Rays of light poked through the hard wood blinds into the room. The faint light caressing the face of the young lady sleeping. Her nose twitched a bit turning onto her side covering her head up.
Hinata didn't want to wake up just yet. The tiredness of her body refusing to move. The mission she had been on was physically demanding. She nuzzled into her pillow wanting to stay comfortable.
A loud knocking came out her door disturbing her sleep. She groaned trying her best to pretend to still be sleeping to not let them know that she was awake. The door cracked open revealing her younger sister as she poked her head through the door.
She snuck inside trying to make as little noise as she could. She moved closer to the bed standing above Hinata. She smiled moving back a bit, ready to pounce.
She jumped down getting caught in a net of blankets. Hinata held her tightly feeling her sister squirming in her grasp. "What are you doing in here?"
Hanabi finally got her head out, her hair a static mess. "I came to wish you a happy birthday!" She squeezed out of the blankets falling onto the bed.
"We're all waiting for you to come down for breakfast. Trust me when I say they went all out." She grabbed her hand dragging her towards the door.
She squeaked being taken so quickly. "Hanabi! Slow down." She held onto her hand tightly stopping at the dining room. Her father was seated with her favourite foods laid out.
"Happy birthday Hinata." He got out of his seat kissing the top of her head. "I hope you like what you see. I made sure it was perfect."
"Thank you so much. I really didn't expect this." She sat down next to her sister glowing brightly. Hanabi reached out grabbing her hand tightly. A small bit of eye contact giving her affection.
They had their breakfast hand in hand with nothing but laughter and good atmosphere. When they finished up, she made her way to their family's altar.
She sat in front of the photos staring at her mother and her cousin. She lit the end of the incense. She smiled softly closing her eyes. "I wish you could be here for this. I really wanted to have us all together."
She pressed her hands together looking at the photos once more. "I'm doing well and so is everyone here. I'm going to see a movie with some of my friends. I really wish you could be here..."
She got up moving towards her room to get ready. She knew it was a casual day grabbing a long sleeve dress. It was lilac with orchid prints across the bottom. It stopped at her knees were a cute set of lace stockings met. She took her hair braiding it loosely.
She smiled walking out to the front of the house. Hanabi sat in on the high step slipping into a set of winter boots seeing her sister. "Hey there. I was headed out for the store. Did you want something?"
"No, it's okay. I'm gonna be out for a while. I'll try to not be late for dinner. I know that dad will go all out like he did this morning." She grabbed her coat from the closet.
Hanabi got up making sure the boots were well placed. "If you say so. I know sometimes you like to get those gummy candy." She grabbed her money bag opening the door.
The snow fell heavily making the blanket at there door thick and crisp. Not a single footprint had yet touched the white fluff.
Hinata smiled looking out at the flakes falling quickly onto the ground. "It's so beautiful out today. She grabbed her boats putting them on as quickly as she could. Hanabi stood by the door making sure to not leave it open all the way.
They both left together making their way to the centre of the village. As they got closer to the floral shop, seeing the small group waiting for Hinata.
Naruto, Kiba, Shino, Tenten, Ino and Sakura were walking towards them. Hanabi hugged her sister letting her go with her friends. She approached them slowly, hiding her hands in her coat pockets.
"Happy birthday Hinata!" They all spoke in unison. She smiled receiving hugs from her squad. Kiba squeezed her tightly knowing she was a excited for today.
She teared up a little bit feeling the love radiating from them. Kiba wrapped his arm around her shoulder walking towards the movie theatre. "You're gonna love this Hinata."
"I already do. You guys really didn't have to do this." She cleaned her face feeling the coldness of the slight snow on her gloves. "This is really nice."
Ino and Sakura pushed off Kiba wrapping their arms around her. Ino smiled leaning closer to her. "Don't you worry Hinata. We'll make sure you have a blast. We got the tickets already bought and we know just the seats to sit in."
Sakura giggled nodding along. "That and we'll buy whatever you want. Candy, popcorn, you name it. You just say the word and it's yours."
Kiba pulled Naruto back with Shino by his side. "I need you to do me a favour. We need to finish up the surprise party. Can you keep her busy after the movie?"
He stayed still keeping an eye on the girls. He nodded slowly keeping up his pace. "Yeah I can do that. Why didn't you guys finish?"
He stayed quiet for a moment before he rolled his eyes knowing he had been caught in a lie. "I kind of, sort of, made a deal with my mom to take care of some things. So I was held back a bit. If you could just distract her long enough for everyone to pitch in and help set it up real quick, that would be incredible."
Shino moved in closer whispering to the two." We need at least an hour to get everything set. I'll send one of my bugs with you. It'll let you know when we're ready. "
Naruto stared at him thinking it was odd. He then realised Hinata hangs around him all day making it less so. He nodded knowing it was the right thing to do. "Okay fine. I'll make sure she's taken care of."
Kiba smiled patting his back. "Good, cause if not...I'm gonna beat your ass." His fangs bared looking down at him as he walked ahead of them. Shino shook his head following behind him.
Naruto hurried up his pace catching up to the others. They entered the lobby letting Hinata pick out whatever she wanted. She stared at everything studying the prices.
Ino hooked their arms staring at her intensely. "You can get whatever you want. Don't look at the prices and get something for yourself. It's your birthday."
She looked at the list picking out popcorn and a couple of candy boxes. She thanked her friends waiting for them by the entrance. Naruto moved towards her holding the largest containers popcorn and drink.
"Hey Hinata, can I ask you something?" She looked up at him frozen in place. "Oh, h-hey Naruto...yeah, sure." She held onto the snacks feeling like her heart was going to burst.
"I was wondering if you could help me pick something up after the movie?" He tried to act as cool as possible. No way was he going to allow her to find out their plan.
She could feel the blood in her veins pumping faster to keep up with the beating of her heart. "Sure. I would love to help..." Her smile making her feel more relaxed.
"Great to hear. I'll walk with you after the movie." He moved closer giving her a slight nudging to be friendly. Her face grew a brighter red looking down at the floor.
Kiba and Shino took him by the arms moving him away from her. Ino and Tenten grabbed her arms as Sakura carried the food. The sat in their seat getting comfort.
Hinata was sandwiched in between Naruto and Kiba. Kiba touched her hand, stroking it gently to calm her nerves. He leaned in close to her ear to whisper. "Don't worry about him. Enjoy yourself." She gave a slight nod looking back over at her crush.
The lights soon grew dim with the opening act playing on screen. She couldn't help but glance back at him every so often. Her arms inches away from his. She took her popcorn eating it slowly to not grab any attention.
He reached down to grab his drink, his hand touching hers in an almost caress. He froze seeing the reaction from her. Even in the dark he could tell she was red from the touch.
Her heart beat so loud, she swore everyone around could hear it. She look at Naruto feeling as if fate was pushing them together just for her birthday. She pushed herself far back into her seat.
Kiba noticed the movement of her body growing tense. He leaned into her chair making to whisper loud enough for only her to hear. "Is he bothering you? Should I kill after the movie?"
She looked at him rather confused for moment before realising who he meant. "It's fine, really. I'm okay." She put on her brave smile make sure to look comfortable.
He groaned eyeing Naruto before going back to the screen. She sighed quietly moving herself back up to a proper position. 'That should have Kiba not kill him for a while.' She moved her attention back to her crush, studying the him more closely.
His hair being at a short length than before have him a more mature look. She was happy to see him changing and growing as a person with her. She closed her eyes thinking of the day the met as children. Her heart thumping loudly.
The movie soon passed with them all leaving the theatre in a group. Kina groaned rubbing his stomach protectively. "That's the last time I eat so much junk food."
Ino nudged him playfully gazing back ay the birthday girl. "I think we should start on our big project." She kept her voice low in almost a whisper. "We need to start now."
Kiba nodded giving the others the okay to leave. Shino moved to Hinata's side leaning close to her. "We'll have to catch up with you later. We need to handle something for a mission."
Ino nodded grabbing the other girls arms. "We have to head out too. We have something to do for Sakura's mom. We'll see you later. Happy birthday Hinata."
Hinata waved as the others left in groups. Naruto looked down at her feeling his head spinning. 'I can't ruin this for her. This day mean everything.' He took a deep breath moving closer to her. "Do you want to go anywhere special?"
She looked up at him feeling the hairs standing on the back of her neck. "I thought you had to pick something up? Do you mean for my birthday?" She stopped in place keeping the eyes locked.
"Yeah. We can get you something special and pick up what I need afterwards." He took a mental note to remember his place this time. "So, what would you like to get?"
She shrugged looked down at the ground. "I don't know. I'm not really picky about gifts." She kept her gaze on her hands, trying to calm herself down.
He stopped at a small shop for accessories. He walked with her inside feeling the warmth of store's heating. He looked around with her until she stopped.
Her eyes landed on a barrette. A silver clip with a apricot flower at its center. He remembered a while ago Ino had told him about the winter flower. It was just as lovely as she was. He grabbed it moving to the front of the store.
Hinata moved quickly to his side trying to stop him. "Naruto wait! You don't have to get me that." She tried her best to raise her voice but he had already pulled out his wallet to pay.
"Don't worry about it. It's your birthday. Enjoy getting spoiled." He paid for the item thanking the cashier handing the small gift to her. He gave his usual chuckle seeing how much she admired it in the first place.
She stared down at the little gift he had given her. This small token meant more to her than he would ever know. She held it tightly in her hand looking up at him with pure love and affection. "Would you mind helping me put it on?"
He took it gingerly from her hand putting some hair to the side. He placed on the clip looking into her eyes. His heart giving a hard thump. "There you go."
She reached up touching the barrette. She smiled happily feeling special for his gift. "Thank you Naruto." She had the urge to hug him, but refused to do so. She moved closer to him as they headed out the door, back into the cold.
The snow kept falling at the same rate it had been since the morning. Many flakes landing onto their hair and faces. The temperature seemed to have been dropping more than before.
Hinata shivered holding her gloved hands closer to her chest. Naruto wrapped his arm around her, holding her close to him. "If you're that cold, I could give you my jacket?"
He gave her his usual, reassuring smile. Her heart leapt up to her throat. She shook her head quickly focusing on the road ahead of them. "I'm okay...thank you Naruto."
Subconsciously, she snuggled up to him. His body so close her own made this moment rare. Somethimg she could've never imagined would've happened.
They soon stopped at a small shop filled with art pieces. From paintings to sculptures, they had a variety. He allowed her to step in first shutting the door behind her.
The store was almost quiet except for the faint music coming from the back of the store. They made their way to the back seeing the only person there. A elderly woman in a black and white flower pattern kimono. She sat on a high stool seeing them both with big smile on her face. "Good afternoon."
"Afternoon ma'am. I'm uh, here to pick up something." He pulled out his receipt handing it to her. She took the slip placing a set of glasses on her face.
"Oh, I see. I'll be right back." She got out of her seat moving to the back room. Hinata moved away from his side looking around at some of the sculptures.
One caught her attention as she gravitated towards it. A white fox with crystal blue eyes. Naruto looked around seeing her amazement on it. He moved closer to her leaning towards her. "Do you like it?"
She jumped up looking at him. "I um...I..." She froze glancing back at the statue. He laughed moving away from her. "Everything okay?" Before she could answer the older woman was back.
She moved to the counter were she was holding a parcel. Naruto moved back to her taking it from her. "Thank you so much." He leaned in closer to her seeing Hinata still looking at the statue.
He came up behind her touching her shoulder. She jumped up a bit looking at him. He smiled glancing at the fox before meeting her gaze. "Let's go."
They stepped out side getting the gust of cold air hitting their faces. Naruto reached into his pockets one at a time sighing heavily. "I forgot my wallet. Can you hold this for a second?"
She took the parcel from his hands holding it tightly. She glanced back at the store once more giving a nod. "Okay. I'll wait here." He quickly ran inside leaving her alone.
She looked around at the village seeing the snow beginning to slow down, making the flakes cascade in a slow, graceful manner. She reached out letting the flakes disappear on contact with her.
The door opened up behind her seeing him place it back into his pocket. He held out his hands to take the parcel back. She handed it back to him walking at his side.
They walked farther along the road doing small talk. Hinata kept herself not to close to him. She didn't believe her heart could handle having him so close. His palms were sweating from the same thought.
A small bug flew into his line of sight making small movements to prove it was one of Shino's. He stopped dead in his tracks. "I almost forgot, would you come with me to go get one more thing?" The sound of his voice being slightly shaky.
"Sure...I don't mind at all." She moved with him feeling her heart skip a beat. More time with Naruto was a blessing on its own. "I hope I'm not bothering you, am I?"
"What?! No, not at all. I like having this time time together Hinata." A sudden dryness caught his throat feeling his stomach do a flip. "I mean it."
They walked together almost hand in hand. Their palms and fingers would brush keeping a small warmth between their bodies. They soon arrived at Kiba's home standing at the door. He gave it a good knock waiting for an answer.
Kiba opened the door giving a toothy grin. "Glad to see you guys. Come on in." He nudged Naruto out of the way helping Hinata in. He took her coat letting her feel more comfortable.
Naruto groaned hanging up his own things. He noticed the other coats covering as much of the space as he could to not let her see. He watched as he moved with her into the living room.
Kiba kept her close walking with her slowly. Her friends jumped out from their hiding spots scaring her. They huddled around her wishing her a happy birthday.
She was stunned seeing them there. Her sensei came out holding a rather large cake with a wide smile spread across her face. "I hope we made this a bit special for you."
Hinata covered her mouth in full surprise and awe. "You all did this for me? I...I don't know what to say." She teared up looking at the boys behind her.
Kiba looked rather proud of himself. "We've been planning this out for a while. We wanted to show you how much we care about you." He placed his hand on her shoulder showing her his affection.
Kurenai placed the cake on the table pulling her into a hug. "You have no idea how proud am I to have you as a student. I want you to be celebrated." She held her tightly feeling like Hinata was her own.
Kiba took the parcel from Naruto taking it to the table set with other gifts for her. He scribbled his name across it stepping away. He moved back to her side letting her know about the pile of presents.
She smiled blowing the candles on her cake first. Kurenai cut the cake handing a slice to everyone. Hinata held the biggest slice feeling the glow around her.
She sat down letting them put a crown in her head sitting around her enjoying each other's company. After some time Kiba called everyone's attention for the gifts.
He handed her his first. Inside the parcel was a miniature sculpture of a vase full of sunflowers. He placed his hand on her shoulder giving a genuine smile. "I know you miss him. I got it so you can take it anywhere and never have to worry about watering it."
She bit her bottom lip putting it aside. She got out of her seat hugging him tightly. "Thank you Kiba...I know just were to put it." She let go make sure he saw her wipe her tear.
He smiled happily moving aside to allow the others to start handing off the ir gifts to her. She welcomed them all, enjoying the attention.
She caught Naruto leaving out the door without a word. She thanked everyone for their gifts. She made her way passed them following him out.
Naruto sat out by the steps letting the snow cover him slowly. She approached him slowly tapping his shoulder. He turned to her giving a smile. "Hey there."
"Hi."
She sat down next to him keeping a slight distance between them. "Why did you leave? Were you waiting for something?" She leaned over looking at him with her kind curiosity.
He pulled out the statue that she was eyeing in the shop. The white fox staring at her with its big eyes. "Happy birthday Hinata. I hope you really like it." He handed it to her pulling out a box from his coat pocket.
She smiled holding it affectionately. She stared at the box as he opened it with care. Inside was a chocker necklace. Lavender lace with a lilac butterfly along the side.
He moved her hair to the side placing it around her neck. She held still with shaking hands trying to make the hooks fit perfectly. He moved away seeing it on her. "It looks beautiful on you."
She reached up touching it. The feel of the lace made her heart skip a beat. "Thank you so much...I love them both." Her voice was soft but expressed her absolute joy.
He sat quietly thinking of what words to say. "That's not all. I have a really important question to ask you. Hinata..." He looked into her eyes feeling the world stand still. "Will you be my girlfriend? "
She held his hand feeling a glow around them. She leaned forward having the most courage she's ever had. "Yes." She held her place whole he lowered his head. Their lips touching softly as the snow fell upon them.
Author's note:
This was a request for the Naruto Hinata Fluff Event. I'm sorry on such a delay.