke was gone. She got rid of her stutter, confessed to Naruto, and had faced countless hopeless situations. She had gathered a significant amount of confidence compared to her days at the academy. Sure she wasn't keen on meeting new people, conversing with strangers, and attracting attention but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Sasuke wasn't really a stranger. Hinata never liked judging people based on past transgressions, even if she was a little skeptical of the Uchiha at first.

"Whatever." Sasuke said, brushing Hinata off. He took his juice and headed in the direction of the Uchiha Estate. "Thank you Hyuuga." He said, barely above a whisper.

"Enjoy, Mr. Uchiha." Hinata said waving him goodbye with a grin on her face.

It was a little after noon now. Hinata was running late on the appointed time she and the girls were supposed to meet.

She went in the opposite direction of Sasuke, rushing in the direction of Ino's flower shop.