This was originally supposed to be done yesterday, to celebrate Hinata's birthday, but I got sidetracked. Anyway,enjoy!
Hinata woke to bright sunlight on her face. As a shinobi, trained to wake up instantly, she did the mast logical thing she could think of.
She turned her head from the light and went back to sleep.
Only to wake up with a sigh as her cousin's voice reached her ears. He was calling her to breakfast. Sighing, she rose and performed her normal morning routine before wondering why she had a familiar heat in her stomach which signaled anticipation. Frowning slightly, she proceeded to make her way down to the kitchen, where she nearly has a heart attack. Her sister (whom she considered close to emotionless, was giggling and … and … cooking pancakes! Hinata stares for a few moments before composing herself and entering the room. Her sister sees her and waves, accidentally dropping pancake mix everywhere. Giggling at the look of horror on Hanabi's face, she softly greeted Neji before looking around in confusion. The kitchen was trashed. Neji was on the floor cleaning up a mess that could only have been caused by the feral looking boy sitting on the kitchen counter, distracting his girlfriend while stealing a pancake from the pile next to her. Noticing her presence, he jumped up and bowed saying, "Good morning, Hinata-sama! How is the head of the Hyuuga clan doing?" Hinata blinked at him and looked at Neji and Hanabi, who bowed. Blushing, she said in her usual soft voice, "Imouto, nii-san, I'm not clan head yet. And there is no need to bow even if I was. Now may I know what is going on?" Kiba looked sheepish. "Oh yeah! Sorry, I made a mess; I'll clean it up." Neji huffed in part annoyance and part amusement. "How kind of you to offer after I clean it up, Kiba. Anyway, Hinata-sama," he continued, turning to me, "As you have turned 18 today, it is only appropriate that we refer to you as Clan Head; after all, you will begin your duties from tomorrow." Hanabi took in Hinata's expression and grinned. "Oh, did Hinata nee-chan forget it was her birthday?"
Hinata blushed and nodded. Kiba grinned and said, "Well then let me refresh your memory by being the first person to wish you. Happy birthday, Hinata!" he hugged me as Hanabi and Neji called out their own 'happy birthday' to me. Suddenly remembering something, Kiba let me go and declared, "Since it's your birthday, we are going to treat you like a princess! We already spoke to Kakashi, and he agreed that none of us would have any missions- well except for Sasuke and Naruto, since they left last week, but they should be back soon!" Hinata nodded. Her boyfriend had apologized when he realized that he may not be there for her birthday, and had promised to come back as soon as possible. Suddenly, she was gently pushed into a chair and a pile of pancakes pushed in front of her.
"Breakfast is served, my lady."
After a breakfast like none seen by the Hyuuga clan until now (excluding the times when Naruto dropped in in the morning), Hinata walked to Training Ground 8, still thinking of her morning.
Kiba told them an anecdote involving Sasuke, Naruto and him on a mission with Ino (it involved a bet Naruto made with Sasuke. Unfortunately, Sasuke had lost and had to perform Naruto's trademark jutsu – the Sexy Jutsu- the next time they made contact with the enemy. This caused the enemy to all faint with nosebleeds; especially when Kiba decided that it was too boring and pushed Naruto (in female form) and Sasuke together so that they kissed. The enemy quickly ran when Ino found out about that though…) and it had caused Hanabi to roll around the still messy kitchen with loud peals of laughter, which resulted in Hiashi coming to see what had happened. The sight of the next clan head laughing while eating pancakes soaked in syrup, her sister rolling on the floor with flour in her hair and the prodigy of the clan laughing with an Inuzuka held in a headlock was too much for him, and he let out a squeak and rushed out, leaving the younger ninjas to laugh harder at the look on his face.
Hinata was pulled back to the present when she bumped into someone. Apologizing she stood up to realize that she had bumped into her teammate, Shino. In his characteristic way, he was silent. However, Hinata, like most ninja, was proficient in Shino-language (It was also called Sasuke- language and Neji-language, depending on the person in question) and understood that Shino meant that it was fine and that he too apologized Then, he took out a wrapped box and muttered "Happy birthday, Hinata. Kiba wished to inform you that he would give you his present later today."
Hinata smiled and nodded, thanking Shino. He inclined his head in acknowledgement and walked away. Smiling, she did the same.
Hinata was tired, sweaty and having the time of her life, doing what most girls, konoichi or not, liked to do. She was spending time with her group of friends. Shopping. And then just hanging out. For someone who had spent most of her life stuck behind the walls of her clan compound, things like this meant a lot to her. She watched with a smile as Ino flirted with the shopkeeper, causing him to give them a discount for almost everything. Sakura sat next to her, smiling mischievously before joining Ino. Tenten was laughing her ass off at the expression on the poor guys face as he finally caved in and they walked out with a whole bunch of bags. Temari, who had dropped in for a visit was currently telling of some guy for hitting on her. Their little group had such differing personalities, but the bonds they formed during missions stayed strong. Her musings were interrupted when Ino suddenly remembered something. "Hey, it's almost evening. Come on guys!" Hinata was confused. "Um, what do you mean, Ino-chan? Where are we going?" Ino looked surprised for a minute and then said, "Oh right! We didn't tell you! We are going to Sakura's house."
Hinata was still slightly confused, but agreed. She was shocked when they entered Sakura's house and the voices of all her friends shouted out, "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" after which she was tackled by a blond blur that hugged her and whispered, "Happy birthday, Hina-chan!"
Hinata smiled, "Thank you, Naruto-kun." Her boyfriend had kept his word and returned in time for her party.
After a fun round of games, jokes and, of course, the inevitable game of spin the bottle, her friends decided it was time for her to open her presents. Sakura had given her a new dress, a formal kimono which they all insisted she try out. Ino had given her accessories for the kimono, making her suspect that they had planned it together. Shino had given her a jacket, knowing that she felt more comfortable when she wore one, and Kiba had given her a set of scrolls which he called the idiot's guide to Medical ninjutsu, only to have Sakura bash him on the head. Neji gave her a beautifully decorated set of brushes and other writing material, and Lee gave her a set of weights. Tenten gave her a set of kunai and shuriken, as well as a katana. Temari gave her a scroll on the basics of Kenjutsu, which would help her begin to master the sword she had received. Sasuke gave her a scroll with the Uchiha fan on it; it turned out to be a technique known only by his clan, but which the Hyuuga clan could use as well. He explained, "My clan is currently just one person, and it will help you when you become the Clan Head." Chouji gave her a big box of Akimichi delicacies (as a clan which relied on food for their jutsu, they were excellent cooks). Shikamaru gave her a beautifully detailed carving of the twelve of them, with the Sand siblings as well. Temari also produced a bracelet of wood, which shot out needles when activated, and a box of cookies as a gift from Kankurou and Gaara respectively. After all the gifts were opened and everyone was thanked, they all walked to the Hyuuga mansion for an impromptu sleep over which would probably cause Hinata's Father to have a heart attack. Suddenly, Naruto pulled Hinata aside. "Hina-chan, I haven't given you my present yet." Blushing, as only Naruto could make her do, she looked around for the gift. "No, Hina-chan, you have to come with me." He led her to one of the woods which surrounded Konoha after telling everyone to continue on. "Close your eyes" he whispered, and she did. He guided her gently for a while and then said, "Ok, Hina-chan, open your eyes."
Hinata's POV
I opened them and gasped. We were standing in a clearing bathed in moonlight. A small waterfall was next to us, as well as a pool of silver water. Flowers bloomed at the edge of the pool, and Naruto had placed a few lanterns here and there. But the most beautiful thing in the clearing was the glowing lights flitting around. Fireflies. They changed that beautiful place into a magical realm in its own right. I turned to Naruto and said, "It's beautiful, Naruto-kun. Thank you." Naruto shook his head. "Actually, that's only a part of your gift. Hina-chan, I know you have loved me for a long time and, and I've only recently found out what love is, thanks to you. And I've come to realize that I love you too. That I will love you forever. I realized that I want to say that to you every day of my life. So, Hina-chan, will you do me the honour of being my wife?" he took out a box opened it to reveal a ring with a single stone of pale lavender in the middle, with stones of blue on either side. Unprepared for this moment, I could only stare at him in shock.
Naruto's POV
I was nervous. A lot of emotions were running through me. Nervousness and fear that she would refuse, resignation of the fact that I would still love her, and love for the goddess standing in front of me. She hadn't answered for a while. Did that mean she didn't feel the same way about me? Sadness rose within me and I bowed my head, saying, "I understand if you do not feel the same way about me. I just wanted to tell you my feelings. I hope you enjoyed your birthday.."
"Yes"
I looked confused, "Huh?" she looked at me and a smile of pure happiness lit up her face, taking my breath away with its loveliness. She said, "Yes, I will be your wife with great happiness, Naruto-kun."
My answering smile spread slowly over my face. "Truly?" she nodded. Overjoyed, I rushed to her and picked her up in my arms. "Thank you, Hina-hime!" I set her down when I realized that my beautiful fiancée had fainted, just as she had when I first asked her out. I gently gathered her in my arms and carried her to her home.
Hinata's POV
I woke up on the way home, in Naruto's arms. He sensed me and looked down, "Hello, hime! We'll be at your house soon." I nodded. When we reached my house, the rest of our friends rushed around us, asking Naruto and me how it had gone. In answer, Naruto proudly lifted my hand up to show them the ring on my finger. Amidst the cries of congratulations, I saw Sasuke look contemplating as he glanced at Sakura. I met his eyes and gave him a look which was pretty obvious. He blushed and then seemed to get more resolute. He cleared his throat and then said, "Um, after witnessing that touching scene, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one person I would ever hold the way the dobe is holding Hinata-san. Sakura, will you please be, or at least consider being, my girlfriend?" Calls of "it's been long enough" came from Naruto, Kiba, Ino and Tenten, while Neji nodded in approval and Lee gave a speech on the Power of Youth. Sakura blushed, but met Sasuke's eyes and then nodded. The rest of the night was spent in celebrating my engagement, and everyone finally went to sleep at around 4 in the morning. I went to sleep with a smile on my face, the kiss I had shared with Naruto a few minutes ago still fresh in my mind. This was definitely the best birthday ever.
And that is the end! Happy Birthday, Hinata! If you liked this story, there is a button there just waiting to be pressed. If you hated it, I'm willing to listen to why. Until next time. Sayonara!