Disclaimer- C'mon! Do you really think I own Naruto? If I did, Naruto and Hinata would be together already!

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Festive lights were hung all over town. Red and green decorations were posted in shops around town. Snow fell softly to the ground. The moonlight cast a light glow over the entire city. It was a serene moment for anyone who was walking out late at night.

Hinata was window shopping in downtown Konoha. She had seen Naruto alone on Christmas far too often and was determined to give him a present this year. She pressed her hand against the window of a weapons shop. Naruto was a guy, so weapons weren't a bad idea, right? If she got him a unique and special weapon, maybe he would finally notice her. Thoughts of Naruto's reaction played through Hinata's fantasies.

Hinata and Naruto were sitting together on a couch in a comfy living room. A small fire was burning in the fireplace, highlighting each other's faces. Naruto ripped open the wrapping from the present Hinata had given him.

"Hinata! This is perfect! I'll become the Hokage in no time with this!" the loud ninja said as he examined his present.

"You're welcome Naruto-kun." she blushed.

Naruto reached underneath the couch and pulled out a small red box with green ribbons. "I got you something too." he said, handing her the present..

"What is it?"

"Open it."

Hinata unwrapped her present with care and delicacy, as dictated by her family's status. The ribbon came off, then the wrapping. All that was left was the plain white box beneath the wrapping. Hinata lifted the top off of the box.

"N-N-Naruto-kun!"

Inside was a gold, heart-shaped locket with the words 'I love you' carved in fanciful cursive. It contrasted perfectly with the silver necklace the locket was hanging from. Hinata took the locket out of the box and carefully examined it.

"You like it?" Naruto asked softly.

"I love it." Hinata's voice could barely be heard.

Hinata played that fantasy in her head countless times before. Every time she did, her heart fluttered when she opened the box. Seeing the words 'I love you' was her favorite part.

Determined to find the perfect gift, Hinata looked at every kunai and sword the store carried, but none of them seemed just right. She moved on to the next store, but with the same result. After a few hours of searching, she was beginning to get tired.

She looked at her watch. It was late. Tired and defeated for the night, she left for home.

Hinata wasn't watching where she was going. Her gaze stayed on the ground as she walked, which inevitably led to her running into someone. The surprise overtook her and she fell backwards to the ground.

"I-I'm sorry!" she said as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. "I w-wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's okay." came the voice of the person she ran into.

Hinata raised her head at the familiar voice. "Sakura-chan?"

"Are you okay Hinata-chan?" the pink haired kunoichi asked.

"Y-yes." came the response. There was a moment of silence before Sakura spoke up.

"What are you doing out so late?"

"I-I was…" Hinata trailed off. She realized the chance she had been given and took it. "Sakura-chan, you know Naruto-kun really well, don't you?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, as a teammate, yeah, I guess."

"W-what do you think he would want f-for Christmas?" Hinata twiddled her fingers together as she asked this. Even thinking about Naruto made her nervous.

"For Christmas? I was just going to give him a bunch of ramen."

"Oh."

"Why? What were you thinking of getting him?"

Hinata looked down at the ground. Her decision to get Naruto a weapon was embarrassing now that she was telling someone else about it. "I was t-trying to find a w-weapon or something like that for him"

"A weapon?" Sakura replied, perhaps a little harshly. "No, no, no. Naruto would never notice you like that."

"W-what?" Hinata said, bewildered.

"If you want him to notice you, get him something that no one else would ever think about getting him. Something that forces him to notice you."

"H-how did you-"

"How did I know you liked Naruto? It's obvious. Everyone in the village knows. Except Naruto of course."

Hinata blushed furiously. She didn't realize that that many people knew her secret.

As Hinata sat and blushed, Sakura cupped her hands behind her head and leaned against a nearby fence. "If I was trying to get Sasuke-kun's attention, I'd get him something nice, but not too subtle, like a knitted scarf, or a nice watch."

A light went on in Hinata's head as she heard this. She knew just what she should get Naruto. "Thanks Sakura-chan." Hinata ran back to the shops downtown.

"Anytime." Sakura called after her.

Hinata ran into the first jewelry store she saw and immediately looked through the merchandise. There were watches, bracelets, rings, and all sorts of gold and silver gifts. It was the perfect place to find something for that 'special someone'.

"Can I help you?" asked one of the clerks working at the store.

"Yes." Hinata said bravely. "I want that please." she said as she pointed to the object that caught her eye. She knew Naruto would love it. He had to.

"Ah, an excellent choice ma'am." The clerk pulled the gift out of its display case and handed it to the dark haired kunoichi.

"Could I have this engraved please?" Hinata asked politely.

"Sure." the helpful clerk said. "But we have a lot of orders on hand right now, and you'd need to pick it up tomorrow evening. Is that okay?"

"Yes." Hinata responded. It was still four days until Christmas. She had plenty of time.

"Well then, what would you like it to say?"

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Hinata went to pick up the present the next day. The clerk managed to carve just what she had wanted into the metal. Hinata was so excited she kept opening the box to see it. The words were written beautifully. There wasn't a single flaw about any of it.

Now all she had to do was get home and wrap it up. Ino was throwing a Christmas Eve party for all her friends. Hinata could give Naruto the present then. He would be so happy. Hinata hugged the present to her chest.

Unfortunately, like the previous day, she wasn't watching where she was going and she bumped into someone.

"Oh. I'm sorry." she said.

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata looked up and saw Naruto of all people. She reverted to her usual self by blushing heavily.

"Hinata-chan? Are you okay?"

Then she passed out.

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Hinata woke up with a wet towel on her head. She was staring up at a white ceiling. She grabbed the towel off of her head and sat up. She was on a couch in a messy apartment. There were piles of dirty clothes piled in the corner as well as several empty cups of ramen stacked on a nearby coffee table.

"Hey! You're awake!"

Hinata turned to the voice and saw Naruto walking on the ceiling. She blushed a deep crimson.

"N-N-Naruto-kun!" she said. "W-where am I?"

"My place." Naruto said as he dropped down to the floor. "Are you feeling better?"

"W-what? Why am I here?" she asked.

"You passed out earlier." Naruto started telling her. "I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't, so I took you back here."

Hinata was so embarrassed she couldn't even move. She just sat on Naruto's couch, wearing a bright red color on her face.

"Do you want something to drink?" Naruto asked, bringing Hinata out of her trance.

"Huh?" she said as she snapped out of it. "N-no thank you Naruto-kun."

"Suit yourself." He proceeded to pour himself a glass of milk.

Hinata pressed her index fingers together nervously. She couldn't believe that she was in Naruto's apartment of all places. She felt like she was the luckiest girl alive. She thought about giving Naruto his present early, but that just sounded-

Wait, where is it? Hinata realized. She looked around the couch and checked her pockets, but it wasn't there. She scrambled around, hoping that it had fallen under the couch, but it wasn't there either. Disheartened, she almost began to cry as she sat on the floor.

Naruto noticed that she was looking around for something and walked up to offer his assistance. He saw Hinata sitting on the floor as she sobbed to herself. "Hinata, are you okay?" he asked, genuinely worried.

Hinata slowly shook her head. She got her self under control and stopped crying. "Naruto-kun, did you see a white box when I fainted earlier?"

"You mean that?" he said as he pointed to a small white box resting on his counter. Its edges were caved in at its sides.

"What happened to it?" Hinata asked.

"You were holding on to it pretty tightly when you fainted." Naruto explained. "You crushed it a little."

"Did you l-look inside?" Hinata asked, hoping he didn't.

"No I didn't." he told her.

"Good." Hinata whispered to herself. If Naruto had seen the present, everything would've been ruined.

"What is it?" Naruto asked. He reached for the gift and pulled it off of the counter. Hinata saw what he was doing a second too late.

"No! Stop!" she cried a second to late. Naruto lifted the lid and looked inside. He stood frozen as he saw the gift.

Inside the box was a golden locket in the shape of heart. It was just like the one from Hinata's fantasy. The locket was hinged so that it could open up and have small pictures placed inside of it. What caught Naruto's attention the most was what it said on the front of the locket. The words 'Future Hokage' were carved in simple cursive. Naruto lowered the box and looked over at Hinata.

"Hinata-chan…What-"

"It's for you!" Hinata cried out. She bit down on her bottom lip, fighting back the tears that forced themselves out of her eyes. She was blushing a heavy red from humiliation and a little bit of anger. In only an instant, Naruto had ruined her carefully laid out plans. Hinata dashed out of Naruto's apartment in one quick motion.

"Hinata-chan! Wait!" Naruto reached for Hinata's arm, but missed as Hinata ran out of the doorway. Naruto got out the door just in time to see Hinata running down the stairs to the street. He had seen tears in her eyes as she ran by and thought it best to let her have her space for now.

Hinata ran down the street, back to the Hyuuga estate. Her tears fell to the ground as she ran.

Naruto. You jerk! You stupid jerk!

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The snow was still falling two days later. The blanket of snow it formed smoothed out the footsteps that had been formed from the previous blanket.

Hinata hugged her knees to her chest on a bench in the city park. It was late, and the sunset reflected several light colors. She looked out as children played in the snow, building snowmen or fighting snowball fights. Hinata hugged her knees even tighter.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here too long."

Hinata turned her head to see Neji walking down the paved path towards her. He wore a winter coat, much like the one Hinata was wearing. He sat next her, keeping his gaze straight in front of himself.

"Did father send you?" Hinata asked quietly.

"No." Neji told her. "I sent myself."

"Why?" Hinata asked as she buried her face deeper into her knees. Neji was really kind when he wasn't in battle. In fact, he was the one who consoled Hinata after she came running home crying two nights ago.

"To remind you of tonight's party."

Hinata relaxed from her embrace with her kneecaps as she remembered Ino's Christmas Eve party. Everyone from the Rookie 9 and Team Gai were invited. But, if Hinata went, that meant she would run into Naruto, and she was far too embarrassed to see him again any time soon.

"I…I don't know if I'll go." Hinata said, no louder than a whisper.

"Do you really want all of those presents you got everyone to go to waste?" Neji asked. Hinata had gotten every one of her friends a gift for the season. An ant farm for Shino. A chew toy for Akamaru. The Art of War for Shikamaru. Hinata had been careful to make sure she had gotten the right thing for everyone.

"I-I don't know."

Neji gave a sidelong glance to Hinata. "It's not like he rejected you or anything."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then come to the party." Neji interrupted. "It might help get your mind off of things."

Neji had a point. Hinata had been depressed for the last two days and needed something like a party with her friends to get her mind on different things. Hinata relaxed her grip on her legs and put them back on the ground.

"Alright. I'll go." she said.

"Good." Neji stood up and walked away to the Hyuuga estate. Hinata wasn't far behind him.

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Hinata was in a much better mood when she and Neji approached the gate to the estate. Neji had even gotten her to laugh a little. They were talking about ambushing Hinata's little sister, Hanabi, in a snowball fight later, when Neji noticed a man in an orange jacket headed towards the gates as well.

"Hinata-sama, I think you have a guest."

Hinata glanced ahead and saw Naruto sheepishly walking towards them with his hands in his pockets. His gaze was focused on the ground next to the wall surrounding the Hyuuga estate. His head popped up when he heard Neji speak.

"Uh, um…Hinata-chan?" Naruto stumbled.

Neji placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder. Hinata glanced back at Neji.

"Will you be all right Hinata-sama?"

Hinata looked at the ground with a blush. She didn't understand why Naruto was at her house, especially after what he did. But she was determined to be strong and talk to him.

"I'll be fine Neji-nii-san."

Neji removed his hand from Hinata. "Very well. I'll head inside and get ready. Don't take too long."

"I won't." Hinata told him.

Neji walked passed Naruto and gave him a death stare. Naruto noticed it and took it with a look of shame. Neji opened the main gate and walked through, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone. There was an awkward moment of silence before anyone said anything.

"Hinata-chan-." "Naruto-kun-." they both said at the same time. They hesitated when they both started speaking, then let out small bits of laughter after a brief pause.

"Y-you first Naruto-kun." Hinata said.

"Uh…" Naruto began. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry about the other day Hinata-chan."

Hinata thought that he was going to apologize. That was just the kind of person Naruto was.

"I-it's okay, N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said as a light blush settled on her face. "I j-just overreacted."

"No, you didn't." Naruto corrected. Hinata was surprised by his tone. He sounded somewhat angry.

"Naruto-kun?"

"I was wrong Hinata-chan. You had every right to be mad at me." Naruto hated himself for what he did. Hinata went through all the trouble of getting him such a beautiful present, and he went and ruined it by opening when he wasn't supposed to.

Hinata was touched at how much he seemed to care about her. "I-I'm not mad." she said. "A-actually, I'm r-really glad that you came. I w-wanted to see you."

"Really?" Naruto asked. "Why?"

Hinata stood still for a moment, trying to think of a reason. "I…I'm not sure."

They both stood in silence for a minute. They were both blushing, Hinata more than Naruto. It wasn't until Naruto reached into his jacket that he found the ability to speak again.

"I just remembered something." he said. He pulled out a white box tied together only with a thin green string. The box was smaller than the one Hinata was carrying a few days earlier. "I wanted to give this to you."

Hinata was frozen in place. Naruto had actually taken the time to get her a present.

"It isn't much," Naruto told her, "but I hope you like it."

Hinata slowly and gingerly reached up and took the present from Naruto. Her hand tingled when it rubbed against Naruto's hand. Slowly, she took the gift out of Naruto's grasp and held it close to herself. She stood, motionless as she held the small box close to her heart.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Naruto asked.

Hinata raised her head to look at Naruto, blushing as she did so. "B-but…why?"

Naruto reached up and unzipped the top few inches of his jacket. Hinata saw that he was wearing the locket that she meant to give him. The words 'Future Hokage' shone brilliantly in the low light. Hinata could only look on in shock.

"I opened my present early. You should too."

Hinata's gaze returned to the white box in her hand. Her hand shook as she lifted the lid of the box and pulled it aside.

Inside was a thin lavender ribbon. The kanji symbol for 'Beauty' was stitched into one of the ends of the ribbon. Hinata took it out and carefully examined it closer, like it was the most fragile thing ever.

"I got it because I thought that it matched your eyes." Naruto explained as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "You like it?"

Hinata couldn't believe her luck. She knew she was holding the best present she would receive this year, and it showed that Naruto thought about her. He got it because it matched her eyes? That had to mean something special. Tears began to force themselves in Hinata's eyes at the thought of Naruto's consideration. She slowly walked up to him, with the box and ribbon in hand, grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled herself into his chest.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, confused as ever.

Hinata quietly responded the only way she could. "I love it."

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There was a knock on the door. It took Ino a minute to walk to the door as she tried to walk past all the guests and refill the punch bowl at the same time. Throwing a party was hard work. She struggled to the door and opened it to reveal Naruto and Hinata. Naruto had a bag containing his and Hinata's gifts. He sort of looked like a thin, orange Santa Clause.

"Where have you two been?" Ino demanded. "The party started half an hour ago!"

"Sorry Ino." Naruto said. "I forgot everyone's presents at my house and we had to turn back and get them." Hinata nodded to indicate that he was telling the truth.

Ino just rolled her eyes. "Geez. Whatever." She opened the door further and stepped out of the way. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in."

"Thanks." Naruto and Hinata said at the same time. Underneath their jackets, Naruto wore his locket around his neck and Hinata wore her ribbon around her wrist. They both took off their shoes and left them at the front door. Everyone else had already arrived and were busy talking, or in Chouji's case, raiding the snack table. Naruto and Hinata walked in to put their presents around the tree that Ino had set up along with the other presents.

No one seemed to notice that they were walking hand in hand.