So, she said what's the problem baby
What's the problem? I don't know,
Well maybe I'm in love (love)
Think about it every time
I think about it
Can't stop thinking 'bout it
"What's your problem, Naruto?"
The blonde quickly broke his gaze from those silky indigo locks that were moving in front of him to turn his attention toward Sakura.
"Heh heh, What do ya mean?" He lifted his arm to scratch the back of his neck nervously as Sakura's eyes narrowed, and then rolled.
"You've almost tripped over your own feet three times in the last five minutes. Are you watching where you're going?" She quipped before following Naruto's eyes towards the Hyuuga girl strolling ahead of them and smirked. "Or is your attention on Hinata?"
At the mention of her name, Hinata turned towards the pinkette and blonde, meeting Naruto's eyes and feeling a slight flush come across her cheeks. "Is everything okay, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto quickly flashed a nervous smile to the two girls and laughed, "No, no! Everything is fine Hinata-chan, I was just day-dreaming a little. We're almost back to the village and it's been a long trip."
Sakura smirked again, knowing just what Naruto was day-dreaming about. Hinata smiled and turned back around, setting her steady pace again beside Shikamaru.
Naruto huffed and sent a short glare to Sakura before returning to his thoughts. Maybe it was because he was in love with the sweet Hyuuga girl ahead of him.
"You know, Naruto, Hinata is very beautiful and voluptuous. I do not blame you for those thoughts." Sai whispered to Naruto with a smile.
Naruto's eyes widened to saucers as the realization of Sai's words hit him. He laid a punch to the pale boy's arm before turning his eyes to a glare. "I was not thinking of Hinata-chan that way!" Naruto hissed as Sai rubbed his stinging arm.
He let out a sigh and turned his vision forward. So much had happened in the last few days. The world had almost ended after Toneri's attempt to send the moon crashing into Earth, being saved solely by he, Hinata, and his team. During this time, Naruto had come to an important realization: he loved Hinata Hyuuga. He may not have known it previously, but due to Toneri's genjutsu, he finally saw Hinata's feelings for him, and his for her. Naruto smiled when the memory of their kiss under the moon flashed through his mind, and he jogged forward until he was beside Hinata, locking his hand with hers.
She turned her head towards him, her cheeks turning a deep shade of pink as her eyes were met with Naruto's toothy grin. "Hey Hinata, I know I haven't asked you out on a date yet, so do you wanna go out with me after we report to Kakashi-sensei?"
She couldn't resist the big smile that spread across her face, and she nodded, tightening her fingers on his large hand. "O-of course, Naruto-kun." This made his smile widen and her heart fluttered at the sight.
Hinata couldn't believe that after all these years of waiting for him and watching him turn into the great man he was today, he chose her! Because of his new status of war hero, many girls were noticing him and trying to occupy his time. She had always believed that he would find someone like Sakura or Ino, who were louder, more confident, and more beautiful than she. So, when he confessed his love for her, she was seeing stars. Naruto Uzumaki finally noticed her?
Her eyes drifted to the scrap of the red scarf that she had knitted for him in his pocket, and then back to those cerulean eyes. He really noticed her. Not only did he notice her, he returned her feelings.
Hinata felt her chest become warm as a feeling of relief and joy washed over her. She moved just a little closer to him as they walked towards their home, and Naruto gladly welcomed her.
He really did love her.
How much longer will it take to cure this
Just to cure it 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)
Makes me want to turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped as she scrambled to gather napkins to soak up the steaming broth in Naruto's lap.
"AH! Hot hot hot hot hot!" Naruto shrieked as he stood and tried to lift the scorching hot clothing away from his skin.
He had done it again. Anytime he was around Hinata, he would do something stupid and make himself look like a fool. From tripping over the smallest branch he had ever seen on their way back to the village, to accidentally going into the women's bathroom and getting chased away and beaten by an older woman. Now, he had spilled steaming hot ramen onto his lap after hitting the bowl with his elbow while attempting to go in for a kiss during their date.
Falling in love had made him stupid, when would he get used to the Hyuuga's beauty and go back to normal?
He then grabbed the glass of cold water from the counter and splashed it onto his burning skin before sighing in relief and sitting back on his stool.
"Naruto-kun, are you okay?" Naruto's cheeks turned scarlet as he realized Hinata was staring at him in shock and worry.
He laughed nervously as he took the napkins from her small hands before placing them on his lap, trying to dry the stains on his pants. "She probably thinks I'm a dumbass." He thought as he watched her out of the corner of his eye gather more napkins. "I'm sorry, Hina, I was just trying to be romantic. But, I just made myself look like the biggest ass out there." Naruto grumbled as he tried to dry the liquid on his thighs.
This was their third date and Naruto still hadn't kissed her since their first in front of the moon. Anytime he had tried, the moment had been ruined by either his stupidity, them being spotted by their friends, or her family interrupting upon sensing the new chakra at the gate of the Hyuuga compound. He realized then that it would be difficult as he was introduced to her family, the one family in the village who literally sees all.
Hinata's eyes softened as she realized his intentions. "Naruto-kun was trying to be romantic for me?" She softly smiled and flushed as he caught her gaze, and she went to work dabbing the liquid out of his shirt.
"Hina, you don't have to help me." Naruto sighed but then widened his eyes when she placed her hand on his cheek and turned his gaze towards her. "Naruto-kun, you make me happy by just being yourself." Hinata smiled softly before leaning over and placing her lips upon those whiskered cheeks that she adored. It wasn't the kind of kiss that Naruto was planning, but it gave him butterflies the same way.
Naruto then realized that he knew nothing about love. He thought that love could only be shown through kisses or flowers, but as he saw Hinata gingerly dabbing the liquid out of his T-shirt with her famous blush present on her cheeks, he could tell it was so much more.
Come on, come on
Turn a little faster
Come on, come on
The world will follow after
Come on, come on
'Cause everybody's after love
"Close your eyes, Hinata-chan! No peaking!" Naruto placed his hands over Hinata's eyes as he walked behind her, steering her in the direction of their destination.
Hinata giggled, squinting her eyes shut even though they were already covered by Naruto's rough hands. "What's this all about, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto grinned even though he knew that she could not see, directing her down the beaten path. "It's a surprise, Hinata! You'll have to wait and see." He chuckled deviously, and she lifted her hands to settle onto his wrists, silently smiling at his enthusiasm.
After a short five-minute walk and a few series of stumbles, she begun to hear and smell the fresh, running water. "He-he, okay Hina, keep your eyes closed, I'm gonna spin you around."
She obeyed and kept her eyes scrunched, replacing his hands over her eyes with her own when he moved his to hold her shoulders. "One, two, three! Okay, open your eyes!" He spun her in a circle three times and then removed her hands from her eyes.
Hinata slowly opened her eyes and gasped softly at the sight before her. He had brought her to a clearing next to the river that was surrounded by bright yellow wild flowers and lush, green grass. On the ground laid a red picnic blanket, a small lantern that illuminated the blanket, and a picnic basket.
"You said you liked flowers, and I know you love to train by the water, so when I came across this place, I knew it was perfect! Do you like it, Hinata?" Naruto said enthusiastically, watching as she strolled over to the picnic blanket. After a few seconds, he saw her body start to gently shake.
"Wait, Hinata, what's wrong?" He jogged over to her and when he looked at her face, his heart dropped. She was looking at his setup with small tears running down her cheeks. "Hinata, why are you crying? Please don't cry! If you don't like it, we can go back to Ichiraku's, or something, please don't cry!"
Naruto's words were quickly stopped when she faced him with her biggest smile and gently took hold of his face. "Naruto-kun, th-this is so beautiful." She couldn't believe that someone would ever do something like this for her, let alone Naruto!
She let out a happy sob and brought his head down to hers, placing her forehead against his before leaning in the rest of the way. Their lips connected for the first time since their kiss in front of the moon nearly 3 weeks before, and the same electricity surged through both of their minds.
Naruto internally sighed in relief and smiled into their kiss, nervously placing his hands on her waist and bringing her closer to him. After a few seconds, they broke away and she pressed her forehead to his again, smiling and releasing a giggle when lavender met cerulean.
Naruto then saw the extent of what he missed out on all those years. Her midnight blue hair was disheveled around her face, her bangs ruffled from being brought against his and the rest of the length flowed like a river down to her hips. Her eyes were a warm lavender from the glow of the small lantern, surrounded by thick, dark lashes which only added to their uniqueness and beauty. Under them was a faded crimson blush which seemed to always be around in his presence and intensified when they came in contact. Beneath those rosy cheeks were a set of plump, pink lips that were framing a perfectly drawn smile, releasing the sweetest laugh he had ever heard. He was so lucky.
"I love you." Naruto whispered before bringing their lips together again. Her thin arms came up to wrap gently around his neck in an embrace, and he brought one hand up to run through her hair. Yes, he was incredibly lucky.