It was a beautiful night in Konoha, not a cloud in the sky. It was on nights like this she sat in the training field and stared into the heavens. She always thought about him. Little did she know he was less than twenty feet away watching her with a smile on his face. He had realized long ago her feelings for him.
So he decided to watch her like she did him. At first it felt wrong watching someone from afar. But over time he grew accustomed to it. It almost became second nature. His smile grew as he heard her yawn. Her small hand covered her mouth in an effort to stifle the quiet noise. Naruto could still hear the cute sound and it made his heart jump. He knew he felt strongly for her but he did not want to get her hopes up unless he knew it was love.
He watched her until he noticed her head start to hang slightly. He thought she was just deep in thought until she collapsed. He jumped up and ran to her his mind frantic. He saw her and checked to make sure she was alright. He leaned down and went to check for a pulse but stopped when he heard the soft sound of her snores. He chuckled to himself.
His smile returned as he watched her sleep. Her face was relaxed as he settled himself down beside her. His heart skipped as he stared at the sleeping woman next to him. He could feel the blood rush to his face and then it hit him. This woman had stolen his heart. The best part was he knew there was no chance of rejection. She had openly declared in front of the village that she had always and would always love him.
He did not want to waste any time in telling her but had no idea how. Her confession had been heart felt and made during a time of duress. So he didn't think his should be a simple 'I love you.' He remembered her telling a story and decided his should be somewhat like hers.
Hinata awoke before sun rise. Just before sun rise. Her eyes opened slowly and drank in the sight of her crush smiling down at her. She was fully awake in an instant, her face ablaze.
"N-N-Naruto?" She asked hesitantly. He figured the sooner the better.
"Hinata I'd like to tell you a story." She tilted her head in confusion. "It's the story of a girl I know. It's also the story about the girl I love." He said a faint blush painting his cheeks. Her face visibly fell. She did not want to hear him talk about Sakura. He chuckled at her expression. "I've known her since we were kids. She was always the quiet type until she met a special person." He paused contemplating his next words. "She was always so kind to everybody." He closed his eyes and grabbed for the seal on his stomach. "Even a demon like me." He kept his eyes closed.
"N-Naru-" He held up his hand.
"Please Hina let me finish." He took a deep breath. "Over the years I never took notice of her, even though when we younger she was the only one who believed in me." Hinata's eyes grew wide. He was not talking about Sakura. "It wasn't until I got older that I realized just how special she was. But the worst part is I didn't truly realize it until I thought she died." His hand moved to his heart. "Something inside of me broke and I lost it." He took a shaky breath. "But the worst part is I didn't even realize I loved her until a few short hours ago. When she fell asleep under the stars." A tear fell down his face. But it never reached his chin. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced over at her.
She was smiling brightly at him. Her finger had caught the tear.
"I love you too."
"I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it." She simply stared at him. "Hinata?" She held up a finger. Naruto was confused until he saw, out of the corner of his eye, the sun rise. He went to turn his head but Hinata stopped him. His eyes shifted back to her but before he could register what she was doing he felt her lips on his.
He took note of how soft her lips were and he briefly wondered if the rest of her was that soft. She pulled back and smiled. He noticed her blush had increased considerably.
"I've waited a long time to hear those words." He raised an eye brow.
"Where did the stutter go?"
"Before I was unsure of myself around you, I was so confused on how to get your love that I could never complete a sentence. But now that I know that you love me I have no reason to be unsure." Naruto smiled and leaned in closer. His lips grazing her neck.
"I thought it was cute." Her face flushed deep scarlet.
"N-N-Naruto!" She squealed. He laughed an wrapped his arm around her waist.
"So have any big plans today?" He asked nonchalantly. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I was thinking of introducing my boyfriend to my family."
