A/N: This story will be three-shot dedicated to my girlfriend, whom I love very dearly and only saw fit to change the three wonderful NaruHina sketches she made for me into a story. Each chapter represents a sketch, and this one was inspired by her pencil-made copy of a NaruHina picture featuring a 'Shippuden' Naruto hugging a 'Naruto' Hinata from behind with a grin on his face, while the drinks she holds drop from her hands and wind seems to suffle the leafs around them.

So, please enjoy this little dedication of mine. Have fun =)

A Hug

Have I already said that she's beautiful? Well, not really like, beautiful, but she is really cute. She's too young to be called a beauty, but I have no doubt that she will grow to be just that one day. I hope I'll grow up some too, it's little fun being short after all…
I'll be leaving the village in a few days, just so I can go away with that stupid pervert of a teacher to train abroad and see the world a little, maybe. Unless he holes us up in a basement and I keep working myself to the ground while he's off ogling women far younger than him… that wasn't far from the reality actually. I was scared of my own perception abilities sometimes.
I wouldn't call myself the smarter of the lot, but I did have some damn intelligence in there, when it needed to be had. And right now, I, the smartest creature to ever grace Konoha from air, water or ground, now lied on top of the mess of rooftops that where the village's buildings, gazing off into the sky and wondering where these dark orange clouds faded off to when they reached the horizon. What lied beyond there, really?
It is quite strange how I find myself wondering such philosophical questions, that in fact, didn't make much sense. Maybe I had read them in a book. Yeah, that had to be it.
I mean, come on, Uzumaki Naruto, the most troublesome ninja to ever grace Konoha -didn't I say that already?- was here daydreaming where clouds went to sleep. I should ask Shikamaru, he had lots of experience with meaningless stuff like cloud watching… or tea serving… or hula dancing.
I gazed down upon the streets, the citizens seeming to file in and out, across and beyond the streets like a bunch of busybody monkeys that didn't have trees to jump on and instead run around. The pattern seemed so mindless, so chaotic, every person down there having their very own unique schedule and route to take. Was really destiny guiding all that? Didn't the guy get headaches or something?
Then my eyes spotted something that I didn't expect to see today, nor did I thought I'd be so glad to see in the first place. That mop of dark blue hair, shining an even darker color in the light of the sunset, and that pale like milk face gazing around in slight wonder and worry had my sight entranced the moment they were spotted. Did I mention her fluffy jacket? It made her look so cute, you just wanted to squeeze the daylights out of her! So huggable…
Despite my without point thoughts though, Hyuuga Hinata did seem troubled over something, and that something seemed to lie within her two, small and pale hands. Where these drink cans? I squinted… orange juice? I loved orange juice!
Without much thinking and most likely just my instincts taking over, I jumped down on the street while tracking her path, making sure to be there to intercept as naturally as I could.
And by natural by my standards would be something like…
"Hey! Hinata!" I yelled and probably even God up there heard me as half the street, along with a surprised pair of violet eyes, turned to look at me in wonder, disgust, fear, worry, and… well, surprise. But she was the only one with surprise. The others just looked like they were ready to puke at my very sight. Let them do so, it'd make my evening even better!
"What's up?" I asked like there was no care in the world as she turned to look at me with nervous eyes. Hah, that blush made her pale cheeks flare up so cutely, even the worry in her eyes made them look more beautiful as her eyelashes gracefully swept to create the right expression. Was it strange that I found amusement in seeing her expressions and generally her in all? Nope, shouldn't be.
"N-Naruto-kun, n-nice to m-meet you. How h-have you been d-doing?" she actually managed to say a full sentence in less than thirty seconds! That was a new record! I scratched it down a notepad quickly and then turned my attention back to her again, grinning broadly like a fool.
"Ne, ne, are you gonna drink both of those?" I asked, and as if shot out of a trance generated by my presence (yeah, right), she looked first at me, as if not understanding my question, then turned to both drinks. The surprise in her face made me think that she believed they had just then magically appeared in her hands.
When she managed to set her mind straight: "W-well, I intended to buy one but t-the shopk-keeper g-gave me two f-for s-some reason…" she said, a little suspicion dripping in her soft tone. It was really fun hearing Hinata talk, as when she colored her voice with something else than nervousness, her soft speech was like music, like, you could just hear her speak and you could doze off into a dreamland full of fluffy pillows and rest there, just sitting and enjoying the music her voice generated.
When she was done stuttering her suspicions, I laughed loudly "Well, the great me has come to the rescue! I could drink one of them if you don't mind!" I said with a wide grin, which seemed to make her blush even harder. I had just realized we had walked to a park, away from the stares of the adults that wondered what was a heiress doing with scum like me. Psch.
She turned away from me, probably contemplating my offer, or was just preparing to leave in a haste as she usually did when she was really, really embarrassed. For what reason, I could only guess.
"M-Maybe I s-should…" oh, I was so not having that. With a grin that could probably split my face and my heart swelling with something that made me want to laugh my lungs out, I crept behind her and hugged her close.
With a surprised yelp she crushed into my embrace, the cans flying off her hands as a strong wind came to rustle our hair and the many leafs that lied on the ground. I laughed heartily as she seemed to tremble in my arms, then somehow managed to melt into me. Her strong breathing told me she was still awake and hadn't passed out, for some reason.
I looked over her shoulders, as I was already a little taller than her, and saw her eyes being cast into a daze, as if she was desperately trying to connect with the world once again. Slowly and with care, I led us to a bench and set her down, while she still tried to process if this was reality. Maybe this girl really was a loner, if a hug could make her react like that.
With some evilness and a mood for jokes creeping in my veins, I swept the drinks of the ground and shook one of them hard. I sat down next to her and absentmindedly handed her one of the cans. As I set the drink on her neck, the cold seemed to snap her out of it. Seeing me next to her made her blush again, but she didn't scoot away, strangely to my pleasure. She just gratefully took the can off my hand with a small 'thank you'. Her timidity almost made me feel bad for the joke I was about to play on her.
With eyes focused on her fingers as they were about to open the can and my own hands working on my own beverage, I was not prepared for what came next…
As I opened my can, the liquids seemed to explode right into my oblivious face, soaking my hair and neck with orange juice. Sticky orange juice.
With a worried yelp, Hinata set her drink down on the bench and looked at me. She brought her tiny fists before her mouth and began to giggle slowly, her eyes holding mirth and her expression one graced with a smile as she watched my comically sour expression at the prank I somehow managed to play on myself. Had I mentioned even her giggling sounded like music?
The next thing that happened was completely unexpected. Hinata pulled a few wipes out of her pockets and began to carefully sweep the orange juice of my face and hair. Her touch was gentle and warm, as where her eyes as she focused on her task with a small smile.
I couldn't help but feel grateful, I couldn't help but feel happy, that someone actually cared. Anyone else would have just laughed at me and then I'd have to go find some water to wash myself off on my own. Well, Hinata did laugh, but at least she held the decency to help.
As I watched her smile, my eyes glued on her face, her pale features seemed so damn… cute, when not stressed by worry or nervousness. It was as if she was a canvas that waited for the right artist to feel it in with emotions, as if she held her true self for someone dear to her…
Why did I feel like I wanted to be that dear one?
She smiled down at me, blushing like fire burned under her cheeks
"I think that's all, Naruto-kun." She said, magically without stutter. I grinned widely at her, feeling the urge to hug her again. Tightly.
"Thank you, Hinata."

At some other place in Konoha…

"Dad, why did you have to give two drinks to that girl?" Ayame frowned at her father, not really understanding his reason. The man just smiled at her softly.
"Well, that girl, as you put her Ayame, seems to have feelings for our dear Naruto… I just hope she'll get the courage to express them soon. The boy needs someone of his age to be there for him." Teuchi spoke and Ayame sighed, shaking her head, even as a small smile crept on her face.
Teuchi nodded to himself, as he began to prepare for the evening shift of his shop.
He was so glad he had decided to sell soft drinks in Ichiraku…

A/N: The first chapter is really small, so it will be adequately posted alongside the second one which is fairly bigger, but not large. The third chapter isn't in the works yet, but will soon be done as well.

And, to all who read my others fics, I'm terribly sorry that they're on hiatus at the moment, for I have minimal, if not any at all, time to write. Even this three shot couldn't be as big as I'd like it to be for I have little time to spend on it this year.

Yours,
HoNdeR All MiGhTy