Many thanks to Ms. Videl Son (Megami no Eien) who makes my fanfiction shine with her editing skill. Without her help of betaing this, the story won't be readable.
Thank You, and I Love You So
Genre: General/Romance
Pairing: NaruHina
Theme: Memories (January theme for Date Me)
Rating: PG (K+)
Summary: His gaze was full of emotions that he couldn't describe with words. But, right now, he just wanted to say something that expressed all his thoughts and feelings.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
He didn't know when he had begun to notice her so much. Sure, he remembered that, early in his childhood, he had acknowledged her as a weirdo. A shy and dark girl. He remembered that he had started to admire her during the Chuunin exam. When she had faced her cousin with so much courage and determination. Back then, he had been so deeply touched by her that he had sworn that he was going to take her cousin down for her. Maybe that was the first time the shy and dark weirdo girl had turned out to be someone he admired.
---
Their meeting after three years of training with Ero Sennin hadn't changed his admiration for her, only brought the first impression back. She had passed out right after meeting him (and he really had no idea why) so, once again, she was back being a weirdo girl in his eyes, only this time better because he still kept his admiration for her.
---
During the war (the attack of Konohagakure by Akatsuki), he remembered that her presence had been calming. In a critical situation when he was on the verge of losing himself (the damn Fox had finally managed to usurp control of his body because of the war atmosphere), she had been brave enough to come close to him. She had extended her small arm and embraced him. Her petite body hugged him determinedly while she was whispering soothing words to make him remember his true self, to get a hold of control over that damn Fox. That worked perfectly. He got over Kyuubi's control quickly and, moreover, he could still felt the lingering warm and calming feeling. That had soothed him and rallied his spirits.
---
After the war, his impression of her began to change from a weirdo girl who he admired to something more. Though, back, then he still didn't know what he thought of her as.
The first recognizable impression he got from her was strength. He acknowledged that she was really strong, not just physically, but also mentally.
Konohagakure was in a grieving period after the war. Sure, they had won the battle in the end, but, considering what had been lost, the victory didn't feel much like it was supposed to. The only bright side of their triumph was that the war had finally ended.
As a proud citizen of Konohagakure, who inherited the will of fire, there had been really no time to grieve. Of course, there was some opportunity during the mourning period, but it had not taken a long time because Konoha had needed to repair what had been lost.
There was no time to grieve, only to take action, especially for him, the one who would be the future Hokage of Konohagakure. Besides, grieving was really not his nature, so he put forth his best effort to act like his usual cheerful self and encourage people.
As tough as he was, there were still some times when his vulnerable side came to the surface. Then, there was her. He really had no idea how she saw through his façade, but he remembered that she had tried to comfort him. Tried to encourage him. Tried to make him not regret or give up. Tried to keep him from backing down and encouraged him to live his ninja way. And he knew that she did all this while she, herself, had been mourning. She, too, along with many people in Konohagakure, had lost many precious things in the war. And she, regardless her own situation, had still tried to cheer him up in her own way. That was when he had realized that she was very strong.
---
From all the impressions he got, he began to notice more of her. After all, he spent a lot of time with her, be it on a mission or just hanging out together. That was when he got to know her more and learned about her likes, dislikes, habits, and many other things. Among other things, what concerned him the most was her blushing face.
He knew that she blushed a lot, but whenever he was with her the redness of her face turned the deepest shade of red, a deep crimson. From his experience as Sakura-chan's teammate (Sakura-chan blushed like that whenever Sasuke around), he knew what it meant and this worried him because he knew that she was in love. He also knew the object of her affection; it was Sai!
Every time they spent time together, they did it in a group that consisted of Sakura-chan, Sai, himself and, of course, her. Since he knew that it was impossible for her to be infatuated with Sakura-chan, he had decided that it must be Sai that she had feelings for. Really, what's with girls and pretty guys (-cough- Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme -cough-)?
Frankly, the idea of her liking Sai didn't appeal to him. Every time he thought about it, he would start feeling sick and negative. For a positive person like him to feel this way was really something. He spent many sleepless nights thinking about it and, finally, one night this matter was resolved.
The negative feeling that he couldn't identify was his fear of losing her if she started dating Sai. And why should he be afraid he afraid of losing her to Sai (or any other man)? The answer was simple; it was because he was in love with her. This sudden realization helped him make a decision. After all, he was a man of action; if he couldn't bear the thought of losing her, he would just have to make his move.
So, on one sunny day he asked her out. It was just the two of them; no Sakura-chan, NO Sai. Being the straightforward person he was, he instantly asked her to go out with him. He told her his feelings toward her clearly, loudly, bravely, and determinedly.
Her reaction caught him off guard. First, she looked surprised, then her face paled before changing to deep crimson. It seemed like all the blood rushed out of her face and back in again. He got the feeling that he had seen this before… Of course! It was the expression she wore for Sai.
Sudden realization struck him and he slapped his head. He, too, was present every time her face flushed crimson. Not just Sai, but him, too! All votes hadn't been collected yet; he hadn't counted the vote for himself. What did they say about counting your chickens before they hatch? Oh, well.
Seeing her face, he already knew her feelings and, also, what her answer would be. On that sunny day, he gave her his brightest foxy grin while she uttered the words his heart longed for.
---
As they began dating, he began to notice more and more how special she was. Their first date at Ichiraku's showed him that; while most of girls or women would be disappointed, she gave him a beautiful smile and told him how much she liked to eat ramen, how Ichiraku's was such a wonderful place, and how she felt truly satisfied simply spending time with him.
---
Their date at the Konoha festival made him realize his other dream. That night, while she looked up at the night sky full of fireworks, he gazed at her face with his mind set. He just found his new dream to be accomplished along with his old dream. He wanted to see her smiling face for the rest of his life. He wanted her to be by his side forever. Now, besides being a Hokage, he wanted to make her his.
---
It was a general fact that he was a lousy person. Just like the fact that almost (if not) everyone knew of his dream of being a Hokage. A similar thing happened with his other dream.
Coincidentally, one day all of Konoha gathered at the Hokage monument for commemorating the years that had been past after the war. It was just like when the Godaime was being elected. The entire village was there and he stood at the center of attention, right in the middle of the monument, but he didn't draw hate anymore. As an elite shinobi now who had saved Konoha during the war, he had earned the admiration and appreciation from people he had craved.
When he began shouting about his dream of being a Hokage, most of people just smiled; it wasn't really a secret anymore (heck, it was never a secret) but, then again, he hadn't been nicknamed the number one loudest and most surprising shinobi for nothing. Right after he had announced his dream of being Hokage, he cried out his other dream of making Hyuuga Hinata his wife! That was Uzumaki Naruto for you. He never failed to surprise anyone.
What he'd done really created an amazing effect; everyone's jaw dropped. It set her face in deep crimson color and caused her to pass out (which almost never happened anymore since they had started dating). Regardless, the commemoration had not been remembered for the sake of 'recalling the past war' day, but instead as 'the future Hokage proposing to the Hyuuga heiress' day.
Not long after that eventful commemoration, the Hokage monument had become well known as a place for declaring dreams, proposing to lovers and expressing undying love with a successful rate a hundred percent. If you had been wondering why, it simply had to do with the fact that, right after the declaring event, the Kyuubi vessel really became Hokage and married the shy heiress.
xxx
He stopped thinking all the previous wonderful years when he heard a small quiet breathing beside him and turned to look at the lovely face of his wife. Even after all of their years together, his feelings for her were still strong, if not stronger. His gaze was full of emotions that he couldn't describe with words. After reminiscing the past, there were many things that he wanted to tell her, only he couldn't find the correct words. But, right now, he just wanted to say something that expressed all his thoughts and feelings; he took her hand and kissed it while gently whispering, "Thank you, and I love you so."
Fin
Finally, my first fanfiction ever. I've been dreaming to post something someday. Thanks to Ms. Videl Son (Megami no Eien) for helping me made my dream come true :D
This is my entry for Date Me January Contest. Date Me is a wonderful community at DeviantArt and fanfiction . net
Check it:
http: //dateme . deviantart . com/
http: //www . fanfiction . net/~dateme
Also, fanart of this story can be found here: http: //10tative . deviantart . com/art/Thank-You-and-I-Love-You-So-109564282
Review will be much appreciated :D