Her Christmas Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

One-shot

Neji walked into the kitchen early in the morning, way before anyone else in the mansion was up. Pouring himself a glass of milk, he checked the time on the large clock ticking away on the white wall. Reading five to six, the silent Hyuuga downed the cool drink, stretching slightly, readying himself for some morning training.

Ready to jump out the window, he suddenly stopped when sharp ears picked up on slight movement coming from the dim living room. Taking a sharp kunai put of his pocket, Neji stealthily made his way in the direction of the slight noise, all senses on alert, ready to face anyone and anything. Rounding the corner, the wary ninja paused to check who had intruded. Veins appeared beside his eyes and the young male let go of his breath when seeing who it was.

Hinata Hyuuga was settled on the dark red carpet, hair in a mess and pink robe hanging off her restless form.

Curious, Neji strolled into the living room calmly, arching an eyebrow when the dark-haired girl didn't even bother glancing up. Stepping into her peripheral vision, Hinata finally noticed his subtle presence.

"Oh! N-Neji-sama! What are doing up at this time?"

"…Morning training." He glanced around the messy living room, hands in pockets and searching eyes. "What about you?"

"Uhh, I'm…" Hinata looked around the room, too, finally realizing what a mess she had made. "I'm just wrapping C-Christmas presents…for tomorrow; w-when we go over to N-N-Naruto-kun's place."

"I see."

The usually clean Hyuuga living room, with its grand fireplace, large coffee table and twenty ornaments, was littered with small pieces of wrapping paper, glitter and glue. Hinata herself was covered with bright, green glitter, a small card sticking out of her thick hair. She didn't seem to realize, as the shy girl began to frantically clean up, knowing her strict father would frown at her messy gift-giving.

Being part of a proud clan, he believed she didn't need to give out measly presents for the less fortunate…or at least people as unworthy as Naruto.

"Um, excuse me Neji-sama…"

Hinata rushed out with her hands full of craft and glue, big bags under her pale eyes. She had obviously spent the whole morning carefully wrapping presents and writing cute cards. Neji eyed the large pile of gifts for their friends. He himself had prepared a few presents, but only for his teammates, who were nearly as close as family. Walking over to the pile inquisitively, the Hyuuga poked at the top present, eyebrow raising.

It was wrapped a strange colour, different to the other presents Hinata had taken so painstakingly long to prepare. Eyeing the small card, he flinched when glancing at the name.

'To: Naruto Uzumaki'

Before he could ponder on the present anymore, Neji backed away from the stack when Hinata entered the room again, hair free of Christmas debris and robe tied properly. She blushed when she realized he had been reading the card, quickly moving in the way to block anymore snooping (Neji would never admit it…but he was definitely snooping). Picking up the stack expertly, Hinata maneuvered her way out of the decently cleaned room, sending Neji a polite goodbye.

In return, the male Hyuuga nodded his head at her, turning back to the open window, frown pasted on his face.

"Hi Hinata, Neji!"

Sakura waved cheerfully at the pair, already seated on a warm couch, Sasuke next to her. Ino occupied the sofa opposite them, a blue mug in her hands. Most of Naruto's guests were there, with the exception of Shikamaru, who was away on a month-long mission. Ino had whined all week about the injustice of it all. Luckily, the hot chocolate had managed to calm her down.

Tenten and Lee strolled in behind the cousins at that moment, the brunette giving Neji a light peck on the cheek. Smirking happily, the Hyuuga followed her lead and took off his boots, small amounts of snow drifting to the ground as he did so. Lee shouted after them about the power of youth during the seasonal holiday, earning a few glares from Sakura.

Hinata stood shyly at the door, unwinding the scarf around her cold neck. Jumping slightly when the host of the small get together arrived with more cups of hot chocolate, she gulped heavily. Naruto was oblivious to her sudden shock as he smiled at everyone, handing out the extra cups.

Shrugging off her thick overcoat, Hinata turned even redder when the blonde passed over the last cup, grinning cheerfully at her flushed face.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Welcome, Hinata-chan! C'mon, sit here!" The blonde gestured to a spare seat, near the warm fireplace, helping her take in the bag full of gifts for her friends.

Hinata removed her boots, shuffling into the comfortable living room and taking her place next to Naruto's cheerful form. Then soon, everyone was talking, greeting each other with Christmas cheers, explaining their holiday plans, or discussing their surprise presents, laughing and smiling. Sipping on her warm drink, Hinata smiled bashfully as Naruto dragged her around, slapping others' backs and laughing in his booming voice.

Finally, when everyone was settled in, Naruto whistled, getting the room's attention, stopping all conversation.

"Hey, I think the food's ready! Go for the kitchen everyone, dig in!"

Jumping down from the chair, Naruto once again, held onto Hinata's hand, pulling her into the kitchen, to the food. Hinata turned red, hand slippery. Naruto was acting stranger than usual. Yeah, she was used to the pulling around and grinning, but tonight, stupid as it may sound, Naruto seemed to take more of an interest in her, touching her hand more often and keeping his blue eyes attached to her pale ones.

Slipping into the wooden chair, Hinata smiled as she watched her friends all mutter and crack up about the large amount and variety of food for Christmas dinner ("Hey! I was hungry—thought you guys had more of an appetite on Christmas!").

"So, Hinata, what're you doing next week?"

All the attention was on the couple, as Naruto continued munching on his beef while waiting for her answer to his sudden question.

Turning bright pink, the Hyuuga fiddled with the tablecloth, mouth dry and eyes kept on her twittering fingers.

"Umm…" Stuttering, she quickly answered. "N-Nothing m-much…why?"

Sakura and Ino were practically on the edge of their seats as they awaited the blonde's reply. Hinata refused to look at the blonde, feeling her neck flush red too. Biting her lip, she felt hope rise in her chest. It deflated after a mere three seconds.

"Ah, okay, just wondering! What about you, Teme, doing something that's not emo?"

The stoic Uchiha hissed his angry reply, turning to see Sakura rolling her eyes sadly at the disappointed Hinata. Naruto… was so stupid. Going back to her roasted turkey, Hinata tried to stay positive, chatting politely with the knowing Tenten, who was obviously trying to ignore the terribly pissed off Neji.

"Ohh, I can't wait!"

Sakura laughed as Ino tried desperately to open Hinata's wrapped present carefully, but then gave up as she ripped off the red paper in excitement.

Screaming with joy at her new nail polish set, the female blonde hugged the glad Hyuuga tightly, happy with her present, but also with another message: Don't worry; he's a stupid ninja not to love you already.

Hinata just smiled sadly, closing her eyes during the quick embrace, hiding her slightly wet eyes. Sakura and Tenten joined in with the hug, all knowing how the quiet kunoichi felt, being unknowingly rejected by the love of her life. The broke apart when the unaware Lee leapt in, tears streaming down his face, exclaiming his utter love for their display of youthfulness.

Pushing Lee away, Tenten was next to open the Hyuuga's present, soon followed by Sakura, Sasuke, Neji, Chouji and Lee, until finally, it was up to the last box, wrapped carefully in a bright, orange colour, a shade which Neji pulled a face at.

Hinata's gifts were all well thought out, smart and cleverly put together. She may not have known each and every person's deepest wish, but she knew what to get to cheer her friends up. It was a wonder how she knew what they wanted. But being the peaceful girl she was, everyone knew it was thanks to her kind heart and her sweet nature. So when Naruto pulled apart the whole box to see his present from the red heiress, it wasn't a surprise that he could jump about six feet in the air, letting out a loud whoop, complete with a hug, to the embarrassment of Hinata.

Practically kissing her, it wasn't a surprise to anyone either when she looked ready to faint. Fortunately, Sakura managed to pull the blonde of the dark-haired girl before he did any real damage.

Exchanging gifts had always been a tradition during Christmas and Hinata had to smile at the enthusiasm in everyone, even Sasuke as he watched nervously as Sakura pulled out her present, a beautiful smile spreading on her lips. But deep inside, Hinata wasn't as happy as she had anticipated.

Of course, seeing Naruto's reaction from her gift cheered her up and his hug was mind-numbing, but the clear fact was that he wasn't interested in her romantically. It was enough to send her home in tears. Glancing up at her group of friends from her quiet place on the couch, Hinata hoped she could leave soon, But not wanting to disturb her cousin (who was smiling lovingly down at Tenten), the Hyuuga knew she had to hold on just a little longer.

Naruto had yet to hand her a present yet anyway, needing to go to the bathroom halfway through handing out his presents, with only her gift to go. Probably the beef…and the chicken…and maybe the turkey…

Hinata pondered on her thoughts, not realizing she was bringing down the mood with her silent sadness.

Shaking her head, the heiress realized Neji was standing beside her, arms crossed over his chest. Smiling up at him with fake happiness, Hinata knew it was no use hiding it from him.

"He's not worth it."

Shifting slowly, Hinata kept her eyes on his identical ones, hoping she could at least show him half of what she felt towards the blonde boy. But the stubborn male held on tight to his side of the argument.

"He's hurting you. I won't allow it."

Side-stepping her seat, Neji moved to the bathroom door. Hinata's eyes widened when she realized what he meant. Standing up speedily, she pulled on one of his crossed arms, shaking her head wildly, eyes pleading.

"No…p-please, Neji-sama…I'm fine."

"You're fine?" He hissed, eyes narrowing. Whirling around to point a finger at her quivering form, the male Hyuuga shook with anger. "Yeah right you're fine!"

He spat the words bitterly, eyes blazing.

"He's so stupid to not realize! He's too dense to guess! He doesn't deserve your feelings!"

Feeling liquid pool in her eyes, Hinata tried to block out her cousin's piercing words, tried to deny it. But in her own heart, she knew he was right. Naruto could give her any gift he wanted, but she knew it wouldn't be what she really wanted. Suddenly, two arms were wrapped around her slouched form, comforting her by stroking her left arm. Hinata paid no attention however as she tried desperately to stop her tears.

They kept on coming however. The thought of Naruto never noticing, never caring, left her shattered.

"Neji? Where are you going?"

Tenten was the one who spoke, arms still wrapped around the sad Hyuuga. Hinata felt air shift as Neji passed the group, practically running in the blonde's direction. All eyes were on the terribly pissed off male as he went to deal with Naruto's fate.

Soon, shouts and crashing were echoing in the house, rebounding off the walls, making it obvious who was going to win what with Naruto's painful shouts. Then, before anyone could register what was going on, Neji was grabbing his coat and pulling on his shoes. Not glancing back at the silent group of ninjas, the male Hyuuga disappeared, hurrying out the doorway and into the snow.

For what seemed like an eternity, everyone was frozen in shock. Hinata's tears had stopped; too flabbergasted to remember how this had happened in the first place. That is, until a certain blonde trailed into the room, holding a fist up to one eye. All eyes were in him as he faced his audience, unbelievably calm.

"You guys should leave." That was all he said, eye glued on the dark-haired woman, who had wriggled out of Tenten's grasp. "Merry Christmas."

Still, no one made a move to get their coats, all still wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Then, Tenten came to her senses, wishing everyone a quiet farewell before rushing out of Naruto's place, no doubt after Neji. She was soon followed by Sasuke, then Sakura, whom he had dragged with him.

When Naruto finally made sure everyone was gone, he turned to the last female, still seated on his couch. She seemed to realize where she was and who she was staring at, finally letting out a squeak, jumping to her feet.

"Um, t-thanks f-f-for the d-dinner, N-"

"Come with me."

Head shooting up, Hinata felt her face heat up at the serious Naruto, who had already headed towards the stairs. Not knowing whether to follow or not, Hinata went with her gut, stiffly shuffling after Naruto.

"N-N-Naruto-kun…? W-Where are w-w-we going?"

No reply. Only more steps.

Finally hearing Naruto pause at the top, Hinata tiptoed behind him, teeth chattering from the snow, anticipation and nerves. The blonde had pulled something out of his pocket, stalking over to the balcony they had arrived at. Following him, Hinata gasped as the snow whished around her face, blowing her long hair around and causing her face to flush even redder in the cold.

Naruto seemed to notice and Hinata bit her lip when he wrapped his own scarf around her neck. The Hyuuga felt herself staring at the small snowflakes drifting to the ground, pale eyes glistening in the soft glow of the lamp sitting on the stand near the couple.

"Hinata-chan."

She looked up when he voiced her name softly, blue eyes looking strangely sincere. She backed away slightly when he held up a hand to cup her cheek. The tanned hand lowered when he realized she wasn't okay. But instead of pointing out her actions, the blonde suddenly grinned.

Hinata followed his hand as it opened to reveal a small, blue box. A white ribbon tied together the Christmas wrapping paper. Still avoiding his eyes (his blue, blue eyes), she felt her mouth falling open, puffing out white fog when he pushed it her way.

"Merry Christmas, Hinata-chan."

Her hands shaking, the teen took the box delicately, heart beating fast. She pulled off the white ribbon, pocketing the fabric. Then, ripping open the blue paper carefully, gasped when she was met with a pale purple, velvet box. Flipping it open, Naruto grinned when he saw her pleased face.

A sapphire gem sat in the middle of the necklace, glinting in the light. Attached to it was a small, silver chain. Strong hands taking it from her smaller ones, Hinata held her breath as the smiling blonde clasped it around her neck.

Staring down at her new present, Hinata forgot about her nerves when she looked up at her crush. Her eyes were soft, a small smile appearing on her pale face.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

No stuttering at all. Naruto smiled down at her, suddenly bringing her into a hug. The dark-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then, shoulders lowering from her tense form, hugged him back. But his next words ended her serene thoughts.

"I…I like you Hinata-chan."

Eyes shooting open, the Hyuuga pushed the blonde off with amazing strength. Naruto frowned at her reaction. Hinata was back to avoiding his eyes, but this time, it wasn't the nerves. Naruto panicked when tears sprung to her eyes, holding out his hands, desperately trying to clam her down.

'H-Hinata! Wha-What's wrong?" The bewildered shinobi reached out, trying to pull her back. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Wrong?" He paused in his steps, frown deepening. "Wrong? Everything you do i-is w-w-wrong!"

Hinata seemed to have forgotten for a moment that she was supposed to be the sweet, shy girl who was too scared to touch her crush. Because Naruto was trying not to wince as Hinata hit her fist against his chest.

"How could you? How dare you!" Not stopping her assault on the oblivious blonde, Hinata still didn't look up, therefore, not seeing how confused he looked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're lying…you're lying."

Hinata finally ran out of fuel as she collapsed against him, hiding her head in his chest, preventing him fro seeing her eyes filling with more bitter tears.

"Lie? I was telling the truth!" Seeming to finally get it, Naruto stared down at the sniffing girl, hands holding her to him. "I do like you, Hinata-chan!"

Her next words were so soft he had to lean in to hear them.

"Only because Neji forced you to."

Letting go of her still form, Naruto held her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at his tilted face. He bent down, a slight smile now pulling at his warm lips.

"Hinata-chan…you think Neji forced me to like you?" Laughing, he continued. "Neji didn't make me do anything. When he punched me, I told him it was okay. I told him I would deal with you."

Not replying, Hinata shook her head slowly, not understanding what Naruto was trying to prove. So he wasn't lying?

"Hinata-chan…I'm sorry." Bringing her against his chest again, Naruto chuckled, blue eyes laughing at her silently. "I'm sorry for telling you too late."

Hinata loosened her fists, realizing what Naruto was trying to convey to her. Pausing, she slowly, but surely, leaned in more, pushing her cheek against his warm body.

"I-I like you too, N-Naruto-kun."

Smiling and letting the last of her tears to drip down her chin, Hinata stood in her man's arms, wishing the hug would last forever. Snow drifted around her, but none felt the cold biting at their skin because inside, it was as warm as a new fireplace.

"Merry Christmas, Naruto-kun."

A/N: Merry Christmas! 2010