First Love
Author: Alexz Recoro
Summary: A collection of fluffy one-shots. Some connected, some not. Mostly Naruto/Hinata and Shikamaru/Ino (my two favorite couples), but others as well.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Feedback: Please read and review. Suggestions are welcome, but I won't write for a couple if I don't think I can do a good and reasonable job, so don't get mad if you don't see your favorite couple.
1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Naruto/Hinata)
Hinata eyed the huge tree in front of her. Tree walking was genin level training, but it was also the best way to increase her chakra other than water walking. But she didn't fell like doing any training near water today, it was to cold and the hot springs were way to crowded because of the lousy weather, she'd never get anything done there.
So it was tree walking today. It was Hinata's day off, and she wanted to do chakra training, because her specially developed technique required precise control, which required that she train with it constantly, and she also needed to expand her chakra reserves. But the young jonin was still eyeing the tree nervously. Hinata wasn't scared of heights exactly; she could leap through the tree tops with the best of them, as long as she didn't look down. But she was wary of heights, and preferred to avoid them if possible. Finally, Hinata tied her long hair back, took a deep breath and started to walk slowly up the tree and then back down.
After ten trips, Hinata was getting tired. By the fourteenth trip, Hinata was struggling to continue pushing out chakra. At the end of her twentieth trip up, Hinata stepped out on a branch and sat down with her back against the tree trunk, resting briefly. It was December, only ten days before Hinata's eighteenth birthday, and yet it hadn't yet snowed. Hinata was kind of hoping it would snow before her birthday; she loved snow on her birthday.
She was also kind of hoping that Naruto would be back from his mission in time for her birthday. Because he had three years of experience working with Jiraiya's spy network, Tsunade liked using Naruto for any mission involving Konoha's spy network; in fact, he was the best they had. As a result, he was almost always away on some mission, usually solo, but sometimes he went with an ANBU team or another jonin.
Naruto had been gone for three weeks on a solo mission and Hinata was worried about him. He wasn't exactly late, and Tsunade wasn't visibly worried yet, but Naruto had never been gone this long on any one mission before. . .
"Hey! Hinata-chan!" The unexpected sound of Naruto's voice, of any voice, caused Hinata to jerk suddenly and lose her balance. With a startled yelp, she started to fall. She tried to grab the branch with her hand but missed, and couldn't gather enough chakra to stop herself on the tree trunk
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled. Hinata spotted a flash of black and yellow out of the corner of her eye, then she impacted with something, but it wasn't the ground.
It was Naruto. He had leapt up to her, bouncing off tree trunks to get high enough to catch her before her falling body gathered enough speed to kill her if she hit anything, including him. His arms wrapped around her, one under her knees and one across her back. Hinata slid one arm around his neck and gripped his jacket with her other hand. She curled against him, hiding her face in his jacket and his eyes went wide.
When she curled up against him it was like something went 'click' deep inside his heart. He had reacted instinctively when he saw her fall, calling on the Kyuubi to increase his speed and shoot upward, bouncing off trees to get up there and get her! He couldn't understand the sudden fear that had stopped his heart, turned his stomach to ice and made his mouth go dry the instant she was in danger. He'd been in danger before, had seen teammates and friends in danger; hell, they were all ninjas, it was part of the job.
But he had never felt this kind of terror before, this mind numbing, panic inducing terror. He had never experienced the kind of terror that jabbered at him to 'move, move your ass, get up there, get to her NOW'! Until he saw Hinata fall and suddenly his entire world threatened to fall apart right in front of him. Not Hinata, his Hinata, the first person he saw after he returned from a mission, always, unless she was on a mission of her own. Hinata, who had danced with him on top of the river under the moonlight for his eighteenth birthday. She had blushed wildly the whole time, but she had done it, for him, because he had asked her to.
Naruto moved before he was aware of it, arms reaching out to grab her and cradle her close. His heart did a back flip when Hinata slid her arm around his neck and gripped his jacket with her other hand. Then she turned her face into his chest and Naruto could only smile as he used his chakra to slow their descent and landed gently on the ground.
Hinata was motionless in his arms, but he could feel her panicked breathing and he bent his head over her, touching his forehead to the top of her head.
"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" He asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I'm so sorry, please tell me your okay!"
"I'm okay Naruto-kun." Hinata finally whispered, tilting her head back slightly, so that Naruto's forehead was now pressed against hers.
They stayed like that for a few moments. Their eyes locked, hers the lightest of lavender, and his, the purest of blue. Naruto set her feet on the ground, then pulled her into a huge hug, brushing his lips across her forehead.
"You sure?" He whispered, his lips still pressed against her skin. She nodded, then rested her head against his chest.
"What about you?" Hinata asked, pulling back just a little and looking up at him. "Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay Hinata-chan. Why do you ask?"
"I missed you Naruto-kun." She admitted, blushing slightly. Naruto chuckled and cupped Hinata's cheek with one hand. His hand was bare, and was cold against her skin.
"You did, huh?" He asked.
"You were gone for a long time, that's all."
"Yeah." Naruto sighed. "Sorry about that." Then he winked at her. "But I got something for you."
"For me?" Hinata blinked at him.
"Yeah, Hinata-chan, for you. I have to leave again really early tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll be back, but I know that your birthday is in a few days so . . ." Naruto reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, nicely wrapped box. "Happy birthday Hinata-chan."
"Oh Naruto-kun, thank you." Hinata took the box from Naruto.
"Open it." Naruto urged, bouncing from one foot to the other. "Come on Hinata-chan, open it! I wanna see what you think!" He was so excited, so eager to please her, that Hinata giggled and quickly ripped off the blue wrapping paper. Then she opened the small box and gasped when she saw what was inside.
"Oh, Naruto-kun . . ." With a slightly shaking hand, Hinata lifted the necklace out of the box and stared at it. It was a beautiful sunburst, delicately and expertly carved out of a single piece of yellow and orange crystal.
"Look at the back." Naruto whispered, still smiling at her. Hinata turned the necklace over, and blinked. The kanji for 'precious' was set in silver on the back.
"You're one of my precious people Hinata-chan. I want you to always remember that. That necklace is proof of that." Naruto reached out and gently took the necklace from her, then stepped behind her. He swept her hair over one shoulder, then gently untied her hitai-ate from around her neck and replaced it with the necklace.
"There." He said proudly. He stepped back around to stand in front of her. "Happy birthday Hinata-chan." He repeated, handing her the hitai-ate.
"Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata finally managed to say. "It's beautiful; I love it. Thank you."
"You're welcome Hinata-chan." Naruto brushed his fingertips across her cheek and chin, giving her a smile and a playful wink. Then he yawned, wide enough that his jaw popped.
"Whoa." Naruto said in surprise, rubbing at his jaw. "That was weird."
"Naruto-kun, go get some sleep." Hinata urged, one hand unconsciously reaching up to touch the necklace around her throat. "You're exhausted, and didn't you say you needed to get up early tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Naruto rubbed a fist across his eyes, and Hinata smiled at how cute he looked, like a sleepy little boy. "I've got to meet a source that's a little skittish about hidden villages, but I might be able to get him incorporated into our spy network." He yawned again. "But I have to leave at the crack of dawn to get to the meeting place."
"Go, then." Hinata said teasingly. Naruto mock-pouted at her.
"Aw, I thought you missed me Hinata-chan."
Hinata giggled at him. "I did miss you Naruto-kun. But you're about to fall asleep right here and now. You need to go home and sleep."
"Oh all right." Naruto pretended to pout for a few moments, then laughed. "Walk with me? You know, so I don't fall asleep on the sidewalk?" He extended a hand to her and looked so hopeful that Hinata couldn't say no.
"Alright Naruto-kun." Hinata stuck her hitai-ate in her jacket pocket and took Naruto's outstretched hand. He smiled at the feeling of her tiny hand in his, and they walked back to the village together.
The trip back to Naruto's apartment was silent, yet both of them were comfortable. Well, Hinata was comfortable with the silence; Naruto was suffering from sleep depravation. He stumbled on the steps leading up to his apartment, and Hinata had to help him. But he was able to open the door by himself and give Hinata a tired smile.
"Thanks Hinata-chan. I'll see you when I get back, okay?"
"Okay Naruto-kun. Go get some sleep."
"I'm going, I'm going you big bully. Bye."
"Goodbye."
Naruto shut the door and Hinata smiled as she walked back down the stairs to the ground floor, pulling her hitai-ate out of her pocket as she went. She couldn't put it back around her neck; it would cover her new necklace. So after a few moments of thought, Hinata tied her hitai-ate around her forehead and went home for dinner.
The next morning, Hinata was standing at the village gate when Naruto arrived, ready to go.
"Hinata-chan? What's up?" He asked. Hinata smiled.
"I just wanted to say goodbye Naruto-kun. The next time you see me, I'll be eighteen."
"Right." Naruto tilted his head and studied her, then grinned. "Hey, you're wearing your hitai-ate on your forehead!"
Hinata blushed at his attention and nodded. "I didn't want to cover up the necklace you gave me."
"I like it. You look confident and strong." Naruto said. He touched his own hitai-ate self consciously, and then seemed to think of something, because his trademark 'foxy' grin spread across his face. Hinata blushed even more as he stepped close, so close that she could feel his body heat and smell the smoky, woodsy scent of his skin. She kept her eyes down, away from his face.
Naruto laughed softly when he saw her face go red and her refusal to look him in the eye.
"Hinata-chan." He whispered, touching her chin and gently, yet insistently, forced her head back so that she was staring up at him.
"Relax Hinata-chan." Naruto whispered. "I've got one more birthday present for you."
Naruto reached up and removed Hinata's hitai-ate. Then he framed her face with his hands and bent his head down, pressing his lips against her forehead.
"Precious." Naruto whispered, his lips touching and moving across her skin. "You are precious to me." Then he kissed her forehead, as if sealing the words into her skin, and replaced her hitai-ate around her forehead. "Happy birthday Hinata-chan." He whispered. Then he stepped back, out of her personal space.
"I'll see you when I get back Hinata-chan. Bye." He waved as he turned to go. Hinata finally unfroze her throat.
"Naruto-kun . . . wait . . ." She hadn't spoken any louder than a whisper, yet Naruto heard her. He stopped, and turned back to her.
"Yeah Hinata-chan?" He tilted his head inquisitively, his eyes wide and caring. Fighting her body's instinctive urge to turn and run, Hinata slowly approached Naruto.
"Naruto-kun . . ." She whispered, so close to him that she had to tilt her head back to see his face. Then impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck, quite a feat when Naruto was more than a foot taller than her. Naruto stumbled back a few steps, yet recovered enough to wrap his arms around her waist. Hinata hid her face against his shoulder.
"Hinata-chan?"
"Just be safe Naruto-kun, please. Be safe, okay?"
"I will." Naruto said soothingly, rubbing circles on Hinata's back. "I promise, I'll be safe. Okay Hinata-chan?"
"Okay Naruto-kun." Hinata pulled her face back from his shoulder, yet didn't remove her arms from around his neck, and he didn't loosen his grip on her waist. She blushed when she realized how close their faces were. Naruto chuckled and let Hinata's feet touch the ground. Hinata let go of his neck, and let her hands rest on his chest.
"You okay now Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked gently.
"Yes." Hinata took a deep breath and tried to get her heart to slow down and stop trying to break her ribs.
Taking another deep breath, Hinata went up on her toes and kissed Naruto on the corner of his mouth.
"I love you Naruto-kun." She whispered. Naruto's eyes went wide and he turned his head so that his lips were millimeters from hers.
"Hinata-chan . . ."
"Shh, Naruto-kun." Hinata insisted. "We'll talk when you get back, okay?"
"Okay." Naruto closed the distance between them to touch his lips to her lightly and briefly. Then he pulled away from her firmly, and waved before rushing through the gate and leaping up into the tree tops.
Next Chapter: Shikamaru and Ino: Ino cares for Shikamaru after he uncharacteristically picks a fight with an older jonin, and the two friends make some dicoveries while Shikamaru's barriers are down.