So... uh, long time no see? It's been about a year and a half, huh.

Well, I didn't really abandon fanfiction, but I'd been more interested in the makings of an original work of mine. Still, I kept up on this site, reading any stories that looked worthwhile, and keeping up with the ones that I liked that were still updating. Most of those were crossovers though, heh.

Anyway, I'm not going to drag my "return" on, so I'll just comment a bit on what this is.

This is just a collection of short drabbles about the pairing of Naruto x Hanabi. There will be a loose continuity between all of them, because that makes things more fun and interesting, but they're mostly self-contained. They aren't going to be very long, at the very least one thousand words a chapter, but not too much more than that.

I'm mostly writing these just for fun, I suppose, so don't be surprised when I don't update for a prolonged period of time.

Anyways, I don't know the characters or setting or basically anything about this, but I do own this "story".

Enjoy!

Predictable: Just as Expected

Uzumaki Naruto, shinobi born of Konoha, student of the late Toad Sage Jiraiya of the Sannin, self-proclaimed (future) "Orange Hokage", and ninja bearing the title of "Most Unpredictable Ninja".

Now see, Hyuuga Hanabi would have agreed with you up until that last part.

Naruto was definitely born in Konoha. There was no one who loved the village more than he did, after all! Hanabi would have to agree.

Naruto was definitely the Toad Sage Jiraiya's student. It was a fact, after all. It was hard to disagree with the facts. Hanabi would have to agree.

Naruto was definitely proclaiming himself to be the "Orange Hokage", even if he wasn't even Hokage yet. Hanabi would have to agree.

However, Naruto was by no means the "Most Unpredictable Ninja". No way, not at all! Hanabi would have to DISAGREE.

In fact, it was quite the opposite, she would say.

There was no one more predictable than Uzumaki Naruto, according to Hanabi.

Hanabi had met her fair share of people during her life. She'd met many people, and generally, she could place people under various categories.

However, Naruto was in a category all on his own.

He was rude yet kind, loud yet gentle, annoying yet lovable. Surprising... yet predictable.

"Naruto, explain yourself," the young Hyuuga stood steadfastly in front of the older blond, hands on her hips as she looked at him with disdain.

"Er, H-Hanabi-chan, it's not what it looks like!" Naruto inched the side, yet making sure he remained in Hanabi's vision, as if to block something from her vision.

"That... looked like ramen to me," Hanabi started slowly, "and I'm sure you remember that you agreed to stop stockpiling ramen in your house."

"I-i-it's not ramen, Hanabi-chan! I-it's just, uh..." Naruto looked up and down, left and right, as if trying to find an excuse written somewhere on the walls of his apartment.

"... Empty ramen containers? Yeah, right," she spoke stoically, gazing at the frantic and panicked blond passively.

"H-how'd you know I was going to say that?"

"Because only you would say something so stupid," Hanabi sighed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"H-hey! Collecting empty ramen containers isn't that odd! ... Is it?" Naruto crossed his arms as well, and tilted his head inquisitively.

Without bothering to answer, Hanabi shoved her way past Naruto rather... ungracefully, and stuck her arms into the open cupboard that Naruto had been trying to hide from her. With a single motion, she'd thrown all instant ramen cups into the open, leaving the inside of the cupboard empty.

There was a reason she'd made her trip over to his apartment today, after all. Hanabi had expected that he'd secretly hoard ramen out of sight from her, but he could never fool her.

"No, don't! How could you do that to my precious ramen?" As if checking a toddler for injuries, he gently yet quickly inspected the ramen cups carefully, not unlike a father would his own child.

"F-fine, I'll get rid of these, are you happy now?"

"Nope," Hanabi answered without missing a beat. She stood up from the cupboard, and gave Naruto's apartment a once-over.

"Now where else did you hide ramen...?" She inquired outloud, but it was less of a question towards Naruto than it was towards herself.

"I-I d-d-didn't hide ramen anywhere else. I-I wouldn't lie to you, Hanabi-chan! Come on, believe me!" However his pleas were ignored as Hanabi stepped over to a particularly noisy wooden plank she'd always kept note of.

"H-hey, get away from there!" Naruto stood up and moved to stop Hanabi, leaving his precious ramen cups alone, but he was too late.

With a swift movement of her foot, she'd removed the plank, revealing a dozen instant ramen containers...

Just as she'd expected.

Leaving the shocked blond alone, she began her raid of Naruto's apartment... so to speak.

Behind the dresser and inside covered up hole in the wall?

Just as expected.

Under his bed and under another loose wooden plank?

Just as expected.

The hollowed-out insides of his couch?

Just as expected.

Inside a hole in the ceiling conceiled by his lights?

Just as expected.

Inside the wall behind a loose tile in his bathroom?

Just as expected.

"Th-that's... that's all of... b-but how? You didn't even use the Byakugan! How'd you know all of my hiding spots?" The blond teen looked at Hanabi flabbergasted and utterly bewildered, "you... you cheated! That's the only way!"

"... All of the hiding spots?" The white-eyed Hyuuga elegantly raised an eyebrow at Naruto, but didn't continue to speak.

Under Hanabi's unrelenting gaze, Naruto broke out into a cold sweat, and unconsciously took a step back.

"Oh, yes... how could I have... forgotten... about that spot?" She spoke slowly, yet loudly, making Naruto flinch.

It was obvious to him that she'd "conveniently" just "forgot" about a certain spot, but he wouldn't give in. If he reacted now, he would only just confirm it...! That he had one spot left! He had to believe that she didn't know. She couldn't know. There was no way for her to know...

While Naruto's thoughts were racing at a mile a minute, Hanabi began walking towards his window and...

"To think you'd go this far..." Hanabi shook her head slowly, and reached out towards the window...

... And for his flower pot.

"N-no! H-how... w-why!"

Gently, Hanabi raised the flower pot with a single hand, and with her free hand, removed the bottom of the pot. However, instead of dirt falling, out came...

Ramen.

Just as expected.

"This is an unusually big pot, you know?"

Naruto fell to his knees, utterly defeated. He whispered to himself depressedly, uttering nonsense that Hanabi didn't feel like bothering to translate into something she could understand.

"Oh, grow up, you big baby," the Hyuuga girl berated him as she walked over the blond.

"B-but..."

Hanabi crouched down so that she her head was level with Naruto's. With a single extended finger placed on the blond's chin, she raised his head so that they were staring at each others, blue eyes contacting white eyes.

Before he could speak, Hanabi moved forward in a quick movement, and lightly kissed him on the lips. She moved back and stood up, the edge of her lips curved upwards in a small smile.

"Cheer up, okay?"

Naruto blushed, and remained uncharacteristically quiet as he stood up, and gave her a sheepish grin. His face was still red, but Hanabi could tell he was definitely happy about the kiss, and she knew her attempt at cheering him up had worked.

... Just as expected.

The first of, hopefully many, to come. Neither beta'd nor actually proof-read by myself, but I think I did a good-job of keeping it error free. I think. I am just writing these for fun, so I'm not too concerned about quality, but I do try to do as well as I can either way.

Hanabi: So, after a year and a half, you come out of nowhere with... this?

Well, I'd been working on other things. In fact, I'm working on a crossover at the moment, but how that turns out will remain to be seen. I do have a lot of free-time these days though, so hopefully I'll update somewhat regularly with this, and perhaps get the crossover out too.

Naruto: All criticisms are welcome, and we hope you enjoyed reading it!