Well, apparently it's some sort of NaruHina shipping month or something, which I had no idea existed until like 15 minutes ago, but will gladly make my contribution to making the world a more NaruHina filled place!

I'm probably all wrong with the dates and details, but... I find myself not caring too much. Maybe I'll correct this when the next series come out.

Naruto, in all its wonderfully canonical NaruHina glory does not belong to me. I write for fun.

Tanjobi

Coming home was usually the best part of his day. The smell of good food in the house, the melodic notes of his children playing on the deck, and that smile from his wife that made anything else that happened that day fade into a calm happiness. He gave a sigh. Tonight would not be one of those nights. It was too late for any of that.

He opened the door and was greeted with a Technicolor living room. Balloons at various stages of deflation were scattered around the house. He heard the clink of dishes from the kitchen and braced himself for the conversation that awaited him. But first, he walked down the hall and slowly slid open the door to his son's room.

He knew it was far too late to find him up, and was surprised to see his little sunflower asleep next to her big brother. It was an endearing sight to see the two of them, tangled together in sleep. Unfortunately, he knew that at this age, she only slept with him when he was really upset. The thought brought an uncomfortable twinge to his chest. He walked in quietly and gave them both kisses, removed Himawari's foot from her brother's face and slowly shut the door behind him.

As he shuffled back into the kitchen he was now feeling awful. He found his wife, beautiful as ever, rinsing off the last of the dishes in the sink.

"Tadaima," he let out meekly.

She turned and by some miracle gave him a smile and said "Okaeri."

He stood rooted on the spot as she swept over and gave him a kiss, spared him a sympathetic smile, then went back to drying the dishes.

It was a while before he said anything. Over the years he had gotten a little better at reading his wife, but, she didn't seem to be reacting the way he thought she would. And that was cause for concern, right?

"Would you like some cake?" she offered once all the dishes were dry. "You've probably already eaten, right?"

"I'm sorry," he said feeling as if he had missed the point where he should have done that.

She looked back from the open fridge and spared her husband a look of understanding as he sunk into a kitchen chair. Naruto rubbed his face vigorously and when he opened his eyes again he was rewarded with a plentiful slice of coconut cake in front of him.

He stared down at the confection as his wife set down a cup of tea beside him. Her arms snaked down around his chest as she leaned down over his back.

"I really am sorry," he said again finding her hand and giving it a squeeze.

"I know."

"The Five Kage summit is tomorrow. We had so much work."

"I know."

"I really wanted to be here."

Hinata untangled herself from her husband and went to sit beside him. "I know anata."

He stared at the slice of cake. "You're not mad." He had meant it as a question, but from her actions and her energy, it was pretty clear that she wasn't.

She cupped his face and made him look towards her. "It's important to me, that you understand that I will never hold your position and the sacrifices you make for it against you. I am so proud of you Naruto, and I know how lucky we are to have you come home every night, even if it's a little late."

He smiled at her superpower. No matter how blatantly idiotic he could be, she could always, always make him feel better. He knew better though, the one who got lucky was him.

"However, to be fair, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she finished.

His smile disappeared. "How mad was he?"

Hinata smiled nervously. "We trained for about an hour before he finally calmed down. Or wore himself out, one of the two." She shrugged and Naruto scowled. She was not helping.

"Oh, but he's getting so good Naruto," she continued with a spark of pride in her eyes. "You should see the progress he's made since…"

She stopped, seeing that look on his face: since they used to train together every day, before he became Hokage. What had it been? Two months? Already? It felt like longer. She wasn't blind; she knew this weighed down on him as much as it did on Bolt. They were all trying to settle into the new lifestyle, if she were being completely honest.

"You know, you're doing a better job at this than you think. And I know he will understand one day too, but... maybe you should talk to him anyway. It's difficult for anyone to be away from the people they love."

He stole a glance at her as a mutual aching passed between them. They hadn't really talked about it, but they missed each other as well. "Just, let him know that, he has to be strong like you," she finished.

He looked back at the cake and contemplated his wife's words. Of course she was right. He hated to admit it, but this probably wouldn't be the last birthday he would miss. And it wasn't entirely fair to expect the same level of understanding from his children as what Hinata was offering him now. He played around with the frosting before bringing a bit up to his mouth. Hinata had made it, which meant it was delicious, but-

"What kind of a weird ass kid prefers coconut cake over chocolate?" he asked in between mouthfuls.

Hinata raised a brow, "Your weird kids' anata."

"Think he'll try something stupid tomorrow?"

She smiled nervously. "Knowing you and your son... I'd check all the doors for erasers before the Kage's arrive."

~~~o*o~~~

This came out shorter than I expected, but I think it's all right. I might make this into a series of one shots for NH month. But just know that I will NOT be posting a fic a day. I don't have the time unfortunately. However, Sunday is my day off so I might flesh out some other short ideas I have on a weekly basis. If you'd like me to continue that is. Remember, reviews speak louder than 1000 images! Wait, that's not right...