Okay! So this is likely going to be a holiday based fic made up of one shots of different Naruto couples (mostly my favorite but others by request and whim). So if you like it let me know. If not, tell me how to improve. If you flame, remember the saying about playing with fire and know that when you get tagged for flames, they tend to show up more on your stories. That's all for this side of the fic. See you at the bottom!
Hinata's side of the story:
She, Ino, Sakura, Temari and Tenten had been out shopping most of the day and were sitting in the window seats of a small, warm café chattering about all the usual things girls talk about around Christmas time. Gift they wanted or were giving to others, favorite holiday food and how they would be spending Christmas Eve.
"Ten-Chan, Neji, Shika and I are going skating then to dinner." Temari stated.
"That could be fun. I'd love to see what Neji-san can do on ice-skates since he's so good at spinning without them. Choji and I are having Christmas dinner at his house. His parents said there would be plenty of food and Choji's been bragging about how great his mom's cooking is so I decided I'd take him up on his offer." Ino said taking a sip from her latte.
"I can only imagine what you two will be doing after dinner. Maybe having a bit of dessert?" Tenten asked.
Ino went a bright pink. "No-no-no-no. He would never do something like that."
"Suuuure. And Gaara-niisan likes being called a raccoon-san." Temari stated.
"He doesn't seem to mind it too much. He lets me call him that all the time."
"What!" Temari exclaimed leaning forward over the table in surprise.
"Ya. In fact, the last time you and your brothers came over, he came in the kitchen to ask if the cookies were ready I told him, 'no raccoons in the kitchen' and he just shrugged and walked back into the living room. And when were on dates, I call him it all the time." Temari was dumbstruck. "What?" Sakura asked uncomfortably. "It's just a nick-name."
"What ever." Tenten said, eager to get off the subject of pet names. She did not want to get into that dangerous water. "So Hinata, what are you doing Christmas Eve?"
"Well," the shy Huga started setting down the tea cup she had just been about to drink from, "I was going to spend it at my house like usual."
"Why the heck would you do that?" Temari asked after getting over the shock of having a portion of her world reversed, "Even Hinabi is going to be out on a date."
"Well, I don't really have anything else to do."
"You could come skating with us." Tenten suggested. "We could play crack the whip and stuff."
"Thank you but no. I'm not very good at ice skating."
"How do you like that?" Sakura asked. "A water element specialist who can't ice skate."
Hinata blushed and Ino came to her rescue, "It doesn't matter Hina-chan." Looking down at her watch she exclaimed, "Shoot! I gotta go guys. Presents don't rap themselves." And she got up and strode quickly out the door.
"I told racoon-sa-I mean, Gaara I would meet up with him after I was done shopping. Bye Temari. Bye Hinata. Bye Tenten. See you guys later. And she too walked out into the white expanse.
"Let's go Temari," Tenten said breaking her friend's reverie. "I still need to get matching hats and scarves for Neji and I."
"Ya," replied Temari shaking her head to clear it. "See you later Hinata." And with that, Hinata was left at the table. Her only company the now cold dregs of tea in her cup.
"Oh well." She sighed. "Guess it's time to head home." She stood and put on the coat, gloves and other warm clothing she had taken off upon sitting down.
She stepped out into the gently falling snow and smiled. 'The snow is so pretty.' She though. 'It makes me think of…' And suddenly, as if her thoughts had been a command, the very boy she was thinking of suddenly stood next to her, a drift of snow on his long blond hair.
"Hey Hinata!" Uzamaki Naruto, her crush since the early years in the academy, was standing there in all his blue eyed glory.
'What is he doing here?' Hinata thought jumpily. 'Is he stalking me?' Naruto remained where he was smiling down at her. 'Calm down.' She berated herself mentally. 'He's probably just out enjoying the snow.' "Hi, Naruto-kun." She finally answered.
Naruto smiled "So what you been up to Hinata? Finishing up some last minute shopping?"
"Yes." Hinata managed. "Ino, Sakura, Temari, Tenten and I."
"Where'd they all go?" He asked looking around.
"They all had things they still had to do. I was just going to go home." She fidgeted with the fingers of her gloves.
"Would you like to come to Ichiraku and have some ramen with me? I love the snow and I really love having a nice warm bowl of mizu. My treat."
'Is he really asking to have ramen with him?' She thought in disbelief. She was able to disguise her enthusiasm fairly well. "Sure. If you want to that'd be fine with me."
As they walked, Hinata mentally jumped for joy. 'Naruto is treating me to ramen and I'm not dreaming!' She had made sure of this by unobtrusively pinching herself several times. Her mind was a happy whirl and so she didn't notice at first that they had gotten to her crush's favorite eateries.
"Hey Naruto-san, Hinata-heme. What can I get you two?" The old ramen chief asked when they ducked through the curtain.
"Hey old man!" Naruto said as he sat down. "I'll have a bowl of mizu. What kind do you want Hinata?" He turned to her and asked.
"Um. I'll have mizu as well." Hinata stuttered.
"Two orders of mizu commin' up." And the old man turned to prepare the soup.
While they waited, Naruto asked, "So what are your plans for Christmas eve?"
"Um," Hinata started, "I was just going to spend it at home. My family usually has a quiet dinner. Then I watch some of the Christmas specials and go to bed."
"Hmm. We that sounds like a nice way to spend the Holiday. I usually end up staying at home and having copious amounts of ramen. Oh," He laughed, "Except that one year where I decided to go to a Christmas party with Pervy-sage and baa-chan. They both got out of their skulls on saki and I had to get someone to help me drag them home. Never again." He said shaking his head and smiling.
She loved it when he smiled. It was as if, through all the clouds of her life, there really was a Hinata, a bright place, for her to bask in warmth. The warmth was slowly creeping up her neck to form her signature blush.
She was saved by Ichiraku turning around and depositing a nice warm bowl of ramen in front of them. "Irashi!"
"Old man, you only gave us one bowl."
"Oh. My mistake. I'll go make you some more." He said reaching to pick up the bowl.
"Don't worry about it. I'm hungry and Hinata doesn't mind. Do you?" Naruto asked turning towards her.
"N-n-no. I don't m-mind." She stuttered in surprise.
"Great!" Naruto shouted as he picked up his chopsticks and started into the huge bowl of soup.
'He's sharing ramen with me.' She mentally squealed. 'Oh this is the best day ever!'
Naruto looked up from his chow-down and asked, "What the matter Hinata? Not hungry?"
"Oh," she gasped slightly. "N-n-no, I I'm still hungry." And she too picked up a set of chopsticks and began eating, if with a little less gusto than the object of her affection.
When they had emptied the bowl, (coming very close to the famous "same noodle kiss" has it not been for Hinata quickly snipping the noodle with a quiet flash of chakra), Naruto leaned back in his seat saying, "That was the best. I can always count on you guys to have a nice warm bowl of ramen ready." Naruto reached for his wallet and placed the money for their soup on the counter.
"It's on the house." Ichiraku-san said. "Think of it as our gift to you."
"Man. If I had known that, I would have eaten more! Come on Hinata. I'll walk you home." And he grabbed her hand and led her out.
Once they were outside, Naruto stopped and looked up into the night sky at the snow gently falling all around them. "I love the snow. It's so clean and white when it falls." Turing to face her he smiled that wonderful smile of his. "Hey look," He said pointing over her head to the roof they had stopped under. "Mistletoe." His smile widened as he said, "You know what that means." And he closed his eyes and leaned close.
'Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh' Hinata's mind screamed. 'Naruto-kun is about to…' And at that moment, his lips touched hers and she passed out.
Naruto's point of view:
'Man! What's taking those girls so long?' He had been waiting outside the café for some time now. 'Gaara said Sakura was going to meet him five minutes ago. Though he probably won't care. He likes her and her cooking to much to do anything that might risk loosing her.' He had to admit, Sakura had gotten better at cooking since she had to cater to Tsunade's wishes. 'But at least Tenten and Temari should have left.' He mused. 'Neji said they still have yet to get the hats and scarves Shikamaru predicted they would buy. And Ino was supposed to go shopping with Choji to get a gift for the Akamichi Christmas dinner.' He had put this whole thing together, with a great deal of help from the lazy genius. And now it could all fall apart if…
But at that moment Ino rushed out of the café and down the street towards her house. Then came Sakura headed in the direction of the sand siblings Konaha residence and finally TenTen and Temari follow a few seconds in the direction of the clothing shop two streets over. 'Excellent. All according to my/Shikamaru's plan.'
Then the objective of his whole plan stepped out and looked up into the snow flakes slowly falling from the cottony sky. She was beautiful. Her dark hair clashing wonderfully with her creamy skin of her face. Falling past it from under her winter hat as if a spring of clear night was coming from inside a vein of milky quartz. In as second, he was by her side drawn to the wonder that was her face. "Hey Hinata!" 'Baka!' He shouted at himself. 'You came up to fast. Now she's spooked.' He thought looking down at her surprised face.
"Hi, Naruto-kun." She finally managed.
'Oh! The voice of an angel!' The thought made him smile so he quickly covered it up with a question. "So what you been up to? Doing some last minute shopping?"
"Yes," Hinata said quietly. "Ino, Sakura, Temari, Tenten and I."
He had to play this right. Play the dumbly like Shikamaru told him to. "Where'd they all go?" He hardly could keep his eyes off her. But he forced it to pull off the charade.
"They all had things they still had to do. I was just going to go home." She started fidgeting it that irresistible way of her's. 'She so cute when she does that!' he had to restrain himself from hugging his pale beauty.
He managed to cover over his mental jubilation with a question, "Would you like to come to Ichiraku and have some ramen with me? I love the snow and I really love a nice warm bowl of mizu. My treat."
Sure, if you want to that'd be fine with me."
'Yes!' Naruto mentally shouted. 'Shikamaru was right. No girl can resist a free meal. Especially one offered by a guy they like.' (AN: yes, Naruto does know in this fic. He is still a little slow but he's not a complete dunce.)
As they walked, Naruto had to keep going over the plan in his head. 'If I screw this up I may never get another chance like this again.' The unfortunate lot of a shinobi. Being so engrossed in his thoughts, he had nearly missed the diminutive ramen stand. But his inner "ramen finder" lead him true.
Ichiraku greeted them as they came through the curtain and sat down. "Hey Naruto-san, Hinata-heme. What can I get you two?"
'Good. Choji was able to talk to him to get him on board.' "Hey old man! I'll have a bowl of mizu." 'Baka! Ladies first!' a voice like Sakura's shouted through his head. "What kind would you like Hinata?"
"Um," she hesitated again in the manner he found near irresistible. "I'll have mizu as well." 'Exactly as Shikamaru predicted.'
"Two orders of mizu coming right up!" The old man said as he turned to make the soup.
'Make some conversation' he could almost here Shikamaru saying. 'Stop staring at talk to her.' "So what are your plans for Christmas eve?" 'I know what I want them to be' an inner voice he had picked up from his time with Aria said. 'Bad ero! Get out now!' His inner said.
His internal argument was stopped when Hinata spoke, "Um. I was going to stay at home. My family usually has a quite dinner, and then I watch some of the Christmas specials and go to bed."
"Hmm, Sounds like a nice way to spend the Holiday." 'Defiantly my kind of Christmas.' The Jariya inspired voice started. 'With out the dinner and movie that i-'(whack!) 'Shut the heck up!' his inner shouted having pounded the perv part into the mind-scape ground. "I usually end up staying at home and eating copious amounts of ramen. Oh," He had to laugh at this memory. "Except one year where I when to a Christmas party and Pervy sage and Baa-Chan got out of their heads on saki and I had to get some one to help me drag them home. Never again" He said shaking his head still smiling.
Just then, Ichiraku set a large bowl between them. "Irashi!" He said and stepped back.
'Either Shikamaru refined his plan without talking to me, or Choji was hungry when he talked to Ichi-san.' "Old man." Naruto complained to cover the change. "You only brought us one bowl."
"Oh, My mistake." He stepped forward to pick up the bowl. "I'll make you some more."
"Don't worry about it." He said continuing the ruse. "I'm hungry and Hinata doesn't mind. Do you?" He turned on her knowing it would cause her to agree.
"N-n-no. I don't m-mind." She was nearly there. 'Just a little bit more and it'll all be perfect.'
While they were eating, Naruto when over once more in his head the final steps to the plan. He also tried unobtrusively to get the other end of a noodle Hinata had grabbed. But she quickly sliced it with a precise chakra strike. 'She is so skilled. Though it would have been fun to see how she reacted.'
After finishing the last of the ramen, Naruto reached into his wallet and put the payment on the counter. "It's on the house." The old man said smiling knowingly. "Think of it as our gift to you."
"Man." Naruto said playing it off rather coolly he thought. "If I had known that I would have eaten more." 'Now for the final stage of the plan,' He thought "Come on Hinata. I'll walk you home." He grasped her warm hand and laughed to himself as he caught her blush out of the corner of his eye.
Leading her outside, he stopped under an extended part of a roof. 'This should be about right,' and he looked up into the night sky. The snow fell gently on his face and stuck to their clothing. "I love the snow. It's so clean and white when it falls." He said thinking of her snow white skin. A flash of movement caught his attention. "Hey look," he said pointing over her head. "Mistletoe." His smile widened as he said, "You know what that means." And he closed his eyes and leaned close.
Hinata passed out in his arms before he even touch his lips to hers. They were soft, yet strong as he cradled her in his arms. As he picked her up bridle style he turned to the roof on the other side of the street and said just loud enough to be heard, "Oh. And nice placement Neji." And Naruto turned back and walked down the street.