Happy New Year and Happy NaruHina Month!

I thought this year I would actually participate and do as many prompts as I could. I probably won't get them all but I am glad I started off with day 1 on time!

Rating may change if any later prompts turn out more mature but for now it's all K.


One year.

It was amazing how much could change in that short amount of time. It was also amazing how fast it moved, and in the blink of an eye, one year had passed since the wedding.

Since the day he married the love of his life.

For as long as he could remember, Uzumaki Naruto was never any good at remembering dates, or much else for that matter. Every time a quiz on important events in shinobi history was given at the Academy, he would, without fail, fail. So it was a shock to pretty much everyone who knew him that he even remembered this one. But remember it he did, and he was determined to make his first anniversary with his wife as special and wonderful as she was.

In order to do this, he had spent the entire month preparing for that evening. Every waking minute he wasn't on a mission or spending time with her he was in hardcore stealth mode, flitting about from place to place with the help of his friends and acquaintances as he researched, planned, and gathered every last necessity.

Thanks to Ino and Sakura, he was able to pick out a nice gift; A gorgeously ornate book, filled with blank pages perfect for collecting the flowers that she loved to press. Even Sasuke, now finally returned from his redemption expedition, had lent his assistance (though not without some resistance at first) and in one week's time, Naruto's cooking skill set had expanded from only instant ramen to instant ramen, her favorite soup, and three different rice dishes. The night was sure to be absolutely perfect.

Now, the night in question had finally arrived, but the wife in question-out late on a mission-had not. So once the pots of rice and soup sat simmering on the stove and the apartment filled with the delicious smell of sweet cinnamon from the rolls warming in the oven, he took his place by the door and waited. In his hands, a bottle of honey wine (procured thanks to her former teammates) turned over and over as the minutes ticked by.

At long last, he heard her keys in the door and put on the widest grin he could muster as it opened into the apartment. "Happy Anniversary, Hinata!"

Hinata started and blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting this. "Ah...hello, Naruto-kun. You remembered." She shut the door behind her and kicked off her sandals.

Wait...her sandals?

Naruto cocked his head, confused. "Hinata...you're not in your mission clothes? I thought you had a mission today."

"Oh...that...it wasn't a mission. I," she paused and bit back what looked strangely like a smile, "I just had a check-up at the doctor's. Didn't I tell you?"

Oops. He winced, feeling a bit foolish. Now he recalled that they discussed this over breakfast...a number of days ago. She had decided to turn down that mission due to having put off her yearly physical long enough.

"Ah, must've slipped my mind. Well...Happy Anniversary!" he repeated with a laugh, proudly displaying the wine bottle. "Here...I know how much you liked that wine Shino and Kiba gave us so I had them get more to go with our dinner tonight. That I cooked. For us." He handed it to her, beaming.

Naruto expected her to light up with joy or gasp in surprise. Maybe even throw her arms around him and suggest they skip dinner altogether (while dragging him to their bedroom, of course). Anything positive, really.

But instead, it grew oddly quiet. Hinata stood in silence, staring at the bottle in her hands and unable to meet his eye.

Naruto's smile faltered. Did he remember it wrong? Did she actually hate that wine? A rush of heat flooded through him. Did she-God forbid-think he had an ulterior motive like some kind of pervert? How could his own wife think like that?

Thinking quickly, he reached for the bottle and let out what he hoped was a casual-sounding laugh. "Hey, Hinata, ya know, if you don't want it you can tell me. I won't be offended. I-it's not like I was gonna try to get you drunk or anything." He gave her a reassuring grin.

Hinata looked up at him, sincerely puzzled. "What?"

"What? Er, nothing." Naruto tugged nervously at his collar, which suddenly felt two sizes too tight.

The glow of her warm, familiar smile finally greeted and washed over him. She placed the bottle back into his hands and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. This was a very thoughtful gift. But," she smiled even brighter and reached into her coat, "I'm afraid I can't drink. Not for a little while, at least."

Had something happened at the doctor's? Was she sick? Oh no... Panic seized him and he hastily stepped forward to grasp her shoulders. "Why? Are you alright, Hinata? What's wrong?" he demanded in a slightly higher tone than usual.

Hinata's light and airy laugh was like music to his ears. She shook her head with the happiest smile Naruto had ever seen her make. "Do not worry, Naruto-kun. Nothing's wrong." Her eyes blazed bright and clear and she handed him the small square of paper she pulled from her pocket. When he took it from her, she clasped her hands under her chin and gazed at him intently.

Slowly, Naruto turned the paper over. It was glossy, like a photo, only it was unlike any photo he'd ever seen. The background was black and had strange white blobs on it. One of the blobs had an arrow pointing to it with the word "baby" written next to-

Wait a minute...

Naruto froze, his heart climbing dizzily into his head with a series of dull throbs. The small apartment, Hinata, and the photo clutched in his trembling hands swam and spun before his eyes

"Hinata...what is this?" he whispered slowly.

For as long as he could remember, Uzumaki Naruto was never any good at remembering dates, or much else for that matter. But today, that would change. As long as he lived, he would never forget the way Hinata peered at him shyly through her long lashes, nor the low hum of the overhead lights and the crisp smell of spring riding on the warm breeze that blew through the open window and lifted her dark hair from her shining face as she said those three magical words:

"Naruto-kun...I'm pregnant."

Happiness bubbled up inside him so fast he felt as if he might burst. Tears stung the corners of his eyes and threatened to spill over until he hastily wiped them away with his sleeve. "R-really?" was all he could manage to choke out. His fingers loosened their grip on the photo and held it carefully, tenderly, as if the slightest squeeze could shatter it into a million pieces. "And I...I'm going to be a father?"

Hinata gave him a soft nod, the tears in her own eyes scurrying to carve thin paths down her flushed cheeks. She fell gracefully into his outstretched arms and murmured, lips brushing right above his pounding heart, "Happy Anniversary, Naruto-kun."

The night had barely begun, but already, it was perfect.